Happy Birthday Mary-Kate and Ashley!

Happy birthday, Mary-Kate and Ashley! Today, the girls celebrate turning 23 years old! Born in 1986 in Sherman Oaks, California to David Olsen and Jarnette Fuller, the girls have accomplished so much during their lives.

In the past year alone, Mary-Kate starred in The Wackness, made a guest appearance on Samantha Who? and was a Tribeca Film Festival juror.

The girls collaborated to release a book, Influence, and expand both the Row and Elizabeth and James into menswear, developed jewelry and a shoe line for Elizabeth and James.

Many of these projects have been in the works for years, but they only became realized recently. I’m so proud of Mary-Kate and Ashley and all they’ve accomplished. They’ve grown into sophisticated, intelligent and successful young women. I’m excited to see what the coming year has in store for them!

Images: Newscom

Nylon Profiles Elizabeth & James for Steve Madden

The May 2009 issue of Nylon (the one with The Wackness star Olivia Thirlby and Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist star Kat Dennings on the cover) has a small but great profile about Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen’s upcoming collaboration with shoe guru Steve Madden.

The line, Elizabeth and James for Steve Madden, is expected to hit stores in a few short months. And not just any stores, either. It’s the first Steve Madden line to be featured at the likes of Bergdorf Goodmans, Neiman Marcus, Intermix and more.

The brand is a bit of a higher price point than other Steve Madden lines, but it is on par with the Elizabeth and James clothing lines.

Nylon interviews both Mary-Kate and Steve about the collaboration and each only had fantastic things to say about each other, the creative process and the line itself. The previews for the line have been really exciting and I can’t wait until they hit stores.

Be sure to pick up a copy of Nylon and check the interview out for yourself! You can also preview the issue online at Nylonmag.com.

Mary-Kate Olsen Presents at the Spirit Awards

Mary-Kate Olsen was a presenter at the 24th annual Independent Spirit Awards on February 21. The casual indie ceremony was held in a tent on the beach in Santa Monica and honored the best in independent filmmaking in 2008.

Mary-Kate presented the award for “Best First Screenplay” with her The Wackness costar, Ben Kingsley. The Award was won by Dustin Lance Black for his film, Milk, which chronicled the life and times of America’s first elected gay official, Harvey Milk. Dustin beat out Jonathan Levine for The Wackness.

Many great films, filmmakers and actors were honored. You can see the list of nominees and winners here.

I think MK looked beautiful at the awards. I love that she was asked to present – it shows how she’s been embraced by the independent film community. In her interview with FASHION she said she has a couple projects on the table for 2009 – I wonder if any of them will be independent films!

Mary-Kate Olsen at Independent Spirit Awards

Mary-Kate Olsen looked stunning at the Independent Spirit Awards last night! I love her simple black dress and soft, romantic hair.

The Independent Spirit Awards were held in a tent on the beach in Santa Monica. The Spirit Awards honor filmmakers who embody the idea and spirit of independence and challenge the film making industry as it stands today.

The Wrestler took home Best Feature and its star, Mickey Rourke won Best Male Lead. Vicky Cristina Barcelona took home best screenplay and its star, Penelope Cruz, won Best Supporting Female. You can see the complete list of winners at the official website.

Mary-Kate’s film, The Wackness was nominated for Best First Screenplay, its writer, Jonathan Levine, lost out to Dustin Lance Black and his film, Milk.

Congratulations Anna, Winner of The Wackness DVD!

Last month, MKAshley held a contest to win a copy of the DVD The Wackness, starring Josh Peck, Ben Kingsley, Fame Janssen and Mary-Kate Olsen!

The winner was drawn randomly from all the entrants using a random number generator. Anna’s name was drawn from all the entrants! Congrats Anna!

The Wackness is a coming-of-age tale sent in 1994 in New York City. Recent high school graduate, Luke (played by Josh Peck) navigates his way through an unforgettable summer that wooing the girl of his dreams, dealing drugs to people like Union, a flower child played by MK, and more.

The DVD and Blu-Ray are currently available on Amazon.

Review of Mary-Kate Olsen in FASHION

Mary-Kate Olsen graces the March 2009 cover of Canadian magazine FASHION. My copy arrived today, so, of course, I immediately sat down to read it!

The interview with MK is very short. They chat about how busy she is, and about her clothing lines with Ashley and how the two of them work together to oversee their design teams.

They also chat about her acting career. She has a few projects lined up for 2009, but wouldn’t talk about them because it’s still too early. I’m excited to find out what she has in store for us this year. She was great in The Wackness and during her one-episode guest spot on Samantha Who?. I wonder if she has more movies in the works or television guest spots or both!

The editorial spread, which is four full page photos, is black and white and very ethereal. MK looks gorgeous and serene. The clothes are simple and elegant and the spread really shows us a softer, more grown-up side to Mary-Kate.

My only complaint? That both the article and editorial spread was longer. We barely touch the surface of MK and her many, many projects in these short six pages.

Image: Pacific Coast News

WIN The Wackness on DVD!

The DVD for The Wackness came out today! In honor of that, MKAshley is giving away a free copy.

The Wackness is a coming-of-age tale set in New York City in the early nineties. Josh Peck plays Luke Shapiro, a lonely teenager who, in the first summer after high school, takes on an interesting part-time job to make some cash. Along the way to self-discovery, he starts hanging out with his high school crush, Stephanie, played by Olivia Thirlby, as well as his shrink, played by Ben Kingsley.

Mary-Kate Olsen plays one of Luke’s loyal customers, a hippie chick named Union. Her role is small, but MK absolutely transforms. And you can’t forget about the infamous kissing scene with Ben Kingsley?!

The DVD includes extras such as deleted scenes, two mini-documentaries- “Keeping it Real” which looks at a day in the life of writer/director Jonathan Levine, and “Time in a Bottle” which looks at the behind the scenes happening on the set of The Wackness, the first episode of “The Luke Shapiro Show” and commentary from Jonathan Levine and star Josh Peck.

To enter, all you have to do is comment on this post and leave a valid email address. Answer the following question:

What sort of role do you want to see Mary-Kate do next?

The contest will close January 31st at 11:59pm.

Good luck!

Mary-Kate Olsen’s Best Moments of 2008

Mary-Kate Olsen had a breakout year in 2008, elevating her status as both an actress and a fashion designer. Here’s a look back at her top five moments of the past year.

Do you agree? Disagree? What Mary-Kate moments should-and shouldn’t?-be on the list? Let me know in the comments!

5) Gracing the cover of Elle

Mary-Kate looked confident and beautiful on the cover of Elle. She was on the cover of the US version in July and the UK version in September. While Elle consistently places hot celebrities on their covers, choosing Mary-Kate showed the world the power and passion the pint-sized mogul has as well as further defining MK’s relevance and appeal as a fashion designer and trend-setter.

4) Her relationship with Nate Lowman

Stepping out with boyfriend Nate Lowman may not seem like the biggest deal. But for the first time in a long time, MK seems happy, healthy, confident and in love-and doesn’t care who knows it! While the couple remains extremely private, their occasional PDA and public outings together shows me that MK has a boyfriend who care about her and is there for her and she has a relationship she’s proud of.

3) Launching Influence

Mary-Kate and sister Ashley broke the rules with their fashion book Influence. It was more than a celebrity memoir, it was an introspective look at several people who have not only shaped MK and Ashley as people, but the fashion world as a whole, receiving rave reviews from fans and critics alike. Except more celebrity projects in the future to be less about the celebrities themselves and have the substance, insight and intelligence of this beautiful book.

2) Her guest appearance on Samantha Who?

2008 was the year MK got back into acting. Her one episode stint on Samantha Who? showed the world she can do comedy as well as drama and can fit seamlessly into a cast of characters. Because of her fame, MK is often noted for the fact she’s in a television show or film moreso than her actual appearance. Mary-Kate’s appearance in Samantha Who? elevated the episode and proved she did belong.

1) Her role in The Wackness

The Wackness was a great coming-of-age film that got tons of buzz when it premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, then died a quiet little death in theatres. However, that’s not what’s important. What is is that is showed the industry that Mary-Kate is serious about this newfound passion for acting. She chose a risky role that could have backfired. Instead, it showed her gustiness, determination and talent, and proved we should expect more from Mary-Kate in the future.

Mary-Kate Olsen is a Comeback Kid

Yahoo looked at the top 10 celebrity comebacks of 2008 and put Mary-Kate Olsen on the list at #7. They were impressed with her acting comeback, appearing in Weeds and The Wackness, furthered her fashion prowess by co-writing Influence with sister Ashley, and just looked healthier and happier than she has in a long time.

Kudos to Yahoo for recognizing MK’s achievements this year, both professionally and personally. Here’s to a long and successful career, Mary-Kate.

8-10 on the list were Rachel Zoe, Simon Baker, and Shannen Doherty. Rounding out the top six were Anne Hathaway, the gals of Sex and the City, Serena Williams, Pink, and Robert Downey Jr.

The number one comeback kid of the year? Britney Spears. I like Britney and I’m glad she’s getting her life together, but hasn’t she had a comeback every other year by now?

See the whole list and the reasons behind their choices here.

The Wackness Available on DVD January 6th

The Wackness, the 1990s coming-of-age tale starring Josh Peck, Olivia Thrilby, Ben Kingsley, Famke Janssen and Mary-Kate Olsen will be available on DVD and Blu-Ray on January 6th!

The Wackness is about Luke Shapiro, a teenager who takes on a different kind of summer job and his adventures with his shrink and his quest to woo the girl of his dreams, Stephanie. Mary-Kate plays a hippie named Union, who is one of Luke’s customers.

The DVD will feature deleted scenes, two mini-documentaries- “Keeping it Real” which looks at a day in the life of writer/director Jonathan Levine, and “Time in a Bottle” which looks at the behind the scenes happening on the set of The Wackness, the first episode of “The Luke Shapiro Show” and commentary from Jonathan Levine and star Josh Peck.

The DVD is currently available to pre-order for $21.99 from Amazon.

Next Page »