Life in boxes

Clip from Eclipse!

2010-05-21T10:00:00.000-04:00

Some of you might be thinking, "That Julia sure does post a lot of Twilight-related things!"

Well .. DUH!

Here's a clip from Eclipse (which comes out in theaters next month!) in which all the Team Edward and Team Jacob goodness comes into light:

LOST Series Finale This Sunday!

2010-05-20T10:00:00.000-04:00

Think that this week in television was amazing, with all the upfronts and season finals?? Think again!

The FINAL episode of LOST airs this Sunday (May 24, 2010) at 7PM. That's right - it's finally here .. the season finale!

I know that I will be watching the epic 2.5hr series finale with my fellow LOSTies, and tune into the epic Jimmy Kimmel LOST finale after-show.

Saturday Night Live: Betty White + Jay-Z = AMAZING

2010-05-10T10:00:00.000-04:00

So in case you haven't heard, Betty White hosted a "Mother's Day Special" episode of Saturday Night Live over the weekend .. and it was pretty good!

A lot of bloggers talk on and on about Betty White's comic timing and how her professional approach made it an amazing show .. I'm not going to disagree on that, because it was a pretty entertaining show for me. I didn't even mind the overload of MacGruber skits (probably because I have plans on watching it at the midnight showing:x)

Anyway, the highlight of SNL's 2nd to last show on their 35th year is probably Jay-Z.

Shocking, I know. For those of you who know me, I'm not really a Jay-Z fan (especially in comparison to my bf) .. but Jay-Z's performance was AWESOME.

Check it out (before NBC pulls them offline!)

Jay-Z Medley:

"Young Forever" (I love how Jay-Z dedicated this song to Betty White - aww! But not really a fan of "Mr. Hudson" .. his voice gave me chills (not in a good way))

It's Here: The Eclipse Trailer

2010-04-23T10:00:00.001-04:00

Oprah premiered the Eclipse trailer on her show yesterday (surrounded by Twihards - what was she thinking??):

A few things to note:
-I really really dislike seeing Bryce Dallas Howard as Victoria.
-RPattz is looking more and more sickly as Edward. New makeup artist, please.
-The army of "young" vampires coming out of the water reminded me of zombies.
-I think that the entire time I see the movie, I will either be looking at Kristen Stewart's bad wig or ..
-Taylor Lautner's abs FTW.

Eclipse will be out in theaters on June 30, 2010!

Ready, Set, Watch: Through a Dog's Eyes

2010-04-15T10:00:00.001-04:00

I love dogs. Seriously, how can someone even hate a dog??

So anything with dogs immediately grabs my attention. Whether they're walking down the street, or even in an ad - I will stop dead in my tracks and give a little shoutout to the dog and/or its breed.

So naturally, I am TOTALLY watching Through a Dog's Eyes - a new PBS documentary that focuses on service dogs and the lives that they affect.

Best part about it?? It's narrated by Neil Patrick Harris.
LEGEN - wait for it because I hope you like milk - DARY.

Check out the trailer:

Through a Dog's Eyes airs on April 21st at 8PM, on PBS.

Tax Day Free Day!

2010-04-14T15:31:00.004-04:00

Tomorrow is 4/15, the dreaded Tax Day for Americans. I think it's probably a little too late for me to tell you to go file your taxes at this point, but um, yeah, if you haven't done it already, you probably should. Good news guys, I actually am getting money back from the government this year! Oh, you don't care? It's ok, I'm just glad I don't owe hundreds like I did last year, so I don't care that you don't care! But here's good news that's applicable for all of you. In honor of the headache inducing Tax Day, many restaurants are offering freebies or major discounts as a little tax relief. Head over to The Bargainist for more.

Boston Market: Individual dinner plates BOGO Free
04/15/2010 through 04/18/2010.
Cinnabon - 2 Free Cupcake Bites on 04/15/2010 between 6pm and 8pm.
McCormick & Schmick's - $10.40 dinner specials & drink specials at the bar. (Guys, M&S has these amaaaazing Happy Hour specials. I like a lot. Check it.)
P.F. Chang's - 15% off food purchases all day
Starbucks - Bring in a reusable travel mug & get free brewed coffee
McDonald's - Select restaurants to offer BOGO Free Southern Style Chicken Biscuit
Subway - Free cookie for all customers
T.G.I. Friday's - Diners receive a $5 gift card w/purchase of $15-$25 or a $10 card w/purchases of $25 or more

Harvard Sailing Team: Boys Will Be Girls

2010-04-02T10:00:00.000-04:00

The "Harvard Sailing Team" is a group of 4 dudes doing sometimes funny videos because they have a lot of time, and don't really need to study. 'Cause who actually studies at Harvard, right? (sarcasm)

Anyway, check out their latest video, "Boys Will Be Girls," where they imitate what I imagine they think girls are like. 'Cause like, omg, I am soo totally not like that. But I totally agree - why doesn't my boyfriend just wear his fall coat??

Omg, "besties with testies." Best line ever.

It's That Time of the Year Again: Earth Hour 2010

2010-03-26T17:15:00.004-04:00

Tomorrow is Earth Hour, the day when all around, everyone turns off their lights for an hour:

JOIN WWF FOR EARTH HOUR

Saturday, March 27, at 8:30 pm local time

Earth Hour is WWF's initiative to unite millions of people worldwide in boldly stating their concern about climate change by doing something quite simple: turning off their lights for one hour.

Earth Hour sends the message that we care about our planet and our future, that we want to “turn the lights off” on pollution and climate change and switch to a cleaner, safer, more secure world. (Earth Hour)

I mean, how simple is that? Especially after most of Northern NJ was without power when that big storm hit 2 weeks ago, this should be a piece of cake, people!

Gleeee!

2010-03-18T15:14:00.002-04:00

It's been WAY too long since Glee had its fall finale, and while it seemed like April was so far away (new episodes come back on April 17th) we're about a month away, HOORAH!!!! The cast of Glee has been everywhere in the news, from their concert tour in May being sold out (see you there!), to being invited to the White House next month, to their upcoming Oprah appearance. YAYY!

Spoiler Alert: The folks at NY Mag have put together all the spoilers that have been all over the place. Read at your own risk, but be prepared to hear about lots of cool guest stars and musical numbers. It's gonna be so great! And click below for the new preview for the remaining episodes. Is it April yet??

Eclipse Teaser

2010-03-10T10:00:00.002-05:00

It's that time of the year, girls - a NEW TWILIGHT TEASER!

Swoooooooooooooooooooooooon!

UPDATED!

As of Thursday (3/11/10) morning, the official trailer was released! Check it out for your viewing pleasure!

2010 Academy Award Predictions!

2010-03-05T12:49:00.005-05:00

My Super Bowl, the Oscars, are on this Sunday! Who else is so so excited! Unfortunately this will be the first year I don't get to watch the telecast live, but I've got my predictions, ballot, and DVR all fired up and ready to go nonetheless! If you are into this stuff as much as I am, or need suggestions to win your office pool, or just want to read what I think will go down on Sun night, read on (my predicted winners are in bold).

Best Supporting Actor & Best Supporting Actress
These two categories are the most boring of the night, just cause the winners are pretty much locked. From the beginning of the awards season, Christopher Waltz (Inglorious Basterds) and Monique (Precious) have pretty much dominated, and so they are gonna walk away with the coveted awards. There is a slight chance someone other than Waltz will win Supporting Actor (maybe Stanley Tucci or Woody Harrelson), but Monique is a definite. The other ladies should just be thankful to be nominated, cause there is no chance any of them are taking home the Oscar this year.

Best Adapted Screenplay/Best Original Screenplay
For the Adapted Screenplay, I'm gonna go with Up in the Air. The movie had reallly good buzz towards the beginning of the season, but lost its steam in the midst of the whole Avatar/Hurt Locker buzz that started taking over. The Academy will reward the movie in this category. As for Original Screenplay, I'm thinking its a battle between The Hurt Locker and Inglorious Basterds, but I'm gonna go with the latter because The Hurt Locker will win bigger awards. But you never know, the warm crowd pleaser Up might sneak in enough votes to steal the prize.

Best Actor & Best Actress
Jeff Bridges also pretty much has the Best Actor on a lockdown, but I'm secretly hoping Colin Firth (who is just so dreamy) steals it. Even though Colin just won a BAFTA a couple of weeks ago (the British Oscars), I still think Bridges will win. The Best Actress category is my favorite one this year, because there is no clear winner. Sandra Bullock has pretty much won everything leading up to this, and while that may seem like she is going to win, her role in The Blind Side isn't usually what garners a Best Actress win. So while the awards season has been good to her, she might likely lose to seasoned veteran Meryl Streep, or newcomer Carey Mulligan. I really hope Bullock wins and I'm gonna say she will, but I will so not be surprised if she goes home empty handed Sunday night.

Best Director
This comes down to the battle of the exes-- Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker) used to be married to James Cameron (Avatar), and now they are the frontrunners for this coveted award. History will be made if Bigelow wins; she will be the first female winner ever, which is kinda sad, no? Come on Academy! Or, come on, female directors! =P I think she will win. Unless...

Best Picture
Now, I'm pretty sure The Hurt Locker is going to win. Avatar may be the bigger movie, but out of the 10 Best Picture nominees, no other movie had as much critical praise behind it as the Hurt Locker. But like I said, Avatar is the bigger movie, in all senses of the word. Critics may not have been super impressed with its storyline and dialogue, but you can't overlook how well the movie turned out. Now, if Kathryn wins Best Director for The Hurt Locker, the Academy might reward James Cameron with a Best Picture win. And vice versa- Cameron for Director, the Hurt Locker for Best Picture. But. I honestly think, the night is gonna belong to The Hurt Locker, for both Best Picture and Director.

AHHHH I LOVE THE OSCARS.

Music Video + Art History = Mind Blown

2010-03-02T12:46:00.002-05:00

Ok I don't know anything about this French band called Hold Your Horses!, but I love them for this amazing music video, in which they recreate the history of painting. Um, I LOVE ART HISTORY. And music videos. So, not surprisingly, I LOVE this video. Consider my mind blown. Actually I'm just giddy. Amazing, amazing!

70 Million by Hold Your Horses ! from L'Ogre on Vimeo.

To Their Moms, They'll Always Be Kids

2010-02-25T10:08:00.003-05:00

I love creative marketing campaigns, and I think P&G is really smart to recognize a niche group watching the Olympics-- the moms. I mean, I don't relate to this commercial directly cause I'm not a mom yet, but my own mom loves this one, and she totally agrees, so I think P&G is really striking a chord. In fact, I do think this commercial is true in a lot of ways, cause even though I'm an adult in my mid-20s, my mom still gives me smooches and treats me like a kid (um, not of the weirdo, dysfunctional family kind, but in a cute way..). Anyways, as the Olympics draw to a close (not before Queen Yu-Na skates tonight!!), watch this and smile. And go hug your momma.

Figure Skating!

2010-02-24T13:39:00.002-05:00

There was a time in my life when I used to be reallllly into figure skating (watching, NOT doing), and that was because I idolized the greatest figure skater of MY generation-- Michelle Kwan. Michelle is probably (and unfortunately so) known to many as the great skater with one accolade missing from her collection, the Olympic gold medal. However, I know her as the graceful, classy athlete who is the most decorated figure skater in the history of US skating. When Michelle stopped competing, I stopped watching. And so, I haven't been excited about figure skating, until now. Last night was the short program portion of the female figure skating competition at the Olympics, and there is a reason why it is the most watched Winter Olympic event. Drama Drama Drama! LOVES IT.

In one corner you have the world reigning champion, Yuna Kim, a 19 year old from South Korea who is not only considered the greatest figure skater skating today, but quickly cemented herself as one of the greatest figure skaters of all time. The biggest celebrity of her nation, she has the weight of Korea's expectations on her shoulders, so much so that she can't even live and train in Korea. Her match with Mao Asada, an equally talented 19 year old from Japan, is the stuff scripted dramas are made of. Both carry the weight of their country's pressure on their shoulders, both are multi-millionaire celebrities, both are expected to bring home the gold and once and for all settle the rivalry between the girls' respective nations. And if drama and rivalry aren't your things, then you have tragedy: the current 3rd place finisher, Canadian Joannie Rochette, is skating a mere 2 days after the sudden death of her mother. Emotional stuff!

Tomorrow brings the conclusion of the exciting competition, and while Yuna Kim has the commanding lead at the moment, anything can happen by tomorrow night's end. My current prediction though, mirrors the current standings at the moment:
Gold: Yuna Kim (South Korea)
Silver: Mao Asada (Japan)
Bronze: Joannie Rochette (Canada)

Operation: NO SPAM

2010-02-09T10:00:00.001-05:00

Here at Life in Boxes, we try our best to post decent comment. That's why it kind of sucks to see that some of our top commenters are .. SPAMMERS.

With that said, we're officially switching over the commenting option so that you have to be logged into your Gmail account to leave us a message. Hopefully it'll stop random spammers searching for certain keywords and marking us with their spammy tactics.

Comment on, friends!

Super Bowl Ads: The best

2010-02-08T10:03:00.003-05:00

As Julia said in her post last week, I too am a fan of Super Bowl ads, especially because I like anything that can hold my attention for a minute or less. I was actually pretty into the game this year (YAY Saints!), but I was on the lookout for some great commercials. I don't think I was blown away by anything this year, but the below are some of my favorites.

Google
This is my FAVORITE of last night, and one of my favorites ever, dare I say. Simple, charming, moving, and pretty much sums up the Google brand and purpose in one minute, which really is what an effective ad should be. A love story told through a series of google searches, it was incredible storytelling, and probably more romantic in that one minute than some 2 hour rom coms. Amazing. Genius. Love Love Love.

Snickers
How much do I love Betty White? For an 80 some year old, she is still a firecracker who is adorable and feisty and just plain awesome. I cracked up at this ad, in which she is battered around on the football field and gets to use the line, "That's not what your girlfriend said." Hilarious.

Bud Light
Umm. I freaking love auto-tune. I know, one of these days it will no longer be funny, but until then, I am still gonna laugh at the ridiculousness that is T-pain auto-crooning, "Pass that guacamoleeeee." HAHAHAHA.

Late Show w/David Letterman
And of course, the most talked about ad this morning is the Letterman-Leno-Oprah 10 second commercial that put the rival late-night giants in the same room. Apparently a lot went into ensuring this was kept under wraps, including Jay sneaking into the Letterman studios in full disguise to tape the spot. Totally surprising, and pretty funny.

Gettin' Psyched for Super Bowl (Ads)!

2010-02-03T10:00:00.002-05:00

On Sunday, millions(?) of people will be huddled around their HD TVs watching two football teams play against each other to win a bowl of sorts.

No? Hm ..

I honestly had no idea that the Super Bowl was this coming weekend, until a friend asked me if I had any plans for Sunday. I told him that I don't plan for things I don't care about (sorry, football fans), but he enticed me with my one weakness: commercials. With that said, I know that I will be glued to my TV, solely for the Super Bowl ads (YEAHHHHHH!)!! Millions of dollars spent on ads during a football game between teams comprised of players who get paid millions! That's my kind of Sunday!

Entertainment Weekly did their list of 11 Best Super Bowls Ads Ever and it's getting me super psyched for the big day!

Personally, this Fedex commercial is a fave, mainly because Cast Away was such a memorable movie for me:

Road to the Oscars 2010!

2010-02-02T11:00:00.006-05:00

This morning the lovely Anne Hathaway woke up super early to announce the 2010 Academy Award nominations, and while I cannot say I am surprised at most of the nominations, there were some things that made me go hmmm... I'm gonna do my predictions closer to the Mar.7 ceremony, but for now, here are my quick snap judgments on the nominees:

* Best picture
In an effort to include more mainstream (and popular) movies as well as the usual critically-acclaimed fare, the Academy nominated 10 movies for Best Picture this year. I think most of the movies (9 out of 10) are what was expected, but I am super surprised that The Blind Side was nominated. I love the movie, I love Sandra Bullock, but to me it isn't really a Best Picture nominee worthy movie. But, who am I to say, it has made a ridonkulous amount of money at the box office. I do wish the spot it took up had gone to The Hangover (my favorite movie of last year) or (500) Days of Summer instead.

* Best Actress/Supporting Actress
Given the amount of awards she has won this season, the Oscar is Sandra Bullock's to lose. Unfortunately, that is exactly what will happen. I LOVE HER, but I'm pretty sure her winning the big one (especially over veteran Meryl Streep) is slim to none. But, I don't know, The Blind Side did receive a Best Picture nod, so it is clear that the Academy does support her movie. In the Best Supporting Actress category, Maggie Gyllenhall's nomination for Crazy Heart comes as a big surprise since she's been shut out of nominations for all of the other award shows leading up to the Oscars. It doesn't matter however, Mo'nique will totally win this category hands down.

*Where the Wild Things Are
On a more personal note, I cannot believe Spike Jones's amazing Where the Wild Things Are was completely shut out of every category. Did I expect it to land any of the major nominations (director, picture, acting, screenplay)? No. But honestly even nothing in the technical awards such as costumes? Visual effects? Nothing?? So disappointing. It is a beautiful, beautiful movie, folks!!

There's an app for that!

2010-01-25T10:08:00.005-05:00

One of my favorite stories to come out of the Haitian tragedy is of a man who was trapped in the rubble for 60 hours, severely injured and bleeding, and managed to stay alive with the help of an.. iPhone app?! Yeah. So the guy, Dan Woolley, an aid worker from Colorado, remembered he had downloaded an app called "Pocket First Aid & CPR" from the American Heart Association, and used that information to treat his wounds properly. It's kinda amazing what this guy did, using his shirt to bandage his leg, tying his belt around the wound, firmly pressing a sock to his bleeding head, setting his alarm every 20 min to not fall asleep as a result of experiencing shock. A total validation to Apple's pretty bold statement, "There's an app for that." I imagine we will see this somewhere in their app commercials.

Adieu, The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien

2010-01-24T22:12:00.006-05:00

The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien aired last Friday. Conan ended his short stint as host on a classy note, making all the people who were on Team Coco sad to see their freakishly tall, red-headed friend go, but proud to have been supporters of such a tremendous man.

A lot of sites are posting up Conan's farewell speech, but rather than falling in suite, I'd rather show one of my favorite clips from Conan's Tonight Show:

Additionally, my favorite Late Night with Conan O'Brien clip EVER (YouTube disabled embedding it, so click the link!): Conan and Mr. T Go Apple Picking

Jimmy Kimmel Finally Managed to Make Me Laugh

2010-01-15T10:00:00.001-05:00

Jimmy Kimmel. You've had your own late night show for how long..? And I still don't get you. WHO ARE YOU?? Are you really supposed to be funny..?

Well, Jimmy Kimmel finally managed to make me chuckle last night, when he was featured on Jay Leno's 10 at 10 portion.

Some highlights include:
Jay: What's the best prank you ever pulled?
Jimmy: I think the best prank I ever pulled was I told a guy that 5 years from now, I'm gonna give you my show. And then when the 5 years came, I gave it to him and then I took it back instantly. It was hilarious. I think he works at FOX or something now.

Jay: Ever order something off the tv?
Jimmy: Like how NBC ordered your show off the tv?

Jay: What's the most number of lap dances you've had in one night?
Jimmy: Jay, my mother is watching this show, so. Actually, no wait a minute, this show's cancelled right, nobody's watching this show.

Check the whole awkward questionnaire here:

I love how all these other late night hosts are getting their little jabs in. Team Conan FTW, ya'll!

Update: Team Conan

2010-01-13T09:55:00.004-05:00

Ok. This will be my last post on this topic, I swear. But as an update to my Leno vs. Conan post late last week, I am posting the following very eloquent response to the debacle articulated by the man in the middle himself, Conan O'Brien. Everyone, meet class. As if I didn't love him anymore, Conan's letter is the epitome of grace and class, all with a touch of his signature humor. I think many of you probably read this already, but I'm re-posting because I want everyone to know what a stand-out guy I think this dude is. What struck me most from this response is just how much Conan, who has only been hosting the Tonight Show for 7 months, understand and respect the history and legacy of the Tonight Show institution than NBC and his predecessor host Leno does. Tsk tsk. Honestly, Leno should be ashamed. He's the one who should be graciously giving the spotlight back to Conan, and this discussion shouldn't even be happening if he was half the classy person Conan is.

Conan's Response:

People of Earth:
In the last few days, I’ve been getting a lot of sympathy calls, and I want to start by making it clear that no one should waste a second feeling sorry for me. For 17 years, I’ve been getting paid to do what I love most and, in a world with real problems, I’ve been absurdly lucky. That said, I’ve been suddenly put in a very public predicament and my bosses are demanding an immediate decision.

Six years ago, I signed a contract with NBC to take over the Tonight Show in June of 2009. Like a lot of us, I grew up watching Johnny Carson every night and the chance to one day sit in that chair has meant everything to me. I worked long and hard to get that opportunity, passed up far more lucrative offers, and since 2004 I have spent literally hundreds of hours thinking of ways to extend the franchise long into the future. It was my mistaken belief that, like my predecessor, I would have the benefit of some time and, just as important, some degree of ratings support from the prime-time schedule. Building a lasting audience at 11:30 is impossible without both.

But sadly, we were never given that chance. After only seven months, with my Tonight Show in its infancy, NBC has decided to react to their terrible difficulties in prime-time by making a change in their long-established late night schedule.

Last Thursday, NBC executives told me they intended to move the Tonight Show to 12:05 to accommodate the Jay Leno Show at 11:35. For 60 years the Tonight Show has aired immediately following the late local news. I sincerely believe that delaying the Tonight Show into the next day to accommodate another comedy program will seriously damage what I consider to be the greatest franchise in the history of broadcasting. The Tonight Show at 12:05 simply isn’t the Tonight Show. Also, if I accept this move I will be knocking the Late Night show, which I inherited from David Letterman and passed on to Jimmy Fallon, out of its long-held time slot. That would hurt the other NBC franchise that I love, and it would be unfair to Jimmy.

So it has come to this: I cannot express in words how much I enjoy hosting this program and what an enormous personal disappointment it is for me to consider losing it. My staff and I have worked unbelievably hard and we are very proud of our contribution to the legacy of the Tonight Show. But I cannot participate in what I honestly believe is its destruction. Some people will make the argument that with DVRs and the Internet a time slot doesn’t matter. But with the Tonight Show, I believe nothing could matter more.

There has been speculation about my going to another network but, to set the record straight, I currently have no other offer and honestly have no idea what happens next. My hope is that NBC and I can resolve this quickly so that my staff, crew, and I can do a show we can be proud of, for a company that values our work.

Have a great day and, for the record, I am truly sorry about my hair; it’s always been that way.

Yours,
Conan

Mini-rant: Leno vs. Conan

2010-01-08T09:36:00.005-05:00

Reports are surfacing this morning that NBC is canceling Jay Leno's low-rated prime time show and giving him back his old 11:35 late night timeslot. What would that mean for Conan, who is currently the host of that 11:35 slot? NBC is reportedly considering shrinking Leno's show to a half hour, and having Conan's show air at 12:05am. OK. Despite what this rant might sound like, I actually didn't really care about latenight show wars. To me Letterman is the best and as long as he is staying put where he is, I don't care. But, as this whole situation continues to become a mess and an exploding fiasco, I'm mad at NBC and at Leno for letting all of this happen.

Yes, airing an episode of Leno's show 5 times a week is vastly cheaper than filling that primetime spot with a drama/reality show double the budget. But from a creative standpoint, taking the exact same show, cause let's face it, Leno's 10pm show is not any different from his old Tonight Show, and airing it an hour earlier was pointless and a big fat waste of time and credibility on the already struggling network's part. And the only person I feel bad for in this whole thing is Conan, who is a brilliant entertainer, and who uprooted his entire life to be based in LA for the new Tonight Show. He's been dragged through the mud through this entire thing, while Leno has coasted by on preferential treatment, and now Conan is stuck in this awkward, weirdo position of having everything implode on him through no fault of his own. TMZ is reporting that the choice is up to Conan, and I seriously hope he walks away and screws NBC over. But, whatever happens, I'm on TEAM O'BRIEN. Ok, end rant.

BeautifulPeople.com

2010-01-05T09:39:00.004-05:00

Happy New Year, Life in Box-ers! I kinda love this time of the year, when everything feels fresh and new, and people make a mad dash to upkeep the resolutions they've made for the upcoming year. Typically one of the most popular New Years resolutions has to do with physical appearance- getting to the gym, losing a couple of pounds, taking care of your body. Aaaaand, if this isn't a motivating factor to get your butt to the gym in a regular manner, then I don't know what is. Since the beginning of this year, a dating site called Beautiful People has kicked out about 5,000 of its members after they've posted pictures "revealing that they have let themselves go." Come again? Basically, Beautiful People is an elite dating service that prides itself on being a community of people who place priority on looks, and well, if you are not beautiful enough, then you are not allowed to be a member. Users can join only after enough members vote them "beautiful" 48 hours after their profile is uploaded. Elitist? Supremely. Hilarious? Totes Mcgotes.

Apparently the 5,000 members who were kicked out gained a little too much weight after the holidays, and so their memberships have been revoked. But fret not, lose the weight and register again! I actually find this whole thing realllllly hilarious. And a tad ridiculous, but I so appreciate the honesty of it all, summed up nicely by Robert Hintze, the founder: "As a business, we mourn the loss of any member, but the fact remains that our members demand the high standard of beauty be upheld... Letting fatties roam the site is a direct threat to our business model and the very concept for which BeautifulPeople.com was founded." HAHA! Best.company.statement.EVER.

2009 Entertainers of the Year: #1

2009-12-31T22:00:00.003-05:00

Last year I bestowed the honor to the multitalented Tina Fey, and this year, the honor goes to... TAYLOR SWIFT!

Goodness gracious, who had a better year this year than Taylor?? She solidified herself as a bona fide star, transcending above the country music genre and outselling pretty much every artist in every category this year (who is not named Michael Jackson). After supporting other artists on their tours in previous years, her first solo tour sold out in minutes (and I know this firsthand cause I was not able to get tickets for her show... SAD) :( She became the youngest artist ever to win Country Music Association's Entertainer of the Year. On top of winning AMAs, Grammys, and every other award throughout the year. She proved to be charming and funny, hosting the best episode of Saturday Night Live this season. And of course, who can forget the infamous Kanye-gate, which could have been a complete disaster had it not been for the complete grace and class this 20 year old displayed throughout the whole thing. Not to mention, her album, Fearless, is pretty darn good, people.

So... there you have it, my pick for Entertainer of the Year (she is also Billboard's pick, as well as AP's pick). As a fan, I'm looking forward to 2010 for her, as she is currently writing new songs for a new record due out sometime later this year, and being up for numerous Grammys coming up in February. Rock on, Taylor Swift!

2009 Entertainers of the Year: #3 and # 2!

2009-12-30T23:50:00.003-05:00

#3) Jay-Z and Lady Gaga (tie)
Two artists who are completely different from each other (in every possible way), one a musical legend practically, and one who burst onto the scene in the year, dominated the charts in 09.

Jay-Z released his 11th studio album, The Blueprint 3, in September, and was met with favor from critics and fans alike. It became his 11th album to reach #1 on the Billboard charts, surpassing Elvis Presley's previous record with the most #1 albums. It also is the second best selling hip hop album of all time. The album has spawned hit after hit, but most notably, produced what is now NYC's unofficial anthem: Empire State of Mind. The Jay-Z train does not seem to be slowing into the New Year, he is embarking on a nationwide tour for the album, which will go well into 2010 (I'll be at the March show in Jersey, hollla!).

Lady Gaga is probably one of the most talked about artist of the year, and not only for her music. She pretty much became a cultural phenomenon, with all of her crazy outfits, even crazier performances, and, let's face it, catchy songs. In the annual Google zeitgeist, the Haus of Gaga was the most searched image of the year. Though her debut album came out in the summer of 08, but it seems like 09 is when she really caught on fire, with the string of hits-- Poker Face, Paparazzi, Bad Romance. I'm slightly scared of her, but I do kinda enjoy her antics. She's also embarking on a concert tour for her recently released album The Fame Monster, so there is no way we won't be seeing more of her in 2010.

#2) Michael Jackson
What can be said about Michael Jackson that hasn't already been covered a billion times in the past six months since his untimely passing in June? The world lost a true pop cultural icon, but ironically he ended up entertaining us even when he is no longer with us. His death brought upon hours and hours of coverage, surrounding his mysterious life and death, but more importantly, reminded us all of the impact he has had on the pop culture landscape. Reissues of his albums and singles sold through the roof, people lined up to pay tribute, millions tuned into his funeral coverage. And This is It, a concert film made from the footage of his This is It tour rehearsals was released in October, doing well at the box office. The man in the mirror might be gone, but in his passing Michael Jackson proved that he is a true legacy that spans generational gaps.

2009 Entertainers of the Year: #5 and #4!

2009-12-28T23:31:00.004-05:00

Last year, I created a list of my top 5 entertainers of 2008, and this year, I'm doing the same for the year 2009. I know we only have 4 more days left before the year's end, so before the week's end, I will post the 5 entertainers who have made their mark in pop culture. Last year's #5 went to Robert Downey Jr., and this year it is...

#5) The Glee cast.
No other tv show this season, new or returning, had as much buzz around it as the dramedy musical Glee. FOX took a chance on this one-of-a-kind show, and it paid off. While it is not a ratings juggernaut, it does average a healthy 8 million viewers a week, and the songs performed on the show are consistently in the top 25 iTunes songs chart. Sold out mall tours, the cast singing the National Anthem at the World Series, succeessful release of 2 soundtracks-- the show is heading strong into the new year, having been picked up for the rest of the season, no problem. Funny, smart, full of heart, and of course, those musical numbers! Such entertaining stuff. Though the show will not be returning until April 2010, we have plenty to tide us over (seriously, buy/download the soundtracks, STAT) as well as looking forward to the rest of the season when it does return (more musical numbers per episode! a Madonna-centric episode! surprise guest stars!). If the Glee phenomenon keeps going the way it has been, I would not be surprised to see them on this list again next year.

#4) Sandra Bullock
Like last year's #4 Britney Spears, Sandra Bullock had hell of a comeback this year. Ok, so she never really went away anywhere to have a comeback, but she basically solidified her place as a money-making leading lady with 2 big successful films this year. In the summer she starred in a romantic comedy called The Proposal, which surpassed everyone's expectations by bringing in over $300 million worldwide. Her latest effort, The Blind Side, is already on its way to raking over $200 million at the box office. Not only has she proven to be bankable, but she has just been nominated for 2 Golden Globes for each of the movies, and she's been steadily garnering Oscar buzz for the Blind Side. Not bad for an actress in her mid-40s, right? And a consistently working one at that! I personally really love her, so I'm super glad for all of the success she has had this year.

Holiday Movies!

2009-12-21T11:29:00.003-05:00

I have a pretty extensive DVD collection, but I just recently realized that for the most part, I don't sit at home rewatching my DVDs over and over again (there is way too much new TV to be watched sitting in my DVR). Which I guess makes my DVD collection a giant waste of money, but whatever, I do like having my favorite movies around whenever I get the urge to rewatch.

The point of this seemingly pointless post is, I especially have a couple of go-to holiday movies that I have to watch around this week of Christmas, a personal Christmas tradition of mine. I bring this up cause I just rewatched Elf this past weekend and enjoyed it soooo much!! ("Smiling's my favorite!") I know most people go for the usual, Christmas Story (I've never seen it, actually)/Miracle on 34th St/It's a Wonderful Life, but I like to go for what I call the new holiday classics: Elf and Love Actually with a dash of The Holiday thrown in (I'm not a huge fan, but Jude Law is kinda beautiful in the movie).

What is everyone else's favorite Christmas movies??

And, here is my favorite cover of All I want For Christmas is You, courtesy of Love Actually.

Another Reason To Love Glee

2009-12-16T10:00:00.000-05:00

Glee is on hiatus till April 10, 2010. Yup .. 4 months away.

But just in case you're scared of Glee withdrawal, there's been a bunch of survival guides for the next looong 4 months .. this little gem popped up on the interwebs - Mark Salling (who plays Noah "Puck" Puckerman) made a little music video tribute for his Glee family and it's soo disgustingly sweet that Sue Sylvester might start throwing up rainbows and unicorns.

One hit Wonders of the 2000s

2009-12-11T09:49:00.001-05:00

Earlier this week, Billboard magazine listed their Top One-hit wonders of the 2000s. Some of the choices were a bit surprising to me because their criteria for picking an one hit wonder is more technical than mine. When I think of an one-hit wonder, I think of an artist who produced 1 good song, and then faded off the map for eternity (Jennifer Paige's Crush, anyone??). What Billboard defines as an one-hit wonder is a song that reached the top 10 of their Hot 100s chart, and then failed to produce a single that reached the top 25 after that (reaching top 25 is not an easy feat for anyone...). Perusing the list brought back so many musical memories: Dream (#10), Macy Gray (#22), Vanessa Carlton (#24), S Club 7 (#38), and my personal favorite, a post-Jessica Simpson breakup Nick Lachey (#28).

Here are the top 5 One-Hit Wonders of 2000s:

#5: D4L - Laffy Taffy
#4: MIMS - This is Why I'm Hot (Gee, I wonder why, it boasted such genius lyrics as, " I'm hot cause I'm fly/you ain't cause you're not.")
#3 Crazy Town - Butterfly
#2 Terror Squad - Lean Back
#1 Daniel Powter - Bad Day (I love this song, actually. And I like the video...)

The Internet is .. Wow.

2009-12-10T10:00:00.000-05:00

Have you ever tried explaining how the Internet works to someone who isn't .. err, tech-literate? To this day, I still have a hard time explaining to my parents why they can't play Gostop online because of slow connections, or why they can't just push the power button instead of properly shutting down - don't even get me started on email.

Anyway, here's a nifty infograph that tries to tackle the wonderful, world-wide cacophony that is called the Internet (click to enlarge):

I Tech You to School: Google will soon be giving you prostate exams

2009-12-07T21:45:00.002-05:00

Ok... well maybe not anytime in the near future but judging by the way they're expanding, it just might happen.

Let me explain. I know I can speak for many people when I say that Google knows more about me than I do. They have every email I've ever sent/recieved in the last 7 years. They know my hobbies by looking at my google reader RSS subscriptions. I've made purchases through Google checkout. I now own a phone that has all my contacts, calendar appointments, and text messages which was made by Google. They have every single Gchat conversation I've had with people. And the thing is, they're only getting bigger! (there's a 'that's what she said' somewhere in there)

For example, they've just introduced a new service called "Favorite Places on Google". This new service is like a Zagat for not only restuarants but any business that has been Googled repeatedly on well... Google (damnit, when did Google become a verb?). These businesses will get a window sticker that states it's a "Favorite Places on Google" letting people know it's a hotspot. Not only that (here's the cool part), you'll be able to scan the barcode of that restaurant with your cell phone to get more info, coupons, and reviews, straight to your handset. Pretty genius if you ask me. It's almost as if real life is becoming more digital. This is just one of the many ways Google is extending their reach... and it's only a matter of time until Google will somehow find a way to give me my annual prostate exam... and the sad part is, I can't wait because you know it'll be free and better than 99% of what's out there already.

The First of Many Teasers: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

2009-12-07T10:00:00.000-05:00

Who's still going through New Moon mania?? (raises hand!!)

Well, now that New Moon finally came and conquered our hearts, it's time to look forward to .. other things. Any Harry Potter fans out there?? (raises hand!!)

Here's the first of perhaps many, many teasers for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, which is set to be released in November 19, 2010.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 Preview One

Last Christmas

2009-12-01T15:29:00.003-05:00

We are 3 days into December, which totally means that it is.. full on Christmas music season. I may be soul-less by revealing this, but I DO NOT LOVE Christmas music. There, I said it. Sorry people, I must have no heart. There are a handful of Christmas songs I do enjoy though, and one of those songs happen to be Last Christmas, originally sung by the 80s band Wham. It is probably one of the most covered songs ever, with everyone from the Backstreet Boys to Coldplay to Taylor Swift releasing their own versions. I talk about this because, there is a site called Last Christmas.com, that keeps track of all the different versions of the song that is released. So far, in the 4 years they've been running the site, we've got 395 versions and counting, all over the world.

And because my current obsession is Glee, here is the Glee cast's version of the song. LOVES IT!!

Google Zeitgeist 2009

2009-12-01T12:28:00.004-05:00

Google Zeitgeist is what Google calls snapshots of search trends, and it's a really interesting look at what kind of things fascinate Americans enough to search for things in droves. Someone from Google was on the Today show this morning to talk about the Zeitgeist for 2009, though that has not been updated in the Google archives as of yet. Not surprisingly, Lady Gaga, Twitter, and swine flu were among the fastest rising searches this past year, with Lady Gaga being the fastest rising in Google images searches (Um, yeah cause she looks so different with every appearance, I don't think anyone knows what she really looks like).

Update: Google Zeitgeist 2009

Around this time of year, food happens to be a big search term, and Google found that comfort foods (like chili and meatloaf) were a trend. That reminded me of something I saw this past weekend that I thought was so cool: The New York Times posted a geographic breakdown of Thanksgiving food related searches on Allrecipies.com. "Sweet potato casserole" was the most searched term nationwide, but it's interesting to see where the queries for different things come from. The breakdown raises a couple of questions, like if something isn't being searched for as much in one area, is it cause fewer people in that area are making the dish, or they already know how to make it? It's so interesting to scroll through.

Pixar Short: George & AJ

2009-11-23T10:00:00.000-05:00

In a recent dinner conversation with friends, we were discussing what the last actual Disney film was, besides ones collaborated with Pixar AND WE STILL COULDN'T FIGURE IT OUT! Any help?

Anyway, with the success of Up and how everyone from your neighbor to your grandmother saying how much they loved it, the folks at Pixar have come out with a Pixar short to accompany the DVD release - aptly titled "George & AJ" - featuring the two orderlies who get the surprise of their life when they do a routine pickup for Shady Oaks Retirement Home:

R.I.P. Daul Kim

2009-11-20T13:08:00.000-05:00

Celebrity deaths (ok fine, deaths in general) make me sad, but this one is especially hitting me hard. Yesterday NY Mag reported that Korean-born international supermodel Daul Kim was found dead in her Paris apartment. She was only 20 years old. Details of her death are still being processed, but police believe it was a suicide. I don't follow the fashion industry as closely as I do with the rest of pop culture, but I did know who Daul was and I did really like her. She managed to make a name for herself so young with her very interesting look, and I liked reading her blog from time to time. I think we're all under the impression that a jet-setting life of fame and fortune is glamorous, and all too often never realize the pressures that come with that kind of life. I'm sad we won't get to see more of her modeling in the future. Daul's suicide also hits on an alarming trend in Korea, where so many famous people (including the ex-president) have committed suicides on a fairly regular basis in the past couple of years. High profile suicides aside, South Korea now has the highest suicide rate among the 30 nations in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Sad sad sad.

Daul's Blog: I Like to Fork Myself
Daul's Career Highlights

The Search for the World's Biggest OXOniac

2009-11-20T11:30:00.003-05:00

I love OXO products. What? What's an OXO product, you ask?? Take a look in your kitchen. Chances are that you most likely own at least OXO product. And I'm betting that it's your trusty, rubber handle peeler.

Anyway, OXO is currently having this cute video contest, in which you demo your kitchen skillz in a 30 to 90 second video, using any kitchen tool you may have. 5 winners will be chosen by OXO judges, and there will be 3 Grand Prize Winners who not only become a spokesperson for OXO, but they will win $1,000 in OXO products (ch-ch-check 'em out here) AND a trip to NYC. Sounds kind of awesome, no?

Well, it gets even better: just for submitting your video entry, OXO will send you a 30% discount code for their products along with your entry confirmation email.

Entering is easy, you have nothing to lose, and a discount code to gain. DO AHTT!

Check out loyal Life in Boxes reader Jonathan's entry:

People's Sexiest Man Alive 2009

2009-11-18T22:23:00.005-05:00

Aaaand the coveted title goes to.. Johnny Depp?? Do not get me wrong, I too am a fan of Mr. Depp, but.. he hasn't really done much in the past year, no? The title usually goes to someone who is HOT as well as been in the spotlight for the year. But.. Whatever. My pick for Sexiest Man (ever...) Robert Pattinson, made the cut, as well as Ryan Reynolds, the cast of Glee (gleeeeee!!!), and uber hottie John Cho. YES. As a hot blooded female I love this annual issue of People.

Over at Best Week Ever, my favorite blogger Michelle Collins analyzes the Top 15 in her usual hilarious way. She laments the fact that her favorite, Mad Men's Jon Hamm, failed to make the cut, so she rates each of People's picks with... Hamms. It's pretty hilarious. She also gets major points from me for acknowledging the HOTNESS of Daniel Henney, who didn't make People's cut, but we both think he is a Hottie McHottie. Yeaaaa boyeeee!

The Most Creepy, Disgusting, Horrifying Video Ever

2009-11-18T10:00:00.001-05:00

Growing up as a kid, I never liked fish. I hated them as pets and I refused to eat fish. Something about them freaked me out (also doesn't help that I have a slight case of thalassophobia). But within the past year, I decided to give it a go and try fish. Not too bad, but if the fish is served in its entirety (head, tail, and all), then no thanks.

That's why the following video really truly disgusted me. Apparently some chef in China discovered a way to deep fry fish without killing it.

Um, first off, WTF? Why would you even want to know how to cook a fish while keeping it alive? What would make someone think that it's a cool idea to have people dine on fish, while the poor thing is still gasping for air?? Freaking disgusting and twisted.

Anyway, click 'Read More' below if you think you can handle watching the video. I do warn you that it's truly creepy, disgusting, and horrifying .. I couldn't even make it past the first 10 seconds of it. And now I probably won't be able to eat fish ever again.

J.Crew Holiday Guide

2009-11-13T13:31:00.006-05:00

I think most of you know I LOOOOOVE J.Crew. I love everything about it, and I always joke that half my paycheck goes to it. But as with anything else I love, I do have my reservations with the brand. I mean, first thing being price of course. Tis why I never really buy anything full price from the Crew, though honestly, things go on sale so fast anyway that seriously guys, you should just wait for that to happen. I just like looking at the catalog and making mental notes of the things I want.

Anyways, their Very Best Gift Guide for 2009 is out, and I love it cause I like looking at all the pretty shiny stuff. Also, AHEM I LOVE JCREW, GUYS. They've added more stuff to the guide since it was first released earlier this week, and when I first saw it, I cracked up. In the $25 and Under (for women), there were originally only like 8 items (as opposed to 20+), with one being a gift card and one being a flower belt that was.. $35. Uh huh. Definitely not a budget friendly place, that J.Crew. But it seems there is a wider selection now, and of course, their sales are always amazing! CHECK IT.

Coming Soon to a TV Near You: Sh*t My Dad Says

2009-11-11T10:00:00.001-05:00

I love finding hilarious Twitter accounts to follow .. because sometimes, seeing your friends update about what a crappy day that they're having just plain sucks (side note: sorry to all my Twitter followers -_-). And so when my coworker introduced me to ShitMyDadSays a couple months back, I was totally stoked. But apparently, so were some TV execs:

CBS has picked up a comedy project based on the Twitter account, which has enlisted more than 700,000 followers since launching in August and has made its creator, Justin Halpern, an Internet star. Will & Grace creators David Kohan and Max Mutchnick are on board to executive produce and supervise the writing for the multicamera family comedy, which Halpern will co-pen with Patrick Schumacker (The Hollywood Reporter)

Alright! Time for me to go and create a Twitter account to get discovered..

Happy 40th Birthday, Sesame Street!

2009-11-10T09:32:00.006-05:00

By now you may have noticed the iconic Sesame Street muppets take over Google in the past couple of days. Big Bird, Cookie, Bert & Ernie, Oscar, Elmo, The Count, and the whole gang have drawn attention for being the featured Google Doodles, and in addition to that, they have been EVERYWHERE in the press. The reason for all of the hooplah is that Sesame Street is turning 40 years old today! November 10, 1969 was when the first episode aired, and so the 40th season kicks off today with the much publicized Michelle Obama appearance. Technically, Big Bird has been 6 for 40 years and Elmo is a forever 3 year old, but logic aside, the "World's Longest Street" has been entertaining and educating kids for 40 years, in more than 120 countries (some of them with their own versions of the show), with millions of people who are "Sesame graduates."

In addition to the Google Doodles, the celebrations roll on. Yesterday 64th and Columbus (right outside the Sesame Workshop offices) was named '123 Sesame Street,' and November 10 is now Sesame Street Day. Here's to another 40 years (and more) of making a difference in children's lives!

Some fun links:

Google blog's post on the creation of the Google Doodles, love the behind the scenes photo shoot!

Sesame Street: A Celebration of 40 Years of Life on the Street A giant coffee table book is a treasure trove of everything Sesame. We got this in the office yesterday, and I have to say the book is pretty amazing. And really heavy.

25 Classic Sesame Street Visits Celebrities love the Street: this season will feature celebrities such as Jason Mraz (HOORAH), Cameron Diaz, Sarah Jessica Parker, Ricky Gervais, Kobe Bryant, Adam Sandler, etc.

Sesame Street's official YouTube channel: I'm LOVING the Mad Men parody!

I Tech You To School: The Droid

2009-11-09T23:28:00.003-05:00

So I woke up on Friday morning at 6:30am to my brother gently whispering in my ear. Why 6:30am and why my brother? Friday was the day that Verizon launched the Motorola Droid and HTC Eris to the masses. More importantly, Friday was the day that Verizon took its first steps into their new relationship with Google in bringing all the latest and greatest "Droid" phones to the public. Yes... all of VZWs android phones will now be called "Droid" as "Droid" is not a phone but instead a chain of Google phones they will be releasing... but I digress.

So I bought the Droid on Friday. My brother bought the HTC Eris on Friday. And its sweet.

Here's the quick and dirty. Both phones (one made by Motorola and the other by HTC) run the new Android OS. Android is an open source operating system, meaning anyone or any company can take it and make it their own. And it shows as my brother's HTC looks nothing like my Motorola. Both are highly polished and work just like you would expect it to.

What makes Android special? Well, for one, think of it like a computer. You have your Start Menu with all your apps but then you also have a desktop that you can customize, and this is how Android works. You have your sliding dock with all your apps but your life will revolve around your three desktops. Shortcuts to contacts, websites, or whatever else you can think of can be placed on this desktop. Additionally, Android revolves around widgets. Widgets are mini programs that sit on your desktop and does everything from stocks to weather, giving you instant info updated to your liking. It's a great little system that really takes some getting used to, but once you set it up, it's great.

Like many of you, my life revolves around Google. My email, calendar, Google Reader etc., so it's really nice that once I entered my gmail info, everything was right there on my phone. Now I know many of you are iPhone fans and if you MUST compare it to the iPhone, I'll admit that I bought the BlackBerry Storm thinking it would quiet all the iPhone snobs out there. It didn't. These new Android phones do.
If you're a die hard iPhone fan, you should stick with the iPhone and you won't lose any sleep over not having a Droid because the iPhone is a great phone. If you've been on Verizon, are addicted to the network, and have been looking for a phone that's comparable, this is it. In most aspects, it matches the iPhone and in some, even excels.

Korean Drama Review: You're Beautiful

2009-11-08T22:04:00.006-05:00

It's been a while, but I'M BACK, and with a new Korean drama to obsess with!

The new drama in question is 미남이시네요, otherwise known as You're Beautiful. The drama stars Park Shin Hye, Jang Geun Suk, and is another one of those girl-dresses-as-a-guy-but-falls-in-love-with-guy-that-another-girl-also-likes-so-love-triangle-and-drama-oh-my! And since I LOVED Coffee Prince, You're Beautiful seemed worth a watch.

The series focuses on the life of a Kpop group: Go Mi Nyu and Go Mi Nam are twins raised in an orphanage. She and her brother have parted ways (he aspires to be a pop star and she is on track to become a nun), until one day, Mi Nam's manager comes to Min Nyu and asks that she fills in for her brother - Mi Nam had just signed on to become a member of the Korean pop idol group, AN.JELL (yeah yeah, I don't understand Koreans and their obsession with weird acronyms -_-), but due to an unexplained injury, is unable to make his debut - hence, the reason why Mi Nyu has to cross-dress as her twin. Hwang Tae Kyung, the leader of AN.JELL finds out early on that the Mi Nam he is presented with is really Mi Nyu, but agrees to follow along with her act (until Mi Nyu's brother recovers from his injury). But love happens (cheesy, I know), a love triangle-rectangle forms, and Mi Nyu digs herself deeper into the lie. (There's also a side story about Hwang Tae Kyung's birth secret, as well as the twins' .. oh my!)

Sure, it sounds like another messy, complicated Korean drama .. but You're Beautiful works. Or rather, at least it works for me :P

Art Deco-ed UP

2009-11-03T15:19:00.004-05:00

I highly enjoy art deco stuff, so I am totally digging these retro UP posters released by Disney to celebrate the release of UP on DVD (next Tuesday, 11/10). Look how cute retro-fied Russell is! Most of these posters were created by the artist Eric Tan, and you can check out more of his cool art at his blog. Love!

Empire State of Mind

2009-11-02T09:18:00.001-05:00

My favorite song on Jay-Z's recent The Blueprint 3 album, Empire State of Mind, has quickly become New York City's unofficial anthem. And with good reason- Jay-Z's ode to the city is hopeful and inspiring, and just a really solid song. I have yet to get tired of it, and as cliche as this sounds, I love listening to it when I'm actually in the city. And so do a lot of people apparently, I have witnessed quite a few cars driving around in the city with the song blasting from their cars. Nice.

Anyways, here is the newly released music video for Empire State of Mind. You know I love music videos! It's a little bit of Jay-Z, a little bit of Alicia Keys, a whole lot of what makes New York.. concrete jungles where dreams are made of.

Jay-Z - "Empire State Of Mind" ft. Alicia Keys

Jay-Z | MySpace Video

Gleeeeeeee!!

2009-10-23T11:27:00.004-04:00

The Office will always remain my number one favorite show on TV, but this season, I have fallen in love. With FOX's AMAZING new show Glee, which makes me want to shout GLEEEEEEEEE! for the way it makes me feel. This is what being in a new relationship feels like, right? You want to talk about him/her/it all the time, you want to introduce all of your friends to him/her/it, it makes you smile whenever you think about him/her/it. Well, since I have no real human being in my life right now to feel that way about, I'm just gonna settle for feeling that way about Glee. Sometimes it's hard for me to fall in love with a show cause it inevitably and inexplicably gets canceled (I still miss you, Pushing Daisies and Veronica Mars...), but I LOOOOOVE Glee and it looks like many people do too. Here's a round up of EVERYTHING GLEE.

* I love Entertainment Weekly, and this cover story on Glee proves why.

* A Madonna themed Glee episode coming next year, courtesy of the Material Girl, who gave the show the rights to all of her music! I love her post 90s stuff, so I hope they use some of her newer stuff rather than her 80s music.

* Fox is cashing in on the Glee-mania, by releasing a DVD of the first 13 episodes of the season in December. Titled, "Glee Season 1: Road to Sectionals," it will make a nice holiday gift since it is scheduled to hit stores Dec. 29. Of course you can wait for the entire season to be over, but that DVD won't be in stores until mid 2010.

* It doesn't even seem like there has been 10 Glee performances already, but LA Times ranks their Top 10.

* While waiting for the release of the official soundtrack on Nov. 3, I've been listening to this Imeem playlist nonstop. LOVE LOVE LOVE!

Hulu, I Love You - NOOOOOO!

2009-10-23T10:00:00.000-04:00

Hulu is one of the greatest things on earth. I can watch tv episodes because the bf hates America and discourages the purchase of DVDs. But with talks hinting at the possibility of being charged to view shows on Hulu .. what am I to do??

At an industry summit in NYC on Oct. 21, News Corp Deputy Chairman Chase Carey revealed that online video hub Hulu will begin charging users for content as soon as 2010, according to Broadcasting and Cable. Carey told reporters that a subscription system is likely, although some content will probably continue to be offered free of charge. “I think a free model is a very difficult way to capture the value of our content. I think what we need to do is deliver that content to consumers in a way where they will appreciate the value,” he said.(ew.com)

I mean, I guess it's no big deal, especially since most networks show new episodes on their own sites. But even so .. damn you, Hulu.

2012

2009-10-21T09:36:00.004-04:00

I LOVE end-of-the-world movies. Alien invasians, natural calamities, uncontrollable asteroids speeding toward Earth, you name it. On my commute into work recently, I've been passing a huge billboard with the simple tagline, "We were warned." Ummmmmm. Creepy! And exciting! So I searched for "2012" (cause the billboard told me to), and came upon the new movie by the director of Independence Day (one of my favorites) and The Day After Tomorrow, Roland Emmerich. The premise of the movie is that the sudden collapse of the Earth's crust leads to global mass destruction, leaving few survivors to struggle for their lives. OK. This is the stuff I eat up. End of the world?? CHECK. Mass destruction?? CHECK. The guy who brought us Independence Day?? CHECK. So.. Why am I not excited upon watching the trailer??

I think it has something to do with the fact that, oh I don't know, in the 2 min trailer alone, they just blew EVERYTHING up! I know, that's what end-of-the-Earth-destruction is, but something about the non-subtlety of this movie, along with the fact that if you really think about it, thousands upon thousands of human lives are vanishing with each CGI-induced explosion. Also, the movie looks like there will be very little plot. Just explosions and mass destructions. For 2 hours. Oy vey. Maybe I am growing up a little, but this destructo-porn is not sitting well with me. Oh, who am I kidding, you know I'll be watching this in the theater! Judge for yourself:

I Tech You To School: Windows 7

2009-10-16T19:58:00.003-04:00

Next Thursday, Oct 22nd, will be a big day in the computing world. It's the day Microsoft will get its dignity back after the ridiculiasco (ridiculous fiasco... just run with it) monstrosity that was Vista. Most people wouldn't touch it with a 10 foot pole and have stuck with Windows XP to this day. XP was launched in 2001. We're talking about an 8 year old OS and in technology years, it means XP would've had gone through menopause already and is now wearing Depends adult diapers.

That's all about to change though because from first hand experience, Windows 7 is what Vista should have been. I know many of you will still hold on to XP with a kungfu grip but it's ok... let's let go and move forward. First thing they got right is that Windows 7 is STABLE. It doesn't crash, it doesn't burn, it doesn't give you blue screens of death. That's not to say that programs don't crash, but if they do, Windows 7 neatly closes the delinquent and you are able to move on with your life instead of frantically hitting Ctrl Alt Del. Second is that it just works. No more messing with drivers and hardware that is incompatible and the stupid "Hardware Wizard". New printer? 7 sees your printer, installs what it needs to, and you'll be printing in minutes.

Last is that it's very polished. They named their new user interface "Aero" and the name fits nice because it really is kinda Aero-y. There's a lot of little things they did to make your life easier on a day to day basis. Folders are neat, Desktop is clean and the new Taskbar is actually useful! (I have a certain animosity towards the XP taskbar) You'll see what I mean once you get it. It's a bit pricey but do your homework and you can actually score one for pretty cheap. Oh and don't try to buy 1 disc and share between 12 of your buddies because I'm sure it'll be nothing but a headache in the future. I'll check back in on the 22nd to follow up so til then, have a good weekend.

Why I Hate Kids .. and People

2009-10-16T10:00:00.000-04:00

The Coolest Music Video EVER.

2009-10-15T23:13:00.002-04:00

This past weekend I went out to Seattle to see a good friend, and while I was out there I also had a chance to hang out with another good friend of mine, former LiB editor Yuri. Now, Yuri is seriously the go-to guy for cool sites/music/videos, and he actually gave me a lot of awesome recommendations, but the COOLEST thing he showed me this weekend is this music video by a Japanese group called Sour. For their single Hibi no neiro (Daily Melodies), they asked their fans from all over the world to submit videos of themselves singing along to the song, holding up signs, doing whatever, umm, you just have to watch it. It is SUPER creative and brilliant, not to mention MAJOR props for the editors who pieced it all together into what I am now dubbing the COOLEST MUSIC VIDEO EVER (Sorry Kanye, Beyonce has nothing on this). Just check it out below (the song is not bad either) and thank Yuri for this find!

Fashion as Art

2009-10-12T22:54:00.004-04:00

I kinda love Forever 21 for what it is, a mecca of trendy and affordable clothes that can be worn to death for one season, and tossed out the next. I mean, at this stage in my life, I can't exactly afford to shell out tons on really expensive stuff (so I shell out tons on really inexpensive stuff instead, ha!) and so I heart Forever 21. I also enjoy reading their blog from time to time, but this post on the recently concluded Paris Fashion Week caught my eye. The blogger selected a couple of pieces from the runways and compares them to the art of some of the most famous modern artists. Modern Art, meet Fashion, Fashion, meet Modern Art. I LOVE IT! <3!

Song of the Day: Horchata - Vampire Weekend

2009-10-09T15:21:00.002-04:00

Yuri has been raving about Vampire Weekend's new song, "Horchata." And I loves me some VW :D

Titanic Exhibition

2009-10-07T23:14:00.003-04:00

I'm a bit obsessed with the Titanic. There's just something about the large-scale tragedy, and I love reading about it, I love watching the Leo DiCaprio movie, I just am kinda obsessed with it. I kinda thought I was strange for being so into something that is so.. tragic, but I recently found out that a lot of my girlfriends are equally obsessed.

Which is why a group of us went to the Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition at the Discovery Center in Times Square. The exhibition is SO worth the admission price. Tons of artifacts pulled from the sunken Titanic, recreation of the ship's interior (including the Grand Staircase), discovering details from every aspect of the ship (did you guys know there was a deck called the Poop Deck?? Yeah, I giggled at this). My favorite part was the boarding pass they give you when you enter the exhibition, which belongs to a real life person who was on the Titanic. You go through the exhibition and at the end you look up if your person had survived or not. I lived.

GO check it out. When buying online, enter "CITY09" to get $4 off your ticket.

Here Comes the Bride..

2009-10-02T12:09:00.005-04:00

Less than one week until THE MOST ANTICIPATED WEDDING OF 2009:

Mark your calendar, kiddies! Jim and Pam tie the knot on Thursday, October 8th.

Where the Wild Things Are Soundtrack

2009-10-01T10:01:00.003-04:00

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about how excited I am about the upcoming Where the Wild Things Are movie, which is opening in 2 weeks! Well, Imeem debuted the soundtrack yesterday on its website, and it is all kinds of awesome. While the Arcade Fire song that I love (which is used in the trailers) is not part of the soundtrack, the entire album is composed and performed by Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs who I lurve. Win Win Win.

Where the Wild Things Are Soundtrack

I Tech You to School: Microsoft Antivirus Suite

2009-09-30T23:26:00.002-04:00

If you didn't know, this should be some exciting news for most of you that use a Windows PC.
Recently, Microsoft announced that it is slowly moving away from expensive paid software to free web based applications (better known as webapps in the geek community).Next year, Microsoft will make available Microsoft Office online for free (much like Google Documents).

Well, yesterday, this became more evident beginning with Microsoft releasing a new Antivirus suite... that's FREE. That's right, free. This is not one of those half put together pieces of crap that usually floats around the internet. It's a full strength suite that covers ALL security areas such as web fraud, spyware protection, malware protection and of course, virus protection. Also, it updates itself automatically so you don't have to ever worry about it being up to date. It works on XP, Vista and Windows 7 machines, and judging by what I've read, is one of the best options out there for computer security. I suggest everyone go and download it.

I guess M$oft is really taking notice of the little fruit that is growing to be a big fruit (and I'm not talking about Grimey) and competition is really making Bill Gates uncomfortable. Long live capitalism...! When there's free stuff involved that is...

Food Flags

2009-09-29T22:35:00.002-04:00

I saw this on Serious Eats, and I couldn't NOT share with you guys here. An advertising agency promoting the Sydney International Food Festival recreated a bunch of flags depicted by the foods of each country. It is super cool, and now I'm a little hungry. My favorite is the colorful Brazil flag above, but I also love their depiction of the South Korean and Greek flags too. Check all of the flags out here.

I Tech You To School: Buying a TV

2009-09-24T21:53:00.002-04:00

So I get asked this question pretty often... "Dude, can you help me choose a TV?"
And this is what I usually tell them... "Shut yo face before I end your..."
Actually, I don't say that. The first question I usually ask is, "You want LCD or Plasma?"
They usually reply, "Which one's better?" and so here begins my advice.

It depends on what you plan on using it for. The short answer is that if you want a TV with very low maintenance, go with a LCD. If you want the best picture quality and don't mind paying a little attention to upkeeping your TV, go with a Plasma. But, if that was the answer I got, I'd be a little dissatisfied, so I'll give you the long answer, in hopes that you'll be able to make an educated consumer choice.

LCD's are very easy to plug in and watch. LCD's aren't plagued by the many issues that Plasmas have. You don't have to worry about burn in, which happens when you leave something static on your screen for too long (ie. a game scoreboard, the little logo at the bottom of some tv channels). So if you plan on watching nothing but Sportscenter on ESPN, LCD is probably the way to go. Also, you don't have to worry about the glare from a bright room with a LCD, which is something that Plasma owners have to deal with. Additionally, the general rule is that if you're looking for a TV under 42", you want to go with a LCD. There's not too many Plasmas you can purchase that is under that size. For all this low maintenance though, you're gonna lose out on picture quality. With LCD's, colors usually don't "pop" off the screen and with fast movie motions like explosions or car chases, you're gonna get pixelation.

Plasma TVs are everything opposite of LCD's. Yes, you do have to worry about burn in, BUT if you properly break in your TV for about the first 250 hours or so, this becomes a nonexistent issue. Breaking in a TV entails lowering all the brightness and color settings to low and avoiding content that has any type of static images. This means no black bar DVD's, no SportsCenter, no History Channel (damn that big yellow H at the bottom right!), etc.. And I'll tell you this much, those first 250 hours are a pain in the butt. 250 hours are more or less 24 hours of looping a DVD for 11 days straight. (Yea, I did it.)

Also, with plasmas, you have to be conscious of where you're placing the TV. If your TV is facing the opposite of a bright window, forget watching TV in the daytime. The sunlight will be all in your face and it'll just not be very pretty. But once you figure these things out, man oh man, that picture is sweet. Colors are vivid, HD content is super crisp and clear... it's great. Plasmas inch for inch are usually about a 1/4 cheaper than LCD's too.

The brands you want to stick with are as follows:
LCD: LG, Samsung, Vizio, Westinghouse
Plasma: Panasonic, Panasonic, Panasonic... and Pioneer (best in class). If you have that kind of money, in which case... hook a brotha up!

Size wise, I always recommend buy the biggest you can afford. An average TV has a life span of 6-10 years depending on how well you keep it. You have to think of it as an investment. The last thing you want is to move and find that the TV you have is too small for your living room and now you're squinting to watch that tiny 32" screen from 20ft away. The general math though is, for every foot of distance you are sitting from your TV, you want 7" of viewing space. So 5 feet from your tv? You want 36". 8 Feet? 42" 10 feet? 50". You get the idea. Happy TV watching!

Disney Princesses, Marvel-ized

2009-09-23T16:52:00.005-04:00

Last month Disney announced that it bought Marvel Entertainment for $4 billion, causing somewhat of a stir in the entertainment business. I mean, $4 billion is A LOT of money, recession or not. But not only that, a lot of folks wondered if Marvel properties would be getting the Disney treatment, with Disney stepping in and "ruining" the beloved comic book heroes. Only time will tell just what Disney will do with its new purchase, but in the meantime, an illustrator named Jeffrey Thomas reimagined some of Disney's most noted characters as what they might look like if they were to receive the Marvel treatment. The results are dark, creepy, and ingenious. Amazing! He did this way before the deal even happened, but it's so interesting to see what our lovely Disney princess heroines look like when they are gritty, grim, and gangsta. (holla alliteration!) Check out these incredible drawings, and peruse through the rest of his artwork at his blog here.

NY Fashion Week Recap!

2009-09-18T14:01:00.004-04:00

Ok, so the madness that is NY Fashion Week is almost over, and cause I've been so swamped at work and preoccupied with other stuff (new TV! GLEE! The Office!) I have not been as into it as I normally would. In my opinion, the BEST place to check out all of the runway shows and coverage of the week is NY Mag, which literally dedicates themselves to the week, and teams up with the girls over at Go Fug Yourself for commentary and such. I love ittttt. If you are into fashion and need something to kill time, head over for just the remedy.

Snap judgment: LOVE Vera Wang's fall line (yes, some of the pieces are frumpy...), and meh about Marc by Marc Jacobs minus a couple of cute pieces.

Kanye West on The Jay Leno Show

2009-09-15T10:00:00.000-04:00

In a recent post, Jen wrote an open letter to Kanye West, calling him out on being a total douchebag at the VMA's. Well, soon after stealing the mic and sharing his opinions during what was supposed to be Taylor Swift's moment, Kanye popped a CAPS LOCK blog post at Taylor Swift, APOLOGIZING IN ALL CAPS BECAUSE THAT'S HOW 'YE DOES IT! I guess after he calmed down, Kanye replace the CAPS LOCK post with something a bit more sincere: I feel like Ben Stiller in Meet the Parents when he messed up everything and Robert DeNiro asked him to leave…That was Taylor’s moment and I had no right in any way to take it from her. I am truly sorry.

Originally slated to appear alongside Jay-Z and Rihanna as the musical act for The Jay Leno Show, Kanye actually sat down with Jay Leno to discuss the VMA incident:

I love how Kanye came out on stage very apprehensively, and not the usual "I AM THE BEST" swagger like he usually does. So just seeing that in him (you know, besides him being on the verge of tears after Jay Leno asked him about his mom - which btw, Jay Leno deserves an Emmy for asking, because 'Ye is cuhraaaazy) made me believe that Kanye is sincerely sorry.

Alright, let's move on, folks.

US Open 2009: Federer FTW, Serena .. Not So Much

2009-09-14T15:36:00.004-04:00

In this past weekend, we've seen probably one of the coolest points ever, by the always cool and seemingly effortless Roger Federer. As mentioned in a past post, I have a huuge crush on him, and this clip just shows why Roger Federer is AMAZING:

In other US Open news, if you haven't seen the video about what got Serena Williams disqualified, then you're a total newb:

An Open Letter to Kanye West

2009-09-14T09:40:00.010-04:00

Dear Kanye,

Oh what can be said that hasn't already been said before? You need to learn to shut up. I'm actually a huge fan of your work. Your Late Registration and Graduation albums are one of my favorite albums of all time, I like reading your blog (the use of all-caps aside), and most of the time I am just amused by your 'holier than thou' attitude and antics. But, uh. Stealing the spotlight away from a 19 year old girl on what was supposed to be her shining moment? Not cool, dude. I think it's fine you think that you're the coolest thing since sliced bread and that everything you deem worthy is also the coolest thing since, you. I too have my strong opinions and I too like to express them whenever I see fit. But I think there is a difference between me telling my friends why I think Britney is the greatest entertainer (haters to the left please) or why objectively speaking, Robert Pattinson is hot sex on a stick, and me standing up in front of millions of people to assert that Beyonce made the greatest video EVER, in the middle of Taylor's freakin acceptance speech. How old are you again??

I mean, this really isn't the first time you've done this. You throw a temper tantrum everytime you don't win something you believe you should have: rushing the stage and ranting about how Touch the Sky should've won Best Video at the 2006 MTV Europe Music Awards, walking out after losing Best New Artist at the AMAs in 2004. And yeah, those things were just as terrible and as much talked about, but something about taking the spotlight away from an ecstatic Taylor, who was in the middle of thanking her fans for taking a chance on country music was.. just brutal. THANKS for making the entire audience feel super awkward, and yeah, you deserve the 0 wins and the booing you received the entire night. Oh, and I'm sure Beyonce was beyond thrilled that you pulled the most dickheaded move in defense of her name. So... no, I don't really care that you apologized to Taylor and her mom, or that you blogged about how sorry you are in all caps (BTW, THIS GETS ANNOYING REALLY FAST).

Congrats Kanye, you are the frontrunner for Douchebag of the Year. While the whole thing is unfortunate and could have been completely avoidable, I am glad it happened for 2 reasons. 1: I heart Taylor Swift and am glad more people are now on Team Taylor (and you know what Kanye? Her video is damn good and yeah, I voted for it), and 2: it gave Beyonce to be the classiest lady ever by giving back Taylor her moment to shine during her speech. I am gonna end on that note. Watch and learn, Kanye, watch and learn.

Tech Geek 101: Onyx

2009-09-10T22:09:00.003-04:00

Today, we have a guest post from our Technology expert friend Andy. He'll be contributing weekly articles on all things tech related, so enjoy!

Ok… so everyone knows that Mac’s are more stable, virus free, and fun to use than a PC (or so says the Apple commercials) and while this is true, it’s still a good idea to do some housekeeping so your shiny new $3000 Facebooking machine runs top notch.

An easy, and more importantly, FREE option is to download a program called Onyx.

This is one of the top downloaded apps that basically does everything to keep the inner cockles of your machine tidy. A host of actions, such as repairing permissions, verifying your disk and clearing caches can be done with a couple button clicks (you can ignore all of what I just said in the last sentence if you really don’t care). Basically, when you run the program, all you have to do is click 'ok,' enter your password, click on the automation tab, make sure everything is checked, and hit 'run.' You’ll probably notice an improvement right away. Give it a go about once a month and you’re set!

US Open 2009: Hell Yeah!

2009-09-10T10:00:00.006-04:00

I'm going through US Open withdrawal already. Sure, it's not over yet .. but there really is a big difference in seeing it on tv and being in the stadium. Being at a game is an interesting/awesome feeling. Hearing a crowd's collective sigh of relief and screams of joy is really contagious.

Anyway, here's my recap of my US Open experience for this year (warning, kind of lengthy with crappy iPhone photos):

I went to the day session on Labor Day, which enabled me to see the Robin Soderling vs Nikolay Davydenko, catch the end of the epic Melanie Oudin vs Nadia Petrova, and of course, see my tennis crush Roger Federer beat out Tommy Robredo.

The Soderling vs. Davydenko match seemed to be even, mind you, Davydenko had a thigh injury, which later forced him to retire the match. And sadly, I was able to catch only the last winning point for the Oudin vs Petrova match, but freaking-A, the energy in Arthur Ashe Stadium was tremendous when Oudin won O_O And I was happy to see Federer (in red!) vs Robredo .. but the game wasn't exciting to see.

Yesterday was my 2nd and last US Open session (insert sadface), which was for the night session. The stadium was PACKED, and by the time I got to my seat, the Oudin vs Wozniacki match was already in play. Unfortunately, Oudin was beat, but Wozniacki did her best to humble it up, even though her court-side interviewer was being a total douche bag.

The Federer vs Soderling game started off slow .. but boy, did it pick up. I went from being disappointed that Federer would have yet another easy win .. to seeing a pretty great match. Tie-breakers are nail-biters, fosho, but I was glad to see Federer triumph end the end. Yes, he always seems to win, but there's no denying that he can play some tennis. And he was looking mighty fine, decked out in all black :D

As for celebrity sightings, there were actually quite a few over the two days that I went. Nicole Kidman and her husband Keith Urban were spotted at the Federer vs Robredo match, as was Gavin Rossdale. At the Oudin vs Wozniacki game, it was awesome to see Alec Baldwin showing his support. And the Federer vs Soderling match had the likes of Kate Hudson, Anna Wintour, and yet again, Gavin Rossdale. Oh, and some Jets football dude.

Overall, my US Open experience for this year was pretty positive. I got to see my tennis crush Federer play on both days, and caught some pretty solid games. Totally got sunburnt during the day session, and was thankful that my friend told me to bring a hoodie to the night session (it was freezing!).

Sure, the Federer vs Soderling match was nothing like the Nadal vs Monfils game from the previous night, but at least security was tight and Federer didn't get attacked by a enamored fan like Nadal did. No idea what I am talking about? Check out the hilarious clip:

Here's to an awesome end to the US Open (finals will be on this coming Sunday!), and another year till I get to go again!

Coming Soon: Fantastic Mr. Fox

2009-09-04T10:00:00.000-04:00

One of the many people I admire is Wes Anderson. A good majority of my favorite films have been helmed by the man, and I have nothing but love for his quirky style.

Add on my childhood favorite author, Roald Dahl, and you get Fantastic Mr. Fox.

Here's the trailer:

Here's a short behind-the-scenes clip:

Fantastic Mr. Fox will be out in theaters on November 25, 2009.

Fall TV Returns!

2009-09-03T10:54:00.003-04:00

While I HATE HATE HATE the fact that summer is pretty much over, I am super excited that the sucktacular summer TV season is also coming to a close. Move over America's Got Talent and the countless other mind numbing shows networks have shoved down our throats for the past 2 months. The Office! Gossip Girl! Fringe!! I AM SO EXCITED. Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello put together this nifty guide for the season premieres for all your shows. Get your remotes out and your DVRs ready!

Ok, so I'll see you guys in December when all the shows go on hiatus again! Bye!

When Awesomeness Happens: Battle of the Andys and Wills

2009-09-01T10:00:00.001-04:00

Will Arnett (Arrested Development) + Andy Roddick (cuute) vs Will Ferrell (Anchorman!) + Andy Murray (accent!):

Kids crack me up.

2009-08-25T15:37:00.004-04:00

I seriously cracked up for like 10 minutes after seeing this yesterday. WOW. Kids are so cute. And wildly scary. Remember all you parents and would-be parents: Check your kids' homework before you let them leave the house!!

Yay Jason Mraz!

2009-08-21T10:02:00.003-04:00

I've talked about Jason Mraz on this blog before, in fact 2 weeks ago I saw him in concert for the umpteenth time. Prior to his unstoppable single I'm Yours, he's always been sort of a fly-under-the-radar musician, popular with his rabid fans, but not really a mainstream radio/household name kinda musician. Well, oh how far Jason has come. Let me list the ways in which I'm Yours has put him in the music record books:

* At 70 weeks on the chart, it is officially the longest running song on Billboard Top 100 history

* It is the only track to reach #1 on 4 radio charts: Mainstream Top 40/Pop Songs, Adult Contemporary, Adult Top 40, and Triple A.

* Ranks as the 3rd best selling digital song EVER (4.4 million downloads)

As for his success, Mr. Mraz says: "I found out about six weeks ago that the song was on its way to breaking this record. I was moved. ... I'm still blown away -- humbled by the success of my happy little hippie song." I LOVE YOU.

12 Most Annoying Facebook Users

2009-08-20T21:47:00.000-04:00

Hi, my name is Jen Shin, and I'm addicted to Facebook. I check it like 6 times a day, I update it quite often, and I like to secretly and not-so-secretly stalk people. However, I keep my little addiction to myself, and I don't think I am any of the following 12 types of annoying Facebookers that CNN has identified. All annoying (hopefully I don't do any of the following), but I think my favorite has to be the Chronic Inviter: "Support my cause. Sign my petition. Play Mafia Wars with me. Which 'Star Trek' character are you? Here are the 'Top 5 cars I have personally owned.' Here are '25 Things About Me.' Here's a drink. What drink are you? We're related! I took the 'What President Are You?' quiz and found out I'm Millard Fillmore! What president are you?" Sound familiar?? Yeah. You know who you are!!!

Yes, Another Video Clip: Community Promo

2009-08-20T10:00:00.000-04:00

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I am totally looking forward to Community, NBC's upcoming tv series about .. well, a community college.

What I didn't know was that Dr. Ken Jeong is also in the show .. hopefully as a series regular :x

New NEW MOON trailer!

2009-08-19T10:00:00.000-04:00

Twilight fans have no shame. Call me shameless.

It's a new New Moon trailer, ya'll! And Taylor Lautner is looking mighty good as Jacob Black..

I seriously cannot wait for November (in case you haven't noticed).

Brian Griffin Loves the Office...

2009-08-18T10:57:00.001-04:00

...Stewie does not. The producers of Family Guy, a surprise nominee for the Best Comedy category at the Emmys (airing September 20th) created this short clip on why the Academy should vote for their show and NOT the Office. It cracked me up. My favorite part: "Indians and Hispanics don't live in Scranton." HAHAHA.

Most Disturbing, Yet Kind of Hilarious Commercial

2009-08-14T10:00:00.000-04:00

Let the commercial speak for itself, people:

New Trailer for New Moon .. in French

2009-08-13T10:00:00.001-04:00

Fellow Twilight fans: it's here. A new trailer for New Moon. The catch? It's in French :x But that doesn't really matter, right? Because you get some sneak peeks at the Quileute wolf pack, and a glimpse at the Volturi members.

Check it out here (before it gets taken off-line):

Movie I Want To See: New York, I Love You

2009-08-12T10:00:00.002-04:00

Hi! It's been a while since you heard from me, right? How are you??

Me? I'm doing fine. Been a bit busy with a little something called work. But I'm definitely going to try to make more of an effort to post here (as well as maintaining another blog).
--
I CANNOT WAIT FOR New York, I Love You to come out! Paris, J'taime was awesome, so I cannot wait to see what anthology of "love stories" the various directors and actors will bring for the city that never sleeps.

Check out the trailer:

Where the Wild Things Are

2009-08-10T11:06:00.004-04:00

I don't really remember Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are, so I wasn't as uberly excited about the live-action movie version coming out on October 16 as some people have been. I thought the first trailer did a good job of making it look magical and cute, but I kinda love this latest trailer, which is a bit more focused on the "wild things." The movie looks so imaginative and sweet and the "wild things" are so endearing! Oh, and good job trailer people for using one of my favorite Arcade Fire songs ("Wake Up") in all of the trailers. How fitting!

My favorite song right now

2009-08-07T16:34:00.005-04:00

I hate the celebrity that is John Mayer. Celebrity John Mayer = douche. Musician John Mayer however, is amazing. I've been in an emo funk lately, and I randomly listened to his Continuum album the other day and re-discovered my favorite song of his ever, Slow Dancing in a Burning Room. And now I can't stop listening to it. SO GOOD, and it has quite possibly my favorite line ever: "Go cry about it, why don't you." So bitter, yet precisely how I feel. So, the next time you pour your heart out to me and I reply with that, don't get too offended, it's only cause I want to incorporate that line into every conversation I have. But listen below. Repeat.
(And no, I'm not like heartbroken over a boy or anything, as being obsessed with this song may suggest)

Slow Dancing in a Burning Room - John Mayer

Oldboy Remix!

2009-08-05T11:37:00.001-04:00

Ok seriously one of my favorite movies ever is the ultra violent Park Chan Wook film called Oldboy. I don't like violence, I don't like blood, but the film is just beautiful in its cinematography, the acting is great, and the story is original. It's just...art. Mean magazine has teamed up with MSN Movies to create a series of movie parodies called Cinemash, and this week's video is a parody of.. Oldboy! How exciting! It stars Heroes cutie Milo Ventimiglia as the protagonist, and it recreates the most awesome fight scene ever recorded on film. Ok that may be an exaggeration, but this particular Oldboy fight scene is epic, AND it is recorded in this one long continuous tracking shot, which just adds to the awesomeness of the scene. I have to admit, Cinemash's parody isn't like mindblowingly funny, but I do like that they used one of my favorite scenes from one of my favorite movies. Watch the parody below, then check out the original!

&amp;amp;lt;a href="http://video.msn.com/?mkt=en-us&amp;amp;amp;fg=MsnEntertainment_idseeitif_top2&amp;amp;amp;vid=b80879e8-e96e-44d6-abb6-7340be64d5aa" target="_new" title="Milo Ventimiglia Cinemashes "Oldboy""&amp;amp;gt;Video: Milo Ventimiglia Cinemashes "Oldboy"&amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;gt;

The Original Scene:

Don't eat and drive!

2009-08-03T10:07:00.004-04:00

I've seen people do some crazy crap while driving, like some woman putting on mascara on the NJ Turnpike while going at like 70mph (needless to say, I switched lanes ASAP). I think people don't realize that multi-taking is not a good thing when you are behind the wheel and sharing a road with other people. Talking on the phone, texting, fiddling with the radio, putting on makeup, all dangerous stuff, folks! And so is eating.

An auto insurance company just released the 10 most dangerous foods to be eating while driving, and the list is not surprising, though some of the reasons are kinda funny (fizzy sodas can lead to sneezing...). According to an Exxon survey of 1,000 people, more than 70% eat and 83% drink beverages while they are driving, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) cites those distractions as top reasons for car crashes. I mean I take a sip or two while driving too, but I rarely eat while behind the wheel and I don't get how people can do it. But alas, if you HAVE to, just try not to eat the following:

Coffee. Hot.
Hot soup. Also hot.
Tacos. Can disassemble easily.
Chili dogs. Can drip easily.
Hamburgers. Greasy hands = slippery steering wheel.
Ribs and wings. Are you kidding with this one? Why would you be eating this behind the wheel anyway?
Fried chicken. More greasy hands.
Jelly donuts. Can oooze easily.
Soda. Carbonation? Leads to sneezing? Also, has lids.
Chocolate. Melts easily.

Beyonce vs. Kelly Clarkson

2009-07-31T12:37:00.005-04:00

Sorry for the lack of updates this week, folks! Julia and I've been busy at work... =P

Anyhoos. So the big controversy in the pop music world right now is the media-induced feud between Beyoncé and Kelly Clarkson. Beyoncé's single Halo has been out for months, climbing up the radio charts. The song was written by Ryan Tedder, who is a singer-songwriter and a member of the group OneRepublic. (I looove Leona Lewis's Bleeding Love which he wrote, as well as my current pop obsession at the moment, Jordin Sparks's Battlefield, which he also wrote.) Well Mr. Tedder is in deep poop poop with these ladies, as people have pointed out that his song Halo sounds exactly the same as Kelly Clarkson's new single, Already Gone, which he also wrote. Kelly is not happy about this, going on public record, "It sucks, but it's one of those things I have no control over. I already made my album. At this point, the record company can do whatever they want with it. It's kind of a shitty situation, but ... you know, you learn."

Of course, Ryan has released a statement of his own: "They are two entirely different songs conceptually, melodically, & lyrically and I would never try to dupe an artist such as Kelly Clarkson or Beyoncé into recording over the same musical track, the idea is both hurtful and absurd." I freakin agree. Am I the only person who thinks that these two songs aren't as identical sounding as EVERYONE is making it out to be?! I love Halo, I love Already Gone. I don't think they are the same song. Listen for yourself:

Kelly

Beyonce

Omg, Madonna.

2009-07-28T10:11:00.004-04:00

Madonna is a monster. Look at those arms! WTF! Completely unnatural, completely unnecessary, and completely disgusting! I don't care if you are Madonna, no 50 year old woman, nay, no human being, should have arms like that. EW!

On a related note, I love this article in NYMag, about the writer's experience of being a fan of the pop star through the ups and downs. It reminds me a lot of my love for a certain other pop star you all know I have an obsession with. Holla!

NEW MOON CLIPS!

2009-07-24T10:35:00.003-04:00

I don't know if it's because all of this Comic Con hype that's going on in San Diego, or the fact that I just finished rereading New Moon for the 10th time, or because New Moon is my favorite book, or because it's a new director, but I AM SO STOKED for New Moon!

Check out some clips that were shown during Comic con:

Bella and Jake:

Bella and Edward:

VH1 Divas: 2009

2009-07-22T21:33:00.000-04:00

After 5 years on hiatus, VH1 is finally resurrecting their successful VH1 Divas franchise this year. VH1 Divas used to be an annual benefit concert featuring some of the show business's biggest stars (or "divas"), with proceeds going to VH1's Save the Music Foundation. Past artists who have participated include Mariah Carey, Diana Ross, Mary J. Blige (who I personally think has the most fantastic voice), Celine Dion, Gloria Estefan, Aretha Franklin, Elton John (the biggest diva of them all), etc. This year's concert will air on Sept. 17, and feature Kelly Clarkson, Adele, Leona Lewis, and...Miley Cyrus. Miley Cyrus?! As in Hannah Montana? As in the bane of my pop culture aficionado self?? Ugh. To hear them tell it, "Adele, Kelly, Leona and Miley have all captured the world's attention with their talent and have earned their designation as VH1 Divas this year. Don't let some of their young ages fool you — these women are among the best entertainers in the world and will continue to thrill music fans for a long time to come."

Ok. Whatever. Will I still watch? YES. I LOOOOOOVE Kelly, Leona, and Adele. They're adding more performers, so hopefully the lineup will get bigger and better. For your listening pleasure, here are the Divas:

Kelly Clarkson

Leona Lewis

Adele

Daniel Radcliffe Gets Lost in Translation

2009-07-21T14:28:00.002-04:00

Harry Potter mania has swept the world once more, thanks to the latest film of the series, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Personally, I saw the movie last Monday night whilst visiting Seattle .. which was two days before the movie actually premiered in theaters (yes, I am very proud of this).

Anyway, check out this hilarious, funny, and awkward video of Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe on a Japanese tv show, where he meets one of his biggest fans:

Monday laughs

2009-07-20T16:53:00.003-04:00

This cracked me up on this otherwise bleh Monday. I freakin used to love Where in the World is Carmen San Diego! One of my college friends supposedly was on the show and got pretty far, and I still ask her to produce the tape evidence of it from time to time. They should really resurrect this show, are you listening Nick/Disney/Cartoon?!

A Tattoo To Show Off

2009-07-17T10:00:00.001-04:00

Audrey McCombs, a girl obsessed with The Beatles and especially Paul McCartney, went to one of his shows, holding up a sign that read "Paul, sign my arm so I can get it tattooed!" Being quite the gentleman he is, he called her on-stage to sign her arm.

Girl got exactly what she wanted:

Scaredy Cat Cub

2009-07-15T22:26:00.003-04:00

OMG you guys, I cracked up for like 10 minutes after watching this video. Michelle Collins of Best Week Ever posted it, and like, I just can't stop watching it. It's some kind of animal show on Korean TV, but you really don't need to know Korean to understand it. The bear cub below is HILARIOUS in his fear of, well, basically anything that moves. I do feel a little bad laughing at its expense when it is obviously SO freakin terrified of the tigers it is forced to be near, but OMG. HAHAHA. I even earmarked my favorite parts for you guys, even if you don't watch the whole clip, you must watch 0:44 (when the cub first sees the tiger), and 2:49 (when he gets scared by a shadow). HAHA.

Free McDonald's Coffee!

2009-07-13T10:33:00.004-04:00

You know I love free things, especially food, and you know I am generous about sharing that information to our faithful bloggers! For you coffee lovers, McDonald's is instituting Free Mocha Mondays from now until August 3, from 7am-7pm. Basically you get a free sample of their iced or hot mochas every Monday til the 3rd, with sample sizes being a generous full cup. Not bad, eh?

I've heard decidedly mixed reviews about McDonald's McCafe, but hey, I will take anything that is free and try it at least once. Also, I mean, it's McDonald's, I don't think one should expect barista greatness.

Site of the Day: E-mails from an Asshole

2009-07-10T10:00:00.004-04:00

I've found another winner: Emails from an Asshole.

As stated by the the site: "This is a collection of e-mails I have sent to people who post classified ads. My goal is to mess with them, confuse them, and/or piss them off. These are the ones that succeeded."

Awful Library Books

2009-07-09T11:37:00.001-04:00

I loooove sites like Fail Blog and Engrish Funny, so I am kinda loving Awful Library Books. It's like Fail Blog for the "literary" world. I put the word "literary" in quotes cause uh, these books are not examples of the best of the best in literature, but that's what makes it hilarious. The blog was started by 2 Detroit librarians, Mary Kelly and Holly Hibner, and their aim is to just highlight some of the worst books found on local library shelves. There's a nice article in Time about who they are and the impact their blog has had on...librarians. =P

But really, I think my favorite book on the site so far is the one on the left. It's always been my dream to be a homemaker, so I'm gonna have to track this copy down! And yes, I am kidding. Sorta.

You can follow them on twitter, too.

Slim Jim Shortage in US

2009-07-08T16:00:00.001-04:00

There is a national emergency, America. There is a Slim Jim shortage in America right now!

"An explosion last month destroyed the only Slim Jim plant in the U.S., the Post reports. And the company that makes Slim Jims, ConAgra (CAG), hasn't produced any since then and won't do so for at least another month. Industry analysts say that Slim Jim loyalty is very high, and that people aren't going to be OK with substitutes if the real thing is gone. That's why some fans may be hoarding the remaining supply.

Analysts tell the Post that ConAgra could produce as many as 500 million Slim Jims every year. ConAgra said it won't return to full Slim Jim production until the fall. 'The sooner, the better,' writes the Post. 'Yesterday one convenience store in Midtown Manhattan was still selling foot-long Slim Jims that expired in February.'" (msn.com)

Michael Jackson Memorial Coverage

2009-07-07T09:43:00.002-04:00

I have to say, if I weren't at work today, I'd totally be watching all of the MJ memorial coverage being held at the Staples Center in LA. I know it's overkill, but I actually do think it's fitting and appropriate for an artist whose influence is deeply ingrained into the fabric of the pop culture we know today. If you're sick of all the Michael Jackson coverage, now might be a good time to pick up a book to read, cause it's going to dominate the airwaves for awhile. Here is a rundown of what you can expect to see today and tonight (courtesy of Cynopsis):

ABC Charlie Gibson will anchor live coverage titled Remembering Michael Jackson at 1p ET. Diane Sawyer and Barbara Walters will co-anchor a special edition of 20/20 tonight at 9p ET followed by Primetime: Family Secrets at 10p ET, reporting on Jackson's children. Cynthia McFadden will also anchor Nightline from the Staples Center.

BET Full day of coverage titled Michael Jackson: In Remembrance starting with an encore episode of 106 & Park at 9a ET with Jackson videos and more; at 1030a ET, BET will re-air Forever the King: A Tribute to Michael Jackson followed by an encore airing of Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough: Michael Jackson Special at 11a ET. BET's News team will begin its live memorial coverage at 12p to 4p ET from both L.A. and New York. BET will re-air Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough: Michael Jackson Special at 4p ET and 106 & Park with more tributes to Jackson at 6p ET.

CBS Maggie Rodriguez and Harry Smith will anchor the Early Show today from the Staples Center. CBS News anchor Katie Couric will lead the network's live coverage of the memorial service at 1p ET from the Staples Center and anchor a special 48 Hours at 10p.

CNN Anderson Cooper, Larry King, Don Lemon and Soledad O'Brien to host live memorial coverage from L.A. while Campbell Brown and Roland Martin anchor live from New York, beginning at 12p ET. CNN's coverage will also be simulcast on CNN International.

E! Begins its Jackson programming at 7a ET, broadcasting its coverage worldwide starting with an updated E! True Hollywood Story about Jackson and the E! Entertainment Special: Michael Jackson, an authorized documentary about Jackson. E! will have reporters doing live cut-ins throughout the morning from various locations and in-studio. E!'s live memorial coverage from inside the Staples Center begins at 1p ET/10a PT and will also be simulcast on EOnline.

FOX News Channel Shepard Smith will anchor live coverage while Megyn Kelly leads live coverage of the memorial for FOX Broadcasting, both at 1p ET. Tonight, Greta Van Susteren will broadcast her show from L.A.

MTV, MTV.com, VH1, VH1.com, VH1 Classic and VH1 Soul Extended coverage of the memorial service today starting at 12p ET/9a PT. During the hour prior to the service, MTV and VH1 will air a cadre of Jackson's most memorable videos, performances and interviews with reporting from the memorial site by MTV News correspondent Sway Calloway among other correspondents from the networks. The channels will then offer live and commercial free coverage from the memorial service at 1p-230p ET/10a-1130a PT. Additionally, MTV's 28th birthday on August 1 will become a day-long celebration of "Michael Jackson TV" as the network honors the "King of Pop's" music legacy reaching more than a half billion households in more than 160 countries worldwide.

NBC Meredith Vieira will broadcast live for Today at the Staples Center and NBC News' Brian Williams will anchor the network's live memorial coverage at 1p ET. Chris Jansing will lead MSNBC's memorial live coverage.

Arrested Development Documentary Trailer

2009-07-06T10:00:00.001-04:00

If you haven't heard of Arrested Development, I BLAME YOU FOR ITS CANCELLATION.

Heh, I kid. Maybe.

Movie I Want To See: The Invention of Lying

2009-07-02T10:00:00.001-04:00

Reasons why I want to see The Invention of Lying:
1. Great cast: Ricky Gervais, Jennifer Garner, TINA FEY, Jonah Hill, Rob Lowe, etc ..
2. Awkward humor.
3. I like to lie (ha! just kidding .. maybe ..)

Check out the trailer:

Life in boxes

Clip from Eclipse!

LOST Series Finale This Sunday!

Saturday Night Live: Betty White + Jay-Z = AMAZING

It's Here: The Eclipse Trailer

Ready, Set, Watch: Through a Dog's Eyes

Tax Day Free Day!

Harvard Sailing Team: Boys Will Be Girls

It's That Time of the Year Again: Earth Hour 2010

Gleeee!

Eclipse Teaser

2010 Academy Award Predictions!

Music Video + Art History = Mind Blown

To Their Moms, They'll Always Be Kids

Figure Skating!

Operation: NO SPAM

Super Bowl Ads: The best

Gettin' Psyched for Super Bowl (Ads)!

Road to the Oscars 2010!

There's an app for that!

Adieu, The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien

Jimmy Kimmel Finally Managed to Make Me Laugh

Update: Team Conan

Mini-rant: Leno vs. Conan

BeautifulPeople.com

2009 Entertainers of the Year: #1

2009 Entertainers of the Year: #3 and # 2!

2009 Entertainers of the Year: #5 and #4!

Holiday Movies!

Another Reason To Love Glee

One hit Wonders of the 2000s

The Internet is .. Wow.

I Tech You to School: Google will soon be giving you prostate exams

The First of Many Teasers: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Last Christmas

Google Zeitgeist 2009

Pixar Short: George & AJ

R.I.P. Daul Kim

The Search for the World's Biggest OXOniac

People's Sexiest Man Alive 2009

The Most Creepy, Disgusting, Horrifying Video Ever

J.Crew Holiday Guide

Coming Soon to a TV Near You: Sh*t My Dad Says

Happy 40th Birthday, Sesame Street!

I Tech You To School: The Droid

Korean Drama Review: You're Beautiful

Art Deco-ed UP

Empire State of Mind

Gleeeeeeee!!

Hulu, I Love You - NOOOOOO!

2012

I Tech You To School: Windows 7

Why I Hate Kids .. and People

The Coolest Music Video EVER.

Fashion as Art

Song of the Day: Horchata - Vampire Weekend

Titanic Exhibition

Here Comes the Bride..

Where the Wild Things Are Soundtrack

I Tech You to School: Microsoft Antivirus Suite

Food Flags

I Tech You To School: Buying a TV

Disney Princesses, Marvel-ized

NY Fashion Week Recap!

Kanye West on The Jay Leno Show

US Open 2009: Federer FTW, Serena .. Not So Much

An Open Letter to Kanye West

Tech Geek 101: Onyx

US Open 2009: Hell Yeah!

Coming Soon: Fantastic Mr. Fox

Fall TV Returns!

Top Wikipedia Articles

When Awesomeness Happens: Battle of the Andys and Wills

Kids crack me up.

Yay Jason Mraz!

12 Most Annoying Facebook Users

Yes, Another Video Clip: Community Promo

New NEW MOON trailer!

Brian Griffin Loves the Office...

Most Disturbing, Yet Kind of Hilarious Commercial