Karl Lagerfeld is the new Andy Warhol

Azelia Banks performing 212 at Karl L's house. Iron curtain, say what?

Leslye Headland, I think I love you!

So, let's start with the million-dollar question. I'm curious about your thoughts on this whole women-in-comedy revolution that the press keeps talking about. Looking back, I think women have always had such a strong voice in comedy in the movies, going as far back as Marion Davies or Anita Loos or Dorothy Arzner. There's an important legacy there. What do you think about the hubbub?
I haven't been a writer for hire for very long. I've only been doing it for three or four years. I was doing my plays and putting them up in black boxes and all that kind of stuff, but in my experience in the studio work for the very first time, I was really surprised about how intense they were about likeable female characters. I never thought of my characters as unlikeable. Ever. I thought I was writing women and that was that, you know? And then it just became this thing where they would say, "It makes her unlikeable if she does blank." I don't understand that.
What would be an example of "blank"?
The example I like to use is that "Sleepless in Seattle" would never be made now, because she has a nice guy and a nice life, and her only problem is that she's miserable and unhappy and she doesn't know why. And she hears this guy on the radio and she starts to fall in love with the idea of this man, and believes that they're soulmates and all that. But if I were to pitch that movie today, they'd say, "Well, she can't have a fiancé, because that would make her unlikeable." Does that make sense?
Yeah, I think that's totally true.
I really do firmly believe that. That's a hypothetical conversation. Of course, I've never had that exact one. But you get these romantic comedies with women in the last 10 or 15 years where... If "Reality Bites" were made today, she would probably end up with Ben Stiller. It's like, you get these women at the beginning of these movies and they're fine. They don't have any problems and it's because they're not allowed to have any problems.

  - Excerpt from Leslye Headland's interview with Indiewire.

This girl! I'm so excited to see her film, and read a whole more about what she has to say about her film - Bachlorette - clip below!

New Fiona Apple album due this year, 2012 is looking up.

Also I can't believe its been 6 years since the last one.

How To: Throw Yourself a Pity Party

Speaking of staying in....

How To: Throw Yourself a Pity Party

Provisions:
1. Alcohol. Whatever floats your boat.2. Lounging gear. Opt for cozy knits and a warm water bottle to hug.3. Food. Sometimes only ice cream will do the trick.4. Music, Movies & Journaling. I’ve watched Casablanca since high school and it still does the trick. I also posted my weepiest tunes on 8tracks and Spotify. Totally subjective and personal, but yeah, Radiohead makes me bawl.
Best Practices (for good measure):
1. Lay off the social media. This is an intimate party and odds are you’re not your “best self” in this state of mind. And let’s be honest, it’s probably pretty irritating to everyone else, too.2. Reach out to someone you can trust if you need support. Talking through things often helps us move on.3. Remember that everything looks better in the morning light. You’ll feel better tomorrow, I promise.

 (via Wit and Delight)

Spending a Weekend In (AKA things to do in the winter)

Trying to learn how to braid my hair (wheres a My Little Pony when you need one?). My hair is super long (for me) at the moment, I want to get some non-ponytail ways to get it off my sweaty neck for summer. I never mastered a top knot, but milk maid braids and a side plait seem to be working slightly better for me. Guides courtesy of Refinery 29 - here, here and here - who have also informed me that braids are "out" this season - nerds! Regardless I will master the fishtail fishbone and possibly the french braid yet.

Making a million different soups - mushroom, pumpkin, kale, spinach, carrot, pepper, etc! Before I was "healthy", yet still broke and lazy, I used to bring in a loaf of bread, cheese, tomato and ham for lunch, it was the best - so easy, so cheap. Then I went through a "healthy" phase of eating salad for lunch everyday. Biggest pain in the ass ever, seriously, bringing all that salad crap to work every week, then making the salad, oi vei, all that extra time spent in a communal kitchen trying to avoid awkward work conversations, no thank you! I've since discovered soup which is just as healthy (kind-of) and involved bringing a tupperware to work and about 1-2 minutes in said kitchen (best of both worlds, for the anti-social, awkward and lazy)! PS when in doubt look to Martha.

Reading the entire Hunger Games series, while listening to the new Sharon Van Etten album - preferably in the bath. Re-watching 30 Rock and/or Bored to death can also replace the Hunger Games here.

Picking a director and watch everything by them, I've done this before with Woody Allen, John Cassavetes and Robert Bresson, and at the moment I'm trying to do it with Italian Neorealism - loving Ermanno Olmi so far, we'll see about the rest.

Trying to learn to play Stooges and Ramones songs on the bass, I don't want to play well, I just want to play fast!

See you on the other side!

A Working List of Things I Will Never Tell You by Jon Sands

When I said I wasn’t with another girl
the January after we fell in love for the 3rd time,
it’s because it wasn’t actual sex.

In the February that began our radio silence,
it was actual sex. I hate the tight shirts
that go below your waistline.

Not only do they make you look too young,
but then your torso is a giraffe’s neck attached to tiny legs.
I screamed at myself in the subway

for writing poems about you still.
I made a scene. I think about you almost
each morning, and roughly every five days, I still

believe you’re there.
I still masturbate to you.
When we got really bad,

I would put another coat of mop water on the floor of the bar
to make sure you were asleep when I got to my side of the bed.
You are the only person to whom I’ve lied, knowing

I was telling the truth. I miss the way your neck
wraps around my face like a cave we are both lost in.
I remember when you said being with me

is like being alone with company.
My friend Sarah wrote a poem about pink ponies.
I’m scared you’re my pink pony.

Hers is dead. It is really sad. You’re not dead.
You live in Ohio, or Washington, or Wherever.
You are a shadow my body leaves on other girls.

I have a growing queue of things I know
will make you laugh and I don’t know where to put them.
I mourn like you’re dead. If you had asked me to stay,

I would not have said no.
It would never mean yes

Does the Future Seem Hopeless To You?

Its Saturday night and I'm trying to catch up on my Italian Neorealism this Winter. Considering my trauma relating to Bicycle Thieves, you can probably understand why this is isn't a film movement I have embraced the same why I did Screwball Comedies or French New Wave. In fact the above pretty much sums up my feelings about Italian Neorealism, but I've nervously begun attempting to watch at least a little more. I think its all about where you start with certain directors e.g. don't watch Faces as your first Cassavettes (if you're a depressive type) and then follow it with Love Streams and Opening Night (which of course I love, but seriously? Temper it with Gloria or Minne and Moskowitz), you could say the same thing about diving into the most recent Godard etc etc. Anyway point is I'm restarting with Il Posto and I Fidantzati, which don't seem quite so brutal, but I still teared up at the interview scene above (even though its kind of funny in its own way). 

However I'm still sure it will be a cold day in hell before I settle in to watch Shoeshine or Umberto D. though.

"I sleep all day and I crank all night"

I missed a month in mixtape making, 'cause I was too busy being unemployed. However I've finally made a new one, with my new fave track of 2012, so far.

Mozart's Sister is from Montreal, and I think she's going to be big in 2012. Just saying.

Jealous? Jalouse.

Une Fille Comme Les Autres from Jalouse blog on Vimeo.

I love this and PS YES! I still want her hair, her outfits, and to live in France, BUT I wont' be buying Jalouse any time soon, 'cause really, who cares?

Matthew Frost, you are a bit of a genius.

New favourite director ALERT!

I saw Joachim Trier's film, 'Oslo, 31 August' at TIFF last year, and I totally loved everything about it. Understated, starring semi-hip 20-somethings, who are contemplative and somewhat morose, quirky narrative style - yes, I'm SO on board! Not that I want in anyway to reduce a beautiful, affecting, work of art like 'Oslo, 31 August' to a bunch of conventions that I just happen to always love, because well, its better than that. Definitely one of my faves of last year, that I feel like not many people saw, and as such, I'm kicking myself that I forgot it for The Playlist Underrated/Overrated.

I'm also halfway through Reprise (his first film), and I can't believe I love it as much as 'Oslo, 31 August', maybe more! I hope I don't have to wait another 5 years for the next Joachim Trier movie (say it ain't so).

“There's a lot of things in life worth living for, isn't there.”

Hold Me While I'm Naked (1966)  - George Kuchar

I finally saw It Came from Kuchar, which was so good and so inspiring, I totally recommend it. The Kuchar's has such a positive can-do attitude towards film making, which I feel is rare, at least among me and my friends, we are more likely to obsess over 5 seconds rather than just make something 5 minutes thats pretty good.

I've also really got to track down some of their films, but the clips I saw from Hold Me While I'm Naked, especially resonated with me, and the ending!

Some of My Favourite People are Bass Players