The Top Five

I hope everyone has an incredible and safe time tonight.  As 2010 draws to a close, here are some Top 5 lists for you.  It's been a great year here at Red Carpet Closet. Thanks for being a reader and a friend.  Happy New Year!

Top 5 Most Read Posts of 2010
1.  Disneyland's Club 33:  I have a feeling this post will be at the top in 2011 too.

2.  Dos and Don'ts on the Red Carpet, The Sequel:   What?!  You didn't like Part One as much?

3.  Publicity and Web Series:  My most controversial post of the year, but it always draws in a lot of readers.

4.  Behind the Scenes of Mommy XXX:  Well, this focused on Sony's web series about an adult star, Demi Delia, raising two kids.  The series was shot in a very Osbourne-like reality show way and this episode was shot in 2009.  Demi started to manage the mistresses of Tiger Woods, so I imagine the tabloid aspect of this entire tale drew many readers here.  It is one of the most fascinating stories I have ever covered.  Read the blog, watch the episode, and I think your initial perception may change.

5.  Behind the Scenes with Taryn Southern:  This lovely lady had a great year, so I know there are many guys out there drooling over this smart, ambitious actor/producer/writer/host/singer.  If you aren't familiar with her, check out some of her work, she's one to watch.

Top 5 Most Absurd Searches on Red Carpet Closet:
These always make me laugh, misspellings and all!

1.  "Does (sic) and Don'ts for a Red Person":  Um, hmmm, I don't discriminate by color on my blog.  Anyone can mess up on the red carpet.  I guess you were looking for this post?

2.  "I want to see your peacock behind the scene (sic)": Okay, I realize these are lyrics in a Katy Perry song, but I don't write about Katy, peacocks, or Teenage Dreams, this is more my style here at Red Carpet Closet.

3.  "Kristyn Burtt piernas":  I rarely write about the crazy things people put in a search engine to find me, but I remember my 7th grade Spanish.  Thanks for looking at my legs, I think?  I am not going to direct you to the photos, instead you can enjoy me all bundled up at the State Fair of Texas.  Enjoy!

4.  "Rachael Hip Flores boyfriend":  Hmmm, I am not sure if Rachael has a boyfriend or not.  I will ask her, but here is my favorite story about Rachael in 2010 when she won a Streamy Award for Anyone But Me.  Well-deserved!

5.  "her choir robe":  As a lapsed Catholic, I don't have much use for choir robes these days, but I did wear one this year for the XBox 360 Kinect premiere. Was this the style you were looking for?

Finally, I was able to discover a lot of new blogs and make some great online friends this year.  Here, in no particular order,  are a few other writers to check if you don't already follow them:
New Blogs to Check Out in 2011:
1. Jenna Birch at Seven Style Notes:  She's 18, a strong writer, and just adorable.
2. Shauna Sever at Piece of Cake:  I gain 5 virtual pounds every time I read her blog.
3. Emily Schuman at Cupcakes and Cashmere:  There are lots of fashion blogs, but I don't think anyone does it better.
4. Elle Sees at Elle Sees:  A great overall blog, but her posts on throwing theme parties for everything from Mad Men to NYE are my favorites.
5. Indiana Adams at Adored Austin:  Probably the quirkiest and funniest blogger of the bunch.  She makes me laugh and I know she would be the kind of girl I would want to have a cocktail with.

Clicker Awards

Recently, I've talked a bit about what the future plans are for The Web Files in 2011.  Well, I feel really encouraged that we are in a three-way tie currently for the 2010 Clicker Awards for Best Web Non-Fiction Show.  Our tough competitors, Rad Nerd and A Comicbook Orange, are breathing down our neck.  Now, The Web Files won this title in 2009.  I would love for us to retain our title for 2010 to help keep the momentum going with the show.  It would be a nice push for 2011 to get the show sold and back up and running on an entertainment site.  So, I'm asking for your vote.  As Clicker says, "Vote early, vote often."  It is only one click of the mouse, no registration, no emails, nothing.  You can vote as many times as you want between now and Monday, January 3rd.  Thanks for your support!

Vote here:

The Web Files (Scroll down to see our show icon.)

If you have never seen an episode of The Web Files, here is one of my favorite episodes of 2010 with the talented creators of The Bannen Way:

Year in Review: August 2010

I think August has some of the best events, photos, and posts of the entire year.  I only added a couple of photos, but I will link to all of the original posts so you can see how it all went down. You know I love to give you the inside scoop! 

1.  This was my annual trip to the Hollywood Bowl for their summer musical.  This year, Neil Patrick Harris directed Rent with stars like Vanessa Hudgens, Nicole Scherzinger, and Wayne Brady.  How did they do?  Oh, you want to read this.  

Me and Melody Freeman before the madness begins.

2.  This is one of the tastiest treats I had all year while I was working the Dew Tour in Portland.  It's a maple bacon bar from Voodoo Doughnuts and it is a "must-eat" the next time you are touring through the Pacific Northwest.  See all of my photos from the trip here.

3.  This is in my Top 3 Favorite Outfits for 2010.  I wore it to cover the red carpet for collidEdance's blink/drEam for Dance Channel TV.  You can see some of your favorite America's Best Dance Crew and So You Think You Can Dance stars in the compilation video.  Enjoy!

All the details about the dress and accessories are here.

4.  Emmys Week!  Gifting suites, celebs, many changes of wardrobe, and oh boy, the photo booth with Phil Keoghan of The Amazing Race.....delicious!  Here are all of the details with Phil and me.  

5.  With the popularity of Mad Men, this photo of me with Kiernan Shipka brought a lot of new readers to Red Carpet Closet.  I appreciate all of the new friends I have made thanks to Kiernan and this is still one of my favorite interviews of the year.  Here it is.

Year in Review: July 2010

I was looking through my calendar and my photos from July 2010 and I was happy to see that I took some time to relax.  I am really going to try and make that a priority for 2011...maybe 2/3 work and 1/3 personal. I think that is a good start since my life last year was 90% work and 10% play.  Here's to New Year's Resolutions!

1. While in Chicago for Women's Health Magazine's annual Are You Game?, I had a chance to hang with one of my favorite cousins, Michael. He's been my little buddy ever since the day he was born.  Awwww......

2.  I was invited by Lexus Dark Ride to the opening of SPiN Hollywood at the Mondrian Hotel.  It was an evening of A-listers like Susan Sarandon and an evening of D-listers like Michael Lohan who arrived at the party on the same exact day his daughter, Lindsay, went to jail.  Ponder that thought for a moment.  Anyway, I had a great night laughing until my stomach hurt with my pal, Maria.

3. On the set of one of my favorite live online shows, Stupid for Movies, hosted by Wade Major and Mark Keizer, and created by my pal, Mike Rotman.  I was lucky enough to be asked to do a guest spot where I had the opportunity to bring in a film you might have missed. Given my love for Bob Fosse, All That Jazz was my pick.  I like to think I was ahead of the latest dance movie trend.  If you love Black Swan, do yourself a favor and watch Fosse's incredible film.  Also, I will hopefully be helping out on SFM during Awards Season in 2011, but I will keep you posted about any possible upcoming appearances.

4.  You know how much I love my Prius, well, you are going to get really tired of me once the 2012 PHV Prius comes out.  Here I am at the Plug-In Conference in San Jose.

5.  The ITVFest Opening Night Gala continues to be one of the hottest parties in Web TV each summer.  Here are a few photos from my red carpet coverage where I hugged.....everyone and check out the red carpet interviews with Mingle Media TV here.

(Yes, that is James Denton of Desperate Housewives. Swoon.)

Photos 5-7:  Courtesy of Mingle Media TV

Mikasa

As we approach 2011, it is always a time to reflect on the year and see what I want to change for the New Year.  I decided that I am going to focus on my house this year, which includes making it a fun space to entertain.  I am starting out with my kitchen and dining room as the launching point for all of my simple renovations.  Besides adding a fresh coat of paint to my walls, I am going to add lots of color to my table and living spaces with beautiful plates, vases, and candleholders.  I’ve been looking at formal dinnerware at Mikasa since they have a plethora of bright, yet classic home accents that are going to fit perfectly in my home.

Since the focal point in my dining area is a large charcoal drawing of The Gates in Central Park by Christo and Jean-Claude, I have the opportunity to incorporate a touch of orange into my table setting.  I am thinking of doing a place setting similar to the Circle Chic Orange on the website.  I think it will be a simple yet, classy way to punch up color on my dark walnut table.  Another collection on the Mikasa site is the Rockswirl by Abby Modell.  I am going to scoop up a few of the colored vases and bowls to compliment the Circle Chic Orange place settings.  By adding some cool blues or serene greens, it will make my next dinner party festive and warm. 

Be sure to check out the Mikasa site, not only do they have free shipping for orders over $99, but they are currently offering 20% off one item with the coupon code:  TWENTY at checkout.  In addition, the Mikasa site has an extensive clearance section to satisfy any budget. 

This is a paid advertisement.  Per the FTC regulations, any paid posts must be disclosed. 

Year in Review: June 2010

June was another great month filled with dance, cars, web series, and sci-fi.  It was a busy month, but one that brought lots of variety.  Check out what happened in June 2010:

1.  A fun day with Toyota talking about the PHV Prius (coming your way in 2012) with automotive radio host, Leon "The Motorman" Kaplan at the Americana in Glendale.  He's a fantastic flirt and a great guy on 790 KABC in Los Angeles.

2,  A few shots from some of my favorite June episodes of The Web Files:

Here with Cooper Harris, star/producer of Squatters:

Lizzie Beckwith of Vampire Mob is adorable and hilarious.  I think we should be BFFs.

You might recognize this photo from the top of this blog.  This was caught at the SOLO the Series premiere and I love how it catches me in action at a job that I adore.

4.  This crazy get-up was for the premiere of the XBox 360 Kinect in LA.  See all of the fun photos from the launch and why I was dressed like a choir girl.  

5. Here  with the amazing Lula Washington, choreographer of James Cameron's Avatar at the Choreographers in Media panel.  See the video and photos with a few dance legends, it truly was a highlight for a dance geek like me.  

6.  I happily flirted with James Remar of SATC at the Saturn Awards.  While I was there to cover the best in sci-fi, hey, I am a girl, I like handsome men and TV shows about fashion.  This was probably one of the strangest red carpets I have ever covered.  See how it all unfolded and what "Spock Blocking really means.

If you do watch the "Spock Blocking" short video, let me know what you think.  A little crazy, right?

Photo 2:  Courtesy of Mingle Media TV
Photo 3:  Courtesy of Agnes Magyari.
Photo 4:  Courtesy of Jonathan Nail

It's All About the Sound Bite

As we turn the corner to a new year, LA turns the corner to the frenzy of Awards Season.  From the Academy Awards to the Golden Globes, SAG, DGA, PGA, DGA, and every acronym in between, there will be a red carpet every night of the week until the spring.  Now whether you are an actor or someone behind the scenes, it is always a good idea to brush up on your red carpet interview skills.  I came across a great article by Jocelyn Broder on Journalistics about "The Importance of Sound Bites".  I have harped on this topic over and over on panels and in several articles I have done this year here at Red Carpet Closet:  Publicity and Web Series, Red Carpet Interviews....Some DOs and DON'Ts, and Dos and Don'ts on the Red Carpet, The Sequel.  Check out the Journalistics article and discover how to create and deliver a sound bite.  It also gives some great examples from film and political speeches.  Do your career a favor in 2011, make yourself a sought after interview on the red carpet.

Also, I would love your feedback on any of these articles.  Do you have questions? What topics do you want to learn more about on the red carpet?  I will make sure to bring them to you in 2011 during Awards Season!