Speaking of "better," today's Pretty Pictures are all about being better than the next guy. Although, the "next guy" this boy's dissin' is Prince. Better watch himself or the Purple One might forget his Jehova's Witness teachings and get all Minneapolis on his arse. I don't know what that means, but I do know the song's pretty bitchin': Flairs with "Better Than Prince."
Monday, February 23, 2009
Forget Oscar Fashions
Obama fashions are much better. Jeebus, they look awesome in this photo! They could make a Snuggie look good, though (even though the Snuggie is so December 2008; the Lippi Selk Bag is where it's at now, mis bonitos). Sean Penn said it alright: We most definitely have an elegant President in the White House. Thank goodness.(Photo courtesy of Getty Images)
And There Was a "Hollah, Girl" Heard Across the Land
Last night's Academy Award were meh except for 2 moments. I did get teary-eyed when Penélope Cruz broke out el castellano and dedicated her Best Supporting Actress award to her Spanish peoples. And I jumped up and whoot-whooted uncontrollably when Sean Penn won for Best Actor. You could definitely feel all of gay DC rejoicing. And for good reason because Milk was a fantastic movie that even made this hardened Rican shed a few tears. I guess now I have to see Slumdog so I can get what all the feel-good hype has been about. For those who know me, though, feel-good movies aren't necessarily my cup of tea. But I might make an exception this time.
Oh, yeah, and Mr. Penn's kill-him-with-kindness jab at Mickey Rourke was priceless.* "My brother," my arse. Klassy good times.
(*Explanation on why it was a jab here.)
Oh, yeah, and Mr. Penn's kill-him-with-kindness jab at Mickey Rourke was priceless.* "My brother," my arse. Klassy good times.
(*Explanation on why it was a jab here.)
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Pretty Pictures Version 02.22.09
Staying up until 3ayem watching Karl Lagerfeld talk too fast in French about his German mother and living the Chanel lifestyle while holding onto his childhood pillow for dear life to keep his tummy from getting upset had me awake last night but has me quite sleepy today. Today's Pretty Pictures describe my current state perfectly, then: School of Seven Bells with "Half Asleep."
La Semana in News #15
Forget Build-A-Bear. Build-A-Trike is much more fun.
More troubles for Sprint. How is a "BB+" rating a downgrade from a plain "BB," though?
Hooley Hooley KC stylee.
She might just make it after all...Sebelius for HHS top spot? Maybe...
The stripper took my nipple!
Drunky rotten scoundrels. Drink more (Rican) rum.
But don't try to swindle the Rican peoples because they will catch you (and air your dirty laundry while they're at it for kicks).
¡Arriba, Cotto! I know the island must have been on fire last night.
Rican heat in the Chitown cold.
Cry, cry, baby!
More troubles for Sprint. How is a "BB+" rating a downgrade from a plain "BB," though?
Hooley Hooley KC stylee.
She might just make it after all...Sebelius for HHS top spot? Maybe...
The stripper took my nipple!
Drunky rotten scoundrels. Drink more (Rican) rum.
But don't try to swindle the Rican peoples because they will catch you (and air your dirty laundry while they're at it for kicks).
¡Arriba, Cotto! I know the island must have been on fire last night.
Rican heat in the Chitown cold.
Cry, cry, baby!
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Pretty Pictures Version 02.18.09
Talk about seeing things that aren't there or not seeing things that are there. Today's Pretty Pictures working their own magia: Here We Go Magic with "Tunnelvision."
Them's the Breaks
Much like the world economy, my Internets were broken for the past few days. And it was no bueno, mis bonitos. I've spent my time watching endless hours of reruns on HGTV, Food Network, and the Travel Channel, and being educated on the horrors of child abuse in Spain thanks to the lack of Web access and the lack of new episodes of my shows on regular network TV. But I did learn that no recession is a good recession and that no good magenta is a real magenta. Both are mind tricks, much like how HTC is tricking me by releasing their new GPhone on Vodafone and Telefónica with no plans to let us officially play with it here in the States. HTC: I love you. Why do you do you toy with me so? I want some Magic in my life, too.* At least Art Lebedev will let me have some verbal time in my life. For $211.54. But I can still have it.
Back to the magenta thing for a second, though. If magenta isn't a real color, then what color is this blog? And what color is my new argyle sweater that I hold so dear? I thought I was being all non-DC and cool by owning it. Does this now mean that I'm totally anti-cool because I'm simply imagining that the sweater even exists? And have I fooled those around me by seeing it, too? Or maybe it's the ultimate in mind tricks that Banana Republic's got us all believing in the sweater? Curses to you, retail fashion sorcerers!
(*Article en español)
Update!: Magenta is a color, after all.
Back to the magenta thing for a second, though. If magenta isn't a real color, then what color is this blog? And what color is my new argyle sweater that I hold so dear? I thought I was being all non-DC and cool by owning it. Does this now mean that I'm totally anti-cool because I'm simply imagining that the sweater even exists? And have I fooled those around me by seeing it, too? Or maybe it's the ultimate in mind tricks that Banana Republic's got us all believing in the sweater? Curses to you, retail fashion sorcerers!
(*Article en español)
Update!: Magenta is a color, after all.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Pretty Pictures Version 02.12.09
Oooo-eeeh! Happy Thursday, mis bonitos. Today's Pretty Pictures embarass no one: Phrase vs. Kram: "Sky Light."
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Pretty Pictures Version 02.11.09
Think of a happy place; think of a happy place. That's what Roberto and Chris are probably doing. Today's Pretty Pictures should help them do just that. Röyksopp with "Happy Up Here."
It's Not Me; It's You
When in doubt (or being sued by an ex-girlfriend), blame the Messican homos just like Señor Alomar. Pathetic. All macho but never man enough to own up to his actions. Like Chris Brown coming out with that statement today that RiRi was the one who started the fight?! Good one. Victim blaming. Nice.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Pretty Pictures Version 02.10.09
I've been waiting anxiously for today's Pretty Pictures to be released. I hope you like it as much as I do: The Dø with "On My Shoulders." I bet A-Rod and Chris both feel the weight on their shoulders right about now, huh?
Que No Cunda el Pánico
That's what Prezzie Obama asked us to do in these troubled economic times at his first press conference last night. We need to worry, of course, but we need to channel that worry into positive action and not let it explode into panic or despair. So, don't go the way of the Wall Street brokers who facilitated the vote of no-confidence as soon as today's news broke that the stimulus package had passed. And definitely don't go the way of Chris Brown and go beat up on your Princess RiRis. If anything, beat up on the A-Roid and his stoopidity for causing that reporter to ask Obama about steroids in baseball when there are more important things to worry about. Jeebus...such a douche.(Keep Calm and Carry On poster available at Barter Books. Read story of it here. Me wanny.)
Monday, February 9, 2009
Pretty Pictures Version 02.09.09
Today's Pretty Pictures totally fit with today's soulful first impressions theme. Enjoy Of Montreal with "An Eluardian Instance."
I Got Soul
The 2009 Jayhawk Bday/Mango-Jayhawk Anniversary Weekend was awesome. Part of it was due to the amazing opening-night showing of the play we saw on Friday night at the Rosslyn Spectrum: Synetic Theater's Dante's Divine Comedy. If you've never seen a Synetic show, you need to see this one. The physical and emotional energy levels were insane. Not to mention the cracked-out (in a good way) costumes and the biting political/religious statements. Talk about soul. I'll definitely go see it, again, if anyone's down.
The other part of our good weekend was due to the dinner we had on Saturday night at Art and Soul at The Liaison Capitol Hill. And here are my 2 cents of the experience:
Appetizers:
Virginia ham-wrapped shrimp on top of creamy grits and sprinkled with chow chow (to die for; the chow-chow was awesome, and the grits were perfect).
Spice-rubbed ahi tuna (very nice spicy kick that hits you in the back of the throat) on top of fried green tomatoes (a little too tart, but good) and sour pickle relish (yummy).
Second:
Two types of hoe cakes -
One with cured salmon, caviar, crème fraiche, dill, and caper berries (like Southern bagels and lox – my favorite of the two we had; pass on the caper berries if you don’t like that flavor).
The other with fried oysters, chow chow remoulade, and julienned romaine lettuce (I know the lettuce was there to lighten the dish, but it reminded me too much of a side salad smothered in bad ranch dressing at TGIFridays to care for it -- Sorry, Guy Fieri; you cant make me eat there even with your endorsement of their new Ultimate Recipe Showdown menu).
Entrees:
Medium-rare duck breast (it was so good and fresh; the steak of the water fowl) with duck sausage (which is supposed to be on the mushier side and not have that crisp outer bite of a chicken or pork sausage, so don’t be scared by the consistency because it was good), candied cabbage (amazingly savory and sweet and tart all at once), and goat cheese almond puree (nice and mellow; definite almond flavor).
Bourbon braised beef “short” rib (there was nothing short about it; the bone was the length of my forearm and slid right off the meat; the meat was so tender it disintegrated on the Jayhawk’s fork and melted in my mouth; amazing).
Side:
Macaroni casserole (which was baked mac & cheese that was maybe a bit heavy on the butter for me but really good and creamy and melty).
Dessert:
Homemade butterscotch banana pudding with 'nilla wafers (OMG! Set up in a tall flute kind of like a trifle, the wafers had soaked up all the banana and butterscotch and bourbon goodness; delicious).
And all that (including the Jayhawk’s drink and my 2 beers) was less than $130 pre-tip. We got the hoe cakes comped because the executive chef and the Jayahwk are friends, but it’s still a deal for everything we had even if we didn’t get anything gratis.
As for the actual space, it’s set up really oddly. The whole place is semi-compartmentalized into 3 dining areas, the bar, and then the lounge that actually bleeds into the hotel lobby, all separated by “walls” (either painted glass doors or metal curtains but not actual walls). Bad people flow, too, because you enter into the first main dining area and basically smack up against one of the tables, and the host stand is up against the wall to your left in the bar area with no real place to stand to the side. Then there are all the automatic doors lining the front that actually open if you bump up against them but that have tables right up against them, too. They should have turned all those doors into windows and made the only entrance through the hotel lobby, I think. The décor was nice but maybe a bit dark. We sat at a booth that I thought was cozy but that the Jayhawk thought had too harsh lighting that was hurting his eyes. And the male manager working that night needs a bit of an attitude adjustment; there are nicer ways of backing up your bartender and “correcting” a customer claiming that his Makers Mark on the rocks wasn’t Makers Mark (which it was not; even I could tell, and I’m not the brown likker expert).
All of the flaws are minor, though. It’s a new restaurant, and everyone’s still figuring out their roles and their flow. But the food and the overall experience more than make up for anything negative anyone can say. Mango say: Definitely go.
The other part of our good weekend was due to the dinner we had on Saturday night at Art and Soul at The Liaison Capitol Hill. And here are my 2 cents of the experience:
Appetizers:
Virginia ham-wrapped shrimp on top of creamy grits and sprinkled with chow chow (to die for; the chow-chow was awesome, and the grits were perfect).
Spice-rubbed ahi tuna (very nice spicy kick that hits you in the back of the throat) on top of fried green tomatoes (a little too tart, but good) and sour pickle relish (yummy).
Second:
Two types of hoe cakes -
One with cured salmon, caviar, crème fraiche, dill, and caper berries (like Southern bagels and lox – my favorite of the two we had; pass on the caper berries if you don’t like that flavor).
The other with fried oysters, chow chow remoulade, and julienned romaine lettuce (I know the lettuce was there to lighten the dish, but it reminded me too much of a side salad smothered in bad ranch dressing at TGIFridays to care for it -- Sorry, Guy Fieri; you cant make me eat there even with your endorsement of their new Ultimate Recipe Showdown menu).
Entrees:
Medium-rare duck breast (it was so good and fresh; the steak of the water fowl) with duck sausage (which is supposed to be on the mushier side and not have that crisp outer bite of a chicken or pork sausage, so don’t be scared by the consistency because it was good), candied cabbage (amazingly savory and sweet and tart all at once), and goat cheese almond puree (nice and mellow; definite almond flavor).
Bourbon braised beef “short” rib (there was nothing short about it; the bone was the length of my forearm and slid right off the meat; the meat was so tender it disintegrated on the Jayhawk’s fork and melted in my mouth; amazing).
Side:
Macaroni casserole (which was baked mac & cheese that was maybe a bit heavy on the butter for me but really good and creamy and melty).
Dessert:
Homemade butterscotch banana pudding with 'nilla wafers (OMG! Set up in a tall flute kind of like a trifle, the wafers had soaked up all the banana and butterscotch and bourbon goodness; delicious).
And all that (including the Jayhawk’s drink and my 2 beers) was less than $130 pre-tip. We got the hoe cakes comped because the executive chef and the Jayahwk are friends, but it’s still a deal for everything we had even if we didn’t get anything gratis.
As for the actual space, it’s set up really oddly. The whole place is semi-compartmentalized into 3 dining areas, the bar, and then the lounge that actually bleeds into the hotel lobby, all separated by “walls” (either painted glass doors or metal curtains but not actual walls). Bad people flow, too, because you enter into the first main dining area and basically smack up against one of the tables, and the host stand is up against the wall to your left in the bar area with no real place to stand to the side. Then there are all the automatic doors lining the front that actually open if you bump up against them but that have tables right up against them, too. They should have turned all those doors into windows and made the only entrance through the hotel lobby, I think. The décor was nice but maybe a bit dark. We sat at a booth that I thought was cozy but that the Jayhawk thought had too harsh lighting that was hurting his eyes. And the male manager working that night needs a bit of an attitude adjustment; there are nicer ways of backing up your bartender and “correcting” a customer claiming that his Makers Mark on the rocks wasn’t Makers Mark (which it was not; even I could tell, and I’m not the brown likker expert).
All of the flaws are minor, though. It’s a new restaurant, and everyone’s still figuring out their roles and their flow. But the food and the overall experience more than make up for anything negative anyone can say. Mango say: Definitely go.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Pretty Pictures Version 02.08.09
I'm totally diggin' the indie dance craze sweeping the nation...of the UK, that is (and Hackney, to be exact). Sweet electro pop tunes to start your Sunday off right: thecockandbullkid with "I'm Not Sorry."
La Semana in News #14
All Hale-y! The Chiefs hire Todd Haley as their new head coach.
That's 475,830 KC residents, to be exact, Mr. Census Man.
The river is falling! The river is falling!
Birthdays all around this weekend. Happy Bday, KC Ballet!
¡Wepa! Rico beats Venezuela in baseball Caribbean Series.
Talk about angry white men...Try an angry machista Rican man with a legal education. Whatevs...
I don't get it. Rican skinheads in Orlando?
No Wii for me! Well, at least not one that we'll hook up to the Internets.
That's 475,830 KC residents, to be exact, Mr. Census Man.
The river is falling! The river is falling!
Birthdays all around this weekend. Happy Bday, KC Ballet!
¡Wepa! Rico beats Venezuela in baseball Caribbean Series.
Talk about angry white men...Try an angry machista Rican man with a legal education. Whatevs...
I don't get it. Rican skinheads in Orlando?
No Wii for me! Well, at least not one that we'll hook up to the Internets.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Pretty Pictures Version 02.05.09
"Love is a game I wanna play with you," Missur Jayhawk. Happy Birthday from the boys in today's Pretty Pictures: The Voluntary Butler Scheme with "Multiplayer."
¡Japi Japi!
Happy Birthday, Jayhawk! ¡Que te crezca el bling bling, and all that other good stuff! It'll be a wonderful birthday weekend. Lazy at-home Thursday, opening-night-for-the-play Friday, fancy-dinner Saturday, and get-your-museum-on Sunday. Good times before the Valentine's Day and Restaurant Week rush mayhem.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Pretty Pictures Version 02.02.09
Happy 10th birthday, Moon Safari! In that honor, today's Pretty Pictures are a new video to mark the release of that awesome album: Air with "La femme d'argent." Music to mellow out to while digesting leftover chili. Ahhh...Chill out bliss.
All Hail!
Sister Disco! Winner of the 2nd Annual 1429 Super Bowl Chili Cook-Off! It was splendid times, indeed. Good friends, good food, good beers, and, actually, a good football game (although the same really can't be said for the commercials; maybe PETA should have been allowed to air their commercial, after all; "Debbie Does Salad," indeed). I have definitely got to amp up my game for next year's challenge. Maybe I can make a chili using the log o' meat that these KC boys created? It's a heart attack wrapped in bacon, but that's the kind me likey.
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