Tag Archives: Jay Z

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Breaking Down Lana Del Rey’s ‘Tropico’ Through 20 Stills of Shaun Ross

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Lana Del Rey premiered her garden of eden-inspired mega-music video/short film Tropico yesterday channeling The Tree of Life, 1960’s Elvis glamour, Allen Ginsberg, a lot of not-so-subtle Christian guilt, and a surprisingly romantic set of Californian latin street kings. Set to the tune of three LDR tracks (“Body Electric,” “Gods and Monsters,” and “Bel Air”), even better the Anthony Mandler (of Jay-Z, M.I.A., Beyonce, etc fame) directed video co-stars male model/dancer/actor/beautiful being extrordinare Shaun Ross—known to most as being the first male albino mode—as Del Rey’s time-shifting, Bonnie and Clyde lover. In case you don’t have a full half hour to dedicate to watch Ross sultrily dance around those plump lips, we broke down our favorite moments below:

Tropico starts in what appears to be Lisa Frank’s real-time version of Adam and Eve.

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Meaning there are a lot of blended colors and a lot of fluffy animals.

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Del Rey and Ross lose themselves in “Body Electric.”

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Ross takes her down.

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But then Del Rey is like, “no, me on top.”

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Following LDR’s breach of heavenly trust (she eats the apple from the tree — women! right?), Ross follows suit because of, like, love.

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Flash forward to late 2000’s Pasadena, California in which Ross is now kind of a gangster.

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Lana Del Chola.

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Yay they’re still in love in this time period too!

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But it seems Ross has gotten himself mixed up with some dangerous friends!

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But hey at least they still have each other, right?

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Uh-oh, Ross and those friends of his end up robbing a group of wealthy business men!

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So now they’re rich, and finally able to do rich-people-things like shoot guns openly into the sky. Luxury!

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Later (?), Ross and Del Rey are like “lets lose these losers, they’re just bringing us down” and drive off into the sunset.

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In said sunset, they change into white clothes and romantically dance in a field.

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Spoiler: but then the dancing abruptly ends because they get abducted by aliens???

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Images courtesy of Universal Music Group.

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Cameron Diaz’s First Five Days on Twitter

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Cameron Diaz (of The Mask fame, of There’s Something About Mary fame, of The Sweetest Thing fame, one third of the revamped Charlie’s Angels, and just a general sexpot/Hollywood obsession) joined Twitter last Friday (11/09/2013).

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“Liver and lover of life; professional laugher, eater, make-believer.”

Big deal? Yes and no. No for the obvious reasons: Twitter is demoralizing. But yes, yes a little bit when any star of her caché decides to join social media (See: Sarah Michelle Gellar‘s recent entry into the Twitter-sphere). Cameron Diaz, seemingly out of nowhere, crash landed on planet Twits at 1:38PM EST announcing:

It didn’t take her long to see the light:

Having a little fun with Internet wordplay, eh?:

Monday:

Yesterday, things got real:

Click here to follow Cameron D or click here to not. Even better, click here to follow us.

Images courtesy of Columbia Pictures Bad Teacher.

Denim For the People

Twenty Jeans, Denim for the People

Denim For the People

The first thing that you talk about when you call the duo behind the Los Angeles-based denim start-up, Twenty Jeans, on the phone is how you are dressed.

“Are you wearing denim right now?” asks the company’s President Mark Lynn. Because it happens to be a day in the mortal realm, I answer that “yes, yes I am wearing jeans,” but of course, he already knows that. “Denim has become the new uniform of the people,” Lynn acknowledges, happy with my response. “Everybody from Steve Jobs to Jay-Z wears denim almost everyday of their lives.” Corey Epstein—Lynn’s co-founder and the company’s CEO—re-affirms, “It is the staple of the modern wardrobe.”

Co-Founders Mark Lynn and Corey Epstein of Twenty Jeans.

Twenty Jeans Co-Founders Mark Lynn (left) and Corey Epstein (right).

With jeans over their legs and this thought on their minds, a little over a year before this, the childhood-friends turned business-partners launched Twenty Jeans out of Epstein’s bedroom with the aim to offer men well made denim—and here’s the kicker—at an affordable price. To be exact, $25-$30 per pair. The two realized this price point was available by cutting out the middleman: producing the jeans themselves, selling directly to the consumer online, and avoiding any need for behind-the-scenes mark-ups or retail resentment.

“There’s nothing wrong with spending a lot of money for something that costs a lot of money,” explains Lynn, “but there is something intrinsically upsetting about buying something that costs ten times or eight times mark up.” The 29-year-old entrepreneur credits this insight to when he first realized that the cost of production for the designer pairs he’d always worn was substantially less than the $250.00 (and plus) he was spending each time.

“What brand are you wearing right now?” He asks me. Slightly embarrassed, I tell him.

“So those probably cost $30 to make. The other $170 goes up into their marketing budget so that Helmut Lang can reinforce the message that their product is superior to other people’s people products, or at least different,” Lynn says. “And there isn’t anything wrong with that, but there’s also a new market for people that want to rock the exact same quality product in a super friendly online experience for a fraction of the cost.“

And judging from Twenty Jeans’ past year alone—with over 50,000 pairs of denim sold and the expansion into men’s shirts, accessories and outerwear—along with the popularity of similarly-modeled sunglass brand Warby Parker, it’s clear the market is hungry.

“What sells Twenty Jeans is the delta between the quality of what you’re getting and the price you’re paying. That’s such an overriding value to people,” says Lynn. “Relative to the style and comfort and longevity of the product, people are just drawn to it.”

As drawn to Twenty Jeans as I am, the New Yorker in me—always looking for a deal and then immediately suspicious to any that come up—can not still entirely get behind the idea of a company not taking in money for profit’s sake. Fortunately as Epstein explains, it comes down to the people.

“The principle difference here is that we sell directly to our customers,” says the 28-year-old former magazine editor and digital consultant. “Even when a Levi’s or a 7 is selling at their own stores they can’t undercut their primary customers—which are those department stores that carry them. By being direct, we’re able to cut out that portion of the mark-up.”

It doesn’t stop just there; the brand lives, essentially, with its customers in mind. Whether it’s keeping their products well constructed—as product designer Anh Vu describes their process, “we pay a lot of attention to finishing and stitching because we know guys care about the details”—engineering new types of fabric, testing until mastering the art of denim washing (coming soon!) or even just responding to an order inquiry on Facebook, Twenty Jeans’ mission is simple: to give guys great jeans in a great, easy way.

When asked about the future of Twenty Jeans—and in particular, a move offline—Epstein says, “Despite not having a physical space, the sheer number of customers we get to interact with right now is really great data to build a great brand from. Definitely in the future our model lends itself to doing select retail, but right now we’re laser focused on building a great e-commerce channel for our customers.”  One trip to the their website, and this is undeniable.

Images courtesy of Twenty Jeans.

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Beyoncé To Release Calendar ‘Cause Why Not; ‘Cause The World Needs This

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Making the world a better place isn’t Bey’s job, it’s just ancillary wonderment that happens as a result of being a Queen of an order as esteemed as hers. In addition to running the world, Beyoncé has unveiled a 2014 calendar, and in doing so, made all digital calendars soon-to-be obsolete.

“THE NEW YEAR IS COMING SOON,

IT’S TIME TO GET PREPARED WITH THE FIRST EVER OFFICIAL BEYONCÉ CALENDAR.

LET BEYONCÉ HELP YOU SCHEDULE YOUR DAY TO DAY ACTIVITIES WITH HER NEW 2014 CALENDAR.

EACH MONTH HAS A UNIQUE BEAUTIFUL PHOTO OF BEYONCÉ .”

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Poetry to the ears of her legions of fans, who will no doubt run this world thing off the digi-shelves like they did her last perfume, Heat. Not wanting to deal with any sort of countdown, the calendar goes on sale today, retailing for $15, and is available via her Tumblr blog shop, shop.beyonce.com.

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Quvenzhane Wallis rides a public bike while shooting the remake of 'Annie', on location in Harlem, NY

A Recounting Of All That’s Gone Adrift With Jay Z’s ‘Annie’ Remake

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First — in January, 211 — everyone got all excited when they heard Annie was being remade, not because anyone was thinking “Gosh, you know what the world needs more of…?” to which someone responded, “More Daddy Warbucks?” but — no — rather because Jay Z & Will Smith had attached themselves to the project with Will’s daughter Willow Smith set to star. It was then rumored that Glee creator Ryan Murphy would direct. That fell through. Then Emma Thompson was rumored to be brought in to draft the script, which she may or may not have done, who’s to say? Whether she wrote an initial draft remains unknown, but it’s been confirmed that Aline Brosh McKenna was brought in to finesse draft two (McKenna’s resume runs the gamut with good: Devil Wears Prada, meh: 27 Dresses, and just-a-paycheck: We Bought A Zoo). Willow Smith then dropped out of the film and was replaced by Oscar nominee Quvenzhané Wallis, which left many asking “Why?”. Though Wallis had proved herself a talented actress in Beasts of the Southern Wild, this project was born out of the idea of Willow in the title role.

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No time for why, just time for casting, as it was reported that Justin Timberlake and Sandra Bullock were brought on to co-star as Daddy Warbucks and Miss Hannigan, respectably. No respect for them, though, as Jamie Fox and Cameron Diaz officially signed on to the film by June of this year (which, it should be noted will change the character name from Daddy Warbucks to… to… Benjamin Stacks). The film is currently being shot around NYC with a December 19th release date. Jay Z is still expected to pen original tunes for the set-in-modern-day-NYC film. Real-life couple Rose Byrne & recent-Emmy-winner Bobby Cannavale will also star.

*A moment for Willow Smith*

 

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That Time Jay-Z, Beyonce, & Justin Timberlake Didn’t Perform in BK

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When Revolt TV tells you that Jay-z, Beyon… Wait. What is Revolt TV? Right. (Revolt TV is “a new music network Sean Combs dedicated to the creators of this of this generation”). Make of that what you will.

 When Revolt TV tells you that Jay-Z, Beyonce, and Justin Timberlake will be playing a secret Brooklyn show at 421 Troutman Street… nothing happens at all. Well, nothing by way of a secret show, something by way of a lot of pissed off fans standing around in clueless desperation on an otherwise perfect Saturday afternoon. Revolt TV sent the ambiguous tweet out to their 30,000+ followers on Saturday morning, quickly getting picked up by a number of media outlets (quietly deferring any mislead to  Revolt TV).

One Instagram user posted this insanity photo:

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The crowd’s swelled as… nothing… happened… at all…

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Unfortunately, what sounded too good to be true, was indeed, when at 2:21PM Revolt TV retracted their earlier statement about the show and issued an apology to all those waiting. And with it, the silent crash of a million shards of credibility.

One Twitter user (@MayorOfBushwick) summed it all up succinctly:

 

Justin Timberlake Alexander Wang Summer Legends Tour

Which Fashion Icon Is Joining Justin Timberlake & Jay Z on Tour?

Justin Timberlake Alexander Wang Summer Legends TourYou may add one more icon to the Legends of Summer Tour featuring Justin Timberlake & Jay Z…in the form of a spring/summer ready to wear shirt by Alexander Wang. Wang’s White Nylon Ottoman & Leather Combo short sleeved T-shirt is what JT sported on stage last night in Toronto at the kick off of the tour and what he’ll be wearing throughout the show’s North American tour. Justin as an Alexander Wang man? We like.

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Jay-Z’s ‘Magna Carta Holy Grail’ Wafts Of Teen Spirit

Jay-Z's 'Magna Carta Holy Grail' Wafts Of Teen Spirit

So you want Jay-Z’s upcoming twelfth studio album Magna Carta Holy Grail for free? Peasy be easy… Sorta. If you’re one of the first million Samsung Galaxy S III, Galaxy S4, and Galaxy Note II owners, you ‘simply’ need to download the app that went live in the Google Play store yesterday. Didn’t know HOVA had a new album? Never one to adopt a traditional methodology, Jay announced the album via a Samsung commercial that aired during game five of the NBA finals.

“We don’t have any rules; everybody is trying to figure it out,” says Jay. “That’s why the Internet is like the Wild West, the Wild Wild West. We need to write the new rules.”

Among the new rules: Courtney Love. The rocker (and Nirvana catalog owner) — currently on her ‘I’m Still Alive Tour‘ — recently revealed that Jay has obtained the rights to sample lyrics from “Smells Like Teen Spirit” on the new album.

She told Huffington Post, “I’m letting Jay-Z use lyrics. Frances would freak. Jay-Z’s huge and we’re friends. I mean we’re not besties or anything…. They [used it] without asking, which is kind of nervy but the business side has been taken care of so it’s fine.”

That Jay-Z and his ‘classic’ nervy not-bestie behavior!

Some unlocked lyrics from the album: You take the clothes off my back / And I let you / You steal the food right out my mouth / And I watch you eat it / I still don’t know why / Why our love is so much / Ohhh / You curse my name in spite to put me to shame / Air all my laundry in the streets / Dirty or clean / Give it up for fame but I still don’t know why / Why I love it so much / Yea / And baby/ It’s amazing I’m in this maze with you / I just can’t crack ya code / One day you screaming you love me loud / The next day you’re so cold / One day you here / One day you there / One day you care / You’re so unfair sippin from the cup / Tilt runneth over / Holy Grail

Have an iPhone or just not in the headspace to download yet another app? Fret not: The album will be released worldwide on July 4th.

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Jay-Z Welcomes the Brooklyn Barclay Center in Calvin Klein Collection

Jay-Z Welcomes the Brooklyn Barclay Center in Calvin Klein Collection

Jay Z’s currently taking over his hometown of Brooklyn, New York, in a series of concerts to welcome Barclays Center, the city’s newest music/sports arena in…pretty much forever. He’s sporting a bunch of looks, our favorite of which is the closing number—a custom Calvin Klein Collection black wool felt/alligator hooded sweatshirt, designed by Italo Zucchelli, the brands’ Men’s Creative Director, who was also in attendance at the concert. By the way, Calvin Klein is one of the founding partners of the Barclay’s center and have their own VIP entrance and court-side club, which is sure to be home to more than a few celeb sightings, especially for the Brooklyn Nets, who have made the arena their new home. And also, Green Day, if they can get their act together, who’re scheduled to rock the arena on January 16, 2013.