Category Archive for Fims + Videos
I’m a contestant on a TV game show: CTV Battle of the Generations! Competitor on pop culture trivia quiz show.
Ever dream of being on a TV game show? I did… and I’ve now achieved that goal! On July 31, watch me compete on CTV’s new primetime quiz show, Battle of the Generations!
Battle of the Generations is a pop culture trivia television show, so it was a perfect fit for me as a subcultures blogger. In each episode, four contestants from different generations (Gen Z, millennial, Gen Z, and boomer) battle it out over questions about popular culture from 1945 to the present.
The new CTV (Canada network) gameshow puts contestants through different type of trivia battles. Sometimes, contestants go one-on-one against each other. Other times, they answer rapid-fire questions, and might have the option to pick the pop culture category or generation.
You can see me compete against three people on Episode 7 of Battle of the Generations, which airs on CTV at 9pm PT and ET on Monday, July 31! If you miss it, you can stream the gameshow on CTV’s site.
I can’t tell you more until the episode airs, but it was a thrilling experience to represent millennials on a new TV game show. (We filmed in Toronto in January — the producers selected me after a screening process, and flew me in for the shoot. Above is what I wore on-screen: skeleton swim top by Towers Swimwear, skirt is vintage.)
The game show questions are all about pop culture (films, music, trends, tech, celebrities, etc), which span various generations. Herein lies the fun: the boomer might be familiar with a 1950s film star, but be clueless about viral TikToks.
Do you like watching TV game shows? Hit the buzzer with me and see how I fare on Battle of the Generations: my episode airs Mon, July 31 on Canada’s CTV! Whoever comes out on top and unlocks the Vault gets $25,000.
(Photos of me by Bindipop, taken at Gabriola Island’s Malaspina Caves in British Columbia. More photos from this girls getaway to come; see my reels on @LaCarmina Insta for sneak peeks.)
Another announcement: I’ve embarked on a new social media series, which I’m titling “La Carmina Redux!” I’m leveling-up my older content with revamped photos and tips about destinations worldwide — like Malaysia (above), India, Morocco, Taiwan, and Easter Island.
Why? I’ve been haphazard with my socials over the years as they weren’t my primary focus. Also, upload quality and editing styles have changed over the years (remember when we added Instagram photo borders, and did dog-ear selfies and boomerangs?)
I want to give my older travel / fashion photos justice and have them fit today’s vibes — so I’ve archived a lot on past posts on @lacarmina Instagram and am launching a “best of” series, one country at a time. From now, you’ll get more frequent uploads of both new content and re-edited throwbacks to my trips in 70+ countries, along with my latest travel recommendations.
For example, here’s a look back at my 2017 Langkawi, Malaysia travels with Her Majesty Yukiro. Luxury beach resort Casa del Mar treated us like queens with sunset dinners by the ocean, dragon fruit rum cocktails, and a boat tour of a lush mangrove forest with a bat cave.
Throwback to my 2018 trip to Valparaiso, Chile: a UNESCO site known for its rainbow street art. It was a joy to stroll the hilly streets and get inspired by energetic murals, found art, 3D installations, and other creative works by Chileans. More photos in this blog from the trip.
“I’m going on an adventure!” One of my favorite memories of New Zealand (2016) was wandering through Hobbiton, the pastoral village from The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings films. The real-life Shire is a 2.5 drive south from Auckland, and visitors must book a tour in advance.
What a joy to duck into the tiny homes and gardens of Frodo and Bilbo — and then laze at the Green Dragon Pub with a Southfarthing brew and warm cheese scone. As JRR Tolkien famously wrote, “Not all those who wander are lost.” (More from my Hobbiton Tours visit here.)
A lot of you loved my 2019 Goth guide to Paris, France (see the redux post on @lacarmina Instagram). As I wrote: Don’t be put off by Paris because of all the beret-wearing influencers traipsing around the Tour Eiffel. J’adore the City of Light for its magnificent history, architecture, fashion, cuisine… And there’s a spooky side to it for my fellow Gothic travelers
Each of the “redux” post includes tips on things to eat, do, and see like:
– Be an unabashed tourist and hit up the legendary art museums, opera house, jardins.
– Paris is one of my favorite cities for simply walking around and admiring architecture (such as Art Nouveau doorways).
– Goths, haunt Père Lachaise cemetery with its vampiric and bat lore (look for markings like the one above)
– And of course the Catacombs, stacked with skulls and bones!
Please let me know if you’re enjoying the new “La Carmina Redux” series on my social media @lacarmina (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook). Some of my past “lewks” and edits don’t fit with today’s vibes, so I’m having fun revisiting older pics and giving them new life.
For example, I visited Petra, Jordan in 2014 (here’s the Insta post). It was magnificent to see the ancient city, which lost under the sands until it was rediscovered in 1812.
Must sees:
– Wander through the siq, a narrow winding gorge leading to Petra
– Be awed by the famous Treasury, carved out of sandstone
– Say hello to the friendly camels and donkeys
The full blog post about Petra, Jordan is found here.
For more “redux” travel / fashion throwbacks, add me on @LaCarmina Instagram. I’m also posting more frequent photos and reels of recent travels — I hope you dig the levelled-up content.
And I invite you to watch me battle a boomer, Gen X, and Gen Z over pop culture questions on my CTV game show, Battle of the Generations!
Thank you to Vancouver is Awesome for interviewing me about my work, new book and latest TV appearance. I’m also featured in The Vancouver Sun’s “Five Things to Do This Week.”
Watch me rep millennials and take on challengers for a cash prize on Battle of the Generations! My game show episode premieres Monday July 31, 9pm on CTV (and can be streamed from their site afterward). Who do you think will win this Canadian trivia / game show?
SHARE & COMMENT
Goth fashion blogger, content creator in Vancouver, BC Canada. Interview with Evan Michelson of Oddities.
I did a shoot in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada for a fashion magazine feature. Thought I’d release some bonus photos taken during my Millie Magazine shoot.
We had fun shooting in Chinatown Vancouver. I’m wearing a pink Mongolian wool coat by Skandinavik Fur (the sheep are only sheared and not harmed), and pumpkin-faced stockings by UK Tights.
Ready to be admitted to the Chinese Seniors Center… I’m wearing these exact black platform boots: Jeffrey Campbell Mexique shoes, click link for details.
My makeup for the shoot was by my longtime collaborator, Artist Jennifer Little — we’ve worked together on several magazine covers! Much of my makeup, including the mascara, brow pomade and liquid lipstick, is by Anastasia Beverly Hills.
My Harajuku-Goth hair is by Chad Mitchell Evans of BlameChad, who is brilliant with color and alternative styling.
If I can’t be in Asia anytime soon, I can at least hang out with the lion guardians of Vancouver, BC’s Chinatown. These two white stone lion statues flank either side of the Millennium Gate.
There’s a large Asian population in Vancouver, so you’ll find plenty of kawaii pop culture around the city, including this colorful wall art.
Wearing a vintage coat, Jeremy Scott leather mini skirt, and Forest Ink cutaway top.
I got this shearling coat in London years ago. It reminds me of the Almost Famous jacket.
Pink furry coat by Skandinavik, Halloween stockings by UK Tights, boots are Jeffrey Campbell Mexique (click to get).
One day, I will turn into my final form: Miffy the bunny.
Founded in the 1880s, Vancouver’s Chinatown is now the largest in Canada, and one of the biggest in the world. Stroll around to see vibrant storefronts, architecture, food shops and more.
Had to capture this makeup by Artist Jennifer Little, and hair by BlameChad.
If I could teleport anywhere, I’d go to Japan and Hong Kong…
Hail Miffy, the original kawaii character.
Close-up on my black leather ankle boots: they’re Jeffrey Campbell Mexique, found here.
May the stone lion protectors keep us safe in this unstable world…
Closeup on my pearl hoop earrings by Stephen Einhorn; Aphrodite skull and Sailor Moon rings by Sapphire Studios.
I hope you enjoyed this fashion series! I was just in NYC, and shot many new outfits there… I’ll share the images with you soon, and you can see previews on @lacarmina Instagram.
I also interviewed people from a variety of expert backgrounds (fashion, music, history) about their dark and devilish possessions. John and I also show and tell a belonging of our own, such as a sugar skull that I picked up in Mexico City.
Honored to have Evan Michelson be our very first guest! You may remember that I appeared on an Oddities episode with her, and we were in Mexico together on a Day of the Dead trip — where I found these Mexican demon and skull masks above.
In journalism news: I’m delighted to share that I have a byline in Time Magazine… I wrote a travel article about Osaka, Japan, highlighting the new Universal Studios Nintendo World!
You can read my Time Mag article here, and get it in print on newsstands now. (It is the TIME World’s Greatest Places 2021 issue.)