Eat Me Drink Me... Marilyn's Mansinthe

Ok, it doesn't exactly shock you that edgy Goth Shock-rocker Marilyn Manson has produced and marketed an absinthe liquor inspired by, well, himself. It seems to be the perfect gimmicky product for this artist to sell a libation that is supposed to induce hallucinations. What IS surprising, is the fact that this Switzerland-produced drink has impressed critics and won the gold medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. The official site promises this is the real thing, not the tourists "sans wormwood" version. The label featues his ethereal nightmarish artwork (a painting imagining himself as an old man). You can't exactly pick up a bottle at your local store too easily yet, as it isn't quite legal in the U.S. but it IS available online.

Dances of Vice...

Now for a little glamour this summer... Gorgeous club Dances of Vice hosts parties and an upcoming festival described as "Rococo, Victorian and Jazz Age Time Travel" where the guests are dressed exquisitely in period/theme garb. Everything about the ambience, atmosphere, etiquette and makeup are sexy as hell. The festival, which has a "Baron Munchausen" them this year, will feature fantasy fashion shows, art exhibits, baroque and neo-classical music. Don't miss the short plays inspired by the quotes of the Marquis de Sade... Even their website is beautiful!

Dark Shadows Coming to the Big Screen, Courtesy of Tim Burton

Yeah Baby! Tim Burton, one of my favorite film directors to bring stylish goth to the mainstream Hollywood is set to direct a film version of one of the best television series of the 1960's, Dark Shadows. This was a cult-hit soap opera that had romantic and sordid intrigue involving high society, vampires, monsters zombies AND werewolves. John August, (who wrote the screenplay for Tim Burton's fantastical 'Big Fish') will be the scribe for this film. While the project is set up by Johnny Depp's company, there are no confirmations that he'll star as the sexy Barnabus Collins... yet. Keep your fingers and fangs crossed!

Gothic Video Diva: Floria Sigismondi

How often in the overly commercial world of MTV are you awestruck by a piece of museum-quality video art?
Over the past few years, I have found that the most disturbing and stylish music clips I have watched all seem to be by the same director. Fabulously dark and Gothic, this amazing female director has created some of the best imagery that artists like Marilyn Manson (Tourniquet, The Beautiful People), The White Stripes (Blue Orchid), The Raconteurs (Broken Boy Soldier), David Bowie (Little Wonder) and Bjork could ever hope for.
A photographer and film artist, Floria Sigismondi's vision focuses on "hyper-surrealism" according to her biography, mixing photography with painterly aesthetics. She seems inspired by hallucinatory dream-states, the poetic and the macabre.

Get Your Corset and Cape Ready...

If you're in NYC before September 1, and looking for one of the most fabulous, fashionable and fun exhibits to land at the Met Museum in a long time, check out "Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy".
Curator Andrew Bolton and movie set designer Nathan Crowley ("Batman Begins" and "The Dark Knight") have put together a production that showcases "how the superhero is the overarching metaphor for fashion, because both share this obsession with the body, identity and transformation." according to Bolton.
The exhibits are organized into such themes as "The Graphic Body," "The Patriotic Body," "The Armored Body," and "The Mutantl Body," the mixes actual superheroes with the symbolism of their costumes with fashion designs of similar veins.
How often does the classic Metropolitan museum flaunt the fetishism of Catwoman with Dolce & Gabbana black corset gowns or Thierry Mugler PVC catsuits? How often do you get to see Spiderman couture with dresses by Jean Paul Gaultier, Julien Macdonald and John Galliano?

Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab

What a delectable find for my boudoir. The sexy and independent Black Phoenix Apothecary Labs creates high quality perfume blends for the dark seductress. Intoxicating scents like Absinthe, Ars Moriendi, and Diabolis are blended for you.
The website itself is a treat. It features lovely Gothic artwork from a range of artists as well as some of my favorite classics. Along with such luscious perfumes, the alchemists of Black Phoenix offer luxe cosmetics, jewellery and accompanying accessories.
Available online, at specialty boutiques, and oddly, the Whole Foods in Roswell, Georgia

Skull Print Toilet Paper

Now for the lowbrow... this one is just too funny. Now you can wipe your delicate hiney with Gothic distaste with this skull patterned toilet paper. A great conversation piece for your bathroom, (that is, if you hold conversations in the bathroom, either with others or yourself). If you are a VERY thorough entertainer at Halloween, Dia de los Muertos, or similarly morbid soiree, this would contribute nicely to the decor.