Sex and the City, together in an Absolut World

I just watched the sex and the city movie. It was a hot mess, just like the television show. There are of course the pleasures of viewing their outrageous clothing and indulging in the fantasy of New York as a haven for pretty rich white girls where the biggest problem (no pun intended) is the skittishness of a super rich groom.

That said, I liked Carrie's long depression and the shot of her staring at herself in the mirror sans makeup. I like that Samantha decided that she'd rather work on herself than stay in a relationship. I like the long sequence of Carrie rushing to Miranda's side for a girls only New Year's Eve. I liked seeing Jennifer Hudson sway her way into their white washed world. I liked that Miranda forgave Steve.

What I didn't like: all the weird cat fighting and post-feminist bull. For example, the comments on Samantha's "gut," the sniping on Miranda's pubic hair, the reason why Charlotte had to have a biological child, the class/race/body issues of Jennifer Hudson as the assistant or marker for "real" women (think Dove ads), and of course ONCE AGAIN the requisite reuniting of Big and Carrie in a heterosexual resolution. My god, can we still believe in Big???? After everything??? I didn't like it in the series finale and I certainly didn't buy it here. The whole Big=THE ONE forumla is a dead dead horse. Like I said, a hot mess.



This all reminded me of an Absolut ad I saw on the street a few days ago. It said "In an Absolut world" and had a photoshopped picture of a NYC subway stop with the 2nd Avenue line on it. The 2nd avenue line has supposedly been in progress for years and years and will be completed in...who knows. This ad was specifically targeting the people walking by (it was around 20th and park, I beleive) and referring to their NYC identity as a way to sell them a sympathetic brand. To me, Sex and the City lives in this Absolut World where the 2nd ave subway does exist, huge Village apartments are available for writers, drinking five cosmos in one night doesnt make you an alcholoic, fashion is paramount, affordable, and justifiable and most importantly, at the end of the night the prince is there to rescue you. In an Absolut world...

Freebies

One of the best things about living in the Big Apple is the freebies. It is a simple fact that New Yorkers can be bribed to spread buzz and a nice freebie will grab their attention. Today I was on my way to work when I turned a random corner and four women dressed in purple dresses and black cardigans, with their hair in styled buns, offered me coffee and biscotti. The only catch was that each item was branded with the name of a television show premiering this weekend "the Starter Wife." There I go: I just generated my own buzz. Wahoo.

By far the best Freebie I ever got in NYC was free tickets to Hair in Central Park. This freebie was generated by NYC's cultural arts and was purely non-profit and high quality. It's a perk of living in a cultural mecca. The second best Freebie was the Facebook party with Ziggy Marley and Ben&Jerry. Mmm...good.

Other freebies I can remember:
1) endless cans of Monster that make me go on a crazy sugar high and then crash. the monster truck is constantly zooming around manhattan and i should just say no from now on. quanitity>>>quality
2) hummus and pita in Union Square. can't remember the brand, sorry you failed even though i had it twice now
3) DVD of Dexter season 2 premiere. times square. now I watch Dexter. Great show.
4) Snapple, coke, coffee, lots of beverages
5) pumpkin spice lattes from Starbucks on Halloween in the village near the parade. NICE!
6) lots of free crappy tote bags with brand names. i am fond of my bright blue one that advertises a hatha yoga place in Union Square that I've never been to.
7) facebook mints & the facebook party
8) Jeep chapstick. i have no idea why
9) flowers. some hippie love day i think
10) mustard pretzels. ahh the smelly breath
11) and who can forget the vacuum sealer! now that was really random

gotta love it!

Little Miss Sunshine

I went to the Antropologie near Union Square on Sunday for a bit of therapeutic window shopping. And then a burst of sunshine! Yes Little Miss Sunshine Abigail Breslin was there shopping with a small entourage of friends/family. Everyone was very politely telling her how much they admired her and she smiled and said thank you. She was much more fashionably dressed than your average pre-teen...but then she is a movie star, so the leather boots and jacket kind of worked. Anyway, it brought sunshine to my day!

Finally, facebook pays off

Last night I went to the Facebook Advertising week party. Why was I there? Good question. Cong's company invited her and she managed to sneak me in. Anyways, it was a total blast. First of all, I have catered at many, many parties. And at some point you get really tired of being the one working while everyone else is having fun. Well, some parties are a snooze fest and you couldn't care less. But this one was fun :) First of all, there were about three bars loaded with bartenders so getting the mediocre drinks really wasnt that hard. (I'm still waiting to be invited to a party that serves lavendar martinis and passion fruit mojitoes like GP does, but the wait goes on). There was also unlimited free Ben and Jerrys. Ohhh the stuffed goodness. But the best part was the free performance by Ziggy Marley. What a treat. I also got some Facebook mints- does this mean they are encouraging face to face interaction rather than cyber? And the photobooth was cool too. They zapped our pictures and printed them out in the old fashion way and then they appeared on Facebook the next day. Nice move! All in all, a Unique New York experience and quite a blast.

Just look at the picture!

Yes that's right, ya'll, I saw Indiana Jones! I was six feet away from Han Solo! I stalked Harrison Ford! The scene: a catered dinner in Connecticut fundraising for the National Wildlife and Fish and Game and Hunting with Guns foundation or whatnot. But Indy was there :) That's how all the waiters referred to him. He was very middle aged looking, with a white scruffly beard, big glasses and a blue sweater. Ah, Indy!

The Depressing Duchess

On Thursday I went to see the Duchess courtesy one of NYC's Free Flicks programs. The Duchess was basically a Lifetime domestic abuse made-for-tv movie with some lush scenery and sumptuous costuming thrown in to dress it up for the Oscars. One notable exception- where as most Lifetime/WE movies try to leave the viewer with an uplifting message or maybe an image of the trodden down wife finally escaping, the Duchess was two hours of Kiera Knigthly being battered around in every which way. Every time she approached a long awaited tantrum or the aristocratic version of a "frak you!" she backed off and submitted. Which made for one hell of a depressing and disturbing movie.

The only good thing about the movie is the pretty poster, which was free.

Concerts in NYC

I've been to a few concerts in New York and generally I enjoy them. Kate Nash and Missy Higgins actually rocked my socks off. They were amazing. And for anywhere from $20 to $35 bucks, concerts are a fairly cheap way to enjoy the NYC arts. Plays are a little risky- they could easily be terrible, Broadway is an investment not to be entered into lightly, dance can only hold my attention so long...but concerts! these are the songs I listen to on my ipod, the songs I know I will like.

The drawbacks are horrible opening bands (vontrap family slideshow or whatnot, thanks Kate Nash) but opening bands can be great too, like the sexy multi-talented Brit boys of Mumford & Sons. Another drawback is late hours and short sets. Laura Marling, that melancholy pixie, left the stage and all her cheering fans behind before with only around 40 minutes of music. For $20 I should at least get an hour! (ie Kate and Missy both went over an hour).

All of these bring me to the list of meals under $5 (inspired by trying to find dinner before the concert) in order from low to high prices:

1. Unnamed Pizza Place in Astor Place: $2.75 gets you two big cheesy slices and 1 coke

2. Fried Dumpling: $3 dollars gets you 4 steamed pork buns, 5 fried dumplings and 1 coconut juice

3. Mamoon's Falafel, also in Astor Place: $3.25 gets you one vegetable laden falafal sandwhich and a mango juice

4. Rico's Tacos in Sunset Park: $5 gets you three roasted pollo asado tacos and 1 horchata, a delicious milky coconut drink (or alternately, for $1.25 a pop an assortment of delish tamales)

Yay, now you don't have to go to McDonalds!!!

on 90210

1) they have the original series streaming on the CBS website! take that Netflix!

2) for some reason I am much more familiar with Melrose Place than 90210. Maybe that's because my babysitter preferred MP.

3)My recent media focus has been Tori Spelling. I read her book (quite entertaining) and enjoy her reality show. Even the hideously named So NoTORIous was well written and acted. Tori is interesting to me because she has such a weird life- what should have been a dream come true (the millionaire television producing father) turned out to be a lesson in dysfunction. I like her because she's funny and not the conventional beauty and because she has had a very unique life and luckily wishes to tell all of us about it!

4)the new 90210 was utterly wooden without any of the camp of the previous version. Come on, if you are going to do teen drama, at least do it a bit tongue in cheek!