96 Hours Away

Arizona Shooting

I just received a few snaps from our time in Arizona last May from my rigging gaffer Nico.

Hollywood Roosevelt

We will be shooting some scenes soon @ the Hollywood Roosevelt hotel. We scouted the two story penthouse which has a great outdoor patio/lounge area beneath the famous neon sign. Great view and some great graphics to look up at while you sunbathe.

Undecided Humor

From the pages of the New Yorker and the pen of David Sedaris.
Who is the undecided voter?
"“Who are they?” the news anchors ask. “And how might they determine the outcome of this election?”
Then you’ll see this man or woman— someone, I always think, who looks very happy to be on TV. “Well, Charlie,” they say, “I’ve gone back and forth on the issues and whatnot, but I just can’t seem to make up my mind!” Some insist that there’s very little difference between candidate A and candidate B. Others claim that they’re with A on defense and health care but are leaning toward B when it comes to the economy.
I look at these people and can’t quite believe that they exist. Are they professional actors? I wonder. Or are they simply laymen who want a lot of attention?
To put them in perspective, I think of being on an airplane. The flight attendant comes down the aisle with her food cart and, eventually, parks it beside my seat. “Can I interest you in the chicken?” she asks. “Or would you prefer the platter of shit with bits of broken glass in it?”
To be undecided in this election is to pause for a moment and then ask how the chicken is cooked."

Money And Perspective

Via USA Today
"The cost of the presidential race alone — a record $2.4 billion — is less than the $2.6 billion Coca-Cola spent on advertising in 2006. The old record for White House campaign spending was $1.6 billion, set in 2004."

Behind the Scenes

A few snaps from a British tabloid of the goings ons behind the scenes of the new Bond picture. I love the car rig with the decapitated Aston Martin. How much did that cost?

Final Debate

CNN poll of debate viewers: Obama 58%, McCain 31%

CBS poll of uncommitted voters: Obama 53%, McCain 22%

Barack's X Box

I thought this was a cool way to get those video game players to vote.... by putting the candidate's message in the game. The Obama campaign has done a stealthy buy on to X Box games.
A lot more screen shots here
UPDATE: I love this response to the video game adverts:
""The McCain campaign will respond by buying ads at Pong consoles nationwide," joked one on the car blog Jalopnik."

McCain Rallies Get Ugly

From Politico.Com
"The unmistakable momentum behind Barack Obama's campaign, combined with worry that John McCain is not doing enough to stop it, is ratcheting up fears and frustrations among conservatives.
And nowhere is this emotion on plainer display than at Republican rallies, where voters this week have shouted out insults at the mention of Obama, pleaded with McCain to get more aggressive with the Democrat and generally demonstrated the sort of visceral anger and unease that reflects a party on the precipice of panic. "

From TPM comes Obama's reply in Ohio today.
"It's easy to rile up a crowd by stoking anger and division. But that's not what we need right now in the United States. The times are too serious. The challenges are too great. The American people aren't looking for someone who can divide this country -- they're looking for someone who will lead it."

Norton Simon

Yesterday was a Los Angeles county wide free day for all museums. We went to the Norton Simon museum in Pasedena. I had not been in years and forgot how good the collection is. I'm not a big fan of Degas.....which is mightly represented here but the museum also has a good collection of art from all ages. The special exhibits right now are a collection of World War posters and a look at Marcel Duchamp.
But my favorite was a single painting in the collection from Emil Nolde. A dark and stormy seascape about to swallow up a hapless boat caught in its midst. Fantastic. Below are a few of his seascapes I was able to find online......

Weekend Dog pt.2

We went to the Chocolate Festival in Pasedena last weekend. To get in, we needed to get our hands stamped. And the stamp turned out to be this cute pooch. Although the real thing is far superior......

Francois @ The Arclight

In two days time, Francois Duhamel, the set photographer on the last film I gaffed, will be having a group show at the Arclight theater on Sunset Blvd. His photos were amazing and the brief glimpse of his shots I was afforded makes me think the film will be looking good.
Below are a few snaps he took of me behind the scenes......

Quantum Crude

British tabloid The Daily Mail has pics of the demise of Bond girl Gemma Arterton in this fall's new 007 flick Quantum of Solace.

"She said: ‘I couldn’t move. I couldn’t see, I couldn’t breathe or hear because it went in my ears. It was unpleasant, but it’s something I’ll always remember and it will be an iconic part of the film.’

Producers will be hoping the image turns out to be as enduring as the memorable Sixties scene which inspired it.

In the original, arch-villain Goldfinger’s accomplice Jill Masterson, played by London-born actress Shirley Eaton, is killed after betraying her boss and sleeping with 007. She is asphyxiated after her entire body was covered in gold paint. "

Weekend Dog

Subway Art

The weird whimsical figure that stands over the Southwest Museum stop of the gold line connecting downtown LA to Pasedena.

Subway

As we left the Grand Avenue Festival, we got on the Red Line subway at the Civic Center stop. Although I've been to the station before, this time I looked at the art and just thought back to the scenes of people jumping from the twin towers seven years ago. Eerie and creepy now.

MOCA

At the Grand Avenue Festival last weekend, the Museum of Contemporary Art was open to the public. And although the show there on Martin Kippenberger is a little odd.....as I get older, I might be losing my edge. The space is impressive and the museum has got a killer gift shop.