HI, EVERYBODY. Hope you had a great year. If not, hey there's next time. Here it comes. Ready or not!  We're just warming up and can't wait to get going again. We have lots of surprises up our sleeves.

See ya in 2007.

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It's no secret that the collection Proenza Schouler did for Target  is fabulous  (more info here) and will be sold out FAST when it hits the Target website and shelves.... BUT I did find out the good SCOOP that there will be a three day Proenza Schouler/TARGET pop-up shop taking place at one of our favorite New York City stores, Opening Ceremony (35 Howard Street).

The Proenza Schouler/Target shop is going to quietly (yeah, right!) open on Feb. 2nd and once the buzz spreads I'm sure it will cause a riot -- or at least long lines of cuties all the way to Canal Street.

Opening Ceremony is not a huge store, but, we're told, they will be clearing out all of their merch for three days only and handing the shop over to Target and the Proenza boys to fill with their cool threads, shoes, and accessories.

So mark your calendars girls.....

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I was just eating brunch with a New York friend of mine in Glendale and he told me that the MisShapes are getting their own line at H&M!  Apparently it will be their name on the line but designed by Benjamin Cho and Josh Madden. Can anyone confirm or deny this? 

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Mr Mickey was reading one of his favorite blogs Towleroad.com and came upon this image of a gigantic building shaped like a kerosene lamp being built in Guzhen, the lighting capital of China. Okay, so it's a tiny bit literal but Mr Mickey is living for it and wishes we had more things like this in the old US of A! Wouldn't you drive out of your way to see something like the Lamp Tower? It's supposed to be done in 2008 in time for the Beijing Olympics. MM is not saying the Chinese are good on human rights, he's just saying they sometimes make cute buildings!!!

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2006: Predictions that Never Happened -- variety

Dubai is Fucking Nuts! -- these pictures tell the story (E.g. -- Hydropolis, the world's first underwater hotel).

2006 -- Top 10 Events that Shaped Marijuana Policy -- norml

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Dang, it must be Christmas. Look at all the new music that's been landing in our laps! Bloc Party, CYHSY, The Shins (although they've fallen off recently), Modest Mouse and Of Montreal all have new albums coming out in early 2007.  Well now we can add Arcade Fire to the list.  Here's a new song that BBC radio aired from their forthcoming album, supposedly called Neon Bible.

Arcade Fire - Intervention

"Don't wanna fight / Don't wanna die / Just wanna see you cry."  There are some intense lyrics in this song!

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Genevieve Jones  is a socialite that has caused a teensy bit of a stir.  Some people claim she emerged from nowhere  (as opposed to the traditional stars of the social pages who are groomed from birth, MM supposes) but MM has one thing to say to that. 'Welcome to NYC bitches!' Mr Mickey's policy is this: if you're fun, throw together stylish looks and make parties fun, climb aboard the party train!!  Part of the reason NYC is so fabulous is that people can come from anywhere and reinvent themselves or make themselves into stars.

And MM feels he must also say that we've got lots of fabulous pale-complected blondes on the scene and a little diversity is very, very welcome from where MM stands.

Meanwhile here is a delicious shot of Genevieve with filmmaker/scenestealer Paz de la Huerta on her lap. What a double-whammy of fun.

Photo from Style.com

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By Snowbird

2006 was a bad year for the old-school deli. It began with the closing of the 2nd Avenue Deli in New York and has ended with an announcement that Miami's famed Rascal House will be closed to make way for a 15 story condo development.  When Wolfie Cohen's Rascal House opened in 1954 it quickly became a north Miami Beach dining destination attracting everybody from Meyer Lansky to Judy Garland.  It's demise follows the recently shuttered delis Corky's in Pembroke Pines and Wolfie's in South Beach and will make it harder to find a good corned beef sandwich in New York's sixth borough. At least the "chicken noodle soup" was the year's biggest dance craze.  Let it rain.

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Biggest Box Office Flops of  2006  - - screenheads

50 Things We Know Now That We Didn't Know Last Year --   TBO

Prince Harry Goes to Fight in Iraq -- Telegraph

Murders Up in New York, Other Big Cities -- AP

Plight of the Polar Bear Forces Bush to  Recognize Climate Change -- timesonline

photo of Prince Harry at Sandhurst

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Okay, everyone who cares about society sweeties is in love with Tins but MM wants you all to fall in love with Mins. Mins being Minnie Mortimer, sister-in-law of Tinsley. Here's a shot of Minnie (left) with Tinsley from Style.com. Minnie really has the best body on the social scene in MM's gay but informed opinion. She's engaged to Academy Award-winning screenwriter and director Steven Gaghan (Traffic, Syriana) so we'll see if Minnie becomes the social star of Los Angeles! Watch out Jacqui Getty and Liz Goldwyn!

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I've said this many times before but the 90s college indie/alternative rock "movement" (if you will)  is by far my favorite musical genre.  And thanks to the miracle of youtube I've been able to search the megaverse in the hopes of finding old gems from the late 80s/early 90s.  My favorite rediscovery of 2006 was by far Ned's Atomic Dustbin.  Thanks to an anonymous tipster who brought this to my attention, I have been able to relive my adolescent years when I first took music seriously.  Bands like the Flaming Lips, Butthole Surfers and anything off of the "So I Married An Axe Murderer" soundtrack were among my favorites, as was Ned's Atomic Dustbin.  Here's their video for Grey Cell Green, it's so 90s!

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 Believe it or not I saw a huge HAWK sitting in a tree in Washington Square Park today as I dragged my dog Romeo to the dog run this afternoon. It was GIGANTIC. I've been hearing scuttlebutt that there was a big hawk living in Washington Square Park for a month or so, scaring all the animals but I never saw it until today. It has supposedly been eating pigeons like crazy and the squirrels and rats are all on Orange Alert. I wonder if this hawk is related to Pale Male the hawk living on 86th street (see photo)... Everyone at the dog run is a-buzz about it....

Speaking of my beloved Dandie Dinmont terrier Romeo, there is big buzz lately about the unique Dandie Dinmont breed (see photo) and especially a VERY cute specimen named Harry (owned by Bill Cosby) who is being gossiped about lately as a potential winner at Westminster this year (at least in terrier category, if not potentially ranking as one of the best in show!). Now for Dandie Dinmont owners this is a huge deal as our Dandies never seem to win anything, especially as the breed is in dire danger of extinction its even more important that the Dandie gets ink so awareness is spread.

Harry is really cute I must say. I can't wait to see him up close up at Westminster  Tuesday Feb. 12th at Madison Sq. Garden.

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Now is time for you voracious MMBloggers to meet Bonnie Morrison, who is an obsession of Mr Mickey's. MM has known her for quite some time, before her splash onto the scene. She's gorgeous, smart and hard-working. She came to prominence as the PR person for Proenza Schouler and is now at KCD. Whenever Mr Mickey can squeeze his flabby carcass into a Dries Van Noten cardigan and get out to a fabulous event, Bonnie is there creating a stir! How these kids get to all the parties and get to work in the morning is beyond old granny MM. So kids keep your eye out for Bonnie because you know if you see her, you're exactly where things are at!

Here's a shot of Bonnie with the charming and delightful Waris and Derek Blasberg (watch for a future MM post about Derek).

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It's hard for Mr Mickey to write about the truly adorable Luigi Tadini because just thinking about LT (let alone looking at his photo) makes Mr Mickey mad with pleasure!!! Honestly, this young man is gorgeous, smart, sweet and immaculately turned-out! He's the Brazilian/Italian Cary Grant for the new millenium.

It seems like he commutes to and from Sao Paolo because he only spends weekends there, although he assured MM he'd be staying longer for the holidays. MM can't wait to get to Brazil one day and have Luigi show off the gorgeousness! And maybe we'll see some of Brazil, too!!!
 

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 This is the time of the year to indulge in "Best of" lists. Naturally, papermag stands ready more than two cents to add to this estimable tradition. Associate Editor Alexis Swerdoff  turns her attention to the Best Songs of 2006  including the category of "Best Song that Invents a Dance Move" awarded to "Pull Shapes" by Pipettes. Creative Director Carol Lee lists her memorable moments of the year includes "Max Fish Guitarmagedddon 666."

Paper Managing Editor Jon Durbin steps up with his "10 Things That Happened, Whether Enjoyable, Unclean or Heartbreaking, During 2006" like "Tracy Morgan's revival on 30 Rock. Also: NBC's website, where you can watch full episodes of 30 Rock right after they air. Also: The specially tailored phone message you can send your friends from Alec Baldwin, available at NBC's website. Also: Live every week like it's shark week."

Senior Editor Carlo McCormick lists "Highline and Morgan: Even the old was new again, as those decrepit old train tracks on the west side became the prime cultural real estate for progressive urban development, and Renzo Piano's redesign of the Morgan Library helped transform a once obscure relic of our past into a vital new institution."

N.Y. Doll Shanon Kelley can't forget " What Is The What, by Dave Eggers, literally moved me to tears while riding the subway to work. Yup, I cried on the subway at 9 a.m. instead of drunk at 5 a.m."

Broadway Blogger Whitney Spaner recalls "Laughing out loud when Christine Ebersole as Little Edie Bouvier sang 'The Revolutionary Costume for Today,' which opens the second act of Grey Gardens."

And there's more, so give it a click  here

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Did any of you guys out there hear the Mitzvah tank driving around Soho in the wee hours Thursday night blaring-- no, not Matisyahu -- but MADONNA and carrying a rowdy, boozin crowd on board? No, you weren't hallucinating. The MT was hijacked by two crazy, fun characters --  Levi Okunov and his friend and "pr person" Beryl that I met at my office months ago when they came by to show me Levi's fashion designs. They were really great and told me all about their crazy escapades being young partying Brooklyn kids who wanted to stretch their wings and escape the narrow codes of the Hassidic communities they grew up in. I heard about how many hipster kids there were who grew up in these communities who now have formed their own little group of artists, freaks, gays, and rebels while still remaining curiously attached to their religious dna. They told me about this club (or should I say "party")  they do on Thursday nights at a synagogue in the garment district...and how it's filled with a wild mix of peeps... welcoming outcasts, closeted and open Hassidic and Orthodox gays, freaks, party animals and anyone else who wants to join -- everyones welcome.

So anyway, they called Friday and told me about their escapades bombing around Soho in a "hijacked" mitvah tank with their friends from Heeb Magazine whose editor Joshua Neuman, emailed me these funny, short videos from the evening.

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1.  Angela Lansbury is coming back to Broadway starring with Marian Seldes in the World Premiere of Deuce by Terrence McNally.  I grew up on "Murder She Wrote", and curse the fact that I didn't see her in the original Sweeney Todd, so to say I'm excited for this is an understatment – although I'd rather see her in a musical.

2.  Curtains, a new musical comedy by Kander and Ebb of     Cabaret and Chicago fame is opening in March starring the great David Hyde Pierce and Debra Monk. The plot involves the opening of a new musical on Broadway and the murder of its hated star! With funnyman Pierce in the role of the lieutenant in charge of the investigation there should be a lot of laughs.

3. 110 in the Shade is coming back via The Roundabout Theatre Company. This musical is about a woman who can't find true love in a Texas town during a horrible heat wave in the 1930's.  Love and sweat -- sounds like a winning combo to me!

4. Tony winner and theater legend Harold Prince returns to Broadway this May as director of a new musical drama , Lovemusik, starring Michael Cerveris and Donna Murphy.

5. It's a rumor but the versatile Jane Krakowski (the blonde bombshell who was last seen on Broadway in Nine) might be returning to Broadway in  Xanadu. This rollerskating musical based on the 1980 film is going to be tortuous but the beautiful and talented Jane might make sitting through this trainwreck almost worth it.

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On the night after Christmas some will have visions of half-eaten sugar plums dancing in their heads. Hopefully, after you view this video, you will have visions of prog rock mimes gesticulating in yours.
    As much as Krautrock intriques me the sound of 'prog rock' induces high anxiety. Mimes do the same but at least they deliver some LOL pleasure. I remember in high school being subjected to prog rock by the older cool arty dudes I had crushes on. After hours of mind-numbing noodling I wanted to scream, "When can we turn off this crap and get to the more important business of making out?!!!!"
    I also remember going to see a mime troupe who was visiting our local state college back in the early 70s. I had never seen Mime before (except what little David Bowie did on The Midnight Special) and these people were GOOD! They were direct from the Marcel Marceau's school  and I was very impressed.  I was also very stoned. So was my best friend Jane.

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The great James Brown has passed on.  I won't write an obituary here, other than to say his legacy is as great as any other artist of the 20th century.  

I had occasion to meet James Brown when he was being managed by none other that Rev. Al Sharpton. I was writing for the Soho News and had been invited along with several others on the music beat to come uptown to meet the Man who had a new record out.  Until the age of rapping and sampling brought Brown back into the land of the living, he was struggling to be relevant let alone have a hit record. Now Brown was going disco. Here's what wikipedia has to say about that time in his life:

• By the mid-1970s, Brown's star-status was on the wane, and key musicians such as Bootsy Collins had begun to depart to form their own groups. The disco movement, which Brown anticipated, and some say originated, found relatively little room for Brown; his 1976 albums Get Up Offa That Thing and Bodyheat were his first flirtations with "disco-fied" rhythms incorporated into his funky repertoire.

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Taxidermy Plushies are on sale at Bingo's Craft Emporium (see previous post)!

    The term was coined by Sarah Dale who run's Bingo's. Bingo's is next door to Sarah's very cute clothing store Pull My Daisy in Silver Lake. (3908 Sunset Blvd.
323-663-0608)

    Taxidermy Plushies are sculptural works of art involving hand sewn animal or vegetable themed matter mounted on wood or decorative plates.

    These are but a few examples. I just love those plushie croissants! And the 'dead toast twins' are sooooo cute!

    But what in Heavens to Mergotroid is that beastly creature with the retro tie tongue hanging out of it's angy jowls?
   
 

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We here at the MMBlog are suddenly wondering why stylist Tabitha Simmons doesn't get more poo-bliss-ee-tay. She's gorgeous, talented and stylish and has babies with photo legend Craig McDean! Isn't that enough to make a star in this dog-eat-dog town? MM thinks so, so let's make a point in 2007 to give this lady more coverage!!!

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A few months ago, I was walking down Ludlow street in the Lower East Side and happened to notice a mural on the iconic wall next to Max Fish.  This wall has been host to countless famous artists and renditions, including an R.I.P. Harold Hunter memorial mural.  Imagine my surprise, then, to see an advertisement for Dewar’s.  What caught me off guard was not so much the advertisement itself (after all, this generation is not naïve when it comes to creative and  viral marketing), but the overall hip design and slogan itself. It got me thinking about the overlapping of art and advertising and how I’m no longer really offended by it. This fact may seem strange to many of you, but in a world where everything is used as a means of commerce, it actually makes me feel better when companies get it right and do something where the brand is not so much on display but the art itself. 

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After learning my lesson the hard (and expensive) way in the past I try to get all my holiday shopping done early. Like in July. But last minute Christmas shopping is a tradition most of us can't give up. The good news is this year  lucky Angelenos can do it all at one place - at Bingo's Craft Emporium!

    Located in the grooviest block in Silver Lake (just east of Sunset Junction) Bingo's is the brain child of Sarah Dale who owns Pull My Daisy, the grooviest boutique in town (located at 3908 Sunset Blvd. 323-663-0608).

     Sarah also "owns"Bingo, a seven year old dachshund who is the unofficial mayor of our 'hood. Bingo can frequently be seen wandering back and forth from the Casbah Cafe to Flea's Music Conservatory with many pit stops at EAT WELL. Maybe that's why Sarah offers a T-Shirt at Pull My Daisy with Bingo's photo on it and the words "My Name is Bingo/I Like Bacon."

    Bingo also happens to be one of L.A. Woman's honorees for her 2007 Choice People Awards (results revealed in PAPER's L.A. themed February 07 issue!)

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By Snowbird

 South Beach came very close to banning nightclub flyers last week when a  law that had been tentatively approved in October  was tabled after the ACLU got involved.  Lawyers for the city thought the new ordinance was valid because it only banned flyers in specific areas of the city (ie: where the clubs are) but backed off when the ACLU mentioned the First Amendment. ACLU lawyer Virginia Rosen told the Miami Herald, "The proposed ordinance seeks to regulate pure speech."  Miami Beach has been known to fine local businesses, not just the perpetrators, when flyers are found on the ground nearby and they claim flyer cleanup is draining the budget.  We noticed a new flyer trend this season: poker chips.  These custom-made chips advertising Lucky Strike and Thug Sinatra are extremely collectible and, so far, haven't been spotted littering the streets.

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   I just returned from another lookyloo spree at Bingo's Craft Emporium where there was a HUGE shipment of new Taxidermy Plushies!

    Sarah Dale then informed me that the two girls who had brought in that first batch (the day I visited and took photos - see previous post) had just been in the store with their latest creations.

    I also discovered that Taxidermy Plushies are actually called "Stuft Acquaintances' and are  made by Tanya and Amy who together are T & A. And they just put up a website at www.tafriendly.com! Check it out!

When you visit the site you are welcomed thusly:

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Check out Miss Kate Middleton (with her mother) at Prince Williams's graduation from Sandhurst (the West Point of Great Britain). How chic is this girl. MM definitely approves of the look. The event was also attended by the Queen, Duke of Edinburgh and the Prince of Wales. MM is a pacifist but that doesn't mean he's against the military. We love peace keepers, we just hate bomb droppers!

Anyhoo, the media is going cuckoo crazles over an impending engagement and the kids aren't doing anything to contradict the media.

Photo snatched from Hello Magazine.

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 What the world needs now is ... a Prada phone. And it's coming your way, first in Europe and eventually here in the USA. Word is via engadget that this phone will not be merely something the fashion company throws their logo on, but a new development in phone technology. We'll see. For now, rumors suggest that it will have a touch tone screen.

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I love it when two of my least favorite people have a pissing match, doing all the dirty work for those of us who find the behavior of Donald Trump and Rosie O'Donnell similarly offensive. Having seen both of these videos, I think that Trump perhaps doth protest too much. Rosie definitely hit a raw nerve there. And it hasn't stopped. Rosie has taken the fight to the street -- or its equivalent, otherwise known as the blogosphere where her blog is experiencing significant traffic as a result of this contretemps. Be patient.  

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By Snowbird

The annual Winter Music Conference will be back in Miami from March 20th to the 25th and they have  outlasted their only competitor, M3, who have decided to "go on hiatus" and try to re-group at some later date.  This is unfortunate because the people behind M3 had a good thing going.  Despite an awkward name that seemed forever associated with their first-year corporate sponsor Motorola (Miami Motorola Money?) they managed to bring some really new and different artists to town and showcased them on an outdoor venue with great production.  The WMC, on the other hand, stuck to it's original dance formula and finally united with the all-day event Ultra last year and added a few rock acts.  So far this year's only announced headliner is the Cure. The WMC takes place at the Miami Beach Resort (formerly the Wyndam) and registration is $275 until January 5, 2007.   <http://www.wintermusicconference.com>www.wintermusicconference.com

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                     God how I loved this show! And that theme music! Fantastic! I couldn't wait for every new exciting episode! Why can't someone remake this into an all-female version? Something to inspire little girls to want to do more than turn into anorexic celebrity shopoholics? But wait....what was that look "Race" Bannon just gave Dr. Benton Quest there at the end? Hmmmmmmmm..........

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Want to watch 101 Christmas videos on line? Ok. Maybe one or two. Everyone's got a favorite and chances are you can find it here. It includes essentials (It's a Wonderful Life and Charlie Brown Christmas) as well as cartoons (The Smurf's Christmas Special, Vintage Rudolf Cartoon from 1948), stop motion animation (Will Vinton's Claymation Christmas Celebration), sitcoms (The Flintstones Saved Christmas, The Beverly Hillbillies Christmas Episode), music videos (John Lennon: Happy Xmas (War is Over) , David Bowie & Bing Crosby: Drummer Boy) and many, many more including Christmas abominations (Santa Claus Conquers the Martians, Star Wars Holiday Special (part 1, part 2). Here's one for you -- Happy Holidays, 24 Style

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                   Half of the legendary Hanna-Barbera cartoon consortium that created Tom & Jerry, The Flintstones, The Jetsons and Scooby-Doo passed away this Monday.  Joseph Barbera was preceded in death by his producing partner William Hanna (who died in 2001).  Barbera was the one who actually drew the characters that would become icons for not only millions of baby boomers but for every Gen X or Y child that ever vegged out in front of a TV. Hanna once said that his partner could "capture mood and expression in a quick sketch better than anyone I've ever known" and I think all us grown up kids (and not yet grown up kids) can agree with that!
    I loved The Flintstones and The Jetsons! I couldn't WAIT for the future if it was gonna look like The Jetsons. In fact, I have been gravely disappointed that the 21st century doesn't look more like that futuristic TV show (see the show's intro in video above).  Of course, I also yearned to live in the prehistoric era.... if life resembled the opening credits of The Flintstones. The Flintstones was apparantly inspired by The Honeymooners. But as much as I enjoyed the comic genius of both Jackie Gleason and Art Carney, The Honeymooners didn't make life lived in a New York tenament with a view of a brick wall very enticing. Until I found out people like the New York Dolls and Lou Reed and the nutcases in all of Andy Warhol's movies lived like that.  Then I couldn't wait to move into my own tenament slum with The Honeymooners view of the brick wall!
     That particular dream came true when I moved to the East Village in the late 70's. I'd soon find other suburban refugees my age who were also weaned on glam rock and Hanna Barbera cartoons; specifically Kenny Scharf who incorporated those characters into his street graffiti and later his (high priced) fine art. (Like this 1981 painting "Hannah Barbaric Paradise" seen above right).
   

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By Snowbird

South Beach has a new VIP this year and it's got four legs, a pouch and is definitely not on the list.  If you've guessed "marsupial," you're right.  The opossum (didelphimorphia) has been stalking the beach in ever increasing numbers and can be a bit of a shock even to the rat-accustomed Snowbird.  We actually first encountered one last year while strolling down Collins late at night and first thought we had discovered a mutant cat enjoying a late night garbage snack.  This year, we have already seen four of them and our friends confirm an increase in nocturnal sightings.  Other than being a little creepy, they seem pretty harmless and, though we haven't tried one, they are supposedly quite tasty.  Anybody have a good recipe?

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My friend Kerry Bailey sent me the link to this holiday treat. Tee Hee and Ho Ho Ho!

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Those of you who know Mr Mickey know that he is up for just about anything and tries to be mo-derne in his thinking. Still when it comes to royalty, MM admits he can have a bit of a stick up his poo-poo hole. And MM seems to always feel like an old reactionary when reading about the former Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson. Fergie was up to her old tricks when she and Sharon Osbourne (whom MM loves and j'adores) were having dindin at a chic bistro in London when, after a few drinkies, the ladies went downstairs and posed as lavatory attendants. MM must say he thinks it's very amusing and has no problem with it. What MM is a little iffy about is Fergie's alleged plans to be a contestant on next season's Dancing With the Stars. Is MM wrong to think it's not dignified for a former HRH to be on a reality show? MM knows a girls gotta eat but Fergie already does a LOT of endorsements. What do you kids think?

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PAPER’s multi-talented production director Erica Moore modeled a Santa outfit for us on Friday. Here is why:

"Is this some sort of cult?" a small older woman asked me, pointing at the procession of over 500 Santas walking up Delancey Street on Saturday.

"No," I assured her. "It's SantaCon. We're spreading holiday cheer and getting drunk with friends and strangers."

And folks, that's SantaCon in a nutshell. Part pub-crawl, part random act of kindness, SantaCon is a worldwide phenomenon linked to the Cacophony Society. For 13 years, in cities all around the globe, people don Santa costumes and other holiday-themed garb and hit the streets, singing naughty carols such as "Police Navidad" and "Deck My Balls," and stopping along the way to hand out gifts to amazed children and passersby.

Words cannot do this event justice. And pictures only capture a fraction of the insanity. Do yourself a favor and get your Santa outfit ready for next year…

Erica's the one on the right in the bottom photo being hugged by the tall Santa.
 

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Now that Mayor Bloomberg has banned smoking and trans fat I wouldn't be surprised to see him sticking his pater familias nose into the skinny model debate. In Milan, the powers that be are in an uproar, setting the minimum age for models at 16 and coming up with convoluted formulas for determining if a girl is healthy (read heavy) enough to merit walking down the runway during fashion week.  Predictably the designers are lifting their noses at all this, taking a wait and see attitude while backhandedly indicating that no one is going to follow these silly rules anyway. Last year, Spain came up with a body fat ratio girls were measured against, but the fashion worlds that matter -- Italy, France and New York -- ignored the guidelines as the work of politicians looking to get some press. Italian designer Roberto Cavalli said in WWD:

• I don't think the code will change fashion, and fashion is not the cause of juvenile problems. There are other ways to take care of our young generation: stop showing half-naked starlets on television, ban silicone implants if one is not at least 25, for example, said Cavalli. As for the models' age limit, the designer agreed with the code. "I never have models who are too young, in fact, I would even raise the age to 18."

• I am very interested in finding a way designers can really help this issue. I cannot speak in the name of the CFDA until I speak to my fellow designers who I represent. I am very sensitive to this matter and will address it. Right now, I am assembling information so that we can really be effective."

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Well, I'm sure you've all been waiting impatiently on the seat of your pants for my top 5 albums of 2006.  Without further ado, here they are:

5.  White Magic - Dat Rosa Mel Apibus
This album is simply spectacular.  Only in Brooklyn could you find a band that is completely avant garde and undefinable.  Not since I first heard Animal Collective so many years ago have I gotten so excited about music.  It's bands like these that remind me why I'm obsessed with this art form in the first place.  White Magic is in a genre all on their own.

4.  Oxford Collapse - Remember The Night Parties
Speaking of Brooklyn bands, Oxford Collapse are the icing on my cake.  They are that rare breed of punk/noise that don't try to emmulate other NYC bands like The Rapture but instead make music that sounds fresh and alive.  Full of falsetto choruses and screaming harmonies, Oxford Collapse achieve something very few bands are capable of nowadays - they make their audience want to shout along.

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Friday night I stopped by the opening of The Chop Shop, a makeshift catering business by downtown sweetheart Agathe Snow and her girls Anne and Marianne on Delancey and Eldridge. This place is aaaaa-mazing! They have home-pickled, -oiled, -preserved. -candied and -baked everything wicked, weird and wholesome. Sardine loaf anyone?  They are open to do some mad holiday cram-catering for the city dwellers. It was a toss up between "Sexy Cutie Sauce" and "Fish & Saffron Oil" but in the end I checked out with a bottle of "Agathe's Mint Yoghurt Dressing." Their motto is "Desperate Decadence: A Tribute to Good Taste & Poverty." There's not much more to add to that.

I just got the following news from the Chop Shop girls today:

"Here's a few updates for our upcoming uplifting upper case holiday celebrations.
First, as of tomorrow we'll have a meal a day served all day everyday until the 31st.
Come by, we'll feed you for a contribution.
Then on Christmas eve we offer a green eggs and ham brunch.
Join us on the 25th at 3pm in the Forsythe & Chrystie park by the camel for three wise women nativity play out for the homeless and anyone left behind.
Starting on the 26th we offer bunker, emergency kits, all the necessity you'll need in case of a real emergency, disaster, war, flood. You can leave it in your closet until then. Don't panic, but you never know...
Tell your friends or anyone you'd like to be stranded on a deserted island with.
Lots of love."

The Chop Shop: 50 Delancey St. (@ Eldridge St.), Buzzer 4
(646) 662-7638 or (917) 558-7276, chopdelancey@gmail.com, www.chopdelancey.com

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The Queen's granddaughter Zara Phillips has been named BBC's Sports Personality of the Year. Mr Mickey bets you MMBloggers didn't even Zara was an athlete. Well smartypanters, she's World and European champ in Three Day Eventing which, MM is told, is a ball busting kind of thing that takes lots of strength, stamina and brains. Naturally some wisenheimers have shouted Nepotism! but MM is happy for Zara who has made a splash in the past by getting a tongue piercing. Zara's brother Peter Phillips is also quite sporty and a bit of a hunk.

This photo (and knowledge of the story) has been snatched from Aristocracy Anectdotes, a marvelous site that bills itself "Amusing Tales of Toffs Past and Present.

MM is not quite sure what a toff is but maybe some of you MMBloggers can post a definition in the comments section.

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Below, please find a video of the Chavez boys smoking up through soda cans and having some nutty pot-induced daydreams. The footage was recorded during their 1996 tour with Guided By Voices. The clip is a preview of the DVD "Boys Making Music...Music Making Men" that will be packaged  along with  their upcoming double-CD "Better Days Will Haunt You." Speaking of the '90s indie-rock band that time almost forgot, check out Jonathan Durbin's PAPERMAG story on these crazy knuckleheads. Incidentally, the played with Endless Boogie on Saturday night at Warsaw.

 

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And all I have to say is, "Good God."  The movie is so insanely ridiculous I can't even begin to explain it.  In fact, it left me speechless aside from the fact that towards the end of it I couldn't help but laugh out loud at the sheer audacity of it all.  Mel Gibson is out of his mind, I can tell you that.  Aside from the gratuitous violence and gore throughout the movie, there are just so many Holocaust and Jesus references that I started to lose count. 

Let's see if I can remember a few choice examples.  For starters, at the beginning of an over-the-top two day running chase scene, the protagonist stumbles upon an area of land filled with nothing but naked, rotting corpses.  Gross.  Next there's a scene where the protaganist's wife is immersed in water and gives birth to a son under-water.  Please.  And finally, the Spaniards arrive in boats, at the helm of which is a priest holding a giant cross in front of him, no doubt ready to save all the savages from the depths of hell. 

The movie itself is also historically inaccurate.  To begin with, the Mayan civilization was already well in decline by the time the Spaniards arrived.  Plus there are numerous temples shown from different eras that never would have existed together.  This is basic stuff here, folks.  And forgive me if I exaggerate but any descendents of Mayans should be seriously pissed off at Mr. Gibson for depicting their "ancestors" as nothing but blood thirsty brutes. 

Here's something I DID enjoy about Apocalypto, however - a fake trailer made by the good people over at SNL.

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Based on her successful appearance with Barbra Walters, Anna Wintour agrees to the filming of a reality show based on the making of Vogue's mammoth September issue. Eyespy asks: Producers usually demand final cut in these deals. Did they make an exception for Wintour? Would she do it otherwise? Here's the video. More in WWD

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On Friday, December 15th,  PAPER's fearless nightlife photographer, Caroline-Torem Craig, found herself at the Hammerstein Ballroom, where In Touch and Z100 were holding a V.I.P. pre-show before the sold-out Jingle Ball at Madison Square Garden.

Here's her report:

One of the highlights of the event was Brooke Hogan. She can move. The mostly 14-to-16-year-old crowd screamed and yelled but one could tell that they weren't quite sure what to make of her. They were much more comfortable with American Idol alum Mario Vazquez's performance. There were girls in the front row screaming, “I will kill myself for him” and one by one, other Vazquez-obsessed girls answered, “me too!”

Afterwards in the Z100 pressroom, a reporter asked Brooke to recall her most embarrassing moment with her father. Brooke told of the time she went to the drugstore with The Hulk. She was on hold with a very important phone call and her dad said he would go in and get whatever she needed, which happened to be… Tampons! He went into the store and rushed out red faced, inquiring "what kind? The butterfly wings, the super-size or what?”

Photos of Brooke Hogan and Mario Vazquez by Caroline-Torem Craig. 

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If the movie "Nerdcore for Life" is as good as the trailer, then we're in for a treat. With over 500,000 viewings on YouTube I'm not exactly discovering this neglected master, but I wouldn't want you to miss it.

Dan Lamouroux, the director, as described on his web site:

• Dan is a native of the south suburbs of Chicago and has been writing, producing and directing his own films since the 8th grade...In August, 2005 a friend dragged him to see a "nerd Rapper" named mc chris who was performing at the Double Door in Chicago. The only reason Dan agreed to go was because mc chris had supplied voice talents to one ofh is favorite shows, Aqua Teen Hunger Force. The performance was an astounding display of both Nerd pride and Nerd rage and before the evening was over Dan knew that he wanted to explore this world of Geek Rap that he would soon learn was known as "Nerdcore."

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Here's a shot of Kate Middleton looking super slinky on a trip to South Africa. She took a little trip to the charming country which is the financial powerhouse of Africa for the 21st birthday of the son of Sir Richard Branson of Virgin Airlines and such. The media all over the world is going cuckoo crazy saying that William is going to propose to Kate at any minute. Some collectible dishware makers have even already made commemorative engagement dishes for the occasion. MM thinks Kate seems very modern and appropriate, although wouldn't Charlotte Casiraghi really be more fabulous despite her Catholicism. Anyhoo, MM is much more interested in the gossip that Prince Harry has allegedly convinced Prince Charles to let his girlfriend Chelsy Davy move into an apartment at Clarence House. There was also talk of her possibly moving into Kensington Palace, where Harry's mother Diana, Princess of Wales had lived, but the British government is getting tough with grace and favor residences it seems and word is the Prince and Princess Michael of Kent are going to be booted from KP in the next few years!

Photo from AristocracyAnecdotes.com

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I just received the most adorable press release in my in-box thanks to a buddy over here at PAPER.  Not only is this a brilliant marketing scheme on the part of the Decemberists, but it's also an amazing way to solve a copyright issue and should serve as an example to everyone.  Say, for example, the next time youtube gets sued by (oh I don't know this off the top of my head) a record label, they should respond with an air guitar challenge!  Wouldn't that be swell?

And not for nothing, but isn't Stephen Colbert the coolest of the cool?

(New York, NY) – Stephen Colbert, of basic cable television program “The Colbert Report,” has formally accepted a counter-counter challenge from The Decemberists, setting the stage for an epic battle on par with Ali vs. Frazier, Scopes v. State and Kramer vs. Kramer.  The winner-take-all guitar duel will take place on Wednesday, December 20th at 11:30 pm ET/PT on Comedy Central’s “The Colbert Report.”

The first stone was cast on November 29th when Colbert used the debut of a segment entitled “Look Who’s Riding My Coattails Now” to lambaste the band for their mtvU-sponsored “Re-Animate the Decemberists” contest.  For the contest the band performed new single “O Valencia!” in front of a “green screen” and asked college students nationwide to create animation for the video’s backdrop.  Colbert alleged that the band stole the concept from a contest he had earlier staged:

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Don't forget to stop in to 11 Spring Street this weekend to take in  the Wooster Collective's awesome and Herculean project celebrating this soon to be gentrified building that now is literally covered (every inch of it!) in work by the most celebrated artists from all over the world who have been working on pieces that now cover the windows, the stairwells, the space heaters, the floors, the outside cornices.  This   amazing "show" was conceived by the great folks at Wooster Collective (mark and sarah)  is sponsor free,  profit and commercialization free and in a sense "hype free" as the purpose was not to invite hyped star artists but to include and reach for creativity beyond hype.

This is a moment kids and is kind of a poignant one because it could very well be the last time you will see something like this happen in our fast fading gentrified city. Don't miss it because next week the art will all be demolished to make way for million dollar condos to be built. Open tomorrow and Sunday from 11am- 5pm.

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MM spent a delightful evening at the Gramercy Park Hotel last night at a birthday soiree for Milla Jovovich hosted by Vogue. Milla is a Paper favorite, having already graced our cover three times. In fact, Milla was the first cover star MM ever interviewed back in 1994! Anyhoo, there were lots of cuties like Jovovich-Hawk partner Carmen Hawk, longtime collaborator Chris Brenner, Derek Blasberg, Kate Schelter, Bonnie Morrison, Sarah Cristobal, Jacob Brown and more.

I spent some time riveted by Margherita Missoni who was chatting up Weinstein Company's Harvey Weinstein. Despite going out with the glamorous and lovely Georgina Chapman of Marchesa, Harvey is such a legendary horndog, MM is sure he was thinking about getting into Margherita's gorgeous flame-stitched panties! And Margherita (the other MM!) is studying acting so she might be the new Gwyneth. Mr Mickey just hopes she doesn't have to visit Harvey's casting couch to get her big break!!!!

Here's a photo from Style.com archive of Margherita with Donatella Versace

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As regular readers know, Paper went to Miami for the Basel Art Fair where we teamed up with Jeffrey Deitch on an art store. (You can read about it here and here.) We put together this video so you can get a better idea of what it looked like.

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Move over Tasti D-Lite there's a new dairy queen in town! My co-worker/friend Alexis and I are so hooked on Pinkberry's frozen yogurt because of their new seasonal topping pomegranate!  I'm not much of a sweets person and I have never been to Tasti D-Lite actually. At first I was skeptical but now i'm sold. This is like eating sweet and milky snow covered in jewels. It is soooooo delish!!! No wonder L.A. people call this stuff "Crackberry" and "frozen heroin juice."

This summer when Vanitay Fair ran a blurb about a yet-to-be-opened frozen yogurt parlor in Koreatown it caught my eye but I didn't think anything of it really. And then on my way to work (PAPER had just moved to 32nd St. & Madison) I kept noticing this ultra-modern storefront with all these green plastic stripes and a "coming soon" sign. One day my friend Annabel came up to the office to drop off some photos and she was like, "Omigod, is that dessert place open yet? Something berry..." Anyway, it turns out there's been a die-hard cult following of Pinkberry brewing in L.A. because 1) it's yummy and 2) it's about 20 calories per ounce.

Apparently this Korean woman named Shelly Hwang concocted a frozen yogurt recipe with real milk to save her fledgeling tea business on Santa Monica Blvd. in West Hollywood and her neighbors laughed in her face until the shop became an instant sleeper hit! Check out this quote from an L.A. Times article: "The bottom line is the customers that go to Pinkberry don't mind paying $68 for a tub of yogurt," said Huntley Avenue resident Oliver Wilson, handily adding the price of a parking ticket to the $7.45 cost of a large yogurt. "It's all Escalades and Mercedes and BMWs. You tell them, 'Don't park here,' and they do. They can afford it."

And, of course, the first New York Pinkberry Hwang opened with her partner Young Lee, a kick boxer turned architect is on W. 32nd St. in the heart on K-town. How lucky are we to work just a block away from this highly-sought after gem of frozen tart! We heard that the day it opened West Village girls made a pilgrimage to midtown in the middle of the day to get their fix. Hwang and Lee are gearing up to launch loads more PB's all over the country. Look out for one near you. Until then come to Koreatown!

Pinkberry: 7W 32nd St. (@ 5th Ave.), (212) 695-9631, www.pinkberry.com

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If I were in New York City this weekend I know where I'd be on Sunday night - at Adam Dugas' fifth annual Chaos 'n Candy holiday show! Chaos 'n Candy is "The New New York Non-Traditional Holiday Tradition" but you can bet that there will be nothing traditional about what Adam will be serving up on stage. This year's theme: Cosmic Yule.  Do you need to know more? I don't think so. Adam's new "Rembrandt meets a sexy Muskateer" look (see photo at right)  is enough to convince me that whatever he dreams up next is worth a gander. If you do need more info then check out Adam's website here. Or read below.  And get your tickets here.

For many New Yorkers, CHAOS & CANDY is Christmas in New York. The 25th is all obligation and exhaustion, CHAOS & CANDY is the ecstatic release that the endless jingle of muzak and advertising have promised for months. For most people, retail shopping in crushing crowds is all preparation for a catharsis that never arrives. Let us deliver it unto you.

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Mr Mickey spent a scintillating evening of fashion at the opening of the "Nan Kempner: American Chic" at the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, last night and had a chance to chit chat with film and tv legend Miss Joan Collins who still looks gorgeous!!!! Here's what MM and JC said.

Mr Mickey: You’ve always been such a glamorous, fashionable star. Have you saved your clothes?

Joan Collins: I’ve tried to. Even though I have 16 closets in New York and 10 in London and 11 in the South of France (laughs)…I’m a compulsive buyer.

MM: Do you ever think about your clothes as you're wearing them -- I should be careful ?

JC: No, I just wear them and enjoy and I don’t care if they’re old or not. This dress is three years old. I haven’t worn it for three years and I put it on tonight. I don’t particularly wear only big designers because I think they’re terribly overpriced.

MM: Is there such a thing as a Joan Collins casual Friday look?

JC: Casual Friday look? Yes. Black jeans, black turtleneck, that’s it!

Photograph by Caroline Torem Craig

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Wanna bet? OK, who will be most likely to be arrested or charged with DUI? Britney, Lindsay or Tara. No need to guess. Oddsmakers at wagerweb.com are putting their money where their mouth is and giving 1 to 2 odds that Britney will be the next to go down. They're also willing to take your money on a variety of silly things like celebrity breakups and whether Allen Iverson wil be traded. Tara Reid (right) goes off at 3-1. Here are the numbers.

Britney Spears 1 to 2
Paris Hilton 2 to 1
Tara Reid 3 to 1
Lindsay Lohan 4 to 1
Danny DeVito 5 to 1
Andy Dick 6 to 1
Mel Gibson 8 to 1
Keith Urban 10 to 1
Ashlee Simpson 11 to 1
George Clooney 12 to 1
Mary Kate Olsen 13 to 1
Christian Slater 14 to 1
Lauren "LC" Conrad 15 to 1
Haley Joel Osment 16 to 1
Michelle Rodriguez 17 to 1
Jackie Chan 18 to 1
Wilmer Valderrama 19 to 1
Frankie Muniz 20 to 1
Colin Farrell 20 to 1
Tracy Morgan 20 to 1
Keanu Reeves 22 to 1
Nicole Richie 24 to 1
Pamela Anderson 25 to 1
Whitney Houston 25 to 1

Photo by Caroline Torem Craig
 

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Click here to download a special Christmas song by those crazy Swedes, The Knife.  The song is pretty fucking awesome and reminds me a lot of the Siamese Cat song from that Disney Movie, "Lady and The Tramp."  Happy holidays, everyone!  (Notice how I said "holidays?"  I'm soooooo not a fascist.)

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Roundabout Theatre's production of The Apple Tree, starring Kristin Chenoweth opens tonight at Studio 54.  I saw it last week in previews and gained a whole new respect for the pint-sized Chenoweth.  She looks so tiny on the Broadway stage but as soon as she opens her mouth she fills up the entire space plus some!  Her voice is, of course, amazing but she's hysterically funny in a dry unobnoxious way, unlike her slew of Old Navy commercials which caused me to question the hype surrounding her as well as change the channel.  At the end of the first act (there are three separate inextricably linked stories) I was crying! The next two acts were entertaining as well but the first remained my favorite.  The score by the Fiddler on the Roof musical team Sheldon Harnick and Jerry Bock was endearing and Kristin's co-stars, Broadway vets Brian d'Arcy James and Marc Kudisch, were great accessories to Kristin's star performance.  Strangely enough Marc and Kristin used to be engaged and you would think performing with him in such a close range on stage would be awkward but not so according to this article on Starpulse.com. "It's been full circle with us. We used to be engaged and now we're back together on stage and I'm loving him all over again."Ironically enough he plays the Snake to her Eve in the first act, which is based on The Diary of Adam and Eve by Mark Twain.  Watch out Kristin don't give in if he's bad for you! (But if he's only a little bad by all means girl go for round two!  There arent' that many handsome straights on Broadway!)

Here is a pic of The Apple Tree stars, Kristin, Brian d'Arcy James, Marc Kudisch, with director Gary Griffin. 

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Inspired by SocialiteRank.com MM has decided to present the socialites up for SocialiteRank.com's Silver Spoon Socialite of the Year award. We started with Fabiola Beracasa and now we're moving on to the lovely and delightfu