this is fyf

Patti Smith wants to talk with you tonight at St. Mark's book shop.

Have you read Just Kids?  It's been my holiday read, but I'm only on page 130 or so because of assorted distractions.  The tale is lovely and florid with precise prose that just puts you there in the room with these two amazing people finding their way in a Manhattan of another time.  It's a reintroduction to a time of legends, written from street-level.   While not the type to go for the autograph, I would like to hear her accounts first-hand.  (Side question:  do people with Kindles and Nooks and iPads get those signed or something?  Another reason to keep buying books!)

Here is the new (illegally downloaded) episode of Absolutely Fabulous which you should watch now as it will probably be taken promptly.

Not to give anything away, but the best line in the episode is about New York gays.  

On a deeper note, it's a shame that Logo, a co-producer of the new episodes couldn't have found a way to debut this in the states at the same time as BBC's airing in England.  It's a global media world now and by the time this airs in the states, their "desirable audience" will have already caught the episodes on the web.

"My Favorite Things", Supremes, 1966

Thinking of our friend Xavier's My Favorite Things brought thoughts about this old footage of The Supreme's from long ago.  The song is pure classic and those pink flowing gowns are pure eleganza.

For Your Friends, the 2011 gift guide: Give Cheek

For that Downton Abbey super-fan (*ahem*): Downton Abbey "pithisms" plastered on mugs; pillows, here.

Somehow, they don't translate so well. Still, you know it'll be fun to give a gift that'll have you doing Maggie Smith impressions every time you visit.

For Your Friends, the 2011 gift guide: Give Liz

Do you have a mom/sister/ladyfriend/muse that would appreciate something from the wardrobe of Elizabeth Taylor?  Maybe the pale green Valentino silk blouse pictured above would do the ticket.  Bidding on it currently stands at $150, which is a rather good price for a Valentino blouse most days.  It's part of the Christie's online collection from Taylor's estate.  Bidding ends in four days, so take a look now!

"Absolutely Fabulous Christmas Special" (preview), 2011

This airs on the BBC later this month (which means it will be officially in the states around 2019, but downloadable via illegal means within 24 hours).  The clip is obviously geared to the twitter people and the blog people, and well, hello.  

For me a new Ab Fab always brings me curiosity as to what they've done to the kitchen.  I'm trying to spot all the changes.  I note that the same Liebherr refrigerator is there and the other major appliances are the same.  More to come with that ...

"Misty", Kate Bush, 2011

Here is an interview with Fran Lebowitz.

Wouldn't you love to have Ms. Lebowitz over for Thanksgiving?  I don't think she'd overeat.  She probably knows how to pour a proper cocktail.  Most of all every word of conversation would just be so filled with all the truths that we all know to be true.  It is assumed that she has plans, so don't set another plate.  For now though you can still enjoy the company of Fran by listening to this radio interview with The Majority Report.

Bonus quote not from the interview above: “Homosexuality is god's way of insuring that the truly gifted aren't burdened with children.”

Holiday viewing: Downton Abbey

Preface:  Something for which I'm always late to the table is television, so when something amazing is found, it is typical that I hear from my friends, "Oh, yeah, I saw that last year."  It's simply not in my reading list, and I don't have cable (as cable is for suckers).

Available on Netflix streaming now is Downton Abbey.  A tale of class and manners in early twentieth century Britain, this one has it all.  Costumes, sets, plots, direction and oh, the characters!  There's the three disparate daughters, the Turk, the scheming gay footman, and Dame Maggie Smith.

The first season nursed a recent hangover.  A second seson starts on PBS this January.  And a Christmas special airs in the U.K. shortly.  It's a rare mental treasure and pardon the lack of explanation, but you simply must watch it.

"Girl Panic", Duran Duran, 2011

How do you beef up an otherwise anemic song? Fill it up with models. Lots and lots of models.

Muppet memes make me merry.

I don't watch TV, but I love 30 Rock.

Yes! It's possible!

...And also the Muppets.

Via

"Wild Man", Kate Bush, 2011

YAY! (Olek Yarn-bombs Astor Place cube)

What an awesome sight to wake up to on a Monday.

Now, commenters...get into a wild, free-for-all comment war about whether it's "pretty" or an "act of art terrorism" (Note: Quotation marks around those are utterly arbitrary.). GO!

Via

Photo via

Bette Davis starred in an Aaron Spelling pilot called "The Decorator".

Oh, Internet. We deride you at times, but without you we wouldn't know about these things from the past. You would think our parents would have told us, or at least some old queen. There it was on Facebook though. Bette Davis in an Aaron Spelling pilot from the early 1960's. Part one is presented above. The other two parts are also on YouTube.

Is Martha Stewart surrepticiously bringing high art to the masses?  Maybe yes?

Cindy Sherman's having a pretty damn good year.

She's the creator of the highest-priced photograph ever, having sold "Untitled" from 1981 for $3.89 million in a Christie's Auction in May. Even more major (and by "major" I mean simultaneously envy-inducing and sickening) is the explanation of how this photograph came to command such a high price, but I'll let you read it for yourself (Hint: read to the last paragraph.).

And she is, unsurprisingly, shooting herself as the face of the "Cindy Sherman for MAC Cosmetics" line of makeup that she helped create.

Even better? She's (probably unknowingly) throwing shade on that creepy (but probably wildly succesful!?) Pudding Face campaign, particularly in the photo from her MAC campaign that appears above.

[Side note: apparently the "face" of the Pudding Face "Mood Meter" in Union Square was not aware of his role in the campaign. Watch the video via this link for his reaction upon first seeing it.]

Next year is shaping up for her pretty well, too. She'll be the subject of a retrospective at MoMA in early 2012.

FYF After Dark: This will be expected and - I'm afraid - only bolster my reputation as a "size queen".

I won't even try demurring, although - truthfully - there IS such a thing as too big?! That said, the following bit of "news" might seem predictable for me to post, but against that charge I'd like to point out...Andy posted it first!!

Despite the obvious angle exploited by the video and Andy's post...the REAL "news" here is that a Sperm Whale's dick is prehensile!

A pause to let that sink in for a minute...

...And a definition for those of you with only a cursory education:  

pre·hen·sile

  [pri-hen-sil, -sahyl]  Show IPA

adjective

1. adapted for seizing, grasping, or taking hold of something:a prehensile tail.

Let me bottom line it (no pun!) for you - it's like a finger.

The female anatomist doesn't even have a penis and gets all excited at the thought of its prehensility, going so far as to dub it "probably the most amazing penis in the animal world.". (Note: for those slightly confused about such things...HUMANS belong to the animal world.)

Now. Imagine having a prehensile penis.

Then imagine being HAD by a prehensile penis.

Size-schmize! THAT'S not the story here unless you've done more crystal than Swarovski!!

No...what's amazing about this creature is - unlike an elephant - his trunk IS his dick!

Addtionally, and less pruriently, the documentary from which this info is gleaned presents a number of anatomical wonders of the Sperm Whale, as detailed by this article from The Independent.

Watch the penis clip here...

 

And more episodes (albeit, not dealing with a Sperm Whale), here.

W.I.G. - If Judy isn't gay, I don't know what is...

I'm not one of those gays with their Judys and Barbra's and Cher's and Liza's (Ha! I sound so snotty and..."post-mo"!? Like I'm from Toronto or something!) but this video (of Judy and Judy) is pretty damn amazing any way you look at it (as was/is she.).

The underlying question (vis-a-vis the ongoing W.I.G. inquiry) is: Does Judy make you gay?

Via

More from Visionaire's newest edition, starring...Ladyfag?!

Rod promised and I'm making good...

We received a link to Peter Beste's shoot of Desi Santiago's rituals and installations for Visionaire 60: Religion from its star, Ladyfag, though you might not recognize her?!

Stunning work, no? (Did you follow the link? Do it!) Click through for my favorite image (NSFW)...

Miss New York 2011 is FIERCE.

No really, that's Miss Amber Marie Collins in her official Miss USA photo in the "Glam" category.  It's certainly better than any of the other contestants.  Let's root for Amber Marie!

Via Gothamist (who wasn't feeling it).