New York Magazine Spotlight: Jonna Humphries

My girl Jonna is making serious moves in life...props and respect. Fresh from the goog-inbox I present to you two literary pieces by Jonna published by New York Magazine! I'm ampin it but shorty did her thing, you may know her from her company College Pros, and now you know her as a journalist for NY Mag. Peep a few of her articles after the teleport, and make sure you look out for the College Pros website launch coming soon.


Enjoy:

Nigel Barker Is Saving Seal Hunters From Themselves (Not in a Vain Way)

Couldn't you just die?Photo: WireImage

Nigel Barker's latest humanitarian effort is saving the baby seals in northern Canada who are hunted annually, legally, and brutally for their fur. He blames the Canadians, who allow the hunts, and the Norwegians, who own 90 percent of seal processing plants in Canada, for the plight of the darling creatures. He told Gothamist earlier this week, "'[I]f the demand goes down, then the supply [has no nowhere to go]. If we can't stop the Canadians, we can try to stop the Norwegians.'" Last night at the opening party for the photography exhibit "A Sealed Fate" (which documents the seal pups at birth) he said that comment sparked a lot of backlash. "Oh they hate it," he said. "The backlash is one thing — you’re always going to have commentary. I get backlash when I vote a girl off of America’s Next Top Model, you know? I've got people that are angry with me, but this is very important. These animals have no one. I saw this with my own eyes. I was there and I watched what was going on. And quite frankly, all those young men that have seen this — it’s extraordinarily dehumanizing. Their job is go out to a small animal and whack it over the head with a club. And quite frankly, I think I’m doing them a favor."

Barker visited the seals for the birth and the hunt. The preceding Humane Society spokesperson on this matter, Paul McCartney, only went to the birth. "A lot of people can’t do it because it’s [hard] visually seeing it. And I’m a young guy. He’s older than me and it’s just different. You can only be out there for like five hours at a time. It’s brutal," Barker explained. "It’s not a vanity project. It isn’t about that. It’s so much about what can we do, what difference can I make." On to, well, more cheerful topics, Barker has a baby on the way! A little girl, actually. We just had to know if, if Brangelina-type bidding by the tabloids ensues for the first photos of the new bundle of joy, he plans to share them with the world. "It’s impossible not to," he replied. "Just the other day we were walking down the street and people see you and take photographs of you. I don’t mind it." —Jonna Humphries

Christian Siriano on ‘ANTM,’ ‘Project Runway,’ and Fashion Week

Brilliant after all.Photo: Getty Images

We weren't sure that Christian Siriano belonged on the list of the world's great creative thinkers, but after talking to him at the opening of Nigel Barker's photography exhibit "A Sealed Fate" last night, we can confirm with 100 percent certainty that he's at least in the top ten. We were chatting, naturally, about America's Next Top Model, when Siriano unleashed his creative thunder. "I don't see everything but I've seen a lot of fashion challenges and I think it would be fun to mix a little Project Runway in there," he said. "I think they should have the girls make their own clothes. They should totally do the runway and they have to put together the whole show by themselves. Like, you know, do everything with like stage set up, everything." You mean— "Project Runway Top Model," he said. Gasp! The thought gave us hot flashes.

But speaking of Runway, what does Siriano think of the current season? "Project Runway? It sucks." He wasn't impressed that the producers pulled the Gristedes card for the first challenge. "I just think it could've been a little more innovative. I actually think that some of the pieces were really creative. But last night's challenge — I thought the clothes were horrific. I think the talent level isn't close to some of the talent and designs we had on my season." Siriano says he's met some of the contestants personally (we're guessing that means he appears in this season) and finds them "interesting," but fears they're more interested in getting famous than showing their designs (coughBlaynecough). "I can't listen to somebody say 'licious' all day long to get it popular. It's not funny to me. I really just can't hear that."

Siriano is also hard at work for Fashion Week! He's showing a full collection on September 11, and has been preparing for it over the past few months (he does his production in midtown, so, you know, keep 'em peeled). "I've been working hard, have a little team together," he said. "It's gonna be a big show!" —Jonna Humphries