A beautiful life.

If Rachel Zoe created artsy offspring with a farmhouse...

2012-01-22T18:21:00.000-08:00

Becca Kallem, your watercolors are magical. And so superbly insightful. If I were a giraffe, I'd wear Burberry too. I'd have a long neck. I'd want to cover it up in style. This is obvious to me. I'm glad this is obvious to you too. And were I a bird, I'd wear Louis Vuitton. I'd buy from the old Murakami, multi-colored logo collection. I'd scout it out on eBay, pay at whatever cost, and wear it to all the most chic bird nest parties. Obvs.

I just bought a print from Becca's online etsy shop. I bought it cause Becca gets it. Also because her prints are only $22 (less if you buy before January 31st while her New Year's sale is going on). And lastly, but not insignificantly, because Becca donates $2 from each sale to the Washington Animal Rescue League. Aaah, a philanthropist too--Becca, you are amazing!

Oh, also because I'm a Leo and us lions like to see pictures of ourselves. We're totally narcissistic and we accept this about ourselves.

Check out Becca's etsy shop. Check it out now!

[via Design Sponge]

Mr. Brainwash. Today. Go.

2011-12-31T11:08:00.000-08:00

Today is the [extended] last day of Mr. Brainwash's art show in Los Angeles. Whether or not you like the man's work, it's 80,000 square feet of positive messages and creative use of space. And that's worth seeing.

Some pics from my own visit last week are below.

Now, go.

960 N. La Brea

LA, CA

Doors open at 2 p.

Farms, Schools, Art & MGMT.

2011-12-02T14:35:00.001-08:00

What do farms, schools, art and MGMT have in common?

Not much til my rad friend Mark Macinnis brought 'em all together for a sick benefit event this Saturday. Mark directed an incredible film called Urban Roots about the urban farming movement.

Artist Anthony James was then inspired to create some pretty amazing sculptures.

James and Mark are now working to raise money to establish farms in underprivileged urban schools through the Field of Dreams initiative.

And Ben Goldwasser of MGMT will be joining the guys this Saturday night in Venice to raise some money for the program.

I'd tell you to join. But I'm sure you already realize you should. See you there.

MOMAI
711 Hampton Drive
Venice, CA 90291

Saturday, December 3
7 - 11 p

Buy your tickets online.

Yoga + breakdance + grace. [video]

2011-11-10T10:10:00.001-08:00

If I could do even one of these arm balances for 10 seconds, I would be happy. This guy can do them while breakdancing, appearing as though this routine is what he casually does before breakfast every morning. He probably does.

Break ton Neck from Alex Yde on Vimeo.

The incredible song, if you're wondering (you must be), is by Awolnation.[via Yoganonymous]

Street art is everywhere (the Austin, Texas edition).

2011-11-09T17:23:00.000-08:00

I went to Austin, Texas last week. And I could tell you about the food (oh my god, the food--there was so, so much of it). Or the people (they were just like us Angelenos, it turns out--save the fake parts and the bleached blonde). But I'm going to save my words and show you the art instead. Because the art--it was everywhere, on every street. And in one case, the same wheatpasted, bespectacled, afroed fellow appeared over and over again. The street art in Austin ranged from the pasted to the tagged to the stencils in multitude. And it seemed to fit the landscape as much as the live music and barbecue.

I want to rest my head on this.

2011-11-06T20:14:00.000-08:00

In Austin this week I discovered a store called Spartan (more on Austin later, promise). At Spartan, I discovered the most perfectly merchandised boutique I've ever seen and this pillow collection by Coral & Tusk. The brand makes other things but I am a sucker for decorative pillows. True story.

The pillow above is appropriately named 'man eating tiger.' It is incredible in so very many ways.

The beautiful Balloons of Bhutan.

2011-11-01T18:39:00.000-07:00

Jonathan Harris is a photographer and a micro-storyteller and a traveler and a personal hero of mine.

When I describe art I always say: I don't know about art. I just know what I like.

I know that the richness and colors in Jonathan's work is as moving and incredible as it gets for me.

Harris' latest released project, Balloons of Bhutan, visited the region of Bhutan where happiness reigns supreme. He used balloons to measure the happiness and wishes of 117 residents.

Writes Harris on his site documenting the project, "Instead of "Gross National Product", Bhutan uses "Gross National Happiness" to measure its socio-economic prosperity, essentially organizing its national agenda around the basic tenets of Buddhism."

A beautiful project about a beautiful region of the world and its beautiful people.

http://balloonsofbhutan.org/

LA gets a piece of Glen Ligon.

2011-10-20T21:23:00.000-07:00

Glen Ligon's work is smart, it is beautiful, it is a commentary on black America, it will be on show in a mid-career retrospective at LACMA starting Sunday.

Consider the following part non-sequitor and part warning. Glen Ligon is a Wesleyan graduate. This is a general guarantee of awesome.

Radical Face plays LA tonight.

2011-10-11T07:55:00.001-07:00

Radical Face has no pretensions. You can hear it. You can see it in Ben Cooper's unkempt facial hairs and the clear freedom in his bad button down shirts. Radical Face is powerful and makes gorgeous sounds.Radical Face plays LA tonight at the Bootleg Theater. Let's go.

Beautiful things happening at the tarpits.

2011-09-24T14:53:00.000-07:00

I've been having stronger than usual feelings lately that I want to be enveloped by beautiful art and beautiful sounds and beautiful people. How lucky for me that Tarfest is happening tomorrow at the La Brea Tarpits and all of the above will be in plentiful supply. And for free. One can't beat beautiful things for no money at all.

I'm excited for:

Sounds by Saint Motel and Everest

Live art curated by the Merry Karnowky Gallery and featuring Deedee Cheriel, Edward Walton Wilcox, and Vox Humana artists Augustine Kofie and Shark Toof.

Oh my goodness, oh my goodness, some of my favorites.

RIP Troy Davis.

2011-09-22T11:47:00.000-07:00

The United States government--the one that aims to create peace in every other nation on this planet beside our own--should feel something far more devastating than shame for its actions yesterday.

I am not a religious person and I do not believe in an afterlife. But Troy Davis did. And so, Mr. Davis, I hope that you rest in peace.

[NY Times: Troy Davis Executed]

Tonight.

2011-09-11T20:34:00.000-07:00

To be concise: Lykke Li makes beautiful sounds that I want to listen to.

Appreciating Richard's art in this digital age.

2011-09-07T08:42:00.000-07:00

We live in a time when you can search for 'farm art' on Google (there was a reason at the time for my interest in agriculture art beyond time wasting on the internet, I assure you), come up with an image like this, fall in fast love with it, and then contact its maker via Twitter within minutes to inquire. Of course, sometimes the artist might reply to you with a complete loss of words himself for when he made it, where it is, or how I might get my hands on it. But, as I live in this modern time as well, I can drag it, drop it, and upload it to share with you all in this digital archive of Things. I. Love.

So, enjoy. And, you're welcome.

And, of course, thank you to Richard Hogg for creating a piece that moves me so. Even if he doesn't know where its original is.

Your girl got dicked by Ricky Powell. Photos on display.

2011-08-19T17:46:00.000-07:00

Ricky Powell (well, his photos) are coming to LA. Actually, they're here. Tomorrow night, House of Exposure presents 'Dicked by Ricky Powell.'As the Beastie Boys so elegantly put it:

Homeboy, throw in the towelYour girl got dicked by Ricky Powell

Photos from $250 - $2000. 8 1/2" x 11" prints of the famous Basquiat/Warhol pic for $50. Lollipops with Basquiat and Warhols' sillhouettes. Priceless. But at this event, $10.

What? You want more news about future exhibits of awesomeness and limited edition wonders? Well, sign up for House of Exposure's mailing list.

A lullaby by Little Joy.

2011-08-08T23:23:00.000-07:00

To my friend who introduced me to Little Joy and to this song, I cannot offer enough thank yous. If lullabies were written for the children in all of us, I would ask to be rocked to sleep nightly to this sweet, sweet song.

Shed rather be scarred than be scarred with love.

Matisse on a Sunday.

2011-08-07T18:16:00.000-07:00

I've spent much of my Sunday watching--on and off--the BBC Modern Masters episode on Matisse. I could have done worse, I suppose. I could have spent my day watching straight-to-DVD films with Heather Graham [like I did yesterday]. But today I opted for a little culture--60 minutes to be exact--drawn out with breaks and breakfast and naps. And the English accent of the BBC's narrator gives the pretense of grandeur and sophistication to my YouTube video streaming, I think, and sophistication and grandeur were exactly what my Sunday called for.

A few faves, newly appreciated after my studious Sunday telly watching.

Touched by a tot.

2011-08-06T14:33:00.000-07:00

This week a child touched me. Not metaphorically, but really. She actually reached out and touched me. It happened on Larchmont. I was holding a bright blue wallet and she waddled on up--this adorable little girl--and she just touched my hand and stared at me and smiled. It happened on Thursday.

The world is a magical place for a child on a Thursday on Larchmont when a woman who must appear very old to her--and tall too--meanders down the street holding a fabulously bright color in her hand.

Music is my boyfriend.

2011-07-28T13:13:00.000-07:00

At least it's about to be. I just downloaded Spotify. It's saying hello to America. So I figured the least I could do in the name of America, was say hello back.

I'm looking forward to seeing how/if/when the new service changes the way I consume music. Like, perhaps I'll start to appreciate Gaga or something. Though probably not.

Coveting: Death and the Maiden

2011-07-27T07:43:00.000-07:00

Perhaps it is not every girl's desire to hang a 34" portrait of a skeleton in full embrace with a svelte blonde above her desk. But something's got to fill the space left by the removal of what was once a 5' tall upside-down Jesus which proudly and with great Jesus-like stoicism graced my now barren wall panel for nearly 4 years. And what better to replace one painted icon which made people incredibly uncomfortable than with another--equally awkward, if not sacrilegious--piece of art.

I want this print by Edward Walton Wilcox. I want it now. I want it framed and wrapped in a black bow that offers just a hint of the gothic nature of the subject inside. I want to enter my studio and fall asleep each night with the image of undying--or already dead as the case may be--love reminding me of life and living.

Death and The Maiden
giclée on canvas
edition quantity: 25
28” x 34”

Available at the Merry Karnowsky Gallery.

It's Saturday and your life is not that bad.

2011-07-23T09:00:00.000-07:00

It's Saturday morning and I'm in Florida and it's humid as a sauna in a broke down spa in the Tropics. And I've complained a bit, I'll admit, in the last 36 hours about the temperature and the permanent dew that has affixed itself to my face and the hairs that won't stop frizzing, even on my arms.

But then I saw this picture this morning--from my air conditioned accommodations--and understood [though I already knew it] that the heat in Boca Raton, Florida is not that bad. At least not when you're merely hopping from hotel room to convertible to manse on the water.

The caption beneath this photo in the LA Times...

Peshawar, Pakistan — A young girl with her head partially covered with flies stands outside her family home on the outskirts of the city, in northwest Pakistan.

To be in your wee years, and to know flies on your small head--that is bad. That is terribly, cruelly bad.

[Image Credit: Fayaz Aziz / Reuters via LA Times]

Kate Bush danced like she wanted to.

2011-07-05T12:44:00.000-07:00

30 some odd years ago, the music video hadn't yet developed its affinity for special effects, half naked girls, and cameos by film stars. It was unrefined and shot in one take in the woods with its star in a modest, long red dress and dancing like she's never danced before [and thankfully not many have danced since].

Questionable dance moves aside, the song is beautiful. And beauty's something modern day music doesn't always promise nowadays either.

The spectacular Ryan McGinley and his subject's spectacular butt.

2011-07-02T18:44:00.000-07:00

Take away the spectacularness of the buttocks of the man pictured above and what you're left with (those of us who are decent and good and not completely sexually deviant and can take our eyes away from such perfect buttocks) is the spectacularness of this photograph by Ryan McGinley on display now at LA's new OHWOW Gallery.

Group Exhibition: Post 9-11
June 30 - August 27, 2011

OHWOW Gallery
937 N. La Cienega
Los Angeles, CA 90069

Parting is such sweet sorrow. Buh-bye for now KCMO.

2011-06-05T21:28:00.000-07:00

On Friday night I said farewell--not forever, just for a hopefully brief amount of time which we won't even think about because it pains us too very much--to the people and places which I have become so very fond of over the last 7 weeks. On First Friday, which was to be my last Friday, I saw some things and some people. The things and people I saw included but were not limited to: musicians making music on the street wearing masks, attracting people, art--a lot of great art--by friends new and old[er], friends, crowds of people as or more excited than me to be outside on a beautiful night in KCMO, bakers baking bread at Fervere--one of whom sold me a loaf to take home to my mother in New York despite their being closed and us being in their way and all...

Thank you Kansas City for a totally rocking, life changing, mind-altering 7 weeks with you. You will not soon, not never be forgotten. Mostly because I intend to return to you sooner than later and possibly sooner than you'd even like.

The Impossible Girl lands in Kansas City.

2011-05-30T19:24:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you see a band in a big stadium and the impact of the light show and the surround sound and the power of thousands of fans all swaying to the same beat proves overwhelmingly beautiful. And occasionally you sit on the floor of a small lingerie boutique and watch a girl and her guitar perform in the dressing room and you well up a little bit. Because that's pretty beautiful too.

Thanks to Peregrine Honig for hosting Kim Boekbinder at Birdies this week and introducing me to a great new artist. Kim Boekbinder is from NY and just spent several months in Australia and I discovered her in the Crossroads District of Kansas City, Missouri.

And thanks to Kim for penning a diddy about Facebook stalking. We all do it. No one should be ashamed...

How to make it in America.

2011-05-15T01:00:00.000-07:00

When you're working on a show about America, it is easy to get patriotic. You see enough American flags and energetic fervor around them and you start to believe the hype. Which is a good thing. But America: Now and Here isn't just about hype and it's not about patriotism. It's about a dialogue and a conversation.

And it is probably not a coincidence that this song has been on repeat on each of my Apple music devices over the last several weeks.

Charles Bradley, I couldn't have started a more universally engaging conversation had I tried. Which I might have. But didn't have to. Cause this song does it so superbly.

Why is it so hard to make it in America?

Please enjoy Bradley's dance moves around 2:30 and 4:30 responsibly.

Days Off, Kansas City Style.

2011-05-13T21:15:00.000-07:00

For some people, the weekend is defined by Friday night through Sunday evening. From this general assumption of what a weekend means comes the phrase 'Thank God It's Friday.' From that phrase comes the ABC Friday night television sitcom series from many of our childhoods, 'TGIF' (do we not all remember 'Family Matters' and 'Step by Step' sandwiched between or around 'Full House'? Oh gosh, we sure do). But for those of us who are in production, the weekend comes not very often or not at all and certainly not on the days others might expect it to.

Well, this past Monday and Tuesday, I got my first chance to enjoy a 'weekend' in Kansas City. And enjoy it, I did.

Some highlights.

Loose Park. Oh, how I love a park. I love, love, love a park. I'd heard some great things about Loose Park. It almost completely lived up to its expectations.

Near the Kansas City Art Institute...sponsored by H&R Block (um, oh wow, really?!)...this amazing public art piece. The irony is debatable. The art, super cool.

I swung by my friend, Beniah Leuschke's studio. He is a genius. He is a wordsmith. He is an artist. He is awesome and though this moldy seat does his work no justice, his work is rad and you must check it out.

I love Kansas City. I love my KC weekends whether they're on Saturdays or Mondays or once a month or only from 11 p - 5 a in the mornings. I will take advantage of every moment of free time I have here. I will weekend it up every hour I have off.

I put the I--twice--in Missouri.

2011-05-04T20:24:00.000-07:00

When I signed on to manage production for an art tour I didn't really know much about, I figured I'd make the best of seven paid months exploring America. I'd take a couple of road trips on my days off, get to know the landscape of the Midwest, and write long entries into my yet untitled book during long nights to myself.

Three weeks ago I moved to Kansas City, still unsure of the city's placement on a map, let alone which state it belonged to.

Kansas City has turned out to be the kind of place that surprises you. It's not near the ocean and the street signs are poorly distributed. People are slow and they seem to want to talk rather than rush you through the line. Favors are asked in person and new friends drop by with gifts of strange fruits and common candies.

There are, amongst the barbecue establishments, a number of great restaurants in Kansas City. There are more independent coffee shops than Starbucks per the average block. People introduce themselves and then they run into you again and again and they probably remember your name.

I am currently living in Kansas City, Missouri. I am here for America: Now and Here.

The journey starts here. It starts on Friday.

Art in the streets of Kansas City.

2011-04-24T10:36:00.000-07:00

I may be missing MOCA's Art in the Streets exhibit this month. But while I'm sad I won't see what Deitch throws together, I'm happy to report the Kansas City is presenting its own spectrum of art in the streets.

The big dog in town is Scribe. His art is fresh. It is unpretentious. It is unfettered by the inflated redonculousness that many LA street artists have fallen victim to.

A panel from Scribe's David and Goliath

Then there's KC's very own Alexander Austin. Curated and commissioned by David Ford, Austin has installed a mural size portrait of his signature Martin Luther King for America: Now and Here. The artist is quirky. He is kind. He is not much into 'schedules.' He dons a cowboy hat, it seems, all the time. And his work--well, it is incredible.

Are you out there, Rotko Petric?

2011-04-20T15:51:00.000-07:00

In 1978, Rotko Petric created this sculptural piece of art. Rotko was in Kansas City from Yugoslavia. From what I gather, he was studying here. He knew KC artist Jim Leedy and Leedy, founder of the Leedy Voulkos Art Center, the hub of our America: Now and Here installation, kept this piece in his collection.

Walking through the Leedy Voulkos this week, I was informed that Petric's whereabouts are now unknown. Yugoslavia, the one-time kingdom, to later become 3 iterations of a Federal Republic, to finally become nothing of its former self, swallowed up any trace of Petric and the Leedys have heard nothing of the artist in years.

All that Kansas City's seen of Petric recently is this eyeball, atop a beautiful, armed, asymmetrical body of blue. Fantastic.

Introducing America: Now and Here, Mark Bradford & a trip through the Midwest.

2011-04-11T18:50:00.000-07:00

On Friday, I'll be leaving LA. Til the end of October. Yeah, you heard me right. That's 6 months on the road. The only thing that could tear this fairly new Angeleno (6 years is still new, right?) away from town for that long would be the sickest of projects. And this one's a doozy. America: Now and Here is a touring art show. And its participating artists are beyond, beyond, beyond.

As I travel through the Midwest this Spring/Summer/Fall, I'll keep you posted on my travels. And I'll also introduce you to the work of the amazing artists who've got pieces on our traveling caravan of American art. Some names you'll recognize (think: Chuck Close, Yoko Ono, Jasper Johns, Edward Albee, Jeff Koons, Damien Rice, Catherine Opie, Marsha Norman, and on and on) Some you won't. They are all incredible.

First up, meet Mark Bradford.

Soon, you'll be meeting Kansas City. Which may or may not excite you. I think it excites me.

Keep creating.

2011-04-06T18:32:00.000-07:00

This week has been insanely busy. The kind of busy that makes you nearly lose your mind and want to crawl into bed for an undisclosed amount of time. The kind of week that certainly inspires no moves to be creative, no thoughts to pick up a pen or take a photograph or paint a picture. Because it would surely come out like poo. And no one likes poo. But sometimes creating poo is the beginning of something greater. And taking a risk is the only thing to do. And picking up a pen (or a keyboard) even though you're exhausted and would much prefer to fall in a heap is the only appropriate thing to do.

Mr. Brainwash agrees.

Join VOGUE + Sam Edelman + Yours Truly...

2011-03-31T18:20:00.000-07:00

You have good taste. And you like hot shoes. Do you need any other reason to join me this Saturday at this VOGUE special event celebrating Sam Edelman's sick new Spring 2011 collection?

I'll be hosting. You'll be shopping. It will be a guaranteed amazing time.

Saturday, April 2
12 - 3 p

Nordstrom at The Grove
LA, CA

See you there!

xo * Jessie B. R.

Perez Hilton...children's author!?

2011-03-29T15:18:00.000-07:00

The manchild who has made fun of every celeb on the this green Earth, has drawn cocaine smears on the mug shots of Hollywood's fast set, and made jabs at others' weights, lifestyles and levels of diminished talent, is now publishing a book. A children's book. A children's book that "celebrates individuality and self-acceptance, and is inspired by Hilton’s desire to promote equality in readers of all ages."

I have no words. Only this cover art. Please go ahead and design your own caption. Because I am completely and utterly speechless.

The town whose claim to fame was Split Pea Soup.

2011-03-26T10:50:00.000-07:00

Santa Barbara is the kind of town--the kind resided in by rowdy University students and a tamer set of wealthy retirees--that one comes to either to relax or to engage in the most touristy of activities.

One such activity is wine drinking. But when traveling with my mother, an avid non-drinker, we were left to other, less fermented journeys.

In the town of Buellton, one will find Pea Soup Andersen's--an inn, a restaurant, and the claimant to Split Pea Soup innovation.

In next door Solvang, visitors can engage in all the delights of a Danish Village which hasn't changed since its founding in 1911 save the addition of perhaps 3 dozen more gift and candy shops. When I'd passed through Solvang in my first and last trip to Santa Barbara, I'd discovered that the restaurant responsible for the famed Danish dessert, Aebleskiver, closed at 3 pm.

I was resolved to make it in time this time. I didn't. But determined to try the Danish donut, we made a mad dash for the Red Viking Restaurant, the only other resto in town to fry up the doughy balls. While the dessert underwhelmed me, the victory of finally obtaining it did not.

Solvang is famed for nothing beside its donuts and pancakes. But while outsiders don't know it for anything else, Solvang-ites are apparently well aware of the delights of the outside world. The local memorabilia shop features a life size (aka pint size) cardboard cut out of the one, the only Justin Bieber, a child I'm fairly certain has never made it to the quaint village of Danish architecture and plentiful tourist traps.

Plastics are not your friend.

2011-03-21T16:18:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago in Long Beach came the culmination of several months worth of planning on a big event I'd produced, the Plastics Are Forever International Youth Summit. The name says it all in regard to the conference's environmental focus. Plastics, as it should no longer be a surprise to you, do not go away. The science of it all is far beyond my meager, layman brain. But the simple facts are pretty darned simple. People use and trash disposable plastics like they are going out of style. And the truth is that they've been way out of style ever since we learned about recycling some odd decades ago. What happens to your discarded Diet Coke bottles, straws, and shiny plexi things, you ask? Well, the ones you don't recycle end up in our oceans, in the fish, and on your dinner plate (not mine, of course as I'm a vegetarian, but I digress). But recycling is not alone the answer. Reduction in consumption is the real key to solving the plastic problem and it begins with YOU.

How can you help?

* Carry your own, reusable water bottle. I love my Nalgene that I picked up at Target.
* REFUSE to accept plastic bags when shopping. No, you do NOT want a bag for your gum at 7-Eleven. Keep a canvas tote in your car. Okay they're not all that cute. So buy yourself a fancy one. The FEED Bag will make you feel trendy while you shop in eco-style. Do whatever you need to.
* Support organizations like LA's own Plastic Pollution Coalition that are taking strides against the plastic problem. You can help PPC's efforts by donating, volunteering, or even buying some pretty incredible art by the likes of Raymond Pettibon (see image above), Pam Longobardi and the org's founder and artist Dianna Cohen.

Furniture fit for a grand seat (pun completely intended).

2011-03-16T12:15:00.000-07:00

While I spend most of my day sitting on a plastic Ikea stool, this is born out of my studio apartment's tight space and its owner (um, I mean renter)'s limited budget. If I could, I would park my rear end on finer stuff. Stuff that was equal parts art to functioning furniture. Stuff that was pleasing to the eyes and other senses rather than just to the sitter's itsy bitsy pocketbook (what, you didn't think I was going to say itsy bitsy butt, did you? That would just be a lie). I would park my seat on the likes of the gorgeous furniture designed by Azadeh Shladovsky.

In her first limited-edition furniture collection, Living with Art, Schladovsky explores nature to create powerful expressions that are as beautiful as they are functional. See for yourself how her pieces are superior to your Ikea bean bags at her upcoming show at the Ruth Bachofner Gallery.

Opening Reception
Saturday, March 19
5-7 p

Ruth Bachofner Gallery
Bergamot Station Art Center
2525 Michigan Avenue # G2
Santa Monica, CA

MEAT! and McNuggetinis tonight at Meltdown.

2011-03-03T15:59:00.000-08:00

In the name of great irony, I [the vegetarian] would like to extend to you an invite to MEAT!, an art show inspired by, you guessed it...

Tonight at Meltdown Comics on Sunset Blvd.

There will be art, yes. But serving up cocktails will be my gorgeous, funny and talented friends, Alie and Georgia. They'll be offering McNuggetinis, the boozy, foodie, ice creamy treat that made the headlines and pleased gluttons everywhere last year.

Wanna know more about the BBQ sauce spiked cocktail you'll be enjoying tonight? Let's all take a trip down YouTubey memory lane...

Opening Reception of MEAT!
Thursday, March 3rd 2011
7-10 p

Meltdown Comics
7522 W. Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90046

Timothy Bloom: the music and the [nude] man.

2011-03-03T15:46:00.000-08:00

Oh my god. This video would be insanely hot and steamy if the song wasn't so insanely beautiful. Proof that sometimes sweetness trumps sex.

I may have just cried a little watching. Enjoy.

Download the track from Said the Gramophone.

Catalog shoot. Take one. Ratatat brings it.

2011-03-01T11:18:00.000-08:00

The official vid for 'Drugs' off Ratatat's 2010 album, Lp4. Makes me want to buy button down shirts from a mail order catalogue. Makes me want to order a scrip for anti-depressants. Makes me want to dance.

Video by Carl Burgess.

The Oscar.

2011-02-27T10:52:00.000-08:00

Tonight marks the umpteenth Academy Awards to grace the film industry. Which means the umpteenth Awards to muddle with Hollywood traffic, fill up the style pages of all the gossip rags, and exhaust me.

In honor of that exhaustion, I offer no commentary on a single movie, nor solitary gown. I will not, from hereon out today, discuss the Awards, the celebrities, or the statuesque gold Oscar himself. Unless, like Banksy depicted earlier this month, an army of Star Wars troopers attacks the red carpet. Then maybe I would be interested in further discussion. But only maybe. And probably not.

Vanity Fair makes fancy venue schmancier.

2011-02-18T17:28:00.000-08:00

Vanity Fair is bringing its cultural cache to West Hollywood hotspot Palihouse next week. What does this mean? Well, it all sounds very vague actually and I can't seem to find many details. Maybe it's just a big marketing ploy to book dining reservations during Oscar week. But maybe these 'iconic Vanity Fair photographs and select advertiser integration[s]' will really blow your mind.

Only one way to find out...

February 21-27, 2011

Book reservations with Palihouse.

Ride or Fry. A vegetarian-friendly food truck revolution.

2011-02-16T23:33:00.000-08:00

Food trucks are to restaurants what the made for TV mini series are to film. An inferior substitution. That's in general.

But Dante Fried Chicken food truck isn't anything general. It's like a teenage mutant ninja truck. Awesome. And super powered. And, um, anthropomorphic?

I tried out DFC last week at the Adidas Blue Launch Party. What could possibly have led a vegetarian to step within several feet of a fried chicken truck, you ask?

How about we start with the fried soy chicken. Then let's move on to the weekly variety of Cheese 'Mac Up.'

Then let's discuss how DFC is more than a truck--it's a multimedia experience.

Dante is a real guy. And he hosts a real little web show where he cooks with emerging and not-so emerging artists. Like Santigold, Major Lazer, and other Mad Decent characters.

In an interview, Dante says that 'DFC’s mission is to be a catalyst of interdisciplinary art, dance, music, design, community culture and cuisine.' That is such a sexier mission statement than wanting to serve fusion Korean tacos with no overhead and less frequent health inspections.

Follow DFC on Twitter and get your grit on.

Clare Rojas at the Prism Gallery.

2011-02-16T14:42:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I work on events that I have the distinct pleasure to be able to invite you to. And so it is with the opening of the incredible Clare Rojas exhibit at the Prism Gallery next week. Please join me there. It's going to be a rock rolling, radical, amaze-balls good time.

PRISM invites you to the opening reception for Inside Bleak, the gallery’s first solo presentation of painter and filmmaker Clare Rojas.

As part of Inside Bleak’s opening, Rojas – under her stage name of Peggy Honeywell – will debut several new songs written over the past two years.

February 26, 2011
7 - 10 p
Peggy Honeywell Performance - 9 p

Prism Gallery
8746 W. Sunset Boulevard
West Hollywood, CA

RSVP Essential: prism@nadinejohnson.com

Oh hey now LA. Shake your art thang at the Scion Installation.

2011-02-16T11:49:00.000-08:00

When you think Scion, you think boxy cars for 20 somethings on the one hand, rad art on the other.

In continuing the latter tradition, the LA Scion Gallery is hosting the kickoff event for the brand's 2011 art tour. For this round, artists were tasked with creating non-narrative video installations. And in LA, those artists happen to include talented local yokels Franki Chan, David Choe, Matt Goldman and 7 others that will blow your aesthetic mind.

Opening Reception
Saturday, February 19, 2011
7-10 p

Scion Installation LA
3521 Helms Ave
Culver City, CA 90232

To RSVP, click here .

I still run this thing like a Dancehall Queen.

2011-02-15T16:31:00.000-08:00

The irony of my loving this song by Robyn does not escape me. I am not a Dancehall Queen. I don't even like to go into dancehalls or discotheques or whatever you young, crazy club kids call them these days.

But I do still run this thing.

And I approve of the invention of the word 'shiwouw.'

Co-Directed by Diplo, Red Foxx & Pomp&Clout

The non-celebration of Valentine's Day, a day like any other.

2011-02-14T07:48:00.000-08:00

It's Valentine's Day. And considering that LA has the highest quotient of pretty people per square foot than any other region in the United States (okay, I made that statistic up--it could be Maine, but who are we kidding), I find it surprising that more and more of my friends are single on this most romantic of made-up, commercial holidays.

For my single friends out there, I'd thought--why not put together a guide to fun happenings, events and distractions around the city for the un-coupled to enjoy. And, after another moment, decided that no, I wouldn't do that. I would not attempt to fit round pegs into square holes (I'm nearly certain that that is not how the saying goes but moving on...). Consider the following metaphor. Though I wished I could have a tree in my home every December growing up, we didn't start celebrating Christmas just because I liked the scent of pine and the look of tinsel. And so it is with Valentine's Day. Singletons may like the looks of chocolate hearts and a dozen red roses. But one doesn't just start celebrating Valentine's Day because she's craving sweets and every body else is doing it. So, to my single friends I say this--Happy Valentine's Day. But let's not get too wrapped up in this most Hallmark of holidays. Let's not feel we need to make up for lack of romance with an abundance of Hershey's kisses or expensive meals out with friends. Let's not be small and host anti-Valentine's parties (the Jews didn't protest Christmas just because it wasn't ours to celebrate, remember). Let's all recall our childhood days when we gave a Valentine's Day card to everyone just because they were our friends and even if they weren't and then we went home and ate chicken fingers for dinner just like every other night of the year.

As for my Valentine's Day plans, readers? Let's just say I'll be eating, drinking and being merry. But that's what I do every night.

And if you really need a guide for Valentine's Day activities, check out the LA Weekly's.

Sufjan and I say Good Morning.

2011-02-08T08:04:00.000-08:00

This song by Sufjan Stevens is sick. It's even sicker when performed by Sufjan and his backup crew dancing some wacky moves in some crazy tribal day-glo shiznit.

Lover, will you look from me now
I'm already dead
But I've come to explain
Why I left such a mess on the floor
For when you went away I went crazy
I was wild with the breast of a dog
I ran through the night
With the knife in my chest
With the lust of your loveless life
I walked, because you walked...

Oh my stars. Susan Miller at the Beverly Center today!

2011-02-07T12:14:00.000-08:00

Normally I wouldn't promote an event at the mall. That's so--ugh--pedestrian. And a meet and greet, no less. I mean, what am I--a teenage girl going to meet Bieber at the Wetzel's Pretzels?

Okay, maybe today I am.

Super on-it astrologer Susan Miller will be offering 10 minute sessions with customers at the Henri Bendel location inside the Beverly Center to celebrate the store's fragrance collection.

Am I going to get bamboozled into buying a scent I probably don't want? Maybe. Might I wait in line longer than is dignified for a woman my age and with the amount of work I have to do today? It's likely. Am I going to go? You're damn straight I am.

Fragrance Fortunes by Susan Miller

Get a one-on-one 10 minute reading at a Bendel’s near you.
First come, first served.

Monday, February 7
1pm-9pm

Beverly Center
Los Angeles, California

Make ya dance. Make ya smile.

2011-02-04T11:53:00.000-08:00

Dancing in my seat and I want you to as well.

Like the song but the awesome low budg video? You can download the track for free at Said the Gramophone.

John Bock brings weirdness to Weho.

2011-02-02T06:09:00.000-08:00

John Bock is a German born artist working in multimedia, film, and video. His stuff looks totally weird. And I'm totally sold.

The Regen Projects presents his work in an upcoming installation opening this Saturday.

John Bock
February 5 - March 5, 2011

Opening Reception
Saturday, February 5
6-8 pm

Regen Projects II
9016 Santa Monica Boulevard
(at Almont Drive)

Not convinced that this kid's cool? Here's a still from a 2007 film of his. Don't know about you, but that contraption screams Jessie B. R. It also screams John Waters/scrambled eggs/raging lunatic. But whatevs.

Dorian Wood. Voice like a big ole angel.

2011-01-31T10:47:00.000-08:00

I am, on occasion, wrong. This is not something that happens frequently nor that we like to talk about for too long. So, in brief. Last week, I told y'all about the Slake LA reading which happened last night. But I neglected to include in my note that there would be musical interludes by a Dorian Wood. It seemed a trivial point to mention and a silly act to include in a reading--this was not cabaret night after all.

Please, please, please forgive me for negligence. At last night's reading (which was great, thanks talented Slake writers), Dorian Wood's performance was not only noteworthy, it was the highlight [for me, that is].

Wood's vocals are like Coco Rosie and maybe Etta James' gorgeous love child (let's not get too wrapped up in the impossibility of this metaphor, k). And they're met by his skillful piano stylings to create this awesome, riveting performance. It's not just music. It's live art.

If you missed Wood last night (sorry again), you can catch the LA based performer this coming month right here in Downtown LA.

February 21, 2011

Dorian Wood
Bordello
901 East 1st Street
Los Angeles, CA

The Winter X Games come to LA. Sort of.

2011-01-30T09:41:00.000-08:00

And you thought the only place to watch the Winter X Games was in Aspen. Are you kidding. The entire city of LA just got back from 5 feet of snow in Sundance. Who needs any more of that?

Consider this like a win-win courtesy of vitaminwater. The awesome beverage brand is inviting you to get your X Games viewing on this afternoon from sunny LA with a chance to try their new flavor, win prizes, and catch some tunes by LA's own DJ Spider. So much awesomeness.

Have fun.

Nicki Minaj's fairy tale fashion.

2011-01-29T09:40:00.000-08:00

In Nicki Minaj's new music video for 'Moment 4 Life,' the Cinderella story gets a modern day, hip-hop twist. And just in time for Valentine's Day, female rapper dreams do come true.

Those familiar with the original fairy tale will recognize some key changes in the highly stylized story line in Minaj's version...

* Cinderella's footwear of choice is no longer glass slippers. It's blinged out Louboutin stilettos.
* Cinderella isn't into rags for her work around the palace any more. It's all flashy gold studded numbers now that reveal breast, breast and more breast.
* The Prince (Drake, swoon)'s wardrobe has given up royal robes in Nicki's fantasy fairy tale land. He dons a drab black pant and shirt for most of the video. But he still looks good. And so we're willing to suspend our disbelief.

Nicki Minaj - New Music - More Music Videos

[via Interview Magazine]

simplethings. Sandwiches that are anything but simple.

2011-01-28T10:55:00.000-08:00

The other day a friend told me about a new cafe on West 3rd Street. This cafe supposedly served a sandwich that offered a Thanksgiving meal between 2 slices of bread. While turkey and gravy is not on my list of vegetarian 'acceptable' items, the ingenuity of the meal did not escape me.

Yesterday I had the good fortune to visit this sandwich innovator, simplethings sandwich and pie shop, myself. The new restaurant recently took over one of West 3rd's shuttered storefronts. The restaurant that was there previously was not very good and its name is unimportant now (also, I cannot remember it). What is important is ohmygoodness how amazing the new lunch spot on one of my fave LA streets is. While I'm usually not one for sandwiches, there was no way I could not try the Sweet Potato--a revolutionary new meal that pairs carb (grilled sweet potato) with more carb (pretzel roll, mmmmmmm), throws in some sweet thangs like apples and onions and avocado, and creates the most sensational burst of flavor in my mouth. Ever (or in a very long time).

Next time I head over to simplethings I'll be munching on the Vegan Po Boy. Partially cause I love tofu. But mostly cause I like saying 'po'--it makes me feel sassy. And I'll also be eating pie. Cause it's a pie shop after all. And when in Rome...

simplethings sandwich and pie shop
8310 W 3rd Street
Los Angeles, CA

[Image via simplethings.]

Against the Stream. Buddhism for a new, punk generation.

2011-01-26T07:40:00.000-08:00

As most of you will remember, your favorite Blackberry loving, laptop toting, big city blogger spent several days of her November at a Buddhist monastery in the mountains--surrounded by nuns, unplugged from her MacBook Pro, and without a phone to phone home. And as beautiful as my time down there in the mobile-dead zone mountains was, I found the experience lacking certain key elements I might look for in a spiritual community. First, it should be noted that our teachers at the monastery were monastic. Let me spell this out for you. These folks take their vows and then never leave. There are also key components like brown robes and celibacy that didn't really resonate with me. (Not that brown's not my color.) So while the trip sparked my interest in Buddhism, it did put me on a search for teachers who looked like me (i.e. prefers jeans over robes), talked like me, and wanted the same things out of a community as me. And I recently found that right here in LA. More specifically--on Melrose. Just a couple of miles from my apartment. Whowouldathunk.

Against the Stream was founded by Noah Levine, author of Dharma Punx, less than a decade ago. Noah, and many of his congregation (is that even the word? I'm perhaps mixing up my Jewish speak with my Buddhist speak.) are young, fully inked, and have a rough past. Okay, I may have just one small tattoo and my past does not include jail time, but I can relate. And this past weekend I began a year long class on Buddhism. This is not a conversion, nor a religious pursuit. [I'd like to think] this isn't part of any quarter life crisis. This is just an education. And so far it has been wonderful. From learning that the Buddha left home at 29 to begin his journey toward enlightenment (hey, I'm 29--there is still time for me!) to meeting a large group of people, from ages 25 - 65 who still just want to learn, it's been quite a ride so far.

I'll keep you posted as the year goes by if I have any deep, spiritual awakenings you should know about. But though that's unlikely, I do hope to gain a deeper sense of mindfulness and compassion. And these are aspects of ourselves which most of us have left underdeveloped.

Curious about Against the Stream? Pop in for one of the sangha's weekly classes on the East Side (what what!) or the West Side.

Against the Steam
4300 Melrose Ave.
Los Angeles, CA
(at Heliotrope)

1001a Colorado Avenue
Santa Monica, CA

LA literary types in the flesh at Slake's first reading.

2011-01-25T13:06:00.000-08:00

If you haven't yet heard, Slake is LA's new literary pub edited by LA Weekly ex-ers, Laurie Ochoa and Joe Donnely. And it's not only LA based. It's LA focused. And that should excite all of our narcissistic, LA's-better-than-your-city-cause-we've-got-great-weather-and-hot-chicks tendencies. I know it satiates mine.

This Sunday, Slake will be infiltrating the Hotel Cafe for its first Hollywood reading. Readers will include:

• Dana Goodyear
• John Albert
• Dana Johnson
• Joseph Mattson
• Victoria Patterson
• Rachel Resnick
• Joe Donnelly

I will be there. Won't all of you Angelenos not prepping for an award show, getting a Brazilian (whatever kind of Brazilian y'all get these days), or reliving the Jersey Shore [when it was still Stateside] on TiVo, join me?

Hotel Cafe Reading
Sunday, January 30 at 6 p

Hotel Cafe
1623 1/2 N. Cahuenga Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90028

To RSVP, click here.

Helloooo pretty people. (Or, work does not always suck.)

2011-01-24T13:49:00.000-08:00

The latest covers I've worked on. On stands now. That is if you're near stands in Las Vegas or New York.

Read the story on Emmy Rossum in Vegas Magazine here.

Read the story on Diane Kruger in Gotham Magazine here.

S'muffins. Your memory haunts me. (& more from LA Art Show's Saturday soiree.)

2011-01-23T21:39:00.000-08:00

Last night, my partner in crime D and I headed downtown to check out the LA Art Show's party with the Cooper Design Space. First of all, I should clarify that the 'crime' we partnered in was nothing more than a VeeV cocktail, a little dessert and a return to Hollywood before 11 pm. Second of all, I need to introduce you to a culinary discovery I only myself made last night.

New [to LA] mozzarella bar Obika was catering the event. And while I was hardly interested in cheese after earlier overindulgence, I was interested--very interested--in these:

D, who is far better informed than I on the subject of trendy desserts, let me know that these puppies are known as s'muffins. See, I just would have called them Mounds Of Heaven That Fit In My Hand. But s'muffins is indeed a much catchier name. They're a cross, if you haven't sorted it out for yourself already, between a s'more and a muffin. The bottom layer is graham cracker cake. The middle-a bit of chocolate goo. And the top-a perfectly toasted marshmallow. It's bakery Gotta Have S'more that actually introduced the confection to the market I believe. And while Obika's version was alright, it's really the concept that gets me. It's--in a word--Genius. In two words--highly desirable.

Clearly it's moved me enough to pen this lengthy blog post. One that you might have suspected would actually have been about art, rather than marshmallows.

So, lest I ignore the real focus of last night's celebration of the arts, let me briefly introduce you to the Steben Twins who performed, most impressively, at the party. These ladies (twin ladies. obviously.) did things on rope and with each other (no, not sexual things. they're twins for godsake.) that I will never even dream of achieving in my lifetime. Not, I might add, that I have any particular desire to achieve such things with rope.

I would imagine that the Steben Twins do not indulge in s'muffins.

To see the twins' incredible, acrobatic feats, you can catch them in this old Cirque footage.

Spotted: Picaso, Botero & a couple of modern masters in Downtown LA.

2011-01-20T23:09:00.000-08:00

No, this isn't a 'Stars-they're just like us' kind of feature. Picaso was not spotted at the Hyde Lounge at the Staples Center. Botero was not seen shopping for denim at wholesale in the Fashion District.

The LA Art Show just arrived to the LA Convention Center last night and its boasting works by the old masters and contemporary creators alike. That's all.

Like any trade show at the LA Convention Center, it's ginormous and has rows and rows of exhibitor booths that a person could get lost in. Here's a clue. If you get lost, just keep heading left. You'll find the bar.

In all seriousness though, it's a must see. Though not everyone yet believes in Los Angeles as a cultural destination, a) this show may change your mind with a strong showing by established SoCal galleries, and b) galleries from around the world are represented. China and Korea each have a large presence and a Cuban Gallery is showing for the first time ever in the US. And, oh, who knew Kat Von D had a gallery now? Not me, that's who. And that's surely worth a look-see.

Below, some of my favorite pieces from the show

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

LA Art Show
January 19 - 23, 2011

Los Angeles Convention Center
West Hall A, 1201 South Figueroa Street
Los Angeles, CA 90015

The Creators Project to transform the desert.

2011-01-19T07:55:00.000-08:00

The Creators Project is an online showcase of all that is musical and artistic and innovative and digital. It is a partnership between Intel and Vice Magazine, 2 unlikely brands to partner with each other. Artists and innovators that are involved whose names you might recognize include: Diplo, Andy Mueller, Phoenix, Spike Jonze, Cassette Playa, and Alexandre Herchcovitch. I can't explain The Creators Project any better than they can so for more info on the project you can turn here.

But what I really want to let you know is that the Creators Project will be partnering with your favorite Cali music fest, Coachella, this year. And it'll be a pretty sick deal. The Creators Project will have folks from the lineup create new pieces of work. They'll bring new players to the stage from around the world. And, it sounds, like they'll be offering a new and amazing visual, auditory, sensory experience for all y'all--both the elevated and the sober--to appreciate.

You can check out footage from The Creators Project archives here for a taste of what's to come this April. In the desert.

Oh, and for the lone person out there who hasn't peeped the full 2011 Coachella line up yet, you can find it here.

Style Watch: the Dalai Lama.

2011-01-18T12:34:00.000-08:00

His Holiness the Dalai Lama gets a lot of credit. When he's not doing the do with the Obamas, shaking hands and holding babies, he's jetsetting internationally to offer sermons to adoring fans and followers, offering inspiration to millions, and sharing his teachings with a very needy population of human beings.

But has anyone ever credited His Holiness with the most kick-ass specs I've ever seen on a sage? Maybe they have. Maybe I'm behind. But, just in case--his glasses rule. I mean, first off--the shape. Big is so 'in' right now. And the almost maroon top of the frame? A--it's a great splash of color against his complexion. B--it's different. And C--it matches his robe!

Love this man's style.

I just wanna love you Z Pizza.

2011-01-17T22:50:00.000-08:00

I just think we need to take a moment to give props where props are due. And Z Pizza deserves our props.

Reasons why we should all love Z Pizza:

* Pizza toppings, sauces and accouterments on the menu include truffle oil, thai peanut sauce, veggie burger, and yams (yes, yams!).

* Options for dietary freaks like me include vegan cheese and a gluten free crust.

* You can order your food ahead online. Like, hours ahead. Days ahead even! Like, I could order a pizza now for tomorrow morning if I wanted to eat pizza for breakfast tomorrow morning. Which I don't. But, ya know, I might some day.

* There's a location on Larchmont, which is just my favoritest street in all of Los Angeles.

Z Pizza
123 North Larchmont
Los Angeles CA, 90004

Jessie B. R., branded.

2011-01-16T23:43:00.000-08:00

I'd like to introduce you to my initials, made better and brighter by the talented Marta Cerdà Alimbau. Some people just leave everything they touch in better shape than the way they found it. Marta is one of those peeps. The biggest thanks to her for making my ole J. B. R. stand loud and proud.

Sunday bliss, LA style.

2011-01-16T16:35:00.000-08:00

According to weather.com, it's currently 79 degrees in Los Angeles. Let's just accept that as a truth and a basis for everything else about today.

Now that we understand that it's warm (read gorgeous) out, let's walk together through the perfect day that was [and is and will be for a while] today.

9:30 a. Wake up late. If feel a bit sad that a wake up time prior to 10 am now constitutes a 'late' rise, but ce la vie--we're not in college anymore I guess. The internal clocks just don't work like they used to.

10:00 a. Read the NY Times' Weddings & Celebrations section. This is Sunday ritual. I'd like to confirm in case you don't know that this is perfectly normal and healthy behavior for a girl in her late 20s and not a cry for single help. I just like the romance. Today, I read and feel a little bit bad for Patience, one of the featured brides, who keeps referring to her now husband Sam as 'popular.' I hope that her weird high school status issues don't haunt her marriage and wish them luck.

10:45 a. Decide that a nap is not a good idea just an hour after I woke up and opt to go to yoga instead. I also decide walking might be fun given the awesome, amazing, inspired (are you getting this New Yorkers??) weather we are having in LA this weekend.

11:00 a. With just half an hour before class time and a 2 mile walk from Koreatown to Larchmont ahead, I book it. As it's sunny and hot out already, I break a sweat in just a tank top.

11:30 a. Class with Amy LaFond, one of YogaWork's best and most popular teachers. Amy's classes are always tight and even tighter post-New Year when everyone's returned to their workout routine as part of some so-called resolution. I secretly hope that everyone's resolutions are forgotten by February. But our mats are close and I am glad I wore deodorant.

1 p. I stroll through the Larchmont Farmer's Market. Since I'm already here and all. I eat samples of scones and fruit and I do it with no intention to buy anything and I feel okay about it.

1:15 p. I've seen enough young couples and their babies and their dogs and their yoga mats on Larchmont for one day. I remember I walked 2 miles to class today. I realize that means I have to walk 2 miles home. What goes up must come down. What goes on feet somewhere must go on feet back. Unless she's a hooker and catches a ride. But I'm not. So I walk.

2 - 5 p. I wash dishes. I clean floors. I sit around in my studio in not much at all and don't run somewhere fast or run errands or call anyone. The light is still coming in through the shades and I read. I lie around and I'm happy about it cause I need this some Sundays.

That's Sunday in LA people. That's Sunday bliss right there. Booya!

[image via la.streetsblog.org]

The Colour of Money.

2011-01-12T12:14:00.000-08:00

There are so many reasons to go to Ultravelvet's opening this Saturday night at the Guy Hepner Gallery it would be remiss of me to try to say there's a number one reason for you to get your butt over. But okay, okay, I'll do my very best. As a spelling snob (you often wouldn't know it by reading my writing here, I know, I know), let me start with the spectacular spelling of the word 'Colour.' It's the British way. It's the proper way. It's the way I love--with an ou--that makes the whole word seem richer and fuller and better than the American spelling would. And that friends is my number one reason for you to check out what is surely going to be a sick show. Because you asked and all. All the other reasons you can find in the flyer above, in the blurb below, and at Guy's website here.

The Colour of Money
January 15, 2011
8:30 p

DRINKS, DJ'S, VIDEO INSTALL, AND GOOD COMPANY ALL INCLUDED.
RSVP: info@guyhepner.com

Guy Hepner Gallery
300 N. Robertson Blvd.
West Hollywood, CA

How I stalked a single by Mister Brett Dennen.

2011-01-11T00:11:00.000-08:00

I discovered Brett Dennen (...scrap that--I hate when people say 'I discovered.' We didn't discover sh*t. If we discovered sh*t, we'd be in A&R and making money. And we don't work in A&R. And we're certainly not making money. So, to rephrase, I realized my major love for Brett Dennen...) when I heard the same snippet of his song, Blessed, played over and over again via a Hilton Hotel advertisement on Hulu.com a few years back. I realize this is the second blog post in a row where I make mention of my avid TV watching. You can either judge or we can just keep it moving. Keep it moving? Okay, thanks, cause I know you've got an addiction to crime dramas and Bravo reality TV too. So, a few years ago, I have Brett Dennen's song drilled into my head until I absolutely/must/life-or-death-kind-of-thing, download it on iTunes.

Skip to last week. I hear a song on KCRW while driving. And as my Blackberry is dying and I always email myself lyrics of songs I love on the radio (yes. While driving. I email. I knooooow. But we've already agreed to a judgement free zone here. So, moving on...) I dig an envelope out of my bag, unearth a pen from the pit of my car, and jot down a few words here and there. For Googling later. Well, several days and before I've had the chance to remember I even had an envelope with words on it (or a check inside waiting to be deposited) later, I hear the song again. And this time the DJ announces its owner so to speak--a Mister Brett Dennen. Whatdyaknow! I say to myself. And this time I vow to Google. Like immediately. And download (with same immediacy).

Skip again to several days later still (cause 'immediately' holds all sorts of its own meaning in my universe) and I take to searching the iTunes Store for Mister Dennen's latest and greatest song that I must own, like, yesterday. I listen through each and every preview on his new album. And though the new album's fine and all, none of the songs are a match. Sh*t! I say to myself. And I Google some more. Cause there is nothing and no one I cannot Google my way to the bottom of (keep this in mind for later stalking assignments, friends and readers). And I search for 'KCRW Brett Dennen 2011.' And long story really (really freaking) long, I find the track listed on a recent Morning Becomes Eclectic playlist. Sydney, it's called! But it's 'promo only,' it says! Damn, I think.

So, in a last attempt at conquest over this new song I search again. And while the best I could come up with is this promo video of Brett in the studio 'overdubbing tambourine and some cymbal' onto the track which you see above, it is pretty darn sufficient for now. And dare I say, seeing Mr. Dennen in all his magnificent nerdiness--overmatched rainbow ensemble, glasses my grandfather left at Salvation Army 50 years ago and my mother would so desperately want to clean, red mop of hair beneath trucker hat--only adds to my love for this artist that I've stalked once, I've now stalked twice, and, if history shows anything, I'll stalk again.

P.S. The album, Loverboy, that you'll be able to find Sydney on is due out in 2011.

P.P.S. Yes, Brett Dennen's label publicist, I would absolutely love tickets to Mr. Dennen's next LA show in exchange for this glowing and unsolicited ramble. Thanks.

Tardy for the Party = grave danger for fate of music industry.

2011-01-10T23:07:00.000-08:00

I caught a clip of 'The Real Housewives of Atlanta.' Okay, I watched an entire episode on my laptop. But I've been sick, dammit--bad TV is excusable when you're sick (at least it was on days 1 thru 7 of the sickness--today might be stretching the permissions)! So, in this clip, token white Housewife Kim talks about her 'passion for music' as she preps for her 7 day club tour. I could only imagine. I needed to hear her one hit wonder for myself. What I discovered is an off-key horror I can only describe as 'you've got to hear it to believe it.'

Why this woman made one cent off this single while great talents are stuck bussing tables in Denny's Restaurants across Hollywood I just don't know. But apparently the gay community likes her. C'mon gays--I thought you had Judy Garland as your gold standard. For shame!

Happy New Year, a week late but nothing short.

2011-01-07T14:51:00.000-08:00

They say that one's year is dictated by how she rings it in. If that's the case, I'm not sure what to make of my year to come. For the last couple of days of 2010 and the first several of '11, I've been experiencing the kind of sickness that encompasses one's head in a bubble of congestion and makes everything outside that bubble seem like slow-motion cinema of surreal proportions.

But during the last couple of days, I have experienced this shattering lucidness in the bubble. Light has seemingly been drawn on matters as large as my purpose here (yeah, like on Earth) and as small as my love for carbohydrates (yes, I do love bagels!). And everything has seemed extraordinarily wonderful and shiny and new since then. I realize that what I am experiencing is likely nothing more than shortness of oxygen to the brain. But, oh, how glorious the high.

And where I'd had zero New Year's resolutions before, I now have several.

1. I want to learn! I'm not done learning I realized in the car yesterday (whether or not I should be driving is agreeably disputable). I want to read. I want to take classes. I want to make up for the last ten years of brain stagnancy.

2. I want to eat bagels! As previously stated, I have rediscovered a love for the chewy, soft circles of carbohydrate that I've denied myself for many years. But I love bagels. And I want to have things that I love. I want to have them every day. I want to savor them in beautiful parks. I want to pull over on the side of the road to eat them with the concentration they deserve. Sometimes, I want to eat them in bed with an open jar of peanut butter. Life is short, and I want my short life to be full of bagels!

3. I want to appreciate life! It is beautiful out, the weather in Los Angeles this week. It is sunny and the air is fresh and the whole city feels like it's full of the greatest possibilities. I am sick, but I'm not that sick. I am a little down in the dumps for being stuck in a perpetual state of feverish looniness, but life could be worse. I wish I had more money, but I could always have less. Basically, life kicks ass but it's so damn short and I'm turning 30 in 2011 and you better believe I'm about to start kicking the 2nd third of my lif'e's butt--this year and then the next and hopefully the year after that one too.

So, a long and drawn out and much belated Happy New Year from me to you. Being stuck inside this congestion bubble has opened my mind up to the wondrous all around me. I hope you can see it too. May you feel a little bit of the manic joy I've felt this week from a headcold all year round.

xo * Jessie

An hour's worth of quality holiday entertainment for the day after.

2010-12-26T07:37:00.000-08:00

It's not only Sunday. But it's the Day After Christmas kind of Sunday. Which means that you have double excuse to sit back on your couch, get ahold of the remote controls, and not move all morning.

But you've got hours still until football. So how bout you spend an hour of that lazy day listening to something worthwhile. Like This American Life's Comedians of Christmas Holiday Special. Acts 3 and 5 are the best so have some patience or fast forward.

Enjoy.

Knitting for a new generation.

2010-12-22T13:13:00.000-08:00

If I could knit, I'd want to knit this. Oh, and I'd also want to look like that while sitting on my knit motorbike. (While dreaming, always dream big, right?)

Find out more about the creators, Knittaplease, and watch the corresponding video here.

Photo by Mike Piscitelli

[via Insight]

The truth behind creationism, c/o Ricky Gervais.

2010-12-22T13:03:00.000-08:00

In honor of the most religious of all holidays, Christmas, I offer you Ricky Gervais' satirical translation of the Book of Genesis.

[via Flavorwire]

I just want to love you dear.

2010-12-20T17:12:00.000-08:00

Everybody's gotta love someone. But I just wanna love you dear. Everybody's gotta feel something. I just want to be with you my dear.

Oh my bleeding heart, this song by BK-based band, The Drums, is so good. Check the remix.

Jurassic jewels.

2010-12-20T10:41:00.000-08:00

Love these bold, playful pieces from Australian based jewelry (and homeware) designers, Dinosaur Designs. Especially digging the recent Bones collection.

It's a sexy Cupid-Meets-Christ kind of holiday.

2010-12-18T22:31:00.000-08:00

Count the following amongst tidbits of information to which you will reply 'Who knew!?' in your lifetime: In Japan, where Christianity is a minority faith, the Christmas holiday is celebrated as a more commercial occasion (sound familiar?) than religious, with the emphasis on Christmas Eve, happiness, presents, and...romance. [Cue: wide eyes, long gasp, exclamation in unison of 'Who knew?!'] Long story short (mostly because I don't know the whole story), it's not considered favorable to be single round this time. LA based party people New Noir, are throwing a Japanese style holiday party, 'Christmas is for Cupid,' to honor that strange tradition. So, grab the sexiest holiday wares the cold weather will allow and head on over to Royal/T next Wednesday for the ho-ho-ho-down.

The event will feature tunes, dancing, ping-pong, and a naughty costume contest. Gift bags'll be raffled off and tacos'll be served up.

Now get ready to be shocked yet again. Fried chicken is also customary at Japanese Christmas. But that is neither here, nor there, and certainly not of interest to this vegetarian.

Christmas is for Cupid
December 22nd
7 p - 12 a

Royal/T
8910 Washington Boulevard
Culver City, CA 90232

Tickets available online for $10. But my readers can score 15% off using the code SANTA at checkout.

See you there!

Mr. Brainwash still believes in love.

2010-12-18T07:12:00.000-08:00

Mr Brainwash is releasing a special holiday print, "I Still Believe In Love."

While I do believe in Santa--I mean, I just saw him at the mall shaking a bucket of change--this print by the famed street artist and documentarian (Exit Through The Gift Shop) is for a good cause.

Proceeds from the sale will go to the charity, "Toys for Tots," which spreads "a message for hope to less fortunate youngsters" this holiday season.

Price: $175

How to: host a crafty holiday party.

2010-12-17T12:38:00.000-08:00

In LA, we do our best to fake it through the holiday season. We hang the usual lights above Wilshire Boulevard, we host parties touting 'snow' (white paper cutouts do not count, people), and we run clothing drives for Skid Row (because what the homeless down there really need is your old Juicy tracksuit).

Despite temps that don't fall below 50, we can still have genuine holiday fun. Here's a tip on how c/o my great friends Amy and Nat who hosted a killer holiday bash last week in Brooklyn. Instead of just serving the expected egg nog and gingerbread cookies, they put guests to work in an Ornament Making, crafts for big kids fashion. This is genius for reasons twofold.

1. Hosts may end the party with the usual wine spills and shattered glasses to clean up, but also with a fully decorated tree. Score.

2. Guests have something to do. And guests need something to do. Because we've all already used up our small talk during the previous 11 months of the year.

All you need is old magazines, crafty items (think pipe cleaners), random items from your junk drawer or the 99 Cents Store (cake toppers, stickers, letters from old boyfriends that are ripe for cutting up), adhesive*, and hooks for hanging.

* NB - Hot glue guns seem like a great idea, but clumsy guests (ahem, yes, me) may end up with 2nd degree burns. Have a First Aid Kit on hand!

Below, some of the decorative highlights from Amy & Nat's party (the first two are mine--please note that ornaments can make statements as well as be pleasing to the eye, i.e. my Don't Ask Don't Tell tribute)...

Giveaways are good: BITNB Jesse Spears Tank.

2010-12-14T09:51:00.000-08:00

I give big tips. I give apples to homeless men. I give a hoot. I give stuff away like it's my bidness. And lucky for you, and you, and you, I'm starting some giveaways on this here blog. They'll be regular. Not like every Tuesday regular. But regular enough that you should check back in once in a while. Ya know, so you don't miss a thing.

This week, Jessie B. R. (that's me) and BITNB (that's the often-mentioned-on-this-blog, amazing, unique tee collection, Blood is the New Black) are giving away one of my favorite pieces from the line. Designed by artist Jesse Spears, the Britney Spears tank makes a statement. And what that statement is is totally up to the wearer. I'm giving the shirt away. I'm not gonna tell you what it bloody means as well.

To enter this one, click here and retweet.

Or, fill out the below...

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A winner will be chosen at random on Monday, December 27th. So keep an eye on your tweets (that sounds so delightfully dirty) and email to see if you won. Good luck!

Art Barter. I would've offered a first born.

2010-12-13T06:20:00.000-08:00

When I read about Art Barter, I had to go and try my luck at procuring a new piece of art--the kind of thing one never needs but always wants.

Art Barter operates like this. Works by a number of renowned and talented artists are hung in a group show. Pieces are neither priced nor openly credited to their creator (though some of them are signed or just very characteristic of the artist and therefore pretty transparent). Guests and art lovers then make offers on the pieces they fancy. Non-monetary offers.

Take my offer for barter, for instance. I filled out the 'Offer' field...

And then I filled out the entire back too.

My final offer read as follows:

1. A long weekend (4 days, let's say) in my studio apartment in Koreatown, Los Angeles. It's not a lovely building, no. It once was, maybe, but not any more. There are apartments occupied by 5 when there should be one. There is garbage in the hall sometimes. But it's got character. And I've made (I think) the best one can in my own little unit. And dirt & despair inspires artists, so they say - inspires creativity? So really--what I'm offering you--is an opportunity to be inspired. Oh, and you may use my parking spot too. I'd take that if I were you. I got held up earlier this year on a nearby street.

2. If Offer 1's not of interest, I'd be willing instead to send you 1 funny, inspiring email a day for a month. xo

Fingers crossed that the artist responsible for No. 16, an incredible photograph, finds average to inferior living conditions as alluring as I do. If so, I may need somewhere to crash for the weekend when he/she comes to claim what's his/hers.

Sit on this. My first cover is on stands now.

2010-12-10T11:18:00.000-08:00

For those who don't know, I've been working with the incredible publishing house, Niche Media, working on their LA based cover shoots as a Sittings Editor of sorts. LA folks--you all know their LA mag, LA Confidential. This cover was done for the publication's NYC sister, Gotham Magazine. Anne Hathaway and the entire crew on set that day was lovely to work with. So this stunningly lovely cover that resulted is no surprise.

Read the cover story on Anne here.

Jonathan Adler for a cause & caffeine.

2010-12-09T12:00:00.000-08:00

Project (RED) launched several years ago, teaming up with big brands to develop cool products whose proceeds would go to support HIV and AIDS progams. The incredible project has only grown bigger and more effective since.

Design star Jonathan Adler has now joined the fight, designing a travel mug for Starbucks that is--dare I say this and risk demeaning the cause--really freaking adorable.

Beside supporting (RED) with the purchase of a mug, you of course also support the green movement. Enough with those cardboard sleeves already, ya hear?

Pick up your Adler mug to go at your local Starbucks or shop the (STARBUCKS)RED collection online and make your holiday shopping dollars count.

Cool Hunting's pop-up gift mecca. [NYC]

2010-12-09T06:45:00.000-08:00

Shopping for the holidays can be like a slow, month-long death to the creativity and authenticity of generosity.

How much did Jimmy Jo spend on me last year? I'll have to get him exactly three and a half sets of wool socks to make good.

Or, little Janey is just growing so quickly these days. A gift card seems best. Is Starbucks credit appropriate for a 4 year old?

Well, Cool Hunting--blogging purveyors of pretty much everything awesome and fresh in culture, arts, tech and design--have launched a pop-up shop with Gap in NYC this holiday season which guarantees that each and every gift you get will at least start a conversation that doesn't end in Where's the closest location for me to return this?

From frivolous items like customizable trophies (I want an 'Imma Winner' engraving) to books by cool peeps (like Amy Sedaris) to decorative collaborations with design gods (like Jonathan Adler--check out his butt bust below) to unique edibles (like some amazing chocolate--yes, I sampled, and tasty pickles), the store is an amazing treasure trove of gifts for your nearest and dearest [and yourself].

Below the jump, some of my favorite items in the store. I didn't officially register or anything, but ya know, take this as an official hint of my holiday wish list...

Cool Hunting Pop Up
680 5th Avenue
New York, NY 10019

Open through January 2nd (except for Xmas day)

A little bit of NY noise at Playhouse Hollywood.

2010-12-09T05:35:00.000-08:00

Just in time for my return to LA next week, my good friend, NY's best and best dressed DJ, DJ Reach, is coming to town. Catch him with me at Playhouse a week from tonight. (And you know if I'm leaving my apartment into the cold...and into the cold in Hollywood no less, than he must be just that good.)

Thursday, December 16th

Playhouse
6506 Hollywood Blvd.
Hollywood, CA

Get yourself excited for his appearance with a taste of his last venture to our fair city below...

The Bird and the Bee. And you but not me.

2010-12-07T12:43:00.000-08:00

I'm in New York for the week. But you--you're most likely in LA. So go to this for me, would you? I adore the sweet sounds of The Bird and the Bee and am rueful that I'll be missing this free (yes, you heard me--FREE) performance they're doing as part of the Mondrian Sessions--the hotel's cool new monthly musical night cohosted by KCRW and other cool LA kats, like style bible Refinery 29.

Mondrian Hotel
8440 Sunset Boulevard
West Hollywood, CA

FREE
RSVP to skybarla@morganshotelgroup.com

LA band Warpaint covers Bowie.

2010-12-07T05:50:00.000-08:00

Like Warpaint cause they're LA based. Like 'em cause it's members are all super cute ladies. Like 'em cause they were just this week nominated for BBC's Sound of 2011 (and the BBC knows what's up).

[Thanks to my friend Dylan Willoughby for sharing this video.]

Corporate design that's more art than ad.

2010-12-06T18:45:00.000-08:00

In plowing through hundreds of portfolios recently on Behance, the web's awesome crowdsourced network of designers, artists, and other creative types, I discovered the work of Spanish artist Marta Cerda Alimbau. Alimbau has created designs for international brands including Ray Ban, Nike, Coca Cola, Beautiful Decay, Kleenex, and more.

A note to the artist: Your work, dear Marta, is sick.

Diet Coke, inspiring designers, inspiring me.

2010-12-06T12:36:00.000-08:00

When I lost my luggage this weekend...I'm sorry--when the airline lost my luggage...my first stop was Target. Spending money on new clothing would be admission that my bag was lost forever. And, well, I'm just not ready to admit that. So, off to Target for affordable, temporary replacements to traipse around Long Island in it was. Much to my great pleasure I discovered a 'Vintage' line of sweatshirts and tees that the mega-superduper-giganto retailer now carries. And lo and behold, I found a heather gray sweatshirt emblazoned with my favorite beverage, Diet Coke's, logo--this is a sweatshirt I would have purchased if my luggage had arrived. This is the sweatshirt I was meant to own, to proudly wear while coolly sipping, what else, a cold can of DC.

But in an attempt to find an image online to share with you of my new favorite dud I discovered these puppies. It turns out that sneaker brand PUMA has a thing for my beloved beverage too. Peep these Diet Coke First Round Soda kicks from PUMA's retro-inspired collection. Love.

And perfect timing for the discovery as my new Puma sneaks are amongst the items lost in my bag lost in turn in baggage purgatory.

VOGUE (and I) invite you to the Lacoste store.

2010-12-02T00:29:00.000-08:00

Vogue invites you to brighten the season with Lacoste in San Francisco. Vogue's Market Stylist (that's me!) will be on hand to shop with you from 5:30 - 7:30 pm tonight--Thursday, December 2nd--while enjoying cocktails, passed apps, and a live DJ.

See you there San Francisco!

xx * Jessie

Glamorous: the real behind the scenes of the making of an award show.

2010-12-01T11:49:00.000-08:00

When you think Award Show, you may think red carpet, celebrities, mediocre jokes.

Well, the truth behind award shows can be found in some behind the scenes pictures from our WMMA Awards production office below. They feature not fancy gowns nor famous mugs, but food, food, more food, and then some recycled meeting room air. Guest starring late night loopiness and frozen yogurt trips. Also, a cameo with our Coordinating Producer and one of our fave UFC fighters, Jon Jones, who came by to grab his tickets and provide a brief moment of reprieve.

Las Vegas, City of Sin and Shows.

2010-11-29T18:07:00.000-08:00

For those of you who have wondered how I ended up going straight from a Buddhist Monastery to Las Vegas, City of Sin, this is how...

I'm happily working on talent and Presenters for the WMMA Awards again. I'll admit--I'm not well versed in the new sport, but the folks involved in this industry as well as the fighters themselves are as nice as can be. A fact that's hard to believe considering it's a sport popular for its blood, guts and violence.

If you happen to be in Vegas this Wednesday, December 1st, join us at the event!

Tickets are available online through the Palms Hotel.

The Making of a Bed, Part Un: The Bed.

2010-11-29T06:42:00.000-08:00

Three years ago I moved into the studio which I'm still residing in in always sunny, always shady Koreatown, Los Angeles. At that time, I moved without anything more than a shoddy metal bookshelf and some sheets. I slept on the floor for 2 days and then hurriedly bought the cheapest mattress I could find with the standard, chinsy metal frame that comes practically free with purchase. In that time, my bed has withstood spills, bugs and breakage (no, there is no elicit story here. it is just. a cheap. bed!). Last month I decided it was high time for a proper adult bed. And though I don't yet have a proper adult budget, I'm slowly piecing together a bed that I'll be proud[er] to see as I walk in the door (and hopefully one that I'll sleep a bit easier on too).

First came first: the bed frame.

Ikea's all fine and good in the post-grad years. But several years later, I needed a step up. Enter Pottery Barn's baby sister company, west elm.

I have now ordered [drum roll please] this bed....in Queen size!

Will the larger size bed look ridiculous in my teeny tiny studio? Maybe.

Am I forgoing a headboard which may or may not work for me. Darn straight I am. Headboards, I've learned, are expensive!!

Can I afford to go mattress shopping right now? No.

Am I excited as anything to buy new bedding which I also can't afford to change the look of my apartment and give it new character? Um, yeah.

Over the next couple of weeks I will [hopefully] and slowly build my new bed. I'll document as I go (an action packed design adventure, I know!). Until then it will be my new Queen size bedframe sat upon by my old full size janky mattress and cheap sheets. And zero photos will likely be shared with you.

Narrow-Leg Nailhead Upholstered Bed Frame
$349.00 – $499.00
Available on westelm.com or in stores.

Leaving Los Angeles. Me and the monks.

2010-11-19T12:37:00.000-08:00

I told my friend a few weeks ago, 'So, I'm going to a Buddhist monastery next month for a week.'

Maybe I wasn't expecting a reaction quite of shock. Or exactly resembling excited, impressed wonderment. But something along the lines of 'Oh my goodness! How unlike you! Isn't this totally unexpected and unanticipated?!' Okay. So perhaps I was expecting shock and wonderment after all.

I certainly wasn't expecting my friend to say 'Oh......I'm not surprised.'

Well, despite my friend's opinion that it is exactly like me to get up and do something ridiculous, it was a bit of a surprise to me when I decided to register for 5 nights at the Deer Park Monastery, a Buddhist monastery in Escondido.

And today, I am departing. Without access to email or phones for nearly a week. No blogging, no Twitter, no Facebook updates. Radio silence from the 400 acre sanctuary just a couple of hours south of Los Angeles.

I'll end this last post before my journey with the same message I sent to my friends and family last night...

In olden days, a trip to the monastery would mean I was pregnant out of wedlock. Today, it just means I'm a privileged yuppy from the city who needs 'a break.'

I will have no access to email, phones or other electronic devices during this time. Smoke signals, maybe. But I haven't checked the fog levels out there yet. So, please refrain from emailing, calling or texting me as your expressions of love and/or tomfoolery will fall on deaf ears (no jokes about my poor hearing, please).

In the case of emergency, you may try to reach me via the Deer Park Monastery. I actually have no idea if anyone will answer the phone.

In case you are unclear about what constitutes an emergency, please use the following quick guide.

This is an Emergency...

* My apartment's on fire.
* You're dead.

This is NOT an Emergency...

* You stubbed your toe.
* Your boyfriend was rude to you.
* You're experiencing digestion issues.

I look forward to talking to you all when I return next week. Until then, have a great week and a very happy Thanksgiving!

Duty calls in a large waiting room in Downtown LA.

2010-11-16T10:58:00.000-08:00

I'd like to make it clear that jury duty in Downtown LA looks absolutely nothing like the above stock photo.

Jury duty at the LA County Metropolitan Branch Court House looks like dozens of average looking people slumped in couches, eating chips and Cheetos for breakfast--some of them reading less than quality novels, another disproportionate number reading what I think from this distance may be gay bondage magazines.

And we are all sitting underneath Jury Service promotional ads featuring has-been actors and decorations like this which may have been on sale at the 99 Cent store. I know I would not have paid the full dollar for this poor attempt at a feeling of patriotism.

My red dot at Mercedes Helnwein.

2010-11-14T08:09:00.000-08:00

Last night was the opening reception for Mercedes Helnwein's new show, Temptation to be Good, at the Merry Karnowsky Gallery (yes, I know this information would have been more helpful to you yesterday as opposed to quarter to eight on the day after--sorry).

I was a fan of this for a few reasons.

* More galleries should be as close to my home as the Merry Karnowsky Gallery is. To heck with Culver City. Let's build an art scene [around me] in Koreatown and Mid-City!

* Mercedes Helnwein is a favorite local artist of mine. Her drawings are incredible. And her new, larger format work is equally exciting, though a departure in ways of style as well as scope.

* My darling friend Elizabeth Ai was hosting (alongside a mysterious Beck who my friend and I never did spot). You may recall a while back I shared that Mercedes was doing some collaborative work with the Ai sisters for their awesome clothing line, Ai for Ai.

* I am a compulsive shopper and it's best that at least I have something worthwhile to toss my hard-earned money away for.

* Damien Hirst bought out Helnwein's last show in London. And it it's good enough for Hirst, it's better for me.

This was last night's guilty pleasure that's soon to be mine...

And this is my red dot. I just love when I can claim a red dot to be mine (says the art collector wannabe)...

I might make some snarky quip about reading it and weeping. But then again, it's my pocketbook I've hit and I feel if anyone should be weeping it might actually be me and not you.

Catch the show while it's still up.

MERCEDES HELNWEIN: TEMPTATION TO BE GOOD
November 13 - December 11, 2010

Merry Karnowsky Gallery
170 S. La Brea Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036

And while you're at it, read my March 2010 interview with Mercedes Helnwein here.

Between the sheets with model Daisy Lowe.

2010-11-12T10:51:00.000-08:00

In the name of my many friends who continuously surprise me with their unbounded talents, I present the work of one more of these splendid, creative folks in my life.

(As an added bonus, British model Daisy Lowe rolls around for most of this video only half clothed.)

Enjoy.

Lazy Daisy from Patrick Fraser on Vimeo.

Director+DP: Patrick Fraser
Model: Daisy Lowe
Shot on location in Paris along side a fashion shoot for Blast magazine.

OK Go's tribute to toast.

2010-11-10T08:20:00.000-08:00

This video, featuring toast and only toast, is as beautiful as the song its made for, Last Leaf.

Last Leaf

OK Go | Myspace Music Videos

Prada's virtual video lookbook. Awesome.

2010-11-05T11:36:00.000-07:00

Oh, hey there Awesome. So, that's what you look like in Prada!

Give peace a chance.

2010-11-05T07:43:00.000-07:00

As someone brighter and wittier than me once said, if you don't like something, do something about it.

Well, some folks in town didn't like the recent news about hate crimes and the awful consequences to those who are victim to discrimination.

So, they're doing this:

Starting Location
6356 Hollywood Blvd
Hollywood, CA

November 21, 2010
3:00 p

We are walking for everyone who has ever been an innocent victim of a hate crime(s), for everyone who has ever been discriminated against, we are walking for everyone who has ever lived in fear because they were "different," and we are walking against intolerance so that perhaps we can impact those fearful and angry. So that we may send a message to those who strike against beautiful, innocent human beings. Beings who deserve nothing more than to be swimming gracefully and confidently in the same pool we swim in. No one here in this world is different lest they choose to be and even then, "the sun rises in the morning on ALL of us." Let's come together, create a buzz, and show Los Angeles and anyone who hears about or reads about our rally what we stand for and what we all deserve!

Calvin Klein's raciest ad yet ires Aussies.

2010-10-29T17:11:00.000-07:00

The other night at Marianne Williamson's weekly lecture (yes, this cynical atheist went to hear a woman who talks about miracles and God speak--what of it??), Williamson took time to bring attention to the above billboard--the raciest ad yet from a brand that has built its name on racy ads. Calvin Klein has long sold everything from jeans to perfume to tighty whities with the attitude that sex sells. And sell, despite many controversies over the year, it has. The controversy has even become a marketing tool in itself--recently played up by the brand with a billboard on Sunset Blvd. that showed nothing but a scannable code, through which the user could see the ad's naughty bits from home--implying that the image was too risque even for the Sunset Strip.

Which brings us to the recent hype about this now-censored billboard in Australia--the nation (slash continent)'s Advertising Standards Bureau has decided that model Lara Stone looks like she may be getting raped by three handsome, if expressionless young men and has demanded the billboard come down.

Do I buy it? No, not so much. To me, it looks like her blank stare matches the gentelmen's perfectly and they're all tangled up in a consensual orgy of equal disinterest.

Perhaps, however, I'm being callous and insensitive and should be more of a stodgy feminist about all this.

What are your thoughts?

[via AOL News via Marianne Williamson]

There's a special on mindfulness at Fred Segal in Aisle 4.

2010-10-22T10:54:00.000-07:00

I generally don't step into Fred Segal unless I am experiencing urges to torture my inner shopper and punish my wallet.

But as it turns out, Fred Segal's just reopened one space in its Santa Monica location which I can enter with peace of mind and only the lightest of grips on my billfold--the Fred Segal Yoga studio.

And while classes won't be free, the studio is hosting a complimentary workshop this weekend--An Insight with Matthew of One World Academy.

Enjoy your breakthrough experience sans the breaking of the bank, courtesy of Fred Segal Yoga tomorrow. Nama-freaking-ste.

[via Vital Juice]

Cassette Playa presented the 1st ever augemented runway.

2010-10-21T10:19:00.000-07:00

As if the size zero, 6' tall men and women who walk down the globe's runways aren't a departure from reality already, UK streetwear designers, Cassette Playa, presented the first ever augmented reality runway show earlier this year with their S/S 2011 collection.

Crazy town.