Music, Fashion, Events, Technology, Pop Culture and The Meaning Of Life for those who think OUTSIDE of the box---ALL re-edited by by Chad G. (The Misanthrope)!!! Hate it or love it, but READ it! Ladies and Gentlemen I give you-- The REAL RE-Edit!!!
THE REAL RE-Edit!!!!
THE REAL RE-Edit is getting ready for the holiday weekend festivities, so we are WAY too busy to pontificate on pop culture this week. Oh, alright, maybe just a LITTLE...Here u go, kids...
1- Did anyone even realize that Foxy Brown dropped an album, 'Brooklyn's Don Diva', on Koch Records last week?
2- A NEW Cuba? How COOL was it for the country (led by Raul Castro's daughter- and Fidel Castro's niece- Mariela) to stage a "Day against Homophobia"? Is Cuba becoming the country that expatriate Celia Cruz would have been proud of...? Did you know that because Cruz defected to the United States, Fidel Castro made it illegal in Cuba to play her records?
3- George Michael can drop a new album AND have a tour after a restroom "scandal", drug run-ins and cruising activities. Tevin Campbell was allegedly caught doing the same things, why can't HE stage a comeback as well?
Fashionista Files... 1- Arlenis at Oscar de la Renta... I think this girl is going to be MAJOR! She's gorgeous IN REAL LIFE, and according to a couple of my fashion insider friends, is the sweetest model they've ever worked with- no diva attitude AT ALL! Take THAT, Naomi!
2- Is Amy Winehouse getting any money from Chanel for appropriating her "image?
3- We were a little dismayed at Sarah Jessica Parker's look for the London premiere of "Sex and The City" last week (even though it was Alexander McQueen, it was a bit bland and even though the "hat" was a Philip Treacy, it was horrendous!). However, didn't she get her groove back with her ensemble at the Berlin premiere? Her Versace dress was gorgeous, and the accessories were perfect (she chose Roger Vivier Haute Couture Lux’or nude crocodile shoes with 22 carat gold appliqués, and a Roger Vivier Sesame bejeweled pailette clutch). Can we give her a free pass for the London debacle? Can we just say that Parker had her "Gwyneth Paltrow" moment and move on (remember that gothic horror Paltrow rocked at the 2002 Oscars?)?
FLASHBACK... Here's hoping Mr. Campbell is inspired by Mr. Michael's return to music and comes "Back to The World". Tevin, "Can We Talk"? "I'm Ready" for you to get back in the studio! (okay, trying to use his song titles in our plea for his return is a little corny! But...) RememberTevin Campbell's "Always in My Heart"?
Questions for the Zeitgeist- May 15, 2008: A new "Superhead", a new "Top Model", and...a new Tyra?
In a week whereLatrell Sprewell lost his house to foreclosure and Michael Jackson narrowly averted having his Neverland Ranch go the same way, where Morehouse College (my alma mater) will have its first white valedictorian, and where John Edwards FINALLY endorsed Barack Obama, here is what is going through my mind as I contemplate what I'm going to do with the $196 million Mega Millions payout that I will win on Friday...
1- SuperWHO?...This week, former MTV producer Terrance Dean has released his memoir 'Hidingin Hip-Hop: Confessions of a Down Low Brother in the Entertainment Industry'. In his "tell-all", Dean recalls his illicit run-ins with various closeted film stars,rappers and music executives alike. Is he the NEW Karrine Steffans?
2- The night the KNIGHT went out in LA... Will the 5'10" barber who - weighing all of 173 lbs- delivered the punch that knocked 6'3", 315 lb Suge Knight the F^&CK OUT for a good three minutes outside of Club Shag in Hollywood, be hiding FROM hip hop? 2a- This just in...the barber (whose name is Greg, and who is actually 5'11", 185 lbs) says he ain't hiding...
3- Thanks to a new NYS tax credit (one that triples the amount of production costs eligible to receive the credit), ABC's 'Ugly Betty' will be moving to NYC!! Will we see Betty Suarez coming out of #4 Times Square? Will there be shots of Wilhemina Slater leaving the Hearst Tower?
4- Ultra Conservative billionaire media mogul Rupert Murdoch is supposedly supporting Barack Obama in his presidential bid- Clever move, or Republican Ruse? 4a- Given the new commercial by former Air Force Staff Sgt. John Weiler (the winner of MoveOn.org's 'Make Your Own Obama Ad' Contest), is Mr. Murdoch one of many staunch Republicans who have come across the aisle?
5- In the wake of the Sean Bell trial, two interesting developments... NY legislators propose a bill that would put $695 mini-cams on police handguns. These cameras would keep a record of shootings that could be used in court hearings...AND 5a- Rhode Island School of Design student JR Neville Sangwe develops a "safer" police cruiser/interior "office"... All of this will undoubtedly make a police officer's job easier, but...Will this make the lives of Black Men on the streets of New York City any safer?
6- Absolut LaChapelle? Innovative Photographer/video music director David LaChapelle, perhaps best known for his clumping film "Rize" and his drag-muse Amanda Lepore, has gone "commercial" and designed a bottle for "fine champagne cognac" Remy Martin V.S.O.P. The limited- edition bottle (only 150,000 will be produced) will sell for $50 and will be available at wine and spirits stores around the U.S starting in June. What will Hennessey's next move be?
7-Latrell Sprewell loses his house to foreclosure, Charles Barkley racks up $400,000 in gambling debt to The Wynn casino in Las Vegas, and Michael Vick owes Wachovia Bank over a million dollars for a failed wine bar he opened with a friend before his "unfortunate incarceration". Do any of these multi-millionaire athletes keep an accountant on retainer?
8- Did ANYONE think, back in March, that plus-size aspiring model Whitney Thompson was going to win this season's 'America's Next Top Model'? Is Toccara proud, or mad about it? Will Whitney's "career" go the way of last year's winner, Saleisha?
8a- Moreover, with Jaslene booking so many covers (and getting so much work), is Ms. Gonzalez going to be the first contestant who actually has a viable career AFTER the reality show contest?
9- How the HELL did people survive before the Blackberry?
10-Apres Tyra, Le Deluge...“Tell Tyra that the Queen has returned, and while you’re at it have Heidi clear the runway. I’m going to pump some ‘realness’ into reality" says "supermodel of the world" Rupaul. After the proliferation of "America's Next Top Model" (and all of its spinoffs) worldwide, 'The Janice Dickinson Model Agency', 'Make Me a Supermodel', 'America's Most Smartest Model', 'The Agency' and various other incantations of the search for the next "face", The Logo Network just announced a new competition reality show titled "RuPaul’s Drag Race". Playing host, mentor and judge, Rupaul directs the madness, where contestants will compete for the title of Top Drag Queen. "To be a winner on this show the contestants need to be a fashion designer, an American Idol, and a top model all rolled up into one. And they definitely have to be smarter than a fifth grader.” says Miss Ru. Isn't that true of ALL drag queens?
The Fashionista Files
1- Kate Moss is being moved out of the way as the face of Rimmel cosmetics to make room for Sophie Ellis-Bextor. According to the British cosmetic company, Ellis-Bextor will "work alongside Kate Moss to reach new global markets in Asia, South America, and the Middle East." Should Moss now take time to make sure that her clothing line, Top Shop, is no longer stealing most of their designs from other designers?
2- Speaking of being "the face of..." Uma Thurman is suing Lancome, claiming they used her images long after her contract with the French cosmetic giant expired. Should she consult with Tyson Beckford, who had to go after Sean John to get his coins for the same thing?
3- What the HELL did Sarah Jessica Parker have on her head at the London premiere of the 'Sex and The City' movie?
5- Coming out of what some deemed her retirement, we're glad to see her materialize in the fashion atmosphere, but...at 37, did Claudia Schifferreally have to appear semi-nude as an aging Dita Von Teese doing a tawdry version of Julie Newmar on Vogue Germany's cover?
The CULTURE CLUB A member of The REAL RE-Edit's street team went to the preview for Christie's Post-War and Contemporary Art auction this week! Among those pieces up for auction are works by
Kehinde Wiley...
Jean-Michel Basquiat (rumored to fetch between $4.5- 6.5 million)...
a Francis Bacon for $25 million (!!)...
a couple of Warhols (one tagged at $2.5- 3 million)...
and a David Park which will probably fetch $1.2 million.
Maybe after I win the Mega-Millions grand prize, I might pick this one up...
This just in...Takashi Murakami's sculpture of an ejaculating anime character (expected to sell for no more than $4 million), just sold at Sotheby's for $15 million! Apparently, there are some people who are still card-carrying members of 'The Recession-Proof Club'!!!
And the Tony noms are out... Congrats go to Larry Laurence Fishburne, who was nominated for Best Leading Actor for his turn as Thurgood Marshall in 'Thurgood'... S. Epatha Merkerson is considered in the Best Leading Actress in A Play category for her work in 'Come Back, Little Sheba' The black alternative rock musical 'Passing Strange' received seven nods, and the Latino musical 'In the Heights' got THIRTEEN!!! Is Debbie Allen wondering what happened to the nominations for 'Cat On A Hot Tin Roof'?
FLASHBACK... Maybe this is where Tyra got her "fierce" disposition and affinity for lace-front wigs from back in the day. Remember-Supermodel (You Better Work!) by Rupaul?
This show is a "Killer"...Peter Gronquist's new exhibit at Gallery 1988 (LA)
Although we haven't seen a show from Oakland artist Peter Gronquist since Gallery 1988's I Am 8-Bit II group show in April 2006, one questions whether or not this was the right way to make his foray back into the art cognoscenti. With the incendiary and somewhat provocative title of his newest exhibit/solo show, The Revolution will be Fabulous Gronquist opens again at the Los Angeles art spot where we last saw him (through May 16th).
For those unfamiliar with Gronquist, the 29- year-old Portland native attended the School of Visual Arts for two years, then finished his BFA at the San Francisco Art Institute in 2001. Peter currently resides in Oakland California (EAST BAY!) and tries to paint every day. In his paintings, his palette seems to stay the same (deep rustic maroons, yellow/oranges and the deepest of blues) as does his subject matter- although he does have breakouts; his rendering of perennial Las Vegas act Seigfried and Roy (replete with said blood-thirsty tiger!) is set in a pastel pink backdrop (hmmm...). His works seem to vacillate between fairy tale, pop culture and comic strip.
However, this exhibit is about his "sculptures"
On the one hand, one could be especially militant and argue that the title itself spits in the face of true political revolutionaries like Gil Scott-Heron, who famously uttered the phrase "The Revolution will not be Televised" (and from whom the exhibit's title is obviously extracted). The act of Revolution in its purest form, from listening to Scott-Heron's radical spoken word poem, should not be toyed with or manipulated solely for the sake of an artistic statement but as a means of political and cultural upheaval. Perhaps this is Gronquist's way of being political. On the other hand, Gronquist's exhibit (title aside) comments on the banality of consumerism, where people's own sense of happiness is determined by whether or not their goods have a designer name attached to them. And while that is a valid point, it has also become a beleaguered one- something that many a budding artist(Takashi Murakami, anyone?) and any student at any art college in the country could fall back on in the absence of inspired creativity. The truth is that every clothing designer (yes, even Kaiser Karl Lagerfeld!) makes some ugly things- so if Chanel made that rifle, would fashionistas clamor to own it? Would they then be joining the NRA in droves? Just because a high-end fashion house makes something, does that mean it is "to die for"? I don't know about most people's answers, but Gronquist at least asks the question. (Tools to "Chanel" your rage! Guns for "Fendi"-ing off trespassers!).
These items (priced from $3,000) can also be "murder" on your bank account...
Okay, enough of the double entendres, lets get to THE REAL RE-Edit...
His "sculptures" (really straining the use of the word, because this exhibit comes across more like something Kanye West would make if he had to take a shop class and less like sculpture) seem even more singularly focused than his paintings, as the main scope of this show consists of emblazoning weapons of destruction (rifles, rocket launchers, chainsaws and electric chairs) with high-end clothing designer logos. The "machinery" under the "glamorous" logos are all things that, when used with an evil intent, destroy life. Maybe that's the argument Gronquist is making; whatwith the consumer-driven weaponry developed at the houses of Hermes, Chanel, and Vuitton, Prada, and the like, that these fashion houses are responsible for the erosion of our culture and the destruction our lives.
However, that gets tired (and less inspired) as the theme of "logo-attached-to-firearm" is repeated over and over again. To see various incantations of the Louis Vuitton pattern on several rifles beats a dead horse. Then to see the same rifle outfitted with another fashion house's imprint (Hermes, Gucci Prada...)takes that dead horse and beats it again. We GET it! This part of the exhibit is saved by the inclusion of the Louis Vuitton-emblazoned electric chair and the Paul Smith artillery.
Perhaps Gronquist's exhibit (and artistic statement) could have been expanded and thus become thought-provoking, but as it insists on being repetitive, it becomes semi-preachy and short-sited. We certainly destroy our lives with a lot more things than just rifles, electric chairs and rocket launchers; our troops over in Iraq are riding around in tankers that can't withstand an insurgency ground attack, telephone powerlines have been inexorably linked to a rise in cancer rates in the communities in which they've been placed, its been argued that televisions have robbed our children of the ability to think cohesively, Paris Hilton has made it okay to be dumb- why not cover these "things" in designer wallpaper as well and make the point on a much grander scale? And although La Hilton IS covered in designer wallpaper all the time, the closest Gronquist comes to this statement is the taxidermied gazelle- whose horns have been fashioned into the Louis Vuitton initials and mounted, hunting lodge-style, presumably to comment on how we are not only killing ourselves but also killing other species in our quest for retail satisfaction.
Detractors might say that Gronquist, in his quest to achieve Warholian status, took a short cut by ripping off Dave Richmond-Watson (who was doing Burberry chainsaws over 5 years ago). Others will say that he might have taken New York artist Tom Sachs' idea of the 'Chanel Guillotine' and run with it. Sachs played with this idea as well when he came up with the Chanel Guillotine/breakfast nook ten years ago- although his point was consumerism as destruction, and not the other way around.
Someone once said that the purpose of art is to ask the questions, not necessarily to have the answers, so in that respect Gronquist does his job- but not by much. "The Revolution will be FABULOUS" doesn't leave me thinking about the exhibit itself or the subject matter it covers afterwards- or maybe, as I delve into my closet to get dressed, it does...
Pharrell Williams is FLY, Vogue Italia gets FLY in July, Puffy is a STAR and Agyness is a Mannequin...
In a week where Lil Kim's Bentley was supposedly repossessed (actually, it was near-bankrupt music producer Scott Storch's gift to Lil Kim that was repossessed!), where presidential candidates argued over a $30 gas "holiday", where Madonna made an appearance on BET's 106 & Park (?), and Maya Angelou celebrated her 80th birthday for the third time (this time in Atlanta), these were the things going through my mind as I flipped through my New York Times and sipped my acai...
1- Is PETA "petro"? They've been known to douse women wearing furs on the street and on the runway with red paint. They have terrorized Beyonce and Jennifer Lopez for their fur flaunting, and have used supermodels in their "I'd Rather Be Naked Than Wear Fur" campaigns... Now...in Mary J. Blige's new "Stay Down" video, she is wearing no less than FOUR different fur coats, even standing in boots with fur detail! In a majority of her past videos, Mary has not been shy about rocking animal skins (In "Be Without You" she walks around on a fur rug, in "Enough Cryin'" a Leopard print oversized fur coat makes an appearance, "Runaway Love" has her in a fur Vest, and she starts out the "Just Fine" video throwing off a Fur coat). Interestingly enough, PETA(People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals)has NEVER stepped to Mary J.!!! And while PETA has remained relatively unscathed with their near-assault scare tactics with many a celebrity...Does PETA know better than to f_&%ck with the Queen of hip hop soul? Are they scared that Mary will take off her earrings, snatch her hair back into a ponytail and proceed to whip their asses?
2- Alicia Keys and Jordin Sparks cancel their tour because of swollen vocal chords. Is this a sign that maybe they should stop SCREAMING on their records?
3- Are we REALLY supposed to believe that Jimi Hendrix has a sex tape? Seeing that both Jimi and Marilyn Monroe have been dead over 30 years, should we call it a sex tape- or necrophilia? What's next, Jimi Hendrix penis plaster casts? -Oh wait, that's been done already...
4- 'Sex...' sells- out?...If Sarah Jessica Parker and the 'Sex and the City' movie loves New York sooooo much...WHY is it premiering in LONDON at Leicester Square on May 12th- two weeks before anyone in NYC can see it?
5- This week, Starbucksreported a 2nd-quarter earnings drop of 28%. Is the day of the $8 Venti White Chocolate Mocha Frappuchino OVER? 5a- Now that Starbucks will begin offering Wi-Fi access in its 7,000 stores via AT&T (effectively ending a long relationship with T-Mobile), will Iphone users FINALLY see a return on their investment?
5- Puffy/Puff Daddy/P Diddy/Diddy/Sean John/Sean Combs got his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on May 2nd...
He is house-hunting in Los Angeles now, and plans to split his time between New York and LA to pursue his acting career...Will he also be getting back with his baby mama Kim Porter, who took off for Cali after their last breakup?
7- Kwame Kilpatrick and Christina Beatty dig themselves a deeper hole with the release of NEW text messages between the Detroit mayor and his top aide. She left her husband in 2003 (presumably for him), yet he's still married (and apparently has no intention on divorcing). He will almost certainly go the way of NY Governor Elliot Spitzer and leave his office in disgrace. Who will be the biggest loser when all of this is done?
Icon Alert... DAMN you, Pharrell Williams!!!
There is no debate- Pharrell Williams is FLY!!! Let me tell you why...
1- Along with Chad Hugo, he is one half of the highly regarded internationally acclaimed producing team The Neptunes and one-third of the ridiculously talented hip hop movement N.E.R.D. He has even topped the charts as a solo artist (when he's not singing hooks for Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg and the like).
THAT would be fly enough...but there's more...
2- Billionaire Boys Club, a high-end urban clothing collaboration between Pharrell Williams and Japanese Hip Hop fashion designer/prodigy Nigo (of clothing line “A Bathing Ape” fame) hit the streets at the end of 2005. Since then, it has attained cult status among the skateboard cognoscenti AND the Ballers (and wannabe ballers) who live, breath, and eat off of hip hop. Those $80 "Billionaire Boys Club" t-shirts are flying off the racks- you almost have to be a billionaire to afford one!
THAT's Fly too...but wait, this is where is gets REAL Fly...
3-His sartorial cred was solidified when he was named Esquire magazine's Best Dressed Male in 2005. His designer chops were challenged when he was asked by Marc Jacobs to design a line of sunglasses in 2005 with Nigo for Louis Vuitton(remember the red "millionaire" sunglasses?). Shortly after that, he became the male face of Louis Vuitton in the 2006-2007 ad campaign (along with Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell).
NOW the seemingly indomitable 'Mr. Williams' has linked up with Louis Vuitton creative consultant Camille Miceli to design Blason, a new series in the Louis Vuitton Jewelry collection.
FLY, right? All of this I can take. However...
4- The straw that breaks the proverbial camel's back is his fearless sense of individualism with regard to his own individual STYLE... Pharrell Williams, eschewing conventional hypermasculine hip-hop "rules", has started carrying around THE bag that true fashionistas of all ages, colors (and genders) lust for. Yes...the Birkin bag. And not just ANY Birkin. He had the house of Hermes personally craft two Birkins, one of which is a purple crocodile "Haut Au Corrois"- the original Birkin! After having lusted after a Birkin for years, one of my favorite fashionistas "loaned" me one of his birkins a while ago (you know who you are)- I say "loaned" because he hasn't asked for it back yet, and I'm not volunteering its return! While I don't carry it much (except in airports or if the mood hits me) I certainly understand the allure of this status bag. Being a male, at first I was a little weary of lugging this bag round; was it too pretentious? was it too "fashion-y"? was it not masculine enough? Pharell Williams has single-handedly reminded me of what I say about fashion and style all the time- that STYLE does not belong to JUST one gender and if you have STYLE, u can rock ANYTHING! So I'm proclaiming the following- Pharrell Williams is FLY!!! Maybe I'll let him know that on the 13th, when N.E.R.D will be doing a signing at the Billionaire Boys Club's NYC Flagship store...
FYI... -N.E.R.D's new CD, “Seeing Sounds”, drops on June 10th...
-Bad Birkin Business... For those of you who want to follow in Pharrell's shoes and start "workin' that Le Birkin"...whatever you do, DON'T think you can bypass the notoriously LONG Hermes Birkin wait-list by purchasing one on Ebay! Hermes is currently involved in a lawsuit against the online retailer, charging that they contribute to the trend of fake Hermes bags being sold online for bidding wars upwards of $48,000! Although Ebay says it is not responsible for the authenticity of ANY merchandise sold on the site (effectively taking a "caveat emptor" stance), Hermes' key argument however is that eBay makes a commission on the sale of each counterfeit good sold on its site thereby making it a participant in the fraudulent transaction and not merely a passive host. So- say it with me- NO EBAY BIRKIN TRANSACTIONS!!! If you can't afford one, maybe rent one- Companies such as Bag Borrow or Steal, From Bags To Riches and Bling Yourself rent "it" bags for a fraction of the purchase price...
The Fashionista Files... 1-Right on the heels of my criticism of Vogue's seemingly homogenous take on what is beautiful comes the news that Vogue Italia's July 2008 issue will feature Black models almost exclusively on the cover and throughout the pages of the quarterly publication! To Franca Sozzani, editor-in-chief of Vogue Italia, I say...Bellisima! 1a- The Vogue Italia issue will feature new model Arlenis from the Marilyn agency . With the buzz around this Dominican beauty...should Chanel Iman watch her back?
2- First Marc Jacobs did Wranglers. Now Alber Elbaz (Lanvin) is designing jeans for Acne Denim, and Hedi Slimane (formerly of Dior Homme) for will do dungarees for Diesel. Can someone put a bug in Puffy's ear and get Byron Lars to re-tool Sean John's denim line?
3-Isn't Carin Roitfield, Paris Vogue's editor, JUST as fly as American Vogue editor Anna Wintour?
4- "Lars" and the Real Girl...Laura Hollins, aka supermodel Agyness Deyn, gets her own rootstein mannequin! Does that make her more or less plastic?
5- Once again, how FLY is Pharell Williams? Here is his video for the Blason line for LV...
6- Speaking of Louis Vuitton...He is the REAL "Louis Vuitton don", but...with THREE stores within 50 feet of each other on Bleeker Street in NYC's west Village (Marc by Marc Jacobs SURPLUS- (men), Marc by Marc Jacobs STUFF (accessories), and Marc by Marc Jacobs(women)- shouldn't they rename that block of Bleeker Street "Marc Jacobs Avenue"? 5a- Is London's golden boy Matthew Williamson the new and next Marc Jacobs?
I wonder if they would fit comfortably in a Birkin...
COVER WARS 1- How funny is THIS? (courtesy of satirical newspaper The Onion)
2- How WACK was it for Esquire magazine to "re-invent" its own 1960's cover of Virna Lisi for, of ALL people, Jessica Simpson?
3- At first I thought the conversation about the LeBron James/Gisele Bundchen Vogue Cover was absolutely ludicrous, but...When put side by side, does the "King Kong" argument start to make more sense?
4- How FLY is Trace magazine's cover for their "Art & Soul" issue?
FLASHBACK... Let's take it back to when Puffy, the original purveyor of "ghetto fabulousness" was putting Mary in baseball caps with her hair sticking out of the top...Remember- Mary J. Blige's video for "REAL LOVE"?
Pop Culture Junkie. Educated Fool. Lover of all forms of beauty. Pseudo-artistic Punk. Misanthropic introspective thinker with too much time on my hands, too many magazine subscriptions, too many unanswered questions in my head, too much creative energy, too many opinions, and too damn much to get off my chest!!!
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