Pages

Friday 23 March 2012

Move Over, Red Bull!

As if being known as the most popular coffee brand in North America wasn't enough, Starbucks has decided to raise the bar even higher by launching their own brand of energy drinks. According to a recent article in Huffington Post, the company's brand of drinks called "Refreshers" have already become available to consumers in select markets, coming in three revitalizing flavours: Orange Melon, Raspberry Pomegranate, and Strawberry Lemonade.
Although the concept is very appealing, writers at Huffington Post present the idea that even a company like Starbucks may not be able to keep up with the ever-growing energy drink market. Red Bull is in the process of creating a 0-calorie drink, which may affect Starbucks Refreshers' sales, according to Huffington Post. However, these fruity flavours do sound much more appealing than the awful, bitter taste found in many older brands of energy drinks.Here at Engaging Reality, it is no secret that we are Starbucks addicts. We are personally very excited to start seeing these Refreshers on stands, not only because of the health and price aspects, but we believe that the idea itself is so impressive. By putting a line of energy drinks in a cafĂ© that is frequented by students and young adults, Starbucks is sure to gain an excellent profit off of sales. The drinks are cheap, trendy, and healthy—all of which are elements that will surely boost interest and sales for the product.
Starbucks has also recently launched their first Evolution Fresh Juice store! Check out an article about it in Huffington Post by clicking the link below:

These new drinks come in 12-ounce cans and are only 60 calories! Numbers like that will surely be a selling point for the health-conscious customer. However, what makes these energy drinks different than a traditional shot of espresso? Well, they contain green coffee abstract for a boost of energy without the bitter taste of coffee.

One of the greatest aspects of these new energy drinks is that they are all natural. Rather than mixing a bunch of chemicals to create some sort of magical energy boost, the drinks' creators used the abstract as a healthy alternative. Also, Perez Hilton reported on his website that the drinks are rumored to be set at $1.99 per can which is an amazing deal for us broke University students.

The design of the cans themselves adds appeal to the product, because the bright colors contrasting the traditional Starbucks logo create a visually pleasing outer shell. As I am a Starbucks-loving student myself, I was certainly brought in by the colorful packaging. Not to mention, these Refreshers could be a nice change from the regular order of many customers.



"If anyone was going to innovate in coffee while delivering on an untapped energy and refreshment needing state, it would be Starbucks.” Annie Young-Scrivner, global chief marketing officer for Starbucks and president of Tazo Tea, said in a press release. (Quote provided by Huffington Post).



Keep your eyes open for these 12-ounce cans of energy, as 160,000 Starbucks locations will begin carrying Refreshers by the end of April.

By: Hayley Merchant


 

Thursday 22 March 2012

50s Girl In A Modern World


Doris Mayday is not your typical 23-year-old girl. She captured the eyes of America when she was first seen on TLC’s new show ‘My Crazy Obsession,’ publicizing her infatuation with the 1950s. The episode follows Doris' through her everyday life showing how every aspect of it is surrounded by the 1950s era. Her episode caused so much buzz that just days after its airing, internationally known reporter Anderson Cooper flew her out to New York to have her on his show.
This pinup model was born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada by her two parents, who surrounded her with hot rods and black-and-white movies. Doris spent countless hours with her grandparents, listening to their childhood stories and dressing up in her grandmother’s clothes. 
In an interview with TLC Doris reveals that growing up was hard for her, she was bullied because she was overweight, freckle faced and had a gap between her two front teeth. At just 13-years-old Doris purchased a 50s inspired dress for a school dance that changed her life.
“I had never felt prettier” Doris tells Anderson Cooper in an interview, “I knew that this was how I wanted to look. I wanted to look classy and feminine, I didn’t wanna look like my peers.”
A pinup photographer and good friend of Doris' said that,
"Doris is unique and takes her lifestyle to a whole new level; she's in it full force."
At the age of 16 Doris, whose birth name is Ashley, joined a roller derby team. She showed up to the first practice wearing fake eyelashes and had pin-curled hair, realizing that the name 'Ashley' wasn't a suitable name for a derby girl, she came up with Doris Mayday, after the famous actress and singer Doris Day, from then on the name stuck.
           Doris began modelling at the age of 21. In 2009 she was judging a pinup modeling contest when she was asked by the head of Bettie Page Clothing to be a model for their company. Doris then went on from being a model to becoming the manager of the Bettie Page Clothing store in the Mall of America in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where she now lives with her boyfriend Dylan. 
           Doris is a collector of anything vintage, her home is filled with vintage goodies that go back all the way to the 1930s- her couch, TV, kitchen table and even the curtains are all vintage pieces that she has collected over the years. Doris does her best to avoid any modern conveniences and has even hired a personal etiquette coach to ensure that she behaves like the perfect, put together woman of the 1950s.
When asked by Anderson,“why the 50s” Doris replied with,
“I don’t like my generation. I don’t like their music, I don’t like the way they treat people and I don’t like the way they dress.”
          I contacted Doris hoping to ask her some questions about a MySpace blog post of hers from February 2007, but she was unable to get back to me.  In the post she vents about a group of girls who glared and stared at her because of the way that she was dressed. Doris goes on to state that,
“Corsets, heels, stockings, satin gloves, tight dresses and divine accessories are things that embrace your [womanhood]… and make you OH SO POWERFUL.”
She professes that it is unsettling to her that ladies choose to “hold grudges, talk shit and just be flat out rude to our own gender [when] we don’t even know each other."
I would have liked to asked Doris how she deals with the “glares and stares” now and what she would say to women out there who are being bullied because they choose to dress a certain way that is different from the ‘ideal image"of the twenty-first century.

-Keltyn

Want more from Doris? Here are her links!

Some clips from her 'My Crazy Obsession' and 'Anderson' episodes:
                                                      






RUMOR MILL: IS SNOOKI PREGNANT?


RUMOR STATUS: CONFIRMED!

After weeks of rumors spreading like wildfire about Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi’s newly discovered pregnancy, the Jersey Shore reality star finally confirmed the story exclusively to US Weekly (on stands March 7th, 2012).

“OMG! I’M PREGNANT!” was the headline of the story, followed by an interview between US Weekly and Nicole. The father of her guidette-to-be and boyfriend of a year and a half, Jionni LaValle, was also able to take part in the interview, mentioning to the magazine’s staff that the couple is also newly engaged!

“We’re not going to screw this up.” LaValle said, when asked about the couple’s plans for the baby. Snooki chimed in, adding that although she has definitely been known for her crazy antics and reckless behavior, her priorities have changed after receiving the great news.

“I don’t care what anyone else says, as long as I know I’m ready and he’s ready.” Polizzi confidently told US Weekly with her signature display of Jersey-attitude.

US Weekly reported that since the couple learned about the pregnancy shortly after New Years Eve, they admitted that they were worried for a little while. Polizzi mentioned that she had been drinking quite heavily that night, so her baby’s health was definitely concern for her.

All worries aside, Polizzi and LaValle are overjoyed about the pregnancy as well as their engagement. Snooks even took a moment to Tweet to her fans, thanking them for their support.

“Thanks to all my fans for the congrats!! I love you all.” This tweet most definitely confirmed the rumors, as it came from Snooki herself.

Here at Engaging Reality, we believe that Snooks might even turn out to be a good mother. Believe it or not, the party girl’s crazy antics could prove to be very beneficial towards mothering her child.

No, we don’t mean Snooki will be switching the mini-meatball’s formula with some of Ronnie’s “special” smoothies, we mean that her body is basically ready for the intense life of motherhood.

For example, the fact that Polizzi can keep partying from night until well into the next morning, waking up to help her crying baby at 2 in the morning should not be a problem! Not to mention, although she may be a crazy drama queen, Snooki always puts her family and friends first. No one in their right mind should even try getting in the way of her and her child.

Also, even though we pray that Snooki Jr. won’t come out of the womb with a mini-hair pouf, we do know that the couple’s baby is going to be one stylish newborn. We are sure that Snooks and LaValle are going to spoil that child rotten.

All jokes and worries aside, Polizzi and Jionni definitely have their work cut out for them. How many guidos does it take to change a diaper? We will just have to wait and see.

Here at Engaging Reality, we give our most sincere congratulations to the happy couple.

MEATBALL POWER.

By: Hayley Merchant 

Monday 12 March 2012

Concert Review: Up and Coming Rapper Blows The Roof Off Of E.E.C





At Edmonton Events Center on Friday March 9.

              19 year-old Malcolm "Mac Miller" McCormick has taken the nation by storm since recording his first songs in the Fall of 2007. The Pittsburgh rapper basically owes his fame to the buzz created by his online audience, with his Youtube videos exceeding well over 15 million views each, and selling over a million singles with barely any radio play. Back in 2010, Miller signed with Rostrum Records and on November 8, 2011 he released his debut album Blue Slide Park, which made it onto the Billboard 200 list in the first week, making Mac Miller the first independent artist in 16 years to have made number one on the charts.
 Adoring fans, young and old, scurried inside the Edmonton Events Center to find a simple stage set containing two light posts and a DJ booth with a home-made looking sign that read, "Blue Slide Park.” The basic set kept the attention solely on Miller and his long time friend and the Assistant Manager at Rostrum Records, Quentin or "Q" for short. Q provided the back up vocals for the night and emanated pure energy that flowed out into the crowd of 1800 people from the ages of 12 to 35.
Miller came on stage wearing a black hoodie, jeans, white and black running shoes, sunglasses and his signature backwards hat. The show went on for about an hour and 15 minutes transitioning between his hit songs and some free style raps in between. “Knock, Knock,” Miller’s first single with Rostrum Records was the high point to the show (A video of the live song can be found below). Before the song was played he hinted at what song he was going to play next by holding his microphone in the air and knocking his fist against it; the crowd went wild and sang along with great enthusiasm.  
It was clearly evident that Miller felt completely at home on stage and delivered Lady Gaga type inspirational messages every once in a while. One that stuck out in my mind was when he was encouraging his fans to, “just sing if you wanna sing- it don’t mean anything if you’re bad."  When you didn’t think the audiences’ spirits could be lifted any higher, the above phrase caused the audience to somehow sing every song for the rest of the show as loud as they could. Miller was also sure to emphasize the fact that he too was just another kid pursuing his dreams, doing what he loves and working hard. He continued to encourage those who worked, went to school or studied all week wishing them luck and happiness and repeated the famous lyrics "Were just some mother-bleeping-kids" from his hit song, "Kool Aid & Frozen Pizza."
Miller wasn’t afraid to get intimate with his fans, he was completely comfortable with slowing it down a little and dedicating one of his songs to his mom and thanking his fans for all of their support, without them and their ability to share his videos and songs on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and Tumblr, Miller surely would not be where he is today.
This was Miller's second time playing at the Edmonton Events Center and he will without a doubt he will be returning to see his devoted Albertan fans once again.


-Keltyn Marshall
This video contains coarse language, viewer discretion is advised


 
Powered by Blogger