500 Days of Summer Singing 'Sploge

It wasn't a premeditated form of demonstrating my love for 500 Days of Summer that led to seeing Joseph Gordon Levitt live on stage on Monday and Zooey Deschanel live on stage less than a week later, but I do love 500 Days of Summer and it did happen, so judge me as you will.

For those of you who don't obsessively study my tweets (i.e. all of you), Monday, August 30th, I attended night #2 of HitRecord.Org's Summer in the City, wherein Joseph Gordon Levitt did a bunch of artsy stuff I barely remember cause I drank five flutes of prosecco first. Oops. Luckily, I managed to film the entire show for posterity. Not so luckily, the video was taken by a DRUNK PERSON (me) so it's all shaky and filled with juvenile giggles. Sigh/fail. But I do remember this: He was adorbz, the show was awesomely fun, and JGL definitely called out our friend Pete for being awesome, as they worked together in Sundance.

Then, Sunday Sept 5th, I went to the LA Times Celebration of Food and Wine which closed with an amazing concert from She & Him. Like, amazing. I love them. I know most of everyone doesn't love them cause lots of people no like Zooey Deschanel, but like, I LOVE this band. And man, the guys in this crowd, were OBSESSED with Zooey. To quite the hilarious degree. Have some video featuring some of these crazies that may be going online soon.

Anyhoo, below are some videos from the events. Some are good, some are drunk, some are cell phoney, but I hope you enjoy nonetheless. 500 Days of Summer Singing SPLODE!!!

She & Him - Wouldn't it be Nice

Joseph Gordon Levitt accompanying an animation live

She & Him - Roll Over Beethoven (Cell phone camera)

Joseph Gordon Levitt - "La Valse à Mille Temps"- good close ups, but also, drunk

If you feel like tripping out...

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These Are Not The Droids You're Cooking For

Occasional contributor Stealth Bear posted this photo, along with the title above (no, I didn't come up with it, that's SB's cleverness on display!), on his Facebook page yesterday. I'm a little too obsessed with it not to post it here. I mean, it's a Stormtrooper pancake, you guys. His amazing wife made it for him. This is the same wife who got this cake for Stealth Bear for his bday that I tweeted about.

I know. You're really jealous of that couple. As you should be. May we all be that lucky!

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Original Tru Blood Cocktails

Since one of you readers will be winning a four pack of True Blood this week, I thought it only fitting to get a post together featuring some original Tru Blood cocktail recipes. I recruited a foodie, sommalier & drink expert, who we've had yet to officially name, who formulated four very special concoctions. And with this post, we officially welcome her to the team. From time to time, All Things Fangirl will now feature a Foodie element, but as we're all Fangirls here, all our food or drink posts will of course, have a slight geek edge to them. As soon as we figure out a fitting name, expect to see it listed with the rest of our lovely contributors :)

Before we get started - you may notice all the drinks are the same color - Tru Blood doesn't allow for much variation in that sense, the coloring is serious, but each one has an incredibly distinct flavor, and that's what really matters.

The Bon Temps

The most unique flavoring of the group, The Bon Temps acts as the centerpiece, the featured drink, of the group. Not only is it unlike anything you've (or at least I've) had before, but it forces people to say "Bon Temps" over and over again. The drink is spicy & flavorful and feels appropriate for a hot southern town filled with vampires. Here's how to make it:

Wet the rim with blood orange & dip the glass in a cinnamon/sugar blend
1oz Honey Bourbon
3/4 oz Cinnamon Liquer
3/4 oz Ginger Liquer
Shake
Pour in a glass, top with Tru Blood
Garnish with a cinnamon stick

Too sweet for your taste? Switch the honey bourbon to regular bourbon.

Sweet Sookie

A drink representing the sweet disposition (and sweet blood?) of Sookie Stackhouse, the Sweet Sookie has a tropical, refreshing feel to it. And that candied orange peel kind of looks like a lock of Sookie's hair, so, WIN! I originally considered naming it Sookie's Blood, as if we were trying to recreate what Sookie's blood must taste like to Bill (can't get enough!), but in the end, that seemed a little on the creepy side. This drink is safe in theory, but dangerous in practice. You can hardly taste the alcohol, but trust me, it's there, and before you know it, you could be under the table. Sookie may look harmless, but she's got bite.

1oz Mango Rum
1oz Vodka
2oz Pineapple Juice
Shake
Pour in glass, top with Tru Blood
Garnish with candied blood orange peel

Greet The Sun

If you like bold flavors in your drinks, our take on a Tequila Sunrise is the one for you. A strong tequila sip, followed by a sweet raspberry aftertaste, Greet the Sun is named for the harsh ceremony in which the Fellowship of the Sun sacrifices vampires. Because what's the best way for a vampire to respond to a ceremony that aims to wipe out his people? Why, name a drink after it!  Turn the tables on the bigots. The harsher their violence, the sweeter is the Vamps' revenge, and Greet the Sun is a reminder of that fact.

1oz Tequila (Recommended brand: Cazadores Reposado or at least 100% agave. In fact, _____ says "if it isn't 100% agave don't drink it at all. Ever. If you use Cuervo - thou hast lost an eighth.") (1 1/2 if it's too sweet)
1oz Chambord
2oz Cranberry
Shake
Pour in glass & top with Tru Blood
Garnish with blood orange slice (the sun!)

The Shifter Shooter

Finally, the shot of our Tru Blood drink series, which hits on the dessert part of the pallet, specifically the Chocolate Orange. This particular drink comes in two varieties. Have any chocolate cordial cups laying around? That you can experience the Shifter Shooter in its true form as it magically goes from drink to treat the moment you pop it in your mouth. The plus side of using a shot glass? It's slightly more alcoholic and due to the chocolate liqueur, it actually looks like you're taking a shot of whipped cream topped blood! If you think I'm not serving that at every vampire themed party I ever have, you're out of your mind. (Note to readers: I have never had, nor never plan on having, a vampire themed party.)

Chocolate Cordial Cup
1/2 Chocolate liqueur
1/2 Tru Blood
Topped with homemade vanilla infused whipped cream

Shot Glass
1/3 Chocolate liqueur
1/3 Vanilla Vodka
1/3 Tru Blood
Topped with homemade vanilla infused whipped cream

Other True Blood related posts:

-22 Theme Songs in 7 Minutes (including True Blood)
-Exclusive interview with Chris Bauer, True Blood's Andy Bellfleur
-Etsy Geek Search of the Day: Tru Blood

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