I’ve recommended my good friend and your fellow reader Pedram’s blog in past, it has however been in hiatus in past 365 days but returned with new direction! Check it out!
As a reminder, if you are a blogger (with actual content and not a file-sharing blog) then by all means share it with me and others by dropping me an e-mail with the link. Whether its art or articles or any kind of other intellectual properties, your blogging would actually be a contribution to our Iranian culture and community on the Internet! In particular those who do not read or write Persian but still would love to connect culturally. Do dare, there is no risk! Worst case scenario you stop or take a break. No serious losses involved. I personally have been blogging in more than three years now, so if there is anything you would like to know about the format just ask away. I’ll gladly assist you! Now, start blogging!
The season 3 of Mad Men has just ended and as another testimony to this TV-series’ popular cultural influence several fashion houses have officially announced Mad Men-inspired lines to hit the streets next year! Some have already launched their shark grey “Don Draper” suits.
The truth is that even though this show’s production quality is impeccable much of its stylistic appeal is thanks to Don Draper and his pivotal character. Let’s just say that Mad Men IS Don Draper! But while the character looks like perfection personified and basically oozes charisma Jon Hamm, the actor playing him, couldn’t be further away from the fictive persona he portrays. Look at the pictures below, while Don Draper looks sharp like a billion dollar God of power and style Jon Hamm looks like a …hobo basically! I don’t think that I have ever seen such dramatic difference between an actor and the character he plays. At least not this way around, its like as if Don Draper has been roughed up to play Jon Hamm! I think, just like Gandolfini’s Tony Soprano, this will be one of those cases where an actor’s on-screen ego will become so larger than the actor himself that it will become a professional burden and he wont get any other roles because of the unshakable personification!
Just like I feared the cover image and design were revised and the disappointment became a fact! Not a huge one, nonetheless a disappointment like all her previous albums. The poor content of the booklet is even worse! The musical content of the album however is much better than its appearance, some decent productions there. Too bad I can’t stay mad at her for too long! hehe
This shot is NOT included, just to piss me off I’m sure!lol
You better buckle up! Because we’re about to go full throttle!! After having delivered the Bia2 iPhone Apps and the Bia2 Android App we are eager to serve all of you BlackBerry owners out there! This will be a treat for either model of the four BlackBerry devices, namely BlackBerry Bold, BlackBerry Curve, BlackBerry Tour and last but not least the fresh new BlackBerry Storm with its touchscreen! Welcome ya’ll to the family! Do we even need to mention that this is the FIRST and ONLY Iranian BlackBerry App on the market?! Didn’t think so! Enjoy!
If you enjoy artists like Natasha Bedingfield or similar kind of voices delivering similar kind of music then I recommend you to check out Amanda Jenssen. This song is on the softer side of her spectrum, but it fits the morning mood of my autumn!
This former Swedish Idol contestant has just released her second album which I picked up earlier today. Mainly because of its digipak design (and the pic below, hehe) but there is something about this kind of voice that appeals to me in an off-beat kind of way!
In case you haven’t noticed I happen to have a fetish for scarfs! Some are crazy about ties I am nuts about scarfs. I guess it’s one of the remains from the New-Romantic era, that is left and living in me. You can work many ways with a scarf when creating a look, both tie and drape them. I collect them, in all colors and patterns that become me and my wardrobe. My main rule as both fashion aficionado and painting artist when it comes to picking a scarf that represents me is that it gets to be the single outstanding detail and showpiece in the whole attire. The pièce de résistance, the highlight and show-stopper that commands the attention of any room! While you should by default color-coordinate, you don’t need to make your entire outfit match. Liven up by adding a punch of color and character to your image with a scarf. This almost florescent turquoise delight is my latest inquisition and as you can see it is like a drop of jumping color on the basic black ensemble. Some rather avoid such vibrant colors in order to merge in the crowd, yours-truly however loves to stand out … in case you haven’t noticed!lol
This is a candid shot of me taken in the morning (thats why I smile!lol) a few days ago, the cold is a fact in Sweden by now so it’s all about dressing accordingly. I think you already know the winter coat and the brand new leather case, accompanying the blue attention-seeker!
I’ve watched “Moon”. In its barely one and a half hour of running time it has not a single element and twist that we sci-fi fans haven’t seen before, one way or the other. However not like this! In-between its generic sci-fi facade there is a philosophical manifest embedded and hidden. Here is the trailer but WARNING is in order since it spoils the “twist” of the movie!
This is a poetic allegory to life, an answer to the existential question raised by the enlightened man. The inner dialog leading to the revealing of the ultimate truth: who are you and what are you in the grand scheme of things called life? Now that is not an easy topic to take on, let alone answer! Amazingly this rather humble movie does it like few have done in past. “Moon” takes you all the way to the dark side of the moon in order to show you the dark side of life in perspective! A romantic approach to reality. Needless to say is this hidden gem that is getting a discrete release highly recommended, however only to those with an eye for the hidden and a deeper understanding for the profounder meanings. Because on the sci-fi side there is not much new to look at.
“950000 miles from home, the hardest thing to face… is yourself.”
The debuting Germany-based rapper P.CANTELL is currently working on his album “P.CANTELL - A Journey To Iran” for a release in the German market. Of which “A Million Shadows” featuring Ian Hooper is the first released track, something he likes to call a soundtrack to the revolution. The album is more like an auditive movie where the listener is taken on a journey through Iran, thats why the songs have location names in brackets, cause every song takes place at a certain location. Find out more on pcantell.de. By the way, I noticed that he also does some blogging! Well done!
The official trailer is out! Finally! It looks like they’ve done a hell of job translating the unique and characterizing visual features of The Sands of Times game trilogy into the movie. New photo showing Sir Kingsley looking the part as expected!
As previously mentioned I’m a big fan of the games and so far this looks exactly the way I would have wanted for the game to look like as a movie.
Needless to say is the anticipation even higher now, especially after the trailer confirming all the buzz! Not to mention the anticipation for seeing the gorgeous miss Arterton joining prince Dastan in this adventure as the heroine Tamina!
If you found my description and review of “Cashback” interesting or even had a chance to watch the movie and appreciate it the way I did, then by no means let “500 Days of Summer” slip by unwatched!
How I loved this one! It was as if it was custom-made for me! A romantic movie for my taste, realistically charming. The aesthetic style and the philosophical tone were completely in tune and enhanced by the beautiful soundtrack. Joseph and Zooey’s chemistry was made in the indie heaven, the perfect match!
I must say that “500 Days of Summer” is not for everyone, it is after all “not a love story”! However if you enjoy movies like “Cashback” then this is highly recommended. One of my absolute favorites this year. And it’s not because I happen to have a huge crush on the offbeatly adorable and quirky cute Zooey Deschanel at the moment! I could be recommending it just because of those big bright blue eyes, but I’m not!
Another celeb to whom maternity has been extra kind and generous is the British television presenter Holly Willoughby! This lovely lass has always been well-endowed, however pregnancy has made her blossom and reach her full potential! Amen to that!lol
And considering the area of blooming, one could think that I am the almighty responsible!lol Sadly I can’t take credit for that, but mother nature can!
Are you enjoying the Bia2 Mobile Apps? Ready for another giant leap already? Well, ready or not here it comes! We bring you the Bia2 Android App! And, like always, we are proud to be the FIRST and ONLY Android App in the market!
Not familiar with Android? Android is a mobile phone operating system developed by Google. It’s available on many different hand-held devices such as Motorola, HTC and Samsung. Android is also available on different service providers such as Sprint, T-Mobile and soon on verizon in USA to name a few. Android serves you and your mobile phone in way no other operating system can!
Click here to see the step by step instructions to install the application on your Android phones!
I sometimes take nightwalks in the woods. If you have ever watched Twin Peaks then you can imagine the scenery!lol But seriously, there is no way to describe the refreshing and vitalizing feeling of embarking the realm of nature at night. So humbling. It clears my mind and puts me and my being in perspective. Living in Sweden I have the luxury of witnessing the midnight sun lighting up the woods during the summer and the glowing snow during the latter half of the year. Recently I’ve started feeling the winds of winter sneaking up on me, slowly. And the chill always reminds me of a certain song that I first heard 20 years ago. A song rather insignificant to the world and even to its singer, the former SMOKIE frontman Chris Norman’s career. But highly significant to me as I walked an entire night listening to this song on repeat, at the age of 15! A sweet agony or bitter pleasure, whatever you choose to call it, is always evoked in me when hearing this song ….”The Night Has Turned Cold“.
The Brits might not be world-known for their beautiful women, in fact the opposite, however ironically they always manage to get their best specimens and put together the best looking all-girl bands! A skill they have truly perfected in recent decade. One of their latest manufactured all-girl bands is “The Saturdays”, who somehow remind me of the delicious candies I used to eat when I was kid. Namely the British QUALITY STREET!
I wonder if its the colors of their outfits that remind me of the colorful wraps or the colors of their skins that remind me of the assorted sweetness!
These gorgeous ladies derive name and fashion inspirations from the 60’s however presented with the typical British girl-band POP sound (which on the other had is not the best of its kind and has repeatedly failed proving itself internationally appealing). The art-directors of the band are so conscious and consistent when it comes to the image and artwork of the band’s pictures and products that it should be a lesson to anyone aspiring to present a popular product. The use of color is central in The Saturdays’ concept, even their selection of the girls is color-based. Aesthetically the ethnic blend of beauties provide assorted eye-candies as mentioned above and commercially the target group of young urban teenage girls from mixed ethnic backgrounds will have someone in the band to relate to. This color signature makes them recognizable as The Saturdays’ at the very first glance! Beneath is the cover image and artwork for their brand new album, you can clearly see how they have used an image in a thought-through composition and color combination. Colors are added and removed in order to achieve a trademark.
Pay attention to the original photo and see how they have replaced two of the girls images in post-production, added colors and digitally altered some of the details like the feathers just to nail the balance of the composition right. Compare the shorts of the girl to the right in both versions for instance! Check out the lettering and choice of font. This is the work of a perfectionist, no doubt about it!
Top designer Tom Ford is constantly on the rise! As a fashion aficionado one can’t help but to admire Ford, he is perhaps one of the few - if not the only - designers who himself/herself looks like a model and dresses fashionably. Why eat straight from the fridge when with just a bit of effort you can throw together a nice meal of whats in the fridge, Ford argues. The same principle applies to clothes, according to the man.
This fashion icon has recently crossed over from his home realm to a new one, namely the film industry. In his directorial debut Ford has adapted the acclaimed Isherwood novel “A Single Man”.
Being openly gay, despite desired by many women, Ford has taken on the challenge of dedramatizing the still controversial subject of homosexuality in a dramatic way. Ford’s work has been praised for its pictorial perfection and philosophical complexion. Parallels have been drawn to another novel-turned-movie namely “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly“, in terms of tone and atmosphere.
The unexpected grandeur of “A Single Man” has already been awarded in all film festivals that it has been shown at. I’m a huge fan of Ford’s and can’t wait to see his new creation in motion!
As I’ve told you before I’m a vinyl nerd! I stopped buying 1991 when the CDs took over the market and picked it up again few years back when they started to once again releasing mainstream records on vinyl. During the 90’s mainly DJ material were released on vinyl. This clip of the Durans shopping for vinyl at the vinyl heaven Amoeba Music in San Francisco is really cool and John’s argument for starting buying vinyls again is pretty much my own! Watch.
One of my own Duran Duran original vinyls, the LIVE album “ARENA”. Considering the New Romantic that I was (am!), I recall skipping class just to get to the store in order pick up this record on sale one day! One of my first LPs. It’s perhaps my most worn out disc with lots of scratches! It was before I knew how to handle the fragile black beauties. What’s interesting is that the album is double folded, featuring a booklet with photos and all the lyrics. God how disappointed I was when the CDs came and made all the eye-candies (images and artwork) of the albums much smaller!
Follow us on Facebook