Austin360 blogs > Out & About > Archives > 2008 > April > 23
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Your A-List: Best Newcomer to the Retail Scene
American Apparel, taking Factory People’s hip slot on South Congress, came in second with 20 percent, while spanking new St. Bernard Sports on Third Street skiied to a distant third at 8 percent. Barney’s Co-Op — the more youthful version of my favorite department store — fitted up 7 percent for its Domain incarnation, while Marigold got 6 percent. A long list follows with 5 percent or less: Fit City Sports, La Luz, Peyton’s Place, Bombs Away, Finch, Lotus, Bag Girl, Bows and Arrows, David Yurman, Heather Scott Home Design, Sana, Wendow.
Write-ins: Goody Two Shoes, Parts & Labor
Photo: Marques Harper
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment Categories: Style, Your A-List
Your A-List: Best Place to Feel Like a Kid
Write-ins: Dave and Buster’s, Main Event
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment Categories: Fun, Your A-List
Madonna at Oilcan Harry’s May 1 — not at all likely
What happens when the Material Girl makes an uncharacteristic career misstep? She goes back to her roots: Clubs, dance music and the gay community. And, in this case, an Austin gay bar, where Madonna is rumored to make an appearance May 1.
“That’s where she started: In small clubs,” said Kevin Smothers, a publicist with Austin-based Elizabeth Christian & Associates Public Relations. “I’d be absolutely surprised if she actually showed up, since she hasn’t even played Texas since the Blonde Ambition tour in 1990. She pretty much avoids the South.”
Oilcan Harry’s owners could not be reached for comment, but a source close to the club say Madonna herself will make an appearance at a private function during the release party. Stars of similar magnitudes — Prince, Elton John — have played for private events in Austin during the past few years.
Why club in Texas when she can still fill arenas worldwide? The star, whose staying power is legendary, stumbled after an appearance at the Live Earth concert last July when she sang a heartfelt call to end global warming. Fox News revealed that her foundation was invested in Earth-unfriendly companies, and the BBC further bloodied her reputation by pointing out that, with multiple cars, homes and a touring retinue of almost 100 people, her carbon footprint was far from delicate. Bloggers descended, ripping into her reputation in a manner reminiscent of the media frenzy following Madonna’s infamous foul-mouthed, cigar-chomping interview on “The David Letterman Show” in 1994.
“I think because it’s so unusual and unexpected, she’ll get a lot of media buzz,” said Elaine Garza, owner of Giant Noise PR, which maintains offices in Austin and New York. “Everyone here will go crazy. If you go to a smaller market, the media is going blow it out even bigger. The LA media and New York media will go ‘oh my god, she performed in a small club in Austin.’ But after all, it is a music town.”
Photo: AP
Update 7 a.m. 4/24/08: Although the rumor had been circulating — fanned by Oilcan insiders — for days, nobody at the club would deny that Madonna would make an appearance there. Until now. Rob Faubion, editor of the trusted Shout magazine and recognized philanthropist, sent me this message after midnight: “Madonna is NOT coming to Oilcan Harry’s: I’m hosting the CD release party on May 1st - with copies of her new CD, but NOT Madonna herself. Yes - Elton John, Pet Shop Boys, Prince, etc. - have ‘dropped in’ to Oilcan’s during the past year. But Madonna will not be at the bar on on May 1st.”
OK, so we can all breathe. Except for a couple of nagging things: I still haven’t heard back from the owners of Oilcan’s, and my main source for the rumor — also very trusted, having tipped me about other celebrity appearances — said “we’ll find out tonight.” I would not be at all surprised if she was there then! Well, it’s been fun, right?
Update 3 p.m. 4/24/08: OCH co-owner Larry Davis called us from outside Victoria to say of the Madonna rumor — “I’d love nothing more, but I know nothing about her coming to Austin,” he said. “I find it pretty much impossible to believe.”
Despite this, we were still hearing a dull roar from Austin cogniscenti about Madonna’s people gathering in town tonight, or designers meeting with Madonna while she’s in town. Can’t stop a good rumor.
Permalink | Comments (24) | Post your comment Categories: Fame, Media, Music, Out
Subversive humor in ‘Harold & Kumar’ (SXSW)
Precedents exist: “The Simpsons,” “South Park” and “Beavis and Butthead” were, to varying degrees, considered irredeemably juvenile before their impact on social consciousness was recognized. This week’s cultural test faces a franchise launching its first sequel, “Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay,” which wouldn’t even exist if word of mouth about the “White Castle” DVD hadn’t convinced a generation or so that two Asian-Americans could easily embody American stoner sensibilities.
During the South by Southwest Film Festival, we sat down with the three stars — Kal Penn, John Cho and Neil Patrick Harris — at the Intercontinental Stephen F. Austin Hotel to discuss Asian exploitation films, political rhetoric and the sequel’s goofy charms.
“It’s not something that we intentionally try to do,” Harris said. “It’s intentional content, but it’s not intentional on our parts (as actors). It’s something that just does. It’s nice that we are able to appreciate the joke and play into it and value it. But there’s been no concerted effort (on our parts) to make a statement.”
“I’m proud of the fact that the movies work that way,” Penn said.
“It’s odd. Do you think it has something to do with: We attack it in a juvenile fashion because that’s what (prejudice) is?” Cho said. “There’s a traditionalism about getting up on a pedestal and saying ‘racism is bad,’ but to make potty jokes laced with commentary, maybe that’s the way to unseat these kinds of thoughts.”
“That’s super true,” Harris said. “Because if it were trying to be a really smart, intellectual communication about stereotypes, everybody would be really guarded.”
The three performers would love to discuss a third “Harold & Kumar,” which depends on how this low-budget, Shreveport-shot sequel does at the box office. Despite the financial constraints, the second movie comes off as more Hollywood, less indie, which the actors partly attribute to production designer Tony Fanning.
“The spirit of the adventure of the second makes it more grand, too,” Cho said. “It has more of a plot.”
“A third (movie) would be great because Jon and Hayden are so green, their progression has been slow,” Harris said of the team who directed the sequel themselves in order to save money. “I expect that a third film would be on par on the first two, but would be different. They care about the script and it shows. They were inspired to make it look and sound as good as it is.”
Photos by Jay Janner.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment Categories: Movies, SXSW
