Archive for the ‘General’ Category



THE INFAMOUS GEORGE LOIS AT HOME ON THE SELBY

Thursday, September 2nd, 2010

Nothing quite compares to the Esquire of old, when George Lois – who reinvented ESPN, MTV, and Tommy Hilfiger – art directed for the eminent men’s style bible.  From the early 60’s to the early 70’s, Lois dared to go where nobody else had; he created controversy when he put the gorgeous Italian actress Claudia Cardinale on the cover, on a motorcycle with the headline, “Claudia Cardinale shows you how to be a good girl today.”  Now, thanks to The Selby, we get a peak inside Lois’s home.

“I think advertising should be like poison gas. It should grip you by the throat, it should bowl you over.” – George Lois

“One look at a great advertisement should knock you on your ass – your eyes should tear up and you should gasp for air…” – George Lois

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WHO’S READY FOR MACHETE?

Wednesday, September 1st, 2010

SA Studios was commissioned by Twentieth Century Fox to produce videos promoting the film “Machete” starring Danny Trejo. The first lifestyle video features Mister Cartoon and Danny Trejo lowriding through East LA. This video, directed by Estevan Oriol, begins the series.

Danny Trejo aka Machete lowriding with Mister Cartoon from SA Studios Global on Vimeo.

Here’s another killer – time lapse! – video by the same creators.  On July 22nd, the “Machete” cast – Danny Trejo, Michelle Rodriguez, and Robert Rodriguez – took over a parking lot in San Diego during Comic Con and served up over 3,000 tacos to fans and media from this truck.

MACHETE Taco Truck Time Lapse Video from SA Studios Global on Vimeo.

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Jada Yuan, New York Magazine Writer, Answers Our Five Questions

Tuesday, August 31st, 2010

Jada Yuan writes for New York Magazine, and lets us in on how to get a good story…even when ten billion – okay, not really, but close! – other reports are doing the same.  You can follow her on Twitter; she goes by Jadabird.

Jada, Adrian Grenier, Danny Kass, Dingo and her friend Nina on “the most exciting day of my life” at an Oakley event when she got to snowboard with Kass. “Watching him in the Olympics was part of the reason I started snowboarding,” Jada said.

What were the last five magazines you purchased, and which one / for what reason did you most enjoy reading?

In my dreams, The Economist, The Atlantic, Esquire, Wired, Rolling Stone, Real Simple, VeloNews, Transworld Snowboarding, a variety of British music magazines, and all the cool ones with pretty pictures, like French Vogue and I-D. But then I’d be broke and buried under a pile of magazines. In reality, the last five magazines I bought were probably all Us Weeklys—mostly for Who Wore It Best, because it’s amazing so many celebrities choose to wear the same ugly dress, and Celebrities: They’re Just Like Us, because even if the celebrity has no makeup and is pumping gas, she’s still gaunt and driving a Mercedes and carrying an Hermès bag and is very much not like us. Blogs I read constantly, but I guess those don’t count. The New Yorker I subscribe to and GQ, Glamour, and New York (obviously) come to my office, so they don’t count either, though I read them all and clip out articles like a dork.

By what writer do you feel interested in reading an essay about food?

Bill Buford on Mario Batali, Susan Orlean on backyard chickens, and David Foster Wallace on the Maine Lobster Festival were all pretty memorable. But rapturous essays about food I’m not eating just make me jealous, for the same reason why watching Top Chef depresses me unless I’m cooking something delicious simultaneously, which becomes even more depressing since I can’t cook. I like reported pieces about the people who make food, or restaurant reviews so I can figure out if I want to go eat the food, which I always do.

Jada at the Democratic National Convention

What are some memorable moments you have had while reporting a piece for New York Magazine?

By far the best experience I’ve ever had reporting was going to the Democratic and Republican National Conventions and the Inauguration. I had to navigate three strange cities and a bunch of highly strange events on my own and get good stories that the ten billion other reporters also there weren’t doing. Turns out it wasn’t that different, reporting-wise, from landing in a party and accosting celebrities. I happened upon police tasering protesters in St. Paul, interviewed Rahm Emanuel and Barney Frank in a concert hall lobby, made buddies with The Daily Show guys, shared a terrifying and very funny car ride with Jill Abramson and Maureen Dowd of the Times, saw Sarah Palin transfix a room for the first time, and somehow managed to snag a first-row seat (as in, many, many rows in front of Jay-Z and Diddy and Beyoncé) to Obama’s Inaugural speech. And when the Inauguration was over, I randomly befriended Sonja Sohn (Shakima Gregg from The Wire) and she sweet-talked all the cops into letting us skip the barricades so we could get home faster and soak our frozen toes. It was awesome.

What person’s thoughts do you feel interested in knowing?

Bill Murray. The man goes into college kids’ rooms and does their dishes. It’s like his whole life is one broad experiment in messing with people’s heads. I’ve interviewed him at least three times and I always feel like he’s cool and then suddenly he’s done with me. I’d like to know the exact moment I piss him off.

Jada and Snoop, the third time she met him!  ”The first time was the infamous pot smoking story, the second was at a hip-hop awards thing,” she said, “and this was at the Adidas store when he launched the Luke Skywalker sneaker.”

If you could be fiction or non-fiction, which would you be and why?

Non-fiction for sure. There are plenty of real places I have yet to visit, real people I have yet to meet, real experiences I have yet to have. Plus, if the Hunger Games Trilogy is any indication, the fictional future is way more of a bummer than the real one could possibly be.

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A FINE FRENZY LOVES HER DEEPAK MYMAG

Friday, August 27th, 2010

I’ve loved the band A Fine Frenzy for long time, but it wasn’t until last summer that I fell madly and deeply for the album, Bomb In a Birdcage.  The songs “Happier” and “Swan Song” have 58 and 23 iTunes plays respectively, keeping the band on my 25 Top Most Played.  All this leads me to why I am so excited that lead singer Alison Sudol sent us this picture today.

Watch her “Happier” video and go to the A Fine Frenzy website for tour info and more!

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CALIFORNIA IS A PLACE

Thursday, August 26th, 2010

I can’t remember how I came across the website, California is a Place, but I sure wish I knew so I could give credit – it was another website or blog, that I’m certain of! – where it’s due. Most of the MYMAG team works out of Los Angeles, although there are a few of us who are on the other side of this densely diverse country. Wherever you are, you know a little something about California; there’s the sunshine, the beaches, Hollywood… These videos reveal the underbelly of California, the darker and rather complex sides rarely portrayed in film.

The creators said this about their project:

“California is loaded. From Disneyland to farmland, we’ve got Scientology and superstars, Silicon and silicone, crips and bloods. The border. Krumpin’ Clownin’ Jerkin’. The surf and the turf. The boom and the bust. California is humanity run amuck, and then packaged, branded, and sold. California Cuisine, California Love, California Casual, California Gold, California Girls and, of course, California Dreams. If it exists in the world, it exists here, and it does so with pizzaz. Obviously, we love this stuff. That’s why we’re doing this project. Simply put, California is sensational. And the closer we look, the better it gets: words and images, stories and songs, opinions and ideas. This project is ongoing. We hope you like what you see and say so. We plan to post often. So until that day, when we finally float off into the Pacific, California is a place. Stay tuned.”

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GOOD’s Food Magazine Recommendations

Tuesday, August 24th, 2010

When Gourmet folded, foodies all over the planet shed a tear. But something wonderful has risen out of Gourmet‘s ashes – not just its resurrection! – and that is a bundle of beautiful titles that are starting to get some real attention. If you love slow food, meat food, veggie food, or plain ‘ol desserts, these magazines are mini-cookbooks for you. And if, like me, staring at beautiful food proves much easier than cooking it, there plenty to look at, too. Thanks to STACK, I just got my first Put An Egg On It, and I vote it #1… if only because it’s made out of lime green construction paper and has essays with titles like “Anti-Depressant Stew.”

Good for GOOD for rounding up these titles:

Original post:

Gourmet, the magazine that brought us Junot Díaz’s “He’ll Take El Alto,” David Foster Wallace’s “Consider the Lobster,” and Daniel Zwerdling’s “A View to Kill” has plans to resurface this fall. Gourmet Live, as it’s being called, will be different. On one hand, there’s no paper involved. On the other, Conde Nast says the site will be offering more content than most magazine apps.

While more and more magazines might be headed towards digital content innovations aimed capturing the massive amounts of food-centric user-generated content on the internet, there’s a bumper crop of smaller, lesser-known publications, many of them independently produced, that are dedicated to producing high-quality food writing on paper. And hopefully these magazines won’t be going away anytime soon.

From top left:

SwallowGastronomicaMeatpaperThe Art of EatingFire & KnivesThe Diner JournalSimple CookingCondiment

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DEEPAK CHOPRA PRESENTS HIS MYMAG!

Monday, August 23rd, 2010

Watch Deepak Chopra introduce his MYMAG, and  the never-before-published correspondences between George Harrison and himself, as well as material from Jackie Onassis and… did someone say Michael Jackson?

See for yourself!

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Five Questions: JP Williams, Graphic Designer and Archivist

Friday, August 20th, 2010

I was floored when I saw Sight Unseen‘s post on JP Williams.  His collection of twine has been recognized by Martha Stewart, he’s won more than 100 awards for his designs, and his Tribeca loft is worthy of its own World of Interiors spread.

What were the last five magazines you purchased, and which one / for what reason did you most enjoy reading?

MonocleWorld of Interiors, Eye, Apartmento, and the The New Yorker. I always enjoy World of Interiors, but I think I enjoy the intimate feel I get from Apartamento. Maybe it’s the format, paper, and photography that gives it such a personal vision. It’s not styled, at least by the Editors, but presents what I think is an honest representation of individual creativity.

By what writer do you feel interested in reading an essay about food?

I actually don’t read about food.  When The New Yorker has an article about food, I will usually read it without regard to the author. One blog I do read about food is gluttonforlife.com.  Always fresh, like the best food.

What person’s thoughts do you feel interested in knowing?

He died almost two years ago; David Foster Wallace.  Otherwise, I like to know what makes people happy, and how to channel positive energy when I don’t have any.

If you could be fiction or non-fiction, which would you be and why?

Non-fiction. What is interesting me is a real story. Whether it’s a book about salt or the evolution of why we’re here, to me, adds to better conversation and I love the esoteric.

How important, to you, is the cover of a magazine?  Have you ever purchased a magazine purely based on its cover?  Have you ever put down a magazine you were planning to buy because you were disappointed by the its cover?

I have purchased a magazine based on the cover.  It is the cover that urges me to pick up the magazine. If I have picked up the magazine because of the cover and I not familiar with it, I will look through it to see if it’s worth buying.

Take a look at JP’s blog, Amass.  About his blog, JP says:  ”I started this blog at the urging of my friends and fellow designers who were familiar with my manic collecting. My collections are varied but generally have to do with typography or design. I endeavor to find what’ special in the mundane and highlight what makes it so to me.”

To see more photographs, check out JP’s Sight Unseen profile.

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DEEPAK CHOPRA ON THE KATHLEEN SHOW!

Wednesday, August 18th, 2010

Do you guys ever watch / listen to The Kathleen Show?  She’s got a slew of fantastic guests on her show, including Deepak Chopra, who just created his own MYMAG!

Here’s a summary of his interview with Kathleen. To listen to the full-length interview, go to The Kathleen Show website.

Reinventing the Body, Resurrecting the Soul: How to Create a New You

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LINEFEED READING LIST GOES LIVE

Tuesday, August 17th, 2010

For all that we hear about the impending disappearance of magazines, there is ample evidence that people are more passionate than ever to keep the medium alive.  Linefeed is a wonderful website for all things creative – what other website digs up a copy of The Making of Kubrick’s 2001 and a behind-the-scenes video of Roman Coppola’s film, CQ?  One, of course, that’s dedicated to the beauty of well-crafted entertainment.

I look forward to Linefeed’s Reading Lists, narrated and visual rundowns of the latest and greatest print publications.  Thankfully for us, their latest List went live last week.

From Linefeed:

It’s been an age but the Linefeed Reading List is back and there’s a bit of catching up to do. This first (well sort of second) edition for 2010 features Little Joe [littlejoemagazine.com] / Arc [rcamagazine.co.uk] / Fire & Knives [fireandknives.com] / Put an egg on it [putaeggonit.com] / Ideas Illustrated [ycnonline.com] / Sup [supmag.com] / Article [articlemagazine.co.uk] / Gym Class Magazine [gymclassmagazine.com] / Fun [greatenjoyment.com] / Pin-Up [pinupmagazine.org] / Map [davidgarciastudiomap.blogspot.com].

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