26 shows to make that self-imposed quarantine fly by

March 20, 2020 — Leave a comment

Self imposed quarantine got you down? Here’s 26 of my favorite shows of the moment to help that isolation fly right by!

Suddenly, my superpower of being able to binge an entire series in usually just a couple of days has finally come in handy–and it only took a global pandemic to make it so!!

A COUPLE OF THINGS:

a) This post is part of an ever evolving list of my favorite television shows, documentaries, and limited series that consistently made me laugh out loud, cry, be super fuqqin angry, and super sad and super happy all at the same time.

b) For more of what to watch, check out my previous posts here:

In Honor of the 2018 Emmy Noms Here are the Shows You Need to Binge ASAP

What to Watch

c) Also, it’s late, but it comes at a BRILLIANT time. If you are even the slightest bit tuned into pop culture, there’s a good chance you’ve watched a lot of these already. At the very least “Fleabag”. If not, you’re in luck–you’re why I did this so study up, kid!

I did started writing this eons ago but wanted as complete of a list as possible for viewers of all flavors. Plus I just, I don’t know, got distracted? However, now with that virus hanging around and canceling plans left and RIGHT, I thought the time never more appropriate.

Get those streaming subscriptions ready and dive right in to these wholly entertaining series:

FLEABAG – (AMAZON PRIME)**

Absolutely hilarious. Absolutely real. Just fucking amazing to be honest. Nominated for a whopping 11 Emmys, this show is pure gold, people. It’s filling the void in my soul that VEEP left and for that I am ever grateful. I have loved Phoebe Waller-Bridge since I watched the seriously-robbed-with-only-one-season-though-i-know-the-whole-purpose-of-the-show-is-very-fleeting-and-temporary-so-it-makes-sense-“Crashing”. At the time I didn’t realize what a badass she was and I am actively obsessed with her to make up for lost time.

She is absolutely GENIUS. The show will take you on a ride that only your sense of humor will bail you out of.

DERRY GIRLS – (NETFLIX)

It follows 4 catholic girls & one English catholic boy who attend an all girls school in Derry, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom during the end of The Troubles. It’s cool because that’s a conflict I didn’t know much about / couldn’t really imagine what it would’ve been like, and this show, while obviously not a documentary lmao, sheds light into what normal life would’ve been like for Northern Irish Catholics. Plus it’s stupid funny. It only takes like two episodes to grasp the pentameter and pronunciation and you’re like golden.

EUPHORIA – (HBO)

It’s the show everyone was talking about. First of all, if my high school experience was anything similar to this, I can’t even imagine the kind of boring person I would be now–i mean srsly what is left?! But this show is so brutal and honest and uncomfortable at times and completely uplifting for a moment and completely devastating–it’s quite the ride in every way but it’s worth it.

AVENUE 5 – (HBO)

I couldn’t find a poster that would work so I had to use this pic of the billboard lmaoooo. However–I really enjoy this series! Right now we’re only 4 episodes in but I’m into it. It’s a lighthearted space show which is nice because the galactic genre has always been so heavy. Not nearly as funny as VEEP but you can certainly pick up the similarities in the writing. Definitely worth climbing aboard and giving it like at least a two episode trial.

THE POLITICIAN – (NETFLIX)

Talk. About. Drama. And also, Gwyneth Paltrow is so good in general but like damn good in this as a billionaire mother (the role she was born to play in real life anyway). I also love that they never reference the fact that like in addition to doing all these extra curriculars and being hell bent on becoming the president and having a perfect grade point average and an enormous amount of money, he can also sing like really well, and he does a few times through the season. It’s definitely worth a spin.

HIGH FIDELITY – (HULU)

So, I’m giving HULU an extended spin and I am srsly into it. I love Zoe Kravitz so it didn’t take much convincing at ALL to click play on this show. I love it. It’s beautiful. It’s lonely. It’s healing? It’s raw. It makes me want to move to New York and be aloof and make therapeutic playlists. But it also makes me think of my 5 top heartbreaks and, well, really I maybe only have one?

MORNING SHOW – (APPLE+)

So I have no idea how many episodes Apple+ will let you watch without finally giving in and getting a membership, but so far I’ve watched 3 episodes of this bad boy and I’m hooked. I will say I’m not head over heels for Reese Witherspoon’s character, but legit I’ll love anything Jennifer Aniston does. The writing is solid, it’s all very believable and shot well…And I love the insights and position the show is taking on the whole scandalous world of morning talk show men and their shortcomings–and how they deal with them.

CATHERINE THE GREAT – (HBO)

I’m not in the business of lying so I will be upfront and say it’s a touch slow. However, it is a) fucking gorgeously costumed, wonderfully set, beautifully filmed, incredibly acted–I mean come on it’s Dame Helen Mirren playing my third fave historical figure, Catherine the Great–What more could you as a human want or need? PLUS it’s in English which is a plus considering the Amazon series I posted about in version 1 of Here are the shows you need to binge ASAP” was in Russian, German, and French.

KIDS BAKING CHAMPIONSHIP – (FOOD NETWORK / HULU)

Carlee and I are OBSESSED with this pinnacle of Food Network programming. 13 middle-school-aged children compete for the title of Kid’s Baking Champion by baking the challenge of the week: ie, splatter paint cakes, desserts that look like main course food but it’s all sweet and delicious, macarons (dude this just kills them all) and so much more. It’s hilarious. Everytime one of those awkward kids makes a mistake and starts crying I just fuqqin lose it.

But honestly, kudos to them because they are just like using their brain and their taste buds to create shit and I’m still, at 26 years of age, referencing the back of the chocolate chip bag to figure out how the fuqq to make cookies.

McMILLIONS – (HBO)

Well, really, all I have to say is that this shit is crazy on like every single level. Absolutely, without a doubt, hands down a must watch! It’s literally got everything–intrigue, drama, violence, sex, food, Italians–so many Italians. And also, it’s so simple. Like the whole thing–so simple, so easy to overlook.

THE BUSH YEARS – (CNN)

I found this particularly interesting because it’s insight into a political dynasty that’s very real, I mean the 2000 election was the first I remembered experiencing, and what a moment that was for the Bush family you know what I mean–everyone was involved in that–Jeb, George Sr. I legit thought they were just like some family from Texas and that is all she wrote. But let me just tell you–nope.

THE WINDSORS– (CNN)

You know I just can never get enough of anything having to do with the royal fam, and especially in these Megxit times, my interest is certainly PIQUED! It’s not revealing anything I didn’t already know, but new people talking about it, new video clips, etc. It airs every Sunday at 9:00 Central.

ATYPICAL – (Netflix)

Initially, I did not believe I would really be into this show–the dad isn’t one of my preferred actors, I don’t like uncomfortable situations in TV shows and I really can’t stand when people are bullied on TV and it’s passed like being funny, you know? I am all about the humor if everyone’s in on it. Anyway, with that all being said, I gave it a spin and had it on in the background while I was doing some menial tasks and actually quite enjoyed it. Admittedly I have only finished season 1 and then switched shows but I’ll make my way back ’round.

THE RIGHTEOUS GEMSTONES – (HBO)

I’m going to throw this out there and say that this is probably exactly what it’s like in the houses of televangelists and those in charge of the megachurches. Sometimes I can’t handle it but other times I’m into it. Plus it’s just so comical to me because it’s so like Oklahoma christians.

LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE – (HULU)

I mean, the cast. Reese Witherspoon in late 90s prepware; Kerry Washington serving nonstop unobstructed views of her collar bones. Planned communities. I wasn’t like 100% convinced I really wanted to watch a show with such an intensely boring yet definitely smoldering underlying story line but I’m into it.

GENTLEMAN JACK – (HBO)

Okay I related to this show on another level. Coming from a real estate family, one day my job will be to collect some rent on the rentals we have–yes, lil ol’ frail ass ol’ me going around like plz sir will you pay me your rent haha oh you don’t have it oh I’ll come back? idk– Traditionally, this was seen as the Lord of the Manor’s job, the man of the family. Anne Lister (a real-ass bad ass woman) decided she would take on the role of collecting rents for her family’s inherited home, Shibden Hall. Things get a bit more prickly when she decides to take a wife–this is 1832 England, after all. We stan this trailblazing lesbian Lord.

END OF THE F*&#ING WORLD – (NETFLIX)

A little fucked up but so good. I am including this even though it’s featured in ‘the shows you need to binge ASAP” because I wanted to make sure people didn’t forget about it because season 2 dropped! It’s dark but so is the world, you know? . This is one of those shows where the ambiguous ending of Season 1 left was honestly perfect. It could’ve completely ended there or continued on, and, in my v humble opinion, they extended the story line beautifully with the addition of Bonnie.

ON BECOMING A GOD IN CENTRAL FLORIDA – (SHOWTIME)

Alligators. Mid level marketing. Pyramid Schemes. Pelicans. Water parks. Splashercize. Kool Aid. I think those pretty much sum this series up, and I am totally into it not even kidding. It’s a touch slow, but it’s honestly so honest about the world of product peddlers. And especially in this day of Instagram pyramid scheme wanna be influencers every other tap of our screen, it is pretty relatable.

VERY RALPH – (HBO)

When you think classic American luxury, only one name comes to mind. Ralph Lauren. With ‘Very Ralph’ we get a glimpse into the iconic Americana world of Ralph Lifshitz and the brand he built as Ralph Lauren. From US Polo Association to Polo, to Polo Ralph Lauren, to Ralph Lauren, to Green Label, to Black Label, to Purple Label. The advertising campaigns that watch like films–home films from the family beach house in The Hamptons. He has never shied away from having people of color wear his gorgeous garments in his international ad campaigns—something i think is iconically american at its most true center? So good.

AMERICAN STYLE – (CNN)

This is what we’re made of you guys. A very interesting lil series about tastemakers and game changers in the fashion world from this side of the Atlantic. It’s also very, very interesting to see how politics and war and religion and sex all combine in textiles and what we collectively go through as a people is then directly reflected in what we put on our bodies!! v interesting.

YOU – (NETFLIX)

I’ll say it: i’m normally way more of a comedy bitch, but something about a nice cocktail of dayquil, nyquil, a steroid pack, and some other medicinal components put me in a weird mood and I decided to indulge myself in a more stalkery reboot of Dan Humphreys. Let me tell you: I. was. enthralled. First of all, sure, Beck is cute but let’s be honest, that long wool tweed coat & her friendship with Peach are the best parts about her. And season 2?! Some next level shit, truly. I kind of think I’d fall victim to him pretty quickly too…(I’d love the attention to detail).

DON’T F$#% WITH CATS – (NETFLIX)

Normally I cannot handle scary things especially real-life scary things, so this was a bit left field for me as far as binging choices go. HOWEVER, when danger calls thrice, see if they’ll call a fourth and then definitely say yes. And there we were, 4 calls. So, I fuqqin answered. It’s insane. There are twists. There are turns. (and i’m not just talking about the stabbing technique of the asshole who killed cats and a PUPPY and also a human. A must watch, if only to realize the power of a few hundred websurfing wannabe Sherlocks doing daily post-work Pope & Associates-level intel-gathering.

SEX EDUCATION – (NETFLIX)

So, it’s kind of got the energy of Barbara Strisand in “Meet the Fockers” mixed with that Charlie Bartlett movie from a few years ago, and then poured over a steep glass of the British Isles to be honest. It’s exactly the same and yet a lot different than I expected it to be but funny and I definitely enjoyed it. 8/10 would recommend.

DAVE – (FX on HULU)

First of all, Lil Dicky’s “Earth” was one of my favorite releases of 2019. Second of all, I was a lil unsure that i’d be into the show since i tend to lean toward series with strong female leads. However, it’s really, really good actually. It’s funny, a lil poignant in its own way, and is like a pretty interesting mockumentary-type series about a c-level celebrity. I don’t really understand how they are doing the rollout but there are a few (like 4 maybe?) episodes available to binge now.

THE IT CROWD – (NETFLIX)

Not going to lie, it took me a couple go-rounds to actually get invested…or really to even like it but sometimes it is literally so funny and those moments gave me the faith I needed to tune in repeatedly. Like an actually funny ‘Big Bang Theory’?

And, last but certainly not least,

MEDICAL POLICE – (NETFLIX)

It is…so stupid. Occasionally, so intensely hilarious. It’s absolutely worth a spin of like two episodes and you’ll be more or less hooked to find out if they are, in fact, police officer-doctors or doctor-police officers. Plus the cast is honestly kind of a who’s who of off the wall comedy shows. If only they were in charge of soling this COVID crisis–we’d honestly probably be in the same boat but at least it would be funny.

So, okay, there you have it! Now that the ever expanding streaming universe is spitting out entire solar systems of new series, don’t fear–there’s enough streamable content to last us through this time of social distancing!

Stay healthy in there, okay?

-chasertheprince

A lil soundtrack for this gorgeous day

March 1, 2020 — Video — Leave a comment

IT IS SRSLY SO NICE OUTSIDE! Take advantage of the sunshine, spin this bop, and have a fuqqin fantastic afternoon.

-chasertheprince

O come O come Emmanuel

December 10, 2019 — Leave a comment

One of my favorite recordings we’ve done for our Christmas CDs is “O Come O Come Emmanuel” hands-down:

Carlee’s voice is so insanely good and takes you to a place where you’re really saying okay people Mary and Joseph need a place to STAY they’re having a BBY and he’s THE KING OF THE WORLD.

You know what I mean?

So that’s more exciting for some of you than it is for others.

Below are more links to listen wherever/however you stream music!!

Enjoy! Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays! All the things! And all the happiness to you and yours this season!!

-chasertheprince

chasertheprince’s 2019 WRAPPED by Spotify

December 7, 2019 — Leave a comment

It’s that time of year again!! You know, the thrilling season of tapping through everyone’s Spotify year wrapped! It’s a really cool feature, and while I personally do not use Spotify to stream music, there is no denying it’s got style.

Plus I love finding out which of my friends is a top 40 radio regurgitator, a total festival floozy, an indie individual, a ‘wow I didn’t realize you were such a hardcore hero’, a ‘points for the most obscure!!’, or an ‘omfg my top five are all Celine Dion’—-you know what I mean, the fun part. (Important note: I love it all, from the regurgitator to the floozy and from the individual to the obscure heroes and of course the die-hard Dion fans!!)

The “WRAPPED” series for artists is also very cool and dives into your audience, letting you know where your music was played, where it’s been played the most, where your audience has grown the most, etc. It’s all really cool insight so, you know, I guess that’s their way of making up for paying artists $0.0034 per play.

2019 wasn’t a musically prolific year,but the 📀📀📀 i dropped was 🔥🔥🌞😄🔥🔥♻️.

I continued to put out songs with a bit of whimsy, a dash of satire, and a whole lot of personality.

Songs like:

‘PLASTIC’ , released Earth Day 2019. If you haven’t given it a spin yet, I encourage you to do so–if only to think “turns out plastic ain’t so fantastic’ each time you reach for a straw or some other needlessly single use item and opt for a more planet-friendly option.

OR like:

“NO BAD DAYS”, which came out on my fifth month birthday (June 24) and urges people to remember that there really is no such thing as bad days, just bad moments. Let those fly by as the come and don’t let them outweigh all the good from your days. Life is too short, people!

AND like:

I covered a song from “Hamilton” and released that on September 15, a day King George III would remember fondly as the day the British took Manhattan. Anyway, I digress. “YOU’LL BE BACK” was really, really fun to sing and perform and I think that comes through in the record. So I’m glad I did it.

With those new additions and the solid gold hits of 2018 I’d already released, chasertheprince‘s Spotify 2019 WRAPPED looked a little like this:

Listen, I am not sitting here pretending to be wowed that my songs were streamed 1,200 times on Spotify alone. I am sitting here legitimately wowed that you guys streamed songs about Seahorses and Avocados 1,200 times on Spotify alone!!

But in all seriousness, I am actually so happy and impressed that Spotify subscribers from FORTY TWO nations around the globe have given at least one of my songs a spin. How cool!?!!! 42!!

Also, I’d like to pause here in this moment to give a huge shout out to those BADASS bitches in NEW ZEALAND!! I mean a 200% growth in my audience (from probably 0 to 2 but hell yeah)–that means we’re talking real GROWTH over here, people!

Anyway, I really appreciate all of your support for my lil ditties about avocados, seahorses, plastic, and kicking that concept of a bad day (ESP YOU, NZ!).

It’s cool that with little advertising there’s a niche, niche, niche, niche market for this kind of weird shit.

I’m already cooking up some exciting stuff for 2020, I’m just not sure when I’ll feel like dropping it.

stay tuned

(and thanks for sticking with me thus far)

–chasertheprince

Two Days in PARK CITY

October 29, 2019 — Leave a comment

Okay people, we’re about to talk about one of my favorite places on the planet–a tiny mountain enclave of rustic luxury tucked just 2,774 feet above and to the east of Salt Lake City.

I’ve skied here a few times in middle and high school, but kept coming back for the CULTURE and the VIEWS and my COUSIN who, it just so happens, moved there a few years ago.

I’ve been there 4 times this year you guys. A minor obsession maybe? IDK I mean look how pretty though!!!

Anyway, below is a short list of my fave things to experience/do/see/instagram in Park City.

(duh) MAIN STREET PARK CITY:

Main Street is the old hub of this picturesque town, with shopping and restaurants galore, not to mention some hotels, trails, coffee shops, art galleries, fur traders, *free clean public restrooms*, I mean you name it and if it seems a little mountainy, a lot Western, and casually luxe, it’s probably here.

Atticus–The best coffee shop / book store / stop at the bottom of Main Street. Whimsical and fresh, Atticus has fun gifts, gr8 coffee (and matcha!), chill vibes, and I think they’ve already worked through the 7 years of bad luck for opening that umbrella indoors so that’s a plus.

Egyptian Theater–Hit up the Egyptian on Main for a show during your stay–comedians, musical acts, plays, musicals, movie screenings and more!

Banksy attacks Park City: The infamous Banksy made his mark on Park City thrice, though only two of those graffiti graphics are on display in the alleys they were born in. The third is actually on a former stage storage door for the Egyptian, but has been moved for safe keeping bc vandals are trying to destroy the vandalism!!! What monsters, tbh.

Daly Hike–So if you just keep walking up Main Street past like Grappa and stuff and just keep on trucking, you’ll eventually end up on a street called Daly. If you take that up some more, you run into this trailhead for this fun lil trail that takes you past some abandoned mine buildings and houses and stuff and then spits you out at the top for some pretty okay views.

Check out this site for other hiking with prettier views but less spooky cabins so idk take your pick i guess.

SUNDANCE RESORT:

So it’s pretty much non-stop-views from every angle in Park City HOWEVER, you simply must head to Robert Redford’s place of respite near the sky, Sundance Mountain Resort.

It’s insanely beautiful, incredibly rustic, immensely instagrammable (r.e. this gorgeous fuqqin babbling ass brook I saw in real life), AND only 40ish minutes from Main Street.

You can walk the grounds, hike the trails, chill out by the fire pit, go on a full moon ski lift ride, AND check out the famous Owl Bar. It opens at 4 and not a minute earlier, and ALL photography is banned.

I know this first hand because i was ACCOSTED by a waitress for taking this shot of my cousin when we went there for her birthday last January. Turned out to be a dope pic though, so you know.

They also have all kinds of seasonal activities going on for the whole family. They had this haunted playhouse area that led to the lifts for a Halloween-themed haunted lift ride. We didn’t go up (heights, as well as a world with no mirrors, are my biggest fear). But I did make my dad conquer one of his biggest fears (clowns) and take a photo next to one of the bizarre statues.

Check out the restaurants and the lodging here if you’re trying to truly immerse yourself in all that Sundance has to offer.

Mr. Redford says of his mountain top escape: “Sundance is an arts community, a recreational community, a community of people who appreciate the beauty of nature and feel the responsibility to preserve it.”

And let me tell you something, I am all about that shit.

OLYMPIC VILLAGE:

In case you’ve forgotten, Utah hosted the only profitable Olympic games in recent history (Mitt Romney’s main claim to fame). Many of the events were held in and around Park City, leaving a great amount equipment behind and available for non-Olympiads to give it their all.

There’s an Winter Sports Center with a lil museum and gift shop, a bobsled ride, a Nordic Jump for tubing, Discovery Zone for youngins, a place to watch professional skiers practice, and a zip line! All of these are seasonal, so make sure to double check that what you want to do is open!

SKIER?

Of course if you visit during ski season, you simply must take at least one spin on one slope! In addition to the aforementioned Sundance Mountain Resort, here are the other Park City options:

Park City Mountain: I’ve never skied this mountain but i think there is night skiing and that would be dope–definitely on my list for when I’m in a skiing mood.

Deer Valley I have skied this one in the past, and though it’s been a minute I do remember it was fun and pretty and the lodge had pizza that was good, so do what you will with all that info.

YOU HUNGRY?

Maxwell’s pizza– It’s been voted the best pizza in Park City several years in a row and let me tell you something, I know why. It’s good.

Squatters Roadhouse Grill– Gr8 breakfast and drinks!

Washatch Brew Pub– A legit brewery so they’ve got all kinds of exciting beers (bonus points if you try the jalapeno one–it’s v good) and great burgers, sandwiches, etc.

Grappa– For something a little fancy and a lot italian, try this beaut at nearly the top of Main St.

JavaCow– Seriously good ice cream, people!

Stoked Roasters + Coffeehouse– Cool coffee shop, great coffee. During Sundance Festival I was stationed there for a panel event and saw Ava Duvernay, Octavia Spencer, Sandra Oh and others speak (so that was cool).

AND LITERALLY SO MANY MORE ALL THE WAY UP & DOWN MAIN STREET, IN THE KIMBALL JUNCTION/PARK CITY AREA, AND EVERYWHERE IN BETWEEN.

YOU TIRED?

Anyway, I think you may get the picture by now that I definitely recommend Park City as the next adventure for legit anyone. Bring an appreciation for the beauty of nature, a rustic-chic wardrobe, a couple pairs of cool sunglasses, and a spirit of adventure and you’ll get everything and MORE out of this gorgeous mountain town–and that’s a promise.

-chasertheprince

***Note–I own some of the images above but definitely not all of them and I’m okay with that***

YOU’LL BE BACK (from ‘HAMILTON’) a cover by chasertheprince

September 15, 2019 — Video — 4 Comments

“You’ll Be Back” – King George III’s unnerved retort to America’s independence, written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, performed by chasertheprince.

Film by: chasertheprince & Kennady Ritter

Song produced by Ciara Brooke

Listen NOW on all platformz {bc I get it, 3:30 is a long time to look @ my face} [i mean not for me, but…]

-chasertheprince

The 2019 VMAs: A decompression post

August 27, 2019 — Leave a comment

The 2019 MTV Video Music Awards, as per usual, certainly did not disappoint! Honestly it was a bit more of a concert to me than an awards show, but, hey–I’m okay with that.

Since the opening of the show was a bit of a snooze for me *cough*cough*, I’ll get started with a few quick takeaways before I move into most important performances:

i still am not sure who the host was, don’t want to find out
why is this in new jersey
the snake really flaunted the fact that she worked with the LGBT community to bring forth “you need to calm down”
Shawn and Camila were IRRESPONSIBLE with my emotions
Men’s heeled boots (calm down I’m taking a 4cm heel at the most) are the only footwear to take seriously (peep examples further down in this post)
The future of live performance is dominated by tech animation and i am not mad in the slightest!!!!!!!!! The way these artists utilized the crazy amount of screens was srsly dope
even though she used to drug men and rob them, I really like cardi b. she’s funny, she’s real, she secures her own bag and encourages you to do the same.
missy elliott can still GET IT

Now, on to my favorite performances of the night, in no particular order (except Miley at the top bc duh):

First of all, Miley was not originally slated to perform and then BOOM: they fuckin surprised us yesterday with the announcement and i nearly died.

I mean let’s be real; Miley is 100% the queen of the VMAs for the decade. I mean NO ONE has had such an incredible array of performances AND even hosted a show. All hail, for real. Her performance last night was a departure from the her typical VMA antics but HOT DAMN she sounded sogood.

LIZZO- how lucky we are to be on the planet a the same time as LIZZO! one of her best award show performances to date five sure, she killed it last night:

THE JONAS BROTHERS: they were banished to perform in a different location but it was still good–plus i’m always down for a denim look (also peep the heeled boot on Nick)

SHAWN MENDES & CAMILA CABELLO: I mean I have not been this affected by a performance since Miley and Shawn’s collab at the Grammys. Also i was about 600% sure Shawn was definitely going to make a point of making out with Camila but i think the coy eskimo kiss was actually the perfect move (peep the heeled boot on Shawn)

MISSY ELLIOTT: I mean what is there to say except she killed. The vibe was the perfect blend of nostalgia and futuristic aesthetic. HOW does she move in those heavy ass jackets though?!

H.E.R.: I love H.E.R. and really, that’s all there is to say. She’s unparalleled in her craft and niche and I am here for every guitar solo she strums out and listen, I’m not big on guitar solos.

ROSALIA-She is dope, sounded amazing, and killed. From the flowers on the screens to the dancers, this performance screamed latina icon and I’m here for it. (Also her nails!!)

LIL NAS X: he really took us to the future in his performance, with a set design the likes of that movie ‘tron’ maybe? (the one daft punk did the soundtrack for?). Not exactly my favorite song (he didn’t sing it live anyway), the performance was more about what’s possible with 10,000 screens and honestly whole new ballparks are opening right in front of my eyes.

Overall, a pretty chill night. The caliber of performances made up for the fact that someone I don’t really care for won a fuqqin BUNCH of the awards…BUT at least it was for a song with a good message, right?

Storms slightly interrupted and delayed the show (never, of course, when I wanted it to) but we all survived intact and that’s what’s important, right?

One thing is for certain, though: I can’t wait for next year’s show.

-chasertheprince

******I do not own the above images, videos, or music and I am ok with it ok*******

2019 VMA REALNESS

August 23, 2019 — Leave a comment

It’s the hottest part of the summer so you know what that means!!! It’s Video Music Awards TIME and you know what that also means!!!! It’s LIVE TWEET SZN!!!

First of all, I think it necessary to inform you all that i have absolutely no idea who the host is. His name is allegedly Sebastian Maniscalo and apparently he is a comedian……so, ……we’ll see. We all know nothing will top Miley’s 2015 hosting , tho.

FIRST OF ALL, THE PERFORMERS

Missy Elliott VIDEO VANGUARD HONOREE

Missy Elliott is the 2019 MTV VMA Video Vanguard Honoree so she’ll get to do a mashup of her greatest hits and honestly, we are all here for that so hard. The other performers are as follows:

Bad Bunny

Camila Cabello

J Balvin

The Jonas Brothers

Lizzo

Lil Nas X

Rosalia

Shawn Mendes

A snake (who?)

Shall we take bets on whether or not Shawn will find it necessary to make out with Camila on stage during “Senorita”????

Second of all, NOMINEES:

So, to be so honest, I was kind of out of the loop on a LOT of the music videos this year. However, I did do the due diligence of watching all of these so that I can come to an informed conclusion on my picks for the year which are in italics, bolded, starred, AND I’ve included the video so you can watch easily!!

SIDE NOTE: I AM SO PISSED that Miley and Mark Ronson’s masterpiece “Nothing Breaks Like A Heart” is suspiciously not ANYWHERE on any OF THESE LISTS.

brb calling MTV’s management.

Okay anyway, here we go!!!!!

VIDEO OF THE YEAR
-21 Savage ft. J. Cole – “a lot”
-Billie Eilish – “Bad Guy”
-Ariana Grande – “thank u, next”**********

-Jonas Brothers – “Sucker”
-Lil Nas X ft. Billy Ray Cyrus – “Old Town Road (Remix)”
-A Snake – “You Need to Calm Down”

ARTIST OF THE YEAR
-Cardi B
-Billie Eilish ******
-Ariana Grande
-Halsey
-Jonas Brothers
-Shawn Mendes

SONG OF THE YEAR
-Drake – “In My Feelings”
-Ariana Grande – “thank u, next”*************
-Jonas Brothers – “Sucker”
-Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper – “Shallow”
-Lil Nas X ft. Billy Ray Cyrus – “Old Town Road (Remix)”
-A Snake – “You Need to Calm Down”

BEST NEW ARTIST
-Ava Max
-Billie Eilish********
-H.E.R.***********
-Lil Nas X
-Lizzo

BEST COLLABORATION
-Lil Nas X ft. Billy Ray Cyrus – “Old Town Road (Remix)”******* (SIDE NOTE: i watched this video and listened to this song all the way through for the very first time whilst doing research for this post. It’s not my favorite but it’s a pop culture phenomenon and I’m a fan of anything that bucks the norm and involves a Cyrus so fuqq it)

-Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper – “Shallow”
-Shawn Mendes & Camila Cabello – “Señorita”
-A Snake ft. Brendon Urie – “ME!”
-Ed Sheeran & Justin Bieber – “I Don’t Care”
-BTS ft. Halsey – “Boy With Luv”

PUSH (BREAKTHROUGH) ARTIST OF THE YEAR
-Bazzi
-CNCO
-Billie Eilish
-H.E.R.
-Lauv
-Lizzo******** (note: I chose LIZZO for this because 2019 was the year she broke through. She’s no new artist; she’s been in the game for a while now ok)

BEST POP
-5 Seconds of Summer – “Easier”
-Cardi B & Bruno Mars – “Please Me”
-Billie Eilish – “Bad Guy”***************

-Ariana Grande – “thank u, next”
-Jonas Brothers – “Sucker”
-A Snake – “You Need to Calm Down”
-Khalid- “Talk”

BEST HIP HOP
-2 Chainz ft. Ariana Grande – “Rule the World”
-21 Savage ft. J. Cole – “a lot”
-Cardi B – “Money”***********

-DJ Khaled ft. Nipsey Hussle & John Legend – “Higher”
-Lil Nas X ft. Billy Ray Cyrus – “Old Town Road (Remix)”
-Travis Scott ft. Drake – “SICKO MODE”

BEST R&B
-Anderson .Paak ft. Smokey Robinson – “Make It Better”
-Childish Gambino – “Feels Like Summer”*************

-H.E.R. ft. Bryson Tiller – “Could’ve Been”
-Alicia Keys – “Raise A Man”
-Ella Mai – “Trip”
-Normani ft. 6lack – “Waves”

BEST K-POP
-BTS ft. Halsey – “Boy With Luv”
-BLACKPINK – “Kill This Love”*************************

-Monsta X ft. French Montana – “Who Do You Love”
-TOMORROW X TOGETHER – “Cat & Dog”
-NCT 127 – “Regular”
-EXO – “Tempo”

BEST LATIN
-Anuel AA, Karol G – “Secreto”
-Bad Bunny ft. Drake – “MIA”
-benny blanco, Tainy, Selena Gomez, J Balvin – “I Can’t Get Enough”
-Daddy Yankee ft. Snow – “Con Calma”
-Maluma – “Mala Mía”
-ROSALÍA & J Balvin ft. El Guincho – “Con Altura”************

BEST DANCE
-The Chainsmokers ft. Bebe Rexha – “Call You Mine”
-Clean Bandit ft. Demi Lovato – “Solo”
-DJ Snake ft. Selena Gomez, Ozuna & Cardi B – “Taki Taki”
-David Guetta, Bebe Rexha & J Balvin – “Say My Name”
-Marshmello & Bastille – “Happier”
-Silk City & Dua Lipa – “Electricity”****************

BEST ROCK
-The 1975 – “Love It If We Made It”******************

-Fall Out Boy – “Bishops Knife Trick”
-Imagine Dragons – “Natural”
-Lenny Kravitz – “Low”
-Panic! At The Disco – “High Hopes”
-twenty one pilots – “My Blood”

VIDEO FOR GOOD
-Halsey – “Nightmare”
-The Killers – “Land of the Free”
-Jamie N Commons, Skylar Grey ft. Gallant – “Runaway Train”
-John Legend – “Preach”
-Lil Dicky – “Earth”****************************************************

(possibly my favorite music video of the year)

-A Snake – “You Need to Calm Down”

BEST DIRECTION
-Billie Eilish – “Bad Guy” (Directed by Dave Meyers)
-FKA twigs – “Cellophane” (Directed by Andrew Thomas Huang)
-Ariana Grande – “thank you, next” (Directed by Hannah Lux Davis)*********

-Lil Nas X ft. Billy Ray Cyrus – “Old Town Road (Remix)” (Directed by Calmatic)
-LSD ft. Labrinth, Sia, Diplo – “No New Friends” (Directed by Dano Cerny)
-A Snake – “You Need to Calm Down” (Directed by Drew Kirsch & Taylor Swift)

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
-Billie Eilish – “when the party’s over” (Visual Effects by Ryan Ross, Andres Jaramillo)
-FKA twigs – “Cellophane” (Visual Effects by Matt Chandler, Fabio Zaveti for Analog)
-Ariana Grande – “God is a Woman” (Visual Effects by Fabrice Lagayette, Kristina -Prilukova & Rebecca Rice for Mathematic)
-DJ Khaled ft. SZA – “Just Us” (Visual Effects by Sergii Mashevskyi)
-LSD ft. Labrinth, Sia, Diplo – “No New Friends” (Visual Effects by Ethan Chancer)**

**I’ll vote for anything with Maddie in it…but also this srs visual effect territory so it was a no-brainer in both ways.*******
-A Snakeft. Brendon Urie – “ME!” (Visual Effects by Loris Paillier & Lucas Salton for BUF VFX)

BEST EDITING
-Anderson .Paak ft. Kendrick Lamar – “Tints” (Editing by Elias Talbot)
-Lil Nas X ft. Billy Ray Cyrus – “Old Town Road (Remix)” (Editing by Calmatic)
-Billie Eilish – “Bad Guy” (Editing by Billie Eilish)
-Ariana Grande – “7 Rings” (Editing by Hannah Lux Davis & Taylor Walsh)
-Solange – “Almeda” (Editing by Solange Knowles, Vinnie Hobbs, Jonathon Proctor)*

-A Snake– “You Need to Calm Down” (Editing by Jarrett Fijal)

BEST ART DIRECTION
-BTS ft. Halsey – “Boy With Luv” (Art Direction by JinSil Park, BoNa Kim (MU:E))
-Ariana Grande – “7 Rings” (Art Direction by John Richoux)
-Lil Nas X ft. Billy Ray Cyrus – “Old Town Road (Remix)” (Art Direction by Itaru Dela Vegas)**************
-Shawn Mendes & Camila Cabello – “Señorita” (Art Direction by Tatiana Van Sauter)
-A Snake – “You Need to Calm Down” (Art Direction by Brittany Porter)
-Kanye West and Lil’ Pump ft. Adele Givens – “I Love It” (Art Direction by Tino Schaedler)

BEST CHOREOGRAPHY
-FKA twigs – “Cellophane” (Choreography by Kelly Yvonne)*************

-ROSALÍA & J Balvin ft. El Guincho – “Con Altura” (Choreography by Charm La’Donna)
-LSD ft. Labrinth, Sia, Diplo – “No New Friends” (Choreography by Ryan Heffington)
-Shawn Mendes & Camila Cabello – “Señorita” (Choreography by Calvit Hodge, Sara Biv)
-Solange – “Almeda”(Choreography by Maya Taylor, Solange Knowles)
-BTS ft. Halsey – “Boy With Luv” (Choreography by Rie Hata)

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
-Anderson .Paak ft. Kendrick Lamar – “Tints” (Cinematography by Elias Talbot)

-Billie Eilish – “hostage” (Cinematography by Pau Castejon) {{Honestly this should be nominated for best direction, best choreography… and I’m kind of mad it isn’t?}}
-Ariana Grande – “thank you, next” (Cinematography by Christopher Probst)
-Shawn Mendes & Camila Cabello – “Señorita” (Cinematography by Scott Cunningham)
-Solange – “Almeda” (Cinematography by Chayse Irvin, Ryan Marie Helfant, Justin Hamilton)
-A Snake ft. Brendon Urie – “ME!” (Cinematography by Starr Whitesides)

BUT THE REAL AND RIGHTFUL WINNER OF ALL THE 2019 VMAs:

Tune in to the 2019 VMAs Monday, August 26th @ 7:00 CST!!

—OR–

Tune into my twitter for LiVE TWEETING through the entirety of the show. See you there, ok?!

-chasertheprince

*****I do not own the above images or videos or songs and dude i am chill about it****

TWO DAYS ON THE MONTEREY PENINSULA

July 24, 2019 — Leave a comment

I just got back from a lil jaunt up the coast to the Monterey Peninsula and let me tell you, I. was. mesmerized. By everything. There is so much to see it’s crazy so I have compiled a lil list of some things you simply have to do when you visit this magical place, okay?!

Of course, the first stop one needs to make on the journey around the peninsula is Bixby Bridge:

From there you can drive south to Big Sur (highly recommend–it’s nuts beautiful) or back around the peninsula, but no matter where you are, everything is beautiful, like literally everything:

For the purposes of this post, we are starting at the bridge and working our way north around the peninsula.

GOING NORTH: CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA

Downtown Carmel-By-The-Sea –

Hang out in downtown Carmel-By-The-Sea for a few hours: walk up and down really, seriously charming streets with lil shops and restaurants of all kinds:

((A fun game is taking a hit off of your vape pen every time you see a picture of or reference to Clint Eastwood throughout downtown Carmel)) (((He is kind of like a town elder?))) ((((remember his ex-wife’s show on E! a few years ago? It was based here….they ate at Forge in the Forest on the show and you can eat there in real life!!))))

ANYWAY

At the top of the series of hills that is Downtown Carmel, you may notice the police station where {SPOILER ALERT} The Monterey Five go to purge themselves of the lie:

Stop by Carmel Bakery for something delicious to snack on while perusing downtown. Founded in 1899, it’s the oldest running retail business in Carmel and the cookies are excellent, ok.

Carmel City Beach –

Walk all the way down to Carmel City Beach at the bottom of downtown and chill out as you watch the waves crash on the white sands of Carmel-By-The-Sea:

GOING NORTH: PEBBLE BEACH

If you’re a golfer, chances are Pebble Beach has been in a few of your more suggestive dreams. There are plenty of golf courses laid out around the north-western part of the peninsula. The best way to see it all? The 17-Mile Scenic Drive:

****bonus points if you roll the windows down, open the sunroof, and que up “No Bad Days” it’ll cure your blues!! ******but also bonus points if you’d like to wallow in some blues but also pretend like you’re a recent widow closing one chapter of your life and about to open a new one and blare “Ride” –or really Lana Del Rey’s entire discography–it’s powerful*********

From there, head around to–

GOING AROUND: LOVER’S POINT

Technically in Pacific Grove (“PG”), Lovers Point Park has walking/biking trails, park benches to chill and take in the scenery, coastal access, easy parking–I mean, what more can you ask for?!

MONTEREY:

Cannery Row –

It’s a little too touristy for my taste, but it’s an easy 20 minute walk around and see it all, check it off the list type of stop. Honestly, the hotels on the Row are the best part–they’re mostly all very pretty and have great dining.

City Hall –

It’s a nice stroll!

Friendly Plaza –

The corner of the block that city hall is on has been made into a little park commemorating the relationship between the Spanish, Mexicans, and Americans in the town since the 1800s. Plus, it has this tree that went to the moon once:

Downtown Monterey –

It’s your cute little by-the-bay kind of downtown. There are a bunch of shops and restaurants and a theatre and all the things, you know? Head from Downtown toward the Fisherman’s Wharf, and you’ll pass State Historic Landmark #1, the Custom House. Built around 1827 by the Mexican government to preside over their port on the Alta California coast, it’s the oldest government building in California.

Commodore John Drake Sloat of the US Navy came along a lil later and raised the American flag over the Custom House in 1846, claiming over 600,000 square miles of territory including what is now California, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico.

so that’s kind of interesting! You can go in it but I did not, so you know. Walking through Custom House Plaza does it justice though I think.

Fisherman’s wharf –

If you like clam chowder you are in for a treat! Nearly 79% of the restaurants on the pier specialize in clam chowder which seems weird to me but I am not a clam chowder fan and also how can you eat something named clam chowder don’t you get grossed out when you hear the name? It sounds like Plankton served it at the Chum Bucket. But anyway, it’s pretty AND has a bunch of italian restaurants because Monterey was a hub for those Roman Reelers (there are bunches of statues commemorating them as well–the backbone of the community if you will):

There’s a great path that runs all along here connecting it all, so if you have some time and just want to stroll by the harbor I highly recommend it!! The views are so, so good.

But really, the views are so, so good everywhere on the peninsula so just hop in the car and find a scenic spot to pull over and stare in barefaced awe of the majesty of mother nature and the upscale elegance of the cities that dot this ridiculously pretty part of the California coast.

There’s so much more to do and see but this will get you started, ok?!

What are you waiting for?! Drop everything and head to the Monterey Peninsula today, ok?!?!

-chasertheprince

Two Days in SANTA FE

July 7, 2019 — Leave a comment

First of all, let’s start with this:

I found this incredible sweatshirt-cardigan at a thrift store years ago and have always wanted to wear it in Santa Fe. This cardigan is truly 61% of why Kennady and I went to Santa Fe in the first place, and you’ll see why:

Forgive my hair, it was a mess. But see what I mean? A total Santa Fe cardigan. I saved it for this occasion–legitimately I’ve only worn it twice in the years I’ve owned it.

And let me tell you, Santa Fe bitches loooooved it.

We Air BNB’d a cute little casita with the nicest owners super close to the Plaza so getting around was a breeze! The weather was perfect. We pulled into town late friday night, woke up Saturday morning ready to take on the town.

A couple Santa Fe Musts:

Clafoutis:

Charming French bakery and restaurant!! It’s a popular spot, so be prepared for a wait. It won’t feel like long though, as French phrases fly from the mouths of the owners and insanely delicious looking pastries pass by on trays and in hand. I had a crepe and it was great. just look at it:

Whatever you get, you legit won’t regret it.

Meow Wolf:

So, to be fair, I’m not a spend-all-day-at-the-museum type of person unless it’s a history museum. Meow Wolf is definitely not a history museum so that may give you an indication of where this is going. Don’t get me wrong, it was cool–i just don’t have the patience or the desire to figure out what happened at this place. I would definitely recommend it, but it was definitely different than I imagined.

There are a bunch of cool things to look at, though so that’s always good.

And honestly there’s not a great deal more to do in Santa Fe, so you might as well spend a few hours there.

A Spirits Tour of downtown.

I definitely recommend doing something like this, otherwise you won’t know where to drink or what to have. Our tour in particular began with a quest to meet this girl wearing all black and a grey backpack at the fountain.

She was chill. She had folders prepared for each of us with leaflets on local spirits (like booze not ghosts) and the hot late night spots. Stook us around to these bars and we had the following drinks peppered with light discussion on the rich history of the town:

Low & Slow: (a lowrider bar–lowriders are extremely popular here?) (I had to get clarification on what exactly a low rider was) (not just a jean cut)

we had ‘the last word’ which was like some kind of weird gin drink. We then dove into the first part of our New Mexican history lesson ((I sort of got in trouble with the group when i burst out laughing when she went into describing a conquistador’s ruthless ruling to cut the right foot off of the oldest male child from each family.)) (((i laughed similarly when the Pueblo Revolt came back to bite the spanish in the ass, though I did make a much more concerted effort to tone the laughter down a bit))) ((((Not because I’m heartless, because of the way she phrased it AND the reactions of those in our group who c-l-e-a-r-l-y did not know much about suppressing revolts. it’s not a humane business, people. it’s regrettable, but it’s life)))).

Tonic:

we had the ‘bliss behind your eyes’ and it wasn’t something I’d order again but I drank it because why? I’m a team fuqqing player.

Del Charro:

we had the ‘Silver Coin Margarita’ it was spicy and I was happy. Apparently, margaritas are some sort of specialty in this town, so honestly a margarita crawl would’ve been something a bit more my speed.

Cross of the Martyrs: We then rounded out our stay with a “hike” to the cross of the martyrs which is on a “hill” “overlooking” the city. The hike was paved and took ~7 minutes. The hill did overlook the city. The cross was about 1/6th of the size of Life Church’s in Edmond but you know, they tried!!

We then piled up in the car and said “see ya”.

Overall, I’m happy we stopped through there and I enjoyed the time we spent. If nothing else, Santa Fe is a chill place super easy to navigate. A weekend is the perfect amount of time here, promise.

-chasertheprince

*****I do not own most of the images above, but some of them I do*****