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 delightful Lydia Hearst. Now Lydia has a very special place in the hearts of all Paper people since her mother, Patricia, is a past Paper cover girl and general sweetie.

Strangely, Mr Mickey doesn't really consider Lydia a socialite but really a model who happens to be social. MM guesses that we all have different definitions of socialites but there ya go.

Anyhoo, Lydia is looking amazing with her new red hair and she's really seemed to grow up from a cute looking girlie girl into a glamorous and sophisticated lady and she's proved that her early modeling success was no fluke. This girl is in major campaigns!!!

Photo by Caroline Torem Craig

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Hey, we know Michel Gondry is a cool guy and a visionary director, but did you know that he can solve a Rubik's Cube in under 2 minutes -- with his feet! Well, here's the proof.

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I've only just been made aware of San Francisco based and current Federal Prison resident, Josh Wolf.  The 24 year old journalist is about to hold the title of "longest-jailed jounalist in US history," for a crime that he has yet to be charged with.  From his website:

Josh Wolf, freelance journalist and independent videographer, is currently in 'coercive custody' at the Federal Detention Facility in Dublin, California...  Wolf was incarcerated for contempt earlier this year after refusing to provide a Federal Grand jury with unedited video of a 2005 G-8 protest in San Francisco.  His incarceration is virtually unprecedented for a journalist refusing to give information to a Grand Jury...

Having covered protests for several years as part of the San Francisco press corps, Wolf has gained unprecedented access to much of the Bay Area’s activist community.  Access denied to other journalists.  Attorneys have raised concerns that demand for the tape is part of a fishing expedition by police seeking to identify political dissidents and protesters...

Wolf has repeatedly stated and signed a declaration under oath that there is nothing in his footage which relates to the police investigation.  Experts fear that Wolf is likely to become the longest-jailed journalist in U.S. history.  Having exhausted almost all his legal options, his case may end up before the Supreme Court.

I am completely disgusted and horrified with this country's complete lack of integrity and their refusal to abide by the law with regards to anything, particular one of it's own citizens.  To learn how you can do more (which I will be doing immediately) go to Free Journalist Josh Wolf and then read his blog:

"Does a democracy allow me to be a journalist? Or is it my inalienable right to capture and describe the world I see around me?

By engaging in such pursuits should I become indebted to the government and forced to act as a de facto agent for the FBI? Is this the cost of committing journalism in a democratic country? I certainly hope not.

And yet I continue to sit in a Federal prison for refusing to engage in such an exchange. I’ve lost my appeals. My legal fight has come to a close and it is now up to each of you who value a free and independant press to step up and demand it.

The time has come to free the media. We need an inclusive federal shield law and we need it now. So call your friends, write letters to your congress people, and exercise your right to assemble. It’s not too late to turn the tide."

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  DoCopenhagen keeps track of the video scene. Somebody's gotta do it and I don't know anyone who does a better job of it. Each year around this time they come out with their Top 50 Videos of the Year. Paper favorites OK Go's "Here It Goes Again" comes in at number 1. But one of my favorites comes in at 48. Check out Naked Ape's "Fashion Freak."

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Mr Mickey's fellow Papermag Blogger, LA Woman Ann Magnuson is from West Virginia, home of today's hunky Random Cute Boy. Ann has been holding out on us kids. Who knew there was such gold in them there hills? So far Mr Mickey has gotten the best response over Mr Tennessee. Mr WV here is a bit more on the rough trade tip which is also a nice treat. Let MM know if you go for the hot boy next door look or prefer the rough and ready hustler look!

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A while ago I tried to get an interview with the oh-so wonderful Clap Your Hands Say Yeah boys, but alas they were recording their new album (due out 1/30/07) and unavailable.   Despite my disappointment about the interview, I am very excited for the new album, Some Loud Thunder.  From what I've heard so far the album is a complete side-step from their patented sound off their self-titled debut.  The songs are slowed down and more melodic with some carnevalesque influences.  I'm reminded a bit of Man Man and Destroyer (mentioned in my previous blog).  Here are two mp3s, enjoy!

CYHSY - Underwater (You and Me), and Love Song No. 7

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The Barack Obama watch has moved into a new phase with the conservative wing of the Republican party starting to take the populist candidate seriously. How do I know? Well, they're beginning to take swipes at him. First there's his middle name, "Hussein," which will certainly be used against him. Just take a look at the opening sentence of today's story in the New York Post. They're using the "L" word (as in liberal) against him and doing their best to dig up dirt but it won't work -- or matter. His lack of experience and record is his greatest asset. The country is sick of partisan, ideologue politicians. The trend is toward populists, people who capture the public imagination because they've got it. What is it? Lets start with a sense of humor. Obama's declaration on Monday Night Football is a good example.

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We went to Beatrice Inn, Paul Sevigny's new bar/club last week for Myself designer
Kai Kuhne's (formerly of AsFour) holiday party. Tucked away on West 12th St. in an old Italian joint, this place feels like an illegal speakeasy and it's actually quite cute and cozy. Although Beatrice has been open for barely a week, this is where all the cool kids are booking their parties this holiday season.

It's not surprising considering that Paul's sister is Chloë, he's a member of A.R.E. Weapons and a pioneer celebrity DJ since the late 90s. The ceilings are crazy low, so you feel like you swallowed a magic mushroom and everything is shrinking. When we rolled up Kai was smoking a cigarette outside wearing horn-rimmed glasses and looking very business-festive.

Beatrice Inn: 285 W. 12th St (at 8th Ave.), (212) 929-6165

Here are some pictures courtesy of Caroline Torem Craig. 

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Kelis's McFlurry brings all the boys to the yard.

This morning, I ba-da-ba-ba-ba-I’m-loving-it-ed to the Puck Building. The point of my outing was to see Kelis show off her McDonalds-gift-card-covered dress, designed by Jay McCarroll, the rude and fabulous winner of Project Runway’s first season. Starting December 18th, the dress will be auctioned off on eBay and all proceeds will benefit Ronald McDonald House Charities.

Leading up to Kelis’s unveiling, Vanessa Simmons, Run-DMC’s oldest daughter, along with some other models, showed off some cute outfits paired with cheeseburger-adorned T-shirts. That was fun. Then Kelis sauntered down the runway. She looked gorgeous, if a little uncomfy, as she posed for the cameras, swaddled in 50-plus plastic gift-cards. "I feel like Judy Jetson,” she told the crowd.

After the presentation, we chatted with Jay McCarroll...

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Is there a more glamorous mother/daughter combo on the international scene than these two godesses? Caroline of Hanover and her outrageously stunning daughter Charlotte Casiraghi decked themselves out in their favorite line, Chanel to attend the label's recent show in Monte Carlo. Caroline is a Chanel girl from waaaaaay back and except for the fur carcass, Mr Mickey thinks Mommy looks pretty gorgeous for a lady who turns 50 next year.

This photo was snatched from Style.com

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I know that top ten favorite lists are arbitrary for December so I thought I'd just get mine out of the way as soon as possible.  I still like to keep you all in suspense though, so today I'll just be doing 6-10.  Please bear in mind that this list is determined based on my own personal tastes and not on the greater music community's opinion.  I'll also probably forget a lot of great gems due to my somewhat subjective memory.   But what can I say?  I likes what I likes, as you're about to see...

10.  Built To Spill - You In Reverse
Built To Spill's 2006 release wasn't my favorite of theirs, but it's definitely a gem.  Plus it took them 5 years to write and record it so you know there's no filler tracks in here - each one was meant to be on the album.  The songs are slower-paced and much more relaxed then anything else they've written and each one is incredibly touching.   The 9-minute long opening track, "Goin Against Your Mind," is an amazing song and alone is worth the spot on my top 10.

9. Chad Vangaalen - Skelliconnection
I've written about and interviewed Chad Vangaalen so many times that it must be no surprise to anyone that reads my blog why he's earned this spot.  I would've put this Calgary-born signer/songwriter's wonderful indie-pop album higher on the list but, well, there's just too many other albums to consider.  However when all is said and done I listen to this album at least once a week since I uploaded it onto my iPod. 

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Mr Mickey could lie and say he hates to toot his own horn but we cherish honestly here at MMBlog!!! So please indulge MM in some self-promotion. Style.com, which MM j'adores and j'aimes beaucoup, has just put up a cover story on society then and now, inspired by the Nan Kempner show which opens tomorrow at the Met. For example. the It Girl then was Nan, the It Girl now is Tinsley Mortimer. The Downtown Scribe then is Bob Colacello and the Downtown scribe now is, that's right, Mr Mickey! Oh it's a proud day here at Paper Publishing Inc! MM is honestly thrilled to be included in such an illustrious list (both then and now). MM is so excited he's commited to going back to the trainer and buying some new outfits so he's not always wearing the same Dries Van Noten cardigans in every party photo!!!!

Thanks Style.com for loving MM!!!

This is the photo they ran featuring MM with Baby Lynnie Yaeger. MM thinks it was at the Met for that show Wild! which was sponsored by Roberto Cavalli. MM gave away his gorgeous leopard print Cavalli giftbag because it was leather but it was very very cute!!!

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Mr Mickey can't deny that he is a Passions pansy. Yes, the NBC sudser is permanently stuck at the bottom of the daytime drama ratings but it has the most cute boys who love taking off their blouses not to mention witches, mermaids and tsunamis! Mr Mickey was thrilled to read on that marvelous gay website Towleroad.com that the Scissor Sisters had taped an appearance on Passions. So thrilled that MM had to contact lead singer Jake Shears to get a report!

Here's what Jake says:

"I felt like Kathy Lee Gifford on a Carnival Cruise, singing "Don't Feel
Dancin'" to the Passions extras, who were all vigorously fake dancing in a
"Bluenote"-esque nightclub setting. Dreams do come true!"

So tune into Passions cuties and enjoy Luis and Fancy hooking up! Also, Mr Mickey swears that Chad is a Down Low gay cheating on his girlfriend (who he thought was his sister) Whitney. They've been draggggggging out the reveal of that story but MM has a sense that there is hot gay action going down!!!

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You've undoubtedly heard about The Paper Magazine Nightlife Awards where Fergie brought the well-lubricated house down. Needless to say, it was a blast! Great people, great booze (thank you Grey Goose), oh, what fun! If you missed it, you're forgiven. Read about it here. In any case enjoy the video.

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HERE ARE SOME PHOTOS SO YOU CAN SEE WHAT OUR INSANE 99C ART STORE LOOKED LIKE!

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It's no secret that Mr Mickey is a giant (literally and figuratively) fan of the Scissor Sisters and while MM's affection for Jake Shears and Ana Matronic knows no bounds, MM has a special erection.... um, that is affection for Babydaddy!!! He's so manly! When Mr Mickey went to see the kids perform at Hammerstein Ballroom, it was amazing to see a large group of stocky, hairy gays rocking out. Obviously Babydaddy has a throng of sexy and devoted Bear fans. Consquently, MM felt the need to chat with BD about his status of World's Most High-Profile and Sexy Bear. MM was a little suprised at what he learned.

Mr Mickey: Did you set out to be the poster child for bears?

Babydaddy: Techincally, I'm not a bear, I'm a Babydaddy. If anything, I wanted to show that a little hair and a couple burgers a day can go a long way.

MM: Do the other kids get jealous that you have a visible contingent in
the audience?

BD: Well, Ana eats it up (she loves a big boy) but Jake, in his extreme jealousy, has gone so far as to start his own rival gang called the Snakes. All they do is hiss and complain instead of buffeting.

MM: Are there any classic bear icons who inspire you?

BD: As I said before, I’m more of a Babydaddy than a fully developed bear, but at the end of the day we'd all like to end up like Al from Home Improvement, wouldn't we?

MM: If you could guarantee selling 10 million records and winning 5 grammys but you had to wax off all your body hair and shave your facial hair, would you do it?

BD: Throw in a couple oxycontin and I'm in.

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SORRY I haven't posted in a week but I have been in outer space due to the insanity of the Basel Art Fair where we opened our $.99-$9,999,999 ART STORE with Deitch Projects. (Check out this amaaazing sign outside our shop that my favorite artist TAUBA AUERBACH made for us!!!!)  I thought that I would be opening the store and then would have time to view the various other fairs, exhibitions etc. YEAH, RIGHT. The moment I arrived on site I realized that was a fantasy.  I was chained there, working till the moment I left. It was true insanity. Hours before we were even ready to open there were people lining up to get in. Up to the moment we finally opened our doors on Thursday night, we were learning how to use the cash register, displaying and pricing the merchandise made by artists from hash pipe screens by Tim E. Dubitsky to paper skeleton mobiles by Kaws to skateboards by Ed Templeton and Neckface to rag dolls by Kiki Smith to t-shirts by Barry McGee, for a total of over 1600 products in all.
Hey and how about these amazing bottles that one of my favorite artists KR painted  to sell in our store (They're Perrier bottles! Arent they the coolest?)
In all my life I have never seen such aggressive SHOPPING. There were fights. There was pushing and shoving. People everywhere were shoving black American Express cards in my face. It was truly ill. But truly fabulous also. HERES A RECAP:

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There are several adorable cartoon music videos that came out this year but Montreal native's, Malajube, definitely won me over with their video for "Montreal -40° C."  Not only is it part animation, part real life, but it's also sung in French, thus trumping every other animated video no matter how cute!  I also felt this would appropriate to put up now considering the frigid weather we're experiencing in NYC.  Enjoy!

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Oh boy, oh boy!  It's finally time to fall back in love with Bloc Party again (which just might be my personal moto of 2007).  I couldn't find it on youtube yet (boooo!), but BBC.com had the exclusive video for the bands first single, "The Prayer," on their upcoming album A Weekend In The City.  Click HERE to see it!

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The Grammy nominees were announced yesterday (full list here). Not that I care so much for the Grammies or anything but as a passing interest I scanned the list and as I was doing it I became perplexed as to why Bob Dylan's "Modern Times" didn't get more meatier nominations. I'm a total Bob Dylan nut job so I cared, so sue me. On second thought, I guess since he has become so establishment-friendly lately -- doing commercials for none other than Victoria's Secret and Apple for iPod -- maybe it is a good thing that he was shunned by the institution in favor of Mary J. Blige, Dixie Chicks, James Blunt, Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Gnarls Barkley. Nevertheless he snatched two nominations in the Best Rock Song category and Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance category along with his old buddies Neil Young and Tom Petty and the new Dylans Beck and John Mayer. The only new band I like The Raconteurs got a vote for "Steady, As She Goes" in the Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal categories -- Gee, who comes up with these labels! I was happy that Mary J. got the most recognition (8 altogether) for "The Breakthrough" but I couldn't believe that Cat Power's "The Greatest" didn't get any -- not even in the "alternative" field. That's a lot of bullshit because it is by far one of the best albums and that just goes to show you that the Grammy people are a bunch of old grannies. But a song called "Crazy Bitch" by Buckcherry got a nod in the Best Hard Rock Performance category and I wondered how that got snuck in there. Haha.

More to the point, I found the weirdest Bob Dylan clip on YouTube.  It's from September 24, 1989, a Chabad Telethon in Los Angeles. I guess he's been doing this since the late 80s after his born-again phase or whatever and into the early 90s. There's a bunch of Dylan Chabad footage but what makes this one a standout is that there is Repo Man a.k.a. Daddy Big Love Harry Dean Stanton playing the harmonica along side Dylan who is playing a flute and recorder next to his son-in-law Peter Himmelman singing an old Yiddish song called "Einsleipt Mein Kind Dein Eigalach." The trio called themselves Chopped Liver. Hallelujah for YouTube!

p.s. My Jewish friend Jon Durbin told me that Chabad (short for Chabad Lubavitch) is a study group of Hasidism.

Here's the video:

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Hey, you know, I would like to put up a decent blog about how great the Deitch/Paper Art Store opening was last night but that will have to wait because, you know, I really can't right now because I'm busy...blogging.

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We opened the Deitch/Paper Art Store as part of Art Basel Miami in the Design District  last night and man was it a huge success. Lines began forming outside the space half an hour before opening and lasted till closing time at midnight, a solid 4 hours of uninterrupted shopping. Predictably, the first items to go were the Jeff Koons skateboards, but not without the first fight of the evening as a couple of hotheaded art victims squared off over who would get the orange one. Peace was restored as the the big ticket items like Lisa Yuskavage's shower curtain ($1499) was sold along with the Jean-Michel Basquiat purse by Valentino ($1299). Retail queens Barbara Hulanicki (Biba) and Laura Wills (Screaming Mimis) stepped in with last minute price-tagging assistance as Jim Drane (Forcefield) finished painting the space in an inspired psychedelic 99 cent store motif. Celebrity shoppers included Kehinde Wiley, Swoon, Cynthia Rowley and hubby Bill Powers, Lee Quinones, Joe Coleman and others too numerous to mention. So the store is done, the doors are open and the sale continues. There's lot more stuff so come on down if you're at the fair.

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As the year draws to a close I thought I'd take some time to reflect on my music favorites of 2006.  First up - karaoke song!  Winning by a landslide is the 1970's UK art rock band, Roxy Music.  Their song, "Love Is The Drug," added new meaning to my karaoke experiences.  Ok ok, so it's not a song released in 2006, but it was still my favorite to sing at karaoke this year (and believe me, I sing a lot of karaoke).  I don't know what it is about that song.  Perhaps it was British heart throb and lead singer Brian Ferry's sexy and refined voice.  Or perhaps it was the amazing chorus.  In any event I was hooked in 2006!  Here's the video, for those of you that can't recall the amazingness that I speak of.

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One of my favorite Broadway cuties Matthew Morrison performed Monday night at the Tisch School of the Arts' 2006 Gala Benefit fresh from a stint on the CBS soap "As The World Turns." His date for the night was a fellow soap star from "All My Children" Chrishell Stause and it turns out they've been dating for a year and a half! He's adorable and they looked very sweet together.  I love seeing a young acting couple making it work despite all the temptations.  I think Matt is really going places too. He is currently filming a movie starring Steve Carell called Dan in Real Life and he'll also make an appearance in Music and Lyrics, starring Drew Barrymore and Hugh Grant.  Matt, who became well known for his roles in the Broadway musicals, Hairspray and The Light in the Piazza, told me at the event that he also he had a few more theatre projects up his sleeve for next year and 2008.  He's a busy boy, but so is Chrishell.  Matt said during his stint on ATWT he gained a new respect for soap stars saying he had to memorize forty pages a night! Here's a cute older photo of them.  He has since shaved his head, and I must say I like him with the curls.  I wonder what Chrishell thinks?

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At this point we all know about Sufjan Stevens' 5 disc Christmas album extravaganza entitled, Songs For Christmas.  I was curious to hear what he had come up with until I saw the video below.  It's just like all of his other music except with holiday-related lyrics.  Boring!  I was expecting something more, oh I don't know, "Christmasy" I guess.  One would have hoped that a person devoting his music to one holiday would put a special spin on it, but oh well...

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Say hi to Mr New Jersey MMBloggers! Oh aren't we having fun working our way through the fifty states?! We'll have to also find cuties from Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands and American Samoa!!!! We don't want any sexy studs left out of the contest. Personally Mr Mickey is having trouble remembering any guys from New Jersey that he's had sex with but then again, during the dark drug years, it was all a blur!!!!

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Although I do not share Liza Minelli's taste in men (but really who does)  it seems we do have similar taste when it comes to musicals!  The Post's Page Six reported that Liza loved the new Broadway show, Spring Awakening, a musical about teens discovering sex so much that she went backstage after the show to congratulate the cast.  I also love Spring Awakening. I think the musical composed by Duncan Sheik, and starring kids in their teens and twenties will add a much needed edge to the Broadway season.  For the Dec./Jan. issue of Paper I interviewed the lead actors Lea Michele and Jonathan Groff and fell in love with them over Korean BBQ. They were both so warm and funny and of course amazingly talented. I'm sure when Liza met them she felt the same way and I hope she continues to spread the word about their show.

Here they are as young lovers in a scene from Spring Awakening.

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After recently reading the rather inane article in Sunday Styles about email sign-offs (Best? Sincerely? XOXO? Who cares?), we thought we’d put on our Letitia Baldridge hat and out-do them in the inanity department. The question we will look into today is “when do you start saying ‘Happy Holidays’ in emails?"This is a question that was actually raised in the office today. Some people start Happy Holiday-ing in the days leading up to Thanksgiving and don’t stop till after New Year’s. That’s just crazy talk. We would recommend that you say “Happy Holidays” right before Thanksgiving and then stop for a few weeks till about Dec. 15th, at which point you can start again. And then stop after Jan. 1st.

Happy Holidays!

... Not!

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I never was a persimmon fan until this year when my persimmon tree in the back yard yielded a crop of the most deliciously sweet fruit I've ever tasted! Before I always thought they were kinda...well, slimey. For years I've just let my persimmon lovin' pal Kenny Scharf come over and pick the tree clean. What he didn't get the birds and squirrels feasted on. The birds and squirrels did a lot of feasting this year but so did I. And my friends. And anyone who happend to drop by the house and wanted to pick a bag for themselves. And there were plenty. All told me these were the sweetest,  yummiest, most persimmony persimmons they'd ever had!

    Must've been something in the smog this year.  Don't get me wrong. I've always appreciated the persismmons in my own back yard. Not as fruit but, rather, as object d'art.

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 The Basel Art Fair Miami has gotten off to a rollicking start as thousands of vips, socialites, gallerists, artists and -- oh, yes -- collectors packed the aisles of the convention center, spending millions of dollars as the opening bell sounded for the five-day shopping spree. But not without some grousing about price gouging, especially at the hotels, where room rates have hit the roof, even for the smaller, no-frills establishments of South Beach. Prices are expected to go up as demand increases, but it has escalated at such a pitch that a special meeting was held between Basel and officials from the Miami tourist industry. Miami was principally selected as the home base of the prestigious festival because of affordable room rates and, of course, the weather (its been beautiful and breezy!). Basel visitors spend more per capita than any other group coming to Miami (take that, Superbowl fans!)  so they can afford it. Even so, it's a bit ridiculous.

This via Miami Herald:

While sales were strong and Miami Beach Mayor David Dermer declared Art Basel a ''permanent show'' for South Florida, fair officials, including Host Committee Chairman Norman Braman warned that escalating hotel prices could doom the fair's future.

''If something isn't done, it jeopardizes the future of this fair,'' Braman said.

Art Basel has reserved show dates at the Miami Beach Convention Center for the next 10 years but operates on a year-to-year contract.

''We will stay as long as the fair is successful . . . and in Basel [Switzerland], that has been 37 years,'' affirmed Peter Vetsch, Art Basel's marketing and communications manager.

Alan Lieberman, owner of seven South Beach boutique hotels, said the rates mostly reflect the growing popularity and upscale status of the lodging market. "Prices are up. But prices are up everywhere.''

photo courtesy mch swiss exhibition

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The art newspaper, the prestigious London publication, is producing a daily at the Basel Art Fair. They wrote a nice piece on the Deitch/Paper Art Store. Click on page 8 for the pdf.

The New York Times also wrote it up. Click on Currents

shower curtain by Lisa Yuskavage

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Mr Mickey is sure that all you MMBloggers are addicted to one of MM's favorite sites, SocialiteRank.com. Oh it's a marvelous site that tracks all the high-end cuties and ranks them based on social cache. MM just loves it and is so obsessed that he invited the kids behind Socialite Rank to be in Paper's next Beautiful People issue. Sadly they declined, seeking to maintain their anonymity. Too bad. Perez Hilton was in last year's BP issue and look what happened to him!!!!

Anyhoo, inspired by Socialite Rank, MM is going to profile some of our favorite Socialites in case any of you could possible not know (and love) Tinsley Mortimer et al. This shot (snatched from Style.com, such a gorgeous source for party photos!) is of Tinsley (in black) and perhaps her greatest rival for socialite supremacy, Fabiola Beracasa.

Fabiola is the daughter of Veronica Hearst and is super sexy. MM sat next to her at a dinner for Zac Posen and she was charming, if a bit tipsy. Sadly, Fabiola had Brandon Davis on the other side (and Camilla Al-Fayed next to him) and Fabiola seemed intent on keeping Brandon's attention. MM knows Brandon has since had a fall from grace but MM can't help thinking Brandon is hot, hot, hot!!!!  Please don't send e-mails to Mr Mickey to tell me he's a gelatinous Elvis lookalike, that kid is sexy!

Anyhoo, Fabiola is a cutie and MM is making plans for something special in Paper for Fabiola to be featured in. So let us know what you think of her and stay tuned for more Socialite profiles on MMBlog!

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Tis the season for sample sales, for real! As such, we thought we'd make your lives a little easier by rounding up the best of the best. Shop wisely, young shopaholics, and do us proud.

Barking Irons Sample Sale
161 Bowery
December 7th-9th, 11 a.m.-7 p.m.

Mary Ping & Slow and Steady Wins the Race Sample Sale
331 E. 65th St., 4th Fl.
December 8th, 11 a.m.- 6 p.m.; December 9th, 11 a.m.- 6 p.m.; December 10th, 12 p.m.-6 p.m.

Blue Concept and Blue Holdings Sample Sale featuring Taverniti, Antik, Yanuk, Imitation, NEO LA and Duarte
239 W. 39th St., Suite 1111
December 7th, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; December 8th, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Paper Denim and Cloth
72 Greene St., Ground Fl.
December 8th, 8 a.m.-9 p.m.; December 9th, 10 a.m.-9 p.m.; December 10th, 12 p.m.-8 p.m.

Threeasfour Sample Sale
86 Forsyth St., 4th Fl.
December 9th-10th, 12-8 p.m.

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We at Paper were very sad to hear about the death of one of our favorite creative visionaries Van Smith. Smith worked with filmmaker John Waters, creating the costumes for a cavalcade of sick celluloid legends. Smith is also credited with creating Divine's outrageous look. The magic of Van was although he was a nut, he also took his subjects very seriously and treated them with dignity. Divine's look may have been part Clarabelle the Clown but it was also part Elizabeth Taylor and Van said he did the exaggerated eyebrows to give more room to paint on eyemakeup. Technicians who are out there enough to create madness like Van did and yet technically proficient enough to do it beautifully are a real rarity and Van will be missed. Luckily his visually-rich legacy will live on in film and hopefully inspire mad geniuses in the making for generations to come.

Here's a photo of Divine rocking a classic Van Smith look in Pink Flamingos.

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    It may be December and bitter cold in some parts of the country but we have been having the most glorious Indian summer here in Los Angeles!

    People may complain we don't have 'seasons' here but that's not true.

    Every year I am reminded that autumn has arrived when the persimmon tree in my back yard begins to shed it's leaves.

    It is quite a glorious site and one I'd like to share with ya'll.

    As the sun sets and the leaves fall ever so languidly upon the grass I thank the Goddess above that I live in this neck of the woods.

    I also give thanks for having a back yard I can collapse in - especially needed after two back to back shows at REDCAT this Saturday. For the record: We Rocked.

    All went well,  people seemed to like it  and  Lily Tomlin was there!!!

    So life is good here in L.A.  Especially during autumn!
   

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Photographer and proprietor of  Phoenicia, N.Y.'s best (and only) vintage shop, The Mystery Spot, Laura Levine is opening her vaults. She writes: "I'm dipping into my music portrait archives, 1980 - 1995, and making some beautiful prints. Bjork -- The Clash -- Madonna -- Lou Reed & John Cale -- James Brown -- R.E.M. - - Iggy Pop & Chrissie Hynde -- Joan Jett -- Capt. Beefheart -- Violent Femmes -- Richard & Linda Thompson -- Misfits -- Replacements -- Tina Weymouth & Grandmaster Flash -- Joey Ramone -- Beastie Boys & many more."

The archival silver gelatin gallery prints, signed and numbered (most editions limited to no more than 50) go for  $950 (11 x 14 inches ) and $1200 (16 x 20 inches). From now through Valentine's Day buy one print, and any additional prints are 25% off + Free FedEx shipping on all orders

See a sampling of images  here and a list of subjects here: 

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By Snowbird

Since we will be too busy partying to write anything coherent during the next few days, the Snowbird wants to direct you to the best source for what's happening during Art Basel: criticalmiami.com.  This site has been around for awhile and they cover everything from local politics to nightlife and feature great photos (they just bought a new high-end camera).   Two of the blogs that were here last year have disappeared.  One called miamist.com was a part of the Gothamist chain and their site now says "on hiatus" and the other, miamity.com, was run by a student (who might have graduated?) whose site went viral when he mentioned a rap song by a group of local college football  players with lyrics that some people found offensive.  There is also a snarky site called thedirtmiami.com that posts periodically about local celebs and their hijinks - but probably wouldn't mean much unless you live here. We like ignore.miami, but they don't always post regularly.  They do some great features and Q & A's and have a good (and funny) guide to local nightlife, restaurants, etc.

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Monday night Billy Crystal was back on Broadway hosting the Tisch School of the Arts' 2006 Gala Benefit. Tisch alumni such as Alec Baldwin, Jesse L. Martin, Billy Crudup and Marcia Gay Harden presented other successful Tisch alums Felicity Huffman, Tony Kushner, George C. Wolfe,  Gerald Schoenfeld and Floria Lasky with honors and awards. Crystal, who also went to Tisch, opened the show with a cheeky song written by -- you guessed it -- another Tisch alum Marc Shaiman. He then went on to tell a few jokes – my favorite being that Michael Richards's prefers to call Broadway "The Great White Way."  On a more serious note, he talked about growing up in the Second Avenue Tisch building where his father would hold weekly jazz concerts and then attending school there where Martin Scorsese was his film professor and Oliver Stone was in his class! 

William H. Macy presented his wife Felicity Huffman, who was looking stunning in a form fitting black cocktail dress, with her award. He told the audience that they met when he was her teacher at Tisch, but insisted he never violated the teacher student relationship -- but he knew exactly what she was wearing the first time he laid eyes on her.  How cute! 

I got a chance to talk with Felicity before the show and I asked her how she was planning to top her role as a male-to-female transexual in Transamerica and she joked, "I think I'm going to play Eva Longoria next which is tough -- a tiny Hispanic supermodel." She said a role on Bway anytime soon was out of the question, "I have two small kids, so the idea of moving to New York makes me want to have a root canal. I mean I love New York and when I'm here by myself it's fantastic and I know people do it and I admire them for it, but I am now spoiled by being in L.A."   She also had nothing but nice things to say about her Georgia Rule co-star Lindsay Lohan. "That girl doesn't need any acting tips from me. She's a great actress," the Desperate Housewife said. The benefit raised $1.4 mill for a new Tisch performance space, which Billy joked looked like a  Crate and Barrel (I agreed!). Either way it was a great night to go to Tisch and made me realize how many hopefuls they've turned into stars!

Here's a pic of Felicity Huffman, who graduated with a 4.0 from Tisch!

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From Gothamist (you know you love them):

"The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has unanimously approved banning the use of trans fats. From Crain's:

Restaurants will have until July 1, 2007, to find substitutes for oils and other trans fats used in frying and spreads. But eateries will get until July 1, 2008, to find substitutes for oils and shortenings used for deep frying baked goods.

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Sorry kiddies, but I just couldn't resist putting this up, being the giant Harry Potter nerd that I am.  The teaser trailer for the 5th movie, "Harry Potter and The Order of The Phoenix" is finally out and boy does it look amazing!  I don't know what's going on with Daniel Radcliffe's hair (Hello?  It's SHAVED!), but he still plays one mean Potter. 

OoTP is by far the darkest book in the whole series and the trailer shows it.  I mean, Voldemort's back, his buddies are all released from Azkaban (including a terrifying Bellatrix Lestrange played by Helena Bonham Carter) and there's a psycho new teacher at Hogwart's, Dolores Umbridge.  It's all just so exciting!

For more videos and behind the scenes goodness check out the reaaaally nerdy Harry Potter site, The Leaky Cauldron.

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Congratulations Laura! The red-headed tigress of Project Runway has given birth to her SIXTH child! It’s a baby boy and his name is Finn. How does she remain so svelte? We just don’t know.

In honor of the momentous occasion, we present to you a funny little video montage of her Olympus Fashion Week collection. We loved, loved Laura's Upper-East-Side-friendly collection, but understood why Jeffrey ultimately won. 

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We all love Missouri because it's the Blow Me State..... uh make that the Show Me State, and here's a cutie that MM would love to play Show Me with! This shot is a little more tasteful than the usual shots MM snatches from the internet but MM knows you MMBloggers can use your imagination and see the hotness beneath the hoodie!

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According to Variety, legendary Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodovar plans to re-re-re-team up with recent PAPER cover girl Penelope Cruz for a fourth time for El Piel Que Habito (The Skin I Live In)  . Almodovar apparently spoke excitedly about this project at the European Film Awards held last Saturday in Warsaw where, incidentally, Penelope took home the award for Best Actress for her role in Almodovar’s Volver. Piel, an adaptation of Theirry Jonquet’s 1995 novel Mygale, is the pleasant tale of a plastic surgeon who takes revenge (in a very gruesome way) on the men who have raped his daughter. What creepy and exciting news!

Read PAPER's Penelope cover story here.

Photo of Almodovar, Cruz, Julie Atlas Muz and Dirty Martini by Caroline Torem-Craig

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I interviewed the lovely ladies of Au Revoir Simone a while ago, but this past Friday at the Bowery Ballroom I had the chance to finally catch them live.  The Brooklyn band had just returned home from a European tour and seemed ecstatic to be back stateside where, as one Simone put it, "the audience can actually understand what I'm saying." 

I went to the show just to see them, despite the fact that they were opening up for The Stills (who I must admit I'm really not a fan of).  The audience was comprised of mostly yuppies and college students who no doubt were there solely to see the main band and knew nothing about Au Revoir Simone.  In fact, while the ladies were setting up, I overheard a boy remark behind me, "What is this, a lesbian band?"  I was miffed but in the end didn't mind because the lack of interest on the part of the audience allowed me to stand up at the front and get my adoring-fan on.

They opened with my favorite of all favorites, "Stay Golden" and then continued to play a slew of old gems and many off of their most recent album, Verses of Comfort, Assurance and Salvation.  They even played a brand new song which I loved.  But then again, how difficult is it to love 3 girls playing keyboards? 

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Last Friday I told you all to go see Butch & Bellie, the gay rap duo, perform on Saturday night at the Lower East Side's Sin-e.  For those of you that heeded my advice - hoorah!  It was a spectacularly stunning performance.  Butch wore a pink velour jump suit with Timbalands and an animal stole.  Bellie wore a white running suit and a crazy 80s base ball cap paired with some Nikes.  It was my first time seeing them and I'll admit I was impressed.  Their ironic rap is a breath of fresh air compared to all of the "serious" bands out there (ie bands that take themselves too seriously).  And seeing gay men rap is, well, pretty awesome!  They have a song called "Technology" in which they make the audience chant out "i-Pod" and "Black-berry" over and over.  Another song of theirs has a chorus that goes:

"Send your wife home
I wanna bone
You's a fag
And I wanna t-bag"

Another good one is a personal heart-breaking love story about a boy named Carlos (all tongue-in-cheek, of course).  In other words, this band is a must-see.  Their next show is December 16th at Piano's.  GO SEE THEM!

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Our good friend and co-worker Carol Lee stumbled upon some good news today on the ol' imdb:

Untitled Harold and Kumar Sequel (2008)

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There was a little negative poo-bliss-ee-tay in the Daily News for Heatherette honey Richie Rich and gay fiance Joe Korniewicz (pictured right)  saying some not so nice things about both. MM won't even link to it!! Well MM has to say that he thinks both boys are sweeties. As for the anonymous quote that Richie is happy with any romantic attention, MM has known Richie for decades and before Joe, Richie was constantly making out with cute boys!
Anyhoo, MM just wants to defend the kids! It's a full time job defending the cuties lately!!!!

Photo by Caroline Torem-Craig

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By Alex Zafiris

Years ago, I saw David Lynch on TV in a somber French interview in which he said something akin to: “We all have the potential for insanity. Madness is just an exaggeration of one of the many personality traits everyone has.” Then he stared unblinkingly into the camera for a long time. I turned the TV off, ran upstairs and hid under my comforter.

In those days, I was a Twin Peaks freak. I’d wept over The Elephant Man, spent hours interpreting Eraserhead every which way, lost my mind over Blue Velvet, Wild At Heart and, as they were released, Lost Highway and The Straight Story. I was too young for all of it and was duly traumatized in that singular Lynch way (for which, of course, I am eternally grateful). Inland Empire, his latest, is not necessarily his scariest in terms of content: it's fucking terrifying because of the way it was made. It is profoundly, profoundly Lynchian -- bleak rooms that seem to float in space, thick silences, incomprehensible storylines that somehow click and make sense in the recesses of your mind -- but more so because he shot the whole thing on consumer DV cameras (PD-150). We’ve all made excuses for low-budget, “indie” films looking like crap and feeling like staged home movies. No more. Critics can no longer blast Lynch for employing high level production values to create his vibe. Inland Empire proves he could do it with a camera-phone and a flashlight.




 

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By Snowbird

With Art Basel only days away, the "Season" in Miami has officially started and yours truly, the Snowbird, is back for the duration.  We started the party on Friday with cocktails provided by Men's Vogue/Valentino, a great meal at O in the old Rumi space on Lincoln Road, a chat with NYC/Miami promoter Bill Spector at the Shore Club, a brief stop at new lounge/club Mokai on 23rd Street and breakfast at Dave's Cafe.  While wandering the streets on the way home we noticed the lights were on in the new Regent Hotel on 14th and Ocean.  "So what?" you might ask.  Well FYI, despite what you might have heard, the Regent is probably the only new hotel opening in South Beach this year.  That's right, you can forget about staying at the Nicky, the W, the Gansevoort, the SOHO House, the Ritz Plaza, the Fairfax etc. It ain't happening.  Even the Regent isn't 100% ready but they are going to give it a go and honor the 45 reservations that some lucky Basel attendees made months ago and then they will close again until December 22.  The hotel has 80 gigantic rooms, a branch of LA's Table 8 restaurant, a beautiful pool and one more feature that will make this the place to stay: 27 penthouse suites.  All of them are duplexes with a winding stairway leading up to it's own private rooftop deck with a jacuzzi, wet bar, lounge chairs, retractable roof and spectacular views.  Call today and book one for your stay during the Winter Music Conference in March when all 27 suites will be rockin' 24/7.

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Mr Mickey admits that he's a bit sappy and goes a little overboard with the love particularly when it comes to cuties and famous types. And it seems lots of people swing the opposite way and hate hate hate. Mr Mickey just doesn't understand why people feel the need to be so hateful on blogs and particularly in the comments section. MM is sorry but the Misshapes are cool. Cory Kennedy is cool. Tinsley Mortimer is cool. That doesn't mean they deserve the Nobel Prize or make the world a better place, it just means they're cool and people are interested in them. I'm sorry if this upsets the sourpusses who say that the Misshapes are lame or that Cory Kennedy doesn't do anything. MM thinks if you hate something or think it lame, don't waste your time talking about it. Find something fabulous and celebrate that. That's Mr Mickey's plea for tolerance!!!

Photo of the Misshapes by Caroline Torem-Craig

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We at MMBlog have permanent erections for both Restoin-Roitfeld offspring, Vladimir and Julia. They are not only super sexy (just like French Vogue editor Mom Carine) but smart, nice and gorgeously dressed! This new magazine Hercules (we're sorry but we don't know where it's from or anything in our usual hard-hitting journalist fashion!) has two separate covers, one of Vladimir and one of Julia. Boy oh boy!!!! This baby cost 15 clams but MM had to buy it anyway because these photos (by Paola Kudacki) are tooooooo sexy to pass up.

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I think I'm in love with an older man! His name is Bill Nighy you may know him as Davy Jones in the last Pirates of the Caribbean movie or the aging rocker in Love Actually but currently he can be seen in  the Broadway production of A The Vertical Hour.  The play, written by British playwright David Hare and directed by Sam Mendes, is about the sex and politics surrounding a Yale professor (Julianne Moore), her British boyfriend (newcomer Andrew Scott) and his father (Nighy) whom they go to visit in a stark section of England. I recently read an article on New York Magazine's website about him entitled "The Sex Symbol who Showers in the Dark", and it describes him as a man who's charming in a quirky neurotic kind of way and I love it.  He eats alone at Thai restaurants, had a horrible case of stage anxiety for years causing him to keep his left hand in his pocket on stage, he showers in the dark (as the title implies) so as to avoid seeing his lanky frame, and was called Nerve- - short for nervous -- as a kid. Although Moore is the bigger star in Vertical Hour, Nighy seems to be the bigger hit.  Ben Brantley of the New York Times says "Though Ms. Moore appears at home on the stage, her American star shine is no match for Mr. Nighy's wily British craftsmanship. Mr. Nighy, to put it bluntly, mops the floor with Ms. Moore. You could even say that with his irresistibly mannered performance, he mops the floor with Mr. Hare's play." Wow!  And Clive Barnes of the New York Post says, "Nighy (the tentacled Davy Jones of the last "Pirates of the Caribbean") steals everything on the stage that hasn't actually been nailed down by the script." Watch him in this video via the New York Times for a taste of what you'll see on stage at The Vertical Hour, and until you do here is a shot of him and Julianne Moore (whose making her Broadway debut in The Vertical Hour).

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Variety reports that Mel Gibson's Apocalypto is actually good. Wow! Given Mel's penchant for pissing off Jews and drunk driving,  the industry's official paper says the commercial prospects are anyone's guess. Unless the blood-and-action audience goes for it of course. Here's an excerpt:

• Mel Gibson is always good for a surprise, and his latest is that "Apocalypto" is a remarkable film. Set in the waning days of the Mayan civilization, the picture provides a trip to a place one's never been before, offering hitherto unseen sights of exceptional vividness and power. In the wake of its director's recent outburst and unwanted publicity, commercial prospects remain anyone's guess, and those looking for a reason not to attend will undoubtedly find one, be it Gibson's tirade, the gore, the subtitles or outre subject matter. But blood-and-guts action audiences should eat this up, Gibson is courting Latinos, eco-political types will like the message and at least part of the massive "The Passion of the Christ" crowd should be curious, so strong biz is possible if these distinct constituencies are roused.

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Everyone meet Butch & Bellie -- my favorite gay rappers of all time, soon to be your favorites as well.  Not only is their old school / Will Smith "French Prince" era rap style incredibly infectious and fun, but they're gay!  And white!  Plus, they're self-proclaimed "Pitchfork 0's, lifetime heroes," which is just too good to pass up.  Take that Pitchfork!  Butch & Bellie are ironic and fabulous and I just can't get enough.  Wouldn't it be incredible if they were adored by not just the hipsters and tastemakers of Brooklyn and New York but by middle America white suburban teens as well?  I have this dream, ladies and gentleman, let's make it a reality.  Start by going to see them tomorrow night at Sin-e on Attorney at Stanton in the Lower East Side.  It's gonna sweet! 

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Mr Mickey is not a transsexual but he loves Transylvania. Okay, so he carries a man purse and wears ladies sparkle flats from Forever 21 but that's not enough to be a fully-transitioning tranny. Is it?
Anyhoo, here's a shot of MM's trip to Romania, adopted home of Queen Marie, MM's heroine of royal history. It was a bit cloudy that day (it was always misty in Dracula country) but MM thinks you can get the gist of the look of this 500 year old fortress outside Brasov that was given to Queen Marie after Transylvania was awarded to Romania in the Versailles Peace Treaty. MMBlog likes to school the kids in world history!!!! Meanwhile MM needs to lay off the french fries. He's really starting to push maximum density!!! Look at them jowls!

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Okay, so Mr Mickey knows lots of show tunes and nothing about rock n roll let alone punk pop and other musical genres of today. But MM knows cuties when he sees them and you're looking at two of the cutest! Benji and Joel Madden from Good Charlotte. MM hung out with the boys and heard all about Benji's goth home in LA and his pets!!! MM can't wait to visit next time he's in LA. Joel's house is Spanish style and filled with antiques which also sound cute but gimme some Goth!!!!

How can people not worship LA when it's filled with kids like this?

Photo by Caroline Torem-Craig from the Paper Nightlife Awards.

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I may be the music blogger, but every once in a while I like to teach the readers something other than how many bands Spencer Krug has been in and is currently in (the answer is 4).  The first thing I’d like to teach you all about is the 21st Amendment.  This oh-so fabulous Amendment, repealing Prohibition, was ratified on December 5, 1933, so that makes it just about time for an anniversary!

I’m a big fan of scotch whisky (being an Irish lass with a name like Shanon Patricia Kelley) and so it came as one big, pleasant surprise to learn upon doing a bit of research that Dewars was among the first to provide legal whisky to the US in honor of the momentous occasion.  This has a particularly special place in my heart being that I’ve just returned from Thanksgiving vacation back home with the Kelley clan – and it’s never a proper holiday for my family unless the scotch is flowing freely!  So cheers to the 21st Ammendment and be sure to celebrate Repeal Day!
 

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 For all you Greenwich Villagers, Target is giving lower Manhattan a great Xmas gift! They've commissioned that swell Dutch designer Tord Boontje to create a holiday lighting installation (and hopefully a tree?) which I'm sure will be fabulous. The installation will be lit this Wednesday night and will be up through the holidays, so go check it out. (It's interactive and I'm really curious to see what it is.) This installation, of course, is to celebrate Target's holiday collaboration with Tord (you can read Tord's comments about Target here) which has just hit the stores. And the stuff is awesome. More collectors items kids so hurry to Target and ante up!!!  Right now, Target only has the dishes and the glasses on their website so you may have to actually get in a car and drive there to get the rest of the great stuff. (You know this throws all of us New Yorkers off bigtime!) Like these fabulous paper garlands and candleabra .  Buy it now because it will be gone and you will never get it ever again. (I still regret that I didn't buy those Philippe Starck crystal goblet sippy cups that Target made years ago).

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 Lawrence Ferlinghetti once wrote a poem called "Coney Island of the Mind." And even to someone like myself who grew up there, the now seedy amusement park seems so much bigger, wilder and crazier in my mind than it does on the ground. (For a good introduction to the role Coney Island played in the life of NYC, it's amusements prefiguring the rise of the skyscraper, I refer you to Rem Koolhaas' Delirious New York.) I mention this because both Coney Islands (of the mind and of the land) are going to be altered forever now that the developers are moving in. For many years it was a case of benign neglect, business as usual during the summer months with no one giving it much notice other than our friends at the Coney Island Hysterical Society whose valiant efforts to keep the area's fantastical fun house tradition alive should be rewarded with something like a MacArthur grant. Now that Astroland has been bought with intention of turning it into a year round destination like, ugh, Las Vegas or Atlantic City, the people's summer escape will be front-loaded with you know, hotels, restaurants, condos, hotels, condos... I've been trying to accept the changes that have been overwhelming the city, with neighborhood businesses being replaced by chain stores, foodie restaurants and other amusements for the idle rich and those who want to be like them, but this will be a tough one.

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