The Dawning of 2004
New Year's resolutions aren't supposed to be made in a drunken haze of Dom, to be quit after January 2nd. Here's our list of things we'll be doing ALL of 2004.
1. Experience a better grade of nightlife.
How fantastic was the Social Club's New Years party.
Way too thin post-prep blonde Gothamettes and over gelled Monaco-esque boys in smoking jackets.
Other reasons for baited breath? Also coming to NYC:
Quo, from the guy who did Nikki Beach, saving us from the B & T monstrosity
across the street. And CornerShop, a 24-hour restaurant, and TableFifty, a subterranean lounge (a nod to
Walter Winchell's original Stork Club perch) from uber fashionable Brett Mitchell.
Design will be "'40s & '50s cafe" courtesy of Rob "PM's comfy cause of him" McKinley.
2. Hit up better festivals & vacation spots.
Sundance and Cannes are ... nice.
But this summer we'll go to the American Short Shorts Festival in Tokyo and the
Electronic Music festival in Detroit.
Oh and we must make time to go to more private estates such as the Goldsmiths' Cuixmala.
3. See only Oscar deserving movies.
Mark our words: It's going to be "Monster".
Charlize Theron is so unrecognisable in her stellar portrayal of cast-aside
down- and- out killing hooker Aileen Wuornos that you not only forgive Charlize
"Sweet November", you sympathise with how Aileen was pushed to the edge. Eeep.
We also put our votes behind: "Touching the Void" and "Calendar Girls".
And we're thrilled waiting for the December '04 release of Jean-Pierre Jeunet's
"A Very Long Engagement," with "Amélie"'s Audrey Tautou and Jodie Foster.
If for no other reason than where else should "love, hope and willpower" take
place but in Paris and Corsica.
4. Do more walking tours.
Over the holidays we did the Adidas Bronx Soundwalk with its history of hip-hop,
baseball and graffiti.
Now we're trying the Soundwalk for DUMBO and L.A. company 34 North 118 West's
choose-your-own-adventure tour.
A GPS device, headset, and a tablet computer show you historic maps of Los Angeles.
Hitting hot locations brings up various stories and different tour guides.
Can't wait to see what happens when we land in Compton.
Soundwalk's DUMBO 2004
34 North 118 West's site 34n118w.net
5. Read dishier books.
Peter Biskind's book "Down and Dirty Pictures," apparently has Ben Affleck
complaining all about Harvey Weinstein and Miramax.
Brad Meltzer's book "The Zero Game" is all about salacious doings on Capitol Hill.
Variety EIC's Peter Bart's short-story collection
"Dangerous Company" has many trashy characters with
real world doppelgangers.
(Our favourite is "The Make-Over," an actress who's had so many treatments
that her frozen face prevents her from showing feeling in her acting.)
And once we're done swimming around in the "guess who" gossip, we'll pick up
up and coming writer Dan Blair's "The Spoon"...
Peter Biskind's Down and Dirty Pictures
Brad Meltzer's The Zero Game
Peter Bart's Dangerous Company
Dan Blair's The Spoon
6. Eat only the best things.
From a breakfast of Bear Naked granola to lunch delivered to us by the Madison Square Club to
dinner at the new Sant Ambroeus in the West Vill of Manhattan.
Here in the States, last week we road-tested and loved the corned beef sandwich and Scooby Doo
lunchbox decor
at Eph McNally in Detroit. And overseas, the classic Italian fare at Fasano in Sao Paolo.
Fasano's chef is a Daniel Boulud alum...
Bear Naked, bearnakedgranola.com
Madison Square Club, 212 683 1836
Sant Ambroeus, 212 604 9254
Eph McNally, 313 963 8833
Fasano, 011 852 4000
7. Get a chicer device.
Is there something to the fact that none of the Nokia engineers' families have cell
phones? Hmmm...
But we're still crazy for their new 7600 that's just become avail in Europe.
In the shape of an eye, with a camera, video, MP3 player, and email all in one.
Nokia's 7600 online
8. Dress our dog better.
In the form of DMX urban doggie clothes. DMX's line of dog togs is called Boomer 129 after his pitbull Boomer who has
long since passed into doggie heaven. Pack up your pooch in a waterproof camouflage coat complete with cell phone pouch.
boomer129.com
9. Dress ourselves better.
Three to watch and wear:
Alice Temperley dresses Elizabeth Hurley and Jodie Kidd in her twinkly and sparkly clothes.
And now us... The shoe world is all on its toes now that Patrick Cox has gone to Charles Jourdan...
Lastly pick up cool tennis togs from Rei Kawakubo's Fred Perry/Comme Des Garcons Shirt.
Another Kawakubo collaboration is the exclusive collection that she co-designs with
Vivienne Westwood for the Tokyo shop 10 Corso Como.
10. Check out all the new niche mags.
34 from Istanbul, which will be similar to Bonus Mag - one about life in Istanbul, the other
about life in New York. We liked the Bonus Mag pages on www.freshnessmag.com
We also love Carlos, Virgin Upper Class' lit read.
And while not new, Modern Drunkard makes us laugh.
After all, why hide your favourite hobby?
ASK THE HIP
Speaking of drinking too much.
we get lotsa reader email.
See responses to your hip dilemmas publicised for the whole world to laugh at you at:
www.hipguide.com/ask_the_hip
