Let’s start on a positive note… (photos from omg.yahoo.com):

Sandra Bullock at the 2010 Academy Awards.

Sandra Bullock looked absolutely stunning on the red carpet in a Marchesa dress that deserved to be on stage accepting the Best Actress award.

Penelope Cruz at the 2010 Academy Awards.

Though Penelope Cruz could have showed up in sweat pants and still looked incredible, this Donna Karan gown further solidified her status as red carpet royalty.

Gabourey Sidibe at the 2010 Academy Awards.

Newcomer Gabourey Sidibe has been the talk of the town since her debut in the movie Precious and she continued to draw the spotlight in this Marchesa dress.

Now onto the less positive…

Mariah Carey at the 2010 Academy Awards.

Between the weird draping, flower broach, thigh-high slit, and awkward one shoulder, Mariah Carey and this dress are pretty much a hot mess (please disregard the rhyme).

Charlize Theron at the 2010 Academy Awards.

Charlize Theron’s dress drew a lot of controversy at this year’s Oscars due to the fact that there were flowers on her breasts. I don’t really know about all that, but I do know that the flowers look stupid and her weird up-do is just a continuation of that theme.

Diane Kruger at the 2010 Academy Awards.

I’m typically of the persuasion that Chanel can do no wrong, but this dress with the bizarre inflated, ruffled midsection is simply not acceptable.

Two A-List stars, Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor are starring in a feature film described as the true story of a homosexual con man, his love for a man he meets in prison, and the lengths to which he will go to maintain their luxurious lifestyle once released. But you won’t get to see it in the United States until March 19th.

Released in time for Valentine’s Day in Europe, I Love You Phillip Morris was rejected by American distributors over a year ago because its many allusions to gay sex and general subject matter (the romantic relationship between two men) was “considered too risque” for an American audience, according to the Times Online of the UK in the spring of 2009.  The film was re-edited and will be released in the US later this month.

But since I’m in Europe, I was treated to plush seats and an indie-short film (in Swiss German no less) before watching the film, back in February.

Under normal circumstances, I would anticipate a Jim Carrey film to be a comedy.   When he’s laying on a thick Southern accent and flashing the goofy-grin that made him famous, I expect it. But this film is not a typical Carrey comedy.   It’s funny, yes, in the way every tragic life kinda is.  But more compelling is the way Carrey and McGregor are able to deliver raw emotion in both moments of pure grief or utter seriousness as well as during those which dabble in the utterly ridiculous.

McGregor’s character, Phillip Morris, was generally underdeveloped but Carrey’s version of Steven Russell was able to carry the entire film…rightfully show, I suppose.  And I am hesitant to discuss much more of the film in detail for fear of ruining the plot.  But I can assure you that its many twists and turns will keep you attentive throughout the film.

So when you get the chance – see this film.  Not because it’s 2010′s Brokeback Mountain or Milk but because it’s an important film.  With moments of uncomfortableness, yes.  Moments of humor and sadness, yes, that too.  But also because it’s one of those films that has an important message but will deliver it through sharp comedy and pointed honesty.

-B.C.Bodnar

Shabayeva’s latest collection premiered at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York on Saturday February 13; built around a theme of aviation, it featured feathers, hand-painted detailing, wool, leather, fur, and… well, yes, if you looked at the terrible pun titling this article, Tupperware.

Shabayeva has an incredible talent for mixing the feel of soft femininity with a sartorial confidence of the detailing in each piece, and her emphasis on the essential luxe that imbues her work makes even the materials that make up the plastic container holding last night’s leftovers classy, chic and stylish.  It’s because of every other news report that one can even realize that it is not just fabric and feathers that Shabayeva uses to create her art, and the seamless integration is really inspirational–what else can we do with unconventional materials in clothing?

Think about it–a plastic dress, while not exactly biodegradable, is sort of like a redesigned plastic bag.  It can be worn for years, and if you gain a few pounds, the gown can stretch with you (just not back the other way!).  You find and buy a snazzy looking one, and it’ll be in style forever–you can pass it off to your daughter, who’ll give it to her daughter, who’ll… for the next 500-1,000 years, or however long a plastic bag will take to disintegrate.  Scientists haven’t figured it out yet.

What’s your take on plastic-wear?  Does this bring back too many memories of technicolored vinyl pants that left too little to the imagination, or are you psyched to cut up some old lunch boxes right now and start assembling your own DIY-plastic-detailed-dresses?  Are you gonna take other cues from Irina Shabayeva, and try incorporating some animal exteriors into your clothing?

(I recommend pulling the feathers out of your pillowcase if you can’t find any foot-long behemoths on your local carrion, and with the overabundance of obese squirrels on campus, you’re living in a city-wide fur factory).

Ninny C.

“Bilal’s Stand” is a semi-autobiographical movie; what was it like revisiting your past and reshooting scenes that you’d personally experienced?
Shooting was really bizarre, and it was almost like a clash of worlds. We had to give up comfort zones, and we shot at actual locations, so in some ways, it was a total invasion of privacy, and there were some awkward moments. Even my family, though, understood that the story we were telling was for the greater good, so while the moments of deja vu and having the script really border real feelings and sentiments, the self-consciousness didn’t keep us down.

Sultan Sharrief, director and screenwriter of "Bilal's Stand"

Why did you feel like you had to tell this story?

This story sat for years in the pot, and finally, too much straw piled on the camel’s back. I’d just finished the Spiral Project [for which Sharrief had been nominated for an MTV Movie Award], and I wasn’t happy with the project. We just shot it for the money, and as we were filming all around Detroit, I realized that we were perpetuating the same stereotype. One day, I had an epiphany getting on set, that i needed to show the real life challenges of growing up in Detroit–”What am I gonna do after I graduate? How can I take care of my brothers and sisters and balance a job?” What pissed me off about movies portraying urban life, like ATL, or Boyz n the Hood, was that they didn’t tackle the everyday things that affect kids.

How did you, just a normal kid from Detroit, progress to becoming a filmmaker?
I first came to U of M with pre-vet in mind, before switching to sociology. As a sociology major, however, I was really angry–I’d read Savage Inequalities, a book by Jonathan Kozol, about the differences in schools based on classes and races and whatnot, and as I kept reading, I got more and more angry. I thought people didn’t know about school inequalities, and for me, I was really aware of the differences in schools, as my parents moved us around a lot so we could attend the best school systems. I chose sociology to concentrate on because I thought the field could enable action, but as I became more immersed in it, I realized that every social challenge exists simply because somebody thinks of it, and that the system exists because people believe there’s no other way. Filmmaking was my way of going for a real situation, and to tell people that they need to change their minds. I also struggle with ADHD, and I’ve always been a daydreamer, so film is also a way for me to put down my spacey nature and make it tangible.

How did the decision to enter the Sundance Film Festival pop up?
Sundance, wow, that was, that was just a whim. They get 7,000 entries every year, and from there, they only pick like 200, and I knew “Bilal’s Stand” wasn’t perfect, but it was worth a shot. And that kept us going, that it was wroth a shot. We were always with a lack of funds, and we kept reshooting for perfection, but there was so much needed, but the magic in what we were doing was worth it to keep us going. We began shooting in 2006, and everytime we stopped, I felt it was an injustice to stop right now, that we were not giving up. We had a goal of a dream, and we were unwilling to accept anything less; we kept shooting, and cutting, and by the time we submitted the Sundance cut in September 2009, it’d transformed into a totally different movie, and really learned and grew as an artist and individual.

What was your biggest difficulty in shooting? Your biggest triumph?
For me… difficulty and triumph, maybe they’re the same thing. It was just to keep going; there were a lot of “fail” moments, and we’d get so close. It really reminds me of “What happens to a dream deferred”–that Langston Hughes poem–and those questions everyday we’d constantly face. I didn’t know if what we were doing was going to push it away–every decision, every time we compromised on shooting, did we compromise too far? It was a daily battle, and sometimes a lonely journey, but we didn’t give up, and i was unwilling to accept my self-acceptance of defeat.

How do you feel as an African-American director jumping into a field that is, quite honestly, dominated by Caucasion men?
It is very intimidating, and Hollywood really likes to put things in boxes, and say “this demographic,” “that demographic.” I’m lucky, though; I’ve studied film and film history, and I believe people go to the movies to see a great story. I mean, there are lots of reasons why people go to the movies, but for us [Sharrief and the crew], we’re sticking to our guns and trying not to fit in a box, to just trust in the power of movies and the natural allure of a story.

Do you have any film icons that inspire you?
Any artistic piece is like life, like the birth of something, and it’d be an injustice to say because a certain individual “made” something is why it is great. There are lots of people and pieces I find inspiring, though–Matt Damon and Good Will Hunting, great movie, just great. I really admire Spike Lee–early Spike Lee–and especially the process of putting together a great film. Films like Go for Broke, with Kevin Costner, Field of Dreams, Lean on Me, Stand and Deliver… they all just inspire me to keep going.

As you’ll see below, the tee stays true to UNDRCRWN’s prevalent basketball motif- the “Assist Haiti” graphic alluding to a diagrammed basketball play (“charity stripe,” for the b-ball illiterate, being slang for free-throw line– nice entendre, guys).  The tee, available in white and blue, retails for $20.00 with 100% of proceeds going to Wyclef’s Yele fund.  Get yours here.

UNDRCRWN"s Haiti tee

Interested in learning about other charitable efforts for Haiti?  Check out streetwear giant Playcloths’ Haiti tee, Wyclef’s crusade; even Lady Gaga gets in the mix.

Manufacturing similarly styled but independent designs from The North Face, college freshman Jimmy Winkelmann’s The South Butt company is based on providing clothes for relaxation and comfort. Started in response to seeing the people around him buying clothes from an unnamed (but obviously implied) brand, Winkelmann emphasizes to customers to make decisions “based on what you like; not what you are expected to.”

Looking at the two companies, there are obvious similarities–North Face? South Butt? (Next thing you know, we’ll have The West Kidney peddling parkas.) Take a look, too, at the two companies’ logos:

The North Face logo, top left, The South Butt logo, bottom left, and 18-year-old The South Butt founder Jimmy Winkelmann, right.

The South Butt is obviously a parody of The North Face, but honestly, there’s no way to really confuse the two.  To further emphasize the ridiculous idea that consumers can’t distinguish between the two poles and the words “face” and “butt,” The South Butt has even released “The Face or Butt Challenge” application on Facebook, where users, obviously, try to distinguish between faces and bottoms–it is mildly addicting, very much amusing, so a warning to those easily fascinated by clicking on images.

In essence, The South Butt is a company that personifies the various quirks of Generation Y; we enjoy what’s popular, but even more so, we enjoy making fun of the popular and investing in the sardonic alternative.  We like a personality behind the products we invest in, or a personality whose products we can invest in, and the way The South Butt interacts with its consumers provides a company-customer relationship The North Face would find hard to emulate.

Instead of trying to create the same kind of easygoing culture with its consumers however, The North Face is suing Winkelmann’s company; such action, however, is backfiring, as it looks like “The Man” is throwing his weight around to take down “the little guy.”  With all the backlash from consumers and coverage by international media, this looks like a situation to avoid in the future for any big company that finds itself parodied.

MC Hammer and his "Hammer pants," waaaaayyy back when.

No, this article isn’t about the questionable mentalities of groupies who hang around rappers of equally questionable talent–believe it or not, but it’s been 20 years since MC Hammer‘s unparalleled single, “U Can’t Touch This,” was released January 13, 1990 and of course, the induction of harem pants into pop infamy.

Since then, MC Hammer has had a glorious rise and fall–Please Hammer, Don’t Hurt ‘Em became the first rap album to sell over 10 million copies before Hammer became overexposed in the media, embroiled in some deep financial doo-doo, and criticized for the “pop rap” genre of rap that he forefronted.  Even so, MC Hammer’s still considered one of the great innovators of rap music, and has rebounded greatly with his own reality show, Hammertime, on A&E and various business and ministry works.

The “Hammer pants,” however, have not rebounded quite as well.  Baggy at the top, often with a dropped crotch, the pants taper at the ankle, so often, the wearer looks like they are wearing an odd combination of skinny jeans and a sagging pouf skirt.  Though harem pants on women have, largely, regained a degree of respectability by donning the legs of a wide range of well-respected fashionistas including Sienna Miller, Rihanna, and Heidi Klum, most men are still shying away simply in memory of the pain caused by excessive glitter flashing from MC Hammer jamming out.

Cute London boy named Marshall, photographed by Vanessa Jackman on her street style blog.

Can men pull off the harem pant? Yes, but like women, with great caution.  Generally pair it with something minimalist or skinny on top, to counter the bagginess of the crotch, or throw on a jacket (see right) about the same width as the wide panels of the pants.  If you’re too ashamed to wear such an outrageous piece of clothing in public, at least buy a pair for lounging about the house–more comfortable than jeans, more classy than sweatpants, more appropriate than your boxers, and yet you still have that nice breeze around your privates, thanks.

Ninny C.

Images shot by Scott Schuman and uploaded by users on ArtoftheTrench.Com.

For those of you who voted “yay” for ArtoftheTrench.Com and have enjoyed looking at the collage of trenches displayed on Burberry’s social networking site, check out this short video from Burberry and Scott Schuman with exclusive insight on shooting for this innovative project.

As Seen On TV: Please, can we keep it there?

There has been nothing quite so sartorially obscene to come out of infomercials as the Necky, not even the trashy beehive-making BumpIt.  If you’ve been lucky enough not to see this horrendous farce of fashion, give yourself a pat on the back for escaping the increasingly ridiculousness of the products advertised on late-night TV.

Infomercials have given us priceless pop culture fodder–Billy Mays andOxiClean (and Mighty Putty, and QuickChop, and Vidalia Slice Wizard…), the ShamWow (and the hooker beater), and, most recently and infamously, the Snuggie (for you, your  mom, AND your dog!).  If you want to punish yourself, however, and find out exactly what this new Necky is and if you should invest in it before it becomes “the next big thing,” well….  Here it is below (opens YouTube up in a new tab):

Props to these actors for looking so happy while wearing the Necky.

Essentially, it is an adult bib made out of fleece; I do agree that while your coat is zipped up and/or buttoned it doesn’t look that bad… but really, have we all become so lazy that we can’t figure out how to tie a scarf for maximum warmth?

Scarves are, essentially, long panels of fabric that we wear, usually by wrapping around our necks.  You can also wear a scarf as a cowl, a belt, a wrap, a shawl, and even a shirt (just please, not this debacle on the right).  It’s such a malleable accessory that I really see no excuse for not learning to manipulate one to fit the weather or your purpose.

Plus, how awkward is it to unhook a bib from your neck, then fold it up like a diaper to stick in your pocket for safekeeping?

Ninny C.

If these two don't end up in jail, then America society has lost the battle against its own need for attention

As you all might have heard, a couple by the names of Michaele and Tareq Salahi recently snuck into a White House state dinner to take pictures with President Obama and Joe Biden.  Normally, I wouldn’t care about any of this, except this incident is a clear case of a trend taking place in today’s pop-culture.  A sickening desire for fame at any price.

The Salahis were eventually caught though that didn’t stop them from posting pictures of themselves with the political leaders on their Facebook profiles. Now, news outlets around the country want to interview them, but according to www.examiner.com, the pair will only agree to give interviews to those that pay them hundreds of thosands of dollars. Michaele Salahi, who apparently wanted to appear on the reality TV show “The Real Housewives of DC,” undoubtedly used this stunt to publicize herself and gain the attention she clearly craves.

Here, let me walk you through it. In my opinion, it all started with the Jon and Kate fiasco. I said it then, and I’ll say it now: Why did those two get thrust into the middle of the limelight for destroying their “perfect, sweet family,” which was the only reason they were remotely famous in the first place.

What should have happened, America, is that we should have forgotten about them as soon as it stopped being about their kids. Instead, no, we decided that we would reward them for exploiting their children and wrecking their family by giving them all the fame they could possibly ever want.

From that moment on, people have followed in their footsteps, trying to get the fame they want in any way possible. After seeing the success of “Jon and Kate Plus 8,” the Octomom decided that she would gain fame by having eight kids at the same time. Nevermind that she couldn’t possibly support all these children, nevermind that she was a mental health disaster, she went right along with it anyways. Sure enough, our good ol’ American culture was right there to give her all the fame she wanted, rewarding her for putting her children’s lives in danger and unknowingly encouraging other attention seekers to follow in her footsteps.

Next up was Balloon Boy, followed by the Salahis. Now, the biggest difference in these two cases from the first two is that these cases actually involve people breaking the law for attention and fame. In both cases, the families involved wanted to be either on a reality show or a news interview, and they saw these illegal means as the best way to work their way into the spotlight.

America, we can no longer allow this to happen. Our culture is becoming addicted to attention. If we do not draw the line now, people across the country will be breaking the law to get on TV. Of course, I’m not helping the problem by blogging about these people, increasing their fame, but I need to in order to state emphatically that these people that break the law should be punished for their actions. Furthermore, even if they do not break the law, but merely put the lives of others in danger, as Octomom has done, we need to shun then from the public view. We can’t keep rewarding people for this irresponsible behavior. We have to draw the line at some point, and I see now as the best time to do it.