Rare is the occasion I bust out my high school Spanish, but this calls for an, “¡Ay Dios mio!” Though no official announcement has been made, it’s suspected that former Elle Magazine fashion director and spicy Project Runway judge Nina Garcia will likely move on to a different position of even higher authority at Marie Claire very soon, possibly even before the next season of Project Runway is scheduled to premiere (likely sometime in  the fall of 2008).

My relationship to glossy fashion magazines is a lot like that of a mother to her children—I have a clear favorite, but I have to pretend to love them all equally. I hate to admit it, but I thought Marie Claire went out of print years ago with McCall’s and Rosie Magazine. Seeing it on newsstands still gives me the chills, looking like a weird hybrid of Cosmopolitan and AARP Magazine. Still, I have hope that Auntie Nina will be able to take the boring old rag and infuse it with her vast knowledge and signature brand of sass—transforming it from a dingy old poncho into a high fashion serape.

—Marcos Luevanos

As if the club scene weren't exclusive enough, these days it seems everyone wants to open "members only" venues for the privileged few. Much has been made about the Doheny—it costs close to $5,000 to join, and it's a surprising venture for Cedd Moses who's made a career out of opening casual-yet-hip bars like Golden Gopher. And there's more on the horizon from ABH to the Soho House to something I really wish I could talk about, but is still "off the record."

Even Glendale's rock 'n' roll bar the Scene has gotten in on the action. According to LAist, the bar's now offering memberships for $99-$350. Huh? And imagine my surprise when I learned that Malibu's Moonshadows was going "members only" on Sundays. I'll say it again: Huh? Part of Moonshadows' appeal—and definitely part of what makes it the best weekly party every summer—is the free-for-all atmosphere. (The other factor, of course, is getting to party on a beach patio into the sunset.) 

Well, good news! I just spoke to owner Andrea Bullo and despite the name "Members Only," the venue won't exclude people without membership cards. In fact, there's no actual membership to speak of. The new name just reflects the new strict door policy and an emphasis on bottle service. "I don't want to be too popular," says Bullo of his new vision, which is to be more St. Tropez, France and less Nikki Beach, Miami. "It's going to be very selective list." What won't change: DJ Mick Cole spinning deep house on the decks. Phew.

Sometimes, it’s OK to believe the hype. Case in point: Santogold.

 

If you’ve been paying attention at all, it’s been nearly impossible to escape her name, if not her music. From a high-profile cameo on Mark Ronson’s stellar “Version” release to every buzz blog on the planet to no less than two Bud Light commercials, her right-on-time combination of razor-sharp songwriting and hard-earned industry acumen have her poised to be a genuine breakout artist in 2008.

And when I say “Hard earned,” I mean it. The Philly native Santi White has been fighting the good fight for years. There was her outstanding punk-wave band Stiffed, that despite boasting Bad Brains bassist Daryl Jennifer as producer and a clutch of killer tunes (check out the exceptional “What You Gon’ Do” from Stiffed’s “Sex Sells” EP), the band meandered in obscurity until they dissolved. White also famously had a large hand in the sadly overlooked debut album “How I Do” by the criminally underappreciated Res, a record that my man Touré said “sounds more like peak Seventies Pretenders than anyone in Black music history.” (White was even tapped to write for the new Ashlee Simpson CD. Don’t be mad: A girl’s gotta pay the bills!).

White’s reinvention into Santogold is savvy and even calculated, but for all the right reasons. Cozying up with the makers behind the new sound of young America’s dance floor (M.I.A., Switch, Diplo, Ronson), her current incarnation still retains quirky new wave energy and attitude. Her high-pitched yelp can sound uncannily similar to Gwen Stefani, but even that pop hit-maker would kill for a song as effortlessly perfect as “Lights Out.” She even does a convincing Siouxsie Sioux on “Starstruck.” Add extras like the lover’s rock reggae of “Your Voice” (a non-LP b-side being freely distributed on the interwebs) to big beat crowd-pleasers like “Creator” and “L.E.S. Artistes,” and we’re looking at one of the freshest releases in 2008 so far. Stay tuned…

—Scott T. Sterling