Tuesday Tunesday

OK, we haven't done an iTunes shuffle day in awhile, so lets do it up!

MUSIC MONDAY.....

FAIL. Epic Fail in fact. You may have noticed that there was zero music yesterday. Zero posts in general actually. I suck at life, I know. I just couldn't get out of my turkey coma in order to blog. I will try to fix this today. I know it's not the same, but Tunes for Tuesday could be fun too! Stay with me guys- I'm gonna attempt to BRING THE PAIN.

Get It Tuesday

New Ghostfasce for your Tuesday? I thought you'd like that. I'm getting myself jazzed up for Thanksgiving. Nothing screams HOLIDAY MUSIC like a little Ghostface Killah.

Ghostface Killah - Together Baby: "Ghostface Killah - Together Baby"

Today's Lesson in Economic......

DEFLATION!

I appreciated this little economics refresher and thought you might too. I miss using my brain.

Na-Na-Na-Na-Naaaaa

It's the mother f**king D.R.E. [Dr. Dre mother trucker].

Check out some new Dr. Dre featuring Eminem. It's kind of Marshall's love anthem for Dre. How precious [I haven't said that about a rap song.......ever].

I Speak American, Too

This is clever. I could watch foreigners try to speak with an American accent all the live long day. Just don't try to speak in a British accent in front of Lisa Vanderpump [yes that's her real name] from The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. She will NOT find it amusing.

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

GET. ON. GROUPON.

It's easy-just click here! You can get amazing discounts on food, services, even clothes[American Apparel today- awwwww yeah]. Do it up kids.

Lawd, Lawd, Lawd

Y'all know that I loooove me some Real Housewives, especially the Real Housewives of Atlanta. Those ladies are no class and all sass and frankly, I can't get enough of it.

I also happen to adore Andy Cohen, who is Senior Vice President of Bravo [we can thank him for all of the trash we watch on a daily basis] and host of the Real Housewives after show, Watch What Happens Live. Andy tends to have the most random and hilarious guests and this week was no exception as Molly Shannon and Kristen Chenoweth made appearances.

You may remember when I posted a video a few months ago of Andy Cohen and Steven Colbert reenacting a scene from the Real Housewives of New York [hilarious!]. Andy took full advantage of having two comedic actresses on the show and had them reinact two scenes from Real Housewives of Atlanta. Take a looksee below.

The Original Scene:

The Housewives Playhouse Clip:


and

The Original Clip:


The Housewives Playhouse Clip:

Awwww Yeah

Das my light skinned boyfriend right there.

Don't mind if I do!

Divorce Is Not Treating Her Well

She looks a mess and needs to quit it with that hair.

HOLYDEVONSAWABATMAN!!!

Ahhh, the things that childhood dreams are made of. Summer time. First crushes. Posters of Devon Sawa.

Wait, what? Devon Sawa? Where did that come from?? I'll tell you where- he's back! Devon is back and just as yummy as ever.

Um- hello! Don't mind if I do. Unfortunately, his comeback involves an awful [i'm assuming] CW show called Nikita. Awful, or not, it might be worth watching to have that gorgeous face back in my lonely, lonely life.

Muuuuuusic Monday

I don't always love Norah Jones. Now, that isn't to say that she isn't always great, it's just my own personal tastes don't always go in her direction. Basically, it's not her it's me. Whatever the case, I am definitely digging her new album. Every single song is a collaboration with artists such as Willie Nelson, Herbie Hancock and even Talib Kweli [I think that was how she hooked me]. Check [most of] the album out below and purchase it for yourself!!

Loving This

New Adele!

Love, love, love her. So excited for her new album. I've wondered though, will she regret the trend of naming her albums after the age she was while recording once she reaches and exceeds 40? Hmmmmm...

MUSIC MONDAY

Alright kids, it's that time of week! Put your music pants on and get ready to boogie down, starting with the magnificent Tom Petty.

Oh Boy

How did this:

Turn into this:

Unemployment...

...sometimes doesn't sound so bad. Am I right? Stay up as late as I want [who am I kidding, i'd still be in bed by 11:30], sleep as late as I want, do whatever I want during the day time and collect checks from the government. Tell me what sounds awful about that!

Well, thanks to the chart below, I will not be trying to get fired from my job anytime soon. They make unemployment sound terrible.

If Cats Ruled The World....

Alligators wouldn't mess with ANYONE.

Am I Crazy...

or is America's favorite reality star starting to resemble another television actress?

To be clear, I am not dogging on Jessica's weight here [eat on baby!], but something about the hair, the exaggerated eyelashes, and the weirdly posed mouth in her picture reminded me of Miss Piggy. I'm JUST sayin'.

All Hail the Gel Nail

Recently, while getting a pedicure, I was reading one of the fabulously trashy celeb gossip magazines and for once learned something that was beneficial to my life. Well, in a superficial kind of way. There was an article on how Katy Perry does her nails and she mentioned that she loves doing the new gel color because it lasts for weeks! Weeks?

Weeks indeed. I decided to do a little research on this gel color, because who wouldn't love to have a perfect manicure for more than 24 hours? What I found is called OPI Axxium Gel Lacquer. It's a long lasting gel color that is set with UV light and is supposed to last up to two weeks. As a bonus, it comes in most of the OPI's more popular shades [including Lincoln Park After Dark, Russian Navy, and Cajun Shrimp]. I decided that I MUST have this done.

I did a little research and found 3 salons in the Nashville area that offer this service [but it seems as though it's a trend thats catching on, so there may be many more now that offer it]: Cashmere Salon in the Gulch, Venetian Nails and Signature Nails, both in Green Hills. Prices ranged from $35-$60 for the color, so naturally I went with the cheapest one [which happened to be Signatures]. While I was in New York, I noticed this service was being offered for $20-$25 so prices might be based on location.

Now let me tell you- this is not your mama's in and out polish change. It takes a bit of time [they told me 45 minutes, but it took much longer for me]. You essentially are given a normal manicure [nail filing, hand massage, hot towels, etc etc], but the color process is way more intense. There is a base coat on each hand that must be set with the UV light for at least 5 minutes [one hand at a time], then coat one of color that must be set with the UV light for at least 5 minutes, then a second coat, then a top coat, then additional UV light time. Mine took longer than it should have because I was not given this special piece of information: you need to stick your hand in, then stick your thumb in separately with the nail straight up. If you stick your entire hand in, the color will likely not set on the corner of your thumb that isn't getting directly hit by UV light. The process ends by spraying the nails with alcohol and wiping them. When they did that to mine, the color on the outer edges of my thumb came completely off. As a sidenote, I will say that I might have been the first person that Signatures had ever done. There was only one person who knew the process of the gel nail and all the other manicurists were gathered around trying to learn. They were all very surprised when the color came off, but happy to do my thumbs over, hence the 2 hour nail salon visit.

I must say, I was and still am extremely happy with how my nails turned out. My only complaint is that the alcohol removed the shine, but again, I cut a little slack since they all seemed new to the proceedure. It has now been exactly 3 weeks and my color is still going strong [although my nails are growing out, so I'll probably need to get the color removed soon. Don't wanna look too janky!], and my nails actually feel stronger and more thick. I just had my very first chip on Saturday, over two weeks after getting the color, and it was perfectly fixed with just a little bit of filing. I documented the grow out with the photos below.

I accidentally deleted my "immediately after the manicure" photo, but imagine a perfect manicure after leaving the salon.

Week 1

There's obviously a bit of grow out, but not a chip in sight.

Week 2

Again, some growth [thanks to the Biotin I'm taking], but no chips

Week 3 [Today]

It is just about time to get the color soaked off, which is the only other downfall- you have to go back to the salon to have the color removed. Don't try to chip it off or you can seriously damage your nails. I have not looked into whether or not they can do a color fill, but I imagine that they could [I just dont want to have the same nail color for the entire winter!].

Overall, I would highly recommend the gel lacquer for all you ladies, especially those whose nails grow at a snails pace. If you happen to check it out, let me know what you think!

Love,

Your Friend Lela

The CMA Awards pt.2- The Fashion

As I mentioned in my last post, I was very curious as to who was dressing these gals last night. I will say that nearly everyone's red carpet looks were pretty stellar, but some of the performance & presenting outfits were questionable [mostly from Carrie and Miranda].

Let's dissect.

WIN

Leave it to Nicole Kidman, a true movie star, to class up the night. While her dress is relatively low key for an awards show, the CMAs are more like the CMT Awards when you compare them to the fashions of the Oscars [where I'm sure Nicole is more comfortable], so I'm not mad at her. I'm loving the lace and the shoes really give it some sass. Oh, did I mention that she and Keith won the CMA for Cutest Couple Ever?

FAIL

I'm not quite sure what look Gwyneth Paltrow was going for on the Black Carpet, but what she wound up with was Miss America. That dress is over the top [although I noticed a lot of cutouts last night], the shoes are ugly and the hair is boring. Maybe next time?

MEH

I'm not mad at this dress, but I dont love it either. It's a nice color, but I dont find it to be very figure flattering for Miranda. The detailing at the hips makes her look wide, and she needs to take those big boobies and go home. I give her extra points for the gorgeous hair.

WIN

A risk taker! Finally! Love, love, love this dress- everything about it. A black carpet is a unique opportunity to try colors that would normally clash with a red carpet, and Hilary Scott hit it out of the park. This dress is adventurous while still being classic and well fitted. Well done!

FAIL

I really want to like this dress, but for some reason I just can't get behind it. I think it looks disproportionate because of the flair of the ruffles, then the disappearing act of the ruffles, then another flair of the ruffles. I think if the ruffles were consistent down the length of the skirt I would've given this a win, but I'm just not on board. Also, Carrie, please do something different with her hair. Try a different color, or extentions, or an updo, or just SOMETHING that is different. I'm bored with your style.

MEH

This dress is cute, but she looks more like she's ready for a night at the club [where she'd likely steal someone else's husband] rather than an awards show. Also, it looks like it's from Arden B? Cheap Cheap Cheap. At least she did something different with her hair [extra points for that].

WIN

Well, she didn't win Female Vocalist of the Year [laughs evilly], but she gets a win for her fashion. One thing that I will say about Taylor Swift is that she is almost always on point with her dress selections. This dress is slightly safe, but it's elegant, classic, and red is a color that she OWNS. Well done Little T. However, I'm deducting a few points for your lack of highlights. The color of her hair is literally greige. Brighten it up a bit love!

FAIL

I don't get this dress. Is it supposed to looks like Snakeskin? What's with her eye makeup? Just no.

MEH

I can't decide on this one. I actually LOVE the dress, but we seem to have another contender for the She Needs To Take Those Big Boobies and Go Home award. Also, what's with the mom hair and the awkward flashing of the diamond? It's not like she got engaged yesterday, right?

WIN

Julianne Hough- well done! I love the darker hair, I love the drama of the one shoulder, and I love the ruffles. My one complaint? DON'T WEAR BLACK ON A BLACK CARPET! We can't tell where your dress ends and the carpet begins. Other than that, you look gorgeous.

FAIL

It wasn't a red carpet look, but I still hated it. It looks like Carrie is getting ready for Easter dinner with the Kennedys. Just no.

MEH

The gals of Little Big Town are gorgeous, but I have a couple of issues. The dress on the right has a fabulous, fashion forward cut, but I'm not digging the velvet. The rouching and draping just don't really show through. If it had been in another fabric this definitely would've been a win. Homegirl on the left just looks like she didnt have the time to put into finding a fabulous looks, so she went to the Mother of the Bride department at Macy's and just bought something off the rack. Here's hoping she tries harder next time.

WIN

Leave it to the WIFE of a star to pull of a great look. This dress is a beautiful color, a great cut with soft ruffles that don't overdo it, and she is rocking it! Extra points for the cute clutch. Well done picking out your wife, Jason Aldean.

FAIL

No words.

MEH

I dont hate it, but perhaps its a bit short for someone of her age. To her credit, I'm possibly being too critical here. She looks good.

WIN

Laura Bell Bundy is known for being a bit silly, but she was not playing around with this look. This could possibly be my overall favorite for the night. Everything about this is perfection from the hair, to the lips, to the belt. GET IT GIRL- you look great!

FAIL

Ugly and Uglier in that order. No.

MEH

Why does Carrie always insist on wearing a cupcake when she performs?? The top of this dress is lovely. The bottom looks like it was stolen from a Disney Princess movie.

WIN

I love all these blues that we saw on the red carpet last night. Katherine's dress is gorgeous as is her hair. Just dramatic enough without going over the top. She looked like she was having so much fun during the show. Welcome to Nashville, K!

WIN

Another blue dress! I also love this one. I'm not very familiar with Steel Magnolias music, but I love the fashion sense. The layers remind me a bit of the Miley Cyrus dress that I posted a few days ago, so maybe I'm in a layered skirt phase [sounds like a personal problem]. I could do without the brooch on the top, but I'm not gonna dock her points for her.

I'm calling Laura Bell Bundy the overall winner of the black carpet. Who do you think looked the best and why?

Let's Talk CMAs!

Country Music's biggest awards show happened last night here in Nashville, and if I do say so myself, it was a pretty good show. Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood hosted again and I think that the CMA's will be hard pressed to find a funnier, more likeable host than BP. Carrie Underwood they could probably do without [sorry Carrie, I love ya, but your comedy chops aren't that strong yet].

There were lots of odd performances [Carrie and Miranda Lambert both did the most obscure songs from their albums-my are my least favorite and are automatically skipped over], a lot of boring performances [way to kill the show George Straight], but a lot of talent showcased.

Miranda Lambert stole the night [as she should have] winning Female Vocalist of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year and Video of the year. Get it, get it! If you don't have her most recent album, Revolution, I suggest getting it immediately. Heck, get all of her albums!

Male vocalist of the year went to Blake Shelton, which seemed to surprise a lot of folks [including me]. Not that he didn't deserve it, but I think that it was a bit of an upset. I had my fingers crossed for Dierks Bentley on that one [his bluegrass album, Up On The Ridge, is also worth a listen], but I suppose there's always next year.

The most hilarious moment of the show, in my humble opinion, was when they brought sweet Little Jimmy Dickens out, dressed for a flood. He is evidently the new warning system in case of emergencies. Brad says that when the water reaches LJD's neck he'll let out a screech at which point LJD whispers "Get out everybody!". I promise, it was hilarious.

The most interesting part of the night were the girls outfits. Who in the world was dressing these women?? More on that later.

And the most surprising part of the night was how well Gwyneth Paltrow did on her song. I've enjoyed her singing voice ever since the movie Duets came out, but I've always wondered if she could carry the weight live. Turns out she can. She seemed a bit nervous in the beginning, but never really stumbled and only seemed to get stronger. It's pretty sad when a random movie star can sing better than Country Music's biggest selling star. Check out her video below.

Did you watch the CMAs? What did you think?

Brilliant

Ben Folds, while not necessary progressive, is incredibly genius. He's still mostly known and loved for his classic work with Ben Folds Five and his first solo album, Rockin the Suburbs, but homie has been known to throw a few curve balls in order to keep things interesting. One of my all time favorite covers that he's done is Bitches Ain't Shit [I know a lot of you guys are with me on that], but this new cover definitely rivals it. Ben Folds covering Ke$ha. Dream or nightmare?

Whoa, Whoa, Whoa

There's going to be a 30 Rock SOUNDTRACK? That's either the best or worst idea that I've ever heard. Either way, mad props to Christopher Cross for writing a song specifically for the worlds most special GTS head writer, Liz Lemon.

Coming to a store near you on November 16th!

New Music Monday

Alright, our New Music Monday post comes courtesy of your local JCrew mens shopper. Andrew is hilarious and kind of known for being a goof, so I wasn't sure what to expect from his music [sorry buddy, just being truthful]. HOWEVER, I am really, really digging it [and there's my redemption]. Do me a favor- don't tell him I put him on my blog. We don't want his head getting any bigger. ;)

AKS Sampler by Andrew Kelley Simons

Check out his site here

Miley Wins

MTV's European Music Awards were last night [don't be sad if you missed them. if you saw the VMAs, you pretty much saw this show] in Madrid, Spain. A whole slew of stars were there, including Miley Cyrus. Now the fact that Miley was performing at an MTV event leads me to believe that Lady Gaga and Justin Beiber were unavailable [sorry Miles], but I will say that homegirl was ROCKING the red carpet.

That Dolce and Gabbana dress is fabulous! I'm not always mad at Miley's style. She's got a boho bone in her body and I can relate to that, but lately she has been kind of looking like a wreck. She hits it out of the park in this dress. I want to steal it and wear it for my wedding [that may or may not ever happen]. Good job, Miley. Keep up the good work!

I Am Officially Ashamed of Myself

...but I gotta give this lil Willow Smith some recognition. Homegirl is only TEN years old and she
has already got a hit song under her belt. If you haven't heard "Whip My Hair", then you must be living under a rock [Advice from Your Friend Lela- stay there]. I could be wrong, but it looks like if Willow whipped her hair in your direction, that shit could hurt. Just sayin.

HAPPY MUSIC MONDAY

I hope everyone had a great weekend! Mine was full of birthday love for Nuni, buying way too many pairs of boots, and my first attempt at gumbo [and if i do say so myself, it was pretty delicious].

This morning I can't stop listening to Azure Ray's Drawing Down the Moon, so I thought I'd share it with you. More music coming soon!

I Like My Beats Fast and My Bass Down Low

I could think of worse ways to kick Friday off than some bumpin music. I have been completely obsessed with Far East Movements "Like a G6" recently and have been checking out some music by Dev [the guest female vocal on the song]. Let me tell you- I ain't mad at her. It's like really trashy pop music that is actually well produced. Who knew?? Check it out below...

Since It Feels Like Winter Today....

...let's talk about Christmas music!!!! Only 11 days until the Glee Christmas Album is released. Wahoooooo! I accidentally started listening to Christmas music this week and, frankly, I don't regret my decision. I love all of my classic Christmas music that I've listened to for years, but I'm also super excited to have lots of really great new options for Christmas 2010 [Mariah's new cd anyone? You need to GET that]. Previews for the Glee album below!

No One In The Back Can Hear You

I'm pretty sure that the Shy Ronnie Digital Shorts on SNL are my absolute favorite. Check out Part 2, aptly called "Ronnie and Clyde" below.

This Cover Is Outrageous

Just Stop It

Oh Lady Gaga. My disdain for you grows on a daily basis, and this picture did nothing to help. If someone has to hold your hand in order for you to walk in a "fabulous" pair of shoes, then it's time to put down the crack pipe and pick up a pair of Chuck Taylors. Just be a regular person for a day or two. I promise it's fun.

Taylor Swift Does Not Deserve This

YUM.

Don't Call It A Comeback....

...cause it probably isn't! What an appropriate song for Amy Winehouse to cover. I don't need to see a picture of her cause homegirl sounds like a mess. Bless her heart.

I Got This Bitch

I love how Taylor Momsen tries to act like she's so cool and above it all, but bitch totally uses Beats by Dre headphones. Who's above it now Little J?

Um....What?

This kids gotta be from DEEEtroit, right?

Heaven Is A Mumford & Sons Show

I might just be the luckiest girl in the world. I was able to snag some last minute tickets to last nights Mumford & Sons show at War Memorial Auditorium and it was like a spiritual experience. I was able to see M&S at Bonnaroo and I wasn't sure that anything could top it, but boy was I wrong. War Memorial was, hands down, the BEST venue in Nashville for them to play at [big ups

to AEG on that one] and the setting, combined with their lighting, combined with the pure musicianship was almost too much for this girl to handle! I got a little camera happy and thought I'd share a few pics with you guys. If, by some chance, you don't know who Mumford & Sons are, then stop what you are doing and run, don't walk, to your local record store and pick up "Sigh No More". You won't regret it, I promise.

Also, I missed the first opening band, but the direct support band, Cadillac Sky, was also really, really great. Check them out as well!

I was able to catch a little bit of video on wagon wheel. My apologies in advance for any queasiness you may experience.