Hey Bill O'Reilly...

Here's a message from me and my gay-loving, organic, vegan, hippy-dippy-trippy reefer, Lady-Gaga listening to bleeding heart liberal friends:

SUCK IT!!!

This man literally makes me physically ill. He is old-fashioned, rude, homophobic, and so conservative he can't even see straight. In a recent interview with Barbara Walters about her "Most Fascinating People" list, he completely slammed her choices, as well as referring to extremely talented singer Adam Lambert as "That Gay Guy." In addition, he was UNBELIEVEABLY rude to her. I have never seen such a disgusting display of immaturity on a serious news program IN MY LIFE. Watch all the madness go down, and then let me know what you think.



Keep it classy and fabulous!
xoxo, Laura

When I grow up, I wanna be Anna Wintour.

Vogue is arguably the most respected fashion magazine in the world.

And Anna Wintour is the brains behind it.

As the Editor-in-Chief of Vogue magazine, Anna Wintour propels the fashion industry in more ways than one. Miranda Preistly (Meryl Streep), the ice-cold editor of the fictitious Runway magazine in the 2006 film The Devil Wears Prada, was based on her. Anna Wintour IS fashion.

And there's finally a good interview of her, done by the fine folks at 60 Minutes. Watch it here.

Keep it classy and fabulous!
xoxo, Laura

Stuart Weitzman rocks my shoes (not my socks).

First of all, I must apologize for my not keeping up with this blog. I've been relaxing over the break, but I will be back full force on the 6th-ish.

I just found out something absolutely AWESOME. Fabulous shoe designer Stuart Weitzman has decided to forgo production of his annual Million-Dollar shoe. Why?

"There will be no Million Dollar shoe for the Oscars this year. With so many people struggling financially, and unemployment at 10 percent, I don't think it is appropriate. The actresses still want to go for glamour, but this year it will be more understated." (courtesy of Perez Hilton)

LOVE IT, and it's so true. Designers, editors, and all members of the fashion world should be mindful of the current economic crisis. It's not appropriate to continue hawking frivolous overpriced items in the current economic climate.

Hats off to you, Stuart Weitzman.

Keep it classy and fabulous!
xoxo, Laura

P.S. Germany may not be in as much trouble as those of us stateside, but German company GnG should take note of Stuart Weitzman's way of thinking.

Commercial song!

Who's seen that Palm Pixi commercial? It's a pretty standard cell phone commercial, but what's NOT standard is the song! It's "Sleepyhead" by Passion Pit. My friend Ben said that it's a standard pre-game song at the Sigma Phi Epsilon house, and I must agree, it's a pretty fab party song.

Keep it classy and fabulous!
xoxo, Laura

Not to go all Sarah McLachlan on you, but...

I just spend probably 45 minutes looking at PetFinder.com at small, adult dogs in South Carolina. I hardly made a dent in the list.

If I was looking for 45 minutes in just my narrow scope of what I'm looking for in a little apartment dog, imagine how many animals actually need to be rescued. It's not just special-needs animals or animals from high-kill shelters. It's all animals--cats, dogs, horses, hamsters, iguanas, and pot-bellied pigs--that are looking for their forever homes. There are so many animals in shelters who need help.

If you are considering getting a pet, please look at adoption first. Buying isn't bad--those animals need homes, too--but think about all of the other animals in bad situations who need help NOW.

Keep it classy and fabulous!
xoxo, Laura

I just e-mailed my hero!

Not Lady Gaga, people.
Jessica Shroeder, author of the What I Wore blog.
She's my virtual mentor--she's so cool! And I'm hoping to get an e-mail back. I'll let you know if I do!!

Keep it classy and fabulous!
xoxo, Laura

For real, though, this is my last U101 post.

A couple weeks ago, once I realized I had missed EVERY Capstone Cinema, I decided it would behoove me to go to the make-up cinema in West Quad. So, not wanting to go alone, I dragged my friend Zadams over to the learning center there to make him watch a movie about sustainability.

The movie was supposed to be this film called "Taking Root," but they couldn't find the DVD, so it ended up being "Milking the Rhino" instead. "Milking the Rhino" is all about how people in Africa have managed to lead a peaceful co-existence with the wildlife there, and how they are now using them to their advantage. It was an interesting movie, combining several of my favorite topics--economics, travel, and environmentalism. Plus, it had awesome views of Africa throughout the film.

During the movie, I was surprised at how much people in Africa used to really hate the wildlife until they started viewing it as an opportunity for tourism. I suppose elephants and gazelles are as common in their backyards as snakes and squirrels are in ours. But the first two probably cause more problems.

To learn more about "Milking the Rhino," click here for the trailer.

Keep it classy and fabulous!
xoxo, Laura

Oh yeah, not quite finished.

So awhile ago, I went to the Capstone Conversation with Jim Sonefeld, aka "Soni" from Hootie and the Blowfish. I have to admit--I didn't actually pay attention to much of what he said. I was a bit distracted because he's such an attractive fellow, and I was mildly starstruck. However, I did pick up on the fact that he's worked very hard to get to where he is today, and he gives back because of his success. He hosts charity events and plays free concerts, all for the benefit of the community. I personally think this is fabulous--using your stardom or prestige to give back to others is perhaps one of the best things you can do. I also really liked that he's a family man...that made him seem more real. Plus, he lives in Charleston, where I'm from, which is cool. Basically, it was one of the coolest things I've experienced since being here at USC. And you can bet I didn't forget my camera!

Keep it classy and fabulous!

xoxo, Laura

Last post for U101.

So, today is my last official post for U101. Sad.

But not really, because this means two things: 1. I've survived the first semester of my freshman year of college, and 2. There will now only be fun stuff, like music, fashion, etc. So yay!

I've really enjoyed U101 overall, especially the class discussions. The only thing I didn't like was reading The World is Flat. I didn't find it very interesting, and I didn't find it very easy to relate to my life. I wish we had done more fun stuff, like climbing the rock wall at Strom or going to the beanbag room. However, I do like that because we spent so much time discussing things in class, I really got to know all of my classmates and understand all of the different views we have.

This blog has been really good for me in terms of integrating what we've talked about in class, but not so helpful in terms of reflecting on my first-year experience. Because that's the thing--being in college is an EXPERIENCE. I don't like talking about things that are going on in my life so much as I like living my life. It's just like my friend Ben always says, "Don't talk about it, be about it." I'd rather be about it than reflect on it.

The best part of this blog has been actually posting about things that I really believe in--vegetarianism, gay rights, music, fashion, and art. I feel like those things--the links I post, etc.--say more about me than just talking about what I think about my first-year experience. But now that I've done the work, I can let the fun begin!

Keep it classy and fabulous!
xoxo, Laura

Have yourself a very Gaga Christmas.

The newly-coronated Princess of Pop herself, Lady Gaga, has done her own version of a Christmas song, simply entitled "Christmas Tree". It is HILARIOUS--check it out here. WARNING: this song is rather sexually suggestive, so you might not want to listen to it if you are easily offended (or if you want to keep your Christmas memories sweet and innocent).

Keep it classy and fabulous!
xoxo, Laura

P.S. You can download the song FOR FREE at amazon.com. Merry Christmas, my loves.