'Matilda' and 'Kinky Boots' sweep Tony nominations

It's that time of year again, my friends! The Tony Award nominations were announced this morning! As a lover of Broadway, I take this as an opportunity to see what musicals that I should be listening to. I mean, I'm nowhere near New York and I don't think I'll be visiting any time soon, so I really must live vicariously through Official Cast Recordings and the stories of my Twitter followers that jet set to the Great White Way.

This year, four musicals rose to the top to be considered the best of the season: Bring It On, Matilda, A Christmas Story, and Kinky Boots. One striking thing about all four of these titles is that the stories originally appeared on the silver screen at some point in the last thirty years (Kinky Boots most recently in 2005). Furthermore, with the exception of Bring It On and Kinky Boots (which is based on a true story), the movies that came before were adapted from books. Even in Broadway it's a great year for bibliophiles.

Epic Giveaway: Elegantly Wasted Prize Pack!

To celebrate the title release and website debut of C. Elizabeth Vescio's next book in the Wasted series, she's given me some awesome EW swag to give away to one lucky winner! If you're unfamiliar with Elegantly Wasted and the world of Francesca "Frankie" Fairholm, check out my review of the first book.

In order to win, just follow the prompts through Rafflecopter. It's really as easy as that. The entry period will last for a week and you have the option to tweet about the giveaway every day for more entries. Your prize is:

• 1 signed copy of Elegantly Wasted
• 3 character cards featuring the ladies of Elegance Inc.
• 4 EW Buttons!

Hit the jump to enter!

Flashback Friday: Five Favorite Teen Shows of the '90s

Flashback Friday is a series where I get in the wayback machine and revisit some of my favorite things from years past. It can be anything really, random stuff from teh intarwebz, books, movies, games, et cetera. 

I was browsing through the murky waters of the Internet this week and found what I thought would be the perfect topic for the next installment of Flashback Friday. I've been pretty honest about my addiction to television and how it spans over twenty years. While I was born in the 1980s and love products of the decade, it was the 1990s that are full of memories for me. A vast majority of these memories center around favorite television programs. As Buzzfeed is quite adept at making lists of things that people care about, I decided to use their list of The 33 Best Forgotten Teen Shows Of The '90s as inspiration for today's post.

'Buy some crap' in the Gift Shop in this new parody

I've been obsessed with "Gift Shop" by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis for some time now. I even featured a parody of the song using Renaissance Fairs as a subject. But this new video from College Humor Originals really hits home to me.

I'm obsessed with museums. I've been visiting them since I was a kid, I volunteered at a museum in Ashland, Kentucky the entirety of high school and I've been working in them ever since. I love everything about museums and College Humor takes a hilarious look at museum stores in "Gift Shop." It's probably the most accurate representation of what it's like to shop in a museum gift shop.

Trailer Tuesday: Star Trek Into Darkness and Man of Steel Bring Out the Big Guns

It's Trailer Tuesday. We've got two great trailers from very different movie franchises after the jump!

Cover Reveal: Witch Hearts by Liz C. Long

It's my great pleasure to host the cover reveal Witch Hearts, the newest book by my friend Liz C. Long who is a fantastic author. She is one of the busiest women in independent publishing and is not only a great writer, but a fantastic editor as well. I'll let her take it away!

Hi everyone! I want to thank the amazing authors and bloggers who volunteered to help with today's cover reveal. Indies wouldn't be here without their help and of course, you guys. I am so excited to show off the cover for my new book - I've been looking forward to this for weeks! Witch Hearts is my second novel, an adult paranormal thriller meant for those who liked to be a little creeped out and also enjoy a murder mystery. My first book, Gifted, A Donovan Circus Novel, is about a murder at a supernatural circus, and is available at Amazon on Kindle and paperback. Now without further ado, the cover for Witch Hearts!

Review: COMICS: Saturday Night Live!

Comics: Saturday Night Live
Written by Chad Lambert
Art by Patricio Carbajal
Colors by Michael Langdale
Letters by Jaymes Reed
Cover by Rovel Yumul
Bluewater Productions
Release date: April 11, 2012
Cover Price: $3.99
Paperback | Digital

Like many pop culture fanatics, I was raised on television. An only child with few friends in my neighborhood, I watched a lot of TV. I was especially fond of late night television, even when I was just hearing the highlights from my mom talking about it with her friends. At church on Sunday mornings, I would hear the adults dish about Saturday Night Live, which aired the night before. Since then, anytime I get emotional about a given situation, I say, “I’m getting verklempt. Tawlk amongst yourselves.” SNL has not only been an institution in American television, but for me it’s been a teaching tool about humor, political commentary, and popular culture.

Critic Roger Ebert Dies of Cancer at 70

Just yesterday, film critic Roger Ebert announced that he would be taking a "leave of presence" due to the recurrence of his cancer. The critic, who wrote for the Chicago Sun-Times, said that he needed to slow down with his writing. I'm very sad to report however, the the Sun-Times has now reported that Ebert passed away this afternoon.

I remember watching he and Gene Siskel, who died from complications following brain surgery, on the weekends at my aunt's house. I learned so much from watching their show and listening to their film critiques. I was saddened by Siskel's passing and have had such admiration for Roger Ebert as he battled salivary gland and thyroid cancer for the past decade. 

Jay Leno Retiring (Again) - Jimmy Fallon Will Host 'The Tonight Show'

I've been a fan of late night television all of my life. Having been born in 1987, I was just barely old enough to remember Johnny Carson as host of The Tonight Show. Actually, I remember Dana Carvey's legendary Johnny Carson sketches on Saturday Night Live more than Carson, who hosted Tonight for thirty years. I was five years old when the transition from Carson to Jay Leno occurred and a vaguely remember the scandal associated with it.

Joseph-Beth to Host Neil Gaiman on July 11

This is not a drill. I repeat. This is not a drill. Joseph-Beth Lexington announced yesterday that they would be part of author and geek icon Neil Gaiman's last signing tour. I couldn't contain my excitement when learned of this glorious news and I immediately had to purchase tickets. Okay, I didn't purchase my ticket immediately, but I did very soon after the announcement was made. I even joined the Facebook event to make it official.