by Sarah McGee | Jul 3, 2012 | Uncategorized
With record-breaking heat several days in a row, I’m sure you all know the heat in Tennessee has been miserable lately. I have been looking into things so that I can stay both comfortable and cool in this weather, so here are some tips to help you beat the heat, too! Switch from a heavy perfume to a lighter scent. Wearing a heavy perfume in the heat can be miserable. Instead, look into a lighter mist. I have been using Ralph Lauren’s mist this summer, and I love it! When I feel like I could use a little pick me up, I spray around my neck and knees to get an instant boost of freshness. Wear make up primer to avoid having an oily face. It helps your makeup stay on infinitely longer and also helps your face not get greasy. Smashbox has a really great primer, along with Lancóme La Base Pro. You could also look into wearing an oil free moisturizer, like Benefit’s You Rebel. Make sure to protect your hair. The sun can be killer on your scalp. Along with that, it can ruin colored hair. One way to avoid that is to wear hair sunscreen. I like to wear Bumble and Bumble’s hair sunscreen. I also spray SPF 70 sunscreen on my hairline and where my hair parts in order to avoid being burned. Wear light colors! With the weather being so hot, this is the perfect time to break out fun shorts and dresses. I am obsessed with J.Crew’s neon shorts! I’m also loving the shirt dresses that Forever 21 has on its website. Layer...
by Emily Snell | Jun 28, 2012 | Uncategorized
A homeless man sitting on a park bench. A single mom searching for work. Foster kids waiting for new homes. At a small dance studio in East Nashville, young children are rehearsing these scenes from a play, and in the process, nurturing their creative talents and learning about social justice. CreateAffect, a weeklong summer camp for children ages 5-11, educates kids about social justice issues like homelessness and modern-day slavery, while supporting the artistic community and teaching kids to express their creative side. CreateAffect Founder Abby Wahlers said she’s seen the kids come alive as they learn the positive impact they can have on the world. “A lot of kids came alive when they realized that what they were doing was making a difference,” she said. “They see that impact, and they flourish and come alive; and they want to do it more and more. Seeing that makes me come alive and makes me want to do more, and I love it. I love that cycle.” Wahlers, who has degrees in elementary education and human development from Wheelock College in Boston, said she thinks it’s important to teach children about social justice so that they more fully develop their innate empathy. “I think we’re all born with the capability to empathize,” she said. “We’re born with it, but I think along the way, we lose it. But these kids still have it. There are so many areas in their lives where they don’t get to choose, and they don’t get to be a force or to make a difference or to have an impact. When they’re able to reach...
by Cory Woodroof | Jun 22, 2012 | Uncategorized
After Cars 2, I began to wonder if Pixar’s magic was on a brief hiatus. Sure, Cars 2 isn’t a horrible film. It has some decent qualities, but the entire film just lacks the usual Pixar flair. As a frequent movie-goer, I have to admit that missing that yearly feeling of Pixar awe and wonder really left a hole in my cinematic heart. There’s just something about Pixar films that give viewers a special feeling. Thinking back on Ratatouille, I remember the flashback sequence to food critic Anton Ego’s childhood – that moment of serene bliss when old Ego remembers the feeling of a home-cooked meal. It’s one of my favorite moments in any movie ever. It’s what I feel when I watch movies that I love – many of them opening with the Pixar logo. So after Cars 2 disappointed, I began to wonder if that feeling would ever come back. Brave, the 13th Pixar film, brought back a few shreds of Pixar’s warmth, but not the entire feeling. The original fairy tale helped me remember some of the magic from Pixar’s past, but at the end, I just didn’t get full closure. Brave is a very well done Disney movie, but is it a great Pixar movie? That’s the question at hand. Brave is both an experiment and a dance in the comfort zone for Pixar. While this is the studio’s first fairy tale, Brave features so many staple features of the studio’s lineage of hits that it almost feels as if Pixar is treading light water. While Brave could have used the fierce stamp of originality...
by Cory Woodroof | Jun 22, 2012 | Uncategorized
Both committed fans and casual shoppers found a special treat awaiting them in the parking lot of the new Walmart by One Hundred Oaks Mall, Thursday afternoon. Nashville became the day’s stop on The Tumbler Tour, a special showcase featuring two vehicles from The Dark Knight trilogy. The tour is currently promoting the upcoming Batman film, The Dark Knight Rises. Fans dressed in Batman attire to greet the vehicles, while other on-lookers also joined in on the fun. Besides getting an exclusive look at some of the most recognizable on-screen wheels in recent cinema, free posters for the upcoming The Dark Knight Rises were made available for those in attendance. A few lucky attendees in Batman regalia were given screening passes for an advance showing of the movie. Those in civilian wear were given a chance to win tickets to the same screening. Some even say that Batman himself graced the event. Jim Johnson, one of the on-site drivers for the vehicles, gets the opportunity to both load and unload the massive Tumbler and Batpod. Johnson said he enjoys getting to see all the fans express their excitement for both the vehicles and upcoming sequel. “It’s pretty nice,” Johnson said. “Everybody gets excited.” One of Johnson’s on-site duties also involves starting the Tumbler, giving the audience an example of its powerful, roaring engine – a job Johnson finds “pretty fun.” The Tumbler Tour will continue to venture across the nation in anticipation for The Dark Knight Rises, which hits theaters and IMAX on July 20. See some pictures below!...
by Sarah McGee | Jun 16, 2012 | Uncategorized
This time last week, I was sitting in the sweltering heat of Bonnaroo. At first, I wasn’t too sure how the whole weekend was going to go. I’m a little bit of a diva, so the idea of roughing it was not too appealing to me. I am incredibly glad to say that it ended up being one of the coolest weekends of my life! The music was spectacular. My favorite bands that played were definitely a tie between Young The Giant and Red Hot Chili Peppers. They put on such great shows. Along with the music though, there were definitely some fashion stand-outs the whole time I was there. Some outfits were very cute. I loved all of the cute dresses that I saw people wearing! I also really liked how there were so many accessories that were used to glam up an outfit. For example, in one of the pictures above, the heart sunglasses are nice. I thought that bandanas were a really fun touch too, and many people added them to their outfits. Boots were another thing that I frequently saw people wearing throughout the Centeroo. Bonnaroo is a great example of how you can look stylish without needing to create an elaborate outfit. In addition to the cute outfits, there were some absolutely outrageous ones! I also tried to look nice every day that I was there, but under the circumstances of having limited showers and being...
by Cory Woodroof | Jun 11, 2012 | Uncategorized
In the film world, Prometheus has been arguably one of the most anticipated projects in quite some time. Seeing director Sir Ridley Scott return to the genre that made him famous with Alien has been a fanboy’s genie wish for ages. Having Scott return to the Alien universe? Don’t even get some people started. Prometheus initially started out as a straight prequel to Alien. Eventual co-writer John Spaihts created a draft for the prequel, but when the film headed in a different direction, elements of Spaihts’ story remained intact. Lost co-creator Damon Lindelof then took the reins and largely crafted the movie seen today. Both received credit for their work. If I can say anything about Prometheus, I’ll say that this factor looms heavily over the final product. In a brilliantly maddening way, Prometheus lives up to the hype of its ideas but drops the ball when it comes to narrative coherence. A film that tries too hard to be something that it is and probably shouldn’t be (an Alien quasi-prequel), Prometheus suffers from not being able to be its own film, but then again, some of the key plot points would not have received their greatness without a connection to the Alien universe. See where I’m at? Let’s start with what works before I get all flustered. Story-wise, just know a crew of space explorers aboard the Prometheus (led by Dr. Elizabeth Shaw, funded by Peter Weyland – a dying industry titan) head to a new planet to discover answers about the beginning of mankind. Once arrived, the crew finds out certain, terrifying truths that might alter the...
