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....

New Year's Resolutions: Pop Culture Nerd Edition

It's almost the start of 2017, which means new beginnings and an overflow of Oprah Winfrey weightloss commercials. Yes, I want to be a better person and do great things like the rest of us this year, but more importantly, I'm already planning ahead for all of the music, books, movies, and shows I want to take in over the next 12 months.

Music     

• NIALL HORAN - Let's all take a deep breath because my favorite member of One Direction is releasing an ALBUM. A few months back, Niall released the single, "This Town," which was pure heaven. The simple melody and vocals suited him perfectly, and I have my fingers crossed that the album will follow a similar style. Niall recently told E! News that he's still in the writing and recording process, but "it should be coming soon."
• FALLING IN REVERSE - On a similar note, another of my favorite bands, Falling In Reverse, just released a heart-wrenching single called "Coming Home" which I can only assume means a new album is coming. The song has a different, more relaxed and futuristic vibe than most of their heavier music, which myself and other fans have come to know them for. I'm all for some chill, emotional songs, but it won't be a Falling in Reverse album without Ronnie screaming about an ex, drugs, and the general stupidity of humanity. 

Movies

• BEAUTY AND THE BEAST - It's a tale as old as time, yet I will forever love Beauty and the Beast. A real-life version of the Disney classic will be released in March, with one of my favorite actresses, Emma Watson, as Belle. Only quick clips have been released over the past few months, but we finally have a full-length trailer to hold us over until the movie officially hits theaters. 

Books

• HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD - If there's one obsession that has stayed with me since my grade school days, it's Harry Potter. Over the summer, I got my hands on Harry Potter and The Cursed Child as soon as it hit shelves. However, it's now December and I still haven't touched it. Why? I couldn't just jump into a new Harry story after years since The Deathly Hallows. It just wouldn't seem right. So, I started from book one and am working my way through the series. It's been years since I read them, and the story still holds the same excitement and magic as when I was a kid (as does my undying love for Malfoy). Hopefully The Cursed Child doesn't disappoint.
• GAME OF THRONES - A few months ago, I powered through every season of Game of Thrones and fell in love with everything from the theme song to the million storylines to keep track of. After consulting with several friends about the book series and getting mixed reviews, I decided to give them a try. These will need to wait until after Harry Potter, but I can already see they may very well take until 2018 to finish....talk about small print!

Television

• BEYOND - Every year, Freeform (previously ABC Family) launches a few new series. Some stick like Pretty Little Liars while most fizzle out after one or two seasons. The station is premiering Beyond on January 2nd, and it seems like something I can easily get hooked on. The plot of the show focuses on a guy named Holden who wakes up from a coma after 12 years and needs to figure out what happened to him. In typical Freeform fashion, I'm sure there will be some love interests and sketchy people who you know from the first episode had SOMETHING to do with the coma.

So, if you need me in 2017, I will be binging all of the above while working on my abs and trying to mentally curse out less people on the subway. Happy New Year!

2017 = Concerts Galore

If there's one thing I don't mind spending money on, it's concert tickets.

"$10 for a sweater? Ehhhh gotta think about it..."
"$50 to see my favorite band? *lunges for debit card*"

Since I was a kid, I've always loved the thrill of a concert. My dad took me to my first show when I was about eight to see Shania Twain, and I became obsessed with the excitement of seeing and hearing my favorite artists in person. Over the years, I saw huge productions from artists like Britney Spears, and also gained an appreciation for smaller venues. Standing so close to David Cook at World Live Cafe that he could hear audience members breathing was a surreal experience.

I've managed to keep the passion for concerts alive, and in the span of a day, I recently bought tickets to two shows in 2017 that I'm pretty hype for.

On January 28th, I will be seeing for the third time one of my absolute favorite bands, Falling in Reverse, which features my "tattoo man" Ronnie Radke as the lead singer. FIR will be at The Fillmore in Philly, which I've been to several times and STILL get lost trying to find their parking lot.



I first saw Falling in Reverse at the Electric Factory last Thanksgiving break, and though it was my first concert that involved mosh pits and crowd surfers, it was an amazing night. I've idolized Ronnie since I learned about his story of getting sober and fighting his way back into the music industry. He's one of the best live performers I've ever witnessed, and I can't wait to see what kind of show he's going to put on - he's been posting tons of cryptic pictures on Instagram, which are hopefully foreshadowing some new music!

The beginning of the end

A photo posted by Ronnie Radke (@ronnieradke) on Nov 22, 2016 at 5:37pm PST

On February 13th aka an awkward Monday night, I'll be heading to TLA for my second Jake Miller concert. I first heard about Jake when he randomly followed me on Twitter a few years back. After checking out his profile (and seeing how attractive he is), I listened to his music and was immediately hooked. He's a cross between pop, R&B, and rap and has a slightly younger fan base called the Miller-tary (get it??).

I had the extremely cool opportunity to do a phone interview with him for my college's newspaper, and though he was in the middle of a crowded mall being swarmed by fans, he was the nicest guy and took the time to talk about his music, touring, and how he's lost track of how many hats he owns.

Seeing Jake has become a sort of tradition for my one friend and I. One year, we waited several hours in the bitter cold to meet him at an album signing, and had to take turns standing next to the heater at a nearby bank. We then waited about six hours in the scorching heat a few months later to get a good spot in line for another of his TLA concerts. He puts on a really good show, and I'm excited to see him perform some of his new music from "Overnight."



Check out the dates for both shows below!

Fallinginreverse.com

A photo posted by Ronnie Radke (@ronnieradke) on Nov 30, 2016 at 10:44am PST

Welcome to #TheOvernightTour. Tix on sale Friday! Bringing my boys @maxgschneider and @spencermusic1! All I want for my bday today is for you to come and have the best night of your life with me. Tag a million friends 🎉

A photo posted by Jake Miller (@jakemiller) on Nov 28, 2016 at 8:59am PST

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...