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New Music – The Return of The Concretes

November 3, 2010 by

The ConcretesFor most of the first half of this past decade, Sweden was arguably the undisputed champion of new music exporting.  Yes, the very nation that gave us meatballs, Niklas Hjalmarsson and the musical likes of ABBA, Roxette, Ace Of Base eventually gifted the rest of the world with The Hives, The Cardigans, The Knife, The (International) Noise Conspiracy, The Soundtrack Of Our Lives, Robyn and many more over the past 10+ years.
I was quite excited last night when I opened up yesterday’s mail to find a 3-song sampler for the upcoming new album from Swedish pop group The Concretes.  It was in 2003 that The Concretes made their mark with a self-titled debut record (it finally got a U.S. release on Astralwerks in the summer of ’04) that stood apart with its lush orchestration and instrumentation (lots of strings/horns) over sugar-coated pop hooks and Motown-esque production stylings and melodies.  It was all anchored with the swoon-inducing vocals of Victoria Bergsman, who has since departed the group after the release of their 2nd record ‘In Colour’ in 2006.The Concretes w/ Victoria Bergsman (4th from the left)

The group soldiered on without her, with drummer Lisa Milberg stepping from behind the drum kit to assume vocal duties.  This lineup furnished The Concretes’ third and equally-impressive-as-their-prior-material-with-Victoria album, ‘Hey Trouble’ in 2007.
But that’s when things went quiet.
I had thought that the band was all but history, as they didn’t record one new song together for three years.  But that changed last Christmas Day when the members (all eight of them..who were all in their hometown of Stockholm for the holiday) got together for a nightcap.  They had spent the time away involved with such things as children/families, travel, life itself, and side projects.  But it was on this day that they asked themselves the question of, “do we have more in us?”..and with a new fresh approach, the unanimous decision was “Yes!” (though the jury is still out as to whether that decision was made after a few more cocktails!).

The Concretes – My Ways

The Concretes – All Day

But they felt that with this new return, the music should have a new approach, as well.  They describe it as a disco sound, but hold on a second…they *don’t* mean in an Olivia Newton-John sort of way.  They mean it in the modern sense–the same wistful and dreamy vocals as before, but now laying on top of a pulsing electro base.
Lisa MilbergAnd although Milberg is picking up the slack nicely, I will still always miss Victoria Bergsman in this band.  Things are still going just fine for her, though.  Her solo project is called Taken By Trees and she’s already cranked out two albums under that moniker.  She also collaborates with other musicians and groups, and you have heard her voice dozens of times as the guest female vocalist in the 2007 international smash hit “Young Folks” (yes, the one with the whistling) from Peter Bjorn and John.
I’ve included two of the new tracks (“My Ways” and “All Day”) off of The Concretes’ new record entitled ‘WYWH’, plus videos for some of their past materials to catch you up in case you’re new to them.  One is “Can’t Hurry Love”, the focus track off of that 2003 debut, plus “On The Radio” from 2006’s ‘In Colour’ and one from the post-Victoria era, “Kids” off of ‘Hey Trouble’ from 2007.
‘WYWH’ officially comes out on the 9th on Friendly Fire Recordings, but it’s already available on iTunes.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Shake Up Your Thanksgiving!

November 1, 2010 by

Isn’t it amazing that Halloween is barely over and we are already obsessing over the next holiday?  Such is American consumerism I guess.

Anyway, Thanksgiving is basically here already and as someone who doesn’t cook, I usually could care less.  It is always someone other than me that is responsible for feeding the masses on this holiday.  I’m the one that pisses off all the aunties by sitting on the couch with the men drinking beer pretending I understand football.

I do realize, though, that many of our readers probably help prepare or fully prepare the Thanksgiving meal and festivities and I thought, why not offer some helpful suggestions on ways to shake up this Thanksgiving to be the best yet?

Pilgrims vs. Indians(1)  Pilgrims vs. Indians

Since Halloween just happened this isn’t TOO far of a stretch.  Split up your family members evenly between Pilgrims and Indians ahead of time and make them come dressed up in costumes as such.  You can then sit them on other sides of the table and keep a timer on how long it takes before a fight breaks out and your Pilgrim relatives take the Indian relatives land.

(2)  Cook a jalapeno turkey or a Turducken

My husband is half-Mexican, and last year I had my first taste of a jalapeno turkey.  It was to die for.  The turkey fell off the bone and was just a hint of spicy.  Here is one simple recipe, although I doubt my husband’s mother, who is a Mexican immigrant, used eHow to make this turkey.

If you prefer to mix your meat, perhaps a turducken is more appropriate.  It’s basically a chicken stuffed into a duck stuffed into a turkey.  Sounds appetizing no?  It’s actually not bad, and you can find out how to make it here.  Don’t tell your nieces and nephews, though, you might severely scar them.

(3)  Eat dessert first

And why the hell not?  Dessert is the best part anyway, so why not gorge on that and save the lame meat and potatoes for last?

(4)  Give your Thanksgiving a theme

Similar to the costume idea, why not give your Thanksgiving a theme and make your guests dress in costume?  There are a couple of great ones to choose from, like:

  • Cops and Robbers – who stole the turkey?  And where are the handcuffs?
  • Pimps and Hoes – Oh yeah, I’ll feed you some stuffing
  • Kegs and Eggs (and turkey) – Start later at night, have a few kegs, party till dawn and eat your turkey with your eggs – PJs are a requirement for entry
  • American Idol Theme – sing for your supper!  And take a shot for every time Randy says “dawg”.  It could be like drunk karaoke, only worse.  

(5)  Purposely confuse what holiday it is

Set out 4th of July tablecloths and light sparklers, color some Easter eggs, and put on Christmas music.  Your family will think they are already drunk.

(6)  Make everyone share what they are thankful for

Now this one is for serious.  I think no matter what you decide to do for Thanksgiving, if you don’t already make this a ritual, you should start this year.   You will shake things up by making those around you step back for a moment and reflect on what the purpose of the holiday really is.  Even if your cooking isn’t what they are thankful for, you will still make an important impact on them.

Regardless of how you end up celebrating or what you cook, we here at Nude Hippo wish you a sweet (potato) Thanksgiving.  Gobble gobble!

~Corie Scarpaci

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Is Your Costume HOT or NOT This Halloween?

October 17, 2010 by

Huffington Post blogger Katla McGlynn posted an inspirational blog not long ago about which Halloween costumes have no business being “sexy”.   I couldn’t help but agree with most of these choices, and wanted to not only discuss the “sexy” Halloween costume phenomenon, but also contribute my own suggestions to both the good and bad costume lists.

When exactly did “sexy” Halloween costumes first creep into existence?  When did it become okay, as many in the past have asked, for women to use Halloween as an excuse to dress like skanks?  Now don’t get me wrong, I have absolutely abused this privilege in the past.  But now that I am bit older, I am starting to appreciate a lady that knows how to “cover it up”.  No offense, random local college girl, but I don’t want to see your midriff….or cleavage for that matter.

Regardless of when they first appeared or why, sexy Halloween costumes are all the rage.  They have morphed into a major marketing tool for spending money at Halloween – sort of the equivalent of “Black Friday” to Christmas.  It’s a necessary evil and Katla McGlynn really hit the nail on the head by identifying some extreme examples of sexy costumes gone wrong.

So given that sexy Halloween costumes are essentially unavoidable, I’m here to help you identify what exactly is hot and what is NOT this Halloween. I am also here to explain that you can very easily do sexy without being slutty.  It’s a fairly fine line, but not hard to identify, unless you have beer goggles on.

HOT

Alice in Wonderland

Alice in Wonderland is a popular costume option this Halloween, given the Tim Burton version of the film that was released not too long ago.  Fall down the rabbit hole in this cute rendition of Alice gone glam.

Image courtesy of halloweenpartystore.com

This costume is what I would call sexy.  You cannot see any ta-ta action, and her rear end and midriff are covered.  The leg that is exposed, and the cute knee-highs, add to the sexiness of this costume.  For additional coverage, purchase some black and white striped tights that cover the entire leg.  The Mad Hatter would be very proud.

NOT

Alice in Wonderland

This is what happens when Alice takes the “Eat Me” cookie too literally.

Image courtesy of halloweencostume.com

Nothing has been left to the imagination with this costume.  You can see her….everything.  And you and I both know damn well that the costumes never fit as well as they do online, which means your average female would have many more problems hiding it all.  This costume calls for the Red Queen – “Off with her head!”

HOT and NOT

Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga has taken the world by storm with her unique costumes and addicting songs.  As such, she is a fantastic option to replicate this Halloween.  But Lady Gaga has found herself on both sides of the sexy vs. skanky line, and I have found examples of both if you decide to go that route this Halloween.

Image courtesy of buycostumes.com

Behold.  Examples of both your Hot and Not, from left to right.  I can see where this might be confusing, so let me explain.

The costume on the left is sexy because she is not playing a “Love Game” and is covering up many of her lady parts.  She is exposing enough of her body without getting caught up in a “Bad Romance”.  The blue spandex ensemble is covering not only the majority of her torso, but also her shoulders and tush.  The low v-neck, leg exposure and side cut-outs make this outfit the perfect combination of sexy, and will also make any wearer want to “Just Dance”.

The costume on the right, however, needs to call “Alejandro” asap, because it is in need of some serious rehab.  While to your casual viewer, it may appear that an even number of body parts are being covered, they are sorely mistaken.  No man would dare “Telephone” a woman looking like this.  She clearly “left her head and her heart on the dance floor” (okay, I’m done).

The key here is the midriff.  You cannot safely expose the midriff and multiple other body parts without being labeled something scandalous.  Pick one or the other.  Because this costume exposes midriff, full leg AND the right shoulder, you have a bonafide skank costume, and I would recommend looking elsewhere.  Lady Gaga’s meat dress is a better option than this.

NOT

Sexy Sesame Street

Holy hell.  It’s time to go back to church.

Image courtesy of gothamist.com

Sexy Big Bird?  Cookie Monster?  Elmo?  No.  Just don’t.  And if you need me to explain, you have bigger problems than your Halloween costume.

Not only will you give everyone who sees you nightmares, you will destroy your own precious childhood memories and have to spend thousands on therapy.  Not worth it.

HOT

German Beer Girl

St. Pauli Girl beer has made this costume and other variations popular over the last few years.

Image courtesy of halloweencostume.com

It makes sense, though.  The majority of girls that leave the house in horrifically skanky Halloween costumes are looking for a mate to accompany them home at the end of the night, and what man doesn’t like beer?  99% of these dirty rendezvous’ occur in bars anyway, so there you go.

To save you some time in the man hunt, this sexy German beer girl costume is a great ice breaker.  Again, why is this sexy?  Because the right amount of skin is exposed.  Noticing a pattern?  You can’t see her chest or butt, but she is showing off her legs and shoulders.  Sexy, but not skanky.

Then you have this:

NOT

German Beer Girl

Image courtesy of halloweenplayground.com

Yes, gentlemen, I am sure you would just LOVE to have your stein served to you by this.  But you would also then expect her to go home with you, am I wrong?

Ladies, no.  This is a big fat no.  Plus it’s completely unsanitary.  Once again, the midriff is the key here.  You cannot expose your middle and then other body parts.  It just opens up a whole beer can worth of problems.  Even applying some strategically placed lederhosen wouldn’t rescue this. As Heidi Klum would say, “Auf Wiedersehen”.

Hopefully my suggestions will offer some guidance on what not to do this Halloween.  As I stated earlier, there is a very fine line between sexy and skanky.  If you are out husband-hunting this Halloween, than lean towards the former.  Sexy will get you much farther.  If you have other dirty ideas in mind, well, just give my pal skanky German Beer Girl a call.  I hear she can put her legs behind her head.

Happy Halloween!

~Corie Scarpaci

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Filed Under: Uncategorized

My Top 10 Movies Made in Chicago

October 5, 2010 by

I thought it would be fun to make a list of my favorite movies that were made in Chicago. After much thought and deliberation, I decided that these 10 were my personal favorites. I hope you enjoy my list.

10. Uncle Buck–John Candy, as the lovable unemployed guy,who is called on by his brother to babysit his kid’s; while he attend’s his wife’s father’s funeral. Also stars Amy Madigan and Macaulay Culkin.

9. Home Alone–Macaulay Culkin is left alone at Christmas and has to defend his house from being robbed by two idiot criminals played by Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern. Also stars John Heard and Catherine O’Hara

8.Ferris Bueller’s Day Off–Matthew Broderick as a high school kid who fakes being sick to skip school and have a fun day in and around Chicago. Also stars Mia Sara, Alan Ruck and Jennifer Grey.

7. Sixteen Candles–Teen comedy about a girl who’s birthday is forgotten by everyone as they prepare for her sister’s wedding and her attraction to an older classmate. Stars Molly Ringwald, Michael Schoeffling, Anthony Michael Hall and Gedde Watanabe.

6. The Breakfast Club–Story of 5 different teenagers who attend Saturday detention for different reasons; who come  to find that deep down they all struggle with the same things. Stars Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, Emilio Estevez, Ally Sheedy and Anthony Michael Hall.

5. The Color of Money–Tom Cruise as a young pool shark who is taken under the wing of Fast Eddie Felsen; played by Paul Newman. Also Stars Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio and Forest Whitaker.

4. Risky Business–Tom Cruise as a young man about to enter college, who meets a call girl and decides to just enjoy all that life has to offer. Also Stars Rebecca DeMornay, Curtis Armstrong and Joe Pantoliano.

3. Hoop Dreams–Documentary about two families living on the west side of Chicago, who send ther sons to a private suburb school, to give them a better education and life experience. Stars the Gates and Agee families.

2. The Untouchables–Not a totally historically accurate portrayal of 1930’s prohibition in Chicago, but nonetheless the story of  how Elliot Ness tried to take down Al Capone. Stars Kevin Costner, Robert DeNiro, Andy Garcia and Sean Connery.

1. The Blues Brothers–Story of Jake and Elwood Blues, who are on a mission from God to save the orphanage they grew up in. Their idea to get the money is to reunite with their old bandmates and take their show on the road. Stars John Belushi, Dan Ackroyd, Henry Gibson, John Candy and Cab Calloway..

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