Browsing Category

Pop Culture

Fashion/Design, Music, Pop Culture

80s Fashion Night: Howard Jones, Less Than Zero and Keytars (pics)

I met my match with Geoff. Never have I met a person who enjoys dressing up as much as I do.

The man has two closets full of costumes.

We will take any excuse to dress up and last night’s excuse was a Howard Jones concert at Austin City Limits.

Who is Howard Jones, you ask?

This awesome dude:

Here is one of HoJo’s most popular songs, “What is Love?” (not to be confused with the Haddaway jam). Trust me, once you hear this song you’ll know what it is. You’ll be all like, “I know that song, but I have no idea who the f Howard Jones is!” It took me two days to stop calling him Howard Johnson.

HoJo has a bunch of other hits that you’ll probably recognize but got confused with Thomas Dolby.

Geoff and I decided to dress 80s last night because it’s our favorite decade.

He wore an 80s New Wave outfit that consists of his original clothes from the 80s and I wore my best Blair in Less Than Zero ensemble.

Sadly, I wasn’t expecting much from the Howard Jones show (we got (more…)

June 29, 2012 by
Film, Pop Culture

Six Best Christopher Guest Characters

Vulture recently announced that filmmaker/actor Christopher Guest is working on a new sitcom in the same improvised-vein as his previous films. The show, titled Family Tree, stars Chris O’Dowd (Bridesmaids) as he “attempts to track down his real family”. Actor and regular Guest player Jim Piddock will be helping the funny man with this project.

I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty excited to hear the news. Christopher Guest has been a creative icon of mine since first seeing Waiting for Guffman as a teenager and Chris O’Dowd did a knockout performance in Bridesmaids. Though Guest’s last film, For Your Consideration, seemed to be rock bottom, he can only work his way up from there, right? RIGHT?!

I wanted to take this moment to reflect on some of my favorite Guest characters. The beauty of every Guest character is that you can see a little bit of yourself in all of them. From the blissfully ignorant Libby Mae Brown in Waiting for Guffman to the misunderstood genius-stoner Mitch (more…)

June 22, 2012 by
Film, Pop Culture

The Great Gatsby Trailer Is Private Parts-Tinglingly Beautiful

But I hope to God the musical choices are not a sampling of things to come…

Can we discuss how handsome Leonardo DiCaprio has gotten? Never been a fan of his dreamy boy looks, but he’s looking gooood with age.

Having been a Fitzgerald nut since I was a teenager, I, and everyone else in the world, have been disappointed with Fitzgerald film adaptations. This trailer looks pretty promising!

May 23, 2012 by
Austin, Film, Music, Pop Culture

Explosions in the Sky’s “Postcards From 1952” Made Weep and Orgasm Simultaneously

Have you guys seen this redonk music video from Austin-based Explosions in the Sky yet?

It will cause you to instantly weep and orgasm at the same time.

The music video was created by the very talented Austin filmmakers Peter Simonite and Annie Gunn. This is the sort of artistic creation that makes you wonder what the hell you’re doing with your life.

 

May 17, 2012 by
Film, Pop Culture

Meeting David Duchovny Reminded Me of What A X-Files Nerd I Was

Last Friday I met David Duchovny.

I have no photographic evidence of this because I met him while he was shooting a scene in his boxer briefs.

There was a lot of hubbub surrounding me meeting David Duchovny from my family and friends. They remembered what a hopeless, pathetic X-files nerd I was between the ages of 10-19. My Dad’s girlfriend, who works on Californication, told me to have my mother ship out any X-files paraphernalia and David would gladly sign them when I met him. My Mom would have happily obliged if I asked her. In fact, she spent most of the week leading up to me meeting David Duchovny telling everyone in our hometown.

As a 28 year-old who previously worked for celebrities, I would never in a million years walk up to David Duchovny with my Australia edition of the Rolling Stone that features he and Gillian Anderson in bed together or my Agent Mulder action figure from Fight the Future and ask him to sign it. That is not a freak flag I want to freely wave to the (more…)

May 16, 2012 by
Hipstercrite Life, Pop Culture

Is Venice Beach the Best Part of LA?

Yesterday I spent the day in a place I frequent in my head, except this time I was there in person.

The wonderfully quirky world of Venice, California quickly became my favorite part of Los Angeles once I peeled back the sticky layer of sweat, sand, liquor and God knows what else that covers the town and saw what lies below the surface.

Windward Ave.

Venice has not changed a bit since I left four years ago. The only exception is now there is a medicinal marijuana store everywhere you turn. The employees wear green scrubs with marijuana leaves on them and scream at you, “The doctor is in!” It’s only $40 to get your medical marijuana card.

I even saw many of the same street performers who have been performing tricks on the boardwalk for years.

This street performer jumped onto a pile of broken glass

 

It’s as if Venice has been pickled in time.

I hope it always stays that way.

 

One of my favorite boardwalk homes designed by Frank Gehry

I relived my regular (more…)

May 10, 2012 by
Austin, Pop Culture

The Top Ten Best Taco Tattoos

I have a secret to share: I didn’t try Mexican food until I was in my 20s.

It’s not because I didn’t want to. I’m an adventurous eater and will try anything. I was born in a small town in Upstate New York which, for a long time, was about as ethnically diverse as Yanni concert. I grew up eating the food of first and second generation Italians and Greeks. We didn’t have options like Thai, Indian, Mexican or Ethiopian. My small hometown JUST got their first Mexican restaurant a few years ago and the majority of people who have never left said town are afraid to go in there out of fear that their taste buds will explode from tasting spice for the first time in their lives.

Even when living in Los Angeles, I didn’t eat Mexican food often. Unlike Austin, Mexican food is not as commonly celebrated in LA. It wasn’t on my radar because I was sidetracked by the exorbitant amount of sushi restaurants that city has.

When I moved to Austin, everything changed. As compared to Los Angeles, I (more…)

May 8, 2012 by
Austin, Pop Culture

Are You a Bobo?

In this week’s CultureMap article, “More than Trader Joe’s in store: Seaholm development targets ‘urban bohemians,'” managing partner of Seaholm LLC, John Rosato, used the titular term when describing the sort of clientele they want their future tenants to cater to. A lot of you thought the phrase “urban bohemian” sounded like the verbal equivalent of dragging your nails across a chalkboard, but I have news for you, it ain’t nothing new.

Try on this word for size: Bobo. Bourgeois bohemian. Does that make you want to throw up a little in your mouth, too?

“Bobo” was coined by David Brooks in his 2000 social commentary, Bobos in Paradise: The New Upper Class and How They Got There. The book describes the rise of upper middle class and their penchant for spending big bucks on organic food, brand new electric cars and all-American clothing.

They are a hybrid of the “liberal idealism of the 1960s and the self-interest of the 1980s” a.k.a. hipsters with money. Bobos are essentially (more…)

May 5, 2012 by
Film, Pop Culture

Sexy Goldbluming (The New Planking)

Ok.

I’m going to submit a photo to this:

SEXY GOLDBLUMING!

A new “planking” in the form of reenacting your favorite Jeff Goldblum pose.

But I need your help in deciding what photo to replicate.

Leave your choice in the comments!

Also, if anyone wants to help take the photo, that would be great. I can’t guarantee what will happen when I bring out the Goldblum Sexiness though. It might kill you.

1.)

2.)

3.)

May 1, 2012 by