A Little of the Old In and Out



(image via cdesignab)

In: Karl Lagerfeld. Karl Lagerfeld, whom Carolina Herrera recently annointed as most kissable (horsemeat and Diet Coke aftertaste notwithstanding), has embraced the digital age. His show, which closes out Fashion Week on February 10th, 8PM at the Cedar Lake Complex, will be downloadable later that evening via -- what else? -- iTunes. And, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution:

"Fashion's focus turns to New York today, as designers unveil their fall collections during Fashion Week.

"... Among them, designer Karl Lagerfeld has created the most buzz. He will end the week's stream of shows with signature collections for men and women.

"For the German-born Lagerfeld, this New York debut marks a major break from precedent, making his show the hottest ticket of the week. Typically his signature lines � along with collections for Chanel � are shown in Paris, while his collections for Fendi are unveiled in Milan."

And, says GQ and Harper's Bazaar photographer Roger Moenks, at NYMetro, "Karl Lagerfeld is a genius, so that show is a no-brainer." Agreed.



(image via aus.org)

Out: The Howard Stern Show. The Corsair loves the Stern Show. Wednesday's episode where Stern bought Robin Quivers, in gratitude over their years together, a $91,000 Mercedes-benz SL-Class 5.0 was an instant classic. We have listened religiously since High School. (The Corsair pours himself a glass of a bold yet unpretentious Madeira with a spicy finish) That having been said, the decision to not stream the show online was a terrible move businesswise. It was an open invitation to pirates (And, being a Corsair, we know from Pirates). According to the Los Angeles Times (link via iwantmedia):

"Illicit downloading of shock jock Howard Stern's shows increased fivefold Thursday after the Los Angeles Times reported on the broad availability of bootlegged versions of his Sirius Satellite Radio program on Internet file-sharing networks.'The genie's out of the bottle,' said Aram Sinnreich, managing partner of Radar Research, a Los Angeles media consulting firm.

"In 2004, Sirius hired Stern on a five-year, $500-million contract in hopes of wooing new subscribers to its $12.95-a-month satellite radio service. He helped deliver more than a million new subscribers before he even took to the microphone Jan. 9.But almost immediately, pirate radio stations in New York and New Jersey began rebroadcasting the show on unclaimed FM radio frequencies, and websites began streaming it online without permission.

Sirius was quick to take legal action and, in an ironic twist, to seek help from Stern's longtime nemesis, the Federal Communications Commission."

Imagine the irony ...

"Internet file-sharing sites, which allow potentially millions of computer users around the globe to exchange audio recordings, represent a challenge that comes as no surprise to Sirius. In recent Securities and Exchange Commission filings, the company acknowledged that piracy could 'harm our business.'

"The extent of that harm is still not fully known. Mark Ishikawa, chief executive of BayTSP, a Los Gatos, Calif., company that monitors online piracy for the entertainment industry, described the surge in downloads Thursday as 'waking the sleeping giant.'"

On that ominous note, more here.



(image via snopes)

In: The Online Reality Show Race. The verdict is still out as to whether or not this emerging phenomenon with seduce viewers or resolve itself into a dew. The Players in the entertainment industry, however, are it taking it very seriously. Mark Burnett and AOL are developing a treasure hunt online reality game show called "Gold Rush." And Yahoo! and Steven Spielberg are working on their own reality show "Treasure Hunt." And, of course, when Steven Spielberg attaches himself to an entertainment industry project, it is officially a trend. Add NBC to the growing list of competitors in the Online Reality Show Race. According to Paidcontent:

"So NBC decided to come out fighting: it has tied up with Tommy Mottola and the producers of 'The Biggest Loser' for a music competition show, a bit like American Idol. The show, called 'StarTomorrow' will be on NBC.com. Till now, Internet companies like Yahoo and AOL have been working on reality/online shows and this is a new step for networks. For this NBC show, pre-production is already under way, with the expected launch this summer. Winner will be signed to Mottola's Casablanca label, a division of the Universal Music Group. Jeff Gaspin -- president of NBC Universal Cable Entertainment & Cross-Platform Strategy-- estimates the show will cost NBC about 20% of what a similar series on TV might run."

It is, in any case, an interesting and cost-effective experiment.



Blunt ascending after conferring with the Lord of the Flies. (image via salon via AP Photo/Lauren Victoria Burke)

Out: Roy Blunt. Hubris. You may have seen Mr. In-Way-Over-His-Head parading around town with a fake smile affixed to his face all week. He was one of the most ineffective House Majority Leader's ever. Perhaps if Blunt hadn't been so greedy as to clutch at both the Majority Leader position as well as the Majority Whip -- positions he was fairly incompetent at in comparison to the darkly skillful, and corrupt DeLay-- he might still be House Leader today. (Averted Gaze) Instead, John Boehner -- a skillful mix of "reformer" and "establishmentarian" -- wiped that stupid smile off his lips on the second ballot.

Fer realsie. (Averted Gaze)



"Sessy." (image via amazon.com)

In: "Leggings." Everything old is new again. According to the Teri Agins of the Wall Street Journal (via arizonacentral):

"The next big fashion trend is destined to have legs.

"Designers are betting women will make room in their closets for 1980s-style leggings, stretch pants and opaque pantyhose. As New York Fashion Week gets under way Friday, these skin-tight styles will be the focus of many designers' fall collections, including Narciso Rodriguez, Nanette Lepore, Donna Karan, Tracy Reese and Wolfgang Joop.The leggy look is part of a 'mushroom' silhouette that designers are pushing for next fall - fuller on top and slim on the bottom. On top, designers will be showing 'dolman-sleeve' sweaters that are wide on the upper arm but narrow at the wrist, tunic dresses, knee-length peacoats and long jackets.

"The embellished and colorful 'bohemian look for the past season is so over,' says Ms. Lepore." 'It's time for a cleaner touch.'"