photo envy

The title explains the feature better than I could ever could. Though it's genesis arose when I was admiring the photographic work of Hedi Slimane. So below I've decided to share some photos I am intrigued by, love and wish I had taken.

I'm in love with millinery

What's millinery you ask? Well it's hat design basically. I've loved hats for as long as I can remember in almost any and every style. Anyone who knows me well has seen me running around in my Green Beret, kicking ass and taking names(...ok well not really kicking ass, but I do love to take names and meet peeps.) THE hats I most covet and desire to add to my wardrobe are a basic bowler (I've been trying to track down a proper/reasonably priced one since my time at Oxford years back,) a pork pie (so I can look like a jazzhead,) a cloche (so I can act like a jazz baby,) and of course the notorious and infamous "Leopard Skin Pillbox Hat,"Bob Dylan sings about mockingly on 'Blonde on Blonde.'

Along with a general obsession with millinery I hold great admiration and respect for a number of Milliners who continuously kill at their craft, namely Stephen Jones, Eugenia Kim, Albertus Swanepoel & Philip Treacy to praise a few. I've posted several of their creations below. Their artisanship and ability is simply astounding and incredibly innovative, that I must now be trite and tip my hat to each of them for the beautiful works of art they've been able to create.

Albertus Swanepoel's "Goddess"

Albertus Swanepoel's "Montmarte" (which you may have seen on Jennifer Aniston when she guest starred on '30 Rock' "I design hats now!")

Albertus Swanepoel's "Safari"

Stephen Jones "Smashed"

Stephen Jones "Khatoum"

Stephen Jones "London"

Stephen Jones "Gerlinde"

The book that got me into millinery

Eugenia Kim's Houndstooth earflap hat

Eugenia Kim's Coach line from a few years ago

Eugenia Kim cloche

Albertus Swanepoel

Albertus Swanepoel

Stephen Jones' "Tube"

Stephen Jones' "Ecstasy"

Stephen Jones' "The Roxy"

Stephen Jones' "Snow Plume"

Stephen Jones' "Guru"

I feel bad for Robert Pattinson

As crazy as it may sound I honestly and truly do. As a huge fan of the Twilight Saga, I have obsessively consumed every piece of information available about the book to screen adaptataion of this pop culture phenomenon, but have always been aware it is not real. I haven't seen a frenzy and such utter and complete pandemonium like this since "Titanic" and that was crazy enough the first time around. After reading this Times of London interview with him I can't help but feel bad for him since in the eyes of so many of his underage"fans" (and their equally bonkers moms) he's nothing more than object and the embodiment of Edward Cullen a so called "perfect creature." Though obviously and in all honesty he's an attractive dude, he got really, really lucky fell into the role of a lifetime. The Hollywood machine can be a brutal beast that can chew one up and spit them out before the weekend their movie has been released is over. I wish the kid plenty of luck, but more importantly great work that legitmizes him as an actor rather than just a teen heart throb, because I think he's got the chops for it. And if the acting thing doesn't work out, he can always fall back on slowly, but surely developing music career like Joaquin Phoenix.

***I know I usually don't post about stuff like this, but I felt compelled to since, I legitimately and truly like the idea of him. I write "the idea" because I obvisously don't know him personally, but he reminds of a couple people I know so I want to root for him and wish him all the success in the world. Plus he's a musician at heart and as a Band-Aid I'm all about the music.

It's the most wonderful time of the year...

And not just because Jesus is the reason for season, but because THE BEST movies come out! With the annoucement of the Golden Globe nominees Thursday morning it helps me put into perspective what serious award contenders I should see as soon as possible, while I intend to pepper in the more commercial fair, and probably "Twilight" again. So I've compiled a list of what I intend to and would like to see this holiday season as well as what I've already seen and highly recommend.

1. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button- Everytime I see this trailer it makes me fall in love with film making all over again

2. Slumdog Millionaire - I've been in awe of Danny Boyle's directorial prowess since I saw Trainspotting well over a decade ago. His ability to bring out the most brilliant performances out of an relatively unknown actors and turn them into stars (Ewan McGregor, Kelly MacDonald, Cillian Murphy) never ceases to amaze and delight me.

3.Milk - Sean Penn breathes the rarified air that only few actors (Daniel Day-Lewis, Denzel Washington on a good day) have the ability to experience. And supposedly he breathes so much life in his portrayal of Harvey Milk, his performance is epic. I've been waiting to see this film for months and hope to before Christmas Day

4.The Wrestler - Darren Aronofsky is the kind of film maker who makes me wonder if I could ever imagine as vividly as he is able to depict on screen. Winner of the Golden Lion
(basically the Grand Jury Prize) at this year's Venice Film Festival

5.Revolutionary Road - Introduce me to one person who didn't like Titanic or who has a negative comment to make about the chemistry and talent of Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet and I'll them an idiot to their face. RR reunites the two, under the direction of Academy Award Winning Director Sam Mendes

6. The Reader- Kate Winslet really do no wrong

7. Gran Torino- Nothing says Holiday awards season like a Clint Eastwood movie and not only does he direct this one he stars in it too.

8. Defiance- Liev Schreiber + Daniel Craig + a true story about brothers fighting the Nazis= a movie I'm super excited for

9. Doubt & Frost/Nixon- Both super serious films with incredible casts that keep growing on me but I'm in no immediate rush to see either

10. Valkyrie- I have no intention of paying to see this movie and the as the release date grows closer the idea, trailers and Tom Cruise's perfect American accent grow funnier and funnier to me. Though I am intrigued by the set pieces, the scale of the production and what Bryan Singer was able to pull off, but like I said I'm not paying to see this one.

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some more Schreiber love

I know I already gave props to Pablo Schreiber this morning, but it turns out Liev and Naomi Watts had their second baby yesterday. That kid is going to be undeniably adorable and if he pursues a career on the stage or in the arts like his mom and dad, he'll have talent pouring out of his ears. So congrats to the happy couple.

and now some love for another Schreiber

Time and time again I've posted about the incredibly talented and unbelievably brilliant Liev Schreiber, but now it's time for me to show some love and give credit to his brother Pablo. In the December 2009 issue, Annie Liebowitz shot a Romeo and Juliet inspired spread entitled "Love of a Lifetime" featuring Coca Rocha and dancer Roberto Bolle as the eponymous "star crossed lovers." Pablo got to play Tybalt in the spread (witness his final scene in the play and the shoot above,) was on the greatest TV show of all time, and over the past couple months I've noticed him popping up everywhere from the Law & Order season premiere, Life on Mars and even has a cameo in Vicky Christina Barcelona. Pablo is incredibly talented and has the sort of intensity that could only have been culled on the New York stage. Keep an eye out for Pablo, in the future or check out some of his old work to get an idea of how great this guy is.

VOGUE December 2008

Pablo Schreiber and Rebecca Brooksher in Christopher Shinn's play "Dying City."(Sara Krulwich/The New York Times)

Pablo and Chris Bauer in "The Wire"

Pablo Schreiber

Coco Rocha & Roberto Bolle (though Pablo's not in this picture it was too beautiful not to include it)

The view from Cabana 1

The Mayfair Hotel in Coconut Grove opened a roof top poolside bar called Cabana 1 a couple months back, & these pictures are from the afternoon before the VIP opening party.

as you can see they were still in the midst of building while i was hanging out with a friend who tends bar there.

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Micrscopic lightening effect

This is from a few weeks ago but better late than never, I have no background in science, aside from the fact that both my parents worked in medicine, and I've seen every episode of "House." Though in a tour de force of office supply physics, researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, have shown that it is possible to produce X-rays by simply unrolling Scotch tape.