PAPERMAG http://www.papermag.com/ en Copyright 2013 Thu, 23 May 2013 17:18:31 -0500 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification Arcimboldo in the Round: Exploring the New Sculptures at the New York Botanical Garden Philip Haas, who began his career by making documentaries of celebrated contemporary artists before going on to make a number of feature films, has given up the medium to become a sculptor. As ambitious as any cinematic epic, Haas' new installation of four monumental sculptures that just opened at The New York Botanical Garden has all the spectacle of the 3-D effects and larger-than-life iconography of any picture currently up on the screen. Haas tells us that the project started "as an idea for an idea" to make a sculpture in a garden. His inclination to make art based in historical terms led him to explore a suite of paintings called The Four Seasons by the enigmatic Renaissance painter Guiseppe Arcimboldo -- a series of uncanny heads rendered in trompe l'oeil vegetables, flowers and other horticulture. The sculpture garden truly reflects Haas' ability to rework on a grand scale: what were two-foot paintings are now 15-foot-tall sculptures made of resins and fiberglass.

Long ago forgotten by history, and only brought back to some esoteric degree of appreciation in the past century by the Surrealists, little is known of this Arcimboldo today. Historians remain uncertain whether he was a true visionary or simply a sly trickster. Since Haas prides all his work on the level of scholarship he brings to representation, we put the riddle to him: is the daft work of a lunatic, or a kind of super-rational formalism in the Renaissance tradition of constructing elaborate visual puzzles? To which he didn't hesitate in the least when he surmised, "probably both."

Four Seasons by Philip Haas will be on view through October 27, 2013

Autumn_IVO7464.jpgSpring_IVO7402.jpgSummer_IVO7376.jpgWinter_IVO6163.jpg ]]> http://www.papermag.com/2013/05/arcimboldo_in_the_round.php http://www.papermag.com/2013/05/arcimboldo_in_the_round.php Artsy Fartsy artsy fartsy Thu, 23 May 2013 17:18:31 -0500 PS1 Has a New "Party Wall," Announces Its Warm Up 2013 Music Schedule yap2013_view02_southside.jpg MoMA PS1 just announced the full schedule for their 2013 summer music series. They'll be celebrating 16 years of the annual "Warm Up" event and, once again, the fun takes place in the courtyard of the Long Island City museum every Saturday from June 29-September 17. Ithaca architecture firm CODA won the design competition for the "temporary urban landscape." Their entry, called "Party Wall," will be a big feature of the courtyard (and should look like the renderings above). Over 60 artists and DJs will be playing including Juan Atkins on June 29th, Ryan Hemsworth on July 13th, Majical Cloudz on July 27th, and J. Cole on August 17th. The complete list is HERE and $15 advance tickets go on sale HERE on June 5 at noon. ]]> http://www.papermag.com/2013/05/ps1s_warm_up_2013_music_schedu.php http://www.papermag.com/2013/05/ps1s_warm_up_2013_music_schedu.php Music music Thu, 23 May 2013 16:00:00 -0500 Max Fish Is Going to Close Its Original Space in July The good news is that Max Fish is moving to a bigger space in Williamsburg. But owner Uli Rimkus told The Low-Down that the iconic LES art-bar will be closing on Ludlow Street at the end of July. What happened, in short, was that Max Fish -- which was the only place to go for the late-'90s downtown crowd -- soon became surrounded by boutiques, restaurants and more bars. Then, of course, rents went way up. Rimkus said she was not able to negotiate a satisfactory new lease on the space, and the construction of a big hotel next door disrupted the business. No word yet on the grand-opening date for the new spot at 130 Metropolitan Avenue. While we're happy it's found a new home, we'll miss the original.

]]> http://www.papermag.com/2013/05/max_fish_now_set_to_close_in_j.php http://www.papermag.com/2013/05/max_fish_now_set_to_close_in_j.php Nightlife nightlife Thu, 23 May 2013 15:15:00 -0500 Greta Gerwig's Rise as Hollywood's New Indie Queen Is Very, Very Real To celebrate the opening weekend and amazing critical reception of her movie Frances Ha, we're re-posting our February 2011 cover story on Gerwig, written by Lena Dunham. Read below as the two indie film figures discuss rom-coms, anorexia and the difficulties of being an actress who goes against the grain.

GretaD10A023_f_mm.jpgI started out as a Greta Gerwig fan, awed by her lovely, loopy performance as the titular lost post-grad in 2007's Hannah Takes the Stairs. She was as refreshingly familiar as she was Aryan and unknowable, like Grace Kelly had allowed her eggs to be fused with Gilda Radner's in a genetics experiment dreamed up by an anxious hipster. Gerwig's comfort in her own skin and her discomfort with the pained social code of the 20s male made her an instant heroine to me and a fantasy friend. Cut to September 2008. I was taking my dog for an evening walk, and we stopped into the lower Broadway office space of Red Bucket Films. There was Greta: hangin' out, fresh-faced, gesticulating wildly. I was excited by her and she was excited by my dog, and I forced the conversation to go on and on. Later we shared a cramped office space for a while in that same building, where we made an audition tape for Greta that included the line "the pterodactyl retreats!" which she delivered with surprising subtlety. It's been a true thrill to witness what some might call "Greta's dizzying ascent" and what I call "Greta kicking ass." Her self-assuredly self-effacing performance in Greenberg made Ben Stiller look like he'd just taken a ride on a tilt-a-whirl (in a good way -- he was also great, she just threw him for a loop!), and she brings a third and fourth dimension to the sassy sidekick in No Strings Attached. Every time she's on a talk show, the host's eyes seem to ask, "There are girls like this!?" And soon everybody's going to get a double dose: Arthur (in which she takes on another dude -- comedy dynamo, Russell Brand) in April, and in Whit Stillman's deeply anticipated summer film, Damsels in Distress. We met for breakfast at Odeon so I could ask her probing questions and revel in the fact that she's finally my friend.


Lena Dunham: So I decided I am going to ask you things I want to know about you, even though we're friends. What actresses' careers do you admire?

Greta Gerwig: I love Sandra Bullock.

LD: I'm crazy about her. I was looking at a picture of her adopted son the other day and was like, "That kid knows things."

GG: I'm drawn to people who seem really happy about the choices they've made and don't seem like they wish they were somebody else. I don't feel like Sandra wishes she were, say, a Shakespearean thespian.

LD: And she's not like, "Fuck that Julia Roberts." What do you think about the fact that it's hard to have the career where you get to be in, like, Two Weeks Notice and you also get to be Tilda Swinton.

GG: Oh, I love Tilda Swinton.

GretaD11007_f_mm.jpgDress by Proenza Schouler, shoes by Manolo Blahnik, glasses by Claire Goldsmith, earrings by Jemma Wynne, necklace by Valerie Maccarthy, bracelets by Boynyc, Lui Morais, Jemma Wynne and Valerie Maccartty and rings by Jemma Wynne, Natalie Frigo, Valérie Maccartty and atelier Swarovski by Joseph Altuzarra.
 

LD: She's the shit. But you've been in, for example, No Strings Attached, a giant romantic comedy, and you were also in Greenberg, which is not a rom-com, and the first movies you were in were not rom-coms. Do you think there's an inherent challenge in making both kinds of movies?

GG: I don't think many people have done it, but... this sounds like a tautology, no one's done it until somebody's done it. And then someone's done it. I hope I get to do tiny weird things and big normal things.

LD: I always think that the tiny weird things you've done have lent this awesome air of slight weirdness to the big normal things you do.

GG: I also feel like they're both equally representative of who I am. I love weird filmmakers, but to be honest, I really loved When Harry Met Sally. I'm not more one thing than I am another, I think it's just that it's rare for people to honor both things in themselves -- to do something completely mainstream and then graphic, simulated sex scenes.

LD: Sometimes when I hang out with cineaste filmmakers, like our friends Josh and Benny Safdie, I'm afraid to be honest and say, "Nora Ephron movies are my shit." You almost have to treat those movies like guilty pleasures when in fact they're not; they're an art form you honor in the same ways you honor the interesting, amorphous movies the Safdies are making.

GG: I think a lot of people secretly have both parts to them, and they feel like they have to pick an identity. And I think that some of that has to do with being really attached to how you're perceived.

GretaA5014_f_mm.jpgDress by Marc Jacobs, underwear by Araks, earrings by Jemma Wynne, necklaces by Zoe Chicco and Gara Danielle Fine Jewelery, bracelets by Giles & Brother, BOYNYC, Luis Morais and Jemma Wynne. Rings by Valerie McCarthy, Jemma Wynne and Mawi.


LB: Which is in a weird way kind of antithetical to being an actor. When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

GG: I wanted to be a ballet dancer for a while. But most practically, I thought I was going to be a lawyer. I secretly wanted to be an actor, but it didn't feel like something I'd actually do.

LD: And you were always writing?

GG: In high school I wasn't told I could write. All my friends who went to school in New York, they all had some teacher who said, "Why don't you write something of your own that's creative?" The only creative piece of writing I had ever done in high school was my college essay. It wasn't until college -- I had written a monologue in acting class, and someone was like, "That's really funny, you should take a playwriting class," and I was like, "Oh?"

LD: Had you done theater in high school?

GG: Yeah, I did musicals, the school plays, the whole things. Those were the majority of my high school memories.

GretaD11008_f_mm.jpgShirt and skirt by Prada, shoes by Roger Vivier. Bracelets by La Petite Princesse, Valerie Maccarthy, BOYNYC and Mawi. Rings by Atelier Swarovski by Joseph Altuzarra, Mawi and La Petite Princesse.


LD: That's interesting because even when I first met you, and you were already an actress, I would never have been like, "That girl is an actress." You never referred to yourself as one.

GG: I have always felt like I'm acting because I love it, but I don't particularly have any right to be doing it.

LD: I have two parents who do creative things, so it's easy for me to think that's an appropriate job. But there are a lot of people who don't think so, and so it feels masturbatory and like it's not a real profession.

GG: I think sometimes when you tell the narrative of who you are, you get attached to something that's not entirely true. On the one hand, I can say I didn't know any artists growing up, and nobody told me I could write, and it wasn't until college that I got exposed to things, but that wasn't totally true. There was another side to it; I didn't grow up in a cultural wasteland. My parents were taking me to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, I knew about Eugene O'Neill and Tennessee Williams when I was 12. We watched Monty Python and Woody Allen. It wasn't like I grew up in the sticks.

GretaD10022_f_mm.jpgShirt and skirt by Prada, shoes by Roger Vivier. Bracelets by La Petite Princesse, Valerie Maccarthy, BOYNYC and Mawi. Rings by Atelier Swarovski by Joseph Altuzarra, Mawi and La Petite Princesse.


LD: Was there a moment when you made a jump to being like, "I am an actress and this is what I do?"

GG: I still don't feel like I have committed myself to it. I love it and I'm super-grateful for it, but I still don't believe that it's really happening. I sounds so weird to say. I told my friend Sarah, I have a very real, constant fear that I'll wind up living on the street. She was like, "That is not an appropriate fear for someone in your position to have. And even if nothing works out, you won't be living on the street."

LD: It's not an appropriate fear, but it's a good motivating factor.

GG: I'm expecting someone to come up to me and say, "Party's over, kid. Pack it up. It was fun while it lasted."

LD: Do you think that the fact that you write informs your work as an actress?

GG: Yes, when I'm writing, it makes me less precious about my acting, which kind of makes my acting better. But it can inform it negatively. Because sometimes you need to turn off your brain that says, "Why would I say that?" and just say, "I'm saying it!"

LD: The sort of directors who have thus far been attracted to you have been very literate, with a kind of poetry to what they're doing. Whit Stillman's Damsels in Distress, there's something almost Shakespearean about that movie. And Noah Baumbach, there is a really specific rhythm and poetry to his lines. So being a writer and feeling the cadence is important and almost essential. Do you feel like directors have allowed you to be a real architect of your characters because of the first movies you did, like Hannah Takes the Stairs and Nights and Weekends? You were a writer and, in the case of the latter, a co-director.

GG: I think people have given me more freedom, and I feel like I have gotten to participate in discussions in ways that maybe other actresses haven't been able to. I've had producers, executives, say things that I'm sure they don't say to other actresses, like "You don't look pretty in this scene. It's not testing well."

LD: They're probably like, "You're smart, you'll get it." They don't think it's gonna send you into a pit of anorexia and self-hatred.

GG: It makes me feel very honored in some ways, but then it also contributes to the feeling that I'm not really an actress, the fact that I'm doing this is fake and I really should be doing something else.

GretaC8020_f_mmShadow.jpgTrench coat by 3.1 Phillip Lim, dress by David Szeto, shoes by Miu Miu, sunglasses by Oliver Goldsmith. Earrings by Luis Morais, necklaces by Giles & Brother and Valerie McCarthy, bracelets by Giles & Brother and Flutter by Jill Golden. Rings by Natalie Frigo, Valerie McCarthy and Paige Novick.
 

LD: I get some of that, too. If the first projects that people have ever seen you in involve a high level of apparent honesty or a low level of vanity, people somehow feel you're immune to that type of criticism.

GG: And I'm not immune. Nor am I crazy hung up on it. But I'm certainly not dispassionate about it.

LD: But being told you don't look pretty in a scene and it's not testing well, that could make a person crazed.

GG: Yeah, maybe you feel like this too, but I sometimes feel like I'm the only actress having the sort of experience I'm having.

LD: One of the girls in my show [HBO's Girls] told me, "You're my first friend who's also an actress," and I was like, "I'm not an actress." I had this weirdly intense response. The first thing I ever did, I looked totally like myself, I acted totally like myself, so the expectation of me isn't one of glamour or adult sexuality.

GG: Like my roommate Sam was telling me, I should just go on these talk shows as Greta -- in jeans, Vans, an army jacket. And I was like, "That's Greta at home. That's not how Greta would dress to be on Letterman or Fallon." But there's sort of this assumption that I don't care about that sort of stuff, and I'm like, "But I do, I do care about this stuff!"

LD: Maybe people feel like if you're a quote-unquote "smart girl," you don't need to be protected in the same way, and you're not concerned about the same issues. This all feeds into the resistance to calling yourself an actress.

GG: I used to wish that I'd wake up one day and know that acting would fulfill everything I ever wanted. Acting is such an important part of expression for me, but I also feel it is not "it" for me. And the other stuff is just as important, and I know maybe that sounds greedy, it's hard to be honest about it because...

LD: Because you feel there are so many people who it is "it" for? You don't want to take up that space?

GG: Exactly. I've not dedicated my life to theater or acting or solely to writing...

LD: And sometimes it feels like there's a stigma to that. I've gotten questions in interviews like, "Do you feel like you can do all those things at the same time, really?"

GG: Maybe it's because we're women and, as Lacan said, "We are all things." I took all this Lacanian theory in school, and I feel like it's a masculine trait to pick one thing and excel at it. Women have a lot of sides to them and are more likely to do different things at different times. Like in Julie & Julia, a movie I love, Julia Child didn't cook until she was 40.

LD: So what is the kind of project that you dream of doing that would be the most surprising to people?

GG: I want to do something where I carry a gun. I think I'd be great, almost in a Leslie Nielsen kind of way, because you don't expect it. You don't expect that I'd be the spy. You expect Angelina Jolie to be a spy, but you'd never expect "this guy" to be the spy.

GretaA6A016_f_mm.jpgTrench coat by 3.1 Phillip Lim, dress by David Szeto, shoes by Miu Miu, sunglasses by Oliver Goldsmith. Earrings by Luis Morais, necklaces by Giles & Brother and Valerie McCarthy, bracelets by Giles & Brother and Flutter by Jill Golden. Rings by Natalie Frigo, Valerie McCarthy and Paige Novick.


LD: Like how I want to be in Playboy. You get photographed covered in oil and dirt. I would wear underwear but I'd take my top off. I just don't want to show my genitals. It's the same thing: you'd never expect "this guy" in Playboy.

GG: I know. It's like the equivalent of one of us joining the Army.

LD: Yeah, a real Private Benjamin moment.

GG: It's scary to say the stuff you really want to do and the people you really want to work with out loud sometimes. It's easier to say jokey things. But Woody Allen...

LD: How could you not?

GG: I grew up in Sacramento and I watched that guy's movies and wanted to move to New York because of him.

LD: I feel like Woody Allen has got to find out soon that there's this girl who can say a smart line, and you'll fucking believe that she really thought it.

GG: Woody Allen had an erotic renaissance with Scarlett. He can have a neurotic renaissance with me! But really, I want to write and direct my own movie that is all mine and I want to win awards for it. Is that wrong? It's way easier to say I want to be in a gun movie than to say...

LD: That you want to write and direct a movie and win an Oscar for it?

GG: Yeah, and I want it to mean something and be good. But I also want to be a cool Sandra Bullock person who is OK with shit. I am putting a lot on Sandra that may or may not be true.

LD: Don't you also think you'd be friends with her if you met her?

GG: I think probably everyone thinks that.

LD: Sandra, if you're listening, call us. I'd like for you, Greta and me to sit around and enjoy some ice cream.

 

Hair: Seiji at the Wall Group
Makeup: Daniel Martin using Nars at the Wall Group
Stylist assistant: Kelly Govekar
Photographer's assistant: Maxime Fauconnier
Coordinator: Diane Drennan-Lewis
Assisted by Brittaney Barbosa

Photographed at 632 on Hudson







]]> http://www.papermag.com/2013/05/it_may_feel_like_a_dream_but_g.php http://www.papermag.com/2013/05/it_may_feel_like_a_dream_but_g.php Archives film greta gerwig Thu, 23 May 2013 14:45:41 -0500 Give These 5 Douche-Bags Another Chance When I first saw the preview for Mr. Selfridge on PBS' Masterpiece, I was torn. I love me some historical drama on PBS -- nobody whips up an addictive period drama like the British and Selfridges is still one of my favorite department stores in the universe -- but, insert sad trombone sound effect here, the show's lead is Jeremy Piven. I was going to have to deal with his smug mug being all up in my flat screen for weeks. The Entourage star, who made headlines for withdrawing from the Broadway show he starred in due to "Mercury poisoning" from tainted sushi, has always struck me as a bit of a douche-bag. And when I say 'a bit' of a douche-bag, I mean a complete and total douche-bag. (Obviously I'm not alone here, either.) Still, my love for historical dramas, shopping and the pseudointellectual thrill I get watching sophisticated programming like PBS made me give Mr. Piven a chance as Mr. Selfridge. And lo and behold, Mr. Piven actually captured Mr. Selfridge's larger-than-life magic! Although I'm not 100% sold on his acting genius, by the end of episode 3 I had decided that I might be wrong about him. Maybe I just thought he was a douche because he so convincingly played one in the past, or maybe he really was one and has quietly re-rehabilitated on a wellness ranch for douches in South Dakota. I can now admit that I was wrong to write him off as a an untalented gas bag. 

Proud of the realization that you can't judge a douche by its cover, I've decided to make a list of high-profile people I've previously written off as dastardly D-Bags and give them each another chance to prove me wrong.


john_galliano_hat_ponytail_mou.jpg1. John Galliano
Yes, going on an antisemitic rant was more evil than your typical douche-baggery, but he's met with top Jewish leaders and the Anti-Defamtion League's Abe Foxman says the fallen fashion star deserves a break. I agree.


Untitled_large_verge_medium_landscape.jpg2. George W. Bush
Anyone who does a self-portrait consisting of his feet poking out of the bathtub can't be all bad -- Iraq War notwithstanding.


naomi-campbell-bald.jpg3. Naomi Campbell
I know if you've ever worked as her assistant you won't agree with this, but I say we give the former super model another chance. The poor thing has no hair!


reese-mugshot-side-by-side.jpg4. Reese Witherspoon
Her outrageously entitled antics when her main squeeze was stopped for drunk driving were gross but amusing. Since it's her first foray into public douchery, I say we let it slide.


brody-jenner-bromance-10.jpg5. Brody Jenner
I know he hasn't done anything to make us reconsider his douchiness, but he's so hot. That must count for something.






]]> http://www.papermag.com/2013/05/give_these_5_douche_bags_anoth_1.php http://www.papermag.com/2013/05/give_these_5_douche_bags_anoth_1.php roundup roundup Thu, 23 May 2013 13:23:00 -0500 Jessie Ware and The xx Mash Up Two Classics
Though it's not the most professional recording (or video) ever made, we wish we'd been in Berlin last week for this epic collab between The xx and recent PAPER cover star Jessie Ware. Jessie came onstage during The xx's set at the Night + Day mini-festival and they performed a sort of mash-up of two classics: "Lady" by Modjo and "Music Sounds Better With You" by Stardust. While the show -- by two UK artists -- happened in Germany, both of the songs were by French artists and were originally released in the late '90s. Check out the original video of "Music Sounds Better..." below, directed by Michel Gondry.
]]> http://www.papermag.com/2013/05/jessie_ware_and_the_xx_mash_up.php http://www.papermag.com/2013/05/jessie_ware_and_the_xx_mash_up.php Music Video of the Day music video of the day Thu, 23 May 2013 11:15:00 -0500 Conan O'Brien Made an Awesome Video Response to Taylor Swift's Video "22"

Conan made a video response to Taylor Swift's music video "22" in which he boards the Straight Talk Express and tells viewers what being 22 is really like. (Or...actually, what it was just like for him.) "You sit in your boxer shorts and learn guitar chords. By yourself." [via HuffPo Comedy]



This guy filmed himself in his underwear doing an interpretive dance to the Dixie Chicks' cover of "Landslide" when he was 20-years-old and now, ten years later, he's revisited those hot, hot moves and synced the two videos together. Our takeaway? He spent the last ten years getting really cute. [Thanks Max!]

tumblr_mn63q4Or0Q1rd10xoo1_400.gifScoot, scoot, Hugh Jackman! [via Tall Whitney]



Here's your facepalm of the day, courtesy of CNN's Wolf Blitzer: in what we can only assume was Wolf's attempt to "connect to the Red State demographic," he asked a survivor of the Oklahoma tornado whether she "thanked the lord." The woman's response? "I'm actually an atheist." Ugh, Wolf, what are you doing? [via Hyper Vocal]

tumblr_mn7sed5YGq1r7gjrwo1_500.gifPlease forgive us. [via Coin Farts]

jgl_donjon.gifThe trailer for Joseph Gordon-Levitt's new movie, Don Jon, is out and it shows JGL playing a Jersey-accented musclehead with an addiction to porn. Scarlett Johansson plays a Jersey Shore-esque love interest and, awesomely, Tony Danza's cast as JGL's dad. Unfortunately embedding hasn't been enable yet but you can watch it HERE.

tumblr_mn2e6sE2rA1r3gb3zo3_400.gifCat-scratcher. [via Bunny Food]



Ai Weiwei made a heavy metal protest song called "Dumbass." Apparently he's coming out with an album on June 22, too. You can watch the music video above and head over to Death + Taxes for the lyrics translated in English. It's a lot of lyrics like "The field is full of fuckers, dumbasses are everywhere." So...there you go.

tumblr_mn3i0x636X1rn7bzro1_1280.jpgFrankie's a freeloader. [via Knusprig Titten Hitler]


One of our favorite comedians, Hannibal Buress, just signed a massive development deal with Comedy Central, which includes the production of his own pilot, a role on the show Broad City, a national tour and a one-hour stand-up special. If you've never seen it, watch his "apple juice" bit NOW. [via THR]

]]> http://www.papermag.com/2013/05/conan_video_response_taylor_swift_22.php http://www.papermag.com/2013/05/conan_video_response_taylor_swift_22.php Morning Funnies Morning Funnies Thu, 23 May 2013 09:30:48 -0500 The Lonely Island and Solange Made a Song About Semicolons
The Lonely Island have had a busy day: not only did they tell us who makes them laugh out loud on Twitter, they released a song with Solange about our favorite punctuation mark: the semicolon. The rules of semicolon use are famously tricky, and "SEMICOLON (feat. Solange)" is not helping: the song is just one long, hilarious stream of (perfectly true) statements that -- spoiler alert -- should actually use colons. Sorry to ruin the ending, but really, it's the semicolon-filled journey that had us giggle. Watch above.
]]> http://www.papermag.com/2013/05/the_lonely_island_and_solange.php http://www.papermag.com/2013/05/the_lonely_island_and_solange.php Watch this watch this Wed, 22 May 2013 18:38:22 -0500 The Lonely Island's Top Ten Funny People to Follow on Twitter After appearing on our cover (and while rolling out hilarious new music every week from their upcoming record, The Wack Album) the Lonely Island guys -- a.k.a. Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone -- found time to add to our exhaustive coverage of the funniest people to follow on Twitter. So without further ado, here are the Lonely Island's picks for the top ten funny people to follow on Twitter:


Screen shot 2013-05-22 at 2.21.59 PM.png1) Emily Heller (@MrEmilyHeller):
A hilarious stand-up with good "twitter-game."


Screen shot 2013-05-22 at 2.24.44 PM.png2) Alex Baze (@bazecraze):
SNL "Weekend Update: head writer. One of the most clever and delicious "peeps" online.


Screen shot 2013-05-22 at 2.29.17 PM.png3) Neal Brennan (@nealbrennan):
"Even when Neal gets dark, he's hilarious.  Scratch that, ESPECIALLY when he gets dark." - Jorma's mom.


Screen shot 2013-05-22 at 2.31.18 PM.png4) Sarah Silverman (@SarahKSilverman):
Just an all around "Cool Cat" (aka "Lady" aka "Cat Lady," PSYCH! Sarah's a dog person!)


Screen shot 2013-05-22 at 2.30.21 PM.png5) E-40 (@E40):
Yay Area slang master extraordinaire. Underdig him. PS., he is a rapper.


Screen shot 2013-05-22 at 2.20.11 PM.png6) Al Yankovic (@alyankovic):
The master of the comedy song/sweetest man on the planet.


Screen shot 2013-05-22 at 3.40.04 PM.png7) Pee-wee Herman (@peeweeherman):
A comedy hero. Posts the weirdest/funniest photos.


Screen shot 2013-05-22 at 2.50.38 PM.png8) Electric Guest (@ElectricGuest):
Great band, great dudes. Fun fact: One of them MIGHT be Jorma's brother! It's not the one you think! (It is.)


Screen shot 2013-05-22 at 2.54.49 PM-different.png9) Colin Quinn (@iamcolinquinn):
One of the best in "da tweet game."  Also was great on HBO's Girls. You guys see him on there?  He was f-ing great!


Screen shot 2013-05-22 at 2.59.40 PM-diff.png10) Hannibal Buress (@hanninbalburess):
A friend from SNL and one of the best stand-ups out there. Out there in America, we mean. (Let's be honest, his jokes are crap compared to the jokes they're doing in Belgium right now. But in America, he's aces.)




]]> http://www.papermag.com/2013/05/the_lonely_island_funniest_people_twitter.php http://www.papermag.com/2013/05/the_lonely_island_funniest_people_twitter.php The Internets lonely island Wed, 22 May 2013 16:20:05 -0500 Every Runway Look Worn by RuPaul In Less Than 3 Minutes
If you've never watched an episode of RuPaul's Drag Race, here's your chance to catch up on RuPaul's fabulous lewks. Our friends over at World of Wonder have strung together every single one of Ru's runway outfits from the show's first five seasons. That should be 71 looks as of May 6, so be sure to take notes. And congratulations on the show's renewal for a sixth season!

]]> http://www.papermag.com/2013/05/every_rupaul_runway_look.php http://www.papermag.com/2013/05/every_rupaul_runway_look.php Watch this rupaul Wed, 22 May 2013 13:43:15 -0500 A Jordanian Writer Tells Us About Amman's Music and Nightlife Scenes Name?

Roba Al-Assi

Age?

27

Where do you live?

Amman

What do you do there?

Designer/writer/webbie.

What Jordanian bands or DJs are you obsessed with that you think we should know about?

El Morabba3 are my favorite Jordanian band. To me, they specialize in 'uncomfortable comfort music.' I love them. I also love Jordanian rapper El Far3i, for his gorgeous energy.

How did you discover them?

I ended up going to [El Morabba3's] debut performance last year at a gorgeous theatre called Masrah IlBalad in the old part of town. The show was accompanied with kick-ass VJing. Here is footage from their debut performance.

What does their music sound like?

Their music is all in Arabic, but I guess it can be described as post-rock. Their music has intense melodies submerged in haunting sounds, making it truly different from most other sounds coming from the region. The bulk of their tracks [sound like] nightmares [and reflect] the tough realities of an Arab world that is corrupt, polluted, and seemingly hopeless. In a song called "Tarweej" ("Promotion"), the lyrics go: "Where am I supposed to revolt? Where am I supposed to revolt? / Who will change the scene when the one responsible is sitting like stone counting cash?"  With El Morabba3, every note is so tasty and rich that you can't possibly do anything else as you listen. Haunting melodies, meticulously arranged lyrics, and an overwhelming sense of epic-ness are emotionally draining to the listener. With El Morabba3, there's not much to do but sit back and enjoy it as you take it in. My favorite tracks are "Taht il Ard" ("Beneath the Ground"), "Hada Tani" ("Someone Else") and "Cigara Abel Manoom" ("A Cigarette Before We Move").

Where are the cool places to see live music in Amman?

The TBA Collective throws some of the best events in town. They aren't confined to one place, but most of their events happen in ancient discotheque-style bars in l'Weibdeh, one of the oldest parts of town. They book funk/soul/groove as far as the DJing is concerned, and their live music numbers are usually quite eclectic. Their last event included reggae, slam poetry, pop, and soul. The crowd is just as eclectic, but it's mostly the people who are out to have fun.

The Corner's Pub also has fantastic live performances, my favorite being the weekly Shadi and Firas gigs. They sing Arabized Western pop music, like ABBA hits in Arabic. They're awesome. Here's their Arabic version of [Leonard Cohen's] "Suzanne." I love them cause they can get ANYONE AND EVERYONE dancing.

Describe your perfect night out in Amman.

It's a lot of lazing around under the Mediterranean sun during the day in the summer, followed by a lot of drinking at night. When there's a show, a concert, a play, or any other cultural activity, it takes place between the sun and the drinking. I love starting my night at Negresco, an amazing old hole-in-the-wall pub with happy hour and a gorgeous garden. Anyone visiting Jordan must try a Mexican beer, a refreshing concoction of lemon, beer, and salt. I also love rooftop barbecues at friends' houses. Amman is very hilly, so we get gorgeous sunsets and beautiful weather. Nothing beats a good old Arabic lamb-chop barbecue combined with araq, our local alcoholic drink. It's similar to Greek ouzu, and gives you this lovely dreamy buzz. You can't end a long day without going to one of the old restaurants in downtown Amman, where you get cheap, good, late-night food. I also love driving outside the city for a quick picnic (even if it's just cold cuts). The beauty of Jordan is its wide geographical diversity in a confined area, so you can choose to spend the day in the desert of Wadi Rum, the forests of Ajloun, the water-filled valleys of Wadi Mujib, or the ancient ruins of Jerash.

What's your favorite night spot in Amman?

My favorite place in town is a tea bar called Turtle Green on Rainbow Street in Jabal Amman. I love that place, it's like home. It's where I go to read, celebrate New Year's, meet with friends, or recharge. They also make the best damn hibiscus drink in the world. Otherwise, I tend to prefer the small pubs, because they combine the occasional live gig with affordable drinks, the ability to carry on a good conversation, as well as the serendipity of random people in a place where you're a regular. I try my best to avoid clubs (unless it's the random party at non-club venues like the ones organized by the TBA Collective) because the Jordanian clubbing crowd is horribly pretentious. No one dances... everyone wears their nicest outfit and stands there looking pretty. In terms of cool neighborhoods, I hang out in what I call the "Golden Amman triangle" which is l'Weibdeh - Jabal Amman - Shmeisani. All my favorite places are in l'Weibdeh and Jabal Amman (and these two hills meet in downtown Amman), two of the oldest parts of town. They have lots of character, and the crowd is easy going. Shmeisani isn't really that cool but that's where I live so I literally never venture out of the triangle. l'Weibdeh is particularly awesome because it's very niche. It's the art district (sort of), so it's where all the galleries are at. There's also this little t-shirt store called Jo Bedu, which I love to bits.

What's a nightclub you would NEVER go to in Amman?

Every time I go to Flow, one of the most popular clubs in town, I always swear I will never go again. They manage to lure me with their live music though. I hate Flow because it's loud, obnoxious, and pretentious.

Check out Roba's band and DJ recs:

El Morabba3 -- "Taht il Ard" ("Beneath the Ground")


El-Fer3i -- "MEEM"



Check out Roba's nightlife listings:

The Corner's Pub, 2nd Circle, Amman

Negresco, Al Ba'Ouniyah Street, 52, Jebel Webdeh, Amman,11191

Turtle Green, 46 Rainbow St., First Circle, Jabal Amman, Amman

More from our 'No Sleep Til...' series including nightlife and music in Paris, Mumbai, Seoul, Bogotá and more!

]]> http://www.papermag.com/2013/05/no_sleep_til_amman.php http://www.papermag.com/2013/05/no_sleep_til_amman.php Nightlife no sleep til Wed, 22 May 2013 12:30:09 -0500 Watch Charli XCX Cover the Backstreet Boys' "I Want It That Way"
British songstress and master hair-flipper proved that she's just as obsessed with the Backstreet Boys' classic "I Want It That Way" as we are (and everyone else on the planet is) by performing her more ambient version of it at Borderline Music in Chicago yesterday. Check out the video of her masterful cover above. Your move Vivian Girls.


]]> http://www.papermag.com/2013/05/charli_xcx_backstreet_boys.php http://www.papermag.com/2013/05/charli_xcx_backstreet_boys.php Watch this music watch this Wed, 22 May 2013 12:30:08 -0500 All of Arrested Development's Running Gags
A super-cut of all the recurring jokes on Arrested Development. Gene Parmesan better pop up in the new episodes. Ahhh! [PleatedJeans]


bachmanbook.gif Merry Christmas, Michele Bachmann is the inspiration behind the new erotic novel Fires of Siberia, about a red-state presidential candidate whose plane crashes in Siberia and is rescued in the wilderness by a sexy stranger named Steadman Bass. STEADMAN BASS. Here's a very real excerpt from publisher Badlands International. More over at the Atlantic: 

"Who are you? What's your name?"

"Steadman Bass," he answered flatly, yanking the glove from his hand and thrusting his paw toward her.

They shook hands, and Danielle felt the hot vitality of his blood. His hand was surging with warmth. His fingers were weathered like a workman's, but his touch betrayed a grace and kindness his face otherwise kept guarded. She wanted to stay fastened to him, so essential was the heat.

But she let go.

And the man walked hastily away.


tumblr_mn627kfxjS1rtu0xao1_1280.png360 boner alert. [LaughterKey]


tumblr_mn22l2dJTG1sn7lxto1_1280.jpgUpdate: Here's Bill Murray being perfect. We'll check in on what he's doing in a few more weeks, but it will probably be something perfect. [ReasonsMySonIsCrying via RatsOff]


R6BA.jpg
Sweet Jesus. [Mlkshk]


tumblr_mn5unilob51qzmowao1_500.png Adam J. Kurtz's "What Is This Unknown Pleasure" t-shirts are now on pre-sale. Run, don't walk! [jkjkjkjkjkjkjkjkjkjk]


tumblr_mn6rdwFBEg1qe7dlao1_1280.jpgLeave Britney alone. [AMajor7]



Tough morning? Let this cat massaging a snoring pug soothe your soul. (Just ignore that weird crackling sound in the background.) [TastefullyOffensive]
]]> http://www.papermag.com/2013/05/all_arrested_development_gags.php http://www.papermag.com/2013/05/all_arrested_development_gags.php Morning Funnies Morning Funnies Wed, 22 May 2013 10:27:06 -0500 The Idiosyncratic Fashionistas Talk Hot Pants and Booties In New Clip

Our friends over at Bib + Tuck, a new site that lets its members sell ("bib") and buy ("tuck") each other's clothes and accessories using virtual currency, spent an afternoon vintage browsing with the Idiosyncratic Fashionistas. For those unfamiliar, the IFs, Valerie and Jean, are two fashion bloggers who, as they put it, are "growing old with verve" with some killer style. In the short clip above, the two reminisce about punk-and-disco-era New York, wearing hot pants with, uh,  questionable embroidery work and "low booties." For any fans of Ari Seth Cohen's Advanced Style (which has featured the IF gals) or Iris Apfel, this clip's a fun little watch.
]]> http://www.papermag.com/2013/05/idiosyncratic_fashionistas_reminsice.php http://www.papermag.com/2013/05/idiosyncratic_fashionistas_reminsice.php Fashion Schmashion fashion Tue, 21 May 2013 17:30:28 -0500 Mr. Mickey's Top 10 Reasons to Love Paula Deen Mr. Mickey just returned from Savannah where he attended the SCAD senior fashion show and, while he was there, he fell in love with Paula Deen all over again. Below, he shares ten reasons to love the Queen of Butter.

Paula Deen 1.jpg
1. Her signature dessert is Gooey Butter Cake. Anybody who leads with the word 'gooey' can't be all bad.

2. When I say 'Paula Deen' fast with a southern accent it sounds like Willadeene which is the name of my favorite of Dolly Parton's sisters.

3. She has an Uncle named Bubba.

pauladeen2.jpg4. Every meal at Deen's restaurant, the Lady & Sons, includes a garlic cheese biscuit and a hoe cake. We're not 100% sure what a hoe cake is but it's tastes yumzy.

5. She suffered from agoraphobia so it's a miracle she's even able to leave the house let alone make yummy, high-fat, Southern treats!

6. She was once the Grand Marshal of the Tournament of Roses parade in 2011. That's something.

pauladeen3.jpg7. People tell my mother she looks like Paula.

8. The security lady at Savannah-Hilton Head airport told me Paula comes through there all the time and is just as sweet in person as she is on TV. I believe her.

9. She's a silver fox!

10. She sells Paula Deen butter-flavored lip balm in her gift shop.




]]> http://www.papermag.com/2013/05/mr_mickey_10_reasons_to_love_paula_deen.php http://www.papermag.com/2013/05/mr_mickey_10_reasons_to_love_paula_deen.php Mr. Mickey Paula Deen Tue, 21 May 2013 16:45:45 -0500