Benjamin Orr was an American Singer/Songwriter who had a One-Hit Wonder with the 1986 single “Stay the Night” which peaked at #24 on the Billboard Top-40 Charts.
He was one of the founding members of the popular group “The Cars“, a group in which he played bass and was a lead vocalist along with Ric Ocasek.
Some of The Cars hits that he sang lead on included “Drive“, “Let’s Go“, and “Just What I Needed“.
He released his only solo album, “The Lace” in 1986. “Stay the Night” was the only single from the album to crack the Billboard Top-40 Charts.
Orr co-wrote all the music and lyrics on the album.
The Cars broke up in 1987. Orr went on to start his own group, ORR, and then started the band Big People.
He died of Pancreatic Cancer in 2000 at the age of 53.
I’m not going to lie to you. I’m not going to pretend. My first exposure, of any kind, to A Tribe Called Quest came in 2006. Now when I say “exposure” I’m not talking “Scenario“, “Bonita Applebum“, “Electric Relaxation“, & “Award Tour“; anyone with eardrums or MTV would know those songs. I’m talking a full introduction to Tribe, as I’ve affectionately called them since 2008.
Have you ever heard of a shouting match between 2 strangers on the uptown 4 train ending with one giving the other his iPod? If you answered “Sure. When does that not happen?” I’d have to say that you are worldly and well-traveled. For those who say “No.”, I’ve got a quick story for you…
It was October 26th, 2006, the day of my 21st birthday, I was riding the uptown 4 with a group of friends (1 guy & 2 girls) when I suddenly became involved in an altercation with a rather intoxicated gentleman who obviously had one too many.
In the heat of the argument I spouted:
“Why are you fuckin’ with me anyway? I don’t need this shit. It’s my fucking birthday!”
Upon hearing that, his facial expression changed almost immediately and he said:
“Aw fam, it’s your birthday? My bad. No nigga deserve to get fucked with on his birthday. You know what a iPod is?”
Of course I did but before I could answer he reached into his coat pocket and handed me a white a iPod; on it was all 5 of Tribe’s studio albums including one compilation (Revised Quest for the Seasoned Traveller).
But it wasn’t until the Spring of 2007 that I realized that I was given a set of keys: one was to every bar in New York City and the other was to the whimsical world of Quest; and I intended on becoming a Seasoned Traveller.
With that, I present to you the Top 5 Songs from A Tribe Called Quest. Including 2 bonus songs that definitely should have been on the list. But I warn you, determining the creme of Quest is an enormous feat; feelings will be both hurt and spared.
First:
“Can I Kick It?” (People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm)
Now this was a very delicate decision but when it came down to it I had to consider which song moves me the most and this is the one. I’ll never forget what “made” this song for me: I was sitting in one of my favorite lounges downtown (Madame X’s on Houston Street) and I was surrounded by a group of my friends; all of us smiling, laughing and enjoying our youth. This song came on in the background, time froze and I said to myself: “Life is a sun and at this very moment I am basking in her rays.”
The spritely horns and slumbering guitar strums makes for the perfect summer tune. For me, the song summed up the 2007 summer with one question: Can I kick it?
“Do you like the garments that we wear?
I instruct you to be the obeyer
A rhythm recipe that you’ll savor
Doesn’t matter if you’re minor or major
Yes, the Tribe of the game, rhythm player As you inhale like a breath of fresh air” – Phife Dawg
Next up:
“Electric Relaxation” (Midnight Marauders)
“Can I Kick It?” may be my favorite Quest song of all time but “Electric Relaxation” is my first love. This song was the first to let me know that A Tribe Called Quest was dope. The hypnotic repetition of “Relax yourself girl, Please settle down.“ puts the listener into a trance and the smooth vocals go perfect with the song’s jazzy urban tempo.
If it weren’t for hearing this song, I may have just passed Quest off as one of those Golden Age Hip-Hop groups and placed them on the back-burner; being that I wasn’t too interested in “old school” rap at the time. I became vaguely familiar with “Scenario“ some years before but it didn’t really convince me that I was missing out anything.
“Electric Relaxation” made me acknowledge that Tribe was more than rah-rah 90’s antics, they were artist.
Q-Tip:
”Yo, I took you out
But sex was on my mind for the whole damn route
My mind was in a frenzy and a horny state But I couldn’t drop dimes ’cause you couldn’t relate… you couldn’t relate… you couldn’t relate…”
Phife Dawg:
“If my mom don’t approve, then I’ll just elope
Let me sink the little man from inside the boat
Let me hit it from the back, girl I won’t catch a hernia Bust off on your couch, now you got Seamen’s furniture“
Third:
“Midnight” (Midnight Marauders)
Obviously this selection indicates a trend but trust me, this is the last Midnight Marauders pick, I swear. On this song Q-Tip goes solo and does more than enough to hold his own.
“See, Jake be gettin’ illy when the sun get dark
They be comin’ out the heads, but shit don’t let me start
Their activities are plenty in nighttime (nighttime)
For the ghetto child, it seems to be the right time
See, kids be gettin’ stuck with jewels and fly gimmicks
Shorty see the action and then start to mimic
Runnin’ to the corner, the dice game is blazin’
Lookin’ at the loot, it seems so amazin’
Puts it short down, to be exact would bound
He shakes the stones in his hand, then he lets it down (uh!)
Scared money don’t make none
He threw a trip on the ace, now he’s out son
Hits the local bodega to wolf down a hero
Son is on a ‘Midnight Run’ like De Niro Spots the shorty rock standin’ on his block
The thieves be handlin’ in the pumps, so he asked it’s not
Conversation that he kicked to the shorty was a sly one
Increased intensity, his dance sure was a fly one
Took her to the crib there she ran her jibs
About mind upliftment and bein’ positive
He yawned and he sighed til 1:05
Then he finally realized that hunny wasn’t live
At least he didn’t plan on buildin’ for the evenin’
Threw the Fila on the dome and said ‘Come on yo, we leavin”
Came out on the scene as he told her to beep him
Saw his man Sam with the blunt in his hand
(Aww Shhh…!!!) You know the transaction
Brothas gettin’ lost in the weed satisfaction
Comin’ down the block man loud as (fuck)
You would swear Redman was inside the trunk
As the night seemed darker, cops is on a hunt
They interrupt ya cipher, and crush ya blunt
See you left your work at home, so they pat you down for nuthin’
Why in the hell does 10-4 keep frontin’?
You push to the park, even though it’s still dark
The kid is nice on the hoop, he said ‘I’ll spot ya troop’”
This is an anthem for the night owls; a lament for the city dwelling youths. There have been countless times where I’ve found myself zoning out to this song while riding the train, on my way to a late night rendezvous with friends, anticipating the good times to be had once I’ve reached my destination.
Fourth:
“Bonita Applebum” (People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm)
How could I not include the beloved “Bonita Applebum”? The first single from the group’s debut album, it is believed to be about a real girl from the group’s high school. Truly a Quest classic, it secretly exposes the predicament of the average urban bachelor. The song is nothing short of seducing as Q-Tip propositions:
“38-24-37 (uh, uh, uh!)
You and me, hun, we’re a match made in heaven
I like to kiss ya where some brothas won’t
I like to tell ya things some brothas don’t
If only you could see through your elaborate eyes
Only you and me, hun, the love never dies Satisfaction, I have the right tactics
And if you need ‘em, I got crazy prophylactics
So far, I hope you like rap songs
Bonita Applebum, you gotta put me on” – Q-Tip
Bonita had no choice but to be wooed. Despite it being one of the more overexposed tracks on the list, it’s still a favorite amongst hardcore ATCQ fans.
Finally:
“Sucka Nigga” (Midnight Marauders)
Okay, remember when I said “No more Midnight Marauder picks.”, I fibbed. To be honest, aside from People’s Instinctive Travels…, Midnight Marauders is one of Tribe’s best albums. “The listener is guided through the program by a robotic voiced woman played by Laurel Dann.” At the end of “Award Tour“, the meaning of the album’s title is explained by Dann:
“7 times out of 10, We listen to our music at night; the word maraud means to loot, in this case… We maraud for ears.“
“Sucka Nigga” is also one of their best songs. Although it isn’t as well-known as the other picks, it holds much weight in the eyes of die-hard Tribe fans. For me, this song epitomizes the sociopolitical purpose of the Native Tongues Movement. Yet another track where Phife is absent it still retains its sting as Q-Tip spits:
“Socially I’m not a name, black and white got game
If you came to the jam, well I’m glad you came
See, nigga first was used back in the Deep South
Fallin’ out between the dome of the white man’s mouth
It means that we will never grow, you know the word dummy
Other niggas in the community think it’s crummy
But I don’t, neither does the youth cause we
em-brace adversity it goes right with the race
And being that we use it as a term of endearment
Niggas start to bug to the dome is where the fear went Now the little shorties say it all of the time
And a whole bunch of niggas throw the word in they rhyme
Yo I start to flinch, as I try not to say it
But my lips is like the oowop as I start to spray it
My lips is like a oowop as I start to spray it
My lips is like a oowop as I start to spray the…”
I would have ranked this higher on the list but I figured the track is in good company. Besides, I’ve given into popular demand for the majority of the list, ” Suck Nigga” & “Midnight” are my personal touch.
*Bonus (i)*:
“Find a Way” (The Love Movement)
These two bonus picks were the hardest to choose. I’ve come to the realization that some important songs are going to get left out in the cold. Fortunately “Find a Way” isn’t one of them. The first single off of Tribe’s final studio album, The Love Movement, it is one of those tracks that is very much slept on. Produced by the late great J Dilla, it samples “Technova” by Towa Tei; a song that “innocently wonders about the point at which friendship spills over into sex.”
Phife Dawg:
“Not dealing with nobody, now that’s what you told me (what?)
I said: “hey yo, it’s cool, we can just be friendly” (come on)
‘Cause yo, picture me messing it up
Her mind not corrupt with the ill C-Cups Shit, I’m on my J.O. (come on)
Bullshittin’, hoping that the day goes slow (what?)
Got me like a friend, what confuses me though
Is kisses when we greet, tell me what’s the deal yo? (deal yo, yo, yo…)”
I chose this song because of timing. The year was 1998, East Coast Mafioso rap had sent politically conscious rap to its grave (with the exception of Black Star’s “Definition” and The Fugees) and DMX took it upon himself to dismantle the Shiny Suit Era. Despite all these circumstances, Tribe still managed to bow out with a memorable song.
Plus, our generation (the millennials) are most familiar with this song because of it being released at a time when we were becoming more cognizant of the music that we were listening to and “Find a Way” found a way to stick.
*Bonus (ii.)*:
“Check the Rhime” (The Low End Theory)
How could I leave out “I Left My Wallet in El Segundo”, “Jazz (We’ve Got)“, “Scenario”? Easy:
“Industry rule #4,080: Record company people are shady” – Q-Tip
We would have never known that rule if we didn’t “Check the Rhime“. One of the group most popular songs, this is nearly a case of me saving the best for last.
Q-Tip: Back in the days on the boulevard of Linden,
we used to kick routines and presence was fittin’.
It was I the abstract
Phife Dawg: And me the five footer.
I kicks the mad style so step off the Frankfurter.
Q-Tip: Yo, Phife, you remember that routine
that we used to make spiffy like mister clean?
Phife Dawg: Um um, a tidbit, um, a smidgen.
I don’t get the message so you gots to run the pigeon.
Q-Tip: You on point Phife?
Phife Dawg: All the time, Tip.
Q-Tip: You on point Phife?
Phife Dawg: All the time, Tip.
Q-Tip: You on point Phife?
Phife Dawg: All the time, Tip.
Q-Tip: Well, then grab the microphone and let your words rip.
Phife Dawg: Now here’s a funky introduction of how nice I am.
Tell your mother, tell your father, send a telegram.
With all due respect to “Can I Kick It?” and my other four picks, I only bumped this down to bonus status because it was way too obvious. What Quest fan doesn’t reciting enjoy the “You on Point?/All the Time” exchange? For me, ”Check the Chime“ was the essence of an everyday New York City conversation into song form.
(More Than) Honorable Mentions:
“I Left My Wallet in El Segundo” (The Low End Theory)
“What?” (The Low End Theory)
“Hot Sex” (The Love Movement)
“Ham n’ Eggs” (People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm)
“Luck of Lucien” (People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm)
In the long, great history of musical artists cranked out by my home state of Oregon, I can only think of 2 bands that actually managed to crack the Top-40 of the Billboard Charts during their careers.
Two bands! (Ouch!!)
Those bands are Quarterflash, and Nu Shooz.
Nu Shooz is a Portland-based Electronic Dance Band fronted by husband and wife duo John Smith and Valerie Day.
The group is best known for their 1986 smash hit “I Can’t Wait“, which peaked at #3 on the Billboard Top-40 charts.
The group avoided One-Hit Wonder immortality by charting a second single, “Point of No Return” which peaked at #28 on the Billboard Top-40 charts in 1986.
In 1987, they were nominated for a Grammy Award for Best New Artist, but lost to Bruce Hornsby and the Range.
In 1988, the single “Should I Say Yes?” just missed being their third chart hit when it peaked at #41 on the Billboard Charts.
The group officially disbanded in the late 1980’s after releasing just 2 albums.
Smith and Day still do occasional shows using the Nu Shooz name.
Kembali pada tahun 2004, Mariah pernah merencanakan untuk menulis sebuah buku yang berkisah berdasarkan pada cerita hidupnya – seorang gadis yatim piatu birasial yang pergi dalam suatu perjalanan demi usaha untuk “menemukan jati diri, melewati berbagai kesulitan dan kesalahpahaman, membuat dunia menjadi tempat yang lebih baik”.
Dia berharap untuk membuatnya menjadi kisah fiksi dan menceritakan kisahnya melalui serangkaian buku anak-anak bergambar, yang akan diberi judul “Automatic Princess” – nama yang sama yang dipakai untuk nama fashionnya dan beberapa dari aksesorisnya (Carey).
Kembali lagi, Untuk beberapa alasan yang tidak diketahui, buku itu tidak dipublikasikan ……..
SEKARANG menurut Nick, Mariah dan dia telah mengembangkan banyak hal bersama-sama, sebagian besar untuk MTV dan buku anak-anak.
Akankah proyek Mariah untuk menulis bukunya akhirnya menjadi kenyataan?
——–
Ayo Mimi di rilis aja, gw dkung 100% hehehe…aku yakin kamu adalah penulis yang baik dan berbakat (terbukti dari lirik indah dalam lagu² yang kau ciptakan)…
klo jadi dirilis pasti gw beli deh…ato bisa jadi hadiah buat ponakan² gw hehehe…
Ok normally these kind of people don’t piss me off, I got over Miley Cyrus, partly due to the fact she released some pictures in return for us listening to her terrible music, but this guy is on another level.
I know what your thinking, Justin Bieber – old news. Well maybe, but I haven’t posted about him yet and his video released yesterday (GMT) has like 300,000 views? Do people actually like this kid?
His new video (I assume)
The thing that gets me the most is the song is really bad, what’s it about? He follows a girl around who looks twice his age, tries to touch her, gets pushed and tries again? That’s harassment! I think the purpose of this song is to boost his popularity simply because it features Ludacris, meaning that all the Luda fans will be looking at the video but come on – its shit!
Well, my friends and I have concocted a brand new video! We figured that with all of the pressing and difficult times we are all in right now, we should focus on important things…like what was your favorite part of the wonderfully enlightening TV show, The Jersey Shore? Well, we think have done a pretty good job…please share your thoughts!
Please check out Friendship Bike Ride Productions online, and leave a comment if you like the vid! Thanks for viewing!
Since this weekend and the broadcasting of the clip of the new version of the mythical We are The World version 2010 fot the opening of the Olympic games of Vancouver, the debate is opened on the web. Is this new version recorded is better than the version of 1985 written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie? Two incomparable versions? Was the tube We are The World of 1985 untouchable? Is the world emotion there?
If numerous stars mobilized, Jay Z, him, did not want to reshape this title which he considers simply untouchable. Questioned on Saturday evening by the music channel MTV, the rapper confided on why of his non-participation in the We are the world new version: “I have an interesting take on that — and I know everybody’s gonna to take this wrong — but I just think “We Are the World”: I love it and I understand the point and I think it’s great, but I think “We Are the World” is like “Thriller” to me. I don’t ever want to see it touched. I applaud the efforts and what everyone has done. That’s amazing. I appreciate the efforts and everything, but for me, “We Are the World” is untouchable like “Thriller”‘ is untouchable. You know? Something’s are untouchable. And, you know, I think it was a valiant effort, but “We Are the World,” is forever going to be untouchable.”
For the first time in the network’s 29-year history, MTV has decided to give the channel’s iconic logo a face-lift.
“The people who watch it today, they don’t refer to MTV as music television. They don’t have the same emotional connection that, say, the people who are writing about [the logo change] do,” MTV’s head of marketing Tina Exarhos said. Indeed, The Wrap called it “a minor change with major symbolism,” while The Hollywood Reporter wrote having “music television” in the old logo was “a constant reminder that MTV was branding itself one way, programming itself another.”
Outside of its annual “VMAs” music video award show, and with the cancellation of “TRL,” MTV has long abandoned music as a programming mainstay. For years, all eyes have been on genre-busting reality shows like “The Osbournes,” “Newlyweds,” “Jackass,” “My Super Sweet 16″ and “The Hills.” The network is currently riding high with the docudrama “Teen Mom” and “Real World”-esque “Jersey Shore.”
Exarhos said the network’s marketing team had tossed around losing “Music Television” from the logo before, but “we had never taken the idea upstairs to [MTV president Van Toffler and MTV Networks chair-CEO Judy McGrath]. We thought, ‘No one is ever going to let us do this.’ It’s the one thing we’ve never touched,” she said. But with the channel’s most recent on-air redesign — something the network switches up every couple of years — “now felt like the right time.”
“It felt like, ‘Why have we been so scared when the channel itself has evolved so much over the years?’
Beyond cropping out the words “Music Television,” Exarhos said her team redrew and minimally tweaked the placement of the “TV” within the “M”.
This review originally ran in The Battalion, Texas A&M’s student newspaper. It was one of the first reviews I ever wrote — so please forgive the sweet, sweet love I make to hyperbole throughout the piece.
There should be a rule that direct-to-video horror movie sequels will suck and should never be made. But even though the bargain bin at your local Wal-Mart is filled with cast-off sequels to “Wishmaster” and “The Lost Boys,” it may be a good thing such a rule is not in effect.
If the rule was in place, we would have never had gotten “Ginger Snaps II: Unleashed,” the sequel to 2000’s Canadian werewolf thriller.
The original “Ginger Snaps” was made on a meager budget but was a tongue-in-cheek horror movie equipped with bloody effects and a dark sense of humor. The sequel is a flashy, high-octane follow-up that even comes close to surpassing the original in some ways.
The ending of “Ginger Snaps” found Brigitte (Emily Perkins) on the killing end of a knife plunged into her sister’s heart. Ginger (Katharine Isabelle), Brigitte’s sister, had been bitten by a werewolf and was promptly transformed into a full-fledged beast of the night. With no alternative left, Brigitte was forced to end her sister’s curse the only way she knew — by killing her.
“Ginger Snaps II” picks up with Brigitte on the run from her past. Now infected with the curse herself, Brigitte must counteract every night’s gradual change with a dose of monk’s hood, a plant with the power to halt her transformation when taken intravenously.
The problem is, another werewolf is on her trail, hoping to mate.
After being attacked by the werewolf, Brigitte is picked up by the local authorities and mistakenly put into a drug rehabilitation center thanks to the empty syringes found near her. Trapped without her tonic, Brigitte finds herself feeling the pull of the curse stronger with each passing day.
From the first scene, fans of the “Ginger Snaps” will realize they have a whole new creature on their hands. The original films’s intimate directing style, which utilized a decidable lack of complicated camera tricks, has been replaced with a flash-and-awe editing style witch long, sweeping camera arcs.
All the camera tricks in the world can’t protect a film from bad acting, though. It’s a good thing “Ginger Snaps II” features an adequate array of actors and actresses. Perkins easily carries the film’s weight on her shoulders.
Unfortunately, the film’s producers felt the need to replace the character’s original moody attire (think MTV’s “Daria”) with sexier clothing, complete with midriff-baring tops. While this is not necessarily a bad thing, it is completely out of character for this particular werewolf on the loose. Fortunately, Perkins compenstates for the wardrobe choice smoothly by adding depth and maturity to her character unforeseen in the previous movie.
What sets “Ginger Snaps II” apart from the previous installment is the complete lack of innocence in the movie. While the original movie took place in a suburb that reeked of normalcy, the majority of the action in the sequel takes place in a clinic where everybody has a secret.
From the orderly who trades fixes of other patients’ addictions in exchange for his own sexual pleasure to the unusual and eerie quirks of the patients themselves, everybody has a hidden agenda. The film is a bleak and uncompromising horror flick that rises above the mediocrity of its predecessor.
It easily improves upon the original’s clumsy effects. The transformation prosthetics are subdued and more realistic. The final werewolf is wisely hidden in the shadows for most of the movie. Instead of presenting blood and guts eye candy, the director utilizes lighting and mood to convey growing terror. Plus, the wolf actually looks like a wolf in this movie as compared to the original’s hairless rat.
“Ginger Snaps II” meets every expectation set by the original film and even manages to improve on the original in some ways. With its dismal tone and unhappy ending, “Ginger Snaps II” is not for everybody. Fans of intelligent horror, though, should not pass up the opportunity to watch this surprisingly good sequel.
The delayed Spider Man 4 will now be Spider Man (in 3D) and is scheduled for a July 2012 release. If you didn’t also know the last two installments of Harry Potter are scheduled to be shot in 3D as well. Hopefully they will come out with reusable 3D glasses that are more comfortable and fashionable.
Dear John is the film that knocked of Avatar from the number 1 spot after 7 consecutive weeks! Lost In Space was the film that knocked off Titanic after a 15 week run. Who would have thought a romantic comedy and not a blockbuster would end Avatar’s run?
The rights to the Terminator franchise was sold to Pacificor for $29.5m after a battle between Lionsgate and Sony Pictures. Pacificor?
Howard Stern is asking for $100m to take over the spot of Simon Cowell on next season’s American Idol. Here’s to hoping Idol doesn’t accept it. Even Ellen doesn’t approve.
Tom Cruise has signed on to Mission Impossible 4. Really?
Sade’s comeback album, Soldier of Love is expected to become number 1 on the Billboard charts next week predicted to sell 375,000 – 400,000 copies. Her last set, “Lover’s rock” debuted at number 3 in 2000.
MTV finally dropped the “Music Television” from its logo. Make’s sense considering they replaced music with Jersey Shore and Teen Mom!!
Prior to the delay of his prison time, Lil Wayne shot 9 music videos in one week to hold over his fan’s during his year in prison. By the way, his prison sentences was delayed because of his teeth?!?
When I grew up, which wasn’t that long ago, MTV still had music on the channel. It even had certain blocks of the day for only music videos. Heck, TRL was what I watched after school. At any rate, as I’m sure you know, MTV has really stopped being “Music Television” so they redesigned their logo to showcase the direction in which MTV has gone.
Tonight BET, MTV, and VH1 will simultaneously air “SOS: Saving OurSelves – Help For Haiti”, a telethon sponsored by BET with all proceeds going to the Haiti Earthquake Relief effort. The special, which features performances from artists such as Chrisette Michele, Kirk Franklin, Trey Songz, Chris Brown, and many others, will be hosted by Diddy and Queen Latifah.
The special will air at 8PM/7 CST, which is in just a little while so tune in and have your wallet handy to give. If you’re watching and tweeting [great multitasker, you are =)], be sure to add the hash tag, #SOSHaiti, to all your tweets and get this event on the trending topic list so others know what’s going on.
High school. Just the thought of my high school years brings on a wave of nausea. The wanting to fit in. The wanting to be an outsider. They love me. They love me not. Finding my way without getting lost in the process.
Lawd, my head is spinning. I think I need to sit down.
As you can imagine, reliving those years is not on my to-do list. But I am willing to watch someone else go through high school angst. That someone is Liz Lee from the MTV series, My Life as Liz (Mondays, 10:30 p.m. Eastern./Pacific).
The highly stylized reality series (more about this later) features Liz, a high school senior, who was once part of the cool, yet very fake set of bleach blond, self absorbed girls but now runs with a crew of devoted nerdy boys. We experience Liz’s travails and triumphs as she tries to get through her final year at Burleson High School located in a conservative exurb of Dallas/Fort Worth, TX.
Among my twitfam (Twitter family for the underinformed) there was a lot of buzz about the show. “Is it a reality show, for real, or is it scripted?” they asked. And, “How did she get her own show?” Many made comparisons with the MTV animated series of yesteryear, Daria.
As someone who lives to keep you informed, when I got a chance to talk to the girl herself, Liz, I asked her those questions plus a few others.
But first, you’ll get the answers my question and then I’ll get to yours.
As for where is Liz now, well she’s no longer in Texas and is now studying Art History at a college New York City (I know which one but I’m not telling you. So there.). She is interested in becoming a curator but would also like to work behind the camera as well.
Brace yourself for a lousy, rocky transition…
Speaking of working behind the camera,in the first episode, we see Liz and her nerdy boys, or as she calls them, her “nerd herd”, working on a potential project for her Broadcast Journalism class. Well, it was through this aforementioned class that Liz caught the attention of MTV executives and ended up landing her own show. According to Liz, MTV wanted to do a sequel of its series, The Paper, and put out a call to high school journalism classes. Someone, not Liz, sent in a video, answering questions that MTV had prepared. Casting people from the network made a couple of visits to the high school (It’s real by the way. Look it up. I did) and the series developed from there.
Okay, now that you know how Liz got her own series while poor you have been toiling away at Cold Stone Creamery in the middle of the coldest winter on record, you want to know if it’s real or scripted. Well, Liz said that the “relationships are real”. She and her nemesis and former friend, Cori, really do hate each other. (Cori is a member of the bleach blond, big boob, small brain crew) and she’s really friends with the “nerd herd”. The events are real as well, said Liz, but certain things are “stylized”. Because we see those “events through her eyes,” elements were added to “help the viewer get into her head”.
And that head turns out to be a pretty interesting place.
More from “My Chat with Liz”
Liz loves living in the NYC and calls it an “interesting change”.
Liz’s mom, who is rather “conservative”, at first, wasn’t too cool about Liz making the switch from compliant insider to red-headed outsider. By the way, Liz’s natural hair color is brown.
Her mom is “hispanic” and reportedly makes some killer Mexican food. Moms cooked for the crew who thought her food was the best. Liz is now in search of some good authentic Mexican food in the NYC. If you know of any place(s), hook a sistah up.
Liz’s Inspirations: Music, comic books, Star Wars and her friends.
Favorite Band: Animal Collective – a group she liked since 9th grad. Liz said that you “build relationships with certain music which helps you get through the rough and the good times.
How Does She Like Seeing Herself on TV: Liz described it as being “awkward”. “It’s like being on a phone call and you hear feedback. [Realizing it's the sound of your own voice] you cringe a little and wonder, ‘Do I really sound like that?’” For Liz, it’s that reaction “to the max”.
“It’s hard to watch. Showing yourself so vulnerable on camera is the ultimate way of opening up. It’s also challenging to relive the losses but it’s also fun to watch the victories.”
