!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You know you're jealous.

Thank you Spyglass!

Is it wrong to root AGAINST the Lakers?

Now I know there are some naysayers out there who would chide, is it wrong to root FOR the Lakers, but that's not who I'm talking to. Being a born and raised So Cali girl, I was here for the glory days of the 3-peat chants, the Lakers flags on nearly EVERY SUV driving by, and the riots at the Staples center... so while I'm not a hardcore basketball fan, my loyalty lies with only one team.

However now that I've somehow gotten myself on an advanced sales Lakers mail chain I find myself with 2009 Playoff tickets, and a burning moral dilemna.

To cheer or not to cheer.

For Round 1, I managed to snag Game 5 tickets... which meant the Lakers would have to loose at least 1 so my Ticketmaster fees weren't spent in vain. Thankfully (probably because of failing television programming and a lackluster economy, wanting to fuel longer playoff series) the Lakers lost last night and my bf can finally chant KOBE in the stands.

However now for Round 2 (which sold out it's pre-sale in under 3 minutes) I have Game 7 tickets. Game 7!? That means my beloved Lakers would have to loose 3, and while it would be tres exciting to watch, I think it might be too nerve wrecking to imagine. Can I possibly cheer, nay hope that the Lakers loose 3 for my own personal enjoyment?

My SoCali Girl says Lakers all the way, but my inner child is screaming loose loose loose!

So here's hoping they win the series, but loose a few key games along the way to make the path to glory that much more interesting.

Prom: Newport Style

After posting about Floral Ice Cubes, I have to share perhaps one of the more adorable ideas I've heard in a while!

So do you remember that episode of Laguna Beach, you know the one where Talan decorates the garage with balloons, flowers and rose petals everywhere?

Some students and pop culture experts credit MTV's "Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County" reality series from a few years ago for sparking this new wave in dramatic prom proposals. On the show, male students came up with innovative invitations, including a guy who set up a kiddie pool at a girl's home with a note that said, "Of all the fish in the sea, will you go to prom with me."

Heather Levine, fashion and beauty editor at promspot.com, said one of the main reasons the prom proposals are so big today is that guys are competitive.

MassLine.Com posted by the AP

Well in talking to a friend about his Prom debacles, he's come up with the perfect proposal (just hasn't figured out the perfect date.)

His plan? Take a huge heart shaped container, make a gigantic red ice cube with his invite sealed in the center, and leave it on her doorstep with a sledgehammer to have a little fun figuring out who her date is!

Back in the day, we just had our plain o'le boring prom proposals, that generally involved a sweaty nervous boy who was barely able to sputter out the words, "Will you go to prom with me?" It's good to see the confidence growing...

Edible Art: Mint Leaf Ice Cubes

While reading one of my favorite mags, Real Simple, I came across this absolutely brilliant idea, which frankly I'm a little ashamed that I hadn't thought of it before...

Freezing flowers and edible leaves into ice cubes for frilly and festive drink decorations! It's so easy and can make any of us look like our hero Martha...

I want. Liquid Bookmarks

Amazingly cool soft and liquid-y these bookmarks paired with a knife or snake tooth stabbed through the center would make a perfect Halloween gift.

Or if you're not thinking quite so morbidly, paint splatters gone awry.

Liquid Bookmarks @ Designboom

Slow Loris Loves Getting Tickled

Red Envelope please: And the winners are...

So you know who the competish is for next year @ the 6th Annual Hollywood Beer Pong Tourney.

Beer Pong Results.

Inappropriate Lunch Conversations

Friday me & my boy D were out for our Korean BBQ lunch, (no not the Kogi truck sadly, the ghetto fab KBBQ that actually made a co-worker sick, but that's probably because he has a weak stomach)

Anyway in the midst of our lovely inappropriate conversation about our best strip club experiences, the older gentleman sitting one table over interjects...

He said "sorry but i was eavesdropping...
My 83 year old grandma went to Bangkok where they have live sex shows.
And when we asked if she watched one..
she said 'Of course i did'"

After laughing politely and making our hasty exit, I wonder to myself. Did that really just happen?

Did a 40something man just tell me about his 80 year old grandma watching sex shows?

Yes. Yes he did.

The Great Bacon Cinnamon Roll Experiment

After posting about the Bacon Cinnamon Roll, this was something too good to NOT try.
Results you ask? Here they are!

Breakfast of the champions, mini Pain Au Chocolate and Bacon Cinnamon Rolls. I went with the Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls because who doesn't love a little poke in the tummy?

The only problem that I didn't take into account, these Rolls are more like little balls of dough, not nicely rolled rolls, and lacking a rolling pin we had to make due with beer steins.
(phew that was a lot of rolling in one sentence)

I went with the fattier of the Bacon choices, figuring that it would make the rolls that much juicier. After rolling out the dough into roughly the same size as the bacon, we laid one on top of the other and re-rolled them back up (keeping the Bacon in the center)

I also sprinkled a mixture of Sugar and Cinnamon on top of the rolls after they were done, hoping that would add a nice caramelized crust effect to the finished product.

After a nice 12 minutes or so of baking time, the salty sweet aroma filled the kitchen and they were ready for glazing.

Perfection.
Simple, Salty & Sweet, the bacon was crispy at the edges and a little softer in the center.
The milky frosting glaze topping sealed the deal.

Yum.

Jenny was a friend of mine...

Flashback: The first time I saw the Killers was at the Winter Music Festival in 2006 in Miami on my 3rd Spring Break of the season. 3 you might ask? Yes I'm a lucky dog.

I spent the week before the NYU spring break bumming around Florida with my bff L and her friend J, learning the ins and outs of partying in South Beach, to riding with the "bikers" (no L, not hot Lance Armstrong bikers) to finding the balance of suntan lotion, tanning oil and a well perfected system of oven timer baking for that golden sunkissed tan that would make my fellow pasty new yorkers jealous.

The second was spent on my school spring break partying it up in NYC while the town was empty of those pesky students and full of spring breakers of our own. A perfect time for a great one-night-stand (Although alas no juicy stories to fill in here as I was still embroiled in a massive Pride and Prejudice-esq scandal. Don't worry Little M, you were totally my Darcy)

Then after I think it's all over, my friend I & C give me an offer I can't refuse. Take the G5 down to Miami for a weekend jaunt to see the Killers, Hot Hot Heat, DJ Tiesto, rock our brains out, relax at Trump's Mar-A-Lago and basically cap the best 3 weeks of my life thus far.

After waiting at the airport for 3+ hours (there was a storm delaying our travel) and 1 bottle of Ciroc later, we were on our way to sunny sunny FL once again. The Killers were brand spanking new, having only released Hot Fuss thus far & I'd memorized every single one of their songs since they were featured on one of the great cancelled too young shows, LAWKI. I've been a fan ever since.

Now we flash forward to 2009. Sam's Town and Day & Age have been released. They've got the perfect combo of Spirited Rocker and Radiowave Success and they're headlining Coachella! I have to say, even though they were amazing this time around, nothing will ever beat the first time, lying on the grass, swaying with friends & looking up at the stars while they crone out Jenny was a friend of mine...

Coachella Valley Music Fest 2009

Once in a lifetime (maybe twice if the bands are really good) experience that I can now check off of my master To Do list, Coachella was really a sight to behold.

While the bands were amazing the thing that stuck out the most to me were the art installations. For your easy viewing pleasure...

The Dome

Bamboo Structure?

Tesla Coils (Which we never did get to see at night)

The Do Lab

Serpent, Dragon or Snake?

Pretty Flower!

My favorite are the two girls using this to apply their makeup.

The Cube, my favorite by far.

And the pretty sea serpent all lit up at night!

All My Friends are Superheroes by Andrew Kaufman

The Frog-Kisser

The Frog-Kisser was in high school when she first discovered her power. Dating the captain of the football team had left her drained and unfulfilled. That's when she discovered Brian, the head of the debating club, and her latent powers emerged.

Blessed with the ability to transform geeks into winners, she is cursed with the reality that once she enables this transformation, the origin of her initial attraction is gone.

About the Book

All Tom’s friends really are superheroes. There’s the Ear, the Spooner, the Impossible Man. Tom even married a superhero, the Perfectionist. But at their wedding, the Perfectionist was hypnotized to believe that Tom is invisible. Nothing he does can make her see him. Six months later, she’s sure that Tom has abandoned her. So she’s moving to Vancouver. She’ll use her superpower to make Vancouver perfect and leave all the heartbreak in Toronto. With no idea Tom’s beside her, she boards an airplane. Tom has until the wheels touch the ground in Vancouver to convince her he’s there, or he loses her forever.

A funny, sweet story, All My Friends Are Superheroes will remind you the greatest superpower of all is love.

Review

While it's not quite my New Favorite Book, there is something absolutely charming and adorable about this easy to read novella is full of fabulous quotes and witty anecdotes.

The love is genuine and sweet, and perfection is in the eye of the beholder.

Me, what would my superpower be? I've had a few nicknames in the past, THE SOCIAL BUTTERFLY, THE MATCHMAKER, THE ORGANIZER etc, but I think the one that fits me the most is...

The Doer

It was in 7th grade, on a Wednesday no less, during swim class that she realized her superpower. Starring up at the high dive that had terrified her most of her life, she thought to herself, just do it. That was the start of it. From that moment on, whenever faced with a challenge, she just went for it. Crushes became a thing of the past, she wanted to know right then and there if there was any mutual interest before wasting an unquantifiable amount of time lusting after some boy. Projects lacked procrastination, because she knew the sooner she finished them, the less she'd worry about them. And any fear, from public speaking to surfing to real life, she faced head on and hoped for the best.

However with her ability to get things done, she finds that from time to time, her organization and pre-planning of her life lacks the creativity or sense of adventure to just "go with the flow," and this sometimes puts strains on her friendships and relationships.

P.S. to my dear friends, I might go out and buy you all this book so you can be happy when you're feeling sad.

Bag Borrow or Steal

Really? I thought this was just a made up SATC trend, not an actual website!

You know I can kind of see the appeal to renting jewelry and accessories on a per-occasion basis, but my problem with bags? Bags are utilitarian items, you throw whatever in them, set them down anywhere and IMHO, it's very hard to keep them clean and pristine.

Also cleaning bags? I can't imagine that's easy or cost effective? So what does that mean? You're probably throwing your sunglasses, cell phone (which you put on your face) lipstick and other daily items in a bag that probably has cum residue from the previous borrower's skanky one night stand, since obviously these bags are meant to be seen out in public in arenas girls are tried to get laid in.

Just saying.

I don't think I'd want to rent a bag, borrow or steal. Doesn't seem worth it to me.

Not to mention the insurance policy.

MovieLine Coveage of the Event

Many thanks to Mr. Matt McCluskey from MOVIELINE for covering the event!

You can read the full article here. Check out the event video!!

Beer Pong Results...

A more eloquent posting will surely follow... but for everyone who was curious about the results of the Hollywood Assistant Beer Pong Tournament... HERE THEY ARE!

I just wanted to report back to you guys & let you know the outcome of last night. After several hours of ponging here were your Bracket finalists.

Nikki Finke
Imagemovers 1 - Stew Kaye & Aaron Rapke

Movie Line
WMA 1 - Ryan Draizen & Ryan Fox

Gawker
Spyglass 1 - Ian Weinreich & Nic Van Der Meer

TMZ
WMA 3 - Jeff Schroeder & Chris Poydenis

Big Picture
ICM 4 - Dan Feldheim & Aaron Mazor

WWTDD
ICM 1 - Evan Foster & Ethen Adams

And nearing the 2AM hour... Imagemovers took the gold (and crazy ass 4 foot "Neustadter" OneCubicle.com trophy) in an amazing comeback against ICM 4.

The event was covered by movieline.com which just re-launched their new site yesterday! Pictures will be soon to follow. In the meantime if you want to be fairly entertained by the graceful writings of Ex-New York Hereld Tribune writer Grantland Rice on TempDiaries... check it out here!

http://www.tempdiaries.com/2009/04/grantland-rice-at-hollywood-assistant.html

jennifer johnson is sick of being single

While the big B is out of town in Ireland on the LEAP YEAR set, I've had a lot of time to catch up on my reading. See one of the things my boss & I share is our mutual affection for books, LOTS of books. There have been good ones, ok ones, eh ones, and downright terrible ones... but one, one has stuck out as perhaps one of the funniest new books I've read yet.

By the author of pretty little mistakes Heather McElhatton's newest novel jennifer johnson is sick of being single is Bridget Jones meets Office Space with a little Meet the Parents thrown in.

A wicked comedy charting the perils of making your dreams comes true.

Quirky, clever, cubicle-bound Jennifer Johnson is desperate. Everyone around her is getting married while she’s still single and writing ad copy for men’s black dress socks.

Her life hits crisis level, launching her into a humiliating and painfully hilarious quest to find Prince Charming at any cost. This includes agonizing online dates, diet clinic cults, drag queen fights, and a debilitating addiction to Cinnabon icing.

When she meets handsome, wealthy Brad Keller, she wonders if he’s the answer to all her dreams or is he just too good to be true?

Darkly funny and outrageously honest, McElhatton’s wit shines in this cautionary fairy tale about getting what you want—and how it can be the worst thing for you.

However my favorite part about the whole debacle is Jennifer's "darkest nemesis, the girl behind the Cinnabon counter." who she playfully nicknames Satan.

This book hits the stands on May 5, 2009 so be sure to check it out!!

My continued love affair with Bacon...

After the Bacon Vodka Infusion experiments two more Bacon-y goodness ideas have floated through the intra-web to me.

First on tap (as it's slightly easier and quicker to bake in my minuscule toaster oven) are Bacon Today's Bacon Cinnamon Rolls. These things look incredible and very easy to make. It's that perfect combination of salty and sweet much like Vosges's Mo's Bacon Bar. Will post my pictures and results when I get around to it... maybe a Coachella morning snack perhaps?

And also on the list... but procrastination might get the better of me on this one... Maple Bacon Cupcakes. Intern Malcolm brought these to my attention, citing Yummy Cupcake as the source of these incredible creations, yet sadly they're not on the April menu so I'll have to make some myself. It's the same salty/sweet combo, but the thought of infusing maple-y syrup goodness and pancake essence into these make them the perfect balance of breakfast and Satan.

Vodka Infused Gummy Bears?

Apparently this is another thing I'm a day late and a buck short on. Who knew gummy bears were these spongy alcohol absorbing little mounds of joy?

Sales Clerk at Staples: Gummy Bears? Nice.
Me: Yeah! My friend was telling me about how you can soak them in Vodka...
Sales Clerk at Staples: Oh yeah, it's really good. You have to let them sit there for like a week to make sure they're fully absorbed, but be careful, they're pretty dangerous when you eat too many.
Me: Am I the last person to know about this?
Sales Clerk at Staples: You know... you can put vodka in Jello too?

Thanks. I was showed up by the Sales Clerk at Staples. Vodka Jello, I'll have to try that too.

I want.

I know, I know, they've been in every mag from here to forever... not to mention they're the new "charm" bracelet and everyone and their mother will have one, but there's still something so sweet and secret garden-y about giving someone the key to your heart.

Tiffany's Key Charms

Hollywood Assistant Beer Pong Tournament

I know this goes against my New Years Resolution of Posting every week... but with all the Brackets, Graphics and Sponsors, I don't have the mental capacity to post this week.

Perhaps one of the best understated movies of our time...

me: Really?? youve never seen newsies?

G: nope. i know, sacrelige.

me: and you call yourself gay.

G: hahaha

Newsies is a 1992 Disney musical starring... drumroll... a very young and drool-able Christian Bale, Bill Pullman who is awesome & Robert Duvall.

Based on the true story of the newsboys strike in 1899 in old town NYC, the story follows two of the newsboys who play an integral role in organizing and unionizing.

"In 1899, the streets of New York City echoed with the voices of newsies, peddling the newspapers of Joseph Pulitzer, William Randolph Hearst, and other giants of the newspaper world. On every corner you saw them carrying the banner, bringing you the news for a penny a paper. Poor orphans and runaways, the newsies were a ragged army, without a leader. Until one day, all that changed..."

It's a wonderful musical romp that is sure to leave an impact on the 100 of us out there who have seen it.

omj has it already been 2 years?

Monday S & I celebrated our 2 year anniversary, and in true old people fashion we stayed in, had a late dinner, watched GREEK, then S worked for a few hours while I fell asleep reading on the couch. No drunken debauchery, sunsets on the beach, playing badminton in the parking lot, and romancing the hell out of a hotel room in Laguna...

When did I get so old? Serious relationship old?

If you'd asked me before I met S, what I thought my 20's would be like... I would have replied, full of boys and booze and to be honest I was living the dream right up until I met my new destiny.

This past weekend was S's 30th birthday & we went out in Hermosa. I noticed myself doing a very obvious thing, constantly scanning and checking out guys at the bar. My friends thought I was distracted & tired, and constantly tried to rile me up, but really, my eyes were flicking back and forth so fast it gave me a headache.

I love S dearly, but I do think part of me was cut off in my prime, and I feel the need to live vicariously through my single girlfriends, AND since they happen to be wussy about talking to guys, I really can play both parts. I can be the singular and faithful girlfriend, while at the same time, the carefree, fun loving and flirty wingman.

So what's the conclusion of my non-requiter rant? My girlfriends need to get off there asses and have tons of giddy, gossipy fun so I don't feel like an old married person.

** I would like to note, I love my boyfriend and my old married person relationship, it just all took me very much by surprise.

Braille Jewlrey

Such a clever & easily do-able design... stay tuned for a niki-fied line of Braille necklaces.

100th Post. Just becasue.

Fennec Hare