Girl Friday

Stories from Exile Tonight at LUSH

I meant to post this last night but social obligations can really occupy a girl's time. Here's your social obligation for tonight:

Stories from Exile Presented by Red Card Production

Join us tonight at LUSH for the premiere of 9 short films (and when I say "short" I mean like 2-3 minutes) by Erik Janzen of Red Card Production. Each film is a visual interpretation of a different poem by poet (and podcaster) Ragan Fox, from his collection, "Exile from Gayville."

Doors open at 7:00pm and the short films will run from 7:30-9:00pm, with a little music in between films. The event is free, but you have to buy your own drinks. LUSH is located on Central and Spring Street, in the former Healy Spring Co. building. They're not usually open Tuesdays, except for incredibly sexy people who are having incredibly awesome events.

Tego to Minneapolis

We need you. I need you.

It all started with a little Tweet after I began following Tego Calderón, the greatest reggaetón artist in the world, on Twitter. Feeling particularly empowered that day, I declared the kick-off of my mission to bring Tego Calderón to Minneapolis.

See, Latino artists don't make it up this way much and Tego, along with several other musicians that I absolutely love, has never been here. This is a damn shame because the Twin Cities are packed with lovers of reggaetón, dancehall, salsa and good hip hop; just check out one of our weekly Latin dance nights. (Actually, check out AQUA downtown this Friday. They're kicking off a new weekly "Caliente" dance night that will be an ass-shaking mix of reggaetón, salsa, bachata, hip hop and top 40. There are also 2-4-1s and $3 Coronas until midnight. It should be really hot, and you will hear plenty of Tego Calderón.)

It's also a shame because it's not just Latinos that listen to this incredible dance music. M.I.A. (maybe you've heard of her) has been borrowing beats from the Caribbean since "Hombre," which is a straight-up reggaetón song. In fact, I've been trying to figure out why Tego hasn't reached the level of popularity that world artists like M.I.A. and Damian Marley have.

Is it because he doesn't rap in English? I say who the heck cares when the man can make music like this:

(The chicken meets his end in that video, just to warn you.)

In addition to being one of the world's most talented artists, Tego is also a conscientious celebrity. In 2007, he was asked to appear in a film called "Bling", a documentary about the high price of blood diamonds. Using the hip hop culture's obsession with bling as a springboard, the film follows Tego, Raekwon and Paul Wall as they head to West Africa to talk to miners, amputees and former child soldiers who were used to plunder the blood diamonds of Sierra Leone.

But back to my mission. Joining forces with my pal and fellow mega-Tego fan Guptan, we've started a Twitter account and a Facebook group dedicated to the cause. We've got both vita.mn and District Del Sol on board to help spread the word once we find a promoter and a venue committed to a show. Any help in the promoter/venue department would be much appreciated so, if you've got contacts, please let us know. We can reach the vita.mn readership and a huge chunk of the Latino community, which are both major assets in trying to book a show here.

Oh, and Tego? He replied to my Tweet to say "I'm down!" We're going to email him this week or next, to tell him how much the Twin Cities really wants to bring Tego to Minneapolis. But we need a little help-- we need strength in numbers!

If you love Tego, please join up with us on Twitter and Facebook. We promise we won't clutter up your pages with a bunch of unnecessary crap, we'll only keep you updated on bringing Tego to Minneapolis.

If you're not sure if you love Tego Calderón or not, Tweet at us, leave a comment on Facebook or just leave a comment here saying so. We can help you out with that by recommending a few songs to download.

We can do it! We can bring Tego to Minneapolis!

Happy Almost 4th

I was kinda miserable this week. The weather sucked, I'm losing my tan, nothing sounded like fun and I was bored with both work and domestic duties (save for one really great cooking day in which I almost lost an eyeball-- more on that next time).

But now? It's warm outside, weather.com says it's not gonna rain and I have no obligations. First stop: Richfield Target, where Aaron has spotted copious amounts of Mountain Dew Throwback. Second stop: Who knows? Hopefully something that allows me to get some color back in my skin.

What are you doing tomorrow night? Don't miss the Soap Factory's Ten Second Film Festival after the fireworks at St. Anthony Main. I'm guest-judging this year, along with The Current's Barb Abney, actor/director Randy Reyes and someone named Mrs. Smith (there might be drag, I'm not sure, all I know is that it's a man pretending to be a woman). The current vita.mn cover is a good read on the Ten Second Film Festival and how it all goes down.

Our 48 Hour Film

Team Red Card Production didn't score many points with the judges at this year's Minneapolis 48 Hour Film Project (unlike last year when we totally slayed 'em) but we're very proud of our 48-hour film, "Greener on the Other Side?", a pro-feminist open commentary on the concept of wanting a life not your own.

So why did we do so well with the judging panel last year versus this year?

Erik Janzen, our talented team captain, director and editor extraordinaire said it best: "I think the trick to 'winning' these is how creatively we incorporated the 3 random elements. In 'Shades of Orange' the HUGE revealing moment was based around the line of dialogue... in fact, the whole movie was an explanation of that post it note. And the character (substitute teacher) was the element in the story that Changed EVERYTHING."

We'll get 'em again next year. Congratulations to this year's finalists and winners!

How it works: On Friday at 7:00pm, each team draws a genre, a character, a prop and a line of dialogue. Teams then have exactly 48 hours to write, shoot, edit and submit their film, which can be no longer than 7 minutes.

Our genre: Film de Femme
Character: Kathleen or Kevin Schnabel, Expert
Prop: A sandwich
Line of Dialogue: "I hope they decide soon."

Me, Erik Borg, Tim Davis, Kate Nelson, Erik Janzen

Star Trek Premiere (The Photo)

As you can see, I was pretty pumped. (Though it was Erik, pictured above, who gasped and grabbed my hand when Leonard Nimoy appeared onscreen.) My only regret is that I didn't even think to wear my Terran Empire shirt, for total geek effect.

I decided today, after reading Lileks' review of the movie, that I want to see it at least once more before writing a post about it here. Besides, there are still plenty of people who haven't had a chance to check it out yet, and I certainly don't want to spoil it for anyone.

Veggie Chorizo Tacos y Elote

Between a few extra writing projects for vita.mn and my Firefox completely crashing last week -- and it still isn't right; like why the hell is everything double-spaced in the recipes below? -- things were a little quiet around here. Ill make it up to you two ways.

First, let's talk about Star Trek. Don't worry, no spoilers, I'm just going to do you a huge favor by telling you that you must see this movie at any and all costs as soon as you possibly can. Because-it-is-a-mazing. As soon as more people have seen the movie, I'd love to discuss it here, possibly in the comments so we don't ruin it for anyone.

Second, let's talk about grilling. It's officially barbecue season which means it's time to take one of my favorite meals outdoors. I do make it in my kitchen all winter long, but you know how it is; there's just something about the open fire. Especially when there's fresh corn involved.

This is barely a recipe, more of an idea-starter. When you're tired of grilling the same veggie kebabs over and over again, or when you've had your fill of burgers and brats, go Mexican. (Just a warning: you may never go back.)

Veggie Chorizo Tacos

Makes 16 tacos

5-6 small tomatillos, soaked and husked

2 chipotle chilis in adobo sauce + 1 teaspoon sauce

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

1 package Field Roast meat-free chorizo

1/2 package (roughly 16) fresh La Perla tortillas

1 bunch cilantro, washed, stemmed and chopped

1 medium white onion, finely chopped

2 limes, cut into wedges

Yes, it's vegetarian sausage and, yes, The Mexican loves it. Grill tomatillos until they become soft and begin to blacken. Transfer to a deep bowl or immersion-blender-mixer-container-thing. Add chipotles and adobo sauce plus 1 tablespoon water. Blend until smooth, salt to taste and set aside.

Heat oil on grill in a large frying pan with a flame-proof handle (side note: why do they even make pans with non-flame-proof handles?). Fry chorizo in the oil, breaking it up with a sturdy turner while it cooks. At the halfway point of the chorizo cooking (about 4 minutes), throw 16 tortillas on the grill to heat through, turning as necessary.

Serve tacos open-faced, topping tortillas with chorizo, onion, cilantro, salsa and a squeeze of lime. Eat those bomb-ass tacos.

Haters of raw onion and cilantro, I feel you. You're advised to substitute with thinly sliced fresh cabbage and diced avocado. Actually, we've been known to throw all of that on our tacos all at the same time, so just go with whatever you like.

Elote

8-16 servings

8 ears fresh corn, still in husks

3-4 Tablespoons softened butter

1 cup grated cotija cheese*

Pequin chili powder in a spice shaker**

1 lime, cut into wedges

I already know what you're thinking. No mayonnaise? No crema mexicana? I know, I know. I'm sorry, and I'm all for authenticity, but mayonnaise, thick cream and cheese is just too rich and salty for me on fresh grilled corn. Plus, hello, I'm American so I have to put butter on it. I have something much more fun to do with crema mexicana that I'll show you later.  (Minds out of the gutters, people, I'm talking about dessert.)

Clean your kitchen sink and fill it with cold water. Immerse corn for 1 hour. Shake off excess water and grill corn in husks for 15 minutes until husks are blackened and kernels are mostly tender. Pull back husks and grill corn for an additional 5 minutes. Transfer to platter (doing that handy husks-as-handles thing), cutting in half if desired. Coat thinly with butter. Sprinkle with cotija cheese, then shake on pequin chili powder and a squeeze of lime. Eat that bomb-ass elote.

* I can always find cotija cheese at Byerly's. An adequate substitute would be grated parmesan, but I strongly recommend seeking out the cotija.

** Pequin chili powder is easy to find in Mexican markets, but it usually comes in those awkward cellophane spice packets. I just transfer it to a regular spice shaker for ease of use. Pequin is about as hot as cayenne, but has an almost smoky flavor.

Thanks to My Pink Elephants Peeps

Thank you so much to everyone who came out to La Belle Vie last night to support Home for Life.

LBV came through with some really amazing food, and there was plenty of it. That's always a gripe of mine when I'm at an event with passed appetizers: they come around infrequently and I can only eat half of the selections, if that. But they made enough food for all of us (I saw several people refusing plates towards the end) and they were all vegetarian and vegan choices. Super delicious!

The space was the perfect size for a smaller event, and everyone appeared to be having a great time. In fact, when I left at 10:00pm, every seat at the bar was still full. Since the space was kind of limited, we had to pre-sell tickets to the event, but we're hoping to be able to avoid that in the future.

Johnny and I are starting to scope out patio spaces for the next Pink Elephants. To sit outside and enjoy the weather, of course, but we'd also love to invite some pets to start joining us. So many restaurants and so many animal charities to choose from! I got some great suggestions last night and I invite you to keep them coming.

***

Doing anything Sunday? The System Film has a big shoot happening all day over here in Northeast, and they need a lot of extras. I'll be there. (Considering that I have a role in the film and that Sunday's shoot location is just 2 blocks from my house, I really have no excuse not to be there.) Here's the email from Cristina with all the details:

The System is filming a General Assembly and Protest on Sunday, and we're putting out a call for extras.

We need a lot of people there to fill the hall, so if you or anyone you know are interested, please come out to the Firefighters Hall and Museum on Sunday.

664 22nd Avenue Northeast (Corner of 22nd & Madison Street, next to Edison HS Athletic Field)
http://www.firehallmuseum.org/

This will be the big SPEECHES day, GENERAL ASSEMBLY, and all the UNION HALL stuff.

IT WILL BE A LONG BUT EXCITING DAY! We need extras all day, from 8:30am to dusk, but most of all from 9:30am-3pm and 4pm to dusk. Wear khakis if you have them. Otherwise jeans and a white t-shirt. Black pants as final resort.

This is important stuff! Come help us out and we'll feed you and entertain you a while.

Why You Could Follow Me on Twitter, If You Wanted To

@cecilmenk Best place to get a bike tire fixed if I live on Hennepin and 1st?
@amck See your neighbors at One On One http://www.oneononebike.com/
@cecilmenk Perfect. Will try one on one. Thanks.
@amck I'm like Roger Rabbit w/ "Shave and a Haircut." I hear "where can I...?" and I pop out of a wall, singing at the top of my lungs.

That's me: chock-full of useful information, and relevant, cute pop cultural references.

MSPIFF, MNFW, Buy Me These?

Okay, this week is a little overwhelming with both the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Film Festival (MSPIFF) and MN Fashion Week going on. How is one expected to get anything done otherwise?

Pick up this week's vita.mn if you haven't already for a nice rundown of many of MSPIFF's films. The story's online too, of course, but it's nice to sit down with the paper and map out your movie plan of attack. There are a few food-themed selections this year that I'm anxious to see, like "Secrets of the Grain" (which I'm about to miss tonight but can catch again Thursday) and "The Biggest Chinese Restaurant in the World", a documentary about The West Lake Restaurant, its owner and employees (almost 1,000 of them).

I'm also pumped to see the new Gael García Bernal comedy, "Rudo y Cursi," which will be presented by director Carlos Cuaron.

I honestly have barely had any time the last few days to go over the MN Fashion Week schedule and commit to any events. Plus, it's kind of the 11th hour of planning my own event a week from tonight (Pink Elephants at La Belle Vie, got your tickets?). What's everyone hitting up? What should I definitely not miss?

My sister sent me a link to Mohop sandals yesterday. They're animal-friendly and eco-friendly, not to mention incredibly versatile:

How versatile? Each pair comes with 5 interchangeable ribbons which can be tied in numerous ways so you can customize them depending on your outfit (and there's certainly nothing stopping you from buying your own ribbon to further expand your choices). The sandals also come in 9 different styles, all ergonomically designed to be the most comfortable pair of summer heels (or flats) you own.

I'll take a pair of the High Cherry Wedge Platforms in a 9, please.

Oh, Hello

Is it really Wednesday already?  Where do the days go.

If you're not busy tonight and you want to catch a great short film, come to the Oak Street Cinema.  Team Red Card Production -- yes, the same team that brought you the award-winning short "Shades of Orange" -- participated in the 24 Hour Film Race last weekend and our 3 1/2-minute masterpiece will screen tonight, along with 25 other submissions.  The reel starts at 7:00pm, so get there early to buy tickets.

I think we're going to grab a beer at Stub & Herb's afterwards, to either celebrate another round of awards won or bitch about the injustice of not winning because people just don't get us and our art.

Another reminder that tickets are on sale for Pink Elephants, the animal charity event brought to you by Johnny Michaels, vita.mn and me.  Spots are limited, so reserve yours now.

If you want to pretty up for Pink Elephants, go see my friend Jen at the Beauty Room.  She's offering 20% off all of her services (facials, scrubs, waxing, massage, etc.) for the months of April and May.  She's also doing a package deal on her vitamin C facial and body scrub: only $155 if booked together, or just $124 after the 20% discount.