It’s Black Friday, which means you no longer have to wonder if it’s socially acceptable to start listening to Christmas music. It’s on. When you’re tired of hearing Taylor Swift’s “Last Christmas” playing at Target/The Mall/Everywhere You Go, here are some of our favorite Christmas albums.
1. *NSYNC – “Home For Christmas”
Definitely the greatest boyband Christmas album of all time (We are still surprised Backstreet Boys never made one!) Of course, it also has the best Christmas music video of all time for “Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays.”
2. Hilary Duff – “Santa Clause Lane” This video used to play on Disney Channel during every single commercial break. Can you still do the Lil’ Romeo rap? (We can.)
3. Music From “The O.C.” Mix 3: Have a Very Merry Chrismukkah” Two of the most important things on “The O.C.” were music and Seth Cohen’s favorite holiday, Chrismukkah. This soundtrack features original Holiday tracks from show favorites like Rooney, Jimmy Eat World, and The Raveonettes.
4. The Beach Boys – “The Beach Boys Christmas Album”
It’s hard to pick a favorite track off of this classic album, from their originals “Little Saint Nick” and “Merry Christmas, Baby” to their versions of Christmas standards. We’ve been hearing these songs literally every year since birth, but we still aren’t tired of them.
5. Justin Bieber – “Under The Mistletoe”
We all love his single “Mistletoe,” and of course his remake of “All I Want for Christmas” with Mariah. But our favorite is the beautiful acapella version of “Fa La La” featuring Boyz II Men.
Robert Schwartzman’s California Roll Tour kicks off tonight in Boston. We’re beyond excited for this tour – for starters, Robert has written some of our favorite songs of all time (both solo and as the front man of Rooney) and we haven’t seen him in ages! But the tour itself is something completely new and unexpected – he’s hosting it on a 30-passenger party bus. We literally have no idea what to expect from this show which definitely adds an extra air of excitement! So, in honor of the tour, here are our favorite Rooney songs! (It was nearly impossible to keep this to 5 songs).
1. “Blueside”
The band’s first official single. Bonus points if you caught Robert performing the song in “The Princess Diaries.”
2. “Popstars”
Robert is always ahead of his time – the lyrics of this song are even more relevant today than when it was released in 2003.
3. “I’m Shakin”
Hey man, do you know who sings this song? ROONEY!
4. “I Should’ve Been After You”
This song and video perfectly capture Rooney’s retro sounds.
5. “I Can’t Get Enough”
Warning: watching this video will make you want to go roller skating. (Luckily the revival of all things 90s lately has included roller rinks!)
Bonus #1: Robert Schwartzman – “Out Of My Mind”
Bonus #2: Solobob – “The Victim”
Robert’s first solo venture, and the greatest music video of all time.
Changing things up for this week’s Friday Five! This week we’re looking at our favorite tennis players. If there is anything we like more than music, it’s tennis. We’ve previously discussed how tennis is the ultimate fangirl sport. Not only are these athletes extremely fit and excellent at what they do, but it seems like there is a requirement to be good looking to play in the ATP tournaments.
1. Grigor Dimitrov – @grigordimitrov
We like to call Grigor our “Bulgarian bon-bon” (sort of like Viktor Krum to Hermione Granger). It’s not surprising that his nickname is “baby Fed” because of his skill and precision during the game. Dimitrov’s one handed back hand is something to envy, as well! He isn’t just good at tennis, he’s also really entertaining on Twitter. Grigor likes to share adorable photos of himself with puppies, enjoying the flowers, as well as this gem:
2. Richard Gasquet – @richardgasquet1 Here is another player with a really beautiful backhand (yes, backhand…..that’s all we’re implying….no innuendos here!!) Gasquet is French and plays the sport with an elegant flair. Simply put, he’s just a beautiful player to watch. When he gets frustrated, he throws his sweaty socks on the court because he can. (At least he’s not smashing racquets?) Sadly he doesn’t use Instagram as much as Dimitrov.
3. Rafa Nadal – @rafaelnadal
“For me, it will be a tough match for sure, no?” Rafa is so humble about his game, even in first round matches where he is sure to bagel his opponents. Rafa always fights his hardest and plays like it’s the final of a grand slam. He also gives the best acceptance speeches and press conferences, for sure. And then there’s that Armani commercial where he just takes off his suit and puts on some jeans, because why not, no?
4. Ryan Harrison – @ryanharrison92 This kid is the next Andy Roddick, at least we think he has the potential! He needs to bring Andy back to be his coach (but it seems like Ryan is taking cues from Andy already). It also kind of freaks us out how much Harrison looks like Ryan Atwood from The O.C., or as We like to call him, Chino. Can you tell who’s who?
5. John Isner – @johnisner JOOHNNYYYY!!! At nearly 6’10”, we love that he plays tennis and didn’t go into basketball. John is super loveable and watching him play is always a joy, even during stressful tie-breakers. Which he tends to play. A lot. During on court interviews, he literally dwarfs any other player and interviewer. We love when he teams up with fellow American & BFF Sam Querrey for doubles! Go Quisner!
The Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters is happening right now – visit ATP World Tour for the latest scores, news & updates on your favorite players.
We’ve basically been hibernating lately since we want to avoid this awful winter as much as possible. That means cranking up the heat, baking cookies, and marathoning 90s TV shows. Netflix and Hulu have a pretty good selection but there are some major omissions. Here’s what we’d like to see added, preferably before spring hits and we start spending our time outside again.
1. Boy Meets World – With the “Girl Meets World” premiere happening sometime this year (really Disney? You still can’t give us a date?) it’s only fitting that we get a chance to catch up on the classic series first. We’ve been missing this show ever since ABC Family stopped airing it weekday mornings (it was the perfect get-ready for work show).
2. Gilmore Girls – Every other long running WB series is on Netflix (“Dawson’s Creek,” “Roswell,” “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “One Tree Hill..”). Except for “Gilmore Girls.” And “Felicity.” We love this show for it’s smart, fast dialogue and wit, and for bringing Adam Brody into our lives for the first time.
3. Summerland – A show that stars a pre-High School Musical Zac Efron (he still had a gap!), Jesse McCartney, Becky from Full House, and Kay Panabaker? And takes place in a California beach town, where it’s permanently summer? Sign us up. The show sadly lasted for only 2 seasons but managed to pack a lot of drama in.
4. Young Americans – This show was billed as a “Dawson’s Creek” spinoff, somehow, as it follows a guest-star with a 2-episode arc (Will Krudski, Pacey’s childhood friend) to a prestigious boarding school in New England. It also stars a young Kate Bosworth and pre-Vampire Diaires Ian Somerholder. The show, which takes place during the summer and aired as a summer replacement for “Dawson’s Creek” in 2000, only lasted for 8 episodes but brings us warm memories all the same. I mean just look at the show’s opening credits – it’s basically an Abercrombie & Fitch ad.
5. Bunheads – Another show by “Gilmore Girls” creator Amy Sherman-Palladino, which features the same snappy dialogue, pop-culture references, and many of the actors. This show was brilliant, funny, and heartwarming all at once, so obviously it was canceled way before it should have been. Maybe the network execs just couldn’t keep up with the dialogue?
Honorable mention: The OC – It never occurred to us that “The OC” should be on Netflix because OBVIOUSLY we own all 4 seasons of the greatest show of all time on DVD. (And season 1 is practically falling apart due to overuse) But we just realized that it’s not on Netflix and/or Hulu, and it’s a shame for anyone who doesn’t own it.
Two major things to be excited about this week: we’re nearly halfway through February! Which mean’s it’s almost summer, right? And, more importantly, “Twisted” returns this week! The show, which premiered on ABC Family over the summer, is back with all new episodes and the conclusion to it’s freshman season. While we will watch pretty much anything that airs on The CW or ABC Family, we have to admit that “Twisted” is a notch or two above the rest.
Maybe it’s because it reminds us of The Greatest Show of All Time, AKA “The OC.” Why you ask?
Danny (aka Beck aka Avan Jogia) is Ryan Atwood. Like Ryan, Danny has that brooding outsider thing down to a T, and a knack for greeting people with a punch in the jaw instead of a hello. Maybe a habit they picked up in juvy? Both were also given nicknames “Chino” (Ryan) and “Socio” (Danny) – just in case they forgot where they came from, and share a similar dry sense of humor. (“They let you watch Glee in prison?” “It was part of our punishment.”)
Rico (Ashton Moio) is Seth Cohen. Really, we think that Ashton studied old episodes of “The OC” to prepare for his role as Rico, because he has that witty, sarcastic, fast-talking, cute nerdy thing Adam Brody is famous for perfected. Rico also has a longtime secret crush, and a tendency to say whatever he is thinking, no matter how awkward things may get. His gradual bonding with Danny is also pretty adorable to watch, and we’re hoping it grows into a bromance to rival Seth & Ryan’s.
Lacey (Kylie Bunbury) is Marissa Cooper. Most popular girl in school who seems to have it all, but is actually bored by it all, has a secret about her father, falls for the bad boy, do we see a pattern here? The only thing she is missing is using a Chanel tote bag as a backpack.
Jo (Maddie Hasson) is a female Seth Cohen. Unlike the rest of the community, Jo immediately welcomes Danny and the return of his friendship. She’s willing to stand up for him, no matter what, and doesn’t worry what that might mean for her reputation. A scene in the pilot, where Danny rescues a drunk Jo from a party, by punching the popular jock in the face, reminds us of the infamous “Welcome to The OC, bitch!” beach party scene.
Karen Desai (Denise Richards) is Julie Cooper-Nichol-Cooper-Atwood-we lost track. It’s only been a half season, and we’ve already seen that Karen Desai is more than capable of rivaling Julie Cooper’s wheeling and dealing. The biggest thing they have in common, and are often misunderstood for, is that they’d do anything for their children. There was also some sort of love triangle going on with Jo’s parents, and Danny’s, that gave us serious flashbacks to the Sandy-Kirsten-Jimmy-Julie romantic rhombus of yore. (We’ll be honest, we don’t pay much attention to the “parent plot lines” on these shows. Unless Sandy Cohen is involved.)
Tess Masterson (Kimberley Quinn) is Kirsten Cohen. She dated Mr. Desai in high school, and Karen has always been jealous of this. (See above romantic rhombus!) It’s been a while since we took the SATs, but an analogy would be Tess:Mr. Desai as Kirsten:Jimmy Cooper.
Archie (Grey Damon) is Luke Ward. Danny’s punching bag of choice, Archie knows just what to say to push Danny’s buttons. The popular jock is also dating Lacey, until she dumps him for Danny. Still waiting to see if he’ll pull a Luke-like transition.
Mr. Masterson (Sam Robards) is Nate Archibald’s dad, The Captain! This has nothing to do with “The OC,” but just sharing in case you were wondering why you recognized him.
Check out the trailer for the rest of the season below. You can catch up on the first 11 episodes of Twisted on Netflix, or during the all-day marathon on ABC Family February 11th. Don’t miss the premiere following Pretty Little Liars, Tuesday at 9pm!
We aren’t big on sports, but we do LOVE tennis! The first grand slam of the year kicked off last week in Melbourne, Australia in record-high temperatures of 107F and up. Now that’s HOT but not nearly as hot as some of the men that play tennis.
We could tell you all the reasons why we love the sport, but instead just enjoy some photos of our favorite young players. And if you aren’t a secret fangirl of tennis yet, this just might be enough to convince you to tune in for week 2 of the Australian Open.
1. Grigor Dmitrov
The 22 year old Bulgarian, dating Maria Sharapova, just made it to the 4th round of a slam for the 1st time in his career. We’re hoping to see more of Grigor in the 2nd week, especially if it means him sharing more photos like this:
2. Ryan Harrison
Or, as we like to call him “Chino,” thanks to his uncanny resemblance to one Ryan Atwood of The OC. The 21-year old Louisiana native, is also really great at Twitter and has a self-confessed love of the song “Call Me Maybe.” He can call us anytime.
3. Milos Raonic
Hypothetically, Milos would be the Seth Cohen to Ryan “Chino” Harrison, but technically he is not. The 6-foot-5 Canadian does have a fast serve to rival Cohen’s quick wit.
4. Jack Sock
The 21-year old American has on edge over his fellow players – he an already call himself a Grand Slam champion, after winning the Mixed Doubles trophy with Melanie Oudin in 2011. He also has an awesome name – “Advantage, Sock.”
5. Quisner
Just look at these lovable dorks and occasional doubles team. Americans John Isner and Sam Querrey are bearing the flag of US Men’s tennis, following Andy Roddick’s retirement in 2012. (WE MISS YOU ANDY!!)
The Australian Open is airing now on ESPN and the Tennis Channel nightly from 7pm EST, with Men’s Quarterfinal action in play today. The Men’s Singles Final will be played on Sunday, January 26th.
“The OC” is the greatest show of all time, so we were thrilled when we found out that Josh Schwartz & Rachel Bilson were teaming up again on “Hart of Dixie!”
If you haven’t been watching, you’re seriously missing out. Everyone that lives in the charming town of Bluebell, Alabama, where the show takes place, is entertaining to watch and full of Southern charm. It almost makes us want to pack up and move down south (even moreso in freezing January). The show’s small town setting leads to lots of romantic rhombuses, secret affairs, and culture shock for native New Yorker Zoe Hart (Rachel Bilson). Bilson is just as hilarious and just plain awesome as Zoe as she was as Summer Roberts.
Of course, both she and co-star Jaime King (Lemon Vreeland) have enviable wardrobes: Zoe the too-edgy-for-Bluebell-New Yorker (“Is it okay for a doctor to wear shorts?”) and true Southern Belle Lemon make us want to be both.
Check out the promo for tonight’s episode below, and watch tonight at 8pm on the CW! Catchup on Netflix, The CW, or Hulu!
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