my addiction to Netflix is actually educational

As the summer is quickly coming to an end I'm starting to think about what I've done so far this summer. Besides creating this blog, going to Israel and completing my first novel (keep an eye for it!), I haven't done that much anything else. My daily schedule consists of waking up sometime between 11 am to 2 pm, running errands with my mom and then watching TV on Netflix. Oh and sometimes going to a doctor's appt. I know it sounds extremely unproductive, which it is, but I'd like to think that I learned something valuable from each of the shows I've watched. And I'd also like to highly recommend these shows because they're phenomenal in my opinion. (Warning: you will become addicted.)

30 Rock

What it is: A comedy series on NBC that ran for 7 seasons from 2006-2013

Starring: Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin, Tracy Jordan, Jack McBrayer, John Adsit and Jane Krakowski

About the Show: 30 Rock was created by Tina Fey and is largely based off her time as the head writer and a performer on Saturday Night Live. The show follows Liz Lemon (played by Fey) as she tries to manage the crazy cast of her comedy sketch show "TGS with Tracy Jordan."

Characters:

Kenneth, Liz, Tracy, Jack & Jenna

• Liz Lemon: the head writer of TGS; she spends most of her time fixing the crazy problems of her cast and writers while trying to stay sane; she has a love for greasy junk food & is by far the funniest cast member 
• Jack Donaghy: a corporate executive who is not only Lemon's boss, but her self appointed mentor; he is power hungry, business savvy and a smoother talker who loves Capitalism, Scotch and money 
• Jenna: the shows neurotic and narcissistic yet lovable actress/singer 
• Tracy Jordan: the unpredictable, dim-witted & self obsessed super-famous actor brought onto the show to boost ratings
• Kenneth Parcel: the Christian Southern page whose innocence is both endearing and hilarious; he truly believes he is everyone's friend
• The Writers: Pete, Toofer, Lutz and Frank are a mixture of geeky cool, lazy and hilarious

What I Learned from Watching: I watched the first 6 seasons (the 7th season comes out on Netflix in September) in less than 6 weeks and I'm not one bit embarrassed. I learned from 30 Rock that laughter can cure almost anything and that being yourself is way cooler than trying to be "cool."

Game of Thrones

What it is: A fantasy drama television show on HBO that has 3 aired seasons so far

Starring: This show has so many characters that are brought on and/or killed off in each episode, but notable stars that have survived all 3 seasons are Emilia Clarke and Peter Dinklage

About the Show: This show is set in the fictional countries of Westeros and Essos. The show consists of various interweaving plot lines that include: a civil war to determine who should rule the Iron Throne of the Seven kingdoms, an exiled member of an overthrown dynasty who is raising an army to retake the throne, and the mysterious creatures of the North who are showing up as Winter arrives. The plot seems confusing at first, but after a couple of episodes I promise you'll understand everything and be enraptured by the show!!

Some of the cast

Characters: There are way too many characters in this show to list them all and their role/importance. And I also don't want to give anything away that would ruin the show before you've even watched it! But the main family names to look out for are:

• Stark
• Greyjoy
• Snow
• Lannister
• Baratheon
• Targaryen

What I Learned from Watching: I understand that this show includes a lot of mythical and magical components, but it taught me to be careful regarding who you trust and that you can always count on your family to have your back. Although you may not understand or like the decisions they make and vice versa, you'll always be in one another's lives to support and help each other.

Orange is the New Black

What it is: A comedy-drama series available only on Netflix; season one just ended

Starring: Taylor Schilling, Laura Prepon and Jason Biggs

About the Show: The show focuses on Piper Chapman who is sentenced for 15 months in federal prison for transporting drug money 10 years prior. The drug money was for Piper's ex-girlfriend, Alex  Vause, who is in the same prison Piper ends up in. Although the show revolves around Piper it also gives the other inmates intriguing and personal background stories and shows the inner workings and relations of life in prison.

Characters:

the inmates the show focuses on

• Piper Chapman: goes to prison for carrying drug money for her former lover; she deals with finding her "place" in prison with the other inmates and re-evaluating her feelings for her ex-girlfriend Alex
• Larry Bloom: Piper's fiancé who feels confident enough in their relationship that he thinks they can survive her sentence; he's a struggling writer looking for his big break
• Alex Vause: Piper's ex who worked for an international drug cartel until being caught and put in prison; she never got over Piper and still has feelings for her
• George Mendez: a correctional officer who is creepy, corrupt and abusive of his authority
• Daya: an inmate who falls in love with a correctional officer and has to deal with her strained relationship with her mom who is in the same jail
• Red: the inmate in charge of the kitchen; she is the "mom" of many inmates and runs the prison behind the scenes

What I Learned from Watching: Even though Piper only carried drug money once and it was when she was right out of college and trying to "rebel", her actions caught up to her. I definitely learned that all actions have consequences so thinking before you act can be extremely important in the long-run.

See? Netflix addictions can be educational. Look at all the things I learned from just 3 shows! Does anyone have TV show suggestions of what I should watch next?

Tween Stars Live!

Today I had the opportunity to go to the Teen Stars Live venue in Chicago. The Teen Stars Live Tour was a 2-day event in Detroit & Chicago with stars from well-known popular TV shows from Disney and Nickelodeon. My aunt Judy works for Celebrity Events Group, which is "an experiential and interactive entertainment agency" that is based in Michigan. She helped produce the Teen Stars Live show and whenever she has a venue in Chicago, my mom and I volunteer to help her out.

The celebrities on the Teen Stars Live Tour were:

The celebs & I :)

• Peyton List (Emma from "Jessie") 
• Adam Irigoyen (Deuce from "Shake It Up")
• Jennifer Stone (Harper from "Wizards of Waverly Place")
• Calum Worthy (Dez from "Austin & Ally")
• Raven Goodwin (Ivy from "Good Luck Charlie")
• Alexandria DeBerry (Paisley from "A.N.T. Farm")
• Daniella Monet (Trina from "Victorious")
• Davis Cleveland (Flynn from "Shake It Up)

My mom and her two friends who had volunteered to help out were in charge of merchandise: t-shirts, posters, snow globes & key chains all sporting the Teen Stars Live logo. I helped my aunt out with checking in parents and children for the special "meet & greet"that was being held after the two hour show. I felt like almost all of the families there had bought wristbands for the meet and greet because the line seemed to go on forever! I felt like a pro at checking off people's last names and putting on their orange wristbands by the time the show started.

Jennifer Stone

I did watch some of the show, which included a Q&A session and some "scenes" that fans could participate in with the actors. But for most of the show I hung out backstage and helped with cleaning up and getting ready for lunch. I saw some of the actors during lunch, but didn't ask for pictures then because I could tell that they just wanted to relax and hang out before they would have to go back out with their fans.

After they finished lunch and before they had their autograph session, me and a couple of the other girls who were helping out got to take pictures with the stars. They were super nice! It was weird seeing how normal and down-to-earth they are; most of the celebrities were there with their families. I loved
talking to Jennifer Stone. We had a 5-minute conversation about watches, which we both have an obsession with! We were both wearing Michael Kors watches and it was funny that we were bonding over such a mundane and normal thing.

All in all the day was really fun! Even though I grew up with TV shows like Lizzie McGuire and Drake & Josh, it was cool meeting actors from the newer generation of television. They were nice and it was a breath of fresh air to see how my favorite people (aka celebrities) actually are in real life. It also made me want to be famous even more, but that's a whole other story. I made a video of my behind the scenes day; hope you enjoy!!

Behind the Scenes of the Teen Stars Live

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKILsAzyakc

4 years of friendship to 40 days of dating

I feel like I'm some sort of physic or something. Well not really, but I feel like I stumble upon things and then soon after they become extremely successful and well-known. Like Justin Bieber, for instance. I was watching YouTube videos of an amazing singer named Esmee Denters. One day while watching her videos she was singing with a cute little boy... aka JUSTIN FREAKIN' BIEBER. I thought he was a really good singer, but didn't think too much about him after that. Then about a year later Justin Bieber got "discovered" by Usher and the rest is history. So basically I'm good at scouting something before it gets big.

This recently happened again. I saw a random link on Facebook and ended up on a website called 40 Days of Dating. The website is a blog of an experiment created and carried out by two designers based in New York, Jessica Walsh and Timothy Goodman. They've been friends for four years and are both at a point in their lives when they're fed up with the dating scene. They decided to start an experiment where they date for 40 days to see what would happen: love, a ruined friendship, a better friendship? 

Their blog tracks everyday of the experiment and both Jessie and Tim fill out a detailed questionnaire about what's going on, how they're feeling and any thoughts/comments. It's pretty much like a mixture of an extremely addictive book and TV show. Once I discovered it I couldn't help but going back to see what a new day of dating had led to for the two of them. 

Jessie

Tim

But a blog post a day wasn't cutting it for my newfound love for Jessie and Tim's relationship. So I decided to Google them to see if I could find anything more about them. I couldn't. Their website wasn't even on the first page of the google search when I looked it up! But lo and behold, a couple of days later I looked again and Huffington Post and numerous magazines had articles written about the experiment. Excuse me?! It's like I had found Jessie and Tim's experiment only a few days before the rest of the world did. 

Anyway, you should check out their blog if you get the time. It's really a cool idea what they're doing. And I'll keep you guys posted on any more things I stumble upon so you can look it up before it becomes a successful hit! 

Summer Break/Fan Girl Moment

I love stalking celebrities online. I know they deserve their privacy and all that jazz, but they're just so glamorous and good looking and talented! Obviously I want to be famous, but I'll just live vicariously through the Hollywood starlets until then. The site I'm always on to keep up with the fabulous lives of the famous is Perez Hilton. I'm constantly on his website because he covers everyone who's anyone.

A new annoying thing that has started is advertisements playing before you get to watch the actual video you want to see. So whenever I would watch an interview, music video or movie trailer I would be forced to watch an advertisement for something. Well the advertisement that's been playing on Perez's videos for basically the past summer is something called @SummerBreak. It could not be any vaguer. Like what?

So of course, being the curious young girl that I am, I did some digging. Summer Break is a reality show on YouTube. The whole show is played out through social media sites (mostly YouTube, but Instagram and Twitter, too). Episodes are posted every day on the Summer Break YouTube channel and are 2-5 minutes, except on Sundays when the episodes are 15 minutes. What's really awesome about the show is that each episode is posted a couple of days after its filmed so you get really involved in what's going on with the people on the show!! I'm not going to lie, I binge watched the fist 15 episodes in one sitting. It's sooooo addicting!

The YouTube page for @SummerBreak

Here's the low down on the characters and what their deal is.

Connor: Connor is a major hottie who just got out of a 3 year on-off relationship with Karli. He's Clara's best friend and they've hooked up before, but are still just friends. He's a goofball who's always down to have a good time. 
Trevis: Trevis is one of the cast members who hasn't graduated. His two best friends are Ray and Zaq. He's really good at making sure those around him are happy and keeping everyone in a chill mood.
Ray: I'm not sure if Ray is actually semi-gangster or if it's an act, but he's really funny and cool. He's constantly laughing and spitting out funny raps. Him and Whitney have a blossoming "relationship" that's on hold while Whitney is away at a summer program.
Zaq: He is the group cutie/puppy dog. He's madly in love with Clara and they're sorta-kinda hooking up, but he's a lot more into it than her. He's very sensitive and seems to be a drama king, but he means well and just wants to be everyone's friend
Rain: Clara's ex-boyfriend who I'm pretty sure has an accent. Him and Karli hooked up when he was dating Clara, which ended their relationship and Karli & Clara's friendship. Not sure where he stands with anyone in the group.
CBass: He's Kostas' best friend. He's a freaking riot and everything he says makes me laugh because he's so hilarious. He's definitely a fan favorite.
Kostas: He is one of the hottest guys ever. Him and Alex have a little bit of a flirtation, but him and Raina are "hooking up." He's friends with everyone and has a great sense of humor.
Karli: Karli is Connor's ex. Her and Clara have some awkwardness because they've both hooked up with each other's exes (possibly when they weren't exes, but actually boyfriends). She's best friends with Alex so she hangs out with the group.
Alex: Alex is a tomboy who has mad game. She's cutesy and has a major crush on Kostas, although it's unclear whether he's going to hookup with her when he already kinda likes Raina. Her best friend is Karli.
Lena: Lena is Clara's best friend although they had a falling out and haven't talked "for real" since then. She's been dealing with her dad's cancer throughout the show and has a really positive attitude. I think she overreacted a bit in her fight with Clara, but they both have good arguments! I hope they make up.
Clara: Clara is definitely my girl crush. She's easy going, funny and sweet. And not to mention super pretty. She used to date Rain, then hooked up with Connor and now is sorta hooking up with Zaq. Lena is her best friend although they're fighting and she has awkward tension with Karli.
Whitney: One of Alex's best friends who has a "thing" with Ray. She's funny and I really like her personality!
Raina: She's a drop dead gorgeous model who just moved to California and has a "thing" with Kostas. We haven't really gotten to know her yet, but she seems nice.


I'm addicted to the show and can't wait to wake up each morning to watch the newly posted episode! I've followed the whole cast on every social media site possible because I'm that enthralled by their lives. I decided to tweet to Raina, Clara and Lena just because they've replied to other fans on Twitter and guess what?! I GOT RESPONSES!!!!!!!!! Total fan girl moment that I will never forget!!!!!

Raina's Twitter Response

Lena's Twitter Response

Still waiting for Clara to respond...

all hail the british

The Royal Baby is finally here! I’ve been anxiously awaiting the birth of the future ruler of England along with the rest of the world. I'm obsessed with William and Kate and have been tracking their relationship since they first started dating in 2003 (yes, I know I was extremely young, but what can I say?) The LifeTime movie based on their relationship is my go-to movie and I could watch it over and over without getting even slightly bored.

I’ve followed every step of Kate's pregnancy from her maternity clothes to which hospital the newborn was going to be delivered at. So no surprise that I was jumping with joy when I found out that their baby boy had been born. There’s not much to report on the baby except for that he’s healthy and adorable and royal, of course, so I’ve decided to dedicate this post to England in general. Although I’ve never been to England, I plan to go sometime in the future and I am a huge fan of all that the country has to offer. The list of my favorite people from England could go on for pages, but I’m going to keep it relatively short for your sake!

David & Victoria Beckham

Not only are they probably the hottest couple to ever live, they both are extremely talented. David Beckham is internationally renowned football (or soccer) player. Even though he's recently retired, his career was outstanding and he was the first English player to win league titles in four different countries. His wife, Victoria Beckham, or formally known as Posh Spice is an international legend without the help of her husband. Not only was she one of the Spice Girls, which as a 90's child myself is the coolest girl group in the world, but she's a fashion & style icon as well. On top of all of this, the Beckham's have the world's best-looking  children with the coolest names (Brooklyn, Romeo, Cruz & Harper).

David & Victoria Beckham

Cara Delevigne

Cara Delevigne is my dream best friend. Not only is she stunningly beautiful (she's my woman crush), but she's hilarious as well. Cara is a huge social media junkie and isn't afraid to show her fans and the world just how quirky she is. She posted a photo on Instagram not to long ago with bird poop on her face after a pigeon pooped on her. Videos of her on YouTube have her joking around with friends and making funny faces. She's made being a supermodel into something cool and fun rather than scary and intimidating. The fact that she's 20 and hasn't let the fame and fortune get to her is something admirable. She's best friends with Rihanna, which is brownie points for her as well! 

Cara being silly :P

   One Direction

I don't care if you think it's embarrassing that I love One Direction because I do. Not only do I think they're adorable, but they're really talented. I know that Niall is from Ireland, but 4/5 of them are from England so whatever. These boys don't pretend to be something they're not, which I really like about them. They party, swear and say inappropriate things just like normal teens. A lot of teen stars in America get slack for not being perfect role models, but One Direction definitely embraces the fact that they're young and famous and they just have fun with it! Not to mention the fact that they're all extremely cute and I would date any one of them!! 

1D

Alexander McQueen

Must I say anymore than the name itself? Alexander McQueen is the founder of the fantastically fabulous brand by the same name. Although I doubt I could even afford an inch of one of his pieces, they're still iconic and I get a thrill out of every season's latest pieces.

Alexander McQueen Spring-Summer Fashion

Elton John 
Elton John is one of my favorite artists out there. I rented a "Best of Elton John" CD from the library when I was younger and downloaded it onto my computer and ever since then I've been hooked. His voice, lyrics and musical compositions are beautiful and catchy all in one. His songs are the only "oldies" that I willingly allow my mom to play in the car when we are driving together. Oh, and he's also a Sir which just makes him ten times cooler.

Sir Elton John

twerk it out

If you don't know what twerking is... oh boy are you in for a treat. Twerking is a type of dance. There's not an easy way to describe the dance move because it involves in extremely fast thrusting of the hips and shaking of the butt in every direction. I'm not sure who started the twerking trend or how it boomed into popularity, but now that it's here, it's here to stay! 

I knew about twerking because most people under the age of 25 know what twerking is. But by no means could I actually twerk. I tried to learn one night at a party with my friends, but looked like I was humping the air so I decided to call it quits. That is until I was on Vine the other night. 

My nightly ritual before I go to bed is to go on Vine (it's an app that allows users to create short, multi-scene videos). I always end up stumbling upon really funny users and stalking all of their previous videos. Two nights ago I came across the Vine user Terrell Cabral. He's a teenage boy who has a phenomenal talent for twerking. Him and his best friend Carlos Andrade (also a Vine user) have amazing videos of them dancing and twerking their asses off. I was seriously amazed by them! So I wrote #twerk in the Vine search engine and watched about an hours worth of short clips of being twerking. I was insanely jealous. Why can't my butt move and shake like that!? 

So tonight I enlisted my dad to help me learn how to twerk. Of course he kept pronouncing twerk incorrectly (saying torque instead) and thought I was going to break a bone attempting to wiggle like that. But since he can never say no to me (mwahahah), he agreed to watch YouTube videos to help teach me how to learn. We watched 3 videos and then it was time to  practice for real. He had decided to join in on the fun since he was intrigued with the whole thing. I think I improved minimally from my last attempt, but they say practice makes perfect, right?! I'm going to keep practicing the rest of the summer so hopefully by the time school starts, I can whip out my ass-jiggling new dance move at a frat party :)


Popular Twerking Songs:

Gas Pedal by Sage the Gemini
Twerk It by V.I.C.
Booty Me Down by Kstylis
Don't Drop That Thun Thun Thun by Finatticz
WOP by J Dash 

The Infamous Video of Miley Cyrus Twerking in a Unicorn Onesie