Cannes 2009 What: Some of our favorite directors from around the globe are showing new films, as cinema junkies await the next crop of winners.

The Dirt:While journalists mourn the death of print, it seems filmmakers are also dealing with an industry in transformation. Cannes Festival President Gilles Jacob issued a note with the release of the opening and closing films of the festival, which takes place May 13-24. Commenting on the change in cinema trends and different demands from [...]

A New Kind of Folk What: The artist known as Vienna Teng impressed us with her range of sounds and thought-provoking lyrics.

The Dirt:Vienna Tang is one of those rare individuals that can boast strengths on both sides of the brain. The Taiwanese-American California native was born Cynthia Yih Shih and has a past life as a software engineer. It’s not often a Stanford University graduate leaves behind a gig at one of the biggest telecommunications firms [...]

Exotic Home Scents What: Go global with two fabulous candle and home fragrance companies with creative scents.

The Dirt: Though candles are the ultimate in ambience, some brands offer decorations and home fragrance options in one item. Seda France is our new obsession, partially for the fabulous packaging. When we sought out Seda, we were impressed by the many options, but we settled on Taj and Bouganville Sapote. Taj comes packaged in [...]

Ethereal Electronica SongstressWhat: Britain’s Bat for Lashes is sure to continue making waves in the U.S. once mainstream discovers her.

The Dirt:We admin our nightly perusal of gossip sites was what alerted us to this budding British talent. Sometimes there are known stories a writer just has to cover, there’s no choice, and this is one of them. It’s time America learned about Bat for Lashes. She is a category unto herself, some amalgamation of [...]

SFO Ramps Up Eco Initiative What: San Francisco International Airport adds an eco element to car rentals as part of its green program.

The Dirt: How many airports have bamboo trees growing inside? It’s not surprising to hear that such trees are growing inside the airy open edifice that is San Francisco International Airport (SFO). Neither is it surprising that the airport has added a green element to its car rental operations. In the New Year, SFO announced [...]

Gypsy Tunes What: World Music Network’s latest release will be a love/hate album, but is certainly unique.

The Dirt: Putumayo appears mainstream compared to Rough Guide’s World Music Network, which sprung off the guide book company years ago. The group offers compilation CDs with music from EVERYWHERE on the planet, from Mongolia, to the Caribbean, and now Eastern Europe with the latest CD, The Rough Guide To Gypsy Music. You will either [...]

Queens: A Global Village What: From China and South Korea, to India and the Philippines, the 7 subway line will take you through the entire Eastern hemisphere.

The Dirt: An international journey without flight is possible for tri-state area residents willing to experience the exotic. CHINARide the 7 subway line all the way from Manhattan to Flushing and check out the Chinese bakeries. Try bubble tea (tapioca pearls) in one of our favorite flavors, honeydew, almond or taro (a root vegetable), and [...]

Two To Watch What: The music industry might have an injection of new hip-hop talent. Here are two to watch.

The Dirt: An African in America and an Ohio-native turned Brooklynite, both emerging from the underground scene, may be Nas and Kanye, the next generation. Where Nas was the hip-hop artist with a soul, telling of Queensbridge projects and beyond, Kanye was the producer-cum-artist that proved rock and rap can mix. Now, two others are [...]

Safe Sex NOWWhat: Sex education and HIV/AIDS prevention programs are desperately needed NOT just in Africa and Asia, but in the United States.

The Dirt: Sex is a great thing and a little tiny latex product can make it even better, yes, the condom! Greenwich, Connecticut-based Sekolo Projects inspired us to have a safe sex party theme through their sex education work in Namibia, Africa. But, here in NYC, we have an HIV problem too. HIV and AIDS [...]

Easy Exotic CocktailsWhat: A vodka company and a drink mixers company help make you a bartender extraordinaire, sans serious sugar.

The Dirt: Massachusetts drink company Mixerz is the upscale, healthy alternative to the sugar-heavy cocktail mixers of the past. Throw all your sour mix and bloody mary mixes out the window, because Mixerz has options for everyone, and they use cane sugar to sweeten! The collection ranges from bloody mary mix to lemoncello to one [...]

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