"200 degrees, that's why they call me Mr. Fahrenheit...."

Freddie Mercury, ladies and gentlemen. I can't believe it took me so long to realize what an amazing singer/artist/musician this man was. I mean, really? Freddie, Freddie, Freddie. There are no words to describe.

In the words of Lynne, which I think are pretty accurate, "Freddie Mercury defies all expectation."

It's so true. He's CRAZY. He is like a constant surprise. The one thing about him you can count on, I guess, is for his voice and performance ability to always be amazing.

I don't know why I have this thing for music artists that are weirdos. Exhibit A: Michael Jackson. Exhibit B: Freddie Mercury. Oh wait, I know exactly why. They are fascinating. They are extraordinarily talented, like I'm talking mind-blowing skills, and really, they are just true artists. You know what I mean? There are artists who paint and artists who sculpt, and then there are artists who make music and actually treat music as art. They respect it, and they use their talent to enhance the art- further it- do more with it than had been done before. So many singers claim to be artists, when they are not. You cannot be an artist without changing your art in someway by what you do.

So Freddie had an unusual past. He was a Parsi-- a Zoroastrian whose ancestors migrated from Iran to India. He was born in Zanzibar, went to school in India, and then moved to England with his family when he was 17. They were fleeing Zanzibar for safety reasons- to avoid the Zanzibar revolution. It was in England that he me Roger Taylor, Brian May, and John Deacon- the other members of Queen.

And I guess the rest is history. I don't need to talk about the impact that Queen has had on modern music. We all know and love Queen songs. "We are the Champions" anyone?

But I do need to pay tribute to Freddie's skills as a performer. In 1985 Queen performed for 72,000 at a charity event called Live Aid. As a response to the performance, on critic wrote: "Those who compile lists of Great Rock Frontmen and award the top spots to Mick Jagger or Robert Plant, etc all are guilty of a terrible oversight. Freddie, as evidenced by his Dionysian Live Aid performance, was easily the most godlike of them all."

The "godlike" description brings to mind a comment that I read on YouTube under a video of a portion of the Live Aid performance (and seriously, ya'll should watch it). The comment read, "Elvis Presley is the King of Rock and Roll. Michael Jackson is the King of Pop. But Freddie Mercury is the god of Music." I'm not saying that I agree, I mean, obviously I love both Elvis and Michael more than I love Freddie. But, the quote makes a good point towards the amount of sheer worship that Freddie received from fans. Plus, it's just kind of funny.


My current favorite Queen songs--- that I would recommend to all and everyone.

1. Don't Stop Me Now (Seriously, one of the funnest songs I've heard in a while. It's fast and clever and upbeat. And just so fun to sing. The title of this post comes from this song. And it is actually the reason for my new obsession. Because I found this song. Thanks to Dani, actually).
2. Too Much Love Will Kill You (A beautiful ballad that showcases Freddie's amazing range and emotional attachment to his music.)
3. Let Me Live (OMG. Gut-wrenching, this song. The story is so real. The woman portrayed needs to leave poor Freddie alone. Let him live!! Sample of the lyrics: "Why don't you take another little piece of my heart/Why don't you take it and break it/And tear it all apart.")
4. No-One But You (written and recorded, I believe, after Freddie's death, so he doesn't actually sing on it. But the other members of Queen do a beautiful job, and I really think that the song is about Freddie, and moving on without him.)
5. I Want to Break Free (Okay, seriously, you have to watch the video for this song. Freddie is dressed like a woman, but still wearing his mustache. It's just. so. perfectly. unexpected.)
6. Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy (ha. hahaha.)
7. Another One Bites the Dust (I didn't realize until a couple of days ago that this is actually ONE OF THE COOLEST SONGS EVER!)
8. Under Pressure (with David Bowie. Can you get any better than that?)

Video of Freddie being really awesome at Live Aid. 



The end of Freddie's story? He died of bronchopneumonia brought on by AIDS. People suspected that he had AIDS for years before it was publicly announced, and when he finally did announce his condition, he died 24 hours later on November 24, 1991.

FINALLY, GUESS WHAT????!?! I own a song in my iTunes called "State of Shock." It's a Michael Jackson song that I have somehow overlooked. But guess who is featured in the song?? FREDDIE MERCURY. Bam.

Oh, and one last thing. The man had terrible teeth.

Update.

So, update on the Mr. Downey movie watching.

I watched The Soloist the last couple of nights (it just took a while to finish it), and I actually really liked it. I usually don't like movies that are dramatic and hard to watch with difficult life situations (exhibit A: Pursuit of Happyness). But I liked this one. It made me want to help people. Be better.

It made me want to be a reporter, actually. A newspaper columnist. A writer. It made me want to find stories, write about them, and then change people's lives as a result.

And Robert Downey, Jr. was fantastic. Oh how I have a talent crush on him. And a real crush. And Jamie Foxx was absolutely amazing. And whoever did the make-up did a really good job at making everyone actually look bad- like they were normal people who don't get a facials every other day. I appreciated that. To an extent. (the authenticity of it at least... but really?)

It was a little artsy and weird, which is something that I don't always appreciate. But as a whole, I appreciated the movie. And the acting. And the message. And the fact that it makes me want to be a writer.

That's all.

I just love this picture too much.

Lene. Dani. Ariel.

Robert Downey Jr.

So this man has had a little bit of a sketchy past. Lots of drug problems. Eek. But I'm totally hooked. He is just such a great actor. And so funny. And good looking in an unusual sort of way. Or the usual sort. Whatever. He's attractive.

Ben Stiller, quoted in 2008:

Yes, Downey is Iron Man, but he really is Actor Man.[...]In the realm where box office is irrelevant and talent is king, the realm that actually means something, he has always ruled, and finally this summer he gets to have his cake and let us eat him up all the way to the multiplex, where his mastery is in full effect.

(bolding mine)

I discovered that Lynne is also a big Mr. Downey fan. So now we're fans together, and we, um, like to watch his movies. So far we/I have watched:

Ironman. Yes. Again. 3rd time in a little over a week. Tony Stark is just too fantastic. I'm just way too excited that Tony will be making an appearance in at least two more movies: Ironman 3, and The Avengers.

Ironman 2. Same Tony Stark goodness.

Only You. He plays a shoe salesman. And the eventual lover of a woman searching for her soul-mate. It's set in Italy. They run around the city together. It's adorable. And he loves her so much, even though he doesn't know her, which is weird, but it happens all the time in movies, so oh well.

Sherlock Holmes. Oh Sherlock, you are so witty and clever and entertaining. Please keep solving mysteries so I can watch you do it.

Heart and Souls. I want to watch this movie every day of my life from this point on. It was so cute and sweet and hilariously awkward. It's has an unusual plot, and the romance is just a side-story. But I was smiling the entire time, so much so that my cheeks hurt, and when it ended, I wanted to start it over.

Soapdish. This was funny, but I could do without it. Mr. Downey was great, but I do not particularly enjoy the shriek of Sally Field. In fact, if I never saw her in a movie again, I would have a very happy life.

Chances Are...this is not worth watching. I have learned, through this Robert Downey, Jr. movie watching that old movies can be really weird. Think same awkwardness of 17 Again, but there's a body switch kind of a thing, and the younger boy actually ends up with the daughter. It. is. weird.

Next on the docket: "Chaplin" (he was nominated for best actor for this one), "Soloist," "Good Night and Good Luck," and the edited version of "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang." 

PS, I know he's kind of old. But so is Brad Pitt. Ha.

HE WON HE WON HE WON HE WON HE WON HE WON!!!!!!!

I love Lee.

Lee DeWyze.

There are too many words to say about Lee. So I will settle on just a couple:
1. Sexy sexy voice.
2. Adorable little half smile that peeks out every once in a while.
3. Hallelujah. The Boxer. Hey Jude. Beast of Burden. 

I love Lee. And I'm excited for him to win... or lose. I don't care much either way, because no matter what, he will be making music. And that's all I really need.

Yay American Idol finale.

And boo Simon for leaving the show.

A good long break

(pictures are forthcoming)

So I spent the last week in Palm Desert, California (near Palm Springs) with lovely lovely Rachelle, her fabulous mother Janet, and the little sisters, Elise, Lauren, and Patrisha. I have never spent so much time relaxing. The weather was perfect, the sunshine was very sunshiny just the way I like it, and I got to hang out with all those people that I love!

Highlights:

1. The gym at the resort where we stayed. First of all, elevation in Palm Desert is super low so it was a whole lot easier to run for a long time than it is in Provo, and second of all, the machines had INDIVIDUAL TVs ON THEM! They were super cool. You could even hook up an iPod and control your music by the computer screen on the machine. Too bad I don't have an iPod.

2. Joshua Tree National Park. It was a highlight because it was a very hilarious experience. Apparently the park is really big, and we were at the wrong end of it. The tour guide people told us that we would have to drive for like 1.5 hours to get to the recommended hikes and stuff. We nodded to the lady and acted like that was a good idea, but once we walked away we were like, "what? Is she crazy? Those hikes don't even sound cool anyway!" We were in the middle of the desert, and let's face it, the terrain was quite ugly. So, Janet said, "let's just find something scenic, take a picture, and get outta here." So that's what we did. The funniest part about that is that we were in a National Park, and we had to search for something scenic that was worth taking a picture of. That is one challenge I have never had to face before. I guess we are just spoiled by all the fabulous National Parks in Utah. So anyway, we drove about 5 minutes up the road and took a picture by a Joshua Tree. Those trees look like Trafala Trees from The Lorax who "speaks for the trees."

3. IRONMAN 2. One of my favorite parts of the trip. I LOVE IRONMAN. Rachelle loves the first movie, but we never watched it together. Prior to this trip I had only seen the first movie one time. And I really liked it when I saw it, but for some reason, I never watched it again. But now I have seen it two more times and went to the new movie, and I CAN'T GET ENOUGH. I am in love with Tony Stark. Marry me please, dear Tony. I don't even care that you are kind of old. You are rich, handsome, really super smart, hilarious, and well, a superhero. What more could a girl want?

4. We played Clue one afternoon. Lauren won. And she was so insistent on winning that I have never been happier to lose a game of Clue. I would have feared for my life had I beat her at this game. And you know how I feel about Clue. It's the best game ever invented, and I'll admit, I really really really take it seriously and try to win. And I usually do. But this time, I lost gracefully (hold your applause).

5. SLEEPING IN. We literally slept in until eleven everyday. Like, after the first couple of days, I didn't even STIR until about that time. Crazy. Elise, for some reason, had a very difficult time with sleeping in. She literally automatically woke up everyday at 6:50, went back to sleep, and then woke up at like 9. She had to wait for everyone else to wake up, so she just sat by the window and read a magazine. Silly Elise.

6. Sitting at the pool. I love bleaching my hair in the sun and making my skin turn brown. I have already accepted the fact that I will have skin cancer when I'm old. It's just a fact of life. I like being tan.

7. Trying to read. So... I read "The Last Song" by Nicholas Sparks. And people, don't even try to read it. It was one of the most obnoxious books I have ever read. Point of view shifted so often that I didn't care one bit about any of the characters, and really, they were unrealistic anyway. AND, you could just tell that the book was written to be turned into movie. Like it was done on purpose. That is so annoying. Like, the movie wasn't that great anyway. And the book would NEVER have been turned into a movie if it hadn't have been Nicholas Sparks who wrote it. It's like Rachelle said, he's past the tipping point in popularity, and nobody examines his work for quality anymore. They just assume it's good. So then, there are just all sorts of ignorant teenagers walking around trying to read a good book, and then they read that and get all sorts of misconceptions about reading. They read a book that is supposedly "good," but when it's not, they think that all "good" books are that dumb, and they don't read anymore. You see the damage that commercialized book franchises can do? It's awful. So, in short, don't read that book. So, second I tried to read "The Alchemyst" by Michael Scott. It was recommended to me by my cousin Shawn (shout-out to Shawn and his wife Anna. They just had a baby!). I've been meaning to read it since Christmas, and I finally bought it. I'm about halfway through and am not in love with it. Maybe I'm hard to please. I'll finish the book before I complain about it. :)

8. We went to a street fair in Palm Springs on Thursday night. There were all sorts of vendors with jewelry, home decor, art, and all sorts of other crazy stuff. There were lots of old couples holding hangs, men walking around together, and punk/creepy teenagers doing drugs (well, they looked like they could easily be seen slinking around in dark alleyways doing drugs...). It was a weird experience. But super fun. I bought a chocolate covered frozen banana.

9. We ate lots and lots of cookies. And bite size butterfingers.

10. We played Balderdash. Did you know that in Riverside County, California it is against the law to stick your tongue out at a dog? Well, since we were in Riverside we decided that we were going to break that law... but we kept forgetting when we went out. I guess it's just so ingrained to CTR that we even blocked out the idea of breaking any rules. Also, there's a movie called, "Under the Rainbow." And guess what it's about? Munchkins from the Wizard of Oz GONE CRAZY! Let's just say that if I had netflix, it would be next on my queue.

11. I decided, while were there, that pants and capris are too restricting in general. Skirts and dresses are the way to go. Or shorts that aren't made of denim. We'll see how long that decision lasts now that I'm back in Provo (and it's way colder here than it was in the desert of California).

12. "I'm just workin'... workin' hard to please you." Love, Justin Bieber (funnyordie.com) JB=theme of the trip.

13. We went to the pool everyday in search of eye candy. Unfortunately, the pickings were actually very slim. There were like two attractive men at the pool TOTAL. And they were probably younger than us. Well, Rachelle and I did get hit on by some foreign golfers while walking back to the villa one day... they were a little bit hot. And a little bit old. But still.

So doesn't it just sound great? I came home with blonder hair and browner skin. A much improved Audrey. Plus I'm all ready to get into a schedule again- I've had enough relaxing (which is good, because I was really sick of having to get up early every morning with no respite from the routine). It was very very enjoyable while it lasted, but I'm glad to be home. Ya'll know I can only stand to live without a plan for a short amount of time. :)

But Rachelle, thank you so so so so much for inviting me. It was fabulous. A perfect end to our lives as roommates. And while I may not be ready to close that chapter in my life- I feel closure. I can move on... but you have to come visit every weekend and we have to have frequent sleepovers. I don't know how I'll survive without your nightly insight into my life and problems. Plus I need to help you with relationship issues. You know I'm good at that, if only because I listen while you talk everything out. So anyway, love you and miss you. And thank you.