Style on Style: Eva

She's my BFF with a fashion taste for the anti-vanilla. Eva has combined her Bohemian eye for layers along with her amazing skills as a seamstress to create an artsy utilitarian girl-next-door style all her own. From the tiniest skirts with high leather boots to plunging thermal necklines and Chucks, her style is both practical and risque like her gemini self. Eva's love and appreciation for organic living and wellness (she's brewing her own Kombucha!) also lend to a comfortable choice in her everyday clothing: high socks, jersey tunics, soft leathers, not to mention gauged bone earrings and perfectly disheveled hair. What makes Eva's look so striking is that she rips and mangles pieces to make them her more her style. (One of my favorite Eva pieces is a torn off hood from a sweatshirt that she wears by itself.) Eva is indeed, the coziest and coolest Boho trendsetter on the block!

From Eva:

My style in 3 words: Fun, girly, utiilitarian

Favorite things to wear: tall boots, short skirts, old jackets, scarves, legwarmers

Style influences: post-apocalyptic costume, dance costumes, Victorian era

Newsflash: LA is unfriendly and terrible

So my fellow Angelenos, we've done it this time. Thanks to all of our taunting of less fashionable tourists, over the top cellphone use, and Botox'd expressionless faces, America has rated us as the nation's least friendly, worst traffic, least intelligent city in Travel + Leisure's America's Favorite Cities survey.

Over 600,000 tourists surveyed various cities in the US to rank which cities they loved and which they hated in different categories: culture, people, quality of lifestyle, etc. And we just really left a terrible impression on those tourists. This is funny to me, and I'm not trying to be a defensive Angeleno, because tourists LOVE the ILLUSION we make out here. They are attracted to the rockstars and the skinny rich girls and the hot cars and palm trees they see on TV, but not the actual city? The harsh reality that our city is indeed a dirty lifesized movie set has sunk in.

One true thing is that Los Angeles is a HUGE multi-faceted city with PLENTY of dynamic people. There are pockets of us who embrace art and actually read books and newspapers along with those who don't. Believe it or not, but most of us are from friendlier cities and will probably give you directions if you're lost. We have certain advantages like our resources and overall hopefulness (remember, "city of dreams" cliché?), but our biggest strength is that we're definitely not boring (that's why you have Entourage and the Hills on Tivo). Sure there's plenty of traffic and big city trash that makes us grumpy, but nobody's perfect. We'll see you all later when you want to become a pop icon!

This is weird: Jada Pinkett's Smith's nu-metal band, Wicked Wisdom

Another side of Jada Pinkett Smith that I never knew. Good for her. She's so tough!

Dreamy House in Iporanga, Brazil

Architect: Arthur Casas
Location: Iporanga, Brazil

For more photos: Arthur Casas

From Kanye West's Universe City

Wanted: Arch Rival

Photo of ice rivals, Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan

Imagine putting so much of yourself into something: your life's work. You struggle in the shadows for most of your career, but in an instant, your work suddenly becomes public. It may seem that the attention and acclaim was all the reward you needed. How do you know you've reached the top? A respectable rival. That's when you know you have something worth fighting for. After all, nothing says "I love you" more than "I hate you."

A rival is a great milestone. Consider the lives you affect on your path to greatness. Thanks to you, many lives were touched and hopefully improved, but your rival's life was affected more than anyone else's. Your work is now fueling their work and theirs with yours. Much of their inspiration now stems from your demise, and your hatred for them only drives your creativity to higher limits. Hatred? I call it flattery. Think about all that time and energy taken to sabotage your potential prize winning peanut-butter fudge bars of heaven at the Pillsbury Bakeoff. Or when they sleep overnight beneath your unguarded science fair project to nudge things out of place before the science fair? To finally have that person in your life is achieving an ultimate level of productivity, unless they've already broken your knee.

Jonesy's Jukebox

Most Angelenos are fortunate enough to have The Sex Pistols' Steve Jones grace the airwaves every weekday at 12 bells. (In Jonesy speak, that means noon). Indie 103 broadcasts his radio show, Jonesy's Jukebox, and pretty much gives him free reign on what he says and what music to play. His monotone British accent could probably lull someone to sleep, but he says such funny things! During his 2 hour time slot, he plays tunes, interviews the who's who of Hollywood, and even has moments to sing and play the guitar. (You'd be impressed at how many songs he can play)

Something that is very refreshing from the typical Indie 103 (still a clear channel station) indie rock lineup, is that Jonesy plays a huge range of great music from Nina Simone to John Legend to Teenage Fanclub. He's got the taste that your favorite person should have. On Fridays, he hosts Jonesy's Jukebox jury where he and a group of guests listen to new music that's coming out and rate them as "mustard" (good) or pants "bad".

Enjoy Jonesy. You can find his PodCast or hear him every weekday at noon on Indie 103.1.

Creepy Contact Lenses

Yes, there are Swarovski crystals embedded in the lenses so that your eyes "sparkle". Here's an idea to keep those eyes sparkling: stop drinking alcohol! This is just ridiculous.

Style on Style: Cher

Inspired by those who strut along the streets of Los Angeles, I wanted to write a little bit about fashion. At first I thought of writing about Marc Jacobs or Alexander McQueen, but I felt that's been done. I'm beginning a series of style profiles on the fashionistas closest to my heart: my friends. It's fortunate for me to have friends who have so much integrity when it comes to choosing the clothes they put on in the morning.


Cher and I have been friends for a few years now and she's never not looked like a superstar.  This graphic designer/fetish model is the epitome of tough girl glam. While Cher is most often in heels, lip gloss and big sunglasses, she always smells like mens deodorant (I believe Old Spice is her stick of choice) and has a mouth just as tough as a man's man's. Balance and humor are Cher's strengths so they come out in her clothing. Her tribal earrings, tattoos, and dyed hair give some edge to her designer/expensive/Neiman's tendencies. But we're friends because she'd wear a fake mustache with a pencil skirt any night of the week.

From Cher:

My style in 3 words: Sexy, rockstar, chic

Favorite things to wear:  my headbands, Balenciaga handbags, my "Mary-Kate" boots, wife beaters and skinny jeans

Style influences: Mary-Kate Olsen, Nicole Richie, Victoria Beckham, Alexander McQueen, Vena Cava, Balenciaga, YSL, and Rag and Bone

Note: Cher has her palm up because that means "SUPER" peace.

Who is You? #4

You are overrated and I can't stand what you do to my head. Besides, when we're together, people look at me too much.




You = Convertibles

Dear Apple,

I'm over the IPod. I already own an Ipod and a Phone-Pod. Could you please start talking about computers again? I really need a new laptop and the macbook air doesn't count!

Which group gets attacked by the media the most?

You can guess. Hint: It has nothing to do with this group's income, ethinicity or gender.

The answer: scientists.

Scientists get it real bad from the media. They are held responsible for many of Earth's tragedies: a-bombs, pollution, cancer. In particular, we point fingers when human life just wishes their brilliance could've prevented a decline in resources or more certainly, death. Curiosity can be a curse, but also a blessing.

Recently it has been announced that 14 kilometers beneath Geneva, there is a lab where an impressive experiment is going to take place. The Large Hedron Collider (LHC for short) is a particle accelerator that is aimed at the smallest particles we know. This $4 billion dollar experiment is going to try to recreate the Big Bang; fusion power. These scientists want to know how we came to be from the very start of the universe.

Why is this important to know? This may just give us the missing link in particle theory, the source of life as we know. Not to mention, an incredible power source. But this is worrisome to skeptics. Many fiction stories have been inspired such as powerful neutrino rays, the creation of dark matter, a black hole, or possibly the end of the world. I remain more hopeful than the sci-fi skeptics.

I'm excited to see what happens next.

Burn After Reading ... This Friday

From the Coen brothers. They're way too cool it's frightening.

Weather Report for Today, 9/8/08

It's warm outside; sunny. Like always.

For breakfast: coffee with nectarine. need to go to grocery store.

My real estate love: The Kaufmann House

Photo from Dwell Magazine

Ladies and gentlemen, here is the house I love: the Kaufmann House by Richard Neutra. (my favorite architect!) I enjoy the fact the floor to ceiling windows blur the divide between inside and out. The sharply clean edges lend to a deliberate design that reflects thoughtful planning and intelligent building. It's timeless. It's so easy to imagine living this house. Grand piano in one of the corner windows. Mini cooper in the driveway. Pet tortoise and angora bunny in the lawn. Even though the Kaufmann house was put on auction this year and purchased for $15 mil, the buyer fell out of the deal. It's still available through a private seller. They should just let me live there already!

Here is the inspirational photograph on my refrigerator:



"Poolside Gossip" by Slim Aarons
Photo from Artnet.com

Spore: The game that lets you play God

I've noticed the pattern of movies being influenced by music videos and now video games. It's nice that video games, have in exchange, become more cinematic. A growing fascination with video games is in the making! (Though I'm terrible at them..."There are TOO MANY BUTTONS!!")

Eric had introduced me to this game, Spore. It allows you to control evolution and ultimately have a chance to play God. There is a creature creator program that is quite fun. (Upon its public release, many were most inspired to make what? Penis monsters. Thousands and thousands of penis monsters!) Enjoy!



Thanks, Eric K. (Tokyo)

Movie Review: Hamlet 2

Hamlet 2
dir. Andrew Fleming
comedy, 92 mins.

So when posed with the question: Which is better: a burrito, a date with a lame guy, or watch Hamlet 2? Your choice should be Hamlet 2. Eva and I were planning our Friday night. For most girls our age, Friday night plans involve some adult beverages and high heels, but not for me and Eva. Not tonight. We were going to see Sexy Jesus at the ArcLight.

Caramel popcorn in hand, we watched and immediately befriended Steve Coogan as a passionate, yet struggling, actor in Tucson, Arizona. He is given a position at the local high school teaching drama to a seemingly distracted and delinquent bunch. Sound familiar? Yes. The difference is that this movie is not about how he reaches the kids, but how he's completely faithful in his zero-talent and his honestly strange reasoning. Through parts of the story, it felt like the writers were going for the easyshot slapstick humor (like when the same girl keeps getting hit in the head), but you forgive them later during the stronger ounces of humor within Dana's dialogue and the play itself. Set to a pop-music filled soundtrack, Eva and I were all laughs. Brought to us by the tasteful people at Focus Features, they manage to squeeze this Sundance heartfilled success into the artist is all of us.

See the trailer here: Hamlet 2