It's All About Snakes

I'm kind of feeling like it's all about snakes today. So here are some slithery picks.

SNAKES ON A PLANE
Yes, the movie's hype is darn near unavoidable, but I'm very excited by this. Sure, the basic premise is pretty hilarious. I'm just hoping the filmmakers have really had fun with this. Samuel L. Jackson is likely to be great, and I'm even more excited about Juliana Marguiles as a plucky flight attendant. There's also a very fun, fey male flight attendant on board (shocker!)… And then there's all those snakes. I'm totally there on opening night. That'll be shrieking in the back of the theater.

Go watch the trailers here. And watch the cheesy/totally great video for the ridiculous theme song by the band Cobra Starship. It's very kitshy/80's in its vibe. I loves it!

LIZARD & SNAKES: ALIVE!
Perhaps, they're cashing in on the Snakes On a Plane media frenzy, but New York's American Museum of Natural History (which is perched grandly on leafy Central Park West) is currently featuring the big, crazy interactive exhibit, Lizards and Snakes: Alive! right now. It got a great write-up in the New York Times recently, and it's running from now through January. And you can go and visit cuddly fellows like these pictured below!

Isn't the Emerald Tree Boa cute? Tell him I said "hey!"

And yes, there are lizards, too. Wassup Rhinoceros Iguana?

THESE ARMS ARE SNAKES
If all this snakey talk is making you feel uneasy, then I've got a soundtrack for you. The slitheringly titled, Seattle-base four-man band, These Arms Are Snakes, have a new disc, Easter coming this fall. That's because the tone of their blisteringly raucous noisy rock (which their press materials call "post-hard/math core") is mix of aggression, melodic punkiness, grungy angst and simply driving rock. If this sounds up your alley, check ‘'em out! And FYI: Keyboardist/bassist Brian Cook just happens to be gay. Rockin'!

These Arms are Snakes are these guys. And that dude in the back with the beard? That's Brian Cook. Yay!

On the (Reading) List

A quick tip for a gushy summer read, that's sure to infuse some glamour into your beach time: Grab a copy of the splashy fun, immensely readable, and totally entertaining Confessions from the Velvet Ropes, which just came out from St. Martin's Press. Penned by Glenn Belverio, the book tells the tales of nightlife drama and daffiness as lived by Thomas Onorato, New York City's pre-eminent clubland doorman.

Glenn Belverio (left) and Thomas Onorato

I know Thomas, he's a friend. So this isn't an unbiased plug at all. But it's totally merited. Reading Confessions you can expect fun tales of fussy club kids, fashion show drama (Thomas also is a major producer of New York fashion shows), and celebs gone crazy. Find out the behind-the-scenes dish about when Madonna suddenly decided to DJ and the wildly popular (and teensy) NYC club night MisShapes. Find out how you can actually charm your way into a club when you're not even remotely on the list (One tip: Go with Stella McCartney. Or at least be wearing Stella McCartney. And a big tip: Be nice!). And there are scads of brilliant tidbits of info: Like an A-Z clubland glossary; tips on how to rule the roost if you've got to work the door at a thrashy, trashy rock and roll party; and all the myths and legends of Studio 54 get either debunked or confirmed (including that time when Cher was turned away! Gasp!).

Thomas, at MisShapes

And hey, next time you're trying to get in the door when Thomas is working a party (he's still at MisShapes weekly in NYC, and he always presides over the legendary Motherf*cker parties), you have a great way to skip the line. Try a "Thomas—I read your book. It was truly wonderful!" And see how that works for you.