"I would be most content if my children grew up to be the kind of people who think decorating consists mostly of building enough bookshelves." --Anna Quindlen
My post on Michael Jackson and fashion over at the WeAreTheMarket.com blog.
I'm turning comments off here, but comments are welcome on the original post at anytime. I'll even make an effort to answer them all the way I do here ;)
When it comes to the world of fashion, both men's and women's, Michael Jackson is fashion icon.
He inspired us to wear loafers and white socks. He inspired us to wear jackets with military details. He inspired us to wear one glittery glove. He inspired a resurgence of aviator glasses too.
You get the picture. We know the looks. You don't need us to list them for you after the jump.
His influence on the world of trends and fashion is simply undeniable.
Their military inspired jacket couldn't help but remind you of Michael. Of course, because fashion definitely influences entertainers we saw other celebrities pick up the trend. Now we're seeing a strong 80s-retro feel probably worn best right now by pop diva Rihanna.
However, it's symbiotic in that Michael was a legendary shopper. This year he was photographed wearing pieces from the Balmine collection.
So who inspired whom?
Does it really matter? He drew from the fashion world and they drew from him.
We won't be able to see Michael in the planned bedazzled Swarovski designs for his scheduled “This is It” concert dates. But what we do know is it would have been attention grabbing and influential.
King of Pop, you'll be missed. You'll inspire fashion for years to come.
My favorite series ever, Six Feet Under, started and ended while I was living abroad. Initially, I had to download it via IRC. However, I stopped doing that when I quit work to go back to school. I couldn't afford to take a risk I'd ruin my computer when it was necessary for school. I had it in the back of my head that one day I'd get the videos and finish watching the series where I'd left off.
The characters putting Nate into the ground (a green burial).
I discovered that the second half of SFU's last season is on Verizon's FIOS, so I watched them back to back. They killed off my oh-so-troubled Nate by having him finally succumb to his AVM after cheating on his wife. (Wow, really?) I bawled like a newborn baby because, troubled or not, I grew to love the character. His death was sudden and shocking. Having been through two sudden and shocking losses in my own life, I could relate maybe a bit too easily to the story arc.
The final episode I've watched many times over. It's the end of the story and massively therapeutic for me. Claire, played by Lauren Ambrose, is a young woman trying to decide whether to move to NYC to pursue her dream of being a photographer. Of course, I relate as I'm doing something quite similar now. My calling is with something else, but I've been fighting this pull to Manhattan for years. The "can I do this?" questions and anxiety that a big change brings up I can completely relate to.
I'll quote a comment I left on the award-winning LGBT blog, Towleroad. The show covered it all in terms of subject matter, and, rightly so, featured a gay couple prominently in its story line.
"The draw of SFU for me was always the realness I felt. My parents died within five weeks of each other years ago. My mom first, right after Thanksgiving, which made that Christmas hard to take for me and my father. Then five weeks later, my father died. I should have known something was looming when I woke up to the jolt of an earthquake that morning. Later that day my father died. So, when it comes to death and loss, I've been a bit cynical but also very sensitive.
It was great seeing a show based around death. So often people are just uncomfortable with it. However, for me, it's a real part of life. I'm not morbid. I'm not depressed. But I liked the realism of having both the light and dark of life portrayed in a TV show."
Also, the artistry of the show was gripping. The opening sequence and song are incredible.
Not only that, I commend the series for what felt like an accurate portrayal of the diversity of my hometown, Los Angeles. You have black characters, Latino characters, and representatives of many ethnicities and religions in the various episodes. With it being based around a funeral home, it's easy to work diverse characters in. The thoughtfulness of not being ignored was great. Also, now that I think about it. Having the show based in L.A. probably was another reason I connected so well to it. I really did see part of my home when I watched.
What I've had to deal with, of course, shades my perspective now. With the recent high profiles deaths of Farrah and Michael Jackson, last week forced the topic of death to the forefront. Along with the media circus going on, people started talking about their feelings and emotions surrounding these deaths. Farrah, unfortunately, we knew had been suffering with cancer for awhile. In fact, Barbara Walters was plugging an ABC special she'd done on The View the day Farrah and Michael died.
Michael's death was shocking and sudden. I had many people tell me they couldn't believe it. I, however, could believe it. Believing it doesn't diminish the scale of the tragedy, especially, when you consider how traumatic his personal life was. Like everyone else, I didn't want to believe it, but I know that death sometimes comes when you're just not expecting it. I've had deep losses before. Experience with it doesn't make loss easier to handle, and it certainly doesn't make me expect it. It's just that when it occurs I tend to shun hysterics and irritating theories on death. I simply lean towards being as real as I can. That means, I allow myself to initially deny it, accept it, get angry, get sad, get numb and get on with life. There is just this feeling that comes with loss. When someone you love and are connected to dies, a bit of you goes with them.
So with that said, here is the final 10 or so minutes from my favorite TV series ever. It ended in 2005, so I'm almost 4 years behind the curve. No worries. I gave up on the quest of being hip years ago. I much prefer content, confident and happy.
If you've not seen the show, you'll probably miss out on the significance of this segment. Maybe read up on the characters and storyline. However, for me, the final episode is cheap therapy: reflective, thoughtful and cathartic. It was that way for most of the episodes I saw (not all, but most).
Even though the makeup was a big dodgy in some cases, the ending is a perfect wrap: The character's obituaries.
I'm sorry folks, but I chose to actually watch the BET Awards last night.
Mistake! They pitched it as a tribute to MJ. It started that way and it definitely ended that way. However, during the bulk of the show they lost focus and it ended up being a moments of my life wasted.
Just because I know a lot of folks missed it or didn't set their DVRs for longer than three hours, here is dear Janet making a brief appearance to speak on her brother's death. Then Ne-yo and Jamie Foxx sing.
It looks like Twitter's current trending topics have some people on the alert and a bit apprehensive.
Check out this tweet. What's ridiculous is Foolish Julie here isn't alone by any stretch. It shows a complete disconnect with how Michael's death has impacted the black community. I don't watch the BET Awards and only did so because they said it was going to be a MJ tribute. Therefore, guess what? There was a huge number of people watching the show and and we talked about it as it happened.
But riddle me this? Even without that, why is it even an issue that black topics trend on the night of a major black awards show? I guess black folks aren't supposed to actually use the Internet.
Sorry, I have to just say it. These people are just stupid.
I'll always remember him best as a child because he was just a few years older than me.
Weird, as I just had a Six Feet Under marathon going the other day.
Tears have been shed, big time this week because we lost Farrah today too. What a horrible day.
For those like me who are in transit or in transition and are away from your record collections, check out this mix on Brooklyn's DJ Soul's blog mixed by DJ Jaycee: Remember MJ (part 1).
Here are two more mixes that DJ Jaycee made. These were played on his radio show on Sunday, June, 28th:
Both of the originals ones were done way before MJ died. For some reason, that makes them easier to listen to. Basically, they're shows of respect for his music while he was here rather than a desperate attempt to capitalize on this sad, sad tragedy. The other two by DJ Jaycee were tributes that were done after MJ passed, but my community needs to remember the range of MJ's work. Getting new mixes from someone who was smart enough to recongize MJ while he was living is great.
I'm writing pieces for the bpmw agency's fashion site WeAreTheMarket.com now. It's a website focused on men's fashion, which is really tons of fun to follow and write about. While most of what I write probably won't touch on what's going on in Seoul, this one does, so I'm sharing it here.
I got to write about the Prada Transformer's next event, a film festival. It sounds exciting, check it out. If I were still in Seoul, I'd definitely go. Tickets are free. You just need to reserve a ticket in advance. You can show up and hope there are extras but the process seems quite easy. Enjoy!
The Prada Transformer will open its second installation in a few days. The Transformer is a continuation of Prada's notable history of investment in the arts. It is a collaboration between Prada; AMO, the think-tank of the Office of Modern Architecture (OMA); and Rem Koolhass. The Transformer is a temporary art space which opened on April 25, 2009. It is in Seoul, South Korea next to 경희궁, Gyeonghui Palace. Special installations are scheduled along with a few special events. The Transformer has four configurations depending on the event happening inside: one for fashion, one for art, one for cinema and one for special events.
The Prada Transformer's second installation focuses on cinema. The installation is entitled the Flesh, Mind & Soul film festival is will run from June 27th through July 9th . 14 films chosen by Oscar-nominated director, Alejandro González Iñárritu, and former New York Times film critic and media personality, Elvis Mitchell.
"Ordet" by Karl Dryer (1955)
"Las Year at Marienbad" by Alain Resnais (1961)
"I Am Cuba" by Mikhail Kalatozov (1964)
"Fists in the Pocket" by Marco Bellocchio (1965)
"Aguirre, the Wrath of God" by Werner Herzog (1972)
"Seasons of the Year" by Artavazd Peleshian (1975)
"Killer of Sheep" by Charles Burnett (1977)
"Padre Padrone" by Paolo and Vittorio Taviani (1977)
"Yol" by Serif Gören (1982)
"Mother and Son" by Aleksandr Sokurov (1977)
"La Ciénaga" by Lucrecia Martel (2001)
"Silent Light by" Carlos Reygadas (2007)
"You, the Living" di Roy Andresson (2007)
"The Good, the Bad and the Weird" by Jiwoon Kim (2008)
These films will be shown one per day over the course of the two weeks. Each film will be shown three times a day in its native language along with Korean and English subtitles. The films span several decades and genres but all have inspired Iñárritu's film making. Many of these films have also never been shown in Seoul, so it's a great chance for people there to see them on the big screen.
The good news? Admission is free. You just have to book a ticket.
You can book online only if you are a South Korean citizen with a valid Korean ID number. Otherwise, email booking.transformer@prada.com or call +82 (0)2 737-4773 (dial the zero if you're calling from inside South Korea).
Most posts I write for WeAreTheMarket.com I'll post only on my Twitter feed and won't specifically repost it here. In fact, if you want to comment, take it over there. Comments are off for this one.
Being abroad means I was like "who is Charles Hamilton?" However, I did see a video of his maybe two weeks ago. It was one where he was interviewing a young female rapper/poet. He said a bit too much and she punched him. Ouch!
Well, this seems to be more than a one time occurrence, hence the video above. Therefore, based on this advice: ignore Charles Hamilton. Thanks ;)
I found this on the Web 2.0 Asia blog this morning: wetoku (Konglish. Korean-English, for "we talk").
Since I might start doing interviews again pretty soon, this would be a great way to do it. I wonder if you can also use it to record multiple users and also set it up to record podcasts? (I guess if it records sound, if you edit it, why not?) I have to try this one.
Migrating east to NYC, holding in the suburbs near NYC while looking for work and an apartment
I'm an L.A. native who lived in South Korea for a bit too long, but had a great time while I was there. In addition to my B.A. and law degree, I earned a master's in international studies while I was there at Ewha Womans University. After all that, I've discovered that I love writing thanks to this blog and the things that grew out of writing it. I want to continue to write or work in communications when I grow up ;) The problem is since I grew up awhile back, I've got to play a bit of catch up. At least I've figured it out. A lot never do.
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