Friday, August 28, 2015

POP ART


See that pict up above? I'm hoping I don't have to tell you who it is. I'm also hoping the white hair and the Polaroid camera is a dead giveaway.

In that vein, let me just tell you I have two favorite artists: Andy Warhol and Fernando Botero. Warhol was my first love... I was in my late 20s. Botero was my second... I was in my mid 40s. Which means that when Bob Colacello's biography of Andy Warhol, HOLY TERROR came out in 1990, I was practically first in line to buy his book. And I read it feverishly, with sheer delight. Mainly because Bob was like THE last word on Warhol.

No wonder. Bob was Andy's right hand man in running his INTERVIEW magazine as well as being Andy's confident, collaborator and employee. And... all this was going down at the height of Studio 54, AIDS, recreational drugs, etc. All of which drew Warhol into that crazy ass loop with wild abandon in spite of the fact he was not a big lover of drugs. Andy loved celebrities... as you must know from his huge silk screens. His Campbell Soup silk screens were totally the last word on iconic Pop Culture. Talk about a man of his times, especially in light of his infamous line alluding to everyone's 15 minutes of fame. Of course I myself am so awaiting my own 15 minutes, but who's counting. 

In the meantime, Colacello knew everything Warhol. I even went to a fantastic MEET THE AUTHOR once, on Lincoln Road in Miami Beach and naturally had my copy of his book signed. And this was way before Lincoln Road became the pedestrian mall it is today. I think, anyway. I also think the event was held in the Colony Theater but frankly... I'm way too old now to remember all the particulars. Actually, I just now went to check to be sure I still have the book, since I'm totally hoping a signed copy be worth zillions by now. I was once on a roll way back then, whereby I loved having signed first editions, so yippee. Next I have to go check out it's worth. Regardless... 

There is no question that Warhol was gay but it's so damn interesting to me that he also claimed in 1980 he was still a virgin. Colacello actually seems to believe this may very well have been true. He lived pretty much a celibate lifestyle. And while Andy was horribly afraid of AIDS it was, in fact, a complication from gallbladder surgery that caused his death. Which not only shocked the ever lovin' shit out me on the morning it occurred but is way too bad given he had a really horrible fear of doctors and hospitals.

Anyway... when I came across this photo you see of Andy up above, for some reason all kinds of thoughts about him came rushing back to me. I so have to go re-read his biography. This guy has one hell of a life story is all I can say. His early life is so damn interesting to me, however nothing could be more interesting than his adult life. 

That Warhol only lived to be 58 is such a shame on so many levels, not the least of which is, I'd love to know how the heck he'd react to the fact gay marriage is now legal. If he only knew how far the gay community has come since his death, I am sure he'd sidle right on up to gay pride in a heartbeat, with total pleasure. Lest you think Andy Warhol was a mere artist btw, think again my friend. He was also involved in film, theater, magazines, music, photography, etc. etc. And oh yeah... check this out... a piece depicting what Andy may even look like today, were he still alive. It's totally cool:




It goes without saying... one of the more interesting facts about Andy was his total white hair. Uh... when only like in his 30s let's say. Outrageous, right?? Couple that with his thin body build and his love of basically jeans only, his big glasses and man, have you ever got a look. Some people say he was pretty bald at a very young age, some say he merely died his hair silver just to be noticed. On the other hand, there is no doubt he had many white wigs and wore them religiously with utter devotion. The best thing about reading a Warhol biography btw is that you learn all about his thousands of idiosyncrasies. Which of course to me, makes him one of the alltime best personalities known to man. I so love those with flamboyance, flair and creativity.

Besides, if you ask me, Warhol had maybe the best business model ever. In fact, in any fantasy I've ever had about starting a business selling something I've created, I've always said time and again: I'M GOING TO DO THIS JUST LIKE ANDY WARHOL. I WANT MAKE IT FAST, EASY, BIG AND THEN... CHARGE ZILLIONS OF DOLLARS PER ITEM. Boom. I always figured I'd then become a happy little millionaire lickety split. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Well so much for my own pipe dreams but for Andy... man did it ever work like magic given his silkscreens have totally gone for as much as $100 million. I'm way jealous. Besides he had plenty of people replicating his works for him. Now THERE'S an artist with a great idea. In the meantime... 

I'm pretty sad that Warhol died so young. He was a major genius. He was also pretty nuts, but who's counting. By the way, hook up my favorite artist with my personal favorite icon... not counting Queen Victoria... and boom. Look what you get. Which I just happen to have on a 16x12 glossy paper bag right smack on my fancy display shelves in my home. I totally love it.



And in closing... remember the shot up there in my title?? This pict is the original. For those who care.




                  

Tuesday, August 11, 2015

CLOWN OR CANDIDATE??


So the time has come. Time to talk about Trump, that is. Whose New York hotels btw, are nothing short of stunning. I was outta my mind with delight once, when I was able to actually dine in the Trump Tower restaurant. I am a total sucker for all luxury decor thus I couldn't even have cared less how the food tasted although believe me. I ate with gusto.

I was also outta my mind with delight watching THE APPRENTICE on Sunday nights, which I saw for many seasons. I had to stop though, once they began bringing in idiots like Gary Busey and Dennis Rodman. Oh man. Talk about SCARY. Plus, all these crazed people started fighting like total jerks and finally I just had to say: Okee Dokee. Nice knowing you. I'm outta here. I so can't watch this anymore.

In the meantime, I always saw The Donald as an affable enough sort of man. One who was pretty bright, maybe pushy and wonderfully rich. I even read THE ART OF THE DEAL when it was first published way back when. 

Then he ran for President, 2016.

Which if you check out the picture up above, may give you an insight into what sort of candidate he is. Is that a great shot or WHAT??? I so love it. I'm now almost thinking this is pretty much his attitude to anyone who isn't a blood relative. 

Of course he's said three times in the past he'd run but apparently he lied. Until now, that is. Holy shit. This is SOME candidate, alright. For the highest office in the land, no less. Is Donald Trump on heavy meds or something??? I can't beLIEVE he imagines himself a politician nor can I believe his love for bullying. A great negotiator? Okay. I'll buy it. A great compromiser? I doubt it. A great political figure? I want to throw up.

To me, this is a man for which the line: "better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt" was definitely created. Seriously. Watching Donald Trump campaign is pretty painful. And so it was while watching the debate, also. Which btw was pretty much the highlight of the day for me last Thursday. I couldn't WAIT to see this!

On the other hand... I completely hate Megyn Kelly. I hated her even more when right out of the gate, she slammed Trump with her question regarding women although granted, Trump IS often petty and insulting when he discusses women. But it was like Megyn herself was a bully by utterly and deliberately sticking it to him in her very first breath. As a matter of fact, I had to actually look up what channel Fox is on my TV given I'd NEVER allow Fox News to be viewed in my home. I know. I'm a woman of principle, I guess. 

Btw... how any woman can vote Republican is beyond me. Not a one is out and out pro choice. Which just disturbs me to no end. I mean really?? What man in Congress deserves to tell me when and when not to have a kid? How about I make that decision without having to explain myself. And... further... to deny a woman's right to choose in a possible rape and/or incest is sheer misogyny at it's ugliest.

And oh yeah... if anyone were to ask a husband which is it? Mother or child? And the hubby says child, I'D KILL HIM. What? After 10 years together let's say, and three children later, you're going to do her in and leave your kids motherless? Is that a joke?? LET HER LIVE for Christ sakes. For folks so into saving a life, this sort of thinking is just SO twisted. The whole damn thing makes me sick to my stomach. Anyway...

Goes to show how dumb Americans are, for even today... get this... TRUMP IS STILL AHEAD in the polls! Even worse... Scott Walker is the next runner up, only about 10 points behind Trump. QUICK. PACK YOUR BAGS. GET READY TO FLEE THIS COUNTRY, BUT FAST. We are SO in big trouble. It basically boils down to: if it's a maniacal egotist you're looking for, boom. You're good to go since you've now got a chance to make Donald Trump President of the United States. Oh yeah... and good luck trying to figure out his platform.

Turns out btw, I was out to dinner Thursday night, so I totally missed the "kids' table" debate but supposedly Carly did really well. Which I'm happy about given that if I HAD to vote for a Republican, she very well may turn out to be a woman of substance. Slight glitch though given she has some really crazy ass stances that are way outta my zone which is why I'm crossing my fingers but tightly in the hopes I never have to personally elect ANY Republican. Ever. Which reminds me... I am not crazy about Hilary this time around, either. But more about that, another time.

For now I just have to say that the sooner Trump gets out of the lineup, the better. For many reasons the other candidates are simply flipped he is making such a splash thus far. I don't blame them. Who knew a crazier guy than Ted Cruz would be in the running?? Let alone totally incompetent. Maybe the best thing I can say about Donald is: Man. Does his daughter have a fantastic jewelry line or what?? If only I had $6000 to throw around I'd so buy this emerald like ring in a flash! And then celebrate of course by checking into one of his hotels lickety split. Cause afterall... emerald IS my birthstone.

  


          

Friday, August 7, 2015

SLUGGO

These guys happen to look familiar to you? They were my alltime favorite comic book characters and I well remember reading them but plenty was I was a kid. Like 8 to 12 years old maybe?? I'm kinda hoping I moved past comic books when I was 13, but don't hold me to it. 

All I know is that while Sluggo and Nancy were excellent, I also loved Lulu and Fritzy Ritz, and I'm going to go out on a limb here and say the story lines in all of the comic books I read were absolutely astonishingly pretty lame. Which is probably why I loved them so. Reading these comics btw, were a comPLETE waste of time if it was fine literature you were looking for. Apparently I wasn't. Crappy comic books with no story line nor any substance whatsoever suited me just fine. What an idiot I must have been.

In the meantime, Nancy was an orphan who just sort of showed up at her aunt's house... Aunt Fritzi Ritz. Also a comic book. Back in those days, I remember reading not only the comic books, but also the Sunday morning newspaper cartoon strip of Fritzi Ritz, too. Which was also pretty lame. Not that it stopped me from reading it each and every week, mind you but whatever. Sluggo was by far Nancy's best friend but there was also Rollo the Rich Kid, Irma, Pee Wee, etc. etc.

To me, all the characters were pretty much happy and carefree little kids and maybe got into some mischief but overall this was totally a doofus sort of comic strip and/or book. But the kids all seemed happy enough to me and besides... I was such an innocent back then, happy little kids drawn in happy little colors seemed all I needed to get my full of garbage reading. Oh yeah... I also loved Lulu and Tubby. And Archie. And maybe Dennis the Menace. Highbrow comics like Batman or Superman or Wonder Woman were way outta my league, not to mention outta my interest zone. Anyway...

What knocks me out about Sluggo is his haircut. I mean really... in any other setting, this kid would totally be a child thug. Seriously... wearing his black jacket and little cap is a dead giveaway. Yet when I was into reading Nancy, I never once thought of Sluggo as a guy with some punch. He just seemed to me a happy go lucky little kid who just must have been cold alot. Granted, he was not from the same neighborhood as Nancy, but still. I only saw him as a kid with a crazy ass haircut. Which brings me to the reason I recently thought of Sluggo in the first place.

I was at my hairdresser's the other day and I told her, per usual, I wanted the back of hair/neck cut close to my head. I hate having hair hanging down my neck and I just wanted a nice clean look. On the other hand, I also told her, I do not want a Sluggo look. A WHO LOOK?? Shianne had no clue whatsoever who the hell Sluggo was! I said: SLUGGO. AS IN: NANCY AND SLUGGO. AS IN: COMIC BOOKS. AS IN: 1950s. Still... no clue. Which of course is why I totally love my cell phone. BINGO. 1-2-3. I was able to get onto the web, search Sluggo and yippee. Hordes of Sluggo images came up. SHIANNE... HERE: MEET SLUGGO. THE HAIRCUT I DON'T WANT. Naturally I was rolling on the floor laughing, for as you can see... Sluggo HAS NO HAIR. MERELY PLUGS. Man... talk about close shaven, right? 

Then of course I got into a whole big deal of jeez... talk about my being old! I have a woman cutting my hair... world's best, btw... who has never even SEEN the comic books I grew up with! I didn't even dare ask Shianne about Petunia and Porky Pig, btw. So much for closing the generational gap, I guess. But in the meantime...


Yippee. I walked out with a fantastic haircut. Which reminds me... a while back I announced that I was going to let my hair grow out to it's natural color, in hopes of it becoming a stunning white. So as way of an update... the back of my head is pretty much all white by now, given that it gets cut the shortest each time I see Shianne. The sides are sorta almost becoming all white with each haircut. It's the front that's taking the longest to grow out so basically it boils down to this: if you look at my face, you'd still say I've got blonde hair. If on the other hand you look at me from the back you'd say excellent cut, beautiful white and whew... totally not Sluggo!         

Saturday, August 1, 2015

DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER




Now THIS is a diamond ring. OH. MY. GOD. Can you even IMAGINE?? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I know. This ring is totally not for the faint of heart but as my Mother used to say: There has yet to be a diamond mined that could ever be too big to wear. I dare say Elizabeth Taylor whole heartedly agreed. 

Which brings us to the quiz for the day: Any of these names sound familiar... Harry Winston? Tiffany? Cartier? If you're a woman, then these jewelry company names should totally be on the tip of your tongue at the drop of a hat. For these companies make it their huge business to supply those with wealth, some of THE most outstanding jewels in the world. Often those with MAJOR wealth. Of which there must be plenty because business is booming. 

In that vein... according to Marilyn Monroe, diamonds are a girl's best friend. But according to De Beers, a diamond mining company since 1888, "a diamond is forever". Both thoughts are actually pretty true and to drive home the point, all three of the jewelers listed above, along with HORDES of others, create their diamond designs, often including rubies and emeralds and sapphires and pearls and gold. A home run no matter which the combo.

In my 20s btw, I was totally into all the De Beers campaign ads... I was like their target audience. The ad always included some sort of text whose content always spoke to a kind of poetic love. I adored the simplicity of their ads back then... a full page with some sort of excellent photo... and then naturally, at the bottom of the page was the tagline" A Diamond is Forever". Today's ads from De Beers is often the same idea but in my opinion, far edgier and in many ways, alot more creative. Case in point:



Kinda catchy, right? Which got me to surfing the net recently, searching out stunning diamond jewelry. Alot from Cartier, in particular. Diamonds and gold are my favorite go to pieces btw and while my Mother and/or Elizabeth could afford the real deal, I myself have taken to the love of a top of the line faux jewel. Well okay. Even middle of the line, too. Oh man... I can't even TELL you what stunners you can find in faux settings and/or designs. And, like my mother, nothing can ever be too big for me. Of course in Mom's case, she's thinking something like 8 to 10 real, perfect cut carats. In MY case I'm thinking ten times that amount.

For instance... just get a load of THIS necklace I bought recently. HOLY BA HOLY. 250 CARATS IS MY GUESS!!! Maybe the largest diamond in the entire universe for all I know. SOOOOO fantastic is all I can say. All in a single solitaire setting!



Talk about a statement piece, right? I wanted to wear it to a birthday dinner party at a friend's home last night but even I knew that I had to restrain myself and wait for a dressier occasion. Like tonight actually, when I hosted a little dinner get together at the country club. I was totally thrilled! 

I know... I was probably like one of those old ladies you see where you just have to look at her and say REALLY? IS SHE OUT OF HER MIND? SHE'S ALL DOLLED UP AS IF SHE'S HEADED ON OVER TO BUCKINGHAM PALACE?? SERIOUSLY? But I didn't care. I loved wearing my necklace, regardless. Besides... I ran into Tony, a guy I know, who commented on what he claimed must be the Hope Diamond around my neck. Shows what he knows however, given mine is WAY bigger.

Of course NOTHING is like the Crown Jewels of England. Or Russia, even. Boy do those Royals know how to wear diamonds, alright! Their necklaces, tiaras, bracelets and earrings are worth zillions. And... their rubies and emeralds? OMG. Don't even ask. Cartier has been creating designs for Royalty for ever and I shudder to imagine what their insurance policy costs must be! 

Which reminds me... my Mother had a major sized 6 to 8 carat diamond solitaire I think, and the cost was way too pricey for being insured, so she basically told the jeweler: tell you what. Make up a faux ring just like this to match the real one and that's what I'll wear more often so when I'm robbed it won't be such a big deal, afterall. Hoping of course the thieves don't do her in, in the process. Now that I think about it though, I sort of seem to remember the real one eventually being stolen afterall, but no need to get bogged down with details. Anyway...


For your viewing pleasure, take a look at some of these outstanding creations down below from Cartier. SO beautiful. Turns out I spent a simply delightful couple of hours one afternoon staring at a whole bunch of stunning jewels, and I think these could be the winners of the day. BTW... if you don't know right off the bat for whom Cartier designed the Flamingo Pin then you totally need to brush up on your world famous jewelry information. Just saying.