Chanine Carr's blog

Colour Your Home Happy!

It's almost spring, and if you're thinking about sprucing up your home with some new paint, here's a guide to help you decide which colours will best suit the environment you're trying to create!

Green -- Let go of stress. Imagine yourself in an open field of green grass and wildflowers. Notice the calm feeling that washes over you? Thank the color green, we release endorphins, say experts. It's also the color of renewal, fresh energy and new beginnings.

Yellow -- Achieve family harmony. You don't need us to tell you that yellow is a happy color.

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Oscar Party menu ideas!

Are you hosting an Oscar Party this Sunday? If so, this may help with your planning! I came across a list of fun recipes for dishes to serve that are inspired by some of the Best Picture nominees! Here they are, with links to the recipes if you want to try them out:

Avatar + Blueberry-Pear Tart = Avatart (this dish will be blue!)  http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/blueberry-pear-tart-recipe.htm

The Blind Side + 5 Best Barbecue Side Dishes = The Blind Side Dish Extravaganza (don't forget the barbecue!) http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/tools-and-techniques/5-best-barbecue-side-dishes.htm

District 9 + Trick Or Treat Ice Cream Sandwiches = Districk or Treat Ice Cream Sandwiches http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/trick-or-treat-ice-cream-sandwiches-recipe.htm

An Education + Deviled Eggs = An Eggducation http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/deviled-eggs-holiday-recipe.htm

The Hurt Locker + Herbed Stuffed Tomatoes = The Herbed Locker Stuffed with Tomatoes http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/herbed-stuffed-tomatoes-recipe.htm

Inglorious Basterds + Grilled Chicken with Chili Beer Baste = Inglorious Basted Chicken http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/grilled-chicken-with-chili-beer-baste-recipe.htm

Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire + this cute School-Of-Fish Cake = Precious School-Of-Fish Cake, Based on Marine Life http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/school-of-fish-cake-recipe.htm

A Serious Man + Spicy Cheesy Pepper Steak = A Seriously Spicy Cheesy Pepper Steak, Man http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/spicy-cheesy-pepper-steak-recipe.htm

Up + 24 Cupcake Recipes = cUPcakes http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/cupcake-recipes-channel.htm

Up in the Air + Lemon-Tossed Linguini = Up In the Air-Tossed Linguini http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/lemon-tossed-linguine-recipe.htm

Clever, aren't they? You could also whip up one of your favourite Julia Child recipes as Meryl Streep is nominated for her portrayal of the famous chef...or you just pop lots of popcorn and offer up some classic movie theatre treats.  If you do try any of these recipes, let me know how it went.  Enjoy the Oscars!

2010 Juno Award nominees

Fresh off his performance at the Olympic Closing Ceremonies, Michael Buble leads the pack of nominees for the 2010 Juno Awards! He's up for 6 this year, including Artist of the Year and the Juno Fan Choice Award.  Quite a few Silk FM artists were nominated this year like Jann Arden, Blue Rodeo, Carly Rae Jepsen and Jacksoul.  The Junos will be handed out in St. John's, NL on Sunday, April 18th.  Performers include Michael Buble, Blue Rodeo and teen sensation Justin Bieber...and April Wine will be inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame!  For a full list of Jun

The mystery has NOT been solved after all!

One of music's biggest mysteries has been solved! Carly Simon has ended nearly 40 years of speculation by finally naming the man who inspired her 1972 #1 hit "You're So Vain".  Many believed the song was about one of her ex-boyfriends, which include Warren Beatty and Mick Jagger, but she has persistently refused to name the man behind the song....until now.  She did an interview with Uncut magazine and said she put a clue in an acoustic version of the song that is featured on her upcoming album "Never Been Gone".  She says there's a little whisper in the song and that's the answer to the puzzle.  According to Britain's The Sun newspaper, Carly whispers the name of record label boss David Geffen! I don't think anyone guessed that! In 1972 David Geffen ran her record label, Elektra.  Word is, Carly really resented him for putting more effort into promoting rival star Joni Mitchell.  So, "You're So Vain" apparently isn't about an ex after all.  Interesting stuff!

Curling--and it's new fans!

I just finished watching Cheryl Bernard and the Canadian women's team win their semi-final game against Switzerland.  They'll take on Sweden in the gold medal game tomorrow afternoon at 3pm.  I don't watch a whole lot of curling, but when I get into a game it's quite interesting...and during the Olympics it has been just as interesting to watch the crowd as the game! It seems quite a few of the people that got tickets to Olympic curling aren't all that familiar with the game etiquette and have made the arena a loud, but fun place to be! They have cheered and chanted loudly for Canada and against their opponents, even driving a member of a rival team to tears because the noise was distracting her from her shot.  They've done the wave and sung the national anthem.  There have even been a couple of marriage proposals--one legitimate (she said yes) and the other just wishful thinking (as Cheryl Bernard is already taken!) From what I've been hearing, scalpers are making a fortune off curling tickets because it's become so much of a party!

The Battle of the Sexes is over!

A couple of months ago I blogged about Trivial Pursuit's online challenge- getting guys and gals to go to their website and answer Trivial Pursuit questions and adding up the points gained by both sexes.  I logged on as often as I remembered to, trying to rack up the points for the ladies...and it appears a lot of others rose to the challenge as well! The Battle of the Sexes is over now and the results are in: the final score was 4,088,139 - 4,077,596 for the ladies.  Woohoo! I guess that makes women smarter than men, at least in this challenge! Trivial Pursuit is already getting

The face of figure skating

If you have been watching any of the figure skating and ice dancing competitions at the Olympics, you have likely marvelled at how beautiful and graceful the skaters are.  Unfortunately, as with any activity that requires total concentration and uses up lots of energy, the faces of the competitors during their performances can look pretty funny.  That's the idea behind this article on "skate faces".  Click this link and get ready to laugh (especially at the one skater who has a run in her nylons in the most unfortunate place!)    http://www.vancouversun.com/Photos%20Skate%20face%202010%20Olympics/2598830/story.html 

Celebrate Canadian musicians!

Ryan Donn, a well-known Kelowna artist and friend of Silk FM's sent me an email that I thought I'd pass along:  In conjunction with the Olympics the following link will allow music lovers to download free songs by B.C. / Canadian artists.  http://www.theprovince.com/entertainment/music/downloads/index.html Just click on the names of the artists you want to hear, and click on the big red button to get your free downloads.  There are some well-known names on the list, but the focus is on Canadian independent artists with a strong local component. Most of these are people you can catch performing locally or at festivals around the province. There are links through to the artists' websites where you can learn more about them, hear more of their music and buy their CDs, too.  Take advantage of this chance to get to know some talented musicians from right in our own backyard!

How do the Vancouver mascots stack up?

Well, we're halfway through the Games and anyone watching the coverage has likely seen the mascots quite a bit.  I'll admit- when Quatchi, Sumi and Miga were first introduced as the Vancouver mascots I wasn't very impressed.  They look more like characters in a Japanese cartoon than a respresentation of British Columbia! By the time the Games actually started, I had warmed up to them and can even say they're kind of cute.  So how do they stack up against other Winter Games mascots? The only other ones I have seen are Hidy and Howdy- the cowboy bears from the 1988 Games in Calgary (they still grace one of the Welcome to Calgary signs at the city limit).  Judge for youself- click this link and you'll see pictures and learn about all the Winter Games mascots over the years.  http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/47533 I think Quatchi, Sumi and Miga look pretty great compared to most of the other ones, especially the smiling ice cube and snowball!

"We Are the World--25 For Haiti" Check it out!

If you watched NBC's coverage of the Olympic Opening Ceremonies on Friday night, you may have seen the video for "We Are the World--25 For Haiti", a highly-anticipated song featuring 85 of today's hottest artists.  The video shown on NBC was an edited, 3-minute clip...but the full version is online now.  It's over 7 minutes long and incorporates clips of the devastation in Haiti with the shots of the artists who participated.  I checked out the video and it's pretty cool...some of the artists that took part are Josh Groban, Tony Bennett, Fergie, Celine Dion, Adam Levine of Maroon 5 and Lionel Ritchie.  They also included footage of Michael Jackson singing his part from the 1985 original, and added Janet Jackson on a split screen so it looks like they're singing together! The song itself has a couple of differences from the original...a couple of the lines were changed, and there's a rap section in this one too.  You can purchase the song and video through iTunes--all proceeds from sales will go to Haiti earthquake relief.  Have a look at the video here...and please leave a comment below letting me know what you think!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUhyhpbLRXs