Thumbs Think and Hope This Won’t Last
I feel bad for Giles.
But Gargamel deserves this.
TV Shows »5 Second Review: Free Agents
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TV Shows »5 Second Review: Up All Night
My Thumbs Might Be Naively Optimistic
Will Arnett as sweetheart stay at home = wasted talents as a foolish asshole but still a charmer and I like him, so I hope this goes better than that one with Felicity.
Maya Rudolph and Christina Applegate good = could mean more good talent in guest and added roles?
BUT
Was it in a fit of depression or glee that the writer slipped in lines about diarrhea and burning rectums just as we thought we were spared such obvious and unfunny poop business with the baby?
Plus, Mike and Shaun thought the baby was a boring one.
Up All Night is thankfully not completely dumb though and has potential – or am I being too optimistic?
See more: TV Shows 2010s Comedy
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Posted on September 16, 2011
Spend a Couple Minutes »Eccentricity
At Yes Gallery, 147 India St, Greenpoint
Looking for interesting things to do with afternoon strolls with Van (there’s only so many times we can go out for coffee and baby food) I looked into local galleries and found Yes, an almost hidden space on India was hosting an interesting exhibit of drawings.
Beautiful yet sinister, Dana Bunker‘s bold drawings of women in tangled are eye catching and expertly crafted. They belong to a new wave of illustration style that surely has a name but I’ll call it realistic fantasy (see Deanne Cheuk and my old friend Ashley Macomber‘s work to see what I mean).
It’s very appealing stuff that reminds me as much of hand painted wallpaper as it does Italian Vogue.
So bold are her images that Kenneth Burris‘s almost fade into the background but they are worth close inspection. Some of subtle renderings of skyscrapers and ships are quite lovely, especially in the miniature drawings in the front room.
The pencil work is subtle and intricate (therefor also hard to photograph with just an iPhone, so excuse the lack if photos) but they’re better to see in person anyways so head down before October 9 when the show closes.
See more: Spend a Couple Minutes Galleries/Museums Greenpoint
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Posted on September 16, 2011
Drinks »Cest la Vie Wine
Syrah Rose
The weather is telling me that summer is over, so does that mean I have to stop sipping rose? Not while I have a bottle of Cest la Vie in the fridge!
Dry yet fruity but not tart, this syrah rose is cheap and yummy.
A rare excellent find for being the only rose at our closest liquor shop.
Plus, the hand drawn label is darling.
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Posted on September 15, 2011
TV Shows »5 Second Review: Ringer
Thumbs Down
Dull. Predictable.
Horatio Hornblower looks like The Fantastic Four sapped his life force.
A grimacing Buffy is uninspired without witty banter and apparently refuses to do boat shoots…
Leading to the most hilarious and shockingly bad effects I’ve seen on TV since Gatoroid. Watch here.
But Richard’s there, so there’s that.
See more: TV Shows 2010s Drama
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Posted on September 15, 2011
Style Icons: Male »Peter Lindbergh
Master Photographer
No photographer working, it could be argued, touches Peter Lindbergh when it come to black and white.
He turns gorgeous women into icons. Most of his images are now legendary, recognizable even to those not with little interest in fashion magazines.
I love him best though when he goes wildly cinematic and dramatic. Mixing alien crashes with supermodels, refashioning The Birds with a more sinister eye, and ingeniously recasting Lolita with an early 1990’s Milla Jovovich and Harry Dean Stanton – these are the kinds of editorial spreads that leave a mark on ones brain.
See more: Style Icons: Male Artists
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Posted on September 13, 2011
Spend a Couple Hours »Jim Henson’s Fantastic World (and More)
3601 35th Avenue, Astoria
The Museum of Moving Image underwent a major renovation recently and looks great. Their current semi permanent exhibit is a fun look at movie making. It explores costumes, sound design, acting, editing and more with crowd pleasing artifacts (like Chewbaca’s mask, a Freddy Krueger prop and a large Blade Runner model) as well as fun hands on features.
Kids we having a great time doing voice over work and making special effects while Van and I made our own little video which we could and did buy as a flip book in the gift shop (pictured below).
It’s a family friendly environment and all ages will love the current Jim Henson’s Fantastic World exhibit. Just good to note: no strollers or photos allowed so bring that carrier for little little ones.
Many actual puppets are on display from Kermit the Frog, to Miss piggy, Fraggles to Bert and Ernie but Van was simply tickled with the Mahna Mahna and backup singer puppets – laughing and pointing when we got near them. He also found an old Kermit video about jazz absolutely hilarious.
Some of my personal favorites were early drawings of big bird, some wicked Skeksis jewelry from the Dark Crystal, and a delightful early film he made that plays on a loop on the middle level called time piece. Also be sure to watch the La Choy dragon commercial within the commercial video loop. It’s awesome.
On our way out we couldn’t resist the unique gift of a black and white Elmo doll, a strange Japanese product that van has taken a liking to wrestling with, hugging and eating it’s eyeballs.
Really look forward to taking him to future exhibits at this great new space.
See more: Spend a Couple Hours About Movies About TV Children’s Galleries/Museums
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Posted on September 12, 2011
Restaurants »Bahari Estiatorio
31-14 Broadway, Astoria
The first thing you need to know about Bahari Estiatorio is that it used to be called Stamatis (and is listed as such on line) but it’s the same well reviewed restaurant, so no need to panic if you make the trip out there and find it missing.
It’s really hard to go wrong with Greek food in queens but fortunately that doesn’t mean that they’re all cookie cutter replicas of each other. Each place we’ve been seems to offer something unique and in Bahari’s case it’s a flavorful dried sausage appetizer unlike any that I’ve had. At it’s worst Greek sausage can be oily and a tad bland but this was anything but.
Among our other shared appetizers (a great way to sample lots of good stuff) were more stand out dishes: a fresh feta tomato salad, a baked feta and pepper casserole, a tender grilled octopus (more mildly flavored than I prefer), and a huge pita and spread plate with the usual suspects: my favorite taramasalata, tzatziki, and babaganoush as well as less familiar potato and garlic and cheese spreads.
The staff is friendly, even picking Van up for a hug, though the atmosphere is a bit forgettable.
The meal was quite memorable though and a perfect stop before heading over to the Museum of Moving Image. Plus, a parking lot is right next door which is great in the hard to park area.
See more: Restaurants Astoria Greek Queens
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Posted on September 12, 2011
Albums »Marvin Gaye Live in Miami
by Marvin Gaye
I was excited to broaden my horizons with Spotify. Friends know that give or take a few artists I am hopelessly ignorant of most new “cool” music (LCD Soundsystem, Beirut, Animal Collective… the list goes on and on and on).
I also have a lot of catching up to do with bands from the past (was curious to finally give a good listen to XTC, Husker Du, Mission of Burma… again the list goes on and on).
So what do I do with the few hours of work time I have to discover a new album? Spend it grooving to Marvin Gaye Live in Miami. What can I say, I know what I like and may just be stuck in my ways more than I’d like to admit.
I can’t find much information about these performances which seem to be cobbled together from several dates. Even the year is unclear, though a very touching medley sung for Tammi Terrell indicates its after her tragic death in 1967.
The recordings themselves are not very professional, they’re noisy and muffled but Gaye is vibrant, charming, and heartfelt.
He ends Let’s Get It On with a plea to turn the lights off and get busy that aches with sexed up desperation and woos the crowd by taking breaks to sip honey tea and asking women from the audience to dance with him.
See more: Albums Concerts R&B
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Posted on September 12, 2011
Spend a Couple Minutes »Tribute in Light
9/11 Memorial
The Tribute in Light is a most thoughtful and touching monument in honor of our darkest day.
This might be the last year the temporary art installation is up, so be sure to see it tonight and take a quiet moment of remembrance