lastminute.com's weekend warrior

Saturday evening, solved.

Some of you may recall how earlier this summer I wrote about Warm Up at P.S. 1 in Brooklyn.  It's a summer program only, so you might be wondering how to extend your summer glow with similar events.  The good people at Target and the Brooklyn Museum of Art present you with Target First Saturdays, a free art and entertainment program held, appropriately enough, on the first saturday of each month, from 5–11 p.m.

Here's but a taste of what happening this Saturday, November 4: a modern dance performance, sketching of a live model, a tour of Annie Leibovitz: A Photographer's Life, 1990–2005, a viewing of Michelangelo Antonioni's classic Blow-Up, and of course, some old-fashioned boogying courtesy of The Rub, “New York’s hottest DJ Collective”  according to Spin Magazine.

If you do go, come back and leave a comment -- I'd love to know what you thought.

Bears gone wild

Walking home on Hallowe'en night, I saw so many cool, creative costumes: a cartoon-like devil complete with the full-body suit with curved forked tail and pitchfork and wax mustache, a white house page, a full pack of smurfs, and of course the requisite Steve Irwin get-ups.  It all left me feeling very...overwhelmed, frankly.  I hadn't planned a costume, and felt like a complete and utter bore as I walked down the street with my groceries.

Sad, right?  No, really, I know it is.

But then I remembered I had three Netflix movies to watch and they were all worthy of excitement.  There was 'The Warriors' (oldie but goodie), 'Grizzly Man' (documentary but reportedly awesome) and 'The Beat that My Heart Skipped' (subtitles but a remake of the classic 'Fingers').  Quel choix!

I chose 'Grizzly Man' for no good reason other than I didn't really feel like reading subtitles.  If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it.  Based on Timothy Treadwell, a Californian who spent 13 summers in Alaska 'befriending' grizzlies, and who, along with his girfriend Amie Huguenard, was eventually killed by one.  The director, Werner Herzog, handles the subject matter delicately and evenly without condescending to either Treadwell or the audience, providing an unbiased view into this strange man with strong convictions.  What's also really interesting is that, unlike most "nature" docs, this one doesn't romanticize animals and their 'majesty'.  It's clearly states that man and nature are different.  Period.  It's amazing.  Grade: A

And if you're not Netflix'ing, why not? 

I'll take my travel fee-free, please.

Airfares can look deceivingly good sometimes – that is until you add up all the taxes and “mandatory” fees that get piled on top of the originally-listed price at purchase time.  I'm a big traveler too, so I feel the pocketbook pain.

But check this out: In an effort to reduce those pesky, tacked-on costs, lastminute.com decided to waive the fees - $5 for domestic flights and $10 for international - on all online flight bookings.

Maybe it does only add up to a latte or a pint of the local brew next time you have a long layover, but who ever turned down extra money?  Plus you’ll be hard-pressed to find this offer anywhere else.

Mirror, mirror on the wall...

...who's got the greatest deals of all?

So here you are, reading this blog, wondering 'What's in it for me?'  Good question.  Certainly not my witty cultural insights, because we all know US Weekly supplies those.  It's not my opinion-challenging views on world issues, because, as you know, that's what Angelina Jolie is for.  So, what's my competitive edge?  What's going to make you love me? 

Here's my indecent proposal approach -- I'll pay you to love me.  Considering you made it this far, and in the hopes of keeping you coming back for more, I'm introducing a dollar-off deal for blog-readers only. 

Here's the sitch: from now until the end of the year, you, dear reader, can take $25 off any last minute package product (air + hotel, air + car, hotel + car) any time you like, no strings attached.  Want more money? Fine!  But the "Powers That Be" tm won't let me throw money around, so it comes with one condition -- to get $50 off, you have to spend at least $500. 

If it's $25 off you're looking for, your code is LMWW25.  If it's $50, your code is LMWW50.  Just enter it into the promotional code field on the billing page and voila, your total price will be updated.  Now, get out there and travel.  Then tell all your friends about this blog, would you?

Fine print from the bigwigs:

LMWW25 : The promo code for US$25.00 is valid until December 31, 2006 and can be used exclusively towards the purchase of a last minute package as offered by lastminute.com during the promotional period, and is not redeemable on other lastminute.com products.

LMWW50: The promo code for US$50.00 is valid until December 31, 2006 and can only be used exclusively towards the purchase of a last minute package of a total minimum price of $500, as offered by lastminute.com during the promotional period, and is not redeemable on other lastminute.com products.

Priceless experiences? Not here...

Neiman Marcus' Christmas book came out a few days ago, and while odds are none of us can afford the many, magical things they're selling, the book itself can be yours for only $15.  That gets you one step closer to actually buying the Virgin Galactic charter to space...right? 

But let's say you're a mere mortal, like, um...me and a trip to space might mean not paying your rent on time this month.  Perhaps you'd be enticed by this -- a lastminute.com experience product.  "What's that?", you say?  Well, it depends:  it could be racing a Ferrari around a racetrack at 200 miles/hr, or having your hair styled by Sarah Jessica Parker's favorite mane manager, or perhaps swimming with sharks (the kind with dorsal fins, not your standard office-variety). 

Check it out -- you could be skydiving tomorrow or getting your wardrobe made-over by one of Hollywood's top stylists.  This could be a life-changing moment for you.  Don't worry.  You can thank me later.

This girl is working it!

Part of me loves Jean-Paul Gaultier for this, but another part of me wonders if he isn't perhaps being slightly, and I hesitate to use the word, exploitative.  Either way, you can't win. 

But more importantly, can we talk about the look on her face.  This woman's a pro!  Thanks to the Daily Mail for the photo.

Ms. Jackson, this is nasty.

And, I have a question:  whither her neck? 

Maybe his owner just ran into get a litre of milk!

NEW YORK -- Police are investigating the death of an unidentified man found clad in leather early Wednesday on a Manhattan street.  A dog-walker found the body along Hudson Street in the West Village, police said. 

The man, believed to be in his early 40's, was wearing a leather mask, leather clothing and two collars, according to police.  Police said he was slumped over, with one of the collars hooked on the spike of a 4-foot fence. 

The medical examiner will determine the cause of death.  (WNBC)

Great moments in advertising

Something tells me that Telefonica's phones are ringing off the hook with this little plum.  This is the ad campaign for their new international calling program.  Interesting concept, better left as just that.  And is it just me or #2 a little creepy?  He's got dead eyes.  Brrrr...

Bring out your home movies!

For all you aspiring film makers -- legit or not -- Flicker's 18th evening of Super 8 and 16mm films is tomorrow night at the Brooklyn Lyceum.  Flicker supports and showcases local small gauge cinema, and for those seeking their big break, they're accepting entries, so you can finally submit that interpretive dance video you made in college!

September 22, 2006 at 8pm

227 4th Ave, Brooklyn, 11215

Admission: $8