Rob Thomas released his second solo album, Cradlesong, this week and I’m not sure it’s going to do as well as his first effort, …Something to Be, but he’s off to a pretty strong start.  

His first single is “Her Diamonds” and I think it’s an odd enough sounding song on the recorded version so I was curious about how it would turn out during a live performance.

Rob pulled it off pretty well (I’m always impressed by those people who can sound relatively decent outdoors at 8am).  I am sure it was a lot of fun for him too since the audience seemed to be feeling pretty festive with the Fourth of July coming up tomorrow.

I’m still not a huge fan of the single but if you love it, you’ll want to check out this video:

image: Amazon

I love being adventurous in the kitchen and when I’m low on food, I have to get creative to feed my family of five.  Sometimes it comes out great and I’ve discovered a new meal to add to my repertoire and other times it’s a horrible disaster. 

On the Today show, they listed the following kitchen staples: lemons, mayo, olive/peanut/sesame oil, butter, rice, pasta, onions, red pepper flakes, garlic, soy sauce, sugar, parmesan cheese and dried herbs.  Of course, this is just a basic list of items that you should have on hand.  If you wanted to make a specific dish, you would need to get those supplies.

For the set of meals prepared during the segment, they needed:  bacon, chicken breast, Udon noodles, bread, shrimp, mushrooms, tomatoes, asparagus, ginger and spinach.  The dishes they made included a delicious looking “bacon, spinach, bread crumb pasta.”  I seriously want to make that tonight!

Today show host, Matt Lauer, interviewed Michael Jackson’s older brother, Jermaine Jackson, this morning and was given a rare behind-the-scene glimpse of Jackson’s beloved Neverland Ranch.

It was a very emotional discussion, of course, with Jermaine speaking candidly about his brother’s death a week ago today.

He recalled how he learned about the tragic news: “She was crying, saying he was dead. To hear my mother say, ‘Michael is dead,’ to feel and hear the tone in her voice to say her child is dead, is nothing that anyone can ever imagine.  I tried to console her but I wanted to see Michael and I wanted to see my brother. To see him there lifeless and breathless was very emotional for me. But I held myself together because I knew he’s very much alive in his spirit, and that was just a shell. But I kissed him on his forehead, and I hugged him, and I touched him and I said Michael, ‘I’ll never leave you. You’ll never leave me.’”

Even more heartwrenching was what he said next:  “I don’t know how people are going to take this, but I wish it was me.  I’ve always felt that I was his backbone; someone to — someone to be there for him.”

I’ve been wondering how Michael’s three children have been coping.  On that subject, Jermaine said that they took the kids to see Michael after he had died: “I know it’s tough, but I think it was the best thing to do. At first I was against it, but what do you say if you don’t show them?”

The children a currently in the care of Michael’s mother, Katharine, which would have been his wishes, according to his will.  Jermaine said: “I thought it was a great will because the children are fine, my mother’s the perfect person to be there, and it’s definitely him.”

He also led Lauer around the massive grounds of Neverland Ranch.

Jermain also spoke of his brother’s strength: “Michael has always been a person who was against anything like that. But I’m not saying it’s right, because it’s not right, but in this business the pressures and things that you go through, you never know what one turn(s) to.”

While funeral plans are still being made, Jermaine did comment on the speculation that Michael could be buried at Neverland: “This is his home. He created this. Why wouldn’t he be here?”

Watch the interview:

SEE MORE PICTURES OF NEVERLAND RANCH AFTER THE JUMP!

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I really love pizza but heating an oven to bake one (if you don’t want to order take-out) can make the hot summer nights unbearable.  I’ve always wondered if I could just throw my pizza on the grill. 

Chef Mario Batali demonstrated his techniques for making pizza with your backyard grill.  When I was growing up, I loved the taste of pizza baked in a wood burning oven so I’m curious about whether this will come out with that same smoky flavor (I don’t want it too smoky, though!). 

Unfortunately, Mario cheated a little because he used a wood burning oven but he said it was similar to using a grill.  I was a little disappointed but it was still great to see how he worked the dough and created the pie. 

I really love Thai food so my ears immediately perked up when they had a segment called “A Taste of Thailand” on the Today show.  The flavors are so bold and can range from sweet and sticky to spicy and tender. 

I have to admit that the salad that they made looks good but making it seems a little involved.  I don’t own a mortar and pestle so that would have to be my first purchase if I wanted to make this dish authentically.  If the food is good, though, it’s entirely worth the effort.

Watch the segment – poor Al Roker forgot to grab a drink before he tried the spicy dish!

I really like soup but I find it overwhelming to have a bowl of anything hot in the middle of the summer.  On the Today show, chef Curtis Stone created a gazpacho which is otherwise known as a cold soup.  I will admit that I’ve never tried it but I think, after watching this segment, I might give it a chance.

The best part about this dish (get the recipe on the Today site!) is that it looks fairly easy to make.  It’s also fairly healthy since it’s filled with nutritious ingredients like red bell pepper, cucumber and tomatoes.  I haven’t ever had those foods together but now I’m really curious about how it would taste (especially with cumin and coriander in it!).

Watch the segment here (Kathie Lee drinks vinegar!):

As the mother of a teenage girl, I’m horrified by the trend I’m seeing – women are getting plastic surgery at a younger age than ever before.  Teens are changing their bodies before they fully develop physically or emotionally.  How can that be a good decision? 

On the Today show, one doctor admitted to working on teens between the ages of 14-19 but says that he has had kids as young as 12 seeking his services.  That is so incredibly sad to me.  The most common procedures include having nose jobs, breast reductions (boys and girls), liposuction and ears being pinned back. 

What message are we sending to our youth today that would lead to a 180% increase in plastic surgery among teens from 2003 to 2008?  I know that some people argue that being unhappy with your body can lead to low self-esteem but the teenage years are often filled with emotional turmoil so who is to say that, as an adult, that same child wouldn’t love how they look? 

What do you think?  Should teens get plastic surgery?  Watch the segment:

If you’re like me, you probably like to have a few days’ notice to prepare for guests.  When people show up unannounced I always feel frazzled.  I like to lounge in my pyjamas when no one is visiting and, while I like to keep a clean house, I usually tidy up a bit (or a lot!) if I’m having people over.  Those things are frustrating but I think that the only thing worse than unexpected guests is figuring out how to feed them! 

On the Today show, they provided some tips for keeping those surprise visitors from starving!  They created the following dishes:

• Classic pesto
• Tomato and mozzarella salad
• Grilled vegetables

Traveling can be a lot of fun whether you plan a solo trip or go with a group of your friends or family.  The fun can quickly end, however, if someone gets sick.  I think laying in a bed feeling terrible while you’re supposed to be on vacation is one of the most unfortunate things that can happen to a person.  There are steps you can take to avoid getting sick. 

Frequent handwashing/using hand sanitizer and avoiding crowds during cold and flu season are common suggestions but the Today show took it a step further – the did an overview of some of the germiest tourist attractions in the world.

1. Blarney Stone, Blarney, Ireland
2. Wall of Gum, Seattle, Washington
3. Oscar Wilde’s Tomb, Paris, France
4. St. Mark’s Square, Venice, Italy
5. Grauman’s Chinese Theater, Hollywood, California

Watch the video of Hoda Hotb reviewing the bacteria hotspots:

This video of Shia LaBeouf on the Today show is so amazing that I haven’t stopped smiling since I saw it.  Not only does Shia come off looking like an incredible gentleman but I think this gave hope to every fan in the world.

A young woman named Samantha was given the opportunity of a lifetime – this morning, Matt Lauer put in a good word for her and she was allowed to bring coffee in to the Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen star who was being interviewed by Meredith Vieira.  When she brought up the fan, LaBeouf said "I like Samantha a lot. She seems like a real special person. I would love to meet her – is she here?"

While the extremely excited girl stood in front of him he said: "You look great" and asked if she was wearing a "say nice things to Shia outfit.”  Her honest reply:  "I’ve been planning this all week… and I bought this [points to her floral skirt] … I can’t believe this!"

Things got really interesting when she asked” “what kind of girl are you interested in – honestly. Just be honest."   He replied: ‘All kinds" and then later asked "what are you doing the rest of the day? My day is boring."

If you’ve ever had a celebrity crush and daydreamed about meeting them, you MUST watch this video.  It seriously made my morning.  Now all I’ve got to do is figure out how to meet Jordan Knight from the New Kids on the Block…