Tuesday, May 31, 2005

This Shit is Bananas, B-A-N-A-N-A-S


Saw the film Madagascar this weekend and was impressed with the vivid colors and animation, however disappointed in the story, or should I say lack there of. The main problem with the film in my opinion was the lack of a juicy scene-stealing villain. Not to mention the new trend in squeezing as many pop culture references as human possible in one film.

In other more interesting news, it appears my favorite tanorexic heiress is going to marry her male counterpart, Paris, or is it Paris? Now that she is engaged, she should do the next season of a Simple Life with engaged Nicole Richie and they could compete against each other for wedding prizes, with the chance to broadcast their wedding on TV going to the victor. Because nothing says comedy better then two ex-friends clawing to kept their fifteen minutes of fame going. Tick, tock.

Thursday, May 26, 2005

The Beauty of Masculinity


About a week ago I had the pleasure of meeting photographer Michael Alago at his opening reception at the Leslie Lohman Gay Art Foundation (LLGAF) and then once again running into him at the Erotic Art Expo. Considering the amount of attention he was receiving at his opening, I was pleasantly surprised that upon our second meeting he remembered my name.

If you have the chance, you should pick-up a copy of his book Rough Gods (limited to 2,000 copies), a collection of men who ooze masculinity, like the photo of Joe above. Michael will also be giving a lecture, where some of his models will be in attendance, on May 31st at the LLGAF. I for one am looking forward to hearing him talk. Will see you all there.

Wednesday, May 25, 2005

Sometimes I Doubt Your Commitment to Sparkle Motion

It seems I have once again been plagued by those horrible beasts known as uninspiration and doubt. These mini breakdowns or lack of drive usually end with a clearing and a new found direction. One can only hope they find there way here sooner then later. I need a good pick me up.

It also can't help that its been 50 degrees for the last two days (in May no less) and grey, dreary skies.

Friday, May 20, 2005

Dirty, In a Good Way


This weekend the Tom of Findland Foundation will be hosting the Erotic Art Fair. This three day event showcases the work of over 40 artists whose work ranges from drawing, painting and sculpture... all dealing with our favorite erotic arts. I plan on attending tonight's opening reception, as well as drawing at one of their workshops on Saturday. It should be a fun event and I recommend if you have the time this weekend, you head over to the Lesbian & Gay Community Services Center (208 West 13 Street.)

Thursday, May 19, 2005

You Better Work...


Finally, back to the spirit of the ANTM that I love. Fierce runway competition from two very talented finalists. Stomping through a water covered runway, gave the last half hour of the show the needed kick that I felt was missing from this season. I was also happy to see the girls wearing some high fashion and kicking ass doing so. Congratulations to Naima on her narrow victory over my choice, Kahlen (Janice's choice it seems as well.) Mark my word, this is not the last we will see of either of these girls.

PS- I still love you Brittany.

Wednesday, May 18, 2005

The Skinny on Lindsay


How did this happen? Somewhere along the line this healthy, curvy, sexy redhead just slowly disappeared right in front of our eyes.

All I have to say to Lindsay is, stop it!

You were a beautiful woman, there was no need to go to such extremes. However, what really alarms me is quotes in Teen Vogue like "Compared to a lot of actresses my age, I'm actually overweight." This scares me and leaves me speechless. You are too talented an actor to waste away to nothingness.

Tuesday, May 17, 2005

When in Rome

You should at least make one phone call. Enough said.

Friday, May 13, 2005

Damn Them!


Sad to report, my girl Brittany was sent home this week on ANTM. Thank god there is only one more episode left, because without her effervescence energy and larger then life personality the show will suffer... mark my word.

My only complaint about the show (besides Brittany's absence) is all the product placement. Instead of having the girls shoot high fashion, high concept, glamorous shoots they are always attempting to sell a products, for example Caress Body Wash last night. There was a time when ANTM had the girls in couture for couture's sake. I think the show needs to head back into that direction.


Anyhow, I'll step off my soapbox now and lube up with my Jergens lotion. Damn all that product placement!!!

P.S. Brittany, I still love you and you're my top model.

Thursday, May 12, 2005

Mammoth Work


Tonight is the opening of new mammoth plate albumen prints by John Dugdale at Clamp Art. I have the pleasure of being able to call John, a dear friend and I'm sure as always the work will be both inspirational and amazing. John lost his most of his sight to an AIDS related illness but still continues to produces beautiful photographs that resonate days after viewing them in the flesh. I'm looking forward to seeing John this evening and will give you my slightly skewed review of the show tomorrow.

Clamp Art is located at 531 West 25 Street.

Wednesday, May 11, 2005

Going Once... Twice


With the deadline for the auction past and I have yet to complete my latest work, which I planned on donating, I decided on another painting... the one you see above (I don't have a good photo of the whole painting, so you'll have to settle for a detail for now.) This seems to be the problem with my work, getting a good shot, the painting is 42" x 71", gouache and pencil.

I'm very excited to be included in such good company as Alexis Rockman, Elizabeth Peyton and more exciting names to come. The auction will be held on September 13, with the work on display at the Visual Arts Gallery in Chelsea from September 6-10.

Tuesday, May 10, 2005

Reality Comes to an End

So over the next few weeks all of the reality programs I watch will be officially over. We will be graced with a top model, a singing idol, globe trotting victors and a sole survivor.

My guesses for the winners are as follows:

Amazing Race- Uchenna & Joyce, the real heart and soul of the competition. Besides any woman brave enough to shave her head (which by the way, she looks amazing) for a TV show deserves to win the money. And while Rob & Amber are fun villains, they don't really need any more attention.

American Idol- I think this should be the easiest to predict, but then again never under estimate the American public. The winner should be Bo Bice. Besides, it would be nice to see Idol create a southern rocker.

America's Next Top Model- This one I'm going with my heart and saying that Brittany wins the cat fight and will be gracing the pages of Elle Magazine. As I've said before, she's got a fun, effervescence spirit that I find endearing, I just hope its enough to pull her into the lead.

Survivor: Palau- Always the most difficult to predict who will win, because the person usually best suited for victory is not the one rewarded. I'm going to say that Ian Rosenberger will win this go around. Because of any of the survivors who has a good chance of sticking it out till the final two and then winning based on his good nature, it's Ian.

Monday, May 09, 2005

Visual Treats

So spend the weekend again, exploring the Chelsea art scene and I'm happy to report there are some very brillant shows up now.

My top FIVE (in no particular order) :

black ink drawings of Vegas by Mario Muller at DCKT Contemporary
the very clever and highly amusing video piece by Cheryl Donegan at 5BEGallery
the haunting photographs of Gregory Crewdson at Luhring Augustine Gallery
Robyn O'Neil's male panel work at Clementine Gallery
the exploration in bronze and silk that captivate Linda Ridgway's work at Charles Cowles

Friday, May 06, 2005

The Tribe Has Spoken


So sad to say, Gregg was voted out last night, strategically it was a smart move on Tom and Ian's part, but what scares me is that Caryn might slip into the final two. Here's hoping that Jenn plays her cards right and sticks around for a bit more.

Thursday, May 05, 2005

Dog Eat Dog

So tonight's Survivor should be really interesting. This is the critical point in the game where the final power struggle occurs, when six become five. With Stephenie gone, Koror now must begin to devour each other and frankly I've been waiting all season to see it finally happen. My only hopes is that when the dust settles, that Gregg is still around. If these Survivors are smart, by tomorrow morning, Tom's torch will be out (otherwise you will see him in the final two.)

Wednesday, May 04, 2005

Baby, You're the Tops


So, I love Brittany from America's Next Top Model, she's such a character. Something about those over the top women, I find captivating. Last season I had Toccarra, who in my opinion should have won and this year I have Brittany to root for. Here's hoping that by tomorrow she will still be around for me to watch.

Tuesday, May 03, 2005

Hello Dali

While in Philly, we caught the Salvatore Dali exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Me not being a fan of Dali's work, overall I felt the exhibition had plenty of good examples of his work, most notably his drawings, which until this exhibition I had never seen. I'm not sure if they just appealed to my sense of drawing with pencil or I felt his pencil work held something that I felt the paintings missed. Either way I was happy to have seen the show.

Monday, May 02, 2005

Some Brotherly Love

Spent the weekend in Philadelphia with James and Calvin. It's been almost ten years since I last made a trip into the city and I wasn't disappointed going back. First off, I was able to stay at the Ritz Carlton, thanks to Calvin's generosity, thanks Calvin... my travel budget usually leaves me with enough money to stay at a cheaper hotel, so chocolates on the pillow is a surprise that I could get use to.

Skate punks must die: I'm all for the skating community, but please don't use my favorite fountain as your personal trashing grounds. If you have to skate in the basin of the fountain, please don't use the fountain itself as your launch pad... or get angry when other people want to use the space as well.

Speaking of sculpture: The city is rich with it and I sort of became obsessed with documenting it photographically, I should be able posting images shortly.

Woody's: Had a blast tearing up the dance floor on Saturday night with James. The crowd was lively and the music was fun. Nobody taking anything too seriously, was nice for a change not to deal with attitude on the floor.

Swim, Calvin, swim: Calvin kicked some ass and got two ribbons in two different butterfly strokes events at the We The People swim meet. Congratulations, Calvin.

Wild Animals Couldn't Keep Me: Ok, I'm a sucker for seeing animals that one does not see on a daily basis and the Philadelphia Zoo did not disappoint. The grounds are amazing and the space was well kept. However I do hope at some point they give the elephants, rhinos, and hippos more space.

All and all, the trip was a grand success... The bus ride was a bit hellish, but I was able to hold hands with James the entire ride home, so that made it heavenly.