Ariana Grande Covers Teen Vogue February Issue

Twenty year old singer/actress Ariana Grande looks adorable on the Teen Vogue February cover which hit newsstands January 2nd, 2014.


Ariana Grande-Butera, known professionally as Ariana Grande, is an American actress, singer, and songwriter. Ariana grew up in Boca Raton, Florida where she attended North Broward Preparatory School.


Photos are courtesy of Teen Vogue


You can read their write up on Ariana Grande by clicking here. Make sure to pick up the February issue of Teen Vogue when it hits newsstands on January 2nd.

BEST OF 2013: Video: Tall Ship Victory Chimes "Home To Rockland"

Doug Mills
Maine Windjammer Project
www.mainewindjammerproject.com

As long as I can remember I have watched the Victory Chimes sail into Rockland harbor.  Today I find myself at the Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse filming that same ship and feeling that same old thrill.
The Victory Chimes, built in 1900, has been sailing the cool blue waters of the Atlantic for 113 years!

BEST OF 2013: The Ultimate Tall Ship Photo Safari

The Ultimate Tall Ship Photo Safari

Story and photos By
 Doug Mills
Maritime Editor
RCN America Network

Since I was a little boy I have dreamed of sailing on the Victory Chimes. I would watch her sail in and out of the harbor year after year and dream.
Never give up on your dreams! On July 4th 2011 the Victory Chimes sailed from Rockland, Maine to participate in the Great Schooner Race, the largest annual gathering of tall ships in North America. I  was on board, with my son,that week to host the ultimate tall ship photography cruise.
This this was our chance to see and photograph these tall ships put through their paces at the Great Schooner Race. We got to experience firsthand the romance of sailing these historic ships.

   This was not my first trip out on the “Big Boats”,but it would be my first full week sailing, my first time participating in The Great Schooner Race and my first time leading a photography workshop.
   We boarded the Victory chimes on Sunday after supper and spent the evening getting settled into our cabins and getting to know the rest of the passengers and crew.
Day 1
   We sailed after breakfast with a heavy fog on the bay.  Passing North Haven in the fog we turned up the bay toward Cape Rosier and Castine.  By noon the fog had been replaced by bright sun.  As we sailed into Castine harbor the afternoon sun became clouded by oncoming thunderheads.
   Through the late afternoon the fleet assembled in Smith’s Cove just east of Castine.  What a sight to see all this history anchored in one cove.  Many of these historic boats were over 100 years old!
   Lobster dinner and a spectacular sunset and it is time to turn in.

Day 2
   What an amazing sight, to come up on deck and find the water like glass with the last of the morning fog still clinging to the water and the morning sun bright overhead.
   Today is race day!  This morning all the captains meet on board the Victory Chimes to determine the final course for The Great Schooner Race of 2011.  After breakfast all the boats make sail and head out through Castine harbor toward the starting line.
   The race starts at 11;00 AM in spite of a lack of wind.  The wind did pick up by mid-afternoon with the Mary Day crossing the finish line first.
   The fleet anchored East of Stonington with fireworks and another great sunset to end the day.

Day 3
   After breakfast we sailed into Stonington Harbor in the morning fog.  What an amazing town.  Once a busy port shipping Maine granite all  over the world, now it is a busy fishing village.  The harbor is filled with colorful lobster boats and the shops were like stepping back in time to the 50’s.  Everywhere you turned there was another exciting picture!  By noon we were back on the boat and sailing east.

   Our destination for the night would be Wooden Boat Cove, a place that attracts sailors of wooden boats like honey attracts bears.  This little cove in Brooklin, Maine is the home of The Wooden Boat School and Wooden Boat Magazine.  This is a place that is very close to the heart of the sailing industry, a place almost sacred to those who sail these old wooden boats.
  Thunder showers at sunset set us up for some spectacular photographs to end the day.

Ariana Grande Covers 'Cosmopolitan' February 2014 Issue

Twenty year old singer/actress Ariana Grande looks great in a sexy blue cut out dress as she covers the February cover of Cosmopolitan.

On being a positive role model: “I think I’m an old soul. What excites younger people doesn’t excite me… I’m kind of a boring, normal girl who likes Harry Potter and to sit in her pajamas and sing. A lot of my friends are partiers, but I’ve never really clicked with that. I like Barbra Streisand, and when was the last time you saw Babs getting, like, turnt up? That’s kind of the road that I, as a lady, would like to go down."

On dealing with her Twitter haters: "Oh, they’re evil as hell! I don’t even block them anymore, because I feel like it’s giving them negativity in return. So I just let it happen and forgive them and move on. Those people are fighting their own battles."

On her first date with Nathan Sykes, the youngest member of British boy band The Wanted: "“We were going back to his hotel to watch a movie, and he had Ladurée macarons and sunflowers waiting—I love Parisian baked goods, and sunflowers are my favorite flower. He had taken the DVD player out of the bedroom and into the living room, because he said he didn’t want to take me into the bedroom on the first date.”

Still, when your life moves as fast as Grande's does right now, nothing's guaranteed (except that whatever happens will be fodder for another hit song). Maybe that's one reason she remains wary of going too public with her relationships. "Sometimes people get too fixated on what people are going to say," she says, recalling the grief she got when she Instagrammed a friendly kiss from former tourmate Justin Bieber. "At the end of the day, you're in a relationship because you love that person, not because of what other people think."

On making a name for herself in the music industry: “I never really expected to be taken seriously as an artist, and it’s just been the ultimate, proudest achievement. I’ve dealt with a lot of people not knowing what to expect from me because of my age and my personality. People often mistake my kindness for weakness, and they didn’t expect much from me, because at the end of the day, I’m just a nice Italian girl from Boca."

For all of Ariana Grande's exclusive interview and fashion shoot with Cosmopolitan, pick up the new issue on newsstands January 7th.

Ariana Grande-Butera, known professionally as Ariana Grande, is an American actress, singer, and songwriter. Ariana grew up in Boca Raton, Florida where she attended North Broward Preparatory School.

Photos Credit: Matt Jones

Gabrielle Douglas Turns Eighteen Today

Gymnast Gabrielle Douglas from Virginia Beach, Virginia  celebrates a very special birthday today as she turns eighteen.

Gabrielle Christina Victoria "Gabby" Douglas is an American artistic gymnast. As a member of the U.S. Women's Gymnastics team at the 2012 Summer Olympics, she won gold medals in both the individual all-around and team competitions.

You can wish Gabrielle a very Happy 18th Birthday by going to her twitter here.

Very Happy Birthday Gabrielle Douglas!! We hope you have a wonderful day and upcoming year.

BEST OF 2013: Video: "Living History" The Maine Windjammer Project

Lewis R French built 1871 at the Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse Rockland, Maine

Doug Mills
Maine Author Photographer
The Maine Windjammer Project
I spent yesterday morning in one of my favorite places in all the world.  The Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse, where my grandfather served as assistant keeper in 1912.  Who would have thought that I would end up working in the same place as my grandfather.  No I am not the keeper of the Rockland Breakwater Light, I am keeper of a different kind of light.  I am a keeper of the light of history.  My job is to preserve our history especially our sailing history and heritage for the generations yet unborn.

Stephen Taber built 1871

History is an odd thing, many of histories most important moments just slip past our eyes disguised as everyday life.  For hundreds of years sailing ships on the coast of Maine were so common and so numerous that no one payed them any mind.  Today only a handful of these beautiful craft are still sailing.  I stand in awe watching ships that were built in the 1800 and early 1900 sail past the old lighthouse, still making there way in this modern age, still making a profit for their owners!

Two of the ships that slipped past my cameras were built in 1871, the Lewis R French and the Stephen Taber.  The Isaac Evans , built in 1886, was as strong and graceful as the day she was built, as she sailed past on the morning breeze.  The last to come home was American Eagle, built in 1930.  She spent the first half of her life catching fish and transporting them to market.  Now she catches people and transports them on the vacation of a lifetime.

All too soon it is time to leave my retreat and return to the studio refreshed and inspired.

To learn more about The Maine Windjammer Project you can go to: www.mainewindjammerproject.com

Isaac H. Evans Built 1886

American Eagle built 1930

BEST OF 2013: Rockland Lobster Boat Races Took Center Stage (Photos & Video)

Rockland, Maine - Rockland's annual Lobster Boat Races took center stage off the breakwater on Sunday June 16th, 2013 where several boats showed up for a great morning of racing. Many people came out to enjoy seeing Lobster boats race each other to see who is the fastest.

Race Results:

WORK BOATS UNDER 24 FEET
Race 1 – CLASS A Skiffs 16-feet and under with outboards up to 30 hp, Operator 18 years and younger:
No entrants

Race 2 – CLASS B Inboards, outboards or outdrives, 31 to 90 hp:
1) J-Bird, Marshall Spear (39.1 mph)
2) Galley Gofer, Robert Curtis
3) Clusta, Al Strout
4) Bella Crie, Christopher Knight Jr.
) Quick Penetration, Roger Feltis

Race 3 – CLASS C Inboards, outboards or outdrives, 91 hp and up:

Ariana Grande Arrives In Tokyo

Tokyo, Japan - Twenty year old singer/actress Ariana Grande looked beautiful in a white top, black skirt and high heels as she arrived in Tokyo, Japan with Frank James Grande on December 31st, 2013.

Ariana Grande-Butera born June 26, 1993, known professionally as Ariana Grande, is an American actress, singer, and songwriter. Ariana grew up in Boca Raton, Florida where she attended North Broward Preparatory School. Grande made her acting debut in 2008 in the role of Charlotte in 13 on Broadway. From 2010 until 2013, she played Cat Valentine on the Nickelodeon sitcom Victorious and is reprising the role on the spinoff Sam & Cat.

In March 2013, Grande reached mainstream success after her single "The Way" from her debut studio album Yours Truly (2013) became a top-ten hit on the Billboard Hot 100. The album received critical acclaim and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200.

Photos Credit: Getty Images