Film 101: THE DOC IS IN

Documentaries never had it so good. Believe it or not, before Y2K, they hardly ever played in theaters unless they were part of some government war propaganda, narrated by someone like Orson Welles or directed by Michael Moore. Occasionally, you caught one on PBS or had to watch one in school right? Now you can find them on the same bill with live action flicks, musicals and animated releases.

Nanook of the North, a 1922 release by Robert Flaherty, is considered the first commercially successful documentary film. Flaherty was criticized for staging some of the scenes depicting Inuit arctic life, but today even reality shows have writers.

Design: SECRET WARS

secret wars is a live art battle of EPIC proportions... serious, SERIOUS talent coupled with good music and good people. it's a traveling event that has to be seen to be believed :) maybe one day i'll be good enough to compete. guess i gotta step my game up eh?

http://www.secretwars.co.uk/

Design: "Culture Chanel" Opens in Shanghai

Last week, the “Culture Chanel” exhibition opened in Shanghai. Running through March 4, the exhibition features 400 items tracing the life of the fashion icon. There are manuscripts, drawings, photographs, rare documents and jewelry on display at the Museum of Contemporary Art. For more: WWD: Chanel Retrospective Bows in Shanghai and visit the “Culture Chanel” website. Also, a fun video from Nowness called Animating Chanel. Enjoy!

For more on anything functional, creative and contemporary visit my site, Culturalblahblah.com at http://www.culturalblahblah.com

Fashion: Bringing "Grown" and sexy Back!

Looking for a shoe that fills that void between work and play? The new Jordan V.2 Grown is your sneaker. The V.2 Grown has a solid design with laces hidden by a lace placket. It's a lighter, sleeker version of the campus chukka from last year. This sneaker contains elements of brand Jordan from the foxing like the XX3, elephant print on the sole paying homage to the 3's, to the Wings logo from the 1's and 2's on the side of the mid sole. One of the more comfortable lifestyle collection shoes released by brand Jordan. Perfect for a club night or just relaxing at your favorite watering hole (bar). My personal favorite is the patent leather ones!! They come in a large variety of colors. Retailing for $90, they wont break the bank but you'll look like you robbed one!

Fashion: Trapstar London

TrapStar is a clothing line based in London! One of the hottest clothing lines out in London. I did a tour with them out there along with Mickey Factz!! Check out who else is rocking their fresh Gear below!!!

Music: Wiz Khalifa heads to the Superbowl

New Blood has been drawn. Wiz Khalifa has arrived among the best in Hip-Hop. His single, "Black & Yellow" climbed to the number 1 spot on itunes' Hip-Hop charts. Wiz Khalifa is from Pittsburgh PA. In Pittsburg, black and yellow are the color scheme for the states sports franchise for the Pittsburgh Pirates (baseball) and the Pittsburg Steelers (football). It so happens that the Big Boss of the West Coast, Snoop Dogg, is a very big fan of the Steelers, which brought these two artist together for the G-Mix Collaboration, a remix of the hit single "Black & Yellow", featuring Juicy J (Three Six Mafia), T-Pain, Wiz Khalifa and Snoop Dogg. Moreover the Pittsburg Steelers are headed to the NFL Superbowl, which just made this single "Black & Yellow" bigger than Music! Check out the G-Mix of Black & Yellow on iTunes .

Film: The Kuleshov Effect

The Kuleshov Effect should be covered in your first semester of film study. Russian filmmaker Lev Kuleshov demonstrated this technique in the early 1900s and revolutionized cinema with some very basic editing techniques. By simply juxtaposing three different images with the same image, three entirely different feelings and/or meanings are expressed in the montage.

Food: On My Low Starch SPELT

Good Day My Dear Lads...

Today we are gonna be delving into eating a low starch diet and the benefits thereof!

It is too often that we are eating refined flour, lets just say that white flour has become the millennium's new crack! HaHa! No really, if you're trying to grow a new ass go grab some cornbread and get busy; but if you're like me, who loves my ass at the size it is, you would make a wise decision to

1. throw away the box of jiffy cornbread mix and

2. put dem chicken wings down!

side note: how harsh are we to eat the birdy's wings... I mean can't we all get fly on em if we want? apparently not if you're chicken little!

Anyway if you want to

1. loose a little weight around those problem areas

2. get more nutrients out of the foods you eat

3. be eco-licious by lowering your carbon foot print

You would make these minor shifts. So instead of eating: White Bread - The devil's own brew (I always wondered why they gave it to us in church and called it the body of christ, lol) - You would eat a spelt grain bread. Spelt is an ancient grain that is low in starch, full of flavor, with tons of all the nutrients we want! Check out spelt flour products at your nearest whole foods or green grocer. There are loaves of spelt bread, cookies, muffins and even tortilla wraps. Say adios to white flour products and welcome in our millennium's modern antique, the spelt grain!

Stay tuned for more updates and health tips from your gal, Lauren Von Der Pool - The Queen Of Green!!!!!

Design: LOGORAMA

http://vimeo.com/10149605

easily one of the dopest things i've seen in a while. love how they flipped all the popular logos that we all know and love. straight up GENIUS.

Design: Lego Architecture at the National Building Museum

Check out this exhibition on Lego Architecture at the National Building Museum in Washington DC. LEGO® Architecture: Towering Ambition is an exhibition of the work of architect and lead designer at Lego Adam Reed Tucker. The exhibition brings together 15 buildings, all built by using legos. Included in the collection are Dubai’s Burj Khalifa towers, the Empire State Building, St. Louis' Gateway Arch, and Frank Lloyd Wright's masterpiece Fallingwater. LEGO® Architecture: Towering Ambition is on view through September 5, 2011. For more on Adam Reed Tucker visit: Brickstructures.

For more on anything functional, creative and contemporary visit my site, Culturalblahblah.com at http://www.culturalblahblah.com

Fashion: Penny makes Sense

The Nike Air Max 1! It only makes sense (cents) for Nike to re-release one of it's better Basketball sneakers, Hardaway's first signature sneaker. Zoom air technology in the mid sole and a Big air max bubble in the heel, you can ball for hours without too much foot fatigue and just be real comfortable, looking good for the spring/summer! The last release was in 2007 and will be in stores again this year. There will also be a Phoenix colorway (niccce Loso voice). This is the Sneaker that started my addiction for kicks.

Fashion: Chris Brown Defines Style

Breezy Art...Style from Mechanical Dummy on Vimeo.

My Homie Chris Brown along with the assistance of producer Swizz Beatz, Tyga and Big Sean define their individual styles in the newest “Mechanical Dummy” webisode. Check out their style moments in the gallery below:

Music: Britney Spears

Well Ladies and Gentlemen, Britney Spears is back at it again. With her new single Hold It Against Me, already at the top of the iTunes song chart, rating at 4 stars. It never ceases to amaze me, what Britney is capable of doing. She took a lot of time off and came back to reclaim her thrown. The song has a high tempo, retro club feel. It will drive you straight to the dance floor. This is only the tip of the iceberg when someone of her magnitude comes back with a hit. You can bet your bottom dollar there will be more to come. While her competition Christina Aguilera is running around with her new boyfriend, Britney is back in the lab and looks to do it big once again. Despite all the things Britney has been through, her fans are very loyal to her and I'm sure they won't Hold It Against Her. check it out on iTunes.

Food: Black & Yellow Cheeseburger

The Cheeseburger Remix by @Yourboybrew #Hotfire

Food: Wood Grilled Porgies

These are wood grilled porgies by my boy @AdamCBanks. That boy can cook his silly @$* off.

Film 101: TINY FURNITURE... and cameras

My last post I wrote about the dawn of the neo-indie digi-movie--ending with the winner of 2010’s SXSW Film Festival, TINY FURNITURE, by writer/director/actor, Lena Dunham. If this doesn’t get you freakin’ psyched as an independent filmmaker, I really don’t know what will do the job. This $45,000 neo-indie digi-movie was shot with no-name actors and crew (including Dunham herself and her real life mother and sister among others), on location in New York City, with one of the most portable and affordable cameras available on the market--the Canon 7D. It landed in theaters in November, but I believe you can still catch it at the Indie Screen Theater in Brooklyn before it arrives on DVD and VOD. Here’s the trailer.

It's the awards season (Golden Globes, Oscars) and I haven't seen nearly enough of the nominated films and neo-indie digi-movies to give you my picks in all categories, but if I were THE judge, two of my picks would be: Best Actress - Jennifer Lawrence in WINTER'S BONE (shot on the RED). I believe it was her first role and she is a REAL, natural talent. Best Director - Christopher Nolan for INCEPTION - This dude just continues to progress as a writer and director faster than anyone in the history of motion pictures. Since his first feature film, FOLLOWING, I've been... following.

Design: Curing Disease Through Design in Haiti

First Place: (Above Anselmo Canfora (architect); Richard Guerrant (medical doctor); Ewan Smith (engineer); Galen Staengl (engineer); Michael Stoneking (architect); Aja Bull-Richards, Sara Harper, Sally Lee, Nathan Parker, Chase Sparling-Beckley, Lauren Thompson (architecture students) )

Yesterday, Architecture for Health in Vulnerable Environments (ARCHIVE), unveiled the winners of their competition to design housing that help stop the spread of infectious diseases in Haiti. Above see the design that won first place. See below for the rest of the winning designs.

Second Place: Lilian Sherrard and Brook K. Sherrard (architects)

Third Place: Marco Ferri (engineer); Giorgio Giannattasio (physician & immunologist); Sara Parlato, Roberto Pennachio, Andrea Tulisi (architects)

For more on the finalists and honorable mentions check out the slideshow at ARCHIVE. For more on the competition, check out the ARCHIVE website and this article from Architectural Record.

For more on anything functional, creative and contemporary visit my site, Culturalblahblah.com at http://www.culturalblahblah.com

Fashion: Lebron8v2

Not only court worthy but street savvy as well! This new version Of the Lebron 8 called the 8 V2. is lighter and has a better ventilation system. I think the styling is very Marty McFly! In my opinion his best sneaker to date. With a price tag of around 160$ and Quantities very limited this will be around about as long as Justin Bieber's virginity!

Music: Baby H.A.M. (Baby Disses Jay Z)

Ok Hip-Hop heads Jay Z and Kanye West released their first single H.A.M. (Hard As A Motha f@#Ka). This is off their upcoming collaboration album, Watch The Throne. In my opinion this is a bone they threw out to see what the people are responding to. I think this particular track is not gonna be among their better work off the album. Kanye West did not bring his A game, however Jay Z does what he always does - what Jay Z Do, kill sh*t! He never slacks in is craft. This song dosen't work for me too much, because in order for a collaboration song to work, each artist must compliment each other, they have to feed off one another. After Jay spit you didn't even remember Kanye's verse. I would like to point out a verse by Jay Z "I'm like really half a billi n@*ga really you got baby money keep it real with n@*gas n@*gas a'int got my lady's money". I recall Baby from cash money once said "Lil Wayne was a better lyricist and Lil Wayne has more money than Jay Z" - could Jay Z just be saying that "n@*gas have baby money, small doe, little to no doe, flash now money but still owe doe" Don't Know you tell me. Jay-Z responded to baby before once before.

Music: H.A.M.

FULL SONG

Music: Melky Jean "Better"

[be sure to watch this video in 720p - change the setting - it is available in HD]

Purse & Pulse's VERY FIRST video Pulse on none other than Melky Jean! Look out for her new music video for "Better" premiering this Wednesday January 12th. video Pulse written & produced by Maureen Aladin

Food: What Not to Eat In The Hood

Ok, I took a field trip to a local corner store in Washington DC, just to show you'll what a FOOD DESERT is!

As I walked into the store, all I hear is "pass me the jar of PICKLED PIGS FEET" I almost fell out!

I looked up and WOW, really! A real live bottle of PICKED PIGS FEET!

FAST FOOD, FAST PROFITS

Design: FINALLY MADE

going back to about 07 i met this dude named prince. prince was a college student in arizona, and i met him through his cousin from germany. she used to always say how she had a cousin that was tryin to start a clothing line up and that i should connect with him. so we eventually connect via the wonders of the internet and he shows me the pieces he was working on @ the time....i gotta tell you, i was like are you SERIOUS?! the pieces didn't look like anything @ all, and weren't strong enough to hold him down the way he would have liked them to. dude had all kinds of drive and a HELL of alot of heart, he knew what he had wasn't much but it was the best he could do with what he had to work with. i respect that hardbody so i offered to help dude rebrand and redirect. within a month or so dude took the designs i did for him, got em printed up and was really pushing them. he eventually hooked up with another designer who was able to help him get a little closer to his dream of havin his own spot and pushin his own line. fast forward to 2011 and dude now has a dope ass spot selling not only his own line, but doin his numbers with the clips clothing line play cloths, benny gold, better off dead, alife, the hundreds, super and g shock to name a few. if you're ever in phoenix, AZ you should look him up, tell him rez sent you. i really respect this dudes hustle and it feels good to see him makin it happen. i'm glad i was able to be a part of your journey my dude. lookin forward to seein you rock with the big dogs :) PROPS TO MY NUKKA PRINCE!!!

http://www.finallymade.com/blog/

Design: Kaws...Graffiti Artist Turned Pop Culture Icon

I love re-discovering an artist. I always knew about Kaws but never really paid him the attention he deserved until I saw a retrospective of his work last month at the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum. Now he's one of my favorite artists.

New Jersey native now based in good old BK, Kaws is a graffiti artist turned visual artist/designer/pop culture icon. In the beginning he gained a lot of attention for his subverted advertisements (pictured above), but now he is especially popular for his product design including apparel and limited edition vinyl toys (up top). Below see a vid of an installation he recently did in Hong Kong.

Skira/Rizzoli recently published his book. Get a copy at Amazon.

http://www.culturalblahblah.com

Fashion: COMME des GARCONS

Not the Newest but still is the freshest Shirt to own! Not many people is up on this but Peep Kanye & Drake and of course Me!!! Rocking Comme Des Garcons Play Tee!!

Comme des Garçons, French for "like boys", is a Japanese fashion label headed by Rei Kawakubo, who is also its sole owner. Comme des Garçons has a dozen boutiques and approximately 200 vendors around the world, with flagship stores in Aoyama, Tokyo's high fashion district, as well as Place Vendôme in Paris. Each year, the company grosses in the neighborhood of $150 million.