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Britney Spears is Back
August 31, 2007The original pop princess is back. She might be a no-good mother, she might need to check into rehab, but you have to admit she has talent.
After the two baby experiment with K-Fed, and a case of the almost dropsies, Britney went back to the studio to get started on her new album.
Her first two new songs, "Gimme More" and "Cold as Fire" sound good. "Gimme More" is sexual, but I'm sure you could guess that by the title.
I hear she worked with Ne-Yo on some of the album, or he wrote some of the songs for her. Ne-Yo knows what's going on.
It's no "Like-a-Virgin" classic, but it will do. I'm tired of other attempts made by female pop artists. I don't like female artists that much anyways, but I - we - need some Britney in our lives.
"Cold as Fire" isn't all that great, but I wouldn't avoid "Gimme More" on the radio. She doesn't do too much actual singing on the album, it's more "Baby One More Time."
Her new songs are posted through the VH1 website.
http://blog.vh1.com/2007-08-31/two-new-britney-singles-have-dropped-yall/?source=hp_blog
Check 'em out and tell me, heck, tell the world what you think.
Posted by Clayton Hein at 08:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Chuck's Wild Ride
August 29, 2007I had an amazing weekend. I was able to work the sports beat for the weekend and cover the Hotter'N Hell, first of all, and second, I got to ride in the coolest car, a 60s Shelby Cobra, thanks to First Bank president Chuck White.
Chuck agreed to be the pace car for the HHH criterium Friday night and he brought his blue Cobra, with a 427 cubic inch engine, with him.
Man was it fast little car. I was working the crit anyways and I asked him if he needed a riding partner for the men's competition.
So, for the first three to four laps I got to cruise the crit course in on mad little car. I didn't something so little could corner and move so fast. The rumble of the engine was almost enough to make someone deaf, but it was enjoyable.
I just had to say thanks to Mr. White, my old boss. Your car is amazing.
I've been offered by a guy to be given a ride in his Ferrari once, but he never pulled through. And another weird fact, I actually saw a Bentley in Wichita Falls last week.
An actually $300-$500K Bentley. I never imagined. The car brand that Bond adores was cruising Lawrence Road, possibly on its way to Wal-Mart.
Whoever you are, you are crazy for bringing that kind of luxury to this town. Wichita Falls is very fad driven. One country club wife gets a Mercedes, the next one has to have one. It's just the way it works.
I just hope Wichita Falls doesn't get overrun by Bentleys. You know something is wrong with the economy when something like that happens.
What happened to the middle class?
Posted by Clayton Hein at 09:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Viva Vive Paris
August 25, 2007See ya later expensive Wichita Falls store.
Vive Paris, in the same spots its been for a while in Parker Square, is going bye bye. It's sad, its the only place in Wichita Falls I could spend $100 on a polo shirt and leave with more self-esteem.
And I liked Lacoste. It was the only place I could get the alligator in a 200 mile radius. I don't know much about the women's wear, I just know $300 belts are a little high.
My wife liked their jeans, but she never wanted to pay their prices. It's too bad, because from the few times that I met Jackie Hoegger, I like her. I wanna say she was a Windthorst gal, and that's OK with me.
Jackie built up something special in Wichita Falls. I don't really know what's going on know, but by the looks of things, hell in a hand basket, or shopping cart, is the only way to explain it.
They had First Bank employees working there when I went to search the shelves for a few mementos of Lacoste before it closed. How could you beat 1/2 off?
Well, see ya later Vive. It was nice knowing you.
Posted by Clayton Hein at 06:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Hotter'N Hell
August 24, 2007I have a place in my heart for bike riders. My dad has competitively ridden a bicycle for about 20 years and he's going to keep on keepin' on.
Heck, I rode bikes for a few years of my adolescence. I was o.k., nothing special. The point is I respect riders and more importantly Share the ROAD.
I just got done talking to two yahoos who said they look at the overall scheme of things like the current cricket infestation - just one more problem of pests.
Of course they worked for the Sheriff's Office, if that says anything. The probably think the only sports involve a ball of some sort or a shotgun.
Anyways, its not hard to share the road. Go to a bigger city where people actually exercise and its not that big a deal. People ride bikes as a part of life. I surprised Wichita Falls doesn't have a bike messenger service yet.
The guys who made the comments at the Sheriff's Office are the type of people that like to ride on the ass of a bike rider, all 120-170 pounds of them and their 20 lb bike, just to prove a point. Then when the fly by they give them the glorious finger with a long-lasting horn.
My dad has told me stories about people in his rides that have been hit with debris. Don't understand it, never will.
There is still a rider in Wichita Falls, who by the grace of god still rides, who was hit by a car and left for dead in his driveway only to be found some time later by his family.
People take bicycling for granted in Wichita Falls. "If its not football it ain't nothing." How ridiculous. Its a business and it brings in a lot of money for the city. Hotel revenue, taxes collected from restaurants, the list goes on and on.
So its simple when you think about it, share the road. Hell, hug a cyclist if you have the time. It's not their fault they like to dress up in an outfit fitting of a superhero and pedal around town. They do stick to the county for the longer rides and that's where the idiots usually live with their pigskins and shotguns.
Posted by Clayton Hein at 11:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Random Thoughts by Jack Handy
August 22, 2007(That's my SNL plug for those who don't know btw)
1. I don't really know what to think of the whole Mike Vick situation. I feel like he had to make a plea deal. The guy had three friends, ex-friends, whatever you wanna' call them, roll over on him. To bad he didn't play by Mafia rules.
I heard someone say the other day that people need to know how to pick their friends. Barry Bonds gets associated with Balco. Vick gets associated with dog fighting. The difference, as I've heard, is that Bonds picked white friends who don't snitch, Vick got screwed by his "boys."
2. The new M.I.A., the Sri Lankan rapper, is good stuff. It's a little eccentric, but it works. Rolling Stone Magazine gave it an almost classic ranking at 4 1/2 stars, so you know its decent. I figure if it's 4 1/2 or 5 stars that I have to buy it, even if I don't listen to "that" type of music.
I bought the White Stripes, "Elephants," album thanks to Rolling Stones.
3. The mall is not built for a stroller. You can go anywhere you want inside the mall, but you must make sure you don't go inside the stores. Maneuvering between the packed isles of clothing sales is complicated and can be haunting.
4. Pickle Juice Sport is back for the Hotter'N Hell. I don't know why it was such a big deal when I wrote the blog last year, but some people didn't like what I had to say. There was even an idiot to tried to point out my fatness as a testament as to why I wouldn't understand the complexity of the Pickle Juice Sport drink. Clever guy... I say drink water, or some Shaklee stuff.
5. My dad is going to be on the edge of his seat for the remainder of the week. He works at Texoma Cycling Center, and this time of the year is the busiest. He loves bikes, but he's one attack away from a trip to the E.R.
I don't really know that for sure, but watch out for the flared nostrils. That's when he means business. Indicator two is the enlarged vain in his forehead. Stress City is about to get a crash visit when you see the vain and nostrils.
So I say, go buy as much stuff as you can from him and request him by name, Mr. Hein. love ya, dad.
Posted by Clayton Hein at 12:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Michael Vick's jury
August 16, 2007Thought this was funny, enjoy.
Posted by Clayton Hein at 02:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Gun Time
I think its time to buy the family, aka me, a gun for the household. Now that I have a little one I figured why risk having someone break into my house and not learn a lesson or two. I've been searching the ads high and low and I can't figure out what gun I want to buy.
Or if I should even consider buying one. I mean how crazy are times when you feel you need to own a gun to protect your family. I favor gun control and I'm willing to buy the weapon the legal way.
One problem... I've never even fired a gun. The though of a gun terifies and excites me again and again.
So many what ifs. What if it misfires and I shot someone I love. What if my boy finds it and he doesn't understand the finality of a gun.
Is it something I should do or avoid?
The question has been running through my head for what seems like 6 months.
Shotgun, hangun...rifle...the options are almost endless. And then, where do I start with price? Guns are dang expensive and I don't hunt, or haven't hunted before but I would like to try sometime.
So how bout some help.
Posted by Clayton Hein at 09:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Original Ninja Turtles
August 15, 2007What happened to the good ol' days and the original crime fighters in the half-shell?
I loved the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Splinter for that matter. Everything about the concept was genius.
Don't tell me you didn't love "TMNT 2: The Secret of the Ooze." Well all jumped for joy when, then hottest-rapper Vanilla Ice, broke on stage and did his thing with the turtles. I still remember the Pizza Hut promotion the two did. I bet I have one of the tapes stashed away in one of my mom's keepsake bags.
After watching TMNT 3 on HBO this afternoon all the good feeling memories came rushing back. I wanted to be a ninja turtle for almost every Halloween, but unlike today they didn't make the mask. I was stuck with a freshly painted green face and a red, orange, blue or purple tie that my dad had hidden in his closet.
My brother and I had every freakin' TMNT toy. From the turtle van down the line to Shredder. My bro still has his locked away in one of his keepsake bags. Yes, he just turned 26, but boys will be boys.
I haven't seen the new movie because I refuse to. I want to maintain the memories that I have. I think I watched every single TMNT cartoon made in the 90s. Heck, that cartoon was the first that I ever successfully recorded onto a VHS tape.
Those big green suits were creepy and tacky by today's standards, but that's what I loved.
Anyone a Baxter Stockman/Casey Jones fan?
Posted by Clayton Hein at 03:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Common - finding forever
Just picked up the new Common album "Finding Forever." Let me tell you, its a good one. After a full day of listening to the album I'm really impressed.
Kanye West does most of the production on the album and even stars on one of the tracks. For my money though, Common knows what he's doing.
He's got about 5 to 7 albums out and I've only really given one other album a shot. It was basically due to Kanye West.
I don't know why but he has the magic touch when it comes to producing songs with substance. Yeah, he can throw down a good club song from time to time, but when someone has really got something to say, Kanye has got the beat that listens.
The video for "The People," caught my attention on MTV the other day and I figured I'd go ahead and check out the album.
The Chicago native does the Windy City justice. He (West is also from the Chi) has a flow that is introspective. He doesn't really bit off more than he can chew, and you walk away with the feeling like the guy actually pays attention to the news, and not that FOX News crap either.
My advice...buy the album..
Posted by Clayton Hein at 02:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
To MySpace or Not to MySpace
August 09, 2007The Times Record News is in a dilemna...the editorial/entertainment folks want to add a MySpace for the greater good of the paper, but I'm getting mixed messages from the folks up stairs, which is mainly clouded with apprehension.
No one wants to look like an idiot, and after the whole Jeremiah Love-WFPD incident, it only takes one mess up before someone is canned for their mistakes.
I think that a MySpace site would enhance the overall youthfulness of the paper. Reaching out to the kiddos should be a huge priority...today's subscribers will all die someday right?
Isn't that the sole purpose of companies like the cigarette producers, to reel in the soon to be customer with a air of danger.
For most kids MySpace is second nature. They get on the site and play until the cows come home. But there are still kids out there that don't have a clue...and they mainly live in Africa.
So this is a blog for help. What does everyone else think about a TRN/NEXT entertainment guide on MySpace.
Would you be my friend?
Posted by Clayton Hein at 01:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Go Barry, Go Barry, Go!
August 08, 2007I almost missed the entire thing last night. I was lying in bed flipping channels when I heard that Barry Bonds was soon to be at bat.
I was tired to begin with, but I figured he might just hit the big one. I turned my head, started to close my eyes and them bam!
The ball was mid-flight before I realized what happened. He had just hit No. 756 and passed up Hammerin’ Hank. What a feat.
Besides being at the game when Sammy Sosa hit his 600th, I don’t know if I seen as special as a homerun as last night.
I watched the whole Sosa-McGwire race, I want to say in ’98, but that wasn’t all that special now. I didn’t watch that much baseball on TV, I was more interested in hockey at the time, or some other Real World MTV event.
I don’t care what the popular opinion of Barry chasing Hank down is either. The guy did something spectacular. I’m not justifying steroids either, because everyone knows he never tested positive.
One more time...
Posted by Clayton Hein at 10:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Nasty crash - video
August 04, 2007This crash has to be one of the worst I've ever seen. I've seen a lot of skateboarding videos in my day and I really enjoy the MTV series of everything crash by extreme sports.
I just have to say I'm glad this idiot is ok. He could have died...that's all I'm saying.
Watch the guy's shoes fly off by the way. I thought that only happened when you got hit by a car.
Posted by Clayton Hein at 07:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
First Afrian American spokesperson
August 01, 2007The first African American spokesperson in the United States was Aunt Jemima - the pancake/syrup queen.
There was a real Aunt Jemima - but her real name is Nancy Green, and she was a sensation for her time.
The company coined her image when they saw Green at a world fair held in Chicago in the 1800s. The owners of product decided to send the singing cook worldwide to push their product. And about 120 years later well all have fallen in love with the Aunt Jemima image.
I have give thanks for this blog for a show that aired on HBO the other night. Comedian Robert Wuhl does his take on history, and I suggest it watching it if you able to.
For more of the story about Aunt Jemima check out this link - http://scoop.diamondgalleries.com/scoop_article.asp?ai=1353&si=126
Posted by Clayton Hein at 11:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
