TWEETS OF THE WEEK

@BenSavage: "I have a beautiful, new daughter. Welcome to the family", Ben Savage tweeted, referring to Rowan Blanchard, who has been casted as Riley in the upcoming Boy Meets World spinoff Girl Meets World. Riley is the daughter of Cory (Ben Savage) and Topanga (Danielle Fishel) in the upcoming series.

@taylorswift13 posted on FB: "Some extraordinary news... with this video". The 23 year old says, “I wanted to share some news with you, because we’re finally making it official with one of the great loves of my life…Diet Coke”. Taylor will be the centerpiece of Diet Coke’s Stay Extraordinary campaign, which will be intertwined with her up and coming tour.  

@OfficialKat: "Prepare yourselves for the INSANE AND INCREDIBLE 2 Broke Girls promo that will air during the Superbowl...directed by David LaChapelle", Kat Dennings tweeted. The comedy stars' commercial will air Sunday during the game and is supposed to be very rock n roll mixed with the show's iconic humor. "We're pouring sprinkles all over ourselves and throwing things," Beth Behrs explains in the video. Watch the video here: http://www.eonline.com/news/383581/2-broke-girls-2013-super-bowl-commercial-sneak-peek-watch-now

@britneyspears: "I'm at the studio recording a new song for my boys. They are going to freak out when they hear it. So excited," Britney tweeted. The Queen of Pop has started working on her 8th studio album ever since The X Factor ended but no official title or date has been set. The last songs she wrote about her sons were "My Baby" and "Someday (I Will Understand)."  

MAMA

Supernatural thriller? I don't know if that's the category I'd put "MAMA" under. Certainly it had its freaky moments but it was more of a psychological film that made you think and pulled at your heart strings. 

The previews did not do this movie justice. WIth just a camera following around a girl hiding in the corners of a hallway chanting "mama", you think it's just another horror film that you can add to the list of many. But this is not the case. "MAMA" is an entirely different type of scary movie that has a decent backstory that actually makes some sort of sense (as much as these films can) .

The film starts off in front of a house with a car radio blaring the weather and a door left open with no one in it. Then a distraught husband is seen fleeing from the house with his two adorable children, telling them "mama doesn't feel well. We have to go!" 

Five years later, after spending those years looking for them, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau's (Game of Thrones) character Lucas (their uncle) finds them in an abandoned cabin, disheveled, living off cherries, taken care of by a entity they refer to as 'mama.' But as in every scary movie, 'mama' follows them to their new house, causing distress to Lucas and his rocker girlfriend Annabel (Jessica Chastain). 

I spent the entire time watching the movie wondering WHAT 'mama's motivate was to take care of these two girls and why she protected them so much. Thankfully this question was answered towards the end of the movie, but like most scary movies, the answer to what happened to the girls' mother, was not. 

But once the answers are revealed and you think that all is resolved, the story lingers for another 20 minutes, as if the writers struggled with whether to kill off its main characters or keep them alive. 

As far as acting, Jessica Chastain owns this movie. The unreconizable "Zero Dark Thirty" actress takes on a whole new role in this horror film but it's not the supernatural "mama" whom takes over her pail complection, but a rockstar with tattoos up and down her arm and a short, black wig. With more serious roles such as in "The Help", one wouldn't think this would be Chastain's ideal role, but she played it very well.  

Along side Chastain's acting, the revealing of 'mama' helped to set the film apart from its scary movie counterparts. Most scary movies decide not to reveal the supernatural 'thing' until the end, and some, not at all. But 10 minutes in and the audience got to see what 'mama' might look like. As the film went on, more and more of her was revealed until eventually her entire self. 

From moths showing up throughout the house to a gooey substance showing up on walls and hair running across hardwood floors, Mama seems to take on a life of her own, keeping the audience engaged into what could this mysterious creature actually be. 

Also making the film unique was the backstory. Many scary films don't bother to reveal much of a plot, and some, are just repeats. "MAMA" had an interesting and different story that had not been told before; one that kept the audience on it's toes, wondering what would happen next.

For those wanting more from a scary movie, this is a thriller that will having you playing mystery alongside it's characters. 

SAG AWARDS

The SAG (Screen Actors Guild) Awards were held on Sunday at the Los Angeles Shrine Exposition Center. With lots of stunning fashion on the red carpet, the most noteable being dark navy blue. 

Jennifer Lawrence in Christian Dior Haute Couture and Amanda Syfreid in Zac Posen.


Turquoise was another popular color, as seen here.

Marion Cotillard in Christian Dior and Kate Flannery in Theia Couture. 


Red was also a favorite color on the red carpet on Sunday. Both Jessica Chastain and Kaley Cuaco donned the color. Jessica in Alexander McQueen and Kaley in Romona Keveza.

Hot pink ruled the carpet thanks to tan and dark haired beauties Lea Michele, Nina Dobrev and Freida Pinto.  

Nina Dobrev in Elie Saab, Freida Pinto in Roland Mouret and Lea Michele in Valentino.



Let's not forget about the men. They steered away from traditional black and bow ties were popular.

Eddie Redmayne in a chocolate brown Hugo Boss suit and Bradley Cooper in a black and navy Tom Ford suit. 


Worst dress goes to Julianne Moore in Chanel and Best dress goes to Carmen Electra! 

   

SNL: ADAM LEVINE

Saturday Night Live made it's second debut back after a hiatus since December 16 on Saturday with Maroon 5's front man Adam Levine hosting.

The show opened with Jay Pharoah as President Obama after his inauguration and a visit from Dr Martin Luther King, played by Kenan Thompson. While the president is honored to talk with the ghost about some serious topics, Dr King is more concerned with Beyonce at the inauguration.

When talking about Beyonce and her looks, Dr King said, "I felt like I was having one of my dreams."

Levine talked about acting in his opening monologue verses singing with Maroon 5. Andy Samberg, Cameron Diaz (making fun of Christina Aguilera), and Jerry Seinfeld joined the singer/actor on stage as judges like on The Voice to "coach" Levine in being a better actor. Both encouraged him to take his shirt off while Seinfeld encouraged his jewish-ness.


During Weekend Update, which is still one of the strongest sketches on SNL, Nasim Pedrad  returned as Arianna Huffington to talk to Seth Myers about Hilary Clinton's current position in politics. The rest was pretty boring since infamous Stefon, played by Bill Hader, wasn't there to bring in extra laughs. 


Trouble came in but provided for much comedic relief with a sketch of Maroon 5 verses Train (Taran Killam), with Jason Mraz (Jason Sudeikis) and John Mayer (Bill Hader) joining in to "fight"  (smack talk and dancing) Levine. Levine's acting was not up to par in this scene, but it could be due to him having to play himself. His lines were purely read off the cue cards, making the jokes not funny.


Samberg joined Levine again in a The Lonely Island digital short in which they sang about YOLO (you only live once), joined by musical guest Kendrick Lamar. It wasn't funny compared to the original installments from The Long Island but was a nice break in comedy. 


What could have been the best sketch of the night in the height of Manti Te'o's online dating scandal, was Catfish, where Levine makes fun of Nev (and repeating his name as many times as he can) and the now infamous show. But with Levine again focusing all his attention on the cue cards (that could be seen reflected in the windows of the set) and no funny punch lines or creativity, this sketch was merely bland.

In the end, Adam Levine should stick to singing. 


Overall grade - C

HANSEL AND GRETEL: WITCH HUNTERS

We all know the story. A brother and sister get lost in the woods, they come across a house made entirely of candy, which is owned by a witch who tries to eat them for dinner. Well, there is more to it than that. The German Brothers Grimm tale is much more gruesome than the version we have grown up with. Hansel and Gretel are children of a poor woodcutter but their father and stepmother cannot afford to feed themselves and their children so they take them deep into the forest and leave them there to fend for themselves. 

In Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters the story goes that the mother was a white witch and the towns people were to come after Gretel for her heart so their parents took them in the woods to save them and both the mother and father were killed. 

The movie plays out like a scary movie with little plot and lots of action. Hansel (Jeremy Renner) and Gretel (Gemma Arterton) have become witch hunter's in their town and are trying to find missing children of the townspeople. Unknown to them, they have become the hunted, as a witch from their past is out to kill them. For fans looking for that something more, this will surely dissapoint. The movie showcases the siblings finding witches and killing them, which is then repeated throughout the entire 80 minutes.

It has its moments-including Hansel revealing that he has diabetes due to the candy he indulged as a child, but the overall film stands thin. With not much of a story to go off on from the original, it seems director Tommy Wirkola decided to thrown in lots of action (and Jeremy Renner, of course) to make it look good.

The best part of the film is the witch (Famke Janssen), of course, who looks like Billy The Saw Puppet. Much like Disney's witches, she is pure evil and it comes across the screen perfectly. 

If you want a movie with lots of action but the actors don't have much to say, then this is one for you.

Fairy tale remakes are hit or miss. Disney knows this from experience, as 2003's remake of Peter Pan made less than $50 million domestically and $122 million worldwide, failing to break even with its $140 million budget. But 2007's Enchanted and 2010's Tangled made up for it by grossing $340.5 million  worldwide (Enchanted) and $588.8 million total (Tangled).

Boxoffice.com is currently predicting a $15 million opening and $35 million domestic total for Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters. 

Make-Up Tips From Bobbi Brown

Brides! Take a note from make-up expert Bobbi Brown!


Bobbi tweeted during the Golden Globes tonight:  "Lighting is everything and can be nothing. Watch out red carpet makeup artists." What she means is that lighting can either ENHANCE your look or BREAK it. 


This is why it is important to do make-up trials leading up to the big day. This way you and your make-up artist can perfect your look!

Take some advice from Bobbi and her book Bobbi Brown: Makeup Manual...

“Bridal make-up should be special... [it] must be long lasting, look amazing in photographs, and be timeless,” she said.  



This can also be true at your wedding. With the constant flash of the camera, you are going to want to look flawless on your big day, not flawed. 

Rules:

* Do a consultation and run-through of the your specific look(s) before the wedding day. “Reserve a an appointment for about four to six weeks prior to the wedding day to design and practice the look.”

* Color 

“Bridal makeup needs to have enough color to compensate for the whiteness of the dress.” (But don’t go crazy) “Start by making sure the skin looks even and smooth, and then add color to give cheeks and lips a glow. Finish with eyes that are defined but not overdone.”

* Time

“To avoid feeing rushed, allow forty-five minutes to an hour for makeup application on the wedding day.”

*Apply in natural light

“If possible, set up your makeup station near a window, or use a super bright lamp.” This will ensure you do not miss any spots, and do not end up looking like a clown with pounds of makeup on.

* Use moisturizer

“Use a moisturizer that will prepare the skin for makeup. Avoid sunblocks and sunscreens that can give a ‘flash off’ to makeup. They reflect too much light under flash photography, resulting in an overexposed shot.”

* Emphasize the eyes

“By brighting any darkness under them with corrector and concealer.” 

* Pink tones

“Flash photography emphasizes pink tones, so be sure to even out the skin with a yellow-toned foundation. Start around the nose and mouth, where there’s redness, and then blend out to the rest of the face.”

* Bright lip color

“Neutral, brown and pale lip colors look washed out in photographs, so choose a lipstick that’s one or two shades brighter than what you normally wear… Pinks, roses, and plums are great choices for brides.”

For more make-up ideas and help visit Bobbi Brown Cosmetics. 

New Year... New Me

It's a new year so I've started doing some things differently...

My face

I have started the OCM (Oil Cleansing Method) using extra virgin olive oil and tea tree oil. You are supposed to also use castor oil, but I have to order some. Recipe calls for 4oz castor oil, 4oz extra virgin olive oil, 2-3 drops tee tree oil. Apply on a dirty face (with make-up) nightly only. Run warm water underneath a wash cloth then apply the oil to your face in a circular motion. Apply the wash cloth over your face for a min or 2 (or until it cools) and wipe off all extra oil and make-up with the wash cloth.

I only started this last night but noticed a difference when I went to bed and when I woke up this morning. My face seemed to have already improved a little.


My body

I read somewhere that to clear up your back, you should wash your body AFTER you condition your hair. I put my hair up in a bun after conditioning it and wash my body as I usually would and keep my hair up until I get out of the shower.

I started taking Fish Oil. It's not only supposed to clear up your skin but it helps to stop heart disease.
I take 2 a day with a meal and water.

I switched to using baby oil to shave in December, but have continued to do so in 2013. Instead of spending $2-$3 on shaving gel that only lasts a few uses, I spend $1-$2 on baby oil, which lasts much longer. Not only does the baby oil give me a closer shave, but my legs feel smoother and less hairy. As I've grown older, I've had to start shaving more often because my hair grows faster, but with baby oil I get an overall better shave. It also helps to lengthen the life of my razor.



What are YOU changing in 2013???