Tuesday, August 27, 2013

With Smiley360 I'm in on Chicago Fire Season 2


The Fall TV season is just about here, and one of the hottest shows is back for another fiery season! Chicago Fire returns on September 24th at 10/9c on NBC! I know where my friend Alison and I will be - her house, on the couch, in pajamas, with two bottles of wine, and NBC on the flat screen! Who's with me? 

Vin Diesel on the Hollywood Walk of Fame


Vin Diesel and his rarely seen family
For as long as I can remember almost everyone I know, who knows who Vin Diesel is, told me he played for the same team - he liked men. While I'm certainly not one to care about anyone's sexual preference, I sadly believed the story and came to terms with it being truth. All along knowing, I would never be Mrs. Vin Diesel in the first place.  I'm not going to lie, I was pleasantly surprised today when I was saw a picture of he and his beautiful family. 

Vin Diesel is known for playing big bad tough guys on the big screen, but he sure showed a softer side this past Monday while receiving his very own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

The star of Fast and Furious 6, who can be seen next in "Riddick," was surrounded by his rarely seen, absolutely beautiful family - his model girlfriend PalomaJimenez and their two adorable children, daughter Hania Riley, 5, and son Vincent, 3.

Apparently, Diesel was a big marshmallow as he proudly held Hania in his arms and they flashed a thumbs up to the crowd. Meanwhile, Vincent – who must make dad slightly envious with his great head of hair — showed his big, gorgeous, cheeky grin to the crowd, which included Diesel's co-stars Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, and Katee Sackhoff.

This was an especially sweet moment considering how protective of his family Diesel is. He never even alerted the press announcing the birth of either child. He didn't want any of the attention. He wants his kids to grow up as natural as possible.  I commend him and find that quite honorable of him. His girlfriend is one lucky girl. I'm pretty sure, he's just as lucky with a beautiful girlfriend like Paloma. 

Diesel is forever portraying a bad ass on the big screen, it sure is a delight to see this big, soft, teddybear side of him. Pure sweetness. 

Monday, August 19, 2013

Will the Celtics Hire A Negotiator or Roll With It


When Danny Ainge hired Brad Stevens as the new head coach of the Boston Celtics, shockwaves were sent throughout basketball. No one could believe and some didn't want to believe it. 



But once the shock started to subside, the biggest question was "How is Rajon Rondo going to like this?" Rajon, in my opinion the best point guard in the NBA, has been coached by a former NBA player and veteran personality in Doc Rivers and still got ruffled. How would he respond to being coached by a college coach three years younger than his mentor, Kevin Garnett?
They say only positive words were spoken about Rondo being "open" to Stevens' approach, and Stevens going out of his way to talk about Rondo and what he wants to bring to their relationship. However, the Boston Globe reports that this is still a major area of concern for the team. This, my friends, is not a good sign. 
Rondo will play, once he's fully recovered from ACL surgery (and he was starting on-court activities in the playoffs so he should be good to go). And granted, he'll be good, but his back is against the wall in a lot of ways. He's got a new young coach on a team that's clearly rebuilding. He's been abandoned by Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. The two have provided him advice for going forward, but that's still a huge safety net he's now without. Whatever conflicts Rondo and Rivers may have had, there was always some kind of love there. Rivers is the only pro coach Rondo has ever really known.
And now he's starting all over with the likes of Kris Humphries, who may just be the fourth best player on the 2013 roster.
It's going to get worse before it gets better.  Rondo needs things to go well with Stevens for him to not get saddled with further attitude issues - we all know how some people consider him a whiner. Those issues can complicate a career further on. We'll see what the beginning of this season brings. Do they bring in someone else, a negotiator if you will, or do they simply make a go of Rondo and Stevens, and hope for the best.

Sunday, August 18, 2013

Sorry Boys, This Hasbro Nerf Rebelle is for Girls!

As soon as I got the email asking me to join the NERF Rebelle campaign, I surfed right on over to BzzAgent.com and accepted. I knew immediately that my eight year old daughter would be extremely excited. She knew she was going to be part of a select group of preteen girls who were chosen to review this new toy. A toy that hasn't even been released to the public and isn't even yet available in stores! She was ecstatic when she opened her UPS package yesterday and found the Nerf Rebelle Heartbreaker Bow! 


So, right after breakfast this morning, she just had to get outside and try it out! Before I could even grab my camera and get out the door, she was out front loading it up with one of the five included collectible darts!

As soon as it was loaded, she was ready to take aim, pull back on the slide, steady her aim, and focus on her target. She pulled it back, let it go, and the dart flew! She watched with anticipation and then her exact words were, "Wow mom! Did you see that? That dart went across the entire street into the cul-de-sac! It's in the tree!" 

The Nerf Rebelle Heartbreaker Bow can shoot darts up to 75 feet! 


Hasbro is really hoping to hit a bullseye with this new brand line of Nerf toys - it's an entire line made specifically for GIRLS! A much prettier version of Nerf's mighty elite line; it provides the same power and distance as the original!

As you can see above, my little one was asked to review the Heartbreaker Bow. As its name would suggest, this blaster is designed to look and perform much like a bow.  It comes with five collectible darts. The suggested retail price for the bow and the darts is $19.99. You can also purchase dart refill packs for a suggested retail price of $7.99.

NERF Rebelle toys can be used indoors and out, just make sure you don't aim above the neck! They're built to enhance your daughter's play. The fierce bows and blasters are complemented by a line of stylish accessories. Girls can really capture their inner Katness! 

Your girls can also visit the NERF Rebelle website. There they can create a NERF Rebelle-themed avatar and complete virtual missions!  

NERF Rebelle bows and blasters are all about being confident, fierce, and smart. They are available for purchase now at all major online retailers, and will hit store shelves starting this September 1st!

Disclosure:  I was provided a sample product through BzzAgent.  BzzAgent is a program that occasionally sends me samples of products in exchange for word of mouth marketing.  I am under no pressure to give a positive review.  All opinions are 100% my own.

Friday, August 9, 2013


Here it is! The Boston Celtics have announced their preseason schedule. The Celtics will open the preseason on October 7th in Boston against the Raptors and then play them in Toronto on October 16. Boston opens the regular season against them on October 30 in Toronto... Guess we'll be seeing a lot of them! The Celtics play the Nets twice this preseason.  I wonder if Garnett and Pierce make the trip to Boston then, or if they'll save their return for the regular season.  

Here's the preseason schedule.  

Oct. 7th vs. Toronto Raptors @ TD Garden 7:30 p.m. ET 

Oct. 9th vs. New York Knicks @ Dunkin Donuts Center (Providence, RI) 7:30 p.m. ET 

Oct. 11th vs. Philadelphia 76ers @ Bob Carpenter Center (Newark, DE) 7:00 p.m. ET 

Oct. 12th vs. New York Knicks @ Verizon Wireless Arena (Manchester, NH) 7:30 p.m. ET 

Oct. 15th vs. Brooklyn Nets @ Barclays Center (Brooklyn, NY) 7:30 p.m. ET 

Oct. 16th vs. Toronto Raptors @ Air Canada Centre (Toronto, ON) 7:00 p.m. ET 

Oct. 20th vs. Minnesota Timberwolves @ Bell Centre (Montreal, QC) 6:00 p.m. ET 

Oct. 23rd vs. Brooklyn Nets TD Garden (Boston, MA) 7:00 p.m. ET 

All Celtics preseason games will be televised on Comcast Sportsnet New England. 

Tickets for the two Celtics preseason home games scheduled for the TD Garden go on sale Thursday, September 5th. For more ticket sale updates and information, visit Celtics.com

Thursday, August 8, 2013

NEW BZZAGENT CAMPAIGN POSSIBILITY


If you are a BzzAgent, look out for THIS NEW CAMPAIGN that BzzAgent  recently launched!  

You just might get an invite!
The Nerf Rebelle for girls and the Nerf Cyber Hoop for boys.
I got an invite for the Nerf Rebelle for girls and my 8 year old daughter is going to love it! Come back here to hear all about it soon... My little one is waiting for the mailman daily!

If you are not signed up with BzzAgent, you can sign up – sign up is free.
It’s a Word of Mouth company – you use products from your kit, then do different activities and report your “Buzz” on social media and word of mouth!
BzzAgent hand selects agents for each campaign depending on your eligibility for the campaign - once you're invited, hurry over and accept it, because campaigns fill up fast.  

Here's the basics:
  • Once your a BzzAgent, you take a few surveys that will show up on your BzzAgent home page.  These surveys are super short, most only taking 30 seconds to answer! Your answers are used to get to know you as an agent and to tell them which product campaigns may be best suited for you.
  • Soon, you’ll be invited to accept and participate in various campaigns.  Every campaign is focused around a certain product.  
  • Shortly after you accept a campaign, you get FULL SIZE PRODUCTS delivered to your door. 
  • All you have to do is give the product a try, test it out, if you will.  See what you think of the product. Tell all of your family and friends about the product you're sampling.  The whole point is... WORD OF MOUTH.  Think about it, if you’re thinking of buying something, are you gonna trust an ad agency or your friend to give you the truth about a product? Use Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, your blog, Pinterest, or BzzAgents' own review system to get the word out there.  Do you love the product? Tell everyone to get it! Do you hate the product? Tell everyone to stay away! 
  • Honesty is key.
Basically, it’s a whole bunch of awesome.  And free stuff to try.  It was made for me.
BzzAgent is a “social marketing company” that is based on word of mouth.  With over 1,000,000 “agents” and over 10 years of experience, BzzAgent “creates measurable business results for marketers.”
Disclaimer:  I am a BzzAgent.  This is not a paid or sponsored post.  I was not asked to write up this post and this particular post doesn’t count toward any points or actions for the campaign I was invited to.