http://www.papermag.com/blogs/ en Copyright 2008 Thu, 28 Aug 2008 17:44:57 -0500 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Olympic all-around gold-medal-winning gymnast Nastia "Nasty" Liukin will not only be gracing the Wheaties box, but she's set to be the new face of denim line Vanilla Star's "Smart Girls Rock" campaign. The girl-empowering ad campaign will launch August 29th (tomorrow), and there'll be an unveiling at Parsons School of Design at 9:30 a.m. We wonder if she'll make an appearance?? Said Ms. Liukin of the partnership, “I am really excited to be a part of Vanilla Star’s ‘Smart Girls Rock’ ad campaign... I know what it is like to have a dream in your mind and work as hard as you can to achieve it. I’m just happy I can encourage others to do the same.” Here here! We love us some Nasty, though sometimes it freaked us out when she would kiss her father on the lips!]]> http://www.papermag.com/blogs/2008/08/nastia_la_vista_baby.php http://www.papermag.com/blogs/2008/08/nastia_la_vista_baby.php Word of Mouth Gymnastics Nastia Liukin Olympics Wheaties Thu, 28 Aug 2008 17:44:57 -0500 We know, we can't believe it either. The fourth annual Art Parade, organized by Deitch Projects, Creative Time and yours truly (PAPER Magazine) is fast approaching, and taking place on Saturday, September 6th at 4 p.m. to be exact! How fast summer flies by! The always insane parade (this ain't your grandma's Memorial Day parade, kids) will make its way down West Broadway and will feature artist projects conceived by the likes of Barry McGee, Clare Rojas, Beta Tank, Yoko Ono and Kenny Scharf and over 800 (yes, 800!) participants. Stay tuned to PAPERMAG for more Art-Parade-related tidbits leading up to the big day... ]]> http://www.papermag.com/blogs/2008/08/smells_like_the_art_parade.php http://www.papermag.com/blogs/2008/08/smells_like_the_art_parade.php Word of Mouth Barry McGee Creative Time Deitch Projects Kenny Scharf The Art Parade Yoko Ono Thu, 28 Aug 2008 16:26:37 -0500 pb&Caviar is a charming new boutique peddling bath and body products and clothing for women and children. The store simply reeks of good taste… literally. A fragrant swirl from their selection of luxuriant -- and all natural -- beauty products delighted our sense of smell upon arrival. Perfectly-wrapped soaps and hand creams from Mistral are selling alongside candles from Altru and Cote Bastide. A full range of the house-favorite Farmaesthetics skincare line is available, as well as shower gels, bubble bath and home products from Lollia. Owner Evin Cosby (yes, the daughter of Bill Cosby) handpicks all clothing at pb&Caviar, and her taste, like the namesake, is both sweet and salty. There are some sparkly, ruffled and crocheted pieces by Melissa Odabash and vibrant Anna Sui print dresses made of velvet and silk. But there are also less flamboyant fall separates from Tocca and Graydn that just hit the racks. You’ve got options in the denim department, too, with brands like Union, Sodafine, Genetic and Siwy. The kids section is chock full of color, toys and clothes, and it’s crazy fun! You’ll just coo over the girls’ dresses from Siaomimi and various vintage-inspired boys’ buttondowns. A “Respect Your Mother” sweatshirt by Little Celebrity and mini puffy jackets by Diesel are silly and awesome at the same time. (Pics of both are above). White walls, cozy décor and tons of natural light give the 1,700-square-foot store real warmth. Pb&Caviar is soothing for us big kids yet not too stuffy for the little ones. Pb&Caviar 88 Thomas Street (212) 608-1112 ]]> http://www.papermag.com/blogs/2008/08/shop_of_the_week_pbcaviar.php http://www.papermag.com/blogs/2008/08/shop_of_the_week_pbcaviar.php Word of Mouth Bill Cosby Evin Cosby pb&Caviar Shop of the Week Thu, 28 Aug 2008 15:44:31 -0500 WHO: Eva Katrin WHERE WE FOUND HER: Prince Street and Broadway WHAT SHE’S WEARING: Chloe Sevigny shirt, Miu Miu shoes, KTZ leggings, Ann Sophie dress, Marc by Marc Jacobs bag WHAT HER LOOK SAYS ABOUT HER: "It's a natural look." ]]> http://www.papermag.com/blogs/2008/08/cornered_style_the_natural_loo.php http://www.papermag.com/blogs/2008/08/cornered_style_the_natural_loo.php Word of Mouth Chloe Sevigny Cornered Style Marc Jacobs Miu Miu Thu, 28 Aug 2008 14:56:13 -0500 Marquee (where Steven Lewis moved his old Spa Wednesdays party a few years back), the place is packed with young professionals in suits and white shirts. But don’t let that scare you away! The secret is in the back room on the main floor, which on every Wednesday transforms into a fun downtown-esque party. Actor Michael Cavadias (aka Lily of the Valley) DJs this weekly Room 3 party alongside Miss Guy, James Coppola and the Six Six Sick ladies. The night I went, Lady Miss Kier from ‘90s pop band Dee-Lite DJ-ed an amazing set and had the eclectic crowd moving and shaking. It brought back memories of my high school cafeteria, though, as the scene divided into different cliques: tattooed goths/industrial types in corner, gays in another, skater/graffiti kids in one booth and black-clad MisShape-y types in another. The only thing missing was the jock/cheerleader table.]]> http://www.papermag.com/blogs/2008/08/up_in_da_club_with_alexander_t_3.php http://www.papermag.com/blogs/2008/08/up_in_da_club_with_alexander_t_3.php Word of Mouth Marquee Michael Caviadas Room 3 Steven Lewis Up in Da Club with Alexander Thompson Thu, 28 Aug 2008 14:13:10 -0500 What is up with Scandinavians invading downtown New York with their cute boutiques? Following in the footsteps of Acne, Dunderdon, Staerk, etc., Kisan Concept Store is setting up shop on 125 Greene Street come September 8. The brainchild of French-Icelandic couple Thorunn Anspach and Olivier Brémond, and based in Reykjavik, Kisan is known for its meticulously curated eclectic mix of women's wear, children's clothing, toys, fragrances, housewares and outerwear. The space is designed by hot archticture firm on the block Work Architecture Company (the firm responsbile for P.S. 1's Public Farm 1) and will feature a "marriage of French creative chic and Scandinavian purity." The color scheme of the 1,300-square-foot interior will be white and lavender. As for the actual pieces, brands carried include Vanessa Bruno, Orla Keily, Sonia Rykiel, Girl and the Gorilla, Isabel Marant, Ports 1961, Jerome Dreyfus and others from Iceland, Japan, France, Germany, Denmark, Finland, the UK, Italy, Belgium, Sweden and the United States. Kisun's jumping right into things during NY Fashion Week and throwing parties for Steinunn, Sonia Rykiel and Justin Giunta's Subversive Jewelry. Pictured above is an interior shot of Kisan's Reykjavik boutique. ]]> http://www.papermag.com/blogs/2008/08/kisan_concept_store_comes_to_n.php http://www.papermag.com/blogs/2008/08/kisan_concept_store_comes_to_n.php Word of Mouth Acne Dunderdon Kisan Concept Store Staerk Work Architecture Company Thu, 28 Aug 2008 12:38:43 -0500 Brooklyn-based band Frankpollis -- comprised of James Pollis and Malcolm Perkins on the guitar, John Frank on the bass and Jackson Pollis (known as "the fourth MisShape") on the drums -- is already big in Japan (no, really, it’s true) and are about to blow up big-time in their hometown. They’ve garnered support from bands like Liars, Les Savy Fav, Adam Green and Brian Jonestown Massacre due to the near perfection of their noise/rock/surf sound. And if the fans are any indication of their staying power, they will be around for a while; a typical concert generally involves a sea of dancing girls and a slew of phone numbers given to band members post-show. Frankpollis’ nonchalant hipster-esque attitude translates on stage to a great show where the band does their thing and the audience does theirs. Recently, we checked in with them for a little Q&A action. What’s your favorite NYC venue? Malcolm: Definitely John and James’s house [in Sunset Park, Brooklyn]. We were supposed to have a show there with Adam Green recently but it got shut down by the cops before either of us could go on. We rehearse there, and there’s a lot of space, it’s so isolated. It’s like being away from the city when you’re actually there. John: The problem with a lot of venues today is that they don’t give a shit about sound quality, as long as things sound good we’re going to be happy. Glasslands in Brooklyn is really great. ]]> http://www.papermag.com/blogs/2008/08/frankpollis.php http://www.papermag.com/blogs/2008/08/frankpollis.php Word of Mouth Frankpollis Jackson Pollis Wed, 27 Aug 2008 16:02:22 -0500 Craving killer tacos? Then head to Mercadito Cantina, a mod taqueria which opened in the East Village earlier this summer, across the street from the original Mercadito -- but which features a different menu and vibe. Here, it's all about communal and counter seating, grazing and drinking. The clean design comes by way of the Northern Michigan woods, the ceiling and nearly every surface lined with beautiful blonde cedar. Our corner of the counter filled up quickly with little bowls of bright, freshly made salsa, chips and crispy corn bread nuggets ($3.50) that I'd compare to hush puppies, but better. There are eight salsas to choose from ($2.50 for one; $4.50 for two; $6.50 for three), with ingredients like toasted peanuts, capers, pickled jalapenos and roasted garlic. Think there's only one kind of guacamole? Mercadito offers six flavors (two for $10.50; three for $13.50), from traditional to mole poblano to Oaxaqueno with mango. My favorite of the batch, however, was the “sandia,” a green blend of tomatillo, habanero chiles, epazote and bits of sweet watermelon. Chef and co-owner Patricio Sandoval devised a number of flavorful fillings for his soft tacos, too, like one with zesty homemade green sausage, manchego cheese and tomatillo. Tilapia fish tacos and calamari tacos with plantain salsa were also terrific finger food, and yes, the juice from them will drip all over your hands so have napkins ready ($8.50 for two tacos). A duo called the Tippling Brothers (Paul Tanguay and Tad Carducci) were forced to get creative with the cocktail list since the community board denied Mercadito Cantina a full liquor license. Instead of tequila, get a shot of tric-quila, sake infused with smoky peppers that bears a resemblance to the real thing but lacks the kick. No matter how much I drank, I stayed sober, but at least that way I was able to fully appreciate the delicious food. Mercadito Cantina 172 Avenue B (212) 388-1750 Photo from Thrillist.com]]> http://www.papermag.com/blogs/2008/08/restaurant_of_the_week_mercadi_1.php http://www.papermag.com/blogs/2008/08/restaurant_of_the_week_mercadi_1.php Word of Mouth Food Mercadito Cantina Restaurant of the Week Wed, 27 Aug 2008 15:14:47 -0500 Magic, then after that is Project, and the newest and hippest show is Pool. Pool showcases the pieces from slightly more independent boutiques from all around the globe. Here are some highlights… These cool kids all work at Homage. I love this crew; they are so down to earth, hip, friendly and confidant. They make amazing vintage inspired fashions from recycled clothes. Some of the shirts were so weathered and soft that I thought they were actually 30 years old. This is one of my all time favorite things I've ever found. So these necklaces/bracelets are two pieces, the metal chain and the magnet jewelry. In this case, the magnet is the round disc (which comes in all shapes and sizes). All you do is wrap the chain around your neck or ankle or wrist, and then slap the magnet on it, and it sorta just creates this artwork jewelry all on its own. ]]> http://www.papermag.com/blogs/2008/08/greetings_from_pool_1.php http://www.papermag.com/blogs/2008/08/greetings_from_pool_1.php Word of Mouth Las Vegas Pool Wed, 27 Aug 2008 14:29:04 -0500 Camilla Staerk, the Danish designer behind modern-minimalist clothing line Staerk, announced today that her new Nolita flagship boutique is finally open to the public. The sparse Scandanavian space, designed by Staerk along with Erik Johnson, is black-and-white heavy, and features wood, marble and metal details. The store will sell the complete Staerk womenswear collection, as well as shoes, bags, belts and swimwear. Additionally, Staerk will reintroduce her sunglass line which she produced with Selima Optique, which she'll be peddling alongside her capsule jewelry collection. Staerk hopes the boutique will feel like a "creative space," and has peppered sculptures by Mies van der Rohe and Finn Juhe, along with glassworks by Holmegaard throughout the store. She also said that she plans to hold art exhibits in the space. ]]> http://www.papermag.com/blogs/2008/08/staerk_flagship_boutique_opens.php http://www.papermag.com/blogs/2008/08/staerk_flagship_boutique_opens.php Word of Mouth Camilla Staerk Nolita Shops Staerk Wed, 27 Aug 2008 13:49:20 -0500 Now that we live in the Age of Watching TV on Our Computers, network websites are hustling to keep up with the joneses, aka Hulu.com, the paragon of online TV websites. Enter the newly revamped thewb.com, which relaunches today. While the site currently says, "stay tuned. we'll be live shortly," tubefilter got an inside sneak peek. And it looks really good. The sleek new site features a super-searchable archive (you can search across all the shows on the site for certain phrases -- i.e. you can find out many times Seth Cohen mentioned Death Cab for Cutie on The OC), a cool application called WBlender that lets you mash-up clips from various shows (a tribute to Ross's monkey Marcel, anyone?) and full seasons of Veronica Mars, Gilmore Girls, Friends, Smallville and The OC. One of the main draws though, is the slew of (ten, to be exact) web-only shows. Highlights appear to include Sorority Forever (created by McG and Josh Schwartz), Whatever Hollywood (a comedy following three best friends named Suri, Apple and Shiloh) and Rich Girl, Poor Girl (from the creator of Laguna Beach, which takes a girl from wealthy suburb in Orange County and swaps her with an inner city LA teen -- eek!). Yowzers. We may never leave our house again. ]]> http://www.papermag.com/blogs/2008/08/thewbcom.php http://www.papermag.com/blogs/2008/08/thewbcom.php Word of Mouth Gilmore Girls Hulu Josh Schwartz The OC thewb.com Wed, 27 Aug 2008 13:16:23 -0500 Everyone adores Luigi Tadini (stylish and model-looks: what's not to love?). Luigi hosted a small "unbirthday" dinner (he turned 25 last April 15th) at the Surf Lodge in Montauk. The divine Bebel Gilberto performed. I sat with Amanda Hearst and mingled with chic Dalia Oberlander, Minnie Mortimer, Justin Belmont, Liam McMullan, pretty Rachelle Hruska, David X Prutting, Julia Erdman and Timo Weiland. I also saw Calvin Klein, Ross Bleckner, Rogan Gregory, Kelly Klein and Aida Turturro. Oh, the chicness! The whole affair was filmed for Plum TV where Luigi has a weekly show. Smile -- you're on Tadini TV! Check out Luigi at: http://hamptons.plumtv.com/videos/out_east_luigi_tadini_sneak_peek ]]> http://www.papermag.com/blogs/2008/08/peter_davis_status_update_i_wa.php http://www.papermag.com/blogs/2008/08/peter_davis_status_update_i_wa.php Word of Mouth Amanda Hearst Luigi Tadini Peter Davis Peter Davis' Status Update Surf Lodge Wed, 27 Aug 2008 12:30:21 -0500 Oh behalf of my own personal gang of merry pranksters, I would like to wish our patron saint/patriarch, Henry Lihn, a VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! Hank can often be seen raising the roof or raising hell all over the LES and at places like Beatrice and Gramercy. During the day, this hunkosaurus Rex is the CEO of Gin Lane (a brand development and marketing company) and hot downtown clothing label, LOLA. Happy Birthday, big guy!! XxPJC]]> http://www.papermag.com/blogs/2008/08/the_incredible_hank.php http://www.papermag.com/blogs/2008/08/the_incredible_hank.php Word of Mouth Henry Lihn Paul Johnson-Calderon Tue, 26 Aug 2008 16:59:17 -0500 Fela Anikupalo Kuti, a native Nigerian, was a charismatic musician/composer/performer and an iconic activist in his homeland. His pioneering music, called “Afrobeat,” a blend of jazz, funk and African rhythm and harmonies, made him a worldwide entertainment sensation from the ‘60s to the ‘80s, and his political struggles during that same time only increased his reputation. When he died in 1997, a million people attended his funeral. Bill T. Jones, a notable New York choreographer for 25 years, and a recent Tony- Award-winner for Spring Awakening, is directing and choreographing a new musical based on Fela’s life and music. Co-credit for the piece’s conception goes to Jones, playwright and dramaturge Jim Lewis and the lead producer, Stephen Hendel, an avid fan of world music and a particular fan of Fela. There is a cast of 18, with Sahr Ngaukah (pictured above) in the role of Fela. Brooklyn based Antibalas will play Fela’s music. I spoke with Jones (who co-wrote the book with Lewis) on a Sunday by phone. Hi Bill, thanks for talking with me on your day off. Is this a biographical show? No, it’s not a biopic. That was the first thing we decided. It’s a freely conceived take on a very complex life. I call it a work of imagination, with a lot of dimension. Fela was known both as a world musician and a social activist. In the late ‘60s, there were protest singers, like Pete Seeger and others, but I don’t think he (Seeger), and others like him, were ever harassed like Fela was. I can’t think of a major artist who would have had to face being jailed over 200 times, was tortured and vilified, and literally attacked by government soldiers. Fela was that.]]> http://www.papermag.com/blogs/2008/08/stage_notes_fela.php http://www.papermag.com/blogs/2008/08/stage_notes_fela.php Word of Mouth 37 Arts Bill T. Jones Fela Kuti Stage Notes Theater Tom Murrin Tue, 26 Aug 2008 14:59:02 -0500 Bridgehampton Polo season, the layers of propriety are peeled away to reveal the free-for-all party that shuts down the season. I don't know where all these people hide all summer, but somehow everyone and their mother shows up at the fields, ready to schmooze under the VIP tent. There's a lot going on under that infamous tent: all the girls who were able to get it on over the summer looking for one last chance at love; all the guys who never quite got enough over the summer looking for one last kill; East Enders not ready to let go of the season, celebrating one last big, drunken Saturday afternoon. Other less raunchy lasts included saying bye to the nice folks at Hamptons Magazine, who always sponsor the last match, and has tables upon tables of free Niche Media mags from here to eternity; bidding adieu to those behind T-Mobile tent, which always rocks the house with awesome DJs; watching the actual polo match that is taking place; and soaking in the live music -- this year it was a performance by OnDa ground music's, HRS Princess. So we say adios to another season of the Bridgehampton Polo until next year, when for six Saturdays in the summer, we ride the ride all over again. ]]> http://www.papermag.com/blogs/2008/08/au_revoir_polo.php http://www.papermag.com/blogs/2008/08/au_revoir_polo.php Word of Mouth Bridgehampton Polo Hamptons Tue, 26 Aug 2008 14:32:38 -0500