Questions for the Zeitgeist- March 2006

At brunch or at dinner, Discuss amongst yourselves...



1- If H&R Block got busted by the IRS for under-reporting their state income taxes by $35 million, what does that mean for MY tax return?


2- He is, admittedly, a successful musician and an amazing DJ. To the astonishment of many, he snags arguably one of the most desirable women on the planet (the irrepressible and uber-ubiquitous Pamela Anderson). Then he hooks up with Tamara Mellon, CEO/founder of the stiletto powerhouse Jimmy Choo (second only to Manolo Blahnik in outfitting a woman’s arch PERFECTLY). Exactly how big IS Kid Rock’s dick? Exactly how “Cocky” is he? And are we ready for the sex tape?




3- Is Al Reynolds the 'Tesman' to Star Jones-Reynolds’ Hedda? Or is he really her 'Judge Brack' ?

4- A successful diffusion line with Target. Another highly-stylized TV show (this time on the Oxygen channel). A stint interviewing/feeling up celebrities as a red carpet correspondent on E! A brilliant turn in designing the costumes for Neil Simons’ revival of “Barefoot In the Park” to within a stitch of their lives. Is there anything that Isaac Mizrahi can’t do well?

5- In the recent and indisputable “expose” of the fraudulent existence of author/hermit/urban legend JT Leroy, why isn’t New York magazine’s Stephen Beachy (who blew Leroy’s cover last September and was subsequently lambasted by those in the media and the general population who were still being completely manipulated) doing the “I told you so” dance? Good Job, Mr. Beachy!! Seems like more than just the heart is deceitful above all things…

6- We laud Harvard University as the petri dish of academia of the highest order. So exactly how smart was it of their faculty board to fire recent president Larry Summers for postulating that perhaps men and women MIGHT think differently pertaining to math and science? Moreover, how smart was it for the only person of color to resign from the board, citing Summers’ “insensitivity”? Finally, how do you fire said president, yet then extend the invitation for him to return as a university professor? Can Mr. Summers have his own academic opinions, or is the post of university president indeed a popularity contest? Since when is debate dead in academia?

7- Okay, he’s been beeping repeatedly on our radar (i.e., we’ve been on his dick) since his fly-ass exhibit at The Brooklyn Museum last year. We peeked through crowds and (unsuccessfully) waited our turn to get a word with him when we spied him attending an exhibit at The Studio Museum in Harlem. We praised his art history references (his intelligent juxtaposition of African-American presence in ‘traditional’ art form context have his commissions commanding top dollar from Wall Street types and artsy-fartsy bigwigs alike). We gave him props for his powerful b-boy/MC imagery when he rocked us with his renderings-cum-advertisements for VH-1’s Hip Hop Awards. Now his teaming with Paige Premium Denim (in which he silkscreens a decidedly BLACK young man onto a HOT jean blazer) is the hottest wardrobe piece going right now. Isn’t art-crowd hottie Kehinde Wiley the "shiznit"? Isn’t he just KILLIN’ it right now?

8- How fierce was it for Paper Magazine to do that retrospective/homage to Jean-Paul Goude in their March issue?

9- “Dave Chappelle’s Block Party”- Wouldn’t we all want to assemble our favorite artists for a customized free concert, then film it as a documentary and give respect to established artists (Common, Jill Scott, The ‘muthafuckin’ Roots) and exposure to underrated groups (Dead Prez)? Throw in a SICK reunion (The Fugees), and you get props, props, props…

10- Okay, we’ve seen the brilliant “Bridge and Tunnel” and the critically-acclaimed “In the Continuum”. Step three: Will Powers’ (who has been compared artistically to Sarah Jones) directorship of “The Seven” at the New York Theatre Workshop. Startlingly creative ‘hip-hop Shakesperean theatre’ based on Aeschylus’ “Seven Against Thebes”. If they extend it past March 12th (or find another venue for it), will New Yorkers bite? If so, shouldn’t they just kick “The Blue Man Group” out of the Astor Place Theatre to make room? Enough schtick already...

11- Will new anti-aging skin cream Orchidee Imperiale (which features the technically-enhanced molecular structure of four different orchids) become the new “Crème De La Mer”-forcing Park Avenue biddies, magazine beauty editors, and Jennifer Lopez-ish skin devotees alike to do battle at the counters of Bergdorf Goodman’s for that $350 “glow”?

12- He emerges from the wasteland of FM radio to cement his presence on the guilty pleasure/runaway hit/cash cow “American Idol”. After his highly-bankrolled TV show is cancelled, he has managed to emerge, unscathed, as a serious contender on the E! channel- heading the circus of red-carpet interviewers and securing yet another highly-bankrolled show which keeps his name in the pop collective’s mouths. Should Ryan Seacrest have submitted an application to Damon Dash to vie for the title “The Ultimate Hustler”?

13- A Bathing Ape, Red Monkey, Nom de Guerre, Ice Creams, Evisu, et al. With all of these high-end experimental denim/footwear lines finding their way onto rappers, 125th Street and Soho alike, is hip hop becoming more and more punk new-wave (or is it simply returning to the punk-new wave aesthetic/philosophy that the movement/culture was borne out of in the 70’s- albeit with far less expensive originations- via BVD, Adidas, Kangol, etc.)? Take note Timberland…

14- We didn’t need Kanye West’s video for “Touch The Sky” to tell us this, but…Hasn’t Nia Long reigned for AT LEAST the last 10 years as THE flyest black chick/blactress in the game? And she’s STILL keeping it tight! I’m gonna put it out there- Nia Long is a GODDESS!!!

15-Even with the more recent and somewhat gratuitious proliferation of cartoon characters of “questionable sexual orientation” (Mr.Garrison on ‘South Park’, Captain Hero on ‘Drawn Together’, some might argue Spongebob Squarepants, etc…), isn’t The Great Gazoo- the helmet-headed miniature green martian from “The Flintstones”-STILL the queeniest of them all? I don’t care how gay these newer animated fairies are, NO ONE had wittier one-liners or a more fey intonation than that ‘fag from the future’. Bravo, Hanna-Barbera!

That's enough for now...