A Winning Way to Kick Off the Week Before Christmas

Merry Christmas Week, everyone! Time to finish up your last minute shopping and enjoy all the season has to offer!

 

Congratulations to JANET MACPHEE, who won two tickets to see Vintage 2.0 20 Year Reunion at Hunter’s Ale House PLUS a $40 Gift Card for eats & drinks at Hunter’s!

Our latest winner, LORRAINE STEVENSON, just scored herself a rockin’ NYE VIP-style at the Delta Prince Edward, courtesy of Nifty Events!

 

Way to go, Janet and Lorraine!

Thanks to all who entered – stay tuned for more great G! contests & giveaways!

Merry Christmas Week, everyone! Time to finish up your last minute shopping and enjoy all the season has to offer!   Congratulations to JANET MACPHEE, who won two tickets to see Vintage 2.0 20 Year Reunion at Hunter’s Ale House PLUS a $40 Gift Card for eats & drinks at Hunter’s! Our latest winner, LORRAINE [...]

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G! Style: ‘Tis the season to sparkle

Old Hollywood Glitz

Add a lil’ sparkle this holiday season

By Ellen Egan

There’s nothing quite like seeing the holidays roll around again for another year to remind you how quickly the time goes. And with this time of year comes the inevitable train of holiday event invites.

From office parties to neighbourhood gatherings and everything in between, the list can often seem endless. If you can manage to take on the amazing feat of trying to squeeze them all in, you’ll soon be faced with the following, and often daunting, question: what to wear?

Well, one thing is for sure, you’ll want to look fabulous. And it’s easier than you might think.

Instead of tearing out to pick up a slew of new dresses, try extending the life of pieces you already have. Be sure to choose a blank canvas (Little Black Dress, anyone?) and add special elements to it. One word: sparkle.

Think Old Hollywood glitz – done tastefully, of course.

Sparkly accessories are the quickest way to up the voltage of an ordinary outfit in one glittery sweep. Just be sure to choose them wisely. Going overboard with a matching necklace and earring set can leave you looking over-done. Pair a bold necklace with dainty earrings, or large drop earrings with a simple chain. However, you can wear a statement bracelet with large, eye-catching earrings – their distance from one another means they won’t compete for attention.

Try breathing new life into your simplest outfit with the addition of a sparkly skinny belt or pumps that shimmer. And if you want to add holiday glamour to your outfit but aren’t into sequins and rhinestones, consider treating yourself to a glittery manicure. Fun and festive, it’s an easy way to glam up your look.

Dramatic cosmetics are another way to take your holiday party look up a notch. Opt for smokey eyes using blues and metallic shades with long eyelashes and smudged eyeliner. Lip colour should be kept natural with plenty of glitter or hot shades of red ranging from ruby to burgundy.

If you’re feeling a little bold this season, try rocking the newest trend in the hair scene: hair tinsel. Many salons are carrying this new product made out of a very strong poly, but as thin as hair. That’s right, my friends. This new option for adding colour or sparkle to your hair is not just for the Christmas tree anymore.

As always, keep it classy!

Ellen Egan dazzles us with her fashion and style insights in her monthly column, G! Style.

Old Hollywood Glitz Add a lil’ sparkle this holiday season By Ellen Egan There’s nothing quite like seeing the holidays roll around again for another year to remind you how quickly the time goes. And with this time of year comes the inevitable train of holiday event invites. From office parties to neighbourhood gatherings and [...]

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A Modern Day Maria: April Cook in The Sound of Music

Not only is actress April Cook on the cover of the November/December issue of G!, but she’s also starring in The Sound of Music, playing now through Saturday at the Confederation Centre of the Arts!

By Meredith Morrison

 

I’ve often wondered about the connection between The Sound of Music and Christmas.

Ever since I was a kid, the two have just always gone together like candy canes on Christmas trees. My grandmother and I would search the channels on Christmas Day to make sure we weren’t missing the opening sequence where Maria stands in the field belting her heart out about how the hills are very much alive with the sound of music. It’s still on my “must watch” list of Christmas classics, but for the life of me, I could never figure out what made it so other than it never failed to air on Christmas Day. There’s no Santa, no reindeer, no talking snowmen – none of the usual holiday suspects that make their way into regularly scheduled programming. So what’s the deal?

I thought I’d stump April Cook, who takes on the role of Maria when the Confederation Centre of the Arts presents The Sound of Music December 14 – 17, with my holiday query. I feel pretty confident that I’ll have her with this doozy of a question no one I’ve asked can seem to answer.

I should’ve known better than to test the star of the upcoming musical. She had the mystery solved as soon as the question had left my lips.

“It’s totally family-oriented. It’s a feel good musical,” she replied. “It has really nice music, it has young kids in it which, let’s face it, Christmas would be pretty boring if you didn’t have little kids excited about it.”

Cook, along with an ensemble cast comprised of professional actors and students of the School of Performing Arts, will have Islanders young and old brimming with the excitement of the season when The Sound of Music opens December 14 on the Homburg Theatre stage.

It’s a challenging role for Cook, who portrays the nun-turned-governess who sings (and sews) her way into the heart of Captain Georg Von Trapp (played by Rick Hughes) and his seven children. But it’s a role she’s looking forward to playing.

“She’s one of those fun characters to play,” says the actress. “She goes through this whole change and for me, I think it’ll be a blast to work with the kids because I love kids. There’ll be tons of laughing going on for sure.”

Starting out as a child actress herself as one of the children of Avonlea in Anne of Green Gables: The Musical, Cook brings a wealth of experience to her cast mates who are just getting their start in the business. She has performed in numerous Christmas productions, was a member of the Confederation Centre’s Young Company and has gone on to wow audiences in a number of the Charlottetown Festival’s hit shows including Anne of Green Gables: The Musical and as Tracy Turnblad for three shows during Hairspray.

After finishing high school, she attended the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City where she endured rigorous 12-hour days training to hone her craft. The program was intense, but Cook certainly has no regrets. “It was a lot of work, but I’m glad I did it,” she says. “It only made me stronger.”

She’s got the looks, the smarts and obviously the talent to take on this iconic role made famous by Julie Andrews, but I wanted to know – is April Cook the modern day Maria Von Trapp?

While her favourite things may not have included whiskers on kittens or brown paper packages tied up in string, she did have a few items that are more in line with the times.

“My favourite colour is pink; I love travelling and shopping. My favourite food… (she has to stop and think about that one for a moment)…probably pizza. I’m not very picky. I love my Mom’s homemade pizza – that is my favourite thing to eat. Besides that, my favourite thing to do is to be busy. I like to be active. I guess my favourite thing is to be in rehearsals, getting paid to do what I love,” she laughs.

Ok, I’ll give her that. But could she handle being in charge of the care of seven mischievous children? “I’ve never tried before,” she ponders. “I’d be up for the challenge, maybe for a few days. I don’t think I’d want to do it my whole life.”

Fair enough. Last question – can she make a dress from curtains and more importantly, would she wear it in public?

“Can I make a dress? No, definitely not. I’m not that domestic yet, “she laughs. “Would I wear a dress made of curtains? Probably not. I think it’d be pretty hot in there.”

She may not be crafty with curtains, but Cook tells me she does identify with Maria’s ability to stand up for what she believes in, her big heart and tendency to be a dreamer. “She’s a pretty well-rounded character,” says Cook, whose own charismatic and bubbly persona will no doubt win the hearts of audiences, much like Julie Andrews’ performance never fails to capture ours each holiday season.

Catch The Sound of Music at the Confederation Centre of the Arts on the Homburg Theatre stage December 14 – 17 at 7:00pm. Christmas just isn’t Christmas without it!

Not only is actress April Cook on the cover of the November/December issue of G!, but she’s also starring in The Sound of Music, playing now through Saturday at the Confederation Centre of the Arts! By Meredith Morrison   I’ve often wondered about the connection between The Sound of Music and Christmas. Ever since I [...]

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