What even is irony anymore?

If you went out at 3 this morning and pushed other humans out of the way in order to get a $400 TV for $250, you might be a terrible person.

But at least you're not as terrible as the person who spends $1,230 for this:

It's official: ironic ugly Christmas sweaters are out, and non-ironic ugly Christmas sweaters are in. If you're taking fashion advice from this lady, that is:

And you know who IS taking fashion advice from the woman dressed like a grandpa in 1970? Oh, nobody really... just the international fashion community.

God help us. And Merry Christmas.

GIFs for Every Occasion

I hope you enjoyed your turkey and your pie and your football and had a really wonderful Thanksgiving!

Before you get all ?!? on me, allow me to explain. I didn't just throw that in there to make you feel uncomfortable (that's just a bonus.)

Last week Oxford Dictionaries declared "GIF" the word of 2012. On its surface this seems like an odd choice, because GIFs, which compress multiple frames into moving image files like the terrifying TurKramer above, have been around since the late 80s, but this selection points not to the image type itself but to the way the word has changed to suggest more. In the past year they have risen to prominence as a particular form of online content fueled largely by Tumblrs that repurpose GIFs from familiar movies, TV shows, and memes by adding clever captions.

Clearly we're living in an age of visual communication and connection--look no further than the rise of Instagram if you need convincing of this. But where Instagrams are about our individual experience, GIFs are about our shared experience.

For better or for worse, pop culture quotes are the cultural currency we carry largely because they are the common experience we share. The better: they provide a shorthand that instantly increases the level of connection and humor by not just delivering a punchline (or perhaps even just a statement that on its own would not be funny) but also connecting it to the hilarity of its original source. The worse: they can alienate those who aren't familiar with the original source. Take the turkey/human image above--by posting it I am counting on the fact that you're familiar with Seinfeld, the popular American sitcom that aired on NBC from 1989-1998. If you're not, the image makes no sense and might be more than a little bit disturbing. You have to know your audience. For this reason GIFs seem to thrive most in communities centered around a specific experience (living in Chicago, singleness, or being a 20something in 2012).

As someone who frequently converses in TV and movie quotes, GIFs provide a perfect vehicle for expressing what is going on in my brain. I have had entire Gmail threads composed of nothing but GIFs. There is little that is more satisfying than finding the perfect GIF for a situation. Allow me to demonstrate.

Let's say, for example, someone posted something of which I am envious. I might post this GIF:

How about I do something awesome and want people to know how great I feel about it? I might share this little number: 

If I'm really excited about something, it's simple:

When it comes to a party, the choice is obvious:

Maybe I'm shocked by something? BOOM:

Or perhaps you just want to prove to someone how much Bill Cosby embodies the spirit of Jello: 

Less universal, sure, but unexpected and sure to bring a smile to even the most resolute GIF haters.

Ready to get out their and strut your stuff? Why not tell the world?

If you're feeling incredibly ambitious you could even double your impact by combining a meme with a GIF, like such:

So I guess what I'm saying is this: we're living in a golden age of GIFs. Embrace it. And learn the joy of a perfectly placed GIF. 

And please, please share your favorite GIFs in the comments. 

It's over, Twihards.

Friends, it’s over.

Every Twilight book has been released, and now, after four agonizing years, the movies are all out.

You may never have to see Taylor Lautner’s face again!

This week, I went to see the final installment of the Twilight series, called Breaking Dawn. It's called Breaking Dawn, because... who knows.... Stephenie Meyers was drinking a lot of wine coolers when she wrote it? I was hoping to merely be somewhat entertained, but what I found surprised me: I actually enjoyed this movie. And it was funny! I laughed out loud several times, although I’m not sure if that was what the filmmaker intended.

So in honor of the end of this great/terrible franchise, here are 20 random thoughts on the film:

1. Kristen Stewart is a truly horrible actress.

2.  Robert Pattinson may be an even worse actor.

3. Taylor Lautner, though… not bad. Not distractingly bad.

4. Jeff Daniels looks awful.

5. Robyn looks… different. 

6.Wait, is this a porno? 

7. I know a lot of people who have had babies recently, and so far, I haven’t heard of a single Renesmee, so I have a lot of hope for our generation. Although at this point, I think it might prefer Renesmee over all the Jaydens.

8. A group of high school girls in our theater had already seen the movie multiple times, so maybe I don’t have as much hope for this generation as I thought.

9. Until the end of this movie, I didn’t think vampires could die??? What?? Did I make that up, or did Stephenie Meyers just change that piece of vampire lore? I'm so confused!

10. You kill them by ripping their heads off? Whaaaaaat is happening?

11. Objectively, Ashley Greene’s haircut is awful, but for some reason, I think it looks really good on her:

12. Kellen Lutz, sit down, buddy. We need to talk about something. Now that these movies are over, you have a plan B career, right? 

13. The head of the Volturi (not even looking up the correct spelling of that) is played by Michael Sheen, and I’m sorry, that doesn't work for me. I'd be afraid of him if he played a troubled nerd who goes to girls' houses to fix their computers but then knocks them out and chops their bodies into pieces (sorry, I've been watching too much Dexter), but I just can't be afraid of him in this role, wearing a long cape and everything.

14. Don’t these movies make a bajillion dollars? Can’t they hire someone to do a better opening sequence?

15. Dream sequences are lazy filmmaking. LAZY.

16. If that dream sequence was actually in the book (I wouldn't know), then Stephenie Meyers is lazy.

17. Kristen Stewart spent the entire film without pants on. That girl loves her leggings.

18. By far, the best part of the movie was Renesmee riding around on Jacob’s (as a werewolf) back with her Jansport backpack on. But then, the worst part of the movie was finding out THEY END UP TOGETHER GROSS WTF STEPHENIE MEYER.

19. Stephenie Meyers is a monster.

20. Now that this series is over, it’s time for more of this!

Katy Perry Made Me Do It

If Aaron Paul told you to do something, you'd do it, right?

What about Katy Perry?

What about ME?!

As a wannabe "music person," I really love recommending music with my friends or really anyone who asks (and then subsequently feeling hurt and dejected when their Spotify feed makes it clear they have ignored my thoughtfully selected suggestions).

But the art of music recommendation is subtle and delicate. To do it effectively, you have to ask some questions to figure out what, exactly, the potential listener is looking for. What he or she likes, what kind of vibe they are looking for, etc.
It's difficult to make universal recommendations. But sometimes...sometimes a band is just too good. Sometimes you know that they can't help but be beloved by all whose ears they touch.

Here are two such bands. They have been endorsed by the likes of not only me, but also Aaron Paul (super cool, super studly co-star of Breaking Bad) and Katy Perry (just go with me). And BONUS: neither has released a full album, so you can totally impress your friends with your knowledge of obscure music.

Years & Years
This is a love story borne of our digital age. But for Twitter I never would have heard of Years & Years, or at least not before they released a full album. Aaron Paul, aka Jesse from Breaking Bad, tweeted a link to the video below, saying “Saw this band last night in London town and was blown away.”

My first instinct as the video played: these guys are having fun. Years & Years classifies themselves as indie-electro-pop; I would say their music combines the joyful fun of Passion Pit with the electronic swirls of Beach House. As the song goes on, the driving beat airs out with each repetition of the chorus and the performance evolves into a jumping-around-in-confetti dance party, which may be the very best kind of dance party there is.

These guys have been around since 2010 but just released their first 2-song EP to Spotify today. (I may or may not have checked on this every day for the last month.) I couldn’t find any verifiable ages for the five guys that make up the band but by the looks of the video they are young dudes. With the help of Aaron Paul these Londoners have broken into the American scene before releasing an album, and I for anxiously await their next move.

Years & Years - “I Wish I Knew”


Haim
My relationship with Haim was not love at first listen. They were a midday band (aka get drinks-and-food time) at Mumford & Sons’ Gentlemen of the Road Stopover in Dixon but, because one person in my group had heard them before and was excited to check them out live, I found myself front and center for their set. All I knew about them is that they were “a girl band” and that their name was confusing. (It rhymes with ‘time.’) That they started the show off so intensely--just the three of them, sisters Alana, Este, and Danielle (ages 20, 23, and 26), banging on drums--for some reason really caught me off guard. I thought they were angry and honestly, a little bit scary. But after a few songs I started realizing how refreshing it was to see girls who aren’t afraid to be so intense. For some reason I had come to expect female musicians to be gentle singer-songwriters. I had forgotten they have every right to rock just as hard as their male counterparts.

The sisters of Haim are on the cusp of a pretty exciting career, in my opinion. They have released an EP that, in the last few weeks and months, has earned them attention from not only Mumford & Sons but Stereogum, The New York Times, and Katy Perry. Actually, Katy Perry tweeting about them makes me question my musical taste--but hey, the Beatles were popular, and also Aaron Paul tweeting about my other band more than balances it out. Did you know he met his fiancee at Coachella? Fun fact.

But back to Haim, who, Katy Perry or not, are unquestionably awesome. And they are just setting out on their own: they announced that the Dixon show was their first without parents present!

Haim - “Go Slow (Acoustic)”


Continue past the jump for a Spotify playlist of both bands' intro EPs!

Such a betty.

Lately, I've been seeing a lot of outfits and styles that are straight outta the 90s. And that is how you officially know you're old... when you remember wearing something the first time it was popular. Like, this weekend, I saw these pants at Target. And then I laughed out loud and said, "these are not real," and walked away.



Hmm... where have I seen those before? Oh right, I know... here:



Recently, on some of the very serious websites I frequent (super serious... with news and whatnot), I've seen pictures of celebrities wearing clothes that legitimately may have actually been made in the 90s. And you know what? They looked amazing. Because you know what? Women in the 90s looked good. I mean,

really, they did.

Don't agree?



Cindy Crawford begs to differ.

Bam. Can't argue with that.

Anyway, the 90s are back, and women of 2012 aren't even really attempting to hide the fact that they're in full-on 90s mode.

For example, Jennifer Aniston recently wore Brenda and Kelly's prom dress from 1993.

Jennifer Aniston at an event... in BEVERLY HILLS (are you kidding me, Jennifer...)

Brenda and Kelly bitch-facing it up. They are not amused, Jennifer.

Or Rihanna, wearing literally the exact dress Cher wore in Clueless almost 20 years ago. 



Let's see, Rhi-rhi... matching the dress color to the lipstick to the strappy sandles. This is Cher territory.



Floral jeans, big bows, Calvin Klein strappy dresses... which 90s trend will come back next? What do you think, Hillary?

Nora.

You guys. I'm sorry. I have not posted in forever. I just started a new job, plus it's gorgeous outside and I never want to be inside (unless it's to watch many, many episodes of Breaking Bad in a row), so, that's that.

But this week, something earth-shattering happened, and it affected me so deeply that I absolutely had to write something. And no, it's not about healthcare reform (although, if you care, I am starting my own political party called "This shouldn't be so complicated" and I'll be on the ballot in 2024).

Nora Ephron, writer of my two favorite movies of all time, passed away this week.

I just saw this on Slaughterhouse 90210 and it almost made me cry, because I love her and I love that show and it's all just so sweet and lovely and funny and real: http://slaughterhouse90210.tumblr.com/post/25999118230/i-married-him-against-all-evidence-i-married-him

I'm not really what you would call a movie-loving person, but I swear, I have seen When Harry Met Sally so many times that I've lost count. More than any other movie (except maybe Double Jeopardy, but let's not dwell on that point...).

When Harry Met Sally speaks to me so much. It taught me that it's OK to be a little neurotic and stubborn and picky. But not to be too neurotic, stubborn and picky. And to let someone else see the most neurotic, stubborn and picky parts about you - but to also be open to letting them change those things.

I think the reason I love this movie is because, at the end of most romcoms, you might think that the ending was really cute but you probably don't have much confidence in where that romance is ultimately going. (like, don't you want to see the sequel to "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" called "How to Lose a Husband in 10 Years"? Honestly, I kind of do.)

But in this movie, at the end, you feel confident that these two are perfect for each other. And yes, they'll disagree about things and have problems and feel discouraged at times... but they love each other and share each other's values, and you know it's right. You just know, after Harry goes to see Sally on New Year's Eve. You know.

(and the vignettes with the old couples! the best!)

I will forever love and respect Nora for writing one of my favorite lines in all cinema history, which I loved so much that we put it on our wedding programs:



Has anyone ever summed up love more beautifully? I submit, no.

Nora, you were the best. This weekend, I will re-watch When Harry Met Sally for the hundredth time, in your honor.

Let's Play...Song of Summer 2012!

With only one week left until the official start of summer, everyone is scrambling to crown an official "song of the summer." Every year it happens: one song rises above the rest, reaches near-ubiquity on the radio, and provides the soundtrack to our road trips and pool mixes and parties even though we're kind of sick of it because, no matter how many times we hear it, it still reminds us of the best three months of the year and gosh darn it it's just so catchy.

I have only one, very strict, requirement for a summer jam: it's gotta make me want to dance. That's it. Whether it's on a dance floor or at a sunset rooftop parties or just wiggling in my chaise lounge while enjoying poolside cocktails, I wanna MOVE.

This summer's frontrunner has already begun distancing itself from the pack. This week "Call Me Maybe" finally reached the Number One status that had eluded for so long. I generally pride myself on knowing What' Up in music, but when I told my 8th grade girls about two months ago that I had heard this great new song they looked at me like I was an alien. Apparently it's already way over among the middle school set. So summer means my musical tastes revert to 8th grade? So be it. Anyway, when I finally DID jump on this glorious, glorious bandwagon, I literally listened to the song 20 times in one day. I went to the gym over lunch and pounded out 4 miles while listening to nothing but this song on repeat. And I came home that night and made a music video to it with Lauren. I don't care if you're the indiest indie that ever indied, YOU LOVE THIS SONG. Don't pretend like you're too good for it--I promise you you're not.

(A whole bunch more contenders after the jump...)