“Dress Up” introduced a darker, edgier side of Dolan (think: less rainbows, more bondage), surprising those who have seen her happier works in recent exhibits like “Precious Things,” and “Heart Attack.”  Not darker in the literal sense, the colors were still bright and feminine like Amanda’s signature style, but darker by way of the theme.  Gagged women and torture devices played in delicately with the images of shoes, corsets and vintage measuring tapes.

Always a fashionista and trendsetter in her own right–Amanda has spent the past year working as a stylist in the Betsey Johnson showroom–and used this immersion in style as inspiration for the new exhibit.

“Working at Betsey, we are playing dress up all day long, surrounded by beautiful clothes, textures and fabrcis,” explained Dolan, “Women want to look their best.  We can be so girle and feminine, but at the same time, so brave. Beauty is pain.  Corset are pain.  High heels are torture.  But we put ourselves through it.  And, I wanted to explore that.”

Motivated by the historical side of fashion, and how closely art and fashion overlap when it comes to textures, imagery and color palettes, “Dress Up” was born.  This flirty collection includes paintings in new shapes and sizes using Dolan’s signature colalge technique with papers, photocopies, textures, resin and paint to fuse the old with the new.

“Dress Up” runs through September 14th (2010) at the Ward-Nasse Gallery:  178 Prince Street (between Thompson and Sullivan).

[Alyson Campbell for It's All Very PR]

“Dress Up” will introduce a darker, edgier side of Amanda (think: less rainbows, more bondage!) in this fashion-inspired series.

“Dress Up”~where style & art intersect.
Kick start your Fall fashion senses with some canvas eye-candy.

Ward-Nasse Gallery
178 Prince Street
(between Thompson & Sullivan)
Sunday, August 29th
5pm – 8pm

PR Inquiries?
Alyson Campbell
AMP3 Public Relations
646.827.9594
alyson(AT)AMP3pr.com
www.AMP3pr.com

Founded by Rosie O’Donnell, Rosie’s Broadway Kids gives New York City school kids the chance to experience dance, music and drama who might not otherwise have the opportunity.

Last night’s performance of “Once On This Island” was breath-taking, and proof of the confidence and discipline these kids are learning through the program.  You could see the glint in their eyes: these are kids who we’ll be watching on Broadway or the Big Screen someday.  We were lucky enough to have the kids put on a full production of the show for us,  followed by a cocktail reception on the RBK roof terrace (special thanks to our sponsor, Devotion Vodka).

It’s beautiful to see these kids, who have bone-chilling talent, finding a way to express themselves on stage.  Through RBK, they are given the tools to pursue higher education and even a career in the arts.

In addition to the children who get selected to be part of the RBK scholarship program, ALL public school kids get the chance to see a Broadway show throughout the school year–an important exposure to the culture that our city is so famous for.

As Junior Co-Chair of this year’s Annual Gala for Rosie’s Broadway Kids, I’m helping to spread awareness of the organization and the important work they do.  Our next big event will be the Annual Gala on September 20th, which will be held in a beautiful ballrooom at the Marriot Marquis in Times Square.

The gala is what raises the funds to keep the RBK program going year after year.  At the event, the kids will perform again, and this time Rosie will be taking the stage along with special guest Cyndi Lauper!!  Z100’s Elvis Duran will be on hand to run the Live Auction for really fun gifts like: VIP tickets to Jingle Ball, a front row seat at Howard Stern’s radio show, and ‘President for a Day’ at Nickelodeon!

Ticket price for juniors is $100 and that includes Open Bar for 2 hours in addition to this special performance. If you’re interested in tickets or becoming a committee member, you can contact me via: alyson(AT)amp3pr.com.

(Photo credit: JohnSimonDaily.com)

(Photo credit: JohnSimonDaily.com)

After a couple of failed attempts, I was finally able to lay on the mat and give it a try.  For the first 2-3 minutes, I concentrated on staying perfectly still so as to not poke myself with any unneccessary movements.  At the 5 minute mark, though, the sharp spikes gave way to a tingling sensation.  I’m told that that is the blood circulating, leading to the better delivery of nutrients throughout the body and the release of endorphins and oxytocin (also know as “the happiness hormones”).

Now, as I interact with editors and bloggers of all shapes and sizes, I am not surprised to hear about their fear of this spiky concoction.  Time after time, they come back to me and tell me that despite their fears, they are now in LOVE with the effects.  And what’s great, is that the “effects” seem to be different for everyone.  To each their own!

Here are some reviews of the mat:

Glamour Magazine

Vital Juice

Elephant Journal

Real Simple Magazine

LVC Magazine

Gay List Daily

Maxim Magazine

Style Network

Healthy Living Examiner

An instant success, the new album was also just licensed for the upcoming seasons of MTV’s “The Real World” and “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” on E!.  The EP, which was produced by Dion Roy and Peter Roessler, was mixed by Scott Reibling of Weezer, Cobra Starship and Fallout Boy fame.

In celebration of the release, Dion performed last night to a sold out show at The Living Room in New York’s infamous Lower East Side.  It was a full band performance featuring Peter Roessler (guitar), Ed Marshall (bass), and special guest, Boots Factor, of Stephen Kellogg and The Sixers (drums).

Already an exciting 2010 for Dion, the release of the EP follows his recent appearances on The Howard Stern Show, his SXSW Showcase in Austin, his NYC Harbour Cruise with Ryan Cabrera, and his opening slot with Eve 6 in Flint, Michigan.

Details for a full summer U.S. tour in July and August are expected to be announced any day now.

“The Nearest Light” is available for purchase on iTunes (here) for $3.96.

[Alyson Campbell for It's All Very PR]

Our stories start the same.

Kelly moved to New York at the age of 22 from a small town outside of Syracuse, without a specific purpose, simply because she knew the city was calling her.  She arrived without knowing a soul and with very few possessions, except for the beleaguered blessing from her father (which wasn’t easy to come by).

I moved to New York at the age of 22 from Halifax, Nova Scotia, without a specific purpose and without knowing a soul, because I too believed that this was the city where my dreams would come true. My parents were also very supportive, but with the cautionary “Alyson, New York is a lovely place to visit, but its really not a place to live.”

Soon–from our East Village apartments, we both discovered PR and that much of what we had been doing our whole lives–our skills and our passions–were perfectly suited for the business.

Fortunately, our similarities diverge here, and I was able to skip the decade of drug addiction, failed marriages and homelessness–although it does sound par for the course from what you hear about the East Village in the late 80s /early 90s.

Without judgment though, it was such a vicarious experience to read about Kelly’s trials and tribulations which have clearly led her to become the grounded, extremely successful, loving mother, and villain we absolutely love to hate on shows like MTV’s “The Hills,” “The City,” and Bravo’s “Kell on Earth.”

Her book is a true motivator for any female entrepreneur or business owner, outing that ‘little voice inside your head’ also known as ’self doubt,’ by identifying your ‘true voice,’ and when and where it’s time to listen to it.  She confirms that there are ups and downs in business, constant fear and excitement in career, and that it’s possible to be a woman and truly ‘have it all.’  I love that she admits she had no idea what she was doing at first–practice makes perfect.

Her attitude in business and in life is authentic.  Though our styles are completely different, I strive to follow her lead of authenticity and honesty, and I’m going to keep a “What would Kelly do?” approach in my back pocket the next time ‘times get tough.’

The book, which released in March 2010, is now on The New York Times Bestseller’s list, and with good reason.

Some favorite quotes from the book (via Styleit.com):

An explanation of the book’s purpose:

“…[T]his isn’t a book about how to be a smart businesswoman, because I’m not a smart businesswoman. Frankly, I’m not even that smart. What I am is fearless and intuitive. I’m attuned to the sound of my inner voice, and I’ve been following it blindly for most of my life, without any clear goals.”

On the name of her company:

“I named my company People’s Revolution not because I’m a Communist – a popular misconception – but because I happen to believe the world will change only when we change ourselves. And that starts with finding ourselves. And that starts with listening to ourselves…”

On the importance of hard work:

“It was becoming obvious that I needed more than witty small talk and the right look to survive in this town. [Y]ou can fake your way to the table, but ultimately you have to learn how to eat. Clothes do not make the woman (even if they do make her look good).”

On her work ethic:

“These days, I continue to call members of the media myself rather than outsourcing the work to my staffers, because you can never be too good for the things that first made you successful. I will always remember that at twenty-three years old, as an untrained and unknown publicity newbie from Syracuse, I tried my best to get the whole country talking about my message with no staff, no office, no assistant, no Blackberry, and no know-how, just with conviction, truth, and balls. And it worked.”

[Alyson Campbell for It's All Very PR]

I’m currently catching up on Season 2 of “The City,” which I admittedly watch for the genius and inspiration that is PR guru, Kelly Cutrone.  What I’m loving this season though, is the added PR insight as Whitney launches her new collection, and Olivia and Erin duke it out over at the PR department of Elle Magazine.

In real life, I have to believe that Olivia would be canned for her behavior and lack of PR sensibility by now.  She never follows direction, has zero attention to detail, sends her clients on national TV segments unprepared, always thinks she is above the tasks at hand, and when confronted about the terrible job she’s doing, consistently uses the defense “I’m not having this conversation with you right now.“  Then, they give her the job of interviewing up & coming fashion designers in the industry, and she consistently starts and stops with one original question, “what was the inspiration behind your collection?” followed-up with an interruption to talk about herself.

PR101 = be a good listener, work hard, pay your dues, do the grunt work, do your homework, validate other peoples thoughts, ideas and opinions, and be respectful.

So the purpose of this post is a giant thumbs up to Miss Erin Kaplan, who remains poised and respectable despite Olivia’s reckless imitation of appropriate workplace behavior.

To learn more about Erin, check out this Q&A interview submitted by an Elle reader (via Elle.com):

On the show, you are always very confident and to-the-point, but has there ever been a time when you were at a loss for words?

That’s so nice to hear, especially since I feel quite the opposite when filming! Hindsight is always 20/20 and the majority of the time I wish I could go back and change what I said or at least phrase it a bit differently. You can never be too sure of what you’re walking into so it’s impossible to prepare. I just try to handle each situation the way I would if the cameras weren’t there.

We’ve seen Whitney’s love life crash and burn multiple times and it seems like Roxy might find a romantic interest this season. Will we see that side of Erin on the show?

Probably not….It seems like such a contradiction because I’m on a reality show, but I really try to keep my private life private. Dating can be awkward in general but it would be that much more awkward to know that my boss, coworkers, work contacts and parents were going to be watching the date!

Are you satisfied with how The City has portrayed you? If not, what would you like people to know that would help them get a more balanced and accurate idea of who Erin Kaplan is?

I’m always so serious (and ridiculously dramatic) on the show! I have an incredible job at ELLE and a great time doing it but you rarely get to see me actually working. I think they’ll show a bit more of what my job entails this season though. My relationship with Joe is also so much less formal off-camera. It’s not so serious and we spend a lot of our time laughing.

Can you elaborate on one of your most memorable moments with ELLE?

I definitely don’t think I can pick just one! I’ve been lucky enough to work on so many incredible projects…Ugly Betty is the first thing that comes to mind though. I was such a huge fan of the show to begin with, so to have the magazine be integrated into a storyline was surreal. I also love working with Robbie and the editors so anything involving them is always pretty memorable.

I read in an article that you are the youngest PR Director in the magazine’s history! Do you feel any added pressures to prove yourself because of your age?

Not so much pressure, more motivation. I think that at the end of the day it’s results, not age, that really matters.

It’s been a blast pitching, arranging and taking part in all of these video shoots…

CNN Money

Fox Business News

Fox Channel 8

Thrillist TV

Lately, they’ve been buzzing in the press including these three must-see TV segments:

NBC – Weekend Today

Thrillist TV

Brooklyn Heights TV

Last night, we celebrated its opening with a media event hosted at the brand new space.  Party-goers were offered an open bar and a sampling of their hottest menu items including hot wings, calamari, mozzarella sticks, burgers and the signature ‘Exchange’ salad.

Usually though, patrons are asked to take a gamble, with prices of food and drink that fluctuate based on demand, on Exchange’s own in-house ‘stock market’.   Prices are broadcast on a giant ticker screen that runs the 35-foot length of the bar, posting which items are running below (-) or above (+) market price.  If everyone is drinking Guinness, the price of Guinness is going to go up—but consequently, all of Guinness’ competitors (like Killian’s) will go down.  The opening bell rings at 8pm after Happy Hour prices come to a close, and if you play your cards right, you may just end up at the bar during an impromptu ‘Market Crash!!!!’—where drinks temporarily drop to $2 for all beers, $3 for all well drinks, and $4 for top shelf, after which point, the market resets itself.  Customers can also have fun by posting personal messages to the ticker screen, like: ‘happy birthday’ or ‘hey you at the end of the bar, can I buy you a drink!?’

The bar’s unique concept is the brainchild of friends and co-owners Damon Bae (a former stock trader turned real estate mogul) and Levent Cakar (an economist with 11 years+ in the restaurant industry).  Of the concept, Cakar says: “When you think about it, it’s a really smart way to run a restaurant.  If an item isn’t selling, it becomes really cheap and then we’re able to move the product.  It also keeps the hot ticket items from selling out and draws attention to cheaper products.  It’s all about supply and demand—and it’s an organic way to manage our inventory.” The lounge-like space features both a bar and full dinner menu, with special lunch & brunch menus expected to be introduced at a later date.

Exchange Bar & Grill is located at 256 Third Avenue between 20^th & 21^st Street (www.exchangebarandgrill.com).

*Exchange Bar & Grill

*Co-Owners Damon Bae & Levent Cakar

*AMp3’s Dan Jones front row center with John, Ron & Lauren

*Private Chef Jess Hulett with Brenda Dargan of Martha Stewart

*TVHost Emily Loftiss

*The super cute Frani Lieberman, Media Post’s Kelly Samardak and Alyssa Galella

*Exchange staffers Lilly, Mike & Katie

*Market Crash!!!!!!

[Alyson Campbell for It's All Very PR]