MONDAY, JULY 18TH AND TUESDAY, JULY 19TH:
I cannot believe this is my THIRD trip to Europe in LESS THAN A MONTH!!!
Been an interesting two days. Departed Nashville on Monday morning with David, Howard and Jenny Bellamy to go to Berlin. They are recording a duet project with German/Swiss/Austrian Pop Star D. J. Otzi. If it’s as successful as the duet project with Gola last year, it’s going to be a great deal.
Our flight on Continental Airlines departed on time…one of the small little puddle jumper planes. Had some turbulence but nothing drastic. I hate flying through Newark because not only do we always have to change terminals, but they make us go through security again. I took David into the “President’s Lounge” with me so he could download his email. The internet connection was so slow, we didn’t get much accomplished. Pretty depressing as I live to download everything and answer off line on the flight.
We boarded on time and it was the smallest plane I’ve ever flown on to Europe! It had been reconfigured but was still very small and totally sold out. The seats in business class did lie flat but I was on the aisle seat and once I put my down into a bed, the person in the window seat was trapped! The flight attendants were very nice and the food was excellent—restaurant quality like the Delta flight last week! And, the movies were good. I watched one about an LA lawyer that was very entertaining. The Bellamys watched Limitless and loved it. Hoping I can watch it on the flight home.
We landed early and our driver was waiting for us. Got to the hotel and the only rooms they had available were on the first floor. We took them and then came down to the restaurant for breakfast. Really, really good breakfast buffet. There is a HUGE ceiling to floor aquarium that is about 20 feet in diameter in the middle of the hotel lobby and it is beautiful. We are staying at the Radisson Blu Berlin. Every so often, the hotel gives “tours” of the aquarium. There is an elevator in the center of it and it goes to the top floor and then back down allowing the passengers to view the fish “up close”!
After breakfast, I looked out my window and I was right above a Sports Bar. I went to the front desk and asked if it was going to be “noisy” at night and they confirmed it probably would be. So, I had to change ALL our rooms. Not many rooms were available that early, so I got Howard and David changed and waited for mine. You need a key to your specific floor to access it in the elevator and when they moved everyone, they sent us to separate floors. So, I had to move again so I could be on the same floor with at least one of the Bellamys! Finally two hours later, I got everything sorted out and my internet works great in my room – the most important thing. Iris arrived at around 11 am and we made plans to have lunch after I got unpacked. I was disappointed that there was no coffee maker in my room but one call to the front desk solved that problem. It’s really a great hotel to be “stuck” in for 10 days! Can’t believe I’m in one place for that long. What a luxury to be able to unpack my bags!
I’ve never been to Berlin and it is beautiful. Wish we were going to have time to sightsee but don’t see that happening with 15 vocals to record in 9 days!!! We are on the “former East side”. The Bellamys were in Berlin with the Wall came down. So much history here.
Iris and I walked down the street to a really cool list area for restaurants and had an omelet for lunch. Then we found the studio where the Bellamys will be recording this week. Came back to the hotel and I worked until time to shower and dress for dinner. Iris, David and I met for about an hour to go over various aspects of the recording. We are having dinner with Brix (the producer of the cd) and Volker (manager of DJ). The technicians also joined us – Mathias and “Joe”. The food at the restaurant was excellent. I wanted the weiner schnitzel but decided to be healthy and had the sea bass and spinach. Really wonderful food. The schnitzel was bigger than the plate and Jenny gave me a bite of hers. She didn’t eat even half of it but it was delicious. Dinner lasted until 10:30 pm! Came back to the hotel and I walked down the street to buy some water. Have been answering email for over 3 hours and hoping to go to bed very soon.
Think we will start in the studio at around 11:30 am tomorrow. Might get a couple of hours sleep but definitely want to jog or work out. There is a 24 hour fitness room, pool and sauna in the hotel!
So, here’s my funny story for this report. On Sunday, Lindsey and I took the twins to the mall shopping with us – which is always a “challenge”. Zac’s little arm is actually broken in one place and fractured in another, so his right arm is in a wrist to shoulder cast and it’s KILLING me. Doesn’t seem to bother him at all, especially since it’s water proof, but it’s breaking my heart. Lindsey wanted to try on some clothes at Bebe, so I told her I’d take them to the fountain in the middle of the mall and let them throw in coins. When we ran out of coins, she still wasn’t back, so I had each of them push their little umbrella stroller into Bebe. We got the strollers parked and then all “hell” broke loose. Zac took off at mach speed into the middle of the mall. I had to chase him and that meant leaving Zoe alone. I was running at my top speed and finally caught up with him after he had bolted up a set of stairs and was heading down the other side – without holding on to anything. Wonder he didn’t break the other arm. I snatched him up and was rushing back to Bebe to retrieve Zoe when she came flying through the mall pushing her stroller – running in to everyone she came close too. She was running so fast, her hair was blowing back. I finally got them both corralled and went to find Lindsey to get some more coins. I debated whether I should confess the “chaos” to her… J
Lindsey and I had made some purchase at Express and then Lindsey purchased something at Bebe. Zoe was ONLY interested in the Bebe (the expensive) purchase. She insisted on carrying the bag that was much larger than she was for the rest of the afternoon. Guess we have trained her well!
Jude
WEDNESDAY, JULY 20TH – FIRST DAY OF VOCALS IN BERLIN:
Was excited to work out in the Radisson Health Club because they always have great facilities. Not so this time. There were 2 treadmills but one was broken, a very old stationary bike, a couple of elliptical trainers, free weights (thank goodness) but no weight bench, and one nautilus machine. They had a couple of mats but no exercise balls. I managed to get a pretty good arm and ab workout but am going to check out some of the local gyms to see what is available. Or, just do the DVD in my room.
Had breakfast with Iris and Howard and Jenny were already in the restaurant when we arrived. David had eaten much earlier. We agreed to depart to the studio at 11:30 am.
Really nice studio and our techs and producer from last night were awesome. David and Howard knocked out 4 vocals by 5:30 pm but that won’t happen in the future. These were songs that they sing in their shows every night. Tomorrow they have 2 more of their songs, then they start recording DJ’s songs and the cover tunes. Tomorrow we also meet DJ for the first time. There will be a photographer and videographer there as well taking photos and filming for the cd cover and EPK. Don’t expect them to get much done “vocally” with all that going on. DJ is a huge Elvis fan (he named his daughter Lisa-Marie) so he and I will have a lot in common. I’ve been warned not to mention that my birthday is the same day as Elvis’s because then he won’t get any work done! J
The bass player who played on the session for this project stopped by and introduced himself. Really nice guy and great player. We didn’t have lunch just some cheese and fruit so we were pretty hungry when we returned. I decided to walk back by myself because the guys had their rolling bags with them and had to ride. Everyone was convinced they would never see me again. But, I did really good. Didn’t make one wrong turn. Truly amazing for me. And it was a very “scenic” walk back. Only took about 8 minutes total.
Iris and I went down to a “Galeria” and she bought some shoes. She only has about 100 pair, so she really needed some more. There was a huge open air fruit market and it’s open 24 hours a day. Berlin is a fascinating city and I hope we finish vocals early so I can do a little sightseeing. We walked back to the hotel and got David for dinner. Ate at a great steakhouse because tomorrow night we are going to have traditional Bavarian German food. There is a crepe stand right next door to our hotel but fortunately I was too stuffed from dinner to eat one. I have a feeling I’ll succumb to the temptation before we leave here though.
It’s only 12:30 am and I’m hoping to get in bed by 1 am tonight….very early for me!
Jude
THURSDAY, JULY 21ST – SECOND DAY IN STUDIO:
Forgot to mention Iris’s “phone” saga yesterday. She went with DJ Otzi’s manager Volker to a meeting with Universal Music. On the way back, she realized she didn’t have her mobile phone. She was searching for it when Volker’s phone started ringing and it was a call from Iris’s phone. He didn’t answer but she called the number back. When they had left the building, there were a lot of young “fans” standing outside hoping to catch a glimpse of a rock star. They saw her drop it and picked it up. They all know who Volker is because he was like our Simon Cowell on their version of American Idol for years and now manages the winner of their show. He’s going to have to change his mobile number because he is sure the young groupies posted it on Facebook and Twitter last night!
Got up and jogged this morning. It was threatening to rain and pretty “cool” but I made my 5 miles. Ran along the river and then through a couple of parks and didn’t get lost once. Met Iris and the guys for breakfast and Iris found out that there is a whole separate part of the restaurant and you can order omelets made to order. So I had the egg white omelet today.
We left the hotel for the studio at 11:30 am. The Bellamys rode over but Iris and I walked. It had started raining by that time and my feet were soaked by the time we arrived. The film crew and photographer were there and waiting for us. Howard and David did an interview and then we waited for DJ to arrive. Everyone really likes him and it’s going to be a fun project. He was very nervous about talking to us because he says his English is not so good, but we thought he spoke excellent English. Sarah from Universal Music came by as did Kiso’s attorney Brittina. It was a very, very busy day. The Bellamys finished recording their songs and got one of DJ’s cut. It sounds fantastic.
The Bellamys, Iris, Brittina, Brix, Mathias and I had dinner at an authentic Germany restaurant. I finally had half a wiener schnitzel. Was going to have the white bratwurst but Iris ordered those as appetizers so I got my “brat” fix. It was really great food and very reasonable priced. David had this monster sized Ham Hock! We were back at the hotel by 9 pm and Iris and I were going next door for a crepe…but they had already closed. L Guess someone was watching over us so we don’t get fat.
Will go to the health club in the gym tomorrow morning and try to figure out a way to work out a different set of muscles. Might have to resort to my DVD workout though.
It’s after 1 am and I’m hoping to quit answering emails and get in bed very soon!
Jude
FRIDAY, JULY 22ND – 3RD DAY IN STUDIO:
Still raining this morning but at least it was my day to work out. Health club had 6 people in it which means it was packed full. Wish I had just worked out to the DVD in my room. But I got in a decent 45 minutes. My hand is better this morning. Oh, about my hand, the studio has these glass doors, one on each side of the hallway. They warned us the first day about walking into them. We left them open all the time, so it really wasn’t much of a concern. Then yesterday someone closed one while I was out of the room. I ran into it head on. Luckily my hand was up and the thumb caught most of the blow other than a bump to the forehead. I hit it so hard, the guys came running out of the studio to see if I was okay. So embarrassing!
Had an egg white omelet and watermelon for breakfast. Girl making the omelets today was much better than yesterday. Showered, answered emails and headed to the studio in the car today. Too cold and rainy to walk. Today they are singing Sweet Caroline (Yes, Neil Diamond) and one of DJ’s songs “Like a Star” – really cool song. Not sure they will finish both of them since these will take much longer to record.
We were out of “snacks”, so Jenny and I walked to a market a few blocks away and replenished with cheese, bread, fruit, etc. It was still raining and a miserable walk. Guys had finished one song and were comping another when we left at around 2 pm. Tonight we have dinner with Jean-Marie from Universal Switzerland. Everyone really likes him. He’s the one who spear-headed the Gola project and now has a new “Swiss Duet” project to discuss with us.
I made a big mistake in the road report last night when I referred to Simon Renshaw when it should have been Simon Cowell. However, those of you who know Simon Renshaw will feel they are “interchangeable”! J
Songs today sounded REALLY good. They finished 3 more. That leaves 4 more but then there will be “tweaking” on all the songs once those are finished.
Jean-Marie arrived around 4:30 pm and we went to a great Italian restaurant. I had a home-made spiral pasta with pumpkin, pepperoni (that’s peppers in Italy…not the meat, and cheese. It was really “light” and delicious. No dessert. L
The maitre’d had taken Iris’s computer case and huge bag of clothes she purchased today. He tried to take my computer case and I threatened him with bodily harm if he even tried to touch it. LOL. I did let them take my umbrella. When we started to leave, Iris and I stopped in the ladies room. On our way to the taxi, she asked the maitre’d where her bags were and he told her they were already in the taxi. She went out to get in the taxi but decided to check the trunk. Nothing there! She was furious, as she should have been. She went back in and got in a big argument with the maitre’d. J I totally forgot about my umbrella, so I’ll have to hike back down there tomorrow. Hopefully the rain will be gone and it will be warm again. Jean-Marie said they had SNOW in Zurich this week.
The news about the Norway bombing came during dinner. Absolutely freaks me out. Brings back such horrible memories of what happened to us on 9/11. I spend a LOT of time in downtown Oslo, so I know exactly where the building is located. And then we got news about the Youth Camp on the island. I fly to Oslo next Wednesday for my festival with Tanya Tucker and Billy Ray Cyrus. Afraid that they will want to cancel. Hope not because Oslo will be the safest airport in the world now with all the added security
It’s almost 2 am and I am going to bed now.
Jude
SATURDAY, JULY 23RD – 4TH DAY IN THE STUDIO:
Woke up and first thing I did was check for news about Norway. I had gotten an email last night from my promoter saying the same guy who set off the car bomb is the one who was killing kids on the island. So very sad!
Could not figure out if I should try to jog outside or work out to my cardio DVD. Since my view from the window is the aquarium inside the lobby, I have no idea what the weather is like. I checked the website and it looked like it was about 50 degrees with very high winds…but no rain. I decided to take the chance and head outside. The first 10 minutes was brutally cold and the wind whipped my cap off a couple of times. But it was still a wonderful run. I ran through 2 parks and along the river then came back towards the hotel. Still needed to run a little farther when I reached the front door so I kept going. But not for long. There was construction on the sidewalk and security stopped me from going forward. I don’t understand why because they were letting all the other people pass. Didn’t want to make a scene, so I doubled back.
Went into the restaurant for breakfast and the lady who asks your room number at the entrance told me I had to change my clothes to enter! I’ve eaten in there every morning in my workout clothes. There are people walking around the hotel in their bath robes, for goodness sake. I didn’t have time to argue with her, so I went upstairs and put on some jeans. Went back down and had my usual egg white omelet. I was still fuming about her attitude though so I went to the front desk and asked if there was a dress code. They had no idea what I was talking about, so I explained what had happened. They apologized profusely and promised it wouldn’t happen again.
Brix picked us up and drove us to the studio. I realized I had left my plug for my computer at the hotel, so I hiked back over to pick it up. Had also left my umbrella at the restaurant last night because I was so caught up in the “drama” with Iris and her bags. Walked back to the restaurant to try and retrieve it but they don’t open until 6 pm. It was a cheap umbrella I purchased on the street in Lucerne, so guess I’ll just buy another one!
Guys cut some really cool “pop” cover songs today. Amazing how great their voices still are. I’m looking forward to hearing the finished product once they put DJ’s vocals on.
We left the studio around 5:30 pm and we all walked back to the hotel. Weather has gotten much nicer. Hope the rain (and cold) is over. I answered some urgent emails and then walked down to the shopping area. Shops closed about an hour after I got there, so didn’t purchase anything. Found a Starbucks and was hoping to buy a coffee cup with “Starbucks Germany” on it, but I didn’t like the ones they had. I did have some fantastic Indian food for dinner.
It’s only 11 pm and I’m going to get in bed by midnight if nothing happens. Might actually sleep more than 4 hours tonight. Woo-hoo!!! J
Jude
SUNDAY, JULY 24TH – FIFTH DAY IN THE STUDIO:
Decided to work out to my DVD this morning instead of jockeying for a machine or weights in the health club. It was a great workout, too. Went down for breakfast and yesterday the waitress told us we could order an omelet from them instead of going to the omelet station, standing in line, and ordering Of course when I asked the waitress this morning if I could order an omelet, she sent me to the line at the omelet station!
We left for the studio at 11:30 am again but I walked over instead of riding. The weather is better but still very “cool” and windy. Today was “Kenny Rogers Day” in the studio. They cut “Islands in the Stream” and “The Gambler”.
I managed to call Lindsey on my Itouch so I could see the babies on the video. But the connection was so bad, it kept freezing and we finally gave up. Going to try again before I go to bed.
The guys finished up at around 5:30 pm and we all walked back to the hotel. David and I walked over to the restaurant where Iris and I ate lunch the first day we were here. We had the Curry Bratwurst but it wasn’t as good as the one Iris had the other day. L I talked David into have a Nutella Crepe with me. Figured out from Weightwatchers that is only has a total of 3 points so I could have one without guilt!
Have been working on emails for the past 2 hours and have lots more to do before going to bed. They only have one more vocal to cut tomorrow but it’s a hard one for them because it modulates to a really high part that they can’t reach. When they cut the tracks, David emailed the producer and told him it was too high but the producer said “DJ can sing that part”. Then when we met DJ and asked him, he said he definitely couldn’t sign that high either. Should be interesting.
Jude
MONDAY, JULY 25TH – SIXTH DAY IN STUDIO:
Was a beautiful morning for jogging. About 50 degrees and overcast. I ran down towards the main shopping street so I could get a “feel” for where I want to go tomorrow. Quick breakfast and we left for the studio at 11:30 am. I walked over again.
They kept the song that they thought was going to be the most difficult for last. It wasn’t easy because the key was so HIGH but they did a fantastic job. I was surprised by how terrific it sounds. Jenny and I walked over to the little market to get some more fruit and cheese for “snacks” at the studio. When we checked out, we were bagging our items and some guy in the line behind us accused us of taking his cheese! Trust me, he did NOT want to mess with us. We told him it was ours and he didn’t believe us until the cashier showed him that his cheese (same kind we had) was still lying right in front of him because she hadn’t rung it up yet! He did apologize.
Finished up about 3 pm and we all walked back to the hotel. I went shopping for about 2 hours and didn’t buy one thing!
Have decided to take the “Hop on Hop off” bus tour tomorrow because there are some things I want to see before I leave here. It’s our “day off” and I fly to Norway on Wednesday. Bellamys will go back in studio on Wednesday and Thursday for final tweaks.
Had room service so I could continue working but here it is almost 1 am and I’m still up and working! Hope the weather is nice tomorrow because I have some major shopping to do! J
Jude
TUESDAY, JULY 26TH – DAY OFF IN BERLIN:
Interesting day. Worked out to the DVD again and then had breakfast. Had to answer some important emails so I left for my “sightseeing” trip later than I wanted too. The concierge told me which “Hop on Hop off” bus was the best. Figured I’d get lost numerous times but believe it or not, I only took the wrong turn once!
I knew I had made a mistake on the tour bus at the first stop. When it finally arrived (after a 20 minute wait), it was packed. No where to sit and I had to stand. Of course, there are no headsets for people standing. And, the wait is supposed to be no more than 10 minutes for the next bus. Anyway, I got off two stops later so I could take a photo of a street sign for a friend of mine who shares the same name. I had to walk between the two stops and figured I would get very lost and have to grab a taxi. But, I made it without one mistake. The street bearing his name is only about 1/8 of a mile long, so it’s a miracle I found it. After taking those photos, I went to the train station to find a restroom and a snack for lunch. Had to pay 1 Euro to get into the restroom but don’t mind because they are always so clean. I came out and decided to buy some t-shirts while I was there. As I was walking, I noticed something was wrong. Pretty embarrassing but realized I had not pulled my “underwear” all the way up! Now it was going to cost me another Euro to go back into the restroom. I bought the t-shirts and noticed a “curtained off” area beside the register. I asked the lady if I could go in there and fix my “underwear”. She didn’t speak or understand enough English to know what I wanted. I finally said the word “thong” and “ouch” and she nodded enthusiastically and pointed to the curtain. LOL. Women the world over know what THAT feels like.
I waited another 30 minutes for a bus that was going to take me to the largest department store in Central Europe. It’s called Kadewe and it is massive. But it’s really expensive – all brand names like Gucci, Prada, Fendi, etc. I am a bargain shopper so I’m not paying prices like that when I can get “knock offs”! J But, there were some great, affordable shops up and down the same street. Left there on the bus to go past Checkpoint Charlie and then on to another shopping street. I wasn’t planning to get off at Checkpoint Charlie – just take a photo from the bus. It was getting late and I still had lots to do. When the bus stopped at Checkpoint Charlie, I was on the wrong side and didn’t get the photo. I decided to get off at the next stop and thought I could easily walk to the shopping street. That’s where I made my mistake. Should have stayed on the bus until I got to the stop I recognized. I turned the wrong way but the good news is, I ended up at Checkpoint Charlie and got some great photos! Then, I made a u-turn and found the shopping street.
Didn’t buy anything except some t-shirts – nothing for me. Hard to believe, huh? Got back to the hotel and finished up with the souvenir shopping. Ran into Howard and Jenny who recommended an Italian restaurant where they had just eaten so I hike to it. It was good, but not great. Think I ordered the wrong thing though.
It’s 2:30 and I have to get up early and fly to Norway. Still have to PACK tonight, too. Going to be a short night, AGAIN. I got some great photos today. Can’t believe all the beautiful buildings and “history” in this town. I must come back here.
Jude