When I was reading Rosario Dawson’s blog the other day, I saw that she has a Celebrity Playlist on iTunes. After following the link to her playlist and checking out some awesome playlists from Anderson Cooper and Danny Elfman, I got to thinking… if I created a playlist, what would I put on it?

Well, here’s a list of ten tracks with descriptions on why they would be on my iTunes Celebrity Playlist… you know, if I had one.

• Track 1 - “Pi” by Hard n’ Phirm
  As a geek, this track gets me right here (*touches chest*). I first heard this song when Hard n’ Phirm performed it live at the San Diego Comic-Con in 2007, it’s been a hit in my heart ever since. My only hope is that it will help me further memorize Pi.
  Purchase: iTunes, Amazon
• Track 2 - “Bit Rate Variations in B-Flat (Girl) [Remix by Paza of The X-Dump]” by Beck
  I’ve loved this song ever since Rudy played it for me in the early stages of our relationship. Since the remix uses 8bit tones normally used for the Princess in Super Mario games, Rudy says it reminds him of me. That touches my heart.
  Purchase: iTunes
• Track 3 - “Disco 2000″ - by Pulp
  High school scarred me for life, but I always fancied the idea of meeting my classmates again someday. This song fulfills that fantasy for me, while also encouraging me to dance like an uptight elitist.
  Purchase: iTunes
• Track 4 - “The Dark Of The Matinée” by Franz Ferdinand
  I didn’t like this song the first time I heard it, but as I played the CD over and over it became my favorite track. The words illustrate how negativity changes to positivity once you’ve found love… so true.
  Purchase: iTunes, Amazon
• Track 5 - “How Insensitive (Insensatez)” by Stan Getz/Antonio Carlos Jobim
  The saddest song I’ve ever heard. If you’re going to be miserable, the least you can do is to be miserable while listening to this masterpiece.
  Purchase: iTunes, Amazon
• Track 6 - “You Keep Me Hangin’ On” by Vanilla Fudge
  I first heard this on Little Steven’s Underground Garage, the best radio show known to man. It’s, without a doubt, the absolute best rendition of the song EVAR!
  Purchase: iTunes, Amazon
• Track 7 - “Maria Quiet” by Astrud Gilberto
  I happened upon this gem on iTunes when I was browsing my favorite singer. The subtle feminist lyrics are powerful and yet sweet and innocent at the same time.
  Purchase: iTunes, Amazon
• Track 8 - “Faster Pussycat (Live)” by The Cramps
  What could be more perfect than a Russ Meyers movie theme song performed live by The Cramps? Hmm… aside from Johnny Quest/Stop the Pigeon by the Reverend Horton Heat… nothing.
  Purchase: iTunes, Amazon
• Track 9 - “The Beginning Is the End Is the Beginning” by Smashing Pumpkins
  This song is so awesome that even though I had never read Watchmen before, the trailer scored with this song made me extremely verklempt. That is power.
  Purchase: iTunes, Amazon
• Track 10 - “The Silencers” by Vikki Carr
  As a sexy and deadly woman, this should be my theme song. Unfortunately, my measurements are 32-23-33 (bust-waist-hips) so I’m not as curvaceous as the ladies in the song. Still, I’d love to sing this song on a big stage someday in a fancy gown.
  Purchase: iTunes
• Bonus Track - “Still Alive” by GLaDOS & Jonathan Coulton
  As a teen from the 90s, bonus tracks are important (ie. I had a hard time keeping this list of 10 songs to 10)… and what better song to end the playlist than this one.
  Purchase: iTunes, Amazon

Video footage courtesy of Tim Street

Last month, our good friends Sarah Atwood and Zadi Diaz organized a Rock Band party to welcome Rudy and I to Los Angeles. An overwhelming number of awesome people came to the party, and I hadn’t had so much fun since SXSW.

The highlights of my night were singing Still Alive by Jonathan Coulton with Zadi and Felicia Day (video above), as well as forming the band RoboJew 2008 & The Mitzvahs (pictured below) with friends Tara Platt and Yuri Lowenthal (Yuri did the voice of RoboJew in RoboJew vs. Giant Nazi Woman of the SS).

Photo courtesy of Zadi Diaz

In an effort to get the word out on my availability as a panelist and speaker, I’ve joined GeekSpeakr. I’ve been consistently disappointed with the lack of female voices at web video conferences and hope that GeekSpeakr’s tagline of “connecting tech women speakers to event organizers” will do just that.

Aside from female voices, however, I also have a lot to contribute in general. As someone who’s been working in web video for the past three years (back before the video iPod even existed, to give you some context), I’ve learned a lot about what works and what doesn’t work in new media. And, frankly, I often feel like watching newbies talk about my field is like watching a car crash in slow motion.

Contact me if you have a speaking engagement you’d like me to be a part of. Some of my favorite topics include: Web Video and Copyright Issues; Hollywood and New Media; Internet Fame; Marketing on Social Networks, Video Production and Post Production.

Watch on YouTube, Vimeo, or Flickr.

Podsafe music courtesy of The Mandrakes (source).

Links:
Daily Self Portrait Outtakes - July 2008
Daily Self Portrait Outtakes - June 2008
Daily Self Portrait Outtakes - April & May 2008

While we were in San Francisco, Rudy and I appeared on CNET podcast The Real Deal on Tuesday. You can listen to the podcast here, or watch it on Ustream here. Special thanks to everyone who watched us live, and to Tom Merritt for inviting us to be on the show!