Elise Allen's Blog, page 17

More Populazzi.com, More Calls for Submissions!

Another day, another Populazzi.com preview!  As I said yesterday, Populazzi.com (which is right now a disaster of construction, so don't let its current mess turn you off) will be a lifestyle website dedicated to bringing out the best in everyone, and I'm super-excited about it.  I'm featuring one of its segments each day, and today is…

FAB FINDS

Fab Finds is just that — something you found, love, and want to share.  It can be anything — a great book, a new band, a unique and awesome study snack… Are you dedicated to a cause everyone should know about?  A museum you love?  A fantastic hike?

You get the idea.  It's wide open, and we wanna know about it.

So if you have a Fab Find, fill out the form and tell us all about it!  Don't forget to include any websites or FB/Twitter links you want us to print (all about giving you credit), and a picture if you want that as part of your credit, too.  Soon your Fab Find could be up on Populazzi.com and shared with the world!

Oh right — the legalese:  by submitting your content (e.g., story, photo), you give Populazzi.com the right to publish your content on the Web Site.  Populazzi.com reserves the right to use your real name or pseudonym, as well as edit the content for clarity and conciseness.  All submissions become the property of Populazzi.com and will not be returned.  You represent that the content you provide is yours to submit and truthful in every respect.  See Terms and Conditions of Use and Privacy Policy for additional information.

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More previews tomorrow — see you then!

 

Populazzi.com — Call for Submissions!

All this week, I'll be promoting my new website… Populazzi.com!  Don't go there yet — it's under construction and a bit of a mess.  But soon, my friends, very soon…

When it's done, Populazzi.com will be a lifestyle website dedicated to bringing out the best in everyone.  Each day this week I'll feature one of the segments.  Today it's…

ASK THE STYLE EXPERTS

Got a style question?  Want to change your look so it better reflects your personality?  Starting a new school and want to make a first impression that shows people who you really are?  Heading to a pool party and want something that'll stay flattering in and out of the water?

Whatever your question, ask wardrobe stylist and makeup artist Yolanda Price, both Hollywood professionals with impressive resumes that span print, television, film, and stage.  These are the women behind all the transformations in the Populazzi book trailer, and they're passionate about helping others bring out their own individual flair in the most effective way possible.

So how do you Ask The Style Experts?  Easy!  Just fill out the contact form below, mention that you're submitting for Ask the Style Experts, and tell us both your style dilemma, and a little about yourself and your unique personality.  Please include a picture that's more or less full length — easier to recommend wardrobe that way.

Now a bit of legalese.  By submitting your content (e.g., story, photo), you give Populazzi.com the right to publish your content on the Web Site.  Populazzi.com reserves the right to use your real name or pseudonym, as well as edit the content for clarity and conciseness.  All submissions become the property of Populazzi.com and will not be returned.  You represent that the content you provide is yours to submit and truthful in every respect.  See Terms and Conditions of Use and Privacy Policy for additional information.

Got it?  Awesome!  Now if you're interested, we'd love to hear from you!  And we look forward to seeing you at Populazzi.com when it launches!

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Help Me Get in Shape for My Birthday (Please!)

So maybe two month or so ago, I was posting a lot about P90X.  I was doing the plan religiously… for a month.  Then I kept at it, but did swap in some of the workouts with my Carter Fitness boot camp, which is also amazing.  I even added back in some running.

Then came some stuff I won't go into because it would involve serious TMI, but the gist of it entails female "issues" and my doctor's major hormonal whackadoodle attempts to fix them.

Now here I am at the end of it all, TEN POUNDS HEAVIER.

This doesn't have to be a big deal.  Sure, it's a bummer, but as the hormone maelstrom settles, I can eat right, exercise, and get the pounds off, right?

Right.

But.

I have a HUGE birthday coming up.  July 6th.  Big one.  We don't have to discuss how big.  Suffice it to say there's a reason I'm obsessed with 80′s music.

I had been hoping Tony Horton would give me washboard abs for my birthday, and while it's my own fault he didn't, I still had high hopes that I would leap into this birthday in the best shape of my adult life.

And yet… the ten extra pounds of doughiness.

Still, I haven't given up hope.

I have one month to shed these ten extra pounds… and I have YOU.

I am open to any and all suggestions.

I'll do my part.  I'll hit the gym, I'll run, I'll hike, I'll do my P90X videos… I'm not looking for a snap-your-fingers-and-it's-gone.  But I would LOVE to know what if anything has helped you slim down quickly and reasonably healthily (I won't take any crazy fat-burning supplements).  Did you cut out carbs?  Did you juice?  What did you do?

Yes, yes, I know the best way to lose weight and keep it off is a slow, steady process of healthy choices.  I'm a huge proponent of that.

But that's not an option right now.  It's crunch time.  And if this goes well, I'll have about half of these extra pounds off my the Emmys, which would really be nice.

So there's my plea… ten pounds in one month… any ideas?  I can't wait to hear 'em!

THANKS!!!

 

 

Five Things in Two Months

With TWO MONTHS TO RELEASE, I feel like there are a zillion things I need to do to get ready!!!!

Here are the top five on my list:

1) Wait for the SWAG I ordered (it's a surprise, but I got the idea from the wonderful Gretchen McNeil) to arrive in the mail, then give it out with wild abandon.

2) At over-long last order my Populazzi business cards and bookmarks — more giving out with wild abandon.

3) Launch Populazzi.com — a super-cool lifestyle site that I'll be telling you all about in the days to come.

4) Contact an indie book store here in L.A. that will let me throw a book launch party some time during the first two weeks of August.  Invite everyone in the universe.

5) Do a massive contest leading up to release day — something with a great prize haul.

oh, and 6) Buy a giant paper bag, so I can have it handy whenever I start hyperventilating.

Okay, I have my little red Franklin Planner out and my pen is poised… what else should I add to the list?

TWO MONTHS!!!!

I can't believe it's just two months 'till release date.

I feel like I should do something to celebrate… like a parade…

No, not a parade… THE parade… THE MAIN STREET ELECTRICAL PARADE!!!!

(or in this case, Disney's Electrical Parade, from when it was at California Adventure, but it's the best quality recording I can find on YouTube.)

It's just impossible to be anything but happy when watching that.

Are you a fan too?  What's your all-time favorite Disney attraction?

As you think about it, why not take a little jaunt over to The Divining Wand, where the lovely Larramie is featuring an interview with me… in which I talk a lot about Disneyland.

See you real soon!

THE BOOK JACKET IS HERE!!!!

I received something truly gorgeous in the mail last week…

MY BOOK JACKET!!!!

I kinda can't get over it.  It's gorgeous!  And the word "Populazzi" on the front — in fact, the whole necklace — is embossed, so it stands out of the page and you can feel it with your fingers.

And the pink!  I wasn't expecting the pink.  The ARC had no pink.  I LOVE THE PINK!!!!

Allow me to show it from other angles…

There it is from the back, featuring blurbs from the amazing Hilary Duff, Eileen Cook, Deb Caletti, and Matthew Quick (HUGE thank you to all four of you!), all in a stunning font that looks gorgeous on the pink.

And as you can see from the flash pops… it's shiny!

Here's the whole jacket splayed out in all its glory.

I'm so excited I can't even handle it.  I'm totally getting one framed.  Okay, I'm totally getting TWO framed, because my grandmother needs a framed copy too.

What do you think?  Do you like it?

Tomorrow starts the mad rush of awesomeness that is TWO MONTHS TO RELEASE!!!!

I'll post more tomorrow, but right now I'm off to do a wild happy-dance.

 

My Chemical Romance — tonight!!!!

What will I be doing all day today?  BLASTING My Chemical Romance in anticipation of their concert tonight!!!!!

My husband and I are going, and I can't wait.  I expect unbridled awesomeness beginning to end.

And this is only the beginning of the week of musical spectacularity, because on Saturday we're going to a remarkably similar concert… GLEE LIVE!!!!  I'm already swooning over the prospect of Blaine and Kurt singing together in person.

Sigh.

Are you seeing any live music this summer?  What shows are you most looking forward to?

Prizes Prizes Prizes!!!!

So… ever since my trailer came out, I've been running a contest: leave a comment and be entered to win one of four CDs from The Stone Coyotes, the band that did the music in the video.  Every comment was an entry, and if someone commented and entered your name, both that person AND you received an entry.  So if you got a lot of people to comment and mention you, you got a lot of entries.  Whoever got the most entries would win both the CD and a signed ARC of Populazzi.

Two people got a lot of entries… one of those people got an ASTRONOMICALLY HUGE number of entries.

But let's start with the other three winners (four CDs means three winners in addition to the Grand Prize winner).  These were chosen randomly, with the help of random.org.

The three winners of The Stone Coyotes' CD are…

Elcid Jordan

Sharina

Charles Andrew Diaz

Congratulations!  Please contact me with your mailing address, and I'll send those CDs out to you!

Now… the Grand Prize…

This quickly came down to a two-person race between Dallas Strawn and Karen Cristel Ong.  Both of them worked like crazy to get people to visit the site and comment, both of them succeeded, and both of them had people not just mentioning them, but speaking very highly about them, and how genuinely excited and passionate they were about this contest, Elixir, Populazzi, and Devoted. Even their families wrote in and commented.  I feel like I got to know them both, and I was very impressed.

All that said… man, it wasn't even close.  Karen Cristel Ong won by a mile, and I'm so, so happy to tell her she has won both a Stone Coyotes CD, and a signed ARC of Populazzi!

But wait, there's more.

I can't ignore how hard Dallas worked.  He really impressed me.  He didn't have a chance against Karen, who is unstoppable and amazing, but he did a great job of getting people here.

So Dallas Strawn, send me your address — I'm sending you an autographed Populazzi ARC too.

But wait, there's more!

While I'm thrilled to reward Dallas, I can't help but feel that Karen should get something a little extra, because seriously, the number of people she pulled in to this site was shockingly awesome.

So Karen… the second I get my hands on my shipment, I'm sending you a copy of Book Two in the Elixir series, Devoted. I would send you an ARC if I could, but the truth is the ARCs in this series are few and rare — I didn't even see an ARC of Elixir.  So instead, I promise you the day I get my official hardback copies, I'm sending one out to you.

So hey, let's recap!

GRAND PRIZE WINNER of a Stone Coyotes CD, a signed ARC of Populazzi, AND a hardcover copy of Devoted the minute it comes out in October… KAREN CRISTEL ONG!

FIRST PRIZE WINNER of a signed ARC of Populazzi, DALLAS STRAWN!

RUNNER-UP WINNERS of the Stone Coyotes CD, ELCID JORDAN, SHARINA, and CHARLES ANDREW DIAZ!

Winners, please send me your mailing addresses, so I can get your prizes to you as soon as possible.

Thanks so much to everyone who entered, and keep watching this site for more news about Populazzi, Devoted, and another HUGE project that I'm keeping under wraps for now, but will reveal very soon!

 

 

And the Sole Survivor Is…

Things are busy right now, in a fantastic way.  The Populazzi Trailer is up and running; my writing on Dinosaur Train is up for an Emmy; Miss M is getting ready to graduate first grade; I'm having a blast working on Devoted with Hilary Duff… at the risk of waking Queen Kinehera, things are good.

Yet none of it compares to the massive success I enjoyed on Sunday, when at long last… I finally won a Survivor pool.

Yes, that Survivor. The one with Jeff Probst that's been on since time began.  I've been hooked since Richard Hatch went naked, and my dedication to the show only deepened when my dear — and gorgeously catty — friend Jay started a Survivor pool.

Jay will always and forever go by the title Immediate Superior as far as I'm concerned, since he was Script Coordinator to my Writers' Assistant on Saved By The Bell: The New Class. In other words… my Immediate Superior.  In practice, this meant he usually got to choose the music we blared in the office.  Since ninety percent of the time it was Duran Duran, the Go-Go's, or Shaun Cassidy's Greatest Hits, I had no complaints.

I can't remember what season Jay started the Survivor Pool, but this past season was his 14th.  I've played every one, and until now I'd never won.  Before last season, I'd never even come in the money, though I did win a few consolation prizes… like a Survivor backpack that fell apart within a week.

Still, I was dedicated to the pool.  The day Miss M was born happened to be a premiere night for Survivor.  I pushed her out as fast as I could, got all the brand-new-baby stuff sorted out, and landed in my hospital room just in time to click on the TV… and see my player's torch snuffed out.

Almost seven years later… I AM VICTORIOUS!!!!  Boston Rob came through, and I am $150 richer!!!!

Yes, yes, after 14 pools at $15 a pop I'm still down overall, but who cares?  I WON!!!!

And in the wake of this landmark achievement for me, I ask you: are you a Survivor fan?  Do you go in for reality TV at all?  And if so, which shows are your favorites?

While you're thinking about it, don't forget to enter my Populazzi Trailer Contest — visit this page to leave a comment about the trailer, and you'll be entered for a chance to win one of FOUR CDs from The Stone Coyotes, the band that did the music for the trailer.  One winner will also win a signed ARC of Populazzi.  If other people comment and mention that you sent them, you'll both get an entry, so spread the word to increase your chances to win!

THE TRAILER IS HERE!!!!!

I've been talking about it for ages, but now…

IT'S HERE!!!!

So without further ado, I bring you…

THE POPULAZZI TRAILER!!!!!

 

So first, a HUGE thank you to my cast and crew, who worked like crazy to put this thing together.

I'm so happy about the trailer, I want to share it with the world! So how about… a giveaway!  You know the awesome song in the trailer?  It's called Situation Out of Control, and it's by The Stone Coyotes.  The band's not only mega-talented, but they're also generous.  They gave me FOUR copies of their latest CD, I Couldn't Find You, and I'll give them away to four random people.

How do you get this prize?  Easy peasy — leave a comment on this post.  Then, tell everyone else you know to come visit, leave a comment, and mention your name.  When they do, that person and you will both get an entry in the drawing.  The more people you get to visit and comment, the more chances you have to win!

But wait, there's more!  The person who has the most mentions in the comments below gets not only a CD, but a signed ARC of Populazzi!  (I apologize in advance for the fact that my handwriting is illegible — I'll have to work on that.) I'll announce the winners on Tuesday, May 24th.

Thanks so much for watching and spreading the word — I can't wait to hear your thoughts!!!

xo,

E