LilSugar

Lil Community: Super Circus First Birthday

Lil Community — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 06:00:40 PST

It's party time! LilSugar Community member Coffeetalkie threw her son a fabulous party based on the Greatest Show on Earth! Check out her son's first birthday party below!

For Eli's first birthday, we made a circus themed party complete with a circus tent, popocorn machine, peanuts, hot dogs, a "dress like a clown" station, pin the nose on the clown contest, face painting, and an area for kids to make circus animal puppets.

Did you throw your tot an unbelievable birthday bash or create a cake that rivals those on TV? Share your party with other birthday-making mamas in the Kiddie Soirees group over in the LilSugar Community!

5 Workouts That Will Take You to the Max

Michele Foley — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 09:04:30 PST

One way to shake up a humdrum fitness routine is by going outside the box - way outside. (And I'm not talking about hitting the treadmill after a stint on the elliptical.) Push yourself to the limit with a workout that tests both your fears and physicality. It's amazing what you can do once you set your sights on something.

The Night Circus Inspires Home Decor Magic

Diana Nguyen — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 06:00:18 PDT

Halloween is over, but mystery and magic continue to emanate from the pages of Erin Morgenstern's The Night Circus. Lauded as the next potential Harry Potter or Twilight, Morgenstern takes readers back to the late 1890s to follow the adventures of a mysterious traveling night circus. Unbeknownst to guests and the circus's residents, Le Cirque des Rêves is actually the venue for a magical battle between two skilled magicians turned star-crossed lovers, Marco and Celia.

And, although, the novel was full of creative, detailed writing and story, I was really fascinated by Morgenstern's stylistic choices. The circus itself is a sparkly conduit of all things black and white, with pops of red to represent to the circus's loyal following. Her descriptions of scenes and outfits were so stunning that I thought it would be fun to translate her palette into something a little more tangible. Click along to see how elements of The Night Circus could look in your home.

Source: House Beautiful

The Night Circus Author Erin Morgenstern Talks Twilight and Harry Potter Comparisons and Her Casting Wish List

Tara Sharp — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 04:00:33 PDT

As a huge Harry Potter fan, I must admit my interest was piqued when I heard about a new book last month being compared to the magical series, The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. To add fuel to the buzzy fire, the film rights for the book have already been picked up by Twilight's entertainment company Summit. After reading the enchanting, sensory love story (targeted for adults, I should add) about dueling magicians who fall in love while competing in a mysterious circus that runs from nightfall to dawn, I believe it stands on its own. We chatted with Erin, who has a background in theater and studio art, about her first novel and whom she could picture playing protagonists and star-crossed lovers Celia and Marco on the big screen. Read her thoughts below.

TrèsSugar: What do you think of the comparisons being made to Harry Potter and Twilight?

Erin Morgenstern: It has some aspects in common with Harry Potter. I'm still not sure where the Twilight comparisons come from, maybe the fact that Summit is involved with the film rights. There are plenty of books that I think would be a little more apt, like Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norell by Susanna Clarke, but not enough people have read that. I hope that it ends up being the kind of book that people don't have to compare it to anything. A lot of people tell me that they have trouble describing it. It's a complicated work because it's about the circus, but it's about the love story, but it's about so much more than that at the same time.

TS: What's your favorite love story in literature? Did it influence Celia and Marco's love story?

EM: I'm not really big on love stories. I'm not that classic romance sort of girl. Although I can't say it's my favorite love story, there's definitely a Romeo and Juliet aspect to it. I do kind of love a star-crossed romance. It makes everything so much more interesting and complicated, and sometimes angsty. I think that makes for a really good story.

TS: You say in your website's "about me" section that you were reading Stephen King at age 12 and J.K. Rowling at age 21. How did that affect you as a writer?

EM: I grew up in that time frame where there wasn't a YA section yet. There was a children's section and an adult's section. So when I hit around 11 or 12, I just started looking through the adult section. And for some reason I just got stuck on Stephen King and read practically the entire Stephen King shelf. And then when I was in college, I took a children's literature class, and we read the first Harry Potter. That influenced my lack of sense of what's an adult book and what's a children's book, because I had a very backwards reading life at certain stages. I like adult books that capture that child-like whimsy and children's books that don't hide the adult side of things. And I think there's more room for overlap between adult books and children's books.

TS: What are you reading right now?

EM: I'm in the middle of Lev Grossman's The Magician King. I finished The Magicians a couple weeks ago, and I have a couple events coming up that I'm doing with Lev Grossman. But I'm enjoying it very much, partially because I've read Harry Potter, I've read the Narnia books, and it has an interesting spin on those tales that I know really well. And before that I just recently finished the new Haruki Murakami book (1Q84) that comes out next week, and it's really just epic and wonderful. It's so, so good. It doesn't feel like it's 1,000 pages when you're reading it. I didn't want it to end.

TS: You've mentioned you could see Geoffrey Rush as Prospero in the film adaption, but who could you see playing Celia and Marco?

EM: I don't really picture actors when I write. Geoffrey Rush was sort of the one exception, because when I was coming up with him as the character he had a Geoffrey Rush vibe in my mind. For Celia and Marco, they look very particular in my head, and I don't have actors who really capture it. Celia was kind of inspired by Clara Bow. I found this old picture of her that wasn't that sort of classic short hair, her hair was all wispy and a little more Victorian-looking. She has very dark eyes, and that's sort of what Celia looks like. If we could find a modern-day Clara Bow type. And the actor who has a little of the Marco feel to me is Lee Pace, but he's going to be too old by the time we get around to the filming, which is unfortunate.

TS: Is there a sequel in the works. How long do we have to wait for the film?

EM: There's no plans for a proper sequel. I don't think it's the kind of story that lends itself well to "this is what happens next." And it was never intended to be a series. I do think at some point I wouldn't be opposed to do something like a collection of short pieces of side stories or people's back stories or a few of those things that happened afterwards.

The film is at least a couple of years away. It's in the stage of negotiations with producers, trying to find someone to head the ship.

TS: What did you learn about relationships as you wrote The Night Circus?

EM: I think that the essential thing I kept coming back to is that a relationship is about more than just two people. There's so many more factors in the equation, whether they're other people or circumstances. Relationships are never simple, there's always so much more going on.

If you read the book and want to find out more insights from Erin on the plot and process of writing, keep reading!

Get Fit Under the Big Top: Circus-Inspired Fitness Classes

Michele Foley — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 14:58:18 PDT

Circus-inspired fitness classes are becoming increasingly popular and for good reason. Being able to spin, flip, and balance your way through the air takes a tremendous amount of strength, balance, flexibility, and courage - it also looks like a lot of fun, too! Curious about tapping into the circus arts while also achieving the body of a Cirque du Soleil performer? Keep reading to see which circus acts are at a gym near you.

Climbing High! Deets on Aerial Arts Silks Class

FitSugar — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 10:53:52 PDT

If swinging is not your thing but you've always wanted to experience a circus workout, I highly recommend trying an aerial arts silks class. Although there is climbing involved, it's nothing compared to the heights scaled to fly on a trapeze. Working with the silks is a graceful full-body workout, with an emphasis on the upper body and core - even your fingers will feel worked.

Nicki Minaj Is Your Pick For Most Outrageous Celebrity Style in 2011!

Hannah Weil — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 03:03:22 PST

If there was one celebrity that could outdo Gaga in the world of outlandish style, it had to be Nicki Minaj. The pop star emerged as the winner of this year's most outrageous celebrity style, thanks to a year of whimsical fashion, including bubble-gum pink and blue hair, bright color, and circus-like confections. She made headlines for looks from the VMAs red carpet to an appearance at Fashion Week (and a front-row seat next to Anna Wintour). It seems nothing is off-limits when it comes to Nicki's affinity for statement-making fashion - who knows what 2012 will bring for the hip-hop singer's style . . .

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy: I Spy a Masterpiece

Shannon Vestal — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 08:00:00 PST

The fact that Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is a well-crafted mystery that allows you to play detective yourself would be enough for me to say it's good, but the fact that it's so superbly acted makes it great. In the 1970s-set film, Gary Oldman plays George Smiley, a former intelligence officer who's summoned out of retirement to help root out a mole in Britain's Secret Intelligence Service, AKA "the Circus." Oldman leads an ensemble of incredible actors like Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, Mark Strong, Toby Jones, and up-and-comers like Benedict Cumberbatch.

The men play British agents in the Circus devoted to monitoring the intelligence between Russia, Britain, and the US during the Cold War. The agents have a long history of working together, but each one is potentially the double agent working for the Soviets. As Smiley unearths clues to reveal the identity of the mole, the film makes you trust and doubt each of the suspects equally with an absorbing story that's worthy of its fine cast. To find out why I enjoyed the film, just keep reading.

Flying Trapeze: Not Just For the Circus!

FitSugar — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 09:57:50 PST

To find out what it takes to fly through the air like a circus performer, we're turning to the Trapeze School New York (TSNY) to show us the ropes. With the Santa Monica Pier as our backdrop, the TSNY instructors teach us that a flying trapeze lesson is more fun than scary and that it's also a great workout for your core. Best of all - anyone can do it!

Reese Witherspoon Covers Vogue; Talks About Finding Balance,Toughness, and Elephants

Noria Morales — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 07:55:58 PDT

The recently married Reese Witherspoon shows a sexier side on the May cover of Vogue, wearing a black and white Roland Mouret dress. It's a welcome surprise from a woman who chose blush pink for her wedding gown. Says co-star Robert Pattinson in the interview, "In terms of public perception, she’s thought of as America’s Sweetheart. And she kind of is in a lot of ways. But I think that she’s a lot bawdier than that, a lot more raucous. It did actually shock me to see that. She’s tough. You wouldn’t want to get into an argument with her at all." For the full Jonathan Van Meter interview with Reese, visit Vogue. With her upcoming movie, Water for Elephants, set to release, Vogue chose an appropriate setting for her shoot with photographer Peter Lindbergh - a circus tent complete with elephant - all the better to showcase a stellar lineup of dresses that include Dior, Sophie Theallet, Dolce and Gabbana and Narciso Rodriguez. See our slideshow for the looks for the gorgeous looks, including the custom Alexander Wang dress that didn't run on the cover.