What was the 1st Annual ATX TV Festival? It was a 48 hour festival celebrating tv! The coolest part was the access! The stars just hung out wtih everyone (I didn't have any special access/badge)
Seriously...if you are a tv fan...follow www.twitter.com/atxfestival to see who and what they have coming next!
Friday Night
On the red carpet - Scott Wolf for his new show Kaijudo:Rise of the Duel Masters. I swear he has not aged since Party of Five!
Scott Porter - Played Jason Street on Friday Night Lights...and currently playing George Tucker in Hart of Dixie.
Judy Greer - The voice of Cheryl in Archer. She also is in basically every movie ever made.
Life Unexpected stars: Shiri Appleby - Britt Robertson - and Arielle Kebbel
Do you ever watch Royal Pains on USA? That is Divya!
Later that night...during the after party we got to watch Mae Whitman from Parenthood sing with her boyfriend Landon Pigg
Then after dancing with fans...fellow Parenthood cast member Jason Ritter joined the fun too!
I also grabbed Michael B Jordan from Friday Night Lights and Parenthood.
He is so good looking!
Saturday
First I had to moderate a screening of The League, The new Nick Kroll Comedy Show, Archer, and New Girl. Paul Scheer, Nick Kroll, Judy Greer, and David Wain were in attendance.
**Fun tidbit - Judy Greer shot a pilot for ABC this year. They had an hour and a half meeting about her hair. ha.
Then I moderated a screeing of the new TBS Show starting this summer called, Sullivan and Son. The show stars comedian Steve Byrne.
Producing the show is Peter Billingsley. You might remember him as the kid in A Christmas Story. He is also Vince Vaughn's producing partner. They did the movies The Break Up and Iron Man.
Then I headed to the TBS panel featuring Bill Lawrence (creator of Spin City, Scrubs, and Cougar Town) This was a love fest of tv.
I took pics with Ian Gomez from Cougar Town...remember when he was Javier on Felicity!
Brian Van Holt plays Bobby on Cougar Town
Sunday
Parenthood screeing and Q&A!!!!!
Dax Shepard, Mae Whitman, and Jason Ritter representing!
I am obsessed with these new earrings from Kendra Scott. Obsessed.
They finally debuted in stores yesterday....and now the big debate is which color and size to get. (They come in large and small)
Pair these earrings with any outfit....and you will make a statement.
So since I got my dog black lab Jet, I am really into making sure he is the cutest dog in the dog park. (I know...so silly)
As a new dog owner I have quickly learned that collars get smelly and dirty quick. That is why I quickly grabbed a waterproof collar from the new Polka Dot Bakery line at Target.
Jet is now totally rocking the 80s lifeguarder look!
The line also has some great packable water/food bowls great for summer adventures!
If you are into Pinterest, Etsy, or DIY crafts then take some time to check out the Renegade Craft Fair this weekend at the Palmer Events Center!
Details
Saturday and Sunday *5/19 - 5/20
11am - 7pm
The event is FREE!!!
This is not your typical "craft/art" fair/bazaar with the guy selling soup in a bag/dips etc. The Renegade Craft Fair supports indie craft makers. Expect a lot of handmade jewelry, crafts, prints, cards, pillows, etc.
Grab your girlfriends and go shopping! This is truly a place where you can find some special one of a kind stuff.
Favorite trend of the summer = Neon Shorts!
I normally hate wearing shorts (I hate my legs)...but I feel like the in your face neon-ness draws attention away from the legs?
Also...I just can't say no to neon pink.
Austin Food and Wine Festival was in town over the weekend. I would have LOVED to attend, but the prices were a bit steep for me at $850 a pass. Luckily I have a old friend that had a hook up with Cuvee Coffee from Smithville and he invited me to a dessert tasting at the Hotel St. Cecilia Friday night.
Cassiday was my date and we literally had NO idea what to expect. No idea.
A fancy night calls for a fancy dinner at 2nd Bar + Kitchen. The patio is great...and the menu changes often. I crave their Gin and Jam drink often (a gin cocktail with a big spoonful...spoon included...of jam on top.) We shared Bacon and Eggs, Roasted Clams, and Salt and Pepper Ahi. Check out the menu here for full descriptions.
On to the main event!
As we pulled up to the Hotel St. Cecilia Cassiday grabbed my arm, "I think I just saw Andrew Zimmern walk into the event." WHAT! Yes!!!!
To make a long story short. We somehow ended up at a very private event with all the celeb chefs in town for the festival.
I have no idea why we were allowed to be at this event, but it happened. Pinch me.
Andrew Zimmern of Bizzare Foods on The Travel Channel. Super nice guy...who also has a background in radio! If you are a fan...he has a new podcast called, "Go Fork Yourself."
Christina Tosi (2nd from the left) is the superstar lady behind Momofuko Milk Bar in NYC. If you are travlening to NYC anytime soon...you must go for some cake truffles!
There were quite a few notables from Top Chef! We saw Top Chef judge Gail Simmons and Top Chef Texas runner up Sarah Grueneberg. From Top Chef Masters we saw Tony Mantuano (on the right) of Spiaggia in Chicago and Jonathan Waxman of Barbuto in NYC.
Email from Vickie:
I want to get a new handbag. Any suggestions? Are u seeing any new styles for spring??? $100 maximum limit!
Solution:
I think the best place to start looking is www.Piperlime.com. They have a great section on their website called, "Girl on a Budget." The section includes the season's hot handbags under $100. Here are a few purses featured on the site from the always affordable brands Big Buddha and Melie Bianco.
(Also...just check out the Big Buddha website...they ALWAYS have tons of cute trendy bags under $100.) Click here.
I am obsessed with all of the new fun places popping up in Austin! Today my friend Lindsey and I met for a ladies lunch at the newly opened Hillside Farmacy on East 11th!
I loved this place even before I tried it! It is perfect for a ladies lunch! They also have a dinner menu and a raw bar...so I am thinking this could be a really fun date place as well.
Lunch was affordable...the place was packed in a good way...and the food was really good. I can't wait to go back! (They also have a room with a big table that can accomodate private parties...always good to know)
Here is a really cool article about the history of the place. Click here to read.
There are some amazing looking pastries, desserts, meats, and cheeses in these cases!
Hilside Farmacy is also a mini grocery store with things like local jams and mixes on the shelves surrounding you as you eat!
Even the details like the salt and pepper shakers were cute!
My friend had the Mac and Cheese and the Thank You Sandwich (roasted chicken, smoked mozzarella and strawberry orange jam)...both super tasty. I know this because she shared. What a good friend!
I tried a small plate called, "The House Gravlax." I had to aske the waitress what that meant... turned out to be smoked salmon!
Hillside Farmacy also has an afternoon tea for $20! How much fun would that be with a group of girls! Sign me up!
Since the menus are not online yet...I snapped some blurry/bad pics of the menu!
I am so excited that the documentary Buck is available on Netflix Streaming!
Buck is a movie about horseman Buck Brannaman who is a real life horse whisperer.
Buck won the audience award at the Sundance Film Festival this year.
I could go on and on…but I simply loved this movie when I saw it at The Violet Crown. I loved the scenery, I loved the horses, and I loved the story. Watch the trailer and see for yourself!
