steven , 25

Hey guys-

If you can't tell by the title of this journal, I'm pretty zonked. This week has been taxing. Wednesday night, I headed up to Nyack, New York to usher in the Jewish holiday with the fam. No complaints on the meal side of the evening (put a slab of gefilte fish in front of me and I turn to putty), but the transportation was a nightmare. On the way there, we missed our connecting train getting to Secaucus (the transfer capital of New Jersey - that's right, we went TO New Jersey to get back to New York) and had to wait an hour to catch the next one. That's cool and all, but my Grandma was with us and kept offering me Nips (I thought that candy was only relegated to hair salons, but she proved me wrong) so my appetite was kind of spoiled. Eventually, we got to Nyack, but the return was just as evil. Thanks MTA, for making us wait for the subway for a half-hour at 12:30 at night.

But I have no complaints about being tired today, even though I'm kind of wiped out. Last night, I headed down to Flight Club in downtown NYC to attend Def Jam's 25th Anniversary Party, and may I just say, it was a delightful time. Free refreshments, good company, excellent music (duh) and, the best part of all, free gift bags. Anything that's given to me for free is cause for celebration, so when they handed over that black shopping bag filled with a t-shirt, 10 free iTunes downloads, a Complex magazine, a 2 LP collection of Def Jam classics and stickers (to put on my Trapper Keeper, obviously), it trumped any sort of fatigue. Just call me SWV: I got weak in the knees.

Aside from my nightly adventures, life has been pretty crazy! This week, we posted some pretty rockin' interviews, features and articles over in the music section. In preparation for our Comic Book Madness issue coming up on Tuesday, we prematurely posted a video of our trip to NYC's Forbidden Planet with hip-hop/R&B artist Novel. Guys, this place is a nerd's dream come true. Graphic novels, comic books, action figures, anime, DVDs, zines - it's enough to convince any Star Wars junkie hiding out in their parents' basement to come out of the shadows and - gasp - interact with the outside world. Of course, you don't have to be a nerd to enjoy it, I'm just playin'. Novel and I had a blast strolling the aisles... Since I know little to nothing about graphic novels, he gave me a nice little intro course to the art of animated books. Who knew that you could be a hip-hop star and a nerd at heart? Again, kidding!

I also had the pleasure of interviewing Mr. "Move (If You Wanna)," known by close friends and associates as Mims. He was a super nice dude, I had a nice chat with him... What you didn't see in the interview was my favorite part of talking with him, though. I tried to avoid using the term "one-hit wonder" when talking about his breakout single "This is Why I'm Hot," but he said it for me. Cut me a slice of humble pie! And, if you haven't seen it yet, please read no further and immediately click to see our interview with Keri Hilson. Colleen told me that I was the "giddiest" she's ever seen me in this interview, and I must concur. I was elated. We also had the pleasure of interviewing Montreal pop-rock quintet The Mission District and English chaps Dlugokecki (read the article to learn how to pronounce that bad boy correctly!), so it was a pretty busy week for us in the music section!

This upcoming issue, we've got some more features and articles to whet your appetite for entertainment. Per usual, here are some clues for artists we have that are going to be featured on the site: we got "ill" with a rapper whose career is an extension of his older brother's, went to the cinema to see a bizarre German film, brushed firez (yes, with a Zee), talked about love, life and loyalty with Kanye West's amigo and veered our way to the union. A lot of stuff, right?? Get guessin'! Also, we've got reviews for albums from Day26, Metric, Death Cab For Cutie and more, so don't hesitate to check all our new articles when they're up on Tuesday!

Aight y'all, time to get busy. Contrary to popular belief, these articles don't write themselves. Hope you have a good weekend... I'm off to the Dirty Jerz for a relaxing weekend with my parents. No shame.

One love,
Steven

Hello all-

Well, I've successfully managed to make it past humpday without having my weekly scheduled breakdown. I must admit, though, it's probably because I've consumed about 10x more caffeine than doctors recommend, so I've had a little extra oomf to get me through the week. Who says you have to take advice from the Surgeon General?

So there's been a lot cookin' this week at Kiwibox. If you haven't yet checked out our interviews from last week, then shame on you! I had the pleasure of chatting with Demi Lovato, who is a total sweetheart. She sounded much more mature this time around than she did when I interviewed her last September, so it was a delight to catch up and talk about the reissue of her debut album Don't Forget. Also, I had the pleasure of talking with rock god Chris Cornell, which was essentially a dream come true for me. When I was younger, my older brother used to play the video for Soundgarden's "Black Hole Sun" all the time on the computer (it was one of the first CDs that had multimedia stuff available on it), and I was forever given nightmares. So it was nice to know talk to Chris and let him know he scarred me for life.

We also had the pleasure of talking with Lenka (she was a doll, we gossiped about the HBO series Summer Heights High), Throwing Colorr (they were from the town next to where I grew up, we had a lot to chat about), Filter (Richard Patrick was crazy, but a totally nice guy) and Mastodon (Bill and I chatted it up about the band's latest rock opus Crack the Skye). Lots of fun stuff.

Next week, definitely be on the lookout for more great stuff. We talked with one of the highest-charting artists on this week's album chart, an emcee who's hot 'cause he's fly, a difficult-to-pronounce British group, a singer with a knack for graphic "novels" and a band that's on a mission to cover every district in their native Canada.

This weekend isn't too exciting. I'm off to Staten Island on Saturday night for a relative's b-day bash, but other than that, I plan on taking it MAD easy. I'm tired, y'all! It's so cold in the D haha.

Alrighty, off for an evening of debauchery! Pz.

-Steven

OK, so I know that it's probably the most uncool thing ever to like in history, but nearly every Friday I've been at Kiwibox, I always find myself heading over to YouTube to listen to disco classics. There's something about those songs that scream "weekend," I don't know what it is. I don't even really like disco, but Fridays just seem like the right time to listen to it. Anyways, if you can find it in yourself to get past how much of a dork I am, here's a few ones to enjoy. Don't deny your love of these jams:

Cheryl Lynn - Got to Be Real

Donna Summer - Last Dance

Bonus (aka non-disco Friday anthem): Kelis - Weekend

Anyways, this week has been a busy one here at Kiwibox. We posted a boatload of interviews last week in the music section, and I hope you got the chance to check 'em out. We had the pleasure of interviewing Irish singer-songwriter Lisa Hannigan, chopped it up with Kidz in the Hall, were inspired by gospel singer Israel Houghton, talked dirty with Bad Flirt, gossiped about movies with 16 Frames and were enchanted by the musical stylings of Tyrone Wells.

But in case you're already looking forward to next week's interviews, here's a few hints as to what you can expect. We didn't forget to chat with this young lady, took some pictures with the lead singer of a popular rock band, screamed with a legend, misspelled lanky, threw some colors and cracked the sky with the guitarist for this hardcore group. If you can guess any of those features before they hit the site, I would be pretty impressed.

It's lonely here at the office. Chelsea is my only fellow editor here today, as everyone else skedaddled off on their respective vacays. But there's no love lost: I'm heading off to Atlantic City this weekend (as Colleen did last week), where I shall take a break from the craziness of city life. And, if I can work up the nerve to play a bit of blackjack, I'll hopefully make a dollar or two :)

That's about it for me y'all. Have a good weekend!

-Steven

What's up everyone-

Steven here, just finishing up the last day of the work week. Let me tell you, it has been a LONG week. I'll never understand why some feel longer than others, but this one is definitely going in the record books as one of the longest of the year. And seriously, WHAT is the deal with this weather?? Two days ago, I was frolicking around in my Spring jacket, only to hang that puppy right back up on the coat rack and slip back into the 15-pound blanket that I like to call my "jacket." And snow? Seriously? I thought today was supposed to be the first day of Spring? UGH.

Anyways, highlights of the week were as follows:

- Got a new delivery of coffee flavors to my apartment, including cinnamon stick and pecan praline. For those of you that don't yet know the magic of flavored coffee, you need to step your caffeine game UP.
- Watched "Wheel of Fortune" with my Grandma, and was thoroughly amazed that Vanna White has discovered the secret to eternal youth.
- Did the New York Times crossword puzzle on Monday in 12 minutes. That is a record for me, and yes, I did pat myself on the back when it was complete.
- Saw the movie "Sunshine Cleaning," and sat next to an old lady who thought the movie was a riot. I did not.
- Ran the NY8000 with my fellow editor Colleen in Central Park last Saturday. I have never seen so many people up that early on a Saturday morning.
- Cooked halibut for the first time in my life. I didn't get food poisoning, so I did something right.
- Finally found flip-flops in my size after visiting about 5 retail outlets. For someone who only shops at thrift stores on an annual basis, that was a lot for me.
- Have run about 22 miles since Monday. I am tired.

OK, so now you're caught up on my daily happenings this past week. This weekend doesn't have much going on for me. I have my suspicions that it might be restricted to sweat pants, a hoodie, lamb skin moccasins and my bed. Don't judge.

This Tuesday's issue is going to be a good one, this I do promise. We've got plenty of features and reviews coming your way (plus the launch of a new weekly feature), so be sure to stop by and check it out!

Aight y'all, I'm ghost like Swayze.

-Steven

What's happening!

I've had the pleasure of reading a few of my fellow editors' blog entries, and I must say, Blair and Chelsea are a teensy bit superstitious. Well, I can honestly say that I boldly walk under ladders and open my umbrella indoors without a single inkling of fear. It's surprising, too, considering how afraid I am of random stuff in my everyday life (sharks, airplanes, anyone that questions my love of hip-hop). But nonetheless, Friday the 13th is just another day on the calendar, no need to fear the inevitable!

I'm super excited that it's almost the weekend. My fellow editor Colleen and I are being good tomorrow and waking up at the crack of dawn to run a race in Central Park, which, though it's insanely early to wake up on a weekend, will (hopefully) be worth it. It'd have to, right? I mean, we're going to get to see practically all of Central Park, which is a treat in itself. And on top of that, we'll have earned our right to go hard on a pile of pancakes to congratulate ourselves post-race. Any excuse to wolf down a plate of pancakes is good enough for me.

Other than that, no big plans this weekend, other than going to see Butch Walker on Saturday night at Webster Hall. While that's the centerpiece of my weekend, I'll also be dabbling in a bit of writing to get ready for the Go Green issue. Trust me, we've got a lot of great stuff in store. If you didn't check out our last issue (which I know you have already done), then there's still time to see all the awesome stuff we posted last Tuesday. I got a chance to sit down with DJ Drama at the Atlantic offices, and he's a super cool guy. Just as likable off-camera as he is when the film is rolling. I also chatted with Meg & Dia, two lovely ladies that cracked me up as we chillaxed on their tour bus, and talked with Lil Wayne's producer Drew Correa about what it's like to work with the hottest rapper in the world. There's lots more cool stuff (if you read my Kelly Clarkson review, I'm sure you know my feelings on THAT album), so feel free to head over to the music page to check it out.

This Tuesday, be sure to keep an eye out for some more awesome interviews. Can't wait? Here's a few hints: we talked with a band from one of the most popular shows on television, swam in a green river, deployed our parachutes and saw griffins perched atop houses. Crazy stuff, right? And on the album front, we've got reviews for BoA, Gabriella Cilmi, Keri Hilson and many more. Definitely check back to see all the awesome articles we plan to run!

Oky doke, off to do more interviews. So many artists to interview, so little time!

Smell ya later,
Steven

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