Being connected extends childhood. Just embrace it!

Ellen DeGeneres talked about the game, "Draw Something" on her show recently, and it got me to thinking of how being connected allows us to have more fun. It also gives your boss many more reasons to be on you about staying productive at work. Now instead of staring off or pretending to be busy you really are busy: playing a word, looking at the funny photo your friend just sent you, or drawing a silly picture to guess.

Are we really less productive from being too connected? Or are our brains just being occupied differently? Could some of us be more productive because we have a little reprieve from the painstaking “real world”? These questions have probably already been answered by some scientific study. Personally, I believe growing up is completely optional, so draw on!        

Quickly these games can turn into a distraction, such as when yours truly somehow ended up with ten scramble with friends games at one time… how did that happen? The lesson is being an adult is about self-control. As children our parents are the governing bodies over our time and priorities. I bet your boss is playing Draw Something too, you’ve just been working too hard to catch him.   

Dreams to the Dreamer: Hope for the Hopeless

There's a saying, "We're fools whether we dance or not, so we might as well dance." If there's one perfect place to let loose, it's in the audience of The Ellen Degeneres Show. I'm not going to lie, it's pretty awesome to see yourself in the audience. This was actually my third time to the show, but this was the first time the camera caught me! It's not so much surreal because I was on TV, it was the experience that came at a perfect time.

Humor has gotten me through some tough times in my life. In college when I was completely discouraged, I'd watch Ellen everyday for a laugh. When I was working a job  I was not happy at, feeling stuck in a rut, I would schedule my break around her show, and for 20 minutes out of my day, I could escape, and know there was hope for better days to come. 

I recently lost my grandmother and, days before she died I would walk around singing  Toby Keith's "Red Solo Cup" to her non- stop, and she would smile, so it was just awesome Toby performed that song on the show! Watching what I saw live on television somehow made it sink in for me, that I live down the street from the stage I used to look at in awe 3,000 miles away, dreaming of being in the entertainment business.

All my sentiment goes to say that you will remember the moments you felt the most hopeless, and actually appreciate them when you look at them as part of the journey. Laughter is the best medicine, but today it brought me to tears of joy, seeing one small part of life coming full circle in so many ways.
Ellen didn't give us a new car, or $10 grand, she gave me something better, a perspective on life to help keep me going, and for that I'm thankful.

  

Musical Prodigies

Simon Cowell recently signed 10 year old Heather Russell of Toronto to his record label, while Ellen DeGeneres introduced the world 12 year old Savannah Robinson on her show. How did we ever discover musicians before YouTube?
Both of the young women are incredibly talented, no doubt, but much like an American Idol contestant line, plenty of talent exists, but do the musicians have what it takes to make it to the next level? Maturity, stage presence, and the ability to handle immense amounts of pressure are all factors in the making of a star. While 12 year old Greyson Chance seems to be handling fame just fine for now, are all of these "kids" going to be able to handle the pressure? How long will their musical shelf lives be?
 How are 12 year olds supposed to know whether they are ready to live a life with something reminiscent of "Beatle Mania" behind them?  These YouTube stars have been blessed with unmistakable talent-that should not be taken away- but all these YouTube record deals are making the music industry look easy to break into. YouTube is enabling aspiring young stars to rely on their talent alone, causing them to forget about the other aspects of the industry.

Heather Russell

Savannah Robinson   

Who Got The Big Bucks in 2010? Hollywood's Highest Earning Stars

The people on this list have sold millions of albums, made people laugh, produced blockbuster films, and some just took a breath and got a cool million. No surprises here. My only question is how did Judge Judy earn as much as Taylor Swift?

Here's Hollywood's top twenty earners according to Forbes: 


1. Oprah Winfrey, $315 million
2. James Cameron, $210 million
3. Tyler Perry, $125 million
4. Michael Bay, $120 million
5. Tiger Woods, $105 million
6. Jerry Bruckheimer, $100 million
7. Steven Spielberg, $100 million
8. George Lucas, $95 million
9. Beyoncé, $87 million
10. Dr. Phil, $80 million
11. Simon Cowell, $80 million
12. Jerry Seinfeld, $75 million
13. Britney Spears, $64 million
14. Lady Gaga, $62 million
15. Madonna, $58 million
16. Sandra Bullock, $56 million
17. Ellen DeGeneres, $55 million
18. Miley Cyrus, $48 million
19. Taylor Swift, $45 million
20. Judge Judy Sheindlin, $45 million

Waiting Outside the Lines

Greyson Chance literally became an overnight success with the upload of his 6th grade talent show to YouTube. Unlike other "overnight successes," Greyson deserves every bit of his success, as his genuine talent shines through. Recently a snippet of a song from his upcoming album was released, and I was blown away. It's the title track of the album, Waiting Outside the Lines. When you listen to it, it's hard to believe this "kid" is only 13, because his music is deep stuff to say the least.
Greyson is now under the wing of Ellen DeGeneres, and I'm not sure if he was looking for a career at the rip age of 12 when he recorded "Paparazzi," but Greyson is sure to have a long career ahead of him with the public backing he's secured. It's not everyday that Ellen creates a record label for someone! Keep your ears open for Greyson, and if you haven't heard him yet take a listen here, you won't regret it!