If you don't know how much I adore the work of Jack Vance, you obviously just have not been listening to me! The Demon Princes, two volumes collecting five novellas written between 1964 and 1981, are my favorites second only to the middle books collected in Tales of the Dying Earth (the absolutely phenomenal Eyes of the Overworld and Cugel's Saga). I've only been holding off on recommending them here, on Brix Picks, until I had a chance to re-read them and write while their fresh in my mind, but over the years they've been passed around to all my friends and I just haven't had the chance.

The four novellas chronicling the vengeful exploits of Kirth Gersen as he seeks to destroy a cabal of high powered, shadowy, inter-planetary criminals known only as the Demon Princes in the wake of the massacre of his home planet match up so perfectly with this week's vengeance-based extreme movie, Oldboy, that I'm positive the authors of the Manga Park Chan-wook's film was based on were heavily influenced by Vance's stories.

Over the course of 850 action-packed pages, Gersen manages to find (and attempts to kill) each one of the gangsters on his hit list in exponentially brilliant ways that involve, among other things, a high school reunion, a planet that's turned kidnapping into a safe and reliable business, weirdo art parties on old Earth, rare and possibly deadly culinary delicacies, and a maniacal plan involving the restructuring of a moon… And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

To give away too much of the plot would be totally unfair as the real thrill of any Vance work is watching the intricate and often extremely surprising plots rapidly unfold and reveling in his witty and wildly imaginative brand of speculative social engineering. Just writing about this series is making me really want to read it again – this is one of my all-time favorites.

I became an immediate fan of The Fucking Champs' IV and have been deeply into its brutal sounds all week. I think any fan of Priest or Iron Maiden would be psyched about this band, but (rather strangely) they seems to draw an indie rock crowd that (may) sadly mistake their work for mere parody or, even worse, irony.

I think they're for real and this is just pure, unadulterated metal music but, unlike most well known heavy acts, the album's (almost) entirely instrumental. The record will make you think of Frank Frazetta paintings, giant snakes, and many of the songs remind me of early video game music taken to its heaviest extreme.

Of course, this is all just my interpretation of an album that's likely to become a personal favorite. Many fans refuse to call the music 'metal' at all and the band itself is fairly enigmatic and obtuse about their image. I can't even find out if they're playing in NY anytime soon… their site only features a blank page of 2007 tour dates. I guess I'll just have to become your best friend if you inform me of their coming to the city.

It's easy to go Swayze crazy when you take the time to appreciate his fun career (hello Road House, Point Break, and Donnie Darko!). The once top billed star made women of all ages sigh and daydream at the idea of being lofted in the air mid-dance or making pottery muck love.

Among his listed quotes are “Good looking people turn me off. Myself included.” Sadly he reported as losing a painful fight with pancreatic cancer and all our hearts go out to him.

I've really been making the rounds on the Flushing eating scene lately! I finally made it out for early Saturday morning dim sum at the renowned banquet hallesque Jade Asian. We had no problem getting a table for four at ten, but I've heard the wait can get crazy after noon time.

Not entirely knowing what to expect, I was struck by he whirlwind speed at which the dishes came at us. The staff speaks little English, but there's no language barrier issues when pointing, nodding, thumbs up and smiling do the trick. We said yes to lots of things right off the bat – several dumplings, wide noodles as well as crispy taro thingies.

I fell head over heels for the scallion dumplings and flagged down one of the waitresses for about three orders. My second favorite dish was a bit more daring: a custardy scallop mixture served on the half shell. Another favorite were dumplings – presumably filled shrimp and pork – and topped with a dollop of mayo and roe. The only dish I didn't care for was the expectedly heavy deep-fried bacon wrapped shrimp, but Jim was happy to eat mine, so it didn't go to waste.

We finished the meal with a sweet fried dough treat filled with sweet black bean paste. They were delicious and can be recognized by a sprinkle of black sesame seeds. Here's a whole bunch of pics I posted on RC.

I'd love to return again, because on the way out I noticed mussels, pancakes, and asparagus that we missed out on during this first go-round.

Any place with dollar oysters until seven is good in my book, but The Ten Bells goes one step beyond by offering a civilized old worldy atmosphere and a menu of great French and Belgium beers. I've yet to take advantage of their other menu items, but am eagerly awaiting the day I can get out of work early enough to gorge on beer and oysters again. When it happens, I will cherish it.

While I am not usually the biggest Anna Sui fan overall, I have to say I am terribly excited about her Target line that goes on sale next Sunday. The line is based on characters on the show Gossip Girl, which I don't watch – but according to the clothes, I seem to be mostly a “Blair”.

What is the Impossible Project?

“We aim to re-start production of analog instant film for vintage Polaroid cameras in 2010.”

TOO COOL!!

“I'm 28. I live with my 73-year-old dad. He is awesome. I just write down shit that he says.”

The results, recorded on Twitter, are absolutely brilliant.