Media Mondays

It's hard to get back into the swing of things after the holidays, but I'm doing it big.  It's going to be a busy 10 days with stops in Vegas, Chicago, LA, and Detroit.  Currently, I am in Vegas for the New Media Expo, CES, and the IAWTV Awards.  Don't forget though, I will be bringing you all of the Oscar nominations on Thursday, so make sure to stop by to see what happened and what dress I picked.

In the meantime, here were a few of my media appearances from the first week of 2013:

If you live in LA, you have probably seen me in your living rooms. I am currently the spokesperson for Kia of Cerritos, so thank you for all of the tweets, texts, and emails!  This the commercial that is running right now:



Cocktails and Conversation:  My first show of the year with Robin and Erika...and it was good one.  We talked a lot about the use of the N-word in the film Django Unchained and a little exchange Samuel L. Jackson had with a reporter friend of mine.  I come in around the 15-minute mark, listen here.

The Radio Dish:  Ahhh, we talked celebrity babies and the one bump we are going to hear about all year.  No, not the royal baby.......the Kardashian baby. Sigh.  Join me at the 18:00 mark here. (I was also sick as a dog that day...you can hear it in my voice. UGH!)

SheKnows:  My favorite articles from last week:
Website Reveals Possible Oscar Nominee--I got the exclusive on this one.  Find out the answer!
Reality Steve Sues again by The Bachelor's producers--Yep, another exclusive quote from Steve himself.
Jenny McCarthy wants you to choose her NYE kiss--This was my most popular article last week...guess you all wanted a say in her midnight kiss.

Don't forget that tonight is the first #RadioBurtt night of the year!  Listen in at 6:35pm PT/9:35pm ET at KWSS.org.

And if you happen to be at #NMX in Vegas, I will be moderating a panel on Monetization in Web Series at the Rio Hotel today at 10:30am PT.  See you there!

My Adventures with the ILX

My first day with the Acura ILX was a really good one.  Here are some of the things I did during my first day with the vehicle.  And by the way, it's a hybrid, so you know I was super psyched!

I kicked off my day by co-hosting, Good Morning, Spreecast, with Seth Everett.  We talked about everything from Kristen Stewart to Elmo to the fact that Fifty Shades of Grey is just commercial porn....and oh yeah, I danced in my pjs to Gangham Style.  That was unfortunate.  See it all here.

I drove the ILX around taking me to my BarWorks class as you can tell from my workout gear in the top photo. I decided that the back-up camera with multi-view was my favorite feature of the day.  I have a back-up camera in my current vehicle and I always say it is a necessary piece of equipment, but the ILX actually guides me in reverse.  As someone who is an embarrassing parallel parker, this is going to be key for me this week.  Maybe I will finally parallel park in three turns of the wheel for once.

A snapshot of the back-up camera in reverse with the guiding lines.  Pretty cool, right?

This shot gives you a better idea of the screen size too.

I then drove back home to do a couple of entertainment spots on Driving with Gass in Phoenix and The Radio Dish in Kansas City all while finishing up my entertainment pieces of the day for SheKnows like this one:  

Finally, I learned my co-host, AJ Gibson, and I were nominated for an IAWTV Award along with our show, AfterbuzzTV's So You Think You Can Dance after show.  Holy cow, what a day!  See the live announcement below:

Tomorrow is definitely going to be an adventurous day in the ILX as I have a screening to attend, a little bit of beauty to work in, and a fun fan chat about last night's Twilight premiere on Spreecast.

Don't forget to enter for a chance to win a week with the ILX for yourself.  It's so easy to enter.  Info is here.

If you want to join my Twilight fan chat, it's happening at 5pm PST today at this link.  See you there!

By the way, the winner of my Twilight giveaway has been announced.  Congrats to Elle A!  I sent you an email so make sure to send me your mailing address.  



Acura has invited me to test the new ILX and share my honest thoughts through social media. I may receive product, access or content, but all commentary is my own. 

IAWTV at BlogWorld & New Media Expo 2012

On set!

I've been a proud member of the International Academy of Web Television (IAWTV) since 2010 and it was a great honor to be given two IAWTV Awards this past January, so when I was asked by my former Web Files producer/director, Sandra Payne, to help with the BlogWorld promotional video, I immediately said, "yes".  BlogWorld & New Media Expo 2012 is a fantastic conference for content creators to connect and network under one roof.  This year, the IAWTV is providing a WebTV track of panels for attendees.  The video below gives even more information on what you can find during the June 5-7th conference or you can click here.  Be sure to check it out if you are in New York next week and if you would like to become a member of the IAWTV, you can find more information here.

Many thanks to Sandra Payne, Patrick Bardwell, and the crew at theLip.tv for putting this piece together.

The Friday Five

I've been laying low the past couple of days because I know I have a big week coming up with the Oscar Nominations on Tuesday morning. I will be wrapping up NAIAS in Detroit on Sunday and hopping a plane back to my favorite place in the world....home.  I miss LA's sunshine and warm weather, I just don't think I am cut out for winter these days.  Here's my Friday Five for you this week:

Me, Kenny Wallace, Trackside Tina, Matthew Troyer.

1.  Toyota Live:  We have a lot of guests that come through our show in different cities, but Kenny Wallace, a Toyota Racing NASCAR driver, easily was one of the nicest and most engaging guests we have ever had on our stage.  He took the time to talk with each and every fan before signing autographs and taking photos with them.  I love watching people interact with their heroes.  It's really sweet to watch.

2.  V. Mora:  I am excited to be working with Anna Livermore of V. Mora on a new custom-designed red carpet dress.  She called me the other night and asked if you could design a dress for me.  Uh, YES!!  I will keep you posted on all of the details since she will be working on it while I am in Chicago next month.  In the meantime, take a look at her designs on Etsy.

 With Rafi and Benny Fine, me, and Sandra Payne after the show.  If you aren't following The Fine Brothers on YouTube, it's time to subscribe to their videos.  They are awesome. 

 

3.  IAWTV Awards Photos/Interview:  A few more photos have trickled in and I wanted to share a couple of my favorites.  The top one is by Bernie Su and the second photo was taken by Gregory Storm.  Thank you for such wonderful photos, guys! (Especially since I took only 10 photos of the night on my iPhone.) Finally, check out the red carpet interview with Misty Kingma of Mingle Media TV.  Yep, I am on the other side of the mic.

4.  Debby Ryan:  I first met Debby Ryan back in 2008 at the Beverly Hills Chihuahua premiere when she was cast member of Suite Life On Deck.  I managed to catch back up with her at the Gracie Awards and at Radio Disney's NBT finals in 2011, so I am looking forward to talking with her about her new Disney Channel movie, Radio Rebel,  coming up on February 17th.  Debby is a great role model for tweens and my 12-year old niece loves her show, Jessie.  So, look for more Disney coverage soon.

5.  Marie Bruns Jewelry:  I will be wearing a few pieces of Marie Bruns jewelry during Oscars Week and I am really excited to showcase a few of their colorful items.  I am not sure exactly the items I will have, but I did mark these Amethyst Gem Drop earrings as one of my favorites.  Take a look at the line here.

The Dress: IAWTV Awards

Well, that's a first.  I'm not sure I got a clean full-length shot of me standing on the red....er, blue carpet. So, I cobbled together what I could for my post on my dress details.  So, here we go:

Stylist:  Roni B.

Makeup:  Aurora Nerone 

Hair: Candace Campbell

Colorist:  Lisa Cavalone

Dress:  Minuet, $47 (Yep, a red carpet look under $50, but don't forget to use your fashion tape to prevent wardrobe malfunctions.)

Shoes:  Guess, Winter 2007 collection

Bracelet:  Aldo Accessories, Winter 2007 collection.

Ring:  Roni B

Earrings:  Roni B

I think my dress color has become my signature color.  I wore a similar shade to the opening night of Godspell here and to a deeper shade to the Oscar Nominations in 2011 here.  I think it's time to retire the color....just for a little while.  I love it because it pops on the red carpet, but I am on the verge of overdosing on this look.  Nevertheless, I was very comfortable in my outfit at the IAWTV Awards and I wouldn't have done my outfit any differently.  

A big thanks to Aurora and Candace who put together my red carpet hair and makeup.  We haven't worked together before, but they did a great job making me look like a much better version of myself.  It was a wonderful collaborative process and I think they got the look I wanted down perfectly. So, if anyone needs any Vegas referrals, I have two great artists for you.  So, thank you to Team KB for putting me all together.  You know I couldn't do it without you.....

Photos Courtesy of Mingle Media TV.

IAWTV Awards-We Won!

Wow.  I just spent a whirlwind 36 hours criss-crossing the US to make it to the IAWTV Awards.  As I had mentioned during the nomination process, everything was an incredible surprise.  Thursday night was an even bigger surprise with 2 wins for Best Hosted Web Series (Taped) and for Best Host in a Taped Web Series.  I had not prepared a speech.  Seriously.  I just didn't think this was our year, so when I heard my name called, my knees buckled, and it took everything in me to climb three stairs to get to the stage.  I didn't remember a thing I said, so I went back and watched a replay of the live feed.  Okay, I sounded relatively coherent.  (See my section beginning at 1:47:11)

Team Web Files:  me, Perry Payne, Sandra Payne, Jenn Bobiwash

What was important to me was the show win.  Four out of five of The Web Files crew was in attendance, so it was a wonderful way to celebrate together.  Without the creative minds of Sandra Payne, Perry Payne, Jenn Bobiwash, and Melissa Anchondo, the show would have never happened.  It has been such an honor to work with them and perhaps you will see another episode in 2012.....stay tuned.  I had such a wonderful time in Vegas catching up with my web TV peers and enjoying the sunshine since I have been working in gray Detroit.  I just felt happy all day.  It was such a win for me to be there to attend the show, so the results of the show were more than I could ever ask for.  Thank you to everyone who made my day special, it means more to me than you will ever know.

Finally, a huge "Congratulations" to the IAWTV organization and the Awards Committee for putting on a show that the web community deserves.  I hope you all enjoyed a cocktail or two....you earned it!

 Being interviewed for CraveOnline.com

 One of my favorite photos of the night:  with Brian Rodda.

 I giggled when I saw someone in the forums was looking for a "wardrobe malfunction".  Silly rabbit, if you knew me better, you would know I tape everything down before I hit the red carpet. 

 I love these black and white shots by Kent Nichols.

 Always be photo bombing.  Me and the foxy Rick Fox with Misty Kingma.

 Tamara Krinsky (my buddy from Stagedoor Manor!), Mark Friedlander, me, and Kevin Winston. 

 My Red Carpet Report cohort, Misty Kingma.

Hamming it up on the blue carpet with Red Carpet Report's JD Piche. 

Team KB in full force at IAWTV Awards:  Melanie Marquez of M4PR was a red carpet ninja on Thursday night.  

I've interviewed her, now she's interviewed me.  Paula Rhodes takes over my role on the red carpet.  Nice work, lady! 

Photos courtesy of Mingle Media TV, Brenda White, Jenn Page, Kent Nichols, Indie Intertube, and Digital Hollywood.  They may not be used without my permission.  

IAWTV Awards-Tonight!

Just a quick post since as I write this I am en route from NAIAS in Detroit to CES/IAWTV Awards in Vegas.  Is that enough acronyms for you?  Anyway, The Web Files is nominated for 3 awards and the awards ceremony is tonight.  If you would like to watch the festivities live, click here to see what happens. Either way, it's great to be nominated.  I am just going to relish in the moment of hanging with so many creative and talented people in the web space.  I'll be back posting as soon as I hit Detroit (again) with the results and my red carpet look for the night. If you want a sneak peek at my shoes, it's my beloved pair of silver strappy sandals.  You know I love to recycle, when possible.  Wish me luck!

For Your Consideration: The Web Files

Here we are, the final voting weekend for the IAWTV Awards.  I know many of you have already turned in your ballots, but for those of you who are using this last weekend to vote, here is a For Your Consideration post on The Web Files.

Best Hosted Taped Web Series:  The Web Files
Best Director (Non-Fiction):  Sandra Payne
Best Host (Taped):  Kristyn Burtt

The Web Files was one of the first online entertainment shows to feature web series and hear the creators' stories from on location to on the red carpet.  The show captured a span of time in the burgeoning web series world.  If it has been awhile since you have seen an episode, feel free to watch our episode on Backyard FX which captures the fun tone of our show while demonstrating the insight and education of what was happening with online content.  For a behind the scenes look at the making of this episode, click here.  Enjoy the episode, thank you for your consideration, and we will see you in Las Vegas on January 12th! (Don't forget ballots are due on January 5th.)

The Friday Five

In my Holiday Giveaway form, I have asked what are your favorite posts on Red Carpet Closet?  I see a lot of "The Friday Five" as a response, so I need to remember to do this type of post more often.  Here's my Friday Five for this week.

This is a photo of a photo, but I love how holiday crazy we look.

1.  West Elm Party:  We finally have a West Elm store in LA proper and I was invited to join in the festivities.  The place was packed full of people enjoying the champagne, truffle h'orderves, and shopping around the well-designed store.  I tried to resist buying anything, but I failed.  I picked up a silver ice bucket, a pillow sham to match my new duvet from One Kings Lane, and the cutest bicycle lunch bag that you can see here.  Julie Tyler from Golden Goose Films tagged along as we both toted out a big bag of goodies last night.  Thanks for a fun night, West Elm!  

2.  Holiday Giving:  I've been trying to find a good organization in LA to adopt a family for Christmas, but I haven't found a good option yet.  A friend posted this link on Facebook about shoppers paying off other Kmart customers' layaway purchases.  It makes you believe in the spirit of Christmas, especially in these tough times. So, if you find me lurking in the Kmart aisles in Los Angeles, you know why.   Read the article here. 

3.  Variety:  I talked a bit about my nomination for the IAWTV Awards yesterday, but this got me giddy all over again. My name in Variety.  If you don't work in the industry, Variety is an entertainment trade magazine that updates the industry on the latest entertainment news in terms of production, Hollywood deals, etc.  I feel like a total dork, but it is kind of exciting to see my name there.  

4.  Mentoring:  Late last night I received a DM (direct message) on Twitter from a kid whose work I have covered in the past thanking me for the encouragement because he had been feeling a bit down.  Now this kid is on the fast track to fame, but it made me think of how important mentoring is in any industry.  I have also received a few messages from up and coming entertainment journalists who are still in school, but who are looking for a direction in their careers.  It seems to me that people are seeking an outlet for guidance.  I am always happy to help with advice and information, but I wonder if we have lost our way with training the next generation?  It just gave me a moment to pause and think about what I could do in the next year to help change this lack of direction.  Maybe I will do a segment from time to time on Red Carpet Closet or be more active in my local community with up and coming young entertainers and journalists.  Anyone else have any suggestions?

5.  Fashion:  It wouldn't be a Friday Five without one mention of fashion.  I received this ring for my birthday from my mom and everyone has been complimenting me on it.  I love big, chunky cocktail rings, so this one fits perfectly in my ring repetoire.  Guess who makes it?  Jessica Simpson.  Another winner from the Momma-to-be. Her fashion empire is growing rapidly, so I think she's found her calling.  Seriously, have you seen her shoes here or here.  To die for.

Have a great holiday weekend and remember to leave me any mentoring ideas in the comments below. Don't forget to enter the Holiday Giveaway.  Entries close on Sunday, December 18th at 11:59PM PT and the winner will be announced on Monday.  

 

It's Great To Be Nominated!

Yes, awards season is in full swing with the SAG Awards announcement, today's Golden Globes announcement and the International Academy of Web Television (IAWTV) announcement.  Wait...what?  What's the IAWTV?  It's exactly what you think.  The Academy recognizes the work of those creators, directors, and actors whose shows air on your laptop, iPad, and mobile device.  Ah, I bet some of you didn't even know there was original programming on the web, did you?  There is a lot of great content out there and it is worth exploring on sites like Blip, My Damn Channel, and Hulu.  So, check it out over the holiday break.  You might find a show you like and I'm happy to recommend a few. (Just hit me up in the comments below.)

A Mashup of the IAWTV nominees.  I want to thank Melissa Anchondo for the good hair in the clip they used. When I do my hair, it never looks that good.  (Mashup by Jojo Dodd):




Anyway, I am proud to say that the show I worked on, The Web Files, was honored with three nominations for Best Hosted Taped Web Series, Best Director (Non-Fiction), and Best Host (Taped).  The Web Files truly was a labor of love and countless hours of hard work, so it is exciting to see our whole team recognized:  Sandra Payne (director), Perry Payne (editor/DP), Jenn Bobiwash (Renaissance Woman who did it ALL), and Melissa Anchondo (Hair/Makeup).  I celebrate this nomination with them because I know the blood, sweat, tears, and efforts that went into creating this show.  The awards show is on Thursday, January 12th in Las Vegas during the Consumer Electronics Show (CES).  I'll keep you posted on another fun adventure since I will be commuting from Detroit in order to attend the ceremony. (A big thanks to Toyota for giving me the day off to fly to Vegas!)

Here's the live announcement with Shira Lazar and Ethan Newberry from yesterday:

whatstrending on livestream.com. Broadcast Live Free

A full list of the nominees:

Inaugural IAWTV Awards Nominees

Best Comedy Web Series

• Gigi: Almost American
• Pretty
• The Guild
• The Jeff Lewis 5-Minute Comedy Hour
• Video Game Reunion

Best Drama Web Series

• AIDAN 5
• Anyone But Me
• CELL: The Web Series
• Pioneer One
• RCVR/Web Series

Best Hosted Taped Web Series

• A Comicbook Orange
• ETC - Entertainment, Technology, Culture
• Immersion
• NextMovie Daily
• The Web.Files

Best Hosted Live Web Series

• Geek Beat LIVE
• Indie Intertube
• Kevin Pollak's Chat Show
• Stupid For Movies
• What's Trending with Shira Lazar

Best Animated Web Series

• CliffsNotes Films
• Dick Figures
• Red vs. Blue
• Sketch 22
• The World of Bruce McCall

Best Documentary Web Series

• Beyond the Gallery
• Deja View
• Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell
• The Founders
• White Collar Brawler

Best Variety Web Series

• Fanboy Funhouse
• Kids React
• Mark Malkoff
• Stripped Down Live
• Team Unicorn

Best News Web Series

• Breakout
• Daily Ticker
• Tech News Today
• The Philip Defranco Show
• The Woodward Report

Best Educational Web Series

• DadLabs
• Engineer Your Space
• Financially Fit
• The Great Camera Shootout 2011
• What You Can Do

Best Writing (Comedy)

• Felicia Day, The Guild
• Jeff Lewis, The Jeff Lewis 5-Minute Comedy Hour
• Marilyn Anne Michaels and Dominic Conti, The Best Friend
• Jessica Mills, Awkward Embraces
• Steve Silverman, Pretty

Best Writing (Drama)

• Vidas Barzdukas, AIDAN 5
• Mark Gardner, CELL: The Web Series
• Susan Miller and Tina Cesa Ward, Anyone But Me
• David Nett, Rick Robinson & Andrew R. Deutsch, Night of the Zombie King
• David Van Eyssen and Brian Horiuchi, RCVR/Web Series

Best Writing (Non-Fiction)

• Benny Fine and Rafi Fine, Kids React
• Grace Helbig, Daily Grace
• Rudy Jahchan, A Comicbook Orange
• Scott Lynch, The Great Camera Shootout 2011
• Nar Williams, NextMovie Daily

Best Directing (Comedy)

• Sean Becker, The Guild
• Sean Becker, The Jeff Lewis 5-Minute Comedy Hour
• Sandeep Parikh, Legend of Neil
• Steve Silverman, Pretty
• Frederick Snyder, SOLO: The Series

Best Directing (Drama)

• Ben Bays, AIDAN 5
• Tina Cesa Ward, Anyone But Me
• David Nett, Night of the Zombie King
• Chris Preksta, The Mercury Men
• David Van Eyssen, RCVR/Web Series

Best Directing (Non-Fiction)

• Danny Cameron, DadLabs
• Benny Fine and Rafi Fine, Kids React
• Sandra J. Payne, The Web.Files
• Brett Register, What's Trending with Shira Lazar
• Mike Rotman, Kevin Pollak's Chat Show

Best Female Performance (Comedy)

• Alexis Boozer (Brynn Arbor), Leap Year
• Emma Caulfield (Emma Caulfield), Bandwagon The Series
• Felicia Day (Codex), The Guild
• Julie Ann Emery (Emily), Then we got HELP!
• Hillary B. Smith (Ellie), Fumbling thru the Pieces

Best Female Performance (Drama)

• Jourdan Gibson (The Woman/Sarah), CELL: The Web Series
• Rachael Hip-Flores (Vivian McMillan), Anyone But Me
• Jeri Ryan (Sonya Blade), Mortal Kombat: Legacy
• Maya Sayre (Det. Morgan Riley), AIDAN 5
• Taryn Southern (Jamie Phillips), BlackBoxTV: The Series

Best Male Performance (Comedy)

• Yuri Baranovsky (Aaron Morrison), Leap Year
• Jeff Lewis (Vork), The Guild
• Jeff Lewis (Stan), The Jeff Lewis 5-Minute Comedy Hour
• Jonathan Nail (Scott Drizhal), SOLO: The Series
• Sandeep Parikh (Zaboo), The Guild

Best Male Performance (Drama)

• Dingani Beza (Patrick Aubert), Asylum
• Bryan Michael Block (Det. James Aidan), AIDAN 5
• Daniel Bonjour (Luke Weber), RCVR/Web Series
• Maxwell Glick (Hicks), Night of the Zombie King
• Kevin McCarthy (The Man), CELL: The Web Series

Best Host (Taped)

• Khail Anonymous, ETC - Entertainment, Technology, Culture
• Burnie Burns, Immersion
• Kristyn Burtt, The Web.Files
• Casey McKinnon, A Comicbook Orange
• Brad Powell, DadLabs

Best Host (Live)

• April Grant and Amanda Shockley, Indie Intertube
• Mark Keizer and Wade Major, Stupid For Movies
• Shira Lazar, What's Trending with Shira Lazar
• Kevin Pollak, Kevin Pollak's Chat Show
• Curt Smith, Stripped Down Live

Best Cinematography

• Andrew R. Deutsch, Night of the Zombie King
• Christopher Charles Kempinski, Riese: Kingdom Falling
• C. Kim Miles, Mortal Kombat: Legacy
• Iskra Valtcheva and Michael Morlan, CELL: The Web Series
• Joost Van Starrenburg, RCVR/Web Series

Best Design

• Greg Aronowitz, Dragon Age: Redemption
• Ben Brown and Jason Mowry, AIDAN 5
• Jonathan Nail and Michael Levine, SOLO: The Series
• Kelly Wasserman, RCVR/Web Series
• Eric Whitney, Continuum

Best Costume Design

• Katie Broad, Fallout: Nuka Break
• Jenny Green, Dan Crawley and Thais Yuki, Video Game Reunion
• Kristin Ingram, The Guild
• Megan Leson, Riese: Kingdom Falling
• Shawna Trpcic, Dragon Age: Redemption

Best Makeup/Special Effects

• Greg Aronowitz and Kimberly Graczyk, Dragon Age: Redemption
• Michael Del Rossa, RCVR/Web Series
• Kimberly Graczyk, The Guild
• Ralis Kahn, Bianca Appice and Shintaro Kakioka, Fallout: Nuka Break
• Jamie Register, A Good Knight's Quest

Best Visual Effects

• Chad Briggs, Continuum
• Lawson Demming, Rocket Studios and Tunnel Post, RCVR/Web Series
• Keegen Douglas, Mortal Kombat: Legacy
• Shawn Likley, AIDAN 5
• Chris Preksta, The Mercury Men

Best Editing

• Fawaz Al-Matrouk, Goldilocks
• Jeff Cowan, RCVR/Web Series
• Matthew Lyons and Kirby Jinnah, Riese: Kingdom Falling
• Chris Preksta and Tyson VanSkiver, The Mercury Men
• Tony E. Valenzuela, BlackBoxTV: The Series

Best Original Music

• Rob Gokee, Night of the Zombie King
• Rob Gokee, SOLO: The Series
• Mike Jackson, AIDAN 5
• Peace Nistades, Dragon Age: Redemption
• Brian Satterwhite, CELL: The Web Series

Best Supplemental Content

• Kids React
• RCVR/Web Series
• The Further Adventures of Cupid and Eros
• The Mercury Men
• Vampire Zombie Werewolf

Best Interactive/Social Media Experience

• CliffsNotes Films
• Kids React
• RCVR/Web Series
• Stupid For Movies
• What's Trending with Shira Lazar

Best Web Site Design

• AIDAN 5
• Engineer Your Space
• RCVR/Web Series
• Ruby Skye P.I.
• The Guild

Best Distribution Platform

• Blip.tv
• Crackle
• Dailymotion
• Hulu
• Joost