For my most recent L.A. Cupcakes MeetUp, about 25 of us visited Frosted Cupcakery in Hollywood, per the suggestion of Julie at LAist (her post). Lucky for us, we just happened to have visited on their one month anniversary of their new shop on Highland, however, their original location in Long Beach is over four years old.
I have to say after visiting 28 different cupcake shops over the last three years in Los Angeles, I was skeptical. However, I was pleased to find that Frosted was refreshingly original. All of their cupcakes were moist and I loved trying their cupcake of the month, which was a sweet apple cinnamon. Their orange cream cheese cupcake tasted like orange sherbet and I enjoyed their lemon cupcake, which wasn't too tart. Other favorites from the group was the peanut butter cupcake, which was like a crumpled Butterfinger on top and their red velvet mini's were also yummy.
Frosted also offers ice cream cupcakes and unlike chain's that offer ice cream cupcakes, their cake wasn't dry.
Some of the attendees also picked up some pupcakes, which are meat filled cupcakes for dogs. Prices are $2.95 for each regular cupcake, $2.00 for a bag of three pupcakes and $4.95 for jumbo ice cream cupcakes. Also, on the first of every month there is a Mini Social where customers are given a free flavor of the month mini.
Oh, and check out my latest cupcake tee:
For more photos from our trip to Frosted, please click here.
-The Weblog Review
Frosted Cupcakes in Hollywood
Inside the Midnight Grammy Brunch Hosted By Ne-Yo
With The Golden Globes, SAG awards & Grammys all being at the end of January, there is something exciting and frustrating about living in Los Angeles during awards season. It is exciting being so close to such massive events, but frustrating sometimes being outside looking in. Luckily for me this year, it’s the former as I’ve scored a spot on the press line to the exclusive 3rd Annual Midnight Grammy Brunch from OK! Magazine and Compound Entertainment.
Held annually on the eve of the Grammy® Awards, music’s hottest stars joined host Ne-Yo at the new W Hollywood Hotel & Residences for a late night party featuring DJ Miss Saigon, and a special performance by Melanie Fiona. Among the 300 attendees were Ashanti, Natalie Cole, Lil Mama, Michelle Williams from Destiny’s Child, Tristan Wilds, Quinton Aaron, Gabourey Sidibe, Briana Evigan, JoJo, Tamara Mowry and more (Read more).
Red carpet photos taken with my new Canon SX20 camera:
PH8 Party
Today, all PH8 Stores are holding a party with healthy refreshments, 25% off and a free accessory (invite here). So, I headed to their Sherman Oaks location to check it out.
PH8 (pronounced ‘fate’) is bebe’s newly launched retail concept set to replace BEBESPORT stores throughout the US and Canada. The clothing features an active-inspired sportswear collection that extends way beyond the gym. According to press materials, "The look is effortless sexy, modern & hip and is designed for the busy on-the-go woman as she weaves her way through her varying lifestyle activities. PH8 works anywhere – at the gym, after the gym, jaunts to the farmer’s market, a quick lunch with friends, an afternoon coffee with the ‘girls’. It’s also the perfect way to dress when traveling." Since I do all of the above--except go to the gym--I figured this style would fit me well, especially living in Los Angeles, where the dress code is fashionably casual. The PH8 collection includes clothing, accessories, bags, shoes and jewelry and prices range from $19 to $139.
I tried on five items and ended up buying all of them, including Jasmine vinyl flat shoes (photo) with pink jewels on them that could be worn during the day for fun or to dress up an outfit at night; a sports tee with a star studded wings design with matching stretchy black workout pants; an amazingly soft gray sweater (below), and a black zip front sporty dress (photo), which Raphael loved on me.
Also, I had to take a photo of these two female store clerks who were decked out in PH8 gear:
After paying for my purchases and cashing in on the 25% off discount and receiving a ball of hair bands as the free accessory, my items were put in a reusable pink tote instead of a shopping bag, very cool.
The Go Green Expo and Valentine's Day plans
Over the weekend, I attended the second annual Go Green Expo at the Los Angeles Convention Center, during the same time and place as the auditions for America's Got Talent (photo), the LA Art Show and LA Fitness Expo. It was particularly fun watching the different groups exiting the crowded LACC parking garage, from the artists, to beefed up guys, to a woman dressed as a mime. I headed on to the 300+ booths devoted to eco-friendly living though.
It was hard coming into the tail end of the keynote speech by actress and holistic living author Mariel Hemingway, as she and the other panelists were speaking about the cultivation of bees, so I spent most of my time browsing the exhibition booths. From solar powered backpacks to electric bicycles, organic beauty products, clothing and green pet care, if it was green, it was at this expo. It was a bit overwhelming, but below are a few things that caught my eye during my visit. (Read more at my Huffington Post article)
Also, see what I'm doing for Valentine's Day and find other V-Day events going on in Los Angeles, New York, Boston, Seattle, San Francisco, San Diego, Chicago and DC at GoldStar's special "Sweet Picks" roundup. I appear in the second column :)
SAG Awards viewing party with Degree & giveaway
"The new Degree Women Ultra Clear in Red Satin is all about protection against white marks, making it great for the red carpet." So, in honor or red carpets, Degree Red Dress allowed me to properly host my own Screen Actors Guild Awards soiree at my place.For the full red carpet treatment, the deodorant company provided us with an at-home manicurist (Lena) so that my friends and I could get pampered as we watched the awards show.
I was especially excited to watch this year's SAG ceremony since I knew that the awesome Betty White was receiving the lifetime achievement award and I was definitely planning on tuning in for that. "Thank You For Being My Friend" is my cell phone's ring back after all and I have Mary Tyler Moore and The Golden Girls on DVD, both of which stars White.
To go with the night's red carpet theme, I requested that everyone come in a red dress or some sort of red attire, which made things quite festive. For drinks, I served three bottles of Montcadi Cava Rose (a redish colored sparking wine from Spain with a strawberry taste to it) with a scoop of pomegranate sorbet both from Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market. I also baked red velvet cupcakes with sweet cream cheese frosting. For decoration I pulled out the red table cloths, bowls, plates and bought a cheesy red carpet leading to my door for our own red carpet photos. Check out some of the glam that then transpired:
The new Red Satin deodorant meanwhile smells really pretty and fruity, you could wear it in lieu of perfume and everyone happily went home with their own stick.
Don't worry, I'm not telling you all this to rub it in your face, but to also offer you a Degree giveaway for a chance to win Degree Red Satin deodorant and a $100 gift card to Macy's so you can buy your own red dress. To enter, first go to DegreeWomen.com and then post a comment here about one of the 6 benefits to using Degree Ultra Clear. Please don't forget to leave your email address in the body of your comment or link back to a blogger profile or website that has your email address on it. For extra entries follow @DegreeWomen on twitter and tweet this giveaway. Ends Friday, Feb. 5. Good luck!
Update: Congratulations to Amber!
Disclaimer: This giveaway is brought to you by Degree. To host my party I received a $100 gift card to purchase snacks and drinks and also received Degree Red Satin product for all my guests. Degree also paid and arranged for the at-home manicurist. Degree is a PR client of Weber Shandwick's Chicago office, but I do not work on the account and was not required to host or post about the party.
Meeting Scott Bakula
Today, for Chevrolet I got to film actor Scott Bakula picking up the Chevy Equinox Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle to drive to the Screen Actors Guild Awards this weekend. Apparently, besides being of Quantum Leap, Star Trek and Men of a Certain Age fame, he is also a SAG Awards committee member and passionate about Fuel Cell technology.
I was super excited to meet him as my dormant Quantum Leap crush on him from years ago started to resurface. I may or may not of had an 8x10 headshot of his up in my college dorm room. Anyway, I tried to conceal my glee and be uber-professional as he shook my hand and looked adorably huggable in a ribbed chocolate sweater. He was just how I expected him to be too, soft spoken, friendly and genuine. So, sitting in the pass anger seat next to him, I did a quick Flip cam Q&A about the vehicle as this week's rain wreaked havoc outside.
Movie Reivew: Also, my review of Extraordinary Measures with Harrsion Ford and Brendan Fraser is now up at ShakeFire.
Disclaimer: Chevrolet is a client of Weber Shandwick and I conducted the above video interview on behalf of my PR agency.
My Visit to the MinuteClinic
Last week was National Influenza Vaccination Week and as a result CVS/pharmacy invited me to visit one of their local MinuteClinic locations and get the H1N1 vaccine, which costs only $15 and is available in thousands of CVS and MinuteClinic locations in 28 states and the District of Columbia.
I jumped at the invite since I've yet to get the seasonal flu shot this year since I was on a business trip when my office was offering them and of course it hasn't been easy to get the H1N1 vaccine if you're not a child, elderly or pregnant.
A CVS near me in Marina Del Rey has a MinuteClinic so I went and met with one of their nurse practitioner's (John) and was in and out in ten minutes. I have to say I was really impressed with the computer check-in, clean waiting area and personal patient rooms. I also learned that the MinuteClinics are open seven days a week and you could go if you feel like you have flu-like symptons, strep, rashes, burns and get a diagnosis without going to a crowded doctor's office. They also take some insurances, like Blue Cross Blue Shield. I'm definitely going to remember that the next time I'm searching for a doctor's office open on a Sunday instead of being forced to go to some ghetto clinic out of the way.
I had Raphael go the next day and get his too. Have you gotten yours?
Disclaimer: CVS is represented by Weber Shandwick's Cambridge office, but again I do not work on the account, but did receive a complimentary vaccination as media.
A decade later
Although I look forward to awards season, for me the coming of The Golden Globes is also a reminder of the anniversary of my father’s death. Ten years ago, while I was at home watching the show with my fingers crossed for Lisa Kudrow, my father died in his sleep at 45-years-old. Lisa lost the award and I lost my father.
It’s hard to believe it's been a decade. I can easily break down as I have randomly all week and feel sorry for myself, but I'd rather try and focus on all my great memories of my friend and listen to his favorite songs Under the Boardwalk and Maggie May.
Previous posts in honor of my dad:
Benny and the Jets
That's Amore, The Art of Making Pizza With My Dad
Victory
Got Milk event with Rebecca Romijn
Today, I got to attend another Got Milk? unveiling, this time it was model and actress Rebecca Romijn with her twin daughters appearing in the latest Milk Mustache ad campaign. Rebecca, looking even more beautiful and taller in person-if that's possible, was there with her children and husband and actor Jerry O'Connell, who I spotted drinking some chocolate milk in the crowd.
I've liked Rebecca since her appearance on Just Shoot Me and later her work on X-Men, so I was pretty excited to see that she was the new Milk Mustache star. Unfortunately, I didn't get to speak with her personally. If I had, I'm sure I would have asked about the future of Eastwick and shared how much I like it, which would have been unrelated to the topic at hand so just as well. Below is a photo I snapped after the ad unveil:
The event also announced that the Nation's Milk Processors will be giving away hundreds of thousands of gallons of milk - to help raise awareness of the important role milk plays in building strong families. Events are scheduled from coast-to-coast to give out the gallons and families can register to win a year's free supply of milk at whymilk.com.
You can also help the "Great Gallon Give" by passing a virtual gallon of milk to friends on Facebook (Facebook.com/MilkMustache) and for every virtual gallon passed, $1 will go to Feeding America, up to $100,000. So get passing, it's free! In addition, milk processors will be donating thousands of real gallons of milk to local food banks in the Feeding America network.
Previous post: Angie Harmon Says Got Chocolate Milk?
Disclaimer: My firm’s Chicago office represents the National Milk Mustache “got milk?” campaign, but I'm not on the account and I was not asked to blog about the event, but attended as a LA blogger.
My L.A. Traffic Story
While brianstorming with my friends over some boba drinks and udon soup at Westwood's Noodle Planet, we came up with the idea for my most recent Huffington Post article about LA Traffic Tips and Shortcuts. We figured it's a topic that everyone out here could get behind or at least relate to and if I could then offer some useful tips for commuters, then all the better. \
To get some real advice, I then turned to the local traffic reporters at KTLA and NPR (both female!) for some trends, tips and secrets for not getting stuck in the infamous LA gridlock. Both were very sweet and were kind enough to provide some expertise ... read on.
Cougar Town a.k.a Culver City
Courteney Cox's new comedy Cougar Town is supposed to be set in the fictional town of Cougar Town, Florida, but in reality it's filmed in Culver City, California only a mile away from my house. In fact, throughout the show I usually recognize several Culver City landmarks in the background during their outdoor scenes. On my way to work, I sometimes can see them filming too, but unfortunately I only see lights, trailers and staff walking around and never Mrs. Arquette.
Even when they aren't shooting the sitcom though, you can still see part of the set in downtown Culver City. Next to the movie theater, they turned an empty building into "Jules Cobb Real Estate," where Courteney's character works. I recently posed in front of the signs and faux store front, do you recognize it?
Skechers Shape-ups Review
For the last two months, I've been wearing a pair of black, grey and blue Shape-ups from SKECHERS. If you haven't seen the commercials or displays for them, they are sneakers that have an extra inch or two of padding--a wedge insert to be exact--at the bottom of the shoe so that you roll as you walk.
- promote weight loss
- tone muscles
- improve posture
- strengthen the back
- firm calf and buttock muscles
- reduce cellulite and tone your thighs
- reduce stress on knee and ankle joints
- increase cardiovascular health
Personally, what sealed the deal for me was the following line printed on their materials about the product, "Get in shape without setting foot in a gym." Done!
I also suffer from lower back problems and can always use better posture after sitting at a desk all day. The shoes even come with a DVD that shows you how to use the product, but basically you walk heel first and roll as you step forward. They simulate the resistance of walking on sand. It's quite easy, but I find that it requires taking more steps than I would if I was walking normally, which I suppose is beneficial right there. I also noticed initial soreness in my calfs, which I took as a sign that it was doing what it said. The best part though is that it gives me a much needed extra inch to my height, lol.
Besides sneakers they come in boots too, which I have my eye on. Also, I prefer their black colored "Action Packed" line than their solid colored ones as I don't think you can tell I'm wearing shape-ups due to the darker less noticeable colors. However, I've been loving that when people spot me wearing them, they ask me a bunch of questions about how I'm liking it and it's kind of fun having them before they are too popular. The only bad thing is that they can run you around $110 and up, but I saw them the cheapest at DSW.
According to Sketchers, on average women wearing Shape-ups for 6 weeks lost an average of 3.25 pounds while their body composition was reduced by an average of 1.125%. Meanwhile, back strength was increased by 37%.
