Whew, what a looker...

Susan Sarandon is what the fellas back home call a hot bundle. (Susan Sarandon as photographed by Annie Leibovitz)

Ron Wood

(photo kidnapped from smh)

Years ago, my best friend's father's best friend, Mr. Heywood, was at a bar, in I believe Heathrow Airport waiting on a flight. Just down a few stools sat Ron Wood. Apparently, the two of them got to talking and Ron asked what Mr. Heywood did for a living. He replied that he was a metallurgist. This set Ron Wood - lead guitarist for The Rolling Stones - on the edge of his seat as he asked, "Really?? A metallurgist, how fascinating! Tell me more..."

And that is how I am a mere one degree of separation from Ron Wood, cause I met Mr. Heywood back in the 80s when he was visiting the States on business.

Little Z

Hanging out with my nephew the other day, I convinced him to get inside 3 huge tires and let me snap a photo of him peeking out. I have an uncanny ability to get people to do just about anything when I have a camera in my hand. Later I went to take a picture of his shoe and once I looked at it closely, it seemed really sad - so of course, I loved that. As soon as his mother came home, Z made sure to announce that, "Star took pictures of me and made me climb inside dirty tires and then sit on tree stumps. I felt like I was sitting at a campfire, Ma." It's a wonder they let me near him.

I Will Possess Your Heart

How I wish you could see the potential
The potential of you and me
It's like a book elegantly bound
But in a language you can't read just yet

You got to spend some time, love
You got to spend some time with me
And I know that you'll find, love
I will possess your heart

You got to spend some time, love
You got to spend some time with me
And I know that you'll find, love
I will possess your heart

There are days when outside your window
I see my reflection as I slowly pass
And I long for this mirrored perspective
When we'll be lovers, lovers at last

You got to spend some time, love
You got to spend some time with me
And I know that you'll find love
I will possess your heart

You got to spend some time, love
You got to spend some time with me
And I know that you'll find, love
I will possess your heart

I will possess your heart
I will possess your heart

You reject my advances and desperate pleas
I won't let you let me down so easily
So easily

You got to spend some time, love
You got to spend some time with me
And I know that you'll find, love
I will possess your heart

~Death Cab for Cutie

Hello, Goodbye...

...and Everything In Between. - A mix tape from August 9, 1995 that Bishop passed along to me.


Side A
Labour of Love - Frente!
Let's Go (Nothing for Me) - New Order
One - U2
The Heartbreak Thing - The Mighty Lemondrops
What Do You Think? - The Sundays
Super-Connected - Belly
Now It's Time to Say Goodbye - Kitchens of Distinction
All I Want - Toad the Wet Sprocket
Change - Blind Melon
Last Goodbye - Jeff Buckley
Policy of Truth - Depeche Mode
Crying - Björk

Side B
Numb - Portishead
Touched By the Hand of God - New Order
I Couldn't Care Less - The Veldt
Looking at the Sun - Matthew Sweet
You're Not the Only One I Know - The Sundays
Panama City Motel - Sugar
Remember Me? - Kitchens of Distinction
Suedehead - Morrissey
Late at Night - Buffalo Tom
Blame It On Me - Barenaked Ladies
About A Girl (unplugged) - Nirvana
Squeeze-Wax - Cocteau Twins

The Patients and The Doctors

Julian Schnabel - 1978

Klaus Kinski

(photo kidnapped from bukisa)

From my journal, June 7th, 2007:

Fitzcarraldo - Reading about Herzog on Wikipedia today and they stated that he tends to make films based around a hero with an impossible dream. Is that not so beautiful? It inspired me to re-watch that mesmerizing, odd, awe-some film. Oh how I love to see Klaus with his mad dashing hair and thunderous voice. Pounding fists and footsteps running amok as the boat crashes down the Amazon. I WANT MY OPERA HOUSE!!!!!!!
(photo kidnapped from flickr)

Natalie Portman

Who among us saw The Professional and wasn't in awe of young Natalie Portman's performance?? She was astonishing and has continued to wow me with nearly every film since her debut. To create a list of my favourite of her films is to list each and every one. Those in the top five would be Léon (The Professional), Garden State, Black Swan, Brothers, and Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium which I could watch again and again; I love it so. Her Oscar win this year only proves that at long last the Academy has taken note of her incredible ability to embody her characters in such a way as to convince the viewer that she is indeed the woman she portrays onscreen.

(photo kidnapped from louboosandshoes)

Greta Garbo

(photo kidnapped from bestimages)

I've loved this gal since I was a sad little freshman in high school and saw Camille on AMC. She is one of the most authentic actors of all time and without question, one of the world's most sensationally beautiful faces. One doesn't need to go on and on about her craft, one need only watch Anna Karenina, Queen Christina, or Ninotchka to witness first hand this woman's extraordinary skill.

(photo by George Hoyningen-Huene kidnapped from mythicalmonkey)

Cary Grant

(photo kidnapped from posters)

I need not droll on about his talents and how fantastic he is, I just need to list my favourite Cary Grant films:

• Penny Serenade
• Bringing Up Baby
• Charade
• The Philadelphia Story
• To Catch a Thief
• Notorious
• Suspicion
• North By Northwest
• That Touch of Mink
• My Favorite Wife
• An Affair to Remember

Jean Marais

(photo kidnapped from centre-iris.fr)

I've seen so few of Jean Marais' films, but those that I have left me astonished. I first saw him in Bernardo Bertolucci's Stealing Beauty and adored the scene when he tosses his slipper from the balcony to the gravel path below where Liv Tyler was passing. It was such a simple, sweet moment, but it stayed with me for years. While my favourite film of Monsieur Marais' is without question La Belle et la Bête, I feel his best performance was in Orpheus. The subtle curl of his smile or raise of an eyebrow made each expression more endearing and memorable than the last.

Ewan McGregor

It was 1996 and Rachel, Winnie, and I were in Boston for absolutely no reason. We decided to hit the nearby theatre and check out Trainspotting. It was then that my love affair with this gorgeous Scotsman began. I so respect his ability to jump from one character into another that is the complete opposite. The Pillow Book, Brassed Off, A Life Less Ordinary, Little Voice, Moulin Rouge!, Miss Potter, Down With Love, Cassandra's Dream, The Men Who Stare at Goats, Amelia, and Ghost Writer showcase his ability to take on any role and make you completely believe his every word, his every movement. You never doubt that he is Frank Churchill in Emma or Curt Wild in Velvet Goldmine - he simply becomes that character.

It's easy to appreciate the man as an actor, but once I saw The Long Way Round and The Long Way Down I began to really respect him as Ewan McGregor, the man behind the roles he plays. He comes across as an adventurous, outgoing, kind, caring, decent person and seeing this side of him made me look up to him even more. As if that were even possible.

(photo kidnapped from scenicreflections)

Matt Damon

(photo kidnapped from justjared.buzznet)

Actually, I am a mere one degree of separation from Mr. Damon. Back in the early Aughts I worked with Lisa O'Donnell of Cambridge, Mass. She told me that one time she was heading back home on the train from 30th Street in the early 90s and swore that she saw the hot bad boy from School Ties across the way. She wanted to talk to him to get a better look and asked if he'd like to take the window seat and she'd take the aisle. Lame, but she said it was totally him. She also said that he was so hot that part of her face started to melt.
As for my personal opinion, I've always admired the choices Matt Damon makes regarding his career. I first took note of him in Courage Under Fire and how could you not? His physical transformation was startling. Later, when I saw him in Good Will Hunting I was blown away by his total immersion into the character. After he exploded onto the scene, he went on to work with some of the greatest directors in the biz (Coppola, Minghella, Soderbergh, The Farrelly Brothers, Spielberg, Gilliam, Scorsese, and Eastwood, The Coen Brothers) and I was always secretly proud of him and the roles he took on; I still am. The Adjustment Bureau was spectacular and showcased yet another flawless performance.

Amy Adams

(photo kidnapped from nydailynews)

I suppose the first movie I saw of Ms. Adams' was Psycho Beach Party. She was simultaneously adorable and annoying as Marvel Ann. After I saw Drop Dead Gorgeous and The Wedding Date I started to recognize her and began to know her by name. She was cute as the Purse Girl, Katy, on The Office but it wasn't until Junebug that I came to see her as a truly gifted actress. Again, I have to say that I admire Amy Adams for the same reason I admire all of my favourite actors; because of the roles she chooses and how different they are from one another - Princess Giselle in Enchanted could not be further from Sr. James in Doubt or from Rose in Sunshine Cleaning. As Charlene in The Fighter, she played the tough talking, no shit-taking girlfriend to Mark Wahlberg and Amy chewed up her lines and spat them out. Hopefully now people will see her as one of those rare actors that can fill in dramatic roles as effortlessly as they can comedic roles, cause this gal is more than capable.

(photo kidnapped from fusedfilm)

Meryl Streep

(photo kidnapped from perfectpeople)

Is there anyone who doesn't love everything about this woman? She's the most talented actress of her generation, if not, of all time. But alas, this all goes without saying. Trying to remember when it was that I first heard of Ms. Streep is akin to wondering when you first heard of Fred Astaire. You've somehow magically always known of her. My favourite performance is a toss up between Doubt and The Bridges of Madison County. Bridges is not one of my favourite films of Ms. Streep's - the scenes with her children need to be cut out completely in order to make it watchable - but every movement she makes in that film is a movement to revel in. She's flawless. But, wait....what about Kramer vs. Kramer, and Julie & Julia!!! ooo...and Out of Africa and Postcards from the Edge and It's Complicated and The Hours....Damn it, I just can't choose; don't make me.

(photo kidnapped from thattouchofchic)

Brendan Sexton III

Ah, Brendan...since I first saw him in Welcome to the Dollhouse I knew that this was someone to admire, respect, and follow. He has a remarkable gift for choosing very original films and often times they are so true to life that as an audience member, I feel totally uncomfortable and vulnerable. I love that. To have something that seems to reveal so much of who you are, who you have tried to hide from the world, be slapped right in your face and terrify you in a darkened theatre full of strangers is incredibly cathartic. I've seen about 22 of his films and always keep my eyes peeled for all things Brendan. (stunning photographs done by hilary jones)

Buster Keaton

(photo kidnapped from dorenahistoricalsociety)

This weekend I rewatched The General and was as delighted as when I first saw it several years ago. The choreography causes one's jaw to drop in amazement and Keaton's antics always leave me in stiches. My favourite moment is when his lady love is attempting to help while aboard The General. She tosses a few pieces of wood into the fire, as if that will speed them along the tracks faster, and then begins to sweep. The look on Keaton's face is priceless when he realises what she's doing, jokingly hands her a matchstick to add to the fire which she accepts and then gingerly opens the door and places it in the fire. Keaton then mockingly strangles her, as we the audience would wished to have done as well. Buster Keaton, genius.

Ayn Rand

I'm reading The Fountainhead and there is one line that stays scrawled across the chalkboard in my mind:

Mercy is superior to justice.
  (photo kidnapped from fantasticfiction)

The Very Thought of You

(photo kidnapped from nobello)

The very thought of you and I forget to do
The little ordinary things that everyone ought to do
I'm living in a kind of daydream
I'm happy as a king
And foolish though it may seem
To me that's everything

The mere idea of you, the longing here for you
You'll never know how slow the moments go till I'm near to you
I see your face in every flower
Your eyes in stars above
It's just the thought of you
The very thought of you, my love

~Ray Noble

(special thx to sydney elizabeth for her inspiration)

Star ♥ Ash

I just spent the weekend with my niece, Ashlee. Friday night was spent playing Gambler and listening to Erik Satie 'til the wee hours of the morning. We got up bright and early Saturday and had our usual breakfast of peanut butter and jelly on waffles as we watched Drop Dead Gorgeous and then moved on to Lovely, Still. Finally it was nearing 1 o'clock and the two of us jumped outta our pj's, got dressed and headed out to see The Adjustment Bureau - which we both totally adored. Then it was home for mac and cheese w/veggie dogs, followed by junk food and Music and Lyrics. Later while our pizza was heating up we played WarioWare and then Ashlee kick-started her life anew as I introduced her to Veronica Mars. After the first episode she was hooked and begged and pleaded with me to tell her who killed Lilly Kane. But I would not yield - she would have to wait til our next weekend. Sunday morning we made it to disc 3 but sadly, I had to deliver Ash back home by 3pm. When I arrived back at my place I found this note stuck on my kitchen wall:On the back she had written: remember you said i have to think of something everytime i think of you and i got it - it's everytime i pick my nose and itch my butt ♥ cant wait till the next time i see you love! i always look forward to our crazy weekends together we always eat so much ♥ your the best

That just made my whole freakin' year. My nieces, Ashlee and her older sister Nicole, are always vocal with their love and appreciation, but this little note was above and beyond.

Sterling Hayden

To be truly challenging, a voyage, like a life, must rest on a firm foundation of financial unrest. Otherwise, you are doomed to a routine traverse, the kind known to yachtsmen who play with their boats at sea...cruising, it is called. Voyaging belongs to seamen, and to the wanderers of the world who cannot, or will not, fit in. If you are contemplating a voyage and you have the means, abandon the venture until your fortunes change. Only then will you know what the sea is all about. "I've always wanted to sail to the south seas, but I can't afford it." What these men can't afford is not to go. They are enmeshed in the cancerous discipline of security. And in the worship of security we fling our lives beneath the wheels of routine - and before we know it our lives are gone. What does a man need - really need? A few pounds of food each day, heat and shelter, six feet to lie down in - and some form of working activity that will yield a sense of accomplishment. That's all - in the material sense, and we know it. But we are brainwashed by our economic system until we end up in a tomb beneath a pyramid of time payments, mortgages, preposterous gadgetry, playthings that divert our attention for the sheer idiocy of the charade. The years thunder by, the dreams of youth grow dim where they lie caked in dust on the shelves of patience. Before we know it, the tomb is sealed. Where, then, lies the answer? In choice. Which shall it be: bankruptcy of purse or bankruptcy of life?
~from his extraordinary autobiography Wanderer

Postcard from John - April 9th, 1908

My God! Look at John's penmanship - it's gorgeous. So sad that cursive is not being taught these days - this gentleman's is like artwork. Love, love, love it.

Catfish

Have y'all heard of this film? I feel like since I know about it that most everyone else should as well. I knew it was a documentary about a relationship spawned from Facebook that had a bit of a twist to it. By the grace of God I managed to avoid any spoilers. It was a fascinating film that you've gotta see. Seriously.

(photo kidnapped from logrithmic)

Grounds for Sculpture V

February 20th 2011