television

British Reality Show Focuses On The Darker Side of Luxury

Blood, Sweat, and Tears is the name of a new reality show on the BBC where six rich British teenagers are sent off to the third world countries to see and experience the truth that lurks behind the production of their favorite luxury goods. Off they go to Madagascar to head into the sapphire mines, where they toil away a shovel-ful at a time in an enormous open mine/pit in the desert for £1/day in wages. And there's no whining your way out of it, either -- those that can't hack the blisters, burns, and backaches are sent down into the closed mine, to search for gems in the dark where oxygen has to be pumped in by hand via plastic bag. Yuck.

I haven't been able to watch an episode yet (if you live in the UK you can watch them online here) but I like it -- educational for the kids, viewers, and consumers alike. It could really be eye opening, what do you think?

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Tags: luxury goods, reality tv, television, tv

The Television Easel from Restoration Hardware

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor, Gadgets

Bachelor pads and home theaters may be appropriate venues for making your flatscreen television the centerpiece of the room, but for those looking for something a little more original, a little more...artistic, Restoration Hardware offers this television easel.

Styled to look like an artist's easel, the flatscreen stand is crafted from mahogany, hand-lacquered, fitted with integrated storage for components and cables, and can accommodate screens up to 60 inches large. Plasma and LCD televisions that big don't come cheap, but then neither does this stand, at a nickel under a grand.

[via Gentleman's Gadgets]

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Tags: easel, flatscreen, flatscreen television, FlatscreenTelevision, lcd, plasma, restoration hardware, RestorationHardware, television, television easel, TelevisionEasel, tv easel, TvEasel

The BeoVision 4 From Bang & Olufsen: Rapture on the "Small" Screen for $112,000

by Jonathon Ramsey (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Gadgets

The New American Heritage dictionary defines the adjective "superlative" as: "Of the highest order, quality, or degree; superior to all others; 2. Excessive or exaggerated." The third entry should read "The BeoVision 4." The television from Bang & Olufsen presents these credentials: it spans 103 inches; the screen alone weighs 580 pounds, the floor-standing base adds another 600; when the BeoVision 4 isn't being viewed the screen lowers itself to the floor via dual gas shocks and actuators, hiding the center speaker; sixteen years of research have gone into it; oh, and it costs $112,000.

Luxist recently took a trip to Beverly Hills Aston Martin to get a good look at just how much TV you could get for the price of an Aston Martin V8 Vantage. The story is here.

Gallery: Bang & Olufsen BeoVision 4

Tags: bang and olufsen, bang olufsen, BangAndOlufsen, BangOlufsen, beovision, beovision 4, Beovision4, electronics, gadget, gadgets, television

Continue reading “The BeoVision 4 From Bang & Olufsen: Rapture on the "Small" Screen for $112,000”

Trendy Store To Star In Reality TV Show

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

The popular Fred Segal store in Santa Monica, California will be the setting for a new reality series on the Bravo channel. The show will document the daily drama at the store covering the fashion-centered lives of the sales team as they cater to the upper class shoppers. The show will likely feature cameos by a few celebrities who make their way into the store for a little shopping. Fred Segal opened the Santa Monica store in 1985 and the store is still owned by the Segal family who will appear on the show.

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Tags: fashion, fred segal, FredSegal, reality tv, RealityTv, santa monica, SantaMonica, television

Simon Cowell Installs Private Tanning Salon in New $22 Million Mansion

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates, Wealth

TV star Simon Cowell obviously hasn't been much affected by the credit crunch; he's installing a private tanning salon in his brand new $22 million Beverly Hills mansion (above) so he can maintain the perfect bronzed appearance, the London Daily Mail reports. The paper got an exclusive look at plans for the lavish 11,550-sq.-ft. estate, which is due to be completed next week, and they revealed a solarium off the master bedroom complete with one full-length tanning machine and a smaller "booster" facial tanner. Cowell, 49, is reportedly worth $190 million.

He bought the property for $12 million nearly two years ago but razed the original structure to build what he has called his "dream home," the paper reports. The new modern mansion has 24-ft. tall windows in the living rooms with sweeping views over Los Angeles. Neighbors include Tom Cruise, Madonna, Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne and Victoria and David Beckham. "I've been involved in every aspect of the design of the new place, right down to the doorknobs," Cowell tells the paper. "I have other houses but this is my dream home."

Cowell and his ex-girlfriend Terri Seymour, who will have her own suite at the house, visited the property last weekend in his Bugatti Veyron and he later returned in his black Bentley convertible, the paper reports. The five-bedroom mansion also features a state-of-the-art gym in the basement, a luxury spa complete with wet steam room, and an indoor lap pool in addition to the solarium. The property has a separate staff quarters containing a servants' kitchen, and a source tells the paper Cowell will have a live-in butler and maid.

Other features of the estate include a custom-made media room with a marble bar area and plush leather seating for 20 in a private cinema. The pool cabana has a retractable roof, wet bar and changing rooms and there is a putting green at the rear of the property. Cowell s also building a $13 million vacation home in Barbados. His main UK property is an $11 million house in London's upscale Holland Park. He also owns a villa in Spain and a $1.5 million investment property on the Palm Jumeirah island in Dubai.

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Tags: Beverly Hills, BeverlyHills, celebrity, Los Angeles, LosAngeles, mansion, Simon Cowell, SimonCowell, television

"Moment of Luxury" on PBS, with Bill Stubbs

by Lisa Palladino (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor, Estates, Luxury Travel & Hotels, Services, Art, Garden

William (Bill) Stubbs, a Houston-based designer and one of Architectural Digest's top 100 designers, shares his knowledge and philosophy in 13 half-hour episodes of the new PBS series A Moment of Luxury. Presented nationally by WLIW New York, the series premiered nationwide this month (check local listings for your channel and broadcast time). Its aim is to make "the experience of luxury -- excellence, comfort and high quality -- accessible at any budget with transformational tips inspired by international locales and top experts. The website has lots to read, such as an episode guide, a list of Stubbs' travels and of course, a blog, so you can "create your own interaction with luxury." Don't we all want that?

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Tags: Bill Stubbs, BillStubbs, interior design, InteriorDesign, pbs, television, travel, tv

The Samsung and Armani HDTV

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Gadgets

Armani and Samsung have collaborated again, this time on a premium HDTV design. Revealed for the first time at the opening of the Milan International Furniture Fair. Combining cutting edge technology from Samsung with cutting edge design from Giorgio Armani, this is one sleek 1080p LCD television. Available in 46" and 52" sizes the tv itself is pretty basic looking (although I'm sure it has a more than "basic looking" picture) but the remote control sounds like it puts on quite the light show with "a full range of radiant backlights." Plus there's a smaller pebble-shaped remote for basic functions. Look for the smaller tv model to launch first (in Europe) this summer, with the 52" quickly following.

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Tags: armani, gadget, gadgets, giorgio armani, GiorgioArmani, hdtv, lcd, samsung, television, tv

Sunbrite 46-Inch Outdoor Television

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Gadgets

Just how big a television do you need when you are outside? I've mentioned the SunBrite outdoor televisions before but their new model brings a new level of hugeness to your outdoor viewing experience. The company will be showing off a 46-inch HD-ready all-weather television at the CEDIA Expo in September. The new model has an airflow system that keeps the unit cool in temperatures up to 122ºdegrees F and a heater that allows the the TV to safely remain outdoors in temperatures as low as -24º F. It can be used with a variety of mounts including a deck/planter pole mount that for use on a patio or pool deck. The 4600HD sells for $4995.

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Tags: hd tv, outdoor television, sunbrite, television

Mirror Collage Plasma TV Cabinet

by Sandy Maple (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor, Gadgets

Some plasma televisions are works of art in and of themselves and to hide them would be a shame. But most aren't so fabulous and are better kept out of sight when not in use. There are lots of clever ways to conceal a flat-screen television - I've seen them behind panels, paintings and drapes as well as inside pop-up entertainment centers. But as far as a remedy to the unsightly black hole of the television, this one gets points for creativity. Wood-framed beveled mirrors of different sizes overlap in an artful arrangement that not only hides your flat-screen television, but adds light and space to your room. The overall dimensions are 71"W x 11"D x 51" and the cabinet will accommodate most 50" plasma televisions. $4649.

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Tags: beveled, cabinet, collage, decor, flat screen, FlatScreen, horchow, mirror, plasma, television, tv, tv cabinet, TvCabinet, wall cabinet, WallCabinet, wood

New Icelink Watches

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

The latest watches from Icelink offer a alternative to the blinding all-diamond face of their six time zone watch. The Senator collection for women features watches like the one seen on the left which is stainless steel with 3.50 ct. of Diamonds on the bezel and crowns. The watch has a red dial and a crocodile band and sells for $14,900.
Even more understated is the watch on the right from the men's Ambassador collection which is stainless steel with a carbon fiber dial and a crocodile leather band and sells for $3,500. Icelink has also launched a line of ceramic, stainless steel and ceramic jewelry.

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Tags: diamonds, icelink, television, timepiece, watch, wristwatch

Bang & Olufsen BeoVision 8

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Gadgets

The BeoVision 8 TV is designed to be beautiful and versatile at the same time, and is designed to appeal to the "every day" needs of its target market. It's a compact LCD TV that's just as happy on the floor as it is in a more formal entertainment center or on your computer desk. It has a hidden built-in speaker capable of putting out the quality sound you expect from Bang & Olufsen, along with a picture that looks good in difficult lighting (sunlight included!) thanks to a new high-glare surface and low-reflection coating. It also has both a low light transmission and a high black level for an awesome LCD screen. Everything is integrated, which makes the BeoVision 8 easy to move around, to where ever the summer takes you.

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Tags: bang, bang and olufsen, BangAndOlufsen, olufsen, t.v., television, tv

Vidikron 65-Inch Plasma Television

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Gadgets

The evolution of plasma televisions which provide theater-like experiences continues onward with the introduction of the huge 65-inch Vidikron VP-6500VHD television. It has 1920 x 1080 (1080p) resolution and is the first plasma display to achieve THX certification for video quality and performance. This is important for those looking to approximate the cinema experience at home. It also has Vidikron's IntelliWide™ mode which allows for viewing of all 4:3 content in a 16:9 widescreen format, filling the entire 65-inch screen without appreciable picture degradation. It has a brushed anodized aluminum frame but is also available with a black frame. The VP-6500VHD sells for $19,995.

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Tags: home theater, plasma, television, vidikron

Periscope Sliding TV Stand

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor

Now that just about everyone has gotten their paws on a flatscreen television the furniture options to display them are getting increasingly interesting. Check out this new piece from Mobelform, a company that knows a lot about furniture that does more than just sit there and look pretty. The Periscope TV stand has a remote-controlled height adjustment so that your TV can slide up and down the length of the TV stand. A cable manager on the back takes care of the unsightly stuff and it has a shelf for extra components. It sells for $6,580.

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Tags: flatscreen, mobelform, television, tv stand

Live Like Jack Bauer

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Gadgets, Timepieces / Watches

If you're a fan of the hit show 24, you know exactly how cool Jack Bauer is. He saves the world many times over in every season and kicks some serious bad-guy ass while doing it. For the sake of health and sanity, watching Jack Bauer's life is far safer than trying to live it, but living like him is certainly possible. Uncrate has a guide to living like Jack, so that you can get some of the perks from being one of the most dangerous people in the country without any risk to life or limb. Must-haves include the Special Ops Watch ($450) that was once available only to military personnel, a "Jack Pack" messenger bag ($19) and a Motorola i880 ($250) with antimicrobial coating for safeguarding against germ warfare.

Medical insurance, though less glamorous than the above items, is probably also a good idea.

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Tags: 24, apparel, gear, jack bauer, JackBauer, special ops, television, tv, watch

Ultimate Swivel Room Divider

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor

Wall dividers are ideal for separating large spaces into smaller, more manageable areas that are easier to put to use, as well as to decorate. The Ultimate Swivel Room Divider is an amazing piece of furniture that not only allows for a stylish division of space, but also provides something that is more than just decorative. The wall has space for a flat panel TV to be attached on one side or a rotating panel and a shelf/drawer storage system on the other. At the touch of a button, a pneumatic cylinder is activated to rotate the panel. It is made of engineered wood with Java Matte and high-gloss white lacquer finishes. The entire unit measures 96" W x 24" D x 84.5" H. Price: $3,600.