Lips Official State Song?

Flaming Lips "Do You Realize" was voted down as Oklahoma's state song, BUT Governor Brad Henry says he's gonna sign an Executive Order to make it so tomorrow.

Read the article, if you like.

Flaming Lips, "Do You Realize?" Live on KCRW, 2004

Tony! Toni! Tone!?

So it was one of the best junk food movies of last year and I can't wait to watch it with my husband on DVD. I'm talking Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. Way back when Rachel Cohn and David Levithan's book came out, I read it in one day and emailed her for a list of her musical inspirations for the book. She wrote back and gave me a list. And it's so cool because her list follows along with the story and characters.

Here is a link to that post in case you're curious. And you should be. Rachel is cool. Her blog can be found at http://www.rachelcohn.com/

Goop, Gwyneth & Frenemies

Gwyneth Paltrow does this blog newsletter called Goop and she recently wrote about bad news friends. Seeing as my latest book is about being a better friend (and learning when it's right to cut your losses with a bad one) I thought I should write about Apple's Mom's take on the topic. And this is why her blog is pretty interesting-- she asks a question, in this case "why do we feel pleasure when we talk badly about other people"-- to several different spiritual people. And then she posts their answers.

Why do you think you get pleasure out of making fun of someone else? And you know we all do to a certain extent. I can admit it. And taking this beyond the goop question, what is the motivation for talking trash about a friend? What is the payback? Do we feel better about ourselves when we put other people down? And not to sound like a weenie, but is that any way to feel good? Aren't there other, far better ways?

The answer of course is yes. Yes, there are.

But don't get me wrong, I have to work at it all a little harder than I should, sometimes.

Whoa! I'm available on Kindle!

Didn't expect that. Publishers don't tell you anything.

My book came out, unceremoniously last week. Still, my heart sings because it's a good one and I know I did right by my friends. Check it out, it's available on Amazon.com and other fine book retailers.

Bands who Twitter

Amanda Palmer from the Dresden Dolls

Band of Horses

The lovely Regina Spektor

Tokyo Police Club

Imogen Heap

And here is a fake Nick Cave... it's kind of funny... "Crying at my piano. Mick has abandoned me. Why did I tell him that hummus had too much tahini? Why? Why?"

This Just in:

Polaroid has been saved! An Austrian businessman/artist named Florian Kaps recently purchased the Polaroid factory in Enschede, Amsterdam. An effort called The Impossible Project , Kaps is working with photography company Ilfort to develop new (old school) Polaroid film, which will reportedly hit retail under the Impossible label by December.

Yippee!!!

Inauguration Concerts:

--Kids' Inaugural: We Are The Future will air tonight, Monday, January 19th @ 8PM ET/PT on Disney Channel. You know it includes the Jonas Brothers, Miley Cyrus, and Demi Lovato, it is on the Disney Channel after all. Also Bow Wow, Corbin Bleu, Billy Ray, Keke Palmer and Usher will be on hand. But wait, there is more: Queen Latifah, Rosario Dawson, George Lopez, Jaime Foxx and Lucy Liu, will be there, not to mention the new first family, girls and all. 13 year old Perry Rubin, the daughter of entertainment reporter Sam Rubin will be talking to the people.

--The Neighborhood Ball: An Inauguration Celebration’, which will air live on ABC (8:00 - 10:00 p.m. ET/PT, Tuesday, January 20 and will feature Beyonce, Faith Hill, Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey, JAY-Z, Alicia Keys, Shakira and Stevie Wonder. Nick Cannon will DJ the event. I'm sure there are others involved.

-- Tonight the Beastie Boys headline the "Hey, America Feels Kinda Cool Again" Inaugural Gala at the 9:30 Club.

-- Jay-Z with be at the Warner Theatre tonight.

-- In Chicago the political organization Interchange will present the "Big Shoulders Ball" at the Black Cat with Ted Leo, Andrew Bird, Tortoise, and the Waco Brothers.

-- The Hip Hop Inaugural Ball features Russell Simmons, T.I., Young Jeezy, and LL Cool J and will be at the Harman Center for the Arts.

--Tuesday night the Creative Colaition's Ball features Elvis Costello, Sting and Sam Moore.

--The We Are One Celebration already occurred and was written about in People with pictures!

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More in Music and Politics—

Change Is Now is a CD and DVD, the latter of which which features nine iconic Obama speeches, starting with the campaign announcement in Springfield and ending with the election night victory speech in Chicago. The whole shebang to $30 and you can get it here. Here is the rundown/tracklist...

Change Is Now: Renewing America's Promise:
01 will.i.am: "It's a New Day" *
02 The Tony Rich Project: "The Dream is Real"
03 Stevie Wonder: "All About the Love Again"
04 Ozomatli: "Can't Stop"
05 Sheryl Crow: "Peace Be Upon Us"
06 India.Arie: "There's Hope"
07 Melissa Etheridge: "God Is in the People" *
08 Lenny Kravitz: "Change"
09 Robin Thicke: "Dreamworld"
10 Maroon 5: "Pure Imagination (2009 Version)" *
11 Usher: "Hush" *
12 BeBe Winans: "Born for This"
13 Wilco: "What Light"
14 James Taylor: "Shed a Little Light"
15 Jennifer Hudson: "The Star-Spangled Banner"

Bonus tracks:
16 Lionel Richie: "Eternity (David Foster Live Strings Mix)" *
17 Death Cab for Cutie: "Grapevine Fires"
18 Common: "Changes"

* includes excerpts from Barack Obama speeches

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Even more Music + Politics:

-- Of Great and Mortal Men: 43 Songs for 43 U.S. Presidencies is a recent three-disc boxed set featuring 43 songs dedicated to America's 43 presidents. There is a brand new Obama song, "Someone to Wake", which is sung by Centro-matic's Will Johnson. It's available as a free download on the project's website.

Ever wanted to be a screenwriter? Well if you think the creator of Buffy, Angel, Firefly and the wonderful Dr. Horrible is an evil genius, then this article is for you. Essentially Joss Whedon gave up his top ten writing tips to a magazine called 4Talent (to the writer Catherine Bray) and blogger Danny Stack asked permission to reprint them in full.

I'm gonna post just one here and I have to tell you, it made me laugh and laugh. I have 12 completed books under my belt, but about 100 more unfinished ones...

1. FINISH IT
Actually finishing it is what I’m gonna put in as step one. You may laugh at this, but it’s true. I have so many friends who have written two-thirds of a screenplay, and then re-written it for about three years. Finishing a screenplay is first of all truly difficult, and secondly really liberating. Even if it’s not perfect, even if you know you’re gonna have to go back into it, type to the end. You have to have a little closure.

To read the whole 10, go here.

Sherpard's showing in the Smthsonian



In front of senators, congressmen and governors, Shepard Fairy's iconic portrait of President Elect Obama was unveiled at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., alongside considerably more traditional paintings of other presidents such as Washington, Lincoln and Reagan.

"The whole idea that 'underground is good and government is bad' is a very one-dimensional idea," Fairey said, standing in front of a brand-new, 16-by-6 painting of the soon-to-be-president at his traveling "Manifest Hope: DC Gallery" in Georgetown.

"It's really about taking the opportunity to make the system what we can make it — as progressive, forward-thinking people — and raising the bar for everyone."

For more on the event, Shepard and the indelible portrait, check out the article on MTV.com

The 7 Worlds Collide team performing Radiohead's 'Fake Plastic Trees' at the first show of the tour 05.01.09. A series of concerts where all the profit went to Oxfam.

Ed O'Brien - guitar
Liam Finn - guitar
Jeff Tweedy - vocals/guitar
John Stirratt - bass
Phil Selway - drums
Johnny Marr - guitar

Do I even need to spell out why this clip is bizarre, hilarious and frightening? I wish I had come up with this, but alas, it's from Andrew Sullivan at the Atlantic via Mother Reader.

New Jeff Tweedy song performed in Spain recently. Yippee.

This American Life segment. Illustrated by the awesome Chris Ware. Fascinating short.

Not a fan of Kenley. But I do like the girl's hairpieces.

Simplicity has a tutorial

Here is a link to her whole collection.

I like this. A lot. Hello Saferide tell these tiny little stories with their songs. This is just one...

Check out my new gig: Clea's Corner which I'm doing for Girlsense.com— I've been writing an advice column for them for almost three years, but we've decided to mix it up a bit. It's so nice when work and guilty pleasures collide.

My husband and I love this house in our neighborhood. It has a bridge to the front door. It's weird. And wacky. And wonderful. And the old couple who have lived in it since it was built in the 60s are moving out and their son called us and wanted to know if we wanted to buy it. O. My. God.

I don't have a real job. And I impatiently await to see if any of my new book proposals will be loved and purchased. Dreaming of this house got me through the tumor and the hospital stay. Weird that exactly two years later (seriously, like to the day) we get a call about this house. Yep, it's the two year anniversary of my very own heirloom tomato being removed from my heart and lungs. Yipee for me! I'm alive and healthy and well and occasionally wise.

So this being a writer thing, it's wonderful and joyous and painful and rough. I can look at other writers' books and blogs and think, why didn't I do that? I could have done that, I think. And then I proceed to beat myself up. And to an extent, rightfully so. Because I am not the most focused person in the world and I try and juggle so many different ideas and thoughts and roles and personas and geez, even blogs that I end up doing all of them sort of half-assed. Which isn't a new concept, I mean it's common, it's a cliche. I'm a cliche. It's such a cliche that I just called myself a cliche. I am so not good at the meta thing.

I probably should pick one thing to be and be it. Or at the very least one blog to write and write it.

So we got a new puppy, who is mega cute and mega annoying. She nips and barks and pips and grrs and jumps and I forgot how hard it is to have a new pup! But she is cute and the best part is how when she sleeps, she cuddles up to George our older dog like she's her own personal pillow. And George lets her. George lets her do most anything and occasionally puts Ozzie's little head in her big mouth (oh, they're just playing!)

Everyone is doing their round-ups of Best Songs of 2007 and I love this time of year because I will always find something I haven't heard of on someone's list that I give a listen to that just rox my sox. This year it's a band called Bodies of Water. This is such a Clea band-- weird choral-like back-ups, female lead vocals, peppy music that belies the over dramatic nature of the lyrics! Love it. Found this one on Bon Ton's round-up of 2007 faves.

Bodies of Water, "Our Friends Appear Like The Dawn"

I may do my own list soon, but honestly, it's going to be very predictable (in other words, Wilco will top it.) The other artist I fell in love with this year was Maia Hirasawa, from Hello Saferide, but I actually don't own the album. I want to. But it's a $32 import. I'll pony up post holidaze. I just love everything I heard from her. Fresh, clean, brisk girl-pop with a Swedish accent.

Maia Hirasawa, "And I Found This Boy"

So my book comes out January 9th, less than one month away. And I should let you know, I finished the follow up already, it's about FRIENDSHIP and I'm pretty happy with it. My editor is the best. That book just wasn't clicking with me entirely until she got her hands on it.

So anyway, 30 DAYS TO GETTING OVER THE DORK: A Heartbreak Handbook, will be out next month. Request me at your local Borders or indie bookseller! I have made these DORK BINGO game cards, got myself a bunch of bingo markers and am ready to roll. I'm going to bring them to my in-store appearances and we're gonna play games. And maybe make some voo doo dolls out of old socks, who knows. Look back here, I'm going to post some of that stuff for download on this here blog i case I ain't coming to your town.

That's the latest. Thanks for visiting and reading and just being you. xoxo

My Latest Book & Blog

Just a little reminder that I have set up a blog for my latest book, which drops this time next year. It's called 30 DAYS TO GETTING OVER THE DORK YOU USED TO CALL A BOYFRIEND. It will be released through Delacorte, the fabulous people who brought you King Dork and Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. The blog features the best BREAK-UP MUSIC since the book is all about moving on from a bad relationship. I'm posting over there more than anywhere else these days (although occasionally smALL AGES is still seeing some play.) Check it out and don't hesitate to leave a comment on your favorite Break-Up song, movie, book or otherwise.

Oh, and that's the current cover, although it may still change... thoughts?