basia's the shore

best consolation prize: basia's belated performance of "the shore" from my home state two years ago. it's was beautifully shot by nate chan for la blogotheque and yours truly. it was archived until now. apparently basia and her label didn't want it posted. her latest album "heart of my own" came out on tuesday. she had to cancel her first brooklyn gig back in october, and i totally snoozed on her intimate release party at professor thom's last thursday thrown by paste and rough trade. this was a nice little gem to mend my broken basia heart. basia please come back soon.

for those haven't discovered her lovely pipes and autoharp skillz, stream her new album below. special note: if you buy the uk version there's a bonus track, "hush", which she sang as her encore at the highline gig i saw back in september 2008.

jamie oliver's food revolution

highly anticipated reality show: jamie oliver's food revolution. shar heard about this new tv series earlier this week and cannot wait for it to start, which will be friday, march 26 at 9pm (est). i lurve my naked chef and his passion for improving the eating habits of the world. he started in the uk with "jamie's ministry of food" and "jamie's school dinners". now jamie will turn his attention to huntington, west virginia (aka the unhealthiest american city).

get warmed up for his show by signing his food revolution petition, which he is bringing to white house after the show airs.

all his efforts have been award the 2010 ted prize. we find out his wish on february 10. i bet you food will be involved. ;)

fltgc: gallery hanahou

best new edition to fltgc: gallery hanahou. this a rec from mel that jac, laura and i were happy to visit. the art literally is so cute it hurts. jac saved me because i forgot my camera. all photo credits go to her. shar loves these tiny hidden galleries.

marc johns, "obsess for two hours instead of three." = my fav

laura to the left and someone's arse admiring artwork pictured below

ryan berkley, "i'm in control, my worries are few"

collab painting

laura's fav = unhabitable mansion's "this is your chance to be positive"

shen plum's "the year of the tiger". reeeooow, jac's fav.

also if you aren't on cute overload, check out these cuties at the interactive gallery 88point5. fm knob for the q.

as you like it

noteworthy shakespeare commitment: as you like it, part of bam's bridge project. at the center of the fair production is juliet rylance in the role of rosalind. she really won the play for me, from her physical comedy to her romantic hysterics. also shar was glad to see thomas sadoski as touchstone. i had previously seen him in neil lebute's reasons to be pretty. i was pleasantly impressed that he could transition to the bard. lastly, the role of jacques was played by one stephen dillane, who i hadn't seen since playing mr. virginia wolfe in the hours.

i really like the simple, modern set design. lighting was also a treat with a swinging lantern emphasizing a wrestling match to the romantic rice paper lanterns that illuminate the final scene. be forewarned the play is 3 hours. i survived and i will have to commend mr. kate winslet - sam mendes. i don't think i really got through the hbo version directed by kenneth branagh. point to sam.

crazy heart

must hoedown: crazy heart. jeff bridges earns his golden globe portraying bad blake, a self-destructive country singer. shar liked the scenic drives through the southwest and reminds me of the southwestern road trip i've been meaning to take. at the heart of the film, it's the music that weaves the emotional threads to the heart. enter one wonderful t-bone burnett. he spoke with terry gross over a week ago. what's noteworthy is his choice of former wife, sam phillip's "reflecting light" during a key romantic moment. maybe someone still holds a flame for his ex. also, sara watkins of nickel creek plays fiddle on the title track. ahhhmazing tunes and lovely cinematography. last shot of the film was spectacular. see it if you haven't already.

tycho

recent culture vulture discovery: tycho. shar discovered the band, or better yet, the man scott hansen while listening to the latest uo music lstn #8. after some interweb surveying, i discovered scott designs really pretty posters and general graphic design goods. it's like design is the bread, and tycho is the meaf. that's one yummy samich.

scott lives in my hometown. for all my friends out there, befriend him and then introduce me to his artsy greatness. he is playing sac on january 30 at the townhouse lounge.

masterpiece theatre: emma

best post-football viewing: masterpiece theatre's latest adaption of emma. after one watches the afc and nfc championships, what's better than some good ol' jane austen goodness? congrats colts and saints!

okay it took a bit for me to get into this latest adaptation. i miss the translation that andrew davies did. romola garai plays emma with especially annoying spirit, more so than previous actresses, gwyneth platrow and kate beckinsale. there's a bit more set up for emma, jane fairfax and frank churchill than other versions i've seen. all in all, i'm excited to see the remaining parts 2 and 3. also, anyone wanna check this out with me?

eye level gallery

belated fltgc: joseph zvejnieks at eye level gallery. didn't make it out to galleries yesterday but bill's buddy joey had an opening this evening. shar likes sports. shar likes paintings. shar likes friends. so this gallery crawl was a mos defo.

with the winter olympics fast approaching, this show was quite timely. also i just came from a skating session at central park. who rocks skates at a gallery? shar does.

i loved joey's use of vintage sports imagery surrounded by the swirl of his brush strokes.

this was my fav and shar kinda wants it. wish i had $450 to spare.

sad art note: rumor has it jeffrey deitch is closing his ny galleries to avoid conflict of interest to his new appointment at moca. jac, we should hit it up while we can.

dawn landes at mercury lounge

belated solo debut: dawn landes at mercury lounge. shar's admired dawn since hearing her on daytrotter. she had me at her rendition of "tous les garcons et les filles". she played it tonight, and i must say the french has improved.


dawn came with hay in tow, but merc wouldn't let her scatter around the floor to create the right ambiance for her latest album sweet heart rodeo. it didn't stop her from having a proper hoedown. she rollicked in with tunes from the album, starting with "wandering eye" and "rodeo". all good stuff. she had lots of friends join in, even birthday gal erin who hula hooped.

anne joins in

josh

she had some troubles with her electric guitar and asked if we believed in electricity. we did! it worked. no more feedback. dawn was a gem and so glad to see her in her own element. i'd only seen her previously providing backup to one thomas bartlett (aka doveman). p.s. you might meet a special usher at his kitchen gig on march 18.

notable tunes played to shar's best recollection:
wandering eye
romeo
sweet heart rodeo
tous les garcons et les filles
straight lines
bodyguard
love songs (margo guryan cover)
working girls
dance area
twilight
young girl
kids in a play

freebie of the day

freebie of the day: acl hotel motel keychain. so since shar's moved to ny i've been sented to a few spots to procure random items for my friend caes back in the bay. a few trips to supreme. even a trip to been to alife and dqm prior to my residency. see a trend here? well, the most recent acquisition was a bit more my vintage, kitschy style.

if you live/work in the hood, stop by and meet michael. he will shake your hand. if you are far, send michael a self-adressed stamped envelop to:

ACL
110 Greene Street #404
New York, NY 10012

you can have your very own too. i think there might be about a hundred left. i'm the proud owner of either #161 or 170. one of them is going to caes.

gainsbourg (vie héroïque)

must visual oh la la: gainsbourg (vie héroïque). released in france today. no release date for the us yet. :(

zeitoun

must timing appropriate read: zeitoun by dave eggers. shar just finished this memoir of abdulrahman zeitoun's hurricane katrina experience. i nominated the read for our book club, so far i got 3 positives and 1 meh (but we can all guess who the meh is). we had agreed upon the book before the earthquake in haiti, so reading it post-quake was even more moving. also, nice to know that the proceeds of zeitoun goes to rebuilding together and catholic charities, organizations that i was able to participate with back in february 2007.

Zeitoun by Dave Eggers


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
could be my second favorite eggers book. hbwosg is still my fav. zeitoun made a connection that "what is the what" was unable to for me. the work was extensively researched and the story of the zeitouns is heart-wrenching and uplifting.

so despite the one meh, i highly recommend this read. p.s. meh you'll get one of these for your trouble.

ricky rocks the golden globes

best host hands down: ricky gervais. when shar heard ricky was hosting the golden globe, she was jazzed to say the least. with all the hooplah with nbc and the demise of conan, i was ready for ricky to have at it. we got a warmed up a week ago when he "consoled" conan. ricky went pretty easy prolly because nbc tied his hands i'm sure. see for yourself.



he did pull off the best jab of the night on mel gibson. loved the lead up with the pints. loved, loved diana kruger and josh jackson's reaction. classic goodness!

lived in bars

guaranteed sweet dreams: yellow stallion covers cat power's "lived in bars". my pal tobin reproduced this meow pow track for his soon to be lil girl. she's got a great dad.

brooklyn flea at hanson place

yay the flea moved indoors last weekend. shar checked out the goods at the historic new digs. haiti was in the air as donations were collected at the entrance. shar was fortunate enough to try the new grilled cheese delights from milk truck, which debuted today. twas delicious! shar got the all day breakfast, which consisted of melty gruyere cheese, caramelized onions and a fried egg hugged in two slices of rye bread. mmmmm! $6.50 of oozy scrumptuousness.

here are some snaps from the inaugural weekend.

just relearned how to do this, so thanks flea for inspiring me.

fltgc: zurcher studios

fastest fltgc: zurcher studios for esther tielemans and eun jin kim's project room. jac and i tricked leonard into coming. muh ha ha. don't feel bad for him. he enjoyed himself.

esther tielmans

eun jin kim

sweded attack

sorry, is shar posting too much? lately there has just been a ton to share. maybe shar should just tumblr. love this duet with the indie queens of swedan, el perro del mar and lykke li.

npr first listen: patty griffin's downtown church

best get down preview: patty griffin's downtown church on npr's first listen. shar loves her some gospelly, folksy, lil bit of country tunes. her albums out january 26. listen below.



npr is also streaming the new spoon album, transference here. it's out on tuesday and britt's available for chatting at 12:35p (est) today.

headlights on daytrotter

must daytrotter sesh: headlights. shar's excited for the new tunes from the champagne, il outfit. it's been too long since i saw them the summer of 08 at the tobacco warehouse.

head over to daytrotter to grab and download new tunes from their latest album wildlife. erin and tristan's vocals remain like lullabies to my heart of hearts.

lady gaga = cd at polaroid

belated breaking news of a week ago: lady gaga named creative director at polaroid. thanks andy for cluing me in. you know shar hearts polaroid.

findlay brown at joe's pub

much belated music date: findlay brown at joe's pub. shar discovered the crooning of said lad from across the shore back in the spring when i heard his wfuv set. there was the gig he played opening for au revoir simone back in april. then he played a cmj showcase in october. all missed opportunities, but the wait was worth it. the intimate setting of joe's pub was perfect for my first live performance.


mel's first reaction even before the first strum of his guitar. "i like his shoes." i would have to agree. findlay barreled into his single "love will find you" to start off the set. he inquired if anyone had seen his performance on letterman last night. i did. he said it wasn't so hot, but i thought it was fine. he then followed it up with "holding back the night" and "i still want you". next up was my fav, "nobody cared", which he said was based on his sister getting bullied when she was little.

i was able to capture this next tune, "everybody needs love". sorry ran out of memory to get the whole thing.


annnnd here is the set list in it's entirety.

love will find you
holding back the night
i still want you
nobody cared
everybody needs love
come home
teardrops lost in the rain
that's right
sweet dreams (eurythmics cover)
i will (on request and not on the original setlist)
i had a dream

he ran out with an impromptu encore, coming to the edge of the stage with acoustic guitar in hand. i couldn't make out the tune.

findlay encompassed all the roy orbison swagger for me. mel and jac said he reminded them of richard hawley. regardless of who findlay reminds us of, we all were in agreement that it was he was a delight.

shar <3s conan

People of Earth:

In the last few days, I’ve been getting a lot of sympathy calls, and I want to start by making it clear that no one should waste a second feeling sorry for me. For 17 years, I’ve been getting paid to do what I love most and, in a world with real problems, I’ve been absurdly lucky. That said, I’ve been suddenly put in a very public predicament and my bosses are demanding an immediate decision.

Six years ago, I signed a contract with NBC to take over The Tonight Show in June of 2009. Like a lot of us, I grew up watching Johnny Carson every night and the chance to one day sit in that chair has meant everything to me. I worked long and hard to get that opportunity, passed up far more lucrative offers, and since 2004 I have spent literally hundreds of hours thinking of ways to extend the franchise long into the future. It was my mistaken belief that, like my predecessor, I would have the benefit of some time and, just as important, some degree of ratings support from the prime-time schedule. Building a lasting audience at 11:30 is impossible without both.

But sadly, we were never given that chance. After only seven months, with my Tonight Show in its infancy, NBC has decided to react to their terrible difficulties in prime-time by making a change in their long-established late night schedule.

Last Thursday, NBC executives told me they intended to move the Tonight Show to 12:05 to accommodate the Jay Leno Show at 11:35. For 60 years the Tonight Show has aired immediately following the late local news. I sincerely believe that delaying the Tonight Show into the next day to accommodate another comedy program will seriously damage what I consider to be the greatest franchise in the history of broadcasting. The Tonight Show at 12:05 simply isn’t the Tonight Show. Also, if I accept this move I will be knocking the Late Night show, which I inherited from David Letterman and passed on to Jimmy Fallon, out of its long-held time slot. That would hurt the other NBC franchise that I love, and it would be unfair to Jimmy.

So it has come to this: I cannot express in words how much I enjoy hosting this program and what an enormous personal disappointment it is for me to consider losing it. My staff and I have worked unbelievably hard and we are very proud of our contribution to the legacy of The Tonight Show. But I cannot participate in what I honestly believe is its destruction. Some people will make the argument that with DVRs and the Internet a time slot doesn’t matter. But with the Tonight Show, I believe nothing could matter more.

There has been speculation about my going to another network but, to set the record straight, I currently have no other offer and honestly have no idea what happens next. My hope is that NBC and I can resolve this quickly so that my staff, crew, and I can do a show we can be proud of, for a company that values our work.

Have a great day and, for the record, I am truly sorry about my hair; it’s always been that way.

Yours,

Conan

it's not you it's me

kristin made this for a contest, and it's totally making my day. hope you win, kristin!

p.s. coconut records davy is awesome.

happy birthday lakf!

you're all growns up!

a single man

singles date realized: a single man at the paris theatre. shar's been dying to see this flick and finally got my sweet arse in a lovely blue velvet seat at the paris theatre. it's a lovely one screen outfit. i highly recommend seeing a flick there.

so many have written about the film. my friend catherine does a great job describing the look. i wasn't as much of a fan of the color saturation as she was. colin firth was good, especially in the scene when he learns of his lovers fatal car accident. (jon hamm/don draper is the voice of cousin hank, bearer of bad news.) although he gets me in that scene, shar has to admit the oscar talk might be a bit premature. come to think of it i can't think of a noteworthy male performance this year. mr. darcy deserves his nom.

i was ahmazed at how much the lil boy from about a boy (nicholas hoult) has grown up. still has that slight unibrow, but boy is now man.

kandinsky at the gugg

just before close exhibit: kandinsky at the guggenheim. the russian closes at the gugg january 13, jac, jenni and i got in there early. didn't really matter because it was still packed when it opened. we took the fast track since someone is now a member. bilbao, venice and berlin here i come.

first, new york with my russian. geometry, landscapes, music and science. they were all themes in kandinsky's work. he works a dreamy flow of color and shapes. i opted out on the audio tour and hit play on my ipod for a bit. songs of choice for his mid-career were alberto iglesias' "me voy a morir de tanto amor" and suite bergmanesque "clair de lune".

extra goodness: anish kapoor's memory. this was really something you have to see in person. it looks like the steel pod is about to explode in the space. also, have fun talking into its insides. echo anyone? it's up until march 28.

fltgc: haus projects and team gallery

somewhat disappointing fltgc effort: stanley whitney at team gallery. colored boxes for his untitled '10 was described as:

Whitney's work presents, real, tangible, visible relationships - of the brush to the canvas, of the artist to his labor, of the artist to a world-view, and of the artist to a visual sign of his authorship; nothing is occluded, everything is out there. The paintings are what they are but their potent impact, their sensuousness, their attractiveness, remains nevertheless mysterious. It is possible that Whitney's greatest accomplishment - and he pulls it off in every painting - is that these effortless paintings possess such severe conviction. In Whitney's work, daily labor becomes akin to spiritual practice.

shar and jac aren't exactly sure we got that. maybe too simplistic to look beyond the time spent i guess.

impromptu visit: versus at hous projects. jac had to make an exchange with leonard, so we were at the steps of hous projects. shar's only been one other time and quite enjoyed it. i was taken by this one:

jac liked this one:
quiet times for galleries this week. upcoming goodness for the year includes glowlab's launch of glowlounge with artist talks. jac and i are hitting up zurcher studios next week for this action:

detox

day 1: no booze for a month, but shar will be rocking the brews come super bowl. goodbye beer, wine and gin. hello water.

rip: lhasa

much belated condolescences: fam of lhasa. shar just read the sad news on npr. so strange because i was just thinking of her thumbing through my cds at my parent's house. i pulled out living road to flip through it and bummed i didn't bring back with me. sad i'll never see her live. rip lhasa.

sf reserves

thanks sf bay. shar's all stocked for a new year in brooklyn and new york.

dogs played with: 3 - thumps, nala (below), tekka

babies held: 3.5 = zach, jeru, ashlyn (below) and 2 tbn

eatries/waterholes visited (in no particular order): el farolito (al pastor super rito below), in n out, range, nann n curry, osha, sweet basil, humphry slocombe ice cream (sorry bi-rite), irish bank, fat wong's, out the door, casanova, florida street cafe, triptych, golden boy pizza, ritual coffee roasters, higuma

hoods visited: nob hill, north beach, soma, potrero hills, diamond heights, dolores park, south park, chinatown, union square, glen park, mission, russian hill, castraight, tendernob, inner/outer sunset, outer richmond, embarcadero

best random holiday activity: putting together a wolves puzzle with iris. dude, count 'em. five wolves!

approximated miles driven: 153

hugs distributed: too many to count. great seeing all you folks and see you soon. come out to nyc.

antlers in paris

wunderlust moment of anticipation: antlers on avenue parmentier, paris. it was just a few months ago when shar saw antlers at soundfix during cmj and i'm psyched to see them next month with ra ra riot for the sounds like brooklyn music fest at bam. stumbled upon this gem and it's reminding me of a similar vid, also produced by la blogotheque, of tallest man on earth in the music inn.

i love the way the production was described by its director nat:

To film The Antlers, you have to protect them, wrap them in a cocoon, roll up the bedclothes, close the doors, silence the outside world. It’s a sweet and affabable music that only hatches when it’s swaddled and protected, taking the time to unfold itself slowly.

The Antlers - Shiva - A Take Away Show from La Blogotheque on Vimeo.

mbd

most missed haunt: moss beach distillery. shar hearts this primo spot that overlooks the ocean. tucked away off hwy 1, mbd is a treasure with pints and fire pits. who could ask for more?

i was a little afraid the weather would not cooperate with the rain the bay's been having but the clear view of the sunset this evening was priceless. it was angelina and bryan's first time at my fav spot. here's angelina's pics and words for the day. bryan took an amazing shot of me as a cliffside hobbit. these are my top pics of the day.

pov: sea cove patio

memorexing this moment for when i return to bk.

you can't the cali out of this sf gal.