Mona Khalifeh

Style and entertainment journalist in Los Angeles

[monakhalifeh]

Kanye West, RZA Among Stars That Previewed LACMA’s Samurai Exhibit

A red light as bright the rising sun that blazes across Japan’s flag glows from the gallery ceilings, spilling onto its supporting walls.  It’s as still as the bloodstained battlefield these Japanese samurai warriors left behind.

  “We’ve never used red light, we’ve never used any color at all in the ceiling.  It suggests blood, it suggest sunset. it softens the items.  If we had regular white lighting they’d look like national history items, they would lose their glamour, their romance, their warmth,” says Robert Singer, Exhibit curator and Japanese art expert.  The red light is the first thing you see when entering, The Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s latest exhibition, Samurai: Japanese Armor from the Ann and Gabriel Barbier-Mueller Collection.  After the red light draws you in, three black horses, ridden by samurai soldiers dressed in ornate gold-flecked armor, greet you.  The exhibition, which opened its doors this month, is debuting its sister show, Art of The Samurai: Swords, Paintings, Prints and Textiles, November First.  Art of the Samurai focuses less on the armor and more on samurai weapons.  Both exhibitions house ornate and hand crafted steel armor and weapons that were once worn by samurai warriors, during the 12th through the 19th centuries.  The helmets, made of a mixture of tough steel and wood, were just as useful for decoration as they were for protection.  With helmets crafted in the shape of dragons, eggplants, and eel heads (real eel teeth attached), the helmets let the warriors take on a persona that set them apart from their warrior counterparts.

  A focal point of the exhibition lies at its direct center, with eight samurai soldiers facing you as you stand in the middle of the exhibit.  While it is not Japanese tradition to have the samurai soldiers standing, in fact every other soldier in the exhibition is sitting on a seat or horse, this bold display speaks to a western audience.  An idea proposed by Singer, samurai soldiers surround the viewer, giving them a glimpse at the stature and procession of these warriors on the battlefield.  Singer has been with the L.A.C.M.A. for 26 years, and has no plans of slowing down, curating exhibitions on decadent Japanese metalwork and Raku ceramics that are sure to bring in sculptors and art lovers alike.

  The exhibition has attracted more than just the average art lover, or Japanese history aficionado.  Just this week, Kanye West stopped by for a private tour led by Singer, who described West as nice.  The pair smiled for a photo at the close of the tour.  Singer was most surprised by Wu-Tang Clan rapper RZA who displayed a true fascination in the samurai warriors and their armor, “RZA is a really inspiring guy. He called me ‘Hip Hop Panda.’  He’s incredibly smart and has an interesting story,” says Singer.  Female rapper Eve is slated to attend in November, begging the relationship between the hip hop community and samurai film, which has influenced these rappers, rappers before them, and with the resurgence this exhibition will bring, rappers to come.

  The exhibition is sure to fuel inspiration in its visitors, showing that in a technology-obsessed age, nothing stands the test of time like true historical relics, that not only evoke beauty but tell stories of real people, cultures, and empires that ruled before us.  You can see these magnificent displays of Japanese history at the L.A.C.M.A. for the next three months, with Samurai ending its museum run February 1st and Art of Samurai March 1st.

[monakhalifeh]

L.A. Opera Presents: Dido & Aeneas and Bluebeard's Castle

Lit by the glow of sparkling chandeliers, an 80-piece orchestra began to play, sending a melodic tone through Los Angeles’ opera house.

  Thursday night’s double feature was the final dress rehearsal for the six-show run of Dido and Aeneas and Bluebeard’s Castle.  The show, directed by Barrie Kosky, took a modern twist on the traditional operas.   Telling tales of love and betrayal, Kosky, used minimalist lighting and stage design to tell 400-year-old stories in a new, stripped-down way.  

  The show opened with Dido And Aeneas, an opera that deals with themes of love and betrayal.   Dido the Queen of Carthage falls for enemy Trojan prince, Aeneas.  As their love blossoms, a prophecy by Jupiter seeks to squash it, sending out three witches to carry out a spell that leaves Dido dead, while Aeneas leaves to follow his destiny and rule his kingdom.

  Curtain closed, the cast sat silently, dressed in period wear on a stark white bench that spanned the length of the stage.   The costumes, which featured corseted gowns, men’s pants and jackets and wild headpieces, were all made in-house at the fashion district in downtown Los Angeles.  The cast sang and danced from the confines of the bench, while colorful lighting casted shadows, evoking the appearance of different times and settings throughout the show.  Many in the cast were making their first L.A. Opera performance, and while they were preserving their voices for the upcoming run, their powerful melodies rang strongly through the venue.  The performance ended with a ten-minute death scene that had Dido crying and gasping for life, as it was stolen from her saddened body.

  A brief intermission followed before an eager audience was ushered in for Kosky’s take on Bluebeard’s Castle.  The opera follows Judith, who has abandoned her family to be with her new husband, Bluebeard.   Running away with him to his dark and damp castle, Judith begs to bring light and love to his dreary abode.  Judith asks Bluebeard for the keys to the seven closed castle doors, ignoring the murderous rumors about Bluebeard’s former wives.  A reluctant Bluebeard can take no more, and gives in to Judith’s persistence.

  The curtain opened to reveal a white slanted disk as the stage.  Bluebeard and Judith stood, frozen in a slow-dance embrace.  The opera was sung in its original Hungarian dialect, with English subtitles shown on screens along the aisles and atop the main stage.  Bluebeard and Judith were dressed in business attire, looking as if they escaped from the office to the darkness of his castle.  While there was no set design, each door was symbolized by a man dressed in Bluebeards likeness.  As the doors opened their contents poured, spilling gold, water, and flowers from the men’s suit jackets.  Judith’s persistence and suspicion grew as she begged for the seventh and final door to be opened.   Giving up, Bluebeard revealed that his rumors had some truth.  Out came his three former wives dressed identically to Judith.  The wives danced along the rotating stage with the three men who appeared before.  The show ended with Bluebeard’s promise that Judith would be his most special wife, representing the glorious midnight in which he met her. 

  The show left many mind-blown by the stark differences of this minimalist take on the double-feature, but whether you understood Kosky’s vision or not, one thing’s for sure, this is a show that won’t be forgotten and is sure to set a trend for modernist takes on age-old tales to come.  

[monakhalifeh]

Iman Omari hosts Good Vibes & Energy Music Showcase

The space was small, but a growing crowd began to trickle in.  They stood, waiting anxiously amongst clouds of smoke illuminated by stringed lighting, for the melodic sounds of Iman Omari.  His hair, fastened in two braids, swung side to side as he swayed, singing to the beat. 

This Sunday, Vibe Music co-founder Iman Omari held an intimate show, “Good Vibes and Energy” in the Mid-City neighborhood of Los Angeles.  The performances were held at Green Light Delivery dispensary.  Charging $5 at the door, the show promised good music, good vibes, and free treats. 

Omari sponsored the show, showcasing L.A. based talent to a R.S.V.P. only audience.  The show opened with a D.J. set by Like [Pac Div].  Like, of the group Pacific Division, otherwise known as Pac Div, performed without his band mate’s brother Mibbs, and friend BeYoung.  The group opened for big acts like Snoop Dogg, Nas, Ludacris, and Kid Cudi to name a few, which helped fuse Like’s D.J. set of old school hip-hop and L.A. mainstays, like Kendrick Lamar and 2 Pac.  The set took hits from the 90's and superimposed them with the more electronic sounds of today. Modern tracks from Beyoncé and T. Pain were mixed with everything from soulful R&B tunes to E.D.M. beats. 

Neon windbreakers and oversized flannel shirts filled the crowd as high-top chucks shuffled along the cement floor, weaving smoke in and out of the tight quarters.  The space fueled the same creativity you see in the free-flowing expression of street art.  A Rastafarian artist set up an easel and began work on an oil painting of Bob Marley.  As the hour-long DJ set came to a close, the lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as the first performer took the stage.

Rapper Quiz took to the venues floor rapping over pre-recorded beats by his D.J., D.J. Hed, Quiz rapped feel good lyrics that reflected themes of life, love, and the rap game.  The raps as well as the beats behind them had a sound similar to vintage Jay-Z.  Quiz debuted just three songs of his self-titled E.P., “Something You Could Hold,” “Living For The Summer,” and “This Could All Be Yours,” easing a mellow crowd into the lyric heavy raps of Ill Camille. 

Ill Camille, an L.A.-based female rapper, has collaborated with Ty Dolla$ign and T.D.E’s own Kendrick Lamar and B.J. The Chicago Kid.  Taking on real-life themes of struggle, relationships, and growing up in L.A., Camille mixes hard lyrics with soulful beats that set her apart from the pop-y female rappers hitting today’s charts.  Camille invited the crowd to move in closer as she ad-libbed and called for audience participation.  Performing tracks off her album iLLUSTRATED, Camille rapped three songs, “OMC$(On My Cool Shit),” “Blazin” and “Live It Up”, both featuring show headliner Iman Omari.   The tracks had the crowd both rapping and dancing as she closed her set with a more reggae-infused sound.

In between performances, headliner Omari did his own D.J. set that highlighted his T.D.E. influencers as well as the funk vibe he is known for.  The singer whose genre is not fully defined, did not perform until the last fifteen minutes of the show, bringing both his trumpet and guitar player for his performance.  Omari, who has co-produced on Kendrick Lamar’s 2011 “Section 80” mix tape, writes in addition to singing and producing.  Taking soulful vocals and combining them with a fusion of hip-hop, jazz, and funk, Omari attracts a crowd that is looking for something different.  Opening his performance with “Gravitate,” from his (VIBE)rations E.P., the song, fuses R&B with jazz undertones.   Debuting “Wait A Minute” from his new project the Samadhi E.P., Omari tapped into a more lyric heavy ballad, which features Inglewood songstress, Tiffany Gouche. The singer, who was not in attendance, is featured on tracks with both Ill Camille and Omari.  Omari controlled both sound and beats as he sang, giving the crowd a stripped-down performance.  Live music behind him, Omari left out the faders and flash that can be found on some of his pre-recorded tracks.   Closing with the fan-favorite, Energy E.P., he performed two reggae heavy tracks, “Good Vibes And Energy” and “I’ll Do Anything For You.”  Showcasing a vocal range of riffs and rich bluesy tones, Omari ended the rap-heavy night on a high note

[monakhalifeh]

A Profile On Variety Latino's Elisa Osegueda

Mexican-American is what she called herself.  Elisa Osegueda was twelve when she found out her American identity was far from hers.  She was an undocumented immigrant.  Hard to understand what that meant, Osegueda turned to writing, “When I was in high school and we were all prepping for college, I realized I couldn’t apply for college like regular people did.  I learned through journalism that I had a voice and I had a voice for others.” Osegueda said.  It was that voice that she would fight to share with both sides of her Mexican-American identity.

  Osegueda is a young entertainment journalist that has interviewed everyone from Andy Garcia to her idol, Meryl Streep.  A self-proclaimed hard news junkie, she worked her way up in ranks at Loyola Marymount University’s newspaper, the Loyolan. It was there that she learned how to manage a newsroom,  “You have to learn how to stay true to your voice and to that gut instinct that tells you, that is not the right story, that is not the right angle, I’m not going to publish it, I don’t care if 500 people get mad at me.” Osegueda said. 

  Forgoing her undergraduate party years, Osegueda juggled two internships on top of an editorial position at the Loyolan.  Her hard work paid off, shortly after graduation, she landed a job in PR.  “I went and worked at a PR agency called The Rogers Group in Century City.  When you know you want to be a journalist, you can only be there so long and then you move on.  I applied to a fellowship for more training, but I realized there’s nothing like working at a news organization and getting firsthand training.  There’s no fellowship, no masters, nothing that can get you that.” Osegueda said.  Her experience there allowed her to not only brand herself, but also do some soul searching.  After spending a year getting back to her roots at Beverly Hills Weekly, she was ready for something different.  It was then that the job that would change her life fell into her lap.  “I called the agency that helped me find the job at the Rogers Group and said I’m willing to do some temp work.  One day, the lady at the agency called me, she’s like, “Have you heard of Fandango, they’re a ticketing company for movies, and they’re looking for a temp, do you want to do it?”  I went for the interview and I ended up meeting with the Senior Vice President of sales, and he went to LMU, so I got the job that way temping.”  Osegueda said. 

The right place, right time, and the right connections played a huge role in Osegueda landing her gig at Fandango, but for her, it has always been about hard work.  “You can schmooze, you can go to mixers, and you can meet the one person that will recommend you.  That’s as far as that goes.  Once they look at your resume, your clips, everything you’ve done, that’s really your selling point.”  Osegueda said. 

  It was her experience at Fandango, a ticketing and movie-review site that changed a hard news enthusiast into the authority on all things movies.   Reporting, writing, and conducting on-air interviews, Osegueda was ushered into entertainment, giving readers a window into the world of their favorite movie stars.  “I get to tell a story to readers about their favorite actor, their favorite director, and it serves as a form of escape, so that is a complete treat. I take it serious, it's not gossip and at the same time, I’m informing people.” Osegueda said.  

Three years into her time at Fandango, the movie company looked to Osegueda to open yet another window for the site.  The company approached her to launch a Latino film column in English.  The only Latina in the editorial department, Osegueda was the perfect fit.  Representing the millennial Hispanic, she was able to be the voice for Latin-American film lovers.  Osegueda not only cracked the window, she busted it wide open, working with directors, publicists, and studio contacts that allowed her to create a viable column and score film exclusives. 

 With a relatively young column, Osegueda wasn’t looking to leave her job when Variety came knocking at her door.  The magazine was launching Variety Latino, a film column written in Spanish.  Osegueda had to brush up on her Spanish writing, but was the ideal candidate.  It was through a publicist contact she made while at Fandango that she got the dream email that led to the dream job, “One of the publicists just decided to give my information to this contact at Univision cause they were looking for an editor that knew the Hispanic market in Los Angeles.  That’s how it all started.” Osegueda said.  With most experts in the Hispanic market centered in New York and Miami, Osegueda was able to tap into Hispanic Hollywood and lend an expert voice to a rarely heard sector of the movie industry. 

Osegueda not only writes in Spanish for Variety Latino, but helped launched the site, conducts interviews, represents the company, and attends red carpet events.  Her main goal is to establish Variety Latino as the go-to source for Latino entertainment news and more importantly, elevate the Latino voice through every interview she conducts.  In the world of movies, Osegueda is your go-to-gal.  “If it’s a movie related question, they always come to me, and I like having that respect.” Osegueda said. 

From hard news to entertainment, to writing in Spanish, Osegueda has forced herself to become a journalistic jack-of-all-trades, but just as quickly as journalism changes, so must Osegueda.  “I know that my time is limited with Variety Latino, and while its been a great challenge, I never set out to be this reporter who only writes in Spanish.  I can’t wait to write about more serious issues, but with an entertainment angle.  I would love to work at Vanity Fair.  I love the way they merge topical, serious news with an entertainment vibe.   That is the goal, somewhere where I could do both. “ Osegueda said.

[monakhalifeh]

A Conversation with Variety Latino's Elisa Osegueda

Elisa Osegueda is a young entertainment journalist that has interviewed everyone from Andy Garcia to her idol, Meryl Streep.  A self-proclaimed hard news junkie, she worked her way up in ranks at Loyola Marymount’s newspaper, the Loyolan.  Forgoing her undergraduate party years, Osegueda juggled two internships on top of an editorial position with the school’s paper.  Her hard work paid off, shortly after graduation, Osegueda landed a job at PR firm, The Rogers Group.  Her experience there allowed her to not only brand herself, but also forced her to do some soul searching.  Knowing that writing was what she wanted to do, Osegueda went back to the start.  After spending a year at Beverly Hills Weekly, honing her craft she was ready for something different. 

Contacts at her former PR firm turned her on to a temporary job at Fandango, the popular movie review and movie-listing site.  It was during her time there that she became immersed in the world of true entertainment journalism, writing for a world of devoted movie lovers.  Fandango gave Osegueda the experience of a lifetime, and it was one that led to an even brighter opportunity.  Osegueda wasn’t looking for a job when Variety came knocking at her door.  The magazine was launching Variety Latino.  Osegueda a proud Latina, had to brush up on her Spanish writing, but was the perfect candidate for the job.  It didn’t take long before she was writing full reviews and feature stories in Spanish about Latino Hollywood.  The magazine also takes the movie news Variety readers have grown to love and provide Spanish translations.  The sky is the limit for Osegueda, and during a troubling time for journalism when your next job could end as quickly as it started, Osegueda is happy to be doing something she loves for a fan base that loves to read it.

  Me: Why did you pick journalism?

Osegueda: When I was young, when I was in middle school, I found out through my parents that I was an undocumented immigrant and I didn’t know how assess it because I didn’t really know at the age what that meant, but when I was in high school and we were all prepping for college, I realized I couldn’t apply for college like regular people did.  I learned through journalism that I had a voice and I had a voice for others. 

  Me: What do you love about journalism?

Osegueda: Now that I’m into entertainment, I get to tell a story to readers about their favorite actor, about their favorite director, and it serves as a form of escape, it serves as a form information, but I’m giving you a window into one of your most favorite actors and directors and so that is a complete treat.   I get messages sometimes on twitter or even posts on articles saying “ Oh my gosh, I love this actor so much, thank you so much for the interview” I’m giving people access they would normally never have, it’s fun.

  Me: Describe your role at the Loyolan.

Osegueda: I was fortunate enough to meet the editor and chief my first semester at LMU.  And then, the following semester, my second semester, I applied for a reporter job.  I got called in for an interview and they told me, you’d be great as an editor, why don’t you start as an assistant editor, you can still write, and you can work for one of our magazines and you’d be doing feature writing. I ended up staying there all three years I was in college. I went from assistant editor, to editor, managing editor to executive editor.

    Me: What was your job directly after the Loyolan?

Osegueda: I went and worked at a PR agency called The Rogers Group in Century City. I was able to help establish their Latino group division. That was great because I got to work with tremendous directors, VPS, and partners that knew the Hispanic industry really well, and they were tapping into me because they wanted to know the millennial voice.  But it wasn’t long before I realized there’s nothing like working at a news organization and getting firsthand training.  There’s no fellowship, no masters, nothing that can get you that.

  Me: How did you go from there to Fandango?

Osegueda: Oh, it’s funny, I ended up quitting the Beverly Hills Weekly because the publisher just a crazy man, like just not professional at all.  I called the agency that helped me find the job at the Rogers Group and I said I’m willing to do some temp work.  And this one day, the lady at the agency called me she’s like, “Have you heard of Fandango?”  And I’m like “No.”  And she said, “Oh they’re a ticketing company for movies, and they’re looking for a temp for a few months, do you want do it?”  And I said sure, you know, I went for the interview and I ended up meeting with the senior vice president of sales and he went to LMU so I got the job that way temping. 

  Me: Tell me about how you got to Variety

Osegueda: I was at fandango for five years.  At my third year, we decided to launch a column that was focused just on Latino news, in English, only focusing on film.  I seemed to be the right fit for it, being that I was the only Latina in the editorial department.  That column opened the door to meeting other publicists, studio contacts, directors.  One of the publicists said to me, actually he didn’t tell, he just decided to give my information to this contact at Univision cause they were looking for an editor that knew the Hispanic market in Los Angeles. That’s how it all started.

  Me: Describe your role at Variety.

Osegueda: I do interviews, I do print interviews, video interviews, I go to red carpet events, I represent the company at different events, I’m in charge of talking with people at Univision with people at Variety, making sure hat the editorial voice is consistent with what they want.  The main role here is trying to establish Variety Latino as the number one Latino entertainment source.

  Me: Do you think you’ll ever return to hard news?

Osegueda: I know for sure that my time is very limited with Variety Latino, everything is in Spanish, and while its been a great challenge which is why I took the job, I never set out to be this reporter who only writes in Spanish, I can’t wait to start writing in English again. I can’t wait to go to a place where yeah, maybe I can write about more serious issues, but with an entertainment angle.  I would love to work at Vanity Fair.  I love the way they merge topical serious, news with an entertainment vibe, I think they are able to marry those things very well.   That is the goal, somewhere where I could do both.

[monakhalifeh]

An evening at The Chateau Marmont

While celebrities were nowhere to be found at both Chateau Marmont’s restaurant and Bar Marmont, the evening was filled with characters.  Gabi, Ashley, Lamarana, Camille and I arrived at the hidden hotel’s restaurant around 5:30 p.m. Saturday evening. During our overpriced dinners, we scanned the outdoor eatery for celebs, but all we saw were older hotel guests and what looked like seasoned industry veterans (managers, publicists, etc.).  Our waiter had the look of a jaded model-actor, who was so bored with his job that he disappeared halfway through the dinner service.  We were rushed out of our table by 7 p.m. and made our way to Bar Marmont.

  The bar was nearly empty when we arrived, but we had the chance to speak freely with the quirky bartender who had been serving the Chateau’s guests for years.  While he couldn’t divulge who had been in and out of the bar, he guaranteed us that he had seen his fair share of celebrities behaving badly.  He inquired about our assignment and journalistic aspirations.  Happy to help, he referred us to other bars and clubs on Sunset Boulevard that he called celeb hotspots.  He also encouraged us to schmooze with the paparazzi, which were nowhere to be seen near the Chateau that night. 

  Drinks in hand, we made our way to the only table not reserved—a small circular table with wicker stools.  It was very reminiscent of a quaint French café, just with alcohol and bouncers guarding the bars curtained entrance.

            Shortly after, we were approached by a group of what seemed to be Norwegian tourists.  After making bar small talk it was revealed that one of these Norwegian travelers was both the writer and director of Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters.  After being on the lookout for over three hours, this seemed like the shining glimmer of celebrity hope we had been looking for.  While his story checked out, he indeed was the champion of the fable-inspired movie; him and his group of drunken wanderers fell short of the celebrity criteria to create a viable story.

  We enjoyed their drunken foolishness and accepted a bottle of champagne that they bought for us before leaving.  Another glass of bubbly down, we kept our eyes peeled.  This expensive night was dragging into its fifth hour, with still no celebrity in sight. 

  We ended up seeing Shaniece Hairston, daughter of Basketball Wives star, Evelyn Lozada.  We watched her drink a “Sex On The Beach” as she ate and chatted with friends at a table by the bar. Lamarana even spoke to her briefly, but the celebrity sighting that we were hoping for seemed out of sight that night at the Chateau.  We ended up leaving close to midnight.

  Overall, it was an expensive and interesting night.  The bartender and bar staff was helpful and pleasant and their tips were encouraging in our efforts at this story and the entertainment-reporting field.  I’m glad we were able to experience it and step foot in the shoes of the entertainment reporters we will soon be.

[monakhalifeh]

New York Crowns Their Third-Consecutive Miss America

Miss New York, Kira Kazantsev was crowned “Miss America 2015” at the annual competition in Atlantic City, New Jersey.  The competition, broadcasted live from its birthplace in Boardwalk Hall Sunday night, saw the glittering crown go to a Miss New York, once again. 2014’s winner Nina Davuluri passed down the crown, keeping it in the Empire State for the third consecutive year.

  Kazantsev, 22 was an early favorite.  The blonde beauty stood out from the crowd in a gold high-fashion evening gown, blowing the judges away with her grace.  She glided across the stage with ease during the swimsuit competition and shocked the crowd with her pitch-perfect inspired rendition of Pharrell’s “Happy.”  Singing while performing the flip-cup routine, Kazantsev’s number brought a fresh twist to a talent round filled with operatic singing and interpretive dance.

  The performance erupted on social media instantly. The competition was one for the digital-age, allowing viewers to be a part of the action, both live and behind the scenes. The competition selected three contestants who did not make it into the semi-finals (Miss California, Miss Nevada, and Miss Georgia) to be the resident instagrammers, giving viewers access to contestants like never before.

  Another talent standout, Miss Ohio Mackenzie Bart wowed the crowd with her ventriloquist performance of supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.  Bart performed alongside her puppet Roxy.  The pair brought both laughs and applause to judges and viewers alike.

  The competition was more about overcoming adversity than it was talent.  Diabetic contestant, Miss Idaho Sierra Sandison competed with an insulin pump on her hip, promoting her platform of “Possibilites for Diabites.”  “I get to show young women and everyone that if they have a so-called flaw that the media tells them makes them less beautiful, it's not true," Sandison says. "It just makes them unique."  Miss Kentucky Ramsey Carpenter pushed past the limitations of her Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis to rock the fiddle in the preliminary competition.  While Carpenter did not perform during the live show, she served as inspiration to the MS community and young women everywhere.

  No stranger to adversity, Kazantsev, a domestic violence survivor, drew on her experiences to create her platform.  The Hofstra University student’s platform focuses on protecting women against domestic violence.  The platform is one she took with her into the question-and-answer segment.  When asked by judge and former Miss America, Lee Meriwether what women in the senate should be fighting for, Kazantsev responded by saying the focus should be on preventing sexual assault in the military.  “Everyone deserves the right to be happy and respected,” she said.  Her answer boded well with the judges, as she was crowned Miss America just moments later.

  The crown is much more than a piece of jewelry, however.  In addition to promoting her platform, Kazantsev’s title will grant her a $50,000 scholarship.

  The runner-ups did not leave empty-handed.  The scholarship-based competition awarded Miss Massachusetts Lauren Kahn, Miss Florida Victoria Cowen, Miss Arkansas Ashton Campbell, and, second place winner, Miss Virginia Courtney Garrett scholarships. 

[monakhalifeh]

Miss America Talent Competition is Far From Modern

While The Miss America competition wowed in the arena of social media, it's contestants talent portion fell flat, and lacked that modern freshness that both viewers and judges were looking for.  Most contestants sang classical and even religious songs while two contestants danced.  Two contestant standouts, Miss Ohio and Miss New York performed routines that got both the crowd, and the judges attention.  Miss Ohio, Mackenzie Bart, performed a ventriloquist routine with her puppet Roxy.  They sang supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.  The routine brought both laughs and applause, with Miss Ohio showcasing a talent outside of the singing and dancing box that many of her competitors were stuck in.  Miss New York, Kira Karzantsev, had the most modern performance of all.  From her blue bedazzled jumpsuit to her pitch-perfect inspired routine, Miss New York, brought modern trends to a very traditional beauty competition.  Miss New York sang Pharrell's "Happy" as she performed a flip cup routine as seen in the movie, Pitch Perfect.  The routine was just that, grabbing the attention of viewers and audience members with a roar of applause.  The modern routine clearly stood out, at Miss New York went on to win the competition; giving the state its third consecutive Miss America title.

[monakhalifeh]

Miss America 2015 Is One For The Digital Age

The Miss America 2015 competition is one filled with hashtags.  From twitter handles to hashtags for each contestant and the competition, to competition instagrammers, the competition is more in touch with technology than ever.  The competition selected three contestants who did not make it into the semi-finals (Miss California, Miss Nevada, and Miss Georgia) to be the resident instagrammers.  They are posting and capturing moments in and throughout the competition.  Ushering in a social-media addicted age, Miss America 2015 has come a long way since its debut in 1921.  By bringing Miss America into the digital-age, the competition is introducing a whole new generation to the world of serious beauty pageants, a far cry from the Toddler’s and Tiaras and Honey Boo Boo’s of the world.  Catering to the tech-savvy world we are all accustomed to, these instagrammers are bringing live behind-the-scenes snippets to contestants that were almost impossible to capture just a few years ago.  Viewers now know more than ever about the competition and competitors.  Contestants are also now more accessible and relatable than ever, allowing viewers to see not only their competition world but also their lives before and after Miss America.  Miss America 2015 has gone viral, and it looks like the competitions social media presence is here to stay. 

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This Weekend's Box Office Earnings

Guardians of the Galaxy came out on top once again.   The film, which stars Chris Pratt and Zoe Saldana, has remained steady in the number one slot for its fourth straight weekend.  During one of the years slowest weekends, the action-packed sci-fi film, raked in $10.2 million, which is $7 million less than their holiday-weekend earnings.   The latest super hero creation from Marvel has grossed $294 million to date.  Guardians of the Galaxy is the month’s highest-grossing film since The Sixth Sense.  The film is slated to surpass another superhero hit, the original Iron Man, which earned a total of $318 million.

  Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles held tight at number 2, grossing $6.5 million over the weekend.  The crime-fighting turtles alongside Whoopi Goldberg and Megan Fox have managed to pull in $174.6 million to date, proving that cult followers of the nineties cartoon have come out in troves to support the film.

  Romantic drama, If I Stay, remained in third place this weekend, grossing just over $5.7 million, bringing in less than half of what the film earned over last weekend’s holiday movie rush.   The film, which stars 17-year-old Chloe Grace Moretz, chronicles a teen that is stuck in limbo after a fatal car accident leaves her parent’s dead.  She is left to choose between staying with her teenage love and passing on with her parents. 

  The action-comedy, Let’s Be Cops moved up to the number four slot grossing $5.4 million over the weekend.  The movie, which stars New Girl’s Jake Johnson and Damon Wayans Jr., tells the story of two best friends that turn a costume party persona into a wild career. The November Man, starring Pierce Brosnan, best known for his role in the James Bond series, remained in fifth for its second week, with $4.2 million.   Horror film, As Above/So Below, tells the story of the haunted catacombs of Paris.  The gory flick is just a taste of the Halloween-inspired films to come this season.   Falling to the number six spot, the film grossed $3.7 million in its second week.

  Football biopic, When The Game Stands Tall, starring Jim Caviezel, fell to the number seven spot, making $3.7 million.  With the start of the NFL season, it looks like football fans were glued to their T.V. sets this weekend, skipping out on this ‘based-on-a-true-story’ football film.  The film took a major dive from the $8.1 million it grossed over the holiday weekend.

  It was another disappointing weekend for The Giver.  Remaining in the number eight spot, the movie, based on the children’s novel by Lois Lowry, grossed just $3.6 million. 

  The Hundred-Foot Journey, which stars Helen Mirren, continued to fall flat, standing still in the number nine spot.  The film, vigorously promoted by Oprah, seemed to lack the O’s magic touch, raking in just $3.2 million over the weekend. Sci-fi thriller Lucy, starring Scarlett Johansen and Morgan Freeman rounded out the top ten, jumping up a spot from their holiday weekend earnings, grossing $1.9 million. 

  Action-thrillers The Expendables 3, and Frank Miller’s Sin City: A Dame to Kill For had disappointing weekend showings with the latter grossing just over $600 thousand.  But, what proved to be the most disappointing, was the debut showing of the Identical.  The film, starring Ray Liotta and Ashley Judd tells the story of twins separated at birth, destined to live two drastically different lives.  The film debuted in the 11th spot, making just over $1.9 million over the past weekend.

  Without any major openings, the box office was filled with flops, leaving the stars on top, and the underdogs deep in the dust.  Movie’s slowest weekend in two years proved to be just that.