I went to the Justin Bieber concert this week…and I liked it. I’m so ashamed.

Let’s back up a sec. I didn’t actually purchase the tickets for myself: Justin Bieber is Proactiv’s newest spokesperson, and as a tour sponsor, they invited several bloggers (including yours truly) to chill in a VIP suite at the Staples Center. For about 2.5 seconds, part of me considered declining–but then I remembered that I’m a sucker for VIP anything. When I found out my friend Chelsea Briggs from Hollywire.com was coming, too, I got genuinely excited.

We arrived at the Staples Center, and it was predictable pandemonium: mobs of screaming girls and the bewildered parents who love them. Up in our VIP suite, safe from the masses, we unwound over a few glasses of wine, chatted with fellow bloggies Jamie Stone, Abby Gardner and Sydne Summer, and waited for the madness to begin.

Little did we know.

It all happened so fast; there was no time to fully understand what was taking me over! But first Usher got on stage; next we discovered David and Victoria Beckham were in the suite right below us; then Willow Smith showed up and whipped her hair. By the final song–”Baby,” natch–I had become completely unrecognizable to myself: Singing. Dancing. Whoo!-ing. (Dear, God. The whoo-ing.)

It was undeniable. I had been infected with the Bieber fever. Pray for my soul.

With a few of the Jabbawockeez on the strip - no masks!

Two Vegas trips in 3 months…and I’m still standing!

This past weekend, the Monte Carlo hotel sent me to Vegas alongside a few other bloggers to check out the grand-opening of their newest show: the Jabbawockeez dance crew, directed by Napoleon and Tabitha from So You Think You Can Dance.

Backstage with the Jabbawockeez in their wardrobe room

I have to confess that I’m kind of a dancing idiot: my moves on the dance floor are most accurately described as “55 year old mom snapping, stomping and waving her arms around crazily.” So, when we had the opportunity to meet the Jabbawockeez before their show, go backstage in their dressing room, meet Nappytabs–as Napoleon and Tabitha are known–and to spend a full hour chatting with the guys, a lot of it went over my head. They were talking about battling and b-boys and a whole host of other terms I can’t remember–and all I could think was, “Will I make a complete fool of myself if I ask what it means to pop and lock?” (I kept my mouth shut, instead turning to the internets when I got back to my hotel room.)

Jabbawockeez talking to us bloggers after the show

However, the show itself was amazing! We were in the front-row (for the grand opening), which was incredibly awesome and flattering. (Way to take care of your bloggers, Monte Carlo!) Of course, the guys are all wicked talented and were pulling out moves I couldn’t even fathom. More than once, I literally gasped out loud and physically started, as if my little “Oh, no!” hand movements would keep them from falling off the stage or tripping and breaking their necks. (No danger of that.)

Front row seats for the Jabbawockeez grand-opening night!

The music was especially awesome: the guys danced for 90 minutes straight to everything from Michael Jackson to Coldplay, Vanilla Ice to Gene Kelly, Bell Biv DeVoe to Jay Z. After the show, we all agreed that we wanted to go out dancing immediately. Honestly, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it: next time you’re in Vegas, the show is a must-see.

Andre's huge cognac and after-dinner drinks collection (some from the 1700s and 1800s!)

The rest of the trip was equally fun: we had a surf-and-turf dinner at Brand Steakhouse (filet, lobster, oysters, crab legs, tuna sashimi, and many delicious martinis); a margarita-soaked dinner at Diablo’s Cantina; and did ice luge shots at Minus 5, a bar where everything–the chairs, the chandeliers, the cups, the floor–is constructed of ice.

With Aly Walansky at Diablo's Cantina

It was an excellent trip, and was made better by the fact that I only lost $40 at the craps table: whoo! (I mean, clearly winning would have been preferrable, but at least it was a reasonable fun tax.)

Minus-5 at the Monte Carlo: an entire bar made of ice!

Thanks to the Monte Carlo for flying me out, putting me up, all the great meals, and the excellent tickets to the Jabbawockeez show!

On stage after the Jabbawockeez show at the Monte Carlo

Well, goodness me: I completely forgot to alert y’all to the winner of the StriVectin giveaway! (It’s been a busy month, but that’s no excuse. We had a lot of excitement for this contest, so I want to get the 2 winners their goods asap…)

And the winners are:

Jae and Vickie Riddle!

Congratulations! You’ll both receive a StriVectin Discovery Kit featuring samples of StriVectin-SD Intensive Concentrate for Stretch Marks & Wrinkles, StriVectin-SD Eye Concentrate for Wrinkles and StriVectin-SD Instant Retexturizing Scrub.

And because we had such an excellent response to this contest, StriVectin wants to do another giveaway with us! Stay tuned and details coming soon…

Kate Middleton and Prince William (WireImage/Indigo)

Engagement rumors are churning again for Prince William and Kate Middleton, who stepped out this weekend in Gloucestershire to attend the wedding of friends Harry Meade and Rosie Bradford. It’s the first time Wills ‘n Kate have been photographed together in a few months, and the fact that they chose to walk side-by-side for photographers (something they normally avoid) is seen as “very significant.”

Kate Middleton (WireImage/Indigo)

Who knows what’s really up behind the scenes? These recent wedding rumors feel different from previous ones, however–most notably, the tone of PR officials at Clarence House has changed. It’s always been a question of not if, but when–and now it’s looking as thought that ‘when’ could be sooner than we think. (Oddsmaker William Hill has stopped taking bets on the wedding year–2011–and now is only taking bets on the month.)

Isabella Calthorpe: The one that got away?

One possible scenario that keeps coming up: William will ask the Queen’s permission this Christmas at Sandringham, announce the engagement in February, and hold the actual ceremony–perhaps at Westminster Abbey–in June or July. Time will tell…!

Olivia Hunt (Ikon Pictures Limited)

In the meantime, we’ll just have to contend ourselves with stories about “The one that got away” (that’d be Isabella Calthorpe) and about former Prince William girlfriends at the wedding like Olivia Hunt, Rose Farquhar, and the one who really fascinates me: Jecca Craig.

Jecca Craig (Ikon Pictures Limited)

That’s right–Pearl Jam is, count ‘em, 20 today. Do you feel old yet?

I’m in Las Vegas for a press trip at the Monte Carlo hotel: tonight is the grand opening of their new act, the dance crew Jabbawockeez, and we’re going to the show, then having an after-party with the boys. We already met them last night, went on stage after the show, and saw their backstage costume/wardrobe area. They were incredibly down-to-earth and passionate, so meeting and talking to them has made me even more excited to check out the show tonight, VIP-style!

But, first, I had to write a quick non-beauty, non-travel, non-style, non-ANYTHING-related post to say thanks to Pearl Jam for being such an integral part of my life for the past 19 years. (I was only a year slow to the party.) Without Pearl Jam, there’d probably still be a Jolie, but she’d be much (emotionally) poorer for it. Some people are addicted to sex and drugs: for me, it’s Eddie Vedder, Jeff Ament, Stone Gossard, Mike McCready and, of course, Matt Cameron.

Thanks for rocking all these years, and here’s to 20 more! (And, btw, pics soon to come from the Jabbawockeez show!)