As I told you yesterday, the “planking” craze has taken over black Twitter. Here are NBA stars, Basketball Wives, and baby mama’s laying down in unusual places. That’s Gilbert Arenas and Dwight Howard double planking a luggage rack above. Hopefully this silly fad will fizzle out by the end of the week.
Tami Roman (Basketball Wives) planks her mom
Evelyn Lozada (Basketball Wives) lays face down on an unsanitary baby changing station inside a public restroom (that’s just nasty)
Dwight Howard on a stovetop
Donte Green of the Kings assists his son to plank a toy
Dwight Howard planks out at a fast food restaurant
The Internet craze “planking” made headlines around the world last month when a young man fell to his death from a hotel balcony in Brisbane, Queensland. According to London tabloid the Daily Mail, the man tried to “plank” himself by laying across the balcony railing.
Planking involves participants lying down in unusual places and then uploading pictures of themselves to social networking websites.
Ever since planking claimed it’s first victim, there have been other deaths and serious injuries connected to the fad. What once was strictly isolated to groups of idle middle class teens on Facebook has now reached black Twitter.
Yesterday, “planking” trended on Twitter.com for hours, fueled by tweets containing black Twitter’s version of planking. Socially conscious Twitter users raised the theory that planking is a racist term derived from the African slave trade when shippers stacked slaves on planks in slave ships. But there is no evidence to support their theory that the term originated from the slave trade. o_O WTF?!
Heat broiler. Place the salmon on a foil-lined broilerproof baking sheet. In a small bowl, mix together the curry paste, oil, sugar, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Dividing evenly, brush the salmon with the curry paste mixture.
Broil until the salmon is opaque throughout, 5 to 7 minutes
Lately; I’ve become obsessed with the practical implications of implosions. A few years ago I worked for an international real estate developer. They would purchase and acquire huge tracts of commercial and residential property; only to implode the pre-existing structures and remove ALL traces of it’s previous identity. The company’s logic is that they would prefer to just start from scratch rather than compromise their ultimate vision. They preferred to immediately eliminate all of the undesirable factors of a chosen location; Rather than to gradually rehab the project into successful urban gentrification community. This is what real game changers do. They abolish mediocrity. My personal theory is that implosions can also be an essential tool for improving the quality of one’s life by refusing to settle for less. Don’t be afraid to burn Any and All bridges that will NEVER take you where you want to go, anyway. And if you’re wasting time “playing house”,walk away forever. Leave it to be condemned and bulldozed with that non-committal assclown still inside! Today is the day; that you should start building something stable for YOU. Just make sure that’s brand NEW and has a much better view. ~~~MissyK.
You can purchase any of these blog pieces printed on canvas and stretched over a 1/4″ gallery frame through my new website: http://www.lisacantrell.com/
As predicted, Beyonce’s album, 4, has bombed spectacularly. The projected first week sales figures are in — and they are not good.
Beyonce will be #1 next week, but 4 will sell only 273K, her lowest 1st week sales since her debut album, Dangerously in Love, was released back in 2003. I’m still trying to get my confidential source on the phone to tell me what the mood is at Sony/Columbia records. I’ll let you know what he says.
Fresh off her triumph on closing night at Glastonbury, Columbia diva Beyonce’s 4 will debut at #1 next week on the HITS album chart with between 275-300k in first-week sales. Her previous album, ‘08’s multiple Grammy winning I Am… Sasha Fierce, debuted with 463k, but that was during the Q4 sales rush in November.
Those figures are based on one-day sales from those music retailers around the country not augmenting their income by selling illegal fireworks out of the back door.
SoCal rapper Big Sean’s Finally Famous: The Album, his feature-length debut after a series of critically acclaimed “Finally Famous” mixtapes, is the first release under Kanye West’s new deal for his G.O.O.D. Music label, through Island Def Jam Music Group, and should do in the 90-95 range.
Submitted by Tyler Durden | Zero Hedge
With 3D being all the rage, just like in the 50s (when is Amazon releasing a 3D Kindle? nobody reads those things anyway, but at least wearing stereoscopic glasses when reading a book will make you look really cool), below is a fancy way of demonstrating what happens when a country goes the way of Lehman. The chart from Bloomberg shows the shift in the GGB curve from steep to inverted over the past month. As we have long claimed, an inverted curve is the death knell for any company, let along a country. The only question now, as John Taylor asks, is what the final outcome will be: civil war due to austerity or civil war due to the inability to fund anything, and a confiscation of deposits (and gold, if there was any left to be confiscated).
Anarchy In Athens: The Shocking Story Of Greece’s Financial Implosion
Riots, wage cuts, increasing poverty and dramatically rising unemployment have seen Greece become the number one victim of the global financial meltdown…
Perhaps the most pertinent comment about the Greek crisis was actually made decades ago by that little-known economic genius Eric Morecambe, when he famously asked “what’s a Grecian urn?” The updated answer for many Greeks is “not nearly enough to live on” and much closer to the original “about ten bob a week” than should be the case in Europe in 2011.
Some picturesque rioting apart, far too little of the coverage of what is happening to Greece has focused on the people. Decent, hardworking people. Families. Pensioners. Instead we have seen and heard endless pseudo-intelligent economist-speak about debt ratios, default and bailout packages. What this actually means is suffering, unemployment and poverty for huge sections of the Greek population. The unemployment rate, in a country with only a modest social security system, hit 16% in the first quarter of 2011. It is almost certainly already worse and will get worse still. Another 150000 state employees will be sacked as part of this week’s latest package of cuts. Plenty more will follow as part of the desperate privatisations to come and the effects of a plunging economy on the private sector.
Many of those still in work have had their wages slashed twice already and will see further reductions. Over one million Greeks (the total population is 11 million) are now trying to survive on an income of less than €400 a month. That might get you through a few good happy hours in Faliraki but try supporting a family on it when the cost of living is skyrocketing due to the austerity programmes, which, amongst other things, include all manner of sales tax rises.
These austerity programmes are being imposed on the Greek government by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the rest of the EU. Of course, they are pouring billions of Euros in, albeit grudgingly, and those stumping up do have the right to set the terms. After all, as most of the media, economists and politicians keep telling us, this is being done in the interests of “saving Greece”. In reality, “saving Greece” might be a secondary consideration but it is far from the main motivation. What is actually taking place is a massive attempt by the funding countries to ensure, once again, that their incompetent banks get the money back from their lousy investments.
As we have already seen in the UK, Ireland and elsewhere, it is the ordinary people who are expected to pay the crushing price when everything collapses.
Apart from the greedy bankers, the people who benefitted most from the bad loans were Greece’s political and business elites, who took advantage of the low interest rates that came with Euro membership to obtain money for projects designed to boost their political power and personal wealth. Few ordinary people could possibly have had access to the information that would have made them aware of what was going on and few received anything like as much of the benefit of these unsustainable schemes as the rich and powerful. But, as we have already seen in the UK, Ireland and elsewhere, it is the ordinary people who are expected to pay the crushing price when everything collapses.
Worse still, it is not clear that the Greek people’s sacrifice will turn out to be worth it. For all the savings in the national budget, the indications are that the cuts and price rises are only succeeding in shrinking the Greek economy, making it ever more impossible to repay the debt and causing it to rise further. As Samuel Brittan in the Financial Times, amongst others, have pointed out it is inevitable that Greece will, sooner or later, have to renege on some of its debts and lengthen the repayment terms on the rest. This may mean Greece also has to leave the Euro and reinstate its own national currency. As has been known for some time, Greece did not meet the economic criteria and should not have been allowed to join the Euro in the first place. It is probably time to correct this error. Bowing to the inevitable now will give Greece the time and space to reform itself with less counterproductive pressure from outside agencies motivated by other concerns. This will still be painful for the Greek people but not in a way that is more gratuitous than necessary.
Contrary to much of the hysteria around, this is not likely to be too damaging for everyone else either and will not bring the whole Euro currency crashing down. The financial losses would be relatively small in relation to the scale of Europe’s overall economy. Nor would they be much larger, if at all, than continuing to pour money into the lost cause of enabling Greece to pay its debts in full and on time.
The Euro will survive because most of the people who use it want it to survive. European businesses like being able to trade around Europe without incurring losses due to unpredictable exchange rate fluctuations and most people on mainland Europe prefer being able to cross borders without the hassle and cost of constantly exchanging currencies. The departure of one small, peripheral country from the Euro will not change that and in the long-term the currency will be strengthened by being seen to stick to the rules underpinning participation in it.
Ultimately, quite a lot of us have enjoyed a holiday in Greece and now it is time to give the Greeks a break too.
Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore–
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over–
like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.
Or does it explode IMPLODE?????
The Great Celebrity Implosion of the 21st-century.
INFAMOUS Celebrity Meltdowns
We are witnessing an epochal moment in human history where men with undeserved power, poor self-preservation instincts and no morality are falling to the forces of popular judgment. This phenomenon has been recurring all over the world lately and although future historians may give it a grander-sounding title, for now let’s call it the Great Celebrity Implosion of the 21st-century.
What are the constants of this phenomenon?
1. A prolonged psychological unraveling of a celebrity in full view of television or photographic cameras, the watching of which qualifies as more macabrely entertaining that any produced work by the celebrity;
2. Big trouble with the law;
3. The grinding into action of a heavy-horsepower public relations machine that attempts to minimise the damage of, or deny the very existence of, the original source of scandal and infamy;
4. A diarrheaic flow of hostility that for some unknown reason fixes on the target of world Jewry and its evil machinations.
That last trait would be disturbing in a single occurrence, but as a repeat performance by famous and supposedly image-minded figures, it hints at darker civilisational disturbances on the horizon.
First there was Mel Gibson, all-in-one foe of the Los Angeles traffic police, women’s shelters and the reformist tendencies of the current Church of Rome.
Then came Julian Assange, a celebrity by any measure, who has interrupted packing his bags for Stockholm to angrily ring up Private Eye magazine in London and assail its critical coverage of him by suggesting a defamation conspiracy led by the Guardian and its supposedly “Jewish” editors. (Assange had already employed a known Holocaust denier who feeds the dictator of Belarus WikiLeaked information on that luckless country’s political opposition.)
Up next was Charlie Sheen, who lost his ridiculous CBS sitcom and $2 million-per-episode paycheck for radio rant in which he referred to his boss by his alleged original Hebrew name. (In fairness to Sheen, he seems to have fashioned a convincing case against any dark motive in doing so, or so Tablet magazine says. His is a hieroglyphic nuttiness that we should leave to others to decipher.)
Now comes John Galliano, a fashion designer who looks like Salvador Dali, shaves like Guy Fawkes and dresses like a bee-keeping Diane Keaton and yet whom sensible people everywhere assumed would behave himself unto the grave.
Galliano was captured recently by the British tabloid newspaper The Sun as telling one horrified patron of the Parisian bar La Perle, “I love Hitler… People like you would be dead. Your mothers, your forefathers, would all be f****** gassed.”
Anti-Semitism is a crime in France, much like wearing white after Labor Day is to those who had followed this strange man’s career up until now. Or former career: Galliano’s employer, Christian Dior, has just sacked him.
The New York Times rule of dubious trendspotting — three of anything over any span of time is a pattern — is slightly outdone here by both number and frequency . One wonders if the Great Celebrity Implosion isn’t really some baleful M. Night Shyamalan-style buildup to the coming apocalypse.
Have you ever seen a building implode? One moment you see the building like any other day and any other time but in a matter of moments, the entire building collapses within itself and is nothing more than dust and a pile of bricks. Did this happen on accident? Not a chance. The foundation was compromised and the key supports were weakened which ultimately led to the collapse of the building.
In a professional building implosion, months or even years of planning occur in order for mere seconds of demolition. Numerous small explosives are strategically placed within the structure and are used for the eventual collapse. Nitroglycerin, dynamite, or other explosives are used to shatter the foundation and concrete supports. There are a series of small explosions but the building itself isn’t erupting outward. It’s actually being pulled in on top of itself.*
Webster’s Dictionary defines an implosion as “a violent collapse inward”. A personal implosion is exactly that, a violent collapse inward of one’s life. To most if not all on the outside, nobody is aware of the “small explosions” that are occurring on the inside of our lives. Then when we finally manage to “take down our lives”, everyone around is left looking at our personal implosion and wondering how could this have happened? Little did they know we were destroying our own foundation all along the way.
A building or a personal implosion does not happen by accident. Whether we realize the obvious fact or not, we have been compromising our foundation, which is our character, for awhile which ultimately led to the implosion of our lives. And if we’ve been eroding our character for years, often times the larger the fall and the bigger the mess is the result of our compromises.
What happens after the building is imploded? Well, first of all, there is one massive mess. The surrounding buildings are affected by dust, rubble, and debris , which depends upon the size of the building. And those closest to the building are affected the most by the implosion. Someone has to clean up the mess. Often there are hazardous wastes and toxins that result in the implosion that must be removed immediately. This is true in the wake of those left to clean up the mess of a personal implosion. Embarrassment, confusion, anger, blown trust and so much more are part of the personal debris and hazardous waste we leave behind for others to deal with as a result of our selfish actions.
The reason the first section of project180 is Character Development is because those of us who have imploded our lives need to start here: rebuilding our character. Our foundation needs to be re-poured and the building rebuilt this time on a solid foundation. Once the new foundation of character has been re-constructed, only then can we truly see success in the re-building of our personal and professional lives. We must deal with the inside first. This isn’t easy. And it isn’t quick. But it is absolutely critical. If we’ve imploded our lives in any way, we owe it to ourselves and others that were directly affected by our inner character erosion and were left cleaning up our mess.
project180 is here for those of you who are ready to rise above the rubble of your personal implosion and are serious about rebuilding their lives. But this time the right way. You will be amazed in just 180 days, how differently your life will look if you’re truly willing and committed to begin with rebuilding the foundation of your life by rebuilding your character.
project180 was born out of one person’s journey of recovery from a personal implosion. After success and failure and over the course of 15 plus years came grace, healing, and recovery. Each section and lesson was personally experienced and designed to allow each participant an opportunity to learn key principles that result in a project to hopefully experience grace, healing, and recovery in their own lives. There’s nothing magical or guaranteed in the program. It’s an opportunity for an individual to wrestle with the tough issues of the heart and who we need to become in rebuilding our lives.
Airistotle (Matt Burns), now an official US Air Guitar Champion, also holds the distinction of having once been the youngest performer in US Air Guitar history. At the ripe age of 17 in early 2008, his mother drove him from their latchkey apartment in New York City down to Philadelphia, because it was the only all ages show on our tour. Everyone present that night knew they were witnessing the future of competitive air guitar blossom before their eyes, like a caterpillar becoming a new caterpillar with different colored eyes. Barely a flyweight, the teen was so thin and pale he was nearly translucent. But even at 17 he was already six feet tall, with every inch screaming “nerd.” Obviously, the kid was a natural, and born for this sport.
Quipped Björn Türoque (Dan Crane), who this year was New York City’s Regional “Master of Airemonies” on Airistotles’s Schifferean proportions, “If I had to fuck a man …”
–It’d have to be an official Champion?
Airistotle, we’ve sung your praises on this very blog ever since we met way back when. But today, we celebrate you like never before as you join the highest ranks of the air guitar elite.
Eternal gratitude to Christine Zona Foto for all of today’s amazing photographs.
Two nights ago as Björn Türoque (Dr. Daniel Crane, Ph.D), the face of US Air Guitar, stepped into the green room during our crowded contestant briefing, I valiantly shouted, “ladies and gentlemen, you all know who this man is–”
“—the guy who turned down my facebook request!” responded a forlorn SINGAR THE GOAT DEMON (Forrest Stone). Save for a few clutch moves by Friday’s champ SHRED NUGENT (Kurt Brown) and a couple others, Goat Demon’s pre-show Facebook jibe marked the last time I smiled all night.
Singar the Goat Demon can’t read Björn’s status updates. Photo credit Christine Zona Foto.
So then how is it our next show on Saturday rocked so fucking hard? Was it the 6.0-talent that signed up, including AWESOMO DOMINGO (Alex Koll) and last night’s champ, COLD STEEL RENEGADE (Matthew Feldstein)? Was it the douche-free judging panel of air guitar legends and mortal nemeses C-DIDDY (David Jung) and BJÖRN Türoque? Maybe it was Saturday’s third celebrity judge, the fucking legendary Bay Area icon DR. FRANK (of MTX!)? Was it the heartthrob pushing spacebar?
After two polar opposite shows, it’s refreshing to know that as US Air Guitar hobbles into its second decade we still don’t have this thing down to a science. Fans can be fickle pieces of unflushable shit, competitors can be demanding assholes, good cities can blow hard, and the guy pushing spacebar can make some really bad compulsory song choices. Or everyone can do everything right, and for some reason everything can come out cooky.
But fuck damn if it don’t feel great when we nail it.
Saturday night’s crowd crapped its pants in unison when confirmed blog reader and celebrity judge C-DIDDY disrobed himself to reveal his trademark Hello Kitty chest plate. This was just moments before he executed the half time show I want eternally projected on my tombstone benedicamus domino deo gratias a-fucking-men. It was a duet with Björn Türoque, who last night shared the stage with the Asian Fury he never bested during his competitive career. For a brief keyboard moment the two legends were joined by last night’s Master of Airemonies, himself a damn sexy legend, HOT LIXX HULAHAN (Craig Billmeier). Hot Lixx, who’s been competing since 2006, was a relative spring chicken up there, wailing away at the air-keyboard sandwiched by 18 years of competitive air guitar experience. Afterward when the competition resumed, Hot Lixx asked a mesmerized ZERO PROSPECTS (Kate Gray) for the official scorecard which she had forgotten to retrieve from the Official Score Keeper. When Zero Prospects ran to the sound booth to retrieve it, a mesmerized Official Score Keeper had completely forgotten to tally up the first round scores.
Blown Away: Spring chicken Hot Lixx Hulahan on the keyboard. Photo credit Christine Zona Foto.
One more brief word about C-Diddy: When Björn was teaching him the ins and outs of judging before the show, C-Diddy asked a question that epitomizes an air guitar champion: “How much time should I take to speak? I just don’t want this to be all about me.” Projected onto every shitty competitors’ tombstone I see on the road should be the converse to C-Diddy’s razor: “He did it for himself (and died alone).”
Among the many Saturday night competitors who will die surrounded by a well-lubed harem of the ones they love: female competitors Gran-Motley-Poo (Janine Lococo) and ReprAmanda (Amanda Williams); the brilliant if misunderstood Snake Riffsken (Nick Brown) and drunken ninja master Gobo (Todd Nakagawa); the “how did we end up here?” explosive confusion of LLcoolSteve (Stephen Hyde) and Ayatollah of Aireola (Hunter Leake); the only half totally-racist Mexicutioner (Ryan Gantz, third member of his family to compete this season); and, of course, SinGar the Goat Demon (Forrest Stone) and Tiger Claw (Dan LaFever), both of whom gave lengthy interviews to an apparently lazy CW Bay Area who still haven’t posted squat.
Last night’s honorable mention award, even though he shoved us onto thin ice with the venue’s no-confetti patrol, goes to Six String General (Tim Granlund). Last night he was less a pastiche of air guitar greats and more his own thing. One day, when he focuses on which of his numerous moves work the crowd best and then tosses the rest, this guy will powwow with greatness.
Six String General demonstrates firearm superiority. Photo credit Christine Zona Foto.
Long-time competitor IROQ Z (Brian Tom) was propelled into round two at the top of the heap thanks to his own Asian Fury and glitter-star pasties. But he peaked too early – as is often the case with air guitarists – and didn’t have enough gas in his tank to blow us away in Round 2.
IROQ Z pulls the heavens back towards hell. Photo credit Christine Zona Foto.
Dirty Airy, one of the few who wowed us the previous night, did it again when he advanced to the compulsory round yet again. The CW Bay Area crew was all over the place last night, where I overheard Hot Lixx synopsize thusly:
“For the first time we had a nude male competitor who was actually good at air guitar. Usually male nudity in round two is a last ditch effort for those with no schmaltz left in their back pockets. But Dirty Airy, who was draped in an American flag and one sock (not on his foot), did just that. Shortly into the compulsory song a woman (er, a friend of my dad’s) snatched his sock and stuffed it down her shirt, leaving Dirty Airy (whose parents were in attendance) to finish his fantastic routine as if nothing had happened.”
Dirty Airy dares even us patriots to go a little gay. Photo credit Christine Zona Foto.
I would add that there was a brief look of panic across Dirty’s face when the sock snapped off, momentarily confirming the crowd’s biggest fear: that his power is derived from the sock, without which his rock will no longer thunder. But his recovery was swift and potent, earning him the highest second round scores of the night from all but the insecure judge that low-balled him with a 5.4.
Crusher cannot quiet the crowd despite his BO. Photo credit Christine Zona Foto.
It came down to two mighty competitors in the San Francisco redux show last night: Cold Steel Renegade’s confetti and CRUSHER (John Healy). Crusher was pure metal in the first round, shredding to what I think was a Steel Dragon track from the flick Rock Star. Far and away the crowd favorite, Crusher’s second round performance to our “Any Way You Want It” compulsory track was one-tenth of a point higher than CSR’s. However, the term “cumulative” means we add both rounds’ scores together. In the end, Cold Steel Renegade won the 2011 San Francisco Redemption Show, 35.2 to 35.1.
Thanks to The Independent for being so forgiving about our mess, and most of all to San Francisco for being yourselves again.
Shred Nugent (Kurt Brown) takes a regional championship for the first time since 2007. All photography by San Francisco’s sharpest shooter, Christine Zona Foto.
Last night San Francisco hosted the first of two Pride Weekend regional US Air Guitar competitions. The bar was set pretty high with SHRED BOY R.D., who volunteered to go first and will one day be a chef and feed all the little boys and girls of Italy, when he came out with more gusto and raw energy than a dozen of last night’s sleepy performers who followed. For reasons that would reveal themselves as the night dragged on yet were unclear at the time, Shred Boy R.D. brought with him a bucket full of halloween candy which he tossed into the crowd as last night’s judges meted out scores.
Marc Hawthorne, regular judge, esteemed funny man, and once music editor of The Onion, did his best to keep the audience engaged through a surprising number of sub-par performances from this once mecca of air guitar talent. His co-judge, from whom we’re still awaiting a formal letter of apology, missed the mark with every long and slobbery syllable he worthlessly mouthfarted through the PA. Throughout the night, the audience wisely hurled Shred Boy R.D.’s candy at judge number two’s face to limit the time he greedily stole from their lives.
Still, it is not the judge’s responsibility to get the crowd engaged. Rather, it happens when a performer explodes onstage and melts some fucking faces. But aside from a couple brief exceptions, last night’s first round was wholly disappointing for the Sucka Free City.
TIGER CLAW (Dan LaFever), San Francisco’s Air Guitar zealot with heart and chest plate of gold, in my opinion had his best performance in four years. He’s also the first air guitarist whose Kinkos card line of credit is high enough to print his Champion card on real life cardboard-stock paper. It even smelled like bubble gum.
Last night two SF staples, TONY DILEMMA (Justin Hypes) and DIRTY AIRY (Aron Carlton) suffered from the same, almost unheard of, condition among competitive air guitarists: they peaked too late. Dilemma’s round two, which earned him 5.9’s across the board, and included some serious Rocketeer shit as when he launched himself from the stage to the mezzanine/VIP section some twenty feet overhead (although he did drop the guitar a couple times during the climb). In Dirty Airy’s round two, he came out draped in what seemed like an American flag and nothing else. However, when he shed the stars and stripes, we learned he was in fact draped in a sock. Specifically, the old dick in a sock.
Air Guitar purists will likely now guffaw, “but nudity does not equal airness!” And this is true, but shut the fuck up for a minute so I can explain. Dirty Airy’s schtick isn’t just his stick – his licks are perfect, his stage presence is rock hard, and his straight-faced-feelin’-lucky-punk persona combine themselves into what experts call “airness.” After that initial dick-in-a-sock slap in the face, the audience forgets the flailing phallus and experiences something magical and all too rare. However, the uninspired first round acts of both Tony Dilemma and Dirty Airy kept the SF crown at dick’s length.
CAPTAIN NOWHERE (Undisclosed) was also an exception to Friday’s talent void. His slow-motion meltdown while dressed as a Light Bright earned him a second round nod and second place finish overall. It’s worth noting that Capt. Nowhere wore a fake mustache last night, which fell off during his second round performance only to reveal an identical real mustache underneath.
Captain Nowhere turns on the magical shining lights. Photo credit: Christine Zona Foto.
By far, SHRED NUGENT (Kurt Brown, San Jose Champ ’07) delivered last night’s most consistently solid performances. His round one performance was all heart, no schtick, and sent him into round two head and shoulders above the pack. Round two was his to lose, and he scared me a little bit when he came out riding the inflatable whale from Hot Lixx’s halftime performance. Was Shred Nugent going to jump the shark on this stupid blue whale?
It’s been a long, filthy tour, so we’re freshening up at the 18th St. Gold’s Gym. Tonight and tomorrow we play San Francisco’s Independent, just a few blocks from the Castro on this proudest of Pride Weekends.
Be it gay pride or straight shame we’re celebrating all weekend. Join us?
In a world of phony smiles, brown nosers, and of course industry douchebags, it’s refreshing to meet someone and truly know where you stand. Such is the case with today’s Champion, the ginger ninja, the man who hates puppies and butterflies, the one and only WINDHAMMER (Rob Weychert).
He’s the iratest!
On stage, Masters of Airemonies BJÖRN TÜROQUE (Dr. Daniel Crane, Ph.D) and HOT LIXX HULAHAN (Craig Billmeier) have whispered every possible dirty joke into Windhammer’s ear. They’ve posed for photos between his legs and tugged at his Old Testament beard and still have yet to see even the slightest twitch. Nary a dimple was dug when his mother nicknamed him “Fartjammer” at a third grade talent show. Some pundits have likened him to Her Royal Queen’s Palace Guard, which is wholly inaccurate because Windhammer regularly denounces those guys as “total pussies”.
Windhammer’s historicity is non-negotiable. Back in ’08 he was competing in a third round tiebreaker air-off against AIRISTOTLE, and because I had just discovered my point-and-shoot’s video button I recorded the whole thing and uploaded it to youtube. For the rest of the tour, in every new city we’d find a handful Windhammer copycats – can they be called cover-cover artists? – editing their own 60 second Skid Row tracks and practicing night and day to pull off a believable impersonation of their idol who himself was given only one opportunity to listen to our Skid Row edit when he won the tiebreaker in Philly.
Of course, Windhammer’s style is all his own. No frills, no tricks, pure rock. His air guitar is easily twice the size of most others’, three times as heavy, and also never smiles. Although today I suspect he may crack, as we bestow upon Windhammer via limited edition jpeg USAG’s highest honor except for the Legends Cards which are rigged anyway.
2009 SF champion AWESOME (Alex Koll) inked this piece for the most recent Bold Italic. It’s a must read.
When the U.S. Air Guitar Championships roll into town during the summer, men and women of an otherwise mild manner are transformed into gods of pure rock. Sweaty and shameless displays of pure enthusiasm set to epic anthems produce girth-defying feats of semi-acrobatics that drive audiences wild.
San Francisco is one of the – if not THE – best cities to compete. This city gets it, plain and simple. It’s no secret that weirdness is dense here. There is no shortage of willing wing nuts ready to push the boundaries of the sport to its strangest limits. People here also love to get drunk and watch some sideways shit go down. Does it break convention? Is it a pure spectacle? Is there a keg? If so, you’ve got an event! That’s why the USAG does two sold-out nights in SF each year. When the finals were here in 2008, they filled the Regency Ballroom. When the competition was pared down to one night in 2010, the freakin’ Fillmore was sold out.
Eric Melin is the type of guy who’s waiting at the hotel with cookies when the van pulls up. He’s the type of guy who gets you free passes to AMC’s flagship theater in Kansas City. He’s the type of guy who’s always smiling.
MEAN MELIN, Eric’s alter ego, is a world class son of a bitch. Many is the time I’ve mopped blood from his stage, and every is the time mothers cover their baby’s ears when his name is announced over the PA. And when he has to be, he’s a hard nosed event promoter from whom no front page is safe.
His exploits as a performer have often bridged the gap between Air Guitar and traditional art, as when he flash mobbed the multi-million dollar America Now and Here art project with a spontaneous air guitar show on ANH’s kickoff weekend. Melin sent us regular field reports, including this: “We dropped the flash mob right on their premises and instead of getting mad they taped it and interviewed me on camera for inclusion in their art project!” For this, Melin’s face was all over the local FOX and CBS affiliates, to name a few.
To many, he’s the best “air mentor” a guy could ever ask for. By day, he’s the only film critic I trust. By night he’s one of Kansas City’s freest thinkers. And a couple times a year, he’s every competitor’s worst fucking nightmare. He’s a two-time regional champion who will be representing his native KC in the US Air Guitar National Finals in Chicago this summer. And today, US Air Guitar proudly presents Mean Melin with our highest accolades given to an active performer.
Shreddy Mercury wins the Brooklyn Regional with his Doc Brown impression. But Neckballs doesn’t approve. Photo credit Gabi Porter.
Much like today’s blog, with the exception of new regional champion SHREDDY MERCURY (Seth Leibowitz), last night’s Brooklyn Regional Championships didn’t really start until round two. Celebrity judge and confirmed blog reader JASON JONES (Daily Show) sent a veritable who’s-who of competitors into Brooklyn’s compulsory round who didn’t win the New York City regional the previous night, including (with final ranking):
1 Seth Leibowitz Shreddy Mercury
2 Tom Corsillo Mitt Umlaut
3 Del-Kun Chen G. Tso Money
4 Rob Weychert Windhammer
5 Alexander Forbes Ricky Stinkfingers
6 Josh Perry Doctor Rockenstein
Registered voter (last night’s venue, Brooklyn Bowl, is in Rep. Antony Weiner’s congressional district) and second degree black belt G. Tso Money added several new moves to his repetior, such as when he belt-tied his arm and spiked a spoonful of “air-oin” into his veins. Many high kicks, windmills, and fever chills later, G. Tso collapsed on stage as the track faded out. However, Canadian racist and confirmed blog reader Jason Jones found G. Tso’s “karate moves a little stereotypical for an Asian.”
G. Tso strung out after slamming some bad shit in round 2.
Continuing the theme of what may have been the most epic second round of the 2011 tour, MITT UMLAUT nearly robbed Shreddy Mercury of last night’s title despite being sent into round two nearly an entire point behind. Stage presence (including one’s use or abuse of the stage) being an important factor in judging a performer, the crowd was bowled over by Mitt’s use of off-stage space. As the song blasted through the PA, he ran through the crowd and into the venue’s hipster bowling alley, spontaneously shredding in front of lane 6, just before someone bowled a perfect 7-10 split through Mitt’s legs. The two pins still standing formed distant devil horns for the bewildered audience members whose faces were melted all over the fucking floor. All this within the confines of a 60 second song edit, and without once dropping his air guitar.
Mitt Umlaut, somewhat obstructed by wig. Photo credit Gabi Porter.
Sitting beside Yankee fan and confirmed blog reader JASON JONES was celebrity judge and industry hot shot LEIGH LUST, who was thoroughly impressed by Mitt’s site-specific performance artistry. If I had just one recommendation for MEAT OMELET, it’d be to cut the bangs on his trademark wig or perhaps tie it off with a headband. While it works well for the first few seconds, the audience loses site of all facial expressions. I for one think Brooklyn was begging for a facial last night.
360° with Emmy award winning comedian and confirmed blog reader Jason Jones.
Deserving an honorable mention is USAG newcomer and grocery baron DAG NASTY (John D’Agostino), who removed his sweater vest to reveal a rock’n roll white pressed shirt tucked into cargo shorts. His performance thereafter was solid but not enough for a second round nod from morning shift strip club fan and confirmed blog reader Jason Jones. Jones, the cuddly curmudgeon who never met an air guitarists he didn’t abuse, had clearly done his homework last night. He knew many performers’ names and back stories. Props to him and his Daily entourage, MILES HIGH and MAX HARDCORE.
Last night’s champ, Airistotle (Matt Burns), all grow’d up. Photo credit Ben Hider.
One day, many years from now, AIRISTOTLE’S children – assuming he lost his virginity last night – will read about their father’s performance in the history books. Airistotle (Matt Burns), now the official New York Air Guitar champion, was once the youngest performer in US Air Guitar history. At the ripe age of 17 in early 2008, his mother drove him from their latchkey apartment in New York City down to Philadelphia, because it was the only all ages show on the tour. Everyone present that night knew they were witnessing the future of competitive air guitar unfold before their eyes. Barely a flyweight, the kid was so thin and pale he was nearly translucent. And even at 17 he was already six feet tall, with every inch screaming “nerd.” Obviously, the kid was a natural.
Quipped Björn Türoque (Dan Crane), who was last night’s New York City Regional “Master of Airemonies” on Airistotles’s Schifferean proportions, “If I had to fuck a man …”
“–Again?” interrupted celebrity judge HOT LIXX HULAHAN (Craig Billmeier, 2008 World Champion), cutting off the MC. Joining Hot Lixx on the judge’s panel was music industry hot shot LEIGH LUST, and Flight of the Conchords actress/Daily Show correspondent KRISTEN SCHAAL. Toward the end of the night there were rumors of an Andy Dick spotting in the VIP section, which the dainty Ms. Schaal quickly dismissed. “You’d know if Andy Dick was here because his finger would be up Hot Lixx’s asshole.”
Celebrity judge Kristen Schaal falls for my old “peeled hot dog sticking out of my zipper” gag.
Airistotle was met by fierce competition at last night’s NYC regional. WINDHAMMER (Rob Weychert), his nemesis from that first show and the 2008 Philly champion, dueled Airistotle in the second “compulsory” round, where competitors perform a mystery track that US Air Guitar receives nightly from the Air Guitar World Championship headquarters in Oulu, Finland. Other second rounders included newcomer E-ROCK MONEY (Erik Kath), G. TSO MONEY (Del-Kun Chen), MATH ROMANCER (Paul Martino), and SHREDDY FUCKING MERCURY.
Nary a shirt to be found in round two. From left to right: E-rock Money, G. Tso Money, Math Romancer, Björn Türoque, Windhammer, Shreddy Mercury, Airistotle.
SHREDDY MERCURY (Seth Leibowitz), as sinewy as last night’s champion but of a more reasonable height an and with adorable Jewishness all his own, drove the crowd wild with his trademark mishegas. I heard several girls behind me repeat, “he’s so adorable, I want one of my own!” Shreddy finished in second last night, just a half point behind Airistotle.
Shreddy Mercury throws his horns just as Satan drags him downward.
Windhammer shot courtesy of Ben Hider. Many more photos available here at TMZ.
Coming in third was Airistotle’s old nemesis, Windhammer. Windhammer’s approach is pure unapologetic metal. Twice I’ve witnessed his first round track selections make audience members cry. Yet this morning I doubt Mr. Hammer can look in the mirror, as last night he was forced to perform to our compulsory LA glam track “Girls, girls, girls” by Mötley Crüe. So bubbly, this track’s bread and butter is air guitar, strip clubs, and Bar Mitzvahs. The fully-bearded, tormentingly scary performer was forced to race around the stage headbanging like Elisabeth Shue in the opening scene of Adventures to Babysitting.
Windhammer stars in the 80s tween hit Adventures in Babysitting.
Fans who missed out last night have one last shot of redemption by way of the Williamsburg Bridge: tonight we play BROOKLYN BOWL, one of the most amusing venues of the US AIr Guitar tour.
As ever, this timely blog pre-dated and brought to you by ATC (West Hays).
COLD STEEL RENEGADE (Matt Feldstein) first endeared himself to me in San Francisco when I accompanied him and HOT LIXX to the Comcast Sports Net studios for an on-air interview and performance with CSN anchor, Greg Papa. Ever the professional, Cold Steel didn’t break character once, despite Papa’s growing discomfort standing next to this well-built topless man in pink tights with his mic hanging from chest hairs. The weird was palpable (fast forward to the one minute mark on the video), and the concern on the faces of my surrounding off-stage CSN crew was indescribable. Papa, himself accustomed to being the biggest personality in the room, kept shrinking and shrinking until eventually the only thing in the room was CSR, Hot Lixx, and a whole lot of awkward.
Ever since then, he has continued to impress me. Cold Steel Renegade’s turn-ons include: hijacking county fairs with a spontaneous performance, oddities, and his own nut sack. Very often he’ll mix them all into into one highly potent cocktail, available across the Bay Area wherever strange and ambiguity are sold and consumed.
“Barkeep, make mine a Cold Steel Renegade.”
Each handmade trading card celebrates like never before the pillars of US Air Guitar – those members of the competitive air guitar community who have lifted the sport out of the bedroom, onto the stage, and now into the basement beside water-damaged sets of Magic the Gathering and d20 dice.
These limited edition jpegs come in two sets: CHAMPIONS (Tuesdays) and LEGENDS (Thursdays), featuring rankings and expert analysis on everything from competitor agility to homoeroticity.
Big ol’ thanks to LT. FACEMELTER (Jason Farnan) for his Photoshop wizardry.
Wednesday’s show has a bevy of celebrity superstar appearances, the most Brazilian of which being Mr. HEAVYER DANNAIR, who will join William Ocean (Andrew Litz) for reunion halftime shows at the Bowery Ballroom and Brooklyn Bowl. The last time these guys were together a hundred million viewers tuned in to watch.
Fuck that shit, I’m taking credit for this one. Photo credit: ATC (West Hays).
TOMMY FRETLESS (Adam Lee) conquered Saturday night’s DC show at the 9:30 Club in his first regional victory since he started back in 2008. He has progressed thusly:
Champion TOMMY FRETLESS (Adam Lee, red shorts and topless) gets hoisted into the air by fellow performers.
Godless liberal and the ACLU’s chief federal shit disturber, Ben Wizner, New York Times chief Supreme Court Correspondent Adam Liptak, and 2008 Air Guitar World Champion HOT LIXX HULAHAN (Craig Billmeier) also sent the following performers into round two:
2 Del-Kun Chen “G. Tso Money
3 Doug Stroock “Doug the Thunder Struck”
4 -tie- Tom Corsillo “Mitt Umlaut”
4 -tie- Lance Kasten “The Shred”
5 -tie- Michael Shearer “Airmageddon”
6 -tie- Athena Kopsidas “Shreddy Boop”
Wizner and Liptak have been collaborating on stories for years, yet had never found an an issue important enough to warrant an in-person meeting. That is, until US Air Guitar invited them both to put their heads together and bang out DC’s finest performer.
As the judges gleaned from a close review of the Historical Documents, competitor G. TSO MONEY has been a regular on the air guitar circuit for a couple years now, where he routinely misses three minor criteria for becoming champion. These include: technical ability, stage presence, and airness. However, he was never lacking drive or effort, often arriving at a venue earlier than our crew with posters that looked twice as good as our own. Toward the end of last season the first pinhole cracks of airness began to escape, as when the soul separates from the body. Last night, he was nothing less than poetry shredding across the stage. Furious Asian poetry.
Newcomer DOUG THE THUNDERSTRUCK surprised everyone in the room by finishing third in a completion of two dozen if the finest performers in the greater metro DC area. His first round act had every member of a packed house yelling “DEATH” / “TO ALL” / “BUT(T)” / METAL!” Ben Wizner, who last night never met a wine cooler he didn’t shotgun, gave him a near perfect 5.9 in both rounds.
Mitt Umlaüt, a second round staple in these parts and second place blog reader after Hot Lixx’s mom (thanks, Janis!), finished in the second round last night then read this in the blog: he’s signed up in NYC and Brooklyn, where some pundits predict it will come down to him, SHREDDY FUCKING MERCURY (Seth Leibowitz), RICKY STINKFINGERS (Alex Forbes), MICKEY O. (Michael Orosz), WINDHAMMER (Rob Weychert), and G. TSO MONEY. (I’ve got Mikey O. taking it all in a third round air off.)
In between rounds air band CATEGORY SIXX (William Ocean [Andrew Litz], Shreddy Mercury [Seth Leibowitz]) and friends (Fender Splendor [Paul Alexander], Juris Rocktor [Mike Sacks]) pulled off what may go down as the most inclusive, inspiring, and eclectic long form group air performances in the history of the sport. Words can’t do it justice, just watch the video and make sure you use an anti-static wipe to peel your melted face off the keyboard.
Airisol and Lost Heartbreaker jam out with their glam out.
Friday night’s Minneapolis show was opened by celebrity guest ninja HUGATHUG (Joe Regan) and Master of Airemonies HOT LIXX HULAHAN (Craig Billmeier), performing before a packed crowd filled with screeching girls and scary biker guys from the bar next door.
Competitor number one, wildcard NIP DIAMOND: THE DIAMOND NIPPLE, established himself as the number one unplanned competitor of the tour the moment he walked out with five inch nipple clamps hanging from his teats. ND:TDN is the first true wildcard (just some dude we dragged from the audience onto stage). Mark my words: He has a shot at one day becoming a contender. And, as evidenced by the following animated gif, even if he doesn’t pursue a future in competitive air guitar USAG can still make a fortune selling his likeness to vaguely gay porn sites. Se habla Ukrainian.
Johnny Boom boom, a wildcard entrant who worried backstage about not having a costume, solved the problem by taking off his shirt and tying his belt around his neck. Most dudes who are into that sort of thing don’t last 60 seconds, as shared by the buttery smooth voice of celebrity judge BRIAN OAKE from CITIES 97 MILF radio DJ. Next year we’ll stock lemons backstage.
Then two acts later some guy tried to murder Björn for throwing a 4.0
There was a final round showdown between two ladies and the boy whose heart they broke. I thought AIREOLA (Meg Linafelter), who came in second, had the strongest first round act. As is her style, she took her medley (Dragonforce edit?) and transformed it into a three act play with heroes, villains, warm summer breezes, French wines and cheeses. I thought LOST HEARTBREAKER had the strongest second round act of the lot and the strongest first round moves of his multi-city stint across the midwest. Generally LHB only shreds Tom Petty tracks, but as he walked into the club I heard him ask Hot Lixx, “Well, sometimes Petty covers other artists. Do you have Girls! Girls! Girls!?”
However, both AIREOLA and LHB had microscopic flaws in one of their two rounds. Coming in with the polish of a 3-time regional champion, AIRISOL nailed two pitch perfect acts. If one were forced to find a flaw, one might say that in order to go the Finland Distance one classically trained gymnast must manage by some alchemy to combine the two and stope referring to herself as “one.”
Hey, maybe ya’ll heard about it but there’s some DC stuff I gotta take care of?
Shot from the biker bar next door, where Björn is being tossed around like currency.
Kalamazoo’s champion, Thundergland, takes a moment to pose with Hot Lixx Hulahan while the audience wonders when he’ll start his performance.
The judges: Ben Bowman, comedian; “Chafe,” local legend, venue owner, lifelong band guy; Björn Türoque, the face of US Air Guitar.
The contestants: Arrived on time.
The challenge: Melt some fucking faces.
For her first regional ever, Kalamazoo was surprisingly unabashed. Our master of airemonies was HOT LIXX HULAHAN (Craig Billmeier), who singlehandedly marched Kalamazoo into womanhood and kept her smiling the whole way through. Our venue was called The Strutt, a major player on the open mic circuit and veritable who’s-who of Western Michigan University Bohème. Among the performing virtuosos was local Mexican white supremacist PODER BLANCO (“White Power”), a wildcard entrant who opened the show with a latin-flavored take on Scorpions’ “Hurricane.” Just before his performance, Poder Blanco was overheard saying he chose that track because he “fucking loves Germans.”
Flying Finn (Andrew Finn) wolfs out.
Our judges quickly dispatched the round one duds from Kalamazoo’s elite. When we played the round two compulsory track, Darkness’ “Get Your Hands off my Woman,” two distinct looks fell upon two distinct faces on stage: The adorable ROCKY RHOADES (Gina Czarkowski) pantomimed a very clear “I’ve got this shit” and “I came here for a fight!” before shredding her way into second place overall by way of air-punching the entire judging panel. On the other side of things was THE LOST HEARTBREAKER (Rob Nechanicky [“Neck-uh-NECK-ee”]), who had clearly never heard the song in his life. This pleased some of us to no end, as it’s the quintessential song at the penultimate moment of the climactic blockbuster AIR GUITAR NATION, the DVD that best explains what we do and why we do it. The film’s star, Björn Türoque, judged him accordingly. LHB’s unfamiliarity with the song secured him a fourth place finish, right above FLYING FINN (Andrew Finn), who will continue to be one of my favorite acts. If you’ve never seen Teen Wolf, well, then you were probably on our judging panel Thursday night.
Rocky Rhoades managing her anger. Photo credit Miriam Doan (in absentia).
Cannonball Maven reverse-births her air guitar. Photo credit: Miriam Doan.
Another female performer rising to the top of Thursday’s competition was the prim, dainty, satan-faced CANNONBALL MAVEN (Chelsie Jangord). Ms. Maven drove up from Chicago with last night’s halftime performer and Chicago’s reigning champ, NORDIC THUNDER (Justin Howard). Nordic moseyed on stage in a suede fringe jacket. He then peeled off his top layer to remove a second suede fringe jacket. He was greeted by raucous applause and a lot of “you suck!” – most of which was pumped through the PA on a track of his making.
Lost Heartbreaker has yet to surpass the bar he set for himself last year, when he was two pubes away from besting the soon-to-be 2010 Minneapolis champion, AIREOLA (Meg Linafelter). There will be a LHB-Aireola rematch Friday night in the Cities, so grab tickets now because it’s gonna be crazy.
Thundergland melts my camera lens.
Last night’s champ was THUNDERGLAND (Matt Barats), the 2010 Boulder champion, who selected a masterly White Stripes edit. As pointed out by Björn, his track worked because Thundergland created an intra-band medley — he didn’t try to wedge an epic queen moment in the middle as we often see in amateur edits. His use of negative space in round two separated him from the pack as we catwalked across the support beams of the Strutt’s mezzanine level.
We’re two hours deep into our nine hour drive to Minneapolis. This blog is dedicated to Chicago’s TETRAD (Mike Dee), who met us on the side of the road with homemade chocolate chip cookies.
Champion cookies, presented by Tetrad and Flying J. Photo credit: Björn Türoque’s (Dr. Daniel Crane, Ph.D) smartphone.
SF disagrees with judges, the love CRUSHER! Holy shit we might get beat up tonight (again). SF, thank you for bringing it tonight. 3 days ago · reply · retweet · favorite
Though it’s been done already for years and years, color-blocking is back in a BIG way this season. But what is it and how do you pull it off exactly?
I was hoping you’d ask that!
If you love color and have many bright hues in your wardrobe, color-blocking is a way of getting more bang for your buck by combining colors you may not immediately pair together. Though the shades aren’t what you would think of pairing together first, there is a rhyme and reason toward choosing them. First, grab a color wheel and then follow these steps:
1. Colors directly next to each other (i.e. yellow and yellow-orange; yellow and yellow-green; violet and blue-violet, etc.)
2. Colors that form right (90 degree) angles with each other (i.e. yellow and red-orange; blue and violet-red; green and orange, etc.)
3. Colors directly across from each other (i.e. yellow and violet; blue and orange; red and green, etc.)
4. Colors that form a T (i.e. blue, orange, and violet-red; yellow, violet, and red-orange; yellow, blue-green, and red-orange, etc.)
5. Colors that form an X (i.e. blue, orange, violet-red, and yellow, violet, blue-green, and red-orange, etc.)
Since brown is a neutral, it will go with virtually any color on the color wheel. I love to pair a chocolate brown with cobalt blue or fuchsia or bright red—such a fun and bold combo. Of course white, black, and the hues of blue found in denim are also neutrals that go with just about anything.
Colors that are a part of a “color family” also apply. So for instance, you can substitute pink with red and still be able to pull off the combos based on the color wheel (i.e. we see that blue and red form a right angle with each other–then in Elise Neal’s outfit she wore fuchsia and cobalt blue).
You can also use the color wheel when coming up with color combinations for your makeup. It can help you decide which makeup color to wear so that you don’t match your eyeshadow with your outfit. Check out how Rihanna paired gorgeous purple eyeshadow with her red frock:
And that’s how it’s done. Will you be rocking the color blocking trend this season?
Find a dress with blocking built in: This season we’ve found quite a few dresses with the color blocking mixed in. It can’t get easier than that! Check out this Diane von Furstenberg Reara Two-Tone Dress: [VyneWorld]
Aaaaah the colors, the grass, the readheads!! A fabulous and very Alice in Wonderland editorial photographed by Steven Meisel as originally published in VOGUE Italia 2004.
Courtesy of FGR
Color Block Tool
There’s a new tool in the editor that lets you spice up your sets with colored blocks! Just click the “Colors” option to see popular palettes, like grays, earth tones, and brights. Drag a color block to the canvas, resize it, rotate it, and use it to build cool backgrounds, frames, and fillers. As you add items to your set, we’ll automatically suggest additional colors that complement your set. You can also search for keywords like “water” and “love”, which will return popular colors from ColourLovers that are associated with those themes. We hope this will be helpful for those of you who have already been clipping images of colored rectangles to use as backgrounds. Unlike clipped images, you can resize these blocks in all directions to create rectangular shapes without using the custom background tool.
Something that has really caught my attention this season is colour blocking trend. It is not a new trend as such but is definitely back with a big bang. Here I try to decode the trend and give my two cents on it. Since it’s the first of it kinds article from my side, I hope it makes a fun read.
Time for some gyaan, please bear .
What is the colour blocking / Color Block?
Colour block fashion is one of the hottest new trends for the season. It combines the use of two or more blocks of colour in an ensemble. This could be for a top, bottom, tunic, a dress and even a handbag or shoes. Simply it means – creating an outfit by putting areas or blocks of solid color next to each other. It can include monotone, bright colours, muted colors, contrasting and complimentary colors. Clothes, shoes, handbags and accessories can all feature color block designs or can make up different blocks of color to be put together for a color block outfit.
The famous Lady Dior bag also follows the trend and a Marc Jacobs color blocked bag –
The Nail Color Blocking Trend 2011-2012 via Trend Bloger
How do you bring to this new trend on your nails?
I started working with the polish ‘Rock Baroque’ Yves Saint Laurent. I must admit that it takes some concentration and practice but the following tips will certainly succeed!
What you need:
- Nail file
- File to the surface of your nail polish
- Basecoat (usually with a French manicure colorless)
- A colored nail polish on the line
- A pink nail polish
- Swab
- Nail Polish Remover
How do you go:
1. File your nails into a square shape
2. Apply a basecoat to
3. Bring the pink nail polish
4. Draw a line of about 4 mm with a different color nail polish
5. Remove the excess polish off with a cotton swab
6. Apply a top coat
And to test your guts, color blocked hair –
Coming back -
Why do you need to be careful while following the color block trend?
Since they often involve the use of bright colours or many different colours together, it is easy to go wrong with it. The best way to pair colour block trends whether it’s for shoes, a tunic or a top is with other basic colours such as black, white, brown and gray. This way your colour block will pop out more and look more polished.
Why should you do the trend?
If you have been lapping up fashion news regularly, you will know how horribly ‘in’ it is. And if you still need another convincing reason to wear the trend. Here’s it – Use it to hide flaws of your body. I have your full attention now, don’t I? Women after all.
So what I was saying is, use it to hide flaws, as we all know dark colours have a slimming effect, so colour-block the winter paunch or those baby fatty arms with dark shades and keep the rest of your outfit light coloured. It really works.
Basically this is how it will work for your body –
A darker column of color down the torso will have a slimming effect and can easily be created by wearing a colored cardigan, jacket or blouse worn open. Generally a color blocked outfit will work best if you stick to the usual rules for your body shape. If you are pear shaped, opt for darker colors on the bottom half. If you are apple shaped avoid horizontal blocks of color around the stomach area but highlight legs with color blocks created by brightly colored tights. If you are hourglass, a color block around the waist is a great way of highlighting it and drawing attention to you womanly figure.
Just keep in mind the following points while wearing color blocks-
Don’t be shy to experiment. Any color combination is fantastic if you can pull it off properly. Blue, green and orange sounds mad but will look oh-so-pretty.
Do not combine more than three to four colors. It’s not that it doesn’t look nice, but it looks very ‘ramp’ish. Moreover more colors will keep cutting your body shape here and there making it a not so beautiful sight.
Choose what you want to color block and keep the rest of your look simple. For example, if you opt for a colorblocked bag, go easy on the clothes and shoes. You don’t want to look like a Rubik cube, do you??
Never ever ever combine two color blocked items. This is the worst thing to do to this trend. No actually you can, its just that you will end up looking like the latest catalogue of Asian paints. :evilgrin:
In my opinion it is really fun trend to sport this summer. Firstly it gives us the opportunity to pair colors which we won’t dare to combine together otherwise. Secondly what are summers without cheerful bright colors?? Gone is the season of muted warm shades. Its time to paint the town in all colors possible.
So, go on and have fun blocking colors. Do let us know how you plan to wear it.
Stay stylish. :*
Left to Right: Jil Sander, Diane von Furstenberg, Rachel Roy Spring/Summer 2011
Left to Right: Z Spoke, Gucci, Prada Spring/Summer 2011
How You Wear it: Whip out that color wheel and get to coordinating! You can cop the trend by mixing solid colors or patterned prints. Have fun! Pair fuchsia with turquoise, blue with yellow, and plum with tangerine.
The hottest trend right now in my opinion is color blocking. While this may not be a new trend, it is definitely coming back in a big way! From clothing to accessories to even beauty, color blocking seems to be everywhere and I definitely am loving it more and more! You can create an entire outfit mixing and matching different colors and look like you just stepped out of a fashion magazine, which is definitely a stylish plus! I thought I would share some of my favorite color block looks from all different aspects including fashion, beauty, and home decor! Happy Friday!
When you think of the color block trend, the 80s and early 90s come to mind. My mom had a black, lime green & fuchsia colorblock dress and it was pretty fab. Fast forward a few decades and colorblock is back in style. As evidenced by the Spring 2011 runways, bright, color blocked pieces are one of the top trends for spring/summer 2011.
Spring 2011: Marc Jacobs, Etro, Gucci, Diane von Furstenberg, Aquilano.Rimondi
To get the color block effect, you can buy pieces that are already colorblocked or you can improvise. For the DIY color-block effect, go through your closets or buy solid color pieces that can be mixed and matched. If a color block outfit isn’t your cup of tea, experiment with color blocking in your accessories. A color blocked bag or pair of shoes will add a je ne sais quoi to your look.
While brights are the most popular color blocking option, color block is not limited to bright hues. This season, there is a large selection of color blocked clothes and accessories in neutral, muted tones.
Dabble in the color block trend with these clothes, shoes and bags!
(clockwise from left) Marc by Marc Jacobs Color-Block Silk Crepe Dress, $598 (Nordstrom); Cooperative Tie-Back Top, $49 (Urban Outfitters); Colorblock Bodycon Dress, $15.80 (Forever 21); Marc by Marc Jacobs Splashed Colorblock Jersey Tank, $128 (Shopbop); Belted Paperbag Waist Skirt, $70 (Topshop); Cooperative Colorblock Short, $54 (Urban Outfitters); Morgan Low-Rise Skinny Jeans, $9.99 (Delias); Colorblock Stripe Skirt, $7.80 (Forever 21)
(clockwise from center) Jessica Simpson “Bendie” Platform Sandals, $98 (FlyJane); Sam Edelman “Westbrook” Wedge, $209 (Boutiquetoyou); Jessica Simpson “Vadio” Platform Pumps, $98 (Amazon); KG by Jurt Geiger “Carrington” Patent Platforms, $197.23 (ASOS); Iveans Wedge Sandals, $90 (ALDO);
Boxy Flat Lock Clutch, $35.86 (ASOS); Modern Cargo Checkbook Clutch, $55 (Fossil); Rebecca Minkoff Colorblock “Bombe Mac” Clutch, $330 (Bloomingdales); Peter Jensen Red Front “Angela” Bag, $374.74 (ASOS)
I believe glamour isn’t about your looks or the size of your bank account, but it’s a way of life and I’m constantly looking for ways to make my life more fun, exciting and glamorous! I hope you enjoy what you read and see here and if you do that you’ll tell your friends!
1. Jill Sander Spring 2011 RTW, 2. Louis Vuitton Spring 2011 RTW, 3. Gucci Spring 2011 RTW
Color blocking is a big trend for spring and summer as seen all over the Spring 2011 Ready to Wear runways! I suspect it will carry on right through the fall and winter months too! I’m not at all surprised, since many of us have been doing very basic color blocking ever since tights replaced panty hose as the main staple of winter fashion! Every time you throw on a blue shift with black tights, you’re color blocking on a minor scale and you may have never known it!
Classic old school color blocking is coming back and it’s bigger and brighter than ever! This trend is so simple, when aware of a few simple rules and it can be embraced on any budget, no matter how small! If you regularly have solid color separates in your wardrobe, it may not be necessary for you to spend any money at all to rock this trend!
Here are a few small rules to help make this trend oh so easy:
1. Keep textures to a minimum when color blocking. Too many colors alongside big ruffles, sequins or other textures might be just too much going on. If you must wear something textural, wear it on top.
2. For my taste, gold jewelry and accents are key to this trend. Color blocking just looks better with gold than it does with silver, though fashion is all about taking risks so it’s your choice.
3. If you’re not adventurous, or swear you look bad in color, try doing this trend with black & white, black & camel or camel & white.
4. If you’re worried about a color flushing you out, wear that color on the bottom with shoes or pants and choose a more flattering color, black or white for the top.
5. Unless the combo is fairly simple (i.e. only 2 colors) keep jewelry and accessories simple. However, with the right look, this is a good chance to wear the funky jewelry you’ve been splurging on all year! Big turquoise jewelry or any other bold color will look especially fabulous with black & white or white & camel combos.
6. When wearing colored shoes as part of the ensemble, find shoes that are as rich in color as possible. This often has to do with the material they are made of. I find that suede and patent leather tend to be more vibrant than other materials and work best for this trend.
Let’s start with the basics, shall we? If you’re unsure of this trend, go simple. Invest in one of the many pieces available in stores right now that are already color blocked and pair with basics and simple jewelry. You don’t have to be outlandish to wear this trend. The look below pairs a color blocked red & black top with all black and gold basics and a pair of red sunnies. Simple, right?
If you’re a little more adventurous, but still unsure go for a 3 color look using black, white and a bright color. Still not too bold or difficult, but a little more fun! I think this is super chic and always appropriate! The ensemble below pairs classic black, white and yellow! Mix it up even further by wearing bright shoes and carrying a white clutch.
For those who feel even more adventurous, the next look is super easy to put together. I have paired 3 colors using a bright turquoise pair of shorts with a white top and accessorizing with all yellow.
Nude shoes are HUGE for spring and summer and they work so well with a lot of color blocking looks! This next look is super easy as well. Go for 2 colors, using one bold color like red and one lighter color like a pale yellow. Accessorize with nude shoes and gold jewelry, but don’t be afraid of bright colored shades or a fun bag!
Bold on bold is not for the faint of heart! I think it can be difficult to pull off without looking like you’re wearing a costume from Punky Brewster or Breakin II: Electric Boogaloo. However, this look can be super cute and fun for spring or summer. Pick 2 bold colors that compliment each other or are in the same family and mix it up. I would suggest green/orange, blue/red, yellow/blue or tuquoise/orange. The following works well too, using fuschia and purple and it’s toned down a little by using different shades of the 2 colors. Notice the pants and scarf are a little lighter than the earrings or the shoes. Another way to break up the brightness would be to take a cue from Gucci Spring 2011 RTW and use gold as a separator with shoes, wide belts and jewelry.
For the extreme fashion forward, go all out! I recommend sticking to colors that are either true jewel tones or pastels, but not mixing the two when using this many shades. It’s important that all the colors look like they came from the same section of the crayon box. When going this drastic with color blocking, it is definitely wise to keep your jewelry very small and basic. It’s also important that the pieces you use are basic separates! The colors have enough going on, so having ruffles, embroidery or too much detailing of any kind would be extremely distracting and over the top.
I am super obsessed with this look! I’ve already invested in a bright orange bag and a pair of coral ballet flats for the spring! I’m on the look out for some bright trousers, shorts and skirts as well and I’m dying for heels in bright blue and some bright yellow espadrilles!
What do you think? Will you be color blocking this spring?
My name is Christelle Blanche and I am an aspiring celebrity wardobe stylist/PR. I am attending Miami Int’l Univ of Art & Design in Downtown Miami, FL and studying Fashion Merchandising. I will be graduating in 2012. I have very strong networking and social skills which will get me very far in the industry. I am currently interning as a creative stylist for thewebstermami.com, for more inquiries email me at: cblanche809@gmail.com
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