Go see Precious right now

I finally got to see Precious! The movie was as graphic as I expected and at times I did feel a little uncomfortable. I expect Monique to get an Oscar nomination for this very emotionally charged role. Monique really takes the movie to a level where you don't expect. You want to hate her character because of all the things she does, but at the same time she herself is a victim and is now making her daughter precious become a victim to make herself feel better. The saddest part is that situations like the one in the movie are all too common. I almost felt like a fly on the wall in one of the Harlem projects of the late 1980's where the movie takes place. At the end of the day the cast did an amazing job and this movie really made me give thanks to what I do have in my life. This is probably the best Thanksgiving movie in disguise. Realness, mixed in with the hope to better oneself no matter what the odds.

Go watch Precious NOW!

1789 restaurant in D.C is a treat

This year Thanksgiving was a little more gourmet than usual. I ate at the upscale 1789 restaurant located in the Georgetown area of Washington D.C. It was one of those dinners that you never forget. I had a perfectly made Salmon dish with Lentils and sweet onions. The service and attention to detail were amazing. Thanks again to the great company who made this Thanksgiving really special.

PS> Make sure you know your table setting or you will end up like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman trying to figure it out.

1789 Restaurant

The Rhythm of La Loca!

It's time to get those hips moving to the rhythm of Nina Flowers. Ms. Flowers was a contestant on Ru Paul's Drag Race this last year. She did not win the main prize, but no matter! The "Loca" (as she was tagged on the show for using the word so much on her fellow contestants) is a force to be reckoned with and now the proof is out in a song called LOCA. You can get it on Masterbeat, where she has many people remixing it, or on iTunes. Enjoy this treat and here at the Fabulous Ru we wish Nina much success.

Save your money on 2012

I was not expecting the best acting on a movie like 2012, but I was at least hoping that it would compensate with amazing special effects. There were a few scenes where watching famous monuments getting blown up were very exciting, but aside from that the movie was extremely disappointing. In movies with this type of plot line (like the world coming to an end) you have to rely on the smaller plot lines to drive the movie. The role that the characters play and their story becomes what you look for as a connection. This movie fails in all angles. The plot line is not explained in the best way, the sub plots of the main characters is laughable, and the special effects were very mediocre. Save your money. This is more like an iTunes rental if a rental at all.

Laura Osorno draws for everyone

Laura caught my eye with some great art she did at some places in Bogota, Colombia. Her art can be seen on everything from children's books and clothes, postcards, and even new Adidas sneakers that promote the first ever Adidas store opening in Bogota, Colombia. I just found out a really good friend is going to have a baby (Hi Cathy!) and I think I might buy some of Laura's super cute clothing as a gift.

Visit her Flickr page if you want to see more. She has a lot to offer.

www.flickr.com/lauraosorno

"Louboutins" gives me the fever!

EXCLUSIVE picture of the new cover for JLO's new single "Louboutins". I can't take it anymore. The fierceness is on another level. Shakira, Beyonce, JLO, Lady GaGa. These divas must have a gay in their closet that comes out and sprinkles glitter on them every time they need to go work. Amazing. I can't wait for the video. Do you like JLO's look?

Bookcase magic powers

I have so many books that I don't know what to do with myself anymore. I have filled up 2 trunks and now have books all over the floor on a corner in my apartment. Bookcase magic is needed! A little help from the people at CB2 maybe? This Array bookcase looks like it'll do the trick.

www.CB2.com

JLO is "Fresh out the oven"

"I only wanna hear swish, I'm a big girl I know what it is,
Bentley steering wheel is in that fist, Pick me up at 8, yeah don't you wish"

Annie is back!

Remember Annie? It took her a while, but at long last her sophomore effort is out and about and it's called Don't Stop. Usually, people have a bit of a sophomore slump, but Annie is right on track. She succeeds by making sure she still has her own signature sound on all her new songs, but at the same time she gives you a definite new vibe. Everything seems to be a little more low key, but still danceable and disco pop. On her first album Anniemal the highlights where "Heartbeat" and "Chewing Gum". When you download this second effort make sure you pay attention to "Bad Times", "Don't Stop", and "Hey Annie". I was holding back the dancing moves on my train ride this morning while I heard this. For real!

Enjoy.

Andy Awesome is more than awesome

Who doesn't love a great Pop artist? I found Andy Awesome on the web and instantly became drawn to his colorful artwork. It has a very individual style, but at the same time all the things he uses are familiar. Some of his works include re imaginings of the super Mario brothers, the teenage mutant ninja turtles, marvel comics, batman, and more. This is such a great find! The website has a bunch of goodies, including wallpapers for your computer and iPhone, T-Shirts you can buy, and the art work itself is for sale. I'll warn you right now: It's going to be super hard to pick a favorite.

http://www.shop.andyawesome.com/

Metric is an indie rock highlight

Metric is a Canadian indie rock band that I discovered while I was in a store in SoHo. The store was playing the bands song "Help, I'm alive" and I quickly pulled out my iPhone so that I could use my shazaam app. The app found the song on iTunes in less than a minute and then I proceeded to listen to this song about 30 times in a row. The newest album by Metric is called Fantasies and it's full of great melodic driven tunes. Metric is an indie rock highlight, for sure.

Shepard Fairey does November 09 issue of L'UOMO

The contemporary artist is currently one of my favorites and the controversy over his Obama art only adds interest to his already amazing resume. Here's a look at his cover for L'uomo for November 2009.

Photography by Francesco Carrozzini.

How the mighty have fallen

The Fabulous Ru is all about budget plans and setting goals for 2010. I just did all that this weekend and you know what doesn't fit in my 2010 plan? A phone that has a $130 phone bill every month! It hurt my soul, but I had to give up the iPhone for a while and gt a cheap phone where the bill would be around $55 a month. My new phone feels like a toy and has absolutely no personality. It is what they give to people that constantly break or lose their phone. I'm taking a deep breath and moving on from the wonderful days of iPhone apps and voice dialing, but only because I know the day will come when I will activate that phone again and the sun will shine once more (curtain down).

The many looks of GaGa: "Bad Romance"

Lady GaGa just can't get enough. I feel like any moment she is going to pop up on every ones TV screen and say she is taking over the world. I just saw her "bad Romance" video and she gives you like 10 different looks in a 5 minute video. Who the heck does that? On the other hand it's kind of amazing that she's putting that much energy into it. She seems hungry to get to the very top and she's giving it all she's got. What do you think about her new video?

Ralph by Ralph Lauren candles are just in time for the holidays

Xmas is just around the corner and as usual I am trying to figure out what to give people. This year I might actually have an easier time doing so. These Ralph candles by Ralph Lauren are a no brainer. The best part is that they actually make your home smell good, unlike some other candles that just leave you guessing where the scent went. There are 9 different scents to choose from, so I'm sure you can find something for everyone and when everyone sings your high praises you can tell them you got the idea from me or I'll put you in Santa's naughty list for next year punk!

:-)

Get them exclusively at Macy's.

Demi Moore for December 09 issue of W

There is hope after 47. The proof is Demi-Goddess Demi Moore. W magazine caught up with her for their December 2009 issue and she spoke about how she's trying to stay relevant in a world where she is not at the top of the list anymore. I can't get over her incredible bone structure. If anyone was ever going to turn me straight it would have been Demi. I had a little crush on her after her G.I Jane movie, not even going to lie about it anymore. Go read the full article at the link posted below.

http://www.wmagazine.com/celebrities/2009/12/demi_moore

Photographers: Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott

Stylist: Alex White

More Garance Dore illustrations

I regularly check out the Garance Dore blog to see what pictures she's snapped lately, but my favorite is when she posts some of her drawings. Here's one she posted November 10th, 2009.

http://www.garancedore.fr/en/

Spider-man 4 rumors are in

Rumor has it that Rachel McAdams is up for the role of The Black Cat in Spider-man 4. I really like Rachel and I love the black cat, so for me it's all good news. Hope it actually happens. BTW in the comics the black cat becomes Spider-man's lover for a brief period. hmm. What do you think? Should someone else get the role?

The New York Public Library by Reinhard Gorner

The NY public library has one of the best interiors of any building I have ever seen. Too bad the outside is always under renovation and there seems to be construction every time I pass by. This picture by Reinhard Gorner is a visual treat that will make you want to make a trip to the library very soon.

Visual Acoustics is a must see

Please go watch this film. It was so interesting to watch and learn about modernist architecture. This does not seem like something you would go see at the movies, but it was so good I actually got teary eyed in one of the scenes. Below is the synopsis of the film straight from the website.

Narrated by Dustin Hoffman, VISUAL ACOUSTICS celebrates the life and career of Julius Shulman, the world’s greatest architectural photographer, whose images brought modern architecture to the American mainstream. Shulman, who passed away this year, captured the work of nearly every modern and progressive architect since the 1930s including Frank Lloyd Wright, Richard Neutra, John Lautner and Frank Gehry. His images epitomized the singular beauty of Southern California’s modernist movement and brought its iconic structures to the attention of the general public. This unique film is both a testament to the evolution of modern architecture and a joyful portrait of the magnetic, whip-smart gentleman who chronicled it with his unforgettable images.

The exorcist steps will kill you

I was in D.C this weekend and went to see the infamous steps from the exorcist movie. You know I had to pose dead. It was a must!

“you-are-gay”

This made me laugh out loud at work. I love Homer! He truly is one of the best things to come out of the U.S.A.

Via Hunsonisgroovy

Mickey takes on the apocalypse

All you game geeks out there get ready! Disney just unveiled their new game Epic Mickey that will be exclusive to the Nintendo Wii. The game follows mickey trying to save a new world he has stumbled upon where some sort of apocalypse has gone on. The artwork so far looks amazing. This is a whole new world for Disney and a very refreshing change for the cookie cutter image of Mickey Mouse.

Sesame Street turns 40!

The years do go by fast. Sesame Street turns 40 and google is in on the fun with these awesome headers. Enjoy!

Otafuku takes us to Tokyo!

(Above: Manny poses in front of Otafuku, a hot serving of yakisoba with ginger on the side)

Wanna take a trip to Tokyo for free? Get a load of some authentic Japanese street food from the people at Otafuku. They are the only people I've seen so far making Okinomiyaki (fried pancake with cabbage and pork or shrimp, Yakisoba (fried noodles with shrimp and scallop and scallions), and Takoyaki (fried balls that can be plain, with cheese, or filled with octopus). If it was up to me I would go here once a week because there is a little anime cartoon inside of me, fer sure. The taste is very different from American type fast food and it's all about the sauce.

PS. This is not a place where you can sit down. You have to take the food with you, hence the tittle of fast food. I've been told that people in Japan usually have this with a beer and sit pretty much anywhere.

OTAFUKU

236 E. 9th Street- near second Avenue, New York, NY

212-353-8503

Mario Kart DS is addictive

I have never played Mario Kart DS in my life, mainly because I usually try to stay away from games that have anything to do with sports. Mario finally caught up with me and out of pure boredom I decided to download the game (I have no TV and no new books people!). In a matter of minutes I got so obsessed with the game that I almost missed my train stop this morning on my way to work!

Kandinsky @ the Guggenheim

I have to be honest and say that before last week I had no idea who Kandinsky was. I just found out this week because I ended up at the Guggenheim museum and he is the artist who is on exhibit. I liked a lot of the artwork, but 2 things really stood out for me. The first was the amazing "Several Circles" painting. This painting has such an amazing pop of color that it is almost impossible to ignore it. The second is a tidbit i found while reading through the information provided by the museum about Kandinsky's life.

"He noticed that music could elicit an emotional response without a connection to a recognizable subject. This experience led him to believe that painting should aspire to be as abstract as music".

Makes you think about what goes on in artists minds. Genius.

Halloween at the white house

I think it is extremely cute that they made the white house look orange for Halloween. I don't know if any other president has had so much fun with this holiday, but aside from the color change on the white house, the Obama family had many trick or treaters from neighboring schools come by and pick up special cookies made in a white house mold. Michelle even dressed like a cat woman!