Heathers Corner

The Super Small Snookie!

2011-12-28T14:02:00.000-05:00

Snookie has posted some pictures of herself on Twitter showing off her hot slim figure. Good for you Snooks. You deserve to be skinny since your only about 4 feet tall. Here are her pictures below.

Can't wait for the new season of Jersey Shore. Seems like it is going to be a good one :)

Following the Bachelor with Ben

2011-10-04T11:32:00.000-04:00

Reality Steve releases another contestant for Ben's season! See below..shes SUPER pretty!
A few quick updates to give you on what’s happening in filming. If you missed my tweet and Facebook post last Friday afternoon, then you didn’t see filming moved from San Francisco to Park City, Utah. They arrived in Park City on Saturday, and I’m guessing are there until Wednesday or Thursday of this week, before they start their major traveling this season. Do I know where they are headed? Yes, I do. I will tell you as they they move from place to place though. Thursday I will tell you where they are headed from Utah. I can tell you this though, in the 22 seasons this show has been on, I can’t remember a final rose ceremony location quite like this. Going to be interesting. More on that in the coming weeks.

Anyway, the Canyons Resort in Park City is where tonight’s date will take place. I’m assuming it’s a 1-on-1 date since there’s a concert being put on by Clay Walker, and usually dates that have concerts are 1-on-1′s. In fact, you can even attend this date.

8. Samantha Levey: 26, from Pittsburgh, lives in LA, went to the University of Arizona (like Ben), current Miss Pacific Palisades, CA 2012, will be competing for Miss California 2012.

Dancing with the Stars Week 3 Recap

2011-10-04T11:27:00.000-04:00

Hey Readers! Sorry I have been MIA, work has picked up a lot and blogging during the day isn't something I am able to do much anymore. Let's have a live chat tonight though during the elimination of DWTS! I will sign the chat on at 8, but I will not be on till 9 when the actual elimination begins. (have to work late, go figure!) But please invite your friends and come hang out tonight at 8 to watch the elimination. There is a way to set a reminder also so that you can get an email when the chat has begun. Talk to you then!

Following the Bachelor with Ben

2011-09-29T15:37:00.000-04:00

New Girls Announced (thanks to @realitysteve)

6. Blakeley Shea: 34, esthetician, studied at the Aveda Institute in Charlotte, former Hooters girl, former Maxim Top 100 in 2006, and pretty much has guaranteed that no one will take her seriously on this show. Google her. Out of the hundreds of pictures that pop up of her on the internet, I can’t really find one where she has on any clothes. Hide your eyes if you’re not into this sort of thing:

7. Jaclyn Swartz: 27, grew up in Massachusetts, lives in NY, Account Manager at CBS Interactive (CBSSports.com), graduate of the University of Wisconsin. I don’t have any updated pics of her, however, she is the 2nd girl from the left in the top row of the group picture:

Ben had Group Date #2 yesterday in San Francisco where it looks like 11 ladies got to “ski” down a street in SF that was made into a ski slope. And oh yeah, they were in the their bikinis frolicking around having snowball fights. Of course they were. And yes, this was done in a residential neighborhood so everyone and their mothers were taking pictures. I wonder if the ABC producers were all freaking out yesterday too and shouting people down to put their cameras away. Kind of hilarious to see them in bathing suits, but in winter wear. Whatever the case, here you go

Amazon Announces the New Kindle Fire

2011-09-28T13:03:00.001-04:00

Jeff Bezos is channeling Steve Jobs. It’s mid-September and the wiry billionaire founder of Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) is at his brand new corporate headquarters in Seattle, in a building named “Day One South” after his conviction that 17-year-old Amazon is still in its infancy.

Almost giddy with excitement, Bezos retrieves one by one the new crop of dirt-cheap Kindle e-readers --- they start at $79 --- from a hidden perch on a chair tucked into a conference room table. When he’s done showing them off, he stands up, and, for an audience of a single journalist, announces, “Now, I’ve got one more thing to show you.” He waits a half-beat to make sure the reference to Jobs’ famous line from Apple Inc. (AAPL) presentations hasn’t been missed, then gives his notorious barking laugh.
With that, Bezos pulls out the Kindle Fire, Amazon’s long- anticipated tablet computer --- and the first credible response to the Apple iPad, Bloomberg Businessweek reports in its Oct. 3 edition.
Unlike a wave of other tablets that have emerged hopefully only to flop, such as the Hewlett-Packard Co. (HPQ) TouchPad, the Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc. Xoom, and the Research in Motion Ltd. (RIM) PlayBook, the Kindle Fire has a good shot at turning the newest theater of war in high-tech into a two-tablet battle.

$199 Fire

With a 7-inch display, the Fire is about half the size of the iPad. At $199, it’s also less than half the price of the cheapest Apple model. Amazon has painted over the rough surfaces of Google Inc. (GOOG)’s Android operating system with a fresh and easy- to-use interface and tied the device closely to its own large and growing content library. Kindle Fire owners can watch the film “Rio,” scroll through magazines such as The New Yorker or Esquire, and access their music collection on Amazon’s servers.
“What we are doing is offering premium products at non- premium prices,” Bezos says. Other tablet contenders “have not been competitive on price” and “have just sold a piece of hardware. We don’t think of the Kindle Fire as a tablet. We think of it as a service.”
To demonstrate the Kindle Fire, Bezos pulls up a chair. He proudly shows off a lightning-fast Web browser that runs on Amazon’s EC2 cloud computing engine and Amazon’s version of the Android app store, with over 10,000 games, e-mail programs, shopping guides, and the like.
Bezos pauses briefly to exhibit his dexterity at a game called “Fruit Ninja,” zapping watermelons and kiwis that fly across the screen, and appears to momentarily lose himself in the effort. “I do find it strangely therapeutic, uncomfortably therapeutic,” he says.

No Camera

There are some limitations to the Kindle Fire. Unlike the iPad 2, it doesn’t have embedded cameras or a microphone, and there’s no 3G cellular connection, only Wi-Fi.
Its diminutive size, which makes it so handy for stashing in a coat pocket, also makes it unlikely to satisfy more than one antsy kid on a long car ride.
The versatile iPad 2, with its video chatting capabilities and exquisite screen resolution, is a lifestyle-defining objet d’art.
The stripped-down Fire is more of a sit-back-on-the-sofa- and-shop device. It crystallizes the difference between Apple, which tends to keep prices -- and profit margins -- high, and Amazon, which likes to start low and drive lower in an effort to knee-cap the competition. The tablet is symbolic of Amazon’s ability to adapt and reluctance to cede the future to anyone. If the Fire and its inevitable sequels are successful, they will add even more might to one of the fastest-growing retail operations the world has ever seen.

Largest Bookstore

Amazon’s 1990s slogan -- “Earth’s largest bookstore” -- stood for an ambition that now seems cute. Amazon boasted of its unlimited selection of books, even though in most cases it was simply having them shipped directly from distributors.
Today, Amazon sells millions of goods and services, from toys and high-definition televisions to server space for other Internet companies and digital reading devices for book lovers. Borders Group Inc. found it impossible to match Amazon’s selection and went out of business earlier this year.
Best Buy Co. has watched Amazon undercut it and commoditize whole product categories, and is now trying to shrink the square footage of its superstores. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT) has struggled to match the ease and reliability of Amazon’s shipping network, and posted nine straight quarters of declining same-store sales. Websites that have matched Amazon in selection, price, and customer service -- Zappos, Diapers.com -- Bezos has quickly acquired.

`Hyper Competitor'

“Amazon is not a fight-on-their-knees kind of company,” says Rob Glaser, the Seattle-based entrepreneur behind RealNetworks and now also a venture -capitalist at Accel Partners. “Jeff’s a hyper competitor.”
As its rivals steadily asphyxiate, Amazon is ringing up 50 percent growth in quarterly revenues, and may reach $50 billion in sales this year.
Wal-Mart needed almost twice the time --- 33 years --- to cross that threshold.
“Amazon is such a smart learning organization,” says Nancy F. Koehn, a professor of business administration at Harvard Business School. “It’s like a biological organism that through natural selection and adaptation just keeps learning and growing.”
Amazon is also facing a new kind of challenge that competitors like Wal-Mart are intimately familiar with --- cultural backlash, or at least the early signs of it. The company has been criticized for waging an expensive state-by- state battle to avoid collecting sales taxes, and more recently for skimping on air conditioning in its East Coast distribution centers during a brutally hot summer.

Growing Dominance

If the Kindle Fire is half as good as it looked in Bezos’ conference room, it will fan the fears about Amazon’s growing dominance. The tablet funnels users into Amazon’s meticulously constructed world of content, commerce, and cloud computing. Just like owners of Kindle e-reading devices tend to start buying all their books from Amazon, Kindle Fire owners are likely to hand over an increasing chunk of their entertainment budget to Jeff Bezos.
Tablets represent an opportunity for Bezos not only to sell a new kind of device but also to entice people to buy more stuff.
Even with only 28.7 million iPads sold, e-commerce sites say they see an increasing amount of traffic coming from tablets. Forrester Research reported that online purchases made on tablets now account for 20 percent of all mobile e-commerce sales, and that almost 60 percent of tablet owners have used them to shop.

`Huge Tailwind'

Bezos says tablets “are a huge tailwind for our business.”
Amazon once saw spikes in traffic during the workday lunch hours. Now traffic is more evenly distributed as people pick up their tablets anytime of the week, buying the books and albums they see on television and making impulsive decisions about replacing their dishwashers.
The Kindle Fire (internal code name: Otter) is designed to ensure that even more of those purchases go to Amazon. The company has built a tablet-optimized shopping application, with simplified and streamlined pages with none of the clutter of the main website. The app is pre-installed and sits at the bottom of the Fire’s main screen (users can get rid of it if they want).
The device also comes with the enticement of a 30-day free trial of Amazon Prime, the company’s $79-a-year two-day delivery program that tends to convert members into Amazon addicts who triple or even quadruple the amount they spend on the site. Since March, Amazon has also administered its own app store for Android devices, culling Google’s more comprehensive selection and removing everything that’s offensive and unreliable.

Twitter, Facebook

Kindle Fire owners will have access to apps from Pandora Media Inc., Twitter, Facebook, and Netflix Inc. (NFLX) Although other competitors like Barnes & Noble Inc. (BKS) can submit their apps, it will be much easier for Kindle Fire owners to find Amazon’s own content. That’s one reason Amazon is in the best position to turn the tablet battle into a two combatant war.
The other is price. Analysts speculating on the new device pegged the Kindle Fire at $250 to $300. (Companies like Samsung and RIM have entered the tablet race with similar devices at those prices and above.)
Bezos is able to go lower because he can make his profits on media content and with additional subscriptions to Amazon Prime, which then will drive additional purchases of toys, toasters, diapers, etc. He’s also exploiting his company’s popular cloud computing initiative, called Amazon Web Services.

`Extremely Low Margins'

Amazon saves money on the Kindle Fire by packing it with only eight gigabytes of memory (the costliest version of the iPad has 64 gigs), but owners of the device get to store as many books, songs, movies, and personal documents on Amazon’s cloud servers as they like for free.
Bezos won’t say whether he thinks he’ll lose money on the device itself, only that he’s at ease flirting with red ink.
“Certainly this is a for-profit business,” he says. “Let’s put it this way. We are and always have been very comfortable at operating at extremely low margins.”
Though the decision to design and build its own hardware is a high-stakes bet, it’s equally true that Bezos had no choice but to enter the tablet business.
About 40 percent of Amazon’s revenue comes from media --- books, music, and movies --- and those formats are rapidly going digital.
Amazon was late to understand the speed of that transition; Apple, which introduced the iPod in 2001 and iTunes two years later, wasn’t. The iPad has only strengthened Apple’s hold over digital media.

Kindle App

Although there’s a Kindle app for the iPad, Apple takes a 30 percent slice of all e-books Amazon sells on it and has restricted Amazon and other app makers from directing iPad users to their websites in order to avoid giving Apple its cut. Doing business on the iPad threatens Amazon’s already thin profit margins.
Bezos says he doesn’t think defensively.
“Everything we do is driven by seeing opportunity rather than being worried about defending,” he says. Given Apple’s inroads into the media business, that’s hard to believe. Bezos is magnanimous toward Jobs.
“On a personal level we have a tremendous amount of respect for Apple and Steve. I think that’s returned,” he says. “Our cultures start in the same place. Both companies like to invent, both companies like to pioneer, both companies start with the customer and work backwards. There’s a like-mindedness.” Pause. “Are two companies like Amazon and Apple occasionally going to step on each other’s toes? Yes.”

E-Book Store

Amazon has recovered more quickly than other tech companies in the race to catch up with Apple in digital media. Amazon introduced an online TV and movie store in 2006, the Kindle e- book store in 2007, and the MP3 digital music store in 2008.
Earlier this year, Amazon also aimed its sights on Netflix with an Instant Video streaming service that’s free for members of Amazon Prime, and it’s now spending hundreds of millions to increase its catalog with TV shows and movies from studios like News Corp. (NWSA)’s Fox and NBC Universal.
The music and video stores haven’t been huge hits. That may change on the Kindle Fire. On a tablet those apps will give users the impression that most songs, TV shows, and movies are just a click away.
“We are leaning into this,” Bezos says. “It’s not a small initiative for us.”
Amazon is also among the companies in the final round of bidding for the online video site Hulu, according to people with knowledge of that process who were not allowed to speak on the record.

IPod Lessons

Apple’s success with the iPod taught the entire tech industry another valuable lesson. There were other digital music players on the market back in the 1990s, but Apple’s device, which seamlessly blended hardware, software, and eventually an online service in iTunes, made the experience simple and unintimidating for non-techies.
There is a sense, as one easily holds the Kindle Fire in one hand (try doing that with an iPad), that Bezos is working from the same set of principles as Jobs: Content matters. Simplicity is key. How do companies allow users to easily buy songs, movies, and other digital goodies? They persuade customers to entrust them with their credit cards--as both Amazon and Apple have done. How do they ensure that the device is easy to use? They design and build it themselves.

Making Own Hardware

“What should Amazon be doing in 20 years?”
That was the first question Bezos asked Jateen Parekh, a Silicon Valley systems engineer who had worked for the digital video recorder pioneer Replay-TV, an early TiVo rival, and Philips Research, a division of the Dutch consumer electronics maker.
It was August 2004, and Bezos and his new senior vice- president in charge of worldwide digital media, Steven Kessel, were exploring what seemed like a radical idea for an online retailer: making their own hardware.
“The question impressed me,” recalls Parekh, who is now the founder and chief technology officer of digital radio startup Jelli. “The fact that the CEO was thinking that far out was huge.”
Parekh joined Amazon that September, becoming the first employee of Lab126, a secret Silicon Valley skunkworks. At first, Parekh didn’t have an office to report to: He and the few industrial designers and engineers hired soon after, including Gregg Zehr, a former vice-president of hardware engineering at Palm Computing, set up shop in an empty room in the offices of A9, Amazon’s Palo Alto, California-based search subsidiary.

Build an E-Reader

Parekh recalls spending his first few weeks investigating the possibility of building Internet-connected set-top boxes and even an MP3 player.
Bezos loved reading far more than listening to music, and Amazon had deep expertise in the book market, so the next decision was a natural one. Amazon’s new hardware geeks would build an e-reader. Parekh and Zehr, who became president of the new division, researched existing e-readers of the time, such as the Sony Librie, which required AAA batteries, sold poorly, and never made it out of Japan. They concluded the market was wide open.
“It was the one thing that wasn’t being done well by anyone else out there,” Parekh says.
First though, Amazon’s engineers needed a better name for the original “A2Z Development Corp.” Parekh and his colleagues hated it, and thought it ill-suited to luring the best and brightest engineers from places like Apple and Palm.

Lab126 Project

They eventually settled on the more mysterious “Lab126.” The 1 stands for a, the 26 for z, a geeky naming convention inside Amazon where groups like the personalization team are referred to by the abbreviation P13N. (If you’re confused by that, count the letters in the word “personalization.”)
Other people who worked for Lab126 in those early years recall it as a loosely managed startup. The group piggybacked on A9’s infrastructure for most the next year. When the search division moved to the former offices of a Palo Alto law firm, Lab126 moved with them and took up residence in the old law library.
Lab126 was eventually given almost unlimited resources. It also had to contend with the unfettered imagination of Bezos. Amazon’s founder wanted his new -e-reading device to be drop-dead simple to use and argued that configuring devices to Wi-Fi networks was too complicated for non-tech-savvy users.

No PC Connection

He also didn’t want to force customers to connect the device to a PC, so the only alternative was to build cellular access right into the device, the equivalent of embedding a wireless phone in the hardware. Nothing like that had been tried before. Bezos insisted that customers should never have to know the wireless connection was there or even pay for access.
“I thought it was insane, I really did,” Parekh recalls.
The effort to develop the first Kindle ended up taking more than three years. Almost everything went wrong. The black and white displays from E Ink, an offshoot of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab that makes screens resembling the printed page and require very little power, would look good for one month and then degrade alarmingly.
Qualcomm Inc. (QCOM), which was set to provide the wireless chips, was sued by a competitor, Broadcom Corp. (BRCM), and for months was enjoined by a judge from selling its wares in the U.S.
The Lab126 team repeatedly urged Bezos to make their project easier by considering a Wi-fi-only connection for the Kindle. He rejected the idea, constantly suggesting new ones for complicated features, like the notion that customers’ annotations of books should be backed up on Amazon’s servers.

Code-Name `Fiona'

That original Kindle, code-named “Fiona” after a character in Neal Stephenson’s futuristic novel “The Diamond Age,” was finally ready to go in the fall of 2007.
Still, Amazon almost blew it. Modeling demand after the first-year sales of the original iPod, Amazon underestimated what a hit the Kindle would turn out to be. The first batch sold out in just a few hours. Amazon then discovered that one of its Taiwanese suppliers had discontinued a key part and spent months getting a replacement.
“You look at the history of the Kindle, they developed some real skills around the creation of that product. They’ve cut their teeth so to speak,” says Brian Blair, a New York-based analyst at Wedge Partners.
Making four successive versions of the Kindle e-reader also led Amazon down the path toward the Kindle Fire. For years the engineers at Lab126 tried to create a workable and reader- friendly color Kindle, according to three former employees.

New Color Displays

New color display technologies like Qualcomm’s Mirasol and another MIT IT-offshoot called Pixel Qi proved unreliable and difficult to produce in large quantities. In January 2010, the iPad demonstrated the broad appeal of a new kind of color LCD tablet with better image quality, wider viewing angles, and, near to Amazon’s heart, Apple’s own selection of e-books. People close to Lab126 say that work on tablets, including the Kindle Fire, started soon after.
Amazon’s devices division now employs around 800 hardware and software engineers in Cupertino, California, who fill up all but one floor of an entire eight-floor office building and part of a second building in the same office park, less than a mile from Apple’s corporate headquarters.
In the unit’s industrial design lab, according to a person who has visited that top-secret floor but was not authorized to speak on the record, naked e-ink displays hang from the walls with images from books imprinted on their screens.

E-Ink Screens

They’re used to demonstrate to potential new hires how an e-ink screen can hold an image indefinitely without being connected to a power supply.
There’s also another office of Kindle employees at Amazon’s new corporate campus in the South Lake Union district of Seattle, in a building nostalgically named “Fiona.” The group is cordoned off from other Amazon employees, whose company badges do not grant them access.
Bezos won’t say what kind of devices he’s cooking up next. People with knowledge of the division’s plans say that the Kindle Fire is only the first of a line of Amazon tablets, not an isolated product, and that the group has always considered the possibility of building Amazon cell phones and Internet- connected TVs.
“We are a company with a lot of ideas,” Bezos says, when asked directly about his plans. And then, of course, he laughs uproariously.

Kindle Fire Impact

For those already competing with Amazon, the Kindle Fire won’t be good news.
Kevin Ryan, the co-owner of Green Apple Books, a 44-year- old bookstore in San Francisco, says that Amazon has lowered the prices in the book business beyond his ability to match them. Amazon has also locked up several big authors to publishing contracts, and though it says it will produce their books in print as well as digital formats, that has competing retailers nervous.
“They’re bullies. They really are. I think they really want to be a monopoly,” Ryan says from the 8,000-square-foot store that features tribal masks over the bookshelves, and which has watched sales drop for much of the last decade.
Of the growing group of authors like George R.R. Martin whose books have sold over a million digital copies through Amazon, he says, “You have to assume that people joining the million book Kindle club is taking business away from you.”

ShopRunner Program

In the past year major chains like Toys “R” Us Inc., Sports Authority, and RadioShack Corp (RSH).have teamed up to combat Amazon’s might, forming a free shipping program called ShopRunner that, like Amazon Prime, also offers free two-day shipping for $79 a year. It’s not clear yet how ShopRunner is doing; the group won’t release subscriber numbers.
Fiona Dias, ShopRunner’s chief strategy -officer, says that by locking in a new wave of customers with the Kindle Fire, Amazon will make their jobs even harder.
“It’s a phenomenal concentration of power,” she says. “If we were scared of Amazon in the Web world, we should be absolutely terrified of them in the tablet world.”
It’s not just competitors that are assessing Amazon’s dominance. Over the past year, lawmakers, the media, and even some customers have begun weighing Amazon’s growing sales and size against the impact for communities, commerce, and the local job market.
Amazon has brought some of this scrutiny on itself. It touts its hiring of workers for its growing network of shipping centers, yet those jobs aren’t exactly plumb: They start at around $11 an hour (with health benefits), and conditions can be tough.

Few Perks

The recent newspaper account in the Allentown, Pennsylvania Morning Call said that temperatures over the summer in a local Amazon facility reached 120 degrees Fahrenheit (49 degrees Celsius), and that workers who were slowed by the heat felt penalized by their bosses. (Amazon has promised to put in air conditioners.)
The report is consistent with a company that gives employees few perks aside from 10 percent off $1,000 in annual purchases. Unlike Google and Apple, Amazon doesn’t subsidize meals or provide free sodas. Even the pet dogs of Amazon employees get a better deal: There’s a bucket of free milk bones at the front desk of every company building in Seattle.
The multi-state battle over state sales tax has created perhaps the most controversy around Amazon. Legislators in more than a dozen states, pressed by such politically connected competitors as Wal-Mart, have been pushing Amazon to collect the sales tax that their customers technically already owe on online purchases, to better repair widening budget deficits and pay firemen and school teachers.

Source: Bloomberg.com

Possessionista-Fashion and TV Blog Contest

2011-09-28T09:25:00.001-04:00

Hey Readers!
A blogger friend of mine needs your votes. See the contest she has entered below through TJ Maxx and please vote for her! Mention in the comments that you voted through seeing the link on my blog and you will be entered in a 500 dollar drawing for a gift car to TJ's! Click the link below and go ahead and vote! You can vote once a day!

Possessionista Contest!

To prove it, I (okay and 4 other bloggers) was invited by TJ Maxx to build an outfit around this fall's must-have item - the ruana. Half cape, half shawl, the cashmere wrap is the perfect transition piece from September to Winter.

Using a gifted ruana and a $200 gift card from TJ Maxx and Marshalls, I created this ensemble to illustrate the fashionable - and functional - side of TJ Maxx.

The winning look gets a $500 shopping spree at TJ Maxx, which naturally I'll pass onto one of you.

Like what you see?
1) Vote for me for your favorite Maxxinista here
2) Leave your email address here letting me know you voted (don't worry, I won't share this with anyone) to be entered to win the $500 prize. (If I win, you win.)

Dont forget to leave your email address and who referred you so we can hopefully win some extra cash to shop with!

Shirt $12.99, Hat $16.99, Jeans $19.99, Shoes, $34.99
All c/o Marshalls

Nicole Richie Gets New Boobies!

2011-09-28T09:09:00.000-04:00

Credit: Splash News Online (2)

Nicole went from being captian of the IBTC (itty bitty tittie club) to the large and in charge club. I think they look good though to be honest. She was super small before and a girl needs a little something up top to feel better about herself. It says she just got a lift, so I guess she had them down there all along. Especially after having a baby and being best friends with Paris Hilton for a while, she needed a treat. She actually said that breast feeding did a number on her ladies, so good for her!!

DWTS Elimination Chat Live Tonight @ 9PM!

2011-09-27T13:57:00.005-04:00

Sign on tonight to chat during the elimination with DWTS! Great crowd last night, lets double tonight!

DWTS Elimination Hour @ 9PM!

Following the Bachelor with Ben

2011-09-27T12:06:00.001-04:00

Sneak peek at the Bachelor with Ben F!

Reality Steve confimed two more girls this morning!

Shawn Reynolds: 28, Phoenix, AZ, financial advisor. Attended Arizona St. University on a soccer scholarship, never married, has a son about 5 years old named Gavin. She’s the third girl from the right in the first row of the group pic in the pigtails.

Coming to a Target Near You: High End Band-Aids by Cynthia Rowley

2011-09-27T11:32:00.000-04:00

Move over Missoni, because high end band-aids are on their way!

Not only is the back of your heel going to look like a million bucks but your $5 and under holiday gift/party favor options just got so much chicer!

Buy these pretty little bandages now, for $5, on CynthiaRowley.com, or wait until December when they hit Target and other mass retailers for a suggested retail price of $2.75. Both good options! (Thanks Glamour.com)

Dancing with the Stars Week 2 Recap

2011-09-27T09:59:00.000-04:00

Thanks everyone who came to the live chat last night during DWTS. It was a lot of fun being able to real time chat with people who are watching. Also seeing everyones opinions about who you like and who you don't like. Hopefully we can keep it up and attract more people to come chat with us on Monday nights! So lets take a look at last nights dances, and I'll let you know my personal favorites.

Here are the scores from last nights dances:
Chaz Bono and Lacey Schwimmer: 17 out of 30
Carson Kressley and Anna Trebunskaya: 18 out of 30
David Arquette and Kym Johnson: 18 out of 30
Hope Solo and Maksim Chmerkovskiy: 19 out of 30
Elisabetta Canalis and Val Chmerkovskiy: 21 out of 30
Nancy Grace and Tristan MacManus: 21 out of 30
Rob Kardashian and Cheryl Burke: 21 out of 30
Chynna Phillips and Tony Dovolani: 21 out of 30
Kristin Cavallari and Mark Ballas: 22 out of 30
J.R. Martinez and Karina Smirnoff: 22 out of 30
Ricki Lake and Derek Hough: 23 out of 30

Here are the dances from last night in case you missed them

Chaz Bono and Lacey Schwimmer- I have to say this dance was NOT my favorite. The quickstep is supposed to be "quick" not slow. I understand Chaz isn't that fit to be dancing for hours on end, but come on, you knew what this show was going to be like when you came on it and now you are just complaining about being in pain....send him home!

Carson Kressley and Anna Trebunskaya- I love Carson and I think he did an OK job last night. I was not a fan of the outfits and the glitter glasses. I feel like he is just trying to make some sort of statement. He did score pretty low though last night, so I am not sure what his fate will be tonight. I am sure he has a big fan base so people will vote for him....lets just hope its enough to keep him around!

David Arquette and Kym Johnson- Ugh, this was another dance that I didn't like. I also don't really like David so I guess I am kind of bias. He doesn't seem to ever know what he is doing and he doesn't seem like he wants to try hard enough to be good. He won't go far on this show that's for sure. Also his gold suit, UGH!

Hope Solo and Maksim Chmerkovskiy- These two are my FAV! I want them to win, and I am sad that they got the lower scores that they did. I think Hope seems like the nicest girl in the world and she is partnered up with the HOTTEST guy on the show in my eyes. I hope they get enough votes to stay, which I'm sure they will. Everyone loves Max!

Elisabetta Canalis and Val Chmerkovskiy- I do not know what the crowd sees in this lady. I don't think she is a good dancer, and she annoys me. In rehearsal she was so whinny. Your on a hard show, get used to it or GO HOME! I am tired of watching these cry babies. You signed up for this remember? For some reason I can't find the video for her dance last night, probably a good thing.

Nancy Grace and Tristan MacManus- Miss Nancy. You are so darn sweet. I don't know how much longer Nancy will be on DWTS, but I am so happy she is here. She is such a team player and really tries hard to make Tristan happy with her performance. Keep on dancing Nancy!

Rob Kardashian and Cheryl Burke- Well the comment of the night after Rob danced was that clearly he was a better dancer than his sister. Soon after she posted on Twitter the same comment. Rob is doing pretty good I have to give it to him. Cheryl whips him right into shape! I think he has a good partner and without her he wouldn't be as good as he is.

Chynna Phillips and Tony Dovolani- I actually missed this dance because the doggies had to go outside, thoughts anyone on their dance? Chynna is so damn pretty I know that much!

Kristin Cavallari and Mark Ballas- Kristin and Mark are another power couple to me. I think that Kristin can be modeled into whatever Mark wants her to be. She looked AMAZING last night. She did a pretty good job with her dance, def a improvement from last week! Go Kristin! Again this was another video I was not able to find this morning, I did find an interview after the show with the two of them!

J.R. Martinez and Karina Smirnoff- I LOVE JR! He did such a good job last night and he should have gotten higher scores that what he did. The judges have to keep the scores lower int he beginning because they would have nothing to strive for during the rest of the show. JR got 10's in my heart!

Ricki Lake and Derek Hough- Dannnggg Ricki! You looked SMOKIN' last night!! She is on her way to the top! I think she is going to be the next Kirstie Alley of last season.

Well that's all for the recap from last nights episode of DWTS! Check back tonight for a chat during the elimination show! Also, new Bachelorette's for Ben's season will be up later on today! Check it out!

Also, see below what Reality Steve thinks about the cast of DWTS and how they are doing (thanks @realitysteve!) I thought his opinion was SUPER funny, so I wanted to include it.

So Brooke Burke is really gonna go with Brooke Burke-Charvet, huh? Ummmm, why? She does realize that plenty of more people in this world know who she is than remember her husband from a TV show 10 years ago, right? Man, what an upgrade for Charvet. He must be kicking himself that he got his wife/actress, who everyone has known for years as Brooke Burke, to throw the hyphen in there. Most actresses who are established and have carried their name around for a while don’t bother changing their last name or adding a hyphen, but for some reason, Brooke wants to. Hey, whatever floats your boat woman. The funny thing is, despite her going to the hyphen, pretty much everyone that ever references her in conversation amongst friends or talking about DWTS will still just call her Brooke Burke.

Are we really going to have to sit through the show every Monday this season and to have to see/hear the Kardashian sisters running their mouth the whole show? Seriously, shut up ladies. You’ve gotten enough cameratime as it is, do you really need to be calling attention to yourselves when it’s your brothers turn to shine? I love how Khloe called out the judges for ripping Rob on his lack of musicality. Did she not watch the dance? Was she busy texting or something? Khloe, yes your brother is still learning and can mostly definitely improve, but did you actually watch the same dance we all did? He had ZERO musicality. None. Zilch. Yet you think he’s Fred Astaire already or something. I’m sure Lamar was thrilled to be there Monday watching his brother-in-law and teammate be two of the worst dancers out there. No wonder Lamar was wearing sunglasses indoors. I’d be embarrassed if I was married to a wookie as well. C’mon Lamar. You’re better than that.

Then we have to see the sisters from hell take to Twitter and bitch about Rob being in the bottom 3, all while trashing Elisabetta’s performance. Can someone just put a muzzle on these women? Do they realize that just because Rob was in the bottom 3 doesn’t necessarily mean he was in the bottom 3 in terms of audience votes? Then again, with annoying sisters like you around constantly looking for attention, I wouldn’t be surprised if no one voted for him. I’m guessing the Triangle of Terror sisters are hurting Rob this season more than helping. Sorry, but the E! audience who watches their ridiculous shows are not the same people who are watching DWTS on Monday nights. So yeah, you’re turning all those viewers off with your annoying voices and attitude. Keep your traps shut, and let Rob’s dancing be the deciding factor on whether he sticks around or not.

You gotta respect George Clooney, don’t you? The guy is the ultimate playboy. Dates supermodels from across the world, yet never gets hitched to any of them so he can pretty much bang anyone he wants without any repercussions. The only reason Elisabetta is on this show is because her ex-boyfriend is a famous American actor. No one out here would give a crap about her if she was just an Italian supermodel. And once he sh**canned her, he moved on to Stacey Kiebler who will be his next victim. Sure, I bet she’s loving her time with him traveling the world and being his arm candy. Hell, I’m sure she’s probably convinced herself he’s actually in love with her and she’s the one he’ll finally settle down with. Sorry Stacey, in a few months, he’ll kick you to the curb too. He’s basically the Derek Jeter of the acting world. As long as he’s never married, he can never be involved in a scandal. Athletes cheat all the time, and the only reason it becomes news when they’re caught is because they’re married. George and Derek just take all that completely out of the equation by going, “Ok, as long as I’m not married, I’m single. I don’t care who I’m dating or seen with. I ain’t married, so it’s all good.” And they skate by for bedding hundreds of women because it’s ok since they’re not married. Funny how that works.

As annoying as Kristin Cavallari was on Laguna Beach and the Hills, she is still ridiculously good looking.
Her dancing skills need improvement, but at least she’s some more eye candy for this season. I fully expect her to have the same run that Audrina did on this show. Won’t win, but won’t be eliminated early either. Plus, she’s got the Ballas Factor working for her. What’s the Ballas Factor? I don’t know. I just made it up. But lets just say it has to do with voters like him, and the fact that he’s probably already tapping that after every rehearsal will help her cause in the short term. We can expect any minute to hear the rumors of them hooking up and dating, and by the time next season rolls around, they’ll be broken up. It’s like wash, rinse, repeat with Ballas.

I don’t think any guys are disappointed that Hope Solo is on the show. I know I’m sure not. She’s what we call “sports hot.” Sure, there are plenty of women in this world that are just as attractive, if not moreso, than Hope. However, for her profession, and in the women’s sporting world, she’s in the top .0001%. That’s just a fact. Line her up against swimsuit models, and she doesn’t stand out at all. Line her up with all professional women soccer players, and every guy would pick her. “Sports hot.” However, her athletic ability will ultimately be her downfall on this show. She’s even said it in all her interviews. She’s very tomboyish. That doesn’t bode well for ballroom dancing. She looks great out there, but, you can see the athlete in her during the dance. Nothing real fluid, she’s almost too muscular, and she just looks more like someone you’d want to chill and have a beer with than glide around the dance floor waltzing. Another middle of the road-er. Probably finish anywhere between 4th-6th.

I don’t want to say I already know who’s gonna win this season, but, I already know who’s gonna win this season. Just like “Idol” or any other show where the public votes on the winner, a lot has to do with backstory and how likable the person is to the audience. So, even though he’s already one of the better dancers after Week 1, I’m guessing JR Martinez’ lifestory is only going to help matters. I mean, who WOULDN’T want to see that guy win? Sure, if he was terrible, he’d probably last a few extra weeks based off his story, but he’s not. He’s one of the better dancers AND has the story to boot. I’d be shocked if he didn’t win.

Nancy Grace can be eliminated next week and it still wouldn’t be soon enough. Sorry. Can’t stand her. Can’t stand her hair, can’t stand her show, can’t stand her voice, can’t stand her attitude. Other than that, she’s a ball of sunshine that brightens my day every time I see her. Glad they stuck her with a new dancer this season. It’s funny how they’d never give a new pro dancer anyone any good. They’re basically setting these people up to fail. Already one of the new pros is gone. Tristan is stuck with Nancy, so he’s not long for the show. And Val has Elisabetta, who has no chance of winning. Better luck next year guys.

And oh yeah, congrats to Lacey on dealing with the baggage she’s been given this season. She’s handling it well so far. No, I’m not talking about Chaz as her partner. I’m talking about the giant cannonballs she went out and bought and bolted on to the front of her chest. Yowza.

Dancing With the Stars Week 2 Live Discussion

2011-09-26T11:49:00.001-04:00

Let's chat live tonight during the Dancing with the Stars performances. Please pass to your friends!!

DWTS Live Chat Week 2

Following The Bachelor with Ben

2011-09-25T17:35:00.002-04:00

Just saw online a picture of Ben's first group date. The girls look super pretty! (Thanks @realitysteve)

On Friday, Ben took 11 girls to the Sonoma Plaza in Sonoma, California. This would’ve been his first group date of the season. He had a 1-on-1 the night before in Santa Rosa, Ca. Not sure who it was with yet. Then again, outside of Jamie Otis (who is sitting in the top row far left), I don’t think I’ve identified any of the other 10 in this picture. This picture is courtesy of the Sonoma News. It appeared on their website Friday afternoon.

Here are a couple of girls that they have confirmed that are going to be on the next season of the Bachelor.

1. Elyse Myers: 24, personal trainer/fitness instructor, Tampa, Fla. Originally from Illinois, graduated from Eastern Illinois University w/ a degree in exercise physiology. For some reason still has her Twitter page active, although didn’t use it much before she left for filming. Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/ElysedMyers

2. Erika Uhlig: 22, Chicago, current Miss Chicago 2011, went to University of Pitt. All her info currently on her Miss Chicago site (http://www.misschicago.org/erika.html), and she also has a Twitter account that she didn’t shut down before she left. Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/misschicago

3. Heather Freshwater: 25, Knoxville, TN, 7th grade language arts teacher at Holston Middle School. Attended Carson-Newman College in Jefferson City, TN and majored in English.

4. Jamie Otis: 23, maternity nurse at Cortland Regional Medical Center in Cortland, NY. Intro video was shot at her hospital a few weeks ago.

I will keep things updated on here as more is found out with the new cast! See ya!

Dancing with the Stars Week 1 Recap

2011-09-20T09:53:00.000-04:00

Last night was the first episode of DWTS seasons 13! I am pretty excited for this season, more than I was when the stars were announced for last season. This season seems like it is going to have spunk and I think the stars and professionals are paired up well together.

So lets see how the scoreboard ended last night:

Chynna Phillips & Tony Dovolani: 22
J.R. Martinez & Karina Smirnoff: 22
Hope Solo & Maksim Chmerkovskiy: 21
Ricki Lake & Derek Hough: 20
Kristin Cavallari & Mark Ballas: 19
David Arquette & Kym Johnson: 18
Carson Kressly & Anna Trebunskaya: 17
Chaz Bono & Lacey Schwimmer: 17
Nancy Grace & Tristan MacManus: 16
Rob Kardashian & Cheryl Burke: 16
Elisabetta Canalis & Val Chmerkovskiy: 15
Ron Artest & Petra Murgatroyd: 14

So lets break down these couples and what my thoughts were after they performed. Some people obviously performed better than others. So I will give you my opinion and I would be interested in seeing what other people thought.

Chynna Phillips & Tony Dovolani

I thought Chynna did well. Do I think she rocked it?? No. I know she got one of the top scores for the night, but her dance was slow and flowy. I think once she is forced to step it up a little she will have a harder time. She does look amazing for her age though I will say. I think as the season goes on she will get better, but to me I was not impressed with her performance....although the judges were :) You can see their performance from last night below!

J.R. Martinez & Karina Smirnoff

J.R did an awesome job. I think he is a wonderful person as it is with such a story to tell the audience. J.R is someone who is lucky to be alive and you can just tell he embraces that, and I think dancing will be a great way to really show emotions. His partner Karina really pushed him to do a good job and I think it showed in the ballroom. See their performance below from last night!

Hope Solo & Maksim Chmerkovskiy

I have to say Hope is one of my favorites this season. I think she is an amazing athlete and I think she has the potential to go far. The only problem with her is that she has a lot of muscle and she will need to ton it down just a little to be portrayed as a dancer. She seems like such a nice girl though and she has the BEST partner on the show in my eyes. I love Max.

Ricki Lake & Derek Hough
Oh Ricki! She is looking good in her time I have to say. She did a pretty good job last night and her scores showed! I think she will go far, just not sure how far. There is some good competition this year!

Kristin Cavallari & Mark Ballas
As I said with Hope, I LOVE Kristin. It was so funny because my mom called and asked me who Kristin was. My answer was "she is a bitch!" Then Kristin comes on the TV and says "i am not a bitch!" Just thought it was funny how everyone saw her as that when she was on MTV. Now she does seem pretty sweet and nice. I am anxious to see her go far. She was already pretty good in the first episode and she will only get better.

David Arquette & Kym Johnson
Arquette really didn't STAND out to me. I thought he would be a little better, but nothing about him WOWed me at all. The other crazy part was the fact that Courtney Cox was in the audience with their daughter, but the two of them split in Oct 2010. A news article said that they remained friends, but it seemed like much more than just friends to me.

Carson Kressly & Anna Trebunskaya

Carson...haha he was hilarious. I loved how he made a comment about his jacket and how he had it in his closet and figured he could just wear it as a costume for dancing. He is hilarious and basically is one of the girls. This show is pretty much perfect for him, but he will need to pick up the dancing steps a little better because he wasn't great. The Cha Cha was perfect for him though.

Chaz Bono & Lacey Schwimmer

Don't get me wrong, I think Chaz Bono seems like a great guy, but I don't think this is the show for him. It is very high energy and I don't see him having that. It sucks because I love his partner and hope that they get to stay on for a while. :)

Nancy Grace & Tristan MacManus
It was so weird to see Nancy away from a desk since we always see her sitting down. She did OK last night. I was really hoping for a better performance out of her because I want her to stay on for a while. She is very entertaining. She had some good moves though and was able to get around the dance floor!!

Rob Kardashian & Cheryl Burke
Oh Rob, you might follow in the footsteps of your sister and have to go home sooner than you want. I didn';t think he was that good, wish he was because he is cute and him and Cheryl seem super cute together. I think he just needs a couple more shows to get it together and he might surprise us all! I guess we will see!

Elisabetta Canalis & Val Chmerkovskiy
I have to say, she was my least favorite. Her body is great, but I don't think she can dance at all. She was not graceful and to me she needs to go home tonight. That's all :)

Ron Artest & Petra Murgatroyd
Ron was another guy that I didn't like last night and his scores showed that he was not very good. Stinks for his partner though because this is her first time as a professional on DWTS. Maybe next year Petra.

Well, that's all from DWTS from last night. As I mentioned above I think either Ron Artest or Elisabetta should def be the ones to go home, no question about it. Oh yeah , I wanted to also point out the new ballroom! It is fantastic!! The seating is awesome and the new floor looks so cool with all the lights!

Till next time....see ya!

Dancing with the Stars-Season 13!

2011-09-19T11:26:00.000-04:00

Team DRickilious- Derek Hough and Ricki Lake

Team CarsonAnna- Carson Kressley and Anna Trebunskaya

Team Schwaz- Chaz Bono and Lacey Schwimmer

Team CHYNNADOVE- Chynna Phillips and tony Dovolani

Team GoodTimes- David Arquette and Kym Johnson

Team Valisabetta- Elisabetta Canalis and Val Chmerkovskiy

Team Hope and Maksim- Hope Solo and Maksim Chmerkovskiy

Team Martinoff- Are J.R. Martinez and Karina Smirnoff

Team KristinBalls- Kristin Cavallari and Mark Ballis

Team MacGrace- Nancy Grace and Tristan MacManus

Team CherBert- Rob Kardashian and Cheryl Burke

Team PetRon- Ron Artest and Peta Murgatroyd

Emmys 2011- What were the Trends?

2011-09-19T10:55:00.000-04:00

I was able to watch a handful of the emmy's last night, but then fell asleep for the last 30 minutes. I wanted to highlight what some people wore since there were some glamorous dresses on the red carpet! Also what other things were trending last night. (thanks US Weekly!)

TRENDING LAST NIGHT!
Red was the "it" color of the night with several celebs rocking the bold hue. Among the best: Lea Michele (in Marchesa), Kate Winslet (in Elie Saab) and Nina Dobrev (in Donna Karan).

Oversized, gorgeous jewels adorned the ears of Sofia Vergara (in "huge" Columbian emeralds) and Rashida Jones (in Van Cleef & Arpels).

Christina Hendricks (Rouge Dior Lipcolor in Blazing Red) and Aubrey Plaza showed why red lipstick will always be a classic award show look.

Julia Stiles and Maria Menounos both styled their hair in glossy loose waves, worn over one shoulder.

Black was anything but boring at the Emmys. Case in point: Gwyneth Paltrow (in Emilio Pucci), Evan Rachel Wood (in Elie Saab) and Gretchen Mol (in L'Wren Scott).

Dazzling! Julie Bowen stood out in a silver and black Oscar de la Renta gown, while Claire Danes went for a strapless blue-sequined number by the same designer.

Kristen Wiig (in Zac Posen), Emily Blunt (in Elie Saab Couture) and Heather Morris wore seriously sexy deep V-neck gowns.

Award show hair doesn't to be stiff or formal. Cat Deely, Maria Bello and Jennifer Carpenter all rocked beach-y waves that balanced out their glittery gowns.

Dramatic shadow (as seen on Sarah Hyland and Jenna Ushkowitz) and colorful liner (Dianna Agron) were a glamourous touch.

Padma Lakshmi (in Armani Prive), Kaley Cuoco (in Romona Keveza) and Maria Bello (in Kaufmanfranco) went for asymmetrical styles

Check back later for more! See ya!

"The Letter"...Bachelor/Bachelorette

2011-09-18T19:03:00.002-04:00

People were asking Reality Steve what the letter looks like when people accept to be on the Bachelor and the Bachelorette. I thought this was a really cool idea for a blog because you always wonder what they sign when they choose to be on the show. So here it is people....:) Thanks Reality Steve...

Dear XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX,

Congratulations! You have been selected to be a part of ABC’s prime time series “The Bachelor.” We are very excited about your participation and look forward to seeing you in Los Angeles. You should be ready to be entertained in the most unforgettable places, dine in a style reserved for the elite, live in a luxurious mansion and embrace exotic, high-action adventures. This experience could take anywhere in the world, so please come prepared for anything!

You will be with us for at least five days and/or up to nine weeks. Since there will be no time for shopping and tending to personal errands, we need you to be ready for any and all circumstances. We have put together a list of items you should bring on the next page. You will be participating in a multitude of activities—you might go to the beach, or the theatre, or both. Therefore we ask that you bring everything mentioned in the attached packing list, AND we ask that you put it all in two suitcases only.

Should your family or co-workers need to reach you while you are with us, they can contact either of the following people (please have them call Lacey first):

Lacey Pemberton, Casting Director
***-***-**** cell

Sarah Jane Fuchs, Production Supervisor
***-***-**** cell

Elan Gale, Co-Producer
***-***-**** cell

We thank you very much for your involvement with “The Bachelor.” We’re looking forward to getting to know you better and hope you have a great time!

Warmest Regards,

The Bachelor Staff

What Should I Bring?

· Photo ID & Passport (must have)
· Cell Phone
· Evening Gown/Cocktail Dresses
· Dressy Dinner Clothes (At least one outfit should include pants.)
· Casual Evening Clothes
· Casual Day Clothes
· Work-out Clothing for indoor and outdoor Activities
· Comfortable Outdoor Clothes
· Comfortable Traveling Attire for possible long-haul flights
· Coats and Jackets for dressing up and dressing down (it may be cool in the evenings)
· Clothes for all types of weather; snow, rain, sun and wind
· Tropical Resort Wear, i.e. shorts, tank tops, ensembles for semi-casual outdoor dining
· All types of Shoes; dressy, hiking boots, comfortable, exercise, casual
· Sun Hat
· Several Bathing Suits and Cover-ups, if desired
· Robe or Cover-up and Slippers, if desired
· Pajamas and Under Garments
· 1 Pair of Sunglasses (Sunglasses are not to be worn on camera only off camera)
· Sun Screen
· Prescription Medications in original bottles, refilled
· Any necessary Over-the-Counter Medications
· Personal Items including: Make Up, Skincare Products, Body and Hair Products
· Anything you can’t live without

PLEASE KEEP ALL OF THESE ITEMS LIMITED TO TWO (2) SUITCASES ONLY

What shall I leave behind?

· Cameras (Absolutely NO cameras—they’ll be confiscated!)
· Clothing with exterior logos or labels (e.g. Nike, Guess, etc.)
· NO iPod or other music devices and compact discs.
· NO Computers or iPads, etc.
· VERY IMPORTANT: Before boarding your plane to location you MUST close your myspace account and deactivate your facebook & twitter accounts. This is imperative. You will be able to re-open your account when the finale of the season you are on has finished airing.

Well there you have it, this is what they all get before going on the show....pretty cool to see what they are allowed to bring and what items they are not allowed to bring.

See ya!

Fall Fashion: What's Hot

2011-09-15T16:45:00.002-04:00

I figured since fall is right around the corner I would do a blog on what people are saying will be "in" for the season. Lets begin :)

Ann Taylor Red Cropped Pants
Red hot! "I'm loving these red pants that hit just above the ankle," The Big Bang Theory's Kaley Cuoco tells Us. "They are so hot right now. Snazz them up with a yellow top and heels!" ($88)

These might be a little TOO bright for my style, but someone must like them...

Jennifer Lopez Faux-Fur Ribbed Sweater Coat
JLo calls this luxurious cozy wrap "glamorous." ($63, kohls.com)

I really like this jacket, I think that it is super cute and will still keep you warm on those colder fall nights.

Michael Kors Jet Set Watch
Forget mixed metals -- this season's trendiest watches are made from tortoiseshell. ($195, michaelkors.com)

I think this watch is AWESOME. Very cute, very trendy and can be worn as a daily watch or you could wear it out.

Lela Rose for Payless Fulton Tassel Shootie
This shoe-bootie hybrid will have you stepping out in style. ($54.99, payless.com)

Kinda crazy these are at payless and are SO cute. Might be a pair of shoes that I need to order.

Gryphon for Scoop Swing Trench Coat
Give your fall outwear collection a stylish upgrade with a leather-sleeved khaki trench. ($550, scoopnyc.com)

I like trench coats, I can't say that I am in love with this color...but all in all it is still a cute coat.

Chloe + Isabel Retro Glam Torsade Necklace
Bring an outfit from day to night by adding a blinged-out, multistrand statement necklace. ($145, chloeandisabel.com)

Love love this necklace!! It is so dang cute!

Report Foley Ballet Flat
Twinkle toes! Give your feet a rest from the five-inch stilettos with a cute pair of metallic flats complete with a bedazzled bow. ($75, zappos.com)

After seeing these, I went on right away and bought them. I LOVE ballet flats. They can be very classy even when wearing them to work.

Sofia by Sofia Vergara Bustier Dress
"You can wear it with black tights in the evening or without during the day for a more relaxed look," the Modern Family star says of her fave piece. "I call it the tiger lady dress!" ($44.99, kmart.com)

This might be something other people will love, but I don't like it at all. Too much going on for my taste in clothing.

YSL Muse Tote

Jennifer Lopez, Demi Moore, Sienna Miller and Salma Hayek are among the stars who covet this luxe, soft-leather handbag. ($1,550, ysl.com)

Coach Marlena BootsCamilla Belle rocks these leather riding boots that are flat and comfy enough to wear all day while running errands. ($398, coach.com)

OMG these are fabulous!

Bleulab Reversible Leggings
Two-for alert! "They're great for a weekend getaway," Michelle Trachtenberg tells Us. "Two jeans in one means you can pack more shoes!" ($216, neimanmarcus.com)

Boden Men's Biker JacketRev up his outfit with a motocross-style jacket. House hunk Jesse Spencer has a few that he always wears. "They go with everything!" he says. ($378, bodenusa.com)

Creative Recreation Men's Camo SneakersKick-start a jeans-and-tee combo with coordinating shoes like these fashion-forward high-tops. ($100, endless.com)

Well, that's all for the fashion for Fall...stayed tuned for other blogs about what is hot this season...and maybe what is not...till next time...Ciao!

Past Bachelor and Bachelorette Engagement Rings

2011-09-14T13:34:00.001-04:00

I don't know about every girl our there, but I know that I love looking at engagement rings! I decided to write a piece on the Bachelor and Bachelorette engagement rings from past seasons. So here we go!

Ali and Roberto:
Engagement announced: August 2010
The latest winner of The Bachelorette gave his future bride an Asscher-cut diamond ring accented with 184 round brilliant cut diamonds by Neil Lane.

Vienna and Jake
Engagement announced: March 2010
Called off: July 2010
Bachelor Jake loved the "chemistry" that he had with Vienna (read: having sex with her). He proposed with this 2-carat princess-cut diamond ring set in platinum and surrounded with 70 diamonds by Neil Lane.

Jillian and Ed
Engagement announced: July 2009
Called off: July 2010
Jillian wore a two-carat pear-shaped diamond ring accented with baguette side stones set in platinum by Neil Lane for the year that she was engaged to Ed, winner of that seasons' The Bachelorette. Viewers seemed skeptical about the authenticity of their relationship from day one, but at least Ed and Jillian seemed to part ways amicably and quietly—they muffled the blow of their breakup by announcing it only days after Jake and Vienna's nasty split.

Melissa and Jason

Engagement Announced: Sometime around 9:59PM on February 28th, 2009

Called off: About 5 minutes later

Jason, Jason, Jason—this single dad was a fickle one. As season 13's Bachelor, Jason proposed to Melissa with a marquise-cut diamond ring encrusted with 170 smaller diamonds set in platinum designed by Neil Lane. Minutes after the finale aired, Jason broke up with his fiancée on the infamous After the Final Rose reunion show stating that he still had feelings for runner up Molly. Jason and Molly tied the knot in March 2010 (see the jewelry worn at their wedding here). Melissa went on to a successful stint in Dancing With the Stars and ended up marrying her hometown boyfriend in December 2009.

DeAnna and Jesse
Engagement Announced: July 2008
Called off: November 2008
When DeAnna became the Bachelorette (having been jilted by season 11's Bachelor Brad) she accepted surfer dude Jesse's proposal, along with a 2.5-carat princess-cut diamond ring set in platinum by Tacori, which she wore during their five-month engagement.

Shayne and Matt
Engagement announced: May 2008
Called off: July 2008
The first international Bachelor, Matt Grant proposed to Shayne Lamas (yes, Lorenzo Lamas' daughter) with a 2.85-carat diamond ring from Tacori's Crescent Silhouette collection. When the couple called off their engagement, Shayne told People that she planned on keeping the ring. "I have it and I am going to keep it forever for the rest of my life," she said. "It's safe and clean and in a glass box like a glass slipper."

Emily and Brad
The $50,000 ring is accented with 263 round brilliant-cut diamonds around a “romantic” central cushion-cut diamond. “He loved that no matter how Emily bent her finger, there would be sparkles everywhere you looked,” says Neil. “He wanted it glistening.” Awww! And now that it’s been properly sized, it actually fits her finger

Ashley and JP
$60,000 wedding ring crafted by Neil Lane. The 3.5-carat cushion-cut diamond ring features a center rock that is surrounded by 162 round-cut stones, the magazine reported.

I know that there are some that are not on here, but I just want to show a few that I really liked after looking at Holly's engagement ring today online. Which one is your favorite??

After the Finale a Deleted Scene of Bachelor Pad- Michael and Holly

2011-09-14T08:58:00.000-04:00

Check out this interview with Chris Harrison on his feelings about the finale written by @robynrosstvg.

Bachelor Pad, Holly Durst and Michael Stagliano

It was tough enough being in the Bachelor Pad house with your ex-fiance, but on the taped finale Michael Stagliano learned that Holly Durst and fellow contestant Blake Julian were recently engaged. While host Chris Harrison says that they did their best to be delicate with how Michael — and America — would find out, he's surprised with how Holly handled the situation. Read on for more about what went down, what viewers didn't see and why Harrison "isn't buying what Vienna is selling."

What did you think when Holly and Michael chose Graham and Michelle to join them in the finale?
Chris Harrison: I thought it was another one of the dumbest decisions. When keeping Kasey and Vienna was finally smart, they got rid of them. As soon as they did that, I was like, "Well, you just lost the money. No one is going to vote for Michael and Holly over Graham and Michelle." But it ended up [working out for them].

Did you think Michael won it for the two of them?
Harrison: Michael is the one who did the heavy lifting. What Holly did was not lose it for them, which it's pretty easy to do in that house. They were a good team and played it well, although I thought Holly and Blake would have more backlash.

So are you shocked that Holly and Blake are engaged?
Harrison: I was surprised it happened so fast, but those two are just on this meteoric ride to the stars. Everybody is taking Michael's side and everyone can feel for him; so that's why I don't go out of my way to stick up for Michael — you don't need to. But Holly, I feel, is a little bit misunderstood. Was it handled perfectly? Absolutely not.

Talk about the decision to tell Michael during the taping.
Harrison: As soon as I heard I said, "I'm not surprising him on stage. We're not going ambush him." Our thought was how do we do this in the most delicate way and if you think about it, we did. Michael was off stage and he didn't have to see it. It could've been a lot worse, I know it wasn't great, but there was no easy way to do it. They were engaged so there's no way we would've not shown it. ... Michael can't be out of it because he's part of the love triangle. So we came to this crossroads of let's do it with him off stage, but when I got there production said she hadn't told Michael.

Holly says she couldn't talk to Michael before — is that true?
Harrison: The phones were taken away the night before, but the proposal happened three days prior. There was plenty of time. And, honestly, she could demand, "I'm not going on the show until I talk to Michael" — and she chose not to do it. I don't want to bury Holly, but in that respect I was surprised and I think part of it was that she was scared. If you notice my awkwardness when I was telling Michael it was because I kept waiting for Holly to jump in. It was not my place to tell Michael what was going on.

He seemed to handle it well, though.
Harrison: People need to understand that Michael and Holly had talked many times and it was very much over. Michael did not come into this show thinking they had a possibility they were getting back together. He knew that not only were they broken up, but that Holly and Blake were in love and moving to South Carolina. He's a big boy and he knew what was going on ... The only thing he didn't know was that she had a ring on her finger.

What did you think of Kasey's emotional hot-seat conversation?
Harrison: I'm glad we got to see the old Kasey and not the rage-infused Kasey. I think the show got the better of him. I think Vienna put pressure on him to step up and be the man and protect her, so I think he was fueling her fire and trying to do what he thought was right and he looked back and realized I'm not that guy, I'm not a jerk. I really appreciate him seeing that and apologizing to Jake right off the back.

Vienna had a much more jovial reaction to the situation among the three of them.
Harrison: I call it like I see it and I'm not buying what Vienna is selling. The way Kasey buried the hatchet was by owning up to his mistakes, how he treated Jake and said it was wrong and recognized it and admitted it. Vienna acting like it was all tea and crumpets and charades in the house ... That's not the case. She was just as mean as Kasey was. She tried to do a mea culpa, but not the same way Kasey did. She didn't own up to anything she did.

And Jake, meanwhile, came off pretty well.
Harrison: He came on for one reason and that was to rehab his public image. He accomplished exactly what he set out to do.

Bachelor Pad Finale Review

2011-09-13T21:41:00.000-04:00

Well, I tried to put up this post earlier today, but I got super busy and never got the chance to. So here I am now going through last night's finale of the Bachelor Pad. :) Let's just say, the WHOLE episode threw some curve balls and really kept viewers on their seats. So lets begin....

The first part was the last challenge, which was the cirque de solei challenge. To me all of the couples did an OK job. No on really stood out as amazing. I mean they expected the contestants to go up on a wall and perform something that professionals practice every day. Michelle and Grahman did pretty well. Michelle was very scared during the practicing (as i would be too), but she got up there and tried her best. Kasey and Vienna did a pretty good job, but they didn't wow me, sad part is they never do. Kurt and Ella I love them, but they didn't do that well. Ella was very scared so they were just a little off in the performance. Michael and Holly did a pretty good job. I am glad that they won the challenge because I really thought they deserved to. Even though they have had tough times, they stuck together and won the challenge because they knew they both wanted to be in the finals. They got the deciding vote of who got to move on with them. Vienna and Kasey and Ella and Kurt were eliminated on this episode.

Michael was contemplating kicking off Graham and Michelle and I might have jumped through the screen if he really let Kasey and Vienna into the finals. They didn't deserve to be there in my point of view, so I am glad that he didn't end of keeping them and went with his gut and kept someone who he is good friends with. Graham seemed really hurt that Michael even thought about kicking him off, I am glad Michael kept his loyalty to Graham.

In the end the four to go to the finale were Michael and Holly and Graham and Michelle. Again, super happy about these 4. I think they all played the game as fair as possible and were great people to make it through.

The after the bachelor pad show plus the decision of who went home with the money came on next. Now this was the part that had me most excited, because I knew we would get some closure on things and we would maybe find out new things. They first began with Ames and Jackie and why they were not together. So my opinion is, that Ames probably broke if off with Jackie because he thought that if he was in a relationship with her he wouldn't be seen as a candidate for the next bachelor. Ames is really looking for love, so I do think that maybe he didn't find that with Jackie and that's another reason why he broke it off, but I do think maybe him getting to find love could have been a factor. Jackie said that he didn't really offer up any reason as to why he broke it off, so it just seems true.

They brought up Jake, Vienna and Kasey which was no surprise. Vienna tried to make it sound like she was OK with Jake when she really wasn't, Kasey cried and tried to make people feel sorry for him because he is in a crappy relationship, and Jake got up there and had to relive everyone talking crap about him on the show. I also don't understand how Erica called Vienna white trash on the show, but then had them two come stay with her for a week. If someone called me white trash, I don't think I would be buddies with them again. Just me.

Kasey was crying about his relationship and to be honest I don't think that him and Vienna are going to be together in the end. I think that Kasey is going to get sick of Vienna treating him like crap and he is going to give up. Which is unfortunate because they belong together, they are both jerks in my eyes.

And then there was mister dentist Blake. He told everyone that him and Holly were madly in love with each other and that they were moving in together. Was a surprise to a lot of people watching the show because no one really knew where their relationship stood now, but then he popped the real news. THEY ARE ENGAGED!!

Now I had two different feelings about this engagement. 1 she was just engaged to another guy not THAT long ago and on the show she was contemplating if she still loved Michael, but now she is engaged to Blake. The one thing that I hated about the announcement is that Michael had to find out on the stage in front of a lot of people. He was shocked. I got the chills like OMG how could this come out like this?? I know that if i were in his shoes, I would have broke down so he held it together much better than I think anyone else could. Congrats to Blake and Holly though,you guys have really seemed to find love and I hope you guys live happily ever after. Maybe we will see a wedding on TV?!??! Could be an awesome idea ABC. Oh yeah here is a little bit about her AMAZING engagement ring :) "Handmade and designed by the Los Angeles-based celebrity jeweler, the ring is set with a cushion-cut diamond (Durst’s favorite style) and accented with 162 round diamonds, totaling around three carats."

In the end, Michael and Holly were voted as the two that deserved the money the most. They ended up deciding to share the money between the two of them. Props to Michael...because he just found out his ex fiance is engaged to someone he can't stand and he still decided to split the money with her. Good for you Michael. Your def a loyal amazing guy.

Oh yeah and Michelle and Graham talked about where they are now. They are the cutest damn couple. Michelle lost her dad this year to colon cancer and she said that Graham has been there for her from the beginning. I think that is so darn sweet. He seems like such a nice guy and Michelle seems like a different person from the Bachelor with Brad. She does seem like a nice genuine girl. Happy you found love Michelle:)

Well, that's a wrap folks. We now know Ben F is the next bachelor. And Chris H says "We have not started production, but the cast is set and we’re ready to go. I got to know Ben very well last season and really like the guy. He’s going to make a fantastic Bachelor and any one of the women on the show will be lucky to win his heart. The show will premiere Monday, January 2nd so set your DVRs now." Still not sure how I feel about that yet, but thanks ABC for another great season of the Bachelor Pad.

Till next time..Ciao!

We Remember September 11, 2001

2011-09-11T20:46:00.000-04:00

I figured that I normally write abotu celebs and whats going on with reality tv. But today I wanted to write about 9/11 because today we are remembering this day and it's 10th anniversary. I think today everyone took a moment to think about the wounded, fallen, and families that were affected by this tragic day. This is something that will be written about in history books for our kids to learn about in the later years.

When this day comes around I always think about where I was on 9/11/01. I was in high school and there was only one section of the high school that had cable. I was in history class when people started running around asking for the social studies teachers to turn on thier tvs. They were showing footage of the twin towers and what had happened. Soon after that we saw the plane go into the pentagon. My mom at the time was working at the pentagon so I started freaking out. We were released from school early and my mom was there to greet me when I got home...thank god. It was an awful day that I will never forget. People were freaking out that had parents that worked in the pentagon, but they couldn't get ahold of them. I remembered people borrowing cell phones and getting nothing but busy signals since the whole world was trying to dial out. It was crazy to think a terrorist act was hit so close to home and I hope it never happens again.

Thinking about the people in the twin towers that were just typing on their computers, and then had a plane come in the window just makes me cringe. It is nothing you would ever expect...and so many firefighters went in to help all of these people in trouble, they also lost their lives. People just gave up on their lives, they jumped out of the windows knowing that their was nothing else they could do....they were going to die. There was a photo that was released call the "Falling Man." This picture isn't great to look at, but it because iconic of what people were feeling that day. They had no hope, no where to go.

We also remember the people who were on United 93. Some brave men and women stood up to terrorist to try and keep people alive, the plane crashed and many people lost their lives. It is crazy to think that you think you are just taking a flight to go see people or on a business trip, not expecting it to be hijacked by terrorists and then ending up dead.

Here is a picture of the ground zero memorial in new york city....

Here is a picture of the pentagon memorial...

I didn't have too much to type about today, but I figured this was something that everyone was thinking about. 10 years ago our nation was turned upside down, and that's something that will live with us for the rest of our lives. Thank you to everyone who worked on this day to help save lives, and the fallen people, we will never forget.

Where were you on September 11, 2001?

Ben Flajnik Is the Next Bachelor

2011-09-06T17:26:00.001-04:00

chrisbharrison Chris Harrison

Yes it's official @BenFlajnik is #Thebachelor Looking forward to a great season & lots of wine!

I was crossing my fingers for Ames as the next bachelor, but the next contestant is Ben Flajnik who had a proposal turned down on Ashley's season when she picked JP over Ben. ABC confirmed today that we will be seeing the Sonoma winemaker in the upcoming season.

He attended the University of Arizona, majoring in music production with a minor in business. After his father – to whom he was very close – died in 2007, he moved back to Northern California, where plans to stay for the foreseeable future. (Us Weekly)

Note to contestants looking to nab him: He's a fan of outdoor hobbies, including crab fishing, sailing, golf, skate boarding and surfing. Better be a pet lover, too – Flajnik shares his home with a Jack Russell terrier, Scotch. (Us Weekly)

He will appear on the season finale of the Bachelor Pad, and the newest season will begin in January. Get ready for a whole lotta' Ben!

Bachelor Pad Review

2011-09-06T11:53:00.000-04:00

Well, last night was an interesting Bachelor Pad....but nothing was TOO crazy. Let’s start from the beginning.

First off I have to start with Erica. I think she is hilarious. Erica seems like she is a person who doesn't care what other people think and I admire that about her. She pretty much got stuck with Blake as a partner because everyone else was already matched up. She threw herself at Blake on their date because she said that her astrologer said love was in the air at the Bachelor Pad for her. The matches were Holly and Michael, Michelle and Graham, Vienna and Kasey, Ella and Kirk, and Blake and Erica. Chris Harrison came in and told everyone to partner up and to make sure you knew your partner.

This is where things got pretty entertaining for me. Vienna and Kasey pretty much KNEW that they were going to know everything about one another because they had been dating for 6 months. Well it was clearly seen that they knew nothing about each other. When Kasey was asked what Vienna's ex's miss the most about her and he answered her teeth...I died laughing. Vienna said that her ex's would miss her boobs....interesting answer ha ha. Especially since I don't think her boobs are all that. It just went to show that even though the two of them seem like this power couple, they really didn't know much about each other at all.

The Nearlywed Game kept going and questions starting getting harder and harder. Blake got thrown under the bus a few times about not being liked by anyone in the house. He should have known that was coming after all the events that has taken place with him and Holly. Holly had to answers a couple of questions about who she would sleep with in the house, which she answered Blake. I am sure Michael was hurt by those answers, but it was a game and they had to be honest. It would have killed him to say Blake, but he would have gotten a point and they might have won in the end. The winners of this challenge were Michelle and Graham who had brilliant strategy. They talked about what they would chose if different questions were asked, and they would always answer the same. It was a great plan, and won them the date! 2nd place was Erica and Blake....

Michelle and Graham date was awesome. They flew out in a helicopter to watch a premier of a movie in a hot tub basically. The two of them are so dang cute!! It's so weird how different Michelle is on this show to the way she was on the Bachelor with Brad. She is so sweet and nice and seems to really care about the other people in the house. Maybe ABC just made her out to be the way she was on the Bachelor and then she put her foot down to show thats not her. I like this Michelle way better than before. Her and Graham had an awesome date together, and ended up kissing in the end. I am glad that he opened up to her and showed affection to her, I think she was waiting for that :) Go Michelle!

The other date was Blake and Erica who were presented with two roses to save another couple on the show. They had dinner in this amazing place and hung out. Erica was determined that she was going to get Blake in bed, but that didn't happen. She was literally throwing herself at Blake, which makes me think that Blake does have real feeling for Holly. He didn't want to seem like a total sleeze.

Blake and Erica decide to save Vienna and Kasey. For whatever god awful reason. I know they think that Kasey can persuade every single person to vote for who he says, but that didn't happen. Graham and Michelle voted for Blake and Erica, which meant they were more likely to go home. Oh yeah Kasey and Vienna got into this huge fight because Vienna wouldn't bang Kasey. I mean really?? This is what this show has come to?? No one wants to see them fight over and over again. It was good the first few times, but then it gets old. He supposedly rips the ring he gave her off her finger and she runs upstairs crying. The best part was Erica said, "Vienna, this is a mansion not a trailer park." Gotta love Erica. Vienna ends up going downstairs with Kasey to cuddle because she doesn't want to go home since Kasey "doesn’t even want to be there anymore." The last clip they show from that scene was Kasey crawling on top of Vienna and her saying, "Lets get this over with."

If that's what you say when you are about to have sex with your boyfriend that you are MADLY in love with, there is something seriously wrong with you. But hey it's Vienna and Kasey and that's what we should expect I guess.

The rose ceremony ended up with Holly having the deciding vote. She had to pick if she should keep Blake, or send him home. Obviously, she wanted to keep him....but, she ends up sending him home with a little note in hand. The note tells Blake that she was really sad when she had to vote him off and that she misses him...She said that things are not over between them....maybe a happy ending for Blake after all??? Some people are trying to figure out what Holly is really doing. Does she want to be with Blake or does she want to be with Michael?? Clearly it is a very complicated situation with her and Michael's past....I hope she figures it out soon though. I want Michael to find love, he’s so dang cute!

I don't really know what to make of this episode. Yeah, there was a little drama and yeah Michael and Holly and Blake were an issue again, but nothing EXTREME happened. The rose ceremony was pretty much decided when they started voting. Hopefully next week there with be some more drama!!!

Celebrity Spotlight- Stacey Queripel

2011-09-02T13:01:00.000-04:00

Meet Stacey Queripel from Brad Womack's season of the Bachelor! Follow her @staceq on Twitter!

What shows have you been on?

I was on The Bachelor season 15

What’s your favorite food?

I love soft serve ice cream and popcorn!

What’s your favorite movie?

I have a couple actually: My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Love Actually, Old School, Big Trouble in Little China, Bridget Jones, Zoolander... I really need to narrow that down

What’s your favorite reality TV show?

After being on the Bachelor I really dont have much desire to watch reality tv anymore, but I really cant resist Ice Cube and Cocos new show.

Do you ever see yourself being “The Bachelorette?”

I definitely thought I wanted to, but looking back, I'm not sure I could handle the stress.

What do you look for in a guy?
Sense of humor. I love guys that can make me laugh and are witty.

If you had to pick one celebrity to marry, who would it be?

Def a comedian, maybe Louis C.K or Will Ferrell or Bill Burr. Laughter is the best medicine for everything.

Do you have any pets?

I have a turtle named Grumpy.

What is one thing about you that a lot of people don’t know?

I have a degree in Civil Engineering and I work for an Environmental Company.

How much fun is The Bachelor behind the scenes?

It def had its moments, and getting to know the girls was amazing! I have a ton of great memories. But it was also very stressful.

What’s your favorite song on your Ipod now?

Creep by TLC

If you had to give all the single girls out their advice about love, what would it be?

Are you kidding me??? i have no flipping clue LoL

Tattos?

Maybeeee

How has your life changed since being on TV?

I wouldn't say my life has changed much, however, the show did make me realize how amazing my regular life was. It took leaving everything behind to realize it! I cried tears of joy on the plane ride home! I couldn’t wait to get back to my friends and family!

Thanks Stacey for answering a couple of questions for me! I really appreciate it!

Till next time, Ciao!