January 3, 1897- Dorothy Arzner:

“Each day when I went to work at a studio, I took my pride & made a nice little ball of it & threw it right out the window.

Portland’s own Todd Haynes has been promising a biopic of Dorothy Arzner since 2003. Her story has has yet to make it to the screen, maybe Julianne Moore would be Haynes’ number one choice for the role. Who else do you think might embody the men’s suit wearing, openly gay Arzner? I’ll even throw in Cate Blanchett as Katharine Hepburn for a second time.  Arzner gave Hepburn her first starring role playing a famous female flyer in Christopher Strong (1933).

Arzner nurtured the careers of several strong female film stars. She has also served as an inspiration for other women directors, even in our own era. Someday, when having a woman direct a major Hollywood film isn’t worth mentioning, film fans will be shocked to learn that there was a time when Arzner & Ida Lupino were the only gals working behind the camera.

Arzner started at Paramount Pictures as typist, before her way up to a screenwriter & editor. She eventually demanded a chance to direct, threatening to move to another studio. She showed real pluck & panache with her first film Fashions For Women (1927), a box-office hit. She was then offered Paramount’s very first sound film, The Wild Party (1929).

The Wild Party starred “It Girl” Clara Bow in her first speaking role & Frederic March in his film debut. It proved popular with the critics & fans. & for its time, it was controversial with  scantily clad co-eds & chorus girls.

Paramount thought Arzner was right for melodramas with female leads like Sarah And Son (1930), with Ruth Chatterton who was nominated for an Academy Award, & giving Rosalind Russell her first great role in Craig’s Wife (1936).

One of the reoccurring themes in Arzner’s films is the emotional toll of an unhappy marriage. Her work often features a man who behaves like he owns a woman, or a man competing with a woman.

Arzner’s films also frequently show nuanced, complex, sympathetic female friendships with hints of homoeroticism. Just last month on TCM, I caught Arzner’s Dance, Girl, Dance (1940) with Lucille Ball, in her first starring role, & Maureen O’Hara as roommates Bubbles & Judy, who scrap over men & money, tossing off wisecracks & dancing like a lesbian version of Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers. It also has a nutty turn by famed acting coach Maria Ouspenskaya as an especially butch dance instructor.

Arzner had a major love affair with Marion Morgan, the choreographer on Dance, Girl, Dance. She also spent some special time with Joan Crawford, before, during & after they worked together on The Bride Wore Red (1937) & The Last Of Mrs. Cheyney (1937). Crawford was even able to lure Arzner out of retirement to shoot commercials for Pepsi, when Crawford was the spokesperson & on the Board Of Directors for the company.

In 1943, Arzner made her final film, First Comes Courage, a war film overflowing with lesbian subtext. Systemic sexism & overt homophobia had been on the upswing with the start of The Hays Code in 1934. There was a return to traditional gender roles after the end of WW2. I am not certain if these were reasons why a woman whose films were as good as any man’s, & who made money for the studios, stopped making movies. Her inability to conform to an increasingly conservative moral climate in Hollywood is certain.

Arzner was a complicated & unique woman. She possessed a biting sense of humor & a sophisticated personal style. Between 1927 & 1943, Arzner directed 17 feature films. Almost all have unconventional heroines, strong & self-sufficient, who must reconcile marriage & career. Like James Whale, her films resonate with gay subtexts.

After leaving the studio system, Arzner made Army training films & taught at UCLA, & she shot those Pepsi commercials. In 1936, she became the very first woman to join The Directors Guild Of America. They finally honored her contribution in 1975, 4 years before her passing.

In 2015, 2 out of the top 25 grossing films were directed by women Pitch Perfect 2 (Elizabeth Banks) & 50 Shades Of Grey (Sam Taylor-Johnson). Women directed just 4% of the top money-making films in the 21^st century. Of the 700 top-grossing films in history, women make 13% of the directors. In 85 years of the Academy Awards, only 4 female directors have even been nominated for Oscars: Lina Wertmüller for Seven Beauties (1976), Jane Campion for The Piano (1993), Sofia Coppola for Lost In Translation (2003), & Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker (2009). Only Bigelow has taken home the statue.

Lesbian making feature films is a very small list, but I particularly admire Kimberly Peirce who directed Boys Don’t Cry (1999), & Lisa Cholodenko who directed the terrific Oscar nominated The Kids Are All Right (2010).

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Bill Cosby just had, as Queen Elizabeth once famously noted of herself, an

“annus horribilis” – a year of misfortune.

Many would say this was self-created and WELL-deserved. He was America’s favorite dad –a long time ago. But for years there were whispers that Cosby was drugging and sexually assaulting young women and it looks like Cosby’s dirty deeds have come back to haunt him. At this point, nearly 60 women have stepped forward to reveal what he did. With the statute of limitations on one of the cases just days from running out, Cosby was arrested for sexual assault.

On New Year’s Eve, Cosby sent out a tweet to his “friends and fans,” who support him. As you can see below, it did not go well. There are still, inexplicably, many Cosby apologists out there, but at this point most people believe the women. Twitter has it’s trolls but it always has plenty who are willing to tell Cosby what a hypocrite he is –and worse. Read ’em and weep, Bill.

Many people pointed out that Cosby is innocent until proven guilty, which, is true. However, he did admit under oath that he used quaaludes on women he wanted to have sex with… so, it looks iffy that he can take that back. He’ll have his day in court — but so will his wife, as she is being called to testify– and so should the victims. Who cares about his “TV legacy” as America’s favorite Dad.

(via Addicting Info)

The post #UnhappyNewYear: Bill Cosby Thanks His Supportive Fans –Twitter SHREDS Him appeared first on World of Wonder.

Rio’s Museum of Tomorrow was inaugurated just last week and is the centerpiece of the government’s $2 billion revitalization of the historic port district ahead of the 2016 Summer Olympics. It has drawn both high praise and controversy. It raising an interesting question:

“What sort of tomorrow do want?”

Leonardo Menezes, the museum’s content manager says it explores

“…how our choices are building different tomorrows. Are they going to be sustainable or not?”

Visitors explore human history and our impact on the earth; how we are transforming our environment in indelible ways both beautiful and destructive. It starts with a “Cosmic Portal” which acts as a “time machine.” You sit down on the floor of an egg-shaped theater to watch a film that takes you through space and time to the beginning of the universe. Directed by Brazilian director Fernando Meirelle, the 8-minute film zips through evolution… and some viewers come away from the experience teary-eyed. Menezes says the idea is to show that

“we are connected to all other beings, plants and animals that are living here with us.”

The museum was designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, who also designed the new $4 billion Fulton Street Transit Hub at The World Trade Center in NY. The message of environmental responsibility is embedded in its design. Calatrava said he was inspired by a visit to Rio’s botanical gardens when he came up with the concept. The building has solar panels that move with the angle of the sun and it uses 40% less energy than conventional buildings.

But no matter how earnest the curators intentions, critics have still charged that the museum does little to address any of the specific environmental issues Brazil faces, like deforestation in the Amazon or pollution in the bay on which the Museum sits. They say that a project like this museum is just the latest chapter in a saga of inequality.

Museums often embody the grand aspirations of a city — or at least those of its planners, says American architect Michael Lipkin. But more often it’s the community that surrounds a landmark that defines its fate.

“It’s important to remember that the Sydney opera house, which has become so iconic of what Sydney is, was not well-received. The Guggenheim museum in New York, perhaps [the city’s] most iconic mid-century building was rejected by most of the press and the neighbors…. we are going to have to wait until the day after tomorrow to understand what it really means.”

The early indications are that Rio’s latest attraction could win the community over. Thousands have been flocking to the area around the museum during the holiday season, and the local paper hailed it as “the new beach of Rio” — which is practically THE highest praise in Brazil. It certainly LOOKS amazing –it makes me want to go to Brazil!

(via NPR)

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Damien Hirst‘s $38 million London museum, Newport Street Gallery has been open to the public for a few months now. It will house his own 3,000+ piece art collection which is called “Murderme” in his entirely self-funded 37,000 square foot museum. But this is Damien Hirst so, it’s been received with suspicion. His market has been going downhill since ’08, when he broke all the rules, bypassed dealers and sold work directly through Sotheby’s, making a literal fortune. $177 million in one sale! Oliver Barker, deputy chairman of Sotheby’s Europe said,

“None of us intended to devalue his market, but suddenly after that sale the luster of Damien Hirst was gone.”

Many people in the art world wonder whether this new venture might be Hirst’s strategy to revitalize his tarnished brand. It will surely up the value of his Murderme collection. Kate Davies, head of the collection, told artnet News that there’s no masterplan behind this project.

“It’s been a long ambition of Damien’s to share his collection with the public. He is an avid collector and curator and has been building Murderme since the late 1980s, around the time he curated Freeze in 1988.”

He’s said that he was really inspired by Charles Saatchi‘s Boundary Road gallery, which he went to many times as a young artist.”

Admission is free and Hirst says he hopes to be able to offer a new generation the possibility of returning many times to really get to know Hoyland’s work.

What’s the museum like inside? Look for yourself, but in terms of architecture at least, artnet News says…

“…the museum is certainly a triumph. Perhaps one of the best contemporary art exhibition spaces that London has welcomed since the launch of Raven Row in 2009. Designed by the architects Caruso St John, Newport Street Gallery is indeed a successfully designed temple dedicated to art. Its impossibly tall ceilings with skylights, white walls, sleek polished concrete floors, and three stunning oval staircases make it into a space that invites the viewer to stay, and to contemplate.

It’s also massive; an ambitious complex that also hosts a shop selling books and editions and, launching next year, a restaurant: Pharmacy2, marking Hirst’s return to the hospitality business (the first Pharmacy was an award winning restaurant and celebrity hotspot in Notting Hill, which Hirst operated in London between 1998 and 2003).”

The first solo exhibition is dedicated to the British abstract painter John Hoyland (1934-2011), who was, according to Hirst, an artist’s artist and

“one of the greatest British abstract painters.”

Many critics disagree. The Guardian‘s Jonathan Jones, rather bluntly says Hoyland’s paintings are

“art studentish attempts to knock out a [Mark] Rothko, a [Jackson] Pollock, or a Barnett Newman.”

Hirst started collecting Hoyland’s work in 2009. The two artists became friends two years before Hoyland’s death. But it hadn’t always been so chummy between the two artists. In 1999, Hoyland said that Hirst was

“becoming an entrepreneur. Artists should not farm their work out” and that he didn’t think that “you make great art unless you paint it yourself.”

Ouch. These Brits are bitchy!

Murderme also has a good selection of works by name-brand artists like Picasso, Warhol, Bacon, Koons, and Prince, as well as artwork by Hirst’s peers.

If Hirst manages to resuscitate his devalued art career it will be yet another coup for an artist who seems to always know how to make things happen. His legacy certainly isn’t his sole concern, but a pressing issue for a number of A-list collectors, like Jose Mugrabi who has over 120 works by Damien and who just bought $33 million worth of art by Hirst three months ago. Mugrabi told the WSJ.

“Damien Hirst is in the same situation as Warhol was in the 1990s. I love Damien at $10,000, and I love him at $10 million. The price is secondary because I know people love him, and in the end they will pay for him.”

It’s not a popular opinion but, honestly, me too. This is the world circa 2016; an artist opens a museum –free to the general public– and it’s considered suspicious. John Holland: Power Station Paintings, 1964-1982 runs through April 3, 2016. For more info you can go here.

(via ArtNet News)

The post So, What’s Suspicious About Damien Hirst’s New $38 Million London Museum? appeared first on World of Wonder.

Photo by Jake Thompson

The queen of walking out of the gym, Taylor Swift, dropped a New Year’s Treat on January 1st for her fifth single off the critically acclaimed 1989 album for “Out Of The Woods.”

Check it out and then we’ll discuss:

First of all:

And:

Here are the 7 things the OOTW video remind us of:

7) TWILIGHT

Like, duh.

To kick things off, this is an obvious first read of the video’s similarities to Twilight: Eclipse. Raised by wolves, Taylor Swift is coming back to wreck havoc (rip a necklace off in slow motion) in the dead of winter.

6) ENYA’S “WHITE IS IN THE WINTER TIME”

The queen of New Age, Enya‘s classic Christmas club banger HAD to of been a source of inspo to Kahn’s vision when putting together the tundra treatment into the OOTW video.

5) DONNA LEWIS’ “I LOVE YOU ALWAYS FOREVER”

Melodically, TSwift’s song sounds almost identical to this early 90’s catchy club banger put out by the queen of mom pants, Donna Lewis:

4) LION KING’S “CIRCLE OF LIFE”

Besides Lion King being the best Disney film of all time, it also provided the best soundtrack.

The background vocals and beats of both of these songs are so similar that Chamberland made a must-hear mashup that you can listen to here.

TBH, there’s a total overall Disney vibe to this video. It’s equal parts Hook:

Tinkerbell:

And Pocahontas:

3) CELINE DION’S “MY HEART WILL GO ON“

This performance:

Even down to the dress and chiffon-ography.

2) BEY’S “SWEET DREAMS” / CRYSTAL GEYSER COMMERCIAL

I don’t know when or where this gem aired:

And as weird as it was stumbling upon it, I can’t not be absolutely obsessed with it.

Beyonce gyrates around a dance set with her water-forming sorcery in the same vain that Swift does with the vine in the woods.

1) SHAKIRA’S “WHENEVER, WHEREVER”

The queen of hips that don’t lie crawled through mud, blood, and earth to tell her lover how much they could “both make fun of distance.” Besides this being almost a carbon blueprint of Shakira’s video, when Taylor crawls through the wet dirt, it was giving me Whenever, Wherever realness:

This post approved by Mo Collins:

The post 7 Things Taylor Swift’s New Video “Out Of The Woods” Reminds Us Of appeared first on World of Wonder.

Photo by Jake Thompson

Over the weekend, Head Witch in Charge Emma Watson took a little time off from her position as Minister of Magic for HeForShe to send a lil Twitter love to Noma Dumezweni – the award winning Swazi theater actress – who was cast to be Hermione in the London stage production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.

First of all, who’s excited about this theater production slash amazing casting choice:

On January 2nd (white) Hermione tweeted this adorable tweet:

Very humbled, Black Hermione tweeted back her support as well:

Although Harry Potter and the Cursed Child won’t premiere til July 30th, this cute twitter exchange really puts all the haters to sham.

The post Emma Watson Supports Black Hermione Noma Dumezweni In The Cutest Tweet Ever appeared first on World of Wonder.

Ann Magnuson
Beth Gibbons
Charlyne Yi
Dave Foley
Dot Marie Jones
Dyan Cannon
Erin Cahill
Harmony Korine
Jeannie Mai
Jill Marie Jones
Julia Ormond
Julian Sands
Michael Stipe
Patrick Cassidy
Patty Loveless
Till Lindemann
Tina Knowles
Vanity
Yvan Attal

The post January 4: It’s YOUR Birthday, Bitch! appeared first on World of Wonder.

January 4, 1877– Marsden Hartley:

”I want to paint the livingness of appearances.”

He is one of my favorite artists from one of my favorite periods. Mardsen Hartley is one of the great artists & most intriguing figures in the art world.

He was born in Lewiston, Maine in 1877. As a teenager, Hartley moved to Cleveland to study art, already seasoned by solitude & a sense that he was gay. He had survived a childhood of Dickensian proportions: the early death of his mother, abandoned by his father & a life of poverty that forced him to leave school at 15 years old & go to work in a shoe factory. Hartley:

 ”My childhood was vast with terror & surprise.”

In true Dickensian fashion, Hartley was rescued as a young adult by sponsors attracted to his obvious talent & charisma. He enjoyed summer retreats in Maine, where he began a lifelong interest in literature & religious thought: Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Henry James & Walt Whitman. His patrons paid for him to study at the National Academy Of Design in Manhattan. For several years he studied in NYC & painted in Maine, where depicting landscapes was his first & last great subject. In 1909 he met famed American photographer & Modern Art aficionado Alfred Stieglitz, who immediately gave him an exhibition at Stieglitz’ Gallery 291 & made him a prominent member of the special circle of American Modern Artists.

Hartley found his way to Paris in 1912. He fell in love with the hues & physicality of oil paint & absorbed the feelings & techniques of the Impressionists, Post-Impressionism & early Cubism. Hartley loved Europe & he joined Gertrude Stein’s circle of the young modern painters & he understood that Pablo Picasso was the best of the best. Indeed, he became one of the first American artists to paint in the modernist style of Picasso, Paul Klee & Wassily Kandinsky.

He also met two officers in the German Army: Arnold Rönnebeck, who was a sculptor, & Karl von Freyburg, Rönnebeck’s tall, blond cousin. They invited him to visit Berlin, which in pre-WW1 had a thriving gay scene, despite laws against homosexuality. There was also a near constant parade of the German Army officers  in Berlin which Hartley loved. Berlin became his spiritual home away from home. Von Freyburg & Hartley fell in love, but tragically, von Freyburg was killed in battle in autumn, 1914. Grief stricken, Hartley created some of his greatest paintings to memorialize their love.

Hartley returned to NYC in 1915, & in late 1916 Hartley took a house together in Provincetown with artist Charles Demuth. Demuth was one of the earliest American painters to show a gay identity through explicit, yet positive depictions of desire between men. Demuth also knew his way around NYC’s gay scene, where Hartley was introduced to the lesbian writer Djuna Barnes.

Hartley returned to Europe in 1921 & tried to find a life as a writer. He published 25 Poems, issued by the English language press Contact Publishing Company in Paris. During The Great Depression, Hartley to return to the USA. He received a Guggenheim fellowship which allowed him to live in Mexico in 1932, where he began a relationship with gay poet Hart Crane, who was also there via a Guggenheim grant. On a return voyage to the USA, Crane was severely beaten after making a pass at a male crew member. Humiliated & despondent, Crane jumped overboard in the Gulf Of Mexico. Hartley painted 8 Bells Folly (1933), a surrealist tribute to Crane.

Hartley found work in NYC as part of FDR’s Workers Progress Administration (WPA) & their Public Works Of Art Project. He became friendly with the family of Francis Mason of Nova Scotia & he lived with them in a small Canadian fishing community, finally finding some happiness & inspiration in their company. But tragedy managed to find Hartley, 2 handsome, strapping sons of the Mason family were killed at sea. Deeply saddened, Hartley stayed with the Masons through that winter, never to return.

Hartley returned to Maine in 1937, after declaring that he wanted to become “The Painter Of Maine“, depicting New England life at a local level. His work was part of one of many Regionalism movements, groups of artists who to represented a distinctly American Art from different geographic points in the USA. He continued to do paintings of Maine, primarily deeply expressive scenes around the port of Lovell & the rugged coast & the fishermen who made their living there, combining thick brushstrokes & vibrant colors, until his passing in 1943, gone from a heart attack at 66 years old.

He received little recognition for his art & never made money from his work. Hartley never had a longtime romantic partner, & never really had a family. The young German soldier that he loved was killed in a war, & the virile, attractive & masculine sons of the fishing family he stayed with in Nova Scotia tragically drowned. It seems rather appropriate that Hartley created his most powerfully expressive works during his many bouts of depression spent in remote locations. His portraits of swimmers & wrestlers that he painted in Maine in the late 1930’s are among the most powerfully sensual images of men ever made. It could not have been easy to face the difficulties of being a gay artist in his era.

Hartley did seem to have an inkling that his art would live on. He wrote this near the end of his life:

“I am not a ‘book of the month’ artist, & I do not paint pretty pictures; but when I am no longer here my name will register forever in the history of American Art.”

A decade ago, Hartley’s colorful painting Lighthouse sold for $6.2 million at Christie’s. Hartley was an artist with a great love of great paintings who wanted to make his own & have them be viewed as great.

Marsden Hartley, Painting No.47, Berlin, 1914-1915, oil on canvas, 39 1/2 x 31 5/8″
(courtesy Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden).

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Hey, ladies! There is now a speaker for your vagina. Not like a spokesperson, but a literal speaker that you insert into your vagina so your unborn baby can listen to whatever you want to blare up there.

Parents only want what’s best for their children, and I’ve heard of parents talking to or singing to their unborn babies. I’ve also heard of prenatal speakers that pregnant women strap to their pregnant bellies. I just never thought I’d see, at least in my lifetime, a vagina speaker on someone’s baby registry. It’s true that unborn babies do respond to music in the womb, so I guess it’s not so weird that you’d want your baby to hear the music and not just some muzzled noise that sounds like Charlie Brown’s teacher. It’s from Spanish company Babypod.

From Babypod:

Babies learn to speak in response to sound stimuli, especially melodic sound. Babypod is a device that stimulates before birth through music. With Babypod, babies learn to vocalize from the womb.

Babypod was launched at the first ever Vagina Concert for Fetuses where several babies were serenaded by Spanish Eurovision contestant Soraya Arnelas through Babypods inserted in their mother’s vaginas.

The speaker is pink, comes in a beautiful pink satin case, and can be yours for a little under $135.

The post Babypod: The Speaker for Fetuses You Stick in Your Vagina appeared first on World of Wonder.

Some interesting quotes from an interesting interview with the interesting-but-often-problematic Caitlyn Jenner in the latest issue of The Advocate. 

On being an icon of the community:

“The media has kind of labeled me as the spokesperson for the trans community. That is not the case. I am only a spokesperson for my own journey. After that, I know nothing. Am I learning a lot? Absolutely … I’m just trying to do my best, that’s all.”

On being criticized in the media:

“I went through a lot of struggles but came to the conclusion that it’s time. I can live authentically. I can handle anything,” she says. “I can take criticism. I honestly don’t have a problem with it. Just don’t criticize [my] kids that are dealing with this. From that standpoint, it’s been good. I never expected as positive a response as I’ve gotten.”

“I’m so much more comfortable with myself now than I was four months ago. I’ve pretty much been out everywhere” presenting as she chooses, without a TV crew, without an entourage. But often not without the paparazzi, “which is a pain in the ass.”

On exploring the world as a woman:

“I’d prefer to just weara great pair of jeans and a T-shirt, and go to the market that way. And still look good. That’s ideal for me.” She says she’s watched her fashion icon family members’ sense of style over the years. She says she’d like to look good but not stand out. “Now, my family stands out. Love them to death, but their style is certainly different. And they’ve packaged it and sold it extraordinarily well. Better than anybody else in history, let’s be honest.”

“Kimberly [Kardashian West] says, ‘If you do go out, you’ve got to rock it, baby!’ ” Jenner snaps in the air. “You cannot let [the paparazzi] get that picture. They’ll take a picture of you with no makeup on, lousy outfit — and they’ll use it forever. You’ll never get rid of it. Kim’s very good at that stuff. It does take a little bit more work if you do go out. You’ve got to at least look good, at least the best you can. But there’s more to life and womanhood than just that. And those are things I’m learning; I’m trying to read up on it. I’m trying to understand it because it’s all new to me.”

I know we’re all a little fatigued when it comes to Caitlyn overcoming her struggles, but the article is worth checking out. Read it here.

The post Caitlyn Jenner to the Advocate: “I Am Only a Spokesperson for My Own journey” appeared first on World of Wonder.

Well, art is in the eye of the beholder, I guess. 45-year-old Queens native Mike Drake has been collecting his finger and toenail clippings, stuffing them into paperweights, and selling them for $300 to $500 apiece.

He tells the Huffington Post that started collecting his nail clippings 11 years ago:

“I used to bite my nails, and I wondered how long they could grow. And then I wondered how much I might be able to accumulate.” So he collected his nail clippings in a Ziploc baggie for about a year, and was about to throw them out when inspiration struck. He decided to do something ‘artistic’ with them.

“I realised I went to all that effort, and I figured, in for a penny, in for a pound. I already worked with acrylics as a hobby so I decided to make paperweights.”

He now uses a year’s worth of clippings to make a single paperweight, mostly green. “I like the jade color because it gives off an emerald quality,” he said. His creations have plenty of takers, too – he’s managed to sell every single one he’s ever made!.

He’s also put prosthetic eyeballs that once belonged to soldiers in paperweights. “Each eyeball came with a story about how the vet lost his eye. This particular project helped me get noticed by Ripley’s Believe it or Not.”

See also: What This Guy Collects Will Make You Throw Up a Little In Your Mouth

The post Man Turns Decades-Worth of Fingernail Clippings into Lovely, Decorative Paperweights appeared first on World of Wonder.

Jeff Hasler
David Caruso
Donna Rice
Doug E. Doug
Dustin Diamond
Erin Gray
Jann Wenner
Jeremy Renner
John Rich
Juan Gabriel
Kathy Valentine
Katie Couric
Kenny Loggins
Lewis Hamilton
Liam Aiken
Lyndsy Fonseca
Merritt Wever
Nicholas Cage
Rex Lee
Sammo Hung

The post January 7: It’s YOUR Birthday, Bitch! appeared first on World of Wonder.

January 7, 1946– Jann Wenner:

“Magazines that depend on photography, and design, and long reads, and quality stuff, are going to do just fine despite the Internet and cable news.”

I am still just crazy about magazines. Even with some of my favorites biting the dust (I really miss Spy), I still gave up on Rolling Stone about a decade ago, when the Artist Of The Year was someone I had never heard of, making me feel impossibly old. It was Wilco. I know who they are now, but you get the drift…

Jann Wenner set up Rolling Stone Magazine in 1967 in a small loft in San Francisco with the help from a $7000 loan. The first run was 5000 copies. Since then, Wenner has won a bunch of awards & transformed his magazine business into a multimillion-dollar global publishing empire, licensing Rolling Stone in 20 countries & setting up 2 other lifestyle magazines in the USA.

By the mid-1960s, Rock N’ Roll was evolving and maturing at a fast pace, and Wenner provided a written platform that reflected and even shaped the changes. Wenner also wrote many of the articles, columns and reviews for Rolling Stone and facilitated penetrating interviews with popular figures from John Lennon, Bob Dylan and Mick Jagger to Bill Clinton, Steve Jobs and Donald Trump.

Wenner made it clear that Rolling Stone was not just about music:

“It’s also about the things and attitudes that the music embraces…”

That’s what he wrote in the very first issue, dated November 9, 1967. Some of those other things include films, books, politics & celebrity gossip, anything that might interest a literate, ready readership. Wenner described Rolling Stone as “sort of a magazine and sort of a newspaper.” Prior to the launch, Wenner had worked as a journalist for NBC News and the political/literary Ramparts Magazine. Despite the Rock music theme, he brought a stringent professionalism that set Rolling Stone apart from the other counterculture periodicals of the era.

Under Wenner’s guidance, some of the admirable non-music writers who became famous in its pages were Hunter S. Thompson, Tim Cahill, and Joe Eszterhas. Tom Wolfe wrote a four-part series in 1973 titled Post-Orbital Remorse about the depression that some astronauts experienced after having been in space. The material eventually became his non-fiction book The Right Stuff (1979). Wolfe’s first novel, Bonfire Of The Vanities, appeared in serial form in the magazine to critical acclaim and commercial success.

Wenner’s keen eye has brought a strong visual focus to Rolling Stone, where the great photographers Annie Leibovitz, Richard Avedon and Mark Seliger made an art form out of celebrity photography.

With all the stories about impossible deadlines, all-night writing sessions & general debauchery he experienced with rock stars & hard-living journalists like Hunter S. Thompson, Wenner really should have been a goner years ago, or at least showing a bit of wear & tear at 70 years old, instead he looks handsome & stronger than ever.

In 1995, Wenner separated from his wife of 28 years, Jane, with whom he has 3 children. He then moved from San Francisco to NYC & began a relationship with the fashion designer Matt Nye, who is 20+ years younger than Wenner. The couple has 3 kids. He & Jane finally divorced 20 years later. She still owns 49% of Wennermedia.

Wenner, Nye and the kids hang out with pals Richard Gere, David Geffen and Barry Diller at their homes in Manhattan, the $12 million waterfront mansion in The Hamptons, the country home in Upstate NY, and a condo in Sun Valley.

Wenner:

 “The mainstream became closer to the counterculture, 50 years ago there were no black people on TV. You couldn’t even say the word gay; & then the evolution happened really rapidly, & the mainstream came over & adopted styles of long hair, jeans, rock ‘n’ roll & the anti-war movement, because it wasn’t necessarily counterculture, it was youth culture, it was generational. But now news is on the web as soon as it happens.”

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Bryan Silva (left) in his gay porn days went by Max Payne

Former gay for pay porn star and Vine sensation, Bryan Silva was arrested over the weekend after a police stand-off in Charlottesville, Virginia. Silva gained attention as the “gra-ta-ta” guy, a name that refers to a gun noise he makes in a Vine video that has been viewed more than 18 million times. Silva once “performed” in gay porn under the name Max Payne but quit called the industry and his work “lame.” This recent run-in had to do with a domestic dispute with his 17-year-old girlfriend. NBC news said:

Investigators said that call came from a neighbor, after Silva’s 17-year-old girlfriend escaped the house and called for help. Police say Silva threatened her with a gun and warned he’d shoot police.

“We got a call here this morning, shortly after 6 o’clock, for a disturbance, it was a domestic disturbance. A female said she was threatened with a firearm,” said Charlottesville Police Chief Tim Longo.

Police say Silva refused to come out of the house and barricaded himself inside when officers arrived with warrants for abduction and possession of a firearm.

The police tactical team and crisis negotiation team was dispatched, creating quite a scene in the neighborhood of family homes and churches. Streets around the Silva’s home were also blocked off.

During the standoff Silva posted updates on Facebook, including one video with the caption,

“Y’all pigs can suck my monster dick.”

Another video at the time showed him drinking what appears to be vodka. Police eventually stormed Silva’s house and arrested him on charges of abduction and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Photos of Silva being taken into custody show his pants down around his knees.

Website “Huzlers” falsely reported Silva’s death

For a while the Internet was saying that Silva was gunned down. The site Huzlers said that the was shot dead. Not true. Later in an interview, Silva kept saying “free me” over and over to NBC news:

“Free me. It’s a big mix-up, big confusion. Free me. That’s all I have to say. Thank you. I’m done.”

He is being held in solitary confinement at the Albemarle Charlottesville Regional Jail. Seems like playing with guns can get real ones to show up on your door. There’s a new 2016 definition for white trash, kids! Yes, I said white trash, I’m from Texas, I’m white and I know what I’m talking about. If you are European, you are free to use Euro-trash. (T/Y Tad; via Towleroad)

Silva being arrested with his pants around his knees… for some reason?

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RuPaul’s DragCon 2016 is fast-approaching! May 7th and 8th! DO YOU HAVE YOUR TICKETS YET?

Every day between now and then, we’re going to be highlighting a wowlebrity that will be in attendance! Today, it’s ALL ABOUT  season 3 favorite and breastplate aficionado India Ferrah:

Shane Richardson also known as The Goddess India Ferrah is originally from Roanoke, VA (The Star City of The South) and has been in the art of female impersonation for the last 15 years. After moving to Lexington, KY at the age of 20, India started working with Chelsea Pearl at Club 141 and then decided to compete in her first national pageant called All American Goddess in 2008. She captured the title and crown just 5 days before turning 21. India then moved to Ohio and auditioned for the first 2 seasons of RuPaul’s Drag Race; however, it wasn’t until season 3 came along that India Ferrah was cast on the show.

After the show, India went through a lot of ups-and-downs and received a lot of criticism, and did not quite know how to handle it. Shane made the decision to pack India’s bags and quit drag. Although people thought she blamed the show for quitting, India hung up her heels because drag stopped being fun for her and it began to feel more like a chore and a job. So Shane sold all of his drag except his makeup, and made a fresh start in July 2012 when he moved to Las Vegas,NV.

Shane moved out to Vegas with the hopes of becoming a make-up artist and working backstage for shows on the famous strip. He was offered a job to host his own show as India at 8 1/2 – Piranha Nightclub. He turned down the position, but the offer was extended again. So he decided to break out the pumps and wigs and re-create India from the beginning (India 2.0). Shane accepted the position as show hostess for the Saturday night show, which would be titled GODDESS.

He still resides in Las Vegas, NV almost 3 years later and now hosts Wednesday, Friday and Saturday nights at Piranha Nightclub in the world famous Fruit Loop. India is also the host of the RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 7 Viewing Party at Piranha on Monday nights. She still continues to travel the country and is so thankful and blessed to be able to work and travel doing what she loves once again.

If you’ve never had the opportunity to see The Queen of Piranha Nightclub while visiting Las Vegas, now is your chance to come and meet India Ferrah at RuPaul’s DragCon on May 16-17!

Follow India on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!

And watch the LEGENDARY moment that Mimi Imfurst had the gall to PICK UP India during the Lipsync battle. DRAG IS NOT A CONTACT SPORT, MIMI!

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We’re a week into the new year now, so it’s a good time to check out the Best News Bloopers of 2015. NewsBeFunny has released a three sets of newscaster flubs, so far. Part 1 features lots of f-bombs, cows screwing, part 2, more bad language and catching a bank robber live and part 3 you get a pooping bear, more naughty words and even a twerking arrest. There’s a good half hour of LOL’s here. Watch.

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Marc Jacobs‘ S/S 2016 ad campaign, shot by photographer David Sims, features gorgeous trans director Lana Wachowski (The Matrix, Cloud Atlas, Sense8) in all her quirky hippie/raver/grunge goddess glory. Says Jacobs of his relationship with Wachowski:

This season’s ad campaign represents a series of connected events; a visual narrative. It is a personal diary of people who have and continue to inspire me and open my mind to different ways of seeing and thinking.

The spectrum of individuals photographed in our Spring/Summer 2016 ad campaign represent a celebration of my America. In collaboration with photographer David Sims and stylist Katie Grand, the people featured in our campaign personify this collection of fashion through their individuality. Collectively, they embody and celebrate the spirit and beauty of equality.

It is with an overwhelmingly full heart that I share this first portrait of our Spring/Summer 2016 ad campaign. Lana Wachowski.

I was first introduced to Lana via YouTube in December 2012. The speech Lana gave to accept the Human Rights Campaign, Visibility Award, (October 20, 2012) was utterly profound in its script and her articulate, brilliant and timeless delivery.

She expressed thoughts and ideas that have filled my head and heart always but had never been so eloquently captured in language that was so tangible, intelligent, poignant and full of possibility. I found myself referencing Lana’s words in my daily life and sharing her speech with close friends.

In the days before our Spring/Summer ‘16 fashion show and through a fateful series of communications, much to my incomprehensible delight, Lana accepted an invitation to our show in New York City and thus I took her, “fashion show virginity.” Lana’s ineffable beauty captured by David in this portrait reminds me of the personal sentiment she shared with me about, “learning you can make important friends at anytime in your life.”

This season’s ad campaign represents a series of connected events; a visual narrative. It is a personal diary of people who have and continue to inspire me and open my mind to different ways of seeing and thinking. The spectrum of individuals photographed in our Spring/Summer 2016 ad campaign represent a celebration of my America. In collaboration with photographer David Sims and stylist Katie Grand, the people featured in our campaign personify this collection of fashion through their individuality. Collectively, they embody and celebrate the spirit and beauty of equality. It is with an overwhelmingly full heart that I share this first portrait of our Spring/Summer 2016 ad campaign. Lana Wachowski. I was first introduced to Lana via YouTube in December 2012. The speech Lana gave to accept the Human Rights Campaign, Visibility Award, (October 20, 2012) was utterly profound in its script and her articulate, brilliant and timeless delivery. She expressed thoughts and ideas that have filled my head and heart always but had never been so eloquently captured in language that was so tangible, intelligent, poignant and full of possibility. I found myself referencing Lana’s words in my daily life and sharing her speech with close friends. In the days before our Spring/Summer ‘16 fashion show and through a fateful series of communications, much to my incomprehensible delight, Lana accepted an invitation to our show in New York City and thus I took her, “fashion show virginity.” Lana’s ineffable beauty captured by David in this portrait reminds me of the personal sentiment she shared with me about, “learning you can make important friends at anytime in your life.”

A photo posted by Marc Jacobs (@themarcjacobs) on Jan 6, 2016 at 1:05pm PST

You can watch Lana’s inspiring speech to the HRC here. (via Towleroad)

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In a new Funny or Die video, expert male model Colton Haynes (and his perfect jawline) speak out about his outrage regarding gender pay inequality… for all the wrong reasons. He says:

I thought these cheekbones were gonna take me all the way! But in July, Fortune magazine published an article that said that the highest paid female model earns 95 percent more than the highest paid male model! Men earning less than women but doing the same work? How long has this been going on? Do other male models know about this?!

Watch now!

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This week, Dolce & Gabbana launched a collection of high-end luxury hijabs and abayas, targeting Muslim shoppers aiming for modesty. The collection features black and beige items in sheer georgette and satin weave charmeuse fabrics, with D&G signature lace detailing, as well sumptuous prints with daisies, lemons, and red roses.

“The new Dolce&Gabbana Abaya collection is a reverie amidst the desert dunes and skies of the Middle East: an enchanting visual story about the grace and beauty of the marvelous women of Arabia,” D&G wrote on their Facebook page.

And you can cry “cultural appropriation” all you want, but OMG – I would TOTALLY wear the crap out of ALL of them.

D&G operates 13 stores and boutiques in the United Arab Emirates and has multiple outposts across Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

D&G is one of the first major luxury labels to create a collection with nods to Middle Eastern culture and addressing the specific need for traditional pieces such as the abaya and the sheyla headscarf.

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HBO announced the list of documentaries they will be releasing during the first half of 2016, and World of Wonder has not one, but TWO projects on the list! Nigel told you guys about WOW & HBO’s new documentary Mapplethorpe: Look at the Pictures back in December, but today HBO announced the other World of Wonder production Every Brilliant Thing AND air dates for both projects!

Mapplethorpe: Look at the Pictures will debut on HBO on April 4 and Every Brilliant Thing will be debut on May 9!

Here is the complete list of documentaries coming to HBO the first half of 2016 from Medium.com:

MAPPLETHORPE: LOOK AT THE PICTURES (April 4) takes an unflinching, unprecedented look at Robert Mapplethorpe’s controversial photography, which pushed boundaries with its frank depiction of nudity, sexuality and fetishism, igniting a culture war that rages to this day. Drawing upon archival materials and featuring never-before-seen photographs and footage, Emmy® winners Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato (HBO’s “Wishful Drinking”) offer a revealing portrait of one of the most important artists of the 20th century in the first feature-length documentary about the artist since his death, and the most comprehensive film on Mapplethorpe ever.

EVERY BRILLIANT THING (May 9) is a filmed version of Jonny Donahoe’s acclaimed one-man show about depression, suicide and the lengths to which people go for those they love. Poignant and humorous, it follows a young boy who attempts to ease his mother’s depression by starting an enormous running list of everything worth living for, from ice cream and water fights to things with stripes and Christopher Walken’s voice. As Donahoe’s list grows in adulthood, he discovers its deep significance in his own life. Written by Duncan Macmillan and directed by Emmy® winners Randy Barbato and Fenton Bailey (HBO’s “Wishful Drinking”).

JIM: THE JAMES FOLEY STORY (debuting Feb. 6) is a powerful documentary about American photojournalist James “Jim” Foley, who was kidnapped in Syria in 2012 and went missing for two years before the infamous video of his public execution produced shockwaves and introduced much of the world to ISIS. From Foley’s close childhood friend Brian Oakes, the film explores Foley’s life through intimate interviews with his family, friends and fellow journalists, while fellow hostages reveal never-before-heard details of his captivity with chilling immediacy.

HOMEGROWN: THE COUNTER-TERROR DILEMMA (Feb. 8) explores one of today’s most divisive and pressing issues, spotlighting the threat posed by homegrown Islamic extremism. Emmy®-winning director Greg Barker (HBO’s “Manhunt”) offers a gripping insider’s account from the perspectives of those who helped construct America’s counter-terrorism machine, as well as those who are its targets.

BECOMING MIKE NICHOLS (Feb. 22) paints an intimate portrait of the director, producer and improvisational comedy icon through a set of final, historic interviews with friend and fellow director Jack O’Brien, filmed four months before his death. Nichols recalls his landmark comedy work with Elaine May, his direction of two Neil Simon stage classics (“Barefoot in the Park” and “The Odd Couple”) and his highly acclaimed first two films (“Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” and “The Graduate”). Executive produced by Frank Rich and Jack O’Brien; directed by Douglas McGrath (HBO’s “His Way”).

MAVIS! (Feb. 29) chronicles the ascension of gospel and soul music legend and civil rights icon Mavis Staples and her family group, The Staple Singers. An intimate look at a tight-knit family, the film reveals their struggles and successes, featuring dynamic live performances and rarely-seen archival footage, as well as modern-day interviews with Bob Dylan, Prince, Bonnie Raitt, Jeff Tweedy and Chuck D. Directed by Jessica Edwards.

A GIRL IN THE RIVER: THE PRICE OF FORGIVENESS (March 7) is the story of Saba, a courageous 18-year-old Pakistani woman who is condemned to death for falling in love, but lives to tell the tale. Oscar®-winning director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy (HBO’s “Saving Face”) follows this gripping tale as it unfolds, revealing some of the complex forces at work in a country where more than 1000 women are killed in the name of “honor” every year.

EBOLA: THE DOCTORS’ STORY,BODY TEAM 12 and ORPHANS OF EBOLA (March 14) is a series of three short films on the Ebola epidemic. EBOLA: THE DOCTORS’ STORY follows a British emergency response doctor inside a Doctors Without Borders Ebola treatment center at the height of the epidemic in Sierra Leone. BODY TEAM 12 highlights the heroic and heartbreaking work of a female Liberian Red Cross worker tasked with collecting the dead from homes and villages, removing the bodies to halt transmission of the disease. ORPHANS OF EBOLA follows Abu, a 12-year-old boy from a village in Sierra Leone, who loses eight members of his family and must restart his life elsewhere.

EVERYTHING IS COPY (March 21) is an illuminating, candid portrait of Nora Ephron, the writer and screenwriter-director known for her biting honesty and intelligent humor. Written and directed by her son, Jacob Bernstein, the documentary explores the line between professional ambition and personal loyalties, and features intimate interviews with some of those closest to her, including her three sisters, as well as Mike Nichols, Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, Steven Spielberg and Meryl Streep. Co-directed by Nick Hooker; executive produced by Graydon Carter.

ONLY THE DEAD SEE THE END OF WAR (March 28) documents the encounter of a veteran battlefield journalist and the world’s most feared terrorist leader. After receiving a horrifying video from Abu Mousab al Zarqawi, leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq and the progenitor of ISIS, Michael Ware embarks on an epic journey through the major battles of the Iraq war, into the darkest recesses of the human heart, filming as he goes. Directed by two-time Oscar® winner Bill Guttentag (HBO’s “You Don’t Have to Die”) and Michael Ware.

THREE DAYS OF TERROR: THE CHARLIE HEBDO ATTACKS (April), from Emmy®-nominated director Dan Reed (HBO’s “Terror at the Mall”), is the definitive documentary on France’s first homegrown Islamic terrorist attack. On Jan. 7, 2015, gunmen claiming allegiance to Al Qaeda in Yemen attacked the Paris offices of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, sparking a 54-hour siege that ultimately left 17 dead across the city. This chilling account of the precursor to last November’s deadly attack in Paris features exclusive access to hostages, survivors, police, paramilitaries and detectives, as well as exclusive previously unseen footage and photographs.

NOTHING LEFT UNSAID: GLORIA VANDERBILT & ANDERSON COOPER (April 9) spotlights mother and son in candid reflections on their extraordinary family history. Born to wealth and New York royalty, Vanderbilt has lived in the public eye for more than 90 years, experiencing extreme tragedy and tremendous success side by side. Oscar®-nominated director Liz Garbus (HBO’s “A Good Job: Stories of the FDNY”) captures Vanderbilt as she’s never been seen before, as she and her son discover how family stories of loss and survival repeat themselves in the most unexpected ways.

CLASS DIVIDE (April 18) highlights the recent effects of hyper-gentrification in New York City’s West Chelsea neighborhood, focusing on an intersection where an elite private school sits directly across the street from public housing projects. The final film in a trilogy about economic forces affecting ordinary people from director Marc Levin and producing partner Daphne Pinkerson (HBO’s “Schmatta: Rags to Riches to Rags” and “Hard Times: Lost on Long Island”) this moving chronicle bears witness to the effects of rising inequality and stagnant class mobility.

HEART OF A DOG (April 25) joins creative pioneer Laurie Anderson on a wry and wondrous journey through love, death and language, centering on her beloved rat terrier Lolabelle, who died in 2011. Mixing childhood memories, video diaries and philosophical musings on data collection, surveillance culture and the Buddhist conception of the afterlife, the critically acclaimed film offers heartfelt tributes to the artists and thinkers who inspire her.

ROCK AND A HARD PLACE(May) looks at incarcerated young people who are granted a second chance: the opportunity to trade an extensive prison sentence for a fresh start by completing the famed Miami-Dade County Corrections & Rehabilitation Boot Camp, a one-of-a-kind, six-month program in which drill sergeants push inmates to their limit, encouraging them to learn from their past mistakes and become constructive members of society who are substantially less likely to return to prison. Dwayne Johnson, whose own experiences with the law as a youth inspired the film, appears in the documentary. Johnson and Dany Garcia executive produce for Seven Bucks Productions; Rasha Drachkovitch executive produces for 44 Blue Productions. Oscar® nominees Matthew O’Neill and Jon Alpert direct.

CLAUDE LANZMANN: SPECTRES OF THE SHOAH (May 2) explores the arduous 12-year journey that led to the creation of the French iconoclast’s “Shoah,” a nine-hour-plus examination of the Holocaust. Marking the 30th anniversary of the landmark documentary, the film features previously unseen outtakes and reflects on key moments in the 89-year-old auteur’s life, revealing his hopes and expectations for the future. Directed by Adam Benzine.

MARIELA CASTRO’S MARCH: CUBA’S LGBT REVOLUTION (June) follows the crusade of Mariela Castro, Raul Castro’s daughter (and Fidel Castro’s niece) to establish equal rights for LGBT Cubans, and examines the cultural and institutional homophobia that gay men faced throughout much of the Cuban Revolution, when they were often put into work camps. Emmy® winner Jon Alpert (HBO’s “Alive Day Memories: Home from Iraq”) directs.

SUITED (June) tells the story of Bindle & Keep, a Brooklyn tailoring company that makes custom suits for gender-nonconforming and transgender clients, following a range of people on the gender spectrum. Among those sharing their unique stories are a trans Bar Mitzvah boy, a New York City cab driver, a young southern law student and a transgender man preparing for his wedding. The film spotlights the intimate journey of coming into a new identity, accepting difference and living bravely in one’s own skin. Produced by Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner (HBO’s “Girls”); directed by Jason Benjamin.

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