There’s been some backlash from designers and brands as they question having to pay bloggers from $5,000 up to $50,000 to work with them. Skeptics question whether paying bloggers results in significant return on investment, especially in comparison to a magazine or television ad. Besides, some brands contend, if bloggers are journalists, journalists aren’t paid for writing about a company.
Bloggers argue back that their fees have substantial ROI because blogs can drive millions of page views a month both on their sites and the brand’s Web site. So why shouldn’t they be paid? And while some bloggers are journalists in the true sense, most of them don’t consider themselves journalists on par with those at The New York Times or the The Wall Street Journal. They are more like columnists, expressing opinions about what they see.
“When you want to work with a blogger in a way that you would with any influencer — whether it’s a photographer, a stylist, a designer for your windows, a public endorser of your brand, advertising or a design collaboration — that’s where you have to compensate because you would compensate anyone for those things,” said Karen Robinovitz, co-founder and chief creative officer of Digital Brand Architects, who considers herself the pioneer of “blogger agents.”
She pointed out that if a brand sends a blogger a box of clothes with the intent of having them create four dedicated full looks that they need shot for posts, the talent has to location scout — and is responsible for styling, hair, makeup, photography, art direction, retouching, copywriting and posting.
“That takes a magazine sometimes 20 people to pull off,” Robinovitz said.
The tension between brands and bloggers is resulting from the ever-evolving world of the Web. As brands increase their involvement with bloggers in terms of coverage and projects, the line between what they should be paid for and what they shouldn’t is growing increasingly blurry.
For between $5,000 and $20,000, a brand can work with an influential blogger to host an event (plus airfare, hotel and entertainment, of course) — one that gets upward of a few million page views a month and will cross-promote the brand on the blogger’s site (although the jury is still out on proving ROI from page views, with sales being the only concrete measure). Starting from $20,000 to $25,000 (and up), a company can book a blogger for various weeklong projects during Fashion Week — with some bloggers fetching nearly $50,000 for even longer-term partnerships. In 2010, Bryanboy’s Bryan Grey Yambao boasted that he made more than $100,000 a year from blogging (and got a lot of flack for it) — which by today’s standards seems quite low for a top-tier blogger, especially when one factors in the partnerships with advertising and other heavily integrated projects.
But how can brands know the money is well spent? Neiman Marcus measures the effectiveness of a campaign by tracking page views, uniques, impressions, referral traffic, as well as engagement through “likes,” comments, retweets, replies, brand mentions, shares and increases in in-bound and out-bound links, according to vice president of corporate public relations Gabrielle de Papp.
She recently voiced a complaint about the going rates for bloggers at a panel with Song of Style’s Aimee Song at the Lucky Blogger Conference in Santa Monica, Calif., where she said, “editorially sized budgets” sometimes hinder the ability to work with bloggers.
2012年3月5日星期一
One foot in the grave: The bizarre shoes made from dead animals
This bizarre range of shoes may make the owner feel like they have one foot in the grave.
Crafted from dead animals, Iris Schieferstein's outlandish designs fetch up to ￡3,900 and have proved a hit with extreme dressers such as Lady Gaga.
Some of the most controversial pieces include a pair of sandals sporting stuffed doves with their wings spread wide and a collection of heels fashioned from hollow horse hooves.
The 45-year-old designer, from Berlin, Germany, collects carcasses from her local butcher which are discarded after the meat is used for sausages.
She spends a week stripping out any remaining meat and bones from the animal's feet and the skin is sent to a tanner to be treated for preservation.
The sculptor then sets the skin - complete with fur still in place - around a shoe model before hand-stitching insoles and lining.
She said: 'Creating the shoes is ugly work, taking the meat out is not nice, like any taxidermy.
'When I began working with dead animals I would pick them up from the street.
'But they are protected by the government in Germany, and so after ten years they tried to put me in prison. Now I use my butcher.'
The horse boots feature horse fur, a zip up the front, an intact hoof and horse bone as a heel.
While a pair of snakeskin stilettos feature a replica pistol as a heel with the reptile seemingly eating its own tail.
Describing her inspiration Ms Schieferstein added: 'I love horses and I love shoes so I thought this would be perfect.
'Horses have a beautiful walk and I wanted to recreate that with my footwear.'
The footwear has been displayed at numerous exhibitions around the world and have even inspired a range from Dolce & Gabanna.
Despite the high price tag the footwear can only be worn for several hours at a time before becoming too uncomfortable.
Ms Schieferstein said: 'As yet no company has been willing to produce them for the high street.'
Last year the artist made a pair of custom-fit shoes for Lady Gaga.
Crafted from dead animals, Iris Schieferstein's outlandish designs fetch up to ￡3,900 and have proved a hit with extreme dressers such as Lady Gaga.
Some of the most controversial pieces include a pair of sandals sporting stuffed doves with their wings spread wide and a collection of heels fashioned from hollow horse hooves.
The 45-year-old designer, from Berlin, Germany, collects carcasses from her local butcher which are discarded after the meat is used for sausages.
She spends a week stripping out any remaining meat and bones from the animal's feet and the skin is sent to a tanner to be treated for preservation.
The sculptor then sets the skin - complete with fur still in place - around a shoe model before hand-stitching insoles and lining.
She said: 'Creating the shoes is ugly work, taking the meat out is not nice, like any taxidermy.
'When I began working with dead animals I would pick them up from the street.
'But they are protected by the government in Germany, and so after ten years they tried to put me in prison. Now I use my butcher.'
The horse boots feature horse fur, a zip up the front, an intact hoof and horse bone as a heel.
While a pair of snakeskin stilettos feature a replica pistol as a heel with the reptile seemingly eating its own tail.
Describing her inspiration Ms Schieferstein added: 'I love horses and I love shoes so I thought this would be perfect.
'Horses have a beautiful walk and I wanted to recreate that with my footwear.'
The footwear has been displayed at numerous exhibitions around the world and have even inspired a range from Dolce & Gabanna.
Despite the high price tag the footwear can only be worn for several hours at a time before becoming too uncomfortable.
Ms Schieferstein said: 'As yet no company has been willing to produce them for the high street.'
Last year the artist made a pair of custom-fit shoes for Lady Gaga.
2012年1月17日星期二
Romney steps into Gore's shoes
Following Mitt Romney on the campaign trail is a painful yet familiar experience.
Painful because of all the wince-inducing moments when you realize that, for all of Romney's efforts to imitate human attributes, there remain glitches in the matrix that reveal him to be different from the rest of us.
In the past week alone, he claimed to take pleasure in firing people, expressed his phony fears about getting a “pink slip” from the job that swelled his wealth to nearly a quarter-billion dollars and asserted implausibly that he worked an “entry-level” job after Harvard Business School.
Romney further alleged that “I never thought I'd get involved in politics” — even though he has been in politics for two decades. And he claimed he didn't seek re-election as Massachusetts governor because “that would be about me” — as if running for president, which he did instead, was a gesture of sacrifice and altruism.
Romney, conservative columnist Jonah Goldberg argued last week, has an “authentic inauthenticity problem.”
And that is precisely why Romney's struggle is so familiar. He is the political reincarnation of Al Gore, whose campaign I covered with an equal amount of cringing a dozen years ago.
To see Romney, in his Gap jeans, laughing awkwardly at his own jokes and making patently disingenuous claims, brings back all those bad memories of 2000: “Love Story.” Inventing the Internet. Earth tones. Three-button suits. The alpha male in cowboy boots. The iced-tea defense. The Buddhist temple. The sighing during the debate.
It's familiar, as well, to Michael Feldman, a longtime Gore aide who watched his boss get undone by the inauthentic label. “When an impression like that hardens, you're communicating into a stiff wind,” he told me. “These caricatures can form impressions that are really hard to turn around.”
If anything, Romney's problem is greater than Gore's because it is rooted in his frequent repositioning on issues such as abortion, gay marriage and health care. In substance, Romney's troubles might turn out to be closer to John Kerry's: As my colleague Greg Sargent has written, the undermining of Romney's business acumen by the attacks on his work at Bain Capital is similar to the undoing of Kerry's record as a Vietnam War hero by the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth.
Romney, with his multiple homes, also shares certain rich-guy vulnerabilities with Kerry. Newt Gingrich, in his scorched-earth assault on the GOP front-runner in South Carolina, used an image of Kerry windsurfing in an ad last week that closed with a supposed insult: “Just like John Kerry, he speaks French, too.”
But in temperament and style, Romney is closest to Gore, another politician's son from Harvard with pedantic tendencies who, in public, never quite seems comfortable.
The media tend to assign each candidate a character flaw as a form of shorthand (John McCain was volatile, George W. Bush was dopey, Barack Obama is all talk). Ominously, Romney's descriptions are the same applied to Gore 12 years ago: assuming “personas,” going through “makeovers,” attempting “regular-guy” traits, exhibiting “robotic” behavior and issuing new versions, such as “Romney 3.0.”
For Romney, the problem now becomes that reporters, and opponents, are perpetually on the lookout for new examples to add to his dossier of awkwardness.
“It's a self-perpetuating cycle,” explained Chris Lehane, who tried with limited success to help Gore defy his “wooden” image. “You're trying so hard to think through what you're going to say that you get mental handcuffs every time you speak. You're so nervous about the archetype that you fall into the archetype.”
In Romney's case, there is already abundant support for the archetype: his belief that “corporations are people,” his talk about hunting “small varmints,” the story about driving with the family dog in a kennel strapped atop the Romneys' car, his attempted $10,000 bet with Rick Perry, his singing “Who Let the Dogs Out?” his pretending to be pinched on the behind by a waitress, his bizarre jokes about Hooters and Hollandaise sauce, and his tendency to ask debate moderators for protection from his opponents.
None of those is, by itself, disqualifying — and, as in Gore's case, not all the examples are fair. But combined with Romney's frequent fluctuations on the issues, his awkwardness has left an impression that he is a phony and not to be trusted. Romney isn't necessarily doomed — Gore, after all, received more votes than the other guy — but this much seems clear: Over the next 10 months, Romney's every move will get the Gore treatment.
Painful because of all the wince-inducing moments when you realize that, for all of Romney's efforts to imitate human attributes, there remain glitches in the matrix that reveal him to be different from the rest of us.
In the past week alone, he claimed to take pleasure in firing people, expressed his phony fears about getting a “pink slip” from the job that swelled his wealth to nearly a quarter-billion dollars and asserted implausibly that he worked an “entry-level” job after Harvard Business School.
Romney further alleged that “I never thought I'd get involved in politics” — even though he has been in politics for two decades. And he claimed he didn't seek re-election as Massachusetts governor because “that would be about me” — as if running for president, which he did instead, was a gesture of sacrifice and altruism.
Romney, conservative columnist Jonah Goldberg argued last week, has an “authentic inauthenticity problem.”
And that is precisely why Romney's struggle is so familiar. He is the political reincarnation of Al Gore, whose campaign I covered with an equal amount of cringing a dozen years ago.
To see Romney, in his Gap jeans, laughing awkwardly at his own jokes and making patently disingenuous claims, brings back all those bad memories of 2000: “Love Story.” Inventing the Internet. Earth tones. Three-button suits. The alpha male in cowboy boots. The iced-tea defense. The Buddhist temple. The sighing during the debate.
It's familiar, as well, to Michael Feldman, a longtime Gore aide who watched his boss get undone by the inauthentic label. “When an impression like that hardens, you're communicating into a stiff wind,” he told me. “These caricatures can form impressions that are really hard to turn around.”
If anything, Romney's problem is greater than Gore's because it is rooted in his frequent repositioning on issues such as abortion, gay marriage and health care. In substance, Romney's troubles might turn out to be closer to John Kerry's: As my colleague Greg Sargent has written, the undermining of Romney's business acumen by the attacks on his work at Bain Capital is similar to the undoing of Kerry's record as a Vietnam War hero by the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth.
Romney, with his multiple homes, also shares certain rich-guy vulnerabilities with Kerry. Newt Gingrich, in his scorched-earth assault on the GOP front-runner in South Carolina, used an image of Kerry windsurfing in an ad last week that closed with a supposed insult: “Just like John Kerry, he speaks French, too.”
But in temperament and style, Romney is closest to Gore, another politician's son from Harvard with pedantic tendencies who, in public, never quite seems comfortable.
The media tend to assign each candidate a character flaw as a form of shorthand (John McCain was volatile, George W. Bush was dopey, Barack Obama is all talk). Ominously, Romney's descriptions are the same applied to Gore 12 years ago: assuming “personas,” going through “makeovers,” attempting “regular-guy” traits, exhibiting “robotic” behavior and issuing new versions, such as “Romney 3.0.”
For Romney, the problem now becomes that reporters, and opponents, are perpetually on the lookout for new examples to add to his dossier of awkwardness.
“It's a self-perpetuating cycle,” explained Chris Lehane, who tried with limited success to help Gore defy his “wooden” image. “You're trying so hard to think through what you're going to say that you get mental handcuffs every time you speak. You're so nervous about the archetype that you fall into the archetype.”
In Romney's case, there is already abundant support for the archetype: his belief that “corporations are people,” his talk about hunting “small varmints,” the story about driving with the family dog in a kennel strapped atop the Romneys' car, his attempted $10,000 bet with Rick Perry, his singing “Who Let the Dogs Out?” his pretending to be pinched on the behind by a waitress, his bizarre jokes about Hooters and Hollandaise sauce, and his tendency to ask debate moderators for protection from his opponents.
None of those is, by itself, disqualifying — and, as in Gore's case, not all the examples are fair. But combined with Romney's frequent fluctuations on the issues, his awkwardness has left an impression that he is a phony and not to be trusted. Romney isn't necessarily doomed — Gore, after all, received more votes than the other guy — but this much seems clear: Over the next 10 months, Romney's every move will get the Gore treatment.
2012年1月15日星期日
The Downsides Of Barefoot Running: Stress Fractures, Mean Looks And More
Whether you love or hate the way these ultra-popular barefoot-style running shoes look, they’re a sign of the times–and for some, a status symbol of sorts, signifying their desire to live a more natural lifestyle. But when people become too focused on the fad–and not enough on the technique or potential for injury–they can get hurt in a hurry. Is it bad for you? No. But while barefoot and minimalist running is great for some people, it comes with more than a few caveats.
Declared the “most popular footwear trend of 2011,” runners in barefoot and minimalist shoes (defined by those with next to no support or incline) have begun cropping up on trails, in gyms and just about everywhere else. Many were encouraged by Born to Run, a wildly popular 2010 book about–you guessed it–barefoot running, while others have jumped on because they wanted to know what the hype was about.
Long-time runner Ryan Holiday, a strategist for the likes of Tim Ferriss and Robert Greene and director of marketing at American Apparel, has eschewed the barefoot running trend, despite the fact that he’s passionate about evolutionary fitness, for exactly that reason: the hype. For Holiday, running naturally makes sense, but for many, it seems more about a statement than a style of running.
I understand it. I understand the science. The worst pair of running shoes I ever had was the Nike Shox, because it’s about the least natural thing you can imagine. But I think to go the other direction is more about status or attention, and not about what’s best for the foot or best for running.
The Shox that Holiday mentions were part of a long line of ultra-cushioned kicks that were super-popular in previous decades, and that trained a lot of people to run heels-first. But those unnatural shoes have slowly been disregarded as unnecessary–and potentially problematic. Holiday, who sticks to a paleo diet and attends evolutionary health and fitness conferences, says he tries to be as close to what’s natural as is possible (i.e. by not wearing giant, shock-absorbing shoes), but says he also understands that we’re not exactly in the cavemen era anymore:
I live in New Orleans and in Los Angeles and you see people not only running in Vibrams, but without shoes at all. And it makes me wonder–what is natural about running on this grass, or even on concrete, that’s full of trash and glass? Being natural is important. But we also live in 2012.
Declared the “most popular footwear trend of 2011,” runners in barefoot and minimalist shoes (defined by those with next to no support or incline) have begun cropping up on trails, in gyms and just about everywhere else. Many were encouraged by Born to Run, a wildly popular 2010 book about–you guessed it–barefoot running, while others have jumped on because they wanted to know what the hype was about.
Long-time runner Ryan Holiday, a strategist for the likes of Tim Ferriss and Robert Greene and director of marketing at American Apparel, has eschewed the barefoot running trend, despite the fact that he’s passionate about evolutionary fitness, for exactly that reason: the hype. For Holiday, running naturally makes sense, but for many, it seems more about a statement than a style of running.
I understand it. I understand the science. The worst pair of running shoes I ever had was the Nike Shox, because it’s about the least natural thing you can imagine. But I think to go the other direction is more about status or attention, and not about what’s best for the foot or best for running.
The Shox that Holiday mentions were part of a long line of ultra-cushioned kicks that were super-popular in previous decades, and that trained a lot of people to run heels-first. But those unnatural shoes have slowly been disregarded as unnecessary–and potentially problematic. Holiday, who sticks to a paleo diet and attends evolutionary health and fitness conferences, says he tries to be as close to what’s natural as is possible (i.e. by not wearing giant, shock-absorbing shoes), but says he also understands that we’re not exactly in the cavemen era anymore:
I live in New Orleans and in Los Angeles and you see people not only running in Vibrams, but without shoes at all. And it makes me wonder–what is natural about running on this grass, or even on concrete, that’s full of trash and glass? Being natural is important. But we also live in 2012.
2012年1月12日星期四
Priceless Cartier jewels and exquisite Dior dresses...The real stars of Madonna's Wallis movie
Madonna has never been someone who does things by half.
So when she married film director Guy Ritchie and moved to England - 'At first I felt sort of lost and a little bit like an outsider', she admits - she decided to work her hardest to fit in.
'I thought, OK, if I'm going to make myself more comfortable in this country, I'm going to have to learn some of its history', she says.
'I began with Henry V111 and worked my way up to Edward V11, and I stopped there because I was so struck with what he'd done.
He gave up his throne for the woman he loved..
'I was intrigued and mystified. Why would he do this? Men since the beginning of time have fought to get on the throne. Men are power-seeking animals, so why would this man run away from it?
Why would he give it up? What did this woman have that would inspire him to make such a great sacrifice? I wanted to know more about her.'
The more Madonna learned about Wallis the closer she felt to her. They were both Americans struggling to fit into the British Establishment.
They were the most famous women of their day and style icons who constantly had their characters pored over and demonised. Both were criticised for their ambition.
'I became completely and utterly swept up in the subject. I developed an unconscious attraction to Wallis. She'd come to England from the USA and found herself being treated like an outsider.
'That was the connection between us, although in time I realized I was welcome here, unlike Wallis, who was never accepted.'
Madonna became obsessed with the story and her fascination with Wallis far outlasted her eight-year marriage to Guy.
When she learned that Wallis had once lived around the corner from her home in central London when her affair with Edward started, although she was still married to businessman Ernest Simpson, Madonna says she would sit outside the apartment 'like a stalker', as she tried to put herself in Wallis' shoes.
She decided to see if it would be possible to make a film of the story, but - in spite of her superstar status opening many doors for her - she found the odds were stacked against her.
When she was turned down from buying the rights to a new Wallis book she was thinking about ending the project until a chance coincidence.
Answering a knock on her front door one night, she found nobody there - but parked outside was a van with the name Montague Removals on the side. Montague was Wallis's maiden name. 'I thought, "right, that's a sign", recalls the singer. So she persevered.
The result is W.E., Madonna's cinematic re-telling of the Wallis story, which she calls 'a three-year labour of love'.
The title - which Madonna pronounces as 'we' - comes from the way Wallis and Edward always ended their letters to each other, binding their initials.
'I never saw it as a simple love story', explains Madonna.' Nor is it particularly sentimental. I think love is impossible to describe or explain - it's like trying to understand the nature of God, or the laws of the universe.
'What I do know is that it's the force that moves us all and without it we couldn't exist'.
The film is a two handed look at Wallis; the story is told through the prism of a modern American, Wally Winthrop (her mother was such a fan that she was named after Wallis) who - as her marriage collapses around her - becomes obsessed with the story of what she considers the greatest love affair of the 20th century.
Like Madonna before her, Wally becomes entranced with the minutiae of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor's lives as their possessions go on sale at Sothebys (in 1998 a sale of just some of their possessions reached ￡15million) and discovers the prosaic truths behind their romance as she reads their private letters.
With Madonna - a self-confessed control freak - micro-managing as director, writer, and with a producer credit, filming did not get off to a good start.
So when she married film director Guy Ritchie and moved to England - 'At first I felt sort of lost and a little bit like an outsider', she admits - she decided to work her hardest to fit in.
'I thought, OK, if I'm going to make myself more comfortable in this country, I'm going to have to learn some of its history', she says.
'I began with Henry V111 and worked my way up to Edward V11, and I stopped there because I was so struck with what he'd done.
He gave up his throne for the woman he loved..
'I was intrigued and mystified. Why would he do this? Men since the beginning of time have fought to get on the throne. Men are power-seeking animals, so why would this man run away from it?
Why would he give it up? What did this woman have that would inspire him to make such a great sacrifice? I wanted to know more about her.'
The more Madonna learned about Wallis the closer she felt to her. They were both Americans struggling to fit into the British Establishment.
They were the most famous women of their day and style icons who constantly had their characters pored over and demonised. Both were criticised for their ambition.
'I became completely and utterly swept up in the subject. I developed an unconscious attraction to Wallis. She'd come to England from the USA and found herself being treated like an outsider.
'That was the connection between us, although in time I realized I was welcome here, unlike Wallis, who was never accepted.'
Madonna became obsessed with the story and her fascination with Wallis far outlasted her eight-year marriage to Guy.
When she learned that Wallis had once lived around the corner from her home in central London when her affair with Edward started, although she was still married to businessman Ernest Simpson, Madonna says she would sit outside the apartment 'like a stalker', as she tried to put herself in Wallis' shoes.
She decided to see if it would be possible to make a film of the story, but - in spite of her superstar status opening many doors for her - she found the odds were stacked against her.
When she was turned down from buying the rights to a new Wallis book she was thinking about ending the project until a chance coincidence.
Answering a knock on her front door one night, she found nobody there - but parked outside was a van with the name Montague Removals on the side. Montague was Wallis's maiden name. 'I thought, "right, that's a sign", recalls the singer. So she persevered.
The result is W.E., Madonna's cinematic re-telling of the Wallis story, which she calls 'a three-year labour of love'.
The title - which Madonna pronounces as 'we' - comes from the way Wallis and Edward always ended their letters to each other, binding their initials.
'I never saw it as a simple love story', explains Madonna.' Nor is it particularly sentimental. I think love is impossible to describe or explain - it's like trying to understand the nature of God, or the laws of the universe.
'What I do know is that it's the force that moves us all and without it we couldn't exist'.
The film is a two handed look at Wallis; the story is told through the prism of a modern American, Wally Winthrop (her mother was such a fan that she was named after Wallis) who - as her marriage collapses around her - becomes obsessed with the story of what she considers the greatest love affair of the 20th century.
Like Madonna before her, Wally becomes entranced with the minutiae of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor's lives as their possessions go on sale at Sothebys (in 1998 a sale of just some of their possessions reached ￡15million) and discovers the prosaic truths behind their romance as she reads their private letters.
With Madonna - a self-confessed control freak - micro-managing as director, writer, and with a producer credit, filming did not get off to a good start.
2011年12月28日星期三
2011 In Review
Epic fail award
Maybe there's no connection, but did anyone else notice the timing involved in the arrest of a Western Carolina University student on charges he used a toy gun to rob a bank across the street from campus in Cullowhee? The robbery came just days after of an announcement that WCU would institute a $399 tuition and fees hike. The kid had just that day been evicted from his apartment, too.
When police searched the apartment, they found the toy gun and the money — someone clearly hadn't watched enough bank heist movies.
The Captive audience award
To the graduation speaker for Nantahala School in Macon County, a cowboy preacher who tied up and blindfolded a student volunteer with ropes to make various points about the devil and sin.
This bizarre graduation spectacle was punctuated by the preacher's fire and brimstones sermon, all clearly and obviously and indisputably in violation of the separation of church and state to so overtly push religion in a school setting. Though Macon School Superintendent Dan Brigman initially defended the speech, he retreated from that stance when faced with a possible lawsuit with Freedom From Religion Foundation.
LeBron James award
Haywood County commissioners borrowed LeBron's mantra when they decided to sell out the county's landfill — kicking the home team to the curb for a chance at greatness.
The county turned over the keys to its landfill to a private, for-profit company. That company gets to sell off space in the landfill to other places looking for somewhere to dump their trash — interestingly, it gets to keep the money made off selling space in Haywood's landfill. Meanwhile, the company also gets a flat monthly fee for accepting the county's own trash.
Why would Haywood sell out for such a raw deal? Haywood County won't have to worry about replacing its aging fleet of landfill equipment or the cost of expanding the pit at the landfill in the future. It also won't have to worry about the large expense three or four decades from now to close out the landfill when it finally fills up.
Despite allowing a private company to sell off space in the county's landfill for a profit — something that could double or triple the daily volume of trash coming in — it won't fill up any sooner than the 40-year life it was previously projected to have when being used only for Haywood's own trash.
Maybe they should get the “fuzzy math” award instead?
99 percent award
There were no tents or campouts or long-lived protests for Occupy Sylva, who might better be dubbed Occupy Lulu's restaurant. Participants, mainly aging Democrats, rallied gamely one Saturday morning in October for an entire hour around the courthouse fountain on Main Street in Sylva before retiring into various downtown restaurants to do lunch.
The Occupy Sylva hour has given birth to Occupy WNC, which meets in the cozy warmth of a county government courtroom on Tuesday evenings.
One percent award
How does an annual salary and benefits of $185,000 sound? That's what the principal chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians makes, not counting a car. But a challenger for the chief's seat this year, Patrick Lambert, was willing to give up his own salary and benefits worth $446,000 annually as the director of the Tribal Gaming Commission for the honor of serving as the tribe's leader.
Lambert's salary at the Gaming Commission became public in the final weeks of the election. The big salary was justified as being commiserate with other top jobs in the casino industry compared to government service.
Dust Bowl award
Granted, there won't be any problem finding parking, but it sure promises to be lonely in Franklin's largest strip mall when Walmart moves a few miles away to a new location. A few of the strip mall's businesses are joining the exodus and following in the footsteps of the retail giant, but the rest are apparently left high and dry with an empty, hulking shell next door.
Walmart is planning a spring opening at its new location. The eight or so businesses left might consider planning a wake for about the same time.
Best idea
When Walmart abandoned its former store in Haywood County for newer, bigger digs across town, it left a hulking shell in its wake and a desolate strip mall with a shaky future. Haywood County commissioners, meanwhile, had been passing the buck for years on what to do about the antiquated Department of Social Services building, where 200 employees has been putting up with leaky roofs, frozen pipes, and quarters so cramped that closets had been converted into offices.
Haywood County bought the old Walmart building and repurposed it to house DSS and the health department and county planning offices, for a total cost of $12 million — breathing new life into the strip mall and saving taxpayers millions compared to the cost of a brand-new facility.
Super Bowl award
Despite the hype, the hard-fought road to victory and the tears along the way, the game itself is always surprisingly anticlimactic — which Webster's defines as “lacking climax, disappointing or ironically insignificant following impressive foreshadowing.”
That pretty well sums up the first chunk of change Swain County spent from its North Shore Road settlement fund. After nearly 65 years of bitter fighting, Swain County got a $12.5 million federal payout to compensate the county for a 30-mile road flooded by the creation of Fontana Lake.
The money was put in a lockbox except for the annual interest it accrues. The county's first move when that first interest payment came through? Five commemorative granite pedestals in front of the county administration building honoring the key players in the fight.
Maybe there's no connection, but did anyone else notice the timing involved in the arrest of a Western Carolina University student on charges he used a toy gun to rob a bank across the street from campus in Cullowhee? The robbery came just days after of an announcement that WCU would institute a $399 tuition and fees hike. The kid had just that day been evicted from his apartment, too.
When police searched the apartment, they found the toy gun and the money — someone clearly hadn't watched enough bank heist movies.
The Captive audience award
To the graduation speaker for Nantahala School in Macon County, a cowboy preacher who tied up and blindfolded a student volunteer with ropes to make various points about the devil and sin.
This bizarre graduation spectacle was punctuated by the preacher's fire and brimstones sermon, all clearly and obviously and indisputably in violation of the separation of church and state to so overtly push religion in a school setting. Though Macon School Superintendent Dan Brigman initially defended the speech, he retreated from that stance when faced with a possible lawsuit with Freedom From Religion Foundation.
LeBron James award
Haywood County commissioners borrowed LeBron's mantra when they decided to sell out the county's landfill — kicking the home team to the curb for a chance at greatness.
The county turned over the keys to its landfill to a private, for-profit company. That company gets to sell off space in the landfill to other places looking for somewhere to dump their trash — interestingly, it gets to keep the money made off selling space in Haywood's landfill. Meanwhile, the company also gets a flat monthly fee for accepting the county's own trash.
Why would Haywood sell out for such a raw deal? Haywood County won't have to worry about replacing its aging fleet of landfill equipment or the cost of expanding the pit at the landfill in the future. It also won't have to worry about the large expense three or four decades from now to close out the landfill when it finally fills up.
Despite allowing a private company to sell off space in the county's landfill for a profit — something that could double or triple the daily volume of trash coming in — it won't fill up any sooner than the 40-year life it was previously projected to have when being used only for Haywood's own trash.
Maybe they should get the “fuzzy math” award instead?
99 percent award
There were no tents or campouts or long-lived protests for Occupy Sylva, who might better be dubbed Occupy Lulu's restaurant. Participants, mainly aging Democrats, rallied gamely one Saturday morning in October for an entire hour around the courthouse fountain on Main Street in Sylva before retiring into various downtown restaurants to do lunch.
The Occupy Sylva hour has given birth to Occupy WNC, which meets in the cozy warmth of a county government courtroom on Tuesday evenings.
One percent award
How does an annual salary and benefits of $185,000 sound? That's what the principal chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians makes, not counting a car. But a challenger for the chief's seat this year, Patrick Lambert, was willing to give up his own salary and benefits worth $446,000 annually as the director of the Tribal Gaming Commission for the honor of serving as the tribe's leader.
Lambert's salary at the Gaming Commission became public in the final weeks of the election. The big salary was justified as being commiserate with other top jobs in the casino industry compared to government service.
Dust Bowl award
Granted, there won't be any problem finding parking, but it sure promises to be lonely in Franklin's largest strip mall when Walmart moves a few miles away to a new location. A few of the strip mall's businesses are joining the exodus and following in the footsteps of the retail giant, but the rest are apparently left high and dry with an empty, hulking shell next door.
Walmart is planning a spring opening at its new location. The eight or so businesses left might consider planning a wake for about the same time.
Best idea
When Walmart abandoned its former store in Haywood County for newer, bigger digs across town, it left a hulking shell in its wake and a desolate strip mall with a shaky future. Haywood County commissioners, meanwhile, had been passing the buck for years on what to do about the antiquated Department of Social Services building, where 200 employees has been putting up with leaky roofs, frozen pipes, and quarters so cramped that closets had been converted into offices.
Haywood County bought the old Walmart building and repurposed it to house DSS and the health department and county planning offices, for a total cost of $12 million — breathing new life into the strip mall and saving taxpayers millions compared to the cost of a brand-new facility.
Super Bowl award
Despite the hype, the hard-fought road to victory and the tears along the way, the game itself is always surprisingly anticlimactic — which Webster's defines as “lacking climax, disappointing or ironically insignificant following impressive foreshadowing.”
That pretty well sums up the first chunk of change Swain County spent from its North Shore Road settlement fund. After nearly 65 years of bitter fighting, Swain County got a $12.5 million federal payout to compensate the county for a 30-mile road flooded by the creation of Fontana Lake.
The money was put in a lockbox except for the annual interest it accrues. The county's first move when that first interest payment came through? Five commemorative granite pedestals in front of the county administration building honoring the key players in the fight.
2011年12月5日星期一
Katy Perry, Nicki Minaj Barbie Dolls To Be Auctioned
Nicki Minaj and Katy Perry have finally made it to the big leagues, each being transformed into their very own Barbie dolls.
The pop superstars have both been made into one-of-a-kind dolls which will be auctioned off for the charity Project Angel Food in an online auction with bidding starting at a cool $1,000.
The Katy Perry doll, made by Mattel designer Amy Lee, was inspired by the Kissed A Girl's scrumptious cupcake dress, and also features hand-painted tattoos, sparkling pink shoes and glittered candy cane mic.
Meanwhile, Nicki's doll, sees designer Stephen Sumner making a beautiful replica of the frothy dress from her Pink Friday album, with plenty of bling.
The pop superstars have both been made into one-of-a-kind dolls which will be auctioned off for the charity Project Angel Food in an online auction with bidding starting at a cool $1,000.
The Katy Perry doll, made by Mattel designer Amy Lee, was inspired by the Kissed A Girl's scrumptious cupcake dress, and also features hand-painted tattoos, sparkling pink shoes and glittered candy cane mic.
Meanwhile, Nicki's doll, sees designer Stephen Sumner making a beautiful replica of the frothy dress from her Pink Friday album, with plenty of bling.
2011年11月20日星期日
The best little shoes for little feet
THERE'S a whole world of shoes out there for first walkers. Here are five of the best children's shoes around, as recommended by retailers.
1. Clarks Shaun sandal in colour choc/multi ($69.95): This style from the Clarks First Walker range has a closed-in back with a firm heel for support, says Danielle Elliott, of Ollie Ashenden in North Adelaide. “They have light, flexible non-slip soles that bend at the ball of the foot.”
2. Airflex Drew boat shoe ($69.99): Betts Kids Burnside manager Sianne Staker says this leather shoe is perfect for little feet adjusting to walking.
3. Airflex Flora shoe ($29.99): “These feature a Protect-a-Toe for long lasting comfort and flexibility,” Staker says.
4. Wiggles Crocs ($3): We found these cute Wiggles Crocs at Kidman Park Vinnies Superstore for $3. Vinnies state manager Lindsay Dunn says there's always a surge of donations at the change of season.
5. Clarks Tulip sandal, in Fuchsia ($79.95): This one is very popular, says Russell Ward of Ward's Shoe Store in Norwood. “You can get it in full and half sizes in narrow, medium or wide.”
Where do you shop for children's shoes?
1. Clarks Shaun sandal in colour choc/multi ($69.95): This style from the Clarks First Walker range has a closed-in back with a firm heel for support, says Danielle Elliott, of Ollie Ashenden in North Adelaide. “They have light, flexible non-slip soles that bend at the ball of the foot.”
2. Airflex Drew boat shoe ($69.99): Betts Kids Burnside manager Sianne Staker says this leather shoe is perfect for little feet adjusting to walking.
3. Airflex Flora shoe ($29.99): “These feature a Protect-a-Toe for long lasting comfort and flexibility,” Staker says.
4. Wiggles Crocs ($3): We found these cute Wiggles Crocs at Kidman Park Vinnies Superstore for $3. Vinnies state manager Lindsay Dunn says there's always a surge of donations at the change of season.
5. Clarks Tulip sandal, in Fuchsia ($79.95): This one is very popular, says Russell Ward of Ward's Shoe Store in Norwood. “You can get it in full and half sizes in narrow, medium or wide.”
Where do you shop for children's shoes?
2011年11月15日星期二
Chris Isaak Rises to the Occasion on Beyond the Sun
Chris Isaak entered this world to the tune of "Blue Suede Shoes," which his mother was singing as he was born. And since that summer day in 1956, the music that grew out of Sun Studio has remained a cornerstone of Isaak's life.
This year, Isaak waxed his own versions of those early rock 'n' roll records right at the source -- the one and only Sun Studio in Memphis, Tenn. The California-based crooner, best known for his sensual 1989 pop hit "Wicked Game," released Beyond the Sun in October. The labor of love pays tribute to musical heroes like Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, Carl Perkins and, of course, Elvis Presley.
Isaak gathered his band in Memphis for about a week for the recording sessions, which took place after the studio tours concluded for the day. His guests and spiritual advisors included Cowboy Jack Clement, the first hired engineer-producer at Sun, and Roland James, the longtime guitarist for Jerry Lee Lewis. Working quickly, the combo captured the immediacy and energy of that musical era.
Calling from California, Isaak chatted with CMT.com about setting up the band in Sun, giving due credit to producer Sam Phillips and playing the new album for his parents for the first time.
CMT: Sun Studio is such a small room. How long did it take to figure out where to stand?
Isaak: It's funny because we walked into the room, and my bass player said, "Where do I put the bass?" I looked down at the linoleum floor, and there's a hole where all the bass players have stuck their peg of their stand-up bass from the time of [bassist] Bill Black and [guitarist] Scotty Moore and Elvis on. I said, "Well, if it's good enough for them, it's good enough for us. Stick it right there."
When I took the tour of the studio, I was amazed by how incredibly well-preserved it is. It's not like a replica of Sun Studio. It is Sun Studio.
Yeah, I love the studio. It's a great-sounding room. It's the right size. It's probably not the right size if you wanted to cut Abbey Road, but if you wanted to cut those kind of early rock 'n' roll records, where it's just a couple of guys grooving and swinging, man, it's the best-sounding room ever.
Why do you think those early Johnny Cash records from Sun have stood the test of time?
I think there's a simplicity to those songs that made them bigger than country music or rockabilly or anything else. They're so simple that people can relate to them -- whether they're in a punk band, whether they're a 70-year-old guy listening to country or whether they're a pop fan. They just cut through. That is Johnny Cash's genius.
And I also give huge credit to Sam Phillips because most other producers would have had that band walk in and say, "Let's hear your band." [Isaak impersonates the Tennessee Two's simple boom-chicka beat.] Most producers would have said, "That's it?! We've got to get real players. Let's hire some guy to do all kinds of picking around you." And that would have ruined it!
This year, Isaak waxed his own versions of those early rock 'n' roll records right at the source -- the one and only Sun Studio in Memphis, Tenn. The California-based crooner, best known for his sensual 1989 pop hit "Wicked Game," released Beyond the Sun in October. The labor of love pays tribute to musical heroes like Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, Carl Perkins and, of course, Elvis Presley.
Isaak gathered his band in Memphis for about a week for the recording sessions, which took place after the studio tours concluded for the day. His guests and spiritual advisors included Cowboy Jack Clement, the first hired engineer-producer at Sun, and Roland James, the longtime guitarist for Jerry Lee Lewis. Working quickly, the combo captured the immediacy and energy of that musical era.
Calling from California, Isaak chatted with CMT.com about setting up the band in Sun, giving due credit to producer Sam Phillips and playing the new album for his parents for the first time.
CMT: Sun Studio is such a small room. How long did it take to figure out where to stand?
Isaak: It's funny because we walked into the room, and my bass player said, "Where do I put the bass?" I looked down at the linoleum floor, and there's a hole where all the bass players have stuck their peg of their stand-up bass from the time of [bassist] Bill Black and [guitarist] Scotty Moore and Elvis on. I said, "Well, if it's good enough for them, it's good enough for us. Stick it right there."
When I took the tour of the studio, I was amazed by how incredibly well-preserved it is. It's not like a replica of Sun Studio. It is Sun Studio.
Yeah, I love the studio. It's a great-sounding room. It's the right size. It's probably not the right size if you wanted to cut Abbey Road, but if you wanted to cut those kind of early rock 'n' roll records, where it's just a couple of guys grooving and swinging, man, it's the best-sounding room ever.
Why do you think those early Johnny Cash records from Sun have stood the test of time?
I think there's a simplicity to those songs that made them bigger than country music or rockabilly or anything else. They're so simple that people can relate to them -- whether they're in a punk band, whether they're a 70-year-old guy listening to country or whether they're a pop fan. They just cut through. That is Johnny Cash's genius.
And I also give huge credit to Sam Phillips because most other producers would have had that band walk in and say, "Let's hear your band." [Isaak impersonates the Tennessee Two's simple boom-chicka beat.] Most producers would have said, "That's it?! We've got to get real players. Let's hire some guy to do all kinds of picking around you." And that would have ruined it!
2011年5月5日星期四
Emperor needs new clothes
TODAY is Friday, or more specifically Office Casual Dress Friday, the most stressful day in the working week.
As a young man, oh how I heckled the females in my life who complained bitterly of the daily decision-making process about what to wear to work.
I found it difficult to relate to their problem, for my own daily routine in suiting up for work was a lay-down misere; attire for Monday to Thursday consisted of one generic business shirt, one generic pair of business pants, generic black socks and black shoes. Dressed for work in 20 seconds.
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Casual Dress Friday was then met with a spring in my step as I had the time, financial resources and relative physique to align my casual attire to the fashions. Brand-name jeans accentuated my pre-sagging gluteus maximums; fitted shirts did not subconsciously ride up over my pre-expanding man-belly; my leather shoes were bought from a high street boutique, not an orthotic clinic. In short, I could confidently mix it with my female co-workers on the office runway.
Fast forward 20 years - and 20 pounds - and the thought of Casual Dress Friday sends me into a fashion conniption.
Previously I could never understand how my partner could stand in front of a wardrobe, a virtual clothes store in itself, and gaze blankly for hours with no solution in sight.
Fast forward 20 years and that person is now me. I have become that father whose fashion sense makes his daughters cringe with embarrassment whenever I set foot outside of the house.
There is no smart casual in my wardrobe. Instead it consists of clothing from two extreme poles of fashion: beige business shirts and beige pants to accentuate my appearance as a beige accountant, bookended with holding-on-to-my-youth articles of clothing such as an old football tracksuit and a prized 1984 Bruce Springsteen Born in the USA replica T-shirt.
As for polo shirts and chino pants, there will never be a better example of mutton dressed as lamb than if I tried to squeeze my bones into anything bearing a designer label.
So what am I wearing to work today? I have put together a casual ensemble consisting of one generic work shirt with one pair of generic work pants. And the casual item? A panicked, desperado accessory in the form of dull grey PVC sneakers which, viewed from a distance of 30 metres, could be mistaken for dull grey generic work shoes.
Oh, how all the females in my life now heckle me on Fridays.
As a young man, oh how I heckled the females in my life who complained bitterly of the daily decision-making process about what to wear to work.
I found it difficult to relate to their problem, for my own daily routine in suiting up for work was a lay-down misere; attire for Monday to Thursday consisted of one generic business shirt, one generic pair of business pants, generic black socks and black shoes. Dressed for work in 20 seconds.
Advertisement: Story continues below
Casual Dress Friday was then met with a spring in my step as I had the time, financial resources and relative physique to align my casual attire to the fashions. Brand-name jeans accentuated my pre-sagging gluteus maximums; fitted shirts did not subconsciously ride up over my pre-expanding man-belly; my leather shoes were bought from a high street boutique, not an orthotic clinic. In short, I could confidently mix it with my female co-workers on the office runway.
Fast forward 20 years - and 20 pounds - and the thought of Casual Dress Friday sends me into a fashion conniption.
Previously I could never understand how my partner could stand in front of a wardrobe, a virtual clothes store in itself, and gaze blankly for hours with no solution in sight.
Fast forward 20 years and that person is now me. I have become that father whose fashion sense makes his daughters cringe with embarrassment whenever I set foot outside of the house.
There is no smart casual in my wardrobe. Instead it consists of clothing from two extreme poles of fashion: beige business shirts and beige pants to accentuate my appearance as a beige accountant, bookended with holding-on-to-my-youth articles of clothing such as an old football tracksuit and a prized 1984 Bruce Springsteen Born in the USA replica T-shirt.
As for polo shirts and chino pants, there will never be a better example of mutton dressed as lamb than if I tried to squeeze my bones into anything bearing a designer label.
So what am I wearing to work today? I have put together a casual ensemble consisting of one generic work shirt with one pair of generic work pants. And the casual item? A panicked, desperado accessory in the form of dull grey PVC sneakers which, viewed from a distance of 30 metres, could be mistaken for dull grey generic work shoes.
Oh, how all the females in my life now heckle me on Fridays.
2011年4月20日星期三
Women snap up 6 Kate Middleton replica ring
The $6 take on Kate Middleton's 18 carat sapphire engagement ring has sold more than any other piece of jewellery, Debenhams have said.
Kate's engagement ring is a Windsor family heirloom worth £250,000 but British department store Debenhams created a replica to pay homage to the royal ring.
And now that the ring has hit the shelves, staff say they cannot restock fast enough - and the ring is set to become Debenhams' fastest ever selling piece of jewellery.
Vicky Hewitt, spokesperson for the shop, said: 'It's clear that women have been captivated by the romance of the occasion.
'They want the chance to look like a princess too – for a fraction of the price.'
According to British newspaper the Daily Mail, Vicky added: 'Lots of women all over the world are wondering what it would be like to slip into Kate Middleton's shoes, so it's great to be able to offer our customers the chance to feel royal without having to steal the crown jewels to afford it.'
Kate's engagement ring is a Windsor family heirloom worth £250,000 but British department store Debenhams created a replica to pay homage to the royal ring.
And now that the ring has hit the shelves, staff say they cannot restock fast enough - and the ring is set to become Debenhams' fastest ever selling piece of jewellery.
Vicky Hewitt, spokesperson for the shop, said: 'It's clear that women have been captivated by the romance of the occasion.
'They want the chance to look like a princess too – for a fraction of the price.'
According to British newspaper the Daily Mail, Vicky added: 'Lots of women all over the world are wondering what it would be like to slip into Kate Middleton's shoes, so it's great to be able to offer our customers the chance to feel royal without having to steal the crown jewels to afford it.'
2011年4月13日星期三
PIFA opening gala and concert dazzle 800 guests
Ooh la la! Can you say “Paris comes to Philly?” It might seem as if our region has been overdosing on Eiffel Towers lately, with the “Springtime in Paris” theme and gigantic base of the Eiffel Tower at the Philadelphia International Flower Show last month, and now the 81-foot-high replica of the Eiffel Tower in the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, centerpiece for the Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts, or PIFA, as it has come to be called.
And all things French seem to have coalesced for the fantastic 25-day smorgasbord that was spawned by a magnanimous bequest from the late Leonore Annenberg to the Kimmel Center, requesting this visionary all-inclusive tribute to Paris in the early 20th century, involving all of the arts and culture groups in the region.
When I think of how, just a few years ago, the French and anything connected with France, like French fries and French wine and French perfume and especially French travel, were vilified, because the French government had wisely decided not to participate in George Bush’s war in Iraq, then I am especially delighted that the French are getting back their good name, and crêpes and wine and art and films and fashion and cuisine and everything good about France abounds. And French fries, not “freedom fries,” have been back on the menu for a while now. So the French have been vindicated.
It’s hard to find a single agency or museum or organization or university or dance company or musical organization that has not embraced PIFA wholeheartedly. And the opening-night gala and concert at the Kimmel Center were memorable, momentous, musically inspirational and simply “Mon Dieu!”
The Philadelphia Orchestra seemed to transport the audience of more than 800 patrons with their lively and beautiful version of Stravinsky’s “Pulcinella,” in collaboration with the Pennsylvania Ballet’s original production. Partly because of the energy and joy that conductor Rossen Milanov transmitted as he inspired the orchestra to bathe the audience in the lush tones of “The Three-cornered Hat,” and then accompanied the ballet in one of the most original performances, choreographed by Jorma Elo – just imagine if Michael Jackson’s moonwalk had been done to classical music, and that Jackson had worn ballet shoes.
“Cute” would be an insult for the tremendous control and grace that the 10 dancers from the Pennsylvania Ballet exhibited, with their flesh-colored costumes and unique combinations of “pas de deux” and flirtations.
Both the orchestra and the Pennsylvania Ballet received a well-deserved standing ovation from a cheering audience. Verizon Hall was brimming with love and appreciation for the talented performers.
You could tell from the VIPs who appeared at the cocktail hour, stayed for the performances, and then repaired to the elegant dinner, that this was a momentous occasion. Governor Rendell, Judge Marjorie O. Rendell, their son and daughter-in-law were the very first people I encountered when I entered the Kimmel Center Commonwealth Plaza. It was Rendell who had the vision for the regional performing-arts center on Broad Street, and it was he who convinced Sidney Kimmel to make the lead gift in order to accomplish the mission. I believe it was Judge Rendell who spearheaded the effort until Leslie Anne Miller, our own Main Line brilliant attorney, was brought on board as president to complete the construction, get all the arts organizations on board to sign contracts, and plan and preside over a fantastic opening night, just a few years ago. Miller was at the PIFA opening gala, of course, as was Juliet Goodfriend, the visionary head of the Bryn Mawr Film Institute.
In fact it was hard to name a single cultural venue in the region that was not represented at the PIFA opening gala. And it seems as if every single theater group, art museum and singing and performing group for miles around has put together some offering for the festival.
And if you want to brush up on your French, and do it painlessly and for free, just drop by the Kimmel Center every weekday at five o’clock and have a free French lesson by one of the many French-speaking teachers of the Alliance Française de Philadelphie. That’s the same organization that offers year-round French classes, at every level, on Bryn Mawr College’s campus and in its Center City headquarters. You might be fortunate enough to attend a “class” at the Kimmel Center led by Alliance Française board member Marie-Laure Epaminondas, who hails from Ardmore these days.
There is also a series of French Philadelphia trolley rides, hosted by the Alliance Française, based on its French Philadelphia guide book, originating from the Kimmel Center several times a week. You can find out about every single one of the 145 offerings of PIFA by Googling www.pifa.org. Or pick up the ever-present schedules in any newspaper or cultural venue.
Did I tell you that at the opening gala, after dinner, patrons were treated to an aerial ballet by the group called Grounded Aerial, where dancers on wires seemed to be climbing the walls of the atrium of the Kimmel Center while performing to beautiful music? My dinner companions were a bit worried because there was no net. But the skilled acrobat-dancers made it safely back to the floor of the Plaza after their performance.
Oh – and the Eiffel Tower does not just sit there and look gorgeous. As Mayor Nutter and honorary chairman Jerry Lenfest demonstrated at the gala, by flicking a switch, it performs a light-and-sound show to classical music, several times each day and night. You can buy some crêpes and sit at the “café” in the Kimmel Center, waiting for the Eiffel Tower to strut its stuff.
And all things French seem to have coalesced for the fantastic 25-day smorgasbord that was spawned by a magnanimous bequest from the late Leonore Annenberg to the Kimmel Center, requesting this visionary all-inclusive tribute to Paris in the early 20th century, involving all of the arts and culture groups in the region.
When I think of how, just a few years ago, the French and anything connected with France, like French fries and French wine and French perfume and especially French travel, were vilified, because the French government had wisely decided not to participate in George Bush’s war in Iraq, then I am especially delighted that the French are getting back their good name, and crêpes and wine and art and films and fashion and cuisine and everything good about France abounds. And French fries, not “freedom fries,” have been back on the menu for a while now. So the French have been vindicated.
It’s hard to find a single agency or museum or organization or university or dance company or musical organization that has not embraced PIFA wholeheartedly. And the opening-night gala and concert at the Kimmel Center were memorable, momentous, musically inspirational and simply “Mon Dieu!”
The Philadelphia Orchestra seemed to transport the audience of more than 800 patrons with their lively and beautiful version of Stravinsky’s “Pulcinella,” in collaboration with the Pennsylvania Ballet’s original production. Partly because of the energy and joy that conductor Rossen Milanov transmitted as he inspired the orchestra to bathe the audience in the lush tones of “The Three-cornered Hat,” and then accompanied the ballet in one of the most original performances, choreographed by Jorma Elo – just imagine if Michael Jackson’s moonwalk had been done to classical music, and that Jackson had worn ballet shoes.
“Cute” would be an insult for the tremendous control and grace that the 10 dancers from the Pennsylvania Ballet exhibited, with their flesh-colored costumes and unique combinations of “pas de deux” and flirtations.
Both the orchestra and the Pennsylvania Ballet received a well-deserved standing ovation from a cheering audience. Verizon Hall was brimming with love and appreciation for the talented performers.
You could tell from the VIPs who appeared at the cocktail hour, stayed for the performances, and then repaired to the elegant dinner, that this was a momentous occasion. Governor Rendell, Judge Marjorie O. Rendell, their son and daughter-in-law were the very first people I encountered when I entered the Kimmel Center Commonwealth Plaza. It was Rendell who had the vision for the regional performing-arts center on Broad Street, and it was he who convinced Sidney Kimmel to make the lead gift in order to accomplish the mission. I believe it was Judge Rendell who spearheaded the effort until Leslie Anne Miller, our own Main Line brilliant attorney, was brought on board as president to complete the construction, get all the arts organizations on board to sign contracts, and plan and preside over a fantastic opening night, just a few years ago. Miller was at the PIFA opening gala, of course, as was Juliet Goodfriend, the visionary head of the Bryn Mawr Film Institute.
In fact it was hard to name a single cultural venue in the region that was not represented at the PIFA opening gala. And it seems as if every single theater group, art museum and singing and performing group for miles around has put together some offering for the festival.
And if you want to brush up on your French, and do it painlessly and for free, just drop by the Kimmel Center every weekday at five o’clock and have a free French lesson by one of the many French-speaking teachers of the Alliance Française de Philadelphie. That’s the same organization that offers year-round French classes, at every level, on Bryn Mawr College’s campus and in its Center City headquarters. You might be fortunate enough to attend a “class” at the Kimmel Center led by Alliance Française board member Marie-Laure Epaminondas, who hails from Ardmore these days.
There is also a series of French Philadelphia trolley rides, hosted by the Alliance Française, based on its French Philadelphia guide book, originating from the Kimmel Center several times a week. You can find out about every single one of the 145 offerings of PIFA by Googling www.pifa.org. Or pick up the ever-present schedules in any newspaper or cultural venue.
Did I tell you that at the opening gala, after dinner, patrons were treated to an aerial ballet by the group called Grounded Aerial, where dancers on wires seemed to be climbing the walls of the atrium of the Kimmel Center while performing to beautiful music? My dinner companions were a bit worried because there was no net. But the skilled acrobat-dancers made it safely back to the floor of the Plaza after their performance.
Oh – and the Eiffel Tower does not just sit there and look gorgeous. As Mayor Nutter and honorary chairman Jerry Lenfest demonstrated at the gala, by flicking a switch, it performs a light-and-sound show to classical music, several times each day and night. You can buy some crêpes and sit at the “café” in the Kimmel Center, waiting for the Eiffel Tower to strut its stuff.
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