Recap: Circus Oz


Last week I attended Circus Oz at UCLA.  This was my first time visiting UCLA, and it was my first being on a college campus in a long time.  It brought up a lot of memories from my college experience.

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There’s such an energy on a college campus, and I love that feeling I get from being on one.

We headed over to Royce Hall, which is the Performing Arts Center on UCLA, to see Circus Oz.  This was a n0 animal circus all the way from Australia, and they were beginning their tour in the US.

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Let me tell you, it was such a FUN show to be apart of.  A bit on the edgy side, but full of energy, jokes, and acrobatic tricks that were pretty dang cool to watch.

Before the show began, the cast of Circus Oz begin walking around the audience.  Two dressed as Kangeroo’s with their long tails as they walked through the aisles of Royce Hall.

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And when the show began, amazing jumps took place.  One of the most amazing parts of those jumps were that there were no nets underneath, it was just them catching themselves if they did, indeed, fall.

Later on in the show they did add mats into some of their performances for their big landings.

The tricks and performances were different from what you’d usually see at a typical circus so it definitely kept my attention.  From climbing up a tall pole doing some amazing balance tricks as he climbed up to fun jumps to juggling acts to walking on a tight rope to comedic acts: thinking a girl on roller skates who really can’t skate.

And the background of the stage was pretty neat too.  A sliding bar that hung from the stage that manuevered up and down where a lot of tricks took place with a background of the city behind them.

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In the end, it was a great way to spend an evening.  If you see them stopping in your town, it’s definitely worth a visit to see them.

Disclosure: I was provided tickets to the show “Circus Oz.”

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A truly #pricelessla experience at the #GRAMMYs


This past weekend was the annual GRAMMY awards.  For years I’d been watching this awards show cheering on my favorite artists, watching the stellar performances, and admiring the glitz and glamor that happens during the red carpet from the celebrities to their amazing dresses and sometimes not so amazing dresses.

So you can imagine my surprise when I was invited out to be apart of it through Mastercard’s #PricelessLA experience program.  Mastercard launched a new program within the past few months that brings their card users the ability to partake in amazing experiences within their city.  Cities such as Chicago, New York and Los Angeles.  And no matter your passions, there’s a little something for everyone whether you’re a foodie, sports fanatic, art collector, or movie fanatic, they capture those priceless moments giving you even more reason to #lovethiscity.

So Sunday morning, I got up pretty early to begin getting ready for the amazing day ahead of me:

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This was me working on the hair and the makeup.  The dress was already on which was a pretty black high low dress with a sequin top that sparkled.

My friend Raquel from Organized Island then made her way to my place and we drove down to the Staples Center.

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This was us before the big event at our parking spot.  We then got out, and waited in line before being let into the Red Carpet at the GRAMMYs.  We had to be wanded down then we were led to a bleachers area at the very end of the Red Carpet, but let me tell you, it was the best place to be because all of the CELEBRITIES walking the red carpet passed us on their way to the GRAMMYs.

And I just want to share some memorable moments during the Red Carpet:

1) Mumford and Sons.

From the moment I saw them, I was escatic.  If you couldn’t tell I am a huge Mumford and Sons fan, and love their music.  This was the first major celebrity that crossed our path on the Red Carpet.

2) Make a Wish

The Make a Wish foundation was also present in our bleacher area.  4 children wished to attend the GRAMMYs, and boy, did they receive STAR treatment.  They had their cameras, and all the celebrities were asked to come over, chat with them, and sign autographs.  Yes, so you know what that meant?  Seeing their personalities shine, and only a few feet in front of us.

3) Pauly Paurette

Although I wasn’t too familiar with who Pauly Paurette was prior to Sunday, she surely made an impression on me by her interaction with us at the Red Carpet.  She came over on her own accord asking “what all this was,” and then hyped us up.  She was adorable, and such a vibrant personality.

4) The Photographers

A few feet away were where all the photographers were working.  Meaning when a big name celebrity crossed their path to pose for pictures we could see their flashes go off, hear them call out to the celebrities and direct them how to pose.  Being a photographer myself, it was pretty amazing to watch in front of me.  And it was also very amusing.

5) TVGN

The TVGN was right beside with their live video feed.  They were have the camera crew zoom in on us and have us yell, and scream, and talk about us as they went live on air during the Red Carpet.

6) Justin Timberlake

We first noticed JT when he was posing for his pictures, but what struck us the most were his shoes.  Yes guys, his shoes.  They were black with white on top, but pretty incredible, but when he came over to sign autographs for the Make a Wish foundation was when his personality truly came through, laughing with us, interacting with us, and OMG, those piercing blue eyes.

7) Adele

So, I know Adele has had a lot of conversation about her dress.  A few of you even asked me, “was it as bad as people are saying?”  The thing about Adele is that I absolutely adore her.  Yes, the dress was noticeable, and it was more striking than how the pictures made it out to be.

But was I a fan?  No.  But the fact is, it’s Adele, and she’s always stood on her own foot, and this was another way to showcase her personality to the world.  And people are still talking about her 😉

8) Tim McGraw and Faith Hill

This has been such a star couple to me for years.  And the fact is they’ve been in the business for the long time, and they’re still showing up to the GRAMMYs together.  Tim McGraw wearing his Cowboy hat, and Faith Hill in her amazing dress looking beautiful as always.

9) Mario Lopez, Guiliana Rancic, Kathy Griffin, and Nancy O’Dell

The TV personalities also had the opportunity to walk the red carpet and came over to chat with us.  As one person in the audience shouted out “AC Slater.”  And Kathy Griffin being hilarious as ever, another fun personality on the red carpet.

10) And right before we left was when the big STARS of the show truly showed up.  Rhianna, Beyonce, and Katy Perry, all looking beautiful.  Rhianna’s red dress was so beautiful in person, and Beyonce looked charming as ever.

And Katy Perry, a lady I’ve looked up for the past few years made an even bigger impression on me when she came over on her own accord to sign autographs and take a few photos.

This was a day that goes down in the books, and truly, was one of the most #priceless experiences of my life.  I never thought I’d be that close to a red carpet, and now here I am, saying I was there.

At the #GRAMMYs

This was us after the big event at the Red Carpet.  Our smiles are even brighter at that experience.

Thank you Mastercard for this truly #priceless experience.  A day with friends, and memories that will last a lifetime.  Also, thank you for the swag such as the hats, seats cushions, and cup along with this wonderful CD:

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I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community.  I participated in this experience at the invitation of MasterCard as part of it’s Priceless Cities program. All thoughts and opinions are my own. #cbias #SocialFabric #LoveThisCity #PricelessLA

 

 

 

Categories: Events in LA, Fun Stuff, Life, Travel | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

D23 Disney Fanniversary Event.


On March 1st, in Los Angeles, the D23 Fanniversary Event will be taking place.

D23: The Official Disney Fan Club is hitting the road with D23′s Disney Fanniversary Celebration, commemorating dozens of unforgettable Disney milestones celebrating landmark anniversaries in 2013!

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Each show will be hosted by a Disney archivist and D23 Team member and will highlight the rich behind-the-scenes stories of these magical moments through rarely or never-before-seen film footage, concept art, photography, and exclusive interviews with many of your favorite Disney Legends and luminaries.

They will lead fans through wonderful moments that have delighted fans over the years.  Movies include: Peter Pan, Tim Burton’s The Nightmare before Christmas, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and the first Pirate’s of the Caribbean film.

They will also touch base on a few favorite Disney characters such as Mickey Mouse and Chip and Dale along with favorite attractions found at Disney Parks to the first Disney Cruise ship and more.

Before each showing, fans will have the chance to interact with the members along with other Disney Fans.

These events will be taken place in:

Los Angeles
Date: Friday, March 1
Location: The Studio Theatre, The Walt Disney Studios (500 S. Buena Vista Street, Burbank, California)
Time: 5 and 8 p.m. (Please do not arrive more than 30 minutes prior to the show.)

San Diego
Date: Saturday, March 2
Location: San Diego MOPA-Joan and Irwin Jacobs Theater (1649 El Prado, San Diego, California)
Time: 2 p.m. (Please do not arrive more than 30 minutes prior to the show.)

Phoenix
Date: Wednesday, March 6
Location: The Orpheum Theatre
(203 West Adams Street, Phoenix, Arizona)
Time: 2:00 p.m. (Please do not arrive more than 30 minutes prior to the show.)

Orlando
Date: Friday, March 8
Location: Atlantic Dance Hall, Walt Disney’s BoardWalk Resort, Walt Disney World
Time: 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. (Please do not arrive more than 30 minutes prior to the show.)

Chicago
Date: Sunday, March 10
Location: Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago (220 East Chicago Avenue, Chicago, Illinois
Time: 2 and 5 p.m. (Please do not arrive more than 30 minutes prior to the show.)

Washington, D.C.
Date: Thursday, March 21
Location: U.S. Navy Memorial (701 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, D.C.)
Time: 7 p.m. (Please do not arrive more than 30 minutes prior to the show.)

Newark
Date: Saturday, March 23
Location: Newark Museum, Billy Johnson Auditorium (49 Washington Street, Newark, New Jersey)
Time: 2:30 p.m. (Please do not arrive more than 30 minutes prior to the show.)

Boston
Date: Sunday, March 24
Location: Boston Theatre 1 at the Revere Hotel (200 Stuart St., Boston, Massachusetts)
Time: 2 and 5 p.m. Please do not arrive more than 30 minutes prior to the show.)

Seattle
Date: Friday, April 5
Location: Seattle Public Library in the Microsoft Auditorium on level 1 (1000 Fourth Ave, Seattle, WA; Access to the building for the event will be through the 4th Avenue entrance.)
Time: 7 p.m. (Please do not arrive more than 30 minutes prior to the show.)

San Francisco
Date: Sunday, April 7
Location: Walt Disney Family Museum, (104 Montgomery Street, The Presidio of San Francisco, California)
Time: 2 and 5 p.m. (Please do not arrive more than 30 minutes prior to the show.)

As of today, tickets have gone on sale to the general public for the Los Angeles event.

21 dollars for D23 club members and 35 dollars for non-members.

 

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