Claire Zulkey

Comedians pay tribute to 'Free to be... you and me'

By: Claire Zulkey | Nov. 20, 2012

Nov. 20, 2012

Rob Kutner, a Conan writer and friend of Zulkey, is the co-creator of a new comedy project, It’s OK To Do Stuff, an album that pays tribute to Marlo Thomas’ Free To Be… You And Me. That classic album celebrates its 40th anniversary this month, and like the original, It’s Okay To Do Stuff features appearances by comics, actors and musicians like Lizzy Caplan, Eddie Pepitone, Andy Richter, Fred Willard, Megan Amram, Eugene Mirman, Colin Hanks, The Go-Go’s Jane Wiedlin, former Barenaked Ladies’ front man Steven Page and others. original. Proceeds from the album will be donated to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. I asked Rob to tell me about one of his favorite tracks, "Friends of Friends," which you can listen to here. 

Rob says: 

Going into this project with my collaborators, Joel and Stephen Levinson, I had a couple of hazy notions of what songs I wanted off the bat. But once that was quickly exhausted, we reached that first creative plateau.

…Read Full Entry

Inevitably, it's Brad Pitt

By: Claire Zulkey | Nov. 19, 2012

Nov. 19, 2012

I knew that Brad Pitt had a goofball Chanel commercial going around that everyone was mocking but I wasn’t aware until I saw this ad that apparently the whole campaign is called “Inevitable.”

The title of the campaign is another misstep in Chanel’s marketing. I’m pretty sure the company didn’t set out to create a set of ads that would be made fun of, but there you go. And now there is an added word that further fails to convince us that Brad Pitt is someone from whom we want to buy perfume.

“Inevitable” doesn’t read like two sexy planets drawn together by their gravitational fields. Instead, “inevitable” reads like someone groaning as they see Brad Pitt approaching from across the room at a party. You could replace “Inevitable” with other negative-sounding taglines like “Unavoidable,” “Inescapable” or “Mandatory.” "Uggh, inevitably, it’s Brad Pitt," you might say. "Quick, look away. Did he see us? Crap."

…Read Full Entry

Jack Passion, award-winning beard-owner

By: Claire Zulkey | Nov. 16, 2012

Nov. 16, 2012

…Read Full Entry

New moms apologize – a lot

By: Claire Zulkey | Nov. 15, 2012

Nov. 15, 2012

I know some people think of new mothers as smug, self-satisfied creatures who know what they’ve done is amazing and the rest of the world is irrelevant, but that hasn’t been the case in my experience. New moms apologize. A lot. Sorry about the way I look. Sorry, the house is a mess. Sorry my stroller is so big. Sorry the baby just spit up. Sorry the baby is crying. Sorry if the way I feed my baby might offend you. Sorry, I just forgot what I was going to say because THE BABY ATE MY BRAIN! Aargh! I’m not myself, as you can see. Sorry.

…Read Full Entry

How to have an affair

By: Claire Zulkey | Nov. 14, 2012

Nov. 14, 2012

Ruinous affairs! Everyone’s having them. Here are some tips on how to have an affair and not have it ruin your life:

Don’t be famous or be involved with a famous person. If you need to have an affair for whatever reason, either de-famous yourself or find a “regular” person to have an affair with. This way, if when you get caught, far fewer people will know about it and the likelihood of your name trending on Twitter will be much lower. Also, don’t go on The Daily Show to talk about the book you wrote about the person with whom you are having an affair.

On that note, don’t ever take a picture of your genitals or anything that resembles genitals or even a guy named Richard.

Don’t send any emails to your mistress/mister. They will be found. And if they are found and you didn’t obey Point 1, they will be published on Gawker.

…Read Full Entry

List: My mom's Thanksgiving dinner menu

By: Claire Zulkey | Nov. 13, 2012

Nov. 13, 2012
Pomegranate, Beet & Mandarin Orange Salad

Mini Sparkling Cranberry Muffins
Pumpkin Bread
Apple Bread

Roast Turkey
Mashed Potato Casserole with Chives
Our Favorite Cornbread Stuffing
Praline Sweet Potato Casserole
Brussels Sprouts Lardon
Apricot Bourbon Roasted Carrots
Maple Cranberry Sauce
Chocolate Truffle Tart
Cranberry Shortbread Squares

 

…Read Full Entry

'Baby Art': Starring baby

By: Claire Zulkey | Nov. 9, 2012

Nov. 9, 2012

Here's a palate-cleanser from yesterday's rather earnest post about maternity leave and whatnot. Made by my husband, Steve Delahoyde, starring Baby.

…Read Full Entry

The ups and downs of maternity leave

By: Claire Zulkey | Nov. 8, 2012

Nov. 8, 2012

First, let's get something out of the way: the phrase “having it all” needs to be terminated, wiped off the planet or made illegal. It’s pure gobbledeygook nonsense, like “losing weight and eating everything you want.” Unless you actively dislike your child or you absolutely have no professional or creative ambitions beyond raising a child, it’s simply impossible for a woman (or man) to "have it all." Taking care of a kid means time away from other things and vice versa.

Right after I had the baby I congratulated my husband and myself on our equal partnership. He was right there alongside me feeding the baby, changing him, going to the doctor’s, everything. None of this too-good-for-a-poopy-diaper, you-get-up-instead-of-me stuff. It was great. I felt bad for women who had caveman partners.

But then he went back to work and I stayed on maternity leave.

There are a lot of great parts about maternity leave: Being able to wear sweatpants all day and catch up on TV; time to do the dishes and the laundry; being there for the baby.

…Read Full Entry

Pages