WOMEN OF L.A.
D.J. Lubel Lashes Out Against L.A. Women And Moves Further Into Rocker Territory
By EDUARDO LOPEZ-LARMO
The latest release by DJ Lubel has many of his staunchest critics taking a second look. Women of L.A. was released with little fanfare on YouTube. Women includes the full or production of In The Wrong Hole and some of his more recent work. This means drum machines, background vocals, overdubs and all sorts of mayhem – a true phantasmagoria of sound. Lubel even raps through a bridge mugging and posing like a true “gangsta.”ARTBEAT
"Fake Jan" Version Of Elton John Hit To Receive HOF Honors
By EDUARDO LOPEZ-LARMO
A much-loved but often maligned 1970s variety show will soon see the spotlight again. The Brady Bunch Hour was an American variety television series produced by television dynamos Sid and Marty Krofft and aired on ABC between 1976 to 1977. When the original “Jan” – actress Eve Plumb – refused to act in the BB Hour, unknown actress Geri Reischl seized the opportunity of a lifetime. Reischl showed her singing talent in a sublime rendition of Elton John’s “Your Song.”NAZI LOVERS
HUGO BOSS AG LAUNCHES EDGY APPAREL LINE THAT REFRAMES FOUNDERS' NAZI PAST
In 2011 German fashion firm Hugo Boss AG apologized for its maltreatment of forced workers during World War II when it supplied the Nazis with uniforms. Hugo Boss hoped its apology would bury its sordid past, but it only called more attention to it. Now Hugo Boss seeks renewal and redemption through what it knows best: fashion. [More]
STRIP CLUB REVIEW
Tel Aviv Strip Club Stands Out
By MARK MALLARDE
The Pussycat Lounge in Tel Aviv occupies an unusual, brutalist-style 1970s Legion of Doom structure perched over the Mediterranean in the heart of Tel Aviv. The one missing ingredient to be the finest strip club in the world: hot dancers.
007 AND GENDER
By EDUARDO LARMO
In 1989 the English independent film The Crying Game introduced audiences to the notion of a transvestite as a lead character. Over 20 years later, a much better known English export will take matters a step further – transvestites as a love interest. The much revered – and very profitable – James Bond 007 franchise will feature a transvestite Bond girl (or “Bond boy-girl”) in its 2014 installment with the working title of “Lady Gun.”
MEDIA & POLITICS
By PETER HARTWIG
A brilliant, retentive intellect, a gift for sharp analysis, and a habit for telling the truth do not always lead one to the top of a media empire. The truth is, they did not lead Ben Sherwood to the top of ABC News. Sheer grit and determination did. Sherwood is an accomplished author, journalist and entrepreneur. He gives The LBT some candid straight talk in an exclusive interview.
DIVERSITY STATUE
Maya Lin To Diversify Lady Liberty
By HARRIET REED
In 1996 General Mills did a diversity makeover to America’s favorite baking queen Betty Crocker. To replace the old lily-white Betty, they took a cup of the old Caucasian, a pinch of African-American features, a smattering a Latino features and a sprinkle of Asian traits. The result: a “diverse” Betty Crocker with whom all Americans could identify. Fast-forward to 2012. So it should have come as little surprise on Friday when Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced that diversity will be bestowed upon our most important national symbol: the Statute of Liberty.
YELLOW, WHITE 'N BLACK
PSY On Despite Anti-U.S. "Rap" Sheet
By EDUARDO LOPEZ-LARMO
The White House has forgiven South Korean rapper PSY for his past anti-American lyrics but may have created its own controversy in the process.
NON-FICTION
"50 Shades of Black" My Night With Fluke
By CHRISTOPHER BLACK
Following Sandra Fluke's triumphant speech before the Democratic National Convention, she did not return home alone.
