1.30.2010
Disney Closes Miramax: In Memorium Their Top 10 Films
2. City of God, 2002
3. Clerks, 1994
4. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, 2007
5. Kids, 1995
6. Life is Beautiful, 1997
7. No Country for Old Men, 2007
8. Pulp Fiction, 1994
9. The Queen, 2006
10. The Station Agent, 2003
1.29.2010
Beauty Fixer Upper: Taupe Nail Polish
Well gang, if I've said it once I've said it one hundred times: If it's on Who.What.Wear then it must be cool. Not tooting my own horn. I am just saying you should get some & wear it because it's basically the new OPI Bubble Bath only more edgy and just as neutral, so there.
1.28.2010
Case Study in Stereotypes: I'm Going Brunette!
I had to ask myself and my hair dresser: what if I only know myself as a blonde? Do I identify my looks as being blonde based? The answer is probably yes. The good news is that I can always highlight my way back into the blonde gods' favor.
I just feel that it is time for a change that really pulls me together. For instance, my friend in college (Decadence on a Dime contributor Kate Thompson) cut her long hair to a chin skimming bob and it looked killer. For nearly 3 years it has made her look so polished and pulled together plus it takes half the time to style. I am looking for such an "aha" moment.
So, wish me luck! My appointment is scheduled for next Tuesday and I am excited & frantic all at once.
Hopefully my after picture won't be so excruciating that I can post it...
Gorillaz New Song & New Look from Plastic Beach
Listen to their new single here.
5 Ways the Apple iPad Could Change e-Books
Now that we’ve left the hall of mirrors that was the Apple-tablet rumor mill, we can finally take a deep breath and ask: What’s up with the iPad? (Seriously, we’re really all gonna call it that?) Seeing as we’re avid readers, let’s shake our magic eight ball and ask what it might mean for e-books. Our take after the jump.
iBookstore pricing
From screenshots at least, it looks like the iBook store might have variable prices for e- (sorry, i-) books. This is a shot across the bow for Amazon, which has been fighting book publishers over e-book price points. Amazon likes $9.99, but publishers are used to charging upwards of 20 bucks for a hardback. The screenshots seem to indicate the iBookstore could meet somewhere in the middle for new releases. The tiff with Amazon has gotten so bad that certain publishers have started delaying the releases of their ebooks to avoid cannibalizing their hardback sales. (There’s been some speculation that Amazon is fighting back by hitting those same books with dozens of one-star ratings.) Not coincidentally, the publishers who were dragging their heels with cheaper ebooks are some of the same ones lining up early for the iBook store, including Hachette and Simon and Schuster. The way we’ve heard it, this is not just about price. Ebooks are a relatively small section of the book market right now, but they’re growing very fast. And if Amazon ends up as the primary distributor and sets the prices for ebooks — well, that leaves publishers pretty scared they’ll be cut out. On the other hand, everyone who saw what the iPod did to CD sales would caution that the iPad might not be the messiah many in book publishing clearly want it to be. But — for now — it looks like the iBook store may allow publishers more say in setting the prices of ebooks. Which puts Amazon’s marketshare squarely in Apple’s sights.
The iPad uses an open-source format for books
The iBookstore will sell content in the most commonly accepted open ebook format, EPUB. The Kindle store uses a proprietary format called AZW. Sounds like Apple’s coming down on the side of open source, right? Well, not so fast. It’s not yet clear whether you could load up a PDF you “found” into the iBook reader (as you can with the Kindle), or whether you’ll be stuck getting all your content from the iBookstore. It’s also still sketchy whether buying books in an EPUB format from the iBookstore means they’ll be readable on other ereading devices by the likes of Sony, Barnes and Noble, etc, or whether Apple has some sort of DRM of its own. But if Apple is really committing to selling DRM-free ebooks, that could put a lot of pressure on Amazon and everyone else to adopt the standard. That might bring the publishing world a whole lot closer to its own mp3 era.
It’s got a real screen
The iPad features a 9.7” high-res screen, not an e-ink display like many other e-readers. It remains to be seen whether that large display and the accompanying 1GHz processor will make reading books on a screen more palatable to consumers. But it does open the possibility of full-color ebooks.
There’s buy-in from publishers — the big ones, at least
HarperCollins, Penguin, Simon & Schuster, Macmillan, and Hachette Book Group are among the publishers who are on board at this time, and the NY Times speculates that Random House can’t be far behind. This is a good sign that the iBook store will have robust initial content. What else would we like to see? More involvement from indie publishers, too. Sure, the iTunes store is great and all, but for the first few years especially, it leaned heavily on the major labels, spurring the growth of independent distribution sites like emusic. Can we expect the same for ebooks?
It’s 500 bucks
It looks like one of the goals of all those controlled leaks was to set expectations for a thousand-dollar device, only to reveal a base model at about $499 (with 3G). To put that in perspective, a Kindle or a Nook will cost you about $259. Could a more expensive but more full-featured device kickstart ebooks?
1.27.2010
Obsession du Jour: Design Porn
The Genuine Gentleman Strikes Again
1.25.2010
The Cool Canadian Tuxedo
Cheap, Good Massages
1.22.2010
Chris Brown Continues to be an Idiot
[Image via Fame Pictures.]
Read More: Celebrity gossip juicy celebrity rumors Hollywood gossip blog from Perez Hilton http://perezhilton.com/page/2/#ixzz0dN1EnxPZ
Celebrity Juice, Not from Concentrate
1.21.2010
Grizzly Bear + Allison Schulnik = Magic
- Daily Dose Pick: Allison Schulnik
- 1:44 pm Wednesday Jan 20, 2010 by Shana Nys Dambrot
- Allison Schulnik’s gravity-defying oil paintings and mesmerizing claymation video for Grizzly Bear’s “Ready, Able” show she’s not afraid to get her hands dirty in the name of art.Impressively, the LA-based painter had to switch to metal-reinforced linen when the sheer weight of her works’ mounds of oil pigment proved too hefty for traditional canvas. Favoring storylines about noble-hearted wanderers and adopted strays, she fleshes out her subjects’ inner lives with paint, putty, tenderness, and divine excess.Visit Schulnik’s official website, check out her LA exhibition, read a recent interview, and learn how to make your own claymation video.
1.20.2010
Tips for a Happier 2010 from NYMag.com
Work out while you work. “At your desk, take five minutes to do back exercises—scapula retractions. Put your arms straight out in front of you and pull your shoulder blades together to get blood flowing and reduce tightness. Do shoulder rolls back and forth to increase circulation.” —Robert Morea, Personal Trainer, Great Jones Studio
“Carry yourself more erect. Poor posture is a self-fulfilling prophecy of gloom. You can improve your outlook and confidence simply by improving your posture.” —Eva Pelegrin, Founder, Attune Holistic Fitness
“Diversify your cognitive portfolio: Museum Mondays, Tennis Tuesdays, Writing Wednesdays, Tango Thursdays, Learn-to-Frittata Fridays, Socializing Saturdays, Socrates Sundays. We need to rotate activities weekly to fire up different brain regions.” —Dr. Gayatri Devi, Neurology and Psychiatry, NYU School of Medicine
“Think like a shark, act like a 5-year-old. Our bodies are meant to be in motion. Don’t stay in the same position for more than 30 minutes at a time.” —Dr. Jeffrey Gross, Rehabilitation Medicine, NYU School Of Medicine
If you see a parking cop working his or her way up the street, put a quarter into someone’s expired meter.
“Just say yes every time your partner wants to have sex. It’s only twenty minutes out of your day, and it makes you both feel better. If you’re not in a relationship, say yes to your own private date night at least three times a week.” —Claire Cavanah, Co-Founder, Babeland
Read more: 50 Steps to Simple Happiness -- New York Magazine http://nymag.com/health/features/63043/#ixzz0dBFEtiPo
1.19.2010
Kellie Lee is Awesome
By Jordan Jeffus, Austin, Texas
Alright party people, I’m back with an artist that I want everyone to check out. Her name is Kellie Lee and she is awesome. I’m not jus’ sayin’ that because she’s my cousin, either…
Kellie isn’t your stereotypical artist. In 2006, she left Texas for some California air and a vision of becoming famous (she’s been acting like a rock star her whole life).
Wasting no time to share her raw, emotional and honest sound, she began booking local coffee shops, bars and small venues in Orange County. Kellie signed to Steel Records soon after she landed in California and started working on her first solo album, “Stereo type,” which was released Jan 2, 2010. I got to go to her CD release party in WF over Christmas and it was hella fun. She’s got a Sheryl Crow-esque sound that’s both familiar and fresh.
Kellie’s played with artists such as Cody Shaw and the Rhythm Boys, Austin-based artist Graham Wilkinson and James Mcmurtry, WideAwake and Dan Dyer.
Check out her music at www.myspace.com/kellielee. Or event better, go buy it. Check out www.steelrecordsusa.com/shopkellielee for a list of links.
1.14.2010
The Worst National Disaster Ever
By Jackie Hamilton, Austin, Texas
In the wake of the recent earthquake in Haiti, I have been channeling my inner Cher Horowitz (from Clueless, in case you weren’t allowed to watch PG-13 when we were all 11) and trying to help out (party with the Haitians) in every way I can. While I would love more than anything to pick up and fly to Haiti to volunteer myself, unfortunately, I don’t think my landlord will share my sentiment when I am unable to pay rent this month due to my lack of paid work.
So, I have researched the next best thing which is to donate to charities from my office cubicle (sigh). Below is a list of credible aid organizations where any amount donated is most appreciated:
· The American Red Cross are accepting online donations of any amount through their website or they can accept $10 donations, charged to your cellphone bill, by texting HAITI to 90999.
· Doctors Without Borders have set up sites for their Haiti efforts.
· Haitian-born musician Wyclef Jean has harnessed Twitter to gather support for his Yele Haiti Earthquake Fund, which also offers $5 text message donations.
· Save the Children is focusing on children and families and taking truly grass roots actions like sending out motorbike teams to help people in the capital.
So, please consider donating something today because in the words of Cher, “It's like that book I read in the 9th grade that said "'tis a far, far better thing doing stuff for other people."
1.13.2010
You are going to DIE when you read this...
Revenge, Facebook Style:
Brother 1, Sister 0
Article written by: Andre Sanchez
Posted on: December 22, 2009
I’ve been laughing for the past 3 minutes about this. SoJones family, if your sibling gets on your very last nerve and you have some juicy blackmail material on them, what do you do?
The picture below explains everything, but let me tell you what happened in short:
Chris hides beer in his bedroom (we assume he’s underaged). Sister snitches on him. “asian parents are [f*ing] strict” as he explains, and they subsequently ground him for three months.
Infuriated and looking to get back at his sister, Chris subsequently discovers her very graphically detailed notes entitled “My hook up list” which describes her goals and aspirations for getting down with 10 different individuals, some of whom are crossed off aka “mission accomplished”. So what does dear brother do with this scandalous material?
He of course scans and posts it on his Facebook account. Tags hella people on it, including named “targets” who quickly find and comment on.
And now, for my personal highlights of this whole fiasco:
1. Adrian’s response-It’s one thing to hear a rumor of a girl liking you, but to see your admirer’s hook up list, then REJECT her by saying “note to self: do not hook up with Katie”, well that’s a bigtime fail!
2. The deadline- Katie wants to get all the bow-chicka-wow-wow done by April 2010. Who’s in charge of project managing this deadline? Even hoes have ambitions!
3. “If he cuts his hair I’ll give him a blowjob”- Nothing like a quick cut and BLOW dry. Heh.
4. Brother Chris ends the commenting exchange with “I <3>- Katie can’t say anything to that even if she tried. Chris FTW!
Katie, I hope you find peace after being publicly humiliated. Unfortunately, this caper will linger around you like a bad smell through high school and college. It will find you during job interviews and will hang on your leg like the bad guy in a movie as you climb the career ladder. Your future husband will see it and probably your kids too.
A lesson for the rest of us on Facebook: don’t leave evidence of your freaky ways lying around or else lock your room!
What would you do if your brother or sister did this to you?
Let’s hear your comments of revenge and karmic retribution in the comments!
True Fashion for 2010: Abstract Prints
Go big with heels and textured tights or go demure and choose black ankle boots and let the print do the talking.
Blouse by Forever21
1.12.2010
WOXY Best Of The SXSW Lounge 2009 CD
2009 was another great year for music in the WOXY Lounge. And it was another great year for our Lounge Act sessions at SXSW 2009 as well. We were back at EAR Studios again this year for a whopping 27 live sessions. We put together a quick batch of some of our favorites from our week at EAR earlier this year, and zipped it up for you to download. Enjoy!
Get the track-listing and individual songs at The Futurist
WOXY Best Of SXSW 2009 - (Full Album ZIP file Download)
All songs recorded by James Stevens at EAR studios in Austin, Texas.
How to Fake Like You’ve Listened to Animal Collective
- Friday Jan 8, 2010 by Stelios Phili
After the massive success of “Stereotyping People By Their Favorite Indie Bands,” we take another cue from the great Lauren Leto, this time inspired by her article on “How to Fake Like You’ve Read Dostoevsky.” Much like the knowledge that “Dostoevsky got exiled to Siberia because he’s a badass motherf*cker” will get you through a pal’s snooty MFA mixer, this handy dandy guide on Animal Collective will enable you to engage with the most rabid and literate of Animal Collective fans. Let the faking begin.
1. Being a true Animal Collective fan is to not actually like Animal Collective.Person Pitch (2007) is the best album of the decade, that you enjoyed its whimsical spaciousness and unlikely choice of samples. The subtext is as follows: “I’ve listened to so much Animal Collective that I am post-Animal Collective. Now make me a sandwich.” That is, you must claim to enjoy the side projects of Animal Collective more than the band itself. Say that Panda Bear’s sophomore album,
2. Know your Deakin. Animal Collective has four members: Panda Bear, Geologist, Avey Tare and Deakin. The thing is, they seem to take their “collective” title literally, and not all band members contribute to every release. For instance, the last album Deakin played on was 2007’s Strawberry Jam, and he is currently in Africa working on his own project. So, you’ll want to acknowledge the “sonic shift” that occurred after his departure and feign resentment. “They really started to move away from traditional instrumentation once Deakin left…now they look like a bunch of DJ’s on stage…it wasn’t always like that. I miss him.” Inevitably, you will have to hypothesize about his absence on Merriweather Post Pavilion. Say it was drug-related.
3. Geologist is nicknamed Geologist because someone thought he was studying geology at Columbia University. He never actually studied geology. For a humorous aside, say something like, “Still, it’s sort of appropriate because he looks like Geodude, a rock type Pokemon.”
4. Your favorite Animal Collective album is NOT Merriweather Post Pavilion.Strawberry Jam is held with similar regard. When talking about these albums, explain that you understand their commercial viability with this little ditty: “Yeah, I definitely see why people liked those albums, the vocals were really upfront in the mix.” If you are asked about your favorite Animal Collective record, think before you speak. IT IS A TRICK QUESTION. Remember point 1? “Personally, I enjoy Panda Bear’s Person Pitch, though I suppose you can’t really consider it an Animal Collective album, despite the obvious similarities.” But if you must pick an AnCo release, go with the early, obscure albums with weird titles: Here Comes the Indian and Spirit They’ve Gone, Spirit They’ve Vanished work nicely. This is the favorite album of entry-level AC listeners.
5. Notice that in “faking it” to Animal Collective, you rarely, if ever, talk directly about their music. This is not a mistake. A conversation with an AC fan is never about the music. In fact, it’s not even a conversation — it’s a competition. The goal is to prove that your enjoyment of AC is more authentic than that of your buddy. Achieve this through thinly veiled insults. “Oh…’My Girls’ is your favorite song? If I hadn’t heard anything else from the Animal Collective discography, that would be my favorite song too! We have so much in common.”
This is a Really, Really Smart Idea
Tabbed Out
An app that picks up the bill
Words courtesy of Thrillist Austin. Not subscribed yet? Subscribe here.
1.11.2010
Kaki Gaines' Necklace at the People's Choice Awards
ATTN: Kaki Gaines submitted a necklace design to the 2010 People's Choice Awards show competition and is now one of three nationwide finalists chosen. The necklace with the most votes from the people wins and is manufactured, becomes part of jewelry designer Kendra Scott's collection, and is worn at the People's Choice Awards red carpet event in Los Angeles in January! So please take two seconds to vote (you can vote once every 24 hours until October 4th) by clicking on this link below. By voting, you automatically are entered to win a trip to the People's Choice Awards in January! Her necklace is the one with turquoise and gold with black detail.
Well, SHE WON!!! Check out the pic below of Queen Latifah wearing her masterpiece...
1.08.2010
1.07.2010
Austin Free Week
Looking to spend less in the New Year? Then Austin, put your wallets away and prepare to rock out for 10-days straight at no cost during Austin’s Free Week January 1st through January 10th.
For the past couple of years, Free Week has hosted an array of local music artists to make up for the lack of touring artists around this time of the year. Free Week has since become the local version of SXSW.
This year’s rock fest will have over 100 bands performing during Free Week at local venues such as Red 7, Mohawk and Deville. Prepare to bar-hop from venue to venue.
Free Week started at Emo's six years ago by Graham Williams of Transmission Entertainment, and since then, has grown to be what it is today.
For more information with schedules and locations, please visit Transmission Entertainment.
1.06.2010
$.99 Which Wich Day Courtesy of Maggie's Austin
Head to Which Wich immediately for customer appreciation day! I may have posted this too late for lunch, but Which Wich stays open until 10pm. 7 Austin locations. Enjoy!
My 99 cent Club, minus the ham