getTRIO.com

3 great endings.

Fri, 08 Feb 2008 06:20:00 -0500

every time), and the episodes were brilliant exercises in pinning the blame elsewhere.
Of endings that did come to pass, here are three of our favorites:
TV: One of the best television finales has to be "Newhart," in particular the moment he wakes up next to Suzanne Pleshette, thus turning the entire series into a dream of the character from "The Bob Newhart Show." Genius.
Movies: We sometimes think term Capraesque, often used as a synonym for 'feel-good', isn't the right one for It's a Wonderful Life, since much of the movie is actually quite dark and despairing. But, by the end, when friends and neighbors turn up with those bushels of dollars, the movie earns its title, and its distinction as one of the greatest endings in movies.
Theater: As 11 o'clock numbers go, it's hard to think of anything that can top "Rose's Turn" from the musical "Gypsy." It's been described as a musical breakdown (and keep in mind that the musical premiered in 1959) -- a gut-wrenching paroxysm of missed opportunities and familial wounds. See for yourself when the show returns to Broadway next month starring Patti LuPone. ]]>

2 pop culture blogs.

Fri, 08 Feb 2008 06:20:00 -0500

The Cool Hunter and Pop Candy.
The Cool Hunter focuses on travel (mod hotels are a staple), fashion, architecture, and gadgets. It makes for fun surfing. Pop Candy, a blog on the USA Today website written by Whitney Matheson, looks more at entertainment -- music, TV, and movies -- but also does a good job finding stuff from the edges of pop culture.]]>

1 last thing.

Fri, 08 Feb 2008 06:20:00 -0500

BravoTV.com, OUTzoneTV.com, and BrilliantButCancelled.com.
Happy trails. ]]>

real food.

Thu, 07 Feb 2008 09:01:00 -0500

American Artisanal: Finding the Country's Best Real Food, from Cheese to Chocolate.
Author Rebecca Gray details the work of 25 of the country's top food artisans, the history of the foods they work so carefully with, plus recipes. So whether you want the best potatoes, mushrooms, or chocolate, this book will point you to some fabulous family feasts. ]]>

green on the runway.

Thu, 07 Feb 2008 09:01:00 -0500

Treehugger put it, with "a big, green bang."
That's because many of the biggest names in the fashion world participated in the FutureFashion show, organized by Earth Pledge, made up of organic fibers, or low-impact, man-made materials. In other words, designers including Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Donna Karan, and Michael Kors, wanted to make a statement that the fashion world wants to be on the cutting edge not just in terms of design, but in sustainable practices of creating those designs.
To coin a phrase, they made it work, and beautifully. ]]>

getting the message.

Thu, 07 Feb 2008 09:01:00 -0500

Ads of the World, but the website is definitely one of those black holes of time.
As the name suggests, it's a collection of print, TV, and interactive media from around the world. You can simply browse aimlessly or by media, region, and industry. Unless you work in the ad world, there's nothing you need to be seeing here. But it sure is fun to poke around. ]]>

a helluva ride.

Wed, 06 Feb 2008 06:10:00 -0500

London to Brighton, a debut feature film by writer and director Paul Andrew Williams.
It's a taut, gritty ride, starting with two young women bursting into a public restroom in the wee hours of the morning. From the unmistakable evidence on their faces, all is not well. Williams loops the story back in time to fill in the narrative -- a tale of prostitutes, pimps, and no shortage of rotten criminals.
London to Brighton may not improve your view of our fellow beings, but as a piece of moviemaking, it's a helluva ride.]]>

photomontages.

Wed, 06 Feb 2008 06:10:00 -0500

You can browse through an online exhibition here, courtesy of The American Museum of Photography. Mutter originals are available for purchase here. And there's buy a book of collected works called Surrational Images.]]>

line by line.

Wed, 06 Feb 2008 06:10:00 -0500

SwarmSketch is a collaborative sketching project that changes weekly. You can add your own line to this week's project, Optimus Prime Movie. (Optimus Prime is a character in the Transformers world). Your part is only one small line; the fun is being part of a group project.
So far, there have been over 200 sketches, with participants from all over the world. Check out the galleries, where you can see topics such as Tallest Building in the World, The Simpsons, and Pumpkin Bread. ]]>

taking a toque.

Tue, 05 Feb 2008 06:42:00 -0500

It's called "Last Restaurant Standing" and the premise is deliciously diabolical. Under the eye of Raymond Blanc, famed Michelin two-starred chef, couples have one week to open a fully-functional restaurant. The camera is on them 24/7 as they do this and, needless to say, it is not a walk in the park.
Oh, and did we mention that the couples have little or no restaurant experience? The upside is that the winning team gets to open their restaurant with backing of M. Blanc. Bon appetit. ]]>

desk set.

Tue, 05 Feb 2008 06:42:00 -0500

Heckler Design which has created the OneLessDesk, shipping next month.
Taking its cue from Apple's minimalist aesthetic, the designers have concluded that big honking desks are a thing of past, since so much of what we used to put on the desk has shrunk in size or disappeared altogether.
There are two 'decks', allowing you to stow away the bottom deck and everything on it. Not a bad way to put the workday behind you when it's over. And the thing will look just as sleek when you sit down with your first cup of coffee in the morning. ]]>

image wall.

Tue, 05 Feb 2008 06:42:00 -0500

PicLens.
After you install it, whenever you do a Google or Yahoo image search, or surf to sites such as Flickr, Facebook, or MySpace, you get a small arrow to click on. That will get you a 3-D full screen 'wall' of the images at hand. You can drag and zoom your way around. We could argue that it's useful, but mostly it's the eye candy here.]]>

5 movies, 1967.

Mon, 04 Feb 2008 11:08:00 -0500

Pictures at a Revolution: Five Movies and the Birth of the New Hollywood by Mark Harris.
Harris' subject is the five movies that were nominated for the 1967 Best Picture Oscar: Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, The Graduate, In the Heat of the Night, Doctor Doolittle, and Bonnie and Clyde. Quite a lineup, no?
Harris looks at the people involved -- everyone from Mike Nichols to Sidney Poitier to Faye Dunaway and what was happening with their careers at that point in time. But the author also looks at how these movies -- on screen and off -- changed Hollywood.
Big hits Hollywood had been riding on -- things like Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music -- were suddenly challenged by movies with a whole range of issues -- sex, violence, and racism, among others. Harris argues that these movies and their ilk heralded "the cultural revolution that transformed Hollywood, and America, forever." ]]>

miss chatelaine.

Mon, 04 Feb 2008 11:08:00 -0500

Watershed," will be released tomorrow, and she's added producer to her credits.
The sound, fans will be cheered to hear, isn't too watershed. She says, "It really feels like the way I hear music, this mash-up of genres, and I think it reflects all the styles that have preceded this in my catalogue.
You can hear lang live from now through March as she tours throughout the country. ]]>

walk this way.

Mon, 04 Feb 2008 11:08:00 -0500

good info to go around.
Cool Capitals only covers a few cities -- Amsterdam, Antwerp, Valencia, Vienna, and Zurich -- but you'll find a cleverly designed site, with smart takes on art, fashion, food, nightlife, shopping, and hotels. There isn't a boatload of information on every topic, just enough to give you a savvy overview and steer you in the right direction.
And really, isn't that exactly what a website called Cool Capitals should do? ]]>