A Fancy Schmancy Friday

 Just like a golden ticket got Charlie into Willy Wonka's chocolate factory, this pretty golden ticket got me into the Esquire House LA party on October 15th. 

My dear friend from Oklahoma (and Mary’s current roommate), Brian Wright, works for Esquire magazine and got me onto this fabulous invite list.  With the location set as a 19 million dollar house in the Hollywood Hills and a star-studded list of hosts including Sienna Miller, Emily Blunt, Claire Danes, Jude Law, (etc), two thoughts came to my mind when I received this invitation: “Brian Wright is absolutely amazing” and “What the hell am I going to wear??”

I enlisted the help of my trendiest fashionista friend, Whitney Olschwanger, who helped style me for the Oscars this past year.  I set out with her tips and an ironclad resolve to find the perfect trendy/fallish/classy/somewhere-between-going-out-and-cocktail dress at the Beverly Center.  This proved to be easier said than done… oy vey. After a few frustrating hours of being utterly unsuccessful in my search, a cute dress in the window of an unassuming boutique called ‘angl’ caught my eye.  I wandered inside and came out with a lovely black satin wrap dress.  Mission accomplished. 

Fast forward to the day of the party.  Brian had some tasks to take care of on site, so the plan was for me to take the Esquire-provided shuttle and then meet up with him there.  I won’t lie, the thought of this was a tad intimidating.  In situations like this, I turn to this empowering quote by Marlene Dietrich:

“Glamour is assurance. It is a kind of knowing that you are all right in every way, mentally and physically and in appearance, and that, whatever the occasion or the situation, you are equal to it.” 

I discovered that on a cheesy ‘quote of the day’ calendar in college, and I loved it so much that I tore it out and saved it.  I use it as my mantra anytime I’m entering an intimidating situation.  It’s quite helpful. (I also discovered in getting ready for this particular party that it doesn’t hurt to listen to “The Way You Make Me Feel” by Michael Jackson… that song is so great and sassy.  It just makes me want to put on high heels and lipstick and paint the town red. Automatic energy booster, for sure). ;-) 

After I was thoroughly pumped up from my Michael Jackson dance-along, I headed to the Sunset Marquis to drop off my things.  (Brian had a room there for his business trip, so I got to enjoy a little mini vacay and stay here with him!)  Then it was off to the shuttle location.  “Anyone with you?” the trendy girl with the guest list asked me as she checked my name off the list.  “No… just me…” I said as I pulled out my phone to text Brian.  I wanted to find him as soon as physically possible.  I rode the shuttle with two pairs of well-dressed girlfriends.  Even with a few superficial exchanges regarding lip gloss and dresses (I only wish I was joking), it was pretty apparent that they were not open to being buddies with the poor girl flying solo on the shuttle.  I probably texted Brian again at that point.  

As I arrived at the party, I had the startling realization that because we were so high up in the hills, there was NO cell phone reception, and ergo, Brian most certainly had not received my texts.  I surveyed the situation…approximately 500 beautiful people mingling and partying both inside the multi-level house and outside on the terrace.  There was no way I was going to find him. Oh boy. I repeated my Marlene Dietrich mantra in my head and headed to the bar.  

As I desperately searched for Brian, I found another familiar face. 

  Best known as a correspondent on E!, I first recognized Ashlan Gorse as a fellow Sports Club LA goer.  I waited until a golden moment when she wasn't being surrounded and hit on by hordes of men to make my introduction.  "Hi...do you go to the Sports Club LA in Beverly Hills?" I asked.  "Yeah! I do!" she replied.  We then chatted about her career path to her dream job E!, her adorable new dog, Arora, and how I was never going to find my friend. She was really nice.  I hope I see her at the gym soon;we could definitely hang out. ;-)

Fate smiled down upon me, and Brian found me!  He had had a very crazed and stressful afternoon, and needed a drink... STAT.   We took care of that and then set out to mingle and enjoy the fabulous party!  Here are some views of the party and the insanely amazing house...

And here are some photos of the some of the very pretty people I mingled with....

 

 

(Etc.)

The rest of the evening was a glorious blur of delectable hor dourves and artfully crafted (and incredibly delicious) cocktails. (I honestly drank the best mojito of my entire life...wow).  It was fun and fancy and fantastic.   Brian, darling, I will be your plus-one ANY time. :-) 

 

Currently listening: Mumford and Sons

Why: Because their concert in Hollywood this week was OFF THE CHARTS amazing and my love for them has multiplied.  If you have the opportunity to see this band live, do it! Absolutely amazing... I can't get enough. 

Your favorite plus-one, 

at.

 

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Oscar Season

It's that time again...awards season in Hollywood!  Studio execs often choose release dates in the late fall/early winter for their Oscar-hopefuls in an attempt to garner buzz and be fresh on Academy members' minds as the nomination ballots come out in January.  Having worked FOR the Academy the past two Oscar seasons, I've grown especially fond of the excitement, anticipation and (usually) really legit movies that come with this time of year.  While I'm not working for the Academy this year, the feeling is admittedly a bit subdued, but I'm ready to see some good movies, nonetheless! 

Here are my personal ratings/reviews of some new releases I've seen recently.  Some of which may indeed receive a coveted golden statuette (or several, for that matter)... and some of which most likely will not.  ;-)

EASY A

• One sentence synopsis from IMDB: A clean-cut high school student relies on the school's rumor mill to advance her social and financial standing. 
• Annie's Amazing Approval Rating: A (and not just because that's the letter in the title).   
• The Review: This movie is just FUN to watch.  Its hilariously witty screenplay is well-written and superbly acted by its star, Emma Stone.  Another major highlight of the movie: Penn Badgley's extreme hottness. YOWZA! I laughed out loud many times, including my favorite scene featured in the video below (which I'm willing to venture is a scenario ALL-too-familiar to the majority of us...) 
• Do I want to see it again? Yes.

 

NEVER LET ME GO

• Two sentence synopsis from IMDB: As children, Ruth, Kathy and Tommy, spend their childhood at a seemingly idyllic English boarding school. As they grow into young adults, they find that they have to come to terms with the strength of the love they feel for each other, while preparing themselves for the haunting reality that awaits them. 
• Annie's Amazing Approval Rating: B-
• The Review: Starring the very talented Carey Mulligan, Andrew Garfield, and Keira Knightley, and based on what has been considered one of the best novels of the decade, this film has some major Oscar buzz.  Ergo, I went in with high expectations, and sadly, those were not met.  I recognize some very redeeming features about it, but overall, the slow-moving story did not grab me and I was bored.  I think Stephen Farber's review in the Hollywood Reporter puts it perfectly: "Expertly acted, impeccably photographed, intelligently written, even intermittently touching, the film is also too parched and ponderous to connect with a large audience."  
• Do I want to see it again? No.   

THE SOCIAL NETWORK 

• One sentence synopsis from IMDB: A story about the founders of the social-networking website, Facebook. 
• Annie's Amazing Approval Rating: A+++++
• The Review: This is by far the best movie I've seen in 2010.  Incredible writing, acting, music, directing, ETC.  Jesse Eisenberg, Armie Hammer, and Andrew Garfield, (who I really did not enjoy in 'Never Let Me Go' but who I looooved in this), were all exceptional.  I was honestly so engrossed in the story that I was legitimately disappointed when 2 hours had passed and it was over. It was such a unique experience to watch the fascinating back story of a phenomenon to which our generation has witnessed the birth and  explosive growth. I also had the unique experience of watching this HUGE Oscar buzz movie AT the Academy member screening which Nikki Finke wrote about here. The theater was full of excited chatter and applause as the film ended, and I definitely predict numerous nominations for this incredible film. If you only see one movie this season, make it this one. Fo'real. 
• Do I want to see it again? I think the answer to that is fairly obvious, given my rave review... yes, yes, yes. ASAP, please. 

LET ME IN

• One sentence synopsis from IMDB: A bullied young boy befriends a young female vampire who lives in secrecy with her guardian. 
• Annie's Amazing Approval Rating: A-
• The Review: I should preface this by saying that I am an abnormally large 'scaredy cat' (for lack of a better term) who very much dislikes scary/suspenseful/thriller type movies, which caused me to cover my eyes through approximately 30-40%  of this film.  However, even with that handicap in my viewing experience, I can fully realize that this movie is very well-done and I do indeed recommend it.  The young leads Kodi Smit-McPhee and Chloe Moretz give stunning performances.  As far as the vampire fad goes, the overall quality of this film puts the Twilight franchise to absolute shame (sorry Mar), so if you're into the vamp thing, it's a must-see. 
• Do I want to see it again: No (because I am scared little baby).

There you have it. Some great new movies worth seeing (and one worth skipping).  Happy Oscar season! 

Currently listening to:  Mumford and Sons

Why: The top two reasons I am listening to this amazing band today: 1.) McKenzie and I are going to their concert in Hollywood in a couple weeks and  2.) they are awesome. A friend of mine recently described them with this analogy: "Mumford and Sons are to feeling like fall like The Beach Boys are to feeling like summer."  It's true... this English quartet's banjo-driven tunes just make me want to curl up in a big comfy sweater beside a blazing fireplace with friends on a crisp autumn evening and drink spiked apple cider. :-)  Cheers. 

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Annie's Favorite Things About Los Angeles: Bricks and Scones

What appeals to you about your favorite coffee shop/café/bakery that makes you just want to go there again and again and again? Is it the cozy and inviting décor and furniture or the artfully crafted delicious food and beverages? The subtly hip ever-present background music? Or perhaps the cute, friendly and interesting baristas and/or other patrons?

Well, my dears, my very favorite coffee shop/café/bakery has all of the above, and that is why Bricks and Scones is one of my favorite things in Los Angeles.

Bricks and Scones is located in the trendily quaint neighborhood of Larchmont Village (on Larchmont, slightly north of Beverly). Its greatness is obvious upon first glance. It has an enchanting outdoor patio full of lush foliage and twinkling lights. The enchanting ambiance continues when you walk inside and immediately seeing a large chandelier and staircase leading to "The Study" The dedication to attractive décor and furniture is continued throughout the shop, as you can see....

Next on the list of appealing features: artfully crafted delicious food and beverages. Bricks and Scones definitely gets an A+ in this department. They serve Intelligentsia coffee and tea (my favorite is the Jardin Sauvage tea... so flavorful and delicious!). All of their food is homemade daily right there in the kitchen. The freshness and quality is very apparent, and basically everything is just really dang GOOD. I highly recommend the red velvet cupcake (duh), ANY of the scones, and the Caprese sandwich. De-lish.

Appealing feature #3: music (and other forms of entertainment). Bricks and Scones offers its patrons more in entertainment than just a killer playlist (that always tends to add songs and artists to my itunes wish list). It has an ever-growing library exchange, where customers are encouraged to take a book to enjoy while replacing it with one from their own collection. It also has a whole cupboard full of board games! I've spent a few fun-filled nights sipping hot tea and playing Scrabble with friends. If that doesn't sound like an evening right out of a Norman Rockwell painting, I don't know what does.

And the final thing that draws me to this coffee haven: the people. Bricks and Scones is frequented by celebrities quite often (although I have yet to see any there with my own two eyes, I must admit...). My two favorite comedians from UCB , Rob Huebel and Paul Scheer are apparently regulars. I've also heard that Molly Shannon and Robert Schwartzman came in a few weeks ago. Etcetera. Also, it is sometimes used for filming purposes (if you watch "Private Practive", be on the look out for some scenes in Bricks and Scones soon!)

More appealing, however, are the NORMAL people I see here. This impressive establishment is actually owned and managed by none other than my very dear friend, Jinah Kim (who is only 24 years old, astoundingly enough!).

Pictured with the amazing Jinah Kim and Alex Rhods (the musician I mentioned in my last post) at my birthday party.

Jinah goes to my church, Pacific Crossroads, and is in my awesome community group, so because of this connection, it is rare that I go to Bricks and Scones and don't see a friendly face I recognize from these places, making it all the more inviting. Jinah's parents owned the property, so she essentially combined all aspects of her IDEAL dream coffee shop, and Bricks and Scones was born. I can't tell you how impressed I am with this girl and all her hard work. It has definitely paid off, making Bricks and Scones hands down one of the best coffee shops ever!

Enjoying glorious Bricks and Scones with my community group.

I know you're just dying to go now, aren't you? I'm always down for a good coffee date... let's go. :-)

Currently listening to: Etta James, "At Last"

Why: It just came on my Ingrid Michaelson station on Pandora, and it is just... GOLDEN. I mean, wow. Who doesn't love this song??

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Weekend Review and Other News

The past weekend was fun-filled and eventful, as anticipated. 

Phantom of the Opera was chilling and glorious, as per usual.  Our seats were amazing: 3^rd row center! The costumes and set were exceptionally spectacular; honestly probably the best production I’ve seen at the Pantages.  The show is in LA until October 31, 2010.  If you like live theater, you should absolutely go. Buy tickets here You’re in for a treat.

Our housewarming party was a great success! Many of our dear friends came and our all of our delish food/drinks and apartment as a whole were a huge hit.  I am really so in love with the new place.  My lovely roommate McKenzie and I have decorated it and made it very ‘homey’.  It really feels like my first ‘grown up’ apartment and that is a very wonderful feeling. Come over and hang out. 

Ready for our wonderful friends to arrive and help us properly warm our new home. :-)

 Band of Horses at the Greek was just cool. No better way to put it, I think.  This was my first time at the Greek, and I’m already looking forward to going back. First of all, it’s walking distance from my new apartment (holla!).  Second of all, it’s an amazing outdoor amphitheater in the middle of Griffith Park, so you’re essentially watching amazing live music under the stars (and in the instance of Saturday, a gorgeous full moon) in the middle of a forest. Yes please.  Here is a video of this incredibly talented band performing ‘The Funeral’ at the show on Saturday (taken by someone who was apparently on the very first row! Holy closeness, Batman! My seats were most certainly were not this close… but enjoyable nonetheless). 

As you may have heard (because I feel like every one of the millions of people who live in the greater Los Angeles area are complaining about it), we’ve had quite a little late-summer heat wave the past few days. (Literally, Monday broke the record for the HOTTEST day in LA…ever). I took full advantage of this and enjoyed a couple blissful hours at the beach Sunday afternoon.  Several factors have prevented me from soaking up the sun with my toes in the sand much at all this summer, which made this long overdue beach day extra enjoyable. One of my earliest life goals was to live “driving distance from the beach”… and I must admit, sometimes I take for granted that I actually do now. Tsk tsk for me…but holla for the realization of childhood life dreams.

Heavenly. 

Taken from my phone on Sunday 9/26/10. 

 In other news, my dear friend Matt Godfrey needs your help.  He is in my beloved community group.  He and his lovely wife Ellen moved from Alabama to LA because he was cast in the highly anticipated ‘Blue Like Jazz’ movie (and for him to pursue other acting endeavors).  Very unfortunately, however, it was announced last week that the filming for this would be postponed indefinitely due to lack of funding (despite “a strong screenplay, a stellar cast, and rave reviews”).  But, ALAS, there is a chance it can be saved! If $125,000 (which is practically nothing in the world of film) can be raised by October 25, 2010, the film can enter production as planned.  In all honesty, I have never read this book, but more than 1.5 million people have.  It is supposed to have a really great message that could positively affect millions more people if it does indeed make it to the big screen, so if you feel so inclined, click HERE to donate to the cause.

It’s the biggest week in college football if you’re a Sooner fan… OU/Texas is this Saturday!  I plan on watching this intense rivalry game at a sports bar with other rowdy OU fans, drinking beer (which I am surprisingly becoming a big fan of as of late!), and yelling BOOMER SOONER like we were actually at the game.  It’s absolutely not the same, but hey, we misplaced Oklahoman Angelenos have to make the best with what we have.  

I’m seeing EASY A and THE SOCIAL NETWORK this weekend… I’ve heard amazing things about both, so I’m very much looking forward to it.  Reviews to follow!  What is the best movie you’ve seen recently (or that you're looking forward to seeing)?

Currently listening to: Alex Rhodes

Why: The reason for my current music pick can be explained in detail in this previous post. She is a dear friend of mine and incredibly talented musician AND her debut EP just came out!!  She had album release show at the Hotel Cafe last weekend and it was wonderful. You can check out (and now buy!) Alex's amazing tunes here.  My favorites are "No Trouble" and "Honestly." Enjoy!

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Menu for the Weekend

Hmm... I think I'll start with a sure-to-be-amazing viewing of Phantom of the Opera at the Pantages.

Followed by a deliciously inviting house warming party at my new wonderful apartment....

 ... and top it all of with an incredible Band of Horses concert at the Greek Theater. 

Yummy! :-)


Currently listening: The Phantom of the Opera soundtrack. 
Why: A.) because it's awesome. B.) to help get me fully in the mood to watch it tonight. and C.) because Mary and I loooved this musical so much as young children that we used to 'play pretend' Phantom of the Opera in lieu of playinig Barbies or house or other normal children games.  (One of the many many reasons we are best friends).  ;-) 


 at

A Tale of Two Cities in the Press!

 Some of you may recall that my beloved alma mater, OU, ran an article about my job at the Academy on the http://www.ou.edu/ homepage a few months ago. 


Well, now a new version of that article has made it in the summer edition of the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication alumni magazine, The Pulse, and our blog gets a shout out!  The caption on our photo reads: Annie (right) and her best friend Mary both graduated from OU in 2008 with degrees in public relations and went to work on opposite coasts but kept up the friendship via a blog at http://annieandmary.blogspot.com and got together in person at the 2010 Oscars.


(Author's note: Mary graduated with a double major of letters and art history, NOT public relations).


Isn't that cool?  Ha!  I was aware that they were planning to run a little article, but the big picture and mention of our blog was a total fun surprise.  :-)  You can read the full article here (page 41, in case it doesn't automatically direct you there).  Enjoy (and Boomer Sooner).

Currently listening to: Ingrid Michaelson

Why: This talented folksy singer-songwriter is absolutely one of my new favorites.  Her endearing, cheeky, intelligent and relatable lyrics are amazing and her pretty voice is effortlessly smooth. It’s hard to pick favorite songs because they are all so good, but for the sake of an introductory download, allow me to suggest: “The Way I Am, “ “The Chain”, and/or “Be OK.” (But really you should just download her entire discography… you can thank me later). ;-)

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East Meets West

Mary's visit to LA came and went entirely too quickly and was jam-packed with fun, fun, fun.  I love how we can go months without seeing each other and then immediately pick up exactly where we left off. :-) 
We thought a fun way to jointly post about this wonderful weekend would be for me to post all the photos I collected throughout Mary's visit, and then let Mary do the captioning (in this color, for clarification purposes.) So without further adieu...

Night #1: After suffering through a Friday evening yoga class (Annie is like, one of those super weirdo new age West coast hippies now, or something...), I was desperately in need of a marg. Solution: El Coyote Cafe. Home of cheap mexican food and delicious margs on Beverly Blvd. This was Annie's 8:11 Twitpic. 

Night #1 Continued: The Edison. A downtown power plant-turned lounge... so cosmopolitan. The libations were artfully crafted, the decor was jazz club meets modern art museum, and the walls were highlighted by silent film projections... I give it an A+. (Our friend Garrett met us there, which made the experience even better. We love reunions of friends here). 

Day #2: Brunch at The Ivy. This Beverly Hills hotspot needs no introduction... unless you live on Mars.  We enjoyed a delicious meal (Annie tried Stone Crab Claws for the first time!) and some interesting people watching, and then Annie, Jessica, and I headed down Robertson for some retail therapy...

 Ethan, Jordan, Haben... oh my! This Nice Jewish Guys of the month calendar at Kitson made me consider my bashert. I actually purchased this calendar and then surreptitiously placed it in Laura and Sophie's bathroom in NY... I wonder how long it will take them to notice. 

Day #2: Later that afternoon, we met Annie's roommate McKenzie for a movie at the super cool restored old cinema in Annie's new neighborhood of Los Feliz. I don't really know what to say about this movie... (In fact, this was my 2nd viewing- after the first time I said, "I never want to see this movie again." Well, guess who got coerced into seeing it again?) We all agreed that we love Julia Roberts but aren't particularly fond of the protagonist, Liz Gilbert. Either way, it is fun to watch her journeys and travels to exotic locales. 

Night #2: Annie, Jessica, and I headed downtown for some cheap Sangrias and Mediterranean cuisine at Spitz. While parking we encountered the crazy fool pictured above. He made an illegal u-turn, effectively cutting us off- but when we saw who it was we didn't mind as much. Annie waved, enthusiastically. Hahaha. 

Night #2 Continued: Jessica, Annie, and I in front of the Emmy's red carpet, the night before the event. As you may know, the reason for this visit was a certain concert (see below). The concert venue was located in the same complex as the Emmy Awards, allowing us this truly Kodak moment. 

 

Night #2 Continued: At last- the reason for my trip (except for the whole visit Annie and Jessica factor...), the reunion concert of our favorite highschool/college band, Something Corporate. This piano rock band based out of Southern California epitomizes youth as we know it. Hooking up, sleeping in, frenemies... this band touches on all things adolescent. The lead singer and love of our lives, Andrew, has a few other side projects, including the band Jack's Mannequin, which have now become more full-time projects. Alas, while we can always have more Andrew McMahon, this may be the last we see of Something Corporate... He even tucked in his shirt for the occasion.  

Annie, Jessica, and myself at the Something Corporate concert. AMAZING.

"I always catch the clock, it's 11:11, and now you want to talk..."

Annie chose these pictures, so I assume this is the band playing her favorite song, possibly of all time, "Konstantine." This nearly 10 minute piano ballad is an epic tune, and if you haven't heard it, I insist you download it immediately. It will tug on the heartstrings you never knew you had. This being the last concert of the last tour, Andrew prefaced this song, "this might be the last time I play this song in a while."... heartbreak. 

The signature Andrew McMahon piano stomp. 

Day #3: Brunch at Luna Park. Two words: Bottomless mimosas. Oh, and one more word: S'mores. 

At LACMA (Los Angeles County Museum of Art) in the John Baldessari exhibition. I went a little overboard giving Annie a brief history of Conceptualism- obviously she was paying attention as she snapped this photo... Shameless plug to Angelenos and NYers: Go see John Baldessari at LACMA and this fall at the Met!! It was a fantastic survey of this highly influential artist's work. 

Night #3: Emmy Watch Party at Eva's apartment... almost as good as going to the actual award show. We had fun watching the show- and we even made the official Emmy Awards cocktail! 

Night #3 Late: Upright Citizens Brigade's "Shitty Jobs" show. Annie never talks about this comedy club, so I'm sure you have NO idea what I'm talking about... just kidding. If you read this blog, then you know Annie's FAVORITE thing to do on a given night is attend the UCB Facebook show. Even though UCB originated in NY, she felt it was important for me to have the LA experience- and thus, we attended this Shitty Jobs show, which included hilarious improvisations of an audience member's worst job. Maybe next time I go, I can tell my shitty jobs story... ;)

Day #4: On the last day, Annie had to work, so I went on the official WB Studio Lot Tour, before meeting her for lunch. The tour was so fun- they drive you around in little carts to see different sound stages, sets, archives, and their museum. My personal favorite part was seeing Austin Powers' Shaguar. Groovy baby, yeah.   Then, Annie and I ate lunch at the commissary by Conan O'Brien. Check and check. 

Though I was sad to leave and Annie was sad to let me go, we had a wonderful reunion weekend. 

We hope you enjoy this shared post, and we certainly enjoyed sharing our reunion memories with you!

Love,

annie and mary

PS- Now Playing: If U C Jordan by Something Corporate. This was the last song played at their show, and it was pretty awesome. This clip includes the famous piano stomp... Enjoy!