Victoria Beckham: Coming to America

Last night America was treated to an inside look at one of the UK's biggest stars; Victoria Beckham aka Posh Spice. She was 1/5 (and then 1/4) of the Spice Girls, but now has become a style icon and permanent public figure across the pond.

When I heard that NBC was going to document Victoria's move to the US (her husband, David Beckham, is going to play soccer for the LA Galaxy) I was very excited. The first reports were saying it was going to be a multi-part reality show, but once filming began officials announced it would only be a 1-hour documentary. I watched Victoria Beckham: Coming to America last night with my roommate, Carolyn, and let me say... NBC really messed up.

I don't say they messed up because the show was bad. In fact, it was wonderfully done. I say they messed up because they didn't make it the series they had originally intended. Victoria was funny, charming and most of all, she was likable! I said it before about Hey Paula, but the key to the "follow someone around" reality show is having a likable lead character, and Victoria was just that.

The show had her bopping around her new LA neighborhoods and doing things that Americans do (or at least what British people think Americans do.) Some of the events were clearly staged by the producers (the earthquake test?) but everything was very funny! Victoria met some of her new, weird socialite neighbors and even confronted gossip blogger Perez Hilton about the mean things he says about her, the whole time making fun of herself and her image in the media.

With all of the little tasks and adventures that Victoria went through on the 1-hour special I don't think it would have been difficult to turn the program into maybe 6 or 7 shorter episodes. They were able to make a series out of Hey Paula and every episode is almost exactly the same. And while I'm talking about it, can someone please FEED PAULA! Why is she always hungry?! That's like 90% of that show.

Regardless... Vicky should have gotten the series out it, and I don't just say that because I like her. I say it because I watch way too much television. Victoria has the mischief factor of Paris and Nicole, the ability to make jabs at herself like Kathy Griffin, and the family love like the Hogans on Hogan Knows Best. Did you watch the show? What did you think? If you missed it, NBC.com has a section devoted to the Posh lady herself. Check it out.

the Outting of a Nerd

I have recently come up with a new segment (is it a segment if it's on a blog? Topic? Discuss.) for my blog after several embarrassing IMs and emails with coworkers and friends. It will forever be known as Outting a Nerd. The idea hadn't crossed my mind until an embarrassing email was sent to me by a coworker. She quickly sent me a follow-up saying, "If this makes it to your blog, a la you outing Rob as a Transformers freak, I may or may not kill you." Unfortunately for her, I am willing to sacrifice my own life for the sake of my reader's entertainment.

Now, I will say that this person, whose identity will be concealed using the codename "Deanette Juffy," did attempt to out me as a nerd by assuming that I would interested in attending a very dorky event with her. Well played, my friend... but no dice.

Please take a look at this email that I received after declining a request to go see the cast of Hairspray the Musical the Movie on NBC's TODAY. Also note the comment regarding my roommate's decision to not attend the premiere of this film:

"Firstly, [the fact that your roommate] doesn't want to use her tickets to
Hairspray is the same as saying she has the purest of oxygen but won't breathe.
Absurd... Hairspray has been my reason to live for about 2 months now. I have not deleted the episode of them when they were on Oprah off of my DVR and watch it when i am feeling low. The first five minutes of the episode are pre-empted by Sam Champion telling the tri state area about immenent thunderstorms. Everytime I watch I yell DAMN YOU SAM for prevenging me from seeing the first five minutes of their musical number."

Deanette Juffy- You are a nerd. Welcome to the club. Hairspray opens up in theaters on July 20th.

The Treats Truck

A few weekends ago I was walking to Central Park with one of my friends and discovered something amazing. We were walking down the block when someone out of the corner of my eye said, "would you like a sample?" Now, normally I would say, "no, thanks" without even looking at the product, but when a tray of delicious looking Rice Crispy Treats were thrust into my face, I couldn't resist.

It turns out the man was standing in front of The Treats Truck; a mobile snack unit that drives around New York City selling cookies and other baked goods. It's basically like an ice cream truck, sans the ice cream and annoying, repetitive soundtrack. I took a peek at the menu and was surprised to see a huge selection of treats for under five bucks.

I started to think about the idea of The Treats Truck. Unlike an ice cream truck, which my roommate and I have desperately searched for on our block on more than one occasion, The Treats Truck isn't something something that I would actively seek out during an afternoon snack craving. I would, however, definitely stop and pick up a delicious snack if the truck and I ended up in the same location again.

Another interesting thing about The Treats Truck is the actual truck itself. Its name is Sugar and does much more then deliver amazing delicacies to hungry New Yorkers; it's actually doing its part to help the environment, too. This truck is more successful than I will ever be. Check out this excerpt from the website:

"Our mobile bakery truck is named Sugar. He runs on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG). CNG is one of the most environmentally friendly fuels available. It is a gas much like air, rather than a liquid and is very clean. Our company tries its best to use and encourage the use of environmentally friendly practices."

Who knew?! The Treats Truck parks itself in a new location every day, so make sure you keep a close eye on their schedule to see when you can enjoy some wonderful snacks in your area! If you do or have had a run-in with the Treats Truck please let me know about your experience. I will look forward to it.

Thirsty Thursday!

It's Thursday, which means several things.

1. It's acceptable to drink after work and not feel bad about it... i mean, it's basically the weekend
2. It's the results show on So You Think You Can Dance
3. It's time for some Black20 News with Jessie Cantrell
   

Enjoy!

We Had a Really Good Time

As promised, I will now give you a full rundown of my trip to Miami with Kelly. Well, I actually won't really give a full rundown, because you probably don't want to read all of that... but I will touch on some highlights.

We left Friday night after work and got in around 8:30pm. It was about 9:30 by the time we got to the hotel, so we checked in and immediately sought out some food. Between the heat, humidity and travel fatigue Kelly and I were basically falling asleep in our dinner, so we turned in pretty quickly for the night. We stayed at the Suites on South Beach which was a pretty nice, small hotel. The room looked like a New York City apartment and had everything we needed for our trip of eating, sleeping and laying on the beach. I wouldn't recommend for anyone who wants a ton of amenities or for a honeymoon, but it was perfect for two young travelers who needed a safe, clean place to stay for not too much dinero.

The weather was hot and sticky and was perfect for floating in the ocean for hours, which we literally did every day. Unlike most beach trips where you lay in the sun until you get too hot, then dip in the ocean and return to your towel, Kelly and I did the reverse. The ocean felt like bathwater and was so clear that I could see my feet even when the water was up to my chin. We got out of the water only long enough to get dry and then went right back in. Very enjoyable.

It rained on and off a few times, but never during the day. We hit a storm the morning of the day we left, but we didn't care because we had to prepare for departure anyway. All in all it was a very fun, relaxing trip, and somehow I managed to avoid getting sun burned. Go me.

Here's the video montage I made to document our trip. You should know that every moment of the vacation was spent looking for moments that would "make the montage." I hope it doesn't disappoint.