Ken Russell Gone
Ken Russell, Oscar-Nominated Director of Tommy and Women in Love, Dies
Columbia Pictures; Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc; Warner Bros; Getty Images
Ken Russell, the man who brought a certain pinball wizard to the big screen, has passed away. He was 84.
The British director, a wizard in his own right behind the camera, died peacefully in his sleep on Sunday following a series of strokes.
Born in 1927, Russell’s early career was rooted in television before he made the transition to movies in the mid-1960s. His best-known work during that time was the 1969 film Women in Love.
While the adaptation of the D.H. Lawrence novel earned its star, Glenda Jackson, a Best Actress Oscar as well as a Best Director nomination for Russell, the movie is probably best remembered for a nude wrestling scene involving Alan Bates and Oliver Reed.
But that was nothing compared to the controversy that stemmed from Russell’s 1971 film The Devils. With subject matter involving everything from exorcisms to orgies, the movie found itself coming face-to-face with censors and was banned from playing in many theaters.
Catcher In The Frey
JAMES FREY WITH A COPY OF “CATCHER IN THE RYE” BY RICHARD PRINCE ON 5TH AVE
Miss Pole Dance Argentina
Work it! Miss Pole Dance Argentina Competition
They have skill, strength, grace, and incredible flexibility. Check out the most impressive South American pole dancers … Pantera Blacksmith shows off her skills during the Miss Pole Dance Argentina 2011 Competition.
Credits: Juan Mabromata/AFP/Getty
The Scanner Man
Fixated on What He Fixes
Julie Glassberg for The New York Times
HAMS Peter Guggenheim, perhaps New York City’s foremost seller and repairer of radio scanners, which monitor frequencies used by emergency responders like police officers and firefighters, in his shop in Flushing, Queens.
By COREY KILGANNON
Peter Guggenheim has worked so long at Stuart Electronics that his feet have worn holes through two layers of tile and an inch of plywood, down to the floorboards behind the counter.
“What do you expect? I’ve spent my whole life here,” he said last week at the shop, on Parsons Boulevard in Flushing, Queens, where he has worked since 1953, when he was 13.
The storefront seems frozen in time. Out front, the faded, peeling signs advertise the latest merchandise — VCRs, answering machines, phonograph needles and cordless telephones; inside, the glass cabinets display miscellaneous sale items that get as modern as the Palm Pilot.
But certain services are cutting-edge. For one, Mr. Guggenheim is perhaps the city’s foremost seller and fixer of radio scanners, which monitor frequencies used by emergency responders like police officers and firefighters. This makes it the go-to place for spot-news photographers, tow-truck drivers, insurance adjusters and lawyers, who scan for local precinct chatter about car accidents and other incidents that might generate work.
Middle Eastern Sage-Shrimp Bison Skewers
Middle Eastern Sage-Shrimp Bison Skewers
Associated Press
Shrimp, sausage and bison… Together! On a stick!
Roll with me on this one. These Middle Eastern-style skewers combine a potent but delicious seasoning blend (gobs of black pepper and ground star anise) with a mix of ground sausage, bison and shrimp. The result is deliciously meaty and warmly spicy.
And since the holidays are a time to entertain, we prepared these as tiny party-friendly skewers. If you’d prefer them for dinner, you could use larger skewers with more meat (you’ll need to adjust the cooking time). You also can skip the sticks entirely and form them into meatballs.
While I favored bison in this blend because it is naturally lean, you also could use lean ground beef or turkey.
If you want to offer a simple dipping sauce for these skewers, mix together equal parts toasted sesame oil, seasoned rice vinegar and soy sauce, as well as a bit of garlic powder and finely diced
Happy Thanksgiving!
The Detroit Lions Always Play on Thanksgiving
By M.J. Stephey
Thanksgiving is ruled by two very powerful f-words: “food” and “football.” Nearly as old as the sport itself, the tradition of watching football on Thanksgiving began in 1876, when the newly formed American Intercollegiate Football Association held its first championship game. Less than a decade later, more than 5,000 club, college and high school football teams held games on Thanksgiving, with match-ups between Princeton and Yale drawing more than 40,000 fans out from their dining rooms. 1934 marked the first NFL game held on Thanksgiving when the Detroit Lions took on the Chicago Bears. The Lions have played on Thanksgiving ever since — except, of course, when the team was called away to serve during World War II.
A Signed Manuscript and Other Curiosities
Fashion’s Curiosities
23 November 2011
THE finest objet d’arts from the worlds of fashion, art, design and travel have collided for a new project, Cabinet de Curiosités, showcased at Browns and curated by brand and fashion consultant Thomas Erber.
Erber’s diverse selection of beauties include a James Frey signed manuscript, mink-lined Pierre Hardy boots and a smoked sapphire glass Girard-Perregaux watch. The project, says Erber, offers “a new space of visibility for independent designers and artists. I naively do believe they make our life better. Or at least mine.”
Bad Sex
James Frey Pulling On a Crack Pipe…
…curtain. from EXHIBITION a
JAMES FREY PULLING BACK A CRACK PIPE CURTAIN AT NATE LOWMAN/DAN COLEN “LOVE ROSES” BOOK SIGNING
POSTED ON NOVEMBER 2, 2011 BY BILL
[ click to view at EXHIBITION a ]
Books: A Living History
The Graph of Life
“Best $2K I Ever Spent!”
“Best $2K I Ever Spent!” Terry Richardson Premieres ‘Mom & Dad’ Exhibition At Half Gallery
On Friday evening, Terry Richardson littered the floor and the walls with photos of his mother and father as an ode to their relationship and to his family with his exhibition “Mom & Dad,” while Richardson fans mobbed the tiny Half Gallery to just get a peek of the photos (and more likely, the photographer). After about 2 hours of a line that looked like people were waiting outside of the most exclusive club in New York, Richardson and friends headed to Acme for rowdy dinner, followed by an after-party at the Westway, complete with male strippers. Oh, Terry. WARNING: Last couple of slides are NSFW.
Guests included Terry Richardson, Bill Powers, Cynthia Rowley, Lake Bell, Scott Campbell, Abbey Lee Kershaw,David Swanson, Harry Bee, Richard Prince, James Frey, Gibby Haynes….
3lb. Behemoth of a Swiss Army Knife
The Mixtape Lives
The Mixtape Is Back!
By JOHN BIGGS
They say that fashion is cyclical. The same goes for technology. Sure, most cellphones are the epitome of trendiness, but just think how cool you’ll be if you hark back to the 1980s with AirCassette, an app that turns your iPhone into a cassette player.
The $1.99 app, available in the iTunes App Store, displays your music in handwritten script on a background designed to resemble a cassette tape. The reels actually spin and you can create and share mixtapes with your friends via e-mail or Facebook, just as we used to do back in 1986. Finnish programming house Majasalmi, known for its Russian Roulette iPhone game, designed and built this decidedly more low-key app.
Watching a cassette tape spin on the iPhone’s high-resolution display is oddly calming and, thanks to digital compression, the audio is far superior in AirCassette than it ever was on my Sony Walkman.
Prince Richardson Frey
The da Vinci Trove
Are there more lost Leonardo paintings out there?
By Laura Allsop, CNN
London (CNN) — A newly discovered painting by Renaissance master Leonardo da Vinci has sent shock waves through the art world, prompting speculation that more of his paintings could be as yet undiscovered.
The “Salvator Mundi” was, for years, thought to be a painting by one of da Vinci’s pupils or associates. But after a lengthy period of study and conservation, it has been authenticated as a da Vinci.
The painting was sold in 1958 for £45 — about $125 in today’s currency — by descendants of British collector Sir Frederick Cook, who bought the painting in 1900. Today, the painting is estimated to be worth $200 million, according to some scholars.
Though the conservator who helped to reveal the painting’s true identity called it “the rarest thing imaginable,” speculation is rife that there are other Leonardo da Vinci paintings still at large, possibly lying unknown in private collections.
There are currently some 15 authenticated Leonardo da Vinci paintings in the world. But they are difficult to attribute, because da Vinci often left his works unfinished and some are thought to have been worked on by other artists in his workshops.
100 Best Shops in London
Yeah, right.
White House: No sign of E.T. or UFO cover-up
Science policy official responds to petitions calling for full disclosure
By Nancy Atkinson / Universe Today
The White House has responded to two petitions asking the U.S. government to acknowledge formally that aliens have visited Earth and to disclose any intentional withholding of government interactions with extraterrestrial beings.
“The U.S. government has no evidence that any life exists outside our planet, or that an extraterrestrial presence has contacted or engaged any member of the human race,” Phil Larson from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy reported on the WhiteHouse.gov website.“In addition, there is no credible information to suggest that any evidence is being hidden from the public’s eye.”
The Paradigm Research Group, one of the organizations promoting the petitions, said that the response by a “low-level staffer” was unacceptable and that it would begin a new petition campaign.
Laemmle Sunset 5 Gone
Laemmle Theatres to vacate Sunset 5; Sundance to take over lease
It’s the end of an era for a West Hollywood movie house that has been a mainstay of the independent cinema scene for the last 20 years.
Laemmle Theatres will stop operating the Sunset 5 at the end of the month after being unable to come to terms with the landlord on a new lease.
Robert Redford’s Sundance Cinemas will take over the five-screen complex Dec. 1 and will temporarily close it for renovations, with plans to reopen in late spring. This marks the entry of Westlake Village-based exhibitor into the Los Angeles area. Sundance Cinemas operates theaters in Madison, Wis., San Francisco and Houston.
Although the Sunset 5 will remain operational, the loss of Laemmle as its programmer marks a significant shift for the independent film business in the Los Angeles area. Filmmakers such as Catherine Hardwicke (“Thirteen”), Bryan Singer (“The Usual Suspects”) and Bill Condon (“Gods and Monsters”) had their films premiere at the movie house on Sunset Boulevard near Crescent Heights.
Christo Cool In Colorado
U.S. Clears Art Project by Christo in Colorado
Kevin Moloney for The New York Times
By KIRK JOHNSON
DENVER — Federal regulators on Monday approved a $50 million installation of anchored fabric over the Arkansas River in southern Colorado by the artist Christo, whose larger-than-life vision has divided environmentalists, residents and politicians for years over questions of aesthetics, nature and economic impact.
The project, “Over the River,” will include eight suspended panel segments totaling 5.9 miles along a 42-mile stretch of the river, about three hours southwest of Denver. Construction could begin next year, pending final local approvals, with the goal being a two-week display of the work as early as August 2014.
Christo, 76, said in an interview that the project had already made history for its interconnection of art and public participation, with a federal environmental impact statement that drew thousands of comments.
Christo’s projects — from the wrapping of the Reichstag Parliament building in Berlin in 1995 to “The Gates,” a meandering path of orange awnings through Central Park in New York in 2005 — have often generated heated debate in advance of their creation.
Smokin’ Joe Gone
from The Silicon Valley Mercury News
Joe Frazier, former heavyweight champion, dies at 67
By Dan Gelston and Tim Dahlberg
Associated Press
PHILADELPHIA — He beat Muhammad Ali in the Fight of the Century, battled him nearly to the death in the Thrilla in Manila. Then Joe Frazier spent the rest of his life trying to fight his way out of Ali’s shadow.
That was one fight Frazier could never win.
He was once a heavyweight champion, and a great one at that. Ali would say as much after Frazier knocked him down in the 15th round en route to becoming the first man to beat Ali at Madison Square Garden in March 1971.
But he bore the burden of being Ali’s foil, and he paid the price. Bitter for years about the taunts his former nemesis once threw his way, Frazier only in recent times came to terms with what happened in the past and said he had forgiven Ali for everything he said.
Frazier, who died Monday night after a brief battle with liver cancer at the age of 67, will forever be linked to Ali. But no one in boxing would ever dream of anointing Ali as The Greatest unless he, too, was linked to Smokin’ Joe.
“You can’t mention Ali without mentioning Joe Frazier,” said former AP boxing writer Ed Schuyler Jr. “He beat Ali, don’t forget that.”
Ai Weiwei’s FOREVER BICYCLES
Forever Bicycles Installation – Ai Weiwei
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We continue our curiosity with bicycle art. Here is the latest installation by the activist Chinese artist Ai Weiwei. This piece is one of 21 works by Ai from 1983 to present that form the “Ai Weiwei Absent” exhibition, opened at the Taipei Fine Arts Museum at the end of October.
“Forever Bicycles” is made of 1,000 bicycles installed in a 10-meter high space in a moving, abstract shape to symbolize the way in which the social environment in China is changing.
Ai is prohibited from leaving Beijing and cannot attend the exhibition. In a Reuters article, Ai was quoted as saying: “This is the first time I’m having an exhibition of my art works in the wider Chinese world. I’m really happy that it can be exhibited in Taiwan, because recently it has not possible to have an exhibition in my own place of residence. I have been notified that I won’t be allowed to go — that was the outcome of my application — so right now I cannot attend. But my family members will attend.” – Bill Tikos
Yoga Breakdancing
Flattus Maximus Gone (at 34)
GWAR guitarist Cory Smoot dead on tour bus
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
MINNEAPOLIS — The lead guitarist for the heavy metal band GWAR was found dead Thursday on its tour bus following a concert in Minneapolis, the band’s manager and record label said.
Manager Jack Flanagan and record label Metal Blade said Cory Smoot’s body was discovered Thursday before the bus crossed into Canada on the Richmond, Va.-based band’s tour.
It’s unclear what caused Smoot’s death or how old he was.
Glu Announces Full Fathom Five’s THE NIGHTWORLD
Glu announces new games including Frontline Commando, Infected, Nightworld and Stardom
As a publicly traded company, Glu Mobile has to provide a lot of information every three months to keep its investors happy.
The good news for us, gamers is this means we learn about new games.
Of course, Glu is well known for its hardcore freemium games such as Gun Bros and Contract Killer.
That’s an area it’s looking to – in the parlance of the industry – double-down on with new games.
For example, Glu’s recently launched Contract Killer: Zombies, a zombie version of Contract Killer, which it says is its most successful launch for iOS and Android to-date.
Gimme new stuff
New freemium games for iOS and Android just announced for release before the end of 2011 are…
Frontline Commando: a contemporary, third-person desert-based shooter.
Infected: Infect the World: this is a strategy top-down version of Planet Moon’s original PSP zombie shooter, remade for mobile.
The Nightworld: this is the first game based on Glu’s deal with James Frey’s Full Fathom Five transmedia company. It will be backed with ebook and physical books from Harper Collins. It’s a thirdperson action shooter in an atmospheric, apocalyptic world and Glu’s first game using the Unreal engine.
Blood & Glory: it’s described as head-to-head, highend 3D combat game.
We Don’t Eat – James Vincent McMorrow
31 Days of Authors: Pittacus Lore
from The Hub @ American Library Association
31 Days of Authors: an interview with Pittacus Lore, author of I Am Number Four (a 2011 Teens’ Top Ten winner)
by Gretchen Kolderup
Teen Read Week was October 16th through the 22nd, but here at The Hub, we’re celebrating all month long with 31 Days of Authors. On each day in October, we’ll bring you exclusive author interviews and profiles plus reflections on what YALSA-recognized books have meant to us. Today we feature an interview with Pittacus Lore, whose book I Am Number Four is #4 (of course!) on this year’s Teens’ Top Ten list.
Can you tell us about your own life on Lorien before its destruction? Were you a writer then, as well?
I was the ruling Elder of the planet, its political and military leader. We led a very peaceful existence. Our planet was healthy and flourished environmentally. Our people lived simple, beautiful lives, absent of hunger and war. I never expected the Mogadorian War, and I never expected to be fighting that war on earth, and documenting it in a series of books.
Is it hard to write and work with a publisher when you’re constantly on the run from the Mogadorians?
Ours is a covert war. Almost a cat and mouse game. The Mogadorians are trying to find us and kill us. We hide from them, and strike when we feel the time is right. Writing the books is a way of recording the history of the conflict. I also enjoy it, and it relieves some of the stress of fighting.
Have you seen the movie based on the story you wrote? What did you think about it?
I watched with all of the Loriens who are currently together. We went to a theater and nobody knew who we were. We had a great time. It was fun seeing #4 and #6 portrayed on a large screen in a big Hollywood movie. And it was great working with Mr. Bay and Mr. Spielberg. One thing, though, the Mogadorian are far uglier in real life.
“No, you can’t be Charlie Sheen for Halloween!”
PARADISE RULES by Jimmy Gleacher – “Wickedly funny.”
Between the Lines: Finding time for great reads
By Mark Pendleton / For the Sun-News
LAS CRUCES — “Life is short! Read fast!” Every day I despair a little more of reading even a mere fraction of the books that interest me, let alone getting completely caught up on my “to-read” list. That’s one of the reasons I’m glad you’re here. Today I share a few books I think would be great reads, but just don’t have time to find out for myself. I hope that you’ll read them and tell me what you think.
Jimmy Gleacher’s “Paradise Rules” (also in the newly arrived fiction section) was a bit harder to bypass. James Frey, who has written some devastatingly hilarious stuff himself, calls it “wickedly funny,” so you know it’s got to be almost convulsion inducing! Seventeen year old Gates works the local golf club and his girlfriend wants him to lose his virginity to her, but he’s afraid to tell her he already has — to his 40-year-old godmother. Then there’s the high stakes scam at the golf club he’s gotten drawn into and the man he almost killed that are further complicating his life! I’ll not say any more, except to ask for someone to read it and let me know how it was.
The third book I need your help with is another coming-of-age story….
Mark Abrahams (Eponymous)
Mark Abrahams: Candid Camera
The Photographer’s Revealing Portraiture Captures an Unseen Side of Iconic Celebrities
Celebrated photographer Mark Abrahams draws out understated honesty from A-list subjects such as Michael Pitt, James Franco, Lindsay Lohan and Michelle Obama. A former truck driver, Abrahams is entirely self-taught, but his textured and compelling style is often seen in the pages of L’Uomo Vogue, Vogue Deutsch and GQ.
His new eponymous monograph from Damiani Editore contains a potent introductory text from writer James Frey, author of A Million Little Pieces and Bright Shiny Morning, poetically relating a story of a young man falling in love with his camera and mastering the photographic arts. “I wanted to write my intuitive version of what I thought his process was. I looked at the pictures and I just wrote the essay, thinking: that must be what he tries to do, because that’s what I see,” explains Frey of Abrahams’ work. “I respect him a lot, I think his photographs are beautiful and haunting, intense and pure.” Here, the California-born Abrahams recounts his earliest images and his love of Ed Ruscha.
Both you and James Frey are self-taught. Is that how you connected?
My story in photography is similar to his story in writing, and also similar to some of the characters in his books. I actually owned a truck in California, and would haul sand and gravel from plants. One I would go to was called Sully Miller; there was a hut in it with all the old time truckers, 70-year-old guys who have been doing it since the 30s. I literally bought a camera to take pictures of these guys to show my friends. I didn’t even know there was a job [as] a professional photographer. It literally had never occurred to me that people do this for a living. My only association with photography really was family pictures. I wasn’t picking up Vogue.