New York, New York: The Nightly Show

Oh, hi! I know it’s been over a month since I last blogged, but honestly, I haven’t had too many exciting things going on to write about lately. Instead of creating new posts, I've been spending my time reading, revising my novel, hitting up trampoline boot camp and continuing my gig as a freelance contributor at Brit + Co.

One fun thing I did do during March was visit New York City for a mini vacation that included seeing my favorite singer perform at the Metropolitan Opera. Here, in a series of three posts, I’ll be sharing some pictures and an overview of what we did each day, beginning last Thursday with our initial road trip and the chance to see a taping of The Nightly Show With Larry Wilmore. 

After a pretty straightforward 4.5 hour drive, which included a brief lunch stop at a Delaware rest area, Stephen and I arrived at the Holiday Inn Midtown near Columbus Circle on the West Side. We chose this hotel because it was affordable and also within walking distance of Lincoln Center, where the opera house is located.

While not especially luxurious, our room was clean, comfortable and bigger than I expected. The lobby was nice, the staff members friendly, and the price no more than $180 a night. I would definitely stay there again in the future.

We dropped off our car and bags, then walked a few blocks to the The Nightly Show studio. Since we had tickets and were also the third and fourth people in line, we got great seats once we entered. (If you ever want to attend a taping, just be sure to reserve free tickets online ahead of time and get there early, since not everyone who has a ticket is guaranteed a seat.)

We were allowed to take pictures of the set before the taping started, and also got to do an audience Q&A with Larry, who was just as cool off-camera. The taping itself was of course awesome, too, especially since we got to see all the behind-the-scenes action, including makeup touch-ups and the post-show photo session with the guest panel.

After it was over, we stopped off for Thai food at an unassuming little place that ended up being decently good. Then, tired from the drive, we decided to call it an early night and rest up for our Friday tours at the 9/11 Tribute Center and Lower East Side Tenement Museum.

Have you ever been to a TV taping? Despite being from So Cal, this was only my second one, the first being a Full House taping my friend and I went to see with our moms way back in middle school. Oh, the memories. :) 

The Sound of Talent

Who watched the Oscars Sunday night? I did, and even though I hadn’t seen too many of the films nominated, I was completely blown away by Lady Gaga’s tribute to one of my all-time favorite movies, The Sound of Music.

Along with delivering a beautiful vocal performance, Gaga surprised everyone by forgoing wild visuals and gimmicks. Far too many singers today focus more on showing off their boobs/butts and prancing around like poll dancers than on simply sharing their gifts. Still others can’t really sing at all, relying on auto-tuning, special effects and so-called sex appeal to mask that sad reality.

(via Getty Images) 

I’m glad Gaga wowed viewers with this classy performance, and I hope we get to see more just like it from her and others in the future. Oh, and the always charming Julie Andrews stepping out right afterward? Made my night!

What was your favorite Oscar moment?

Royal Baby Buzz: Too Obsessed?

By now, you’ve surely heard the buzz about Duchess Kate’s pregnancy, which was officially confirmed  yesterday afternoon. As a former wedding blog editor who followed the royal nuptials right down to the smallest detail, I am of course very excited for Will and Kate! At the same time, I can’t help but feel awfully sorry for these two about having to constantly navigate such personal matters in the public eye.

After all, the only reason the pregnancy was likely announced so early – still during the first trimester – is because poor Kate has been hospitalized with severe morning sickness. I don't know about you, but having my personal medical information publicized throughout the international media is not something I would be especially thrilled about, especially since the coverage comes complete with a few ignorant and inaccurate comments about how morning sickness shouldn't require medical attention. Furthermore, the unending royal pregnancy speculations published over the summer, complete with doctored “baby bump” photos, were nothing short of headache-inducing, to say the least. 

Image Source: Official Royal Wedding Website

Every bit as ridiculous are the statements I’m now seeing plastered across the Web explaining how great it is that Will and Kate are “finally” having a baby. I mean, for Heaven’s sake, these two have only been married since April 2011. That is almost a full year less than I have, and I can tell you right now with absolute certainty that I am still nowhere near ready to start breaking out the baby furniture just yet! 

The truth is that the more coverage I read, the more it bothers me to think that even in today’s modern society, a royal woman’s primary "duty" is still thought to be providing an heir, just as was true hundreds of years ago. Sadly, Kate may have never been accepted as a "suitable" match for William if she was physically unable to have a child, or God forbid, was one of a great many women who just don’t want to have kids.

Do you think people are already too obsessed with the news about Kate’s pregnancy? Would you ever want to live a life in the spotlight for the sake of being a royal? 

Marriage: One Big Publicity Stunt?

On August 20, I had the honor of coordinating a wedding for my friend and former co-worker Kim, who married her high school sweetheart of 12 years in a beautiful and heartfelt ceremony.

You may recall that the very same day, another woman named Kim was also busy tying the knot – this one much more famous but apparently not nearly as sincere in her love for and commitment to her partner. As you can imagine, I’m dumbfounded along with everyone else to hear that Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries have called it quits after just 72 days of marriage. But am I honestly all that surprised? Sadly, no, and here’s why. 

First of all, even from the very beginning, it seemed obvious to me that the wedding and marriage were nothing more than publicity stunts designed to generate media interest and rake in piles of cash. But even if they weren't, the alternative really isn’t much better in my eyes. After all, marrying someone you met less than a year earlier and then divorcing because marriage “wasn’t what you thought it would be,” flies in the face of everything this type of commitment stands for – a lifelong partnership that will at times require a great deal of hard work, sacrifice and support.  

Image Source: People

Of course, Kim’s not the first to cash in on wedding-related publicity or to divorce so quickly, and it makes me sad and angry to know that there are so many people, celebrity or not, who obviously consider their wedding vows to be nothing more than empty words. Whatever happened to the sacredness of pledges to love one another “in good times and in bad, all the days of our lives”? Are these merely symbolic statements? Do couples still consider the true meaning behind what they are about to say and do before standing up in front of family members, friends, TV audiences and the world to make such intimate promises?

In the end, while I certainly do believe that there are legitimate reasons for divorce, including such horrible acts as infidelity and abuse, I also believe that we as a society have too often come to view weddings as nothing more than heavily staged parties. Furthermore, with so many divorces and splits, it saddens me to think that there are many loving and committed gay and lesbian couples who would faithfully honor their vows and take them seriously, but who aren’t given the chance, because somehow, couples like Kim and Kris have more of a right to marriage in our society.

What do you think? Do people like Kim and Kris make a mockery of marriage, and what does this say about our cultural attitudes?