Three Reasons To See Disney•Pixar's 'Brave'

When I attended the D23 conference last August, the trailer for Disney•Pixar's Brave struck me as a strong departure from their typical animated fare. We don't have a male lead or a helpless princess or a film with a built-in merchandising empire.  Instead, we have a strong, stubborn, independent, and fierce gal by the name of Merida.  She wants to live life on her own terms, but she is going to learn the hard way how to get there.  It is a gorgeous film, but I am not sure it is for everyone.  Here are my three reasons to see Brave:

1.  Animation:  Duh.  Of course, you are there to see an animated film, but I am here to tell you that Pixar has taken their work to another level with this film.  The flowing red curls on Merida merit their own mention.  It's as if they animated every strand of hair.  It's detailed, lush,and rich in color. (If you are a fan of 3D, then this is a movie to splurge on. ) The scenery is also spectacular, you might as well be in the Scottish Highlands on vacation.  As for the bears that play into the story (I'm trying not to spoil the story here.), it's as if you could reach out and touch their shiny fur.....even though you probably don't really want to pet a bear in real life.  

2.  Soundtrack:  If you are lucky enough to live near one of these locations around the world, go see Brave in Dolby's new Atmos surround sound technology.  You will hear a beautiful Scottish music and Gaelic chants created by Patrick Doyle for the Brave soundtrack in 64 speaker feeds and 128 simultaneous inputs.....in other words, it sounds amazing. If you are a total tech geek, head here to see a demo of the Dolby technology.  It's unbelievable. 

3. Story:  This isn't a Disney princess waiting for her man to rescue her and this isn't a little fish, car, or grumpy old man who is lost and looking for his literal and figurative way home.  This is about a girl who kicks some serious butt.  She's a great role model for young girls and of course, there is a lovely lesson to learn along the way:  there are consequences to your actions.  The film is darker than the typical Disney•Pixar fare and I did wonder if the preschool set would sit through it.  The kids sitting near me were quietly munching on their popcorn and enthralled with the film.  However, the two-year old behind me was terrorized by the darker moments on the big screen  It's not for everyone and I think parents might want to leave those under the age of three at home.  (You've been warned.  You know your own kids, but I suspect those that are easily frightened will have nightmares after watching certain scenes.) 

Brave opens on Friday, June 22nd nationwide.

Once you see the film, give me your thoughts on Disney•Pixar's summer animated feature in the comments below or on Twitter or Facebook. If you want to see my photos of the gorgeous El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood where Brave will be playing, follow me on Instagram:  @KristynBurtt

Rock of Ages: The Interviews

If you are a musical theatre geek like me, get thee to the theatre this weekend to see Rock of Ages.  I promise, you will love it!  Check out my article for Fanboy Comics which includes an interview that I did for iVillage with stars Julianne Hough and Diego Boneta.  As a bonus, check out my interview with Catherine Zeta-Jones about who she modeled her politician wife after......you might be surprised.

Fanboy Comics article here.

For excerpts of my interview with Malin Akerman, click here.  It was featured in the Father's Day piece for iVillage.



If you see Rock of Ages this weekend, leave me your thoughts on the film on Facebook, Twitter, or in the comments below.

Are We Really Doing The Gold Trend, Ladies?

Lately, I've noticed a trend in Hollywood and no, it's not a baby bump, it's the gold engagement ring.  For the last two decades, the platinum (or white gold) cushion-cut diamond ring in robin egg blue Tiffany box has been the ultimate standard for engagements.  Yet take a look at the rings recently given to two Hollywood gals under the age of thirty.......gold bands and a very non-traditional style.  Has the tide finally turned? Are we doing the gold trend now in engagement rings?  Let's take a closer look at Miley Cyrus and Diana DeGarmo's engagement rings and Tori Spelling's anniversary ring.........

Miley's Ring:
Designer:  Neil Lane
Carats:  3.5
Cut:  Cushion
Band:  18K Gold
Motif:  Art Nouveau
Diamond dates back to 1880 or 1890.
Fiancé:  Liam Hemsworth (Thor's Brother!)

Diana's Ring:
Designer:  David Webb
Carats:  1 for center stone, .2 for side stones
Band:  18K Gold and Platinum  (prongs holding stones)
Motif:  Sunflower, her favorite flower.
Ace designed this ring for Diana.
Fiancé:  Ace Young

Tori's Ring:  

Designer:  Neil Lane

Stones:  6 Coral Cabochon Stones

Band:  Gold Bezel with Filigree Work

Motif:  1950's Antique

This is a 6th anniversary ring.  Tori gets a new ring each year on their anniversary date. (Way to go, Tori!)

Husband:  Dean McDermott

What do you think of the gold trend?  While I am a huge fan of Tori's ring, I think I still prefer the platinum look.  Miley's ring is very elegant, but just not my style while Diana's is definitely a personal taste issue.  I want to hear what you have to say!  Let me know on Facebook, Twitter, or in the comments below.    

Hello, Idaho! I will be appearing on NewsTalk 690 with Tim Lewis tomorrow morning at 7:35AM PT/10:25AM ET.  You can listen in LIVE here.  We will be talking about the summer box office and I will give you the inside scoop on my interviews with the Rock of Ages cast.  Tim interviewed me during Oscar season and it was one of my favorite interviews during that crazy month.  

Stars Dish On Their Fathers' Best Advice

Father's Day is upon us, and throughout the last few months at iVillage, we have been asking celebs about the best advice their father gave them.  Hear what the stars have to say and see if any of the advice resonates with you.  You will see a sneak preview of my interviews with Julianne Hough, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Diego Boneta, and Malin Akerman from Rock of Ages.  The full interviews will be up in the next couple of days, but enjoy this little sampling.  I also interviewed Chris Hemsworth and Lily Collins for this piece, all of the other interviews were done my by iVillage colleagues.  So, enjoy the piece......or at least enjoy Chris Hemsworth.....Thor!




For those of you who are So You Think You Can Dance fans, join me tonight on AfterBuzz TV at 10PM PT as we discuss the show, the dancers, and what to expect this season.  Watch here.  

Feeling Randy!

Me and Jonny after the shoot.

Well, if you watched last night's live stream, you saw me and Jonny Loquasto referring to multiple nominee for Feeding Randy as "Feeling Randy".  It was a typo on our scripts, so we ran with the joke until we were finally corrected.  Oh boy, lots of blue jokes on this live stream.  I normally don't ever hit even the PG-13 range with my work, but I think there was a bit of Rated R humor involved.  If you missed the fun live stream, you can watch it below or here.  The awards will be handed out on Sunday, July 8th in conjunction with Pop Con LA, a huge pop culture convention heading to Downtown LA from July 5th-8th.  I will be moderating three panels at Pop Con including two celebrity panels with Billy Dee Williams and the other with Sean Young from Blade Runner.  (Yes, THE Sean Young).  Get your tickets now for Pop Con LA, you won't want to miss it!

A full list of the nominees can be found here.



Thank you, Jonny, Ken Nicholas, Frank Zanca, and my gal, Melanie Marquez, for making everything run smoothly last night.  


For a list of my upcoming appearances, click here. 

Watch and Listen!

Happy Monday, everyone!  I am a little slow to get my week started since I am still recovering from a dumb summer cold.  Who gets sick in June?  Ugh, I guess me.  Anyway, I am on the mend and back to work.  Here is where you can find me tonight and I hope you will watch and listen:

1.  Driving with Gass:  I will be on an hour earlier tonight because I am broadcasting live at 7:30PM in Los Angeles.  So, listen to #RadioBurtt on KWSS.org at 6:35PM PT/9:35PM ET tonight.  Just click on the tab, "Listen Live" and you are good to go! Come join me, Kevin, and Cindy as we discuss the latest in entertainment news.  If you live in Phoenix area, you can tune in at 106.7 FM.

2.  ITVFest 2012 Awards Nominations:  At 7:30 PM PT/10:30PM ET, you can watch me LIVE on UStream announcing the nominations for the ITVFest Awards to be held during the Pop Con on Sunday, July 8th.  I will be co-hosting the nominations with comedian, Jonny Loquasto, so I hope you will tune in to catch all of the excitement.  Link to the live broadcast is here.

I hope you will join me tonight for a little entertainment news and the reveal of the nominees.......

The Friday Five: June 8th

It's time to wrap up the week with the Friday Five after a busy first part of the week and then two days in bed with a cold. (Boo!)  Here's what's been happening this week:

1.  AfterBuzz TV:  I'm really enjoying my weekly wrap-up show for SYTYCD every Wednesday night with AJ Gibson.  We talk dance, choreography, and a little bit of gossip on the show.  I know it runs really late for those of you on the East Coast, so you can listen to the podcast from Wednesday here.  I will let you know when the video is available.  Watch each week LIVE on AfterBuzz TV.




2.  Wreck-It Ralph:  I saw a sneak preview of this Pixar film at last year's D23 conference and at E3 this year, they released the full trailer.  I think this is going to a Must See on my summer movie list because it pays homage to the classic video games of my youth done in a way only Pixar can create.  How about you?

Wearing my Lotus Premium Denim at the Let It Shine premiere on Tuesday.

3.  Lotus Premium Denim:  When I attended the GBK Productions Gifting Suite last week, the ladies at Lotus Premium Denim hooked me up with a complimentary pair of their jeans. I chose a pair of the dark wash since they look better on camera, but they also have a more hipster vintage line that I loved too. They just make your butt look good and who doesn't want that? Head on over to their Facebook page and tell them KB sent you.



4.  Cleaning Out the Clutter:  I've talked about cleaning out my house a million times before.  I like a very minimalist house, so being home always encourages me to clean and sell what I don't need anymore. (By the way, a few new dresses went up this week!) So, I love it when I open a box and find gems like this video with my Toyota Live co-host.  We shot this in September 2007 in Hawaii to honor Toyota's 50th Anniversary in the U.S.  Enjoy the wardrobe, it's the best part of the video.

5. Sex And The City (SATC):  I won't ever let this show die, will I?  Yes, I am fan who has watched each episode at least five times.  Lately, I have noticed that many of the episodes are starting to show their age and look really dated.  Well, I am not the only one, seems like BuzzFeed had the same idea, but they take it a step further.  Read their article:  "28 Ways Sex and The City Would be Different If It Were On TV Now".  It's hilarious and a worthy read for any SATC fan.

Have a great weekend!  I have a Mad Men party to attend and a Mad Men finale to watch. What are you up to this weekend?


Follow my weekend adventures on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram:  @KristynBurtt


Disclosure:  My jean were gifted courtesy of Lotus Premium Denim.  My opinions are all my own.