Annie's Blog

Wedding Time!!

noreply@blogger.com (Annie Spears) — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 00:10:00 +0000

So this is my last day at work this week before MY WEDDING! I'm pretty excited, but haven't really had the time to sit down and enjoy what's happening just because I've been sooooo busy working and finalizing plans and ridiculous details like napkin colors, the number of people at each table, the exact hue of ribbon that I need to buy for the card box, etc.

Never again will I get married - too crazy to plan! I'm also going to encourage my sister to elope when she decides to get married so I can avoid the whole planning mess again! But seriously, I can't be more excited to be actually getting married.

Next step - honeymoon - then I'll be back to real life :) Please be nice to the DJs who are working while I'm out playing!

~Annie Spears~

Celebrity Grossness

noreply@blogger.com (Annie Spears) — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 22:10:00 +0000

A few beloved celebrity ladies have really started looking sickly recently, especially Madonna and certain pictures of Angelina Jolie. (This picture is from Eonline!)

Look how terrible their arms look - super skinny and veiny and unhealthy! I know my arms (for starters) are not the best - but c'mon ladies... a sandwich or a milkshake goes a long way!

Fitness experts say that celebs' skin looks all veiny because they are not eating much salt and that keeps them from retaining water - the result = skinny celebrities.

Overall, everyone looks better with at least a LITTLE weight on them... no one wants to see your full bone structure! Are these ladies too skinny or lookin' good?

Sleeping At Work

noreply@blogger.com (Annie Spears) — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 23:36:00 +0000

The trend keeps growing - many employers are allowing (if not encouraging) their employees to take time out of their busy workdays to take a powernap. Research has shown that sleep deprivation results in impaired memory, motor skills, and decision making.

Naps have been shown to improve all those conditions plus they help to reduce stress and even heart disease!

Google features special (crazy looking) napping pods for their employees to get some quick shut-eye. Other companies offer employees the option to include massages and aromatherapy during their resting periods.

Given the chance, I would ABSOLUTELY take a nap at work. I would even go as far to say it could positively influence a decision when on the job-hunt. Is there a downside to this at-work napping??

Foul Ball "Didn't" End Relationship

noreply@blogger.com (Annie Spears) — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 00:31:00 +0000

Picture this: You're at a baseball game with your boyfriend, a foul ball is heading right for you in the stands... your boyfriend takes cover, getting away from the line drive THEN you get hit with the ball.

Yeah, not my idea of fun either. As you've probably seen, it happened. The newly famous couple then sat down on the Early Show on CBS to talk about the incident.

Needless to say, this guy will probably never hear the end of it from his friends about how he ran away from a baseball while his lady go hit (nor should he) - but it got worse. The hosts asked the couple if they were still together - and she quietly replied, "It's not over because of the ball."

AWKWARD.

See the whole interview below:

Why I Like Jessica Simpson

noreply@blogger.com (Annie Spears) — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 23:40:00 +0000

Many times, celebrities can't control which pictures of them show up in the newspaper, online, in magazines, etc. If they look terrible, they can't usually help where the photo ends up. That has to be frustrating.

HOWEVER-
Jessica Simpson posted on Twitter possibly the strangest and most uncomfortable looking picture of her kissing her new boyfriend Eric Johnson (formerly of the San Francisco 49ers). It's not even a remotely attractive photo of either person!
Even though Jessica Simpson doesn't come off as the smartest girl in town, it's still great that she can be herself and have fun with her boyfriend. Way to go Jess!

My New Car... Yeah Right!

noreply@blogger.com (Annie Spears) — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 01:30:00 +0000

Chevrolet has finally announced the price of their new Volt... (drumroll)... $41,000 or you can lease for $350/month. While it is too expensive for someone of my financial status, the lease payment makes it pretty affordable, considering you would hardly have to use any gas throughout the year! (Plus, for anyone seriously considering the car, there's a pretty big tax write off too.)

The Volt runs 40 miles on battery power, but has a reserve tank of gasoline that will get you an additional 300 miles (so you don't get stranded). I want this car!!!! (Keep dreaming)

Wild Hookups On New Bachelor Pad Show???? NOOOOOO

noreply@blogger.com (Annie Spears) — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 03:41:00 +0000

ABC's crazy new show Bachelor Pad promises to publicly embarrass a choice group of singles AGAIN on national TV. I love the concept of the show: take the favorite castoffs from previous Bachelor and Bachelorette shows and make them live together in a house. These people were desperate for love the first time around - I CAN'T WAIT until this show gets started - I can only imagine how wild it's going to be!!

These daters DO have an advantage though that most others don't have... they can check out all the previous seasons of the show and figure out who the crazies are!

Apparently a few people did not do their homework (pictured to the left):

Kasey Kahl (from Ali's current season - he's the one who got tattooed for Ali) found a hookup partner in Natalie Getz, who is billed as the "Make Out Bandit" in the upcoming show. Yeah, definitely avoid the guy who gets tattooed for a woman he met only a few weeks prior. Nice. Plus, there are already rumors of car accidents and fights, so I'm sure this show is going to be a winner.

Who else is in? The show starts August 9th.

Mel Gibson's Nutty Friends

noreply@blogger.com (Annie Spears) — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 02:32:00 +0000

If Mel Gibson were my friend - I would be moving myself as far away from his as possible right now. I know that sounds terrible, but the guy went off the deep end!!

Per Hollywood tradition, Mel has some big A-list supporters still including Robert DeNiro, Whoopi Goldberg, and Jamie Foxx. In his various rants, Mel has managed to offend every culture, race, and creed of people, it seems.

Whoopi Goldberg somehow sees through his rage and says that she knows Mel and, "he is not a racist". Interesting statement - he seems pretty racist to me! Robert DeNiro was quoted saying, "I hope he gets through all this. It's unfortunate, you know."

Unfortunate? Maybe unfortunate that he got caught!?! I guess I just don't understand where these celebs are coming from... everyone else can see that Mel's career is broken beyond repair. My advice - run far and fast from this guy!

Burn Calories While Sitting On The Couch!

noreply@blogger.com (Annie Spears) — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 02:27:00 +0000

Yes - it's true - you can burn calories while sitting at home doing nothing! It doesn't come without a little effort - but definitely worth it!
The study in Yahoo! Health shows that when you build lean muscle , you can burn triple the calories than fat burns. According to the article, your workout should include 2 strength training sessions and 3 (40 minute) cardio sessions each week.

Obviously, you will be burning calories and fat while you workout, but then when you go home to relax on the couch or spend time with the kids, your body CONTINUES to burn calories - around 150 extra a day than if you didn't squeeze in those workouts.

A little extra working out, a walk with friends, or a game of tennis can all help your body kick it's fat burning power into overdrive. Happy calorie burning!

Think You're Helping Your Career - Think Again!

noreply@blogger.com (Annie Spears) — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 01:36:00 +0000

A few surprising work behaviors may not be helping you at all - in fact, they could make you less productive at work.

1) Multi-tasking: Everyone does this now, but in order to be effective at certain tasks, you need to dedicate your full attention to the project. Studies are saying that a majority of multi-taskers actually are adding time and effort to their workload.

2) Extra hours at work: Just because you're working late doesn't mean you're working harder than others. Too many extra hours can be viewed as a lack of ability to prioritize important tasks.

3) Being overly optimistic: Be realistic with deadlines and promises. Making rosy promises that you can't keep will only hurt you down the road.

4) Building visibility: Let your boss know when you've done something well, but give credit where credit is due. Be very careful not to step on your co-workers on your way to the top.

5) Limiting your abilities: Sure you may be a super smart, technically minded person, but don't forget that your people skills are most likely to get you promoted. Managers need to be able to communicate effectively.

Michael Jackson - One Year Later

noreply@blogger.com (Annie Spears) — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 01:25:00 +0000

Hard to believe - but Friday marks the 1 year anniversary of the death of Michael Jackson. Since he and the Jackson 5 began their careers in Detroit, it is only fitting that Detroit gets to host a new exhibit that begins on Friday.

The Motown Historical Museum (or Hitsville) will have artifacts including uniforms from the Jackson 5, photographs, awards, an early costume worn by a solo Michael Jackson, and much more memorabilia.

The Jackson 5 exhibit runs through September 30th and is open Monday through Saturday. More information here.

American Idol Off-season Update

noreply@blogger.com (Annie Spears) — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 01:50:00 +0000

Even though the show is on break... plenty of American Idol news keeps surfacing.

1) Crystal Bowersox landed herself a contract with Jive Records. It's no surprise that it will be a "bluesy folk rockin' debut album" which will be released later this year. Mark me down as someone who will NOT be purchasing her CD.

2) Auditions for American Idol - Season 10 have been announced... nothing anywhere close to Detroit or even Michigan! Dates include:
July 17 - Nashville
July 21 - Milwaukee
July 26 - New Orleans
August 3 - East Rutherford, NJ
August 11 - Austin
August 19 - San Francisco
Happy travels to those who may be trying to audition.

3) The American Idols LIVE tour kicks off at the Palace of Auburn Hills on July 1st. It's pretty cool that Detroit is the first stop, I think! So - you can get your off-season Idol fix without having to go far.

Almost seems like more Idol is happening now than during the season! Are you ready for another American Idol season .... without Simon!?! I'm not sure how that will go over. We'll just have to wait and see.

HANSON Mania!!

noreply@blogger.com (Annie Spears) — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 03:19:00 +0000

Yes, I remember the days of Hanson - they were quite possibly the best thing to ever happen in my life at that time. In the late 90s - they were just HUGE. Now... surprisingly, they still can draw a crowd, an angry one at that!

The 3 Hanson boys scheduled a free concert in New York, figuring about 10,000 fans would show up. Well, make that 20,000 and you've got chaos, which is exactly what happened! People started pushing and shoving and fights were breaking out OVER HANSON! Two people were even arrested for disorderly conduct. I can see this 10 years ago, but now?!?

Needless to say, the situation was unsafe for the boys (and everyone else there) so they canceled the show.

For a few good memories, I think they'd be worth seeing again - but definitely not worth the risk of being trampled or arrested!

Oprah's Frontrunner

noreply@blogger.com (Annie Spears) — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 00:52:00 +0000

With over 3,000 video entries from people who would like to have their own show in Oprah's new network, the competition is really heating up. At the very moment, though, Zach Anner is leading by over 1,000,000 votes!

So what makes him so popular? It's hard to say, exactly, but he actually is pretty funny! The other twist - Zach has cerebral palsy, but THAT certainly isn't holding him back! Check out his video audition below:

You can vote for Zach and check out the other submissions at Oprah.com.

The Wild Side Of Alejandro

noreply@blogger.com (Annie Spears) — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 01:12:00 +0000

Lady Gaga has set the bar very high for herself in terms of presenting a shocking image. Usually, she does a great job of re-inventing herself and giving her Little Monsters what they want.

Alejandro is a near 9 minute mini-movie with all kinds of crazy, Gaga-esque elements including her wearing a super shiny red latex nun's habit, sucking on a rosary, and wearing crosses on some less than appropriate places, paired with some "intense" writhing around on beds with her wearing the usual, next to nothing.

Did she go too far this time? Katy Perry took to her Twitter saying, "Blasphemy as entertainment is as cheap as a comedian telling a fart joke." For a minute, we will ignore the fact that Katy Perry's comedian fiance tells a lot of fart jokes. Watch the video and see what you think.

Was it too far? Or are we getting overly-sensitive? Comments welcome.

Amazing Real Life Fairy Tale @ Disney

noreply@blogger.com (Annie Spears) — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 01:33:00 +0000

Disney really IS where the magic happens. Alex and Donna Voutsinas met at work, started dating, then got engaged - pretty standard. To prepare for their wedding, they were going through pictures from when Donna was a kid when they made an INCREDIBLE discovery...

At the very instant that Donna was having her picture taken with one of the 7 dwarfs, Alex noticed that he and his Dad were in the background (the man pushing the stroller & young Alex)! These two were in the exact same place 30 years prior to their engagement!!!

They are happily married now with kids... Destiny? Fate? or just the best fairy tale you've heard in a while?

Toddlers & Tiaras - Obviously A Mess

noreply@blogger.com (Annie Spears) — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 02:26:00 +0000

A new season of Toddlers & Tiara is underway, which means a whole new season of crazy pageant moms and dads making their young children into little money making machines and also little nightmare diva girls!

This 4 year old is no little diva - she give J-Lo, Tyra Banks, and Demi Moore (combined) a run for their money:

After seeing this, I have no idea why these pageants are even legal? (Or how the kids haven't been taken away from the parents) Where do they learn this behavior from?

If these kids are that temperamental at 4 years old - I can't even imagine having to work alongside them in 15 years! No thanks!!

Name Your Price!

noreply@blogger.com (Annie Spears) — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 01:30:00 +0000

Many companies (an estimated 1/3 of US companies) currently have or are planning to introduce financial incentives for getting their employees healthy.

One company had their employees volunteer to wear pedometers - the more steps that the individual took, the more money they could win - up to $500!! At that same company, more than $375, 000 has been paid out in "health rewards" so far. I'd take a piece of that!

Other companies are taking a different approach - they ask the employees who are willing to participate to pay a certain amount of money. Then the employee signs a contract agreeing to lose a certain amount of weight... or they LOSE their deposit. Not a fan of this one, but it sounds like losing money motivates people better than potentially gaining money.

Even though the methods are different - the results are the same - healthier employees! I would enjoy one of these programs here. I'll keep you posted if it happens.

You've Got To Be Kidding!

noreply@blogger.com (Annie Spears) — Wed, 26 May 2010 01:43:00 +0000

A woman does the unthinkable in Minnesota!

Amanda McBride was in the car with her husband when her water broke. This has happened before to many women - but of these occurrences, most women were not DRIVING at the time - Amanda WAS!

The strangest part about this is she did not pull over... she just kept driving down the expressway. She put the car in cruise control and told her husband to steer. It's all in the video, but in a nutshell - she just moved her seat back and delivered her son!

(Click to see the video - not the delivery itself - that would just be ridiculous!)

Pretty amazing, if I can say so! Honestly, there is no shame is stopping and calling an ambulance, but maybe they just needed a good story to tell their friends and family. Success!

Robot Officiates Wedding For First Time Ever!

noreply@blogger.com (Annie Spears) — Mon, 24 May 2010 23:31:00 +0000

Leave it to Japan to come up with the most mind-boggling concept - a robot named I-Fairy to be the officiant at a wedding. For the first time ever, a couple in Tokyo got married over the weekend with the robot as their pastor!

The robot was controlled by a man with a remote who crouched off to the side of the stage. Amazingly, the I-Fairy even was able to speak the pre-programmed phrases needed to complete the wedding ceremony.

If you're looking for that "something extra" for your wedding to make your day extra special, the I-Fairy comes at a price of about $68,000 - a small price to pay for the ultimately unique wedding!

A New Respect For Bowersox

noreply@blogger.com (Annie Spears) — Sat, 22 May 2010 00:42:00 +0000

I haven't really been a fan of Crystal Bowersox during her time on American Idol. She obviously has a great voice, but I'm a bit confused about her style. I love that she is confident enough to rock the dreadlocks but overall, I think a mini-makeover would do her well.

That said, lets rewind 11 years to a time when little Crystal was 13 years old. An impressive new video has surfaced of her singing at a small festival in Huron, Ohio:

Great voice for a young teenager (or anyone for that matter)! It also proves that she would look great washing those dreads out and doing her hair up. Just a thought.

In related news, the final Idol will be selected this week... I've still got Lee... who's with me??

Michigan Can't Catch A Break

noreply@blogger.com (Annie Spears) — Tue, 18 May 2010 01:30:00 +0000

Great news from over the weekend - the winner of Donald Trump's Miss USA pageant is from Michigan! Rima Fakih earned herself the honor of being the first Arab-American to win the Miss USA title. She's beautiful, classy, educated, and seems like a great choice to be Miss USA.

And now - the bad news... maybe Miss USA isn't what it used to be...

Three years ago, Rima entered into a radio station contest called Stripper 101 and won the competition. Pictures surfaced today of her working a pole (dressed thankfully) at this contest:
It's certainly not the worst thing that could happen, but it doesn't look great the day after you win a beauty pageant.

Are we being too hard on her - or not hard enough? Maybe these pictures are just innocent fun? Or is she a dangerous role model for young girls?

Everybody Gets A Talk Show!!!!!!!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Annie Spears) — Sat, 15 May 2010 00:50:00 +0000

Oprah is at it again. If you think you have what it takes to be the next big talk show star, you don't want to miss this. From now until June 26th, create a 3-minute audition video and upload it to Oprah.com. The public will vote on the best audition - the top 5 will be flown to LA for a live audition!

As history shows, if Oprah likes you - you will be hugely successful. Without Oprah, we would not have Rachael Ray, Dr. Phil, Dr. Oz, or the spinoff The Doctors. Oprah loves to give stuff away - so WHY NOT a talk show on the Oprah Winfrey Network. If you land this - my guess is you are pretty much set for life! Details are at Oprah.com/OWN.

Good luck! (And if you win because you heard of it here - I'd appreciate some of the profits.)

Amazing Child Prodigy

noreply@blogger.com (Annie Spears) — Thu, 13 May 2010 01:47:00 +0000

I watched this video initially with pretty low expectations... but WOW was I wrong! Greyson Michael Chance is 12 years old. In the video, he's doing a piano performance of Lady Gaga's Paparazzi for his classmates. Just incredible - watch it here:

So what do you think? Amazing, right? The girls' expressions in the background are funny to watch throughout the video. If you want/need more, Greyson will be on Ellen Thursday morning.

The Miracle Swimsuit

noreply@blogger.com (Annie Spears) — Wed, 05 May 2010 03:24:00 +0000

Who needs exercise and healthy eating to look great to fit into that swimsuit this summer? Thanks to a little help from Spanx - you have a little more flexibility in your health routine - SPANX SWIMSUITS!

For those not familiar, Spanx are some combination of elastic and nylon and other materials that you wear under your clothes. They can help to smooth out "problem areas" on your body.

For example, I'm not completely comfortable with how my stomach looks. So I just squeeze myself in this nylon sock thing and VIOLA the rolls/lumps look smaller. This could be the greatest invention EVER in women's fashion.

So these Spanx Swimsuits look pretty decent... they'll hide your problem areas... and you can feel confident at the beach again! If they work (and were cheaper) - I would definitely buy one of these!

The bad news - prices range from about $180 - $230 :( Hmm... well if I cancel my gym membership... that money COULD go to the Spanx fund. :) Just a lazy (unhealthy) thought - a bad choice overall.