In March, Sony released the DVD version of the Osca-nominated English version of “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.” While DVD artwork can be basic and bland, Sony took advantage of a non-traditional character (and recognizable in-house artwork) and designed the disc art to reflect the nature of the film. It wasn’t just a creative move, but it created a buzz of its own in what has proved to be a great marketing move. Using artwork similar to its Sony DVD recordable product, the design team at Sony Pictures Entertainment created disc art that maximized brand exposure while maintaining a…

Today I am going to talk about the wonderful world of Youtube and independent music. I’ve recently become obsessed with a Canadian band called Walk Off The Earth. Without any help of a record label or booking agent, this band has managed to climb to the top. They have 410,737 Facebook fans and 26,177 people talking about them via social media. They are currently touring the country, including making stops at the Mercury Lounge in NYC. The band sings mostly covers, which normally I am not a fan of, but I love that they put their own spin on popular…

Timorous Beasties, the cool London wallpaper and textile brand known for their provocative and surreal designs, is one of my favorites. But, today I discovered another designer who is taking surreal to the max. Carnovsky, the Milan-based design duo, recently released their RGB wallpapers, which have overlapping scientific/gothic images that change to reveal different beasties and illustrations based on the color light splashed over them. Amazing!   By Gavin Strumpman

 Lisa’s Purple Problem Solver… Crocus Petal Purple #2071-40 This month’s color, chosen in honor of my favorite flower – the intrepid crocus– is a powerful one. The hue is cool and royal, fun and feminine, and a bold natural accent indoors and out. Speaking of accents, I’ve recently had to do a bit of redecorating, since someone in my household has a thing for careening into the coffee table, making side tables go crash, and causing general mayhem when it comes to my accent furniture. So we’ve gone soft in the Jasper household, swapping the aforementioned hazards in favor of…

A new blog feature, in pictures. Our resident man-about town, Steven Shewbrooks, shares his latest finds and faves: From the West Village to Park Slope, from hand-made prosciutto tortellini… …to a devilish meal of organic onion rings, organic fries, organic ostrich burger coupled with a glass of organic Malbec… I never tire of living and eating in NYC. From these neighborhoods, let’s travel to SoHo, where an insane Peanut Butter Jelly cookie… …is the perfect compliment to the spicy tuna sushi and quinoa salad I had for lunch.   And to top it off…a trip to Whole Foods to pick…

As someone who is squeamish at the mere thought of a doctor drawing blood samples, I’ve been quite adventurous in my recent entertainment choices – AMC’s TV series The Walking Dead + the NYC Bodies Exhibition…I’ll get to the latter, later. Before the hit series Mad Men was all the rave, AMC barely existed on my radar and now, the network is home to some of my favorite dramas. The Walking Dead, which is based on a comic series, follows a group of survivors post zombie apocalypse, taking everyone on a ride back to life without cell phones, computers and…

                Yep, it’s that time again…time to sport the green t-shirt and raise your pints to wish your companions “Slainté!.”  But what is this holiday really about?  Here’s a quick history lesson: St. Patrick’s Day marks the Roman Catholic feast day for Ireland’s patron saint. Irish brigands kidnapped St. Patrick at 16 and brought him to Ireland. He was sold as a slave in the county of Antrim and served in bondage for six years until he escaped to Gaul, in present-day France. He later returned to his parents’ home in Britain, where…

Next to the invention of string cheese, Netflix is probably the best thing that’s ever happened to me. For one, I’ve never been good at purchasing and collecting my favorites films, so to have a library of entertainment at my fingertips makes my lazy Sunday afternoons even more enjoyable. Second, the variety of streaming options is actually pretty great. Case in point…Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey. The award-winning documentary follows the story of Kevin Clash, the man who would become the puppeteer for the beloved Elmo that we know today. Starting in his youth, Kevin was fascinated by puppets. He…

    Okay, can anyone tell this writer when people started saying/using “my bad” for “my mistake”? I keep seeing it pop up in emails, heard it used in a current TV ad for Allstate…so wondering if the origins are the hyper-abbreviation of today’s communicators or some other verbal hybrid? Did Kutch use it to tell his followers he was breaking it off with Demi and then it just became universally embraced? In my mind, “my bad” is the perfect descriptive preface for… hair day…breath…luck…dog Ernie. After all, if I’ve made a mistake, I want to own up to it….

This week, I had the pleasure of sampling yet another “new” line of cupcakes to appear on the New York City landscape. Georgetown Cupcake is probably best known from DC CUPCAKES on TLC, which showcase these wonderful sweet treats by sisters Katherine and Sophie.             Opening the box revealed goodies so good looking that I paused to think, “Oh my, should I even eat such beautiful desserts? And if so, which one do I devour first?!” I smartly cut them into halves so I could enjoy multiple cupcakes without feeling as if I was eating…