What do Anna Nicole Smith, the Mexican drug cartel, and Ian McEwan’s tragic love story Atonement have in common? No, we’re not referring to the betrayal, dysfunction or even the class-driven drama of these high profile debacles - although, all three certainly share these “attributes.” We’re talking about opera. Believe it or not, all are inspirations for current – or soon to come – operatic productions. Contraband and Betrayal, the narcocorrido-based tale of one female drug smuggler's journey across the border and killing of her lover is currently on run in Mexico City. Anna Nicole: The Opera written by the guy behind the Jerry Springer opera, will premiere at the Royal Opera House in London in 2011, and Craig Raine's reinterpretation of McEwan's Atonement will hit the stage in 2013 at a yet-unnamed German opera house.

They are not your average married couple. The dynamic and outspoken duo that call themselves House of Diehl has a daughter, a party-filled life in New York City, and an avant-garde fashion company. Roman and Mary Jo have redefined the American dream and cultivated their own cutting-edge vision of what life and fashion mean. To them, life is fashion, especially when it's deconstructed and made into something revolutionary. Roman and MJ have taken their high-energy, one-of-a-kind show, Style Wars, on the road, dazzling fashionistas, style mavens, celebs and plain old party people across four continents. Style Wars kicks off with a whole new season of Scotch Tape binding, safety pin fastening, and jewel bedazzling this November. After watching the duo give a lecture on “how to cheapen your couture” at an event they call Glambulance at 92YTribeca in downtown Manhattan, they sat down with me for a vibrantly colorful chat.

After-hours house parties in the Hollywood Hills are infamous the world over, and nightlife aficionados Tony Daly and David Judaken considered just that while outlining the concept behind LA hot spot, MyHouse. Co-owner Daly talks fully-functioning ovens and bathtubs in a nightclub where soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo stops by to douse crowds with six-liter bottles of champagne.

So good, you’ll want to skip the movie.