Tangled is one of our family’s favorite movies on DVD right now. It is the iconic story of Rapunzel with new twists and it is not just for the girls, even the boys in our family enjoyed the movie. Mandy Moore gives her beautiful voice for Rapunzel and we had a change to catch up with her and hear what she had to say about becoming a Disney character.

Did you want to be a princess when you were younger?

Mandy Moore: I did! I think it’s every young girl’s dream to be a Disney princess. I didn’t necessarily want to be the princess with a big dress and a wand, but I definitely wanted a nice tiara like The Little Mermaid. I really wanted to be the mermaid princess.

How similar are you to Rapunzel?

Mandy Moore: I’d like to think that I’m pretty similar to Rapunzel. I think she’s got a great sense of adventure and she likes to see the good in people. She’s also very curious about the world. I can definitely relate to her in all these ways. I don’t know if I’m as brave as Rapunzel – but I’m really into martial arts. I’m not a martial arts expert or anything, but I’m a huge fan. Rapunzel is pretty handy with a frying pan in the movie, so she can clearly take care of herself.

Can you take care of yourself?

Mandy Moore: No, but I wish I could. That’s why I think I’m so interested in martial arts. I’m curious to see if I can pick up any tricks along the way.

How does it feel to be the newest Disney princess?

Mandy Moore: It feels very cool. I especially like the idea that this movie will live forever. One day, I’ll be able to show my own family, “Look what I got to be a part of.” It’s the ultimate childhood dream.

What’s your favorite song in the film?

Mandy Moore: My favorite song is the duet I get to sing with Zachary Levi (who voices Flynn). We got to record the song together, which was a lot of fun. I was blown away by Zach’s voice because I had no idea he could sing. I remember thinking, ‘Wow, this is going to be amazing.’

Did you always want to be an actress when you were younger?

Mandy Moore: I think I wanted to be an actor and a singer ever since I was six years old, so I was in lots of school plays and things like that. I appeared in plays like The Christmas Carol, Gypsy and Bye Bye Birdie – but I didn’t always get the lead role.

Did that bother you?

Mandy Moore: No, it didn’t bother me. I was just excited to be included, especially because I was doing the plays with a lot of my friends. All I wanted was to be around my friends and to be in good company.

What advice would you give to youngsters who want to take up a career in acting?

Mandy Moore: If you want to become an actor, you have to understand that a lot of disappointment comes along with this job – but you can’t take it personally. Even to this day, I still get disappointed when I audition for something and I really want it, but it doesn’t end up going my way.

What’s the best way to handle rejection?

Mandy Moore: You just have to learn something positive from the experience. You have to think to yourself, ‘What can I do differently next time?’ Or maybe you weren’t doing anything wrong, but it just wasn’t the right opportunity. There’s always a next time!

Is it important not to take rejection personally?

Mandy Moore: It is very important! You have to find a way to not take it personally and not let it deter you from doing the thing that you love.

How would you inspire today’s youth ?

Mandy Moore: The only thing I can say is, “Be yourself.” You shouldn’t have to change for anyone to be their friends. Just continue to be yourself, no matter what.

Like said – mark October 8th in your calendar, Secretariat is coming! One lucky Skimbaco Newsletter subscriber will get a Secretariat prize pack right on time for October movie buzz. Details below.

Secretariat is based on an amazing true story of housewife Penny Chenery and her horse Secretariat. The movie chronicles the spectacular journey of the 1973 Triple Crown winner horse, but more importantly, it is a movie about a woman with guts. The Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing means winning three races for three-year-old thoroughbred horses, and the races being held at Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes. It is the highest accomplishment in horse racing and in 1973, Secretariat became the first U.S. Triple Crown champion in 25 years and set the race records that still stand today in the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont Stakes. Secretariat won 16 of his 21 career races, and is one of the greatest American thoroughbred horses ever. Penny Chenery, the owner of Secretariat is as remarkable as the accomplishments of Secretariat. Housewife and mother Penny Chenery (played by Diane Lane) agrees to take over her father’s stables, despite her lack of horse-racing knowledge and against all odds, manages to fostering the first Triple Crown winner in 25 years and what may be the greatest racehorse of all time.

The movie is thought provoking and you will feel like you live though it rooting for Secretariat and for Penny. Get ready to be amazed and inspired!

GIVEAWAY DETAILS FOR SKIMBACO SUBSCRIBERS:
Prize:
Men’s T-Shirt
Women’s T-Shirt
Youth T-Shirt
Hat

Deadline: October 8th, 2010, midnight EST.

Enter the giveaway by subscribing the Skimbaco Newsletter, the prize is raffled among the newsletter subscribers and the winner will be announced in the newsletter on October 10th.

Full disclosure: I was invited to the movie preview and cocktail reception by Disney.

I have been trying to do some back to school shopping with my ten year old daughter, who is very tall, and wears a size 12-14, sometimes even size 14-16, and she can wear some designer clothing in size 2 or 4, depends on the cut and designer. The problem is that she is only ten, and wants clothes that are fashionable but not too adult and teen looking – and often adult clothing doesn’t fit her right. She also grows so fast, that I tend to mix cheap mass market clothing and more expensive nice designer clothing in her wardrobe – especially because she and her younger sister have totally different clothing taste. I think it’s perfectly fine for fifth grader to mix Cynthia Rowley with Target. Well, for anyone for that matter.

One of the clothing lines we found some cute tees and skirts from Target is the D-Signed inspired by Disney Channel characters, and specifically by Sonny Munroe played by Demi Lovato from Sonny With A Chance.

The D-Signed clothing line is a collaboration between Disney Consumer Products (DCP) and Target, and available in sizes 4 to 16. The prices are cheap at $4.99 – $19.99, and the Sonny Munroe “D-Signed” collection includes: embellished graphic tees, skirts, dresses, pants, knit dresses, shorts, fashion tops and jackets, headbands, necklaces and bags. This initial collection is available right now and a second Sonny Munroe collection from D-Signed will be available at Targets just in time for the holidays. There will also be more of D-Signed coming – the upcoming collections include fashions based on the style of other popular Disney Channel characters including Alex Russo played by Selena Gomez on Wizards of Waverly Place.

Alice in Wonderland, the trendiest movie of 2010- feature continues with an interview with Mia Wasikowska.

I hear you started in ballet, how did you move to acting?

MIA WASIKOWSKA: I did dance very intensely for a number of years. From the age of eight to 14. Towards the end I was doing 35 hours a week. So I was always intensely into something. Before I decided to pursue acting, dance had become about trying to achieve physical perfection, which was so unattainable. Then I was smaller and less comfortable with myself and less happy with my body because I was always being confronted with my imperfections. At that time I was watching films that inspired me because they were about people’s imperfections. So I became interested in that and that was more true to me.

You seemed very determined to get the role of Alice in Alice in Wonderland?

MIA WASIKOWSKA: I sent an audition tape in February 2008 and ended up in June or July coming over to Britain and doing four more auditions with Tim before I got the role.

Didn’t you fly back and forth from Australia to the UK three times?

MIA WASIKOWSKA: Yeah, but I never really expected to get the role. Also you learn not to trust your feelings when you are in the strange period of auditions. It is all very up and down. You can audition, feel very confident and then not get the role. Then you can think the audition was the worst thing you ever did in your life and then you get the role. So you could analyze for weeks and months and it would still not make any sense.

Why do you think Tim Burton chose you?

MIA WASIKOWSKA: I’m not sure. I feel really lucky to be chosen by him. I really love his films. Edward Scissorhands is a really special film for me. Tim has this compassion for characters who are outsiders and he presents them in a way that is not stereotypical.

Had Tim seen any of your work?

MIA WASIKOWSKA: I’m not sure if he had seen In Treatment. He might have. I feel so lucky to have done In Treatment. It’s so rare to play a teenager who is so complex.

What kind of research you did for Alice In Wonderland?

MIA WASIKOWSKA: My research was reading the books and reading about the books and looking at Lewis Carroll’s photography and collecting images from any of the illustrators. So Alice in the books was the backbone of the character but we really wanted to explore Alice as an older person.

Was it difficult to get the accent for Alice?

MIA WASIKOWSKA: I had a lesson with a dialect coach and from then on it felt natural. When I take on a character with an accent then I can’t imagine them without that accent. Even when I was reading it in my head it was in an English accent. After a while it became natural. I didn’t listen to tapes. There is a lot of British film in Australia so we grew up listening to that and it wasn’t so hard to do the accent.

What was the green screen experience like in making Alice In Wonderland?

MIA WASIKOWSKA: It was very strange. You have to bring a lot more energy and focus to working. You don’t realize how lucky you are to have an environment where you can get some feeling or have an actor from whom to bounce off. When you are acting opposite a tennis ball you have no idea what the Cheshire Cat will actually be doing. It’s about trusting Tim.

So was it with a sense of wonder that you finally saw the film?

MIA WASIKOWSKA: Definitely! It is being revealed to me in the same way that it has been revealed to everybody else. I had seen concept art but not the final thing and to see it together was wonderful.

What did you think of Alice and the costumes you wore?

MIA WASIKOWSKA: Even though Alice is from another time she is very much like a modern character. If you were to put her in our society she would thrive. I feel she is a modern girl stuck in another time. I love the costumes. Every one of them was so detailed and beautiful.

How do you feel about becoming a new Disney icon?

MIA WASIKOWSKA: I don’t know. I guess I have no choice.

Buy the movie at Amazon.com ($16.99) or rent at Blockbuster Express ($1 per day).

In celebration of the Blu-Ray and DVD release of Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland (on DVD and Blu-Ray today!), Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, in partnership with Disney Consumer Products, opened a first-of-its-kind Alice In Wonderland Exhibition at the galleries of Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising Los Angeles on May 27th.

The exhibition includes Colleen Atwood’s original costume designs from the movie, including Johnny Depp’s original Mad Hatter fighter garment, several of Mia Wasikowska’s Alice dresses and Helena Bonham Carter’s Red Queen Dress. The exhibit also has the “Edgier Side of Alice” inspired clothing and products by Sue Wong, Tom Binns, Avril Lavigne and by several Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising grads and more.

The night before that the Alice in Wonderland Exhibit opend, they hosted an opening gala with a very couture mindset and naturally with a runway show of Alice in Wonderland couture.

A couture gown inspired by the Cheshire Cat, by FIDM Fashion Designer Kapasa Musonda.

Colleen Atwood, who is the brilliant Academy Award® winning designer who dressed the Alice in Wonderland cast (she won the Academy Award® for Best Costume Design for Chicago in 2002) was in the opening gala along with Nick Verreos, the star of Project Runway and Kerli, the singer/songwriter of “Strange” and “Tea Party”, from Alice in Wonderland’s soundtrack.

Couture gowns inspired by Tweedledee and Tweedledum, by FIDM Fashion Designer, Natalia Romano.

The opening night gala featured a fashion show of Alice in Wonderland inspired red carpet gown couture by FIDM grads and a special live performance by Kerli – and of course the first peak of the Alice in Wonderland exhibit.

Nick Verreos and model in couture gown inspired by the Red Queen by FIDM Fashion Designer Clay Sadler

A couture gown inspired by the Mad Hatter, by FIDM Fashion Designer Angela Avanesyan.

Read more about Alice in Wonderland:
Alice in Wonderland – A Fashion Hot Topic
Alice in Wonderland Home Decorating Ideas

Photos © Berliner Photography/BEImages

Ever since Disney’s Alice in Wonderland movie was announced, there has been an Alice in Wonderland boom in fashion and design.

From home decorating to makeups and clothing, from online publications to Vogue, Alice is everywhere.

I had an opportunity to visit Disney Consumer products in LA a few weeks ago, and visit the heart of the Wonderland fashions. Here are the photos for you to enjoy.

Where to find it…

Hot Topic is your nro 1 shop to find Alice in Wonderland fashions; tees, bags, jewelry.. accessories to clothing, they have it all, and with low prices.

Disney Store has the rest of it… Clothing to collectibles, and my favorite; Tom Binns for Disney Couture jewelry.

80′s Purple has even more Disney Couture jewelry.

I also found these cute paul & joe’s makeups at Asos.com.

Exciting new for all Tinker Bell fans! The Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure movie will be out on DVD on Tuesday October 27th, and the world premiere of the movie was held on Sunday, in no less that at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.

In addition the exciting movie premiere, Tinker Bell was named “Honorary Ambassador of Green” by United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information, Kiyo Akasaka. Tinker Bell is a natural ambassador of Green, living consistently in harmony with the environment, and is a great role model of respecting nature, and thus makes a great choice for this official title by UN.

I was able to get the first 6 minutes of the Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure movie for you to enjoy.

Another treat for the little girls in your family… a special full length music video of the movie’s theme song “Gift of a Friend,” performed by Demi Lovato.

Kids got haircuts today and are getting ready for their Hanes modeling trip on a Disney Cruise to Bahamas. Kris got a little excited and started singing when I asked him why he is getting a haircut… The next Disney Channel Star in making…?

We received their modeling schedule for the trip, and it includes posing with Mickey Mouse, island shots, having fun with flubber and dancing conga. Sounds like really tough work for kids, and poor hubby and me… We have to drink piña coladas go with them to supervise the kids.

Are you a Disney fan like me?

Are you a master at coordinating everything from character breakfasts to family reunions?

If so, you should apply to be on Walt Disney World’s third annual Walt Disney World Moms Panel!

Disney Parks is searching for 10 lucky Disney-fanatic parents for the 2010 Walt Disney World Moms Panel, to join the panelists from previous years to make this the largest panel to date. The Mom Panelists share their Walt Disney World expertise and help other parents to plan their magical vacations. I have had the opportunity to meet a few of the panelists, and they are the nicest people, and great additions to the Disney family.

The Moms Panel search is on, and you might be the next lucky mom to be in it – apply now! They will take applications until Sept. 20th, OR when 20,000 applications are received, whichever comes first.

Beginning late this year through 2010, Disney Parks will unveil new features and Web enhancements to the Moms Panel site to further engage and educate inquiring guests on all their park-related questions. The 10 best candidates will ultimately be named to the Moms Panel in January 2010. In exchange for sharing their Disney knowledge, panelists will receive a vacation at Walt Disney World Resort for themselves and three other people.

Meet three new Hanes models: my kids!

I am part of the Hanes Comfort Crew and my family attended the Hanes Comfort Crew kick off trip to DisneyWorld earlier this year – and now my children were asked to be Hanes models for the summer ’10 catalog!

“It’s exciting and cool to try out being a model, maybe I’ll be in magazines and be famous one day”

The Hanes Comfort Crew is a network of social media influencers who interact with Hanes about clothing, comfort and online community. You too can interact with Hanes at their Social Mix Hub. There are amazing members in the group, and I don’t know how I got so lucky to be in the group. Maybe because I know how to chillax and be comfortable? Maybe because I have tried and tested (with three kids!) that their products last in use? Maybe because as a former clothing retailer I know a good brand and good quality when I see it?

The Hanes PR and brand people were able to meet my children this spring, and see in first person who they are, and now they offered all three an unique modeling opportunity!

“It’s gonna be awesome, I’m so excited, I want to be a model just like mama was when she was a teenager”.

My kids are getting an amazing opportunity to be in a Summer 2010 Hanes catalog. I am so proud, and yes, excited too! When I had my clothing store my kids used to model for my store, and they actually liked it. My two youngest ones auditioned for a movie this spring, and I think they have the same gene as their parents – they like to try out new exciting things. Now they are getting this opportunity to see what it is to be a model, have a professional photographer to take photos and what it really is. Who knows, maybe they are interested in pursuing modeling more after the trip – or just scratch it off as one of the things “I’ve done”.

“I’m excited to go because I know it’s gonna be a lot of fun.”

We are leaving for a four day shooting trip on Saturday, and I’m already busy packing.

Can you guess where we are going…?

Yes! We are going for a Disney Cruise to Bahamas!

Ever since I did the Disney Cruise in January I have wanted to take kids for a cruise too. There is so much fun for kids and I sort of felt bad for going without kids. This time our whole family is going, so exciting!

$50 Hanes Gift Card Giveaway

I think this news requires a little giveaway, don’t you think? I decided to raffle one 50$ Hanes Gift Card for one Skimbaco Lifestyle reader.

Enter to win $50 Hanes Gift Card

1. Subscribe Skimbaco Lifestyle in your email box and leave a comment you are a subscriber.
OR
2. Post a picture of your little “Hanes model” (your kid) in your blog, and link back to this blog post and leave a comment with your link. I bet as one of the Comfort Crew members and all, I can ask Hanes to check out the posts… Just sayin’.

DEADLINE: September 27th midnight EST.