It's Monday, which means everyone (including myself) is probably feeling a little flat.
Last week was a bit of a crazy one for me, so apologies for the lack of posts. Down Under, we celebrated Australia Day, which is generally a time to drink...a lot, cook a huge BBQ and play some beach cricket at your local stretch of coastline. It sounds too stereotypical to be true, but it's closer to reality than some of us Aussie's care to admit.
For me, the Australia Day long weekend was the perfect opportunity for my girlfriend Eleni and I to jump on a plane and visit one of our besties, Dani, all the way in Perth. The weekend was fantastic, and provided us with just enough time to catch up on love, life, career and all the things in between. Perth is absolutely stunning, especially the coastal town of Fremantle, so for any international visitors looking to travel around Australia, I strongly encourage you to make it a must see destination.
A week later and I'm back to reality. Having finally caught up on my emails, I discovered this little gem that I just had to share.
A couple of weeks ago, I blogged about my excitement at an upcoming Justin Timberlake album.
A few days ago, I heard the song for the first time on radio and now, for all of you who haven't yet listened to Suit and Tie by JT featuring Jay Z...here it is...
And a few words from JT himself...
...back in June of last year, I quietly started working on what's now, my next journey with that thing I love called music...I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as I enjoyed making it.
My belief is that songs generally grow on us over time, especially when it's a new sound or a new artist (just look at how Psy's Gangam Style took over the world last year. Enough said). But to me, what makes a good song great, is how much you like it that very first time you hear it. One verse into Suite and Tie and I was already dancing in my seat as I drove home that night. I secretly shudder to think what I must have looked like to the other drivers parked beside me at the traffic lights, but to be honest, I don't really care.
So all that's left to say is that I hope this first single is an indication of the type of music and collaborations present throughout the pending album, because if that's the case, then I think JT has some awards coming his way.
In brief, here are my thoughts on the red carpet looks and the celebs we love and love to hate...
MY TOP 5: Kate Hudson- Why? So simple. So sexy and the perfect amount of shimma-shimma.
Jessica Alba- Why? Because everything about this look was stunning. The colour looks fabulous on her, the hair is glamorous and the diamonds sits perfectly against the sweetheart neckline.
Naomi Watts- Why? This look is complete, from head to toe. The colour is beautiful on her porcelain skin, her hair is chic and the earrings are just right. Stunning.
Lea Michelle- Why? As much as it pains me to say this because I usually can't stand her, I love this dress! It's perfect for a petite frame and paired with a sunkissed tan, its divine.
Jennifer Lawrence- Why? This dress is classic while still remaining fun enough for a young Hollywood starlet. Red dresses on a red carpet can often be tricky, but there was no competition with this Dior Haute Couture gown.
IF I WERE A SUPERMODEL:
I would wear Miranda Kerr's insanely sexy dress. How anyone can be this beautiful is beyond me.
IF I WERE OVER 40:
I would give my left arm to wear a figure-hugging number like Jennifer Lopez. And rock it.
IF I WERE TRYING TO DRESS LIKE A GOLDEN GLOBE STATUE:
I would want the Michael Kors cut out dress worn by Emily Blunt. Its hard to pull of something that's so extravagant, but this is a winner for me.
IF I WANTED TO GO UNNOTICED, I WOULD:
Wear a bland, boring, blah colour that matches my complexion...
Cue Amanda Seyfried, Amy Adams, Megan Fox and Anne Hathaway. Fail.
BOTTOM 5: Lena Dunham- Why? I disliked Girls, but disliked this dress on her even more! What was she thinking? Terrible cut, old lady colour and so dated for someone her age. Plus, she was clearly wearing shoes she felt uncomfortable walking in because it was painful seeing her make her way to the stage to collect her award. And not cute awkward, embarrassing awkward.
Sofia Vergara- Why? Because the woman has the perfect body, literally, and insists on sticking to the same dam dress every red carpet appearance. I never thought I'd see the day I was over a mermaid cut with a sweetheart neckline.
Lucy Lui- Why? Because it looked like something Maria made from Captain Von Trapp's curtains!
Sienna Miller- Why? This dress somehow makes Sienna's natural beauty disappear. The cut is boxy and the print is boring. Plus, her hair is boring and too slicked to her face.
Jessica Chastain- Why? It's not so much the colour of this dress, in fact I quite like the turquoise against her red hair and pale skin, but the hair....OMG the hair. Terrible. Plus, this dress drapes in all the wrong places, making Jessica's cleavage look like that of a 90 year old.
ON A SIDE NOTE:
The Golden Globes can't be discussed without mentioning the genius comic relief on display at this year's awards. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler absolutely killed it, although I was craving more airtime from the funny ladies. They could have kept me entertained all night. Brilliant.
Speaking of brilliant, if there is one clip I recommend you see from this years GG, it has to be Kristen Wigg and Will Ferrell's introduction for the Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture.
I saw this photo and I thought to myself "dam, they're going to have one good looking baby!" I mean, how could they not? It's Shakira (her hips don't lie) teaming up with a guy who's name is kind of irrelevant when he can whip out that intense, sultry stare whenever he wants.
But, the exterior beauty of this couple is not the point of my post. Rather, it's their inner beauty and the good example they're displaying to the rest of the uber rich and famous.
In lieu of registering for baby gifts, the couple have decided to request donations to UNICEF on behalf of their unborn son.
“To celebrate the arrival of our first child, we hope that, in his name, other less privileged children in the world can have their basic needs covered through gifts and donations.”
Donations will go towards helping other children around the world, with basic necessities such as food, water and shelter. Bless.
Today I discovered the very exciting news that Mr Justin Timberlake is currently working on a new album!
When I saw this cleaver yet teasing promotional video circulating around the Internet, I couldn't help but share. If I can't wait, than there's bound to be other people that can't either.
Listen to Timberlake explain why it's taken him so long to get back into the studio and get prepared for one of 2013's most anticipated and successful albums!
When Barbara Walters' 10 Most Fascinating People for 2012 list aired in December, I couldn't wait to sit down and watch the interviews to discover why they had impressed the renowned journalist so much. I have to admit, at times I find Walters quite irritating- especially whenever she's on The View panel, but a career as illustrious and successful as hers is not achieved by luck.
In the number one spot this year was Gen. David Petraeus. Walters states:
"David Petraeus was not chosen this year for his war record or his exemplary service to his country. This is about military honor, colliding with sex and lies in the digital age."
Petraeus resigned as head of the CIA, citing an extramarital affair, one week after the November election. The press learned that Petraeus was having an affair with his biographer, Paula Broadwell. The story continued to unfold, becoming more and more complex as new characters were introduced and additional lies uncovered.
"The story was irresistible," Walters said. "The keeper of the nation's secrets unable to conceal his own." She later added, "Still it was hard to understand how a man like [Petraeus] could fall so far from grace ... The contradictions in his character and his career are a reminder that no one, however powerful, is free of human frailty or immune to reversals of fortune. And that for us makes David Petraeus the most fascinating person of 2012."
With tragic events at the end of 2012, including Hurricane Sandy and the Sandy Hook massacre in the United States, we sometimes need reminding that there is plenty of good in the world too.
I recently discovered a compilation of 26 Moments That Restored Our Faith In Humanity This Year, put together by www.buzzfeed.com. I first saw these images at work, and consequently had a very public sob-fest while going through the list. Naturally, things that make you feel this good need to be shared, so here are a few of my favourite images to get you started...
[ The parents who made their son's wheelchair into the best Halloween costume ever ]
[ The people who helped out any way they could after Hurricane Sandy ]
[ The older couple who saw themselves in two young parents ]
[ The police officer who bought shoes for a barefoot homeless man ]
Let's be honest, everyone has guilty pleasures they're not proud of, but like an accident, sometimes it's hard to look away.
Last month, my girlfriend sent me the link to a blog called Suri's Burn Book- Suri, obviously being the celb spawn of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes.
The blog is written through the eyes of Little Miss Cruise, as she provides snarky yet witty social commentary about pregnant celebrities, their children, fashion, pop culture and her own parents. At times it can be borderline bullying, but the 'fictional' Suri created by author Allie Hagen is more like Gossip Girl's Blair Waldorf than a 6 year old girl.
From the author:
"Every once in a while on my personal Twitter account I'd make little jokes about what Shiloh Jolie-Pitt was wearing or what Suri was up to, and a friend suggested I start a Tumblr account with that kind of humor about celebrity families. I knew that if I wrote it from my own perspective, it would come across as unnecessarily mean, possibly creepy. So I tried to think of a different angle."
The blog has been so successful in fact, that Hagen published a book under the same title last year.
This little slice of the blogasphere is not something I schedule into my day, but its perfect for those moments when you're sitting in front of a blank computer screen...or whenever you need a bit of a laugh.
Christmas is by far my favourite time of the year, and I am by self admission what many would call a "Christmas nerd", but that's ok, I take that tag in my stride!
Christmas is all about giving and I think it's the main reason why I love it so much. Even though I write my gift buying list around November, promising myself that I'm going to try and be "more sensible and not feel the need to give a present to every single person I know", I am yet to succeed at this mission. My list constantly grows, evolves and develops each time I see something that I know would be perfect for a certain person and ultimately, it ends up in my shopping basket.
I'm almost convinced that this gene was passed down from my mother to me and regardless of whether it's a $1,000 gift, a $10 gift or something I've baked at home, the feeling of giving is like a shot of adrenaline. To be honest, sometimes it's disheartening when the other person hasn't considered you at all when you catch up for pre-Christmas dinner or drinks, but I'm glad I enjoy giving more than receiving.
Last weekend, my mother and I gave our time to a very worthwhile cause. Each year, the Salvation Army teams up with a large Australian department store called Myer, and offers a gift wrapping service in store for the month of December. I have tried in the past to work at a homeless shelter or soup kitchen on Christmas eve, but was pleasantly surprised and impressed to hear the operator tell me "there are no more places available for volunteers this year". Nice work Australia!
So instead I decided to give the gift wrapping thing a go. To be honest, I think I've missed my calling. To say that I love wrapping presents would be an understatement. I remember being a young teen and wishing that one day I would be able to work in a fancy store that carefully wrapped each item in tissue paper, placed it in a box and sealed it with a big, beautiful ribbon. I mean, who wants to be a doctor or a actress when you can be a 'professional gift wrapper', right? :)
With that being said, it goes without saying that I absolutely adored the task of wrapping other peoples gifts and it was an experience that I'd definitely volunteer for again next year. I suppose the moral of this post is to encourage anyone who wants to volunteer to find the right kind of way for you. There are so many charities and organisations out there in desperate need of your support, so try not just at Christmas, but throughout the year to help others less fortunate.
In the end, it all comes back to us ten fold.
PS. Sometimes all you need is brown paper and a little creativity...
I've got a new celebrity crush and she's not only beautiful, but incredibly talented.
She is the ultimate definition of a triple threat.
She is none other than Jennifer Lopez.
At the weekend, I was lucky enough to work on the JLo Dance Again tour. I spent the day setting up her divine all-white dressing room and then later that night, took my seat in the auditorium and watched the show.
Having seen the biggest and best artists tour Australia over the past 5 years, I went into the JLo show expecting a high energy dance marathon with a couple of great backup singers and the help of a pre-recorded vocal. I couldn't have been more wrong. If JLo was lip-syncing through any stage of her show, she completely fooled me. Her vocal may not have been perfect and she skipped a few lines here and there to catch her breath, but all that could be excused for the simple fact that she put on a live show- in every sense of the word.
JLo is the first to admit that her passion for dancing trumps her singing and acting careers, and that has never been more evident than watching her tear up the stage in a performance that lasted from start to finish. With the exception of a 2 song ballad break, Lopez was running, jumping and shaking her world famous booty for over 2 hours, leaving the audience exhausted just watching her.
There are four things I know for sure, having now seen JLo perform live.
1. She can actually sing, which was abundantly clear when she slowed things down for an acoustic version of her smash hit- If you had my love.
2. She can definitely dance. If I ever had an ounce of doubt, it no longer exists.
3. She has the most impressive abs out of any female celebrity I've seen and just to add salt to the wound, she's a 43 year old mother of twins.
4. She has the most enviable hair in the world. Whoever her hair stylist is, they are a genius. And on a side note, let it be known that I would now like a portable fan to blow my hair off my face wherever I go.
So I guess this post is basically a Lopez love fest. To my readers- if you're ever considering seeing JLo perform, I promise you she won't disappoint.
It's Monday morning.
That in itself is a little upsetting.
But what's worse, is coming into work while running on a 50% battery- a body battery, not the phone variety.
All of last week I was at home, sick and missing out on the fabulous weather that Mother Nature has been treating us Adelaide locals lately.
And now it's Monday.
But, the thing that brightened up my day and completely changed my mood, was this video that my colleague kindly placed in my inbox before I got to work.
Earlier this week I was fortunate enough to work on the Nicki Minaj tour.
In my time, have seen countless celebrities walk around backstage before a show in nothing but a pair of tracksuit pants, flip flops and prior to their visit to the beauty department. The one thing that I have discovered however, is that they really are just like us. They have their good days, they have their bad days, and ultimately, with the help of a small army, they can be transformed into something quite spectacular in the blink of an eye.
Seeing this side of fame- the glamorous 'having everything done for you by a professional' side, it's no wonder that the likes of the Kardashians, Lady Gaga and Miss Minaj herself are able to sustain their paparazzi perfect image, regardless of the place or time of day. Seriously, if I had a personal trainer, private chef, stylist, makeup artist and hair dresser at my beck and call, I'd look fabulous everyday too!
But watching Minaj arrive at the venue, hiding behind a pilots hat and over sized shades, a part of me felt a little sad for her. I stood there, wondering what it must be like to walk in her shoes for just one day? Put the fame, the fortune and the fans aside, and the pressure to look a certain way each time you step out in public would surely be enough to make me want to call it quits.
Now, I'm not and will hopefully never be the type of person who substitutes gym gear for everyday wear, but I do like the days when I can put on a simple pair of jeans and plain white tshirt and run to the grocery store or out for a quick coffee. People like Lady Gaga and in earlier years, Madonna, have set such a high precedent for themselves in terms of their style, that now, anything less than outrageous or over the top is deemed unacceptable and makes headlines.
I suppose the more important question to ask is "when is the right time for am celebrity persona to end?" Does Gaga have enough international love and support that she could turn all 'Betty Crocker' tomorrow and set a new precedent for herself (as previously done by the likes of Christina Aguilera or Xtina as she was formally known)? Or, can an over the top image only die at the same time as a career?
Yesterday I read an article by CNN journalist LZ Granderson about the direction the international music scene is heading and how true artists are a hot and rare commodity these days.
Granderson's opinions on the matter are not too dissimilar to my own, so I've inserted the article below... * Disclaimer: I will point out however that I am a tragic Kardashian follower and I think Taylor Swift is stupidly talented.
Pink, a true pop artist By LZ Granderson, CNN Contributor Tuesday November 20, 2012
One day, many years from now, future generations will look back at this time in our country's history and wonder what in the hell were we thinking.
The Kardashians are famous for no reason, same-sex marriage is controversial for stupid reasons, and somehow the "Twilight" franchise is a cash cow.
But our culture's biggest sin may well be the auto-tuned syrup we've allowed to dominate the pop charts. All-time chart records are handed to vacuous acts such as the Black Eyed Peas and singing awards are given to vocal lightweights such as Taylor Swift.
LZ Granderson History will show a dark time in our culture in which a million followers on Twitter became a key component to winning a Grammy.
But thank God for Pink.
That's what I was thinking as I was watching her performance during Sunday's American Music Awards. She recreated the video for her current single, "Try," a mid tempo ballad about the ups and downs of an imperfect relationship.
Where there is desire There is gonna be a flame Where there is a flame Someone's bound to get burned But just because it burns Doesn't mean you're gonna die You've gotta get up and try try try
Singing words like that live with the right level of emotion that Pink is known for is hard enough. Doing so while in engaged in an athletic pas de deux, complete with lifts, is breathtaking. She received a standing ovation afterward, much in the same way she commanded one at the 2010 Grammys as she swung over the audience's heads on a trapeze, asking:
Have you ever thrown a fist full of glitter in the air? Have you ever looked fear in the face and said, "I just don't care"?
It would all seem like a meat-dress wearing gimmick if she didn't have the voice and lyrics to back it up. But she does, and thus we can all breathe a sigh of relief knowing her voice will be there for future generations to discover when looking back at us.
Pink won't be able to scrub our record clean singlehandedly -- there's just too much manufacturing for one person to overcome. But at least there will be evidence for my great-great grandkids to see that we weren't all "American Idol's" sheep. While Christina Aguilera has a tendency to oversing, Britney Spears can't sing, and Lauryn Hill sorta stopped singing, Pink has managed to carve a brilliant 13-year-career by being something that is incredibly rare these days -- an artist.
A complete artist.
Maybe the most underrated artist we've had on the radio in the past 20 years.
That's not to suggest she's been ignored -- Pink has sold more than 40 million albums worldwide. It's just when you look at the amount of publicity given to her in comparison to say, Lady Gaga or Adele, well there is no comparison. We know she is phenomenal, but the others are considered phenomenons. Gaga and Adele are worthy of the accolades, but whenever I listen to Pink's "Dear Mr. President," "Family Portrait" or "Sober," I feel the need to atone for us not making more room for her in the pop culture paradigm.
Billboard magazine -- one of the most respected names in the music industry -- ranked the top five performances from the American Music Awards. For them, Pink's brave rendition of "Try" was second. Tops was Psy doing "Gangnam Style" with MC Hammer.
MC Hammer!?!
Yes ... we're going to have a lot to answer for someday.
As soon as I read this article, I jumped straight onto YouTube to see Pink's AMA performance. I was truly flawed. Not only did she sing the song live, but she did so while engaged in a beautiful contemporary dance, which told the story of the song in perfect harmony with the lyrics. It was a masterpiece that received and deserved a standing ovation.
I work at a music entertainment venue and week in, week out, I deal with some of the industry''s biggest and 'best' artists. I've seen more concerts than I can remember and I've witnessed the best and worst backstage antics, sound checks and dressing room demands. It is an incredibly insightful and fortunate job to have but I am constantly amazed at how an artists public persona can be so completely different to their 'when nobody is watching' attitude. Sweet little Justin Beiber was not so sweet and Christina Aguilera's ego was bigger than the venue itself.
When I first met Pink on her 2006 I'm not dead tour, I was both shocked and pleasantly surprised at how genuine and 'normal' Alicia, as they call her, really was. If I'm being honest, I'm not entirely sure what I was expecting, but from that moment on and still to this day, Pink has remained my favourite artist to work with and her shows are securely within my top 5 of all time.
Due to the nature of my job, I rarely buy tickets to see an artist perform and I have seen so many arena shows, that my standards are impossibly high. It's a rare few such as the likes of Sade and Michael Buble, that have impressed me enough to warrant my box office support. But, for as long as Pink is still touring and performing, I will be buying a seat to her show. She is that good!
Firstly, she sings every single song ...live! I am constantly amazed at how many "diva's" and artists lip sync or rely so heavily on backing vocalists to carry their out of breath or just average voices through a live show. It's actually a little disappointing to think that we, the public, pay thousands of dollars to hear a song taken straight off a record and paired with a little booty shaking on stage.
Secondly, there is no questioning the fact that Pink is the most daring and risque performer of my generation. Her shows are a constant melting pot of stage domination, aerial displays, dancing and sheer athleticism. In my opinion, a Pink show is the epitome of a live concert performance.
With all that being said, I believe that the accolades LZ Granderson gives Pink are not only justified but are well deserved. So, my advice- if you like Pink's songs, even just a little bit, then buy a ticket to her show the next time she's in your city and experience one of the best all round concerts I've ever seen. By the end of it, I promise the respect you have for her will double by the time you walk out the door.
She's that good.
Just in case you missed it, here is her American Music Awards performance...
The other day I read an article about a British doctor who commented on this recent Marks and Spencer ad campaign by stating that 2 of the women are overweight and one is obese.
After conducting a quick survey amongst the women in my office, all of them agreed that they would be happy, most even thrilled to look like any of these girls in the photo, and thought that their figures accentuated the shape ware products beautifully. Furthermore, as we stared at the image, we all genuinely struggled to identify the three 'over weight' women as mentioned by the doctor.
Marks and Spencer is a large UK department store and like many fashion brands today, have decided to ditch the wafer thin models in favour for a more true reflection of the women in society- bodies ranging from sizes 8 to 16.
Dr Ellie Cannon believes that some of these women set an unhealthy example that no one should aspire to.
"The fact is it is absolutely outrageous that, in an effort to illustrate the diversity of women, obesity has taken its place alongside ageing and differing skin colours.
I am really concerned by this trend of supposedly empowering women by what has become known as the 'body acceptance movement' which embraces the notion that fat is fine," she wrote.
Hearing comments like this from an educated health care professional makes me angry. I am not condoning unhealthy lifestyles or body weights, be them at one end of the spectrum or the other, but I do think that ads like this are a positive step forward for the fashion industry and they should be supported.
In my opinion, the more images of 'normal' sized women seen in magazines, on television and plastered on billboards, the better society's perception of body image will be.
Step aside Brad Pitt and your crappy Chanel ad campaign. Here's a piece of advertising I'd like to see plastered everywhere!!
A colleague of mine brought this campaign to my attention today and I felt compelled to share it. It's spearheaded by the Dutch charity organization Cordaid and is titled Mensen in Nood (people in need).
These ads highlight the contrast between the luxury items we seem to so freely purchase, versus the basic necessities in life that we often take for granted.
A purse versus food.
A pint of beer versus water.
It definitely made me stop and think and if I'm being honest, it shocked me a little.
This is the truth of consumerism in its most basic form.
A point of reference we should always keep in the back of our minds whenever we ask ourselves "do I really need that...?"
