The Pretty Faces "come home"

I was so happy when I first heard that my good friends The Pretty Faces were doing a tour and coming to Toronto for a gig - a first. I've known Jeff and Thomas (the lead vocalist/guitar and drummer) since I can literally remember. Hannah is Jeff's wife whom I became really good friends with in 2005. The band has been operating out of Southern Florida for the last few years now. They have a great upbeat sound and put on a cool live performance. If you get a chance check them out on iTunes.

After getting stuck in traffic on the way to the show (nearly 3 hours when it should take 1 hour) we arrived for the show at Rancho Relaxo. We had some great authentic Mexican food before hand and I had the chance to quickly catch up with Hannah. I think the show was great too because I knew so many people there. The bands friends and family were all in attendance which made it really special for them. They started their set at midnight, so needless to say it was a late night but well worth it! (PS Hannah I can't wait for your next visit!!)

A Janglin' Good Time

On Novemeber 24th at El Mocambo in Toronto I had the interesting experience of seeing Edward Sharpe and the Magnificent Zeros perform to a sold out crowd. We arrived at the venue just before 8pm (we didn't want to get their earlier and have another confrontation with the door nazi). We did arrive early in the city so we had some delicious apple beer at Rancho Relaxo (a must for their Mexican food!). The venue started filling pretty steadily. The first on stage were the Local Natives, from California. I had just heard of them that day, and I was impressed. They put on a great performance, full of energy. The below photos are from their set. One thing that all the bands did was use an array of instruments.

The second band Fools Gold (also from California) was less than great. They took FOREVER to set up and do their sound-check. I couldn't understand what they were saying when they were singing - because they sing in Hebrew. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but it's not my thing. All the songs were long and seemed to drag. The redeeming moment was the last song when they invited a bunch of people on stage, and a man in a cat mask appeared.

Finally "Edward Sharpe" and his 10 bandmates joined the stage. They had no plan it seems. They would have a little huddle between songs to decide what to play, there were a few discussions between Alex and Jane. (Jane was not what I expected btw). It was kinda neat though, they danced and drank liqueur and took off their shoes and just had a great time with the crowd. Once you got over the fact that it looked as if they hadn't showered in a few days you could really get into their vibe. They only played like 6 songs (I think at the end they kind of ran out of ideas of what to play). They did a little encore where they invited anyone who wanted to "Brother" with them on stage. The rest of the audience sat on the floor. Definitely something I've never seen before Alex admitted that he was thinking of canceling the second date the next night but because the crowd was so awesome they were going to play it.

My Ears Have Bling

When I was in New York in September the first store I think I went into was Henri Bendel. One of my purchases were these iPod earbud covers by Deos, which are encrusted with Swarovski crystals. I love how they look and I had to have them. Something to dress up those generic iPod earbuds that everyone has...

Review - Caramel Brulée Latte

So this winter Starbucks has introduced a new drink: The Caramel Brulée Latte. This is an espresso based beverage that is served with whip cream and little bits of "burnt" sugar on top, just like a real creme brulée dessert. I would normally get it whith no whip and nonfat milk - but still a grande is 310 calories. If you go for the full out version (which tastes the best I must admit) then you are looking at 440 calories with 13 grams of fat. Yikes. If you like the Caramel Macchiato then you will probably like this drink. It has a slightly nuttier flavour to it because of the caramel syrup versus the vanilla syrup in the Macchiato.

Rating: 4 out 5

MTV Aftershow

Yep I like watching the Aftershow. One of my favourite episodes was Dan's Super Sweet 26. I'm not a huge fan of The Hills or PeakSeason or The City but I do like watching Dan Levy and Jessi Cruickshank banter back and forth. So a few weeks ago I got tickets to a taping. We had to arrive between 9:30pm. We checked in, got seated and went through some ground rules. Then Dan and Jessi came out to say hi and watch the episode with us.

Then at 10:30pm we were live. It was all over so fast. It was fun getting to hear them talk and prep between commercials and getting to hear stuff like that they thought Brody was a jerk. They stayed and took pictures with EVERYONE that was there (mind you that was only about 45 people). Jessi is really tall and skinny in real life and Dan seems smaller. enjoyed it, still love them.

Movie Review - "The September Issue"

I wouldn't recommend this everyone, in fact I would probably only recommend it those who read Vogue, have an appreciation for fashion and who want to see behind the scenes of an often mocked industry. The premise looks at the creation of the September 2007 issue of Vogue (the September issue is their largest each year). It also looked at Anna Wintour and Grace Coddington the two that really make the magazine happen. I definitely learned a lot about these women. The movie was like candy for your eyes, with shots of Paris, Rome and New York. You see just how much work goes into a spread and at what an art it really is, while still being a business for sure. You learn to respect Anna, even though she seems like a nightmare at times. I laughed, I was shocked and, well no I didn't cry. If you like this you must see Valentino: The Last Emperor, I DID cry at the end of that.

My rating: 4 out of 5

Shopping in...BUFFALO

Last weekend I went to Buffalo to go shopping for the first time (that I can remember anyways) with Amy and our moms. The night before I could barely sleep because I was so excited - weird right? So we got up early and departed around 8am. We got across the border no problems and made our way towards the Walden Galleria Mall. We were hungry so we decided to look for a Denny's. We took a detour to a Danny's (funny story) and then found a Denny's. We had a yummy breakfast then hit the mall by 11:30am. We shopped til our arms hurt, making various trips to the car. By 7:30 we were tired and needed food. So we went across to the Olive Garden (!) and had to wait an hour (during this wait we went to Borders across the street). We had our meals with salad and breadsticks (amazing!) and then headed to our hotel to enjoy a drink or two. After an interesting nights sleep we had breakfast at the hotel and headed out to do some more shopping. By 3pm we were DONE, like couldn't walk anymore DONE. So we headed home, sitting in line at customs for 2 hours (Amy had GG episodes on her iPod thankfully!) but we didn't get pulled over which was good. I'd definitely go again, there were some good deals to be had.

Top 5 Songs of November

Bad Romance - Lady Gaga

Yes I will admit I like Lady G. Her new song took awhile to grow on me but now I like it. It sounds cool like this or unplugged on her piano too. Not really sure who would WANT a bad romance, but the song is catchy.

Love Long Distance - Gossip

This song reminds me of a roller rink...oh maybe because I saw the video. I really like the lead singer's voice. It does sound similar to their song Heavy Cross...maybe that's why I like it.

Deadbeat Summer - Neon Indian

This song reminds me of something in an 80's video game.

You've Got the Love (XX Remix) - Florence and the Machine

I just love this song. I love the XX. The end.

Airplanes - Local Natives

I have to give props (who says that?) to my sister since she had the song first. I found out about them and saw them all in one day. They opened in Toronto for Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros. I really liked them. This song is good and so is Sun Hands.

Make Up Box of Love

So some of you may seen the glory of the make up box in person. I don't want to even venture at how much the contents are worth...but it's worth it. I love playing with makeup and get giddy every time I set foot inside a Sephora. Pretty sure I have enough to keep me going for awhile now though...