Rachel McAdams Is Completely Crush-Worthy

Why do I look like this?  Find out below.

Awwwww, I teased you with that title, but it's true.  I think I have always had a small girl crush on Rachel McAdams and when I met her two weeks ago for The Vow press junket, it proved to be true.  She's sweet, pretty, and down to earth.  Exactly what you would expect in the Canadian gal.  Oh yeah, Channing Tatum was there too.  He's incredibly nice and polite, but I think he even knew it was all about Rachel that day.  Here's my interview with them for iVillage.  Are you going to see The Vow this weekend?

Also, I had the opportunity to interview a Disney Channel gal who I feel like I have watched grow up.  I first saw her on the red carpet for Beverly Hills Chihuahua back in 2008 when she was on Suite Life on Deck.  I then caught up with her at the Gracie Awards and Radio Disney's NBT in 2011.  It has been such a pleasure to see her take Hollywood by storm and Red Carpet Report caught up with her earlier this week to hear about her new Disney Channel flick, Radio Rebel.  See my interview and be sure to enter the Mingle Media TV Network giveaway to win an autographed CD.  

Blushington

I don't know about you, but I am not that good at doing my makeup.  I try to imitate all of the makeup artists that do my face for camera, but alas, they are the artist and I am lucky to get my eyeshadow blended.  Well, I cannot tell you how excited I was to be invited by Laura Tremaine of Hollywood Housewife to experience a new way to have your makeup done.  Blushington is a new hot spot on Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood to get your makeup done for that big event:  birthdays, weddings, New Year's Eve, etc, all for $35.  You get the affordability plus the artistry and no pressure to buy products like you do at the department store makeup counter.  If you do like the products they use:  Stila, Kevin Aucoin, and Julie Hewett, they are are available for purchase.  They also offer everything from classes to parties to makeup for the under-10 set for that budding fashionista.  So, be sure to check them out the next time you need to put your best face forward and don't forget you can get a blow out at Dry Bar next door beforehand.  Genius, right? 

Not my favorite photo, but here's my no makeup look beforehand.....

Me and Emily Button after....phew, it's a way better look for me.

 Chatting it up at Blushington.  Photo courtesy of Laura Tremaine.

 Me and the lovely Laura Tremaine of Hollywood Housewife. Now, go read her awesome blog!

Photo bombing as usual while Emily gets her makeup done.  Yes, I am still using my Godspell iPhone case.

The most delicious way to serve champagne.

Me and Emily post-makeover.  I have had a lot of inquiries on my necklace, so head over to Jessica Matrasko for all of the details. Dress is DVF. Photo courtesy of Laura Tremaine.

Oscars: Looking At the Best Original Song and Score

To tide you over until I finish up my insider's view of the Oscar Nominees Luncheon, check out my Behind The Red Carpet look at the nominees......

Let's look at the Best Original Song/Best Original Score Category.  There are so many controversies in both of these categories with the voting, the shortlist, who was eligible, and why there were only two nominees in the Best Original Song category.  I break it all down for you along with giving you a look at some of the rules at how the nominations happened in this category.



After shooting the video, I was able to interview two of the nominees for Best Original Song:  Sergio Mendes and Siedah Garrett for the movie, Rio, at the 39th Annual Annie Awards.  Here's what they had to say:

Kicking Off The Week

Weird Al Yankovic!!!

Where the heck have I been?  Ah, sigh.  The old laptop crashed and I've been realizing how much I rely upon my electronics.  Well, I'm back on a new laptop and ready to kick off a CRAZY week.  Here's where you can find me:

1.  Behind The Red Carpet:  My weekly Oscar updates are being sent out to media affiliates across the globe.  You can find my insider's look at this year's nominees at the following sites:
Movie Geeks United
Fanboy Comics
Forces of Geek
Film Snobbery

2.  Driving With Gass:  Don't forget my weekly spot on the Driving with Gass show on KWSS.org.  I am on Mondays at 6:35PM PT/9:35PM ET.  If you missed our recent coverage of the Oscar Nominations, you can listen in here.  Don't forget to follow each Monday on Twitter with the hashtag:  #RadioBurtt.

3.  The Gold Knight Blog:  Did you ever want to know how I became such an Oscar nerd?  Well, find out in this exclusive article on The Gold Knight Blog. They have got the inside scoop on all of my Oscar activities this year.

Me and Bruce Boxleitner who will next be seen in GCB

4.  The Annie Awards:  Yes, the 39th Annual Animation Awards happened over the weekend.  I told you awards season was busy.  It was a fun night that included 4 Oscar nominees, the voice of Winnie the Pooh, and Weird Al Yankovic!  Check out my interviews here with Red Carpet Report below:

3 Takeaways From The SAG Awards

It's hard to believe that we are rounding the corner to the final award show of the season.  With Golden Globes, DGA Awards, and now SAG Awards officially done, where do we stand?  Well, here are three takeaways to ponder until the 84th Annual Academy Awards on February 26th:

Photo:  Hollywood Life

1.  Here are your official Oscar winners in the Supporting Actor/Actress categories:  Christopher Plummer and Octavia Spencer.  No one can beat them.  It's done and the final Oscar ballots aren't even in.

Photo:  Hollywood Life

2.  Viola Davis:  She proved herself to be a contender tonight, but remember Meryl Streep is a formidable opponent who walked away with the Golden Globe in the same category this year.  Many voters feel that Streep is way overdue for another Oscar given the fact that she last won in 1983 for Sophie's Choice and she has a record 17 nominations under her belt.  This is a two-woman race for Best Actress at this point.

Photo:  LA Times

3.  Jean Dujardin:  Interesting and unexpected win for him tonight.  A two-man race that was being lead by George Clooney and Brad Pitt suddenly became a three-man race for that golden statuette.  A good thing to remember is that the Acting Branch at the Academy has the largest membership of any branch.  This could sway a race that some thought Clooney had locked up earlier in the awards season.

If you are wondering if The Help now stands a chance to win Best Picture after their ensemble award win at the SAG Awards, think again.  The Academy doesn't offer an ensemble category, so the Best Picture race is still The Artist's to lose.

What are your thoughts on last night's show?  Comment below and let me know what you think of my awards season assessment.

Calling All SAG Actors!

Okay, tonight is the 18th Annual SAG (Screen Actors Guild) Awards and likely, the last one with this name attached to it since both boards of SAG and AFTRA (American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) have paved the way for a merger of the two unions.  I have always loved how SAG opens the show with various celebrities stating "I am a SAG actor" and The Hollywood Reporter often asks actors how they got their SAG card during their roundtable discussions. Well, it's nice, but it excludes the majority of us who represent the union.  I, in fact, am a member of SAG, but I am not an actor.  I am an entertainment reporter and a host.  We even utilized the SAG New Media contract for The Web Files, but I have had my SAG card since 1999 during my days in NY.  I'm thinking it's time we honor the little people too, so indulge me on this idea, please.

So, here's my fun project:  Tell me how you got your SAG card in the comments section below.  I will feature all of the stories at some point this week because it is fun to see what show, commercial, or industrial gave you your official union start and that coveted SAG card.  Make sure to include your name and the link to your website. And don't worry, I will be sharing my story too.  Stand up and represent, SAG.  Let your voice be heard!  Ready, set, go!

My Full Oscar Nominations Coverage-2012

Phew!  What a day it was.  I was so amped up, that I stayed up from my 2:15AM alarm until about 8:30PM last night.  There was so much to do from interviews to writing articles to getting all of the videos shot and ready to go.  Instead of sending you all over the internet, you can find all of my coverage here:

Let's start with Starpulse:
My full article on what happened in the theatre is here along with a fun interview with Tom Sherak, President of the Academy.  He was pretty forthcoming about the diversity of this year's nominees and the new rules set in place to keep the playing field as level as possible during the voting period.
Starpulse highlight video with Tom Sherak: Click Here.
Starpulse FULL interview with Tom Sherak: Click Here.

For Red Carpet Report:
Here is my Oscar insider thoughts on yesterday morning's nominations:


And I get to pick legendary film critic, Leonard Maltin's brain about the surprises and omissions on this year's list.


Finally, I will be doing Oscar updates each week between now and February 26th for a bunch of media outlets.  Here is my Nominations update for Forces of Geek in front of the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood.  (I told you it was a busy day!)

I am also interested in hearing your thoughts on the nominations.  I was pleasantly surprised because, for once, the awards don't seem predetermined to a specific film or actor.  I feel that almost every category is up for grabs.  Now, it's up to Billy Crystal and show producers, Brian Grazer and Don Mischer, to make this show entertaining.

All photos property of Mingle Media TV and Kristyn Burtt.  They may not be used without permission. Thank you.