http://www.102clearfm.com

still have it. I remember years ago asking my mom for a Blue Rodeo cassette for Christmas. To which she said “Blue Who?” Ahhhh MOM. I loved Blue Rodeo, still do… and Saturday night at the MTS Centre I was not disappointed: Try, Hasn’t Hit Me Yet, Bad Timing…..favorite after favorite. Honestly I didn’t want the show to end.

They started the show off with a stripped down version of a few of their tunes…they performed what sounded like an unplugged set in front of a curtain. After awhile the curtain fell and the show kicked into high gear.
I think everyone felt the same way I did…the show was great, with only one but. Would you end your encore with Doucet(opening act)and his wife Melissa McClelland singing most of “Lost Together?” NO NO NO…bad choice. We wanted to hear Keelor and Cuddy.

I’m not much of a gamer. Actually, let me rephrase that (because I LOVE video games.) I’m not much of a board gamer – although I do enjoy a round of Cranium from time to time.
Having said that, I do think this would be pretty awesome. We have a chance (even if it is a slim one) of getting our city on the board game Monopoly!
Imagine, you could actually own Portage and Main
All you have to do is vote on line at www.monopolyworldvote.com/en_CA

Enter your vote as a “wildcard” entry at the bottom of the screen. We’re currently in 4th place in the wildcard entries, so keep casting those votes! (1 vote per day per person)
Now, where’s my “get out of jail free” card?

I think it’s safe to say that these days we’re more aware of the foods we’re eating. That being said, we may not be changing our eating habits, but at least we’re looking at the ingredients. I found this article on MSNBC’s website pretty interesting.

15 foods that can fool you.

Frozen yogurt vs ice cream. Turkey vs beef. Which is healthier? You may be surprised (and inclined to change a few things on your grocery list this weekend)
Speaking of which, can you believe this is the last weekend of January already? Talk to you Monday.
**BONUS CODE: YUMMY**

I didn’t have a chance to go to Michael Buble this time around:( Of course he got great reviews…he’s a fabulous singer, he’s witty, funny…A true Entertainer.

If you missed the show check this out…He sang his hit “Home” with this giant screen in the background highlighting our beautiful city.

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/68CxTkZeRY0" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

It’s sad that it takes a death to keep us from getting the latest up to the second update on Britney.
I was shocked to hear about Heath Ledger. I’ve always thought he was such a talented guy, and he seemed to be a really good father to his daughter Matilda.
From everything I’ve been reading the last couple of days, it sounds like he was having a really tough time the last few months. He was very secluded (even more than usual, according to his friends) and a lot of people were worried about him. Too bad no one was able to pull him out of the darkness before it was too late.
I came across this from a Best Buy store somewhere in the U.S. just hours after Heath passed. Some store manager thought it would be a good idea to “profit” from tragedy. Too soon for this “tribute?” You decide.

Heath was 28, and his little girl is only 2. So sad.

The Oscar nominatations were announced today. With the writers strike and everything else thats going on…it really didn’t seem like that big of a deal this year.

Anywhoooo here’s the short list:

Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role:
George Clooney, Michael Clayton
Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood
Johnny Depp, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Tommy Lee Jones, In the Valley of Elah
Viggo Mortensen, Eastern Promises

Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role:
Cate Blanchett, Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Julie Christie, Away From Her
Marion Cotillard, La Vie En Rose
Laura Linney, The Savages
Ellen Page, Juno

Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role:
Casey Affleck, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Javier Bardem, No Country For Old Men
Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Charlie Wilson’s War
Hal Holbrook, Into the Wild
Tom Wilkinson, Michael Clayton

Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role:
Cate Blanchett, I’m Not There
Ruby Dee, American Gangster
Saoirse Ronan, Atonement
Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone
Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton

Best Motion Picture of the Year
Atonement
Juno
Michael Clayton
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood

Geez….glancing at the list. I know where I’ll be for the next couple of weeks. In the movie theatre!!!! I like to see as many of the movie’s as I can before the show.

I’ve caught the trailer for “Juno” and didn’t think much of it. I think I said to my g’friend sitting beside me @ the time “ahhhh no thanks.” It looked like it would appeal to a teenage audience. Now seeing how many nods it got…I will probably still check it out. A lot of people think this will be the little picture that could and I believe that.

Casey Affleck is a total shoe in…he was amazing in his role in the Jesse James flick. Bang On!

I loved loved loved “Charlie Wilson’s War.” Brilliant movie. Phillip Seymour Hoffman is so talented. He just makes it look so easy.

I fell asleep during “Michael Clayton”..opps. Looked like a great movie, just one of those that you really need to pay attention to.

Still on my list to see: No Country for Old Men(Shatilla..thinks that’s the movie to win Best Picture) and There Will Be Blood.

My questions: Where is Angeline Jolie for “Mighty Heart” and Jodie Foster for “Brave One” ???? Huh…I think they were overlooked.

I love movies, but it seems every year there’s a list as long as my arm of Oscar nominated movies I’ve never seen. First, let’s give you the nods:

“No Country for Old Men” and “There Will Be Blood” led with eight Academy Awards nominations each Tuesday, among them best picture and acting honors for Daniel Day-Lewis and Javier Bardem – but whether any actors would show up was in doubt because of the writers strike.

Other nominees for best picture were “Atonement,”"Juno,” and “Michael Clayton.”

The nominees for best actor are George Clooney for “Michael Clayton,” Daniel Day-Lewis for “There Will Be Blood,” Johnny Depp for “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” Viggo Mortensen for “Eastern Promises” and Tommy Lee Jones for “In the Valley of Elah.”

Best-actress nominees included Cate Blanchett, “Elizabeth: The Golden Age”; Julie Christie, “Away From Her”; Marion Cotillard, “La Vie En Rose”; Laura Linney, “The Savages”; and Ellen Page, “Juno.”

The nominees for best supporting actress were: Blanchett, “I’m Not There”; Ruby Dee, “American Gangster”; Saoirse Ronan, “Atonement”; Amy Ryan, “Gone Baby Gone”; and Tilda Swinton, “Michael Clayton.”

The nominees for best supporting actor are Casey Affleck, “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford”; Javier Bardem, “No Country for Old Men”; Philip Seymour Hoffman, “Charlie Wilson’s War”; Hal Holbrook, “Into the Wild”; Tom Wilkinson, “Michael Clayton.”

The nominees for best director were: Paul Thomas Anderson, “There Will Be Blood”; Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, “No Country for Old Men”; Tony Gilroy, “Michael Clayton”; Jason Reitman, “Juno”; and Julian Schnabel, “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.”

I saw Michael Clayton and LOVED IT!
I did see “No Country for Old Men….really liked it right up until the end – sort of left me hanging.
I would still like to see (and probably will before the Oscar’s are handed out) There Will Be Blood (and I’m already marking Daniel Day Lewis down in my Oscar Pool)
As for the best supporting actor? Go see Charlie Wilson’s War and you’ll know why it should go to Philip Seymour Hoffman (even though it will likely go to Casey Affleck.

The Oscars will be handed out Feb. 24th….now will there be any stars there to accept?

I can’t tell you enough fabulous things about Sandals Ocho Rios….VIP Clear Club Members(Josie, Caren, Patti, Sherry and Janice)a wonderful experience awaits you. And to think you can chose from one of the 7 Sandals resorts on the island. WoW!

Now because I am a complete idiot with camera’s/computers/and anything teckie…I will do my best to describe our week in Jamaica with stories. If you want to see pic’s please refer to Jay’s Blog:)

If you love water, you must take advantage of the watersports. There’s snorkelling, scuba diving, fishing, the Catamaran, & HobieKat. The water is the most beautiful blue…and warm too. Snorkelling was one of my favourite things…I love watching all the colors swim by me. The evening Catamaran ride was stunning as well because we were able to catch the sunset. It looked like it stretched on forever.

The food was amazing. Considering I’m a picky eater whose menu consist mainly of chicken and bacon sandwiches I wasn’t sure I would survive. The food was delicious. From the buffets to the Al a carte restaurants. Mmmmm. Shrimp, lobster, chicken, pasta, jerk chicken and pork, fresh fruit, ice cream it was all there and there was lots of it.

The drinks were cold & plentiful….I’m not much for the fruity truity drinks(I find them too sweet) I stuck to a few beer by the pool each afternoon & in the evening @ dinner a glass of their Pino Grigio(I enjoyed it…it was very fresh). From what I heard eavesdropping the Dirty Banana’s and Hummingbird’s were good too.

Sandals Ocho Rios where we stayed was very central…It was close to Dunns River Falls(which is a must see). The falls were breath taking. We formed a human chain holding hands and all climbed together(that way if one fell, we all fell). Ocho Rio’s is only a bus ride away from Dolphin’s Cove. That’s were you’ll be able to swim with the Dolphins. Yep, that was on my “Bucket List”…..guess I can cross that one off now. I was one of the fortunate ones who touched, kissed and swam with the Dolphins(they felt so soft…almost like silk) Just when I thought it couldn’t get any better they let us get pulled around by two of the Dolphins…..The Grand Finale: The Superman pose. That’s when you lie flat on your stomach in the water and two dolphins swim to you and place their noses on the arch of your feet and push you right out of the water. Hence the name “Superman.” It was sooo neat.

We went to the Market one day…Most people bought coffee(Jamaica is known for their famous Blue Mountain coffee). I picked up some coffee and some Cream Rum(tastes similar to Bailey’s here) & a handmade wooden shaker…later in the week I came across a guy on the resort that was making earrings. I picked out the stone and he whipped me up a pair while I waited. Hot sauces were extremely popular…lots of people in our group were buying jerk sauces and spices.

If you’re a nervous passenger & have a bus trip planned…you may want to consider sitting at the back with your eyes shut. The driving in Jamaica is wild. The “left side is the right side….the left side is suicide!” Did I get that right??? @ times it all felt like suicide….breaks slamming, horns honking…oh-well hold on tight and enjoy the ride! ha ha

The people are very kind. I noticed they love to sing and laugh…and everything is “No Problem.”

They say…”Here in Jamaica we don’t have problems we have situations”

Believe it or not I didn’t golf….but eavesdropping I heard fabulous things about the course. They said it was one of a kind and that the greens were very forgiving(ha) Come on…Who wouldn’t want to golf with a caddie? Some of the guys would golf everyday…while their wives would sit by the pool with a book, or head to the spa. That’s another reason why Sandals is great…its about options…you can do whatever you want.

Everyone’s right…once you’ve had Sandals you won’t go back. Congrat’s again to our VIP Clear Club Members…cheers to a wonderful experience.

Wish you were here! Congratulations to all of our VERY lucky VIP Clear Club Members who were rewarded with a dream vacation to 1 of 7 Sandals resorts in Jamaica this week. You’re truly in for a vacation of a lifetime!

BONUS CODE: SIZZLE (100 Points!)

You can park now and pay with your cell phone…..did you know this?
You call the number, enter the pay station code (that’s the ugly green box that you usually have to walk half a block to when it’s -40) and you’ll be asked how many minutes you want to park for…..the cool thing….when you’re time’s almost up, you’ll get a text message warning you…..then you can call again and add more time….
There is a 35 cent fee everytime you use it…..and you have to register ahead of time…..there’s a website….…..www.verrus.com…..you need to give you license plate, cell number and credit card number…..
Oh, and the cool thing (you’ll like this Billie Jo) – it won’t let you pay for spots where there is no parking, ie, streets that ban parking during rush hour.
I have seen the little sign on the pay stations that say “pay by cell phone” but I never bothered to look into how it works…..now we know.

***bonus code: CELL***