Don’t be a Plebeian, You Plebeian
This past weekend I got gussied up and went with some friends to a terrific new restaurant in my neighborhood. Dinner at Alobar was fantastic. The cuisine was delicious New American, the drinks were magical (Bacon Whiskey Sour, yes!), and the conversation sparkled. Sparkled? Yes, sparkled.
Little did I know that during the entire meal I was a rebel trampling on important restaurant etiquette. According to The Gentry Man: A Guide for the Civilized Male—the best of GentryMagazine, articles published between 1951-1957—my manners were no better than a cowhand who picks her teeth with a chicken bone and blows her nose on the table cloth. Yee-haw!
Here are a few of my favorite rules “for the polite diner” from The Gentry Man…
#2 “Don’t just drop into a restaurant and order a meal. Go to the restaurant of your choice and make all the arrangements with the proprietor or headwaiter a day or two in advance.”
#6 “Don’t brand yourself as a rank plebeian by seasoning your food before tasting it. Many a chef’s brain child has been smothered with condiments, when it should have been showered with compliments.”
#9 “Don’t demand music with our meals. Table conversation is the only suitable accompaniment of good food. Dinner dancing is an abomination and holds no place with the bon vivant.”
I’ve always loved books like this. They’re a hoot to read and make me nostalgic for those classier, more restrictive days of pocket squares and comfy girdles.
Casting !t: Just Kids
It was announced yesterday via MediaBistro that rock goddess and National Book Award winning author Patti Smith with be helping adapt her amazing memoir Just Kids (my Favor!te book of 2010) for the screen alongside screenwriter and Tony Award winning playwright John Logan.
If you haven’t heard (I can’t see how you haven’t), Just Kids is Smith’s memoir of arriving in New York in 1967 and the then 20 year old’s chance encounter with Robert Mapplethorpe, another 20 year old aspiring artist. It’s her story of their love, their friendship, their art and a New York few would recognize today.
So the question goes out… who would you cast as Smith and Mapplethorpe?
Kristen Stewart (age: 21) and Robert Pattison (age: 25)
Surely these two will be at the top of studio exec’s wish list. Stewart, proved that she could rock in her transformation into Joan Jett in the film biopic The Runaways and the resemblance between the two [rumored] real-life couple to the originals is uncanny. But the fit and the two megastars’ ties to the mega-Twilight-franchise may not hit audiences (or Ms. Smith) the right way.
Frances Bean Cobain (age: 19) and Ezra Miller (age: 18)
The Princess of Grunge as the Godmother of Punk? Can Miss Cobain act? Who knows? But if she can – and would want to step up into the Hollywood world, the photos by Hedi Slimane that recently were released prove she has the look – and the balls – to play Smith. I’d cast the currently almost famous Ezra Miller as Mapplethorpe against Cobain’s Smith. He has the East Village circa 1967 thing down already – and if his performance in the upcoming We Need to Talk About Kevin is as amazing as is being predicted, this could be the massive follow-up he will be looking for.
Emma Watson (age: 21) and Nicholas Hout (age: 21)
Former Harry Potter student Emma Watson seems poised for an image-crashing turn in to catapult her out of Hogwarts. I’d pair her with fellow Brit Nicholas Hout, who came to fame years ago in About a Boy and crashed his own child-star image in the amazing British take on Gossip Girl (but dirtier and better) Skins. His follow-up to that, playing the lovelorn college boy pining for a night with professor Colin Firth in Tom Ford’s A Single Man.
Jennifer Damiano (age: 20) and Eddie Redmayne (age: 29)
Perhaps the modern day Smith and Mapplethorpe might be found forty blocks north of The Village and on Broadway. Jennifer Damiano got amazing attention for her originating role in Spring Awakening. Followed by her Tony-nominated role in Next to Normal. Currently she’s starring in Spider Man. So she should be looking for a new job soon. The Mapplethorpe to Damiano’s Smith? Eddie Redmayne, the Tony award-winning star of Red and the upcoming film My Week with Marilyn.
So who do you think should be cast as Patti Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe in Just Kids?
The Final Countdown – Deathly Hallows – Part 2
Movie tickets are now available for the final segment of the Harry Potter series. This is the movie fans have been waiting for, for over 13 years and it is officially a month away today. The excitement has been buzzing on Facebook and Twitter as more movie posters are revealed baring the date known around the world; 7/15.
With this being the last movie, fans who have been around since its birth in 1997 (or 1998 for the US), seem to find this a bitter sweet moment. For so many years there has always been “the next movie” to look forward to but after this, that is it. Will the franchise continue to live on or will the fans move on to the next “big thing”?
These are the books that I grew up with; literally, I was 11 years old when I first started reading them. I would like to think that fans would keep a warm place for this amazing series in their hearts as we all move on with our lives.
Let the countdown begin:
Signed copies of It’s Not Really About the Hair!
Unable to make it to one of Tabatha Coffey’s book signings but still want a signed copy of It’s Not Really About the Hair? You’re in luck!
Bookends Bookstore in Ridgewood, New Jersey will accept phone orders for those fans who would like to purchase signed copies of Tabatha Coffey’s It’s Not Really About the Hair.
To order your signed copy please call Bookends at 201-445-0726 between 9:00 am to 6:00 pm est.
Signed books will be available to pick up at Bookends, 211 East Ridgewood Avenue, Ridgewood, New Jersey beginning the morning of January 26.
For an additional fee, Bookends can ship signed copies Domestically and Internationally. Personalization, in addition to signature, is available.
Your It List Holiday Giveaway – Avatar Prize Pack!
As 2010 comes to a close all of us at Your It List are looking back at an amazing year and want to say thank you to you. Over the next few weeks we’ll be offering up some prize packs for you to enter to win. First one up… Avatar Prize Pack! It’s hard to believe that a full year has gone by since the film that has forever changed the way movies are made was released in theaters. Now you can relive the experience of seeing Avatar for the first time with the Your It List / Avatar Prize Pack.
What you’ll win: 1 Avatar DVD, 1 Avatar Blu Ray + DVD and 1 copy of the New York Times bestseller Avatar: An Activist Survival Guide.
What you have to do: Follow us on Twitter! Head over to www.Twitter.com/ItBooks and follow us. Then tweet a link to this post (http://bit.ly/AvatarYIL) and add the hashtag #AvatarYIL. We’ll select 5 winners at random at 7:00 pm est on Friday, December 17 and DM you for your mailing address.
Cool Gifts for Everyone on Your List
Your It List presents our eleven top books to give this holiday season.
Coco Chanel: The Legend and the Lifeby Justine Picardie
Richly illustrated with hundreds of color and black and white photos, Coco Chanel illuminates Chanel’s path from little-known seamstress to the aristocracy of style in this stunning look at the fashion icon.
Perfect Gift for anyone who loves Chanel in all it’s forms – clothes, perfume, jewelry, bags, shoes –as well as all those who loved Audrey Tautou‘s award-winning role of Gabrielle Chanel in the film Coco Before Chanel.
Buy Coco Chanel, read an excerpt or watch a video.
Sh*t My Dad Says by Justin Halpern
The # 1 New York Times bestseller and inspiration for the hit CBS sitcom, $#*! My Dad Says, starring William Shatner, Justin Halpern’s memoir of his dad is laugh out loud hilarious and heartwarming at the same time. You’ll never think of little league, Denny’s or your dad the same way again.
Perfect gift for your Dad, for fans of the show and followers of Twitter.com/ShitMyDadSays.
Buy Sh*t My Dad Says or read an excerpt.
The Red Hot Chili Peppers: An Oral/Visual History by the Red Hot Chili Peppers
One of the biggest bands in the world, The Red Hot Chili Peppers finally bring fans an audacious look back at their thirty-year odyssey, in their own words and accompanied by over 300 photos.
Perfect gift for all RHCP fans, past and present, and those who can’t wait for their next album.
Buy The Red Hot Chili Peppers or read an excerpt.
The Tattoo Chronicles by Kat Von D
The New York Times bestselling follow-up to High Voltage Tattoo, The Tattoo Chronicles delves deep into Kat Von D‘s personal journals and notebooks to reveal one tumultuous year in the life of the star of TLC’s LA Ink and contains photos taken and drawings made by Kat herself as well as the stories behind some of the most meaningful tattoos Kat has ever created.
Perfect gift for fans of LA Ink and lovers of tattoos.
Buy The Tattoo Chronicles, read an excerpt or watch a video.
How to Beat Up Anybodyby Judah Friedlander
An instructional and inspirational Karate book by the World Champion and star of 30 Rock, Judah Friedlander. Learn how to beat up street gangs, attackers with weapons, ninjas, dinosaurs, and gangs of street ninjas with weapons riding on dinosaurs! With over 500 photographs, this is a book that could quite possibly save your life.
Perfect gift for fans of 30 Rock and anyone wanting to survive.
Buy How to Beat Up Anybody, read an excerpt or watch a video.
Harry Potter Film Wizardry by Brian Sibley
The official, behind the scenes guide to ALL the Harry Potter Films, including the recently released Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows Volume 1 AND the upcoming Volume 2, Harry Potter Film Wizardy shows fans why Yule Ball ice sculptures never melt, where Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts are really “minted,” how to get a Hippogriff to work with actors, the inspiration behind Hogwarts castle, and why Dementors move the way they do.
Perfect gift for all Harry Potter fans.
Buy Harry Potter Film Wizardry, read an excerpt or watch a video.
The Simpsons World: The Ultimate Episode Guide by Matt Groening
At 1,200 pages, this cromulent compendium provides a comprehensive synopsis of every episode for the past twenty years, including every couch gag, every “D’oh” and “Mmm…” Homer has ever muttered, every song ever sung by citizens of Springfield, over 400 character profiles and lots more stuff you may have missed!
Perfect gift for all Simpsons fans.
Buy The Simpsons World or read an excerpt.
Designs on Film by Cathy Whitlock
Open the curtain on movie magic and explore the set designs of the biggest films in movie history including The Wizard of Oz’s yellow brick road, Cleopatra‘s ancient Egypt, the Dakota apartment building in Rosemary’s Baby, Norma Desmond’s “white elephant of a place” from Sunset Boulevard and the vast world of Pandora from Avatar.
Perfect gift for fans of classic films and those interested in behind the scenes details of their favorite films.
Buy Designs on Film or read an excerpt.
The Art of Classic Rock by Rob Roth
For many, the items lovingly cataloged in the pages of The Art of Classic Rock will evoke nostalgic memories of their youth—of blazing lights, drifting smoke and of the all-pervading power of their favorite rock concerts.
Perfect gift for fans of classic rock, especially the Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, The Who, Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, Queen, Alice Cooper and Elton John, as well as fans of album and music poster art.
Buy The Art of Classic Rock, read an excerpt or watch a video.
Al Jaffee’s Mad Life by Mary-Lou Weisman
A biography of Al Jaffee, creator of the massively popular MAD magazine “fold-in” delves deep into the artist’s life and brings readers from the shtetls of Lithuania to the streets of New York and deep inside the world of the top cartoonists of the 20th century, fully illustrated by Jaffee himself.
Perfect gift for fans of MAD magazine and readers interested in 20th century America.
Buy Al Jaffee’s Mad Life, read an excerpt or watch a video.
The Lost Rolling Stones Photographs by Larry Marion
A revealing look at the earliest days of the legendary Rolling Stones, captured in a collection of personal, never-before-seen photographs—the largest single trove of such important rock images ever uncovered—shot as the band were on the brink of international stardom.
Perfect gift for all fans of The Rolling Stones and readers of Keith Richards’s memoir Life.
Buy The Lost Rolling Stones Photographs or read an excerpt.
Kara DioGuardi hits A Helluva High Note
It Books is thrilled to be publishing A Helluva High Note by the amazing Kara DioGuardi, coming April 2011.
Lisa Lampanelli – Chocolate Please
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Click here to read an excerpt of Chocolate, Please.
Tweet World meet Real World
As loyal readers of Your It List already know, we’ve just published Nick Douglas’s Twitter Wit: Brilliance in 140 Characters or Less (hey, we’re still waiting for your iPod-worthy video submission. Get on it!). In honor of Nick and his hundreds of twitty contributors, Brooklyn’s powerHouse Arena is hosting a launch party this Thursday, September 10. Whether you’re featured in the book, a Nick Douglas groupie, or just like free Hornitos tequila and Bear Flag wine, you’ll know where to find us on Thursday night from 7 to 9.
