Category: Features
Pantone 2014 Color of the Year: Beauty Edition
What’s killer on runways and stellar on walls, but best on eyes, lips and nails? It could only be Pantone’s 2014 Color of the Year: Radiant Orchid. A gorgeous, pink-tinged purple that works everywhere, it’s no wonder we prefer it to 2013’s Emerald. Read on to discover products in this splendid shade that will work to light up your look.
Marc Jacobs Style Eye-Con No. 3 in The Rebel
The easiest way to don this tone is by sweeping it on the eyes. In Marc Jacobs’ chic black case, you’ll find an orchid tone to put on the lids, a darker purple for your crease, and even a shimmery champagne hue for highlighting your brows and inner corners. Finish with inky black mascara, and voila! Totally on-trend.
Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip Tar in Hoochie
If you haven’t picked up a Lip Tar yet, you’re missing out. And why not try it in the Color of the Year? The great thing about this product is that the tiniest bit goes a long way – simply dot your finger with it and use the included lip brush to swipe it on. Color too intense? Lip Tars were made for mixing, so you can darken or lighten the shade with ease by swirling it with another tone. Or, see the Revlon lip product below.
Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Darling
We could go on and on and on about these Balm Stains. The colors are gorgeous and sheer, and seem to last a lifetime. One swipe of this color and you’ll feel edgy-yet-sophisticated all day. Oh, and your lips will be magically moisturized too. You’re welcome.
Deborah Lippmann Crème Nail Color in Between The Sheets
This shade is described on the Deborah Lippmann website as “tantalizing” – who could disagree? These polishes are known for their quality; they’re insanely smooth to brush on, and usually only one coat does the trick. We won’t blame you if you decide to pick up another color… or five.
Illamasqua Powder Blusher in Thrust
You read that right: purple blush. Don’t be scared, though! This powder will give you the sexiest, boldest flush. Use a contour brush to sweep the shade over your cheekbones and up to your temples, and top with a highlighting powder. One quick warning: if you wear this color on your cheeks, avoid it on your lips and eyes. The goal is to glow, not look sickly!
How to Stay Warm AND Stylish
Okay, so everyone’s making fun of Atlanta for our little snow day slip-up. But you know what? It was freezing, and people everywhere were piling on the coats, scarves and hats in an attempt to stay a little toasty. Now that we’re finally used to this weather, though, are you hoping to maintain your fashion cred while still bundling up? It’s not as hard as you’d think.
Wear jeggings.
Wait! Don’t close this article! I swear, not all jeggings look fake and ridiculous – Check out H&M for some super authentic ones. However, my reasoning isn’t purely aesthetic. It’s easy to pull stretchy jeans over black leggings, so you have an extra layer of warmth.
Find the perfect quirky sweater.
If you’re the type that loves a classic knit sweater, then rock it and don’t look back. But I’m fonder of a fun Adventure Time sweater or one with a silly word or phrase. Don’t lose your personality under all those layers! Stores like TopShop are loaded with the kind of sweaters that dreams are made of.
Buy a trendy coat.
Take a break from your typical pea coat. Right now I’m loving plush army green coats, especially ones with details like leather sleeves or a fur hood. Or, if you’ve got a more classic style, try a trench coat or even a cape. The idea is to broaden your jacket horizons – you can do it!
Tuck into some boots.
Slip your feet into some fuzzy socks, pull them up over your jeans, and enjoy the ease of putting on boots. Seriously, any kind works: riding, combat, sexy booties. Even some edgy sneaker wedges will keep you snug – they’re usually extra padded for extra attitude, and designers like Jeffrey Campbell have some that go beyond punk.
…and don’t forget accessories!
Yeah, yeah, we’ve all seen about a thousand beanies and infinity scarves. These days, though, retailers are upping the basics with funky studs and hip patterns. And who couldn’t use an awesome pair of gloves with text-ready finger pads? Finally, don’t forget jewelry. A bright pair of earrings will remind you that, yes, spring will come!
The Neutral Eyeshadow Palette Standoff
Naked. Nude. Buff. No, we’re not trying to undress you, we’re just talking beauty. There’s no doubt about it: women are going gaga over neutral eyeshadow palettes. From Urban Decay’s Naked 3 Palette to MAC’s new Neutral Palette, these meant-to-be-customized sets provide the wearer with a nearly endless array of looks. But are the pricey ones worth it? Are there decent drugstore dupes? We looked at and sampled several, and managed to choose a few favorites. It’s time to get naked.
MAC Eyeshadow x 15 Neutral Palette – $100
Like us, you probably just gasped about the absurdity of a $100 eyeshadow palette. We’ll confirm it here: it’s not worth it. Though it does have three more shades than your average Naked Palette, it’s also about double the price. And looking at swatches, we found that most of the shades are almost identical to some of our Naked favorites, so yes, they are gorgeous and highly-pigmented, but also sort of a rip-off. One cool feature, though? There’s a warm set and a cool set, so each shade in the palette you choose is almost guaranteed to look flawless on you.
Urban Decay Naked3 Palette – $52
Don’t try to get us to stop raving about our Naked Palettes; it won’t work. Urban Decay’s newest release includes several rosy, coppery shades that flatter just about everyone. And with 12 shadows, you have enough to highlight, contour, even fill in your brows. Yes, 50 bucks is a little pricy, but you’ll get your money’s worth and then some – and this is coming from someone who has bought and adored all three Naked Palettes.
Tarte NeutralEYES Palette Volume II – $44
You might be stopped in your tracks by this palette only having 10 shades, but think again: the pans are huge, and will likely last you a damn while. Besides the chic case, our favorite part about this set is that there are even a few purple-y shades included to spice up your typical neutral look – perfect to go from day to night. Plus, the case is refillable, so if you run out of just one shade, buy another and pop it back in!
NYX Nude on Nude Palette – $25
Woah. This set seriously blew us away. For those lusting after a Naked Palette but short on funds, this is the perfect compromise. Just Google “NYX Nude on Nude swatches” and prepare to find a multitude of side-by-side comparisons in which the two brands look nearly identical. You’re welcome.
e.l.f. Studio Baked Eyeshadow Palettes – $10
As an e.l.f. devotee from the brand’s beginnings, I can’t back up these palettes enough. Seriously pigmented and cheap as they come, it’s easy to afford one or two of the neutral sets. And if you’re in a bolder mood, no one would judge you if you picked up the two smokier sets too. You deserve it, right?
Top 5 Looks: Spring 2014 Couture
Couture season is the best season, and the Spring 2014 shows – awash with tulle, feathers and glitter galore – didn’t disappoint. Set in seductive Paris, our favorite models marched down the catwalk in pieces that could only be described as “art”. So skip the museum and take a peek at some of our favorite works, in all their textural, painterly glory. You might just be inspired to pull out those old paints and put your brush to canvas.
Chanel
Holy punk. From the fringed hair right down to some very urban sneakers, this Chanel look is all about edge. What makes it a little more complex, though, is in the middle: attitude, meet glamour. Some very feminine feathers and sparkle keep this look from going too goth, and a silver girdle of sorts lets that womanly figure appear beneath tons of tulle.
Christian Dior
Sometimes, it’s all in the details. At first glance, this look may appear to be more akin to minimalist Calvin Klein, but we urge you to zoom in. The glossy, plasticized texture of the outfit aside, we adore the tiny window into another world seen on that crop top. And don’t even get us started on those shoes – it’s like loafers and gladiator sandals had a sexy, metallic baby.
Elie Saab
We yawned a little at first when flipping through pictures of the Elie Saab show – it seemed like they’d been doing the same translucent, sparkly gowns season after season. But we stopped short on this one, jaw on the floor. Seriously, did someone grab the Northern Lights and somehow attach them to a dreamy, flowing dress? And even better, we love that those gorgeous tones fade from a pitch-black top. Totally unexpected.
Zuhair Murad
Hippie chicks, unite! Zuhair Murad’s got your back with this angelic lace gown, complete with a leafy golden belt. It’s so simple, but endlessly chic and figure flattering. Best of all? This look could go from a beach cover-up to a lunch date to a red carpet. Apparently, ladies like Janis Joplin had the right idea.
Valentino
How could we not include this musical note gown on Vinyl’s list? We love that the rest of the look is sheer and understated, letting the notes take center stage. But in anticipation of being called “boring”, flawless lines of glitter lay beneath each measure. Sheer, sexy, and smart: Beethoven would approve.
Vinyl Mag’s Best of 2013
It’s that time of year again! The time to reflect on what a success (or trainwreck) your past 12 months have been, as well as the time to pretend like next year is the time that things are going to be totally different.
And for us over at Vinyl Mag, it’s also the time to make lists for you guys – so here they are…lists of the best things to come out of 2013, as told by the fabulous Vinyl staffers. Enjoy!
Best Albums
- Sunbather by Deafheaven (Lucas Carver)
- A Is For Alpine by Alpine (Carly Snidemiller)
- “Kevin Devine’s Bulldozer…no, Bubblegum…they’re both so good!” (Sarah Rucker)
- Pure Heroine by Lorde (Jackie Citero and Katelyn Stanitzke)
- Because The Internet by Childish Gambino (Colby Pines)
- Silence Yourself by Savages (Kate Foster)
- Yeezus by Kanye West (Kate Foster)
- Talon Of The Hawk by The Front Bottoms (Emily McBride)
- After The Dream You Are Awake by pacificUV (Chris Hunkele)
Best Film
- Frances Ha and From Up on Poppy Hill (Lucas Carver)
- We’re The Millers (Carly Snidemiller and Katelyn Stanitzke)
- This Is The End (Sarah Rucker)
- “I’m throwing a prediction out here…the yet to be seen The Wolf of Wall Street.” (Jackie Citero)
- The Kings of Summer (Colby Pines)
- The Great Gatsby (Kate Foster)
- “Yet another prediction…I’m going with American Hustle. Everything Jennifer Lawrence touches is gold. If I could, I would nominate the hours of YouTube footage I’ve seen of her interviews.” (Emily McBride)
- Gravity (Chris Hunkele)
Best Concert/Show/Festival
- George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic (Nikki Smith)
- The Chariot‘s last show at The 7 Venue (Lucas Carver’s)
- Local Natives (Carly Snidemiller)
- The Stuffing in Atlanta (Sarah Rucker)
- ” The Best Festival Musically was Lock’n; the Best Whole Festival Experience was Hulaween.” (Jackie Citero)
- Washed Out at the Georgia Theatre (Colby Pines)
- Bonnaroo 2013 (Katelyn Stanitzke)
- “Music Midtown, hands down. Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Arctic Monkeys, Black Lips, Phoenix, and Cake all in my hometown? Pinch me.” (Kate Foster)
- South by Southwest 2013 (Emily McBride)
- “Diarrhea Planet‘s epic day show on the last day of South by Southwest and Jimmy Eat World at the Georgia Theatre.” (Chris Hunkele)
Best Beauty/Fashion Moment
- “Any fashion models that wore black. Excuse my ignorance.” (Lucas Carver)
- “Jennifer Lawrence’s new hair. Actually, Jennifer Lawrence all the time.” (Carly Snidemiller)
- “Bottega Veneta’s Fall 2013 show. Totally 50s-chic without looking a big outdated, and the makeup and hair was to die for.” (Kate Foster)
- “Robin Thicke trying to be Michael Keaton in Beetlejuice at the MTV VMA’s” (Chris Hunkele)
Best New Gadget
- The Pebble Smart Watch (Lucas Carver)
- “I still don’t have a smart phone, so those look petty rad as the years go on.” (Sarah Rucker)
- The Bose QuietComfort 20i Acoustic Noise Cancelling Headphones…good for long flights, escaping the world, and listening to your music in peace.” (Jackie Citero)
- “I’ve finally got tablet lust, and I’d kill for a Barnes and Noble Nook HD+ this year.” (Kate Foster)
- “My laser tape measure. It rides shotgun everywhere I go.” (Chris Hunkele)
Best Book Read
- The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers (Nikki Smith)
- Punk Rock Jesus by Sean Murphy (Lucas Carver)
- The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith (Jackie Citero)
- Looking for Alaska by John Green (Colby Pines)
- “The Defining Decade by Meg Jay. I know it sounds cheesy, but this book has made me feel SO much better about navigating the rocky terrain that is my 20s.” (Kate Foster)
- I Was Told There’d Be Cake by Sloane Crosley (Emily McBride)
- Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino (Chris Hunkele)
Best Black Friday/Cyber Monday Purchase
- New winter coat (Nikki Smith)
- Xenoblade Chronicles for 40 dollars (Lucas Carver)
- Mud on DVD for four dollars (Colby Pines)
- New sweaters (Katelyn Stanitzke)
- “A bunch of itty bitty beauty goodies from Sephora.” (Kate Foster)
- Chick-Fil-A sandwich with no pickles (Chris Hunkele)
Best Thing Learned from Pinterest
- “How to make my own guitar cables.” (Lucas Carver)
- “I’ve gotten some pretty killer recipes from Pinterest over the year, but probably the best thing I’ve learned this year were ideas that inspired a Couple’s Tailgate shower I threw this past fall for one of my best friends who is getting married next May.” (Jackie Citero)
- “Using a mixture of olive oil and caster oil as a face wash — sounds gross, but it’s amazing.” (Kate Foster)
- It’s a lot like Halo in that it takes hours of your life that you can never get back.” (Chris Hunkele)
Best Trip Taken
- Gloucester, Mass. (Nikki Smith)
- “I’m poor. I can’t travel.” (Lucas Carver)
- “Best trip this year was my road trip with two friends from college to St. Augustine to cover Mumford & Son’s Gentlemen of the Road Stopover for Vinyl Mag.” (Jackie Citero)
- Ketchikan, Alaska. “Got to camp, fish, hipline, and see black bears eat salmon…not the best trip for the salmon.” (Colby Pines)
- Valencia, Spain and Florence, Italy (Katelyn Stanitzke)
- “I spent the summer in New York City interning for Marie Claire- my dream since I was nine came through!” (Kate Foster)
- Austin, TX to South by Southwest (Emily McBride and Chris Hunkele)
Best Moment at Vinyl Mag
- “Becoming an intern!” (Nikki Smith)
- “When I first met with Emily, and we bonded over Title Fight and I knew that it was the right place.” (Lucas Carver)
- “At The Stuffing, I was able to bring up Vinyl Mag when I met Kevin Devine, so I had something to talk about and not just be my awkward self. It was a great moment for everyone involved.” (Sarah Rucker)
- “Best Vinyl moment is when I went to Louisville, KY to cover Forecastle. It was the first festival I covered with the official press pass and all, and being able to photograph some of my favorite bands was incredible.” (Jackie Citero)
- “Writing my first review on Sleigh Bells!” (Colby Pines)
- “Taking Instagram pics for the Vinyl account at the Empire of the Sun show. Luke Steele put his mic up to me so I could sing with him!” (Kate Foster)
- “Absolutely every single moment of South by Southwest.” (Emily McBride)
- “Filming and hanging out after my first interview with Ginger & the Ghost at South by Southwest.” (Chris Hunkele)
Resolutions
- “Trying to find a girlfriend!” (Lucas Carver)
- “Procrastinate less” (Katelyn Stanitzke)
- “Resolutions are a bunch of bull. Be grateful for what you have, and if you need to make a change, believe that you can do it any day of the year!” (Kate Foster)
Most Excited For in 2014
- “Turning 21!” (Nikki Smith)
- The Wind Rises, Miyizaki’s last film 🙁 (Lucas Carver)
- “I’m planning on taking a semester off to check some long overdue things off my to-do/bucket list – like catching up on sleep from the last 19 years – so I’m just stoked about that” (Sarah Rucker)
- “Pretty pumped for House of Cards to come back” (Colby Pines)
- Bonnaroo 2014 (Katelyn Stanitzke)
- The Pixies/Cults show in February. “I might actually faint” (Kate Foster)
- “FIFA World Cup!” (Chris Hunkele)
- “More great things to come for Vinyl! Stay tuned!” (Emily McBride)
Finally, we all know that Breaking Bad just all-out wins 2013. All of it. Goes to Breaking Bad.
A Proper Goodbye: Breaking Bad series finale ‘Felina’
It’s over. Finished. No more Heisenberg. No more Jesse. No more science…bitch.
Before we start, just be warned that I’m going to be using the words “genius” and “perfect” a lot in this article.
Breaking Bad has earned its place at the very top of the list of my (and millions of others’) favorite shows of all time. So I was more than a little sorry to see it go (what am I going to do on Sunday nights now? Watch Low Winter Sun? Doubtful). However, I am so grateful to Vince Gilligan for playing it smart, not dragging it out for three seasons too long just to keep getting paid, and achieving something that so few of my favorite shows have pulled off (*cough* LOST *cough*) – a perfect ending. Really, the only word that I can think of is genius. Gilligan is an absolutely brilliant writer; he tied up every loose end so neatly…it was truly poetic.
Before we go on, let me just go ahead and warn you – SPOILER ALERT – although, if you haven’t already watched “Felina” or at least heard about it, I’m not sure if you know what the Internet is, so you’re probably not reading this article.
Here are the main parts of the finale that I want to talk about. I’m going to assume that you have seen all of the seasons and not overly explain the back story.
1. Walt having Gretchen and Elliott Schwartz act as benefactors for Walter, Jr./Flynn/whatever he’s calling himself these days was absolutely perfect. In the very first season of Breaking Bad – episode 5 “Gray Matter” – Walt refuses the Schwartzes’ proposition to pay for his cancer treatment. Walt is completely offended by their offer, continuously bitter about their success from Gray Matter and too prideful to accept their charity. I mean, he would rather cook meth than receive anything from these people.
Throughout the seasons, this is a continuing theme. Walt’s never-ending resentment of the Schwartzes’ fortune becomes his pace car, and he continues to measure his own success by how close he is to building an empire that competes financially with theirs.
In addition to his inability to accept charity is his arrogant need to get credit for earning this money for his family, which makes money laundering pretty tough. He refuses Saul Goodman’s advice to just filter his money through Walt, Jr.’s donation website, SaveWalterWhite.com, unable to accept the credit for their income going to an “anonymous donor.”
In the end, however, the story comes full circle. Walt goes to Gretchen (who is wearing a fabulous jacket) and Elliott’s house and forces them to take what is left of his money (a mere nine million dollars…chump change) and donate it in the form of a trust to Walter, Jr. on his 18th birthday, knowing that any other way he tried to get it to his family would result in it being confiscated by the government.
So, basically, after all of the five seasons worth of corruption and destruction and death that Walt was willing to cause in order to keep his ego and pride in tact, Gretchen and Elliott still get credit for saving the White family out of charity. Which means that this was pretty much all for nothing. Well played, Gilligan…well played.
2. I was super pumped to get to see Badger and Skinny Pete one last time. I love those dudes. And I totally called the whole laser pointer thing…just saying.
3. Walt’s goodbye to Skyler made me tear up. When Walt came back to say “a proper goodbye” to Skyler and finally admit to her that all that he did was not, in fact, for his family as he had claimed for so long but was, in fact, for him…dude, that was so raw. Skyler finally hears the truth from him, and we see a glimpse of the old Walter White.
4. The way Walt died was brilliant. He had to die…he just had to. For a few seasons now, I have rooted for Jesse to be the one to kill Walt in the end. But when it finally came down to it, I’m glad he didn’t kill Walt in some final face-off where Walt was still fighting. This end was much more real and heartbreaking. It was perfect and fitting that Walt’s final act took him out. He got himself in that room as Heisenberg, and he took himself out along with all of the other scumbags in there. Everyone in that room deserved to die except for Jesse, and he got them all…including himself (except for Todd. Todd was a truly despicable character, and Jesse deserved the satisfaction of taking him out). Jesse is free, and he drives off…into the sunset? To go find and raise Brock? We don’t know, but we do know that he’s going to be okay.
5. Walt shooting Jack mid-sentence when he is trying to offer Walt his money back was, again, brilliant. Heisenberg is dead, and along with him, his greed. It’s not about that money anymore. Jack is just too stupid to realize it.
6. Lydia had to drink that ricin. I hated Lydia. From her shakiness to her ruthlessness to her stupid camomile and stevia habit. I hated her. That woman needed to go. I’m so happy that she’s the one who got the ricin and that it was in her tea -that was just elegant. Maybe that will teach you to use regular sugar like a normal person, Lydia. Oh wait, you can’t – you’re dead.
The finale of Breaking Bad was badass, yes. But it was also heartbreaking. The entire series is honestly heartbreaking. Witnessing the continuous corruption and destruction of a man who was at one point decent and then seeing him get what is coming to him takes a toll. It is less satisfying to see Walt reduced to nothing – having lost his family and everything he ever cared about – than expected, as you have been rooting for his comeuppance for so long. You are reminded that he is a flesh and blood human being, not just some raving monster that you love to hate. Bryan Cranston’s genius and pure talent really come through here, making the viewer surprisingly sympathetic to Walt, even with all that we know about him. But still, you know that Walt has to die.
All in all, “Felina” was a perfect ending to a brilliant show. Now excuse me while I go rewatch all of the seasons on Netflix.
Dexter Season 8 – Lets Talk
*SPOILER ALERT if you’re not caught up. Don’t get pissed. I warned you.*
[youtube id=”6ckzE5vT0wc” width=”600″ height=”350″]June 30th is the night. And it’s going to happen again and again, every Sunday until September 15th.
It will all be over soon. Dexter’s fate will finally be unmasked, and viewers will see the series for what it is — but for now, we wait.
No longer is it taboo amongst Dexter fans — or should I say Dexter’s devoted until around season five and his frustrated followers thereafter — to believe that perhaps the series’ continuation better deserved to have been laid atop fifty yards of plastic wrap and cut into tiny pieces, wrapped tightly in Hefty garbage bags and tossed to the infinite blue than being dragged like deadweight through the past two seasons of soap opera-styled drama and implausible chaos.
For such a neat monster, Dexter hasn’t exactly been keeping things orderly.
It takes a certain kind of blindness to play along with the idea that Miami PD would inexplicably allow an unarmed forensics geek first entry to a crime scene or to have a police captain search for a former murderer in a shipping container without backup. Brother Sam may have tried to implant the virtue of faith into Dexter, but it was faith that killed Brother Sam. Call it miraculous, call it coincidence or luck, but that only goes so far — Deb isn’t the only one who’s stopped believing Dexter.
But while Dexter’s been getting caught, his character’s nature has been sneaking away.
For seven seasons he’s been grappling between monster and man — a Dark Passenger stalking and hunting for his identity amid a blood-red impulse. Now he’s a monster in love, letting mistakes collect like blood slides in his treasured box. Giving Deb a choice between ending his life and saving it — is that what it means to be human?
I suppose this was always Dexter’s destiny, to shift away from monster and closer to man as he finds his way to the light at the end. But as monsters disappear with the lights turned on, so are monsters created when everything dims.
Deb — caught between loyalties, she’s been the strongest element to the past couple of seasons, holding the show together with intense hysteria and a development from a workaholic cop, to murder accomplice, to a killer herself. Dexter may be on the way to finding himself as human, but Deb is caught wavering in a meltdown of a monster.
This season, I’ll be watching. I’ll be watching Dexter out of investment and self-obligation, to see his fate unfold and conclude the Dark Passenger’s long journey. But I’ll be watching Deb, the way I used to watch Dexter — when he was careful and creepy.
After all, isn’t the making of a monster more interesting than the taming of one?
[youtube id=”dy6u5rXqN5o” width=”600″ height=”350″]
What We Know About Season Four of Arrested Development
After about six and a half years of waiting, the Bluths could have had us thinking they’d never come back for us— but that’s why you always leave a note. Thankfully, they left us a few.
Here are the ones we’ve gathered at Vinyl Mag:
1. From the trailer, it looks like… Michael is moving, George Michael and Maeby are dorm-mates, Buster’s hook is bedazzled, and the series didn’t say goodbye to these Kitty.
2. Each episode will revolve around a different character
Luckily we won’t just see a single plot from fifteen different angles, though we will get to see the characters’ paths intersect. As Jason Bateman explained to GQ, “…the action across the episodes is happening simultaneously. If I’m driving down the street in my episode, and Gob’s going down the sidewalk on his Segway, you could stop my episode, go into his episode, and follow him and see where he’s going.” Which means…
3. You don’t really have watch the first episode first or the last episode last…
While creator Mitchell Hurwitz says the episodes are placed in their order for a reason, Portia de Rossi says the episodes can be watched in any order because they are filmed as stand-alones. Which for most other shows would mean not getting so hooked that you watch the entire season in one sitting… But it’s Arrested Development… stopping the season midway would be like going to jail without eating ice-cream sandwiches. But that’s okay, because we’ll be able to watch them all in one sitting since…
4. All the episodes will be released at once on Netflix
And Netflix has apparently been super awesome about letting Arrested Development stay Arrested Development. According to Hurwitz, they wanted to make sure everything was as he wanted it rather than making demands. Also…
5. The length of episodes, budget, and bleeping are pretty much the same
The closer to the Arrested Development nature the better, I say. Unfortunately, on the other hand…
6. Julia Louis-Dreyfus won’t be in this season
’Cause HBO has Selina Meyer too busy trying to to clean up after the “50 Ways to Win in Denver” fiasco. However…
7. New characters will include Blake Anderson, Seth Rogen, Ed Helms, Isla Fisher and John Krasinski
We may not know their roles yet, but we do know Rogen filmed his scenes with…
8. Kristen Wiig, who is cast as a young Lucille
Which has led to speculation that Rogen could be cast as a young George Sr. (he may not look as much like George as the pope does, but I could still see it). Also…
9. Conan O’Brien will be a guest star
Cast as himself, and…
10. Ron Howard (producer and narrator) and Brian Grazer (producer) will also be on-screen playing themselves
Supposedly the plot will include Ron Howard and Brian Grazer’s production company, Imagine Entertainment, working on a movie about the Bluths. Also both acting and producing…
11. Michael Cera helped write the season
Apparently Hurwitz invited him to the writer’s room for what Cera thought was a one-time thing, but he ended up staying for the whole season and gained a producer title on the credits. Meanwhile…
12. Buster and Lucille’s relationship looks as near-incestuous as ever,
13. And Maeby is still the forgotten child
14. Somebody, at some point, is gonna be naked
The cat— or dead dove (do not eat)— isn’t totally out of the bag… but if anybody wants to place a bet, I’ve got mine right here:
15. …Also Ann is apparently still in the picture
In other news, there’s this…
Vinyl Mag’s Guide to SXSW
Indescribable. But here I am, about to try to describe it.
SXSW was intense, exhausting, physically painful at times, and overwhelming. But it was also arguably the best week of my life. I’ve never had so much productive (and thoroughly professional at all times, of course) fun in my entire life, and I’m already ready to go back. Seriously…is it next year yet?
It is important to note that, more than being the X Games of music festivals, SXSW is also a conference and an incomparable networking opportunity. Most of the day for me was spent attending parties and exchanging business cards American-Psycho-style, making connections and building mutually beneficial business relationships (such a hard life).
This was my first year at SXSW (and definitely not my last), so I had a lot to learn. Like…a lot. And fortunately, I had the presence of mind to take notes so that I could share my knowledge with you – and so I would be prepared the next time around. So here it is. My rundown of SXSW 2013:
Favorite venue: Mohawk.
Least favorite venue: The Belmont (too crowded; unless you get there four hours early and wait to be in the tiny pit, anywhere you stand provides a pretty unimpressive view of the stage).
Favorite discovery: Ginger & the Ghost.
Favorite day parties: Spotify, Yard Dog Gallery (both of which required some serious Frodo-and-Sam-style trekking, but were well worth it).
Favorite food: Taco N’ Madre food truck (I don’t know what the sauces are, but don’t ask questions and just put all of them on your tacos — you’re welcome).
Favorite live performance: Still is (and may always be) Diarrhea Planet. They make me act stupid and get sweaty, and I appreciate that.
Favorite line-up: Sirah, Charli XCX, Icona Pop, and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis all played at The Belmont on Night One. Pretty epic.
Favorite app: Hail A Cab Austin (this saved me countless times when I was trying to get to an interview. Wish I’d discovered it Day One. Kind of wish I hadn’t told you guys about it. If I can’t get a cab next year, I’m blaming my readers).
Biggest show I sort of made it to (but more like listened to from far away): Flaming Lips at Auditorium Shores Stage. So crowded I would have gotten the same experience watching it on TV.
Earliest bed time: 3 a.m.
Latest I slept in: 8:30 a.m.
Best public place to regain strength, charge your phone, use the bathroom, and lay on the floor and complain about how much pain you’re in: Austin Convention Center upstairs (surprise, surprise).
Favorite street: Rainey Street.
Favorite celebrity sightings: Standing in line behind Pauly Shore at Iron Works BBQ, meeting Perez Hilton at the VH1 Cafe, and being too scared to go talk to LeVar Burton at the Sennheiser + Paste Interactive Studio & Lounge on Rainey Street.
Favorite fan-girl moment: meeting Icona Pop at the VH1 Cafe and acting extremely uncool about it (sorryI’mnotsorry for creeping).
Favorite score: Generous Unknown Girl came up to me while I was sitting pensively on a bench and asked me if I wanted the free red American Apparel skirt she got because she didn’t feel like carrying it around. If only she had a backpack (see Lesson One below). Thank you, Generous Unknown Girl. I am forever grateful to you.
Biggest rip-off: Wu Wu Fest advertising “free Wu Wu sushi” at their party if you RSVP/”Like” them on FB…what they should have said was “one tray of six pieces of free sushi to be passed around once every two hours so you probably won’t get any unless you hang out by the kitchen, suckers”…I’m bitter, yes, but I was really hungry.
Most pointless “secret show”: Justin Timberlake at Myspace. It’s not a secret show if it’s plastered all over the wall of the building in giant letters.
Now that I’ve shared my high and lowlights with you, let me move on to the valuable lessons I learned…
Lesson One: Don’t wear new shoes, stupid. Wear the most comfortable, walkable shoes you can find. I don’t care if they are Crocs (actually, I take that back — Crocs are inexcusable), but in this case, style is secondary to practicality. I seriously have blister scars on my heels from these stupidly adorable mint Oxfords that I thought were a good idea. Damn my vanity.
On that note, go with a backpack instead of a purse. Hands-free is where it’s at. And throw a sweater in there. It gets a little chilly at night.
Lesson Two: Let some things go. You will never be able to stick to the uber-strict time-crunch schedule you have made for yourself, so allow yourself to go with the flow, always have a Plan B, and remember to leave yourself some time to stumble upon some new discoveries. That’s part of what SXSW is for. It’s not just a festival to see your iPod playlist come to life (did that reference date me? Should I have said Spotify or Drinkify playlist?).
Lesson Three: Bring your phone charger with you. Bring a portable charger. Trust me. You’re gonna be InstaTweetVining the crap out of this thing, and your phone can only handle so much.
Lesson Four: Don’t wait in line for any band for more than 15 minutes. It is a waste of time. You are missing too much of the goings-on around you, and chances are the band you are impatiently waiting for will be playing an unofficial show tomorrow at 2:00. Which brings me to…
Lesson Five: Do not rely strictly on the official SXSW show schedule. Now, don’t get me wrong, this schedule is THE BOMB, and the SXSW app on your phone that allows you to make your own schedule kept me from running around like a headless chicken (more than I already was, anyway), but chances are, your must-see-or-it-was-all-for-nothing band is playing either a day party you don’t know about or an unofficial showcase somewhere. Look up your priority bands on their Twitters and websites, and chances are you’ll be able to track them down.
Lesson Six: Stalk Twitters and RSVP to absolutely everything you plan on attending well in advance.
There you have it. Now let’s do that again.
REVIEW: The Flaming Lips’ The Terror
When the Flaming Lips released In a Priest Driven Ambulance, I was a trembling fetus nestled in my mother’s womb. When I was nine, the band was radiating mainstream attention, but I didn’t know because no exceptionally cool third-grader brought The Soft Bulletin to show-and-tell. And when I was 12, Yoshimi was battling the pink robots while I was battling… well, puberty.
It’s been thirty years since the band’s inception, and it never occurred to me that the Flaming Lips are getting old.
And how could it? Last year the Flaming Lips’ collaborative album, Heady Fwends was one of my 2012 favorites. In 2009, both Embryonic and the covers of The Dark Side of the Moon completely changed my perception of the Flaming Lips by rocketing out of pop and floating into an experimentally psychedelic galaxy of psychosis. Seeing them live at Piedmont Park in 2012 was an even more electrifying experience than seeing them live at Bonnaroo in 2007. Chronologically, everything they’ve done has been an acclaimed next step in a new direction— so when Wayne Coyne described the upcoming album as heroin new wave at a funeral for aliens, I was ready for abduction.
But during the slow wait for their upcoming album, The Terror, the Flaming Lips were featured in a Hyundai Super Bowl commercial, and hit me. “They’ve passed their peak,” I thought to myself. “The Flaming Lips are on the downward slope of their musical career.” They were selling something to us on a commercial, and it wasn’t even theirs— and it wasn’t even art. The self-proclaimed freaks were trying to sell us a car? I couldn’t fathom it, and betrayal is a bitter drug.
But it wasn’t just the fact that they were selling Hyundai. The irritatingly peachy song they used for it was a perfect fit for a car commercial— it’s the equivalent to Robin Sparkles’ “Let’s Go to the Mall” covered by indie-headaches, Passion Pit or Vampire Weekend. “Sun Blows Up Today” is definitely the most uncharacteristic Flaming Lips song ever recorded. My face contorted with grief as I saw a sneak peek of the commercial online, and with disgust as I saw it like millions of others on the television screen. As a follower who once went full freak-out during a fleeting interaction with Wayne Coyne, I was writing off the Flaming Lips.
But as any true fan, I couldn’t stay away. I couldn’t actually write off an album I was so recently certain would blow my mind into cosmic explosion. No, of course I jumped to listen to The Terror as soon as I could. It’s Flaming Lips!
And I’ve gotta say it. Even though I don’t agree with the commercial, I also can’t say it directly affects the quality of their music. Sure, “Sun Blows Up Today” might be as excruciating to endure as the sun actually blowing up, but guess what— it’s a digital-only bonus track that sounds nothing like the rest of the album. We can handle this, we can disregard it, we can delete. The commercial-ridden track, as well as any low expectation you have for The Terror, can and should be dissolved.
That being said, The Terror isn’t the best Flaming Lips album, or the second or the third. What The Terror is, however, is a total eclipse of Flaming Lips ideology.
It’s almost like NASA told the Flaming Lips that they could finally live in outer space, but that each member must travel in their own separate spaceship. And after each member is launched into the cold, dark blanket of stars and mystery, the Flaming Lips simultaneously realize in a sudden state of agoraphobia that space-travel isn’t what they had expected. Instead, while hyperventilating into their spacesuits, the Flaming Lips become painfully aware that that life in space is like an eerie post-death experience of existence in an abyss.
The Terror takes fans in a totally different direction than previous Flaming Lips albums. With its seamless structure, it both absorbs and isolates in an atmospheric experience that somehow soothes yet scares, and makes the listener completely aware of silence.
In other words, The Terror is pretty close to a parallel of Radiohead’s Kid A.
Kid A begins with the sorrowful “Everything In It’s Right Place,” balancing chaotic alien-like background noises against a slow rhythm. The Terror begins with “Look… The Sun Is Rising”’s high frequencies, glitches, and smooth, echoing human vocals.
Where “Everything In It’s Right Place” feeds into “Kid A,”’s robotic lullaby of mechanical vocals, “Look… The Sun Is Rising” also leads into the hollow-sounding “Be Free, A Way” filled with cherub lingering vocals against short repetitive chops like a helicopter propeller.
Kid A peaks as “Kid A” becomes the sonic-storm of “The National Anthem,” while “Be Free, A Way” extends its likeness into “Try To Explain,” which then becomes the thirteen-minute peaking “You Lust,” spaciously spitting vocals repeating “Lust to succeed” between creepy, paranormal ringing-sounds.
“The National Anthem” then recovers into the most isolated and serene tracks, “How To Disappear Completely” and “Treefingers,” while “You Lust” spills into the most remote-sounding track, “The Terror” and then the schizophrenic “You Are Alone.”
Kid A picks back up after “Treefingers” with the The Bends-reminiscent “Optimistic,” and on The Terror with the higher-energy “Butterfly (How Long It Takes To Die),” similar to the tracks off Embryonic.
“Optimistic” then becomes “In Limbo,” which drowns the listener with waves of haunting harmony and vocals repeating “you’re living in a fantasy,” and then into the more electronic kick of “Idioteque.” On The Terror, “Butterfly (How Long It Takes To Die)” becomes “Turning Violent,” which hypnotizes the listener with distant vocals and close shaky, industrial sounds.
Closing in on the album, “Idioteque” transitions into “Morning Bell,” which repeats “cut the kids in half,” and into the melancholy dream-like, “Motion Picture Soundtrack.” Meanwhile, “Turning Violent” becomes the almost chanting, nightmare-like “Always There… In Our Hearts.”
Kid A ends in minutes of silence, while The Terror ends with a moment of echoing feedback.
Wayne Coyne may have said that The Terror is like a funeral for aliens, but I disagree. Kid A is more like a funeral for aliens, but taking place on Earth. The Terror is more like a funeral for humans, but taking place in space— mourning their own lives lost in a vacuum.
Outside of that vacuum and despite the commercial, The Terror echoes that the Flaming Lips haven’t begun the downward slope. Instead, they’ve embarked on a haunting and sorrowful journey that I can only imagine depressed astronaut Elton John would completely empathize with. It’s lonely out in space, man.