nine to five

I don't know if it's a conflict of interest to ramble on about the particulars about what is I'm doing to advance myself career-wise in this city, but I guess I can say I intern for a company in which fashion and public relations are cozy bed partners. I'm learning a ton about about how both industries operate, but more importantly it leads me down the strangest paths sometimes. Somehow I found myself in Mario Sorrenti's photo studio this morning picking up a package. Which Mario Sorrenti, you say?

Kate Moss and Mario Sorrenti
photographed by Mario Sorrenti
Purple, Fall/Winter 08/09
Yes, it would be that Mario Sorrenti. Unfortunately, I did not see Mr. Sorrenti or Ms. Moss, but I did manage to get an eyeful. I could swear up and down I saw Malgosia Bela in repose in front of the makeup mirror. You know I feel about Malgosia. I was only there for a brief spell, so I couldn't glean much in terms what they were shooting for, but I did manage to catch a glimpse at the racks of Spring/Summer 09 pieces that instantly come alive in person. The murderous Prada heels? They were there. The furry Chanel heels? Yeah, those too. The Rodarte leather tights? Uh, huh. The Yves Saint Laurent cage coat? That was the last thing I was able to see before I felt the collective photo and fashion assistant's eyes escort me to the door. If only they knew my gawking was pure admiration. Oh well, maybe next time.

man at work

New York Rangers left wing Sean Avery
photographed at the Men's Vogue closet
I didn't know interns were allowed to work topless at Men's Vogue.

for melis

These bitches interned at Teen Vogue and they can't even pronounce GHEE-VON-SHEE? Lisa Love and Riccardo Tisci would not be pleased.

new order

It wouldn't be the New Year without a few resolutions. I'm not worried about quitting a vice or changing my appearance, but instead this will be the year I owe it to myself to fulfill my young adult hopes and dreams. Well, maybe not all of them, but here are a few that can get me started:

Drink more water.
Become a better writer.
Watch Krzysztof Kieślowski's "Decalogue" series.
Get into grad school, find a new job, or move to a different city.
Learn how to change a tire.
Learn more about wine.
Watch HBO's "The Wire."
Make more money.
Save more money.
Ease up on the gossiping.
Develop a trademark dish.
Read more.
Travel more.
Love more.

it's britney, bitch.

Britney Spears, "Gimme More"

Who would have thought the bubblegum pin-up of the late 90s would have evolved into a cultural whipping post for all things wrong and evil in the world? Britney Spears managed to shock and entice us with her Lolita brand of pop sexuality, but now with two kids, twice divorced and her cooter available to all via the easiest Google image search, where does she stand amongst the new female titans of pop (Fergie, Gwen, Nelly, Beyonce)? Her contemporaries morphed into would be movie stars (sorry Mandy), sexpots not quite in on the joke (yes, that would be you Jessica), and wait--relevant, multi-platinum selling, genre-defying superstars (thank you, X-Tina), therefore this would seem somewhat of an opportune time to jump back into the game and prove to the world that you were once the leader of the pack. Granted, her sound is not entirely discernible (breathy come ons and slick production?), but throughout her career she has contributed some of the most perfectly odd-sounding and catchy pop/dance music, namely "Slave 4 U" and "Toxic." Unfortunately, with her current fall from pop grace (the shaved head, the crotch flashing, the K-Fed, the baby bottles filled with Coca-Cola) it's so much more difficult to not be distracted by her wild public life when she do desperately wants to turn attention to her "craft." Word of a comeback album has been in the works for a while and if there is anyone who could resurrect her career it is super producer Nate "Danjahandz" Hills, who co-producer such pop gems as "Promiscuous" and "My Love." This song could have easily been produced for any r&b honey or pop princess but that trademark Spears come-hither pulse in her voice is there and makes this song not entirely forgettable or regrettable, on her part. It's catchy and will probably be a hit on the radio, and in a way reminds us of a Britney from days gone by. This isn't retread but she is in no way pushing popular music forward at any stretch of the imagination. My suggestion to Ms. Spears is although she seems to have found the right sound to woo our hunger for decent pop music, it's the public's interest, or disinterest at this point, that she will have to woo over. The veil of mystery has been lifted a little bit on Ms. Spears as of late, so here's hoping she has a few secrets left in her and her life of meltdowns, rehab, and bad wigs are things of the past.

the girl just can't help it

And just when we thought she was ready to get her career back on track, TMZ informs us that Lindsay Lohan is still a fan of the sauce and nose candy. At this point you have wonder if she's even interested in maintaining a film career. It makes it difficult to sit through a Lindsay Lohan film without trying to look for white residue around her nostrils or wonder if she'd just woken up from a night of too many vodka and Red Bulls and Calum Best. I guess time will only tell, but for a brief moment I was certain that Miss Lohan was going to take us places we'd never been before. She starred in of the smartest comedies in recent years and managed to be under the tutelage of Robert Altman before his untimely death. She's worked with Meryl Streep, Jane Fonda, and Tina Fey, all women who can serve as models to the impressionable Miss Lohan and show her perhaps it's not all about late night clubbing with Charlotte Ronson or fittings with Karl, but instead more important to carve out a bold, varied, and dynamic career that can achieve a sense of vitality and relevance. She might be especially careful in the dog eat dog world of young Hollywood and the dearth of challenging and complex roles for younger actress. Jessica Biel, Jessica Alba, and any other mildly attractive ingenue desperate for any high profile gig that bore their leading contemporaries Scarlett Johansson and Natalie Portman are constantly chomping at the bit and come across as less scandalous and less of a liability. DUI's, arrests, rehab may be her forte, but losing your career at 21 might be her greatest fall that she will struggle to come back from.

For further articulation on the tragic La Lohan click here.