After disrespectfully yelling out “You lie!” to the President of the United States, in the middle of Obama’s address to Congress last night, Republican South Carolina Rep. Joe Wilson, above, quickly received the contempt of the body’s fellow members, on both sides of the aisle. (“Stand with me against liberal attacks: Today I need your help more than ever before,” he urged from his home page on Twitter, shamelessly plugging for money.)
Wilson may actually do all right in that department because, according to TwitterCounter.com, as of today, he also has more than 6,000 new followers on the popular social networking site.
Especially if the only clock these illiterati have in their cribs, for some odd reason, is this ultramodern, computer-controlled number, above.
We call it a “number” ironically, though, because, clearly, it’s absent any. The QLockTwo, by German manufacturers Biegert & Funk—and you know the Germans always make good stuff—displays timely text to tell you the time. Plus, fashioned with a polished acrylic face, and finished in a wood back under four layers of lacquer, it’s clearly made to time-tell a long time.
QLockTwo is also compact—17 3/4 inches square and 3/4 inch thick—yet large enough to see in any room. Most of all, it’s available in five yummy colors—that’s Cherry Cake (huh?), above, Black Ice Tea, below—and six different languages.
Five varied hues? Six diverse tongues? At only $1,282 each, I’m getting Flavor all thirty.
Random thought I had today: With the King of Pop’s death in June, the price of superstar conceptual artist Jeff Koons‘ famed 1988 sculpture, Michael Jackson and Bubbles, above, must be rocketing in value. (Made in an edition of three, plus an artist’s proof, one of the life-sized, 42 in. x 70 1/2 in. x 32 1/2 in. porcelain tchotchkes sold at auction for $5.6 million in 2001.)
Indeed, legendary art dealer Larry Gagosian, who reps Koons, right, told The New York Times back in July that if one of the creations
was to come up for sale now, it could make more than $20 million. “And that’s conservative,” he added.
Who’s the hardest? In the above photograph by BET exec Stephen Hill, rapper/entrepreneur Jay-Z, right, and I take a break from our semi-annual lunch at New York City’s Sequoia restaurant to reenact a dramatic scene from the 1981 sci-fi horror film, Scanners.
To watch him make my head explode, tune in to Black Entertainment Television, next week, Thurday (9/10) eveningnight/Friday morning, atmidnight7 pm, and check out Food for Thought: Conversations with Jay-Z.
There, for a whole hour, Hot 97 NY on-air personality Angie Martinez, sportswriter Stephen A. Smith, and I will take turns ice-grilling America’s most wanted emcee about his music, business, and philosophy. Make sure you peep it. I think it’ll blow your mind, too.
The most interesting fact about a crappy economy is that it often compels people to finally take chances on long-cherished job dreams. In other words, once it becomes clear that, work-wise, nothing is promised, many people figure, “Why not? What have I got to lose?”
Eventually, I realized that my salary wasn’t worth the emotional price I was paying for it. My compensation package was standing in the way of true success, which for me meant doing work that was meaningful and made me happy.
Pamela’s the guest, today, in this repeat edition of my WBAI-NY / 99.5 FM radio show, NONFICTION, this afternoon, Friday, September 5, 2 pm ET.
You can hear her talk about how she made her great escape by tuning in at 2 pm. If you’re outside of the New York tri-state, check out our stream on the web. If you miss the live show, dig into our archives for up to 90 days after broadcast.
10. Scott Storch
9. Wyclef Jean
8. The RZA
7. Swizz Beatz
6. Jermaine Dupri
5. The Neptunes
4.Timbaland
3. Kanye West
2. Sean “Puffy” Combs
1. Dr. Dre
Now, though I know or have met almost all 10 of these, the talented names on XXL magazine’s list of knob-twiddlers, I don’t know Just Blaze. I do know of his reputation. However, I haven’t met him, and didn’t even really expect him to reply.
So, I was a bit suprised when, fewer than ten minutes later, I got this tweet:
The first of Gay Tony‘s, certainly, several trailers, each deepening the sordid narrative of the game’s fictional Liberty City, dropped yesterday. Titled, “You’ll Always Be the King of This Town,” it’s a whirlwind of beautifully chaotic scandal.
I wouldn’t put Old Spice on a boil. This commercial, “Different Scents for Different Gents,” by Nike’s longtime ad agency, Wieden + Kennedy, though, is packed to the nooks and crannies with machismo. In fact, I may buy some just to stick on the shelf. You know: To unduly impress the wife. Now, all I need is a gallon-jug of Hai Karate and I’m strizzaight.
I don’t believe in reincarnation. But if there was such a thing, could you think of a more deserved next life for coke-shoveling crime boss Tony “Scarface” Montana, above, than to spend his days as a sales call-answering schlub?
Neither can UK artist GsG Scar. That’s why, in “Callface,” his hand-signed and -numbered, limited-edition-of-50 print, Tony doesn’t invite you to SIE ALLO TUH MAH LEEDOH FRAH!! No, as played by the diminutive Al Pacino, he is your little friend, pulling up your order of 8-950s, rotor pumps, or whatever it is people who wear headsets at desks do all day.
Eight-color screenprint on acid-free 300 gm paper, 19 3/4 inches by 27 1/2 inches, $156.50, incl. s/h from the Kingdom.
Gay Tony‘s hitman, Luis Lopez, lights up the night
