KEITH URBAN AND SNOOP DOGG COLLABORATE ON SONG FOR THE GARFIELD MOVIE SOUNDTRACK

That wise-cracking, lasagna loving, fat cat known as Garfield is making his show biz return in a new animated movie from Sony Pictures arriving at theaters May 24, 2024. Rated PG by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) for action/peril and mild thematic elements, this film's characters are voiced by some big names in Hollywood including Chris Pratt and Samuel L Jackson. Additionally, The Garfield Movie's soundtrack includes an impressive list of vocal talents including a song collaboration that is a Garfield and Odie style musical team up having Keith Urban and Snoop Dogg perform the movie's signature song "Let It Roll" together. 

This original single featuring Keith Urban and Snoop Dogg is produced by GRAMMY® nominated writer/producer and the film’s executive music producer Michael Hodges. It notably marks the first collaboration between the four-time GRAMMY® Award-winning country icon and West Coast hip-hop legend. With a sunny melody and upbeat bounce, the track evokes the easygoing spirit of the title character with Urban’s carefree chorus, “I let it roll, I let it slide right by,” and breezy bars courtesy of Snoop.

Keith Urban commented about the collaboration with Snoop Dogg to ageekdaddy.com saying “Out of the blue, I get this call from Garfield asking me if I’d sing and play on a song he wanted in his movie. He told me he had Snoop Dogg locked in and I thought that was the coolest thing. The only thing cooler would be to get Garfield in the studio with us, so I asked. Huge bummer. He said no. Apparently, Garfield hates Mondays.”

ASG Records and Republic Records: Kids & Family have announced The Garfield Movie (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) featuring "Let It Roll" and nine other songs will be available to purchase on May 17, 2024. CLICK HERE to order the album from Republic Records. The full soundtrack for The Garfield Movie is as follows:

1. "Good Life" - Jon Batiste 

2. "Let It Roll" - Keith Urban and Snoop Dogg 

3. “Then There Was You” - Calum Scott 

4. “Bring It” - Granville [feat. Will Champlin] 

5. “Let’s Get It On” - Marvin Gaye 

6. “Meet Garfield” - John Debney 

7. “I’m Back” - Hannah Waddingham 

8. “Flashback” - John Debney 

9. “That’s Amore”- Dean Martin 

10. “The Pinecone”- John Debney

In The Garfield Movie, Garfield (voiced by Chris Pratt), the world-famous, Monday-hating, lasagna-loving indoor cat, is about to have a wild outdoor adventure! After an unexpected reunion with his long-lost father – scruffy street cat Vic (voiced by Samuel L. Jackson) – Garfield and his canine friend Odie are forced from their perfectly pampered life into joining Vic in a hilarious, high-stakes heist. The film is directed by Mark Dindal with a screenplay by Paul A. Kaplan & Mark Torgove and David Reynolds based on the Garfield characters created by Jim Davis.

AMAZING GRACE PERFORMED BY WHEY JENNINGS

Growing up attending Catholic School, I've heard my fair share of choir hymns in mass throughout my life and the one that really struck a chord with me is Amazing Grace. My wife teases me to this day because I had the song performed during our wedding ceremony despite her thinking of it as a "funeral" song. For me though, Amazing Grace is a song about overcoming obstacles to lead your best life. What are your thoughts about this song?

Based upon my fondness for Amazing Grace, a new rendition of the song by Whey Jennings caught my attention. Following the family roots of his Country Music Hall of Fame inducted grandfather, Waylon Jennings, Whey provides some country soul in an acoustic rendition of the church hymn. Check out his performance:

“Amazing Grace is a beautiful and spiritual song that has touched my soul for as long as I can remember,” Whey Jennings commented to ageekdaddy.com. “It’s a song that I’ve always felt the need to record, and this just seemed like the right time to finally do that, given everything that’s happened in my own life over the last few years.”

If you'd like to check out a musical performance by Whey Jennings, here are some chances to see him in person this year:

FEB 03 - Sorry Charlies 2nd Anniversary Bash / New Smyrna Beach, Fla. 

FEB 04 - Everglades Seafood Festival / Everglades City, Fla. 

FEB 17 - Crossroads 44 Country Concert / Eustis, Fla. 

JUL 03 - J&S Roadhouse / West Milford, NJ 

JUL 05 - Beachem Bash / Elwood City, Pa. 

JUL 06 - Real Country Riverfest / Alexandria, Pa. 

JUL 07 - Dove Valley Winery / Rising Sun, MD 

AUG 01 - Clayton County Fair / Garnavillo, Ia. 

AUG 24 - Americans Supporting Armed Services / Malone, N.Y.

For more information about this musical performer, visit wheyjennings.com

ROBOTS DON'T TELL JOKES

The first single and music video from Kelli Welli's upcoming album Robots Don't Tell Jokes was just released. I love the title of the album and "Rainbow Love Song" is a catchy kindie rock tune that will surely delight kids toddler aged through elementary school but also have parents enjoying the song's harmony as well. The upbeat “Rainbow Love Song” is an empowering anthem about all the colors of love and joy that come with living a life filled with abundant variety, acceptance, and gratitude.

Robots Don't Tell Jokes is being released on April 15, 2022 on amazon.com, bandcamp and kelliwelli.com

THE MORRIE

Appreciate AFB Hospitality Group inviting ageekdaddy.com to join in a free holiday brunch with some of Metro Detroit's most popular bloggers including yesnodetroit.com and metrodetroitmommy at THE MORRIE in trendy Birmingham, Michigan. THE MORRIE has garnered a reputation for being a lively spot for food, drink and music. It was my first time visiting the place and I wasn't disappointed. It was a great time!

First off was enjoying some Bloody Morries. These were some super bloody mary style drinks! Titos Vodka, housemade bloody mix, celery, pickle, olive, lime and hickory-smoked BACON. A great drink to put you in a festive spirit!

After drinks it was time for some eats. Wow! I wasn't expecting the Bacon, Egg & Cheese Flatbread to be so enormous. It was like ordering a large pizza for myself. No problem though because it was delicious. I ate it all up!

Chargrilled cauliflower flatbread, maple bacon, cheddar jack cheese, pickled shallot, arugula, scallion, white sauce, and baked eggs. I especially liked how the eggs were cooked in a sunny side up style so that their warm yolks melted out and covered the flatbread in a gooey goodness that complimented the dishes other ingredients. Warmed up my belly on a cold winter day. It was so good!

Of course, I wasn't going to turn down desert even after a huge, delicious meal. Have to say the desert was amazing! An ice cream sandwich that may have been one of the BEST deserts I've ever had! Yes  was that good!

Caramel ice cream sandwiched between two English toffee cookies. It was so tasty I'm tempted to go back to THE MORRIE just for desert! That being said their food and drinks are so good it would be a shame to stop by and not indulge in their whole menu while there.

In addition to food and drinks this dad blogger was also treated to some great live music during this holiday brunch. I really appreciate that live music isn't just not for the night time scene at THE MORRIE. It is impressive that they have performers on site during brunch hours. The musician really enhanced the setting with a fine performance of soft rock songs.

THE MORRIE gets a geek daddy nod of approval for a tasteful place to eat out. In addition to the Birmingham spot there is also a location in Royal Oak. Head over to themorrie.com to see a calendar of upcoming performers and learn more about their menu.

Hot Wheels Flipping Fury

 **A Geek Daddy received the featured product for free to review**

If you're last minute holiday shopping for a youngster in your life, you may want to swing by your local Toys R Us to pick up a Hot Wheels Flipping Fury toy race car. This motorized race car from Toy State will thrill kids with its flipping action feature, flashing lights, engine sound effects, and playable music is also a very  affordable gift with a manufacturers suggested retail price of $9.99.  My kids had a lot of fun dancing to music the Flipping Fury plays at the touch of a button and racing the toy around our back deck.



The Flipping Fury is motorized so with the push of a button it races off.  As the toy races along it performs a variety of stunts as it flips between its two sides.  It's like having two vehicles in one as the one side is a hot red convertible and the other looks like a futuristic space ship.  Play with the vehicle individually using either side as a single vehicle or use its motorized drive to have it flipping between the two as it speeds around.  Throw in lights and sound effects and playing with this toy is a real blast.

The Hot Wheels Flipping Fury is recommended for ages 3 and up. It requires 4AA batteries which are included with the toy when you purchase it. Be aware that this is a motorized toy that will race around under its own power but not a remote controlled vehicle so be prepared for it to bounce off of things that may block its path.



We found it to be very durable bouncing off of furniture, walls, and cement steps it would just flip and keep on going whenever it encountered an obstacle.  Plus it took a plunge off our deck racing full speed as it crashed into our yard and didn't break.  The vehicle ran very well on carpet, hardwood and cement but really isn't meant to run on dirt or grass.  When my kids tried to play with it in the yard it just spun its wheels and got stuck.  Make sure you have plenty of  space if playing with it indoors because this thing really whips around a room.  I do have to say this toy took a licken' and kept on ticken'.




The motorized action of the Flipping Fury worked really well for my kids and there weren't any hang ups or hiccups with that play feature when they were monkeying around with it.  Another nice aspect of the car is that the motorized action and special effects are all activated with the simple push of a button.  No winding, pulling or tugging trying to activate these functions.  In addition to the bottom and top of the car having their own unique image each side also has its own unique lighting, sound, and music effects. I also personally like as the car prepares to race off it makes the sound or an engine revving and tires squealing.

During the school year, my twins are invited to numerous birthday parties and it can be challenging to find presents that their friends and school mates will appreciate but won't bust our budget.  This would be a great idea for a gift for those type of situations as it is a well made, durable toy that is both really cool and very affordable.  Just beware that your own child will probably want one for themselves if they see it in action.

Toy State's Hot Wheels Flipping Fury gets A Geek Daddy nod of approval for being a toy that is tricked out with a lot of cool bells and whistles yet is dependable and durable enough to provide hours of quality play.  The fact that it comes with batteries included is also another nice factor that puts a smile on this daddy's face.

For more information, visit www.toystate.com

Our Annual Hop Over To Bunnyville Egg-stravaganza @ The Detroit Zoo

This year was the third year in a row that we've hopped over the the Detroit Zoo to participate in its annual Bunnyville activities. Taking place the Friday and Saturday before Easter, the zoo provides fun activities, games and entertainment for children that are FREE with paid admission to the zoo. Being that we live a fifteen minute drive from the zoo and have an annual family pass this egg-stravaganza is always a nice extra benefit of having a zoo membership that my kids really enjoy. We started off our visit to Bunnyville with a stop at the Jelly Bean Jamboree where the kids rubbed on some temporary tattoos, built custom bracelets, and made bunny faces from paper plates and cotton balls while enjoying live music performed by Mr. Seley and the Troublemakers that put a rock spin on some popular children's songs like "Old McDonald Had A Zoo."

Next was a stop at the Ford Education Center for a sp-egg-tacular magic show by the Amazing Clark followed by a stroll around to view some of the animals and a zookeeper talk at the grizzly bears exhibit. Than it was off to the Children's Hospital of Michigan Whisker Painting Station so the kids could get their bunny faces on.

The Funny Bunny Games are always a hit.  This year's activities included a hoop toss, floating duck contest, beanbag throw, and don't drop the egg walk for prizes that included dinosaur masks, a handheld pinball maze game, pencils, and some fruit gummy snacks.  All of which thrilled and excited my kids.

Every year we've attended this egg-stravaganza my kids favorite part has been the Bunny Follies live play, especially when they get everybody in the audience to do the chicken dance. 

The theme of the skit is on how Elmer the Bear wants to replace the Easter Bunny with the Big Brown Easter Bear.  The show has some humorous gags and musical numbers that get the audience engaged and my kids talk about it for days afterwards.

The Bunny Follies really are egg-cellent!

Our family has really enjoyed the Detroit Zoo's Bunnyville activities during our kids preschool and kindergarten years.  Based upon the activities though the event probably peaks out as being suitable for children in first or second grade so while Bunnyville has become somewhat of a family tradition it might not be that much longer lived as the twins move on to first grade this Fall.  If you are a parent of a preschooler or kindergarten aged child that lives in the Metro Detroit area, Bunnyville at the Detroit Zoo gets A Geek Daddy Nod of Approval and I highly recommend hopping by to enjoy the festivities.

Spring is here, the sun is out and it is time to get your Vitamin Z!

Rocking the Holidays with a Wireless JBL Charge 2 Speaker

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.

We always go all out at Christmas time to celebrate the holidays at our house - a huge blowup snowman in the front yard, the glow of our home shining from being covered in LED lights, a pleasant wreath on the front door, stockings hung above the fireplace with care, and of course a decorated tree with cookies and milk for Santa.  Something seemed to be lacking though; but I just couldn't put my finger on it.  It hit me the other day when I was driving home from work and realized they were playing Christmas songs on the radio...we hadn't been rocking our home with holiday music.  I was going to have to fix that by getting some Bluetooth compatible speakers for our house.

We haven't had a nice stereo receiver or speaker system in our house to make listening to music that worthwhile.  When my wife and I tend to listen to music it is on the radio in the car, at the gym with our mp3 player, or via the playlists we have stored on our iphones. Our children are at an age where they really don't listen to music much. So while our house was decked out for the season the musical component of the holidays had been lacking because we just didn't have an outlet for enjoying Christmas carols and tunes at home. Thanks to #CollectiveBias we were given a JBL Charge 2 Speaker because tis the season for #GiftingAudio and now it appears our family is going to be a lot merrier through the holidays being able to incorporate music into our festivities.

I have to say that this speaker has exceeded my expectations.  Its little body belts out the tunes with power, clarity and bass that rivals the bulky monstrous four foot high box speakers I used to take a lot of pride in from my bachelor pad days.  It was very easy to sync the JBL Charge 2 speaker to my iphone so that my children and I were very quickly listening to some holiday tunes via Pandora through this connection.  I was actually somewhat surprised just how exceptional the sound quality was especially with how I was playing music through a wireless connection with my phone.  We really had the jingle bells rocking as I cranked up the sound to enjoy the music of Mannheim Steamroller and Trans-Siberian Orchestra.  I kid you not the speakers delivered such a rich bass that it felt as if we could have been at a concert.  You can actually see the speaker working to provide a rich listening experience as you can see the twin passive radiators (the silver discs on either side of the speaker) pulsating to the beat of the music which is quite impressive to observe.

So what is on your Holiday Playlist this year?  Here are a few of the favorites from our family playlist:

Christmas Don't Be Late - Alvin and the Chipmunks
Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer - Elmo & Patsy
Santa Claus is Coming to Town - Bruce Springsteen
Little Drummer Boy - Bing Crosby & David Bowie Duet
Do They Know it is Christmas - Band Aid
The Most Wonderful Time of the Year -Andy Williams
Joy to the World - Mannheim Steamroller
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen - The Bare Naked Ladies
Carol of the Bells - Trans Siberian Orchestra
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas -  Judy Garland
Frosty the Snowman by Jimmy Durante

There is such a focus on the visual elements of the holiday season through the lights and decorations, but the musical aspect is also an important part of celebrating the holidays and was something we had been neglecting the last few years.  Being able to pull out this convenient portable speaker and easily play holiday songs from our itunes playlists or Pandora is really going to enhance the Christmas spirit for our family. My kids were so excited when they heard the holiday tunes pouring through our house as they jumped around like reindeer singing the lyrics to Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman.  It was so convenient just being able to pull out my phone, hit play and have the music flow wireless between devices and through our home.

Speaking of convenient, it was really nice to have this great speaker delivered directly to my front door rather than drag myself out to the store to search for one.  If you are looking to get a JBL Charge 2 for yourself or maybe as a gift for someone keep in mind the convenience of shopping online.

It is so convenient to get one of these online now too because JBL is having a special holiday promotion on its website. If you purchase a Charge 2 from www.jbl.com, they will provide FREE ground shipping plus FREE extended returns.  I hate paying for shipping for online purchases so that is a real plus for me!  Another perk that I appreciated is JBL provides lifetime support for your purchase when you buy it online directly from their website!  The JBL Charge 2 is $149.95 and while my preference was black you can choose from five colors to personalize your selection: blue, purple, red, white or black.

While the JBL Charge 2 is going to make our holiday celebrating more enjoyable it is also going to be very useful throughout the rest of the year as well.  Often times when we call grandma and grandpa our kids are fighting to grab the phone to talk to their grandparents...now we can use the Charge 2 as a speaker phone routing the call through it so the kids can both hear the conversation at the same time and also talk through the speaker's built-in microphone.  That featured turned into an unexpected treat which we are going to be using a lot all year long.  Based on the sound quality that I've experienced so far I may also use this speaker phone application for some of my work conference calls too.

Another great feature that is really nice if you are taking the Charge 2 with you on a family road trip or on business travel is that you can actually use the speaker to charge your phone when you are on the go.  The Charge 2's 6000mAh Li-ion battery can play up to 12 hours of music or if it outlasts your phone or other portable devices you can recharge them through its USB port.  No more having to look for an electric outlet to plug into at a highway rest stop while you are traveling to recharge your phone or tablet when you have this speaker with you.  This speaker really is the gift that keeps on giving.

In the spirit of Gifting Audio, our friends at Collective Bias and JBL are giving away 30 speakers for the holidays.  Just complete the steps below for a chance to win.  Good luck everyone!


JBL.com #GiftingAudio Sweepstakes