I just went online and set a copy of the CD for pick up at my local best buy while I'm out tonight... they've got it on sale for $8 and I can't WAIT to toss into my cars CD player!  Anyone got theirs already?

You totally loving it?

It feels like I waited forever for this to get here... okay, I know it wasn't forever, it was only 7 weeks... but it FELT like forever since I was hoping to have it in time for a trip I just took. 

But it's here now, and sitting in front of a window with the solar panel facing out and the little battery pack plugged in to charge up with power!  TOO COOL!

And I was surprised, in a good way, to discover that battery pack can also be charged up from a wall outlet before a trip, so I can leave KNOWING it is full of power, and letting the sun keep it refilling.  TOO COOL!

I hope everyone else is getting the stuff they ordered off the site... and loving theirs as much as I am!

Just me being helpful and reminding folks that codes have to be entered by July 15, aka Sunday.

I read through the rules and couldn't tell for sure if you also have to redeem points on or by the 15th so I think I'll be redeeming mine by the 15th... of course, I'm having a problem deciding what to redeem mine for... by that's just me.

Looks like people have been redeeming their points a lot since I last looked at what I could use my points for!  I am SO GLAD I ordered my solar powered backpack when I did, cuz they seem to be gone now.

Looks like roughly a third, maybe more like half, of the prizes have been claimed... so, I find myself hoping folks have redeemed their points for what they really want, and if not I suggest taking a spin by the site sooner rather than later! 

Then again, it takes only two bottle caps to get a song download over at Connect, a site I've never used, but since I have enough points for several downloads I just might have to give it a try! 

Knowing myself to be particularly impatient, I'm thinking I may just go ahead and putthe new CD on pre-order over at amazon, I can always cancel it, if I find out before it ships, that walmart has some kind of amazing bonus material.

Okay, it's late at night, and my mind is admittedly wandering strange paths, but I just found myself wondering if, since walmart was one of the bubble sponsors, if we'll get some kind of cool exclusive when the CD comes out if we pick it up at walmart?  Anyone got a clue?

I know in the past I've gotten DVD bundled things that were walmart exclusives, either a DVD with bonus material for a movie, or a DVD that came with a CD... so... hmm, maybe I have to wait until the CD comes out to find out... but I was wondering, as that would def. be the extra incentive to pick it up at walmart, assuming they had time between the bubble bursting and the CD being released to make bonus content.

Okay, I posted a while back about the most interesting looking things I could redeem the points the bottle caps were getting me for... and I made my first redemption this weekend and can't WAIT to receive my prize!

A solar powered backpack that I can use to recharge my digital camera and/or my cell phone when I'm on the go.  Talk about totally cool!

Anyone else had enough points to turn in for anything?  If so, what'd you get.  I figure I've got another 20 days, give or take, in which to stack up a few more points and try for something else, so the great internal debate of what else to get is already under way.

I know, based on past entries it isn't that surprising, I enjoyed listening to the guys laugh, and looking back on it, I enjoyed hearing their conversation about what the album should be called (Will thought a self-titled CARTEL would be bold) and there was so much talk about Lose It, and how excited they were about its being recorded and how it sounded as it came together that there is no surprise it was the first single out of the Bubble... and yet... I feel like I was a fly on the wall through it all, and what a fun experience it was to be that fly.

As I've noted before, I wasn't able to watch the bubble burst on MTV, the downside of a business trip just now... but... depending how tonight plays out with a dinner meeting maybe I can catch the rerun... I noticed on the DrPep Bubble site today a note under news saying "If you missed Tuesday's night finale episode of "Band in a Bubble," you can catch it this Friday, June 15th, on MTV at 7pm EST!"

I also had an unexpected feeling of power when I hit the site today... I got to fill out a survey about the site and the promotion!  That was kinda cool... getting to chip my two cents worth in!

I was a little surprised they didn't ask, after my clicking i don't drink Dr Pepper, if this bubble experiment had any unexpected side effects or if my not being a Dr Pepper drinker actually promoted more discussions... because it did.  I found myself asking all my friends what soda do you drink, and if they said Dr Pepper my asking if, after they'd entered their first cap code for the day they'd let me have their second so I could tune in!

Thankfully my father is a diligent Diet Dr. Pepper drinker, and kept the caps coming my way (another 6 bottles or so and he'll have gotten me that solar powered backpack I REALLY want!)

Course, now I have 30 24 hour passes stacked up!  LOL!  I wonder if those can be traded in for 1 point each since there's no more need for the 24 hour passes... then I'd have enough for the backpack and be on my way to a second prize! 

Gotta love DrPepper's Bubble site for tossing this up for those of us who weren't able to watch it live!

 

The sun has set on the Bubble...

So, being me, I decided to do a little surfing and see what info is out there... course that might have been prompted by a zap I got telling me:

Cartel's new self-titled album, 
featuring the first single "Lose It," 
will be in stores July 24th!

You can download/stream the new single "Lose It" now from: iTunes | Napster | Connect


Cartel To Break From "Bubble" 
with June 12th Concert on NYC Pier - TONIGHT!

Cartel will break from the "Bubble" TONIGHT (June 12) with a concert on Hudson River Park's Pier 54 in New York City. The performance will serve as the grand finale to MTV's "Band in a Bubble Presented by Dr Pepper," a four-part music series that documented the band's 20 days spent locked inside a transparent bubble, where they've been living while recording a new album live for all the world to see. The concert, which will air live in its entirety on www.drpepperbubble.com and partially on MTV, will see the band previewing several songs recorded while inside the bubble, including new lead single, "Lose It." The event will also officially kick off Hudson River Parks' RiverRocks summer concert series presented by Dr Pepper.

"Lose It," which features guest vocals by Epic Records labelmate/Automatic Loveletter frontwoman Juliet Simms, is available on iTunes, Napster and Connect now. Cartel's highly anticipated new—and self-titled—album will be in stores on July 24th.

The media and fans alike have been buzzing about Cartel, who on May 24th sealed themselves inside a huge transparent bubble on Pier 54, where they've been holed up while working on the follow-up to their breakthrough debut CHROMA. Twenty-three live web cams have been streaming the Atlanta quintet's every move, offering fans an unprecedented real-time look into the ups and downs of the creative process. Cartel recorded the album with producers Zack Odom and Kenneth Mount, the same team behind CHROMA.

Fans have seen everything from the band members' waking moments and creative differences to jam sessions and appearances by special guests, including acclaimed producer and multiplatinum artist Wyclef Jean. During the course of the recording process, the band enlisted The Boys and Girls Choir of Harlem Alumni Ensemble to sing on a few tracks and also auditioned various New York City street musicians to perform on the record.

Epic recording artists Cartel will "burst" from the Dr Pepper Band in a Bubble, located at Hudson River Park's Pier 54 in New York City on June 12, 2007 and perform a live rock concert of new songs recorded during their 20 days inside their bubble home/recording studio. The concert will be streamed live on drpepperbubble.com and a portion of the concert can be viewed live on MTV during the finale to the four-part music special "Band in a Bubble presented by Dr Pepper."  The event will officially kick-off Hudson River Park's RiverRocks summer concert series presented by Dr Pepper.

First and foremost, I HIGHLY recommend keeping up with this blog as the myspace blogger doin' it won a chance to interview Cartel today!

Despite being on the road for a trip I found several chances today to hit DrPep's Bubble Site but alas, I didn't get to catch that interview taking place, which I'd really hoped for since I thought it would be TOO COOL!

I listened to Will and Jeff listening to one of the finished songs in the Producer's room, and heard someone confirming with a disembodied voice (of God?) that gear would be set up outside at 1pm tomorrow... and one of the cameras had a cool angle for a while of the stage being set up in front of the Bubble for tomorrow... I still can't believe the Bubble is so close to bursting!

Looked like the guys were rehearsing for their big bubble bursting contest tomorrow when I hit the page a little bit ago... complete with playing with a wild blue light!

If you haven't already checked it out... take a peek at my Bubble Pics album, I've been tossing in screen caps as well as images from DrPep's Bubble site... including a pic of Joseph, and another of Jeff holding up white board signs announcing the album was DONE as of last night!  WAY TO GO GUYS!

Not sure if it'll work... but I'll try and paste in a link to that album here:

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