First Annual Your It List Oscar Pool
This year’s Oscar season seems a bit more tame than past years. What with the 35 nominated films for Best Picture (none, by the way, being (500) Days of Summer, ahem). There are a lot of familiar names on the nominees lists, not quite as many “Who?” nominees… a lot of people seem to think the winners will be the obvious choices.
I’m hoping for a return to the surprise a la 1966 when Richard Burton lost the best actor nod for Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf to Paul Scofield in A Man For All Seasons. Luckily Mrs. Burton won that year for Virginia Woolf, though rumoredly the couple abstained from attending due to Mr. Burton’s fear of losing (and worse his fear of losing and watching Mrs. Burton win). It was the first time either Burton ever abstained from anything.
The votes have been cast, somewhere a really boring looking accountant has them in a sealed briefcase. But let your voice be heard in the first annual Your It List Oscar Pool.
Click here to let us know who you think is going to win (don’t forget to leave your email address so we can contact you!).
On Monday, the person with the most correct answers will win a FULL BOX of movie flavored books, including:
Heads On and We Shoot
Avatar
My Word is My Bond
Pieces of My Heart
George Lucas’s Blockbusting
Showgirls, Teen Wolves, Astro Zombies
Tales from the Script
Some Like It Hot Companion
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
Shutter Island
Crazy Heart
Coraline
Making of Coraline
We’ll announce the winners on Monday!
Click here for complete rules.
The Art of the Drag
It’s no secret that we’re big RuPaul fans. It Books is publishing Workin’ It! RuPaul’s Guide to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Style tomorrow. But before Workin’ It! was even a glimmer in RuPaul’s carefully made-up eye, Rupaul’s Drag Race was born on Logo. If you never got a chance to see it then I assure you you missed out. However, the hotly anticipated second season premieres tonight and it’s no doubt going to bring twice the amount of fabulosity.
To promote season two, the good people at Logo Online are giving us the chance to get into the drag spirit with the all new Dragulator. Feeling festive, I gave it a shot this morning. The results:
Confirmed! I would make an ugly-ass drag queen. But the martini glass accessory was a nice touch. Try the Dragulator out for yourself here. If drag persona is particularly fierce, email it to us at youritlist@harpercollins.com and we’ll post some of our favorites.
The new season of Drag Race starts tonight at 9:00 EST and Workin’ It is on sale tomorrow.
In related video news, check out Ru on the Today show this morning (spoiler, he basically calls Kathy Lee a drag queen to her face! Hilarity ensues.):
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
He-Man Goes Arty
I’m a child of the 80s, so I may seem a little biased in saying that the best cartoons EVER came out of that decade. (seriously, Pokemon? PokeFAIL.) There are too many kick ass toons from that era to name here, but one that is obviously at the very top of the pile is He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. LOVED it. I was so in to that show my parents even took me to see the Masters of the Universe Power Tour and I remember every minute of it.
Anyway, I’m glad to see I am not the only person with such fond recollections of the show. Gallery Nineteen Eighty Eight in Los Angeles, CA currently has an entire exhibit titled “Under the Influence: He-Man and the Masters of hte Universe” in which 100 artists reinterprete the cartoon megapower. Luckily, the gallery has put everything up on their blog, which you can check out here.
A few of my favorites below, but if you are in the LA area, definitely check this out and get me a t-shirt!
How to Make a Michael Cera Movie
Via The High Definite, the completely accurate guide to every Michael Cera movie ever made.
Are you gonna eat that?
Here in New York City, it’s law that any restaurant with 10 locations or more post the caloric content of food and beverages on menus (I’ve often wondered why they don’t do this in L.A. too but was recently told people don’t actually eat there so why make the effort…educational!). Ever since these numbers have started appearing on menus I have been OBSESSED with them. And now thanks to a certain Matt Daniels, you can obsess too!
Matt’s created a fun (or depressing?) way for you to guess how many calories are in many popular food items and then compares your guess to the average guess and what percentage of a 2,500 calorie a day diet that item would take up. It’s fun kids…take a look.
Post-Holiday Weekend Relaxer
Like any sane American the day after Christmas, I am staying the hell away from any shopping facility in the area and am staying in to watch movies and eat left overs. Why doesn’t America celebrate Boxing Day again? Can we start a petition? Anyway….to help you relax over the weekend and meditate on the holidaze, here’s a bit of my favorite part of Christmas, the Yule log. Enjoy.
Mix Tape: 2009 Edition
I lived for mix tapes all through the 90s. I would spend hours and hours slaving over the perfect playlist for my friends and/or potential boyfriends. I thought about every song and what it said about me or my feelings for that other person. “Does this Portishead song properly convey the internal conflict I feel about how you sometimes hang out with people I don’t like?” “Will this Sonic Youth song make you think about me at night?”
I eventually moved to mix CDs at the end of the 90s…but it’s never been the same. A CD just says “I cared enough to click burn” while a tape has time and effort written all over it (literally, because I would write that on the tape).
While we’ll never really get that back, now we can at least pretend with Mix Tape USBs. At the end of the day it’s just a fancy container for a cheapish USB stick, but I can honestly say I think this is totally fucking awesome and I bought 10 of them. Half the fun was always writing out the playlist anyway, right? Christmas shopping: DONE.
Twitter Wit Sweepstakes – Winner!
And the winner we’ve selected for our Twitter Wit Video Contest is:
Congratulations to our Grand Prize winner, Steven Lewer, who will be receiving a copy of the book and an iPod Touch.
Click here to check out more of Twitter Wit, and make sure to sign up for our newsletter below for everything Your It List.
Deconstructing Glambert
The cover for Adam Lambert’s forthcoming album, For Your Entertainment, was just released.
I don’t know what I was expecting his album to look like, but I know I wasn’t expecting this. And honestly, I love it. It brought some big gay sunshine to an otherwise dreary mid-week.
Below are some inspirations that occurred to me right away. If you can think of any more, drop them in the comments!
- Madonna’s debut album
The Trapper Keeper
Jem and the Holograms
Lisa Frank
What is a Stripteese?
Let your education begin….
Dita Von Teese’s new collection of flip books, Stripteese, is on sale 11/3.
Wyclef Jean’s Memoir To Be Published By It Books
NEW YORK, NY (October 19, 2009) – It Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, today announced plans to publish the memoir of Grammy Award-winning multi-platinum musician Wyclef Jean. Jean will be writing the memoir with bestselling author and Rolling Stone writer Anthony Bozza, who co-authored such books as Whatever You Say I Am with Eminem and Tommyland with Tommy Lee.
The book was acquired by Mauro DiPreta, Vice President and Associate Publisher for It Books, from Richard Abate at 3 Arts Entertainment.
The memoir will chronicle Wyclef’s childhood in the tiny rural village of La Serre in Haiti and his subsequent immigration to Brooklyn, NY, where at the age of 9 he began his journey into pop culture. He will recount his struggle between the double life he lead as a preacher’s son playing music in church with becoming a young rapper trying to fit in with his peers. The book will also document his monumental success as founding member of The Fugees and then his impressive solo career where he established himself as one of the most sought-after musicians, performers, songwriters, and producers of his generation. Wyclef’s work as a global philanthropist, especially in his native country through his work with Yéle Haiti which he founded in 2005, will be featured in the book. His philanthropic work has brought him worldwide attention for his tireless efforts to change the way the world sees Haiti.
“I am so happy to share my journey which took me from the hut to the projects to the mansion,” said Wyclef Jean. “I am just getting started and feel so excited about It Books publishing the early stories from my life.”
“Wyclef has an incredible story, filled with drama, humor and inspiration,” said DiPreta. “It is above all a very human story, not necessarily one of celebrity, and I’m happy to say that he is as gifted a storyteller as he is a musician.” Carrie Kania, Senior Vice President and Publisher of It Books, said, “As we continue to grow the new It Books list, Wyclef Jean is a perfect example of the kind of talent we love working with—a passionate, innovative artist whose book will transcend all expectations.”
To Follow Wyclef Jean please go to:
www.wyclef.com
www.Twitter.com/wyclef
www.facebook.com/Wyclef
www.yele.org
Heads on and we give you a free book…
UPDATE: We have a winner! Congrats!
As we’ve mentioned earlier, the film adaptation for Maurice Sendak’s much loved Where The Wild Things Are is out today. Also out this week, our very own and very beautiful Heads On and We Shoot: The Making of Where the Wild Things Are.
We’ve got one copy of the book, signed by both director Spike Jonze AND David Eggers, (who both wrote the screenplay together) that we’d like to give away to one of you, our dear readers.
To enter for a chance to win, just send an email to YourItList@harpercollins.com before 1:00PM on October 22nd. I will randomly be selecting 1 winner from the emails received. No purchase necessary. The last entry will be accepted at 1:00 on October 22nd. Approximate retail value of the prize is $39.95.
Good luck kids!
Click here to view official rules.
Lisa Lampanelli – Chocolate Please
_________________________________________________________________________________
Click here to read an excerpt of Chocolate, Please.
Aaron Karo is having more fun than you
Our good friend, Aaron Karo, stand-up comic and author of Ruminations on College Life and Ruminations on Twentysomething Life, has a new book out today. Can you guess who’s publishing it? I’m Having More Fun Than You, is an irreverent exploration of why guys embrace bachelorhood and love flying solo in their twenties and thirties.
Click here to read an excerpt and here to buy the book!
Just three frames
I love the idea behind the site Three Frames. It’s essentially exactly what it sounds like…three frames from a movie or TV show, in order and shown in rapid succession on a loop. The results are hilarious, amazing and sometimes scary (in my humble opinion). After I came across the site I found myself getting sucked in and going through the entire archive. It reminds me of those cameras that have four exposures, so the final photo has just a hint of motion in it.
Also, if you have any idea what movie these stills are from, post it in the comments section because topless machine guns = movies I must see.
Snuggies: Now a sex aid?
A friend of mine recently sent me a link to The Snuggie Sutra. We had to discuss…is this gratuitous or genius?
I think I’m kind of leaning toward genius here. I mean, how many of us have snuggies? Don’t lie. You got one when you were out at Target or Bed Bath and Beyond because you thought it would be funny (or a friend gave it to you for the same reason). Your mom or grandmother got you one because she saw the commercial and legitimately thought you’d be more comfortable in that drafty dorm room (or God forbid, office) with a big blue fleece. You just had to have that free reading light that comes in the box.
But now the novelty has worn off. Sure, they are refreshing the brand with animal prints and snuggies for dogs, but I’m just not buying it. I applaud the creators of the Snuggie Sutra for their creativity. After all, this is still a recession…how much money are YOU throwing away on needless sex aids every year?
Lisa Lampanelli …bringing the LOLs.
Our friend and (shameless plug here) author Lisa Lampanelli recently did a few videos to promote her upcoming book, Chocolate, Please. She’s quiet the funny lady, that Lisa.
The video on the bottom was released about two weeks ago, but the top one is brand-spanking new. Enjoy!
The book isn’t out until September 15th, so click here to pre-order.
Camping Comforts
I was discussing an upcoming camping trip with a friend the other day and talking about my need for a new sleeping bag. This is how I learned about the most amazing invention ever, the Selk Bag.
Screw the snuggie, I’m wearing this around the house all winter. IT HAS ZIPPERS ON THE HANDS. I’m sorry, you just can’t beat that.
Disguise, fetish, or both?
I’ve recently picked up phenomenon I knew little about, masks. There seems to be a real community of people out there that spend a lot of time and money on masks to give themselves animal or just larger than life qualities. For example, the YouTube channel for NorthFur FX and Mascots.
I get that this is a legitimate special effects company, but I do wonder where people are using these masks. Are you filming a movie, or just getting ready for a not so casual night out on the town? Are there bars or clubs out there for mask enthusiasts? How can you maneuver a martini glass around a beak like that?
But all masks are not based on animals. There are also people who wear human masks. This performer goes by the name “Julie Masking”:
From what I’ve read, Julie is a cabaret performer, was a guest on Geraldo Rivera’s old show and has appeared in no less than two of my nightmares since I discovered this video (I am easily frightened). Is this a career for Julie, or just a hobby? Has QVC approached her to host a jewelry show yet?
Anyway, I have no judgement…just lots of questions. If you’re a mask enthusiast, hit me up! I’ll buy the first round!
(image: http://www.northfur.ca/)
Welcome back, Atlanta housewives
The elegant and always classy ladies of The Real Housewives of Atlanta have returned to bring a much needed dose of decorum to my Thursday evenings. Everyone take note…THIS is what reality television is for. Diva smack downs. Plain and simple. I don’t want to have to think about it…just sit back with a big-ass martini (or as I also call it, dinner) and enjoy. If you are yet to experience this, do yourself a favor and watch the clip below. Beautiful.
“Who gonna check me, boo?” Who indeed, Sheree, who indeed…
I can’t celebrate this.
Celebration
Here it is. The cover for the new single by Madonna, Celebration, to be released August 3rd as part of her third greatest hits album. Yes, third. I actually really like the art for the single (I think it’s part Warhol, part Lichtenstein, part fierce as hell), but this greatest hits thing has got to stop. I love Madonna and everything, but can we just make a new rule here? As an artist you get two greatest hits albums…tops. And never should they be released less than ten years apart from each other. How many times can we be expected to buy the same music because she now has a new version of that one song I like remixed by some obscure French DJ? Reuters says:
While the tracklist for “Celebration” has yet to be announced, the Warner Bros. collection will include hits from the Madonna’s entire career.
On the Billboard Hot 100 chart, she has racked up a record 37 top 10 singles — more than any other act in the tally’s nearly 51-year history. Of those hits, 12 of them went all the way to No. 1.
Every one of Madonna’s 11 studio albums have reached the top 10 on the Billboard 200.
In a press release, her label confirmed that “Celebration” will contain songs “remastered and selected by Madonna and her fans” including “Everybody”, “Express Yourself”, “Vogue” and “4 Minutes.”
The album will be available in both single-disc and double-disc configurations and a DVD of Madonna’s music videos will also be issued simultaneously. It was unclear at press time if the DVD would be offered as a stand-alone product or come bundled in a CD/DVD package.
Anyway, you know I love you Madge, and I know this is just because you’ve got to put out one more album with Warner before moving on to your mega contract with Live Nation, but this is just lazy and I am pretty much underwhelmed.
World Champion
Judah Friedlander stopped by The Late Show to talk about his kick ass book with, Self Offense.
Huffington Post has the video: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/17/judah-friedlander-talks-3_n_216706.html
Johnny Cash’s Tour bus
If you happen to be in Cleveland stop by the Rock’n'Roll Hall of Fame and check out Johnny Cash’s bus.
http://www.rockhall.com/exhibitnew/johnny-cash-bus/
Johnny Depp is the Mad Hatter
The first look of Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter, Helena Bona Carter as the Red Queen, and Anne Hathaway as the White Queen for Tim Burton’s upcoming Alice in Wonderland were released today and they look quiet stunning. More at Huffington Post.
