The Perks of Being a Wallflower [Books]

I almost stopped reading The Perks of Being a Wallflower after the first few pages simply because of the format. The book is written in a series of 1st person anonymous letters to someone the protagonist has never met before. It all seemed so cheesy and Go Ask Alice-y. This book however is not gimmicky in the least, and though it is very weird that Charlie, our protagonist, has never met the recipient of his very personal letters, it quickly becomes apparent that such a thing is normal for Charlie.

He is socially inept, he cries almost daily, and he has a crush he is obsessed with and can't get over. Despite all his faults, you can't help but love Charlie and feel immensely invested in all of his pains and struggles.

This book is a powerful account of the high school struggle to make friends and participate in the world rather than simply observing. Though Charlie hopefully has a lot more problems than most of us have to experience, we can all find a part of us in him to relate to.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a hauntingly brilliant book that will leave you feeling different. It is a book you can get lost in and almost experience firsthand, and you will not regret the experience.

[Editor's note: I just noticed that this will be turned into a movie to be released in 2012 directed by the author and starring Emma Watson as Charlie's crush. Needless to say, I just peed myself with excitement.]

The Fascinating Evolution of the Modern-Day Superhero [Literature]

There are many intelligent things I could say about Hero by Perry Moore, but all that comes to mind is: Damn this book is good.

Hero blends the genres of superhero fiction with gay and lesbian fiction, and in the process improves on both genres. The story focuses on Thom Creed, a high school basketball player, who happens to be coming to terms with his sexuality and also happens to be developing super powers. His father, a non-superpowered ex-superhero, blames all the evils in the world on two things: gays and superpowers. The story follows Thom's battle to keep up a good relationship with his father while trying to figure out who he is.

Thom receives an invitation to join The League - the same organization his father used to belong to - and learns to control his new powers, gains allies, and uncovers evils within the League.

Hero deals with Thom's orientation very well too. The book brilliantly doesn't focus too much on Thom being gay, instead letting that be just another characteristic of who he is. The issues and concerns every gay youth goes through are perfectly illustrated in the book, but Moore doesn't drown the narrative with it, instead letting Thom's orientation be just another aspect of a very well-crafted novel.

This book is a must-read for anyone who even mildly enjoys superheroes, and even for people who don't. Hero is a coming-of-age novel with so many fascinating spins. I literally could not put it down. I carried it with me everywhere I went since purchasing it, and now that I've finished I'm still holding onto it longingly wishing there were more.

Be Afraid of What Rebecca Black Hath Unleashed [Terrible Things]

Here at The Gilded Beaver, we strive to showcase the very best of music, television, movies, literature, art, fashion, and culture. However, sometimes it is in our readers best interests if we present what could be deemed the very worst of those categories. It is for this reason I present to you, Friday by Rebecca Black.



Where to begin? Should I start by making fun of her mouth, not only the horrible sounds coming out of it, but also the painful squinchedness of it, as though she were trying to hold several sweet tarts in her cheeks for the duration of the video? No, I think I'll start with the obvious 1st problem: the lyrics.

Could lyrics like "kickin' in the front seat, sittin' in the back seat, gotta make my mind up, which seat can I take?" really sound good if sung by someone with talent? If her Holiness, Our Lady of Gaga were singing this song, I think even I would be forced to say she'd bombed.

Then of course, there is the sickening monotone auto-tunedness. A lot can be said for and against auto-tuning. Auto-tuning covereth a multitude of sins, but there's not much it can do for Rebecca Black.

I wish there were more I could say about this, but I keep watching the video and the awful way she lets her eyes go dead when she sings "Friday, Friday, gettin' down on Friday" just renders me speechless. What has been seen cannot be unseen, and unfortunately for us, what has been heard cannot be unheard.

The Best Reality Program You're Probably Not Watching

Just about everyone has heard of the Fox hit show, Hell's Kitchen, which debuted on the network over 5 years ago. It is hosted by celebrity chef and all-around jerk, Gordon Ramsay, and has become one of the highest-rated shows on Fox, and one of the longest-running reality programs that doesn't feature celebrities. It's an OK show, filled with plenty of drama, but it's actually not the best Ramsay-hosted program out there. To me, that would be Kitchen Nightmares.

Now I used to have a Friday nightlife, which is seldom the case anymore. Most people do however, and Nightmares has found itself an unfortunate time-slot in Friday prime time. The show's premise is very simple - Ramsay, who is a skilled chef, stops by crappy restaurants across America and helps them change direction, often saving them from failure. Gordon Ramsay could easily be dubbed the Simon Cowell of the Kitchen - he is a belligerent a-hole at times, but he knows what he's doing. He also knows how to encourage people and motivate them when it's most needed.

I'm not a huge reality cooking show fan, but Nightmares is really more of a self-improvement show akin to what you might see on TLC or HGTV. Even with his relentless crustiness, you will find Ramsay endearing at his softer moments. Though it fares pretty low in ratings, it really is a good show, and if you find yourself in on a Friday night, this should definitely be a show you watch.

Give CocoRosie A Try [Music]

When I first heard CocoRosie, it took me a few days to decide if I liked them or not. In fact, I'm still not exactly sure if I love them, but I really do enjoy this song and the music video. So give CocoRosie a try, I think they might be worth it.

The Academy Awards

If you enjoy film, you live for the most anticipated awards show of the year. The Academy captivates us for many reasons: the fashion, the stars, the drama. This year is arguably the most competitive for Best Picture. You’ve undoubtedly seen The Social Network and may support the claim that it is the film that “defines a generation”. With the critic’s support of Fincher’s work and the box office earnings to reflect that, why wouldn’t it win? Social Network has a fantastic script and excellent directing with strong acting too. But I can’t bring myself to love it enough to support it as Best Picture. I guess I cannot empathize with rich nerds!

The King’s Speech, True Grit, Winter’s Bone, Inception and Black Swan are far more superior in acting, in editing, in costume design, and in story telling. My choice? Well, that's simple, The King's Speech. This, of course, is my humble opinion. However iconic they are, the Oscars are never accurate of what is “best”, so take the results at face value. A good film will always be a good film.(With the exception of last year’s Blind Side. It should never have been nominated.)

So my question to you is, what is your pick for Best Picture? Be Internet famous, leave your choice in the comments below!

Check out all the nominations here and don’t miss ABC’s socialite party of the year.

Favorites from New York Fashion Week [Fashion]

Pretending to know about fashion is something of a hobby for me. I wish I were able to attend Fashion Week and report a thorough analysis for each collection, but alas, I cannot. So Tim Blanks' style.com videos will have to suffice. Here are some of my favorites from this New York Fashion Week.

Proenza Schouler: Oh Proenza Schouler. I know that I've supposed to have been liking you all along. I watched the documentary about how you won that grant from Vogue to help your business get established, and I know that you're all legit now and everyone loves you, but until this collection you meant nothing to me. I love this collection though. Santa Fe is one of my favorite places in America, so I loved the modernized southwest patterns and styles. Beautiful.


Rodarte: I am crazy about this collection. I just love everything about it. These beautiful gowns give almost a sense of pastoral royalty. They have a certain folk elegance to them that incorporates glamour into prairie or pioneer clothing. It's like Rodarte has created a combination of the mid-western U.S. and the English countryside, and I love it.


Thom Browne: Okay, I'll admit, though I really like this collection I'm mainly posting it because I love what he's done in this runway show. Any time you strip a nun down and find she's wearing designer underneath is cause for celebration. I love the combination of beautiful, functional coats and less-functional art pieces. Once in a while we really do need to see a collection of crazy, uncomfortable, high-collared coats and egg-shaped skirts, so here's a big thanks to Thom Browne for that.