Archive for May, 2009
May 30th, 2009
I can hardly contain my sheer delight. I read a story this morning about how one of the most seminal 80s movies is going to get a 2nd life. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun is a total classic and features Sarah Jessica Parker in all of her permed, pre-Sex in the City, goofy glory. There’s dancing, sneaking out, gymnastics, rich kids, and of course, Shannen Doherty. It is not the be missed. There are rumors swirling that the remake may be a star vehicle for Miley Cyrus. I am skeptical. The genius of the original includes zingers like “Velcro. Besides The Walkman and Tab, it’s the world’s coolest invention.” How can you compete with that?
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May 30th, 2009
American Idol is over but fashion voters are just getting warmed up. For the first time at the annual Council of Fashion Designers
of America annual awards gala, a winner will be chosen by the general public. They get to weigh in on who they think is the best designer. Previously, all awards handed out were decided by an exclusive panel of industry insiders from a slate of hand-picked nominees.
As with A. I. this season, there may be a surprise winner. Results will be announced at this year’s swank soiree to be held at Lincoln Center in New York City on June 15th.
What’s really interesting is that voters can pick almost any American designer. So if you’re favorite wasn’t nominated, well, get busy. You can get in on the action by visiting the website set up by fashion trade publication Women’s Wear Daily today through June 9th.
Go to www.wwd.com/popular-vote to make a fashion statement that costs you nothing.
May 30th, 2009
While it would seem plausible to dismiss Away We Go as just another overwrought hipster flick, I think this one shows real promise. The cast is stellar, SNL alum Maya Rudolph and Office straight man John Krasinski, the director is a proven genius and Oscar winner, Mr. Sam Mendes, and the writers are a team of married aesthetes, Dave “Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius” Eggers and Vendela “Let the Northern Lights Erase Your Name” Vida. Their collective pedigrees would make it seem as though the movie would be too precious for words. Not so. The film is said to be honest, heartwarming, and earnest. It’s limited release will start next weekend. Consider yourself informed.
May 30th, 2009
One of the trends that’s sticking with consumers is industrial design. Here are some of the items that I love made from metal materials:
Recycled Chain Bowl from WorldofGood.eBay.com: Made from an unlikely material, recycled bike chain, this item is perfect to give your home an industrial feel. It’s a great storage option for your keys on an entry table.
May 30th, 2009
Twi-hards are all over eBay trying to score “their piece” of the New Moon. While the movie won’t be out for a while, fans have been obsessing over every set shot that they see—especially of one where Bella (Kristin Stewart) is wearing a covetable bomber-style 
jacket. Word leaked that the jacket is Billabong brand and retails for around $60 prompting immediate shopping hysteria and in-store sell out. Thankfully eBay still has some for sale. Allegedly Billbong will not stock more of the uber-popular coats until August. Score yours now and be ahead of the pack.
May 30th, 2009
I’ve found that the best way to get the clearest hands free conversation out of my cell phone is to use a headset. At first I went for the headset that came with my phone, but later found that there are others out there that can do so much more and sound so much better. Because I store my music on my phone, watch videos while traveling with it, and use it to take business calls, I need a quality set up that can rock as well as roll. The Radius, Atomic Bass Earphones are the bomb. Yeah, I said it, the bomb. Right away you’ll notice how comfortable the lightweight phones fit into your ear. The design is unlike any I’ve seen before as it has a very 
definite angle that seems to snuggle right in. On the left cord lives the mic, which bummed me out a little because I’m a righty, and is equipped with the capability to turn the volume up and down, skip and stop songs, as well as pick up and hang up calls. If the fit is a bit off for you, there are 3 different size adapters in the box. Now for the sound quality… it’s great. It booms and it tweets and it sings with rich sound and because they appear to be noise cancelling, they are superior to others I’ve used. As you can see I have the silver pair, but they come in black, purple and red as well. Last , but not least, the price is right at around $40!
May 30th, 2009
Even though Polaroid has gone away, new options are popping up for the “just add water” generation. A number of companies have put out solutions that allow you to snap a shot then instantly and compactly produce the photo on demand. Fuji and Polaroid have both come out with cameras that have mini printer built right in, the Fuji Instax 200 and the Polaroid PoGo which I’ll be reviewing soon. In my hands today sits the Dell Wasabi ink less printer. This pocket sized gadget prints out cute little 2×3 inch photos in under a minute. You send the image via bluetooth from your phone or computer and the device begins to do its job buy magically making the image appear without the use of ink! The printer uses special paper called Zink(zero ink) that has tiny color crystals in it that appear once heated. Overall the Wasabi is super easy to use and is a real conversation piece at any social event. The Wasabi comes in 3 colors, pink, blue-gray, and black and will run ya about $99. The Zink paper is around $20 for 50 sheets. To see this baby print, watch my video here:
May 30th, 2009
Memorial Day and the weather looks like it’s going to be good. I love that and it’s the perfect time to start thinking about your warm weather wardrobe. You’ll want to do some closet shopping. Here’s what to be on the lookout for:
White jeans – many women have a in the closet already and if not they can be had for $15 or $100. They scream summer chic and go with just about EVERYTHING. 
A full skirt – or one with a flair or a ruffle in a solid color even black.
A white fitted tee – pair it with above skirt for a new look.
A cardigan – any style will do -preppy, embellished, folksy. Wear it as a topper over T-shirts, tank tops, dresses or even button up over that full skirt.
Blue jeans – freshen them up with a beaded tunic top or a print blouse inspired by 60s abstract painters or by Nigerian prints.
May 30th, 2009
As excitement builds over this weekend’s release of “Terminator Salvation” critics wonder if Christian Bale has what it takes to step out of the large shadow cast by the series’ previous star.
To help predict the hot-headed star’s future we’ve looked at auctions of Terminator-related merchandise on eBay over the last three months and found that they have been steadily increasing, totaling more than 34,000 listings selling for an average of about $28. However, as the below stats show, the original star still has the hearts of fans:
Arnold Schwarzenegger
• 1,715 Total number of Terminator-related listings
• $22.28 Average selling price of items
• $4,300.00 Highest priced Terminator item – 1:1 Terminator T2 T-800 Schwarzenegger Bust in Silicone
Christian Bale
• 247 Total number of Terminator-related listings
• $29.75 Average selling price of items
• $178.88 Highest priced Terminator item – Terminator Salvation T4 John Connor Bale 1/6 Action Figure
Based on the figures alone, the Governator’s shoes will be large ones to fill, but with this number of eBay listings before the movie even premiers, the new John Connor’s odds of success are looking up.
May 30th, 2009
“American Idol” fans aren’t just texting in their votes for this year’s winner, they’re also casting their votes on eBay. In fact, if the Adam vs. Kris battle were settled based on what’s selling on eBay we’d already have our winner. In the past 30-days sales of Adam Lambert memorabilia reached $30,964, while sales of Kris Allen items totaled just $1,858. 
Check it out:
1,876 Number of Adam Lambert items sold
16.51 Average selling price of Adam Lambert items
$999 Highest Adam Lambert selling item –Wicked 2008 Playbill with American Idol Adam Lambert
2,064 Number of Adam Lambert listings on eBay
118 Number of Kris Allen items sold
$15.75 Average selling price of Kris Allen items
$75 Highest Kris Allen selling item – Kris Allen American Idol Finalist Autographed UD
189 Number of Kris Allen listings on eBay
