today i'm loving: the fannings

How gorgeous are the Fanning sisters on W Magazine's December issue?

Forget Christmas trees and sprightly elves ... nothing puts me in a holiday mood like a glitzy magazine cover!

alice in wonderland

I spent a nice chunk of change to take my niece Nikki to see Tim Burton's Alice and Wonderland last Sunday, and truth be told, the only thing that thrilled me about the movie were Alice's outfits. I adore the blue, ruffled up, frothy concoction below. And I really loved the Vivienne Westwood-esque red dress she wore when she was working the court at the Red Palace. I was so obsessed I must've spent an hour scouring the Internetz for a picture but all I found was a sketch on WWD, as well as an interview with costume designer Colleen Atwood. Hats off to her!

Speaking of hats, I really badly wanted to like Johnny Depp's portrayal of the Mad Hatter. But I just couldn't. My friend Anne-Cecile put it best when she said he pretty much acted the same in Sweeney Todd, and I'd imagine it wasn't too different from Willy Wonka (if you just took out that lispy, Scottish accent). And that futterwack was just whack. Other than the amazing outfits, I found the movie rather dull to be honest. The most gripping character for me was the Queen of Hearts, portrayed wonderfully be Helena Bonham Carter. She still has me wanting to yell, "Off with his head!!!" at pretty much anyone who ticks me off.

Oh well. We'll always have the fashion ... 

today i'm loving: sandra bullock

How can you not love a woman who can graciously accept an Oscar and a Razzie all in the same week? There are quite a few Sandra Bullock movies that I'm not too keen on (*cough* The Proposal *cough*) but I've always liked Sandra herself. And after seeing these two acceptance speeches for getting Worst Actress and Best Actress awards in the same weekend, I love her a little extra.

an epic day

What a truly amazing day yesterday was. In the morning, I saw President Barack Obama in the flesh.

At the end of the day, I got to watch U2 perform at the Giants Stadium. I have always said that U2 is the one concert that I must see before I die. I love U2.

Last night was undoubtedly one of the best nights of my life. I have been dreaming of jumping up and down to "Elevation" and "Vertigo", of feeling deep fervor over "Sunday Bloody Sunday", of experiencing the throbbing emotion of "With or Without You" for so long. It was surreal to finally experience it last night.

Truly the definition of an epic day.

ashley olsen

Loving Ashley Olsen's boudoir looks in Marie Claire:

What a life. Millions of dollars to spend on beautiful clothes you can afford to cut down to size and at times completely ruin in the process. A West Village townhouse you can outfit with pricey but falling apart at the seams (chic) furniture. All at 23. *sigh*

restaurant week diary: nobu next door

So last night, I'm at Nobu Next Door, digging into my black cod miso and pondering whether it was a tad overcooked when this high and chirpy voice piped up 3 feet from me. "Oh my god, it's so good to see you! I haven't seen you in so long. It's so good to see you!" said voice kept exclaiming. After awhile, the voice starts grating on my nerves. My friend Buddha across the table is nodding his head towards the voice and I nod, thinking he's equally annoyed. And then I finally took a good look at who was talking. Holy crap, it was SJP.

I couldn't get over the New York belief that celebs should be left alone, so I didn't take a picture or ask for her autograph. I thought it best to remember her as she was. A skinny, tiny chick in a gray hoodie, jeans and a hot pink Chanel tote with a really annoying voice. I was surprised. I've listened to that voice for hours and hours and hours as a Sex and the City devotee, but in real life it's quite annoying. That said, it was still very cool to see her.

So of course a celebrity sighting makes any dinner that much better. But the meal was actually pretty good. We all did the restaurant week menu. Nobu Next Door had a very strong start. All the appetizers were fabulous. Mika had the yellowtail tartare, which had extremely fresh fish and a wonderful wasabi kick. I had the lobster tempura, which was equally fabulous. Tender lobster meat was encased in fluffy tempura batter. Eaten with a slice of jalapeno, red onion, a sprig of cilantro and some ponzu sauce, it was a wonderful blend of Mexican and Asian flavors. my apologies for the low quality of pictures. Nobu's romantic lighting doesn't work well with my iPhone.

For my entree I picked the aforementioned broiled black cod with miso. The fish itself is so flavorful, evidence that the cod was marinated for the requisite 2 to 3 days. The skin was crisp. The meat, I thought, was a tad overdone. It wasn't as flaky or tender as I would've liked. Truth be told, I've had better black cod miso at Nobu imitators ... but then again, those other restaurants didn't have a Sarah Jessica Parker soundtrack going while I ate my black cod.

I should also mention that we shared some specials: kobe beef gyoza and softshell crab with watermelon. The kobe beef gyoza was nothing to write home about. Fine meat, I suppose, is best left barely cooked; certainly not mashed, macerated and stuffed into a dumpling. It could have been any old type of meat stuffed in the gyoza, really. The soft shell crabs, however, where spectacular. Lightly breaded with panko and served with grilled yellow watermelon, the melange of crisp and juicy textures, and rich and fresh flavors were just a pleasure to eat. I would order that again.

For dessert, we were all given the bento box, which contained a molten chocolate cake and a scoop of green tea ice cream. The cake was good but nothing special, and by then I was so stuffed that I had to give half of it to Mika (who didn't need arm twisting to oblige). While not all parts of my meal were stellar, this was definitely a dinner to remember. I'd love to go back to Nobu Next Door, for sure, and try the other intriguing dishes on the menu.

Nobu Next Door is located at 105 Hudson Street between Franklin and N. Moore, New York, NY 10013. Tel. 212-334-4445

i kinda like it

I'm kinda getting sick of my hair so I was browsing the showbiz rag sites for inspiration when I stumbled upon this picture in People of LC sporting a brunette bob for Harper's Bazaar. It's just a wig, but I think she should do it for real. Her decision to leave The Hills must be like breaking up with your high school sweetheart. And nothing says "moving on with my life" like a new do, right?

rest in peace

I've never known a world without Michael Jackson. Still can't quite wrap my head around the thought that he's gone.