when bad things happen to good bands.

Oh, Kings of Leon, how I wish things were different.

As of today, Kings of Leon have officially announced the cancellation of the remainder of their U.S. tour after what drummer, Nathan Followill, described as a "fiasco" of a show in Dallas, TX Friday night. Unfortunately, like so many artists in the spotlight, singer Caleb Followill is reported to be suffering from "exhaustion." Blah, blah, blah. How many times are us fans supposed to believe the "exhaustion" excuse? I didn't buy it when it happened to Lindsay Lohan and I certainly don't buy it now. I'm exhausted all the time, that doesn't mean I get a vacation from my job. Let's dig a little deeper.

Kings of Leon skyrocketed to fame after the release of their fourth major studio album "Only By the Night" - home to Billboard hits "Sex on Fire" and "Use Somebody." Prior to these radio sensations, Kings of Leon was a substantial band with a hard core following, but nobody expected them to become a high-profile rock act, adorned with smash hits and a few Grammys. Needless to say, Kings of Leon deserved all the fame they have gotten. But that doesn't mean this small-townm family band was up for the task.

Frontman Caleb Followill has admitted to having identity distortion issues and a history of anorexia. He felt unworthy and incapable of living up to the expectations of himself, as lead singer of Kings of Leon. It has also been found that all members of Kings of Leon have experience of habitual drug use. Do they really expect us to believe that Caleb Followill is merely suffering from "exhaustion?"

Call it something else. Call it depression or anxiety. But don't call it EXHAUSTION. Surely, the crazy life of a rock and roll star may exhaust you, but that is not an excuse. It's time to let the real issues come to surface here. People don't just cancel months of their lives because they are exhausted.

I, for one, am incredibly disappointed that I will not be seeing Kings of Leon at their remaining shows. They are an incredible band with so much talent and my thoughts are with all of them. I hope they can break through this rough patch and continue on as the amazing musical act they are. As for everyone else, what do you think about this so-called "exhaustion?"

IT ALL ENDED.

Like millions of my peers, this weekend marked a very important date in our lifetimes: the end of the Harry Potter era. Most of us became fans when we were at the young age of 10 or 11 and grew into our twenties with Harry, Ron and Hermione right by our sides. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 was one of the most highly anticipated feature films of all time and, to no surprise, it met all of its expectations.

I'll begin by saying this--as a Harry Potter fan, you MUST separate the books from the movies. If you step into that movie theater expecting a chapter-by-chapter replica of the novel, you will walk away disappointed (I guarantee it). I have approached every movie with an open mind and have understood that it is just impossible to translate every bit and piece of the novels. J.K. Rowling, being the literary genius that she is, has such a complex and intricate map of the wizarding world in her head. We get to read some of it in the Harry Potter books and we get even less from the movies. Would I have loved to see the Dumbledore/Grindelwald relationship in the movie? Yes. Would I have enjoyed to see Remus and Tonks' relationship developed? Yes. Would it have been better for the movie to include every single plot line, character, and twist? Probably not. At 130 minutes, Deathly Hallows Part 2 is the shortest movie of the 8 and it still leaves major aspects of the book out. But it was what had to be done to make the film the best it could be. 

The film is everything you want it to be. You will laugh, you will cry, you will be squirming in your seat and anxious (even though, for those who've read the books, you already know what is going to happen). The cinematography is astounding, as well as the special effects and, at the end of it all, it's incredible to see how much the cast has grown up. If you take the movies as they are, you will be more than satisfied. It is like graduating college;  you've been with Harry, Ron and Hermione from the start and understand that it is time to let them go. If you haven't seen it already, do it. And bring a box of tissues!

U.S.A.

I'm a few days late of July 4th, but I wanted to share this photo I took earlier in the week. American pride :)

Summer 2011 Playlist Pt. 1

I am the kind of person that can't get into my car without my iPod and I've been doing a lot of driving these past few weeks. Needless to say, I've crafted an extensive playlist of my favorite summer jams. These songs aren't necessarily new or even summer related, but there are some tunes out there that just have me hooked. I've decided to post a few songs from my Summer 2011 playlist and will continue to post more as the summer continues on :)

MELLISONANT MIND'S SUMMER 2011 PLAYLIST: Part 1

1. "Every Teardrop is a Waterfall" by Coldplay -  Coldplay is one of my all-time favorite bands. I have to admit, "Every Teardrop is a Waterfall" is far from the traditional Coldplay sound. But this song is the epitome of driving on the highway on a bright summer day with your sunglasses on and the windows rolled down. It's ridiculously catchy and the video is entrancing (which is no surprise, considering Coldplay always has awesome music videos).

2. "Sunlight" by Bag Raiders - This song just makes me want to dance. I fell in love with Bag Raider's after hearing "Shooting Stars" for the first time back in January when I was working retail (it was a track on the store CD.. needless to say, I was obsessed). "Sunlight" is such a fell-good song with a great hook and contagious beats. I love it.

3. "Set Fire to the Rain"  by Adele -  Adele is incredible. Anyone who says other wise is crazy. Her latest album 21 has nothing short of blown me away and I'm pretty much addicted to it. "Set Fire to the Rain" is one of my favorites off the album. The lyrics are so passionate and honest, I wish I could sing along with her. Sometimes I try, but it doesn't work out all too well. Either way, this song is a must-listen. The whole album is. Just do yourself a favorite and buy it.

4. "Games" by The Strokes - What's not to like about The Strokes? I was smitten with their musical return this year and had the chance to see them live at Madison Square Garden in April (it was awesome, just so you know). The new album, The Angles, has the same vibe as their other albums with a new-age flare. "Games" is a particular favorite of mine. It has a dance-influenced groove and Julian Casablanca's vocals couldn't be more enticing.

5. "Young Blood" by The Naked and Famous - As soon as I heard this song I loved it. The vocals, the beats, everything. This band definitely has mainstream potential and is already getting some exposure to the industry. "Young Blood" is a really good song and a genius first single. The rest of the album isn't particularly exciting, there are a few gems here and there, but this tune is first on my list. 

Puppy therapy.

As an avid animal lover and dog fanatic, I cannot deny the notion that dogs create a feeling of inner ease. Once brought into your family (however small or large your family may be) a dog becomes much more than just a pet. They provide true companionship and a sense of self-fulfillment, not to mention how utterly loyal and, well, adorable dogs can often be.

Which is why I connected with this article on self-growth.com, entitled "Fighting Depression with Happiness: How Dogs Can Remedy Your Negative Emotions." Written by Brian Spilner, this article unveils how both trained therapy dogs and regular house pets can be an alternative to medicated treatment. For starters, dogs are lovable and meant to be loved (which, in turn, requires a lot of responsibility) and can be trained to adhere to it's owners emotions. These "therapy service dogs" are trained to react to it's owners emotions; for example, they can be trained to cuddle and lick their owner when they are crying, or encourage play when the owner is feeling apathetic.

Non-therapy service dogs are just as useful in treating depression since canines, in general, are adept to reading human emotions. Raising a dog can give a depressed person something to take their mind away from life's little problems and provide them with a lifelong relationship. And, let's face it, who is better to turn to than your pup when you're feeling down? Your dog will never talk back to you, never give you advice you don't want to hear, and stick by your side for as long as you let them.

Regardless, dogs are not for everyone, since I do have a few friends who are not exactly canine-friendly. But dogs for therapy are something to think about, and may possibly be proved as a legitimate alternative to medical treatment.

Just for your enjoyment, here are a few pictures of my dog Peach, a Pomapoo. Enjoy :)

Marriage equality: yes, yes, YES!

There is no reason I can think of to justify denying marriage rights to same-sex couples. When I think about love, I don't think about restrictions or guidelines. I don't think about what "should" be. I don't think about opposite sex or same sex. Love is unconditional and has no definition. It is unexplainable and cannot be controlled. To deny two people who love eachother unconditionally the right to come together as a married couple is just ridiculous. Let's think about it for just a minute.

We don't deny drunken idiots in Las Vegas the right to marriage (often by an Elvis impersonator), however this seems to be more of a slap in the face to the sanctity of marriage than married gay couples would. In these Las Vegas cases, marriage is often taken as a joke and done without much thought, rhyme, or reason. Yet, there are same-sex couples all over the country fighting for their rights, rights that should be given to them, rights they should have had in the first place. They are hard working, tax paying individuals just like the rest of us and they deserve everything a citizen of this country can get.

New York Senator, Republican James Alesi, announced on June 13th that he was in full support of the Marriage Equality Bill. I can only hope that other Republicans and Democrats alike can also support this act. All I can say is Senator Alesi makes me proud to be both a New Yorker and a Republican, and I think it's time to finally give same-sex couples the rights they deserve.

We're almost back to Bon Temps!

Sorry for the temporary hiatus--this past week/weekend has been crazy hectic! Between graduation parties, dance recitals, and catching up with old friends I've barely had a minute to collect my thoughts. However, one of my favorite parts of summer is about to start: HBO's True Blood!

I'm not going to lie. The first preview I saw for Season 4 left me less than satisfied. I've read quite a few of Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse series (the novels which True Blood spawned from) and the supernatural world Harris creates is incredible. Yet, I wasn't too thrilled with how HBO approached it. First of all, I think the whole fairy aspect of the show can never measure up to how awesome the vampires of True Blood are. Sookie, while the main character of the show, is annoying, and the fact that she's a fairy just makes it worse. Needless to say, when I realized the preview included a lot more of the fairyland part of the supernatural realm I wasn't exactly psyched.

BUT with the bad, of course, comes good. The vampires need to redeem themselves after Russell Edgington's psychotic and gruesome TV appearance during Season 3 (my favorite part of the season, just FYI) which will make for an incredible storyline! Vampires fighting for their right, evil fairies, southern witches, and werewolves... Not a bad combination. And I'm sure I'll get over the whole anti-Sookie, anti-Fairy thing I've got going on and immerse myself completely in Season 4, just like I have for all the rest.

I can't wait! I can't wait! I can't wait! Tune into True Blood this Sunday, June 26th at 9PM!