Does anybody remember “two buck chuck”? It is the wine offered by the Charles Shaw winery that Trader Joe’s sells for two bucks a bottle. The wine first showed up on the shelves at Trader Joe’s a few years ago wrapped in a story that when the office of Homeland Security banned glass on airplanes, all the cases of Charles Shaw wine purchased by the airlines were instantly orphaned. Trader Joes, ever the opportunist on behalf if their customers, made a deal with the airlines and bought palettes of the stuff to offer to its shoppers for two bucks. It was rumored, undoubtedly by Trader Joes, that the wine was used by the airlines in their first class cabins. For some reason the “first class” label wooed droves of purchasers who gave little thought to the fact that price of a bottle of Charles Shaw was about the same price as a bottle of Thunderbird, the famous vintage usually found in downtown doorways laying on its side next to its transient consumer in a similar position of repose.

At my local Trader Joe’s in Los Angeles I saw cases of Charles Shaw get loaded into the trunks of late model BMWs, Mercedes and Porches. The snobby set had gone bonkers for the stuff. This led to a year of party invites that stipulated very proudly that there was “no reason to bring anything we got lots.” It is a garish way of saying I am able to finance the typically expensive booze portion of my 20 person gathering with the “quick withdrawal” amount at the ATM.

During this period of parties with vino aplenty, I noticed I’d get slight headache about three hours after my first sip of the Chuck. I was convinced that the consistent malady was a result of not drinking enough water whilst partying. So every glass of wine was followed by a nice sized glass of water turning my stomach contents into a lovely Two Buck Chuck rose’. Yet, in spite of my hydrating diligence, the dull headaches continued.

One day in garment district in downtown Los Angeles a homeless fellow approached me for a donation. I obliged him with dollar asking him if was going to use the money for food. “Hell know,” he said. “I gotta get me some aspirin, that shit I drink gives me a fucking headache.” He motioned to his little corner of the world contained in rogue Trader Joes shopping cart. There, on top of his belongings were two bottles of Charles Shaw cabernet. I threw him an additional five bucks and told him I felt his pain. He looked at me like I was a lunatic, but sent me on my way with a gratitude infused “god bless you for your generosity” just the same.

I took the experience of my downtown dwelling friend as scientific gospel. He was, after all, a professional. From that day forward, no matter how unselfish a party host was with their vast cellar Two Buck Chuck, I always brought my own, slightly more expensive bottle of red. I haven’t had a headache since.

Chez Pazienza is a news man who was unceremoniously let go from CNN for maintaining a blog critical of the news industry. The details make for a fascinating read.

To reinforce the contentions he wrote about when CNN gave him the ax, he posted a video yesterday of CBS’s chief foreign correspondent, Laura Logan, speaking on The Daily Show.

I think Mr. Pazienza’s revelations confirm what we all think. News reporting in this country blows and it’s not the fault of the corespondents. Personally, I expend a fair amount of energy looking for good news sources. I find very few in the United States.

The news industry has changed radically in the last seven years, and we’re getting the short end of the script. I’m going to compile a list of news sources I like for a future post. To that end, leave a note in the comments section and let me know where you get your news.

Last week Associated Press (AP) went after the blog the Drudge Retort for using 39 words from an AP article. The Drudge Retort followed the legal guidlines set forth in the fair use exception to the copyright law. They also linked back to the AP site which is not a legal requirement for fair use, but a nice thing that legitimate bloggers do to show their sources some love.

So the AP did what any reasonable corporation would do, they started imposing guidelines. Apparently AP wants you to pay for using more than four words from any of their articles. If you don’t get permission and make a financial compensation arrangement, they’ll sue you regardless if you’ve followed the guidelines set forth in the copyright law.

So why worry if your a blogger following the letter of the law? Because you’ll still have to pay for a lawyer to defend you against the frivolous lawsuit. The matter has gone international. I’ve been reading the posts over on Tech Crunch about the New York Times writer Saul Hansell defending the AP policy.

I absolutely am behind protecting copyright. An issue that is currently haunting parts of the internet. But no one that the AP is attacking violated any laws. If they keep working this angle, they may make the RIAA look good.

“It’s a negroni.” Filmmaker Andrew Evashchen, the creator of the well known Short Film and Very Short Film series on cellophane66, pours the Italian cocktail concoction into two antique highball glasses and hands me one as we sit down to discuss his work.

Evashchen’s premiere internet Short Film, Carmella Walking Away, is the type of video that you watch over and over again. And as much as I want to give you some hifalutin analysis on why the video compels repeat viewing, I can only offer that it was made with a long film sensibility.

Evashchen’s films are centered around telling a story. He adeptly avoids the “look what I did with my handi-cam” plots that have pervaded the internet and offers a genuine article consistently worthy of the viewer’s time. Which is, in part, what dictated the short time format for Evashchen’s work. Based on his own habits and attention span while internet video browsing he worked out what he thought would be a reasonable amount of time to ask a viewer to pay attention to his films. What followed was the conjuring of mini story arcs that could be visually expressed in the short time he alloted himself.

With the success of the 5 minute Carmella Walking Away, Evashchen shrank into shorter durations with his Very Short Films. Films of about 55 seconds that are every bit as compelling as their 5 to 6 minute siblings. One Very Short Film that typifies Evashchen’s style and humor is Passenger Ship to Mexico (there and back).

A very small guardrail is the first of Evashchen’s internet releases to make into a film festival. Although it was welcome news that the film was accepted, Evashchen has found far greater satisfaction in the response from the global audience of the internet.

Releasing his films on cellophane66 has done much to diminish the anxiety that comes from waiting for a response after entering a piece in a film festival. Festival committees can be swayed by a myriad of political influences leaving the filmmaker to wonder if it was his work or political standing that got his work rejected or accepted. However, the internet audience has nothing to gain or lose by expressing an honest opinion. It is the ultimate democratic, global critic.

But don’t be deceived. Even though Evashchen’s short films may seem elegant in their simplicity, production is not without its dramatic hurtles. When reviewing footage from the wet road scene in Carmella Walking Away, Evashchen was hit with a blow. A cardboard flag, designed to protect the camera from the rain, fell into the frame while shooting. Evashchen had the unenviable task of telling his water logged talent that she had to go back out into the rain and redo all of the shots. There was a nail biting pause, and then the reply; “Okay daddy.”

Andrew Evashchen’s films and other venerable tidbits can be found on his blog cellophane66. This is the first of many Cocktail Conversations; an interview series focused on fabulous people.

When I got started in fashion I was fascinated by androgynous women. An obsession I never understood until six years into my career when, during a discussion with a stylist, the influence of Yves Saint Laurent emerged. I discovered his work from the sixties and seventies on the backside of nude pictorial in an old issue of Playboy magazine. From that moment on I was familiar with the name, and took note of his work everywhere.

Laurent celebrated the elegant beauty of women by drawing attention to their strong side. His designs were a fantastic balance of strength and sexuality that did much to overturn the ridiculous stereotypes of women that were prevalent in the 50s.

©Lou Lesko

His style of pant suit brought competitive empowerment to the female closet. Rather than throw boy clothes on girls, he reinterpreted the male wardrobe by tailoring it for the female form. A trend introduced by Chanel but perfected by Laurent. His statement of gender equality culminated with the 1966 introduction of his tuxedo jacket. A trans gender accomplishment that evolved into a trademark for Laurent.

For me Laurent was the ultimate fashionista. His design vision combined with his personal look, which was often in sync with his current fashion offerings, epitomized his passionate connection to his work. For Mr. Laurent celebrity was a fringe benefit of success not goal to be pursued.

Mr. Laurent passed away Sunday. Although I never met the man, I’m saddened by his passing. I’m thankful for his influence on the industry at large and thrilled to recognize his influence on my own work.