Disney Princess and Frog Review

Okay, GirlMoguls, so I know we were all super curious about the new Disney movie. There are so many things about it that are new and very old for the productions house. They were returning to an old school style of animation, but still trying to keep the humor and plot contemporary. Also, they are featuring their first ever African American princess, in a setting that was also never trekked. Disney has never done a quintessential fairy tale in the South. The Princess and the Frog covered new grounds with the main character Tiana, and her hometown of New Orleans, Louisiana.

The story is about Tiana, a girl with big dreams and not a lot of money to achieve them. But, she keeps her parents words in mind and works very hard, knowing that dreams cannot be achieved without hard work put toward them. She grows up with a friend named Charlotte, who is the daughter of a very rich man, and for whom Tiana’s own mother sews extravagant dresses. The two girls and very different, but come together by continually wishing on stars. One day, Prince Naveen comes to New Orleans to find a girl to marry, and Charlotte is the first in line. But, the witch doctor Dr. Facilier intervenes and turns Naveen into a frog. Through a bizarre line of turns, Tiana ends up in the same boat, quite literally, and they go on an adventure trying to find a way to be human again.

I absolutely loved this movie. I thought the animation was completely breathtaking, and totally worth the wait. I really hope they do more movies in this style of animation; I realized how good it was again after seeing it on the big screen. The story was very true of Disney; it was really funny while still having a very touching message. In the end, I was so touched that Tiana finds what she really needs- not be human, but to find love and happiness. She was working so hard. She was not living and enjoying life and a balance of the two is always necessary.  Ultimately, the story was fantastic. The villain, Dr. Facilier, was really creepy, and I though Disney did a great job in creating a really loathsome and distinctive character. The only thing I would say they could improve on was the songs. In e very movie, there is always at least 1 memorable song, like Under the Sea form The Little Mermaid or Zero to Hero from Hercules. In this movie, all the songs were very jazz focused, and were not kitschy enough for my taste. Other than that, I definitely recommend you go and watch it!

GirlMogul Lily

Posted by GirlMogul Lily

Lime Sherbet Punch for St. Patrick's Day

Hey GirlMoguls – I don’t know if you’re planning to celebrate St. Patrick’s at all – maybe you’re going to attend a local parade and see pipers and drummers in their kilts, or perhaps you’re parents are planning a feast of corned beef, but if you’re looking for a yummy and fun project ot make your St. Pat’s day fun then try this super yummy Lime Sherbet punch  – perhaps you can use it to catch a leprechaun.

Ingredients:

• ½ gallon lime sherbet, softened in fridge before using
• 2 liters Sprite or 7-up

Instructions:
With a hand mixer, blend softened sherbet and soda in a big punch bowl. Serve immediately or chill in the fridge until party time.  Top of the mornin’ to you!

GirlMogul Rose

Posted by GirlMogul Rose

Wondering what the glass ceiling is?  We were too, so we looked it up – here’s the official definition – “It is believed to be an unofficial, invisible barrier that prevents women from advancing in businesses.”  And what this means is that women and for some reasons – some people think its discrimination, other people think its because women  don’t want to work as hard as it takes to get to the top…

Well we think that’s not a good reason,  but when you look around, it’s true, you don’t see a lot of women running big companies, or being president or whatever…So maybe there is something to it.

Anyway, we also liked the fact that the First Lady, Michelle Obama got some props from her husband – he said she was the kind of woman, like many others, who have looked across the dinner table and thought, “I’m smarter than that guy.”

So girls – we may not be women yet, but be strong and be proud…and all month long we’ll be doing more to celebrate National Women’s History Month.

Posted by GirlMogul Daisy

Posted by GirlMogul Daisy

Mary Jean Tomlin, also known as Lily, was born on September 1, 1939 in Detroit, Michigan. Tomlin is mostly known for being an American actress, but her artistic repertoire also includes being a comedian, writer, and producer.

Her interest in the theatre and performing arts first began when she attended Wayne State University. After graduating college, she started doing stand-up comedy in nightclubs in Detroit and New York. She was one of the very first female comedians to start the trend of male drags, which are trademark jokes that someone continues to use. Drags had been mostly known and popularized by men at the time, but Tomlin broke the gender and racial stereotypes by incorporating them in her routine. She was also the voice of Ms. Frizzle in the ever so popular cartoon show amongst kids called “the Magic School Bus”.

Tomlin was part of numerous TV shows and films in her career, which she has won many awards for. She has won a Tony Awards for Best Actress in a Play in the 1986, for the play The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe. She was also the recipient of a special Lifetime Achievement Tony Award  in 1977. She won a Grammy for the Best Comedy Album in the 1972, for This is a Recording. She has also won several Emmy Awards for Outstanding Writing and Outstanding Variety in a Music or Comedy Series. In addition to these various achievements, Tomlin went on to gain a nomination for an Oscar! She was nominated for the Academy Award as a Best Supporting Actress for her role in the film Nashville. Tomlin is a whole package in the entertainment industry, and a true trail-blazer. She started trends and paths that women could follow her in when no one else was doing it. She is a true GirlMogul!

GirlMogul Lily

Posted by GirlMogul Lily

Hey GirlMoguls,

What was your favorite movie of 2009? Who was your favorite actress from this past year? Tune in to this year’s Oscars to find out if your favorite movie or favorite actors walk away with the 2010 Academy Awards. The 82nd Academy Awards, also known as the Oscars, is only a few weeks away. The Oscars will take place on March 7th, 2010 in Los Angeles, California. The hosts for this year will be actors and comedians Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin. The nominees for the event were announced earlier on Tuesday, and to no surprise, Avatar was one of the films that gained the most nominations.

The James Cameron directed Avatar was one of the best films of last year and probably in recent times. If you haven’t gotten a chance to see this movie I would definitely recommend you go out and see it before it’s out of theaters. If possible try to catch in an IMAX theatre because the experience is just amazing. Who knew a movie with a bunch of blue people would one day beat out the highest grossing film of all time, Titanic! Recently, Avatar has broken numerous records recently, one of which was once held by the Titanic. Titanic made over $1.82 billion dollars, and Avatar surpassed that amount! I can’t even imagine that much money. Did you know that Titanic was also directed by the same individual who directed Avatar, Mr. James Cameron? He truly is a pioneer in the film industry of our times.

Besides the Avatar, The Hurt Locker also gained quite a few nominations. It will go up against Avatar for the categories Best Picture and Best Director. After winning the Golden Globe for the Best Actor of the Year for Crazy Heart, Jeff Bridges will attempt to win an Oscar. Last year also saw the comeback of Sandra Bullock in the Blind Side, who will go up against Meryl Streep in Julie and Julia for Best Actress. Two of my personal favorite films of 2009, UP and The Princess and the Frog will go up against one another for the Best Animated Feature award. It should be a great night, full of surprises. Tune in to see who wore the best dress and if your favorite movie took home the Oscars.

GirlMogul Lily

Posted by GirlMogul Lily

Book Club Book: Fat Cat Part 5

Hey girls! I hope you enjoyed reading Fat Cat by author Robin brande as much as I did. Since I like it so much, I came up with a few discussion questions you can ponder over yourself, or chat about with your friends! Book clubs are a great way to great minds working together and having fun, so be sure to try it out. Here are some things to consider after reading the book:

1. If you could change the ending of the novel, what would you change it to? Consider the outcome of the Science Fair, and Cat’s relationship with Matt. Would you have had her lost the competition but win over Matt? Did you feel content when you turned the last page?
2. If you had to pick a random science picture and create an experiment, what topic would be your preference? Even though biology was Cat’s thing, she got something unrelated. If you got a picture of the Hubble telescope in space, what science experiment would you create?
3. Cat struggles with her weight and body image from the beginning of the novel. She tries diets and they don’t work. The one that does work was not an intended diet, but a life style change she had to take part in. Have you ever felt this way? Have you tried eating differently and having nothing changed? After reading about Cat, would you consider maybe changing aspects of your life instead dwelling on a number on the scale? What are some things you could do to be healthier?

GirlMogul Poppy

Posted by GirlMogul Poppy

Make it Ruby’s “All Buttoned Up Magazine Holders”

Ruby’s Tool Kit:

• cereal box
• scissors
• craft knife
• craft paper
• tacky glue
• buttons
• pipe cleaners

Safety First: Always be careful while using a craft knife

All Buttoned Up DIY Magazine Holders

Instructions:

1. Repurpose a empty cereal box into these fashionista magazine holders. Using a craft knife cut from top of the box in a basic curve of your holder.
2. Wrap box with craft paper. Reinforce the top edges by glueing a row of buttons to protect & strengthen magazine holder.
3. Use pipe cleaners to create decorative accents to the front face of the box. This project is perfect for displaying all your must have mags!!!

XOXO

Ruby

www.makeitruby.com

-Lily Tomlin

Hey GirlMoguls, today’s quote comes from Lily Tomin, an American actress, comedian, writer and a producer. She is a well-rounded entertainer and a very successful woman. With the New Year on the horizon, I felt that this is a very inspirational quote from a very inspirational woman that we can use for the New Year ahead. She has won many awards and she is a recognized face in the entertainment industry, but her accomplishments are a direct reflection of years of hard work. Tomlin never took a break from working. She has always tried different things in her career and strived to become better at it each day. Her hard work has complimented her journey to success.

This quote is a great way for us to start the New Year. Success is not easily achieved and you have to work for it. I think she is trying to say that we should not settle for anything and continue to work on our dreams and goals in life. Even when we feel like we have achieved what we wanted, we should continue to try to do better and gain more. Success is never ending. You can always work on your goals in life which is why it’s always under construction. So for this New Year, we should all set goals for the next year, work hard each day, and try and do better than we did the day before.

GirlMogul Lily

Posted by GirlMogul Lily

Latanna Stone - Girl Golfer

Hey girls! Here’s the second part to my fun interview with golf star Latanna stone. In this part, I asked some fun questions about Latanna’s likes. Let’s see if some of her favorite things are yours as well!

GM: Do you like traveling?

LS: I travel all the time. I like traveling to different places. California, North Carolina, and Miami are some of the places I went to. In Miami, it was pouring!

GM: What are some of your favorite places you would like to visit?

LS: Thailand. I would love to go there! I love the food!

GM: What can you tell our readers about following their passion, like you are doing? What is something you love about your achievements?

LS: I won a lot of tournaments. Mostly, I love my player of the year award. But, I got them from following my passion. If a girl wanted to dance, I would tell her to try to dance. Try to take lessons, and make sure you try out what you want to do.

GM: What are some of the things you like to do in your spare time?

LS: I like to hang out with my friends, on Sundays or Fridays. I like to swim and one of my friend has a huge pool we swim in! I have 2 dogs, and I love them. One of my dogs is named Cinnamon Buns, and is an English bulldog, and the other is named Sandy and is a mutt. I like playing with them. When I’m on vacation, I’m on vacation, but I am still playing golf! I can’t get away from it!

GM: What is your favorite kind of food? How about your favorite book?

LS: My favorite kind of food is spinach dip! I just ordered it and I’m going to eat some right now. My favorite book is Captain Underpants- it’s so funny!

Well, I hope you enjoyed my interview with Latanna as much as I did. I found out we were really similar- we both like to just go for it and we both like that spinach and artichoke dip at some restaurants! Anyway, I hope Latanna does really well in her tournaments; I know we’ll be following her!