Country Music Association Award Stragglers

I wasn't sure I wanted to continue on the topic of the CMA's, considering the event has now happened over a week ago, and I think my last post on it was sufficient enough; that was until I saw the new Michelle Branch video on CMT and my question as to why she was even at the CMA's, considering we haven't seen her face or heard her name in such a long while, was finally answered! She's now a country singer?

I guess she's done with the emo-pop, what a shame. I suppose that's why she's dressing much brighter and over-accessorizing. In theory, I like a lot of what she's got going on here... just not all at the same time! The bib necklace, with the studded clutch, the purple shoes against the bright teal satin dress (thank you for that combo, however), the shoulder decal, the bangles... AHHHHH, accessory overload!!!!

Speaking of overload... Leann Rimes dons a beautiful white dress, and pairs it with a heavy pair of black shoes and two black eyes.

Like we really needed the close up, you can see her makeup artist getting fired a mile away. I will state that the Canadian in me, appreciates the Raccoons tribute, Ralph and Melissa would be so proud.

Speaking of pride... Drag-Queen Mermaid. All I'm saying.

How fitting that Kenny Alphin goes by the name "Big" (from Big and Rich), since he really knows how to do it Loud (yup, song title pun). Let's thank him for his Mad Hatter message to Love Everybody. I will Kenny. I will. Christiev Corothers looks good considering all the stage props she's wearing, just change that dress colour and ditch the necklace, oh and take off the sheer 1970s curtain.

Randy Travis' wife, Lib Hatcher followed Kenny's costume theme, and showed up to the CMA's as a witch, moonlighting as a "present day" Betty Page impersonator, moonlighting as WWE wrestler. At least she doesn't rely on her husband to pay the bills, good for her.

Let's move onto more pleasant images. There are only two.

Nancy O'Dell has never in her entire career been able to win me over with her fashion choice as much as she has with this dress, although she's come close on a couple of occasions. Normally over she overdoes it, or blows it in the accessory department or is over-tanned. But not today (or last week I should say), the cut is flattering and sexy without being overt, the necklace is simple yet edgy, and her skin is not orange. Hoo-rah!

The 43rd Country Music Association Awards

Since it seems I am now a Country music fan, even if it's only on a part-time basis, I naturally spent this past Wednesday night watching the 43rd CMA Awards. Not that I have much attachment to many of the artists, thus I couldn't care less who wins what, but I was definitely interested to hear who may be performing (Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood, Sugarland, Lady Antebellum, etc), but being the girl that I am, I was most interested to see who wore what especially since over the past decade the ladies of country have turned over their gaudy, tasseled, sequined getups for more glamorous and fashion-forward gowns. Unfortunately there were very few gowns that I actually loved, but at least there were a couple pretty ones, and a few that made me debate their sanity out loud.

Let's start with Miss Entertainer of the Year herself, Taylor Swift;

Looking like an ice princess in a sequined strapless Reem Acra gown, I'd prefer to see it in a different colour, but I she still looks fabulous. Then again, I'm biased.

Another woman I seem to have bias over is Jennifer Nettles. In this case, however, there is no denying how amazing she looks in her Luisa Beccaria tulle gown. The bodice fits her like a bandage (dress) and I love the detail in the skirt.

I really wish I could allow Faith Hill her spotlight and just show a solo photo, but I find her solo pics rather dull. Her gray strapless Azzaro dress is fine, pretty even, it's a little too...Lauren Conrad, and I believe I'd prefer it on someone of that age set instead Mrs McGraw no matter how youthful she still looks. The best part of this look are her accessories, both the layered necklaces and that handsome thing on her arm, the only things that give this ensemble intrigue.

Kellie Pickler has the cutest personality, bubbly, slightly ditzy, sweet, all true of her age, and yet she doesn't appear to be any of that with her new hue. I'm the first to proclaim a love for gingers, but Kellie loses herself without her blonde hair, and this metallic David Meister gown is only aging her, she should have been wearing something more like...

Patricia Heaton's plunging Pamella Roland maroon mini-dress. Truthfully the two should switch! Patricia here looks great, admittedly (thanks to her many nips and tucks) but this is just too IN YOUR FACE! Both ends need only an inch or two and it would have been far more appropriate for a 50-something year old woman. Flaunt what you got, just don't look...desperate? doing so.

Martina McBride avoids looking desperate in a silver strapless draped Georges Hobeika gown, she also looks like a beautifully adorned pillowcase.

Her performance gown is much better and looks less like something she borrowed from one of her three daughters, plus the colour is superb on her.

I had absolutely no idea who Drake Dixon was when I saw him on the red carpet, until I found his youtube videos. This getup makes him look like the white Gary Coleman! Seriously I'm not denying how adorable this child is, just tell me random facts, like the human head weighs 8 pounds and my heart would melt.. but the adorned jacket is reminiscent of those country artists of yore that I had mentioned in my intro, plus a child in a suit? It merely helps further the theme I've noticed of the evening. Age swap!

For those who may have mistaken American Idol alum Diana DeGarmo for someone older, like CSI Miami's Eva La Rue, you are not alone. I think the dress is kind of great (the neckline could be a just a tad lower), as are the shoes, but she herself does not look like a mere 22. What on earth is going on with everyone on Wednesday night?!?!

Finally someone age appropriate. Thank you Jennnette McCurdy, thank you!

Finding Ambition. And Fashion.

Have you ever had laziness, mixed with boredom and extreme procrastination combined as one? Well that's precisely what I've been experiencing lately with TMP. There are still numerous events whose outfits I want to dissect and appreciate, reaching all the back to the Met ball! Now that my friends is lazy procrastination! Fortunately, I think I've found a new passion and zeal to get my writing on. Plus I've got some Getting Fit updates and goals that I'm excited to share. So what better time to throw up fave photos from random events as a teaser.

Kelly Pickler at the CMT Awards in what appears to be a dress designed by either the Blonds or Versace. Either way, I love it!

Alyson Hannigan looking stunning! And encouraging me not to lose the red hair, although it's far too difficult to keep the red hue fresh, sadly.

Ashley Tisdale is purple-licious in a leather Elise Overland cocktail dress at the 2009 MTV Movie Awards, at the Gibson Amphitheatre May 31.

Let's end it with a little douchebaggery at its finest, thanks to Kanye West verbally assaulting Taylor Swift.

MTV VMAs: Red Carpet (Pre-Judgements)

As the whole family is sitting watching the VMAs and rolling our eyes at Lady Gaga's Jean Paul Ghautier designed Phantom of the Opera homage- I'm not sure I can ever look at Kermit the Frog the same way again- my sis and I noticed that Shakira is looking rather bloated, in the face (her body however was looking quite stellar in her tight sequined Balmain mini), botox gone awry perhaps? Three minutes later Pink makes her grand entrance in the exact same dress! On a daily basis that's not really a big deal, but at an awards event (even one hosted by MTV) and being separated by mere minutes, some personal assistant or stylist somewhere is being canned.

Speaking of being canned, Ashley Greene as their Fashion Correspondent. Why? Who made this happen and what inspired this? Have you not been taking note of her many poor fashion choices as of late? Someone needs to tell her she is no Chloe Sevigny, so she needs to steer clear of the Beverly Hills 90210 floral flashbacks! But I digress...

As many know I am a big fan of both Cinderella and Taylor Swift, so having the two combined with her pumpkin carriage entrance in a beautiful ice gown that a fairy godmother would have blessed you with brought much joy to my little black heart.

There's so much more that I have to say about the Red Carpet, but the show has started and Kanye West has just overshadowed the Micheal Jackson Tribute!! Douche!

Spine to Spine: Life of Pi & The Te of Piglet

My original reading goal was to finish one book a month, no problem right? Apparently I was wrong. With the onset of summer I completely abandoned my Spine to Spine personal quota. I finished Benjamin Hoff's Te of Piglet as my May read (although I never took to TMP to rave about it, just as The Tao of Pooh, it was great, and worth multiple reads throughout life). After completing Te of Piglet, I picked up Yann Martel's Life of Pi for my June read, still in search of inspiring uplifting novels, such as Te and The Alchemist, something to help me figure out my life. So I admit I judged this book by its cover,

I saw the tiger, the waves, the font, the colours and thought "This looks like it'll be philosophical, and uplifting." Not to say it wasn't inspiring or possessing philosophical symbolism throughout, it was, but what I was expecting was not at all what I got.

The first half of the story, depicting young Piscine's (Pi) life in Pondicherry, India, the son of a Zoo proprietor with an insatiable appetite for religions, Muslim, Christian and Hindu was interesting, but slow. The pace changed from the first sentence of the second part, once his father had decided to sell the zoo and its animals and move his family to Winnipeg. Their cargo ship sunk and a young Pi was stranded on a lifeboat with a hyena, orangutan, zebra and a tiger named Richard Parker (Edgar Allen Poe reference, I'm sure). It's a captivating tale that even with such extraordinary circumstances is told in such a plausible way... yes I was duped and believed this was a true tale. If only everyone else who starts this book could be as a lucky

Remembering DJ AM

After hearing about DJ AM's death this past Friday, August 28th, I can't help but wonder how it's affected people who were actually a part of his life. Media society has a tendency to sensationalize celebrity deaths to the point that they begin to feel as though it were a tragic plot in a movie, but the truth is these recently deceased celebrities were real people with friends and family, all of whom were left in the wake. I admit to checking Nicole Richie's Twitter page randomly to see if she's made any updates of her feelings, understandably, she hasn't. According to sources she's been under medical care since she found out, claiming that she felt as if her heart had stopped upon hearing the news. That's real, and heartbreaking.

Travis Barker, AM's friend and survival companion, did take to Twitter to express his feelings on the tragedy, "My brother is gone. I love u and miss u, I'll never forget all the good times we had. Rest in peace, my brother. This really fucks me up." Imagine experiencing a plane crash, suffering second and third-degree burns after a Learjet you're on catches fire, people die, but you and you're friend are lucky to survive, and less than one year later, that friend is found faced down on the floor, surrounded by pain pills? Pain pills that he no-doubt, starting taking due to said plane crash, which appeared to have led the former addict back into a drug abusing state. I agree Travis, that would really fuck somebody up.

DJ AM's memorial takes place tomorrow at the Hollywood Palladium, and will resemble an open 12 step meeting according to the invitation. It encourages both his friends from his life in recovery, as well as those from other areas of his life to attend. I suppose this will make up for AM's intervention-style reality show he was working on with MTV, based on his experiences overcoming addiction and being 10 years sober as well as surviving the plane crash, that never came to fruition. "I have another chance...So I have to do something better with my life this time." He said in July, explaining his decision to do the show.

Megan Fox has Jennifer's Body

I'm not referring to Biel, Anniston, Lopez, Garner or any of those other figure-celebrated Jennifer's, the Jenn I'm referring to is Megan Fox's new role as Jennifer Check in the Diablo Cody-written campy horror flick Jennifer's Body, coming September 18th (the day after my sister is due to give birth to my first nephew). Jennifer gets possessed by a demon due to a band-sacrifice gone wrong, and then proceeds to devour her male classmates, of course it's not all bad for the guys, she does seduce them first, truthfully I can't think of many guys I know who would oppose. I know there's an "eating out" pun to be made here, but my rusty writing fingers are telling me to just cut to the trailer.

(courtesy of http://www.shocktillyoudrop.com)

While I normally violently oppose horror films, I do enjoy me some camp, and I'd like to see how Cody Diablo follows up Juno, I can't imagine it was an easy task... everyone expecting so much from you, when really all they want is to see you fail, because for some reason our society has become rather cynical. Plus the trailer has a Heathers feel, all hail Winona Ryder and Christian Slater! "Greetings and salutations," "Heather number one just looked right at me!" "Well fuck me gently with a chainsaw..." Ahh, Que sera sera.

The film also stars Big Love and former Mean Girl Amanda Seyfried as Jennifer's homely bestfriend, Needy; and our beloved Seth Cohen (Adam Brody) still has a career! Yay!