Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Tilt Shift Photos



If you want to do something fun with your photos, there is this great site where you can take a photo and make it look like the subject is a toy-sized version of the real location. You can see how it looks in the photo above of a cityscape in Greece.

The process is called Tilt Shifting and you can do it for free on this site.



With the right photo, the results can be a hoot.

Enjoy!

Monday, June 29, 2009

Style over substance

If you want to make $201 million dollars in 5 days, here's all you have to do...



Make sure you have a ridiculous amount of robots for the kids.



Add some gratuitious booty and cleavage for the ovulating boys and men.



And lots and LOTS of things blowing up.

If you have enough of the above, the whole plot-thing is really irrelevant.

The next Transformers movie should just focus on Megan Fox as a scantily clad robot who explodes every five minutes.

Box office gold!

Friday, June 26, 2009

Boldly moving on

With all of the sad celebrity news the past couple of days (and the media's nauseating focus on every tiny detail about Michael Jackson and the world's apparent inability to cope with his passing), I thought I would just post a few entertaining Star Trek-related clips that I've seen over the past couple of weeks.

Here is a clip of Zachary Quinto (Spock/Sylar) freaking out last week while walking his dog...along with a man dressed as meat and a bloody butcher.



It's just one of those things that brings about more questions than anyone could possibly answer.

Here is a clip of Taylor Swift on the Country Music Awards talking about how she wants to be in the new Star Trek movie.



And, finally, here is a clip of the original "Star Trek" cast studying a very interesting phenomenon...



Maybe George Takei and William Shatner could finally resolve their longtime feuding by doing a CD together.

It would certainly sell tens of copies.

Thursday, June 25, 2009

King of Pop



More sad news today...

Michael Jackson, the show-stopping singer whose best-selling albums -- including "Off the Wall," "Thriller" and "Bad" -- and electrifying stage presence made him one of the most popular artists of all time, died Thursday,

He was 50.

He collapsed at his residence in the Holmby Hills section of Los Angeles, California, about noon Pacific time, suffering cardiac arrest, according to brother Randy Jackson. He died at UCLA Medical Center.

The world is obviously in shock and the media vultures are milking it for all its worth (as expected). Regardless of how people might feel about him and his erratic behaviors over the past couple of decades, you can't deny that he made an impact on the music world that will last for many lifetimes to come.

He lived in a manufactured world of his own for most of his life...

I hope that it was a happy one.

Farewell Angel



Very sad news today...

Farrah Fawcett, the blonde-maned actress whose best-selling poster and "Charlie's Angels" stardom made her one of the most famous faces in the world, died Thursday. She was 62.

Fawcett's beauty -- her gleaming smile was printed on millions of posters -- initially made her famous. But she later established herself as a serious actress. She starred as a battered wife in the 1984 TV movie "The Burning Bed." She appeared on stage as a woman who extracts vengeance from a would-be rapist in William Mastrosimone's play "Extremities".



It's been very difficult following her battle with cancer over the past few years. Watching someone go through such a challenging time is always sad. But, she leaves behind a legacy that few in Hollywood ever attain.

The smile, the hair, the Angels...she was the IT girl of the 70's and lived a very full life because of it. Struggles aside, she took what she was given and lived the best life that she could with it. Thats all that any of us can hope to do with our time here on this planet.

She will be missed.

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Here's...Johnny!



Ed McMahon passed away yesterday...

McMahon, known to generations of Americans through "Tonight," "Star Search," "TV's Bloopers and Practical Jokes" and as a commercial pitchman, died Tuesday. He was 86.

Ed certainly made a name for himself working with Johnny Carson all of those years and he continued to work during and after Johnny left the show on a wide variety of projects.



I remember his Publisher's Clearing House commercials and always hoped that one day I'd see him at my door with that large check. Unfortunately for me, it looks like Cang Ta mailed hers in a bit earlier than I did that year.



In his later years, Ed ran into some financial trouble (from bad investments and a divorce) and ended up taking a variety of "interesting" pitchman jobs to help cover the bills. Dressing as a rapper for FreeCreditReport.com was one of them...as was his last job promoting Gold4Cash.com.



It shows you that he, like everyone, was human and prone to some of the same life-stuff that everyone faces in the world. But, he handled it the best he could, found options, and moved forward.

I'm sure Johnny would be proud.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Move inland

The new trailer for the end-of-the-world epic, 2012, was released this week. From the looks of it, I'd say we should all consider moving to Montana sometime before December 2012.

The coastal cities don't appear to fare as well when disaster strikes...

Monday, June 22, 2009

Wonderland



This movie should be a lot of trippy fun.



Tim Burton is directing his version of the Alice in Wonderland story called, simply, "Wonderland". As you can see from these recently released character shots and concept art...wonderland has never looked THIS good. Plus, with Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter...



Anne Hathaway as the White Witch (don't recall that character myself)...



and quirky Helena Bonham Carter (or Mrs. Tim Burton) as the Queen of Hearts...

I think Alice (and the audience) is going to be in for quite an interesting journey down the rabbit hole on March 5th, 2010.

Friday, June 19, 2009

Anderson loves the Lady Gaga

"Our friend", Richard Simmons, stopped by "Anderson Cooper 360" last night and was his usual bedazzled energetic self (which is always entertaining)...



I'm thinking "Single Ladies" might have been a more appropriate song choice.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

The Proposal



The manscaping trend continues...

The new Sandra Bullock movie, The Proposal, opens this weekend and the PR machine is in full gear. In order to get as many girls and gays into the theaters, they've managed to get Ryan Reynolds on, not one, but FOUR covers of Entertainment Weekly.

Is it a good idea?

Abs-olutely!



Of course, Sandra Bullock will bring in a certain amount of people on her own (she is Sandra Bullock, after all). But, it never hurts to add a dash of Betty White tweaking your teets to help ease all age groups into the cineplex. After that hilarious spoof "interview" Betty, Sandra and Ryan did a few weeks ago...there is a chance that the movie just might be funny.

I actually like all three of those actors and, as much as it looks like rental material, I just may head to the theater this weekend for a wee bit'o wacky comedy and silly shenanigans.

Check out Betty White on the "Chelsea Lately" show talking about the movie and being a slut.



I love me some Betty White!

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Kathy on King

Kathy Griffin was interviewed on Larry King this week and, as usual, was hilarious and kept Larry about five minutes behind everything she said. They're always entertaining together...





Also, although the first episode of "My Life on the D-List" with Bette Midler seemed a bit off (Bette seemed bored at times and it was the first episode without Kathy's assistant Jessica), I actually really enjoyed this week's episode with Lily Tomlin (they both appeared to be having a lot of fun...perhaps all the wine helped).

Here's hoping the rest of the season is more Lily than Bette.

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Manscaping



I guess if girls can grace fashion magazine covers wearing very little...so can the boys.

Bruce Willis and his new bride are on the cover of "W" magazine and have done a risque S&M-themed layout inside for all to see. He's certainly in amazing shape and, I suppose, if faux-humping his bride is the way he wants to introduce her to the world...then have at it.

Sometimes a simple wedding image just isn't enough to fully express your newfound love.



Also, GQ has just started promoting their first nude cover and, of all the people they could have chosen...Sasha Baron Cohen's cheekage won the slot (so to speak).

I guess Mario Lopez, LL Cool J and Abe Vigoda were busy.

Maybe having his crack in Eminem's face at the Grammy's wasn't considered enough publicity for his upcoming movie.

Sometimes you just have to bare it all to lure people into the theaters these days.

I blame Sharon Stone.

Monday, June 15, 2009

You should go



I loved this movie!

A friend and I went to see the new movie, "Away We Go", this past weekend and it turned out to be one of the best films we've seen in a long time.

It's a sweet, touching, slice-of-life story about a young couple trying to figure out their place in the world and where they should settle and raise their baby.



John Krasinski (from "The Office") and Maya Rudolph (from SNL) are both great...especially Maya, who shows a range and depth of emotion that you'd never expect from a gal with her wacky sketch comedy background.



Allison Janney (she of "Juno", "West Wing" and the play "Nine to Five" fame) gives a hilarious performace as a friend of Maya's who drinks more than she should and is far more inappropriate than she should be around her poor kids. She has a couple lines that I'm still quoting and laughing about today.

So, if you need a break and want to put a smile on your face....get thee to this movie.

You'll be glad you did.

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Photo Class Two



This image is from a wedding I shot recently. I thought she was too young to get married, but who am I to judge?

I just finished my advanced photography class at the local college. Thankfully there was no written exam at the end (my brain holds so little information these days), so we just had to do a portfolio of some of our best shots from this quarter.

This was from the "close-up abstract" assignment.



This one was from our "Wet" assignment. Incidently, it's of a spider web that, no matter how many times I try to get rid of it on the patio...it keeps coming back.



This was from our "Perspective" assignment. It's looking through the concrete bases of three picnic tables in the park.



This was from our "CD Cover" assignment. Thankfully, we had this glass head hanging around the house (you just never know when you may need one).



This was from our "Body Parts" assignment. My "models" were Ebony and Ivory...



This was from our "Urban Landscape" assignment (photos of city life).



And this was from our "Using Flash with Motion" assignment.



Overall, I learned a few new things and, for me, that is a small miracle that I've come to appreciate.

Now, retaining that information is always the challenge....

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Literal Music

I've seen a few of these creative "re-imagined" music videos over the past year. What people do is take a popular music video and re-sing the lyrics to match what is actually going on in the video.

They're pretty entertaining, as you'll see...

Total Eclipse of the Heart (by Bonnie Tyler):



Take On Me (by A-ha)



Head Over Heels (by Tears for Fears)

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Shocked and Appalled?



No one should be "shocked" by this announcement in the new Rolling Stone issue...

“I don’t think it should be a surprise for anyone to hear that I’m gay,” Lambert says in the new issue of Rolling Stone, hitting newsstands this week.

However, I am appalled by this new International condiment...



Vilhelm Lillefläsk's Squeez Bacon® is fully cooked 100% bacon. Due to the patented electro-mechanical process by which Squeez Bacon® is rendered, it requires no preservatives or other additives. Each serving is as healthy as real bacon, and equivalent to 4 premium slices of bacon!



I don't think I need to subtley insinuate what Squeez Bacon looks like on these images...

Do I?

Monday, June 8, 2009

D-lightful!



My summer has officially begun!

The new season of "Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List" is finally starting tonight on Bravo. It's always one of the highlights of my summer and always ends much quicker than I would like.

If "Two and a Half Men" is allowed to air twenty-two painful episodes each season, so should Kathy!

In case you missed this, here she is surprising Anderson Cooper last week for his birthday.



I love me some Kathy Griffin!!

Friday, June 5, 2009

Does Chaka know?



With the new "Land of the Lost" movie opening today, I suppose it was the perfect time for the original "Will", Wesley Eure, to come out.

The story of Eure’s life – being cast to replace David Cassidy on The Partridge Family right before the show was canceled, for example – has always been interesting. But now that he’s opening up about being gay, his story also includes the stuff of even the richest of memoirs: his 70s love affair with Richard Chamberlain, his behind-the-scenes firing from Days of Our Lives, his relationship with some of the most famous closeted gay men in the Hollywood, and his touching thoughts on being a closeted teen heartthrob.



As a kid, like "Kung Fu", I never missed an episode of "Land of the Lost".

I can still sing the theme song to this day (yet, I can't remember how to switch between calls on my cell phone) and I couldn't wait for Saturday morning to come along so I could see the next adventures of Marshall, Will, Holly (or "Horry" as Chaka would say) and, of course, the Sleestak...those Mr. Tudball shuffling menaces with the big eyes and leaking gas pipe vocals.

I loved them!



I also had forgotten, until I found this production picture above, that the show pulled a Darrin Stephens towards the end of the series and replaced the original Marshall (the dad) with a new actor. I suppose that kids probably didn't notice or care at the time and, without the internet and text messaging to rely on, continued watching while eating their Boo Berry cereal.



Wesley's interview is actually pretty interesting and a lot of fun to read. It's easy to forget now, with gay actors coming out almost weekly, that there was a time when that really wasn't an option for an actor if they wanted to have a career. He shares some great stories about that time and gives a, somewhat, painful recounting of his experiences on the TV Land awards, as well as going to the "Land of the Lost" movie premiere recently (he had to pay for his own parking).

If I was him, I'd bring a recognizable co-star with me to any personal appearances.

Nothing says "photo opp" like a guy walking the red carpet with a Sleestak.

Thursday, June 4, 2009

Grasshopper



Sad news today...

David Carradine, star of the 1970s TV series “Kung Fu” whose career roared back to life when he played the assassin-turned-victim in Quentin Tarantino’s “Kill Bill,” was found dead Thursday in Thailand. Police said he appeared to have hanged himself.



I never missed an episode of "Kung Fu" when I was a kid.

I'm not sure why I loved it so much, especially since I was horrible at sports and hardly able to defend myself in any way (well, I could run fast...that always helped). I think I just liked the simple nature of the show and the quiet lessons that it taught each week.

Plus, he always won his fights when it, inevitably, came time for that.

He probably should have used some of those skills in "Kill Bill" before Uma gave him the chest whack.



I wonder why the kid, Radames Pera, who played the young "Fu" in the series never made it big?

He had a nice head.

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

They're here...



I saw this article about some of the new shows coming out in the fall and, overall...only one, "V", stood out as something interesting.

The "Witches of Eastwick" series looks like a "Melrose Place" version of the original movie (complete with awful dialog) and the "The Vampire Diaries" looks like a "Melrose Place" version of "Twilight" (which is saying a lot).

However, my favorite Lostie, Elizabeth Mitchell (Juliet is-she-dead-or-alive on "Lost") stars in this updated remake of the old "V" series about aliens finally making contact with Earth.

Looks like it could be fun...



Can't wait until one of the Visitors unhinge their jaw and drop a bird in there like they did on the old show...

Enjoyable.

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Rinse and Repeat



If you're looking for an interesting TV show to watch this summer, now that most network shows have aired their finales, I highly recommend A&E's new Docu-series "Obsessed".

Each week they feature and treat (with the help of therapists) two people with unusual OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) issues. It's fascinating to get a glimpse into the human psyche as you watch regular people struggle to deal with extreme cases of behavior that have been affecting them and their family's daily lives for years.



OCD has often been portayed in movies ("As Good As It Gets") and on TV ("Monk") as a source of comic relief for audiences as they watch characters with freakish behaviors try to work around them in their everyday lives.

This series doesn't do that.

These are real people with real issues who, if they don't find a way to deal with them, will likely lose the few human relationships (friends, spouses, children) that they have managed to keep over the years.

It's a real eye-opening experience and, who knows....you might even learn something new about yourself or someone you know.

The series airs on A&E Monday nights at 10:00 (and reruns a few times throughout the week).

Monday, June 1, 2009

New Moon, indeed!



"Twilight" ruled the MTV Awards last night ("shocking") and, along with that, the audience was treated to a sneak peek of the upcoming sequel, "New Moon" with the freshly pumped (and almost dumped from the sequel), Taylor Lautner.



The trailer and wolf are a bit cheesy, but I'll wait until I see the movie in November before I start slamming it. I didn't expect to like the first movie near as much as I did...so, we'll see.

Also during the show, Eminem was treated to a much different type of lunar experience, courtesy of "Bruno".



I howled.