Happy anniversary Ms. Watley!

Jody Watley in a recent CNN interview.

i was reminded of another special anniversary, that of jody watley who struck it out on a successful solo career 25 years ago. i was 7 or 8 when i remember watley's debut self titled album being released. at the time i had no clue that watley was originally part of the hugely popular group, shalamar, who my mother idolized in her youth. the album earned watley a grammy and the artist has continued leaving her unique and positive mark with nine albums to her credit. friends, family, and those who follow me on twitter or this blog know what a die hard jody watley fan i have been for all 25 years. style, wisdom, experience, enlightenment, fun, energy -- i can attribute some of these characteristics to myself because of my personal journey with watley's career.  a few months ago i posted a review of one of my favorite jody watley albums in anticipation for her upcoming tenth record, chameleon. in the meantime this funktress and dance diva is bringing her sound to venues across the US and beyond to whet fans' appetite.

for current news on jody watley, check out her website: http://jodywatley.net/

in celebration of this year long event i've created a playlist of just a few of my favorite jody watley songs.

A few summers ago my aunt surprised me with her original souvenir program from the Jody Watley Larger Than Life Tour.

"Jody Watley", 1987

Celebrating 30 years of Bananarama!

Sara & Keren are Bananarama!

who knew that a duo of childhood friends would become a harmonizing trio and unleash hit after massive hit throughout the '80s and '90s? the lineup has changed over three decades, with only founders, sara dallin and keren woodward remaining, but the hits have continued as the years progress. bananarama released their ninth studio album, drama, in 2005, followed by viva in 2009. bananarama has dabbled in various genres of music, adding it to their infectious version of pop. with their glamour, devil may care attitude, and cheekiness it's no wonder bananarama is celebrated around the world!

check out my playlist of time spanning bananarama hits!

for more info on sara and keren, and current news, check out their website.

Intolerance

weeks ago, neighborhood patrolman, george zimmeran, took the law into his hands and apparently began following a suspected threat. the threat was seventeen year old trayvon martin. the two men became engaged in a scuffle which ended with bruises to zimmerman and a kill shot from his gun to martin. almost immediately the media labeled this as a hate crime because zimmerman is hispanic and martin was african american. slowly but surely news of the characters of both men involved surfaced, neither one could ever be considered a saint. nonetheless, martin did not deserve to die and zimmerman should be expected to face justice. what i find most frustrating about this is the anger that's bubbled to the surface, blinding people of the facts -- many of which have not been made public. i do appreciate those few reporters and celebrities who want to use this unfortunate event to educate the masses, to show that intolerance does exist in the united states and that we need to come together as one to erase it. 

for more information on the story, click on the link below:

CNN: Trayvon Martin Case

for more on the aftermath, the positive aftermath, click on the link below:

Trayvon Martin's Homicide: A National Movement to Stop the Violence?

A new youtube channel!

i've created a new and slightly updated channel on youtube of playlists of favorite songs. check it out!

http://www.youtube.com/user/swartstudio

Birthdays!

i promise, i promise this is my last wonder woman related posts for awhile, but i had to share that the amazon princess and i share the same unofficial birthday! while it's true that wonder woman made her first published appearance in all star comics #8, december, 1941, her publisher would go to release a calendar in the late seventies that announced the 'birthdays' of all its well-known superheroes. the dates are still celebrated among many fans and i'm pleased to be sharing it with my favorite fictional heroine.

i've spent most the day continuing to recover from my accident (see my last blog) by enjoying the glorious spring weather, but i also took time on the couch to watch my favorite series on dvd, wonder woman, starring lynda carter. i'm resting up because tonight i plan on celebrating with loved ones.

cheers to all!

I'm a survivor

a few days ago i tweeted, "the rumors are true, i was hit by a tour bus!" thankfully i survived in one piece, albeit cuts, bruises, internal bleeding, and a concussion. it had been a long week. my area in boston had been without power since tuesday when a transformer blew at a nearby hotel. it was the middle of a friday, i had finished a successful early morning meeting, spent an hour at the gym, and was casually making my way home. just as i was hit, i was at a crosswalk, near a busy intersection when the bus came around the corner. i woke up in an ambulance, almost completely coherent, desperate for answers. days later, i'm home, unbelievably sore and enduring major headaches from time to time. it's times like this when one discovers who his real friends are and i am blessed to find i have an abundance of loved ones. recovery has been slow, but i'm taking this as a lesson in humility and patience -- with myself.

i realize my blog has been inundated with wonder woman references, but friends have been joking that my "guardian angel" was watching over me in her invisible jet. i recently posted this on facebook in response.

As a kid, I often pretended I was Steve Trevor, partner/boyfriend of the Amazing Amazon. It didn't hurt he and I share the same name, eye, and hair color. Lately I know how it might have felt to come crashing down to Paradise Island -- literally. "Oh-h-h!"

Saturday morning cartoons!

the cartoon network is reviving saturday morning cartoons! with the new DC Nation, kids can enjoy an hour of two 22 minute original cartoons along with several 2 minute shorts. i have fond memories of getting up before the rest of the family, sneaking downstairs to the family room TV with pop-tarts in hand, and enjoying hours of animated fun until i ordered to dress and play outside. i most likely would proceed to reenact and add to what i had just previously seen. posted here is an episode of an old school cartoon that i still enjoy.

Random comic book panel of the month

Wonder Woman Vol 1 #289

 

My latest painting

 laughter, 18"x24", oil on canvas