Withering Glance: Happiness is: Gehry, Gosling, 35W-62

Rick Nelson and Claude Peck dispense unasked-for advice about clothing, etiquette, culture, relationships, grooming and more.

RN: It's a brand-spanking new year, Claude. Let's bright-side it. What's making you happy?

CP: You are doing this on purpose because you know how crabby I've been of late. Still, if we can provide a lift. ... I just finished, and loved, "Memory Wall," by Anthony Doerr. It contains three of the most unforgettable short stories I read all year.

RN: I've been ripping through a sneak peek at dancer Jacques d'Amboise's memoir, out next month. He tells a droll story about filming "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" as a teenager and how, while walking to the studio, a flawlessly handsome man used to pick him up in his fancy car. D'Amboise had no idea that the driver was Rock Hudson. Ballet dancers lead such sheltered lives.

CP: Hadn't Jacques' mère warned him about accepting rides from strangers?

RN: Apparently not. He called her "The Boss." What else?

CP: A food item that brings at least 20 minutes of glycemic happiness is the devil-inspired Fast Break bar by Reese's. Please place one in my coffin.

CP: Massachusetts Rep. Barney Frank. He's more than just a survivor. Savvy, funny, tough-talking, Boston-accented homo -- he's the rare talking head worth listening to.

RN: Here's what I'm relying upon to get me through 2011: Choreographer Mathew Janczewski's upcoming tribute to the great Karen Carpenter, the Walker's fantastic Sol LeWitt exhibition and the Chef Shack.

CP: I look forward to cracking the big new Christopher Isherwood diaries covering the 1960s.

RN: Then there's the remade I-35W-Crosstown 62. Way to go, MnDOT.

CP: Full moons. Half-empty flights. Sass.

CP: Dogs that don't bark. People and businesses that shovel their walks.

RN: Motorists who kindly refrain from hanging off my rear bumper. All of my spin instructors. Bar La Grassa. Cher.

CP: The heated car seat. Ryan Gosling. And I am not placing these two together for any particular reason.

RN: Uh-huh. I'm surprised you didn't mention Ryan Reynolds. Or Justin Timberlake.

CP: Frank Gehry. At age 81, he still can unveil a project that brings a giant smile to one's visage. His recent business school in Australia, for instance, has a facade that looks like a night janitor accidentally melted the middle elevation of the model with a blow dryer.