louise on the left

My Journey through Stanley Kubrick at LACMA: In Pictures.

noreply@blogger.com (Louise Larsen) — Mon, 20 May 2013 08:07:21 PDT

We went to the LACMA Kubrick exhibit last month and didn't stop taking pictures so that you wouldn't have to.

My blog post is self-explanatory. It tells in pictures all that captured my eye.

The LACMA exhibit, called STANLEY KUBRICK, is a complete, chronological survey of the director's oeuvre guaranteed to leave all who go entirely gobsmacked. (Did I mention it's 13,000 square feet of film making awesomeness?)

A Bloggers Apology: Due to vast amount of pics of this trip, many of which include candid snaps of my daughter, Juliet and my friend, suggest I should quantify they are actually not part of the show. Therefore, the addition of these personal moments combined with a truly regrettable lack of photo enhancing software, is something I pre-emtively apologize for.

My advice, to any film buff caring to view an image here in greater detail, is to just download and enhance on your own.

Best of luck. And enjoy.

We did.

A few notes: *Joe Forakis: The red sofa from 2001: A Space Odyssey is for just you.

The collection of all production and design items (ie: Props, story boards, costumes, set design and all the other completely OCD research for his films) are for my former brilliant and creative students in my 2011 Production and Design students at The Orange County School of the Arts. (Warning: The body of work by Mr. Kubrick is not considered appropriate viewing for youngsters, so I suppose you shouldn't look at these if you are under 18. Just sayin'.)

May you all be inspired to take your creativity quite seriously and as far as it can possibly go. There's no limit to what you can do if you just surrender to the process, listen to your dreams and never give up.

And I mean, NEVER give up.

Cool things entirely free from the magic internet fairy

noreply@blogger.com (Louise Larsen) — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 12:50:46 PDT

Check out NOON PACIFIC.

WEEKLY PLAYLIST OF THE BEST SONGS HANDPICKED FROM THE BEST MUSIC BLOGS DELIVERED EVERY MONDAY AT NOON (PACIFIC TIME)

Sign up. Get free music.

All yours.

What's not to like?

NOON // 033 from NoonPacific on 8tracks Radio.

Performance art. Done right.

noreply@blogger.com (Louise Larsen) — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 18:34:25 PDT

from Jock Sturges's new Rollei art book

noreply@blogger.com (Louise Larsen) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 11:14:08 PDT

juliet and anna lily

Photographer: Jock Sturges

A Map of a Woman's Heart

noreply@blogger.com (Louise Larsen) — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 18:06:49 PDT

Interesting insights into how Women and Beauty have been perceived over the past century.

Joss Whedon + Shakespeare = Mad Men meets Greatness

noreply@blogger.com (Louise Larsen) — Sun, 10 Mar 2013 12:17:44 PDT

Must. See. Now!

Actors Nathan Fillion and Clark Gregg chat with director Joss Whedon about their new film adaptation of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing.

Phoenix's Catchy New Song "Entertainment" Arrives wrapped in a Asian Soap Opera

noreply@blogger.com (Louise Larsen) — Sun, 10 Mar 2013 23:24:33 PDT

Whoah! The new Phoenix song/video "Entertainment" is pretty fantastic.

It could almost be too ambitious, but Entertainment is just that, entertainment, and it successfully (even heroically) juggles several complex story lines, crossing time and countries, into one humble song narrative with finesse.

Entertainment is lofty: The plot contains a Major Love Story, some costume drama, a bit of communism, several doses of revenge, hate, longing, loss, even murder, and redemption…Pretty ballsy to attempt weaving issues as thematically dense as these are into one little old rock video. But, it works. (And not just because it's cast with incredibly gorgeous actors, either.) I guess this is why smart music producers hire good directors, like Patrick Daughters, to make these things. Key word: Smart.

Heck, I truly enjoyed it. Frankly, I always appreciate having something worth pondering while rocking out. So much more brave than just trying to be ambiguous for the sake of messing with our heads, which in the end is just plain tedious. (Beck.)

Truthfully, I can think of so few other good examples of stand-alone great songs with equally good videos lately: What comes to mind is the poetic, yet visually coy work of LCD Soundsystem's Someone Great, or the uber layered, politically rich work of MIA such as her Paper Planes.

And then there's videos like this one, as complex as a Korean soap opera along with a tidy footnote about love, sex and oppression. But, hey, if done right, music with a message is the only way to fly.

Watch.

Rear Window pieced together into one 3 minute film

noreply@blogger.com (Louise Larsen) — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 10:27:25 PST

Jess Desom's extremely cool handiwork breaks down then re-weaves all the different scenes and goings on in Hitchcock's masterpiece, Rear Window, capturing one total narrative as seen from James Stewart's apartment over the course of the film into one three minute mini-masterpiece. Must see.

Sort-of hammers home the truth that perspective is all.

Ben Affleck's Wise Words about Grudge-Holding and Success in his 2013 Oscars Speech

noreply@blogger.com (Louise Larsen) — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 21:30:34 PST

The only moment from the 2013 Oscars which held any kind of truth and beauty in it for me was Ben Affleck's Oscar Speech: *SEE FULL TRANSCRIPT BELOW

Great words, great delivery…and in spite of complaining about his marriage to a room full of one billion people, a great guy, too. But how the hell should I know? I'm not Jennifer Garner.

Let's get back to the speech -- It contained many truths worth noting and meditating on…Such as advice that one does not succeed if they hold grudges. Okay --- Well, from the get-go I can tell you that this is a biggie. I mean, not holding grudges is hard.

I'm not sure why he felt he needed to share this with us, and I'm fairly certain that someone, somewhere knows precisely why Affleck did include it, but we can all learn from his emotion-soaked reminder that that grudges probably aren't the best way to forge a successful business plan in life. Always better to hear this from a guy holding an Oscar than from a bum, I suppose.

Now I, for one, find revenge to be rich motivation for success, but perhaps that's actually a bit different than grudge-holding. I will say this though -- I love that this truth was a centerpiece in an Oscar acceptance speech. So, I plan to ruminate on his wisdom for quite some time.

In fact I'm going to suggest that many of us mull that concept over and over in our brains in an attempt to purge any inner Don Corleones and Tony Sopranos raging inside us.

Ben clearly had the best speech of the night. And I found it mighty refreshing to hear someone speak with refreshing candor at the podium about the tough realities of both marriage and working in Hollywood.

Unfortunately your browser does not support IFrames.

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So according to Ben Affleck, when I feel like this:

--- Or this ---

What we should really do is --

Just let it all go.

Hollywood's just too small a town for grudges.

FULL TRANSCRIPT OF BEN AFFLECK'S 2013 OSCAR ACCEPTANCE SPEECH:

"Thank you very much. Thank you very, very much. I know eventually that thing is going to start quickly so please forgive me if this is a little bit quick. I want to acknowledge Steven Spielberg, who I feel is a genius and a towering talent among us. I want to acknowledge the other 8 films, there are 8 great films, who have as much a right to be up here as we do. I want to acknowledge them for what they did and thank them and many of them who didn't even get nominated this year.

I want to thank Jack McNiece, Jerry Speck, Marty Brest and my brother and my mom and dad and Patrick Whitesell and Tony Mendez, who let us do his story. Thank you. I thank you everyone in the movie, on the movie, worked on the movie, did anything with this movie gets thanked. I want to thank Canada. I want to thank our friends in Iran living in terrible circumstances right now.

I want to thank my wife who I don't usually associate with Iran. I want to thank you for working on our marriage for 10 Christmases. It's good. It is work but it's the best kind of work and there's no one I'd rather work. And I'd just like to say, I was here 15 years ago or something and I had no idea what I was doing. I stood out here in front of you all and really just a kid. I went out and I never thought I would be back here. And I am, because of so many of you who are here tonight, because of this Academy, because of so many wonderful people who extended themselves to me when they had nothing to benefit from it in Hollywood. You know what I mean, I couldn't get them a job.

I want to thank them and I want to thank what they taught me, which is that you have to work harder than you think you possibly can. You can't hold grudges. It's hard but you can't hold grudges. And it doesn't matter how you get knocked down in life because that's going to happen. All that matters is you gotta get up. Violet, Sam and Sera, this is for you."

Sarah Ziff: And her film "Picture Me" about her journey into the fashion industry

noreply@blogger.com (Louise Larsen) — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 20:28:45 PST

Meet Sarah Ziff, Founder of The Model's Alliance, a modeling advocacy group and the first of it's kind.

Below is an intro to Ziff and her then boyfriend's documentary "Picture Me," an eye-opening film about her own personal journey into the high pressured world of fashion and modeling.

The Scared is scared

noreply@blogger.com (Louise Larsen) — Sun, 17 Feb 2013 19:38:38 PST

Love this!
Watch!

Why, Why Manti?

noreply@blogger.com (Louise Larsen) — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 23:41:21 PST

Auto tune of the day: Get it here.

Paper Man, by Disney (The Red Balloon + Mad Men)

noreply@blogger.com (Louise Larsen) — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 23:14:37 PST

Very sweet animated short ~ beautifully done: Watch --

Life In Cartoon Motion, MIKA 2007

noreply@blogger.com (Louise Larsen) — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 09:34:41 PST

This almost entirely overlooked treasure from 2007 has to be one of the best discoveries of my last year.

An almost entirely glam (pop) rock album which has already been out for years now, featuring a kid with the pipes and songwriting skills to blow anyone's socks off.

Mika, sounds uncannily JUST like Freddy Mercury, with perhaps just a little bit of George Michael thrown in. This kid is talented.

Why haven't I ever heard about him before? (Where are the rock promoters?)

Check out Life In Cartoon Motion 2007. It is an amazing album.

Don't think anyone can sound as fantastic as Freddy Mercury? Well, Mika does.

Check out a few videos of some of his best work from Life in Cartoon Motion.

Trust me, though these are just some silly videos I grabbed off the internet so you could hear him now, but his entire album is fantastic. Very Glee meets…Freddy Mercury…meets…I don't know, but your kids will love it, and so will you.

Check it out:

HAPPY ENDING

ERASE

his very happy stuff:

GRACE KELLY

LOLLIPOP

To think I popped it into my car's CD player simply to have something to listen to with the kids. Ha! I was the one who ended up falling in love it with the most. I think LICM may be up there with some of the coolest discoveries of this year.

I guess it's appropriate I found this in January, as it marks something of new year for me, and not just because it's a Chinese New Year, either, amongst other milestones. But, because it's my birthday, too.

So, I consider finding this album now something of a birthday present from the cosmos.

Is is Pop? Yep.

Glam rock? Yep.

Did I expect to fall in love with ANY of it? -- Nope.

Not at all.

Surprise! I did.

A dear friend with told me I'd love this and would do well to listen to the entire album with the sound up and the windows down.

I didn't think so at the time, but they were right:

So, thanks to the cosmos and most of all thanks to my dear friend who knows me so well.

A, B, C, D --- Cookie Monster! (A 100% Feel Good moment)

noreply@blogger.com (Louise Larsen) — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 22:03:33 PST

And now, Flash Back Monday: One of the cutest moments ever to come from Sesame Street's Kermit and the little girl who pranks him with her alphabet singing.

Watch --
BUT FIRST: ANNA LILY SAID I HAVE TO GIVE HER CREDIT FOR FINDING THIS FOR ME TODAY! THANKS AL! XO

"Mama," by Guillermo del Toro, is nothing short of amazing.

noreply@blogger.com (Louise Larsen) — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 22:21:35 PST

Juliet and I went to see this tonight -- and both give it an enthusiastic thumbs up.

Mama is our favorite kind of horror story: The ghost story.

Haunting, sad, scary, moving and never quite what one expects.

A story as moving as it is unnerving, but one that engaged our imagination and heart from beginning to end.

Note, the two child actors in this film deserve oscars for their work. And the this film proves that it is still The Year of The Woman in film for 2012/2013.

I should also note that this film is another unintentional commentary on the problem of having too many guns in our midst. Especially guns in the hands of the emotionally overwhelmed and unstable. Something which is going to be even more of an issue in our post Sandy Hook world. Interesting that this film and the trailers of so many other films we saw tonight were all connected to the issue of tragedy at the hands of gun related violence. A sorry commentary on our times, I fear.
But, right now I'm still processing the astonishing imagery and visual beauty of this dark tale.

-- I can't begin to state how much I did I love this story for so many reasons: The original story, the wonderfully emotionally demonstrative children, the unique unfolding of the narrative…So much to love about it, even though it was certainly easy to watch, or anything I'd take my younger daughter to. For a few years...but for my older daughter and I, the film both touched our hearts and scared us in just the right kind of ways -- for a scary film.

Mama is unique story-telling well-done. But, my older daughter, the elder sister of my younger one, Anna Lily, found the ending rather sob-worthy. But, you'll have to see it, to know why.

Needless to say we both had to come home and hug her right away afterwards.

W. H. Auden, never spoken more beautifully than here.

noreply@blogger.com (Louise Larsen) — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 09:35:57 PST

Watched this film for the 7th time with my girls who were watching it for the first time.

But we all cried at the same time, here.

Watch:

Youth by Daughter:

noreply@blogger.com (Louise Larsen) — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 09:36:43 PST

Daughter (London based band, formerly solo work of Elena Tonra) performs 'Youth' exclusively for The Amazing Sessions

Aimee Mann singing Freeway from her album, @#%&*! Smilers

noreply@blogger.com (Louise Larsen) — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 09:37:38 PST

Aimee Mann singing about my current "Home Town Buffet:" The Big OC, a place she clearly has great affection for. -- Not that I'd ever fault Mann for her dead pan, deadly accurate observations about this funny old world. Gotta hand it to her, she gets it just right so very often.

And now? -- I'm off to drive on one of these things…Enjoy.

You got a lot of money, but you can't afford the freeway
The road to Orange County leaves an awful lot of leeway
Where everyone's a doctor or a specialist in retail
They'll sell you all the speed you want if you can take the blackmail

You know it
I know it
Why don't you
Just show it?
You got a lot of money, but you can't afford the freeway
You got a lot of money, but you can't afford the freeway

You got a lot of money, but you cannot keep your bills paid
The sacrifice is worth it just to hang around the arcade
You found yourself a prophet, but you left him on the boardwalk
Another chocolate Easter bunny, hollowed out by your talk

You know it
I know it
Why don't you
Just show it?
You got a lot of money, but you can't afford the freeway
You got a lot of money, but you can't afford the freeway

And everything I do is wrong
But at least I'm hanging on

You got a lot of money, but you can't afford
You got a lot of money, but you can't afford
You got a lot of money, but you can't afford the freeway
You got a lot of money, but you can't afford the freeway
You got a lot of money, but you
Can't afford
You got a lot of money, but you
Can't afford

From her album, @#%&*! Smilers
(Note: "@#%&*! Smilers" is pronounced Fucking Smilers)

BLOG POST UPDATE: JUST GOT THIS ALBUM FROM MY LOVING HUSBAND FOR MY BIRTHDAY AND I LOVE IT!!!

Jonsi: Beautiful sounds from Reykjavík, Iceland

noreply@blogger.com (Louise Larsen) — Sun, 10 Mar 2013 23:35:35 PDT

This find's from Sigur Rós.

They're an an ambient/post-rock band from Reykjavík, Iceland: The fellow on lead vocals is Jonsi who did the soundtrack to We Bought a Zoo
(Great soundtrack.)

[English Translation:]

You tried everything
Yes, a thousand times
Experienced enough
Been through enough
But it was you who let everything
Into my heart
and it was you who once again
Awoke my spirit

I parted, you parted

You stir up
Emotions
In a blender
Everything in disarray
But it was you who was always
There for me
and it was you who never judged
My true friend

I parted, you parted
[hopelandic]

You sail on rivers
With an old oar
Leaking badly
You swim to shore
Pushed the waves away
But to no avail
You float on the sea
Sleep on the surface
Light through the fog

[hopelandic]

Richard Blanco's beautiful poem "One Today"

noreply@blogger.com (Louise Larsen) — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 17:22:34 PST

"One Today"
-- by Richard Blanco

One sun rose on us today, kindled over our shores,
peeking over the Smokies, greeting the faces
of the Great Lakes, spreading a simple truth
across the Great Plains, then charging across the Rockies.
One light, waking up rooftops, under each one, a story
told by our silent gestures moving behind windows.

My face, your face, millions of faces in morning’s mirrors,
each one yawning to life, crescendoing into our day:
pencil-yellow school buses, the rhythm of traffic lights,
fruit stands: apples, limes, and oranges arrayed like rainbows
begging our praise. Silver trucks heavy with oil or paper
-- bricks or milk, teeming over highways alongside us,
on our way to clean tables, read ledgers, or save lives
-- to teach geometry, or ring up groceries as my mother did
for twenty years, so I could write this poem.

All of us as vital as the one light we move through,
the same light on blackboards with lessons for the day:
equations to solve, history to question, or atoms imagined,
the “I have a dream” we keep dreaming,
or the impossible vocabulary of sorrow that won’t explain
the empty desks of twenty children marked absent
today, and forever. Many prayers, but one light
breathing color into stained glass windows,
life into the faces of bronze statues, warmth
onto the steps of our museums and park benches
as mothers watch children slide into the day.

One ground. Our ground, rooting us to every stalk
of corn, every head of wheat sown by sweat
and hands, hands gleaning coal or planting windmills
in deserts and hilltops that keep us warm, hands
digging trenches, routing pipes and cables, hands
as worn as my father’s cutting sugarcane
so my brother and I could have books and shoes.

The dust of farms and deserts, cities and plains
mingled by one wind -- our breath. Breathe. Hear it
through the day’s gorgeous din of honking cabs,
buses launching down avenues, the symphony
of footsteps, guitars, and screeching subways,
the unexpected song bird on your clothes line.

Hear: squeaky playground swings, trains whistling,
or whispers across cafe tables, Hear: the doors we open
for each other all day, saying: hello, shalom,
buon giorno, howdy, namaste, or buenos días
in the language my mother taught me -- in every language
spoken into one wind carrying our lives
without prejudice, as these words break from my lips.

One sky: since the Appalachians and Sierras claimed
their majesty, and the Mississippi and Colorado worked
their way to the sea. Thank the work of our hands:
weaving steel into bridges, finishing one more report
for the boss on time, stitching another wound
or uniform, the first brush stroke on a portrait,
or the last floor on the Freedom Tower
jutting into a sky that yields to our resilience.

One sky, toward which we sometimes lift our eyes
tired from work: some days guessing at the weather
of our lives, some days giving thanks for a love
that loves you back, sometimes praising a mother
who knew how to give, or forgiving a father
who couldn’t give what you wanted.

We head home: through the gloss of rain or weight
of snow, or the plum blush of dusk, but always -- home,
always under one sky, our sky. And always one moon
like a silent drum tapping on every rooftop
and every window, of one country -- all of us --
facing the stars
hope -- a new constellation
waiting for us to map it,
waiting for us to name it -- together

President Obama Delivers His Second Inaugural Address from The White House on Vimeo.

He did it.

We did it.

Two term President Barack Obama.
It sure wasn't as easy as one would think getting what was clearly the best guy for the job elected once again, but, somehow against all odds, we did it. Against all odds and in spite of all the haters, today he was sworn in.

And I'm very proud of being able to witness that in my lifetime.

USA Flu map based on social media reports of flu from Nov. to now

noreply@blogger.com (Louise Larsen) — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 07:50:00 PST

I thought this was kind of cool. This map isn't based on anything particularly scientific, it's simply based on people moaning to Facebook they have the flu. (In other words, the map is based on social reported flu tracking.)

Sad Tom Stoppard Overlooked in Oscar Nominations

noreply@blogger.com (Louise Larsen) — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 10:49:20 PST

Anna Karenina should have been nominated for best adaptation or best screenplay…At the very least.

Other than not digging up Vivien Leigh for the part of Anna, it was a perfectly cast film.

And the dramatic device used to economically trim a brilliant, perfectly written novel of such scope into a 90 minute film narrative, such as seen in this year's film Anna Karenina, was entirely overlooked this year.

Not cool. I loved this film for it captured some of what Tolstoy intended us to know. NOT ALL OF IT, but some of it, and for that I am so grateful.

A beautiful film: Even if it was overlooked by the Academy this year.

Vivien Leigh: The best casting of Anna Karenina, in the history of film, to date.
Tolstoy would have approved.

Link to a blogger who shares my P.O.V.

"Everything else is just noise at this point – but I wanted to give Tom Stoppard some kudos for his tight Anna Karenina script. Even though I’m sure it was Joe Wright’s inspired choice to set the film in a theatre instead of the Russian countryside, that wouldn’t have been possible without Stoppard’s immaculately clipped version of the lofty story. He made all the right choices in what needed to stay and what needed to go."

Flu Map 2013: National and State Flu Levels and Free Vaccine Finder

noreply@blogger.com (Louise Larsen) — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 09:29:45 PST

Christmas week: I got sick with "something."

Felt like flu, but no fever, no flu test. Still not 100% from that three weeks later. Don't know if I had "the" flu or not, but it wasn't easy to bounce back from at all. That was no "cold."

Last weekend: Two kids: Two confirmed cases of flu. Temps of 101-103 for 3/4 days. Rapid chest congestion within hours. Extreme lethargy. Bad chest cough and cold for a week now. Two kids: No school for one week and counting.

No doubt about it: Flu season is here with a bang and you should protect yourself now.

Check out the facts and get your shot. It has a 60% success rate of protecting you. Which is better than not. Do you really want this thing? Get yours. Costco was selling theirs for $16, but I've put in links to national info about flu tracking, flu vaccine tracking and how to get a free flu shot below.

Good luck!

CLICK HERE FOR UP-TO-DATE (Google Trending) FLU MAP

click on link here to SEE FLU NEAR YOU

click on link here to FIND A FLU SHOT NEAR YOU

How to Get a Free Flu Shot:

Every season it can seem as if the flu virus gets worse. Having a flu shot can prevent the influenza virus from taking hold of your system, putting you out of commission for weeks at a time. Sometimes though, you might not have the money needed to receive the flu shot and prevent yourself from getting sick. There are ways to get the flu vaccine for free, you just have to know where and how to get it.

Instructions

1 Use your Medicare card. People who are receiving Medicare such as the elderly and disabled can get the flu vaccine for free at most clinics and doctor’s offices by just making an appointment and presenting their Medicare card. Walk-in clinics will also usually have the flu vaccine where you don’t have to make an appointment. The health department is another place where Medicare patients can receive a free flu shot.

2 Utilize your student status. College students can receive free flu vaccines at a college health fair annually. You must present your student ID and be sure to get there early because there are usually limited supplies on hand.

3 Check with your employer. Larger companies and even some small businesses can get a discount on flu vaccines and sometimes offer them at no cost to their employees. Giving their employees free flu shots helps ensure that they will have fewer employees out of work due to illness caused by influenza. It’s a cost-effective way to help you and their business at the same time.

4 Be a member of the military. Military personnel can receive a no-cost flu shot at the infirmary or at a military designated area set up specifically for flu shot vaccinations. Be sure to check on the times and dates.

5 Call your local health clinic. Some health clinics in certain cities will offer the flu shot for free for usually one day only or on certain dates. Be sure to get there early on the day that they offer the vaccine.

Why do kids always get things quicker than grown-ups?

noreply@blogger.com (Louise Larsen) — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 01:21:37 PST

The silver-lining to being house-bound for about three weeks with my daughters, is that we three have had quite a bit of time to really and truly get to know each other lately.

We've had time to share laughs, thermometers, kleenex, and occasionally daytime television together along with our ever evolving varieties of colds and flu. Type A, to be exact.

What was extra fascinating was that for the first time since having children I no longer found we had to indulge anyone their share of the Disney Channel -- nope, what everyone's channel of choice was, amazingly CNN. Even when I found it to be too much news overkill for kids to see. But, they were interested in this world which they will soon inherit.

Then tonight, as Piers Morgan was talking about guns, my older child said her two biggest surprises (from famous faces) in 2012 was how much she ended up respecting and admiring Chris Christie and Piers Morgan. She said she never expected that to happen.

What she said (or croaked) was "They're blunt. Blunt about what's right. I respect that."

What's taking our leaders and government so long to want this, too?