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Fashion Week Makes It Work The fashion world heads into next week’s shows amidst a steady drip feed of bad news. Guest lists have been cut in half. Alexander Wang, Calvin Klein, and even Marc Jacobs canceled their parties. Obedient Sons & Daughters, Searle, Bill Blass, and Kira Plastinina went broke. Tracey Ross’s store closed. Neiman Marcus, Saks, Chanel, and Burberry have all seen layoffs. Big names like Vera Wang, Betsey Johnson, Monique Lhuillier, Naeem Khan, and Carmen Marc Valvo are forgoing the extravagance of the Bryant Park tents for something quieter. Yet the recession is fostering an improvisational atmosphere that's focused on finding ways to maintain fashion’s extravagant soul despite reduced circumstances. Karl Lagerfeld may have called for a “new modesty,” but New York designers still plan to make a splash. They’re just being more crafty about it. “We’re showing less pieces," says Valvo, who is opting to scale back his presentation — clothes will be on mannequins, with two to three models on a mock-runway-show video — and show outside of the tents for the first time in ten years. “But is it recession chic? No!” he added. “I do eveningwear and I don’t think customers are going to step down a notch on those occasions.” Rebecca Taylor, who will show in the tents on February 19, agrees. “In this economy it is really important to have a collection that includes special and emotional pieces,” she says. “The items should be versatile and easily transition from day to evening so they can be worn for several different occasions.” Even smaller designers aren’t watering down their luxury goods. Instead of skimping on the clothes, 21-year-old Frank Tell is switching from last season’s runway show at the Soho Grand to a presentation at the Tribeca Grand, which includes lighting, stage, and sound system at no extra cost. He’s also tweaking his dress-filled collections to a new lineup that includes 60 percent separates. “With this economy we think it’s a really smart way to go,” he says. Swarovski couldn’t sponsor Tell this time, but he’s using last season’s crystals again: “It’s like, okay, what can I create with something I already have?” There could even be a — gasp — collective spirit at work this spring. Betsey Johnson says that “all of my guests will get to have a glass of Champagne, not just the front row!” Kelly Cutrone is working at a discount for her People’s Revolution clients. “My business is fucked,” admits the always-candid Cutrone. “Lately, I’m more of a psychologist than a publicist, just listening to people crying.” She encouraged Andrew Buckler to talk to the New York Times about his struggling business — “There’s a bunch of venture people out there looking for people who are in a weakened state, so why not tell the truth?’ A lot of the people in the industry just want to lie like everything is fine.” The CFDA has also been playing matchmaker. They hooked up Brian Reyes and Richard Chai with sponsorship from the Gilt Groupe, while many designers were encouraged to team up with each other. "You'll see a lot of collaborations going on with designers — like Irene Neuwirth is doing jewelry for Richard Chai — so you can see the talent at the same time," says executive director Steven Kolb. "Also, Charles Nolan is letting Michael Bastian show at his beautiful space in the West Village as a way to help out a fellow designer." Stylists may be hit the hardest. “I’ve seen three to four of my designers that worked with stylists last year drop the stylist altogether because they think they can do it themselves, whereas they can’t D.J. or model themselves,” says Cutrone. “But I’ve also seen a great stylist like Masha Orlov give Mara Hoffman a break.” Perhaps of all this inventiveness will make Fashion Week more creative. At the least, as Yigal Azrouel puts it, it’ll be a “great escape.” “Starting a new season will breathe some positive energy into all the gloom that you hear about every day,” he says. “Fashion Week this season is showing that there’s a lot of ingenuity in American fashion,” adds Kolb. “We’d be naïve not to accept that this is a difficult time and fashion is at a crossroads like a lot of industries, but there’s a lot of optimism.” Read more posts by Katie Hintz Filed Under: andrew buckler, betsey johnson, bryant park, carmen marc valvo, CFDA, charles nolan, designers, elite, fall 2009, fashion week, Fashion Week Preview Fall 2009, frank tell, kelly cutrone, mara hoffman, Masha Orlov, michael bastian, neal hamil, rebecca taylor, Steven Kolb, Yigal Azrouel Source: The Cut | 10 Feb 2009 | 1:14 pm The Fall Collections in a WordIn These Economic Times, we all have to be thrifty. So when we asked designers to clue us in on their inspiration for fall 2009, brevity was best. Read ahead for the singular word that sums up Oscar de la Renta, Proenza Schouler, Phillip Lim, and more.
Read more posts by Sharon Clott Filed Under: alexander wang, anna sui, behnaz sarafpour, calvin klein, carlos miele, chado ralph rucci, chris benz, christian siriano, custo barcelona, custodio dalmau, david dalmau, derek lam, designers, diane von furstenberg, donna karan, doori chung, erin fetherston, fall 2009, fashion week preview fall 2009, francisco costa, georgina chapman, italo zucchelli, jack mccollough, justin thornton, kate mulleavy, laura mulleavy, lazaro hernandez, lisa mayock, marchesa, max azria, michael kors, monique lhuillier, narciso rodriguez, nicole miller, oscar de la renta, phillip lim, ports 1961, preen, proenza schouler, rodarte, sophie buhai, thakoon panichgul, thea bregazzi, tia cibani, tory burch, trovata, vena cava, yigal azrouel Source: The Cut | 10 Feb 2009 | 1:10 pm Five Designers to Watch This Season Anthony Keegan. New York Fashion Week is known as a stage for emerging talent, and this season we have our eyes on five new labels. After designing for Donna Karan and Giorgio Armani, Anthony Keegan is launching his first fall collection for Commonwealth Utilities. Celebrated Spanish designer David Delfin will show in New York for the first time. Hayden Harnett is also debuting this Fashion Week, fresh on the heels of a well-received Target collection. Matthew Ames will present the ultimate in minimalism, while Nicholas K is focusing on leather and shearling outerwear. See their work and read more about these rising stars in the slideshow. Read more posts by Amina Akhtar and Amy Odell Filed Under: anthony keegan, Anthony Keegan, david delfin, designers, designers to watch, fall 2009, fashion week preview fall 2009, hayden harnett, matthew ames Source: The Cut | 10 Feb 2009 | 1:06 pm Ten Models to Watch This Fashion Week Ymre Stiekema Last season brought us Arlenis, Eniko, and Sessilee. But the newest crop of girls are ready to rule. Find out why Ymre Stiekema's recent couture stints, Stephanie Carta's Balenciaga training, and Georgie Baddiel's former Miss Africa status put them among the girls we expect to break out this season. Read more posts by James Lim Filed Under: Constance Jablonski, daniela de jesus, eden clark, emma maclaren, fall 2009, fashion week preview fall 2009, georgie baddiel, hyoni kang, models, nimue smit, rose cordero, slideshow, stephanie carta, ymre stiekema WHAT |
WHERE |
WHEN |
WHO |
WHY |
BMW & Vogue Cocktail Reception |
122 W. 26th St. |
Feb. 12, 6–8 p.m. |
Joy Bryant, Helena Christensen, Chanel Iman, Franca Sozzani. |
Seeing more than one Vogue editor in one room sends thrills down our spines. |
New York Amfar Gala |
Cipriani 42nd St. |
Feb. 12, 6:30 p.m. |
Anna Wintour, Calvin Klein, Carine Roitfeld, Rachel Zoe, Natalia Vodianova. The list of honorees also includes Donna Karan. |
Tickets may be $1,000, but you get to mingle with fashion's elite. |
Alvin Valley After-Party |
M2 Ultra Lounge, 530 W. 28th St. (formerly Mansion) |
Feb. 12, 9:30–11:30 p.m. |
Alvin Valley and his celeb following. |
Matt Damon's sister is walking the show. We're hoping her brother shows up to support and toast her. |
The Iconoclasts: Four Iconic Editors Remix Prada Stores Party |
575 Broadway |
Feb. 13, 6–9 p.m. |
Alex White, who redesigned the New York location. |
We're excited to see the newly restyled store. |
Bland Presentation/Installation Opening |
45 Canal St. |
Feb. 13, 9 p.m. |
Jeffrey Deitch, Terence Koh. |
Yoko Ono won't officially RSVP, but she is rumored to show up. |
Toast the Opening of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week |
187 Orchard St. |
Feb. 13, 9:30 p.m.–12:30 a.m. |
Featuring an acoustic set by the Virgins. |
The new "It" band. |
Bblessing + Ju$t Another Rich Kid After-Party |
BEast, 171 E. Broadway |
Feb. 13 |
Daniel Jackson and the Surface to Air crew, Terence Koh, and the hipster fashion crowd. |
It's as close to Colette as you're going to get. |
Victor Glemaud and Camilla Staerk After-Party |
Kowloon, 311 Church St. |
Feb. 13, 11 p.m.–late |
Hosted by Jamie Bouchert and Natasa V. |
The music: The D.J.'s are James Murphy, Mandy Coon, and Mike Nouveau. |
United Bamboo After-Party |
BEast, 171 E. Broadway |
Feb. 14 |
With music by Gang Gang Dance. |
Chloë Sevigny is besties with the lead singer in GGD. |
Matthew Williamson New York Store Opening |
415 W. 14th St. |
Feb. 15, 6:30–9:30 p.m. |
Matthew Williamson and Jacquetta Wheeler, and, dare we hope, Prince? He did play at Williamson's spring 2008 show. |
It's the second-biggest party of the week. |
Giorgio Armani Store Opening |
717 Fifth Ave. |
Feb. 17, 6–8 p.m. |
Mr. Armani will be greeting guests. Personally. And we've all seen the Posh and Becks ads. You know they'll be there. |
The biggest party of Fashion Week. If you can get in. |
Vladimir Restoin-Roitfeld Presents the Work of Three Photographers |
169 Bowery |
Feb. 17, 6–11 p.m. |
Vlad's friends. Plus it's in collaboration with Louis Vuitton. Ahem, Marc? |
Roitfeld-spotting is a sport this week. Double points if Carine shows. |
Adidas SLVR Label Store Opening |
108 Wooster St. |
Feb. 17, 9–11 p.m. |
So far, no one. |
Sometimes you just need free drinks. |
Trovata After-Show Soirée |
The Anchor, 310 Spring St. |
Feb. 17, 10 p.m.–whenever |
Celeb stylist Britt Bardo and pal Ed Westwick are rumored to appear. |
It's Chuck Bass, people. |
Erin Wasson + RVCA Presentation/Party |
Milk Studios |
Feb. 18, 9–11 p.m. |
Erin Wasson, Julie Gilhart, and since he's not partying it up himself, Alex Wang. |
This is the new hot-sweaty party to be seen at. |
Julian Louie After-Party |
BEast, 171 E. Broadway |
Feb. 19, 9 p.m. (after fashion show) |
He used to work for Calvin Klein, so Francisco Costa may show up to offer congrats. |
He's fashion's newest "It" designer. Make friends now. |
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Read more posts by Sharon Clott and Amina Akhtar
Filed Under: Party Lines
AP - Joaquin Phoenix is torn between two lovers in what he professes will be his last film.
AP - Joaquin Phoenix is torn between two lovers in what he professes will be his last film.
AP - Martin Luther King Jr. never made much money as a preacher and civil rights leader, but as a boy, he loved to play Monopoly.
 BBC News | Carey husband hosts talent show BBC News - Actor Nick Cannon - the husband of pop diva Mariah Carey - has been named the new host of America's Got Talent. The 28-year-old will take up his role in the summer, when the fourth series of the show starts on US TV. Nick Cannon's 'Got Talent' Nick Cannon to host "Talent" at NBC |
AP - Pop superstar Rihanna has postponed a concert in Malaysia this week, organizers said Tuesday, following reports that she accused her longtime boyfriend Chris Brown of assault.
E! Online - Rihanna is taking a timeout.
E! Online - Britney Spears is welcoming an old friend back into the fold.
Rihanna is taking a timeout.
In serious need of some R&R, the 20-year-old artist has opted to postpone a sold-out concert scheduled for Friday in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, a...
Britney Spears is welcoming an old friend back into the fold.
Former assistant Felicia Culotta, who most recently worked for the Jonas Brothers, has returned to Team Britney, just in...
Leonardo DiCaprio's rallying cry seems to have been heard.
The actor's off-again, on-again main squeeze, Bar Refaeli, is next month's Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue cover...
Will Jin and Sun reunite?
Is Charlotte a goner?
And which totally creepy long-lost Lost friend is going to reappear?
These are a few of the burning questions...
Fame means always having to say you're sorry.
Miley Cyrus, apparently figuring it was time to sweep her latest photo scandal (more of a scandalette, really) under the rug, officially...
Chris Brown is no stranger to domestic violence.
The 19-year-old performer has spoken out in the past about growing up in a violent home with an abusive stepfather.
"He...
Hef who?!
Bridget Marquardt flaunted her new man last night at a Grammy shindig.
Marquardt's been broken up with Hugh Hefner since last fall, and now...
The February 14 date of Alexander Wang's fashion show could not be more fitting for the unveiling of the limited-edition condom he designed in collaboration with Planned Parenthood. The Proper Attire rubbers will be sold at Thompson Hotels, with all profits going to Planned Parenthood. “When Planned Parenthood approached me to collaborate with them on a project that makes condoms more appealing to women, I loved the idea!" Wang said. "I used a spare design that felt sexy, modern and empowering; after all, women should always come first!” Damn straight. Get a side of condoms with your next cocktail at 60 Thompson. It's for a good cause.
Read more posts by Amy Odell
Filed Under: alexander wang, fall 2009, new york fashion week, planned parenthood, sex for a cause
Chris Brown will not be rising from the ashes in Phoenix this weekend.
The R&B star, arrested last night for allegedly assaulting girlfriend Rihanna, has pulled out of his...But one thing's for sure: The luxury market will have to change if industry heads want people to buy at full price again.
Saks Upends Luxury Market With Strategy to Slash Prices [WSJ]
Read more posts by Amy Odell
Filed Under: derek lam, desperate times, diane von furstenberg, economy, marc jacobs, saks fifth avenue, sales, shopping
Today in media: The Times has partnered with a sketchy billionaire to stay afloat in the recession, and other media outlets, too, are looking for partners that will keep them in the lifestyle they are accustomed to.
• Newsweek has already begun its younger, Botox-ed phase. Next, of course, is the hunt for its rich soul mate! Though we already know the newsweekly is capable of making a funny, the mag is now looking for a smaller, more affluent readership. Tom Ascheim, Newsweek’s chief executive, says they are targeting the 1.2 million subscribers who are its best educated, most avid consumers of news: “These are our best customers. They are our best renewers, and they pay the most.” It’s always about the money, isn’t it, Tom? [NYT]
• Even escapist celeb weeklies have been hit by the economy. In Touch Weekly recorded the biggest decline, tumbling 29.3 percent to just 899,000. But all is not lost — Us Weekly dropped only 1.3 percent in circulation to 1.9 million. [NYT]
• CNN.com is topping Newsweek’s brilliant reality-TV spoof, "The District," by actually filming two freshmen congressmen for a weekly series called Freshman Year. The freshies — one Democrat, one Republican — are producing most of the content themselves by carrying Flip video cameras on Capitol Hill. So far, one of them sleeps on a cot in his office to save money. [NYT]
• Interview lost yet another executive this week. Samantha Fennell was expected to report to her new job last Monday, but she declined her publisher title after the sudden exit of co–editorial director Fabien Baron and creative director Karl Templer. Turns out she learned of the departures from outside sources as the news broke late on Friday night, as opposed to having top execs tell her themselves. [WWD]
• Forbes Media has closed MountainTime, the recently launched luxury mag that focused on recreation and adventure in Western mountain towns. Somewhere deep in the Rockies, a wolf howls in the distance. [FishbowlNY/Mediabistro]
Read more posts by Yelena Shuster
Filed Under: bauer publishing, forbes, in touch weekly, media, Media Deathwatch
On Saturday night at the Human Rights Campaign dinner, State Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith told the crowd that, “Although [Democrats in Albany] do not have the number of votes at this time needed to pass the marriage equality gender bill this legislative session, we are committed to pursuing its passage.” Since HRC is a gay-advocacy organization, this was basically like going to the Hearst Cafeteria and telling all the women there that the Barneys Warehouse sale was canceled. Smith's office since sent out a statement saying: "The Majority Leader did not say the marriage equality bill will not pass this year. He said it will pass as soon as the votes can be secured and he is committed to continuing that process now." It's a technically true statement: This "legislative session" ends in June, so maybe he meant it would happen in the fall (still, probably not). But for him to have said something even that discouraging at a gay rally, where his appearances normally take the form of an optimistic cheer session, means his Senate foes must be really getting to him.
Gay Marriage Spin [Times-Union]
Read more posts by Chris Rovzar
Filed Under: albany, equal rites, gay marriage, gays, malcolm smith
McDonald's wants to get young, female tabloid readers hooked on its new McCafé coffee drinks, which sound like their version of Starbucks' variously flavored lattes, mochas, whathaveyou. So they're joining Mercedes Benz and Mattel as a major Fashion Week sponsor this season. McCafé products have been dubbed the "official coffee" of Fashion Week, which means when you need an espresso in the tents, you'll have to turn to McDonald's. Sadly, there will be those desperate, bleary-eyed moments when we'll choke one down when no one's looking. We can feel the thin, syrupy film on the roof of our mouths already.
McDonald's hopes that by invading our greaseless tented sanctuary of fabulous young women who look at what people like the Olsens are drinking and normally don't choose McDonald's, women will get the idea that McDonald's coffee is the way to go. We're having a hard time imagining anyone at Fashion Week caught dead with McDonald's anything, much less near cameras. We wonder if other potential coffee sponsors couldn't cough up the same collateral as McDonald's this season. Desperate times, after all.
McDonald's Sends McCafe Onto Fashion Week Catwalks [Ad Age]
Read more posts by Amy Odell
Filed Under: desperate times, fall 2009, mcdonalds, new york fashion week
It looks like tonight's episode of Gossip Girl is a rerun, but at least we know we have something to look forward to: Moldy Peaches singer Adam Green filmed an appearance on the show last week, along with the Misshapes and Patrick McMullan. Although he signed a confidentiality agreement that bans him from discussing the plot, Green did tell Intel that he played a friend of Poppy's (Remember Serena's socialite friend? The one who told her to "let her light shine"?) and that he and the Misshapes are invited to a party thrown by Serena, at which she and Little J have a tiff. "She felt deceived in this scene because of what Serena told her about the nature of the party," Green says mysteriously. Of his own non-speaking part, he says, "It's kind of a bummer role. It's really me and the Misshapes scowling and looking like we're not having a good time." (We think we may have to premptively award reality points for this: The Misshapes never look like they are having fun.
Fortunately, having not a lot to do onscreen left Green with lots of time to explore the set. "I went into Dan's bedroom," he reports, "and Serena's family's house ... I even had a tea party inside Serena's dining room!"
"I tried to order some liquor, because that's what I do, but it was intercepted by the producer, who totally chewed me out and told me it was a non-drinking set, and how dare I order alcohol. It was crazy. He told me how unprofessional it was that I'd done that, as if I was a naughty boy. He said it would affect my performance. Isn't that ridiculous? So he confiscated my liquor and kept it up in the office, and meanwhile all I wanted was a bottle of whiskey." We somehow think Chuck Bass would have understood.
Despite the booze debacle, Green is still pretty happy about being on the show. "It's like when they used the Moldy Peaches song in the Bahamas commercial — they made it even better than we did. I just knew on Gossip Girl I could probably be even better than I am in real life, you know?"
Read more posts by Fiona Byrne
Filed Under: adam green, gossip girl, serena van der woodsen, The Greatest Show of Our Time
AP - "Little Pink House: A True Story of Defiance and Courage" (Grand Central Publishing, 389 pages, $27), by Jeff Benedict: Neighbors, a city and lawyers fight over a plan for eminent domain evictions to make way for development.
On Friday evening, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi posted this graph to her blog, the Gavel, which apparently exists. As indicated by the title, "Job Losses in Recent Recessions," it compares our current job losses to those in the 1990 and 2001 recessions. This of course set the internet ablaze, because, well, damn, look at that thing. That is one steep, startling slope. Plus, from what we've been hearing lately from noted pessimist Barack Obama, our economy could get even worse before it gets better. However, the internet, as it is prone to do, quickly became suspicious of the graphic. For one thing, many noted, the numbers were in absolute terms, and not in the form of the percentage of the jobs lost from the total workforce. Additionally, we could use some more historical perspective, because surely Pelosi just cherry-picked two relatively awesome recessions to better support her scare tactics.
So today, Time's Justin Fox heeded the call of duty, answering both concerns with a brand new graph (we're the baby-blue line in this one):
Anyone feel any better?
Comparing this recession to the last five [Curious Capitalist/Time]
Read more posts by Dan Amira
Filed Under: economy, jobs, nancy pelosi, scary data, the greatest depression
FRAGRANCE
• LVMH is pulling Fendi's only scent, Palazzo, off the market because sales didn't meet expectations. Oh, but what does these days? [WWD]
• Sculptor Tom Patti is suing Sean "Diddy" Combs for copyright infringement, alleging that the packaging for Diddy's Unforgivable fragrance looks just like a sculpture of his from the eighties. [Stylelist]
MAKEUP
• Estelle wore a lot of metallic eye shadow at the Grammy Awards last night. Do you like it or do her lids just look like car doors? [BellaSugar]
HAIR
• Meanwhile Katy Perry's long-lost twin, Zooey Deschanel, rocked a tarantula-inspired rhinestone hairpin. Bold. [Flypaper]
NAILS
• Designer Jen Kao goes to Sakura Nail and Spa in the Upper East Side for Calgel nail application — a stronger, less harsh version of acrylic. Her black animal-print nails with glitter stars are indicative of her upcoming fall 2009 collection, which is inspired by broken glass. [Beauty Counter]
Read more posts by Sharon Clott
Filed Under: beauty, beauty marks, diddy, estelle, fendi, fragrance, hair, jen kao, makeup, nails, zooey deschanel
In the wake of her dressing-down by Bernie Madoff whistle-blower Harry Markopolos and Representative Gary Ackerman, among others on the House Financial Services subcommittee, Linda Thomsen, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's top enforcement official, has resigned. [Reuters via NYT]
Read more posts by Jessica Pressler
Filed Under: bernard madoff, bernie madoff, gary ackerman, harry markopolos, linda thomsen, Made-off
Henry Holland admits to having felt some trepidation when he heard that M.I.A. would wear one of his dresses at the Grammy Awards last night. The heavily pregnant singer chose a super-tight mesh mini with strategically placed polka-dot patches. “I was a bit worried about what the patch was going to cover with the belly involved, but she wore a little skirt with it,” Holland told the Cut by phone from his London studio. Holland is keen on gauging the proletariat’s reaction. “We are going through all the blogs and looking at all the comments people put about the dress. It's quite amusing." he said. Some took issue with how tight and see-through the dress was, "saying that she’s a skanky ho who couldn’t wait to get her baby about before getting back in the game!” he laughed.
One of only two in the world, Holland’s best friend and muse Agyness Deyn was seen wearing the other frock at Holland's last London Fashion Week after-party in September (a different model wore it in the runway show, however).
Speaking of, Holland is currently busy working on his fall 2009 show, slated for February 24. He describes the new collection as “quite strong, graphic," with "simple lines." He continued, "The prints are based on the Pantone card and paint-sample cards. It’s still really bright, but it’s quite sophisticated. It’s very chic.”
See a slideshow of what everyone else wore to the Grammys.
Read more posts by Fiona Byrne
Filed Under: agyness deyn, designers, fall 2009, grammy awwards, henry holland, london fashion week, mia, models, seeing spots
As the market holds its breath, waiting for the U.S. taxpayer — since when did we have any money? — to come riding to the rescue, minuscule signs of economic recovery continue to surface. Today: Hedge funds get back on the plus side, Nate Silver applies his magical mind to the economy, and rock and roll appears to be one sector that is unperturbed by the roiling economy.
• The Black Keys, a two-man band from Akron, packed Terminal 5 to the rafters on Friday and Saturday, and beer sales were unimaginably brisk. [Brooklyn Vegan]
• First came the news last week that Citadel snapped its losses at a mere six months. Now we hear that the entire hedge-fund industry eked out a 0.4 percent gain in January. Kudos to Dan Loeb of Third Point Capital, which is believed to have had a pretty hellish 2008 along with, well, just about everybody, for clearing 2.1 percent. [Bloomberg]
• Alan Patricof, the legendary venture capitalist who runs Greycroft Partners (and was instrumental in sustaining New York magazine in its early days), says the venture-capital industry, along with every other industry, must reduce its expectations, but he's bullish on the state of innovation in the U.S.: "Entrepreneurs in this country," he says, "are stronger than ever." [DealBook/NYT]
• A rich guy begs to have his taxes raised. Too bad he doesn't he live in New York City; we'd be happy to oblige. [NYT]
• Okay, so this isn't economic news, but if fewer Americans are dying in auto accidents, wouldn't you say that bodes well for our future as a society? [WSJ]
• You think the U.S. stock market had a tough 2008? It had nothing on the Baltic Dry Index, a measure of global shipping rates, which plunged 94 percent. That's right, 94 percent. That's what happens when people stop wanting to buy things, and the price of pretty much every imaginable commodity — grain, steel, oil, coal — evaporated. But here's the good news. The Baltic Dry index is picking itself off the mat. Slowly, tentatively; nothing to get too terribly excited about. But prices are gently rising again, suggesting the world might once again be a normal place, if not by tomorrow. [Dry Ships]
• Our beloved Nate Silver, whose political number-crunching we became addicted to during the political campaign, has turned his big brain to the economy, and offers us a modest cause for hope in a piece on the markets for Esquire. "In fact, perhaps our recent bias has led us to conclude that the situation today is worse than it actually is. Housing prices are significantly off their peaks, for instance, but have still increased by roughly 20 percent ... And we remain wealthier now than we were at almost any other point in the past ... If the good times are never as good as they seem, neither, perhaps, are the bad ones so bad." We'll take it. [Esquire]
• When a dude who publishes something called the Gloom, Boom and Doom Report suddenly busts out with a stock tip, we listen. Marc Faber, a vicious hater of the U.S. economy and all it represents, sees strength in tech giants Cisco, Intel, Microsoft, and Oracle. "In a crisis like we have now the weak competitors don't have the money to carry out R&D, whereas the strong competitors have that money," said Faber. "When the crisis comes to an end, the strong competitors emerge in a relatively stronger position." [Bloomberg]
Read more posts by Hugo Lindgren
Filed Under: alan patricof, business, citadel, daniel lobe, Marc Faber, nate silver, the baltic dry index, the black keys, The Downturnaround
In his first interview since the Sports Illustrated story broke on Saturday, Alex Rodriguez told ESPN’s Peter Gammons this afternoon that he did indeed use steroids, saying he's "very sorry and deeply regretful." He says he took them for a three-year period when he was with Texas, starting in 2001 and ending after an injury during spring training in 2003. (He says his years in New York have been clean.) The full interview with Gammons, likely chosen in part because he's been sympathetic to A-Rod in the past, airs this evening. [ESPN, Newsday]
Read more posts by Joe DeLessio
Filed Under: alex rodriguez, baseball, sports, steroids, the sports section, yankees
Video has surfaced of parrots in Brooklyn’s Greenwood Cemetery (the same birds that make an appearance in Joseph O’Neill’s Netherland) getting extremely boisterous over the weekend. Though it’s hard to make out what they’re chattering about, we have it on good authority that some of the parrots feel that Obama made too many concessions during the stimulus negotiations, while others believe such claims are merely contrivances of a mainstream media looking for a new story line where one doesn’t exist. [Gowanus Lounge]
Read more posts by Ben Mathis-Lilley
Filed Under: Greenwood Cemetery, Joseph O'Neill, Neighborhood News, Netherland, parrots
Once a week, Daily Intel takes a peek behind doors left slightly ajar. This week, we bring you the Single Brooklyn Bartender: 23, female, Williamsburg, straight.
DAY ONE
8:30 a.m.: Turn off alarm to try to stay in erotic dream involving current commitment-free fling I haven't seen in awhile. Lost it. And no time to shower before my gofer job at an ad agency. Great start to the day.
11:58 a.m.: Bored in line at the bank, so make eyes at the only remotely good-looking guy there.
11:59 a.m.: I think he interpreted “Hi there” as “Let me peek at your PIN number.”
6:24 p.m.: Receive long-awaited text from fling. Try to play it cool in return text. Fail miserably.
8:33 p.m.: Invited to party hosted by a distant family member (non-blood-related) in town from Europe. I'm inclined to go, remembering that his last visit brought on a series of long nights and multiple orgasms.
8:59 p.m.: Texting success! Tentative plans with the fling for this week.
10:23 p.m.: On a whim, meet up with a boy from high school for drinks before the party. Has he gotten a lot better-looking since high school or am I just less picky?
1:22 a.m.: Blow off party/sex with family member to go to boy-from-school's house. Heavy petting and a BJ ensue.
DAY TWO
10:40 a.m.: On subway back home listening to whiny girls complain about shallow boys who only want sex and avoid relationships. What's wrong with that?
5:23 p.m.: Show off bruises from last night to a friend. I love sexjuries!
7:48 p.m.: Friend one-ups me with a story of a coked-up five-hour BJ resulting in her not being able to close her mouth for two days. My regaling her with tales of a foursome doesn't beat it. Damn.
9:03 p.m.: At weekly hang-out enjoying the usual free beer and underage hipsters. Checking out an extremely androgynous yet somehow incredibly attractive guy. Is this why American Apparel is so fucking popular?
10:53 p.m.: Friend and Mr. Androgynous hook up in the bathroom. It might be the cheap beer, but I'm feeling kinda green. Go home alone.
DAY THREE
10:34 a.m.: Wake up and take a long shower in which I pleasure myself and wish for a removable showerhead.
4:24 p.m.: Consider texting fling but can't decide.
7:18 p.m.: Find an old DVD of anime porn. Save for later.
1:35 a.m.: Go visit a random friend where he's bartending. He's hammered and pulls me behind the bar for a sloppy, slobbery kiss. I had pizza in my mouth. Ew.
4:48 a.m.: Pass out in bed with a friend and wonder for the millionth time why I have to be the only girl on the planet who's not attracted to other girls. It'd be so much more fun if I was.
DAY FOUR
Asexual day. I have those sometimes. Work, sleep. Really, nothing to report.
DAY FIVE
12:20 p.m.: Wake up really horny. Go home with the intention of watching my anime but my roommate is around. He makes me the female equivalent of flaccid.
5:30 p.m.: Disappointed in my ebbing social life, I go to Free Friday at the MoMA to wander alone with my thoughts, and wander right into hot-sex relative and a girl who's apparently sleeping with him. Doesn't really bother me, so I agree to meet them for late dinner.
9:23 p.m.: Meet them at same bar as the other night, where my friend's working again. No surprise, the friend doesn't remember the slobbering from two evenings ago.
9:30 p.m.: Am pleasantly surprised to find four really good-looking European guys with them, in town for three days.
10:45 p.m.: Narrowed it down to two and am sitting between them at dinner. One looks like a model who would definitely be fun to fuck, but I'm weirdly attracted to the other, less impressive one. Sigh.
12:24 p.m.: Head to a bar to dance. Find out the less impressive one has a girlfriend. Of course that makes me want him more.
4:08 a.m.: Hop in a cab to go back to the house they're all staying at. I ride in the way back with the model type. He talks the whole way back and is actually interesting. I decide I'm moving to Europe.
4:35 a.m.: Get back to the house where the Europeans are staying. There are bright lights and (ugh) breakfast. No beer. I wasn't planning on ending my night, but I guess it's over. Frustrated, I make the hour-long trek home.
DAY SIX
12:35 p.m.: Wake up, play with myself for a bit, and watch non-sexual anime. Order delicious Mexican-food delivery and read all day.
5:02 p.m.: Get e-mail from good friend of mom's new husband. Nothing sexual, but I still get turned on just thinking about him. Has being surrounded by scenesters made intelligent conversation a turn-on?
10:50 p.m.: Meet up with Europeans at a gay bar so one of them can try his luck. No luck.
12:40 a.m.: At typical shitty-music-overpriced-drinks spot in Upper East Side. Sit very close to the less impressive guy I like on the couch and talk about the culture and sexuality of women. He's sweating from dancing and smells a bit, but it turns me on so much. My nipples are noticeably hard.
4:50 a.m.: Back at the same house and the boys learned their lesson, 'cause they stopped and got beer on the way home.
6:34 a.m.: Most people have drifted off to bed, and I'm left alone with the less impressive one. I'm drunk, lascivious, and delirious, and I think he's about the same.
7:02 a.m.: Go out on the porch for sun and silence. He holds me and he tells me he can't — the girlfriend — and I tell him I know, and I'm a few caresses away from coming. We kiss for a few seconds and the feeling is locked in my body.
8:40 a.m.: Go to sleep alone in house.
DAY SEVEN
5:12 p.m.: Play soccer with the Europeans and get inappropriate thoughts when touching the one I like.
7:40 p.m.: Go home and pleasure myself to the memory of how turned on I was that morning.
8:55 p.m.: Get text from friendly fling inviting me over. Finally.
10:20 p.m.: Send text-message good-bye to my European.
12:20 a.m.: Have really great time with fling, as usual. Great 69 and then another hour of sex. He came and I came close.
TOTALS: Two acts of masturbation, one in shower; one act of fellatio; one act of intercourse with NSA fling; two nights of erotic build-up to nothing with non-single European; one one-upped attempt at showing off sexjuries.
Filed Under: Sex Diary
Reuters - An inwardly and outwardly scarred Danish servicewoman back from a tour of duty in Iraq provides "Little Soldier" with a rock-solid center, from which multiple themes shoot out like an explosion of shrapnel.
In a piece of self-reporting today, the Times, like so many foolish Bond villains, reveals its plan for its own survival in this increasingly dire media climate. (Amusingly, no Times executives would be interviewed for an article in their own paper about their own paper.) The gist of their so-called "last-man-standing" strategy: hold on for now and then fill the void that's left when all the other newspapers die out. So get ready for the Times' new motto: "What else are you gonna read?" [NYT]
Read more posts by Dan Amira
Filed Under: media, new york times, newspapers, The Times, They Are a Changin'
AP - "Sucker Punch" (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 256 pages, $25), by Ray Banks: Writing a character-based series in the mystery and thriller genres is a tough act to pull off.
Married With Stepchildren: Al Bundy–player Ed O'Neill has joined the cast of ABC's half-hour pilot An American Family, a single-camera comedy about three families. O'Neill will play a 60-year-old man who becomes a stepfather after marrying a 30-year-old woman (Sofia Vergara). We're sure he'll make an excellent parent. [HR]
Sword Fight: Michael Pena, Bill Cobbs, and Brad Dourif have joined Michael Shannon, Willem Defoe, and Chloë Sevigny on the cast of My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done, a film to be directed by Warner Herzog and executive produced by David Lynch. The movie is based on a true story, in which a San Diego man kills his mother with a sword, and it's already giving us nightmares. [Variety]
Reliance and Ratner: Brett Ratner will direct Youngblood, Rob Liefield’s graphic novel about a crew of government-sponsored superheroes. Reliance Big Entertainment purchased the rights to the book while also setting up a development deal with Ratner, adding to previously announced deals with Brad Pitt’s, George Clooney’s, and Tom Hanks’s production companies. “[Reliance] really offers freedom for the talent they’re working with,” Ratner said. “And also for me,” Ratner did not add. [Variety]
Rebel Yell: The Rebels, a remake of the hit Argentine show Rebelde Way, about a teen pop band whose members attend a fancy private school, is coming to Fox. Urban-dance-movie specialist Duane Adler (Step Up, Save the Last Dance) has adapted the screenplay, and Jennifer Lopez will produce. We can’t wait to see the creative ways in which the Rebels flout the school's dress code. [Variety]
Fiennes Work: Ralph Fiennes is directing his first movie, an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Coriolanus, and will also star as the titular character, a soldier in the early Roman republic done in by a misguided run for the senate. Vanessa Redgrave is in talks to play his ambitious mother. No word yet on whether there's a job in it for Fiennes's slacking brother, Joseph. [Variety]
Priest Mickey: Mickey Rourke will star in St. Vincent as a hit man masquerading as a priest who hears the confession of the man he's supposed to kill — then hilarity ensues? The project will pair Rourke with director Walter Hill, with whom he made Johnny Handsome in 1989. [HR]
Blink's Back: Following their appearance at the Grammys, Blink 182 has officially announced it is re-forming after a four-year break: The trio is in the studio recording a new album and there are apparently rumors that they will open for Green Day this summer. And right now, somewhere, an Angels and Airwaves fan is crying into his pillow. [Billboard]
Read more posts by Amos Barshad
Filed Under: abc, an american family, bill cobbs, blink-182, brad dourif, chloe sevigny, coriolanus, david lynch, duane adler, ed o'neill, fox, jennifer lopez, michael pena, michael shannon, mickey rourke, movies, music, ralph fiennes, sofia vergara, st. vincent, television, the industry, the rebels, walter hill, warner herzog, willem defoe
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