Bryan's Guide to Style

The 60th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards took place on Sunday September 21st.

Here is a roundup of my pics for the best and the worst dressed on the Red Carpet.

Best: Mariska Hargitay wearing Carolina Herrera
she always looks amazing and this year is no exception to that. The color is great and her hair is awesome too.

Best: Christina Applegate in Reem Acra

Love, love, love her she is so talented and funny and who would even guess she is recently recovered from breast cancer.

Best: Heidi Klum in Giorgio Armani Prive

Heidi always looks flawless and here she is wearing a great gown that will most likely usher in a great deal of new trends.

Best: Nicolette Sheridan in Angel Sanchez

I love Nicolette Sheridan always have ever since Knots Landing, and here she looks great purple is making a comeback! (and to delve into superhero world for a tick I think she would make an amazing Emma Frost)

Worst: Christian Siriano in ???

and those question marks sum it up, he just looks so bad, not to mention I still think that Jillian should have won "Runway" his year.

Worst: America Ferrera in vintage

makes her look short and a bit on the chubby side, she should know to watch for things like this she is a bigger girl

Worst: Eva Longoria-Parker in Marchesa

Eva always looks dazzling, but maybe she is just a too dazzling in this shiny number, which doesn't help her hide that "not so babyish" bump.

Week In Review

So for this installment of the week in review I am going to make things short and sweet, so we can relish in the utter joy of........ The 2008 Emmy Red Carpet! We can call this Bryan thinks he knows about fashion!

The Week in Review

Top Model:

Winner of the week: Samantha

Eliminated this week: Brittany

Top Design:

Winners: Ondine and Natalie

We Couldn't Live with: Kerry's design

Project Runway:

Winner: Jerell

Auf'd: Joe

Watchmen: Chapters I-V

Recently, walking the aisles of Target, I noticed the little ditty you see below (the picture on the right that is). This, for those of you who do not know, is the cover to Watchmen, the acclaimed Graphic Novel by Alan Moore.

Within these pages lies the supposed greatest graphic novel of all time. Being a fan of all things nerdy (minus video games I know) and with the current status of being Point Park's resident expert on the subject, I decided it was time to pick up this "Holy Grail" of Superhero lore.

Upon first glance through, which I usually do with every graphically inclined medium I pick up, this book did not seem that different from any other comic I have read. These differences have faded fast. The writing for the story is phenomenal, the way Mr Moore weaves several plots together, while propelling the story forward is amazing.

The characters fall into your basic archetypes, yet they shatter the mold that they are placed into as you read further. The most compelling character in the mix is Dr Manhattan, who at first seems like typical hero, gaining his power through a freak accident, yet Moore describes relates the story of his origin through such an amazing and different way, all the while not losing the reader with complexity.

The artwork for the book is also great, the characters are shown to look human with imperfections very different from today's super buff, mega busty heroes. The coolest thing the artist (Dave Gibbons) does is the ever changing ink blot mask of Rorschach, the anti-hero of the book. Dr Manhattan again comes to forefront in this category in the sense that he is rarely shown to wear clothing yet the artist makes this seem almost natural.

With only the first five chapters under my belt I am pleasantly surprised. This book makes me even more excited for the movie, due out next year. If you click the link below you can see the trailer, which makes me even more exited to read the rest of the story.

Weekly Reading

This was a rather light week as far as comics went, with only four titles being released.

To back things up a bit, I subscribe to around 20 comic books a month, and the list seems only to expand. I read basically every X-men related title, every Star Wars title and a few other titles, I usually pick up whatever looks good.

With this being a light week in comics I went to the book store to check the new releases of graphic novels. When I walked in to that Starbucks of book stores, I saw it staring at me with its high gloss sheen.

The Force Unleashed, has finally (no pun intended) been unleashed upon fans. With constant delays in release, I had given up on the newest chapter in the Star Wars saga. I usually find that when I am extremely excited about something in Lucas's world I am not as satisfied as I should be.

This graphic novel was anything but disappointing. The story which takes place just a few years prior to Star Wars Episode IV A New Hope, relates the story of Darth Vader and his secret apprentice. The twists and turns the plot takes and the back story that is revealed are nothing short of jaw dropping.

I recommend any fan of Star Wars, or any fan of graphic novels pick up this geek masterpiece.

Disappointment of the week.... this award has consistently been going to X-Factor...... hopefully the creative team on this book can pull it out of this slump.

Last Weekly Update

As promised in my first post here is a review of the things that made my (last) week.

First we will give a quick recap of cutting news.

America's Next Top Model: The girl who immediately packed her bags and left.....

Nikeysha

Which from the picture and how she totally screwed up the challenge with her subpar professionalism, totally justify the judges decision.

And the winning photo goes to.

Lauren Brie

This television week also included the premiere of Bravo's The Rachel Zoe Project. The show was awesome, if you kept it on mute and just looked at the pretty clothes. However those who choose to keep the volume turned up are bombarded by the constant inane banter of Rachel Zoe and her "team". I am a Bravo addict though and will stay tuned.

Next up is Project Runway, and this episode marks the halfway point to Fashion Week and I can say in the words of Tim Gunn...... I am underwhelmed. Runway is a staple in my television life however this season has been a bit to be desired. The designers are so amazingly overconfident, yet the designs coming down the runway are nowhere near what they are hyped up to be.

This week did however present a Runway first... two count 'em two designers were Auf'd this week.

Blaine who designed a Libra inspired ensemble, which prompted Michael Kors to quip "She is pooping fabric."

Terri is number two who designed her Leo gown.

To viewthe winning and losing outifts click below and you too can rate the runway.

http://www.bravotv.com/Project_Runway/season/5/photos/gallery.php?e=episode_9_rate_the_runway

That's all for more to come next time...... and a juicy morsel for you to ruminate on, the father of Kelly Taylor's son has been revealed.

Avengers Disassembled

Throughout the world of superheroes there is a notion of camaraderie, of team work, great friends and a notion of family. These concepts mirror our real lives where we seek out good friends, a sense a family and in the area of our jobs we want a good support system.

These ideals can however be shattered. Which is basically what my weekend consisted of. The core of my "superhero team" (a.k.a my somewhat small group of best friends) dissolved, like the current status quo of The Earth's Mightiest Heroes, or even those Uncanny X-men.

Betrayal and lies has broken apart my little group, well nothing that serious I guess. My best friend like the Invincible Iron Man has taken a position of power at work and is now a manager. Much like her comic counterpart she has isolated herself from the rest of us forcing change into our laps.

Then there is my friend who mirrors the Incredible Hulk, this past week she truly (is it wierd my straight girl friends remind me of men?) played up the Jekel/Hyde persona of her character. Early in the week she was a great friend much like Bruce Banner, the Hulk's less abrasive alter ego. By week's end however the mean green machine was raging and with her berserker rage she may have truly alienated the last remnants of our little group.

Those who are inclined to reading comics however know that teams reform and restucture. As my core group slowly dissolves an old friend rose like The Pheonix from her ashes. So just like in the superhero world..... life is balanced until the next plot starts to unfold.

In the beginning

And on the seventh day he rested......

This phrase resonates within many, I however don't get this whole rest thing? Do we ever actually rest?

This question has been on mind due to the hectic way life has been the past two weeks. For most school started last week, for me it was a stressful ball of nerves and anticipation. AES better known as American Education Services screwed up my financial aid and so I couldn't start, I had to wait for a check to come. The reasoning for this is long and drawn so we can skip it.

Back to the busy not resting idea. Even though with this waiting it would seem I had extra vacation time. This however turned into long stretches of work, work, work, and chores galore.

Then getting to school the next week turned into what would seem like a never ending up and down on the stairs of Point Park.

This diatribe could continue but I don't want to bore anyone....

Still to come this week.

Weekly update:
- an update and recap on the shows that make me happy.
- the week in comics (mostly Marvel)
- What were they thinking? This will be my attempt at using a camera and pretending to be a judge on Project Runway.

So until next time..... Good Journey