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!

Regis Philbin had the day off so Kelly Ripa co-hosted the show yesterday with her husband, Mark Consuelos.  It was hilarious when they talked about their two-week long road trip with their children.  Instead of jet-setting around the world, the pair elected to travel with their three children in a rented minivan. 

When they showed pictures of the kids as they visited a variety of sights on the trip, I seriously cracked up because their oldest son, 12-year-old Michael, refused to smile in any pictures.

Image: INF

Looking back at Oprah Winfrey’s 1993 interview of Michael Jackson is particularly poignant after the King of Pop died last week.  The primetime special begins with voiceovers explaining what Michael Jackson means to the world.  It was touching then and it’s heart wrenching now to watch. 

It was the most revealing look into Jackson’s life at that time and I remember everyone being amazed that he allowed Oprah into his private sanctuary – the 2700 acre Neverland Ranch.  She said that she was expecting to see some llamas roaming around the grounds but, instead, was surprised to find a beautiful home and a library filled with leather-bound books.  I was riveted the first time I saw the interview and I was riveted again as I watched it today. 

Watch Parts 2-4 After The Jump!

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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