I lubz Kanye!

Aight, so like I've said before, Kanye West is getting whiter, but I think he's beginning to know that, or at least not try to fight it. (Good 'ol Kanye, just doin' what he loves.) The following video shows him playing Connect Four with Jonah Hill (Forgetting Sarah Marshall-- go see it!), a hero to those who are very white in physicality and personality.

Connect 4 - Jonah Hill vs. Kanye from kwest on Vimeo.

And then the egotism comes out. It's like a sitcom, you know it's gonna happen! "Oh, Kanye!" the people in the room shouted in unison after the cameras were turned off.

If only...

The First Blips of Lily Allen's Return

It's only April, and God damn, it's already been quite a year for our hero Lily Allen. She had a miscarriage, which ultimately caused her break-up with father Ed Simon of the Chemical Brothers, she was signed to be the new face of lingerie line Agent Provocateur and was dropped at the last minute, her talk show on BBC3 is apparently not doing amazingly well... but she is certainly not letting it keep her down.

As you may or may not know, Lily Allen's new album is due out later this year, and just recently, two of her tracks have been put on her MySpace. Just from a tiny listen, you can tell how Lily has grown.

"I Don't Know", slated to be the album's first single, is definitely a different turn from the feel of 2007's cheery smash Alright, Still-- her trademark sardonicism shows, but coming with a tinge of melancholy to replace the devil-may-care attitude of her earlier songs. But of course, it shows Lily has not lost her ability to effectively take the piss out of modern society, and somehow, this time, it is more real than it has ever been. It should certainly be a reminder of Allen's securely established role as the smartest woman in pop.

The second demo posted, "I Could Say", is also a synth-heavy break-up ballad, certainly secures what the tone of the album will be. By juxtaposing these two tracks that fit so well together, you can certainly tell the album will be techier, smarter and certainly more serious.

Just two little samples show how much Ms Allen has matured after the past few rough months of her life. She has come out of the fire like a phoenix: smarter, stronger, more responsible, and with more determination than ever before.

God, Lily, this is so different, but it's so totally brilliant. I can't wait for this album. Lily, darling, I'm on pins and needles to see what you've got up your sleeve!

Boredom Combat: Junko Mizuno's Fairy Tales

All those little stories we heard as children have a darker background. The original Nutcracker involved gory rat slaughter, Ring Around the Rosie was written about the Bubonic Plague, all that stuff. But all the grime was removed so these stories were more easily digestable. Whatevz to that. This results in children who are not as intrigued hearing the censored story as they are when they hear of its dirtier backgrounds!

Badass Japanese manga artist Junko Mizuno respects this theory. This is why she started making a series of darker fairy tales for a trilogy in 2002 that I just picked up. Based upon fairy tales everyone knows, Mizuno has taken it to the next level with Cinderalla, Hansel and Gretel, and Princess Mermaid.

Cinderalla, the most psychedelic of the three, is the story we all know, except this time, the whole family is made up of zombies and Cinderalla is in love with a zombie pop star. There is totally zombie sex.

Hansel & Gretel is the classic turned ninja style. Gretel is a loud, sexy schoolgirl who beats up bitches, and she and her brother have to go save their town when all the food has disappeared! This one is a real cliffhanger and the funnest and fastest read.

Princess Mermaid is by far the darkest of the series. A tragically-centered Little Mermaid, this book involves a family of mermaid prostitutes killing customers to gain vengeance from their dead mother. Our main character Julie has fallen in love with a human related to the men who killed the mermaids' mother...

Such worthwhile reads. Beautifully done, so inspired. Each story is intriguing within itself. I recommend starting from the beginning (organized alphabetically for convenience, I know). Though these tales are not always reminiscent of ones we've acquainted ourselves with, inspiration flows within these crazy pages.

What's great is that you read them so fast.

What sucks is that you read them so fast...

Believe the Hype: Kidrobot

Pokemon was the shit when I was a kid, but I never understood it, especially with the blatant commercialism, the trading, new things coming out every five weeks... it totally boggled me, and I never fell for it.

Almost a decade after that craze, designer toys have become insanely popular, like Kidrobot, and I never understood it until just the other day...

I bought a French Dunny (the one I got, by Mist, is pictured), and I swear... I'm in love. To those who've never purchased one, know that you don't just the badass little figure-- you get a matching sticker too. My God. Give a girl a sticker and you've just about hooked her.

I know it's the epitome of modern capitalism, but really, I can't help it when the shit is this cute. I gotta catch 'em all!

Get addicted at kidrobot.com.

I love Locher's, but...

With the arrival of the S/S 2008 collection at Locher's, every last shirt sold is priced at $87. Just last season, prices were infinitely better and you'd have ended up saving over $10 if you'd bought one then.

This is ridiculous! I'm not saying the new collection isn't cute, but what the fuck?

EDIT: Got an e-mail from Denise, who works at Locher's. She has explained that the prices for cotton have increased severely as the economy is suffering, so that'll have to show in their sales. The reason for the same price for each shirt is because it makes things easier for the company.

Temperature's Rising: Deborah Marquit

Let's admit it: no matter how much we want to deny it, lingerie has become so tasteless. Companies are trying so hard to be sexy that they've gone to ridiculous amounts to do so. Ouverts? Keyholes in the backs of briefs? Overdone patterns? No thank you! What we really need is lingerie that is simply done, but with an extra-shocking detail that isn't too out there.

Deborah Marquit, whose lingerie I swooned over in the Spring 2008 Missbehave, has done such a thing. Her lingerie is in classic shapes, but with crazy awesome extras: one set is in vinyl, another, the most popular, is fluorescent and glows in a blacklight. This is where Marquit's stuff really kills it. It comes several ravey colors, like pink and yellow (shown), orange, lime and purple.

The lace has this super vintage look, so you can end up looking like Marilyn Monroe and Barbarella's test tube baby. This stuff is shocking and grabs attention, when deep down it is just like classic lingerie you know and are comfortable with.

The fluorescent set comes in the bare necessities: underwire bras (shown at left), string bikinis, garter belts, thongs, strapless bras (shown at right), underwire demi-cup bras, bikini briefs (shown at right) and boy briefs (shown at left). No weird attempts at being overly shocking.

This stuff is unbelieveable. It's simple, but hella flashy in just the right way. I'm totes smitten.

Be forewarned! Cop it so you have something to really be proud of. Everyone knows it's what underneath that counts.

Find this set and more at deborahmarquit.com.