Browsing Tag

Hollywood

Uncertainty

I re-watched Up In The Air for the first time since it inspired my debut blog post for Hot On The Street and picked up on different elements. Keeping in mind the themes of (un)happiness and uncertainty that it shares with Take This Waltz, I realized that those must be two of the defining social issues of this era.

When Up In The Air was released, America was in the middle of the recession. Now the economy is in recovery mode and people are still feeling uneasy and lonely. Magazines, movies and the like promote romance, offering tips to help you acquire it if you’re single, but ultimately leave people unsatisfied enough to make them continue subscribing and buying, hoping for that one life-changing tip.

Despite all the critics’ rave reviews, I walked out of Take This Waltz wishing that I hadn’t over-hyped it in my mind since its premiere at TIFF, which I missed because I was too busy needed to be in London for school. Then it had another special showing in New York at Tribeca Film Festival, which coincided with my first-ever trip to the Big Apple, but I couldn’t attend because it was sold out. It wasn’t a matter of being in the same place at the wrong time; sometimes there are circumstances beyond your control. Anyway, I was frustrated because I had such high expectations for a single film, and then walked out feeling disappointed.

Did I laugh when Lena Dunham tweeted praise for Take This Waltz? Absolutely. I tweeted her right back, with my fingers crossed that she would respond. She’s the girl who a lot of my peers look up to, waiting for her to put on HBO exactly what’s on their minds, yet they’re shy about expressing out loud. Part of the reason I’m drawn to her is that she’s got spunk. She doesn’t pretend like she rolls out of bed looking like a Hollywood diva; she allows herself to be seen by millions with somewhat messy hair and she just appears to be someone who goes with the flow. But as seen on TV with her character Hannah, we all have bad days. Girls feel miserable when they don’t have their periods. Just ask Dove. Those are the times when companionship matters most.

It’s not just about having someone to lean on when you get fired. People sweat the small stuff too – it happens. That’s when you need to recruit your personal support team – family, friends, professional mentors, even trustworthy acquaintances who may not call you a ‘friend’ per se, but you think the world of and respect.

If you have time to casually surf the web and read my blog right now, take a few extra minutes to compile a list of people to whom you can turn when times are rough and you can’t sleep peacefully anymore. Make the list and store it somewhere. Don’t publish it on Facebook and tag them all in it. Keep it in your nightstand drawer for easy access. If you never have to use it, consider yourself lucky.

July 8, 2012 by

Women Who Should Be Famous

Songstress-turned-humanitarian Mandy Moore’s entrance onstage at The Carlu on Tuesday night was a walk to remember. Dressed as conservatively as her character Jamie Sullivan, Mandy was an excellent host for Dove’s first ever live-streamed event.

Dove could’ve easily called for a dress code of “girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes” because the featured guests donned Dove’s colour scheme, and anyone in a LBD stood out. Complete with hors d’oeuvres, photo walls and mocktinis, Dove and its agency partners hosted a classy event for a good cause.

I’ve supported Dove’s self-esteem project for many years. In fact, I got into an argument with a professor last semester after she screened the Evolution and Fotoshop videos, mainly because Ben Barry’s speeches about how the concept came to life turned me into a brand advocate. That class helped me identify a conflict between my MIT and Women’s Studies programs: in media classes, Dove’s campaign has been discussed (and praised) ad nauseum, whereas in the Women’s Studies culture jamming class, discussing the benefits of the campaign from a business perspective was not a priority whatsoever.

Speaking of school, the honoured women reflected on their high school years and shared what young girls can do to achieve their goals. Spoken word artist Toni Blackman made a great comparison between internal and external confidence. She was a homecoming queen who climbed the social ladder, yet lacked self esteem inside, despite what her prom photos imply. Her recommendation is to “write out a plan and put that plan to action with determination and absolute focus.” Likewise, Fahima Osman admitted to being a nerd growing up who decorated her bedroom with A+’s to remind her of what she needed to do for medical school entry. Fahima is now a general surgeon and Canada’s first Canadian-trained Somali physician at that.

Inspired by the statistic that second to Mom, 32% of Canadian girls cite celebrities as their top role models, Dove felt compelled to recognize admirable women working outside of Hollywood. During the presentation, scientist Arlene Blum modestly shared tales of climbing the world’s tallest mountains and David Suzuki’s daughter Severn described how she scrambled to prepare notes last minute for a speech to UN officials when she was merely 12 years old.

After Mandy Moore formally introduced the four women, Sharon MacLeod, vice-president of marketing, Dove Canada, led a Q&A session. Preteens barely old enough to have Facebook accounts quickly formed a line and articulately posed questions. Thankfully the girls never said the word “like,” and that confidence will definitely help them stand out as eloquent public speakers someday. What would truly be incredible is if the 4 featured role models spoke at upcoming Canadian graduation ceremonies.

Within just a few months, I shook Nicholas Sparks’ hand and sat a few rows away from Mandy Moore. When’s Shane West coming to Toronto? He’s cute…

June 30, 2012 by

Less Than Impressed: Award Shows

Sometime after the People’s Choice broadcast and my simultaneous live tweeting session ended, I realized watching the awards show was a waste of time. I hadn’t voted in any of the categories this year. In fact, I waited until the day of to even look at the nominees list. All I knew was that this was going to be a buzz worthy televised event, so I had better watch to stay in the know.

After the credits rolled, however, my response could be summarized as indifference.

There’s usually one winner at each award show, typically a young Hollywood star, who mentions how they’d watched the show growing up and could then only dream about attending, let alone winning and now voila, here they are; it’s so incredible, they boast. I’ve let my dreams of becoming famous on the silver screen subside, with little to no expectations of ever performing or working in a role constituting its own category amongst the likes of Best Performing Actress. Entertainment PR professionals are recognized at less glamorous events, with ironically less publicity.

If it weren’t for the social component of watching the Golden Globes with a group of film-obsessed writers and fans, I wouldn’t have been much more entertained than I was the Wednesday night prior.

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January 30, 2012 by

Abigail Breslin: All Grown Up!

Look at how grown up Abigail Breslin is now. Next time you’re surfing YouTube, search for video interviews with her so you can see why sophisticated and articulate accurately describe the budding actress.

I wish a casting director would cast her alongside Emma Stone in an upcoming production! Until then, look for this girl share the limelight with some of Hollywood’s finest looking actors in New Year’s Eve next month!

…Note that because the actors are listed in alphabetical order, her name appears fourth among her co-stars.

November 25, 2011 by

The New Girl

Before I delve into my commentary about Facebook’s changes, I want to share a recommendation for FOX’s new TV show, The New Girl.

Katy Perry’s highly charming doppelganger, Zooey Deschanel stars in the sitcom about a girl who moves in with 3 guys who she meets by responding to a Craigslist ad.

Thanks to Deschanel’s comedic timing, the pilot is funny from beginning to end. Her A-list Hollywood status leads me to believe that The New Girl has staying power and the men’s spontaneous serenade to cheer up their new friend cemented this show into my fall TV schedule.

The New Girl airs Tuesday nights at 9 on FOX/CityTV.

TIP: The pilot episode is available as a free download on iTunes!

September 23, 2011 by