You may have noticed -- hopefully, you noticed -- SmartShanghai.com is undergoing a redesign of our webpage, both in terms of the looks of the thing and how the content is organized.

First things first: you might be experiencing problems with the SmSh iPhone app. Damn, sorry about that. iPhone users, please bear with us for the new app to come out -- version 1.2.1 -- in 2-3 days. Alternatively, if you need it, like, RIGHT NOW, you can buy it again, moneybags. But yeah, 2-3 days and that will be all cleared up.

Again, we're very sorry for the inconvenience.

An onto the site in general: as we transfer all the old stuff into the new version, there's going to be some dead links as we clear up the code. Rest assured, we're working to get that fixed up.

Thanks very much for your continued support! After we've cleared up the transfer, we'll talk a bit more about new features and services and stuff. Which will be a fascinating, we assure you.

They can take David Laris' namesake restaurant, but they'll be prying Martini Night from his cold, dead hands. That's right, people, Laris is bringing the ever-popular Thursday Martini Nights to Yucca, his newly-opened Mexican micro-lounge in the Sinan Mansions.

...Who didn't see this coming?

And to lure all the "beautiful regulars from the old Laris Vault Bar" they've got a pretty sweet deal for the rest of the month: 25rmb for select Martinis.

A profile of local film maker Miguel Bustamante has been posted at CreativeHunt, in conjunction with the ongoing series on local directors taking part in Lazy Susan Productions' The Shanghai Portrait Project.

Click here to watch Shanghai and Motion, and to read an interview with Miguel discussing his film.

For more on the Shanghai Portraits Project, have a look at this article right here.

Awesomeness.

***

And with Miguel, that concludes the CreativeHunt feature series on the first directors of The Shanghai Portraits Project. SmSh and CreativeHunt offer our sincere congratulates the film makers on their fine work, and to Lazy Susan for putting it all together.

Click on the links to re-watch the films and re-read the interviews with the directors.

• Gianpaolo Lupori's Roving Dreams
• Michael Beets' pei ying and zu wei
• Victor Bastidas' Shanghai Delights
• Miguel Bustamante's Shanghai in Motion

Quadruple awesomeness.

The new issue of big expat mag Shanghai Talk is out there on the streets, an iridescent and resplendent beacon of city knowledge and ponderous intellectual diversion.

Their cover story this is on architect IM Pei, the most important architect to emerge from China this century. That ties in with their yearly list itemizing the movers and shakers in the PRC in 2010. These are "the people who mattered" in 2010, whether their respective fields be politics, sport, entertainment, culture or the saving the environment or whatever.

New York-based fashion "It girl", Charlotte Ronson, is featured in their Style TALK section this month, fresh from a trip to Shanghai, where she opened her first China store in Lujiazui's IFC Mall. They've also got info on Christmas in Shanghai all sorted, so you don't blow it.

Shanghai Talk: pedal to the medal to round out 2010.

Atta girl.

I never really bought into this idea that Twitter and SMS technology were turning written English abbreviated alphanumeric transmissions. Perhaps I was wrong. Reviews this week were succint to say the least. One user distilled his thoughts into seven bullet points. Cha's inspired only five sentences from another user. Still another user could only muster up 66 words about Lost Heaven. jasperaldo, however, gave us a veritable treatise on Stiller's that drilled down into the finer points of risotto and beef cheeks. For your thorough appraisal, jasperaldo, we present to you two bottles of wine and a 100rmb membership/wine machine card courtesy of The Wine Way.

If you're at a loss as to where to do your holiday shopping, Paulaner Braeuhaus on Fenyang Lu has got you sorted. Their Christkindlmarkt happens this weekend and this weekend only. They'll be selling all manner of Yuletide goodies like cakes and candies as well as Christmas cards, ornaments and even real Christmas trees. And of course they serve German Gluehwein. For details click here.

Sad news, folks: The Nut on Kanding Lu will soon be no longer. That’s right, 1147 Kanding Lu is joining the ranks of countless of buildings Shanghai-wide and is facing imminent demolition.

At last night’s preview of the space’s super new show, Shanghai Express, organizer Martino Butti was undeterred: “The Nut became a community more than a venue, so we’re sure we can continue our mission – there’s lots of possibilities in Shanghai”. Hoorah!

The current exhibition is well worth a visit in its own right, but also to say farewell to the much-loved Kanding Lu site, big red thing and all. These particular events have proven themselves to be a hard nut to crack, if you will; look out for more arty parties from The Nut II in early 2011.

OZNZ, that strange, rowdy rec center-pub hybrid is under new ownership and the plan is to radically revamp it. The first order of business will be to remove NZ from the end and add a "The" at the beginning. Next, they're going to remodel the interior. According to bar manager Tom Diamond, the decor and atmosphere will be a departure from the "frat house" vibe it was known for. The air hockey and foosball tables will be replaced with a pool table and a dance floor and there will be an initial opening on Christmas Day. Then next year in February they'll re-open the upstairs portion as a bar specializing in imported craft brews. Fortunately, prices will still remain relatively low, but the aim is to attract a slightly more sophisticated demographic that, in Diamond's words, is "more mature and actually likes to sit in a bar that's nice."

Free stuff! Local bass happy DJ collective Sub-Culture is enabling us to give away four screen print posters on the night of their party down at The Shelter on Saturday night. The night sees the Sub-Culture kids rounding out three days of parties for The Shelter's anniverary, and they've got in Jack Sparrow from the UK headlining the show.

So these spiffy screen print posters are more from locally-based artist Nini Sum, and hey look at that, you can read about her on CreativeHunt right here. Solid. This month's design is from Shanghai's very own comic artist and illustrator Xiao Long Hua.

Check it out.

EMAIL US HERE, with "gimme that poster" in the subject line. We'll pass your name on to the event organizers and you pick it up on the night of the show. Just head into the club, walk to the back to the DJ booth, and seek out manager Gaz and he'll get you sorted.

They also have a limited number for sale on the night, if you don't manage to get a free one.

There's a flurry of activity these upcoming weeks with locally-based bands and electronic producers releasing their music out there into the world.

In your immediate future is the show at Lune this Saturday. It's an eclectic night down there and they're celebrating not one but two CD releases. The first is the LOgO compilation CD that manager Maxime has put together. That's a comp disc with a bunch of local producers and a few international acts that toured through LOgO during the clubs run. It endeavors to be a representation of the kind of music you used to hear at LOgO, so if your missing the dive club, you should pick that up.

And on that same night, Saturday at Lune, local rock band Quarter Acre are slinging their first Shanghai CD. I don't see them playing out all that much but I wish I did -- some good tunes on this disc. That's called Alt Ctrl Delete and is definitely worth getting your hands on. Their performing also on that night Saturday.

The weekend after this one, December 10 at Shiva Lounge, The Horses, which is the music producing side of French DJ/producer duo Acid Pony Club, are celebrating their latest release, Stand By Me, out on Jazzamar's Jazzmin Records. Acid Pony Boys are up to stuff in the house/nu disco realm, and if your into that, you should mark that one in your calendar. Or google that out and listen online.

And of course, last but not least, local rock band Duck Fight Goose are releasing their long-awaited EP.

So there you go... lots of local music hitting the airwaves...