December Novel: Bossypants

Seriously, who doesn’t like Tina Fey? She’s funny, witty, and can do everything. How many other women do you know who can write and act in films, write and act in sitcoms, write and act in live comedy performances, host award shows, and write a book -  all while raising two daughters under seven?

Read more >>

Melissa McCarthy, Fashionista

Melissa McCarthy is awesome.


I've been a fan of hers since her days on Gilmore Girls, playing the affable Sooki alongside Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel. I once told someone I wanted to be Sooki and they responded with, "You tried out for a part on Gilmore Girls??" Um, no, crazy person, I just thought her character was awesome and wanted to be like her. She wears cool chef jackets and headbands, once tries to redecorate her house with deer heads and things to make it feel more "manly" when she starts living with Jackson, not to mention the awesome episode where they discover weed growing in one of Jackson's fields and refer to it with the code word "pickles" for the entire storyline. Fantastic.

It's been awesome seeing her continuing work on Mike & Molly and, of course, Bridesmaids, where she quickly became my favorite part of the film. I read that as inspiration for her character, she studied Guy Fieri and walked around set with sunglasses on the back of her head like him until they made her stop. That's hilarious. When my friend recently got married and we decided to recreate the movie poster, I called dibs on her character Megan and made jokes about puppies the entire weekend. It was perfect (and I can't wait to see the picture!).

So I came across this photo of her, and learned that she is in the process of designing her own plus-sized clothing line. How great is that? Here's her reasoning behind it:

“Trying to find stuff that’s still fashion-forward in my size is damn near impossible. It’s either for like a 98-year-old woman or a 14-year-old hooker, and there is nothing in the middle.”

Seeing as Melissa has worn some great fashions in her time, I'm pretty excited about this. She's one of the few actresses that does great work while happening to be plus-sized, rather than being the go-to "chubby" character, and I love that about her. We need more women in the media who are happy with their size rather than turning into Hollywood Barbie.

Some of Melissa's past fashions:

Main photo from here. Others from around the internet, including Just Jared and Exposay.

Top 5: Creepiest Collector Barbies Currently for Sale

It's been a long time since I've posted a Top 5 - between moving, my friends' weddings, and not having internet at home, time has slipped away from me. But I'm going to get back into the habit of posting each Monday if it kills me, so without further ado, a new Top 5 list!

So I was perusing the Barbie website today, and honestly I'm not sure how I got there. One minute I was reading posts at Wired, and a few links later I was at BarbieCollector.com. The internet: it's a slippery slope, people. Anyway, I was flipping through the newest Barbies, as I used to collect fancy Barbies when I was a kid (I was a weird child who would rather look at them in boxes than play with them), and realized there are some really weird dolls out there. These are the creepiest dolls you can currently buy.

5. Pink in PANTONE Barbie, $49.95

I love Pantone swatches as much as the next graphic designer, so I kind of like this one, even if it is kooky. Still, how much of a crossover market is there for graphic design geeks who collect Barbie dolls?

4. Dancing with the Stars Samba Barbie, $29.95

I cannot understand the popularity of this show. I have seen multiple episodes, and I just don't get it. What I really do not understand is the ridiculous costumes worn by the dancers, usually the female partner. This doll comes complete with crazy glitter eyeshadow.

3. Tim McGraw & Faith Hill Dolls, $49.00

As a kid who grew up listening to country pop, I know that Tim & Faith are the power couple of country music. Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert can only hope to be as awesome as the two of them. The pair of dolls are actually not terrible, except for the weird expression on Faith's face. She is a very pretty woman in real life, and this makes her look really creepy.

2. The Twilight Saga: New Moon Jacob Doll, $24.95

This doll plays into the whole "Twilight Moms" culture that thoroughly concerns me. This is a collector doll, for adults, featuring a shirtless teenage boy. Creepy.

1. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part I Edward Doll, $29.95

Do I have to explain this one? He's made of creepy almost-white plastic. I guess I should be glad that they didn't embed glitter to make him sparkle in the sunlight. In a weird way he actually looks like a vampire, Ann Rice-style.

Bonus creepy: look at him when they pose him with the Bella doll. He's staring at her in a "you look delicious" kind of way. Because that's a great way to portray a teenage romance.

All images from www.barbiecollector.com

Top 5: Songs that Name Drop Celebrities

I don't know how you get through your work day, but I have to have music on in the background to help keep me focused. Honestly, I'm not sure how I got anything done before Pandora. I have the site open almost the entire time I'm at my desk,  constantly churning out song after song (two of my favorite preset stations are Summer Hits of the 90s and Today's College Indie, I highly recommend starting with them!). The other day the song Tonight Tonight by Hot Chelle Rae showed up in rotation, and the song always makes me laugh for mentioning Zach Galifianakis. Did they ask him first? Does he get royalties whenever the song plays? Did they have to look up how to pronounce his last name? Not to mention he's a completely random celebrity to include in song lyrics. It got me to thinking about other songs that mention celebrities in them, and it turns out there are a lot more than I thought - below are the videos for my top 5.


5. Manic Monday by The Bangles 
    Celebrity: Rudolph Valentino 

    This song constantly gets stuck in my head, it's definitely infectious.

4. Clark Gable by The Postal Service
    Celebrity: Clark Gable

    I'm still a little sad that this group will never make a second album.

3. Buddy Holly by Weezer
    Celebrities: Buddy Holly, Mary Tyler Moore

    I already loved Weezer, and then I learned they made a video where they sang on Happy Days. 

2. One Week by Barenaked Ladies
    Celebrities: LeAnn Rimes, Bert Kaempfert, Harrison Ford, Sting

   This is one of those weird songs that is still entertaining even almost 15 years (!) later.

1. Vogue by Madonna
    Celebrities: Greta Garbo, Marilyn Monroe, Marlene Dietrich, Joe DiMaggio, Marlon Brando, Jimmy Dean, Grace Kelly, Jean Harlow, Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Rita Hayworth, Lauren Bacall, Katharine Hepburn, Lana Turner and Bette Davis.

I'm pretty sure she named every major actor/actress from the golden age of Hollywood.