In My Dream Last Night

You were wearing overalls.

Gotta Give It a Little Shimmy Shim, Golden Globes Dress

Dear Jamie,
My mom requested a Golden Globes fashion recap.  But, because you were unable to watch the preshow/show yourself, I've decided to send this note directly to you.  It will be fresh and fun and shiny for you.  For others, I've found my own reactions were not so far removed from the paid critics.  That includes Joan Rivers.  Mom, please enjoy.

The tops:

Amber Riley is as good as it get in this Oliver Tolentino

Leighton Meester was not boring.  It's Burberry Prorsum and it's interesting.  In a clean, subtle way.  Many had problems with this look, thought it was a bit too - what was it they said - something like "polygamist glamour."  But I say foo on those people.  It flatters her softly, manages to look reserved even with a slit up to her pelvis, and is decidedly unexpected.  In a evening of lovely dresses, this was perhaps the most refreshing. 

Runners up include: 

Angelina Jolie in Atelier Versace, January Jones in Versace (a dress that looked even more striking and less exhabitionisty live), and Kyra Sedwick in Emilio Pucci

The next four numbers missed the mark by simply being a little too much of a good thing, perhaps particularly when seen together, in context:

From top Left: Emma Stone in Calvin Klein, Catherine Zeta Jones in Monique Lhuillier,

Claire Danes in Calvine Klein, Mila Kunis is Vera Wang.  Also, I want Emma's curves back.  And red hair.

And these ladies looked wonderful:

Melissa Leo in Marc Bouwer and Amy Adams in Marchesa.  Both from The Fighter.

Melissa cleans up good.  Especially considering what she looked like the last time I saw her:

A movie I'd recommend to anyone. Melissa is on the couch; she's blond, totally transformed as Dikey and Mikey's mother.

There were trends.  I'm sure you've heard about them.  Green!  The "Sister Wives" sleeves!  Pink!  The big shoulders!  I rather liked the matronly long sleeves - as seen on my top ladies, Leighton Meester and Angelina Jolie - but loved them most when they worked against their conservative-sleeve selves.  I wanted them to sparkle.  And so, like Joan Rivers, my be-all and end-all of the evening is Anne Hathaway in Armani Prive:

Little cellophaney copper plates, in motion:

 

This is one dress, though, that doesn't need to be moving to work.

She's a winner, no?  Not only is she easy to enjoy the heck out of, what with that sass and wit, but she's at once glamorous and playful.  That's quite the pairing.  The only other actor-girl I know of that pulls that off regularly happened to be my greatest disappointment of the night.  I'm not saying Michelle Williams was the worst dressed, but I am saying that I felt terribly let down by what she showed up in.  It doesn't work for the occasion, is horribly unflattering (no support in the bust, plus an all over thickening effect), and is rather too nineties for its own good (as in, my nineties - the middle school years).  Oh, well.  I'm sure she'll step it up for the Oscars.  She's just got to.

I wish I had a picture of my backpack from 6th grade.  I believe there were a few ironed-on daisies.

Love,
J. Benny



Songs for the New Year, Courtesy of the Old Year

Dear Kristin,

Three for the week:

 

 

 

The Fresh & Onlys don't make an appearance on the year's twenty - but for this week, they're much played.  The other two place.  Or rather, they're on the shortlist.  Different songs (from the same artists) made the cut.  It was not easy playing favorites.  Deerhunter's Halcyon Digest has much to give and Monitor is a darn good CD from start to finish, no?  Yes.  Yes, it is.  With few exceptions, all of the following came from rather wonderful CDs.  The picking was tough.  If I couldn't see an absolute favorite, I went with my most listened (hence Titus's No Future, Part III over the above or A More Perfect Union).

Twenty for the Year:
On Melancholy Hill, Gorillaz
Runaway, Kanye West
Giving Up the Gun, Vampire Weekend
Who Makes Your Money, Spoon
Conversation 16, The National
Excuses, The Morning Benders
No Future, Part III, Titus Andronicus
Sweetest Kill, Broken Social Scene
Stranded, Walkmen
All Yr Songs, Diamond Rings
Helicopter, Deerhunter
We Used to Wait, Arcade Fire
Don't Fuckin Tell Me What to Do, Robyn
Does Not Suffice, Joanna Newsome  (I always imagine Bill Callahan on the other end of this letter)
The Weekenders, Hold Steady
Holiday Road - Walkmen
Last Prom on Earth, Gayngs
Kids on the Run - Tallest Man on Earth
Chinatown, Wild Nothing
Mermaid Parade, Phosphorescent

No album overlap, vaguely arranged from first favorite to twentieth favorite.



Love,
J. Benny

Me Me Me

Dear Kristin,
I've been feel a shade blue today. Unaccountably blue. So I bought myself this blue coat

Land's End, $66 on sale

and these blue boots

Land's End kids snow boots, $20 on sale

and I'm wearing this black hooded beauty around the apartment, though the heater is on

The other new coat.  Jil Sander for Uniqlo, on sale for $100

and I'm officially out of holiday money (after a musical purchase, Deer Hunter and Tallest Man).

Love,
J. Benny

P.S. Yesterday:

P.P.S.  Tomorrow:

 Rubirosa.  My suggestion for out "grand" evening.  They have gluten free pizza, if that's

the kind of thing you're into (my dad certainly is).  I'm also very excited about Porsena. And 

on the same street as Rubi, there's also Balaboosta and, for the grandest time of them all, Torrisi.  

P.P.P.S.  Tonight:

Nothing new here.  But when it's just right, it's just right.  Picture and CD found at HypeMachine.

My Time of Year

Dear Kristin,
Holy cow, it is on: Hype Machine's 2010 Zietgeist, just in time for my bulk, year's end iTune purchase.  The plan, this year, is to buy five albums from folks I vaguely know and vaguely thrill me (though not enough to require an immediate purchase) or folks I vaguely know and never quite loved, not until they put out an album I could love (e.g. Deerhunter).  I have every intention of purchasing this recent Deerhunter, fleshing out my Phosphorescent, Girls, and Sharon Van Etten (I have half of their new CDs) and buying all of The Tallest Man on Earth's Wild Hunt.  But there's much that I'm tossing around (Radio Dept., Menomena,Wild Nothing, etc.).  I shall let you know what I discover.

In the meantime, I suspect and hope you'll enjoy this:

I love it very much.  It may just be my second favorite song of the year.  (The explicit version, of course.)

Love,
J. Benny

This Is So Beautiful, Happy New Year

Dear Kristin,

He makes the beautiful:

 

Tom Ford. Finally.

Love,

J. Benny

P.S. I'm back.