Thursday, December 16, 2010

A Great Look Behind The Scenes of Black Swan

Black Swan was many words. Fierce. Chilling. Intense. Bold. Gentle. Light. Dark. Awesome. The costumes were spectacular. Here's more.



Behold Queen Natalie.

And look at these photos of her on the January cover of Vogue. Perfection.




Pia The Pig

Guest Blogger of the Day: BC

AAAD Reader Brad is joining us today with his reviews of the Top Ten Albums of The Year and later today, Gift Ideas for the Dudes. Brad, or BC, in his comments, is the husband of Allison of Blue Mutt and a great guy with great taste. Hope you enjoy his reviews!

Brad's Ten in 2010.
If 2009 was the year of the up and coming artist, 2010 was the year for that artist to tour. And while Dallas’ concert calendar filled up, the big releases this year came from the well established artists who sat out 2009 (and 2008, and 2007, etc) waiting to recuperate and strike again. Such is the case with Sufjan Stevens. His last major studio album came out almost 5 years ago, but his two (count them, two) releases this year seriously made up for a lack of recent presence. Going back to the electronic roots of his Enjoy Your Rabbit album from nearly a decade ago, he seems to have found a way to re-stoke his passion for making new music (plus his stage show was full of dancers, light shows, etc, so at least he’s having fun). Arcade Fire (everyone’s indie sweethearts) put out the most amazing stand-alone album of the year. I had the privilege of seeing their show in Lyon, France this year, and it was nothing short of spectacular. The Tallest Man on Earth rounds out the top 3, and, unlike his name suggests, he’s actually a smallish Swedish folk singer. However, as his name suggests, his vocals, songwriting, and overall onstage swagger (or hipster lack thereof) might just make him the tallest singular man on this list. Throw in a couple of noisy electronic outfits, an arrogant rap artist, math rockers, and some steady indie favorites, and welcome to my top 10 list.

I don’t know anything about music, but this is what I liked this year:



1. Sufjan Stevens – Age of Adz/All Delighted People EP

2. Arcade Fire – The Suburbs (This would be album of the year if Sufjan didn’t have 2 great submissions)

3. The Tallest Man on Earth – The Wild Hunt

4. Sleigh Bells – Treats

5. LCD Soundsystem – This is Happening

6. Kanye West – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

7. Fang Island - Fang Island

8. Wavves – King of the Beach

9. Deerhunter – Halcyon Digest

T10. Vampire Weekend – Contra
T10. The National – High Violet

Honorable Mentions:
· The Thermals – Personal Life

· Wolf Parade – Expo 86

· Hot Chip - One Life Stand

· MGMT – Congratulations

· No Age – Everything In Between

· Jonsi – Go

· Ray Lamontagne and the Pariah Dogs – God Willin’ and the Creek Don’t Rise

Honorable Mention I Don’t Even Own (but I’ve listened to enough online):
· Yeasayer – Odd Blood

Completely self-indulgent? Of course. But I’m going to get out ahead of Pitchfork and AV Club.

Gotta say, some great stuff on there. Thanks, Brad! Let us know YOUR Top 10 in 2010.
Pia The Pig

Part Two of Two Bark-Themed Posts Today


Continuing my favorite things posts, I give you one of the best purchases I've made this year: a photo session with BlueMutt! In case you didn't read here and here about my fabulous shoot with Allison of BlueMutt and Bert, you can check out a ton of great pet photos on Allison's blog. She's offering gift cards for the holidays and I cannot stress enough what a fantastic gift for yourself, your pet, or another pet parent this is. It's a forever gift and something you may not think of amidst sweaters and ieverythings but totally more awesome.

Pia The Pig

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY FOREVER CRUSH.


Adam. Brody.

NOM NOM NOM.
Pia The Pig

Quick Post

Nothing related to cats or holiday gift ideas, but these are AWESOME.

Thanks, Mom!

Pia The Pig

Part One of Two Bark-Themed Posts Today

I received the latest Food Network magazine in the mail the other day, and was simply loving the photography in it. The bark spread really looked amazing, and their easy to follow add-yer-own ingredients recipe was graphically and aesthetically quite pleasing.

Whip up a batch, and whatever you've managed to not eat yourself, package up in this, and you're good to go.


When searching for the recipe to post, I found this little adorable number by Christine Hale on the Food Network Blog, which I have somehow NEVER BEEN TO BEFORE! Isn't it delish?



The magazine's feature on 50 Holiday Drinks is 50 little presents just waiting to be unwrapped slash guzzled.

Enjoy!
Pia The Pig

Oh, and MAGAZINES, my favorite little treasures, are great gifts for the holidays. A year-round reminder that print isn't dead yet!

Pia The Pig

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Happy Hanukkah, Bert.


You get a catnip donut! This seems relevant given the latest posts. Oh, and the fact that I'm thrilled Bertie is alive and kicking after a giant raccoon invaded our territory last night. All is calm. All is alive. (now)

This donut is from the same seller I previously wrote about, who makes this.

While pets are gifts themselves, they need something (or eight things) to open, too!
Pia The Pig

Fun.



D-I-Y Adidas ornament. Enjoy! via

Pia The Pig

Shut Shut Shut It Down

Stuff their stockings with some actual printed photos (how 1998 of you) with this awesome one-day offer from Shutterfly.



Enjoy!
Pia The Pig

UPDATE! I just ordered 120 prints for under $20, including shipping. HO HO HO!

Monday, December 13, 2010

The Best Gift For Cats, Ever.

I bought these catnip eyeballs for Bert two years ago. This is what happened.























WIN.
Pia The Pig

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Fun Gift: Waffle Maker!

I can finally write a blog post about the waffle maker that I bought and gave my parents! We had a lovely Thanksgiving morning making pancakes from the delicious Archer Farms Chocolate Chip Banana pancake and waffle mix, which led to the discussion and realization that we've had waffles made solely by Eggo at my parents' house. So, I thought to myself: "gift idea: WAFFLE MAKER!" Luckily, Kohl's had some doorbuster deals on some, so I scored this little jobby and packaged it up with three boxes of the delicious Archer Farms varieties. Kitchen appliances, whether it's a tortilla maker, waffle maker, panini press (my favorite gift to give last year), or even a sno-cone machine (my favorite wedding gift to give this year), a kitchen appliance is an unexpected fun gift that can be enjoyed year-round.

Um, this is awesome.


Also, this is the gift I'm very curious about this year.

Anyone heard about this?

Remember, everyone loves food-related gifts that don't instantly make them fat!

Also, here's a link to all sorts of breakfast nerdery.

With Love,
Pia The Pig

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