28 July 2005

Barbarian at the Ritz Reports: Shoe Shine: NYC


Barbarian at the Ritz had his secretary type us this dispatch on where to polish your Berluttis:
"For the BEST shine in New York stumble down the steep stairs to the underground cave of Europeon Shoe Repair. Owner Ben and his assistants,Luis, Antonio and Felipe are the primo shoe team in Gotham. Besides doing repair on the fly while you wait, they give absolutely the finest shine to be found. Compared to the once over lightly we all get at airports and elsewhere, the Euro squad really lays into your shoes with plenty of polish, body english and determination to transform whatever hide you have on your feet into a pair that can pass military review. Do NOT be fooled by the competitor across the street which we are told by our blond, wantabe, Vogue stylistos is the place to go for Manolo and ChooChoo rehab. Maybe so, but no one does the shoe TLC as well as ESR. (Suggested shine price including tip: $5)"
+European Shoe Repair, 18 West 55th St, NYC, Mon-Fri 7:30-6:30, Sat 9:00-3:00.
+W4: Summer Soles.

Beat Street: Clor

The band Clor is what the Brits are talking about. Think devo meets alternative rock and ends up in some strange, bizarre yet almost single worthy place. With their debut album about to drop the band is playing a series gigs around Booze Island. Check them out.
+Clor, album [amazon] [itunes].
+Clor, 1 August, The Social, 5 Little Portland St, London, +44 20 7636 4992.

27 July 2005

Fuckin' Summer 2005: Plage: St. Tropez


Our crack team of Hunter S. Texas, Bejewelled and Gauloise, our newest French import, were dispatched to St. Tropez weeks ago. They are only fully starting to recover and sent in these brief notes:

Club 55: While waiting in the bathroom line with Jerry Hall made us chuckle we were somewhat unimpressed as the food as it gave both Hunter S. Texas and Bejewelled food poisoning. Not even Hunter's vodka habit could not kill the microbes dans son estomac and we nearly had to deport him back to the ranch. Bejewelled had to re-evaluate her entire life due to this stomach illness, questioning the meaning of life in a world where Club 55 cannot be depended on for fresh vegetables and tasty tarte tropeziennes. We did discover a nifty small ladder at the bar which clearly was built so that little kids could climb up and order their first dirty martini.

Les Palmiers: If you are looking to leave the P. Diddy tack set behind and avoid the "Russian houkers," as our thickly accented French chouchou Gauloise enunciates it, we suggest heading to Les Palmiers where there is a better edited set of beach worthy bodies. Offensive tan required. There is a modern menu of light food which is as good if not better than 55. There is also a fun blonde waitress that can be persuaded to have a few limoncellos.

Of course for more wild times there is always Nikki Beach (which we noticed now has an Atlantic City outpost for the Diddy tack pack) and the ever-debauched, проститутка infested, La Voile Rouge.

If you are looking for a late day snack head to Le Senequier on the port (look for the red). Have a Tarte Tropezienne, a café, a cig and watch the rich and bored older men make plans with the tables of ‘models / houkers.’

Noir: For a group dinner where the food is crap but models circulate in lingerie and fur coats, dance in Carnival outfits, and perform more costume changes than a Broadway show, head to La Villa Romana. The excuse for the non-stop fashion show is apparently the store that is located somewhere in the restaurant. However the scantily dressed women coupled with loud music and a flamboyant man wearing a fez, whose soul purpose is to get people dancing while dressed in different Village People costumes, do not make you want to buy. They make you want to "party"...

For decent food in this port of no return the two Joseph restaurants are worth stopping by but send an advance man as they are always running late.

For a club that uses the tag line "Fuckin' Summer 2005," VIP Room, a self-proclaimed 'famous club' and its clientele are actually less jaded than one would expect. Instead of the "Goddamnit shit! Not again! Summer 2005" attitude you might expect, the Parisian import with its white walls and Miami-style décor becomes fully unhinged. It claims to serve dinner, but as Gauloise says, "you eat where I put my feet and danced." Of course there is always Les Caves du Roi which is Las Vegas incarnate. So take your pick, Miami or Las Vegas – St. Tropez has both.

For late night hotel parties until dawn without any complaints and where people can hang from the rafters, we suggest the Hotel Byblos which has either insulated the walls and doors of the hotel to be entirely soundproof or which has paid off guests to shut their traps and take the bad with the good. If you want to hang with the beautiful people, you have to be understanding when they all come back to the hotel post-disco to have massive orgies, unable to keep their hands off each other. After all, they can't help it that they're all so beautiful.
L'Hotel
+Byblos, Avenue Paul Signac, Saint-Tropez +33 (0) 4 94 56 68 00.

Restaurants
+La Villa Romana, Chemin des Conquettes, Saint-Tropez +33 (0) 4 94 97 15 50.
+Grand Joseph, 1 Place de L’Hotel de Ville, Saint-Tropez +33 (0) 4 94 97 01 66.

Plage
+Les Palmiers, plage de Pampelonne pres de Nikki Beach, Saint-Tropez.
+Le Club 55, plage de Pampelonne, Saint-Tropez.

Noir
+VIP Room.
+Les Caves du Roi, Hotel Byblos, St. Tropez.

22 July 2005

London: Bombs and Babes: Cindy Blackman

Recently we were invited to a birthday party in Beirut crudely titled "Bombs and Babes." After yesterday’s events here in London we suggest moving the party West. It’s bombs by day , babes by night here in the Capital city. Last night’s Lenny Kravitz concert at the Apollo Hammersmith in West London was no exception. The show was a giant shiny Christmas present – decadent over the top costumes and wrapping, high energy, and thankfully little depth. Just what the doctor ordered. The highlight of the show was by far Lenny Kravitz’s long time drummer, Cindy Blackman. Decked out in a sparking green bra and gold skirt, and sporting shorter hair than her trademark "Are You Gonna Go My Way?" afro, Blackman was described by one semi-topless girl in the crowd as an ‘animal’ on the drums after performing a three minute solo that set the crowd on fire. While the girls in the balcony flashed Lenny, who with the help of a gold plated guitar and diamond armbands, performed all the oldies as well as the current hits, Blackman was the main attraction. She can bang on our drums any day.
+Lenny Kravitz, final European show, tonight, Brixton Academy, London.
+NYT: But What I Really Want to Do Is Design.
+Kravitz Designs Announced [press release].
+NRP: Musicians in Their Own Words: Cindy Blackman.

21 July 2005

British Guns A Blazing: Domino Harvey

We here at W4 are all for gun-toting quasi-lesbian aristocratic bounty hunting models. There just aren't enough of them. Unfortunately the numbers are only getting smaller. On June 30th, Domino Harvey died of an apparent drug overdose at age 35 -- British Aristocrat, model, LA bounty hunter, and junkie. In October, a movie loosely based on her life staring Keira Knightley will be released. After today's round of incidents in London we are now actively recruiting to open our own Belgravia bounty hunting agency. Apply now.
+Telegraph News Domino Harvey.
+Domino Movie Trailer [yahoo].

20 July 2005

Newbu Fifty Seven Mayfair: Boris Reports


Within the next few weeks Nobu will be opening two new eagerly anticipated restaurants on both sides of the pond. Nobu Fifty Seven will open during the first week of August and will be more upscale than its downtown counterpart (see photo). In London, the no-reservations Nobu Berkeley is set to open 'sometime in August,' says our trusty source Ms. Reservation Operator. Nobu is one of the few brands we can think of that has suceeded in preserving the quality of its food and service while expanding across the globe. Perhaps this is because Nobu is an expert at flying fish to wherever eddys of wealth reside.

We also just recieved this intel on the Newbu from Boris:

"Went to the preview for Nobu 57 last night. Relatively decent party--pretty girls and boys, dirty old men, that racist closeted spoiled brat from the Star Room incident, and other socialite types. In terms of the restaurant itself: the downstairs bar is a little tight but the upstairs is acceptable, with walls covered in champagne bubble print wallpaper. The sushi that I sampled was good but not amazing--I still think Kuruma is and has always been far superior to Nobu."
+Nobu Fifty Seven, 40 West 57th Street, New York +1 212 757 3000.
+Nobu Berkeley, 15 Berkeley Street, London +44 207 290 9222.
+Kuruma-Zushil, 7 E 47th St, New York +1 212 317 2802.
+New York Observer - Nobu 57th Street.
+How to identify a flying fish.
+The most expensive fish ever sells in Tokyo.

19 July 2005

Rok on RokBar LA?

We’re a bit wary of bars and clubs that clone themselves around the country/globe. The original is almost always the better than the clone which generally reminds us of a Hard Rock Café or a girl we once dated who looked better back when. So it will be interesting to see how Miami’s infamous RokBar, one of our personal favourites for late night debauchery, fares with the opening of a Los Angeles branch. LA people, those 2am closing times, sounds more groupie than RokStar.
+RokBar, 1710 Las Palmas Blvd Los Angeles +1 323 461 5600.
+W4: Miami Guide: Part Four: Noche.
+W4 Miami Guide: Part Three: Restaurants.
+W4 Miami Guide: Part Two: Shops.
+W4 Miami Guide: Part One: Hotels.

+For the latest from W4, click here or visit www.wfour.com.

18 July 2005

Beat Street: The Sounds







The Sounds: Sweden's latest export: The Cardigans meet the Doors. And yes, the lead singer is a blond. Check out the track "Rock'N'Roll" on ITunes it's surefire. Strangely it can also be found on the Wedding Crashers soundtrack.
+The Sounds, band website.

14 July 2005

W4: Bikini Top Emergency: Gone To Lunch


Due to a bikini top emergency in St. Tropez, W4 will be away until Monday. We have dispatched our crack team of global correspondents including Bejewelled, Hunter S. Texas, and the PR Girls to the petit ville to assist with this topless tanning champagne emergency. We have also called in the help of a lunatic French girl who refers to her breasts as 'uncontrollable,' a few misguided Brits and possibly even a Guatemalan diplomat just to make our Benetton sweater set complete. Given such circumstances and company we certainly cannot bring you the irreverent and bizarre content you salivate over - and that includes you Sir in Tehran at Bank of Iran looking for shady Paris sex parties! But never fear.. We have created a bastard son of W4 for your temporary enjoyment in our absence, N4: Who What When Where Why (As you know here at W4 don't ask why – that's for thinkers and Harvard graduates). N4 is a news clippings site with both serious and irreverent articles from various sites and publications. It has a long way to go but someday we hope it can grow up to be something only mildly less gauche than this mangled venture. Right now on N4 you can find the latest about Club 55 in St. Tropez and a picture of an iceberg. Ciao!

www.wfour.com - Au moins nous pas ennuyeux!

+N4: Who What When Where Why.

12 July 2005

Marbella: Sacrilegious Medieval Decadence


We consider the Versailles of nightclubs to be a place called Olivia's in Marbella. The only nightclub in Marbella to legally allowed to operate, Olivia's proves that monopolies can work. The massive venue contains a restaurant, nightclub, private bar and gardens within its gothic castle like structure. It is Eyes Wide Shut meets sacrilegious medieval decadence. The main nightclub contains a sunken center dancefloor surrounded by beds, each with their own chandelier. Couches covered in white sheets and tables with wrought iron candlesticks are skilfully placed around the venue. The music reverberates with an cave-like effect off the building's stone structure. Women ungulate like dancers in one of those Bad Boys movies. To the back sits a wide bar illuminated by the club's centerpiece - a two story high stained glass window. Three of our jaded W4 correspondents were overwhelmed by the club and remain lost in its inner sanctum. The crowd is a mix of gorgeous German models, moneyed Spaniards and Europeans, a few high class ladies and of course as with any good nightclub a few dubious characters. Not to be missed if you are on the Costa Del Sol.
We Also Suggest:
+For Lunch: The Beach Club at The Marbella Club, Bulevar Pra­ncipe Alfonso von Hohenlohe, Marbella.
+For Dinner/Early Evening: La Suite, Peunte Romano Hotel, Marbella.
+To Stay: Peunto Romano, Ctra. de Cádiz, Km 177 29600 Marbella +34 95 282 0900.

Hunter S. Texas: Berkeley Trash


Although Bejewelled enjoys the retracting roof pool at the Berkeley and Boris gets inebriated at the hotel's Blue Bar, Hunter S. Texas feels differently after a trashy stay there:

"Re: London's Berkeley

Despite its still spectacular pool, the Berkeley feels tired at best. The staff's friendly demeanorr did little to offset the so-so room with its faded fabrics and unimpressive side street view. I was most surprised to find small pieces of trash littering the hall outside our door. No wonder the hotel's rate is significantly lower than the neighboring and far-superior Lanesborough."

W4 is still investigating but thinks it is quite possible that the hallway refuse is the result of Hunter's previous nights shenanigans to which he has no recollection."
+The Berkeley, Wilton Place, London +44 207 235 6000.
+Lanesborough, 1 Lanesborough Place, London +44 207 259 5599.
+Berkeley, CA: Parking Meter Revolt.
+Hunter Pick: The Rum Diary: A Novel.

11 July 2005

Highball Reports: New Rock City


Highball reports on the latest rock to hit the market:
After thumbing through our stack of invites for a recent summer evening, my lovely suitor and I decided to sip bubbly and socialize at Graff on our second stop. Graff has unveiled a new diamond and we were curious to see just how impressive this famous stone truly is. We first navigated the store to search for my preferred prize. I zoned in on a 30.13 carat Burmese sapphire ring set in platinum with triangular diamond side stones. Heaven! At a mere $1.5 million, it is a worthy gift for any deserving lady. But the true gem of the evening was the "Star of America", a 100.57 carat diamond and largest Asscher cut "D" color flawless diamond in the world. It is currently on tour to commemorate the launching of Graff USA. Such an impressive piece and certainly worth viewing.
+Graff Diamonds, 103 East Oak Street, Chicago +1 312 604 1000
+Graff Diamonds, 7&8 New Bond Street, London, + 44 (0)20 7584 8571
+Graff Diamonds, 721 Madison Avenue, New York, +1 212 355 9292

Ilford HP5 Camera Flashes Back To Life

Earlier we reported on the Ilford HP5 black and white disposable cameras -- our favorite disposable camera and perfect for debauched night on the town. Sadly, Ilford had recently discontinued them. Thankfully today we received this happy update from the camera maker:
"I am pleased to say that HP5 plus single use cameras are going to return, we expect them back in stock by the end of august. Thanks foir using ILFORD products"
+W4: Late Night Photography: Our Picks.
+Ilford HP5 Camera.

Hunter S. Texas: Putting on The Ritz


One of our newest W4 correspondents, Hunter S. Texas, has a penchant for high end vodka and five star hotels, a dubious nasal spray habit and a fear of propeller planes. As he and his sherpas traverse Europe in their lizard skin boots he sends us this dispatch from The Ritz in Paris where a fellow guest left him a mysterious note:
"The Ritz Paris continues to hold its top spot among international city hotels. Although not as understated in its elegance as the nearby Bristol or Plaza Athenee, there is still something magical about the gilded gold guest rooms and outsized bathrooms complete with super plush towels. You will still pay 40 Euros for an egg-laden club sandwich at the heavenly pool. This is a much better deal than the weak vodka sodas for 25 Euros at the sleepy Hotel Crillon bar. The Ritz's terrace remains one of the world's most elegant outdoor dining venues. If you're looking for 3 star dining, old favorites such as Taillevent or L'Ambroisie are better. But you can't beat the outdoor setting at the Ritz on a breezy Paris summer night. Some guests need a lesson in manners. We received an anonymous note under our door asking that we avoid walking loudly in the room, which is virtually impossible given the old wooden floors. I would have much preferred a direct complaint to the front desk rather than this cowardly, rude message. But this cannot be blamed on the Ritz. Its reservations office, like that of any other great hotel, has to take bookings even from the nouveau riche."
+Track:"Putting on the Ritz," Irving Berlin.
+Flick:
Place Vendome.
+
Ritz, Place Vendome, Paris.
+Taillevent, 15, rue Lammenais, Paris, +33 1 1 44 95 15 01.
+L'Ambroisie, 9, place des Vosges, Paris, +33 1 43 78 51 45.

07 July 2005

To: London From: W4


U2: Twickenham, London, June 18th

06 July 2005

Swinging in Paris is Out, Brothels in London Are In


w4: Within hours of the 2012 announcement Paris was discounted

W4 has already covered the Paris swinging scene. Now from London comes shady intel on a possible Sunday night high end brothel/restaurant party:

"There is a Sunday night party at a restaurant on Beauchamp Place in Knightsbridge you should definitely write about. Basically it is at this restaurant which has a large tomato sign hanging outside. I forget which one it's near Maroush. Upstairs/downstairs/I forget where connected to it is a high-end brothel. The party gets pretty out of hand and is somewhat exclusive. This wild British ad exec chick / Sloane ranger type told me she used to go (hell she may have worked there -- you never know with these drunken brits) but now she can't even get in. Might just be full of high spending Russians and Arabs though. Worth investigating."
+W4: Paris: Swinging is All the Rage.
+2012 Anticipation: Dutch Buy Booze Island Rehab Center: The Priory sold in £875m deal.

W4: Camel Jockey News Source


As we reported earlier, Dubai has created robotic camel jockeys to use in upcoming races (no word yet on whether they will be gold plated). Now that preparations to use these metal jockeys are complete Dubai has finally banned the inhuman practice of using underage riders. The newly unemployed youths have been reassigned to poolside cocktail service at the Burj Al Arab.

Reported on W4: April 20th
Underage Camel Jockeys Banned: July 6th

W4 - First for News on Robotic Camel Jockeys!
+Tune: "Robot Rock," Daft Punk.

05 July 2005

Modern Gentleman's Guide: Holidays


Holidays: Holiday times, such as Thanksgiving and Christmas, are pretty difficult to deal with. The problem is that daytime is family time, but nightlife is non-existent. In addition, all of one's comrades are out of town, so there's no one to hang out with. The solution to this is to take a couple Klonopins, and do some heavy solo drinking at a table at The Bemelman Bar.
+Bemelman's Bar, Caryle Hotel, 35 E 76th St, NYC

Modern Gentleman's Guide: Birthdays


Birthdays: Birthdays can be enjoyable as long as they are not sit-down dinners — those are usually deadly. Throwing birthday parties is strangely a depressing process. Two points about birthdays: 1. Never bring the gift to the party, it will inevitably get lost or stolen. 2. If you are giving yourself a birthday, you must foot the entire bill. Going Dutch for your birthday is completely offensive and low-class.
+Lazer Park, 1560 Broadway, New York, NY +1 212 398 3060.
+The Raceway, Central Warehouse, North London Freight Terminal, York Way, London +44 7833 1000.

East Hampton Report: Burn Star Shack Burn


You already know this but going out in East or Southampton is a waste of time and money. The cheap decor, obnoxious crowds, bad music, yappy women, rude management -- even a continent away it gives us a headache. As one of our faithful fours reports, the Star Shack (Star Room) is predictably tacky as usual:
"I was with Pierre Petrus and some of our cadettes and lieutenants at Star Room on Sunday night for some P Diddy after-party. We got a table upstairs next to one of the owner's tables (actually a gent who claimed to be an owner but is really of management level I believe), which was filled with his band of hoochies and deadbeats. After about an hour, said "owner" tried to put his group of trash at our table, making no excuse except that he needed our table to seat the crap that he considers VIPs. I obviously completely lost my shit and told them that I would be cancelling the $1,200 charge for our bottles on the Centurion. The waitress started crying while I was busy coordinating with two of my burly comrades to throw our neighbor over the balcony, but unfortunately he'd disappeared. That was a bit of a disappointment, but no worries I'm planning to burn the goddamn Star Shack down!"
+Tune: Leftfield, "Open Up" Lyrics.
+Flick: Firestarter.
+How-to: Molotov Cocktail.
+Star Room, Montauk Hwy, Wainscott, NY +1 631 537 3332.
+For the latest from W4 check out full site at www.wfour.com.

04 July 2005

Bejewelled Reports: Vodka Smoothie Not So Cool


Bejewelled's quest for a Vodka smoothie runs sour on London's Carnaby Street:
"Although Leon advertises ever-so-tempting vodka smoothies, the establishment can only sell them to you if you purchase two hot meals as well. now anyone who drinks as much as we do knows that it is a waste of time to eat two hot meals with a tasty beverage, seeing that if you eat two hot meals you're going to need a hell of a lot more than one vodka smoothie to get your groove on. therefore, although Leon is said to be the future of Britain cuisine, i purport that unless the British are going to wake up tomorrow as a culture of non-alcoholics, which would truly be a miracle of nature, Leon has no chance of success on booze island and is neither the past, present, or future of Britain."
+Leon, 35-36 Great Marlborough St, London +44 20 7437 5280.
+Guardian Review of Leon.
+How To: Vodka Smoothie.

01 July 2005

W4 Viewers: Jetsetters, Bankers, Agents and Crooks


W4 London: And us looks. So take the money and fork over Sienna.
W4 back office reports our latest readership data:

"This week we continued to entice our usual set of bored bankers, horny entertainment execs. and idle government employees as well as few older secretaries desperate to marry a rich man. Happy 4th of July."

Jetsetters Read W4:
Hotel-ritz

The Entertainment Industry Reads W4:
The Wylie Agency
Hachette Filipacchi Magazines
Talent Entertainment Group
Ogilvy & Mather
Advertising.com

Cubicle Trapped Bankers Read W4:
Bank One
Goldman Sachs Company
Paine Webber Capital Markets
Western Asset Management
Friedman Billings
Abn Amro

Southern Government Officials Read W4 looking for bad, bad, things on your tax dime:
State Of Georgia

Peeps in Inglewood, CA are looking for $250,000 rims. War on drugs still lost or rap star overextending his credit limit? Could be either.
+"The median income for a household in the city is $34,269, and the median income for a family is $36,541" Wikipedia.

And proof that things are really going downhill: People at SEC Investigated Boiler Shops in Hoboken Read W4:
Andover Brokerage
+SEC Ruling: IN THE MATTER OF ANDOVER BROKERAGE, LLC, MICHAEL PICOZZI, III, ELIAS SCHECHTER, AND DAVID DAILY.

W4 - Bankers, Talent Brokers, Jetsetters, Shady Politicians and Crooks. They're All Here. Viva America!

PR Girls Report: We Like The Taste Of Leather


There ain't an envelope opening they don't miss. The PR Girls report where they lunch when they are looking to discuss the prior nights misadventures and lick each others Christian Louboutin boots:
"Sant Ambroeus on Madison re-opened yesterday. The dining room is much nicer, they got rid of the horrible coffin-like fabric on the ceiling from the previous incarnation, and have made it alot younger and brighter. They're still serving their famous gelatto and panninis at the bar, and have a solid lunch and dinner menu for the back."
+Sant Ambroeus, 1000 Madison Avenue, NYC +1 212 570 2211.
+Christian Louboutin, 941 Madison Ave, +1 212 396 1884.