Bright Star

Ben Whishaw and Abbie Cornish star as John Keats and Fanny Whishaw in Jane Campions s "Bright Star." (Image courtesy Apparition)

According to the FreeDictionary.Org., which is where I started today's blog because I'm Greek and too cheap to go to ExpensiveDictionary.Org. to look up the various meanings to the words bright and star.

I did this because, well I'm bored and I'm on a road trip to Florida. I'm traveling with my aunt and her cat and she's making me all itchy.  The cat, not my aunt is making me itchy. I'm allergic to cats. And my manager Mr. Bricks texted me that he got an email from some hot shot TV executive in Hollywood who said that he thought I was a "bright star."  My blonde must be showing, because I really have no idea if that was good or bad.

So as we drove down the East Coast in bumper-to-bumper traffic I was googling the words bright and star to see if it was compliment or an insult. It sounds very positive, but then again so does the term, short bus - and I know better on that one. I give as much of my spare time to any and all people who have ever been teased about riding to school on a short bus. In support of my special friends, I recently told Mr. Bricks that my next tour bus is going to be a short bus.

So here is what discovery my iPhone google search yielded:

Bright

ADJECTIVE (10)

1. emitting or reflecting light readily or in large amounts;
- Example: "the sun was bright and hot"
- Example: "a bright sunlit room"

2. having striking color;
- Example: "bright dress"
- Example: "brilliant tapestries"
- Example: "a bird with vivid plumage"
[syn: bright, brilliant, vivid]

3. characterized by quickness and ease in learning;
- Example: "some children are brighter in one subject than another"
- Example: "smart children talk earlier than the average"
[syn: bright, smart]

4. having lots of light either natural or artificial;
- Example: "the room was bright and airy"
- Example: "a stage bright with spotlights"

5. made smooth and bright by or as if by rubbing; reflecting a sheen or glow;
- Example: "bright silver candlesticks"
- Example: "a burnished brass knocker"
- Example: "she brushed her hair until it fell in lustrous auburn waves"
- Example: "rows of shining glasses"
- Example: "shiny black patents"
[syn: bright, burnished, lustrous, shining, shiny]

6. splendid;
- Example: "the bright stars of stage and screen"
- Example: "a bright moment in history"
- Example: "the bright pageantry of court"

7. not made dim or less bright;
- Example: "undimmed headlights"
- Example: "surprisingly the curtain started to rise while the houselights were still undimmed"
[syn: undimmed, bright]

8. clear and sharp and ringing;
- Example: "the bright sound of the trumpet section"
- Example: "the brilliant sound of the trumpets"
[syn: bright, brilliant]

9. characterized by happiness or gladness;
- Example: "bright faces"
- Example: "all the world seems bright and gay"

10. full or promise;
- Example: "had a bright future in publishing"
- Example: "the scandal threatened an abrupt end to a promising political career"
- Example: "a hopeful new singer on Broadway"
[syn: bright, hopeful, promising]

STAR

1.

a. A self-luminous celestial body consisting of a mass of gas held together by its own gravity in which the energy generated by nuclear reactions in the interior is balanced by the outflow of energy to the surface, and the inward-directed gravitational forces are balanced by the outward-directed gas and radiation pressures.

b. Any of the celestial bodies visible at night from Earth as relatively stationary, usually twinkling points of light.

c. Something regarded as resembling such a celestial body.

2. A graphic design having five or more radiating points, often used as a symbol of rank or merit.

3.

a. An artistic performer or athlete whose leading role or superior performance is acknowledged.

b. One who is highly celebrated in a field or profession.

4.

a. An asterisk (*).

b. The star key on a telephone: For customer service, press star.

5. A white spot on the forehead of a horse.

6. A planet or constellation of the zodiac believed in astrology to influence personal destiny.

7. stars The future; destiny. Often used with the.

adj.

1. Outstanding or famous, especially in performing something: a star researcher; a star figure skater.

2. Of or relating to a star or stars.

So over all I think it was a compliment, unless of course you used and the #8 definition of Bright and combined it with the #5 definition of Star, then I would be A Bright white spot in the shape of a trumpet on the forehead of a horse. Then that would not be a compliment.

or  #9 definition of Bright combined with #1a definition of Star - I would have a nice bright face, but be full of gas. Then I would be Mr. Bricks.

Blessings,

Ava

xox

How Many Blondes Does It Take To Write A Blog?

Ava Aston:  Greek Blonde Recording Artist & Blogger

Yesterday after posting the picture of me and the UFO, I was sent the following blonde joke:

Q: What is the difference between a smart blonde and a UFO?
A: There have been sightings of UFOs.

Hardy, har, har.  Somewhere along the line blonde girls became the butt of jokes. I know, because I have heard them all. I decided to tackle this subject matter and get to the bottom of it. So, consider me the newly self-appointed Greek Blonde Czar.

It all can be traced back to the year 1775.  In 1775 in Europe there was a play titled, Les curiosites de la Foire that satirized a French court socialite Rosalie Duthie, who had a habit of pausing a long time before speaking, appearing not only stupid but literally dumb (you know, like deaf, dumb and unable to speak) From that came the term Dumb Blonde.

So you guys out there  have some splainin' to do because you can't have it both ways - just sayin'. Throughout time, blonde haired women have been considered attractive and desirable. OK, so you guys like us blondes. I guess so and that is where  the saying, blondes have more fun comes from. Not sure I have ever heard someone say, "Gingers have more fun" --again, just sayin.'

But on the other hand when you guys are in the locker room, out on the golf course or out drinking with your buddies you start talking smack about us blonde chicks. Saying things like we are as dumb as a rock, or that we make little use of our own brain cells or my all time favorite... How many blondes does it take to change a light bulb? Only one. She just stands there, holding the bulb, and the whole world revolves around her.  It is funny because considering most blondes are not "true blondes", who is the one using brain cells in making a statement like that? Just because a girl has blonde hair does not mean she is a bimbo. The notion that blondes are less serious-minded and less intelligent than brunettes, is reflected in all of those blonde jokes you can find all over the internet. Example:

Q: What do you call a swimming pool full of blondes?
A: Frosted Flakes.

Some people don't think I am really Greek because I am blonde haired and blue-eyed. Hello, who founded Greece and most of Europe - Vikings and other Scandinavians. The Vikings also inhabited Scotland and they also invaded England from France. So all sorts of Muckery happened in the gene pool in Europe when that happened. As a result though, blonde hair has been considered attractive for long periods of time in various European cultures, particularly when coupled with blue eyes. This perception is exploited in pop culture and also in advertising throughout the world.

No one took more advantage of the stereotype of the blonde than actress Marilyn Monroe. In Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Marilyn explored the ideas of a blonde woman's appeal. In the film Marilyn played the blonde and actress Jane Russell played her wise brunette friend. The Encyclopedia of Hair describes Monroe's role as that of "a fragile woman who relied rather on her looks rather than on intelligence - what some people refer to as a  'dumb blonde'.  And when she was once asked why she pretends to be dumb, she answers that men prefer her this way. Pop singer Madonna emulated Marilyn Monroe in the early part of her music career. In fact her third tour was called the Blonde Ambition Tour.

In many films they cast a blonde actress to play a stereotypical "dumb blondes" role. Goldie Hawn nails that type of role every time. In the TV series Three's Company the blonde girl  Chrissy (originally played by Suzanne Somers) was dumb, while the brunette Janet played by Joyce DeWitt was smart.

Here's another Dumb Blonde Joke:

How to keep a dumb blonde occupied for hours:
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In my career I am going against type casting where the blonde is dumb and the brunette is smart. See, I am the one with blonde hair and the smart one and my manger Mr. Bricks is the dumb one with brunette hair....well the few hairs that are left on his head. So for the record, I may be blonde -- but I am also smart!

Blessings,

Ava

xox

Image of Ava Aston copyright © 2011 Ava Aston. All Rights Reserved.

I Saw My First UFO Today

UFO captured in photo of recording artist Ava Aston

As I approach writing my 200th blog (yea me) I was going through some photos that I thought I could use to accentuate my writing. Maybe I was just being a lazy Greek girl today, but I figured that if a picture is worth a 1,000 words so why couldn't I post a picture today and call it good?

But it couldn't just be any picture. It must be a picture that gets people talking. A picture that makes a blog go viral. Maybe a picture of me and a furry animal? Wait, I recently posted a photo of me and the abandoned donkey, so I needed something else. I'm a good Greek girl so posting a picture of me prancing around in my underpants wasn't an option. If I have said it here once, I have said it a thousand times - I am not a Kardashian! They are Armenian and I am Greek. Other than the hair color, the biggest difference is in the genes - jeans. I keep mine on for photo shoots and they take them off - just sayin'.

Posting a picture instead of writing for your blog is not a bad thing. I have seen many amazing blogs that post a picture and call it good.  I would like to recommend and give a shout out to my new blog friend, Frizztext who does that very successfully. His post of a dog sitting on a sofa ignoring all of the cat photos around him is my favorite! You can see Frizztext's blog here: Frizztext blog

I titled my blog "I Saw My First UFO Today" because in my coconut it is just as important to have a really cool title as it is having an amazing photo and/or amazing words.

Blessings,

Ava

xox

Ava Wants Lasagna

Merry Christmas! Welcome to the Yuletide episode of the Saturday Morning Cartoons.

Enjoy!

Seasons Greetings,

Ava

xox

Today is the last day to get the bonus buy on my CD's. Click on the  banner ad below to check it out.

Melancholy

I'm kinda feeling a little melancholy as I sit here writing and addressing my Christmas cards. The fireplace is crackling and filling the room with warmth and the smell of freshly split pine. Jingle Bell Rock and other Christmas tunes fill the house with the proper sounds to keep me in the spirit of the season. My four little doggies are slumbering at my feet with visions of rawhide bones dancing in their little Pekingese noggin. The aroma of freshly baked cookies is coming from the kitchen... well ok, I lied. Not so much on the cookie smell, since I don't bake and there is actually no yummo freshly baked cookie smell in the house. But the rest of the sights and smells have me in this very melancholy mood.

Before I named my post Melancholy, I decided to makes sure I was using the word correctly. It appears I have a large following of school teachers who are keeping me on a very short leash grammatically. I should be offended, but I'm not. I know they just want me to look my best on my blog. Although I must admit that sometimes when I get an email from them correcting me, I do feel like I've been sent to the principal's office - just sayin'.

So I looked it up at dictionary.com and this is their definition of melancholy:

mel·an·chol·y

[mel-uhn-kol-ee] plural -chol·ies, adjective

–noun
1. a gloomy state of mind, esp. when habitual or prolonged;depression.
2. sober thoughtfulness; pensiveness.
3.Archaic .
a. the condition of having too much black bile, considered in ancient and medieval medicine to cause gloominess and depression.
b. black bile.
Ewww...OK, not sure what the color of my bile has to do with feeling a little depressed -- but I will just roll with it because, well, because I'm feeling melancholy. See how this melancholy thingy works? Oops... the teachers don't like me using the word thingy -- Sorry. My bad.

So we're down to the last couple of weeks of 2010 and I always hate to see the year end because I know there are always things I wanted to do but just never got around to it.

On the other hand I had some tremendous things present themselves to me this year giving me opportunities that I could have never dreamed of happening. When I was sharing this with my manager Mr. Brick's yesterday he said, "I know what you mean Ava." Mr. Bricks went on to say, "In my wildest dreams I never could have imagined that McDonald's would bring back the McRib. It just made me giddy as a young school girl?"

Ok that is just scary to me that a grown man can get giddy as a school girl over a fake processed pork sandwich. There's something just a tick off with him. Mr. Brick's is not right in the head I tell you.

Although I didn't start writing this little blog until October, I'm still feeling melancholy about it because just like with my song writing, I started writing it as a way of expressing myself -- and now I will soon be writing my 75th blog post.

I can reflect fondly over all of the blog stories about my obsession with sneakers, my Greek heritage, Mr. Brick's obsession with McDonald's, my non stop working out, eating healthy, daily 5 mile runs (weather permitting), my acting auditions, my love of Greek diner food, my Cd's sales, The Tea Party Patriots, Punkin, BoBo, Pookie and Itty Bitty, The Kardashians sisters, the pitfalls of living in New York and all of the day-to-day muckery in my life. I know its all good because it allows everyone to log on and read what-a- reality-show-waiting-to-happen my life really is.

So I'm going to spend a little more time sittting here in my melanchony mood and just smile. I realize I am truly a blessed Greek girl and God is an awesome God!

Blessings,

Ava

xox

Here Women Talk

There is something powerful when a bunch of women get together and talk. I am not talking about like the women from "Sex and The City", who when they got together, it was more like boasting and gossiping about their sexual escapades, rather than a bunch of women talking with each other about life in general. I actually would find it rather embarrssing talking about my sex life with my girlfriends. I guess you can tell I am not a Kardashian! So maybe you don't want to keep up with me! I feel somethings should not be open for discussion.

Women can learn a lot when they band together and learn from each other's experiences. That is the whole concept behind, HereWomenTalk (HWT) a fairly new social network for Women. According to the HWT Founder Kay Van Hoesen, it's always been her girlfriends who have kept her grounded. She has said, they are her family and her support. Knowing the importance of girlfriends, Kay created the HereWomenTalk social network as a way to connect, support and inspire each other. I am glad she did!!

HereWomenTalk.com

I actually knew nothing about this social networking site until they approached my manager Mr. Bricks to have one of my songs be the theme song for a new radio talk show they were launching. After checking out the site and finding more about the radio show, it was something that I really, really wanted to do. The more I ventured into it, the more excited I became.

I have met some really neat ladies on the site, including the founder Kay Van Hoesen. Which is pretty cool to think that the person who created it is actually accessible. It's not like Mark Zuckerberg is ever going to accept my friend request on Facebook! But Kay accepted my friend request on HWT and we have been able to share a few spirited posts back and forth. What a neat lady she is. And Kay is a dog lover, so I know she is a class act - Anyone who likes dogs is OK in my book - just sayin.'

The song the site is using is "Gone" from my "Gone" cd, you can listen to the song here. The radio show is called "Time's Up!' and is hosted by Susan Murphy-Milano.

The Time's Up! radio talk show airs Wednesdays at 4pm ET on Here Women Talk broadcast by the Zeus Radio Network or you can play archived podcasts at anytime at the HWT website.

Susan Murphy-Milano is often praised as one of the most dynamic and engaging speakers of our day in the domestic violence prevention field. Her books and strategies are taught world-wide and used by law enforcement, domestic abuse advocates, social workers, attorneys, health care workers, human resource departments and domestic violence agencies.  The comprehensive strategies and escape plans utilized by Susan have been successful and tested by time for over 20 years.

Susan uses humor, passion, and all her years of experience to motivate her radio audience to become more effective first responders, advocates and professionals in their work to stop family violence.

I feel honored that my song "Gone" is being used to help women all over the world find the strength to leave domestic violent situations and move into a safer and more stable environment. As a recording artist, that makes me very proud.

Although primarily designed as a network for women, HWT also welcomes men! Check out HereWomenTalk and listen to Susan Murphy-Milano's show Time's Up! on Wednesdays at 4pm ET  on The Zeus Radio Network.

Have a great day!!!

Blessings,

Ava

xox

You can order your own copy of "Gone" here. It makes a great Christmas present!