On the Town with Miss Rosen

Sayonara Sweeties

2006-09-25T18:43:00.000-04:00

It's been a blast !! But with the impending launch of The powerHouse Arena, and our plans for 2007, I must bid adieu to this blog ..

Hope you can join us—in person—to celebrate the launch of The powerHouse Arena ..

powerHouse Books, VH1, and Brooklyn Bodega are pleased to announce

No Sleep ’til Brooklyn
A powerHouse Hip Hop Retrospective

Event Programming at The powerHouse Arena
During VH1 Hip Hop Honors Week: October 13–16, 2006

Exhibition Open Daily to the Public: October 13–November 19, 2006
No Sleep ’til Brooklyn: A powerHouse Hip Hop Retrospective
The powerHouse Arena, 37 Main Street, Brooklyn, New York 11201
For more information, please call 212-604-9074 x100

No Sleep ’til Brooklyn is a 30-year retrospective of hip hop culture documenting its humble beginnings in the South Bronx through its glorious rise to global domination. The group exhibition represents every element of hip hop—from the breakers, graffiti writers, emcees, and djs to the photographers, writers, personalities, and fans who have made hip hop the greatest single force in pop culture. But this is by no means a story of celebrity, fame, and mass-market names. As KRS-One said, “Rap is something you do, hip hop is something you live.” And so we dedicate No Sleep ’til Brooklyn to the people and to the streets, paying tribute to the founders, the innovators, and the next generation.

The show will feature works by artists including Charlie Ahearn, Janette Beckman, Peter Beste, Le Bijoutier, BLADE, Boogie, Martha Camarillo, Henry Chalfant, Vincent Cianni, CLAW Money, Joe Conzo, Martha Cooper, CYCLE, DAZE, Martin Dixon, DR.REVOLT, ©ELLIS G., Delphine Fawundu-Buford, Carol Friedman, William “NIC ONE” Green, JAMES TOP, Hamburger Eyes, Lisa Kahane, Brenda Kenneally, Brian Kenny, Seth Kushner, LADY PINK, Maripol, Slava Mogutin, NATO, Charles Peterson, Mark Peterson, Ricky Powell, QUIK, Lee Quinones, Carlos “MARE 139” Rodriguez, Randy “KEL 1ST” Rodriguez, Thomas Roma, RUEDIONE, Q. Sakamaki, Jamel Shabazz, STAY HIGH 149, Peter Sutherland, TEAM, TOOFLY, Craig Wetherby, Dondi White, David Wong, David Yellen, and a very special guest!

To preview the exhibition please visit: http://powerhousearena.com
Gallery Hours: M–F: 10am–7pm, Weekends: 11am–7pm

Friday, October 13, 2006, 6:00–10:00 pm
Film Screening: Hip Hop: By All Means Necessary
Hosted by Mass Appeal
Music by DJ Synapse (Beautiful/Decay, Good Peoples)
Tech equipment courtesy of Pioneer
Drinks courtesy of Brooklyn Brewery and FIJI Water
New York premier screening of the first documentary film by acclaimed photojournalist Brenda Kenneally.
The film is a graphic and gripping journey inside the rap game. Featuring the members of the MMO clique based in Brooklyn, including Big Trigg, Sha, Skinny Minnie, and Foogie, the film travels around the city and across the country to explore how young black youth are hustling hop hop as a way to make something of their lives. But this is by no means a sugar-coated story; the film opens with a young man killed by the police; it takes you on stage with Ol’ Dirty Bastard at one of his final performances; it shows life in the projects as they are lived. Hip Hop: By All Means Necessary includes appearances by Brooklyn’s own MMO clique; Bushwick Bill (Geto Boys), Kurupt (Tha Row), Ol’ Dirty Bastard (Wu Tang Clan), LA Confidential, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, Funkmaser Flex, and Kanye West, among many others.
Panel discussion featuring MMO clique members Big Trigg, Foogie, Sha, Skinny Minnie, and others to follow.

Saturday, October 14, 2006, 1:00–4:00 pm
Cookin’ Up Customs!
Hosted by femalesneakerfiend.com
Tech equipment courtesy of Pioneer
Join us for an all-girl sneaker customizing party giving females the chance to show off their skills or learn new ones at our Custom Clinic and Custom Competition. The party includes free Nikes for the first 25 customizers, free paints, DJ Nomadik from Boston’s Sole Kore, b-girl performances, award-winning sneaker displays and more… (Bring Your Own Kicks in case you miss the free ones!). The entrance fee is $5 at the door.

Femalesneakerfiend.com is the online community for women and girls who are passionate about their sneakers. This interactive site includes interviews, articles, sneaker art, surveys and photos, as well as forums with over 3000 members. Femalesneakerfiend.com has repped for the ladies on MTV-Canada, weeklydrop (podcast), Boston Globe, the Phoenix, Sneaker Freaker, Kicksclusive, Lace (Germany), hypebeast, highsnobiety, kixandthecity, ladykickz, coolhunting, and exhibitions such as Sneaker Pimps, International Sneaker Battles and Sole Collector/Niketown.

Saturday, October 14, 2006, 6:00–10:00 pm
The Fun’s Not Over Yet!
Hosted by vmagazine.com
Music by DJ Synapse (Beautiful/Decay, Good Peoples)
Tech equipment courtesy of Pioneer
Drinks courtesy of Brooklyn Brewery and FIJI Water.
Film Screening: Trailer for the upcoming documentary film Patti Astor’s FUN Gallery (RobertsDavid Films)
The world famous FUN Gallery was the epicenter of the early-80s East Village cultural explosion. The first gallery in that then-tenement neighborhood was founded in 1981 by underground film star Patti Astor and Bill Stelling. It showcased the works of artists such as Jean Michel Basquiat, Lee Quinones, Keith Haring, Dondi White, ZEPHYR, Kenny Sharf, FUTURA 2000, A ONE, FAB 5 Freddy, and DR.REVOLT. The gallery provided many artists with their first solo shows and introduced countless others to the established art world for the first time. In 1983 then–Citibank art advisor Jeffery Deitch stated in People magazine that the Fun Gallery was “one of the hottest galleries in the city.”

FUN! The True Story of Patti Astor, her first book, to be published by powerHouse Books, relates her escapades at that pioneering storefront space along with the unique FUN Gallery crew of graffiti artists, rock, rap, and movie stars, uptown collectors, scheming SoHo dealers, and neighborhood kids and hipsters.

The FUN Gallery panel will be moderated by Patti Astor and features some of the influential and original members of the FUN Crew:
• FAB 5 Freddy on the landmark coming together of uptown and downtown for which he was the chief ambassador.
• Diego Cortez, who curated the first "outlaw" art shows, Batman, Grutzi Elvis, and the groundbreaking New York New Wave on bringing this art to a larger audience.

Film Screening: Wild Style
For those craving the true roots of rap, Wild Style captured the hardcore South Bronx scene at its birth. The stars of Wild Style form the pantheon of hip hop’s pioneers: DJ’s Grand Master Flash, Grand Wizard Theodore, D.St.; rappers Grand Master Caz and The Cold Crush Bros, The Chief Rocker Busy Bee, Double Trouble, Fantastic Freaks and Rammelzee, and b-boy champions The Rock Steady Crew. Beat Music by legendary Blondie guitarist Chris Stein and Fred Brathwaite. Wild Style stars the legendary subway artist LEE Quinones and the queen of the graffiti scene, Sandra PINK Fabara. Graffiti Masters DONDI, ZEPHYR, and DAZE also bombed for the movie. Patti Astor stars as Virgiina, the downtown reporter who comes uptown to dig the scene. Fab 5 Freddy, who along with writer/producer/director Charlie Ahearn, helped create Wild Style, shines as the smooth hip hop impressario Phade. Wild Style follows the outlaw artists through the train yards to the rap/breakin’ clubs. The movie culminates at a massive outdoor jam, definitely the most famous hip hop party in history.

Sunday, October 15, 2006, 4:00–8:00pm
An Afternoon with Jamel Shabazz and Joe Conzo
Hosted by Wax Poetics
Music by Jamel Shabazz and Joe Conzo
Tech equipment courtesy of Pioneer
Drinks courtesy of FIJI Water
Since the 2001 publication of his first monograph Back in the Days, hip hop culture’s premier street photographer and documentarian Jamel Shabazz has inspired a new generation to learn their history and celebrate their heritage. Possessing a vibrant record of thirty years of urban culture, Shabazz is devoted to teaching documentary photography to the youth in various communities both here and abroad. Complementing his work is that of photographer Joe Conzo, who intimately captured the birth of hip-hop as it came up on the streets of the South Bronx. Conzo became the The Cold Crush Brother’s exclusive photographer, and also shot legendary groups including Treacherous 3, Fearless 4, and Fantastic 5 in famed venues such as The T-Connection, Harlem World, Ecstasy Garage and The Roxy. Committed to preserving the community and uplifting the people, Shabazz and Conzo will host an afternoon talk featuring a selection of the music that inspired their work, a slide show and lecture exploring their vast archives, host a Q&A session, and screen a trailer from the forthcoming documentary film 1 Love, on Shabazz, Conzo, and photographer Ernie Pannicoli.

Film Screening: From Mambo to Hip Hop
From Mambo to Hip Hop: A South Bronx Story, is an hour long documentary produced by City Lore, Inc. and directed by Henry Chalfant. The film presents a panoramic view of the music that blossomed in the latin community of the South Bronx from the late 1940’s when mambo burst onto the New York cultural scene through the birth of hip hop in the 1970s. The film chronicles two generations who grew up literally on the same streets, and both used rhythm as their forms of rebellion—for the older generation it was the pulsating rhythms of Cuba; for their children it was the rhythms of rap. The film, designed for public television and possibly theatrical release, aims to bring attention to the Bronx neighborhoods and communities who, with few resources, transformed the world’s pop culture. From Mambo to Hip Hop features: Ray Barretto, Benny Bonilla, Orlando Marin, Manny Oquendo, Willie Colon, Africa Bambaata, Charlie Chase, Fabel, Luis Chaluisan (El Extreme), Kid Freeze, Track II, Trace, Bom 5, Sandra Maria Esteves, Bobby Sanabria and more.

Monday, October 16, 2006, 4:00–7:00pm
Women in Hip Hop
Held in conjunction with Black Girls Rock
Hosted by Brooklyn Bodega
Music by DJ Synapse (Beautiful/Decay, Good Peoples)
Tech equipment courtesy of Pioneer
Drinks courtesy of Brooklyn Brewery and FIJI Water
All too often, women are overlooked, marginalized, or just flat out insulted in hip hop culture. This event is designed to give women their due while creating a forum for critical discussion and pro-active and positive approached to problem solving. Featuring a panel discussion with acclaimed female artists and writers, Women in Hip Hop will discuss the challenges they have faced as women setting out to make their mark in a traditionally male-dominated culture, providing both inspiration to young women and girls, as well as offering insight of their struggles with the men and boys with whom they work, love, and live. The event will also feature a performance from local Brooklyn songstress Maya Azucena, who most recently performed at the Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival, as well as a PSA from Black Girls Rock, and a multi-media presentation for We B*Girlz, the first book of female breakers around the world today by Martha Cooper and Nika Kramer.

The Women in Hip Hop Panel discussion will be moderated by powerHouse Book Publicity Director and No Sleep ‘til Brooklyn curator Miss Rosen and will feature a broad range of women whose work has influenced hip hop for the past three decades including:
• Patti Astor, co-founder of FUN Gallery
• Maya Azucena, Brooklyn-based songstress
• Janette Beckman, photographer of some of the most iconic album covers of the 80s
• Beverly Bond, Founder and President of Black Girls Rock
• Martha Cooper, legendary hip hop documentarian
• Delphine Fawundu-Buford, street photographer and portraitist
• LADY PINK, legendary graffiti writer and artist
• Joan Morgan, author of When Chickenheads Come Home to Roost
• TOOFLY, hot young urban muralist
• Violet, old-school b-girl and founder of KR3Ts

Short Film Screening: Redder than Red
Celebrated photographer Martha Cooper and writer Nika Kramer make their directorial debut with the story of Hanifa “Queen” Hudson, aka Bubbles, the pioneering female breakdancer who rose to fame in the early 80s with breakdance crew The B-Boys, via appearances on TV and in early hip hop films Electro Rock and Bombin. Widely acknowledged as the first female breaker to compete with men in the almost exclusively male, emerging hip hop culture, Bubbles remains an inspiration to b-girls all over the world. Bubbles became famous through a line in Electro Rock when the host says: “Check out the one in red—it’s a girl!” Combining vintage and recent footage, the film explores the life history of a talented, now-37-year-old, Jamaican-British girl who got caught up in the excitement of hip hop in the early 80s, attained a measure of fame, was virtually forgotten, but has recently re-entered the scene. In the intervening years, Bubbles married, had a son, divorced, and converted to Islam, changing her name to Hanifa. The film captures the excitement of the early days of hip hop as it arrived fresh from the Bronx to England in the 80s. The film’s highlight is a reunion of Bubbles’ crew, the B-Boys, in the local community center, where they dance together for the first time in nearly 20 years.

Tuesday, October 17, at 9pm ET/PT
VH1 Hip Hop Honors will honor Wu-Tang Clan, Afrika Bambaataa, Russell Simmons, MC Lyte, Rakim, Beastie Boys, and Eazy-E. The week of events kick off Thursday, October 12 and will run through Tuesday, October 17 at 9pm ET/PT, when viewers can tune in to VH1 and see Ice-T host the broadcast of the 3rd Annual Hip Hop Honors.

Founded in early 2006, Brooklyn Bodega is a collective of creative minds and Hip Hop heads who live and work in Brooklyn, NY. Producers of the Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival, www.brooklynbodega.com not only serves as the home-site for their live events, but a blog, weekly reviews, and general rants and raves. Brooklyn Bodega is a media sponsor for the Rakim Tour this September, and are producing their 5th Annual CMJ Showcase on October 31st at BB King's.

The Brooklyn Brewery was founded in 1987 by reporter Steve Hindy and banker Tom Potter to brew traditional beers of quality and character. Today, The Brooklyn Brewery is among America's top 40 breweries, and Brooklyn Lager is among the top draft beers in New York City. Our Brewery is open to the public Friday evenings from 6pm to 11pm and tours of the brewery are available Saturday from noon to 5pm. To find out what's going on at the Brewery check our website at brooklynbrewery.com

FIJI® Water, a natural artesian water bottled at the source in Viti Levu (Fiji islands), is the second largest imported still water brand in the United States. A product of one of the last virgin ecosystems on the planet, natural pressure forces FIJI Water out of its aquifer deep below the earth’s surface and into its iconic square bottles through a sealed delivery system free of human contact. FIJI Water is available in 330 ml (11.16 oz), 500 ml (16.91 oz), 1 L (33.81 oz) and 1.5 L (50.72 oz) servings at leading grocery and convenience chains, as well as select hotels, restaurants and gourmet shops. FIJI Water is also available for home delivery in the continental United States at http://www.fijiwater.com. FIJI Water received the United States Secretary of State’s 2004 Award for Corporate Excellence. It is the fastest-growing super-premium bottled water and has been top-rated in taste tests among bottled waters by Cook’s Illustrated Buying Guide, Men’s Health and others.

Getting Visuals

2006-09-23T12:25:00.000-04:00

"I mostly like old school cats," Ricky Powell told Urb magazine. "I love Jamel Shabazz's work. When he comes over and shows me stuff that hasn't been published, I start screaming like a lil' girl at the front row of a rock concert."

Happy New Year

2006-09-22T14:31:00.000-04:00

I am the most unbothered Jew you will ever meet—honey, Fran Drescher is my role model (I can do her laugh flawlessly, as well as a brilliant scene from "The Nanny" where her mother say, "Fran, I'm going to get plastic surgery," and Fran quacks, "What? Why?" so her mother explains, "I don't think Daddy finds me sexy anymore," so Fran replies, "What are you—crazy?" but her mother trumps all. "Will you look at this?" she asks and then flaps her upper arm in Fran's face, pinching the fleshy tricep with conviction.

Ahh, my people.

So while I go by Miss Rosen, I don't know a haggadah from a schmatta. Hell, I can't even spell Rosh Ha-whatever but I do know this: holidays are corny. Celebrating some date every year because a calendar says so is so uninteresting, I can't even get into it. But I love me some Rosh Ha-somethingorother because we got this much right on point. The New Year is in September. Fuck that January nonsense. Who wants to cheer the new year in the ice cold early winter? Not me, baby.

But September: yea. That's the best time of year. Summer blends into autumn, it's sunny yet crisp, you can wear anything except flip flops (put them away. Enough with the ashy feet, people). September is when everything begins again. And the best part about Rosh Ha-yeahyeah is that it's kept on another calendar, so it pops up on different days every year. I never know when it's coming, and then everyone says, Happy New Year and I'm like, "Mamala, you should make a nice shrimp dish."

Enjoy !!

and then it all made sense

2006-09-21T14:30:00.000-04:00

"I am on the cutting-edge of retro," I said in passing to Vittoria.

Madness !!

2006-09-21T14:03:00.000-04:00

Have I told you about my beautiful padded cell with a view of the Brooklyn Bridge ? Divine !!

It is T-minus too few days til the launch of No Sleep 'til Brooklyn and I have just signed up a new event on October 14 with femalesneakerfiend.com called Cookin’ Up Customs!—an all-girl sneaker customizing party giving females the chance to show off their skills or learn new ones at our Custom Clinic and Custom Competition. The party includes free Nikes for the first 25 customizers, free paints, DJ Nomadik from Boston’s Sole Kore, b-girl performances, award-winning sneaker displays and more… (Bring Your Own Kicks in case you miss the free ones!). The entrance fee is $5 at the door. Event is from 1-4pm.

I Miss You Much

2006-09-15T15:32:00.000-04:00

I miss fat Janet. Well not fat like her 2005 Weeble Wobble look, but chunky mama from the Black Cat video. The big thighs in black stretch denim of Rhythm Nation 1814. You could look at her and think, Yea, I look good.

It's like the old Madonna, I mean the early Madonna. When she was a lil luscious in denim and lace. Not this new vision of scary old lady in spandex with ancient hands and a sagging neck. It's a lil frightening to see people get skinny when they're older. A lil fat works better than Botox any day.

Anyway, that was not my point. As though I ever have one. No, I was thinking my GOD, I never blog anymore. It's as Leslie Lyons just told me, "Sorry, I don't keep up with you blog," to which I replied, "I don't either." And then I felt terrible. Because I am a Virgo (happy birthday meee) and I am here to serve. Do you know how disturbing that is?

It's like when I was 7 and I was at a Chinese restaurant in Fort Lauderdale with my grandparents, the Fort Lauderdale Rosens, formerly of Merrick, Long Island. I was at this restaurant reading the placemat. And the placemat was the Chinese horoscope. And I looked up the year of my birth — scrolling past the fabulous Dragon and the slinky Tiger and the fun loving Monkey and found out that I was .. AN OX ..

Turns out, it is true. I am an OX. And I don't mean in these stretch jeans although I don't know, they aren't as flattering as I'd like. No I mean in this office. It's T-minus one month and counting to the launch of No Sleep 'til Brooklyn, a 50 artist exhibition featuring 5 nights of events back to back, and I am thinking, I haven't kept up my blog.

I wanted to insert a MOOO here and then realized, Oxes don't MOOO. What do they do?

this is just WEIRD

2006-09-01T13:55:00.000-04:00

when I first began planning the launch for No Sleep ’til Brooklyn: A powerHouse Hip Hop Retrospective, the inaugural exhibition and event Series at The powerHouse Arena to Celebrate VH1 Hip Hop Honors Week 2006, I was thinking .. We gotta get a hot DJ !! and the first name that popped into my mind was RED ALERT ..

can't nobody rock a party like he do .. I was at this Puma thing last year and he got on the turntable and next thing you know I am dancing to Snap talkin bout "I Got the Power!" and I'm like, "Yeaaaaaa I love this song" (how embarrassing and yet you know I kept dancing !!) ..Cause that's what Red does—he gets you so damn open he could put on some jam you'd rather forget and have you talkin bout "Stop! Hammer Time !!" .. Not that I'm ready to rock out to Hammer but with Red, anything is possible ..

So I was thinking Red Red Red Red Must Have Red .. I'd do things like write his name down in my notes, you know, as though I was really gonna call him up and be like "hey baby I ain't got no budget" .. In my head, I was convinced, there wasn't nobody else who could do this event ..

But I was at a loss .. I didn't have no DJ, and what was worse, I didn't have no clue .. I was feeling a lil lame, like "ahh shit I'm doin this big ass hip hop party and I ain't got n DJ" so I started to ask people for recommendations but nothin was comin together until ..

VH1 called me .. Told me Power 105.1 wanted to get down .. Called up the lovely Miss Sonia Jimenez to ask howw we could work together and she said, "Would you like Red Alert to DJ?"

Thursday, October 12, 2006
Opening Reception: 7:00–10:00 PM

Featuring Power 105.1’s
Kool DJ Red Alert on the 1’s and 2’s
Additional music by DJ Just Blaze

The powerHouse Arena
37 Main Street, Brooklyn, New York 11201

This is a ticketed event.
Tickets are $25. To purchase please contact 212-604-9074 x100
A portion of the ticket sales will benefit the VH1 Save The Music Foundation’s work to restore instrumental music programs in NYC public schools.

Drinks courtesy of Brooklyn Brewery and FIJI Water

Rude is the New Black

2006-08-31T17:36:00.000-04:00

I wish I were like Dave Choe, who has embraced the haters by including his favorite insults as part of his book project .. If only I could revel in receiving a message from an editor I have never met stating:

You've pretty much trained me not to look at your release, which are too plentiful and almost never relevant. Please take me off of your mailing list.

I wonder why he used the word "please" .......

the eye of truth

2006-08-30T17:24:00.000-04:00

so you know with everything I am up to these days I should be headed for a nervous breakdown but I am calmer, cooler, and more collected than I have ever been in my life which makes me wonder—why the hell did I used to freak out over every last lil thing ? I mean, I've always been a busy lil bunny, but I am doing about five times as much as I ever did, and yet here I am chill like a popsicle ..

okay, that's not totally true .. it seems that in place of my previous spazz attacks, my body has developed strange ways of manifesting stress .. instead of yelling and stomping and smoking weed, I now get strange symptoms like .. stress foot .. yes, you heard me, stress foot .. my feet alternately hurt in the most weird way—the top gets tense, it might come on suddenly, last for a day, then disappear like nothing .. then two weeks later it's back for a couple of hours on the other foot .. I mean, it's weird, it's annyoing, but it's not like anyone knows I've got stress foot ..

but now, aii, I have this new thing: the twitchy eye .. that's not a good look .. ever since Monday my eye has been twitching whenever I say something that bothers me on some unconscious level .. now this is not cute because I am paranoid people can see it .. it's been settling down a bit, fortunately, and now feels more like a hum than a twitch .. nevertheless it is the weirdest thing to have my body react negatively to the words I am saying ..

strange how your unconscious mind has these powers to move your body in ways that your conscious mind cannot control ..

Superfriends

2006-08-25T17:08:00.000-04:00

so I was with friends asking them if they remember the Superfriends cartoon and the answer was a resounding No. One girl was from Berlin, another Amsterdam, and Miss Yonkers was too young to have caught it. So here I am, the only one with a reference to the Hall of Justice, carrying on about how cool it was for Wonder Woman to team up with Aquaman or some shit when one of them said, "What if we were superheroes?"

I think it was Miss Amsterdam. She continued, "I could wear a leopard cat suit and have long nails like Wolverwine!" ('cause she gets em done by Chinese girls at the local nail shop).

Then Miss Yonkers said, "And I would be the one who breaks everything!" ('cause she flies into walls).

And Miss Berlin said, "And I could be the one that's like, 'umm maybe I don't go. I'm scared my cape won't work.'"

And I was like, "Hmm .. I would just narrate the whole thing: Here comes Miss Amsterdam, she's got the look but none of the power. And, wait, is that Miss Yonkers on crutches? I think it is. But where is Miss Berlin? Has anyone seen her? What? Under the table in the broom closet back at the Hall of Justice?"

Not quite the way I remember the show but fuck it, I ain't got no invisible jet, no magic lasso, no—what was it—a boomerang headband?

But you better believe I can talk em into complete and total submission.

No Sleep 'til Brooklyn

2006-08-24T14:29:00.000-04:00

It's an Exhibition (The powerHouse Arena, 37 Main Street, Brooklyn: October 13–November 19, 2006)
It's an Event Series (The powerHouse Arena, October 13–16, 2006)
It's a Magazine (available October 2006)
It's all that and a bag of chips.
Except .. I don't eat chips.
So hmm .. It's all that and a bag of cherries.
For real ..

Photo by Boogie

Mmm Love to Hate You Baby ..

2006-08-18T11:19:00.000-04:00

I have always wondered about why people love to hate on others, particularly when they make a point of putting it in print. They say there is no such things as bad press and perhaps this is true—if all you care about is getting your name out there.

But this should not detract from the fact that haters sit at keyboards and espouse their indignation at—at what? At others efforts to do something they love? To show their readers their inherent superiority over both the subject at hand and their readers' ability to assess the situation for themselves? Is hating on others a way to distract themselves from a distinctly foul odor that lurks close under their own nose?

One might say, if you dish it out you should take it. And that's where I draw the line. I don't dish it out in print (and rarely in person). I make it a point of honor not to spread negativity. By this I am not saying I kiss ass. Far from it. If I ain't feelin' it, I don't see it. It's hard to be shady when you don't exist.

And so to those who have taken it upon themselves to "critique" our collective efforts to bring forth something that celebrates and honors a culture that we love, know this: Hate comes from hate. Your disgust/disappointment/disdain only advertises your own. It's apparent. Transparent. And sad.

If ya missed it ..

2006-08-17T17:48:00.000-04:00

.. my moms didn't ..

We B*Girlz at Lincoln Center Out of Doors

Rowdy representing London. Flowzaic ladies rocked it !!

Rokafella !! you know that shoulder shimmy shimmy y'all ..

KR3Ts !! Spanish Harlem in the House !!

you know what it feels like to walk on the Plaza at Lincoln Center and see a big ass banner that says WE B*GIRLZ (done by Lady Pink, Toofly and Muck and made possible by Deitch Projects) ..

You don't. I know. I'll tell you.

I went to high school across the street from Lincoln Center. Every day we'd be walking through the complex—underground from the train, up the stairs to smoke cigarettes and hang out til we figured out where we were going, across the Plaza if we wanted to go to Roy Rogers and order fries and smoke more cigarettes and pour salt on ice cubes and watch them dissolve while throwing pickles on the mural of the southwest on the wall and watched them stick, fossilize, and eventually disappear. We graduated with a ceremony at Avery Fisher Hall. Billy Dee Williams was the guest speaker. He stumbled through his speech. He sounded drunk. Some girls jumped up and started singing, "Colt 45. Malt liquor. Colt 45 is the dynamite taste."

Every day for four years, four weirdass high-school years in Manhattan in the late 80s, I was at Lincoln Center and never once did I think I would be at Lincoln Center in any other capacity. Over the past 15 years (ahahaha eek !!) I have had cause to venture back. An opera here. An opera there. But not enough to really make an impact. Not like the first time I bought Public Enemy's Fear of a Black Planet at Tower Records and sat by that pool outside the Vivien Beaumont, listening to it on my walkman ..

So here I am, 25, 15 years later thinking, Well goddamn. Ain't life grand ..

Rock on til the Break of Dawn

2006-08-17T10:57:00.000-04:00

No Sleep ’til Brooklyn
A powerHouse Hip Hop Retrospective

Event Programming During VH1 Hip Hop Honors Week: October 13–16, 2006

The powerHouse Arena, 37 Main Street, Brooklyn, New York 11201
For more information, please call 212-604-9074 x100

Exhibition Open Daily to the Public: October 13–November 19, 2006
No Sleep ’til Brooklyn is a 30-year retrospective of hip-hop culture documenting its humble beginnings in the South Bronx through its glorious rise to global domination. The group exhibition represents every element of hip hop—from the breakers, graffiti writers, emcees, and djs to the photographers, writers, personalities, and fans who have made hip hop the greatest single force in pop culture. But this is by no means a story of celebrity, fame, and mass-market names. As KRS-One said, “Rap is something you do, hip hop is something you live.” And so we dedicate No Sleep ’til Brooklyn to the people and to the streets, paying tribute to the founders, the innovators, and the next generation.

The show will feature works by artists including Bob Adelman, Charlie Ahearn, Patti Astor, Janette Beckman, Peter Beste, Le Bijoutier, BLADE, Boogie, Martha Camarillo, Henry Chalfant, Vincent Cianni, Claw Money, CYCLE, Martha Cooper, DAZE, Martin Dixon, DR.REVOLT, ELLIS G., Delphine Fawundu-Buford, Carol Friedman, Ruediger Glatz, Hamburger Eyes, Lisa Kahane, Brenda Kenneally, Brian Kenny, Seth Kushner, LADY PINK, Maripol, NATO, Charles Peterson, Mark Peterson, Ricky Powell, QUIK, Lee Quinones, Carlos “MARE 139” Rodriguez, Joseph Rodriguez, Randy “KEL 1st” Rodriguez, Thomas Roma, Jamel Shabazz, STAY HIGH 149, Peter Sutherland, TEAM, TOOFLY, Craig Wetherby, David Wong, and David Yellen.

Friday, October 13, 2006, 6:00–10:00 pm
Hip Hop: By All Means Necessary
New York premier screening of the first documentary film by acclaimed photojournalist Brenda Kenneally
The film is a graphic and gripping journey inside the rap game. Featuring the members of the MMO clique based in Brooklyn, including Big Trigg, Sha, Skinny Minnie, and Foogie, the film travels around the city and across the country to explore how young black youth are hustling hop hop as a way to make something of their lives. But this is by no means a sugar-coated story; the film opens with a young man killed by the police; it takes you on stage with Ol’ Dirty Bastard at one of his final performances; it shows life in the projects as they are lived. Hip Hop: By All Means Necessary appearances by Brooklyn’s own MMO clique; Bushwick Bill (Geto Boys), Kurupt (Tha Row), Old Dirty Bastard (Wu Tang Clan), LA Confidential, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, Funkmaser Flex, and Kante West, among many others.
Panel discussion featuring MMO clique members Big Trigg, Foogie, Sha, Skinny Minnie, and others to follow.

Saturday, October 14, 2006, 6:00–10:00 pm
The Fun’s Not Over Yet!
Film Screening: Trailer for the upcoming documentary film, Patti Astor’s FUN Gallery (Robert David Films)
The world famous FUN Gallery was the epicenter of the early 80's East Village cultural explosion. The first gallery in that then tenement neighborhood was founded in 1981 by underground film star Patti Astor and Bill Stelling. It showcased the works of artists such as Jean Michel Basquiat, Lee Quinones, Keith Haring, Dondi White, ZEPHYR, Kenny Sharf, FUTURA 2000, A ONE, FAB 5 Freddy, and DR.REVOLT. The gallery provided many artists with their first solo shows and introduced countless others to the established art world for the first time. In 1983 then Citibank art advisor Jeffery Deitch stated in People magazine that the Fun Gallery was „one of the hottest galleries in the city.

FUN! The True Story of Patti Astor, her first book to be published by powerHouse Books, relates her escapades at that storefront pioneering space along with the unique FUN Gallery crew of graffiti artists, rock, rap and movie stars, uptown collectors, scheming Soho dealers and neighborhood kids and hipsters.

The FUN Gallery panel will be moderated by Patti Astor and features some of the influential and original members of the FUN Crew:
• FAB 5 Freddy on the landmark coming together of uptown and downtown for which he was the chief ambassador.
• LEE Quinones as the first FUN artist to be signed to a major gallery (Barbara Gladstone) on making that transition.
• ZEPHYR , like LEE renowned as a King of The Line, on making the move from the yards to the galleries while staying true to his beliefs something he shared with the late Dondi White.
• Diego Cortez who curated the first "outlaw" art shows, "Batman,” "Grutzi Elvis," and the groundbreaking "New York New Wave" on bringing this art to a larger audience.

Patti Astor will introduce each panelist by reading short excerpt from her book. The panel will be followed by a Q&A with the audience.

Film Screening: Wild Style Screening
For those craving the true roots of rap, Wild Style captured the hardcore South Bronx scene at its birth. The stars of Wild Style form the pantheon of hip hop’s pioneers: DJ’s Grand Master Flash, Grand Wizard Theodore, D.St.; rappers Grand Master Caz and The Cold Crush Bros, The Chief Rocker Busy Bee, Double Trouble, Fantastic Freaks and Rammelzee and b-boy champions The Rock Steady Crew. Beat Music by legendary Blondie guitarist Chris Stein and Fred Brathwaite. Wild Style stars the legendary subway artist Lee Quinones and the queen of the graffiti scene, Sandra PINK Fabara. Graffiti Masters DONDI, ZEPHYR, and DAZE also bombed for the movie. Patti Astor stars as Virgiina, the downtown reporter who comes uptown to dig the scene. Fab 5 Freddy, who along with writer/producer/director Charlie Ahearn, helped create Wild Style, shines as the smooth hip-hop impressario Phade. Wild Style follows the outlaw artists through the train yards to the rap/breakin’ clubs. The movie culminates at a massive outdoor jam, definitely the most famous hip-hop party in history!

Sunday, October 15, 2006, 6:00–9:00pm
An Evening with Jamel Shabazz
Hosted by TRACE
Since the 2001 publication of his first monograph, Back in the Days, hip-hop culture’s premier street photographer and documentarian.Jamel Shabazz has inspired a new generation to learn their history and celebrate their heritage. Committed to preserving the community and uplifting the people, Shabazz will host an evening featuring a selection of the music that inspired his work, a slide show and lecture exploring his vast archive covering the past 30 years, host a Q&A session, and screen a trailer from the forthcoming documentary film, 1 Love, on himself, as well as photographers Ernie Pannicoli and Joe Conzo.

Monday, October 16, 2006, 4:00–10:00pm
Women in Hip Hop
Held in conjunction with Black Girls Rock
Hosted by Brooklyn Bodega
All too often, women are overlooked, marginalized, or just flat out insulted in hip-hop culture. This event is designed to give women their due while creating a forum for critical discussion and pro-active and positive approached to problem solving. Featuring a panel discussion with acclaimed female artists and writers, Women in Hip Hop will discuss the challenges they have faced as women setting out to make their mark in a traditionally male dominated culture, providing both inspiration to young women and girls, as well as offering insight of their struggles to the men and boys with whom they work, love, and live. The event will also feature a performance from local Brooklyn songstress, Maya Azucena who most recently performed at the Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival, as well as a PSA from Black Girls Rock, and a multi-media presentation for We B*Girlz, the first book of female breakers around the world today by Martha Cooper and Nika Kramer.

The Women in Hip Hop Panel discussion will be moderated by powerHouse Book Publicity Director and No Sleep ‘til Brooklyn curator Miss Rosen and will feature a broad range of women whose work has influenced hip hop for the past three decades including:
• Patti Astor, co-founder of FUN Gallery
• Janette Beckman, photographer of some of the 80s most iconic album covers
• Beverly Bond, Founder and President of Black Girls Rock
• CLAW Money, graffiti glamour girl and fashion designer
• Martha Cooper, legendary hip hop documentarian
• Delphine Fawundu-Buford, street photographer and portraitist
• LADY PINK, legendary graffiti writer and artist
• Joan Morgan, author of When Chickenheads Come Home to Roost
• Rokafella, b-girl extraodinaire
• TOOFLY, hot young urban muralist

Short Film Screening: Redder than Red
Celebrated photographer Martha Cooper and writer Nika Kramer make their directorial debut with the story of Hanifa 'Queen' Hudson aka Bubbles, the pioneering female breakdancer who rose to fame in the early '80s with breakdance crew 'The B-Boys', via appearances on TV and in early Hip Hop films 'Electro Rock' and 'Bombin'. Widely acknowledged as the first female breaker to compete with men in the almost exclusively male emerging Hip Hop culture, Bubbles remains an inspiration to B-Girls all over the world. Bubbles became famous through a line in Electro Rock when the host says: “Check out the one in red—it’s a girl!” Since she is Jamaican-British, we took our title from the old Bob Marley song Redder than Red (which means hotter than hot). Combining vintage and recent footage, the film explores the life history of a talented, now 37 year old, Jamaican-British girl who got caught up in the excitement of Hip Hop in the early 80’s, attained a measure of fame, was virtually forgotten, but has recently re-entered the scene. In the intervening years, Bubbles married, had a son, divorced, and converted to Islam, changing her name to Hanifa. The film captures the excitement of the early days of Hip Hop as it arrived fresh from the Bronx to England in the 80's. The film’s highlight is a reunion of Bubbles’ crew, the B-Boys, in the local community center where they dance together for the first time in nearly 20 years. An interview with Bubbles describing her life and her feelings about it, weaves the segments together.

Drinks courtesy of Brooklyn Lager.

Ya Heard It Here FIRST

2006-08-15T17:45:00.000-04:00

(that is, if you are reading this blog. if ya ain't, hell, I'll never know.)

powerHouse Books, VH1, Flavorpill, and Montana are pleased to announce

No Sleep ’til Brooklyn:
A powerHouse Hip Hop Retrospective

The Inaugural Exhibition and Event Series at The powerHouse Arena
to Celebrate VH1 Hip Hop Honors 2006

The powerHouse Arena
37 Main Street
Brooklyn, New York 11201

October 13–November 19, 2006

No Sleep ’til Brooklyn, the inaugural exhibition and event series at The powerHouse Arena’s new location at 37 Main Street, Brooklyn, is the Brooklyn hub for VH1 Hip Hop Honors 2006, a week-long celebration of hip hop’s legends and visionaries held throughout New York City.

“Hip hop music was born right here in our city” stated Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. “During our first ever Hip Hop Honors Week, New Yorkers will have exciting new opportunities to celebrate an art that has influenced generations and reached the farthest corners of the world. For the past two years, VH1 has paid tribute to hip hop’s original pioneers through ‘Hip Hop Honors.’ They’ve chosen New York City as a host and a partner in that tribute and we’re proud to welcome them back.”

Hip Hop Honors Week will kick off on October 12, 2006. That evening, The powerHouse Arena will launch No Sleep ’til Brooklyn, is a 30-year retrospective of hip-hop culture documenting its humble beginnings in the South Bronx through its glorious rise to global domination. The group exhibition represents every element of hip hop—from the breakers, graffiti writers, emcees, and djs to the photographers, writers, personalities, and fans who have made hip hop the greatest single force in pop culture.

But this is by no means a story of celebrity, fame, and mass-market names. As KRS-One said, “Rap is something you do, hip hop is something you live.” And so we dedicate No Sleep ’til Brooklyn to the people and to the streets, paying tribute to the founders, the innovators, and the next generation.

The No Sleep ’til Brooklyn exhibition will feature photographs and art from:

• Bob Adelman, author of Gentleman of Leisure: A Year in the Life of a Pimp
• Charlie Ahearn, director of Wild Style
• Patti Astor, famed underground film star and FUN Gallery founder
• Janette Beckman, photographer of seminal hip hop album covers from 1983 to 1992
• Peter Beste, up-and-coming photojournalist documenting Houston hip-hop culture
• BLADE, old-school graffiti legend
• Le Bijoutier, contemporary street art and graffiti documentarian
• Boogie, hot young urban photojournalist and author of It’s All Good
• Martha Camarillo, photojournalist and author of Fletcher Street
• Henry Chalfant, co-author of Subway Art, author of Spray Can Art, co-producer of Style Wars
• Vincent Cianni, photojournalist and author of We Skate Hardcore
• Claw Money, female graffiti writer, fashion designer, and author of Bombshell
• CYCLE, new school graffiti writer
• Martha Cooper, co-author of Subway Art, author of Hip Hop Files: 1979–1984, and We B*Girlz
• DAZE aka Chris Ellis, old school graffiti legend and artist
• Martin Dixon, author of Brooklyn Kings: New York City’s Black Bikers
• DR.REVOLT, old school graffiti writer and creator of the Yo! MTV Raps and Wild Style logos
• Delphine Fawundu-Buford, young portrait photographer
• ELLIS G., former graffiti writer turned street artist
• Carol Friedman, former creative director of Elektra Entertainment and Motown Records
• Ruediger Glatz, CEO of Montana Germany
• Hamburger Eyes, the best photography magazine on earth
• Lisa Kahane, photojournalist working in the South Bronx in the 70s and 80s
• Brenda Kenneally, acclaimed photojournalist
• Seth Kushner, photographer and co-author of the upcoming book The Brooklynites
• LADY PINK, old school graffiti legend and artist
• Maripol, famed fashion designer, stylist, and author of Maripolarama
• Slava Mogutin, Russian political dissident, sometime porn star, and author of Lost Boys
• NATO, new school graffiti writer and artist
• Charles Peterson, author of Touch Me I’m Sick
• Mark Peterson, acclaimed photojournalist and author of Acts of Charity
• Ricky Powell, “the Fourth Beastie Boy,” author of Public Access, star of Rappin’ with the Rickster
• QUIK, old school graffiti legend and artist
• Lee Quinones, old-school graffiti legend and artist
• Carlos “MARE 139” Rodriguez, former graffiti artist, sculptor, 2006 Webby Award Winner, annual BET Award designer
• Joseph Rodriguez, author of East Side Stores: Gang Life in East L.A.
• Thomas Roma, two-time Guggenheim Fellow, author of nine monographs, director of the Photography at Columbia University
• Jamel Shabazz, author of Back in the Days and A Time Before Crack
• STAY HIGH 149, one of the original graffiti writers from the early 70s
• Peter Sutherland, author of Autograf: New York City’s Graffiti Writers
• TEAM, aka Keene Nelson Carse, old school graffiti writer and artist
• TOOFLY, young urban muralist
• Craig Wetherby, photography editor of Frank151 magazine
• Michael Wong, official photographer for VH1 Hip Hop Honors Week 2006
• David Yellen, author of Too Fast for Love

In addition, The powerHouse Arena will host an event series that will run while the exhibition is up in October and November. Featuring film and television screenings, slide shows, breakin’ classes, and panel discussions including:

• Film Screenings: Wild Style by Charlie Ahearn; Hip Hop: By All Means Necessary by Brenda Kenneally; Redder than Red by Martha Cooper & Nika Kramer.
• Panel Discussions: Rakim: Hip Hop’s Miles Davis? (featuring Chris Atlas, Bill Adler, Ralph McDaniels, Nelson George, Prince Paul, and Talib Kweli); FUN Gallery (featuring Patti Astor, Diego Cortez, ZEPHYR, Lee Quinones, and Fab 5 Freddy); Women in Hip Hop in conjunction with Black Girls Rock (featuring Beverly Bond, Joan Morgan, LADY PINK, TOOFLY, Rokafella, Martha Cooper, Janette Beckman, and Delphine Fawundu-Buford); Hip Hop: By Any Means Necessary (featuring MMO members Big Trigg, Sha, Skinny Minnie, and Foogie, among others).
• Artists’ Conversations and Lectures: Urban Photojournalism with Joseph Rodriguez and Boogie; An Evening with Ricky Powell, hosted by Prince Paul; An Evening with Jamel Shabazz.
• Weekly Classes: The Basics of Breakin’ taught by Rokafella

And, because we all need a little retail therapy, The powerHouse Arena has carefully cultivated a selection of products by the artists featured in the show, and their associates, including:

• Accessories by Claw Money
• Jewelry by KEL 1st
• T-shirts by BLADE
• Rappin’ with the Rickster, Wild Style, and B-Boy Summit DVDs
• Select issues of Hamburger Eyes magazine
• Select titles from powerHouse Books and From Here to Fame

As the Brooklyn hub of Hip Hop Honors Week, The powerHouse Arena is proud to host VH1 programming for television and Internet broadcast during Hip Hop Honors Week.

“Hip hop music defines entire generations,” said VH1 General Manager Tom Calderone. “VH1 believes in the power of the genre, and Hip Hop Honors is our homage to those seminal artists that have defined this cultural phenomenon.”

“New York City is proud to host the first-ever Hip Hop Honors Week which will celebrate the revolutionary impact and influence of hip hop music in New York,” said NYC Big Events President Maureen J. Reidy. “For one week, hip hop history will be highlighted in the City’s five boroughs through a number of promotions in partnership with local retailers, sports teams, and other cultural institutions.”

VH1 Hip Hop Honors will honor Wu-Tang Clan, Afrika Bambaataa, Russell Simmons, MC Lyte, Rakim, Beastie Boys, and Eazy-E. The week of events kick off Thursday, October 12 and will run through Tuesday, October 17 at 9pm ET/PT, when viewers can tune in to VH1 and see Ice-T host the broadcast of the 3rd Annual Hip Hop Honors.

Can You Keep Up

2006-08-11T16:21:00.000-04:00

shit was crazy !! got to Lincoln Center at 2:30 pm to assist in setting up and ensuring everything went smoothly .. which it did until a freak thunderstorm at 3:30 that blew a tent across the Plaza, through the chairs, and took down b-girl Severe. Meanwhile the techs are running mad, trying to cover the sound equipment at the rain poured down hard.

Everyone had a look of disbelief: was this happening? Were we going to get rained out? I stood there kinda mesmerized. "It's okay," I told Martha Cooper. "It's not going to rain for two hours. It'll pass."

Then the calls came: was the event still on? Damn straight. The rain started to let up and I was like, let them sit in puddles—the show must go on!

Eventually the sun came back out. and then it got kinda humid as all the water evaporated back into the air. Then the humidity too passed. The sun was bright but not strong. The air was warm but pretty dry. All of this came together around 5, just as the Plaza began to fill it. A spectacular turnout—two thousand seats filled. Standing room only—and there was barely any room. A ring encircled the Plaza—people were standing 10 deep. We killed it.

Then the jump off. Toni Blackmon came on stage, introduced the judges. Slight change of plans as Violet subbed for Asia, and Honey Rockwell and Doze Green joined her, Rokafella, and Aruna. Five old school legends. Niice.

The teams came out representing Jersey, Philly, London, and the hometown favorites—New York City. Before the battle, Rowdy, from the UK crew Flowzaic, warmed up the crowd with her moves, combining popping and locking with straight up get down.

They drew names from a hat. First up Natural Born Killahz from Jersey vs Styles Comes First from Philly. Styles was selected as the winner. Then Flowzaic battled Fox Force Five, repping New York and this was THE battle of the event. Bounce from FFF vs. Sun Sun from Flowzaic. Nice and Nasty, you know what I mean.

I ws shouting, "YEAAAAAA!! BRING IT!!"

I hope my father, who was sitting next to me, wasn't too bothered. Probably not, cause my mother was on the other side carrying on. He kept cool, and decided Bounce was the best dancer at the battle. I'm torn between her and Sun Sun, who pushed up out of a headstand into a handstand.

Ill bitches do ill things.

After long deliberation the judges picked Fox Force Five for the finals, vs Styles Come First. Then KR3TS came out and blew everyone away with my favorite routines—Soldiers. Decked in orange and lime green—you betta believe Spanish Harlem was representing.

Can You Keep Up
Can You
Can You
Can You Keep Up

For real. I gotta take some of those bootie shaking, hard dancing classes. Sundays and Tuesday, Violet told me. Yea. I gotta get that on my schedule.

Then the finals. Styles Comes First vs Fox Force Five ..

Before they announced the winner Henry Chalfant got on stage to recall the setting for the 1981 event .. They came 100 deep. They all got on stage in a cipher. No one from the audience saw a thing. A fight broke out. A winner was never declared.

JoJo Torres of Rock Steady and Eddie Ed and King Uprock of Dynamic came out to say a few words, to remember the original battle and pay tribute to the future of breakin' ..

And then, a winner of We B*Girlz was declared: Fox Force Five.

New York City took it. With Bounce, Tara, and True Essencia representing for b-girlz in the city and worldwide. Because when it comes down to it this aint about some us vs. them shit. This is about all of us. This is about skills, talent, attitude, and energy. This is about hip hop in it's pure form.

Can You Keep Up

~butterflies~

2006-08-10T12:53:00.000-04:00

it is only a couple of hours away .. the countdown to lincoln center is on and a flock of butterflies is aflutter in my belly .. not like anyone knows .. I'm playin it cool like, yea you know when you're totally burnt out it's really hard to summon the energy to be nervous so it's like I am truly Zen .. which I WAS (until this morning) .. but now I am like ohhshitgetthefuckoutthisisreallyhappenin!!

it's a good look ..

Coming Soon

2006-08-08T13:50:00.000-04:00

powerHouse Magazine
Debuting October 2006

Fusing the worlds of art, photography, design, fashion, pop culture, advertising, music, dance, and film into a glorious magazine unlike anything you’ve ever seen, powerHouse Magazine showcases artists and writers who share our collective vision about culture and its place in our world.

Whether collaborating with the establishment or conspiring with the counterculture, whether presenting the classics or sharpening the cutting edge, powerHouse Magazine provides dynamic inspiration and peaceful meditation of high and low culture alike—because who we are and what we do is based on our passion for exploring truth and beauty, evoking emotion and excitement, and provoking thought and conversation.

A twice-yearly publication launching in October 2006, each issue of powerHouse Magazine will have a single editorial focus inspired by a central group exhibition at The powerHouse Arena, located at 37 Main Street, Brooklyn. But the magazine is more than an exhibition catalogue: it is a stand-alone publication designed to complement the show by featuring a selection of carefully curated work. Featuring never-before-published art and texts, as well as highlights from powerHouse Books’ landmark monographs and the archives of exhibiting artists (who have been selected by powerHouse because of their innovative approach and enduring relevance to the scene), powerHouse Magazine presents a deeply informed collection of work providing unparalleled insight into the world in which we live.

The premier issue, No Sleep ’til Brooklyn, is a 30-year retrospective of hip-hop culture documenting its humble beginnings in the South Bronx through its glorious rise to global domination. But this is by no means a story of celebrity, fame, and mass-market names. As KRS-One said, “Rap is something you do, hip hop is something you live.” And so we dedicate No Sleep ’til Brooklyn to the people and to the streets, paying tribute to the founders, the innovators, and the next generation with works by Charlie Ahearn, Patti Astor, Janette Beckman, Peter Beste, BL. ONE, Boogie, Martha Camarillo, Henry Chalfant, Vincent Cianni, Claw Money, Martha Cooper, DAZE, DG, Martin Dixon, DR.REVOLT, Delphine Fawundu-Buford, Carol Friedman, Hamburger Eyes, JA, JERMS, Lisa Kahane, LADY PINK, Helen Levitt, MISS 17, NATO, Chris Nieratko, Charles Peterson, Mark Peterson, Ricky Powell, Doug Pray, QUIK, Carlos “MARE 139” Rodriguez, Joseph Rodriguez, Randy “KEL 1st” Rodriguez, Rokafella, Thomas Roma, Q. Sakamaki, Jamel Shabazz, SLASH, Peter Sutherland, TOOFLY, QUIK, Craig Wetherby, and David Yellen.

Issue 1 of powerHouse Magazine is edited by Miss Rosen, who recalled the idea first came up during dinner with powerHouse Books publishers Daniel Power and Craig Cohen. “We were discussing how pleased we were with the Fall 2006 book catalogue, and thinking of ways to expand it in new directions. ‘How about a magazine?’ Daniel asked, to which I immediately answered, ‘Ohh! I love magazines!” (not surprising considering I handle publicity). ‘You know,’ I added, ‘people keep asking me if we are doing a catalogue for No Sleep ’til Brooklyn, so perhaps we can use this as the basis for the publication but to go a step further and have it unite the Arena, the books, and our extended circle of artists and contributors.’ They loved the idea. ‘By the way what would be the production deadline?” I asked. ‘About a month,’ Craig answered. ‘Ohh!’ I gasped, realizing that once again, we would be doing this in true powerHouse fashion—straight into the deep end—hope you can swim!”

Issue 2, That 70s Show, which will be published in March 2007 to coincide with an exhibition of the same name, a photographic ode to a city long forgotten, one on the brink of bankruptcy and unrivaled anarchy.

Stay tuned sweeties ..

Give It Up

2006-08-04T16:50:00.000-04:00

did I mention my cousin is moving to Israel to become a citizen ? I'm sayin tho—who needs to go that far when you can live right here, in the heart of it all ..

Photo by Le Bijoutier

You know there are girls dancing now who weren't even born in 81

2006-08-03T10:48:00.000-04:00

Lincoln Center Out of Doors, in cooperation with powerHouse Books, bgirlz.com, and City Lore are pleased to announce

WE B*GIRLZ
A 25th Anniversary Breakin’ Event
at Lincoln Center Out of Doors

Thursday, August 10, 2006
5:30–6:40 p.m.

Josie Robertson Plaza
Lincoln Center, New York City

This event is free and open to the public
For more information, please call 212-LINCOLN

In the beginning, there was the break, that moment in a song when all of the musical instruments drop out, and the drums take over. Nothing but groove. And, while high-stakes competitive dance can be found throughout the African Diaspora, it was the break that brought it to the surface in the United States.

In the late sixties, when Brooklyn teens combined Latin and African-American dance styles with a confrontational attitude and a few insulting gestures to create the first modern battle dance of New York City, they saved their most vicious moves for the break. They rocked the break and called it Uprocking.

In the seventies, when kids began throwing rebel street parties in the Bronx, people from different neighborhoods came together for the first time since the gangs had taken over. There was one thing they all agreed on: the break was their time to shine. In fact, it was so important that DJ Kool Herc even began to play two copies of the same record, repeating the break over and over again, giving the dancers more time to showcase their most devastating moves. Before long, Herc and other pioneering deejays like Afrika Bambaataa and Grandmaster Flash were playing nothing but breaks. And the dancers responded by creating a new dance form that was nothing but devastating moves: b-boying. Some even began dropping to the ground and spinning around. Hip-Hop music and b-boying were born as twins, and their mother was the break.

Meanwhile, in Central and Southern California, dancers were creating styles that suited their own culture and music. Locking was an upbeat, crowd-pleasing dance style and Popping was its suave, sophisticated cousin, a dance that punctuated smooth flows with crisp muscle contractions. By the late seventies these established West Coast dance forms, know collectively as “Funk Styles”, had arrived in New York to influence the rich culture of street dance that already existed here.

It was this combined dance culture that was presented to the general public for the first time twenty-five years ago at the 1981 Lincoln Center Out of Doors event organized by Henry Chalfant. Little did anyone know that over the next quarter century this underground art would become a billion-dollar industry, and competitive hip-hop dance would continue to evolve as a new generation learns and develops the art.
—Text courtesy of Joe Schloss, Ph.D.

It's OFFICIAL

2006-08-02T14:25:00.000-04:00

So I am hanging out with my grandfather's 86-year-old girlfriend. We arrive at their place for lunch at 11:30 am. She tells us has has already taken a nap. My father asks, "What time did you wake up?" She tells him, "Seven. I got up, had breakfast, and went back to bed." I almost started clapping. I have done that on more than one occassion. And I've been calling myself "grandma" for some time but I think I need an official upgrade to "great grandmother."

Greaaaaaaaaaaat.

Desperately Seeking Synonym

2006-08-02T14:10:00.001-04:00

So I am hanging out this weekend with my 91-year-old grandfather and he tells me, "I get your press releases every day. And you know, there's one word you use too much. You must come up with a new word."

"Really? What's that?" I ask, appreciating his insights. He once told me he was the author of 9 books, tho he appears to have overestimated. One book, nine editions. The classic treatise on structural engineering. I'm tellin you—that Rosen gene don't half step.

"You use the word 'iconic' too much," he says, a little frustrated. "You know this has a religious meaning?"

"The painted icons," I say, thinking of Byzantine gold leaf numbers, wondering if he thinks this is somehow heretical?

"When I wrote my column," he tells me, reminiscing of his time as a journalist, "I used to sit with a dictionary and a thesaurus. You can't keep using the same words."

"I know. They've got that programmed into computers now," I inform him. "I don't like to reuse words."

"Yes," he agrees. "So I looked up 'iconic' for you. And you know what? There is no synonym."

I laugh. "You know, most people don't read every email. So they may not think I am overusing this word."

"You need to get a new word. I'll let you know if I find one."

The Roof, The Roof, The Roof is on FIRE

2006-07-21T18:41:00.000-04:00

We don't need no water, let the muthafucka BURN.
Burn, muthafucka, burn !!

LADY PINK rocks the B-Girl Be. The mural was so hot, I heard they called the cops.

Photo by the killer Martha Cooper.

Fame on the Trains

2006-07-19T18:22:00.000-04:00

so last nite I am with my girl Sharon who tells me a crazy story ..

apparently honey was exhausted after a long day of toiling for another publishing company (whereas here at powerHouse it is nothing but mojitos and bossa nova in the summertime) .. she got on the train and sat down next to some skinny white guy and starting talking cause she thought he looked harmless ..

well one thing leads to another and they start talking about powerHouse and he tells her he went to the opening of Autograf and my girl, who part-times as my personal publicist at Syracuse, casually mentioned, "ohh, I know Miss Rosen" to which skinny white dude replied "YOU KNOW HER?"

Photo Opp

2006-07-18T16:20:00.000-04:00

After a brief respite, Miss Rosen has returned to the glossies with photos in the July 10 issue of Publishers Weekly and the latest issue of Flaunt with Matt Dillon on the cover—which reminds me of my brief non-encounter with the man a year or two ago ..

I was at some Fashion Week party at Chloe. I went because it was, like, around the corner from my house; otherwise you know I don't get down in that scene .. I walk in with my girl, Jamie, who is madly upstaging me with her faux fur throw .. It was a good shoe party which means, ankle up—it was over ..

I was thinking, ohh this is dull, when what do you know, across the room I see a stained and strained grey sweatshirt and a baseball cap. "I know him," I tell Jamie and saunter over to Ricky Powell to say, "What the hell are ~you~ doing here?" Then and I get introduced to the guy hosting the party and I figured it out. Just call me Nancy Drew ..

So I'm standing there talking to Ricky and DR.REVOLT, his escort for the evening, when I see this fine fine fine fine aii dios mio fly guy and I just look at him looking at me. Then he notices I am looking at him looking at me, so he turns away. And as he does, I realize: ohmagod that was Matt Dillon.

The P is Free

2006-07-18T10:28:00.000-04:00

.. but the crack costs money, ohh yea ..

no wait .. that's not the right line .. it's more like ..

the pee is free, but the drinks cost money, ohh yea !!

Get Money ~*~

2006-07-14T17:39:00.000-04:00

so I am at Miss Claw's office last night looking at the layouts for Bombshell and I am getting emotional .. I was overwhelmed. I couldn't speak. and yes, you better mark this in your calendar because Miss Rosen at a loss for words is like a Haley's comet sighting—once, maybe twice in your life will you catch it ..

fortunately, it is a temporary state .. I have fully recovered my capacity to blather and want to share with you the extraordinary power of this project .. trust when I tell you this book is going to blow everyone away .. book design, ad campaigns, magazine editorials, all things in print will feel the effects when Bombshell hits .. shit is ridiculous .. it's madness .. it's brilliant .. and the killer ill shit .. it's all CLAW !!

A Night to Remember

2006-07-13T13:50:00.000-04:00

As many evenings with Ricky so often are ..

.. to all of you, out there, in the dark ..

2006-07-12T13:35:00.000-04:00

.. you may remember this brilliant line from the closing scene of Sunset Boulevard after Norma traipses down the staircase to the absolute horror of the press and police lined up to whisk her away for murder .. she pauses at the bottom, turns to the camera and says, "I can't go on with the scene. I'm too overcome," and proceeds to thank everyone, including us sitting in abject awe of this flawless fruit loop whose dreams have finally come true ..

well, much as I seek to emulate the incomparable Miss Desmond, I wanted to give thanks to all of you whose kind words of encouragement have kept me going with this blog .. you realize, I am sure, that this is my in-office therapy, and you are my unpaid therapist, reading in anyonymous silence as I go on, and onnn, and onnnnnn about me, ME, Norma Desmond

(really, see the film. otherwise we'll have nothing to talk about)

it is a wonderous thing to take a pause from my Entourage, to halt the endless missives of effortless cheer that sounds something like "splendid faabulous fantastic wonderful how divine darling thank you" so that I can blather about any damn thing I like .. you realize, the beautiful view of the Brooklyn Bridge from the padded walls of my cell do a touch to keep the peace, but it is this blog that truly maintains my sanity ..

okay, maybe not .. it's probably the lack of sugar and caffeine and alcohol and nicotine and weed and meat and late nights and long parties and stiletto heels and tailored clothing and just about every thing people in civilized society do to distract themselves from their lives that is what is keeping me on even keel .. because without distractions I am apt to find things like writing a blog to be rather relaxing amidst my otherwise hectic schedule ..

so tell your friends, send me love letters, reinforce this exercise in narcissism because you know I love it .. I mean you ~did~ just read my last entry about my weakness for worship didn't you .. Yes, I thought so ..

She is ingenious, sharp customer, discerning, crafty, diplomatic.

2006-07-11T18:39:00.000-04:00

—according to my horoscope, I enjoy flattery. Shocker.

I know that if you are anything like me you are feeling a free birth chart !! It's a must for a lazy Tuesday evening ..

I just did my chart, Jackson's chart, and Vittoria's chart and I will now torment her over sushi saying, see girl we both have Mars in Taurus—we's a bunch of heffers for sure ..

But you know, I have Venus in Libra and it says something about "she likes to be worshipped" .. They call this a weakness ?? And here I was thinking it was just a lifestyle preference ..

Love it When They Call Him Call Him Big Pop-pa

2006-07-11T17:46:00.000-04:00

Who rock grooves and make moves with all the mommies? (or rather one hot mama ?)

That's right—our boy Craig Cohen is a father !! Yea Yea Yea !! Give it up for the newest addition to la familia, lil Jackson Aller-Cohen !!

(Way to go Carrie !!)

The $10 Million Bat Mitzvah

2006-07-11T15:12:00.000-04:00

courtesy of allhiphop.com ..

DHB Industries Founder/Chairman David H. Brooks was placed on indefinite "administrative leave" Monday (July 10) by the company's board while DHB is being investigated for state, federal, and internal inquiries. In a federal lawsuit filed by DHB shareholders, Brooks is cited for "a history of serious securities law violations," as well as making "false and misleading statements" to boost the stock's value. New York Newsday reports that critics were further angered by reports that Brooks spent nearly $10 million on a November 2005 bat mitzvah party for his daughter at Manhattan's Rainbow Room. The event included performances by 50 Cent and Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler.

ps: dhb industries manufactures body armor ..

Lesson One

2006-07-10T17:17:00.000-04:00

** Always re-read your emails before pressing send, or you may find yourself saying something that was not quite what you meant, unless you believe in Freudian slips—in which case it's all good.

Exhibit A:

Email from Jesse Smith, cute cute cute ad rep at The L Magazine: I might still be young and dumb but a lot of those songs are almost 15 years old. Besides, I'll be 26 in the fall.

Reply from Miss Rosen: Aww 26 !! how dear .. I don’t know about dumb but young, yes I will go with you for $500.

Now this makes me sound like some lusty old lady, which, I may be on the way to becoming though believe you me that Chanel Age Delay is working wonders.

See, what I had meant to say was: I will go with young for $500 .. but it appears i forgot the "ng" .. Yes, that's right. I forgot the "ng" ..

Yes.
Right.
Sure.

Would you look at that. I don't even believe it myself.

darlings ..

2006-07-09T10:54:00.000-04:00

I rather adore feedback because, as I know you know, nothing makes me more happy than lots and lots of lovely attention .. but sugaplums if you post a comment please sign your name—otherwise how will I know it is ~you~ ?

Meet the Beavis

2006-07-06T16:15:00.000-04:00

.. so I am having lunch with the illustrious Mark Brown of Photo District News when he turns to me and says, "Miss Rosen you are so enigmatic" to which I sort of "Huhh Huhh Huhh" like my name is Butthead.

Another classic moment from a classy dame.

Red Hot

2006-07-05T10:16:00.000-04:00

ohmagod do you remember Red Hots ? I loved those lil cinamminy fuckers .. you know, I even think the name of our crew at Camp one summer was the Red Hots—this was in the early 80s, people, 81 or 82, we went with what we had on hand, or in pocket ..

But you know mah girl Claw, yeaa .. she is RED HOT with new sunglasses available at Pat Fields ..

You know when I rock that Claw Money gear I get these guys shouting me out:

Yo! Is THAT you ??
Hey! You know HER ??
Psst! What you WRITE ??*

(*this is kinda embarrassing, cause I'm like, "umm, press releases? sponsorship proposals? catalogue copy?")

but tell your friends, Claw got this new book, Bombshell, coming out next spring .. one thing is for sure: this sure as hell ain't your granddaddy's graff book ..

Go Go Maripol ~*~

2006-07-02T11:22:00.000-04:00

so I receive an invitation to the home of the divine Miss Maripol, author of the greatest single book of 80s inspiration Maripolarama and when I arrive Roberta Bayley, Lee Childers, and Danny Fields are already there and it is everything I can do to make sure I do not fall over like some sort of gawky lil freak.

And there's Lee, holding open a copy of We're Desperate, the single greatest book of West Coast punk inspiration by my honey (and personal photographer) Jim Jocoy, pointing to a picture and saying "That's me!" with a huge grin, and Maripol saying, "You know I was looking at that photo the other day saying, 'He looks so familiar.'"

Then Maripol asks me, "What time is the movie?" and I say "7:05" and Roberta asks, "What are you going to see?" and I say, "The Devil Wears Prada" and Roberta says, "Oh we tried to see the 2:30 show but it was sold out," and Maripol says, "Not to worry. I have a plan." And I never worry because when it comes to getting in somewhere, Maripol rules the world. I have been with her on countless occassions where she simply slipped past security, past long ass lines, and got us in without so much as a blink. Truly, this woman is a professional.

Indeed the show was sold out, but a woman with a plan never fails.

And so we saw the film which made me think I have to stop wearing cotton and spandex and sneakers all the time. But then I think fuck it, my stilettos are collecting dust, but I'm not about to get up in Blahniks so I can sit in an office all day long. That's just asking for foot surgery. But then I think, I should get dressed when I go out. Stop rocking stretch jeans and sweatshirts. But then I think, where the hell am I going? Mostly back and forth across the Brooklyn Bridge. Not really a high-fashion look for the summer.

And so the stilettos collect dust and the Westwood suit sits alongside my Lagerfeld and Richard Tyler gowns, wondering if I can still fit my fat ass into em. Why I bought couture in my days of Diet Coke thinking it would always fit I will never know ..

You're So Fine You Blow My Mind

2006-06-29T10:04:00.000-04:00

* Hey Ricky * Uhh Uhh * Hey Ricky *

(PS: this is NOT me .. I would not be rockin a grey cardigan a la Mista Rogers but, you know, Ricky's ladies are old school)

Yea You Get Props

2006-06-28T10:13:00.000-04:00

Rickford J. Powell is the man. He's a lot of man, ladies, a lot of man. More man than you can handle. I know you know the lyrics, but that ain't the point.

A couple of years back Ricky introduced me to his next door neighbor, Lawrence Quirk, an Old Hollywood biographer, and according to Ricky, Jayne Mansfield or Jane Russell's publicist. Or maybe it was Joan Crawford. So we were sitting in his backyard garden and Ricky, being a gentleman, introduces me.

Mr. Quirk asks, "Are you an actress?"

I get that question a lot. And I hate it. But when Mr. Quirk asked, I was flattered. Humble. Gracious. I mean here is a man who knows from goddesses. I had to decline. "Publisher," I told him. "Yea, my publisher," Ricky added proudly if somewhat proprietarily.

So Ricky calls me the other night and leaves a message which was landmark, cause honey usually hangs up then gets all "Why don't you answer your phone?" But this time he left a message saying, "Yo! I got you something! I got you a copy of Larry Quirk's book on Bette Davis" (He knows how I love me that killer bitch. Talk about a role model). "I'll leave it with your doorman."

So the next day I go downstairs and the doorman hands me the book and I see it is is signed:

"Stay fierce. Love Ricky."

Don't Front Like Ya Heard, Just Act Like Ya Know

2006-06-27T16:51:00.000-04:00

No Sleep 'til Brooklyn
October 13-November 19, 2006

The powerHouse Arena

37 Main Street
At the corner of Water and Main streets in DUMBO
Brooklyn, NY 11201

The inaugural exhibition, No Sleep ’til Brooklyn: A powerHouse Hip Hop Retrospective, will be held in conjunction with VH1 Hip Hop Honors Week. The show will feature works by artists including Bob Adelman, Charlie Ahearn, Patti Astor, Janette Beckman, Peter Beste, Boogie, Henry Chalfant, Vincent Cianni, Claw Money, CYCLE, Martha Cooper, DAZE, DR.REVOLT, Delphine Fawundu-Buford, Carol Friedman, Lisa Kahane, LADY PINK, Maripol, NATO, Charles Peterson, Mark Peterson, Ray Potes, Ricky Powell, Carlos “MARE 139” Rodriguez, Joseph Rodriguez, Randy “KEL 1st” Rodriguez, Thomas Roma, Jamel Shabazz, Stefan Simikich, STAY HIGH 149, Peter Sutherland, TEAM, TOOFLY, QUIK, and Craig Wetherby, among many others. Also planned during the run of the show are a series of events such as film screenings (including Wild Style, Style Wars, Infamy, Scratch, Redder than Red, and Rappin’ with the Rickster), panel discussions, slide shows, artist talks, and weekly breakin’ classes with renowned b-girl Rokafella.

(photo by Boogie, who's back from Serbia)

Or Does It Go ..

2006-06-26T18:42:00.000-04:00

"...there you have it, now get dramatic. Creating drama when I'm on the scene, and I got it in me like Bruce Springsteen" ??

I expect someone else out there is also obsessed with Warm It Up Kane .. (Whoa Whoa Yea Yea)

Perhaps John Z would know—he is the lovely man who read my blog and brought me a copy of Nice & Smooth's first album. Can't top that honies. I've been wanting that album for 17 years (I'm a lil slow, okay) and all it takes is the right man to make it happen. Gives me some faith in this world, that's for damn sure.

Come Get Some

2006-06-26T15:49:00.000-04:00

(ya lil bum, I take the cake but you can't get a crumb...)

YES I love me some Big Daddy Kane. Almost as much as I love me some Banksy. But I'm not the only one. My dear sweet partner in pr, Ryan Davies, writes:

I noticed from your blog you're a fan of Banksy. Well, I thought I'd make you a little jealous and let you know there is a bit of his work not 2 mins from my house. It's called the Hitchhiker and is on the corner of a massive roundabout. It's not one of his best by any means—but it's never a bad thing to have a Banksy to look at every morning as you go to work.

"Not one of his best." — Apparently Mr. Davies is discerning whereas I myself go in for a more unseemly sort of idolatry.

(...ultimate and all that good shit. I'm the original Asiatic, acrobatic, there you have it—now get your hand out.)

Boogie Wonderland

2006-06-22T17:26:00.000-04:00

Got an email from Boogie who is gettin' up in Belgrade ..

He got upset with me today cause I called him a fucked up Serb but I don't think he was ~really~ mad 'cause when honey is feelin for melodrama it's more like a pitbull comin atcha ..

Diary of a Manhattan Call Girl

2006-06-22T10:25:00.000-04:00

Tell me you read this .. I know, I know, people don't read anymore, maybe blogs, but not books ..

Check my girl Tracy Quan, author of Diary of a Manhattan Call Girl.. A story of a woman who runs her shit while her man is completely clueless (for a brilliant change of pace) .. It's the perfect combination of sex, shopping, and city living that makes "Sex in the City" an embarrassment of bitches ..

ohh yea, and Tracy also wrote the text for Orientalia: Sex in Asia by Reagan Louie, a collection of photographs of prostitutes throughout southeast Asia that caused an uproar when the book was released in 2003 ..

~meow~

2006-06-21T11:09:00.000-04:00

A couple of weeks ago I went to the opening of Vincent Cianni's We Skate Hardcore at the Museum of the City of New York (check their gift shop, it's my favorite) and I saw this photo ..

(Vince emailed it to me yesterday .. I still can't take it)

From Across the Pond

2006-06-21T09:37:00.000-04:00

Meanwhile in London, the lovely Ryan Davies emails me:

I was at a party a couple of days ago and, as the booze flowed, someone spilt their drink. I looked at the floor and it totally reminded me of PEES ON EARTH. So I took a photo. Thought it might also amuse you too, so please find it attached. I'm calling my version "Pissed on Earth."

just another manic monday

2006-06-19T15:05:00.000-04:00

have you ever had the feeling that in order to learn something new, something old has to fall out of your head ? i think this is called the saturation point .. too bad it's only 3:07pm on a monday afternoon ..

five lil words are all it takes

2006-06-15T09:16:00.000-04:00

.. several years ago I was in London, walking around taking photos of graffiti because I find this to be most vibrant element of urban art and culture .. something between the here today/buffed tomorrow and the illegal-yet-innocent qualities of vandalism gives me butterflies ..

now I don't mean that I get giddy over every Tom, Dick, and Harry getting up .. More like those who take it to the next level, putting out something that really makes you stop short like, holy fuck who is this who did this .. and it's the fact that chances are I will never know who it is that makes it all the more romantic because I become a fan, enamored of the work, keeping my eyes to the sky checking for new pieces and often ecstatic when I find something I had not previously seen .. so I was going around London, photographing all sorts of spots, when I found this one guy who had it goin on ..

Banksy

there's a place in my heart for artists who get me open and Banksy has a fully furnished duplex in there .. I picked up his self-published books at Magma and nearly fell over when I read them .. aside from the fact I am like youbettafuckindoit I noticed he bombed a cow .. he bombed a fuckin cow .. he bombed a fuckin cow with the Wild Style logo and I was like, YES YES I have a reason to contact him !!

so I sent him an email a couple of months ago, asking if we could use the image in Charlie Ahearn's forthcoming book, Wild Style: The Sampler, the 25th anniversary book planned for release in Spring 2007 which will feature never-before-seen images and stories documenting the making of Wild Style and it's influence on hip hop and pop culture for the past quarter century .. trust, you will be hearing more about this for months to come ..

so I sent Banksy an email introducing myself, asking if we could use his photo and he said yes !! now mind you I wasn't about to send him a follow up then and there like, umm would you mind sending it a 10x10 300 dpi tif file cause I was just in awe that he replied to me .. I had also mentioned I was a great admirer and would love to work with him on a book should he be so inclined ..

little did I know he had actually done a full on art book til I picked up Tuesday nite at Urban Outfitters .. This time I was caught somewhere between complete and utter awe for his work and blatant envy of his publishers .. but happily there was a full page of the Wild Style cow so I dropped him a lil follow up note, asking if he was down to send us a scan, and also to congratulate him on the book which raises the bar for all graffiti and art monographs (seriously, if you do one thing with your life, please go get it .. you'll see what I'm talkin about)

so I get a reply from him this morning saying: you're a real charmer, thanks .. and that he'll send the scan

and now I am like a big puddle in an office chair, sitting at my desk trying to type with fingers made of melted wax ..

They'll Love it in Pomona....................... —They'll Love it Everywhere.

2006-06-14T11:25:00.000-04:00

I was contacted about a year ago by the lovely Miss Eve Therond to write a column for Whitewall, a new super glossy art magazine published twice yearly .. I had pitched her a few ideas, keeping them rather proper, if not a bit stuffy, until she told me she wanted something more informal, something effervescent, something charming and nonchalant, or as I might call it, my usual nonsense ..

So I sent her a story about my lusting after Dave Choe during an exhibition of his work of drawings and paintings done in a Tokyo prison of his own piss and blood (really, they were much sweeter than they sound) .. She loved it, and thus a column dedicated to my crushes was born ..

But I can't force attraction where it does not exist and after going to a couple of opening that were absolutely flat, I mean nothing exciting at all, not even the work, I was a lil desperate .. Fortunately my honey Jim Jocoy was showing a selection of his work at Queens Nail Annex in the Mission, San Francisco, that I had planned to attend for the weekend, because there is something a bit glamorous about a cross country flight to attend an art opening .. And you might imagine my surprise to walk in and see a photo of me on the wall ..

Okay, you might not be so surprised. You might even know Jim is my personal photographer, and has taken some of the best photos of me over the past 5 years. And I am rather pleased to be in the same company as John Waters, Exene Cervenka, John Doe, Johnny Thunders, Thurston Moore, Michael Jackson, Sid Vicious, and Iggy Pop—as well as countless fabulous people whose names are only known within their circle.

The wonderful thing about Jim is that he feeds my vanity, like an old lady feeding squirrels. He just keeps peppering me with these lil bon mots that have me thinking I'm the greatest star. It's really quite lovely. And while I really did not like the photo of me he had in the show, because I know how I felt when he shot it (half dead, which is why everyone says I look so peaceful), I am honored he had included me in the show. Although, Jim sweetie honey, next time you know: I get photo approval.

So yea, I covered the show in the new issue of Whitewall, which is due out June 20th. It debuted in Cannes, where Eve tells me everyone from Bono to 50 Cent to Liz Hurley was reading it. Imagine that. They are reading all about me declaring my true love for—me, me, Norma Desmond.

Sweet Dreams are Made of This ..

2006-06-13T14:59:00.000-04:00

.. so last summer Martha Cooper and I are at my favorite spot on earth, the garden at Cafe Asean, chatting about the launch of We B*Girlz and I told her this little fantasy I had ..

Do you remember the historic battle between Rocky Steady and Dynamic at Lincoln Center? I asked, spacing out on who I was talking to.

Yes, I photographed it, Martha reminded me.

Yes Yes right. Okay .. I've have this crazy lil dream that we could do something for We B*Girlz at Lincoln Center, like an anniversary event, only this time we're honoring the ladies.

You know, Martha pointed out, the first event was in 1981, so that 25th anniversary would be in 2006. August in fact.

Ohmagod, that would be incredible, I drooled. But I mean, it's so good but it's so unlikely.

Not really, Martha decided. Let me work on this..

..low and behold I get the call in January. WE GOT IT !! Martha exclaimed. I almost fell out of my chair. I thought, No way. No No No way !! how could this little dream I had one balmy afternoon become reality? But it did and it is.

And so it is and will be ..

Lincoln Center Out of Doors, powerHouse Books, and Martha Cooper are pleased to announce

WE B*GIRLZ

A 25th Anniversary Breakin’ Event at Lincoln Center Out of Doors

Thursday, August 10, 2006, 6:00–7:10 p.m.
Josie Robertson Plaza at Lincoln Center, New York City

This event is free and open to the public. For more information, please call 212-LINCOLN

Twenty-five years ago, the first breakin’ battle for a large public audience was held at Lincoln Center Out of Doors. Henry Chalfant organized a battle between two New York break dancing groups to introduce breaking to the public. The original breakin’ battle event, of all male dancers, held on August 15, 1981, was photographed by legendary hip-hop documentarian Martha Cooper who is now coordinating the 25th anniversary event, We B*Girlz.

To honor the rise of the b-girlz, as well as pay homage to the b-boyz who paved the way, Lincoln Center Out of Doors will present We B*Girlz: A 25th Anniversary Breakin’ Event on Thursday, August 10th on the Josie Robertson Plaza at 6:00 p.m.

In the past 25 years, women have become a strong, driving force in the hip-hop scene. As documented in We B*Girlz (Miss Rosen Editions/powerHouse Books, 2005), the first book to showcase the b-girl scene worldwide. Cooper partnered with text editor Nika Kramer to speak with old and new school b-girlz around the globe about their work to redefine the role of women in a traditionally male-dominated field.

The We B*Girlz Lincoln Center Out of Doors event will feature an all-star international line-up of female performers, participants and judges. Emceed by Toni Blackman, New York, and featuring music by DJ Sparkles, Philadelphia. It will feature a 3-on-3 battle between four crews: Dynamic Rockers and Fox Force, both New York City; Style Comes First, Philadelphia; and Flowzaic, London. There will also be performances by popper/locker Rowdy of Flowzaic as well as a group show by members of Keep Risin’ to the Tops, a dance troupe based in Spanish Harlem. The judges include Rokafella, New York; Asia One, Los Angeles; and Aruna, Rotterdam. The backdrop will be painted by graffiti legend Lady Pink along with Toofly and Muck.

Prior to announcing the winner of the battle, Henry Chalfant will introduce original b-boys from the 1981 event, bringing them on stage to take their bows. When the winner is announced, Toni Blackman will freestyle with two members of her Cipher Workshop, in a grand finale, with everyone on stage taking part in a jam that recognizes the achievements of both b-boys and b-girls, as well as old school and new school styles.

One of New York’s most anticipated summer traditions, Lincoln Center Out of Doors, now in its 36th year, is enjoyed annually by thousands of people who come to its FREE music, dance, spoken-word, special events, and interactive family programs representing traditional and contemporary arts and culture from around the world, and the rich cultural diversity of New York City.

For a complete listing of Out of Doors 2006 events, visit Lincoln Center's website or to request a brochure, call 212-LINCOLN.

We B*Girlz: A 25th Anniversary Breakin’ Event at Lincoln Center Out of Doors is funded by National Endowment for the Artsand co-sponsored by City Lore, Inc. in collaboration with The Point C.D.C.

Dirty Thirties

2006-06-13T10:51:00.000-04:00

was at Scrap Yard a couple of weeks ago with Martha Cooper (which was like being with Angelina Jolie at the Cannes Film Festival) and met Robert of www.bboy.com who gave us passes to a battle he was organzing for last Saturday nite .. So I pass along his info to Wes thinking we could sell some We B*Girlz books for the website, and Wes tells me Robert says come through and bring my peoples so how can I resist being put on the guest list for a b-boy event, if only because ohmagod these things are 95% men ..

okay, not men .. boys .. like this one guy, wow, he was amaaazing. Seriously. The more you watch the more you see. Power moves are boring. You gotta have that flow. Light as a feather. Never hit the ground. Be like that and I will watch you all night. Which is what I did. Shamelessly.

I was like, Yo where my man go? Everyone else was getting all aggressive, all (you know) how big my dick is (umm no I dont really care), and my man was just chillin, smiling even, jumpin in the cipher all the time. Flying. It was a sight to behold.

So my girl Sharon gets all curious. How old do you think he is? Illegal in 17 states, I say. But that's not good enough for her. So she goes up to him. Wow, you're really good. How long you been doin this? 8 years, he says. Really? How old are you?

16

Fuckin' hell. I am twice his age. I never felt like such a dirty old lady. But when I told Roka the story she was like, girl you know it: Dirty Thirties.

goddamn it !!

2006-06-09T10:54:00.000-04:00

i have spent days trying to post those UFO photos to this blog to so that my last story makes some semblance of sense but i's not working .. @#$%#^%$^& .. i can just imagine UFO laughing at me for even trying ..

If You See Me Walkin Down the Street ..

2006-06-07T13:33:00.000-04:00

.. you know, I have this secret crush on UFO .. Umm .. okay, it's not such a secret anymore but honey let me tell you .. I met that boy last year and was like Whoa .. I need a cigatette .. And mind you I had quit smoking months before but he has that aii dios mio kinda thing thank makes me speak Spanglish ..

.. so I've been harboring a harmless lil crush on this hottie for awhile, writing him here and there to say hey what's up and whathaveyou when Whoa .. I was walkin down Sixth Avenue over the weekend and I saw this truck ..

.. and I was like AHH SHIT YEA !! my honey is back at it !!

.. I was walkin past the tuck checkin it out like it was a piece of chocolate cake and I was a girl who had not had sugar in years (accurate depiction), drooling and dragging my jaw across the sidewalk while no one else on the street seem to notice ..

they all just went their own way, they would walk on by like their name was Dionne Warwick .. aii no entiendo nada ..

photos courtesy of UFO ..

Gettin' Higher Baby .. and Don't Ever Come Down ..

2006-06-05T15:21:00.000-04:00

More adventures with Rokafella ..

So I hook honey up with a hot Versace spandex skirt which she wears to a show at the New Victory Theater in Times Square, all fly girl style .. But when homegirl gets to the after party she tells me:

"I got tipsy and did windmills in a skirt I tied into a knot—baby diaper style—oh my god... I couldn't help it... They played White Lines... I had to rep... The other girls there were tryin to battle the guys and were losing horribly... So I was like f it—I got the goods even if I am in a skirt..."

Yo !! Windmills in a Versace skirt !! That's legendary ..

Get On Up, Get on Down

2006-06-02T15:05:00.000-04:00

Y'all don't know. But you might figure it out. Rokafella is my hero. Seriously. I wanna be her when I grow up. Or slim down. Or shape up. Or boogie down.

You're probably kicking yourself for missing her anniversary party. And if you're not, you should be. Cause shit was inSANE. For real. I have never left a show feeling like I was the one on stage. We talkin' African drums, Bronx Burlesque, Spanish Harlem hotties, Jewish b-boys, Salsational singers, and the DJ was spinning hits—I got my chair dancing down to a science. And let us not forget the catering. What? Those giant shrimps was gone in one minute. Ohmagod it was MADNESS.

So now you like, Damn. What was I thinking? How can I get down?
I'm sayin—Roka and Kwikstep are going to be teaching Full Circle Soul Workshops this month at Alvin Ailey. Now is your chance to redeem yourself. Take a class. Learn a couple of steps. Show off to your friends. You know most people can't dance. It's somewhere between tragic and hilarious. Don't be one of them. Get it together kids !!

Thursday June 15 & Friday June 16, 4:30–6:30 pm
Da Breakdown: learn the fundamentals of breakin, uprockin, poppin and lockin.

Friday, June 23 & Saturday June 24, 4:30–6:30 pm
From Da Street to Da Stage: a unique fusion of hip-hop and theater, fusing movement with text/lyrics.

$20 single class
$35 single workshop
$60 both workshops

Damn, that's like less than the price of one Nike.

For more information, call 212-405-9500 or visit www.alvinailey.org

Don't Stop * Get It * Get It *

2006-06-01T13:11:00.000-04:00

“Most people relieve themselves in private. But if you’re a card-carrying member of the lefty arts-and-croissants crowd, you snap photos,” begins celebrated right-wing commentator Rush Limbaugh's earnest protest, “P…is for Pathetic,” in the May 2006 edition of The Limbaugh Letter against the publication of Pees on Earth: Photographs by Ellen Jong.

“Many years ago, Ellen Jong was forced by a long Manhattan line to take an, ahem, outdoor bathroom break,” Limbaugh recounts for his readers. “Being a self-absorbed lib photographer, she was struck by the astonishing beauty of what trickled down the sidewalk. So Ms. Jong decided to relive that glorious moment over and over again, all around the world, capturing each tinkle on film. Naturally, she figured this would make a wonderful coffee table book.”

Amaazing !! Rush gave us a quarter page in his 16 page newsletter—not bad for a book not appearing at your local Barnes & Noble. The anti-Pees piece appears alongside stories on Swedish Hell's Angels, thieves of Victoria's Secret bra technology, and suicide clinics. Clearly, Mr. Limbaugh has his finger on the trigger, firing off on issues people care about most! I could say that ‘he doth protest too much’ but I don’t think he’s protested enough!

TV!
Radio!
In the words of George Bush: Bring it on !!

I mean, why spend my money to put up bail when she's just going to wind up doing time anyway?

2006-05-31T15:19:00.000-04:00

—said the guy on the B train this morning.

Just got a note from the mastermind behind Overheard in New York to tell me:

I run Overheard in NY and I just wanted to tell you that I really enjoyed your story about what happened when you purchased the book--I already know I'm going to repeat the story to everyone I know :)

WoW !!
That's IT.
The universe is one.

Boogie Down Bronx

2006-05-30T17:23:00.000-04:00

While the more glamorous types spend their summer weekends in breezy beach towns, I will be spending my time and my dime in the boogie down Bronx with the lovely Rokafella ..

Met her on Saturday for a tour of Parkchester ..

We hit the Cuban Chinese spot for a snack, where I observed, "Did you ever notice how the waiters are always so unbothered to be here? Like here's your food. Yes, it's good. I don't need to ask how you like it." And Roka said, "Yea. Cause you know, they're like, 'In my country I was an engineer.'" Indeed. Cuban Chinese tastes good with a dash of mad attitude.

Then we made it to the beauty supply store, and, honey, if you don't know us you cannot imagine. Hair Hair Everywhere. It was like a reunion of sorts. Yo, did you ever try Queen Helen? Yea all the time. But it's not so good to leave in. You leave it in? Yea it works the curl. Ohh how about that Mane & Tail? No I never tried that. That shit reminds me of high school. I know you used TCB. Nahh, we white; we used Curl Free—you know, with the hippie on the box.

We went on for awhile. Then we made our way to the extension department, where an older woman stopped us to say, "Why are you two here. You got hair. Me‚ I ain't got hair. I need hair. But you two got hair." True, true, we do. But we like straight hair. Long hair. Flowing waves of amber grain. Purple mountains majesty. Some ill shit.

Then the older woman stopped the Asian man behind thed counter. "Mr. Chang!" "My name's not Mr. Chang." "But you Chinese." "No." "Korean." "No." "Japanese." "No." Alright, what are you?" "New Yorker."

That's what I'm talkin' about.

Next up, we hittin' Fordham Road. Can I get a white stretch jean? I'm sayin ..

Ohh Ricky, You're So Pretty You Don't Understand

2006-05-30T10:38:00.000-04:00

Sometimes, when I walk down the street with Ricky Powell, I like to stop suddenly, and shout out, "Ohmagod are YOU Ricky Powell?" It amuses me to no end to unnerve him. You know how some people bring out your wicked stepsister side?

Honey is going to be at Rival on Thursday, June 1 from 4:00–7:00 p.m. to host the opening for a new exhibition, as well as signing copies of Public Access. And trust, if you haven't met this New York institution, the time is now. He's sure to be in rare form ..

Rival
225 Hudson Street near Canal Street, New York
For more information, please call 212-929-7222

Gossip is Good

2006-05-26T14:45:00.000-04:00

I love me some updates from allhiphop.com .. Today's stories include classics from the Has Been Collection .. Enjoy !!

Foxy Brown will stand trial July 17 for allegedly assaulting two nail salon employees in a dispute over a manicure, a judge ruled today (May 26). Brown, born Inga Marchant, will face misdemeanor assault charges. Prosecutors say the rapper, 26, punched and kicked two employees after they allegedly refused to let her leave the salon when Brown refused to pay her $20 dollar tab. Brown allegedly struck one of the employees in the face and body with a cell phone in her closed fist and hit the manager of the salon. Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Gerald Harris also issued orders of protection today for Myoung Yi and Sun Ji Song, the two employees allegedly assaulted by the rapper.

Dasun Allah, the former Editor-In-Chief of The Source magazine, was jailed yesterday for six months after being convicted of striking a two people with a satchel filled with gravel earlier in January. Prosecutors charged that Allah, whose real name is David Blanks, hit a pair of strangers with the satchel on Jan. 8 while in Harlem with no discernible motive. The 32-year-old scribe, who has written for the likes of the Village Voice, had pled guilty in March and was free on $5,000 bail. Allah has another case pending where he stands accused of decimating a Jehovah's Witness sanctuary in October of 2005, a felonious offense if he is convicted.

From Pills to Pees

2006-05-25T16:18:00.000-04:00

Word from the incomparable Annie Sprinkle is that megalomaniac media fantatic Rush Limbaugh wrote about Pees on Earth in his newsletter. Annie calls it "scandalous" and lord knows, honey, if she is scandalized this sucka is hot !!

I am trying to get a copy—apparently it's gonna cost but believe you me, Rush is preaching to the ideal market. You know how dem conservatives have some seriously freaky fetishes. All that anger, guilt, and repression makes for some fascinating characterological quirks.

And you know how he was anti drugs while hustlin' pills? Yeaaa .. To paraphrase the Bard, me thinks he protest too much.

The White City

2006-05-24T16:27:00.000-04:00

Once upon a time, I decided to write a story on Serbia, only I didn't know a thing about the country. Really, nothing. I remember asking Belgrade-born photographer Boogie if Serbia the home of Slobodan Milosevic though I asked without much conviction. Typically clueless American.

But after meeting Boogie I became curious, and pitched a story on the country to Swindle magazine. They went for it, and then I had a month to learn the convoluted history of a nation that has been under seige for over six centuries. But I did it. I wrote 70-word sentences that actually made sense and I summarized the situation in some 1600 words. Remind not to try those New Yorker style stories again. Or at least, not while I have a day job.

Kickin' Wicked Rhymes Like a Fortune Teller

2006-05-24T15:05:00.001-04:00

I may be slightly insane, but for all together different reasons. However a splendid side effect of my madness are my psychic tendencies, which include predicting the blackout of 2003 the day before it happened. I was on the phone with a photo editor from The New York Times Magazine as they were looking for photographers who had been shooting in the 70s. The idea was that thing were so bad, it was the 70s all over again. And I said really loudly, "Yea. All we need now is a blackout!"

Just one day later, voila.

Since then I have had a couple of random psychic encounters, but the ones I notice most are my psychic shopping experiences. Like yesterday, I finally found it: Creep Wit Me by Ill Al Skratch. See, I just started thinknig about the album a week ago, convinced I had to get it. And of course I could go to Virgin or Amazon or whathaveyou but that's cheating, as far as I am concerned. I buy virtually everything from thrift shops to ensure that my voracious desires for stuff actually beneift someone other than myself. So I was in my favorite spot yesterday tho no, I will not tell you where. That's cheating. And what do you know? I found the damn album.

Now I know you've never heard of Ill Al Skratch and I know you have never heard the album but that's what makes it so special. Now if only I could find Nice 'N Smooth's first album*..

* hint hint

I feel it coming on .. I feel it .. I feel it ..

2006-05-22T18:51:00.000-04:00

...so we invited people to tell us about their Lovemarks and got a range of responses from "water" to "Mary Mother of God" .. I am still in awe that Nicole could maintain interest (and a straight face) and Simone, well she is just amazing because she talks to people like she cares!

I did my Lovemarks bit. First on line, naturally. Cannot resist a camera. Spoke a bit insanely about my love of Chanel cosmetics and skincare (something disturbing like "It's not a product, it's a way of life.") and also recalled how I actually opened a charge account at Macy's (hush !! don't tell anyone. It'll ruin my rep) just to get the discount. Ohh, the things you'll confess to on camera. It was a Jenny Jones moment.

But don't think I had the best story, cause honey, these people in publishing are a little..weird. Like that bedraggled blonde author of unknown age who stated through hooded eyes that her Lovemark was Xanax. Or the bald black guy who informed us he legally changed his middle name to Tag, after Tag Heuer. Which, as Nicole rightly pointed out, loses some of it's allure when you realize it is just German for "day." Or the juicy young lady who proudly informed us that whenever she goes into Target she has a "Targasm."

Someone should call their ad agency. I feel a new campaign coming (err) on.

* PoP Quiz *

2006-05-22T18:16:00.000-04:00

What ultra-glamorous, Chanel-loving powerHouse author was reduced to sharing my less-than-luscious room at the Holiday Inn in Alexandria, Virginia, on the evening of Friday, May 19th? Though she only stays at 4-star hotels at the expense of her wealthy clients, we brought her down to our level.

As she put it:
"This self-described hotel princess was all too happy to share a room at a no-hair dryer, no stationery, on the highway Holiday Inn, solely because it was at the invitation of Miss Rosen.. And remember, I may be a hotel princess, but I still can tell the difference between crickets and a humming refrigerator.."

Okay. I mistook the fridge for the lovely sound of crickets because—I live in a world of concrete, people! How the hell do I know what crickets sound like?

However, that is not quite the point. I am pleased to announce the first-ever On the Town with Miss Rosen PoP Quiz. If you correctly identify the author, you will receive copies of her books. You get three hints:

1. She has a shocking photo of Rakim. Okay, it's not shocking. Or maybe it is. I don't know. I haven't seen it yet. But it sounds promising.
2. She knows how to host a holiday party. Between the a-list guests, the holiday spread, and the apartment itself, I am thinking of moving in.
3. I had to fix her bra at BEA. Daniel's eyes almost fell out of his head. I know. That's not a hint. You already got a hint. She loves Chanel. Think: Red Red Lipstick. Coco Parfum.

Stay tuned for more stories from BEA.

Love to Love You Baby

2006-05-17T13:08:00.000-04:00

Visit the powerHouse Books Booth 3905
Book Expo America 2006
Washington D.C. Convention Center
Friday, May 19–Sunday, May 21

We're inviting attendees to be filmed while telling a story about their favorite Lovemarks and enter into a chance to win a luxury gift bag.

You know mine, right ? Chanel cosmetics & skincare. When in doubt, just remember a gift certificate to Bergdorf's will always be well received.

Pigs .. In .. Spaaaace

2006-05-17T11:39:00.000-04:00

I am slightly obsessed with The Muppet Show .. My favorite character is Janice, The Vallery Girl in the band, who is best remembered for her line in The Muppets Take Manhattan when they were all squashed into lockers in Grand Central station: "I'll go with anyone who has a ja-coo-ziii" ..

So—totally unrelated—when we first laid out the title page of Ellen Jong's Pees on Earth, we were trying to figure out the best way the title would look. At one point the words were each on their own line, and I was like, "Ohh no. It looks like Pees .. On .. Eaaaarth" .. Now I am forver saying this in my head: Pees .. On .. Eaaaarth.

Join Miss Ellen for the after party, as the lovely lady takes Miami ..

Oh * My * Gawd Becky ..

2006-05-16T12:23:00.000-04:00

so my boy at Newsweek sent me some love for la blog, as well as a special shout out to the guidos across the river .. I am simply beside myself ..

but I must say, I miss the hair monsters of yesterday, like the people featured in David Yellen's Too Fast for Love .. Now there's a look I can get into ..

Slippery When Wet

2006-05-16T11:35:00.000-04:00

Join the lovely Miss Ellen Jong for some fun in the sun this Friday, May 19, as she celebrate the launch of Pees on Earth at Social Miami at the Sagamore Hotel .. 9pm .. RSVP: socialmiami@iheartsupermarket.com .. Watch out for wet spots !!

If you really, really want it ..

2006-05-15T13:47:00.000-04:00

.. all you gotta do is get up on it .. Okay, that's not quite right, but I can't help it, I loves me some Keith Sweat ..

On May 25, I will be teaching my second class at The Learning Annex called How to Get Your Photos or Art Published.

The first class was held back in April and it went amaazingly well. Not only was I able to share some unadulterated insights into the publishing industry, but I also met an artist with an incredible book project, as well as a wonderful woman from a The Brooklyn Museum.

You never know how it will go, but one thing's for sure—you can't go wrong. Where else will you find me speaking non-stop for two hours. Err wait. Where won't you find me speaking non-stop for two hours? But atleast I will stay on a single topic, and one that might even change your life!

So if you really, really want it ..

Hot Dog !!

2006-05-15T11:39:00.000-04:00

I am now officially obsessed with Overheard in New York .. Not that I have the time to check the website tho. So if you, like me, are just a lil too busy (tho really, how can you be if you are reading my blog?), I highly recommend you get the book, which I found at Barnes & Noble in the Village.

Upon purchasing the book, the clerk opened my copy, pointed to a selection, and said, "That's me!" I later discovered it was a conversation about, umm, anal sex, and was left trying to avoid thinking about whether he was the guy with the clever one-liner or the guy who got some. Waaaay too much information.

However, it got me thinking I should submit my own stories to Overheard, and when I saw my own, I mean my own because I don't eavesdrop much.

This might make a charming story:

Miss Rosen: Can I get a water?
Hot Dog Vendor: That will be $1.50.
Miss Rosen: Thanks.
Hot Dog Vendor: You look very nice. Where are you going?
Miss Rosen: Yes.
Hot Dog Vendor: So where are you from?
Miss Rosen: New York.
Hot Dog Vendor: I mean originally.
Miss Rosen: The Bronx.

Kinda amusing though not as brilliant as this gem from the book:

Guido 1: How do you like me new shirt?
Guido 2: It's fucking brilliant. You should buy another one and throw them both out.

Now that's what I'm talkin' about.

a lil somethin' somethin'

2006-05-12T18:35:00.000-04:00

today was sales conference, which means we spent 90 days preparing materials for a 90 minute meeting .. I wish I could come up with something charming and clever, but I am tapped out .. So I leave you with a lil somethin' somethin' from Jamel Shabazz's A Time Before Crack ..

you find you find you find you love dancing

2006-05-11T11:41:00.000-04:00

I remember this song, Love Dancing, from when I first started going out to clubs like Mars and Red Zone and Palladium (R.I.P.) and it would come on and everyone was like, Whoaaa !! It was house but back then there weren't these distinctions between types of music—if there was a groove you would move ..

Times have changed, and now everything's in these easy-to-market categories 'cause people love their labels .. but I like when things aren't straight up one thing or another—when they combine and blend to create something entirely new .. like breakin' .. I remember when it first came out, or at least when the cute boys were spinning on the floor in the cafeteria while Another One Bites the Dust was playing and their over-sized adidas shelltops would go flying across the room ..

But thing is girls weren't breakin' .. Ohh yea I would have loved to have gotten down but it just didn't seem like it was gonna happen—what with my only knowledge being a couple of steps of the Hustle gleaned from never-missed episodes of Dance Fever .. So I am blessed to have met thew incredible Rokafella, b-girl supreme, who has been teaching me and my girls some steps so we can finesse it .. Not like we've got it, 'cause we don't, but we wanna learn and that's where it's at ..

We're starting practice at Dance Theater Workshop every week .. It's b-girlin' for old ladies .. You gotta be in your 20s, if not 30s or 40s. Cause we don't need some fresh young thang coming thru like yo yo yo check this out. I mean, that's nice, but us grandmas need to be amongst our own. So honey, if you're an old girl lookin for a new trick, give me a shout. 'Cause when you bust a move like Young MC, people in the place are gonna be like WWWHAAAAAAAT !!???!!??!

Photograph of Rokafella by Martha Cooper, from We B*Girlz

Viva Freedom !!

2006-05-05T10:22:00.000-04:00

Celebrate Cinco de Mayo with Flesh Life: Sex in Mexico, the sizzling new monograph by acclaimed photojournalist Joseph Rodriguez, whose intimate images are complemented by Ruben Martinez' autobiographical account of a maddening descent into crises sex. ..

I Don't Know .. Where Are We ? What is This Place ?

2006-05-04T11:29:00.000-04:00

Yes, these words—spoken in a booming voice by a 6'4, 220 lb, less-than-convincing albeit personable drag queen—summed up the evening, which appeared to be glamorous .. but scratch the surface ..

I Don't Know:
It was a strange day, starting the morning at the Times Square studios of Good Morning America with Elizabeth and Nat and meeting up with them later that evening at a penthouse with 180 degree views of the Flatiron district as the sun set in a blaze of Tropicana-colored hues ..

Where Are We ?
It was a party for the launch of Abrams' new book, Andy Warhol Screen Tests. I think it was hosted by the Whitney Museum.

What Is This Place ?
"It's like a wake," Elizabeth commented as I mentioned how much I dislike these parties celebrating bygone eras. There's something about standing in a room with people forty years later, or forty years too young that feels fake, just like Mischa Sedgwick (or so Page Six reports).

Rok My World !!

2006-05-03T13:01:00.000-04:00

My girl Rokafella will be celebrating the 10th anniversary of Full Circle Productions, a non-profit organization focusing on hip hop culture established with Quikstep, on Friday, May 26, 2006 .

If you do nothing else with your entire life, do not miss this !!

Alvin Ailey Citygroup Theater
55th Street at Ninth Avenue, New York

Performances by Open Thought, Universes, KR3TS,
Salsa sensation Amadis, West African drum ensemble Palms Down, and poetry collective Project 2050

We B*Girlz Book Signing

$75.00/$50.00 tickets include a VIP show starting at 7:00 pm
Featuring a fully catered reception, a meet and greet with Full Circle, and a preview performance/presentation of their new dance/theatre piece

$ 25.00 tickets are for the general show and awards presentation starting at 8:00 pm

To purchase tickets, please contact cat@fullcirclesoul.com

Monty Murray-Finkelstein v. Tom Cruise

2006-05-03T12:36:00.000-04:00

.. So I got to the stage door entrance of Good Morning America this morning only to discover a crowd had already formed .. I heard mumblings of an appearance by Lindsay Lohan as I passed by .. I asked who was expected that day and the production assistant told me none other than Tom Cruise .. Which made me giggle because he is just so damn revolting ..

When I arrived in the green room, Monty was already there, ready for his close up .. Apparently, when the town car delivering Elizabeth and Nat pulled up outside the studio, the paparrazzi were on the ready, cameras poised, awaiting the shot .. The door opened and .. Big Pug popped out .. Someone asked, "Is that Tom Cruise's dog?" to which Elizabeth, slightly aghast answered, "Hardly."

I'm Lookin' for a Big Pug, Baby, a Big Pug .. Yea Yea Yea Yea

2006-05-02T13:13:00.000-04:00

(to be sung to the tune of Jody Watley's late 80s classic, "I'm Lookin for a New Love")

The fabulous Miss Patty Neger of Good Morning America inquired about getting a chubby dog for a segment about on getting your overweight canine in shape with Fitness Unleashed! a new book by Marty Becker, D.V.M. and Robert Kushner, M.D.

I was like—Yes! Yes! I felt like that annoying kid in class sitting up on my hind leg, waving my arm in the air like—Call on Me! Call on Me!

I sent Patty an email telling her all about Monty, the chunky pug of my dear friends Elizabeth Murray and Nat Finkelstein. There is no dog quite like Monty, who is so big, the guys in the corner store call him "Gordo" whenever he passes by. Monty, oh Monty, who will eat wasabi in chunks, eye blinking back the tears as he gazes longingly for another bite of—anything at all.

I am pleased to announce Monty will be making his television debut on Good Morning America on WEDNESDAY, MAY 3 during the 8:30 half hour. And then you can see the grand old 37 pounder for yourself!

Bow WoW Baby !!

M-E-T-H-O-D Man !!

2006-05-01T14:49:00.000-04:00

Hey You !! Get off my cloud .. You don't know me and you don't know my style ..

Ohh hey there. Excuse me. Got a lil lost in my reveries of '93, back when I was taping Red Alert mixes off KISS FM, replaying them then gagging like Oh Shit That's The Jam.

So So So Yo I heard from my man Ricky Powell that Method Man was loving our book Public Access !!

Better to let Ricky tell it:

Yo, I'm psyched! My boy Vinny Ponte who runs a cool little shop on Hudson St. (called RIVAL) tells me that Method Man from The Wu Tang Clan came over his house the other day and sees his picture in Public Access and got all "OH SSIT!!!!' and all. I was flattered because I really liked that kid (Mef) and I put his picture in all 4 of my books. Plus "we both enjoy the fruits of life"...Heh! Anyways we quickly came to the conclusion that we should do "Something" at the store..like a book signing/photo exhibit joint or some shit! It'll be DOPE! Vinny's down with the Wu Crew...(both parties have that Nubian Guido thing, it's beautiful...). He said they're gonna come through and DJ and whatnot...I'm already getting amped...I'm psyched!

Back to Miss Rosen:

Check it out!! THURSDAY, JUNE 1 AT RIVAL, 225 HUDSON STREET.

Upside. Downside.
Inside and Outside.
Hitting you from every angle.
There's no doubt I am...

...the one and only Method Man.

Easy Breezy Beautiful Cover Girl

2006-04-28T16:45:00.000-04:00

The lovely Miss Ellen Jong has just gotten her first cover—of this week's Stranger, Seattle's hottest paper. Their inimitable art director, the divine Miss Kelly O just selected one of Ellen's juiciest shots from Pees on Earth for the cover of the paper.

In just two days, 50 people have commented on their blog. But the number is deceiving as many have missed the point and are talking about some smoking ban.

People!
People!

Let's not lose focus of what's important here! Don't nobody care about your addiction except Mr. Morris. But Miss Rosen, ohh honey, you know she loves it when her babies make the cover!

~ welcome welcome~

2006-04-28T14:39:00.000-04:00

Did I ever tell you about the time I was on Fox Midday News? It was a strange moment. I was standing in the studio, behind a tin table with our books, while anchor Jody Applegate introduced me, saying, "Today we have Sara Rosen of powerHouse Books who will present the best photo books of 2004. Hi Sara. Welcome."

I memorized everything. I had little 45 second speeches about all of our books down perfectly. I knew exactly what to say about Autograf, about InTents, about LeRoy Neiman, about Jackie, about Gladiators, about Beastie Boys Anthology. But. I did not rehearse my greeting. I drew a blank. I went on autopilot. I said the only thing I could think of at that moment:

Welcome.

Jody looked a lil perplexed but smoothly cruised past my welcoming her to her own show. Just as I welcome you to my show. Err. Blog. Can you believe it? A blog. Like I don't talk enough already. Now I get to talk to you. About what?

Stay tuned.