Pon Di Replay...Literally

Hey Snobbers,
Here at Critique de Culture we honor trendsetters and trailblazers. For example Whitley Gilbert,

Grace Jones,


And the incomparable.....Billy Dee Williams!!

But what we don't tolerate is swagger jackers, d*ck riders, and wannabes.
So I must take this time to shine a light on Little Miss Barbados 1989 aka Pon di Replay aka Rihananna.

While I fully give RiRi props for "chopping her tresses", (ie: taking out her tracks... u really wasn't fooling anybody anyway),

I must demote her a few notches for being in direct violation of swagger jackin'!!
RiRi is clearly suffering with an acute case of Kid Sister-itis.

No!! not that broad...

Rihanna copped the Assymetrical cut the was made famous and ubiquitous my none other than Kelis. Truth be told, I still birds on the B46 bus with the cut, yapping away on their Sidekicks.

Kelis made it cool for sisters to leave the doobie wraps alone for a minute and think outside the box with their hair do's. We must not forget that Kelis's head was about 5 diff'rent colors when she came on the scene back in the late 90's. Miss Thang didn't need nobodie's permission, nor did she need any cosigners and for this she gets a 3 gun salute...Buk! Buk! Buk! (yes, i'm cultured and all, but lets not forget I'm from Flatbush. BK Stand up! )

Roll the Tape....
Here Kelis rocks the Assym look back in 2006.


Then comes Miss RiRi with it, all late in '08.


Now its 2008, Mama Kelis is over the look and, like Denise Huxtable back in the 80's, she moves on to some fly shit that no one else is doing.
Kelis sporting a cropped Mushroom.


And before you know it there goes little Rudy Huxtable trying to keep up....

Snobbers, consider this my open letter Rihanna.
Rihanna, you pay people good money to make sure you look hot, egdy, punk or whateva it is you claim to be now-a-days. Next time they come to you with a pic of someone from 6 months ago, sayin this is your "new" look....Slap them! Cuz they ain't your friend.
Thank you.
Culture Snobette


PS: Oohhhhh... Now I get why her song was called "Pon Di Replay"

Precisely...Don't Get Slapped!!

Calling all Artists, Artists Wannabees and All-round Freaks

Deitch Projects, the renown SoHo gallery, is accepting submissions for their 4th annual Art Parade.


The parade takes place on September 6. The deadline for submissions is July 1st.
Even if you don't submit something, make sure to come check all the naked chicks....

Lessons in Acultural-ism

Now when is it ever appropriate to have your chil'rens looking like this??



I fear for their future... E! True Hollywood Stories here they come!!

Cop This!!

Chances are......



you need to read this and FAST.

David Sedaris, Comedic Genius, Literary Giant

Peep this and tell me you haven't wet your pants....

In case you were hungry....

No, you're eyes are not decieving you people. BBQs is offering:

• 2 Soups
• 2 Rotisserie 1/2 Chickens
• 2 Cornbreads
• 2 Potatos or Rice

ALL FOR $9.99

And yess, i took this picture on the train. KLASSY, WITH A K!!

....Devil doth thou tempt me??

The Mighty Mighty...

MOS DEF!!!

And yes, he deserves 3 exclamations!!!

Make it your business to witness this renaissance man in rare form.



On June 28 @ the famed Carnegie Hall, Mos Def will be performing live accompanied by a BIG BAND. And yes, I said BIG BAND. This rapper/thespian/singer/poet has an amazing evening planned with the legendary Gil Scott Heron, ("The Revolution Will Not Be Televised") opening the program.




And if you've never heard the Mighty Mighty Mos sang, check these 2 songs out.
"Creole"



"The Beggar"

Flashing Lights 2.0

While I have very mixed feelings about Kanye West... My sentiments about his new video are sure....



I appreciate the whole "everyday day life as a photoshoot motif", it says so much about pop culture and most importantly the mentality of many females today. The storyline is unfortunate yet so true to life. Living in NYC, for a while that seemed to be the main topic of news of for so long. The City Business bureau even clamped down on the issuing of liquor licenses to new venues in response to young women going missing after a night of wild partying.

there is so much i can say on this topic, but check out the video and tell me what you think.

There is a God....

For those of you (ie: me) who missed Ailey's annual Holiday series at City Center,

Here is your second chance....
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is having 8 performances at BAM from June 3rd to the 8th.
Some tix are still available, but the good ones are going fast!
On the program there is the The Golden Section, Masekela Language, Pas de Duke and omnipresent Revelations.

Thank the Heavens, cuz i didn't think i could wait till November for my Ailey fix (particularly Revelations).


In the famous words of Miss Sophia, "I knew dey was a God!"

Work really can make you sick !!!

Well according to this article by the New York Times.....

Sickened by the Office (Really)!!

Its called Occupation Asthma.... and yes I suffer from it.
(I don't know about you... but this picture alone makes me queasy)

Haring reBorn

Strolling down the Bowery tonight, on the way to Whole Foods of course, I stumbled across this artsy throwback
This is an original mural by Keith Haring still in the damn wall !!!
How amazing is that?!?! One could only pray to have that kind of artistic impact on the world.

If you don't know about Mr. Haring, READ SOMETHING DAMMITT!
If you're practicing unprotected sex GET SOME CONDOMS
And you can thank the Deitch Project for this throwback.

Culture Approved Goings Ons!

Here are some Culture Snobette Approved Happenings in NYC to check out:

ART BITCH

Jeff Koons on the Roof @ MOMA
running till October 26 (weather permitting duhh..)


Costume Institute @ The MET Present Superheros: Fashion and Fantasy
From May 7 to September 1
...you get the idea.

HELLO BROOKLYN

So Since Gentrification has got everyone jocking Brooklyn's tip, enjoy some of the perks:

The Brooklyn Flea
Held in the yard of Bishop Laughlin, the flea market is rapidly becoming the "IT Post Brunch Spot".

Then hit up the Brooklyn Indie Market in Carrol Gardens


Then head over to the Promenade and your life's worth...


Pending you don't jump over the railing.. Head to the IFC Theater on 6th and West 4th, to see a flick about a Micheal Jackson and Marilyn Monroe falling in love at an Artist Commune....


Actually they're impersonators, not as authentic but way more freaky. The movie entitled "Mr. Lonely" is directed by Harmony Korine, the Nut Job that wrote KIDS, back in the early 90's.

(I HATED KIDS)
Either way, it's time to get off the couch, for spring has sprung!!

On a side note.... I sure know how to pick 'em

Shout out to Junot Diaz, Author of The Brief Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao, who received the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for 2008.




Ya Girl sure can pick a winner. Today Pulitzer authors...tomorrow Lotto Numbers!

Don't Go Chasing Waterfalls....

Close, but not exactly what I had in mind.

The Genius City of New York is so supportive of the arts, that it almost makes me misty eyed.
A few years ago we were graced with the Gates of Central Park by Christo and Jean-Claude.





So for the Summer of 2008 NYC will be getting their very own Waterfalls.

From mid July- October the Public Art Fund in conjunction with Olafur Eliasson, will install 4 man made waterfalls along the East River.
Here are the projected images of what the 'Falls will look like.






For more info on the Waterfalls
And Check out Olafur Eliasson at MOMA's PS.1

And while we wait for them to arrive, let this TLC video take you back to the summer of 1995

Is it something in the Water??

What in the world is going on?!?!

First there was Eliot Spitzer and Ashley Dupre,

(Spitzer discussing his manhood)




Then there was David Patterson and his God-Knows-How-Many Woman

(His wife looks like shes about to slap him)



Now Sharpe James and Tamika Riley....



And have you heard the charges...

1. Mail Fraud
2. Misapplication of Federal Funds
3. Tax Fraud and Evasion
4. Finally...Section 8 Housing Fraud

Does no one respect the Holy Union of Marriage? How about a Public Position???
Not even a little bit...
These folks are reckless!

Finally...The Blue Box in BK !!!!

Finally Ikea comes to BK!!


Never mind what this says about the current state of Brooklyn's Imminent Gentrification...
Genius Swedish design for Cheap?!?! I'm all for it, dammit!!
Yes, I'll be one of those fools lined up in the parking lot hours, maybe even days before it opens...

June 18 is the big day. Let the count down begin!!

Book Report Time

Growing up I always dreaded book reports despite the fact that I was obsessed with reading.
For someone who loved the entire process of reading (IE:Shopping for a new book, Picking just the right one, Getting into the story line and characters, The ultimate pleasure of finishing the book and The agony of ending a really good read); Book reports meant that I had to squeeze a marvelous love affair into a page or two of chicken scratches with a cute conclusion. Torturous, I say.

But now that I'm older I look at book reports as a sort of advertisement or sometimes a warning label for the books that changed the way i view life and for the books that made me question my shopping instincts, respectively.

So here are a few of the books I've been thumbing through lately:

The Beautiful Fall by Alicia Drake
I didn't quite finish this book, maybe this isn't the best book to start with... Either way Drake's book examines the rise of Yves Saint Laurent and Karl Lagerfeld. The book tracks their humble beginnings in the fashion design world from young apprentices to the height of their decadent 70's mogul days. A must read for anyone interested in Fashion, Semi-Biographies, and Glamorous Parisian Life.

The Private Lives of the Impressionist by Sue Roe
One of the classes in my final semester of college was an art course about the Realist, Impressionists and the Post Impressionists. The class truly opened my eyes to Impressionists art, and this book provided the insight to lives of the artists that I craved. Roe's book shows the real inspirations behind some of the most notorious Impressionist paintings (for example: Le Dejuener sur l'herbe, Olympia, and Monet's Water Lilies series). This book will increase anyone's interest in 19th century French Art and shows the true meaning of the term "Starving Artist".


The Brief Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
This is the most recent book I've read, actually I'm in the final pages of it as I type.
I really enjoyed this book and will forever be grateful to it for keeping my company as my flight from London to New York was delayed for 3 1/2 hours. Diaz's writing style makes this book an easy and immensely entertaining read. Diaz frequently slips from proper English to Spanish slang in his prose in a witty and charismatic manner. I love his style of narrative and anachronistic story telling. Definitely Culture Approved.