Hot List: Late Summer Edition

It’s been awhile since I’ve given you a hot list. Check out what I’m endorsing in the late summer and tell me if you love it, you hate it or you think that I need a lesson in what’s HOT.

Marcel the Shell with Shoes On. He’s the cutest thing I’ve seen on the Internet in years and the dialogue he’s having with his off-camera interviewer is truly genius. I also dig his tennis shoe choice. Directed by Dean Fleisher-Camp and voice/writing by SNL regular Jenny Slate.

The 23 Hottest Male Models Behind the Campaigns by Details. I can’t help myself, I love a little eye candy on a Friday. Don’t worry fellas, I have a pick for you on the list too.

The Mann Music Center. I’ve had a few opportunities to get out to the Mann this summer and it’s resulted in catching some awesome outdoor ampitheater music including a raucous evening with Passion Pit and the jaw dropping experience of the Philadelphia Orchestra playing Planet Earth Live. You can still catch Pavement, Cake and the Chamber Orchestra before the gates close for the chilly months.

The Philly Fringe “Plan Your Festival” Facebook App. This is awesome. I get overwhelmed whenever I thumb through the Fringe/LiveArts catalog. Thankfully this application does all the hard work of planning for you. Click on a date and it lists what performances are happening that day with links to purchase tickets. The Philadelphia LiveArts/Philly Fringe Festival runs September 3-18.

Okay so this is my “for the gents” portion of the post. (Go ahead and ogle gal in the photos while your girlfriend shops for the $600 lingerie). I’m a big fan of old school underwear and shape wear and this fall it’s coming back in a pointy way. Prepare yourself for the return of the pointy bras, yes the same ones strapping in the chests of the ladies of Mad Men. Though I tend to stick to the non-pointy bustier options, I like the idea of a lingerie fad that’s a little more classy than those of previous years—like the horrifying trend of showing the top of your thong.  The above photo is from a lingerie line by Jean Paul Gaultier for La Perla.

Eat your art

The picture’s from the San Francisco Chronicle; it accompanies an article about the SFMOMA’s new coffee bar in its rooftop sculpture. The Blue Bottle Cafe has been getting a lo of attention for its desserts, by Caitlin Williams Freeman. Freeman has what appears to be the world’s most fun job, which is to come up with a revolving assortment of desserts based on various pieces in the museum’s collection. I’m dying to make the above Mondrian cake, but my cooking hubris only goes so far.

Either click the above picture to learn more about Kind mit Pudeln (Baby with Poodles) by German artist Katharina Fritsch, or just take my word that it’s 224 black poodles surrounding a white baby. And here is the ice cream sandwich version:

Freeman also does a pretty amazing replica of Thiebaud’s Display Cakes, so if you’re like me and have always wished you could just reach in and grab one of those perfect Thiebaud cakes, well, now you can almost experience it.

Freeman Makes Artistic Desserts at SFMOMA, San Francisco Chronicle

Pope-rah

Pope-rah

During an interview with Leno, Dennis Leary explained that his mother thinks Oprah is the Pope, and refers to the talk show host as Pope-rah. Basically the same is true in my house. When describing what Christian Louboutins looked like to my mom, she asked if Oprah wore them.  It was only then that she knew exactly what I was talking about.

Perhaps Oprah does deserve the Pope-rah title.  I mean, after all she does compile a wonderful array of lists every month for her magazine and website. This month’s include “affordable” fashion, which to Oprah means anything under 100 bucks. That doesn’t mean the whole outfit, just individual pieces, but what did you expect from Pope-rah?

Pope-rah also has a feature on Isaac Mizrahi’s new “affordable” collection for Liz Claiborne. This time, nothing is over 200 bucks. Oprah also wants to help you get out the door quicker.  Behold the “50 ways to speed up your beauty routine.”

For Easter, I baked a Lamb Cake. My grandma is Czech, and she always makes a little Lambie cake for Easter. However, I’ve read that this is a tradition shared by other Eastern European countries as well. Now that I’ve baked the little Lamb cake, I’m so over regularly shaped cakes. I guess I’ll just have to watch Ace of Cakes to teach myself how to create more specialty cakes. Or, perhaps I’ll head over to Night Kitchen Bakery or Whipped Bakeshop for inspiration. Yumm.

Lamb Cake

If you’re over the cake stuff, be sure to check out this geography quiz. It might sound nerdy, but it’s really fun. I Promise.

In Case You Don’t Want to Sew a Giant Squid …

Okay, so you guys really dug Emily G’s giant squid pillow, huh? That’s what the comments and our Google analytics tell us. Hopefully you’ll also dig this squid-related project. Beth, over at cloth and fodder, recently posted super simple instructions for baking a giant squid cake.

You can tell it's giant because that boat is so tiny!

Offering links to squid anatomy sites—ensuring that your squid cake is as close to life-like as possible—Beth explains all the details, from making the ganache to creating the perfect squid-like balls.