I don’t know, is it just me…but Mondays are the worst. I can never get it together after a weekend of doing all the things I shouldn’t be doing. Yesterday was especially tough for all of us in the studio….Damien just really wants to tell me to f*** off, but he’s too polite.

p.s. what’s up with guys and their iphones? Are there any girls out there shelling out this money? Seriously…..I wanna know…..

xo

It was miserable all week. Rainy, cloudy, sweaty, stinky…New York City summer. This is my view, on the way to work, it was hard to motivate this week. Is it just me or is it harder to get out of bed when the sun isn’t shining…like really hard, like I think I have some kind of daylight disease.

The best part about work is I get to come in looking like a homeless person….

And after the elves work their magic….

Lucy Liu eat your heart out…or at least Connie Chung….?? That is some good hair missy.

This is one of the magical elves, Betsy….the things this one can do with a comb and a hair dryer. Not only does it take a toll on days I’m looking extra-gnarly (like this one)…but she’s also really hung over from the night before. I like to torture her by taking photos of her sitting on the make up room floor. One of these days, I’m gonna give you a step by step video on how to get the most perfect blow dry. I’m obsessed.

This is one of our stage managers. He’s about to bring me on set for my hit. This is what I see backstage, right before I head out.

Show’s over, always a group of photographers getting pics of celebs coming off stage…I know they sometimes get a bad rap, but these guys are the nicest…and kinda cute, right?

I’m back in NY now. Had to come back to catch up with a true hip-hop heavyweight 50 Cent. 50 was in Times Square on the roof of the Renaissance Hotel shooting a new video / anthem for the NCAA with the great Perry Farrell and Kelly Rowland as they re-versioned the re-version of “Only Love, Let’s Celebrate.”

I’m not going to say too much about this interview and just let you watch it and hope you enjoy it.

I’ve known both 50 and Kanye for a long time and I have the utmost respect for both of them as men and musicians. With them both gearing up for the release of their third albums (Curtis and Graduation) on the same day — Sept 11th — I’m looking forward to a great day for music and big sales for the both of them.

Also before I go, a big shout to Becks who scored his first goal for LA Galaxy — a cracking goal at that! Nice one!

Till next time…

They say what goes on in Vegas should stay in Vegas, so I will keep this brief.

The TRL: 2007 MTV Video Music Awards Nominations Special (breathe) was a monster show with Lily Allen, Kanye West, Common, Chris Brown, Robin Thicke, Timbaland and Rihanna. Kanye tore the house down with his performance on TRL that day from the headquarters in NY as we linked live via satellite to our new temporary base at the Palms, LV for the 2007 MTV VMAs. (I’m working on the “temporary” part!)

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So the other day, I was on set and noticed this kid behind me, sitting in the audience with a really funny t-shirt. I had to grab a pic. I promised that I would put it up on my myspace, so he could get a copy of the photo (which I did), but haven’t been able to find him yet. If you’re a friend of “hot moms” tell him he’s got a shout out on my blog.

While we all work in the same building, it’s often hard to catch up with the very people you like the most. Sway doesn’t come and visit very often and when he does…well, it’s hard not to get excited. I’m just starting to take my camera downstairs, so everyone is still getting used to it….like how Sway thinks that I’m taking pictures and keeps posing for the VIDEO! LOL x100, it’s that funny….!!!!!!!!! Oh, and don’t you love it how he supposedly came down to see me do the news and missed the entire segment…..yeah, thanks.

It’s really hard to hate your job when the first person you see at work is someone like Damien. He could literally be the funniest, strangest, most lovable person I work with. And now that I have this blog, I get to share him and all of the crazy, wacky, silly things that happen behind the scenes at “TRL” with all of you! Every video you’ll see, will be shot by me on my trusty digital camera. And mostly, you’ll be seeing a lot of us in the make up room. It’s where we hang out, where we eat, where we check emails, make calls….it’s like a dorm room. After so many years working together and working on the show, it’s like clock work and up until the moment “TRL” goes live, we’re back there goofing off and giving each other a hard time, the show comes really easy.

Now the back story behind this video: a few weeks ago, I went to the bagel store across the street from the studio, and got my usual pumpernickel bagel. It had just come out of the oven and when I brought it into the make up room, Damien does what he always does…eats whatever I’ve got. He was so awed, so overwhelmed by this hot bagel that ever since, in his own, subtle (which is not so subtle way) he asks me about the bagel, EVERY DAY. What time did I get the bagel? Do I think there will be hot bagels today? Who was working at the counter that morning? Why are hot bagels so different from cold ones? I was really starting to regret the snack I never ate. And, now…finally….you get to see what he’s been doing to me, every day, ever since.

I still cry tears every time I see this. He just wants me to go to the bagel store and get him a hot freaking bagel every morning, but won’t ask…I mean what do I look like?

(p.s. I haven’t been back there since, for fear of encouraging Damien’s strange obsession.)

Any suggestions on how I get Damien to stop this?

Hi. I’m sorry it’s been a little while since I last posted but these are busy times.

I’ll pick up from where I left off. So as you can see, I made it through Lollapalooza…just about! It was a truly amazing array of musical talent — special mentions go out to Pearl Jam, Lupe Fiasco, Amy Winehouse, MIA, Stephen Marley, Juliette and the Licks, Daft Punk, Paolo Nutini, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Kings of Leon and of course, the man Perry Farrell for his gracious hospitality and for putting on one hell of a show. But what made Lollapalooza even better was its host city. It was my first time to Chicago and it was pretty much love at first sight. A smaller, calmer, quieter, prettier, cleaner, more laid back version of NY — Chi-town is a truly stunning city (in more ways than one). Along with almost every artist and band on the Lollapalooza line-up, we were all staying at the Hard Rock Hotel — so as word spread through the city the Hard Rock became the magnet for all those looking for a good time. Needless to say, there was rarely a dull moment.

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I’m to the side of the stage right now, tapping these words into my crackberry in time to the beat of Daft Punk who are playing a heavy set in front of what looks like a million people all throwing their hands up and down to the beat. This is one hell of a concert. This is Lollapalooza!

A full weekend of non-stop music across 9 massive stages here in Chicago - this 3 day event is undoubtedly the biggest festival of the summer here in the US- and already, just hours into the event- Lollapalooza is living up to the hype.

Pearl Jam, Daft Punk, Amy Winehouse, YYY’s, Perry Farrell, Lupe Fiasco, Cold War Kids and host of others are here- even Kanye (who is here in his home-town) is rumoured to be hitting the stage despite not even being on the official line-up. If he’s going to do it- now would be the perfect time as Daft Punk play the opening to ‘Faster, Stronger’. Fingers crossed…but unfortunately no show…yet.

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Walking out of the Hard Rock hotel for the first time in Chicago, and who do I bump into but the Mayor of Chicago himself, Lupe Fiasco.