Raquel Zimmerman on the new July covers of Numero Japan and Vogue Nippon. Numero via tFS, scanned by vini. Vogue Nippon courtesy of DNA Models.
Photo: Alex Cayley for Numero Japan
Photo: Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin
Japan loves Raquel
May 28th, 2008Q Models Courtney in French Playboy
May 28th, 2008See Q Model's Playmate of the Month Courtney in French Playboy, shot by famed photographer Rankin.
Flash Player 10 Beta: “Astro”
May 28th, 2008
I recently stumbled onto an interesting site from Lee Brimelow called gotoandlearn.com. While it’s essentially a tutorial site, it also gives you some great new peeks into the upcoming Flash Player 10 release from Adobe.
Ever since Flash 6, when embeddable video was made possible, Flash has been on a collision course with broadcast quality motion graphics. I’ve written before (here and here) about the increasing overlap between After Effects and Flash and what this might mean for designers (and developers). It’s no secret that I’m excited about the sea change we’re experiencing.
But now I’d like to geek out and share some of the fun new technical bits about “Astro,” the codename for Flash Player 10. My favorite is the ability to dynamically generate sound, as seen in this tutorial. It’s something that Processing has been able to do pretty much since its inception, but no distributable web technology has the reach (both in terms of developer community and penetration) of Flash. I’m hoping this added ability will attract new experimenters to the happy land of dynamic audio/visuals.
Another interesting new addition is native support for 3D (another demo here), something people have been clamoring about for some time now. Papervision3D has done a great job filling that gap, but now with “official” support, I’m hoping we see even more craziness.
Lastly, though perhaps most importantly, increased efficiency in the runtime drawing engine and other general performance boosts mean more real-time manipulation of video elements. With more and more cutting edge sites already pushing Flash to full-screen extremes, I can only imagine what’s next. As always, I’ll keep my eye on The FWA.
By the way, I don’t recommend installing FP10 beta yet, unless you don’t mind some bugginess and/or you’re a hardcore Flash geek. I had to uninstall it after running into some issues with WordPress.
(In the interest of full-disclosure: Adobe is a sponsor of Motionographer, but this post was in no way initiated or endorsed by Adobe. I did it all by myself.)
Post from: Motionographer
Another ‘Valkyrie’ Film to Challenge Cruise Film Prospects
May 28th, 2008Filed under: Action, Casting, Deals, New Releases, Cannes, Celebrities and Controversy, Box Office, Distribution, The Weinstein Co., Tom Cruise, Movie Marketing
When two movies with similar plots hit theaters around the same time, it usually just reveals the vapidity of Hollywood formula (as was the case when Deep Impact and Armageddon came out a few months apart). The situation changes, however, when the subject matter has far more thematic weight. Defamer's S.T. VanAirsdale points out the potential conflict brewing now that The Weinstein Company has picked up U.S. theatrical, DVD and television rights to the 2004 German film Operation Valykrie, a dramatization of the failed attempt to assassinate Adolf Hilter during World War II. Sound familiar? That's because Bryan Singer's upcoming 2009 release, Valkyrie, tells precisely the same story, with Tom Cruise in the role of would-be assassin Col. Claus Von Stauffenberg. In the German movie, the character is played by Sebastian Koch, the debonair star of The Lives of Others and Paul Verhoeven's Black Book. In addition to the overlapping content, VanAirsdale points out another potential conflict: Koch's female co-star in Black Book, the alluring Carice van Houten, stars opposite Cruise in Valkyrie, creating the sort of meaty overlap that money can buy. Harvey Weinstein's no slouch when it comes to instigating controversy, but his company hasn't exactly had the best of luck with its recent daring titles (few turned out for Where in the World is Osama bin Laden?). Personal drama has impacted Cruise's films before, but this might be the rare case where he would have nothing to do with it.Permalink | Email this | Comments
Jessica Simpson’s New Single Is Released
May 28th, 2008
Her romance with Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo may have overshadowed her singing career of late, but Jessica Simpson is back with a new single, the first off her upcoming country album.
The lighthearted, upbeat “Come On Over,” airing on Jacksonville, Fla. radio station WQIK, features her breathy vocals over a steel guitar.
On the tune, she sings: “I need you now/ I need you bad/I need you baby looking just like that/Don’t pack a bag/Don’t make me wait/ I want to kiss that smile that’s on your face/I need you wrapped up in these arms/ I want you just the way you are/Come on over.”
Early feedback has been positive: in a poll on WQIK’s Web site, of the more than 6,600 people who listened to the track, 58 percent gave it a thumbs up.
Simpson’s record label says that she will be performing at fairs and festivals this summer in support of her country album, due out in September. Simpson’s father said last year that the album will go back to her Texas roots. “She’s a singer from top to bottom,” Joe Simpson said. “And everything in the music business, especially pop music, has moved away from singers. And I think country is the only pure, storytelling kind of genre left.”
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May 28th, 2008
The 10th annual P'Town film festival runs from June 18 through 22, and the line-up has just been announced. Pretty impressive bunch of movies, too: big dogs from Sundance ("Frozen River," "Ballast," "American Teen," "Baghead," "Choke," "Man on Wire"), directorial debuts from Gael Garcia Bernal ("Deficit") and Madonna ("Filth and Wisdom," starring Eugene Hutz, above -- they hated it in Berlin; no, they liked it quite a bit), new films from French provocatrix Catherine Breillat ("The Last Mistress") and Werner Herzog ("Encounters at the End of the World"), Timothy Greenfield-Sanders and Elvis Mitchell's epic documentary "The Black List", excellent documentaries on subjects from Patti Smith to Roman Polanski.
Quentin Tarantino will be there, too, along with (hopefully) the previous winners of the festival's "Filmmaker on the Edge" award. They're also honoring actors Gael Garcia Bernal and Jane Lynch. The festival website's a bit of a kludge, but here's the list of films and here's the schedule. Ready? Set? Go.
Madonna is Finalizing Adoption
May 28th, 2008
Madonna’s dream of adopting David Banda from Malawi has come true.
The High Court in the Malawi capital Lilongwe granted the singer, 49, permanent adoption order for the 2-year-old toddler on Wednesday. In his one-hour ruling, Justice Andrew Nyirenda said he is satisfied that Madonna and her British filmmaker husband Guy Ritchie “are perfect parents” for the toddler.
“I have examined the two reports by the guardian and I am satisfied David has found a good home,” he said.
Nyirenda said by his ruling, David’s biological father, Yohane Banda, forfeits all rights to the toddler.
“I am glad this is over now. I am happy for David,” his father said Wednesday. Banda, 33, who ekes out a living growing maize, tomato and onions, said his family will meet and plan a celebration.
Malawian lawyer Alan Chinula said that Madonna was “over the moon” when he told her about the success of her adoption Wednesday.
“She told me she was anxiously waiting for the news,” he said. “She is relieved and thanks the people of Malawi for allowing them to be family.”
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Patrick Swayze Update
May 28th, 2008Filed under: Celebrities and Controversy, Newsstand
It's been a few months since we heard the sad and shocking news, in March, that Patrick Swayze was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Since then, rumors have run rampant, both about his health, and about possible movie choices. Finally, we've got some legit news on the actor and his struggle with cancer.He sent a statement over to People, which says: "Thought I'd give you guys a little update. Lisa and I have been back and forth from New Mexico enjoying the arrival of spring and new baby calves. This past weekend, we spent a fun time with friends in Reno for Lisa's birthday, where I took her jewelry shopping at Kenny G & Company and (we) were able to find her something really special and much deserved! In the meantime, I am continuing treatment at Stanford and the great news is I continue to respond well."
He's also looking pretty darned good too. The pic attached to this post is via the BBC, and shows Swayze at a basketball game last week. Best, and continued wishes to you, Mr. Dirty Dancer.Permalink | Email this | Comments
Will Smith Says Divorce Is Not An Option
May 27th, 2008
Ellen DeGeneres clearly has marriage on her mind.
The talk show host – who plans to wed girlfriend Portia de Rossi and has talked nuptials with recent guests John McCain and Jenna (Bush) Hager – was back to bride-talk with Will Smith.
On Monday’s episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, DeGeneres noted that Will and his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, have been married for 10 years, unheard of in Hollywood. “It’s like dog years when you’re married here,” she said. “That’s like 50 years, right?
“What I found is divorce just can’t be an option,” the actor explained. “It’s really that simple. And I think that’s the problem with L.A. – there are so many options. So a huge part of the success for [Jada] and I is that we just removed the other options.”
The secret to their success? “We’re like listen, we’re going to be together one way or the other so we might as well try to be happy,” he said.
DeGeneres also suggested that Smith consider politics for his next project – and join Barack Obama as his running mate.
“I do think about [running for office] sometimes,” Smith admitted. “Right up until that Monday after the movie opens and I have a 100-percent approval rating. No politician is ever going to have that!”
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Eric Bivoino; Nous cover boy
May 27th, 2008Nous Model Management’s Eric Bivoino looks hot as ever on the June cover of Tetu Magazine, shot by Randall Mesdon.
Eric Bivoino shot by Randall Meson for Tetu Magazine
