Writing the Arts

Ray J is the Saltiest Dish on the Airwaves

Ray J has soiled and sullied his reputation by creating this track. He seems to try to make a publicity stunt by riding off the press Kim Kardashian and his sex tape created. However, he fails to see, or maybe purposely intended to make himself look like a salty dumb ass. (Consult urban dictionary for "salty" as I intend it)

 

 

Poor Kimye for having so many fans, even the famous ones.

 

The Weaver

Every summer during high school, I would travel down to Guatemala for a month.  The trip was supposed to be an educational trip through the use of basketball as a intermediary between Guatemalan students and American high schoolers.  It was one of the best times of my life.  However, while the trip was a great time, what struck me the most was the work ethic of the people down there.  Every year we had a trip to a local weaver who lived in the rural highlands with his family of weavers.

While this is not my picture (I sadly cannot find any picture of the annual trip to the weavers), the had about 4 machines like this set up throughout their property.  The area for weaving was the size of their other 2 rooms which housed the kitchen and sleeping areas.  The family would work at all hours of the day just to get by, creating amazingly intricate designs.

 

The wife and children would spend time breaking up the the wool they used, a long and arduous process that got all of us tired wthin 10 minutes:

Once it was fine, they would spin it on an old fashion spinner that looked like it was about to fall apart:

After that was complete, it was time for the dying process.  They would process the wool in natural coloring aids that they would let sit for at least 24 hours, depending on the type of dye.  Finally the weaving process began.  There was 4 weaving looms set up for the family of 6 (the two youngest were below 5).  The mother and father would weave from 6 AM to 10 PM, sometimes spending up to a weak working on very large blanket.  But what really struck me was their teenage son and daughter.  They would also start to work around 6, but they would then go to school around 9.  Be home by 3 and back to work on the loom until 10, but they didn't complain.  That's what they had to do to survive.  Quite the schedule.  Makes me think I definitely do not put enough work into everything I am do.

Coming

The last couple times I have turned on the TV and scrolled through the many different channels that Comcast Xfinity has to offer, my eyes always fall onto Comedy Central.  Every time it has been on, there has been Coming To America playing.

This movie is one of my all time favorites.  Not just for the story line, but for every intracate piece of the movie that is playing.  Where else is there going to be a story of an African Prince coming to America to search for his bride.

 

 

The Eddie Murphy movie could not be a better time to spend either 3 hours watching (freaking commercials) or just 10 minutes when you have time.  It might be one of the only movies where I can turn it on anywhere in the movie and immedietly start to laugh.  It also might be the only movie that when I see that it is on, 99 times out of 100 I will put it on (that one time will be either the Super Bowl or March Madness championship).  While I do not want to spoil the movie for any newbies to the times when Eddie Murpy used to make funny movies, I do recommend seeing it.  Who doesn't like see James Earl Jones wearing a full lion something (dont really know how to describe it.)

Plating Gourmet Lyrics

Action Bronson's bust, carved out of two pork chops and an angel hair beard.

Recently I found this old post by a contributer for the Village Voice.  The post takes the lyrics of rapper Action Bronson (one of XXL Mag's Freshman Class 2013) and cooks up a five course meal.  It sounds unusual, but Bronson is no stranger to the kitchen. In fact, the rapper had an online cooking show entitled, "Action in the Kitchen," and before taking a serious bite into the hip hop world, Bronson was a revered chef in NYC.  

 

The rapping gourmand takes a trip to the farmer's market and stirs up some stuffed zucchini blossoms 

You Can't Fake Punk

Last night was a hilarious parade of actresses trying to convince the press that they know what punk fashion is. The annual Met Gala introduces the Costume Institute’s exhibit, this year called “Punk: Chaos to Couture.” For this red carpet, there are no awards to be won and no tradition confining the celebrities to pretty gowns. The event is always a chance to wear something riskier or more high-fashion than usual and with a theme like “punk,” this year was an exceptional invitation for stars to really embody that attitude and give a big ol’ “fuck you” to their stylists and their image and the whole Hollywood system that limits them every other day of the year. Unfortunately, only some took that invitation and we were left with a strange mixture ranging from average beauty pagent formalwear to serious haute couture.

Miley Cyrus pairs mesh Marc Jacobs with spiky bleached hair. She just gets it.

Anne Hathaway has been getting a lot of bad publicity recently for "trying too hard," but if these crazy cutouts and fringed wrists are the result of someone doing their homework, some younger starlets could try a little harder.

Jennifer Lawrence, for instance. This plain sparkly black dress is identical to the one I bought on sale in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, the day before my junior prom in 2008. Does she think the tea length and barely noticeable half-veil make it edgy? They don't.

And what a shame to see Emilia Clark, who plays the most punk-rock character on television right now (Daenerys on the Game of Thrones), show up in the most boring Ralph Lauren dress ever. A sweetheart neckline at the Met Gala? I guess she can be excused this once because she's new to this scene.

At least Allison Williams took a risk with the interesting details of her dress, but she muted the drama of it by wearing her hair down in soft waves and smiling at every camera the whole night. 

The detailing on this Dolce & Gabbana Madonna dress is infuckingcredible on Katy Perry, even if the silhouette is nothing special. And she paired it with a serious crown, as any queen would. 

Aubrey Plaza looks like she is actually shedding a layer of her snakeskin in this dress. The arm cutouts and red bite marks are bold, but the short length and the subtle makeup keep it feminine and pretty.

I think Nicole Richie's only contribution to the world of entertainment is her short stint on "The Simple Life" with Paris Hilton, but she still looked better last night than most of the actresses who are actually relevant. She wore a solid white column dress from Topshop and her eerie white hair and deep purple lips made the look unforgettable.

A busty blonde who got it wrong by showing up completely underdressed ... (Kate Upton)

...And a busty blonde who got it right by balancing the choatic layering of her skirt with a sleek top and updo. (Blake Lively)

Beyonce was the guest of honor last night and she just looked like a mess in this Givenchy gown. The flaming paisley would make more sense on the side of a car than on the red carpet and her accessories made no sense. The placement of the belt cuts her off right below the empire waist which already served that purpose and there is no reason to wear extra-long boots and gloves to emphasize that gaudy pattern. Sorry, Bey, better luck next time.

Different paint strokes for different folks.

Meet Tim Patch.  If you goggle search “weird art” he is one of the first things that comes up. After looking at pictures of people painting with dead ants, human blood, or their eyeballs Tim looked relatively normal. However, Tim has a unique way to paint. He uses his penis instead of a paintbrush. He has named this technique, “pricasso”. To cover large areas of the canvas however he uses his but... interesting. It makes you wonder how or why he got started doing this. 

If you can get past what uses to get the paint onto the canvas, his artwork is pretty good.

What happened to Mad Men?

 

(Mad Men Season 6 preview)

 

I’m just about ready to give up on Mad Men. It used to be one of my go-to recommendations for people who loved television less than I do. With this show, I knew I could convince anyone that contemporary tv has become the most dynamic method of storytelling. The genius of creator Matthew Weiner rested in his ability to evenly add just one tiny hint of more complexity to each character during every episode so no one was ever quite complete. He had perfected the pacing of a weekly television drama. Weiner planted lively outbursts to hold the attention of the audience while he calmly and deliberately revealed pieces of the deeper issues that plagued even the most minor characters. These pieces that were, of course, representative of the countless social inequalities that were so salient in 1960’s America.

Somewhere in Season 5, though, the characters became less interesting because their conflicts became diluted. Was Lane’s character even developed enough to have an identity crisis? I have a tendency to get emotionally attached to fictional characters and the loss of one will easily trigger tears, but I didn’t bat an eye at Lane’s unceremonious suicide at the end of the season. If anything, I felt relief that I was liberated from his whiny British voice of reason in the otherwise sexy and passionate firm of SCDP. But the fifth season still maintained some powerful moments -- the excitement of landing the Jaguar account, Joan’s heartbreakingly triumphant promotion to partner at the firm.

Now in Season 6, the sexiness has faded with Don Draper’s success crumbling around him. It’s fine that he’s morphed into a less sympathetic leading man. I mean, I’ve followed Breaking Bad’s Walter White through his transformation into a diabolical monster and I’m still giddy in anticipation of the remaining eight episodes this summer. But nothing has had real consequences this season. For any of the characters of Mad Men. Peggy stole Heinz Ketchup from Don. Megan had a miscarriage. Martin Luther King was assassinated. And still the most interesting part of last week’s episode was that junior copywriter Ginsberg went on a blind date.

This is supposed to be a season of change. I get it. I’ve read the interviews. But the only change I’ve seen is a flattening of the character’s personalities that once attracted me to this show in the first place. Ken Cosgrove is suddenly dull and Harry Crane is inexplicably childish all of time. I can’t even bring myself to hate Pete Campbell, who is usually so slimy and sneaky that I’m squirming in my seat for the duration of his screen time. The women on the show are the only thing worth watching, but even they have fewer challenges than before. Peggy is apartment-hunting and dreaming of a domestic life with her weird boyfriend, Joan is still taking shit for being pretty in a position of power, and Megan has proved that Don’s wives would rather blankly stare so audiences can guess at their inner thoughts instead of properly conveying emotions like everyone else around them. Let’s hope that this painfully boring first half of the season is just the calm before a violent storm of all the alpha males acting out once they recognize the dissolution of their power. Otherwise, I think I’ll follow SCDP’s clients to find something a little less stale.

city of blinding lights

i went to atlantic city this weekend and a few songs come to mind for my reactions:

city of blinding lights by u2

all of the lights by kanye west

and of course, atlantic city by the boss himself bruce springsteen

i was amazed to walk in to the new jersey hotel/resort and find thousands of slot machines, poker tables, and other various attractions covered in lights and sounds and buttons. i had never been to atlantic city before, nor had i been to anywhere similar like las vegas or maybe certain clubs in new york or la. so for me, this weekend was full of new experiences and festivities. 

while some people may walk in to a casino and think of all the money they plan on winning, i walked in and found art. the neon lights filled up every inch of the gaming floor. everything about the machines are meant to draw you in, its an advertisement in itself. not only to slot machines have their infamous reputation for attracting gambling addicts, but it's clear that these machines are after a much broader audience. i find it so interesting that the casino is intricately manufactured to attract every type of person male or female, gay or straight, young or old. it is far too easy to think of advertisements as just posters or commercials and we tend to forget that just the layout of a thing itself can be all the advertisement you need.

needless to say i was drawn in. not all the way in, i kept my respectable, money-keeping distance. but i did spend a lot of time admiring the floor. neon lights everywhere. happy musical dinging and whirring. shouts of laughter and joy (accompanied of course by the moans and yells of angry drunks losing their money). the floor is a piece of art and whoever constructed it is most definitely an artist. i must say it's not too hard to attract the tourists in atlantic city whose main goal in going to this rundown beach town is to drink and gamble, but i'm glad they did put in this much effort because it was such a sight for me to see. 

Food is Power. Guantánamo to Crumble—There’ll Be No Cake.

No one force fed Ghandi, why are Guantanamo prisoners being fed against their will?

It seems what President Obama pledged years ago, will be accomplished by one of the oldest forms of political protest within a matter of weeks. Approximately 100 of 160 prisoners are currently participating in a hunger strike.  Yesterday the NY Times reported a story in which President Obama questioned the goals of the detention center, “All of us should reflect on why exactly are we doing this? Why are we doing this?” 

On Tuesday the President recommitted to closing the detention center. Surely, talks of closing the detention center will be met with many obstacles. Many inmates have been held without trail for over a decade, while others do not have right to trail.

What I find most interesting in all of this is the ethical issue of feeding ‘hunger strike’ prisoners.  Here’s what some experts are saying:

Regardeless of what your stance is on this issue it seems evitable that Gitmo will close, and food or lack there of, will be at the forefront.