The Official Blog of Ali Wong

Yam Leaves

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 13:21:59 -0700

I was always curious about these greens when I saw them at the farmer’s market. I always see old Chinese ladies buying them. Last night, I stir fried a whole bunch with just salt and garlic. And they were DELICIOUS. Give them a shot.

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Fri, 10 Oct 2008 13:20:57 -0700

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Fri, 10 Oct 2008 13:20:19 -0700

Korean History Channel

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 00:22:58 -0700

Thank you Hai Chi Minh for sending me this.

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Thu, 09 Oct 2008 00:21:05 -0700

The BFF Returned

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 21:54:40 -0700

….only for a brief moment…

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Mon, 06 Oct 2008 21:53:53 -0700

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Mon, 06 Oct 2008 21:48:03 -0700

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Mon, 06 Oct 2008 21:46:47 -0700

Benjamin Bixby

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 14:37:15 -0700

Andre 3000 has a clothing line under the name of Andre 3000’s latest alter ego, “Benjamin Bixby.” The NY Times calls the collection “Depression Chic.”

I think only skinny Black men can pull this look off.

Here’s the NY Times article about it:

October 2, 2008

André Benjamin’s Clothing Line Includes Plus Fours and Club Sweaters

By ERIC WILSON

HAS there ever been a celebrity who, in the cause of promoting a fashion label, did not want to be known as more of a designer than a celebrity? It is kind of nice to imagine all the man-hours Jennifer Lopez, Sean Combs and Beyoncé have spent laboring at a sewing machine lest anyone doubt the sincerity that went into affixing their logos on $90 jeans.

But at a party at Barneys New York during Fashion Week, André Benjamin, his hands thrust into the pockets of his suspender pants, really did look as if he would rather curl up at home with his Singer than be known as another singer who can sew. He was there to introduce a line of men’s wear called Benjamin Bixby, which includes tweed plus fours and club sweaters with leather elbow patches. The collection was inspired by Ivy League athletics of the 1930s. It looked like Ralph Lauren having a Steampunk moment.

By designing under an assumed name, Mr. Benjamin is reflecting the latest trend in celebrity fashion, which is for celebrity designers to masquerade as nobody designers, and thereby appear to be more authentic than opportunistic. (William Rast and Edie Rose are not Parsons alumni, but the labels of Justin Timberlake and Rachel Bilson.)

Most of those collections, minus the labels, would look exactly the same: artsy dyed jeans, trendy T-shirts, fur-trimmed bomber jackets, etc. But plus fours? Mr. Benjamin has the field to himself. His collection is so unexpectedly nostalgic as to seem designed for another era. Or another world.

“I think people will judge what I do a little harder than someone who was just starting out,” said Mr. Benjamin, who has a point.

As André 3000 of OutKast, he suavely crafted an alter ego with a distinctive retro-preppy-nerdy style and used fashion magazines, which were captivated by his look, to promote his image. He often showed up at photo shoots with bags of his own dandy clothes and was photographed in them, as when he appeared in a long houndstooth overcoat with Kate Moss in Rolling Stone. In 2005, he made the International Best-Dressed List in Vanity Fair.

But it was, to an extent, an act. Mr. Benjamin, 33, describes his true personality as more reserved and says that the flair was largely effect, to create a character. Then, as his career grew from singing to acting and now fashion, he became more skilled at manipulating the image.

For his latest movie role, Mr. Benjamin, portraying a protester at the 1999 demonstrations against the World Trade Organization in “Battle in Seattle,” dressed as a turtle.

“What I love are the possibilities,” he said. “It’s the same thing in music and the same thing in acting and the same thing in fashion. If I want to play this person, I can become this person.”

The name Benjamin Bixby derives from an episode of MTV’s “Punk’d” on which Mr. Benjamin was the victim of an elaborate joke: At the fabricated scene of a car accident, a Maybach salesman demanded his name, implying that Mr. Benjamin was responsible for the damages. Unaware of the setup, he blurted out “Bixby,” the last name of the actor who starred in the television series “The Incredible Hulk.”

Later, to create a persona for his fashion line, Mr. Benjamin combined his surname with that of Bill Bixby. The character is a world traveler whose wardrobe includes things like a $995 cotton corduroy blazer, a $350 felted waistcoat and a $95 newsboy cap. At Barneys, those clothes now hang next to lines like Double RL and Engineered Garments, which have a similar bent of Depression Chic.

The reaction from young men has been strong, said Tom Kalenderian, the men’s wear fashion director at Barneys. “Though you are looking at plus fours and collegiate sweaters that remind you of the past, it is very current with today.”

Mr. Benjamin’s point of view was shaped as a teenager in Atlanta, where, to stand out, he often customized his clothes and dyed his jeans turquoise or orange. He was into fashion back then, he said, noting that his favorite brands were “Alexander Julian Colours, Ralph Lauren, Generra, early Guess, Bugle Boy, Tretorn, Lacoste, Levi’s, Britches, Helly Hansen, Eddie Bauer, L. L. Bean, Bass, early Timberland and early Banana Republic, when they were still doing adventure wear.”

“For an African-American guy to be a prep, that’s a dichotomy,” he said. “Prep style comes from mostly affluent families who just wear these cool clothes. But when you come from a background that has more struggle, your take on it will be different. There’s a certain kind of rebel to it.”

When Mr. Benjamin first showed his men’s wear in February, it was surely a surprise to anyone who envisioned an urban street-wear brand, but perhaps not so for an artist who had demonstrated a fondness for straw boaters and bow ties. He said the style was just classic.

“I can’t pretend I’m from New England or I’m at school at Harvard or Oxford, but when you think of men’s dress, you have to give a nod to England,” he said. “They created it all and brought it to America. We calmed it and made it cool.”

Vanessa Reed at Burning Man

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 10:47:39 -0700

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Fri, 03 Oct 2008 10:46:49 -0700

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 10:45:00 -0700

Upcoming Show!

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 23:08:00 -0700

This is one of the best lineups I’ve put together. Hari and Sheng are in town, which is very exciting. If you haven’t seen Nico Santos, you’re lame. Caitlin Gill is basically my only female comic friend, and she’s fucking HILARIOUS. Brendan Lynch is very funny as well…not to mention kinda gorgina. Come watch! I have lots of new jokes too…promise.

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Thu, 02 Oct 2008 23:06:07 -0700

Rest in peace Del Martin

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 10:15:00 -0700

Last night, my sister Mimi came home with the program for Del Martin’s memorial, which she attended at City Hall. Del Martin was a fierce, life long advocate of gay and lesbian rights. She was a mom, a loving wife and her legacy will not be forgotten.

Del Martin’s wifey, Phyllis Lyon, sitting with Gavin.Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon were the first gay couple to get married when it was legalized in California earlier this year.

You can read the SF Chronicle’s tribute to her HERE.

I'm one Lucky Lady

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 00:11:30 -0700

Opening up for Tony Camin and Doug Benson has been...

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 00:11:02 -0700

Opening up for Tony Camin and Doug Benson has been orgasmic…

Guest Post from Vanessa Reed

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 09:27:00 -0700

Vanessa Reed, my dear friend and wizard of wellness, sent me this email about solar protection:

Keys Solar Rx is the best sunscreen. Keys-Soap.com (between $25-$28 a bottle, depending how/where you buy it)

3 most important things to know:

1). Buy broad spectrum sunscreen (UVA = Aging and skin cancer); UVB = Burning and cancer). Many sunscreens don’t protect against UVA rays very well.
What people don’t know about UVA:a). It’s constant - it’s the same January and June or 8am and Noon.b). UVA comes through windows (side windows of the car and windows in house).
2) Buy 100% mineral based sunscreens. They provide the best broad spectrum coverage because they are photostable, which means they don’t break down in the sun and, on a normal day of sun exposure, you don’t need to reapply them. Chemical sunscreens (examples below) only last 4-6 hours. They begin to break down as soon as they touch the sun. If you wear chemical sunscreen you should reapply during the day. But of course no one does this because it’s a pain, especially if you wear make-up. That’s mineral based is better, their effectiveness is constant.
Active ingredients in mineral and chemical sunscreens:a) Mineral based (zinc oxide or titanium oxide)b) Chemical based (everything else: Helioplex, Mexoryl, oxybenzone, homosalate, octinoxate, etc.)
NOTE: the Environmental Working Group has approved “nanoized” zinc oxide sunscreen. Nanoized zinc does not leave your skin white, the biggest complaint about mineral based sunscreens.
3). The SPF rating is actually not too important when it comes to daily facial sunscreen (broad spectrum is more important to look for). This is because SPF is really a rating on how long you can stay in the full sun without reapplying. If you can stay 10 minutes in the sun before you begin to burn, then you can stay 300 minutes in the sun before you begin to burn if you’re wearing SPF 30. The SPF system is shady because it doesn’t take into account that some sunscreens breakdown, thereby becoming less effective. That said, SPF 30 is good. Don’t go lower but you don’t need to go higher. What really matters is that the active ingredients are photostable.
The Environmental Working Group’s website “Skin Deep” (at http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com) is a great resource for picking safe face and body products. They have an excellent sunscreen rating system.
NOTE: the only thing about the Keys Solar Rx sunscreen is that it’s not waterproof or waterresistant, so if you’re sweating you do need to reapply.

THANK YOU VANESSA!!!

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Fri, 26 Sep 2008 11:31:20 -0700