Archives for July 2014

#EAEvents Social Suite launches at Blogger Bash 2014

ea events

This last week was exhausting and fun as I joined the team of Element Associates in creating the Blogger Bash Social Suite during the two-day Blogger Bash event in NYC this last week.

My Suburban was loaded to the top as we made our way from outside Philadelphia all the way to NYC to set up tables and signs in Studio 1 of Location 05 and get ready for the crush of bloggers interested in checking out all of our amazing sponsors.

Check out some of the fun pictures and information about the sponsors who joined us below.

JOSEPH NOGUCCI

Bloggers attending were the first to see the new Miii jewelry collection by Joseph Nogucci. Miii bracelets are crafted from semiprecious stone beads and gleaming rhodium-plated magnets  designed to bring all of your bracelets together in a perfect arm stack. Like individual charms on a bracelet, each Miii commemorates a specific milestone or memory.

 Nogucci Mii

SMOKEY BEAR 

#EAEvents focused on social good also.  Smokey Bear, who celebrates his 70th Birthday in 2014, posed for photos and shared birthday cake with bloggers. Nine out of ten wildfires are started by humans, and Smokey Bear still plays a key role in educating the public that “Only YOU can prevent wildfires.”  You can help wish Smokey a Happy Birthday by signing his online card: https://www.facebook.com/smokeybear/app_647757158645348

smokey bear

COVERGIRL

COVERGIRL provided beauty services as well as COVERGIRL Colorlicious Lip Gloss samples to the bloggers attending. Manicures featuring the new COVERGIRL XL Nail Gel collection—the polishes provide the plump, polished look of a gel manicure without having to go to the salon. The formula glides on smoothly and evenly, and one coat is all you need. Also, there’s no UV light required. Makeup touch-ups featuring essential beauty products for moms-on-the-go including: COVERGIRL’s new #instaGLAM Collection (Ready Set Gorgeous Liquid Foundation, Ready Set Gorgeous Concealer, Ready Set Gorgeous Fresh Complexion Pressed Powder, and Colorlicious Lip Gloss), Bombshell ShineShadow by LashBlast, truMAGIC, and Clump Crusher by LashBlast Mascara. Picture by MomConfessionals

cover girl

AUTOTEX PINK

AutoTex Pink encouraged bloggers to help “Wipe Out Breast Cancer.” A donation is made from each purchase of AutoTex Pink wiper blades to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. AutoTex Pink wiper blades are available in pink or in black with a pink ribbon online at www.thecequentstore.com.

auto tex pink

WASHDROPS

Bloggers received samples of Washdrops, an award-winning green car wash solution. Finally, there is a quick, easy and environmentally responsible way to wash your vehicle.  Washdrops uses only one bucket of water—no hose or rinse is required to get a beautiful shine. Washdrops is ideal for school and non-profit car wash fundraisers too!

washdrops

 WUBBLE

Everyone had a chance to play with the amazing Wubble Bubble Ball, which looks like a bubble but plays like a ball.  The Wubble ball is available for $19.99 at Target stores nationwide. Picture by Mom Confessionals

wubble

 

Additional Sponsors included friends from at Affiliate Summit,  JetSet Dress, author Lauren Willig and Alex’s Lemonade stand who came with delicious lemonade and lemon flavored candies and Peeps.

alex's lemonade stand

Seeing all the wonderful bloggers I know and meeting so many new ones made every exhausting moment worth the energy put into this event. Next year, anyone?

 

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Interview with Julie Bowen of Disney’s PLANES: FIRE & RESCUE

fire and rescue

 

Q&A with Julie Bowen, voice of Disney’s Planes: Fire & Rescue, in theaters July 18, 2014.

What is “Planes: Fire & Rescue” about?

“Planes: Fire & Rescue” picks up after Dusty Crophopper has become a big racer. But now he’s injured and he has to find another way to use his many talents—so he decides to become a firefighter.

It’s really about second chances. Dusty’s very much like an athlete who has to reinvent himself and find out what he can do after reaching his dreams. I hope that kids will watch and just enjoy what’s really a fun family movie—but then the bigger message will sink in later. It’s not about winning a prize in the end. It’s about doing good for the community.

How does Dusty reach new heights in this film?

“Disney’s Planes” was a hit because we watched him follow a dream. This time, he’s like an athlete who’s coming off the field now, and he has to reinvent himself for act two of his life and make it meaningful. That’s challenging and scary. There’s a real sense of adventure in the movie, too. Dusty has to up his game because this isn’t just about vanity or going fast; it’s about saving lives.

Who’s Dipper?

She’s an air tanker who is part of the air attack team. Dipper’s a little crazy or maybe not quite crazy—very hopeful, we like to say. She was written a little kooky, but luckily [director] Bobs [Gannaway] and everybody else involved in the production encouraged me to be as weird as I wanted to be with her. They’d say, ‘Here’s the line we wrote—now go nuts.’ They let me go all kinds of nuts because she’s odd—in a good way—and tries to use her feminine wiles on Dusty. She’s a very enthusiastic fan of Dusty. She recognizes him right away when he joins the fire and rescue squad. She’s very warm and welcoming—maybe a little too welcoming.

Do you see yourself in Dipper?

I gave Dipper certain sounds and mannerisms I think. And it turns out I have a lazy jaw and I mush my words around a little. I had to make that my strength—I made my nervous energy and my ability to talk very quickly into part of the character. [Director] Bobs [Gannaway] really encouraged me to make a lot of quick turns and changes from talking fast to suddenly going slow. And that just worked.

What do your kids think of the role?

They were like, “You’re gonna be a plane?” They are so excited and honestly if my kid get a chance to love something that I do for my job, that’s great.

I have three boys, I have no girls, yet I grew up with three girls, no boys. So I grew up on a lot of the princess movies: Ask me anything about “Cinderella” and I can tell you every single word of those movies. So to participate in “Planes: Fire & Rescue” is so exciting for me. I get to be part of their world. They’d love to immerse themselves in this world.

Can you describe the look of the movie?

What I think is really cool is that it doesn’t have a super bright-saturated-primary color feeling. There’s atmosphere—elements are slightly faded or muted, giving it a vintage feeling. It all adds up to being timeless. It’s not a time or place in the future or the past.

What are your thoughts on the animation process?

It was a little intimidating at first. The first time I came in to record, they showed me all the artwork they had done up to that point—rough sketches, drawings, paintings of the world. It’s a little scary when you realize the amount of work and time it takes to create an animated movie. I babble in a dark room and then somebody has to make a plane with a personality—with life in her eyes and my voice coming out of her mouth. It’s an insane amount of labor and attention to detail.

Why should people see this movie?

There’s a lot of action and it is really exciting. As a mom of three little boys, I look at this movie through their eyes—it’s so detailed, it’s so incredible and it’s so much more advanced than some of the films that I grew up watching.

I think that there’s always heart in a Disney movie. There’s always something that the adults can watch alongside the kids and everybody can connect to. There’s humor and pathos and intelligence, but you don’t get hit over the head while it’s happening. It’s just fun.

(NOTE: CONTENT PROVIDED BY PR TEAM)

Go back in Planes history with the original DVD available on Amazon:

 

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Wireless Emergency Alerts Save Lives in Hurricanes

wireless emergency alertsReady.gov created a vital tool to use our phones to send us quick, life saving messages called WEAs (Wireless Emergency Alerts).

Wireless Emergency Alerts are automatic texts sent to you in an emergency. Alerts received at the right time can help keep you safe during an emergency. With WEA, warnings can be sent to your mobile device when you may be in harm’s way, without need to download an app or subscribe to a service.

About the WEAs:

There are several more resources Ready.gov offers to help you and your family get the most prepared in the case of an accident.

o   Building an Emergency Kit.

o   Making a Family Communications Plan

o   Download the How to Prepare for a Hurricane Guide
Hurricanes have the power to cause widespread devastation, and can affect both coastal and inland areas. How to Prepare for a Hurricane explains how to protect yourself and your property, and details the steps to take now so that you can act quickly at a time when every second counts.

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