Izzy's Popstar Plan - Preview

8/7/2019 Izzy's Popstar Plan - Preview

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Izzys Popstar Plan amarestain [email protected]

Section One: Hollywood Home

Day One: Hello World, It's Me!

Mood Meter: Terribly Talkative

Dear Friends and Fans,

Izzy's Unbelievable Blog is officially open!! As your faithful blogger, I pledge to keep all of youin the loop regarding my amazing popstar life. Ok, to be honest, I don't really have a popstar lifeYET, but I'm desperately trying to get one.

Ever since I was six, I've wanted to become a professional singer. I remember the exact momentthat the idea came to me. I was singing Silent Night at our church Christmas pageant. The stagelights, the sound of my voice ringing out through the PA system, the applause afterwards, I waswithout a doubt hooked.

On the drive home I thought to myself, "I, Izzy Baxter, am destined to become a singingsensation." I know, it sounds a little prideful, but hey I was only six.

From that day forward I began studying pop stars like a mad scientist. I examined their everydance move and mimicked their vocal styles. My bedside table was stuffed with notes oneverything from what Mindy Mars wore to the Grammy's to Sean Benson's daily workoutschedule. I even practiced smiling like them in the mirror. I was a hopeless popaholic.

After years of meticulous study, I created a plan, a Popstar Plan. The plan is made up of step bystep directions on how to become, well, a popstar of course.

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When I first started writing the plan in my old pink journal, I thought I'd be a star in no time.Boy, was I wrong. I've been following the plan like my life depended on it for the last sevenyears but haven't even come close to getting my big break yet.

My Heart:

Proverbs: 16:3 Commit to the Lord all that you do and your plans will succeed (NIV)

I've changed a lot since I first started writing the Popstar Plan. For one thing, I've learned thateven though I have this plan, God's the one who really knows what's going on. I mean,

seriously, half the time I can't even figure out my math homework let alone plan my entireexistence. God's the only one who can make my biggest dreams come to life.

It's really important to commit all our plans and dreams to God. That means that we talk to Himabout them, and let Him change them if He wants. When we give our dreams to Him they canreally fly.

Goodnight God: Lord, I give the Popstar Plan to you. Add to it. Change it if you want. It's allyours. Amen

That's my prayer. What's yours?

L8R

COMMENTS:

Maddie said .

Watch out world. Here comes Izzy Baxter. ...Woooo Hoooo! (Posted Monday, 9:32 pm)

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Pastor Ryan said .

Awesome! Can't wait to read the "way cool" and "off the wall" adventures ofIzzy Baxter. LOL!(Posted Monday, 10:17 pm)

Day Two: Fire Escape

Mood Meter: Thinking

Izzy's amazingly interesting blog is brought to you live from the 15th floor of the AlcoveApartments in Hollywood. I'm sitting on the rusty fire escape that's right outside my bedroomwindow. From this perch, I can see all the way to Warner Brother's Studios. That is, if there isno smog.

I started crawling out here a couple of years ago, after my mom died. My mom and I were thetalkers of the family. We would sit and chat for hours. Sometimes when my dad and Anders, mybig brother, were asleep, she would come into my room with a cup of hot chocolate and we'dtalk until like 2:00 in the morning. She would tell me about when she was a little girl, and Iwould tell her about, well, absolutely everything.

When she died I felt like I had lost my best friend. I became like this crazy hermit from Lord ofthe Rings or something. I had NO ONE to talk to. I totally love my dad and all, but talking tohim just isn't the same. He's more, like, quiet. I tell him things, and he listens, but sometimes hedoesn't really know what to say back. He'll get this serious look on his face, like he's trying tocome up with something. Then he'll just hug me without saying a word.

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Anyway, this one day I felt as if all the feelings swirling inside of me were going to cause myheart to explode. I didn't know where to go so I crawled out onto the fire escape. I stared out atall the city lights and just began talking, to God.

I had prayed before, at church and stuff, but this was different. I was talking to Him like a friend.I told Him everything, about how lonely I was without Mom, about how I couldn't really talk tomy dad. I told Him mostly that I was really scared. When I crawled back into bed, I felt totallybetter. Nothing had changed in my life really, but I knew that God had listened to me and thatmade all the difference in the world.

My Heart:

John 15:15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business.Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have madeknown to you. (NIV)

Can you believe it? God, the maker of the whole universe, calls us friends! Like the ultimatefriend, He shares His heart with us and listens to what we have to say. So go ahead, and tell Himyour dreams and heartbreaks. He's totally listening.

Goodnight God: Hi Lord, I just wanted to say thanks for calling little old Izzy your friend. Ireally appreciate it. Amen

That's my prayer. What's yours?

L8R

COMMENTS:

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Maddie said .

I totally talk to God that way too!! Sometimes I set my Manga Bear timer for like ten minutes,and then just start chatting away with God until the beep. It works for me! (Posted Tuesday, 9:07pm)

Day Three: Audition, Audition and Audition Again

Mood Meter: Cautiously hopeful

Brace yourself, because today I have some awesomely amazing, crazy cool news to tell you. Lastmonth I sent this demo of me singing to the producers of International Popstar Challenge. Youknow the show, the one with over seventy million viewers worldwide, the show that made RyanRichards an overnight star, the show that "MAKES ALL YOUR POPSTAR DREAMS COMETRUE!" Well, this afternoon I got a phone call from none other than Giuseppe Rossi, on of theshow's judges, and guess what? He wants me to audition for the show on Friday!

Even though he can be brutally honest on TV, he was nice on the phone. He explained that heand the other two judges had listened to my tape, and thought I had "potential", which I thoughtwas pretty cool.

The only bummer is that he had been trying to call me for two weeks, AT THE WRONGNUMBER! Apparently, Anders, who wrote my phone number on the CD, had used hisnotoriously messy printing, and Giuseppe couldn't read it. So now I only have two days to pick asong to sing. Yikes! !

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I've been up to Jupiter excited all day long, but I'm trying to calm myself down now. I don'twant to get my hopes up too high. I've been to like a gazillion auditions before (Popstar PlanRule #7: Audition, audition and audition again) and have ended up disappointed every time.

Failure is just part of the music business. I mean, Mellissa Smythe sang in New York subwaystations for three years before Metropark Records signed her. Who knows? Maybe this will bemy magical moment.

All Ican do now is pick a song, practice it, and let God handle the rest.

My Heart:Isaiah 40: But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wingslike eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. (NIV)

Ihink one of my problems is that Iput too much hope into things rather than in God. Istartthinking an audition or some new outfit will fill the emptiness I sometimes feel inside. Imean,it's fine to get excited about things, but when We put our hope in things rather than GOD to solveour problems we just end up disappointed. Put your hope in God instead, and you'll soar like aneagle.

Goodnight God: I putting my hope in you Lord. You have this whole audition thing in yourhands. You know how much it means to me. Take my excitement and keep it safe in your arms.

AmenThat's my prayer. \hat's yours?

L8R

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COMMENTS:

Anders said .

Don't blame me Sis. Giuseppe is Italian you know. He probably had a hard time reading Englishnumbers (Posted Wednesday, 10:24 pm)

Izzy said .

Come on now Bro. You're a straight A student. You, of all people, should know that numberslook the same in English and Italian. Thanx for helping me send the demo though!! (PostedWednesday 10:27 pm)

Day Four: Peace

Mood Meter: Nervous

"FOR THE LOVE OF EVERYTHING BEAUTIFUL, LET ME GO TO SLEEP!" yelled Mr.McGuire from upstairs about fifteen minutes ago.

"Sorry," I squealed as I nervously stuffed my beat up guitar into its case. He's probably not theonly neighbor who's upset at me. I've been singing out here since eight this morning. Fourteenhours, three guitar strings and four ENTIRE bags of sour ropes later, I'm finally satisfied.

Let me rewind a little. Last night, right after I blogged, I got out my guitar and started messingaround with some ideas. Popstar Plan rule #17 says, "Sing it like you mean it," so I was trying tocome up with a song that I was crazy in love with. After looking at song lyrics online for about

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an hour, I started freaking out about the whole thing. "This is impossible!" I yelled out to no onein particular.

Suddenly, it hit me. I had been trying to find the perfect song on my own. I hadn't even askedGod for help yet. As I watched the fog roll in from the coast, I prayed. "God, this means morethan a lot to me. Please help me find the ideal song for Wednesday. I'm desperately beyonddesperate. "

Not knowing what else to do, I just sat in the silence watching the low moving clouds dance withthe city lights. Then, out of the blue, I started humming this hymn, Great is Thy Faithfulness. Itwas my mom's favorite. She used to sing it to me each night before I went to bed.

As I picked up my guitar, the words flooded back to me.

Great is Your faithfulness, 0God my Father;There is no shadow of turning with You;

You never change, Your compassions, they fail not;As You have been, Youforever will be.

Right then and there I realized that God had given me my perfect song.Today, I spent the day "popping" it up a bit. It sounds more modern now, but the meaning is stillthere.Anyway, I'm off to bed. Big day tomorrow!

My Heart:

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James 1:5 Ifany of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all withoutfinding fault, and it will be given to him. (NIV)Sometimes our problems stress us out so much that we forget to ask God for help. Next time thathappens, take a deep breath and ask God what to do. He'll be more than glad to give you theanswers you need. Really!

Goodnight God: Lord, please give me wisdom as I audition for the show. Help me totally rocktomorrow. J\men

That's my prayer. What's yours?L8R

COMMENTS:

Pastor Ryan said .

Awesome song choice Iz. You should play it for us when you lead worship next week. Youaren'ttoo big of a popstar now to lead worship for us are you??? (Posted Thursday, 8:23 pm)

Izzy said .

I'll have my people call your people ... LOL!! (Posted Thursday, 8:59 pm)

Day Five: Oh Happy Day

Mood Meter: Blue Sky Kisses

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Today was one of those stupendously, beyond birthday, happy days. It was one of those days thatonly comes around, let's see, about every GAZILLION years or so. It was audition day, and Ihave sooo much to tell you.

Where to begin? Where to begin? Ok, I got to Quest Studios at about nine in the morning. It'sright down the street from my house so I walked with my dad. A security guard checked for myname on a list, and after a while led us through the gates. When we got to studio 12, where theauditions were being held, there was this massive line stretching all the way around the building.

Standing there in the brutal California sun, I began to doubt my chances. There were auditionsbeing held in twenty countries, and only one singer would be chosen from each. To make mattersworse, Emily Elektra was standing in line in front of me. I'd seen her at a lot of my otherauditions, and knew that she was almost impossible to out sing. She had been on Broadwaybefore, and had even appeared in a couple of movies.

By the time I reached the front of the line, I was a mess. Sweat had made my make-up run, andmy hands were shaking.

"Miss Izzy Baxter, step into the studio please," called one of the production assistants. It wasshow time.

The first thing I saw when I stepped into the room was Japanese judge Aiko Mae. She smiled atme, like she always did to the contestants on the show. Next to her sat Marshall Phillips, the onlyAmerican judge. At the end, arms crossed, sat the ultra hip Italian, Giuseppe Rossi.

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Izzy's Popstar Plan - Preview