FabSugar

Fab Flash: American Eagle + New Media

FabSugar — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 11:30:22 -0700

Clothes are no longer American Eagle's sole interest. In looking for new ways to connect with their customer, AE has decided to develop original entertainment content through ae.com, YouTube, Myspace, Facebook, and television.

Everything from music, comedies, reality programming and dramas are in the cards, but the first project is a 12-episode series, It's a Mall World, directed by Milo Ventimiglia. In the show, American Eagle products aren't explicitly referenced, but several of the characters do wear American Eagle. Fun!

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First Look: "It's a Mall World"

BuzzSugar — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 11:00:00 -0700

When Pop told me that Milo Ventimiglia was directing short comedies-slash-commercials for American Eagle Outfitters called "It's a Mall World," I had to see what it was about before the episodes start airing during "The Real World: Sydney" this Wednesday. I usually roll my eyes at this kind of thinly disguised advertising, but after checking out the first installment of the 13-episode series, I have to say, it's not too bad.

It's not terribly unique - it has kind of a High Fidelity-meets-Empire Records vibe going on - and of course there's conspicuous AE product placement everywhere, but as commercial entertainment goes, I'd rather watch this than Oleg. Also, Sam Huntington, who plays the lead character, is a total cutie. I hope being cast in "Cavemen" doesn't ruin him forever. To watch a trailer for the series, read more

It's A Mall World After All, Heroes

Molly — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 13:39:29 -0700

The always-adorable Milo Ventimiglia brought out some of his favorite Heroes to celebrate his directorial debut, It's A Mall World -- a 13-episode short comedy series for American Eagle Outfitters. The episodes will air on MTV during The Real World: Sydney which starts August 8. Hayden looked great out to support her good friend and costar, but I gotta say that Stephen is dressed a little silly. Like Hayden's look? Check out how to get her fresh summer braids and cute outfit. Frankie Delgado who has been hanging out a lot with both Duff sisters was there with Haylie. I'm all for Milo's outside ventures, but there's been so much yummy Heroes news recently I just can't wait.

To see a bunch of pictures from the event including Masi Oka (yay!), Zachary Quinto, Natalie Maines, Adrian Pasdar and many more just read more

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Images include Hayden Panettiere, Stephen Colletti, Milo Ventimiglia, Masi Oka, Greg Grunberg, Haylie Duff, Frankie Delgado, Dianna Agron, Zachary Quinto, Natalie Maines, Adrian Pasdar, Eddie Hargitay, Deon Richmond, Amanda Loncar, Sam Huntington, Jonathan Tradowsky, Jack Coleman, Beth Coleman, and Sendhil Ramamurthy.

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Non Voyage: A Capital Celebration Where You Need DC to Be

LilSugar — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 10:00:16 -0700

If the new administration has your family dreaming of our nation's historic roots, a trip to Washington DC is sure to inspire the next generation of public servants. We continue our week of big-city non voyages in the nation's capital with activities and food that will help families recreate the DC experience without breaking their wallets.

The National Mall is lined with some of the best museums in the world, and one of the most popular is the National Air and Space Museum. Teach your budding astronauts about the history of manned space flight and then have them create their own rocket ship that will transport them to the moon. Rockets can be built out of blocks, cardboard or with any scraps you have lying around.
The International Spy Museum is one of the most unique places to visit in DC, where children and adults alike can learn about the CIA and FBI's covert operations and the techniques used to keep the nation from harm. Recreate the experience with a backyard scavenger hunt where lil ones can search for hidden treasures and practice their detective skills. Don't forget the trench coats and magnifying glasses to make them feel official.
Even in the age of email, everybody still loves to get mail and the National Postal Museum shows kids how their letters get delivered. Visit your local post office and have the kids pick out their own stamps and mail letters to their family and friends. See if the postal workers will allow your tots to view the sorting machines in the back too.
It's hard to imagine what life was like before cars, computers and modern conveniences, but Mount Vernon, George and Martha Washington's home, does just that. Give your children the colonial experience by turning off the phone and computer for an afternoon of retro cooking with recipes from the birth of our nation, including johnny cakes, shepherd's pie and apple butter.
Washington DC brings Southern hospitality and Northern sophistication to the Mid Atlantic and the city's food reflects those cultures. President Obama has already visited the famed eatery, Ben's Chili Bowl, where the deliciousness is used to smother hot dogs, sausages and burgers, so make some of those goodies at home. The Obamas are also ushering in a new era in organic cooking at the White House so take your youngsters to the local green market or farm and let them choose the ingredients they would like to nosh on that night.

Geeks We Love: Mike Fahey of Kotaku

GeekSugar — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 13:05:00 -0800

A man after my own heart, Mike Fahey is a game addict. Currently helping to hold down the East Coast office of Kotaku, and ripping through game after game so you don't have to, Mike is a man of many hats. He's been everything from an arcade attendant (totally expected) to a vinyl sign cutter (huh?), but still, his love for games made him who he is today. But besides being multi-talented, Mike is one seriously good catch, and why we included him in the Geeks We Love series: he loves to game (but doesn't demand that you do), he's a good listener, and he even loves to cuddle. Score!

GS: For our readers who don't know you, tell us a little about yourself.

MF: Hello there, readers of geeksugar! It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. My name is Michael Fahey, and I'm the East Coast Associate Editor for Kotaku, a website about video games and video game-related cakes. I am a six foot, six inches tall fellow who is much less intimidating once you realize that I am writing this with one of my two cats laying belly-up on my desk, desperately trying to finish typing without succumbing to the lure of tummy rubs.

In my 35 years of existence I've been a shoe salesman, an arcade attendant, a tech support specialist, a gas station manager, a web developer, a vinyl sign cutter, a dishwasher, a graphic artist, and several different flavors of customer service representative, all following a brief period following my birth during which I was too stunned to speak. Now I spend my days writing about video games in my pajamas. How the video games got into my pajamas is another story entirely.

Find out how gaming accidentally introduced Mike to Playboy, why he'd spend the rest of his days with just a Nintendo 64 and a coconut tree, and discover a softer, more tender side of Mike when you read more.

GS: Do your earliest memories involve a game controller, or did you develop a love for gaming later on in life?

MF: My entire life seems to be punctuated by video games. They're how I organize important milestones. My first kiss was given to me by a girl who was trying to tear my attention away from a Speak and Math game she had in her bedroom - the start of a long tradition of women trying to tear my attention away from whatever I was playing at the time. I first discovered sex while trying to get the Atari 5200 in my father's den working late one night and accidentally switching to the Playboy channel. My first real sexual experience took place in the hallways behind the video game arcade at the mall I used to hang out at - her name was Sula and the amount of hairspray in her bangs was the stuff of legends. I guess it isn't so much my earliest memories, but really all of my memories.

GS: What's your all-time favorite game EVER?

MF: This is a terribly unfair question. Would you ask a mother which of her children was her favorite? Would you demand that she single out one of the tiny humans that sprang from her loins into the world as the end-all, be-all? Yes, you would, and she'd look around to make sure no one else was looking and then quietly whisper Final Fantasy III (U.S. version), which is a terribly odd name for a child.

GS: Are you down with girls that don't know how to game, or is holding their own on Gears a prerequisite?

MF: I've found over the years that the perfect woman for a gamer is one who is game curious - she enjoys watching them, and every once in awhile grabs the controller from you when something strikes her fancy, but on the whole just enjoys knowing that she has a man who she can leave alone for a week knowing that when she returns he'll be in the exact same spot, in front of the television. I've been with women who are nearly as passionate about video games as I am, and it isn't really a good combination. Any relationship needs some sort of anchor to the real world. . . a person who can pull the other one away from the controller long enough to eat, bathe, clean the house, and have sex. You put together two rabid gamers and soon you are getting horror stories about folks leaving their babies out in the car after returning home late for a guild raid. I'd like to think I would remember a little person that I helped make, but man those guild raids can be intense.

GS: You're stranded on an island. It's just you, a coconut tree, and a gaming console. Which console would you want to spend your days with?

MF: At first I thought this was a trick question, so I began to research which console had the ability to draw power from a coconut tree. Then I realized the true extent of your trickery: I have no television, and no games. Just me, the console, and Dr. Treeheart (I would have named the tree after the first day). Having finally come to realize the full extent of the question, I'd have to say the Nintendo 64, because if you turn it around and look at it just right, it could pass for a face. Not a very pleasant face, but when you are stranded on a island with only Dr. Treeheart to keep you company you take what you can get.

GS: Is there a game you just can't live without?

MF:It's not that there is one game that I cannot live without - I just couldn't live without some sort of gaming. I constantly have at least two devices on me that could run a video game of some sort, and if hard-pressed I can build a chess board from sticks and rocks. . . which I've actually done. It's just comforting to me to know that I have some sort of game available to me should the need arise. Otherwise I am stuck alone with my own thoughts, and my own thoughts are kind of odd.

GS: We're so close to Valentine's Day! Tell us what your perfect date would be like.

MF: The perfect date isn't about a place or an activity. The perfect date involves getting to know someone. The best dates are the ones where you can sit an talk with the person you are with, sharing stories, telling secrets, and basically basking in this new person you've just discovered, immersing yourself in them while sharing yourself. In this day and age, where you can find pornography with a few keyboard strokes, learning about a person is so much more intimate than having sex with them. That having been said, the perfect date for me involves a great deal of talking and perhaps a bit of cuddling, an activity of which I am a huge fan.

Totally Tacky Sex Toys: A Valentine's Day Guide

GiggleSugar — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 13:30:00 -0800

When I was a kid, a trip to the mall was not complete without a visit to Spencer's Gifts, home of all things tacky and strange. I particularly liked its "Adults-Only" section, which seemed, ironically, to house sex toys that seemed invented by children. Edible undies? Glow-in-the-dark handcuffs? Even then, my innocent little brain was all "WTF?!" It still boggles my mind that "special sex night" for some people might involve a visit to Spencer's and other such venues. So just for you, dear readers, I braved the wild, wild world of tacky sex toys and products on the Internet, and brought back products dumb and unsexy enough to inspire you never to have sex again. Happy Valentine's Day! Source

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Honor Flight Takes WW II Vets to See Their Memorial

CitizenSugar — Fri, 16 May 2008 12:15:39 -0700

This rarely happens: A story on CNN this morning had me crying in my cereal. The story followed a group of WW II veterans on an escorted VIP trip to DC to see the WW II Memorial.

As those honored by the newest memorial on the Mall are getting up in years, it was a chance many of them never thought they'd have to see it. And the looks on their faces were just . . . almost indescribable. In my personal quest to make Memorial Day about more than just a day off, I investigated a group making these trips possible.

Honor Flight, an organization founded in 2004 by a retired Air Force Captain named Earl Morse, takes veterans on a safe, free trip to see their memorial. Funded almost completely by individual donations, the organization has a trip taking off from Alabama this week. One of the men going said “They just treated us like kings. I’ve never been treated better. It got me so excited about going, I can’t hardly stand it.” A hallmark of the experience are the enthusiastic welcome ceremonies greeting the veterans at the airports. One who took a recent trip said modestly of the fuss, "we didn’t deserve it, but we’ll take it." To see the organization's plans and how you can help, read more.

Honor Flight has 4,000 veterans on their waiting list for a trip. They're accepting applications for guardians, volunteers, and donations. According to their site,

"In 2007, approximately 1,200 World War II Veterans died every DAY. In another 5-10 years almost all of our WWII Veterans will be gone. This trip is their “last hurrah,” the last time they will be recognized as the conquering victors that collectively and literally saved the world."

They've got big goals for '08: transporting 12,000 veterans and expanding from hubs in 30 states to all 50. Though their online donation service wasn't working for me this morning, there's an address and all kinds of emails and phone numbers - I just couldn't be more delighted about this heartwarming organization. I'd love to volunteer. What about you?

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Cocktail Party Crib Sheet: Knowledge Is the Best Accessory

CitizenSugar — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 07:00:36 -0700

It's not too early to pop open a bottle of bubbly, make one of the old school classic mimosas Party perfected this week, and catch up on the news you might have missed. Cheers to knowing what's going on in the world!

China had a big week, planning to control the weather for the Olympics, and Amnesty International pointed out that the Olympics weren't having the desired effect on human rights abuses there.

Some pretty great Somali women pooled their money to open their own mall, and we found out the Google is getting into the spying game.

And although 81 percent of Americans think we're on the wrong track, US reputation is up worldwide.

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Top Ten Fashionable Countries

FabSugarUK — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 03:00:32 -0700

Shopping for designer goods is no longer limited to New York, London, Paris and Milan, quite the opposite in fact. People all over the globe want to get their hands on designer items which is why this Top Ten might surprise you slightly. As part of its recent Global Designer Brand Survey, The Nielsen Company asked 25,000 consumers in 48 countries if they bought designer brands when they shop. The term 'designer' was not explained nor specified and no price point was mentioned. Make a note of these new shopping districts on your fashion map as designer boutiques are sure to be popping up there soon!

Greece
Hong Kong
India
Hungary
United Arab Emirates

To see the rest of the list read more

Poland>
South Africa
Philippines
Netherlands
Ireland

Grecian style is often referenced on the catwalk, so perhaps Greece being head of the list is not a great surprise. In Athens, shops near Kolonaki Square house both international and Greek designers. Hong Kong is quickly becoming a fashion hotspot as design houses such as Coach plan major flagship stores there. The same applies to India where just last week it was announced Stella McCartney plans to open six new stores over the next two years.

Hungary might not be so interested in high fashion but labels such as Diesel and Calvin Klein are big news there with giant sized malls appearing in Budapest. With Abu Dhabi currently being touted as the richest city in the world, the United Emirates are no stranger to luxury. There are also rumours of the first overseas Bloomingdales appearing in Dubai soon.
Read the full report here at WWD.
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Geeky Girl We Love: Gina Hughes

GeekSugar — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 23:30:09 -0700

Words like "geek," "techie" and "diva" can drum up some nasty stereotypes, but Gina Hughes, the Chief Editor and Founder of TechieDiva, seems to embody only the sugar-sweet aspects of each and her site is anything but diva-driven. Like geeksugar, TechieDiva showcases fun gadgets, iPods, cell phones as well as practical services and killer applications. We fell for Gina because of her inherent ability to merge technology and style and her aptitude for keeping us entertained and coming back for more everyday. Turns out she's a karaoke fan (big props here!) and she thinks Gizmodo's Jason Chen is a dead sexy geek...following her hubby of course. For the full interview, read more

Geeksugar: Tell us a bit about yourself. How did you become a blogger?
Gina: Soon after my four-year tour in the Marine Corps ended, I moved to Austin, TX where I worked as a Web Designer for several years. Colleagues introduced me to blogging, mainly to learn the code, but I ended up creating my first business blog in 2003. I launched Techie Diva in 2005 all by myself, mainly to stay up-to-date on the latest technology out there. Blogging has opened up many doors for me, including the opportunity to write a column for Yahoo! Tech which has really exposed me to a broader audience, and gives me the opportunity to help tech novices around the world. I love it!

Geeksugar: What are your hobbies besides blogging?
Gina: Anyone who blogs for a living, might as well say good bye to any kind of social life they had. It can become an unhealthy obsession! I completely shut off my
computer on weekends to get my weekly overdose of Vitamin D playing tennis, running, biking, hiking, or golfing. I also enjoy watching foreign movies, playing
board games (yes, board games), shopping, playing guitar and guitar hero, reading, entertaining friends, and chilling out with my hubby. My geeky hobbies have me slaving away on the computer editing home movies, digitizing my photo collection, burning DVDs of old home videos, and helping my friends and family with any techie needs. I try to change things up all the time, and love to try anything at least once.

Geeksugar: How many hours are you online everyday?
Gina: I refuse to spend any time on the computer on weekends - that's my time. But during the week, I can literally spend 12-15 hours a day online - and it feels
more like a guilty pleasure than work! I have to remind myself to take breaks often, since sitting down all that time can be really bad for your back. I started doing some yoga to stretch out the muscles. It works great.

Geeksugar: Your first computer was a ...
Gina: A very old and slow one, that I'm quite embarrassed to talk about. I was a poor student at the time, and it was within my budget. But ask me about my computer
now...(cough) Macbook.

Geeksugar: What are three luxurious things you've featured on your site that you really want?
Gina: I want them all! I wouldn't mind a Vertu Phone, Muiro iPod Robot, and the NailJet Pro, since I'm terrible at doing my own nails.

Geeksugar: What are some of your favorite websites/websites that inspire you?
Gina: I tend to visit design and celebrity gossip blogs to break up the monotony. My favorite eye-candy blogs are Coolhunting.com, TheCoolhunter.net, Design Sponge, Treehugger.com, Digg.com, Blogher.org, and Valleywag.

Geeksugar: What is your greatest techie luxury in life?
Gina: My car. I drive an Acura RL with GPS, Bluetooth, voice recognition, satellite radio, iPod connections, keyless entry, gosh you name it. That thing can do just about anything, but park itself, but I hear that's coming soon. I also feel really guilty about having a swanky 40" 1080P Sony Bravia in my office so I can watch Oprah. That TV is insane!

Geeksugar: How many blog feeds are in your RSS reader?
Gina: Over 500 feeds! I don't visit them on a daily basis, but I do visit them at least weekly.

Geeksugar: Describe a typical day at work for you.
Gina: The warm weather has motivated me to start working out again, so these days I try to exercise early in the morning or sometime in the afternoon. After the occasional A.M. workout, my day starts out by checking email, IM, posts on my blogs, reply to email, review products, do a little video blogging, go through my RSS feeds, and write up my daily posts on Yahoo! Tech and Techie Diva. After that, I take a long TV break to catch up on my TiVo programming, then I'm back on the computer blogging before I go to bed. Pretty boring, which is why sometimes I hit the bar during happy hour, and on Thursdays happy hour turns into Karaoke night. A girl's gotta have some fun.

Geeksugar: Who do you think are the top 5 sexiest male geeks in the world?
Gina:

Mr. Hughes- my daily inspiration and great all around geek.
Chris Null - The man is funny and smart. Funny is the new sexy.
Jason Chen - Any guys who sticks electronics down his pants is pretty damn sexy.
Ricky Montalvo - Ricky is bringing technosexual back!
Sergey Brin ( in drag) - Need I say more?

Geeksugar: Who do you think are the top 5 sexiest female geeks in the world?
Gina: There are so many sexy geeky ladies out there, and I wish I could list them all here. Sexy geeky women are a combo of brains, humor, fearlessness, and inspiration. I think these five ladies fit the bill right now.

Geeksugar: Name a blogger you admire and tell us why.
Gina: I love David Pogue from the NYT because he's so funny, and really out there. I admire the way he has fun talking about tech.

Geeksugar: How do you feel about being called a "geek?"
Gina: Geek is the new chic, don't you know? I consider it a compliment.

Geeksugar: What is the geekiest thing about yourself?
Gina: I spend more time at electronics stores, than a shopping mall. Anyone who really knows me, would be shocked to hear that.

Geeksugar: What is your goal for Techie Diva? What do you want your readers to get when they visit your site?
Gina: These are exciting times, so I hope Techie Diva visitors get their daily fix of present and futuristic technology trends changing the way we live. My goal would be to inspire more women to embrace technology in their own way. It has literally rocked my world, and even I feel like I learn something totally new and exciting every day. I just love it!