Hello, gURL.com!

Hey everyone!  My name is Ashley and I’m the new intern for Gurl.com!  I’m 22-years-old and was born and raised in Los Angeles.  I graduated from Howard University last May and I currently live in Brooklyn with two friends who I’ve known since middle school; we’ve managed not to bite each others heads off yet!  When I’m not refreshing Tumblr every few seconds, I’m usually writing, eating, listening to music, or masochistically online window shopping.

Anyway, here’s 10 facts about me so that you’ll have a better idea of who y’all are dealing with:

1. I’m one of the biggest Harry Potter nerds you’ll ever have the misfortune to know.  Seriously, I won’t hesitate to debate the intricacies of Wizarding society and its effect on Muggle-borns in 1978.  Yeah, I’m at that level.  But hey, I got a hug from Rupert Grint once, so I must be doing something right.
2. I make the best homemade macaroni and cheese.  Period.
3. Style is one of my biggest passions.  I’m all about making a style statement whether I’m going to a party, stopping by the drugstore, or taking over the top selfies at home.  Life is too short to look boring and play it safe.  
4. I am the queen of 90s/early 00s television trivia.  I’ve been known to quote Lizzie McGuire without a hint of irony.
5. London is my favorite city.   I studied abroad there during my junior year of college and it was seriously the best 6 months of my life.
6. I have a pretty dope afro.  It’s so dope, in fact, that strangers love to touch it and stick things in it without my permission.  Please, don’t ever be one of those people, please.
7. I am incredibly opinionated.  Almost to a fault, actually.  I’m the chick who’ll debate your sweet ol’ granny if she says something that rubs me the wrong way.
8. I met President Obama once.  He had really soft hands.
9. Music is one of the most important things in my life.  I’m especially fond of indie rock, oldies, and terrible pop music.  I also love going to concerts!
10. I hate mint chocolate.  It is the most vile food combination ever devised.  I don’t understand the appeal and I never will.  Honestly, this is probably the most important thing you need to know about me.

Over time I’m sure you’ll either love me or find me super annoying, but never hesitate to tell me what you think!  I’m incredibly chatty so feel free to ask me any and all questions in the comments!

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Have you met Julie? Well, you should, because she’s hilarious. | Photo credit: Mindy Tucker

We were lucky enough to actually talk to Julie Klausner before, so we were super psyched to check back in with her after reading her new novel, Art Girls Are Easy. It’s about 15-year-old Indy, who is headed back to art camp – though this summer proves to be way more dramatic than previous years.

If you’ve ever gone to camp, crushed on someone older, loved art, had a best friend or just enjoy laughing, then there’s something in this book for you. We wanted to get to know Julie even better, so she answered some of our burning questions on a few of our favorite topics (Food! Crushes! Social media!).

What were you like in high school?
I WAS A NIGHTMARE! I was so unhappy, oh lord. And really angry. I wanted to have friends so badly, and yet I couldn’t have worked harder at pushing people away. And yet, none of my tastes jibed with my disposition. I wasn’t, like, into Ministry. I listened to They Might Be Giants. I watched Kids in the Hall obsessively. I carried big books around to seem smarter. I would send a photo, but that would spiral me into a deep depression, or at least a bout of horrible coughing from all the dust I’d have to plow through to find one. Just picture me with a fatter face, wearing a flannel shirt over a babydoll dress over jeans, holding a copy of Helter Skelter, or in a Sub Pop “Loser” t-shirt, eating a Subway tuna fish 12-inch in my car. I know, you’re jealous. It’s okay.

What’s the worst fight you ever had with a friend?
I’ve had a few bad fights with people I’m still friends with, but the ones that hurt are from fights that ended the relationships completely. I can think of one where I was in the wrong and the other where she totally was. But let’s not talk about those–they’re too painful. I can actually deal with some romantic breakups with less heartache than I still experience when I discuss the best friends that got away. In fact, to even tell you about the details of those fights seem like a huge breach of confidence. I can’t answer this question! I have too much loyalty to my female friends, even the ones who currently hate me! And this is coming from somebody who wrote a book about her romantic misadventures. Take that as you will.

Have you ever had a crush on an older guy? What happened?
Totally, and nothing. It wasn’t for any lack of intensity or intention on my part! Believe me, I tried. But ultimately, I just lived in my head for a really long time because I had no other choice. Then I got older and things got a little better. But the problem with being an adolescent person is that your hormones make you insane for a pretty long period before your brain or your body or your maturity level follows suit. You just have to sweat it out, or be patient. God knows I was never good at being patient. But time passes even if you aren’t. That’s the good news!

This should be on YOUR summer reading list!

What’s on your summer reading list?
I’m looking forward to reading the new David Sedaris book. Emily Bazelton’s Sticks and Stones, and Stephen King’s Shining sequel, Dr. Sleep When does that come out? Damn it, a Google search says September. I’ll be reading Google searches for Dr. Sleep this summer. And magazines on the beach! Shout-out to magazines.

What would be your perfect meal?
Just, like, a garbage bag-full amount of spaghetti. With marinara sauce and cheese. Honestly, if I died suffocating eating that much pasta, I’d be really happy with how my life ended. If a little confused about how events led me to that fate. Oh, and I want a brownie chaser. A brownie the size of a large dog. Like, a Saint Bernard. Not a labrador. I’m not on a diet! I basically have the appetites of a glutton, and the tastes of an eight year old girl. If I could only order from the children’s menu for the rest of my life, I’d be thrilled. Chicken nuggets, plain ziti, ice cream sundaes. Done.

What relationship advice do you wish you learned earlier?
It gets better. In terms of how you react to stuff. That’s literally it. Oh, and that everything will be okay because you’re a rock star.

Twitter or Facebook?
Twitter! Twitter rules. You can just blurt out whatever joke or thought occurs to you, and you get instant feedback from strangers as well as from people you know or like and respect! Where as, on Facebook, if you say or post something and one of your dumb-ass friends weighs in, you can’t ignore him. I mean, I guess you can. But it’s a whole thing. The element of “Oh great! My cousin is weighing in on this photo of me. Cool, now I know that.” And if you delete him, you’ve ruined Passover. Whereas on Twitter, you can watch B-celebrities have a breakdown in real time, or interact with real celebrities, and how surreal is that? Plus you get the news on your feed before you ever did on TV? Oh, if I could marry Twitter I would.

Check out Julie’s new book, Art Girls Are Easy! Seriously, you can buy it now (it’s available in both paperback and as an e-book!).

Did you enjoy this interview with Julie Klausner? What other questions would you have for her? Will you be putting Art Girls Are Easy on your summer reading list? Tell us in the comments!

Check out our interview with Troian Bellisario!

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Our favorite ladies over at Crushable tipped us off to an Entertainment Tonight segment from last night’s SAG Awards where JL’s parents gushed about how they have an amazing daughter – but not in a super braggy way, you know? Like in a, just two super sweet and proud parents speaking the truth way. Check out the video below:

Basically, Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence and I should hang out, because talking about how amazing JL is has become one of my number one hobbies. Yet again, this snippet into the world of Jennifer confirms that she remains the most down-to-earth gal going. Who hasn’t been pretend embarrassed at their dad when he actually says something really nice?!

I find Jennifer so relatable, that I’ve convinced myself that this exact interview could easily have been my parents at my high school graduation. Only instead of a sweet award my actor friends gave me, I was holding a diploma, and instead of a designer dress, I wore a shapeless graduation gown. Also, instead of ET being there, it was just my math teacher. But still, the basic feel-goodness is the same!

It was nice to get to hear from her parents, especially since I remember being really touched by what Jennifer said about her family in her Golden Globes acceptance speech. As a girl with two brothers myself, I especially appreciated her shout-out to her siblings: “I wouldn’t be who I am today without you being mean to me, but then really supportive and loving constantly.” That basically sums up my relationship with my brothers. Seriously, JL, call me if you want to have one big family hang-out!

Did you watch the SAG Awards last night? Does seeing Jennifer’s super normal and nice family make you like her even more? Tell us in the comments!

Check out what Jennifer had to say about acting.

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How CUTE is he?! | Source: Dominic Chan/WENN.com

Every time I think that there’s no possible way that I could love Ryan Gosling any more than I already do, he goes and does something that makes it possible. Or, in this case, he did something a really long time ago that’s just surfacing now, and it’s just more proof that he is the number one most amazing man ever (okay, fine, number 2 after my dad. Okay, FINE, my real life BF can be number 2. So Ryan’s third).

But seriously, you guys have to watch this. Canada AM, a CTV talk show in Canada, is celebrating it’s 40th anniversary. And that means they’ve released a bunch of seriously amazing old videos – like this one of a 12-year-old Ryan Gosling being interviewed just after he landed the role as a Disney Mouseketeer.

I cannot even handle this video. Just look at adorable pre-pubescent Ryan. He’s obviously always had the ability to charm the pants off of people – and he’s also always had his signature sly smile. All of that combined with his Canadian accent is too cute for words. I want to be the girlfriend of 12-year-old Ryan… and then stay his girlfriend. Forever.

But after watching this video, I have one majorly important question: why isn’t Ryan singing and/or dancing anymore? I mean, he’s hot enough as it is when he’s pining over the love of his life or brooding somewhere mysterious. But imagine what it would be like to see grown-up Ryan shaking his perfect butt and belting out a few tunes? I’ll tell you what it would be like: amazing.

Check out the video for yourself – and make sure you watch the beginning, where you get to see him singing and dancing. Ryan, I’m sure you already know this, but you can sing “Achy Breaky Heart” to me any day, as long as you promise to wiggle your eyebrows like that.

Are you a Ryan Gosling fan? What do you think about this video – is it totally adorable? Who’s your biggest celebrity crush? Tell us in the comments!

12 supernatural shows from the ’90s

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Don’t know Ester yet? Well, she’s pretty awesome and big on the song writing scene. She’s written songs for people like Katy Perry, Beyonce, Nicki Minaj, Kelly Clarkson, Rihanna and Lil Wayne. Badass, right?

Pumped to see Pitch Perfect this weekend? Let us know in the comments.

Learn how to make a super cute clock

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This post written in partnership with Pitch Perfect, now playing in select theaters and everywhere Friday.

What would you do if you met your fave celeb? Let us know in the comments!

Next, check out this exclusive (and too cute for words!) preview scene from The Amazing Spider-Man from our friends over at Teen.com!

What’s your cheesiest pickup line? Let us know in the comments!

Adorbz | /

The not-even-14-years-old-yet fashionista is a totally chic fashion blogger, model, and actress. We love her fun, flirty style, fashion tips, and crazy cool Instagram.

We gave Alli the Big Gurl Ten where she dished on her big bro’s advice, her favorite sneakers, and Josh Hutcherson.

1. What’s your worst date story?
My worst date story.. was when a guy I really liked took me out to the movies. I was wearing a white dress, and as we were walking in, he spilt his buttery popcorn all over me. Hahaha it was crazy, but we laughed it off.

2. If you could have one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?
If I could only eat one food for the rest of my life it would definitely be sushi. I love sushi! I would easily eat it every day. Without a doubt.

3. Whose phone number do you wish you had?
I wish I had.. Josh Hutchetson’s phone number! Because he is really hot, and he’s my celebrity crush!

ShutterStock.com

5. What’s your secret nickname?
To be honest I don’t have a secret nick name! All of my friends have their own little nickname for me! Haha.

6. What’s the guiltiest pleasure on your iPod?
My guiltiest pleasure on my iPod/iPhone would be the app Instagram! I’m addicted to it! Constantly posting photos on it.

7. Best advice you ever got?
The best advice I’ve ever got, was given to me by my big brother Cody. He tells me, “you’re only young once” in other words.. YOYO!

9. Instant pick me up?
An instant pick me up for me, would be a funny text from a friend or family member!

10. Describe high school you in 3 words
Confident, classy and respectful

Check out our PASTRY Sugar Rush Sneaker Giveaway! They are totally cute for summer!

Are you obsessed with Instagram? Let us know in the comments!

Adorkable |

We gave Pubes the Big Gurl Ten and she overshared her love of unicorns, Rusty Sprinkler, oh and the time she ate dog poop!

1. What’s your worst date story?
You just had to rub it in, huh? I’ve never been on a date. Unless you count watching boys skate at a skate park behind a barbed-wired fence.

2. If you could only have one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?
I shouldn’t even have to answer that. PIZZA. Duh.

3. Whose phone number do you wish you had?
The best, hottest, most talented male singer in the world, Rusty Sprinkler’s, of course!!! Sigh, drool, sigh, drool…

Remember class pizza parties? | ShutterStock.com

5. What’s your secret nickname?
On paper I’m “Pubertina,” but all my friends call me “Pubes” or “Pubey.”

6. What’s the guiltiest pleasure on your iPod?
It’s this song off one of those personalized cds you get as a kid–you know, where they insert your name into the songs? The song’s called “Pubertina Goes to the Zoo.” There are never songs on the radio about Pubertinas.

7. Best advice you ever got?
To be honest, all the advice I’ve gotten has been pretty awful. Like: “Wear a bag over your head.”

We've been here too. |

There’s a new episode of Pubertina every Wednesday at 3pm Eastern over on Shut Up! Cartoons. And we always post her latest, right here on Gurl!

What was your most embarrassing puberty moment? Let us know in the comments!