Media Mondays

I feel like the weeks are whipping by in 2013, so I was grateful for a day and a half off this weekend.  This week starts an even bigger whirlwind as we trudge towards the last 20 days of awards season 2013...Nominees Luncheon, a commercial shoot, movie premiere, a trip out of town, and a desperate Oscars dress search.

Here are my media appearances from last week:

Dara on Radio:  I made a return appearance and chatted about the SAG Awards and what it means to the Oscars.  Right now, all eyes are on the Best Picture category.  Listen here.  (You can find the rest of my SAG Awards coverage here.)

Tom Barnard Podcast: All I have to say is "Dat Ass."  It's hilarious.  Start listening at the 13:00    mark. I promise you, it's worth it.

If you know about my Club 33 obsession, then you know I need to get into California Adventure's 1901 too.  

The Radio Dish: At the 20:30 mark, you can listen to the latest snark about Kim Kardashian and her butt. 

SheKnows: Some of my articles from last week. 

Cody Simpson: "I feel blessed"--If you have a teen in your house, then you know they will like my interview with him. 

Lindsay Lohan too sick to appear in court--Another day, another Lohan drama.

January Jones: "My hair is falling out in clumps"--Slow news day. 

My football strawberries!

Cocktails and Conversation:  It's the first Saturday of the month and we dished all about the BeyoncéBowl.  That's right, the Super Bowl is just a myth, it was a Beyoncé concert. I come in at the 23:00 mark. 

If you missed my awards show updates from last week, check them out here, here, and here.  I also gave out some DWTS dish, so click here.  

I'll be on Metro News Hotline with Dave Weekley today at 1:30pm PT/4:30pm ET.  Or join me at 6:35pm PT/9:35pm ET on Driving with Gass at KWSS.org for your Super Bowl and Oscar Nominees Luncheon update.

Media Mondays

A Christmas picture with Pluto at Disneyland for the holidays. 

It's Christmas Eve, but it's still Media Mondays and I here to help you with your holiday movie choices.  If you are headed with the movies with your parents, you have 3 family holiday movie choices this year and I've seen them all!  Here is the order you should see these in:

My 1st Choice:  The Guilt Trip

Barbra Streisand and Seth Rogen have great mother/son chemistry and the crazy scenarios they get into during their cross-country trip are exactly the same situations you get into with your own mother.  They nag, they love, and they always have a solution to every problem.  I was lucky enough to bring my own mom to the press junket.  See our interview with Barbra and Seth for iVillage.   

My 2nd Choice:  Parental Guidance

Well, I am currently embargoed until Christmas Day from talking about this, but here is what I will say...Billy Crystal and Bette Midler are great together in this family comedy.

My 3rd Choice:  This is 40 

Sigh.  I wanted to love this movie, but I couldn't.  It's long, it's shrill, and I feel like Judd Apatow is getting a little lazy in his filmmaking.  I love, love, love Leslie Mann and Paul Rudd has been a favorite of mine since Clueless.  I just wish this was a better movie.  You've been warned.

I did interview Paul and Leslie and this was a pretty hilarious moment...Paul tells me, "At 40, you are one day closer to death."  Okay, thanks for the uplifting advice!    Watch the interview here.

SheKnows: My 3 favorite articles from last week--
Rebel Wilson To Host the MTV Movie Awards--I just love her.
Danielle Fishel Graduates from College at 31--I love her too! Long live Topanga
David Letterman F-bombs Tom Cruise--If you didn't see this video, you must.  It makes Tom Cruise look relaxed and fun too.

Don't forget to enter my Holiday Gift Basket Giveaway, you have until midnight on Christmas Day PST!  

Or you can help me find a dress for Oscar Nominations.  Find a dress online that you think will look good on me and if I wear the winning dress, you get a $25 gift certificate to the store of your choice.  It's that easy.  Find all of the details here.  

Merry Christmas!

Three Tips To Surviving Cars Land Crowds

Yesterday, I finally hit Cars Land at California Adventure to see what all of the hype was about.  The rumors that it's crowded are true, but here are three tips to take with you the next time you visit the park.  I also included some fun photos from the day.  I will be doing a few Disney posts throughout the year as I put my new Annual Pass to good use.

This ride is worthy of the hype--Radiator Springs Racers.

Three Tips to Maximize Your Cars Land Experience:

1.  Arrive Early:  I cannot stress this enough.  If the park opens at 8AM, this is the first place you go. Don't stop to eat, use the restroom, grab a map of the park.....just beeline straight to Cars Land.  In fact, map out your route before you go, so you know exactly what you are doing when you get there.  If you think this area will easily be a Fast Pass type of attraction, think again.  Fast Passes were gone by 8:30AM on a Sunday.  Make this area of the park a priority and spend your morning here.  Get it done and then enjoy the rest of your day at Disneyland and California Adventure. Annual Passholders, this is the time to register for your early entry to California Adventure.  Dates are very limited at this point, but it is a great perk for Passholders.

Lydia grabbing the beach ball at the start of Luigi's Flying Tires.....a ride not worthy of the wait.

2.  Single Rider Line:  Thanks to my friend, Lydia, who had been to Cars Land earlier in the week, this was the greatest cheat of the day.  If you are able and willing to split up your party, try this line first.  While the wait in the Standby Line was already at two hours for the Radiator Springs Racers within thirty minutes of the park's open, we easily breezed through the Single Rider Line in thirty minutes.  Yes, we did get split up, but only by a car or two.  This made the day so much easier for us since we hit the hottest ride in the park first.  This doesn't work on the other two attractions in Cars Land since there is only a Standby Line for the Radiator Springs Racers and trust me, you will wish there was a Single Rider Line for the ridiculous wait for Luigi's Flying Tires which is a mediocre ride at best.

The crowds at Cars Land on a Sunday.

3. Get The Heck Out:  After you have hit the three attractions (The third attraction is Mater's Junkyard Jamboree, more of a kiddie ride.), get the heck out of Cars Land.  It is so crowded since it is the height of the summer season.  This is not the place to stop and eat or shop right now.  If you live in the Southern California area and have the luxury of returning in the fall, wait to see the rest of the sights and save the photo-ops until September.  This area of the park can suck up so much time and take up most of your day if you don't plan accordingly.  California Adventure has upgraded the park in the last few years with fun attractions like Monsters, Inc:  Mike & Sully to the Rescue, Toy Story Mania, and The Little Mermaid-Ariel's Undersea Adventure, you want to make sure to hit all that it has to offer.  (Don't forget Tower of Terror and Soarin' Over California, my two favorite rides in the park along with the new Radiator Springs Racers.)

I hope these tips help your day at the park that much easier and stress-free.  Let me know if you have any great tips to maneuver through Cars Land that I missed.  I will be bringing you more ideas as the season progresses.

More photos from my day at Disneyland and California Adventure are available on Instagram:  @KristynBurtt.

 Under the sea with Ariel!

 It's always fun running into friends....Lydia, me, Hank Chen, and his friend, Christina.

 The Aladdin show complete with an elephant! 

 The view from the new Carthay Circle restaurant......so delicious!

 And I ran into more friends!  Seth Maxwell, CEO of the Thirst Project, was headed into Carthay Circle as I was headed out.  

California Girls

My niece came to visit me this week from the East Coast and this is our week in photos:

 We hit the red carpet at the Gracie Awards...

 We went to Disneyland.....

 If only I was a senior......

 We made a music video...

 We ate sushi.......

We watched a taping of the Disney Channel's Good Luck, Charlie.

What did you do this Memorial Day weekend?  Let me know in the comments below or on Twitter or Facebook.  

Insider Secrets of Club 33 Revealed!

Ever since I visited Club 33 in February 2010 and wrote about it, it has been one of my most popular posts here on Red Carpet Closet and it has been my top viewed video on YouTube.  Well, the day has come and Disney has revealed some insider secrets about membership because they are opening the waiting list for the first time in a decade.  The Orange County Register divulged the details today and I am here to give you all of the highlights:

1.  When: Beginning Friday, May 4, 2012, Disney is sending official invitations to the first 100 people on the 800-person waiting list.  These names have been on the list for 10 years since that was the last time Disney had an open waiting list.

2.  Membership Costs:  Individual initiation costs are $25,000 with a yearly membership of $10,000. This is a huge increase in yearly membership which stood at $3,600 for years.  You can be grandfathered into the old price, but it will exclude all of the new perks. Corporate memberships involve a $40,000 initiation fee and a yearly membership of $10,000.  Affiliate members will pay a $5,000 yearly fee.

3.  New Perks:  This part is rather exciting!  There will be a new lounge called 1901 in California Adventure for members and it was named after Uncle Walt's birth year.  It is located at the bottom of the Carthay Circle Theatre, but it is solely for drinks and small bites versus a full service meal over at Club 33.  Valet parking, exclusive sneak peeks at new attractions, and VIP itinerary planning are also a part of the membership now.  In addition to all of these new perks, an individual member is now given 4 annual passes to both Florida and California parks plus 50 day passes for guests.  Corporate members will receive 100 days passes.

4.  The List:  Well, if you are currently on the list, all 800 of you aren't getting in as invites are only going to the top 100 for now.  The good news is that the list is open!  Get on and join the wait.  Hey, you never know when you will get to be at the top and invited to drink a cocktail in that secret location in Disneyland.  Here is the email address for the Club 33 waiting list:   club33interest@disneyland.com

What do you think of the new perks for Club 33 membership?  Let me know on Twitter, Facebook, or Google Plus.

Check out my original Club 33 article from February 2010.

Disney Dreams

I love that I look really tiny under the big Fantasia hat.

I'm sharing this photo with you because this image represents making dreams come true to me.  I don't ever think the 10-year-old me would ever think that I would be standing on the Disney studio lot in Burbank not once, but twice in a month's time. Sure, it was just for a screening, but it represents everything to the little me from the suburbs of Boston.  I have always loved anything Disney:  Disney World, Disneyland, Club 33 and I'm off to the D23 Expo in Anaheim this weekend.  It was Walt's animated creation, Jiminy Cricket,  that told me "When you wish upon a star, your dreams come true." (Wait, I'm taking advice from a cricket??!!) After dealing with a lousy end to 2010, 2011 has been a reminder to rediscover my dreams.  Little by little, that is happening and I'm truly grateful for it.



What are you doing to make your dreams come true?



Lyrics:



When you wish upon a star
Makes no difference who you are
Anything your heart desires
Will come to you

If your heart is in your dream
No request is too extreme
When you wish upon a star
As dreamers do

Fate is kind
She brings to those to love
The sweet fulfillment of
Their secret longing

Like a bolt out of the blue
Fate steps in and sees you through
When you wish upon a star
Your dreams come true

2010 in Review: February

I had to go back and look at what I did in the month of February.  I always have a gig in Chicago, but the rest of the month was kind of a blur.  However, I have a lot of fun photos that really capture my month:

1.  We were in Chicago and away from all of our significant others on Valentine's Day, but this was a really fun champagne and chocolate-covered strawberry filled evening with my pals, Melody Freeman and Ted Napolitano.

2.  I finally got behind that door and found out what Club 33 was all about.  It is a must for any Disney geek and it is my most popular post of 2010.  What's behind that door?  Unicorns, rainbows, and all the magic of Disney.

3.  Chicago is the most enthusiastic city we hit with Toyota Live each year.  We even gave away a 2010 Prius live onstage which was so thrilling, the winner grabbed me in a huge bear hug when she was declared the winner.  I'll be back in February 2011 and hanging on the jumbo LED wall again.

4.  This was the first infomercial I had shot in awhile and it became my first in a series of four infomercials that I shot in 2010.  It was a great day on set with fitness expert, Jennifer Galardi.  If you want to see the final results, wait for me at 2 AM on your TV or click here.

5.  The Streamys "For Your Consideration" screenings were in full force in February as I covered the red carpet for Koldcast TV at the Fall of Kaden and Blue Movies showing.  Here I am with eventual Best Director nominee, Scott Brown, of Blue Movies.  You can see some of the footage from this evening here.

Come back tomorrow at Red Carpet Closet for a review of March 2010 with Atlanta, paparazzi photos, A Good Knight's Quest premiere and more!

October: Monthly Wrap-Up

It's been a week of premieres, panels, and infomercials, so my posting has been a bit lax.  I will be back with a vengeance on Monday and I will post more on my awesome week on set in Nashville with an infomercial icon.  In the meantime, here is what you were reading this month on Red Carpet Closet:

Top 5 Posts:

1.  Dos and Don'ts on the Red Carpet: The Sequel:  This continues to be a heavy hitter with a majority of the readers coming from overseas.  I'm not sure what is drawing them in as awards season is still six weeks away, but I appreciate everyone stopping by to learn a little about putting your best foot forward on the red carpet.

2.  GQ/Glee Controversy:  The photos are all here, you can chime in with your opinions on Lea Michele's spread-eagle photo spread.

3.  Happy 20th Anniversary, 90210!:  A lot of you certainly remember the Brenda years and those delightful mom jeans.

4.  Disneyland's Club 33:  This post continually makes the monthly Top 5 list, but it slid a few numbers down.  Maybe you are finally tiring of this topic?

5.  Behind the Scenes with Taryn Southern:  This lovely lady is a multi-hyphenate:  actress, producer, writer, singer, and host.  Learn a little more about my pal, Taryn.

I decided to also do something new for this monthly wrap-up:  The Top 5 Most Absurd Searches:

1.  "Berbank Delai":  Um, not sure what this means, but it sure is close to this post about getting stuck at an airport.

2. "Can You Have Carpet for Kinect?":  Okay, this isn't a video game blog, but I did attend the launch of XBox 360 Kinect.  Even armed with that knowledge, I have no idea if you have to have hardwood floors or carpeting to play a video game.  That would seem a bit exclusionary, no?

3.  "Glasses Mark Gantt Wears":  Well, I do know Mark Gantt, but I don't know about his glasses.  He is the super hot star of The Bannen Way.  Do you want me to ask him what kind of glasses he wears?  Mark, maybe you could chime in the comments section.

4.  "Something Serious in Olga Kay's Life Right Now":  Yep, I know YouTube sensation, Olga Kay, too.  I think she is okay, but thanks for your concern.  Maybe Olga can reassure all of her fans with a comment below.  Olga, are you okay?

5.  "Smarties Halloween Treat Holder":  That's some interesting phrasing, but is this what you were looking for?

Have a safe and sweet Halloween!  See you on Monday at Red Carpet Closet.

Weekly Wrap-Up

It's been such a fun first week here at the State Fair of Texas.  The weather has been beautiful and tomorrow is the big Red River Rivalry game at the Cotton Bowl, so it should be an action-packed weekend.  Here are a couple of photos from the week and a wrap-up of what you were reading this month at Red Carpet Closet.

I'm in a tornado with the Tundra!

The Top 5 Posts for the month of September.  If you missed one of them, catch up here over the weekend:

1.  Dos and Don'ts on the Red Carpet:  The Sequel:  It's hard to believe that this post was from July 2010, but I think it made a resurgence with the Emmys and the fact that it has a clip of Anna Torv from Fringe.  She's a lovely gal and a popular one too.  

2.  It's Giveaway Time:  Well, this giveaway is over.....today!  I am proud to announce the winner of two tickets to the Web TV Prom on October 20th.  Congratulations, David August!  In the meantime, head on over to read the comments about everyone's prom experiences.  Priceless.

3.  Emmys: Part 2:  A fun weekend was spent hanging out at the gifting suites with my favorite TV stars.  Check out the photos in this post, I bet you will recognize a face or two.

4.  Disneyland's Club 33:  Yes, it is here again. It's always in the Top 5.  If you have no idea what Club 33 is, then this post is for you.

5.  Web Series Wednesday:  This one snuck in at the last minute.  I posted this article earlier this week about some upcoming shows.  Sure, it has a whiff of nepotism, I am making cameos in a few of the shows.  Check out the on set photos from the shoots.

The Toyota Live team, Week 1 rocking the bumble bee wardrobe.

In parting, my fellow co-host departs tomorrow, so a big thank you for stepping in and making this week so much fun.  We danced, we sang, and he even did The Worm. (voluntarily!)  Thanks, Chris!

I hope your weekend is filled with laughter and fun, make sure to let me know what you are up to this weekend in the comments below.  See you on Monday at Red Carpet Closet.

July Round-Up

Happy Monday, Everyone!  To kick off the week, here's a round-up of the top 5 posts you were hitting in the month of July:

1.  Club 33:  Okay, I get it, this is going to be my top post of 2010.  The mystery of Club 33 has long taunted Disney fanatics, the lore of what is behind that nondescript door.  Well, I got behind the gates, here's my visit to Disneyland's Club 33.

2.  Vampire Mob:  He's a Vampire.  He's a Hitman.  He lives with his mother-in-law.  Find out why this web series with the Marcia Wallace and Kirsten Vangsness keeps bringing you back here: Vampire Mob.

3.  5th Annual ITVFest:  The Independent Television Festival is going on now through August 5th.  Check out the Gala from 2009, 2010, and my red carpet interviews.

4.  Something Exciting is Coming:  Yep, it is coming soon with Open Sky Project.  Read the post, sign up, and join me on August 10th.

5.  Taryn Southern:  I interviewed Taryn for The Web Files earlier this year.  She has been cropping up quite a bit on your searches of Red Carpet Closet.  Yep, she's smart and hot so, go check out the episode with exclusive Behind the Scenes footage.

Thanks for stopping by Red Carpet Closet, I can't wait to see what your picks are for the month of August.  Be sure to comment below and let me know what you think of everyone's eclectic picks for July.

Disneyland's Club 33

UPDATE:  Check out the latest information on the waiting list and new perks for Club 33 here. 

Anyone that knows me understands that I am a HUGE Disney dork. The parks have always been a fun place for me to visit whether I was 3 or 33 years old. My family spent a considerable amount of time visiting Walt Disney World in Florida during cold winter breaks when I was a kid and once I moved to LA in 2000, Disneyland became a fun day trip several times a year. I became clued in on a private club that Walt Disney had built to entertain VIPs at the park back in 2001. Walt never had the opportunity to see this club finished, but I made it my mission to find a way into the famed Club 33.

I spent countless visits taking my picture next to the sign, hoping that maybe one day I would make my photo a reality. Well, 2010 was the year it all came true. My super cute boyfriend was able to make a connection with someone that had a corporate membership, and that is how my December 2009 birthday gift came to be. It really was one of those friend of a friend of a friend of a friend situations, so whomever you are, thanks for making one of my top wishes come true. Scratched off the bucket list!

You receive free admission to both parks the day of your reservation and we checked in at Guest Relations over by California Adventure. Our day happened to be the wettest day I have ever been to at the park, but no lines makes for easy ride hopping. The reservation was for 1 PM, so we were told to check in 15 minutes early. We headed over to New Orleans Square and checked in by pressing the hidden bell. They asked for the name of the reservation and then buzzed us in. Turns out, our table wasn't ready, so we had to go out and do the whole process again ten minutes later. Hey, it's Hollywood, you always get a second take. To see my grand entrance, here is a short one minute clip: Club 33
Once we were let into the lobby, the concierge gave us a brief history of Club 33. It is decorated much like a Parisian hotel lobby right down to the lift that was replicated by Disney Imagineers. Americans are kind of chubby, so the lift only holds about 3 average sized people...maybe in France it would be 4 or 5 people. There is a set of stairs to the left of the lift, so half of us hiked it up while I rode the elevator to the top floor.

Much of the decor was selected by Lillian Disney with lots of antiques like this harpsichord rumored to have been played by Elton John during a visit.
The infamous bar! Yes, this is the only place in the Disneyland park where you can drink. (California Adventure allows alcohol to be served in several restaurants.) The bartender was quite a character, but we enjoyed him because he said, "heavy price, heavy pour.". Yep, the drinks were strong and delicious.
Along the walls, there were beautiful wardrobe sketches from the movie, Mary Poppins, along with renderings of Disneyland back in the 1950's, and a fantastic photograph of Walt with Shirley Temple at the Academy Awards.

During media interviews when I worked at the Kodak Theatre, I was always asked about the restrooms. I don't know why people are obsessed with how fancy a bathroom is, but if you are one of those people, these next two photos are for you. This is what the Club 33 bathroom looked like.....vanity area....

And their really odd shaped toilet........

For me, I always want to know about the food. So, all of you foodies out there, enjoy!

The menu....I chose the Monkfish, but our waitress kept trying to get us to order the Chateaubriand. She never stated that it was the best on the menu, she made it sound more like a fire sale on beef.

The opening course is a buffet of cheeses, lobster tail, shrimp, salads, and soup. I was hungry.....

And then my meal came, so I had to find some room for my Monkfish with Lobster Bisque.

But wait, there's more! Dessert buffet filled with every sweet you can imagine. The purple cake thing was not so good, but my Hostess cupcake lookalike was amazing.

But there's even more! It's my birthday celebration, so I also received a Mickey Mouse chocolate mousse cake. Yum!

After eating we headed outside to the balcony to check out the view....

The wet view below with umbrellas and ponchos in sight. This is looking towards the Fanstasmic stage. If you eat dinner at Club 33, you might be able to catch the early showing of Fantasmic from this location. The back end of the balconies leads you into New Orleans Square by the restaurant, Bayou.

The infamous vulture that Walt didn't live to see, but it was designed as one of the Disney animatronics to talk to the dinners and listen in on their conversations.

In fact, he had microphones built into the chandeliers so the person behind the vulture could spy on people dining at Club 33. (microphone in the center of chandelier hanging down.)

And all good Disney attractions lead to a gift shop. We bought an $18 (suckers!) shot glass with the Club 33 insignia. We also managed to take home a few napkins lifted from the restroom, our cocktail stirrers, a pen, and a few chocolates. Hey, it's a once in a lifetime visit! We spent over 3 hours here and it was well worth it....especially the ride on Space Mountain after a few cocktails!

Are there any Annual Passholders reading this? I would like to get my hands on these vintage pins. Email me if you have the hookup. (My first and last name at Gmail)

Now, a few parting shots of our day around the parks....Tower of Terror!

Space Mountain.......

Buzz Lightyear......

Thanks for celebrating with me at Club 33!

Just a few Club 33 details:

14 year waiting list for membership

Waiting list is CLOSED as of Spring 2007

$10,450 to join for an individual and an annual fee of $3,275

$27,500 for a corporate membership with an annual fee of $6,100

Reservations are taken up to 90 days in advance for members and up to 60 days in advance for guests.

P.S. For those of you that are Hidden Mickey fans, they do exist at Club 33. It isn't in the architecture, but in the cast members' Club 33 uniforms. Happy searching!

Many thanks to Disney Food Blog for linking to this post. If you are a Disney Dork and a foodie, this is the site to check out: Disney Food Blog