All Points West Today!

That is all. Recap tomorrow.

Today's fun

If you're in Brooklyn tonight, the Hope Lounge is offering a pretty bangin' deal: $5 buys you a beer and plate of BBQ, courtesy of Sam Mason (think root-beer pulled pork, mole cornbread and apple-miso cobbler), as well as the DJ stylings of Brooklyn's own Harlem Shakes - they're gooood.

And if you insist on sticking to Manhattan like I plan to, come to Lit Lounge at 9:50 for a secret surprise concert (hint: their contract with All Points West forbids them from playing any NY shows the month before the festival, so this gig is under a pseudonym). I promise, you don't want to miss out.

MoMA me

The MoMA website now boasts an interactive visit planner that logs into your Facebook, asks a few questions, and plans a full day at the MoMA suited specifically to your taste and calendar. The overwhelming museum just got a little less complicated, and even more colorful.

Classic couture covers

Fashion illustrator Ruben Toledo (who has drawn for publications like Vogue and The New York Times) has teamed up with Penguin Classics to create a series of covers for the deluxe editions of Wuthering Heights, The Scarlet Letter, and Pride and Prejudice. Love.

Bottomless brunch

This Monday in the East Village (my new hood!), marks the opening of Permanent Brunch, a restaurant that offers nothing but - you guessed it - brunch, all day and night long. By far the best part is the music on the website. Also, there is a bacon bar.

Down the rabbit hole

The preview for Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland (Johnny D has outdone himself):

Dancing down the aisle

If you woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning, this video of a Minnesota couple's dance down the aisle will set you straight (side effects may include a silly grin across your face the rest of the day). Trust me, watch this now.

How did this even happen? I bet her fiance was all, "Honey, don't you think it would be fun to have a giant dance party down the aisle on our wedding day?," and the exuberant, smitten bride was like, "Yes! Yes! I do! I do!" I want my wedding to be just like that, minus the bad suits and Chris Brown.

Stop to smell the virtual flowers

Toyota's new Prius ad campaign is taking to the streets: they are installing solar-powered, gadget charging WiFi stations shaped like flowers in select cities (Boston, New York, Chicago, Seattle, San Francisco, and Los Angeles). C'est cool, non?

Hova lends a helping hand

When Beastie Boy Adam Yauch was diagnosed with cancer, the band cancelled their upcoming gigs, most notably their headlining spot at the All Points West music festival at the end of July. Their replacement was just announced, and wow is it good: Jay-Z will be making his very first American festival appearance on July 31st.

How's this for a throwback:

Not bad, APW. Not bad at all.

Cheese, please

Last summer, a few friends and I organized a night-long, city-wide pizza tour. Although our stomachs and feet only allowed us to hit four of the main attractions (Grimaldi's, Lombardi's, Joe's, and John's), the Brooklyn-based eatery was announced the clear winner. Grub Street tells me there may be reason for a do-over this summer, however, because Grimaldi's is opening a Manhattan branch! This is great news for my MetroCard, but I doubt the long lines they're famous for will abet. Unless, of course, you are one of the lucky tenants of 200 Water Street, whose relationship to the 135 John Street Grimaldi's location will allow you to skip the lines. Residents even get free delivery (rethinking my choice of apartment rental as I type...).

The good news for us pizza plebeians is that the restaurant is three stories high and touts my number-one favorite New York attraction: rooftop dining. Give me a slice of that action.

Recession-friendly home decorating

Thanks to Saya for directing me towards this video tour of a basement decorated entirely with black sharpie. Sherlock Holmes, Winston Churchill, Rocky and Bullwinkle, Will Shakespeare and R2D2 all appear on the walls of his surrealist wonderland. Probably pretty labor-intensive, but what a great idea for a rainy day decor transformation!

Dumpster diving, literally

News is spreading through the underground (and now the New York Times) about the secret dumpster pool parties that are straight out of that scene in Kids, minus the AIDS and high-schoolers: the secret, "lo-fi urban country club" party on the banks of the Gowanus Canal consists of three connected pools (formerly dumpsters), a bocce court, grills, and cabanas.

This urban renewal project to convert dumpsters into viable pool space has environmental appeal and a strong dash of hipster-chic. The conversion company, Macro-Sea, lines old dumpsters with plastic and adds water-filtration systems to create swimming holes that are, according to one TriBeCa filmmaker, as fresh and enjoyable as those a borough over at the just slightly more upscale Soho House. How can I get an invite?

40 years since Woodstock

In celebration of the 40th anniversary of the wildest music festival ever, I intend to go to as many outdoor concerts as possible and get my dose of culture at the Lawrence Miller Gallery's Burk Uzzle exhibit. His Woodstock photos, taken from the vantage point of the participant, captured the spirit of the era and left a lasting legacy for all us imitators to look back at and feel implicated in.

Free music's in the air

Get your outdoor dance on this weekend for the low price of ... nothing!

Today: Coney Island's SirenFest; Central Park SummerStage presents Q-Tip and Chester French

Tomorrow: Central Park SummerStage presents Alpha Blondy and Lee "Scratch" Perry; Dirty Projectors, Magnolia Electric Co. and Crystal Antlers at East River State Park a.k.a the new JellyNYC parties

This is not a love story

With a sick soundtrack, a Sundance blessing, and of course everyone's favorite indie sweetheart Zooey Deschanel, this postmodern take on the rom-com looks like a treat for the senses and sensibilities. 500 Days of Summer comes to theaters today.

Bringing new blood to Bowery

The beloved neon Keith Haring mural on Bowery and Houston is no more, but Brazilian artist-twin pair Os Gemeos is working to create a new look for the outdoor space. Work-in-progress photo, courtesy of the Village Voice:

They're a hoot

The owl cupcakes I made for the Harry Potter premiere last night (recipe here):

Tonight is the night

Potterheads across the globe are quivering with excitement for tonight's midnight release of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the film version of the sixth book in the beloved series. Over 1,300 sold-out openings have been reported, and the movie is currently out-grossing seven of the Top 10 Ticket Sellers of All Time. I've had my ticket for weeks, and personally cannot wait to watch the Ron-Lavender-Hermione, Harry-Ginny-Dean love triangles fully blossom.

Happy hearts

Just because it's beautiful outside, I'm almost done with school and it's still summertime. Happy happy.

So much for professional nails.

Dana in Long Island City.

Love to all!

Fantastic Mr. Wes

Director Wes Anderson (of Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, and Darjeeling Limited fame) is venturing into animation. His first stop-motion feature is an adaptation of Roald Dahl's Robin Hood-esque "Fantastic Mr. Fox" (one of my childhood faves). The film will be voiced by George Clooney, Jason Schwartzmann, Meryl Streep, Owen Wilson, WIllem Dafoe, Adrien Brody and Bill Murray. For your viewing pleasure:

P.S.1 Warm Up

This summer's second P.S.1 Warm Up party is today from 2-9 in Long Island City. The contemporary art center hosts a MoMa-sponsored Young Architects installation as well as a killer DJ set. Who needs McCarren Park, anyway?

iPhone Finger Painting

Once upon a time, I was addicted to Facebook Graffiti. Really and truly - while abroad in Australia, there were nights I almost didn't make it out because I was hard at work on my latest e-masterpiece. Graffiti quickly spun out of control, as clever users learned tricks to make their digital art as realistic as a photograph. I simply couldn't keep up.

That old familiar itch in the fingertips returned when I saw The New Yorker's cover at the end of May, drawn entirely on an iPhone using the Brushes application. Their website shows Jorge Colombo's weekly drawings of NYC locales (and yes, you can view his entire artistic process). Now I just gotta get one of those fancy phones too.

More free tunage, live

Tomorrow at 6pm, RivertoRiver Festival hosts a free concert in the South Street Seaport: The Pains of Being Pure at Heart is a silly-happy indie pop quartet that I feel pretty certain will make for excellent bopping, drinking and listening. My fave song:

See you there!

Summer sniffles

There's nothing worse than getting sick during the dog days of summer, but maybe this will put a smile on invalids faces:

Never before has a tissue box made me so happy and hungry ... props to Hiroko Sanders' "Perfect Slice of Summer" Kleenex box series.

Wild thing of the day

To feed what's becoming a slightly creepy obsession with Where The Wild Things Are (I know it's not just me) comes Terrible Yellow Eyes, a site that collects artwork inspired by the book. Maybe this will tide us over 'til October?

Art by Erin McGuire

We are alive in marvelous times

First single off Mos Def's new album, The Ecstatic (which he'll start selling this month by t-shirts with a code on the tag which can be used to download the tracks for free) ... can always count on him for poetry and properly-placed emotion:

And we are alive in amazing times
delicate hearts, diabolical minds
revelations, hatred, love and war.
and more and more and more and more
and more of less than ever before

Stop-motion post-its

A SCAD senior's project ... feels a little like life right now - crazy and colorful, a little bit stressful and disjointed but ultimately exciting and way cool.

The triumphant return of JellyNYC

The JellyNYC pool parties that used to take place in Williamsburg's McCarren Park Pool (R.I.P.) have changed venues (East River State Park on the Williamsburg Waterfront), replaced slip-n-slides with kiddie pools, and released a FREE summer concert schedule that does McCarren proud:

July 12: 
Mission of Burma, 
Fucked Up, 
Ponytail
, Jemina Pearl
July 19: 
Dirty Projectors
, Magnolia Electric Co., White Denim
July 26: ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, Black Lips
, HEALTH, 
GrupoFantasmo
August 2: Deerhunter, No Age, Dan Deacon

 (Round Robin show)
August 9: 
Simian Mobile Disco (DJ set)
, Fiery Furnaces
, Dark Meat, 
The Netherlands
August 16: Del the Funky Homosapien, 
Gravy Train!!!
, DD/MM/YYYY, Kenan Bell


August 23: 
Girl Talk
, Max Tundra
, Wiz Khalifa
August 30: Grizzly Bear
, Beach House

I wanna go to every last one of 'em!

New media musical

Based on West Side Story, this is Web Site story. Watch, bob your head up and down with recognition, and laugh.

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

More Potter, please

The first four minutes of the new Harry Potter movie (hitting theaters July 15!) ... in German:

And speaking of Pottermania, Hermione (known in the Muggle world as Emma Watson) will be attending Columbia University this fall. Stalk away, Manhattan.