Archive for February, 2013

my top 5 favorite movies of the last year

the academy awards are tonight.  obviously, daniel day lewis has the best actor award locked up.  i think jessica chastain could pull the upset for best actress, but i’d like to see jennifer lawrence win if only to hear her acceptance speech.  most experts are picking argo to take home best picture, but since the academy is mostly made up of old codgers with a penchant for chaos, who knows what the hell will happen.  with that said, here are my top 5 favorite movies of 2012:

moonrise

#5 moonrise kingdom: if you’re not a wes anderson fan, then you definitely hated this movie.  i loved every minute of it.  i saw it three times in the theater, and it was better every time.  (yeah, i’m that guy – no apologies.)

django

#4 django unchained: quentin tarantino never disappoints (except for jackie brown, but i’ve forgiven him since then).  it’s a bummer leonardo dicaprio wasn’t nominated for his role in django.  he was unreal as a d-bag southern plantation owner.   Continue reading

the ludlow navy tuxedo

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wedding season is upon us.  most of the weddings i’ve been invited to this spring are black tie events.  honestly, i prefer a black tie wedding as long as it’s not at the beach (duh!).  it’s nice to have an excuse to wear a tux.  if you’re thinking about purchasing a new tux this spring, let me recommend going with a navy or midnight blue number like this one from j. crew.  it will be a refreshing change to the all of the other penguin suits you on a formal saturday night.

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on the stereo lately

people keep emailing and asking me what i’ve been listening to lately (this is a flat out lie – no one has emailed me).  here’s what’s been on constant rotation the past few weeks:

jimjames copy

jim james regions of light and sound of god: the my morning jacket frontman can do no wrong in my eyes.  he gets better (and weirder) with age.  check out “state of the art (a.e.i.o.u.)” and “a new life.”

wildcubyouth

wild cub youth: wild cub is making some of the coolest music coming out of nashville right now (and no, it’s not country).  youth came out last fall, but recently it’s been picking up a lot of traction.  they played rebecca minkoff’s runway show during new york fashion week and have been selling out west coast tour dates.  i would recommend jumping on the bandwagon now, because they’re going to be everywhere in a few months.  check out “thunder clatter” and “colour.”

bonus selection:

Emerson Brothers

donnie and joe emerson’s song “baby”: you’re going to need to go ahead and get over the cover art.  trust me, i thought it was a joke too, but it’s not.  there’s a cool story behind this album (click here to read the la times piece on it).  the only track i own is “baby.”  i couldn’t tell you if the rest of the album is good and honestly i don’t care.  “baby” is my jam and it should be one of yours too.

 

ledbury nashville lookbook featuring ron samuels

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ledbury was in nashville last week shooting for their nashville themed lookbook and short run collection.  one of the individuals they picked for the shoot was my old man, ron samuels.  he’s been one of my style icons for as long as i can remember.  the dude is a sharp dresser.  you can head over to ledbury and see the whole lookbook featuring max and ben goldberg of the patternson house and other excellent restaurants and bars, phillip nappi of peter nappi, and my buddy jay wilkison of imogene + willie.  and don’t forget about the ledbury pop-up shop this friday and saturday at the peter nappi studio.

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believe the hype: nike flyknit lunar1+ running shoes

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i’m not the type to get excited about nike shoes releases, but i was online first thing last thursday morning with my credit card in hand ordering a pair of nike flyknit lunar1+ running shoes.  i never updated my free runs, so this was the perfect excuse to buy another pair of lightweight nike kicks, and boy oh boy, am i glad i did.  if you want to know about the technology behind the shoes, you can check it out here.  all you really need to know is that they are extremely comfortable and look amazing (obviously).  now, i just need to order a pair in neon green so people mistake me for an athletic dude when i’m kicking it around town.  nice work, nike.

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ledbury pop-up shop in nashville this friday & saturday

Ledbury Pop-Up Shop Invite

gather ’round for i have news!  (that’s a waiting for guffman reference if you’re hip like me.)  ledbury will be in nashville this thursday and friday february 22nd & 23rd hosting a pop-up shop at the peter nappi studio.  ledbury makes the greatest shirts on earth.  period.  if you didn’t catch them on msnbc’s morning joe a couple of weeks ago, you can do so here.  i love the story behind the company.  the guys from belle meade bourbon will also be there pouring some of their fine bourbon for you old enough to take a swig.  please drop by if you can.  the address is listed above.  hope to see you there.

dating again

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2012 was a rough year.  my divorce was finalized last august and for the most part i’ve been avoiding dating ever since.  i was only married for two years, but it’s hard to say goodbye to anyone you’ve been with no matter the circumstances.

if you’ve ever been single during the holidays, then you know how lonely it can be.  in december, a good girl friend of mine said, “why don’t you just sign up for match and get it over with.”  this felt like a dare, so i did it, and what a long, strange trip it’s been.

the whole concept of internet dating is weird to me.  it’s like fishing for people where you’re the angler and the bait at the same time.  you fill out a profile, put up a couple of pictures, pay some money, and wait for the line to start moving.  you just hope you have the right bait. Continue reading