Gaga’s Workshop!

Forget about Santa! Lady Gaga and Barneys NY rule! Barneys is opening an entire floor devoted to Lady Gaga tonight! 25% of sales will go to Gaga's Born This Way Foundation which empowers youth by fighting bullying and will also offer mentoring.

The entrance way to Barney's is all decked out as are the windows in Gaga's interpretation of an elves workshop. Gaga's Workshop will be opening tonight at 11:59 but you can check out the website to see the special items they will be offering each day. The $15 cookie with an amazing likeness of the songstress has already sold out.

The special daily items which can be ordered online are a mix of inexpensive like the cookie or Gaga acrylic rings but then there are handmade flame shaped press on nails with red crystals (see photo above) for $225 and cut off spiky leather gloves ($265). Quite a mix. And we won't know what else is being sold in the workshop until 11:59 tonight. So much Gaga gear!

Uma Thurman and mb!

Oooh, aaah! I met Uma Thurman. Uma was at Lord & Taylor hawking a new perfume, Ange ou Demon Le Secret, by Givenchy. I found out about it and I told my friend whose staying with me who's also a journalist. L&T is about 5 blocks from me so we thought we would go. My friend said she'd buy the perfume and would try and ask her some questions and I would give her jewelry from the designer (Alzerina) I'm doing social media for. (You gotta see the BOTTLES and BOTTLES of perfume my friend has in my apartment.) But I wasn't planning on buying the perfume so I was a little nervous about the whole thing. So we're at L&T and there are these guys in black with trays of champagne and macaroons. Tres bien! Every person we saw working for Givenchy's PR asked each of us to take our bottle out to get it signed. I just looked at them and said, "I'm with her" and pointed at my friend. I thought they were going to kick me off the line but I made it. So, we're just about to go up and meet Uma and my friend sees these 8x10 color glossy photos of Uma so she takes one and ask one of the PR minions if we can get the photo signed as well. The woman says no, either the perfume or the photo. I thought that was kind of lousy so I take the photo from my friend and tell her I'll get it signed. So it's our turn and Uma is sooo nice. She signs the bottle, signs the photo and I give her the Swarvoski earrings by Alzerina and we get our photo taken. Don't know why I was so worried! Ha, ha! I text Alzerina and all is well with the world!

Maurizio Catellan Retrospective

If you wanna see some art or just see some weird shit, get yourself to the Guggenheim. "All" the works of Italian art antagonist (antaginator?) Maurizio Catellan are hanging in the rotunda like a giant mobile. The display is pretty unique. I don't think any other artist has come up with the idea to hang a mess of the their work like that. It's pretty cool

Cattelan first made news in Italy with hanging three versions of children by the neck from trees in a park in Milan. Many people were not amused. You can see the kids hanging here along with life-size horses and some sort of bull with it's horns replaced by motorcycle handlebars. Bull indeed! Then there's this guy with a hood over his head just sitting and hanging out. I kept expecting him to throw off the hood and give the finger to the people looking at the exhibition. Catellan does seem to be into "realistic" life-time versions of animals and people but there are also a lot of versions himself strewn throughout the mix. Interestingly, the depictions of himself are mini-versions. Hmm, wonder what that means!

As you walk up the ramp more and more of Catellan's works come into view. There's also photographs and these weird pigeons standing on a lot of the work. Very life-like! Like I said whether you think it's art or weird shit, check it out!

Guggenheim Museum

1071 Fifth Avenue (at 89th St.)

"All" Maurizio Catellan Retrospective

Until January 22nd, 2012

Greenwich Village Halloween Parade 2011!

Hey there! Halloween nite baby! I was there with a friend for all the action. Some pretty inventive and messed up costumes out there. Yes, owing to the recent zombie trend, there were zombies aplenty. Case in point, I was sort of this zombie-vampire thang. (See pic with the very SCARY Nikon camera around my neck. Positively GHOULISH!!)

While a lot of the costumes were good...I didn't see the cleverness like there was years ago. For example, the guys dressed up as green, plastic toy soldiers, complete with weird, green feet/stands. They would be patrolling the parade route and then one of them would call out and they would all freeze. So cool! Or the people who dressed up like Mr. and Ma'am George Bush and sat on the back of a convertible probably rented just for the event!

There seems to be a lot more people advertising their clubs or wares this year as well. Although I did get 5 cool Jagermeister t-shirts (5!) as well as astronaut ice cream courtesy of Fiat. (Freeze dried!) So, who am I to cast blame???

It's still worth checking out the parade. I'll be there next year! Ooooh, maybe I can get some freeze-dried astronaut fudge sauce for my "ith creme".

Photos from the Brooklyn Flea Market!

Fly to the Brooklyn Flea Market!

Went to the Brooklyn Flea Market on the waterfront in Billyburg. It was pretty cool. Took the ferry from 34th St. It's a nice space in the shadow of these monstrous fancy-schmancy apartment buildings. There's people selling jewelry and antiques. Some new and vintage clothes as well. Probably the best part is Smorgasburg! Those are the food stalls and there's all kinds of yummy stuff...cupcakes, homemade soda, artisanal pizzas and these yummy Mexican sandwiches.

There's another Brooklyn Flea in Ft. Greene as well. From Thanksgiving through March the market moves indoors to the former Williamsburg Savings Bank. See my next blog for photos for photos!

Brooklyn Flea Market

Williamsburg

Sunday 10 to 5

East River between North 6th and North 7th Streets

Ft. Greene

Saturday 10 to 5

Bishop Loughlin Schoolyard

Rain or shine!!

Who Wants to be a Millionaire?

ME, ME, ME! Went to a taping of the show yesterday. (See photos.) It was mildly amusing. Meredith was very nice and the audience wrangler, this comedian Rick Mercurio, was funny. He tried to keep the audience amped before the show and during the cuts in taping. What I didn't like was that he kept advertising his show at Gotham Comedy Club, over and over. Oooow, and he'll give us free tickets after the show. Yeah, we got tickets to his show along with a free How to be a Millionaire t-shirt, but they weren't FREE tickets. Just five buck off the cover price. Then, what? You gotta buy drinks too? Fughedabouit?

What was cool was seeing the set. Of course it looks smaller than it seems on TV. I sat right in front of this huge swinging camera which I swore was going to come by and hit me in the head. (It didn't) I also took the test to be on the show. I thought I did pretty well as the questions seemed pretty easy. There were even two questions about Germany but they only called three people at the end. Harumph!!

The best part was afterwards going to get something to eat with my friend Ale. We were so hungry after sitting there for a few hours. We were on the Upper West Side so we went to Lansky's and I had mahtzo ball soup cause it was freaking freezing and raining and some pierogi. Then we headed to Magnolia and I had a pumpkin cupcake which was alright. Nothing spectacular. Should have gone with the chocolate. Haven't been to the Magnolia on the Upper West Side and it's a very cute establishment with lots of places to sit! How to be a Magnolia Millionaire!!