Hello to all!

       In response to everyones messages about why I haven't vlogged recently, I am still alive and well! LOL!  NO! American Idol did not shut me down.  As you can see my vlogs are still up on youtube.  Very simply I have just been super busy these last few weeks and haven't been able to keep up.   When I first started the vlogs I had some downtime in my schedule. But now the season here in Branson is picking back up and I am very rarely home anymore.  So I apologize to everyone who has been waiting for more vlogs.  Honestly, its alot of work to watch the shows, not just once, but several times to refresh my memory on what I want to talk about.  And I like to do them for fun but to commit to doing them every week is seeming to be a bit more difficult than I thought.  So I apologize for not being able to keep up with it on a weekly basis.  I will try to do them when I can so if you've subscribed to my youtube channel just keep an eye out!  But daddy's gotta make a living.  Speaking of, I will be starting rehearsals for a new show coming to Branson that opens April 8th called "Hunka Hunka Burnin' Love" .  If you make your way out here please come see me at the American Songbook Theatre (formerly known as "Shake it up") on 165 and Green Mtn Drive.  Its a 7:30 show and dinner is served as well.  Love to see you all there.  And, of course, you can catch me still on select days at "Mels Hard Luck Diner" for lunch on the strip!  The St Patty's day concert was awesome tonight!!!!!  Really enjoyed meeting some new people out there. : ) 

Take care everyone and God Bless!

Jason Yeager

P.S.     Since Ricky is gone my votes for either Adam or Matt G!  I love Danny but I have a feeling he'll get the shock vote off and then the unshocking save from the judges....we'll see.  He's got a deal if he left tonight so it really doesn't matter what he does from this point on.  ok...thats my 2 cents!  Piece out y'all

Hello everyone!

       Just wanted to update you on everything.  I have finally finished production on "The Heart of Me" my new double disc.  My original plan was to have it out at the end of June and I want to apologize for the delay on it.  I have been in the studio working very hard to finish the album.  Casey Loveland, my producer, has been working very hard on the final mixes.  I've been working at the diner all day, and for awhile there I was hosting the AI show I told you all about at night and then going to the studio after that to record till the wee hours.  This schedule has definately taken its toll on my voice and sometimes I have had to cancel production due to voice problems and fatigue.  But I'm happy to say its all done!  We are now working on the artwork and graphic design for the cd, which btw, I have changed the front cover.  It will be different than the one advertised on my merchandise section but better!!!  So its almost done and then it will be sent off for duplication!  : ) yay!!!!!!!!!!  I'm so excited for you all to hear this.  I have placed some samples on my myspace artist profile at www.myspace.com/jasonyeagermusic So check them out!  I will have the rest up to listen to on my website shortly!!!  Again I want to apologize for the delay on this but I hope once you hear it you will say it was worth the wait!  Thank you all so much for the support and love!!!

God Bless,
Jason Yeager <><

ok so I had heard rumors about an American Idol show coming to Branson for months.  And now its official!!! www.thegrandpalace.com has ticket info. I was opening for Starship (formerly known as Jefferson Starship) on Friday at the Branson Landing and the producer of the show approached me when I got off and told me to call him about hosting the show!!!! : )  Its called America's Favorite Finalists!!!  Featuring a rotating cast of Top 12 Finalists from seasons 1-6.  Opening June 20-October 26th.  Opening night is this Friday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  For locals wanting to go, please visit me at the Hard Luck Diner next door.  I will still be performing there during the day.  And if you bring your receipt from the diner to the box office you can get $5.00 off any priced ticket!!!  Please come see me this summer!!!!!!  I'm very excited about it!!!!

Here's a picture of me,Luke Menard, Michael Johns, and your American Idol winner David Cook!!!!  The four of us met up in Hollywood week.  I actually met Luke a few months before Hollywood week.  I was performing in a show with his wife and she introduced me to him and mentioned that he was going to Omaha to audition.  I told him I just made the 1st round and was going back at the end of the week for my next round of auditions so we had no idea that we would get as far as we did!  Later Laura, (Luke's wife) called and said he made it to Hollywood!!!  I was so happy that I would know someone (kind of) out there.  What a coincidence?  I showed up in Hollywood week and checked into my hotel room.  My roommate had already checked in and his stuff was already moved in.  A few moments later the "Song-stealing-greasy-headed-douchebag" as he so lovingly became known to the four of us, (thanks to our wonderful friends at votefortheworst.com) lol!!!!!  We instantly became really good friends that whole week.  Dave flocked to us during that 1st day...we began talking and hanging and going out to eat.  We realized we had to all make the top 50 or it just wasn't going to be good.  Dave, Michael, and myself had all made it through the first cut straight thru to Thurs but Luke had to come back that Wednesday for one last chance to prove himself to the judges.  So the 3 of us sat around that entire Wednesday...there was a party for those of us who had made it thru to Thurs but we were just watching as contestants came out one by one.  They were made to walk thru the party in front of cameras while we were all celebrating our victory from yesterday.  It was really quite awkward.  We kept asking eachother "Have you seen Luke?"  "Did he make it?!"  Finally, Luke came out with a smile on his face and we all cheered!  : )  Safe for another day....ha ha  Well, we all met back up in Hollywood when they cut us from 50 to 24 and the pressure was much more intense.  This was the big cut.  We all four sat together and watched as each person went up the elevator and watched as each guy came down and we counted the spots left for each of us.  What were the odds that all four of us would make it into the final 24?!  And sure enough, after much tears and yelling "The Four Horsmen" persevered!!!  Ryan asked me if he could join the group.....I said "no"  ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!!  It was really good to see them all again at the finale and the after party.  Things have certainly changed for Michael and Dave.  They are superstars now!!!!!!!  But I enjoyed the brief time we had together and I couldn't imagine going thru that whole experience without any of them.  Such talent....and I was so proud to say that I was apart of it.  : )

I woke up this morning with a very unsettling feeling.  All last night I prayed and prayed about my dog Freckles.  I asked God if it was him His time to just take him and not let me be selfish.  It was hard to sleep knowing he was staying overnight in a hospital alone with IVs all run in him.  I was holding onto some kind of hope for him to pull through but this morning I woke up out of a deep sleep and sat up out of bed.  My heart was pounding and my throat was lumpy...and then 5 seconds later my phone rang.  It was Dr. Cone from the clinic....Freckles had passed in the night in his sleep. 

        I found this dog in college in the fall of '99.  He was underneath a bush whimpering and barely able to move.  I came and knelt down by him and petted him for a bit.  He was so mangled and matted...the previous owner had used an old battery cable for a collar on him which was completely matted deep into his fur.  I was so torn up and thinking "oh geez, I CANNOT bring another animal home! My parents will kill me!"  So I got in my car and was trying to leave and that dang dog drug himself out into the parking lot and plopped down in the middle right in front of my car.  My heart broke and I opened my door and got out and picked him up and put him inside.  I drove him home.

         He wasn't in very good shape at all.  I gave him a bowl of water to drink and he drank it ferociously.  It was then that I noticed water and blood dripping on the ground from his neck.  His throat had been ripped open and the water he had been drinking was just coming right out...I couldn't see the extent of his injuries cuz his fur was so thick and dirty and matted.  I immediately rushed him to the vet where they patched him up and gave him som penicillin for his wounds.  I brought him back home and put him out in the sunroom. Over the next couple of days it wasn't looking very good at all.  He wouldn't get up and come to you or wag his tail when you entered the room like most dogs would.  And he wasn't eating or drinking much at all either.  But then he slowly started to come around and after a week my family had fallen in love with him....including my dad!  ha ha!

         A few months later I got an offer to work on youth camp located in South Texas.  It was a 1,400 acre ranch with a river and hills.  I brought Freckles down with me that spring of '00.  Those were the best days of his life!  He would run and chase deer, and raccoons, and he loved to go on hikes with me.  He would even go fishing with me!!  He loved to sit in the boat and watch me pull up all the fish.  He didn't know what to think about them! lol  I remember one time I went out on the boat without him and he got so mad that he was stuck on the bank.  He would bark and bark at me and I would yell at him "Freckles!! Shut up!!! You're going to scare the fish!!!"  And then ....."Kerplunk!"....I knew it!  He came diving into the river after me.  His fat butt wasn't built for swimming at least not for very long.  I was yelling at him to go back ashore but as stubborn as he was he just wanted to be close to me.  And then I think he realized his fat butt wasn't going to make it to me so he did turn around.  Only he got tangled in weeds and trees and started to go under.

         I dropped my rod in the water and grabbed an oar and rowed as fast as I could to get to him.  It seemed like it took forever, watching him go under and back up again.  That was very scary.  But I got up to him and yanked his heavy soaking wet coat up by the neck and put him in the boat!  He just sat there and watched me fish the rest of the night. 

          Freckles hated cats....HATED cats!!!  He would love to chase them any time he saw one.  It was his favorite thing to do.  He chased after a porcupine once....ha ha ha ha thinking it was a cat I guess....it was the middle of the night and I couldn't see a thing.  After the scuffle was over he came whining over to me with needles all in his nose!  I just shook my head and had to laugh!  Stupid dog!
         
          He was diagnosed with heartworms in 2002.  He underwent treatments for it which took a big toll on his organs.  He wasn't really the same after that.  He couldn't run as much, nearly at all.  He just got so tired so quickly.  He became an inside dog for the most part.  Still loving to go out on my balcony and just lay outside.  I knew he missed living at the ranch...chasing us on our 6 wheelers and going hunting for wild animals.

          In 2007 he was diagnosed with Ehrlichia, a tick disease, that made him very, very ill.  After many blood tests and overnight emergency care he was released after a day with what seemed like a full recovery.

          In March of 2008 he began having seizures and showing severe neurological problems.  He seemed very "out of it" but was eating and drinking normally.  He had more blood tests done at which time he was put on medications to help with symptoms of the tick disease and also to help support a weakened liver.

          A few nights ago Freckles began having severe gran mal seizures.  I was terrified to watch him go through it.  The vet here in Branson, Dr. Cone, seemed to hold out some hope that maybe these seizures were unrelated to any past medical conditions and may just be old age, possibly Epilepsy.  He was given an herbal medication to treat for the seizures and thats when he became very lethargic and non responsive.  I took him for more blood tests to see what was going on.  It would take a day to get the results back.  That whole day I just layed with him petting him.  I spent the night on the floor next to him.  The next day we got the results and Dr. Cone said this is more serious than he thought.  Its really unknown exactly what killed him but I guess the best thing to focus on is that he is somewhere now much happier and healthier than he's ever been in his life!  He's running free and smiling and I can just see him chasing all the cats he can possibly ever want to chase!!!! : ) 


           I will miss that dog soo very much.  He was with me through thick and thin.  Through every major break up when I was alone and sad and needed comfort he was right there.  He loved to crawl in bed and stick his back into me and just let me pet him all night.  He never peed in the house....he was always so good about that.  He never tore anything up when I was gone.  He was the perfect dog!  And I wished he would've lived forever!  I love you Freckles and you will be missed terribly!!!!

Well, today was a long day.  I spent most of the day yesterday being with my dog and taking care of him and trying to finish a written proposal for this charity concert I'm trying to put together called "Branson Gives Back".  I was asked to write up a proposal and attend a meeting at the Branson Chamber of Commerce where a large committee of PR people from lots of theatres were attending.  It was pretty intimidating.  I was stressed about what I would say, how I was going to come across.  Big Brothers Big Sisters is the organization this benefit would help.  When I came off Idol I thought to myself "ok now what?"  And then I saw an ad in the paper about Idol Gives Back to the Ozark Food Harvest.  And then I really started to brain storm about ways I could really take advantage of the opportunities given to me right now and really help out.  Big Brothers Big Sisters is a mentoring program for kids 6-teens.  It helps troubled kids with social, behavioral, academic, and emotional issues.  So much happens in a kids life growing up and alot of times, kids steer way off course cuz no one recognizes these problems and steps in to encourage and strengthen these kids and just be there to listen.  It starts in the home and then they start hanging with the wrong friends.  Then its drugs and alcohol, soon leading to fights and then into gangs.  Kids need role models, they need heroes, they need "idols".  And thats why I thought this organization was perfect to join with in this concert.  A stage full of my idol friends who all can be looked up to and admired.  We all have a responsibility as adults, as Christians, to be a guiding light to others.  And I believe we can make a difference.  We can all be Idols!!!!!  : )

The past couple of days have been really hard on me.  My dog Freckles is 11 this year and has been with me through just about every major event in my 20's.  He's been in the hospital the last year or so at least 3-4 times.  The night before last he began having seizures, and I have to say its just horrific to watch your animal go through something like this.  Well, he's had 3 that night about every 3-4 hours and 2 yesterday.  I took him to a new vet preparing myself and trying to make peace with everything if the worst was what had to happen...but this vet seems hopeful and positive that we can treat him.  We are taking it day by day and I'll be keeping a close watch on him.  Because of his condition at the moment I've decided not to make the trip out for the finale.  I just don't feel right leaving him for a week.  I couldn't forgive myself if something happened and I wasn't there for him.  So, I just ask that everyone reading this, please pray.

Prayer works wonders...
Thanks so much and God Bless,
Jason Yeager <><