Don't judge, these are FIERCE!

This weekend I was in the glorious place that is Atlantic City and between being a baller at the blackjack tables and penny slots with the old ladies, I made it over to the semi-new The Walk outlet shops. Overall impressive, but the gem find of the excursion was a pair of BCBG jelly gladiator sandals. Yes, jellies, as in the gummy plastic shoes from the early 90's which also made a resurgence in the late 90's in a platform version. Well they're back like Backstreet bitches, and they're fierce! Nary did I think that legit designers would actually manufacture jellies, and I must admit that I chuckled a bit as I strutted around the BCBG store trying on my rose-colored pair. Perhaps I'm looking at this whole experience through rose-colored glasses. There must be a reason that these came out last summer and have now made their way in large quantities to the outlet stores for $9 a pair (originally only $28), but I don't care because they're my jellies and I love them.

And if you have a problem, take it up with Max.

Blast from the Past: Third Eye Blind

Before we get started, let's just enter this into the record books as what happens when I blog after spending a desperate hour on an online dating site, drinking two glasses of merlot, and deciding it was a good idea to put my fake glasses on and pretend that Im indie. Trust me, merlot and email don't mix, so I am proofreading this entry very carefully.

Blast from the Past: Third Eye Blind!

Remember circa 1997 when you were in circa middle school and this was a band that you could listen to which was mainstream accessible but you still felt like you had a lil rock street cred? That's what 3eb is to me. They broke when I was in 7th grade and I totes copped that shit, meaning their self-titled debut album. Okay, so did a lot of people, but I actually listened to the whole thing and not just "Semi Charmed Life". To this day I can still sing a majority of the album from memory including the sped-up extra-extended bridge in the aforementioned song. Cudos to me. Memories I have of this album include everyone thinking they were so cool and indie for listening to "Jumper", and also "Graduate" playing in The Real World: Seattle while they were white water rafting or something like that. Actually, pretty much 90% of this album made it into that season of The Real World in some form or another. It was just kinda the defining sound of that time. 3eb's second album Blue was also pretty kick A.

Years later, 3eb would play a free show at my college's University Weekend. Everybody went and relished in how much they used to love this band, yet most people only knew two songs. My friend Alex would stare at me in amazement as I sang along with most of the concert, and I would explain that's just how I rolled back in the day. And then another four years later in 2009 I would randomly decide to constantly spin their entire catalogue on my ipod and love every minute of it. With bands from the same era like No Doubt and Sugar Ray reuniting I guess it just feels so gooood. Plus, I never realized it but I guess Stephan Jenkins is kind of a hottie. Yah, I'd tap that....but probably get The Herp in the process.

You know it's almost summer when the sangria comes out, part deux

SouthWest NY
Financial District
225 Liberty Street (in Two World Financial Center)
New York, NY 10281
212-945-0528
www.southwestny.com

Financiers and Mid-Town types alike flock to SouthWest's outdoor patio for after work drinks and stay through nightfall, and for good reason. SouthWest provides the best of a lively happy hour vibe with the right touch of class. Though in the heart of depressing investment banker-land, this bar/restaurant draws a younger and less stuffy crowd than one may expect. SouthWest boasts an impressive selection of margaritas, but I'm most impressed with their white wine sangria which is the perfect refreshing summer drink and cheap at only $6 per glass! Grab one and relax river-side at a table, or join the crowd at the outdoor mini-bar. The food menu is also quite comprehensive (and actually not at all southwestern...whatever made you think it was?) with everything from apps to fresh fish. While my friends munched on SouthWest's creative salads, I opted to look like a fat-ass in front of the cute waiter and order a burger. But that's okay because it was delicious, the wind was blowing in my hair, and it's summer so I can do whatever I want! And you know what, even in the winter the indoor component of SouthWest is still pretty damn cool.
Rating: 4 stars

Live Blogging: American Idol

8:02pm - So Ryan tells us there's been some dramz on set this week with things collapsing and shit, so I say they just make American Idol: The Action Movie. Damn good marketing ploy if I ever saw one. Also, the contestants will be doing duets tonight which should be nice and shiteous.

8:06pm - Slash is our mentor. Has anyone ever seen his eyes, for reals? He's a shady one if you ask me.

8:08pm - The god of eyeliner and glitter is debuting yet another new hair-cut and another fierce makeup look. And some man-cleve! I hate to admit it, but though Adam claims this was his favorite theme week, his performance is kind of boring me. Awesome obvi, but more expected and safe than previous weeks.

8:10pm - Kara took it upon herself to play dress-up for the theme this week wearing a studded leather jacket and some sort of slicked back glam-rock hairdo. Even the contestants got the memo that theme weeks don't mean we play dress-up...unless the producers make us. The judges loved Adam's performance, obvi. He's so pretttttty

8:17pm - This week, Allison went with Adam to his "hair girl" of over two years. Why does it not surprise me that Adam has a hair girl? Def an improvement on the look for Allison. Learn from the master, bitches!

8:19pm - So we know she can sing or whatevs, but something just sounds off about Allison's voice this week.

8:21pm - Simon suggests that Allison should have sang Queen's "Somebody to Love". Blank look on face, Allison has clearly never heard of this song. Unacceptable, she is offic dead in my book.

8:28pm - Oh goody, here's one of the promised inagural duets between Kris and Danny! It's that "Renegade" song by Styx that I always try to sing but never know the words. I can't understand them any better the way The Gokster sings them either. Nor have I ever seen such a lack of chemistry between two people on stage. So are we supposed to be judging them on this ish?

8:31pm - It seems that the judges are just as confused as I am. That's refreshing.

8:37pm - Man Candy Allen is doing "Come Together" by the Beatles. This can't possibly turn out well...

8:40pm - I believe Simon used this analogy once before, but Kris's performance was like a kitten trying to be a tiger. Gold star if anyone can find the reference. May have been Kellie Pickler.

8:42pm - Instead Simon goes with a new analogy, that the performance was like eating ice for lunch, it leaves one with nothing to remember afterwards. I say eating ice for lunch makes you skinnyyyyy. The judges pretty much agree it was bad.

8:43pm - The Gokey singing "Dream On" also cannot possibly turn out well. Stay tuned.

8:49pm - Yeahhhhh, that was just terrible. I'm also going to retract my statement about not playing dress-up. Yes, you shouldn't necessarily dress the theme, but it also doesn't work if you're singing Aerosmith while dressed like a second grade teacher, DANNY GOKEY.

8:52pm - So the judges pretty much agree that Gokey sucked, but they try to cover it to save him because the producers told them to. I'd also like to take this (and every) opportunity to point out what a moron Kara is by recommending that Gokey stick to more "early Aerosmith" like "Cryin" and "Crazy", which were released in 1993 and 1994 respectively. When was "Dream On" released? Oh yah, 1976. Booyah. Dumb bitch.

8:59pm - Now it's Adam and Allison's turn to embarrass themselves in a duet, and the god of emo is giving us what we really want by wearing tight spandex pants that show off his...less than impressive package. Not that I'll ever get to tap that. Damn. This performance was hot though dog.

9:00pm - We runneth over time again, but the bottom 2 are def going to be Man Candy and Allison because Adam is a rock god as the judges reminded us enough times tonight, and the producers will never let Hokey in the bottom. Ever. Me thinks that like Megan Cockery before him, pretty can't keep Kris Allen here any longer.

My 15 minutes

Guess who guest-blogged about The Hills for Gawker?

Give my regards to Broadway, they clearly need them

The nominations for the 2009 Tony Awards were announced today and while they were pretty much what you'd expect with Billy Elliot leading the pack, there was one choice which made me question the credibility of whoever chose these nominations. It also made me sad for the state of the Great White Way in general if pickins really are this slim.

Constantine Maroulis was nominated for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical for Rock of Ages. I didn't even know we were taking this show seriously as a Broadway musi-cal. Need I mention that Constantine is a washed-up American Idol 6th place winner from four years ago? I'll admit that once upon a time I was enchanted by his flowing locks, melodic voice and famous smoldering stares, but I didn't think that ish could cut it on Broadway! Clearly I was wrong. But even I have grown up and realized that Constantine is a greasy douche bag, so why haven't the people whose opinions really matter?

Also, noticeably absent from the Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play nominations was Harry Potter's penis. Clearly this is an oversight. That lil guy did a damn good job. I guess compared to Constantine even a legitimate penis isn't enough of a dick to get a Tony nomination. Sad.

Hereeeeee comessssss Spunky!

If you actually get the reference in the subject line you can be my new BFF.

The Kentucky Derby is tomorrow and I'm pretty damn excited. I've been going to race tracks and casinos with my family since I was a wee girl so I feel these kind of events in my blood. Plus, the Derby combines three of my loves: betting on the ponies, fashion, and drinking.

I don't know for sure who I'm betting on yet, but I love gambling and tend to enjoy betting on the underdog, or at least not the top dog. Or rather, top horse, but don't discount betting on the greyhounds too. The front runner seems to be I Want Revenge with 3-1 odds. Though I actually find him (her?) appealing, I'm probably gonna put my betting dollars elsewhere in hopes of more cha-ching, and because I never think the front runner is actually gonna win. Friesan Fire is lookin pretty decent, but I think I may go with Dunkirk at 4-1. Based just on names, I like Regal Ransom, he sounds like kind of a pimp. However, I really wish they put pictures of the horses with their stats on the Kentucky Derby website. I'm seriously supposed to make a good decision without seeing a headshot? C'mon people!

Someday I totally plan on going to the Derby and rocking a killer hat. This tradition has been around forever and I love it. We should look fierce when we're gambling our money away! It's also always fun to watch the pre-race Derby coverage with the celeb red carpet. Love the fact that celebs come together and get their horse race on for one day per year. Horse races are also a great excuse to get wasted in the middle of the afternoon, and who doesn't love that? The signature drink of the Derby has always been the Mint Julep, and today I had a great Black Raspberry Julep from Belvedere Vodka. Totes got me in the mood for summer and some Derby action.

Fingers crossed for Dunkirk for me, let's get this shindig started!