Viva Las Vegas! Billboard Music Awards Back in Town.

The fabulous invitation is housed in an onyx metallic portfolio

Rehearsal

See, just like us ordinary folk!

A favorite stop of mine in the MGM GRAND

A seating chart you can really visualize

Carrie Underwood in dress rehearsal - gorgeous even though the photo doesn't do her justice

Yes, I am a wedding stalker

Cinnamon Monkey Bread, signature dessert at craftsteak - so yummy that I forced it  on everyone at our table before our private Kelly Clarkson concert

Decor at Kelly Clarkson Concert - MGM Ballroom

The seating here was white leather but the lights reflect green

Like watermelon

               Kelly Clarkson, singing "Dark Side"... she was even better than expected!

Day of run thru

My husband and I are ready to go

Tickets and the after-party invite on silver metallic paper

The Whitney Houston Tribute was wonderful - Jordan Sparks amazing! The crowd was given little finger lights to use during this moment

Cee Lo Green never disappoints - love the white with crystal bling Adidas warm ups

With Carson Kressley at The Mirage, my new BFF who happens to have a fabulous calling card, see below!

Ecru card with black and gold ink, engraved - classic!

Just for Keith: A Taste of Nashville in 48 Hours

I love Steve Martin -  but I guess not enough.  Martin and his band the Steep Canyon Rangers, won entertainer of the year last Thursday night at the 2011 International Bluegrass Music Awards in Nashville and I had no idea he was seriously in the music business. Who knew?  Obviously not me.

But, I do know about Keith Urban and that was what got us to Nashville for 48 hours over the summer. A birthday request to see him in concert - so off we went. And now, it is one of our favorite cities. We only made a dent and we will be heading back for sure.

Our highlights:

Friday - arrive mid-afternoon and head to our hotel.

Hutton Hotel in Nashville - great boutique hotel with lots of style and centrally located. The staff is super nice - as we found most people in the Nahsville to be. Highly recommend.

Hotel Lobby

Mad dash for a tour of Vanderbilt University. Even in the rain it is still gorgeous and impressive.  And look at the great colors in some of the libraries.

A twisty campus tree

Yummy blue ceiling

Loving the green walls

1808 Grille - located in the Hutton Hotel so obviously it was convenient for us (just an elevator ride). Sophisticated and approachable food and we loved the decor - modern but not cold. White accessories and great lighting. Also, they opened 1/2 hour early for us so we could eat dinner and still get to the Grand Ole Opry show on time -  that's southern hospitality for ya!

Hush Puppies

Grand Ole Opry - a must. A little hokey but fun.

Nice Suit

Saturday - still raining but we must go to the Pancake Pantry, apparently a Nashville tradition (with a very long wait).

 The Country Music Hall of Fame . Lots to absorb and we skipped the guided tour. Fun to see all the displays  - from Carrie Underwood's dress (like 15K swarovski crystals!!??)  to Elvis' car and piano (there are some very weird things there too -  along the lines of stuffed squirrels).

Pre Keith Urban we ate at Puckett's which was fantastic! Located in the Honky Tonk part of town and near the venue. We fall in love - with fried okra (get the ribs too).

Try it at home with Paula Dean's fried okra recipe.

And, now, the reason for our trip - Keith Urban - just look at him!

The show was fabulous! We also like Jake Owen who was the warm up.

Sunday, we leave mid morning knowing we will return - the trip was just not long enough.
But please, the real highlight of the trip for me ...

sisters...priceless

What's Green about the Red Carpet?

2 days away from the Oscars and there is a lot in film this year to celebrate. Diverse topics and themes - from madness to overcoming adversity to social networking and more; easy springboards for meaningful cocktail and dinner conversation. My personal favorite for best picture is The King's Speech even though it might be less historically meaningful than The Social Network.  For best actor, I have to go with Colin Firth. Hands down. And did you know that Colin Firth and his wife, Livia,  own a store in the UK called Eco-Age ?

Eco Age home page:

"We at Eco Age work with the best of national and international designers to bring you the best from the sustainable world. From toys to bespoke furniture, green cleaning products to energy saving gadgets, this is the place to be."

Many of the nominees have a "green" association but what are some of the green films this year?

Waste Land and Gasland are the two of the better known films in this category and both are up for Best Documentary. Waste Land is set in Rio de Janeiro and depicts life for those who depend on and make their living "picking" from the world's largest garbage dump/landfill. Gasland - see trailer above - is a view into natural gas extraction via hydraulic fracturing. Both films were winners at Sundance.  Gasland received additional attention, as did actor Mark Ruffalo, (one of my favorites and up for Best Supporting Actor in The Kids are All Right) when it was rumored that he was put on the terrorist watch list by the Office of Homeland Security in Pennsylvania - he did organize several screenings of this film. (Other eco-impact films include Sun Come Up and Warriors of Quigang - I have not watched these yet.)


I read somewhere that Livia Firth put up a challenge for this year's awards season  - to wear sustainable fashion on the red carpet. Well, I am up for this challenge but I will not be anywhere near the red carpet Sunday night; I will be home in an organic cotton tee shirt and snacking on organic popcorn. I think this counts.

The Town

So last weekend we went to the movies, Wall Street and then The Town. Wall Street was good but The Town, well, it was amazing - to me, one of the best of 2010. Aside from more screen time for Jon Hamm (a yummy Mad Man) there are so many reasons to see this #1 movie. Ben Affleck gives a  terrific performance in addition to directing this Heist flick.  Jeremy Renner (from The Hurt Locker) is so intense and when he is on screen you cannot take your eyes off of him and Blake Lively is an out of character surprise too; really the entire cast is wonderful. The lead female actress reminds me so much of a girl I worked with way back when - Emily M. - that I don't even want to remember that her name is actually Rebecca. I loved the story telling (1 small leap of faith I did need to make near the beginning of the movie), love the gritty cinematography, and I found the note at the end of the movie referencing the majority of law abiding citizens of The Town especially thoughtful.

Plus, the bank robber masks are a shoe in for Halloween. Like a hybrid between a mutant ninja turtle and a nun.

Now you see 'em, now you doughn't

I am not really a doughnut girl but I have to say that the "famous" homemade doughnuts we had at Lola in Seattle are not your ordinary doughnuts. Our waitress suggested - rather insisted - that we order them with our breakfast.  So, we got one order to share between the four of us. Mistake. They were gone in about 2 seconds flat. Nothing can quite compare to these handmade doughnuts; airy, not too sweet and a perfect amount of sugared crunch with each bite. There are definitely no Kinks in these little guys. So, while I highly recommend the doughnuts at Lola when you are next in Seattle, I must caution against sharing - you absolutely must get your own order.

(Another attraction for me was the font - on the plate/logo. Seems to fit just right.)

Going

Going

Gone

And, speaking of doughnuts - I am so proud of my friend for publishing her first novel : Life, Death and Doughnuts. (It is her 5th book.) Yes, I am giving her a plug right here.

Please let me know if there are any other doughnuts that might compare to Lola's.

Ya Ya Ya Ya

I spent the morning yesterday at the Ya Ya Living Showroom in Los Angeles and am in love with all of the handmade papers! Colors and textures abound! 

Shown above is an insert card folded into a tent size place card - I am using them tonight at a dinner party we are hosting for 30. The paper is handmade in India and then hand block printed with a traditional design. Behind the insert card is a one of a kind handmade pink and gold stamped stamped greeting card.

Insert cards sold in packs of 10 for $9, greeting cards are $8. Because they are handmade, there will be slight variations piece to piece.

Email me if interested.

Next week I will show off some of the exotic and handmade wrapping papers.

Are you Lost? I Am So Lost.

Yes, I am so LOST.
There is really not much to say about the end of one of the most original and captivating TV shows ever that has not already been said. And, while I was sad to have it come to end, I did feel satisfied with a well done and lovely send off (except that I really don't know why Penny was in the Church).
That is the question that I keep asking. So, if anyone knows, please fill me in.
Namaste.

Click here for everything LOST.
Photo is courtesy of and from the ABC website for LOST.

And, don't even get me going - I also lost 24 this week.

What Are You Looking At?

WELCOME TO MIP AND CANNES


OUTSIDE MAIN PALAIS



INSIDE THE PALAIS



LOVE THE RED BAR STOOLS ABOVE AT THIS BOOTH (I THINK THE BOOTH WAS FROM SPAIN)



READING MATERIALS PERTAINING TO ENTERTAINMENT AND MIP HAPPENINGS - IN DIFFERENT LANGUAGES


NOTE THE PALE GREY DAMASK PATTERN ABOVE AS THE BACKDROP AT THIS BOOTH



MEETING ON THE HIGH SEAS (WELL, IT COULD HAVE BEEN BUT THE BOAT WAS DOCKED)

Welcome to MIPTV. "MIP" is THE international TV convention that takes place in Cannes, France in April of each year; MIPCOM, of a similar nature is held in October each year. Essentially it is a content market where producers, distributors, networks and the like converge to meet, greet, discuss, view, collaborate, form partnerships perhaps - main objective to buy and sell TV shows. Sometimes it is the show format that is on display, sometimes already produced TV episodes - all for your viewing pleasure. New trends, hot topics and networking fill the day.

Over 13, 000 people attend from over 100 countries (per MIPTV), from China to Nigeria to Israel, Korea and all places in between. Attendees are professionals from the entertainment industry and you must be registered to attend and the price tag is high. Journalists can register as well. The main event, where the exhibitor booths are located, is in the Palais but follow-ups and other meetings are held around the fabulous town of Cannes. Yachts and Cafes and major hotels are typical venues.

Will Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution be "coming soon to Chinese TV"? Where will Jersey Shore travel to? The Singing Bee (currently in the US on CMT) does exist in Greece (and many other countries around the world). How many countries have Big Brother? Where else is the world will the new reality series with Donald Trump and Omarosa air? (It will air in the US starting in June). Dramas, factual programming, serious documentaries, junior and family programming, new game shows. Can you keep your hand on the car longer than the person next to you? Yes, there really is going to be a show where contestants have to keep their hand on a car in order to win - last man standing takes the keys. There are programs that focus on the environment, the planet, biotechnology, history - there really is something for everyone. And, if not, well at least you are in Cannes.

FYI - It was my first MIP and I found the experience quite wonderful in that ideas are shared, that cultural barriers are crossed (or not) and that in a sense, TV, becomes a universal language. How poetic that language is I leave up to you, the viewer.
Advice: wear comfortable shoes.

Purple Reign

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The color purple. Red + Blue. Not to be confused with violet. Historically, it was the color of royalty because it was so expensive to obtain. Weight for weight the dye was as expensive as silver - kind of like how expensive pure saffron is today. The ancient Phoenicians created the Tyrian purple/ imperial purple color dye from mucous (never thought I'd be using that word here) secretions from the hypobranchial (or that one) glands of certain predatory sea snails gathered from the Mediterranean Sea. The Spiny Dye Murex. Why am I so focused on purple? Check out the invitation above created recently for a very special boy who requested purple during our very first meeting. He was quite sure of his choice and I think the collaboration was a royal success.




Twig & Fig letterpress invite. Bronze folder.
Ancient Phoenicians lived along the eastern shores of the Mediterranean; today's Syria and Lebanon.
Tyrian purple is probably closer to magenta than the purple shown here.