Monday, May 31, 2021

Memorial Day Weekend Rocks with Kimberly Dawn & Six Gun Sal to Support Veterans - First Annual Run for the Rite” Festival & Night of Southern Rock.

 By Laura Medina



This Memorial Day Saturday rocked with Kimberly Dawn and Six Gun Sal.

As one of the few live in-house rock concerts emerging out of COVID-19 quarantine, folks were ready to rock and party!

Memorial Day weekend brings Six Gun Entertainment and the Scottish Rite Organization’s first annual Run for the Rite and A Night of Southern Rock on Saturday, May 29. The all-day festival benefits nonprofits that work with homeless and disabled veterans, including the American Soldier Networks, Tickets for Troops, and One World Media. 

The day kicks off at one of three Harley-Davidson locations in SoCal (Antelope Valley at 8 a.m. Harbor City at 9 a.m. or Los Angeles at 10 a.m.). From there, bikers head to the Scottish Rite Event Center in Long Beach for food, vendors, beer, live local music, a raffle of a gorgeous Michael Kelly Guitar, and other festivities starting at 11:30 a.m. The event opens with the National Anthem and a Salute to our American Soldiers. The day culminates in A Night of Southern Rock, featuring Six Gun Sal (Southern Rock), country singer Kimberly Dawn, and Scott Gronsky (Soul Bluegrass). 

Rising stars in music and fashion showed up...


Singer-songwriter, Simon Lunch and...


Fashion designer, Jonathan Marc Stein are all here to rock out of quarantine.


Kimberly Dawn warmed up the audience before...


headliner, Six Gun Sal rocked the stage...

During a break, former Navy SEAL, Jason Tuschen introduced an Iraqi translator who the US Navy Seals helped saved and moved to the US, Code Name: Johnny Walker and his family out of Iraq.  Jason espouse the virtues of Martin Luther King, based on good deeds and good character.

Then, Six Gun Sal hit the stage again.


As a finale, Six Gun Sal had Jason and Johnny Walker then asked the whole audience to join them in a group selfie.

What a way to rock Memorial Day weekend.






Friday, May 28, 2021

Disney's Fashionista Film "Cruella" is Its Take on "Devil Wears Prada" With a Hint of "The Empire Strikes Back."

 By Laura Medina




Disney's backstory for "Cruella" is a fashionista's and stylisto's wet dream.

The screenwriter for "Cruella" is the same person who wrote "The Devil Wears Prada."

Set in the early Seventies, where Ziggy Stardust, ELO, and T. Rex reign radio with Sex Pistols punk rock surging up, it's about the established Olde Guard being usurp by the New Guard, a.k.a. avant-garde.

The main enemy, the Baroness played by Emma Thompson, represents early Fifties Dior in taffeta whereas the young and upcoming Cruella resembles Vivian Westwood, punk rock haute couture.

The recession cheap chic of Cruella's punk rock couture represents today's sustainability of upcycling, recycling, and repurposing of old clothes and leftover fabrics (Cruella re-doing The Baroness' 1965 red gown from a thrift show, is very Vivian Westwood) then making something new of them.

Cruella's wardrobe also represents today's popularity in vegan faux leather.

Don't want to give everything away, but talent and drive are hereditary.

To be fair, in "Cruella," early Seventies London is already populated by multi-ethnic Brits from the empire's former colonies, due to British Empire's overwhelming British culture as home and familiarity.  In other words, they're British, as Indian cuisine is British.

To be fair, Cruella adores the scruffy under dogs of mutts while the movie does explains her hatred of Dalmatians.


Wednesday, May 26, 2021

Tune in to Crime Scene Kitchen With Curtis Stone, on Fox, May 26th at 9pm.

 By Laura Medina

Bakers must decode what type of dessert was made using just crumbs and a few elusive clues.

Each episode of this cooking competition, hosted by Joel McHale, begins at the scene of the crime -- a kitchen that was just used to make an amazing mouthwatering dessert that has since disappeared. The chef teams of two are challenged to scour the kitchen for clues and ingredients to figure out what was baked. Next, each team must duplicate the recipe based on their guess for celebrity judges chef Curtis Stone and cake artist Yolanda Gampp. To take the $100,000 prize, the competing dessert makers will need to prove they have the technical know-how, imagination and problem-solving skills needed to decode and re-create incredible desserts and cakes from across the world.

Get "Cruella Coiffed" with Curl Care Collection from HASK! Capture Collection

 By Laura Medina



When Disney’s Cruella De Vil origin story CRUELLA opens Friday starring Emmas Stone and Thompson, we’re sure audiences will think, “How did they get everyone’s hair to look like that?!”

Here’s how: “The punk scene was big. Vivienne Westwood had opened her first store on The Kings Road and fashion was changing,” recalls BAFTA Award-winning Hollywood hairstylist and HASK fan Nadia Stacey. “I wanted Emma Stone’s character to be influenced by this scene—a kind of creative chaos in her look. I had to create over ten different styles for Emma alone and I needed to sometimes hint towards the shape or style of the original Cruella.”


Nadia Staceycredit Joshua Atkins

Stacey used Cruella's "Curl Care Collection"—among the full range of HASK products—to create a punk-inspired riff on Cruella De Vil’s iconic hairstyles for Emma Stone; her styles for Emma Thompson harken rather from the early 1960’s of Breakfast At Tiffany’s; all the way to the punk extras. Stacey and her team liberally applied HASK hair products and treatments to style and keep the cast’s own hair—and wigs—healthy whilst achieving over-the-top hair creations. “Each character needed a strong silhouette, something synonymous to them.”

The film is set in 1977 in London.  The Punk scene was big, Vivienne Westwood had opened her first store onThe Kings Road and fashion was changing.  I wanted Emma Stone’s character to be influenced by this scene. A kind ofcreative chaos in the look. I also had to create over 10 different styles alone for Emmaand I needed to sometimes hint towards the shape orstyle of the original Cruellabecause she has a lot of fans.

Each character needed a strong silhouette, something synonymous tothem. Emma Stone’s character ismore of a punk and influenced by that fashionwhereas the BaronessEmmaThompsonhas perfectedher look in the 1950s/60s,so it meant that we had a whole range of styles to draw from. Naomi Donne, a personal[makeup artist]to Emma Thompson created exactlywhat I wanted for the Baronessand developed all these different styles based around a theme. Lots of pulled back,not a hair in place, sculpted styles while Cruella has a wildness to her look. You have to think of the character, who would they reference for their look, who would inspire them?

It’s absolutely vital they like,and more importantly feel right,in your creations. It’s thethat have to feel the character as a whole andbelieve in the look. Emma is fantastic to collaborate with, she has strong ideas but is equally very open to any of my ideas and willingto try so the madder the looks became,the more she was up for itWe had such creative free rein from our director Craig Gillespie too,so it meant I could really try and push the boundaries.

There are so many,and they are all so varied so it’s hard to choose a favoriteThere is one which is based on 18thcentury Marie Antoinette stylethat seems crazy for Cruella but that’s the kind of creative freeness I hadThe black and white sides are styled up towards the classic shape but then it goes off to the side and the shape changeseverything I did,I wanted to put a twist on it. I do love the bob shape with the bangs tooThat feels very punk to me.

:We have to prep the hair underneath with a product that will flatten and slick the hair down to make it as flat as possible,so I like to use conditioner or masks because I think the hair is benefitting all day under the wig.

All the wigs are real hair,so you have to treatthem as such. If I was putting in rollers or using irons or any styling implements,I would always use a heat protecting spray like theHASK Keratin Protein5 in 1 Leavein Spray.It helps protect and keeps the hair conditioned and smoothfor styling.


Depending on the style, some were heavily sprayed with hairspray to set them,but generally I like to keep the hairf ree to movewhich I feel if you are trying to give the appearance of real hairIt’s important that it moves like real hair, it makes it more believableso in that case I like a lightweight spray that will smooth out and control without being too heavy.

I think preparation before styling in key. It’s the maintenance of keeping hair in good condition before you even think about styling that will make it healthy and shiny so it’s all about the shampoos and conditioners and masks you use.


We didn’t dye anyone’s natural hair,but we dyed wigs and hair pieces and because the hair is so treated previously it can dry out very quickly exactly the same as over-processed hair. For me the life savers are the HASK hair oils because they are so absorbing so they don’t sit heavy in the hair. Alsothe macadamia one smells incredible!

We had 3 black and white wigs for the whole shoot for Cruella and over ten different designs and because of the fast pace of the shootings chedule I had to style these three wigs over and over again,so they were in and out of rollers, hair pieces added to them, they really went through it! They are also a lot of stunts and action sequences so we needed products that would hold the stylesI also had nearly 100 different cast members with multiple looks so to look after Emma Stone full time and design all those looks was a challenge!

I like the Tea Tree Shampoo and Conditioner to take out any impurities but also keep the hair soft and conditioned but again weightless and not heavy with productI also love theTeaTree 5 in 1 Spray to heat protect as the styling begins again.

There are so many to choose from and the film has so many iconicmoments,but Ithink nothing will beat seeing Emma as Cruella for the first time. All those weeks ofprep and seeing her in full hair and makeup was amazing.

If they are blessed with curly hair then the new Curlrange is fantastic, all the benefits ofHASK products specifically targeted for curls. They should add curl enhancing mousse to wet hair and dry with a diffuser to really encourage the curls. Tip your head upside down when drying to create lots of volumewhen you tip you head back the hair will be wild,but that’swant Cruella would want! Then use HASK curl defining cream just to define and take away some of the frizz. Its humidity-proof formula will keep your curls looking lovelyIf you have straight hairwould use a thermal protection spray like Keratin protection 5 in 1 spray to protect before you use a curling tool, rollers or tongs. Create the curls and use the curl defining cream as above.


I love the HASK Coconut Masks and would give the wigs a treatment as much as possiblet o revive the hair and put back the condition lost in over styling. I also used this on Emma Stone underneath the wig to condition her hair during the dayThe Rose Oil and Peach Colour rotect Shampoo andConditioners were great because the black and white hair needed to be really defined and strong,so I needed to punch the colour up. Alsothe white side of the hair could start to look yellow with over-process and felt that these shampoos really worked to protect thatAll the 5 in 1 because it allowed me to maintain the frizz without adding heavy product all day to the styles. Sometimes our shoot daycould be 12 hours long and too much product would ruin the styleThese sprays (all of the5 in 1s actually) are perfect for on set checks.

Keratin 5 in 1Sprayfor the heat protection because of all the styling. They are the best. The hair masks for protection of actors’ hair under wigs and for a once a week treat or to send t hem home with themThe nourishing Coconut ones are great. The RoseOil andPeach Colour Protect because the black and white hair IS Cruella!


As above, the masks. I love the mall,but I recommend the Argan Oil Masks a lot as they are so repairing over the weekend before shoot.

All the above were used on Emma for all her different Cruella looks. She had so many different looks and processes that as ever my goal is to protecther hair and so have always used the HASK masks on her under wigs. The Tea Tree5 in 1 Spray is something I use on her a lot as it is so lightweight and free of all the nasties which is great when I need to spray products on her onset, so I feel confident that I’m spraying natural products around her.

We had to create lots of punk styles on the extras and supporting cast and that means lots of body in the hair ,so you need something to take out any grease or too much moisture to be able to create the styles.It was good to get some of the Charcoal Dry Shampooi n the root to rid all the excess oil and give a good base to start creating! That worked well too in some of the punkier styles for the Cruella wigs too.

The HASK products were used across the filmThe crowd team where they had over 6,000 supporting actors had the products and were using them regularlyWe also had to create sprayed red style forPaul Walter Hauser and use the Charcoal Dry Shampoo for texture. I liked to use the 5 in1 sprays for Kirby Howell Baptiste’s afro wig too.