Rockin' Ashton. ("Tweet. Tweet. Tweet".)

Our man, Ashton Kutcher found our new video of "Just Dance" by Lady Gaga. And yeah, these kids ARE amazing!! Thanks again for spreading the word, Ashton.

2 2 Ga Ga!

More congrats to the chorus!! After posting our new video of "Just Dance" by Lady Gaga, Perez Hilton picked it up and posted it on his blog within minutes!

So this song was actually a farewell request from Perez and a farewell thanks from the fifth grade PS22 Chorus of 2009 to the man who was the driving force behind putting the kids on the map. After posting 5 of their videos this school year alone, Perez Hilton has brought millions of viewers, both directly and indirectly, into the world of the PS22 Chorus. Big thanks for believing in these kids, and for raising awareness to the importance of music and the arts in education. Indebted.

So when I found out he wanted a Lady Gaga song, I was a little petrified! I honestly didn't know if we could pull off something like that. But the kids were asking for Lady Gaga themselves, so I put it on them to rewrite some of the lyrics to "Just Dance" to make it something that would be okay for school. And with just a little lyrical tweaking on their part, they totally recreated this song. I dare say they completely ROCK IT!!! And as you see the kids are loving it too!

UPDATE: Below is a screencap of the honors this video has received so far! Take notice of the #1 most watched music video today!! As always, we will update until they peak!

UPDATE 6/17/09: Okay, 2 days later and the honors are still rising for this video, along with being featured on CNN Headline News!! We are still holding the #1 most watched music video spot, but now the kids have risen to the #3 most watched video (music or otherwise)!!! CONGRATS, KIDS!!!!

WORLD NEWS....TOMORROW!

According to producer Wonbo Woo at ABC News, the World News with Charles Gibson feature filmed last week is scheduled to air tomorrow, Monday, June 15th. It is a national news broadcast, so make sure to check your local listings for time and channel. In the New York tri-state area, it will air at 6:30 PM on ABC, Channel 7.

UPDATE: Here is the piece that ran as scheduled on June 15th.

Check out the ABC World News blog for an amazing promotional write-up for the show from Wonbo, or read the screencap below. Keep in mind when you're reading, the World News feature was originally supposed to air the day after Nightline but was postponed. So don't get confused, it is scheduled to air tomorrow!

FIVE MILLION!!!

It's official! Today marks 5 million viewings of PS22 Chorus videos on the internet! That's insane! And we're insanely proud....

Nightline, PS22 Style....

After the chorus wrapped up their filming of last week's Nightline segment, as we often like to do, we turned the tables on correspondent Sheryn Alfonsi. The kids took over her role and asked her about her experience with the PS22 Chorus. She also finally settles an age-old dispute between Joey and me -- Who's got the better rows?

ASHTON KUTCHER'S "All-Time Favorite Choir"

>

Ashton Kutcher has tweeted again about The PS22 Chorus on his Twitter page. This time he says,

"My all-time favorite choir strikes again..."

Then he gives the link to "Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey as performed by The PS22 Chorus!! This is the third time Ashton's written about us and we're incredibly proud to have him as a fan! And in case you missed our previous posting of the song, here it is below.

Meeting Stevie at MSG

After having her breath taken away by the PS22 Chorus "Landslide" video, Stevie Nicks and the rest of Fleetwood Mac had us down to Madison Square Garden on Thursday for a musical rendezvous! She took the time to shake hands and hug (Elijah even got a kiss, the happy boy!) every single member of the chorus when she greeted us. She told the kids about the first time she saw their video of "Landslide," and how it brought her to tears.

Stevie went on to say how watching the PS22 Chorus version of "Landslide" on the internet took her back to when she was first starting her career in music, in her late twenties. ("I know that seems incredibly old to you guys," she joked.) She told the chorus how she wrote "Landslide" and put it on a little dinky tape recorder and then gave it to guitarist Lindsay Buckingham. And he would shape it into something completely beautiful. Her message to the kids was that a completely humble beginning led her to where she is now, playing at Madison Square Garden, one of the biggest stadiums in the world. And now the kids' humble beginning has brought them there too. She was repeatedly telling the kids that anything is possible, and all their dreams can come true.

Ms. Nicks also spoke about what it was like to be a woman in a male dominated music industry. She revealed her strength, saying, "I never allowed myself to be treated like a second class citizen." The kids were really taken with her and obviously inspired. And they ALL loved the way she smelled, and told her so! It was adorable.

Then the PS22 Chorus took the stage at Madison Square Garden, with Stevie Nicks as an audience. You could see the sheer delight all over her face as the kids did an utterly gorgeous version of "Landslide," including a one-line intro from another Fleetwood Mac song, "Silver Springs," as a little surprise.

Stevie burst on to the stage after the kids were finished and expressed her enthusiasm for the performance. I wish I could remember all the amazing things she said. Chorus member Mariah remembers Stevie saying that she hopes they remember this moment for the rest of their lives, and then she got a big hug. One quote that I am sure of, as it was the last thing she said to the kids after they sang (I had my mom write it down):

"I will never forget it, and being in your presence.... as long as I live."

After that, the band took the stage for their soundcheck which the kids got to watch! They sounded incredible, and it was just an unforgettable thrill to be exchanging these private performances. After the band left the stage, the kids were taken to a back room of MSG to eat dinner with the crew and band, where on the way we ran into drummer Mick Fleetwood and the previously mentioned Lindsay Buckingham, who both had some very kind words about the kids as well! When all was said and done, the kids left the arena with Fleetwood Mac T-shirts and an experience of a lifetime....

Later on, when the band took the stage for the actual performance, Stevie dedicated "Landslide" to the kids, and spoke about how she watched them on Nightline the night before. Here is an account from the kind person who let me know about it: "She came out and dedicated the song to them. Said how lucky she was to be able to hear them perform for her earlier in the day and how proud and touched she was by their total involvement in their performance."

MIND-BLOWING!!!!

NIGHTLINE ('nuff said!)

UPDATE: WATCH THE ABOVE VIDEO APPEARANCE OF OUR KIDS ON NIGHTLINE, OR CLICK HERE!!

Looks like it's a go! The kids are earning themselves some major prestige with a Nightline appearance tonight at 11:30 PM locally on ABC. (Check your local listings to be sure of time and channel!) Thanks to producer Wonboo Woo for keeping us posted with all the latest information, and for contributing to the amazing write-up on the chorus promoting the segment, which can be seen on ABC News Nightline page, or here in the screen cap below. We are all so excited to see the piece tonight, and hope everyone will be up late watching!(Except for the kids themselves, who had BETTER be sleeping now because they have a BIG day tomorrow....)

Also, must be mentioned that the kids are currently on the front page of the ABC News website! (See screencap below.) A VERY exciting time to be a part of the PS22 Chorus!! Congrats kids!!!

The Bonnie Hunt Show

Thanks to The Bonnie Hunt Show for granting permission to post our recent appearance in its entirety on the blog.

Just A Small Town Chorus.....

Here's another request that came from the kids (Elijah and Jared), the teachers, and even from some PS22 Chorus fans too. The song, "Don't Stop Believing" by Journey, has fast turned from an eighties classic to a timeless classic. And the PS22 Chorus extraordinaire delivers some rather outstanding harmonies that recreate it into something completely its own, and pretty darn special too! Another surprise favorite of the year! Soloist Elijah gives Steve Perry (lead singer of Journey) a run for his money, doing a rockin' job with his amazing talent!

UPDATE! This video has achieved THREE honors already, including the #22 Top Rated Music Video today! Congrats to Elijah and the chorus! See screencap below!

HOLLYWOOD 411 Part Deux

Hollywood 411, the entertainment show on the TV Guide Network did a story on the PS22 Chorus a few weeks back, and tonight they aired a part 2 of the PS22 Chorus segment! Watch it below.

In this segment:

1) This time you hear more from the kids, who show that their music comes from a place that's even bigger than their voices. Have I said lately, coolest kids ever?

2) If you listen closely, you can hear correspondent Maria Sansone singing along during Coldplay's "Viva La Vida." (Also featured in the video are excerpts of the kids singing "Everybody's Changing" by Keane, and the kids biggest internet 'hit,' "Eye Of The Tiger" by Survivor.)

3) You get an inside view of my tonsils for what seems to last about 3 of the 2 minutes of the running time of the video.....

4) You even get to see Mr. B and Mrs. B.... the proud presenters of your local chorus director.

ASHTON TWITS 22 AGAIN! :)

Thanks go once again to Ashton Kutcher, who twittered again about our favorite fifth graders just about an hour ago!! This time, he links to our rendition of "Landslide," and goes on to say,

"Maybe my favorite choir in the world"

AWWWWWWWESOME!!!