USA Character Blog http://www.characterblog.com/ Celebrating the people, places and things that are positively impacting American culture. en Copyright 2012 Fri, 29 Jun 2012 08:30:00 -0500 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification Top Five: Museums and Festivals to Visit This Summer No matter where your summer travels take you, you're sure to find some great art. From New York to Wyoming and San Francisco to Atlanta, here are our picks for Character Approved exhibits, museums, and art festivals that are worth a visit.

[Image: Art Institute of Chicago]

]]> http://www.characterblog.com/2012/06/top-five-museums-and-festivals-to-visit.php http://www.characterblog.com/2012/06/top-five-museums-and-festivals-to-visit.php Art New Today art black arts festival Lara Favaretto National Museum of Wildlife Art parra roy lichtenstein summer top five Fri, 29 Jun 2012 08:30:00 -0500 Top Five: Must-See Summer Movies The summer movie season is officially here, and we've selected five films featuring some of our favorite Character Approved directors, screenwriters, and talents. Covering the gamut of comedy, period drama, action, crime thriller, and animation, these picks will bring a little extra excitement to your season at the cinema. Check them out in the slide show below!

[Image: The Weinstein Company]

]]> http://www.characterblog.com/2012/06/top-five-must-see-summer-movies.php http://www.characterblog.com/2012/06/top-five-must-see-summer-movies.php Film New Today brave film lawless summer the bourne legacy the dark knight rises to rome with love top five Fri, 29 Jun 2012 08:30:00 -0500 Top Five: Summer Tours For music fans, summertime is all about catching your favorite bands live. Whether they're playing a festival, traveling through your town, or onstage close enough for a short road trip, bands are out in full force during the warmer months. And since there's a huge number to pick from, I thought I'd offer up a handful of some of the most Character Approved tours of the summer. Check them out in the slide show below!

[Image: Major Lazer]

]]> http://www.characterblog.com/2012/06/top-five-summer-tours.php http://www.characterblog.com/2012/06/top-five-summer-tours.php Music New Today best coast major lazer radiohead Santigold summer the shins top five Thu, 28 Jun 2012 08:30:00 -0500 Top Five: Streets for People Summer is upon us, which means it's time to get outside and go for a walk. One of the best places to take a stroll is on a street without cars, a rarity in the United States. But many cities are following the lead of New York City's recent pedestrianization of a number of its streets and considering the same action in their downtowns; pictured above is Norweigan architects Snøhetta's vision for Times Square, to be realized in the near future.

Walking is some of the best exercise possible, and summer is the ideal time to stretch one's legs, especially on these five Character Approved "streets for people."

[Image: Snøhetta]

]]> http://www.characterblog.com/2012/06/top-five-streets-for-people.php http://www.characterblog.com/2012/06/top-five-streets-for-people.php Architecture New Today Architecture California Freemont Street Freemont Street Experience Las Vegas Lincoln Road Mackinac Island Miami Michigan New York City Pedestrians Santa Monica Streets summer Third Street Promenade Times Square top five Walking Thu, 28 Jun 2012 08:30:00 -0500 Top Five: Summer Apps For Kids If you're like me, you probably can't imagine going on vacation without your gadgets. And as much as we want to turn them off and enjoy the outdoors, sometimes there's nothing like an app to keep the kids happy and recharged for more fun in the sun. So what are some of the must-have summer apps that can help you make the most of your down (and travel) time? Here are five Character Approved picks to keep your kids entertained and educated this summer. Best of all, there's even an app to find "disappearing" devices that get misplaced. I'm pretty sure that one will be useful all year long.

[Image: iTunes]

]]> http://www.characterblog.com/2012/06/top-five-summer-apps-for-kids.php http://www.characterblog.com/2012/06/top-five-summer-apps-for-kids.php New Today Technology / New Media apps find my iphone istorybooks itranslate voice stack the states summer top five where's waldo Wed, 27 Jun 2012 08:30:00 -0500 Top Five: Must-Have Summer Fashion Items Summer fun is finally here, which means that it's time to relax in style. Here are the top five Character Approved must-have fashion items to ensure you look your best for fun in the summer sun. Don't forget the sunscreen, waterproof mascara, and a great summertime playlist. Get these gorgeous essentials for your most fashionable summer yet!

[Image: Miu Miu]


]]> http://www.characterblog.com/2012/06/top-5-summer-fashion-must-haves.php http://www.characterblog.com/2012/06/top-5-summer-fashion-must-haves.php Fashion New Today bcbgmaxazria kamalikulture michael kors miu miu rebecca minkoff summer top five Wed, 27 Jun 2012 08:30:00 -0500 Top Five: Fun Outdoor Products for Summer 2012 has been a good year so far for outdoor design. A slew of modern products have been released, from seating to umbrellas to tables and planters, but summer is also about fun--and we're all about having fun here at USA, so here are five of our favorite Character Approved outdoor product discoveries. Check them out in the slide show below!

[Image: Fredericks & Mae]

]]> http://www.characterblog.com/2012/06/top-five-fun-outdoor-products-for-summer.php http://www.characterblog.com/2012/06/top-five-fun-outdoor-products-for-summer.php Design New Today bocce camping chair design float fun games lounge modern design outdoor outdoor seat pool products rocker seating summer tents Tue, 26 Jun 2012 08:30:00 -0500 Top Five: Summer Theatre Picks! Well, it's summertime again and with the Tonys behind us, things are a little quieter in the New York theatre world, but they're still heating up around the country. Here are five Character Approved shows that are not to be missed!

[Image: Joan Marcus]

]]> http://www.characterblog.com/2012/06/top-five-summer-theatre-picks.php http://www.characterblog.com/2012/06/top-five-summer-theatre-picks.php New Today Theatre dreamgirls grant park music festival harvey into the woods summer the producers theatre top five Tue, 26 Jun 2012 08:30:00 -0500 Top Summer Picks With summer now in full gear, our ten Character Approved blog contributors are offering their Top Five suggestions for a Character Approved season in everything from Technology and Food to Music, Writing, and Theatre.

Discover the debut novels worth reading, the must-have fun outdoor products, the grilling tools you need for that perfect barbecue, and more!

Complete with photo galleries and useful links, the Character Approved Top Picks for Summer will help you make the most of your warm-weather downtime, whether you're venturing out of town or staying right at home.

We also want to hear from you, so don't forget to tell us what Character Approved things you're up to this summer. Leave a comment here or post something on our Facebook wall.

Read on to see what's Character Approved for summer in Architecture, Art, Design, Fashion, Film, Food, Music, Technology, Theatre, and Writing.

Enjoy!

]]> http://www.characterblog.com/2012/06/top-summer-picks-1.php http://www.characterblog.com/2012/06/top-summer-picks-1.php Character Approved Summer New Today Mon, 25 Jun 2012 08:30:00 -0500 Top Five: Summer Debut Novels Summer can be a great time for new experiences, for trying things you've never done before. And that applies to reading as well--so here are five novels by new writers worth taking a chance on.

From the hoopla of a wartime celebration during a Thanksgiving football game to a divorced woman's gradual fall from grace in Cleveland high society, from a financially struggling ex-punk star coping with the ghosts of her past to young men and women moving in with their parents, these five Character Approved novels will make you think while they entertain you. They'll almost certainly shake up your summer... in the best way. (And, because they're all by writers making their full-length fiction debuts, you'll be able to be among the first to recommend them to your friends!)

[Image: cover to Gilded Age, courtesy Simon & Schuster]

]]> http://www.characterblog.com/2012/06/top-five-summer-debut-novels.php http://www.characterblog.com/2012/06/top-five-summer-debut-novels.php New Today Writing Ben Fountain Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk Can I Get an Amen Claire McMillan Gilded Age Leni Zumas Sarah Healy summer Thad Ziolkowski The Listeners top five Wichita Writing Mon, 25 Jun 2012 08:30:00 -0500 Top Five: Summer Grilling Tools No doubt about it, we Americans love to grill. Whether you're a fan of charcoal and the classic Weber kettle or prefer the convenience of gas, there's something almost primal about cooking outdoors. So as you prepare to get your grill on this summer, here are five Character Approved tools and accessories that will make you love grilling even more.

[Image: Weber]

]]> http://www.characterblog.com/2012/06/top-five-summer-grilling-tools.php http://www.characterblog.com/2012/06/top-five-summer-grilling-tools.php Food New Today charcoal companion food Grilling grilling tools staub summer sur la table top five weber williams-sonoma Mon, 25 Jun 2012 08:30:00 -0500 Graphic Design: Now in Production In the summertime it's always nice to get out of the city, so why not take a short ferry ride to Governor's Island and check out the Cooper-Hewitt Museum's free exhibit Graphic Design: Now in Production?

Featuring works produced since 2000, Now in Production explores some of the most lively divisions and categories of graphic design today. Featuring everything from design-driven magazines, newspapers, posters, and apparel to the development of branding programs for corporation, this exhibit shows us the great potential of graphic design to create an interactive link between people and products.

One of the most exciting pieces for us was LUST'S "Posterwall for the 21st Century." Combining personalized messages and automated designs, LUST is a projected screen of ever-changing posters. Not only does the LUST wall respond to movements of passersby, viewers can also tweet messages that are incorporated into the advertisements. While typical posters aim to stop the viewer's gaze, this futuristic version detects and responds to your presence.

If you find yourself wanting a change of scenery, definitely stop by the Cooper-Hewitt Museum on Governor's Island to see the Character Approved Graphic Design: Now in Production.

[Image: Walker Art]

]]> http://www.characterblog.com/2012/06/graphic-design-now-in-production.php http://www.characterblog.com/2012/06/graphic-design-now-in-production.php Art New Today Art Cooper-Hewitt Museum Graphic Design Now in Production Fri, 22 Jun 2012 09:00:00 -0500 The Living Building Challenge Just about every architect, and many clients, are familiar with LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), a green building certification system that uses a checklist to determine a numerical measure of a building's performance, on a scale from Certified to Platinum. Its critics point out, among other things, that the system stops well short of fostering truly sustainable architecture, where a building is an integral part of its ecosystem.

Enter the Living Building Challenge (LBC), a certification program overseen by the International Living Future Institute. The LBC challenges architects, clients, and their consultants to achieve truly and holistically sustainable buildings. Since the Challenge started in 2009 only three buildings have achieved "Living" status--meaning they meet all of the program's rigorous requirements: the Tyson Living Learning Center in Eureka, MO; the Omega Center for Sustainable Living in Rhinebeck, NY; and the Hawaii Preparatory Academy Energy Laboratory in Waimea, HI (pictured).

It's no surprise then that the LBC is the 2012 recipient of the Buckminster Fuller Challenge, a $100,000 prize given by the Buckminster Fuller Institute (BFI) "to support the development and implementation of a strategy that has
significant potential to solve humanity's most pressing problems." The LBC is certainly aligned with the BFI and Fuller's lifelong Character Approved efforts to improve the wellbeing of all inhabitants of "Spaceship Earth."

[Image: Hawaii Preparatory Academy Energy Lab designed by Flansburgh Architects, by Matthew Millman © Flansburgh Architects]

]]> http://www.characterblog.com/2012/06/living-building-challenge.php http://www.characterblog.com/2012/06/living-building-challenge.php Architecture New Today Architecture Buckminster Fuller Challenge Living Building Challenge Fri, 22 Jun 2012 09:00:00 -0500 Fashion News: Trendspotting at the Resort 2013 Collections The resort collections are commonly referred to as the "in between" season, but there are still plenty of trends that emerge each year. Here are some styles to look out for from the recent Resort 2013 presentations:

Florals, florals, florals: The fashion community's love affair with all things flowery shows no sign of stopping, with everything from English garden florals at Jill Stuart to silk separates at Alberta Ferretti to lush, vibrant floral prints at Erdem.

Wildly feminine embellishment: Lace, embroidery, crystals--feminine accents played a big role in the collections this year. From a sheer black dress embellished with feathers and a jeweled neckline for night via DKNY to pleated grosgrain ribbon and lace at Temperley London, designers showed a penchant for all-out femininity, with an entire collection inspired by the court of the Sun King and all its lavish frivolity coming courtesy of Karl Lagerfeld at Chanel.

World inspiration: Travels and a global view influenced many of the season's gorgeous prints and color palettes. Bottega Veneta was inspired by the frescoes of Tiepolo and Veronese, Yigal Azrouel turned a photo of a paisley found at a flea market into a multifaceted collection, and Just Cavalli exploded with prints inspired by India.

Graphic black and white: A crisp combination that is ultimately flattering and incredibly easy, black and white were the centerpieces of some great prints seen at DKNY, St. John, Oscar de la Renta, and Temperley London.

Peach and mint green: Though vibrant color has yet to take a holiday, look for a softer sherbet palette to make its way to the runways and into your closets come next spring. Peach hues and a beautiful mint green were featured by Cut 25, Bottega Veneta, and Diesel Black Gold.

For creating a vision of spring and for ever-beautiful creations in which we live our lives, we salute the Resort 2013 collections and their designers. They are definitely Character Approved.

[Image: Boo George, courtesy of Style.com]

]]> http://www.characterblog.com/2012/06/fashion-news-trendspotting-at-the-resort-2013-collections.php http://www.characterblog.com/2012/06/fashion-news-trendspotting-at-the-resort-2013-collections.php Fashion New Today Chanel Diesel DKNY erdem fashion Just Cavalli resort 2013 Thu, 21 Jun 2012 08:30:00 -0500 Out in the Kitchen: Celebrating LGBT Pride Month LGBT Pride Month is celebrated every June to recognize the contributions of LGBT people around the world. And what's a celebration without food? This week, we honor Character Approved gay and lesbian chefs in restaurants (and food trucks) coast to coast. Check some of them out in the slide show below!

[Images: Melanie Burford/Special to The Chronicle, Dina Avila/Eater, Annisa, BBQ Bus, Nancy Leson/Seattle Times, TastyChomps]

]]> http://www.characterblog.com/2012/06/celebrating-lgbt-pride-month-out-in-the-kitchen.php http://www.characterblog.com/2012/06/celebrating-lgbt-pride-month-out-in-the-kitchen.php Food New Today Anita Lo Che and Tadd Rudell-Tabisola Christine Keff Elizabeth Falkner Gregory Gourdet LGBT Pride Month Mark Baratelli Wed, 20 Jun 2012 08:30:00 -0500