Didn’t get everything you wanted for the holidays? Well, start the year off right by winning some lux looking earbuds decked out with Swarovski crystals.

We’re giving away a total of 12 pairs of chicBuds so you and your friends can each have some.  Each winner will get, not one, but 6 pairs of chicBuds compatible with the iPod, iPhone, MP3 player, CD player and airplane connectors.

chicBuds are a great replacement for those old earbuds that end up a tangled mess in your gym bag. They are also super-practical, because they have a built-in cord retractor that allows the cord to expand and retract to various lengths  - PLUS they’re covered in bling for that Pretty Tough touch.

They’re available in several “flavors” ah, colors…such as grape, blueberry, watermelon, marshmallow, sour apple and retail each for $45 at Dillards and Fred Meyer.

Want to win them for yourself? HERE’S WHAT YOU DO:

1. Comment in this entry with your favorite workout songs from 2008!
2. One entry per email address.
3. Bonus double entry for those who also post the contest link in their blog or elsewhere(shoot us an email to let us know).
4. The giveaway is open till SUNDAY, January 11, 2009, 12PM PST.

Regulations: chicBuds & PrettyTough.com are not responsible for any lost packages or incorrect shipping addresses. The prize is not redeemable in cash and by claiming the prize, the winner authorizes the use of her name and municipality of residence for promotion. Good Luck!

Filed under: Contest, Electronics, Entertainment, Fun Stuff, General, Music by jane
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December 8, 2008 - Gymnast Carly Patterson has been pursuing a singing career for some time. This month, Teen Vogue sits down with Carly to find out the secrets of her success.

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.

You’ve got to hand it to her for her stick-to-it-ness.

Teen Vogue Q&A

Filed under: Entertainment, Gymnastics, Music by jane
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November 10, 2008 - LG Phone: Most electronics-makers slap a pink paint job and some floral prints onto their products and then try to pass them off as a gadget for the fairer sex.

LG has just come up with a girl-centric compact phone, the LX600 Lotus, and according to Wired, it doesn’t completely suck (if you ignore the fact that the crammed keys make it difficult to dial, text or navigate  — even if you’re blessed with dainty digits). Available from Sprint.

Sparks: On the fashion front, sparks will fly at Wet Seal as American Idol season six winner Jordin Sparks has designed a line of clothing exclusively for the retailer.

The collection, appropriately named ‘Sparks’, will begin with an assortment of holiday dresses - in sizes XS to XL - delivering to stores just in time for Thanksgiving. The collection will later include casual apparel and accessories. Each piece will reflect Sparks’ youthful sense of style.

Better known for her big voice than her sense of style, it will be interesting to see what Sparks’ collection looks like. As of this post, we couldn’t find any photos of the pieces. Thoughts?

Filed under: Electronics, Entertainment, Fashion, Music, Reviews, Technology by jane
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November 7, 2008 - The Jonas Brothers, pop-music heartthrobs and stars of the Disney Channel original movie, “Camp Rock,’’ will join Olympic gold medalist and “Dancing with the Stars’’ champion Kristi Yamaguchi for one rockin’ evening of entertainment.

The “Bayer Diabetes Care Presents Friends and Family Ice Show” was filmed last month at the U.S. Airways Arena in Phoenix.  It will be broadcast this Saturday, November 8th, from 4:00pm – 6:00pm ET on NBC (check local listings).

The Jonas Brothers — Kevin, Joe and Nick — are the music headliners for Yamaguchi’s annual “Friends and Family” ice show, which features Olympic and world-class skaters and their children.

Bayer Diabetes Care, the lead sponsor of the“Friends & Family” ice show, recently announced a partnership with Nick Jonas, who has type 1 juvenile diabetes, to launch the “Walk In Nicks Shoes” campaign to help young people with diabetes and their families simplify life with diabetes. Information and updates from Nick are available on www.nickssimplewins.com.

The “Friends and Family” show concept has been something dear to Yamaguchi’s heart. She and husband, Bret Hedican, are parents of two daughters. Keara was born in 2003, and Emma arrived in 2005. Their children have big skates to fill as Yamaguchi has won a gold medal and Hedican was part of the Carolina Hurricanes team that won the coveted Stanley Cup title in 2006. Yamaguchi has always been involved with children’s organizations and established her Always DreamFoundation for children in 1996.

Among the skaters expected to join Yamaguchi in the show this year are Olympic gold medalists Jamie Sale and David Pelletier, who will be making their first appearance in the show after becoming proud parents of son, Jesse, on Sept. 30,2007. Two-time Olympic medalist Nancy Kerrigan, who gave birth to her third child, daughter Nicole, in May, also will take to the ice.

Other members of this star-studded cast are two-time Olympic gold medalist Ekaterina Gordeeva, Olympic gold medalist Viktor Petrenko, and four-time world champion Kurt Browning. Children of the skaters also participate in the show.

On the musical front, Demi Lovato & Jordan Pruitt also perform.

Sounds like a great kick-off to the holiday season. I’ll be setting my DVR.

Filed under: Charity/Cause, Entertainment, Figure Skating, Music, TV by jane
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September 8, 2008 - Pop princess Britney Spears was greeted with cheers of excitement as she finally scored her first MTV Video Music Award.

A year after her disastrous comeback attempt at the VMA’s,  Spears swept the event last night, winning three “Moonman” statuettes. She won for video of the year, best pop video and best female video, all for the tune “Piece of Me.”

Spears, who looked fabulous by the way, was “speechless” but then added, “Oh, my goodness, thank you! I first wanna thank God for blessing me like this. My family … my two beautiful boys for inspiring me everyday.” At the end of the show, Russell Brand called it “the resurrection of Britney Spears” which may well be the truth.

The show marked the 25th annual Video Music Awards and other highlights included performances by Rihanna, Christina Aguilara and Pink.

See highlights of the show and a list of all the winners at MTV.com

Filed under: Entertainment, Music by jane
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June 12, 2008 - In case you haven’t been paying attention, Miley Cyrus has been participating in a number of YouTube videos showcasing “Dance Battles,” between her group of dancers (the “M&M Cru“) and a “rival dance crew,” known as “ACDC.“ 

If you’ve got ten minutes to spare, check out Miley and BFF Mandy Jirouex’s latest installment in the “biggest online dance battle in history”.

Miley, Mandy and the M&M Cru enlist the help of plenty of great B-girls and boys along with such diverse talent as Chris Kattan, Carson Daly, Ryan Seacrest, Napoleon Dynamite’s Petro, former N’Sync member Joey Fatone,  and magic man David Blaine (he makes Miley’s head do a 360).

The video ends with Step Up 2 director Jon Chu and star Adam Sevani (they lead the ACDC group) saying, “There’s only one way to settle this. In person!” Seems like the next video may feature both the M&M Cru and ACDC Crew facing off!! Can’t wait.

Filed under: Dance, Music, TV by jane
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May 16, 2008 - It has yet to be determined if Alicia Keys has a nice jump shot, but the Grammy Award-winning singer is about to join the WNBA for a full season.

According to TV Guide, the A-list entertainer has made a special video of her song  “Superwoman” that will air before all 22 of the WNBA’s nationally televised games on ABC and ESPN2 this summer.

The season tips off with with the defending league champion Phoenix Mercury hosting the Los Angeles Sparks (May 17, 3:30 pm/ET, ABC). ESPN2’s Tuesday-night game-of-the-week schedule begins three days later with Sacramento Monarchs visiting the refurbished Seattle Storm (May 20, 10:30 pm/ET).

Filed under: Entertainment, Music, WNBA by jane
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Filed under: General, Music by jane
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April 30, 2008 - The 9th annual Coachella festival took place last weekend (April 25, 26, and 27 ) in Indio, California where it was deathly hot but worth every dehydrating moment. It was an arts and music festival but fashion was definitely on stage as well.

The boys of Coachella kept it simple and sported just khaki shorts, and many went topless. The girls worked harder and planned their outfits out each day. From their hair down to their sandals (predominately gladiator), the girls did whatever it took to look fresh and cute.

American Apparel was definitely the brand of choice but there were, of course, girls that wanted to be different and not match the hordes. Those girls shopped at secondhand stores, trying their best to wear all vintage and look cute nonetheless.

Musically, there was something for everyone this year at Coachella, from headliners Jack Johnson, Prince and Roger Waters to obscure European indie bands and DJs with perfectly orchestrated sets. Drawing electronic music, indie rock and pop acts the festival fostered days of sun-drenched dancing.

The festival was dominated by male acts but one highlight was M.I.A who stole the show this year. During her performance, she changed up her songs, and played some new ones that we couldn’t wait to download when we got home. Her electronic sound is so addicting, and it for sure kept everyone entertained. On Saturday afternoon, Uffie dominated the stage, and had crowds of fans cheering her on. Another must see was Tegan and Sara who performed on Friday afternoon. And, of course Portishead, who reunited for Coachella fronted by Beth Gibbons.

I would have liked to see more girls represented on stage - we know the talent’s out there, so maybe next year the organizers will try a little harder. Nevertheless, it was worth every sweltering, musically-tinged minute - and if the girls weren’t rocking the stages, they were definitely making their presence known in the tents and on the concert lawns.

Filed under: Fashion, Music by amo
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April 18, 2008 - For all those girls who didn’t make the squad or have a problem bringing it in real life, you can still cheer…on the Wii.  Joining the pep parade are video game companies THQ with All Star Cheer Squad (coming Fall ‘08 for Wii and DS) and Namco Bandai with a game called We Cheer, exclusively for Wii.

In case you’re wondering what a cheerleading game might entail, it’s probably what you’d expect: you learn cheers, make up a few of your own, practice them, and then perform.

The All Star Cheer Squad game will follow a year in the life of a cheerleader as they learn new cheers, participate in practices and create their own routines to make the squad and eventually become captain. In order to ensure that the game has the latest cheer action and top routines,  choreographer Tony G, best known for his work in the Bring It On movies, has signed on as chief consultant for the game.

Namco’s We Cheer will feature ”30 smash-hit master recordings” including Hilary Duff and Natasha Bedingfield. It will also have multiplayer modes supporting up to four cheerleaders, a workout mode that tracks how many calories you’ve burned, and customizable outfits and shoes.

While the mechanics of the games actually sound okay, we’re afraid that the cheerleading angle might have been born from trying too hard to target the “new ‘girl gamer’ market”.  

We definitely don’t have anything against cheerleading but if these companies were seriously targeting real girls (who might actually be old enough to cheer), why would they develop characters in ridiculously skimpy outfits that stink of Bratz?  Will you buy or play these games? Let us know.

Filed under: Cheer, Entertainment, General, Music by jane
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