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<rss xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" version="2.0"><channel><title>ElizabethBanks.com</title><link>http://elizabethbanks.com</link><description>ElizabethBanks.com</description><item><title>Win A Signed Effie Poster From The Hunger Games</title><link>http://elizabethbanks.com/blog/post/win-a-signed-effie-poster-from-the-hunger-games</link><description>&lt;p&gt;Alright, alright! I&amp;rsquo;m so freakin&amp;rsquo; excited to have my first giveaway on the site be for The Hunger Games!&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;div&gt;&lt;img class="captioned-item" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="http://umbrella-eqal.s3.amazonaws.com/s3photo/9l030Zi5CE2dlyEiolmQ4gha.jpeg" alt="9l030Zi5CE2dlyEiolmQ4gha.jpeg:Amazon:photo" /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&#xD;
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&lt;p&gt;First things first - tickets went on sale today - yes, today - for a movie that doesn&amp;rsquo;t come out until March 23. But you already know you want in, so just &lt;a href="http://www.fandango.com/thehungergames_136944/movietimes" target="_blank"&gt;get the tickets&lt;/a&gt;!&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;OK, second thing now - In honor of the tix going on sale today, I&amp;rsquo;m hosting a quickfire contest! To enter, you gotta be a member so sign up&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href="https://elizabethbanks.com/auth/signup" target="_blank"&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span&gt;. Then, all you have to do to enter to WIN is leave a comment telling me your favorite scene in the book that you hope made it into the movie. It's that simple. The contest ends Friday at 5pm PST so spread the word and tell your friends to enter! The prize? Oh yeah. You&amp;rsquo;ll get a personalized, autographed Effie character slash Hunger Games poster signed by me (I'm Effie!). You can start your collection of all of the character posters with Effie! That will be free and signed!&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img class="captioned-item" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="http://umbrella-eqal.s3.amazonaws.com/s3photo/zutwG0xTVGbeELZ5kMNjVjpX.jpeg" alt="zutwG0xTVGbeELZ5kMNjVjpX.jpeg:Amazon:photo" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;So join up and enter to win! Ready, set, GO!&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Winners will be notified via email and must respond within 48 hours to claim their prize.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;</description><pubDate>Wed, 22 Feb 2012 06:00:00 -0800</pubDate></item><item><title>Eat Here Now: Potato Chips (In Los Angeles)</title><link>http://elizabethbanks.com/blog/post/eat-here-now-potato-chips-in-los-angeles</link><description>&lt;div&gt;&lt;img class="captioned-item" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="http://umbrella-eqal.s3.amazonaws.com/s3photo/BvGY8tab8BZ9Ekd3z2UzT0SG.jpeg" alt="BvGY8tab8BZ9Ekd3z2UzT0SG.jpeg:Amazon:photo" /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&#xD;
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&lt;p&gt;How beautiful does this look? Well, it was better tasting than that! I only left the bones (why didn't I take a pic of that?). Note the maple syrup drizzled over the chicken! This is one of those wonderfully delicious surprises - an off-menu special at a place that usually just sells sandwiches. I went there thinking I'd get the meatball sub (sold out) and this special was written up on the chalk board. The owner said he just felt like making it that day. My win! Go there but just know - this was a special. I can't guarantee it will ever be served again. But for every Angeleno's sake, I hope so.&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;div&gt;&lt;img class="captioned-item" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="http://umbrella-eqal.s3.amazonaws.com/s3photo/KEbxHHjcloy0j4QC1m9uTu2Y.jpeg" alt="KEbxHHjcloy0j4QC1m9uTu2Y.jpeg:Amazon:photo" /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&#xD;
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&lt;p&gt;When in LA, go!&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/potato-chips-los-angeles-3" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Potato Chips&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;7613 Beverly Blvd&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Los Angeles, CA 90036&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;You might also fancy this post:&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt; &lt;a href="http://bit.ly/yibMAi" target="_blank"&gt;My Favorite Cocktail - The Negroni&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><pubDate>Tue, 21 Feb 2012 06:00:00 -0800</pubDate></item><item><title>First Ladies That Wear The Pants</title><link>http://elizabethbanks.com/blog/post/first-ladies-that-wear-the-pants</link><description>&lt;p&gt;Pop quiz time! Don&amp;rsquo;t panic--it&amp;rsquo;s only one question long...&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Why do we celebrate President&amp;rsquo;s Day&lt;/em&gt;?&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;And no, the answer does not involve &amp;ldquo;for the long weekend, DUH&amp;rdquo; or "so I can get a great deal on that new Toyota I&amp;rsquo;ve been eyeing." No, those are just added bonuses to this federal holiday.&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;Technically, President&amp;rsquo;s Day is George Washington&amp;rsquo;s Bday (and in some places, Lincoln's Bday gets thrown in there too) but today is more commonly known as a day to acknowledge all of the great presidents who have lead this country.&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p style="text-align: left;"&gt;That's great. I'm all for it. Yay Presidents! You're not all equal, but you all got elected and that's sure something. But aren&amp;rsquo;t we forgetting a few special females? After all, &amp;ldquo;behind every great man, there is an even GREATER woman.&amp;rdquo; Pardon my paraphrasing. I thought it'd be fun to honor just a few ladies who lived in the White House too. &lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;div&gt;&lt;img class="captioned-item" style="float: right;" src="http://umbrella-eqal.s3.amazonaws.com/s3photo/seJbAWR0AM5FhquySvoCI3oy.jpeg" alt="Amazon:seJbAWR0AM5FhquySvoCI3oy.jpeg:photo" /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p style="text-align: left;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Eleanor Roosevelt &lt;/strong&gt;put first ladies on the map and forever broke the mold for the role. An outspoken businesswoman, she expressed strong opinions through her writing and groundbreaking press conferences. And she wasn&amp;rsquo;t kidding around when she promised FDR she&amp;rsquo;d be there for him &amp;ldquo;in sickness and in health.&amp;rdquo; When Franklin got sick, Eleanor stepped up to the plate like a champ. No big deal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Michelle Obama &lt;/strong&gt;needs no introduction. But if I were to introduce her, &lt;a href="http://madamenoire.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/jimmy-fallon-michelle-obama-b48f417af75de6a4.jpg" target="_blank"&gt;this photo of her and Jimmy Fallon&lt;/a&gt; really says everything you need to know. She&amp;rsquo;s got a refreshing sense of humor, a Harvard Law Degree, and arms that won&amp;rsquo;t quit. Plus her Let&amp;rsquo;s Move campaign is successfully tackling childhood obesity in this country. Michelle exudes cool.&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Betty Ford &lt;/strong&gt;was quite the busy woman. Republicans loved her unconditionally, despite her socially liberal stances on issues like abortion. Now THAT&amp;rsquo;S love. And of course she&amp;rsquo;s famous for the Betty Ford Center, which she started after overcoming her own addictions. A Republican feminist with a passion for the arts and social activism? Yep, that was Betty.&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Abigail Adams &lt;/strong&gt;was not only married to a President, she mothered one too. Letters between Abigail and her husband, 2nd president John Adams, reveal lengthy intellectual discussions between the two on all matters. She was clearly influential behind the scenes. And she was holding down the fort during the Revolutionary War. And she had to make her own curtains!&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
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&lt;p&gt;Maybe someday there' ll be a First Ladies Day, but 'til then, happy to remind you how boss a few of these ladies were/are. Now enjoy the Monday off!&lt;/p&gt;</description><pubDate>Mon, 20 Feb 2012 06:00:00 -0800</pubDate></item><item><title>Quick &amp; Scrappy: Frito Pie</title><link>http://elizabethbanks.com/blog/post/quick-scrappy-frito-pie</link><description>&lt;p&gt;I love shopping at Whole Foods and being a patron of local farmer&amp;rsquo;s markets and other do-gooder things that benefit my diet and health but lately I&amp;rsquo;ve been craving something that doesn&amp;rsquo;t have "organic" on the label and that something is Fritos.&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Now, I could just scarf down a bag of Fritos - no problem -&amp;nbsp; but if I&amp;rsquo;m going to indulge, why not take it to the next level? I&amp;rsquo;m talking cheese, chili, more cheese, sour cream, onions and cheese. Here&amp;rsquo;s one of my favorite recipes&amp;nbsp; &amp;ndash; Frito Pie:&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;div&gt;&lt;img class="captioned-item" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="http://umbrella-eqal.s3.amazonaws.com/s3photo/XuDZnjwcDXpiSAa2xUlFqNRP.jpeg" alt="XuDZnjwcDXpiSAa2xUlFqNRP.jpeg:Amazon:photo" /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&#xD;
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&lt;p&gt;I have to say this is the prettiest looking Frito Pie I&amp;rsquo;ve ever seen and mine looks nothing like this. Mine usually end up looking a lot more like this&amp;hellip;&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;div&gt;&lt;img class="captioned-item" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="http://umbrella-eqal.s3.amazonaws.com/s3photo/tRFuPrEdqyOlfXjJ3BfAR87K.jpeg" alt="tRFuPrEdqyOlfXjJ3BfAR87K.jpeg:Amazon:photo" /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&#xD;
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&lt;p&gt;Who am I kidding? That photo is probably still too generous. Hey, I&amp;rsquo;m just trying to help you adjust your expectations a bit. No matter what your Frito pie looks like &amp;ndash; it will probably taste amazing. You&amp;rsquo;d really have to go out of your way to mess this up, as the recipe is practically fool-proof. You can do it! Just don&amp;rsquo;t be a fool.&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The What:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;1 cup Fritos 3/4 cup chili (I make my own but you can use Chili cans, I don't judge) &lt;br /&gt;1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese 1 tablespoon chopped onions&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The How:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Feel free to add in these optional ingredients: Jalapeno slices, chopped tomatoes, sour cream, salsa In a bowl, pour Fritos to cover the bottom of the dish. Ladle on hot chili, sprinkle with cheese and onions. Add any and all of your preferred toppings. Enjoy!&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Have you ever had Frito Pie before? What toppings would you add to your Frito pie? Let me know in the comments section below!&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;You might also fancy these posts:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href="http://bit.ly/xz6D47" target="_blank"&gt;The War on Cheesesteaks&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href="http://bit.ly/yibMAi" target="_blank"&gt;My Favorite Cocktail - The Negroni&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;</description><pubDate>Fri, 17 Feb 2012 08:00:00 -0800</pubDate></item><item><title>SURPRISE! My Birthday Recap</title><link>http://elizabethbanks.com/blog/post/surprise-my-birthday-recap</link><description>&lt;div&gt;&lt;img class="captioned-item" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="http://umbrella-eqal.s3.amazonaws.com/s3photo/XeVBV9ZnGqjKYg5YIEkw1vm5.jpeg" alt="XeVBV9ZnGqjKYg5YIEkw1vm5.jpeg:Amazon:photo" /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&#xD;
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&lt;p&gt;Well, I have some pretty great friends and a very conspiratorial husband. As it turns out, my no-fuss birthday (2/10) became all fuss when I entered my *Surprise!* birthday dinner last Friday night. I've been surprised a few times in this lifetime - my engagement, a great practical joke by some Tri Delts - and I've done some surprising - "Mom, I AM home for Christmas!" - and I have to say, it never gets old. It's fantastic fun. To those of you who say, "I don't like surprises," let me say this: "Are you nuts? What's not to like?" Somebody caring enough to go out of their way to make something special for you is pretty great. Having your expectation for the evening turned on its head for something even better? So great. And truly pulling it off, as my friends did on Friday, deserves special praise because that level of planning, cunning and lying is typically reserved for professional conmen or politicians, not your Aunt Nancy or my friend Alissa. I was definitely overwhelmed but the feelings that came over me were appreciation and bliss. Plus I got a boa! And a tiara!&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;So what's the best surprise you ever pulled or had pulled on you?&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;You might also fancy these posts:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://bit.ly/z6M7ir" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Here's to Another Birthday&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://bit.ly/xsxAwA" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Geronimo Balloons, I Want You!&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
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&lt;div class="post-media-clearer" style="clear: both;"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;</description><pubDate>Thu, 16 Feb 2012 08:00:00 -0800</pubDate></item><item><title>Geeky TV: Comic Book Men</title><link>http://elizabethbanks.com/blog/post/geeky-tv-comic-book-men-2</link><description>&lt;p&gt;So all the news this week is about the premiere of The Walking Dead. I DVR that shiz so no spoilers please. But AMC premiered the pilot of another show that same night - &lt;a href="http://www.amctv.com/shows/comic-book-men" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Comic Book Men&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; with my friend Kevin Smith. I&amp;rsquo;d been looking forward to capping off my birthday weekend by tapping into nerdville so of course I watched.&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;div&gt;&lt;img class="captioned-item" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="http://umbrella-eqal.s3.amazonaws.com/s3photo/2fP0OUqLzyBY0JXGzeIRVC6I.jpeg" alt="2fP0OUqLzyBY0JXGzeIRVC6I.jpeg:Amazon:photo" /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&#xD;
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&lt;p&gt;Kevin Smith owns this comic book store in Jersey called Jay and Silent Bob&amp;rsquo;s Secret Stash. He doesn&amp;rsquo;t actually work there. He still writes and directs movies sometimes but he does show up for a podcast where him and the three guys that do actually work there plus another big-bearded guy that just hangs out at the store way too much to poke fun at one of the other employees, sit around a table with mics and talk about the people that walked into the store trying to sell their hopefully-one-of-a-kind memorabilia - A Jack Kirby Thor poster, a Dawn of the Dead movie poster, a Million Dollar Man toy, a Chucky doll. Reminded me of Pawn Stars.&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;My honest assessment: I was really looking forward to this series (and still am, it&amp;rsquo;s only had it&amp;rsquo;s first episode), but I wanted to see more Smith and more comic books and more real customers just walk into the store. Nobody deals with people better than Kevin - have you seen this? &lt;strong&gt;*And this video is NSFW!! (It's Kevin Smith, y'all!).&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;div class="html-snippet"&gt;&lt;iframe style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ou2mVnElp6c?rel=0" frameborder="0" width="580" height="423"&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;And I half expected Rosario Dawson to also work at the store. It's a little weird that there are no chicks there. Actually, thinking on it a second longer, it's not weird at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;Did you watch? Do you care? Favorite comic book?&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;</description><pubDate>Wed, 15 Feb 2012 10:55:07 -0800</pubDate></item><item><title>Hey Politicians, End the War on Women's Health Already!</title><link>http://elizabethbanks.com/blog/post/hey-politicians-end-the-war-on-women-s-health-already</link><description>&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&#xD;
&lt;div class="html-snippet"&gt;&lt;img style="float: right;" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7186/6877683703_67d6e136ed.jpg" alt="birth-control" width="320" height="270" /&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;I am flummoxed by this entire birth control situation. I have only heard one pundit discuss this simple fact: the pill is used for many situations that have nothing to do with the prevention of pregnancy. The pill was prescribed to me when hormonally induced migraines kept me locked up in dark rooms for days at a time. And it worked. It was prescribed to me to regulate insanely painful cramps every month - cramps so painful I often vomited - and it worked! And here's a little secret I am happy to blow the lid off of - the pill is often prescribed during the IVF process to help MAKE BABIES! That's right, women dealing with infertility are often put on the pill to help regulate a cycle so that they might have a more successful IVF. The pill is used to manage ovarian cysts, endometriosis and other conditions too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
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&lt;p&gt;I am not a doctor. I'm just a simple woman grateful for my necessary and very helpful medication that does not cost me a fortune because I have a $10 co-pay. And I'm sure glad I don't have to discuss any of these conditions with my employer. So Congress, please get out of the way of my healthy life. Take women's health issues out of the political process. I feel used and I'm not very happy about it. People, if you feel like I do, do something about it and &lt;a href="https://secure.ppaction.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&amp;amp;page=UserAction&amp;amp;id=14158&amp;amp;s_src=BCAccess_0212_c3_web&amp;amp;__utma=1.283783095.1327441182.1329162752.1329239136.4&amp;amp;__utmb=1.3.10.1329239136&amp;amp;__utmc=1&amp;amp;__utmx=-&amp;amp;__utmz=1.1327441182.1.1.utmcsr=google|utmccn=(organic)|utmcmd=organic|utmctr=(not%20provided)&amp;amp;__utmv=-&amp;amp;__utmk=245834372" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;tell congress to stop trying to block women's access to birth control&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;</description><pubDate>Tue, 14 Feb 2012 14:47:02 -0800</pubDate></item><item><title>This Valentine's Day is all About the Fam</title><link>http://elizabethbanks.com/blog/post/this-valentine-s-day-is-all-about-the-fam</link><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class="Normal__Char"&gt;I love chocolates and face-kissing and I'm glad there's a day devoted to it but I've got two men in m&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class="Normal__Char"&gt;y life now so today's all about our little threesome, the Fam. Our Valentine&amp;rsquo;s Day - me, the huz and our little man, Felix -&amp;nbsp; may just involve bringing out all the sheets and making a fort in our living room to have cuddle times.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;div class="html-snippet"&gt;&lt;img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7007/6845502585_536f5f6614_b.jpg" alt="TheGlow1" width="650" height="444" /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&#xD;
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&lt;p&gt;In honor of that feeling, for all you moms and dads, mamas and mamas, dads and dads, single moms and pops, and all you husbands and wives about to get busy tonight, I&amp;rsquo;m sharing some photos from one of my favorite photography sites. Rightfully, it's called &lt;a href="http://www.theglow.com/" target="_blank"&gt;The Glow&lt;/a&gt; and is a &amp;ldquo;glimpse into the world of inspiring and fashionable moms.&amp;rdquo; But I like it for today because look at all that LOVE!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
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&lt;div class="html-snippet"&gt;&lt;img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7011/6845502741_3a6f15fdb8_b.jpg" alt="TheGlow2" width="650" height="444" /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&#xD;
&lt;div class="html-snippet"&gt;&lt;img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7045/6872146755_0796d0ebd7_b.jpg" alt="theGlow4" width="650" height="444" /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&#xD;
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&lt;div class="html-snippet"&gt;&lt;img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7053/6845502915_191ccb3ebe_b.jpg" alt="TheGlow3" width="650" height="858" /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&#xD;
&lt;/div&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;Happy Valentine's Day!&lt;/p&gt;</description><pubDate>Tue, 14 Feb 2012 08:00:00 -0800</pubDate></item><item><title>Geronimo Balloons, I Want You!</title><link>http://elizabethbanks.com/blog/post/geronimo-balloons-for-valentines-day</link><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class="Normal__Char"&gt;This is why I have a love/hate relationship with the interweb: I bookmark a pag&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class="Normal__Char"&gt;e with pretty pictures and make the mental note, &amp;ldquo;I&amp;rsquo;m so going to buy this." Then, just in time to be so not-at-all-on-time, I realize - darnit! it&amp;rsquo;s too late. Case in point: Geronimo's Valentine's Day amaze-a-loons. After you take in the shiny gold dress, hot pink tights, sassy heels, and super fun heart balloons this fine lady is sporting, you may hate me for showing you this too late. So, in honor of Valentine's Day, let&amp;rsquo;s just admire these balloons together and make sure we&amp;rsquo;re first in line to order next year! Seriously: Before you fall hard for them, just know that you can&amp;rsquo;t order them in time for tomorrow. I mean, you can try, but it's unlikely. Sorry to burst your balloon.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;div class="html-snippet"&gt;&lt;img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7180/6845385587_b8341f6ce8_b.jpg" alt="geronimoBalloons" width="650" height="444" /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&#xD;
&lt;div class="html-snippet"&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class="Normal__Char"&gt;But, hey! &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href="http://geronimoballoons.com/" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;span class="Normal__Char"&gt;Geronimo&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class="Normal__Char"&gt;Balloons&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span class="Normal__Char"&gt;&amp;nbsp;is local (for me)! They hand-create these babies in downtown LA. Is anyone else thinking what I&amp;rsquo;m thinking? Valentine's, Schmalentines! Let's order these up for the kid's birthday! Of course, I need to bookmark this, put it in the calendar and set an alarm so that might actually happen.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p class="Normal" dir="LTR"&gt;&lt;span class="Normal__Char"&gt;Check out this moving picture of their balloons in action + downtown LA:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;/div&gt;&#xD;
&lt;div class="html-snippet"&gt;&lt;iframe style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/34889840?title=0&amp;amp;byline=0&amp;amp;portrait=0&amp;amp;color=ffffff" frameborder="0" width="630" height="354"&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;Since you can&amp;rsquo;t get your lovebird these balloons, what other gifts do you have up your sleeve?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;via &lt;a href="http://vimeo.com/34889840" target="_blank"&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href="http://ohjoy.blogs.com/my_weblog/2012/01/big-love.html" target="_blank"&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><pubDate>Mon, 13 Feb 2012 07:00:00 -0800</pubDate></item><item><title>Here's to Another Birthday</title><link>http://elizabethbanks.com/blog/post/heres-to-another-birthday</link><description>&lt;div class="html-snippet"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&#xD;
&lt;div class="html-snippet"&gt;&lt;img style="float: right;" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7041/6849635537_bce740b731.jpg" alt="missyprofile" width="320" height="270" /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&#xD;
&lt;/div&gt;&#xD;
&lt;div class="html-snippet"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;*Missy is an actress, writer, producer and new mom to twin boys. That's her over there &amp;gt;&amp;gt;&amp;gt;&amp;gt;&amp;gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;She wrote what I thought was a fairly brilliant state-of-the-union for women in her position after her recent birthday party. After she sent it out I couldn't help but have one of those couldn't-have-said-it-better-myself moments. Being that it's my birthday today, I thought this would be the perfect way to let you all in on how it is - what it's like for ladies like us when we try and hit up the club scene. Enjoy her words!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;-EB&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Dear friends,&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;As a woman approaching a rather alarming number I will now have to say when people ask me my age (who am I kidding, I said it ONCE last night, it felt horrible. I will never say it again), I've learned a few things about myself. Can't do loud bars anymore. I don't have anything interesting enough to say that warrants shouting it into someone else's face. I enjoy dancing for about 5 minutes, then my back hurts. But really I was feeling pretty good about myself for staying out late and having a few drinks, until our exit music: "Face down, ass up, that's the way we like to fuck! Face down, ass up, that's the way we like to fuck!" I chanted it a few times along with the ebullient youngsters as we pushed our way out of there until I heard what I was actually saying. Then I just felt sad. Feeling sad over the lyrics of a song is definitely a sign of old age. "Why are they all chanting that? That's so terrible. Ladies, why are YOU chanting it, especially? What's the matter with you?!"&amp;nbsp; Anyway, another subject. I have now entered the zone where I will start sentences saying, When you're my age. For example, When you're my age and you go to bed at 2 AM, morning comes way too fast, especially when you have TWO babies. But THANK YOU all so much for coming out to celebrate with us last night and for braving a Saturday night bar crowd! It means a lot! Next time it will be still a dimly lit affair, but with less noise so we can actually talk and visit a little ("visit," old person word)! Until then, Face down, ass up, that's the way we like to fuck. That will now be running through your head for the rest of the day. You can thank me later.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;-Missy&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;strong&gt;**WARNING: The lyrics to this song are HIGHLY offensive. Listen at your own discretion. And if you're at work, headphones on, now.**&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;div class="html-snippet"&gt;&lt;iframe style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/5sc_nQiuDN0" frameborder="0" width="650" height="471"&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;*As always, I love when you chime in with your opinions in the comments below. Anyone else in the same boat as us? Let's hear it! -EB&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><pubDate>Fri, 10 Feb 2012 09:04:05 -0800</pubDate></item><item><title>Let's Talk: To Kid or Not to Kid?</title><link>http://elizabethbanks.com/blog/post/let-s-talk-to-kid-or-not-to-kid-2</link><description>&lt;div class="html-snippet"&gt;&lt;img style="float: right;" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7142/6719148005_2c9291abf4.jpg" alt="happykids1" width="320" height="430" /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;You used to cruise in your cute little Smart, Fiat, Mini, (insert cute little micro machine car name here) but then you get married and have a kid. And then you have friends that own minivans. And then those friends tell you that soon you'll have a minivan. And then you consider not being friends with them but then, you start to see the positives of minivans. Like those fancy sliding doors. And DVD players. And then, you see this coming, you get a minivan. And then you order stick figure decals of your family and then you put them on your back windshield. Do you even recognize yourself in the rear view anymore?&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;Aside from this &lt;a href="http://www.google.com/search?q=xvfd+comics&amp;amp;ie=utf-8&amp;amp;oe=utf-8&amp;amp;aq=t&amp;amp;rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&amp;amp;client=firefox-a#hl=en&amp;amp;client=firefox-a&amp;amp;hs=jFI&amp;amp;rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ei=qD40T8mfMOKLiALfxeyZCg&amp;amp;ved=0CBoQBSgA&amp;amp;q=xvcd+comics&amp;amp;spell=1&amp;amp;bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&amp;amp;fp=4beb3564e638ad04&amp;amp;biw=1532&amp;amp;bih=752" target="_blank"&gt;xkcd&lt;/a&gt; webcomic (and all their others) making me smile, I was reminded of this crazy study I&amp;rsquo;ve been hearing a lot about. You know, the one about how couples that have kids are less happy than couples that don&amp;rsquo;t? Things could get heated if I went into it, so if you haven&amp;rsquo;t read these studies go &lt;a href="http://www.babble.com/mom/relationships/parenthood-and-happiness-children-happy-parents/" target="_blank"&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href="http://healthland.time.com/2011/03/04/why-having-kids-is-foolish/" target="_blank"&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; to read what scientists say about them kiddos.&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;div class="html-snippet"&gt;&lt;img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7014/6719199391_dd8349a2ba_b.jpg" alt="happykids3" width="650" height="299" /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&#xD;
&lt;div class="html-snippet"&gt;&lt;img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7010/6719148089_358067aaec_b.jpg" alt="happykids2" width="650" height="858" /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Thoughts? To kid or not to kid, folks?&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;</description><pubDate>Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:48:31 -0800</pubDate></item><item><title>Amazing Video of Aurora Glowing on Earth</title><link>http://elizabethbanks.com/blog/post/amazing-video-of-aurora-glowing-on-earth</link><description>&lt;p&gt;Cosmic Log on &lt;a href="http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/02/07/10344463-aurora-extravaganza-glows-in-space" target="_blank"&gt;MSNBC.com&lt;/a&gt; just shared this AMAZING time-lapse video of an aurora (Aurora Borealis to be exact), taken from the International Space Station. There's no sound with the video so put on some space jazz tunes and watch, or watch in silence. Either way works. We'll nerd out together!&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;div class="html-snippet"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&#xD;
&lt;div class="html-snippet"&gt;&lt;iframe style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/MVgpPWSmy9g?rel=0" frameborder="0" width="630" height="457"&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&#xD;
&lt;/div&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;More pretty space stuff I had to share:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;div class="html-snippet"&gt;&lt;img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7001/6842837437_2064f63ae0_b.jpg" alt="amazingAuroras" width="650" height="712" /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p style="text-align: center;"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;span style="text-align: center;"&gt;via &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a style="text-align: center;" href="http://www.nasa.gov/" target="_blank"&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p style="text-align: left;"&gt;Space! It's so boss.&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p style="text-align: center;"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;</description><pubDate>Thu, 09 Feb 2012 07:00:00 -0800</pubDate></item><item><title>Let the Book Club Madness Begin!</title><link>http://elizabethbanks.com/blog/post/let-the-book-club-madness-begin</link><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;*Book maven, Book Club co-founder and friend Carolyn (that's her in the pic on the left) is going to explain how this book club is going to go down. Enjoy her words! -EB&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;Full disclosure: I'm kind of obsessed with Google's "define: thing" function (to use it, simply replace "thing" with whatever it is you're looking to have defined). Just now, for shits and giggles (and perhaps the smidgiest smidge of blatant procrastionation from work!), I typed in define: "book club" and here's what I got...&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Book club: An organization that sells selected books to members or subscribers, often through the mail.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;div class="html-snippet"&gt;&lt;img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7003/6843151101_09ac94b87c_b.jpg" alt="bookCover" width="650" height="444" /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;Um...no. That's not what our book club is. Not one bit. For one, that definition implies that we are organized (which, I assure you we are not). It also conspicously leaves out things like "alchohol" and "contraception" and "laughyourassoffness" (it's a word), which are, or have been at one time or another, central to what makes our book club "Book Club". Basically, for us, Book Club's a monthly (or every-six-or-seven-weeks-ly) girly gabfest with lots of yummy food and drinks and friends and (spoiler alert...) books. I know...crazy, right?&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;div class="html-snippet"&gt;&lt;img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7004/6843087645_6758cf1781_b.jpg" alt="bookclub" width="650" height="270" /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;It's true. We read books, and lots of 'em. I mean, we've been at this thing since late--2001, so it kind of makes sense we've read a ton - fiction and non-fiction, good and bad. Back when we started, we set it up so whoever was hosting the next meeting also got to be the picker of that meeting's book (can you say "drunk with power?"). But then, in 2010, that all changed. Enter the annual pock-a-thon, during which we pick all of the books/hosts/dates for the entire year to come. Anyway, we just had this year's throw-down (oh, yeah, it gets ugly - we gals have some strong opinions when it comes to what we want to read), and personally, I think our 2012 list rocks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;First up is A Visit From The Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan. As of now, we're scheduled to meet on February 25th (although that date could change), and after we do, I'll fill you guys in on what we discussed about the book and how that discussion inevitably morphed into whatever it is we'll actually end up talking about. By the end of each meeting, it's usually been sort of 30% book, 70% life stuff, but it's always a stupid amount of fun. Yay!&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ok, anybody who's already read this one - help us have a kick-ass book club by commenting below and sharing some of the questions it raised for you while you were reading!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;By Carolyn Ingber&lt;/p&gt;</description><pubDate>Wed, 08 Feb 2012 23:22:06 -0800</pubDate></item><item><title>Hard Laughs: Celeb Look-Alikes</title><link>http://elizabethbanks.com/blog/post/hard-laughs-celeb-look-alikes</link><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;So, I came across this&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;photomontage that was pinned on&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href="http://pinterest.com/" target="_blank"&gt;Pinterest&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;from a site called&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href="http://iwastesomuchtime.com/index.php" target="_blank"&gt;iwastesomuchtime.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;(don't you just love the internet?). It made me laugh so hard that I had to share!&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;div class="html-snippet"&gt;&lt;img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7009/6838989069_95caa6f355_o.jpg" alt="e_banks_pinterest_feb06" width="493" height="4427" /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;</description><pubDate>Wed, 08 Feb 2012 23:21:08 -0800</pubDate></item><item><title>The War on Cheesesteaks</title><link>http://elizabethbanks.com/blog/post/the-war-on-cheesesteaks</link><description>&lt;div class="html-snippet"&gt;&lt;img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7158/6723017981_7e45709a2e_b.jpg" alt="cheeeseeee" width="650" height="270" /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;South Philly. A corner. Two warriors staring each other down across a street. On one side &lt;a&gt;Pat&amp;rsquo;s King of Steaks&lt;/a&gt;, and on the other (about a half block down), &lt;a href="http://www.genosteaks.com/" target="_blank"&gt;Geno&amp;rsquo;s Steaks&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;YouTube either of these magical names and you&amp;rsquo;ll be tummy-deep in the ongoing cheesesteak war. Die-hard foodies battling over cheese whiz, wit onions or without, the crispiness of the bun in relation to the cuts of the meat. Yes, this is a topic I can spend an inordinate amount of time discussing. Because I've been to that corner. And I indulged.&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;div class="html-snippet"&gt;&lt;img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7147/6719220603_2844087c76_b.jpg" alt="cheesesteak" width="650" height="444" /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;To those who haven&amp;rsquo;t been to Philly, or ever tried a cheesesteak, I dedicate the above photo.&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;Thought I was going to declare a winner? Ha - no chance. I&amp;rsquo;m hungry, not crazy. All I'll say is that when it comes to cheesesteaks, a dirty grill equals more flavor.&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;Any Philly readers out there - who&amp;rsquo;s winning the war? Let&amp;rsquo;s hear it, and let me know what other local spots are places we should all be at now.&lt;/p&gt;</description><pubDate>Tue, 07 Feb 2012 10:47:46 -0800</pubDate></item><item><title>I'm on the Cover of Women's Health Magazine</title><link>http://elizabethbanks.com/blog/post/elizabeth-banks-on-the-cover-of-womens-health-magazine</link><description>&lt;div class="html-snippet"&gt;&lt;img style="float: right;" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7001/6831121555_b84526bf97_b.jpg" alt="womanhealthman" width="444" height="650" /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Here's how it all went down during my trip to NYC to shoot the cover of &lt;a href="http://www.womenshealthmag.com/life/elizabeth-banks" target="_blank"&gt;Women's Health Magazine&lt;/a&gt;. We shot in downtown Manhattan in December - it was freezing but I braved the wind in sleeveless since this issue is for Spring! We darted out into the street just as we were losing light and an amazing sunset came up over the Hudson River. I really loved the red tank top/jeans look - getting outside and adding such a fun background to the pics, plus red is my favorite color. All in all it was a great shoot and I even got to keep the jeans from the cover look! Just so you know - I&amp;rsquo;m wearing them right now as I type this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;I shared a lot of insider deets with WHM: &lt;a href="http://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/total-body-workout-guide#axzz1ld0Dz5Kq" target="_blank"&gt;My Top Fitness trick&lt;/a&gt;, a couple &lt;a href="http://www.womenshealthmag.com/life/facts-about-elizabeth-banks#axzz1ld0Dz5Kq" target="_blank"&gt;Musings and Confessions&lt;/a&gt; (don't judge), and an &lt;a href="http://www.womenshealthmag.com/life/elizabeth-banks-exclusive-interview#axzz1ld0Dz5Kq" target="_blank"&gt;Exclusive Interview&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;A few phone snapshots I snuck in during the shoot:&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;div class="html-snippet"&gt;&lt;img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7159/6831201059_93397fb004_b.jpg" alt="btsWomanMag1" width="650" height="444" /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&#xD;
&lt;div class="html-snippet"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&#xD;
&lt;div class="html-snippet"&gt;&lt;img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7018/6831201051_93397fb004_b.jpg" alt="btswomanmag" width="650" height="858" /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&#xD;
&lt;/div&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Also, thanks to &lt;a href="http://www.whosay.com/nathanfillion/photos/125251" target="_blank"&gt;@NathanFillion&lt;/a&gt; for finding me at LAX and tweeting at me! Hope you guys love the issue as much a I do!&lt;/p&gt;</description><pubDate>Mon, 06 Feb 2012 12:43:36 -0800</pubDate></item><item><title>My Favorite Cocktail - The Negroni</title><link>http://elizabethbanks.com/blog/post/best-cocktail-of-2012-the-negroni</link><description>&lt;p&gt;Do I know much about cocktails? Well, I grew up Irish + WASP + Catholic.No further qualifications are necessary but for the record, I also served a lot of drunky New Yorkers as a cocktail waitress in the 90s and I refuse to sully vodka with Red Bull. Now, I've had some favorite cocktails - Manhattans, Pimm's Cups, and yes, Cosmopolitans - but my new obsession is the Negroni.&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;div class="html-snippet"&gt;&lt;img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7159/6814160289_22e948eec8_b.jpg" alt="negroniCocktail" width="650" height="444" /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;The huz sometimes refers to it as my "old lady drink." Fair enough, the old ladies I know all know how to drink. It's a little bit bitter, a little bit sweet and it's got a kick of gin in it! &amp;nbsp;To top it off, the genius folks over at Food and Wine, who obviously know their liquor, have named it the cocktail of 2012. I love being on trend. The Negroni consists of equal parts frozen gin, sweet vermouth, and Campari (over ice is nice) topped with an orange wheel. If you're fancy, an orange twist will do. I'm not that fancy. So help your happy hour get&amp;nbsp;happier and try one tonight - it's Friday! What other reason do you need?&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;The recipe for you at-home mixologists -&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The What:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;1 1/2 ounces London dry gin&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;3/4 ounce Campari&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;3/4 Italian vermouth&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;ice cubes&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;orange wheel or peel&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;pretty glass (chilled)&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The How:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;Shake all ingredients with ice to make your drink extra chilly. Keep the ice in if you're like me. Ice is nice. Pour into your pretty chilled glass, garnish with your orange wheel or peel and enjoy!&lt;/p&gt;</description><pubDate>Fri, 03 Feb 2012 13:00:00 -0800</pubDate></item><item><title>New Hunger Games Trailer</title><link>http://elizabethbanks.com/blog/post/new-hunger-games-trailer</link><description>&lt;p&gt;New Hunger Games Trailer - a Mockingjay pin, Flickerman's blue hair, Cinna's "shhh" - but no Buttercup. Poor Buttercup gets no love. Enjoy and tell me your favorite bit in the comments.&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;div class="html-snippet"&gt;&lt;iframe style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/qoUT7q2iTbQ?rel=0" frameborder="0" width="640" height="355"&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;</description><pubDate>Fri, 03 Feb 2012 08:00:00 -0800</pubDate></item><item><title>Fiona Files: Getting the Look for the Man on a Ledge Premiere</title><link>http://elizabethbanks.com/blog/post/fiona-files-getting-the-look-for-the-man-on-a-ledge-premiere</link><description>&lt;div class="html-snippet"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img style="float: right;" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7014/6805635403_96043c5251.jpg" alt="banksmakeup" width="320" height="430" /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;*Super excited to have my lovely makeup artist and friend, Fiona Stiles, as my first guest blogger. I'll let her take it from here. Enjoy her words!&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;For the Man on a Ledge Premiere, Elizabeth wore a stunning gold paillette dress from Pucci with really sexy Christian Louboutin gold shoes, so we used lots of bronzes on the eyes and warmed her skin to a sun kissed golden color. &amp;nbsp;The bronzes made the blue of her eyes just pop. &amp;nbsp;And I love the warm rosy nude lip color because it keeps the look from feeling washed out, but it doesn't take away from the eyes. &amp;nbsp;I applied the foundation as I always do, using a synthetic brush and a Beauty Blender. &amp;nbsp;After it was set I dusted a little bronzer at her hairline and on her cheekbones to give that beachy glow. &amp;nbsp;For the eyes I took a deep brown liner and smudged it into the lashes top and bottom, and into the waterline. &amp;nbsp;Then I blended the color and brushed on a deep bronze shadow over it. &amp;nbsp;A little black liner on the top lash line defined the eyes and make the lashes look thicker. &amp;nbsp;And so did a few coats of black mascara. You know I love my mascara!&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;-Fiona&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;div class="html-snippet"&gt;&lt;img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7143/6805739673_e7bb077439_b.jpg" alt="banksmakeup" width="650" height="444" /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;1.&amp;nbsp;Koh Gen Do Maifanshi Moisturizing Foundation #023 2.&amp;nbsp;Chanel Poudre Univesselle Libre #40 3.&amp;nbsp;Jouer Matte Bronzer in "Golden Honey" 4.&amp;nbsp;Jouer Mineral Blush in "Peach Bouquet" 5.&amp;nbsp;Josie Maran Argan Beautiful Eyes Quad in "Beautiful Nudes" 6.&amp;nbsp;CoverGirl LiquiLine Blast in "Brown Blaze" 7.&amp;nbsp;Anastasia Brow Wiz in "Medium Ash" 8.&amp;nbsp;CoverGirl LashBlast 24 in "Black" 9.&amp;nbsp;CoverGirl Smoky ShadowBlast in "Bronze Fire" 10.&amp;nbsp;Laura Mercier Caviar Eye Stick Color in "Cocoa" 11.&amp;nbsp;Prtty Peaushun in "Medium"&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;</description><pubDate>Thu, 02 Feb 2012 08:00:00 -0800</pubDate></item><item><title>National Wear Red Day is this Friday!</title><link>http://elizabethbanks.com/blog/post/national-wear-red-day-is-this-friday</link><description>&lt;div class="html-snippet"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img style="float: right;" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7152/6800197321_2bbc91d5cb.jpg" alt="redladies" width="376" height="281" /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class="Default__Char"&gt;This Friday the nation is going RED. February, 3 2012 is National Wear Red Day and I&amp;rsquo;m counting on all of you to spread the word. I&amp;rsquo;m giving you a heads up now because I want you to check out G&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class="Default__Char"&gt;oRedForWomen.org&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class="Default__Char"&gt;&amp;nbsp;and see what events are going on in your hood.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p class="Default"&gt;Oh, what&amp;rsquo;s that? You don&amp;rsquo;t own anything red? Let me just open the doors to this fabulous red store for you then. Shop red (often) knowing that the proceeds from your purchases benefit the American Heart and American Stroke Associations.&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p class="Default"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p class="Default"&gt;This is the perfect time to remind you to watch my short film, &amp;ldquo;Just a Little Heart Attack&amp;rdquo;. Tweet it, Facebook it - let&amp;rsquo;s get this to a million views!&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;div class="html-snippet"&gt;&lt;iframe style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/t7wmPWTnDbE?rel=0" frameborder="0" width="640" height="355"&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p class="Default"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p class="Default"&gt;&amp;nbsp;A little behind-the-scenes for ya:&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;div class="html-snippet"&gt;&lt;iframe style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/OdkGd-TGrKo?rel=0" frameborder="0" width="640" height="355"&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;Don't forget to wear your red!&lt;/p&gt;</description><pubDate>Wed, 01 Feb 2012 08:00:00 -0800</pubDate></item><item><title>New Project: Charlie Kaufman's Upcoming 'Frank or Francis'</title><link>http://elizabethbanks.com/blog/post/new-project-charlie-kaufman-s-upcoming-frank-or-francis</link><description>&lt;div class="html-snippet"&gt;&lt;img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7016/6793424093_005facd117_b.jpg" alt="kaufmanBoard" width="650" height="567" /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong id="internal-source-marker_0.4633503786753863"&gt;So my dad worked in Schenectady, NY - zip code 12345 - for 15 years before retiring. And Charlie Kaufman's last movie title was a play on that town's name - Synecdoche, NY about a play and the players included Michelle Williams who I made the movie "The Baxter" with and by the way, congrats to her for being nominated for an Oscar for playing Marilyn Monroe. Make sense?&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;div class="html-snippet"&gt;&lt;img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7030/6793565509_34a6eda088_b.jpg" alt="kaufman" width="650" height="444" /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong id="internal-source-marker_0.4633503786753863"&gt;In the world according to the mind of Charlie Kaufman, it might! Which is why I'm so excited to be joining him on his next adventure. Got any favorite Kaufman films?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;</description><pubDate>Tue, 31 Jan 2012 08:00:00 -0800</pubDate></item><item><title>Jason Wu for Target</title><link>http://elizabethbanks.com/blog/post/jason-wu-for-target</link><description>&lt;p&gt;Jonathan Adler, Missoni, and now Jason Wu. Target is so boss at these collaborations. I have no dog in this fight, I just love that I can get these clothes at these prices. IF I get to Target in time. What are you most excited about? Because I need to plan my fighting moves for the inevitable smackdown over these clothes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;div class="html-snippet"&gt;&lt;img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7005/6789773787_2cf8875233_b.jpg" alt="jasonwu1" width="650" height="444" /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;That black kitty scarf? Love!&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p class="Default"&gt;Want a little more to swoon over?&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;div class="html-snippet"&gt;&lt;iframe style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/PXV7EqCcqfI?rel=0" frameborder="0" width="640" height="355"&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p class="Default"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;One minor detail: Jason Wu for Target is only available from February 5 through March 6. I can't believe I am letting you know this. I am so generous with my completely-not-inside information. Get there early, then come back and tell me what you snagged!&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;</description><pubDate>Mon, 30 Jan 2012 08:00:00 -0800</pubDate></item><item><title>Welcome to my new site!</title><link>http://elizabethbanks.com/blog/post/welcome-to-my-new-site</link><description>&lt;p&gt;I'll let my snazzy video do all the talking:&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;div class="html-snippet"&gt;&lt;iframe style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/pv3ufzYztic?rel=0" frameborder="0" width="640" height="355"&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;Now, help me out: Like I said in the video - tell me anything and everything you want to see and hear here. Huh, I don't think I realized those two words could go together like that. Uh oh, if this is indicative of the crazy exciting stuff you might find on this blog, I need your help more than I realized. So sign up and get commenting!&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;Thanks for stopping by - I hope you'll stay a while!&lt;/p&gt;</description><pubDate>Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:27:34 -0800</pubDate></item><item><title>Fiona Files: Meet Fiona</title><link>http://elizabethbanks.com/blog/post/fiona-files-meet-fiona</link><description>&lt;div class="html-snippet"&gt;&lt;img style="float: right;" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7173/6773308313_560f042abf.jpg" alt="fionaProfile" width="320" height="270" /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;Let me introduce you to the wonderful lady in my life: Fiona Stiles. She's a magician. With make-up. She's the reason I look so damn good. She is a pro. I urge you to browse her portfolio &lt;a href="http://www.fionastiles.com/portfolio.html" target="_blank"&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;. She's promised, with the twist of her arm, to guest blog on my site. She's going to secret-share the how-to's of making up my face. She's lovely and crazy talented.&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;Next week I'm going to let her take over the blog for a day to chat about how she made me look pretty for the Man on a Ledge movie premiere...&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;For now, here's a few photos of her work. The lady has some skills, right?&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;div class="html-snippet"&gt;&lt;img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7174/6773308309_4cacb00a20_b.jpg" alt="fiona1" width="650" height="270" /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&#xD;
&lt;div class="html-snippet"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&#xD;
&lt;div class="html-snippet"&gt;&lt;img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7016/6773362857_1fc5630494_b.jpg" alt="fiona2" width="650" height="270" /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&#xD;
&lt;div class="html-snippet"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&#xD;
&lt;div class="html-snippet"&gt;&lt;img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7154/6777105039_cd33e13a96_b.jpg" alt="fiona3" width="650" height="270" /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&#xD;
&lt;/div&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Show her some love!&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;</description><pubDate>Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:24:40 -0800</pubDate></item><item><title>LET'S UNITE!</title><link>http://elizabethbanks.com/blog/post/let-s-unite</link><description>&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;div class="html-snippet"&gt;&lt;a title="nerdLiz by Elizabeth Banks, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/74502141@N03/6722787717/"&gt;&lt;img style="float: right;" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7151/6722787717_97bddcf656.jpg" alt="nerdLiz" width="376" height="281" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;Just face it - nerds, geeks, dorks, whatever you want to call them - they're so in right now. Everyone wants to be like one and everyone wants to date one. Sorry, I'm taken. And not by this guy:&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;This section, the Geeky Stuff one, is going to be about everything awesome. Techie news about gadgets, how to deal with the insane amount of social networking online, little knowledge bombs to blow your minds (also known as stuff nerds know about but I'm just finding out about), plus lots of book talk. I'm an avid reader. What can I say? It's a staple or nerdom. We're going to make my book club a movement. More on that later, but I hope you'll join me in talking all stuff geeky.&lt;/p&gt;&#xD;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><pubDate>Mon, 23 Jan 2012 17:53:41 -0800</pubDate></item></channel></rss>

