Winchester’s Pizza in Piazza is offering a savings card where customers earn 10 percent with every purchase. Each time you hit the $250 mark, a $25 rewards card is automatically sent to you in the mail. Plus, Pizza in Piazza will pick up the Massachusetts Meal Tax on Sundays for the rest of the year. That’s 6.25 percent off, and although we may not be mathematicians we know that’s significant.

Stop in and fill out the application form, give it to the server and receive a card in the mail within two weeks. Every time the card is used the balance of savings is printed on the receipt so tracking is also manageable. The place is owned by Donato Frattaroli and operated in the back of Ristorante Lucia, 11 Mount Vernon St. in Winchester. It’s in the family family as Lucia on Hanover Street in the North End.

The offerings at this casual place include, of course, pizza but also traditional Italian trattoria. Chef Nando Gentile says the, “goal is to be a good neighbor and not only provide a fabulous meal at a fair price. We hope to be a once-a-week, cost-effective destination.”

The place opened at the end of this summer, and amidst the current economic situation the prices and this savings program are innovative ways to become well known in the community indeed. Serving lunch and dinner seven days a week, from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., the place also has a full take-out menu and party platters. So go ahead, rent your Zipcar and venture into the ‘burbs. Boston has even more to offer at its outskirts.

The folks at Radius and Via Matta restaurants — co-owned by Boston’s successful restaurant business trio: Chef Michael Schlow, Christopher Myers and Esti Parsons — created special dishes that include the little green and round veggie. However, the chefs knew exactly how to serve it so that nobody would throw fits over eating this legume.

The Swordfish with fresh beans, cippolini agro dolce and pea greens, served at lunch only at Via Matta, 79 Park Plaza, is unique and delicious. The fish is grilled with fresh rosemary, thyme and chili flakes, while the fresh, green beans and yellow wax beans, with cippolini are roasted with sherry vinegar and honey. The mixture of bitter and sweet plays very well with the fish without overwhelming the palette. As if the dish were not good enough already, visitors take pleasure in knowing that the pea greens are a locally grown product from Eva’s Garden in Dartmouth, Mass.

If you’re looking for dinner, Radius’ Spring Dug Parsnip Soup is the dish to try. The parsnips for the soup are peeled and cooked down in milk with just a touch of butter and a sachet of thyme and black peppercorns. Afterwards this is pureed and seasoned with salt and a little sherry vinegar.

There is a warm salad in the bowl consisting of blanched English peas and a dice of roasted parsnip dressed with champagne vinegar and chives. Under the salad is a nest of Eva’s Garden pea greens and on top of these are crispy parsnips that are julienned and fried. In the bowl there is also s quenelle of English pea ice cream. The parsnip soup is poured over ingredients in bowl tableside. The presentation, and the taste, will impress you equally.

The ideas for such dishes come from Matthew Audette, Radius’ chef de cuisine, who provides delicious, high-spirited and inventive cuisine. Audette has appreciated food since childhood, growing up in Douglas, where butchering Thanksgiving turkeys was a family tradition. Raised on a farm, with produce grown and eaten fresh everyday, the chef never entered a grocery store until he was into his teens. His degree from Johnson and Wales, together with an appreciation for organic, fresh, ingredients made Audette into a skilled chef.

All-together a local chef, using local ingredients, makes for a great local restaurant menu. Make sure you get a reservation and also remember to try both restaurants for cocktail hour. Both places have a high-end atmosphere and affordable drink lists. Visit www.radiusrestaurant.com or www.viamattarestaurant.com for more details and contact information.

Kardashian teamed up with LegalZoom founders, Robert Shapiro and Brian Lee, to deliver clientele trendy, affordable shoes every month. ShoeDazzle.com taps into the expertise of Hollywood stylists who recommend shoes for customers based on people’s fashion personality as determined by the site’s “style sensibility questionnaire.” The site offers a highly personalized shopping experience at the affordable price of $39 per pair, including shipping.

To learn more about the site, and of course about the shoes, Ms. Kardashian herself, Co-Founder and Chief Fashion Stylist, spoke to Blast about the endeavor.

Blast: In knowing that you have very good fashion instincts but also high fashion taste, what led you to create a site that offered fashionable but most importantly, affordable foot wear?

KIM KARDASHIAN: I love high fashion but am equally a fan of stores like H&M and Forever 21; so looking good doesn’t always mean you have to spend a million bucks. I started ShoeDazzle because I know that all women love shoes, and with the economy the way it is right now, some people feel like they have to forgo fashion trends because they don’t have the means to buy the styles they want.

BLAST: You wear great outfits and have experience with clothes, why focus on shoes; and, is there a plan to expand on this idea to introduce new items?

KK: ShoeDazzle.com gives women a way to wear their favorite trends, and have a Hollywood stylist choose shoes for them for $39. It can’t get much better than that. I already have the clothing store I share with my sisters, DASH, and my closet re-organizing business. It just seemed like a natural fit to add shoes into the mix-especially because I love them so much.

BLAST: Where did the concept to create a “quiz” where women can tell their preferences and then be updated on what is in stock for them via e-mails come from?

KK: We knew that in order to provide custom shoe choices for each member we were going to have to find out more about the member and her individual style. What better way to do it than with a quiz? To me, the style sensibility quiz on the site is sort of a mix between a questionnaire on a dating site and one of those entertaining quizzes in women’s magazines. The mix of the two allows us to find out about each customer while also keeping it brief and fun to take.

BLAST: What do you hope customers will enjoy the most from your new business?

KK: For me, the best part of ShoeDazzle.com is the personal shopping experience and the chance to be paired with a Hollywood stylist that picks shoes for you. That is a service that can cost hundreds of dollars and something that most women just don’t have access to.

BLAST: How has the relationship with your partners made the product better?

KK: I’ve known Bob Shapiro for a long time. He’s a close family friend and a really smart guy, which makes him wonderful to work with. And the fact that he and Brian Lee, our other partner, had such success with the Legal Zoom concept made me feel confident that they knew how to bring the right technical experience to make ShoeDazzle work the best it could.

BLAST: Why would you recommend your site and what would be the one piece of advice you give to costumers who are putting together an outfit?

KK: I’d recommend ShoeDazzle because everyone woman deserves some personalized attention when it comes to shopping, and hey, you can never have to many shoes. And this way, you have a new pair of trendy shoes every month of the year and you are always looking updated and stylish when you go out! My advice to customers looking to put together a great outfit? Shoes make the outfit! They are the best accessory.

—

“I realize that not every woman has the opportunity to shop on Rodeo Drive or Madison Avenue, but I still think that every woman deserves A-list treatment,” she added. “That is why I partnered with some of the smartest men I know to develop a shopping forum that is not only convenient to use but that also offers styles I would wear myself.”

After launching March 19, ShoeDazzle opened its services exclusively to 5,000 charter members. Those wanting to join the “society” after the initial 5,000 members will be added to a waiting list and will be notified as soon as additional memberships become available.

Shapiro and Lee founded LegalZoom.com together in 2001. It’s an affordable at-home online legal document preparation service site. They’ve taken their extensive web experience and fused it with Kardashian’s spot-on fashion sense to create a simplified and personalized shopping experience for every ShoeDazzle member.

“ShoeDazzle is the right business at the right time. Women love shoes and want to look great but they demand value,” said Lee. “At ShoeDazzle, we cater to our members’ needs and desires by leveraging our talented team of fashion experts, led by Kim, to choose gorgeous shoes and to offer them at an incredible price.”

After too many complaints Berner decided to take things into her own hands and literally make her own bra. As a self taught designer who created plus size clothing and wear-anywhere gym clothes, she began researching and testing materials that felt good and worked on her body. Berner created a pattern and later sewed everything on her own to get a Franken-bra that looked awful, but worked magically.

“The prototype looked horrible but it worked,” said Berner. “I didn’t want to sell it but then my mom wanted one, and my girlfriends wanted one because the way we looked in our clothes and felt was amazingly different. I realized other women were probably looking for something like this too and I could bring a good bra to them.”

After discussing it with her husband and figuring out who else could do the sewing, Berner tweaked  her designs and set off to found her company Shapeez and sell the Unbelievabra.

“We patented it and put a website for it and had 1,000 people signed up before there even was a product to sell,” said Berner. “We got a factory to make it and the product took a life of its own. We promoted online first and sold everything there. Now we’re in about 85 stores in Canada and 60 stores in the US.”

When the business launched in 2008, a total of 13,000 bras were sold. But in the first three months of 2009, Berner has  already sold about 6,000 pieces. Averaging sales of 700 bras per month while trying to manage a customer-centered business has become an exciting experience.

“I didn’t want to go to major retailers because I wanted this to have a customer relationship. The people that sell the bra are trained in how to measure and our techniques are different from other bras so we didn’t want to go into big department stores for that reason,” said Berner. “Our product needs to be carefully attended to. We don’t want to be a spanx or be in every single store, we want to keep it slightly manageable and be able to incorporate me and not loose touch with our customers.”

Though the idea  is to keep the business as grassroots as possible, some big names have gotten their hands on the little bra that could. Makeup artist Bobbi Brown, as well as actresses Mary McCormack, star of USA’s In Plain Sight, and Lesley Ann Warren, of Will & Grace, own the undergarment. And because the bra’s design eliminates all visible bra lines or back bulges and comfortably provides superior breast support, the product might not be able to stay under the radar for too long.

Berner assures the attention won’t go to her head, though.

“You know what it is? My ego is not invested in this at all,” said Berner. “I looked at this as my baby, like when my kids do really well I love to see it but I can’t say ‘I did that.’ I am proud of my product so I don’t look like it is just me succeeding, I am happy that I help women, something I created is helping them, but we women have to stick together and help each other and since I was a little girl my whole being was about making other women feel better.”

The torso-length Ultimate bra, $85, cropped-length Shortee, $75, and midriff mini, $75, are available in nude and black. Made with a breathable cool-tex microfiber that doesn’t bulge, the most amazing thing is that the bra comes in 25 sizes, from a small A cup to a 42 double D, with adjustable straps.

No pain, no ugly look, no hassle? Berner and her clients happily say that it’s all  finally true.

“My whole thing is that if it doesn’t help me I’m not making it or wearing it,” said Berner. “Everything that we make will be elastic free and will not give you back bulges and it will make you look better. We take all kinds of things that work in common bras and leave the negative things behind. I think that’s why people really like this, because you don’t want to put something on and say, ‘well this is ok’ no. Instead say, ‘yeah this has everything’.”

Needless to say, when we heard of a new bag line claiming to be chic and useful for the things you need the most, we were skeptical. But after checking it out, we found out that these bags are pretty darn good. And fashionable.

Suzanne’s Discreet Chic Accessories has the bag that Beyonce, Taylor Swift, Kate Beckinsale, Leona Lewis, Katy Perry, Alicia Keys, Jennifer Hudson and Miley Cyrus are all sporting, and that’s a short list.

The line, created by Suzanne Gabos of Tampa, Fla., is the most stylish and subtle way to carry, protect and organize personal products.

With a practical “Hide and Chic” clutch where you can discreetly store tampons, a Fem-Tote case created to go into your bag so you an find special items easily; and a hilarious - but oh so truly needed - Panty Pouch where you can keep a change of clean undies and avoid wearing dirty undergarments the morning after, even your mom would be proud to see you buy one.

The company was established in September 2007. Gabos’ sense of style, fashion and organization inspires the line of classy, yet functional traveling cases to address the needs of females between the ages of 12 and 60. The Fem-Tote and the Panty Pouch were designed to ensure feminine product freshness and cleanliness, with style, dignity and discretion.

The designs simply focus on the active woman, whether she is traveling, working, playing or merely, looking for a way to carry her things.

“In life, women deal with many pleasures; however, the menstrual cycle is not one of them,” said Gabos, in an interview with Blast. “The Fem-Tote will make this ‘period’ of time more pleasant. It is my hope that my designs will connect with women everywhere and provide them with the freedom that comes from being confident and secure in their everyday lives.”

The bags may not bring an end to the bloating, cramps, headaches and moodiness, but they will make things easier to find and prettier to carry. Always have to look at the glass as half full, right ladies?

The bags vary in sizes and come in different colors, designs and fabrics ranging from $42 to $140 and are all available on-line.

With people either thinking the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender community deserves the same rights every other straight citizen has, or deserves to go to hell for even bringing up the issue, the debate continues with no clear resolutions in sight.

California’s Proposition 8, passed in November, changed the state constitution to restrict the definition of marriage to opposite-sex couples, eliminating same-sex couples’ right to marry and hurting the morale of gay rights supporters. At the same time, gay marriage acknowledged in seven states, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Iowa, New York, New Hampshire, Vermont and District of Columbia, has disappointed oppositionists.

One impromptu activist has decided to talk about the human aspect and give these feelings a face.

Faces of Us is a photo campaign created by Brendan Davis with the purpose of bringing the fight for LGBT rights to the national spotlight.

The campaign is small but growing. It shows the  members of the LGBT community and their friends and political allies as people. People from all over the United States send in photos of themselves with positive messages supporting gay rights, expressing a general message that love has no boundaries.

“The fight will not be won unless every legislator in the United States sees that these are their constituents and that the LGBT community deserves full equal rights under the law,” Davis said. “The American queer community will not be recognized as first class citizens until every single person in the United States realizes that these people are their neighbors or their friends, or even part of their family.”

“Somebody who is a member of the LGBT community, or a human being for that matter, should not have to look beyond the place that they consider home in order to find equal rights.”

Davis was inspired to create this online movement after Prop 8 was passed in California. He explains that frustration came after he says the ballot question was only addressing gay marriage in California when there are hundreds of gays in the entire nation. The issue should be addressed at a national level and not on a state-by-state basis.

“The entire nation saw what the LGBT was capable of, especially when rights are taken away,” Davis said. “My frustration came from the fact that we were only talking about California and that we were only talking about marriage.”

Davis said marriage was an important issue in the gay community but that there were other issues like equality in the work place and hate crime legislation to address too. “There are members of the community in every single state and every single person deserves equal rights,” Davis said.

Although the issues have always been present, the release of more films like Milk, which won big at this year’s Oscars, increases conversations about equality amongst the general public.

Currently more than 30 states are represented with photographs and through the use of Twitter and local media coverage the campaign is extending. Davis hopes for every state to be included through photos of citizens and for the photos to reach legislators so that they, too, can see the people gay rights restrictions affect.

“The project is important because it shows that there are LGBT people and allies in every state and that the community is so diverse. We come in every variety. The reaction to the project was, of course, mixed. However, the positive definitely outweighs the negative,” said Davis. “I made the choice to leave the comments unmediated so we were experiencing anonymous negativity. I thought of turning off comments altogether, then thought better of it.”

Davis also wants to set up a traveling tour around the country with his campaign, showing people what he has done and how they can contribute.

“Harvey Milk said that, ‘unless you have dialogue, unless you open the walls of dialogue, you can never reach to change people’s opinions.”

It’s Easy Being Green by Crissy Trask
In It’s Easy Being Green you can learn how to make better choices for the environment. This is what the busy person needs to start making changes today. Get informative, comprehensive and practical information for adopting greener buying habits and identifying earth-friendly products; shopping for green products online; participating in online activism; and learning from over 250 eco-tips for cultivating a sustainable environment.

Some very simple tips include installing rain gutters and rain barrels to collect rainwater from your roof to use in the garden. Shifting appliance use to off-peak hours. Making your own household cleaners instead of relying on toxic commercial products. Or submerging a plastic bottle in your toilet tank to save one quart of water per flush and thousands of gallons a year.

This book concurrently presents a plan, tips and an Internet resources list that you can use to follow-through on good intentions. An extensive product labels list is also provided to help interpret how some foods are produced. If you haven’t invested in substantially greener behaviors, consumerism and politics because you didn’t know how or thought it was difficult, help is here: It’s Easy Being Green is a handbook for all those who aspire do more to protect the environment but want it to be simpler.

Microgreens by Eric Franks
This can become your guide to growing nutrient-packed greens. Microgreens-vegetables harvested soon after sprouting-are expected to be one of 2009’s hottest food trends. With simple instruction, Microgreens teaches how to plant, grow, and harvest microgreens from one’s own garden. The small amount of space needed to grow microgreens-a porch, patio, deck, or balcony will do-allows anyone to easily incorporate them into their daily meals, and the greens’ nutritional potency make them a must-eat in a healthy diet.  Some of the microgreens discussed include amaranth, arugula, basil, beet, cilantro, cress and mustard.

Green by Design: Creating a Home for Sustainable Living by Angela M. Dean
In this book, Dean offers specific, hands-on advice for creating sustainable homes. The book’s four primary chapters cover design intent, design process, design strategies, and design specifics. Each of these chapters provides some information in the main text, then conveys a lot more information through detailed case studies. Although it is not a detailed reference guide, this book does provide a solid overview of green building for homeowners. So, if you are planning a remodeling in your apartment or venturing into buying a new house you can find out what options you have  to create a environmentally aware home.

The business has vowed to donate over $10,000 worth of their S.H.O.P Totes on the 39th Annual Earth Day. Today you can register on their website to win an Acts of Kindness S.H.O.P. Tote. The drawing ends on April 22, and the eco-friendly winners will receive their bag after Earth Day to accessorize their wardrobe and to support Calypso’s mission of re-using shopping bags.

With the collaboration of several American artists, Lori Siebert, Emma Hand, Robin Roderick, Tina Higgins, and Andrea Tachiera, Calypso Studios was able to launch their artistic collection to the world in January. The Start Helping Our Planet Tote not only eliminates the amount of plastic that our planet consumes, but is easy to carry, giving modern consumers a sustainable alternative to plastic bags. The totes easily roll up into a 2″ X 3″ size, and three of the bags fit into one convenient wristlet carrying case. 

“In our ever growing eco-friendly world, we are proud to announce our Start Helping Our Planet Totes,” said Kathy Lawrence. “They are convenient, fashionable and can travel with consumers everywhere they go.”

Besides caring for the environment Calypso also works closely with American Artists, creating jewelry and accessories from earth’s natural elements that are fashionable, economical, and earth friendly. And, a percentage of all their sales go towards  environmental organizations the business is involved with. So, go ahead and enter your name to win that tote, maybe you will find an earth-friendly accessory to buy too.

However, if you’re not the type of woman that plants a tree or join PETA we have a cute alternative for you so you can look the part. One of our favorite stylists at SalonCapri, Nick Penna Jr., has shared some neat hair tips to create dreadlocks, the easy way.

Start by sectioning off your hair into half-inch sized pieces. Apply a wax to the section of hair smoothly. By using a comb, tease the root area of the hair and begin to twist the hair slowly. Spray with a light hairspray and you twist and use a flat iron to hold the hair in place and move it up and down to create a “dreadlock” look. Not only will this look real but you won’t have to shave your hair afterward.

Now, in order to do something that will actually help Mother Earth, Penna also gave us these earth-friendly beauty suggestions, like skipping on shampoo to conserve hair products and save money on your hair.

Shower daily, but don’t always shampoo. Just wash out hair with water and dry it normally. Three times a week use shampoo and wash hair thoroughly. By reducing the amount of times you shampoo a week, you can also save on fading your color.

“Washing your hair every other or every third day is fine and actually better for your hair. Invest in a good shampoo. While it may cost more up front, it lasts much longer and you don’t need as much,” Penna said.

Now that you got the look part down for April 22, start looking for a charity that will be hands-on protecting the environment so that you can donate some of the money you will save on those hair products.

Especially after a winter where the National Weather Service reported average temperatures of 30 degrees or lower across the states for about three months, anything that insinuates warmth is welcome. In the spirit of welcoming spring we dedicated our April cover and Culture section to the beautiful fashions of spring and the trends for Summer 2009.

Thanks to fashion connoisseurs like Sara Campbell, whose flowy and feminine dresses are perfect additions to any woman’s wardrobe, Nicole Deponte, with avant-garde statement cravats, Storey Hieronymus Hauck, owner of the eclectic Turtle Boston, and shoe additions from Missoni to Modern Vintage our photo shoot outfits were set.

The last detail that made the shoot a success was the setting. Bobby from Boston, a unique vintage store and a true jewel in the South End of Boston, provided the best background. There, we could mix the fresh styles that you will see everywhere these coming months with the richness and history of retro fashion.

So, what to look for as you prepare your own warm weather outfits? As you browse through our galleries notice one common aspect, color. Color, color, color. In the details of accessories, the shade of a clothing item or even the hue of a shoe. At every store from Nordstrom to H&M warm weather fashions include colorful additions.

Not only that, there is also a resurgence of tribal print and ethnic themes. Best seen, for example, in shoes like Jimmy Choo’s Cora Fringe Sandals. Granted, these are the extreme option and one of the most expensive, but the idea is the same. Target, Nine West and even Payless Shoes are including ethnic inspired styles that are easier on the wallet.  Swing by Old Navy or Banana Republic to find tops, skirts or dresses with this design as well. Statement bangles and earrings will complete the look, or look through your jewelry and find chunky, jewel infused, necklaces to add.

Aside from the tribal an ethnic prints, flowers and block prints are also making an appearance in different places. Whether you choose a shift, empire or belted dress to show off those legs, consider print accents for it with a cardigan, scarf or shawl. If flowers aren’t your thing metallic shades are all the rave too.

Try to find a large metallic bag that could become your everyday tote.  And for evenings, definitely look into clutches. The prints and colors in style are so bold; you don’t need an overhaul bag that makes a look cluttered. Structured bottoms, that look clean but have pockets, rolled up hems, zippers and buttons provide that “Bam!” needed for the office or the after party so you don’t have to rely only on dresses.

Also consider sheer fabrics and 80s inspired tops. Either option paired with boot cut, wide leg jeans or mid thigh length pants will look good. And, if you really want to follow the trends, get yourself a pantsuit. They are popping up everywhere in silk or cotton and work wonders with heels, add accessories and you have the summer “it” outfit.

We can try to wrap up with shoes, although this topic could easily make for another 600 word Op-Ed. What women should consider for the coming warm weather months is at least one pair of sky-high heels with a cool design. A bold pattern, a detailed heel or a mixture of fabrics will ensure that your shoes get noticed and that the outfit you wear them with is easy to assemble. Essentially the shoes will be the focal point. For the rest of summer days, flats are still popular. 

Try to search for bargains, not because you have to get that one hot pair of heels for the season does it mean you need to spend $200 plus. A brand new website launched by Kim Kardashian is a good solution to getting great shoes every month at affordable prices. Nationwide shoe dealers like DSW and Off Broadway Shoes are starting summer their sales shortly after the Easter bunny visits.

And guys, please don’t feel left out. Blast reporter Kristin Lambert has taken the task of telling you how to look good for the warm weather months too. In general, everyone please go to your closets and see what you have that may fit into a trend mentioned. After seeing what you have, and getting those coats in storage, prepare to bargain hunt and find accent pieces that will refresh your wardrobe.

Who said looking fashionable had to continue being expensive? We are still in a recession so don’t be afraid to ask for the sale section in a store or invest in one great piece. Like the Boston Globe reported, more and more shoppers are asking for discounts and getting them so join the revolution! Just remember to pray to the higher beings for the warmth to stay as log as possible.

The report was compiled with public records from the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services; the animal rights group euthanizes an average of 5.8 pets every day at its Norfolk, Va. headquarters. The records showed that 2,124 pets were put to sleep last year and only seven were placed in adoptive homes. Since 1998, a total of 21,339 dogs and cats have been euthanized.

“PETA hasn’t slowed down its hypocritical killing machine one bit, but it keeps browbeating the rest of society with a phony ‘animal rights’ message. What about the rights of the thousands of dogs, cats, puppies, and kittens that die in PETA’s headquarters building?” said CCF Research Director David Martosko.

In defending the organization PETA spokeswoman Ashley Byrne said CCF is only concerned with protecting their interests rather than protecting animals.

“I think that there are two things that need to be mentioned. First, the fact that CCF is a group that is funded by the meat, alcohol, pharmaceutical and tobacco industries and most of those industries try to use their money to hide their bad practices. They know PETA is doing anything they can to expose the their wrong doings and they’ll do anything they can to fight back as well,” said Byrne.

The campaign manager added that euthanasia is not a subject people like to discuss critically, but that is used to point the finger. Because of “casual” pet acquisition, as Byrne put it, many animals that can be adopted at shelters are left without a home whenever people buy a pet from a breeder or a pet store. Furthermore, Byrne said that PETA puts pets to sleep only in cases where the animals have severe behavioral issues, like aggressiveness, or are too old or sick to be adopted.

“We think ourselves as the shelter of last resort because a lot of shelters give us animals that are not adoptable, they are euthanized just as they would be at other shelters and at least with us they are given a last resort in a loving and peaceful environment,” Byrne added.

But despite having a $32 million budget, PETA does not put that money or corresponding effort into an adoption shelter. The organization uses money from that budget to create campaigns like Animal Birth Control (ABC), which educates and encourages pet owners to spay and neuter their animals so that those at shelters do not have to compete with newborn kittens or puppies, amongst others.

“People who do care about these issues can help by never buying form a breeder or pet store but only adopting from a shelter and spaying and neutering pets. Our t blog is filled with photos of animals and the type of cases that PETA handles for euthanasia. After you read stories and look at photos to understand the way these animals are suffering, you can see why we have to do this,” said Byrne.

The porn take-off on Scrubs is being produced by New Sensations. Directed by Lee Roy Myers, the newcomer who also helmed the company’s latest hit, The Office: A XXX Parody, the movie stars contract girl Ashlynn Brooke, Thea Marie, Shane Diesel, Jack Lawrence, James Deen and Ralph Long.

Other members of the Scrubs: A XXX Parody cast include Alexis Texas, Joanna Angel, Tori Black and Missy Stone.

“Scrubs’ is being made into a movie,” Braff said on Kimmel’s late-night talk show on ABC. “I wouldn’t get too excited – it’s a porno movie.” After the crowd cheered wildly, Braff exclaimed, “They got more excited! Someone sent this to me, this is not a joke. They are making ‘Scrubs’ into a triple-X porno. On the web they showed the porn stars that are playing each one of us.”

Braff and Kimmel then went through some cast photos and the porn stars that are playing them.

“This girl’s gonna be Sarah [Chalke, who plays Dr. Elliot Reid on the show],” Braff said, holding up a picture of Ashlynn Brooke. “I think it’s a good match.”

Braff’s porn doppelganger, James Deen, elicited the most applause. “My guy looks like there’s nothing the director would say that he’d be, like, ‘Nah, dude, I’m not doing that.’”

The release date for Scrubs: A XXX Parody is May 18.

Spa Week Media Group Ltd.,  an integrated boutique marketing and public relations firm that specializes in the niche spa industry was founded in 2003 by Cheryl Reid of New York. By reaching spa owners directly and offering treatments, regularly costing hundreds of dollars for only $50 the concept of having a website promoting these deals grew at a great rate. At first only having 25 spas participating, there are now Spa Week chapters in more than 21 cities nationwide.   

“In three short years, Spa Week has gone from one of Manhattan’s best kept secrets to a nationwide spa enthusiasts’ dream.  My goal is to have Spa Week in every American city that has a high proliferation of day spas to accommodate eager consumers looking for affordable indulgence and a peek into the future of wellness. I’m confident that the future of Spa Week will assist in educating Americans on the importance of spa as a part of a new and improved healthy lifestyle campaign,” said Reid. 

It is very easy to maneuver through the website, finding your city and spas offering deals near you. After booking your treatment you can check out the giveaways tab and enter to win as many goodies as you like, equally simple. 

This month Spa Week and Rioja wine are bringing you a chance to win a pair of Manolo Blahniks or a case of delicious red wine.  Heroes of the beauty industry like Chris McMillan and Pat McGrath, from Allure Magazine, reveal their secret beauty weapons this month too and give away the fabulous products and tools they speak of.

With the economy slowly settling, and your cuticles probably suffering form those at-home manicures, you are better of booking an affordable treatment at Spa Week that will cheer you up and not leave your wallet empty. And if you don’t want to get a treatment, you should still enter to win those Manolos!

Our pal Nick Penna, Jr. of SalonCapri, told us this is a versatile look that can be dressed up or down. He told Blast the steps to realizing this hot-off-the styling chair look. Go ahead and get cooking.

Penna explained that the key to mastering this look is to create a well-defined part. “I’d suggest a side part to draw more attention to your face. A part in the middle of your hair can sometimes appear too harsh, depending on the shape of your face,” the “Best of Boston” stylist said. Use a lightweight styling pomade or texturizer to smooth the hair along your part and create a sleek finish.

To achieve a wavier look like Reese Witherspoon’s for example, skip on the styling pomade and wait until the look is complete to use a finishing spray. Penna suggests Shu Uemura’s Liquid Fabric Texturizing Spray as an easy-to-manage product.

Sweep your hair back into a low ponytail and secure it with an elastic that best matches your hair color. This should be a tight ponytail and it should be securely fastened at the base of your neck. With a firm grip, pull the end of the ponytail clockwise around the elastic, making sure to smooth the hair as it is being wrapped.

After the circular shape of the bun has been created, begin to pin the loose ends with bobby pins. Secure as necessary. “You want your bun to feel secure and cleanly wrapped without flyaways and extra strands of hair sticking out,” added Penna.

To finish the style, use a flexible finishing spray. Don’t be afraid to spray the bun, part and sides of your hair to ensure a sleek look. If you’re aiming for a messier approach, use your fingers to further add texture to your waves and then finish by spraying. If you add sexy smokey eyes you are ready to sport the do with sexy heals and a classy dress.  With innocent light makeup and pink lips you can wear the colorful spring palettes seen in a lot of runways this season to take over the arm weather.

That’s how our chat with Australian singer, Gabriella Cilmi (pronounced chill-me) begins. And it just kept getting sunnier. Blast got to spend a few moments with the 17-year old who has already become famous in her home country of Australia and across Europe, and we learned that the singer is down-to-earth, interested in American culture and has the talent needed to become a big hit in the U.S.

“I really haven’t toured around the U.S. so its nice to have a sort of fresh start or clean slate her, I am older now and I know what I am doing and I have done it in Australia and Europe before. I am looking forward to traveling America like you see in movies where you’re traveling on the open road and see cactuses,” Cilmi raved.

Cilmi is an Australian but is of Italian descent. Since she was young(er), she has expressed interest in music but was told she did not have the discipline needed for a music career. Not accepting the criticism of teachers, she joined a band performing cover songs by Led Zeppelin, Jet, Silverchair and others.

“I listen to different things. Growing up I listened to Led Zeppelin. I love Kings of Leon and Jett, and I would listen to them when I went to school,” Cilmi said. “I love listening to old blues stuff too, so I love different things, and I guess I’m a mixture of things. I love Blondie and Stix, so maybe my genre is ‘popular glam rock.’”

While singing at a community festival in Melbourne, Warner Music executive Michael Parisi was amazed with the singer’s vocal abilities. Parisi brought Cilmi to major records labels in the U.S. and the U.K. where she was offered record deals at four different companies. Finally in 2004 she joined Island Records UK.

While working on her debut album Cilmi co-wrote singles for the Australian movie Hating Alison Ashley. In December 2007 her ‘Sweet About Me’ single broke on the radio as a Top 100 hit from her Lessons to Be Learned CD. 

“Gabriella possesses every attribute that music fans across the world are hungering for,” said Monte Lipman, president and CEO of Universal Republic. “U.S. fans are about to see first-hand what European audiences have been raving about, whether it’s her poise, her passion, or unbridled ability to deliver a song like you’ve never heard it before — Gabriella is this year’s breakthrough artist.”   

The album will be released in America on March 17, with her single already being played in radio and featured on VH1’s You Oughta Know.

“If I can get my album recognized here too it would be amazing. People are hitting me up on MySpace, so it’s really cool to have that reception too,” Cilmi added.

For such a happy-go-lucky young woman, it seems hard to believe Cilmi has already won or been nominated for artist of the year awards or hailed by publications like Britain’s Q Magazine. But what the girl lacks in stuffiness she makes up in creativity. Her voice is reminiscent of blues legends like Etta James and similar to today’s sounds of Duffy.

“I write everything from personal experiences, everything that catches my attention influences me and I like to write on that and use music that inspires me to make old things new, ‘Sweet About Me’ is a nursery rhyme about people who never want to grow up so if you don’t want to grow up listen to it,” she added.

Whether or not she gets the attention divas like Beyonce and Britney do in this country, one thing will remain the same: Cilmi’s abilities and friendly manner, which has already survived European media scrutiny and temptations of the music industry, are unchangeable.

“Just check out my MySpace, I’m obsessed with my MySpace page and I answer all my messages, I swear!”

In cue with her joyful spirit Blast is giving away a special Cilmi pack, so check our contests page next week and enter to win by March 28!

Founded in 2005 by mom and entrepreneur Gigi Lee Chang, Plum Organics is now the leading frozen organic baby food brand. Building on the core values of “healthy eating for life” Plum Organics has created a line of culinary inspired fresh-frozen baby foods in three stages and fortified with DHA for optimal nutrition.

From ingredient sourcing to packaging choices, the company also strives to reduce their carbon footprint and ensure that their product line is pure and clean from the inside out. Using recyclable packaging products for the baby food items.

“The idea really came from my own experience with my son when he was just starting with solid foods,” said Lee Chang. “I made homemade food for him and realized how his interest with food was different from other babies who ate already made baby products. I discussed it with my friends and later found research that the food children have at that age affects the habits they adapt to as they get older.”

With the craze about healthier school lunch reforms just starting four years ago, as the founder remembers, Lee Chang noticed there was no focus on baby food. Noticing her son’s development with homemade meals she decided to provide better, nutritious options for this demographic. Her idea was well received and further developed into another line of toddler food products, Plum Organics Kids.

“The kids line was an extension to reinforce their eating habits the children develop as babies. To have a love for different tastes and foods is necessary so that as they get older they can appreciate other foods,” she said.

The meals are available in four varieties, Bowtie Pasta with Creamy Sweet Potato Sauce, Rainbow Pasta Shells with Creamy Parmesan Sauce, Cheese filled Spinach Tortellini with Marina Sauce and Italian Sausage Marinara over Multigrain Pasta. Each meal includes a healthy portion of organic vegetables in a kid approved 2-compartment tray so the veggies do not touch. The USDA-certified organic ingredients are flash frozen to retain the most nutrients, enzymes, flavor and texture with no artificial sweeteners, colors or flavors added.

In continuing the company’s mission of helping the environment too, Plum Organics Kids uses a newly developed biodegradable and compostable serving tray, a first of its kind. The trays are made from annually renewable resources and are both oven-able and microwavable. The outer carton is a unique paperboard that is not only recycled, but made using clean energy and anything left over is given back in carbon credits. As a result, this board is 100 percent carbon neutral. Not bad for your kids meals, right?

But apparently it all sounded too good. I decided to put the product to the test by grabbing my godson and letting him try one. The meals, available at SuperTarget and Whole Foods stores nationwide, have simple yet appealing designs for little ones. The back of each meal comes with “farm-to finger fun facts” that educate parents and their children on green living. These facts include food puzzles, health tips and eco-tips.

This offers a satisfying way to entertain children rather than sitting them in front of a television to watch more cartoons. The meal itself was also satisfying. The veggies were colorful, the sauce in the pasta thick but not filled with flour, and the portions were right so that everything could be eaten by a 3 year-old. The verdict, these kids meals are good, and adults may enjoy them too.

“The meals in particular have been extremely well received an consumer feedback has been very positive, I know within my own parent community there’s this big lack of options and its one of these things that people want an alternative to pizza and Mac and Cheese for. A lot of consumers are looking for meals and so generally the line has been received very well because of that,” Lee Chang, who tastes every product and asks neighborhood children for their opinion, said.

The mom turned businesswoman is looking into new ways to offer snack foods with the same qualities her foods have. There are a lot of supposedly organic products that are still highly processed, Lee Chang said, so she is hoping to bring more toddler snacks that are minimally processed and high in nutrients but also fun for kids.

“I would reemphasize that our message and what we’re trying to do is provide better options for parents that they can feel good about and be reflective of the lifestyle they lead. I hope our attitude reflects that more than the product and I understand as a parent that we are busy, so if we can help get them closer to their preferred solution to feeding their children we have achieved what we set out to do,” said Lee Chang.

Laura Albin (aka Jane) founded Chloe & Jane in 2007 after an “aha” moment in the shower with her friend’s, Wendy Viscuglia  (aka Chloe), handmade sugar scrub.  Realizing the importance of taking time to pamper yourself, she created a collection of bath and body products to inspire, renew, and entertain. What started with one scrub is now a five-product line in three delicious but subtle fresh spa scents that has celebs like Debra Messing and Christina Milian singing it praises.

“The idea, the initial idea, started in the kitchen of a friend of mine (Wendy Viscuglia), and she’s totally into going to the spa and I’m into buying soap at Target,” said Albin, co-founder, who started mixing ingredients for scrubs shortly after trying Viscuglia’s. “So Chloe became her image, a more fru-fru gal, and Jane was just plain Jane. We thought about this to show the two sides of the product, it’s a great line with fragrances that don’t overpower and won’t scare the people like me but it has high quality for the high maintenance women who want their spa needs fulfilled. The people I know are either one or the other type of consumer, but everyone likes this spa at home line”

In wanting to bring the products to “spa veterans and spa virgins” alike, Albin thought of possible recipes and packaging ideas. She came up with an eco-chic line made of paraben and artificial dye-free products and went with a recyclable packaging. Plus, she decided to never test on animals.

“It took 9 months to put everything together and we have been in the market for little less than a year. We didn’t expect it to be so well received and be such a great product so in that sense it has been very fun to bring the spa to people who have never been to the spa. We definitely want the brand to grow even more than body care, that’s the launching point for us, but we’d rather stay in the retail market rather than higher end stores. That way we reach more places and have the line be about girlfriends and taking care of yourself,” Albin added.

Each item smells and feels amazing with a choc full of “good for you ingredients;” like grapeseed oil, which helps in cell renewal, or Japanese green tea leaf extract, known to reduce puffiness and is packed with antioxidants.  But most appealing, oddly enough, are the product’s designs. Chloe&Jane prints fun anecdotes on the side of every package. From crazy waxing stories to do-it-yourself nightmare experiences. Once you see those little tales, you know the product is authentic, made and used by women who understand what women want.

Like Albin, also a mother of two, explained, it is always amazing to see how you can be great friends with someone so different from you. The stories added to the packaging help in creating a community amongst women who may be very unalike but can still form strong bonds despite it all.

“From a female perspective there’s this idea that you should exercise your passions and hope, follow your ambitions and that’s what we’re doing as far as the business. There’s a need to have good natural products that are not so serious, though, so we want to connect to our customers and we want to let you know its cool to be green while having fun and having a laugh,” Albin said. 

All the items retail from $12-$26 and are available online. For a limited time Blast readers can also enjoy 20% off the Chloe&Jane product line. Enter the code: Blast48 at the website’s check out, and if you’d like to win a spa kit enter the giveaway by February 28!

Fans trickled out of the Garden. They were either elated or in the dumps — justified or mortified.

A Boston University 5-2 win over Northeastern left many frustrated that the game — pitting No. 1 versus No. 3 in the country — really wasn’t even close.

At the beginning of the third period BU, already leading, went at it hard and left the Huskies struggling to play catch up. NU’s Wade MacLeod’s seemed simply unable to take the shot after he had an opportunity, letting the puck loose causing one of several pileups at the BU goal.

BU’s David Warsofsky scored fourth goal and Colin Wilson followed about a minute later with the last nail.

Northeastern had a chance, but they were just not aggressive enough to attack and take the shots needed. The Beanpot and the pride of Beantown has been given to BU once again, with BU Sophomore Nick Bonino being named MVP.

Northeastern University students arrived pumped and fiery, chanting “BU Sucks,” but the game was the first serious letdown of perhaps the best hockey season this school’s struggling athletics program has seen in more than 10 years.

In the first period, Boston University managed to score the first goal. The Huskies fought back with a goal in the last minute of the period and have been fighting back BU’s plays since the start.

The rowdy fans got a little bit of drama early on when an official got hit in the face by a puck during the fourth minute. He was taken off the rink by paramedics.

BU played clean and fast, and the Huskies just didn’t have an answer all night. Most frustrating of all may be the fact that BU scored two shorthanded goals, topping off NU’s failure to capitalize on opportunities.

Bessie King reported from the game. Blast Magazine editor John M. Guilfoil contributed to this report with analysis.

The players are warming up and the fans are crowding the Garden for the 57th annual Beanpot Championship.

“Execute our game plan and come up high, there’s no more pressure than any other game,” said Albie O’Connell Northeastern assistant coach.

After a decisive win against Boston College, the third-ranked Huskies are ready to go for the cup. Top ranked Boston University though is ready to reclaim its title for the 29th year.

Although a Massachusetts event, this year’s game has reached nationwide attention because Northeastern has not made it to a final in more than 20 years.

So far the expectations are high and the tension is tangible.

In tonight’s consolation game Boston College beat Harvard 4-3. For some this was a good enough prize.

“Its a little depressing that we didn’t make it and its my last year, but we’re rooting for Northeastern because there’s been such a rivalry with BU all these years,” said Keith Malado, a senior at Boston College.

For hot designs that keep you just as warm we looked into a new designer who has actually worked with the fashion big names. Dana-Maxx Pomerantz released her winter collection under the Dana-Maxx label this past November. Her party-perfect cocktail dresses are detail oriented and reminiscent of a 1940s era.

Pomerantz developed her designing abilities at The Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, after spending her younger years studying fashion n a program at her high school. She interned for Betsey Johnson while studying at the FIT and soon after graduation was hired by the blond eccentric-chic fashionista. After working for Betsey Johnson, Pomerantz made the move to Marc Jacobs. She continued to learn the in and outs of a fashion business. In 2007 she launched her label and business.

“I worked at Betsey Johnson and Marc Jacobs in design, and although they are very different each job completely enhanced my experience as designer. Having my own company now, what I love about designing is that you can make people feel special and really good,” the designer told Blast. “What I like most about my line is that feminine and sweet feel but its also detail oriented and you pay an exceptionally good price for the material, prints from France and Italy, silks and other luxury fabrics. Its definitely top notch.”

Her Fall 2008 season focuses on showing a woman’s curves, perfect for the 20 to 35 year olds who are conscious working women/high style lovers. The pieces can be mixed and match and the earth-tones allow for use season after season. Silk blouses, fitted jackets and a sexy dress with plunging front and back-line in a rich cocoa color, are only some of the items.

The line is available in sizes 2-10 and petite-large, featuring fabrics that are chosen for their quality and soft wearability, such as 100 percent worsted wool and 100 percent double face satin.  With a focus this season on intertwining genuine leather into select pieces to make them more eye-catching and luxurious, the collection provides the modern woman with a high quality, stylish line made in the USA.

Giving tremendous value to the customer at its contemporary price range, the collection can be found at fine retailers across the nation and Canada. Ranging between $200 and $400 the line truly offers durable quality and style at prices that are not common in higher designer labels.

“The hardest thing has been getting more established stores to open their doors to a new designer, in this economy stores are hesitant to purchase to buy form big designers so why buy from small one? But I find that even with the established industry people and the new stores my line is accepted well.  You don’t just get a dress; it’s the personality that comes through the clothing,” Pomerantz said.

Looking forward to warmer weather, Dana-Maxx designs for spring and summer 2009 are inspired by French singers. The pieces will have a feel of chic Parisian in a candy shop with sexy and edgy designs accompanied by lots of color. Pomerantz put it as wearing something where, “you want to be eye-catching in but you don’t want to be boring; it’s alluring yet quiet, and it makes a statement.”

While praying for the skies to clear so these summer styles can pop up everywhere, check out the fall ine and invest in a good fashion and weatherproof outfit that you will use again once the snow returns.

“This has never been done in 45 years, but he really impressed me,” said Larry Gutkin, Lava Lite’s chief executive officer. “Originally we both have Chicago roots and he is really a Chicago politician. I thought it was attribute to him and a fun product to offer, without making fun of him. When it was all together the product came out beautifully, we are very happy with the outcome.”

The custom designed resin base and cap of the lamp feature three dimensional stars, stripes and bunting in a patriotic red, white and blue color scheme. A color photograph of a smiling President Obama is set against a blue and red background and framed in a star rimmed medallion in the center of the Lava Lamp base.

Topping the base is the distinctive Lava Lamp globe, containing a proprietary formula of blue liquid and white wax. Finally, the commemorative package, a colorful red and blue cylinder, complements the Special Edition Obama Lava Lamp perfectly.

Retailing at $39.99, the limited-edition lamp is currently available online and select retailers nationwide will soon sell it.

“This is really a collectors edition so I think a lot of people are picking this one up thinking that in years it will be a very valuable collectors item and I think they may be right,” added Gutkin.

But the lamp may not just serve as a collector’s item. Gutkin tells Blast that as a businessman who travels continuously, the past eight years have been a little hard. Being told that his country’s leader was making foolish mistakes became a common experience. Now, he said it feels good to be proud of our commander-in-chief. He hopes the country understands a process is needed to better the nation and effective change will come slowly rather than from one day to the next.

In the meantime, Gutkin is working on getting a lamp to Sasha and Malia, the first daughters, after already getting one to Vice President Biden.

“It’s a little tough to send to send something to the President. I’ve tried, but we’ll try to get one to his daughters,” said Gutkin. “We’ll get one to them and hopefully the President will see one and think its pretty cool. I can’t imagine why he wouldn’t!”

Thankfully you don’t have to wait to get your own Obama Lava Lamp. Enter to win a limited edition lamp by February 28 now!

All the items, which include paper plates, cups, party hats, napkins, balloons, a table cloth with “Bush-isms,” and the infamous “Pin the Tail on the Ass’s Ass” game, are branded with the logo Hernandez created of an animated Bush face with Dumbo-like ears.

“It’s a really provocative product,” Hernandez said. “I knew it would be something that people would talk about and pass along. I am a long time Bush critic, a year and a half ago I just started talking about having an Inauguration party to celebrate that he was gone and the idea would not leave me alone. I played with designs and put the party pack together.”

The design and the items to sell were not difficult to choose. However, finding a manufacturer to brand all the products was.

“From manufacturing to producing about two thirds of the original manufacturers refused to print the design. While finding a replacement one guy said, ‘I don’t care what you print, I put porn on plates.’ I sent him the design of Bush’s face and he called five minutes later saying he couldn’t print that. People are either extremely offended or extremely supportive and some think they’re going to get in trouble, or something, but the response has been on the two extremes,” Hernandez explained.

The party kit can be purchased online for $39.99, with rush delivery available, so that you can celebrate in style this January 20. There are also t-shirts and trucker hats available.  Hernandez also added that the product does not, in any way, disrespect the office of the president. His intention was to celebrate the departure of a man who made several wrong decisions and welcome someone, “competent, educated, inclusive and thoughtful,” who will help mend our divided country.

“I’m surprised to see how this product has been embraced by people across party lines.  It’s a cathartic product for anyone who has felt totally powerless to express his or her disdain and frustration these last eight years.” Hernandez said. “It’s already creating this movement for people to have full on celebratory Inauguration parties all across the country.”

George Bush Party In A Box (Georgie Is Outta Here!) @ Yahoo! Video

Zeisel, a 25 year-old Northeastern University graduate, decided to start representing his grandmother’s designs and selling them exclusively through her website. After receiving advice from his father in 2006 to sell a set of goblets Eva designed for her 100^th birthday, Zeisel put the business skills he was learning in college to good use. He sold the goblets online successfully and began to imagine how he could manufacture other designs.

“I wanted to find a niche for a woman who already had a name brand, but in smaller table top objects. I went to her studio and saw she had furniture designs that had never been made and I didn’t know she had them, after browsing through I knew the pieces would appeal to her customers and bring her into a new market,” Zeisel said.

Always the leader, starting a t-shirt business at Northeastern and being involved with many student groups, Zeisel put together a business plan to start selling pieces through a new site, EvaZeiseloriginals.com. He consulted college professors to learn what was the best way to sell his grandmother’s designs without harming her very respected image.  His family’s name was his biggest seller.

“I found this would be a great opportunity to have a chance to follow passion and be a leader. Its challenging because people say, ‘oh you’re her grandson’ but I enjoy the challenge,” the young entrepreneur said. “My first goal was to give Eva peace of mind and confidence that I was doing something worthwhile and with that I could pursue the marketing of the brand by using the family name to add to her legacy and not use her legacy. I didn’t want that to be the reason for why people bought, because we share a last name, but because it is her original pieces available to everyone.”

Fun doesn’t begin to describe it. Imagine a Bowie-esque six foot tall man, who looks better in stilettos than most girls do, popping a cartwheel and landing on the bassist’s shoulders while singing out to rock ‘n roll. It’s better in person.

SPW is made up of fashionista Tranter, guitarist Aaron Tasjan, bassist Cole Whittle and drummer Dan Crean, and like Tranter said they all rally know how to play their instruments and make good rock music.  After meeting randomly at music shows and through industry friends in New York, they decided to test their own sounds with Tranter’s lyrics and start their own band.

The songs this quartet offer are a mix of 80’s Guns N’ Roses meets KISS meets Morrissey. The have killer guitar solos, upbeat tempos and blunt lyrics like, “It’s not my fault it’s just how my Momma made me. I’ve been magnetic since I was a baby!” In reality the band is loud and obnoxious and what was needed for a music world filled with alternative bands that use little of the rock beats we love but are afraid to bring back completely.

“Many bands take themselves too seriously, even the middle of the road bands who are kind of famous take themselves seriously too. For us, our shows have fun rocking music and it’s a pretty simple thing but no one really does it right now,” Tranter explained.

Indeed, no other act is gracing the leather look and busting out Aerosmith-type falsettos and suggestive sounds alike quite like SMP.  But this is not the only thing the band is bringing to the public.  Like any other band they had to fund their music by filling shows, which is still not profitable enough, and selling something. Many opt for the typical band logo t-shirt sales but since Tranter had worked in the jewelry business he opted for accessories.

With the band’s gun-and-heart logo and Trater’s jewelry connections, the lead singer created necklaces and sold them at shows. The product demand increased and Trenter saw himself with a new business opportunity. He established Fetty Brooklyn and began selling his jewelry at Urban Outfitters and Hot Topic stores. The band funded their record with the jewelry money.

“My mom is a custom engagement ring designer so I always got day jobs in jewelry because I knew the lingo. When we went to shows and we wanted something to sell we didn’t have shirts or a CD so I made necklaces to sell and it slowly blew up. It became a thing separate from the band now selling gold and diamond necklaces for $1,300 bucks and we are doing a line at Barneys that is going amazingly well,” Trenter said.

The band is now signed to a label and the jewelry is not their main funding resource, but Trenter admits the jewelry making still comes after the music. Even if they get to play to crowds of 200 or 300 on a given night the band wants more, “we want it to be a couple of thousand because we’ve all been playing music for a long time and want it to be a lot bigger.”

2009 may be the answer to their prayers, if these guys pray anyway. Scheduled for a six-week tour in January with girl band Von Iva, who are featured in Jim Carey’s movie “Yes Man,” and a larger tour with a music legend (whose name cannot be disclosed yet due to legal reasons) the band’s future looks promising.

“We just have a fucking blast with each other and our favorite thing to do is play music, the fact we get to play and write together and then perform is amazing. We are also not afraid of anything, we played at a sports bar in Iowa last month and people were asking us, ‘what are you doing?’” Tranter recalled.  “But people love rock and roll and want to have fun anywhere, we sold more CDs there than we did in Chicago.”

Lets just wait to see who they will get to rock out next. Are the Inauguration acts accounted for?

Email your information to Giveaways@BlastMagazine.com by December 31 for a chance to win some SPW’s bling and the band’s debut album!

Promotional: Diamonds information

“In True Fashion was created to raise the self esteem in American youth. We mentor students in creating a bag and experiencing all aspects of a business to discover their own creativity and abilities; if we can help them work and care for an outside object we can tap into their self esteem and make them care about themselves too, about their world and their own backyard,” said Nancy Gale, founder of Jamah Bags. “We are in a day and age where people really want to help out. Jamah developed two years ago but In True Fashion has always been in my mind to be the cause of this business.”

Such business began after Gayle, a technical writer by profession, got sent home from the office too many times because she was, “too fashion conscious.” As she explained, her interest in design had always been present but she never really imagined making a living from it. After one too many corporate America snubs she worked as an event gift tent creator. While hunting for products she also incorporated bags she designed to the gifts. It turned out people really liked those bags. Her boss, friends and bag fans convinced her to start selling them.

Originally only sold online, the bags got a boost of attention when Brangelina bought the fashionable and usable Nanny diaper bag. Poppa Pitt has to carry milk bottles in style, after all. The rest, as they say, is history and Gale now has different collections and major stores asking for bags to sell.

“The designs have been really popular because I found a way to combine utility with modern looks, the combination of these leaves you with something that is classic and timeless and I really create bags people can wear for 20 years. I worked everything virally and I was very blessed when Brad and Angelina bought my bags; we were ready and they were the piece that made everyone stop and say, ‘oh wow.’ People like that when you invest in Jamah you invest in a really good bag,” the designer added.

Architecture and art help Gale become aware of lines and frames that can make a timeless look. After that, she builds a bag, as she explained, from the inside out to see how space can be used to the fullest. Add the most, “luscious leathers” and vivid colors the designer searches for and the bags become original fashion pieces.

On sale from $50 to $700 accessories and bags are all at Jamah.com and just as the bags do, the website reflects Gale’s peaceful and happy demeanor. In fact, it is probably this characteristic that makes her business thrive. Gale is a California girl, happy to live her dream to wake up and design for a living and willing to help others with her gains. Not concerned with the typical fashion calendar, she said she doesn’t have specific fall or spring lines. Rather, she releases new designs on a set schedule that are based on things triggering her imagination.

“I think once you tie yourself to a label and are expected to have new material every season what you end up with is the same bag in different colors.  We want to make people understand who we are and to really make sure people see In True Fashion as the focus of the company. I decided to go season-less but go with a natural inspiration,” Gale said.  “I want people to look at the bag and say ‘ yeah that’s Jamah,’ by the design, usefulness and beauty of the bag.”

The organization that makes teenagers use their imagination to design a bag and raise their self-esteem is not the only thing Jamah is instituting. Since they got their start on the Internet, Gale wants to use new media and social web tools to reach consumers.

Currently, she is running a contest on Facebook, the social networking website, where people can enter a contest to get a bag named after them. Contrary to belief, you don’t have to be young and beautiful to win. Contestants must submit a reason for why they should have a bag named after them. This message is what will determine the winner.

“I am designing handbags so there’s really no brain surgery to it, its just a blessing to do something like this,” Gale confessed.  “One thing we do here is everything everyone says not to do. I am doing what feels right and discovered so many people also want to help for no specific reason. We want to be a brand that stands for something instead of going to mainstream stores.”

For your chance to get a Jamah bag, email your information to Giveaways@BlastMagazine.com by December 31 and enter to win!

As part of the breaking news coverage of the sudden attacks that took place today in Mumbai, India, Blast has received webcasts from the South Asian Journalists Association who covered these events via live blog talk radio.

Suketu Mehta, author of “Maximum City: Bombay Lost & Found,” Madhu Bhatia Jha, US correspondent for the Indian network Star News and Smriti Mundhra, a NYC-based filmmaker calling from Mumbai and is five blocks from attacks, are sharing their acounts from the attacks which began at 1 a.m., time of India.

Mundhra also explained that, “Its total chaos over here. Army and navy have been called in to assist police. The attackers are everywhere-in hotels, on the streets, in vans. They are firing indiscriminately.”

Blast will continue covering these events.

In their website, customers can upload their favorite shot, or that of their indie-professional photographer, and turn it into a piece of art, literally.

“Photofiddle.com was created to allow everyone to be an artist. All of us have great photos taken during the holidays or on vacations and special occasions. Those photos sit in a shoe box collecting dust or on our computer hard drives,” said Ira Gross, “Photofiddle users get to create personalized artwork from any photo on canvas or art print.”

The finishing product is great for personalized decorating of your home or office and makes for a unique gift. With over 30 finishing styles to choose from and prices starting at $14.95 there is a gift option for everyone. After a test-drive it was fun to discover the company’s system is easy to use and see the end result before buying it, making sure that you will like what you receive.

That photo aficionado who loves to shoot and share those special moments in your family or social circle will get a kick out of seeing their art in a new way… framed and ready to hang.

For a limited time Blast gets you a 15 percent discount to Photofiddle.com. Just enter the code: Blast15 at checkout until December 31.

If you like the site and want to get more gifts enter for a chance to win a $50 gift certificate too. Email your contact information to Giveaways@BastMagazine.com to enter by January 1st!

WOBURN, Mass. — Disney makes a hit with their latest movie Bolt by using the Pixar talent it acquired in 2006 to bring back their successful animated movies. Bolt, a cute white German Sheppard who was raised in a TV set and believes has superpowers, was charming, funny and appreciated by young and old audiences alike.

What made Bolt such a good film to watch was just that; everybody at the theater laughed at the same moments, there were no masked jokes for the kids or boring cheesiness for the children. John Lasseter, the executive producer of the film, put his experience from Toy Story to good use. The CGI animation was fantastically good, as was the plotline and character development.

Bolt (voiced by John Travolta) is an acting dog who stars in a hit action television show and has never been let out from the studio. Because of this he was raised thinking that he truly has heat vision and a super bark. His costar, Penny (voiced by Miley Cirus) is kidnapped in one of the show’s climatic ending scenes, which freaks out the dog. Without understanding what is going on, Bolt decides to go rescue the tween girl and discover he is just another dog once he is in the real world.

Along the way of disheartening realizations about his fake powers Bolt takes a sassy cat, Mittens (by Susie Essman), hostage and meets a hyperactive hamster in a ball, (13-year Disney animation veteran Mark Walton). Together they venture on a cross-country quest to find Penny and the imagery that accompanies them is beautiful. In the first minutes of the film where an action scene from Bolt’s show is taking place this detail to the images is established.

Through the entire film viewers can see and feel the racing cars Bolt escapes from, the change of weather and the wind blowing or the sun shining. It all works in creating authenticity that draws people in. What makes them stay is the dialogue. By far the best one-liners and laughs were provided by the hamster in the ball.

Rhino is one of Bolt’s super fans and just as the dog thinks he has powers that have suddenly disappeared, Rhino believes he will be the sidekick for his hero. Eventually both the dog and the hamster come to the conclusion that the powers are nothing more than special effects but learn (Disney couldn’t miss the morale of the story) that they are special no matter what. Created for all audiences Bolt will be a holiday hit and a Disney video classic.

To make your Bolt experience better folks at Disney graced us with a super prize pack to give to one lucky reader. It includes the movie’s plush toys, movie-themed doggie treats and the film’s Wii game amongst other goodies. Email your contact information to Giveaways@BlastMagazine.com by January 1st to enter! Bolt gifts for your little ones are also available at all Toys “R” Us.

Catch a Piece of Maine was founded by two brothers, Brendan and John Ready, who after being raised in the lobstering community decided to get their own boat and start catching lobsters after high school. Fortunately for them, their parents encouraged a higher education. After going to universities in Boston and getting degrees in business, they put their newfound knowledge to work. 

They founded a company, Ready Inc., and created a new way to sell lobsters by offering ownership of a lobsterman’s trap to get 13 lobster baskets direct from the fisher for a year. 

“We are a community supported fishing model that is relevant for the Maine lobster industry. In the past 50 years there has been very little change and what we can offer is the quality product with the experiential value,” explained John Ready.

Each basket includes four pound-and-a half lobsters, pound of steamer clams, pound of mussels and four servings of typical Maine desserts like blueberry brownies or whoopee-pies.  The shipments also bring a photo and story of the lobsterman who works the trap; a map of where the trap is located; a personalized note from the lobsterman telling how the fishing went; next day delivery, classic lobster-printed white bibs and, last but not least, a call form the lobsterman himself the night of delivery to ensure costumers are happy with their bounty. 

 Aside from canceling third parties, trap holders establish a relationship with those who run their trap and learn what the real lobstering life is about. It may sound like too much razzle-dazzle but this personal treatment is what sets the Ready brothers apart, selling more than two million pounds of lobster annually.

“We have customers who really look forward to receiving their call the night of their delivery. They have dinners on that day and its not strange to be put on speakerphone to join the party, people love being involved, they like to know they form a part of what we do,” said Ready.

Their business model has helped create a feeling of togetherness amongst the lobstermen, something that Ready said is not often found. Not only that, it is creating jobs in an ailing industry and encouraging consumers to continue buying the clawed crustacean. The yearlong share costs $3,000 but there are other options that have become as big sellers as the yearly “subscription.”

“We are here to please you, I just had a call from a woman who said, ‘I love lobster tails, send me 20 by this date’ and we did. Our consumers like experiential gifts so we have an array of smaller custom made options to never say ‘no’ and give them the same experience,” Ready said.

One of those options is the $250 “Lobster Share” pack.  It includes the same four hard shell lobsters, steamer clams,  mussels and Maine made desserts and personalized messages as the shareholders monthly basket does. It also comes with the popular call from the lobsterman who caught your delicious dinner. 

If you don’ know whether or not a person likes lobsters, the business on-line store also offers Catch a Piece of Maine gear gift certificates and a colorful 2009 calendar filed with Maine scenery and lobstermen’s photos.

In a time when the lobster industry is in decline this company has grown at an amazing rate. The difference being in that the brothers use their salesman skills effectively to help revitalize the lobstering community and make a profit along the way. 

“We grew up in this lifestyle, because catching and selling lobsters really is a lifestyle. When we see the men that we looked up to as children struggling to pay bills or make things work we’re not only concerned with making a business successful, we’re concerned for our family,” Ready shared.  “This is what other people see too and by getting even a small piece of it they know their gift will be unique and that our community will keep going.”

Whether your holiday list is on a budget or not, the custom packages and apparel from these Mainers are special options to consider. Because, if you think about it, who else can boast after New Years that the “lobsterman called, wanting to make sure you got your lobsters alright” at the office?

Get your own piece of Main by sending an email to Giveaways@BlastMagazine.com with your contact information by January 1st to win the lobstermen’s 2009 calendar!

The night’s crowd was best described by local Melissa Cellurale as being, “99 percent women, and then there’s Steve,” her accommodating boyfriend. Indeed, women controlled the club, many looking like Conrad and many others there to actually see what her designs look like in person.

Even though her line is being sold in the West Coast at LA stores like Intuition, Miss LC has not been exposed to the coffee drinkers and black clothing lovers of the East Coast the same way. To solve that she launched a tour through this side of the States with the help of TheQuad.com, a website for that keeps college students up-to-date with events in their area.  The tour has made stops in Austin, Atlanta and Minneapolis.

The tours have been successful in getting Conrad to see her fans and see that, contrary to the belief of Spencer Pratt, she is well esteemed. Unfortunately for her dresses, that is not the same story. Yes they are clean cut, yes they are perfect for cocktail parties and yes they may make your fantasies about living the California life more vivid- but they are not worth the price tag of $150 and up.

Many of the designs disguise the fact that a simple red dress is just that with the use of fabrics like silk and lace. The designer is clearly concerned with quality and textures but if she could put that effort into the designing itself things may be different. To see a one side-sleeved tube dress with thin black belt embellishment compete in the same price range with, lets say, MARC BY MARC JACOBS Fiona Dress makes it very easy to see who will win the battle. The answer, dearest Hills fans, should be the Marc Jacobs frock.

Although the night was fun, with gifts from Aldo and Mark by Avon for whom Conrad is spokeswoman, the fashion show was not spectacular. Perhaps it was shadowed by the fact the show gave way to a regular club night. Perhaps it was the fact that seeing more than 100 LC-wannabes in the crowd made one wonder what they were really there for. Or maybe, perhaps it was because Conrad’s training at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising still has to continue for her to compete with the other gifted young designers. At least, she’s trying.

Fortunately, our friends at Aldo know most of us are watching the budget so they have offered a 15 percent discount off your next online purchase! Use the promotional code LC315OFF until December 1st when checking out.

The 90’s radio personality better known as the First Lady of Radio, worked with iconic bands, married an astronaut, founded a business and mothered three sons aside from promoting her books. As she explains, her life has been “everything but boring.” In trying to show people that their lives can be as interesting too she wrote Rock to the Top and shares life and business lessons rock stars turned entrepreneurs use.

“I love adventure my whole life has been an adventure, every day I wake up and think oh my God I am so lucky. Even going through a hurricane I still thought I was lucky because I didn’t loose much. I always tell people I work really hard to make this life this good. If you want a great life no one will get it for you, if you want to be a success in anything its up to you,” Steele said to Blast.

In reference to the hurricane, the lady of radio experienced hurricane Ike since she lives in Houston, TX. In fact, a week after the hurricane hit, our scheduled interview was in the middle of her home reparations.

“I don’t want to say that Katrina was not important because of course it was, but we were hit as hard and did not receive the attention. Mainly because when FEMA finally got here one guy said, ‘I’ve never seen such incredible destruction over such a wide path but I’ve also never seen such work ethic and neighborly concern to one another.’ I said, ‘welcome to Texas,’” Steele recalled.

Whether it came from her Texan background or her father’s mentorship Steele has continuously been a “go-getter.” Raised with the teachings that every job is worth giving it 100 percent effort, Steele knew she loved music; and although when auditioning to be a DJ she did it to impress a guy, she felt that a radio career could be a shoe-in. So she dedicated herself to making it big.

After getting the radio job she didn’t land a date with the guy, but she did get people’s attention. Her midday show with Houston’s radio powerhouse KLOL grew in popularity because of her friendly manner and ability to relate to listeners (nicknamed Steeleworkers) or bands like the Rolling Stones. Over her tenure in radio she was nominated as Local Radio Personality of the Year by Billboard Magazine and included in Talkers Magazine’s 100 Most Important Radio Talk Show Host. Being VIP at shows, getting platinum records as gifts and living backstage life were her everyday happenings.

“If people only knew the tings that went on backstage they’d be impressed, everyone thinks its sex drugs and rock and roll and if it had been we’d all be dead! After a very successful career I felt I could try other fields so I left radio and started being a business woman, a successful business woman,” she adds.

Hanging with band members, who knew fame could be temporary, taught Steele valuable lessons she shares in writing. Her book is divided into easy-to-understand chapters targeting specific areas. First chapter being dedicated to passion because, “if you truly have a passion for something you will keep trying no mater what.” Following chapters target confidence, organization skills and even a section about health and business leading titled, “We Can’t All be Keith Richards.”

The book contains anecdotes of her years in the music world with morals that are identifiable. Without the bore of typical business books Steele’s style is casual and poignant so that readers feel as if she’s talking to them one-on-one. Her advice aims to prove that businesses can be successful in any field, not just the typical banking or investing routes.

“After leaving radio I started making professional speeches but they were boring and I always had a question about rock at the end. This was what people wanted to listen, the rock stories. So, I used my stories to talk about business and wrote the book in the same way. Overall reaction has been amazing, but from business people being that they were motivated to do something else they always wanted to do. That is the best response ever,” the author admits.

Her various roles in life have shown the lighthearted woman that giving can also be rewarding. The mother of three said that she knew she wanted to have kids, “I just never knew how much I would like them.” In setting a good example for them she has dedicated time to promote national pride and teach her children to be good doers.

She launched Operation National Anthem with the idea that soldiers in service record a simple request to be played at events, large or small, around the United States before the national anthem is played. The soldiers remind people to be respectful and quiet during our anthem’s run. Like with her other projects, the videos Steele created are being played across the United States now.

“My boys are 9, 12 and 20. They have chores, we expect straight A’s and they get punishments. I try to tell them to look at the world and see how good they have it. Anything we have its worth fighting and working for and its to do it for the passion not the money,” Steele said.

If your interests are as broad as this Texan’s and you need a little guidance, Rock to the Top is a valuable read. Aside from getting tips you will be entertained and amazed with the personal stories of a woman who is everything, but boring.

Enter to win a copy of Dayna’s book by emailing Giveaways@BlastMagazine.com

First off, be prepared for long tresses. Throughout the catwalks at this year’s NY Fashion Week, long dark hair was ever-present. Think rich brunette colors. Penna assures that this serves a purpose, “at the Fashion Week shows what I was seeing was the kind of boho chick look that will be really in this season. Hair is long, very romantic, very soft. Subtle details included little braids; headbands are making a big statement right now too and this whole look is useful and fun, free and flowy.”

However most of us are not blessed with naturally “flowy” hair and deal with the typical frizziness or lack of volume, to name a few.  For this the stylist suggests using headbands. They have become very popular accessories seen all over the place, from Gossip Girl to Madonna’s forehead.

Penna said that the headband is taking center stage even more though, “headbands are huge accessories right now and they are very easy to use because they take the hair back and really show off the headband.”  By pulling the hair back into a sleek low-bun, ponytail or braid the simple do can be glamed up by adding a headband with details and any untamed hair is hidden.

Other tips include using smoothing and cream based products that eliminate excess frizz and soften curly hair to look soft and romantic.  Curl enhancing products are better too if you have a natural wave to the hair and want to give it more definition. Air-drying is also better than blow drying or straightening. The straight from roots-to-ends hairstyle is no longer popular and looks severe, Penna said.

Try this tip from the pro, “create braids in the front, near the temple area. Take a small section of hair in the temple area and braid the entire section, pull it back and join into a ponytail so you can see the detail from the side,” Penna said. Just remember to keep it simple. “Don’t over exceed, two or three small braids scattered around are more than enough.”

For a more vivid guide, look at Blake Lively. Penna is a fan of her hair, saying that for this season’s trends she is the, “epitome of the style without a doubt.”

Of course the shoes had their launch to fame in 1917 as basketball shoes, made popular by player Chuck Taylor (hence their nickname). Over the decades, though, rock bands, like the Foo Fighters or Weezer, along with rappers and even pop stars have made Chucks their signature kicks.

Because of this, the company recruited bands that have the same recognition and history as the shoes to design the collections. Each of the unique styles honor the genres and movements in music and culture that have disrupted the status quo. Key collections include the Grateful Dead, Black Sabbath, The Doors, The Who, Ozzy, and Pink Floyd.

Here’s what you can expect from the designs by each band.  The Grateful Dead is known for setting its own standards and redefined music and the live concert experience. The band’s apparent disdain for the status quo enabled them to become music’s most enduring success story, and what began as a freewheeling group of musicians transformed into one of the most powerful icons in American pop culture. Serving as a canvas, the collection pays homage to the Grateful Dead legacy through simple execution with detailing left to the powerful imagery and artwork for which has become forever associated with the band.  Featuring the two artists who were at the forefront of San Francisco’s renaissance of graphic poster art in the 1960s and 1970s, Alton Kelley’s and Stanley Mouse’s artwork is featured prominently; Skull & Roses is one of the designs and the famous dancing bears is another.

Inspired by the metal anthem, Iron Man, the Black Sabbath Chucks high tops have hard-core details that shout individuality. A tribute to the sound that in the 1970s emerged and changed the music landscape forever, these shoes feature smooth, monochrome black leather uppers with metallic detailing and Sabbath-signature purple accented linings. Metalwork and hardcore buckles combined with rich black leathers give the Jack Purcell shoe version an especially industrial look and extreme attitude.

As revolutionary in both sound and lyrics, embodying a spirit of rebellion and joy, The Doors helped usher in a new musical era too. Challenging convention at every turn, legendary frontman Jim Morrison turned every performance into an unforgettable ritual, while keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger and drummer John Densmore forged a mind-altering blend of rock, blues, jazz, latin groove and experimental sonics. The song The Unknown Soldier inspired their military-style, high-top shoe with combat-fatigue detailing and black soles. With the lyric “It’s all over” emblazoned on its outer heel, it’s a wearable work of art with real graphic power.

A comfort-pack footbed and other premium details give it added comfort and a premium look and feel. Adding psychedelic flair to daily wear, The Doors’ classic logo is subtly embossed in glossy detailing over a monochrome black, leather high-top version. In addition, a white low-top version features the logo in a unique print that blends the canvas and rubber side-wall into one.

All the shoes are available at Journeys and they range from $50 to $100. Seeing that they are a special collection it would be wise to check the designs and get one while they are available. If you own black, red, high top or unbleached white pairs…get your hands on these too.

Known to many as Adam Davies, the archenemy of Jeremy Piven’s character Ari Gold, Jordan Belfi joined the cast of Entourage in its first season. Over three years, he has become famous on the show for getting Ari fired from their agency and making life a living hell.

Now in season four, he returns to continue the never-ending hatred existence that has become Adam vs. Ari.

Since Belfi is loyal to his producers, Blast could not obtain juicy revelations about this season’s story line. All we can share is the polite, “great things to come,” quote. But Belfi did say that in the likeness of the first and second episodes (where a car race surged between Adam and Ari) there will be more action and continuous shock.

Now, back to Belfi.

Born and raised in Southern California, Belfi decided to take a route many actors leave behind and attended college before going to castings. In wanting a change of scenery he enrolled at Wesleyan University in Connecticut and studied film and theatre.

“I went to the snow because Wesleyan proved to be the school I wanted to attend. What I took away was pretty invaluable, not because of who I met but because of who I became. I wanted to go away and grow and I always had the sense that I’d come back to L.A., so I wanted to be out of my element,” said Belfi in a recent chat. “College helps form who you are, it gives you time to grow and it’s something you can bring to your work as an actor. I think bringing knowledge back to your work helps color things and inform the choices you make. It was very important to me.”

Now, as an accredited actor, Belfi is trying out different settings in front of the camera. Belfi has managed to act in major television shows, star in blockbusters and be part of independent film casts.

He has a recurring role in the popular vampire drama Moonlight, aside from his Entourage gig, and he has appeared in Smallville, Shark, Gilmore Girls and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. This summer, production finished on the Touchtone Pictures sci-fi thriller “The Surrogates,” where Belfi performs opposite Bruce Willis and Ving Rhames.

As if that didn’t keep him busy, Belfi also finished work on the WWII-based, indie-drama “Christina,” which tells the story of an American soldier and what occurs when he brings his German lady love to the states.

Without being pretentious, Belfi is carving a path to act at various levels, while remaining under the radar. Like others who have acted in different mediums — Natalie Portman or James Franco — Belfi is obtaining new roles, playing them accordingly and taking time off afterward to do what he enjoys: backpacking.

Recently, he enjoyed a solo European tour where he stayed at hostels and traveled by train for what he called, “one of the great thrills of his life.” Although he could have stayed at swanky hotels and gotten the VIP service, he chose the normal way to backpack and even stayed at random people’s homes. As he put it, everything created a fantastic trip that kept him grounded and gave him a local’s perspective.

And it seems that he wants to remain grounded in every aspect.

“Entourage has been the best experience of my career it and took me to a whole new level. The prestige of HBO and the quality all around makes things feel like we’re making a movie every week, and in a way we really are making mini movies each week. To be surrounded by talented people, writers and directors is all I can ask for. I feel great to be working at all levels, from the biggest of the big, to small indie films, to hit TV shows,” Belfi said.

In “The Surrogates” Belfi will portray a crooked exec. The movie, based on a comic book series, is set in a futuristic world where humans live in isolation and interact through remote-controlled artificial bodies (surrogate robots). After someone begins murdering these robot images, a cop (Willis) is forced to leave his home for the first time in years to investigate the crimes. Belfi plays the VP at the company that manufactures these robots.

“The experience, itself was great. This is a huge science fiction studio movie,” he said. “Working with [Bruce Willis] was the best part because someone you admire comes face to face and suddenly all the nerves go away, for a period you are just peers — actors working together. Working at that level was exciting.”

Belfi may choose to remain under the radar – acting and living a relatively Hollywood-free life – or become the next “it” star. Whatever ends up happening he said he wants to be noticed for one thing only.

“I think it’s simple: I just want to be known as a really good actor, in the end that’s the most important thing to me,” confessed the blue-eyed hunk.

Catch Belfi’s menace of a character on Entourage Sundays at 10 p.m. on HBO. Watch Moonlight on Fridays at 9 p.m. on CBS.

A joint statement was issued on behalf of the couple stating that, “Madonna and Guy Ritchie have agreed to divorce after seven-and-a-half years of marriage … They have both requested that the media maintain respect for their family at this difficult time.”

After a tumultuous year where Madonna was linked to baseball player, Alex Rodriguez’s, own divorce and allegations that she and Ritchie had been leading a separate lives for years, the couple now only talk through their personal assistants.

According to reorts from “insiders” and British newspapers, Ritchie has stopped work in his latest film to return to the UK and tell his family the news. Amidst the problems that surged because of Rodriguez, Ritchie’s mother talked to the media saying the pair would not separate earlier this year.

Rumors of the divorce continued and, apparently, the couple wanted to wait until the end of Madonna’s world tour to announce the divorce and finalize it by Christmas. However, the couple did not have a prenuptial agreement so the settlement over monetary and property goods may take longer than desired.

Madonna, 50, has already contacted Paul McCartney’s divorce lawyer, Fiona Shackleton. Legal experts speculate that Ritchie could receive up to 50 million British pounds ($100 million). Madonna’s wealth is estimated at about 300 million British pounds (close to $600 million). The pair have spent most of their married life in London and Wiltshire with children Lourdes, 12, Rocco, 8, and David, 3, who was adopted from an orphanage in Malawi.

“I was at a dance convention just sitting there and some people noticed me, my boyfriend got on the mic and asked people if they liked Adrian and a girl yelled out ‘NO,’” recalls actress Francia Raisa, the face of the girl everyone is loving to hate. “That girl realized I was there and came up to me saying how she didn’t like my ‘character’ because she’s too mean, but everyone always says they love how bad she is!”

Indeed, her character in the ABC show is something else. Adrian seduces morally confused football players, deals with a mother who may want to relive her teenage years again, manages to be a popular cheerleader who is also in the honor roll and crushes on a guy who, well, got a girl pregnant at 15.

All in a day’s work.

Raisa manages to interpret the feisty, sexy, independent and lonely Adrian amazingly well.

So well in fact that, when I was getting ready for this interview, I was already thinking she would shoot me a snooty one-liner like the ones she uses on screen. To my amazement, the young and talented actress could not be farther away from her character’s personality. Raisa, an LA native who is DJ “El Cucuy” Renan Almendarez’s daughter, gushes about “how lucky” she is to be in a hit TV show and talks with such an upbeat tone and frankness she had me laughing five minutes into conversation.

“I remember how I was at the point of talking about sex when I was younger but I love playing my character because she actually does and I get to send a message to a lot of teenagers. This girl chilling with Ricky, she doesn’t have to sleep with him because at the end of the day she knows he doesn’t love her, but the fact that she’s smart gives her a little more of an edge because it shows you can be smart, and still be hot,” she said.

Her fans will be happy to know that they’ll soon see more of her on television, movies and on-line coming soon.

“Me and the girls from the show are talking about having a site for teenagers where they can ask us questions they are ashamed or afraid to ask adults, we could recruit a doctor as well to educate them. It could be very helpful so we are definitely considering it. I have also been working on movies and I have so many ideas to develop in the fashion business and even produce or direct. I have many interests,” said the 20-year old star.

The movies Raisa speaks of are completely different from one another. On her first lead as indie film talent she got to work with Tinieblas González, one of the lead Spanish directors in the horror/science fiction genre. In the film ASD (Alma Sin Dueño), her character and her graffiti artist friends are caught in a new subway system and discover a half-human creature they must escape from to survive. The plot sounds interesting but what Raisa was interested in were the working conditions.

“I did two movies before this one, but it was my first lead and I was very excited. The fact it was in Spain made it even more exciting. However, it was one of the hardest jobs I’ve had because of the environment! It made me appreciate the Actors Guild and how we shoot movies here,” says the actress. “We would shoot long hours at some locations that were disgusting. I remember my first day we were in a tunnel and there were bugs and trash, then in another location we filmed at a tunnel where people shot heroin and we had to be very careful where we stepped because there were syringes everywhere. We even shot in the sewers and it smelled so bad.”

The crazy settings were apparently worth it. According to Raisa, Tinieblas is known for his unusual vision. Although she wondered how it all would look on screen once she saw the trailer she was, “impressed with how it came out and with what his vision would be.”

The overall experience is one she will cherish. Still, she says, once she was back in America to shoot her second lead role things felt much better.

“My other role in The Cutting Edge was heaven. Being in a studio and having a set, it was amazing. Now when anyone starts being a diva, complaining about nothing, I just go ‘You have nooo idea how things can get,” Raisa jokes.

Getting the audition a day after returning from Spain, Raisa was happy to know she had gotten the lead. But there was no time for rest; soon after the casting, dance lessons and filming began. The lack of free time can be tolerated by the fact that work is enjoyable.

Contrary to the cast dramas that were popular a few years ago, having a cast that doesn’t like each other seems to be preposterous nowadays. Because of this, Raisa admits that going to work is something she looks forward to.

“We just get along so well and learn from each other, it’s amazing,” she says of her “Secret Life” castmates. “For the movies I was also very happy because we all got along and worked well, we wanted to make things great and just made it happen.”

In case catfights make a comeback though, Raisa has other personal projects. One of them being a clothing line. As cliché as it may seem, she says she’d like to focus on a niche market, curvalicious women.

“Business-wise my main focus is to direct and produce someday. I have a lot of concepts that I want to put on camera and I’m already putting attention on set and seeing how I can start things. But, there are a lot of girls my size, petite with big hips, and there aren’t a lot of clothes for us! I want to start a clothing line to do something that will fit us in all the right places. I also have a passion for makeup and would love to create a line that works with these ideas,” the mini-mogul shares.

Among the many decisions to make, one thing is certain. This actress’s popularity has grown and she’d better get used to it.

“Because of my dad’s background, I can say I am a little more aware of what its like to not have a personal life, but its crazy right now. I’m not used to it yet because when I’m with my dad he’s the one getting recognized. Now it’s about me so this is interesting,” says Raisa, trying to make sense of stardom. “I went to the finale of ABDC (America’s Best Dance Crew) and people were screaming but I thought it was for the Pussy Cat Dolls, turned out it was for me. As far as my private life, I have a boyfriend and a rumor magazine came out saying that I was dating this choreographer so I was like ‘Oh no, it started.’”

I first heard of Notch by word of mouth after he did a performance in New England. “This guy is hot,” is what I heard, and apparently I should have heard it sooner. When researching for a press contact for the singer, who mixes Jamaican, hip-hop and Latin beats, I was greeted by Fan sites, YouTube videos, MTV profiles and an artist album pre-sale website.

The question: How did I miss out on this? Thankfully, here are the answers so you don’t have to.

The former lead vocalist for the hip-hop/reggae duo Born Jamericans, Notch joined the music scene in the 90s. The Hartford native’s racial background is a combination of African American, Cuban and Jamaican. 

Always interested in music, he grew up listening to Bob Marley in a largely Latino community. As a boy, he learned the Jamaican dialect Patois, was immersed in Spanish and created his own little dialect (Spatoinglish) as a result. 

“I got influenced by all the dancing, the dialects, the people. I just expressed myself by mimicking what I saw and sharing when it was needed the most, to entertain or to liven the day,” he said in a recent interview. “I learned to appreciate the beauty of a melody or the pain, and I created fusion words.’

His early success with Born Jamericans allowed him to fuse words with the passion of music to create a tool to connect to people.

Known then as Mr. Notch, Born Jamericans singles like “Boom Shak-a-Tak” and “Send My Love” introduced the artist as sultry, smooth-singing counterpart to his partner, Edley Shine, and his rugged rhymes.

For five years the duo grew popular and achieved international notoriety by offering dancehall music to American urban radio.

But with fame came commercialization. With more use of hip-hop and R&B, dancehall diehards began to turn on the duo as they became more mainstream and the group dismantled in 1998.

Notch decided to go solo, tap more into his Latin roots and make unique music.

In 2000 he jetted to Jamaica to record authentic dancehall and reggae. By listening to other bilingual artists, he experimented with his dialect and recorded Hay Que Bueno, a hip-hop/reggaeton song that is perfect for dancing. The multilingual hit became popular on both Latin-based and reggae mediums. With the success the singer moved to Puerto Rico and started to work with reggaeton producers.

The single started playing on Latin radio stations too and found its place on the Billboard Latin charts.

Shortly after, Notch was featured in the albums of Daddy Yankee, Luny Tunes, Beenie Man and even ska rockers Sublime and Thievery Corporation. The success lingered. 

“A lot of Hispanics love reggae music and they sing along to it many times not understanding the words well or they decipher what is being said, but it gives them a chance to poke into their curiosity and learn about the reggae language and maybe their own language.” Notch explained. “I’ve come along and offered more of a window for people to procure their curiosity.”

Curiosity that can form bonds amongst people. 

“We all got dropped in the western hemisphere and got shuffled as dominoes, but anyway I can find words that are close to the roots of our native people and use them I try to do just to show our historical commonality,” Notch said. ”It puts more soul to the melody … and it’s helping Jamaicans learn Spanish too,” he added with a laugh.

In 2007 Notch released his first solo album, Raised by the People, making it on Billboard’s 14th Best Selling Reggae albums and 9th Top Reggae Artist of 2007. The single “Dale ‘Pa Tra” (Back It Up) made Top 100 in Latin charts and Top 5 in Reggae charts as well. The production is a mix of merengue, cumbia and bachata in addition to urban-pop and hip-hop to his interchanging medley of reggaeton and dancehall. Songs like “Que Te Pica” and “Rosalinda” are as playable as the single and although not easily understandable to English speakers, still addictive.

“I’m making headway now, but it’s been really hard doing what I’m doing and I’m not playing clean or fair. I am able to cheat by bringing out the karate side of me and show all the things I can offer, but at end of day I believe music is the universal language,” he said. “I know melody is internal and can cross any lines. Anyone needs a song to pump up with in the shower, on the way to work or just to bring back the spirit in their lives.”

The road has been somewhat long and less than perfect after he left Born Jamericans. As the singer says, though, the ability to record music he is proud of is worth crossing any red tape.

“With the group there was a lot of pressure from the label to make R&B present to get more airplay, to be more amicable instead of cultural and ethnic which was harder to sell. We were a group and we packaged the product so I strayed away from what the label wanted and showed them my art can be different and that as an artist I can show other pallets,” recalled the singer. “When I was going back [to Jamaica] and learned about war and drugs, teenage pregnancy and school dropouts I came out with songs like Rosalinda and other songs that had social commentary that I felt needed to express the message and show things form my cultural bag of tricks.”

As he continues to remake his image and grow as a solo artist, Notch has the advantage of knowing what is like to be at the top. He can survive in the music industry jungle and take it one day at a time as well. He says that all these years he’s been dropping hints of his return and now the pieces are connecting through the Internet, through his album, through his music connections and through fan support. 

“I have more optimism and look forward to taking this industry by storm and getting people to sing my songs; but I have to take it day by day because I may be the most popular person now and later you may see me at the post office working!” he said. “The most important thing I aspire to is getting people to mumble my name, keep me in their minds, and its like getting a portrait of me in everyone’s house.”

Notch is debuting a new official website, where fans can order his album, preview new tracks and vote for their favorite songs.

The clean shaven and attractive, 30-something, also established his own music label. As he puts it, he has to deal with paying taxes and hiring personnel so he does not see the need to have his nose, “up in the air.”

“When people make a big deal about the dialect or the music or my business and ask me what I am like, one thing people keep forgetting is that I eat Italian food and French fries; I get my hair cut by Dominicans, play baseball with my Black friends and chill out with my Asian friends,” he said. “I’m like everyone, but I take time unwrapping my gift of mimicking the beauty of the people around me.”

Whether he continues being an underground sensation or becomes the next Daddy Yankee, one thing is clear. Notch is an artist who made it to the top and back and is still able to stay human. His music, like his personality, is energetic and magnetic.

Both presidential candidates have been in the limelight long enough to talk of their life experiences and ideas for how to better the nation. However, they have been so involved in obtaining the nomination that until now will they be able to further explain how exactly they plan to fix the economy, offer health care to the more than 47 million uninsured Americans, restore the ailing educational system and figure a way to deal with the 20 million plus illegal immigrants and their American families who are in the country-amongst many other important issues.

While trying to build their case and be viewed as political saviors, both candidates must also prove that their vice presidential picks were good choices… and survive the gossip media frenzy that has been unleashed. Biden has had several years of political experience, becoming a senator in 1973 at the Constitutional minimum age of 30. He was the fifth-youngest senator in U.S. history and is the current chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee aside from serving as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. He can give Obama the credibility amongst voters who are doubtful he is able to run a country after only eight years as senator.

Still, Biden is not easily recognizable by the youth of America and because of his age he can be seen as just another high up politician from the bunch. On the other side we have Palin, the young charismatic female governor of Alaska. If the Democrats were making history by having a black man and a woman running for the presidential candidacy, the Republicans are offering retribution by giving the people the first ever-female vice president hopeful.

The difference between the two parties, though, is that in the Democratic side both candidates launched themselves into the race. The Republicans front chose their woman practically out of the blue and shocked even its own members by doing so. The same doubtful voters can see Palin as an inexperienced, beauty-pageant contestant who needs to fill a void to attract those who were planning to vote for Hillary. Palin served in the city council of Wasilla, AK, in the 90’s until she became its mayor in 1999. The young politician, who has a bachelor’s degree in journalism, won the position of governor in 2006 and serves approximately 670,000 Alaskans.

After all these political character identifications my fear remains. Is this going to be a historic campaign because America will elect either its first black president or first female vice president? Or, will it be historical because America will elect the candidate who can solve the thousands of problems that are bringing the country down the drain?

True, race, gender and experience can be considered when making a decision. But what I want to suggest is blind, educated, decision making. Blind and educated in the sense that whenever listening to debates or political commentary we, as responsible voters, listen to the facts and the options offered.

So far, neither candidate has had a face-to-face debate. Democrat team has laid a blueprint for how they plan to refurbish the educational system by providing the necessary tools inner city and poor neighborhood schools are missing. They have also expressed their interest in a type of universal health care system and offered a plan for how to better the economy by investing in fields like energy independence. In the spirit of bipartisanism it must be said that the Republican presidential nominee and his VP gal have spoken of these issues and others like immigration. The pair would implement a clear two-step immigration process that offers various levels of working permits.

It is still safe to say we do not know each candidate completely. Whoever wins the presidential seat will have to grow into the position just as the country will grow to know them. Yet one thing remains clear. In this race it is extremely important to stray away from what the two parties are constantly shoving at us, this race is important because of one black and one female candidate.

The yellow journalists will continue, “uncovering” facts behind the specified candidate’s life and personalities. And although this is important-yes a black candidate and a female candidate are a first-EVER, please don’t be blinded.

The facts, the plans, the solutions being discussed are most meaningful part. These will make or break our America. These will ensure we do not have another four or eight years involved in warfare under economic and societal emergencies. These will prove that as Americans we can look past gender and color, like many claim to do, and truly elect a candidate for what they stand for.

Apparently, they do. Because of it, rapper Kanye West was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport Thursday. He was arrested on charges of vandalism along with a road manager after they took a paparazzi’s camera and lighting tool and smashed it to pieces.

He was later released on $20,000 bail. According to TMZ.com, West arrived in Hawaii that same night.

The artist mentioned the altercation in his blog briefly saying, “We back in the lab!!! I’m cool with the paparazzi. This guy wasn’t cool. I gotta work now … I’ll rant later!”

West’s latest album, 808’s & Heartbreak, will apparently have a release date of December 16 and has already been offered on pre-sale at online music stores.

“I started to sing in front of people when I was in primary school with my friends but the first time I had an audience was when I was 16,” Niko reminisced. “Every summer I went to the beach on my bicycle with my guitar [But] it was unusual because I was a young boy singing Diana Polanka songs and the guys of my age sang other things.”

In an interview with Blast, Niko explained that his musical passion was, is and will forever be, rock. Because of this he began performing the rock songs he grew up listening to and loving. As he grew older his beach gigs got him a mid-sized following, or as he describes with a grin, “I started making many, many, friends.”

As a child he received a keyboard, rock cassettes and a guitar as gifts for Christmas and birthdays from is parents who wanted him to enjoy music. However, they never fully realized that as Niko taught himself to play the instruments and lip-synch to the rock tunes, he was dreaming of one day being an artist. After performing in the beach over the summers his first glimpse at fame came when he was 18.

The teen entered a TV competition, Rei Por La Note (King for a Night), where he sang and won the night’s honors. His performance was seen nationwide and after that his popularity grew. Through more contests and gigs he met Paolo Limiti, an Italian T.V. personality from the national station Rai Uno. Limiti decided Niko would be great addition to his show and sooner than soon he was performing American, dance and Italian songs for millions across Italy’s television sets. In search for more, Niko moved to Milan.

There he put together a band of seven musicians and toured the country for ten years. His large number of new “friends” started filing up bars, as he became a true “Piano Man” and sang at local restaurants and hot spots across the country.

“I worked in clubs and played and sang every kind of music, from waltz to salsa to cha-cha-cha to disco from the 70s every kind. When I was 20 I started to sing in Italian because I started to work at many piano bars, but for me it’s beautiful to be here [in America] because I feel at home. I don’t now why but I always thought there was something special for me, something between me and America- I always felt this, and now it’s a dream come true for me.”

While touring and being on stages nearly every other day the star in training learned valuable lessons. Niko says that first, and most importantly, he learned to stay on stage and to know how to talk to the audience. He also learned the “right behavior” with my musicians, to know how to be punctual and work as a team rather than being a diva-man. “I think it’s important to stay true to yourself, ‘tu mismo,’ because I am living this moment like an important adventure and a beautiful experience for my life first of all. Is not important to me to become a huge star it’s important to me to sing.”

Just as he got into Italy’s heart, Niko tells that when he sings he can give other people the feeling that he’s feeling. For him, that is the most important thing. “I understand it will be strong if you have success now but then no more! I don’t want this, I just want to stay quiet and enjoy this moment every day.”

It’s still uncertain if Niko’s days will remain quiet or not. He was offered the opportunity to come to America by director-producer Steve Binder who met Niko on one of his shows while vacationing in Europe. Binder enjoyed the show so much he offered Niko the chance to meet people in the industry and obtain a development deal with Live Nation. From his most recent album Niko’s sounds are smooth and romantic. He is indeed gifted with a good voice, making his ballads alluring, but what probably attracts audiences most is his open personality.

Throughout the interview itself, the singer was nervous about his accent but eager to share memories and talk. This Italian feel is what Niko can bring to the table without having much competition. Although he is compared to Josh Groban or Andrea Bocelli and toured this summer with Chicago and the Doobie Brothers, his music is constantly developing.

“I want him to be Niko not anybody else, you can compare the vocal talent but not the performance. His communication with the audience is different,” said Binder. “Going with Chicago and the Doobie Brothers who are heavy duty Rock and Roll and seeing that they’ve embraced each other and had true love affair of musicians is amazing. Too see that four bars into a first song people are putting attention… I’ve never seen that with an opening act.”

Now as he prepares to work in the U.S. it’s exciting to hear about the music he may work in. Maybe audiences can expect Italian accented soft rock tunes? “I think when I first saw my first movie I was four or five with my parents and we went to see Grease. This was my first important moment because I immediately loved the music, Rock and Roll, the style, everything; I love many different kinds of music but my first love was Rock and Roll,” asserted the singer.

Although his summer tour has come to an end there are plans for future concerts as a record is being prepared. When asked whether or not he missed his native land, the answer is “of course,” but for the obvious reasons of family, friends and fans that are there. As far as his career is concerned Niko tells that he belongs here now.

“When I said ‘I am going to America’ people in Italy were very happy for my career and for me because I didn’t have many opportunities, it’s a sad thing but the music business in Italy is very closed; so we’ll see what happens because they are waiting for another Italian concert,” Niko added jokingly. “I couldn’t believe I to go out of Italy. I could not do it because it was difficult, I didn’t know anybody but I met Steve and this year is the beginning of my adventure.”

Enter to win a copy of Niko’s CD, Per Te, by emailing Giveaways@BlastMagazine.com