Soirée

Little Rock Soiree wants you to vote for the best insurance agent in Little Rock.

When it comes to choosing an insurance agent and making an insurance plan, there are so many options out there.

To simplify your insurance planning process, Little Rock Soiree wants to know who the best insurance agents in Little Rock are based on customer service, accountability and ease of access.

Vote for your favorite agent by clicking here. You can cast your vote through 5 p.m. Friday (May 18). 

Votes will only be counted if 50 percent or more of the survey is filled out. If you are unsure about a certain category, write n/a.

Kathryn Stockett, the author of "The Help," sat down Wednesdsay with Little Rock Soirée to talk about her life since the 2009 publication of the smash hit book -- her first -- and prospects for a follow-up. 

Stockett was the guest speaker at the 2012 Bolo Bash luncheon hosted by Baptist Health Foundation. The sold-out event was held Wednesday, April 18, at the Gilbreath Conference Center at Baptist Health Medical Center-Little Rock. Proceeds benefit the eICU and Telehealth.

Stockett's novel, which has sold more than 5 million copies, was made into a 2011 Oscar-winning film starring Emma Stone, Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer and native Arkansan Mary Steenburgen. Famously, the novel was rejected by 60 literary agents before publication.

In the interview, Stockett talks to Soirée about the best parts of her career and what's ahead, which includes the task of following up one of the most successful books of the last 10 years:

Sometimes I forget about the pressure, and then a reporter will ask me about it and remind me! I try to set it aside if I'm doing events and speaking. I go on the road and try to encourage other writers to stick to it -- to just be ready for the rejections. I think I'll have to go through that very humbling process all over again. The rejection will come in a slightly different form -- they'll come in notes from my editor. But eventually the book will be written. I'll get there.

You can watch the complete interview with Stockett above.

(Little Rock Soirée video by Trent Ogle.)

"Stickartist" Patrick Doughtery will build one of his creations at the 3rd annual Artosphere Festival

Walton Arts Center will host “Stickwork Artist,” Patrick Dougherty, during the 3rd Annual Artosphere Festival.

Dougherty has been commissioned to create a site-specific art installation on the Walton Arts Center campus during his residency from May 10-28. He will create a semi-permanent, large-scale installation that fits and reacts to the unique space and as a part of the process he will guide volunteers through the construction. For information about volunteer opportunities visit the Artosphere Festival website.

During his residency, Dougherty will also participate in the Great Hall Lecture Series at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art along with artist Robert Tannen. "Looking at Nature: As Art, as Object, as Community" will take place on Saturday, May 19 from 2 to 3 p.m. followed by a question and answer session. The lecture is free, but reservations are required and can be made online here.
 
Dougherty combines his carpentry skills with his love of nature, to create works that explore the intersection of nature and structure. Around 1980, he began building small works in his backyard using primitive techniques, but he quickly moved from single pieces to monumental site-specific installations.

Dougherty has built over two hundred space specific massive sculptures all over the world including Japan and the Scottish Highlands. He has also won numerous awards, including a Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant and a National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Fellowship.
 
Dougherty has said, “sticks are something we all have in common. Everybody knows sticks - the twigs and branches picked up on grandfather's farm; the branches woven in grandmother's basket. Somewhere threaded in all the public mass is a common thread, and that thread is the human spirit.”

Dougherty will be an integral part of the 3rd Annual Artosphere Festival and their mission, which is to celebrate artists who are influenced by nature, and who also inspire people to live more sustainable lives. Artosphere is an arts festival where the arts, nature and sustainability come together. The festival features music, art, theater and dance performed in traditional and non-traditional indoor and outdoor venues throughout the Northwest Arkansas region. For more information about Artosphere, visit their website.

The piece Doughtery will create will be at the Walton Arts Center, which is Arkansas' premier center for the performing arts and entertainment. Each year more than 140,000 people from Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma and beyond attend over 350 public events at Walton Arts Center, including performances, rehearsals, community gatherings, receptions, graduations and more. To learn more about Walton Arts Center visit their website.

We're proud to present a behind-the-scenes video from our 2012 spring fashion shoot.

If you have not seen the amazing fashion spread in our April issue you can find it here. We hope you're inspired by the 1920s glamour looks, which can be found from local vendors and boutiques.

Enjoy.

Image by BiteBeauty.com

Bite Beauty Luminous Creme Lipstick in Zin

At Arkansas Bride and Little Rock Beauty Book, we're just a tad bit obsessed with beauty products. Lipsticks, lip stains, blushes, primers, foundations, mattifying powders, even the new beauty balms -- we love them all. So you can imagine our excitement when we got our hands on a new line of lip products that not only come in 24 gorgeous highly pigmented colors, but also offer the benefits of antioxidants!

Each of Bite Beauty's lip products is made with all-natural food grade ingredients like organic shea butter, organic beeswax and food-grade colors, which makes them, as the brand says, "good enough to eat."

It's the first ever lipstick line to contain Red Wine Resveratrol, which is said to deliver a micro-dose of antioxidants with every application. Each Bite lipstick delivers the antioxidant equivalent of five glasses of red wine, while also prettying your pout. Sign us up!

We love the Luminous Creme Lipsticks, particularly Zin, which is a pretty deep pinkish-red shade. The lipstick is buttery smooth and lasted for several hours. It even looked fab with our pale complexion, which gives the color high marks in our books. Plus the lipstick has a subtle, pleasant flavor and scent.

The High Pigment Matte Pencil in Velvet is also one of our favorites. A couple of swipes with this potent pink pencil and your lips are beautifully transformed. 

You can try Bite Beauty out at Sephora.

"Biking For Bigs" Benefits Big Brothers Big Sisters

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Arkansas is excited to announce the first ever Biking For Bigs bike ride to benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters' local programs.

The event will begin at 9 a.m. April 28 at River Trail Bike Rentals on the Arkansas River bank in North Little Rock.

The three-part event will begin with a 25-mile bike ride for adults and older kids and a fun ride at 10 a.m. for younger children. A cookout for participants, big brothers/sisters and their little brothers/sisters will follow at noon in the Riverfront area near River Trail Rentals.

Registration is $25 per person. Please e-mail Kingslei Cash at KCash@BBBSCA.org or call (501) 374-6661 for more details. Click here to register for the event.

We spoke with Chris Shenep, a long time Big Brother volunteer, about the event.

He said, "Biking for Bigs will truly be a unique and worthwhile charitable event, allowing the bigs/littles matched in our community, as well as avid to average bike riders and outdoor enthusiasts, to enjoy an exciting activity."

Shenep, one of the bike ride event creators, is excited to partner with local charities and see the event grow in the future.

"Along with this great bike ride and chance to come together as a community and celebrate, our goal is to provide each little brother or sister without a bike the dream of taking a bike home to have as their own. We are also working with a local charity and community bike club that specializes in refurbishing old and used bikes, allowing local children to be involved in working on and fixing up a bike that they can take home to own."

Soiree loves local charities and we also enjoy seeing enthusiastic locals get involved. For more information about Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Arkansas, or to become a Big Brother or Big Sister, visit the website here.

Bill Cosby: comedian, actor, American icon

Legendary comedian, writer and actor Bill Cosby is coming to Little Rock for a limited engagement. Best known for a wide variety of enterprises and his family friendly, insightful and frequently hilarious observations about human nature, this American icon will take the stage at 3 p.m. Sunday, April 1 for one show only at the Robinson Center Music Hall. 

You have the chance to win tickets to the show from Soiree and Celebrity Attractions. We will be giving away 3 pairs of tickets to the Sunday, April 1 show. We will announce the winners on Wednesday, March 28 via Facebook.

To enter, send your name and phone number to Info@LittleRockSoiree.com with Bill Cosby as the subject head.

For more information about the show and to purchase tickets call 501.244.8800 or 800.745.3000 or go online at www.Ticketmaster.com.  Groups of 10 or more may call 501.492.3314 for a discount.  For more information, visit the Celebrity Attractions’ website at www.CelebrityAttractions.com.

Tony Melson as the Tin Man, Carla Stewart as "Dorothy," Nik Alexzander as the Scarecrow and Darryl Jovan Williams as the Lion follow the yellow brick road in Arkansas Repertory Theatre's production of The Wiz. Photography by Cindy Momchilov. © Copyright 2012 Arkansas Repertory Theatre. All rights reserved.

Due to popular demand, The Arkansas Repertory Theatre's production of "The Wiz," is being extended through Sunday, April 8. This is the first time The Rep has extended a show in seven years and with good reason. Carla Steward shines at Dorothy alongside Nik Alexzander as the Scarecrow, Darryl Jovan Williams as the Lion and Tony Melson as the Tin Man. If you've not seen the show (or you'd like to see it again) you now have a chance to win tickets from Soiree.

Soiree and The Rep will be giving away tickets to see the show during the extended week of Wednesday, April 4 through Sunday, April 8.

We will give away two tickets a day this week on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday (March 21-23). Enter to win by emailing your name and telephone number to Info@LittleRockSoiree.com. Winners will be notified by email and announced via Facebook.

Open seating is available now through April 8. Tickets can be purchased by calling The Rep Box Office at (501) 378-0405 or www.TheRep.org.

Look at what people are saying about "The Wiz:"

"Carla Stewart's powerhouse vocals...could rival Jennifer Hudson's award-winning "Dreamgirls" performance..." - Arkansas Times

“The costume design … is worth the price of admission alone…” – Sync Weekly

“You'll barely want to blink lest you miss something...” – Arkansas Times