Housewife in Hollywood - housewifeinhollywood.com

My internet travels landed me on the MySpace page of one very cool rock band. Rocket!

I found them while searching for songs with my name in the title. Rocket joins the list of musicians with a song called Suzanne, such as Leonard Cohen, Weezer, Lou Reed and Journey.

Reality TV viewers might remember them as finalists on The Next Great American Band, a FOX talent show that featured judges Shelia E., Ian Dickson, and John Rzeznick.

“Mixing 60’s girl group innocence with 70’s decibel-damaging boulevard beat and 80’s glam wham swagger, Rocket can only be described as a volatile combination that brings to mind The Shangri-Las crashing the stage during an early Motley Crue gig.” —Rocket MySpace profile

This all girl band is sugar and spice, and everything rock-n-roll wrapped up in a big neon bow of color. So here’s a New Year’s gift for you, my Q&A with Rocket:

Give us the history of Rocket. How did it all start?

Rocket started with three high school friends all named Lauren. But when one moved away to go to school, Lauren Rocket and I (Lauren C.) decided to bring more girls on board. We dragged Kristin-another high school friend of ours-out to play bass, found the other girls…and the rest is history!

When I think about “all girl bands” I get images of Josie and the Pussycats, The Go-Go’s, and fictional band The Carrie Nations. What’s your favorite all girl band from the music history vault?

We always feel like The Runaways are our sisters in crime. Our favorite cartoon girl band is, of course, Jem and the Holograms. And from the 90’s…The Spice Girls! I don’t care that they didn’t play instruments.

Do you feel girl bands have a tougher time breaking into the industry?

We are asked questions like this pretty often and it is always hard to say because it’s not like we’ve ever been in an all-guy band trying to make it. I think that at this point breaking into the music industry is hard, no matter who you are. The only annoying part about being a girl in a band is when people backstage ask, “who’s merch girl are you?”

Inquiring minds want to know, did you meet Johnny Depp while performing at the Viper Room?

We did not meet Johnny Depp while at the Viper Room. But we love him and if anyone ever sees him out, please call us.

Tell us about your experience on The Next Great American Band show.

The TV show was one of the most surreal things ever to happen to us. I’m glad we did it though; we now have a great cover version of Billy Joel’s “We Didn’t Start the Fire.”

I thought you guys really rocked the show but you were eliminated. Sometimes I wonder if being the winner of these shows is really a good thing or not. What’s your take on that?

Thanks! I actually don’t know what happened to the winners of the show, so I guess that answers that question. But they were really nice boys!

You guys, I mean gals, live in one happy rock-n-roll house. Which one of you is the housewife?

Lauren and Kelly compete for housewife. Lauren Rocket is a great cook but Kelly Rocket loves to sew.

My favorite song of yours is Suzanne because I’m completely narcissistic when it comes to my name. Who wrote this song and why the name Suzanne?

That’s top secret information that we are not at liberty to divulge. But I’m glad you like the song. Maybe it’s about you?!?!

You have a new album out early 2009. Give us the inside scoop on that?

The inside scoop on our new album is that it will be our first full-length release. We can’t wait to get it out and start playing the new songs and touring. We’re taking over! I should also mention we have some fun guests on the record. You’ll have to wait and see…

If you could tour with any band who would that be?

Since we all have different tastes in music, it would be different for each of us. I would love to tour with The White Stripes but Kristin Rocket would love to tour with Motorhead-She loves Lemmy!!!

You can purchase and download Rocket music by clicking here.

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My mother in law invited us to see the live show Walking with Dinosaurs  at the San Diego Sports Arena.

This arena has been around since 1966, and it’s in great need of some refurbishment. Hopefully the 20 bucks we paid for parking will go towards a facelift for the exterior and fill some of those potholes in the parking lot.

The touring show called Walking with Dinosaurs The Live Experience presents 15 awe-inspiring dinosaurs. Based on the award-winning BBC television series  and brought to life by The Creature Production Company.

The event itself was amazing. The dinosaurs were so lifelike with their attention to detail, fascinating robotics and incredible use of puppetry. We traveled through time with a narrator that literally walked with the dinosaurs, sometimes even running away from them. It was difficult to hear everything the narrator said and this would be my only complaint with the show.

The use of abstract backgrounds, and stage props such as inflatable foliage was a smart way to take these remarkable creatures on tour.

This show could easily be considered edutainment because so much information was given to us within the hour and a half performance. We were never bored. We sat attentively wondering which dinosaur would make an appearance next. When T-Rex finally made her debut she was applauded with the same enthusiasm Madonna would acclaim.

My mother in law was impressed with the show. My husband was entertained even though he knew he was missing the first half of the Charger game and my 7 year old said, “That was totally awesome!”

This Housewife in Hollywood gives Walking with Dinosaurs The Live Experience, 4 out of 4 waffles.

Check their official website for tour dates.

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I have to say that 2008 has been a pretty good year for Housewife in Hollywood.com

I started this zany idea in May with a birthday trip to The La Jolla Comedy Store. Since that time I’ve met many interesting people. I’ve interviewed musicians, actors, an artist, a writer, a director, a pirate queen, and the legendary Jack LaLanne.

2009 will bring extra excitement to Housewife in Hollywood.com! More interviews with talented individuals! More trivial small talk about all things pop culture! More cute videos of Chihuahuas!

Thank you to all the visitors. Thanks to all my MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter friends for your wonderful comments, support, and friendship.

Thank you to my family, friend’s offline, and the “man behind the green curtain” who is there to help when I’m clueless about techy internet stuff.

It’s time to celebrate! Hang up that disco ball, turn on the strobe lights and turn up the volume on your MP3 list! Here’s one of my favorite celebration songs from the fabulous Daft Punk.

Don’t forget to watch Dick Clark  ring in the New Year with his traditional countdown on ABC.

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The kiddo received a very cool techno friend for Christmas. She named her Violet.

Violet is a Femisapien robot from Wowwee, She can strike a pose, dance, do her little turn on the catwalk and be a back-up singer to the kiddo’s performances. She’s programmable, responds to touch, sound, and our Chihuahua likes licking her joystick hands.

Violet’s prototype worked side by side with Christina Aguilera in her video Keeps Gettin’ Better.

Keeps Gettin’ Better (Official Video)

After seeing Spielberg’s A.I. movie I have always been a bit hesitant about robots. You have to admit artificial intelligence can be a bit scary especially when trying to duplicate humans. Violet is more toy-like though and although she has a sassy strut and a great waist swivel I’m not in fear of her moving in on my husband anytime soon. I need a Maidasapien that does windows and cleans bathrooms.

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I’m taking a holiday break but I’ll be back soon with lots more HIH fun. Grab a hot cocoa, take a peek in my archives, and browse through my interview section.

I hope you get what’s on your holiday list, have some fun, relax a bit, laugh and share special moments with family and friends.

Happy Holidays!

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With less than a week until Christmas Eve, many of us are scouring our brains for gift ideas. Shopping for the housewife in your life can be difficult.
Here are my 5 gift ideas:

Johnny Depp Movie Collection

I don’t think there’s a housewife on the planet that wouldn’t be tickled to receive another Johnny Depp film. If she doesn’t have one already it would be great to start one this year. My personal favorites are Edward Scissorhands, Cry Baby, Chocolat, Ed Wood, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, Don Juan De Marco, Arizona Dream, The Libertine, Pirates of the Caribbean 1, 2 & 3, Sweeney Todd… oh just pick two or three with Johnny Depp in the credits! You can’t go wrong!

A Photo Shoot

Not every housewife dresses like June Cleaver or feels like Pam Anderson while she’s working. Many of us wear unfashionable attire to get some of the toughest jobs around the house done. Some days I don’t “put my face on” until mid afternoon.

Give the housewife in your life a gift of glam with a professional photo shoot that’s not at Olan Mills. Visit these two amazing photographers to find out more about booking a shoot:

www.bethcocuzziphotography.com

www.vivaspinups.com

A Massage

No one needs a relaxing massage more than a housewife. With her 24/7 workload giving her a gift of relaxation even for one hour will surely be appreciated. Visit www.massagegiftcertificate.com for more info.

A Kitchen of the Future

The ultimate present would be a kitchen makeover, with all new appliances, upgraded cabinets and granite countertops.

Look at how happy these housewives are daydreaming about their new kitchen of the future:

A Housekeeper

Of course we never want to be out of a job, but having a housekeeper show up for a day would be a pleasant surprise. If a day seems like too much, how about someone that cleans windows? Windows and mopping those are tasks that call for whistling while you work. Visit Mollymaids.com for a gift certificate.

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While I’m scrubbing the tub, and vacuuming up those nasty little dust bunnies I try to give a little whistle to brighten up each task.

Following the advice of Snow White, and Mary Poppins I try to whistle or hum a merry tune with every task I undertake, especially those tasks in the domestic engineering category. For all you Broadway fans out there, Mary Poppins, the perfectly magical musical will be on tour in 2009.

Luckily, when I whistle it’s muffled by the roar of the vacuum or garbage disposal. It’s not a sound meant for anyone’s enjoyment or entertainment. I wasn’t aware of professional whistlers like Geert Chatrou, the 2004 International Grand Master Champion.

There are many whistlers with a variety of styles:

www.whistlingtom.com

www.rogerwhittaker.com

www.happywhistler.com

www.whistleon.com/

Ronnie Ronalde claims to be the World’s Best Whistler. He even has a book for sale called Around the World on a Whistle.

“The famous entertainer has spent his life travelling the world singing and yodeling and with his piercing whistle performed with Duke Ellington, Sophie Tucker, Edith Piaf, Josef Locke, Olsen and Johnson, Julie Andrews, Laurel and Hardy, Ginger Rogers, Tony Pastor, Cavan O’Connor, Arthur Tracey, Gracie Fields, Max Bygraves, Benny Hill, Peter Sellers, Sir Harry Secombe, Sandy Powell, Catarina Valente, Neil Finn and so many more.”

According to Ronnie’s book, he even made Marilyn Monroe shiver.

Maybe I should take a few lessons from these whistling experts so I don’t have to close all the windows while I do housework.

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Finally, it’s raining in California!

Usually a Southern California rain means a light drizzle, but today we have a blustery, rainy day that makes it feel more like Winter. The main problem with this sort of rain is that most Californians can’t drive on the freeway even in a light drizzle. When a sprinkle turns to a heavy rain it can be downright dangerous. Be careful out there!

Since waking up this morning, I’ve been humming the tune, It Never Rains in California, by singer and songwriter Albert Hammond.

I was happy to find the song on YouTube but this time I also found a great YouTube channel by Spencer Morasch. Visit his channel for music on vinyl. Sadly, I don’t have a record player anymore but Spencer does, so I hit the Subscribe button to be updated when he uploads another vinyl video. There’s nothing like listening to my favorite pop classics on 45.

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R.I.P. Bettie Page

This famous pin up and fetish model from the 1950’s passed away December 11, 2008.

Modern day pin ups, photographers, and fans of this cult siren are paying respects by writing their thoughts about Bettie Page, and posting her photos on social network sites. She led an interesting life that spawned a cult following and added a novel style of sexy to pop culture.

Golden Globe Nominations

When they announce the nominees for the Golden Globes each year I realize how many movies and television shows I haven’t seen yet. The only category that I’m truly familiar with is Best Animated Feature. Hmm, can we say homeschooling housewife? If it’s not made by Pixar or DreamWorks, I probably won’t get around to seeing it until the kiddo is 18.

The Golden Globes will be held January 11th at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, California live on NBC 8:00 EST

Click here for detailed information and even a countdown timer. The timer is always nice to have considering we don’t have much time to get everything done. We have to find a designer, borrow jewelry, schedule a massage and pedicure, Botox, laser peel, makeover, find the right shoes, write up a little something in case they call our name, and don’t forget a spray on tan.

Dorothy Lamour’s Birthday

Dorothy Lamour was born on December 10, 1914. After a career that lasted more than six decades in radio, movies, and the theater Dorothy passed away in Los Angeles, California on September 22, 1996.

Here she is wearing a sarong like no one else can, while performing with Veronica Lake, and Paulette Goddard in a little number called “A Sweater, a Sarong and a Peek-a-Boo Bang”:

Jennifer Anniston Poses Nude

Getting very friendly with GQ magazine, this 39 year old actress bares all in the January issue. Of course the pics and hype hit the media this week. If I looked that good naked I would have leaked the picture out on the net months ago.

Housewife in Hollywood gets a Flip Mino HD

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Alright so this isn’t a big event in pop culture history quite yet but my new Flip Mino HD will change the course of this site forever. I’ll be using this exclusive HIH cam to bring my viewers exciting new features like Behind the Scenes, HIH Out and About, and interviews with more creative and talented people.

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I love when the house smells like freshly baked cinnamon rolls, apple pie, or even a hint of gardenia and jasmine. If I was like Martha Stewart I’d probably bake every morning, or collect fresh flowers from my garden. Alas, I just never get around to planting a garden and my daughter uses all our pantry items for science concoctions. The next logical idea would be to purchase something that smells like apple pie or gardenias.

I am a household smell snob mostly because I feel quite allergic to the yummy smelling house and air fresheners on the store shelves. Glade, Wick and most other brands have an assortment of fragrant candles, sprays, and plug-ins that I like at first but after about 15 minutes of breathing in their chemically enhanced ingredients I get major sinus pressure, a runny nose and an irritating headache. So I opt for the higher priced “natural air spray”. They never seem to have creative smells like candy apple cinnamon so my house always smells like oranges, if I’m lucky that is. Lucky, meaning I’ve been a good housewife and kept the place odor-free. There’s nothing like the smell of clumped kitty litter to get a housewife off the internet and back to work.

I came across a retro commercial for the Magic Mushroom. Remember this one? I had blocked it out of memory. It would be magical if they created organic, natural air fresheners offered in 31 delicious flavors that refreshed our homes without causing breathing problems.

So there aren’t really magic mushrooms, well…not any used for air freshening anyway, but there is a great song called Mushaboom by Feist.

Let’s just breathe in the natural smell coming from the leftover pans in the kitchen I didn’t get to last night. Oops, typing out loud again. Sorry.

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