Men With Halos

Whenever I find an actor, singer or comedian who can also play an instrument, there is an extra halo of awesomeness that surrounds them. I know that being one of those aforementioned entertainers requires talent and often training but playing an instrument? I don't know - it's the marshmallows on the talent hot cocoa. It's the cherry on the talent sundae. It's the halo around the talent angels.

Here are several extra-talented leading men with those halos.

Thanks to sallywally at flyingdowntohollywood blog for showing me this one on Twitter today!

My favorite part begins at 2:46

An Interview with Ms. B from Millie Deel Blog

As I stroll around the blog garden of fashion, there are many wonderful blogs and some really, really amazing blogs that inspire and entertain. Ms. B's blog, Millie Deel, is definitely one of the most brilliant. She has impeccable taste (don't believe me? She blogged about a dress and not one week later, Drew Barrymore wore it to a film premiere) and a saucy, yet personable voice.

I had the marvelous opportunity to interview her - read and be enlightened!

1. You do a great job of covering all aspects of fashion, including contemporary fashion. Who is your favorite current designer and why?

I would have to say it's John Galliano for Dior closely followed by Carolina Herrera. They both do such a great job of reinterpreting vintage fashion into new pieces and you can tell from their work that they do their research. Too often I've seen something slapped together by either an up-and-coming designer or even one that's been around for awhile and they label it "vintage inspired". In their mind it might be but to me, vintage inspired means not only a piece that evokes details of a certain era but the craftsmanship that when into pieces from that era as well. I'm very interested in the work of Barbara Tfank as of late as well but I still need to see some more collections from her.

2. What is the best way to incorporate vintage style into everyday dressing? Any tips/tricks?

Well "vintage style" can be interpreted one of two ways. The first way would be pieces that have actual vintage detailing that you don't see much anymore i.e. true circle skirts, a peplum on the jacket of a skirt suit. The other way that I've seen some people discuss "vintage style" is in the form of, for example, the classic white button down shirt, the little black ballet flat, a pair of wide leg tweed trousers. To me, these aren't necessarily "vintage style" but just classic pieces that show the people around you that you aren't a person that easily goes along with trends, knows what looks good and that you simply just have good taste.

Getting back to the question, depending on how you interpret "vintage style" you can either look for classic pieces that you know have been around forever and are tried and true, or you can do your homework and learn about actual details and look for those details in newer pieces. Also, I think sometimes people are a little intimidated by actual vintage clothing thinking that if they wear it they might get strange looks. If this is the case, just use one piece of vintage at a time, such as just a vintage cardigan, or just a vintage handbag and have everything else be modern. More than likely when you do this, people will think that the vintage piece that you are wearing is in fact modern and will want to know where you got it. You can then inform them that it's vintage and relish in the fact that they probably won't ever be able to find one like it for themselves. Kind of snotty to think this way, but hey, whatever gets you through the day! ;)

3. Who are some of your favorite style icons from the past and present? What about their style makes you want to raid their closet?

Presently I don't think there are any "icons" as of yet. There just haven't really been any people in the public eye in the last 20 years that have carved out their own niche fashion wise and made it work well. I would say that I do like Zooey Dechanel and how she just does her own thing but she hasn't been around long enough to see a trend out of her except that she just mostly wears vintage. Of course I also love Dita Von Teese but she's really just a copy of the movie stars of the 40's and 50's.

From the past, Katherine Hepburn, Grace Kelly, and Audrey Hepburn of course. There's really too many to name off.

4. As a successful blogger yourself, what do you personally look for when reading other blogs? What makes you come back and revisit or comment?

I like a good balance of words and images. I like a little bit more of a personal element to blogs. That doesn't mean you have to tell me what you ate for breakfast but a little bit of commentary would be nice. I also enjoy blogs that post personal pictures of outfits of the day. I haven't done this myself yet because I'm so critical of myself and think I'm NOT photogenic at all but I love seeing other people and what they wear and put together. I also love seeing "hauls" so to speak. When I haven't bought something for myself it's always nice to live through someone else and see what goodies they may have found and bought for themselves!

5. Describe your ideal morning, afternoon or evening (I know it doesn't have anything to do with fashion, but I always want to know what people's ideal days are like).

I'm gonna go with "ideal day". An ideal day for me would be spent all day with my husband.Wake up kinda late, go out to breakfast to a place that has yummy omelets and different kinds of coffee. Afterwards go thrifting preferably in a town that has a lot of thrift and vintage stores to pick from. Go home and get freshened up and maybe go out to dinner and movie. There's lots of variations on this day of course but a perfect day will ALWAYS involve shopping of some kind.

6. Where do you recommend going to scope out fashion buys?

Of course ebay and etsy. I have a whole list of little independent vintage sites that are evil and I try and stay away from at all costs. Hemlock Vintage is a wonderful example of that.

7. What is your favorite outfit pick-me-up? What do you wear on those days you need that extra sparkle?

By far my most favorite thing to wear is shoes. They can completely change an outfit for the better or for the worse. If I'm wearing a cute pair of shoes, and I have a new pedicure that always makes my day SO much better. I highly recommend Seche Vite top coat, it makes my nail polish look like a new paint job on a car!

Another Reason Life is Delightful

I discovered Tina Tarnoff's gorgeous papercuts on Etsy while browsing through one of my chief addictions - stationery. I love silhouettes anyway because there is an old fashioned feel but also a timelessness. The simplicity of the form is made even more surprising by Ms. Tarnoff's ability to capture a moment of action and energy; many of her papercuts are of dancers. Every single piece of art is hand-drawn and cut by her so you would truly be getting a one-of-a-kind treasure. Visit her shop and be enchanted!

You Find the Fun aaaaaand, Snap! The Job's a Game!

I'm certain many of you have seen the piano stairs vs. escalator video that has gone viral recently. If not, here it is:

But, there are actually two other videos up on their site that, while not as music-tastic, are equally enjoyable to watch.

I absolutely love the whole philosophy behind it - make something fun and people will do it. On their website, thefuntheory.com, it says:

This site is dedicated to the thought that something as simple as fun is the easiest way to change people’s behaviour for the better. Be it for yourself, for the environment, or for something entirely different, the only thing that matters is that it’s change for the better.

Change the world by having fun? That's a bandwagon I'll gladly jump on!

P.S. I'm planning on moving to Sweden if only to take the stairs, throw out rubbish and recycle my glass bottles.

A Few of My Favorite Things...

This is one of the happiest things I have ever seen. Inspiring blogger, Blair, has several marvelous blogs and one of them - http://abrownpaperpackage.blogspot.com - connects girls around the world so they can send each other packages of delight. She says that her program "was started in hopes of connecting girls throughout the world through handwritten letters and little gifts."

You must go to her page and sign up for this purely perfect opportunity. Even if you don't sign up, you can now go through Life more happily knowing that a site such as this exists.

Do It Again

I've often thought about how vastly underrated Marilyn Monroe is. Although she may be properly lauded as a sex symbol, movie star and fashionista, one rarely hears much about her distinctive singing voice.

She is actually one of my favorite singers of that era. Her voice had an unexpectedly low quality and a little quavery vibrato at the end of her phrases adding her trademark sexiness and vulnerability. Marilyn, although keeping her style consistent, was also able to effectively act out her song - quite a difficult thing to master. Watch her in Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend, I'm Through With Love and (my favorite) I Wanna Be Loved By You - totally different! And yet all equally her.

An Interview with Brian Solomon from Standard of the Day

Clockwise from top left: Anita O'Day, Nelson Riddle, Everyone Says I Love You, Hoagy Carmichael

I had the wonderful opportunity to interview the brilliant mastermind behind one of my very favorite music blogs ever: Brian Solomon blogs at Standard of the Day and highlights a different song from the Great American Songbook almost every day. I've loved reading the history and lyrics behind some of my favorite songs and learned about songs I'd never heard. It was tons of fun to pick his brain about his (and my!) favorite period of music.

1. What do you think sets the songs in the Great American Songbook apart from other songs? Tunes? Lyrics?

I think it's the combination of both, really. Since the days of the Songbook ended, the emphasis seems to have shifted heavily to the importance of lyrics. The concept of melody has unfortunately taken a backseat. What made those songs so memorable was the gorgeous melodies, first. Then the lyrics, which were so often rather simple, yet so expressive without being pretentious.

There has been such a stress on the concept of autobiographical songwriting since the dawn of the era of the singer/songwriter in the 1960s, that we've lost the concept of beauty in music. It's all about telling people about yourself instead--rather narcissistic, if you ask me.

2. Okay, I know that the second you answer this question, you'll think of another answer but, as of this very moment, what is your favorite song and why? Who performed this song best?

I have always been partial to If I Had You by Irving King & Ted Shapiro. Although it hearkens back to the 1920s, I actually fell in love with it from when it was used in the 1996 Woody Allen film Everyone Says I Love You. I remember singing it to my newborn daughter as I held her in my arms for the very first time in the hospital on the day she was born. Sinatra does a fine version of it on Great Songs from Great Britain, but I think my favorite version may actually be Sarah Vaughan's rendition from The Benny Carter Sessions.

3. Which standards do you think get neglected? Which songwriters? Which interpreters?

Well, the one I just mentioned is definitely one that does. There are so many songs off the beaten path of the recognized greats like Berlin, Porter, Kern, Rodger & Hart, etc. that get neglected. Arthur Schwartz & Howard Deitz are a great example of an often overlooked songwriting team--these guys wrote Dancing in the Dark, I Guess I'll Have to Change My Plans, and so many others. I also think Hoagy Carmichael doesn't always get the credit he deserves anymore, because he was someone who wrote strictly in the Tin Pan Alley tradition, which was considered less presitigious than writing for the stage. He's remembered for Stardust of course, but there are so many others, like I Get Along Without You Very Well, for example.

As for neglected interpreters of popular song, I've always thought that Joe Williams was one of the very best. And Dinah Washington really deserves to be right up there with Billy, Ella and Sarah. On today's scene, there's a magnificent singer named Maude Maggart--who happens to be Fiona Apple's sister--who is absolutely amazing.

4. Describe your ideal morning, afternoon or evening (I know it doesn't have anything to do with standards, but I always want to know what people's ideal days are like).

My ideal evening would be watching a great old Universal monster movie with my kids, then reading to them before bed--I'm in the middle of reading The Iliad to my five-year-old son, believe it or not, and he loves it! After that, my wife and I curl up together on the couch with our books (God Is not Great by Christoper Hitchens at the moment), with some fine old LP recordings playing in the background, perhaps a glass of merlot. And there we stay, until we can no longer keep our eyes open.

5. What are some singers/musicians you can recommend to those who want to broaden their standard-listening beyond Frank Sinatra?

I'd definitely recommend Mel Torme, who may have been the second greatest male pop vocalist of the postwar pop era. You can never go wrong with Ella Fitzgerald, of course, but beyond her I would recommend Anita O'Day and Nancy Wilson. Chet Baker is another amazing vocalist and instrumentalist who is a joy to discover. Outside of vocalists, I happen to be a big fan of Fats Waller's instrumental recordings, as well as the collaborations of Django Reinhardt & Stephane Grappelli.

6. What lyrically, melodically, arrangement-wise makes you love a song: what grabs you and makes you stay beyond the first several seconds?

I am such a huge proponent of the importance of a great arranger. As great as he was, Sinatra was in part MADE great by the efforts of men like Axel Stordahl, Gordon Jenkins, Billy May and most of all, Nelson Riddle. I enjoy an arrangement that is strong enough to play with the melody without obscuring it, and which frames the singer while also allowing the band to have its fun.

I wish I could articulate better what melodically draws me to a song, but I think I lack the technical knowledge of music. There are just those enthralling chord progressions that draw you in--Berlin was a master of this, for example, in songs like Always.

Lyrically, what I love about the great standards is that they had such an unassuming charm to them. Some of it may have become cliché over the years, but we forget it became so because it rings so very true. I also love a lyric that deals in specifics rather than generalities, which is why I adore Porter stuff like You're the Top and Ira Gershwin's They Can't Take that Away from Me.

7. What song immediately makes you happy when it starts to play?

The first one that comes to mind is Harold Arlen & Ted Koehler's I've Got the World on a String. What a pure expression of joy and enthusiasm that song is! And I mean song, and not recording, as just about any recording of it can bring a smile to my face--obviously Sinatra's and Crosby's stand out in particular.

One Reason Life is Delightful...

... is the amount of inspiring things on the internet. However, if you are a late-nighter like me, you may find yourself in the people-in-old-times-would-laugh-at-you-if-you-called-this-a-predicament predicament of reading the most delicious blogs when it is no time for being hungry or baking.

So without further ado:

The Top Six Food Blogs Not to Visit when You're Feeling Munchy at Midnight:*

1. Pâtisserie Natalie - Photos that will make your mouth water. And you'll wonder why, oh why you don't have this girl as your best friend/next door neighbor.

2. Simmer Till Done - Not only is this blog a deliciously fun and hilarious read, her recipes are amazing. I've never actually attempted any of her recipes but I can just tell.

4. Chaos in the Kitchen - For those of you who have less of a sweet tooth and prefer to not long for sumptuous, savory meals, do not look at this blog. You can practically smell the food cooking. And it smells gooooood.

5. Mostly Eating - This one may seem like it'd be less tempting as it's healthy and good for the environment. But don't let that fool you - the food is completely crave-worthy.

6. Tea & Cookies - Beautiful writing, beautiful photography. She can make purslane look like the food of the gods.

Extra Credit: Foodzie (not a blog) - I have yet to purchase anything from here but, really, a site that sells specialty food from everywhere? Really? Was that necessary?

*Click on title to visit blogs. If you're certain you're prepared for the consequences...

Somewhere There's Heaven...

I had planned on writing about October first, the beginning of my favorite four months, first full month of my favorite season, etc., etc. But you'll get your Fall fill without fail so don't fret (you'll also get your fill of alliteration, apparently).

Tonight I wanted to show this moment captured by photo: in that picture, on our roof, is a teeny, tiny lizard, gazing at the moon.

If that isn't magical, I don't know what is.