Google Doodle

Stop whatever you're doing and click over to Google, right now. Today's doodle honoring the late Queen front man, Freddie Mercury is awesome!

Music Video Monday: Pretty Girl Rock

It is quite the rarity when I actually enjoy having a song stuck in my head. Normally, ear worms like Rebecca Black's "Friday" and Justin Bieber's "Baby" irritate me to no end, but Keri Hilson's "Pretty Girl Rock" is a tune I could endlessly replay in my mind. The number is catchy and a bit self-indulgent, with an elaborate video to match.

In this tribute montage, Hilson appears dressed as prominent African-American performers throughout the decades. Not only does the singer imitate modern singers like Janet Jackson and T-Boz of the popular 90s girl group, but Hilson also pays homage to the ground-breaking black performers of the early 20th century like Josephine Baker and Dorothy Dandridge.

After the series of impersonations arrives in the 21st century, Hilson finishes the song in a simple white t-shirt and jeans, showcasing this songstress as a true "pretty girl."

Readers what song is stuck in your heads today?

Bonnaroo Lineup Announced

Bonnaroo announced today the lineup for its 10th anniversary show. Hopefully I'll be gainfully employed by this summer, but if not, the headliners have me seriously considering buying a ticket.

Click here for a complete list of performers or scroll down for videos of my favorite acts.

Readers do you have any summer concert plans?

Florence and the Machine

Arcade Fire


Mumford and Sons


Alison Krauss & Union Station


Amos Lee


Loretta Lynn


Grace Potter and the Nocturnals

Legendary Bob Dylan joins Mumford and Sons and the Avett Brothers in Grammy Performance

If you didn't tune in to the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards last evening, you missed an absolutely incredible performance by Mumford and Sons, The Avett Brothers and legendary singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. Say what you will about Dylan's aged vocal chords, this collaboration was a musical masterpiece. Click the video to enjoy.

Readers--What was your favorite performance of last night's Grammy's?

Ways to Procrastinate During Exams

After finishing my last final yesterday, I'm finally headed home to Nashville to celebrate the holidays with my family. Exams were rough, and I can't imagine going through them again, but for those of you still stuck in University libraries nation-wide, here my favorite procrastination websites:

College Humor--Okay, so some of the jokes are a bit questionable, but the site's definitely good for a laugh when you're stressed out. Parodying college life, this multimedia website was started by a Wake Forest alum, Ricky Van Veen, so you know it's got to be good.

Orisinal's Winterbells-- Winterbells is not your typical computer game. Soothing music plays are you navigate a bunny through the sky, collecting bells as you go. Lose a round? No problem, the bunny falls peacefully to the snow-filled ground. There's no animated violence, no aggression, no simulated bunny death, just good clean fun. Be careful though, it's addictive.

Pandora--For those of you who can't study in complete silence, I recommend Pandora. Just plug in an artist or song you like into this online radio and you'll be instantly serenaded by only the music you like. It's my favorite place to discover bands I might not find otherwise.

Sporcle--Whether you're cramming for a History final or just a Harry Potter fanatic, Sporcle has a quiz for you.  My favorite trivia games? Historical Tweets, Harry Potter Top 200, and Famous Faces Badly Drawn.

Online Shopping--Even as my bank account inches closer to $0.00, I find myself scouring the internet for this season's latest trends. My favorite one-stop shops with lots of inventory include: department stores like Bloomingdale's, Etsy, Shopbop, Bluefly, and online sample sale sites RueLaLa and Gilt.

Readers what are your favorite websites to procrastinate on? Besides blogs of course!

Gift Guide #1: Stocking Stuffers

With my exams almost finished, I'm finally starting to get into the holiday spirit. This post marks the first in a series of gift guides I'll be writing to help last minute shoppers find the perfect presents for their loved ones. I figured I'd start small, so today's guide is all about stocking stuffers!

Row 1 (L to R):
Taylor Swift's Speak Now (Amazon, $8.99)

Bliss Grape Seed Hand Cream (Sephora, $8)  
Behind the Hedge Cuff (Lilly Pulitzer, $68)

Row 2 (L to R):
Jeweled Headband (J. Crew, $26.50)
Tory Burch Leather Wristlet (Nordstrom, $125)
Milk Chocolate Gingerbread Man (Godiva, $6)

Row 3 (L to R):
Minnie Muse Notepad (Forever 21, $4.80)
Set of 6 Polka-Dot Coasters (Kate Spade, $20)
Set of 5 Fifi Lapin Notecards (Fifi Lapin, $15)

Movie Review: Morning Glory

Sometime between stuffing ourselves silly with turkey and donning formal ware for a deb ball, my family managed to squeeze in a trip to the movies where the Hallemann women saw Morning Glory, Rachel McAdams latest romantic comedy. Though less than an intellectually stimulating classic, the film was cute. I must say, I liked it even more than I thought I would.
 
Morning Glory follows McAdams' character Becky Fuller as she works to revive a struggling network morning show. Amidst heavy hitters Diane Keaton and Harrison Ford who play the show's quibbling co-hosts, McAdams held her own and carried the movie. Fuller is anal retentive, persistent, ambitious and a touch naive without being annoying. Hard to believe, I know. The dialogue is sharp and witty, but I do wish the love story had been a bit more developed.

But overall, I definitely recommend it.

Next on my list: Natalie Portman's psychological thriller Black Swan.

Readers, what movie's have you seen recently?

Flannel, Formal, and Fall Leaves: A Life Update

It's nearing the end of fall semester, and I've been so busy with school and the Wake social scene that I've neglected my blogging. I hate to make empty promises, but as I enter the home stretch of this semester, I'll make an effort to post more frequently. In case you've been itching for an update, here's what I've been doing in my absence from the blogosphere.

(Me and my friend Aveen in our flannel waiting to go out on the boats)

Mountain Weekend
Visualize a serene mountain setting with cozy cabins, picturesque rocking chairs, and a lack of cell phone reception. Now impose over that peaceful scene a crowd of rowdy college students sporting flannel, blaring music and generally disrupting the crisp, cool Rocky Mountain air.

Two weekends ago I attended a fraternity formal in Fontana Dam, North Carolina, where activities included everything from floating pontoon boats to swing dancing at the formal. Needless to say, my weekend attire ranged from sweatshirts to stilettos. It was a nice break from campus life, but far too brief. Missing a weekend of studying threw me into an academic whirlwind once we made it back to Winston-Salem.

Public Art Final Projects
This semester I enrolled in a public art course to finish up my Studio Art minor. Basically this class is run as a guided independent study with an exhibited piece of public art as the final project. Naturally, I decided to go about my project the difficult way, and am in the process of creating a series of temporary public art pieces  inspired by the poetry of Wake Forest Alum, A. R. Ammons.

Last week, the library held a symposium honoring the poet, and I was fortunate enough to read a poem aloud during the final lunch. On the tails of the conference, I displayed my first work of art, a piece inspired by Ammons' poem "Rapids," pictured above.

Wake readers, keep your eyes peeled for the remaining works in my series. They'll be popping up on campus soon alongside the other final pieces from my class.

Semi-Formal

Right before Thanksgiving break my sorority had our last event of 2010, semi-formal. After internally debating my outfit for what seemed like days, I settled on a Plenty by Tracy Reese dress that I've had for a few years. Filled with dancing and food, formal was great. I couldn't have asked for a better night, but I am so happy to have a brief hiatus from Wake Forest for the next couple days.

(This print is part of Anderson Design Group's "Spirit of Nashville" Series)

Thanksgiving Break
After a day of traveling, I'm so excited to be back home in Nashville. I can't wait for all my family and high-school friends to get into town!

Readers, has your fall been flying by? Can y'all believe it's Thanksgiving tomorrow?

Glee Spoiler Alert!

A Glee episode with Uncle Jesse AND the Princess of Pop? Did I die and go to heaven? If you're a gleek like me and can't wait until tonight's Britney-tastic episode, click over to Gleethemusic.com for a full preview of all the songs featured in tonight's episode. Or just watch this sneak peak of Brittany and Santana rockin' out to "Me Against the Music":

 

Readers, are y'all Glee fans? What are you favorite fall shows?

Video Post: I know, I know, it's a little late

but it's so appropriate :) Happy 21st of September!

Little Big Town Launches New Album, "The Reason Why"

This summer I interned at Essential Broadcast Media, a Nashville-based publicity company whose clients include country music artists like Darius Rucker, Randy Houser, Colt Ford and the platinum-selling quartet, Little Big Town. One of my projects this summer was helping with Little Big Town's album release, and today is the day the CD finally comes out. I've been reading reviews online, and I'm so excited my hard work didn't go to waste! If you're a fan of country music (or even if you're not), I recommend listening to this album. The first single, "Little White Church" is already flying up the charts, and I've had track number 8, "All the Way Down" on repeat in my car all day. The complete album is available on Itunes, and the group is performing tomorrow morning on Good Morning America. Unfortunately, I think I'm going to miss it because tomorrow is my first day of classes! Thank goodness for DVR, right?

Summer Playlist

My boss at my internship is so sweet. For my help with the chaos more commonly known as CMA Music Fest, she got me a $15 iTunes gift card. It has been burning a hole in my pocket for the last two weeks, but I finally splurged on some music to spice up my Summer 2010 play list. The recently added tunes are as follows:

Cooler Than Me by Mike Posner

Peace Train by Cat Stevens

California Gurls by Katy Perry (feat. Snoop Dogg)

Airplanes by B.o.B (Feat. Haley Williams)

Cowboy Casanova by Carrie Underwood 

Don't Stop Believing-The Regionals Version by the cast of Glee

Johnny and June by Heidi Newfield

and Here Comes the Sun Live at Madison Square Garden by George Harrison

As you can see, the play list is already pretty eclectic, but I need help from my readers to spend the rest of my gift card. I have just under $5 left so if you have a minute, send me your summer song suggestions. I'm up for anything!

(Image Credit: Apple Trend)

Links to Beat the Monday Blues: July 5

Readers--I hope you had a wonderful July 4th holiday! If you were cheated of a day off since Independence day fell on a Sunday this year, here are some links to start the work week off right:

What a wonderful way to start the day.

Still feeling patriotic? Try this belt on for size.

Twihards, the amount of Twilight-related paraphernalia available in the wake of Eclipse is almost unfathomable. My top pick: this t-shirt from Mighty Fine. "I Love Boys Who Sparkle." How precious.

If you're less than enthusiastic about the teen vampire craze, check out Colt Ford's music video spoof. Hilarious.

A sneak peak of Madonna's new line for Macy's.

All the fun of poker without the risk.

So many literary-inspired films are coming out later this year: Eat, Pray, Love, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, and the third installment in the Chronicles of Narnia series:  The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Click the links to view the trailers. Do you think these films will live up to the books?

Doesn't this peach sangria sound refreshing on a hot summer day?

(Image Credit)

Daisy Dukes, Bikinis on Top

I would never be mistaken as a Californian. My hair, a rich dark brown, is a far cry from beachy blond and my skin is so pale I've actually used foundation titled "porcelain." Not to mention I was raised in the South and attend school only slightly east of my hometown of Nashville, Tennessee. Despite my appearance and general upbringing, I am obsessed with Katy Perry's newest single, "California Gurls."


The song's video features Katy wearing  a pair of custom-embellished Diesel Daisy Dukes. If you want to get the look and have some extra time on your hands this summer, dust off your bedazzler. The shorts unadorned are available here for $160.

Readers- What's your 2010 summer anthem?

(Photo Credit: People)

MIKA as the new Face of Paul Smith campaign for Spring/Summer 2007

UK based singer MIKA will be one of the faces of the new Paul Smith campaign for Spring/Summer 2007!




Mika is all the rage in the UK and is slowly creeping up in the US! With 5 weeks at #1 on the UK charts with his single Grace Kelly and 2 weeks at #1 with his album "Life In Cartoon Motion" he's definitely made his mark.



MP3 of Mika's "Grace Kelly"

Album artwork for Mika's debut, "Life In Cartoon Motion" coming out March 27th, 2007 on Universal Records. For more information or to check out Mika's music go to his website at MikaSounds.com or visit his MySpace page.