ronan and georgina

man, i still feel a little shagged-out from pulling an oscar-related 'all-nighter' last night. so i don't have a whole lot to post. haven't found time to go on a serious pearl-dive recently. plus, i have to cook again on wednesday. i'm thinking about making quesadillas and rice. so um, yeah, just to hold my place i'm posting another little slice of notebook art, from like, at least two years ago. (man, has it been that long?) like, i don't have the specific journal in front of me right now, but if i did, i'm pretty sure the date would be around '06. so um, who do we have here? on the right, its the delightful ronan vibert as wilmot pershaw from his one episode of 'jeeves and wooster.' (the episode is officially called 'jeeves sets sail,' in case anyone is interested.) so, yeah, there's ronan, and some deep fruit-punchy colors... the shot of ronan is from a screen capture jean-lucien took a long time ago. and on the right, is a minaturized scan of one of my journal covers. the main image is georgina hale from 'mahler.' the little phrase was randomly cut out of a science book... maybe about gemstones or something. so dig it, and hopefully i'll have more for you soon. (click to enlarge)

love

mmm, hey, i took the night off to watch the oscars. needless to say, it ran a little late, and i'm pretty tired as a result. but please remember i love you all and i'll be back in the driver's seat soon. i'm leaving the blog in joe strummer's skilled hands once again. sweet dreams.

good night

mmm, i don't really have too much energy tonight. and i can barely keep my eyes open for some reason, therefore, this may be the only thing i post. just a cool screen capture of bette davis as margot channing in the multi-oscar winning movie, 'all about eve.' she's so sophisticated and beautiful and crucial in that movie. and that black satin dress with that sexy low back...! and that full bouncy hairstyle! she's the coolest. so, hopefully i'll have more energy tomorrow night. you know i love you all. hey, speaking of the oscars, i kind of forgot it was like, happening tomorrow night, the academy awards. so i guess i'm gonna have to like, psyche up my brain for it. oh well, more soon lovers. kiss.

dance, ann...dance!

miss ann reinking, ladies and gentlemen. you can't talk me out of her. such a snappy-eyed, quick, bright, brown-eyed-susan, lithe, long-limbed girl she is. her toes and heels strike like gentle bullets. her voice rasps with a worldly sensuality, yet somehow retains a fairylike innocence. her complexion is ivory clean, her angles sharp and razor keen. she is electric living proof that you don't have to be a blonde 'dance ten, looks three' type in order to completely steal a show. i chose this magazine cover to showcase for a few reasons... mainly, because i didn't have a dvd of 'all that jazz' to screen capture from. and i liked the obviously dated look to it; the cover, i mean. and ann looks great. the date on the cover tells us its from 1978...when she was starring in 'dancin'.' a revue, i think the correct term might be. i must admit, i didn't see it ... i was only six years old.
(click to enlarge)

nick rhodes...backstage!

yes, i just stumbled upon this gem whilst i was digging around tonight. and i just decided to post it, just for kicks! it appears to be a shot of the very talented and serious nick rhodes... and judging from the color of his hair and stuff, i'd have to say its getting close to the late 80's... possibly arcadia-era. and from the looks of it, he's backstage, draped in all different crazy manifestations of 'fan love.' i see some kind of linen on his lap with strawberries on it. apparently some fan read somewhere that strawberries were his 'favorite food.' i know, i read that same fan magazine, too. and um, he's got some kind of cellophane-wrapped flower in his mouth. and a damn rug on his head, and some kind of fuzzy cartoon guy hangin' on... but i like this picture because it seems to prove something i've suspected about my darling nick all along... he has a sense of humor. and talent. and those slinky-hot lovely, girlish good looks. so rock on, nick... you were my first 'fave,' and you still have a special place in the 'fan lobe' of my teenaged brain.

legs, man...

yeah, i've never been 'all about' the legs... hey, don't get me wrong, legs are great, and i'm glad i have real long ones, but when it comes to my, shall we say 'lesbie friends' side coming out, i'm much more focused on that magic one-two shot of 'face and boobs.' but we all know there are leg freaks out there. hence, this cool-looking specialty magazine from the 1970's. and, do you know how i know legs are such a distinct freaky kink? because the magazine sells for the 70's-staggering hy-price of four whole american dollars! yeah, pretty steep. but i guess that's the way it was before the holy miraculous internet... if you wanted 'leg shows,' you had to 'pay the price,' you know? so, that being said, i guess the chick is cute enough, i can't really see her face. she does have some sweet ivory leggity-legs, though. and i totally dig those white leatherette strappy high heel shoes she's got on. they just don't make groovy, sturdy, sexy, easy-to-wear-and-run-down-the-street-in shoes like that anymore. and you gotta love her lemon-colored rufflely garter and the pale silk pantees she's stripping off-for-the-cameras. and hey, how sexy is that black ink stamp on the inside of her thigh that makes her look like the nazis are keeping track of her or something? woo-woo! but hey, at least it boasts 'more pages in full color.' dig it.

one more horserace!

yeah, when in doubt here on planetcool, i fall back on my sure-fire feature... yes, the duran duran 'sexiness' horserace! yeah, i just ran across this unremarkable shot tonight. just tricked it... rather quickly. if you look closely you can see i even sloppily 'selected' simon's face in a rectangle over on his side, and tricked it separately, to bring his features out, not caring tonight that the contrast of said rectangle is very visible. but what the hey, its good enough for our purposes. so umm... you know the magical question my friends; who wins? well, lets take a good look at what we have here. mmm, wow. why do roger and andy even bother showing up for these things? like, they can't even make being in duran duran look fun! roger looks like he just woke up 43 seconds ago, and andy's damn tongue is half out, and NOT in any kind of sexy way. simon looks pretty happy, but he's not really getting my 'simon' juices flowing... those 'juices like wine.' nick looks quite poised and pretty, but nothing really special. and that sky blue suit is from puke-town. so, i guess i've gotta give it to JT. yes, john taylor wins again... the god of the bass, and the god of 'rockin' an 80's headband with his burgundy suit. yeah, he looks alert, alive, and at least mildly pleased to be there. so, congrats, john. again.

married

i guess i should start by saying that one of the movie channels around here has been rolling 'the godfather' a lot the past couple of weeks. well, its notable to me and jean-luc for at least one reason; it won the oscar for best picture the year we were born, 1972. and i used to think the whole thing was dry and over-long and self-indulgent, but the more i watch it, the more i like it. and that brings me to this picture. i actually used this exact picture for a journal cover about seven or eight years ago; indeed, before i'd really ever sat down and watched 'the godfather.' i just ripped the picture out of a film magazine. i remember i used it because, for one thing, i had very limited access to pictures at the time, and also because i loved the stark, black and white, romantic composition... with both of them in perfect profile like that. at the time i had almost no idea concerning the plot that surrounded this shot... i had no idea of context whatsoever. even so... as that old book became handled and weathered and read and re-read, i've always thought of it as one of my favorites. it was one of the few covers i have ever done that had no words, no glitz, no embellishments of any kind. just the serious, lovely profiles of michael corleone and his strange girlbride, appollonia. now that i've seen this movie a few more times, i think its particularly interesting that michael never tells anyone in america of the bride he took whilst he was in hiding. (at least, not in the film... i've never read the book.)

by the way, the beautiful young actress who plays his bride apollonia is named simonetta stefanelli.

(click to enlarge)

its the realistic raccoon!

hey, i've had a stressfull day! i had to cook for seven people, so i tried my mother's recipe for southwestern chicken chili, and it was a hit! i cooked it all myself, and served it with shredded cheeses, white corn chips, and sour cream. and most of the people in the house thought it was good enough to have two bowls. and one guy, who's opinion i trust, said it was, quote: 'delicious.' man, i was glad to hear that after stressing so hard over it. like, feeding seven people to me is almost as personal as 'sex-banging' seven people, who aren't sure they wanna be 'sex-banged' by me. so, just to keep things light tonight, i thought i'd post this delightful (and yes, mildly frightening) picture of this 'realistic' stuffed animal raccoon! hey, dig his little black raccoon hands! he's cute, yet you don't want him anywhere near your curbside trash... or ANY of your secured-or-unscecured trash, for that matter. hey, what's that he's posing on? an old coffee can? just what we need; and overly-caffeinated raccoon who can hyperly get into your trash twice as fast and twice as frenetically as he would like, as-per-normal! so, i love you all, dig the raccoon, and hopefully it won't be the only thing i post tonight.

disco deelish

hello, hot disco lovers! i hope this post will meet with your approval. yes, its the cover of 'playboy' magazine from april, 1980. its not hard to spot the rabbit here; he's made into her silver-tronic diva disco microphone. and um, the rest of the picture speaks for itself, does it not? just for the record, i have no idea who this blazing cool covergirl is, but she really makes it work, the fuschia-violet disco scheme, clothing-wise. her shorts are like, barely there... her top is the elastic-coolest, her boots are the thigh-high most, and that scarf is just the icing on the cakeity-cake! it really does like, personify that queer cusp of fashion between 1979 and 80. so cool... so 'about-to-be-mtv.'

lucy and one diamond

okay, just before i hit those feathers, i thought i'd top off tonight's post with a splash of tropical 'hot chick' flavoring. jean-lucien was good enough to throw in his dvd copy of 'sgt. pepper's lonely hearts club band' last week, and took a few cool shots of the wild, bee-gees-inclusive goings on. it almost goes without saying that, back when i was a kid, the flashy glitzy barbie-fied costumes was one major thing that drew me to this movie like a magnet. you can't get much more 'disco cool' than these outfits that looked like they were based on bathing suits. they only thing that could make this number cooler would be if they were also on roller skates. anyway, dig on the pretty disco flavorings. i love you all.

french and saunders : opera classics -video

i first saw this many years ago, and thought it was such a dead-on scream i thought i'd post it; partly because its brilliant, and partially because i'm real tired and my picksh stock is running a little lean right now. lucynell, i don't know if you've ever seen this, but if you haven't, i really suggest you take ten minutes and give it a roll. there are like, so many small hilarious moments i can't exactly direct your attention to any one thing in particular. the girls come in at about 1:20, and they sooo remind me, dress-and-attitude-wise, of riche high point women we used to babysit for. (maybe even a little fowler, in a way, if i may be so bold?) so, when you get the time, dig it. i've been watching it for years and its still not old to me. hopefully i'll have more to dig on tomorrow night.

hot new single

so, um...wow. where do i start? i was just about to hit the sack, (no pun intended) but i figured i might as well check the morrissey homepage for anything possibly interesting... and i found this! apparently its the back of the sleeve of some cd or single for some new song or something, i don't know... i didn't read too much of the caption, if there was one. honestly, i didn't get past the picture. hey, boys... is that the 7 inch?? woof...! like, how soon is 'now,' ...now being when you drop the discs and show us all what's up... or at least maybe like, half up. god, morrissey once again proves he's no where near as shy and lilting as people might've thought he was in the 80's. man, he looks more than hunky-and-alright to me. i mean, he's almost 50. man, i just wanna like, take a bite, you know? and i think its a scream that he's buck naked in front of a camera with a vynil 45 on his dick, and he seems to be thinking like, '...does my hair look alright?' man, i can only imagine what a huge scandalous deal it would've been in the MTV 1980's if like, duran duran had let themselves be photographed like this. i mean, it would've been insane international news... but in good ol' 2009, like, less than absolutely nobody cares. and hey, the other lads don't look so bad, either. let's see, for those of you who don't know the boys already, we've got, naked, left-to-right, the exotic and brooding guitarist, jesse tobias, then we've got the only bloke i don't know already, some bloke named solomon walker... (probably some relation to matt walker...? maybe? ) who apparently plays bass. then we've got the glorious boy from manchester himself, morrissey, and after him, we have the great guitarist boz boorer... the intense gent with 'a little something extra,' bod-wise. and at the end of the line, last but not least, we have the spot-on drummer boy, matt walker... whose 45 seems to be hanging dangerous close to... the area. hey, slashfickers, start your engines, there should be enough fuel here to last you until the 4th of july. oh hey... while we're at it, we might as well have a horserace. i'm gonna make it a tie. a tie between morrissey, just because i love him, and he does look really great, and umm, the new guy? yeah, that solomon walker has it 'goin' on.' (man, i don't say that.) so, i hope all of you out there enjoy this shot as much as i do... i mean, with all the creamy scrumptious ladies i've been posting lately, its nice to know my 'straight lobe' is still very much alive and doing its job.) click to (slightly...?) enlarge.

hot pants

yes, i'm not really feeling the whole 'posting' creativity or energy tonight, but i totally don't wanna leave the night 'un-posted-on,' so i figured we'd all be cool with a shot of the groovy miss ann-margret in chili pepper red hot pants! hey, the whole outfit is great, and she looks great in it. but what's with the crossed-arm pose? is she feelin' vulnerable, or is she just cold? mmm, her feet look warm, in those swingin' tan leather funk-boots. and i also dig those free-hanging swaths of black from her mod belt. i'd love to see her do a real thrashin' wild crucial energetic dance number in that get-up. she'd like, be real hot, and 'take no prisoners,' sexy-wise. (mmm, what in the hell does that mean, exactly?) so, hopefully the coming week will bring a larger variety of stuff i can show you, but until then, please remember that i love you all.

val-entine's day

hey, i'm just gonna say right off that i'm real tired tonight, so i'm probably only going to post one thing. so, as my valentine's card to you all, i'm presenting this silky, sexy shot of john malkovich-as-valmont, kissing your hand. (mmm, we can all dream, right?) and it seems appropriate too, when you consider the center of his powdered wig 'do' comes to a heartshape in the middle. he wants to spread his love to all the lovely ladies out there. because what he has for you is pure, true love. hey, its 'beyond his control' to love many girls at one time. so... he asks with a knowing kiss, will you be his valentine? hey, who wouldn't be, am i right ladies?

room service

mmm, yes. i hope i can keep from swooning long enough to introduce the lovely and curvy miss rosemarie hillcrest. i do know she was a playboy playmate, sometime in the real early 1970's. (...forgive me, miss hillcrest, for not remembering the exact month and year.) but honestly, i have no idea if this shot was part of her pictorial... like, i'm sad to say i never owned her issue. but hey, she's here now, and she's ready to invite us in to frolic with her in her dated hotel room... with the thick bedspreads, chunky wooden-style lamps, and the tv that only gets four channels. (mmm, for some weird reason i wanna say she's gonna slither between the sheets and watch 'kojack,' complete with 70's commercials of karl malden hawking 'american express.') man, that acutally sounds kind of cozy, no? yes, me and rosemarie would eat some junk food, stay up to cuddle during 'carson,' then have a pillow fight... and what happens next is anybody's guess. wherever you are tonight, miss hillcrest, please know that i think you have one the loveliest faces i've ever seen in 'playboy,' or any other magazine, and you can invite me up to your room anytime. hey, even if we just stay up and talk. (click to enlarge) and pleeeeze don't flag me... as i've said before, they're only human boobs, and therefore, not only gorgeous, but harmless.

two hearts

since its valentine's day on saturday, i thought i'd pay tribute to one of the most loving, enduring, passionate, and achingly romantic couples of all time. not since romeo and juliet have two souls been so perfectly joined in the great waltz that IS 'true love.' they couldn't stand to be apart from eachother, not for one minute. they ate and drank and worked and breathed eachother... they were, hand in hand, drifting into the sunset of ardent lust and admiration. we should all be so lucky. sigh...

valentines

since its valentine's day on saturday, i thought i'd pay tribute to one of the most loving, enduring, passionate, and achingly romantic couples of all time. not since romeo and juliet have two souls been so perfectly joined in the great waltz that IS 'true love.' they couldn't stand to be apart from eachother, not for one minute. they ate and drank and worked and breathed eachother... they were, hand in hand, drifting into the sunset of ardent lust and admiration. we should all be so lucky. sigh...

happy birthday judy blume

yes, i just checked my birthday source, and it seems that judy blume was born 71 years ago today. (yeah, its hard for me to imagine her being that much older than me, too.) like, where do i start? i mean, seeing as how i turned 12 in 1984, it almost goes without saying that her books, almost all of them, we among my favorites. the ones i liked, i could read over and over again, almost indefinitely. i can't really remember the first one i connected with... now that i think about it, it was probably 'tales of a fourth-grade nothing,' about peter hatcher and his little brother fudge. and after that, they all seemed to fall at the same time. of course, there was 'are you there god, its me margaret?' ... then i know i read 'blubber,' 'otherwise known as sheila the great,' and the one i have pictured here, 'then again, maybe i won't.' i loved that one. well, i loved most of them. and we'd be here all night if i were to 'go down the list' and indicate which lessons each book taught me. but its safe to say i saw myself in every one of them... i had the same questions, doubts, fears, concerns, and secrets of the protagonists, whether they be margaret ann simon, tracy wu, or tony miglione. now, i must confess, i didn't go picture-diving specifically for a picture of the '...then again,' cover, its just that googling for the book covers, the versions i grew up with, is an act in virtual futility. all i see out there are cartoonish modern illustrations, with none of the deft stained-glassiness of the original j. scribner cover for 'freckle juice,' or that dreamlike purple cover for 'margaret' with the almost-woodcut feel to it... or that marvelous realist portrait of sally j. freidman, at her dressing table, pinning the flower behind her ear. no, those covers are very hard to find. but this one, although simple, is entirely charming and, like the novel, somewhat melancholy and lonely. also, it was the cover i grew up with. (see what i mean by '...i could go on and on?') so, happy birthday judy blume. and thank you for...well, you know.

loverly grover

so tonight i decided to throw in one of my dvd guilty pleasures; namely the 1968 musical 'half a sixpence,' directed by george sidney. now, ever since the first time i saw this movie... i think sometime in the early to mid 90's, there was one thing that drew me to it like a crazy-strong magnet, and that was mr. grover dale. here he is, playing the sly and cheeky 'pearce' in the screenplay adapted from the HG wells novel, 'kipps.' tommy steele plays arthur kipps, with all his cockney-wonky-toothed hyperactive inexhaustible enthusiasm. and the lush grover dale plays his randy high-steppin' flat mate. i'm not gonna bore you with the story line... kipps and pearce and the lads all work in an english department store, and they try to like, woo women, then kipps strikes it rich, and like, tries not to let it 'change' him, i dunno. honestly, the only parts i've watched more than twice are the parts with grover dale in it. not only is grover dreamy and gorgeous, physically, but he's also a fantastic coreographer and accomplished dancer and advocate for young, struggling dancers everywhere. and he was also married to the super-curvaceous anita morris... you will probably remember anita as the redheaded sexy firecracker in the rolling stones' 'she was hot' video. i can't praise grover enough. to see him dance is to fall in love with him. keep dancing, grover. there has never been anyone better. kisses.

true duran fan

okay, let me start right off by saying this chick is NOT me... as a matter of fact i have no idea who she is... but i do know she has true love for the fab five in her crazy 80's heart. and hey, please understand i'm not mocking this girl at all... there was a time where my bedroom walls looked more or less just like that. i can see some of the picksh she has back there... i know some of them were on my walls, too. that being said, lets take a look at that outfit. nick rhodes fedora-hat? check. 'played' collar on a lemon-colored men's shirt? check. made-in-japan fan 'tunic-thing?' check. ugh, it makes me kind of nauze to know that there were probably a lot of male teenage duran fans at that time, 'rockin'' that tunic with nothing on underneath, thus letting their skinny-shanks ribs and fragrant boy-pits breathe free. and hey, you gotta love the fake jive-ass string of pearls... and the 'thin black belt holding-up-nothing' around her waist. i can't believe she's not sporting a couple dozen black rubber bracelets, you know. maybe those came along a little bit later; like closer to 'arcadia' and 'power station' times. the eye makeup is great too. so, wherever you are, miss duran-fan chick, we salute you and your undying loyalty to the 'ragged rio' five. (click to enlarge)

sweet charlotte

okay, i hope i don't get flagged for this... technically, the chick's not even naked. i figured it was time i featured some prime feminine hotness here on the planet, so i dug up this cool and sexy shot of playboy playmate miss charlotte kemp. here we see her, and her totally natural and incredible sudsy boobs thinly veiled in black sheer fabric. facially, she's more than pretty enough. but let's be honest, how many people are actually focusing in on her face? hey, she's 100% real, and 100% ready to be hot and sultry for the camera lens. hey, i wonder where she is today? (mmm, like i really care.) but, seriously, i want to extend a heartfelt 'thank you' to all those scrumptious young ladies that 'took it off ' for the 80's playboy camera lens, so that i would grow up knowing what a real woman is supposed to look like. it blows my mind to know that there are some weirdos around now that would say she was fat. hey, i wish i had her 'weight problem,' you know what i mean? so, miss charlotte kemp, wherever you are now, i humbly thank you for 'letting it show,' your gorgeous silky girl-flesh. i, for one, will always remember your name. (click to sexily enlarge... and please, nobody flag me... its only beautiful human clevage we're talking about here.)

atari baby

i'm not really sure why i'm posting this. well, first of all, i think its pretty. like i dig the illustration, like, the style of it. hey, i can still remember how it felt to handle those cartridges. i remember feeling the thin card of circuts inside those things. i had a 2600, but i don't think i ever owned 'night rider.' first of all, you had to have those weirdo 'paddles' in order to play the damn thing. and jean-lucien and i got our 2600 from a yard sale or something, and it only came with joysticks, so it more or less ended right there; we only bought and used joystick games. but i do remember playing that game somewhere... maybe our dear cousin eric had it. and looking back on it now, as a potentially thrilling 'driving game,' it kind of sucked. like, the 'poll position' at the arcade was always much cooler. in the small town we grew up in, in the early 80's, about the only places you could find video games in public was at the local 'putt-putt golf and games;' at the 'roll-a-rink' skating rink, and at the 'godfather's pizza.' i seem to remember at the pizza place there was a 'centipede,' a 'ms. pac man,' a 'donkey kong,' and maybe one or two others, i don't remember. (... 'galaga?' ) i think they had a jukebox, too. hey, i kind of miss those 'pizza nights.' i wonder if lucynell and jean-lucien and i were ever at those places at the same time, and never even knew it? and hey, my darling 'atarieyes!' i wonder if you were ever there, too.

ragged fireworks

hey, i'm very glad to say i got some help today from jean-lucien. he sent me a few great duran shots that are very 'horserace-worthy,' if i do say so myself. now, i'm pretty sure i remember having this shot in a pin-up, back when my walls were papered with the blokes. now, there's quite a few things i find remarkable about this shot, so lets just dive in and evaluate, shall we? okay, who's 'bright idea' was it for the lads to pose with 'in-motion' sparklers in the first place? like, did some bonehead photographer just happen to have some hanging around the studio? or did he come up with the concept like, at an earlier time, and thought it was such a groovy idea he went out and bought a bunch of 'em like, just for the photo shoot? i can just hear the guy now, like shouting out, '...okay lads, move those things around! yeah, faster! look alive there, lads! really like, move 'em around!' seems like, lame, when you think of it that way. and hey, i think this might be the only shot of i've ever seen of simon with a cigarette in his hand. i mean, when he knew his picture was being taken. well, i may have seen one other, but i know its like, rare. but i digress... who wins? like, 'looks-and-sexiness'-wise? ummm, roger and andy couldn't be more out, out of the running. john looks like 'hating life' is job #1 at the moment. nick looks like he's just on the brink of falling over backwards, plus, he dorkily has one hand in his pocket... not exactly committing to the whole 'frolicksome pop star' vibe. so, the winner? simon le bon it is. he's got a cute smile going, and i'm a sucker for those 80's black and white horizontal striped shirts. hey, where can i get one?

marlon and karl...gay or rehearsing?

slashfickers, start your engines! okay, i'm more than willing to acknowledge there's probably no actual hot gay movie star dealings going on here. (although, the 'gay' explanation IS a heckuva lot more interesting.) yes, this is an on-set still of marlon brando, sitting in karl malden's lap, tickling a little 'koochie-koo' on his chin. it was taken during the filiming of the 1961 western 'one eyed jacks,' directed by brando himself... which supports the theory that he was just giving karl some direction. i've seen this movie. in fact, i technically own it, on vhs, back at my mother's place. its pretty good...if you like looking at karl and marlon in the prime of their looks... which i very much did at the time i shelled out the 19 bucks for the tape. i don't remember much of the plot. like, they're both outlaws, then karl double-crosses marlon, then years later, after suffering in a mexican prison, marlon gets out, and goes on the standard 'revenge' warpath. he finds his old partner in crime, karl, is now the local sherriff with a pretty young teenage daughter. the rest virtually writes itself. the only other thing remarkable about this flick is the character names. karl plays the very 'porno-actor'-sounding 'dad longworth,' and marlon plays the very duran-duran-album-sounding 'rio.' oh, and as if more unspoken homosexuality was needed, there IS a scene where marlon ties 'rio' to a hitching post in the center of town, in broad daylight, and sado-bullwhips his back until his shirt falls apart. kinky... kinky-town USA.

nick rhodes...scared or cold?

okay, this is a shot clearly from the late 1984 publicity phase of the duran duran history. it was around the same time they released the 'wild boys' video, as is evidenced by the weirdo angular graphics and stone-resembling background all their stuff had in common around that time. i don't know for a fact, but i would almost bet money this picture was part of some 'wild-boys'-related promotional picture-sleeve something or other. i mean, i'm pretty sure i didn't own it, because i'm not real familiar with this photo. but i would bet each duran had their own 'shot' in whatever imported product it was. but hey, this shot is all about nick. and i'm trying to decide... is he scared of soemthing? or is he just very cold? judging by the fact that he's on some roof with his bulky girls' coat wrapped tightly around him, i'm guessing he's probably just cold. he looks so much like a chick from an american high school at that time. like, even molly ringwald in 'sixteen candles' looked slightly more like she could kick your ass. hey, don't get me wrong, i love nick, and totally respect his artistic ways. but this particular photo is 'very hilarious.'

ann, unintentionally hilarious

man, i wanna start off by saying i'm one of the biggest ann-margret fans i know. in fact, as far as i know, only jean-lucien digs her as much as i do. that being said, this shot really cracks me up. its not that she looks bad, because she doesn't, she looks incredible, with her hot boots and groovy black sweater-dress thingy. she could've stopped there, and just looked very groovy, but for some reason, she decided to 'goof around' with a belt or something, holding it up to her head like its some kind of 'crown,' and pooching up her lips, 'i'm hot'-style. hey, ann... you don't need to try so hard to get our love. we love you like, 'normal.' i don't really have that much more to say about this one... like, i think it speaks for itself.

d2 three-way

hey, it sounds a bit sexier than it looks. i realize we haven't had a duran-related horserace in a little while, so here's a shot i found a few days ago. and man, just one word about the clothing... namely, nothing says 'late 1980's' like quilted, shimmery, oversized blazer-jackets, complete with insane shoulder pads. and hey, like, let us not forget, that all-important staple of high style, the 'useless fancy brooch!' yes, back in 1986-to-88, nothing said 'i'm in style and i know it,' like a cheap-ass, non-genre-specific, mall-bought, glitzty brooch! man, i can't even begin to estimate how many jean-lucien and i had over just those few years. hey, going out to meet some friends in early 1987? well then, time to don your 'taiwanese' synthetic satin oversized shirt with the lonnng untucked tails... and, the cherry on the top of your fashion 'don't?' ...well, everyone in 'the know' knew it was a 3-and-a-half-dollar 'distressed' metal fantasy brooch, with a swirly or vaguely military-fied design, complete with some hot pink or golden amber plastic cabochons stuck in. yes, pin it just beneath the chin of your 'all the way up' buttoned shirt, and you were ready to create 'fashion jealousy' with every step!

oh wait, i'm supposed to be talking about duran duran. well, to make a long story short, john wins. again. and it looks like he knows it, too.

strumbie dreams of 'mice cream'

or something similarly deelish. yes, if my strumbelina was human and therefore capable of logging on to planetcool, she just might gig me real hard in the arm for posting this potentially embarassing shot of her, asleep on a cardboard box in my kitchen area, with her very adorable little pink tongue sticking out! like, a few days ago, i walked over to the sink to rinse out a glass or something, and i looked down, and there she was, snoozing, that tongue very visible-and-cute-to-human-eyes! so i tiptoed over to get my camera, hoping she wouldn't like, yawn and reel that baby back in. but, as you can see, she stayed asleep, and i got her. how cute is that? hey, i think she knows i'm posting about her... she just jumped down from her perch and trotted over to me like, 'whatcha doin'?'-style. hey, until she grows thumbs and the power of human speech, i think i'm in the clear. (click to very adorably enlarge)

misfits

this is one of my favorite publicity shots of marilyn, like... ever. i'm not even sure why, i just love it. first of all, this shot was taken during the production of the 1961 john huston film 'the misfits.' it was the last movie marilyn would ever complete. monty only made a few more. a long time ago, i used this shot of marilyn to make a gorgeous collage. (i think it was me that made that one... its been so long, sometimes i forget.) well, i'm pretty tired, otherwise i'd be more eloquent. ummm, what else? both R.E.M. and the Clash wrote songs to montgomery clift. and have you ever seen monty in the george stevens classic 'a place in the sun' with elizabeth taylor? a devastating but frighteningly human performance. you can't talk me out of monty. and i do love norma jean. and i love the way she looks in 'the misfits.' so healthy and sexy... i think its mentioned in the script that she's a size 16. and hey, we also get a sweet indulgent helping of eli wallach and thelma ritter. 'the misfits.' a must.

glam homework

yeah, i find it almost physically and psychologically impossible to keep any kind of notebook for any considerable length of time and NOT decorating it. so, here's an example of some more of the wild and ink-consuming hand-drawn borders i can't help but flourish over the top of every slice of notebook paper that passes through my hands. i just can't help it. i clip tiny dazzling pop culture picksh and whip out that non-toxic glue stik, and all those plasticoated prismatic stickers and metallic rainbow rollerball pens, and voila! we end up with a thoroughly illuminated volume of darling humor and keen observations... and other stuff. so just for the hell of it, here's a hastily-done heading back in the year of 2005. lets see... we have georgina hale from the movie 'mahler,' then john-rhys myers and ewan mcgregor frolicking from 'velvet goldmine;' then, appropriately, at the end, we have the southern glam bisexual patron saint himself, mr. michael stipe. dig it. (click to enlarge)

paul's pint

yeah, i still don't have all that much on the ball tonight. (again) and this is clearly evident in tonight's post. its british star of stage and screen, mr. paul nicholas, with a beard, having a pint. that's it, kids... that's it!

it's art

okay, i'm still behind as far as posting is concerned. tonight i had to start a new picture file, so that's taking some time. but as usual, i wanted to mark my place. here's a groovy notebook illustration jean-lucien made a long time ago. and it features, amidst the lush colors, mr. peter 'hippy' tork, reminding us to 'know its art.' its on my desktop as we speak. i love the shades and satiny texture this one has. considered it was scanned in on a now-dead scanner, it still looks pretty gorgeous. plus, i had to cook for seven people tonight, which always stresses me out somewhat. i made spaghetti with meat sauce and garlic bread. and hey, everybody chowed down, so that's a good enough review for me. i feel pretty mellow now, with six new inches of glittering snow out there on the deck. and man, its cold, cold. but me and the kitty are cozy and warm inside. and we send our love. "...meow!" (yeah, thanks strumbie.)

the who explodes

hey lovers. i haven't posted in the last couple of nights. well, my days and nights just haven't gone that way. and i had a stressful day today, too. so um, i hope all of you are doing groovily. man, we just got like, five more inches of snow up here! like, there was still almost five inches permafrozen on my back deck from when it 'snowed big' the last time! oh well, i guess my mood is alright. but since i had some stress earlier, i thought i'd post this groovy picture of the late 60's 'who,' ...i think they might be on the smothers brothers or something, taking out their stress and agression by destroying their instruments. i love you all, and hope to have less stress tomorrow. (i almost spelled that, 'less stree...' yeah, i hope i have less 'stree' too, whatever that is.)

hazy lunch

i found this groovy picture tonight on my pearldive. as you can see, there's the hot 'silver fox' himself, mr. ian holm dressed for his role as tom frost in david cronenberg's 1991 film 'adaptation' of the william s. burroughs novel 'naked lunch.' in the film, ian and the 'always kinda frail' miss judy davis are married. i think her name is joan, right? anyway, apart from this shot being straight-up groovy, i also think its kinda funny. as you can see, this photo wins the 'hazy award' from 'maximum diffusing gauze' usage. and this might sound mean, but i think they broke out the 'kind filter,' to make judy look better and younger, and NOT the then 61 year old ian holm. i mean, i hate to 'bag on' judy, i do think she's beautiful and all that, but... well, you've seen judy davis. its been a long time since i rolled that flick. like, there's a lot of 'buggy' action going on, i mean of the 'six-legged' variety. i mean, yeah, i know they're only like, fake bugs and fake clackety insectizoid typewriters, but they still kind of scheeve me, you know?

more carroll

yes, there's no such thing as too many sultry photos of the great carroll baker. i know i had this one in my collection at one point, but i lost it somewhere, and tonight i found it again. i love her in this picture. she looks so sultry and her hair is a lot closer to her natural color. that would tell me that it was taken relatively early in her film career. mmm, she had everything marilyn had, sex-appeal-wise... and i daresay she was at least as good and actress, if not better. so carroll, if you're out there somewhere, i just wanna tell you that your talent and bombshell good looks live on on planetcool. so um, dig it, the satiny sex appeal that IS miss carroll baker.

owl towel

hey, what's more '70's,' decor-wise, than an owl? an towel decorated with an owl, that's what! hey, don't get me wrong, i dig 'owl decor' as much as the next 'child of the 70's.' like, i remember in my grandparent's house in morganton, north carolina, there was this exquisite 'owl-themed' ceramic salt and pepper shaker rack thing... it was a smallish black wrought iron 'tree,' on the 'branches' of which hung about nine different shakers, all owl-shaped, with tiny little holes in their heads for the seasoning to come out of. i loved that damn chintzy thing, man! hey, it bugs me more than i'd like to admit that the whole set is probably now in a damn landfill someplace. like, that owl-caddy should be mine! i remember my step-grandfather used to make breakfast on sundays, when we'd visit... the small groovy house was filled with the enticing scent of bacon... and when we'd get to the table, there'd be petite glasses of cold orange juice, whitebread toast and margarine, scrambled eggs, bacon, and anything else you could want. i miss those mornings... only because i was in love with that house... and deeply in love with the person sitting beside me. jean-luc, i loved you then, and i am totally in love with you now. here's to the comfort of 70's owls... may the groovy comfortable wisdom live on. (?)

happy birthday jean

okay, i can't do this post without admitting a lesbian crush. i've been wild about jean simmons since the first time i saw her ... playing the 'prim-on-the-outside, wild-on-the-inside' sgt. sarah brown in the 1955 film adaptation of the damon runyon musical classic 'guys and dolls.' she starred opposite a sexy and young singing marlon brando, and she turned me on every bit as much as he did. i loved her voice and her delicate dark features. she and marlon both did their own singing. she's actually english, born in a small part of london known as crouch hill. and in her later years, she was evidentally a bit of a drinker. (good luck, sister.) she was also striking in 'elmer gantry,' alongside such greats as burt lancaster and the sassy shirley jones. i love her because she proves that a smart dark-haired 'good girl' can be every bit as sexy as a blonde slutty one. so happy 80th birthday, miss jean merilyn simmons. i dig you the most. (click to enlarge)

fan book, fan book!

yes, before there was the internet, there was the glossy and glorious 'fan book,' and i daresay no other band (except maybe culture club) had as many fan books as those hot boys from birmingham, the pretty lads of duran duran. most of the best fan books, (not surprisingly) were made in japan, and was full of that cute indecipherable japanese writing. but the pictures needed no translation. they were big and glossy and glorious, and in many cases, 'never before seen.' i had several of those wonderful d2 fan books myself, but i can safely say i never had this one. so i have no idea if it was worth 'the bucks.' but i dig the cover... from the hot pouty shot of le bon, to the cheesy and barely adequate red lettering. i'd love to get a look at the pages. looking back on it, living in the sleepy small southern town i grew up in, its surprising that i got my hands on any decent fan books at all. so um, here's to fan books. perhaps lucynell can tell us if there were similar books released of her two main fave 80's bands, U2 and the police. how 'bout it, lucy? any decent fan books there?

shrimp stamp

hey, hey, it sounds a lot grosser than it looks, right kids?? i'm not talking about some weird new crustacean kabob-fied dish down at 'exotic joe's,' (the place that made 'crab ribs' famous)... no, i'm talking about the achingly mod late 60's celebrity coupling of female model jean shrimpton, and hot male screen actor, mr. terence stamp. here they are together, looking groovy for you. and apparently, they were a real couple, 'between the sheets in real life,' you know. the movie 'blow-up' was apparently based loosely on her experiences with a fashion photographer named david bailey who worked with her at the time. i wonder if its any coincidence that her next relationship was with terence, a bloke who (arguably) somewhat resembled david hemmings, who played the weird photographer in the antonioni flick. terence was something of a golden boy in england at the time, after making well-deserved sexy waves in peter ustinov's 1962 film adaptation of melville's 'billy budd.' (stamp's screen debut.) like another of my fave stars, miss carroll baker, terence booked it off to italy around 69 and made a few italian films, before returning to english-speaking parts around 1969, and was even considered for the title role in 'alfie,' but turned it down. he and caine were even flatmates at one time. (mmm, slashfickers, start your engines, your '...you don't have to say it mate,' engines.) they are a lovely couple though. (click to really enlarge, like... to make them like, the computer equivalent of like, wall-sized.)

tom waits : sixteen shells from a thirty-ought-six - video

hey, its from the 'for some reason only released on VHS' -copy of tom waits' genius stage show 'big time.' dig it, it's always been one of my favorites.

jaws is on!

hey, three words i never mind hearing. in fact, jean-lucien and i have a sort of unspoken pact that if one of us sees that 'jaws' is on cable somewhere, we drop everything and give the other one 'the call,' ... yes, the '...jaws is on' call. you know what i always say; 'jaws' always puts me in the mood... and what mood is that? the mood to watch 'jaws,' that is! yes, its one of those movies that i know by heart, and still, it never gets old. so you can just imagine my surprise when my darling lucynell let me know that she saw 'jaws' for the first time like, two or three days ago! i'm glad she liked it, but i don't know if she realizes that jean-luc and i have seen it like, an insane 'rocky horror picture show' amount of times. you give me ANY line-cue from the 'jaws' script, and you know i'll come up with the next line like, 99.9% of the time. and the book is great, too! i just snagged this great bloody shot... its the short but intelligent mr. matt hooper, checking out the just-caught jawbone 'bite radius' of the speared-and-docked infamous 'tiger shark.' and it just so happens that this particular picture seems to have been autographed by mr. richard dreyfuss himself. so lucy, i say let yourself fall backwards, 'nestea-plunge'-style, into the vast refreshing gory cresting saltwater roller-coaster ride that IS speilberg's 1975 masterpiece 'jaws!' woo-hooo! 'jaws,' man... 'jawwwwsss!!'

flash ponytail

hey, i'm going fishing tonight. i'm overdue to pearldive for fresh picksh and junk, so i'm leaving 'the planet' in the very sexy and capable 'hands' of valmont's dreamy ponytail. yes, i took this shot from the dvd... hey, you know a guy is 'sexy-from-all-angles,' when you go out of your way to get a shot 'from the back,' like where you can't even see his face. i amped up the color a little bit... well, not too much... more like i fiddled around with the contrast. even that sassy hand on his hip adds to the sultry coolness. hopefully i'll have something more for you guys tomorrow night, because you know i love you all. sweet dreams.

pop trash

hey, i just ran across this gem, and i thought i should pass it along. honestly, i think it more or less speaks for itself. yes, we've got the gangly party animal iggy 'james austerberg' pop, with a brew in one hand, and almost-deb's tit in the other. and deb herself is managing to look almost-conscious as she grabs ig around his spindly waist. and whoa, she's got that tongue out, just to prove what a wild 'nightlife' chick she is. i imagine there was some lofty conversation going on that night. and i wonder who's holding the camera? andy warhol, maybe? alexander gudnov with a coke high? liza minnelli? perchance miss tatum o'neal? hey, who knows? but i dig the picture. sleaze at its finest.

old duran

hey, i know the poster is a bit old and faded, but i thought we could still get a horserace out of it. i never had this poster on my wall, i can testify to that. i had dozens upon dozens of D2 posters, but i know i never had this one. and its from 'way back,' like maybe 81, or somewhere around there. so hey, let's take a look. mmm, as per usual, roger and andy are out, out. so who's left... sadly, i think i have to cut nick at this point, too. so its down to simon and jt. mmm, hey... i'm kind of torn here. simon looks rather butch and sexy up there with his uncharacteristically dark hair. and john looks like he's having a bit of a hair gel overload. hmmm, i think i'm gonna give it to simon. i love that old school striped shirt. and i know john can look a lot better. the 'planet earth' era was not his best look. so i guess simon it is. (mmm, i don't sound like, super-enthused about it.)

happy birthday wolfgang

hey, while i'm busy cranking out the celebrity birthdays, (since i have no real ideas) i might as well give a shout out to an insane genius... yes, apparently the very talented wolfgang amadeus mozart would'v been a cool 253 years old today, had he lived. (mmm, doesn't really make much sense to say that, in this instance. like, i know he died young, be even if he hadn't like, boozed himself to an early grave, i seriously doubt he'd be walking around now, writing jingles like, '...i'm lovin' it!') so, here's a decent shot from the classic milos forman film. you can see jeffery jones as the emporer. hey, he ended up being kind of a freak, didn't he? (jones, not the emporer.) and yes, we see the prodigy mr. tom hulce, as the hyper and screwed-up wolfgang mozart himself. hey, i love that movie. i know it by heart. but f. murray abraham is the real star if you ask me. i love this scene that's pictured here, where mozart plays salieri's own piece back to him, only like, 'mozarted up,' to suit the masses. (and hey, that's christine ebersole as katarina, the songstress... the same chick who gave michael dorsey his 'why are you so wired?' brush-off at his birthday party in 'tootsie.' ) (oh, and as a last footnote: have you seen a recent picture of tom hulce? i have only two words for you: mountain man. google it at your own risk.)

happy birthday mischa

okay, can you tell i'm still 'light' on stuff to post? so hey, i'm falling back on another celebrity birthday. yes, today the ballet legend and acting lightweight mr. mikhail baryshnikov turns a graceful yet powerful 61 years old. hey, i've always thought he was a good-looking guy... and i do dig that cat fight from 'turning point,' the one where anne bancroft and shirley maclaine kick eachother's asses in a windy parking lot wearing evening gowns. (i've you've never seen that bit, yes, its every bit as fantastic as it sounds like it would be.) but i'm also using this opportunity to post a very groovy time magazine cover from the 1970's. i loved the style of illustration like the style used here. i know i should know the name of the artist, but i can't think of it right now. i also really like that lettering. i don't know if that 'font' has a name or whatever, but i love it... its the 70's 'modern' most. (click to enlarge)

not so shy-acting

man, i am so sleepy tonight... like i can literally almost not stay awake long enough to post this 'just for fun' shot of miss shia lebeouf beginning to 'throat-down-on' a banana snack. and hey, i mean no disrepect to shia... i think he's both very hot-in-the-looks-department, and talented. but man, he's gonna show that tropical fruit who's boss; namely, him. so hopefully i'll be more alert and awake tomorrow... until then, bon apetite, shia.

joe in greece

ah yes... air travel. i suppose i've become somewhat phobic; but i don't care if i never have to do it again; namely, get on a damn plane. like, i've flown enough in my life. like, as i often say: the day i fly is the day i HAVE to. like, i'm not all that afraid of crashing... its just that i 'rainman' do not like, indeed cannot handle, such situations over which i have almost zero control. like, once you hand over your ticket and strap yourself in, that's it. zero control over almost every single possible variable. that's why i prefer to stay grounded for travel. hey, if you're on the ground, worst case scenario... you can always conceivably 'get out and walk.' still, here is a charming shot of my darling joe strummer in some grecian airport, awaiting his flight. i have never been overseas, and, if i end my days never having ventured from this great expansive slab of land that IS north america, then so be it. call me square. i have absolutely zero desire to 'go rock climbing in dublin,' or to 'go clubbing in amsterdam' or to 'cruise the shops in paris,' or any of that. i'm not knocking it, its just not in my blood. any wanderlust i once had has been contentedly replaced by a wild real need for Security. so, enough airports and train stations for me. when all is said and done, i'd rather be right here. (i guess i really didn't say much about joe strummer, did i? oh well... i got sidetracked. perhaps he'll forgive me... he was known to be a generous soul.)

wolf

i christened a new book tonight. i haven't written anything in it yet, i just got the cover on. the stars are the recently-featured-by-me hot bohemian couple of mick jagger and anita pallenberg. its from the nicholas roeg-donald cammell masterpiece 'performance.' actually, i don't think this particular shot is ever in the movie. and i know i featured a shot extremely similar to this shot last night. but that doesn't mean the cover is not extremely groovy, if i do say so myself. i already had the word 'wolf ' on hand for other distant reasons, but i decided i liked the archetype (sp?) of the wolf, and all those wild primitave implications of the bloodthirsty threat that might creep up upon the doors of innocence and domestic comforts.... that proverbial 'wolf at the door' that symbolizes a savage threat to a known and comfortable, albiet possibly ignorant, way of life. when you are blissfully sewing by the fire and entertaining thoughts of folly as you thread and stitch a square of linen with a slim silver needle and silken threads... the wolf is lurking, prepared... so lock your doors, gentle maidens. the wolf trots ever closer... closer...

(click to enlarge)

young steven

hey, i wanted a black and white shot, and i ran accross this older shot of morrissey in my archives. its obviously from 'the smiths' era. and anyone that knows me, knows i think he's much sexier with a few more years and a few more pounds on him, still... i think this shot is particularly lovely. it looks like he got his hair cut like, seventeen minutes before the picture was taken. i'm sure i probably cropped out johnny marr. i always try to crop out johnny marr when at all possible. wow, he was so young. so ummm, dig the youthful coolness of his face, and do yourself a favor and dig up some old smiths tracks. i think you'll be pleasantly surprised. their stuff sounds even better and more original and cool to me now than it did 20 years ago. they really did know how to play. and nobody sounded like them. sometimes i have to remind myself that it was only three instruments and a voice. good stuff. damn good.

happy birthday dean

yes, i realize i might lose some 'cool points' in the eyes of some people for this post, but i just had to give a heartfelt happy birthday to the very talented dean jones. i grew up with dean jones, thanks to his extended stint in various live action disney movies. 'million dollar duck' comes to mind. and of course, the 'darn cat' movies, a couple of 'love bugs,' and the surprisingly entertaining 'snowball express.' but a lot of people don't realize that dean was a very talented vocalist. i developed the warmest crush for him and the sound of his voice several years ago when i discovered the original soundtrack to the 70's sondheim musical 'company.' the soundtrack to that show is in my top three favorite broadway albums. i never get sick of it. dean's voice is so warm and expressive. so, who cares if he looks alarmingly like ted bundy when he wears a turtleneck, i still have real love for dean. his vocals from 'company' always takes the edge off when i'm feeling lonely. i guess a lot of credit goes to sondheim, too, for writing such terriffic songs. so, hey... call me square if you want to, but i'm blowing a kiss and saying; happy 78th birthday dean... i dig you! (the girl in the shot is susan browning. they're recording the magnificent number 'barcelona.')