teenage.me

From the balance beam to the pop rock scene, 2004 Olympic Champion Carly Patterson is one driven little lady. Her transition from world-class gymnast to high-note hitting songstress may come as a surprise to some but, for Carly, it’s a fresh start and a chance to pursue a long-desired dream.

“I love competing and performing. Gymnastics taught me dedication and how to perform in front of lots of people,” she notes. By taking one step at a time, this flexible phenom has taken her talents from the gym floor to center stage. Here, she shares the secrets to her success:

Has music always been an important part of your life growing up?
Yes, I’ve always loved music and had a huge passion for it. I grew up watching my dad sing, but gymnastics came first and I knew afterwards it would be worth the hard work.

When did you decide that it was time to pursue your dream of becoming a singer?
Around 16, after I knew I was going to retire from gymnastics. That’s when I decided.

Have you always loved music as much as gymnastics?
Yes, definitely. A lot of people didn’t know that I could sing and that it was just as much something I loved to do as gymnastics. It was something I always loved and, in the back of my head, I knew I could make it.

Just because it’s cold outside doesn’t mean you can ignore your feet! Put your best foot forward with these sole-softening tips from Natasha Lowe, the nail director at Emerge Spa and Salon in MA:

“In order to maintain soft soles between your pedicures during the winter months, you MUST exfoliate. It doesn’t matter how much lotion or cream you apply to your soles, you have to remove the dead skin. Using a foot file or a sugar scrub twice a week will remove dead skin cells. After you have exfoliated your soles, you’re left with new skin that needs to be nourished. A rich lotion or cream will give you optimal results. The best time to moisturize is when you get out of the shower. Make sure to moisturize daily and maintain your pedicures every 4-6 weeks. Although your feet aren’t highlighted during the winter months, this time of year is when your feet need the most attention. A little extra TLC goes a long way.”

When this 80s-riffic theBalm lipstick crossed my desk, I immediately thought of none other than Little J, who’s been sporting a Debbie Harry-like haircut on GG lately…  Then I looked at the name of shade… It’s called “Gossip”. How perfect is that? Buy it for $16 at sephora.com.

We know that your rockstar lifestyle is difficult. With all of your
glamorous commitments, it’s not always easy to find time to ensure that
your hair looks perfect. That’s why the creators of Bed Head are thrilled to announce the newest, hippest, and most rockin’ line of products — the
Rockaholic collection!

Our favorite time saver? The dry shampoo, which you can apply to your
hair when you don’t have time to squeeze in a shower. Other standouts
include the Flexible hair spray, which will keep your ‘do intact through even during the craziest of days. The detangler works wonders as well — use this when you need to get a brush through your strands (we know how much effort it takes to look like you just rolled out of bed), and the shine blaster gives you pretty shine without taking the edge out of your look. Check out this awesome new line’s MySpace page!

What do you think of the products? If you could create your own rockstar name, what would it be? Tell us below!

Nick Park and Tim Burton are just two directors that have successfully brought stop motion animation to the big screen and reaped the rewards. But this form of filmmaking, which include using clay models, pixilation or puppet animation, and has existed since the early days of cinema.

Austin Healey has paid tribute to his wife Louise after getting voted off ‘Strictly Come Dancing’. The former England rugby star - who had been the favourite to win the show - gave a touching farewell speech to thank everyone for their support, including dance partner Erin Boag, after being voted off the tv talent show last night (07.12.08).

Chris Gascoyne wanted to “die” for his ‘Coronation Street’ character. The actor - who plays heavy drinker Peter Barlow in the Itv soap - insists he was so embarrassed by his on screen counterpart’s boozy behaviour he couldn’t bear to act it out.

Alexandra Burke’s mother may miss seeing her daughter in ‘The X Factor’ final. Melissa Bell - who found fame in the 80-s as singer of Soul II Soul - has not been in the audience for the last two weeks of live shows because she is seriously ill with diabetes-induced kidney failure.

Rafi Gavron caught the eye of the movie industry when he starred in Anthony Minghella’s Breaking and Entering with Jude Law and Juliette Binoche in 2006, a role which earnt him a Most Promising Newcomer nomination from the British Independent Film Awards. This week he returns to the big screen in fantasy film Inkheart, an adaptation of the popular …

Matteo Garrone’s gritty look at the modern-day Italian mafia movie Gomorra dominated the 2008 European Film Awards in Denmark scooping five awards, including Best Film. The movie, which is based on the nonfiction bestseller by Robert Saviano looks at the criminal underbelly of Italy, the author was forced into hiding after threats from the mob, as …