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Plastic Surgery Blog Day - 1 What they Don't Tell You and Never Will

It's been a few years now since I had a breast reduction that went awry. A few years later I wrote an article about Plastic Surgery. Many have asked me to share my story, but the courage to relieve the painful moments seemed less helpful than harmful.

However, with the incredible surge into the cosmetic surgery realm of today's population, and clinics popping up all over the world, including "Cosmetic Surgery Vacation" package deals, I am thinking less of myself and more about the people who saunter off to have a procedure that could alter their life in a great way, but may also alter it in a way they never expected.

Cosmetic / Plastic Surgery seems to be a new playbill for the latest blockbuster movie and no one is thinking about the after affects.The risks are spelled out, at least the most common ones, but they are rattled off in such a cavalier way that it's almost like one of those drug commercials on television that everyone laughs at. 'Oh take this and by the way, you may get this, that and the other thing.'

It becomes part of the wallpaper backdrop and not much attention is paid to the warnings. However, even with the warnings, nothing can prepare you for what really happens and no one will ever tell you how it really works, until now. I am going to explain what happened to me so that if you are deciding this is something for you, you will know what it's like and be informed.

This will not be something I will edit and re-read to make it easier on the eye. Use it as a warning that any Plastic or Cosmetic Surgery or procedure is a very serious one and while it may be a wonderful thing for most, for some, it's a very painful and long journey. Whatever path you chose, please always make sure that you get references and that your surgeon is certified with the proper boards.

If I had known what I know now, I could have saved years of "redo" surgery, pain and suffering and financial devastation and instead had the "Rolls Royce" of surgeons, stayed in the finest hotels for months at a time with an army of people to help me and I would still have never spent half of the money I did going through my insurance company for a required "cosmetic procedure."

The first warning I want to say to you is, if you are given a piece of paper to sign that says something to the affect of, 'not all surgeries go as planned and results may vary. We aren't perfect. Should any touch-ups need to be done, a reduced surgeon's fee can be negotiated.'I have received that at two of the three offices I visited to fix the problems that occurred with my first breast reduction. I thought they were being cautious and nice.

However, every single time, something went wrong and I had to pay for more and more surgery. Finally a few years back I gave up and left myself feeling and looking deformed and in pain because I could not handle any more surgery psychically or financially. I actually developed adrenal failure due to all the back-to-back surgery repair emergencies.

When I finally had the courage last year to visit a specialist in the area of Cosmetic Surgery who was recommended by a high trained nurse, there was no form with anything like that on it to sign and he got it right the first time.The warning:  It may seem very nice that they are giving you a form that states they will reduce their surgeon fee, but then again, most doctors will waive their fees without that form.

They will redo it for free. If they are giving you a form like that to sign, it's a clear statement to me that says think hard before you let this person touch you.  If this doctor already knows there will be a problem, most likely the doctor is used to problems after surgeries. I even had one doctor tell me that 90% of what he did was fix-it work.

I thought he meant fixing problems from other surgeons. I checked his qualifications (being an expert by then) and he was board certified. What I didn't know is that while he was excellent at some surgeries, he was not a breast specialist and he was not in Los Angeles. Several years and surgeries later I left his table destroyed. I kept saying to myself, I can't afford to pay another surgeon to fix my breasts again and he is going to do the surgery with no charge, I only have to pay for his surgery center.

Wrong! I ended up paying a lot more money than if I had found someone who could have done it right the first time.So on with the blog. I am basically going to take clips from my actual written diaries and post them I don't want to re-read them, they are too painful. So you will have to put up with the ranting, poorly written sentence structures and grammar.

A note about Plastic / Cosmetic Surgeons. When looking for a plastic surgeon, I think it's best to seek out a top name doctor in Los Angeles. Why? The sheer volume they do. Seek s specialist, not a one guy does it all. A great chef gave me some great advice when I was a waitress about the menu.

You can go to a restraint that lists every type of food style so that everyone's needs are met, but what chef can make all foods great? Not many. Most likely most of the food in that restaurant will be just okay, and no wow! He told me that if a Chef can make great Italian food and okay Mexican food, they may not make a very good sushi chef. Maybe they can make a fantastic b-b-q but they also have Szechwan on the menu, it probably won't be great.

So if you are getting your breasts reduced or enlarged, go to someone who specializes in that. If you want your nose fixed, go to someone who specializes just in noses. The job will be done much better and ultimately for a lot less money.

Sanjaya, American Idol and an Accurate Tally of Votes

Okay…you don’t like Sanjaya (phonetic Sen Jah Yah). You think he’s tone-deaf and how can he still be in the running for the “next” American Idol? Normally I agree on this point. However, this past week, he pulled off a good performance and the song was actually a perfect match for him. Pitchy? Yes. Stylized? Of course. That’s what American Idol is all about. Can Britney Spears sing better than Christina Aguilera? It’s not so much about talent, as it is about putting on a show and he was in full character.

 Do I think he should have beat out Stephanie Edwards? NO! But he did. Let’s face it. American Idol is a great platform for talent or the “not” so talented. Look at William Hung. They guy can’t sing many notes that aren’t fixed in the mix, but he has sold hundreds of thousands of copies of his music.

Why? Because it’s not about talent, but about the show and the public perception of the show. So I say, go for it Sanjaya! Get your lick in and hopefully you can pull it off. Do I think he deserves the title of the “Next American Idol?” My vote is on Melinda Doolittle. But it’s all about popularity and who can make the most phone calls.

Now, if American Idol wanted to really make votes count and get the real deal on who America votes for, why not only allow one vote per phone number period.

Anna Nicole Smith

Anna Nicole Smith was larger than life and definitely a pop culture icon. Her sudden and untimely death at the age of 39, leaves many questions to be answered and is most certainly a tragic tale of epic proportions. No one could write a script like this one.

At this point, the most important thing to remember is that Anna Nicole had a baby daughter who is now motherless and that Anna Nicole Smith was a person. Why can't anyone remember that she is dead and that's final, please leave her and her family alone and let them grieve. Have some respect for her in death, even if there was no respect for her in life.

What more can society and the media do to her? She was her own worst enemy and nothing more needs to be said. Why can't the media find something to celebrate about who Anna Nicole Smith was as a person and bring that to light? I know people love to watch a train wreck, but please leave it alone.

Why must those who have died be drug through the mud? Let her rest in peace. Please! Everything that is written about her from this point on will be read ravenously by her daughter when she is old enough to question why her mother died. Please let her daughter have a wonderful glimpse into her mother life and not the tragic figure of a woman who was her mother!

It's time to turn our way of thinking around. Stop focusing on the negative and begin to celebrate and focus on the positive. There's already too much sadness in the world, why perpetuate it?

American Idol - Too Much of a Bad Thing

American Idol premiered this season with high expectations from the audience and critics as well as record setting ratings. Despite all the fan fair and funny moments, American Idol had too much of a bad thing this year, humiliating people beyond what is tolerable.

Paula Abdul was her usual tactful self, offering a lot of encouragement to music industry hopefuls and Randy Jackson remained calm despite some obvious flaws in performance techniques to say the least, but Simon Cowell was his usual tactless self (part of the shows appeal).

While this "judge" can't help but wonder if many of those "real" performances were attempts to gain one minutes worth of fame, some of the wise cracks about the physical appearance of American Idol hopefuls by Simon, were downright rude and uncalled for.

To Simon's defense, he did show incredible tact and reserve with other less fortunate talent imitators, as well as a lot of reserve when the Taylor Hicks wannabe approached him to fix his hair. Win or lose, the world can't get enough of American Idol, and I am one of those who will watch with baited breath.

American Idol

When American Idol premiered in 2001, it literally changed the face of the music industry. American Idol made the public realize their voice counted and they could choose who would be the next super-star.

It was no coincidence when around that time, Indie labels and digital download sites such as iTunes and Rhapsody began to dominate sales. No longer did the public need to rely on traditional radio and brick and mortar music stores to supply them with new music. This has caused great concern inside the major record label companies.

Will major-labels recover? They might. Nevertheless, the labels know they need to revamp their systems and start looking at their talent and audiences in a new way if they want to stop being dinosaurs. I wonder when they will have a reality show that looks for the next big music executive to replace the one who passed over the latest Internet super-stars. Donald Trump has The Apprentice, perhaps I should host a show called, The Next Star Maker.

Pay For Play - Latest Payola Scandal

Pay-for-Play, otherwise known as payola, was a common practice until it was banned decades ago. Nevertheless, the practice has been alive and well in the music industry. By using a third-party loophole, otherwise known as an independent music promoter, music industry executives have been able to fly under the government's radar until recently.

The cost of being detected? Millions and millions of dollars and many music executives jobs (not to mention the reputation of many artists who fell under the payola umbrella). The latest payola scandal has been settled, with Entercom agreeing to fork out $4.25 million as well as making a number of changes in their procedures. This leads to the ever-growing question looming on the minds of the music industry: Behind the curtains, whose head will be lopped off next for subsequently causing a scandal that rocks the music world?

American Idol Season Premiere

American Idol is set to premier its latest season on Fox, January 16th at 8 PM. With over 100,000 people who auditioned for this season, the feverous pitch that began several years ago when Kelly Clarkson reigned hasn't stopped. Who will be this year's winner? In the past, the winners circle has been dominated by women (only two men have won in prior years). Whether it's a man or a woman, it's sure to be an interesting time.

The Re-birth of CBS Records

CBS Corp. announced it would give new life to the retired record label, CBS Records. Larry Jenkins will be a consultant for the label during its first days. The newly fashioned record label will primarily offer their artists music via digital download.

If sales are good, they will make physical CDs for sale later. The first three artists signed by CBS Records are: Will Daley, P.J. Olsson and Señor Happy. It looks like a large amount of media exposure for the newly signed artists will come from CBS Television and through digital distribution.

CBS has assured the other record labels that they will continue to broadcast their music on CBS programs during the day.

49th Annual Grammy Awards

The 49th Annual Grammy Award nominees have been announced and Mary J. Blige is leading the pack. With eight nods under her belt this year, if she wins them all, she could set a record. All the ballots have been turned in and the polls are closed. Because ballots are tabulated in secrecy, and the information is more secure than the Pentagon, it's anybody's guess who the winners are.

The awards ceremony will be held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA and televised on CBS, February 11 from 8 - 11:30 PM (PST / EST).Other nominees include: While many artists and bands were nominated for a Grammy this year, several artists and bands were nominated for multiple Grammy's. Those with the most nods.A drum roll please.this year the artists with the most nominations at the 49th Annual Grammy Award are:

Eight nods
Mary J. Blige

Six nods
The Red Hot Chili Peppers

Five Nods
James Blunt
The Dixie Chicks
John Mayer
Danger Mouse
Prince
Rick Rubin
will.i.am

Four Nods
Beyoncé
Bryan-Michael Cox
Gnarls Barkley
Israel Houghton
Ludacris
T.I.
Justin Timberlake
John Williams

Sing with Justin Timberlake at the Grammy Awards!

If you've ever dreamed of attending the Grammy's and being on stage, here's your chance. According to Justin Timberlake's site, you have a shot at singing with him at the 49th Annual Grammy Awards:

"Win a Chance To Perform With Justin At the Grammy Awards
The Recording Academy has announced "My GRAMMY Moment," a historic opportunity for unsigned artists to vie for a performance with Justin on the 49th Annual GRAMMY Awards. Justin will culminate his recent involvement with the GRAMMY Foundation's music education initiatives by performing live on the GRAMMY Awards in a special segment with the unsigned artist that fans choose online at Yahoo! Music, the official online partner of the GRAMMY Awards. Click here for more details and to enter!"

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"Jaci Rae is a one-women power house. She's had great success as an author, musician, radio show host and more. In her Book "The Indie Guide to Music, Marketing and Money" she reveals everything she's learned in her colorful career - from recording and running a music business to publicity, promotion and sales.

A great primer on the music biz from an insider who has been there and done it on her own terms!" - Bob Baker, author of "Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook" www.musicmarketingbooks.com

"Jaci Rae is a one-women power house. She's had great success as an author, musician, radio show host and more. In her Book "The Indie Guide to Music, Marketing and Money" she reveals everything she's learned in her colorful career - from recording and running a music business to publicity, promotion and sales. A great primer on the music biz from an insider who has been there and done it on her own terms!"

Bob Baker, author of "Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook" www.musicmarketingbooks.com"
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"If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it, did it make a sound? If you make music and nobody hears it, did it make a difference? So you love to make music.

If that music is made out of inspiration, then it's going to move others. But to get your music to others you need a plan.

I've been successful in the music business for 40 years, and I can tell you that Jaci's book The Indie Guide To Music, Marketing and Money gives you that plan. You won't need to figure it out by trial and error. Now it's up to you to follow that plan and successfully spread your music."

Dennis Marcellino
Of Sly & The Family Stone, The Elvin Bishop Group, and The Tokens. www.DennisMarcellino.com

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Elisabeth Carlisle - Former A&M artist www.glacierrecords.com

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The Indie Guide to Music, Marketing and Money is a book designed to help the indie artist navigate through the shark infested waters of the music business.  While most artists concentrate solely on the creative aspects of their career, they typically are unaware and/or unprepared for the business and marketing side of show business.

In the highly competitive world of the music industry, it is never wise to sail alone.  Equipping yourself with the necessary resources can ensure safe passage through the often rough waters of show business, and lead the aspiring musician straight to musical success.

Putting on a show is important; learning the business is imperative.  This book will provide the struggling artist with everything they need to pilot and navigate their own course towards musical victory without American Idol, Nashville Star or other reality based shows. 

Your Ultimate Guide to Indie / DIY Music Success 2006

The independent / DIY revolution is here and the time for indie musician has arrived! Are you ready to make music And make money?

Marketing is the key! Learn how to market your music effectively, making an impact And make money with the most up-to-date techniques.

• Blogging
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And much much more! Read sections of the book throughout this page!

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REVIEWERS

http://www.muzikreviews.com
http://www.billboard.com/billboard/index.jsp
http://www.cmj.com/

MUSIC INDUSTRY CONTACTS

http://www.artistdirect.com/
http://www.musicianassist.com

COLLEGE RADIO STATIONS
PD = PROGRAM DIRECTOR MD = MUSIC DIRECTOR
Note: We have not included PDs and MDs in the College section because of the vast amount each college has for each style of music. Please be sure to call them to verify which department head your music goes to.

ALABAMA

Auburn University
WEGL 91.1 FM
116 Foy Union Bldg.
Auburn, AL 36849
334-844-4114
334-844-4118
wegl@auburn.edu
http://wegl.auburn.edu
genres: Alt, Underground, Jazz, Blues, World, CCM

Jacksonville State
WLJS 91.9 FM
700 Pelham Rd. N
Jacksonville, AL 36265
256-782-5572
256-782-5645
radio92@hotrnail.com

RECORD LABELS

Interscope - Geffen – A&M part of Universal Blanket
2220 Colorado Ave.
Santa Monica, CA 90404
310-865-1000
310-865-6270
www.amrecords.com
contact: Ron Fair, President 310-865-6272
contact: A&R 888-181-777-1000 Universal Music
They are no longer allowed to give out A&R personnel information.
genres: They accept all music

MANAGERS

Avenue Management Group
276 5th Ave., Ste. 507
New York, NY 10001
646-424-1600
646-424-1680
thewolf191@aol.com
contact: Bruce Garfield ext 2
contact: Peter Durando ext 1
contact: Glenn Stone ext 3

The Indie Guide to Music, Marketing and Money is the World's Most trusted Indie Music Resource!

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FILM AND TELEVISION CONTACTS

lml Trax
125 5th Ave., Ste. 4N
New York, NY 10003
212-673-5200
212-539-0290
info@lm1.com
www.1m1.com
contact: Linda Cohen

Alr-Edel Associates
18 Rodmarton St.
London, England WI U 8BJ UK
44 207 4866466
air-edel@air-edel.co.uk
www.air-edel.co.uk
contact: Matt Biffa

BOOKING AGENCIES

Artist Representation & Management
1257 Arcade St
Saint Paul, MN 55106
651-483-8754
651-776-6338
www.armentertainment.com
contact: John Domagall
jd@armentertainment.com
genres: Rock, Country, Blues

CONFERENCES

Canadian Music Week
5355 Vail Ct
Mississauga, ON L5M 6G9 Canada
905-858-4747
905-858-4848
info@cmw.ne
ndixon@cmw.net
www.cmw.net
contact: Neill Dixon
genres: All styles

TOP MUSIC PRODUCERS

Andre Young / Dr. Dre Aftermath
2220 these are in the book, we cannot list them here
Santa Monica CA, 90404
310 the rest of the # is in the book, we cannot list it here
310 these are in the book, we cannot list them here
credits: Dr. Dre, Ice Cube Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Nas

RECORD POOLS

4 STAR RECORD POOL
Timothy Butler (DJ Jazzy T) - Pool Director
5291 Mohican Way
Antioch, CA 94531 USA
925-754-6840
925-754-6841
tbutler@4starrecordpool.com
www.4starrecordpool.com
60 DJ Members
Music Formats: URBAN Music and DANCE Music
Service Allotment Requirements: 60 on 12" Record For URBAN
Service Allotment Requirements: 20 on 12" Record For DANCE

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