2013 Tony Awards Nominations

I spent my morning at the Tony Awards nominations in New York. While I have covered the red carpet before, it is the first time I had the opportunity to attention the early morning announcements. Sutton Foster and Jesse Tyler Ferguson hosted the nominations and they were hilarious together.

There were lots of interesting snubs from Bette Midler to Alan Cumming to Lilla Crawford, but there were lots of reasons to celebrate as well. Kinky Boots and Matilda the Musical will be battling it out for Best Musical while Tom Hanks has garnered his first Tony nomination for Lucky Guy written by his beloved friend, Nora Ephron. Ephron passed away last June after complications from Pneumonia and Leukemia.

See how all the action went down on Tuesday morning with my coverage for Starpulse:

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.......

2012 Oscar Season: Are You Ready?

If you thought awards season was over, think again.  In the next few months, we have the MTV Movie Awards, the ESPYs, the Tonys, and the Daytime Emmys.  I seriously feel like I was just doing this and this, but now, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences wants to make sure I am ready for the 2012 Academy Awards.  Have I recovered from 2011 yet?  I'm not sure.

Here are all of the important dates for you Oscar aficionados out there.  Mark your calendars now:

Tuesday, January 24, 2012:  Nominations 5:30 AM PT
Monday, February 6, 2012:  Nominees Luncheon
Saturday, February 11, 2012:  Scientific and Technical Awards
Sunday, February 26, 2012:  84th Annual Academy Awards

In case you missed it, click on the links above for 2011 Academy Awards coverage.

Photos courtesy of Mingle Media TV.

83rd Annual Academy Award Nominations

Yesterday was quite a day!  From my 2 AM wake-up call to the 3:30 AM breakfast to the Academy Award Announcements themselves at 5:38 AM, I cannot believe I managed to stay awake.  Okay, I did go to bed at 5:37 PM the day before.  It was a thrill of a lifetime to cover this event and I cannot believe it is about to get better with my upcoming red carpet coverage and backstage press room opportunity on Oscar night.  I could just scream with excitement.  I worked for several media outlets yesterday including Mingle Media TV, Starpulse, and then a guest appearance on Minnesota's 107.1 FM's Lori and Julia Show.  Phew!  It was a long and crazy day, but here is where you can find all of the links and photos to yesterday's events"

1.  To read my insider thoughts on what happened at the theatre yesterday morning hour by hour, head on over to my Starpulse article here.  I had a great time writing this article because you never really know what happens inside the theatre until you are actually there.

2.  To hear what I had to say with Lori and Julia on 107.1FM (My favorite radio duo when I lived in Minnesota.), head over here.  See the "What You Missed Section", click on "Hour 2", and then hit "Listen Now".  My favorite highlights include the ladies asking whether Mo'Nique shaved her legs for the event and what was up with that awkward kiss with Academy president, Tom Sherak?

Nancy O'Dell makes her official debut with ET replacing longtime host, Mary Hart.

3.  Mingle Media TV:  If you missed yesterday's announcement, you can find it here along with my commentary at the end of the video:



4. Photos from inside the Samuel Goldwyn Theatre courtesy of Mingle Media TV can be found here.


Photo 1:  Courtesy of Mingle Media TV.

Oscar Nominations Dress Winner

I just returned home and changed back into my pajamas to file all of my Oscar Nominations stories I have to take care of before I nap.  I wanted to post the winning dress before I hit slumberland. (My call time for the Nominations announcement was 3:30 AM!)

Congratulations to Lula for choosing the Banana Republic dress.  It was perfect for the occasion.  I looked professional, but I was comfortable and I was pleased the dress had pockets.  I was constantly on my phone or camera during the event, so they were very useful to me at 5 AM.  I was thrilled with the color and the stretch of the fabric because I don't usually have a lot of luck with Banana Republic. I decided to buy one from their petite line and that was definitely the right call for a 5'3" gal like me.

The cost of the dress is $150, but with free shipping, a 25% coupon, and 6% back from Ebates, my total cost was:   $116.72.

Dress:  Banana Republic
Shoes:  Guess, DSW
Jewelry:  Ring, Bracelet:  ShopTheLook.net
              Earrings:  Roni B

Lula, be sure to contact me so I can send you a $25 gift certificate to the store of your choice. Congratulations and thanks for picking such a great dress for me!

Academy Award Nominations

If you have been following all of my fashion dilemmas lately (official Nominations dress will be revealed tomorrow too!), you know that I will be covering the Academy Award nominations LIVE from the Samuel Goldwyn Theatre in Beverly Hills tomorrow at 5:30 AM PT/8:30 AM ET.  I will feature extensive coverage this week on my site, Starpulse, and Mingle Media TV.  I will provide all of the links here at Red Carpet Closet, so you have one central hub for all of the awards action.  If you want the up-to-the-minute update, please follow me on Twitter as I will be giving the inside scoop from the theatre.

This is going to the start of a very exciting month.  Thanks for joining me for the ride!

Top Photo:  Hanging with Oscar in 2008, Meet the Oscars exhibit.
Bottom Photo:  Me and my pal, Ashley Head, pretending we won an Oscar at the 2007 Meet the Oscars exhibit.  


Images and content may not be used without permission.

I'm Looking for A Dress, Part Two

I am dutifully following the cross country arrival of my dresses for the Academy Award Nominations.  So far, both of them seem to be in limbo; one on the West Coast and one in the Midwest.  Hopefully, they will arrive by Monday so I have a 50/50 shot that one of them will fit and look good.  Cross your fingers that I will have something to wear!

After critiquing the Golden Globes fashions and after I figure out my fashion dilemma for January 25th, I will have to start searching for some serious wardrobe for February 27th.  I received huge news this week that I will be covering THIS event in the press bleachers on the red carpet and the backstage press room where the winners are ushered after they receive there award for Mingle Media TV and Starpulse.  Can you believe it?  It's a dream come true. 

On the red carpet after the 79th Annual Academy Awards with my friends, Rose and Ashley in 2007.  I was kindly invited as a guest that year by Ashley.  The Departed was the big winner and Erica Davies designed my dress.  Guess who styled me for this event?  Kim Kardashian.  Yep, she was working as a stylist in 2007.  No E! show back then, she was known as Paris Hilton's friend and worked behind the scenes in the entertainment industry.  Wow, have times changed.  

So, I am reaching out to all of my fashionistas who have contacts in the fashion industry.  I am looking for a gown.  Where should I go?  Who should I contact?  If you have any ideas or suggestions, let me know.  I only have a week and a half in LA in early February and two weeks in Chicago in mid-February, so those cities would be my ideal locations for dress shopping/fitting.  Please note, anything I wear will get promotional consideration.  

Feel free to contact me in the comment section below or on my Contact page.  Thank you all for your assistance!

Photo 1: Courtesy of Seth Maxwell

Photo 2: Courtesy of Brian Wilson

The Dress Challenge: The Finalists

After much deliberation and searching at the dresses you picked, we have two finalists!  I think you might be surprised at one of the choices because it doesn't exactly fit all of the criteria, but I think it could be a perfect choice with a cute little jacket or sweater. There would have been three finalists, but we can thank Bloomingdale's for running out of inventory.  The winner will be announced on Oscar Nomination Day:  Tuesday, January 25th.  In the meantime, take a look at the two finalists:

From Andrea:   Dress by ModCloth (a favorite of mine), $162.99
I know there isn't a lot of color here, but the possibilities for accessorizing are endless all the way down to my shoes. It's a blank slate, so I think it makes the outfit a bit playful and fun. 

From Lula:  Banana Republic, $150
I think this cut and color are terrific for camera and I cannot wait to try it on.  I am hoping the ruffles add the touch of drama that I want to this dress without being overwhelming.  

The Runner-Up:

From Krystyn AND Kimberly:  Cynthia Steffe, Bloomingdale's, $110.25

This would have been a finalist, however, the dress is out of stock at Bloomingdale's. Boo! This would have been a strong contender. 

A Nomination!!

I must say, I am FLOORED by this nomination. What nomination, you ask? For Best Web Original Non-Fiction Series for 2009 by Clicker.com. I didn't think Clicker even knew we existed. We are in fantastic company in our category: A Comicbook Orange, Interview Project by David Lynch, and New Media Minute with Daisy Whitney. Voting is open now. All it takes is a click of a mouse and thankfully, NO registration is required. We would appreciate your vote and thank you for your support.

You can vote everyday until December 31st: The Web Files for Best Web Original Non-Fiction Series.