John Mayer

 John Clayton Mayer was born on October 16, 1977. He is an American pop and blues musician, singer, songwriter, recording artist, and music producer. He was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut. He went to Berklee College of music in Boston, Massachusetts. In 1997 (when I was born) he moved to Atlanta, Georgia where his career began. His first two albums, Room for Squares and Heavier Things won multi platinum status. At the 2003 Grammy's he won the award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for his song, "Your Body is Wonderland".  In his early career he focused mostly on acoustic rock but as he grew into his music he made the transition towards the Blues.  In 2005 he was collaborating with great blues artists like B. B. King, Buddy Guy, and Eric Clapton. In September of 2006 John released his third album Continuum. At the Grammy's in 2007 he won Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for his song, "Waiting on the World to Change".  His fourth album that was released in 2009 was called Battle Studies.  Mayer’s reputation began to build, and a March 2000 appearance at South by Southwest brought him to the attention of "launch" label, Aware Records. After including him in the Aware Festival concerts and having his songs included on Aware compilations, in early 2001, Aware released Mayer's internet-only album titled, Room for Squares. During this time, Aware inked a deal with Columbia Records that gave Columbia first pick in signing Aware artists, and so in September of the same year, Columbia remixed and re-released Room for Squares. As part of the major label "debut", the album's artwork was updated, and the track "3x5" was added. The re-release also included reworked studio versions of the first four songs from his indie album, Inside Wants Out.

In 2003, Mayer released a live CD and DVD of a concert in Birmingham, Alabama titled Any Given Thursday. The concert featured songs previously not recorded, such as "Man on the Side" (co-written with Cook) and "Something's Missing", which later appeared on Heavier Things. The concert also included "Covered In Rain". According to the accompanying DVD documentary, this song is "part two" of the song "City Love", which features the line "covered in rain". Commercially, the album quickly peaked at number seventeen on the Billboard 200 chart. The CD/DVD received conservative, although consistent, praise, with critics torn between his pop-idol image, and (at the time) emerging guitar prowess. Erik Crawford asked "Is he the consummate guitar hero exemplified when he plays a cover of Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'Lenny', or is he the teen idol that the pubescent girls shriek for after he plays 'Your Body Is a Wonderland?'"

Heavier Things, Mayer's second album, was released in 2003 to generally favorable reviews. Rolling Stone, Allmusic and Blender all gave positive, although reserved, feedback. PopMatters said that it "doesn't have as many drawbacks as one might assume".The album was commercially successful, and while it did not sell as well as Room for Squares, it peaked at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart. Mayer earned his first number one single with the song "Daughters" as well as a 2005 Grammy for Song of the Year, beating out fellow contenders Alicia Keys and Kanye West. He dedicated the award to his grandmother, Annie Hoffman, who died in May 2004. He also won Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, beating Elvis Costello, Prince, and Seal for the award. In a February 9, 2009 interview on The Ellen Degeneres Show, Mayer said that he thought he should not have won the Grammy for Song of the year because he thought that Alicia Keys 'If I ain't got you' was the better song. Because of this, he removed the top half of the Grammy and gave it to Keys, and kept the bottom part for himself. At the 37th Annual Songwriters Hall of fame Induction Ceremony in 2006, Mayer was honored with the Hal David Starlight Award.

Mayer again recorded live concerts across seven nights of his U.S. tour in 2004. These recordings were released to the iTunes Store under the title As/is, indicating that the errors were included along with the good moments. A few months later, a "best of" CD was compiled from theAs/Is nights. 
-Wikipedia

Vans

 On March 16, 1966, at 704 E. Broadway, in Anaheim, California, brothers Paul Van Doren,James Van Doren, and three other partners opened up their first store. The Van Doren Rubber Company was unique in that it manufactured shoes and sold them directly to the public. On that first morning, 12 customers purchased Vans deck shoes, which are now known as Authentic. The shoes that were made earlier that day were ready for pick-up in the afternoon.

The company continued to grow into the 1970s. During this period they also produced wool lined canvas and rubber mukluks under contract to the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Air Force. Skateboarders who liked Vans rugged make-up and sticky sole were seen sporting Vans all over Southern California in the early 1970s. In 1975, the Vans #95, known today as the Era was designed by Tony Alva and Stacy Peralta. With a padded collar and different color combinations the Era became the shoe of choice for a generation of skateboarders due to the non slip bottom making it easier to grip better. In 1966, Vans introduced the #44 shoe, and with the help of skateboarders and BMX riders the Vans Slip-On became all the rage in Southern California. By the end of the 1970s, Vans had 70 stores in California and sold through dealers both nationally and internationally.

The New Velvet

 This pop band from New Jersey draws influences from Maroon 5 and Bruno Mars and  performs regularly at the Stone Pony in Asbury Park, NJ. They will self release a full length which was produced by Jake Antelis.
As I begin listening to The New Velvet's, self titled ablum on my non-disclosed online music platform of choice (c'mon people, get with the future), my palate begins to salivate.This is indeed what I've been waiting for! Young 20 something, and former Backstreet Boys/N*Sync fans, we've been subjected to rockers with more eye liner and hair product than most beverly hills housewives and rappers with so many tattoos one is forced to google Getty images to even remember what their face originally looked like, but harken and rejoice, the second coming is upon us.

So in that old adage of something old, something new, something borrowed and some blah blah, this is not the case as it pertains to The New Velvet. The band has been playing live music together since they were in high school. Kudos to its members, Dustin W.( lead vocals, guitar). Ben Antelis ( drums, vocals), Robby Tai ( guitar, vocals), Sheep ( bass,vocals), for remaining true to each other and creating a very substantial grassroots following, in the process. 

The New Velvet's got four attractive guys with an addictive sound, which is spectular, I mean, if you are into that kind of thing. Yes please. My personal top pick tracks are the sweet and soulful, feel good ballad "Hey Lady". Additionally, the dance-able "Bigger Than Love", is a song not to be skipped, as is The New Velvet's new video for the aforementioned song, now available for your viewing pleasure on youtube.

Still curious? Feel to investigate The New Velvet for yourself by using following link.

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Tommy Hilfiger

Hilfiger was born in Elmira, New York. The second of nine children, he grew up in an Irish-American family; he claims direct descendence from Scottish poet Roberts Burns.  His parents originally intended for him to be an engineer. He attended Elmira Free Academy for high school. He also attended GST BOCES Bush Campus in Elmira, New York for Fashion Design. Rather than furthering his education, he started to work in retail at the age of 18. Hilfiger would go to New York City to buy jeans and bell-bottom pants, which he customized and resold at a local downtown Elmira store, Brown's.

After turning to the design of clothing by designing for the rest of his stores in upstate New York, Hilfiger moved to New York City with his now estranged wife, Susie. Although he was offered design assistant positions with designers Calvin Klein and Perry Ellis, and was broke, he turned them both down with greater plans in mind.

In 1984, he founded the Tommy Hilfiger Corporation, (NYSE:TOM), with support from The Murjani Group, which went public in 1992, introducing his signature menswear collection. By 2004 the company had 5,400 employees and revenues in excess of $1.8 billion. Hilfiger was named Menswear Designer of the Year by the Council of  Fashion Designers in America in 1995.

In 1998, Hilfiger gave singer Aaliyah her endorsement deal, in which he honored her in his Summer 1998 fashion show in Jamaica. 

In 2005, a CBS TV reality show called The Cut tracked the progress of sixteen contestants as they competed for a design job with Hilfiger in similar fashion to Donald Trump's The Apprentice.  In the end Hilfiger chose Chris Cortez.

Largely due to declining sales, in 2006, Tommy Hilfiger sold his company for $1.6 billion, or $16.80 a share, to Apax Partners, a private investment company.

In March 2010, Phillips-Van Heusen, owner of Calvin Klein, bought the Tommy Hilfiger Corporation for $3 billion.

Tommy Hilfiger has many different lines. They are, Tommy Hilfiger (born March 24, 1951) is an American fashion designer and founder of the premium lifestyle brand. Hilfiger Denim, a premium-upscale denim collection for men and women. Designs are inspired by American classics and finished with a modern edge.  True Star Gold, fragrance created by Hilfiger and spokeswoman Beyoncé Knowles.  True Star, another fragrance created by Hilfiger and with spokesperson Beyonce' Knowles & True Star Men, a fragrance created by Hilfiger and with spokesperson Enrique Iglesias.  Tommy Girl, fragrance for women.  Red Label, a line of denim-themed products including jeans, t-shirts, and sweatshirts.  H by Tommy Hilfiger, an upscale line which was ended after Tommy Hilfger sold his company, the same sort of style is now carried on under the Tommy Hilfiger label in their specialty stores.  Tommy Hilfiger, the company line of clothes sold in department stores, company stores, and specialty stores.  Tommy Sport, a defunct line that came out in the 1990s and capitalized on Hilfiger's popularity in urban areas.  Tommy Hilfiger for the Home, a line of bedding and bath products.  Tommy Sailing, was due to be released in January or February 2007.  Tommy, a brightly colored casual line.  Tommy Jeans, a denim inspired clothing collection and corresponding fragrance.  Hilfiger Athletics, a sport inspired clothing line and fragrance.- Wikipedia 

The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games is a young adult novel written by Suzanne Collins. It was originally published in hardcover on September 14, 2008, by Scholastic.^[1] It is written in first person and introduces sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives in a post-apocalyptic world in the country of Panem where the countries of North America once existed. The Capitol, a highly advanced metropolis, holds absolute power over the rest of the nation. The Hunger Games are an annual event in which one boy and one girl aged 12 to 18 from each of the 12 districts surrounding the Capitol are selected by lottery to compete in a televised battle in which only one person can survive.

The book has been released as a paperback and also an audiobook and e-book. The Hunger Gameshad an initial print of 200,000 – twice doubled from the original 50,000. Since its initial release, the novel has been translated into 26 different languages and rights of production have been sold in 38 countries. The book received mostly positive reviews from major reviewers and authors. The Hunger Games is the first novel in The Hunger Games trilogy^[2], followed by Catching Fire, published on September 1, 2009,^[3] and Mockingjay, published on August 24, 2010.^[4]

A film adaptation, written and produced by Collins herself and directed by Gary Ross, will be released March 23, 2012 in the United States. The film stars Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss, Josh Hutcherson as Peeta, and Liam Hemsworth as Gale. The Hunger Games takes place after the destruction of North America, in a nation known as Panem. Panem consists of a wealthy Capitol and twelve surrounding, poorer districts. District 12, where the book begins, is located in the coal-rich region that was formerly Appalachia.^[8]

As punishment for a previous rebellion against the Capitol in which a 13th district was destroyed, one boy and one girl between the ages of 12 and 18 from each district are selected by annual lottery to participate in the Hunger Games, a televised event in which the participants (or "tributes") must fight to the death in a dangerous outdoor arena controlled by the Capitol, until only one remains. The story follows 16-year-oldKatniss Everdeen, a girl from District 12 who volunteers for the 74th annual Hunger Games in place of her younger sister, Primrose. Also selected from District 12 is Peeta Mellark, a baker's son whom Katniss knows from school, who once gave her bread when her family was starving.

Katniss and Peeta are taken to the Capitol where their drunken mentor, Haymitch Abernathy, victor of the 50th Hunger Games, instructs them to watch and learn the talents of the other tributes. They are then publicly displayed to the Capitol audience in a televised session with interviewer Caesar Flickerman. During this time, Peeta reveals on-air his long-time unrequited love for Katniss. Katniss believes this to be a ploy to gain audience support for the Games, which can be crucial for survival, as audience members are encouraged to send gifts like food, medicine, and tools to favored tributes during the Games. The Games begin with 11 of the 24 tributes dying in the first day, while Katniss relies on her well-practiced hunting and outdoor skills to survive. As the games continue, the tribute death toll increases. A few days later, Katniss develops an alliance with Rue, a 12-year-old girl from the agricultural District 11 who reminds Katniss of her sister Prim. The alliance is short-lived: Rue is killed by another tribute, whom Katniss shoots through the neck with an arrow before comforting Rue as she dies. At Rue's request Katniss sings to her, then spreads flowers over her body as a sign of respect--and of disgust towards the Capitol.-Wikipedia

"If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day, so I never have to live without you."
- Winnie the Pooh