I went to my first wedding this past weekend since I was about 7 yrs old and the flower girl. One of our close family friends got married in Seattle. The wedding was absolutely beautiful; everything was beyond perfect. The sky was uncharacteristically clear and sunny for the rainy city of Seattle. The wedding was set on Lake Washington and they said their vows right as the sun set and turned the sky a deep orangey-red. My sister and I sat watching the wedding, totally lost in the moment. I actually cried and I never cry, not even at really sad movies or the last day of summer camp. We literally felt like we were watching a real life chick flick; everything was so perfect. You could see how they were so in love and so happy. It was actually kind of ridiculous how perfect it was.
As I sat there watching them say their vows, I suddenly started feeling slightly overwhelmed and claustrophobic. My mom turned to me and said, “this is the beginning of a whole new era; the weeding stage.” For the next 10 to 15 years I will be going to weddings, starting off with my three older cousins who will all be getting married in the next two years and then after that, I guess maybe some of my friends will start getting married. What? How is that possible? The thought that I will get married, that I will find someone that I will love enough to be with for the rest of my life seriously freaks me out.
When I turned 20, for some reason, I felt like I was entering this new stage of my life where I had to know what I wanted to do, who I wanted to be and how to do it all. I have one more year left of college, one more year of freedom; bad decisions, meal plans, a built in social life and safety network. Then I have to actually enter the real world, get a job and pay rent and bills. The thought of this seriously makes me nauseous. All of a sudden, it feels like the pressure is on to find the right guy, the right job , to essentially take the correct path. How am I supposed to now which is the right path? What if I make a huge mistake; I choose the wrong city to live in, the wrong job, the wrong guy? What if I never find the right guy? It happens, it's totally possible. True love is hard to come upon and there seem to be more bad guys than good guys. What if I don’t get one of the good ones? Is it possible to never find your fairytale? Maybe your fairytale is different than you imagine it right now, maybe it will be even better. At some point you will have to let go of the fairytale and be real, but still, you should never settle and always reach as high as you can.
Do you ever freak out when you think about life in the real world? Do you ever worry that maybe it won’t be the fairytale wedding that you imagined, or the perfect guy you have pictured in your head or the amazing job you have always dreamed of? Do you ever have anxiety about your future?
XOXO
Lindsey
Web Intern
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One of my favorite girls, Miley Cyrus, has been the source of much controversy in the media this year, and the latest rumor swirling about this teen phenomenon is regarding a potential upcoming movie role. According to The Hollywood Gossip, Miley is being considered for a role in the movie Undiscovered Gyrl. While nothing has been confirmed as of yet, if Miley was indeed cast in the role, the character may require nude scenes!
Perez Hilton (one of my most frequented gossip blogs) is apparently suing a competitor’s gossip blog for infringing on his trademark. The competitor is Perez Revenge and Perez (the first!) is asking that the courts shut the new site down and that the owners of the website pay his legal fees. Read more about Perez’s law suit on Evil Beet.
Although I’m a little hesitant to write anything more about the Jonas Brothers — I can’t ignore that every gossip website seems to be reporting that the reigning princes of the pop are rumored to have a new address. According to E! Online (and pretty much every other entertainment news outlet), Kevin, Joe and Nick have given mama Denise the power of attorney to sign the papers on a $2.8 million dollar home in a gated (and celebrity friendly) neighborhood in Northern Texas.
What do you think of today’s gossip?
xoxo
Katie Amey
Entertainment Intern
The Dark Knight has been the source of much buzz in Hollywood. Heath Ledger’s final role and possible honorary Oscar nomination, box-office records shattered on the opening weekend and now Christian Bale’s arrest?! People is reporting that he was arrested in London on Tuesday following assault allegations made by his own mother and sister! Not very Batman-like of him. However, it’s important to mention that in England, a suspect can be held before being questioned so as of now, Christian has not been formally charged — let’s hope the allegations prove to be false.
Oh my goodness, Spencer and Heidi get more and more outrageous every day! The latest? The reality TV twosome will be heading to Iraq to perform for the troops. Heidi’s late stepbrother, a veteran of both Iraq and Afghanistan combat, apparently inspired the aspiring singer/actress to support the military. Read more on Hollywood Gossip. What do you think about Speidi in Iraq — do they genuinely want share their support or is this just another publicity stunt? Also, Pop Crunch has the trailer for Season 4 of The Hills! I just watched it and there is so much drama coming — so excited!
And finally, some news on Tom Cruise that’s not about scientology! Celebitchy is claiming that Tom is preparing to reprise his role as Maverick in Top Gun. I don’t know how I feel about this — I LOVED Tom in the movie the first time around, but a 45-year-old Maverick? I’m a little bit skeptical. What do you think about Tommy coming back to Top Gun?
Can't wait to hear from you,
Katie Amey
Entertainment Intern
Besides watching the awesome The Dark Knight movie, I had a great time last weekend volunteering at St. Bartholomew's Church. There, we prepared and served hot breakfast to over 200 hungry and/or homeless people. I'm not going to lie - it was hard work, but I've done this several times and I knew what to expect. You get there early (6:00am) and you wash, chop, lift, cook, serve, and clean. Some people don't understand why I go. They might say, “There are always enough volunteers.” No, there are never enough volunteers. There's always room for more community love.
I find my volunteering events through New York Cares. It's the same organization that does the Annual Winter Coat Drive (with the commercials of The Statue of Liberty shivering in the cold). It's great for me because I can schedule my projects (as they call it) around my work and my academic year. I've worked with seniors to introduce them to computers, with children in their therapeutic horseback riding sessions, and the list goes on. There are plenty of opportunities in volunteering to make new friends and open your eyes to the world.
So, why should we volunteer? Because the world's a better place when we give back to the community. Because we can. Do you volunteer?
Thanks for listening!
Carrie Kam
Do you want to be a pop-star? Well, I heard about this contest that might just get you on your way. It’s kind of silly, but if anything it will be fun to enter. So Wonka has come out with a new candy, well actually a twist on a classic — The Giant Chewy Nerd — and they’re looking for a new jingle. You see, those Oompa Loompas (love them!) were so excited when the candy came out they were speechless. Hence the Wonka's Loss for Lyrics contest. Kinda cute, right?
Anyway, Raven Symone has teamed up with those little Oompas and the lucky winner will get to fly to Los Angeles to record their song with her assistance. So, what do you have to do? Grab a video recorder by yourself or with your friends and film your Giant Chewy Nerd song. You can upload it at WONKA.com starting today through September 21. Oh and guess what? Raven even has some tips for you to win:
1)Stay confident- Do your best and keep a positive attitude
2)Keep your eye on the prize - Stay focused and you could be in a professional singing studio
3)Ask your family and friends for their advice- welcome an honest critique of your song
4)Take risks- Try different, fun song choices until the recipe is right!
Well guys, if you do decide to enter, Good Luck! And don’t forget to tell me all about it.
Xoxo,
Megan
Who knew Mondays could be so exciting? Yesterday I went to the Every Woman Counts event at Hearst Towers sponsored by Redbook Magazine and the Lifetime Network. The theme of the evening was Women & Leadership, highlighting women’s progress in politics and the important role we will play in the 08 presidential election.
The event focused on a political panel of 3 female authors, one of whom was my Congresswoman, Carolyn B. Maloney, who recently released her first book, Rumors of Our Progress Have Been Greatly Exaggerated, which engaged in a lively discussion about the need for a strong woman’s movement in America to secure equal rights. The intimate event had about 100 guests including authors, artists, editors, politicians, and celebrities, most notably Ashanti.
I stole her away from the camera for a moment to speak with her about this inspiring campaign. She was genuine, engaged, and gorgeous! She supports the Every Woman Counts initiative and has teamed up with Lifetime Network and Redbook Magazine to use her influence to bring more young girls into the voting booths. Beauty, Brains, Ambition—Ashanti is definitely a CosmoGirl, just like us! She is using her impact to bring change to social and political issues, something I aspire to do as well.
Are you and your friends politically active? Are you registered to vote? Will you be campaigning for a candidate this November? Remember, if we want a CosmoGirl in the White House in 2024…we have to get to work now!
Born to Lead,
Angelina Sulaka
Being 22 years old, I honestly feel as if I am not grown up yet. Frankly, I don’t want to grow up so quickly. I want to enjoy all of my youth as long as possible. Interning is a growing experience that we as young women absolutely have to take in our hands and run with it.
When I grow up, I want to be able to handle my own sports business with a team just as hard working and driven as Team Acosta. When I grow up, I want to be head of a major women’s sporting corporation. I think that women are not appreciated enough for their talents in sports. We are so concentrated on what people are saying about women’s sports that it takes away from the talent and skills of the players.
Just being a Project 2024 intern motivates me to inspire young women and girls to reach for their dreams in whatever it is that passion touches you. At my internship, I've met some amazing powerful women who have inspired me to stay in such a male dominated industry. I became speechless when I met the beautiful Nancy Lieberman, two-time Olympian and Women’s Basketball Hall of Famer. I loved meeting her! That was a memorable experience.
My dream is to work with her to enhance awareness of women’s basketball all over the world. Sounds ambitious, but that is what I want to be when I grow up. Remember, dreams are temporary until they become reality then they are permanent.
Dawn W. Read More
My productivity is at an all-time high! This week, I finished all of my projects at work, went to two Broadway musicals, saw a few movies, and still had some free time to hang out with the CosmoGirls, my NYU friends, and Weikai, my oh-so-dreamy boyfriend.
My internship at Saatchi & Saatchi has been a great ride, and I’m really sad to see it coming to an end. I only have two weeks left until my final presentation. This seems to be the final make-or-break, though. All of the most important data and research will be collected in the following week. For example, I’m running a focus group this week, to test the magazine ads the creative team made for China Care, the non-profit organization I am representing for this project.
My team and I have worked together with China Care to create some appealing ads that we hope will inspire readers to donate to the disabled Chinese orphans at China Care. My presentation will incorporate an in-depth look at the social issue at large, what’s being done to alleviate this problem, how we can reach our target audience, and what message we want to deliver about China Care.
In the race to get my final presentation finished, though, I realized that I can’t stress out over it at all hours of the day; I start to get a little crazy if I do! When I get a little too obsessed with my work, it really helps to hang out with someone who understands me. So, yesterday, Weikai and I found the perfect cure – a 3-D movie! We saw Journey to the Center of the Earth, starring Brendan Fraser. It was a nice action-packed, pick-me-up movie. And we didn’t even have to sweat in the New York heat to enjoy an adventure to the center of the earth! Now that’s entertainment.
Until next time,
Erica Swallow
If you haven’t seen The Dark Knight yet, don’t worry this blog is spoiler-free, but I have to ask… what are you waiting for?!?
I never really appreciated comic books until I saw Batman Begins, but I loved the first movie so much that I counted down the release of The Dark Knight. The movie premiered nation-wide at midnight on July 18th, and grossed a record breaking $155.3 million during its opening weekend, becoming the biggest three-day opening in U.S. box-office history.
I was on Martha’s Vineyard this past weekend with my boyfriend and his family, and the island only has two one-tiny screen theaters, but not even an ancient, un-air-conditioned theater was going to keep me from seeing the new movie. When the lights dimmed, I realized I was nervous…but for what? I think part of me was worried it wouldn’t live up to the hype, or that seeing the late Heath Ledger starring in his last role would be too eerie.
Needless to say, the movie exceeded all my expectations. It was long (over two and half hours!) but worth every second. The dialogue was witty, and the writers achieved the perfect balance of humor and drama. The storyline was action packed, and there were a few times where I even jumped in my seat. Christian Bale, who I’ve loved since Newsies, looked better than ever as Batman, and Maggie Gyllenhaal took over Katie Holmes’ old role with ease.
It was a little haunting to see Heath Ledger on the screen, but I think Dark Knight is a shining example of his incredible skill as an actor. There’s even talk of a possible posthumonous Oscar nomination for Heath’s work in this movie, and I couldn't agree more. He truly brought the menacing, crazed Joker to life, and I think movie-goers will be awed by his portrayal of the role.
Now that opening weekend has ended, tell me, what did you think of The Dark Knight? Do you think Heath Ledger's performance is Oscar worthy?
Love in NYC (and super heroes),
Katie Law
Editorial Intern
Cleaning out the prize closet means cash for animals! CosmoGirl raised over $2,000 for the ASPCA by selling our prize closet extras. Read on to find out what the ASPCA is all about and how you can impact the life of an animal in need today.
Running the website for the most fabulous magazine in the world (read: I love my job!) can be demanding. Plus, picking all the beauty, fashion, dating, life advice, and entertainment stories to post on cosmogirl.com on a daily basis can get tricky. But when it came time to hold a sale of all our prize closet extras, picking the charity to benefit was a breeze.
Being an animal lover and owner, I chose for all the proceeds to benefit the ASPCA. We sold over $2,000 worth of products! The next day, we went to the ASPCA headquarters in New York City to drop off the money, check out the facilities and hang out with a couple of cute and lovable animals. I have to admit, I wanted to take home every dog I met. It was so sad to see all of the dogs and cats waiting to be adopted and taken to a loving home. I know that everyone wants a puppy because they are so small and cute, but what about the dogs and cats whose owners decided they didn't want them anymore, couldn't care for them any longer, or the ones who had to be taken away because of abuse? These dogs and cats need your help and I urge all of you to consider adopting before buying from a breeder. It's not fair to let an adorable 7-year old dog (meet Sorbet! He's the Jack Russell Terrier in the photo) sit and wait to be adopted while all the puppies are being rescued. That's just my two cents.
To look for an ASPCA location nearest you, click here.
xoxo,
Deanne
Senior Web Editor
I work in the prize closet, so I have seen everything that comes in and goes out. Initially before the sale, I kept joking about how sad I was to have to clean out my "office." It was the same feeling you get when your mom makes you get rid of all your old clothes. You know you have no use for them, but you’re sad to see them go. However, once everything was sold, I felt much better knowing that we had raised so much money for the animals. Rather than having a bunch of stuff sitting in a closet and collecting dust, we were donated over $2,000 to help cats and dogs.
Going to the ASPCA and seeing some of the dogs and cats reaffirmed that. I saw a severely malnutritioned dog, literally just skin and bones, a blind Maltese puppy as well as several homeless cats. It made me want to take them all home! Therefore, I am SO glad that CosmoGirl had a sale to benefit the ASPCA, and hope that they continue to do it each year.
If I were in the city longer, I would definitely get involved with the ASPCA, and if you love animals like we do, you definitely should look into it.
xoxo,
Divya
Business Intern
There are two things in life that I absolutely love: my internship here at CosmoGirl and animals. Being able to combine the two? Even better.
After selling almost everything out of our prize closet extras, we got to go down to the ASPCA to donate the money and (my favorite part) visit and play with all of the animals. Not going to lie, I was way excited.
Sitting outside of what the ASPCA dubbed "Mancattan" was an experience. Seeing all of the older cats playing with each other made me think about how lucky my cats are to have a loving home. Sadly, lots of those cats will spend their lives at the ASPCA because kittens get adopted faster than their older counterparts.
Interested in helping out the ASPCA? Click here to find out more!
Honest to blog,
Margeaux
Web Intern
While East High's biggest dilemma is an athletic decathlon's time conflict with the b-ball championships, Degrassi's "goes there" with pregnancy and shootings. But when the stars of both schools -- Ashley Tisdale from High School Musical and Shenae Grimes and Lauren Collins from Degrassi: The Next Generation meet in Picture This!, the ABC Family movie coming to DVD this Tuesday, the school drama lies somewhere in between...
I was first intrigued by the endless promos for the movie over Fourth of July weekend while I was watching the Harry Potter marathon on ABC Family (yes, all gazillion hours of it.) The sneak peek they showed had an element of She's All That to it with the bespectacled high school outsider crushing on the high school hottie. And since I'm a sucker for high school movies, of course I was intrigued.
So when Ashley Tisdale called to chat about the film, I had to bring up my comparison. She laughed. "Well, she does take off her glasses and get contacts, but that’s pretty much it," she explained. "It’s more like the cell phone brings her this confidence boost. Cell phones do that in a way. If you don't have the coolest technology nowadays, it's kinda like you're not as cool."
And does Ashley herself think of cell phones as such a coveted item like that? Yes! In fact it started when she was just 10 years old and at a Ford modeling party with Lindsay Lohan where Lindsay had a cell phone. "It was an Ericsson- this is how much I remember this," she says with a laugh. "I just thought that was the coolest thing ever, so I went home and I told my mom and dad. I was like, 'Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Lindsay has a cell phone! I need a cell phone, too!' And they’re like, 'No you don’t.' That ended it there."
As she was saying this, I had a sudden flashback to a conversation I had with her The Suite Life of Zack & Cody co-star Brenda Song. She had been saying how Lindsay taught her so many things, including showing her her cell phone when they were starring together in Get a Clue. When I mention this to Ashley, she laughs again. "Brenda and I totally talked about stories about how she always had the coolest cell phone— and we were always so jealous."
These days Ashley has no reason to be jealous of Lindsay... Ashley's got TWO Blackberrys that she uses on a regular basis— one for work and one for friends. And not just that... Ashley stars and executive produced Picture This! That beats the cell phone coolness factor any day.
If you didn't catch the movie on ABC Family, definitely grab the DVD this Tuesday. And for those of you who have already seen it... what do you think? Are cell phones as big a part of your high school lives it shows?
Can’t wait to hear from you!
Rachel
Entertainment Editor
Since the two most played songs on my iPod are “Slow Dancing in a Burning Room” by John Mayer and “The Wizard and I” from Wicked,Kyle Riabko represents the best of both musical worlds to me.
Not only has he proven his songwriting and guitar skills on tour with John (and other faves, Jason Mraz and Maroon 5), but he’s currently starring on Broadway as Melchior in Spring Awakening!
After my friends and I fell in love with the edgy, rock musical and couldn’t stop talking about its über-talented star, I decided to check out Kyle’s original tracks online. I can’t believe he managed to slip under my radar for so long! His songs have all the witty lyricism and catchy hooks of John Mayer and co., but with an added awesome blues vibe.
A couple weeks ago, on assignment for CosmoGirl, I had the chance to sit in on Kyle’s sound check and interview him before his sold-out show at Joe’s Pub. As I watched him perform live, I realized this was one of the coolest shows I’d ever seen. Void of the jumbo screens, pyrotechnics and back-up dancers that clutter so many concert stages, here it was all about the music. Kyle played with such energetic passion, putting his whole heart into every chord. I was totally mesmerized by “Carry On,” the rockin’ “Ready for Reality,” and “Song for Amanda” – a love song he wrote for his celeb crush, Amanda Bynes (how cute is that!).
I can’t wait for Kyle’s new CD to come out in August, and I’ll definitely try to catch him live again this fall when he tours the country doing both Spring Awakening performances and solo shows.
Have you ever written a song or poem about a celeb crush? (I’m pretty sure I once recited an “Ode to Zac Hanson,” so ‘fess up!) Which do you prefer, flashy concerts in huge arenas or low-key shows in smaller venues?
XOXO,
Ashley Spencer
News & Features Intern
Okay, so all of this retro stuff was brought to my attention on Tuesday night. My roommate Currie and I, for some (unknown) reason, decided to look up a Lionel Ritchie music video on You Tube. Please check out the hilariousness that is the vid for “Dancing on the Ceiling.” My favorite part is the ‘special effects’ - his shirt never even moves when he dances upside down!
So then, we HAD to take a You Tube journey through our childhood. What ever happened to the 90s heartthrobs whose posters plastered my walls growing up? Does anyone remember Devon Sawa throwing touchdowns in Little Giants or capturing hearts when he came back to life to dance with Christina Ricci in Casper? How about loveable “Randy” on Home Improvement known affectionately by his fans as ‘J.T.T.’? Why doesn’t anyone hum the theme song to Blossom anymore? If you’re unfamiliar, you can check out a clip of it here Oh man, did I used to have a crush on Joey Lawrence. Whoa!
More classic TV shows in the 90s included Saved by the Bell and 90210. (I used to tape all of the episodes on VHS – yes it was that long ago! – while I was at school so I could watch them later.) The success of the original 90210 was so huge that the CW is now introducing a 90210 remake set to debut this fall – I wonder if a Saved by the Bell remake will follow?
And how is Mark-Paul Gosselaar doing these days? Perez recently posted a picture of the now-aged “Zack Morris”- he has really stayed out of the public eye in the last few years. Unlike Mario Lopez (or “Slater”) who has sashayed his way to reality TV glory, culminating with his Broadway debut in A Chorus Line.
Just for fun, I thought I would share with you my favorite boy band music video picks from the ‘90s:
Step by Step – The New Kids on the Block
Get Down – The Backstreet Boys
Because of You – 98 Degrees
I Want You Back – *NSYNC
I’ll Be There For You – The Moffatts (How cute is the lead singer, right?)
So tell me, what’s your favorite ‘retro’ music video or TV show? I’m always looking for new guilty pleasures, so share yours with me!
Can’t wait to hear what you think,
Katie Amey
Entertainment Intern
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