Plastic Menagerie
Something to look at: Plastic Fantasic flickr set pictures little plastic animals in gorgeously lit tableaus (via Bibi’s Box). I wish I was that good a photographer.
Has-Beens? Try Never-Wases.
Continuing today’s “found photo” theme, don’t miss this amazing gallery of publicity photos by the famed entertainment photographer James Kriegsmann (via PCL Linkdump). Jennifer Sharpe of Sharpeworld put this together and my hat’s off to her. While Kriegsmann beautifully photographed some of the most famous names in post-WWII entertainment, this gallery concentrates on unknowns from the studio’s later years. And therefore you get lots of hideously outfitted “never heard of ‘em” acts like Daybreak, the group pictured here. Fantastic!
Indiana Wants Me
When FOUND magazine co-founder Jason Bitner stumbled across several boxes of old studio photographs stored in the back of a small town diner, he discovered the found photo equivalent of a goldmine — some 18,000 formal portraits of the residents of LaPorte, Indiana dating from the ’40s to the late ’60s. Some of these images have been collected in a neat new book called (appropriately enough) LaPorte, Indiana. On the whole, it’s an intriguing look at how ordinary people once saw themselves at their best. Whether the subject is a smiling baby or an elderly couple, most of are dressed in their Sunday finest and posed stiffly against neutral backgrounds. The photos are nicely arranged in ways that underline their similarity — a spread of women holding a rose by their cheek, for example. Often the same subject is shown in a formal pose, then in a more spontaneous casual pose. It’s fun to glance at the sheer variety of faces on the subjects, while the hairstyles and (often dorky looking) fashions remain constant. One unsettling spread juxtaposes a small child and an older woman wearing virtually identical cat-eye glasses. Definitely a window into another time and place.
Although the people in the photos weren’t identified, the official LaPorte, Indiana weblog points out that some current residents have come forward with names. Pretty cool! Pre-purchase the book at Amazon here.
Proof that Karma Works
The L.A. Times exposé on Thomas Kinkade, Painter of Light (TM) is required reading. How deliciously gratifying it is to find that a loathesome, hypocritical man lies behind all those candy-ass paintings of lighthouses and country cottages. And now he’s being sued all over the place. Sweet, sweet schadenfreude.
Late to the Party
What to say on the Oscars, this late? Jon Stewart did a good job hosting, and I wasn’t too bummed that Crash won Best Picture. It was a fantastic movie, beautifully directed and acted despite its somewhat heavy-handed script. Other things to mention:
- If they have to present all those interminable montages (although Stewart’s reaction was priceless), why can’t they use better quality film clips? They’re always all blurry and muddy looking.
- Enough already with the “seeing films in a theatre is so much better” propaganda. Yeah, paying through the nose, sitting through too many commercials, and putting up with gabbing teenagers and cellphones is that much better than staying home with a DVD.
- Fashion-wise it was an okay year with no real surprises. Even Charlize Theron’s much maligned huge bow looked classy to me. I’m glad the women are trending away from the tan/beige/gold look. The best gown belonged to Ziyi Zhang, followed by Michelle Williams’ macaroni and cheese-colored dress (at least it was different).
- Loved that Wallace and Gromit won. Terrific movie. Also loved Meryl Streep and Lily Tomlin together (they should do a stage act called Meryl Streep and Lily Tomlin Together!). And George Clooney delivered a heartfelt speech that thankfully wasn’t the usual laundry list of names.
- Animated short winner John Canemaker thanking his life partner in his speech was another highlight for me. That happens often at the Tonys, not so much at the Oscars.
- Blowsy blonde lady who looks like a heavyset Priscilla Presley was in the audience again, seen briefly a couple of times. Who is that lady? She must be the wife of some Academy higher-up or something. Every time we see her, we’re like “Look, it’s not-Priscilla-Presley!”
New in the Store: Beaver with Stick
This ‘lil guy is the latest addition to The Scrubbles Store at CafePress. On a thong. Discuss.
Beavers, You’re Out. Auf Wiedersehen.
Just for fun I thought I’d share the beavers that didn’t make it for a specially designed thong in my Cafe Press store (which are not to be confused with character actress Louise Beavers).
Sketches one and two. The left one seems a little too easy and I don’t like his stick. Like the pose on the right one. Note log mysteriously floating under teeth. No room for logic in cartoonland.
“Coming, Ma.”: a tired beaver stands next to a more abstracted beaver with giant teeth. Didn’t get the legs right.
Simplified beaver resting on a log; a lost Hanna-Barbera character.
Things That Make You Go Wh-Wh-Wha?!?
flickr functions best when it shows me something I would have never fathomed being made. Like Wacky Packages fabric.
Trio of Thingies
In the absence of anything long and boring today, I submit three little tidbits:
- No awards season is complete without entering the Web-Goddess Oscar Contest to win a pair of rainbow hued “Brokeback (sock) Monkeys”. Kris rocks!
- Terry just sent along a reminder that the annual pledge drive for WFMU is going on right now. Stop by, take a listen to some of that Freeform Radio goodness, and if you have some extra cash on hand pass it their way.
- I’m loving these 1964 New York Worlds Fair postcards assembled by the spiffily redesigned Eye of the Goof. What to do? I’d wanna ride the GM Futurama exhibit and It’s A Small World back when it was new, then sample the delicious waffles at the Belgian pavilion (believe it or not, that’s what most visitors best remembered).
