Daily Archives: September 13, 2008

The Bonesetter’s Daughter Opera

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Adapted from the best-selling novel by beloved Bay Area author Amy Tan, this world premiere tells a resonant story of belated intergenerational understanding that leads to emotional healing. A troubled Chinese-American woman learns the horrible secrets of her immigrant mother’s past in this touching and terrifying tale, set in both modern-day San Francisco and the Chinese countryside during the tumultuous events surrounding World War II.

Composer Stewart Wallace (Harvey Milk) incorporates the timbres and textures of Chinese music into his highly expressive and lyrical score—an American opera with roots in China. Mezzo-soprano Zheng Cao, the splendid Suzuki in San Francisco Opera’s recent Madama Butterfly, heads the cast of this deeply personal work. Star of the Lincoln Center Festival’s historic production of The Peony Pavilion, Kunju singer Qian Yi has been acclaimed by the The New York Times Magazine as “China’s reigning opera princess.”

Get tickets to the opera or Buy The Bonesetter’s Daughter book

The Bonesetter’s Daughter Opera

Hooking Up with Tila Tequila

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Tila Tequila got a book deal in May. Now it is available for pre-order already. If you take the plunge and buy the book, you won’t get it until it is released on December 9. Here’s more about Hooking Up with Tila Tequila

The ways to celebrity are myriad, but in just two years, Tila Tequila has quite possibly become THE symbol of stardom in today’s digital age. With upwards of three million MySpace pals and thanks to MTV’s A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila, the twenty-six-year-old sexy siren has become nothing less than a cultural icon. Tila’s taboo-bending lack of inhibition has made her a trailblazer for the times, and there’s no signs of slowing down this feisty four-foot-eleven wild child whose combination of sex appeal and accessibility has made her popularity unparalleled.

Hooking Up with Tila Tequila takes an exclusive and entertaining look beyond the virtual pin-up — past the mischievous glint in her eye and sultry curve of her hip — to the real-life Tila. In her own outrageously candid words, she tackles a variety of subjects from making it big to getting what you want in bed — and out of it! Also included are real questions from her millions of fans, and Tila’s unique brand of truthful advice, as she says, “Tequila-style.” Filled with stunning never-before-seen photographs from Tila’s private collection, Hooking Up with Tila Tequila delivers the scoop on everything her fans want to know — and reveals the true story of how a fearless and determined Vietnamese ex-model used the Internet to earn the recognition that most people only dream about.

Pre-order Hooking Up with Tila Tequila

Hooking Up with Tila Tequila

Designer Peter Som at Fashion Week Spring 2009 Collection

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Peter Som’s aesthetic of unstudied elegance and refined sexiness has brought a fresh point of view to modern American fashion. Peter grew up in San Francisco, a city known for its easy, relaxed sophistication. His parents–both architects–instilled in him the ideals of purity of form, function and composition. Today, Chinese American Peter continues to draw from these early influences as he designs clothes for tasteful women with that same spirit of effortless elegance, luxury and allure.

Peter excelled in Art History and Art when he attended Connecticut College and chose to continue his studies at Parsons School of Design. While at Parsons, he apprenticed with two of America’s most revered designers – Michael Kors and Calvin Klein. After graduating, Peter honed his skills in the design room of the legendary Bill Blass. In 1997, he was recognized by the CFDA as a rising young talent in it’s first-ever Scholarship Competition. Isaac Mizrahi awarded Peter the Parsons Gold Thimble for his work in the school’s prestigious Designer Critic program while Lord & Taylor reaffirmed his potential in its annual Dress Competition. In 2002, Peter was nominated for the CFDA Perry Ellis Award for Emerging Talent. In 2004, Peter Som was among the 10 semi finalists in the Vogue/CFDA fashion fund initiative. In 2005, he was nominated for a second time for the CFDA Swarovski Perry Ellis Award for Emerging Talent and in 2006 Peter was among the 3 finalists nominated for the Cooper Hewitt National Design Award for Fashion Design.

Peter Som made his stellar debut at Seventh on Sixth in the Bryant Park tents with his Spring 2001 Collection. Since then, his clean, unfettered yet feminine clothes have been winning accolades from buyers and critics alike. Cathy Horyn of the New York Times identified Peter as “one of the best young designers working today.” Peter’s collections have been included in editorial features in major fashion publications, including Vogue, W, Elle, Harper’s Bazaar and InStyle. In response to Peter Som’s Spring 2007 collection, Vogue’s Andre Leon Talley writes “it became emphatically clear that he has moved to the head of his generational class. Magna cum laude, in fact.”

In July 2007 Som announced his return to the house of Bill Blass, this time as creative director of the iconic American brand. In this role, he will oversee the company’s entire women’s collection, including all owned and licensed divisions. His first collection for Bill Blass is expected to be for pre-Fall 2008.

Peter’s following includes a new generation of stylish celebrities and starlets, among them Scarlett Johansson, Claire Danes, Camilla Belle, Mandy Moore and Ginnifer Goodwin.

Having emerged as one of the leaders of a new generation of American designers, Peter Som has a foundation on which to establish a modern luxury fashion and lifestyle brand, reinterpreting the tradition of Great American Sportswear for a new generation.

Runway highlights from Peter Som at Fashion Week New inYork, Spring 2009

Peter Som Collection at New York Fashion Week – Full runway video