art installment

Louise Bourgeois is at the MOCA. The 96 Parisian (and still alive!) could not make it to the greater L.A. herself, but her oeuvres d'art have been stirring about. Everything from spiders to adultery, to tapestry factories, a bad childhood and her father's mistress speaks through in her works and are the latest talk of the town.

I attended the "Members Only" advanced preview on Saturday for which we had exclusive Invite Only entrance, which was a cup of delight! Not merely to the winebar free-loader or the middle-aged trend monkey but for any abstract artist, curious cat, or lover of the surreal. Just a forwarning, many a phallus sprung to the ceiling, sculptures of huge bronze spiders entrapped a bed, and vaginal symbolism signified Bougeois' anxieties and her nightmarish growing up.

A mixture of latex on bronze covered the sexual ambiguities and social implications of the feminine and masculin identities and repeated throughout many of her pieces-"fillette" made a blunt statement to the girl-boy gender struggle. One resembled a 'pig-in-a-blanket' another 'two yams interfolded'. There were many marble egg-eye-tip pieces called "cumulus", which I perceive as another relationship & sexual working- one in particular backlit in red drew many a paf. Other than the french man that followed me around every single oeuvre, trying to engage me in conversation with...his eyes, two amateurs beside me said "It's too abstract, screw it" and moved on.

I personally enjoyed the charcoal house with legs drawing, the cast-iron leg sculptures hung from the ceiling (vastly overlooked), the "7 in a bed pink" fabric dolls and most of all, "Arch of Hysteria"- the gold torso hanging and bent in a backward thrust. I walked 180 'round this hot mess. The female as a house and vagina like in her "femme-maison" was powerfully suggestive of the patriarchal dominance and the role in which the female is confined to and appears in modern society.

Realize that this avant-garde art is not for everyone. If you choose to go just for kicks and giggles, make sure you don't creep on innocent art-admirers... we can see what you're looking at and it is most definitely not art for art's sake.

As you exit, be sure to check out Kippenberger's retrospective exhibit "the Problem Perspective" for faux-photos, the fake-log pipes and magnifying glass painting collection. Watch out for the rusty-looking car with it's lights on, and the shady man beside it who may or may not ask you (as he did I) whether "this is your car?" followed by "i'm going to have to write you up for this, you can't be parking here". Nice try creeper #2, but i'm two questions in and walking five steps out the door.

Allez, Kimberley


To the right is my own artwork. The inspiration? A man with a pipe -you never see this!- on campus reading his book. I could only think of Beard Papa and how much I hate that mascot. Seen is my anxiety toward said papa who needs a good beating from someone who cares. What the heck is a Beard Papa anyway and why would anyone choose to eat such a cream puff! I will never step foot in that eatery. EVER!

d'oh

aye babies, it's Maddie...

For the past year I've been really obsessed with covers of pop/hip-hop/rap songs.

Basically, if some emo slash acoustic guitar-y guy covers anything from 90's popular music or mainstream rap it is the coolest ever.

Below in list (obvi) format are some noteworthy covers. They are not the best nor my favorites, but im hella bored and I've already watched tonight's sneak peek of "30 rock" and so I have nothing else to do so I'm just gonna go on youtube and search for rando covers even tho it's a thursday night but it's ok because im sort of sick so that's my excuse for why I'm not going out and instead I'm blogging. BAY AREA!!!

1. Paper Planes - MIA


Ok, this guy, he's like "O I'm so hip because not only do I listen to super indie british amazon beats like M.I.A but I can rearrange the music and play it on my guitar bro, o and also, I have another guitar just sitting there too because I'm so cool because I have TWO guitars. I'm such a musician! Also, I'm wearing this super bro trucker hat. PUNK'D!"

2. Ice Box - Omarion



So these guys are "Boyce Avenue" (Thanks Stephen for introducing me to such gems) and are pretty much the most legit when it comes to ironic covers. Basically I'm just obsessed with the original version of "icebox," so a cover is like christmas in July. When the music video came out I pretty much watched it like every second because the choreography was the baddest. Good job Boyce Avenue!

3. Idioteque - Radio Head


remember when everyone told you to watch that youtube video of that guy with the beard doing a cover of Outkast's "Hey Ya"? Welps, it's the same guy and he is from the band Obadiah Parker. I also just really like that they are playing in front of a "quiznos". haha suburban parking lot show?!

4. Word Up - Cameo


So the video is completely gratuitous. ahhah. These are some random girls dancing to the Willis cover of "Word Up." Why did I choose a dance video and not some other you ask? Because... three years ago I did the most ballinest dance to this song with the stellar dancer Dee Caspary and I will go to my grave with the remembrance of that dance, that being said, these girls are doing a sham of a job re-creating the genius that Mr. Caspary created long ago. ulch puhleasseee!

Happy Arbor Day Northern Hemisphere,

Madison V.

N&N's

Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist is my new Juno, except now I'm totally over Juno because it's so lame or pretentious or whatever else everybody is hating about it nowadays.... (eew, ellen page)

I knew I was going to be obsessed with N&N the second it appeared on Michael Cera's IMDB page, (yes, I obsessively haunt the scrolls of IMDB checking up on my favorite bird-like imp) (aka hottie MC). Once I saw he had been cast as Nick, and that the movie was an adaption of a novel I rushed to the nearest Barnes and Noble (the one across from main place that we all went to during highschool!!!) (oh-shaah). I had anticipated buying the book, but since it was no larger than three issues of People magazine, I just read it in the store.

The book was kindof lame bonez, but I knew Cera would not disappoint on the silverscreen.

"Nick and Nora" tells the story of two "star crossed lovers" who share 24 hours in bliss and discouragement on a rampant search for their favorite band and Nora's drunken BFF. Plans go awry, people fall in and out of love, boys in skinny jeans make witty jokes, etc etc. (well said)

BUT what resonates the most in N&N's is it's simplicity and sheer "Oh how cute"-ness. Many a time I found myself shrieking in delight at every word out of Cera's mouth. If you thought he was endearing in Arrested Development and adorable in Juno, then you might just pee your pants at how painfully precious this plucky polly can purr (I really just wanted to take a stab at alliteration). (please put pasta on my plastic plate...eh..)

Some highlights are a couple of cameos (very brief) by some current SNL members. Get excited!

AND Kat Dennings is not super annoying. I was really encouraging myself to dislike her (Ahem...Ellen Page) (OMG LIAR! Madison loved Ellen Page until I made a convincing argument against it), buttt she's really good!!! (you said she's pretty)

If you enjoyed Charlie Bartlett, Before Sunrise, or the first time you saw Juno...then you will probably enjoy Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist!!!

kickin' it maverick style,

Madison Vanderberg

(BUT WAIT! you left out MY favourite part of the movie, the hot stereotypical jewish club-hoppers...look out for their new CD!)

untill the MEGA-post...

So...satisfy yourself with this until I write something good...

I recently/finally saw the 90's film, "The Crow" - with the late Brandon Lee (pictured right) (left?), and was totally dumbfounded with the many similarities between this movie and "The Dark Knight." (split screen shown above) (that movie was balls-out!)

Ledger's Joker not only looked alot like Brandon's Crow, but his delivery, dialogue, and maniacal tom-foolery (oh tom...) were almost identical, except I think Ledger's performance is more nuanced in some degrees.

Additionally, "The Crow" takes place in a fictional city very much like "Gotham" city and the police constantly use verbiage such as, searching for a "dark vigilante" who is "creating chaos/disorder." (both very visual and visceral verbs)

I don't think Nolan or Ledger stole from "The Crow", but the similarities are hard to ignore AND I'm not the first person to notice this (obvi), I did some "research" (stalking) and found many a site dedicated to these two films. And Sadly, both Ledger and Lee died prematurely at the age of 28 during or after filming on both these movies.

I promise a very fluffy/superficial Maddie-style blog in the near future most likely covering disney channel or gossip girl! (let's go see Where's Fluffy! Tonight! behind the trashcan next to the hobo in the tree!)

Ridiculously yours,

Madison. (dawggggz!)

manhandling

I thought it would be cool as cuc. to wall-war cheesy pickup lines on Madison's f-book profile. Feel free to add us to your 'friends' list as we both reap benefits of seeming popularity. Now as for manhandling, I absolutely adore a man who can handle his words so eloquently (man-hand-ling) like the dance of a dozen doves driving down dips of doom (or the dive of a dapper dervish, delighting in a daunting dream)

Specifically what I had in mind was the brilliant idea to create rave-friendly lines which one may drop in concurrence with E. For those getting their colourful candy and light-shows ready 'fore the next Monster Massive (we might hit up Hard) be sure to check out said lines on our facebook wall-walls. It's the only place you will find them (on blogue we keep it P & G- for playas n' gangstas. Refer to R for ravers here)

The following are a combination of the cr
ême de la cr
ême, or as I like to call it, the best worst lines I found within the minute.

User Debbie, from one anonymous blog posted this handy advice for "young ladies":

Debbie said...

I advise young ladies to try the following line: "Do you need to borrow a sewing kit? Because you're so ripped." Based on my knowledge of the male psyche, I assume that this will sweep a desirable bachelor off his feet.

This one was a personal favourite: Somebody call Animal Control because I just spotted a fox! (this is my favorite!)

I'll end with one of my own: (it helps if you put on a 'hood accent.(ooo, i love doing this!) if you find yourself marking the checkbox to "stuff white people like" on white men trying to act gangster, perhaps you should consult Madison. word on the row is that she loves these types (what!?!? not true. ?)

"Oo Boy! You so fine, you finer than a Montrachet 1978 bottle of wine" (the perfect man would say such poetry)

If you fit the tee, simply use this line after culturing yourself, please.

Warm Prospects,
Kim "Brr" ley