Bloggin ain't easy...so let's party!

Feel my title? Here are some of the things that I may visit tonight:

Free Asian Cuisine
6PM
The Cellar Kitchen @ Macy's Herald Square
151 West 34th Street

Media Mixer
7PM-9PM
Stout
133 West 33rd Street
Cellar West
RSVP - 212.500.0606

Fanny Bostrom's, Picnic
7PM-9PM
Studio - 31 Grand
143 Ludlow Street, between Rivington and Stanton, 212-228-0901

House of Campari
7:30PM-10PM
54 Crosby St.

DEEP INSIDE @ 205 Club w Johnny Cocco
205 Chrystie St., @ Stanton St., Free with RSVP to
De La Sangre is proud to present resident Dj Johnny Cocco who will
take you on a journey of House Music .
DeLaSangreList@gmail.com

PLANET music issue release party
9:30PM to 12AM
Hotel on Rivington
105 Rivington
RSVP_NYC@planet-mag.com

Enjoy.

Complex Mag/Worship Worthy/Missbehave Mag

Subtitle: Movin' Across Space and Time

Simplicity was not part of the equation Thursday night: I checked out three (and a half--more on that later in the post) parties. Event 1 - Complex Magazine threw this party for Courvoisier & LRG, and it was at some art gallery. And yeah, Just Blaze came through and did his thing on the turntables. Definitely had me reminisce to back when he first came out with "Roc the Mic"

Event: Courvoisier & LRG Party
Venue: Reed Space
Address: 151 Orchard
Start: 8PM
End: 11PM
Date:5/15/08

Next event was this party for Sweet Tater, a little clothing boutique in Nolita. They had a video going with shots of their product interspliced with vintage pictures from what looked like the 70s. It was like watching a classed-up version of Saturday Night Fever, but without the dancing.

*Digression* The soundtrack to Saturday Night Fever is great, by the way. You should listen to it just for "A Fifth of Beethoven" (which Robin Thicke sampled when he first came out). For something in that style, but more thoughtful and less commercial, I recommend Marvin Gaye's I Want You album.*End of digression*


Event: Sweet Tater’s 4th Year Anniverary
Venue: Manhatta
Address: 310 Bowery
Start: 9PM
End: 4AM
Date:5/15/08

I then went up a block to this Oakazine party. The place was at capacity, and a lot of the people from the party were conversatin' outside the spot, so I just had a quick conversation and jetted. Hence my half of a party. More like a quarter.


Event: Oakazine Issue 02
Venue: Bowery Electric
Address: 327 Bowery
Start: 9PM
End: 2AM
Date:5/15/08

The night ended with the Missbehave Magazine party, which was great because it wasn't too crowded, had people dressed as kaiju (think the video for Intergalactic), AND had free week passes to Crunch! I even got into a dance battle with one of the kaiju. He won that battle, but I'm confident that the outcome will be different next time I match moves with a monster from another galaxy!

This guy busted out some monster moves. Surprised?

Event: Missbehave Magazine & Crunch Party
Venue: BLVD
Address: 199 Bowery
Start: 9PM
End: 4AM
Date:5/15/08

Movie Review: Redbelt

Subtitle: Speaking of Japan...

Alright, so we know that Kanye loves Nippon like what, but what about other dudes? Seriously, it's a fact that White people love Japanese culture (Cauc-asian is Latin for "Love-Asian"), but Kanye and Pharrell (just watch this video -- dude rhymes in Japanese)? And don't forget Forest Whitaker in "Ghost Dog," a classic flick. Which leads me to my current review of Redbelt



Mike Terry (Chiwetel Ejiofor) is a (Black) Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu instructor who, though well-reputed in the fighting community, is as broke (did I mention that he's Black?). He refuses to fight for money and chooses to stick to running his academy, where he emphasizes the importance of jiu-jitsu as a survival method, not a means of income. Because of a series of circumstances, he encounters a movie star (Tim Allen) who traps him in a con, where he is obligated to fight in a tournament match.

With that setup, this film could easily have been Bloodsport 8, but it was more artful than your typical kung fu/martial arts flick (spoilers below). Now's timely for a movie that plays on the rise of mixed martial arts, but Redbelt wasn't just about the (awesome) fighting; it was about purity and honor.

This movie's great in that it doesn't stress plot continuity over its overarching themes (purity vs. corruption, truth vs. deception, etc.) Truth be told, I wish that I didn't see the trailer, because it had me hyped about the part where Ejiofor's stuntman does some Flash Kick (or Homer Simpson) maneuver straight out of Street Fighter and I waited for 90 minutes until it actually happened. But it was still a great experience.

Rating: 4/5 stars (****)

*****Spoilers*****
The ending of the movie where the grandmaster gives Ejiofor the red belt really reminded me of the ending of On the Waterfront, where the owner of the shipping company comes out of nowhere to break up mob involvement. In each case, it's like something that's much greater than you is entering your life. Not a "deus ex machina," but something better.
***Spoilers done**

Casio/Remy Martin/Stoli Events...

Subtitle: Be Smart - Don't Let Time Fly in Your Face

So me and my boy go to try to break into this Casio/Kanye/Spike Lee gig (Yes, I said, break in...we're not press! Are you kidding me?!) and get denied.

And not to digress, but doesn't Kanye have a love affair with Japan? He's down with Murakami like anything, invokes Akira in his video, and then designs a watch with Casio?!? And he shouts out BAPE in his music! He GLADLY will be promoting soap on Japanese TV in the future, hopefully a future far, far away.

If you were one of the privileged few, hit me up and let me know how it was.






Event: Casio G-Shock 25th Anniversary
Venue: Guastavino's
Address: 409 E 59th St
Start: 6PM
End: ?




Next stop was this party my boy's girlfriend was throwing for various reasons (startin her own biz, berfday, congregatin..)...it may not have had a giant ice sculpture there, but decor, people, hors d'oeuvres all received my approval.





Event: Face PR Launch/Anu's Birthday Party
Venue: Guest House
Address: 542 W 27th St
Start: 7PM
End: 10PM





And then I jetted, called it a night, but my people told me about that Stoli Hotel e'ryone's talkin' bout. Last night WIRED Magazine and Cut & Paste did their thing.


Event: WIRED Magazine/Cut & Paste @ Stoli Hotel
Address: 330 West Street
Start: 9PM
End: 12AM

And in this corner...

I'm a man with no voice...I screamed it out the night before. Never on the list when I should be. Doesn't matter. I'm infraggible - I get in anyway.

"My serve is 135 miles-an-hour! My forehand is 145 miles-an-hour!"
- Random Ghanaian Tennis King