Global 411: Canada - Nation or Notion?

I was recently introduced to a series of CBC debates with journalists, covering a myriad of subjects. In particular, Malcolm Gladwell & Adam Gopnik two brilliant writers for The New Yorker, who turn out to be - guess what - Canadian! (As a Canadian/American, I am also fascinated by the abundance of Canadian representation in the US in regards to both the written word and the entertainment industry).

Anyway, back to my point. The most recent debate was "Canada: Nation or Notion?" which I think warrants a listen. What kind of crazy, small country do we define ourselves to be, anyway? With so much focus having been on Obama & the US lately, I thought I'd shift it back to Canada for a moment.
http://www.macleans.ca/article.jsp?content=20080303_154544_6764&source=srch

Movie: Vicky Cristina Barcelona

For those of you that missed 'Vicky Cristina Barcelona' when it hit theaters last year, now is your chance to see Woody Allen's latest on DVD. Released this week, Penelope Cruz is genius in it as was reflected from her recent Oscar & Golden Globe nominations for the role. Plus, it will make you fall in love with Spain all over again...

Events: Chinese New Year

Xin Nian Kuai Le! Or...Happy New Year! 2009 is the year of the Ox which symbolizes prosperity through fortitude and hard work. Those born under the influence of the Ox or Buffalo are fortunate to be stable and persevering. The typical Ox is a tolerant person with strong character. Not many people could equal the resolution and fearlessness that the Ox exhibits when deciding to accomplish a task. Ox people work hard without complaints at work or at home. They know that they will succeed through hard work and sustained efforts, and do not believe in get-rich-quick schemes.

Of course...this year will effect you according to the Chinese Zodiac symbol, so look to your future here:

www.chinesefortunecalendar.com/2009/2009Zodiac.htm

Music: The Killers

The new album is fantastic, but Brandon Flowers and his boys continue to make bizarre videos that I am sure they think to be creative, artsy and all existential and shiz, but seriously. This is just cheap looking & weird, and it is all over the blogs today, so why not here too. Hot song though.

Gossip: Blog Mania

Come on...you know you love it...no matter how hard you pretend not to! And these days, you don't need to watch the TV or buy a magazine to get it. It seems everyone hits up the gossip blogs these days. So cruel, yet so fun :0 Dial in for your daily scoop:

www.perezhilton.com
www.popsugar.com
www.laineygossip.com
www.dlisted.com
www.thesuperficial.com

Global 411: Good Riddance!

Bye bye to Bush...from the wonderful Mr. Letterman.

Movies: The Oscars

Today the nominations came out. Thoughts? Watch them February 22nd

http://www.oscar.com/nominees/?pn=nominees

Music: The Kooks

Just because I had this catchy song from The Kooks stuck in my head all day...it is destined to put you in a good mood ;)

Global 411: The Daily Show: Inaugural Roundup

I can't post the vid, from the hysterical Daily Show commentary on the Inauguration, but go to the link! www.thedailyshow.com OR...

http://watch.ctv.ca/the-daily-show-with-jon-stewart/episodes/the-daily-show-with-jon-stewart---january-20-2008/

Global 411: Obama

Today is the day, my fellow Americans. What a spectacular day in Washington...over 2 million people watching the Inauguration of our 44th President. Let's hope we can repair the divide and the detriment in this country, now that we have a man we can actually respect to lead us into the future.

Inspiration: MLK

With the historic inaugural of President Barack Obama tomorrow, it seems fitting to pause on the life of Martin Luther King today. There is a lot of pressure on Obama to deliver a speech at the level of excellence shown by MLK or JFK, but I think that may be over strecthing expectations just a wee bit. We'll see...

If you have not heard MLK's historic "I have a dream" speech in its entirety, or you wish to revisit it, watch it here, or learn more about what you can do on this day of service: www.mlkday.gov

Beauty: Mei Zen Acupuncture

Everywhere I turn these days, people are dipping into the Botox or Restylane pool to get rid of unwanted wrinkles. Well, there is a new trend on the horizon called Mei Zen, or cosmetic acupuncture, that has become a necessity to many celebrities already. It promotes circulation and eases the muscle tension in the face, which is largely responsible for frowns and wrinkles. I think it could be interesting if it works but I have to find someone who has actually tried it...anybody?


For more, reference this NY Times article: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/13/fashion/13SKIN.html?_r=1

Music: Recommendations...and Friendly Fires

I was recently handed a stellar set of music recommendations (Thanks, B;) and on that list were some killer beats from Marina & The diamonds, Starfucker and Fever Ray. All very 'check out' worthy, but I found this single, "Paris" from Friendly Fires, to be too much fun not to pass on (as is the entire album), so I posted the vid here.

It should also be noted that Asteroids Galaxy Tour is pretty great and I am really impressed with both the new Killers & Bloc Party album. Both better albums than their previous ones.

TV: Arrested Development

OMG! All signs point to the powers that be making a movie version of the amazing television series "Arrested Development". How will they do it and still retain its brilliance? They better not f**k it up.

Fashion: Victoria Beckham

Yes, the girl we all love to hate, or perhaps hate to love. I fall in the latter category because if you saw her special "Coming to America" last year, then you probably had a good laugh right along with her. She was basically taking the piss out of everyone, including herself...though apparently that brand of humor went right over middle America's heads. Anyway, she is always good for a pick me up, in her constant parade of crazy outfits. She also "wrote" a darling book last year on products & fashion which is worth taking a look at. Sometimes it is fun to just be an unabashed girlie girl!

Quotes: Sophia Loren

"Sex appeal is fifty percent what you've got and fifty percent what people think you've got." - Sophia Loren

Music: Thievery Corporation

We all know them, we all have them in our IPOD's, but this latest and greatest album from Thievery Corporation, "Radio Retaliation", is a must buy. It has a world beat flavor to it and is more fast & furious than in the past. Enjoy.

Events/Fashion: Golden Globes

The good thing about watching the Golden Globes, aside from the fashion, is seeing who gets the most loose lipped after their third or fourth cocktail. This year, Ricky Gervais took it one step further by bringing his drink upon stage with him,and there were many cocaine jokes. Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat) reminded people of what a rough year it has been with the economy, since Victoria Beckham hasn't eaten in three weeks & even Madonna had to let one of her personal assistants go - following that with "our thoughts are with you Guy Ritchie." The underdogs took it this year - "Slumdog Millionaire" won all the big prizes, and even Mickey Rourke completed his comeback by winning best actor for "The Wrestler". Heath Ledger got his well deserved award, and finally, the ridiculously talented Kate Winslet won not one, but two golden globes.

But onto the important stuff: The Red Carpet.
All the Latin Ladies looked stunning as usual: Penelope Cruz, Selma Hayek, Eva Mendes and Jennifer Lopez. And though she isn't a big movie star yet, young Megan Fox looked a-m-a-z-i-n-g. Looking God awful were Drew Barrymore (what was with the hair!?) and Rene Zellweger (yikes). Over all, it seemed all of the older women were looking better than their younger counterparts...interesting.

Best moment of the night: When the irritating Ryan Seacrest got totally blown off by Brad & Angelina walking the red carpet. Yes, they posed for press, but no, they were not about to make mindless small talk with the likes of that host. Nice one. Now onto the Oscars...

Music: Lily Allen

Aside from failing to keep her mouth shut in the press when she should, Lily Allen still knows how to make a catchy & ironic tune. Her new album drops later this month, but until then, here is her latest single, "The Fear".

Fashion: Michelle Obama

Apparently people are obsessed with the style of Michelle Obama. Like, Jackie O obsessed. There are even a bunch of websites that have sprung up in order to follow what and who she is wearing. Who knew? Even the question of what she will wear to the Inaugural ball is headline news. Though I suppose being young(ish), attractive, brilliant, powerful and yes, 5'll, allows you to wear just about anything and look fabulous.

To see the more on her style, visit: www.mrs-o.org

Music: TV on the Radio

My friend just brought my attention recently to this experimental band from NYC, that frequently adds other artists as contributors. Their newer album, "Dear Science", is on many a top ten list. If you are looking for something different, this is it. The fact that David Bowie is doing vocals here on this track is all the better because I love, love, love him. Great looking video too.

Books: Non-Fiction

Having a degree in Literature makes it pretty easy for me to go on about book recommendations, though I think books are really hit or miss. There is something more intimate about reading a book rather than a movie or tv show, because your own imagination is encouraged, the reader reacts to the material immediately as it either draws them in or leaves them cold. I see no sense in lobbying for Fictional novels at the moment as my recommendations would either be classics (a big snooze to many - I completely understand) or are contemporary novels already gracing Amazon's top ten list. Instead, I recently read two non-fiction books (both best sellers too) that I thought were worth mentioning if you were looking to speculate more on the human condition, taking into account our commonalities, not necessarily our differences.

The first is "The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch, a Professor faced with terminal cancer, imparting lessons, bits of wisdom, or lack there of in his final lecture. "Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted", "Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity" (quote from Seneca, I know), and "when it comes to people who are interested in you, it's really simple. Just ignore what they say and only pay attention to what they do" are all good simplicities to be reminded of.

The second is "Mating in Captivity", by NY therapist Esther Perel, which explores the notion of erotic intelligence in today's relationships. Can we desire what we already have? Interesting question with a lot of answers...good read! You'll be discussing this one with friends.

Fashion Photo: Your inner celebrity

Ha! Just saw somebody use this as a photo on Facebook and thought it was hilarious. If you have ever wanted to insert your face on an iconic image, now is your chance. Photoshop yourself into any body you want, here: www.faceinhole.com/us/

Web TV: VJIAM

I had a chance to join the set of a friend Producing a great new web television series, VJIAM, geared towards the 'youth' market (and trust me, spending time with early 20 something hipsters reminds how much I am NOT in that category anymore - lol).

It encourages talented youth from all over North America to shoot, edit & submit their own stories & video on a variety of subjects...and Thank God. It seems like MTV & Muchmusic started running out of good ideas a long time ago. Celebrate individuality!

Go watch episode at www.vjiam.tv

Travel: Chile & Argentina

If you are as sick of the cold as I am, but are feeling a bit more adventurous than solely parking yourself at the beach, then it may be time to head south. Like, waaay south. I traveled to Chile a little while back and had a fantastic experience, as it seems many of you have too. More and more people are heading to destinations in South America like Chile, Argentina and Brazil, and if you have an opportunity, I would say go for it! With more flights than ever, the travel time is not all that bad, jet leg is almost nil considering the limited time difference and once you are there, your costs will be low. Departure cities Toronto & NYC have direct flights to both Buenos Aires & Santiago. Great weather, great culture, great wine, great parties and great people, you have it all.

Before you go, learn some interesting facts about the country you are visiting. Of course, there are countless websites and National tourism sites, but when I am in a hurry & I just want a factual breakdown, here are two standbys (and yes, that second one is really a CIA site)

www.wikipedia.org
www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/

Fashion: Vogue

I am seriously questioning Vogue's cover models as of late. I think it may be time to bring back the models, instead of making a covergirl out of every Hollywood actress (Jennifer Aniston? Really? No offense...she just does not epitomize 'glamor' at all). January has Anne Hathaway, for whom people seem to have a love/hate relationship with, but I have to say, this girl had a hell of a year and if anyone can embody 'change' right now, it is her. After she found out her boyfriend of three years was actually an imposter, and he was hauled away to prison for fraud, she got her stuff together, put out the best movie of her career (Rachel Getting Married), got tonnes of praise, and moved on with her head held high. Good inspiration for the New Year indeed!

To get caught up on everything in fashion, including designer runway show footage, go to the website, www.style.com , a staple for any fashionista!

Fashion: Steals & Deals

Considering these tough economic times, it is helpful for shopoholics, like myself, to get local sale tips in order to shed a few $$$ from ones credit card. This one below, 'Steals & Deals', does just that for NYC. Stay tuned for some more ideas for your neighborhood too!

Currently, the first article is on how a record number of people are re-gifting, and re-selling Christmas presents on ebay. Why not? If you don't want it, perhaps someone else will and there will even be a little money dropped into your pocket.

http://stealsanddeals.ivillage.com/beauty/

Your 2009 Astrology Forecast

So, this may not be your thing, but if you have an interest in Astrology, then take a look at this site. A friend suggested it years ago and I still find it fairly accurate:
www.astrologyzone.com/forecasts/






And if you wish to try another interesting one too, that is really dependent on charts that align with the exact time & place of your birth, check out:
www.astro.com

Have fun!