While I have loudly extolled the virtues of Van Leeuwen artisanal ice cream here already, it's absolutely worth revisiting to tell you about their new flavor: Earl Grey Tea! It's wonderful and perfect with their excellent whipped cream.
The truck can now be found on weekends outside the Bedford Avenue L stop, which just made my summer a whole lot sweeter.
I've walked by Union Square Caf? many, many times but paid it no mind; something about its pristine yet maroon exterior and tourist friendly location never gave it much curb appeal to me. But a recent trip with my parents landed it on the agenda as we met with one of their friends (who chose the location).
Completely ignorant of the restaurant's substantial pedigree (Danny Meyer and Michael Romano) and praise (lots of Beard, Zagat, and magazine awards), I had no idea I was in for such a yummy lunch. My pasta was topped with a perfectly poached egg and the sauce was really exceptional. It was a special dish that supported some local farm, but without taking notes, I'm afraid I can't tell you anymore than that.
It was a perfect setting for an upscale casual business lunch. It's a spot that lacks the trends of newer distinguished dining options betraying its late 80's roots in minor ways, but it's generally and simply pleasant too. Our little perch above the fray of the restaurant was actually a fun spot to eat and peek at the action below. We showed up not too long after a late breakfast, but I'd be eager to leave more room for dessert next time.?
Hell yes, Great Kat, a British born Long Islander is the kind of girl the boys from Metalocalypse could fall in love with. She may not be a huge well known name in metal, but she can shred like a monster goddess. Her music of choice is Beethoven, Rossini, and Wagner. Think you've heard Flight of the Bumble Bee? Try it from a long haired, leather clad dominatrix with an axe.
Plus, she's into theatrical blood and green screening, which have historically been favorite techniques of Jim and mine. Her videos can be seen on her site (where you can also buy her CDs) – and I've also posted some great stills here.
Do you like your hard edged fashion in black and white and shades of gray? Do you like your skinny Central Saint Martins “l'enfants”, “terrible”? Do you take drama over comfort? Do you do whatever Beyonce tells you to? Then you might be a fan of Gareth Pugh, the little it-boy who gets off on distorting the human form with inflated dresses and synthetic hair.
I do hope though that his recent blast of more mainstream attention via Miss Fierce could possibly lead to some more commercial paths. Not just because I dream of buying a space age high shoulder padded checkerboard dress from Target someday for $40, but because (according to Wikipedia) the poor guy is making no money and just got kicked out of his squatters hole. Talk about suffering for your art… until of course he takes over at Dior Homme.
Is it just weird to be naming a high school drop out cartoon character as a hunk? Well, it's not like I haven't been here before (hello Tygra), and Nathan Explosion has a flowing head of raven hair like a fallen angel and a voice like a piles of rocks.
While creator Brendon Small says George “Corpsegrinder” Fischer was the inspiration, I see more of a physical resemblance to the romance novel biceps of Type O Negative front man Peter Steele, who once graced the cover of Playgirl.
In a move that is usually reserved for angry fourteen year old boys in the mid 80's, I have only recently, as a thirty year old woman who draws butterflies for a living, gotten really into the thrash metal stylings of Slayer. Heavier than even Metallica because of its lack of polish and devotion to evil in their lyrics, their second studio album Hell Awaits is a wall of extreme metal. It's noted as one of the most influential albums in metal, even though it never chartered and was too dark and heavy to get any air play.
The first two tracks, Hell Awaits and Kill Again are my personal favorites (Join us!). Fans may enjoy watching the band acting young dumb and full of cum on the Combat live Tour – The Ultimate Revenge for the album along with Exodus and Venom.
It's only fair to start this entry off by warning you that The Room is a uniquely terrible “movie” – but it's more than just hilariously bad, it's powerfully infectious and, make no mistake about it, The Room will haunt you long after its 139 minute running time. Weirdman Tommy Wiseau (who punctuates every hard to understand line from, “You wasn't kidding, underwear, I got the picture,” to “Yes, the barbecues chickens was good and the rice,” and, “Anything for my princess,” with his signature forced, eerie laugh), will show up mumbling in your dreams.
Actually, more accurately, after viewing an exorbitant amount of sex scenes scored to porny 1990s R&B (make sure to follow up with this week's song), wherein his filmy, blueish-white body (which looks entirely skin grafted), begins butt clenching and thrusting, it's your nightmares that he'll be showing up in.
Wiseau, whose name appears dozens of times at the movie's intro (including not one, but two poorly executed logos for his company, Wiseau Films), wrote, directed, produced and stars as Johnny in this strange tale about a strange man that everyone seems to love except his fiance, a blonde whiner named Lisa whose biggest achievement in the film was making me want to exercise more.
In a bizarre way, she's actually well cast (if she could have acted at all, and like everyone here, she can't, her portrayal of an underemployed 'computer worker' would not be nearly as memorable), you can really see this woman as the crazy girlfriend of a crazy man – but as a temptress who is “so beautiful” and makes every man fall in love with her with the aid of long “sexy” night gowns? Not so much, unless you harbor latent sexual fantasies about Becky from Roseanne with lots of whore thrown in.
She begins an affair with Johnny's explicitly defined best friend Mark, who kind of reminds me of Spencer without the evil, but if I may say it, even dumber? Like Lisa, Mark is quite a bit younger than Johnny, and the question of exactly how these two are best friends lingers throughout the film.
Age is unclear and disturbing in other characters as well, particularly with Denny (who everyone refers to as Dinny), a man/boy who barges into the first scene with no context or introduction. He's clearly a man, but with his clothes, the way he's treated like a ten year old, and his creepy affected child voice, it's clear he's meant to be a boy – what age boy and with what mental capabilities is not understood. No matter what the answer, it's awkward when he jumps in between Lisa and Johnny before one of their horrible, rose petal accented love making sessions in an attempt to start a pillow fight.
Unlike other plot holes, some of the?mysteries surrounding the origins of the “boy” Dinny are explained, but the answers only confuse matters. He has no parents, he's 18, Johnny wanted to adopt him but instead set him up in his own pad (which lacks butter and sugar) and has paid for his tuition. But if the boy is 18, and Johnny is meant to be the peer of a bunch of twenty-year-olds, isn't Johnny adopting a man just a few years younger than he is?
If you find yourself wondering what happened to Dinny's drug situation or Lisa's mother's breast cancer, I'm afraid you will be left in the dark. Always mysterious as a filmmaker, Wiseau doesn't answer all the questions and follow up all the plot lines he introduces – but he will throw in a long scene at a coffee shop that serves cheesecake and include two different sets of extras ordering before the action begins.
Set design, costumes, lighting, makeup – it's all terrible. Even rooftop scenes are weirdly blue-screened because there was no budget for a real rooftop.
The “film” debuted in LA and ran a billboard on Highland Avenue, it was word of mouth of the true horribleness of the film that has quickly gained its cult status as a midnight movie. Less well known on the east coast, you could have still caught glimpses of it in an episode of Tim and Eric featuring Wiseau or at midnight on April Fools, on Adult Swim. Numerous screenings have swept parts of the country (but to my heartbreak, I just missed a screening in the city) and everyone from NPR to the Times has taken notice of the phenomenon. Any fan of hilariously bad movies who hasn't already become obsessed should take notice too.
It was a rough day for American icons and those of us that grew up with them. Farrah Fawcett, who epitomized blonde, American, smiling sexuality with her ubiquitous pin up poster and role on Charlie's Angels lost her long battle with cancer just before news of the surprise death of fellow superstar Michael Jackson hit the internet.
Giving the world the feathered haircut and agreeing with me and most teenage boys on the sexiness of ditching the bra, there were few women that had more influence on the popular culture of the 1970's than she did.
Yum yum kettle corn! This sweet/salty treat has been praised by me before, but this was my first foray into making popcorn without a microwave. Popcorn is one of those rare foods that has it's root in America, or at least the continent before it was invaded. According to this article:
“In 1519, Cortes got his first sight of popcorn when he invaded Mexico and came into contact with the Aztecs. Popcorn was an important food for the Aztec Indians, who also used popcorn as decoration for ceremonial headdresses, necklaces and ornaments on statues of their gods, including Tlaloc, the god of rain and fertility.”
Who knew that between human sacrifices, the Aztecs were making the same kind of popcorn-based jewelry many of us did in kindergarten?
I might not be giving enough credit to the idiots in other countries, but I believe that terrible, drunken jam rocking by a dude wearing a cat in the hat hat is uniquely American.
Hoogie Boogie Land, though initially familiar in terms of the great American drunk jamming tradition, is like nothing else. You will gape in wonder. No one could try to be this bad. No one.
If you don't find it amazing the first go round, it will hit you on the tenth viewing, because I promise, you will be somehow compelled to watch again and again.
So spark it up, Sparky!