Ch-Ch-Changes

Hey Everyone!

       At long last, I have decided to revamp my blog and social media page in hopes of providing more diverse content to my readers, friends and followers. Here are some of the things you can expect:

Buy It, Borrow It or Bag It will still occur on Monday Mornings. I will continue to review whatever book I happen to be reading at the time and as you all know from following this blog…it can literally be anything and everything! LOL

My columns for Glo Magazine and Michiana House & Home will continue to appear at the beginning of the month.

ASMR Tuesday will talk about the subject of my next non-fiction project: The Complete Idiot’s Guide to ASMR. (Yes, for those of you who do not know what that is, I will explain it in the first post.)

Nostalgia Wednesday will look back on pop culture and local history

Author Spotlight will still occur on Thursday (when I have a new post) Hey authors out there?? Want to be featured? Send me a PM on Facebook and we will get you scheduled. I am particularly interested in YA authors!!!

Fabulous Fridays will continue as my “anything goes” day.

Catholicism Sunday will focus on The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Catholicism which is set to be published by Alpha Books in January 2015.

In addition….I will be streamlining my Facebook page (both my personal and professional sites) to offer predominately positive messages. I am very tired of reading a wall full of negativity and so I am going to start giving a Compliment of the Day to my friends. (You never know when you might be mentioned!), books I want to read, movies I want to see,  the occasional quiz (for those who said “please don’t stop posting your quizzes), a particularly funny “Vincentism” and of course…you can still count on me to commentate tennis matches. (Sorry folks, but I need a place to rage…I’m sure you can understand! LOL). You will still be able to read all of the FIFTEEN MINUTES OF FAME news on MonAmi’s page (Link is below)

I’m sure there will be times I will drop the ball, but I promise to try. Let’s get some positivity flowing in the world!!

Until next time, Keep rockin’,

Julie

Follow Julie on Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/authorjulieyoung?ref_type=bookmark

On Twitter: @julieyoung14

Official FIFTEEN MINUTES OF FAME page:https://www.facebook.com/Fifteenminutesoffamebook?ref_type=bookmark

The Vincentisms:https://www.facebook.com/pages/Vincentisms/175788015841765?ref_type=bookmark

On Twitter: @The-Vincentisms

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Fabulous Fridays: My favorite “I Love Lucy” episodes

      I must confess that I am an I Love Lucy junkie. NOTHING makes me happier than a day long marathon of my favorite redhead! I’m not sure if it is because I know I will have something to watch all day or if it is the fact that I know every episode by heart so I really don’t have to pay too close of attention, OR if it is just the fact that is it such a good show…but I can’t help it…it remains my all time favorite TV show and when it’s on, I feel compelled to tune in.

   So the other day I got to thinking about my favorite Lucy episodes and I  was amazed at how difficult it was to name a Top Five. It was even more impossible to rank them in any sort of order. It’s such a classic show that it’s tough to single certain episodes out and separate the entire plot line from an iconic “bit.” Obviously the famous “candy factory” scene is genius, as is “vitameatavegimen” and Lucy getting stuck in the home freezer, but in choosing my faves I tried to pick episodes that appeal to me in their entirety and not because of one scene or another. So here it goes, for better or worse:

    Number 5. Lucy wants new furniture (Season 2). This was my mother’s favorite episode because she said that Lucy’s attempts to give herself a home permanent and make her own dress were art imitating life. Evidently she had the same results when she was younger and identified with the episode. I like it because the episode really centers on Lucy and Ricky without the additional sidekicks or the “Ricky, I want to be in the show theme” and shows how solid the writing was that the entire plot could be carried by two characters. Best line:

Lucy: Butter? On Bread? I’ll never get used to your strange Cuban dishes.

     Number 4. Lucy and Superman (Season 6) A lot of my favorite I Love Lucy episodes tend to have guest stars and who could argue with a cameo from the man of steel himself? I love this episode not only because of George Reeves but the fact that Lucy was so dedicated to her kid that she would have played the role of Superman herself if she had to. Best Line:

Superman: Wait a minute, Mr. Ricardo, you mean to tell me that you’ve been married to her

for 15 years?

Ricky: Yeah, 15 years

Superman: And they call me Superman!

    Number 3. Lucy and Bob Hope (Season 6) This is just awesome and I can only imagine what it was like to try and write for two amazing comedians. I have no idea if Hope’s team worked with the Desilu writers or not, but they were dead on in producing material that was perfect for Hope’s delivery style and I loved the rendition of “Thanks for the Memories” at the end. Best Line:

Ricky: How’s everything down on the farm?

Lucy: Well the pig’s all right, but the cow died. Well, back to the old ball game!

       Number 2. Tennessee Ernie Visits. (Season 3) Tennessee Ernie Ford made three appearances on I Love Lucy and every time he did, he knocked it out of the park. However, I can’t help cackling every time I see his first appearance and listen to him use the backwoods expressions that the writers came up with. It is my understanding that Lucy was against the idea of having him on the show but after working with him she not only admitted her error in judgement, but insisted that they keep the extended script and break his story into a two-parter. Best line:

Lucy: You WALKED all the way from Long Island.

Ernie: Yep…ding donged if it ain’t!

Lucy: What?

Ernie: A long island!

         Number 1. Lucy and John Wayne. (Season 5) Though it is technically part-two of the “footprint caper,” this episode crystalizes everything that made I Love Lucy so great. There is a fantastic storyline, physical comedy, a major star willing to take the standard Lucy treatment and in this case, it is Ethel that saves the day in the end. The “comedy of errors” routine of this episode has been done time and time again, but somehow this one is the gold standard. Best Line:

Lucy: I never read other peepers papers, paper’s peepers, people’s papals, I never have enough time!

Ethel: Have you seen the morning paper?

Ricky: Only as it flew by!

Lucy: I have seen the morning paper, but Ricky hasn’t!

Ethel: Oh….well, I just dropped by to say I can’t stay…

Do you love Lucy? Which are your favorite episodes? Did any of mine make your list? Let me know!

Like Julie Young on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/authorjulieyoung

Behind the Scenes: Fifteen Minutes of Fame Pt. 3

   When I wrote FIFTEEN MINUTES OF FAME, I knew that I wanted to create a project that would marry my two passions: music and prose. There was no way I would ever allow FMOF to be “merely” a book. It had to be more and that is what I have been working on in the past few weeks, creating a multi-media vehicle for the story that would bring FMOF to life in different ways and help other young artists realize their dreams!

     Starting in January 2014 readers will be able to check out MonAmi’s Tour Diary. This diary is the companion blog to FMOF and contains a number of deleted scenes, insights and a “peek into MonAmi’s brain” on a variety of subjects. This is the spot to connect DIRECTLY with the character. Ask MonAmi a question and chances are, she’ll answer it.

I am also accepting demo CDs, MP3 files (sent through Yousendit.com), t-shirts, guitar picks, and other swag from bands who want to get their name out to a wider audience and get their music into some new hands. These will be used as giveaways at book signings and on my blog tour in exchange for your helping to promote FMOF! You don’t have to send a ton of stuff, but whatever you can afford to part with would be awesome! I will do my best to promote it and pass it along so that we can all enjoy our “fifteen minutes of fame” a little longer.  E-mail me at Julie@Julieyoungfreelance.com for more information.

    In addition, I will be announcing some upcoming song writing contests as my 4/1/14 publication date draws near. This will be your opportunity to WRITE one of MonAmi’s songs and have it promoted on YouTube, on the Fifteen Minutes of Fame Web site, blog….you name it! Who knows? If it’s good enough, MonAmi herself may actually record your version of it for download! (and cut you in for part of the profits!)

There will be more to come, but this will give you the idea of how far we’re taking FIFTEEN MINUTES OF FAME. So the question is…

Are you ready to rock?

Like Fifteen Minutes of Fame on Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/Fifteenminutesoffamebook

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Behind the Scenes: Fifteen Minutes of Fame Pt. 2

    Long before she was “MonAmi,” Megan Taylor knew she was going to do something big with her life. For as long as she could remember she’d wanted to be an entertainer and when she was offered a recording contract at the age of 15, she jumped at the chance to put her career on the fast track.

It’s a story that’s been told time and time again on Behind the Music episodes. A talented kid is courted by the industry, promised the world and three albums later they are a washed up has-been who isn’t even old enough to vote. When MonAmi walked away from her career at the height of her fame, most assumed she was the latest in a long line of rock music casualties. But unlike other acts, MonAmi knew she was in a race against time…a race she thought she’d won until she realized that the race was never really over…not as long as there was money to be made:

       I could announce my retirement, plan a spectacular Farewell Tour, but at the end of the day, as far as Diamage Records was concerned, I wasn’t going anywhere. -MonAmi, Fifteen Minutes of Fame

MonAmi is an anomaly in an industry laden with disillusioned young people who were talented enough to be chosen, but not strong enough to withstand the pressure. Make no mistake about it, MonAmi is far from perfect, but she never  lets her mistakes stand in the way of her dream. It’s only in her self-imposed exile that she begins to wonder if the dream of rock and roll music stardom was her biggest mistake of all.

        “You’re so far lost in this that you don’t know where MonAmi ends and where Megan begins!” -Denim Rhodes, Fifteen Minutes of Fame. 

Up Next: Fifteen Minutes of Fame offers a multi-media platform for readers and musicians

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