CoupleStop. Where Couples...Swap?

I've been seeing ads on the train for a social networking website called CoupleStop. One ad says, "Our friends moved to the suburbs. So we found new friends." Another ad that I saw in today's RedEye said "Our friends only talked their kids. So we found new friends." Both are pretty hilarious, because it totally sounds like something I'd say. But peep this: the tagline is "Where Couples Clique." If that doesn't sound like some kind of low-key swinger/spouse-swapping isht, I don't know what does. The homepage says "No Swingers Allowed" but once people sign up on the website, they can do whatever the hell they want. What's stopping them from starting some kind of swinger's clique with people they meet through that website?

This concept of couples actively seeking out other couples to socialize with is completely foreign to me. Of course I understand couples are going to have mutual friends and some of those friends might just so happen to be in a relationship and bring their S.O. around to kick it when there's a group outing or gathering @ someone's home. But setting out on a mission - and paying a fee for it - specifically to find other couples to set up play dates seems a bit dodgy to me. I dunno, maybe that's just what you do when you get married and it's one of those "you have to be there" type scenarios. I already know that if I was in a relationship of some sort, I couldn't socialize with only other couples all the time - I'd lose my mind. Seriously.

In any event, I'm not endorsing or denouncing the swinger lifestyle - I just thought it was funny how CoupleStop.com comes off as a thinly veiled network for people who prefer or are curious about that sort of thing. I wonder if I'm the only one who makes that connection, or is it just my warped mind making bizarre associations as usual...

"And it all falls down..." © Lauryn Hill

The Top Producer Who Hit The Skids
via CNN.com:

MIAMI, Florida (AP) -- Just a few years ago, Scott Storch was one of the top producers in pop music, living in a $10.5 million mansion on an exclusive Miami island, driving a phalanx of luxury cars and dating the likes of Paris Hilton and Lil Kim.

Nowadays, Scott Storch, 34, is missing in action. He owes over $500,000 in real estate taxes and had a warrant out for his arrest when he failed to show up in court in a child-support case last month. He has not had a top 10 hit in three years. He still has his waterfront marble mansion, but his lawyer, Guy Spiegelman, says Storch is attempting to refinance it after a "catastrophic occurrence this year" resulting from "mismanagement." Storch no longer works with his old manager or publicist. He hasn't talked to either of his children in months.

Replete with tragic details and bad behavior, the ballad of Scott Storch may be the swan song of the bling era, a riches-to-rags tale of excess, poor decisions and a hobbled music industry.

Read the rest here...

Looks like Storch drank too much of the proverbial Kool Aid and started living his life like it was a non-stop music video...now he's paying for it, literally.

Favorite Human Being(s) on Earth: Lil Batman vs. Lil Joker

This is so cute it's disgusting. Ugh. Lil Joker is an ace! I love it:

Local Flavor: LooseLeaf Lounge

www.looseleaflounge.com

My guy Philip hit me up a couple weekends ago saying that his new spot Looseleaf Lounge (2915 N. Broadway Ave., just north of Clark/Diversey/Broadway in Lakeview) was finally open for business. It's a comfy cafe that specializes in tea/tea-based beverages and organic versions of classic cafe staples. I was really excited, so I stopped by and took some pics of the space so I could share the good news and help spread the word about the spot. Peep game...

There's cozy furniture for patrons to relax, kick back and pirate the Wi-Fi (okay, it's free so it's not really pirating but you can just pretend if you're feeling sneaky)

OR
If you prefer a little elevation, there's a counter for your seating enjoyment as well

OR
You can people watch through the front window. It's like a really small, not-so-secluded VIP section, HAHA.

My favorite thing @ LooseLeaf Lounge?
(besides the tasty beverages of course)
The hand-painted tables. Absolutely gorgeous...

I really need this table (below) in my life


And of course, you can't have tea and/or coffee without the proper additionals. They hooked up a condiment station out of this desk/bookshelf set. I love it!

Like I mentioned before, this place is brand-spankin' new (the walls still smell like fresh paint) so be sure to stop by and show them some love if you're ever in the Lakeview area. They are also eager to use the space for live musical performances, exhibitions and other forms of artistic expression - so don't hesitate to get @ them if you are a musician or an artist looking to showcase your work. It's a nice venue for low-key performances which will draw a crowd that will patronize the cafe, so everybody wins. You can contact the cafe directly at (773) 348-7881 or e-mail the owner at philip@looseleaflounge.com

Rosario Dawson + bikini + garden hose = the happiest preschooler EVER

I know it's only Tuesday, but I think these are strong contenders for for "Photo(s) of the Week"...note how the little boy is totally oogling her and the change in his facial expression in the 2nd picture:

I think she may have inadvertently caused that little boy to enter puberty about 8 years early. He'll never look at the girls @ his daycare the same anymore...

Listen Up: "My Drive Thru" - N*E*R*D ft. Santogold & Julian Casablancas

N*E*R*D - My Drive Thru ft. Santogold & Julian Casablancas.mp3

It's a crazy combo, but somehow it works. While you're at it, peep the video and other goodies courtesy of Converse.

Sampletastic: America & Janet Jackson

I was sitting in McDonald's smashing an M&M McFlurry when this song came on:

America - Ventura Highway.mp3

Which can be very clearly heard in the song "Someone To Call My Lover" by Janet Jackson:

Janet Jackson - Someone To Call My Lover.mp3

As far as Janet Jackson goes, "All For You" was the beginning of the end for me. I can't listen to anything by her after this album, it just sounds like she's trying waaaaaaay too hard. But this album was decent and "Someone To Call My Lover" was one of my favorite songs. I really like the original too - it makes me want to ride in the back of a pickup on a desolate road and watch the landscape crawl by. Or something like that. I like how they took such a mellow sounding guitar and blended it with with an uptempo beat. Good shit.

Picture of the Week: ESPY-onage Mission?

Justin Timberlake, host of last night's 2008 ESPY Awards, demonstrates why Jessica Simpson and Tony Romo should never, ever mate...by impersonating her? *blink*

Mamma Mia Batman!

I have a feeling that today's movie openings will cause some tensions with couples as they make plans to embark on a Friday night movie excursion. I already know there will be fights over whether to see Dark Knight or Mama Mia tonight - someone will have to concede to the other person's whim and they will not be happy about it. It's pretty funny to think about some dude slumped down in his seat while he watches Mama Mia with looking mad as FUCK because you know he's thinking "I SHOULD be watching Batman and Joker battle to the death right now. This is some bullshit!" Conversely, I can imagine some girl sitting in Dark Knight pouting, being all huffy and the guy is completely oblivious because he's all into the movie.

While I'm not in a relationship and I don't have to worry about having to sit through a movie I'm not interested in...if I WAS going out on a date to the movies tonight, I'd totally go see Dark Knight. I'm going to see it this afternoon after I get off work (I clock out @ 3 PM on Fridays - HOLLER!), but you get my point. This is the first Batman movie I've had any real genuine interest in since well, the original - and that was way before Heath Ledger died. They filmed a LOT of it here last spring and summer, and I want to see how it got incorporated into the film. They had to disguise most of it because it is representative of a fictitious place. Still, for all intents and purposes, Chicago IS Gotham - that's pretty badass! Check out the RedEye photo gallery of the locations around the city where Dark Knight, Wanted and other upcoming movies were shot.

Additionally, I really love how they FINALLY made The Joker look crazy as shit. While Jack Nicholson's portrayal in the first movie was classic and he was perfect for the role, he still looked like a clown so he wasn't really that scary (unless you have a phobia against clowns) and you didn't get a sense for how truly demented the character was. Heath Ledger looks like a complete psycho with his hair all scraggly and fading green like he dyed it using Kool Aid and the paint smeared on his face like he applied it with paralyzed hand. They did a great job with that - when I watched the trailer for it last winter, that's what got my attention and really made me take an interest in the film - in addition to the overall appearance of badassness. Not to mention that I'm certain that this movie will only reinforce my desire to mate with Christian Bale. I've loved him since I first saw him in Newsies back in like 1992:

He's an underrated actor, but I think all of that is about to change with the release of Dark Knight and Public Enemies.

Ante Up (Bert & Ernie remix)

My God this is hilarious...or yet another indication that I'm way too easily amused: