Does Conan Have a Secret Love Child? Please God, Yes.

January 14, 2014, 6:30 am

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Ohmygod, ohmygod, is this guy Conan's secret love child? It's almost definitely fake but let's pretend it isn't. [via Hyper Vocal]

Arnie was so quiche. [via Tall Whitney]

Love this. We're totally scared of getting branded with a "G." [via Rats Off]

Ick, oh my, gag. [via Coin Farts]

Poetry c. 1994. [via Knusprig Titten Hitler]

Here's a casual "falling-through-a-pro-shop-roof" convo. NBD, NBD. [via Tastefully Offensive]

I got pizza on pizza on pizza on pizza. [via Afternoon Snooze Button]

Tuesday is brought to you by a teenage Kim Kardashian's thumb ring. [via 100 Years of Solitude]

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Photographic Memories: Airports Are for Seeing

January 14, 2014, 8:00 am

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JFK, New York

As Valentino's worldwide brand ambassador, Carlos Souza is always on the go. As he puts it: "I live with my behind in a plane." So instead of dreading all the time he spends in security lines the world over, he's embraced his homes away from home on his Instagram account, posting beautifully filtered photos of the intricate details of every airport he visits for his over 11,000 followers. His favorite airports? "The new Roissy lounge at Paris' Charles de Gaulle is so good. And Terminal 5 in London is quite magical." But he says some of the worst are in his native Brazil. "I'm the worst critic because next year is going to be the World Cup. I have pictures of guards sleeping -- things are not ready. São Paulo is a mess." Though he leads a glamorous jet-set life, Souza doesn't just stick to terminal VIP lounges. "I like to go and see the whole thing, even the hot dog stands."

(Clockwise from top left): Côte D'Azur, Nice, France; Fumicino, Rome; Charles de Gaulle, Paris; LAX, Los Angeles

Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil

(L to R): Congonhas, São Paulo; Guarulhos, São Paulo 

Charles De Gaulle, Paris

Designer Laurel Broughton's Accessory Line Is All Kinds of Fun

January 14, 2014, 11:00 am

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"I remember seeing a rabbit in my neighborhood and the shape of it reminded me of a handbag," Laurel Broughton says, describing the initial impetus for her accessories line, WELCOMECOMPANIONS. The 34-year-old L.A.-based designer, who also runs the design studio WELCOMEPROJECTS, has been steadily building buzz for her whimsical handbags, totes, wallets and other accessories shaped like the aforementioned rabbit or a slice of toast. Her designs have attracted fans like Lena Dunham and Miranda July, the latter of whom is teaming up with Broughton on a two-piece collection entitled "Classics" based on "silhouettes of classic handbags," the designer says, declining to reveal too much about the collaboration before its debut next fall.

But as much as the designer is influenced by the commonplace ("I'm always trolling around and making unusual associations,"), Broughton says she also gets her inspiration from literature, fine art and architecture, which reflects her background studying comparative literature at NYU and architecture at Southern California Institute of Architecture. Her second collection, Mr. Knife, Miss Fork, which includes a derby hat-shaped handbag and a wallet resembling an airmail envelope, was inspired by a passage in Rene Crevel's 1927 surrealist novel, Babylon, about a butter knife romancing a dinner fork. The toast handbag and a strawberry clutch were inspired by Manet's painting "Le déjeuner sur l'herbe."

Her newest pieces, out this February, were inspired by Henri Rousseau's series of jungle paintings. "I read about how Rousseau had grown up in Paris and never actually left," Broughton says. "His paintings are complete works of imagination. It seems that if Rousseau could create a jungle where anything could happen, there would also be room for flowers that end up being handbags or a banana leaf you could pluck off and use as a purse."

WELCOMECOMPANIONS accessories are available at welcomecompanions.com

How Disclosure & Co. Have Changed the Face of Electronic Music

January 14, 2014, 12:30 pm

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Disclosure. (Photo by Luke Dyson)

From Yeezus to Yonce, modern vampires to savages, a trio of long-haired Angeleno sisters to a duo of barely-legal British electro-producer brothers, 2013 was a good year for music. Whether your tastes gravitated toward orchestral soul or hardcore-inflected rap, there were albums to fit every palate. But despite this diffuse landscape, one big trend seems to have emerged last year in the United States: the explosion of electronic music's "middle ground."

Much as we have "profitable" indie rock bands like Vampire Weekend, Phoenix, Passion Pit or Arcade Fire playing major arenas and eking out number one albums -- yet generating record sales that nowhere near approach the numbers seen by pop stars and whose singles are largely missing on Top 40 radio -- 2013 seems to be the year a parallel middle ground emerged in electronic music with Pitchfork-approved producers bursting onto the scene yet largely absent from dance music's pseudo-equivalent to Top 40 radio: EDM festivals like Electric Daisy Carnival and Electric Zoo.

"There used to be more of a two-layer system in music -- a mainstream and an underground," Michaelangelo Matos, writer, music critic and author of a forthcoming book about the history of the U.S. rave scene, The Underground Is Massive, says. And, according to Matos, in electronic music, "what really [exemplifies] the middle ground now is...Disclosure."

Disclosure -- along with acts like Rudimental and Darkside -- launched into a space not covered by many of their EDM peers: the gray area existing between uptempo party music and downtempo chillout music. And though they're all associated with the electronic scene, they incorporate live instrumentals into their shows. In 2013, they dominated year-end lists and grew fanbases that include many more people than just die-hard Resident Advisor readers. So far, their growing popularity hasn't seemed to affect their credibility.

But comparisons between Disclosure and Vampire Weekend are still pretty limiting, because the electronic music "middle ground" is easily several years behind their rock or pop peers. At this point, their careers could go any number of ways: they could follow career trajectories similar to the indie bands mentioned above, flame out and be seen as phenomenons of 2013 or become gradually absorbed into the amorphous EDM community and get a piece of the pie that seems to have no direct equivalent in the indie rock scenario.

And speaking of that pie.

A-list DJs like Afrojack, Tiësto and Calvin Harris are routinely paid hundreds of thousands of dollars -- per set -- by Las Vegas nightclubs. Harris, a Scottish producer, made more money in 2013 than Jay Z, Katy Perry or Rihanna. We've also grown more accustomed to seeing some of the genre's biggest stars land brand partnerships and endorsements that may once have been reserved for celebrities, pop stars or athletes; Avicii is the face of Ralph Lauren's Denim & Supply line and Tiësto has designed two capsule collections for Guess and has starred in some of the brand's advertising campaigns.

And while it's hard to find a direct relationship between the EDM "overground" and the buzzy "middle ground" some believe there's an indirect, "trickle-down"-style correlation between the two. 

Hong Kong-based DJ duo Parvenu, one of the acts participating in the W Hotels & burn DJ Lab. (Photo courtesy of W Hotels Worldwide)

"EDM is the gateway drug [to more experimental electronic music]," Michaelangelo L'Acqua, a producer and W Hotel's Global Music Director, says. L'Acqua and his colleagues are banking on audiences starting to crave harder stuff and listening to "post-EDM" producers and DJs. W recently hosted a private Disclosure concert in San Diego as part of their ongoing Symmetry Live series and for the third year in a row, L'Acqua's been in charge of selecting seven aspiring DJs/producers from all over the world to participate in the W Hotels & burn DJ Lab. The six-day DJ bootcamp, held this year in Bangkok and Koh Samui, Thailand, gave the DJs the opportunity to work with music industry mentors like James Lavelle and DJ White Shadow and produce an album. By and large, none of the seven describe their music as "EDM," using terms like "Deep House", "Nu Disco," or "Emotional Tech-House" to talk about their productions instead.

"I think there's a lot of opportunity [for artists]," Tom Windish, owner of The Windish Agency, which represents mega-DJs like Diplo, A-Trak and Steve Angello along with rising producers like The Range and Darkside, says. "There's more people listening to dance music than ever before. And since there's more people out there, [emerging producers] have a greater chance of their music falling on peoples' ears."

Even Rudimental think the mainstreaming of EDM has helped their careers as artists working outside of that scene. "The whole David Guetta thing being massive in America broke down doors in electronic music," group member Piers Aggett says. "I think it's done a world of good for people like us to say, 'Look, this is our side of electronic music.'"

That a French house music producer would be paving the way in the U.S. for a British drum 'n' bass and garage-influenced electronic quartet would have seemed pretty unlikely only a decade ago. It's no revelation that mainstream America had a decades-long aversion to electronic music (despite the great irony that genres like techno and house were invented here, in Detroit and Chicago, respectively).  House and techno "coded as gay," Matos says, going on to explain that "the '80s were a backlash to the '70s, which [celebrated] gay culture and disco. People hated disco and there was a lot of cultural regret about it."

Even if homophobia and anti-disco sentiments slowed the genre's growth in the States, house and techno became wildly popular elsewhere. "In England, [house and techno] exploded because it was a gigantic rebellion against the status quo of pop culture. Phil Collins was #1 every other week. I don't even hate Phil Collins but what kind of indictment is that? There was a lot of pent-up [frustration] and people were ready for [new music]. A lot of that was going on with the first wave of acid house." Matos adds, "In America, though, those circumstances weren't going to be replicated. It's too big of a place." He continues, "It didn't get respect from rock critics or the industry here. It was the bastard step-child. I talked to a DJ once and he said, 'Everybody knew that's where the untalented people went.'"

The crowd at Electric Daisy Carnival 

So what changed?

The way L'Acqua sees it, trends in culture, technology and the economy converged 4-5 years ago that primed us for the EDM explosion. "I think dance music is revolutionary music," he says. "When you look at how it came up initially in Chicago, it was the Southside, it was the gay communities...and it went over to London when the UK was going through one of the worst depressions. And when kids don't have jobs and they're on the dole and they have nothing else to do, they're gonna take drugs, tune out and party. That's why it blew up. Now what was happening in America during the last five years? A recession. Kids are growing up, graduating college and moving back home with their parents because they can't get a job. That's where electronic music comes in." He adds, "You look at the analytics of economics and beats per minute and you can see trends happening. During World War II, we had the fast swing music and then when you're in the money times, music slows down."

Matos, on the other hand, credits an unlikely source: Top 40 pop. "You had the Black Eyed Peas hiring David Guetta [for The E.N.D. in 2009] and even before that you had Rihanna's "SOS" track in 2006, which was a throwback dance record. It was a house record even -- the beat was a hard 4/4. But when the Black Eyed Peas hired Guetta and made 'I Gotta Feeling' it was boom! Now [pop acts] could hire these dance DJs who've been making records for 15 years but from a pop perspective, what they're doing is radical. That became the mode for pop and what people expected." 

Fast forward four years and EDM is still cresting, though it's hard to predict whether the genre has true longevity or whether it's a bubble that will soon burst. If it's able to follow the lead of hip-hop and pop music by reinventing itself -- perhaps by subsuming these middle ground artists -- it may very well dominate the music world for another decade.

But it's unlikely that Disclosure, Rudimental, Darkside and others will become embraced by the EDM community (or that they'd even want to be). Matos agrees. "Most of the people who go to [EDM] festivals don't care about the intricacies that are the hallmark of [dance music]. And as much as it's a targeted sub-culture, [EDM] has got the tastes and stances of a pop audience in many ways because it's very much about anthems and 'give us this thing over and over again. Bring on the drop.'"

Instead, electronic music's middle ground is more likely to follow the path of its indie rock counterpart. Much as the rock bands mentioned have outlasted their initial "buzz band" hype, industry vets like Josh Moore, a talent buyer for Bowery Presents, sees these middle ground acts enjoying a similar longevity. But he's not so sure about the ultimate staying power of EDM artists. "A lot of the bigger [EDM] acts are hit-based, which can backfire," Moore writes via email. Sure, Skrillex, David Guetta et al. make millions but their business model relies on the fickle tastes of teenagers. As Moore points out, "[These EDM acts] make a lot of new fans quickly but those fans may not stick around too long." By contrast, he says, "these left-of-center dance acts are building real fanbases that will stick around with them for a while as long as they keep making interesting music."

What Happens In Vegas With Sam Smith...

January 14, 2014, 12:35 pm

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Since it's more-or-less Disclosure week here in NYC -- all three Terminal 5 shows are sold out -- les's flash-back to their first, big UK hit, "Latch," while we lament the fact that we're not going.  That track featured vocals by Sam Smith and today's video, "Money On My Mind," is set be released as a single on February 16th, with his debut solo album out in May. (btw: Though it's hardly a secret, Disclosure is DJing on Saturday night, January 18th, at OUTPUT in Williamsburg.)

Real Housewives Recap: Waxed Wieners, Waxed Tweeters

January 14, 2014, 1:13 pm

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Carey: The Sisters Richards decide it's about that time to go Brazil. They head over to one of the countless, 'specialized' salons in Los Angeles to get Brazilian waxes on their down bellows. I kept thinking, 'Isn't Kyle always getting her vagina waxed?' I know I'm wrong, but I feel like every season there has been a little vignette where Kyle is spread eagle on her back, getting waxed and yelling things like "Ah!" "Eeek!" "Oo!" "Ah!" with that "Please pay attention to me" silly-face Kyle makes when she wants people to pay attention to her. That's not important, though. Kim and Kyle then start exchanging goofy names for their woman parts, including "TWEETER." "You're gonna bedazzle your Tweeter!" Kim yells. It's always fun to re-realize that Kim does in fact have sexuality. She calls Kyle's pre-waxed crotch an "Oak forest" and makes other strange, hilarious allusions and metaphors to her non-existent sex-life. Then they chase each other around the room with waxing devices reminiscent to dildos, and everyone laughs and laughs and laughs. It actually is genuinely fun to see Kyle and Kim be playful together. I wonder how much longer it will be till we get a Richards sisters spinoff: "Fairweather Family Values".

Eli: One of the most important things to learn here is that Kim, for some reason, calls her vagina her "wiener," which is, well, wrong.  But in all honestly, it's kind of hilarious.  Not in the sad, unintentional way that's the modus operandi of Real Housewives, but in a genuinely humorous way. Do you, Kim. Tell your sister you want to get your wiener waxed while your daughter gets a manicure and desperately scans the room for vents to escape through
 
Carey: At this point in my life, I have seen some things that I truly wish I could un-see. Like, gather all of those moments and put them into a giant black trash bag, light it on fire till nothing remains but ashes, which are then put into an urn, and into a box that I'd attach to weight and sink in a manmade lake. Watching Carlton drunk pole dancing is one of those moments I'll never get back. Carlton drank some tequila before joining her play friend Brandi at a pole dancing class. She arrives with sweaty disheveled hair, a black lace shirt, and black booty shorts. It was truly remarkable to see someone drunker than Brandi for once. Brandi just giggles as Carlton strips to her underwear and dry humps another woman in the class from behind, who politely laughs while gripping the pole in front of her. After a minute or so of this groping, Carlton says, "I'll go on mah pole now" in a Cockney accent and flails around the pole s'more. The most terrifying moment was a shot of Carlton pressing her tongue on the pole while circling it with wide eyes. It felt like I was watching a Goya painting.

Eli: We get to see Carlton drunk. Real drunk. And just our luck, it's at her pole-dancing class with Brandi. She totters in with a woman who the chyron explains is her friend, but almost seems like someone off the street who just started holding Carlton upright.  Carlton enters the class with all the poise of a drunken sailor of the tail end of a long day's pillaging.  The instructor has a look on her face that says, "Same shit as ALWAYS," as I'm sure she's dealt with a wealth of giggling drunken Los Angeles harpies.  As Carey mentioned, she LICKS THE STRIPPER POLE.  That's one of those things that you just never do.  Even the most hardened, world-weary horndog sitting at the rack Wednesday afternoon at Pumps would do a little dry-heave off that.

Eli: The whole time she's there, Carlton, in her confessionals, won't stop talking about how she's "not a prude," and thinks the female body is "a work of art."  All this sort of stuff she says still just feeds into my idea of her as someone who's determined that everyone "can't handle her" when, in fact, literally no one cares.  She's like a college student who just found out about Darfur, and now she's set up a folding table on campus with pictures of murdered children, screaming at passersby about "INJUSTICE."  We get it, lady.  We're all onboard.

Carey: Kim throws a "Coachella" themed graduation party for her youngest daughter, Kimberly, which was always meant to be a fever dream from its conception. Kim's house does look great, though, and it was very nice watching her be organized and in control of something. Of course, the guests are encouraged to dress in "Coachella chic" aka Vanessa Hudgens rolling on Molly in a $3,000 white gown and floral head wrap. Joyce arrives looking like the woman on the Sunmaid raisin box. Carlton and Brandi show up and head right to the Fatburger truck parked outside the party. The Sisters Richards LOOOOVE their Fatburger!!! Carlton is still shitfaced, and Brandi complains about a guy sending her an unwarranted dick pic. Oh, you know!!!! The two sit on Kim's front steps to eat the cheeseburgers in an attempt to sober up before a party at a recovering alcoholic's house. Nice. Inside, Carlton continues her streak with a beeline to the bartender, asking him to sneak her some booze in her virgin pina colada. Gross, garbage monster. Brandi is suddenly struck with "nausea" brought on by her motion sickness from pole dancing, and the giant burger outside, and goes and voms in the bathroom for a while. Carlton sort of mills around outside the door with half-opened eyes. Kyle is NOT pleased with the wasted Brit-witch in her sober sister's house, and the two skeleton-wind chimes gather their things and peace out before the party is even halfway over.

Eli: Joyce does look ridiculous.  I'm all for dressing up for parties, but once you get to the point where you have half a rose bush stacked on top of your head, yeah, you probably are looking for a little attention. "Oh these?" Joyce giggles, "I just tripped on my way here and fell into a ditch, and wouldn't you know it, they just fastened themselves in like that!  Que curioso! Jajajaajajajaja!"  Don't be the couple that makes their prom outfits out of duct tape.

Carey: During her speech about her daughter, why did Kim thank Kimberly for choosing Kim to be her mom??? "Thank you for choosing me to be your mom," Kim says. Kim's hot ex/Kimberly's baby daddy was there for the party, so we know Kimberly is HER daughter. At first I thought it was some cute little thing about Kimberly being an angel before she was born and choosing Kim from that. Alas, this is Kim. Maybe one day while Kimberly was in her car seat as a baby, Kim coyly looked in the rear-view mirror a few times and asked in her raspy voice, "Kimberly....can I be your Mom?" and Kimberly was just like, "Ya" and clapped.

Eli: Later on, we're treated to an episode of Law and Order: Missouri while Kim accosts Lisa for not coming to her daughter's party.  Am I the only one who doesn't really get the big deal?  Who cares if she came to the party?  There were plenty of people there, I doubt Kimberly cares if Lisa's there, since she's probably just making fun of the housewives with her friends the whole time.  If I had just gotten off a flight from Missouri, and someone told me, "Time to go to a Coachella themed graduation party with no alcohol," I would, rightfully, have told that person to go fuck themselves.

 
Carey: Kim was pretty much the MVP of this episode. We got to hear one of her best lines when she called Lisa out at Lisa's charity "dress drive" for missing Kimberly's graduation party. Lisa and Ken and Giggy had apparently been in Missouri that weekend for a benefit that helps children with alopecia....OK. I'm guessing Lisa feels a connection to children with alopecia because her dog has it. OK...OK. Anyway, Kim walks in to Lisa's backyard and immediately calls her out. Lisa explains her excuse, and Kim responds with, "My hairdresser saw you at Sur," and says that about 15 more times. You can always tell when Lisa is busted for something; her eyes widen and she gets that defensive, victim-tone, and Ken moves in on the attack to defend her. He says some awful thing to Kim, like, "Well you missed a lot of stuff, too," referring to her not-so sober days. Kim, rightfully, is hurt and tells Lisa's cupcake lackey that he is wrong to say that. GOOD FOR YOU, KIIIIIM! Kim, Kim, Kim. I didn't' even care about Joyce and Brandi "talking things out", or Lisa being afraid that Kyle's dog Roxy would eat Giggy--this dress drive was about KIIIIIIIM.

Emojis Like You've Never Seen Them Before

January 14, 2014, 2:00 pm

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Graphic designer/artist Liza Nelson has a new photo series that brings our favorite emojis to life. Aptly named EMOJI IRL. LOL., Nelson's photos feature people and objects posing as everything from the "Hallelujah Hands" (called in the series "Praisin'") to the flamenco dancer in red ("Goddess")...but with a twist. The "Hallelujah Hands" are accented with rings (above), the (assumed) man in blue becomes a woman with a pixie cut and vivid green eyes and the gun gets an extra dose of bling.

Explaining her inspiration for the project, Nelson writes on her Tumblr that:

Emojis mean everything and they mean nothing at the same time. They're completely personal and completely universal. They're really quite stupid. And they're the best thing that ever happened to our generation. They deserve to be observed and worshipped individually. By finding, posing, and sculpting Emojis in real life I've created a set of shrines to the individual characters. Because somebody has to do it.  

You can find her prints available for purchase HERE.

[via The Atlantic]

The Met Gets An "Anna Wintour Costume Design Center"

January 15, 2014, 6:15 am

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LINKS:

The Met's Costume Institute is being renamed the "Anna Wintour Costume Design Center." Seriously. [Fashionista]

"I Love My Label" is a great (and well-researched) playlist of tunes that include various artists' opinions about their record companies. IE: Jay Z's "IZZO (H.O.V.A.)" that includes the line "pay us like you owe us for all the years you hoed us." [ArtonAir]


If you want to have nightmares, here's a cuckoo photo series of dog-humans. [HonestlyWTF]

NYC's legendary hardcore band Cro-Mags just played down in Miami over the weekend and John Joseph wasn't holding anything back (as usual) in this interview in Miami New Times. His comment on last year's Metropolitan Museum punk exhibition: "(Chrissie Hynd) told me if she was there, she would've went with fuckin' ripped up clothes and two tampons as earrings and fucked with everybody there." Joseph also says he's working on a TV pilot.

Michael Cera and John Hawkes are starring in How and Why, a new Charlie Kaufman series on FX that, according to the Hollywood Reporter, is about a man "who can explain how and why a nuclear reactor works but is otherwise clueless about life." [THR]

After Kim's "Fuck Brooklyn" article, the Brits get their own version: an anti-Shoreditch screed in the Telegraph by columnist Alex Proud. 



Stylelikeu's latest installment of Second Skin -- in which they have strangers switch clothes for a day -- features NYC DJ Grace Lee and Burning Man-loving flower-child-esque Goldie Rush. It's riveting. Grace wears all-black and prefers masculine clothing, a look she describes as "do not touch" and which she attributes to surviving childhood sexual abuse from a family member. Goldie wears colorful, see-through scarves as tops and flowy dresses.    


TIPS:

The city's first heated bus shelter opens today for a month, courtesy of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau, on 42nd Street between Lexington and 3rd Aves. [NYT]

Naked Girls Reading -- featuring exactly that -- is tonight. The self-described "nude literary salon" will be featuring a reading of Spikes Like Us. [Flavorpill]

There's a new F.R.A.T. in town and it's not just for dudes. Yes, there will be partying, but at this new monthly, guys and gals are "free to do, be and say whatever the f**k they feel." Don't believe it? Stop by Steeldrums (35 Beadel Street, Bushwick) on January 17 and see for yourself. It's only $5 before midnight and DJs on the night include LE1F, LSD XOXO, D'Hana and Poolboy 92.

Heads up, Kara Walker's art is taking over the Domino Sugar factory in May this year.

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Three Dudes Turned the Friends Theme Song Into a Mournful Irish Ballad

January 15, 2014, 6:30 am

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Here's the Friends theme song as a slightly mournful Irish ballad. [via Hyper Vocal]
[via Tall Whitney]

Blaze the Husky gives zero fucks and is NOT going in his kennel. [via Tastefully Offensive]

[via Jezebel]

H/t to Buzzfeed's List of "36 White People That Need to Be Stopped." #21 is pretty great. [via Buzzfeed]

Devil Baby Will Haunt You For Life

January 15, 2014, 6:45 am

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Holy mother of god, this video of an animatronic devil baby terrorizing New Yorkers shaved a year off of our life. Good luck sleeping tonight. The eyes. Oh, the eyes. [Mlkshk]

There's a new trailer for the upcoming Tina Fey Muppets Movie and it's glorious.

From College Humor's "7 Actually Useful Children's Books for Twenty-Somethings."

 

Should have seen it coming. [FYeahDementia]

Sarah Palin posted this on Facebook yesterday. It has something to do with her new outdoors show -- girls are supposed to stop taking selfies and start fishing? The staff over at Vanity Fair, awesomely, took this challenge literally:



OK, buddy. Bye now! [TallWhitney]
 
 

Rumble in the Family Room: Dogs V. Vacuum Cleaners. [TastefullyOffensive]

And then just hang a left at Satan's Howling Hell Hounds Circle and you're at our place! [FYouNoFMe]
 

This cat.
Cannot.
Believe It. [TastefullyOffensive]

Lauren Bush Lauren's African Education

January 15, 2014, 9:30 am

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With her organization Feed, Lauren Bush Lauren helps to fight hunger through the sale of classic, Americana-inspired clothing and accessories, including their signature tote bag. Aside from designing, much of her work involves traveling to the world's poorest countries to meet and collaborate with local artisans and learn about hunger and its problems on the ground level. Fittingly, Feed's holiday collection features several travel essentials, like backpacks and laptop and tablet cases as well as accessories made by artisans in Kenya, Colombia and Guatemala. Having recently returned from a trip to Kenya and Rwanda, Lauren explains what it's like to travel for a good cause.

I'm infatuated with Africa. For all of the difficulties and hardships, it's such an inspiring continent. There's such a sense of entrepreneurialism there, and the landscape and wildlife are beautiful. I always get re-juiced when I visit.

In August, my FEED team and I went to Kenya, where we were working with different artisan groups. And then we went to Rwanda, where we were able to visit a lot of schools and different programs with the UN World Food Programme.

School Feeding is the main program FEED has supported through WFP since we started almost seven years ago, where kids are given a free, nutritious school lunch in 62 of the poorest countries in the world. It is sometimes the only meal they get a day. Obviously it's really important nutritionally for these kids, but it also encourages kids to attend and stay in school.

I've visited over a dozen countries for FEED. I've been to Kenya two or three times before, and this was my second trip to Rwanda. I've never been scared -- but my mom has been scared for me. I did go to Chad in 2005 when I was still in college. That was probably the scariest place I've been, just because it was kind of the most lawless, and a little like the Wild West. But I always travel with a partner organization, like the World Food Programme or UNICEF, and they do a good job with security and making sure the visit is safe. That often means going as incognito as possible. The UN vehicles are white so you are recognized as the UN, but I just blend in as another aid worker. I've never felt personally targeted at all.

Generally you stay in a main city or a capital, and then from there it's lots of driving in more rural areas because most of the work is in the farm country outside the big city. This last time in Rwanda, we stayed in this lovely but very basic convent/hotel. But it varies. In Chad, it was more of a tent-type situation, because you are out among refugee camps.

What we think of when we think of Rwanda is the genocide that happened not so long ago, but I have to say Rwanda is almost a case study for how development can work. It's a very safe country. The government is doing a lot of strong development programs on their own and with NGOs and partners, and the country is seemingly working together. People's lives are actively being improved. Both times my team and I went to the genocide museum there, because I think it's important to pay tribute to their history and educate ourselves a bit more about what happened.

It was fun to stay in Rwanda this past year. There was a woman named Rose who's the director general of the Rwanda Environment Management Authority. She is a really wonderful woman; we had met briefly on my first visit five years ago, and I reached out to her to say I was coming again. We ended up having lunch, and I met some of her friends this time -- women who she works with. That's another really neat thing about Rwanda; there's so many women in government and in power. The women I met are in their 40s or 50s, and have lived through the genocide, and have now taken these amazing leadership roles in the Rwandan government and are actively making change. I feel like I have this sisterhood in Rwanda now. It's always nice to go to a country and know at least one person who can show you around and point you in the right direction.

Lena Dunham's Vogue Photos, a Ranking

January 15, 2014, 10:00 am

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Lena on the cover of Vogue! The cover of Vogue on Lena! Lena, Vogue, Lena! Today, the former Paper contributor tweeted a link to her upcoming Vogue cover story, shot by Annie Leibovitz. She looks awesome in all of the pics, despite the usual Leibovitzian Photoshop shenanigans going on in a few. We ranked them in descending order.

6. Is this real? Were they ACTUALLY shot together? Are they REALLY walking a dog? Is this the Matrix? The amount of Photoshopping here is unforgivable, even for VOGUE standards. Love the Rochas shoes, though!

5. Lena looks THRILLED in this totally natural, totally Brooklyn, totally Alexander McQueen outfit. Very Greenpoint. VOGUE nailed it.

4. Oddly though, this painterly Celine coat seems fitting for a shoot on a Bushwick subway stop. Lena is the chicest subway graffiti we ever did see.

3. Even though Lena looks like she's seconds away from falling off the bed, she looks amazing in this Prada dress. And we have no problem with a shirtless Adam Driver, ever. And apparently, neither does VOGUE.

2. Love the oy-yoi-yoi-yoi collar-loosening Catskills comedian pose. Don't worry Lena! You're on the cover of VOGUE giving major Twiggy vibes in big lashes and Burberry.

1. Dolce! Dolce! Dolce! She looks like a million damn dollars. Shout out to shirtless Adam Driver.

Jam Master Jay's Son TJ Mizell Has a Guerrilla DJ Set on the J Train

January 15, 2014, 12:00 pm

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While it's not your typical music video, this crazy clip is mad nice. You've probably spotted one of New York's many subway breakdance crews while riding the rails, but bet you've never seen a DJ spinning with two decks on the J train. And the DJ seen here is none other than TJ Mizell, son of the late (and great) Jam Master Jay from Run-D.M.C. The records he's using are both by Jay Z: "Tom Ford" and "Show Me What You Got." Wish we'd been there. (Factoid: the sample in the later track is from a song released in 1972 called "Darkest Light" by the Lafayette Afro Rock Band and it's been used on at least 57 other songs.)

Artists Design Awesome-Looking Tracksuits In Support of the Russian LGBT Community

January 15, 2014, 1:00 pm

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Design by Ryan McNamara

If you're a little peeved about Russia's anti-gay legislation, but still want to support the Olympics, a new tracksuit could be the answer. A bunch of contemporary artists have designed a line of cool outfits that will benefit the Russian LGBT Network and help promote equal rights for all. Participating artists include: AK Burns, Jibz Cameron, TM Davy, Christian Dietkus, Scott Hug, Casey Legler, Kalup Linzy, Michael Mahalchick, Ryan McNamara, Robert Melee, Lucas Michael, Wardell Milan, David Mramor, Jack Pierson, Colin Self and more. On the same day as the opening ceremony in Sochi on February 7th, this "Purple & Gold" collection will be launched at the Louis B. James gallery (143b Orchard Street, New York) at a party from 7 to 9 p.m. All the tracksuits were produced by a new company called PRINT ALL OVER ME that will print any uploaded design or pattern on clothing or objects. Scope a few of the designs above and below.

Design by Kalup Linzy

Design by Jack Pierson

Brooklyn Gets Alexander Wang's NYFW Show + a Milli Vanilli Opera

January 16, 2014, 5:30 am

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LINKS:

A new opera about Milli Vanilli will premiere in Brooklyn on January 23rd, because why not? [via NY Times]

Second Edition. The Ian Schrager/Marriott hotel chain known as "Edition" will now have two branches in NYC: Madison Square and Times Square. [via Bloomberg]

Move over, Manhattan. Alexander Wang is heading over to Brooklyn for his NYFW show. [via Fashionista]

Belgian designer Walter Van Beirendonck spoke out against fashion's rampant use of cultural appropriation by featuring a model wearing a feather headdress with the words "stop racism" painted on it during Men's Fashion Week in Europe. [via Twitter]

Photographer Chino Otsuka photoshops herself into pictures of her as a child for a new collection. [via Flavorwire]

Ladies and gentlemen, Miley Cyrus officially has a bowl cut. [via Huffington Post]

TIPS:

This weekend marks the end of the line for Williamsburg DIY venue 285 Kent. Come say farewell and watch performances by DIIV, Wolf Eyes, Dan Deacon, Fucked Up, and more. [via Pitchfork]

If you're willing to take a chance and buy a ticket to three shows without knowing whose performing, this is a bargain. The folks that produced last year's BLACK party at Capitale are putting together a series of three "musical" events at Irving Plaza in February and March. Go HERE to buy a ticket to all three nights for only $30. As they say, it's a "Shot In the Dark."

David LaChapelle, Land Scape Green Fields, 2013, chromogenic print, 72 x 74 5/8 inches, edition of 3. Image courtesy of the artist and Paul Kasmin Gallery.
© 2013 David LaChapelle Studio

David LaChapelle opens a new exhibition of photos called "Land Scape" on January 17th at Paul Kasmin Gallery (293 Tenth Avenue).

Fans of Madison Square Park's ongoing pubic art program can look forward to the February 20th installation of a new work by Brooklyn-based artist Ivan Navarro called "This Land Is Your Land." Look for three water towers containing "neon reflections repeated infinitely."

Belle and Sebastian and Red Hot Chili Peppers' Flea will both perform at Sundance to celebrate their respective films. [via Consequence of Sound]

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Rap Sensation DENA On Drake and Skipping Prom

January 16, 2014, 8:00 am

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Wearing neon threads and rapping in a flea market, Bulgarian rapper D E N A first caught our eye in 2012 with the video for her super catchy track, "Cash, Diamond Rings, Swimming Pools."  Since then, we've only become more intrigued with this Berlin-via-Bulgaria sensation who's been drawing comparisons to artists like M.I.A. and Santigold from the start. But with a voice slicked over in an Eastern European accent and rap riffs set to Balkan bass-infused beats, D E N A's already shown she's much more than just an Eastern Bloc version of Maya Arulpragasam. Curious about her bloc-inspired beats and ear worm-y rap hooks, we chatted with the artist about everything from her forthcoming debut album to post-Soviet prom kids.

"Cash, Diamond Rings, Swimming Pools" Video

What was it like growing up in Bulgaria? Did you experience life under Communist rule?

I didn't really experience that. The whole system changed when I was little, so I don't really have memories. It was more about growing up in the '90s with such a chaotic vibe because the whole system had changed.

Did anything in Bulgaria influence your music?

I was influenced by the whole Balkan music vibe in general -- the way that people counted music and beats.

What has been the reception to your music over there? 

My music comes out of a total D.I.Y. [scene] -- I don't really know what the reaction in Bulgaria is. Over there, the people that listen to non-commercial music are very few, so I don't really don't have a clue about what's up outside of that scene.

Who are your contemporary musical influences?

I listen to a lot of different music. I walk around a lot listening to Drake or to Beyoncé's albums for the whole day. I'm such a fan of so many people but the thing is when I write music, I'm not aware of any certain [influence]. I'm not reflective enough to know if I'm making conscious references to something else. I have musician friends that are totally aware about the fact that when they create something new they are referring to something else and I'm always like "that's so crazy." I never think of that -- instead my writing is more diary-style.

"Guest List" music video

In your "Guest List" video there are some very fancy Bulgarian kids that seem to be celebrating something. Who are they?

I couldn't identify them but they're definitely prom kids. There's this desire to experience glamor for one night and that was the perfect metaphor to work with for "Guest List." These kids hire photographers for prom -- the whole point of the event is that they want to be filmed. So when we asked, "do you guys want to be filmed," they were like, "yeah!" [When people saw the video], a lot of them were asking me if it was a wedding.

Did you attend your own prom when you were in school?

No, this is a fucking fun fact -- back then I totally skipped my prom night. I think at the time everyone thought, "What is she protesting against?" but it was just that two other friends and I were separated from that scene. It was unusual to be like "I'm not doing this, bye."

What's up next for you? Will you be coming to the U.S. anytime soon?

I'm playing SXSW in March and my album is ready and will come out in early March. It's called Flash and it will have ten songs on it.

What can you tell us about Flash?

There are going to be a couple of tunes that were already out like "Cash, Diamond Rings, Swimming Pools," "Games," "Thin Rope" and "Bad Timing." I think I have beginner's luck, because I felt when I wrote [those songs], it totally made sense for all of them to be together and that they came out of one vibe. But the album is a good mixture of everything now -- there's a banger, a rap song, a pop-y ballad/mellow thing. A friend of mine the other day was saying that my music sounds like a constant "bass on / bass off" type of thing, which is so true!

Photo by Zelinda Zanichelli

Johnny Knoxville, King of the Jackass Crew, Hungover and On the Road With Bad Grandpa

January 16, 2014, 9:00 am

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For their latest film, the Oscar-nominated Bad Grandpa, the Jackass crew followed their fearless leader Johnny Knoxville, who was disguised as an elderly man on a road trip with his horrendously behaved grandson, to several cities around the U.S. Here Knoxville tells us about his adventures on the road, which included dancing at a male strip club in Cleveland.

To film Bad Grandpa, we shot in Columbus, Cleveland, Charlotte, Raleigh, Sacramento and L.A. When we're on the road filming we shoot all day and drink all night. It's just more fun that way. I think it's actually better for footage, because we're just living it all the time. One of the bad things about shooting in L.A. is that everyone just goes home at the end of the day. Away from home, there's more of a bond among the crew.

We were actually supposed to end filming in L.A., but shooting there sucked so bad. Everyone's very aware of cameras and prank shows, and even if you do get footage and try to get the people to sign the release afterward, everyone has an agent or manager. It's terrible. We decided to end filming in Charlotte, because it was easier there.

This was my first time in Charlotte and I loved it. Not only because it was better to shoot, but also because the people there want to get involved. They want to chat. They really care and are so friendly.

The hotel we stayed at in Columbus was like the hotel in The Shining. It was awful. I just remember being constantly hungover and looking for water. After that, we stayed at slightly nicer hotels, like Marriotts and places where you can order breakfast in the morning.

In Charlotte, we stayed right across the street from this whole complex of restaurants and bars. Everything was right there. And if we find a place with a really good bar, we will make up excuses to go shoot in that city again. This little Irish bar Connolly's was amazing. We went there every night after shooting. That was a big draw for us.

Behind-the-scenes photographs from the filming of Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa. 

We filmed a male strip club scene in Cleveland. We found this guy Butter, who travels around to different places and puts on these shows, and he was one of the dancers at the club that night. That club was no joke. There's a crudely written note in Sharpie on the back of a paper plate glued to the front door that reads, "If you enter this establishment wearing a mask you will be treated like a robber." You know they've had troubles there in the past. The anticipation of going to that place that night was so great among the crew, because we knew that I was either going to get shot or I was going to get gold. Either way, everyone was psyched. I was at the club early just drinking, so by the time the dancers came out and I went on the dance floor, I was hammered. If you notice in the footage, I'm no longer an 86-year-old man. When I'm on the dance floor with my pants down, I'm just a drunk Johnny Knoxville. I'm jumping over railings and I'm completely out of character by that time. I'm just a menace.

Watch an Epic Street Mural Take Shape in This New Foster the People Video

January 16, 2014, 9:29 am

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Did you think that Foster the People were just a one-hit-wonder?  If this anthemic, arena-rock tune is any indication, their upcoming new album, Supermodel, might change your mind.  At least it explains why they still received headliner status at all the upcoming summer music festivals, including Governors Ball here in NYC on June 6th and 7th.  While it doesn't feature the band, the video for "Coming of Age,"  -- directed by Vern Moen and Zachary Rockwood -- offers a frenetic, time-lapse view of Young & Sick painting a wall mural (and the album's cover art) at 539 S. Los Angeles Street in LA.

Modeling Debuts: Kate Moss (Then) & Teenage Sister Lottie (Now)

January 16, 2014, 1:00 pm

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It's a big day for the sisters Moss! Kate turns 40 (and doesn't look a day over 25) today while her 16-year-old half-sister, Lottie, makes her modeling debut in a big new spread for Dazed & Confused. We thought it'd be fun to round-up photos of a 16-year-old Kate shooting with Corinne Day for legendary fashion rag, The Face, and see how the sisters stack up. Both sisters seemed to have learned at an early age how to serve up some major Queen Bitch In Charge faces and their smizing games are on point but it's interesting to see the contrast between a makeup-free Kate giving off Lolita vibes while her sister gets styled like an ultra-glam twentysomething ingenue. We can't decide which Moss debut we prefer -- who says we have to choose? -- but something tells us a 16-year-old Lottie won't have to show boob in 2014 like her older sister did back in 1990.

10 Sundance Faces Destined for Greatness

January 16, 2014, 1:30 pm

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The Sundance Film Festival officially kicks off today and we've rounded up our annual list of ten faces you should keep tabs on before they get BIG.

Tessa Thompson
Thompson's best known roles may be on the small screen -- as Jackie Cook in Veronica Mars and Sara Freeman in Copper -- but the 30-year-old actress is finally getting her leading lady turn on the big one. In Dear White People, Thompson plays Samantha, a college student who gets thrust into becoming the star of a reality show after broadcasting a cheeky message about race relations on her campus radio show.

Wyatt Russell
The son of Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell, Wyatt had a brief -- but memorable -- scene flirting with Leslie Mann in This Is 40 and has since gone on to have small parts on Arrested Development and The Walking Dead. Up next, he's set to play a small-time Texas burglar who gets shot mid-robbery by Michael C. Hall in Cold In July.

Richard Ayoade
A British comedian that comedy dorks know from the cult BBC hit The It Crowd (in which he co-starred with fellow American crossover Chris O'Dowd) or his role in the funniest movie you shamefully watched on an airplane this year, The Watch, Ayoade has been trying his hand at writing and directing as of late. He helmed the funny and tender 2010 Welsh indie comedy Submarine, and returns to Sundance this year with The Double, starring Mia Wasikowksa and Jessie Eisenberg as a man whose life is taken over by a doppleganger ghost.

(Photo by Patrick McMullan)

Valerie Veatch
After making her Sundance directorial debut last year with Me @ The Zoo (a documentary about the life of YouTube sensation Chris Crocker), Veatch returns this year with Love Child, an incredibly fascinating (and mildly depressing)-sounding documentary about online gaming addictions and Internet culture in South Korea, propelled by a true story about a baby who died of neglect as a result of her parents' gaming addictions. Yikes.

Domhnall Gleeson
You might recognize the Irish actor from roles in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Bill Weasley) and Anna Karenina (Levin) and pretty soon you'll see him starring opposite Michael Fassbender and Maggie Gyllenhaal in a new comedy, Frank. As Jon, Gleeson plays an upstart musician who links up with pop weirdos (Gyllenhaal and Fassbender, who plays the titular Frank) to record an album in a cabin in the woods.

Jeff Baena
The co-writer of David O. Russell's magnificently weird and chaotic I Heart Huckabees makes his directorial debut with Life After Beth, about a man (Dane DeHaan) who rises his girlfriend (Aubrey Plaza -- who is Baena's girlfriend in real life) from the dead. Though we're wary of any rom-com zombie movie (anyone see Warm Bodies?), everyone involved in this film is just too good for us not to have high hopes.

Willis Earl Beal
The Chicago-based, Pitchfork-approved blues singer and poet plays an outsider artist in Tim Sutton's otherworldly Memphis, which, with the exception of Beal, features a cast of Memphis-based non-actors.  The film was funded by the Venice Biennale Cinema College and features a soundtrack written by Beal.

Gemma Arterton
Arterton may have starred in the universally-panned Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters but now the former Bond girl gets the chance to leave all that behind by starring opposite Ryan Reynolds in Marjane Satrapi's new flick, The Voices. As Fiona, Arterton plays a pretty British accountant who catches the eye of Reynolds. What she doesn't know is that Reynolds spends his nights talking about her...to his pets.

Boyd Holbrook
Elite Model Boyd Holbrook stars in two, count 'em, two, films at Sundance this year, including Little Accidents -- set in an Appalachian mining town and co-starring Elizabeth Banks and Chloe Sevigny -- and The Skeleton Twins, co-starring Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig as estranged siblings who reconnect. Holbrook also has roles in Terrence Malick's upcoming still-untitled film as well as Gone Girl. And we are totally cool with seeing more of his face on the big screen.

Emily Browning
Following stints in big box office fare like Sucker Punch and Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, Emily Browning stars in the indie pop musical God Help the Girl, set in Glasgow, about the adventures of mods, emo kids and lots of singing and dancing. Fun fact: the film was directed by Belle and Sebastian frontman Stuart Murdoch, who has a side musical project of the same name.