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Never Say Never

Justin Bieber and Dancers

I never thought I would see Justin Bieber perform live, but never say never!

Though I didn’t immediately recognize opener Hot Chelle Rae, it was fun to see them play their 2011 hit Tonight, Tonight, which instantly became familiar when they closed their set with it.

More than half an hour after Justin’s scheduled stage time at the Air Canada Centre on Thursday, a dramatic ten-minute countdown began. When he emerged from the ceiling wearing oversized wings, the first thing I thought of was Pink’s showstopping trapeze act at the 2009 Grammys. Justin may not have done any acrobatics, but his entrance was more than enough to excite fans.

Justin Bieber Toronto

From there, Justin literally started the show with a bang, as fireworks went off during his first song, All Around the World. Usually stars hold off on fireworks and confetti until the encore, so it was cool that these effects were used early on.

The themes for the graphics, video backdrops and dancers’ costumes ranged from outer space to underwater. Justin changed outfits at least four times and my favourite part was how he rocked fire engine red high top sneakers. (You know how much I love all things red!)

July 26, 2013 by Sarah Prince

An Ode to Oreo

There’s a delightful quality to everything Oreo posts on social media. From the Super Bowl blackout to Father’s Day, Oreo creates content that seamlessly weaves in current events without ever seeming obnoxious or sales-y.

The photo they uploaded minutes after the Royal Baby’s sex was announced once again shows that Oreo’s a band who truly gets how to engage through social media marketing. Oreo is all about having milk and cookies. Therefore, placing milk, which is central to their creative, in a baby bottle in honour of the royal family isn’t a stretch. Instead, it’s cute and adds to the loveable quality of the brand and product that makes Oreo cookies a classic snack and childhood favourite.

July 23, 2013 by Sarah Prince

24 Hours, 3 Bands, 2 Cities

Molson Amphitheatre hosted an amazing concert with the Goo Goo Dolls and Matchbox Twenty on Thursday night. The Goo Goo Dolls were up first and played many of their big hits, including Slide and Black Balloon, but the crowd didn’t stand up until they started singing Iris.

Although it was disappointing that the two bands were never on stage together, they were both incredible. The Goo Goo Dolls’s music is more rock-heavy, whereas Matchbox Twenty’s set list was more mellow. Going to the nearly sold out concert was the perfect way to satisfy my nostalgia for the 90s and the crowd of 15,000 fans seemed to agree.

Typically that would’ve been enough live music to keep me happy for a few months, but then I went to another concert Friday night in Montreal. Just in time for Canada Day, Feist opened the Montreal International Jazz Festival.

TD was a prominent sponsor, which made sense considering their large presence seen at the Molson Amphitheatre on Thursday night, where they gave out neon green wristbands printed with a #TDmusic hashtag.

Feist took the stage a few hours after my VIA Rail train arrived, so it was very good timing. (Have I mentioned that taking the train is the best way to travel?) I’m not a huge Feist fan, but I’m always down for a good free concert, not to mention the opportunity to support Canadian musicians.

June 29, 2013 by Sarah Prince

4 Reasons I Love Twitter

I’m officially a university graduate now and the day after convocation, the celebration continues: today is my fourth anniversary on Twitter.

That means it’s been four years since I first tweeted “Jewellery is not a toy” after a beaded necklace that I made broke. I still have those grey beads in a ziploc bag. Today, the manager who worked at Toronto’s Bead Cafe is engaged to a family friend. As Twitter reminds us every day, it’s a small world!

To celebrate this exciting occasion, I’ve created a list of 4 reasons I love Twitter:

1. Twitter Contests

Twitter is responsible for helping me win many products and experiences. Contest prizes have included touchscreen gloves from Target Canada, an Aroma gift card, and a Rob Thomas concert DVD. More recently, I won a free hour of bowling from The Ballroom, which I have yet to redeem. The most amazing prize, however, came from MuchMusic, who gave me tickets to see Arcade Fire!

Arcade Fire

2. Job Opportunities

To apply for my current marketing role, I submitted links to my social media profiles, not a resume. And like the characters of The Internship, they hired me following an interview on Google+ Hangouts. Social media is a crucial part of the hiring process now and I’m curious to see how the relationship between social media and HR continues evolving. Twitter helps you showcase your industry knowledge and personality, so share your commentary and keep it clean!

June 20, 2013 by Sarah Prince

Gilmore Girls Cast Meet & Greets

To kickstart this summer break, I returned to New York looking forward to seeing a couple more of my favourite celebrities: author Jennifer Weiner (In Her Shoes, Good in Bed) and actress Lauren Graham (Parenthood).

Though my chats with the famous women were short, the trip was a great way to celebrate graduating from Western! Between shopping at Uniqlo and touring the Big Apple Sex and the City style with On Location tours, I started liking the city much more. Too bad we weren’t one of the lucky groups to run into Sarah Jessica Parker in her ‘hood. Regardless, I’ll definitely consider buying another tour from them, especially because they just launched a new TMZ-themed itinerary – my kind of vacation activity!

Since then, I’ve been organizing everything I moved home from London and waiting until I could attend another celebrity meet and greet during the Victoria Day long weekend. To date, I’ve met the actors who play Lorelai and Rory Gilmore, watched Jared Paledecki from afar at a Live @ Much event and now I can finally say I’ve met Rory’s dad too! David Sutcliffe, who once played Christopher, now stars in CBC’s Cracked, for which he made the transition from rom-com actor to a stern cop.

May 20, 2013 by Sarah Prince

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