Hey guys — the Crafts for a Cause auction I talked about last month has begun and lasts through March 27th at 6PM EST.

The fundraiser, organized by Binki Shapiro of Little Joy, will benefit the relief efforts in Haiti via Artists for Peace and Justice.

Artists who have donated one-of-a-kind items include Christina Aguilera, Drew Barrymore, Ed Droste from Grizzly Bear, Fran Healy from Travis, Kate & Laura Mulleavy of Rodarte, Liv Tyler, Shirley Manson, Tegan and Sara, among many many others.

A wallet designed and signed by the Strokes is currently at $182.00. Get on there and bid to move that needle!

Under Great White Northern Lights has been released. Got my box set in the mail today. What do y’all think? Worth the money?

Best Buy is also featuring a limited edition bundle of the film and live album, get it while supplies last.

Rejoice fellow Anglophiles — the fantastic Channel 4 series (shown here in the States on BBC America) Skins just got picked up for two more seasons.

As expected, it will be a completely new cast of characters. Open auditions will take place in London and Bristol next month.

I’ve only seen seasons 1/2 with the man-pretty Nicholas Hoult in it and I was totally blown away by the program. So much better than it’s North American counterparts Degrassi or Gossip Girl, Skins is a show for teenagers, starring teenagers, but with some serious problems and fantastic acting.

Still waiting to see seasons 3/4, which I heard aren’t as great as 1/2, but looking forward to following the character of Effy — who was utterly awesome in season 1/2.

If you follow me on Facebook / Twitter, you probably noticed how I totally freaked out last night when absentmindedly watching SNL with host Jude Law.

(This was after my earlier freak out in the evening when I saw actor (and celebrity blogger) Michael Kenneth Williams — aka “Omar Little” from The Wire — playing a would-be terrorist on Law & Order.)

The reason was Julian Casablancas induced — as soon as I heard the begining beats of “Boombox,” the song which Julian guested on for the Lonely Island album, Incredibad, I knew what was coming — hilarity and awesomeness.

Not only were all the scenes described in the song acted out, but Julian is sporting this hideously weird side rat tail hair with the multicolors — but staying on trend and totally making it work. I’m convinced, Julian Casablancas owns neo-80s style. But probably my favorite moment is at the end when Julian smashes a flower pot and declares that “a boombox is not a toy.” [UPDATE: Reader Melissa pointed out that there is actually a "Boombox" shirt being sold on the Lonely Island site. Rock it!]

So true.

Check out the video and you will not be disappointed:

Oh, and in other news, The Strokes will headline Lollapalooza.

RELATED: Julian Casablancas Gets His “Boombox” On with Lonely Island

We all know that Ryan Adams loves pizza, but one North Carolina pizzeria has brought it to the next level. The Sticks and Stones has taken it upon themselves to name all their menu items after Ryan Adams songs.

Expect to find items inspired by North Carolina’s native son such the Rescue Blues (rosemary garlic fries), the Easy, Tiger (soup of the day), the Heartbreaker (classic Caesar salad), New York, New York (tomato sauce, Giacomo’s sopressata, arugula, fresh mozzarella, pine nuts, fresh basil, parmesan).

Apparently bbs Ryan Adams fans have known about this place for a while.

SOURCE: Slice via NY Mag

Watching PBS right now and they have a marathon of the greatest performances from The Ed Sullivan Show.

Before there was MGMT there was Tommy James and the Shondells. This performance of “Crimson and Clover” is amazing:

Last night Chris Parnell and Andy Samberg did “Lazy Sunday” live on Jimmy Fallon. It was hizlarious:

Something tells me it’s going to be difficult to hail a cab today.

Last Thursday I had the pleasure of checking out the legendary “Queen of Rock,” Miss Wanda Jackson, as she hit Brooklyn’s Knitting Factory.

Although the evening was supposed to start rather early (with Wanda hitting the stage around 9pm), Snowmageddon caused a delay in her flight, and the 72-year-old Rock and Roll Hall of Famer was coming directly from the airport to the gig. Openers Luster Kings vamped their set with jokes comparing Wanda to Santa Claus (or Waldo), asking the audience “Where’s Wanda?” and giving updates on her current status (“She’s landed! She’s on the ground.”)

I was thinking about how much travel takes out of you and wondering if Miss Wanda would be tired, but as soon as she sauntered onto the stage, there was no doubt — this lil’ lady still had it, and was raring to go!

Dressed in sensible black wedge shoes, black pants, and a sparkly red blouse with a diamante musical note pin, Wanda was ready to rock — thanking the crowd for their enthusiastic welcome. She played the hits — “I Gotta Know,” “Mean, Mean Man,” a cover version of “Hard-Headed Woman” and a rendition of her Japanese number one rock and roll single, “Fujiyama Mama” — putting her famous growl into the sassy pro-female lyrics of the songs.

Wanda was full of stories, narrating the chronology of her career between songs. Mid-way through the set she mentioned her newest single, a cover of “You Know I’m No Good,” released as a 7-inch record out on Jack White’s Third Man Records, and how she wanted to play the song, but didn’t have any time to rehearse for it.
Continue reading ‘Wanda Jackson Rocked and Rolled BK’ »

Binki Shapiro of Little Joy has gotten a TON of top-notch musicians, artists, and celebrities to contribute custom made artwork and items for her Crafts for a Cause auction. All proceeds will be donated to Artists for Peace and Justice, a charitable organization started by filmmaker Paul Haggis.

The online auction will begin on March 15th, but for now you can check on Binki’s Tumblr blog for the event which features teaser shots of some of the goods that will be for sale. Contributers are a who’s who of popular indie rock and mainstream musicians (Daft Punk, The Strokes, Norah Jones, No Doubt, Conor Oberst, Jenny Lewis, Shirley Manson of Garbage, Mark Ronson, Adam Green, SIA, Grizzly Bear, Vampire Weekend, Fleet Foxes, just to name a few!!!) and film celebs (Spike Jonze, Natalie Portman).

Photo of Fab Moretti and Nick Valensi with the signed bag from The Strokes from the Crafts for a Cause site

You’ll find hand-drawn artwork, signed canvas bags, designed t-shirts, embellished guitars, and much more.

Sounds like an amazing collection of artists helping out for a great cause. Don’t forget — March 15th the auction starts online!

Here’s a video of SIA creating the wallet she donated:

SIA for Crafts For A Cause! from binki shapiro on Vimeo.

Plenty more info on the Crafts for a Cause website or on Binki Shapiro’s Twitter