Out of this World

So I got to thinking about classic Saturday morning cartoons (yeah, I know - Saturday on Monday) and I remembered how much I loved The Herculoids as a kid.

I loved this sci-fi family who spent week after week defending their home from the evil forces who threatened to destroy their happy existence. I loved how the family was made up of three humans and five other-worldly creatures. I can remember trying to draw the dragon Zok and the blob-like Gloop and Gleep, as the show buzzed by. I sometimes think nailing the drawing of Zok, started my love of drawing.

With other classic cartoon television shows now on DVD, my only hope is that Hanna-Barbera will put out this classic out soon. I know I can't be the only one who remembers this series, fondly.

Game Over?

So I said I wasn't going to get addicted to Big Brother: All Stars - but alas, that was not meant to be. In perhaps the most dastardly way, it appears Jase will be walking out the door on Thursday. More interesting, Will has the best chance of winning the whole show (again) but playing into everyone's egos - I really enjoy how he can insult all the other players and still remain immune by the nomination process. How anyone couldn't look at him as a HUGE target is beyond me. Only time will tell if the 'Mandana' hottie with the killer body can save himself and remain focused enough to kick some ass. I for one will be said to see him go home, being backdoor-ed.

All Washed Up

So this weekend James and I caught the latest ego-driven piece of crap known as The Lady in the Water. Granted I knew it was going to be bad, based on the overwhelming critical blasting the film got on Friday, but we went anyhow.

What a waste of $22, first off never cast yourself as the 'Messiah' character in your film; when you don't have the acting weight for the role. Secondly, I know you wrote this fairytale for your daughters, but have the courage to accept criticism from studio executives when they question your vision. Thirdly, give your characters something to do other then be introduced, or cut down those numbers, so you can spend more then six minutes on each one. And finally, give us a main character we care about or at least find remotely interesting and I'm sorry changing hair color is not interesting.

I have a feeling this film which opened third this week; behind an animated evil house will sink fast. If you're feeling the need for a water-based fairytale rent Splash, you'll thank me. Both women spend plenty of time in the bathtub.

Rock Goddess

That roar you hear emanating from your TV set is not the crowd, however they are loudly expressing their delight. No that might roar is coming from right up on stage, my early favorite and predicted winner for Rockstar:Supernova is Dilana. Tommy and Co. would be foolish to let this lead singer slip through their fingertips.

She has everything you can want in a rock icon - killer raspy voice, the right rock edge, beautiful, alluring, one hell of a stage presence, not to mention the tattoos and piercings. She is a force of nature and the 14 other rockers should all be very afraid - the girl is playing to win. She kicks ass right up their with other rock goddesses like Joan Jett, Shirley Manson, Tina Turner, Debbie Harry, just to name a few. I predict we will be hearing a lot from this Texas stunner - via South Africa.

To quote Tommy Lee (wow, never thought I would say that) "I wanna." Keep kicking ass girl - own that stage, it's yours for the taking.

Too Hot

With the temperature so hot, Matthew's got the right idea. So stay indoors, crank the AC, and try and stay calm - this heatwave can only last so long. Hopefully, I will have something more interesting to blog about once I'm able to concentrate once more. Until then, enjoy the beauty that is Mr. McConaughey and try not to get overheated.

It Can't Come Quickly Enough

With a new Scissor Sisters album not scheduled for a few months, the buzz is starting to build for their sophomore release. Tomorrow if you can stand the heat, they will be the headlining act at the Siren Music Festival in Cooney Island which of course is FREE! Not sure if I can stand fighting off the hordes of people to see them perform, but would love to experience the Sisters in concert. So if your not doing anything tomorrow, the festival starts at 1pm, but you better get there early if you plan on seeing anything - and don't forget your sunscreen. Rock On!

Vintage Beefcake

So today I got to thinking about old cheesy 80's television I loved as a kid and how I wish some of it was on DVD. One of my favorite actors for purely visual reasons was Jon-Erik Hexum, star of both Voyagers! (time travelers fix mistakes in history) and Cover Up (photographer and her 'male model' apprehending crimes- classic!). Sadly, he died while bored on-set of the latter when jokingly placed a prop gun against his head and pulled the trigger.

He possessed the good looks and killer body that would become a staple of soap stars and action heroes to come. And let's not forget the classic made-for-TV-film Making of a Male Model with Jackie Collins, that camp classic should have midnight screenings throughout the country.

Summer Reality

So I'm excited because the summer is just about to get hotter, with tomorrow's premiere of season three of Project Runway (Not to mention Rich's spot-on commentary of all the episodes. - I dare you not to get addicted.)

Speaking of hot reality television, words cannot express my delight in this seasons RockStar: Supernova. Once again, almost all the rockers are amazing (a few I predict will go in the next two weeks or so) and unlike last year, the lead singer has some pretty big personalities to work against - Tommy Lee, Gilby Clarke, and Jason Newsted.

All and all, I'm excited about television again and trying to fight the urge to get sucked into Big Brother: All Stars. But I have a feeling it's going to be a loosing battle. I say this every year.

Ponygirl

While working at SVA, I began a friendship with photographer John Arsenault and was more then excited when he agreed to pose for one of my drawings. Above is a detail of our time spend together - and I'm thrilled with the results. You can view both the complete painting and John's work by following the links. Would love to hear some feedback on what you think.

detail from Untitled (Ponygirl), 2006, gouache and pencil on paper.

Yo Ho, Yo Ho... a Pirates Life for Me

So tonight, what I'm guessing is going to be the biggest summer film opens tonight and I'm like a little kid in a candy store. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest opens nationally and of course brings us three of Hollywood's most alluring stars today. Just look above at the poster for the film, and tell me they all don't ooze sex appeal. Sea you at the theaters, dear readers. Anchors away!

Rally Cry

An open letter from Alan VanCapelle, Executive Director of the Empire State Pride Agenda

Dear Friends,

Today New York's highest court decided by a vote of 4 to 2 that the State of New York can discriminate against gays and lesbians and our families by continuing to deny the protections that come with legal marriage. It is now up to our lawmakers to right this wrong and act on the will of the majority of New Yorkers and provide full marriage equality for same sex couples and our families.

Tonight, our community and our friends will gather in rallies across the state to let New York know that the marriage debate is not going away and that Albany needs to act quickly to protect our families from discrimination by passing a marriage equality law. We will send a message to politicians who say they are our friends that this is the moment we need them to demonstrate that their friendship is more than just words. We will call on them to work with us in winning our freedom to marry here in New York State.

Tonight, we also stand alongside religious leaders, union activists and other allies who have been boldly advocating for our community when few people would. Tonight, we will show New York that it's not just lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people who care about marriage, but that it is also our straight family members, friends, co-workers and neighbors.

Those who oppose our right to marriage equality want to push us back into the closet. At best we are an annoyance to them and at worst they wish we would disappear. They will view today's court ruling as a victory, but our presence tonight at these rallies will let them know in the loudest possible way how wrong they are.

I urge you to come out, bring your friends and family and stand with thousands of other New Yorkers who demand full equality for same-sex couples and our families.

So stand with us at 6pm
Sheridan Square (West 4th Street and 7th Ave., Manhattan)

For other locations throughout New York State, click here.

The Devil Made Me Do It

Very rarely do I see a movie in theaters twice, never mind twice in the same week. That all changed this weekend with the tasty confection known as The Devil Wears Prada. Meryl Streep alone is worth the price of admission. If she doesn't get an Oscar nomination for her portrayal of fashion mega-bitch magazine icon Miranda Priestly, the Academy is blind.

Everything about this movie is pitch perfect. The clothes, the acting, the editing, music, the cast - just perfection. Of course, seeing the movie with an enthusiastic crowd of fashionistas always helps. I recommend, Cheslea Clearview on 8th Avenue. To quote Miranda, "That's All."

See to Sea

So I'm about to finish a new painting and I'm excited that I'm finally going to be using seahorse imagery in my work. I've been waiting for the right moment to draw these usual, elegant and beautiful sea creatures in my work and now I have the right drawing to do so. I'm also excited because I'm about to head off for a weeks vacation. Where I will be able to relax, enjoy life and not be stressed with the 9 to 5 grind. Not sure how much I will be blogging over the next 11 days, but I promise when I come back, I should be ready to unveil the new drawing.

Enjoy your PRIDE and Independence Day - celebrate hard and stand tall.

Sink His Teeth In

So it appears that Irish hottie Jonathan Rhys Meyers is looking to play gay again, on the big screen that is. The Velvet Goldmine actor would love to inhabit the lives of either Rock Hudson or Montgomery Cliff should a biopic about their lives become available. Considering how easily he slipped into Elvis' blue suede shoes, I don't see how we could miss with his talent. Somebody speed into production a script about one of those two, we already have our lead primed to go.

A Woody for Hugh

So it appears that I'm going to have to see the next Woody Allen film, Scoop which stars Scarlett Johansson and the ever delicious Hugh Jackman. Summer films keep getting better, thanks to the presence of a nearly perfect Hugh. Scoop opens on July 28th, which should keep my Hugh fix under control until The Fountain opens in October. See you at the theater.

Golden Boy

With installation for the AAF starting at 2pm today, I thought I would leave you with the beauty that is Kip Pardue. Enjoy my crush of the week and look for key performances in Loggerheads, But I'm a Cheerleader, and Rules of Attraction to see his talent in action.

Sale Away

Once again, I have helped select the artists showcased at the Visual Arts Gallery/SVA booth (#B-203) at this years Affordable Art Fair open to the public starting Friday at the Metropolitan Pavilion, 125 West 18th Street. In addition to working at the booth, which I love doing. I was responsible for organizing two panels on collecting art; both starting at 2pm on Saturday and Sunday. If you're in town this weekend, please swing by the booth and say hello.

Image: Amy Stein, Trasheasters, 2005, digital c-print. To view more of Amy's work, visit her web site.

Nothing Going On

As I put final touches on the SVA booth at this year's Affordable Art Fair, I will leave you with an 80's gem, enjoy the talented flygirl (taken too soon) Ms. Gwen Guthrie.

Insanity Kicks In

With so much shit flying around my personal and work life the next week or so, not sure how much time I will ultimately have to blog. But stay tuned dear readers - I'll be back shortly.

An Open Letter

So the blog-a-verse was a buzz with the news of a Boston Macy's caving in to some right wingnut's pressure to remove their Gay Pride mannequins. I was so disheartened over this story today I wrote a letter to Christine Stewart, the Customer Service Specialist at Macy's. I suggest you might want to do the same and let your voice be heard.

My letter read as this:

Ms. Stewart,

I was sadden to learn today that Macy's Department
Store pulled two male mannequins from your Boston
store - due to complaints over content celebrating gay
pride.  In no way were the mannequins offense. The
store did not purchase new mannequins for the display,
place them in any compromising situations or rely on
shock value to stir controversy.

The sad part about their removal is that if this were
a St. Patrick's Day or Christmas window, your store
would not have compromised over the content or bowed
to pressure from any other group to remove any part of
those windows.  And for that, I am truly saddened.  

My grandmother in the late 60s worked as a seamstress
for your company and I was always extremely proud of
such an accomplishment.  Today, I am saddened to say,
that unless you correct the damage you have already
done, you have lost another customer.

Regards,
Dan Halm