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As I sit here in my apartment in New York, window open, people walking silently en masse to the subway, the Jackson Five's "ABC" blasts from a car sitting at a red traffic light. I want to lean out the window and tell the driver to turn it up.

Like many of us, I discovered music starting with Michael Jackson. My childhood was magical with his sound, his moves, his childlike energy. Every time I went to a tap class, I tried to imitate the toe stand or moonwalk along with the other girls who were allowed to watch MTV. We would chat about the "Thriller" video--which I never admitted terrified me--and I would come home everyday hoping it would be on. I must have watched it a thousand times, hands over eyes during the zombie close-ups, mouthing along word for word with Vincent Price.

The one song that touched me the most, though, was "Ben." To this day it makes me weep. I dreamed of marrying a guy named Ben someday just so I could walk down the aisle to that song. Instead, I sang it endlessly to my first love, my cat, while dancing around the room with her in my arms. Our awkward waltz always ended with me in tears clutching onto her fur desperately, my nose nuzzled in a purring neck. I understood the sound of that voice because it was the same as my own--a child's heart expressing unconditional love.

Despite the bizarre direction his life took, my heart always went out to Michael Jackson. As an entertainer, he always gave us what we wanted, and he still delivers. I DJ'd a rooftop party in Chelsea a few weeks ago. After the big hits had already exhausted everyone on the dance floor, my friend Chad approached.

"You need to play 'Man in the Mirror.'"
"I don't have it, and you can't really dance to it."
"Trust me, you need to play it. Make it the last song."

With that, he handed over an iPod with the song (it's funny just thinking about being able to hold Michael Jackson's entire catalog of music in the palm of your hand). We played it, and I swear the night shifted, lit up. The wind danced through the eaves, and every last person gathered in the middle of this expansive roof to listen ("I'm gonna make a change for once in my life...") and to dance. It was beautiful.

That's Michael. Always keeping us on our toes, making us sing along with our hearts.

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Goths, Soviet teen punks, long haired guinea pigs, and "the most beautiful Burger King in the world." I'm LOVING Vena Cava's new blog!

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A lovely collage courtesy of Viva Vena Cava

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I will be back shortly with photographic memories of Paris and Tokyo (how I miss thee both). For now, take your own trip to Paris this summer with Lucy Knisley's delightful graphic novel French Milk:

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My friend Jorge introduced me to Kitty, Daisy & Lewis recently, a trio of North London siblings who play in a vintage tinged band along with their parents Graeme and Ingrid (former drummer of post-punk band The Raincoats). I was immediately smitten with their whole Rockabilly-von-Trapp vibe right down to the chola-chic hair mixed with Ritchie Valens swagger and their hunched over, rip-roarin' sound. Influenced by everything from 50's rock and roll, jump blues, swing, Western, Hawaiian, and R&B, their music is all about the spirited amalgamation of any and every genre they favor with xylophone, double bass, ukulele, harmonica, and trombone thrown in for good measure. For some reason, they look familiar to me--what I imagine the kids hanging out in downtown El Paso might have looked like back in the 50's, when ladies at the bus stop wore kitten heels and leopard print while flirting with gentlemen in fedoras smoking cigarettes in the sun.

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I adore them.

Here they are doing their own version of Canned Heat's 1968 ditty, "Goin' Up the Country." Enjoy!

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Manhattan Friday
Cocktail doves, cafe lovelies
Pavement Lullaby

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Some of my all-time favorite movies from the 80's (The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink, Footloose, and Mannequin) mashed up to my new favorite song. Ah, sunshine on this cloudy day! Also, why aren't we all dancing more these days? IT'S TIME TO DANCE!

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Dear Sixteen Andi,

I know how much you love Bjork. Guess what? Someday your dream will come true.

Much love,

"Older" Andi

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I'm not a massive sugar hound. If I had a choice between sweet and savory, the salty and crunchy would win every time. I can dig some dark chocolate and hang out with a lemon meringue pie now and then, but sugar's not my thing. "I'll take the cheese course," she says all European-like after her meal.

It took one trip to BabyCakes NYC--the delightful bakery owned by the lovely, talented, and always stylish Erin McKenna--to slay my sweet snobbery for good (and it had nothing to do with sugar). Erin's cupcakes, cookies, frosting shots, gingerbread, brownies, blueberry crumb cake (my faves), and ridiculously addictive Cinnamon Toasties are made without refined sugar, eggs, or dairy. We're talking all-natural, organic, and--dare I say it with the blood of 1,000 cows coursing through my Texas-bred veins--VEGAN. The sweets at BabyCakes NYC are so magically delicious that you find yourself exclaiming, "Nuh-uh-no-way!" when you find out they're actually good for you.

I have to pace myself when it comes to how often I rush to the Lower East Side for a Red Velvet fix. I wish I could go every day. I need to go every day. The BabyCakes Banana Chocolate Chip Loaf wants to live in my fridge permanently. Luckily, for all of us, Erin has decided to share her secrets with the new BabyCakes Cookbook, hittin' a bookshelf near you on May 5th. Chock-full of recipes for most of the items that have made her bakery famous, you can now bring BabyCakes into your home whenever you want. Find out what makes regulars like Mary-Louise Parker, Natalie Portman, Pamela Anderson, and Zooey Deschanel "fan club" members for life. Learn how to make Jason Schwartzman's favorite Triple-Chocolate Fat Pants Cake. It's all in there, and it's all good.

Plus, how can you resist this BabyCakes Cookbook video? Sweet Sensational!


BabyCakes, the Book of Recipes: It's Here (Almost)! from BabyCakes NYC on Vimeo.

Seriously, y'all, you need this cookbook.

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Here are some snacks that celebrate all that is this gloriously beautiful day:

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Vampire's Lunch courtesy of Stinky Brooklyn


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Hibiscus tea and Annie's Cheddar Bunnies on an inspirational writing desk tray

Happy Friday!

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about_natalie.jpgNatalie Portman will be at Soho's Apple Store this afternoon to talk about her new web project, MakingOf.com. In short, it's a website all about the making of movies. In a word, it's AWESOME.

Portman, along with her partner and CEO Christine Aylward, has created a behind-the-scenes Web portal that gives an in-depth look into how movies are made. Everything from a writer's initial idea (and how to get it to the page) all the way through to the casting, production, and post-production editing process is casually discussed in an accessible way by some of Hollywood's hardest working insiders. There are interviews with actors (including a fantastically candid one from Ms. Portman herself), writing tips from screenwriting champions like Don Roos, casting insight from the always inspiring Todd Thaler, and directing discussions from a who's who of Hollywood's best--we're talking names like Ron Howard, Michel Gondry, and Marc Forster. In addition to interviews with producers and cinematographers, MakingOf promises to cover all areas of the filmmaking process and will also give voice to the often unsung heroes of a production such as assistant directors, production designers, lighting designers, and special effects and make up teams.

Whether you're a student or a fan, MakingOf.com gives an unprecedented and intimate peek inside the inner workings of the filmmaking machine. So check out the new Fame trailer or sit down with Aaron Sorkin. You're guaranteed VIP access every time.

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An expanded edition of Jane Austen's literary masterpiece Pride and Prejudice, only with the walking dead and a whole lot of British brain eating? Elizabeth Bennet as a Buffy-esque zombie slayer? NINJAS?!

OMG, I can't wait to read this.

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Mr. H and I just got back from our ancestral homeland of Scotland. We visited our favorite chain restaurant Pizza Express, browsed through Old Town looking for vintage delights, and did our fair share of spirited imbibing (Czech beer and whisky respectively). We also attended a beautiful wedding in a castle just outside of Edinburgh, where we spent time sitting very close to a gregarious bagpiper and I did my traditional bum-on-dance-floor routine. What a glorious time! Here are a few pics from the trip taken with the ol' iPhone (more photos over at The Tourist):

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A quiet evening in Edinburgh as the fog rolls in.


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Flowers in bloom at the Bank.


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A stylish gent through a hidden doorway.


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Retail score! Vintage tea towel.

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Verbose Coma, by writer/performer Andi Teran

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