This time was Laurel's House of Horror in Maryland, where they also do an Escape Room that involves the same terrifying people coming into the room and effing with you as if you're not trying to use your damn brain to escape a damn room! [Still feeling very anxious about all of this, tbh.]
Here are some of the best moments of sheer terror, surrender, and also finally fighting back.
I'm done for this year. Plus, it's Friday the 13th. That ain't right.
I've decided I'm sick of talking about these cool random products that I find on the internet... and I'm going to start buying them. Unless someone wants to send them to me but lol that's funny.
Native is an all natural deodorant company and they've made a pumpkin spice latte scented deodorant because they're smart and know how to capitalize on the basics.
When it came in, I did the only thing I know how to do: make other people uncomfortable.
I asked people in the office to smell my pits and guess what the scent was. It didn't go over well.
Fun fact: I also did gymnastics today. I made a video AND did gymnastics in one week. I feel so happy-EB right now and I just hope I can keep it up!
Answer: he doesn't. While he refused to play, he did have a response that made it absolutely perfect and further proof that country artists live like normal ass people.
Another normal person story: He took an Uber to the station, and then another Uber all the way to his Baltimore hotel.
If you ever get the chance to see him, do it. He's hilarious and crazy talented.
True life: Aaron Carter and I had a handstand contest this past weekend. We'll get to that later, though.
For a few months, I've been trying to get him to come into the studio for something... anything! His new music is surprisingly great, and rivals all the other "current big names" right now. Really.
We finally booked a pool party and it ended up raining all weekend because OF COURSE IT DID. After punching things and trying to make sure those things weren't my coworkers, I made sure we brought the outside in to our Southwest Soundstage downstairs so we could still take advantage of him. Cue the frozen drinks, Hawaiian food, beach balls, etc.
When Aaron got there, he was a dream to work with [and no- it wasn't the frozen drinks that brainwashed me]. He was enthusiastic, helpful, talkative, fun, and showing me a bunch of things he was working on... all BEFORE we brought anyone else in, started the interview, etc. He was just genuinely excited to be there and showing off his new music.
The people came in, we talked about each of our recurring dreams, some records he set back in the day, and how that music was "him performing someone else's work." I asked him who beat Shaq then... turns out it was some dude in his 30s named Josh Schwartz. Damn.
It's pretty obvious/known that Aaron has been through some s#!* in his life, so we touched on that, how he's staying positive now, and how it's fun to shove all of his awesome beats in his haterade-filled family's faces.
Check out the ENTIRE event, with the interview [although lacking audio for the first minute] being first. Other highlights: a flip at 12:40, and a 2017 remix of I Want Candy at 23:05
His energy is so contagious in all the best ways! I was feeling high on it for the rest of the weekend, for sure.
Or maybe it was the high of winning the handstand contest against him. Really. Proof is in the Instagram.
A post shared by elizabethany (@luvelizabethany) on
And just in case you haven't listened to any of his new stuff, this is the current single:
Welcome back, Aaron. It is SO lovely to have you and to have met you and to make another one of my "never could have even dreamed this would happen" mindblown preteen moments.
Niall Horan [formerly of One Direction but we don't really say that anymore or something] came in to the studio and as expected- it was silly.
Girls had been going nuts on Twitter, getting 1200 RTs in a few hours just to get a pass in.. they were messaging me trying to get his hotel or dinner plans, and one even jumped in front of my moving car to get my attention and win her way in.
Note to anyone ever trying to win: Jumping in front of a moving car is not winning. You will die and lose.
Luckily I didn't kill anyone that day. Or any day, I mean.
He came in to join the Kane Show live, then answer a few more questions with Toby and me. Intern John put him on the spot by asking how you describe what the song "Slow Hands" is about if his girl's dad is asking. It got awkward.
It wasn't nearly as awkward as when one mom blurted out that she had made her daughter, who was there, while listening to R Kelly's album.
Toby and I asked him about the first time he picked up his guitar [it was his brother's but his brother never played], the toughest time in his life [realizing his life would never be normal again] and his thoughts on the event in Manchester earlier this week.
Here's the entiiiiire thing: [The explanation of the song happens at about 5:10, the R Kelly word vomit convo starts at 17:44.]
And a clip of the Manchester convo for easy access. You're welcome.
Being a human who is really good at facial expressions and getting caught in them, I mostly enjoyed this look that I relate to when your boo is telling a completely made up story but you don't wanna interrupt or call them out so you try and keep quiet:
It's fun making little girls scream.* And talking to people who are already a big deal but are kinda starting over again.
It seems like it was a year ago that we found out Girl Meets World was a thing and I started a very enthusiastic countdown... but now it's coming to an end after three too short seasons.
I'm glad that before it comes to an end, I was able to talk to Sabrina Carpenter about the impact of the original show, and the truths of the new cast.
In the best version of Truth or Dare, she has to answer questions about her cast, and if she doesn't- complete a dare.
To be honest, I'm surprised it was such a simple, silly question that made her go for the dare! Maybe she was just intrigued.
And as for Sabrina herself- she's a star... and just like all the current Disney stars, she has multiple talents and is an incredible singer. Beyond talent, she's humble, smart, genuine, and basically everything great that I can say about an artist besides "knows how to drink" because she's too young for that. She's not gonna disappear, that's for sure.
Now.... can we maybe stop with all of the shows coming back? GMW did it right, but now we're all heartbroken again. Fuller House is good.... but we don't need to be doing all this other nonsense.
HOT 99.5 Jingle Ball. It's the biggest night of my year. It's like prom, or maybe even a wedding. MONTHS of planning. MONTHS of outfit picking. LOTS of dollars spent... for one day... that you pray goes smoothly, but rarely goes according to your assumptions.
In September, I was pretty pumped that I had an outfit I loved ready to go, only missing one piece. Then, come Black Friday, I go to try it all on again and realize I actually hate it. *cue panic* I ordered a bunch of things, mostly from Boohoo, and prayed one would work. Two days before Jingle Ball, nothing had arrived. I was forced to find something else. Instead of going to any of my usual places, I hit up the Rent the Runway STORE in Georgetown, and got really lucky when they had just one sequin jumpsuit left- in my size. [I knew I wanted pants and sequins before I even began shopping.]
Damn, it's amazing what angles and a good mirror can do, huh?!
I picked up shoes from DSW, earrings from Charming Charlie, necklace from Forever21, and prepared myself to do my own hair and make-up. I was too devastated with how it turned out last year when someone else did it for me[I don't even like linking to it in reference but here we are]. Cue the waxed-up braids, curling wand, Urban Decay smokey eye, NYX red lipstick, some failed attempts at contouring, and stila mascara and I was really diggin' my look for this year.
I ended up finishing the look with a giant SACK this year [with flask inside] and gave out some random goodies to the artists backstage.
Machine Gun Kelly was easily the most appreciative [and just the most fun in general throughout the entire night], Ellie convinced me that she might actually use what I gave her, Daya was the first to practically throw it away in front of me, and Joe Jonas was the one to call me out for having holiday leftovers. Sigh.
Unlike last year, I got some time "on the couch," in the broadcast room with some of the artists coming in for an interview. My girl Alessia had more than an interview coming for her, though. Days before Jingle Ball, the Grammy noms came out and her name was not included in any of the lists. That ain't right. Luckily, I know a place with some good and quick trophies and we made magic happen.
OBVIOUSLY I wish she would have been as excited as Meghan was, but I get it- she's gotta play it cool and stuff or whatever. JUST WASTE MY MONEY ALESSIA IT'S FINE.
Tove Lo also came in and made it real easy for my to once again just talk about her boobs and naked body.
Diplo came in to talk about holiday parties, what you need, and to receive a gift of course. I also tried to get a preview of his after party but there was no predicting the clustereff of artists that ended up being on his tiny stage that night. I have no idea how he was able to perform under such conditions. This is a real HQ video, straight from Facebook Live because #variety #allthesocials #HOT995JingleBallbeTrending.
And when you have a duo of DJ/producers who made a dumb but catchy song about a Selfie, then turned around and made the year's biggest hits there to close the show, I HAD to stop them backstage. I cornered them after their meet and greet for a very professional game of Urban Dictionary... which they definitely beat me at but I'm gonna say it's because they have more experiences with *substances.* Maybe. Probably. #DJlife
There are so many other clips that I'm gonna have to post as Throwback Thursdays or something because... well... let's be honest. It's January 5th and I'm JUST NOW getting this entire post up. I'm behind on things... but to look forward to:
Machine Gun Kelly's room had some nice "air fresheners" that neither of us would shut up about
DNCE's Cole and I had a very fun relationship, that came to a dramatic end when he asked if he could keep my flask
Daya definitely thinks I stalk her, or mooch off of her, like her friends who were visiting in her room
Ashley I from the Bachelor, who is seemingly everywhere, even made it backstage at our Jingle Ball as some sort of correspondent
Ellie Goulding is one of the sweetest, but coolest chics, who is great at sneaking in the subtle dirty jokes or lines
The girls of 5th Harmony were more separate than I've ever seen them, but now we all know why. Still- they're the sweetest girls I've ever met so I will never say anything bad about them. Especially Ally. Girl- you are a special kind of human being that I wish I could be
Finally, I wouldn't have ANY of this to show you if it weren't for my little brother. I'm sure you've heard of him once or twice. His name is Mike.
I was able to fly him in from Toledo to be my camera guy... but really, he's there to be my inspiration, my comfort, my focus-and-be-you-and-let's-make-this-great. Having him around reminds me to be myself, not focus on the camera or the fact that I'm "interviewing celebrities." I'm just a girl with a mic, genuinely interested in meeting these people who create good music and great shows. I know I won't always be able to have my favorite person next to me at big events, but it's hella nice when I can, and I'm gonna take advantage of it.
It's almost weird to even look back at all of this because it all happens so fast, you can't process it at the time. We're sprinting to the stage, then back to the hall to catch someone, then sitting and waiting for something to happen for 45 minutes, then sprinting again, losing something, forgetting something else, hitting record, and suddenly stepping out in front of 16,000 people. It's a rush that I never wanna lose the ability to feel, that's for sure.
So in 2017, my goal is to keep the rush alive. Create more opportunities to feel it. Share it more with you... and what I preach to you and myself every day: stop making little excuses for why you can't do something or why it can wait. Don't let anything wait. Don't push anything off. Live in the today and the now and make things happen.
love,
elizabethany
PS: Never thought I'd get a sweet gif of myself and the Grinch on a huge stage at the Verizon Center but that's my life now.
I have something to admit: I'm ADD... and extremely forgetful.
Oh wait, you knew that. duh.
Some people forget and for some reason, they expect a lot out of me. They expect me to remember little things and they're shocked when I don't.
Case #847632: I forgot to turn my gas/fire stove off.
HELL YEAH, I'm worried about myself. HELL YEAH I know it's not okay... but like, that's not gonna prevent me from doing it again, unfortunately.
I went a step further to call my mom on the show to possibly get more punishment.... Mama Plog is a worry wart.
I'd say she has about 50% faith in me in life. She actually freaked out WAY MORE once we hung up and she got back on Facebook. I don't think she'll ever learn that I just can't help the way she made me.
But hey... CHEERS TO NOT BURNING THE PLACE DOWN, AMIRIGHT?!?!?!?
Volkswagen and me: We go together pretty well. I grew up on them, I raced them, and then I bought my dream one a year ago. My friend Patrick knew this about me, and since he works at VW, he gave me some pretty awesome opportunities.
Some of them were with the Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross racers champs, Tanner Foust and Scott Speed. It's actually a pretty big deal [which I found out once I started telling some friends and they were unexpectedly excited for me]. I was just excited to play some Minute to Win It games and talk ish to some racers.
A dozen oranges, a box of cookies, a cheating attempt, and a very messy face later- we got the ultimate loser.
Yeah I got real comfortable with the guys real quick, which made it fun. Plus- they're both hella fun which made it easy.
...but I'm embarrassed that I can't even try and cheat [during the cups game] and win. Idiot Elizabethany.
The day after filming this, they invited me to do a HOT lap with Tanner Foust, which promptly made my dad and a lot of my Snapchatters very jealous. I was pumped to go around the track twice in this car that drifts and goes over jumps. Fear wasn't really a factor; I knew I'd be safe. I mean, they strapped and buckled my helmet to the back of the seat and everything.
Then, we took off. We hit 130 mph as we went straight for a sharp turn.
I. WAS. F#@%ING TERRIFIED. I tried to open my eyes. I tried to laugh off the terror. I tried to hold on, but there was nothing to grab. I accepted the fact that at least if we flip and crash, I'll be totally safe in here.
Luckily, they caught it on video. Be sure to catch the moments of my eyes being ALL THE WAY OPEN.
Seriously, it was the scariest and coolest thing I think I've ever done... and I'd like to think I try a lot.
When I went to the race, I took my very excited dad. I don't think I've ever seen him walk with such a pep in his step, and he's definitely never brought up getting a picture with someone like he did Tanner and Scott.
We were able to watch some of the other rounds with the guys, which was super neat to see the comments they had to say to each other, and celebrated as Scott took 1st and Tanner slid in front to get 3rd in the finals! WOO! Papa Plog did point out that I appeared to have PTSD, though. As the cars raced around, I was feeling some intense emotions and flashbacks to the ride!
Now I will watch who I throw out my "former racer" credentials to, though.....
love,
elizabethany
PS here's a good look at the whole race event at RFK!
WVU Alumni Association has started this awesome idea of featuring people from all over that have cool jobs. I'm already a crazy proud Mountaineer alumna, but when they contacted me to be the second feature, I freaked out a little.
So honored to be one of the first people to kick this off. Enjoy a quick look at me in the studio and my goals for the next couple years.
If you're a Mountaineer with a cool job too, alert me! I'll make sure I alert the right people.
One of MY biggest motivators, is trying to hopefully motivate other people. Hm, maybe it's even my biggest motivator. But I'm not exactly the most intelligent person, or super serious, or professional, or... well, you know me by now I'd think. I just like to work my ass off, hope someone notices, and keep having fun. I don't really know how to go about *officially* motivating people with words.
Hell, even with my own little brother, my best friend, I don't know how to go about giving HIM the inspiration to make sure he's living up to his fullest potential! English may have been my major, I may talk for a living, but my whole life has been made by talking out of my ass.
So when I found out Montgomery College wanted me to give a keynote speech for 8-10 minutes..... that was kinda funny.
Everyone asked if I had written it yet.... Write a speech?! That's a thing?! Nah, I decided to write down some bullet points 30 minutes before leaving and go from there.
Before you go and watch it, let's preview some of the screenshots before you commit to anything.
Alright... Now THIS.... is what I told some smart people with high GPA's at the Harry Harden Jr Academic Excellence Awards.
I could did sit here and critique myself all day, but even with all of the uses of "dumb" and "ridiculous" and other really powerful words, I feel pretty good about the experience. It's almost like I caught a bug... because I wanna learn how to do this better. I wanna do it more. I wanna become really great at it. Hopefully I'll get some more chances.
In the meantime, go out and make some dumb and ridiculous decisions today, ya hear?!
And thanks again to Montgomery College for having me out!
When artists come in to the studio, there's one thing I have to get them to do: Be a part of this artists interviewing each other series.
Maybe it's because I think it's interesting to see what they wanna know about each other, maybe it's because I'm terribly lazy... but it's still fun! It's especially fun when they get excited about who they're asking or answering.
Fifth Harmony's Ally Brooke kicks this one off to Troye Sivan, who asks Ruth B, who asks We The Kings, who asks Tinashe, who asks Iggy Azalea.
There's a lot of food being talked about. How is it that celebs can talk/think about food so much and still look so damn good all the time?!
How cute is Ally though?! She was so flustered, but she's the nicest person on the planet so of course made something happen and gave the ultimate compliment to Troye.
The next one has already started, with Iggy asking Halsey... hopefully that one will be complete with our visitors in less time than this one!
A couple months ago I found out I was giving away tickets to some Naked Magic Show with Australian men. I did a quick search and decided one thing needed to happen: An interview/video with Chris and Mike.
After a lot of trying and drive to Baltimore, we made it happen. Now I'm in love and moving to Australia once their tour is done.
That last part may or may not be true.
We had a lot of inappropriate jokes and they told me I suck at spanking, AND I guess I was distracted by them because I called them musicians instead of magicians in my video... but it's still a good one.
Now that I've seen the show allow me to confirm that it is one of the funniest things I've ever seen. I don't wanna ruin anything, but you will be impressed by the magic AND their humor [and their entire package, if you will]. If they're coming to you this summer, SEE THEM.
I swear I'm not being persuaded by this naked picture OR the fact we got to hang with them for a while afterwards....
For as long as I can remember, I've wanted to play with a monkey. Preferably a chimp, but I've become so in love with them it's borderline crazy. If I go to the zoo, the families hold their kids back from me because I'm right on the glass giggling like a four year old on shrooms. Seriously.
My mom tried to get me one for my sweet sixteenth, but couldn't. I saw a guy with one at a bar on Halloween and immediately went home to research breeders, but never really got to hold it or anything. And for the past two years, The Monkey Man has been teasing me with a visit. They say he's coming, I shed tears of excitement, then something happens and I'm left here heartbroken.
Well, they finally came through!!!!!!!!!!
I had no idea what kind of monkey it was going to be; I wanted to be surprised [but obviously hoped for the ultimate].
Meet Django. And look at how freaking excited I am.
They came because they're going to be at the Super Pet Expo as usual. The ironic thing about that is.... he wants to show people that monkeys are NOT good pets. They're illegal in a lot of places [we had to get a permit to shoot this video in this county], and they live 35-45 years. That's way too much of a commitment, yo.
Also, she was a little unpredictable. She ABSOLUTELY listened to her daddy, but she attacked me after I did some spirit fingers because apparently that's a sign for "let's rough house" to monkeys. If you watch the video from Facebook live at the end of this post, you can see it go down around the 4 minute mark.
For now, let's just admire the pictures of me being in Heaven.
She prefers french kissing.
And isn't very ladylike.
Mama Plog said her face was ugly. BLASPHEMY. She's adorbs.
We played patty cake, catch, and even got some tickling in. Django's laughing was the best. What a cute little cackle.
This is my favorite pic of me and my new BFF. I'm so excited and she's all "WTF this B is so excited, calm the bleep down."
Obviously had to take a selfie to wrap up the playdate. I didn't get the duckface memo and I'm very sad about it.
"The Monkey Man" has been an entertainer all his life, which makes sense. I can only imagine how much he and Django get paid to show up at some kid's birthday party, do some magic, freak the kids out, and make sure he's the only Monkey Man around.
If you wanna experience most of it with me, here's what went down on Facebook.
IM WITH A MONKEY
Posted by Elizabethany Hot on Friday, March 11, 2016
Django, I'll miss you... but I wish you'd at least introduce me to one of your Chimp friends sometime... in return for the "love scratches" on my face. Geez.
Most people get excited for the holiday or Christmas season, I get excited for Jingle Ball season. For months we hype it up, it's all we talk about, and then in six hours, it's all over. It's a whirlwind that normally takes me a whole week to look back on and realize everything that went on.
First of all, my look.
Once again, I started looking MONTHS in advance. I thought about doing Rent the Runway. I ordered six dresses from all different places, and ended up going with one I got for $15 from GoJane.com. This time I was actually happy with it.
I knew I wanted blue velvet, and since my Jingle Ball diet didn't work to its fullest, the ruching was important. Necklace is from RocksBox, and the shoes are Nine West from DSW clearance. Add everything together [with the important accessories like a giant flask, some rings and plain dangle earrings] and I spent a total of $70.
The station hooked me up with getting my nails, hair and make-up done. My nails, I loved.
When it comes to my hair and make-up, I feel like it's better when I do it myself. They did wonders covering my face up, but I felt like a ghost of myself because I've never seen me without bags! I went with the fierce pinspired eyes, though.
Each year is a little different. Last year, our entire team spent a lot of time together. This year, I barely saw anyone unless it was passing by quickly in the hallway.
We also got to see the last two performers- Shawn Mendes and Demi Lovato- with our friends on the floor. Demi, girl, you got some pipes and they're impressive.
My flask was the talk of backstage, of course. [BTW, I got it for $16 at TJ Maxx]I even took it ON stage with me and tried to make a joke about drunk goggles. Something cheesy like "y'all look beautiful, but you'll look even better in a couple hours." Out of some 15,000 people, I'm not sure I heard anyone laugh. Remind me not to try that again. Thank goodness I'm in a room alone every night so I can imagine the laughs happening.
The next day, my brother and two of my coworkers headed down to Norfolk for the Not So Silent Night. Here's to hoping I can get those videos up before the end of 2015. ;) Also, hoping we get some of the professional pictures from on stage back soon. WHATDAEFF.
Thanks for a great year.... whether you listen in DC or somewhere else, thanks for letting me keep my job. It's days like this one that remind me I'm #blessed and that I #loveyoutothemoonandback. hahahaha I hate me.
Drake put out his rather boring and "Dad Dancey" video for "Hotline Bling" last night and I immediately knew he needed the help of my fantastic White Girl Dance skills.
Natalie La Rose came to town and we decided to take her to the Capital Wheel at the Harbor and do a little singalong at the top.
Originally I figured we'd have her sing her songs and stare in awe, but then something else magical* happened. We all sang the national anthem while going around.
*not sure if magical is the word, but you be the judge.
We then went to lunch and let these two winners ask her anything, grub on whatever they wanted, and just have a beautiful afternoon at the Harbor. Not a bad Wednesday.
It feels good to meet people and see them with the stare of "wow, what is happening." It's also pretty neat to see DC from on top of a ferris wheel.
And just in case you're interested in outfit details:
-basic F21 top
-Express shorts that can be worn into the winter because of the material
Toby Knapp, afternoons in DC, is a stickler for not asking celebs all the same questions as everyone else, but sometimes it's a bit hard to get things out of them! I decided it was best to have THEM ask the questions! How you gonna hate on another one of your kind asking you something?!
You're not.
So this time we had a pretty solid line-up. Tori Kelly -- Adam Lambert -- Max [Schneider] -- ZZ Ward -- MKTO -- Leona Lewis.
FYI ALL of these people are some of my faves to have in this studio. NOTHING bad to say about any of them.
More interviews coming next week, scouts honor. Finally getting time to catch up.
This time we switched it up AGAIN by crashing the backyard of one of their biggest fans instead of just doing something here in the studio.
It was pretty awesome being able to make it so intimate for such a big fan, and they're so fun that it was easy. How many people get to say they sat down in their backyard and just chatted in the grass with their favorite band?!?
I love being opinionated and ridiculous, but it's even more fun seeing someone's eyes light up when dreams come true. It's incredible to know I was a part of a moment she is definitely going to remember for the rest of her life. She'll be telling her grandkids that some chic from the machine that played music in your vehicle had purple hair and brought her dreamboats to her home. That's neat.
More pics:
Our amazing team!
Thanks again to MKTO for always being the best, and CONGRATS to them for being the latest "Swift Squad" members and joining her on stage in Boston!
love,
elizabethany
PS Some outfit details [with this damn skirt that WON'T STAY DOWN... I didn't realize it looked so short.]:
-crop tank from Charlotte Russe
-basic black skirt from F21
-flannel from Target
-fake me out Keds also from Target
-amazing hair from Ruby Devine at Frizzles in Alexandria, VA
By now you know how to Whip and Nae Nae [and in a couple weeks the song will disappear for a while until we're reminiscing]. He came into the studio one night to host the countdown with me and do some dancing.
Yes, of course we did the full dance together, but more importantly- I taught him how to do THE White Girl. [I should probably trademark that ish and come up with a song so I'm rich, bitch.]
[If no one on the Internet finds this funny, at least someone from his entourage who was filming did! Win.]
The face on his producer/friend on the left is priceless the entire time. That 16 year old is so not impressed with me.
Silento was awesome, by the way. Typical high school kid-hustler who said he knew this song was going to be a hit right away, even though everyone else in the room disagreed. He's also hella attractive, but I probably shouldn't say that in public since it'd be illegal.
Maybe they'd be impressed with Mama Plog, though. Each year we try to teach her a new dance [until one time she told me it felt like she was trying to achieve an O, which made me immediately run, cry, and hide for a couple years]. This year it was all about the "Watch Me" dance and a side of Stanky Leg.
[For the record, we could barely hear the music which is why I seem confused. Somehow it was loud enough on this here video.]
Now you know why it's so easy for me to get my White Girl on. Thanks, Mom. Your Stanky Leg is spot on.
