Thanksgiving for the Chronic ProcrastinatorGiven how inevitable ruined turkeys and last-minute rat plagues are, it’s no surprise that we are frequently called upon to suggest emergency Thanksgiving takeout options. Obviously, there’s always General Tso and his sparerib armies, but thanks to a cutthroat restaurant marketplace, there are actually a number of places around town that can supply you with a same-day Thanksgiving meal. We enumerated four of them yesterday morning on Good Day New York and see no reason why Grub Street readers should be denied the same guidance. Happy Thanksgiving to all Grub Street neighbors! We’ll be back on Monday.
Thanksgiving Made Easy [Fox 5 New York]
vulture picture palace
Filmmakers Michael and Martin Vrede Nielsen Create Terror in Record TimeFor whatever reason, horror isn’t a common genre in short films, possibly because creating tension and terror often requires too much setup to make it viable for abbreviated running lengths. Repugnant, Michael and Martin Vrede Nielsen’s no-nonsense exercise in tingling our collective spines, is an interesting exception.
video look book
Barrister Wannabe Loves Spending Our Worthless Dollars
British litigator-in-training Shivi Ramontar loves living in New York these days. “Everything’s kind of half-price!” she exclaims, chagrined only a little by taking advantage of today’s flaccid dollar (she must be paid in pounds). Ramontar shares her purchases and confesses her favorite city to Amy Larocca in this week’s Video Look Book.
Shivi Ramontar [Video Look Book]
tube junkie
The New Pornographers Get a Yacht-Rock TributeNot only does this guy do a spot-on impression of McDonald in a funny, well-executed music video, but he managed to record a mash-up of the New Pornographers’ “It’s Only Divine Right” and the Doobie Brothers’ classic “What a Fool Believes” that is so effortless and smooth that it makes the original from 2003’s Electric Version retroactively sound like an ironic mall-punk cover version.
intel
Video: Barneys’ Holiday Windows RevealedRight about now, Barneys will be unveiling their legendary Christmas windows, and our own Fabiola Beracasa traipsed uptown to get a sneak peek. This year’s theme is Give Good Green, and for it, Barneys creative director Simon Doonan invented “Rudolph the Recycling Reindeer.” “The only sort of iconic visual associated with [the environmental movement] is the drowning polar bear,” he told Fab. “Which wouldn’t be very festive!” No indeed. Click above to see the windows, and hear Doonan explain why his Barneys staffers were gathering bottle tops from bars in the East Village and buying bottles from homeless people.
Making Barneys’ Holiday Windows [NYM Video]
ByJonah Green
in the magazine
Which Web Videos Did We Miss?While putting together our Web-video special in this week’s issue of the magazine, we tried to be as comprehensive as possible. But we’re only human!
High Priority: Check Out This Pie ChartTo celebrate our Web-video spectacular in the current issue, we called up Gretel, the Manhattan-based design studio of visual artist Greg Hahn, to have them make us this impressive animated pie chart.
tube junkie
What the Celebrities Are Watching on YouTubeCelebrities: so like us. They spend hours on YouTube too! To celebrate our online video special in this week’s issue of New York, we asked Russell Simmons, Amy Sedaris, and The Office’s Rashida Jones (along with some slightly-less-famous bloggers, artists, directors, advertising executives, professors, and comedians) what they’ve got bookmarked. The results may surprise you!
Filmmaker Chris Vincze Shoots Backward in ‘Evol’Shooting backward is one of the oldest tricks in the book (at least as old as Top Secret!), but in the right filmmaker’s hands, it can still work beautifully.
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Video: Take a Walk Through 40 Bond
Ian Schrager’s 40 Bond has barely opened, and already someone wants to sell. New York’s S. Jhoanna Robledo takes you inside a $3.6 million apartment at 40 Bond that’s on the market. Prospective buyers, keep in mind that most other owners at 40 Bond have their own plane. However, you will have access to common spaces clad in cedar and the graffiti-inspired façade that is both beloved and loathed. And if you need dinner, you can get room service from the Gramercy Park Hotel. This apartment is actually starting to sound like a steal.
Video: Inside 40 Bond
video look book
Napa Mom Shows New Yorkers How to LiveMaryann Thatcher, a stay-at-home mom and vinter from Napa, visits New York to stock up on hats. She also gets her hair colored the right way, takes long baths, and shops at Bergdorf. This sounds so fun, Thatcher makes us want to take a vacation in New York. To learn more secrets of luxury tourism, watch the video.
Video Look Book: Maryann Thatcher
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Little Marvin Sports ‘Broke Baroque’ in Soho
Little Marvin, son of Big Marvin, recently returned from French Fashion Week. Though he picked up his “broke baroque” style from the streets of New York, he has a soft spot for Parisians. “Everybody is so individual,” he says. “You don’t feel like everybody is wearing what’s hip and what’s cool. People really do their own thing.” So does Little Marvin, so we’re glad he’s one of ours.
Video Look Book: Little Marvin
cultural capital
The Halloween Dance Party to End All Halloween Dance Parties
Last night’s New York by New York event was a costumed dance party of sorts at Judson Church. Chromeo, Dan Deacon, and Kudo provided the beats for All Hallows Madness, and revelers wore their creative best. There was “crazy-ass Britney” and “bad mommy Britney,” as well as sexy Albert Einstein (no equation hotter!) and the fashionably disaffected Kate Moss and Pete Doherty. The cash prize of $750 went to a well-lit octopus, and everyone enjoyed the open bar and their subscription to New York long into the night. Still looking for a costume idea? Get some inspiration from the video.
Video: All Hallows Madness
New York by New York: Upcoming Events
Soho Shopgirl Likes Taxidermy, Comfort Zones
When Amy Larocca ran into Theresa Dapra in Soho recently, Dapra was wearing clothes inspired by the movie Party Monster. Shod in Roman shoes and socks from mom, she is also into taxidermy. But mostly, she wants her clothes to suit her: “If I’m not in clothing that fits the mood that I feel inside, then I’m not comfortable going outside my house.” Watch the Video Look Book for more sage fashion advice.
Theresa Dabra [Video Look Book]
VideoFeed
In Season: Josh Eden’s Pan-Roasted Chicken
What’s the best way to pan-roast a four-pound chicken? First you have cut it into four manageable pieces. If tearing through tendons makes you want to order in, we have the video for you. Chef Josh Eden of Shorty’s.32 demonstrates how you can make his roasted chicken and chilled green-bean salad at home. All you need is a frying pan, an oven, and a few sharp knives. Read the recipe in this week’s New York and then watch the video for a quick cooking lesson.
In Season: Pasture-Raised Chicken [NYM]
Video: Josh Eden’s Pan-Roasted Chicken
Food Video Archives
Toy StoryWith its collagelike aesthetic, its deadpan lyrical voice-over, and its truly bizarre portrait of one unfortunately demented (yet ultimately harmless) soul, Erika Yeomans’s Chubby Buddy plays like a George Saunders story come to life.
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Open House Video: A Two-Bedroom in Hell’s Kitchen
An open house is not only a chance to tour your potential new home, it’s also an opportunity to be nosy without consequence. You can judge others’ decorating schemes and feel out your competition by eavesdropping on other wannabe buyers. Last weekend, New York real-estate writer S. Jhoanna Robledo attended an open house at 400 West 58th Street, and our camera went along. The two-bedroom co-op was listed at $999,000, and several hopefuls checked it out. Meet the Greenwich newlyweds who “want a footprint in the city”; the dog owners who’ve been looking for a year; and the young couple somewhat suspicious of a two-bedroom under the $1 million mark. So did anyone buy? Corcoran broker Jeffery Sholeen tells us that the owners have “accepted a bid” but declined to I.D. the buyer or the price. What would you offer? Watch the video and start calculating.
Open House Log: Hell’s Kitchen [Video]
video look book
According to This Guy, We Should All Wear Suspenders
Painter and cater-waiter Mark Diruzza entered the Pratt Institute with a nose ring and a mohawk and now wears suspenders to class at the Borough of Manhattan Community College. Can Diruzza persuade you to forgo your belt for braces? He makes a compelling argument to New York’s Amy Larocca in this week’s Video Look Book.
Mark Diruzza [Video Look Book]
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Stereotypes on ParadePlanet of the Arabs is a hilarious, scathing, and rapid-fire montage of stereotypes of Arabs culled from popular movies and TV shows that plays like some budding neocon’s ADD-infused fever dream.
video look book
Learning From Our Fashion Elders in Union Square
Sculptor and jewelry designer Gisela von Eicken is a hat person, but what she really loves is a flattering silhouette. New York’s Amy Larocca found Von Eicken near Union Square recently and learned an important truth: “When you’re 74, you can still be stylish.”
Gisela Von Eicken [Video Look Book]
cultural capital
Video: What Happened at Controversial West Village Leather FestNew York reported last week of a neighborhood kerfuffle over a leather-fetish fair on Weekhawken Street. The community board quietly approved the event, and neighbors felt they’d been duped. So how scandalous is a leather fair on your block? On Sunday, New York’s Tim Murphy took a camera to find out. Sure, there were whips and dominatrices, but there was also a tickler from Teaneck. Watch the video to see the friendly side of fetishists.
Related: Leather Invaders Rankle Some Villagers [NYM]
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Coney Island, BabyIt’s an amazing, dreamy vision of Coney Island, all the more remarkable for the then-novel camera techniques required to capture it.
We Are All Bob Dylan: Pop Genius DylanIn I’m Not There, Todd Haynes imagines seven different versions of Bob Dylan. Some people say that’s six too many. We say Haynes is lazy.
video look book
The Greats Come Out for the Look Book Book Party
The hair was large and the colors loud at last week’s Look Book book party at Bergdorf Goodman. Catch up with your old friends André J., Monique Garofalo, and more of our street-fashion greats in this week’s edition of our Video Look Book.
Video: Padma and Alberta Go Way BackIntrepid socialite-cum-reporter Fabiola Beracasa hit the Philosophy di Alberta Ferretti presentation, where she found Elle’s Nina Garcia, Vanity Fair’s Alexis Bryan, and reality-television hostess Padma Lakshmi (who, long before she was intimidating the hell out of Top Chefs, was modeling for Alberta Ferretti in Milan). Watch and see what they had to say about Philosophy’s latest feminine line.
Video Memo to Derek Lam: Give Cathy a Signature Silhouette!There was no shortage of commentary backstage at the Derek Lam show: Fabiola Beracasa and Lam discuss the art of balancing his eponymous line with his work for Tod’s, Amanda Ross declares Lam’s “classic” designs to be among her favorites, and Bergdorf buyers have bought Lam’s lines in full force. But as well designed and accessible as Lam’s work may be, ever-honest Times critic Cathy Horyn is still searching for something more.
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Idol Worship at DVFDiane Von Furstenberg’s role in life is “to make women feel confident,” and it’s this sort of philosophy that makes the popular designer Fabiola Beracasa’s idol. Backstage at the DVF show, Fab chats up the lady of the hour as well as Plum Sykes and Diane’s hubby, megamogul Barry Diller — who reveals that his wife steers clear of working on his wardrobe. Watch and see why.
backstage video
Nicky Hilton’s Muse Is Her Jewelry BoxComparatively quiet socialite Nicky Hilton debuted her Nicholai line last night, and New York was there to catch the magic both on the runway and behind the scenes. Nicky’s big sis Paris wasn’t present (was getting mocked by Sarah Silverman at the VMAs really that preferable?), but her proud parents were right by her side — mom Kathy was quite literally “speechless” at her daughter’s accomplishment. As for the collection itself, Nicky drew her inspiration from bling. See for yourself how it all played out.
Joy James Keeps It Simple in J. MendelThe latest Video Look Book from the tents introduces us to Joy James, a businesswoman who loves original fashion because, as we know, it “tells a lot about you.” So what can we tell about Joy from her J. Mendel frock and custom-made hat? Watch and see.
video look book
Maybe Sarah Sophie Flicker Was Born With It — or Maybe It’s MaybellineArtist Sarah Sophie Flicker knows Fashion Week can be a bit overwhelming, but she’s got a smart strategy: use Maybelline mascara and wear Erin Fetherston, because damn if everyone’s just not loving the ethereal blonde’s ethereal work right about now.
backstage video
At Alexander Wang, Party-Girl Style Stays Simple and SexyAja Mangum, New York’s tireless beauty editor, has hit the shows yet again, this time scoping out the hotness backstage at Alexander Wang. According to makeup artist Dick Page, the styling was inspired by “street girls au naturel.” No, he didn’t mean hooker-chic (damn!), but more the look of a glam gal out on the town. Think textured hair, some “murk in the eye,” a bit of bronzer —; and voilà! The show was also styled by former model Erin Wasson, who summed up Dick’s work in one word: “amazing.” See it to believe it, people.
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Slack AddictsA hilariously deadpan flick about two Milwaukee roommates who can’t pay their rent or get much of anything done because they can’t stop competing with one another in a series of pointless contests.
Looking Lela Rose–Ready With Ted GibsonFront row not cutting it for you? Follow our dedicated beauty editor Aja Mangum, who’ll take you to the real action backstage.