somewhere

unfortunate miss: somewhere. shar was one excited gal to support ms. coppola's latest feature, but i'm sorry to say friends it was a doozie. i wanted to love it but there was some spark that was missing. there were the long drawn atmospheric shots that are at the heart of sofia's movies. maybe those could have been edited down, however i can see how that would go against the direction the film was intended for. what was telling were the seat shifting reactions from my fellow viewers during some of the longer scenes. mind you these were an older demographic and i was quite surprised to see them at the screening. it goes to show that ms. coppola has certainly grown a fan base. might have something to do with her dad, but i don't think her latest effort won her that demographic.

the fighter

must film to make you believe in persistence: the fighter. shar is a sucker for sports movies. so when i saw the trailer for the fighter, i was sold. christian bale completes another chameleon performance as the troubled dicky eklund. mark wahlberg looks at home in his native massachusetts, playing one of his heroes micky (no "e") ward. he chatted about the project on 60 minutes last month. but above and beyond i loved amy adams as charlene fleming. i think it was the fact that my name, despite the faux pas of a "c" instead of a "s", was referred to as "that charlene from the baaaah" and "a mtv girl". she was feisty and wasn't afraid to take on a pack of crazy irish sisters. that's my kinda gal. all in all the cast brings together a great story of one remarkable sports figure. get ready for a KO.

ultimate snow day

brooklyn blizzard = ultimate snow day

photos by jac

brooklyn blizzard

what shar tracked into the apartment. this didn't happen on snow day.

also, i did witness a thundersnow walking out of the ACE station on canal street. i can also attest that there is snow inside the subway stations. at the aforementioned and the 2/3 bergen st station.

happy christmas!

from a little apartment in brooklyn, wishing you all the best over the holiday season.

chairlift at knitting factory

kinda worth the wait gig: chairlift at knitting factory. i'd been meaning to check out this brooklyn (via colorado) band that has garnered a bit of notoriety with their ipod commercial. so when i heard they were putting on a free gig, i hoofed my bootie to billyburg. the opener, acrylics, didn't hit the stage until close to 10. i was in for a long one.

when caroline and company finally hit their first key. i was pleasantly lulled in by "evident utensil". one can't help but bounce from side to side. the gang unleashed several new tunes from their upcoming album, like "saigon safari" and "met before". no encore, but they did play the ipod song, "bruises". i was a bit disappointed in the rendition because caroline sang all the lyrics, and i missed the boy-girl duet that made me take a fancy to the tune.

black swan

must mind eff: black swan. the chatter you've been hearing at your holiday parties is true. that natalie portman really does pull this role off. if she doesn't get an oscar nod, shar will be one shocked cinephile. she manages to blend that annoying perfection that guys around the world treasure with a glint of edge to keep it real.

friends, what got me was on a particular scene with winona ryder (don't want to give too much away to those who haven't seen it). said scene had me gasp out loud in the theatre. i can't remember the last time a film has shocked me to that state. in fact, i was fumbling with the realization that i was that girl in the theatre. i literally turned to my friend for confirmation.

i missed darren aronofsky's last flick, the wrestler. i guess i overlooked it as it didn't have that mind bending warped nature as most of his films. black swan however is an aronofsky film through and through. chaotic. a bit over the top. a mind eff.

holiday deadline

usps reports that today will be the "busiest mailing day of the year with more than 800 million pieces of mail expected to enter the system." every year since i can remember i have continued my tradition of holiday cards promptly on turkey weekend. prioritizing the international folks first of course, then working the domestics. year after year, the holiday cards that return decreases little by little. i do receive lovely emails thanking me for the snail mail cheer, but there's something special about that tangible card and lining them on my non-existent mantle. i love hearing from friends that i haven't heard from since last holiday.

heck, i know i've overlooked some in the process who will scoff at missing snail mail cheer. for those, you know i'll see you soon for holiday hugs or send me your postal addy. hopefully, i won't misplace or you won't move next year.

here's to keeping snail mail alive. one card at a time. oh yeah and helping with the usps's $8.5 billion loss this year.

the hard nut

best holiday pick me up: the hard nut at bam. amongst the last minute shoppers and back to back holiday parties, this was the perfect sparkle of holiday spirit to get shar through the holiday season. mark morris's reimagining of the classic ballet, "the nutcracker", is a playful romp that will uplift any grinch.

weekend crafty goodness

shar recommends grabbing one of these for holiday smiles.

Lotta designs a different fabric calendar every year, always in limited quantities, so they have become a bit of a collector's item! Perfect gifts for anyone celebrating a special occasion in 2011, they can be used as kitchen towels or hung on a wall, which is how we use it here in the studio! They are in a lovely cotton-linen fabric with a green and grey design and measures 17 x 26".

blue valentine

most worth the wait film: blue valentine. when bam posted that they would be previewing the much anticipated film with a q&a with director derek cianfrance, shar was there and there. since i heard the who ha from sundance, i was in. two of my favorite actors - ryan gosling and michelle williams. check! heartbreak. check! grizzly bear soundtrack. check!

why they thought to rate it at nc-17 was beyond me. maybe the raw emotions were too intense for the film board? friends, the hype is true. this is truly a remarkable nuanced film and all the golden globe nominations the film received. this was a 12 year labor of love from mr. cianfrance. he illuminated the viewing with background about the filming, from how the clip below was improvised and casting the young girl who played ryan and michelle's daughter. all good stuff! go see it when it opens december 31.

s.carey @ highline ballroom

best wintry remedy from the bitter cold: s. carey at highline ballroom. sean carey is the drummer of the wintry band bon iver, so you know this boy's got pipes. the highline ballroom was barely full, but those coming in from the snow showers were pleasantly warmed by the lush vocals of mr. carey. he went through the entirety of his debut album, all we grow. he also played a b-side, "leave" and covered notwist's "consequences". (note: opener winter hinterland covered katy perry's "teenage dream" for her last tune of her set.)

my highlight of the night was sean's rendition of "move". quietly moving and held me at every note. swoon! also, 99% sure jens lekman was standing 10 feet away from me enjoying some s. carey goodness. pretty plausible as he was in brooklyn on friday.

here's a great vid of sean below that yours truly filmed in my hometown and a great daytrotter sesh here.

niners win!

40-21! we believe in wild cards.

Keren Ann rocks Joe’s Pub – Night Two!

Keren Ann rocks Joe's Pub - Night Two!

meow meow

my furry bed fellows

elsie

rambo

urnatur

the first "snow" hit brooklyn and manhattan. just a few flurries that have now since subsided. makes me think of wintry locales like recently featured urnatur for the december anthropologie catalog.

"don't you like london?"

She shook her head. "I want to like it. It isn't home though."

(Valetina Poole from Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger)

fltgc: jack hanley, gavin brown, harris lieberman and kate werble

best fltgc to make for not being at art basel: quad-fecta crawl. while the cool kids are hanging out at miami beach, shar took newbie beth on a crawl of my favorite lower west side haunts. first up was erwin wurm's delightful gherkins. shar is not a fan of pickles, but these brought a smile to my face.

up next was gavin brown, which i was shut out of last visit.
a most fitting pic of beth with her home country symbol albeit a bit rusty.

mark handforth

rebecca morris at harris lieberman

john lehr's stet at kate werble (who happened to win the NADA best booth award in miami)

tennis luvin'

another amazing musical gem from yours truly. they somehow manage to make hotel utah look way bigger than it really is. three cheers nate chan. for more sweet tunes from tennis, check out their stellar daytrotter session.