Lifestyle
JT Holmes, Skydiving, and the Hotels.com Mobile Booking App
Last week, I went on a trip to Lake Tahoe, courtesy of Hotels.com. I got to hang out with some really cool people and I even got to try skydiving for the first time (more on that in a second). Hotels.com put me up at the Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Resort, Spa & Casino, and I totally enjoyed myself.
The trip featured a skydiving shoot with extreme sports athlete JT Holmes. If you haven’t heard of Holmes, he’s a guy whose idea of a thrilling weekend is like 10 times more hardcore than whatever you or I do with our spare time. Holmes is a skydiver, free skier and base jumper. He’s appeared in multiple skiing films, 60 Minutes did a pretty sweet piece on him and his wing suit jumping skills were featured in Transformers 3. So yea, this guy knows how to have some fun.
Holmes partnered up with Hotels.com as part of a larger effort to promote the brand’s entry in to mobile apps. Hotels.com is launching a high-speed mobile booking app next month. In addition to giving travelers the ability to book a hotel in under a minute, the Extreme Mobile Booking App will also feature 20,000 last minute deals at over 140,000 hotels across the world.
Users will be able to access previous and future reservation info online or offline, and the app makes use of your mobile’s GPS features so that you can locate the closest hotels with the best deals while you’re on the go.
The app will also support Welcome Rewards loyalty points. You can track your points and redeem them right from your phone. For every 10 nights that you accumulate in hotel stays, you get an extra night for free.
So in Tahoe, JT Holmes proved just how easy it is to use the new app when he took a 15,000 ft plunge out of the sky and booked his own hotel reservation in less than 60 seconds. Here are some photos from the shoot:
I got to experience tandem skydiving for the first time during the trip, and it was unreal. I mean, I thought I’d be freaking out or just so full of adrenaline that I’d yak or piss or lose my mind, but that’s not how it went down. I’m kinda afraid of heights so I thought I’d be trippin’ out a whole lot more, but the experience was surprisingly tranquil and calming.
The freakiest part of the whole thing was sitting in a closed room by myself watching an instructional video from this freaky, monotone-voiced dude who was telling me that tandem skydiving was awesome but I could die doing it:
Before I got in the air, I jokingly asked my tandem skydiving instructor if anyone had ever met the crazy bearded dude from the video. In a very serious face, the guy turned to me and said, “That’s Bill Booth, man. He invented all the equipment that makes tandem skydiving possible.” Whoa, my bad!
But back to the jump. Like I said I really thought I’d be freaking out at the whole thing. I did a 9,000 ft jump (I totally went with the bunny slope entry package) that featured 30 seconds of freefall and five minutes of floating. As soon as we spilled out of the plane, I was just in a total meditative state. It was just so serene and peaceful. After I landed, I felt like I had just been meditating for a week. Just super clear headed and borderline spiritually cleansed. I totally expected it to be a fear-filled exercise in extremeness, but it was kinda the opposite. And I really liked it.
Thanks again to Hotels.com for a great trip and good app. When this thing out when it comes out next month, give it a try. If an extreme athlete can book a reservation while skydiving, you can probably find a pretty sweet deal on a hotel while you’re on the road.
Aug 17th
LA Beard and Mustache Competition
The MANjr crew stopped by the first annual Los Angeles Beard and Mustache Competition at the Federal Bar in North Hollywood on Sunday. Leading up to the event, the competition was featured in the LA Times, UrbanDaddy.com and LAist.com, I mean this was the inaugural LA beard and stache bash, so we had to check it out.
The place was packed and there was a really open, festive vibe at the event. The competition featured five categories: Mustache, Partial beard, Business Beard, Full Beard Natural and Freestyle. Those who didn’t compete came to marvel at the bearding prowess of the contestants. And without a doubt, there were tons of sweet staches on display. And some seriously impressive beards that took years of effort to create.
Shawn Hasson took home the stache trophy and Jack Passion was awarded top beard honors. No controversy there. Both those guys looked like heavy favorites going into the finals. Take a look at some photos of the event and make sure to check out the video to see how the competition went down:
Check out the full list of winners at BeardTeamUSA.org.
Aug 16th
Marc Ecko Bedding Collection Giveaway
Fashion designer Marc Ekco founded eckō unltd. in 1993 when he was just 20 years old. The serial entrepreneur now oversees a billion dollar empire that includes top fashion brands like Ecko, Zoo York and Eckored (the flagship brand’s female counterpart) as well as Complex Media (which published Complex Magazine) and the guy even got into the video game space, teaming with Atari to develop a video game based on the Showtime series Dexter.
Now Marc Ecko is getting into the bedroom and home decor business with the launch of his new comforter and duvet collections. The bedroom collections are now available at Bed Bath & Beyond. Here’s a look at the complete collection:
Painted Love Duvet
Undercover Duvet
Platinum Links Duvet
Kickback Denim Comforter
Popover Hoodie Comforter
Zip It Comforter
To help promote the launch of Ecko’s new home décor collection, we’re giving away a Painted Love full/queen duvet cover (the first one pictured above) to one lucky reader.
Aug 4th
Robert McGinnis Gallery
Lately I’ve been binging on the artwork of Robert McGinnis. I even picked up a few of his movie posters at Comic Con. I just love this guy’s style; pulp realism with heavy doses of sexy sophistication. His work is extra-provocative without ever being low brow. His pieces are a throwback to a bygone, classy era when women were chic and men were dapper. Plus the guy’s really good at painting attractive women.
McGinnis packs personality, danger, flirtation and subtle exploitation into his paintings. These compositions come across as simple, visually-appealing works of playful, pulpy, advert art. I just love it.
You’ve probably seen his work before. Think of the classic movie posters for films like Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Barbarella and the original Bond movies. In addition to his poster work, McGinnis has produced tons of pulp-crime paperback covers, advertising pieces, western paintings and even romance novel covers.
The thing he’s best known for is his women. McGinnis just loves painting hot, stylish, perfectly breasted women. Take a look at some of his work:
If you want to learn more about this great American illustrator, check out the film Robert McGinnis: Painting the Last Rose of Summer. It came out in 2000 and its solid introduction to the man and his work.
Jul 29th
Valvoline Fan Poll and NextGen Oil Giveaway
Valvoline has teamed up with Sporting News to give fans a chance to vote on their college football preseason top 25. It’s called the Sporting News Fan Poll backed by the Valvoline Engine Guarantee. Fans can check head-to-head comparisons with expert predictions and other media-generated polls. You can submit your picks from now until August 31 at SportingNews.com/fanpoll.
Leading up to the kickoff of the college football season, Valvoline and Sporting News will also feature an ongoing weekly column called “Count on It,” where experts Matt Hayes and Steve Greenberg will debate the hot college football topics of the week.
Jul 28th
MIMOBOT Flash Drive Review
The fine folks at MIMOBOT sent us one of their units to review this month. We also saw their booth at Comic Con this past weekend. Mimobots are stylish little USB flash drives that are sculpted into detailed, big-headed characters from franchises like Star Wars, DC Comics, Hello Kitty and other iconic figures. It’s like a little goofy action figure that stores up to 2 GBs of data for you.
The unit that we got to review is the Green Lantern MIMOBOT. It’s a sturdy, detailed and colorful little device. Hal Jordan’s Green Lantern head is about twice the size of his body and his melon pops off to reveal the USB port. He can stand easily and the top of his head pops back on in a secure fashion, so you don’t have to worry about the Green Lantern losing his dome.
When you pop the Green Lantern into a USB port, you’ll see that he comes with an 80mb zip file. Unzip this and you’ll get four folders with 14 avatars, 24 icons, six screensavers and wallpapers of various sizes for mobile devices, iPads and desktops.
The one complaint we have is that the unit is kind of large, so if you have multiple things plugged into your USB ports, you could end up losing a slot. But if you have the slots to spare and you want to add a touch of action figure-ness to your media storage needs, the MIMOBOT is pretty nifty.
MIMOBOTs are compatible with Macs and PCs. The unit comes with a hoodie, some stickers and a little catalog that shows you other MIMOBOT unites. Check out the MIMOBOT site to see the full selection of characters.
Jul 26th
10 Best RnB Summer Jams of the 1990s
The days of June gloom are past us, people. America just had a birthday party this weekend. Barbeques, beach weather and scantily clad babes are now normal parts of your every day routine. Summer 2011 is in full effect. It’s time to start enjoying it.
So how are you going to celebrate this year? There might not be a vacation on the horizon, but you better be planning yourself some good times this summer season. And whatever kind of get-together you conjure up, you’ll need some quality tunes to fire up your party. Especially if there are ladies present. And for reasons that are still unclear to me, nothing gets girls more excited in the summertime than 90s RnB jams.
I don’t know why it’s like that, but it’s true. Girls go wild for 90s RnB tunes. They just do, man. Mark that shit down as fact. If for some reason you don’t believe me, try a little experiment this month. Plan a little party. Encourage beach attire, and invite some girls over. Then bust out 10 solid summery RnB jams from the 90s and see what happens. If you need a starting point, here are the 10 best RnB summer jams from 1990-1999:
On A Sunday Afternoon – Lighter Shade Of Brown (1990)
That’s right, we’re talkin’ plain and simply apple juice, my friends. The pride of Riverside, California, Lighter Shade of Brown sampled “Groovin” by the Young Rascals and “Crystal Blue Persuasion” by Tommy James & the Shondells to achieve the mellow flavor of this classic 90s jam. You don’t need to be a vato in the park to appreciate this song. It reached #39 on the Billboard Hot 100. If you tell me there’s a better background BBQ theme song made in the year 1990, I will not believe you.
Summertime – DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince (1991)
Yea, this one seems kinda obvious, but this song still holds up in 2011. It reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince even won a Grammy for the tune in 1991. If you haven’t heard Kool & the Gang’s extra-relaxing Summer Madness tune, the original track that spawned this beat, you should definitely check it out. It’s like a melting marshmellow of funky feel-goodness.
Rump Shaker – Wreckx-n-Effect (1992)
Nothing says summertime like a girl in a bikini playing a saxophone on the beach. Plus, jet skis! Ain’t nothing wrong with that. The sax rip came from Lafayette Afro Rock Band’s “Darkest Light,” and the song also features samples from tracks by The Emotions, Magic Disco Machine and Manzel. Plus, girls seem to know what to do when they hear that sax intro.
Dazzey Duks – Duice (1993)
You can’t have a 90s RnB summer party without a little Miami Bass in the mix. And really, no other season promotes the short-shorts quite like that chunk of fun-times between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Toss in an Afrika Bambaataa sample, and you got something that resonates with everyone.
Fantastic Voyage – Coolio (1994)
I like old school music. I always prefer the original to the remake. That said, Coolio’s take on Lakeside’s “Fantastic Voyage” is a pretty solid homage to the bouncy, synth-funk sound of original. It’s also nice to know that if Coolio took a trip to the beach on a hot summer day, he’d probably let you roll in the trunk of his magic bike-turned-hooptie. Did you sae how many people came out of that thing? I counted 4-5 hot chicks, at least one midget and all Three Amgios.
Fantasy – Mariah Carey (1995)
This song just makes you wanna ride rollercoasters. And maybe the ’95 version of Mariah while you’re at it (yea, I said it). “Fantasy” sampled “Genius of Love” by the Tom Tom Club, which makes it a fun party tune in any season. But the rollerblades just give it that extra-special summer 90s touch. And anything that conjures up visions of ODB in a clown suit has to be good for your summer get down.
California Love – 2Pac Featuring Dr. Dre (1996)
People love this song and I get that, but I’d put on “West Coast Poplock” by Ronnie Hudson & The Street People over “California Love” any day of the week. But if you’re hosting a Thunderdome-themed block party, this track has to be your go-to option. They actually filmed the cameo-packed video in the same Thunderdome set. “California Love” hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was the most commercially successful record of 2Pac’s career. The piano riff comes from Joe Cocker’s “Woman to Woman,” which was also sampled by the Ultramagnetic MC’s. Plus, it sure beats Katy Perry in the Don’t-Forget-California’s-Awesome genre.
Let me just pause here and say that selecting 90s summertime RnB jams is kinda hard after about 1997. Not impossible, mind you. Just much more difficult. In 1997, “I’ll Be Missing You” and “Candle in the Wind” were big hits in the distinctively non-summer memorial-pop category. Not really good for party tunes. 1997 also saw the rise of bands like Aqua, Hanson, Backstreet Boys and the Spice Girls. Needless to say, summertimey RnB party music took a big hit that year, but that didn’t stop a certain British RnB artist from reaching the Billboard Hot 100 chart for one week in early summer 1997 with, you guessed it…
Return of the Mack – Mark Morrison (1997)
That’s right. Thank God the Brits bailed us out of that soulless summer. Morrison’s comeback song would’ve hit number one if “MMMBop” madness wasn’t sweeping the nation at the time. How embarrassing, America. The song sampled Tom Tom Club’s “Genius of Love,” proving once again that Tom Tom samples are like a one-way ticket to party town.
Too Close – Next (1998)
Step one, get lots of girls in bikinis together in a small space. Step two, “Too Close.” Everything pretty much unfolds the way you’d expect after that. This may not really be a summer-specific song, especially when you consider the original track it sampled (“Christmas Rappin” by Kurtis Blow).” Still, it’s hard to argue with the results. Boner songs are all part of the summertime party program.
Doo Wop (That Thing) – Lauryn Hill (1999)
This Lauryn Hill track came out in 1998, but it really blew up (commercially, critically, music video-ly) in 1999. If you’re hosting a summer pool party because of “that thing,” might as well come out and say it. What the hell else are you going to play that’s 1999 party-time RnB, “Summer Girls” by LFO? Didn’t think so.Pretty sure Lauryn Hill has even made a record since ‘99, but this jam is way more appropriate for your 2011 warm season social gathering. Plus, if you’re inviting chicks that were alive in 1999, there’s a 100 percent chance they love Lauryn Hill. Those are good odds, bro.
So is this the definitive list of summertime 90s RnB jams? Nah, relax man. It’s not even all that comprehensive. You’ll notice that there’s no Biggie, no Snoop, no Pharcyde, no Mary J and no “Regulate” (and girls friggin’ love them some Regulate). Any of those 90s jams will still get your party going. This is just a quick n dirty, West Coast-biased chronological list of 90s RnB hits with a strong summer appeal. We tried to stay with a warm weather party vibe, but if you feel strongly that we missed some fantastic summertime jams, please let us know in the comments below.
Jul 6th
Celebrity Chef Hubert Keller Interview
Fourth of July, baby! It’s time to enjoy a three-day weekend full of BBQ action, beer consumption and gold ole fashion patriotic laziness. 80 percent of Americans will host or attend a barbeque this weekend. 80 friggin’ percent! That’s a lot of burgers to grill, and if you want to grill ‘em up the right way, we got you covered.
We spoke with Celebrity Chef Hubert Keller yesterday about grilling up the perfect burger. We discussed gourmet add-ons, common mistakes, the Budweiser Backyard Burger recipe and the Bud United Big Time Contest that’s going down on Facebook. Chef Hubert is also a DJ, so we asked him how spinning records compares with being a chef. Check out the full interview:
Jul 1st
Newcastle Brown Ale Giveaway
I don’t always drink beer. Actually, yes I do. All the time. And nine times out of ten, Newcastle’s the beer I reach for. In just about any beer drinking situation, nothing beats a Newkie Brown in a tall, frosted mug. It’s got the dark nutty flavor with the not-so-heavy impact. And the Summer Ale’s not so bad either.
In a competitive ale market, Newcastle’s trying to get the word out by launching their first ever commercial campaign. Here’s one of the spots:
We chatted with Charles van Es, Brand Director for Newcastle Brown Ale, about the new campaign, Newcastle’s roots and the new line of Newcastle brew options:
MANjr: Why did it take so long for Newcastle to put out their first ever TV campaign?
CvE: We have created spots in the past, but showed them only through digital channels. The only change is that we are now showing them on television. With funny, irreverent shows that have grown in popularity, it felt like the timing was right to launch a full TV ad campaign. We are excited to share the brand’s witty humor with so many more of our Newcastle guys.
MANjr: What do you think are the most distinguishing qualities of Newcastle Brown Ale? What sets Newcastle apart from other ales in the market?
CvE: Newcastle is the dark beer that’s easy to drink. It has a unique flavor, lightly hopped taste, and a refreshing, smooth finish that set it apart from other dark ales. It’s the lighter side of dark beers.
MANjr: Newcastle Brown Ale has been around for a long time. Has the brewing process and final product changed much over the years?
CvE: Newcastle was originally brewed in 1927 in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, England, but has since moved to Tadcaster, North Yorkshire. The final product has remained true to its roots over the years – the recipe is still the same as how Coronel Porter first brewed it in 1927!
Today, we’ve expanded to offer a full line of limited edition ales: The first limited edition ale is available now – Summer Ale, which is crisp, refreshing and perfect for summer celebrations. Next we’ll be introducing Werewolf, a blood red ale with a definitive bite of bitterness and a distinct autumn taste. Newcastle Winter IPA will debut during the winter months, providing a zesty, full-bodied taste and authentic malt flavors. Then in early 2012 we’ll introduce Founder’s Ale – a celebratory brew that has a traditional English semi-bitter taste and hoppy aroma.
MANjr: The commercial spots were filmed at an actual pub in London. How important was the authenticity factor when these spots were produced?
CvE: It was very important to us that we remain as true to Newcastle’s heritage as possible. We wanted to ensure we didn’t lose any of the authenticity the brand is known for. In addition to using a real pub in London as the set, we also hired locals as the talent. The bartender featured in the spots is the actual owner of the pub!
Jun 29th
Teva Mush Frio Lace Canvas Review
We received a pair of Teva Mush Frio Lace Canvas shoes to review last week and I gotta say, I really like ‘em. Sure we’re a blog and we like free stuff and all that, but these kicks are pretty sweet. They’re based on the Teva Mush flip flop line. Now I’m not a big flip-flop guy myself, so I don’t know how the Mush shoes compare to the Mush flops. I do know that the Frio Lace Canvas is super-soft, breathable and comfy as hell.
The Teva Mush Frio Lace Canvas shoes are basically like sturdy socks made out of form-fitting foam. They’re crazy lightweight to the point where you feel like you’re not wearing shoes at all. The shoes are super wide and non-constricting, but they’re also contoured to your feet. There’s a bump in the interior that fits perfectly in the bottom bridge of your foot. So with all this soft and gushy flexibility, they still give you a sturdy, stabilizing fit.
One of the drawbacks of the shoe is that the sole is a bit on the slippery side. These aren’t your go-to kicks for a rainy day. But if you don’t plan on running down a wet staircase, you won’t have much to worry about.
The Teva Mush Frio Lace Canvas shoes are the kind of kicks you put on when you don’t really want to leave your house. These aren’t running shoes. They’re not designed for that. These are lazy day, phone-it-in shoes. They’re like Styrofoam to-go boxes for your feet. Check ‘em out:
Jun 28th
