Kiefer Sutherland’s The Confession Announces Winner of Song Competition


(Jem Warren, photo used with permission)

(Press Release) “The Confession Song Competition” kicked off with a bang, and considering Kiefer Sutherland is involved, we’re not surprised. The action star, alongside legendary British actor John Hurt, is currently lending his talents to a brand new Hulu.com exclusive web series called The Confession, which tells the tale of a lone hit man and his struggle over the forces of good and evil. As one can expect from a show with such star power, it’s pretty badass. In March, OurStage artists were given a shot to have their song featured on an episode of the show, and out of over 1600 submissions, one winner arose victorious.

Introducing Jem Warren, a “tranquil” New York–based singer-songwriter grounded in acoustic guitar with a strong ear for pop. Warren, more specifically his slow rolling Americana-style ballad “Jim Jones,” will accompany Kiefer Sutherland’s butt-kicking escapades on an upcoming episode of The Confession, broadcasting his music and his name to thousands of new potential fans and followers. How’s that for some free publicity? On OurStage, all it takes is a few clicks, a great song (and a little bit of luck of course) for great artists like Warren to win BIG opportunities. Stop by his OurStage profile to learn more about this rising artist, or head to the playlist below to listen to more of his tracks. Stay tuned to The Confession on Hulu.com to hear “Jim Jones” debut in an upcoming episode of the hot new series.

JEM WARREN – Combining melodies reminiscent of Tracy Chapman with a smooth groove similar to Everything But The Girl, Jem Warren has a tranquil musical sensibility similar to artists like Jose Gonzalez and Sun Kil Moon. “The songs on Jem’s new CD ‘Lifeblood To My Soul’ reflect the longing and yearning we all have felt at some point in our lives,” says Warren. “There is nothing more fulfilling than writing a song and creating a sound that deeply moves me.”

“Lifeblood To My Soul” comprises five songs: Fall Apart, Trouble, All I Need, Jim Jones and Freed. Jem composed all music and lyrics in addition to singing and accompanying himself on guitar.

Raised in Carmel, NY, by musician parents, Jem is now a resident of New York City. Living in the city has provided rich material for his songwriting – Jem keeps a diary of his life experiences in the form of song. He poetically expresses his perceptions of his world, writing about everything from love and nature to politics and religion.

Active on the New York City music scene since the mid-2000s, Jem performs regularly at venues such as The Bitter End, The Bowery Eletctric and Caffe Vivaldi and has appeared at the Livingroom and Sidewalk Café. He engages audiences with profound lyrical fragility, genuine storytelling and a melodic, haunting style. A performance schedule as well as CD purchase information is available at www.jemwarren.com. Additional information about Jem can be found at www.myspace.com/jemwarren.

Love and Marriage on Smallville

I expected, when I first watched Smallville, to only root for Lois Lane and Superman, but I admit that the more interesting relationship for me was between Chloe Sullivan and Clark Kent. Despite her non-canon-ness she turned to be more deep and fascinating. The friendship and unrequited love (and finally requited love and then friendship) made for interesting television. In the end Chloe became more than a misfit with a puppy crush, she became a strong, empathetic and selfless character.

The relationship is not all roses, but it’s resolved like good, strong relationships are. In the season 3 episode “Whisper” Clark and Chloe resolve their relationship after Clark discovers that Chloe has been helping Lionel Luthor uncover information about him in exchange for a job at the Daily Planet.

With the complete Smallville series in one collection it will be easy to rewatch their relationship from episode 1. I look forward to watching unfold all over again.

With the ‘Smallville: The Complete Series’ DVD, fans will be able to relive all of Clark Kent’s romantic encounters, from start to finish! With an Exclusive Daily Planet newspaper written by DC Comics that highlights the important storylines developed during the 10-year run of the show, the Smallville Complete Series is a must-have for all Smallville fans! http://amzn.to/mkjtv4

I have been hired by Warner Bros WBWord division to raise awareness for the Smallville DVD release.

PAINMAN ISSUE #2 – Reciprocity Review

PAINMAN is a “superhero” in Los Angeles who takes the pain that has been caused to the victim of a crime, and transfers it onto the villain. He is in pain all the time, due to his Fibromyalgia, but he uses this pain to make him stronger.

In this issue, PAINMAN comes to the rescue of some women being abducted for human trafficking. He must push through his own pain in order to scale the building and defeat the bad guys. Only then can he inflict the pain of the victims onto the villains. Not all pain is physical either.

PAINMAN is a great concept. There are some deep themes that I’m sure could be explored through a series of issues. Our hero makes judgment calls just like any superhero about what punishment the villain deserves. He also has the ability to take away others’ pain and keep it as his own. He must show mercy and also justice, but there has to be a balance.

The artwork is really amazing! I enjoyed always being able to see the scarring on PAINMAN’s face. He’s never just a faceless character like in some books. The illustrations are very detailed, and I’d love to have a couple of the shots as posters.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good superhero comic story, and I look forward to continuing to read this series myself.

To learn more about PAINMAN visit the official site at PAINMAN.com where you can read issue #2 and buy issue #1 (plus other merchandise) or on their Facebook page.

Smallville: What’s Your Favorite Rivalry?

When I first heard about Smallville, back before the first season ever aired I was really intrigued with the idea of exploring the infamous Superman/Lex Luthor rivalry. After all, it’s one of the best super-hero and super-villain pairings ever.

To date, I still think it’s one of the best explored relationship/rivalry on the Smallvile series. First, because Michael Rosenbaum, plays Lex to a tee. Second, because the writers didn’t make Lex a straight up evil villain from season 1. Lex Luthor is allowed to play the fine line between good and evil. Even though you ultimately know he’ll chose evil, the audience gets to see what choices led him to that path. Exactly what you’d want to see in an origins series like Smallville.

Finally, what really makes the tension between Clark and Lex wonderful is their beginning friendship that disintegrates into becoming each other’s mortal enemy. While not a unique story-telling method, it keeps the relationship between those two characters fresh and all the more painful.

Relive the epic battles and the iconic rivalries with the “Smallville: The Complete Series’ DVD!” Includes 62 discs, never before seen production art and behind the scenes photos from the set!

I have been hired by Warner Bros WBWord division to raise awareness for the Smallville DVD release.

Review of “Out of a Far Country”

When I was in undergrad at Moody Bible Institute I met Christopher Yuan. I was pretty active on campus and worked in the library, so there were very few people I didn’t see on a daily basis. He was a couple years behind me, but always well-dressed, excited, and bursting with excitement. It wasn’t until the school paper gave me an assignment to interview Christopher that I really began to know him and he changed my world from that moment on.

So I was very excited to see that he had written a memoir, “Out of a Far Country,” which was released today. Written by Christopher and his mother, Angela, it is brash, bold, and intimately revealing. If you want that same world-changing experience that I had when I met Christopher this book is the way to get it.

“Out of a Far Country” is best described in it’s included study guide when it says “The story that is told in ‘Out of a Far Country’ is a true account of God’s seeking and saving two people who were lost (seek Lucke 19:10): a mother who was so distraught she had decided to kill herself, and a son whose pursuit of pleasure, money, and success led to arrest, prison, and a life-threatening illness. Both mother and son hit bottom, and at different times they both turned to God. The changes in their lives are nothing short of miraculous.”

The story that Christopher and Angela shared kept me turning the pages, I did not want to put it down. The similarities in their struggles even though they were at two very different places in their lives was compelling. Ultimately it’s a story of hope. Hope that there is something bigger than our problems, hope that we can change who we are (down to our very core) and be better people, hope that all of this is possible not in our own strength, but God’s.

I’d highly recommend this book to Christians, small groups, and those struggling with their depression, anxiety, struggling with their sexuality, or feeling like they are in a hope-less situation. Brutally honest, but ultimately healing this book is not to be missed.

Maroon 5 Does it in 24 Hours…

Last week music history was made as fans from 139 countries across the world tuned in to watch and inspire Maroon 5 as they wrote and recorded a brand new track in just 24hrs at the Coca-Cola Music 24hr Session.

Today, “Is Anybody Out There”, the up-tempo track created at the session, is released for free download at www.cocacola.com/music. For the first 100,000 downloads, Coca-Cola will make a donation to support Replenish Africa Initiative (RAIN) in their work to provide access to safe drinking water  to communities in Africa.The band entered Metropolis studios in London at 5pm GMT on March 22 and worked around the clock to create the track using inspiration sent in by fans via the @Coca-Cola Twitter stream.

Over 350,000 views were logged on the live stream throughout the duration of the session as fans tuned in to watch the creative process unfold. Providing inspiration for the song, over 25,000 fans tweeted their thoughts and messages of support via @cocacola using #withMaroon5 to the band in the studio.

Commenting at the end of the 24hrs, Adam Levine of Maroon 5 said; “This has been an amazing and entirely unique experience. It was 24hrs of creativity, brought to you by Coca-Cola.  We’d like to thank all our fans for their Tweets of support, ideas and inspiration throughout a really productive and intense 24hrs.”

Music is the Soundtrack of My Life

I learn so much about my life from music. Doesn’t matter the genre or even how “good” the song is, there are certain songs that are touch points to important moments in my life. So many songs have had a strange connection to motivating and inspiring me. Looking through my iPod or iTunes is almost like flipping through a scrapbook. There’s “Irish Hymn” by Kevin Max, a rallying cry for a friend of mine who was suffering depression. The lyrics, “This one’s for all you people, who hit the rock bottom but climbed it back up again,” gave her hope that my reassurances could not.

Then there’s “Wordplay” by Jason Mraz, a song that always rallies me to enjoy writing and remember what the real reason for writing is — the wordplay. In the song Jason sings, “are you prepared to take a dive into the deep end of my head?” Every time I say, “yes.. yes I am.”

Because of this it’s easy to see how the amazing songs on the Pretty Little Liars soundtrack can be part of the soundtrack of not only the characters on the TV show, but viewers as well. Of course, the immediate connection is the theme song, which brings back the show almost instantly.

For example Fay Wolf’s cover of The Outfield’s “Your Love” is the song played in the season’s 14th episode, “Careful What U Wish 4,” when Sean (Chuck Hittinger) breaks up with Hanna (Ashley Benson) at the dance for dancing with Lucas (Brendan Robinson). With lyrics like the haunting line, “I just wanna use your love tonight, I don’t wanna lose your love tonight.” it’s easy to see why this song can match perfectly the emotions of the scene and the experience of the viewers. (I should also point out that the cover by Fay Wolf is only available on the Pretty Little Liars sountrack and very popular). You can watch this video of Fay talking about the song:

Catch Pretty Little Liars Mondays 8/7c on ABC Family, and visit iTunes to preview songs and pick up a copy of the album here: http://bit.ly/e2S527.

I have been hired by Warner Bros. WBWord division to promote the Pretty Little Liars Soundtrack.

Pretty Little Liars Soundtrack

The first CD I ever owned that was truly mine was a soundtrack to a TV show: Due South. Music and film have been tied together before there was even sound. It’s almost impossible to tear away a visual story from the music aspect. I’ve never thought of my favorite shows without thinking about the music behind the scenes. Like the episode of Buffy where Angel shows up to her prom after saying he wouldn’t then “Wild Horses” by The Sundays plays. Or when “Back in Black” plays when the Winchesters resolve to hunt down the thing that killed their mother in Supernatural. Music is inevitably tied to those emotions.

So it was no surprise how much I enjoyed the Pretty Little Liars soundtrack. If you don’t know the ABC teen drama the series follows the lives of four beautiful girls living in the town of Rosewood; they’re carrying a heavy secret about a friend who disappeared a year ago while trying to figure out who they are. The CD is a great collection of songs for fans and people who haven’t watched the show yet and it enhances the TV show — this isn’t your teen rock pop collection, it’s a smart collection of fantastic songs and artists you should know.

Before I get to the songs though, I have to say how great the CD was itself. Using the iconic promo picture of four main characters with muddy arms, legs and faces sets up the music perfectly. I also loved the shout out to the fans on the CD insert (what did they say? You’ll have to pick up the CD and see for yourself). It’s always great when TV shows recognize their fans as being the reason they’re still on the air.

The show’s theme song “Secret” by the Pierces is haunting, beautiful and is the perfect theme song for Pretty Little Liars. It starts off with the lyrics:

Got a secret, can you keep it?

Swear this one you’ll save,

better lock it, in your pocket,

taking this one to the grave………

Another great song on the track is Andrew Belle’s “All those Pretty Lights” (Andrew Belle’s music has also been on  hit TV shows including Grey’s Anatomy, The Vampire Diaries and One Tree Hill ).

Catch Pretty Little Liars Mondays 8/7c on ABC Family, and visit iTunes to preview songs and pick up a copy of the album here: http://bit.ly/e2S527 .

“I have been hired by Warner Bros. WBWord division to promote the Pretty Little Liars Soundtrack.”

Two Ways to Win Big from California Blooms

California Blooms, the premiere retailer of eco-friendly, boutique-grown California roses, is offering two exciting opportunities to win BIG for your sweetheart this Valentine’s Day.

Starting February 1 – February 7, California Blooms has partnered with Soap Opera Digest, America’s #1 Soap magazine, to offer three lucky fans the chance to win roses from one of their favorite soap stars. Winners will receive a bouquet of two dozen stunning California Blooms roses along with a personal note from some of daytime’s biggest stars including – Kyle Lowder (CBS’s “Bold and the Beautiful”), Eric Martsolf (NBC’s “Days of our Lives”) or Scott Reeves (ABC’s “General Hospital”).

To enter, e-mail tellus@soapoperaweekly.com and put “Roses” in the subject line by Feb. 7, 2011. Please include your name, address, phone number, e-mail address, date of birth and the color roses you would like. Visit www.soapoperadigest.com/blooms_giveaway.html for complete information.

Also, now through February 10, you can win a Year of Wine & Roses for your Valentine, while also supporting the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation by bidding on this fantastic online auction at Charity Buzz.com. Every month for a year, your valentine will receive a fresh, beautiful bouquet of 18 roses as well as a bottle of wine from Napa Valley’s Darms Lane Wine; perfect for romantic dinners all year round!

California Blooms roses are available in one-dozen, 18 rose or two-dozen rose bouquets starting at $39 as well as an optional vase (additional $8). Orders can be placed online at www.CaliforniaBlooms.com or via your iPhone/iPad with the FREE California Blooms App available at http://www.itunes.com/app/californiablooms.

Last Day to order for Valentine’s Day is Thursday, February 10.

O Magazine Discusses “What Was Your Big Break?”

A story in the February issue of O Magazine profiles Meredith Vieira, Suze Orman, Tom Colicchio, Ellen DeGeneres, Barbara Walters and Holly Robinson Peete – they each share the opportunity that made their careers and changed their lives.

Here’s some of the stories:

Barbara Walters:
“I was a writer for the Today show when the so-called “Today Girl” was Maureen O’Sullivan, mother of Mia Farrow. She was a well regarded actress, but she couldn’t handle Today— the time cues, the hours. NBC needed a replacement for just 13 weeks, somebody they didn’t have to pay much—and there I was. And there I stayed for 13 years. Can you imagine? My whole career is made.”

Holly Robinson:
“When I auditioned for 21 Jump Street, I was fresh out of college, nervous, and broke. I drove an old Honda with bad brakes that made a horrible screeching sound, like Fred Flintstone at a stop sign. After the audition, just as I was starting my little Honda, the21 Jump Street producers walked into the parking lot. They heard that awful noise, looked at my car, looked at me, and I swear they thought, We have to give her the part because she’s got to get those brakes fixed! That afternoon I found out the role was mine.”

Suze Orman:
“My biggest break in life was losing all my money. I was working at a bakery in Berkeley, and my customers pooled $50,000 so I could open my own restaurant. I invested it at Merrill Lynch, where it was mismanaged; in four months, it was gone. I was devastated, but I had to rise to the occasion. So I learned all about finance and investing, went to Merrill Lynch’s training program, and became an executive there. Every loss leads you to a gain, and every no takes you hat much closer to a yes.”

Check out the full story in February issue of O Magazine.
Also check out OWN’s “Your OWN Show” that airs Fridays at 9 pm.