My best friend also just so happens to be my sister and our hot sunny Florida beach days, have now turned into cold blustery New York City days. Some of the best moments of living together in the Big Apple include: sharing clothes and cooking our father’s authentic Italian recipes.  Whenever we are out and about, people always mistake us for twins, even though she is four and a half years older! Guess who they think is the older one? Me! That’s how it has been since I was only 16!

My favorite part about living with my best friend is that I get to hear her music, which is so amazing! Ever since I can remember, Lauren was always singing around the house while we were growing up. She had her first big “break” at the age of 16 when she won Ed McMahon’s Star Search. At first I thought that I wanted to follow in her footsteps, but then decided to go a different route, and now my goal is to promote her as a professional singer and entertainer. Since the two of us are best friends, so far this has turned out to be a perfect combination!

I’m extremely proud to say that Lauren has performed at Carnegie Hall three different times and most recently she can be seen on the world tour with Yanni as his featured soloist. She sang at Radio City Music Hall last spring, and will be coming back to New York City for the 2012 spring tour.

You can view tickets here, but in case you’re unable to attend, be sure to check out the PBS special of the concert airing on March 3^rd! Click here to view her Facebook, Twitter, Youtube , Website and Myspace.

-Kellie

I was lucky enough to tag along with Chad, our office manager, to a taping of the Late Show with David Letterman this past week. He scored tickets due to his love for the band, The Joy Formidable. Having attended multiple concerts with Chad, I knew this would be a great experience. And I was right! Even though we were in a slight car accident on the cab ride over, it was quickly forgotten when we realized we were among the VIP. After we were ushered into our prime seats, Dave came out and thanked everyone for coming. It made me realize why everyone should attend a taping.

So, in typical Late Show fashion, here are my Top 10 reasons to attend a taping of the Late Night Show with David Letterman …

10. It’s free!

9. The warm up comedian and house band are awesome

8.  Dave makes you feel like you’re a part of the show

7. The behind the scene action. There are producers, sound guys and even someone to buff the floors between guests!

6. “Even if the jokes not funny, it’s hilarious tonight!”

5. Sitting in Ed Sullivan Theater, the site of the first U.S. performance by the Beatles

4. For New Yorkers, it’s a nice break from the craziness of the city or a fun place to take your out of town guests

3. “Laugh now, think later!”

2. You get to be up close to some of your favorite celebrities

And the number one reason to attend a David Letterman taping…

1. You might get the chance to meet your favorite band!

-Cassie

Well, San Diego Comic-Con 2011 (SDCC) has come and gone, and what a whirlwind it was! In case you don’t know, SDCC is the biggest, the baddest, and the most awesome comic convention in the whole wide world. Over the years, what once started as a small gathering of comic book fans, has now transformed into arguably the biggest entertainment news event of the calendar year. A Mecca for media, SDCC is the place where the stars shine, secrets are revealed, and hundreds of parties rage.

Between the cosplay ("costume play" - check out Darth Mario!), exclusive toys (I’m partial to Hasbro’s Marvel Mini Muggs Avengers Pack, obviously - see above) and panels upon panels upon panels, there is a never-ending amount of super-sweet nerdery to check out. When my team got back, they said Hall H is just about the size of four football fields, filled with anything and everything related to your favorite TV shows, movies, comics, toys, games and everything in between. Basically, if you can’t find it at SDCC, well, then you’re out of luck my friend. Not really – I guess that’s why they invented the Internet.

Although I didn’t make it out to San Diego this year, I am really looking forward to the not-to-be-neglected New York Comic Con (NYCC), hitting the Big Apple this October. Firstly, I can take a subway home (#winning). Secondly, it’s exciting to see the progress NYCC will have made from last year. NYCC is the smaller and not-as-popular-but-still-kind-of-popular cousin of SDCC. Please don't misinterpret - NYCC has most certainly blossomed into a robust and recognized event as well, and is going to be PACKED with geeky goodies, literally, for days. Who knows what lies in store for NYCC, and I cannot wait to find out!

Let your geek flag fly!

-Danny

On Monday, America will celebrate its 235^th birthday and people all across the country will celebrate in many different ways. Coming from the suburbs of NYC, there are a few activities I generally associate with the celebration of the Fourth of July.

1. Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest

I’ve never actually watched people eat as many hot dogs as possible in ten minutes; each year many television stations cover this annual event. This year, fan favorite Joey Chestnut returns in the hopes of winning the Mustard Belt for the fifth time.

2. Fireworks

What’s a national holiday celebration in the summer without some fireworks? Known for its Thanksgiving Day Parade, Macy’s also puts on a star-studded fireworks show. This year includes performances from Beyoncé and Brad Paisley and will be hosted by Nick Lachey.

3. Barbeque

The smell of grills going on this holiday weekend is common no matter where you are. Whether you’re at home or in the park, invite some friends and family to partake in some burgers, hot dogs, and whatever you like to throw on the grill.

This weekend I will be barbequing with my family and enjoying the fireworks with friends on the Hudson.

- Brittany

The 38^th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards was broadcast live from The Las Vegas Hilton last night on CBS.  For me, this year’s telecast had a special place in my heart because I was not only a viewer, but I was a judge!

As a member of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) for more than five years, I had the privilege to judge an assigned category for this year’s Emmys.  As a first-time judge, I found the most fascinating aspect of the process was watching the provided programming back to back and really seeing the difference in content and production quality.

Another great moment was watching friends and colleagues accept their hard-earned statues on stage.  A big shout out to Alissa Cote from Ellen and Terence Noonan from Dr. Oz – you both looked stunning! I’m not sure if you saw me waving and jumping up and down with you … but I was!

All and all, the evening was a success with Dr. Oz and Live With Regis and Kelly ruling the talk show categories.  The cancellation of two ABC soaps, All My Children and One Life To Live, remained an ongoing theme and Gladys Knight performed and paid tribute to the Queen of Daytime, Oprah Winfrey. For a full list of nominees and winners, visit http://www.emmyonline.org/.

- Samantha

It’s a little known fact around here that I’ve always had a can-do attitude toward crafty do-it-yourself projects (not to mention an inexplicable affinity for glitter which goes hand in hand with said crafting). For these techniques, I mostly credit my mom’s penchant for ‘weekend art projects’ and Martha Stewart’s omni-media presence.

Lately, my Martha intake has increased ten-fold thanks to Twitter. With 2,162,682 followers, Martha Stewart is one of the most popular celebrities on Twitter and in following @MarthaStewart, I’m privy to Martha’s thoughts, TwitPics, whims, questions and contests, the latter of which I recently won.

What was my prize you ask? It wasn’t her latest Easter Egg Dying iPhone App, nor was it a subscription to one of her fabulous magazines, it was a VIP invite to attend a live taping of Martha’s Sirus XM Radio show. Her guest? The ‘tastemaker of technology’ and Tri-Founder of Twitter, Mr. Biz Stone.

With my iPhone charged, a front row seat and my trending hashtag ready (#MarthaBiz), I was able to live-Tweet the entire event along with the rest of the listening world. Below, I’ve compiled some of my favorite Tweets from the interview, Tweenjoy!

Fun fact: @biz 's real name is Christopher Isaac Stone. #MarthaBiz "my mother used to tell people it's short for Elizabeth."

"We'll always keep Twitter totally free." @biz #MarthaBiz

"We don't monitor content or screen Tweets but we do have policies in effect re: violence" - @biz (paraphrased) #MarthaBiz

"I make pocket Tweets and butt Tweets all the time." - @MarthaStewart #MarthaBiz

"Having a lot of followers doesn't necessarily affect influence." -@biz #MarthaBiz

"The constraint (140 char) breeds creativity in Tweets." - @biz #MarthaBiz

"...And you could use a little haircut." @MarthaStewart to @biz #MarthaBiz

@Jenna_Galloway

Is it just me or has the Charlie Sheen story jumped the shark?  Coming from someone who typically can’t get enough of entertainment news, I find myself desperately channel (and web) surfing to find out about the power struggle in Egypt or how the current crisis in Libya is unfolding.  At first, I found Charlie Sheen’s rants amusing, borderline psychotic (ok, perhaps full on psychosis) but, most recently with a current custody battle involved, disturbing.  It’s a train wreck and I want to look away which leads me to my question of the day – has news become entertainment or is entertainment news?

I can’t argue that Charlie Sheen is not news, but when my news programs devote more time and space to Warner Brother’s firing of Charlie Sheen versus the innocent civilians fighting for democracy and losing their lives in Libya, I question the state of news in America.  I am not sure the media is “#winning.”

Joanne

It seems that everything in New York has its own week – Fashion Week, Restaurant Week among others. So why should the ever-developing field of social media not have its own designated seven days?

 New York wasn’t the only city that jumped on the bandwagon. February 7th-11th was designated Social Media Week in more than nine cities including Rome, Hong Kong, Istanbul and more. This global event was attended by 30,000 people.

This conference is overarching, covering almost every aspect of technology and emerging trends by presenting panel discussions on a variety of social media subjects. Due to my responsibilities with the entertainment department here at Hunter Public Relations, I decided to check out a panel called “Celebrity Spokespeople in the Digital Age.”

Moderated by Kate White, editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan, the panel featured participants like actress Denise Richards and bloggers Rob Shuter (PopEater) and Bryanboy (Bryanboy.com, fashion). The discussion shed some insight on how to leverage celebrities, who themselves have become brands. Outlets like Twitter provide stars with a direct channel to engage with their fans to promote their projects, charitable initiatives and their own public image.

The panel gave the example of the Kardashians, specifically Kim Kardashian.  According to The Hollywood Reporter the clan brought in over $65 million dollars last year, all because of their smart branding. The family has a collective 13 million Twitter followers which Kim Kardashian took advantage of during the designing and launching of her fragrance. She gave her fans a direct say in her product by posting two options for her perfume packaging and let them decide which one would be produced. Check out the panel to learn more!

Although Social Media Week may be over, don’t fret! Thanks to LiveStream.com, you can check out many of the over 200 events and panels online. Happy browsing!

Paulina

Those who know me know I am a music fanatic.  I enjoy staying on top of trends in the industry, traveling to festivals throughout the year and accidentally distracting coworkers with the level of volume on my iTunes (yes, even on my headphones).  When the time came for me to submit my Hunter Public Relations blog entry, I thought it’d be fitting to share the top five live acts I have seen thus far in 2010.  If you don’t know these bands or have the opportunity to see them live, I highly recommend you do so… Without further ado:

1. The Black Keys – Central Park Summerstage/Terminal 5, NYC

My friends and I decided to embark on a journey to see the boys from Akron, OH twice in one night.  Many thought this was a silly endeavor, but it turned out to be the best show(s) I have seen this year.

2. Jay Z – Coachella, CA

Jay Z was a headliner at the Coachella music festival this spring and put on quite a show.  The highlight – his wife, Beyonce Knowles, joining him onstage to sing “Young Forever.”

3. The Strokes – Outside Lands, CA

Despite not having toured together in a number of years – these New York City boys are still as incredible as ever.

4. Vampire Weekend – Coachella, CA

Vampire Weekend’s music is lively and fun to dance to – when we checked them out at Coachella, we broke out some serious swimming dance moves!

5. LCD Soundsystem – Terminal 5, NYC

I had the opportunity to see LCD Soundsystem during their five-night stint in NYC.  The entire room vibrated from the number of people dancing and they’re rendition of “New York I Love You” was one of the most memorable performances of the year.

Rock On!

Christine

We just returned from our annual Hunter Public Relations off-site staff training where we learned not only new brainstorming techniques, but also some killer dance moves as part of Hunter PR’s first ever “So You Think You’ve Got Talent® To Be Hunter PR’s Best Dance Crew Idol®” competition.

Three professional dancers joined us as judges and were pretty impressed with Hunter PR’s dance skills.  After 12 crews took the stage, the judges announced the winners: “Crew Formerly Known As the Westsiders.”

I asked Jamie, Mel, Melissa, Rebecca and Valerie about how it feels to be the “So You Think You’ve Got Talent® To Be Hunter PR’s Best Dance Crew Idol®”:

What was the concept behind your dance?

Mel: “The running joke is that Hunter PR is finally ‘legal,’ as we just celebrated the agency’s 21^st birthday.  We knew in developing a concept for our dance that we wanted to pay tribute to our younger years, while also highlighting our more ‘adult’ nature now that we are 21.  So, we decided on a compilation of traditional kid songs that have been turned into more adult versions.  Our playlist went something like this:

- Kids song ‘If You’re Happy and You Know It’ into Crazy Le’ggs’ adult version

- Kid song ‘London Bridge’ into Fergie’s pop version of ‘London Bridge’

- Kid song ‘Happy Birthday’ into ‘Happy and U Know It’ by uber-adult artist Uncle Luke

 We danced very child-like during the kid song portions and we ‘broke it down’ on the more adult versions of each song.  At the end of the dance, we took off our matching jackets to reveal L-E-G-A-L spelled out on our tank tops.”

What did you do with the prize?

Jamie:  “I put it toward my honeymoon I just booked to Australia and New Zealand!”

Mel:  “I booked a last minute trip (as in the night before?!) to South Florida for Labor Day!”

Melissa:  “Since I left my husband without dinner several nights due to rehearsals, I used the prize winnings for our anniversary dinner.” 

Rebecca: “I splurged and spent the money on a new purse during a trip to Paris the following week.”

Valerie:  “I put it right into the vacation fund for my upcoming trip to Europe—I’ll splurge on a nice dinner!”

Julie