yo joe!

i used to be the biggest g.i. joe fan.  i don’t remember when it all started, but growing up i was all about the entire g.i. joe franchise… the toys, the comic books, the tv show… all of it.  i had all the action figures, vehicles and accessories… all the comic books… i kept all the file cards in a box… you name it.  i was really into transformers as well, but i was definitely much more of a g.i. joe fanatic.  i actually went to great lengths to avow my allegiance to the “real american hero”, but i’ll save those stories for another time.

first there was the live action transformers film and now g.i. joe fever is heating up around the world as the countdown is on to the august 7, 2009 release of the g.i. joe: the rise of cobra live action film!  this probably makes me somewhat a geek, but i am so excited!!   i’m also excited that during a 6 week span this summer both the g.i. joe film and transformers 2: revenge of the fallen (6.26.09!!!) hit theaters!  i know… geek.

the film is being directed by stephen sommers (director of the mummy) and among the characters that will be appearing in the film are duke, scarlett, snake eyes (!), storm shadow (!!), cobra commander, destro, the baroness, zartan (can’t wait to see that!), hawk and heavy duty.  word on the street is that there are already plans for at least two sequels, as well.  some of the first character posters from the movie set have just hit the net… and wow, i am such a nerd.  haha!  here they are…

channing tatum as duke

sienna miller as the baroness

ray park as snake eyes

byung-hun lee as storm shadow

rachel nichols as scarlett

marlon wayans as ripcord

partner let me upgrade u

a wonderful thing happened today. here’s the backstory…

november ‘06… in my first black friday experience, i joined about 400 people and stood in line outside best buy in north dallas from 1am until they opened at 5am in a bid to get some killer deals at one of my favorite stores.  among the many bargains i scored was a westinghouse 42″ 720p lcd hd tv for just $999.  at the time, that was a huge deal, and i have enjoyed my nice big tv ever since.

fast forward to a few weeks ago and i was having a few minor issues with the tv that weren’t horrible, but somewhat of on inconvenience.  when i bought the tv, i payed $129 for their 4 year service and replacement plan, so i called best buy customer care to report the issue and ask about a repair.  they sent a tech to my house to inspect the tv, after which he said he would order a new main control board which should fix the problem.

well, this morning i got a call from best buy support informing me the part they were ordering was no longer available, so they would like to just replace the entire tv!!!!  wow!!!  talk about customer service!

i took the tv in tonight and they let me pick out what i wanted as a replacement and well, i made out like a freaking bandit!  in exchange for my 26 month old tv that i returned, i left best buy with a brand new lg 42″ 1080p (full hd) flat panel lcd hdtv!  score!!  the picture is incredible, and coupled with my blu-ray player, this thing is ridiculous!  talk about an upgrade!

i know the repair and protection plans get a bad wrap from a lot of people, and a lot of folks think they are a waste of money, but i’ll tell you what… i’m a believer!  and i’m also a very happy and satisfied best buy customer.

i love great customer service.  do you have any good (or bad) customer service stories?

the essence of elegance

heather headley is a tony award winning actress and grammy nominated recording artist.  at the same time, she has managed to slip under a lot of people’s radar. i am hoping that will change with the release of her first gospel project, “audience of one”.

if heather’s name is new to you, check out this video of her singing “the prayer” live with andrea bocelli in 2006.

ever the definition of class, heather headley delivers a gospel record in a fashion that is both distinguished and refined.  on her first gospel release, heather seems to have already perfected the art of balance that is often difficult to come by, even for many of the genre’s mainstays.  striking the perfect balance between reverent restraint and passionate praise, heather lets each song breathe and speak for itself, and speak they do.  heather headley’s “audience of one” is quite simply the essence of elegance.

heather headley “simply redeemed”

heather headley “jesus is love” (featuring smokie norful)

“audience of one” is available now.

in case you missed it ‘08

i’m pretty much what you’d call a music head. i listen to music of all kinds, genres, styles, etc.  i love music in the way that some people love food, cars or pets.

there are few things i enjoy more than turning folks on to new songs, artists, sounds and albums.   if you ride in my truck, chances are i’ll be playing you some new song or new artist that you’ve never heard before.

as a result, i make a lot of play lists and mixes, all part of my never ending quest to create the perfect play list and rock my friends’ worlds with new tunes!

so rather than a ‘best of ‘08′, i just finished compiling a new mix called “in case you missed it ‘08“… 20 tracks consisting of songs and artists that might have flown under your rader last year, but shouldn’t have.  here’s the rundown…

any of these new to you?  consider yourself hipped and add them to your stash today!

what were you listening to in ‘08?

are you dangerous?

“all men dream but not equally.  those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity; but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dream with open eyes to make it possible.” – t.e. lawrence

ladies and gentlemen… ryan edgar

ryan edgar. remember that name.

not only is ryan my co-star on the world famous  “ryan and grant show” on the net (don’t sleep), but my homey is also a killer singer, songwriter and musician in his own right and also, yes… my client.

check out this dope “raw session” acoustic cover of kanye’s “love lockdown” joint he recently did.

you can check ryan on myspace, facebook and twitter.

you can snag his current record, “the ryan edgar project”, at itunes now.  ryan is currently writing for his new record, which he’ll go in the studio to record sometime in the next few months.  remember the name… you’ll be hearing a lot more of it.