End of Semester Update

I cannot believe that I have only one week left of my spring semester.  Crazy how time flies, right?  This means I have only ONE semester left of college.  I don't really want to talk about it, I'm sort of in denial.  Who would ever want to leave a place that looks like this?

I know it has been a while since I last posted, so I figured I would take the time to update you on my life over the last few months.  After a long and exciting semester, my internship with the Marist College Center for Sports Communication is finally (and sadly) coming to an end.  I really enjoyed working with the other interns at the Center and learned a lot from my experience.  During my internship, I improved my writing skills, sharpened my research abilities and created and authored several posts on the Center's blog.  However, my favorite part of the internship was planning, executing and attending our guest speaker series. Throughout the semester, the Center hosted guest speakers in the field such as Sports Illustrated NBA/Boxing writer Chris Mannix, Jack Curry of the YES network and CBS Sports Radio host Brandon Tierney.  This week, we hosted the Associated Press Sports Editors Northeast Regional meeting at the College.  All day, the writers and editors hosted panels that were open to both the students and general public.  I specifically enjoyed the debate over whether or not writers/editors should have a vote in the baseball Hall of Fame. Even Jeff Edelson, the Hall of Fame President, sat in on the panel and provided his input.  When the conference broke for lunch, the interns and a select group of students had the opportunity to join the editors and writers for a reception at the Marist boat house.  At the lunch, I sat with Phil Pepe, longtime BBWAA member and New York Post baseball columnist Ken Davidoff.  It doesn't get much better than that!

Before heading back to the afternoon session of the conference, the students and our guests of honor took a quick trip to visit Marist's latest attraction:

Yes--it's just what it looks like! A giant head!  The crew coach at school saw the head floating in the Hudson and pulled it to the dock.  The story received a good amount of news coverage, making it a pretty big talking point at the college over the last couple of weeks.  The head has been hanging out right next to the boat house, which obviously creates a perfect photo-op for students relaxing by the river during this beautiful weather!

Speaking of the river and the beautiful weather, last week the Goo Goo Dolls visited Marist for our spring concert.  The Goo Goo Dolls were really good (I am a big fan!), and the show had a great turn out.  It was the perfect way to end the semester!

As sad as I am that the semester is over, I am excited to head home for what promises to be an amazing summer.  After a couple of weeks of much needed R&R, I will be starting my new job as a Marketing Communications intern at the NBA League Office!  I am SO excited to meet the other interns and start working with my department.  What better time to start an internship at the NBA than during the finals?!

High Heel Cupcakes!

This weekend was my best friend Liz's 21st birthday.  I love to bake, so I wanted to make something special that fit her personality (think princess/shopoholic/diva).  When I came across these cupcakes on Pinterest, I knew I had found the perfect birthday treat.

high expectations

After a very long day of classes, work and meetings, my friend and I trekked to Stop and Shop to pick up the supplies.  Shout out to Kathryn for driving to the store at 10 p.m. and helping this girl out!

Two hours late at approximately 12:05 a.m (officially Liz's birthday!), these puppies were born.  Although they don't exactly match the picture above, we were very happy with the outcome.

We used regular white cake for the cupcakes, and red food coloring to make pink icing.  For the sole of the shoe, we cut graham crackers on an angle and covered it with melted white chocolate/red dye.  Then, we outlined the sole in white decorating icing.  After refrigerating the graham crackers, we shaved off a small piece on the side of the decorated cupcakes and inserted them into the cake.  Finally, we attached Pepperidge Farm Pirouettes to the back of the graham crackers with melted chocolate to complete the shoe.  

Liz loved the cupcakes and we got SO many compliments on them!  In the future, I hope to make them again and use different color icings/toppings.  I'm sure craft and baking stores like Michaels or Sur la Table have cute decorations and holders for more personalized cakes and cupcakes.  Depending on the amount of time you have, you can make these as detail-oriented as you want.  Maybe next time I should  make heels with red backs to look like Louboutins ;)

Netflix's "House of Cards"

Over the last two years, Netflix and I have become the best of friends.  Most weekends (and even some weeknights), I can be found curled up in bed watching my favorite shows and movies for hours at a time.  There is just an indescribable feeling about pressing play and watching television in a marathon form--especially with shows that you haven't seen on live TV.   I think I would have had a heart attack if I watched Breaking Bad over five years time rather than five weeks!   Okay, maybe more like three weeks...

This week, Netflix released its first original series "House of Cards."  The 13 episode political drama directed by David Fincher stars big name actors such as Kevin Spacey and Kate Mara.  Personally, I think this was an excellent strategic move by Netflix.  Primetime television is extremely competitive, and capturing a steady audience is no easy task.  In creating content specific to their website, Netflix appeals to the "binge-watchers"-- people like myself who wish to watch several episodes in one sitting.  If "House of Cards" proves to be successful for the company, additional and continuous "exclusive" content may increase Netflix membership.  

  

This spring, my Public Relations Case Studies course requires its students to choose a company to follow and analyze over the course of the semester.  Ironically, I will be "managing the reputation" of Netflix.  I cannot wait to see if my predictions surrounding the "House of Cards" comes true.  I must say, I watched the first half of the season and I am hooked.  Kevin Spacey's character confessionals paired with the show's social media incorporation is fresh, relevant and smart.  I am looking forward to finishing the season this week (before the SuperBowl, perhaps?) and following the success of the show.  

For more information or another perspective on the launch of Netflix's "House of Cards," take a look at Brian Stelter's article:  http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/01/business/media/netflix-to-deliver-all-13-episodes-of-house-of-cards-on-one-day.html?_r=0.  

Back to Marist/Random Updates

Hello!

Apologies for abandoning the blog for a bit.  It has been a crazy couple of weeks.  After a long and relaxing break, I am back at Marist for the spring semester.  It was nice to spend the holidays at home, but I am happy to return to some sort of schedule and normalcy.

Over the break, I had a chance to catch up on some quality television.  As a college student, keeping up with primetime shows is not exactly feasible.  Homework/meetings/a lack of channels usually gets in the way.  Luckily, Netflix, HBO Go and Showtime Anytime have been life savers in keeping me up to date.  After Homeland and The Walking Dead wrapped up right before Christmas, I needed a new show to get hooked on.  So many people have recommended Breaking Bad, so I decided to take the plunge.  The first few were tough to get through, but once I got past the first season I was ADDICTED....like 8 episodes a day addicted.  Needless to say, I'm all caught up.  I cannot imagine the anxiety I would have from week to week if I watched the seasons on TV.  

Also, I finally found the Ben and Jerry's ice cream that I have been searching for for months at Target.  I had started to give up hope, but I found it--and it was delicious.  

Ironically, I stopped at one of my school's cafes after the gym today and noticed they had a stock of these bad boys in the freezer.  It took every ounce of me to refrain from purchasing one.  Sigh.

I'm officially starting my internship at the Marist College Center for Sports Communication this week.  I am super excited to work with the other interns on everything we have planned for the semester.  On February 6th, we are having Sports Illustrated writer Chris Mannix speak at the school.  Chris covers the NBA and Boxing, and has experience with sports radio shows such as The Dan Patrick Show and ESPN's Outside the Lines and Rome is Burning.  For more information on the MCCSC, check out our website: http://sportscomm.marist.edu/.

Golden Globes Recap

The Best Moments of The Golden Globe Awards 2013

1. Amy Poehler and Tina Fey as co-hosts

Not surprisingly, Amy and Tina knocked it out of the park last night.  They absolutely killed it.  I was smiling from ear to ear from the opening monologue to the closing of the show.  The James Cameron, James Franco and Taylor Swift digs were amazing.  Why didn't the camera pan to Taylor as Tina warned her to stay away from Michael J. Fox's son?  If looks could kill, I bet Tina would be dead.

2. The "Argo" love

I could not be happier for Ben Affleck and his film "Argo."  After being snubbed by the Academy in the "Best Director" category, it was nice to see Affleck get the recognition he deserved.  I was pretty shocked that "Argo" took home the award for "Best Drama" over "Lincoln," but thrilled nonetheless.

3. Adele winning "Best Original Song" for "Skyfall"

Adele is super talented and deserving of the award.  She looked great last night and gave an adorable and genuine speech.  Plus, how could you not giggle when she high-fived Daniel Craig before running up to the stage?

4. Jennifer Lawrence "I beat Meryl"

It is obviously no secret how I feel about "Silver Linings Playbook" and Jennifer Lawrence, so I was really excited to see her win "Best Actress Comedy/Musical."  It seemed the crowd wasn't sure how to react to her excitement over defeating an absent Meryl Streep, but she quickly recovered with a witty and heartfelt speech.  Personally, I thought it was both authentic and funny.  Even if "Hope Springs" wasn't her best yet (and it was still pretty good!), wouldn't you be proud of beating out Meryl-freakin-Streep?

5. Kate Hudson's dress

OMG.  Perfection.  Best dressed by a landslide.  My other favorites included Hayden Panettiere, Jennifer Garner and Julianne Moore.  I loved the color of Taylor Swift and Jessica Chastain's gowns, but wasn't crazy about their styles.  I also thought Amanda Seyfried's hair and makeup was beautiful despite the mediocre dress choice. 

Ugh! Beautiful!

Runner Ups:

• Bill Clinton introducing "Lincoln"
• Kristin Wiig and Will Ferrell category introduction
• HFP President telling Bradley Cooper to "Call her, maybe?"
• The "Homeland" wins
• Salma Hayek and Paul Rudd failing to remember which category they were supposed to announce

I don't really know how to comment on Jodi Foster's speech.  I'm still pretty confused about what she was trying to get at.  I'm sure it was heartfelt and sincere, just a little over my head.  I'll have to give it another watch.

Shout out to Oscar Zuleta, head waiter at The Beverly Hilton Hotel and the father of one of my best friends!  Without the "Only Oscar at the Golden Globes," the wonderful nominees of this year's ceremony would go veryyyyyy hungry!

With the exception of a few categories (HOW did Les Mis beat Silver Linings?), I was pretty happy with the Golden Globe winners.  The fashion was impressive as well--not too many flops (except for you, Lucy Liu--that was pretty awful).  I'm looking forward to hearing from the Academy next.  It is going to be a long month until the Oscars! 

Golden Globe Awards 2013 Predictions

After the holidays are over, I always go into a mini depression.  The season goes so fast, and the partying/marathon eating never fails to leave me in a daze.  Exhausted and about five pounds heavier, I tend to hibernate in bed for the first couple of weeks in January.  Although this remained to be true this year, I managed to leave my house a few times to catch some of the critically-acclaimed movies of 2012.  I really enjoy awards season (for both the fashion and acting), and like to be somewhat informed about the nominees.  

I am particularly excited about the Golden Globes because of the hosts.  Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are hilarious, especially together (come on, Baby Mama? Classic).  I am pretty confident they will not disappoint.  

I have not seen every film/performance, so a lot of my predictions are based not only on what I have seen, but also what I have read and heard.  I really enjoy going to the movies, but find it difficult to sit in the theater without fidgeting for any longer than two hours.  Eventually I plan to at least see all of the major movies that were nominated.  I probably won't get around to every mini series or television show.

Here we go!

Best Motion Picture – Drama:
• Argo

• Django Unchained
• Life of Pi
• Lincoln
• Zero Dark Thirty

I'd have to say that this is a toss up between Lincoln, Zero Dark Thirty and Argo.  Although I did not see Lincoln (and wasn't that interested), it got a lot of Oscar attention and has a good shot at a Golden Globe.  For this same reason, the Golden Globe may go to Argo or Zero Dark Thirty instead.  I've seen the other films and enjoyed them both.  They were extremely intense and well-acted, keeping me at the edge of my seat for a majority of the movie.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture:
• Jessica Chastain for "Zero Dark Thirty"
• Marion Cotillard for "Rust and Bone"
• Helen Mirren for "Hitchcock"
• Naomi Watts for "The Impossible"
• Rachel Weisz for "The Deep Blue Sea"

Jessica Chastain was a great choice for the role of Maya in Zero Dark Thirty.  Although I didn't catch the rest of these performances, Jessica managed to do really well in an emotionally challenging yet empowering role.  I hope to see the Impossible sometime this week, as I have read that Naomi's performance was strong as well.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama:
• Daniel Day-Lewis for "Lincoln"
• Richard Gere for "Arbitrage"
• John Hawkes for "The Sessions"
• Joaquin Phoenix for "The Master"
• Denzel Washington for "Flight"

I'm pretty confident Daniel Day-Lewis will take this one.  I'll have to find the patience to sit and watch this film later on-- apparently I am missing out.

Best Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical:
• The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel 
• Les Miserables 
• Moonrise Kingdom
• Salmon Fishing in the Yemen 
• Silver Linings Playbook

I think this award will be between Les Mis and Silver Linings Playbook.  I will admit to being a tad biased, because I really loved Silver Linings and can't get myself to watch a movie with singing involved (even if everyone I talk to loved it).  

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical:

• Emily Blunt for "Salmon Fishing in the Yemen"
• Judy Dench for "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel"
• Jennifer Lawrence for "Silver Linings Playbook"
• Maggie Smith for "Quartet" 
• Meryl Streep for "Hope Springs"

Again, I really loved Silver Linings and I think Jennifer was great.  I wouldn't be surprised or disappointed if Meryl won though...I enjoyed Hope Springs, and she is Meryl Streep after all.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical:
• Jack Black for "Bernie"
• Bradley Cooper for "Silver Linings Playbook"
• Hugh Jackman for "Les Miserables"
• Ewan McGregor for "Salmon Fishing in the Yemen"
• Bill Murray for "Hyde Park on Hudson"

I'm sure you are not surprised....

Although Hugh Jackman got rave reviews for Les Mis, so we'll see. 

Best Animated Feature Film:
• Brave
• Frankenweenie 
• Hotel Transylvania
• Rise of the Guardians 
• Wreck-It Ralph

I did not see any of these, but really want to get around to watching Brave, Frankenweenie and Wreck-It Ralph at some point.

Best Foreign Language Film:
• Armour (Austria) 
• A Royal Affair (Denmark)
• The Intouchables (France) 
• Kon-Tiki (Norway/UK/Denmark)
• Rust and Bone (France) 

Just a gut feeling.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture:
• Amy Adams for "The Master" 
• Sally Field for "Lincoln"
• Anne Hathaway for "Les Miserables"
• Helen Hunt for "The Sessions"
• Nicole Kidman for "The Paperboy"

Although I don't like Anne Hathaway, for some reason I think she has this one.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture:
• Alan Arkin for "Argo"
• Leonardo DiCaprio for "Django Unchained"
• Philip Seymour Hoffman for "The Master"
• Tommy Lee Jones for "Lincoln"
• Christoph Waltz for "Django Unchained"

Tommy Lee or Leo...especially because Leo didn't get the Oscar nom.  Alan Arkin was pretty good too, but I don't think he did enough to receive the Golden Globe.

Best Director – Motion Picture:

• Ben Affleck for "Argo"
• Kathryn Bigelow for "Zero Dark Thirty"
• Ang Lee for "Life of Pi"
• Steven Spielberg for "Lincoln"
• Quentin Tarantino for "Django Unchained"

Ben Affleck deserves this.  He has definitely had some flops, but Argo was great.  It is a talent to be able to act, produce and direct.

Best Screenplay – Motion Picture:

• Mark Boal for "Zero Dark Thirty"
• Tony Kushner for "Lincoln"
• David O. Russell for "Silver Linings"
• Quentin Tarantino for "Django Unchained " 
• Chris Terrio for "Argo"

I am not a Tarantino fan and haven't seen Lincoln.  This can go many ways, but I'll go with Lincoln.

Best Original Score – Motion Picture:
• Mychael Danna for "Life of Pi"
• Alexandre Desplat for "Argo"
• Dario Marianelli for "Anna Karenina"
• Tom Tykwer and Johnny Klimek and Reinhold Heil for "Cloud Atlas"
• John Williams for "Lincoln"

I haven't seen any of these films except for Argo, so I can't even make an educated guess.  I'll pick blindly and go with Life of Pi.  This is another film that I will have to watch once it comes out of theaters.

Best Original Song – Motion Picture:

• "For You" from "Act of Valor"
• "Not Running Anymore" from "Stand Up Guys"
• "Safe & Sound" from "The Hunger Games"
• "Skyfall" from "Skyfall" 
• "Suddenly" from "Les Miserables

I am 99% Adele's "Skyfall" will take this one.

Best Series Television- Drama:
• Breaking Bad 
• Boardwalk Empire
• Downton Abbey: Season 2
• Homeland
• Newsroom

Homeland is pretty incredible, but I know Downton Abbey has a huge following.  This will be a close race.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series- Drama:
• Connie Britton NASHVILLE 
• Glenn Close DAMAGES
• Claire Danes HOMELAND
• Michelle Dockery DOWNTON ABBEY: SEASON 2
• Julianna Margulies THE GOOD WIFE

I have a girl crush on Connie Britton, but Claire Danes is pretty great as Carrie on Homeland--even if she is all sorts of crazy.  Personally, I don't think she is doing too much acting.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series- Drama:
• Steve Buscemi BOARDWALK EMPIRE
• Bryan Cranston BREAKING BAD
• Jeff Daniels THE NEWSROOM
• Jon Hamm MAD MEN
• Damian Lewis HOMELAND

This is also a difficult one.  I really loved Jeff Daniels in The Newsroom, but think this is between Damian Lewis and Bryan Cranston (I recently started watching Breaking Bad, and LOVE to hate Walt).  However, all of the nominees are very talented and deserving.

Best Television Series- Comedy or Musical:
• THE BIG BANG THEORY
• EPISODES 
• GIRLS 
• MODERN FAMILY
• SMASH 

I just really love Modern Family.  Phil is the bomb.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series- Comedy or Musical:
• Zooey Deshanel NEW GIRL
• Julia Louis-Dreyfus VEEP
• Lena Dunham GIRLS
• Tina Fey 30 ROCK
• Amy Poehler PARKS AND RECREATION

I haven't seen it, but I've heard Girls is pretty good.  I'm sure this race is between Lena and Zooey.  Wouldn't it be great if Amy or Tina won though?  That would make for some interesting and comical banter between the hosts.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series- Comedy or Musical:
• Alec Baldwin 30 ROCK
• Don Cheadle HOUSE OF LIES
• Louis C.K. LOUIE
• Matt LeBlanc EPISODES
• Jim Parsons THE BIG BANG THEORY

Big Bang has a steady following, and from the few episodes I have seen I find Parsons pretty witty.

Best Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television:
• GAME CHANGE
• THE GIRL
• HATFIELDS & MCCOYS
• THE HOUR
• POLITICAL ANIMALS

Blind guess.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television:
• Nicole Kidman HEMINGWAY & GELLHORN
• Jessica Lange AMERICAN HORROR STORY: ASYLUM
• Sienna Miller THE GIRL
• Julianne Moore GAME CHANGE
• Sigourney Weaver POLITICAL ANIMALS

Jessica Lange was great in AHS season one, so I have no doubt that she has had a strong second season.  I can't wait to catch up when it is released on Netflix.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television:
• Kevin Costner HATFIELDS & MCCOYS
• Benedict Cumberbatch SHERLOCK (MASTERPIECE)
• Woody Harrelson GAME CHANGE
• Toby Jones THE GIRL
• Clive Owen HEMINGWAY & GELLHORN

Another blind guess.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television:
• Hayden Panettiere NASHVILLE
• Archie Panjabi THE GOOD WIFE
• Sarah Paulson GAME CHANGE
• Maggie Smith DOWNTON ABBEY: SEASON 2 
• Sofia Vergara MODERN FAMILY

I think this is between Sofia and Maggie, but I don't know enough about Game Change or The Good Wife to be absolutely positive.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television:
• Max Greenfield NEW GIRL 
• Ed Harris GAME CHANGE
• Danny Huston MAGIC CITY
• Mandy Patinkin HOMELAND
• Eric Stonestreet MODERN FAMILY

Mandy Patinkin is one of the main reasons I watch Homeland.  He had an incredible second season, and I really hope he wins this category.  However, once again I am not familiar enough with the other actors to be completely sure of what will happen.

Happy Golden Globes!

First Post/Pasta Night!

Hello Blogosphere!

I have been thinking of starting up one of these things for a while, and I finally caved and took the time to figure it all out.  Hopefully I'll discover all of the ins and outs of the Blogger platform as I go along.  So far so good!  

As of now, I don't have a specific plan or focus for the blog.  I tend to have a lot of random thoughts and opinions on a variety of topics, so I'll probably be all over the place.  Food, movies, television, sports--you name it.  Not that anyone cares, because I'm pretty sure the only people who will be reading this regularly will be my parents (hi Mom and Dad).  To anyone else interested enough to read on, I hope I don't bore you to death!

SO--tonight I attempted to make dinner for my family and boyfriend.  Usually I prefer baking, but I'm trying to expand my horizons.  At the start of the new year, I vowed to learn how to cook and to cook more often.  Earlier this week, Joe and I took a cooking class at "Sur la Table."  The class was super fun and the dishes were pretty simple.  The chef/instructor taught us how to make four different sauces with minimal ingredients.  I thought I mastered the recipes and wanted to show off my new skills to my family, so I picked up the ingredients to make one of the sauces earlier this afternoon and got to work.

What felt like HOURS later, I finally finished making a baked penne dish with zucchini, onions, sweet Italian sausage and fontina cheese.  Fortunately it was delish, but it definitely took a lot more time and patience than I remembered.  I guess the dish is easier to make when all of the ingredients are pre-cut and the pasta is already cooked for you (duh).  Joe said it tasted pretty close to the version we made in class and no one ended up with food poisoning yet....so I'm happy. 

the sweet italian sausage

sauteed zucchini and onions

the heavy cream, oregano and fontina sauce

the final product!

The recipe isn't exactly diet-friendly, but it's the weekend.  Thankfully, there were not a lot of leftovers.  Plus, I already made hot cocoa cupcakes with marshmallow frosting for dessert.  What's a few extra calories?  There's always Monday!