James Franco: Geek to Chic

I'm really digging the September '08 cover of GQ Magazine:

For whatever reason, I never gave much attention to James Franco in terms of appearance until recently - but after seeing that magazine cover, and these shots from the GQ photo spread...

...he's got my full attention now ;) He was the only reason I didn't get up and walk out of Pineapple Express - not only did his spot-on performance and relentless delivery make up for what a massive tool Seth Rogan is, he was STILL hot as a greasy, dirty, stringy haired pot dealer. That's pretty impressive in my book, HAHA. Yeah, I know I'm weird. He's come quite a long way from Freaks and Geeks:


Beyond oogle-worthy cover and photo spread, the actual article on James Franco in GQ is really good - you get a sense for his intense work ethic and exactly what he goes through to be so damn good. Definitely check it out on the GQ website. They're not stingy - they actually post articles in their entirety online, unlike the tabloid magazines. HOLLER.

I Think He Can Dance

I've watched this several times since I first saw it, and I still can't find the words to describe it. "Amazing" just doesn't do this cat any justice:

Robert Muraine:
I Think He Can Dance - Watch more free videos

I think I'm in love *heart flutters* That made my Spidey senses tingle :)

Art Is Everywhere

Art Nouveau Magazine believes that art is everywhere, which is why they offer everything that's edgy, goes against the grain, or just plain cool and different in a stylish manner that's unpretentious. It also helps that they offer free mixtapes and go out of their way to seek independent/unsigned artists that run the gamut from hip hop to electronica to feature on the lineup. Check them out in their cool news widget below and on their website:

www.artnouveaumagazine.com

Republican Hater's Ball

The Truth hurts so good:

Dave Matthews Band saxophonist dies at 46

I know this gets an Extra-Late Pass, but I just found out on Saturday. No clue how I missed this story - finding out late doesn't make it any less sad:

(CNN) -- LeRoi Moore, saxophonist and founding member of the Dave Matthews Band, died Tuesday from complications stemming from injuries he sustained in an ATV accident, the band's publicist said.

Moore, 46, died "unexpectedly" at a hospital, publicist Ambrosia Healy said in a statement.

Moore was taken to Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, and had been rehabilitating at his L.A. home after the June 30 accident at his farm outside Charlottesville, Virginia.

The Dave Matthews Band was formed in Charlottesville in 1991 by Matthews, Carter Beauford, Stefan Lessard, Boyd Tinsley and Moore, an established saxophonist in the local music scene.

Their first album, "Remember Two Things," was released in 1993 and featured what would become the band's trademark mixture of jazz, rock and world-music stylings.

"Jazz is probably my main influence, but at this stage I don't really consider myself a jazz musician," Moore is quoted as saying on the band's Web site. "I have plenty of space to improvise, to try new ideas."

The band's follow-up record, "Under the Table and Dreaming," has been certified quadruple-platinum, selling over 4 million copies.

The group went ahead with a scheduled show Tuesday night at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Jeff Coffin, saxophonist for Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, has been sitting in for Moore since Moore's accident.

Matthews announced the death of the band's "dear friend" to the crowd.

Concertgoer Christian Tomas of Anaheim, California, said by telephone from the Staples Center that word of the death had spread through the crowd before the show.

"All of us are just really sad and down about it," said Tomas, a longtime fan. "But if Dave and the band decided to go on with the show, that means they know it was the right thing to do and Leroi would have wanted it."

Green Light + Announcement = FRESH ALERT

I have been waiting all summer for this video. I'm just glad they didn't eff it up:

Andre 3000 and John Legend make a great duo. They could be like a hip, modern, Black version of The Odd Couple. Or maybe that's just my overactive imagination hard at work again.

I'm really digging the artistic representation here:

Good times. And very refreshing departures from the usual :)

"Roc boys in da buildin' tanight!"

I was rummaging through old newspapers looking for a recent Chicago Tribune op-ed piece written by a history prof @ DePaul. I found the article in question, but what caught my attention as I was laying the page down on the copier was this:

(click the image to view full size)

I think some of these are embellished or just flat-out lying. Regardless, these are a few that stood out to me:

• "Wang Dang Doodle"? Really Barack? I would not admit that to ANYONE.
• "Buh? Wut?" @ "Baby Got Back" being #6 on Mark Kirk's list. Where the hell did THAT come from?
• Dick Durbin listens to Angelique Kidjo? Nice!
• Wow. Gov. Blagojevich really likes Elvis. Maybe that's what inspires his sideburns. I wonder if he does the Elvis hip swivel in the mirror when nobody's around.
  
• Arne Duncan really loves him some "urban" music. I can't be mad @ a middle aged white man who listens to Common though. HOLLER.
  

I also find it both hilarious yet highly appropriate that the state treasurer's #4 song is "Roc Boys" by Jay-Z. If you've never heard it or never bothered listening the words, it's basically the "I'M RIIIIICH BEEEEYOTCH!" anthem that directly correlates to what was happening with Denzel's character in "American Gangster". I'm not suggesting that Alexi Giannoulias is a crime lord, but rather that a song extolling the power of being in possession and control of large sums of money would appeal to him a great deal.

Plus, that beat is SICK:

Leave It All Behind, Pt. 2

FE-LIAB-2

More Estelle meet & greet pics

LJ took these on Saturday but he just e-mailed them to me last night:

AGH! I did NOT know he was taking this picture! >_<

This shot is a lot better than the one he took using my camera

Annnnnd I just discovered this one is tagged on MySpace:

Me and LJ posing for Estelle's Atlantic rep
I like this one the best

Some dude with a big, professional-looking camera took some pictures of me holding the poster and then handed me his business card. I don't know if that means I can hit him up and get my pics, or if he was just promoting himself as a free agent @ the event. I want my damn pictures! Prolly have to pay for them shits though >_<>

I met Estelle today...

She was @ the Puma store Downtown on Rush St. signing autographs and taking pictures. I got a poster signed and she took a pic with me:

This is why I don't let people take my picture

My boy LJ didn't count down before he shot the flick
Neither of us were really ready and it shows
Not to mention the humidity wrecked my hair >_<

Why am I towering over her? She was wearing 3" heels and I was wearing flip flops *facepalm* She's very pretty in person - her pictures don't really do her justice. She has braces too, which I though was cool. Not mention, her accent is AWESOME. When I got up to the table she greeted me with "Ow yah dewin' Sis? Wot's yah naim lahv?" I LOVE IT, HAHA. As she was signing my poster, the song "Pump Up The Jam" by Technotronic was playing. She started bobbing her head trying to be low-key, and finally she said "Oi lahv this sohng!" and started singing along. That was a great moment - I mean really, who can resist the pulsing beats of early 90s dance techno? Front all you want, but if you were in elementary or middle school when that song dropped, you WERE on the playground singing it at the top of your lungs, or in your bedroomm, or in your parent's car, or at the school dance in the gym twerkin' it out whenever it played. I see you. I SEE YOU.

If for whatever reason you're not up on Estelle, gets'ta the YouTubes and learn ya somethin' right quick: