It's a Holidannii 2009

This past month I was definitely on a Kylie high with the concert and what not but I think it is time that I update everyone on the "Thinking Man's Minogue" aka "The Pretty Younger Minogue" aka............

Dannii!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



I was browsing Youtube recently and came across this very rare Australian TV clip from the late 90's. Not only do we see Dannii sporting her freshly augmented breast and blonde hair but we get to hear her sing her Top 40 smash hit "Disremembrance" completely LIVE! The woman sounds incredible.



Dannii has been very busy these past few years with her various televison commitments (X Factor, Australia's Got Talent) so her music career has been on the back burner for awhile BUT her former record companies recognize the need for Dannii's music on iPods and stereos everywhere. In 2007 we saw the release of 4 separate albums (2 compilations of unreleased material and 2 deluxe editions of her preveious studio albums). In 2009 we get an extra special treat with deluxe editions of her various frist two albums!!!!!




Each album will be remastered and feature a bonus disc full of unreleased remixes and b-sides! But wait.....there is more! After Dannii's 1993 album "Get Into You" failed to have the same impact her debut album did, she and her record company decided to enlist a slew of the hottest dance producers in 1995 to create an album that would firmly cement Dannii's name in history. Unfortunately due to various contractual disagreements the project was abandoned. Dannii would later on record and release her "Girl" album featuring the UK Top 5 smash hit single, "All I Wanna Do". Well, 14 years later Dannii fans can rejoice as this rare collection of 90's gems finally sees the light of day......



Mike over at Pop Trash Addicts has a lovely entry about this release so I won't rehash everything but all I can say is that I am one happy Dannii Minogue fan this holiday season! Um, Kylie who?

Countdown

So today the official countdown begins. For quite some time I have felt lost in limbo....and now everything is happening so fast! I got all the paperwork ready so I can start my new job November 16th. On Wednesday I am flying to West Palm Beach for a drug and health screen and to look for a place to live. Then depending on the moving company I will be leaving Chicago permanently November 11th or 12th. WOW........it's really happening. I am glad I have had the chance to see as many people as I could these past two months. I have been able to tie up several loose ends. There are still a few more matters to tend to before I leave but I am thus far quite satisified with my work.

Tomorrow I will be attending the Halloween Parade in Lakeview. That is always fun but I am more excited about next week Saturday...........



I will miss all of the fierce party invites that my Sista M makes for me! I'm leaving Chicago in style lol.

Free Parking

Since I have been staying with Fernichael during this "transitionary" stage in my life, I have continued to drive to my old neighborhood to use my gym. I simply cannot believe how long it takes for me to drive 7 miles in this fucking Chicago traffic. Granted, I am no newbie to traffic jams, but I am not used to dealing with this shit in the middle of the day on city streets! UGH! If I made a list of the things I am not going to miss about Chicago it would most likely include the horrible traffic. I envy those who can manage walking everywhere or have a simple commute on the train (because lord knows the public transportation in this city is another fucking nightmare). Except for the first year I lived here, I have always needed to have a car for work, school or internships. I can't wait to finally live somewhere where my commute to work will only be 15 minutes!

Another frustration when it comes to driving is the way the City of Chicago manages to rape drivers every possible way with parking fees. I have always lived somewhere with garage parking but now that I am driving to my gym I am experiencing the annoyance of street parking. However, much like finding a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, I have discovered FREE street parking in Lakeview (an area of Chicago notorious for it's congested streets). It truly is wonderful. I had to check the street signs 500 times because I simply couldn't believe Mayor Daley would allow people to park on the streets.....for FREE!

Speaking of parking, next week I am flying to West Palm Beach to find a place to live. I have already spoken with a few realators that specialize in rental properties and I was happy to find out that garage parking comes standard (no extra cost) in most residential buildings. Thank god!

Can't Fight Fate

Today I found out that I passed my Florida board exam and i am officially licensed and approved to practice in the Sunshine State! Ironically I am still waiting for the Illinois Board of Pharmacy to get back to me. I am not sure why they are dragging ass! I won't be working in IL but I did fork out hundreds of dollars for licensing fees so I want my goddamn piece of paper!

I finally feel that I can breathe a sigh of relief. The past few months have been soooo nerve wrecking. Back in July I honestly had no idea where I would be working or living. I sure have come a long way. What I find to be the most interesting is that even when I had given up complete hope about moving to Florida, it seems Fate never gave up on me. What's even more ironic is that even if had changed my mind and decided to stay here in Chicago, a lack of jobs would have prevented it! I guess I know now to always follow my heart and my gut instinct because apparently they know better than some of the people trying to convince me that moving away from Chicago would be just a horrible idea. Go figure!

In other news I had a pleasant time with someone I hadn't hung out with in quite awhile. While I did complain in another post about a few annoying people coming out of the woodwork, there are a few loose ends I would like to bring some closure to before I leave.

Got Til It's Gone

I think I am going to have to tell my hubby, Mario Lopez, the we are over because I have new love interest......Jay Sean!!!!




In addition to having recorded one of my favorite songs of the year (I have probably watched the "Down" video on my iPod 500 times now) he has one of the sexiest bodies too! Holy shit...I don't think Jay Sean has eaten a carb since 1999. I cannot wait for his full length album to come out.

Other than lusting over this singing hottie, I have been busy studying for my Florida board exam. I have two more days until the exam and after that I will be licensed and ready to work in Florida by the end of the month (assuming I don't fail the damn thing!) I am finally seeing an end to the madness and while I am grateful for not having been left homeless in the streets, I am eager to get on with my life and regain some sort of stability again. Also I am just excited to be embarking on a new career and starting a new life in a new city.

Speaking of which, word must be out that ChicagoSexBox will soon be leaving Chicago because I am suddenly bombarded by old flames, hook-ups, friends, etc, that suddenly want to get back in touch with me. Seriously people, you had your chance. It's a little late now! Needless to say, in some of these situations I have been rather bitchy. I ran into a guy I briefly dated last year. As soon as I told him I was moving he was asking me to call him and that he wants to hang out and bla bla bla bla bla..... I forget the rest he said but I looked at him and said quite bluntly "I don't even have your number saved in my phone anymore." What an idiot. Another person, who was more like a friend with benefits, is suddenly texting me everyday now that he knows I am moving away. Mind you I explained to him I am staying with friends and can't have guests. I wouldn't be so annoyed if it wasn't for the fact that when I was living in my last apartment trying to schedule a booty call with this guy was like trying to make a dinner date with the president. It's funny how his schedule has suddenly cleared up!

I guess people really don't know what they got until it's gone!

On A Night Like This

Well almost at least.




Well, Kylie Minogue would have performed my top 5 favorite songs had there not been a technical difficulty that forced her to skip "On A Night Like This" :( The flip side to that was the impromptu acapella performance of her UBER gay camp classic "Your Disco Needs You". Audience members begged her to sing this while we waited for watever problem there was to get fixed. Holy shit, homegirl even did the opera portion. I guess no one can say Kylie can't sing!



It was almost surreal as Kylie Minogue descended from a giant silver skull singing "Light Years". This woman has been an international superstar for over 20 years but due to her lack of mainstream popularity in the US I thought I would eventually have to travel overseas to see her perform live. I think even she was amazed by the warm response she received. It felt like the crowd was more grateful just to have the opportunity to see her....and she was grateful just to see so many faithful fans turn out for the show. Needless to say the audience was 95% gay men from all over the midwest, LOL. I didn't get distracted by the eye candy though. All my attention was on Kylie (and her sexy dancers! yum!). All in all I must say Kylie joins Madonna and Ricky Martin as far as my favorite live performers ever (yes I said Ricky Martin. If you never saw his Black And White tour then keep your opinions to yourself. The man is a genious!)

Hopefully it won't be another 20 years before she comes back again!

Kylie Minogue: Pop Princess.

While she will never compare to Dannii, I must say that I am ecstatic to be seeing Kylie Minogue in concert in less than 24 hours. This is her first tour of the US and I am so happy I am still here in Chicago to witness this! In honor of the Pop Princess's arrival, I would like to share with you my Top 5 Favorite Kylie songs.....in no particular order.


On A Night Like This



This song represents everything I love about Kylie. Sexy yet always classy and dignified. I remember seeing this video get played in a clothing store (Gadzooks) about a year before Kylie made her comeback in the USA with "Can't Get You Out Of My Head". At the time I was unaware Kylie had continued to be popular overseas so I was surprised to see how good "On A Night Like This" was!

Can't Get You Out Of My Head



Not much needs to be said about this. The song is iconic. The video is iconic. Kylie catapulted herself back into the international spotlight after having spent most of the 90's being a phenomenom in the UK and Australia. She even managed to conquer the US market that had all but forgotten about her since 1988's "Locomotion"!

Impossible Princess



Ok, so I cheated here. This is actually her 1998 album that would become a fan favorite despite it being her lowest selling album of her career. I could write paragraphs about the story and controversy surrounding this release but to make a long story short, this was Kylie's "coming of age" album. Full of introspective lyrics and a mixed bad of eclectic sounds, "impossible Princess" was to Kylie what "Ray of Light" was to Madonna. The Japanese version with the bonus track "Tears" is a must!

The One



This wasn't one of Kylie's bigger singles, but it was taken from her last studio album and given a special remix by the "it" remixers of the moment, The Freemasons. Melodic, sweet, classy, fun. Everything there is to like about a Kylie song!

Better The Devil You Know



Old school Kylie at its best! How this was not a hit in the US back in 1990 is beyond me. This isn't exactly a feminist's anthem ("I'll forgive and forget if you say you'll never go") but who cares. Kylie looks so damn cute doing the Running Man.

Wow



Wow indeed. After several years of disappointing me with uninspired singles, Kylie returned with a single that is easily one of my favorites of all time. It's is such a happy song! The video was a bit tragic but this live performance is a little more watchable.