Royal-watchers, at your marks: Cartier International Polo Day is this Sunday, and aside from all those people riding around a field on horses, the event is sure to be packed with glitterati from around the world, including those whose families happen to own castles. Held at the Guards Polo Club in Windsor Great Park, the oh-so-British event sees the UK’s top players vying for prizes like the Coronation Cup and the Golden Jubilee Trophy. There’s no time like the present to break out your fanciest hat.
Cartier International Polo Day takes place on Sunday, July 25..
Manhattan may be home to some of the most important cultural institutions in the world, but until this week it was missing something crucial: Target. This glaring retail wrong will finally be righted this week with the opening of a brand new Target in Harlem, the first New York branch not relegated to the Bronx or Brooklyn. In honor of the milestone, the store will debut new designs by Ruben and Isabel Toledo, Marcus Samuelsson, and Stephen Burrows inspired by the vibrant history and culture of the megastore’s new neighborhood. And, as if additional incentive to shop was required, 5 percent of sales for the new fashion lines will go to non-profits chosen by the designers. For those who can’t make it to the grand opening, all the new designs will hit shelves online and in stores nationwide starting on August 1.
Target opens the doors of its Harlem location on Sunday, July 25. The Toledo and Samuelsson collections will be available nationwide online beginning on Sunday August 1.
Just on the heels of the All-Star Game, baseball has another opportunity to honor its greats with its annual Hall of Fame weekend. This time around sees Andre Dawson, Doug Harvey, and Whitey Herzog joining the ranks of Babe Ruth and Joe DiMaggio with their induction into the National Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. Awards will also be presented to longtime sports journalists Bill Madden of the New York Daily News and Jon Miller of ESPN. Don’t you feel like picking up a box of Cracker Jacks and heckling some umpires? It
is America’s favorite pastime, after all.
Andre Dawson, Doug Harvey, and Whitey Herzog will be inducted into the
National Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday, July 25.
Absurdistan author Gary Shteyngart has given readers a vision of the not-too-distant future in his latest novel,
Super Sad True Love Story, depicting a future where everyone communicates via devices that make iPhones look like relics and run their lives through a social networking site called GlobalTeen. At the center of the story is an unlikely romance between Lenny Abramov, a nervous, self-conscious, aging middle-aged man and the much younger object of his affections, Eunice Park. Predictably the pair faces a generation gap exacerbated by their world of excess technology, leaving room for Shteyngart to show off his acid talent for satire that still manages to be funny and even, dare we say it, touching.
Super Sad True Love Story is available starting on Tuesday, July 27.
Gary Shteyngart isn’t the only author looking to the future in his latest work. This week also sees the release of Rick Moody’s
The Four Fingers of Death, set in a similarly bleak 2025. This mammoth 730-page book follows a series of unlikable characters in pursuits as diverse as screenwriting, stem cell research, and an attempted mission to Mars, with none of them giving much hope for the human condition. The
Los Angeles Times rightly describes Moody as “cynical, in a cowboy sort of way,” but his cynicism is more smart than it is bitter, making Moody’s version of the future irresistible in spite of itself.
Rick Moody’s
The Four Fingers of Death hits stores on Wednesday, July 28.
Although it’s been well over a century since Dutch post-Impressionist Vincent van Gogh ended his own life, his work, largely underappreciated during his short 37 years, has gone on to become some of the most important pieces of modern art. As the 120th anniversary of his death approaches on Thursday, it’s time to once again celebrate the man who lived less than four decades, but has inspired future generations of artists.
Vincent van Gogh died 120 years ago on Thursday, July 29.
Shrouded in secrecy and security. Held in an undisclosed location. Attended by an international roster of high-powered financiers and policy makers via a tightly controlled guest list. No, it’s not a top-secret conference on national security—it’s Chelsea Clinton’s wedding. The nuptials for the most low-key member of the Clinton family (not that she has a lot of competition there) have become the social event of the year for D.C. and New York elite, and this week she’ll finally tie the knot with investment banker Marc Mezvinsky at a ceremony in Rhinebeck, New York. Even with plans kept tightly under wraps and promises from Bill that he’ll keep a low profile, the wedding has led to massive amounts of
speculation and even the
arrest of two over-eager reporters. What we do know: given a
reported guest list of 400 including power players from Ted Turner to Oprah to financial guru Terry McAuliffe, major kudos must go to whoever handled the seating chart for the reception.
Chelsea Clinton and Marc Mezvinsky will say their “I Dos” in Rhinebeck, New York on July 31.
Though it has only been around for a quarter century, Pixar has established itself as the leading CGI animation studio. Now, the Oakland Museum of California is honoring the studio located just a few miles down the road with a new exhibition.
PIXAR: 25 Years of Animation showcases the incredible amount of behind-the-scenes work on the wildly popular animated films, from the recently rejuvenated
Toy Story franchise to the Oscar-winning taste of
Ratatouille to the deep-sea search in
Finding Nemo. The exhibition, which includes 500 drawings, paintings, and sculptures from Pixar artists, is settling near its home base this week. The show is fresh off its five-year international tour after an initial presentation at New York’s Museum of Modern Art, but is now bigger and better. “We're thrilled to see this
greatly enhanced version of the exhibition come to our hometown museum and practically a neighbor,” said John Lasseter, Chief Creative Officer of Pixar. “Most people don't realize that many Pixar artists work in traditional media-drawing, painting, pastels, and sculpture—as well as in digital media… It is wonderful to revisit the craftsmanship of Pixar artists.”
Pixar: 25 Years of Animation opens at the Oakland Museum of California on Saturday, July 31.
