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Watch Sweet Baboo's Sweet "If I Died..."

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Wales's Stephen Black, a.k.a. Sweet Baboo, puts his heart and his influences on his sleeve in this new video for "If I Died...," where Black's Wizard of Oz-like disembodied head floats after a love interest who's more interested in examining Daniel Johnston records. The twee (after all, the stage name comes from Peanuts) melancholy is balanced by self-aware humor and, more important, snappy drums and horns.

Sweet Baboo's fourth album and first North American release, Ships, comes out April 23 on Moshi Moshi records.


Staking a Place Online Takes Killer Instincts.

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Publishing on the Internet is like trying to win the Hunger Games. (Watch out, there's a killer app out to get you!) It's survival of the fittest in a world with no rules, where everyone is vying for approval from the same audience. With the playing field leveled, a 16-year-old with a computer, a stupid pet trick on YouTube and Kanye West's latest Twitter blatherings all compete for the valuable eyeball.

OK, I'm exaggerating. Online media may not be as cutthroat as that and no one is asking us to sacrifice our children to maintain world peace -- or are they? -- but it's nonetheless treacherous and ungodly. What's most annoying is that it's a platform that is constantly shifting -- resting on one's laurels is equivalent to living on the San Andreas Fault and rejecting the inevitability of an earthquake.

What makes it even more frustrating is that conceiving, designing and developing a website is inherently a losing battle. No sooner have you come up with that perfect something that incorporates all the latest technology (widgets that make sharing as easy as...well, pressing a button, a gorgeous design that enables us to show off our beautiful photography and original content, bells and whistles meant to put us in the forefront of web publishing) than kaboom! Something else comes up, some must-have game changer that's taking the Internet by storm. (Has anyone heard of Vine?) So be it. Having been in this "space" since the beginning, I've come to view each emerging craze with skepticism, knowing that it will inevitably be replaced by another. Instead of keeping up with the Jobses, I fall back on the tried and true. Old-fashioned as it may be, good original content is what lasts after the GIFs have stopped moving and all the cats and babies have gone to sleep.

Even so, knowing that there is no stasis, that each new version is only the beginning of the next round of updates and bug fixes, we are proud as can be of Papermag.com's latest iteration -- especially our mobile-friendly home page, which we believe sets a new standard of functionality and design for the Internet. Design usually has to give way to functionality or vice versa, but rarely has the combination of the two been executed with such grace and panache. Hats off to our creative director Andrea Fella and the folks at 29th Street Publishing for working so closely with our edit team to make Papermag.com a pleasure to behold.

Our experience with the Internet goes back to the very beginning. Without doing the hard research to substantiate my claim, I believe that Papermag.com is one of the oldest ongoing magazine websites publishing today -- predating the New York Times and everyone else I can think of when we debuted online in 1995. Going back to the glorious days of yesteryear, I can remember my excitement when the first commerical browser, Netscape, was developed. My dream fulfilled, this scrappy indie monthly, with a staff barely big enough to produce its oversized print magazine, declared itself a digital daily. Our enthusiasm getting the best of reality, we soon found ourselves publishing story after story with barely a soul out there to read it. And advertising? Fuggetaboutit. When we approached companies they looked at us quizzically, as though we were visitors from another planet. The Internet? Never heard of it. We began hosting online chats and invited designers like Todd Oldham and Isaac Mizrahi to come and see for themselves what this wonderful new invention called the Information Superhighway was all about.

At a meeting on the day of Papermag.com's official re-launch, there was little time for kudos and pats on the back. This living thing that is the Internet demands our attention 24/7. Unlike the magazine, which is sent to a printer and is done, inviolable, a finished product to hold and admire -- the web is fluid, correctable, subject to tinkering and more tinkering.

Today the Internet has come to dominate our lives in ever (un)imaginable ways. The key word of the last decade has got to be "disruptive," as we've seen the digital tsunami sweep across the globe, taking down one industry after another. Publishers were among the first to feel it, but they have been among the first to emerge stronger and better. Now our fans don't have to seek Paper out in the furthest outposts of the United States and beyond. Now, we are everywhere. Enjoy!


#TBT: Rihanna's PAPER Interview Pre-Chris Brown

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Given everything that's going on with Rihanna these days -- vague baby plans, a fashion collection, a retrospective on her style, and an episode of Law and Order: SVU loosely based on her life -- we thought it was appropriate to write about her for our first Throwback Thursday post. The video goes behind the scenes of Rihanna's August 2007 cover shoot. (The cover story, written by Bevy Smith, is also worth giving a read-over since it talks about Rihanna embracing her inner bad girl before Chris Brown entered the picture.) In the clip above, Bevy interviews Rihanna about her shoot, her legs and her love of Dolce & Gabbana.

Internet History, Irish Goth and Fried Rice

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Friday, March 8

TALK: The Internet Before the Web

Art website Rhizome hosts a panel about the early Internet with New Museum Digital Conservator Ben Fino-Radin, documentarian Jason Scott, and Wolfgang Staehle, proprietor of the early art-oriented bulletin board The Thing BBS. 

New Museum, 235 Bowery. 7 p.m. $8.

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MUSIC: Kavinsky

The European producer broke through when his track "Nightcall" appeared in 2011's Drive; he just released the delightful début album OutRun, an '80s flashback with a sci-fi storyline and loads of ominous, buzzy synths. Chromeo's Dave1 and other guests are promised at this album release gig.

Webster Hall, 125 East 11th Street. 10 p.m. $25. 19+

Saturday, March 9

FILM: Agnès Varda

The prolific French New Wave filmmaker (Vagabond, The Gleaners and I) appears tonight to screen her work and discuss it with art historian Molly Nesbit.

e-flux, 311 East Broadway, (212) 619-3356. 7 p.m. Free.

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MUSIC: Wussy

This Cleveland alt-country quartet, led by singer-songwriters Chuck Cleaver and Lisa Walker, has been labelled the "best band in America" by veteran rock critic Robert Christgau. With Folding Legs, Fishdoctor, and greaser goofballs Low Cut Connie.

The Studio at Webster Hall, 125 East 11th Street. 7:30 p.m. $10. 19+

Sunday, March 10

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ART: Armory Show

Check out the Armory Show on its last day, or any of the satellite events listed here, most of which also end today.

All over.

MUSIC: Girls Names

The goth-y Belfast quartet, led by baritone Cathal Cully, makes their US debut. With Lazyeyes and Sapphire Mansions.

Cameo Gallery, 93 North 6th Street, Brooklyn. 8 p.m. $10. 21+

Monday, March 11

MUSIC: The Thermals

The Portland pop-punk trio plays a free five-song set in support of forthcoming album Desparate Ground.

Ace Hotel, 20 West 29th Street. 5 p.m. Free.

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PERFORMANCE: Michael Portnoy, 27 Gnosis

Michael Portnoy is perhaps most famous for stage bombing Bob Dylan's 1998 Grammy performance with the words "Soy Bomb" written across his chest. His latest performance project takes the form of a game show inspired by 17th-century linguistic theory and modern invented languages.

The Kitchen, 512 West 19th Street, (212) 255-5793. 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. $15.

Tuesday, March 12

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BOOKS: Wakefield Press/Lucky Peach

Wakefield Press unveils new translations of two early modernist works, Scherbart's utopian fable Lesabéndio and Schwob's nihilistic novel The Book of Monelle, to be read by their translators. Stick around until 8 to celebrate the new issue of hip food quarterly Lucky Peach with several local writers and editors and free fried rice from Mission Chinese Food. 

McNally Jackson Bookstore, 52 Prince Street, (212) 274-1160. 7 p.m. Free.

VIDEO: The Target Shoots First

These comic video diaries document Christopher Wilcha's early-'90s stint at Columbia House, when the recent college grad was taxed with bringing the mail-order music club into the alternative market.

Light Industry, 155 Freeman Street, Brooklyn. Video, 70 minutes. 7:30. $7.

Wednesday, March 13

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MUSIC: Dropkick Murphys

Because it's Saint Patrick's Week and their new album rocks.

Terminal 5, 610 West 56th Street, 7:30 p.m. $33.50 advance/$38.50 day of.

Chatting with Our Favorite Art Freak Jaimie Warren

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Screen shot 2013-03-07 at 5.01.02 PM.pngWe've had our eye on artist Jaimie Warren since her early days performing with SSION and  we're full-on obsessed with her current exhibit at The Hole, The Whoas of Female Tragedy II, which is full of outlandish self-portraits recreating popular Internet memes.  We're so obsessed that we're announcing a little early that Jaimie Warren is going to be one of PAPER's Beautiful People of 2013! Though we can't reveal too much about her profile -- we'd have to kill you and all that -- we definitely want to share some of her great quotes so that you can get your fill of our favorite art freak. Read below and get excited for the next issue.

On growing up a poseur:
I was kind of a weird loner that would change myself to fit into [different groups]. I had a phase where I was hanging out with straight-edge skateboarders and then I hung out with the goth kids or the punk kids but it was more of dressing the part. I know in middle school -- it was a mostly Hispanic school -- I told people my last name was "Warrenez" and wore all hip-hop clothes.
 
On where she looks to for inspiration:
I don't look to contemporary art as much as I look to reality television or crazy characters I grew up watching like Pee-Wee Herman, Elvira, Little Richard, Joan Rivers or the Muppets.

On working with kids:
I love collaborating and working with kids and performing and pushing the boundaries of what kids can see and accessibility in general. I love the fact that with the new show [Whoas of Female Tragedy II] and new stuff, it's so accessible to people. I'd hide in the gallery and see peoples' reactions and they were legitimately laughing. I feel like everybody can have a personal connection to the work because we're all affected by pop culture and you can related to the aesthetic. Anything that's in there, you feel like you could make it yourself.

On femininity:
All the images touch on these topics -- femininity and male-female [roles] and the Internet and celebrity culture and pop culture and gender and race. It's using images people are familiar with on the Internet and in a humorous way talk about more sensitive topics. I'm creating an equal playing field because not only am I not really doing a great job looking like these characters -- because it has this DIY feel to it and looks handmade and none of us are experts in making this stuff -- I'm also trying to be characters like Elizabeth Hurley, which obviously I'm far from. But at the same time as I'm being a female model or Lil' Kim, I'm also being Easy E or Stevie Wonder or Rod Stewart and a spider and an artichoke and Picasso.

Also make sure to check out this FaderTV clip in which Jaimie walks us through her work. And watch for the surprise ending -- we hope you're okay, girl.
 


Photo from Whoas of Female Tragedy II, courtesy of The Hole Gallery. For more photos click HERE.

The New Hangover Trailer Is Exactly What You'd Expect

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1.  I hate -- hate -- the last bit of the trailer for Hangover III that involves the probable maiming of a giraffe, but there are some good moments in there. [via Slash]


2.  The new Beach House video for "Wishes," directed by Eric Wareheim, stars Twin Peaks dad Ray Wise and is, shall we say, surreal? [via AV Club]


il_570xN.324394329.jpg3.  People of BroNYCon, prepare yourselves: this amazing Etsy shop by GimmCat sells very fancy looking My Little Pony wigs.

TheSourceFamily_Poster_ALT31.jpg4.  The poster for the Source Family documentary is here, as is the film's screening schedule. It'll be in NYC starting on May 1st at IFC. [via BoingBoing]



5.  Meanwhile I like the trailer for Joss Whedon's Much Ado About Nothing, although I'm scared about how it'll turn out. [via  Pop Culture Brain]


colin-farrell-wears-revealing-underwear-on-ellen-04 (1).jpg6.  Here's Colin Farrell wearing a "special pair" of underwear on Ellen. [via Just Jared]


article-2289325-187CE234000005DC-398_634x387.jpg7.  Facebook removed this famous Guillot photograph from the French art museum Jeu de Paume's page for violating its guidelines -- because, you know, that lady is half-naked. Come on, Facebook. [via Daily Mail]


img_1702.jpg8.  Upper East Siders are worried about the impending opening of a Meatball Shop in their neighborhood -- the community board restricted its hours to 2a.m. (they're usually open till 4a.m.) and asked that they keep personnel outside to restrict drunken, disorderly behavior. [via DNA Info]


'70s Fashions Have Come for Mad Men

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mad-men-harry-crane_510x765.jpgPer this set photo from Mad Men's new season, '70s fashions will be on the show. Does this mean Don will be rocking mutton chops and kerchiefs, too? Or will that prove too hip for him, only remind him of death and send him into a whiskey-fueled tailspin and the bed of some lady? (Duh, the latter!) Cantwaitforthisshowtocomeback. [EW]

Good morning, I'm a horrible person! Here's a compilation video of mean idiots waking up peacefully sleeping people by doing insane things like lighting firecrackers next to them or blowing air horns in their faces. Not funny! (But a little bit funny.) [Gawker]

Watch a news anchor giggle uncontrollably while reporting on an a cat named Holly who is taking swimming lessons to lose weight. Pay no attention, Holly! You keep doing you. [LaughingSquid]

sexperv.jpgThis book may save your marriage.  [ThisIsntHappiness]

preschooltweek.pngOur new favorite Twitter feed: Preschool Gems, run by a Portland preschool teacher who tweets the adorable/hilarious things her students say. [PleatedJeans]

tumblr_mj924vKL7V1qzft56o1_400.jpgIggy Pope. [FYeahDementia]

1412.jpgBehold, the new Hamilton Beach breakfast sandwich maker. The Paper kitchen really needs this. [LaughingSquid]

tumblr_mj9nfjMjQI1rn7bzro1_1280.jpgI'll be your mirror. [KTH]

David-Bowie-playing-table-tennis.jpgDavid Bowie playing ping-pong. Happy Friday!  [ThisIsNotPorn]






Cosmic Kids Blast Off at L.A.'s SPiN Standard

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cosmickids_spin.jpgLast night, SoCal daft punks Cosmic Kids (Ron Poznansky and Dan Ternow) celebrated the release of their stellar nu-disco 12-inch on Chit Chat Records (hand silk-screened and numbered, no less) at the SPiN Standard ping-pong club at the Standard, Downtown LA. Fueled by cans of PBR and custom paddles courtesy of Pabst Blue Ribbon, midweek partiers bobbed their heads while working on their backhands as Chit Chat label head Tony Adams laid down a chunky, chugging disco set (despite a steady stream of errant ping-pong balls) that included both sides of the Cosmic Kids single -- the spacey, soaring "Freight To My Soul" (embedded below) and its B-side, a disco edit of Fleetwood Mac's "Never Going Back Again" -- alongside classics like Marvin Gaye's "Got To Give It Up" and remixes of fellow LA disco revivalists Poolside and Classixx.

A ping-pong club might at first seem an unlikely venue for a dance party, but, said Standard Cultural Director Ben Adams, that was exactly the point. "We wanted to do something a little different." And indeed, SPiN Standard, with its if-Wes-Anderson-directed-Blade-Runner take on a future-retro sports bar, seemed pretty perfect for the Cosmic Kids likewise future-retro sensibility: a little kitchsy, even more sincere,  and a lotta fun. By midnight, as many people were throwing down on the ad hoc dancefloor as there were playing ping-pong, pausing only to kick stray balls, which only added to the free-for-all spirit."Cosmic Dan" Ternow, for one, couldn't have been happier. "This is perfect," he beamed.



Meet Rising Bushwick Designer BCALLA

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Bradley Callahan BCALLA.jpgMeet Bradley Callahan, 26, Bushwick's latest fashion maverick and mind behind the delicious label BCALLA. Callahan's creative aesthetic -- a mash-up of skin tight S&M apparel and futuristic silhouettes -- have been donned by major NYC nightlife figures like Julianna Huxtable Ladosha and Mykki Blanco. With progressive unisex designs and collections inspired by an urban narrative, Callahan is reinventing the fashion wheel one season at a time. Find out why all the cool kids from chiseled go-go boys at Westgay to PAPER fave Azealia Banks are going crazy for his designs in our interview with Callahan below.

How long have you been designing? 

Since I was a little boy. My brother and I were really into comic books and would make our own. My brother would draw the comics and I would design all the costumes. X-Men, Lady Death, Witchblade and Kabuki were my first fashion icons. 

When did you move to Brooklyn? 

Three years ago. Brooklyn is insanely influential to my designs. I love walking around Broadway, Knickerbocker, and Graham and popping into all the dollar stores and boutiques like Pretty Girl, Weekend for the Ladies, MUST BE, and Discount fashion outlet. I can't speak enough to the street style of my neighborhood -- both from the natives and the kids fresh to Bushwick.

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Beautiful Person 2012 and PAPERite Ms. Fitz models one of BCALLA's lewks

What is your favorite item in your current line?

I just made a custom faux fur coat for the stylist Brett Bailey, that's pretty major!

What's your biggest challenge as a designer? Which designers have inspired you?

A whole slew of designers -- early 2000 Galliano for Dior was an epic influence on me. Others include Bernhard Willhelm, Walter Van Beirendonck, Pam Hogg, Peggy Noland, Gerlan Jeans, and Jean Paul Lespagnard just to name a few. 

BCALLA_1_3.jpgDescribe the essence of BCALLA.

More is more, bad taste is the best taste, and there is no gender.

Does anyone embody that mantra?

So many wonderful, amazing, beautiful and inspiring creatures that I am lucky to know.

Azealia Banks in BCALLA.jpgHow did your pieces end up in Azealia Banks' closet?

Through [stylist] Contessa Stuto. She bought some BCALLA for Azealia's tour.

You can purchase items from the BCALLA collection HERE

This New Gay Web Series Is Weird But We're Enthralled

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I'm pretty picky with my gay web series: I've eschewed watching all of them but "The Outs" because most of the time the acting is terrible and the characters don't interest me. But new gay web series "Normal Gays" -- which I'm not even sure should be called a web series, since each episode is less than two minutes long and doesn't establish anything about the pasts or futures of its characters -- caught my eye. Its main draw is the concept: two gay men having exceptionally mundane conversations while their actions or their environments become increasingly bizarre. In the age of the internet, watching scantily clad men talk about tax returns while putting on wigs shouldn't pique anyone's interest too much, but somehow it works. Check it out and see if you're as intrigued as I am.

The Family Walks -- No, Dances -- on Water

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A highlight of last night's tribute to Prince at Carnegie Hall was the funk medley by fDeluxe, featuring members of '80s project the Family, including the artist's regular sax player Eric Leeds and one-time fiancée Susannah Melvoin. (Absent last night was Family member Jerome Benton, known to many as Morris Day's sidekick in Purple Rain.) The Family's 1985 self-titled album, almost entirely written and recorded by Prince, included the first recording of "Nothing Compares 2 U" (later made famous by Sinéad O'Connor), but the official single was the new-wave ballad "The Screams of Passion." As the song has no saxophone, Leeds holds a bass in the video's green-screened beach scenes.

Let Kendrick Soundtrack Your First SXSW

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In this weekly column, MC/DJ Hesta Prynn pairs pop culture stories with an original playlist.

South by Southwest officially starts today, and the exodus of indie bands from NYC to Texas is well underway. Finding one's way at their first SXSW is not always easy. In honor of Kendrick Lamar being the rapper to see this year, and the fact that I'll be DJing the Spotify Live event with him on 3/13 (!), this week's Five 'n' Five picks five of his best songs (so far) as the soundtrack to the First Time SXSW Experience.

1. Four Seasons Brunch - "m.A.A.d City (featuring MC Eiht)"

See song references: "packing a van," "free lunch."

Every year, one of the big publishing companies hosts an official brunch at the Four Seasons. This will be the uncoolest party you'll ever attend, but it will be the easiest to sneak in to, and have the best food and the nicest bathroom you'll see for the entire week. You wash out the disgusting t-shirt you've been wearing since the drive from Little Rock. You lay it in the sun to dry. You try a mimosa.

2. Salt Lick, Driftwood TX - "Hiiipower"

See song references: "pig," "dying from diabetes."

Though you have no money, no record deal and no future of which to speak, you somehow manage to make the 45-minute drive to the real Salt Lick (not the one in Austin, not the one in the airport) out in Driftwood, Texas. There you will wait three hours for a table, eat yourself sick and proclaim it the best meal of your life.

3. Pizza on 6th Street - "ADHD"

See song references: "high tolerance," "born in the '80s," "Vicodin."

While drunkenly beasting on terrible pizza at five dollars a slice on Sixth Street, you and your bandmate will conceive your best idea ever: Move to Austin, import water from NYC, open a NYC-style pizza stand on Sixth Street, make a million dollars. (When you wake up at 11 a.m. the next morning you will have forgotten this idea and be back to playing a half-empty day party at La Zona Rosa with a hangover.)

4. Emo's (Outdoor Stage) - "The Recipe (featuring Dr. Dre)"

See song references: "women, weed and weather."

It is 10 p.m. and 75 degrees out. You sneak into the outdoor space by pretending to wait for a table and asking to use the restroom. The restaurant opens up and your favorite band from the '90s is playing. You get a contact high from two girls in front of you smoking weed in short shorts and cowboy boots. You tell them that this band is the reason you started playing guitar. They care.

5. The Driskill Hotel Bar - "Swimming Pools (Drank)"

See song references: "fit in with the popular," "pass out," "faded."

It's two a.m. and you're tagging along with your friend's bandmate's friend who works for a major label. You wind up at The Driskill. At 24, you are the youngest person in the room. You try a whiskey sour. You feel like you've stumbled into a movie about a music business that you didn't know still existed. You have an internal battle over whether or not to pass Michael Goldstone your CD. You think people still listen to demos on CD. You think people still listen to demos. You have arrived.

Mr. Mickey Answers All Your Burning Questions

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mrmickey.jpgDear Mr. Mickey,
I'm a huge fan of the show Girls. I feel like I'm a Marnie, but my boyfriend got drunk and told me I'm a Hannah. Should I break up with him? Signed,
-Bruised in Bushwick

Dear B in B,
Mr. Mickey is a slavishly devoted fan of Girls, but MM doesn't really understand why you would proudly proclaim to be either one of those delightfully misguided gals. Although the program has brought us countless hours of hipster hilarity, MM must admit that he really wouldn't care to be friends with any of the female characters. And anyway what is this obsession we have with identifying with TV characters? I'm a Samantha! I'm Dorothy Zbornak! I'm a Phaedra with a donkey booty! Really, the U.S. of A.'s biggest problem is that we're a Sex and the City episode and we all think we're Carrie. In reality, we're all Miranda.

Dear Mr. Mickey,
I hate to exercise, but last month a friend dragged me to Soul Cycle, and I. Am. Hooked. It's taking over my life. Every Monday, I obsessively sign up for the classes and it's draining my bank account. I've even declined dates when they've interfered with my spinning routine. Do you think I have a problem? Signed,
-Soul Sister


Dear Soul Sister,
You know, being a recovering addict himself, Mr. Mickey should probably preach to you about the joys of moderation. Then again, MM has always felt that moderation is for pussies. Honestly, you're addicted to a form of exercise -- not bath salts. Nonetheless, the problem with cuckoo-bananas embracing a new obsession is that we can get burnt out and drop the new hobby just as quickly as we embraced it. It's great that you're obsessed and are getting healthy pedaling yourself into a schvitz next to some of the Naked City's most glamorous fashion victims. You can't put a price on social climbing! But you want to be fit and socially connected for life, so every now and again remind yourself that you're in it for the long haul. Maybe you should try to mix it up with some non-Soul Cycle exercising. It's good not to put all your cardio eggs in one basket, as it were. But basically, MM says keep up your borderline-mental obsession with Soul Cycle. Any addiction that makes your butt look cute in your J Brand jeans can't be bad!

Dear Mr. Mickey,
I recently applied for a great-sounding job and aced my first round interview. They've asked me back for a second round but, to my horror, the next person I have to meet with is someone I used to date. It wasn't ever serious, but...it ended badly. And embarrassingly. Do I go through with the interview? Should I decline the offer knowing I might perpetually feel uncomfortable in that office environment? Help! Signed,
-Working Girl


Dear Working Girl,
I guess Mr. Mick's mum was right when she said being an evil slut could come back to bite ya in the ass! Kidding! MM is sure you were just a slut and most likely not particularly evil. Luckily, Mr. Mickey has mostly slept with low-level clerks and illegal aliens so he's never had this problem. Also, Paper is really the only employer MM has ever had. But then, we're talking about you, dear. As always, MM thinks the best approach is to be honest and forthright. Email your former flame and let him (or her) know that you're coming in for an interview and that you hope it doesn't cause any embarrassment for anyone. Or if that seems too heinous to contemplate, you can contact the person who did the first interview and give them a heads-up that you've slept your way through most of the Tri-State area and it might be best to have a cloistered nun or a eunuch conduct your interview. After all, better safe than sorry!

The Best, Worst and Weirdest of the Week

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Best New Music Video: The Knife's new video for "A Tooth for An Eye" made me miss the antics of high school P.E. -- Rashard Bradshaw

Best Obsessive Fan: Elvis Costello, who dug up the unreleased Prince bootleg "Moonbeam Levels" to cover at last night's Carnegie Hall tribute to the artist. -- Jonah Wolf

New York Times Magazine Piece We Have Been Emotionally Preparing Ourselves All Week to Cry Over on Sunday Morning: Jacob Bernstein's piece on his late mother, Nora Ephron. -- Elizabeth Thompson

Screen shot 2013-03-08 at 4.33.32 PM.pngBiggest Movie Star-Turned-Political Point of Reference: Jane Fonda. I don't completely know the details of the thing but basically she was mentioned in Congress by Rand Paul (I think) while discussing drones targeting American citizens. So she's back in the news.-- Mr. Mickey

Best Bar Opening of the Week:
Tørst, a Danish craft beer bar in Greenpoint, owned by the brewer behind Denmark's Evil Twin brews and a veteran of Noma and Momofuku. The Evil Twin #6 Femme Fatale is delicious, by the way. -- Abby Schreiber

Screen shot 2013-03-08 at 4.34.31 PM.pngBiggest Generational Divider: Hedi Slimane's Saint Laurent show. While most of the established fashion media lambasted his grunge collection, young bloggers seemed to love it, even calling out certain editors for being "too old to get it." -- MM

item7.size.0.0.chelsea-handler-jennifer-aniston-dave-grohl-oscar-party-ss08.jpgVanity Fair Photo Booth Pic that Made Us Feel Weirdest: Chelsea Handler, Jennifer Aniston, Justin Theroux, André Balazs, Dave Grohl, and Jordyn Blum. Ya know, the gang. -- ET

item45.size.0.0.mindy-kaling-bj-novak-oscar-party-ss54.jpgVanity Fair Photo Booth Pics That Made Us Hope These Two Are Really a Couple and Love Each Other: These two of Mindy Kaling and B.J. Novak. -- ET

Worst News of the Week: North Korea threatens America with nuclear war. -- RB


Best Performance From a Minor: A four-year-old covered Bruno Mars' "Grenade" on Ellen and taught the world how to emote. -- RB

Best News of the Week: John Waters isn't dead! Phew, because who were we going to talk to about strap-ons at Christmas? -- ET

Biggest Party Animal of the Week: Our new Man in Copenhagen, Sebastian, who told us about the time he fell asleep on a train after an early morning rave and woke up in Sweden. -- AS

Why is Topanga on the Cover of Maxim?

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enhanced-buzz-26449-1362757047-3.jpg1.  Why is Topanga (aka Danielle Fishel) on the cover of Maxim? We get that she has a show to promote, but Maxim? [via BuzzFeed]


iwdDLcR.png2.  We know, we know. [via Neat Dudes]


chicken-dance-lucille.gif3.  Jessica Walter, who plays Lucille Bluth on Arrested Development, opened up about her chicken dance: "We all had to come up with our own dance. All I could think was to flap my wings. I [also thought] about Lucille always being a little bit tipsy during the day and what that might look like while she's doing this chicken thing. Somehow the coodle doodle doo came out." [via Vulture]


JPVOGEL-articleLarge.jpg4.  More reason to look forward to spring: there will be new public art when it warms up! In April, Tony Smith will erect a large steel sculpture in Bryant Park; in May, Philip Haas's large busts (pictured above) will be on display at the New York Botanical Garden and Imran Qureshi will paint the floor of the roof of the Met to reflect the foliage of Central Park. [via New York Times]


amy-boesky-2befc86d0e1ef3a9ce10f62f40b0a5c629fefecb-s51.jpg5.  Amy Boesky, who teaches early modern lit and creative nonfiction at Boston College, revealed that she had been a ghostwriter for popular teen book series Sweet Valley High for over 6 years while she got her doctorate. Turns out Boesky very much enjoyed helping write the books, calling them "a sort of [an] antidote, a kind of escape hatch from the more rigorous world of scholarship and academia in which I was living" and recalling that when she received general outlines for each book she read them "with bated breath to see what was happening with the characters, especially as I got more and more involved in it." [via NPR]


carredartistes.jpg6.  The space of the now out-of-business bodega that was between Rocco's Pastry Shop and Bleecker Street Records was just sold to Carré d'Artistes, a European gallery chain that often highlights affordable work by lesser known artists. [via DNA Info]



7.  We like the looks of Amazing magazine, a magazine devoted to representing different races and styles. Click here to check out their Kickstarter campaign.

book-2.jpg
books-1.jpg8.  There's just so much to love about our new favorite Tumblr, LiarTownUSA.



Nicki Minaj and French Montana Get Their Freak On

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Rapper French Montana's latest single "Freaks" gives a reggae classic a modern facelift with the help of PAPER fave Nicki Minaj. The third single from Montana's debut album Excuse My French is an infectious anthem that infuses some of my favorite things to enjoy responsibly -- chilled Ciroc and a well orchestrated dance off. With a fire spitter, hardcore daggering and Minaj's strategically placed pastie tassels, Montana definitely has a hit on his hands.  

Excuse My French scheduled release is May 21

Scumbag Steve Met Grumpy Cat at SXSW

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tumblr_mji95vzFtW1qanm80o1_500.jpgScumbag Steve and Grumpy Cat hung out at SXSW. FOMO to the millionth degree. [via Im With Kanye]



Here' a promo for JASH, a new YouTube channel by Sarah Silverman, Michael Cera, Reggie Watts and Tim & Eric that made its SXSW debut on Sunday. [via Vulture]

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This is how we imagined out lives as bloggers would be... [via Tall Whitney]

Screen shot 2013-03-11 at 5.59.59 PM.pngBut this is how they actually are.

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In 1968, a teenage girl wrote asking Spock for advice and this is what he told her. Who knew Leonard Nimoy had an advice column (or that it would melt your heart)? [via Buzzfeed]



This pup's got the blues and has to let it all out. [via F Yeah Dementia]

tumblr_mjin2vVzhZ1r0wqrdo1_500.jpgBut is that the causation? Or is that a result of the correlation between cool leather jackets and attracting lots and lots of babes? [via Humor Train]

Screen shot 2013-03-11 at 6.43.31 PM.pngIowa Fashion Week began this week. And, in other news, the word "innovate" has already been used 650,000 times at SXSW. [via The Onion]



Will Smith stopped by a South London high school the other day and performed a sing-along version of the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air theme song. Hey Will, wanna come by and do a Kitchen Concert sometime? [via Hyper Vocal]





Here's the first promo for the MTV Movie Awards featuring host Rebel Wilson putting some moves on Channing Tatum during a dangerous car drive. Get it, gurl. [via Vulture]



Here's the long-awaited sequel to "What Gay Men Think of Vaginas," entitled -- you guessed it! -- "What Lesbians Think About Penises." Answers include "springy," "persistent" and "just get it away from my face." [via YouTube]

Some Advice for Justin Bieber During His Breakdown

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We don't know if you've heard (just kidding, obviously you've heard) that Justin Bieber seems to be having a mental breakdown of sorts. Between fighting with the paparazzi, an emergency trip to the hospital, wearing gas masks around London and canceling concerts, it seems like Biebs is going a little bonkers. Hopefully he'll snap out of it, since it seems a little too early for a full blown "fall from grace" child star meltdown. John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats seems to be on board with this. This little ditty which he posted yesterday -- about not being an asshole about Bieber -- is like his own little "Leave Britney Alone!" video (but, you know, better). In keeping with his words of support, we asked for more advice for Bieber from some of Paper's favorite people.


AndrewAndrew, iPad DJs, Girls guest stars and theater addicts:
Go big or stay home! Get full-on-crazy! You already look like a lady body builder in hammer pants on a tirade, embrace your you-ness! Drop a cover of Grace Jones's "Pull Up To The Bumper" in German on cassingle! Collaborate with John Galliano on a line of floral print bullet-proof vests for Walmart! Start wearing kilts and be the first male celeb to flash your junk getting out of your mini-cooper stretch limo! Have an affair with James Franco! We have two words for you: YO! LO!

Michael Musto, Columnist and writer of "The Daily Musto":
Justin needs to come out as a middle-aged lesbian and then all his angst will be gone!

Lady Bunny, Drag Legend:
Since I don't care for [Justin Bieber's] music or the work of other bland, formulaic "superstars," I actually think that the anyone who isn't a teenage girl who follows him and is concerned about his mental health may need a psychiatric evaluation of their own!

Peter Davis, Editor in Chief of Scene magazine:
The Biebs is going all Brittany bizzaro, hopefully not because of any white powdery substances. The gas masks are very Michael Jackson, the paparazzi fights are vintage Madonna-husband era Sean Penn and canceling concerts is trés Lady Gaga. So Bieber is basically a celebrity mash-up mess. My favorite press stunt he pulled was wearing his pants so low sans shirt that you saw his nice rear-end and his Zac Ephron-esque chest which made us all feel like less of a pedophile gawking at his smooth, young skin. I think Justin should pull a Justin Timberlake and snag a Rolling Stone cover and pose shirtless with a new haircut (the lesbian hairdo references are so passé) and on the inside blame all his cuckoo antics on his bible thumping parents. A new tattoo that reads: "Sorry" in Gothic letters across his chest would also help. He should follow this up with appearances on Oprah and Ellen. His fans will eat it all up like gummy bears.


Coming Soon: Outdoorsman's Emporium Best Made Co.

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ppv_bestmade.jpg In 2009, when the economy bottomed out and business was slow, designer and art director Peter Buchanan-Smith decided it was time to take matters into his own hands. He launched Best Made Company with a small series of beautifully designed axes with colorful painted handles, designed in New York and produced in Maine. "The axe was a valuable tool we wanted people to use," Buchanan-Smith says. "But it was also very symbolic and it was a perch to start this sort of company."

Andy Spade, the man who helped turn wife Kate Spade's purse line into the massive brand it is today and who is also responsible for J. Crew's successful menswear retail concepts, was Buchanan-Smith's first client. He started carrying the axes in Partners & Spade, his downtown New York storefront and studio, and when Partners & Spade quickly sold out of the axes, Buchanan-Smith knew he was onto something.

Today, Best Made Co. has expanded into a full collection. Producing all sorts of cool goods made as much with the urban explorer in mind as the actual outdoorsman, the brand makes everything from cloth extension cords to alpine rucksacks, dart sets and even organic pure maple syrup. While custom axes may have been Best Made Co.'s original claim to fame, Buchanan-Smith says he doesn't necessarily want them to be the focus. "I'd always had my sights set on a much bigger picture, whether that would be designing clothing, making movies or opening a theme park."

For now, he's got his sights set on a bigger store. After a successful pop-up shop, Best Made Co. is set to open a showroom, design studio and workshop space in TriBeCa on April 1st. "We want a place that is going to be multipurpose," Buchanan-Smith says. "As a relatively new retail company, there is no better time to experiment with these sorts of things."

Best Made Co. will open on April 1st at 36 White Street, New York.

Why Paul Anka Can Help Bieber Avoid a Meltdown

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Screen shot 2013-03-12 at 12.47.38 PM.pngIn the wake of the Biebs' "worst birthday," concert collapse and odd decision to wear a gas mask to go shopping, everyone wants to know if the kid is headed for a full blown 'bald Britney' meltdown. God, we hope not. Before everyone starts using "Bieber" and "rehab" in the same sentence, we all need to calm the eff down. Though it's entirely possible that the kid is headed for some serious trouble, it's also entirely possible that he'll pull through and this bizarre behavior will be a blip. What we all should remember is that for every teen idol cautionary tale like Leif Garrett's, there's also someone like Paul Anka. The septuagenarian still tours! In that vein, let's take a walk down Tiger Beat memory lane and revisit more heartthrobs of yore like Anka to find out how they all fared. If nothing else, Scooter Braun should use some of these guys as a template to show Bieber how a career transition is done. And, if all else fails, there's always a show on Vh1.  

Paul Anka:


Screen shot 2012-03-01 at 12.44.20 PM.pngHighlights: The '50s teen crooner found major success with hits like "Lonely Boy," "Puppy Love" and "Put Your Head on My Shoulder" and was able to make a fairly smooth transition into an adult performer. In fact, the 70-year-old is still touring the country singing, and you can catch him tonight at the Chumash Casino Event Center in California. How 'bout that!


Eddie Fisher:

Screen shot 2012-03-01 at 12.46.03 PM.pngHighlights: The recently deceased Fisher was famous first as a teen idol and then for his marriage to Debbie Reynolds. He made real headlines, however, when he ditched Debbie for Elizabeth Taylor, à la Brangelina in the '60s. Struggles with drugs and alcohol followed and Fisher fell off of the pop charts. He resurfaced in later years when daughter Carrie Fisher sold her memoirs and famously reconciled with him.


Ricky Nelson:

Screen shot 2012-03-01 at 12.47.02 PM.pngHighlights: Rising to fame in The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet, a show largely based on his own family, Nelson became a pop star but sadly died in 1985 in a plane crash. In 1987, he was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
 

David Cassidy:

Screen shot 2012-03-01 at 12.47.52 PM.pngHighlights: Cassidy was every '70s girl's dream as Keith Partridge on The Partridge Family.  Following the end of the show, Cassidy had additional TV roles, though none as high profile.  Today Cassidy lives in Florida with his third wife and continues to tour as a singer.


Donny Osmond:

Screen shot 2012-03-01 at 12.48.34 PM.pngHighlights: The breakout of The Osmond Brothers, Donny went on to host a variety show with his sister, Marie, called Donny and Marie. By the late '70s, his career was waning but a decade later, he recorded more music that had fair-to-middling success. Osmond has performed on Broadway and hosted the game show Pyramid.


Davy Jones:

Screen shot 2012-03-01 at 12.54.24 PM.pngHighlights: The Monkees frontman who, sadly, passed away yesterday, made tons of girls swoon.  With hits like "Girl," "Daydream Believer" and "Last Train to Clarksville," the Monkees proved they were more than just a manufactured boy band. Jones continued to sing and act even once the Monkees disbanded and lived a successful, and by all accounts happy, life.
 

Leif Garrett:

Screen shot 2012-03-01 at 12.49.14 PM.pngHighlights: Born to showbiz parents, Garrett acted in movies such as Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice and Walking Tall as a kid but made his real mark on the Tiger Beat set with his music career. At 14, however, Garrett started experimenting with drugs and, at 17, crashed his car while high, leaving the other passenger -- who was also his best friend -- paralyzed.  After a brief stint hosting VH1's 8-Track Flashback, Garrett was arrested for trying to purchase drugs from undercover cops. After more arrests and stints in rehab, Garrett released another album in 2007, Three Sides of...


Scott Baio:

Screen shot 2012-03-01 at 12.50.16 PM.pngHighlights: Known to many as Chachi on Happy Days and, later, Joanie Loves Chachi, Baio also recorded a few albums in the 80s before starring in Charles in Charge. Most recently the actor resurfaced in the late aughts with two VH1 reality shows, Scott Baio is 45...and Single and Scott Baio is 46...and Pregnant, which centered on his life as a ladies' man and, later, as a new father.


Corey Feldman:

Screen shot 2012-03-01 at 12.50.58 PM.pngHighlights: One of "the Coreys," Feldman burst onto the scene with roles in Stand By Me, The Goonies, Gremlins and The Lost Boys. After struggling with drug addiction, Feldman went to rehab and cleaned up his act. Most recently, he appeared on reality shows The Surreal Life and The Two Coreys, which centered on his friendship with fellow '80s idol, Corey Haim.


Corey Haim:

Screen shot 2012-03-01 at 12.51.48 PM.pngHighlights: The other member of "the Coreys," Haim got his start with roles in Lucas and The Lost Boys. Like Corey Feldman, early fame and success led to excessive drugs and partying for Haim. He wasn't able to replicate his success in the '90s and '00s aside from appearing with Feldman in The Two Coreys. Tragically, Haim died in 2010 after an apparent overdose at the age of 38.


Kirk Cameron:

Screen shot 2012-03-01 at 12.55.18 PM.pngHighlights: Everyone's favorite (and hot) big brother, Mike Seaver, on Growing Pains, Cameron married a Growing Pains guest star, acted in a few more low-profile roles and found religion. The born-again Christian and his wife founded Camp Firefly, a camp for seriously ill children. He also has a television ministry called The Way of the Master.


Andrew Keegan:

Screen shot 2012-03-01 at 12.56.08 PM.pngHighlights: The bad boy every '90s girl (or gay boy) had a crush on, Keegan is probably most remembered for roles in Camp Nowhere and 10 Things I Hate About You. Though his imdb shows that he's still acting, his days in the spotlight are gone (but perhaps a 10 Things I Hate About You reunion will bring him back?).


Jonathan Taylor Thomas:

Screen shot 2012-03-01 at 12.57.03 PM.pngHighlights: The Home Improvement star also had memorable roles in Tom and Huck and The Lion King before leaving acting to enroll at Columbia. A few months ago his TV mom, Patricia Richardson, tweeted that JTT was acting again and "wants to direct."


Usher:

Screen shot 2012-03-01 at 1.37.39 PM.pngHighlights: Biebs' mentor had success as a teen R&B artist and blew up in the mid-aughts with hits like "Yeah" and "Burn" from Confessions. Also, he was in She's All That! He's still a successful singer who recently played the Super Bowl.


Freddie Prinze Jr:


Screen shot 2012-03-01 at 12.58.39 PM.pngHighlights: A late '90s/early aughts dreamboat with lead roles in She's All That, I Know What You Did Last Summer and Scooby Doo, Prinze married '90s/00s dream girl Sarah Michelle Gellar (a.k.a. Buffy), with whom he has a daughter. For a brief time in the late '00s, Prinze worked at WWE as a producer before leaving in 2011. 


Paul Walker:

Screen shot 2012-03-01 at 12.59.20 PM.pngHighlights: Another '90s/00s heartthrob, Walker's photos plastered many a middle school locker after roles in She's All That and Varsity Blues. He followed up with more adult roles in The Fast and the Furious franchise and continues to act.


Aaron Carter:

Screen shot 2012-03-01 at 1.00.01 PM.pngHighlights: Riding the late '90s boy band wave, Backstreet Boy Nick Carter's little bro had success with pop hits like "Aaron's Party (Come Get It)." (Also: Remember when Lindsay Lohan and Hilary Duff fought over him?) After struggles with drugs and stints in rehab, Carter is now in the off-Broadway revival of The Fantasticks, playing shirtless DJ sets in East Village bars and letting Buzzfeed reporters ask about his "horny level."


Justin Timberlake:

Screen shot 2012-03-01 at 1.00.39 PM.pngHighlights: The one-time N'Syncer has had a hugely successful career as a solo artist and actor and should deeply consider joining the cast of SNL full-time. He is reputedly engaged to married Jessica Biel and just released his third solo studio album, The 20/20 Experience.

This story was originally published on March 1, 2012
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