To Quote Miley Cyrus...

Alert the media. I am quoting Miley Cyrus.

There are many different pop singers who are basking in the limelight right now. Some of them I like, some of them I don't.

I have written many times in my blog about my personal desires to have the biggest career in the music industry as possible. In other blogs I've gone into detail about why I have written the songs I have written. I have snubbed my Greek little nose at those individuals who have gotten roles I've auditioned for and didn't get and those people who are now singing in places I want to sing. But it is all good.

The one thing I do know is that I am exactly where I am supposed to be - both career wise and in my personal life, according to God's plans. His plans are the only plans I truly care to worry about anyway. Do I wish I was planning on going to the upcoming Grammy Awards because I was nominated for Best Female Artist of the Year? Heck yes. Do I wish I was selling more CD's than Lady Gaga - heck yes on that too. But You know what? I am not worried because I know my time is coming and I am absolutely loving "the climb" to the top!

The process of what it takes to become a successful actress/recording artists is not easy. And I can't believe I am going to quote Miley Cyrus, but in her song "The Climb" the lyrics really say it all.

The Climb

I can almost see it
That dream I am dreaming
But there's a voice inside my head saying
"You'll never reach it"

Every step I'm taking
Every move I make feels
Lost with no direction
My faith is shaking

But I gotta keep trying
Gotta keep my head held high

There's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be a uphill battle
Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose

Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb

The struggles I'm facing
The chances I'm taking
Sometimes might knock me down
But no, I'm not breaking

I may not know it
But these are the moments that
I'm gonna remember most, yeah
Just gotta keep going

And I, I got to be strong
Just keep pushing on

'Cause there's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be a uphill battle
Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose

Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb, yeah!

There's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be an uphill battle
Somebody's gonna have to lose

Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb, yeah!

Keep on moving, keep climbing
Keep the faith, baby
It's all about, it's all about the climb
Keep the faith, keep your faith, whoa

© HOPELESS ROSE MUSIC

Until a person becomes a household name in the entertainment industry, it really is all about the pursuit and how you handle it.  Some people buckle under the pressure, others give up. Not me, I blog about it. I am a tough Greek chick and the reason I work out and run so much is because of the so-called climb. I want to be ready for my close-up Mr. Demille.

I love the fact that because of my blog I no longer feel like I am making the climb by myself anymore. My blog has attracted so much attention I now have thousands of new friends lacing up their new sneakers each day with me as they read it and share my daily muckery with me.

So yes, I am using the words of a Miley Cyrus song to make a point today. But I want to say that I am not a huge Miley Cyrus fan.  Personally I think she is a little misguided in the way she has handled her career. She needs Mr. Bricks to rattle her noggin a bit and put her on the straight and narrow. As the character of Hanna Montana she had millions and millions of young girls looking to her as a role model and I think she has let them down terribly. She had a responsibility and she failed. That mentoring is the one part of fame I look forward to.

Thanks for making this climb with me!

Blessings,

Ava

xox

Undercover Boss

If you had an opportunity to find out what other people really thought about you, would you want to know? You know, like what is their first impression of you? I certainly don't lead my life worrying about what other's think about me, but as a fun little exercise I wanted to find out. Coincidentally, Miley Cyrus is actually filming a movie right now called, "So Undercover." Cyrus plays a tough private investigator hired by the FBI to go undercover in the one place they're unable to infiltrate - a college sorority.

Anyway, for those who have been following my blog know that I am an actress and a recording artist and that I have a manager and his name is Mr. Bricks. It is Mr. Bricks' job to go around and let everyone know about the Greek Blonde Girl and to get me auditions for my acting career and to get me a record deal.

I usually call my manager Mr. Bricks. Once when I first met him, I asked him if he would mind if I just called him Bricks. Well, his one lazy eye started twitching. I knew after that it was never a good idea just to call him Bricks.

He actually told me it was a sign of respect to call him Mr. Bricks. So he said he would prefer if I called him Mr. Bricks. Ok, Mr. Bricks it is. It's no big deal really, but whatever, I was just asking. When he is in a good mood and there is no twitching from the bum eye, he does let me call him Boss. I am sure it is a power thing to be called Boss, because I actually see the dude smirk when I call him Boss. And it's not a good smirk either - just saying.

Well, my little experiment was something you might see on NBC Dateline or that TV show called Undercover Boss.   I wanted to send Mr. Bricks undercover to a place where I go all of the time to find out what their impressions were of me.  Would it be positive, would it be negative? I didn't know. I figured, just roll the dice and let's see what comes up!

Well I'm not a fancy pants CEO, like on Undercover Boss but I'd love to find out what others think about me.  I think deep down inside we all want acceptance, right?

Ok, so I  put a wig on Mr. Bricks aka Boss and gave him a cheap pair of sunglasses for his undercover work.  Off he went. Here is a written transcript of what happened.

Location: Dunkin Donuts - Somewhere in Manhattan

Undercover Boss (aka Mr. Bricks in disguise)  - Good morning

Donut Employee - Can I get you a freshly glazed donut today Dude?

Undercover Boss - Ummm, sure, why don't I take a 1/2 dozen of your glazed donuts with chocolate sprinkles, to go.

NOTE TO SELF: (Never send Mr. Bricks anywhere near food. What was I thinking?)

Donut Employee: Dude - Is that a wig you're wearing?

Undercover Boss:  shhhh, I'm trying to get information on some one. Don't blow my cover. I wanna show you a picture of this person and tell me if you recognize her?

Have you ever seen this girl before?

Donut employee: That's one of our regular customers Dude. She comes in here like every morning for a cup of coffee . Dude that chick is pretty high-strung.

Under Cover Boss: She's Greek

Donut Employee: I know Dude, we all know that. She tells everyone she is Greek.

Undercover Boss: Interesting. Maybe TMI.

Donut Employee: So Dude...why are you stalking her? You're not some wacko are you?

Undercover Boss: I am not stalking her I am just gathering data on her.

Donut Employee: Dude, I thought that's what Facebook was for.

Undercover Boss: Yes true, but just because she has 9,000+ fans (and really wants to get to 10,000 soon) I still want to find out more about her.  Like, do you think she is a nice person or not?

Donut Employee: Am I getting Punk'd? Where's Ashton? is there a camera somewhere? Am I gonna be on MTV?

Undercover Boss: No, this is just me, Mr. Bricks...ahem, I mean I am just an unidentified guy looking to find out what people think about Ava Aston.

Donut Employee: Is that her real name Dude? We all just called her Blondie.

Undercover Boss: Yes her name is Ava.  She's Greek.

Donut Employee: Dude. I know that.

Undercover Boss: So what is your impressions of her?

Donut Employee: Dude, what's up with your one eye? That's pretty gnarly Dude. It keeps jumping around like a fish at Sea World.

Undercover Boss: I'd rather not talk about it. In fact, can I just get my 6 glazed donuts and get out of here?

Donut Employee: Sure Dude. But don't you still really want to know what I think about Ava? It's all good.

Undercover Boss: No..I think maybe it doesn't really matter what others think about of us. As long as we are happy with ourselves and treat others with dignity. That's what really makes our true character, not what others think about us. I also don't think it hurts to lend a helping hand to those in need from time to time.

Donut Employee: Wow, Dude that was deep.

Ok, the bad news is even after sending Mr. Bricks undercover I never did find out what total strangers think about me, but I guess it doesn't really matter does it? The good news is, Mr. Bricks got 6 free glazed donuts with chocolate sprinkles. The Donut Employee forgot to charge him.

Blessings,

Ava

xox

Predictions for 2011

Oh no....really?

Wrapping a white bath  towel around my blonde hair to give myself the best swami appearance.... Here are the Greek girl's predictions for 2011.

1. Lindsay Lohan will be arrested for possession of drugs
2. Lindsay Lohan will avoid jail time by crying and asking for rehab
3. Lindsay Lohan will get released from rehab and make a mockery of the court system
4. See number #1
5. The state of California will declare bankruptcy
6. The state of California will be purchased from the US bankruptcy court by a Mexican drug cartel
7. 3 random celebrities will die within a short period of time of each other
8. I will get a record deal ( right Mr. Bricks?)
9. CBS will change the meaning of their corporate name to (CBS) Complete Bull Shit
10. NBC and ABC will follow suit with their name changes to (NBC)  Never Been Correct and (ABC) Always Bull Crap
11. My blog will not win a Pulitzer Prize
12. Sneakers will become all of the rage at NY's Fashion Week
13. McDonald's will introduce the "Double McRib" - 2 fake processed pork patties in BBQ sauce with pickles and onions on a toasted bun. My manager Mr. Bricks will be their first customer
14. I will get to 25,000 "likes" on my Facebook Fan Page
15. My dog Punkin will hijack my blog again
16. TSA will get a smack down after a pat down with the Hell's Angels
17. John Walsh and America's Most Wanted will announce they found Osama Bin Laden. Amazingly, he was living in Washington DC and had a job with an eight figures a year salary in the Obama Administration as an advisor on Muslim tolerance in America
18. General Mills will rescind their Don't Ask Don't Tell policy about their cereal mascots much to the liking of the Lucky Charms dude and the Trix rabbit
19. The ESPN executive who approved a tv special about the paper, rock, scissors national championships will be promoted to Head of Programming at MTV
20. With the success of Michael Jackson's latest CD, Madonna will have herself declared legally dead to help boost her lackluster sales
21. The Biggest Loser TV show will be cancelled because Michelle Obama solved the nation's obesity problem by making the sales of Girl Scout thin mint cookies illegal
22. The surprise reveal on Oprah's final show will be that she isn't retiring. Oprah will also shock her audience by announcing that she will pay off the home mortgages for everyone in the country
23. A sex tape will be leaked starring Miley Cyrus. The title of the video will be "Hannah Banana Fe Fi Fo Montana"
24. All 12,200 Burger King outlets in 73 countries will be permanently closed by the FDA because they serve beef and it offended one Muslim woman in Boise, Idaho. A similar claim against Wendy's will be dismissed when the FDA determines that Wendy's doesn't use real meat in their products
25. My blogs throughout 2011 will continue to be filled with useless trivia, accounts of my day-to-day muckery, jabs at my manager Mr. Bricks and yes some typos from time to time. Would you want it any other way?

These are just my predictions -- I might not get them all right, but I feel really strong about most of them! Hopefully you enjoyed my light-hearted blog today and it was my sincerest desire that I made you smile on this Christmas Eve.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

Blessings,

Ava

xox

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To Dream The Possible Dream

Have you ever had to step out of the comfort zone of your simple life and had to do different things for a while? I have. I decided a long time ago that it's how you handle learning new things that will ultimately determine if you are successful in life or not.

I look at so many teen celebrities like Lindsay Lohan, Miley Cyrus, Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie my heart truly goes out to them. They have no grasp of reality. One of the very first American reality TV series was a Simple Life starring Paris Hilton and Nicole Ritchie. The premise was to take two socialites and put them in situations that were foreign to them and let the cameras roll as they tried to learn new things that were outside of their comfort zone.

With so many people losing their jobs it appears that there will be a whole lot of people learning new things they never thought they would need to know. Sadly, some older people who have seen vast retirement funds and fortunes wiped out in a single bad stock market day or by a crooked investment scam have also started to learn things they never thought the would need to know.

Most reality shows are based on the premise of exploiting people outside of their comfort zone and then showing how they react. When I get a chance to watch TV on Sunday nights, one reality series I really like to watch is Undercover Boss on CBS. It is fun to watch the CEO's try to learn new things about their very own company. yah, I sometimes think the show is as real as Pro Wrestling is real (wink, wink) but it still is a touching show watching others outside of their area of expertise struggle to learn new things.

I often wonder if I was ever on one of those reality series how would I stand up to the pressure?  Although that hasn't happened, I can say that it's always been amazing to me that when I have ventured out and done something I am not completely comfortable with I actually did better than I thought I would do.

Yes, the Greek girl surprises herself sometimes. It must be the competitive nature in me that rises to the top of my noggin and allows me to be on my "A" game. Lord knows in this business sometimes I may not want to do a certain task, make a phone call or go to a certain place -- but when I do, I always try to do my best. It's just what my parents always taught me to do.

I am in awe of those people who embrace trying new things and actually get a rush from it. My brain was wired differently, or maybe I just have a loose wire somewhere - not sure which is the truth, loose wire or wired differently. But for my entire life I have concentrated on one thing. I have pursued one thing. I dream about one thing. My happiest times are spent doing one thing.  And that one thing is my music career.

It's no surprise that American Idol (or as I call it, American Eye Dull) is considering adding a new element to the show. The final 12 contestants will all live together in a house, like Big Brother  -- once again exploiting the vulnerability of people in uncomfortable situations.

A career in the arts for anyone is usually a passion, something they must do and not just not a job you can go out and learn. The old joke that the one line of dialogue that every actor knows is,  "Do you want fries with that?" goes to show you how many actors, singers, dancers, etc must do many things they don't want to do just to continue to pursue their dream. I say to them, never give up!!

I just wished that every actor and every singer who has a pay-the-bills job like serving the McRib to my manager at the local McDonald's or driving a cab in Manhattan, that they realize this pay-the-bills job is also an opportunity to build their character and become a better person by embracing the uncomfortable present situation they find themselves in. I know first hand how it would be much easier to rebel and walk away from it. I know because I have been in that situation before. Whenever I completed one of those pay-the-bills job I always felt a little prouder about myself for completing it.

Although I am far from the ultimate success I want to have as a recording artist, as the modest success has started coming my way I honestly can say that I am thankful for the many times I have been humbled. It has indeed made me a much better singer, actress and all around better person in the long run.  And although maybe I did not know it at the time, perhaps I made a difference in someone else's life and I had no idea I was doing it. That is really the definition of  living the dream to me.

Blessings,

Ava

xox

Photo Courtesy of Michael Yarish, FOX TV