Drink Your Way Through Rhubarb Season With the Hook & Blush

May 31, 2013, 11:00 am

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Splurging on miso-marinated black cod in Gotham Bar and Grill's hallowed dining room may not be a nightly ritual, but now that bartender Jeremy Hawn has introduced a medley of vibrant cocktails inspired by playing in the restaurant's herb garden, the excuses to take a seat at the Greenwich Village icon's elegant bar are plentiful.

One of Hawn's best concoctions is the Hook & Blush, a soft pink-hued gin libation with a pleasant tartness that surprises upon first sip. Both the tang and the color come courtesy of spring's most beloved but confounding vegetable, rhubarb. Its season is fleeting, and that's why Blue Hill Farm's strawberry-rhubarb jam appealed to the locavore-minded Hawn. "Strawberry-rhubarb pie is a classic. Even for breakfast," he says.

With one of those double-crusted beauties in mind, Hawn embarked on the Hook & Blush, pairing the jam with Brooklyn's Greenhook Gin ("it's crisp, clean, refreshing, and made one zip code away from me"), Dolin Blanc vermouth, lemon juice, simple syrup and rhubarb bitters. The drink's subtle union of lush fruit and bracing zing is especially satisfying amid this early onslaught of heat.

Recipe:

2 oz. Greenhook Gin
2 dashes Fee Brothers rhubarb bitters
2 barspoons Blue Hill strawberry-rhubarb jam
1/2 oz. Dolin Blanc vermouth
3/4 oz. lemon juice
1/4 oz. simple syrup
Lemon twist

Shake ingredients and strain over ice in a rocks glass. Finish with a lemon twist, then discard before serving.

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Jill Greenberg's Controversial Portraits of Crying Children Get a New Book

May 31, 2013, 12:45 pm

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Jill Greenberg is no stranger to controversy, and she certainly doesn't shy away from it when it finds her. Her photo series "End Times," which depicts toddlers sobbing their eyes out, caused so much outrage when it was first shown in 2006 that one blogger proclaimed Greenberg "should be arrested and charged with child abuse." "It was really hurtful and upsetting," Greenberg said over the phone from Milk Studios in New York, where she was shooting a hip-hop star for a GQ editorial.

At first glance, the photos in the 35-photo series, which have been collected in a new book, also called End Times, seem relatively benign. They're ethereally lit images of Greenberg's own children, and her friend's children, doing what they do naturally: cry. Greenberg uses them, however, to make a political statement about the failures of the now defunct Bush Administration or to address issues of religious fundamentalism -- each image bears a title like "Angry Country" or "Deniability," and is accompanied with a disturbing news headline from the era. "People want to explain why the images make them feel something," says Greenberg, "and they assume that feeling is bad."

Today, the political message has lost some of its relevance, but the images continue to resonate, usually for reasons beyond Greenberg's control. Recently, she discovered two End Times photos posted on Instagram with the title "What I'll be doing for the next six months patiently waiting for The Walking Dead to come back." Seeing them appropriated for what Greenberg angrily describes as "nonsense" is something that happens all of the time.

Greenberg's current work is primarily concerned with the insidious presence of sexism in the world. One recent project, "Glass Ceiling," depicts women in high heels swimming in a pool -- they are shot in such a way that their heads appear cut off.

End Times is out now via TF Editores/D.A.P.

All photos by Jill Greenberg

The Best, Worst and Weirdest of the Week

May 31, 2013, 3:00 pm

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Best Insane Exercise Video: Joanna Rohrback's Prancersise, the new workout that combines the elegance of a horse's gait, the ankle weights of 1989 and a springy top from Talbots. Get it, girl. -- Elizabeth Thompson

Best Dog: Billy Joel's tubby pug, Sabrina, photographed for his fascinating Q&A with Andrew Goldman in the Times Magazine. Joel lost 30 million on bum record deals and shady money management by his brother-in-law and says he's not bitter about it at all. -- E.T.

Image We Haven't Been Able to Get Out of Our Heads All Week: Rob Lowe's impressively plastic-looking, stretched mug in Behind the Candelabra. Oh.my.god. -- Abby Schreiber

Best Speller: 13-year-old Arvind Mahankali of Queens, who won the Scripps Spelling Bee for spelling "knaidel," a Yiddish word for dumpling. I would have been like, "n...a...o...k... bye." -- E.T.

Biggest Newspaper Fail: This coverline, which should say "The Reel Rhode Island," right? -- Jonah Wolf

Best Story of the Week: Helen Epstein tracked down the Jewish childhood friend to whom Melita Maschmann addressed her 1963 Hitler Youth memoir-cum-apology Account Rendered. -- J.W.

Craziest Dance Moves of the Week: Dancer Emmanuel "Skywalkrr" Hurt's otherworldly moves as seen in this video for clothing brand and boutique ØDD's new footwear collab with Praxis. -- A.S.

Best Reason We've Heard All Week to Visit Pittsburgh: The Conflict Kitchen, a take-out restaurant that only serves cuisine from countries the U.S. is in conflict with. -- A.S.

Will GMO Labeling Pass in New York?

May 31, 2013, 3:30 pm

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GMO Free NY Mascot Bucky Tomato

Activist Stacie Orell doesn't want Americans to be dining in the dark anymore when it comes to GMOs (genetically modified organisms). She just finished her Masters in Environmental Conservation at NYU and is a co-founder and campaign director for GMO Free NY. The grassroots group is pushing the New York State Assembly and New York State Senate to pass legislation stipulating that GMO food offered for retail sale in the state must be labeled as such. The vote has to happen on or before June 20th when the current session ends.

How is it looking right now?

The Assembly bill has 42 members in favor right now out of 150. It's currently in committee and we just learned a few minutes ago that it will be considered on Monday by the Committee on Consumer Affairs and Protection. If they approve it then it will go to another committee and then to the floor for a vote before the whole assembly.

I see your official mascot is a labradoodle named Bucky Tomato.

He's my dog. I just wanted to inject a little humor into an otherwise serious conversation. He's photogenic so I decided to make use of him.

Does he eat any GMO dog food?

I don't really know since it's not labeled but I don't feed him anything with corn or soy products or any other GMO culprits.

Since the GMO labeling ballot failed to pass in California last year, what makes you think labeling has a chance in New York?

I think there's a lot of momentum right now nationwide in response to the failure in California. We've seen a lot of activity in Connecticut, Maine and Vermont. Washington State has its own ballot initiative coming up in November. A GMO labeling bill has been introduced in every session of the New York State Assembly since 2001 and this is the first time it's been in committee. Before it always died a quiet death. Our bill has great support now because of the increasing awareness and outrage about how we're not allowed to know what's in our food.

Why do you think labeling is important?

Due to lax regulation on the part of the FDA and undue corporate influence from the biotech industry, we've been eating GMOs without our knowledge since 1996. That's when they became part of our food supply. I don't want to be an unwitting guinea pig for the biotech industry. Everyone has a right to know what's in their food so I'm advocating for a label. Once we realized the FDA wasn't stepping up to the plate, we saw it was time for the states and other advocates to do something.

Do you think it made a difference when Whole Foods recently announced they were going to require GMO foods sold in their stores to be labeled?

I think a lot of people assumed Whole Foods wasn't carrying products with GMOs so it's increased public awareness. It's great they made this announcement but it doesn't go into effect until 2018 and I hope we'll have a federal law in place before that.

With the Monsanto Protection Act, Congress seems to have completely sold out to Monsanto lobbyists.

It seems that way if you look at the vote number. Our own Senator Gillibrand voted against the amendment that would have repealed the Monsanto Protection Act. A lot of us aren't very happy with her right now. Seventy-one senators voted against repealing it. Senator Schumer voted in favor.

There's a fear that GMO foods could give rise to superweeds and superbugs.

There are environmental concerns. The bulk of these products have been developed by Monsanto as a means to sell their pesticides. The reality is that the weeds have evolved into superweeds and farmers have to use more Roundup and more toxic pesticides to control them. They leech into the water and we are now eating the toxins. The question is: Is it harmful or not? I don't know. Therefore, I want to be able to choose so I can avoid it.

I read that over 60 countries have enacted laws banning or mandating labeling of GMOs. The EU has been labeling GMOs since 1998. Why are we so far behind?

Because of money. My personal opinion is that our government is in bed, in certain regards, with biotech industries. We are the home of Monsanto and Dupont and there's big business in growing GMO crops. It's patented so farmers have to pay for it. All the chickens and pigs and cows are eating GMO animal feed. Historically, the U.S. is more reactionary, recalling products when there's harm done. Europe is more precautionary.

What can people do?

Go to our Facebook page where we have daily action alerts. Yesterday was Take-Your-Petition-to-Work Day. We're having a benefit on Monday where people can learn more, plus win raffle prizes and get amazing drink discounts. We're doing this on a volunteer basis out of our own pockets. We are going to Albany in a week and a half to lobby state senators.

Is Bucky Tomato making the trip?

He doesn't like long drives. He gives support in spirit.

For more info about labeling GMOs and legislation in New York, go HERE.
More information about the benefit for GMO Free NY on Monday, June 3rd, go HERE.

GIFs Of the Week: Grumpy Cat Got a Movie + Patrick Stewart Ate His First Slice of Pizza

May 31, 2013, 3:45 pm

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Welcome to our Friday GIF roundup, featuring a collection of this week's most important, amusing and/or newsy GIFs and GIF sets by Mike Hayes of Buzzfeed and Gifhound.

First. Much respect to anyone wearing business casual and dressier in THIS HEAT. [via 24]

Here's a sloth loving - or ya know, maybe strangling - a kitten. [via Buzzfeed]

Yeeeah, everyone heard Grumpy got a movie, right? [via Uproxx]

After 72 years of life on earth, Patrick Stewart ate his first pizza slice this week! Well done, sir. [via Buzzfeed]

The dude who won the National Spelling Bee had the perfect reaction to winning a spelling bee. [via Twitter]

Srsly, Arvind the spelling bee champion, does not give a fuck. [via Imgur]

You don't have to be a sports fan to appreciate the perfectly executed double-flop. [via Twitter]

This week in so, so good. [via Gifrific]

And this week in so, so true. [via Jonny McLaughlin]

And finally, the turtle slide. Just the turtle slide. [via Peetaah]

New York Won

May 31, 2013, 4:30 pm

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

New Yorkers are officially having a love affair with NY1, the 24 hour "news network" that comes free with your Time Warner Cable package. Many who live the self-employed lifestyle leave NY1 on all day and I believe it's developed a cult following amongst artists, musicians and writers across the five boroughs. Let's be real -- Pat Kiernan could walk down the street in any other city in the world and no one would know who the hell he was. By contrast, I met Pat Kiernan at an event on Tuesday night and lost my shit. In this week's Five 'n' Five, I pair five of the most amazing NY1 segments with songs from another NYC staple, the Beastie Boys.

Pat Kiernan: "Sure Shot" - The Beastie Boys

Giving new meaning to the term "local celebrity," millions of people eat breakfast with this man every day. The anchorman of NY1, Kiernan reports on the 2013 Mayoral candidates -- one of whom is being investigated by the FBI for fraud, another who is most famous for tweeting photos of his own penis -- at 5 o'clock in the morning. The snark factor is high.

In the News: "Remote Control" - The Beastie Boys

God's gift to morning television, this segment features Kiernan literally holding up the day's newspapers in front of a camera, turning the pages and summarizing what each story is about. You can see his fingers in the frame as he is serving total DIY realness. It's basically your BFF in the nail salon going through an US Weekly, except it's being broadcast to the entire city.

Jamie Shupak: "Sabotage" - The Beastie Boys

Jamie Shupak is the drama queen you went to high school with (literally in some of our cases) who now does the weather. I am not the only one who thinks that she is trying to kick it to Pat. (BTW his wife is a total babe.)

Cooking at Home: "Finger Lickin' Good" - The Beastie Boys

Chef Dan Eaton (pronounced eatin') cooks in his own kitchen, but seeing as this is New York City, his kitchen is approximately 2 feet by 2 feet. The production value of this segment is so low it's confusing.

Whipple's World: "Hey Ladies" - The Beastie Boys

Do you have an older male relative who is a total ham and pretends to host a "celebrity gossip" segment, which is being filmed by their equally old male friend who can't figure out how to use a camcorder circa 1980? Eyebrows are his thing. It's Whipple's World.

The Best Baby Beatles Cover Of All Time

June 3, 2013, 7:15 am

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It's a nasty rainy Monday in New York, so we'll be watching this delightful, deeply adorable video of a two-year-old covering the Beatles' "Don't Let Me Down" with his dad on repeat all day. [DPF]



Joe Mande and Noah Garfinkel of Totally JK made the ultimate Daft Punk X Johnny Galecki fan video. [Splitsider]

Kevin and Neal are probably pretty cool guys once you get to know them. Plus, the "no skinny dipping" sign! Worth it. [JuliaSegal]



Anderson Cooper gives an update on the IKEA monkey. He's doing great at his monkey sanctuary and is friends with a baboon named Sweetpea! [TastefullyOffensive]

Katherine Hepburn, baddest bitch in the game. [OldFilmsFlickr]

Someone made a portrait of Michael Douglas as Liberace out of 4,000 Mike & Ikes. OK, but where the F is Baby Boy? [LaughingSquid]

Three snaps in a Z formation. [Pizzzatime]



Proof that honey badgers don't care! [TastefullyOffensive]



Cat v. some paper in a printer: Only one will survive. [TastefullyOffensive]

Recapping the Mad Men Recaps: A Tale of Two Cities

June 3, 2013, 11:45 am

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Each week PAPER will help you sort through your feelings about Mad Men by rounding up the best and brightest of the MM recaps. Read below so you can compare, contrast, and ponder while listening to the audiobook of How I Raised Myself From Failure to Success in Selling.

Nobody knows what the hell to call the firm: SCDPCGC? SC&P? Let's call the whole thing off.

The merged firm still doesn't have a name. No one but Jim Cutler seems terribly worked up about it, which... really, guys? Aren't you supposed to be all about image, perception and all that jazz? Whatever. -- TV Line

The alphabet soup of SCDPCGC finally gets pared down to the simpler and more elegant SC&P." [Ed note: The "P" stands for "partners"] -- EW

But whiny wittle baby-waby Pete Campbell doesn't like "SC&P!" Don tells him to STFU.

The SCDPCGC merger has never been settled, and things came to a head (and then cooled off) this week over the superficial crux of the problem: that blasted name. In the end, perhaps Pete was right that to give up the fight and allow Sterling Cooper to return to, more or less, Sterling Cooper, was a defeat. Though Pete didn't have a direct complaint about losing name space, there was something somewhat regressive about allowing the firm to return to its original title, given how far they had all come. -- Collider

Pete makes a good point, though, about the new agency's name effectively erasing their work from the industry's consciousness; besides reminding us that even a punchable stopped clock like Pete is right at least twice a day, the moment feeds back into the notion that every encounter, whether it occurs in a boardroom, a bedroom or on the streets, is ultimately about power, about the future, about legacy. -- Vulture

Don, Roger and Harry go to L.A. Don kind of behaves himself and seems to be making some effort with Megan?

It was a nice touch that as soon as he was back in the office (he went straight from the airport) that he had Dawn get Megan on the phone. I'm cynical enough to know that their marriage is doomed, but I do enjoy seeing Don trying to do the right thing every now and then. -- Rolling Stone

At the hotel, Don turns down Roger's invitation to check out the Strip and instead talks on the phone with Megan, who's upset by the Chicago police's use of force on protesters outside the convention. He jokes about it but stops when he realizes she's about to cry. Because she's Canadian, "You can't even vote," he teases her. "But I still live here," she points out. The cute, attentive way Don's talking to Megan, it's like he actually misses her - could it be that his promise to be a better husband is actually taking effect? -- TV Line

Meanwhile, Jim Cutler tries to fire a bunch of people while they're away.

Back at the office, after a political argument with Ginsberg, Jim Cutler is agitating for a Cutler Gleason Chaough takeover. With Don and Roger away, "Just lock the gates and leave Pete Campbell as the doorman," Jim advises, but Ted says he has to play nice now - and that the first step will happen when he brings Ginsberg with him during the client meeting with Manischewitz. -- TV Line

The Chicago riots are happening and everyone is freaked out, including Ginsberg.

The sirens that literally sounded the alarm on the increasing violence in New York last week have made their way west to Chicago, where the Democratic National Convention (signifying that we've now hit late August 1968) and the accompanying riots have everyone from Don to Megan to Joan to Stan to Ginsberg glued to their TVs and radios. The schism between the Establishment and the younger generation has begun to spill over into the workplace as Ginsberg tears into Jim Cutler for supporting the war in Vietnam (playing fast and loose with the term "Nazi," which may just be the result of his harrowing upbringing). -- Rolling Stone

At first [Don and Megan] are horrified and enraptured by televised footage of cops and protesters violently clashing at the 1968 Democratic convention. The contrast between Megan's despair at the images and Don's more blasé - even "cynical," to quote Megan's term for him earlier - attitude summarized the political friction within the American middle class, which pitted soft liberal attitudes against soft conservative ones, and prompted the sorts of arguments that would power Norman Lear's sitcoms a few years later. -- Vulture

Don smokes hash and hallucinates that he sees Megan, who tells him she's pregnant. Later, he hallucinates a conversation with Dinkins, the soldier he met in Hawaii on this season's premiere. Dinkins is missing an arm and tells Don he's dead.  Then Don falls in a swimming pool. Does this mean Don will die soon, etc. etc. etc.? 

At this point, Don is not only a downer to hang out with, but he's slipped past our reach entirely. After all, he's lost all touch with his own humanity. Even the threat of death can't save him. "Dying doesn't make you whole," the (hallucinated) soldier tells him at the party, right before his near-death experience. Without any salvation or promise of redemption ahead for Don, all we can look forward to is more denial and more alienation. Or as Roger puts it, "He's fine. Everybody back away." -- Salon

Megan tells Don "Everybody's looking for you." A nod, perhaps, to the government closing in on his ID switch-up? Dinkins says, "My wife thinks I'm MIA, but I'm actually dead." During their terrace talk last week, Megan noted that Don had been so emotionally absent, she missed him "all the time."  And on the plane on the way home, Don has a rough-sounding cough - the same cough we saw a few episodes back, perhaps? Maybe something's more wrong (in this chronic smoker and hard-liver) than we thought?  -- TV Line

In case this wasn't clear, Don tried to kill himself in last night's episode. He smoked some pot at that Hollywood party, hallucinated a hippie, barefoot-and-pregnant version of Megan that showed he's, like Avon, caught between groovy and nostalgic, and then saw Pfc. Dinkins, who said he died in Vietnam and informed Don that Don, too, was currently deceased. At that point, we realized Don had gone all facedown and Sunset Blvd. in the swimming pool, but that Roger -- who thought Don was simply a bad swimmer -- successfully resuscitated him. The fact that Don tried to end it and failed suggests he probably won't die this season, purely for reasons of redundancy. But I stand by the notion that, as mentioned in the recap of the Grandma Ida episode, the death of Don Draper as Don's identity is imminent. It's notable that his name was the first one deleted from the agency's new title, Sterling Cooper & Partners, no? -- Esquire

But is Don's perma-meltdown/mid-life anxiety about death getting tiresome?

The whole season has played out like the end of the second act of a movie, when the protagonist hits rock bottom. The big difference is, Don's rock bottom will last 13 hours - or even longer. After watching this guy slip out of countless tight spots with his pride intact, his money untouched and a bevy of lady admirers always waiting in the wings, we now have to see him shatter into a million pieces in slow motion. That might be fine if it happened all at once, but having his damnation play out over the course of a full season turns out to be pretty anticlimactic. We can see that Don's going to flail and grow increasingly confused and never learn a thing about what he's done wrong, possibly even after he's lost everything.  -- Salon

I said I was going to go into Don's falling in the pool, and I guess I should, but...I'm just not really feeling it. I'm less interested in Don right now than I've ever been, notwithstanding the possibility that the writers are setting him up for some sort of horrendous tragedy. Hey, he died for real, then came back, which is sort of like what happened figuratively in Korea, and sort of like what happens to him every time he re-invents himself as an ad man, a husband or a father; great. Nice work. Now show Roger getting jabbed in the nuts again, please. -- Vulture

The Sharon Tate/Megan dying paranoia continues.

For those, such as Slate's June Thomas, who believe that Megan is turning into Sharon Tate, this episode provided more fodder. At the end of the hallucination Megan pats her belly and implies that she has a surprise coming. Tate was 8½ months pregnant when she was murdered. -- Slate

In fact, as unlikely as the Sharon Tate predictions might seem (Megan was wearing a Vietnamese red star T-shirt like Tate once did, and will therefore end up murdered), it is tough to imagine the season wrapping without Megan dying or Don almost dying or both. -- Salon

Let's take a minute to unpack Don's dream/drug fever/near-death experience/whatever you want to call it. Megan tells Don "Everybody's looking for you." A nod, perhaps, to the government closing in on his ID switch-up? Dinkins says, "My wife thinks I'm MIA, but I'm actually dead." During their terrace talk last week, Megan noted that Don had been so emotionally absent, she missed him "all the time."  And on the plane on the way home, Don has a rough-sounding cough - the same cough we saw a few episodes back, perhaps? Maybe something's more wrong (in this chronic smoker and hard-liver) than we thought? Or maybe, between the Megan Is Sharon Tate theory and trying to decipher Bob Benson's intentions, I've just got a bad case of Matt Weiner-induced paranoia. -- TV Line

Tate was pregnant at the time of her death. If Megan, who already miscarried this season, mentions next week that she's again with-child, expect her Death Watch drumbeat to get much louder. -- Esquire

Joan tries to land an account with Avon and goes around Pete, who condescendingly tells her he'll take it from there. Unbeknownst to Peggy, Joan goes rogue and sets up a meeting for them with Avon's head of marketing sans Pete or Ted.

Joan is on what she thinks is a blind date orchestrated by her friend Kate, but it turns out all Avon's new head of marketing, Andy Hayes, was after was a little advertising advice. Joan's hardly bummed over this failed shot at romance...But when Ted orders Pete and Peggy to take the initial meeting instead, Joan takes matters into her own hands, which is pretty easy considering that she was told to make all the arrangements (again, still the secretary). Pete is deliberately not invited to the power breakfast, putting Peggy in a superawkward position that leads to an incredible scene between the two women in the office lobby after they both worked their advertising magic on Andy. Peggy reprimands Joan for going over Ted's and Pete's heads...But what was more powerful about this scene was how Peggy finally got to unleash eight years of frustration on Joan for her passive-aggressive treatment once she became a copywriter: "You made me feel like I couldn't do it," she tells Joan. Seeing people break the rules, be they male or female is a nasty thorn in Peggy's side because, as she reminds Joan, she worked her way up. Except Joan reveals she always thought Peggy's success was the result of having slept with Don. Peggy sets her straight, but Joan is firm in her resolve: "I have to do it myself, Peggy. This is the only way I could do it." Given how everyone at the company views her after Jaguar, Joan is right. She could only prove her worth by overstepping her bounds. -- Rolling Stone

As Joan is reamed out in the conference room by Pete and a much-calmer Ted, she is just about to be forced into admitting her transgression when a quick-thinking Peggy sends Meredith in with a fake message from Andy Hayes, effectively saving Joan's ass. To Ted, what matters is new business was brought in, no matter how it was done. "Pete, we're all working together," he says, still cool as a cucumber. -- Rolling Stone

I love how the script establishes right off the bat that Andy is recently divorced but still feels married, and therefore has not a smidge of romantic or sexual interest in Joan. She wins his interest by being confident, smart and resourceful; in some ways it's the opposite of her career-and-reputation-defining date with Herb the Jaguar dealer in "The Other Woman," and the fact that the actor who plays Andy Hayes physically resembles Herb makes me think this is the entire point. This scene is Joan's professional redemption. Not that she truly needs to be redeemed - but the men in her office, and even the women, apparently, see her as somebody who slept her way to the top, and totally disregard the years of hard work that led up to the partner-making date with Herb. Pete alludes to the supposed "stain" on Joan's reputation, and even Peggy does. The reflexive urge of the few powerful women to undermine each other in a male-dominated workplace really comes out in this episode, even though Joan and Peggy basically like each other. Each woman views the other as the beneficiary of a sex appeal-based shortcut rather than of merit and hard work, and Joan's skeptical reaction to Peggy's insistence that she never slept with Don suggest that this entire time, Joan assumed that she did. -- Vulture

The breakaway the show wants us to care about most, however, is Joan, who flouts the rules and tramples over the hierarchy in order to keep control of her lead with Avon...Peggy's appalled that Joan's gone rogue, leading to one of the great office girlfights, with each dredging up long-held resentments: "You were so brave, letting Don carry you to the deep end of the pool," Joan says, to which Peggy replies, "I never slept with him." (So much for the theory that powerful women should be friends.) -- Slate

Pete is still a total prick but, after getting yelled at by Don, goes into the break room and smokes a joint. Has he officially removed the stick from his ass?

It's unlikely Pete will head out to Wichita, as Duck Phillips suggested last episode, but one thing is for sure, he's had enough of the daily grind. He walks into the creative lounge (a.k.a the anti-Establishment clubhouse), relieves Stan of his joint and takes a long, slow drag as the opening chords to "Piece of My Heart" wail in the background. The slow-motion effect of the smoke exhaling from his lungs as he ogles a yellow-minidress-wearing office girl walking by signals that even the most straitlaced members of the older generation can't escape the allure of the omnipresent counterculture. -- Rolling Stone

The instances of men in suits getting high are getting frequent enough to fill a Tumblr. I loved the image at the end of Pete, smoking Stan's joint, sitting under that pin-up board in creative. Cats are living with dogs, the world is coming apart, and all he has is a sunny yellow dress to distract him.  -- Slate

And what is Bob Benson's deal?

I laughed out loud when Ginsberg quoted Oppenheimer's "Now I am become death" and Benson could only respond with a genial "Come on buddy, you're not Death." Something about this semi-comic interaction made me wonder if Bob's secret is that he's actually the protagonist of his own show, a much happier and upbeat show than Mad Men about a good-guy worker bee who climbs his way to the top of an ad agency, and all of our favorite characters only have supporting roles. Or maybe I'm wrong and he'll just turn out to be a crazy killer like some are predicting. Maybe the reason he knows Ginsberg isn't Death is because he is. Who knows? The mystery remains. -- EW

So, Bob Benson. What did we learn this week? He likes to listen to the audio version of the self-help book How I Raised Myself From Failure to Success in Selling. Does this mean he's on his second career? And he's succeeded in winning over Jim Cutler after he chastised Ginsberg for being insubordinate toward his superior, so much so that even after a botched meeting with Manischewitz, Jim puts Bob on the Chevy account. If anything, judging by this episode, he's just a nicer version of Pete Campbell. -- Rolling Stone

Questions about Bob Benson abounded on Twitter this week, one suggestion being he's gay. Mad Men doesn't need to be cagey with a gay character after Sal, so I think that Ginsberg asking if he was a "homo" was a red herring. There is something really weird about Bob though, especially this week. He's like a robot approximation of a human. -- Collider

Bob's niceness to Ginsberg, like his niceness to everyone, is unnerving somehow - plus he's apparently listening to self-help records in his office, which on a TV drama pretty much screams "future office massacre perpetrator." -- Vulture

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MM's Travel Tips, Plus How to Roadproof Your Relationship

June 3, 2013, 12:00 pm

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Dear Mr. Mickey,
I recently started dating a guy who I really like and we're planning to go on a cross-country trip together. We're going to be spending a lot of quality time together in a tiny car. What are your tips for making sure our getaway goes well and doesn't turn into relationship roadkill?

Signed,
-- On the Road Romance

Dear On the Road,
Mr. Mickey's advice is this: fly. Of course Mr. Mickey jests. With a little communication, understanding and water-based lubricant a good relationship can withstand any test. The first thing to do is sit down and make a list of everything you can think of that has annoyed you on previous road trips, or even annoying things that you've seen in road trip movies. Maybe you're the type who likes to drive in silence while listening to some pompous gasbaggy talk radio. Or maybe you like to speed down the highway like a bat out of hell blaring blood-curdling death metal music. These are the kinds of things that can really kill your road trip buzz if you're not on the same page as your travel partner. Talk to your main squeeze about what kind of music he likes, how long he likes to drive, if he likes to stop and visit roadside attractions and eat pecan log rolls at Stuckey's truck stops. Does he expect you to service him orally while he drives? If so, make sure your car doesn't have a stick shift. Also make sure you have some alcohol-free oral hygiene rinse in the glove box. If the idea of giving a hum job as you cruise through the Smoky Mountains is abhorrent to you it's best for that to be known before Mr. Man pops a boner outside of Chattanooga. The secret is to work out everything in advance and lay some ground rules for the basics. That way you won't hate each other's guts and can enjoy your trek across this fine land of ours.

Dear Mr. Mickey,
I know you're always jetting off to the latest go-to international hot spot. Where's the sexiest travel destination this summer?

Signed,
-- EasyJet Set

Dear Easy,
Mr. Mickey is afraid the clock is ticking on Montenegro being the hipster destination, so if you're planning on cruising the Adriatic you might need to head south to Albania. If you're an art nerd, you should head to the Bukovina region of Romania, famous for its painted monasteries. There isn't a Four Seasons hotel so it's not for fancy-pants types but it's totally unspoiled and non-touristy. Adventurous kids should head to Mozambique or Papua New Guinea and party types addicted to a global megalopolis might try Jakarta.

Dear Mr. Mickey,
I work in fashion PR for a very chic (but very judgy) firm that has a lot of out-of-the-office socializing. I recently met this hunky bear type and he's amazing in every way but one: he wears Crocs. All the time. I feel like such a shallow and awful person but is it too much to ask of him to ditch those clog monstrosities when we go to fabulous fashion fêtes?

Signed,
-- Croc Block

Dear Croc Block,
Does this bear treat you nice? Does he tell you you're sexy? If you can answer yes to both questions MM wonders why you would want to make him feel bad by ridiculing his (admittedly poor) footwear choices. The reason you're feeling awful and shallow about this is that you are being awful and shallow. Don't get Mr. Mickey wrong. He can be a snooty beeotch just like the next fashion-victimy gay. And it's good that you want to impress your co-workers and bosses. Still, the bear isn't the one who works for the snooty PR firm, so why should he play by their rules? Would it be better if he shoved his meaty tootsies into a stud-covered Louboutin? You just let your baby be himself and if any of your colleagues make comments about his footwear just tell them you choose your men based on the important things: cock size and the type of car he drives.

PAPER Communications Announces New Executive Hire: Cameron Connors, President

June 3, 2013, 1:04 pm

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 4, 2013 PAPER Communications Announces New Executive Hire: Cameron Connors, President

Kim Hastreiter and David Hershkovits, founders and co-CEOs of PAPER Communications, are delighted to announce the addition of Cameron Connors as President, effective June 5, 2013. Cameron will lead the company into the next evolution of their business model, covering all aspects of operating the company and driving the business and team forward. Previously, Cameron was Managing Director of the Studio at Condé Nast, where he drove innovation and revenue across the entire Condé Nast brand portfolio. Before overseeing the Studio, Cameron headed up Marketing Services for Hearst Magazines Digital Media, covering Harper's BAZAAR, Esquire, and Town & Country among others. Prior to Hearst, Cameron garnered industry recognition for work with a number of brands, including WIRED, Epicurious.com, Grey Goose Vodka, Chevrolet and LG during his first sting at Condé Nast. 

"As PAPER Communications moves into its 30th year of operation, we are delighted to welcome Cameron into the PAPER family. With Cameron's breadth and depth, both in publishing and in omni-channel marketing, we see him bringing strong leadership to our existing organization, especially in the digital arena. There has never been a better time for PAPER and with the addition of Cameron we will build on the PAPER brand and the authenticity and heritage it has in the marketplace. Brands need to be part of the conversation and the key is content, whether print, digital or experiential," said David Hershkovits.

"We feel so lucky to have someone who is as culturally savvy as Cameron joining our team at this amazing point in PAPER's history. With Cameron's business smarts and the valuable and unique assets that PAPER has built organically over almost 30 years of informing and inspiring our loyal cultural community of explorers, influencers, creatives, connectors and enthusiasts, we will continue the tremendous growth our company has experienced over the past four years," said Kim Hastreiter.

"I am honored and thrilled to become part of the PAPER family. The media assets, the brand credibility and the loyal audience make this such an incredible opportunity. There are very few companies effectively catering to this demographic that have been around for 30 years, let alone profitable ones. I look forward to working with the talented team here to write the next chapter in PAPER's 30-year history. I have been fortunate to work with and learn from the best minds in the business and am eager to apply that expertise at PAPER. The best part about it is that I get to join two legends in Kim and David whom I must thank for this wonderful opportunity," said Cameron Connors.

ABOUT PAPER COMMUNICATIONS:
Founded in 1984, PAPER Communications is a media and marketing company that publishes a magazine and website and also provides marketing services to a range of companies looking to connect their brands to culture and its communities. Services range from cultural strategy, experiential marketing, event production, custom content, communications strategy and influencer marketing. Some key clients include Target, American Express, British Airways and Remy Cointreau.

PAPER COMMUNICATIONS is located at 15 East 32 Street, NY, NY 10016 T: 212 226 4405
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT JANJAY SHERMAN: Janjay@extraextracreative.com

Real Housewives of New Jersey Recap: It All Ends at the Beadery

June 3, 2013, 1:15 pm

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Each Monday, Eli Yudin and Carey O'Donnell, authors of the very, very funny Twitter account @NotTildaSwinton, will be recapping the Real Housewives of New Jersey for us. Below, their first installment.

Carey: The Ocean receded, leaving behind its stains of salt, hardened sand, blanketing the collapsed ceilings of broken houses surrounding the bay; blanketing scattered patio furniture in places patio furniture should not be. Yes, Season 5 of Real Housewives of New Jersey has started out on a genuinely somber note, with footage of Hurricane Sandy's rampage on the New Jersey shoreline. But as Teresa Giudice, always the optimist, notes while standing in the foyer of her partially destroyed beach house: "Thank God this is only my second home."

Eli: That question that leaves us all paralyzed in our bed with fear, nervous sweats soaking our sheets: "What if I only owned one home?"  What will I do now if I get tired of living in a palatial house filled with everything I need?  What will I do if I suddenly want to be in a smaller house, with LESS stuff?  The only option is clear: to dive off the Empire State building into a kiddie pool filled with steak knives and thrash the pain away.  Shore house or regular house?  We're dealing with a regular "Teresa's Choice" here. As another character mentioned, "I can't believe this is happening in AMERICA."  He could be seen on the eve of Sandy, throwing handfuls of money at the hurricane to appease it. "Back away you!" he screamed to the heavens, his tears getting all over the bills. I mean hurricanes, that's some third-world shit, am I right?

Carey: It seems that in this version of the world, hurricanes are only for poor people. During one discussion between Jacqueline and her sister-in-law Caroline while seated at Jacqueline's vast kitchen table-their bodies dwarfed by chairs that were apparently built to accommodate Yetis, Jacqueline says in earnest sympathy, "I know so many people who lost their second homes." Like most natural disasters, the hurricane was simply a narrative arch for reality shows on Bravo. Transitioning from the wreckage of one of the most horrific storms in history, we move to the even larger disaster: the Giudice & Gorga saga.

Eli: We find the two clans recovering in their homes, which are less homes and more elaborate cave systems with mirrors all over them. They're gathering donations for the victims, and judging by their selections, the Red Cross is HURTING for sequins right now.  As Teresa says, people who've gone through these sort of disasters need "glamorous and beautiful clothing", which is a cute euphemism for clean water and food. But before I can mop up my apartment floor from the river of tears and vomit I've emitted over the Giudice's generosity, we're introduced to the Ballad of the Star-Crossed Play-Pals. Because of the family's warring, Milania and Antonia are just two young girls, adrift in the sea on icebergs as cold as the glares I imagine Teresa and Melissa practice in the mirror in case they run into each other at a WaWa or necklace store.

Carey: If there is one thing the Giudice and Gorga clans like to constantly remind us of, it's how they are related. "Joe is my brother," Teresa says, of her brother, Joe, who later will say, "Teresa is my sister," about his sister, Teresa, who is also the sister-in-law of Melissa, the wife of Joe, who is Teresa's brother. Because Teresa, the sister of Joe, and Joe, the brother of Teresa, are brother and sister, their children are cousins. Milania and Antonia are cousins. They also both have four syllables in their names. They are sweet and young and have bad handwriting, like most kids who are sweet and young do. They also LOVE to play with each other. Because their parents are feuding (That's Joe, the brother of Teresa, who is the sister of Joe, if you were lost) their play dates are limited. Poor Milania and Antonia! Sometimes they talk to each other at night through tin cans tied to either end of a string running the distance of their respective crypt-homes. When their mothers discover their makeshift cell phones, they use Old Morse code by flashing their iPads from their bedroom windows. One day at School for Young and Sweet Children with Bad Handwriting, Antonia writes a letter to Milania, telling her that she misses her and wants to play. Melissa doesn't see any harm in setting up a hang sesh between the two little girls. After all, they are cousins, who are also the children of Teresa and Joe, who are brother and sister. She has Antonia address an envelope and slaps it on the mail-mule to head across the frozen forest to the Giudice mausoleum.



Eli: I think it's safe to say there has been no relationship in the entirety of the existence of the human race put through the struggle of Antonia & Milania. All poor Antonia wants is someone to do her hip-hop with, but she must hip-hop alone, with only a cardboard cut-out of Will Smith from Hitch to show off her moves to. The families begin to negotiate the terms of the play date.  The way this is done is that one mother will send the other mother a text, that mother will read it, make an unpleasant face, and then have a very vague conversation with the nearest cast member about the tense nature of the situation until their head begins spinning and white noise emits from their mouth. It seems every strategy Teresa, sister of Joe tries fails, from texting while drunk on red wine, and letting her 12-year-old text Melissa instead.  Now, if I have complex problems with my familial relationships, I can at least cross red wine and 12-year-olds off the list as solutions. Also, Caroline has now ascended to her seat as Mahatma Caroline, trying to help Joe sort this out with steepled fingers and a caring nod that would make a metronome jealous.  She says she made a promise to herself not to get involved, the same way I promise myself I'll go running or not eat an entire pizza. Jacqueline's stance on the Great Divide was that it was as high on her priority list as bleaching her asshole, which would make more sense if she didn't look like she could be the woman who invented bleaching your asshole.  Then there was a Carrabba's commercial that I thought was still part of the show.

Carey: This entire season premiere may as well have been one long Carrabba's commercial. After the back-and forth, the cousin play date is finally set! Milania and Antonia are finally brought together! Melissa and Teresa bring them to a "beadery" to make fun necklaces and bracelets together. Teresa thinks Melissa is micro-managing her daughters bead-making, and then gives her niece a belated birthday gift, an iPhone 5, to which Melissa says "Oh, Antonia has an iPhone 4, though." Other than that, Caroline and her husband Albert are considering downsizing from their suburban mansion to a lofty Hoboken apartment that overlooks the Hudson.  They've rented the apartment for the entire year as a "trial run", so now Caroline has a new place to mutter tired sayings about loyalty and talk about her sons. Kathy (the cousin of Teresa, and Joe, who are brother and sister) is still light and charming, and still uncertain of why she's on this show in the first place.  She is also now a spokesperson for a weight loss procedure where your fat is frozen, and she appears in awkward, grainy TV commercials for it. Kathy's one scene in the episode thankfully features her truly delightful sister Rosie, who will probably have a spin-off show someday. Kathy wants Rosie, who is a lesbian (also the cousin of Teresa and Joe, who are brother and sister) to date more. Kathy suggests that Rosie should start using "social media that caters to gays and lesbians." Kathy is v. chill with social media and lesbians!



Eli: Their time spent in the beadery echoed some of the tenser hostage exchanges I've seen.  I was waiting the whole time for one mom to throw sand in the other's eyes and take off with both children.  As they stood out in the parking lot, they were ordered to "Give Hugs!"  Which sounds like something the dictator of a country made out of pillows would say.  Then Melissa and Antonia drove off in a Bentley, which is slightly subtler than driving a giant middle finger around.  I think, in all, we can all support the advice of Caroline when she says, "Don't you be us" to her children. Also excited about Tyler Perry's Don't You Be Us, coming soon. My favorite part of this episode was the promo for Watch What Happens Live! where Teresa inexplicably starts doing push-ups for the studio audience, who I imagine threw her small bread crusts and trinkets, which she gathered with her admittedly toned arms.
 
Carey: More to come next week, but for now, go to a Macaroni Grill and watch someone spend way too long deciding on a wine.

SONAR Is Making Some Big Changes for Its 20th Anniversary

June 3, 2013, 1:29 pm

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Big changes are coming to Barcelona's SONAR music festival as it celebrates its 20th anniversary next week. Since 1994 -- when a ticket only cost $4 -- the daytime events have been held in the city's Center of Contemporary Culture. But this year, while SONAR by Night concerts will remain at the Fira Gran Via, the early shows will move to a larger space near the Plaza Espanya.

SONAR's Georgia Taglietti looks at the change as an "opportunity to offer a fresh experience, greater comfort and better circulation between stages." And it's not the only change that people will notice: Taglietti told us that there will be a new addition to the three-day festival called Sónar+D that will include "more new media and activities aimed at the professional sector." And while in past years, the festival often took advantage of its proximity to the Museum of Contemporary Art by allowing access to the museum's current exhibits, Taglietti says: "We have been replacing the static museum exhibition format with one more oriented toward the live, staged show."

EDM festivals have been on the rise in the U.S., but SONAR has been on top of the electronic music scene for decades. They've always featured the best up-and-coming artists, and there's always a chance to catch a performance by a true pioneer in the genre like the late Karlheinz Stockhausen who appeared in 2000; or the visual artist Christian Marclay, who recently won international acclaim for his 24-hour film "The Clock," and who DJ'd at SONAR in 2002 using records chopped into pie-shaped segments reassembled randomly with roadie tape.

This year's more avant-garde offerings include a June 15th performance by Dinos Chapman, one-half of the contemporary art duo Jake & Dinos Chapman. The controversial UK artists were nominated for a Turner prize in 2003 and this year, as a side project, Dinos released a 13-track album called Luftbobler.

Enric Palau -- who co-founded the festival with Sergio Caballero and Ricard Robles -- heads the booking team and works year-round to select which artists get to appear. According to Palau, "some are decided immediately and others you consider as you go with the calendar. It's a participatory process in which several people in the office intervene." He laments that they've always wanted -- but have never been able -- to book Talking Heads.

DJ and recording artist Richie Hawtin has appeared at SONAR fifteen times since 1996. "I guess you could call me a resident at SONAR," he says, "since I've performed nearly every year since it began. Actually on the few years that I didn't perform, I still attended. I've had many incredibly rewarding memories playing in front of thousands of enthusiastic fans...but honestly, it's the quiet moments in-between the performances that resonate with me more deeply. Hanging with the SONAR team and other visiting artists, meeting for drinks and incredible Spanish dinners -- once with my parents and Ralf and Florian from Kraftwerk and another with John Peel -- moments and memories where time seems to stop." Hawtin returns this year for a special June 14th presentation of "ENTER," featuring UK DJ Maya Jane Coles and Spanish techno DJ Paco Osuna.

SONAR, Barcelona's 20th International Festival of Advanced Music and New Media Art, runs from June 13 to June 15 with Kraftwerk, Pet Shop Boys, Skrillex, Diplo, Liars, Jurassic 5, Nicolas Jaar, Baauer, Breakbot, Chromatics, AlunaGeorge, Gold Panda, Mykki Blanco, Jamie Lidell and many more. For the full list of artists, DJs, performances -- and to purchase tickets -- go HERE, and check out images from SONAR's 20-year history below.

The crowd at SONAR in 1997

Miss Kittin getting her lewk together in 2000

SONAR bumper cars in 2003

Massive Attack performing in 2004

Chic performing with Nile Rogers in 2006

Richie Hawtin and Ricardo Villalobos DJing in 2006

Scissor Sisters performing in 2006

Beastie Boys performing in 2007

JUSTICE performing in 2008

Roisin Murphy performing in 2008

Grace Jones performing in 2009

LCD Soundsystem performing in 2010

Roxy Music performing in 2010

M.I.A. performing in 2011

Lana Del Ray performing in 2012

Nicolas Jaar performing in 2012

Zak Pelaccio Heads to Bushwick for Fried Chicken and Pasta

June 3, 2013, 2:30 pm

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Each week in our Chefs Off Duty series, we talk to some of our favorite chefs and industry folk around the country to find out their secret late-night spots where they like to grab a bite and a pint when their kitchens are finally closed. Next up: Zak Pelaccio, chef and "Spiritual Leader" of the Fatty Crew (the group behind NYC's Fatty Crab, Fatty 'Cue and Pig & Khao restaurants). Most recently, Pelaccio and his wife decamped for the Hudson Valley where they opened Fish & Game in Hudson, a new seasonally-driven restaurant located in an old blacksmith shop that will feature, among other specialties, all sorts of condiments and spirits from kimchi to Worcestershire sauce to vermouth made in-house, along with ingredients foraged from the area.

Where do you like to grab a bite when you're leaving your own restaurants?

This new spot out in Bushwick, Fritzl's Lunch Box, is very cool. It's just simply really good food. A guy named Dan Ross-Leutwyler runs it. He and I used to work together. He's a great guy and a talented chef. He's no nonsense and all about the food. [Fritzl's] is a small space and being in Bushwick, it's very affordable. Though I guess Bushwick is no longer very affordable...but he is!

What are some of your favorite things to get there?

He does brilliant work with sandwiches. He does perhaps one of the best burgers around. I don't want to divulge his secret -- although I may have some insight into it -- but it starts with good product, as all good food should. He makes a fried chicken sandwich that's killer. It's really simple with lettuce and mayo on a light roll. It's all about the texture of the chicken, as it should be. He also has a rotation of pastas -- he has a real deft hand with pastas -- that are more often than not brilliant. He had a rigatoncini with a meat ragú that was really delicious. He also did a pasta con sarde -- pasta with sardines -- that was phenomenal. It had a little bit of oil and a touch of reduced tomato, a little bit of pepperoncini to add some spice to it. Very, very, very, very yummy.

What his genius is, is that he can span highbrow and lowbrow effortlessly. I don't know if a lot of people can do it with the style he can.

Any fun stories from trips to Fritzl's?

I'm not really at liberty to divulge anything. I've been sworn to secrecy.

Intriguing...

I lead a very intriguing life filled with mystery. I try not to let many people know what I'm doing or where or when because there's so much intrigue in not letting people know.

Keeps people guessing.

If they give a shit. [Laughs]
 
Fritzl's Lunch Box, 173 Irving Ave., Brooklyn; Daily, 11am-10pm (Fridays & Saturdays 'til 11pm); Closed Tuesdays

Photo of Pelaccio by Zandy Mangold

David Lynch Has a New Album, Song With Lykke Li

June 3, 2013, 2:45 pm

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When you hear the name David Lynch, the first thing that pops in your head is probably not "new album." But let's give the guy a break. In July, the 67-year-old artist and Chinese chicken salad fan is releasing a solo album called The Big Dream and he sings and wrote most of the tracks and, no, it's not his first album. Over the year's he not only composed music for his own films, but also produced and wrote tracks for two Julee Cruise albums, started a record label and, in 2011, he collaborated on an album with Chrysta Bell and released a solo album called Crazy Clown Time. For his upcoming LP, Lynch includes a cover of Bob Dylan's "Ballad of Hollis Brown" and a song called "I'm Waiting Here" with Swedish singer Lykke Li (listen above)-- but the other tracks are all David. Or, as he sees it: "Most of the songs start out as a type of blues jam and then we go sideways from there. What comes out is a hybrid, modernized form of low-down blues." The Big Dream will be released on July 16 on Sunday Best Recordings.

Issa Rae Is Producing New Lesbian Web Series "Little Horribles"

June 3, 2013, 3:56 pm

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There's a new lesbian web series on the market called "Little Horribles," and though the first episode premiered a few days ago, we're already fans. The show follows the poor decisions of "self-indulgent lesbian" Amy, a thirty-something who lives in Los Angeles and seems a little Hannah Horvath-eqsue. The series was created and written by Amy York Rubin and was produced by Awkward Black Girl star/creator Issa Rae (who has a cameo). Check it out above.

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Whoopi Goldberg, Katie Couric + More Made a Cyndi Lauper Tribute Video

June 4, 2013, 7:30 am

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Here's Whoopi Goldberg, Rosie O'Donnell, Katie Couric, Hoda and Kathie Lee, Kelly Ripa, a bunch of drag queens and cast members of The Lion King lip-syncing to Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" in honor of Lauper's Kinky Boots Tony nomination. Kathie Lee has this weird boob shimmy-jiggle thing at the 0:12 mark. (You can also read more about Kinky Boots HERE.) [via YouTube]

And, speaking of girls having fun, Sophia Grace -- she of the Ellen show and "Superbass" fame -- has a music video! Her Lauper-esque song called "Girls Just Gotta Have Fun" features the little diva cruising in hot pink Escalade power wheels, spitting mad rhymes and, as always, hanging with her adorably mute BFF/hype girl Rosie. [via YouTube]

Douche. [via Humor Train]

Did you watch Game of Thrones "Red Wedding" Sunday night? Did you lose your shit? Did you film yourself losing said shit? These people did. Watch a six-minute compilation of people freaking out about the most recent episode. Do not watch this if you haven't seen the episode yet -- there are some spoilers. [via Gawker]

Lil' Owl was vibing too hard at Electric Daisy Carnival but don't worry, he's planning to take it easier this weekend at Governors Ball. [via Bunny Food]

 

Here's what happens when a middle schooler's cymbal drops during a band performance of the "Star Spangled Banner." Way to think on your (patriotic) feet, guy! [via HuffPo Comedy]

Here's what happens if you eat the mushroom on super advanced Mario Bros. levels. [via F Yeah Dementia]

Shoe-sus. [via Coin Farts]

Someone made Facebook -- the Musical. It stars a bunch of overly-earnest theater kids and is pretty cringe-y but we're still looking forward to the prequel, Myspace -- the Musical, which features such scenes and plotlines as the all-important selection of profile background designs, getting messaged by creepy 53-year-old dads in South Dakota and trolling your favorite screamo bands' pages. [via Tastefully Offensive]

Oh God, Here's the Trailer for the Lifetime Movie of Anna Nicole Smith

June 4, 2013, 10:45 am

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Well, here it is: the trailer for the Lifetime Original Movie about Anna Nicole Smith's life. On one hand The Anna Nicole Story, is a Lifetime movie. We all know that despite promising trailers with viral one-liners, a Lifetime movie is a Lifetime movie. On the other, this has a surprisingly good cast and crew -- it'll be directed by Mary Harron (of American Psycho, The Notorious Betty Page and I Shot Andy Warhol fame) and will star Adam Goldberg as Howard K. Stern, Martin Landau as J. Howard Marshall, and Virginia Madsen as Virgie Arthur and Daniel Day Lewis as Sugar-Pie. (Agnus Bruckner will play Anna Nicole Smith. We don't know much about her but she definitely looks the part.) Then again, Smith's life was tragic, and Lifetime movies are usually unintentionally (very intentionally?) funny. As with any and all made for TV movies, we'll be watching it with equal parts dread, excitement and snacks. The Anna Nicole Story premieres on Saturday, June 29th.

Preview the New York Historical Soceity's AIDS Exhibition

June 4, 2013, 12:02 pm

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I remember waking up on Fire Island on Fourth of July weekend in 1981 and reading The New York Times: "Rare Cancer Seen In 41 Homosexuals." I frantically scanned the "symptoms" and started thinking about a friend who had worked at Luchow's restaurant on Fourteenth Street. He had just died from something mysterious that suddenly seemed totally -- and frighteningly -- explained. It was the beginning of the AIDS epidemic -- before anybody even called it by that name -- and of an era that is now the subject of an exhibition at the New York Historical Society (170 Central Park West). "AIDS in New York: The First Five Years" covers the fear and panic that spread through the city from 1981 to 1985, before there were any ways to fight it. The exhibition opens on Friday, June 7, and runs until September 15. Below, images from the exhibition.

A group advocating AIDS research marches down Fifth Avenue during the 14th annual Lesbian and Gay Pride parade in New York, June 27, 1983. Credit: Mario Suriani/Associated Press .

Gay Protesters on Gay Pride Day, July 5th, 1985. Photo credit: Owen Franken/CORBIS

Brad Davis and D.W. Moffett in a scene from the stage production of The Normal Heart, 1985. Photo by Martha Swope © Billy Rose Theatre Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts

Photo courtesy of the New York Historical Society


The self-induced closure of the Anvil, 1985. Photo by Lee Snider, courtesy of the Fales Library & Special Collections, NYU.

First AIDS Memorial Service in New York City, Central Park Bandshell, June 13, 1983. Photo by Lee Snider.

Mr. Mickey's CFDA Awards Photo Album

June 4, 2013, 2:00 pm

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Last night was the CFDA Awards and boy does Mr. Mickey have a glamour hangover! The creme de la creme of the fashion scene converged on Lincoln Center for a night of high-fashion kiki'ing and haute-couture carrying on. Mr. Mickey took his trusty iPhone to snap some highlights for your viewing pleasure.


Sexy stylist and international heartthrob Luigi Tadini didn't want me to look like I just rolled out of bed, so he kindly steamed my Calvin Klein monkey suit pre-show. 

My new besties Scott Sternberg of Band of Outsiders and former Paper cover cutie Greta Gerwig.

Two churnin' hunks of burnin' funk: Awards host Andy Cohen and intergalactic gay Zachary Quinto.

Some lady with a cute look.

Cynthia Rowley and J.Crew's Jenna Lyons snuggle.

Me with legendary Kembra Pfahler in Givenchy couture. Kembra co-starred in the film celebrating international award-winner Ricardo Tisci.

Double your Mickey pleasure! Me with J.Crew's big cheese Mickey Drexler.

Caitlin Moe and DJ Mia Moretti at the official Swarovski after-party at the Boom Boom Room.

Photographer J.D. Ferguson and Lady Bunny at Westway for the Ricardo Tisci after-party.

BFA's David X. Prutting takes a puff at Lincoln Center.

Barely legal boy toys love fun t-shirts at Westway.

White party! But where's P. Diddly?! Uruguay's hottest rock star Gabe Saporta and Andy Cohen.

Super-tweeters @DKNY and @Drewpsie.

CFDA bigwigs Steve Kolb and Diane Von Furstenberg.

This Bachelorette Music Video Featuring Soulja Boy Is the Best/Worst

June 4, 2013, 2:30 pm

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I don't watch The Bachelorette, but for a brief moment this afternoon I wish I did. Why? Because of this insane, awful, amazing video starring Soulja Boy and all of the men vying for the attention of "The Bachelorette" whose real name is Singleina McDownToEarthFunGirl. Just kidding, it's Desiree. Obviously, the video is the culmination of one of those oft-used reality show challenges wherein everyone learns how to "act" and "dance" by making a music video -- a challenge most frequently put to use on America's Next Top Model, by the way. But this one is just too good to not to share. In addition to the usual lame rhymes ("Last time you saw me / I was riding in a limo / Shawn sent me home / and set my heart in limbo."), the competing men are especially bad performers, even by reality TV standards. But, then, now we know just how few fucks Soulja Boy has left to give. Good going, guys!