Motionless in White - The Most Badass Pennsylvanians

Discovering new bands is one of my favorite things in the world.

About a month ago, I bought a ticket to The End Is Here Tour. Naturally, I was hype to see the one and only Mr. Ronnie Radke of Falling in Reverse and stupidly didn't pay attention to who else was on the tour.

A few weeks ago, I decided to take a look at who the supporting groups were to get familiar with their music and not be completely lost during the first few hours. I already semi-knew Issues and their song "Never Lose Your Flame," which has been blasted on repeat in my car countless times.

I had heard of the name Motionless in White, but knew nothing about the band. After a quick Google search, I was severely questioning what I had gotten myself into. These dudes were like nothing I'd seen before, except perhaps Marilyn Manson. The tattoos I could easily get past (have you seen Ronnie's forehead?), but it was the eye shadow and full-face makeup that was another story.

Still, I pulled up their page on YouTube to check them out, and ended up spending an entire lunch hour playing one video after the next. I was still kind of freaked out but simultaneously mesmerized by this band. Their sound, appearance, and lyrics combined was something new for me, but deep down I new I found something special. I quickly learned that they're fellow Pennsylvanians, which is where the song "570" gets it's origin. The lyrics just hit home for me...

"And when I'm facing a wall I do not quit, cause if you mean it, you will make it."

I listened to Motionless non-stop from that day until the concert on Jan 28th, and was possibly just as excited to see them as Falling in Reverse. Their stage setup was pure perfection and something out of The Nightmare Before Christmas. There were pumpkins and glowing candles that gave the illusion of trespassing upon a haunted church. Even the drum set had a pumpkin head emblazoned on the front.

Motionless in White did not disappoint. They played the songs I had grown to appreciate, including "570" and "America," and I was able to belt out the lyrics back at the lead singer, Chris "Motionless" Cerulli. He had on his signature makeup, plus some glistening leather pants that most women couldn't dream of pulling off like he did.

A giant pumpkin man even graced the stage and my inner child deemed him the best part of the night.

Motionless basically solidifies some changes I've made over the past few years. All through my teens, I was up to date on the latest boy band crazes and rocked my hot pink UGG boots. Something shifted when I hit my twenties, and I discovered how happy the color black makes me and how truly amazing tattoos look. Yes, I still stalk the solo careers of One Direction members. But there's just something about the angst and inspiration of metal/punk music, and guys like Chris and Ronnie screaming in my ears at 8am on a crowded subway that gives me the energy to go out in the world and kick some a**.

Check out Motionless in White's latest single, "Eternally Yours" below...it's freaking amazing.

5 Reasons Why You Need to See "Sing" ASAP

This week, I ignored my inner old lady who despises public places packed with kids. Instead, I embraced my inner five-year-old and saw Sing, which was one of the cutest, most inspirational animated films I've seen in a while. The movie follows the determined little koala, Buster Moon, as he attempts to save his theater from closing with one last production - a singing competition.

Sing is exciting, comedic, and tugs at your heartstrings no matter what age you are. Below are five reasons to get your butt to the movies ASAP to see the cutest movie of 2017:

1. ACTION

For an animated film, there is no shortage of adventure. From car chases to robberies, you will find yourself fearing for the lives of those cuddly animals. Mike, played by Family Guy's Seth MacFarlane, gets mixed up with some tough grizzly bears despite his tiny size and soothing Frank Sinatra-inspired voice. The mouse narrowly escapes capture and being eaten alive several times, speeding away in a sleek, red convertible with his new girlfriend by his side.

2. ACCENTS

Ever hear of an Australian gorilla? You have now. Johnny has the sweetest accent ever, not to mention the voice of an angel and insane piano playing skills. Unfortunately, he has no choice but to get caught up in his dad's gang of robbers, all of whom have beautiful accents as well, despite their criminal backgrounds.

3. LOVE

Sing captures love in every shape and form, from caring for family members to romantic love. Rosita, voiced by Reese Witherspoon, wants to audition for Buster's new theater production, but is hesitant to put herself before her family of 25 adorable piglets. Even after Buster's warning that all participants need rest to prepare for rehearsal, Rosita pulls an all-nighter and fashions a machine that makes breakfast, does laundry, and gets her kids ready and out the door for school. She is able to go for her dream while making sure her family is still well-cared for.

On the other hand we have Ash, voiced by Scarlett Johansson, who is the definition of girl power and revenge packed into a tiny hedgehog body. Ash and her boyfriend audition together for Buster's production, but only she makes it through to the next round. After discovering the boyfriend with another hedgehog, she calls it quits, and releases all of her hurt and anger into her first solo track. Ash finally realizes her full potential and is able to love herself and recognize her own talent.

4. MUSIC

As the title of the film suggests, Sing is full of amazing songs and vocals. The standout performance comes from Meena the elephant, played by the amazing Tori Kelly. Meena has a beautiful voice, and is constantly told this by her family. However, she suffers from stage fright and extreme shyness, which makes it almost impossible for her to perform in Buster's production. After the koala gives her some words of wisdom, Meena is able to gain confidence and ultimately steal the show.

5. HOPE

If you've ever had a dream that seemed downright impossible, you can relate to Buster Moon. When he was young, he fell in love with the atmosphere of the theater and knew he wanted to open one of his own someday. With help and encouragement from his father, his dream came true. However, none of his productions were successful and his theater was under severe threat of being shut down. Buster's determination, drive, and support from Meena, Johnny, Rosita and the rest of the performers allowed him to make his theater better than ever, and keep his dream and passion alive.

Bottom line, if you believe in something and work hard enough for it, anything is possible.

Top 5 Heart-Wrenching Ed Sheeran Tracks

In honor of the world's favorite redhead releasing new music for the first time since 2014, I present to you my five favorite tear-inducing, I-need-a-pint-of-ice-cream-asap songs of the wonderful Ed Sheeran.

5. Thinking Out Loud
When I first listened to the X album, this song was one of the standouts. From the first line, Ed sings about how he will love this woman until they are very old. They won't be as active or young looking, but will still appreciate the little things that made them fall in love years ago. His lyrics make the listener want to find that same never-dying affection, and though the radio played this song to death, my non-existent future husband better prep himself to hear this at the wedding reception.

 4. Give Me Love
An immediate favorite from +, there is so much passion in this track as Ed's voice intensifies with the progression of the song. By the end, he is belting out the same line over and over - "Give me love" - and there's so much longing behind that simple repetition. On the album version, if you listen past the song, there is a bonus track tucked away at the very end called "The Parting Glass," that is simple and hauntingly beautiful.

3. Lego House

This is a classic Ed Sheeran track that I can never get sick of. The melody and lyrics are absolutely adorable. He sings about caring for a woman and doing everything in his power to make her happy and comfortable - "And if you're broken I'll mend ya, and keep you sheltered from the storm that's raging on." *swoon*



2. All Of The Stars
As the ending credits track for the movie The Fault in Our Stars, this song has caused millions of actual tears to shed onto theater seats and popcorn. It's the perfect summary for the story of two teens who fall madly in love despite the odds and their deteriorating health. Spoiler alert, the boy passes away because of cancer, and the girl must learn to keep living while holding tight to his memory and the hope of seeing him again.



1. Kiss Me
One of Ed's lesser known tracks but by far my favorite, "Kiss Me" describes that magical instant that you fall in love with someone. One particular verse gets me everytime - "I'm falling for your eyes, but they don't know me yet." I guess chances are slim that I'll hear that from any guy at happy hour this weekend...



It's still unclear when we can get our hands on the new Ed Sheeran album, but hopefully it's filled with more swoon-worthy lyrics about falling in love that average guys have virtually no chance of living up to.

Fantastic Beasts and WHERE Do I Get a Niffler??

It was about a month ago. I was in the kitchen when I heard it. That beautiful, magical theme song from Harry Potter coming from my living room television. I bolted into the other room like a crazy lady.

Harry Potter? Where?! 

To my disappointment it wasn't my favorite boy who lived, but a trailer for J.K Rowling's new movie Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. At first I wasn't pleased.

This isn't Harry Potter. They can't use the same theme song! 

But after some research, I soon discovered that Fantastic Beasts takes place in the same magical world, with connections to Harry, just seventy years prior in New York. Needless to say, I had to see it, and this week I finally got to the movies to feed into my wizarding world obsession.

While the original Harry Potter series will always be my true love, I thoroughly enjoyed Fantastic Beasts. The story centers around Newt Scamander, a British wizard who travels to New York and accidentally sets his suitcase full of magical creatures loose on the city of Muggles, or No-Maj's as the American wizards call the non-magical community.

Eddie Redmayne plays Newt, and he is absolutely adorable and charming (despite his Hufflepuff colored scarf...). His mission in life is to rescue various creatures in the wizarding world who most deem to be dangerous, not unlike our old Hogwarts friend Hagrid with his love for dragons and hippogriffs.

Many of the creatures that find their way out of Newt's case are actually taught to Harry and his friends in Hagrid's Care of Magical Creatures classes. These include a rather clingy bowtruckle and a fuzzy little niffler that you can cuddle with AND set loose to collect gold. Think PetSmart has any??

In addition to the creatures, Fantastic Beasts has a few more links to the world of Harry that fans have become so familiar with. Many times, Rowling mentions how Dumbledore defeated the powerful wizard Grindelwald years before. It has always been a sort of fun fact about the headmaster that no one elaborated on until now.

In Fantastic Beasts we see Grindelwald (played by Johnny Depp) firsthand, masked as another wizard, trying to control the young Credence who just learned about his magical abilities. In one scene, Grindelwald places a necklace upon Credence's neck with a triangular pendant symbol on it - the Deathly Hallows. I guess Krum was right in wanting to fight Xenophilius Lovegood for wearing the symbol at Bill and Fleur's wedding.

Voldemort's loyal supporter, Bellatrix Lestrange, is also touched on in the film, or rather her ancestors. Spoiler alert, the leading female character Tina, played by Katherine Waterston, starts to fall in love with Newt. However, a picture of a young woman is spotted by Tina's friend, Queenie, in his room. When asked about her, Newt explains how she is a Lestrange, and how she was a friend of his at Hogwarts. Queenie warns him that the Lestrange's aren't the best wizarding family to be involved with, so it's clear that they supported the dark arts years before Bellatrix even existed.

For me, Fantastic Beasts had everything - action, comedic relief, a love story, subtle connections to Harry, and a cute British lead. Rumor has it that Rowling is creating a series of movies, and if it's going to consist of another eight, I'll need some time to track down a niffler....