beatle cartoon!

hey, i'm sure you all remember the clunky-yet-charming Beatle cartoons from 'the past.' (when were those things done, anyway?) jean-lucien was good enough to slide me some screen caps from those funky animated shows. i always thought the art was quite good, considering how primitive it was. i mean, the drawings really DID look like 'the lads.' i have no idea who did the voices, but as i remember, they were pretty convincing. i really should dig into YouTube and take a trip down memory lane, as it were. like, maybe they don't suck. its been so long since i've seen one, but didn't they like, solve ghost crimes and stuff ala-scooby doo? like i said, i don't really remember. but i dig this shot. hey, at least they took care to make paul left-handed.

smoke pretty

if you had come to me when i was fifteen years old and asked me if i would ever end up smoking cigarettes, i would've told you, emphatically, "...no!" wow, how my mind has changed. i could take the easy excuse and claim that i only started smoking because i worked in the restaurant industry, but that might not be entirely accurate. but i DO know that's when i started smoking. i was working at the legendary Rock-Ola cafe, when i made friends with a very cool girl with a stud through her tongue. it's insane that i can't remember her name. she offered me a cig after a grueling shift. and from that moment, i started buying them. i chose Camels because my favorite movie at the time was 'lawrence of arabia.' i know i became close to this girl, because i went to visit her in the hospital for some reason... but i have NO memory of her name. but, all that aside, i'm glad i'm old enough to remember when cigs could be advertised on tv. so dig this magazine ad for a brand i'm sure you can't get anymore. i think i can safely say i've never smoked an 'eve.' but i DO remember seeing them for sale. hey, light'em if you got'em, ladies.

dorsey worship

i just found this one like, last night. and you know i couldn't resist passing it on. man, i can't believe i don't own a copy of 'tootsie' right now. i don't remember where i found this shot, but its obviously a publicity thing for when the movie came out in 1982. he seems to love her. hey, he's so complicated like, 'method actor'-wise, that maybe he did. in the movie, michael dorsey's character says that he wished she 'looked prettier.' well, i've always thought dorothy was pretty. and apparently i'm not the only one. evidently john van horne and julie's dad 'les' thought she was pretty hot, too. man, i love this movie. and i LOVE that lucynell and jean-lucien love it, too. man, i love you guys. and ps: "...can i borrow...that little yellow outfit...?" hey, you know she's talking about "...da Hawlston...??" (click to enlarge)

doesn't mean you're queer...

hey, it doesn't mean i'm queer because i love looking at the long-legged sexy ladies! and hey, illustrations of them doing 'lesbo-junk' is perfectly normal stuff to have on my hard drive. especially when that chick-on-chick erotic stuff was created by the legendary patrick nagel. i don't think i even need to say that he's best known for painting duran duran's iconic cover 'rio.' but, anyone who had 'playboy' in their house growing up knows he regularly illustrated the 'after dark' feature. after all this time, i still haven't begun to outgrow the coolness, the streamlined sexiness of patrick nagel's work. this seems like a pretty rare one. so dig it, and kiss a girl-for-the-cause. (optional.) (click to enlarge)

come and knock on our door...

hey, you know 'em, you love 'em, its the cast of 'three's company.' and i've invited them to spread some christmas cheer. i probably don't need to tell anyone that this shot was taken relatively early in the series. because the ropers and suzanne somers are still hangin' on. and janet still has her curly do. (actually, in retrospect, i think that was her cutest look.) man, i love jack tripper. i mean john ritter. its tough for me to NOT think of them as the same guy. suzanne looks really cute in this picture, and i actually love what janet's wearing. i dig that they're holding those wrapped boxes... i wonder if there was anything IN them, or if they were just 'empty-for-props.' fun fact: normal fell can be seen in the late '6o's masterpiece 'the graduate,' as ben's suspicious landlord, in the second half of the flick. (also, a very young richard dreyfuss ALSO shows up in 'the graduate.' he has one line: "...you want me to get the cops? i'll get the cops!") so hey, peace on earth, good will towards men... and fake 'tinkerbells,' jack. ahhh, can't wait for someone to run a marathon.... ya hear me, tv land? (ps. an alphonse mucha reproduction can be seen on their wall, over jack's shoulder.) (click to enlarge)

annual alphonse mucha

it has become a christmas tradition that my mother sends me the latest and lushest calendar featuring artwork of the Master, Alphonse Mucha. this year was no exception. my marvelous mom came through with a real sweet one. the cover of it was lovely... and even though it's not yet January, i couldn't resist putting it up. i tacked it up right beside my little zen-computer pad on the floor. and this image, (one of my all-time Mucha faves) is the picture for January. i have actually been lucky enough to have seen some of his originals in person, like, at a museum in Raleigh several years ago. it was like a religious experience for me... to know that i was looking at the materials he actually touched. i even got close enough to see some pencil or charcoal erasures. jean-lucien said he looked at this painting when he was teaching himself how to successfully render 'ribbons' and 'streamer' shapes in his cutting. i love the colors, i love the composition, there's nothing i don't like about it. he really was the best at what he did. he created a certain style that has since been ripped off like, nine thousand ways. (google 'alphonse mucha' and see how many tattoos you see.) beautiful stuff.

jareth, i think...

okay, its been way too long since i posted anything over here. and, i don't really know if i have the right 'mood on' to do it, but i wanna try... like, the longer i go, the tougher its gonna be. so umm, dig this! it looks like a hand-made rag doll guy based on david bowie's 'jareth' character from the cult hit 'labyrinth.' annnd, i'm really glad the 'dollcrafter' propped it up next to a pack of 'labyrinth' trading cards, otherwise, it might've taken me a LOT longer to figure out who it's supposed to be. its actually pretty cute, like... in its simplicity.

listen to me kids!

this is what i might classify as a 'shameless post.' i am posting this entry for only one reason: to persuade more people to explore the genius music of michael nesmith; inside and outside of 'the monkees.' he was one of two genuine songwriters and musicians that were hired for the 60's tv show. he fought tirelessly for the right to play their own instruments on the records that were produced during (and indeed after) the show's popular run. i would post a musical example, but the way youtube is these days, its bound to be taken off within days. i love this shot of mike. it shows the underlying ferocity and dedication with which he approached his craft. i put him right up there with joni mitchell, r.e.m., etc. his boundless imagination, sterling voice, and superior musical ear combined to make some of the Best Stuff I've Ever Heard. the double album 'the first national band complete' is truly a 'desert island' selection. his work is varied in style, but consistent in quality. nesmith shoots often, and almost never misses. a National Treasure.

happy birthday walt disney

okay, first of all, in my defense, i want to say that i'm only paying tribute to walt disney because i kind of HAVE to... as an American girl who grew up in the 1970's and '8o's, my childhood was greatly influenced by the work of this odd man. in fact, the first movie jean-luc and i saw in the theater was the one depicted here; 'snow white and the seven dwarves.' (dwarfs?) i remember there was a big poster or standee in the lobby. i also remember it was before either one of us had glasses... so there's almost no doubt what we saw illuminated huge on that screen was considerably distorted. i remember being scared in a good way. but, in retrospect, i don't think it was anything on the screen that freaked me out... i think i was afraid and awed when i realized the Power of the Screen in general. it was the glimmering scarlet and black 'first kiss' of a lifelong love affair. i also remember that my mother and younger sister were not with us. it was just jean-lucien, my late step-father, and myself. HE made sure we saw 'snow white.' and for that, i thank him. (well, i realize it might not have been his idea, but he physically made sure we were there.) so um, thanks, walt disney... for all your insanity. some of it was, and still IS, truly lovely. had he lived, he would've been 108 on the 5th.

revelations

jean-lucien (artistic genius) has made it clear to me that he would be happy for me to post more of his glorious work. he created this one a little while ago... and, what can i say? like all of his stuff, it is glorious. breathtaking in the use of color, spellbinding in its composition. truly, he is my favorite visual artist. this swooping visual sermon consists of a spinning half-naked nun, (from ken russell's masterpiece, 'the devils') and the underrated anthony perkins from ken russell's underrated underground hit 'crimes of passion.' it has a 'stormy sky' sense to it that i positively love. and i am so glad that the scanning technology is keen enough to reveal, in places, his delicate and careful scissor cuts. remember, all the assembly is done by hand. computers only come into play in the scanning and posting process. wow, i could gaze at his work for hours. sometimes i can't believe how lovely and lush it is. so please, dig on it hard, and know that its all for The Cause. (click to enlarge)

guess who owned this book?

well, i guess technically, jean-lucien and i still DO. i even have a clearish memory of the day we talked our mother into letting us buy it from a record store that was at the top floor of the four seasons mall in greensboro, nc. i don't remember exactly the name of the shop... i think it was 'the record bar.' i DO know, that by the time i moved from there, there was an optical thing in its place. i know, because i got some contact lenses there. but, back to the duran book... i remember after we saw that book on the rack, we literally came right out and asked our mother to buy it for us. (something we almost NEVER dared to do.) i don't remember if she relented that day, but i DO know that we ended up with the very excellent book, (which was almost completely in japanese... but hey, we didn't care... we just wanted it to worship the pictures.) i remember we also got a similar book, with same glossy-type cover, but it was more like, red and orange-schemed. i'd love to have that book in my hands right now. man, i was so in love with those guys. (well, three of them.)

chug it!

hey, what's better than those candid black and white shots that reveal the hedonistic goings-on at studio 54? and this is a great shot to illustrate what i mean. its seems like, whoever happens to be pictured, celebrity-wise, seems to illicit the response, "...well, of course they were there." like, if you tried to make up a group of celebs who'd be hobnobbing at studio 54, no matter how mismatched the group seemed to be, you'd still believe they were actually there together. like, if someone told you they had a photo of tatum o' neal, gore vidal, divine, and a naked dude, you'd be like, '...sure, okay.' or like, perchance the grouping of bianca jagger, olivia de haviland, joey dellesandro, lou reed, and a tiger cub, you'd be like, "...i'm not even blinking." in THIS photo, it looks like we have bianca jagger, andy warhol, jerry hall... and are those last two people like, calvin klein, and lulu...? yeah, i'll bet THAT was a wild night that absolutely nobody remembers. i can't lie, though... part of me would love to have been there. coke it!

red and ragged

alright, this one's gonna be short and sweet. here we have the 'important' three duran's in their early days headlining in Birmingham's 'Rum Runner.' okay, first, let's get the horserace out of the way. and, from where I sit, its an easy one. john. mr. nigel john taylor wins this one pretty handily. simon looks very 'don't talk to me, i'm 'in between looks.' and nick seems to be saying, 'don't look at me, this is the worst look i'll probably ever have.' john looks a little vacant and pale, but doesn't seem to be ashamed of his look. in the interest in full disclosure, i admit i cut roger and andy completely out of the picture. because, let's face it, they were never really in the running to begin with. in closing, i would like to point out that they're all sitting at a big giant mirror. umm, all the better to 'chop chop' that white powder on, no doubt.

take a step that is green...

wow, this one hardly needs any comment, does it? i think most of the 'planetcoolers' are also 'three's company' fans. and when i say 'fan,' i mean, even as much as i love the show, i'm the first one to call 'cheesy' on the show when it gets, well... cheesy. which, let's face it, was (is?) pretty darned often. awww, sweet john ritter. how we miss him. what a knockout smile. i think this shot is pretty funny because, among other things, it stresses the 'chef ' aspect of jack's character. i also think its pretty 'sex'-ploitative, what with the girls leaning over with their mouths wide open like they're gonna give some hot california 'f'llatio.' i wonder how late this tv guide-style photo shoot lasted? probably quite a while.... which means most of that 'food' and 'vegetables' were probably fake. and we all know that green backdrop is just a sheet. i like the way 'chrissie' looks bored, with her hand on her hip and her eyes wandering. and there's like, salad oil and peppermills hanging on. man, i love that show. can you get the whole series on dvd yet? does anyone know? the best. (oh, and i think its also worth mentioning that suzanne's tummy-curve is visible in her black jeans. knowing these days, a sex symbol as famous as suzanne was then, would have her little tummy shape airbrushed out without fail. sigh... ) anyway, dig it!

total bull

okay, the original image i'm using for this one is kinda small, so i hope it's readable. jean-luc pointed out what we both think is a pretty lame tagline: "...they were the world's greatest con men... almost." i have no clear memory of this movie (which apparently came out in 1990...!) so i punched it up on the ol' IMDB. according to the synopsis, the two stars play 'dual roles.' (groan!) wait, it gets better. ah, what the hell... here's the whole plot outline. "Roger Moore and Michael Caine play dual roles in this off-beat and highly silly caper-- a pair of smalltime con men and a partnership of nuclear physicists. As con-men, they use their uncanny resemblance to the high-living scientists to con their way to the scientists' safety deposit boxes, but in doing so, become entangled in a shady world of spies and international intrigue." Ugh! Apart from the two leads, the only other name i recognize -at all- in the cast is Sally Kirkland. just to make sure, i even expanded the IMBD credits, and scrolled alllll the way down, and... credited dead last, is... john cleese, who plays, 'man on the beach who looks like john cleese.' no, i am NOT making that up. and, two names above Cleese is patsy kensit, as 'sick lady on train.' all in all, it sounds like a winner. again, anyone out there who has ever seen this 'gem,' i welcome a review.

umm, i don't dare

okay i know its been a real long time since i posted anything over here. so hey, bear with me whilst i try to jump back on this dark horse that rides through the night sky, dazzling all witnesses with its coolness. i guess this is as good a place to jump back on as any. hey, i love movie posters, and this is a real sweet one. now, i know cher has been a huge star for a long, long time... but i can't find anyone who's ever seen this movie. and the poster is a scream. first of all, maybe its the way this poster was once folded, but i don't seem to remember cher's boobs ever being that big. and, speaking of 'flat,' what about that award-winning expression on her face. she doesn't look very alluring, or afraid, or even all that tough. and hey, how about that high quality pencil-type drawing of a truck pulling away in the background? i'm surprised there aren't even like, 'chug-chug' puff-puff exhaust clouds coming out of the tailpipe. if anyone has ever seen this little bit of cinema gold, i would LOVE to hear the review.

mike is cruisin

i saw the 'cruisin'' video long before i got 'into' the monkees, sometime around summer 1986. i'm sure a lot of people think this song is called 'lucy and ramona and sunset sam.' but its actually 'cruisin.' and mike looks his shaggy best in the video. and the rollerskating sweethearts aren't too shabby, either. so hey, now i think i have to hit that bed... thanks for being patient as i try to learn this new snowleopard machine.

miss vivien

hey, its the wild and apparently very bisexual miss vivien leigh. i admit, i don't know all that much about miss leigh... but i love to watch her face on film. if you watch her, she actually mugs and makes a lot of faces and really 'gives it up.' i know it sounds ridiculous, considering 'gone with the wind' and all of that, but i happen to generally think she's slightly underrated. in lesser known movies like 'waterloo bridge,' 'that hamilton woman,' and 'the roman spring of mrs. stone,' she kills every single scene she's in. and she could hardly be more beautiful. she's one of those few women that i would trade bodies with. and i love the sound of her voice. and hey, apparently she 'bagged' laurence olivier. hey, i'll bet there aren't too many broads out there that can say that.

suspiria creaps

okay, for the next several days, you guys are gonna have to give me some slack. i'm working with a whole new operating system. i'm still trying to learn it... like driving a car with a foreign shift. BEN: "...do you know how to work a foreign shift...?" (2-3-4... mrs. robinson shakes her head) "...you don't...?" so i'm more or less still practicing... in other words, please take all posts and typos easily... some of the posts may not seem marvelously relevant, and some of the typing skills may not be a hundred percent... but, as pete townshend says, i gotta 'keep on working.' so, recently, i was fortunate enough to enjoy a 'gratis' rolling of 'suspiria.' online, i found a few shots from the visually arresting flick. i used some of those shots to practice my new photo-trick program on... here is one slide, re: the juicy results. i hope you dig it. that's the starlet, jessica harper on the right... i'm sorry to say i don't know the other actress's name. dig it.

testing

okay, its been a little while, but i'm back-with-a-mac, thanks to my angel, lucynell. and here goes a test, and who better to honor lucy than with a rare shot of her fave guy from the fab four. (wait, john is your fave, isn't he?) well, even if he isn't, you'll have to dig this cool shot of him recording. judging by his hair and stuff, i'd guess it was around 'revolver' era. (mmm, i'm not used to typing on a flat keyboard... but hey, i'm getting the hang of it.) well, here goes... let's see if this photo uploads like its supposed to. hey, sweet... it looks like it works! this might be the only thing i post tonight... its been a long day, and i'm pretty tired. its good to be connected again.