I've always been a fan of ex-Sugababe, Mutya Buena. She always seemed to have a lot of problems with the media while being part of the girl band, and after the Sugababes seized to exist, I kind of lost track of her for a while.
However, her vocals were always very impressive, and even with the Sugababes pop profile, songs like "Lost in You" impressed me a lot. Later she came out with songs like "This is Not Real Love" in a duet with George Michael which showed that her range was impressive.
She is out with a new album which covers many songs of the 90's. The album is called The Sound of Camden. I really like her spin on the songs, and I reaaaally like her voice. There is something very attractive about it. I was very excited when I saw that she covered Rolling Stones' "Anybody Seen My Baby" because it is possibly my most favorite Rolling Stones song, and I was real interested to see what she would do with the song.
I really like it, but, please, judge for yourself. You can listen to the song here.
A really cool website that started out with people being able to publish their own work. Now, ZINESWAP is a big deal with a lot of projects and even an iPhone and iPad application that allows you to buy different “zines” by different people. I think it’s a cool concept and it’s again one of those “why didn’t I come up with this?” internet ideas.
I knew about ZINESWAP for a while now, but never really spent much time on the site (because, unfortunately, I didn’t have much to share, nor, after seeing the high level of work, did I want to look like a cheesy third grader writing a “How I Spent my Summer” paper). Anyway, regardless, I came across ZINESWAP again while reading an article inDazed & Confused. They wrote about a real awesome zine called Dead Ends by Theo Simpson, which consists of photographs of different discarded job applications. I’m not always a big fan of huge movements that take place in the art world when something big happens globally. I feel like many times, instead of getting creative, work sometimes becomes redundant. From time to time this is the case with the current underlying subject of pretty much everything – the economic crisis and everything that comes with it. Nevertheless, in my opinion, Dead Ends is an exception. On top of that, anyone who can take the single least creative object, a job application (a blank one that is, because the filled out ones can get real original), and turn it into a piece of art, deserves to be checked out.
Visit the website of the project here, and, if you ever have a minute, or have something to share for that matter, check the ZINESWAP website out: (www.zineswap.com)
On a totally different note, but no less creative, tomorrow is El Clasico!!! I am a die-hard FC Barcelona fan, so I will be nervous and giddy all day long. VISCA BARCA!
I was never a big fun of horror movies, and the reason for that is very simple - I get easily scared by ghosts,zombies and other similar shit. At the same time, I am a big fun of post-apocalyptic movies and since post apocalyptic and horror genres often intertwine, sometimes I watch horror-apocalyptic movies.
I was scrolling through different movies on Wednesday night and I realized that Chris Pine(the actor I recently watch all the movies with ) has a main part in the movie Carriers. So I gave it a try, regardless the horror genre it had written in the description.
The premise of the movie is simple: some kind of flue pandemic spread around the globe, killing mostly everybody.The only survivals try to avoid big cities and coming in contact with other people; since the virus is highly contagious and its often very hard to tell if someone has it or not. The idea is simple and is very real(we did have an epidemic in Mexico about a year ago). Throughout the movie, our protagonists have to make a series of difficult moral decisions in order to survive. What makes this movie exciting is that you can't but constantly relate to the main characters and keep on questioning your self, wondering what would you do, being in their shoes. Overall it was an OK "horror" movie with pretty good and very convincing acting from Chris Pine. If you have an extra evening to waste and you are in the mood for a semi scary post apocalyptic film, Carriers is the way to go.
I started listening to Nujabes about 3 years ago and instantly fell in love with it.
A hip-hop producer and a DJ from Japan, Nujabes died at the age of 36 this February. His music, very ambient and beautiful, will make anybody happy and free minded.
I am possibly the millionth person to talk about Mark Ronson’s latest album that came out about a month and a half ago, but I am going to do it anyway. The album called Record Collection is by Ronson and The Business Intl plus a dozen other artists ranging form Boy George to D’Angelo (!).
I heard a lot about the album for while before it finally hit store shelves from the hip I-don’t-listen-to-radio-hits crowd. I thought I would wait and see for myself.
Honestly, I thought that the highly anticipated album was doomed to suffer the inevitable – self-implode. The huge number of serious artists on the album, most of whom you can hardly call commecial, Ronson’s stint as designer of super exclusive custom kicks for Gucci, and his great style when it comes to… well, anything, all served as reason. To be frank, being the musical-fashion obsessive that I am, it seemed too good to be true. But guess what, it is true. The album is fresh, unlike anything else I heard in a while, it has Ronson’s stamp and style on it, and the guests performers seem to have been picked out perfectly for every single track. All the different music blended together to create a complete album. Surprisingly, it was also very unpretentious, which is not always the case when it comes to the I-don’t-listen-to-radio-hits crowd.
I can’t tell if it’s Mark Ronson’s unstoppable growth and progress, his innate talent when it comes to sound, or his new hair, but the album is definitely worth a listen.
I came across a movie called Chatroom the other day. “Surprisingly”, it deals with a chatroom… The movie is not long, and it jumps right into the story from minute one. To summarize the film in a sentence or two, it is about a group of teens that meet in a chatroom, and get to know each other. However, very soon, we come to learn that all the teens in the new chatroom have secrets that they are hiding and maybe… oh my gosh, wait for it… ulterior motives!
Anyway, the film is a fast-paced thriller and an easy watch. I especially liked how they created an imaginary cyberspace with all the characters in it instead of filming everyone endlessly typing away on their computer. There are many cyber chat instances in the film that are portrayed in a very real and artistic way. The film has some obvious weaknesses that many others pointed out, such as the underdevelopment of about half of the characters that partake in the story. It also seems to stretch reality a bit too many times for my liking. The reason I decided to comment on this film however, is because I was reading my beloved GQ about two months ago. I don’t know how you call it when you first hear about something that you have never heard about before in your life, and ever since then it starts appearing everywhere you go. Well, that is what happened to me while I was reading an article in GQ that spoke about assisted suicide online, if you can call it that. I have never had any idea that something like this existed, but apparently, there are websites out there that serve as a place for suicidal people to come and either seek support or get advice on the best way to end life. It seems really creepy, but these are legitimate boards, which have a lot of visitors.
I guess like every board online, there is good and bad that comes from it. On the one hand, there is a big support system that helps some people who are struggling to cope. On the other hand, however, there is that other side. The side that GQ wrote about, and that Chatroom touched upon as well. That side consists of people that sort of get off on the act of talking someone into killing themself. Sometimes they even get to watch it happen, since many ask for moral support while taking their last journey and switch their webcam on to create the illusion of having someone there to help them through it.
GQ talked about a story of a man disguising himself as a young nurse that talked to troubled kids about the benefits of dying by hanging. This man is currently on trial, but, as the article points out, it does not seem like anything can really be done at the end of the day. First of all, talking to someone is not a crime, especially when it is done on the internet, where everyone lies and pretends. Secondly, these people made a choice to die, and if someone assisted them in providing helpful information in doing it the easiest way possible, on a website devised specifically for that purpose, well, it’s hard to find crime in that as well.
Nonetheless, it is very scary once you think about the situation and the poor youngsters that had the bad fortune of running into this “nurse” online instead of a person that could have maybe shined a light on their situation and talked them out of doing the irreversible. Chatroom is precisely about that. Maybe if I were to not read GQ before seeing this film, I would’ve thought it was highly improbable that someone could talk someone else into committing suicide online, and would’ve thought the movie went overboard on that storyline as well. However, I’m glad it didn’t go that way, because while there are very few teens that religiously read GQ, there are many more that might want to watch this film because of its good looking and young cast (withKickass star Aaron Johnson as the lead), and who knows, maybe it'll save a cyber life or two.
Vogue Italia's November issue has a very beautiful cover story editorial that is called "Venus in Furs". Shot by Steven Meisel, it stars models Freja Beha Erichsen, Alla Kostromicheva, Andrej Pejic, Iris Strubegger, Iselin Steiro, Michael Tintiuc, and Tomek Szczukiecki. You can find the making of video and additional photographs on Vogue Italia's official website.
I found this to be a refreshingly minimalistic approach to showing fashion products while also telling the story. Lately, I feel like there is such a bewildering amount of clothes out there that stylists are forced to either make crazy choices to stand out or overdress the models to show as much as possible. This editorial goes the completely opposite direction by undressing the models.
I can also appreciate the story behind this. I would be surprised if the nakedness of the models has nothing to do with the hot topic that fur has been lately. While fur is the star of this editorial, I got the message that the stylists are asking us how we feel about the topic of whether or no it is OK to use real fur in fashion, or whether it is a cruel practice that even looking fancy isn't worth? I was attracted to the photographs mainly because I found them well done and different. I think the way the bodies are intertwined is very sensual without giving anything away. But, the more I think about the idea of fur vs. no fur and the concept of all of us having a skin that we care for and have to protect, the more I like these images.
There is a really cool restaurant in Barcelona called Komomoto. They serve a fusion cuisine made up of Peruvian and Japanese food, not unlike what Nobu does, but in a much more informal manner. Apart from having good food, what really caught my attention is the "open wall" they have that welcomes anybody to post their art on it. I always found it a great way to pass time while waiting for food. Grupo Tragaluz, a restaurant group that runs this establishment, didn't come up with anything new, as I have seen various places welcome creativity in such a form with open arms, however, it is still always fun to come across something like this, and considering that Barcelona is a place that is bustling with international visitors, the wall becomes very creative and "worldly". We are talking globalization at its finest here.
So, if you are ever in Barcelona, as their promotion says: come and express yourselves!!!
P.S. I have noticed that they decided to use Moleskine as their notebook layout of choice for this promotion. I love Moleskine, and can’t help but feel very proud for being likeminded.
I recently came across the movie called Moon with Sam Rockwell and a voice of Kevin Spacey. It is a classy debut by David Bowie's son, Duncan Jones. It's beautiful visuals, great acting and it's twisted and emotional story make a very strong piece of cinematography.
Most of the documentary styled photography we see, is a part of our daily routine, when we read news articles. It usually is a part of a story and it either makes us want to read an article or skip it.
It is a quick message, which grabs our attention. It makes the content of the story more real and emotional.
Throughout the history, there were a lot of talented photographers, who used to chronicle different major events, including riots,wars,revolutions and depressions. Some images were so influential that they changed the way people think.
I would like to mention a couple of photographers Philip Jones Griffiths and Sebastiao Salgado.
Philip Jones Griffiths is known for his coverage of the Vietnam War. His images are so grabbing emotional and vivid that you can't not call him one of the best war photographers.
Way back when I was still spending a significant amount of time in Moscow (around the early 90's), there was a very popular brand of chewing gum called Love Is... I always had a lot of fun with it, because each piece of gum had a wrapper with a little cartoon illustrating what love was. Some I found especially entertaining were something like "Love is... giving him a head massage" or "Love is... a necessity not a luxury".
Now I don't see this gum that often, but I still try to collect them when I come across some interesting ones. Here are a few examples below:
Charlotte: We have a tea bag situation.
Samantha: Oh honey, I totally understand. Just breathe through your nose
- Sex and the City
How many out there can honestly say that they have had the Kaiser take a bath in their cup of tea? This is a really cool idea by a German company called Donkey Creative Lab. I thought I would mention it because I find these guys to have great sense of humor and imagination. Of course, here at pregnantwhales we also support any company that uses an animal as part of their brand name.
These tea bags come in a pack of 5 and star all kinds of different personalities from German chancellor Angela Merkel to Elvis Presley. At 8 euros per pack, they don’t come cheap (although one bag is supposed to be good enough to be used 8-10 times), but could work great at a tea party or something. Donkey products has a lot of other fun products, so if anyone is interested in a notebook with the words “Wives I Had and Liked” on the cover (at least now I know what to get Alex when he decides to get married), here is their website. Enjoy!
Blue Valentine is the the film I have been impatiently waiting for all year. I think this film could be the best film of 2010. After not seeing Ryan Gosling in anything for some time, this film caught my attention right from the start. Why do I think it will be as good as I think it will be? A number if things. For one, it stars Ryan Gosling, the best young(er) actor in Hollywood for some time now in my opinion. And he is astonishingly underrated, but I suppose that is how he prefers it. Apart from that, this is a story that has been waiting to see the light of day for many years, with both Ryan and Michelle Williams taking a huge leap of faith to see it get made. Of course, the buzz it has been getting now that we are slowly approaching award season has added some spice.
The film is about the life and relationship of a young married couple. It's about their ups and downs. Seemingly, it is the same old story we have all heard about so many times. But to me, these films (when done well) are the most interesting ones. Because they analyze people in their natural habitat – relationships. Just by watching the trailer, you can see that Ryan and Michelle will tell a top-notch story. I definitely intend to watch it once it comes around my way. Then again, I watch pretty much everything that comes my way, but if you are in America, and you plan on visiting the cinema only once in what's left of 2010, I recommend you choose Blue Valentine. Release dates for the rest of the world are unclear, which happens often with smaller films that need to battle for every single theater, but Blue Valentine should be on limited release in US theaters from December 31st. Unless it gets an Oscar nod (which it might), the rest of us might have to be waiting for a DVD release or search the internet to check the film out.
Rare Exports (out December 3rd in UK)
I personally don’t know how to get my hands on this film. I haven’t watched it, and considering that it is a smaller budget foreign film, it may be very long before I manage to. However, I have had the chance to read some about it, and based on the reviews the film seems promising.
But you know what, the whole review part of it is beside the point, because even if the movie was utter crap – which it does not appear to be – I’m saying you still have to see this film if you get the opportunity because it takes big balls to mess with Santa’s image. Because frankly, whoever Santa’s PR guy was, he deserves to have a monument built in his name. Because, let’s be honest here, Santa can’t do no wrong! Whether he is delivering presents or riding a big Coca-Cola bus, Santa only brings happiness and joy. He is the one stranger that parents do not tell their children to not take candy from. Santa is a fun loving, sweet, and friendly man.
What these guys do is take this image that was set in stone decades ago and they destroy it. According to the trailer and the synopsis, they make sure that Santa resembles the Texas Chainsaw Massacre dude more than a grandpa in red. I say, let’s support them! Because it’s something different, and as I said before, it takes balls to portray Santa as a child-kidnapping psychopath. And a good job on making Santa slim in this one. A fat psycho killer isn’t very credible, how will he chase his victims?!
Debt (rumored 2011)
This movie looks quite promising. Mainly because it deals with a topic that I find extremely fascinating – medical experiments that took place in the concentration camps in Nazi Germany. To me, it is the most mind and gut wrenching part of everything that happened during those years. Mind you, I am not by any means downplaying anything else that took place in the camps. People were killed daily. They were beaten up, they were raped, they were starved, treated like dirt and executed. A human life had no value. But even the horrific system that the concentration camps followed, to me does not compare to the medical experiments (aka torture) that the doctors undertook supposedly for the good of progress and science. We hear of maniacs and serial killers and it freaks us out. God forbid this happens to me. If a person must die let it be instantaneous, painless. But all these maniacs, they are crazy demented people that were molested as children or whatever else story one comes up with. But here, these were completely sane, clear thinking professionals that supposedly entered the field to save lives!
I will definitely watch it, but having seen the trailer I can’t help but worry. Despite the great cast and seemingly interesting story, I fear this will end up having a problem that many big films suffer lately – accuracy. And another thing is that Sam Worthington just didn’t seem like a young Israeli Mossad agent from the 60s to me. Maybe that is my own issue, and it will definitely not stop me from trying to appreciate the film for whatever it will do well, but watching the trailer, sometimes I just couldn’t help but feel that Mr. Worthington was going to suddenly turn blue and plead that there is a better way out there and harmony, not violent search for progress, is the answer.
