USC Trojans Draft in Review

The New York Jets have found their franchise quarterback in Mark Sanchez. Facing some competition from the Washington Redskins, the Jets swapped picks with the Cleveland Browns to move up to the 5th pick to snag Sanchez. Immediately after the selection of Sanchez, media outlets everywhere were comparing him to former Jet Joe Namath. The selection of Sanchez provides the Jets, and their new head coach Rex Ryan with the franchise quarterback they have been desperately looking for.

The Jets will look for Sanchez to bring over his pro style offense that he ran at USC, and will most likely rush him into the starting job.



Two other Trojans went in the first round. Trojan outside linebacker heads over to the Houston Texans, a team that is in desperate need of a additional pass rush to its defense. The Texans made Cushing the first of the three big USC linebackers that were projected to go in the first round.

Picking after the Texans, the San Diego Chargers were often rumored to have interest in inside linebacker Rey Maualuga, but durability concerns left them to pick another linebacker in Larry English.

The next Trojan selected in the first round is outside linebacker Clay Matthews. Most people know the story of how Matthews walked onto this Trojan team, and strong numbers at the NFL Combine and USC Pro Day made him a surefire first round pick.

The Packers selected Matthews with the 24th pick. Matthews joins Boston College defensive tackle BJ Raji, who was selected 9th overall, in an effort to revamp the Packers defense. Both players will work to solidify the run, while also providing some play-making abilities on defense.

In a surprising move, Maualuga fell out of the first round to the Bengals. Maualuga joins fellow Trojan linebacker Keith Rivers, whom the Bengals selected last year with their first pick. Teams questions Maualuga's ability to play all three downs, and he fell for that reason.

It was a solid weekend overall for the Trojans. Patrick Turner saw his draft stock improve the most, jumping all the way to the third round. He joins a high powered Miami offense, and the Dolphins will look to use his size to get some redzone touchdowns. The Cowboys took kicker David Buehler, who put up better numbers at the combine than all USC players other than Brian Cushing. Buehler had 68 touchbacks last year, and will compete with Nick Folk for the starting job.

Top Trends at the Met Ball

Starting in mid- May, every Saturday afternoon, dozens of artists will gather at the Bronx Zoo event at La Cita, a small downtown bar on Hill and 5th streets nestled between bank buildings and lofts, for a live figure drawing class that is unlike any other in Los Angeles. Guests of all ages set up work stations and enjoy sangria in the spring weather as bikini-clad models in gorilla masks pose for their eager canvases. The class, appropriately titled Ape Escape, will be hosted by Ghettogloss, an up-and-coming art gallery in Silverlake. This will be the second annual Bronx Zoo event due to last year’s success.

The back patio, decorated with scarlet leather booths and dulled brass, vibrates with classic rock. Every fifteen minutes the bartender shakes a plastic toy monkey, whose electronic cry signifies a pose change. “I’ve done posing before, but never anything like this. I feel like a modern mythological beast; half woman, half ape” said Katinka Lincoln of last year’s event, “I definitely want that feeling again, so you can see me in the spring!”

“It gets so sticky inside these rubber masks, but at least we will have plenty of breaks and free cold drinks,” said veteran Ape Escape model, Tina Croghan.

The class will be held from 2 p.m.- 8p.m. and get increasingly crowded as the cocktails get cheaper with happy hour specials. With the exception of rowdy onlookers who caught word of models in couture lingerie and swimwear, the artists take the event very seriously. “The people who actually come for the figure drawing are here from opening to closing. They don’t come for the drinks or the girls, they come to draw,” according to Rachel Williams, the Bronx Zoo’s project manager. “We had so many compliments from last year about how we combine a professional atmosphere with a fun one,” added Williams.

Ape Escape is also a potential opportunity for the artists to have their work showcased at the gallery’s October 2009 drawing show. “Any opportunity we get, I love figure drawing, and the potential chance to get shown at Ghettogloss is priceless,” said artist and last year’s attendee Mel Trad. The winning sketches will bechosen by Shana Dambrot, the managing editor of Flavorpill, an online magazine.

“There’s no event like this anywhere else. Only in Los Angeles,” said Williams.

View 336 S Hill St in a larger map
La Cita
336 S Hill St
Los Angeles, CA, 90013
Monday-Sunday: 10AM-2AM

Blog Roundup!

Looking for great information about a great place to eat?

Welcome to Kate’s first annual BLOG ROUNDUP!

First we have a restaurant review from my absolute favorite L.A. blog: LAist.com

In this article they managed to have a fresh review about probably the most reviewed restaurant in Los Angeles: Philippe’s.

Instead of droning on and on and on about French dip and one hundred year old recipes, the blog gives the old classic a new look in a new recession.

First, the article is titled “Recession Obsession” and points out how ridiculously cheap a good meal at Philippe’s can be.


This isn’t one review, but it’s an entire blog that I love: SeriousEats.com

I log onto this page, the clouds part and a ray of sunshine appears on my computer screen.

If you feel like cooking or trying something new, this site will do a good job of getting you out of your food funk. From buying Kimchi to spicing up a burger, the Serious Eats serves up great tips and interesting fact to share over dinner.

The site also has articles on innovative products, columns and recipes.

Check it out.

Coachella 2009 Fashion Review

3 days. 90-degree temperatures. Hundreds of miles. Thousands of people and an infinite number of straw fedoras. All for one cause: music.

Music might have been the main attraction at this past weekend’s Coachella Valley Music Festival, but the “anything goes” dress code put on a show that gave Paul McCartney a run for his money.

Dress code: optional. Coachella goers rocked everything from carefully selected designer duds to barely-there swimsuits. The street fashions at Coachella were as diverse as the musicians performing. 

From the electronic haze of the Bloody Beetroots to the classic sounds of Paul McCartney, there was a fashion to match. The myriad of looks is enough to send the eyes into a state of ecstasy (no drug required). Yet, despite the eclectic mix of fashions, there is clearly a “look” that defines Coachella fashion. The key to the indie-chic “Coachella look” is appearing effortless, barring the fact that it probably took plenty of time, thought, and money to get the look. 

Coachella staples from last year, like the ever-so-popular romper, Ray Bans, and fedoras made their return to the Empire Polo Fields in full force. Below is a breakdown of this year’s trends (new and returning) and top fashion flops.

 

Top trends:

*Fedoras- There were so many, I couldn’t even keep a count after five minutes in Indio. Although they were a bit overdone, they served as functional fashion to keep the harsh sun from burning a lot of faces this weekend. I have to admit, I saw plenty of guys and gals wearing a fedora and it was the perfect finishing touch to nail their Coachella look.

 *Bandanas- People were wearing bandanas on everything- around their necks, around their biceps, and on their heads. They went bananas with bandanas. Seriously.

 *Plaid- another popular choice was, big surprise, plaid. Guys especially wore plaid shirts, plaid shorts, and even plaid hats.

 *Glow-in-the dark anything- The sun went down and something was still glowing. Singer M.I.A. and her dance crew lit up the stage with more than their talent in their glow-in-the-dark sunglasses, shoes, and shirts.

 *Vintage, vintage, vintage- I think it was part recession and part tradition that inspired the abundance of vintage clothing that flooded the Polo Fields this weekend. Even more than usual, festival attendees wore vintage floral prints, leather goods, and one-of-a-kind sunglasses.

 

Flop trends:

 

 

*Hipster headband- About two years ago, or probably even earlier, the hipster chic headband made its way to the masses thanks to American Apparel and now it just won’t go away. Plenty of ladies and gentlemen at the festival showed up in an ever-so-predictable fashion wearing them. Sighhhhhhhhh…

 *Flab, Not so Fab- Bathing suits are an understandable and very useful way to beat the heat. However, more often than not, all the wrong people were sporting their bathing suits. It seemed there was more flab than bathing suit and let’s just say, it was NOT a pretty sight to see.

*Gold leggings- Just like the issue with the bathing suits, the wrong people wore gold lame leggings. What could have been fun, funky fashion was just flop fashion.

Check out the on-stage fashions at M.I.A.'s performance....

Photos: Kristin Studeman

Video: Kristin Studeman

Born in Rome and raised in Paris, stylist and store owner Ilaria Urbinati was born into the world of fashion. After high school, Urbinati moved to Los Angeles with visions of old Hollywood glamour and celebrity style. “When I showed up to LA, I was thinking, ‘wow! It’s a lot dirtier than I imagined! But the grit of the city turned out to be a good thing. It made my sense of style a bit rougher,” said Urbinati. Her first job at 18 was working for her aunt, designer Laura Urbinati, when she became a buyer at her West Hollywood boutique.



After getting the swing of things and developing an eye of her own, Urbinati later became the buyer for LA boutiques Satine and Milk before landing a job as the head stylist for Showtime's The L Word. Since then, she has styled for various magazines including Flaunt, Nylon, Mean and LA Confidential. She has styled runway shows for the likes of Agent Provocateur, and has worked with some of the biggest in Hollywood: Zooey Deschanel, Isla Fisher, Bijou Phillips, Kristin Stewart, Joseph Gordon Levitt, James McAvoy and Emile Hirsch.
Her latest accomplishment? A hip Los Feliz boutique called Confederacy, which Urbinati opened in 2008 with actor-turned-DJ, Danny Masterson. “It’s more of a cultural center than just a plain old store,” said Masterson of the 5,000-square-foot space that includes a courtyard café, art gallery and an in-store tailor in the men’s section.



“The brands we carry and our quality of service is so rare in this city. We definitely stand out,” said Urbinati. The high-fashion emporium includes the latest from Alexander Wang, Azzedine Alaïa, Boy by Band of Outsiders, Etro, Proenza Schouler, Zac Posen, Opening Ceremony, A.P.C. and Vena Cava. And don’t bother leaving the dressing room if you grabbed the wrong size. “Our dressing rooms are vintage telephone booths that dial the front desk so you can ask for a different size,” said Urbinati, “it’s all about combining fashion-forward products with old school service.”




Confederacy
4661 Hollywood Blvd.
Los Angeles CA 90027
323 913-3040 / Phone
323-913-3041 / Fax
Mon-Sat 11am - 8pm
Sunday 11am - 7pm

View 4661 Hollywood Blvd in a larger map

Aaron Corp is the USC Quarterback

Aaron Corp, Photo Courtesy of the LA Times

It was announced on Pete Carroll's blog earlier this week that Aaron Corp, the redshirt sophomore out of Villa Park, beat out Matt Barkley and Mitch Mustain for the starting QB position at USC. This is a big deal because no quarterback who has won the starting job in the spring has ever lost it in the fall.

Coach Carroll seemingly had his hands tied as the other two competitors either never had a chance to begin with or took themselves out of the race. After transferring from Arkansas, Mitch Mustain won the backup job behind Mark Sanchez, then threw a mediocre 2 TD's and 2 INT's in his limited time last season. In the mix early, Mustain was sloppy in the spring, committed turnovers and wasn't accurate or willing to take smart risks downfield. Starting out as a frontrunner, he finished in third and it wasn't close.

Matt Barkley, Photo courtesy of the LA Times

Matt Barkley, the true freshman who played last semester at Mater Dei High School (Matt Leinart's old school), surprised everyone by giving Corp a run for his money during the spring practices. He showed poise, a big arm, and a lot of accuracy. With his gunslinger mentality, Barkley created big plays all spring long culminating in a 3 TD performance during a scrimmage in the Coliseum. Barkley had two weaknesses... he turned the ball over far more than Pete Carroll likes from his starting QB and he had yet to master the playbook. Add in
to that the fact that Carroll had never started a freshman at quarterback and it was the perfect storm for Corp to seize the starting spot.

What do you think about the decision to start Corp? Tell me in the comments or by participating in the poll.

poll by twiigs.com