if you don't read this blog, i'll shoot this dog.

AC: Have you seen Pete Doherty lately?

Tue, 22 May 2012 13:35:08 -0400

AC: Have you seen Pete Doherty lately?
MR: No, why? Does he look good? Send it to me.

boy crazy: volume xxx: max brown

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 10:50:20 -0400

while many may recognize this brit from the tudors, i never watched that show, and didn’t discover him till last week when i started watching mistresses on netflix. (i’ve become so obsessed, i purchased seasons 2 and 3 via amazon instant video.) brown only appears in the first season of mistresses, which is unfortunate — he might just be the the prettiest man in the world. oh, and he’s talented too.

kim and i have worked together too long.

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 17:52:55 -0400

this is a recreated version of actual events.

me: jai rodriquez tweeted us.
kim: what's he doing?
me: he's producing for 'bad sex.'
kim: what's that?
me: it's on logo.
kim: where's he from?
me: 'queer eye'
kim: wait...
me: 'crazy beautiful'?
kim: yeah.
me: you're thinking of jay hernandez. where has he been by the way?
kim: [looks at me totally creeped out.]

the perfect passover playlist.

Tue, 27 Mar 2012 10:21:00 -0400

the perfect passover playlist.:

LISTEN HERE

(nb: this playlist is exactly 18 songs — to life!)

moses (live in sydney) - coldplay
walk me down the middle - the band perry
let my people go - the winans
pyramid song - radiohead
most beautiful plague - say anything
pretty girl from locust - the avett brothers
cold desert - kings of leon
i’m a slave 4 u - britney spears
basket case - green day
freedom! ‘90 - george michael
flood - jars of clay
frogs - alice in chains
release - pearl jam
darkness - rage against the machine
boil over - the heligoats
blood of the lamb - billy bragg & wilco
israelites - desmond dekker
passover - joy division

recommendation of the day: keane pillowcase set

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 12:05:38 -0400

as i was perusing keanemusic.com to get more details on one of my favorite band’s upcoming album, strangeland, i came across this smart merchandise: they’re pillowcases featuring the lyrics of the band’s two “slumber-related” songs, “a bad dream” and “bedshaped”! since keane is one of a handful of bands i play when falling asleep, purchasing these seems only appropriate, and, hey, always good to have some~~one~~thing in your bed you actually love. ahem.

buy here.

(note: although the set seems to be out of stock, it looks like you can buy both individually for a bit more money.)

monica's manhattan part i: my favorite brunch spots

Sun, 26 Feb 2012 16:04:10 -0500

intro.
i decided to finally compile a list of my favorite places to eat and imbibe in manhattan. as much as i realize that doing this might be asking for a “who the fuck does this chick think she is?” i dine out quite a bit, and i am asked for recommendations quite often. this is not a list of the best restaurants in manhattan by any means, but hopefully just a solid list of places to go for various occasions, places i frequent, places i’m willing to put my (hopefully) good name on (which, for anyone who knows me, is not something i take lightly.) so, here ya go (restaurants not listed in any particular order or any real format, and subject to future additions.)

brunch.

the waverly inn
although this place is owned by graydon carter and was one of the trendiest places to see and be seen a few years ago, there is nothing uptight about this place. ask to sit in the beautiful garden in the back if it doesn’t look like they’ll be seating you there.

must-orders: start with the scones (i actually had these once sent to a friend’s table because i didn’t think he’d order them on his own, and i couldn’t handle the idea of him missing out), and make sure someone orders the dutch pancake, or order one to split for the table if you’re feeling so gluttonous.

the smith (both locations)
owned by the same people behind jane (which also has a good brunch), i think the smith might be one of the most crowd-pleasing restaurants on earth. it’s straight american fare, and can please everyone from a child to a curmudgeonly parent (we brought my dad here!) great for large groups. definitely make a reservation as it gets very crowded. generally a mid-’20s crowd. good cocktails too.

must-orders: i always order the huevos for brunch. also, the fries. the grits. and the birthday cake sundae is a nice surprise for kids and whimsical adults alike.

taste
it’s basically a pricey diner, and there are tons of kids (i mean, it’s yorkville), but it’s worth it for the jam. if you don’t get served the raspberry one, ask if they have it. it’s crack cocaine.

little known fact: the place flips to a fine dining restaurant at night. still pricey, but delicious. order the concord grape cake if it’s available. might be the best cake i’ve ever had.

dos caminos
anyone who knows me knows that i will eat mexican food any time of day, any day. the brunch here was a recommendation by my friend, meredith, and now i recommend it to you. they have a brunch menu, drink included (get the prickly pear margarita if you have the time to take a nap after brunch!)

must-orders: the smoked salmon and avocado benedict (it’s served on cornbread!) and the dos caminos chicken cobb salad (chorizo! queso fresco!)

yorkville creperie
i used to dine here every weekend, but stopped as it started getting too crowded with all the groupons they were offering. you might be in for a wait for a table and your food, but still love this place.

must-orders: can’t really go wrong with anything, but the chicken salad (not on the brunch menu, but ask for it, and ye shall most likely receive) is my favorite. country crepe (strawberry, banana, and nutella) and fluff-a-nutter are winning sweet crepes.

other quickie recommendations:
- peel’s
- perilla (will also make an appearance on my dinner list, but make sure someone orders something with spicy duck meat!
clinton st. baking company (expect to possibly wait hours [no joke], but worth a try at least once)
- norma’s at le parker meridien (get the arepa and the chocolate decadence french toast for dessert!)
- back forty
- untitled at the whitney museum
- blue ribbon bakery
- tal’s (my favorite)/essa for bagels (they both also have excellent catering for apartment parties.)

just another day at the office...

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 10:12:18 -0500

Abigail: Google "Tom Hardy bisexual"
Monica: No thank you.

on nicki minaj's grammy performance:

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 23:14:45 -0500

iman: this is kind of offesive
monica: like she's not a rapper
monica: i do'nt care what anyone says
monica: oh you meant offensive to catholics?
monica: i meant to music lovers
monica: lolololol

recommendation of the day: slvdr hoodies

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 12:56:00 -0500

my co-worker, matt, gets all the credit for this one because slvdr hoodies are a staple in his wardrobe, and I comment on them every time he wears one. this one is my favorite:

Hoody (see more hooded tops)

they’re a little pricey, but they are soft, fitted, and detailed enough to make hoodies seem like they’re not such a lazy fashion choice after all. (sorry, matt.)

'one tree hill': what other shows can learn from it

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 12:35:00 -0500

This January 11th, One Tree Hill premiered its ninth and final season. I’m not going to pose and say that I’ve been a fan all nine years. I honestly can’t remember how much of it I watched when it premiered in 2003. In fact, much of what I knew about the series was this:

This moment proves two things: The show was ridiculous and the show knows not to take itself too seriously – both positives. A show that takes itself too seriously has much more room to fall than one that knows how to laugh at itself. If you start ridiculously, it makes it easier for the viewer to suspend disbelief and accept more outlandish storylines, and therefore more storylines in general. Although most soap operas are resting in peace now, there’s a reason many of them were able to last decades.

A little over a year ago, I started watching One Tree Hill marathons on Soapnet. I found it relaxing. Then I became mildly obsessed — when Netflix acquired all the seasons, I knew it was my chance to catch up. Soapnet would be gone soon enough, and there would be nowhere else to watch but online. I started with Season 5, when the show propelled itself forward four years, worked all the way through Season 8 then started back at Seasons 1-4. And, quickly but surely, I caught up. And as I’ve now watched every single episode, I can honestly say that I appreciate One Tree Hill. And I honestly don’t think it gets enough credit for what it was able to do, and what it did before many of its contemporaries figured it out.

Male Objectification
NYMag.com’s Vulture blog asked this question back in September: Are we living in the golden age of male objectification? While one could argue that males have always been objectified, and perhaps no better/worse now than when boy bands were at their height, perhaps the real difference is not the objectification done by the fans in their magazine spread-covered bedrooms, but by the reative people behind the content — the primary sources themselves. One Tree Hill has been objectifiying its men since the season premiere. From male-focused stripping to steamy sex scenes (sorry, no other way to describe them) to the sports choreography themselves, One Tree Hill has never shied away from a male glamour shot. And we thank the show for it. Sigh.

It Gets Better
This expression is now associated with the gay rights movement and anti-bullying campaigns, but it was used in an episode of One Tree Hill years ago, dealing with a high school shooting story arc. I never really thought about the importance of this storyline until a friend of mine mentioned how much they liked how they dealt with the Columbine-inspired plot. The show didn’t drop it after one episode, either. The experience continued to affect the characters, etc. It wasn’t a gimmick — it was a fact of life. A lot of really bad things happen to the characters on the show, and not everything is tied with a neat bow at the end. Characters actually deal with their problems — something that makes the show very realistic, despite scenes like this:

Sorry, this scene deserved an Emmy on its own.

Female Friendship
I’ve always maintinated that you can’t trust a girl with no female friends. (It’s true.) While characters Brooke and Peyton fought over Lucas, Mia and Alex fought over Chase, etc., one thing that always remained strong in the show was the power of female friendship. One could certainly argue that females are objectified on this show, but for some reason, it’s never bothered me. Perhaps it’s because the males are equally objectified (see above), or that the bonds between the female characters are often tested, but rarely broken. The show is just as much about the relationships between brothers and sisters — both literally and spiritually — as the romantic relationships between men and women.

Forget College!
One of the biggest lessons other teen shows can learn from One Tree Hill is how it handled the college years, in that, it didn’t. Skipped right over them. After Season 4, the show catapults itself four years forward, only mentioning those pesky college years in flashbacks and broken dreams. The college years have killed shows before. Sure, 90210 (the original) made it work somehow, but I’m prepared to argue that it never had quite the same magic as the high school years (if only for the fact that I just want to prove this point.) Gossip Girl has seemingly taken a page out of its sister show’s page and completely ignored college. Its characters entered college, but suddently the kids just stopped going. Oh well. Probably for the best. Happy to see Josh Schwartz learn something from Mark Schwahn. No, Josh, we haven’t forgotten about The O.C.’s demise.

Product Placement
Oh, Sunkist. I have no idea how much money you’ve given to One Tree Hill and The CW over the years, but thank you. I’m going to assume that you’re probably one of the few monetary reasons the show is still on the air. The show has been able to seamlessly — albeit sometimes laughably — integrate Sunkist into their sotyrlines. Not only do the actors wear Sunkist shirts, drink Sunkist on a daily basis (a seemingly sensible alternative to alcohol for the underage characters and fans of the show), but entire concert series are sponsored by… Sunkist! Great brand recall.

Post-Modernism
Gossip Girl would never called chuck and Blair “Chair” in-show, but Nathan and Haley? They’re Naley. To fans and the characters living in the fictional world of the show. It’s this sort of little wink to the crazy fans, those ones that make sweeping and emotional YouTube videos about the show, that let the viewers know the show cares about them. The writers even make little jokes at the actors themselves, making fun of James Lafferty’s stiff delivery (ahem), etc. that lets us know they’re having fun, they they know we’re out there. This nod to the viewer, the connection to the fan, is indicative of the overall emo undertone of the show. I won’t go into the tenets of emo music and its roots (I did write a whole long-form feature on it that I can provide if asked), but I will get into the music on the show…

Launching Music
The show has given amazing exposure to bands such as Fall Out Boy, Jack’s Mannequin, Wakey! Wakey!, and more. They haven’t just been fleeting cameos, parts of songs, muffled by the sounds of dialogue over them, but essentially full concerts, including band members incorporated into storylines.

One Tree Hill introduced me to Wakey! Wakey!, and for that I’m grateful, but the other bands such as Fall out Boy and Jack’s Manneuin were part of a time, a time when emo music was, well, everywhere, the music of the disenfranchised and emotional youth and One Tree Hill listened. It was the type of music One Tree Hill chose to hang its hat on, while also maintinaing the singer/songwrite style of music by characters Haley and Mia, and finally Wakey! Wakey!. One Tree Hill finally went country, one of the most lucrative arms of the music industry, with the addition of character Alex Dupre. Another smart move.

There are probably a million (or at least a few more ways) to examine this show – how “straight” it is, its use of brilliant child actors — but I’ll leave that for future posts. I hope showrunners lke Josh Schwartz and Ryan Murphy, two people notorious for running out of steam after about two seasons, can learn from Mark Schwahn and the example that One Tree Hill has set. And I hope you all enjoy the ninth and final season of a show that deserves just a bit more respect than we give it.

boy crazy: volume xxix: tom sturridge

Sun, 01 Jan 2012 18:08:35 -0500

sure, his best friend, robert pattinson, gets most of the attention, but i’ve had my eye on mr. sturridge — not to be confused with another talented brit, jim sturgess — since his role in 2009’s pirate radio. i just reacquainted myself with him while selecting a random film on netflix, waiting forever. well, maybe not so random since i selected it because of his involvement. unfortunately, his part was greater than the sum of the film.

he’s also quite impressive in this fan vid compilation of his best interview moments:

i look forward to seeing his star rise as high as his best friend’s in the coming year.

recommendation of the day: kate spade holiday plaid holiday cards

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 12:39:00 -0500

this is the second christmas in a row i’ve used these as christmas cards for my doormen and co-workers. i just can’t resist the happy plaid. they’re also currently 50% off! BUY NOW

recommendation of the day: Bobeau Asymmetrical Fleece Wrap Cardigan

Sun, 13 Nov 2011 10:34:00 -0500

after reading others’ reviews on this item, i realize the fit might not be for everyone, but my sister let me borrow hers for the high holidays this year (synagogue gets cold!), and i just had to get my own, so i ordered it in three different colors! the fleece material is super-soft, the shape is more flattering than a pancho, and it’s just a nice basic to have around the home and office.

it’s on sale right now at nordstrom.com, so it’s a great time to buy.

recommendation of the day: vidigal reserva

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 10:18:23 -0500

i was getting into a bit of a malbec rut (guggenheim is probably my favorite), so one of the lovely men at the sutton wine shop recommended this vidigal reserva over a month ago, and i’ve bought it for almost every wine-appropriate occasion since. i don’t know enough about wine to describe it in any sort of sophisticated way, so i’ll just say that it’s smooth, delicious, affordable, and everyone i’ve forced to try it has enjoyed it. after thanking the man at the wine shop recently for recommending it, he told me it was a big hit among his patrons, and that they were coming in to buy about a bottle a day! (yikes!)

pictured is 2009 vintage, but here’s a link to more info about the brand and the wine itself (they feature a 2008.)

l’chaim!

Audio

Sat, 15 Oct 2011 09:11:08 -0400

Me: Uh-oh -- the CW signed up with Netflix.

Thu, 13 Oct 2011 11:41:43 -0400

Me: Uh-oh -- the CW signed up with Netflix.
Abi: [singing] Monica's never leaving the house again!

boy crazy: volume xxviii: hugo becker i’ll always be on team...

Mon, 10 Oct 2011 22:36:00 -0400

boy crazy: volume xxviii: hugo becker

i’ll always be on team “chair,” but gossip girl’s prince louis grimaldi is no slouch.

“this is the greatest thing ever on the internet”...

Wed, 21 Sep 2011 11:15:48 -0400

“this is the greatest thing ever on the internet” -kimberly

Allison Frank: OMG: http://ny.eater.com/archives/2011/09/first_ever_downtown_location_of_ihop_now_open.php

Wed, 21 Sep 2011 10:45:02 -0400

Allison Frank: OMG: http://ny.eater.com/archives/2011/09/first_ever_downtown_location_of_ihop_now_open.php

monica reyhani: omg.

Iman Criner: i had a beyonce hangover this morning

Wed, 17 Aug 2011 09:45:44 -0400

Iman Criner: i had a beyonce hangover this morning
monica reyhani: um.
monica reyhani: i literally walked into my office and said, "i have a beyonce hangover."