Straight Outta Compton, the authorized biopic of the rap group N.W.A, was the unexpected hit movie of the summer. It tells the story of the five guys — Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, Ice Cube, MC Ren and DJ Yella — who shocked the country with songs like “Fuck tha Police.” Five guys. But wait! Look at…
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My Best Dressed at the 2015 MTV VMAs Is …
Video of the Year? Who cares! We all know that the most prestigious category at the MTV Video Music Awards is my Best Dressed/Wear What You Want combo. The last time I gave out one of my coveted awards was in May for the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute gala. Before that, I had…
Miley Cyrus Hosts the MTV VMAs
The MTV Video Music Awards are tonight, so I was inspired to dig these out. I went to the #vmas from 1999 through 2003. I can't find my ticket from 2000 though! #mtvvmas #mtvvideomusicawards #videomusicawards #mtvvmas2015 #vmas2015 #nostalgia #mtv #bringitbacktonyc #fun #tickets #memories #ticketstub #mementos A photo posted by Wendy Brandes (@wendybrandes) on Aug 30,…
An Inexplicable Magazine Cover
Sometimes, you look at a magazine cover and just think … That’s how a number of people reacted when they saw the September cover of the new Spanish Vogue, featuring Penelope Cruz. Seriously, the magazine didn’t do her justice. But I’ve been pondering the matter of the totally inexplicable magazine cover since last month when…
The Week in Review, Birth-Year Necklaces, Birthday Shout-Outs
In case you missed it, here’s what was on the blog this week. Monday: The BEST Donald Trump profile. Tuesday: I can’t get over this kid’s version of Lady Gaga’s “Applause.” Wednesday: I was recently in London. Thursday: I was also in Paris. I was on other people’s blogs too! Made of Jewelry included my…
Applause for Soufjan Ibrahim
I don’t know why this video from 2014 popped up in my Twitter timeline recently, but I’m glad it did. We’ve got The Voice television talent show here — where judges initially face away from the would-be stars in order to focus on the voices — but other countries have The Voice Kids, for 8-…
Musical Interlude: Taylor Swift, Nicki Minaj and Miley Cyrus
I’ve been meaning to write about the Taylor Swift concert I attended on July 11, when I had to chaperone a major fangurl all the way to MetLife Stadium in New Jersey … … but I was lazy about getting all my concert photos watermarked. However, there’s no time like the present to get organized,…
What Wendy Wore: Southpaw Premiere
People say that every boxing movie has the same plot and maybe that’s true (except for Million Dollar Baby, because the hero normally doesn’t get killed by adrenaline injection), but it doesn’t mean a movie can’t excel within that range. I was blown away by the Southpaw premiere last night, as was everyone around me…
What Wendy Wore: Head-to-Toe Zang Toi
I was in Chicago over the weekend to visit family and attend the Ravinia Festival in Highland Park, Ill. The festival’s website says Ravinia (named for the Ravinia Park grounds where it is held) is the oldest outdoor music festival in North America. Who knew?! Ravinia isn’t a stand-all-day-to-see-Eminem, Lollapalooza-like event. It’s very civilized. You…
Musical Interlude: Marina, Bjork and Lana del Rey
Because it is Lana del Rey’s 30th birthday (ah, youth!), it’s time for me to post a few photos of her performance at the Governors Ball music festival earlier this month. The three-day, four-stage festival takes place on New York City’s Randall’s Island, and I was there for two days with my concert-going friend Jessie….