playlist, sept. 29, 2008

The Who - "Dancing in the Street"
Morrissey - "The Loop"
Luxury - "Green Hearts"
Future Islands - "Follow You"
Daedelus - "Get Off Your Hi-Hats"
DJ Bitman - "La Raza" [feat. Juan Sativo]
Terry Lynn - "Kingstonlogic"
Daft Punk - "Around the World / Harder Better Faster Stronger" [Live]
Sonic Youth - "Superstar"
The Cave Singers - "Seeds of the Night"
Fleet Foxes - "Blue Ridge Mountains"
Jenny Lewis - "Acid Tongue"
American Football - "Honestly?"
TV on the Radio - "Golden Age"
Prints - "Easy Magic"
The Tough Alliance - "Miami"
Ra Ra Riot - "Ghost Under Rocks"
The Faint - "The Geeks Were Right"
B.B. King - "How Blue Can You Get?" [Live]
Raphael Saadiq - "Sure Hope You Mean It"
pc muñoz - "Family Matters"
Cadence Weapon - "Unsuccessful Club Nights"
High Decibels - "Crash with No Cushion"
Bappi Lahiri, Usha Uthup - "Auva Auva Koi Yahan"
Of Montreal - "Jimmy"
Starfucker - "Florida"
Fujiya & Miyagi - "Uh"
Lali Puna - "Nin-Com-Pop"
Lambchop - "Ohio"
Rademacher - "Not My Home"
Tiger Lillies - "Roll Up"
Hot Chip - "Hold On"
Rafter - "Noise"
Why? - "Song of the Sad Assassin"
The Orb - "A Beautiful Day"

playlist, sept. 22, 2008

Noah and the Whale - "Shape of My Heart"
Human Highway - "The Sound"
Rufus Wainwright - "Across the Universe"
Common Market - "Back Home (The Return)"
Céu - "Malemolência"
The Good, The Bad & The Queen - "Northern Whale"
Daedelus - "My Beau" (feat. Paperboy & Erika Rose)
The Monitors - "Greetings (This Is Uncle Sam)"
Ra Ra Riot - "Ghost Under Rocks"
The Walkmen - "The New Year"
Future Islands - "Changing Your Life"
The Smiths - "Rusholme Ruffians"
Vampire Weekend - "Oxford Comma"
The High Decibels - "Miss Cindy"
King Khan and the Shrines - "Torture"
Terry Lynn - "Kingstonlogic"
Chemical Brothers - "Block Rockin' Beats"
Moby - "Alice"
The London Suede - "New Generation"
The Dalloways - "Dirty Money and Filthy Love"
Lackthereof - "Choir Practice"
Parenthetical Girls - "Four Words"
Shugo Tokumaru - "Clocca"
Final Fantasy - "The Arctic Circle"
Stereolab - "Self Portrait with 'eclectric brain'"
Portugal. The Man - "Colors"
Conor Oberst - "Souled Out!!!"
The DIrty Projectors - "Hyperballad"
Beck - "Walls"
The Rumble Strips - "No Soul"
El Guincho - "Palmitos Park"
pc muñoz - "Chatter & Buzz" (feat. Micropixie)
Alias - "Well Water Black" (feat. Why?)
The Notwist - "Where in This World"
Sinead O'Connor - "Jerusalem"
Hot Chip - "Wrestlers"
Starfucker - "German Love"
Crystal Castles - "Courtship Dating"
Styrofoam - "No Happy Endings" (feat. Erica Driscoll)

playlist, sept. 15, 2008

Okkervil River - "Singer Songwriter"
Fleet Foxes - "Oliver James"
Damien Jurado - "Caskets"
Glen Mansard & Markéta Irglová - "Lies"
She & Him - "You Really Got a Hold on Me"
Joan as Police Woman - "To America"
Subtle - "Hollow Hollered"
Deastro - "Michael, the Lone Archer of the Shore"
The Presets - "Kicking & Screaming"
The Faint - "The Geeks Were Right"
Black Kids - "I Wanna Be Your Limousine"
Patsy Cline - "She's Got You"
Gretchen Phillips - "Hello, Darling"
Jonquil - "Whistle Low"
Beck - "Gamma Ray"
Stereolab- "Chemical Chords"
Luciano Bahia - "Queda"
King Khan & The Shrines - "Took My Lady to Dinner"
Pink Floyd - "Pow R. Toc H."
Takka Takka - "Monkey Forest Road"
Spoon - "The Ghost of You Lingers"
The Helio Sequence - "Keep Your Eyes Ahead"
Hercules and Love Affair - "Time Will"
White Williams - "New Violence"
The Roots (feat. Jill Scott and Eve) - "You Got Me"
pc muñoz (feat. Micropixie) - "Chatter & Buzz"
Aesop Rock - "Gun for the Whole Family"
Lykke Li - "Melodies & Desires"
High Places - "The Modern Things"
Radiohead - "Everything in Its Right Place"
Fujiya & Miyagi - "Uh"
Passion Pit - "Sleepyhead"
The Chemical Brothers - "The Golden Path"
Dr. Dog - "Hang On"
Delta Spirit - "People C'mon"
Starfucker - "Florida"
The Walkmen - "In the New Year"

I ♥ fresno

"Burglar victims wake to spice rub, sausage attack"

By Louis Galvan / The Fresno Bee

A burglar who broke into a home just east of Fresno rubbed spices over the body of one of two men as they slept in their rooms and then used an 8-inch sausage to whack the other man on the face and head before running out of the house, Fresno County sheriff's deputies said Saturday.

Lt. Ian Burrimond, describing the crime as one of the strangest he's ever heard of, said a suspect was found hiding in a nearby field a few minutes later and taken into custody on suspicion of residential robbery.

Deputies, he said, had no problem linking the suspect to the crime.

"It seems the guy ran out of the house wearing only a T-shirt, boxer shorts and socks, leaving behind his wallet with his ID," Burrimond said.

Arrested was Antonio Vasquez, 22, of Fresno.

Burrimond said deputies headed to the victims' home in the 300 block of South Thompson Avenue near Kings Canyon Road shortly after 8 a.m. Saturday regarding a burglary in progress.

The victims, both farmworkers, told deputies they were awakened by a stranger applying spices to one of them and striking the other with a sausage.

Both the spices and the sausage, Burrimond said, reportedly were obtained from the victims' kitchen.

After the man fled, the victims discovered the home had been ransacked and that some money was taken, Burrimond said.

Burrimond said the money was recovered, but that the piece of sausage used in the attack was discarded by the suspect and eaten by a dog.

"That's right, the dog ate the weapon," Burrimond said.

"I tell you, this was one weird case."

playlist, sept. 1, 2008

Marching Band - "Gorgeous Behavior"
The Dutchess and the Duke - "Reservoir Park"
Delta Spirit - "Strange Vine"
Fujiya & Miyagi - "Knickerbocker"
Lykke Li - "Breaking It Up"
Matthew Dear - "Neighborhoods"
Neon Neon - "I Told Her on Alderaan"
The Tough Alliance - "Something Special"
Stereolab - "Three Women"
Luna - "Lovedust"
Jonquil - "Whistle Low"
Sunny Day Set Fire
Alias - "Well Water Black" [feat. Why?]
Modeselektor - "Let Your Love Grow"
Neneh Cherry - "I've Got U Under My Skin"
pc muñoz - "Disappear" [feat. Ingrid Chavez]
Bitter:Sweet - "Come Along with Me"
The Watson Twins - "How Am I to Be"
Amy Ray - "Bus Bus"
Holly Golightly - "I Hear You"
Dolly Parton - "Drives Me Crazy"
Laura Cantrell - "Trains and Boats and Planes"
Carla Bruni - "Ta Tienne"
Blake Jones & The Trike Shop - "Clever Things"
Rademacher - "What Yr Used to Back at Home"
Poplord - "What's Beneath"
James Brittain-Gore - "Rustle in the Leaves"
TV on the Radio - "Dancing Choose"
Sons & Daughters - "Chains"
The Dandy Warhols - "Wasp in the Lotus"
Takka Takka - "Silence"
Wolf Parade - "Soldier's Grin"
Hercules and Love Affair - "Athene"
King Khan & The Shrines - "Torture"
The Faint - "The Geeks Were Right"
Architecture in Helsinki - "Like It or Not" (El Guincho Remix)
Beck - "Gamma Ray"
M.I.A. - "Hombre"
Rafter - "Magic"
Ladytron - "Kletva"

cherry tomato salad

I subscribe to Cook's Illustrated magazine, and even though there aren't many vegetarian repices featured in their publications, what few they include are usually very good. Last night I made the Greek Cherry Tomato Salad that was featured in the July/August 2008 issue. It turned out well, so I thought I'd share the goodness:

Greek Cherry Tomato Salad

2 pints ripe cherry tomatoes, quartered (about 4 cups)
Table salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 medium garlic cloves , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 medium shallot, minced (about 3 tablespoons)
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Ground black pepper
1 small cucumber, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch dice
1/2 cup chopped pitted kalamata olives
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (about 1 cup)
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

1. Toss tomatoes, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and sugar in medium bowl; let stand for 30 minutes. Transfer tomatoes to salad spinner and spin until seeds and excess liquid have been removed, 45 to 60 seconds, stirring to redistribute tomatoes several times during spinning. Return tomatoes to bowl and set aside. Strain tomato liquid through fine-mesh strainer into liquid measuring cup, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible.
2. Bring 1/2 cup tomato liquid (discard any extra), garlic, oregano, shallot, and vinegar to simmer in small saucepan over medium heat. Simmer until reduced to 3 tablespoons, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer mixture to small bowl and cool to room temperature, about 5 minutes. Whisk in oil and pepper to taste until combined. Taste and season with up to 1/8 teaspoon table salt.
3. Add cucumber, olives, feta, dressing, and parsley to bowl with tomatoes; toss gently and serve.

You can find the recipe with illustrations and a video here, although you may need to be a subscriber to the Cook's Illustrated site to access these.

The trick here is to salt and spin the tomatoes so as to get rid of the excess liquid, but then to use the strained liquid for the tomato vinaigrette. It may sound like extra work, but it's not really, and it's worth the effort to keep the salad from getting waterlogged.

The tomatoes I used were a mixture of green, red, and yellow heirlooms, which were both tasty and attractive.

here's another one

I made another 8tracks mix yesterday. This one is comprised mainly of abstract/left-field/kinda hip-hop.

PR, episode 7

1.) Keith is out. I can't say I'm wholly surprised, but I am a little sad to see him go, especially because he was so obviously sad to go. (His uncontrolled weeping at the end of the episode was, in my opinion, sincere and touching.) I liked Keith for a couple of reasons. One, he was obviously very easy on the eyes. But also, as a gay ex-Mormon who lived in Salt Lake City, I identified with Keith, and I wanted to see him succeed. I also don't think he was as nasty as the show made him out to be. There were moments when he was not only polite to his fellow contestants, but truly helpful. He even broke down when Daniel was aufed.
2.) All that said, Keith was just not making it as a PR contestant. His ego and his defensiveness got in the way of his ability to absorb criticism and improve his work, and at this stage in his career, he is simply was not as good a designer as he thinks he is. This last episode demonstrated his central problem: he hasn't demonstrated that he could step outside his world of fashion-as-conceptual-art and create a chic, well-tailored, wearable garment (although he went some way to doing this in the Brooke Shields challenge). He has been hiding behind all those strips and swatches and poofs, and when he finally decided to throw them to the wind, it became clear that he has a long way to go before he can claim to be a truly accomplished, versatile designer.
3.) The car parts challenge was good, and, for the most part, the contestants stepped right up to it. I did find it surprising that nearly everyone pulled what appeared to be bright yellow airbags from the cars, and yet there wasn't a sign of these on any of the outfits. What are airbags made of that they seem to be such limiting choices of material? Maybe it was the color.
4.) I'm glad Leanne won. I think she is turning out to be the dark horse of the season. Now that the other mousy girls have gone, it's easier to distinguish who she is, appreciate her personality, and zero in on her aesthetic. Her dress was interesting, clearly well made, and she was one of the few to manage some softness (the seat belt fringe) out of the largely unforgiving and rigid fabrics. I loved the seams, loved the shape, and it just looked flawlessly executed.
5.) Korto's was also good, but there were so many seat-belt dresses, and I quickly got tired of that color and that sheen. Still, she worked the seat-belts in an original manner, and she made a beautiful, well-made, and intriguing garment.
6.) Jerrell's was good, too, and I'm glad he finally got some love. He'd been making these ridiculous get-ups for too long, and this one was sophisticated, interesting, and innovative. If he can keep moving in this direction (and away from his Olympics monstrosity), he might have a chance.
7.) Blayne's car wash dress was a mess. Even though Keith's was ugly, poorly made, and falling to pieces, I kinda wanted Blayne to get the boot, because his designs are consistently bad, and he persists at being an annoying idiot. And Blayne's was only better than Keith's by a stitch.
8.) Kenley's meltdown over having to use a different model was ridiculous. I mean, look at those models--they're all basically the same height, and they pretty much all wear the same size. They're essentially interchangeable--that's why they're fashion models! Kenley was just trying to get the cameras on her, and it worked. Her dress was OK. It helps when she isn't allowed to choose ugly prints. (But notice how she was still determined to make one with her sharpie.) She should have dyed that frill or something.
9.) Suede made the same ballerina/cheerleader dress he's been making all along. It seems to me that he's making up for his lack of ideas by getting overklempt and weeping over his dead forebears (last week grandpa, this week dad). I find it pretty silly. Both "wackadoodle" Suede and "miss you so much, papa!" Suede are equally annoying. He's a bad designer, he looks terrible, and he makes bad clothes. He's pathetic. He needs to go.
10.) Mercifully, we saw little of Joe in action this time. Was that a brand name on his model's chest? He's such a brown-noser...
11.) I have to say that I'm warming up to Stella, but her outfit this time was pretty much garbage. At least from the waist down. She fell into the same trap Keith did: she tried too hard to give the judges what she felt they wanted. At least unlike Keith, she only did this from the waist down. Her top was OK, but it was dull. It looked a lot like Kenley's.
12.) Everybody better watch for Terri, and I don't mean because she's so great. She's good, but this last outfit was just fine, nothing more. No, they need to watch out for her claws. Still, she's entertaining. I liked watching her roll around giggling on the floor. She's talented, and it's just a matter of time before the judges finally acknowledge her. If I had to predict who's going to fashion week, I'd say Terri, Korto, and Leanne.

all mixed up

I was kinda bummed to hear that muxtape got the axe from the rotten RIAA, but there's a new kid in town, and he's called 8tracks. The folks at 8tracks claim to be legal, and from what I've read, it sounds like they are. I hope they make it. You can create any number of mixes by uploading tracks, organizing your mix (it must include at least eight tracks), and sharing it with other 8tracksters. Here's my first. Tell me what you think:



Now go make your own mix.

playlist, aug. 25, 2008

Horse Feathers - "Curs in the Weeds"
My Morning Jacket - "Evil Urges"
Jonquil - "Whistle Low"
Nimat Davis - "Number Two"
pc muñoz - "Disappear" (feat. Ingrid Chavez)
Duffy - "Mercy"
The Cool Kids - "Mikey Rocks"
Serge Gainsbourg & Brigitte Bardot - "Bonnie and Clyde"
Stereolab - "Valley Hi!"
The B-52's - "Hot Corner"
Marching Band - "Make No Plans"
Big Star - "September Gurls"
Beck - "Walls"
Baskervilles - "John Riley and the Housewives Who Love Him"
Astronautalis - "Something for the Kids"
Why? - "Fatalist Palmistry"
Nimat Davis - "Number Two"
Theresa Andersson - "Birds Fly Away"
Herbaliser - "On Your Knees" (feat. Jessica Darling)
Daedelus - "My Beau" (feat. Paperboy & Erika Rose)
Poplord - "Change in Time for Monday"
Pixies - "Wave of Mutilation" (UK Surf) [Live] (Indianapolis, IN - 6/7/2005)
Radiohead - "Just"
Dwight Yoakum - "I Want You to Want Me"
Frightened Rabbit - "The Twist"
The Ruby Suns - "Tane Mahuta"
El Guincho - "Palmitos Park"
Isaac Hayes - "Never Can Say Goodbye"
Basia Bulat - "Before I Knew"
Takka Takka - Monkey Forest Road"
Cat Power - "New York / Ramblin' Woman"
Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings - "Nobody's Baby"
Johnny Cash - "Legend in My Time"
The Mountain Goats - "Sax Rohmer, Pt. 1"
Bon Iver - "Creature Fear"
Johnny Cash - "If You Could Read My Mind"
Yo La Tengo - "I Feel Like Going Home"
This Mortal Coil - "You and Your Sister"
The Faint - "The Geeks Were Right"
Cornelius - "Gum"
Hercules and Love Affair - "Hercules Theme"
Santogold - "Creator"

piece of...

Thanks to my friend Donald for drawing my attention to this blog dedicated to cake catastrophes in all their myriad manifestations. Cakeypal? Are you paying attention?

PR, episodes 5 & 6

I missed episode 5, so I got caught up this past week and watched 5 and 6 back to back.

Observations:

1.) I'm surprised to be saying this, but Kenley and Joe have trumped Suede and Blayne at being the most annoying contestants.
2.) Brooke Shields looked great, and she was a good client and a good judge. I liked that she was by turns sweet and bitchy. Still, she never did quite articulate what she wanted.
3.) Even though she headed the team that produced the losing outfit, Kelli shouldn't have gotten the boot. It should have been that lazy whiner, Daniel. Kelli was fun, and she wasn't a terrible designer. But she sure made some bad choices with that leopard-print eyes-for-tits dress.
4.) Boy did Terri turn out to have claws. I don't think Suede deserved all that abuse. I mean, why on earth did she make him responsible for that blouse to begin with? He seemed absolutely sincere when he expressed reservations about being able to do it properly, and Terri just kept ripping into him. And what was she doing while Suede was working? Those slacks could not have been that hard to do. Notice how once Tim thought the top was good, Terri fell in love with it. Quote of the evening: "I don't know what he's packing, balls or vajayjay, but he needs to work that out 'cause I ain't got no babies, ain't nobody sucking on my titties. So please, man up."
5.) Kenley's giggling at Daniel was just outright mean. Yes, he's laughable, but pointing and laughing is the audience's job. And in the following episode and in his exit interview, he still seemed to consider her a friend. With friends like those...
6.) I'm really glad that Keith was able to quash Kenley's slew of bad ideas. I loved the look on Tim's face when he picked up Kenley's floral print. I'm not convinced theirs was the best dress, however. In fact, none of those dresses impressed me.
7.) I'm absolutely sick of Joe. I'm tired of him parading his heteronormalcy, his paternity, and his discomfort with queens at every opportunity. His open-mouthed fake perma-smile is nearly as irritating as Kenley's cackle. And he should not have thrown Korto under the bus in front of Tim. I have two words for you, Joe: Wendy. Pepper.
8.) That said, I can see why he won the drag queen challenge. He produced a very appropriate outfit for Varla Jean Merman, and he made her ass look great. I hope this is the only challenge he wins, however. He wins the award for most-annoying-straight-guy contestant on PR.
9.) The guys over at Project RunGay are right: Varla Jean Merman-as-a-man is really hot.
10.) Terri's drag queen outfit was also good--I mean, you have to pull out all the stops for a drag queen whose name is Betty Acid. But Korto's was my favorite. It had glitz, flames, volume, and it was a completely appropriate and flattering look for a big girl like Sweetie.
11.) Blayne's number was boring and poorly constructed. Did the judges not see that broken airplane wing--or whatever it was? It's just a matter of time before Blayne gets the boot. His designs are consistently bad, and he has exhausted his two-note shtick.
12.) It was great to see Chris March again. His feedback in the sewing room was spot on. I still feel he was robbed last season, as I think his outfits were much more interesting than Rami's. I just about laughed myself off the sofa when he and Heidi marched off the runway for German food, and she said, "Pretzels and Be-ah" in a dead-on Schwarzenegger imitation.

playlist, aug. 18, 2008

Mirah - "Lone Star"
The Avett Brothers - "Souls Like Wheels"
Margot & the Nuclear So and So's - "Bookworm"
Fleet Foxes - "Blue Ridge Mountains"
Yo La Tengo - "Sometimes I Don't Get You"
The Notwist - "Good Lies"
Duffy - "Stepping Stone"
She & Him - "Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?"
Black Kids - "I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance with You"
Hercules & Love Affair - "Hercules Theme"
Flight of the Conchords - "Hiphopotamus vs. Rhymenoceros (feat. Rhymenocerous and the Hiphopotamus)
Barry Louis Polar - "All I Want Is You"
The Raconteurs - "Five on the Five"
The Go! Team - "Ladyflash"
LCD Soundsystem - "North American Scum"
Sereolab - "Three Women"
The Kills - "M.E.X.I.C.O."
The Cure - "Close to Me"
No Kids - "For Halloween"
pc muñoz - "Disappear" (feat. Ingrid Chavez)
Billie Holliday - "Glad to Be Unhappy" (DJ Logic Remix)
Bitter:Sweet - "Come Along with Me"
Daedelus - "Make It So" (feat. Michael Johnson)
Beck - "Walls"
David Dondero - "Mighty Mississippi!"
Poplord - "Rent One from Jane"
James Brittain-Gore - "Rustle in the Leaves"
The Who - Odorono"
Dr. Dog - "The Breeze"
Karen Marguth - "The Best Things Happen While You're Dancing"
The Octopus Project - "Bay vs. Leonard"
Black Mountain - "Queens Will Pay"
Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks - "Cold Son"
Marching Band - "Gorgeous Behavior"
Theresa Andersson - "Birds Fly Away"
Man Man - "The Ballad of Butter Beans"
The Black Keys - "The Wicked Messenger"
Delta Spirit - "People C'mon"
Beach House - "Gila"
Horse Feathers - "Albina"
HEALTH//DISCO - "Crimewave" (Crystal Castles vs. HEALTH)

playlist, aug. 11, 2008

The Avett Brothers - "St. Joseph's"
Cat Power - "Lord, Help the Poor & Needy"
James Brittain-Gore - "I Know a Soul"
Takka Takka - "The Takers"
Kelley Stoltz - "Everything Begins"
Dr. Dog - "The Breeze"
Thao with the Get Down Stay Down - "Bag of Hammers"
Dengue Fever - "Sober Driver"
Architecture in Helsinki - "Like It or Not" (El Guincho Remix)
Beck - "Gamma Ray"
DJ Bitman - "El Diablo" (feat. Jimmy Fernandez)
El Lele de Los Van Van - "High and Dry" (feat. Radiohead)
Jens Lekman - "A Postcard to Nina"
The Cool Kids - "A Little Bit Cooler"
Why? - "Fatalist Palmistry"
Presto - "What's What" (feat. Fatlip & Kim Hill)
CSS - "Rat Is Dead (Rage)"
The Rolling Stones - "You Can't Always Get What You Want ) (Remixed and Re-edited by Soulwax)
Brian Eno / David Byrne - "Help Me Somebody"
Hercules and Love Affair - "Blind"
The Orb - "DDD (Dirty Disco Dub)"
Mylo - "In My Arms"
Calvin Harris - "Acceptable in the 80s"
Carla Bruni - "Ta Tienne"
Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 - "Daytripper"
Patti Smith - "Redondo Beach"
Cocteau Twins - "Carolyn's Fingers"
Essie Jain - "You"
Lavender Diamond - "Open Your Heart"
The Octopus Project - "An Evening with Rthrha"
Sparklejet - "Emilio"
Mudhoney - "I'm Now"
The Raconteurs - "Five on the Five"
Albert Hammond, Jr. - "Gfc"
Fiery Furnaces - "Sweet Spot"
Fleet Foxes - "White Winter Hymnal"
Subtle - "Hollow Hollered"
Ratatat - "Flynn"
Dosh - "Don't Wait for the Needle to Drop"
Radiohead - "How to Disappear Completely"
Portishead - "Machine Gun"

PR, episode 4

Observations about last week's show:

1.) Suede and Blayne weren't as annoying as they've been, but I still haven't warmed up to them. The best thing that could happen to Blayne would be his being prevented from entering another tanning salon. Ever. Again.
2.) Daniel probably should have gone home for that sad cocktail dress, but it was only a matter of time before Jennifer got the boot. And she still keeps yammering on about her "surrealism"!?!? Someone needs to sit her down for a little Art History 101. Cutsey-wootsey is not surreal, Jennifer. And your insisting upon that point will never make it so.
3.) Joe revealed himself to be a real manbitch: first he got strangely territorial about the sewing machines, and then he complained about all the "queens" he had to work with. Joe, on this show, homophobia is the quickest way to alienate the judges, your fellow contestants and your viewers, so if that's what you're after, keep it up.
4.) However, Joe's skort was OK. It's true that it had a length problem as Michael Kors noted, and I thought writing "USA" on the front was overkill. Plus the lettering was in an ugly font. I'm glad he didn't win because all of his "Oh, I do sportswear," and "Only I understand sportswear," and "Sportswear is my middle name," and "Bring it on!" was getting really irritating.
5.) Jerrell: wtf???
6.) Kelli: wtf???
7.) Bettie Page: she's going to work every last nerve with that loathsome giggle.
8.) Korto's outfit was good, but not stunning. It was fine, and it probably deserved to win. Then again, nobody produced a stunning number for this challenge. I'm glad she won because I like her: I think she's both entertaining and talented.
9.) There was a tantalizing flare up between Terry and Keith, but it went nowhere. I have a feeling that much of this season's "drama" is going to work along those lines.
10.) It's really time the contestants stop saying "I have no idea where we're going!" at the outset of each challenge. It's like that person at the movie theater who sits behind you and observes, "Oh look! Now he's got a gun!" Stating the obvious makes you look stupid. Then again, I'll bet the show's producers insist on that, asking the contestants, "So, where do you think you're going?"
11.) Nina was right on last night. I love it when the camera first catches her and she has this look on her face that says, "You're all going down."
12.) Apolo Ohno was cute.

did someone say drag queen cow print jacket?

Recently we were in London, and we were staying not too far from a gay bar called The Stag. One evening we dropped by, and a drag queen named Bette Rinse (I don't get it either) was hosting a country-western variety show. I was happily watching the show and drinking my Hoegaarden, when Miss Rinse pulled out a black-and-white cow print leather-and-suede woman's jacket. She explained that this was from her own collection, and that she would be auctioning it off that evening for charity. I've never participated in an auction before, and I was a little sad that no one was stepping up to make an initial bid, so I started things off. Well, I got the bug, and my hand just kept flying up, as I suddenly and inexplicably became determined to win this thing. And--£45 later--I did win this thing. So there you have it: my first auction, and I win a London drag queen's leather cow print jacket, which I then get to haul around with me to Cambridge, Paris, and then back home. Here I am trying to work it like Bono might. My only consolation is that either I've supported a cancer research in London or a drag queen's speed habit; either way, I feel it amounts to a good cause.

And, no, that's not a sweater. I really am that hairy. Feast your eyes now, for I vow not to reveal any more of my bear-rug chest on this blog.

PR5, episodes 1-3

OK, so last Saturday I finally got caught up on the fifth season of Project Runway. Here were the observations I made following the show. Don't read ahead if you are behind in your PR viewing and you don't want spoilers:

1) Heidi still looks fabulous. I wish I had her pelvic thrust.
2) Sandra Bernhard (whom I love) wasn't looking so good, but I'm glad to hear that she's touring Without You I'm Nothing again. I saw I'm Still Here ... Damn It! on Broadway. That was where Meg Ryan kicked my friend's butt, and I don't mean figuratively--she really did.
3) I continue to have utter faith in Nina Garcia and Michael Kors as judges, and I love Heidi's bluntness, as well. With most reality shows, I don't at all respect the judges (So You Think You Can Dance? is a good example) but these are the real deal. Even when I disagree with them, I respect them.
4) I despise tan-guy (I guess his name is Blayne). He's trying to be Christian (of season four) with the -licious thing, but it's so obviously derivative of Christian's shtick. Christian could be annoying, but he was also talented and entertaining. Tan-dude is neither, as far as I can tell. That diaper outfit was hideous.
5) Suede has got to stop talking about himself in third person. It is going to get real old, real fast. His striped cocktail dress was good, but I wanted tree-grate-woman to win.
6) I was impressed with that dress of coffee filters and vacuum cleaner bags. I'm glad she won.
7) Emily shouldn't have lost the third challenge. Her dress was better than that matronly black number.
8) Holly Golightly goes to a Dali exhibit my ass.
9) I'm fascinated with the gay guy from SLC. His wet magazine dress needed more color, but it was a daring choice. He's going to need to watch his ego, though. He's not as good a designer as he thinks. He is, however, very easy on the eyes. We definitely need some shots of him brushing his teeth in his underwear.
10) Tim Gunn seems a little meaner this time, which is good. He's often too supportive and vague, but I still love and want to be him.
11) Is rocker chick going to be this season's Sweet Pea? The other contestants had no business being annoyed because she was pounding rivets. If you need to pound rivets, you need to pound rivets. Get a set of earplugs if you don't like it. That said, I'm surprised she survived the first challenge. I think it can only be because shower-curtain guy had no evident personality.
12) Champagne makes for a terrific accompaniment to Project Runway. I think I'm going to make this a tradition.

Meanwhile I discovered this wickedly funny and astute blog devoted to Project Runway. Do yourself a favor and spend a few hours reading through it.

playlist, aug. 4, 2008

Radiohead - "The National Anthem"
The Notwist - "Gloomy Planets"
M83 - "You,0 Appearing"
The Orb - "DDD (Dirty Disco Dub)"
The Orb - "The Truth Is..."
Ozomatli - "La Temperatura"
Beck - "Gamma Ray"
Santogold - "L.E.S. Artistes"
The Tough Alliance - "Miami"
Modeselektor - "Let Your Love Grow"
Neon Neon - "Dream Cars"
Sexton Blake - "Making Love Out of Nothing At All"
Sufjan Stevens - "Come on! Feel the Illinoise!"
Dolly Parton - "The Tracks of My Tears"
The Avett Brothers - "Murder in the City"
The Geraldine Fibbers - "You Doo Right"
N.E.R.D. - "Spaz"
Cornelius - "Gum"
Subtle - "Sick Soft Perfection"
Atmosphere - "You"
Del the Funky Homosapien - "Situations"
Suede - "Animal Lover"
The Breeders - "German Studies"
The Loveseats - "Best Friend Forever"
The National - "Squalor Victoria"
Wolf Parade - "Soldier's Grin"
The Crystal Castles - "Courtship Dating"
Gorillaz - "Dirty Harry"
Crystal Castles - "Untrust Us"
Of Montreal - "Jimmy"
Hercules and Love Affair - "Raise Me Up"
Cibo Matto - "Spoon"
Duffy - "Mercy"
Ike & Tina Turner - "River Deep - Mountain High"
Flight of the Conchords - "Ladies of the World"

same as it never was

playlist, jul. 28, 2008

The Avett Brothers - "Tear Down the House"
Fleet Foxes - "Blue Ridge Mountains"
My Morning Jacket - "Evil Urges"
Duffy - "Rockferry"
Hortense Ellis - "Secretly"
Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings - "Tell Me"
Hercules and Love Affair - "Raise Me Up"
Beck - "Modern Guilt"
Spiritualized - "Soul on Fire"
The Futureheads - "Think Tonight"
Bloc Party - "Hunting for Witches"
Rademacher - "Arkansas"
Flight of the Conchords - "Foux da Fafa"
N.E.R.D. - "Spaz"
Atmosphere - "You"
Portishead - "Silence"
Burial - "Archangel"
Wolf Parade - "California Dreamer"
Bonnie "Prince" Billy - "You Remind Me of Something (The Glory Goes)"
Mates of State - "The Re-arranger"
The Silver Jews - "Strange Victory, Strange Defeat"
Grant Lee Phillips - "The Killing Moon"
Why? - "Fatalist Palmistry"
Hot Chip - "Wrestlers"
The Black Ghosts - "Some Way Through This"
Cadence Weapon - "House Music"
Novalima Regresa - "Con La Capilla"
The Watson Twins - "Just Like Heaven"
Blake Jones and the Trike Shop - "I Roped the Moon Out of the Sky"
Mirah - "Lone Star"
Kien Lim - "T Baby"
Architecture in Helsinki - "Hold Music" (Max Tundra Remix)
HEALTH - "Heaven" (Pink Skull RMX)
The Notwist - "On Planet Off"
Eurythmics - "Who's That Girl?"
The Orb - "DDD (Dirty Disco Dub)"
Black Kids - "I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance with You"
The Hold Steady - "Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window?"
The Republic Tigers - "Buildings & Mountains"