It’s been four years since Alanis Morissette released her best-selling album “Jagged Little Pill,” which got tens of millions of people asking, “Isn’t it ironic?”

In the time since she’s gotten married, had a baby and by the sound of the first single off her new album “Havoc and Bright Lights,” out late August, she’s in a brighter place.

She said, “This record, as always, is a snapshot of what I currently obsess about, care about, and what strikes me at 4 in the morning in my most introspective moments.”

Check out this inspiring lyric video for “Guardian” before the single is available for purchase on itunes May 15.

Speaking of music…Following finding the link to Alanis’s video in my inbox, I found a story in one of my daily media news feeds with the headline, “Spotify Launches Two Matchmaking Apps that Let You Judge Your Dates by Their Taste in Music.”

One of them, called Tastebuds, says it, “Matches Spotify users based on which songs are in their collections of playlists and by the artists they play the most.”

Um, I love listening to my playlists that run the spectrum of music…But I’ve also been known to listen to Broadway show tunes, the My Little Mermaid soundtrack and lots of sappy singer/songwriters…Not sure what kind of ‘match’ that would successfully make for me.

When I moved from NYC to LA four years ago, it had been nearly seven years since I’d drove a car more than about a mile to the store when visiting my parents.

So, whether it was my nervousness about getting back behind the wheel, the problem one always encounters parking in LA or the simply the New Yorker in me that likes to walk, I continued to walk more places than most do in LA.

One day a friend of mine caught me and later said, “Jen, we don’t walk in LA.”

A day later, walking to her house, I passed the Paul Frank store and there it was, gleaming in the window, a beautiful hot pink and black beach cruiser. I bought it right out of the window. I walked it to the gas station on the corner to put air in the deflated tires (something that couldn’t be done before purchase since I bought it in a boutique that was otherwise a clothing store) – and as I was filling the tire with air, it popped.

I dragged my injured bike back to the shop and they replaced the tire with the one other bike they had and I was on my way.

I rode my bike around the neighborhood a bit over the next few weeks and then lost the thrill to ride a bit. The next time I went to take the bike out was a few months later and it had two very flat tires. It seems the tires on my beloved bike are defective and since I can’t throw it in the non-existent back of my 2-seater convertible, it has since reverted to being a rather large piece of decoration in my makeshift library/dining room.

Today, as summer has begun to creep into LA and I picked up some new summer clothes (like the new Johnny Was top in the picture above) I thought, ‘It would be a nice day for a bike ride.’

Sadly, rather than ride around in the sunshine, I can only sit on it in my pretty summer clothes and pretend.

The lesson I’m imparting here: Don’t buy a bike in a clothing shop.

Friends and I drove up to Coachella a day late where we cheated on Coachella by attending the parties rather than the performances, but despite the line-up at the festival, it was Friday night in LA where I was in the company of real rock royalty.

After a decade interviewing celebrities and attending star-studded parties, there are few of either that can really make an impression. But, I’m happy to say that there are many celebrities who continue to inspire me and there are still parties that can surprise me. This was evident Friday night when I was nearly spellbound in the shadow of A-list greatness in the intimate confines of Stella McCartney’s West Hollywood boutique where she hosted a screening party for the world premiere of “My Valentine,” a music video directed by her dad Paul McCartney featuring Natalie Portman and Johnny Depp interpreting the song from McCartney’s new album “Kisses on the Bottom” in sign language.

In the garden of the Stella McCartney store, Reese Whitherspoon and hubby Jim Toth, Gwen Stefani, Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin, Woody Harrelson, Orlando Bloom and Miranda Kerri, Ginnifer Goodwin and Josh Dallas, Kristen Stewart, Dave Grohl and Joan Jett were some of the stars silent as Paul personally introduced the video, explaining that it was his daughter Stella’s idea, how originally he tried it with just Natalie, then just Johnny and eventually decided upon the mash-up below.

A few broke out their camera phones while Paul McCartney was speaking, so this is a shot from my Blackberry:

And here are the videos of a really beautiful song, in the order Paul introduced an played them:

Natalie Portman:

Johnny Depp:

The final cut:

Love this “Hug Me” campaign created by Ogilvy & Mather.

Check out this video:

And more here on Tonic.com

Someone said to me yesterday, “Do you ever feel like you work so much you don’t get to really live?”

This person obviously doesn’t know me very well, or has a different interpretation on ‘living’ than I. From my perspective, my ‘work’ allows and has allowed me to live more than most have in lifetimes. Take the last few days for example, for ‘work’ I had to travel to Philadelphia for 36 hours to celebrate Virgin America’s inaugural launch to Philadelphia.

First, as most who know me are well aware, being a superfan of the Virgin brand and its founder Richard Branson, ‘working’ a Virgin America event is a treat more than a burden for me and the quick work trip afforded me quite a bit of living while working.

My ‘work’ related obligation for the trip was to invite and garner press. So, I brought along LA Times writer Matt Donnelly, a friend and Philly-native, and Gena Oppenheim, my former intern/assistant who’s now the West Coast darling of OK! Magazine.

This is us at the gate pre-departure with the tailgater from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia – at 5:30am.

This is us ‘working’ while alternately sipping coffee and free Karma champagne an hour later before Matt went up to first class for a bit to interview Amber Rose about her wedding planning and her fiancé Wiz Khalifa. Read his scoop here.

This is Amber Rose departing the plane where we were greeted by the mayor of Philadelphia and Sir Richard Branson as part of our red carpet welcome.

Inside the terminal there was more champagne waiting, Philly cheesesteaks and flip cup.

After taking a chartered shuttle to the Hotel Palomar and getting the keys to our beautiful rooms, courtesy of Virgin America, I had two hours prior to the party. Like I try to do in each city I visit, I asked the concierge if there’s a fun running route nearby and they gave me a jogger’s map with 3, 4 and 7 mile routes. I opted for the four-mile run with a stop to run the steps at The Philadelphia Museum of Art – called “The Rocky Steps” because they appeared in “Rocky”, and all four sequels!  That and the fresh air refreshed me for the rest of the run and the night ahead.

At the party I had to make sure reporters got the interviews they needed then danced the night away while DJ Jazzy Jeff manned the turntables. Check out this video of Jazzy Jeff’s day from his website.

Virgin America x DJ Jazzy Jeff from DJ Jazzy Jeff on Vimeo.

And Gena, Matt and I at the party…

The next day, after sleeping a little late in the comfy hotel bed, Gena and I walked around the city coffee shop-hopping to alternately work and explore the city, capping it off hunting down philly cheesesteaks locals consider tops at Mama Mia before indulging in a glass of complimentary wine while we waited for a cab to take us back to the airport for the ride home – where yes, I took advantage of the in-flight Wifi and I worked, pitching all the magazines and blogs to write about an amazing Virgin America event, attended by Gossip Girl’s Penn Bagdley and girlfriend Zoe Kravitz (below with Richard Branson)

Amber Rose, Jon Gosselin (he lives in the area), M. Night Shyamalan, Seth Green, Terrence Howard, a bunch of Philadelphia Flyers and more.

Yes, it’s work, but someone’s gotta do it, and I’m happy to oblige. I even get to live a little while I’m doing it.

Perhaps the most genetically blessed baby since Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt had their twins came into the world tonight when Genevieve and Jared Padalecki became parents to a baby boy. He was born a few days after his due date, but today happens to be/would be my dad’s birthday. My mom is Jared and Gen’s biggest fans, first seeing them on TV, but more so after she met them last year, so I’m sure she’ll find the coincidence a heart-warming one and adore this couple more than she already does.

After she met them she said, “I like them so much because you can see how much they love each other, they have that rare, special kind of love your dad and I had.”

And now, my mom will probably spoil that kid like the grandchild my sister and I haven’t given her yet…She already knit them this blank for Gen’s baby shower!

Congratulations, Mozel Tov, Gefeliciteerd, Felicitazioni, Felicidades, a million congratulations in every language. Wishing you the best of health and happiness. Love you!

PS: In lieu of gifts, if you would like to help bring Gen and Jared a smile by helping a child in honor of Baby Padalecki, donate here to St. Jude!

Recently returned from a week living on a bus in Austin!

Well, I took interludes for sleep elsewhere, but otherwise most my time at SXSW 2012 was spent on the CanWeNetwork’s cool, tricked out double-decker bus as it cruised around the streets of Austin.

My goal when I left my job as a magazine editor was to mix things up with fun, creative projects that I enjoy and challenge me and this one certainly fit the bill.

I was part of a team that helped with programming, sponsorships and press for the CanWeNetwork’s first ‘stunt’ to spread the word about a pair of mobile apps they’ll be launching soon designed to identify and connect users with high-valued, authenticated opportunities and introductions and feel privileged to have been part of the dynamic group. Together, we exceeded even our own expectations.

With little time to prepare, we made a splash in Austin in a big way.

Cisco Adler performed on the bus as we took cast from Sunset Strip The Movie to the red carpet of their SXSW premiere (keep up on where you can catch this film documenting 100 years of history of The Sunset Strip, with cameos from the likes of Johnny Depp, Courtney Love, Keanu Reeves and Tommy Lee here).

We served as the setting for Balthazar Getty and KO aka The Totally Wow, to film a music video – while Chris Masterson manned the turntables:

Balthazar, who many of us last saw on Brothers & Sisters, told me, “With acting you have to wait for people to hire you, with music you can manifest your own destiny.” He also told me he writes many of the raps! Check out more about the act here.

Oh, and he also wanted to see what it was like navigating the big bus:

Kevin Smith’s preferred mode of transportation since the infamous incident on a Southwest Airlines flight last year is by bus and we happily drove Jay and Kevin Smith (aka Jay and Silent Bob) to an event.

We ran into DJ Spider, one of my favorites, and convinced him to stay a few extra days to join Chris Masterson as a resident DJ, we hosted a listening party for Timbaland and his crew of more than a dozen, we took the bus by the Doritos Jacked Maxim Party and took a short break to watch Snoop Dogg perform – and enjoy things like mini sliders stuffed with Doritos!

And probably the most fun, besides bonding with the brilliant minds behind the CanWeNetwork and the amazing team they put together, were the smiles the party bus elicited from all of the people we passed by and the several thousands we got literally dancing in the streets.

We let the good times roll and had so much fun, we’re not done! By Day 2 it was decided to take the show on the road, so follow @canwenetwork to see when the bus may be coming through a city near you!

*Special thanks to Fiji Water and Body Armor for keeping thousands of festival-goers in Austin hydrated as we seeded your beverages through the streets, Shiner for quenching our thirst for a great can of beer, Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf Austin for waking us up in the morning, Baked by Melissa Cupcakes for making us look forward to waking up in the morning and Popcorn, Indiana for satiating our taste for salty and sweet with ginormous bags of Popcorn, Indiana!

And more photos…

Can you spot Matthew Lillard?

* All photos courtesy of photographer du jour Dalton Campbell – who went to great heights for the perfect photo!

Flipping through Self Magazine the other day I saw a simple recipe for a slimmed-down version of the Samoa’s. My sister is in town visiting, so I tore out the recipe, thinking it would be fun to spend a night in baking the Smart Cookie version of the famous Girl Scout cookie.

Here’s what a Girl Scout Samoa looks like:

Here are the ingredients and directions for the Smart Cookie Recipe:

· 1/2 cup sweetened coconut

Sister and her little cart for few ingredients at Ralph's

· 24 reduced-fat Nilla wafers

· Parchment paper

· 12 chewy caramels

· 1/4 cup skim milk

· 1 oz. dark or semisweet chocolate chips (3 tbsp.)

Heat oven to 300 degrees. On a baking sheet, toast coconut, turning every 5 minutes, until golden, 15-20 minutes. Let cool. Cover a cookie sheet with parchment; set wafers on top. In a bowl, microwave caramels and milk on high, stirring often, until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes. With a spatula, fold coconut into caramel mixture. Spread 1 tbsp mixture onto each wafer. Let cookies cool, 5 minutes. Microwave chocolate, stirring often, until melted, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer into a small resueable bag; snip off corner. Drizzle cookies with chocolate; let cool.

Yields 24 Cookies. Nutrition Facts per Cookie: 52 calories, 2g fat, 1g saturated fat, 8g carbs, 0g fiber, 1g protein.

Here’s our finished product:

Here’s what we learned:

1. Except for toasting the coconut, there’s not much ‘baking’ involved in making these cookies.

2. Watch the chocolate in the microwave. Ours melted, re-solidified, then burned a hole through the semi-microwave safe plastic bowl.

3. Dark chocolate chips burnt in a microwave, perhaps containing bits of plastic, do not taste good.

4. Getting the sticky caramel off the bowl requires a bit of clean-up.

5. Thankfully, we wouldn’t know…See #2. We used the caramel bowl to make the chocolate after. It melted. No clean up required.

6.They taste like Nilla Wafers – with stuff on top.

7. ‘Baking’ with a sibling or friend is fun

Late January I flew from LA to NYC for 36 hours for a 9-hour shoot with Taylor Momsen. Returning to the roots of her Gossip Girl character Jennie Humphrey, we shot in a Brooklyn loft on a crisp but sunny winter day. Since we last saw her scheming on GG, Taylor’s been busy pursuing her primary passion making – music. Her band The Pretty Reckless is currently touring Oz before they embark on a tour through the US, they released a 5-song EP today on itunes and recently, the video for “You.”

I’ll admit that I hadn’t listened to the band until I researched Taylor pre-interview, but now I’m legitimately a fan. Taylor’s rocker chic music is a fantastic soundtrack for a workout and she has those songs that just get stuck in your head. Take a look yourself in the video!

And, pick up a copy of the March FHM, on stands in the US now, if you want to see 10 pages of Taylor in compromising positions – from seductively posing on a stove to wrapping her arms around her nearly naked friend, adult film star Jenna Haze. Oh, and don’t forget to read the article as your flipping through to learn what Taylor told me about life on the road, working since she was three-years-old, dating and her advice to men to get her attention.

The reviews were bad and I hear the product placement is irreverent, yet “Lorax” debuted to a surprising $70.7 million at the box office it’s opening weekend! Personally, they had me at Dr. Seuss, but this commercial helped reel me in as well. Gotta love those commercials you’re halfway through before you realize they’re a commercial.