The Shoe Diaries

Photo by PRPhotos.com

Award Show Season continued Wednesday night with the 36^th Annual People’s Choice Awards.  Knowing my love of all things pop culture, you may be surprised to hear I completely forgot to watch!  I was so super excited to catch new episodes of ABC’s Wednesday night comedies that it never even crossed my mind.  Just imagine my disappointment Thursday morning when even the local radio DJ was talking about the show (and more specifically Mariah Carey’s acceptance speech).  Here’s hoping I don’t miss the Golden Globe Awards in a couple weeks!

CBS not only hosted the award show, but picked up some pretty impressive awards for its programming as well.  Alyson Hannigan won in the Favorite TV Comedy Actress category for her work on the show How I Met Your Mother, which airs Monday nights on CBS.  Such a funny show!  She’s certainly come a long way since her time on Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  I will admit I don’t watch her show as often as I would like to, but love catching random reruns on Lifetime.  Big Bang Theory, which won the award for Favorite TV Comedy, is another CBS show I don’t watch as much as I should.  It’s also refreshingly good.

Steve Madden Alisah Pump

Not surprisingly the Twilight franchise and The Proposal both had big nights.  Other award winners included Miley Cyrus, Johnny Depp, Up and Glee.  And what would an award show be without fun parodies and snarky fashion police out in full force.  Whether you loved or hated the night’s star styles, you have to admit it is fun to see who wore what.  Although not everyone agrees, my favorite fashionista was Carrie Underwood.  Her outfit was unique, yet classy.

Nina Elga Shoe

Alyson Hannigan, pictured with her award, also looked striking in her tea-length, strapless, simple-yet-sexy gown.  Wearing such an understated dress allows you the opportunity to play up your accessories, which Alyson took advantage of with her decorated shoes and huge diamond bracelet.  Although I may not be able to get you a good deal on the bling, it’s easy to find a similar t-strap at a reasonable price.  Take a look at the Steve Madden Alisah Pump or the Nina Elga Shoe.  At $89.95 each, you could get both for the price of a similar designer shoe – as in one half of one pair of designer shoes.

Photo by PRPhotos.com

If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again! After an unsuccessful first bid to see New Moon, I finally got into a screening yesterday afternoon. It was awesome! I loved the book, so I’m actually a little surprised I liked the movie as much as I did. Normally, movies based on books just seem to disappoint me. It was nice to be wrong! (If you haven’t seen the movie yet, I suggest skipping to the last paragraph of this post.)

I know leading up to the movie there has been a lot of talk about Team Edward vs. Team Jacob. Even after reading the book, I didn’t get it. The relationships between Bella and the two boys were so different that I just couldn’t grasp the comparison. Obviously Edward was the one for her. After watching the movie, I surprised myself with how much I liked Jacob more than Edward! Maybe it was cinematic magic, maybe it was screen time domination, maybe it was only my mood last night. Either way, I found myself unexpectedly and totally on Team Jacob.

Another pleasant surprise was Dakota Fanning’s (brief) role as Jane. She has certainly grown up since her days in I am Sam and Uptown Girls! (Both excellent movies by the way.) I especially loved her expression when she realized that her powers had no impact on Bella. She is definitely going to be able to make the transition from child to adult actor. So far she has also been able to avoid any major scandals or embarrassments. Here’s hoping she keeps this trend up!

Nina Ulexa Sandal

Dakota is pictured (all grown up!) at the New Moon premier in Los Angeles. Absolutely love the dress – not so sure about the shoes. A better option may have been something similar to the Nina Ulexa Sandal. I really like the texture this shoe would have added to her outfit. It’s pictured in black, but is also available in red or ivory. Any of these color choices would have worked with Dakota’s outfit and fit a little better with the very feminine feel of that gorgeous frock.

Photo by PRPhotos.com

It looks like former Girls Next Door star Kendra Wilkinson has a new football team to root for starting this Monday! Although her husband Hank Baskett was released from the Eagles this week in part to make room for Michael Vick, the couple didn’t have to wait too long for a new job opportunity to come their way.

According to ESPN, the Indianapolis Colts signed Baskett as Peyton Manning’s newest wide receiver, announcing the move yesterday afternoon. The team is in need of more offensive weapons and hopes that Baskett will help to fill this gap.

The change of scene shouldn’t be too hard on Wilkinson. People.com lists many social opportunities to help make the move to Indianapolis a smooth transition for the famous duo. Although the article does mention clubs and a good nightlife, I have a feeling that the pair may have simpler plans in mind. Their first child, a son, is due on Christmas Day.

Moda Spana Querida

Kendra and Hank are pictured at the premier of “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.” (Check out this recent picture of Kendra and her growing baby bump!) I love the simplicity of her outfit for a summer event. Sometimes less really is more. Classic metallic high heels, in this case gold pumps, really do go with nearly any dressy outfit! If you want something similar, but don’t have salaries from Playboy, E! or the NFL, take a look at the Moda Spana Querida Sandal. The same classic look at a classy price.

By now, I’m sure almost everyone out there has heard about what happened to Taylor Swift at the MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday night.  For those of you who may have missed it, Taylor won a moonman for best female video.  While giving her acceptance speech, Kanye West rushed the stage, took her microphone and proceeded to tell the audience that Beyonce should have won the award instead.  It was an incredibly awkward situation that Taylor was able to handle with grace and dignity.

Taylor continued the trend this morning on The View.  She expressed her interest in meeting with Kanye and described her thoughts during the whole ordeal.  As you can imagine it took her a few seconds to figure out what was really going on:

“My overall thought process went something like, ‘Wow, I can’t believe I won. This is awesome. Don’t trip and fall. I’m going to get to thank the fans, this is so cool … Oh, Kanye West is here! Cool haircut! What are you doing there? And then, ouch. And then, I guess I’m not going to thank the fans.’ “  (Taylor Swift, via People.com.)

I’m very impressed by this nineteen-year-old’s ability to handle such an extraordinary situation.  Her attitude and poise truly make her a great role model for other young people to look up to.  She went on to perform one of her hit songs, You Belong with Me, live on an NYC subway train and then the top of a cab.  Under normal circumstances, the performance would have been pretty amazing.  Knowing what she had been through only minutes before makes the whole thing even more incredible.

Jessica Simpson Lizza

Taylor is pictured here in the dress she wore during her performance.  She exchanged the nude pumps she wore during her song for a pair of red high heels.  This is one instance where I love the complete color coordination of her outfit. The red shoes, dress and lips are perfect for an event like the VMAs.  If you want to copy her shoe style, take a look at the Jessica Simpson Lizza Pump. A perfect pump at the perfect price.

As any of you who read my post a few weeks ago probably know, I have been anxiously awaiting the start of the new fall television lineups. Last night, the wait finally ended! Not only did 90210 return with a vengeance, but the newest version of Melrose Place premiered on the CW.

I have to admit it – I didn’t watch the original Melrose Place. I was much more likely to be found watching 7^th Heaven or Blossom. I definitely didn’t know what I was missing. Last night’s premier episode included a murder, blackmail, a proposal and a romantic date complete with a very awkward proposition.

Fergie Turnpike Pump

Ashlee Simpson-Wentz made her return to the small screen as Violet, a new tenant at the Melrose Place apartment complex. I really like Ashlee, and was excited to see her on the cast list for the new series. A few of my friends, however, felt a little differently. Their general consensus was that she wasn’t quite up-to-par with her acting abilities. I thought her character was meant to be a little more timid and awkward. A recent interview with Ashlee seems to support my theory. Did anyone else catch the premier? How did you think she did in her new role?

Rampage Gracie Pump

Ashlee is pictured with two of her co-stars at the Melrose Place Launch Party this past August. Jessica Lucas (left) plays Riley, a seemingly sweet character in a long-term relationship with a hopeful filmmaker played by Michael Rady. Katie Cassidy (right) takes on the role of Ella, a sassy publicist who appears to have a crush on an unavailable friend. All three are shown wearing three versions of the same basic style – the black pump. No one ever said this classic style had to be boring!

Sam & Libby Sangria Sandal

If you’re interested in freshening up your own style, take a look at the Rampage Gracie Pump. It’s very similar to Ashlee’s style shoe – and at $49.95 it won’t ruin your budget! A black strappy sandal similar to Katie’s is available for the same price with the Sam & Libby Sangria Sandal. If you don’t mind spending a little more, the Fergie Turnpike Pump might be very you. It’s a close match to the style worn by Jessica.