Amy Winehouse.

/ Lisa

So the big news in the entertainment world today is that Amy Winehouse has been found dead in her London apartment.

Wow.

Kind of came out of the blue that one. When I read the news on twitter, I was actually shocked.

In all honesty, I’ve never been a huge fan of her. It’s her voice. It kind of grates me like Macy Gray. But I will admit she was a very skilled song writer. The lyrics and sound of her albums were awesome.

I developed this opinion when I heard the Glee version of ‘Rehab’. When I heard Winehouse singing it, I hated it. But when Glee did it, I fell in love with it.

I was really shocked at the news, because of the few articles I’ve written about her in recent months.

The first was this one about how she was clean and starting to get her life in order. She wanted to move to the country and have kids!

So how did she end up dead in her apartment this morning from a supposed drug overdose? One can only speculate, but the coroner’s report is sure going to need to answer some questions. Did she relapse and just take too much? Or did she mix alcohol and drugs? Who knows.

The other article I wrote was about Winehouse already having completed her new album, but it being delayed because she was entering rehab as a precaution before hitting the road.

So is there an album all ready to go, just waiting for a release date to be announced by record execs? Maybe. Only time will tell, because if it’s finished, there’s no point in letting it sit around not being listened to.

From today’s news reports she didn’t do too well on the road, having performed drunk and not impressing fans. So maybe this is the reason for a possible relapse and consequent death?

I’m just speculating, it will be interesting to watch what comes of it in the coming days and weeks.

But as someone mentioned on Twitter earlier today, she is another one to join the 27 Club.

Amy Winehouse: September 14 1983 – July 23 2011. Aged 27.

Calling voicemail – 404: not found.

/ Lisa

With going to WINZ employment seminars I thought it was about time to do one of the things that I’ve been told to check – that of my voicemail message.

If you’re looking for work, your voicemail message on your phone could be the make or break point. You don’t really want a possible employer calling you hearing a loud burping sound and then a beep, do you? Or being told to F-off, I’m not going to call you back.

So not having done anything with my voicemail since I got my first phone eight years ago, I thought it was about time to double check what my message said. Cause frankly, what could 16-year-old me possibly have recorded?

This was easier said than done.

I tried to call my voicemail, something that I have been able to do in the past, no problems. But it asked me for my phone number, sure, enter that. “Your number is not listed.”

Say what now?

Yeah, my number wasn’t listed. Does not make sense as I have received voicemails before and have used the service many times.

I got Man Piece to call my phone to see what my message said. It just hung up on him.

Not a good look for prospective employers.

So I called Vodafone. The first guy I talked to was pre-occupied with the last time I had actually received a voicemail and thought that me changing from pre-paid to plan might have cancelled my voicemail.

Yeah, nah. Same number the whole time. Plus, I changed to plan at the beginning of October last year. Turns out, I hadn’t received a voicemail since November last year. Now that didn’t seem right. But I’m usually pretty good at picking up my phone and usually when I have a missed call it’s usually from someone I know like my parents or sister.

So this guy went on saying my voicemail had been turned off. No explanation for how that happened, cause I sure didn’t do it. So I asked him to turn it back on. He said he did and to call 701 to set up my voicemail again.

So I called and got the same, “Your number is not listed.”

Thanks dude.

I called Vodafone again. This time I got a very helpful young man who wanted to talk about the weather and the rugby. He saw what the problem was and actually turned my voicemail back on. This time when I called 701, I was able to record a message. One that I know no prospective employer is going to take offence at.

Ah, the things an unemployed journalist with nothing to do on a Saturday night, while Man Piece plays games on his PC, does.

Rebecca Black is back again.

/ Lisa

Rebecca Black has a new single, ‘My Moment’, you might have heard it.

I actually think it’s better that ‘Friday’, cause that was really bad, let’s admit.

By the sound of the lyrics, she’s having a go at everyone who said mean things about her post ‘Friday’ release.

She’s still not that great, but at least this single is not so annoyingly bad. It still sounds like manufactured pop and not that of a really great singer, but hey, she’s improved.

There are still more dislikes than likes on the video, which has had more than 12 million views on YouTube.

Somehow, if she wanted fame, she’s definitely got it.

The end just creates a new beginning.

/ Lisa

I had some sad news yesterday.

The website that I have been writing for, Oh The Scandal! is to be no more.

I began writing articles for it back in February when I came across an ad saying they wanted more people to write for them. With finishing up my job at the beginning of December and not having done much over the Christmas/New Year’s period, I jumped at the chance.

I really enjoyed my time writing for it and it really helped me continue with my writing when I had suffered a set back.

I guess now I’m in the same position, but I’m hoping it is not going to be a set back – I’m going to find another publication to begin writing for. Possibly get back into reviewing CDs and movies, which I really love doing. Or go to one of the community papers here in Wellington and see if I can do some casual work for them, where they don’t necessarily have to pay me, although that would be a bonus.

In the end, it gave me another good six months of writing experience, which has helped me stay on top of my skills, which is the main thing. I am sad that I won’t be writing for it anymore – two articles a day, Monday to Friday – but it was a really good experience.

Time for some bigger and better things! Stay tuned.

Charlie St Cloud (2010)

/ Lisa

Charlie St Cloud (Zac Efron) is that guy from high school who looks like he has it made. Everyone expects great things from him and he will most likely succeed.

But when a car accident leaves his brother Sam (Charlie Tahan) dead, Charlie doesn’t succeed in anything.

Having almost died himself, he is given a second chance by the paramedic that won’t give up, and the unbelievable ability to see his brother.

However, five years later and it would seem Charlie has wasted his second chance at life. He is at the bottom. But as these things go, he meets a girl and begins the process of re-finding himself, which includes a difficult decision of whether he lets down his brother or saves someone worth saving. He learns there is no such thing as a lost cause and that life is worth living, even if it is without people you love.

Efron really has some acting chops, showing he is more than just a song and dance. He pulls at the proverbial heart strings, bringing the raw emotion of the role to the screen.

He has some pretty amazing chemistry with Amanda Crew, who plays Tess – the love-interest, who makes his second chance worthwhile.

With a supporting cast of Ray Liotta and Kim Basinger, you would expect a bigger presence by them on screen, but maybe it shows a change in Hollywood – the next generation is coming in to their own.

Directed by Burr Steers (17 Again) and based on the original novel, The Death and Life of Charlie St Cloud by Ben Sherwood, this is a great adaptation and definitely one that requires a box of tissues.

It is the ultimate story of a little boy lost; just trying to find what makes him happy.