If you’re here reading this blog, it’s probably in part because you want to know about the latest products and trends, the new styles and fashions, and in general, how to get a fab life! Sadly, I am not the best person to lead you on this journey, because I tend to fall into a rut from time to time myself, wearing my pajamas til noon and doing my hair and makeup the same way I’ve done myself up for the past 2 years.

If you want to be hip and trendy, you’re much better of taking your advice from the HerFabLife.com crew, by following their thoughts on trends, clubs, restaurants, fashion, and footwear. Your personal lifestyle guide and your fav lifestyle guide allow you to connect with other women to share your thought on the latest lifestyle trends. You’ll be able to share your great finds and deals with other users, find out about new business and stores opening in your area, and promote your blog or retail store to the community. Find out if that hip new club is really as cool as it sounds, or if the trendy new cafe down the street is worth a visit, or be the first one to dish on the places you’ve been to!

This is a sponsored review.

Fall TV is coming…it’s almost time for the new shows! One of the new shows I’ve seen advertised is The CW’s Gossip Girl, which is based on a series of books by Cecily von Ziegesar. The series is about young adults with too much money living it up in NYC, and young adults with no money being drawn into that lifestyle. I’m not sure if its something I’ll enjoy yet, but just knowing it was based off a book is enough to make me watch a few episodes. I’m picturing it as sort of a Cruel Intentions kind of plot? I definitely want to get the books before the show premieres on September 19.

The CW is doing a lot to promote the show - in addition to the television spots they’re running, they’ve set up a MySpace fan page, and the profile has already attracted 1322 friends!

One reason I’m interested in the show is that the narrator of the whole is a blogger who constantly stirs the pot amongst her friends and rivals. I love it when writers work blogging and bloggers into episodes of TV shows!

This is a sponsored review.

I’m curious to know how many people out there would buy the DVD of a season of their favorite TV show…would you? My kids have been given a few different shows on DVD - we’ve got Full House, The Brady Bunch, and The Simpsons. I have a season or 2 of The Family Guy on DVD. I can deal with The Simpsons or The Family Guy, because I just don’t get sick of watching those cartoons - ever! But as much as I love Grey’s Anatomy, or 30 Rock, or even The Office - I have no interest in getting those shows on DVD and watching them again and again. I dpn’t even buy movies, unless I know I’ll watch them at least 5 times.

Am I weird, or do you feel the same way?

My son bought Guitar Hero shortly after he got his PlayStation for Christmas, so he’s been introduced to lots of classic rock and roll he may not have otherwise heard until he got a little older. It’s not that my husband and I don’t like rock and roll - we do! It’s just that our tastes have mellowed the older we’ve gotten. One of the songs my son loves to play on Guitar Hero is “Thunder Kiss ‘65″, which was released when I was in high school. White Zombie was big on my list of bands that year, along with Nine Inch Nails and Ozzy Osbourne. I absolutely love that musicians from my youth are still active in the industry. Rob Zombie is not only a talented musician, he’s also a writer and directory, and he wrote and directed the newest Halloween movie, which is coming out on August 31st. I can only hope he’s added his own flavor to the Halloween the movie theme music we all know and love as well - can you imagine how creepy that will be?

Halloween and other slasher flicks are my normal thing. I prefer drawn out, suspense filled scary movies, like The Sixth Sense. Just knowing Rob Zombie was involved in the new Halloween movie is enough to draw me in though. I love Rob’s music for the darker tones it has, and his rough vocal tones, and I can only hope he’ll bring the same feeling to the movie. Kind of this unsettling feeling that something isn’t right…that something is waiting to get you…as only Rob Zombie can do. Halloween the movie isn’t going to be the same again!

Here’s a sneak preview of the new Halloween movie:

While we were at the mall yesterday, my son decided that he wanted a Simspons t-shirt. Since the movie was released last week, I thought that we’d see all sorts of merchandising from Fox for the movie, but I didn’t see anything except for a few shirts in the men’s department of Sears. Did Fox only select a single store to carry any clothing items tied into the movie? Or did they miss the merchandising boat completely? (I’m sure they didn’t, considering they know what a gold mine it would be!)

I received an email from Netflix this week saying that they’re lowing my monthly plan price!

Currently, we pay $9.99 per month for our 1 DVD out at a time plan. Effective next month, the price will be dropping to $8.99 per month. Along with the savings is an offer to watch 9 hours of movies and TV episodes each month on my PC, for no extra charge. I’m not exactly sure how that works, but I’m intrigued! When I went out of town last week, I packed my Netflix DVD to come along with me, but instant access to movies and TV from wherever I am sure would be handy. Has anyone used this feature yet?

Each week when I travel into the office, I enjoy catching up with my friends Jen and Brad and Katie and Fergie when I go into work. That’s because someone is nice enough to leave celeb magazines in our lunch room, so when I take a break, I get to read about Jennifer Anniston and Brad Pitt, or Katie Holmes, or see who did what, and where. What can I say - I’m a sucker for celebrity news!

Now I don’t need to wait for my tips into the office. I can get the latest celebrity gossip online at CelebrityGossip.com. That means instead of reading week old news in the magazines, I’ll be up to date with my gossip, so I’ll be able to contribute to those water cooler conversations. I see that while I’ve been gone on vacation, Jennifer Anniston has been meeting up with her ex mother in law, aka Brad Pitt’s mom. What’s THAT all about??

What would you do if you were stranded somewhere? And I’m not talking about a deserted island, without food, water, or shelter. I’m talking about in a city, or a town. Without a car, without credit cards, without a phone? Are you resourceful enough to figure out how to get what you need to survive, without eating out of a dumpster? (I was just thinking about this today when I wondered if my debit card would work in Canada!)

I’m not much on physical strength, so I’d have to rely on the kindness of others to survive. Talk someone into loaning me some cash, make friends with the right people to get access to the places and things I need. Manipulating to do what I need to do to make it. There’s a new show on USA that has a former CIA operative in the same situation. On USA Network’s Burn Notice you can see how Agent Michael Weston deals with being cut off from the CIA after he’s wrongly terminated, and how he goes underground and uses all his resources to investigate what’s really going on. Being that he’s a big guy with access to a gun, I’m sure he’s a heck of a lot more successful than I’d be at the whole urban survival thing.

I’ve been a fan of the TV show, Reno 911, since it started on Comedy Central. I initially was attracted to the show for one reason - Lt. Jim Dangle, as played by Thomas Lennon. You see, I’ve been a fan of Thomas Lennon since he was on an MTV show in the 90’s called “The State”, with people like Kerri Kenney, Ben Garant, David Wain and Michael Ian Black. (Kerri Kenney is on Reno 911 as Deputy Trudy Wiegel, and Ben Garant plays Deputy Travis Junior.) Anyway, when I saw that he’d be on Reno 911, I started watching.

You can only imagine how excited I was when I heard Reno 911 was being made into a movie! Deputy Travis Junior…err, Ben Garant directed Reno 911! Miami The Movie, and he and Thomas Lennon wrote the script. And it is pure comedy people. I love fart jokes and potty humor, but most of all, I love these characters. Jim Dangle, as played by Thomas Lennon, was my favorite. Where else can you find a copy who wears short shorts? And the fact that he’s in charge of the group called in to help after a terrorist attack? Lord, help us if that’s ever the case. Reno 911! Miami The Movie is 2 hours of laughing so hard your sides hurt. Here’s a clip of why Dangle is my favorite - he’s so damn serious! He leads this ragtag crew, and he wants to be a great leader, but, well, he just isn’t. I can’t explain it! But his legs are FAB!

I’ll admit that while I do read a lot, I don’t read a lot of Stephen King. I love his short stories though. I came across a novella of his (Different Seasons, I think?)a few years ago with 4 or 5 stories in it and devoured them all. It included “The Body”, which you may know better as the movie Stand By Me. One of my favorite Stephen King books / movies is The Shawshank Redemption. Every single time it’s on TV, I stop and watch it. Oh, another good one is Misery - Kathy Bates was FABULOUS. If you come across any of his short stories in the bookstore, pick them up - you won’t be sorry!

One short story I didn’t read is 1408, but I guess I don’t need to read it, since it’s going to be on the big screen as the 1408 Movie. In a nutshell, it’s about a guy writing a book (as played by John Cusack) who goes to a haunted hotel to prove that it’s NOT haunted…and he tries to make it for an hour in the room…the room that has claimed 56 victims previously. Is it all in his head? Is he really seeing things? I can’t wait to have the pants scared off of me! Here’s a sneak peek of the 1408 Movie:

Jim and I share a lot of the same taste in bands. We both love U2, and we both love Bruce Springsteen. He tolerates my Duran Duran lust, and I put up with his collection of Tool CD’s. But for some reason, he’s not down with The Police. Dude. How can you NOT live a guy who named himself after a bumblebee sweater? And of course, because Jim doesn’t like The Police, when one of their songs happens to come on the radio, I crank it up and sing as loud as I possibly can.

“Roxannnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnne. You don’t have to turn on the red light!”

(What’s that honey? Can’t hear you!)

“Don’t stand so, don’t stand so, don’t stand so close to meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!”

(Speak up Jim! You’re going to have to talk over Sting!)

And now, an Ode To Sting - an original poem by me:

You sing “Don’t Stand So Close To Me”
Your nickname implies that you sting like a bee

Going on a world tour, and doing your thing
You’ll always be my very favorite String.

What I really love about Sting (and The Police, for that matter) is that they’ve continued to grow and change as artists during their time together. Sting did his own solo thing for a while, and was successful at it, but his head didn’t get so big that he wouldn’t tour again with the guys. The group is going on a new worldwide tour and releasing a new Police CD, which is great news for those of us who were too young to catch their tours in the eighties. Those of you who are too young, you’ve probably heard the P. Diddy remake of “Every Breath You Take” at one point or another - now you can hear the original. (It’s actually a little stalker-ish!) The new Police CD will include these tracks:

Disc: 1
1. Fallout
2. Can’t Stand Losing You
3. Next to You
4. Roxanne
5. Truth Hits Everybody
6. Hole in My Life
7. So Lonely
8. Message in a Bottle
9. Reggatta de Blanc
10. Bring on the Night
11. Walking on the Moon
12. Don’t Stand So Close to Me
13. Driven to Tears
14. Canary in a Coalmine

Disc: 2
1. Do Do Do de da da Da
2. Voices Inside My Head
3. Invisible Sun
4. Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic
5. Spirits in the Material World
6. Demolition Man
7. Every Breath You Take
8. Synchronicity I
9. Wrapped Around Your Finger
10. Walking in Your Footsteps
11. Synchronicity II
12. King of Pain
13. Murder by Numbers
14. Tea in the Sahara

Before I asked for an MP3 player for Christmas this past year, I looked at a lot of different brands. I wanted to find out if the iPod was worth the hype, or if I should try the Zune, or if an off brand cheapie would work for me. I could have used a site like TestFreaks! They’ve got mp3 player reviews on the site, and not just the top player for each brand. They’ve got 8 different Apple iPod reviews alone, for all of the different types of players and the different generations Apple has come out with. They’ve got brands I’ve never even heard of, in addition to brands I know of like Microsoft’s Zune and Creative Labs. It’s nice to see so much knowledge in one place. This isn’t even full functionality for the site, because it’s not fully launched yet. I can’t wait to see the real thing.

Cornhole. Sounds a little like a dirty phrase, doesn’t it? But it’s the backyard sensation sweeping the nation! Similar to horseshoes, the game is played by tossing things at other things to score points. Unlike horseshoes, this game won’t send someone to the ER if they accidently get hit, because the things you’re tossing are small corn filled bags, instead of heavy metal horseshoes. I took a look at one of the sites selling cornhole bags and this game totally reminds me of preschool. Didn’t you ever toss small bean bags at a board with holes in it? I did - I think that a preschool teacher was probably the one who came up with this concept!

The game is a big deal in the midwest, seeing as how it started in Ohio, and people play it at backyard parties, in the park, and even at tailgating parties. The bags and equipment you can buy at MyCornhole.com are even certified to be correct by the ACA - that’s the American Cornhole Association. They work to standerdize cornhole rules.

Ok, ok, now I’m giggling, because that’s just funny.

I’m sure at one time or another, we’ve all had a celebrity crush. When I was a little girl, I thought that the character of Radar O’Reilly on M*A*S*H was the bees knees. I even named my teddy bear after him. When I got a little older, I had crushes on each of the members of New Kids On The Block at one time or another. I’m 30 now, and my tastes have changed - if I could pick any celebrity to date, I’d go with Bruce Springsteen (stop laughing!) or the guy who plays Mohinder on Heroes. Rowr!

Speaking of dating celebrities (something us “normal”, average, regular people only dream of), you can enter a contest on GoFish.com to Seduce A Celeb. Viewers can be a part of the show by using the free videos at GoFish.com. The show will feature actress Mirelly Taylor - she’s appeared in movies like Kiss Me Again, and Serving Sara. She’s been on television shows too, including “Las Vegas”, “Punk’d”, and “Numb3rs”. The show also features Andrew Firestone from “The Bachelor”.

Now, I love the concept, but I don’t personally want to win a date with Mirelly Taylor. I’ll leave that for the menfolk out there. And Andrew Firestone - eh. I think he’s had his 15 minutes. I am interested to see the videos submitted, and what lengths people will go to in their quest to seduce a celeb!

It’s been a while since Jim and I have gotten out without the kiddos to enjoy a movie, but this new release from called Bug, from Lions Gate, looks like a winner! Check out these super creepy movie posters:

Poster #1 - just plain creepy with the big old bug centered on it. It’s making me itch just thinking about that bug. It gives me the idea that the movie is going to be kind of dark because the poster is colorless.

Poster #2 - Rowr! The Bug movie stars Ashley Judd. She’s a smokin’ hottie, or as my son would say, “Hubba hubba!” But how about that tag line? She’s going to be the queen of the bugs? Ewww! And Harry Connick Jr.? Love him. He’s got a knack for playing creepy weirdos too…funny how such a normal, nice guy can play a demented whack job so easily!

Check out the trailer:

That looks like my kind of movie. Not bad horror movies like Friday The 13th or the Halloween movies…I don’t want to see a slashy gore flick…but this looks…suspenseful. Sitting on the edge of your seat checking the floor for bugs and looking to see who is behind you scary.

Did you see The Office this week? I never miss the show! Jim tried to give Dwight a special case for his bobblehead this week, which got me thinking about the real Dwight Schrute bobblehead. You can buy your very own at the NBC store, and ONLY there. If you don’t know where the bobblehead came from, it was a gift from Angela to Dwight on the show last year. I think at first, you couldn’t buy one, and then NBC caved to the demands of all of the viewers who wanted their very own.

I have a bobblehead on my desk at work, but it’s not a Dwight Schrute bobblehead. Mine is a John Lynch - former player for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Holy moley! I just saw a headline on FatWallet advertising a Panasonic 42 inch HD Plasma for $1299. I think Panasonic is a pretty decent brand, and given the prices of plasma, this TV is a steal. In fact, it’s my official deal of the week! I’m a bit confused though, because the link in the article has the TV at a higher price - $100 higher in fact. Did the company raise the prices once they started getting traffic from FatWallet, or did FW make an error? Or am I confused about the shipping being included in one price, and not on another?

Remember watching The Jetsons? My kids watch it on TV now in reruns and on cartoons on demand and I just laugh about some of the “futuristic inventions”. Whole meals in a pill format. Robot maids. A car that folds into a briefcase. Video conferencing on your home phone. We’ve come close to some of those things, but other ideas and concepts were way off base.

I wish I could find some of those classic cartoons on DVD - I grew up watching The Jetsons and The Flintstones and would love to watch them again. Isn’t it funny how two of the most popular cartoons from my childhood were about completely different families? One from the stone age, and one from the future. In fact, I had a video of a movie where the 2 families met…I wish I could find that again!

After I got my iPod for Christmas, one of the first things I did was buy a case for it. Not knowing much about my iPod at that time, I bought the cheapest case I could find. Big mistake. It’s cumbersome, I practically have to take the case off to charge the iPod or put in my headphones, and it’s this horrible thick pleather-ish material that makes the iPod twice as thick. Tacky!

These Zofunk ipod cases are a lot more hip! (Am I hip enough to buy one? Hmm…) The ultra slim case is only 1mm thick, so it won’t bulk up your iPod. You can also dock your iPod easily since the case doesn’t block the port. You’ll get a perfectly fitting silicone case to wrap around your iPod, as well as a screen protector and earphone caps. Your click wheel will be covered, but still easy to operate. You never have to remove the case once you put it on - it’s just like an extra layer of skin for your iPod.

I read Memoirs of a Geisha recently, and absolutely loved the book. As you know, the book is ALWAYS better than the movie, so I’m debating if I want to rent the movie now and invests 2 1/2 hours of my life into it, only to be disappointed. That always happens when I read the book. The Da Vinci Code was much better in book form. The last Harry Potter movie (Prisoner of Azkaban) left huge chunks of plot out. Additionally, members of Netflix only rated Memoirs of a Geisha 3 stars. Average!

I found this Memoirs of a Geisha recap online, and it’s a lot more detailed than the info at Netflix. J.E., the blogger behind Reviews and More, gave the movie 7.5 out of 10 stars. And although she said it didn’t follow the book as closely as it could have, the acting was excellent, and the cinematography was breathtaking. I love to be swept up in a movie, and it sounds like this could be just the thing to transport me…