Tuesday, November 29, 2011

2011 ARIA Awards Fashion - Hits and Misses

Did anyone even bother to watch the ARIAs the whole way through? I sure didn't. But I obsessively checked and refreshed the red carpet photos a LOT because if there's one thing I know, it's that music award shows bring the crazy fashion out. This year didn't disappoint.

I'm willing to bet 99% of the people in the crowds watching the arrivals didn't realise this was actor Noah Taylor and instead thought it was some guy dressed as a homeless man from the 1970s.
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Monday, November 28, 2011

Monday Morning Melody - Katie Noonan and Elixir

This is probably my favourite cover song. Ever.

If you haven't heard Katie Noonan's version of Elton John's Yellow Brick Road, stop what you are doing right now and listen to it.



Beautiful. Am I right?

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Friday, November 25, 2011

Fun Friday Links

Woo, the weekend! And it's going to rain most of the time, yay! Honestly, I don't mind - I've got Tina Fey's Bossypants waiting for me and I cannot wait to spend a drizzly Sunday afternoon on the couch reading it.

But let's get stuck into the links!

- Did you see the Fug Girls' write up of Miss Piggy's fashion over the years? It's gorgeous. Also, I'm not pointing any fingers, but I suspect a certain pig has had some subtle work done over the years.....

- It was Thanksgiving in the States yesterday, and to celebrate, why not make three cakes within a cake? A cherry pie, an apple pie and a pumpkin pie all baked together in one ginormous dessert. Question: how do they get the icing that perfect around the edge? The line is so damn sharp.

- SO many people have been linking to actor/director George Takei's facebook page lately. He has the best photos and pictures. You must check it out.

- Raspberri Cupcakes is my favourite baking blog. The food is amazing and the photography is just stunning. I was quite taken with her post from this week for Chocolate Cereal Milk Mousse and Coco Pops. Steph, the writer/baker/photographer always adds interesting dimensions to everyday desserts and I just love reading about her latest creations.


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Thursday, November 24, 2011

Spring Snack

I am not a huge fruit person. But I do enjoy it more in the Spring/Summer time when there seems to be more variety. So I couldn't resist these gorgeous cherries when I noticed how red and lush they looked.


Of course it helps that they weren't one thousand dollars a kilo, finally.

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Monday, November 21, 2011

Monday Morning melody - The Kinks

But not a Kinks song you're expecting, like Lola, You Really Got Me, or Louie Louie. No, this is a Kinks song I don't think I've ever heard before last night. Maybe everyone else has, but at a wedding last night, this song was one of the songs played as everyone farewelled the newlyweds.

This Time Tomorrow - The Kinks



The lyrics are simple, but there's something about them that seemed perfectly suited to a wedding - the unknown of the future, but feeling excited and wanting to continue moving forward to see what adventure life has in store. I love it.

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Friday, November 18, 2011

Fun Friday Links

We're heading away for a long weekend and I'm glad the weather will be warm. I'm getting sick of not being about to break out my Summery clothes when it's still twelve freaking degrees in the morning!

But I've seen a bunch of cool stuff online this week, so I hope you enjoy them!

- Remember in primary school when you'd get a new pencil case and tear up the letters to slot them into the plastic casing? No? Well, watch this amazing stop motion video featuring pencils and pencil cases and you'll see what I mean.

- Have a look at the adorable and very amusing movie scenes baby Arthur has recreated. I think the Shawshank Redemeption one might be my favourite!

- The Muppets movie is nearly out, and Jason Segel was on TV talking about some feedback a 7 year old critic had. Basically, the kid had a huge problem with the film. Specifically, his face.

- OMG OMG OMG. The first trailer for The Hunger Games IS OUT PEOPLE. I'm really looking forward to it, I think that they got a lot of it right. Your thoughts?

- i09 has a breakdown of stills from the trailer with a closer look at it, which is great. Contains spoilers if you haven't read the book.


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Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Glee Higlights: Season 3, Episode 5 - The First Time

Or, as my sister calls it, "the one where everyone loses their V-Plates."

This episode was a vast, VAST improvement on last weeks' episode, yes? There were only a couple of minor things that I think were left out, and I thought the storylines were woven together so nicely through the cinematography and direction. It was a nice return to form for the production team.

So, here are my highlights!

Artie Is Inappropriate Multiple Times
Yeah...Artie's "directing" needs a little work. You don't tell your cast that they need to have physically experienced what they're acting out. I mean, would you tell someone playing a murderer to go out and kill someone? I think not.

Asking a teacher about their love life? SO INAPPROPRIATE. AND UNREALISTIC.
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Monday, November 14, 2011

Monday Morning Melody - Sara Bareilles

I've been a big fan of Sara Bareilles ever since her song Love Song was the free download on iTunes a few years ago. Her music is so heartfelt and passionate, and completely addictive. The song below, Gonna Get Over You is from her latest album Kaleidoscope Heart and the clip was directed by actor Jonah Hill (of Superbad and Forgetting Sarah Marshall fame), who's apparently a close friend of hers.



I love the West Side Story feel to the clip (and also her killer eye make up). Her music is just so darn happy. It's hard not to love it.

It would be so awesome if she toured here. How can we get that happening?

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Friday, November 11, 2011

Fun Friday Links

I read on my Facebook feed that Christmas is something like forty five days away. FORTY FIVE DAYS. Where has this year gone? That reminds me, I need to buy a new Christmas wreath that doesn't cost one million dollars but also doesn't look like a tacky piece of crap. Suggestions for where I can find this in Melbourne are most welcome.

Anyway, here are your links for this Friday.

- Eddie Murphy dropped out of hosting the Oscars after producer Brett Ratner resigned from producing it. Disappointing (Murphy, I mean), because I was really hoping he would be all edgy and funny a la his Raw and Delirious days, but oh well. Instead, the Internet seems to think the Muppets should host it. To that I say HELL YES.

- Have a look at this amazing stop motion music video made with jelly beans! It apparently took nearly two years to create and used nearly three HUNDRED THOUSAND jelly beans. I would also like to know how many jelly beans the creators ate during those two years. There's also a making of video on that link that is really interesting.


- Even though Halloween was a few weeks ago, you HAVE to look at this toddler's costume. It is the most adorable thing I have ever seen.

- Watch this catchy clip of a cover of Robyn's Call Your Girlfriend from Swedish group Erato. You'll be humming it all day, I promise.


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Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Adventures in Cooking - Jam Hearts

I saw these a while ago on Taste.com.au and wanted to try them, but I knew they would be fiddly, so I waited until I had a free day on the long Melbourne Cup weekend to bake them. It was more time consuming than the usual things I bake (where I choose things based on how little effort it takes to make something yummy - let's be honest, laziness is a key motivator for me), but the end result was very cute.

Jam Hearts!


Ingredients
1 1/2 cups plain flour
3/4 cup almond meal
1/3 cup icing sugar
125 grams chilled butter, chopped
1 egg
1 tbs milk
150 grams milk chocolate
1 cup raspberry jam
2 tbs water
Large and small heart shaped cookie cutters.

Preparation and cooking time
On and off about two hours.
Makes about sixteen jam hearts.
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Monday, November 7, 2011

Glee Highlights: Season 3, Episode 4: Pot O'Gold

This is a short highlights post. The reason? This episode was kind of dull. I only liked one of the songs, and there were a bunch of storylines that I just thought were really, really stupid.

So....let's get started, shall we?

Rory the Leprechaun
I didn't watch The Glee Project, but I like this kid. Good voice, nice personality, adorable accent. But the leprechaun thing? Really? This is the first storyline I thought was kind of stupid. Also, how long are they going to dress him in green? We get it: he's Irish. Green is their colour. Let's move on.

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Monday Morning Melody - Gotye

A while ago I featured Gotye's Somebody That I Used to Know, which I really liked. But then I started hearing some of his other music, and I realised I liked that a LOT better. Especially this song called I Feel Better.



I couldn't find an official video, but take a listen anyway - This song has a distinctly motown feel and I just love it!

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Friday, November 4, 2011

Fun Friday Links

You've got to love a short week - holiday leave on Monday, then a public holiday on Tuesday and here we are at Thursday night already! I did have a momentary freak out when I thought today was Tuesday and I tell you, there is no better feeling than realising the weekend is ONE DAY AWAY.

So, without further ado, here are your Friday links!

- The BBC has this neat little feature where you put in your birth date and it tells you what number in the world's population you were at the time of your birth. I was the 4,583,391,933rd person born in the world on my day of birth!

- The Spring Racing Carnival brings out the good, the bad and the fugly in the fashion stakes. Mamammia has a quick round-up of the fashion at yesterday's Oaks Day. Sidenote: I really cannot believe that Shane Warne is engaged to Liz Hurley. I don't particularly care, but I just really don't believe that it is a reality.

- Blunt Card. Because sometimes a store-bought card with a nice sentiment just doesn't cut it.

- All That Is Interesting is, well, all things interesting. And beautiful. And kooky. Really, it's a website you can get lost in in about five seconds (with thanks to The Mustard Jumper for suggesting this on Twitter last week - you must check out her blog, it's fab!)

- I did my first official product review earlier this week - a review of the new Disney film Prom. If I was thirteen I would totes be in love with this movie!


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Wednesday, November 2, 2011

DVD Review - Disney's Prom

This DVD was provided to me for review by the kind folks at Haystac Marketing.

The Movie: Prom
The Players: Aimee Teegarden, Thomas McDonnell, Danielle Campbell

The Makers: Joe Nussbaum (director), Justin Springer, Ted Griffin (producers), Katie Wech (writer) 

Run time: 99 minutes 
Genre: Drama - Comedy
Classification: PG 


The final days of high school are upon Nova Prescott and her friends Mei, Jordan, Lloyd and Rolo, but there's one more major event they've spent the past four years of their lives eagerly awaiting: Prom!

Nova is a popular, gorgeous over-achiever and she's head of the prom committee. She's spent months coordinating and creating the backdrop for what she hopes is the best prom ever, and just as the preparations are finalised, disaster strikes three weeks before the big event. A fire burns down the storage unit containing all the decorations the committee has carefully built and no one has time to recreate their efforts.

Meanwhile, Nova's friends are struggling with their own secrets and insecurities. Mei is avoiding telling her boyfriend she'll be going to college in New York and leaving him in Michigan, Jordan has realised her perfect jock boyfriend is two-timing her and clumsy Lloyd has left his prom plans too late and can't find a date for love nor money, despite his creative but clueless efforts. Sophmore Lucas is harboring a crush on fellow classmate Simone but is too chicken to ask her out, while Simone is hiding a secret that could ruin everything.

With so much tension going on in her friends' lives, it falls to Nova to begin prom preparations again, and the principal orders bad boy Jesse to help her. A rebel and a loner, Jesse has a reputation that precedes him, and tensions flair between he and Nova as his blase attitude towards prom become apparent. Nova's determination to give her classmates the perfect night, despite having no date of her own, drives her to work tirelessly to recreate the magic. As she and Jesse spend their nights building backdrops they're able to change their perspectives and they become friends....and more.

Disney's Prom is light-hearted look at the tumultuous final days of high school, where the atmosphere and emotion is heightened as everyone focuses on that one special night. The film focuses on this group of students, seamlessly knitting their stories together as the film comes to a close. Friday Night Lights fans will recognise Aimee Teegarden as the likeable Nova, and the ensemble cast works nicely together as a group of bright and bubbly high schoolers on the brink of adulthood.

This film is something the whole family can enjoy together, and will particularly appeal to kids (probably girls) around eleven to fifteen years old - I mean, what teenage girl doesn't love a movie about prom? It probably doesn't hurt that the actor playing bad boy Jesse has a very convincing young Johnny Depp thing going on! With a snappy soundtrack and a likeable cast, Prom is sure to be popular with all ages.

Disney's Prom is available to buy on a 2-disc blu-ray ($49.95) and a 1 disc DVD ($39.95) from November 2. The DVD features a making of featurette and a cute bloopers reel, as does the blu-ray. The blu-ray also features a short film about Lloyd's efforts to find a prom date, four deleted scenes and seven music videos.

In a word: good

But wait, there's more - check out this trailer of the film!



And this music video from Thomas McDonell's band Moon (bad boy Jesse)!


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