Cool Grrrls Kick Ass

Cool Grrrls is a site that I just recently discovered that I thought I should shamelessly plug, although it probably needs no help from me. The site has been around for over 10 years and I can see why. When you land on the home page it's masthead says it all " the worldwide grrrls guide to all that grooves". The site features a list of cool grrl correspondents from all over the world that report on the hottest things going on in the punk rock music scene, and beyond. Read the columns and your likely to see interviews on festivals from all over the world, as well as off the hook shows they've caught at hole in the wall clubs by bands that have been around for ever, and more interesting the ones you probably ain't never heard of before. if you like punk rock and the underground music scene at any level this site is deifinitely worth a trip to see.

If you think the site is just for grrls your gonna loose if you snooze. Well worth the visit but hey don't believe me check it out cool grrls for yourself.

As Always, Enjoy

NakedMotel

Check Under The Hoodie

With the crush of the holiday in full force the Naked Motel Blog took a back seat to holiday things I needed to do least I get thrown out of my family. Although Christmas has already past I hope that for those that are already back to work that the rest of the week is light so that their holiday festivities can continue at least until the New Year arrives.I am a firm believer that for the most part the week between Christmas and New Years should be a Holiday week for all. We shouldn't have to try and jam all our festivities into one short 24 hour period, it's just not right.

I saw this article in the NY Times over the weekend and thought I would post it to try and gradually get back into the swing of things. Its a quick read on the history of the Hoodie and where it is today. To read more click here. Hoodies.

Dead Batteries for Christmas

In my opinion one of the coolest things about the web is the ability to see new ideas and businesses that people are coming up with that prior to the web probably couldn't exist.There seems to be an endless supply of new ideas and information being posted everyday.It's got to be the ultimate market bazaar. For sure there is a lot of crap but every once in awhile you come across something that's brilliant.I recently stumbled upon http://www.deadbatteries.com and truly wished I thought of the idea.I hope they make a bundle


Dead Batteries takes AA batteries the find you find in TV/stereo remotes and re wraps them in skins,similar to the skins we are wrapping our I-pods and cell phones with. It looks like they have about 15 different style posted on the site but are adding new ones all the time, thet even have a section where you can submit an idea if you think they suck and you could do it better.Once wrapped the batteries still work in fact they guarantee them, and once the graphic is applied it turns the battery into a little "object d' Arte".For a couple of bucks you get these cool looking little batteries sure to be a point of interest with graphics featuring things like pulp fiction, boy-toy romance novels and a psychedelics.


The site itself is non too shabby I think I would describe it best by saying its got a recycled-urban destroy feel about it. Dark and abrasive. Its the kind of site and product I love finding.Check this place out. You won't regret it. I'm gonna order some of their batteries as soon as I finish this post.

t shirt critic

Ok, so I had hoped to post a feed here right in this very spot to show you guys some cool things I saw at tcritic.com but I couldn't get the feed to work right. I don't know if it's me or blogger. I think it's probably more me, because I was able to post the feed over to the right side of the page. I just couldn't get it to work in the body of this message correctly. I guess I will be visiting the help forums again. I promise I will get better at this, sooner than later.

Back to t shirt critic. T shirt critic is a daily blog on t-shirts, t-shirt companies, and things that should be t-shirts.There is a lot to see on this blog and to keep it fresh the owner interjects his offbeat humor through out it.He definitely keeps things interesting by showing not only the good,the bad and ugly along with just plain weird. Often times he plays the part of model for shirts that people have sent him or that have sparked his interest.If you like t shirt art as much as I do one visit to this blog and you will see why I keep going back to look at things there.

One of my recent want that shirt now favorites was one I first saw on the tcritic blog (shown below). Unfortunately for me the shirt had a limited production run as many good ones seem to have and it sold out in one day.Of course I was to late.One look and you can understand see why I wanted it.

Enjoy,

Naked Motel

Big Bad Voodoo Christmas

As the Holi-daze are fast approaching I thought I would post this link for the new Big Bad Daddy Voodoo Holiday Surprise to help us all get ready to slurp some nog and drag someone under the miselto thats not a blood relative.

(I am still trying to get the hang of things here. If the music doesn't start after you land on the BBVD page click on the ticket window on the right side of the page to hear the music play- STILL A NEWBIE}

Enjoy

Naked Motel

Endless Summer

As a photographer I just love Karine Laval's Swimming Pool series. The lighting is exquisite.

Also represented at the M+B Gallery is the work of Massimo Vitali
Already, I can feel the warmth.

Enjoy!
nakedmotel

Fun in Philly

Looking for some fun in Philly this weekend. Start off your weekend by going to Space 1026.Space 1026 will be holding its annual art auction on FRIDAY December 15th concurrently with the opening of the "Flipbook Festival" - a touring show of flipbooks from around the world. The doors will open at 6:30pm at which time participants can bid on work laid out around the gallery in a silent auction and get a sneak peak at the work which will be sold in the more competitive vocal auction, which begins at 9:00pm.

This year the auction is being coordinated by the awesome local curator/artist Damian Weinkrantz.

Todd Kimmel is back this year as auctioneer.

The auction, which helps insure that the collectively run gallery/studio space will exist another year, will feature donated artwork from members and a wide range of friends. Past donations have come from art-stars such as: Barry McGee, Shepard Fairey, Steve "ESPO" Powers, Paper Rad, Brian Chippendale, Clare Rojas, Judith Schaector, and many others. You will also find many locals donating goods and services such as free video rentals, massages, websites, recording studio time, and much more.

Continue your weekend festivities and get some one of a kind gifts at the PUNK ROCK FLEA- MARKET-HOLIDAY EXPO

*THIS* Saturday December 16th 10am to 5:00pm

At The Starlight Ballroom a.k.a. Club Polaris
(460 N 9th Street / 9th & Spring Garden)
All Ages / 21+ To Drink / $3 entry donation



Over 2400 visitors and 120 tables of old records, clothes, art, music, food, junk, bicycles, stereo equipment, instruments, automobiles, tools, posters, furniture, computers, skateboards and lots of other stuff this pass june.

All proceeds raised will goto the purchase of necessary equipment and supplies to ensure that all ages shows continue to remain a reality at The First Unitarian Church in Philadelphia.

Fun things to do without breaking the bank. The people watching alone is enough to get your but off the couch and heading out the door.

Enjoy

NakedMotel

Blood Diamond

Edward Zwick's Blood Diamond
By Nick Clement

What's so disappointing about Ed Zwick's latest Hollywood melodrama Blood Diamond is just how great it could have been. Never entirely sure of what it wants to be, the overwrought screenplay by Charles Leavitt mixes 1940's action-adventure attitudes, 1970's cynicism, and 1990's action technology to uneasy effect; the final product is an overcooked yet entertaining mess. Leonardo DiCaprio, in fine Gary Cooper/Jimmy Stewart mode, is immensely watchable as tough-as-nails soldier of fortune Danny Archer, who works with both European government officials (in a totally glossed-over subplot) and the nastiest African warlords in order to move "blood diamonds" aka "conflict diamonds" across the world. He joins forces with a wrongly imprisoned fisherman named Solomon Vandy, played with regular intensity and hysterics by Djimon Honsou; his son has been kidnapped by local militia and is being trained as a child soldier. Vandy has found--and hidden--a giant pink diamond that is the key to both men's survival. Archer and Vandy agree to help one another in order to find Vandy's son, and recover the stone. Along for the ride, though supremely underused, is the ever beautiful Jennifer Connolly as an intrepid and improbably sexy reporter who sees a story in both men. What ensues is a hectic mix of startlingly violent action scenes (with numerous women and children being bloodily killed for "realistic" effect), insipid plotting with some truly inane dialogue, and sledge-hammer Hollywood messages strewn about in order to remind you that you're watching an "important" picture. Truth be told, I enjoyed the beautiful, glossy cinematography by the extremely talented Eduardo Serra (Unbreakable, The Girl with a Peal Earring), the excellent editing of the action scenes by ace editor Steven Rosenbloom (Pearl Harbor, The Last Samurai) and the generally sumptuous production values. The action sequences are excitingly staged and realistically rendered, especially the complete destruction of a town with multiple RPG missiles and numerous explosions. And DiCaprio is commanding from first frame to last, coming into his own as a masculine action-star in both this film and the far, far better The Departed. But I grew irritated with director Zwick, who has made some excellent movies in the past (Glory, Courage Under Fire, The Last Samurai). Here, he's closer to the work he did on The Siege, another asinine action adventure that wanted to be about something important and timely (domestic terrorism in that film) so badly, but instead relied on cliché after cliché, much like Blood Diamond ultimately does. The relationship with DiCaprio and Connolly goes nowhere after extensive set-up, which is a bit of an annoyance. And while Archer makes some morally questionable decisions along the ride, his denouement is tired and unbelievable. Still, while not a perfect movie, like all of Zwick's work, it does entertain. And it does have good intentions and a noble, if slightly bombastic, spirit.

a soft 3 stars out of 4