1. I'm still very into Modeselektor. One of my favorite songs from their EP Hello Mom! is called Silikon and features Sasha Perara. (Make sure to have a look at her MySpace: she's HOT and her band's music rocks!!) Checkout this "video" for Silikon on YouTube. Why the quotes, you ask? It's not a real music video, but someone has recorded the song and overlaid it on top of a still video of the EP cover so we can all listen for free. Love it!!

2. Damien Hirst's retail art website Other Criteria has some really hot stuff on it. My current favorites are the edition of prints of Tupperware by artist Jane Simpson: Tupperware Captured in Still Life Series I & II and Tupperware Floating in Milk I & II. "Never before has Tupperware appeared so elegant and majestic. In these photographic editions by Jane Simpson, the famous everyday food containers are pictured in arrangements reminiscent of the Italian still life painter Giorgio Morandi. Blending Morandi's muted palette with shiny consumerism, the vessels vie for the viewer's attention as if posing for a family portrait, or dominating a dusky skyline." Checkout Other Criteria for more info and to purchase. (Again, it's a Flash site, so I can't direct link you.)s Don't forget to checkout more pics of Simpson's work here, here, and here.

1. The Art Production Fund is at it again. Opening last night in Rockefeller Center was Electric Fountain, a must-see for any serious art lover. "Electric Fountain is a spectacular public art work by acclaimed British artists Tim Noble and Sue Webster. Inspired by the Plaza at Rockefeller Center, this 3-D light sculpture is in the form of a monumental fountain measuring 35 feet in height and 30 feet in diameter." Read the full press release on the Art Production Fund's site. (It's a Flash site so I can't link directly. You have to navigate there yourself, unfortunately.) And make sure to get to midtown to see this amazing work before it's taken down on 04.05.08.

2. Wow. I just watched the trailer for Chop Shop and am dying to go see it. "Ramin Bahrani, after his auspicious debut (Man Push Cart), sets his story of a 12-year-old Latino boy and his older sister in the no-man's-land that is Willet's Point, Queens, a 20-block stretch of junkyards and chop shops (where stolen cars are dismantled for parts), overshadowed by Shea Stadium's giant billboard: 'Make Dreams Happen'. Perhaps it is because Bahrani and co-author Bahareh Azimi are both of Iranian descent that they are able to conjure up an outsider's reality with such palpable compassion and realism. Without a smidgeon of sentimentality, Chop Shop suggests that for many New York City is closer to a third world country than the glittering jewel in the crown of a land of infinite opportunity." It's playing now through 03.11.08 at the Film Forum. Check here for more info and here for show times and to buy tickets online. Don't forget to read this Village Voice review, this interview with Bahrani, and to checkout Man Push Cart.

3. check back shortly for updates...

Fuck making friends. MySpace is all about the music.

It's revolutionized the way bands can connect with people. Before MySpace, most bands had websites. Somewhere on said sites there mights be songs to download. The problem: there was no common format and navigating to the songs page, downloading them, and then listening to them meant the chances of it happening were slim to none.

Enter MySpace: a recognizable interface where any band anywhere (even if they really weren't a full fledged band yet like The Teenagers) could have a free page in a network with millions where they could easily upload songs for everyone to hear without having to do anything but land on their page. Genius.

Checkout these bands. Let me know what you think. Don't like any of them? Search around. There are about 10,000 more just waiting.

10. autoKratz
9... Cazals
8... The Hours
7... Howlin Rain
6... Stephen Malkmus & Jicks
5... Ultraviolet Sound
4... Black Mountain
3... Band Of Horses
2... Crytal Castles
1... Health

1. I've raved about the series Starveillance before, but only linked you to a limited set of clips on E!'s website. Last night, I found the motherlode: clips and clips and clips of the first season's episodes on YouTube. You really have to watch it. My favorites: Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen buying a New York apartment, Paris and Nicole's friendship meltdown, Britney and Kevin Federline with the wedding planner, and Lindsey Lohan's SNL intervention. Watching Mary Kate Olsen pass out when the real estate agent mentions the kitchen gets me every time. "Can we get a Starbucks in our apartment? Ohhhh. That would be so cool. Maybe instead of the kitchen." It's unclear at this point whether the show will be back for a second season, but we can only hope. Checkout their MySpace page and leave them a comment letting them know that we want more!

2. Checkout No Restraint "a 2006 documentary directed by Alison Chernick. It follows artist Matthew Barney (best known for The Cremaster Cycle) and his collaborator, singer-songwriter Bjork, as they embark on a filmmaking journey in Japan. It reveals Barney's process in creating Drawing Restraint 9, a cinematic 'piece' that combines a whaling vessel; 45,000 pounds of petroleum jelly; and traditional Japanese rituals into a fantasy love story." Skip Drawing Restraint No. 9. I saw it when it came out and hated it. Given how much I loved the Cremaster series, love Barney's work, and love Bjork, I was totally disappointed with the film. One word: boring. Painfully boring to be more exact. There is one amazing scene near the end where Barney and Bjork eat each other. If you've gotta see it, rent the DVD and fastforward to that part. A friend who saw Drawing Restraint 9 at IFC was stoned AND walked out because it was so boring. To me, that sums it up perfectly.

3. check back shortly for updates...

1. Anna Kustera has a show opening Thursday called Urbanity On Paper. It's "a group show that takes as its subtext the entwined aesthetic, philosophical, and sociological facets of cities. Rather than focusing on the direct representations of urban life, the show abstractly evokes the way in which cities shape the human experience; the way in which they force collision between man and material; and through this collision conjure wit, art, and decay". Included in the lineup: Stuart Semple, Loren Holland, Ju$t Another Rich Kid, Regina Joseph, Charles LaBelle, and Laure Leber. We got our hands on a copy of Ju$t Another Rich Kid's piece Untitled: The Heartbreakers + The Ramones. Check it out. The opening party for the show is Thursday 02.28.08 from 6-8pm. See you there!

2. One of my new favorite bands -- The Knife -- made a really hot video in 2003 for their hit Pass This On. Everything about the video rocks and you get to see the band members sans masks. Don't forget to checkout their MySpace to test drive more songs by the band and go to YouTube to watch more videos.

3. check back shortly for updates...

1. Checkout this video by Ryan McGinley for the NY Times Magazine. Together, they've done a gorgeous video entitled Shooting Stars (a behind the scenes look at their Breakthrough Performances photo sessions), featuring Sienna Miller, Ellen Page, Seth Rogan, Paul Dano, Julie Christie, and many many more. Not sure what they mean by behind the scenes look: to me it looks like video portraits, which I think rock.

2. For some reason (namely b/c they said it on their website) I thought Gavin Brown Enterprises was going out of biz after that show where Urs Fischer dug up the floor at the end of last year. I guess I/they were wrong. Or, if you can make any sense of this statement, it means they're in the process of going out of biz? Or maybe that's just Passerby and the Passerby gallery? Then what gallery is GBE? I think I'm a pretty smart guy, but I have no clue what this all means!! Anyway, Gaving Brown Enterprises is up and running and currently showing work by Dirk Bell and has a show opening with work by sculpture Mark Handforth on 03.01.08. So I guess they didn't close after all. Hip hip hurray!!

3. My favorite bodily fluid-related mag -- Pisszine -- is having another party tonight you should checkout...if you happen to be in Italy. Milan to be exact. It's the 3rd launch party for the recently-released Pisszine Issue 03, The Ink Issue. Fourth and final party to launch the issue: 08.03.08 in none other than Portland. What about New York? It's much closer to Italy than Oregon.

4. One of my favorite writer/editors Renata Espinosa has just profiled and interviewed two really hot new artists -- Shana Moulton and Vidya Gastaldon -- for Issue 30 of Dutch magazine Blend. Don't miss it or the blog Renata does -- the nu nu -- with one of my favorite stylists Sarah Maher.

1. What's up with Webster Hall getting cool bands these days? I thought it was all about "Ladies Night" with 2 for 1 specials and guidos all around. I guess nothing stays the same forever. One of my favorite super indie bands The Unicorns disbanded, as I'm sure you know, and two of the members have formed Islands, who are playing 05.24.08 at Webster Hall to promote their soon-to-be-released EP Arm's Way. "Montreal's Islands are a seven piece band founded by ex-Unicorns (who tie the Test Icicles for the title of shortest lived buzz band ever.) frontman Nick Diamonds and drummer J'aime Tambeur. However, Islands are EXTREMELY different from the Unicorns. Instead of singing about horses, they now sing about swans. Such sarcasm!" Get your tix now. Don't forget to checkout their official website and their MySpace to listen to a few tracks and get all upcoming tour dates.

2. In a perfect world, Shirley Q. Liquor would be campaigning for Barack Obama. Shirley Q. is a "satirical comic persona created by American comedian Chuck Knipp". As she's not the most politically correct or culturally sensitive public persona, I think she'd best represent the complexity of the American populus and add a little levity to this oh so serious Barack versus what's her face race to the Democratic party nomination/smackdown. Watch and laugh: Church Slave, Homosexicals, K-mark, White People On TV, and many more. Don't forget to checkout Shirley Q's politically correct website, with a link to what she thinks should be the Yes, We Can dance, and do everything you can to support Barack Obama! Yes, we can.

3. check back shortly for updates...

1. I almost think I could use being a fan of Portishead as a way to pick my friends. If you are, you're in. If not, we're probably not a match. Just in: "Portishead announce the release of Third their hugely anticipated new album, their fourth album in total and first since 1998's Roseland NYC live. Third is to be released on Mercury/Island on April 29th 2008. Portishead are scheduled to appear on the main stage at Coachella on Saturday April 26, 2008" Make sure to checkout their site, their Wikipedia entry, and their MySpace. I have no clue what this EP is going to sound like and, frankly, I don't care. I'm just excited that they're back. They really could have disappeared like all those other amazing bands that get off to a great start, but for one reason or another can't keep it going. Welcome back!

2. In case you haven't seen the Yes, We Can video by Will.I.Am of the Black Eyed Peas for Barack Obama, here it is. Vote Obama.

1. I love it when art (MOMA) and cool (DFA) meet. MOMA has an exhibit -- Color Chart: Reinventing Color, 1950 to Today -- opening 03.02.08. I CANNOT wait to see this. "Color Chart celebrates a paradox: the lush beauty that results when contemporary artists assign color decisions to chance, readymade source, or arbitrary system. Midway through the twentieth century, long-held convictions regarding the spiritual truth or scientific validity of particular colors gave way to an excitement about color as a mass-produced and standardized commercial product. The Romantic quest for personal expression instead became Andy Warhol's 'I want to be a machine'." Click here for all the details. In conjunction with the exhibition, PopRally invites you on 03.01.08 from 9pm - 1am to bring the color chart to life on the dance floor with an amazing lineup of DJs from DFA Records, including some of my favorite djs ever: Juan Maclean, T&T (Tim Goldsworthy & Tim Sweeney), Holy Ghost!, Justin Miller & Jacques Renault. Tickets are available at the Museum information and Film desks and will be available online soon at MoMA.org. Availability of door tickets is not guaranteed. I'm sure this will sell out fast. See you on the dancefloor.

2. Hey ladies!! There's a show up at PS1 that all the ladies (and guys) need to checkout: "WACK! Art and the Feminist Revolution, the first comprehensive, historical exhibition to examine the international foundations and legacy of feminist art. Organized by MOCA Ahmanson Curatorial Fellow Connie Butler for The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, WACK! focuses on the crucial period of the 1970s, during which the majority of feminist activism and artmaking occurred internationally." Click here for the all the details, dates, artists, etc. See you in Long Island Shitty!

3. Thom Yorke called out Modeselektor when he was a guest on NPR's All Songs Considered. I'd never heard of them and now I'm obsessed. "Modeselektor is an electronic music band formed in Berlin, featuring Gernot Bronsert and Sebastian Szary. The group draws heavily from IDM, glitch, electro and hip hop. They produce all their material with self-developed software and MIDI controllers, also doing very innovative live performances." Check their MySpace for tour dates. They'll be in New York on 03.21.08 at Studio B. I'd link here for you to get tickets, but Studio B's site is down right now! Check back shortly. And don't forget to checkout all these Modeselktor vids on YouTube.

1. For some reason, I don't freak out when Radiohead releases a new EP. I know it's going to be amazing, but it doesn't get me going like it used to. I was at a bar the other night and listened to a few songs from In Rainbows and realized I SHOULD freakout whenever they release a new EP. They're just so amazing. Checkout a few songs from the EP for yourself here. Thom Yorke was a guest and guest DJ on NPR's All Songs Considered on 02.14.08. "Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke shares some of his favorite music with All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen. The two talk about Radiohead's latest work, In Rainbows and listen to some of the artists Yorke admires, including German electronica group Modeselektor, rapper Madvillain, techno duo Autechre, The Liars, and more." Hot!!

2. Serbian-born Brooklyn photographer Boogie's got a show coming up at powerHouse Arena in their new on-site gallery Windows on Main: The powerHouse boilerRoom, a 250 square foot frontage on Main Street in DUMBO visible from street level that will be "open" to the public 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Killer idea. Boogie's work is powerful: simulateously beautiful and disturing. Subjects he's tackled: gangs, drugs, protests, skinheads, among others. Checkout this amazing overview of his work here. The show runs from 03.01 till 03.31.08. Since the gallery is open 24 hours/day, you can show up whenever you feel like it. Given the photographer and the nature of his photos, I'd suggest a nighttime viewing, which means you'll want to bring a long a friend. No how artsy and yuppie it's become, the streets are still empty in DUMBO late night so there won't be anyone there to protect you if the shit hits the fan.

3. check back shortly for updates...

1. I love me some Arkitip and they've just released their latest issue. "For the first time ever we handed the design responsibilities for the issue edition to an outside source. That source being the design trio Wood Wood. Our 44th issue edition will also serve as the working catalog for the exhibition. The Danish design collective Wood Wood was founded in 2002 by Brian SS Jensen, Karl-Oskar Olsen and Magnus Carstensen. They initiated their business as a limited t-shirt label and opened their first small shop in central Copenhagen." Read all about it here.

2. Shows. Shows. Shows. Remember The Breeders? I fucking loved them. Still do actually. They're playing Webster Hall 06.10.08. Yes, it's a little early, but Webster Hall isn't that big and The Breeders haven't played in forever. So you know it will sell out. Act fast. Also, playing: British Sea Power (05.10 + 05.11.08) and Black Mountain (02.22.08). Make sure to checkout The Breeders MySpace profile (where you can listen to No Aloha, Drivin on 9, and Little Fury), their Wikipedia entry, and the video for Cannonball. Don't forget to test drive a few British Sea Power and Black Mountain tracks on MySpace if you're not familiar with them yet. It's red hot. And don't forget to checkout my favorite new website -- Oh My Rockness -- for all the indie music listings around the city.

3. Vote Obama. Vote Obama. Vote Obama. Vote Obama. Vote Obama. Vote Obama. Vote Obama. Vote Obama. Vote Obama. Vote Obama. Vote Obama. Vote Obama. Vote Obama. Vote Obama. Vote Obama.

1. Checkout Grand Archives new self-titled EP on MySpace. "Two years ago, Mat Brooke left Band of Horses to focus on Grand Archives, a dreamy indie rock band that will surely please fans of his former outfit. Listen to the Archives' self-titled debut, before it hits stores February 19th, exclusively on MySpace." I love Band Of Horses and I gotta say Grand Archives ain't too bad neither! Let me know if you agree.

2. I just can't get enough art this week and when I saw this press release, it made me cringe. Just like all the development is killing the heart and soul of New York, development in Utah threatens Robert Smithson's iconic earthwork Spiral Jetty. "Robert Smithson's Spiral Jetty (1970) is threatened by an application to drill exploratory boreholes in Utah's Great Salt Lake for oil exploration by Pearl Montana Exploration & Production. Dia Art Foundation adamantly opposes this proposed oil drilling as it will endanger one of the most widely recognized and cherished American sculptures of the late twentieth century. Robert Smithson's Spiral Jetty is perhaps the most iconic example of Land Art in the world. Dia acquired the Spiral Jetty as a gift from the artist's Estate in 1999 and today oversees its long-term preservation, including the protection of the surrounding environment." Read the full scoop on Dia's site, download the sample opposition letter, which includes the email address to send your copy to, and checkout the Wikipedia entry for Spiral Jetty. And don't forget to checkout this guy's interpretation of the work made out of what looks to be pot.

3. check back shortly for updates...

1. Remember the nice collective/Surface Magazine party I went to a few weeks back that I couldn't stop raving about? Looks like someone had a videographer documenting the whole thing for the world to see. Check it out.

2. If you're anything like me, you've been patiently awaiting the release of the latest Michel Gondry film Be Kind Rewind, starring Jack Black, Mos Def, Mia Farrow, and Danny Glover. "A man whose brain becomes magnetized unintentionally destroys every tape in his friend's video store. In order to satisfy the store's most loyal renter, an aging woman with signs of dementia, the two men set out to remake the lost films, which include Back to the Future, The Lion King, and Robocop." With a cast like that, it really couldn't be bad. Throw in a hot plot and Gondry and you know it's going to be amazing. Deitch has teamed up with Gondry to show his latest work prior to the film's 02.22.08 theatrical release. "For the exhibition, Michel Gondry will be recreating the video store in the gallery, complete with a back lot containing a variety of movie sets where visitors can make their own renditions of films. All videos created during the exhibition can be viewed in the gallery." The opening party for this show is 02.16.08 from 6-9pm. Expect it to be jam-packed. I'd love to say I'll be there, but the chances are next to none! Don't forget to checkout the trailer for the film, the Wikipedia entry, and the IMDB listing.

3. check back shortly for updates...

1. What to do on a Tuesday night? If you're as into indie music as we are and like to see hot bands before the mainstream media digs their talons in, checkout Oh My Rockness. "Oh My Rockness is the place for indie rock show listings. We filter through hundreds of show listings each week and bring you the best of the bunch. Plus, check out our original band profiles, read our weekly features, find venue details, buy tickets online, and more!" Upcoming shows of interest: Destroyer, Justice (these guys aren't really unknown anymore and this show will be anything but intimate, but...), Band Of Horse + Sufjan Stevens, our favorite stoner indie rock band ever Black Mountain, Takka Takka, and Tokyo Police Club, to name a few. This site rocks.

2. Curated around a 1973 video by minimal artist Richard Serra, Television Delivers People is a must-see show currently on view at The Whitney. "Television Delivers People brings together single-channel video works from the 1970s to the present that examine how an individual viewer is shaped by television's structure and content. These videos also suggest the possibility of an active approach to viewing which remains relevant even as the physical experience of viewing changes." Click here for the full description of the show and works included. Don't forget to checkout Serra's original Television Delivers People video. "Television Delivers People is a seminal work in the now well-established critique of popular media as an instrument of social control that asserts itself subtly on the populace through entertainments, for the benefit of those in power-the corporations that mantain and profit from the status quo. Television emerges as little more than a insidious sponsor for the corporate engines of the world."

3. check back shortly for updates...

1. If you haven't yet seen the 2006 big screen adaptation of Patrick Süskind's 1985 literary historical cross-genre novel Perfume: The Story Of A Murderer yet, now's the time. I watched it yesterday and it was amazing. It's the book that Stanley Kubrick claimed was unfilmable. I totally disagree. It's stars relative newcomer Ben Whishaw, who really stole the show. Expect to be seeing a lot more of him in the near future. Checkout the Wikipedia entry for the book here, its mixed reviews on Rotten Tomatoes here, and the trailer here. If you do nothing else, read the book. It is by far one of the best books I've ever read and, as always, it's 1,000 times better than the movie. That's a given. Did you know that it was one of Kurt Cobain's favorite books? He even wrote a song -- Scentless Apprentice -- that was included on In Utero paying hommage to it. If you don't know the song, here's a vid of the band performing it live.

2. Gucci just opened a new flagship store on Fifth Avenue. I'm sure you heard all about in relation to Madonna's Fashion Week soiree/benefit for the brand. Checkout this video on CNN, where we get a walk through of the store and a peak at the limited edition Gucci Loves New York bags that are supposedly selling like hot cakes. Is it just me or did they copy the stripes off the custom Goyard bags?? My favorite part of the video is when the interviewer asks the Gucci guy why they've decided to open a store that's 30% bigger than their previous store when the US is on the brink of a recession. You gotta ask the tough questions!

3. Opening soon at the Guggenheim: Cai Guo-Qiang's retrospective I Want To Believe. "CAI GUO-QIANG has literally exploded the accepted parameters of art making in our time. Drawing freely from ancient mythology, military history, Taoist cosmology, extraterrestrial observations, Maoist revolutionary tactics, Buddhist philosophy, gunpowder-related technology, Chinese medicine, and methods of terrorist violence, Cai's art is a form of social energy, constantly mutable, linking what he refers to as “the seen and unseen worlds.” His work is amazing. I can't wait to see the cars hanging from the ceiling. In previous shows, he's used suspended cars with light exploding from their insides. "Ever since September 11th, the idea of terrorism is always on our minds. It's ever so present. And while car explosions have been around for a long time, they have a heightened sense of reality in our minds." Checkout pics of other exhibits here and here. Don't forget this bio on the artist's site.

1. We stopped by the Jeremy Scott AW08 party last night to put an official close to fashion week. The party was at the old Crobar aka Studio Mezmor, which is now called Mansion. The "club" was exported from South Beach, which is bad news no matter how you look at it. The space was pretty much the same with a huge fireplace, some swanky chandeliers, and lots of couches where the dancefloor used to be. Couches and tables, as you know, equals bottle service. And you know what that means: it's not the kind of place we'd ever go to. That aside, because this party was open bar, we ignored everything but the bartender. There were mediocre looking girls in burlesque type outfits that look like they were bought in a downtown LA lingerie shop's bargain bin dancing on tables and wandering around. If that was the collection, it was worse than that cheerleader fiasco from a few years ago. An all black choir sang two songs at one point, which were good, but the intended shock value or "wow this is edgey thing" didn't really work mostly because it was really dumb. The crowd: a handful of genuinely cool, hot people mixed with messy corporate something or others trying to be cool and our favorite woman of the night who we dubbed "an Olsen on a budget". Just asking: who funds Jeremy Scott? He clearly has no sales and makes no money, yet like Cher and cockroaches, he keeps coming back. Please JS, tell us your secret. Oh wait, his Wikipedia entry says "He is also stylist for the band Fischerspooner." That explains it!!! ;)

I'm done for this week. TGIFF. Thank god it's fuckin Friday!!! Checkout some of my favorite sites while I get my haircut at the Neighborhood Barbers and eat cabbage rolls and cheesecake at Odessa.

10. perez hilton (just b/c he sucks doesn't mean i'm not addicted)
9... omg blog
8... cnn
7... gawker (tired but true...i mean tried but true...)
6... x tube (don't tell my mom)
5... ny times (zzzzzzzzzzzzzz, i know...)
4... i cant tell you this one!!!
3... myspace
2... the superficial (funny shite)
1... i'm in like with you (it's addictive and i don't know why)

Maybe I'll pop into the Russian/Turkish Baths for a hot sauna. Lord knows I could use it. I think everyone in New York could with a few shots of vodka on the way out.

1. Our friend Tracy Matthews of TMD Men has a new Spring/Summer line out. "With its inspirations firmly rooted in nature, the new collection features innovative wooden beaded bracelets reminiscent of traditional Mala meditation beads. For thousands of years, beads of this nature have been used to facilitate reflection and prayer rituals in both ancient religions and through modern times. TMD's influence stems from Tracy's own avid yoga practices over the years, and experiences in mediation and mantras. The bracelets are available in subtle natural hues of ivory, grey, and ebony, and are accompanied with oxidized sterling silver embellishments in a variety of styles. TMD Men's familiar motifs of pendants, deconstructed medallions, crosses, daggers, and animal bones adorn these beaded bracelets for a truly eclectic mix of things, natural and raw." Checkout the full men's line here. Don't forget to checkout her line of women's jewelry, which you can buy online.

2. I just got an invite to the Radar's Fashion Issue Release party at Plumm. The reply to the RSVP reads: "Parties of all males must reserve a table for entry." Huh? Is this some sort of joke? For Gaydar Mag? Do we also have to buy 4 bottles of $300 Georgi vodka? There's only so many fag hags to go around. You might want to have spare ones at the door so everyone gets in or the party's going to be empty!

3. As always, Palais De Tokyo's got some cool shit going on. It's one of the only reasons I ever even imagine I'd want to live in Paris. On the block for February: Cellar Door. " CELLAR DOOR is an ambitious artistic enterprise: a colossal organism engendered by an original music score that distends through space and time. The exhibition is a mutant form, one that has crystallized around an obsession, the production and manufacturing of a studio. The common version of the artist's studio, the dream factory, isn't on display; rather, the studio is featured as a dreaming factory, a delirious object endowed with thought and speech that constantly reinvents itself. With CELLAR DOOR, for the first time a French artist under 30 (Loris Gréaud) is taking over the Palais de Tokyo in its entirety." Check this page out all the details. There's also a bunch of other stuff going on, including special projects Medio Dia Media Noche (which has cool pics but since my French is rusty, I have no clue what it's about!), Hotel Everland, and the release of Bruce La Bruce's new film F*ck My Brain #2. Don't forget to checkout their video page (Tokyo Tube),which includes killer videos of past projects and interviews with artists.

4. There's an interesting piece in the NYTimes today about male models being skinny. It's interesting and hits on a topic that hasn't gotten much attention to date. I've seen my share of current male models and they are RAIL THIN. Sometimes, it's amazing that an adult male can be so thin. "The models were also downsized. Where the masculine ideal of as recently as 2000 was a buff 6-footer with six-pack abs, the man of the moment is an urchin, a wraith or an underfed runt."

5. Our friend stylist and editor Julie Ragolia is doing a fashion week blog for City Magazine (where she's the new fasion director) that's being updated as I type. Check it out! What you'll find: Doo.ri, Yohji + Y-3 store openings, Alexander Wang, The Sartorialist, Adidas + Diesel, Max Azria must not sleep, Missing Marc by Marc, Lessons from Mick Rock, Barney's Tom Kalenderian, and Andrew W.K.'s got Bawls, among others. It'll be updated constantly, so keep checking back.

1. Ju$t Another Rich Kid's latest Indulgences series has officially launched and we've got an exclusive on the pics. "Ever fascinated with pop culture iconography and following the success of the 2004 Indulgences series, Ju$t Another Rich Kid has just released a much-anticipated series of Indulgences based on the 7 Deadly Sins. The collection is comprised of 7 unisex, gold-dipped pendants on 24 inch chains."

Included in the series is one pendant for each deadly sin:

1... Gluttony (Coke Spoon #4)
2... Greed (Snake Eyes)
3... Lust (Can You Feel My Love Buzz?)
4... Sloth (Why Do Today...)
5... Anger (No More War)
6... Pride (Fall From Heaven)
7... Envy (Jolly Roger)

Unlike the original series, which contained only a few necklaces, every piece in this series is wearable (and usable if you do cocaine) and priced at around $200 retail. No word yet on who's carrying the line, but stay tuned. As soon as we know, we'll let you know. You'll want to snatch these up fast before they discontinue production.

2. Seems like Londoners are just as picky as New York co-op building members. Remember Madonna getting rejected from some building somewhere years ago?! Well Damien Hirst has just opened an art shop, but it wasn't as easy as you might think for the artworld super star. "Damien Hirst is to open his first shop, selling everything from a £250,000 charm bracelet to a painted plastic skull for £25,000. The millionaire artist has signed a 10-year lease on a shop in Marylebone, which will open this spring. The former enfant terrible of the Brit Art movement had to be interviewed by the building's owners before being allowed to move into the development." Read the full article here. And don't forget to checkout his art site -- Other Criteria-- which is one in the same as the new art shop. I've known about Other Criteria for a while, but had no clue Hirst was the one who owned it. Now I know.

3. check back shortly for updates...

One of our favorite stores in the world--super cool Miami store BASE--has hooked up this.hearts.on.fire. once again with their Album Club Picks. The picks are a very well-curated set of some of the sexiest, coolest music anywhere. I love it because it's so different from my usual taste and always introduces me to new artists that I would not have heard otherwise. You can listen to samples and buy each album by clicking on the links below.

10. BALEARIC BISCUITS 2 / Kenneth Bager and Music for Dreams do it again with the second volume of eclectic and laid back international lounge tracks for their Balearic Biscuits series.

9. REMIXES & RARITIES (SMOOVE GRAVY) / If you want to get yourself moving to a funky beat, there's nothing better than the new remix album by supreme funkster Smoove, who's moved up from the underground to drop a jazz, soul and funk masterpiece.

8. MI NINA LOLA (BUIKA) / "Flamenco fusion" is jazz mixed with blues and tango. There aren't many who could pull this off as gorgeously as Spaniard Concha Buika on her new disc Mi Nina Lola.

7. CHILLHOUSE MIX 5 (CAFÉ DEL MAR) / The legendary Café Del Mar's Chill House Mix series, now in its fifth volume, is perfect soundtrack for your beach party or dinner soiree, with every track a deep house delight.

6. SOME PEOPLE HAVE REAL PROBLEMS (SIA) / Sia returns with her third solo effort, another collection of nu-folk mixed with torch songs, complimented by her smoky voice, sensual delivery and quirky lyrics.

5. UNTRUE (BURIAL) / Anonymous London artist Burial new disc pays homage to UK garage, or two-step, with a bit of vocal samples, a bit of darkness throughout, and a lot of originality, surely placing itself as one of the most original dance records to come out this year.

4. MICKEY HART & ZAKIR HUSSAIN (GLOBAL DRUM PROJECT) / Mickey Hart (formerly of The Grateful Dead) and Zakir Hussain (world renowned Indian tabla player) have teamed up again for the creation of a new album titled Global Drum Project giving us a little bit of tribal, a little bit of ambient, a great deal of percussion, and beautiful rhythyms on these stellar new disc.

3. IN RAINBOWS (RADIOHEAD) / In Rainbows may be one of Radiohead's best, filled with more of what they usually offer: up-tempo guitar songs and moody acoustic ballads, but this time with a definitely more listenable feel, as if the colder version of Radiohead had melted and left us with a great set of tunes we can all relate to.

2. IMAGES (VENOM MEETS MARCO DI MARCO) / DJ Venom accessories Italian jazz great Marco Di Marco's original songs, (which are mostly taken from his London session with saxophonist Nathan Haines), with a little bit of dub, broken beats, and edits, all the while preserving the warmth and depth of the originals.

1. MARDULCE (BAJOFONDO) / Bajofondo, credited with the invention of "electronic tango, have done something more revolutionary for their third album and formed an actual live band, violin and all, resulting in music that is fresher than ever, with guests vocalists like Elvis Costello and Nelly Furtado livening up the proceedings and broadening this new musical form's global audience.

1. If you haven't seen The Who's 1979 film Quadrophenia, rent it now. I'd heard of the EP and knew of the movie, but never checked it out. If only I'd knew what I was missing. "It's London, 1964, and Jimmy is a member of a Mod gang (working class youths who imitate the attire of upper-class citizens, and ride Vespa and Lambretta scooters). The Mods are always fighting with Rockers, who in turn wear black leather and ride motorcycles." Are you a mod or are you a rocker?? It's teen angst at its best and stars Sting in his first ever movie role. Checkout the Wikipedia entry for the EP here and for the film here. Don't forget to checkout the trailer and this fan site.

2. We all know that there's money in the Middle East. That's a no brainer. What people are spending their money on may be a bit shocking though: license plates. The license plate system in Abu Dhabi (capital of the UAE) is a simple numbered system beginning with the number 1. Plates are auctioned off for ridiculous amounts with lower numbers being more desirable. A man recently paid $6.8 million for the plate with number 5 on it. When 1 comes up for auction next month, he says he'll bid on it and is willing to pay as much as $15-20 million! Amazing how these are such a huge status symbol in the UAE. All I can think is: what a boring country. If I were going to spend $7 million for a plate, I'd at least want something like "Big Daddy Dictator" on it. Watch the CNN video to see for yourself.

3. Not all music has to be in English to be good. Yeah maybe French band Phoenix nailed it by singing in English, but Swedish band Kaah rocks it in their native tongue. Checkout the video for Dom Tittar, which is such a hot song. Don't forget to checkout their MySpace for more info and to listen to a few more tracks and this Wikipedia entry, if you can read Swedish that is.

1. When I started this site, I vowed I'd never cover graffiti or skateboarding, but I changed my mind. I will not gratuitously cover graffiti and skateboarding, but if something hot comes up, what can I do?? Checkout Spraymasters, a 2007 film by Manfred Kirchheimer that's screening for the first time at MOMA on 02.13.08. "Four ex-graffiti writers reflect on their early years as renegades who sneaked into rail yards and decorated New York subway cars with stolen paint while eluding arrest by the authorities. Now in their forties and embraced by the establishment, Lee Quinones, Lady Pink, and Futura 2000 are prominent artists with an international following This beautifully shot film includes early footage recorded by Kirchheimer for his underground classic Stations of the Elevated (1980)." The vintage footage of New York circa 1980 alone will make it worth seeing. Don't forget to watch the trailer here and read over the info page on MOMA's site where there's a link for buying tickets.

2. I was just updating my MySpace profile song and stumbled upon the hottest music page: 5 songs from a Ramones 1975 demo tape. The track list: 1. i don't wanna go down to the basement 2. 53rd and 3rd 3. i wanna be your boyfriend 4. judy is a punk 5. loudmouth. Check it out fast before it gets pulled. There are no other Ramones profiles, so I'm guessing the ones that surface get pulled very quickly.

3. I just found Stations Of The Elevated (the 1979 Manfred Kircheimer movie mentioned above) on YouTube . "This 1979 documentary is one of my all time favorites. The structure is as simple as they come. Footage of the various New York subways which run on elevated tracks is set to the music of Charles Mingus, with a little Duke Ellington thrown in for good measure. It's as if you are riding the rails in 79' while listening to Mingus on your walk man. Eye candy up the wazzoo from graffiti to Nylon paisley shirts." It's so hot. Check it out!

1. In case you missed it on every other blog, checkout this Sarah Silverman video tribute to her boyfriend Jimmy Kimmel. It's hysterical.

2. What's better than a totally cheesey, "I can't believe anyone financed this" movie to get the weekend rolling? If you've never seen it, you've gotta checkout Rock 'n' Roll Highschool, the 1979 film starring The Ramones. "Vince Lombardi High School keeps losing principals to nervous breakdowns because of the students' love of rock 'n' roll and their disregard of education. The putative leader of the students is Riff Randell, who loves the music of the Ramones. A new principal, the rock-music-hating Miss Evelyn Togar, is brought in and promises to put an end to the music craze." It's so bad in that you'll want to watch it twice in a row way. Not to mention, it's chock full of Ramones songs and lots of clips where you can stare at Joey and wonder how it was possible that he got dealt such a band hand from the DNA card deck and ask yourself over and over how such a brilliant band never quite made it.

3. One of our favorite brands -- Fred Perry -- just launched its Spring/Summer 2008 collection. What are we into? For Men: the Checked Harrington Jacket, the Bomber Jacket, the short sleeve Check Shirt, and the Harlequin Sweater. For the ladies: the Pointelle Sweater, the Biker Jacket, and and everything from the new Emma Cook collection. Don't forget to checkout their sneakers. The black on black Tennis Plimsoll is hot! Check it all out for yourself.

4. For everyone who didn't make it to a theater to see Joy Division/Ian Curtis biopic Control, no need to worry: it's out on DVD 02.11.08. If you're a Joy Division fan, this is a must see, with amazing performance by one of our all time favorites Samantha Morton and new comer Sam Riley. Included on the DVD and not seen in theaters: making of Control (25 minute featurette includes interviews), commentary with Director Anton Corbijn, extended performance scenes, and Joy Division's Atmosphere '88 video, which was directed by none other than Anton Corbijn. Can't wait? Pre-order the DVD on Amazon now!