What better way to kick start the month of December by catching Family Force 5 at Rocketown on December 5th.  This crunk five-piece hail from the ATL so you know they can get the party started.  My favorite singles? “Wake the Dead” and “Fever”.

Family Force 5

http://www.myspace.com/familyforce5

On December 10th, head over to Cannery Ballroom to see Ghostland Observatory.  I’ve been to three shows and I’m completely addicted.  This duo originated in Austin, Texas, where the motto is “keep Austin weird”.  Well, weird is good. Weird delivers.  Lead vocalist Aaron Kyle Behrens dominates the stage with flamboyant dance moves and a voice that resonates closely to the late Queen frontman Freddie Mercury, while madman Thomas Ross Turner cuts away on the synthesizer and drums with nothing short of pure brilliance.  Oh, and did I mention that there is a really cool laser show involved?

Ghostland Observatory

http://www.myspace.com/ghostlandobservatory

Are you in the mood to dance? Head to Mai on December 11th for the first BANG OUT! with Treasure Fingers. He will be on the 1’s and 2’s with special guests Coach and Sanchez and the Shockers.  And yes, the Generation Domination photo booth will be there so you can take lots of drunken silly pictures with all your friends. 

Bang-Out!

Last but not least, one of my favorite indie bands, the Silversun Pickups will be performing at the Cannery Ballroom on December 19th.  If you haven’t heard their second and latest album, Swoon, check it out and then check out the show. It will definitely bring you back to the days when Smashing Pumpkins and Sonic Youth ruled the radio waves. 

Silversun Pickups

http://www.myspace.com/silversunpickups

By: badapplerose

Born and raised in Kentucky, Pretty Boi Reezy was destined to be a great performer. He started writing lyrics at the age of twelve and started rapping at the age of fourteen! Ludacris is his favorite artist and has influenced him greatly. The following is a list of albums he has done as well as other achievements:

Mixtapes:
“Hustla’s Mentality” February 15, 2008
“Pretty Boi Muzik” hosted by DJ Dceezy Aug 16, 2008
“My Letter 2 Da Industry” co-signed by DJ Pimpflow (Germany) Apr 4 2009
Debut Album – “Self Motivation” coming early 2010

Accomplishments / Achievements:
2009 Kymp Kamp Awards Nominee for “Internet Hustler Of The Year”
2008 & 2009 Nominee for “Grindin’ On The BlockYear”

In 2008 “Pretty Boi” toured with Ray J, Yung Berg, Lloyd, The Dream, Trey Songz and V.I.C on the Young & Sexy tour. He has also opened for Young Buck, Yung Ralph, Lil Scrappy, Lil Wayne, Yung Joc and many more!

For Booking:
http://www.myspace.com/iamreezy
Iamreezy@gmail.com

[View with PicLens]

The “smartbook” aspires to put the smartphone into the laptop. Will it be able to elevate an Apple iPhone or Motorola Droid-like experience to a larger device, or is it just more marketing mumbo-jumbo?

Two companies are hoping that the smartbook will turn out to be more than just another quickly-forgotten device sales pitch. Qualcomm and Freescale, which are both supplying key silicon technology for the devices, are pushing to make smartbooks different enough from laptops–and Netbooks–that consumers will take notice.

Qualcomm CEO Paul Jacobs holds the Lenovo smartbook, which will appear at CES in January.

The first tangible evidence of smartbooks to come will be seen at the Consumer Electronics Show in January, where Lenovo, among others, is expected to show, if not roll out, smartbook designs.

One pesky question won’t go away, however. Why go out of the way to call it a smartbook? Doesn’t Netbook suffice? (And it can potentially be very confusing for consumers since both terms have “book” in them.) On one level, the nomenclature choice is simply to counter the Microsoft-Intel Netbook juggernaut: Another Netbook among dozens already on the market won’t draw much attention.

But at a deeper level, the two companies are trying to make the smartbook substantively different from a Netbook. Qualcomm sees it, in essence, as a large smartphone, which leaves the outdated Windows desktop experience in the dust. “A Netbook in our view is just a cheap laptop that runs Windows. We see the smartbook cannibalizing the Netbook. It is a connected 3G device that’s always on, has data always pushed to the device, and all-day battery life. In other words, the smartphone experience,” said Luis Pineda, senior vice president of marketing and product management at Qualcomm CDMA.

Qualcomm’s CEO Paul Jacobs proudly showed off a Lenovo smartbook (see photo) at an analyst event earlier this month, saying it was the “thing that I really want to wow you with.” The Lenovo design is thinner than a Netbook–in fact, it is about a thin as a typical smartphone–and will be sold through AT&T–not a PC retailer like Best Buy. The Lenovo device uses a Snapdragon chip, which is the first smartphone processor from Qualcomm to hit a speed of 1GHz. Whether it will use Google’s Android operating system or another Linux variant is unknown. And pricing has not been revealed, though smartbooks are expected to be inexpensive up front when bought on 2-year contract plans.

So, will the smartphone DNA be enough to make consumers notice? There are skeptics. “You have to step back and say who cares?–asked Jeff Orr, senior analyst, mobile devices, at ABI Research. “Is it meeting different needs in the marketplace? Does it change the price in a way that an audience is going to latch onto?”

Orr says that the smartbook, as proposed today, is challenged to really set itself apart, with the exception of battery life. “Devices with ARM processors tend to have better battery life,” he said, referring to the basic chip design that Qualcomm and Freescale use, which compares favorably with Intel Atom processor used in Netbooks from companies like Hewlett-Packard, Dell, and Toshiba. But he sees little else that is head-turning enough for consumers to see a striking difference between the smartbook and the Netbook or smaller laptops.

Freescale, not surprisingly, disagrees. At CES, the company will show a design that is radically different than a classic Netbook clamshell design.

“We believe…smartbooks need to look different than Netbooks,” said Glen Burchers, director of segment marketing for Freescale. “One thing that we have learned is that when end-users see largish clamshells their first expectation is for a Windows experience.”

In Japan, Sharp is selling the NetWalker smartbook, which has a five-inch screen and uses a Freescale ARM processor. “When you see it, it looks like a gadget not like a PC, so you don’t have that expectation that it’s a Window device,” Burchers said.

For the most part, however, the first generation of smartbooks, Burchers admits, will be Netbook-like in design. So, Freescale is looking to the second generation of smartbooks to break away from the traditional laptop.

“The data we’re getting from end users is that clamshell does not fit what end users are going to do with these things. It’s a younger crowd. Eighty percent Internet access and almost all entertainment-based Internet access,” he said.

Burchers said that the tablet form factor and sliding keyboard will be two hallmarks of a second generation smartbook. Screen sizes will range between five and seven inches.

And data from ABI Research backs up the theory that consumers expect a different-looking device. While people considering a Netbook are trying to decide between that and a laptop, people considering a smartbook are comparing this to a smartphone purchase, according to Orr. “They’re not part of the same consideration set,” he said.

One of the big unknowns is what operating systems smartbooks will use. Qualcomm doesn’t think the deciding factor will be whether the devices use, for example, Google Android–a truly mobile device operating system–or Linux Ubuntu, a desktop OS. (The Sharp NetWalker uses Ubuntu.)

“In the kind of device we’re promoting, the operating system won’t be that relevant,” said Qualcomm’s Pineda. “What will be important is the connected applications based on 3G, the form factor, the battery life,” he said.

But here Qualcomm might be mistaken. One of the reasons consumers are now obsessing over the Motorola Droid–a high-end smartphone that packs a sliding keyboard–is because it uses the new Android 2.0 operating system. And many users would never use anything but the iPhone’s mobile OS.

Waiting in the wings is Google Chrome–made specifically for Netbooks–but this won’t appear in devices for veritable ages in Internet time: the fourth quarter of 2010.

Freescale’s Burchers agrees the OS is crucial. “It needs to have a mobile OS. It needs to interact with the user on a moment’s notice. Pull it out of its holster and it’s ready to go,” he said.

Consumer will have a chance to test the smartbook waters next year. Burchers said he sees eight to twelve “high-caliber smartbooks” on retailer shelves in the first quarter of next year.

Developers having trouble selling luxury condominiums the old-fashioned way are trying another tactic: auctions.

“It takes the longer period it would take to sell and condenses it down to a shorter time,” says Jim Corum, president of real estate auction company Real Estate Disposition Corporation.

Many of the developments—in cities like Chicago and New York—began construction at the height of the real estate market, filling the buildings with every amenity possible, but were completed just as the housing crisis hit. As a result, many apartments remain vacant.

The auctions are seen as both a way to attract bargain-hunting buyers still on the fence on whether to buy and get the condos sold quickly.

One development going the auction route is Solaria, a luxury high-rise in the Riverdale section of the Bronx in New York City. Despite a roof deck, a telescope observatory and a children’s play area, only ten apartments in the building have been closed since it opened in 2007. In all, 54 units will go up for auction in Manhattan on Nov. 22. The auction is being conducted with California-based Real Estate Disposition Corporation.

Starting bids are at times more than 50 percent below the list price. One of the less expensive one-bedrooms at the Solaria, for example, has a $299,999 starting bid but was originally listed at $660,000.

“Buyers are fearful of stepping up,” says developer Joseph Korff, president and CEO of Arc Development, explaining why sales have been slow. People had been coming to see the apartments, he adds, but are reluctant to make an offer, unsure if the real estate market has bottomed yet.

Selling real estate through auctions puts urgency on prospective buyers to make a decision on the purchase, says Chris Longly, the deputy executive director of the National Auctioneers Association.

“If you want this property you have to show up, or it’s going to be gone,” says Longly. He notes real estate auctions are the fastest growing type of auctions, growing by 47.7 percent between 2003 and 2008.

Outside of New York, real estate firm Accelerated Marketing Partners has conducted auctions for about 65 new developments in the past 18 months in cities like Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia and Atlanta, generating some $750 million in sales, says Jon Gollinger, CEO and co-founder of the firm.

“It’s extraordinary really,” says Gollinger. “In the 1990’s cycle, it was nothing like this.”

Last weekend, an auction that his firm arranged for Michigan Avenue Tower II, a new luxury building in Chicago, sold 47 units, Gollinger says, seven more than were originally part of the auction.

At Bryant Back Bay, a luxury development in Boston, an auction conducted by Accelerated Marketing Partners put up 10 units for auction, but demand was so great, more were added and 18 were sold, Gollinger said.

On Nov. 21 another development is going under the gravel, this time in Nashville, Tenn. Called Terrazzo, the developers are hoping to unload 31 units. Again, starting bids are about 50 percent below asking prices. A two-bedroom apartment in the Terrazzo, for example, has a minimum bid price of $250,000 that was originally asking $534,900.

As for the Solaria, Korff says that interest in the building picked up after the placement of an ad in “The New York Times” and posters in the neighborhood.

In a couple of days hundreds of people showed up to view apartments, compared to the dozen or so who looked at the apartments every week before the auction.

Three or more buyers have registered preferences for each of the 54 units, Korff said.

While the Solaria auction is being billed as one of the first for a luxury high-rise building in New York City, it’s unlikely to be the last.

“Coming down the line there will be more,” says Gollinger. He predicts that in the next 15 months, New York City could see ten additional auctions.

“It’s an indication of things to come,” says Gollinger.

Terrazzo Nashville

By: Joseph Pisani
CNBC News Associate

LONG before Nashville became Music City, it was known as the Athens of the South, its aspirations exemplified by the construction of a replica of the Parthenon for Tennessee’s centennial in 1896. That Athens became the country music capital hasn’t always sat well with its citizens, who are right when they say there is more to Nashville than country. But most would acknowledge that if you have only a weekend, rootsy music of all types is what the city does best. Don’t expect the country you hear on the radio; mainstream stars rarely play at home. Instead, expect real-deal crooners, soulful singer-songwriters, A-list session players and bluegrass virtuosos. TAYLOR HOLLIDAY

Friday 5 p.m.

1 – Prints and Music

For an introduction to Nashville’s vibrant downtown, stroll along the Cumberland River and over the Shelby Avenue bridge, where the view is superb. Heading uptown along Broadway, don’t miss Hatch Show Print (316 Broadway, 615-256-2805), in business since 1879. The letter press poster shop, cum gallery, displays graphic gems from the past, like ”Dolly Parton and Her Family Traveling Band” from the 1960’s, as well as the newer posters that it turns out by the same hand-printed method. Reprints are $10 to $15. The Ernest Tubb Record Shop (417 Broadway, 615-255-7503), where the original honky-tonk hero once broadcast his midnight radio jamboree, carries almost every classic country and bluegrass recording available.

6:30 p.m.

2 – Honky-Tonksville

If you’re ready for a cold one, you’re in luck. ”Lower Broad’s” stretch of authentic honky-tonks offers free live music night and day. Do not leave Nashville without visiting Robert’s Western World (416 Broadway, 615-244-9552) and Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge (422 Broadway, 615-726-0463). Robert’s does indeed have some choice boots for sale, but the priority is boot scootin’ across the small dance floor to tunes by the likes of Bob Wills and Johnny Cash. At Tootsie’s, every square inch of wall is covered with autographed photographs of country stars. This once was the honky-tonk of choice for Willie Nelson, Roger Miller and pals — it’s just across an alley from the Ryman Auditorium, onetime home of the Grand Ole Opry.

8:30 p.m.

3 - Even Chefs Sing

A short drive, if another world, away is the gentrifying railroad depot area called the Gulch, which includes Ru San’s (505 12th Avenue South, 615-252-8787), a hip sushi restaurant with an electronica soundtrack and singing chefs. Its gigantic menu of both the raw and the cooked features a flash-fried sesame-coated tuna martini ($8.25). And at $1 for the special three-piece maki rolls, you can sample them all.

10 p.m.

4 - Pickin’ at the Station

Savor the juxtaposition, as you cross the street to the renowned bluegrass club the Station Inn (402 12th Avenue South, 615-255-3307). No matter what is scheduled — the old-time sounds of David Peterson & 1946, the updated lonesomeness of Jim Lauderdale or the gypsy swing of the Hot Club of Nashville — you’re likely to see some of the best pickers on the planet. The music starts at 9 p.m. and ends around midnight, with a cover charge of $7 to $10.

Saturday 10 a.m.

5 - Cathedral of Country

Start the day with a little history at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum (222 Fifth Avenue South, 615-416-2001, open daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; $15.95 for adults, $7.95 for children 6 to 17 ). Its elegant and high-tech space downtown tells the story of country music in all its forms, from early settlers fiddling on a porch to megastars strutting on stage. Even nonfans will come away with a new appreciation of America’s roots music.

Noon

6 - Vegetarians Need Not Apply

Not far away is Jack’s Bar-B-Que (416A Broadway, 615-254-5715). Notice the pictures of the owner, Jack Cawthon, with satisfied customers like the singer Marty Stuart, then try some freshly smoked Tennessee pork shoulder. A sandwich and your choice of two vegetables (including, of course, macaroni and cheese) served by the friendliest folks in town runs $6. Don’t forget the sweet tea.

1 p.m.

7 - That Ole Time Religion

Take this opportunity to get an inside look at the Ryman Auditorium (116 Fifth Avenue North, 615-889-3060, open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily), an 1892 tabernacle that from 1943 to 1974 was the home of the Grand Ole Opry. A self-guided tour ($8.50) lets you stand on the stage where artists like Hank Williams and Patsy Cline once brought audiences to a frenzy, and a small museum explains why it is called the Mother Church of country music.

2 p.m.

8 - Ride to the Rhinestones

Get in the car for a tour uptown, tuning in the classic country sounds of 650 WSM-AM. Stop in at Manuel (1922 Broadway, 615-321-5444), custom tailor to the stars, to see the pinnacle in embroidered-and-rhinestoned suits and boots. Continuing along Broadway, you’ll pass Vanderbilt University on your way to Hillsboro Village. Here you can browse the art galleries and eclectic boutiques. Pangaea (1721 21st Avenue South, 615-269-9665) has clothes, jewelry and home décor with a hip, ethnic touch; the Davis Cookware & Cutlery Shop (1717 21st Avenue, South, 615-298-4728) is packed with tools for the serious cook. Refuel at the Fido coffee shop (1812 21st Avenue South, 615-777-3436) or grab a cold Flaming Stone beer ($3.75), brewed using stones from a wood-fired oven, at Boscos brewpub (1805 21st Avenue South, 615-385-0050).

6:30 p.m.

9 - Night at the Opry

A first visit to Nashville should include an evening at the sometimes corny, sometimes brilliant, but always endearing Grand Ole Opry (2804 Opryland Drive, 615-871-6779). The world’s longest-running radio show, it is broadcast live Friday and Saturday nights from the Grand Ole Opry House, several miles from downtown, where it moved after outgrowing the Ryman. On any given night, you’ll see country legends, has-beens, contemporary stars and wannabes, in a format that has changed little since the 1930’s. Porter Wagoner and Vince Gill are regulars, and you never know when George Jones or Alan Jackson might show up. (The lineup is posted on opry.com on Wednesdays.) Tickets range from $27.50 to $44.50 ($17.50 for children 4 to 11) and are usually available the day of the show.

9:30 p.m.

10 - 1800’s Grandeur

Spend the late evening in East Nashville, where grand homes and colorful cottages from the 19th century are being restored. Have dinner at the Margot Café & Bar (1017 Woodland Street, 615-227-4668). The chef, Margot McCormack, is particularly good with fish — grilled swordfish with fennel and citrus-saffron vinaigrette ($18) is typical. Try to resist dessert, however, and wait for the chocolate ganache brownie ($4.95) at the nearby Family Wash (2038 Greenwood Avenue, 615-226-6070, open till midnight), which also is home to some of the city’s most talented singer-songwriters.

Sunday 11 a.m.

11 - Southern Hospitality

For the ultimate Southern feast, head for Monell’s (1235 Sixth Avenue North, 615-248-4747), a 19th-century house in Germantown, just north of downtown. Heaping bowls of food are passed family style around big communal tables. The ”Sunday meal Grandma style” includes fried chicken and two other meats as well as salads and side dishes like corn pudding and biscuits with peach preserves. At $16 for all you can eat, this should hold you till you return home.

THE BASICS – Visiting Nashville

Nashville International Airport is 15 minutes from downtown. It is best to rent a car.

The 1910 Hermitage Hotel (231 Sixth Avenue North, 615-244-3121), long the jewel of Nashville, recently had a multimillion-dollar renovation and is the only AAA Five Diamond hotel in Tennessee. The 123 rooms and suites are $199 to $1,500.

Union Station (1001 Broadway, 615-726-1001), a Wyndham hotel, is a Romanesque structure built in 1900 that once was a train station. The ticketing area-turned-lobby features a vaulted ceiling of Tiffany stained glass. Its 124 rooms are $109 to $169.

There are several bed-and-breakfasts in the Edgefield neighborhood of East Nashville, a five-minute drive from downtown. The Cat’s Pajamas (818 Woodland Street, 615-650-4553) is a 1918 Craftsman bungalow with three large guestrooms ($90 to $110). It offers discounts to professional songwriters and musicians.

Jillian Michaels

This is your chance to have the trainer from NBC’s Biggest Loser, America’s top Health and Welless expert, Jillian Michaels move in to your house and change you and your loved one’s lives.

There is a NASHVILLE OPEN CASTING CALL November 22nd, 2009 10AM to 6PM at:

BUFFALO BILLIARDS
154 2nd Ave North
Nashville TN 37201

Halle Berry just announced that she too is a big fan of The Kindle.

Price Range – $190.00-$260.00

 For more information about The Kindle: www.amazon.com/kindlestore

 -No monthly wireless bills, service plans, or commitments—we take care of the wireless delivery so you can simply click, buy, and read.

-Includes free wireless access to the planet’s most exhaustive and up-to-date encyclopedia—Wikipedia.org.

-New: Kindle Books can be read on your iPhone or iPod touch.

-Email your Word documents and pictures (.JPG, .GIF, .BMP, .PNG) to Kindle for easy on-the-go viewing.

-Top U.S. newspapers including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post; top magazines including TIME, Atlantic Monthly, and Forbes—all auto-delivered wirelessly.

-Top international newspapers from France, Germany, and Ireland; Le Monde, Frankfurter Allgemeine, and The Irish Times—all auto-delivered    wirelessly.

-More than 5000 top blogs from the worlds of business, technology, sports, entertainment, and politics, including BoingBoing, Slashdot, TechCrunch, ESPN’s Bill Simmons, The Onion, Michelle Malkin, and The Huffington Post—all updated wirelessly throughout the day.

(Newser) – People who wait to have sex until their 20s or beyond are more likely to suffer from sexual dysfunction later in life, scientists say. In particular, men who lose their virginity in their 20s tend to experience later sex-related troubles, ABC News reports. The delay doesn’t necessarily cause the difficulty, according to a new study: “Men with sexual problems may avoid sexual interactions and consequently start later.”

Still, sexuality experts, while noting that having sex too early carries problems of its own, said the study could be provocative. “It suggests that sexual experimentation is a normal developmental process, and when this process is inhibited or not guided, there can be poor sexual health outcomes,” said one. The conclusions come from a study in the American Journal of Public Health.

• Life’s An Itch- skin soothing shampoo so doggies won’t scratch
• Dirty Talk- deodorizing shampoo to make mutts smell sweet
• Fears for Tears- tearless shampoo for pups who squirm in the bath
• Quickie- quick rinsing shampoo perfect for a fido who won’t sit still
• Feeling Flaky- dry & sensitive skin shampoo to add extra moisture to your pups coat
• Dry Clean- waterless spray shampoo for puppies afraid to get wet or ones on the go
• Poof!- magical deodorizing spray to blast any stinky smell away

 Who ever thought that you could possibly share hair products with your dog and no not because we are going through a recession! PET HEAD, affiliated with BED HEAD has created products to suite every dogs needs… Here are some of the pet products that are provided by  For more information go to www.pethead.com

YOU CAN FIND PETHEAD AT:

 PETSMART #650
719 THOMPSON LN
NASHVILLE, TN 37204
6153860105
https://www.PetSmart.com