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Featured

I am a Mom in Beverly Hills

February 28, 2012

by Melissa Buonanno

I am a Beverly Hills mom – raising three children aged 2, 4 and 12 in the 90210.

Living in the most famous zip code in the world is anything but average; my life is both extraordinary and surreal. Having lived around the world, I can truly say that life in Beverly Hills is an experience unlike any other.

I grew up watching the same iconic movie stars and nostalgic Hollywood lifestyles as the rest of the world and now I am fortunate enough to be here, living it. Beverly Hills is fast paced and exciting, you never know what’s happening next. When traffic is slow it could be cause of an accident but more than likely it’s because someone is filming.

The bright yellow signs with arrows on the way to the park aren’t traffic signs; they are directions for CSI New York’s driver, which just happens to be filming in LA today. A few weeks ago it took us two hours to get home from a shoot because they were setting up for the Golden Globe Awards, just a few blocks from my house. Beverly Hills is anything but normal.

When people find out where I live, they always ask if I know anyone famous. In LA everyone is someone; you never know who you’re going to see at The Coffee Bean or even the pediatrician’s office. Living here, you may find the guy at the light behind you is one of the most well known writers on TV; or the man in the elevator a big time director, you just never know who you’ll find while you’re out and about in the 90210.

I never saw myself raising children in Hollywood or living this extraordinary life. My days consist of auditions and filming, shopping and of course chasing kids. All three of my children both model and act so we spend more days then not on a set shooting or filming something, somewhere.

It’s not uncommon for us to wake up on the East Coast and go to sleep in LA. When they aren’t actually working there are always auditions and acting classes or scripts to memorize. There is a lot of hard work that goes into the Hollywood life but there are also amazing experiences.

Living the busy and demanding lifestyle that Hollywood requires we make sure the kids have lots of fun. When my kids say they are going to the park they mean they are going to Disneyland. They play mini-golf on their own course in the den and hang out with the same kids that they watch on TV. It’s surreal to think that this is my life.

I’d love to be able to say that Beverly Hills is just like every other place and the people are normal and down to earth, but it isn’t and they aren’t, it’s a different planet. Nothing in the 90210 is normal, but this is our life and we love it.

Melissa Buonanno is a wife, mom and business owner trying to navigate mommy-hood in Hollywood, busy with three kids in the entertainment industry and loving every minute of it. Melissa is well known in the Beverly Hills social circles and active in the community. She enjoys shopping, cooking and traveling and is a self confessed coffee enthusiast. To find out more about life if Beverly Hills visit me on Twitter.

News

Ohio High School Shooting: What Happened in Cleveland School?

February 28, 2012

A school day in Ohio turned tragic on Monday when a gunman opened opened fire in the cafeteria of a high school outside of Cleveland killing two students and wounding others before a teacher chased him from the scene and he was arrested, police said.

Daniel Parmertor, 16, was killed in the shooting at Chardon High School. Tuesday it was confirmed that 17-year-old Russell King Jr. also died from injuries at Hillcrest Hospital in suburban Cleveland, Ohio. CBS News reported a hospital statement said Demetrius Hewlin, previously listed in critical condition, has also died.

Why did this tragedy happen?

According to reports, students told local media that the gunman was student T.J. Lane. Law enforcement officials described Lane as a “victim of bullying” and an “outcast,” WKYC-TV reported.

If bullying was the motive, though it hasn’t been confirmed, it would be yet another tragic case of this terrible issue plaguing teenagers.

1 out of 4 kids are bullied and 30% of U.S. students in grades six through ten are involved in moderate or frequent bullying – as bullies, as victims, or as both – according U.S. national school bullying statistics.

There are about 160,000 children that miss school every day out of fear of being bullied.

Case studies of the shooting at Columbine High School and other U.S. schools have suggested that bullying was a factor in many of the incidents.

Source

Photo: WKYC Cleveland

Entertainment

Being Elmo Screening in Support of Zack’s Dream Room

February 27, 2012

After losing their son Zack, who was born with a congenital heart defect, the Hamilton family have been giving back to the community that supported him.

They raised $25,000 for Zack’s Dream Room and continue to raise money for York Central Hospital in Zack’s name.

Please join them for an EXCLUSIVE Family Screening of the Award-Winning Documentary by Constance Marks, “Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey” in support of Zack’s Dream Room.

March 18th 11:00am

Bloor Street Hot Docs Cinema

506 Bloor St. West, Toronto

$20 Ticket includes: small popcorn and drink, silent auction, kids crafts, face painting, Hasbro Sesame Street Play Area, sponsors swag bag (one per family), and more events for your family!

Film starts at 12pm sharp. 80min, PG. Film is appropriate for kids, but activities will be in the foyer for children who don’t attend the screening.

Purchase your tickets by clicking here

About the film: Beloved by children of all ages around the world, Elmo is an international icon. Few people know his creator, Kevin Clash, who dreamed of working with his idol, master puppeteer Jim Henson. Displaying his creativity and talent at a young age, Kevin ultimately found a home on Sesame Street. Narrated by Whoopi Goldberg, this documentary includes rare archival footage, interviews with Frank Oz, Rosie O’Donnell, Cheryl Henson, Joan Ganz Cooney and others and offers a behind-the-scenes look at Sesame Street and the Jim Henson Workshop.

Featured

Barbecue Baked Ribs Recipe

February 27, 2012

by Amanda Goetz

I didn’t eat ribs until I met my husband. The thought of gnawing meat off a bone with nothing but my bare hands and teeth kind of creeped me out. It was too messy and quite frankly, a little too “caveman” for me.

Then one night we went to my sister-in-law’s for dinner and she made ribs. I’m not one to not eat what’s put in front of me at a dinner party, it’s rude (unless of course I’m allergic or have a severe aversion).

So I rolled up my sleeves and resigned myself to the fact I would make a huge mess and probably look ridiculous. But my sister-in-law’s ribs were so tender the meat slid right off the bone and they totally changed my perception of ribs.

I got her secrets for super tender ribs and started making them at home. Now they’re my husband’s favourite dinner and we serve them often when we have dinner guests as they’re so easy and incredibly tasty.

I use a mixture of bottled barbeque sauces to save time, if you make your own sauce more power to ya! This is not the traditional way to make ribs, and I’m sure a lot of barbeque aficionados would scoff at my methods, but give it a try and I swear you’ll fall in love with these ribs!

“Barbeque” Baked Ribs

Dry Rub

2 tbsp seasoned salt

1 tbsp garlic powder

1 tbsp dehydrated onion

1 tsp smoked chipotle powder

Ribs

2 racks baby back pork ribs

dry rub mixture

1 1/2 cups Bull’s Eye Barbeque Sauce

1 1/2 cups Diana Chicken and Rib Sauce

Instructions

Mix together the spices for the dry rub and set aside.

Place the ribs in a large pot and cover with water (I cut them into servings of 4-5 ribs to fit the pot). Bring to a boil and boil for 30 minutes.

Remove the ribs from the pot and place in a shallow pan reserving the water.

Sprinkle some of the dry rub onto each section of ribs making sure to coat them well.

Add some of the cooking liquid to the pan, enough to cover the bottom.

Cover the pan with tin foil and place in a preheated 350˚F oven.

Bake for 2 1/2 hours checking once or twice to add more cooking liquid as necessary (you don’t want to boil them again, but you don’t want to pan to go dry).

Mix together the two barbeque sauces. Remove the tin foil and pour about 2/3 of the sauce over all the ribs to coat.

Return to the oven uncovered, after 20 minutes baste the ribs with the remaining sauce.

Cook for another 10 minutes and remove from the oven and serve.

Make sure to have lots of napkins… licking fingers is optional.

Amanda Goetz is a WAHM to 3 kids under the age of 5. Her love of cooking was fostered when she was a preschooler helping her grandma in the kitchen. After a year long stint as a sous chef, she left the industry to continue cooking as a hobby before the stress and politics of a professional kitchen killed her love of cooking. Now she creates delicious dinners and delectable desserts for her family and friends and blogs about it at The Best Mom on the Block.

Entertainment

Oscar Winners 2012: Who Won the Academy Awards and Who Should Have Won!

February 27, 2012

by Shannon Lintott

Another year, another Oscar awards ceremony. The 84th Annual Academy Awards were held Sunday night: who won the Oscars 2012?

While 2011 wasn’t my favourite year for life changing films, there were a lot of gems. Here are the Academy Award 2012 winners, followed by the films that I thought (in my humble opinion) should have won for each category:

Best Picture

Winner: The Artist.

Who should’ve won: The Artist – best film should be less about who’s in the movie or who directed it and more about what the film brings to the world of cinema.It should show people something original about people, or script writing or even some tricks with cinematography, lighting and audio. The Artist had it all. Second choice would be Moneyball.

Director

Winner: Michael Hazanavicius, The Artist.

Who should’ve won: The Artist. Plan and simple. There was nothing wrong with his movie, everything was perfect and Michael Hazanavicius had a big hand in that. Second choice would be Woody Allen.

Actor

Winner: Jean Dujardin, The Artist.

Who should’ve won: Jean Dujardin for The Artist. Second choice is Gary Oldman for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. Both for style. Both for bringing characters to life. And both for perfecting old tricks of the trade.

Actress

Winner: Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady.

Who should’ve won: Glenn Close for Albert Nobbs or Meryl Streep for The Iron Lady. Both fully became their characters, physically and emotionally, to the point that it was hard to see the difference between reality and acting.

Supporting Actor

Winner: Christopher Plummer, Beginners.

Who should’ve won: YAY!! Christopher Plummer – because he’s Canada (not really a reason, but a personal plus) and has never been nominated after all these years AND if that wasn’t enough his performance was full and powerful. Second choice would be Jonah Hill because he stole the show from Pitt and showed the world that he wasn’t just a comedian.

Supporting Actress

Winner: Octavia Spencer, The Help.

Who should’ve won: Berenic Bejo for The Artist. She brought style and truly brought back the old dame in cinema. Octavia was still a good pick though.

Cinematography

Winner: Hugo

Who should’ve won: War Horse. It was so beautiful, really captured the wide angle war scenes and made simple scenes beautiful.

Art Direction

Winner: Hugo

Who should’ve won: Hugo deserved this win. Out of all the categories it was nominated for it actually deserved to win this one.

Music

Winner: The Artist.

Who should’ve won: The Artist – music really shapes a film and music is such a key element in silent films that this is an easy choice. Second choice would be Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.

Foreign Language

Winner: A Separation.

Who should’ve won: A Separation. Easy win.

Original Song

Winner: The Muppets. Woohoo Bret Mckenzie!!!

Who should’ve won: The Muppets – hilarious, catchy and the film would not have been the same without it.

Film Editing

Winner: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

Who should’ve won: The Artist. I liked Girl with the Dragon Tattoo but didn’t think it stood out in terms of film editing.

Sound Editing

Winner: Hugo.

Who should’ve won: Drive – ripped off in my opinion for this years Oscars but if there is one thing this movie should be known for it is the sound editing because the music was mesmerizing and incredibly well done.

Visual Effects

Winner: Hugo.

Who should’ve won: Harry Potter or Rise of Planet of the Apes.

Adapted Screenplay

Winner: The Descendants.

Who should’ve won: Moneyball (second choice Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy).

Original Screenplay

Winner: Midnight in Paris.

Who should’ve won: Good choice but A Separation had lots of depth to each character and every scene (Second choice, Midnight in Paris, original and enticing).

Did your favourites win?

Shannon Lintott works in production at a professional theatre company in Toronto. A recent graduate of the Ryerson Performance Production BFA program, she spends her free time exploring the internet, taking photographs, reading or writing on one of her numerous and addictive websites. The majority of her time is spent watching movies and reviewing them on her movie review blog I Like (good) Movies. Follow Shannon on Twitter.

Featured

6 Looks for Women Spring 2012

February 26, 2012

Spring is just around the corner!

I’m excited about ditching the winter coat and boots and wear some fabulous shoes and lighter clothing, again!

The looks for spring are a mix of pretty and flashy, really fun trends that are wearable and affordable.

We put together some super cute looks for you!

Here are 6 Looks for Women Spring 2012:

STRIPES

Striped sweater – jades24.com

Striped pants $62 – warehouse.co.uk

Flat heels $80 – macys.com

J Crew tote handbag $328 – jcrew.com

Hoop earrings $8.40 – kohls.com

Mango cotton scarve – mango.com

J.Crew cat eye sunglasses $128 – jcrew.com

Rihanna and Chris Brown Together? Dangerous!

February 25, 2012

Rihanna and Chris Brown shocked the music industry this week when they released two remixes of his song, “Turn Up The Music,” and her song, “Birthday Cake”. Has all been forgotten?

It has been three years after Brown savagely beat Rihanna, punched, bit and threatened to kill her. Read the police report for yourself.

The collaborations are a way to make money and stir the pot, especially after the Grammy Awards in which Brown performed and won an award. The industry seems to be forgiving – but what message does this send?

The wrong one.

By working with Brown, Rihanna is sending a wrong message to girls and women who have been victims of domestic abuse. It’s also dangerous.

Some young women Tweeted some disturbing things during the Grammys about Brown, for example, “Chris brown can punch me whenever he wants!”

What does this message tell girls and boys? That abusive men can be forgiven without any kind of intervention or punishment?

Dr. Boyce Watkins writes on his blog:

“The decision of Rihanna to reunite with Chris Brown serves as a huge disservice to every family working to get their loved ones out of abusive relationships. She sends a clear message (which tends to be more prevalent in black America, unfortunately) that if a man has enough “swag,” money and power, you can forgive anything he does. While Diva Rihanna may not be entirely innocent in her dealings with Chris Brown, this message is a blow against women everywhere.”

Even more disturbing, TMZ reports that Brown and Rihanna are dangerously close to getting back together, but the singers’ friends are desperately trying to keep them apart.

According to sources, Rihanna still loves Brown and would be with him if it weren’t for the media and her fans and that Brown also has strong feelings for her.

One source said, “You can’t hold back love.”

Wow. What do you think?

Books & Music

Are Fairy Tales Bad for Kids?

February 24, 2012

Do you read classic fairy tales to your children?

Well new research shows that one in five parents have scrapped some classics such as Snow White and Little Red Riding Hood because they are too scary for their kids.

Goldilocks and the Three Bears condones stealing while children have been brought to tears after hearing about the big bad wolf, according to parents.

A survey of 2,000 adults was commissioned to mark the launch of the hit US drama GRIMM, since some of the episodes were based on traditional fairy tales.

The poll found that 25% of parents wouldn’t consider reading a fairytale to their child until they had reached the age of five. The reason? They would feel awkward answering too many questions from their kids.

Just over half of the parents said Cinderella didn’t send a good message to their children as it portrays a young woman doing housework all day.

Nearly half of mothers and fathers refuse to read Rumplestiltskin to their kids because the story is about a kidnapping and execution.

What do you think – too extreme or sounds about right?

Here are the Top Ten Fairy Tales no longer read to children:

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Entertainment

What Will TLC Come Up With Next?!

February 23, 2012

Last night, I watched a crazy show called Extreme Cheapskates on TLC of course… surprised?

First, there was a couple where the man would actually ask people at restaurants for their leftovers! If they weren’t going to finish their meal, he would doggy bag it himself.

His poor wife obviously loves him and has stuck with him for 20 years but she is still embarrassed by his frugal cheapskate ways.

He also gathers ketchup packets from restaurants to fill his own ketchup bottle at home.

Although his cheap ways has allowed him and his wife to rescue dogs on a full-time basis, re-using paper towels might not be so sanitary.

A woman and her family uses cut cloth instead of toilet paper. Yes, really. She has a bin beside the toilet bowl for people to dispose of their cloth, and then she will put them in the washing machine… She says this saves her family a lot of money.

One man rides around on his bike looking for change, from restaurant seats to phone booths, he will literally collect pennies.

Is TLC taking reality shows too far?

Entertainment

Host an Oscars Party at Home

February 23, 2012

The Oscars are THE award show of the season, which means hosting an Oscars party at home is a wonderful way to entertain.

How can one have a glamorous Oscars party? Here are some ways you can host an Oscars party at home:

Host an Oscars Party at Home

1. Menu:

Forget the elaborate dinner or ordering pizza – finger foods are your best bet. But don’t serve them all at once; roll them out over the course of the evening, says Teri Gault, CEO and founder of The Grocery Game.

“This is what I call a ‘grazing party’ which is the easiest on you because there’s no sit down dinner, and it’s also easy on the budget,” Gault says. “The best grazing party is all about an eclectic mix of food, so anything you find on sale can fit the bill.”

2. Drinks:

If you’re on a budget, champagne punch just might be the right drink for your guests. Gault suggests adding a shot of Tia Maria and 1/2 cup of juice per bottle.

“Make ice rings with fruit that’s on sale, like grapes, orange slices, and strawberries and freeze in layers,” says Gault. “Drape rhinestone costume jewelry around the punch bowl! Garnish champagne glasses with strawberries.”

3. Decorations:

You can make a fruit centerpiece inspired by Oscar himself. Skewer in season fruit into a whole pineapple and add some Oscars images by Google searching photos of Oscar, or even photos of the nominated actor’s faces. Print them out, laminate the images and tape them to the skewers and add to your bouquet.

4. Table:

How do you make your table also look snazzy? Gault says presentation is everything.

“A boring flat buffet can be transformed by using stacks of books. Build the highest stack in the middle with the widest books for your centerpiece, and shorter stacks around. Then cover with a tablecloth. Adorn with anything sparkly.”

Here is how Gault did it:

5. Swag Bags:

Who said loot bags are just for kids? Swag bags can be fun and don’t have to cost too much.

Search your local craft store or even the dollar store for plain gold or black gift bags and decorate with glitter or shiny ribbons. “Look for clearance sales on Valentine heart chocolate boxes, which could be 70-90% off,” Gault suggests. “Take out the chocolates to fill small truffle bags from a craft store (25 bags for about $2). Tie each bag with shiny gold ribbon.”

6. Costume Party

Invite your guests to dress up as their favourite film actor but here’s where it can be fun – they have to stay in character throughout the evening. Then at commercial break, pick out your own award winners.

Give awards and prizes for Most Creative Costume and Best Actor and Best Actress. You can force the winners to say an acceptance speech.

“You can also play an Oscar trivia game during commercials, with questions pulled out of a hat,” says Gault. “Be ready to give silly little wrapped trinkets from the dollar store for correct answers.”

Have fun and remember, you and your guests are the real stars!