A Mixed Bag (12.18.08)

LaBelle Returns: In 1974, they became the first black contemporary music act to perform at the Metropolitan Opera House. After nearly thirty-two years, LaBelle has released a new album. Don't miss the ladies live at The Apollo on Dec. 19. [via The New Yorker]

iTunes Tax: New Yorker's might want to download those LaBelle tunes sooner rather than later. Gov. Patterson has proposed a tax on all "digitally delivered entertainment services," which would include music and video purchased via iTunes, and ebooks bought for Amazon's Kindle. [via Mediabistro]

Undercover Brotha: Robert "Bob" Wittman has been catching art thieves since 1989, usually by posing as a crooked art dealer. Imagine that. [via ArtsJournal]

Iké Udé, Cigar Aficionado (From Cover Girls), 1997. Flex Print on Sintra Mount.

Paris Hilton: Fantasy & Simulacrumi: I've been thinking about Iké Udé's current exhibition at Stux Gallery for several days and don't know if my disappointment is due to 1) the amateur look and feel of his new multimedia works 2) the fact that Paris Hilton is everywhere, or 3) a nostalgia for his early glossies like the one above --a beautiful cross-breed of geisha and Terence Trent D'Arby. It's probably a bit of all three.

Sin Stocks: Chocolate, cigarettes and alcohol have proven to be pretty resilient during hard times. Mintel predicts that chocolate will see a 4% annual sales increase each year for the next six years: "The sweet tooth does not seem to be connected to the finance bone." [via Reuters]

Culture in the Credit Crunch: Jonathan Jones ponders the distribution of bread and butter in the cultural realm. [via The Guardian]

The State of the Cookie: Dorie Greenspan is optimistic saying, "Although everyone I know is cutting back in one way or another, I think [2009] could still be a good year for cookies."

Deep Fried Oreos. Posted on Flickr by jennlarsen on Oct. 28, 2008.

Deep Fried Oreos: These bite-size heart attacks are nearly criminal (and perfect candidates for obesity tax), but they look soooo good.

Beignets: I'm not the only one with fried sweets on the brain. The Tasting Table recently recommended beignets or "French donuts" from MoMA's restaurant, The Modern.

Van Gogh's Twelve Sunflowers in a Vase by the Texas Chocolate Lady.

Van Gogh and the Colors of the Night: Colors of the Night is on view at MoMA through January 5. If you just can't get enough of Van Gogh, you can purchase a piece for your personal collection. The Texas Chocolate Lady produces, molds and paints chocolate renditions of works by Van Gogh, Cezanne and Lee Krasner. [via Candy Addict]

Sock and Awe: Speaking of Texas, you too can throw a shoe at President Bush. Click on the heading to play the game.

Chocoholics: While the LA Times took a conservative approach to chocolate gift giving this holiday season, I suggest purchasing a game of Strip Chocolate Checkers and/or a Chocolate Shower Bar. I break a sweat just thinking about the latter.

Music be the food of love: I attribute my sense of humor and impeccable taste in music to my dad who passed away on this day last year. He introduced me to LaBelle, Teena Marie, Anita Baker, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Nina Simone, The Isley Brothers, Marvin Gaye, and Earth, Wind & Fire among other music greats. Here's 3 minutes and 37 seconds of sparkling genius in his memory (and a link to an article in The Economist about human response to music).