Finding Dory - Disney's Most Inspiring Creation

Black Friday. A day where we get to trample other shoppers for awesome deals on televisions, clothes, and endless other things we don't need. Do you want to know the extent of my Black Friday shopping? A trip to Target at about 3:00 in the afternoon to get Finding Dory for ten dollars.

You might be thinking "that's it??" Yes, yes it is. When Finding Dory came out in theaters a few months back, I saw it twice in the span of a week and loved it even more the second time. I'll admit, I wasn't crazy about Finding Nemo growing up. I always liked Toy Story and other Disney movies much better. So when this little blue fish made me die of laughter and almost cry several times, I knew she was something special.

If you're NOT familiar with the movie (I promise I'm not judging...too much), here's a quick summary of the plot. The movie starts out with Dory during her childhood, and OMG she couldn't have been cuter with her giant pink eyes that take up half of her face. Dory has suffered from short-term memory loss since she was born, and her parents work extra hard to show her love and praise for her accomplishments.



Dory tries her hardest to make her parents proud but accidentally gets swept up in the undertow and through the pipes, and ends up miles away from her home. Fast-forward a bit, and she meets Marlin and Nemo and starts her new life with them. It's not until she's assisting with Nemo's class one day that memories of her parents start to emerge, and she sets off on a quest to California to find them.

Along the way, Dory manages to befriend Hank, the cranky octopus (septopus, if we're being technical...), Marlin gets imprinted on by the twitchy, cross-eyed bird named Becky, and we meet various other lovable characters like Dory's old pipe pal, Destiny the whale.



But most importantly, Dory is able to find her parents. Despite her choppy memories and lack of confidence in herself, she accomplishes the seemingly impossible goal that she put her mind to. Lessons that her parents taught her as a child keep coming back in flashes, particularly one from her father when she was having trouble lifting a rather large shell. He told her, "There's always another way," and this allows her to assess her difficult situation, take a new path, and succeed.

Dory's mom also told her, "You can do whatever you put your mind to," which is a piece of advice we can all live by. In life, we are constantly questioning our ability to succeed, whether it be starting a new career path, maintaining a quality relationship, or just making ourselves better people. There's always that voice of doubt in the back of our minds, but we need to create a new voice that encourages us and pushes us forward.

Dory may not have had it all figured out when she set off across the ocean with Marlin and Nemo, but she taught me a lot. I don't have to have a set plan. I just need to recognize my overarching goal, take some pretty crazy chances, and "just keep swimming" until I get there.

Just keep swimming, just keep swimming...

Must-See Holiday Movies Because IT'S ALMOST CHRISTMAS

As much as I've been trying to contain it until after Thanksgiving, today I transitioned into full on Christmas elf. I blasted "O Come All Ye Faithful" by Pentatonix in my car, and turned into a complete five-year-old when I spotted Santa at the mall.

So, to keep the spirit going, I've decided to share some of my favorite holiday movies that I have to watch each year before Christmas can officially occur.

1. A Christmas Story

Every year on Christmas day, I obsessively watch the TBS 24 hour marathon without getting the least bit sick of Ralphie's excitement over his new Red Ryder or Scut Farkus' obnoxious laugh. Towards the end of the night, I always need to battle my family for the remote, but complaining that it's the "last showing" and how I "won't see it again for a year" usually wins out.

It's just a story that you can't get tired of. Ralphie is your typical middle-school boy, struggling through class and bullies, and all he wants for Christmas is an "official Red Ryder, carbine action, two-hundred shot, range model air rifle" but his mom keeps putting her foot down, concerned about his safety. In the end, his grouchy but loving dad comes through and gives him the gun, disguised as a present from Santa.



Watching the marathon will forever be one of my favorite yearly traditions. On Christmas Eve, my mom always makes anchovy gravy and fried shrimp, and after dinner, we break out the coffee and butter cookies as Ralphie gazes into the toy store window to get his first glimpse of Red Ryder.

2. A Christmas Carol (George C. Scott version)

There's so many versions of A Christmas Carol out there. Endless actors have done a solid job at playing Scrooge, but the version with George C. Scott is the only one that I grew up watching, and therefore holds a special place with me.

Yes, it's the same story as all the others, but there's something about his portrayal and delivery of Scrooge that adds a new dynamic to the character. You still dislike Scrooge, but there's a comical sarcasm that Scott brings to the scenes that makes you want to like him and actually root for him.

He plays greedy and mean well, but joyous and apologetic even better. When he wakes up on Christmas morning after his visit from the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, he leaps up and down on his bed yelling "Merry Christmas to the world!" The scene gives you the urge to leap around your house doing the exact same thing.



A Christmas Carol is my Christmas Eve tradition (yes, I manage take a break from A Christmas Story). I'll usually start the DVD a little after 10pm, this way by the time Scrooge wakes up on Christmas morning, it's after midnight and actually Christmas in real time.

3. The Polar Express

I'm going to be honest...when this first came out, I wasn't a fan. I thought it was very lengthy and that the storyline was slow. Man, was I stupid. A few years ago, I decided to give it another shot and by the final credits, ended up on my couch in tears surrounded by empty chocolate wrappers. Needless to say, I was pretty touched.

First off, the music is absolutely beautiful. It's a similar melody that plays in the background for many of the scenes, and it's perfect for the setting and storyline. Several songs are extremely catchy, including the hot chocolate one on the train, and "When Christmas Comes to Town."

My absolute favorite is Josh Groban's "Believe" that plays through the final credits. I never got chills like I did the first time I heard it - from the lyrics to the melody, it's an all around wonderful song for the entire year.

"Believe in what you feel inside, and give your dreams the wings to fly. You have everything you need...if you just believe."



The storyline managed to give me chills as well. The main boy is getting older and is starting to question the reality of Santa Claus. It's not until he gets to the North Pole and physically sees him, that he fully believes. The boy receives the first gift of Christmas from Santa - a bell from his sleigh. Only people who truly believe in Santa can hear the bell's chime.

Over the years, his friends and little sister stop hearing the bell. This part depressed me to no end because I remember (spoiler alert) when I realized Santa didn't exist as a kid. However, the boy continues to hear the chime even as an adult. Moral of the story - no matter how old you get, you can't lose that magic and excitement of childhood. Reality will set in, there will be responsibilities. But through it all, you can't stop believing in happiness and dreams.

There's so many other great movies that if I kept going, Christmas would be over. So I'll leave you with quite possibly the greatest holiday song of our time...

Obsession of the Week - Pentatonix

One night after an exceptionally long day at work, I was watching some music videos on NickMusic. After one forgettable pop song after the next, my mind was drifting elsewhere until one line caught my attention...

"I've heard there was a secret chord, that David played and it pleased the Lord..."

"Hallelujah" has always been one of my favorite songs since I first heard it in Shrek as a kid. Over the years, endless people have covered it, but this version by the acapella band, Pentatonix, was different.

I always enjoyed listening to Pentatonix around the holidays, and that was it...until this song. The video is simple but captivating. It starts off with one of the lead vocalists, Scott Hoying, singing the first verse and staring into your soul through the camera. Each member then follows suit and crushes each of their own solos. Meanwhile, Kevin Olusola makes it sound like there's an entire drum section behind the band using only his voice and body.

Hands down, the best part of the song is Mitch Grassi's solo towards the end. His voice is absolutely beautiful and managed to give me goosebumps the higher he sang.



Over the next week, I listened to the song any chance I got - before work, before bed, before going out. etc. My dad quickly jumped on the Pentatonix train as well, and also had the video on repeat. One night, inspiration struck - the band was going to be in Philly on Sunday, Nov 13th, so I offered to take him as an early Christmas present. After the shock of my offer wore off, he was all for it and I purchased tickets within the hour.

Pentatonix was quite possibly one of the best groups I've seen live. It was easy to forget that there wasn't a live band behind them because you still felt that thump in your chest from Kevin's percussions and Avi's insanely deep voice. They sang everything from Michael Jackson to Justin Bieber, and threw in a few original songs like "Sing."

Pentatonix live at Liacouras Center in Philadelphia Nov 13th
From L to R - Kirstin Maldonado, Kevin Olusola, Scott Hoying, Avi Kaplan, Mitch Grassi

Towards the end of the show, they mentioned the great Leonard Cohen, and the entire crowd went nuts because "Hallelujah" was finally next. It sounded even better than the record and tiny Mitch with his enormous voice managed to bring out the goosebumps once again.

As part of their encore, they sang the eerie "Light in the Hallway" but took it a step further. The entire arena was asked to not make a sound, while Pentatonix huddled in the center of the stage and performed the song without microphones. They sounded exceptionally beautiful, and managed to keep hundreds of people engaged with just pure, raw talent. 

Their Christmas album, A Pentatonix Christmas, is out now and they'll also have their own NBC special on December 14th. Only 29 days away?? Let the countdown begin. 

Niall's New Direction

When Zayn quit One Direction, I was (for lack of a better term) a mess. Yes, I was in college at the time and not some hormonal teenager. But when the band whose music got me through endless hours of commuting, calmed my nerves before my very first job interview, and made me crack up after a long day with their stupid video diaries on YouTube, I was bound to take it pretty hard.

To my surprise, the remaining four kept going. I got to see them in concert yet again, and openly fan-girl over their album Made in the A.M., which was just as good and possibly even more creative than any of their previous albums.

However, all good things must come to an end, and Harry, Liam, Louis, and Niall went on a hiatus for an unspecified amount of time. While most fans panicked, I was okay with the whole thing - just look at bands like Green Day. They can go five years without touring, recording, or having fans knowing what they're up to, then come back with music that's better than ever.

So far during the break, each member has started to branch out and work on his own project. Louis and his son Freddie are cuter than ever. Liam just signed a recording contract with Republic Records. Harry is doing random photo shoots and embracing his inner sixties hippie with a brand new hair cut. And finally, in the midst of various golf sessions, Niall just dropped a new single out of NOWHERE that is pure perfection.

"This Town" suits Niall to a tee. While he was never the 1D member to belt out high notes and falsettos, he held his own with a strong but sweet voice. The song has a simple melody and a catchy guitar rhythm, which is what always showcased him on the band's albums in songs like "Don't Forget Where You Belong" and "Change My Mind."



In a recent interview with Ryan Seacrest, Niall talked about how he's working on a FULL album, that will have a very similar vibe to "This Town" with more soft melodies and acoustics. Even though the album is not quite finished, I'll be camping outside my local Target waiting for it to be released if anyone needs me...

Green Day - Even Better With Age

Every morning before going to middle school, I would eat my Frosted Flakes and watch music videos on MTV. One particular morning, I stopped dead in my tracks, spoon in one hand, backpack in the other. There was this dark haired, tattooed man on my television screen singing something about walking alone and a boulevard. I was immediately drawn in to this band, who looked so unlike anything that I was listening to at the time *insert cute, blonde boy band members here.* Thus began my love of Green Day.

Fast forward 12 years and a few albums later, I'm driving in torrential rain after working from 4:00am on a Saturday to pick up their newest release in several years, Revolution Radio. Did I feel like getting drenched? No. Did I know it would be completely worth it? Yup.

Revolution Radio is everything that I could've asked and more for new Green Day music. It has that 21st Century Breakdown political, angsty vibe, but with a more punk feel, much like their early work on Dookie.

While the whole album is freaking amazing, there's a select few songs that I've been listening to about 20 times a day since the release on October 7th:

"Bouncing Off The Wall"
This song......SO CATCHY! It's been a little while since I've gotten so excited over a song, but when I heard the first verse, I literally squealed like a teen girl because it was just SO good. While the lyrics talk about Satan, bombs, and idle threats, the melody makes you want to blast it in your car on a sunny day with the windows down, which is simply genius on their part.

"Ordinary World"
Two weeks ago, I saw Green Day live at the Tower Theater in Philadelphia as part of their small venue tour. After the supposed encore of "American Idiot," only Billie Joe walked back on stage with his acoustic guitar. With no introduction, he starts singing this song, and it was such a perfect and intimate moment with the crowd. Fans were screaming and carrying on around me, but I was so entranced by his performance and delivery of the lyrics, it was like they weren't even there. "What would you wish if you saw a shooting star in an ordinary world?" Ugh, perfect.

"Still Breathing"
This is one of the few songs that I heard before the full album when they released a lyric video for it. Much like "Ordinary World," the lyrics are extremely inspiring and something that I can relate to at this point in my life. "Just shine a light into the wreckage, so far away..." Even though we may be going through some difficult times and hardships, we're still alive and there's always a light trying to break through the darkness. When it comes to life struggles, Green Day gets it.



As if this wonderful masterpiece of an album wasn't enough of a treat, Billie Joe is starring in a movie called "Ordinary World" (I'm going to assume the song is in the soundtrack...) which hits theaters Friday, October 14th. Unlike his extremely cool and still attractive true self, Billie Joe will be playing a washed up rocker trying to get his life back together. If his acting is even 1/5 as good as his musical talent, we're in for a treat.

How I Found Myself at Warped Tour 2016

Let's rewind to a few ago in the awkward high school days. I had braces and was primping my side bangs to be juuuust right to meet Justin Bieber at a Jingle Ball concert. Never in a million years did I see myself in the middle of a moshing crowd at Warped Tour. But that's just where I ended up yesterday and I had the time of my life.

Ever since I can remember, I've loved all the pop stars - N*Sync, Jesse McCartney, Bieber. Yet in 6th grade, I discovered Green Day. My dad bought me "American Idiot" as long as I promised I'd stay away from drugs and not turn into a gothic weirdo. I continued to obsess over all the pretty boys, but behind the scenes, my love for heavier music (and tattooed men) grew stronger.

Over the years, I discovered bands like All Time Low and We the Kings, and felt more at home with music than I ever did before. About a year ago, some friends introduced me to Sleeping With Sirens and Pierce the Veil, and I instantly related to songs like "Go Go Go" and "King for a Day." History was made when I randomly clicked on a YouTube video of a song called "The Drug in Me Is You."

Falling in Reverse? Ronnie who? Oh, I like his voice. Bad Girls Club? OH this is catchy......

Summer of 2015 was consumed by the task of finding a post-grad job, all the while watching FIR videos in between cover letters. "F*** the Rest" soon became my life anthem - "and I know in my heart if you reach for the stars, all the things that you dream will indeed get you far" - and surprisingly, I learned a lot about life from Ronnie Radke, like how you can get your life together and make dreams happen no matter what you've been through and where you're coming from.

Fast forward one year, and Ronnie's picture is proudly hanging in my cubicle (much to the concern of my middle-aged coworkers) at my first big girl job. Still just as inspired by him as 12 months ago, I knew I had to attend Vans Warped Tour this year when I saw that FIR would be there. After some planning, my friends and I decided that we would adventure from Philly to Long Island, NY to go.

After almost 3 hours driving, my 1st official NJ bagel, and only getting slightly lost once, we arrived. I knew the day was going to be different and exciting just from the line to get in, with some guy selling sunglasses so fans wouldn't get "face f**ked" by the sun.

We immediately found the giant wall schedule to plan our day and figure out when/where each band was performing. Ronnie wouldn't be on until 5PM so there was plenty of time to work around that.

Kellin Quinn - Sleeping With Sirens

Throughout the day, I got to see We The Kings, Against The Current, and another of my top bands, Sleeping With Sirens. SWS was my 1st experience of the day dodging crowd surfers and enduring screaming fans. I'm used to One Direction and Bieber fans, but this was a whole new level. One girl next to me was SCREAMING at the top of her lungs how much of a "sexy beast" Kellin Quinn is. And while I completely agree with her, the ear drums of everyone around her begged to differ. Though when he sang "Go Go Go," I may just have been louder than her.

Around 1PM, we heard that Falling in Reverse was doing a photo op at their tent at 1:30PM. That's all I needed to hear. My friends and I booked it to the tent, only to find out you needed some sort of minuscule red ticket to meet them. We were kind of bummed, but decided to hang around. Even if we couldn't get a picture with Ronnie, we could get some sick shots of him from two feet away, which is exactly what we did.

I think my love for him grew even more yesterday. While waiting in line, I see Ronnie flying through the parking lot on a bicycle. He stops by the fence near his tent (he was on the other side), gets off the bike, then spends a solid few minutes looking completely lost, trying to figure out how to get through the fence with said bike. Finally he gives up and rides away, leaving the poor guy at the merch table to let us know he'll be "fashionably late".....get it??

Ronnie Radke - Falling in Reverse

About 10 minutes later, Ronnie arrives, and I got some amazing pictures of him in between meeting those lucky fans with the stupid red tickets. All the while, my friends and I are still in line, hoping against hope that we can just float through and meet him anyway. Sadly with about 3 people in front of us, the time for the meet and greet was over and Ronnie was out. But I couldn't even be mad...just look at him!!

Even though FIR wasn't performing until 5PM, we were at the stage and ready to go by 4PM, We stood in the back while Yellowcard performed, and the second they were done their set, we powered though the crowd, almost making it to the front barrier.

Despite getting kicked about 20 times and aching shoulders from lifting crowd surfers, I had the time of my life watching Ronnie. He is one of the best live performers I've ever seen, and being that close was an extra bonus. He sang all FIR's hits, including "Alone," "Rolling Stone" (and yes, I belted out the rap part), "Bad Girls Club," and "The Drug in Me is You."

By 5:30PM, I was ready for an Advil and shower, but was so content with life. I saw in person the guy who I'd been listening to non-stop for the past year, and who had inspired me during a pretty difficult and confusing time. Warped Tour wouldn't have been the same without Falling in Reverse, but even if they're not there next year, I'd do it all over again.

Ronnie Radke at Vans Warped Tour - Nikon Theater at Jones Beach
(and a security guard who was not having anymore of the crowd's sh*t)

Freeform Summer Premieres - Hooked Already

June is my favorite time of the year. Summer is here and Freeform (previously ABC Family) has officially begun to stress me out with all of their summer premieres. WARNING - lots of spoiler alerts below as I freak out about how suspenseful every show has been so far.

Lets start with the newest show, Guilt. I'll be honest, I wasn't too sure what to expect. It looked interesting from the commercials, and it did not let me down. It's your typical Freeform show - a brutal murder, attractive men, and about 20 possible suspects. Guilt kicks off with the murder of a young girl named Molly after a wild party while abroad in England. Now everybody from her jealous roommate, to Molly's beautiful Irish brother, to a perverted old professor is on the watch list as possible suspects. Only two weeks since the premiere, and I'm hooked. Also, Cal from "Titanic" plays a creepy lawyer in it, which is pretty awesome. Guilt airs each Monday at 9pm EST.

Next we have my personal Freeform favorite, Pretty Little Liars. I've been a die-hard fan since day one, and as crazy as the show has gotten, I still need to find out what happens week after week. Right now, we're in part two of the fast forward season, in which we see the girls several years after revealing that Charlotte, Aly's brother turned sister, is "A." They thought the whole nightmare was behind them but SURPRISE, it's not. The girls are now dealing with "A" 2.0, Hanna got herself trapped in a deserted shed in the middle of the woods, Aly's fiance is trying to kill her, and Aria and Ezra are sneaking around together (which I'm pretty hype about.) PLL airs every Tuesday at 8pm EST.

Finally, lets talk about The Fosters. This was always the Freeform show to cover heavier topics, like coming out as gay at a young age, death, and issues in the foster care system. However, the premiere last Monday was beyond anything they've ever done. I sat there for the full hour hugging a pillow for dear life. The topic of the premiere was gun violence in schools, and with everything going on in the world today, it just really hit home.

To summarize, Nick got extremely jealous because he saw Mariana kissing her ex, and went crazy by burning down his dad's warehouse and bringing a gun to school. The entire school was on lockdown, and I had such a nervous stomach watching the terror on their faces, and the relief Steph and Lena expressed when finally reunited with all of their kids. Next week seems to be a similar situation, because Nick is now lurking in the Foster's house with the gun. The episode will air on Monday at 8pm EST.

Freeform will be airing another new series called Dead of Summer on Tuesday, June 28th. Just from the title, I think it will fit in perfectly and provide more heart palpitations for the next few months.