Goodbye Girls
We sat down with the three mannequins (a k a "The Girls") featured in Macy's continuing ad campaign in Vita.mn, which concludes this week. Actually, the Girls remained standing. Carmen (the blonde), Monique (the African-American), and Anja (the Slavic brunette) gave us their take on the end of an era -- and one last plug for the department store.
Q: So, you Girls are out of a job. How are you keeping yourselves busy?
Carmen: This is the first vacation time I've had in years, so I'm taking advantage of it. Standing and posing 24 hours a day really teaches you the value of a beachside margarita.
Q: You've made special appearances at various Twin Cities events. Do you plan on still being social fixtures?
Carmen: Oh, we'll always be social fixtures. We're mounted to discs of glass. We're not going anywhere.
Monique: What she means is we're looking for a new contract.
Q: What are your favorite places to shop?
Carmen: Macy's Southdale and Macy's Minneapolis.
Anja: They have a larger contemporary section.
Monique: I kind of like the Men's Wearhouse. All those male mannequins dressed in sharp-looking suits ... yum.
Q: What's one piece of clothing you can't go without?
Monique: Short shorts.
Anja: High heels.
Carmen: One piece? Are you serious?
Q: Why do you think Macy's picked you Girls over more traditional (i.e., alive) models?
Monique: I heard they wanted to use fashionistas and socialites.
Anja: Like Paris. Or Nicole. Or Lindsay.
Carmen: Instead, they chose some real plastic girls.
Q: How do you feel about the ad campaign ending?
Anja: It was too open-ended. I was expecting more closure.
Monique: They mean how do we feel that we're out of a job.
Anja: Oh. (Mutters something in Polish, then spits.)
Carmen: Personally, I'm exhausted. So a break is good, but I'm worried. Where will the up-and-coming socialites turn for fashion advice?
Q: What's next for the Girls?
Carmen: I recently accepted a role in an independent feature-film remake of "Mannequin," but production is on hold for financial reasons.
Anja: I'm working on an international version for foreign press: Las Chicas.
Monique: Is Vita.mn hiring?
- Jahna Peloquin
R.I.P., Earl Root
Nobody knew or championed death metal and other subterranean brands of metal like Earl Root, the musician and proprietor behind Root Cellar Records in St. Paul and the cult-loved "Root of All Evil" radio show on KFAI. Root, 46, died last Friday from cancer. His funeral service will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday at Henry W. Anderson Mortuary, 3640 23rd Av. S., Mpls.
- Chris Riemenschneider
Back in the black
The 26th Minneapolis/St. Paul International Film Festival finished "solidly in the black" with its biggest-ever slate, said artistic director Al Milgrom: "We had 156 features, almost twice as many as last year," thanks largely to its move to the St. Anthony Main movieplex.
The move paid off in higher ticket sales, according to Tim Grady, board chairman of parent organization Minnesota Film Arts: "Many patrons ended up seeing a 5 o'clock show, a 7 and 9, so we kept a lot of people in the building, buying tickets." The organization also is exploring quarterly documentary and film premiere events.
Meantime, negotiations for the sale of Oak Street Cinema continue. The organization will not show films during the slack summer months, but may resume screenings at the Bell Museum or St. Anthony Main. Milgrom added: "It's tough to keep a year-round arts house going. Just look at national trends. But I feel it's a huge loss if it isn't."
- Colin Covert
Palahniuk blows up at T-Rock
Say this much about cult novelist Chuck Palahniuk ("Fight Club," "Choke"): He gets his audience. His May 21 appearance in Minneapolis was no stuffy wine-and-cheese affair, but rather a freewheeling party at the Triple Rock, packed with 340 fans at $30 a head. Admission included a signed copy of Palahniuk's ninth novel, "Snuff," about a porn star attempting to bed 600 men in a day. Palahniuk and host Alexis McKinnis tossed out dozens of blow-up dolls to lucky fans who spoke up.
Palahniuk then read from his clever short story "Loser," about a contestant on a "Price Is Right"-style game show trying to make sense of consumerism while on LSD. His answer to a fan's question about research turned into a warm, enthralling stream-of-consciousness yarn about listening to people's stories of initiation -- which included a possibly true anecdote of someone waking up inside a dead horse. All right then.
- Simon Peter Groebner
Party like Samantha
The wait is finally over for you "Sex and the City" fans. If you're feeling inspired after watching the movie on opening night, head to Bellanotte for the "official premiere party." While Carrie and the gang won't be there, you can sip "SATC"-themed cocktails with like-minded women. The bar also will play old episodes on its many flat-screens. Party promoters are giving out gift bags filled with items from local boutiques and salons to the first 200 people who register at www.minnage.com. Bellanotte plans to hold similar ladies nights with a "Sex and the City" theme every Thursday.
- Tom Horgen
