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In the Kodak

Music venues always look bigger on the tube, don’t they? Believe it or not, we’d never been inside the Kodak Theatre until this past Friday, when the Boost Mobile RockCorps took it over for a concert, and we were shocked at how small the ornate space — where the Academy Awards are held — feels. Maybe it just seemed that way because we were cramped in between so many rowdy dancing mobs and sweaty T-shirts: Rock and hip-hop fans donated four hours of community service to attend the free show featuring +44 (Blink-182 minus 1), Young Jeezy, Rise Against, The Game (with guest Xzibit) and Korn. Host Nick Cannon was a spaz as usual, pumping up the kids with his Wild ’N Out–style shout-outs, and he even attempted to DJ at one point, asking the crowd who were the more hardcore fans, hip-hop or rock, as he spun. We were sure the rap rousers would be louder, but alas, there’s something about “Smells Like Teen Spirit” (which he played for the rockers) that makes people go like crazy. Still, onstage we gotta give it to the rappers. Korn’s rhythmic drum spectacle was entertaining, but only hip-hop makes people throw their hands in the air like they just don’t care. Word.

{mosimage}In the Pink

Project Runway winner Jeffrey Sebelia showcased his latest Cosa Nostra designs at the labyrinthine 2121 Lofts downtown last Wednesday (see full coverage in the A Considerable Town section), but it was another Jeff who captured our attention for most of the evening: Internet pet Jeffree Star. Though he got lots of ink in this pub a couple of weeks ago, we can’t resist giving him more, especially after we heard about Buzznet.com’s recent “Queen Needs a Princess Contest,” which flew one winner (from Syracuse) out to L.A. for a day of femme-licious fun with Star. Flashing his gold-and-diamond Paul Wall–crafted grill, Star told us he took the female fan to all his favorite spots: Sanrio, Sephora, MAC and — no surprise — Pinkberry. During the runway show, I sat in the front row next to the makeup maven and his cohort Clint Catalyst, who helped fill us in on the buzz around Buzznet. Yeah, it’s another social-networking, pop-culture and music-news site, but what makes it different are the media capabilities. Catalyst began filming the fashionista flurry around us on his celly, and with the click of a button — presto — the footage was up on the Buzznet site. Web whores galore are migrating from MySpace (Buzznet’s next contest, called “Are You the Most Scene,” pits ’em against each other in a digital-photo war of style and social stamina). Looks like the site might just do to MySpace what Tom and Co. did to Friendster. Cyber-karma’s a bitch…

In the Bag

We met another Buzznet “personality,” shutterbug-about-town (yes, there are many) Rony of “Rony’s Photobooth,” on Saturday at Avalon, where Betsey Johnson’s Betseyville handbag line lured hundreds of babes in babydoll dresses with the promise of a “$3,000 Betseyville purse giveaway.” Random gals were selected throughout the night to receive the adorable carryalls, and even a few guys got some. DJ Skeet Skeet (hangin’ with Rony after warming up the decks for Samantha Ronson) scored a pretty floral number. “I’m gonna get some ass,” he replied when we asked what he was going to do with it. “Nah, seriously, I’m going to give it to my mom.” Cute, though the countless chickees who came up to him asking how he got it probably didn’t think so. See Dance Clubs for info on Avalon’s next fashion fete.

In the Dollhouse

In other TV news: American Idol might be more of a guilty pleasure than ever thanks to Sanjaya Malakar, but the kid’s revolving hairdos got nothin’ on the shame factor of watching sexed-up trash like I Love New York, The Bad Girls Club and The Search for the Next Pussycat Doll, the latter of which was a “must see” until one of our favorite local punkettes was told to “turn in her boa.” Finalist Sisely Treasure, singer for bubblegum rawk babes The Holograms, was eliminated for being “too different” and “too Debbie Harry” last week. Funny, Robin Antin’s original Pussycat Dolls were very much an L.A. rock-club phenom before they became record-company-manufactured pop puppets. We remember seeing Carmen Electra front the dance troupe at the Viper Room in the mid-’90s, around the same time the burlesque scene was literally busting out here. Christina Aguilera and Gwen Stefani are just a couple of the starlets who vamped it up onstage during its Roxy residency, and with those successful sistas up front, we almost bought the Dolls’ whole female-empowerment spiel. Not so on the show, which is filled with sniveling teens and 20-somethings who seem to find it challenging to sing and act slutty at the same time. Treasure donned the belly tops and push-up bras with the rest of the ho(peful)s, but this flame-haired pixie had a spunk that made for some entertaining catfights. She brought one girl to tears after telling her she danced like a drag queen. But, uh, with the Dolls’ caked-on make-up and barely-there frocks, isn’t that kinda what they look like? Meow…

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