When Nina Paley’s husband moves to India, then dumps her by email, she found in an ancient Indian epic Ramayana a strong parallel to her story. And since she is an artist and animator with a laugh-out loud sense of humour, her film Sita Sings the Blues retells a modern story -with a feminist twist- of goddess Sita’s separation from her beloved Lord and husband Rama.
Visual stunning, Singa Sings the Blues manages to be fun & subversive for children & adults. While the movie got rave reviews and countless prizes from International Festivals, you are unlikely to see it in theaters because of a Copyright requirement from a big-brother type corporation. She has also become a strong defender of the Freedom of Art in this article on how copyright suppresses art.
The movie is a must see, not only because Nina Paley realized it entirely on her home computer, but also because You can find it on Youtube but if you have a chance, catch it on a big screen at the Symphony Space in NY with a Q&A with the director following each screening (February 7th & 14th).
Now if the Gods can’t stay married, it is not short of a miracle that humans still try to tackle such a challenge…
Berlin International Film Festival: Crystal Bear
Denver International Film Festival: Emerging Filmmaker Award
San Francisco Film Critics Circle: Special Citation
“Critics Pick! A Tour de Force! Dazzling! Affecting, surprising and a lot of fun.” – AO Scott, New York Times
“Four Stars! Universal and Completely Unique!” – David Fear, Time Out New York
“I am enchanted. I am swept away. I am smiling from one end of the film to the other. It brings together four entirely separate elements and combines them into a great whimsical chord. A miracle!” – Roger Ebert
Forget about the destination , it’s all about the journey… So they say in most spiritual self-help books. So unless you have a private jet, here is a link to companies that do not have overzealous flight attendants on board:
In the meantine, get your Darling a keychain as a token for the next time you fly. It will look really cool next to your Ferrari keychain.
Actually in 2005, a few Australian guys came up with a very special kind of airline: Lynx Jet. The company targeted to young men made the following advertisement but the project didn’t get off the ground (no pun intended). Apparently, it went way beyond the limits of ethical standards for airline stewards. I wonder if i was the pillow fight or the hot tub that did it?
Agent Provocateur is famous for it’s provocative lingerie and I love them for that. Actually I once tried a bra on next to Serena Williams, except that she was trying on the whole store! But what I really love is a good sense of humour and they sure deliver it with this Oh so gentle reminder that men NOT forget Valentine’s day.
Enough said – you need to watch this one until the end… Warning… if you are doing this at work, make sure you have your finger on your mouse to minimize the screen in a blink – you know who you are!
If you want more of sexy videos with a strong punch line, you might like this previous post!
The folks who brought you last December Holiday Season’s most exciting pop up shop have joined forces once again, with a delightful and well-curated cast of vendors, all hell bent on making your Valentine’s Day shopping experience as effortless and painless as possible.
@
BING BANG HQ
153 Lafayette Street, #4
We’ve rounded up a few of the usual suspects…
Anne Apparu (of Chop Shop and The 18th Restaurant fame) will have a host of delectable chocolates and truffles on hand for your loved ones sweeter tooths and all at prices that might have you running back for seconds or even thirds;
Lindsey Thornburg (of Crazy Awesome Cloak fame) will be selling cloaks from seasons only recently past at 30% off the retail, as well as 20% off her gorgeous new line of dresses;
the one and only Anna Sheffield (of Bing Bang fame) will be on hand, offering customized charm bracelets and a sneak peak at her stunning new Spring collection.
We’re also very pleased to announce a couple new comers to the mix: Amber McMillan, of Post Editions, a boutique letter press company based in Brooklyn, is producing a whole series of totally unique and absolutely one-of-a-kind cards and stationary for your boo;
and we’re hard-pressed to think of a better way to say “I love you,” than with a pair of cashmere briefs from the extremely talented knit wear designer Suzi Johnson’s Souchi collection.
The folks who brought you last December Holiday Season’s most exciting pop up shop have joined forces once again, with a delightful and well-curated cast of vendors, all hell bent on making your Valentine’s Day shopping experience as effortless and painless as possible.
@
BING BANG HQ
153 Lafayette Street, #4
We’ve rounded up a few of the usual suspects…
Anne Apparu (of Chop Shop and The 18th Restaurant fame) will have a host of delectable chocolates and truffles on hand for your loved ones sweeter tooths and all at prices that might have you running back for seconds or even thirds;
Lindsey Thornburg (of Crazy Awesome Cloak fame) will be selling cloaks from seasons only recently past at 30% off the retail, as well as 20% off her gorgeous new line of dresses;
the one and only Anna Sheffield (of Bing Bang fame) will be on hand, offering customized charm bracelets and a sneak peak at her stunning new Spring collection.
We’re also very pleased to announce a couple new comers to the mix: Amber McMillan, of Post Editions, a boutique letter press company based in Brooklyn, is producing a whole series of totally unique and absolutely one-of-a-kind cards and stationary for your boo;
and we’re hard-pressed to think of a better way to say “I love you,” than with a pair of cashmere briefs from the extremely talented knit wear designer Suzi Johnson’s Souchi collection.
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It all kicks off with an OPENING NIGHT PARTY on Thursday, February 4th, from 5-8PM. We’ll have delicious cocktails and hot cider or tea and even straight up whiskey if that’s what you’re into. Then we’ll settle into the weekend with hours on Friday from 3-8PM and 1-8PM on both Saturday and Sunday.
I bought this book in France a while ago and just stumbled the other day on it’s English version. A must read, Dangerous Women is an amazing collection of love stories featuring sixty powerful seductive women. But I must warn you that not all stories have happy endings!
From Biblical times to the present day, featuring mythical and real heroines, the book covers all the different faces of Love. The mysteries of desir, the magical powers of seduction and the forces behind their abilities to defy the laws of attraction.
Calypso managed to charm and keep for 7 years Ulysse to herself despite the adoration he had for his wife Penelope.
Omphale managed to make a slave out of the strong hero Hercules.
Ono no Komachi, the great Japanese poet received more love letters than the number of rain drops.
And so on… Jealousy, courage, treason, death and temptation. The Femmes Fatales decribed by Laure Adler, Journalist, Writer and Art Historian and illustrated with the help of Elisa Lecosse by works of da Vinci, Picasso, Dali and Tracey Emin will surely remind you of how powerful and dangerous Women in Love can be.
Even if parents today might be playing in a remake of War of the Roses, the blog My Parents were Awesome is a great reminder that Once upon a time… they were in love!
It gave me a warm and fuzzy feeling of love to see all these pictures of couples in blissful “just about you & me” moments. Looking at each other in the eyes like nothing else matters and that they can’t leave each others’ side even for a minute. I have to get my hands on one of my parents and post and yes they were (and still are!) awesome…
Sometimes I wish there could be Museum which would only expose one painting at a time. It would force the eyes and the mind to enter the scene, to imagine the story, to dwell and go beyond.
Perhaps because today, we swim in overexposure and uberexplanation and then video reality it all. Anyway!
I got lost in this scene and a while later, I could feel the crisp of sheets, the warm air of Paris, the exhaustion…
Their story is about love and lust, desire and conquest, money and status of course. Ultimately it is about life or death.
Henri Gervex and the whirlwind of emotions he painted in Rolla.
