A Lesson in Grace For Tweens: Justin Bieber at The Grammys

With the blockbuster opening of his "Never Say Never" movie this weekend and coming off of a very successful My World tour, you'd think Justin Bieber has it made. He performed with his usual style at The Grammy's last night, and our tweens were excited to stay up late and watch the young star and Usher tear up the stage. Despite a sold out concert tour and indeterminable press, the young Mr. Bieber was not awarded his industry's highest honor.

At the tender age of 16, he could well have handled this news poorly, but Mr. Bieber instead took the high road and responded with maturity and grace. He continued to sit at attention in the front row of the Grammy Awards (no doubt the hot seat of the evening and the last place anyone would want to be seen after being so publicly overlooked for the honors) and applauded his fellow nominees, winners and performers. Justin Bieber has historically taken solace with his fans via interactions on Twitter, and notably, he did not turn to his Twitter account until after the awards ceremony was over.  It was a sign of professionalism and respect that he waited until the end of the show to interact with his fans and provide them with his reaction.

And his reaction was gracious and honest: he tweeted:

• "As for the awards...of course I wanted to win. Its been and still is a dream to win a grammy. Was I upset...yes. But I was happy for her also"
• "Someone said to me tonight its not your successes that define u but your failures. I lost..but I don't plan on this being my last chance...."
• "I do this because I love it..and I do it for my family friends and fans who support me. I was grateful for the honor and this..."
• "...Is just the beginning. #NeverSayNever" 
• "Now we have so much to celebrate!! Leggo!"

We were reminded of Taylor Swift's grace under pressure during the Kanye West VMA debacle and are pleased that his reaction lived up to his reputation. (Of course we'll NEVER hear the end of him now that his status as tween idol has been martyred, but we're pleased that thus far he's been a stand-up kind of guy.)

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Happy Birthday Taylor Swift!

Happy 21st Birthday to Taylor Swift! We wish this positive tween role model the best and look forward to seeing her at the Verizon Center on her next concert tour August 2-3, 2011.

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Back by Popular Demand: Taylor Swift on Halloween

Tween singing superstar Taylor Swift says her mantra for Halloween is NOT to be sexy, but to be scary. Ms. Swift gave an interview to MTV sharing, "I felt all the girls in our school kind of used Halloween as an excuse to take all their clothes off and parade around." She added, "They would tan weeks in advance so that they could bare it all on Halloween. I'm like, 'That's not the point.' You're supposed to be scary." Last year, Ms. Swift dressed up as Chewbacca along with her best friend explaining, "Abigail and I have always been sort of anti-teeny-tiny, little costumes."

It is refreshing to see tween celebrity favorites voice common-sense and independence on such topics and to treat their positions as tween role models responsibly. Ms. Swift is to be commended on her stance of not bowing to peer pressure and demonstrating how going one's own way doesn't detract from the festivities.

There have been several news stories recently about the sexualization of tween girls on Halloween, and it can often be difficult to find age-appropriate costumes. Thankfully, girls this age are creative and resourceful, and many opt to craft their own unique looks for Halloween. As a parent of three tween girls, I am thrilled to have another example of a high profile tween celebrity reinforcing a spirit of independent thinking and resistance to peer pressure.

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Taylor Swift, Jonas Brothers, & The National Spelling Bee - All in DC This Week!

Did you know that Taylor Swift and the Jonas Brothers are in DC this week? JoBros even held a free concert in Washington at 7am yesterday morning. And real-life tween stars are in town to compete at the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Check out all the details and pix on our newspaper column.

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Taylor Swift Has a Free iPhone App

Lots of tween celebrities have iPhone apps - they offer a way for fans to get exclusive information/news, special messages from the stars, advance notice of events/tickets, and the like. Taylor Swift has joined the iPhone app world, but her app is available for free (most celebs charge $1.99 to $3.99 for their apps). Fans can watch videos, listen to her music, and get her Twitter feed in a single channel on their iPhones. We wonder if she'll start a trend of reward loyal fans with free content/access?

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Taylor Swift Says "Thank You January"

Tween fave Taylor Swift blogs, but only occasionally. Here's what she just posted yesterday:

"Thank you January. I have had this month off. I have walked on snow-covered grass and discovered new coffee shops and laughed hysterically with friends about things that probably weren't technically funny. I've written songs on napkins and sat at a giant table with my whole family on my mother's birthday, all of us in one place for the first time in too long. I've gotten to take what has happened to me and process it to my full capability, and celebrate it the way it deserved to be celebrated. I've made new music. I've gone over the memories and jumped up and down with my producer and floated around with nothing on my schedule other than just appreciating what my life has somehow turned into. So thank you for giving me so much to be thankful for this January. Thank you beyond what I know how to say.

I got a new camera. Do you want to see some pictures?"

She has some GREAT PIX on her site! One is posted here.

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Happy (Belated) Birthday to Taylor Swift!

Breakout country/pop singer Taylor Swift celebrated her 20th birthday on December 13th.

How's this for a birthday present?: for HER birthday, Ms. Swift donated $250,000 to several schools that she attended as a child. The funds will go towards books, program and salaries. "Something I wanted to do at the end of this amazing year and especially on my birthday was give back to something I really believe in, which is education," Swift said. "The schools that I went to and the amazing people I got to learn from really turned me into who I am, and I wanted to give back."

For her birthday celebration she hosted a party at her home in Tennessee during which she baked Christmas cookies and gingerbread men for her guests.

Taylor Swift is a class act - it's never all about her.

Photo from BigPicturesPhoto.com of Ms. Swift at a Baskin-Robbins in NYC (is that a wig?)

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Taylor Swift Blogs About Winter

We just our first snowfall here in Washington, and that's certainly put MsTwixt and tweens in the holiday spirit.

We're not the only ones enjoying a winter wonderland - here's Taylor Swift's latest blog entry about the season:

"I love winter.
I'm laying on the couch, wearing fuzzy red and white socks. In my peripheral vision is a giant, lit up Christmas tree. This is my favorite time of year. Hands down.

I just got back to Nashville this morning after being in LA all week. Today I was out and about and in the studio all day, and when I drove home, I saw this strip of restaurants on Main Street in my hometown.. I've driven that road and seen those restaurants four billion times since we moved here almost six years ago. Somehow they've never looked as perfect and welcoming as they did tonight. It was Sunday night and there were cars jammed into every last parking spot available. I could see the smoke billowing out of fireplace chimneys into cold winter air. It's the holidays. People are coming together and going out for dinner and something about seeing that just stuck with me. I love everything about this time of year, but mostly the way that people find ways to be with the ones they love. And I love sweaters. Everyone is wearing sweaters right now."

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Tween Voting Power and the People's Choice Awards

The entertainment industry is full of awards (VMAs, CMAs, Oscars, etc.), but it isn't too often that tweens get to vote. The People's Choice Awards are not age based - anyone can vote - and this year's nominees are stacked with tween faves including Miley, Taylor, and Demi. Tweens really could rock this vote - so go vote!

The show airs on January 6, 2010. Tween faves include:

Robert Pattinson for Favorite Movie Actor
Kristen Stewart and Anne Hathaway for Favorite Movie Actress
Emily Osment and Miley Cyrus for Favorite Breakout Movie Actress
Taylor Lautner for Favorite Breakout Movie Actor
The Harry Potter trio (Harry, Ron and Hermione) and the Twilight trio (Edward, Jacob and Bella) for Favorite On-Screen Team
Harry Potter 6 and Twilight for Favorite Movie
American Idol and Project Runway for Favorite Competition Show
Glee for Favorite New TV Comedy
Taylor Swift and Beyonce for Favorite Female Artist
Taylor Swift for Favorite Country Artist
Demi Lovato and Lady Gaga for Favorite Breakout Music Artist
Good Girls Go Bad featuring Leighton Meester and Cobra Starship for Favorite Music Collaboration
Taylor Swift, Katy Perry and Lady Gaga for Favorite Pop Artist

Who will you vote for?

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Taylor Swift Weighs-In on Appropriate Halloween Costumes for Tweens

Tween singing superstar Taylor Swift says her mantra for Halloween is NOT to be sexy, but to be scary. Ms. Swift gave an interviewto MTV sharing, "I felt all the girls in our school kind of used Halloween as an excuse to take all their clothes off and parade around." She added, "They would tan weeks in advance so that they could bare it all on Halloween. I'm like, 'That's not the point.' You're supposed to be scary." Last year, Ms. Swift dressed up as Chewbacca along with her best friend explaining, "Abigail and I have always been sort of anti-teeny-tiny, little costumes."

It is refreshing to see tween celebrity favorites voice common-sense and independence on such topics and to treat their positions as tween role models responsibly. Ms. Swift is to be commended on her stance of not bowing to peer pressure and demonstrating how going one's own way doesn't detract from the festivities.

There have been several news stories recently about the sexualization of tween girls on Halloween, and it can often be difficult to find age-appropriate costumes. Thankfully, girls this age are creative and resourceful, and many opt to craft their own unique looks for Halloween. As a parent of three tween girls, I am thrilled to have another example of a high profile tween celebrity reinforcing a spirit of independent thinking and resistance to peer pressure.

Readers, please share: what is your tween dressing up as this Halloween?

Photo from Kevin Mazur/Wire Image

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Taylor Swift D.C. Concert Sold Out in Minutes

Despite the economy, tween concerts are still selling out. Taylor Swift's Fearless concert tour slated for 19 U.S. cities sold out within minutes. The concert will be at the Verizon Center on June 2, 2010. Perhaps the economy will have improved by then.

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Taylor Swift Attends Candy Party for Katy Perry

Tween singing sensation Taylor Swift attended a fabulous Willy Wonka-themed candy party to celebrate Katy Perry's birthday in Los Angeles today. There was a candy bar, Oompa Loompas, giant lollipops, and A LOT of sugar. Guests were asked to dress in all white and were doused with neon paint during the event. We think Taylor's dress looks better this way - what do you think?

Treats by Twixt offers candy-themed parties for your tween including a Peeps chocolate fountain, candy jewelry design workshops, candy photo frames and more. Email us at info@shoptwixt.com to book your event.

Photo by BigPicturesPhoto

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