Shit You Should Be Aspiring To: A place in Monaco

Bloomberg has named Monaco the world's most expensive place to live for the third straight year.  If you want to buy an apartment or a house in Monaco, it'll cost you an average of over $65,000 per square meter.  London was the second most-expensive, at just over $56,000 per square meter.

Start saving up your ducats.

R.I.P. Sidney Lumet, 1924 - 2011

2011 has been a rough year; first Elizabeth Taylor, and now this.  Sydney Lumet, one of the greatest directors of all time, passed away this morning as a result of lymphoma.  He was 86.

Arrogant Male Quote of the Day - April 9, 2011

"Once, during Prohibition, I was forced to live for days on nothing but food and water."

~W.C. Fields

Helpful poem to remember the difference between 'whiskey' and 'whisky'.

 

There is always confusion surrounding the two alternative spellings of that glorious golden liquid we all know and love: whisky versus whiskey.  The discrepancy is often attributed to regional differences, in a manner akin to the Canadian and American variations on the spelling of the word colour / color, but there has never been any consistency regarding when each variation applies.  Well, ponder no more, for today we're going to clear this important issue up for you.

Shit Worth Checking Out: The Selvedge Yard's piece on George Stevens's classic film, Giant.

A few months back, The Selvedge Yard published a visual essay on the making of the 1956 film Giant.  The film featured an incredible cast, including James Dean, Rock Hudson, and Elizabeth Taylor, and was a sweeping family epic of the type they just don't make anymore.  The article features some amazing photography from the set and the film itself, as well as many great anecdotes about the trials and tribulations of production.  Check out the post here.  More photos from the article after the jump.

Photos from the Sharp S/S Book for Men launch party in Toronto.

On April 5, 2011, Sharp Magazine for Men held a launch party for its new Spring / Summer edition of Sharp: The Book for Men.  The party took place at Origin in Toronto, and sponsors included Grey Goose, Glenlivet, and Peroni.  Check out more photos after the jump.

Shit You Should Buy: Michael J. Fox Dog Tags by Ralph Lauren.

Michael J. Fox Dog Tags

February is Parkinson's Awareness Month, and last night at the Ralph Lauren Men's store on Madison Avenue, Michael J. Fox hosted a celebrity charity event to benefit The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.  On sale at the event were these limited edition dog tags, which are now available on the Ralph Lauren website for just $95.00.  I'm breaking my 'No Polo' rule for this, but 100% of the net proceeds will go to the MJFF, so I don't feel too badly about it.

"A beautiful movie about the end of the world": Trailer for Lars von Trier's follow-up to Antichrist debuts.

Two years ago at the Cannes Film Festival, Lars von Trier's film Antichrist caused immense controversy for its graphic portrayal of female sexuality and purportedly misogynist leanings.  Never one to shy away from controversy, let alone criticism, von Trier plans to head right back to Cannes and debut his new film, Melancholia, at this year's festival.  The official trailer for the film launched this morning, and it doesn't look like they were bullshitting about the 'beautiful' part.

Arrogant Male Quote of the Day - April 8, 2011

“Every day I get up and look through the Forbes list of the richest people in America.  
If I’m not on there, I go to work.”

~ Robert Orben

Interesting article from Esquire on the fine line between inspiration and mimicking.

In Kill Your Idols, an excerpt from Esquire's Spring 2011 installment of The Big Black Book, Josh Peskowitz discusses a common problem in fashion: lack of originality.  McQueen, Newman, and Brando should inspire your style — not define it.

Beautiful new website for Terrence Mallick's The Tree of Life.

Fox Searchlight Pictures has launched a new website to promote its upcoming film The Tree of Life, directed by enigmatic filmmaker Terrence Malick.  If you're hoping the website will give any indication of what exactly this thing is about, you're shit outta luck.  But it's a beautiful mind-trip nevertheless (as I'm sure the movie itself will be), and is definitely worth a look.

American Express Platinum Card continues to spoil its members.

As if all the benefits this plastic beast already offer weren't enough, American Express has announced that they are adding several additional perks for international travelers.  Robin Korn, Senior VP and General Manager of Consumer Charge Cards, noted that “with the launch of these new benefits, combined with the suite of existing ones, the Platinum Card is truly the passport to a premium travel experience."  No argument here.  

Now there's really no excuse not to man up ... Netflix moves in on Mad Men

For anyone who has yet to hop on the Mad Men bandwagon (if there's any of you left), you are officially out of excuses.  Netflix announced this morning that it struck a deal with Lionsgate to bring the entire series to Netflix, starting with the first four seasons on July 27th.  Future seasons are to be added annually after they complete airing on AMC.  Lionsgate and Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner reached an agreement last week to bring the show back for three more years, so it is expected that the show will reach a seventh season.

Official poster for 64th annual Cannes Film Festival exudes elegance.

They don't make 'em like this anymore.  Actresses, I mean.  Which is probably why the designers of this beautiful poster had to reach back some forty years for this great shot of Faye Dunaway, circa 1970, courtesy of Jerry Schatzberg.  "Model of sophistication and timeless elegance, it is an embodiment of the cinematic dream that the Festival de Cannes seeks to maintain."  Check out the official Cannes Film Festival site for more.

The shitty state of the film industry ... and why it's our fault.

Mark Harris's excellent article for GQ, The Day the Movies Died, was published back in February, but I just started this frickin blog, so gimme a break.  

A must-read for anyone who's ever allowed themselves to be dragged to see Twilight with their girlfriend.  You are all culpable.

Arrogant Male Photograph of the Day: a picture worth a thousand words...

Behold the awesomeness that is Tom Ford.