Tuesday, December 31, 2002
Celebrity photographer Herb Ritts, who directed videos for Madonna, 'NSYNC, Britney Spears and others, died Thursday morning of complications from pneumonia. He was 50.
In March, Ritts worked with Shakira on the video for "Underneath Your Clothes," and last year he was responsible for the desolate apartment visuals in 'NSYNC's heartbroken "Gone," the saucy bounce of Jennifer Lopez's "Ain't It Funny" and the sandy, sexy beach scenery in Britney's "Don't Let Me Be the Last to Know."
Two of Ritts' other well-known videos similarly boasted a skillful blend of sand and sex appeal Madonna's "Cherish" and Chris Isaak's breakthrough "Wicked Game," one of two clips Ritts tackled for the crooner. "Wicked Game" and another Ritts clip, Janet Jackson's "Love Will Never Do (Without You)," won Best Male Video and Best Female Video at the 1991 MTV Video Music Awards.
Herb Ritts was born in Los Angeles in 1952 and majored in economics at New York's Bard College. Shortly after college, in the mid-1970s, Ritts taught himself photography, snapping pictures of friends.
One of his subjects was a friend's boyfriend, then-unknown actor Richard Gere. His shots of the future star led Ritts into the world of celebrity photography with full force. He photographed everyone from Jack Nicholson to Michelle Pfeiffer to Mick Jagger, gaining unprecedented access with many of his subjects, including a paralyzed Christopher Reeve and a post-brain surgery Elizabeth Taylor.
Ritts' work often appeared in magazines like Vogue, Elle, Harper's Bazaar, Vanity Fair and Rolling Stone. He sat actress Brittany Murphy atop a child's rocking horse for a recent Interview magazine cover.
His photos graced album covers, including Madonna's True Blue (1986), and appeared in advertisements for companies like Donna Karan, Calvin Klein, the Gap and Giorgio Armani. He published books of his work and has been displayed in galleries and museums.
Ritts passed away at the UCLA Medical Center, according to his publicist. As of Thursday evening, a family gathering was being planned, with a larger public service to follow in January. Ritts is survived by his mother, Shirley Ritts; brother, Rory; sister, Christy Thrasher; and his partner, Erik Hyman.
In March, Ritts worked with Shakira on the video for "Underneath Your Clothes," and last year he was responsible for the desolate apartment visuals in 'NSYNC's heartbroken "Gone," the saucy bounce of Jennifer Lopez's "Ain't It Funny" and the sandy, sexy beach scenery in Britney's "Don't Let Me Be the Last to Know."
Two of Ritts' other well-known videos similarly boasted a skillful blend of sand and sex appeal Madonna's "Cherish" and Chris Isaak's breakthrough "Wicked Game," one of two clips Ritts tackled for the crooner. "Wicked Game" and another Ritts clip, Janet Jackson's "Love Will Never Do (Without You)," won Best Male Video and Best Female Video at the 1991 MTV Video Music Awards.
Herb Ritts was born in Los Angeles in 1952 and majored in economics at New York's Bard College. Shortly after college, in the mid-1970s, Ritts taught himself photography, snapping pictures of friends.
One of his subjects was a friend's boyfriend, then-unknown actor Richard Gere. His shots of the future star led Ritts into the world of celebrity photography with full force. He photographed everyone from Jack Nicholson to Michelle Pfeiffer to Mick Jagger, gaining unprecedented access with many of his subjects, including a paralyzed Christopher Reeve and a post-brain surgery Elizabeth Taylor.
Ritts' work often appeared in magazines like Vogue, Elle, Harper's Bazaar, Vanity Fair and Rolling Stone. He sat actress Brittany Murphy atop a child's rocking horse for a recent Interview magazine cover.
His photos graced album covers, including Madonna's True Blue (1986), and appeared in advertisements for companies like Donna Karan, Calvin Klein, the Gap and Giorgio Armani. He published books of his work and has been displayed in galleries and museums.
Ritts passed away at the UCLA Medical Center, according to his publicist. As of Thursday evening, a family gathering was being planned, with a larger public service to follow in January. Ritts is survived by his mother, Shirley Ritts; brother, Rory; sister, Christy Thrasher; and his partner, Erik Hyman.
Monday, December 30, 2002
I was on a movie viewing bonanza this past week. First, I went to see the 'Lord of the Rings - The Two Towers'. It was freakin' amazing! I am totally hooked. I actually havent' read the texts yet, but I am going to pick them up soon due to seeing 'Fellowship of the Ring' and 'The Two Towers'. I actually own the first one on DVD. I was at the edge of my seat almost the entire time while seeing 'Two Towers'. I'd say it was one of the most incredible movies I've seen in a very long time. I think I liked it better than the first one.
On Christmas day I saw 'Hable Con Ella' (Talk to Her) by one of my favorite directors, Pedro Almodovar. As usual, it was phenomenal. I am a succer for Almodovar films. It was about two men and their experiences with two different comatosed women. One of the actresses was Spanish singer Rosario Flores - who I have recently become a fan of. She plays a bullfighter in the film. Some critics say that it it his best film to date, but I disagree. I still like 'Todo Sobre Mi Madre' (All About My Mother) better. Maybe it's because I am biased since the latter takes place in Barcelona - one of my favorite cities.
Then I saw the romantic comedy 'Two Weeks Notice' with Sandra Bullock and Hugh Grant. I actually thought it was pretty decent. I actually related to Sandra Bullock's character. She played a lawyer who graduated from Harvard (this is not to say that I think I am incredibly brilliant and intelligent) - but she used her knowledge and skills to help the needy. She protested to keep old landmarks from being torn down. She preferred working for Legal Aid as opposed to a big corporate firm. Well, anyway - that's how I found myself relating to her - because I'm not all about the Benjamins. And even though it was a total Hollywood movie - and a romantic comedy at that! - I still found it entertaining. I thought that Sandra and Hugh had good chemistry in front of the camera. What actually sold me on the film is it's behind the scenes preview on HBO. I guess that marketing tactic really works. It's scary how marketing can really make a person spend money on something they wouldn't have initially planned on spending it on - like a movie.
Finally, I saw 'Gangs of New York' last night with Leonardo DiCaprio, Daniel Day-Lewis, and Cameron Diaz. I thought it was incredible. At first I thought I couldn't sit through it because it was extremely violent. It was a side of American history that I found intriguing. The whole time during the film I was thinking to myself, "Geez, how come we didn't read about this in the history books?" But I guess events like don't make it into our history books. After all, it's a fine line between fact and opinion when it comes to history. I was totally impressed with this film. The cast delivered great performaces. I was actually impressed with DiCaprio's performance. I actually like him better now compared to his 'Titanic' and 'Beach' days. I actually think he is a serious actor now. And of course Daniel Day-Lewis was great. Cameron Diaz was also great. I am gaining more and more respect for her as an actress. I think it's great that she can be so flexible with her parts. She's great playing a total dittsy blonde in 'Charlie's' or a cut-throat redhead in 'Gangs'. I think she chooses her roles wisely.
Anyway, that's my movie review. Just thought I'd share that with you. Man, I should do this more often.
On Christmas day I saw 'Hable Con Ella' (Talk to Her) by one of my favorite directors, Pedro Almodovar. As usual, it was phenomenal. I am a succer for Almodovar films. It was about two men and their experiences with two different comatosed women. One of the actresses was Spanish singer Rosario Flores - who I have recently become a fan of. She plays a bullfighter in the film. Some critics say that it it his best film to date, but I disagree. I still like 'Todo Sobre Mi Madre' (All About My Mother) better. Maybe it's because I am biased since the latter takes place in Barcelona - one of my favorite cities.
Then I saw the romantic comedy 'Two Weeks Notice' with Sandra Bullock and Hugh Grant. I actually thought it was pretty decent. I actually related to Sandra Bullock's character. She played a lawyer who graduated from Harvard (this is not to say that I think I am incredibly brilliant and intelligent) - but she used her knowledge and skills to help the needy. She protested to keep old landmarks from being torn down. She preferred working for Legal Aid as opposed to a big corporate firm. Well, anyway - that's how I found myself relating to her - because I'm not all about the Benjamins. And even though it was a total Hollywood movie - and a romantic comedy at that! - I still found it entertaining. I thought that Sandra and Hugh had good chemistry in front of the camera. What actually sold me on the film is it's behind the scenes preview on HBO. I guess that marketing tactic really works. It's scary how marketing can really make a person spend money on something they wouldn't have initially planned on spending it on - like a movie.
Finally, I saw 'Gangs of New York' last night with Leonardo DiCaprio, Daniel Day-Lewis, and Cameron Diaz. I thought it was incredible. At first I thought I couldn't sit through it because it was extremely violent. It was a side of American history that I found intriguing. The whole time during the film I was thinking to myself, "Geez, how come we didn't read about this in the history books?" But I guess events like don't make it into our history books. After all, it's a fine line between fact and opinion when it comes to history. I was totally impressed with this film. The cast delivered great performaces. I was actually impressed with DiCaprio's performance. I actually like him better now compared to his 'Titanic' and 'Beach' days. I actually think he is a serious actor now. And of course Daniel Day-Lewis was great. Cameron Diaz was also great. I am gaining more and more respect for her as an actress. I think it's great that she can be so flexible with her parts. She's great playing a total dittsy blonde in 'Charlie's' or a cut-throat redhead in 'Gangs'. I think she chooses her roles wisely.
Anyway, that's my movie review. Just thought I'd share that with you. Man, I should do this more often.
Friday, December 27, 2002
Thursday, December 19, 2002
I finally broke down and joined the rest of the materialistic capitalist world by joining Amazon.com. I had read and heard such good things about it. I created my account and lo and behold, I am hooked and ready to buy buy buy! It's pretty pathetic actually. I am still completely baffled by the power of purchasing new merchandise. I know it makes me happy. So does that mean that you can actually buy happiness? Well, probably only small portions of happiness - unless you are incredibly wealthy.
Friday, December 06, 2002
This is funny. My friend Yazmin forwarded this to me:
You know you grew up in the 1980's when....
You know what "sike" means.
You know the profound meaning of "Wax on, Wax off."
You know that another name for a keyboard is a "Synthesizer".
You can sing the McDonald's Big Mack, Filet-o-Fish,quarter pounder,
French-fry song.
You know who Mr. T is.
You remember the Thundercats and Strawberry Shortcake.
You ever wore fluorescent, neon clothing.
You could breakdance, or wish you could.
You wanted to be The Hulk or Barbie for Halloween.
You Believed that "By the power of Greyskull, you HAD the power!"
Partying "like it's 1999" seemed SO far away.
You thought that Transformers were more than meets the eye.
You have had at least one Cabbage patch kid doll.
You knew that knowing is half the battle.
You wanted to be on Star Search.
You can remember Michael Jackson when he was black.
You wore a banana clip at some point during your youth.
You remember the garbage pail kids, and owned some.
You actually thought "Dirty Dancing" was a REALLY good movie.
You remember when ATARI was a state of the art video game system.
You owned cassettes.
You were led to believe that in the year 2000 we'd all be living on the moon.
You remember and/or owned any of the Care Bear Glass collection from Pizza
Hut or the Muppets glasses from McDonalds.
Poltergeist freaked you out.
You knew who Ben Stein was before you could win his money, "Bueller?"
You carried your lunch to school in a Gremlins, ET, Dukes of Hazzard, Knight
Rider, Strawberry Shortcake, My little Pony or A-Team lunch box.
You have ever pondered why Smurfette was the ONLY female smurf.
You know what leg warmers are and probably had a pair.
You wore biker shorts underneath a short skirt and felt stylish.
You wore your Izod shirt with the collar up.
You had a Swatch Watch with the Swatch Guard.
You had so much hair spray in your hair that you could lift a whole
section by pulling one strand.
You remember when Happy Meals came in a box, not a paper bag.
You remember when Saturday Night Live was funny.
You had Wonder Woman or Superman underoos.
You know what a "Push Up" ice cream is.
You had to come in the house when the street lights came on.
You had to change into *play* clothes after school.
You owned, or knew somebody with a Commodore 64.
You hated Scrappy Doo.
You recorded songs off the radio with your boom box.
You wish you had a light saber.
Somehow you still know all the words to songs played on VH1's "Big 80's"
Your arm was full of rubber bracelets.
You have ever said, "Gag me with a spoon."
You have ever wondered what happened to Saturday morning cartoons.
You had to get up to change the channel.
You can still sing 1 to 12 from the Pinball machine on Sesame Street.
You know you grew up in the 1980's when....
You know what "sike" means.
You know the profound meaning of "Wax on, Wax off."
You know that another name for a keyboard is a "Synthesizer".
You can sing the McDonald's Big Mack, Filet-o-Fish,quarter pounder,
French-fry song.
You know who Mr. T is.
You remember the Thundercats and Strawberry Shortcake.
You ever wore fluorescent, neon clothing.
You could breakdance, or wish you could.
You wanted to be The Hulk or Barbie for Halloween.
You Believed that "By the power of Greyskull, you HAD the power!"
Partying "like it's 1999" seemed SO far away.
You thought that Transformers were more than meets the eye.
You have had at least one Cabbage patch kid doll.
You knew that knowing is half the battle.
You wanted to be on Star Search.
You can remember Michael Jackson when he was black.
You wore a banana clip at some point during your youth.
You remember the garbage pail kids, and owned some.
You actually thought "Dirty Dancing" was a REALLY good movie.
You remember when ATARI was a state of the art video game system.
You owned cassettes.
You were led to believe that in the year 2000 we'd all be living on the moon.
You remember and/or owned any of the Care Bear Glass collection from Pizza
Hut or the Muppets glasses from McDonalds.
Poltergeist freaked you out.
You knew who Ben Stein was before you could win his money, "Bueller?"
You carried your lunch to school in a Gremlins, ET, Dukes of Hazzard, Knight
Rider, Strawberry Shortcake, My little Pony or A-Team lunch box.
You have ever pondered why Smurfette was the ONLY female smurf.
You know what leg warmers are and probably had a pair.
You wore biker shorts underneath a short skirt and felt stylish.
You wore your Izod shirt with the collar up.
You had a Swatch Watch with the Swatch Guard.
You had so much hair spray in your hair that you could lift a whole
section by pulling one strand.
You remember when Happy Meals came in a box, not a paper bag.
You remember when Saturday Night Live was funny.
You had Wonder Woman or Superman underoos.
You know what a "Push Up" ice cream is.
You had to come in the house when the street lights came on.
You had to change into *play* clothes after school.
You owned, or knew somebody with a Commodore 64.
You hated Scrappy Doo.
You recorded songs off the radio with your boom box.
You wish you had a light saber.
Somehow you still know all the words to songs played on VH1's "Big 80's"
Your arm was full of rubber bracelets.
You have ever said, "Gag me with a spoon."
You have ever wondered what happened to Saturday morning cartoons.
You had to get up to change the channel.
You can still sing 1 to 12 from the Pinball machine on Sesame Street.
Tuesday, December 03, 2002
I rented 'All About My Mother (Todo Sobre Mi Madre)' this weekend on DVD. I saw it in the theatre in 2000 before I left for Spain. I'd have to say that it is truly one of my top picks of the moment. I could watch it over and over again. Pedro Almodovar is phenomenal. It will definately be a part of my DVD collection soon.
Monday, December 02, 2002
I just tracked my package that was sent to the gallery in Montreal last week. Gosh, modern technology is swell. It looks like someone signed for it the day after I sent it out. What a relief. Now I don't have to worry about it being accidentally sent to Timbuck Tu. All I have to do now is wait for their response about my acceptance. Wish me luck.
Happy December everyone. I just sent a CD-ROM of my work to this gallery in Montreal, Canada called Montreal, Arts Interculturels last week. The deadline for submissions was yesterday, December 1st. I hope my FedEx package got there fine before the deadline. I have never submitted for a gallery other than Marwen, so I am pretty nervous and excited at the same time. I am hoping they contact me, even if I get rejected. I would love to do a show in Montreal.
