Though you may be Miley-ed out after the controversy of her Vanity Fair photoshoot, here’s some Cyrus news you can use: The Hannah Montana star just debuted her latest single “7 Things” on the syndicated radio show Elvis Duran and the Morning Zoo, from her upcoming album due out July 22. Though I am a pretty avid pop enthusiast (I’m a die-hard Britney fanatic) and therefore susceptible to loving her new song, I think this is one you will find yourself rocking out to along with your kids despite any skepticism you may have. The teenybopper laments over the things she hates about her ex-boyfriend, and while the younger set may not be able to fully commiserate with her sentiments, they will enjoy the upbeat tempo that is certainly dance- and sing-along-worthy. The single reminds me a lot of Avril Lavigne’s first album, Letting Go, with a bit of Ashley Tisdale’s sassy-sweetness thrown into the mix (if you haven’t checked out her single “He Said She Said”, please do—you’ll soon find yourself secretly groovin’ to it even without your little ones). The tune ends with Miley recounting the things (seven of them, no less) that she did appreciate about her lost love, making this a bittersweet ditty that highlights the vulnerable Miley we love.

Click to listen to Miley’s new single, "7 Things."

Be sure to check out the just-released New Kids on the Block single, “Summertime” as well, a warm weather playlist staple. Both artists (along with the ever popular Jonas Brothers) are playing at this weekend’s Zootopia concert hosted by NYC radio station Z100. Get ticket info here!

As a 24-year-old, I really should not have been so excited to go to the circus, but I totally was—it was definitely the most anticipated event of my weekend. I didn’t even try and hide my enthusiasm from my friends, telling pretty much anyone who would listen about my impending adventure to see crazy contortionists, tightrope unicyclists, doe-eyed dashing dogs, and a mohawked ringmaster I knew would induce loads of laughter with his slapstick antics.

Luckily, the Big Apple Circus’s new 30th anniversary show, “Celebrate” did not disappoint. Nestled in the audience with my own personal funnel cake ready to be devoured, I sat with my roommate Erika to watch a range of jaw-dropping performers dazzle us with their splendiferous skills. My personal favorite was a tie between Grandma the Clown who made me giggle throughout the show like preschooler and the prancing poodles (miniature-sized to waist-height) who jumped up, over and around barriers, poles, and best yet—each other. Erika couldn’t stop obsessing over the Huesca Brothers, as Giovanni launched the younger Nikolai into heart-stopping flips with his feet, causing us both to gawk, "How do they do that!?"

The two hours of my Sunday spent at the circus were ones rarely experienced after elementary school graduation; they are the kind that when finished, a smile feels plastered to your face. Now a full-time member of the work force, my days are replete with deadlines, meetings and obligations rather than playdates, tomfoolery and recesses. I felt thankful to have been able to spend just a few hours on a time-warped journey to the carefree childhood days I remember so nostalgically. So while your kids will undoubtedly love the show, I have a feeling that you’ll take away the lesson behind the fun: You’re never too old for the circus.

This weekend, I headed out with some friends in the East Village. On our way to a bar (around 10pm), we’re walking down St. Marks S (between First and Second Aves) when I hear bump of a car bass. I look around to find a black Esclade coming toward me on the sidewalk–driven by a kid that couldn’t have been more than six. I assume his parents were ten paces or so behind him, and no, the SUV wasn’t actually life-size (it was more the extra-large Power Wheels variety), but everything about the boy driver was completely authentic. He was standing up the seat, jammin’ to his blaring tunes, wearing a white shirt with collar popped on one side, acting like he owned the sidewalk.

Living in the EV, there’s not too much that makes me do a double take anymore, but this was something new entirely. I cursed myself for not snapping a photo as I stood there, staring–gawking really at the coolest kid on the block.

Have you seen this Cadillac kid? Would you let your kid cruise St. Marks in his or her Power Wheels at 10pm on a Saturday? Talk back below!

Got some picky eaters in your brood? Always looking for new recipes to satisfy the whole fam? Run a vegetarian household? Fret not: Chef Christina Pirello has got you covered.

This Saturday at the Children’s Museum of Manhattan, the PBS vegan guru of Christina Cooks shows families how to eat and cook in healthful ways, whipping up tasty meals in a flash as part of the museum’s We Can! Cook Healthy series. Audience members who want to get in on the fun can join Christina onstage for some hands-on food prep and advice from the pro herself. After the workshop, your whole clan can munch on the creative concoctions together.

Get your grub on this Saturday, May 10th at 2pm at the Children’s Museum of Manhattan. The workshop is free with museum admission, but tickets are limited so arrive early. Recommended for ages 5 and up.

For a few ideas on how to please every palate in the house, check out these quick, yummy recipes from Christina.

If you’re already dreading sitting in a theater packed with tweens watching High School Musical III: Senior Year this fall, then I’ve got some bad news for you. On July 20th, ABC will premiere quite possibly the most obscure TV-talent contest to date (yes, it’s even more specific than 2007’s major flop, Grease! You’re the One that I Want! on NBC). Newly titled High School Musical: Get in the Picture, the show features teens and young twenty-somethings vying for…get ready for it…the chance to appear in a music video that will be shown in the credits of the new High School Musical movie.

Is it me, or is that prize incredibly lame? The winner doesn’t even get to be a character! As far as I can tell, the show is a summer-long ad for the feature film, replete with catchy songs that will stick in your kids’ heads no matter how hard you try to get them hooked on something else. What do you think? Is Disney riding its movie-musical’s popularity too far?

Bring the whole family to this dizzying live-action/CGI remake of the 1960’s cartoon. Writer-directors the Wachowski Brothers (The Matrix trilogy) have said they set out to make a movie their young nieces and nephews could enjoy. The result is a hypervivid, frantically paced tale of cool cars and family drama with a satisfying moral about cheating—that it’s not just wrong, but it spoils all the fun.

The film is incredibly faithful to the original cartoon—down to the actors’ anime-like facial expressions and Racer X’s robotic voice. In fact, despite the vertigo-inducing action sequences and psychedelic production design (is that wallpaper available to the public?), I was a little bored. With the exception of one bloody beating that had me itching to put a Band-Aid on the victim’s split lip, this is kid stuff all the way.

Speed Racer’s all-star lineup includes Emile Hirsch (Into the Wild), Christina Ricci, Susan Sarandon and Matthew Fox. But the most charismatic performance belongs to Paulie Litt, who plays Speed’s younger brother Spritle and who was just 11 at the time of production. His crazy antics, and his chimpanzee sidekick, will have kids clamoring to see this movie again and again.

Read more: Susan Sarandon dishes about playing Mom in the fast-track flick

Dying to see Robert Downey Jr in Iron Man? Just leave your seven-year-old at home. The story depicts realistic scenes of war in the Middle East that are too intense for younger kids. Plus, aside from Jeff Bridges as a perfectly smarmy captain of industry, all the obvious bad guys are scowling Arabs and Eastern Europeans. I suppose that’s standard in Hollywood films these days, but it still made me cringe.
Read the rest of this entry »