From tomorrow through next Sunday, Dec. 6, 2009, TeenDramaWhore.com will be on hiatus.

I’ll be taking a solo trip to Cancun–a last-minute decision but a long-held desire.

Here’s the best way I can explain it:

Remember in season 1 of Dawson’s Creek when Joey had the opportunity to go to Paris but passed it up?

A few years later, she was at the airport and again had the option of going but decided not to.

Then, finally, in the last season and the second-to-last episode, Joey finally makes it there.

This is my Paris.

Not Cancun, specifically. But to take a trip by myself where I not only get some R & R but–more importantly–have the time to do some serious self-reflection.

I’ve made some big life changes in the last few months but have had little time to process as I’ve just been going going going. I worry that if I don’t stop and breathe or achieve this dream while I have the opportunity to do so, I’ll live to regret it.

Unfortunately, that means I won’t be here to live-blog this week’s One Tree Hill, Gossip Girl and 90210 or even provide each day’s news.

I feel very guilty, as if I’m abandoning you, but I hope you understand.

And I also hope that you’ll be here waiting for me when I get back!

See you in a week!

]]> http://teendramawhore.com/2009/11/28/six-degrees-of-teen-dramas-7/ Sat, 28 Nov 2009 23:42:34 +0000 teendramawhore http://teendramawhore.com/2009/11/28/six-degrees-of-teen-dramas-7/

Every time I come home for a weekend or for break, my OnDemand channel always let me catch up on older episodes of The OC. As I was watching two eps. from the second season today while eating breakfast, I started to wonder why The OC was so successful. I loved the show. Many people enjoyed it, but why was this show any different? Why is The OC more recognized than One Tree Hill or Smallville? These are the reasons I have come up with:

- The show was well liked by both males and females

- The show produced GREAT music. Indie rock at its best.

- You liked all of the main characters (Ryan, Marissa, Seth, and Summer)

- Newport Harbor High was way better than your highschool ever was

- It introduced new vocabulary to your every day life like Christmakah, stealth, brooding, etc. We all know that you never used to say that until The OC came along!

- Death Cab For Cutie performed on an episode

- It brought to light a new kind of humor

- They always rotated new characters in to create more excitement, but when you got tired of them, their exit timing was appropriate.

- They dressed well!

- You always knew in the end the Summer and Seth would end up together and Ryan and Marissa …sort of

- The OC lasted four strong seasons – well maybe 3 cause Marissa died.

- Catchy theme song – Phantom Planet’s California

- The OC launched the careers of all of the actors and actresses

- The OC really stands for “THE Orange County,” making it sound 10x more epic

• A publication at my alma mater, North by Northwestern, has an interview with Kellan Lutz (George, 90210).
• Kristin has Gossip Girl spoilers.
• The Vanessa-Olivia aspect of the Gossip Girl threesome and Alex-Marissa on The O.C. are included in E! Online’s Hot Girl-on-Girl Action gallery.
• The O.C.’s Chrismukkah episodes made TVGuide.com’s list of Best Holiday and Christmas TV Episodes.
• It figures: when I move away from Chicago, Peter Gallagher (Sandy, The O.C.) starts doing solo-shows there. Darn! (I did pass him on my campus once but realized too late that it was him!)
• One of the tabloids has a short piece on a “Dawson’s Creek love curse.” (See image 7.) Notably and conveniently absent is Joshua Jackson (Pacey) since he happens to be in a committed relationship.
• Jack (Kerr Smith, Dawson’s Creek) is included in E! Online’s Gays on TV gallery.

I’ve been blogging for a long time. Well, not a long time as far as time is concerned, but a long time considering blogging has only been around for about 10 years or so. I have been blogging for about four and a half years. Most of the time, I really enjoy it. Sometimes I love it, but mostly I just enjoy it. I like writing. I like the fact that I have easy access to things I have done in the past and how my life has changed so dramatically in the last few years. When I started this blog, I was a 19-year-old who had just finished her sophomore year at the University of Oregon and now I’m a 24-year-old public relations professional living in New York City.

My blog, unlike a lot of people, was not my first, nor primary, means of meeting others with diabetes. I had been active with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation since I was 15 years old, volunteering regularly during the summers, and I was in charge of coordinating childcare for the quarterly family support group meetings in Portland. At that point, I was also the host of Teen Talk @ DiabetesStation.com, which meant I also knew quite a few people online with diabetes, including Scott Strumello (yes, it’s true, I have known Scott since I was in high school – how scary is that?).

Even when I started my blog, I still had dozens of other avenues for meeting and interacting with people with diabetes. There was (and still is) Diabetes Talkfest. There were meet-ups that I organized. There were diabetes conferences and events that I managed to scrounge up enough money to afford. A couple of years ago, I joined this little website called Twitter after my former boss told me about it in a job interview (thanks a lot, Tom), and now Facebook has hopped on board the status update train by allowing people to comment on people’s statuses. I like to think I have a pretty solid following on these two sites and while the idea of being “internet famous” still freaks me out, I like to think these “followers” are for the most part my friends too.

But the one thing I never really seemed to master is the art of comments. Four and a half years into this, and I barely break 10 comments an entry. Often times, I only get less than 5 comments. And they are great comments, and I have regular commenters who are awesome. But sometimes I think, Really? Am I so boring that I’m not even worth like a sentence?

Of course, I am not the most prolific commenter in the world, which is why I don’t usually mention my comments or go around bitching about how no one loves me. Because I know people read me and I know they like what I’m saying (usually) and I know that you reap what you sow. I really don’t have time to comment more than a couple times a day and it’s never consistently on any one person’s blog. So I’ve tried not to make the whole Comment Competition thing a big deal – because I know it’s not fair to complain about not getting a lot of comments when I personally don’t comment as much as maybe I could.

So then the other day I was reading Jane Aldridge’s blog, Sea of Shoes, and she announced that she wasn’t going to have comments anymore. Because she has a personal style blog and she doesn’t really think it’s necessary to have comments when all they are saying are either “hey I love your clothes” or “wow you’re so skinny.” And I get that the fashion community is a little different because there isn’t quite the support that we get over here in the diabetes community. That interaction is crucial.

But then I was thinking about how I have wanted to get away from just talking about diabetes.

I was thinking about how maybe it would be interesting not to have a comments section anymore.

Maybe not forever. Maybe just on some posts. Maybe on some posts that I want where I don’t really WANT to know what people think about it. Maybe I just want to write without wondering what anyone else thinks. Because that’s the whole point of having a comment section – so you can hear what other people are saying. But it’s also an invitation, and it hurts, sometimes, when no one answers your invitation.

Dooce does a mix of comment open and comment closed blog posts and I think that’s an interesting way to do it. I certainly don’t want to shut out people. Email would still be open, and I am very active on Twitter (according to various sources, I tweet more than the average person), and I feel like I get more community interaction throughout the day on Twitter than I do on my blog. But maybe this would help my writing by not focusing all my content on whether or not it’s outwardly pleasing. That’s what happens when you start writing a blog. That’s what everyone tells you to do. There are all these tip sheets for how to get comments, how to get followers, how to get subscribers, how to get your material retweeted and passed along and how to get a book deal and how to get on Oprah. And it seems like sometimes we’re so focused on our “audience” that we forget who we are and why WE wanted to write. Unless, of course, you’re writing to get comments. In which case, you should probably keep them open.

It’s just something I’ve been thinking about for the past, oh, you know, day or so.

What do you think?

Edit: I am an IDIOT! I accidentally deactivated my comment function last night when I was messing around with the setting. I’m NOT getting rid of my comments right now, but I would LOVE to hear  your reactions. Sorry!

• Be sure to check out The CW’s site for all the new video content this week.
• Media Life Magazine has an interesting Q & A on the future of The CW and the Huffington Post has a much harsher take on it.
• Beverly Hills 90210 season 8 came out on DVD today.
• The Los Angeles Times has a feature and (a spoiler-filled) photo gallery on 90210’s fashion.
• The Gossip Girl threesome made Zap2it’s list of Top WTF? Moments for November.
• Gossip Girl’s season 1 Thanksgiving episode made Zap2it’s list of “classic Thanksgiving episodes and specials.”
• Blake Lively (Serena, Gossip Girl) stars in The Private Lives of Pippa Lee, which comes out Friday.
• Lively appeared on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon last night.
• Parade.com has an interview with Lively.
• Leighton Meester (Blair, Gossip Girl) recorded a Christmas song.
• Meester appeared on It’s On With Alexa Chung today.
• Examiner.com has another article on Sophia Bush (Brooke, One  Tree Hill) and Austin Nichols (Julian, One Tree Hill) participating in an USO tour.
• There’s a quick reference to The O.C. in this recap of last night’s Heroes episode.
• Fringe, starring Joshua Jackson (Pacey, Dawson’s Creek) will be going on a 7-week hiatus.

Part 1

8. A drunk Johnny falls off a cliff (The O.C., Episode 3.14: The Cliffhanger)

7. Mitch gets into a car accident (Dawson’s Creek, Episode 5.03: Capeside Revisited)

Come back tomorrow for two more deaths no one saw coming.

Around the holidays I always think about my favorite show and the Chrismukkah episode. I’d like to bring back a few quotes…

Seth: So, what’s it gonna be, huh? You want your menorah or a candy cane? Christmas or Hanukkah?

Ryan: Uh…

Seth: Don’t worry about it, buddy, because in this house, you don’t have to choose. Allow me to introduce you to a little something I like to call… Chrismukkah.

Seth: Oy humbug.

Seth: You’ll see. You’ll see too. You’ll all see.

Ryan: You’re really starting to scare me.

Seth: I’m okay with that.

Ryan: You’d better pray for a Chrimukkah miracle.

Seth: I’ve got Jesus and Moses on my side, man.

Seth: How was the mall?

Ryan: Eh… Weird.

Seth: Yes. You’ve really painted a picture for me. I feel like I was there.

RELEVANT QUESTIONS–DON’T READ IF YOU DON’T WANT TO KNOW!!!

Matt in Montclair, Calif.: Is Southland really that good? Should I give it a shot on TNT?
We say yes, and so does Ben McKenzie: “People just need to watch it, and after 15 minutes, you’ll decide whether you like it or not. If you’re into a sort of grittier, darker cop show without the sheen that a lot of networks put on their shows, you’ll like it. It’s very character driven, it’s hard-hitting, there’s a lot of action, but there’s also some romance, so it’s a real show you can follow week to week.” And maybe if you start watching, TNT will take note and order up some more episodes (wink, wink, nudge, nudge).

Monica in New Orleans: Anything good coming up on Gossip Girl?
Chuck is going to visit Bart’s grave on the anniversary of his death, and when he gets there, he won’t be the only one paying his respects. Any guesses on who’ll pop up? I’m hearing that not one but two family members could be making surprising returns.

Brianna: How about something on One Tree Hill? Anything juicy?
How’s this: A source tells me Haley and Quinn’s sister Taylor is going to come back to Tree Hill.

Cian33: 90210 is so much better this year! I hope you are watching. What can you dish?
Agreed! It is way better than season one, in case any of you are missing it. I’m told there’s a sex scandal in the works: Naomi is going to accuse a teacher of sexual harassment.

Irene in Newport News, Va.: I’m loving White Collar! Any scoop?
Ever since the White Collar pilot, we’ve found that the everyday eps of this USA series have been a smidgen flimsier than we’d like, but the midseason finale on Dec. 4 is the sharp and snappy standard we’d like to see from the show. What happens? Well, Neal (Matthew Bomer) is finally confronted with a criminal nemesis worthy of his talents, Elizabeth Burke’s (Tiffani Thiessen) presence on the show starts to make sense, and there is a huge (huge!) reveal about Agent Burke (Tim McKay) that involves something pretty important from Neal’s past.

Credit: E! Online

***

Note: Bejamin McKenzie played Ryan on The O.C. and Tiffani Thiessen played Valerie on Beverly Hills 90210.

• The St. Louis Post-Dispatch says 90210 is “succeeding.”
• TVGuideMagazine.com has 90210 casting spoilers.
• The New York Times has an article on the webseries trend, which mentions Jennie Garth (Kelly, Beverly Hills 90210) and The Broadroom.
• I watched Grey’s Anatomy for the first time last night and saw that James Pickens Jr. (Henry, Beverly Hills 90210) is in it.
• Beverly Hills 90210 on DVD made EW.com’s Holiday Gift Guide. (I heard Dawson’s Creek is in there, too, but I can’t find it.)
• Brian Austin Green (David, Beverly Hills 90210), Ed Westwick (Chuck, Gossip Girl) and Jessica Szohr (Vanessa, Gossip Girl) are all included in PEOPLE.com’s Couples Watch.
• PEOPLE.com has an interview with Szohr about her style compared to Vanessa’s.
• Blake Lively (Serena, Gossip Girl) will host Saturday Night Live on December 5.
• Kristen Bell (Gossip Girl, Gossip Girl) was a presenter at the American Music Awards.
• Examiner.com has more on the Sophia Bush (Brooke, One Tree Hill) and Austin Nichols (Julian, One Tree Hill) appearance on a USO Tour.
• James Lafferty (Nathan, One Tree Hill), Robert Buckley (Clay, One Tree Hill) and Eric Balfour (Eddie, The O.C.) are all starring in The Legend of Hell’s Gate: An American Conspiracy.
• There’s an interesting reference to The O.C. in this Huffington Post piece.
• SoapNet will air the two O.C. specials–The O.C.: Obsess Completely and Welcome to The O.C.: A Day in the Life–Tuesday at 1 and 2pm.
• Joshua Jackson (Pacey, Dawson’s Creek) will star in UFO, a film based on a British television show.

Escuchar las primeras notas de esta canción hace que se me ponga la piel de gallina. Tengo que ser sincera y decir que la primera versión que escuché fue en la película Shrek, aunque como todas las canciones que pongo en el blog, son canciones que a lo largo de los últimos 20 años han sido versionadas por numerosos artistas.

Leonard Cohen escribió “Hallelujah” en 1984 y la incluyó en su album Various Positions. No tuvo mucho éxito en los primeros años, pero gracias a las muchas versiones que se hicieron consiguió hacerse famosa. Trata de temas bastante ambiguos que llevarán a que se forme debate acerca de las intenciones del cantante.

Antes de investigar sobre la canción no había escuchado la versión de Leonard Cohen. El ritmo, y el tono de su voz hace que sólo identifique la canción gracias al estribillo, me parece que es demasiado lenta y no tiene acompañamiento casi musical (sólo el de una guitarra).

El primero en versionar ” Hallelujah” fue John Cale en 1991 en su album I’m your Fan.  John Cale le pidió permiso a Cohen para poder modificar una parte del texto. La canción de John Cale es la que se utilizó en la película de Pixard Shrek. Lo curioso es que en la versión en CD que se sacó de la película se sacó la versión de piano de Rufus Wainwright

Jeff Buckley inspirado por John Cale, y no por  Cohen, versiona la canción llegando a ser la más conocida de todas. Incluyéndola en su album Grace logrará en 2004 el puesto 259 de la Revista Rolling Stone (Las 500 mejores canciones de todos los tiempos). En 2007 la revista Q Magazine la clasifica como una de las 10 mejores canciones, haciendo referencia a la versión de Buckley como “lo más perfecto que se puede conseguir”.

Una de las últimas versiones es la de la cantante británica Alexandra Burke (5º ganadora del certamen británico de Factor X).  Su versión llegó a ser número uno en Diciembre de 2008 en el Reino Unido.

En mi opinión una de las mejores versiones es la de Imogen Heap, no conozco mucho más de esta cantante inglesa, pero como amante de las series americanas es la canción que apareció en el final de la segunda temporada The Oc, y que marca un antes y un después en el desarrollo de la historia …

Esta publicación se la quiero dedicar a una gran amigo que me ha ayudado y me ha dado muchos consejos para el blog . Mañana día 24 será su cumpleaños y que mejor forma de agradecérselo que con una canción que le gustará. Destacar que su versión favorita es la de Jeff Buckley.  ¡FELICIDADES CURRO !

(no se me olvida decir que la idea de esta canción fue suya, gran conocedor y amante de la música)

baby i’ve been here before
i’ve seen this room and i’ve walked this floor
i used to live alone before i knew you
i’ve seen your flag on the marble arch
but love is not a victory march
it’s a cold and it’s a broken hallelujah

Charlotte Pichon Muñoz

In memory of last week’s loss of the one and only Jackie Taylor, I thought the next few days should be reserved for revisiting other shocking deaths in the teen drama genre.

Some of these death scenes were shocking because they came out of nowhere.

Others blew us away simply because of who it was that died.

In other cases, it was the pure tragedy that chilled us to our bones.

This week, we pay tribute.

10. Scott accidentally shoots himself (Beverly Hills 90210, Episode 2.14: The Next 50 Years)

9. A drunk Abby falls from a pier and drowns (Dawson’s Creek, Episode 2.18: A Perfect Wedding)

I can’t find a clip but, trust me, it’s shocking.

Come back tomorrow for another drunk fall and a car accident!

1. Dawson’s Creek: Episode 3.19, Stolen Kisses

While denying feelings for each other, Pacey and Joey share a moment in bed. (Skip to 5.15)

2. The O.C.: Episode 1.07, The Escape

While denying feelings for each other, Ryan and Marissa share a moment in bed.

New to Six Degrees of Teen Dramas? Here’s how to play!

Last Week: Leonardo DiCaprio

This Week:

Cameron Diaz

Have at it!

Angie posted this meme earlier this week, and how could I resist? Compile a list of your top 10 favorite TV couples to share. These are in no particular order.

1. Josh & Donna, The West Wing

2. CJ & Danny, The West Wing

3. Bartlet & Abby, The West Wing

What West Wing fan didn’t feel all warm and fuzzy when Josh and Donna finally became a couple? I love watching the banter, the way they know each other so well, and the way neither lets the other get away with any crap. They can make each other laugh, and they are always there when needed. Josh is brilliant but arrogant, and a good friend; Donna is gullible yet savvy, smart, and can see right through him. A good tv couple, in my opinion, has loads of tension and what-if build-up. And two characters who challenge and complement each other.

And that’s why two more of my favorite couples also come from West Wing. CJ and Danny circle each other more obviously, maybe, than Josh and Donna, but the connection is still complex. And they are still two smart and funny people who get each other.

Then there’s the President and First Lady. Some of the best scenes in the show are when they’re fed up and yelling at each other, because it shows a strong relationship many years in, and with many problems and strains. They push each others buttons, but they, too, know that underneath everything is support and strength.

4. Veronica and Logan, Veronica Mars

This clip says it all, doesn’t it? Epic, volatile, dangerous, yet also vulnerable and sweet.

5. Rory & Jess, Gilmore Girls

Jess might be my favorite tv bad boy. He’s always been my favorite of Rory’s boys. He’s smart and is a reader, so can meet her on an intellectual level, but he challenges her goody-goody nature. And he just always kept coming back. In my mind, at the end of Gilmore Girls, Rory went off with Obama’s campaign, saw Jess during a stop in Philly, and they live happily ever after.

6. Ally McBeal & Larry, Ally McBeal

The favorite TV couple from the college years. Robert Downey, Jr. playing Larry completely won the hearts of me and my roommate. He and Ally are just so adorably crazy, in such compatible ways.

7. Scarecrow & Mrs. King, Scarecrow & Mrs. King

How can you not love an ’80s spy couple?

8. Roger & Joan, Mad Men

They’re funny, they’re challenging to each other, and they always know where the other stands. And who doesn’t love Joan?

Bromances. Sometimes the best couples are friendships rather than romances.

9. Seth & Ryan, The O. C.

I never really watched much of The O. C. because I couldn’t stand the girls. But every once and a while I’d turn it on and would be totally charmed by the friendship between Seth and Ryan. They’re hilarious, and such terrific friends.

10. Stefan & Damon, The Vampire Diaries

They so often make me laugh! I think their banter may be one of the main reasons I have gotten so into this show.

• Brian Austin Green (David, Beverly Hills 90210) will be returning to Smallville.
• There’s a small feature on Brett Claywell (Tim, One Tree Hill) in the Dec. 1 issue of Soap Opera Weekly (my old stomping grounds!).
• Leighton Meester (Blair, Gossip Girl) was a presenter at mtvU Woodie Awards.
• Rachel Bilson (Summer, The O.C.) is mentioned in this article on How I Met Your Mother.
• MTV has an interview with Olivia Wilde (Alex, The O.C.)
• News Blaze has an interview with Nikki Reed (Sadie, The O.C.)
• Variety says Busy Philipps (Audrey, Dawson’s Creek) might “break through.”
• I should’ve mentioned this a while ago: Julie Bowen (Aunt Gwen, Dawson’s Creek) is one of the leads in Modern Family.

• The CW’s Web site has launched a store with accessories and clothing seen on Gossip Girl and 90210.
• PEOPLE.com has more on the Leighton Meester (Blair, Gossip Girl) coverstory in Glamour UK.
• Two Tori Spelling (Donna, Beverly Hills 90210) films–Mother May I Sleep With Danger and Co-Ed Call Girl–made AOL’s list of Most Awesome Lifetime Movie Titles Ever.
• Rihanna has refuted reports that she’s dating Tristan Wilds (Dixon, 90210).
• MTV has several articles jointly featuring Kellan Lutz (George, 90210) and Nikki Reed (Sadie, The O.C.), all related to Twilight and New Moon.
• Zap2it and AOL have interviews with Benjamin McKenzie (Ryan, The O.C.).
• Olivia Wilde (Alex, The O.C.) stars in Fix, which starts tomorrow in some areas. Perez Hilton posted a pretty picture of her.
• AOL also has a video interview with Joshua Jackson (Pacey, Dawson’s Creek).
• After separating in June, James Van Der Beek (Dawson, Dawson’s Creek) and his wife are getting a divorce.
• The Dawson’s Creek Web site now has a trailer advertising Dawson’s Creek: The Complete Series. It’s pretty cool.

Pra quem não conhece o trabalho do Toonseries fica a dica aqui! Eles são demais, os desenhos são ótimos, eu to louca pra fazer uma camiseta com algum deles…

Vale a pena conferir, lá no blog tem muito mais!

Did you know SoapNet airs 54 hours of teen drama each week?

(8 hours per weekday X 5 weekdays) + (7 hours per weekend day X 2 weekend days)

40 + 14

54!

Add in the 3 hours each week we get on The CW, and that’s a whopping 57 hours of teen drama goodness in a seven-day period!

This includes Beverly Hills 90210, The O.C., One Tree Hill, Gossip Girl and 90210.

Imagine if we could add in Dawson’s Creek!

Some might call this teen drama overload.

I just call it bliss!

The story goes like this:

1. Imogen Heap wrote a song called Hide and Seek. Most of you know it, it’s pretty amazing (skip to around 2:53 for the part that’s most relevant to the rest of the story):
HIDE AND SEEK

2. The OC uses Hide and Seek in its dramatic season 2 finale (jump to 0:30):

3. SNL thinks the OC is ridiculous, does a parody of the scene in which Hide and Seek plays a significant (hilarious) role:

4. The Office thinks SNL’s parody of the OC is awesome and wants to get in on the action:
(embedding disabled… lame)

5. Jason DeRulo comes along and says, “Hey, Imogen Heap, this song you did is everywhere, you’re so popular. Wanna do a remix with me so I can be popular too?” And thus, “Whatcha Say,” the song that everyone wants to hear all the time, drunk or sober, was born (it’s totally on my Summer ‘09 playlist):

6. [Coda] A bunch of people recorded spoofs of the spoof and parodies of the parody (many of which used Halo or other games), using Hide and Seek as well as the newfangled Whatcha Say, and put them on YouTube. But then the RIAA disabled their posts because these re-spoofers didn’t get the proper rights to the songs. Our loss.

• Be sure to check out The CW’s site for all the new video content this week.
• We don’t have ratings yet for last night’s One Tree Hill and Gossip Girl as Nielsen (the company responsible for them) had technical difficulties today.
• The CW Source has podcasts for last week’s OTH and GG.
• MTV has an article on the Blake Lively (Serena, Gossip Girl) feature in Nylon.
• Gossip Girl and 90210 are included in TVGuide.com’s sweeps roundup for this week.
• The Los Angeles Times has a spoilish interview with Jessica Stroup (Silver, 90210).
• PEOPLE.com has a short blurb on the Silver storyline in tonight’s episode.
• EW.com has a spoilish interview with AnnaLynne McCord (Naomi, 90210).
• AdAge has an article on 90210’s partnership with Ford for the Warriors in Pink campaign.
• Modern Salon has an article on copying 90210 hairstyles, but only includes Stroup and Shenae Grimes (Annie).
• Kellan Lutz (George, 90210) said he turned down the lead role in Twilight.
• In an article on Heather Locklear’s return to Melrose Place, 90210 is mentioned a bit. And this one mentions Laura Leighton (Sophie, Beverly Hills 90210).
• E! Online has an interview with Jennie Garth (Kelly, Beverly Hills 90210).
• In the new issue of Entertainment Weekly, McCord’s Naomi is made their list of Top TV Bitches. The EW.com version also includes: Brenda (Shannen Doherty, Beverly Hills 90210), Julie (Melinda Clarke,  The O.C.), Busy Phillips (Audrey, Dawson’s Creek) for her role in Freaks & Geeks and Jessica Walters (Tabitha, 90210) for her role in Arrested Development.
• There’s been conflicting reports that The CW will air the remaining episodes of The Beautiful Life, which starred Mischa Barton (Marissa, The O.C.).
• PEOPLE.com has an interview with Nikki Reed (Sadie, The O.C.).

It’s that time of the year, folks! The air is chilly, the trees are trimmed with sparkly lights, and Starbucks cups have gone from traditional white to festive red…

The holidays are here!

I don’t know about you, but I can hardly believe it’s almost December (2 more weeks) and that Thanksgiving is coming ’round the bend in just a week. I’m excited, of course, as I love the holidays and I think it’s a wonderful, happy time (when I’m not being trampled by tourists…). Last year, I gathered the troops for a holiday gift exchange hosted by Elfster, an online website devoted to coordinating gift exchanges. It was a rousing success (I got $30 worth of iTunes gift cards from Scott Strumello, so I was happy!) and I’d like to do it again.

The way it works is this:

• From today until November 30, you can sign up to participate by visiting this link.
• On December 1, Elfster will automatically draw names for everyone and email you. You will be notified of the person’s name and mailing address.
• You have until December 24 to mail the person a gift.
• Try to keep the gift around $25. But that’s just a suggestion. Not a requirement. Be thoughtful, be creative, be personal.
• ONLY your Elfster match will receive your mailing address. All contact info is kept completely private.
• If necessary, you can leave once the exchange has started, but we are not adding anyone because it causes the entire group to be reshuffled and that just gets confusing.
• Remember: you must join by November 30!

This is open to EVERYONE, whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or Christmahanukwanzaka. Or nothing at all and you just like getting presents (and who doesn’t?).

It’s fun – it’s easy – and it’s fun! (It’s so fun, I had to say it twice).

Questions? Leave a comment or email me.

Don’t forget to join!

This past Saturday, I hosted a World Diabetes Day party in midtown Manhattan for about 20 of my closest D-friends. There was a great mix of type 1s, type 2s and type 3s there and we enjoyed New York style pizza and a homemade cake from one of the members of the ACT1 Diabetes support group.

Erik and I went down to the space near Penn Station around 11:00 to find Val already waiting for us! Val helped Erik and I move tables around to accommodate everyone, and while Erik went to purchase diet sodas (in 3 flavors!), Val blew up blue balloons while I taped streamers to the tables. It was very festive!

People starting arriving surprisingly on time – and we had almost everyone who RSVP’d by 12:15! Everyone took turns introducing themselves, how long they have had diabetes (or known someone with diabetes, as the case may be) and what treatment they were on.

Some of the folks just hanging out before the pizza arrived.

The pizza arrived at 12:30 and everyone dug in! I stayed simple and just bought cheese and pepporoni pizza, while Brenda brought some Asian Black Bean noodles and Val brought homemade chocolate cookies that were totally bolus-worthy!

Some of the WDD crew.

Promptly at 2pm, all the people with diabetes whipped out their glucose meters and tested, and then we marched downstairs (which was a multi-step process since the elevators didn’t fit everyone) and walked down 37th to 7th Avenue, and then back around on 36th to 8th Avenue. We arrived back at exactly 2:14 p.m. Then we all tested again! My blood sugar was already a bit high from that morning (a mystery high!) and was still high before and after the Big Blue Test. But I promptly crashed later that afternoon once my bolus kicked in.

Gettin’ our 14 minutes of exercise. Though my boyfriend was probably the only one who broke a sweat, as he kept running head of us to snap some pictures.

We were also wowed by the beautiful cake that was made in Dr. Banting’s honor. It was scrumptious and most everyone enjoyed it (a couple people saved slices for later).

The one on the left is regular, the one on the left is gluten-free.

Just a couple of ladies with the Big D enjoying some cake.

Some of you may not know this, but November 14 was picked as the day for World Diabetes Day because it’s Dr. Frederick Banting’s birthday. Dr. Banting is one of the co-inventors of the manmade insulin we use today. We wouldn’t have gotten very far if it wasn’t for him! I thought it would be a cute idea to have a birthday cake for Dr. Banting. And who doesn’t like a little cake?

A few people have commented that I shouldn’t have had pizza and cake at a party for people with diabetes because they are “bad.” But I think “bad” is sort of relative, because I don’t know about you, but I have a lot of random things that spike my blood sugar and that I shouldn’t probably eat: bagels, Indian food, and Cheerios, just to name a few. In fact, if you actually looked at my CGM after most meals I have, you’ll see that my blood sugar goes up. So yeah.

But I understand why people wouldn’t want to eat pizza and cake. Which is why I invited people to contribute other food that they would want to eat. And only two other people did (and one of those people brought cookies!). So what does that say? Either people would rather stay away from a party that has pizza than bring veggies, or they don’t actually care as much about the pizza thing as one would think. There were a couple of people who abstained from the food, but they still reported that they had a wonderful time, even if they didn’t eat anything because of whatever preference they have. To each their own I say! I have actually been to a lot of diabetes events in my time, and I often see people eating dessert or bread with dinner or something that another person might claim is “unhealthy.” In fact, I know a lot of people grimace when asked, “So, what can you eat?” because some of us believe we can eat anything as long as we know what we are eating. We all have made our peace with how we manage food.

As the party was winding down, everyone pitched in to help clean up the conference. People helped rearrange the tables and chairs, throw away cans, and clean dishes. And a few eager folks whipped out their lancets to help pop the balloons! We also took a big group picture, although a few folks (hi Val!) had already left.

Later that evening, as Erik and I were on our way to another gig – babysitting a four year old with diabetes and her baby brother – we snapped a few pics of the Empire State Building in blue. The Empire State Building is my favorite building in the city, and I loved looking out my room when I lived in Hoboken to see what color it was that day. But there’s nothing as breath-taking as seeing it lit up in blue. Our blue.