On 8/14/08, Sen. Barack Obama visits the site on which he scattered his mother’s ashes in Honolulu, Hawaii many years ago. (All photos and info credited to AP Photo/Alex Brandon).

In Hell, it is most probable that its master resembles this: a controlled yet maniacal entity, void of empathy. Satiated by nothing. Existing to feed on a self prepared diet of chaos, destruction and the looming fear of reckless violence and death. You see, Its goal is not one that logic or human perspective or material gain can affect. The goal, says the Joker ‘is to send a message.’

On Sunday, I experienced The Dark Knight at Universal City Walk’s IMAX Theater. Director, Christopher Nolan shot 6 powerful sequences of this stunning film in 70 mm IMAX format–the world’s highest film format resolution. The resulting rich and vivid imagery transports the audience into a personal experience in Gotham..engulfed in roaring blue flames, dodging flying sparks from a thrashing overturned big rig, and feeling the flights and fights of Gotham’s hero as they happen. What an experience!

But is an action packed, audience engaging, visually stunning movie with a well formed storyline enough to gain the attention of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science? Should be!

Oscar’s Purpose

The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are awards of merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science (AMPAS) to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers. (wikipedia)

In a recent LA radio panel discussion, comic book and movie fans expressed hope that their genre will receive recognition from AMPAS. The Teen Choice Awards and MTV Moon men are great, but there is the perception that that comic book inspired films are high on The Academy’s ‘to snub’ list. With such successful releases as Transformers and The Dark Knight, it will be interesting to watch how this genre will be treated during the next reading of Oscar nominations

If excellence is what they want, Heath Ledger’s work must be seriously considered. His performance as Batman’s long time nemesis, The Joker, was amazing. A relentless and evil psychopath devastating the heart of Gotham in order to test the code of a conflicted Batman-whose effectiveness is being called into question by those he serves.

Ledger’s Joker is not a flesh textured cartoon. He is the personification of an entity absent of light and hope. His face-a pasty, painted canvas for a kniffed-in, infected grin set underneath the dark windows to a dead soul with nothing to lose. There is no Heath Ledger reflecting in The Dark Knight. There is the devil and his whims.

The film raises several philosophical questions including the value of a life, the heart of humanity when challenged, the definition and code of a hero, and the measure of actual results vs. honorable intentions. The untimely death of Heath Ledger certainly inspires deeper ponderance of some of these topics. But make no mistake, the heartfelt outcry for Ledger’s work to be acknowledged is born out of our appreciation for Ledger’s masterful immersion into a character so well developed that a sense of dread remains long after the final credits roll.

As joker said “This city deserves a better class of criminal. And I’m going to give it to ‘em”.

Mission accomplished, Mr. Ledger.

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A Philosopher’s Desk by Jerry Uelsmann
In the forward of the beautiful Jerry Uelsmann’s book, Photo Synthesis, A.D. Coleman explains the difference between photocollages and photomontages.

Neither of these terms should be used as an umbrella to cover what are two radically different forms of photographic image making. They are far from synonymous.

Photocollage

The French word collage means “gluing”; the craft process is that of pasting varied materials together. Photocollage, then, involves the cutting up and reassembling of parts of photographic prints or reproductions of photographs. In itself, this does not require any photographic activity. Because many forms of such imagery can be generated without the use of a camera or a darkroom, it has attracted not only photographers but visual artists from outside of the parameters of photography.

This moving photocollage is by conceptual artist Barbara Kruger:

http://www.barbarakruger.com/

Photomontage

Montage means “assemble/putting together” in French.

Strictly speaking, photomontage is the superimpositon of one image on another, this can be achieved in such a way that both are simultaneously present and visible, that is they show through each other or so that the added images appear integral to the depicted scene.
Accomplishing this requires photographic methods. One of these is “double” or multiple exposure done while the negative is still in the camera. Montages can be executed in a darkroom, as with multiple printing (exposing the printing paper to part or all of several negatives in succession) and combination printing, or the “sandwiching” of the negatives simultaneously) These are the techniques in which Uelsmann has specialized. In such cases, both the image components and the techniques involved are purely photographic in nature.

Most of Uelsmann’s work is Untitled.

Jerry Uelsmann My Favorite Photographer: http://www.uelsmann.net/

Scenes from the movie “The Universal Mind of Bill Evans – Creative Process and Self-Teaching”.

Thanks to sareston for posting on Youtube.
Visit: http://www.youtube.com/user/sareston to see segments 2 and 3.

Wiki: Bill Evans

William John Evans: (August 16, 1929 – September 15, 1980) was one of the most famous and influential American jazz pianists of the 20th century. His use of impressionist harmony, his inventive interpretation of traditional jazz repertoire, and his syncopated and polyrhythmic melodic lines influenced a generation of pianists, including Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Denny Zeitlin[1] and Keith Jarrett, as well as as guitarists Lenny Breau and Pat Metheny. The music of Bill Evans continues to inspire younger pianists like Fred Hersch, Ray Reach, Esbjörn Svensson, Bill Charlap, David Thompson, Brad Mehldau[2], Geoffrey Keezer, Lyle Mays and Eliane Elias[3]. Evans is an inductee of the Down Beat Jazz Hall of Fame.

If you hope that “Walk The Line” will delve into the pathology of the talented, complex country singer who dressed in black as a form of empathy for society’s outsiders, you may want to just enjoy the lyrics of Cash’s song, Man In Black and wait for Hollywood’s next attempt.

This is not that film.

“Walk The Line” is the engaging love story of Johnny Cash and June Carter. Johnny’s admiration for June is sparked as a boy,enjoying the voice of 10-year-old June Carter as she belts out a song over the radio. The film focuses on Cash’s rise from poverty to prominence and his reckless pursuit of June Carter in the midst of a failing marriage and a fierce, losing battle with substance addiction.

The strong performances and the chemistry between Joaquin Phoenix (Johnny) and Reese Witherspoon (June) saved this film. Phoenix embodied the entity of Cash-from his intense stares, to his simmering passion and gravelly voice. Witherspoon gave a strong performance as June Carter as the sassy-crowd pleasing performer, the determined rejector of Cash’s advances and finally,Cash’s compassionate lover.

Although many of the questions I have about Cash were not answered in this film, it is worth watching. Since scales are fun and useful.. if I were to rate it as a biopic, it would receive 2/5 hearts. But as a love story, it deserves 4/5.

How:

(Spoiler Alert: For those who enjoy the frame by frame, emotional unraveling of a story as I do, read no further than this paragraph. Just know that I highly recommend this wonderful film).

 The Visitor is a simple yet captivating film about a seasoned college professor who has given up. His passion, fire and drive were laid to rest  along side his beloved wife many years ago. Walter Vale’s time is now spent pretending and avoiding. He suits up every morning, only to move through the empty, predictable life he has designed for himself with little as connection as necessary.

 One day, despite his protest, Walter is assigned to leave the comfort of his Connecticut home for a few days to speak at a business conference in New York. He arrives at his rarely occupied New York apartment and hears an uninvited someone moving about. Walter opens his front door to step into a figurative parallel universe led by two illegal immigrants at an important crossroad in their personal journey. Walter slowly decides to join them but soon finds out he must set out on his own.

 Along the way,  Walter will passionately exclaim ‘its not fair’. And life is not. The untimely passing of his wife. The weight of governments on the neck of an innocent, profiled man. The guilt that a mother feels for an error of judgment. But nor is it fair that a man can squander his opportunity to enjoy his life. This lesson, when learned is the sound emanating from the African drum eventually played by Walter Vale from his heart.

 Writer-director Tom McCarthy does an excellent job of presenting each character with its own life force and a genuine infusion of humanity.

 Richard Jenkins,Haaz Sleiman, Danai Gurira and actress Hiam Abbass were excellent.  With hearts exposed, each gave a powerful performance.

 The Visitor is about giving: how it helps us, may hurts us and definitely how it can heal us-when given a chance.

 You will most likely find this limited release film at your local indie/arthouse film venue. Support quality and go to the theater to see it if you can.

A must-see for every parent and teacher. Education guru Sir Ken Robinson makes an entertaining (and profoundly moving) case for creating an education system that nurtures creativity, rather than undermining it. Sir Ken Robinson is author of “Out of Our Minds: Learning to be Creative,” and a leading expert on innovation in education and business. (Recorded February, 2006 in Monterey, CA.) More TEDTalks at www.TED.com (quote from post on Youtube.com)

For more fascinating talks on a variety of topics: www.ted.com

The last and only portrait of Heath Ledger captures him as an intense, brooding young man, a distant, troubled look in his eyes. Just under his well-defined chest is a simple red tattoo of the girl who was the centre of his life — two-year-old daughter Matilda.

It is a portrait in triplicate — the pensive central figure is flanked to the right by Ledger looking bleary-eyed but grinning, and to the left by another cast deep in shadow.

Although the portrait could be interpreted as confirmation that Ledger was suffering emotionally in his final days, Melbourne artist Vincent Fantauzzo paints a very different picture of the man, saying the actor was feeling “very positive about the future”.

Fantauzzo, a friend of Ledger’s, had been meaning to paint the actor’s portrait for three years — but it was only last month, during a break in Ledger’s frenetic schedule, that the artist was able to have him sit for the portrait. Fantauzzo flew to Perth during the Christmas break to paint Ledger at his family home, and completed the painting in Melbourne.

Yesterday, still reeling from the unexpected death of his friend, the artist reluctantly spoke about his feelings and the work. “I just can’t believe it. I think everyone is saddened and shocked,” Fantauzzo said.

He was intending to enter the portrait in this year’s Archibald Prize, but now he’s not so sure. The art award, one of Australia’s most prestigious, has a first prize of $35,000.

“I want to make sure I am doing the right thing,” Fantauzzo said. “I have spoken to his close friends and they have told me that he would want it to be in there, but I don’t want it to bring negative attention. I just want it to be a positive thing, like a tribute to Heath, rather than people reading it the wrong way.”

Although Ledger appears troubled in the painting, Fantauzzo says the portrait was meant as a comment on the scrutiny that celebrities such as Ledger endure, and the effect it has on their lives and emotional health.

“The last few days are the perfect example of that sort of scrutiny,” Fantauzzo said. ”It was really about the public figure and everybody trying to get a piece of you.”

He has yet to title the painting and is still putting the finishing touches on it. ”I have been working on it for the past three weeks, for 10 hours a day. I have just been meditating over it and his life and his family, and I just feel really bad for his mum and all the negative attention because Heath was very positive about the future.”

Fantauzzo said that unknown to many, Ledger was a strong supporter of artists and the arts, a fact the actor didn’t like to publicise.

“He was the centre of so many people’s lives and he helped so many people. He didn’t ask for any of that to be known. He took time away from his holiday with his family and Christmas to sit for the painting. That was pretty kind.”

Source: By Gabriella Coslovich-01/25/08

Full article: http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/stars-portrait-has-artist-in-a-bind/2008/01/24/1201157560392.html