"If one has no vanity in this life of ours, there is no sufficent reason
for living." Leo Tolstoy


Sunday, January 30, 2011

Stacey Dash: "The Black Dress"

A fashion staple that is present in every women's wardrobe.

Jazzy Music: Amy Winehouse

Great Commercials!


Audrey Hepburn: Classical

Born in Ixelles, Belgium, as Audrey Kathleen Ruston, Hepburn spent her childhood chiefly in the Netherlands, including German-occupied Arnhem, Netherlands, during the Second World War. She studied ballet in Arnhem and then moved to London in 1948, where she continued to train in ballet and worked as a photographer's model. She appeared in several European films before starring in the 1951 Broadway play Gigi. Hepburn played the lead female role in Roman Holiday (1953), winning an Academy Award, a Golden Globe and a BAFTA for her performance. She also won a Tony Award for her performance in Ondine (1954). Hepburn is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy, and Tony Award. She was named to the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame in 1961. Hepburn became one of the most successful film actresses in the world and performed with notable leading men such as Gregory Peck, Rex Harrison, Humphrey Bogart, Gary Cooper, Cary Grant, Henry Fonda, William Holden, Burt Lancaster, Fred Astaire, James Garner, Peter O'Toole and Albert Finney. She won BAFTA Awards for her performances in The Nun's Story (1959) and Charade (1963) and received Academy Award nominations for Sabrina (1954), The Nun's Story (1959), Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961) and Wait Until Dark (1967). She starred as Eliza Doolittle in the film version of My Fair Lady (1964), becoming only the third actor to receive $1,000,000 for a film role. From 1968 to 1975 she took a break from film-making to spend more time with her two sons. In 1976, she starred with Sean Connery in Robin and Marian. In 1989, she made her last film appearance in Steven Spielberg's Always.

Hepburn was voted "most beautiful woman of all time" in a poll of beauty experts by Evian.Her fashion styles also continue to be popular among women.The "little black dress" from Breakfast at Tiffany's, designed by Givenchy, sold at a Christie's auction on 5 December 2006, for £467,200 (approximately $920,000), almost seven times its £70,000 pre-sale estimate. This is the highest price paid for a dress from a film.The dress auctioned by Christie's was not the one that Hepburn actually wore in the movie. Of the two dresses that Hepburn did wear, one is held in the Givenchy archives, while the other is displayed in the Museum of Costume in Madrid.

Michael Knight: KITT Coupe

Self-made billionaire Wilton Knight rescues police detective Michael Long after a near fatal shot to the face, giving him a new identity (via plastic surgery) and a new name: Michael Knight. Wilton selects Michael to be the primary field agent in the pilot program of his Knight Foundation-funded public justice organization, the Foundation for Law and Government (FLAG). The other half of this pilot program is the Knight Industries Two Thousand (KITT), a heavily modified Pontiac Trans Am with numerous features including an extremely durable shell and frame, controlled by a computer with artificial intelligence. Michael and KITT are brought in during situations where "direct action might provide the only feasible solution". Present day car mods (modifications) copy the "blacked out" style of KITT car.

BMW: 1M

The 1M Coupe Visualizer is now available on BMW.com, including a virtual look at the 1M in black and white. In addition to the 360 degree visualizer, there is a complete set of 1M design and technology highlights for you to explore.

The Allerton Chicago

701 N Michigan Ave
Chicago, IL 60611
(866) 553-5040
www.theallertonhotel.com

Hunter Wellies

A great investment against the rain, sleet and snow.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

"Socially Inclined": Happy One Year

Time sure does fly when your having fun....or blogging!

Black & Yellow G-Mix


"Yea we rich, Champagne poured, Weed lit."

John Monopoly

John Monopoly is a well-known hip hop talent scout and manager. He is a former member of the old-school Chicago prep-school krewes, "Hilltop" & "The Outcasts".

Monopoly once served as Manager for Time Exposure as well as co-promoting underground hip-hop events with Dave Dred, and Chicago Graf legend Avon under the moniker "WTTW" [Word 2 Tha Wise]. In addition, Monopoly has served as an A&R rep at Violator Management and as an executive at Jive Records, he played a key role in signing rap blue-chip prospect Dirtbag. Monopoly also teamed with DJ Whoo Kid on a joint venture with Koch Entertainment to distribute Rewind DVD Magazine as well as form The Shadyville DJ Coalition. Monopoly also runs management firm, Hustle Period. Included among Hustle Period's past and present clients are Kanye West, Shawnna, Naledge, GLC (rapper), Carl Thomas, and producer No I.D. As West's manager he's also co-CEO of GOOD Music. Hustle Period officially began in August 1999 after Monopoly and VP Reno Dinero had been successful throwing house parties in their Navy Pier apartment in Chicago. Hustle Period started between founders, John Monopoly, Datu Faison and Don C, Kanye's Road manager. John has recently ventured into nightlife by opening Chicago's newest exclusive member's club, Boutique.

Friday, January 7, 2011

"The Workout Look"







Exercise: 7 benefits of regular physical activity
You know exercise is good for you — but do you know how good? From boosting your mood to improving your sex life, find out how exercise can improve your life.
-By Mayo Clinic staff

Want to feel better, have more energy and perhaps even live longer? Look no further than old-fashioned exercise.

The merits of regular physical activity — from preventing chronic health conditions to promoting weight loss and better sleep — are hard to ignore. And the benefits are yours for the taking, regardless of age, sex or physical ability. Need more convincing? Check out seven specific ways exercise can improve your life.

1. Exercise improves your mood.
Need to blow off some steam after a stressful day? A workout at the gym or a brisk 30-minute walk can help you calm down.

Physical activity stimulates various brain chemicals that may leave you feeling happier and more relaxed than you were before you worked out. You'll also look better and feel better when you exercise regularly, which can boost your confidence and improve your self-esteem. Regular physical activity can even help prevent depression.

2. Exercise combats chronic diseases.
Worried about heart disease? Hoping to prevent osteoporosis? Physical activity might be the ticket.

Regular physical activity can help you prevent — or manage — high blood pressure. Your cholesterol will benefit, too. Regular physical activity boosts high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or "good," cholesterol while decreasing triglycerides. This one-two punch keeps your blood flowing smoothly by lowering the buildup of plaques in your arteries.

And there's more. Regular physical activity can help you prevent type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis and certain types of cancer.

3. Exercise helps you manage your weight.
Want to drop those excess pounds? Trade some couch time for walking or other physical activities.

This one's a no-brainer. When you engage in physical activity, you burn calories. The more intense the activity, the more calories you burn — and the easier it is to keep your weight under control. You don't even need to set aside major chunks of time for working out. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Walk during your lunch break. Do jumping jacks during commercials. Better yet, turn off the TV and take a brisk walk. Dedicated workouts are great, but physical activity you accumulate throughout the day helps you burn calories, too.

4. Exercise boosts your energy level.
Winded by grocery shopping or household chores? Don't throw in the towel. Regular physical activity can leave you breathing easier.

Physical activity delivers oxygen and nutrients to your tissues. In fact, regular physical activity helps your entire cardiovascular system — the circulation of blood through your heart and blood vessels — work more efficiently. Big deal? You bet! When your heart and lungs work more efficiently, you'll have more energy to do the things you enjoy.

5. Exercise promotes better sleep.
Struggling to fall asleep? Or stay asleep? It might help to boost your physical activity during the day.

A good night's sleep can improve your concentration, productivity and mood. And you guessed it — physical activity is sometimes the key to better sleep. Regular physical activity can help you fall asleep faster and deepen your sleep. There's a caveat, however. If you exercise too close to bedtime, you may be too energized to fall asleep. If you're having trouble sleeping, you might want to exercise earlier in the day.

6. Exercise can put the spark back into your sex life.
Are you too tired to have sex? Or feeling too out of shape to enjoy physical intimacy? Physical activity to the rescue.

Regular physical activity can leave you feeling energized and looking better, which may have a positive effect on your sex life. But there's more to it than that. Regular physical activity can lead to enhanced arousal for women, and men who exercise regularly are less likely to have problems with erectile dysfunction than are men who don't exercise — especially as they get older.

7. Exercise can be — gasp — fun!
Wondering what to do on a Saturday afternoon? Looking for an activity that suits the entire family? Get physical!

Physical activity doesn't have to be drudgery. Take a ballroom dancing class. Check out a local climbing wall or hiking trail. Push your kids on the swings or climb with them on the jungle gym. Plan a neighborhood kickball or touch football game. Find a physical activity you enjoy, and go for it. If you get bored, try something new. If you're moving, it counts!

Are you convinced? Good. Start reaping the benefits of regular physical activity today!

Beyonce: Heat Perfume



!Steamy Commercial!

Cam Newton



Height 6'6"
Weight 247
Age 21

Cameron "Cam" Jerrell Newton (born May 11, 1989 in College Park, Georgia) is the starting quarterback for the Auburn Tigers. Newton was initially a member of the Florida Gators. He would later transfer to Blinn College, where his team won a national junior college football championship. Newton was then recruited by head coach Gene Chizik of Auburn University and transferred once more. He became just the third player in major college football history to pass for 20 touchdowns and rush for 20 touchdowns in a single season. On December 11, 2010, he was awarded the Heisman Trophy as the most outstanding college football player despite a major controversy concerning his eligibility that embroiled the second half of the season.

Cameron Newton is the son of Cecil Newton,Sr., who played strong safety for two seasons with the Dallas Cowboys and the younger brother of Cecil Newton, Jr., a center for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the NFL.

Studio/Convertible Apartment


Sometimes the budget calls for something cozy and warm. Studios are great for a single guy or girl that doesn't care about having a whole lot of "stuff". Besides shelter is a neccesity but "stuff" is not.

Facebook an Ex?



LISA SAYS: HIT IGNORE! I come from the dating school of thought that once you’re done, you’re done. If I eat bad sushi at a restaurant, I aint goin’ back for more. If I get smashed on Whiskey Sours, dance on the bar at Coyote Ugly and make out with some one-eyed Jack-HYPOTHETICALLY OF COURSE ;) –It’s pretty damn safe to assume I’m not going to drink Whiskey Sours–EVER AGAIN!

So, why on Earth, after ending my relationship with you, would I even be remotely interested in being your Mafia Wars partner? Or give me a good reason why I need to see that you became a fan of In N Out?

I’m sorry, but there’s a reason we broke up. And last time I checked, our relationship didn’t exactly end with a high five. So forgive me if I’m not super amped to join you in the cyberworld version of shooting the shit over a no-foam latte.

But to every rule, there are always exceptions…

And I think IF we’re going to be Facebook friends, there should be a statute of limitations that expires first.

Like how ’bout a decade?

Did we share a sloppy smooch behind the monkey bars? Sure, I’ll accept you!

Were you my junior high prom date who said I looked pretty in my blue taffeta? Okay! I’m anxious to see what you look like without acne anyway!

Did I date you in high school and drink Strawberry Boons in the back of your pick up truck? Alright! Because I’m curious to see what you look like without that mullet!

For the record, I am Facebook friends with an ex…or two…

Because our only conflict was arguing over whether or not we should show PDA in the cafeteria. So, I’ll support your cause to get the thumbs down sign added to Facebook; And I’ll give you a thumbs up when your status report says you’re remodeling your kitchen; I’ll even comment on the photo of your adorable kids in the school play! Because the worst thing you ever did to me was ignore me when your buddies walked up to your locker.

But if we broke up in the last few years, I think it’s better to just forgive and forget. Because although our relationship may have seemed like high school at times– it did end over something more complicated than you writing a different girl’s name on your Trapper Keeper. Or me wearing another football player’s letterman jacket.

LIZ SAYS: HIT ACCEPT! Come on, you know you’re curious what’s he’s been up to and if he’s traded up or down. And the fact of the matter is that if I ignored every guy that I’ve swapped spit with, I’d have a lot less friends. You see, I was quite the kissing bandit back in the day, especially after a few shots of Brass Monkey up at the Water Tower. And I think it’s just plain mean to ignore someone just because they cut my lip with their braces and used their tongue as a WMD.

Like Lisa, I’m dying to see if you had a late growth spurt and finally ditched that Nissan Sentra and your love for Steve B. And it’s so much less awkward than waiting for our um, *cough* twenty year reunion, where you’re sure to get hammered and grab my ass during the group photo.

But I won’t turn away the more recent exes either. Like childbirth, I’ve conveniently forgotten how painful our relationship was. And by the time I see your friend request, I’ve even convinced myself that you have enough redeeming qualities to enter my Facebook sanctuary. And maybe, just maybe, I’m dying to know if you married that chick you dumped me for or if you ever got your snaggle tooth fixed.

So, I play nice on Facebook.

Dating for four months and you decided not to show up to my college graduation party? No problem! I was planning on drinking so much I blacked out that night anyway. Oh look, we’re both Susan Boyle fans! Hurray!

Had anger management issues and tried to strangle my cat? Merlin and I are so over it! Oh, and thanks for letting me know you just became a fan of the middle finger and beer, just in case I was questioning my decision to kick you to the curb!

Asked out my best friend the week after we broke up? It’s cool! I feel better after I saw the picture of you frenching your bulldog and the fact that you listed “hooking up with hot chicks” under interests.

So unless you’ve heard through the grapevine that your ex is a major shareholder in Starbucks and/or is dating a supermodel, I say just do it! Trust me, It will only make you feel better about the one you’re with.-chicklitisnotdead.com

By Liz and Lisa

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Product Place-ment: The Kluger Agency

He Puts the Soda in Pop Songs. In the past two years, Adam Kluger has built a boutique product-placement agency that's become a cash conduit for the revenue-needy music business


Adam Kluger is in a hurry and this Ford Explorer won't get out of the way of his Bentley. He's driving north from Miami to a music video shoot in Fort Lauderdale featuring both his new recording artist and his corporate client. It's 3 p.m. The shoot doesn't start until after 4, but still. Kluger muscles his black coupé almost on top of the SUV's rear bumper. "The music industry's very laid back while I'm very, very aggressive," he says, clutching the wheel and his BlackBerry (RIMM) in a two-handed grip that lets him type and tailgate. He's 24, short, lean, and talks as fast as he's trying to drive. "I just need to get stuff done immediately."

In the past two years, Kluger has built a boutique agency that's become a conduit between the revenue-needy music business and a growing source of cash: consumer brands. Those who have seen the parade of products in Lady Gaga's Telephone video have gotten a taste of The Kluger Agency's work. With a check and Kluger's help, products end up in music videos, lyrics, even song titles. Kluger's newest project is managing a pop singer, an aspiring teen idol named JRandall. To build buzz, Kluger hired Grammy-winning singer T-Pain to appear in JRandall's video and sing a verse for the song, a dance track called Can't Sleep. Kluger's funding the music and video production both by the traditional method (with JRandall's label, Poe Boy Music Group) and with money from Zoosk, a dating website and one of his agency's clients. Singers have name-checked brands since before Janis Joplin asked the Lord to buy her a Mercedes-Benz. But the practice of advertisers paying for a mention in songs has exploded. "I get calls on country, rock 'n' roll—today it's across the board, in every genre of music," says Brooke Wilson, head of music entertainment at The Marketing Arm, an agency that deals in endorsements. This year she got State Farm's logo into a video by rock band OK Go. "It's really started happening in the past 5 to 7 years. It comes down to the labels not having enough money and needing other avenues to promote themselves." Kluger's specialty is bringing product placement to niche brands and fledgling artists, not just big products and stars.

Approaching Ft. Lauderdale as Can't Sleep blasts through the Bentley's 1,100-watt speakers, Kluger talks about replicating JRandall, who got a placement deal before he released his first album. He wants to build a record label based entirely on brand dollars. He wants to party with his pals in the Ford (F) Excursion stretch limo he just bought. There's so much to do, it hurts. "I call it my burning ambition," Kluger says, still riding the Explorer's exhaust pipe. "It literally pains me. Like, really pains me." Before the cars and the rock stars, Kluger grew up in Tampa, the distractible son of a jeweler father and a mother in the apparel business. While other students sat attentively in class, Kluger doodled business ideas. After school hours he bounced around fast-food jobs and sold knives door-to-door. Childhood pal Joel Cardieri remembers the few weeks Kluger worked behind the counter at a local Boston Market. "He'd say things like, 'I'm not going to be here long. Something's going to happen soon, I feel it!' " Kluger says he's always been obsessed with pop music. He recalls coming home from camp in 1999 with a song stuck in his head—Summer Girls, a bubblegum rap ditty with brand-conscious lyrics such as "I like girls that wear Abercrombie & Fitch." The song made him want to dance—and shop. "I was like, I gotta get Abercrombie & Fitch!" he says. In 2006, after attending a two-year college in Gainesville, he moved to Los Angeles and enrolled in a for-profit vocational school to learn how to make it in music. As he sat through classes on royalties and audio engineering, he got a sense of just how much the recording industry was suffering.

Beginning in early 2008, with no useful connections and a surplus of nerve, he started calling companies telling them he could place their brands in pop songs. Then he called the labels, telling them he could get brands to pay to be in their artists' songs. "There's a bit of bullsh-----g you have to do to get in the door," Kluger says.

In the summer of 2008, after "about 400" such calls, Kluger got a break. He reached the head of marketing for Interscope Records, Steve Berman, whom Kluger had heard of only because of his appearances on Eminem albums. (They had goofball skits where Berman would berate Eminem for recording vile, unmarketable music.) "Steve Berman said, 'I don't know about your company, I don't know about your brands, but I have a video,' " Kluger says. Beautiful, Dirty, Rich by a new artist named Lady Gaga, was going to shoot in just a few days. Twelve hours later, Kluger signed his first client, Vixen's Visions, a maker of lingerie and "sexy club wear." The resulting placement was near the end of the video as Gaga uses a Vixen's Visions shopping bag to dump cash on the floor. It was one second long. Kluger won't specify how much money changed hands in this or any ensuing deal, other than to say that his commission is up to 23 percent. According to clients, fees typically run between $40,000 and $250,000 per placement, depending on the artist. Getting a brand into song lyrics can fetch $500,000 and higher. (Berman did not return requests for comment; Vixen's Visions President Tony Paris Sr. says he's pleased with Kluger's work.)

Kluger quickly turned his Interscope relationship into a new deal. This time the product was Drank, a soft drink named after the slang term for a soda and codeine-cough-syrup concoction popular in the hip-hop scene. Multi-platinum superstar and Interscope artist Lil Wayne often rapped about the latter beverage. Kluger approached Drank founder Peter Bianchi about getting the non-narcotic Drank into music videos by Lil Wayne and other Interscope talent. Bianchi says he liked the idea and signed a multi-video contract. Kluger celebrated by taking a month-long cross-country trip from L.A. to Florida in a Mercedes SL500 convertible. He was so happy to be back with his old high school friends in Tampa, he decided to move his business to Miami, just a few hours' drive away. By April 2009, Kluger landed a Drank placement in the video for Sugar by Flo Rida. At the shoot, Kluger met Elric "E-Class" Prince, the chief executive of Poe Boy, Flo Rida's label. Prince had just received an object lesson in the power of product placement. The previous summer, Flo Rida had a smash hit, Low, which mentions Apple Bottom Jeans, Reebok, Cadillac, Rémy Martin and Hennessy cognacs, and Patrón tequila. Another hit, Forever, by R&B singer Chris Brown, had the line "Double your pleasure, double your fun," the old Wrigley's Doublemint gum jingle. Crucial difference: Brown had a multimillion-dollar endorsement deal with Wrigley; Flo Rida recited his favorite consumer goods gratis. "Never again," says Prince.-Bloomberg Business

Rick Ross: Ashes To Ashes






New Heat from Ricky Rozay!!!!!

Ferrari 458




Stop the press! Ferrari has officially unveiled the 458 Italia, the long awaited successor for the mid-engine Ferrari F430, and the design is leaving our editorial staff speechless! The super car looks impressive from any angle as it has a design that has never been seen before on a Ferrari model. The high performance sports car comes complete with a new engine, improved aerodynamics, upgraded handling, and improved instrumentation and ergonomics inside the cabin.

The wedge shaped body was penned by Pininfarina, while the interior was left up to the work of Donato Coco, Ferrari’s Chief Designer. While you might say that the exterior is more or less based on the traditional Ferrari lines, there are also a few revolutionary new ones, all intended to improve the car’s aerodynamics. The front end features a single wide mouth opening to let a specific amount of air in paired with a vent on either front fender. Out back there are a pair of large ducts just before the taillights, all designed with aerodynamic contours and partitions that direct air directly into the radiators and away from the new flat underbody. The nose also sports small aeroelastic winglets which generate downforce and, as speed rises, deform to reduce the section of the radiator inlets and reduce drag.

Under the hood Ferrari has placed a 4.5 Liter V8 engine equipped with the traditional Ferrari flat crankshaft that gives the mid-engine sports cars their signature top end bark. The unit produces 570 HP at a rather high 9000 RPM which gives the future super car a power output of 127 HP/Liter. Weighing in at only 3,042 pounds, the new Ferrari will rocket from 0 to 60 MPH in just 3.4 seconds and won’t stop until it hits a top speed of 202 MPH.

The base price for Ferrari’s new supercar is £169,545 – or around $275,000 in the latest exchange rates. And that’s just a ‘simple’ version of the 458. Should you wish to put more add-ons to the supercar, then you’re more than likely to hit the £200,000 mark - $325,000 – which, if you must know is well in reach of the selling price for a 612 Scaglietti.

But hey, if you have that kind of money, who’s to keep you from spending a few thousand more on some pretty nice extra features like steering wheel-mounted LEDs, electric seats, an alcantara trunk lining, and, of course, an additional wheel or two.After all, nobody ever said that the price for owning a Ferrari comes cheap.
-Top Speed.com

Olivia Wilde: Great Advice


(Click on image to read story)

Blake Griffin: Beasting




Look out Below!

Sunday, January 2, 2011

"The Bachelor"

"Lady Friends"

"The Closet"

"The Bachelor Pad"

"The Garage"


Some essentials to being a bachelor.

Blackberry Killer






Vertu, the market leader in luxury mobile phones has unveiled its first smartphone, Constellation Quest.The phone is like E63, E71 and E72 phone with a new twist, a QWERTY keyboard. But as it bears the Vertu name and logo it will be more luxurious. The new luxury handset is made of either matte or polished stainless steel or 18-karat gold with a leatherback and sapphire crystal or stainless steel keys. The home screen is uncluttered, displaying only the essentials as chosen by the customer. These may include email notifications, calendar appointments and selected news feeds. Also featured is a Vertu design signature – an analogue clock – which automatically adjusts to the user’s location. Constellation Quest introduces vertu.me, a service that provides the user with a Vertu email account and effortless harmonisation of the device’s lifestyle and business tools. Should the customer choose, the user’s emails, contacts, calendar and task information can be automatically synchronised with Vertu’s secure servers, giving the benefit of protected back up of their data. Vertu offers the consumer complete peace of mind, as should the handset be lost, this data can be retrieved and seamlessly downloaded to a replacement phone. The system also ensures that whenever the vertu.me account is accessed, whether from the phone, a home or office computer or via the web, this information is up to date. Vertu Concierge has been enhanced for the launch of Constellation Quest, giving the user three different options for lifestyle assistance and enrichment. Depending on a customer’s expected frequency of use, Vertu Concierge will suggest the service type best suited to that customer’s needs. Vertu Concierge’s core offering across the three services is its unparalleled ability to respond to a customer’s needs and offer appropriate experiences and opportunities. Vertu is available in over 500 stores, including over 70 Vertu boutiques, in 66 countries worldwide.-Technology News