DIY Fail and Justin Bieber Movie

So, my cute little DIY art project was a huge flop. I couldn't get the designs on the block to look good. So last night, I tried to outline them in black. It looked like a 4 year old did it. Cheap. And ugly. I didn't even take a picture, I just went outside and painted over them. BUT I did think, what if I just painted stripes in white? Two big bold strips?



So, I tried it and it looked SO much better. I held it up next to the frames, where they should go, and it is going to look very clean. Which is what I ultimately wanted. I also completely removed the picture wall and start all over. This time, I was a little more careful about the spacing and measuring. I only have about 6 of the 12 frames up so far (trying to nail frames in a wall when we get home from work, trying to feed ourselves and a baby, get her ready for bed and actually putting her to sleep takes time!) So, hopefully, the rest will be finished tonight.

OK - onto the other part of my evening.

Jason got "Never Say Never" from Redbox last night. I'd heard it was good, so I was excited to watch it. Let me just tell you, this kid is NOTHING like I'd originally thought. The first time I saw him perform, he was on Saturday Night Live and I thought...."Here is another mass produced teen star - BORING!" Well, I was wrong. I think I officially have Bieber Fever.



I am not doing a review of the movie, but I just wanted to talk for a few minutes about what the movie was about. It was just a documentary of Justin Bieber, counting down to his sold out Madison Square Garden performance, showing him perform songs at his concerts, while interviewing family, friends, and managers about how he got to be what he is today. Let me just tell you, this kid is NOTHING like a mass-produced teen star. Nor is he someone who will go away when his voice changes or when he gets older.

I am a huge Justin Timberlake fan, mainly because he is so multi-talented and because he seems to be a really nice guy, very well rounded, with a good sense of humor. Bieber reminds me of JT, alot. Obviously, a younger version. But both of them are just very musically talented. Not just great singers, but great musicians as well. They can both play musical instruments and they both are great performers. Watching him perform reminded me of watching JT's "Future Sex Love" concert. NOT like watching a teeny bopper concert.

There are a couple things I truly believe: 1) Kids are born with inclinations towards certain things. For example, my step-daughter just knows how to kick a ball. She knows how to play sports, without anyone teaching her. She just knows. 2) Some people are pre-destined to be big and great in their life.

Justin was born with musical talent and it shows him from a small kid, just singing, picking up drum sticks and just knowing what to do with him. He had rythem. The only thing he was taught was which drum played what sound, other than that, he just plays it. He was taught cords on the guitar, but playing a song on the guitar is something that just comes naturally. It shows him singing, standing in front of a small theater on the sidewalk, singing for the pure joy of it. I don't think he ever wanted to be big - it just HAPPENED that way. The whole youtube thing started because his mom would record him singing and upload it on youtube so his relatives that lived in other states could watch him. The rest of it happened because of right place, right time.

Once he started getting popular on youtube, a man watched his videos and thought, this kid is special. He signed Justin and moved him and his mom to Atlanta. In the process, Scott (the manager) got a hold of Usher and told him he had to meet this kid. Usher then got him in touch with LA Reid, and signed him to a record deal.

Things were going slow in the beginning, so Scott and Usher decided since no radio station was playing his songs (they said he was too young, he had no one like Disney and Nickelodeon to back him up so no one knew who he was) that they would travel from radio station to radio station, all over the country, just so Justin could meet the djs. He started to tweet where he would be next. 40 girls would show up, then 60, then 100, then 200. Before too long, thousands of girls would show up. Then, the stations started playing his music. Then, he went on tour and sold out all of his venues in less than a day. All of this happened in less than a YEAR AND A HALF.

What is amazing to me is that this kid WAS destined to be big. Things like this just don't happen to everyone. And he knows he was destined for this, as well. Everyone in his life is determined to allow him to live his dreams. They also know Justin's impact in the lives of his fans. His mom, manager, and other people from his entourage will walk around the streets of whatever neighborhood they are in, before a concert, with free tickets, usually on the front 10 rows, and talk to girls and listen to their stories, then surprise them with free tickets. They said this is their favorite part of the job.

Justin is still a 16 year old kid. This movie does touch on him being somewhat sad about not having a "normal" life. He knows, though, that he wasn't meant to be normal. He does play with his friends, like a 16 year old. Or tries to. And when they were at the VMA's, the movie talks about how Madonna talked about Michael Jackson and how he lost his childhood, being in this business. Justin leaned over the Scott and said, "Don't let that happen to me."

I was very impressed with this movie and with Justin and with everyone in his life. I really hope things work out well for him. I hope he doesn't get "MJed" or "Britney'd" in his life. Meaning, his life get all jacked up from being a tremendous superstar. Only time will tell!