The Friday Five

The weekend has arrived and I am a little late in posting, but I have about two hours left in the day. Let's get started with this week's Friday Five, my favorite things of the week:

1. Paris: I booked a job in Paris and I leave in 12 days! (I'll have more information on the job once I find out the company's social media policy.) I picked up my guidebook today and I'm getting ready to plan my leisure time in the city.  If you have any suggestions outside of the usual tourist fare, let me know in the comments below. I love places that are off of the beaten track.

2. Powell's:  I'm back in Portland again this summer and I have to tell you it warms my heart to see a city support a book store.  While I picked up my Paris guidebook at the legendary Powell's Book, I noticed the rooms buzzing with people reading, browsing, and shopping.  It's a good thing for the local economy and it's a good thing for BOOKS!

3. Broadway Beat:  On Tuesdays, I will be covering the Broadway Beat on Dance Channel TV.  This week might be one of my favorite postings, Newsies is coming to the stage!  Please tell me I am not the only one who loves the film, Newsies?  Click here to read the article.

Dis

4. Recycling:  I know this isn't a sexy topic, but I love how Portland separates their recycling bins.  These are the public bins and they have done a great job training the citizens on how to separate their trash. How did they do it? They started with the kids by putting them in the schools first and then slowly releasing them to other public buildings.  Smart, right?

5. Quote: I was shopping after work today (Big shock there, right?) when I noticed a great quote on the side of Pioneer Place in downtown Portland.  I think it is a great quote to start the weekend with and a great reminder to all of us......even if it did come from a mall.

Have a great weekend.  I will see you back in LA on Monday!

  

Tim Burton Exhibit in LACMA

Yesterday was one of those days when I took the opportunity to enjoy one of LA's wonderful museums.  I headed out to the Tim Burton exhibit at LACMA, Los Angeles County Museum of Art on Miracle Mile with my talented writer pal, Bernie Su.  It is an incredible retrospective of Burton's career (so far) with highlights from Alice in Wonderland, Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, Nightmare Before Christmas, Sweeney Todd, and more.  It is fascinating to see a young boy who was born in Burbank, a fairly suburban part of LA, turn into a master of quirky characters.  His sketches reflected his talent early on from his success in the Burbank Fire Prevention Poster contest to his early storyboards and comics.  If you are in LA, take advantage of the exhibit which runs through October 31, 2011 and tickets are $20.

Me and Bernie Su!  I can't stop wearing this shirt.  

 There are a lot of stripes going on in this photo!

 Awesome lamp post installation outside of LACMA.  It's even more beautiful all lit up at night.

The famous La Brea Tar Pits outside of LACMA and yes, it smells like tar.

The Magic Castle

The crew before dinner.  Someone is mugging for the camera.

Last night, I had the opportunity to go visit The Magic Castle in Hollywood.  The Magic Castle is a private club for magicians that requires an invite from a member to go for dinner, drinks, and to attend the multiple shows that happen inside the club.  I had been once four years ago when a pal of mine worked as a server there, but last night, I was invited by Lee Allport of My Sentiment ExactLee (I appeared on her show post-Oscars/Tonys.)  She is in town from the East Coast covering Hollywood events, so I was happy to tag along for this part of her adventure.

Once you are invited to the Castle, there are several strict rules.  First, men must wear a suit and tie and ladies must wear cocktail attire. I happen to love this rule because it is rare to see a man in a suit in LA unless he's an agent (Think Ari Gold on Entourage.) or attending an awards ceremony. The other rule is NO photos inside the Castle. I think it adds to the mystery and allure to the club.  We were able to grab a photo inside the lobby, but once you go behind the walls, my camera stayed in my clutch.

The club is hidden behind the bookcase. "Open sesame!"

After a delicious dinner of Lobster Mac and Cheese! and a Sweet Tea Martini (I should have grown up in the South because I love Sweet Tea, but alas, I'm a Yankee.), we headed to the Close-Up Magic Theatre where Adam Wylie was performing.  Adam is familiar to TV audiences from his years on Picket Fences and Gilmore Girls and to theatre audiences who are fans of Into the Woods and Wicked.  The Close-Up Magic room is always my favorite because all the magic is done.....er, close-up. I love the sleight of hand and how it fools the brain into thinking that cards have moved or disappeared.  I sat directly in front of his table and I still didn't catch the tricks.  I tried especially when he used me for a few of the card tricks.  Last night, I proved that I am no David Copperfield.

My special card from the Close-Up Magic Theatre.

Either way, The Magic Castle is a great night out in LA and don't forget to say "Hi" to Irma on the piano. She's the life of the party by the downstairs bar.  If you can get yourself an invite, make sure to accept and enjoy a night of magic in the club hidden behind the bookcase!

 You've seen this dress here.  

Dress:  Laundry (from 1998)

Shoes: Jessica Simpson

Cardigan: Victoria's Secret (from 2003)

The Friday Five

Friday is here and I have a busy weekend planned.  I will be moderating a panel on the "New Critics" at ITVFest on Saturday at 6PM.  If you are in LA and looking for the inside scoop on film and TV critics that work in the online space, click here for more info.  On Sunday, I am headed back to the Hollywood Bowl where I get the opportunity to see my pal, Corbin Bleu, perform onstage in the Broadway hit, Hairspray.  So, enjoy your weekend and here's my Friday Five, my favorite moments from the week:

1.  The Change-Up:  Um, I interviewed Ryan Reynolds and Jason Bateman AT THE SAME TIME!  Want to see it?  Go here or if you are a dude, here's Olivia Wilde.  It's my first correspondent gig for NBC/Univeral's iVillage website and it was an absolute blast.  If you like the interview, I would love it if you could comment over on their site under the video.  You don't need to register, you can just enter name, or you can even comment anonymously. (Thanks!)  I have another series of interviews from Spy Kids 4 coming up soon.  Think Jessica Alba, Joel McHale, Jeremy Piven, and Alexa Vega.

2.  Spy Kids 4: Speaking of Spy Kids, this was the amount of tape I walked out of the press junket with.  That's a lot of tape!  They gave the press an opportunity to talk to a majority of the press which is rare, but it is appreciated. The iVillage editor is going to have a lot of work to do!  To see what a press junket is like, take a look at my article on the A Little Help press junket for Starpulse.

3.  The Amazing Mat:  This was a first:  a marching band playing in a house on an infomercial set.  It was wild and so much fun.  The house we shot the show in was gorgeous, one of those houses you aspire to own.  My co-host, Jordan Murphy, might be familiar to you too. He was the host of NBC's For Love or Money and VH1's Tool Academy.  I'll let you know when the show begins to air.

4.  Godspell:  My pal, Larry, sent me a text yesterday saying, "Hey, producer girl, isn't this your show?'  Well, it's not MY show, it's being helmed by my friends, Daniel Goldstein and Ken Davenport, but yep, I'm an investor.  I love getting the word out whether it is my new iPhone case or the cool time lapse video they posted of the billboard going up in Times Square.

5.  The Help:  Go see this movie.  It's a wonderful break from robots, aliens, wizards, and the explosive summer movie fare.  If you have read the book, I think you will be satisfied with the screen adaptation. (My mom just sent me her copy yesterday, so I am going backwards:  movie first, book second.) The performances are award-worthy and it's an important story to tell.  I saw a screening and I was lucky enough to hear a Q& A after with stars Viola Davis, Bryce Dallas Howard, and director Tate Taylor, and author/writer Kathryn Stockett.  Go see the film on August 10th.  You won't be disappointed.  

One King's Lane

A few months ago, I saw a Groupon for a site called One Kings Lane.  The photo intrigued me, so I decided to take a closer look.  That's when I realized I hit the jackpot!  The site is a curated home decor shop with everything from furniture to fabrics, pillows, rugs, and more.  The best part is that it appeals to any type of decorator.  You will find something for your Spanish Mission home as easily as finding something for your American Classic home.  Each day brings a new sale that is only available for a short period of time.  I suggest you click on the site as soon as the items become available because they sell out quickly.  It's been fun sorting through the one-of-a-kind, vintage items to see how I can enhance my home.  The collections are often put together by well-known designers, so if you are a fan of Bravo's Million Dollar Decorator, you will see some familiar faces. (In fact, One Kings Lane made a cameo on a recent episode.)

I've only made a couple of small purchases so far, but this wonderful purple lantern has added a lot of color to my patio and my dining room since I shift it from indoors to outdoors when I have company over.  I am also awaiting the shipment of a new hexagonal-shaped stool as a fun addition to my living room.  My enthusiasm for this site knows no bounds.  I tweeted about them last week and they kindly responded.....and then even sent me a kind thank you gift.  Lisa, their VIP concierge, gifted me with a Archipelago candle which was a wonderful and unexpected surprise when I arrived home yesterday.  So, you know their customer service is top notch which just makes me want to spend more money with them! (I doubt One Kings Lane would argue with that.)

So, please go check them out with this invite from me.  Click here to receive an invite to get started on One Kings Lane. Then come back here and let me know what you think about site.  I'm warning you, it's addicting.......



Disclosure:  I was not asked to write a post about them.  I enjoy the site and their products so I thought I would share it with you.  

Suffering Through an Insufferable Bachelorette

I'm sorry.  This season of The Bachelorette was insufferable. It had everything to do with the person they cast to be The Bachelorette and it's my fault that I watched every second.  I gave Executive Producer, Mike Fleiss, exactly what he wanted:  viewers.  I know enough about this show from following Reality Steve, the former constants I have worked with, and from people who have worked on this show.  Mike Fleiss tactics are anything but honorable, so if you believe that Bentley story line happened organically, think again.

By choosing an emotionally immature woman (girl?) like Ashley who couldn't handle everything that got thrown at her this season, they got drama and the water cooler talk any show runner wants for his series. We watched her cry, whine, and pout her way through the season.  We watched more men voluntarily excuse themselves from the show.  We watched a girl have meltdown after meltdown when clearly all she needed to do was read the book, He's Just Not That Into You.  It drove me insane and it made me dislike her even more.  I wasn't rooting for her one bit, but I sure was tuning in each Monday night.  The icing on the cake happened last evening when she let the "runner-up", Ben, get down on one knee and propose even though she knew she was picking JP.  I found her last act to be cruel and unnecessary and Ben reacted accordingly with some curt and pointed words, "What I don't need you to do is sugarcoat it.  You can't leave something like this on good terms. It's impossible."

That quote summed up my entire season as a viewer watching The Bachelorette.  Sorry, Ashley, I am on Team Ben.  Will I be back next season to watch the latest train wreck concocted by Mike Fleiss and his team?  Oh, probably.  So in the end, Mike Fleiss always wins.

Tell me your thoughts on this season of The Bachelorette.  Do you agree or disagree with my take on this season?

We Have A Winner!

Thank you for all of your entries and I am announcing the winner at the bottom of this post.  The best part of this giveaway for me was learning everyone's favorite posts of 2011.  This also helps me write more articles that interest you when you stop by Red Carpet Closet.  The top 3 posts mentioned:

1. Oscars-Yeah, that might be my favorite week of 2011 too.

2. The Deets on the Dress-One of my looks this year, thanks to Roni B.

3. A tie:  Ode to New Orleans-A magical trip for me this year.

   Thirst Project Gala-A worthy charity providing wells to regions that don't have access to clean water.  

I did giggle when one of you selected a post from 2010 and another one picked their favorite post that was merely an invite to an event.  So, even though you slacked a little on following directions, I still let you enter because I got a good chuckle out of it.  

Now, it's time to announce our winner for our Gift Bag Giveaway chosen by Random.org.  Congratulations to Jessica E.!  I will be emailing you today so I can ship out all of your goodies.  Thanks for entering, everyone!