I've Skipped Town ...

My last post was July 14th and my post before that was June 15th. It's official. I've abandoned AceAve.

I know it's disappointing, but I am still blogging on InSense, a blog Jynx and I started back in May. Head on over and show us some love:: insenserocks.blogspot.com

AceAve ... it's been great!

Until we meet again.

- Ace Out!

Bingo for Hipsters?

I also found this on MissBehave's website. What would I do without that website??

'7 Things' Plus A Couple More, But Who's Counting?

I found this on buckhollywood.com earlier. It's a spoof on Miley Cyrus' 7 Things.

Can someone tell me why Miley Cyrus is so loud? She practically screams through the chorus. My mom thinks she's going deaf.

Yesterday I found out she's hosting the Teen Choice Awards on August 4th. I think I may go deaf watching it which sucks because it will be the last time I'll be watching the awards as a teen. (My birthday's 2 days later.)

Anywho, watch the Venetian Princess' take on 7 Things.

My Birthday Wish List

As you will learn by the end of this sentence, my birthday is in a few weeks. Since I got my new laptop two weeks ago I didn't think there was anything else I wanted, but that was before I stumbled across this hot little number on the MissBehave blog.




Yes, that is a ring of a stack of pancakes. It's $22, smells like maple pancakes, and I want it. Enough said.

It's available here: pancakemeow.com

Please snag it for your favorite blogger's birthday. Gracias.

This Is What I Like to See

My boys JT and DB hanging out at Game 4 of the NBA finals in LA last week.



Who did you think got the loudest screams???

(comments please)

Ace on the Tony's

The Tony's just ended a little over a half hour ago, and I have a list of shows I want to see. I'm so glad that In the Heights won for Best Musical. I'm so proud of the guy who wrote it and the amazing cast and crew. This show's definitely on top of my list of shows to see.

Other than the In the Heights wins and performance, my favorite moments of the night were as follows:
- Whoopie Goldberg and her amazing outfits by Project Runway winner Christian Siriano (who I spotted in the audience)
- the Cry Baby performance
- the Grease performance (I voted for the winning Sandy & Danny last year on that reality show)
- the speeches from the ladies who won for Gypsy (especially the last one)
- Brooke Shields' outfit
- Daniel Radcliffe (adorable!)

Play It Like Ace: Summer Edition (pt 1)

Another year. Another summer. (You don't know how many times I've written that line.)

With summer comes heat, mosquitoes, and fresh music. I'd choose the last one over the others.

Here's what I've been listening to since summer began:

- Estelle American Boy
- Pussycat Dolls When I Grow Up
- Natasha Bedingfield Pocketful of Sunshine
- Fergie Labels or Love
- Jason Mraz Butterfly
- Jason Mraz & Colbie Caillat Lucky
- The Ting Tings Shut Up and Let Me Go
- Madonna & Madonna 4 Minutes
- Katy Perry I Kissed a Girl
- Katy Perry One of the Boys
- Lady GaGa Just Dance

LaBeouf Birthday Boy

I couldn't let the clock strike midnight before I got the chance to wish Shia LaBeouf a happy 22nd birthday!!

This young actor is taking Hollywood by storm and deserves all the accolades he receives!


Get the boy some cake!

Music Video Madness - Post-finals Edition!

Just some vids to get you through the weekend!!!

Skye Sweetnam - Baby Doll Gone Wrong
Dolls beware!!



Lloyd - How We Do It (Around My Way)
This beat is pure fire!



Shwayze - Buzzin'
A nice loungy summer song!



Katy Perry - I Kissed a Girl (Live)
Girl power!

Birthday Wishes!!!

If you know anything about me, you know my favorite actress is Nikki Reed.

Today just happens to be her 20th birthday, so Happy Birthday Nikki!

Go to Show!

Hi guys,
Remember when I posted that Singer Spotlight about Justin Thompson? (link)

Next Monday, JT is doing a show at Rose Live Music in Williamsburg (345 Grand St -- btwn Havemeyer and Marcy) at 8pm. Go and show your love for JT! He totally rocks!

xoxo,
Ace

My Point Exactly

It Was Only A Week Ago ...

... that Jynx and I got inked in a parking lot as a band boy climbed fences to get to Chrissy.


Ace


Jynx


okay, it was a spray on ... fooled ya!


band boy who climbs fences ... who does he remind you of???

Only at Iona ...

... could a boy walk into the girl's bathroom and enter one of the stalls as I was exiting.

Did he not see the sign???


(not the actual sign but close enough)

- Ace out and about!

Two Albums for the Price of None!

If you think my post-card (yes I spelt it that way on purpose) idea was lame or you don't have a digital camera at hand, here's another Mother's Day project you can do if your mom loves unknown rock bands.

The Filthy Youth and Allegiance to the Fire have made their demos available for free on their MySpace Music profiles just in time for Mother's Day, so get those CD-Rs ready.

The Filthy Youth comes from the land of Princes William and Harry. If one of the singers in the band looks familiar, it's probably because he's the debonair, yet debauchery-loving Chuck Bass on Gossip Girl (Ed Westwick).

The band's sound has an Arctic Monkeys feel to it, as do some of their song titles: Come Flash All Your Ladies. (Oh so filthy!)

Allegiance to the Fire hails from the City of Angels.

The band is able to do what many LA bands do so well, blend different sounds and make it sound good. If their E.P. is any indication, they will have us all pledging allegiance to the fire pretty soon.

----------

Here's how to get those free & legal tracks:

The Filthy Youth - Demo

MySpace



Fave Track: Boy Don't Smoke

Allegiance to the Fire - The Downtown LA Mental Ward E.P.

MySpace



Fave Track: Boy in My Head

{Sidenote: Why do my favorite tracks always have themes? Looks like I'm 'Boy' crazy this week.}

A Mother's Day Post-Card

You're a broke college student who's cramming for finals, and it's Mother's Day. What's one to do? Don't fret. Ace has got your back.

Here's the thing: Moms love you whether you're rich or poor. If the latter describes you, think creatively like me.

For this little project you'll need a pen, a digital camera, and a blog.

(1) Scrawl a Mother's Day greeting on your hand with a ballpoint.

(2) Take a picture of your hand.

(3) Post the pic on your blog.

Now you have a Mother's Day greeting for the whole world to see!!!



Now wasn't that easy?

Happy Mother's Day Mom!!!

Albums to Get: Soundtrack to Your Summer Edition!

I know Ashlee Simpson's latest album came out yesterday, but save your pennies for some real artists that will have you road trippin' to their sounds this summer.

Last year I stumbled across a band straight out of Auburn, New York. If you've been an avid AceAve reader, you know who I'm talking about.

October Nites is their name and fame is what they'll gain as more people become exposed to their music. Their album, When We Were Infinite, recently debuted on iTunes, Amazon, Napster, and Rhapsody so you have no excuse for not finding a way to put your $7.92 to good use.

What's their sound? I think the band's MySpace says it best:
"3/4 Cup of Rock
2 Tablespoons of Pop
Several Hints of Emotion
and a Dash of Dragon-Slaying Solos
Please Mix Thoroughly for a Delicious Treat!"

Sounds like a recipe for success to me!

Want to know what I think about the album? Go to iTunes and read the "aceave" review now: iTunes

Since '08 rolled in, I've subscribed to Worship Worthy's Daily Bread newsletter; that's where I spotted this next album.

I love Gym Class Heroes' blend of rap and rock. While I'm awaiting their next album, I've found something similar to fill the void. Searching for Rick Rubin is the brainchild rock/rap mixtape of remixer J. Period and Brooklyn-based band Game Rebellion.

Much love is shown for Brooklyn in the interludes and reworked lyrics recorded over remixed hits including Run-DMC's My Adidas and Jay-Z's 99 Problems. If you listen closely, the lyrics in the remixes contain modern messages just as important as the ones in the original tracks.

If that's not an incentive to get this album, maybe this will do it ... the album is free and legal! Download it here: SearchingForRickRubin.com

----------



October Nites
When We Were Infinite
Favourite Track: California? It's Kind of a Long Story ...



J. Period & Game Rebellion
Searching for Rick Rubin
Favourite Track: Goin Back to Cali ft. Zion I

(Sidenote: Don't you love how all the tracks I love have to do with California?)

Love the Song. Hate the Video.

I've paid absolutely no attention to Lil Wayne until now. I'm obsessed with Lollipop. I know ... odd time to be paying attention to him because of that song right? Anyway, I saw the video yesterday and it's dumb. There's absolutely no premise. Just a bunch of girls and a bunch of lollipops.

They Said What To Who?

Stalling from writing my 1500 word paper edition!

Just a list of some random things that were said to my friends and that I overheard.

------

* Random City Boy to Jynx and Her Friends: Want to get drunk and make fun of people?

- NYC, March 2008

* Mo Rocca: Bob Marburg was that big singer.
* Random Jamaican man: Bob Marley, Marley, Marley!

- LX/TV

Been Gone For Too Long!

It's crunch time now at school ... spring shows need to go on ... finals are coming up ... papers are due ... presentations must be presented ... the computer lab is filled to the brim (no more using my favorite Mac in the library for now) ... you know what that means ... ??? ... I've abandoned my blog again ... sorry!!! ... I'll post some new things in a sec, but I just want to let you know that after May 1st, Ace Ave's back in business!

The Engagement That Rocked The Blogosphere

It's official. Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz and singer Ashlee Simpson are engaged.

The couple was all smiles at the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards last week. I think their smiles were more, "We know something you don't know," than, "We're so happy to be here."



The engagement announcement was made via Pete's website, Friends or Enemies, in a statement released by the couple:

THIS JUST IN FROM ASHLEE SIMPSON "We know there has been a lot of speculation recently about Pete and I and we wanted our fans to be the first to know, because you guys are the best. Yes, we are thrilled to share that we are happily engaged. Thank you for all of your support and well wishes - it means the world to us. We consider this to be a very private matter, but we wanted you to hear it straight from us."
- Ashlee and Pete

Oh the ways of the MySpace generation. Announcing your engagement via a social network is sure to catch on like wildfire now.

Haven't they only been dating for a little over a year? That's kind of quick. Then again, big sis Jess knew Nick Lachey for years and look where that got them? Quantity's got nothing over quality.


photo source: US Magazine

Wow, they're so grown up now. It seems like it was just yesterday that he was picking his nose ... oh wait, that was yesterday! (hey jynx!)


photo from flickr.com

Have You Been Primmed Yet?

On April 1st, a free online magazine called prim. was launched on primmagazine.com.

With the same spirit as magazines like Nylon and MissBehave, it is sure to become popular amongst the hipster crowd. (And did I mention it's free?)

The articles are written by regular folks like ourselves so it has none of that pretentiousness that plagues so many of the magazines of our time.

With the brilliant motto, "We're Not Prim And We're Not Proper. Get Over It." prim's sure to become one of your favorite things to read on the web.

Read the first issue now: primmagazine.com

Be sure to check out prim. on MySpace: myspace.com/thisisitmagazine

JMac's 'Leavin' His Underage Drinking Years Behind As He Turns 21

I know I'm an hour late since it's 1 in the morning on April 10th right now, but I still must congratulate fellow Westchesterian Jesse McCartney on turning 21 on April 9th. I hope he didn't party too hard last night. Last week TMZ reported that JMac's neighbors were told to call 911 if his 2:30 am parties got out of control. Guess he should have stayed in NYC. New Yorkers have the right idea: crash the party, don't let the cops shut it down.

Check out Jesse's new vid for Leavin that shows off his "grown-up 21 year old" side:

The Sexiest '4 Minutes' of Your Life

Madonna has reclaimed her superstar status with the help of Timbaland, Justin Timberlake, and chart-topping single 4 Minutes. Now watch the video of the song you just can't get out of your head. Enjoy!

Madonna - 4 Minutes (OFFICIAL VIDEO)


------

A few screencaps


(from trent.blogspot.com)

------












(from jtimb.blogspot.com)

Recycling Never Looked So Hot

Buckets. Trash cans. Ladders. Crates. These are a few of Recycled Percussion's favorite things.

From videos I saw on YouTube, I knew RP's March 26th Man vs. Machine show at Iona College was going to be good as I settled into my seat at 9:15 PM. The show was scheduled to start 15 minutes later, but in Iona time 9:30 means 10:00. I didn't mind the wait. A mix of hip hop and rock from years past blasted from the speakers. My favorite pre-show moment was the audience sing-along to Three Day Grace's I Hate Everything About You.

After a shadow on the stage struck the first few chords of The Star Spangled Banner Hendrix-style, the band was in business. The guitarist was soon joined onstage by a DJ in blue and two drummers, one of whom garnered the most attention for not wearing a shirt, showing off a great set of abs. I donned him "Abs" until a voice from the speakers called him Justin Spencer.

The band drummed the hell out of a medley of hits including Wipeout, Greenday's American Idiot, and the Sir Mix-a-Lot classic Baby Got Back. The visuals of the show were amazing, and I'm not just talking about a certain someone's abs.

Each member of the group got their moment in the spotlight. In one set DJ Pharaoh and guitarist Jim Magoon got down from their platforms and joined Spencer and Ryan Vezina on "drums" down below. In another set Spencer beatboxed while Pharaoh did a little break dancing. Then Spencer did another set in which he played the drums while his feet were on them.

After this set it was time to bring out the ladders. Spencer and Vezina climbed up and jumped off ladders all the while playing them like a drum kit. Upon seeing a video I took of this, my mom who has a fear of heights replied, "I would never go on a ladder like that."

In the following set, sparks flew ... literally. Clad in welding helmets and armed with chainsaws, Spencer and Vezina went metal to metal as the Murphy Auditorium crowd went wild.

The set seemed like the grand finale until Pharaoh told everyone to come to the stage. It was mosh pit time as the boys went out with a bang playing what I believe was Blink 182's All the Small Things. (Song not confirmed before this report was posted.) I got a great spot right in front, but unfortunately I was right next to the speaker for the whole song. My ears were still ringing three hours later, but it was all worth it as I was the owner of the last hand "Abs" touched as he exited the stage.

After the show RP signed autographs. While some had them sign posters, CDs, stolen drumsticks, and limbs, I took note of a "I'm never washing my hand again" as I made my way through the crowd, I had the guys sign my camera case. DJ Pharaoh in his fierce Sienna Miller tee said it was "cute." Magoon shook my hand and thanked me for coming. To my delight, the last person to sign my case was Abs. I asked him what the mysterious tattoo on his back I spotted every time he turned around was. As it turned out, the tattoo would remain a mystery as Abs told me the letters were "ESNTR", all the guys in the band have it, the meaning is a secret, and "that's a common question."

After a great night of music that allowed me to blow off some mid-week, post-Spring Break steam, I was suddenly inspired to play drummer as I waited for my taxi. I stood on North Ave., pen in hand banging a green post in front of the college to the beat of the ringing in my ears.

Taxi ride ... $5. A 30 second conversation with Abs ... priceless.

----------



The stage pre-show.



Justin Spencer playing with his feet on the drums.



Ryan Vezina gets his close-up.



DJ Pharaoh on the ones and twos.



Jim Magoon on guitar.



The boys of RP get down to business.
(From left to right: Spencer, Pharaoh, Magoon, Vezina)



Action shot of Vezina and Spencer.



RP gets red hot!



Ladder Tricks

(All photos and video by Ace.)

Play It Like Ace - Spring Break Edition!

This week I had Spring Break so I pretty much accomplished nothing I planned to do. Work is still left undone and I only have 3 more days left to do it.

What I did manage to do this week rather successfully was listen to music. I don't know if it's because 4 of my friends are turned 20 this week, but I felt a little nostalgic for those boybands I used to listen to when I was a tween. All week I listened to the boy bands of the new teenybopper generation ... NLT (American) and Lexington Bridge (European).

Here's the list:

• NLT - That Girl
• NLT - So Sensational ("what she's selling, yo I'm buying" ... so cheesy, but so hot)
• NLT - Superstar (total ripoff of NSYNC's "Celebrity")
• NLT - Heart Attack
• NLT - Heartburn
• Lexington Bridge - Real Man
• Lexington Bridge - Hook Up
• Lexington Bridge - Tear It Up
• Lexington Bridge - Alisha (totally reminds me of LFO's "Alayna")
  
• Lexington Bridge - Other Girls
• Lexington Bridge - Vibrate (great to jump around to nonstop)

Of course I didn't solely listen to boy bands all week.

• Madonna & Justin Timberlake - 4 Minutes
• Britney Spears - Break the Ice (Fabolous Remix)
  
• Stefanie Heinzmann - My Man is a Mean Man
• Stefanie Heinzmann - Masterplan
• Stefanie Heinzmann - Can't Get You Out of My System
• Stefanie Heinzmann - I Betcha She Doesn't Feel It
• Stefanie Heinzmann - Like a Bullet
  
• Fall Out Boy & John Mayer - Beat It
• Gavin DeGraw - I'm In Love With A Girl
• Cherish - Killa
• Timbaland - Bounce
  

Proof You Can Sell Anything Online

You Decide the Next Amy Winehouse

For some reason everyone's trying to find the new Amy Winehouse. Some think it's Duffy while others (i.e. me) thinks Stefanie Heinzmann has a shot at the title. What do you think?

Duffy - Mercy



Stefanie Heinzmann - My Man is a Mean Man

First Day of Spring!

Watch TV and Movies the 21st Century Way

Last week the website hulu.com officially launched. On hulu you can watch clips and full episodes/screenings of your favorite TV shows and movies. I was browsing through their movie list and noticed that Undiscovered is on it. Undiscovered came out 3 years ago. It stars Steven Strait (from 10,000 B.C.), Pell James, Kip Pardue, and Ashlee Simpson. It's about the love - fame - acting - rock & roll life that is LA. Check it out when you get the chance:

Must See TV: Dancing with the Stars:: Season 6

Hey guys,
Just a reminder that the 6th season of Dancing with the Stars kicks off tonight on ABC at 8pm.
This year I'm rooting for Kristi Yamaguchi (the Olympic Gold medalist and World Champion) and Mario (the singer). I'm also can't to see how Priscilla Presley and Shannon Elizabeth will do.
Who are your early faves?
xoxo,
Ace






(photos from yahoo tv)