Filed under: commentary, food, review | Tags: food; cupcakes; review; sugar bliss cupcakes;
If God would create the perfect cupcake, He would sell it at Sugar Bliss Cake Boutique.
Nestled across Macy’s on Wabash is the little alcove that Sugar Bliss Cakes calls home and once inside the blue and brown parlor setting, Sugar Bliss feels like grandma’s kitchen. (more…)
Filed under: commentary, review | Tags: bad literature; review; commentary; twilight
There’s something very wrong with the book world. It’s not Kindle or the favor of Barnes and Noble over tiny used bookshops.
It’s that readers think Twilight is not just literature, but good literature.
The fact is that Stephenie Meyer, the author of the Twilight series, paints a very sad picture for the 21st century young female: as long as you’re dull and awkward, then any stalker-ish, obsessive sparkly vampire will want to be your boyfriend. You’ll give up school, chase him around the world, and beg repeatedly to become a vampire yourself.
Plot problems aside–and there are many–the issue at the core of Twilight is its influence over young girls and the media they take in. Written in the vain attempt to be girl power literature, the main character lacks strength and self-determination that harkens back to a Victorian “angel in the house” syndrome or the Disney-esque damsel in distress model. Bella Swan, isolated as the new girl in town and socially ostracized from any of her non-vampire peers, lacks depth and a brain. Initially ignored by too-cool-to-be-spoken-to Edward Cullen, Bella is not fazed by her discovery of Edward’s vampire lifestyle and she certainly doesn’t run in the opposite direction when he glitters like a Lisa Frank sticker when exposed to sunlight. So, Twilight’s young readers associate themselves with a girl not smart enough to recognize danger or when she needs to stand up herself. (more…)
Filed under: glamour magazine, review, Women of the Year | Tags: women of the year; glamour magazine; review;
Front Cover: My subscription issue features Michelle Obama in a simple pose. Nothing flashy about the dress or her hair. Not the most flattering of pictures. Sparkling, winter background: dumb, cliche…and dumb. Glamour is quickly turning into Cosmo meets teenybopper mag…quit it! Too much pink font. Orange circle weirdly placed, wrong color scheme. Less crowded than previous issues. I don’t like the tag “Bonus: Rihanna Finally Opens Up”. I have my issue with that story (mainly its insult of the every day circle of abuse) but jesus, leave her alone. She’ll speak when she speaks. But more of that later.
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In the pilot episode of FX network hit, Nip/Tuck, character Kimber Henry insists, “I don’t want to be pretty. I want to be better.”
And that’s the point. Nip/Tuck doesn’t try to be pretty; even more so, it fails almost weekly. The show follows the surgical and sexual exploits of McNamara/Troy, a fictional plastic surgery office owned by college buddies Sean McNamara and Christian Troy, and the comings and goings of the freaks, addicts and sex-pots that litter the show’s character list.
Each episode follows one secondary character seeking plastic surgery and while many think the show is a jumping-off point for Playboy big boobs and bottle blonde dye jobs, Nip/Tuck fights against a soap opera-meets-TMZ stereotype. The characters’ self-hatred and desire for change varies from the egoistical to the practical, from facelifts to lifestyle change, all while readily supplying drama, witty dialogue, and fascinating characters. (more…)
Filed under: glamour magazine, review | Tags: women of the year; glamour magazine; review;
I take it back. Glamour did some good this year with their WotY choices.
BUT…the material/quotes online form the award ceremony…better stuff. They should have asked these women about how they feel about their role as a woman in their fields. I don’t know what the questions could have looked like because it’s 2am and I am waiting on a phone call. But Maya Angelou? Come on! You could have gotten SOMETHING else out of her other than reciting Phenomenal Woman for the billionth time.
Favorite quote(s):
“Girls, if a guy says something that isn’t funny…you don’t have to laugh” (Amy P.)
That some kids in the world go to bed “…without being read a bedtime story” (Jane A.)
Basically anything Angelou said.
More on this when I am in better spirits and have more sleep in me.
Filed under: glamour magazine, review | Tags: women of the year; glamour magazine; review;
I have recently developed this love/hate relationship with Glamour magazine. I love the mag because it was the first I completely read (aside from Highlights at the doctor’s office of course!). It was powerful, engaging and it highlighted women and women’s issues unlike anything other fashion/beauty magazine was doing (and, I would argue, still does so). I love that it is the type of magazine that you can pick up and read at different times. If you’re looking for a quick, light read, you can read the short info-graphics/ASFs. You’ll get the same information in half the time. There’s always, disappointingly so, some sort of celebrity angle (and in recent years, it’s quickly becoming US Weekly) so that can provide a source of entertainment. And then there are the groundbreaking coverage of women’s issue, written in a way that is both informative and comfortable to a reader that otherwise would be not be comfortable with such issues.
And their Women of the Year coverage is often my favorite because it’s the one issue out of the twelve that showcases real women.
Not this year. I don’t like that Michelle Obama is one of the covergirls. Nothing personal against her, but she’s married to the President and that doesn’t make her a Woman of the Year in my book. They did the same thing with Laura Bush, I believe. I don’t doubt that she does something good and beneficial to society…but where in the news has it been shown? I believe the Women of the Year should go to women who have changed the world in the last year because of something THEY have done.
Maria Shiver? No
Stella McCartney? Love her, but I don’t get why she is a WotY
Amy Poehler? Love, love, love her too…she made us laugh but she didn’t change the world.
Glamour has spliced celebrities/big names with women who actually did something powerful, like Jane Aronson’s orphan campaign and journalists Euna Lee and Laura Ling who were jailed because of their coverage of human trafficking in China. Not to mention that they have dotted coverage of other WotY or moments considered WotY-worthy among sex-talk, smoky eye lessons and how to get the best hair color for your skin. An interesting aspect of this month’s issue is the perspective on female journalists who covered some of the biggest stories of the past year. Now, THAT is what I want to read.
While I must admit, I’ve only flipped through the magazine once so far and my focus was mainly on the design and reveal of the WotY, so Glamour could redeem themselves.
But right now, glamour, glamour, glamour…get thee behind me!
In the final dramatic scene of The Hypocrites’ Frankenstein, the Daemon asks Victor Frankenstein, his maker, “why did you create me?”
It echoes the question many audience members had during the performance: “what was that?” Whether they were confused about the play’s plot, straining to hear dialogue, or just confused as to why The Hypocrites chose to adopt Mary Shelley’s novel, neither the Daemon’s or the audience’s questions are answered. (more…)
Filed under: commentary, glamour magazine, review | Tags: women of the year; glamour magazine; review; diane sawyer; rhianna
So, I forgot to finish my critique of Glamour and since it’s been a month later and someone is bound to point it out.
Rhianna. I am conflicted with Rhianna and the media outburst with her “finally speaking out”. I watched the 20/20 interview with her and while I felt Diane Sawyer did a fabulous job handling the interview, I also felt like it was one big PR stunt. (more…)