http://www.viewpoints.com/aboutme/NikiTaylor Sun, 23 Dec 2007 00:11:19 GMT Reviews by NikiTaylor http://www.viewpoints.com/The-Statler-Brothers-review-812a My mother and grandmother always enjoyed the Statler Brothers, a country music group, and I enjoy them too. Two of them are brothers, and they are not named Statler. They are Harold and Don Reid. The other two are Jimmy Fortune and Phil Balsley. They retired in 2002, but their music lives on in DVDs. I was pleased to find for the first time their DVD "The Best of the Statlers--Favorite Television Moments" especially for my mother. — The Statlers used to have a television show, and the DVD has segments from the show. They sing a few of their classic songs like the "Class of ‘57", and they have skits. Harold is the comedian, and the other three play along. Our favorite part is the gospel songs especially "Church in the Wildwood" and "Noah Found Grace in the Eyes of the Lord". Jimmy especially has a great voice that can hit those high notes. Amazon has a few of their DVDs, and I hope they release more as there can never be enough Statlers. —... Sun, 23 Dec 2007 00:11:19 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/The-Statler-Brothers-review-812a NikiTaylor 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Sister-Act-1992-review-70e30 Whoopi Goldberg is great in Sister Act as lounge singer on the run from the mob who seeks protection as a nun in a convent. While the "fish out of water' aspect of Goldberg's character adjusting to the convent provides plenty of comedy, the music is the star of the movie. The nun choir provides plenty of entertainment as they sing "I Will Follow Him" and other songs. Kathy Najimy is very funny as the perky nun, and Wendy Makkena is adorable as the shy nun. The movie also has a lot of suspense as the mob is on the hunt. — Extras on the DVD include a music video of "If My Sister's in Trouble" by Lady Soul. That is one of the background songs of the movie. There's also an Easter egg which can be found on the Internet. Easter eggs are hidden features on DVDs. Bette Midler was supposed to play the lead role, but Goldberg definitely made the role her own. —... Sat, 22 Dec 2007 23:26:28 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Sister-Act-1992-review-70e30 NikiTaylor 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Lilo-and-Stitch-review-a837 I'm not a child or a parent, but I always enjoy a good Disney movie. I read a good word this week that describes me, a kidult. I fell in love with Lilo and Stitch by watching the Disney Channel, and I had to have the movie on DVD. This is the movie that spawned sequels and a television show. Lilo is a lonely Hawaiian girl being raised by her older sister. She gets what she thinks is a blue dog from a shelter and names him Stitch. Stitch is very violent, but Lilo sees the good in him, and they have adventures set to Elvis songs. — What Lilo doesn't know is Stitch is an alien who has escaped from his planet. After him are alien Gantu and the alien duo of Jumba and Pleakley. Jumba and Pleakley are opposites as Jumba will use any means possible to capture Stitch while Pleakley is more cautious. Besides the Elvis songs, the original songs like "Hawaiian Rollercoaster Ride" are catchy. The cartoon really tries to capture the Hawaiian culture by using the language. The cartoon images... Sat, 22 Dec 2007 20:47:54 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Lilo-and-Stitch-review-a837 NikiTaylor 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/La-Bamba-review-1d212 My favorite movie from 1987 is Dirty Dancing, and the second is La Bamba. I always thought this movie was underrated as it is a terrific telling of Richie Valens' life story. Valens was a rock singer in the 1950s who died in the plane crash with Buddy Holly and The Big Bopper. Lou Diamond Phillips is fantastic as Valens, and Esai Morales is great as his brother. The movie chronicles Valens' rise from migrant worker to rock star. His musical journey is chronicled through songs like "Co On, Let's Go" and of course, "La Bamba". He has a girlfriend named Donna in the movie so there is the song "Oh, Donna". The band Los Lobos really performed the songs. I don't think I'm spoiling anything by saying the ending is one of the saddest I have ever seen. — The DVD gave me something I've wanted to see for twenty years, interviews with the real Valens family including the mother and brother. Their last name is really Valenzuela, but it was changed for Richie's career. Other extras include... Fri, 21 Dec 2007 03:28:42 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/La-Bamba-review-1d212 NikiTaylor 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Grease--135785-review-914c3 With Christmas coming, I have DVD's on the brain especially since Santa might bring me one or two. This DVD is so cool it has a leather jacket cover. It's Grease! The jacket even has the little Grease and T-Birds logos on it. It was the first DVD I bought after I got a DVD player last Christmas. Of course, the songs and actors are great, but the DVD extras add something special. — This is the "Rockin' Rydell Edition". My favorite extra is the Grease 25th anniversary party where most of the cast is there including John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. There are red carpet interviews, and the cast gets on stage to sing songs from the movie. They're older, and the songs are not movie-quality perfect, but it's still fun to watch. There are deleted/extended/alternate scenes, a segment about "Thunder Roadsters"(old cars), and a Rydell Sing-Along where musical moments are shown with the words to the songs beneath them. No matter how many times I watch it, Grease is still the one... Thu, 20 Dec 2007 23:34:20 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Grease--135785-review-914c3 NikiTaylor 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Food-Lion-Parker-House-Style-Yeast-Rolls-review-849a2 You could say I'm on a roll(pun intended) with the grocery store Food Lion. I just reviewed their garlic toast. Now it's their yeast rolls. The rolls are so soft they almost melt in your mouth. They look like a mix between a biscuit and a roll. They're so light it's unbelievable. I remember canned biscuits that were so hard and unappetizing. These yeast rolls are easy to eat and go with any meal. I can easily eat two or three at one meal. Unlike the garlic toast, they don't make a mess. —... Thu, 20 Dec 2007 06:12:04 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Food-Lion-Parker-House-Style-Yeast-Rolls-review-849a2 NikiTaylor 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Food-Lion-Garlic-Toast-review-76ae0 I like garlic toast with my lasagna, and Food Lion Garlic Toast is really good. Food Lion is a grocery store chain. I don't know why it's called toast because it has more of a wedge shape. The hard bread tastes like garlic and butter. Yum. The smell of it is heavenly, but my father disagrees. Something about garlic turns him off. He hasn't even tasted it, just smelled it. He says by the smell, I should rate this negative five stars. Ha! The only thing I don't like is the bread crumbling, but I can deal with the mess for the great taste. —... Thu, 20 Dec 2007 04:10:10 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Food-Lion-Garlic-Toast-review-76ae0 NikiTaylor 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Piggly-Wiggly-Maple-Syrup-review-bf34 Now I just blasted the grocery store Piggly Wiggly for their macaroni and cheese. I'll get back into the Pig's good graces by praising their maple syrup. Whatever brand I was using(if I could remember it, I'd review it!) tasted like cardboard, but the Pig's syrup is great. I enjoy French toast, and it tastes so good with that. It actually tastes like maple syrup and not cardboard. Obviously, Piggly Wiggly has their hits and misses, but this is a hit. —... Wed, 19 Dec 2007 23:44:12 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Piggly-Wiggly-Maple-Syrup-review-bf34 NikiTaylor 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Piggly-Wiggly-Macaroni-and-Cheese-review-b4a12 I enjoy macaroni and cheese, but the Piggly Wiggly kind is not good. Piggly Wiggly is a local grocery store chain. I like mac and cheese to be creamy, but this is sort of dry and tasteless. It's hard to taste the cheese, and the noodles are too small. It is quick to cool off, and when it cools, it clumps together. The best mac and cheese should not only have big, creamy noodles, but it should stay warm. Piggly Wiggly is a great grocery store, but stay away from their mac and cheese! —... Wed, 19 Dec 2007 01:56:25 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Piggly-Wiggly-Macaroni-and-Cheese-review-b4a12 NikiTaylor 1 http://www.viewpoints.com/Chick-Fil-A-Greenville-NC-review-c02c2 You've probably seen the the Chick-Fil-A commercials with the cows asking to be saved and pleading for people to eat more chicken. I'm doing my part to save the cows by enjoying the chicken sandwich. It is a great chick-fil-a(chicken filet) with tender chicken and tasty bread. There are pickles on top, but I always remove them. I'm saving the pickles too! However, I don't save potatoes when I enjoy the waffle potato fries. These fries have fascinated me since childhood with their waffly appearance. Obviously, it doesn't take much to fascinate me. So I've saved cows and pickles but not chicken and potatoes. Two out four ain't bad! —... Tue, 18 Dec 2007 02:40:25 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Chick-Fil-A-Greenville-NC-review-c02c2 NikiTaylor 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/Subway-Greenville-NC-review-060a1 Subway has a variety of offerings, but I always get the hot meatball sub. The website says it is called the Meatball Marinara with a special sauce. I'm a conservative, routine eater and get a sub about once every couple of months. The meatball sub is so good and very filling since it is so big. My mother enjoys the Cold Cut which has everything but the kitchen sink on it. It has turkey, bologna, ham, salami, and vegetables. The Subway employees are fast and always get the order right. My sub is easy to eat since it is packed tightly, and the food doesn't fall out. It also makes a complete meal. I remember the Subway diet. I don't know if the meatball sub qualifies, but since I don't eat it often, I'll allow it. —... Sat, 15 Dec 2007 01:51:42 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Subway-Greenville-NC-review-060a1 NikiTaylor 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Women-on-Writing-review-310f3 This site is for writing women even though I don't think men will get an electric shock if they visit. They have the most colorful newsletters with lots of pictures. The newsletters are full of encouragement and girl power as different female writers provide articles and interviews. Hope Clark from Fundsforwriters.com(I have reviewed that) has a column about her specialties. The newsletters include contests on the site, markets, and blogs. The site is fairly new, but they are proving to be a wonderful resource. New writing sites seem to pop up every day, but this one looks like it's in for the long haul. —... Fri, 14 Dec 2007 00:58:01 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Women-on-Writing-review-310f3 NikiTaylor 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/Writing-World-review-bc474 Writing-world.com is undergoing changes as Moira Allen gives up the website, and Dawn Copeman takes over. If you go to the writing books section in a bookstore, you are likely to see a book by Allen as she has written books about how to be a freelance writer. Newsletters arrive monthly with a message from the editor, writing news, and articles. An interesting section is by Copeman who asks a question about writing and prints reader responses in the next issue. I've had a response published, and I always like to see my name in print! A recent question was "How do you write if you have disabilities?" Copeman is taking over because Allen is devoting herself to fiction. Copeman has proven her abilities on the site, and maybe one day, Allen's novels will be in the bookstores along with her nonfiction books. —... Wed, 12 Dec 2007 05:39:10 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Writing-World-review-bc474 NikiTaylor 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/The-Well-Fed-Writer-review-dc381 The image of the starving writer has always been prevalent, but Peter Bowerman shows on his site that copywriting can keep writers very full. He wrote a book about how to get started in copywriting called The Well-Fed Writer, and his site has the same name. He puts out a monthly newsletter with tips on marketing, success stories, and other things for writers to feast on. — Bowerman is a successful copywriter himself, and he shares how he became a success. Writers, especially fiction writers, have to struggle to be published, but writing marketing materials for companies can be faster and more lucrative. Bowerman not only emphasizes the salary part but also the freedom of being your own boss. Of course, it takes hard work to be a copywriter especially for those who hate to cold call potential clients, but writers with a knack for business may have a feeding frenzy with this. —... Tue, 11 Dec 2007 05:33:48 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/The-Well-Fed-Writer-review-dc381 NikiTaylor 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/Worldwide-Freelance-Writer-review-2f5d1 Worldwidefreelance.com has an international feel as it represents writing markets in different countries. Markets are in Europe, Australia, Canada, and other places. The markets include magazines, newspapers, and publishers. There are free emailed newsletters once a week with a message from the site's owner, markets, and an article. People can pay to subscribe to a market database on the site. This site allows writers to publish in other countries. I've been published in other countries, and there has been a little payment confusion with currency conversion, but with Paypal, it all works out. Publishing competition can be tough in the United States, and it doesn't hurt to branch out. —... Mon, 10 Dec 2007 06:34:26 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Worldwide-Freelance-Writer-review-2f5d1 NikiTaylor 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/The-Practicing-Writer-review-33231 I've been reviewing sites for writers, and this site has a more academic slant. For writers who are interested in academic jobs, residencies, and literary journals, this is the site for you. Erika Driefus runs the site, and her monthly newsletters always have interesting information. The newsletter has an article, contests, submission alerts, and conferences. She also has a blog(doesn't everyone?) where she posts academic writing and books news. Most writing sites tend to be the same with the topics, but featuring academic writing makes the practicing writing site unique. —... Fri, 30 Nov 2007 01:12:39 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/The-Practicing-Writer-review-33231 NikiTaylor 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/Blonde-Faith--141461-review-74661 Blonde Faith by Walter Mosley is the tenth book in the Easy Rawlins series. A book from the series, Devil in a Blue Dress, was made into a movie with Denzel Washington. However, no movie can convey the anguish and despair that Mosley's prose does. Easy Rawlins has been through so much. As an African-American male in Los Angeles in 1967, he still faces prejudice as he deals with whites in his investigations as a private investigator. While his daughter Feather is better after an illness, the resulting loss of his girlfriend Bonnie dogs Easy throughout the book. Loss is familiar to Easy as his wife and child left long ago, and he has no idea where they are. He looks for old friends Raymond "Mouse" Alexander and Christmas Black before somebody kills them. The military, the Vietnam War, and drugs play a part in Easy's latest investigation. — The end of the book is an exciting cliffhanger, and there is speculation Mosley may end the series. I hope he doesn't because Easy is a rare... Thu, 29 Nov 2007 02:51:11 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Blonde-Faith--141461-review-74661 NikiTaylor 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/Mayflower-Restaurant-Winterville-NC-review-ecaa0 Where I live, an hour and a half from the beach, it's nice to go to the coast to get seafood. However, if a trip to the beach isn't possible, there is a local seafood restaurant called The Mayflower that is very good. Even the décor has a nautical look. Outside there is a boat and some nautical-looking things(I guess you can tell I'm not an expert). Inside are fish tanks and other nautical things on the wall. — I suppose I should talk about the food. I usually get the child's plate because the regular plate has so much food! My usual meal is shrimp, French fries, and cornbread. Their cornbread is circular and very good. My parents have the fish which they enjoy. Our beverage is the usual sweet tea which is delicious. The service is always good, and since the place is relatively new, it still has that new feeling. —... Wed, 28 Nov 2007 01:29:34 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Mayflower-Restaurant-Winterville-NC-review-ecaa0 NikiTaylor 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Bojangles-Ayden-NC-review-4fa3 Bojangles is cajun fast-food restaurant chain. I thought it was mainly in the South, but the website indicates it has gone to Northern states too. It serves cajun style chicken and French fries. The food is spicy, and even though I'm not usually a fan of spicy food, I love Bojangles. In a group, we usually get the family meal which is chicken, French fries, and buttermilk biscuits. They also have dirty rice, ham biscuits, "bo-berry" biscuits, and other items. If I'm alone, I get a chicken sandwich and fries. Bojangles gives tea with every purchase. I have stated in other reviews how much I love my tea, and Bojangles' tea is great. Since there is a restaurant in my town now, it is easier to get there. Their cup says Bojangles is celebrating their thirtieth anniversary. I hope they have at least thirty more. —... Tue, 27 Nov 2007 01:38:57 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Bojangles-Ayden-NC-review-4fa3 NikiTaylor 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Food-Lion-Tea-Bags-review-ca0e0 As a Southerner, my love for sweet tea has no bounds. I'm not a stickler for brand names so Food Lion tea bags are just fine. Food Lion is the dominant grocery store in Eastern North Carolina. The 100 bags are regular caffeinated tea. Add sugar and ice, and it's a treat for the taste buds. The light brown color in the pitcher is a beautiful sight. My mother and her mother made the best tea. This is a family staple at most meals and was served on Thanksgiving. I even enjoy a glass by itself. —... Mon, 26 Nov 2007 21:48:10 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Food-Lion-Tea-Bags-review-ca0e0 NikiTaylor 5