Fave Fives - April Edition.

It's that time of the month again. No... not that time of the month - it's time for my "fave five" where I bring you five of my most favorite things of the month - think a very low budget Oprah's favorite things.

5) Daily Candy -

My number five this month is a website called Daily Candy. It's a free daily e-mail from the front lines of fashion, food, and fun. Sign up to get the scoop on hot new restaurants, designers, secret nooks, and charming diversions in your city and beyond.

I've been receiving these tiny morsels of coolness in my email every day for years now. It's completely free and they provide you with the scoop on only the newest, coolest, fashion, gadgets, websites and everything else. You can sign up to get the events and specific happenings for your own city or you can sign up for the nationwide events and websites. I love it. How else would I have known about 'GoCakeGo', a website that allows you to order a birthday party in a box- complete with a delicious cake and colorful party favors. Or, the OhmyBod umm... personal stimulator? Think, an ipod that really satisfies (wink).

4) Gone Baby Gone -

I just saw this movie (compliments of blockbuster online) last weekend. I had 'slept on it', so to speak, when it came out in theaters last year and only added it to my blockbuster queue recently for the heck of it. I thought, "It's a film written and directed by the guy who starred in 'Gigli' -- one of the worst movies of all time-- and it stars his baby brother. How good could it be?" I didn't expect to like it, I didn't want to like it. But, the movie , as well as little brother Casey completely blew me away. Gone Baby Gone is a crime drama based on the novel by Dennis Lehane. The story begins with the disappearance of a toddler who's mother is a drug addict and a typical strung out junkie with all the trimmings. The child's aunt hires a private detective (Affleck) to assist the police in trying to find her. The twists, turns and surprises begin from there and don't stop until the credits roll. By the end you find yourself asking the questions, 'what would I have done' and, 'is the right thing always the right thing?'. It definitely got me thinking, a goal many movies aspire to but few actually accomplish. Gone Baby Gone was nominated for an Oscar and also stars Morgan Freeman, Ed Harris, Amy Ryan and Michelle Monaghan. If you've been sleeping on it like I have, rent it today! Also see :The Assasination of Jesse James also starring Casey Affleck and Brad Pitt. I predict we're going to be talking about Casey for a long time into the future. He's extremely talented.

3) Cost-Co -Don't laugh! Where I come from, a 24 hour store that sells EVERYTHING like Wal-mart is unheard of. Similarly, a whole-sale mega-store like Cost-co or Sam's club? Nope. So you cant blame me for being a little excited that I can now say I'm literally a 'card-carrying member'. It was a proud day to pose for my picture and then add my new Cost-Co membership card to my wallet. [Note: that's not my actual wallet in the picture above. My wallet has many more unnecessary receipts,credit cards I haven't used in ages, random business cards for businesses/people that I have no intention of doing business with and other meaningless crap]

Anyway, I'm loving Cost-co: the quality, the selection, the convenience of having almost everything you could ever need and want in one place and most of all the prices! Also, their eatery is a great place to get a really delicious, really cheap lunch or dinner. Yum!

2)The Cheesecake Factory's 'Blackout Cake' -

Okay, I knew The Cheesecake Factory had amazing cheesecake - my favorite is the Banana Cream; to quote the fabulous B. Scott, "Take me higher Lord!" - but I had no idea how equally amazing their other desserts were. I found out recently when my girlfriend surprised me by bringing me home a slice of their wonderful Blackout Cake. Here's what their online menu says about it. "Our Deepest, Richest, Most Fudgy Chocolate Cake Filled with Chocolate Chips and Finished with Almonds." Yeahhhhhhh that's about right, but I would've added, Fudge combined with moist cake feels like silk when they first enter your mouth, that rich, bold chocolate flavor explodes on your tongue and then you crunch on those tasty almonds and instantly you know what the food in heaven must taste like. :) To quote B. Scott once more, "...Splendiferous..absolutely di-vine".

1)Spirit and E=MC2

She's the first British solo act to have a debut album top the charts in the US. Ever since she won Pop Idol, critics have been comparing her to every great female singer of our time. But I've never been one to listen to all the hype. We all know critics can be licking your boots one minute and kicking you with their boots the next. So it wasn't until I watched Leona Lewis for myself, during her live performance on Oprah, that I was I forced to agree with them. I found myself in awe of her performance, her humility but obviously the real appeal are her pipes. The girl has a voice even more beautiful that she is.

Mariah Carey knows all too well that one of the trappings of fame is a fickle media . Not too long ago they were deeming her certifiable - now, understandably, she's the subject of their unworthy praise. She's a 'rare bird' in the industry, someone who can scrape their way up from the bottom once is amazing enough - much less twice! She's proven her undeniable talent and her clear intelligence once again and no one's calling her crazy now.

Despite the comparison between the two, Mariah Carey, the seasoned vet with the most number one singles of any American artist, and the talented new girl on the block who's already making an impressive notch for herself in a worldwide arena, their current albums are both unique and amazing to hear. I've been playing them both non-stop because they remind me of a time when music was ....well, good. Remember when you could tell the artist and their team really put time, love and dedication into their project? When every song took you on a journey to a new place and a new emotion instead of 75% of the album being dedicated to songs about picking someone up in a bar? When an album consisted of 17 tracks (without interludes) that were well worth the money? Well, if you're nostalgic for the good ole days like I was, pick up both these albums and see why they both get the coveted number one spot on my faves list.

See February's Fave Fives, See March's Fave Fives