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January 31, 2005
McSweeney's: I'm Lovin' It
In 2001, Dave Eggers released his famous memoir, A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, the story of how, at age 22, he raised his younger brother when both his parents died of cancer. I purchased it on impulse at the Virgin Megastore Times Square because I needed something to read at the time, and liked the clever title and cover art. Ok, it might've been on sale too. Details.
Needless to say, I fell in love with it instantly. Sure, some may call Eggers pretentious...or annoying...or both, but you can't deny he's a great writer. In AHWOSG, he effectively balanced the ups and downs of his life by seamlessly mixing comedy, drama and Gen Ex apathy. Pick it up if you haven't already.
With the success of his debut book, Eggers started a publishing house called McSweeney's. Leaning towards the unconventional - and dare I say ironic - McSweeney's prints books, short stories, and journals, all with unique packaging and design. Recently, they published an online feature entitled McSweeney's Recommends, a list composed of the editors' assorted fave raves.
Here were my moments of glory (with my own abbreviated commentary):
Your local library - See, I'm not the only one.
Steely Dan - The greatest band, period.
Many hours of daylight - Amen.
ipod - Obvious, yet the magic still hasn't worn off.
Kashi Seven Whole Grains & Sesame Cereal - Get Heart To Heart. You'll never want General Mills for breakfast again.
Mos Def and Talib Kweli are Black Star - Can you go wrong with Mos Def? Really.
Stella - It made me the comedy whore I am today.
Settlers of Catan - The best medieval board game in existence, not to mention, my one true geek pleasure.
Go find yours.
Posted by Michele at 10:07 PM | Comments (1)
January 27, 2005
Fun at Camp Cupake
I want to go to prison. Sounds lovely!
From today's Page Six:
MARTHA Stewart has gone country at "Camp Cupcake." We hear the domestic diva is taking line-dancing classes at the cushy correctional facility in Alderson, W. Va. "She learned the steps for Brooks & Dunn's 'Boot Scoot Boogie,' and she and a friend had quite a workout," one inmate wrote to us. "Both will receive a certificate at the end of a four-week attendance in the classes." Stewart — who earns $18.96 a month cleaning floors — spends her free time working on her next book, exercising, teaching yoga, reading mail, crocheting and watching TV with her fellow cons. Her daughter, Alexis, visits on weekends.
Posted by Michele at 01:04 PM | Comments (0)
January 26, 2005
Heed Your Certain Call...Go On Now
Leg warmers are back. Lionel Richie, in the form of his whorish offspring, has saturated the press. Iran is a possible nuclear threat. Yup, it's about time for a re-release of Harry Belafonte & Quincy Jones' We Are The World.
It's hard to believe 20 years has passed since the lovely sounds of philanthropy streamed from the radio airwaves into our hearts. To commemorate, USA for Africa is releasing a 2-disc DVD box set on February 1st, featuring four hours of footage from the infamous all-star recording session. Proceeds from the sale of this DVD set will go towards famine relief, AIDS treatment & prevention, and tsunami recovery.
Hopefully, '80s nostalgia and charity will be enough to push people to buy for the cause. If not, here's hoping there'll be exclusive behind-the-scenes footage to answer the juicy questions on all our minds: Did Huey Lewis get it on with Cyndi Lauper? Did Willie Nelson and Bob Dylan toke up in the men's room? Why was Dan Akroyd there? Only one way to find out.
Posted by Michele at 11:02 PM | Comments (0)
January 25, 2005
Oscar 2005 Nominations Announced
Martin Scorsese's The Aviator leads the pack with 11 nominations. Other highlights:
1. Paul Giamatti gets snubbed! Looks like the Sideways overhype hurt its main star.
2. Catalina Sandino Moreno finally gets her due attention for Maria Full of Grace, one of the best films of the year.
3. Clint Eastwood breathes and gets nominated in every category eligible, with the exception of Best Score.
4. Jamie Foxx gets double nominated, making him only the 2nd male in history to do so (Al Pacino was the first).
5. Michael Moore decides not to enter the controversial Fahrenheit 911 in the Best Documentary category this year. The result? Tupac: Resurrection gets recognized. Thug Life 4-Eva!
Click here for the complete list of nominees. The 77th Annual Academy Awards will be televised Sunday, February 27th on ABC.
Posted by Michele at 10:07 AM | Comments (2)
January 24, 2005
Bad Boys and West End Girls
On Friday, someone tried to stab actor Christian Slater after his stage performance of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest in London's West End district. Luckily, Slater's bodyguard was there to protect the star, and both left the scene unharmed.
Slater must be thrilled:
1) Not only did he get to live out his dream of becoming Jack Nicholson, but he ended his season run with a Shining-style knife attack. Heeeere's Johnny, biatch.
2) It's got to be a little flattering knowing your nuthouse performance actually inspired a crazy person to act.
3) He's back in the news again!
In other related news, P. Diddy may be purchasing several of Andrew Lloyd Webber's West End theaters. Let's hope his A Raisin In the Sun experience leads him to preserve the properties instead of converting them to trashy, trendy nightclubs.
Posted by Michele at 03:24 PM | Comments (0)
January 20, 2005
Jann Wenner Says No To Jesus
Rolling Stone magazine (my alma mater) has refused to run an ad for a new translation of The Bible aimed at the young 'uns.
Today's New International Version of the Bible (TNIV), as it's called, sounds like it'd be a great fit for a magazine filled with expletives, half-naked women, and leftist views. But General Manager Kent "Kelmeister" Brownridge clearly doesn't agree. "We are not in the business of publishing advertising for religious messages." Word.
Alas, do not fear! If you long to be saved, you will be able to view these ads via AOL, MTV.com and The Onion.
Posted by Michele at 10:52 PM | Comments (1)
The Biggest Loser: LES Edition
Yesterday, I sold out.
After a lifetime of avoiding the indoor workout, I finally decided to get a membership at the ghetto gym of NYC, Dolphin Fitness Club.
Let's be clear: I'm not anti-exercise. In fact, I go for the occasional run when it's not too rainy, snowy, windy, hot, humid or cold outside. What I AM is anti-spending large amounts of cash on intangibles, especially those associated with pain. Gyms are the supreme leaders of this category.
So why the change of heart? In the beginning of December, I walked by the 4th Street Dolphin and saw a sign in the window that read: $99 for 3 months. How perfect I thought! I could have a sheltered place to run in the winter, not too far from my apartment. Oh, but it's still $99. Hmmm....
So I thought about it...and thought about it some more...until about a week ago, I received a postcard of divine inspiration. There, lying in my mailbox, was a promotional ad from Dolphin Fitness Club: $99 for 4 months, plus get an extra 2 if you join by 1/10/05.
Simply put, Dolphin gave me an offer I couldn't refuse: $99 for 6 months. No fees, no strings, no nothing.
I didn't make the 1/10 deadline, but with the help of my co-worker (a long time Dolphin-ite), I was able to cash in on my 6-month deal anyway, 100% hassle-free. Kerching!
Time will tell if I actually use this thing. In the meantime, I'm going to celebrate with cupcakes and pizza.
Posted by Michele at 05:04 PM | Comments (2)
January 19, 2005
10 Things I've Learned from My Vermont Ski Trip
1. Surprisingly, snowshoeing is a superior abs workout to snowboarding.
2. Mini-vans have poor acoustics.
3. Where there's snow, there's lots of white people, sprinkled with some dark-haired orientals.
4. A leveret is a small rabbit.
5. Norman Rockwell was born in 1894. He tried to join the Navy, but was turned down due to his low weight - even a diet of bananas, donuts and water couldn't help. While he was famous for his Saturday Evening Post covers, he made most of his money drawing advertisements and book illustrations. He had an abode in New Rochelle, but eventually moved with his 2nd wife to Vermont. He died in 1978 at the age of 84.
6. You can't be scared of the mountain. You have to make the mountain scared of you.
7. Pull-out couches are not very comfortable. But neither is getting beat up in your sleep.
8. Doral is not a type of shark fin. (But it should be.)
9. You should never put hand warmers in your ski boots because you will never get them out.
10. Cool people in Killington go to the Pickle Barrel Nightclub. Cooler people stay inside to play board games and knit.
Posted by Michele at 08:57 PM | Comments (5)
January 13, 2005
Hot Prince in Deep Shit
Damn dawg! I've always admired Prince Harry for his rebellious attitude, philanthropic nature and cool red hair, but there are just some things a nobleman shan't do. Dressing up like a Nazi is certainly one of them.
Next time, go with a seemingly less offensive dictator, like Ghenghis Khan.
Posted by Michele at 10:32 AM | Comments (3)
January 11, 2005
Rock Your Socks Off for Charity
Tenacious D, the most brilliant rock & roll duo of all time (Hall & Oates, a close second), have organized a Los Angeles benefit concert for the tsunami disaster. The event boasts a dream lineup: Beck, Eddie Vedder, Dave Grohl, and Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age are all scheduled to perform; Will Ferrell will be making an appearance.
The concert is being held January 17th at the Wiltern Theatre. If you live in or around LA, be sure to check it out! If successful, maybe the D will host a second fundraiser in NYC. Here's hoping...
Posted by Michele at 10:16 PM | Comments (1)
January 10, 2005
Goooooooo Graner!
Committing (choke, allegedly committing) lewd and torturous acts against Iraqi prisoners is shameful. Defending these acts in a court of law with L-A-M-E excuses is down right pathetic.
A lawyer for Charles Graner, the supposed ringleader of the Abu Ghraib prison scandal, addressed the military jury today. In his opening statements, he defended his client's actions by using a cheerleader metaphor, similar to this:
"Sure, my client made a bunch of naked, headsacked prisoners form a pyramid. So what?! These were bad, bad men. Besides cheerleaders do the same thing on the football fields everyday! Woo hoo, cheerleaders!"
He also justified the leashing of prisoners, saying it's very similar to when parents place tethers on their toddlers in public places.
Now, I'm no laywer...BUT, this is completely inane! Wouldn't it be better to focus on the insanity of war, and the difficult military conditions? Who hired this guy?
Posted by Michele at 10:36 PM | Comments (0)
Sleep with the Fishies
If you really, really love sushi, and have a flare for oversized furniture accessories, you need to check out this unique line of sushi pillows.
You can order directly from the site, or bid on ebay.
Posted by Michele at 01:20 PM | Comments (1)
January 06, 2005
He Banks, He Banks
William Hung has sold 186,000+ copies of his debut album Inspiration and 28,500+ copies of his unnecessary holiday CD Hung For the Holidays (which coincidentally boasts the most disturbing musical pun of the year).
Now, everyone's favorite off-key crooner is starring as a street vendor in the new Cantonese-language film Where Is Mama's Boy?, being released in Singapore today.
For the love of Pete, your 15 minutes are up buddy! Please make it stop!
Posted by Michele at 03:20 PM | Comments (0)
January 05, 2005
Up, Down, Sideways
Is Paul Giamatti the new Richard Dreyfuss?
Both native New Yorkers possess a rare frumpy sensibility, and have been much lauded for their immense acting talent.
Plus, they had similarly named breakthrough hits in American Grafitti and American Splendor. Hmmm...
Posted by Michele at 12:01 AM | Comments (1)
