3 posts tagged "John Waters"
The Spirit’s Still Independent, But The Mood’s More Mainstream
The Oscars won’t be Hollywood’s only fancy awards night this weekend. The Independent Spirit Awards, traditionally a pretty scruffy affair, got natty for its 25th anniversary, allowing big-time stars to dress up—including Vera Farmiga, in Marchesa (pictured); Carey Mulligan, in Christopher Kane; and Olivia Wilde, in Ralph Lauren—in honor of movies made, in many cases, for less than a studio blockbuster’s wardrobe budget.
The show moved this year from the beach to downtown, from daytime to evening, from flip-flops to semiformal. “Well, I never wore flip-flops,” John Waters clarified. Later, on the podium, the Hairspray director lent the show some of his famous edge when he fantasized about making a Precious sequel about the love child of Precious and Justin Timberlake. Emmy Rossum was drinking straight Jameson in the Piaget lounge before dinner—”Normally, I hardly ever drink,” she assured us—and host Eddie Izzard indulged in some on-stage theology that certainly wouldn’t have flown at the Oscars.
Other parts of the evening, though, felt like a Sunday preview. Mo’Nique added yet another trophy to her mantle for Precious, and Jeff Bridges won for his role as a washed-up country singer in Crazy Heart. Bridges had his thumb in his belt during his acceptance speech, and even thanked his stand-in. Presumably he won’t be quite as laid-back on Sunday—or wearing a leather jacket.
L.A. Eyeworks: 30 Years Young
“A face is like a work of art. It deserves a great frame.” That’s the trademark tag that West Coast optical brand l.a. Eyeworks has used for the past 30 years under the many famous faces in its iconic campaigns. They started with Go-Go Belinda Carlisle in 1979 and through the years have featured Andy Warhol, Sharon Stone, John Waters, Amy Sedaris, Divine, and RuPaul—a diverse and talented cast of characters who have all had some deeper connection to the brand. “Many of the stars in the campaign are the result of an organic relationship,” insists Gai Gherardi, who co-founded the label with Barbara McReynolds. But their 30th birthday isn’t all nostalgia and glancing backward. Their special birthday box set of limited-edition cleaning cloths, out in September, involves a new creative crew: artists Gary Panter, Catherine Opie, and Barbara Kruger.
Pump Up The Volumes
Because we know that there’s a significant likelihood that you, like us, are scrambling for last-minute gifts, we bring to you a selection of this year’s art books that may ease the task. There’s a little something for everyone—visual and literary types, the hopeful and the cynical. Consider it our last-minute gift to you.
Hell Bound: New Gothic Art, by Francesca Gavin (Laurence King Publishing, $24.95)
“Gothic is the art world’s zombie. It refuses to die,” proclaims Francesca Gavin, author of this season’s premier survey of gorgeously gory art by over 30 youngbloods, including Terence Koh, Amie Dicke, Chloe Piene, Matt Greene, and Wes Lang. In addition to being a leading art critic and Dazed & Confused‘s visual arts editor, author Gavin is also currently one of the coolest figures in London’s art subculture. Consider this darkly themed tome your tart antidote to an overdose of saccharine holiday cheer.
I Won’t Let You Die, by Youssef Nabil (Hatje Cantz Verlag, $60.00)
Okay, so Nabil’s book won’t be available until March, but the Egyptian photographer’s nostalgia-tinged, hand-colored images are just too beautiful not to be a holiday option. (Just give a lovely IOU written on a Smythson note card.) Nabil renders his portraits with a lovingly luxurious look adopted from old images of Egyptian cinema. His first monograph has been over a decade in the making, featuring portraits of friends and fellow artists like Julie Mehretu, David Lynch, Shirin Neshat, and Tracey Emin. Of special note is the stunning stand-alone spread of John Waters.