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BEYONCÉ, GREEN DAY & LADY GAGA LEAD THE WAY WITH THREE MOONMEN AT THE “2009 VIDEO MUSIC AWARDS”, JANET JACKSON & MADONNA CELEBRATE MICHAEL JACKSON
Taylor Swift Wins “Best Female Video”
While Eminem Grabs “Best Hip Hop Video”
New York, NY (September 13, 2009) –– MTV turned New York City inside out for the “ 2009 Video Music Awards ” as the network celebrated a legend and brought together the biggest names in music, TV, film and sports. Live from Radio City Music Hall, VMA icon Madonna opened the show and introduced the emotional and heartfelt tribute to Michael Jackson. Janet Jackson was joined onstage by the most renowned choreographers in the world and Michael’s tour dancers, all of whom were influenced by the “King of Pop,” for a memorable and high energy performance. To honor her brother and his illustrious career, the dancers recreated some of his most memorable music videos including “Thriller,” “Bad,” “Smooth Criminal” and “Scream.” The celebration received a standing ovation and set the tone for the most important evening in music and pop culture.
Always controversial, British comedian Russell Brand pushed the envelope as he had fun with a slew of new stars and charmed the ladies. Aerosmith’s Joe Perry and popstar Katy Perry helped Russell kick-off his hosting duties in a big way with a light infused performance of the classic rock anthem by Queen, “We Will Rock You.”
Young country-pop superstar Taylor Swift earned “Best Female Video” for “You Belong With Me” in one of the most competitive categories of the evening, causing Kanye West to storm the stage in protest of Beyoncé not winning. In a gracious act, Beyoncé later called Taylor back on stage to rightfully accept her award. Beyoncé did win an outstanding three moonmen including the coveted “Video of the Year” award for her viral video sensation “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It).” Also landing three statues was Lady Gaga including “Best New Artist ” for her hit single “Poker Face.” Green Day made a triumphant return to the VMAs by claiming three awards including “Best Rock Video ” for “21 Guns.” Eminem walked away victorious in an extremely heated race for “Best Hip Hop Video” with “We Made You.”
Adding to her collection of moonmen and accepting her award via satellite while on tour, Britney Spears won “Best Pop Video” for “Womanizer.” After officially premiering at last year’s show, T.I. and Rihanna won “Best Male Video” for their multi-platinum song “Live Your Life.”
Eminem once again showcased his comedic chops teaming up with Tracy Morgan and featuring a cameo by Cyndi Lauper to present the “Best New Artist” nominees throughout the show.
Drawing on the musical energy and passion of New York City, MTV used the city as a backdrop to showcase the unprecedented and groundbreaking performances from today’s most popular artists. Making her first VMA performance a standout, Taylor Swift sang a never-before-heard version of her single “You Belong With Me.” Taylor fully incorporated all NYC has to offer by transitioning from a subway car to 6th Avenue surrounded by fans and ending her performance on top of a taxi cab.
Known for her over the top live performances and fashion forward style, Lady Gaga turned a childhood dream into a reality as she made her grand entrance into VMA history. During her unforgettable performance of “Paparazzi,” the international superstar gives her own interpretation on the price of fame which culminates with her levitating into the air.
Surrounded by pyro and using every corner of the VMA stage, fan favorite Green Day made an explosive return to the VMA stage by giving a high energy rock performance of their single “East Jesus Nowhere.”
Beyoncé had all of Radio City dancing to “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)” with her call and response to the audience as she translated her music video phenomenon to the live stage. The pop diva was backed by an army of dancers as they displayed their incomparable dance moves during her performance.
Already a household name across the pond, British rockers Muse gave a breakthrough performance expanding their fan base worldwide. The band performed their latest single “Uprising” from a live remote at the Walter Kerr Theater in the Broadway district of Manhattan in front of hundreds of screaming fans.
Determined to top herself and once again raise the bar for live performances, P!nk mastered a jaw-dropping aerial act 30 feet above the stage while performing her single “Sober.” And yes, she sang every single word of it.
Bringing the show to a climactic end, JAY-Z and Alicia Keys honored their hometown of New York as they gave a powerful performance of “Empire State of Mind.”
As the official VMA house band, hip-hop’s newest challenger Wale and the legendary go go band UCB hyped up the audience as they put their own unique spin on some of the biggest songs of the year, his own material and a few classic covers. They collaborated with a number of artists including Kid Cudi with “Day And Night,” The All-American Rejects with “Gives You Hell, ” Pitbull with “You Know You Want Me” and 3OH!3 with “Don’t Trust Me”. Kid Cudi honored DJ AM during his performance of “Make Her Say.”
The star studded show also included appearances by Megan Fox, Jimmy Fallon, Jennifer Lopez, Shakira, Jack Black, Andy Samberg, Kristin Cavallari, Pete Wentz, Gerard Butler, Diddy, Tracy Morgan, Adam Brody, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Alexa Chung, Gabe Saporta of Cobra Starship and Justin Bieber, Ne-Yo , Nelly Furtado , Robert Pattinson , Kristen Stewart , Taylor Lautner , Chace Crawford , Leighton Meester , Miranda Cosgrove and Serena Williams.
The MTV audience was treated to exclusive first looks at fall’s most anticipated films and soundtracks including Michael Jackson's THIS IS IT and The Twilight Saga: New Moon trailers during the show. Viewers were also given a sneak peek at the latest trailer from the upcoming movie Fame during MTV News’ “2009 VMA Preshow.”
2009 MTV VIDEO MUSIC AWARDS WINNERS
GENERAL CATEGORIES:
VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Beyoncé
Title: Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)
Album: I AM…SASHA FIERCE
Director: Jake Nava
Label: Music World Music/Columbia
Production Company: Anonymous Content
Producer: John Winter
BEST NEW ARTIST
Lady Gaga
Title: Poker Face
Album: The Fame
Director: Ray Kay
Label: Streamline/KonLive/Cherrytree/Interscope
Production Company: Rockhard Films
Producer: Jil Hardin/ Nicole Ehrich
BEST MALE VIDEO
T.I. featuring Rihanna
Title: Live Your Life
Album: Paper Trail
Director: Anthony Mandler
Label: Atlantic Reords
Production Company: Les Enfants Terribles
Producer: Gina Leonard
BEST FEMALE VIDEO
Taylor Swift
Title: You Belong With Me
Album: Fearless
Director: Roman White
Label: Big Machine Records
Production Company: Revolution Pictures
Producer: Randy Brewer
BEST HIP HOP VIDEO
Eminem
Title: We Made You
Album: Relapse
Director: Joseph Kahn
Label: Aftermath/Interscope
Production Company: HSI Productions
Producer: Mary Ann Tanedo
BEST POP VIDEO
Britney Spears
Title: Womanizer
Album: Circus
Director: Joseph Kahn
Label: Jive/Zomba Label Group
Production Company: HSI Productions
Producer: Mary Ann Tanedo
BEST ROCK VIDEO
Green Day
Title: 21 Guns
Album: 21st Century Breakdown
Director: Marc Webb
Label: Reprise Records
Production Company: DNA Inc
Producer: Michael Angelos
PROFESSIONAL CATEGORIES:
BEST CHOREOGRAPHY
Beyoncé
Title: Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)
Album: I AM…SASHA FIERCE
Director: Jake Nava
Label: Music World Music/Columbia
Production Company: Anonymous Content
Producer: John Winter
Choreographer: Jaquel Knight & Frank Gatson Jr.
BEST DIRECTION
Green Day
Title: 21 Guns
Album: 21st Century Breakdown
Director: Marc Webb
Label: Reprise Records
Production Company: DNA Inc
Producer: Michael Angelos
BEST EDITING
Beyoncé
Title: Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)
Album I AM…SASHA FIERCE
Director: Jake Nava
Label: Music World Music/Columbia
Production Company: Anonymous Content
Producer: John Winter
Editor: Jarrett Fijal
BEST SPECIAL EFFECTS
Lady Gaga
Title: Paparazzi
Album: The Fame
Director: Jonas Akerlund
Label: Streamline/KonLive/Cherrytree/Interscope
Production Company: Factory Films Ltd.
Producer: Steven Johnson/Nicole Ehrich
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Green Day
Title: 21 Guns
Album: 21st Century Breakdown
Director: Marc Webb
Label: Reprise Records
Production Company: DNA Inc
Producer: Michael Angelos
Cinematographer: Jonathan Sela
BEST ART DIRECTION
Lady Gaga
Title: Paparazzi
Album: The Fame
Director: Jonas Akerlund
Label: Streamline/KonLive/Cherrytree/Interscope
Production Company: Factory Features
Producer: Steven Johnson/Nicole Ehrich
Art Director: Jason Hamilton
ONLINE CATEGORIES:
BREAKTHROUGH VIDEO
Matt & Kim
Title: Lessons Learned
Album: Grand
Director: Taylor Cohen & Otto Arsenault
Label: Fader
Production Company: FVNMO
Producer: Taylor Cohen, Otto Arsenault
BEST VIDEO (THAT SHOULD HAVE WON A MOONMAN)
Beastie Boys
Title: Sabotage
Album: III Communication
Director: Spike Jonze
Label: Grand Royal/Capitol Records
Shugoll Research and Telescope are the Official Business Advisors of the “2009 MTV Video Music Awards” Nominee and Winner Voting periods.
Jesse Ignjatovic/Den of Thieves is the Executive Producer for the “2009 MTV Video Music Awards.” Dave Sirulnick is Executive Producer. Garrett English is co-Executive Producer/Executive in Charge of Production. Amy Doyle is co-Executive Producer. Joanna Bomberg is Executive in Charge of Music and Talent. Jen Jones is Producer. Hamish Hamilton is Director. Robin Reinhardt-Locke is Celebrity Talent Executive.
Official sponsors of the “2009 MTV Video Music Awards” are 5 ® Gum, Febreze, Pepsi, Rhapsody ®, Sears, Taco Bell ®, U.S. Army and Verizon Wireless.
The “2009 MTV Video Music Awards” will be available to a potential viewing audience of more than 1.2 billion people via MTV’s global network of 68 channels reaching 577 million households around the world as well as through syndication. In addition, its convergent programming & content will reach the entire interactive community, via MTV’s more than 200 digital media properties around the world.
Fo shizzle, Dunbizzle. Measurements 38 inches long x 18 deep x 30 inches tall. 72.5 inches long fully extended.
Interactive digital sign, self-service terminal, retail kiosk and trade show display for banks, shops, museums, art galleries and the corporate/ hotel lobby. Full HD multi-touch display, multimedia - design by www.brand-touch.eu
As you may have noticed, since my son was born, I've been pretty irregular with posting here on Flickr. It complicates things to add a baby into the mix and, for me, family time isn't what I'm going to sacrifice when things get busy, Flickr is.
I want to post more here. I want to take more time to be creative for myself. In this past year, I've done a lot of client work (all things considered). Maybe a bit too much. My goal for 2014 is to further tweak this balancing act of a life. Creativity is therapy and creativity on my own terms is rejuvenating.
Thanks for your support!
This 9-image panorama was taken from the tallest point in the Smoky Mountains.
The purple one is just the opposite site of the green leaves. But how just one leaf stands out is something quite interesting!
A standout feature at the Ultra Sports Clinic in London, this bespoke reception desk is fully clad in aged copper, designed to elevate the luxury healthcare setting. With its rich patina and sharp modern lines, it balances warmth and professionalism in the welcome area.
🔨 Installed in 2019 — a project we’re still proud of.
ADDA DADA in Leah Garchik 's DATEBOOK column in the San Francisco Chronicle !
This year's winner of Hunky Jesus Contest was 'CHEER JESUS' who wore a cheerleader outfit and roused the crowd to their feet with a great pep cheer.", reported ADDA DADA !
Among the other standouts were RIPPED JESUS, RETRO JESUS, ZOMBIE JESUS , 'OVERDOSE JESUS' and BURNING MAN JESUS.
"TV REALITY SHOW FOXY MARY with her pregnant tummy, bottle of booze, & pills easily won the FOXY MARY CONTEST. "
I'm having trouble getting her name, but it is said that she returned the prize money to the Sisters thereby providing eternal holiness.
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ADDA DADA's VIEW COUNT is over ONE HUNDRED TWENTY-FIVE MILLION (125,000,000+) with over 6,500 FOLLOWERS !
THANK YOU for visiting my virtual art gallery! Enjoy my social documentary photos of various events !
ADDA DADA's photography represent a variety of people. All photos are 'raw' (no photoshop, no airbrushing, nor convoluted poses).
NOTE: The photos are from different public events with many different people from around the world attending. These photos do NOT imply the person's sexual orientation in any way. Everyone was asked and they consented to be photographed.
Photos are properly marked SAFE or RESTRICTED which is for 18+ only & contains nudity. There is NO porn, nor, NO stolen photos on my site!
NOTE: Viewers should be aware that these photos are viewed by a wide variety of folks and inappropriate RUDE, 'X' or 'R' rated comments shall be removed forthwith.
NOTE: MY photos are NOT to be reproduced, COPIED, BLOGGED, USED in any way shape or form. Use of them by anyone is an infringement of copyright ! © All rights reserved. Use without permission is ille
Set the Dunbar real high. Beautiful mahogany finish with sculptural details. Cocktails are for ballers.
This impressive Miss Havisham style champagne glass fountain was one of the standout installations of the Rone "Empire" exhibition. Long after the champagne, and the love, has dried up, the glasses remain as a reminder of what once was.
Melbourne based street artist Rone (Tyrone Wright) used the decaying glory of the 1933 Harry Norris designed Streamline Moderne mansion, Burnham Beeches in the Dandenong Ranges' Sherbrooke, between March the 6th and April 22nd to create an immersive hybrid art space for his latest installation exhibition; "Empire".
"Empire" combined a mixture of many different elements including art, sound, light, scent, found objects, botanic designs, objects from nature and music especially composed for the project by Nick Batterham. The Burnham Beeches project re-imagines and re-interprets the spirit of one of Victoria’s landmark mansions, seldom seen by the public and not accessed since the mid 1980s. According to Rone - Empire website; "viewers are invited to consider what remains - the unseen cultural, social, artistic and spiritual heritage which produces intangible meaning."
Rone was invited by the current owner of Burnham Beeches, restaurateur Shannon Bennett, to exhibit "Empire" during a six week interim period before renovations commence to convert the heritage listed mansion into a select six star hotel.
Rone initially imagined the mansion to be in a state of dereliction, but found instead that it was a stripped back blank canvas for him to create his own version of how he thought it should look. Therefore, almost all the decay is in fact of Rone's creation from grasses in the Games Room which 'grow' next to a rotting billiards table, to the damp patches, water staining and smoke damage on the ceilings. Nests of leaves fill some spaces, whilst tree branches and in one case an entire avenue of boughs sprout from walls and ceilings. Especially designed Art Deco wallpaper created in Rone's studio has been installed on the walls before being distressed and damaged. The rooms have been adorned with furnishings and objects that might once have graced the twelve original rooms of Burnham Beeches: bulbulous club sofas, half round Art Deco tables, tarnished silverware and their canteen, mirrored smoke stands of chrome and Bakelite, glass lamps, English dinner services, a glass drinks trolley, photos of people long forgotten in time, walnut veneer dressing tables reflecting the installation sometimes in triplicate, old wire beadsteads, luggage, shelves of books, an Underwood typewriter, a John Broadwood and Sons of London grand piano and even a Kriesler radiogramme. All these objects were then covered in a thick sheet or light sprinkling of 'dust' made of many different things including coffee grinds and talcum powder, creating a sensation for the senses. Burnham Beeches resonated with a ghostly sense of its former grandeur, with a whiff of bittersweet romance.
Throughout the twelve rooms, magnificent and beautifully haunting floor-to-ceiling and wall-to-wall portraits of Australian actress Lily Sullivan, star of the Foxtel re-make of Picnic at Hanging Rock, appear. Larger than life, each portrait is created in different colours, helping to create seasonal shifts as you move from room to room.
Although all the rooms are amazing for many different reasons, there are two major standouts. The Study features walls of books covered with a portrait of Lily Sullivan, and the entire room is partially submerged in a lake of black water with the occasional red oak leaf floating across its glassy surface. The Dining Room features two long tables covered in a Miss Havisham like feast of a trove of dinner table objects from silverware and glassware to empty oyster shells and vases of grasses and feathers.
The Dining Room installation I found especially confronting. In 1982, I visited Burnham Beeches when it was a smart and select hotel and had Devonshire tea in the dining room at a table alongside the full length windows overlooking the terraces below. I was shocked to see a room I remember appointed with thick carpets and tables covered in gleaming silver and white napery, strewn with dust and leaves, and adorned with Miss Havisham's feast of found dining objects.
I feel very honoured and privileged to be amongst the far too few people fortunate enough to have seen Rone's "Empire", as like the seasons, it is ephemeral, and it will already have been dismantled. Rone's idea is that, like his street art, things he creates don't last forever, and that made the project exciting. I hope that my photographs do justice to, and adequately share as much as is possible of this amazing installation with you.
Lafayette, Colorado. Feeding frenzy. I imagine the llama (or is that an alpaca?) thinking "I don't belong here."
Baseball standout Babe Ruth has just arrived at St. Petersburg's ACL depot in 1930. Also in the back seat (straw hat) is the popular mayor, Al Lang, who was instrumental in bringing spring training to St. Petersburg. The city's primary training stadium was eventually named after Lang. Mike Davenport collection
Promise Fulfilled, Accomplishment Achieved at WSSU Commencement on May 14
WINSTON-SALEM, NC -- For Jeanette Valentine, earning her bachelor’s degree in business administration will be fulfilling on many levels.
Valentine, 50, is one of the approximately 1,000 undergraduate and graduate students who are expected to participate in WSSU’s Spring Commencement exercises on May 14 at 9:45 a.m. in the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Stephen A. Smith, noted journalist, media personality and motivational speaker, will be the keynote speaker.
Commencement will mark a special satisfaction not just because Valentine, a travel audit officer in WSSU’s accounting department, will be graduating with her 24-year-old son William R. Valentine. It’s because of a long-time promise fulfilled. Valentine made the promise to her mother back in 1978. Her mother and father never graduated from high school. When Valentine’s mother, who was battling cancer, asked her to promise she would graduate college, Valentine did. Valentine’s mother died two weeks before she graduated high school. Valentine was devastated over losing her mother.
“I started school at WSSU that year, but it lasted only one semester. I didn’t have the drive. I was still too distressed and overcome by my mother’s death. I couldn’t focus on school,” Valentine said.
Instead, Valentine got married, had two children and eventually went to work at a few jobs before coming to work at WSSU in 2006. In 2007, she decided to return to school since her children were adults. At the same time, her son who graduated high school in 2004 was thinking about returning to college after quitting previously. By fall 2007, both with full-time jobs returned to school at WSSU. He was an exercise science major and she was in the School of Business and Economics.
“He was so career focused on his job and he was doing well. But I kept pushing him and telling him he had to get a degree. I was thrilled he came back to school and that we were in school at the same time. It was exciting,” said Valentine.
Eventually Valentine saw her son was distracted by work. They talked and it was he who asked they agree to push each other so they could graduate at the same time.
That time is now. Valentine is thrilled they are graduating together. She says it feels like she has kept the promise made to her mother times two.
“In addition to the accomplishment, it may be quite an emotional day,” Valentine said.
Valentine is a member of Beta Gamma Sigma, the international honor society for collegiate schools of business as well as Alpha Sigma Lambda, a national honor society for Adult Learners in Continuing Higher Education. She plans to pursue her master’s degree at Liberty University.
Extraordinary Journey
It will be a festive ending to an extraordinary journey for Jerrica Scott, 24, of Winston-Salem. For Scott, commencement will symbolize the end of a passage marked by limitations, fear and uncertainty. It will be a celebration of a personal renaissance, driven by a theme that anything is possible with faith, passion and purpose.
“No matter how bad things may look, you can make a difference in your own life and the lives of others if you work really hard and know things can change. Soon things may look different, then not so bad, better, even good.”
Scott’s journey is verification of her belief. She entered WSSU to earn a four-year bachelor’s degree in elementary education six years ago as a single teen-aged mom. During that time as a full-time student, living on her own with her young daughter, she worked full-time, changed majors multiple times, quit school, got married, had another child, returned to school, made up a semester of credits lost when she quit and found her way back to the major that gave her the purpose.
“Just before I started my freshman year, I could hear people saying now that I had a baby as a teenager, my life was over or I wouldn’t get very far,” noted Scott. “Because I got pregnant in high school and had a baby in my first year of college, it didn’t mean I would be a failure. I did not want to be the stereotype of a young single mom who would work only at fast food restaurants or be on welfare the rest of her life.”
Although Scott was determined, she became distracted during her second year.
“I was failing classes miserably. I was living on my own and I was 18 years old. I felt lost and beaten, so I quit school,” Scott said who worked as a waitress. “Then one day, my manager told me the biggest thing he regretted was not finishing school. So if you don’t want to be waiting tables for the rest of your life, you need to go back to school. “
That was the turning point for Scott. She also thought about her mother, a cosmetologist, who always stressed the importance of education and often expressed interest in wanting her children to be greater than she. Scott soon quit her job and returned to school. Her best friend and others helped her find her way back to the major that aligned with where her talents and passions had always been -- elementary education.
“My best friend told me this is what I suppose to be doing. She told me we are going over there right now and you are going to get enrolled back into school. I just thank her,” said Scott.
Then she met a good man who cared about her and her daughter. It was like an unattainable dream. They soon married. Her second daughter was born in 2010. Now in school and completely focused on her education, Scott delivered the baby on a Friday and returned class on Monday.
Scott is currently working as a substitute teacher and searching for a fulltime permanent teaching job. She is also going to be the “first in my family to graduate college.”
Multiple Job Offers Early in Her Senior Year
Information technology major Kristen Dunlap, 21, of Charlotte, has accomplished a standout achievement, even before she completed her last year of college. In this challenging economy, she had two job offers from Fortune 500 companies one before her senior year, the other early in her senior year. She selected one position which she will begin this summer.
Dunlap attributes her success to internships, which she began participating in back in her freshman year. That first one was a summer research experience for undergraduate WSSU computer science students at WSSU, funded by NASA. She used, GIS visualization tools to visualize North Carolina weather patterns. The goal of the summer program was to expose students to researching skills and help to develop their problem solving and critical thinking skills.
For her second year, Dunlap interned at the NASA Langley, Va., facility where she worked as a liaison between the technology and client teams for the database tracking system used to manage NASA’s contractual projects.
For summer 2010, she was an intern at Altria Client Services in Richmond ,Va., where she worked on data archiving to consolidate previous and current information to migrate to a new system.
“You can never underestimate the value of internships. I started utilizing the WSSU Career Services office in my second year. My parents always told me to be aggressive at seeking job opportunities. I didn’t want to be a person to work hard for four years and have no job in the end,” Dunlap said.
She will start her new job at Altria Client Services as an IT assistant analyst.
The Entertainment Mogul
Erikka Rainey, 22, of Philadelphia wants to be a female Sean “P-Diddy” Combs. In fact, she has wanted to be an entertainment mogul from a very young age. As a child, she dabbled in music and even took classes, but by age 14, she knew wholeheartedly that she wanted to be on the business side of the music industry.
“When I first learned about P-Diddy, I knew that was where I wanted my future to be,” said Rainey. “I look up to P- Diddy because I’m working to be the first female to start a record label, then restaurants, clothing lines and television shows.”
When she sees a famous entertainer, she wonders what sort of things they did in their career to get famous. If not famous, she wonders what it would take to make them famous. While at WSSU she jumped at every opportunity to market and promote musical artists and events. She worked with Hidden Beach Recordings to promote events for a new CD. She passed out flyers and did social media and internet marketing for jazz artist Monette Sudler of Philadelphia this past summer.
“If there’s one thing I live by, it’s take advantage of all opportunities. Don’t close yourself off to anything. You never know what you will learn that can be the key to your future,” Rainey said.
An honor student, Rainey will be attending New York University’s (NYU) music business program in the fall. She plans to maintain at least one home in New York City after graduate school when her career kicks off.
I know... tulips look better in color. This one tulip stood out from the crowd. Shot at Veldheer's tulip farm in Holland, MI
camera Olympus Om2n
lens Zuiko 50mm
film Kentmere 100
dev xtol 1+1 10 min @ 20C
A version of Sandia National Laboratories’ advanced sensor, called Icarus, is displayed separate from its ultra-high-speed, burst-mode camera. An Albuquerque-based startup plans to make the highly sought tech available to new markets.
Learn more at bit.ly/3yB6UCq
Photo by Craig Fritz
Special thanks to @mata_nui_explorer and @tammycalamity!
In my eyes, Tahu had the best visual presence of the Toa Mistika and was the real standout Toa of the wave. That said, the Metru red coloring always made it harder for me to see him as a continuation in the Toa Nuva of Fire’s proud legacy of sets. I would have loved to have added orange back to his color scheme but no BIONICLE limbs were ever produced in orange beyond 2002.
So instead I’ve opted to colorswap the Metru red elements for their brighter Mata red counterparts! This, of course, presented challenges with the mask and feet, but there’s an easy solution there.
There are a few further modifications to add the Nuva chest armor. I feel this was a necessary adjustment to fill in the shape of his armor. As well, I added the obligatory Roborider heads to his shins and added some further engine details to his thrusters. His hips now also feature a grated slope element (61409). This was a part first introduced in 2008 in Exo Force and Agents subthemes and typically only came in dark bluish gray or lime at the time. I always wanted to get the part in red for various creations back in the day, but it was never available to me. All these years later, I’ve finally found occasion to use it on a creation!
I’ve also paired him with Photok here to add a little of that missing orange armor to his color scheme.
Please consider leaving a thoughtful comment below telling me what your own experiences with Tahu Mistika have been!
This whimsical rabbit, lovingly painted on a river cobble, charmed judges and viewers alike with its bold eyes and lifelike detail. A standout in the Decorative Arts category, it took home second place in its division. Proof that art can hop off the canvas and onto stone!
This text is a collaboration with Chat GPT.
Walked Ruby down to Horam on the Cuckoo Trail and then back through the fields. Images of flowers blossom leaves birds water and reflections. On the way back I walk past a farmhouse and its only water supply is a well.
Part of NAIDOC audience. NAIDOC stands for National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee. NAIDOC Week celebrates the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
NAIDOC in the City, Hyde Park, Sydney, Australia (Monday 6 July 2015)
Channel the grace and power of an Egyptian queen with a look that commands attention. Dressed in a stunning royal purple gown adorned with golden accents, this ensemble is elevated by the beautifully crafted ceremonial mirror, creating a perfect blend of elegance and ancient mystique. Every detail captures ARKONA's signature artistry, making this outfit a standout for fantasy lovers and fashion enthusiasts alike.
Celebrate ARKONA's 6th Anniversary with 50% OFF vendors storewide (excluding current sale items) from August 3–16, and add these gorgeous pieces to your collection. Then, show off your creativity in the Primfeed Photo Contest running August 3–28! Make sure your photos feature ARKONA clothing and accessories and tag @viktorsavior, @orpheuspaxlapis, and @arkona for your chance to shine. Don't miss the enchanting Egyptian Musical Performance on August 8th at 11:00 AM SLT, and wrap up the festivities at the 6th Anniversary Celebration Party on August 29th or 30th. Join the celebration, embrace the magic, and show everyone why I <3 ARKONA!
This photo was taken at Alexandreia- Soteris-Roleplay- Egypt. Here is a landmark if you wish to visit or just check it out.
maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Sun%20Isle/81/142/24
Gown: Arkona Memento Maat Egypt Dress
Mirror: Arkona Memento Magic Scarab Egypt Mirror
Arkona
LM: maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/PolyNation/249/26/24
MP: marketplace.secondlife.com/stores/221048
FB: www.facebook.com/ArkonaSL/
Although all the rooms of the Rone - Empire installation exhibition are amazing for many different reasons, there are two major standouts. The Study is one of them. It features walls of books covered with a portrait of Lily Sullivan, and the entire room is partially submerged in a lake of black water with the occasional red oak leaf floating across its glassy surface.
Melbourne based street artist Rone (Tyrone Wright) used the decaying glory of the 1933 Harry Norris designed Streamline Moderne mansion, Burnham Beeches in the Dandenong Ranges' Sherbrooke, between March the 6th and April 22nd to create an immersive hybrid art space for his latest installation exhibition; "Empire".
"Empire" combined a mixture of many different elements including art, sound, light, scent, found objects, botanic designs, objects from nature and music especially composed for the project by Nick Batterham. The Burnham Beeches project re-imagines and re-interprets the spirit of one of Victoria’s landmark mansions, seldom seen by the public and not accessed since the mid 1980s. According to Rone - Empire website; "viewers are invited to consider what remains - the unseen cultural, social, artistic and spiritual heritage which produces intangible meaning."
Rone was invited by the current owner of Burnham Beeches, restaurateur Shannon Bennett, to exhibit "Empire" during a six week interim period before renovations commence to convert the heritage listed mansion into a select six star hotel.
Rone initially imagined the mansion to be in a state of dereliction, but found instead that it was a stripped back blank canvas for him to create his own version of how he thought it should look. Therefore, almost all the decay is in fact of Rone's creation from grasses in the Games Room which 'grow' next to a rotting billiards table, to the damp patches, water staining and smoke damage on the ceilings. Nests of leaves fill some spaces, whilst tree branches and in one case an entire avenue of boughs sprout from walls and ceilings. Especially designed Art Deco wallpaper created in Rone's studio has been installed on the walls before being distressed and damaged. The rooms have been adorned with furnishings and objects that might once have graced the twelve original rooms of Burnham Beeches: bulbulous club sofas, half round Art Deco tables, tarnished silverware and their canteen, mirrored smoke stands of chrome and Bakelite, glass lamps, English dinner services, a glass drinks trolley, photos of people long forgotten in time, walnut veneer dressing tables reflecting the installation sometimes in triplicate, old wire beadsteads, luggage, shelves of books, an Underwood typewriter, a John Broadwood and Sons of London grand piano and even a Kriesler radiogramme. All these objects were then covered in a thick sheet or light sprinkling of 'dust' made of many different things including coffee grinds and talcum powder, creating a sensation for the senses. Burnham Beeches resonated with a ghostly sense of its former grandeur, with a whiff of bittersweet romance.
Throughout the twelve rooms, magnificent and beautifully haunting floor-to-ceiling and wall-to-wall portraits of Australian actress Lily Sullivan, star of the Foxtel re-make of Picnic at Hanging Rock, appear. Larger than life, each portrait is created in different colours, helping to create seasonal shifts as you move from room to room.
Although all the rooms are amazing for many different reasons, there are two major standouts. The Study is one. The Dining Room features two long tables covered in a Miss Havisham like feast of a trove of dinner table objects from silverware and glassware to empty oyster shells and vases of grasses and feathers.
The Dining Room installation I found especially confronting. In 1982, I visited Burnham Beeches when it was a smart and select hotel and had Devonshire tea in the dining room at a table alongside the full length windows overlooking the terraces below. I was shocked to see a room I remember appointed with thick carpets and tables covered in gleaming silver and white napery, strewn with dust and leaves, and adorned with Miss Havisham's feast of found dining objects.
I feel very honoured and privileged to be amongst the far too few people fortunate enough to have seen Rone's "Empire", as like the seasons, it is ephemeral, and it will already have been dismantled. Rone's idea is that, like his street art, things he creates don't last forever, and that made the project exciting. I hope that my photographs do justice to, and adequately share as much as is possible of this amazing installation with you.
The return of “Glee” is something we’ve been wary about for months. After last year’s tumultuous and often off-point episodes and more Very Special Episodes than musical standouts, it was hard to stay excited about “Glee” by May, or to wish for more. But “Glee,” we just can’t quit you.
Sure, we all spend the better part of the Spring pulling our hair out in frustration over its failings, but then we get a few months off and suddenly we’re hopeful — nostalgic for Terri’s crazy fake pregnancy and humming “Don’t Stop Believing” when no one else is around. We just have to know that Kurt and Blaine will be okay, and what New York will do to Rachel, and if they can still capture that lightning in a bottle of the perfect pop cover. And so we vow to put the past behind us and start afresh with “Glee,” cautious but hopeful, as Season 4 begins.
We open in NYC, where the colors are darker and the Kate Hudsons are meaner. Hudson plays Rachel’s dance instructor, Cassandra July, who after belittling Rachel in front of the whole class, even goes as far to crouch down next to a fallen Rachel and tell her explicitly that she sucks, followed immediately by the “Glee” title card. This is not Sue Sylvester’s absurdist and generally inconsequential bantering — this is real life. If that’s not a way to tell you this is supposed to be a very different “Glee,” we don’t know what is.
Except then we’re suddenly back at McKinley and it’s like nothing has changed stylistically from the first season, with Jacob Ben Israel’s roving camera set up playing catch-up on the summer’s developments — Sam is a stud with the ladies, glee club is popular and Tina has broken off her romance with Mike over the summer (this is also the second year someone’s come back from the summer with a regrettable tattoo — should we be predicting Tina’s tragic car accident now?)
The big question on everyone’s mind, now that Rachel Berry is gone, is, “Who is the new Rachel?” Everyone wants a shot, and since the club is the “most popular” in school even outsiders are angling for their chance.
Our first new recruit is not so new — Vocal Adrenaline star Wade “Unique” Adams has transferred and immediately the glee club bristles at having another powerhouse voice in the midst. Blaine, who is wearing his sassy pants, challenges Wade and the other New Rachel contenders to a sing off, thunderdome style. The serious field has narrowed to four — Tina, Britt, Wade and Blaine — and they perform “Call Me Maybe” for Artie to judge. Now, there’s no possible way “Glee” could have ignored “Call Me Maybe” but we really wish they had — covering that song is a meme, but the original is simply so iconic that such a straightforward cover has no chance to break out and shine. Everyone tries to show each other up, but we also get flashes of the fun they’re having with each other that’s the essence of a “Glee” group numbers. Artie holds back on his decision making as a the group holds open auditions for new performers.
We get a cameo from Stoner Brett (“You smell homeless, Brett. Homeless” is one of the best Kurt Hummel lines ever) who is a secret rapper. A girl performs a Skirllex EDM style interpretive dance number. We wish the club would adopt these two and use them in every number. We finally get actual talent in the form of “Jake,” a great singer with an attitude problem. When Schue cuts short his performance of The Fray’s “Never Say Never,” he takes it as an offense and throws a music stand before storming out. We later learn that he’s Jake Puckerman, the younger half-brother graduated Noah Puckerman doesn’t know he has. When Mr. Schue offers a place in the club despite his outburst, Jake turns him down, so we’re going to have to wait to see what ultimately gets him involved in the group (our guess is a heartfelt monologue from Puck during their inevitable meeting). Our final newbie singer is Marley Rose, a quiet sophomore that doesn’t have any friends and just wants to sing. She auditions with Billy Joel’s “New York State of Mind,” which the show unfortunately displays as a shared duet with Rachel in New York, singing the same song to her first class with Whoopi Goldberg, who has just mercilessly cut another girl — not from the class, but from all of NYADA. Yikes. This is not to say that new girl Marley isn’t a great singer, but it’s hard to put anyone up against Rachel Berry, especially another girl, and expect your attention to be on them instead of on Rachel. Maybe the big lesson of The New Rachel is there can be no new Rachel?
The Old Rachel is singing her heart out because New York City isn’t really all it’s cracked up to be just yet. Her harsh session with Cassandra is followed up by another rough moment where she confronts an obviously drunk Cassandra in class (she drinks, we can assume, because her TA just quit for a Broadway show and Cassandra is a failed Broadway actress — those who can’t do, teach. It’s Schue all over again.) To prove her star power, Cassandra rips off her skirt and performs Lady Gaga’s “Americano” mashed up with J. Lo’s “Dance Again.”
The gods of “Glee” must be excited that performance school in NYC means they can really let loose with more complex dance numbers for their background cast. Cassandra twirling while being dragged across the floor is a real highlight and something we can’t imagine someone like Emma getting to do back in Lima. Distraught Rachel ends up sad in Washington Square park, where she shows Brody, the dreamy straight boy she met singing in the college dorm bathroom (the third boy on “Glee” to be revealed as a singer in this way) pictures of Finn, who hasn’t called her in two months. Ouch, this New York thing is pretty harsh for our girl Rachel, but Brody is there to remind her to embrace the moment and build new, good memories in NYC. When in doubt, “Glee” will always fall back on a romantic triangle. Welcome to Season 4.