Media Mondays

I shot another few episodes of ClevverTV's It's a Wrap. Episodes up soon! 

Holy cow!  Monday slid right past me. My Prius signaled me with the red triangle of death and I spent most of my day commuting back and forth by foot, bus and subway to get my car serviced at my favorite dealer.  The good news is that my car was fixed within a matter of hours and it didn't cost me a thing. Hooray!

Here are all of my media appearances from last week:

AfterBuzz TV SYTYCD: If you missed last week's episode, here is our discussion about the Memphis auditions. I am so excited we move on to Vegas this week!



SheKnows: My favorite articles from last week:
Writers Guild names 101 Best Written TV Series-Do you agree with this list?
Ricky Gervais wants to host 2014 Oscars-Let the host speculation begin.
Lindsey Vonn gets drug tested at red carpet event-I mean, when you are in a gown, you might as well pee in a cup.

Tom Barnard Podcast: We talked way too much about me in this episode...if you are dying to know my backstory, listen in at the 15:45 mark.

The Radio Dish: We talk about my favorite punk in the biz-Justin Bieber. Sigh. Is his 15 minutes up yet? Listen in at the 22-minute mark.

Hot Topic Tuesday: Do Award Shows Still Matter?

When the news broke yesterday that Amy Poehler and Tina Fey were co-hosting the 2013 Golden Globes Awards, my iPhone blew up with text messages like, "Tina and Amy are trump cards for sure...trying to regain thunder after noms announcement before show."  Now, some of this may seem like a bunch of code and gibberish to you, but the underlying message is:  Award shows still matter.

To give you a bit of background on this, the tiff between the Golden Globes began awhile back as the Globes started becoming a serious predictor of the winners for the Academy Awards.  The Oscar nominations happened after the Globes show and no one likes to share the same stage. So, this year, in a last minute trump move, The Academy announced that the nominations would occur 3 days before the Golden Globes show.  Talk about stealing a little thunder, the Academy ran away with it.

In recent years, the two shows have battled for a bit of attention since the Oscars are all about prestige while the Globes are all about alcohol and fun.  No one wants to be the old dinosaur, and the Academy has fought that image, yet still gone with a tradition show each and every year.  To change that image, the executive producers of this year's show, Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, invited The Family Guy's Seth McFarlane to host the show.  This is the closest to the changing of the guard we have seen in decades.  Whether he succeeds or not, someone finally thought outside of the box when it came to the show.

Well, how does the Globes challenge that casting?  They've had a wicked Ricky Gervais (One of my favorite hosts ever for just making fun of Hollywood and telling it like it is.) to drum up controversy and throw out scorching one-liners to Hollywood for the last two years.  It was time to find someone just as witty, but smart and sexy.....bring on Amy Poehler and Tina Fey, two women in comedy at the top of their game.  The move was brilliant, calculated, and brought more excitement on my Twitter feed for a host than I've seen ever.  The Globes trumped the Oscars once again.

So if you think these shows don't count, don't matter, or are a waste of time, think again.  They bring in money to the box office, they send award show execs into their back offices to rethink strategies, and the announcement of a fresh, exciting host sends their name to the top of a Twitter trending topics list.  You can make fun of the shows all you want, but I bet most of you will catch the red carpet, watch the opening monologue, or click over to YouTube to catch a glimpse of what you missed the night before.

Bring on Awards Show season 2013!

My Top 10 Thoughts About The 2012 Golden Globes

Photo Credit: Esquire

The show is over and my Top 10 is up!  I thought this year was rather snoozy versus boozy.  Do you agree?

1.  Spray Tan:  When you are asked if you want a second coat, just say "no".  Oompa Loompa orange is not pretty and we witnessed it on too many last night.  Bradley Cooper, Matt LeBlanc, and Rob Lowe, I'm talking to you.

2.  Accessories:  Every lady will be sporting a sparkly headband on the red carpet this season and men will be sashaying down the press line with a Brad Pitt-inspired cane.  Even an injury can be hot when you're shacking up with Angelina and your best friend is Clooney.

3.  Please EAT, Julie Bowen:
This is Julie Bowen in 2012:

  This is a healthier Julie Bowen in 2011:

I ran into her about two weeks ago.  It (her scrawny body) doesn't look pretty in person.  Bones aren't beauty.  Sorry, Hollywood.

4.  Reese Witherspoon: I've called off the Baby Bump Watch.  She's not pregnant.

5. Year of the Actress:  I've seen just about everything this awards show season and I cannot think of a finer year with standout performances by women:  Meryl Streep, Glenn Close, Viola Davis, Jessica Chastain, Michelle Williams, Octavia Spencer, and Tilda Swinton are proving you don't have to be 25 years old to get the juicy meaty roles in this town.

6.  Ricky Gervais:  He was funnier last year.  Less snark makes Ricky a dull boy.

7.  Sofia Vergara: I don't find her that funny on Modern Family with her non-stop yelling and yapping.  She keeps on receiving nominations.  I said her acting was one note.  A pal reminded me her acting is "two note".  Yes, kids, she's getting honored for her own Golden Globes.  So, while I might find her acting over the top and not award worthy, her dress certainly merited a mention here.

8.  Sarah Michelle Gellar:  Um.......color is always good on the red carpet, just not like this:

Credit: Steve Granitz/WireImage.com

9.  Lea Michele:  This is also a NO.  Look, Lea works a mean red carpet and everyone knows it, including Sarah Hyland.  Lea takes fashion risks, but they don't always pay off.  This was one of those times.

10.  The Truth:  If any of these red carpets during award show season make you feel bad about yourself, here is the truth.  Fantasy:  The first photo is of me on Thursday night with a spray tan plus an outfit assembled by a stylist, hair professionally done, and makeup courtesy of a makeup artist.

Reality: This is the REAL me and my pal Julie at our Golden Globes party in Detroit.  Feel good about yourself, don't let the smoke and mirrors fool you.

What were your thoughts on last night's Golden Globes?  Give me the scoop in the comments below.

Reminding Me Why I Love The Princess Diaries...

When The 83rd Annual Academy Award hosts were announced, I was initially lukewarm to the idea of having Anne Hathaway and James Franco lead the evening's events.  Yes, the Academy wants ratings, they want younger viewers, but most importantly, they need to shake the formulaic formula up.  A good way to do that is to change up the expected idea of a host.  We expect comedians, but it is a night that the entertainment industry takes very seriously.  What we saw Ricky Gervais do at The Golden Globes this year would never be done at the Oscars.  So, often times, comedians can't be funny in the way we expect/want them to be.  So, enter James Franco and Anne Hathaway and the new promos for the upcoming show.  The first piece is my favorite, but watch Anne's outfits in the promos, they scream Rachel Zoe all the way.  I am "bananas" waiting to see Anne's entrance on the red carpet on February 27th as I'm sure a pregnant Rachel Zoe will hold off on childbirth just to see her client's big moment.   Either way, the promos are well-produced which I think is a good sign for this year's Academy Awards. (And I reminder that The Princess Diaries is a classic to watch on TBS over and over again. Long Live, Princess Mia of Genovia!)

What do you think of this year's hosts?





Photo Used with Permission from AMPAS.
Photo Credit:  Bob D'Amico / ABC