November 30, 2008 BY MARY HOULIHAN mhoulihan@suntimes.com

NEW ORLEANS — Walking through New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward is like taking a walk in the country. Blocks once filled with houses and businesses are now vast, desolate fields of tall grass dotted by the occasional pile of debris or cement steps leading nowhere. But through Jan. 18 something new has been added to the mix: art. The Lower Ninth is one of several sites for Prospect.1 New Orleans, the largest contemporary art biennial ever held in the U.S., featuring the work of 81 artists from around the world.

…Read Here…>

Rich history of New Orleans comes alive through a reader’s sweet memories.

By Cindy Vandersluis

Special to The Seattle Times

In 1969, my family traveled to New Orleans. I was 10 years old, and, although we had already taken our fair share of driving vacations from our home base in the Chicago suburbs, I had never seen a place like this. From the majestic antebellum homes, to the intricate wrought-iron railings and cobblestone streets of the French Quarter, its charm captured my imagination.

At the time, my father was general manager for a broadcast company headquartered in New Orleans and run by two brilliant brothers. Originally from the East Coast, the Starrs were close friends with many journalists of the time, such as William F. Buckley. My parents were always voracious readers, enthusiastic and curious, and took me on trips that fed my intellectual hunger. But in a place like New Orleans, the history, romance and unique sense of excess required no explanation, even for a 10-year-old girl.

…Read Here…>

Defend New Orleans

By Kelley Pettus

I’m sure that many of you have seen t-shirts around town with the slogan “Defend New Orleans” alongside the brand’s signature design.  The design itself is hard to miss. If you aren’t sure what I’m talking about, hit up a few stores on Magazine Street or Google the brand – obviously you haven’t been out of the house in a while. Promoted by Ellen DeGeneres, the brand has a cult-like following in New Orleans. But what is this mysterious brand all about?

Defend New Orleans was created in 2003, long before Katrina, by Jac Currie and his friend Paul Cianciulli. Inspired by similar shirts in Boston and Brooklyn, the duo thought that New Orleans needed an image to promote and showcase local pride. After tossing around ideas, they had created an image that they thought best represented such a unique city: a skull rocking a mohawk, inspired by pirates including Jean Lafitte; a fleur-de-lis, compliments of the Saints; and a musket.

Jac Currie, the twenty-seven year old owner of the brand, says, “I really think it does sum up the New Orleans thing really well. It’s really mysterious, and the mystery itself is so individualistic…. And it’s so open to interpretation – like everyone will see Defend New Orleans and take away different meanings from that. People seeing it for the first time who are interested in it will want to know what it means.”

Post-Katrina, the brand boomed. People began to connect with the brand on a different level, and Currie attributes this success to the timing: “Before now, I’m sure a lot of people would have been like ‘Defend New Orleans? What do you mean?’” The purpose of the brand evolved into preserving the city, not just expressing local pride.

With so many people now devoted to restoring the city, the brand’s slogan rings true. Currie stresses, however, that the slogan was never meant to be taken literally but rather was a general statement regarding the city. Though vague, the brand certainly has an appeal, especially to the youth of New Orleans. Since Katrina, local pride is much more predominant. A sort of “I Heart NY” shirt, it has united the community.

However, Defend New Orleans is not just a t-shirt brand. Although it is not classified as a non-profit organization, Currie donates as much of the proceeds as he can to charities such as Save Our Coast, Renew Our Music, and Sweet Home New Orleans. Since Paul Cianciulli moved to San Francisco, Currie has been on his own promoting and managing the brand. He wants to be able to give back to the city, both spiritually and monetarily, but paying an artist to design the shirt would leave little room for Currie to do so. In addition, the company is not Currie’s only responsibility. He also runs the bar the Saint, located in the Lower Garden District. Though he is busy, Currie says of the brand, “I’m really married to it, and I have to keep it going.”

However, the people are not the only influences on his awareness of the city. In addition, he blogs with his cousin and creator of DNOvideo.com, Drew Stubbs. Currie explains, “I’m making this blog and probably reading more news stories than I would normally… I’ve made it a point to pay attention to stuff that I probably wouldn’t have the first time.” In addition, he still enjoys seeing people wearing the brand: “I can kind of figure out what they’re saying with it or how they got into it.”

Not all reactions to the brand have been positive, though. Currie has seen his stickers, which he leaves at stores and bars for customers, paired with controversial and racist stickers. Currie says, “I’ve never disagreed with anyone’s criticism of it… I kind of understand that resentment and anger. I would probably say the same thing about this. And it does look so crazy – it kind of looks like some sort of right-wing militia with the white skull and the mohawk. I could understand people thinking it’s some sort of white supremacist thing… [but] being anti-racist is part of Defend New Orleans.”

The brand was created as an innocent statement of local pride. While the vagueness is part of what makes the brand so appealing, Currie recognizes that he needs to promote a stronger mission statement. He sees the lack of press as the brand’s biggest issue, and certainly wants to pursue that aspect in improving Defend New Orleans.

Above all, Currie wants to stress the message of the brand. He says, “I feel like every time I talk about it I sound like some wishy-washy hippie or something so I’d like to somehow emphasize that it’s totally coming from a pure place, that defending new Orleans really is all about loving New Orleans culture and the loving the city and being proud of it and being happy with being here – even all the potholes and all the little inane details that make life here so different.”

Please visit:

DNOVideo.com

Myspace.com/defend_new_orleans

DefendNewOrleans.com

From Gallery to Gamespace: The Site Specific Work of Chris Saucedo

[Christopher Saucedo, untitled, installation at Good Children]

A sculptor with a sense of humor (”postmodernist fun,” some have said), Chris Saucedo creates site-specific work that transforms galleries into gameboards and back again. In the above image, a small scale-model of the New Orleans art gallery, Good Children, has been built in the form of one of those get-the-ball-through-the-hole games. Installed next to the model is a scaled depiction of the game’s “ball.” Thus, space becomes an unplayable, implied version of the carefully crafted “game” where visitors actually occupy the board. Saucedo’s installations repurpose and reprogram architecture without actually building anything or changing the space. After the jump, some better images of his labyrinth-like installation at Barristers. Continue Reading »

Dr. Cocktail & Mr. Haigh: An Introduction

As the bio briefly stipulates, when Mr. Haigh slips the surly bonds of the workaday world, he transforms into Dr. Cocktail, a sort of super hero whose secret powers include Dewey Decimal System mastery, old bookstore/antique shop/flea market/yard sale/auction/liquor store/bar search prowess, bookworm magnifying glass wielding, and a muscular liver. He (meaning I) first revealed this heroic persona as the cocktails & spirits maven for America Online and later as co-proprietor of CocktailDB.com, The Internet Cocktail Database, a comprehensive online encyclopedia of mixed drink recipes, reference work, barware, and ingredients; catalogued, defined, and depicted.

To date, not that I’m counting, but fourteen books either quote me or reference me by name. These are grand books and their authors are all geniuses. Magazine, web, and newspaper articles have done likewise. Pulitzers are in store for those scribes. Links to them (at least the ones I’ve been able to find) are below this clever introduction.

If, as it happens, you would like to engage Dr.Cocktail for consultation, seminars, interviews, events, or to write an erudite article for you, click here for contact data and a broadside replete with more concise info.

I got a particularly nice spread, authored by John Kellogg Hodgman in the New York Times Magazine on October 17th. You must pay the Times to view the article, but I have scanned the print edition as a pdf you may download. I have been interviewed by the National Public Radio newsmagazine, Day to Day, and that interview fittingly aired on New Year’s Eve, 2004. You can listen to it here. Most recently, Modern Drunkard Magazine published a marathon interview with me. Besides the website, they even have a print edition you can subscribe to — and having a copy of Modern Drunkard Magazine on your coffee table is a definite lifestyle choice.

Get to Know: Hyden Yoo

The Fearless Fashion Designer Mixes His Prep with Some Punk

(Photo: David Rosenzweig) By Cory Ohlendorf of Valet. Published on November 13, 2008

Up and coming designer Hyden Yoo has made a name for himself with his tailored, short-hemmed button-downs, but in some circles he’s already famous. Or perhaps notorious. After winning fifty grand on the third season of NBC’s Fear Factor, the Houston native came home, quit his corporate nine-to-five and moved to New York to pursue fashion. This fall he expanded to a full line, taking classic pieces and injecting them with a shot of cool. The label has already started selling out in stores and his Spring 2009 collection was the stand out at the Gen Art show this past September. We caught up with Yoo as he sketched out designs for next fall.

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Hyden’s range from John F. Kennedy Jr. (“He was really stylish, minus some of the outdoor gear) to Kate Moss (Cliché, I know, but I wish there was a male version with her style, taste and attitude).

So, you got your seed money from Fear Factor. Are you trying to shake your reality TV past?

I’m kinda neutral. Now, it seems so long ago that this happened. But I definitely can’t hate on it because it did give me some money to start my business. I don’t mind being known as the toughest designer out there.

How did you decide to try out?
I was actually watching Fear Factor with some friends and afterwards, we were talking shit about how we’d win if we got on. I always thought an athletic Asian would be the best competitor since we’re known to eat a lot of weird cuisine. So I filled out a long application and made a silly video.

And how’d that parlay into fashion?
I’ve always liked clothes, but it wasn’t until I started hating my corporate job that I began to explore and research fashion. When the right time came, I picked up my stuff and left for New York to be fully entrenched and fully committed to the industry.

And the first collection was primarily button-down woven shirts?
Yeah. Looking back at the first set of shirts I made, I can’t believe I’ve made it this far. They weren’t bad, but they weren’t good, either. Thank God I have a bunch of supportive friends that bought some of those shirts to show their love. Let’s just say that the shirts have dramatically improved since then.

You’ve been at this for a few years now. What’s been the most important lesson the business has taught you?
Never give up. There are so many ups and downs, but you have to stick with it. It takes a while to get the wheel turning, but once it does, the momentum takes you along for the ride. It’s just getting that damn wheel to start turning.

Fit seems to be key with your line.
I believe fit’s the most important thing a guy should keep in mind when buying clothes. Even a really boring shirt or suit can look really nice if the fit is right.

I don’t mind being known as the toughest designer out there.

Tell me about the fall collection.
The fall collection is my first stab at a full collection, and luckily, it’s been really well received. Since it was like a coming out party, I had to show what the brand was all about. Brooklyn hipster meets Wall Street banker is the easiest way to describe it—classic pieces with a slim fit and subtle details to add a little edge.

And for spring?
It has the same character as the fall collection, but I injected a bit of tennis into the mix. You see it in the sweaters, blazers and the short shorts. And it’s a little more laid back and casual than what I’m used to designing.

When you’re not sporting your own stuff, what might we see you wearing?
Jeans and a t-shirt and maybe a baseball cap.

Really?
Creative, right? Well, I’m kinda lazy when it comes to dressing myself.

Looks from Hyden Yoo’s Fall/Winter 2008 collection.  

Hyden Yoo is available at Oak in New York, Douglas Fir in Los Angeles, Rolo in San Francisco, Bows & Arrows in Austin and Blackbird in Seattle.

FROM VALET

We’ve also found some of his coats at United Apparel Liquidators (UAL)—518 Chartres St, New Orleans

By ADAM NOSSITER

Published: November 25, 2008

NEW ORLEANS — Local and federal officials on Tuesday announced plans for a 70-acre medical campus in the heart of New Orleans to replace two hospitals damaged during Hurricane Katrina, a $2 billion investment that supporters say will create thousands of jobs and begin to rebuild the city’s shattered health care system.

Skip to next paragraph Enlarge This Image Lee Celano for The New York Times

Janet Treaudo and others protested plans to build a veterans hospital instead of reopening Charity Hospital, a lifeline for the poor.

Multimedia

Map

Building in a Historic District

Enlarge This Image Lee Celano for The New York Times

Wallace Thurman, who lives on Palmyra Street, said, “I was born in my house, and I’m going to lose it to put up a hospital?”

One of the hospitals, to be built by Louisiana State University, would replace the city’s landmark Charity Hospital, a lifeline for generations of the city’s poor, which has been vacant since the storm damaged its lower floors. The other would replace the vacant Department of Veterans Affairs hospital, also severely damaged by the flooding. The old hospitals and adjacent buildings will be abandoned under the plan, which officials here described as the foundation for a new economy for New Orleans, and the largest investment in the area since Katrina.

But the plan, brewing for months, has drawn strong criticism from preservationists and neighborhood activists because it will lead to the destruction of dozens of old houses and buildings in the Mid-City National Register Historic District. They had urged the Veterans Affairs Department and the state to consider alternative locations….

FROM NYTIMES

Lorrie Lynch writes 
USA WEEKEND’s popular Who’s News celebrity column every week. In her Who’s News blog, Lorrie writes about celebrity news of the day, the stars she talks to, and how she and her team get the job done.

November 13, 2008

Kristen Stewart, Nikki Reed talk ‘Twilight’

It’s only one day until our excitingTwilight issue of USA WEEKEND, and we have something very special for our readers: an exclusive chat with two of the movie’s stars, Kristen Stewart andNikki Reed. Our Brian Truitt caught up with the two friends at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Washington, D.C., this morning, just a few hours before Stewart was headed down to Northern Virginia to sign autographs at a Hot Topic store in Fairfax. The Twilight Tour has been utter insanity so far: In San Francisco, so many fans showed up to get a chance to meet Stewart’s on-screen paramour, Robert Pattinson — who plays the vampiric suitor Edward in the movie — that there was a near-riot. And at 3 a.m. this morning, 2,000 fans were at Fairfax’s Fair Oaks Mall trying to be one of the lucky 500 to get a wristband and opportunity to meet Stewart. Ah, the wonders of being involved in a project beloved by bajillions of teenage girls. Click read more below for the first part of Brian’s interview with the actresses (stay tuned for part two tomorrow) and remember to check here to find out where you can find yourTwilight issue of USA WEEKEND starting tomorrow!

Photos by Deana Newcomb

It almost seems like a day in the life of Bella and Edward in Forks, Wash., with all the cold and the rain. Yet it’s nothing new for Stewart — who plays Bella in the movie adaptation of Stephenie Meyer’s mega-popular book, in theaters Nov. 21 — or Reed (who co-stars as the gorgeous vampire Rosalie), as they spent five drenching months shooting Twilight in Portland, Ore. “It’s very oppressive,” says Stewart, sporting tousled hair, jeans and a “Defend New Orleans” T-shirt (she just finished shooting a movie there). “It’s like a blanket. You can’t see the sky and it’s always rainy and always dark and you’re stuck in a place, it adds to the seclusion. The weather’s kind of a character in the movie.” Reed, clad in a Diet Coca-Cola shirt, agrees. “I was questioning my sanity by the end of it, honestly. Lack of vitamin D, that’s not good.”

Kristen, you do realize that 2,000 people lined up at a mall this morning in the rainy cold just to get a chance to meet you.
Kristen: Oh my God.
Nikki: That’s why Kristen and I truly have developed the buddy system. It really is important in this kind of situation with this kind of film. It’s really overwhelming for everybody, especially for her and Rob and Taylor Lautner. Actually, any of the boys and Kristen. It’s really overwhelming to hear the screams of these girls. We try to do things together and it’s nice to lift a little bit of that and put it on somebody else.

HERE