This weekend is sort of a milestone for me....

My old friends, Redd Kross are playing one of the

most important albums of my youth...... 

30

Years ago, I was a young punk living in Austin, Tx in the summer of 1982. In a record store, a friend recommended I buy this record. It turned out to be one of the best desicions of my life. They have been a source of inspiration for me ever since and have become good friends of mine as well. This is a story surrounding this fabulous record and what has become a life long love affair with this baND.........

BORN

INNOCENT

Upon  taking this record home, I fell in love with it on

the first listen. They defintely had their roots in the N.Y. Dolls, and it was trashy! It was so unlike all the punk rock that was coming out. It was not hardcrore. 1234, 1234, slam and stage dive. I felt like the music must reflect their

surroundings somehow. I decided i was going to try to get them to play

 Dallas. I wrote to the address on the insert that came with the LP.

To my surprise, it was Tracy who replied to me. She actually called me

and explained the Steven was too young to go on tour at the time. 

He was too young. He was only 15. As

the months progressed, Tracy became

a pen pal of sorts. Eventually, she

asked me if I would like to come to

California and hang out with. I think

she could I was not your normal fan.

Eventually, I went to L.A. in December

of 1982. Her dad and her brother picked

me up in Long Beach. I had come to find out that her dad was a producer of soft- core porn at the time. She told me a hilarious story of John Holmes having dinner at their house one time and her brother asking to be excused from the table and went into his bedroom and screamed obsentities at John Holmes from

his bedroom. After telling me this story,

she preceeded to tell me that we were going to a birthday party the following night for a friend of hers. Dinah Cancer

of 45 Grave. It couldn't get better, could it?

It did.

It was vitually a who's who of the L.A. Punk scene. John Doe and Exene were there. Jeffrey lee Pierce of the Gun

Club was there. Pat Smear and Don Bolles of the Germs. Dix Denney of the Weirdos. El Duce of the Mentors. Alice Bag, Phranc, Dennis Duck of the Dream Syndicate. The list went on and on. As

the party went I reconnected with Tracy here and there. At one point she took me aside, all apologetic, and told me that ReD Cross had to go on tour the next day and that I had to go and be their roadie. Needless to say, a dream come true at the time. She then told me that we were going to San Francisco and that they were playing with Black Flag and Flipper ( one of my all time faves! ). We left the party early in order to be up early the next day................................................................ 

The next day, the band came to pick us up. The truck we were

taking belonged to Janet Housden, their drummer. Jeff &

Steve were in the back in the

campershell. It was a small Ford 2 door pickup truck with

a campershell and hauling a

u-haul trailer. When I got in

the bed for the 8 hour ride to

S.F., I made quick friends with

the McDonald brothers. I liked

them immeadiately. Upon further listening to them I realized they were listening to

Ace Frehley's Kiss solo record

on a boombox they had in the back of the truck with us. Now,

that was definitely not Punk Rock and I LOVED IT. I loved their honesty. Jeff said "Kiss is our favorite band! I would come to find it was not their only favorite band.......

These guys changed my perception of Punk Rock forever. Their entusiasism for all things trashy and obscure was contagious...

The shows went fine in S.F. and probably

my favorite part of it was after one the shows, Jeff got on a skateboard in front

of the On Broadway. He couldn't really control the board well, and ended wiping out head on into Henry Rollins standing next to Black Flag's van. I secretly laughed inside because I really didnt like Henry and felt like Henry was out of place in the band. This was by Black Flags most powerful line-up tho, with their old singer Dez Cadena playing back up guitar. Dez eventually joined Red Cross for a while after black flag when Tracy quit about a year after this trip.

Upon returning to L.A., Red Cross were playing alot of shows in the L.A. area.

One of the shows was at S.I.R. studio's on Sunset Blvd. Also on the bill was

T.S.O.L., Social Distortion, and Toxic reasons. This show would later become legend as the L.A. Punk riots. 1/8/83  The police had come in hearing there were too many people inside the place. The police and the punks did not have a good relationship in these days. They came in and tried to stop the show. Jack from T.S.O.L. tried to get the crowd to sit down and end it peacefully. Then the police fired tear gas to the back of the arena. Forcing the punks to exit through the only exit, in the front, where they waited to billy club the coughing kids as they poured out. The punks exploded and ran down Sunset blvd, smashing car windows and trashing businesses. Janet and I went to go get her truck and get the hell outta there. As we were running to ge the truck, a cop grabs her and beans her on the head with a club, then a cop a grabbing me as I try to protect her. I calmly explain what we are doing and they let us go. Janet is now fuming, as was I. We get inside to find Jeff, Steve and Tracey sitting on the floor with wet tshirts over their faces to keep out the tear gas. We enventaully get out of there and decide to go to Denny's of all places. While we are there, Jeff points over to a booth with some glam guys eating...He says that's a band called "Motley Crue". "They suck so bad" Janet still seeing red obviously really hates them and starts making fun of their names right in front of them "Hey Dick Venus, I mean Mick Mars. Hey Vicki Pricks, i mean Nikki Sixx... what gay names...." And so on. They are obviously getting pissed, but do nothing. I still had one more week in L.A. and by now I was staying over at Janet's house. They have a big house with a spare room in Hermosa Beach. Her brother Steve is a total crack up. He is a master of crank calls. Red Cross do one more show before I leave in Hermose beach. This show ends with a riot as well, although not as bad as the sunset strip one.

AS the years went, I watched and waited to for new material. I have always remained in contact with the band and have had the pleasure to be with them while they were filming "Desperate Teenage Lovedolls" and "Spirit of '76". If you are in Chicago this weekend, I highly suggest you go to this show :)))))))

Red Cross (Redd Kross) play this Saturday 5/19 at the Empty Bottle in Chicago

Shawn Harris. 'Fashionist'

“If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.” -Milton Berle

1. What inspires your style?

I like to think that my style is and extension of me and how I express myself. I don't go out of my way to try to be different from others, uniqueness come from being you. You can find style from white collar business people, to homeless people, or even your parents. I wear things that I actually like instead of it just being a brand name everyone has.

2. favorite Accessory:

If I had to choose one then it would be a belt. Belts can be very fashionable and you see alot of people in the media wearing the nicest belts on the market.



3. Who were you in your past life?

In my past life, I feel that I was Jimi Hendrix. He had a love for music, life,
and just trying to live it to the fullest. He was such a unique individual and I feel that he became successful by just being himself. He had humbleness and wisdom, which are traits I feel that I have. He always accomplished something by believing in himself and not having someone else tell him how he should do it. I can relate.

6Shooter

6Shooter cont.

4. Who will you be in your next life?
I do know or hope is that I hope I’m a person that can change society to the
bettering of the people. I want to impact [people] to a point where people
could look back and say “this was a noble man who changed society by…”, and
hope that people could live vicariously through good examples I have set for
them.

5. Most Prized possessions: (3)
Hmmm, this is a tough one. In sequential order that matter to me most, the
first being my family, especially my mother because I don’t know what I would
do without this woman. My family has guided me through struggles and has

taught me life lessons that I would love to teach my children if I may be so

blessed to have some. Secondly, even though not tangible, it’s my education

[since] I do feel it’s a necessity in life. Lastly, my third most prized possession

would be my sneaker collection. I like to consider myself an advent sneaker

collector. I know I’m not the greatest collector, but I’ve had probably over

300 pairs of sneakers since I started collecting and it will keep on growing

because my sneaker are a part of me." 

6.                                  Life Motto

"The brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out; the brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. The brick walls are there to stop the people who don't want it badly enough. They are there to stop other people" - Randy Pausch

One thing you may find interesting is that when a packaging agent puts together the deal is they are contrary to what is known not exclusive to the talent they represent at their own agency. What does this all mean? If your packaging agent works at CAA and you have some talent from WME then they can still work with you to get talent from both and any other agency needed to complete that element if you are asking them to fill in your talent roles. Now how does this apply to Machinima? Well if you want known talent or professional voice overs or you want to actually have Machinima go beyond its barriers then it is quite relevant.

How do you approach one with what you have and what do they want to see? I have a great script even in real life film-making if you are the new kid on the block an agent may not be particularly interested. Unless that is you are selling a spec script or you happen to be related to a known entity. That said I am not saying a great story will not catch their eye its about great story but there needs to be more. When approaching an agent there is three things to have in mind. They like knowing who they are dealing with. One element should be attached i.e. known element such as the director or actor or attach yourself to a known entity. Barring that also a great body of work that has gotten noticed may attract an agent's eye.

If you have a name they know or are beginning to know they may be more likely to be able to help you. They need to know your work. You need to expose your work and although Youtube and Vimeo are great an agent is not combing for the latest talents on them unless it stands out from the crowd. So that leaves the final element of things to keep in mind. Agents like to see a well packaged item and if you show them you have all your business elements together it shows an agent you come prepared to be part of the industry. By business elements proposal, budget, return on investment (roi) calculated. You know your target audience for your work, your script is professionally formated you have storyboards or other visuals you can show and why this will work it will be the minimum a financier and distributor wants to see it would be the same for an agent.

Page 2

AFM SERIES – Part 3 I Want My Agent by Graycon Sonata

What does an agent do and what can they do for me and why may I want them? As filmmakers we have all thought about having a 

representative. But do you really know what they do what you need to do to attract one, if you need one and what they are looking for from you?

To best help it clearly is all about defining that there are many kinds of agents. And while doing this there is some fun facts to know. There are those who represent you and then packaging agents who package your projects. The one I will talk about is the packaging agent. If you want your rel life film and /or Machinima funded and expand your possibilities including if you want it seen beyond just youtube or vimeo.

Unlike an agent who promotes talent and writers and literary agents who represent novels, a packaging agent pulls all the elements of a project together to get the project green lit. That means everything from talent if there are wholes to finance and distribution. Fact is though their services come at a price. They have packaging fees and may act as your executive producer as well on the project. They may even occasionally take back-end points from your projects as well. This means percentages on profits. Yes packaging agents can work on bringing one element only as well. It also depends on how you make the deal with them and how they get paid.

Page 1

Fact 1: Though you may like conceptual films , they may be pretty to watch, they want stories.
To elaborate. Financiers look for one goal ROI (return on Investment) Distributors main goal ROI and make sure the film makes as much money as possible by exploiting it through different avenues and appeals to the most widest audience to attain that goal. I will go into audience spending habits and those conference topics in future blogs but for this one its about the general movie going public. So what does that mean? The answer is they want films with good stories and it means stories, full plots and fully developed characters. So though you may want to express or push boundaries and be all conceptual, it doesn't put bums on seats or money in their pockets. All this applies to both real life and all forms of film, TV, and mediums.

Fact 2: How about an original story, secure your copyrights and be open to the widest audience.
Its nice to pay homage to your favorite filmmaker or story you admire. Only if we are going to move
this medium into a more commercial one and actually see a Machinima film make it to the big screen we need to show originality with original stories and treated like real life films are. Recently I am seen parody films and other films that mimic real life ones. There are many concerns with this in the real life film world. There are copyright clearance issues and also permissions that need to be gotten. Everything from music to all within it needs to be cleared. No company wants to be sued or person. And though this medium is right now more on YouTube even they are moving towards cracking down on copyrights.

Page 2

AFM SERIES – Part 2 Machinima The Reality Check by Graycon Sonata

As I continue the blog I will be highlighting the subjects in the conferences and more and help you to once again see even more why the AFM is the place to be. Only I think it is time now to put the 

reality check to all those who want Machinima to be the accepted new medium for film-making and for the real life filmmakers who do Machinima and would like to know what the industry really thinks of us. This is not a discussion on Machinima and what is considered and what isn't considered Machinima or worthy, good or bad film-making. That is a topic for internal debate. This is about the real life film world's view on it and what their knowledge base is.

When I attended the AFM as I mentioned I received positive response from people when I mentioned Machinima to Financiers, Distributors and Agents. They seemed very interested in knowing more about what this medium was when they were not aware of it and also what it can do. For those who were aware of it there was great thirst to know the advances and what is the latest and greatest in terms of Second Life and updates to other grids and software. This is great news. As I saw people's faces light up and really want to know.

And then the reality of it came forward. Facts that are positive for those of us who know what this

means. This information is direct from people in the industry who do hold positions to make projects become realities. The facts come from those who are in the know of Machinima and those who are not as well and were there in impart their industry knowledge as all applicable to real life film-making. Here are two facts (for more you can contact direct):

Page 1

AFM SERIES – Part 1 Why the AFM by Graycon Sonata

As I start this series on the American Film Market aka the AFM, I have chosen to divide this into a
several part series as all the information I cannot impart in just one entry. For this one why attend the AFM. The reason I am writing this for you my Machinima Community is for real life filmmakers and those who have the desire to have Machinima legitimized as the medium for film-making that is viable in commercial markets.

In order to clearly understand why attend you should understand what is the American Film Market. I can think of no better definition then the one from the site itself:

“Over 8,000 professionals from 70+ countries The global film industry converges in Santa Monica every November for eight days of deal-making. Hundreds of millions of dollars in production and distribution deals are sealed every year on both completed films and those in every stage of development and production."

This definition is not limited to real life films. It truly is a community that is also there for the purpose of also sharing technologies and styles of film making in all mediums. During my attendance distributors, financiers and filmmakers alike embraced and shared ideas and were open to finding out more information on Machinima and how this medium can be used to make a film. That said with an interesting point of view I will share in later entries that may either surprise you or at least get you thinking where would you like Machinima to go.

Why attend? As filmmakers and yes I am implying we are filmmakers it is the biggest opportunity to network outside local film festivals and many choose to strictly attend the AFM only and hear opinions and gain information from people outside our virtual world. There is so much to learn that will also be covered in later entries as well and I hope eye opening information that will shed light to the future of film and Machinima.

One of the greatest ways of learning is through the conference series they give as well. People in the
industry imparting information and being interactive with the attendees. Overviews of the topics are:

• Finance – Everything form current issues to global trends in finance.
• Distribution – The Infrastructure Opportunities and also what is the latest forms as well as future
delivery formats,
• Pitch – How to pitch and how to approach how to get past the gatekeepers and so much more.
• Marketing – All forms of it and what works what does as well as global consumerism habits for film consumption and future projections.
• Production – All the latest technologies and techniques being used. Also piracy, copyright etc.
• Agents/Packaging – This covers everything you want to know about how to get agents, what do they do how to approach them and what will make them want to represent you.

• Monetizing – How do you make money from what you made and what is it effective what doesn't
work.

I will cover all this and more. So now you are asking how does this correlate with the Machinima
community? See future blog to find out. Feel free to ask me. I am in-world.

Special Thank you to the Lippon Group and American Film Market for letting me report.

For more information on the project in SL or any RL projects please feel free to contact Graycon Sonata.
[email protected]

Also listen to Graycon talk about this subject on the Spotlight Radio show

http://thespotlightpodcast.podbean.com/2012/01/13/season-4-70-wx_ivan-the-business-of-machinima-4x01-11212/

Indy Showcase Magazine

Nothing quite lends itself to consumer confidence like a big ole butt, so fashion & beauty brand Bootie Babe brings us tushy-shaped nail polish, perfume and backpacks. I’ve always wanted to carry around my booty beauty products in my booty backpack. Then again I’m also completely nuts, so anything I say should be taken with a grain of salt anti-crazy pills. Seriously though, I can’t help but assume that a perfume in an ass-shaped container is gonna smell like ass. Butt (!!!) who am I to judge? As long as the nail polish smells like nail polish, I’m all good! I love that smell. I hold it in the same regard as the smell of gas and that’s really saying something (I’m saying I’m banned from Exxon). $4+

BOOTY BEAUTY 

PRODUCTS?

Fail List # 1,500

Via: Incredible Things 

The Leaf and the Wind (IV), 2011, Enamel on canvas, 36 x 42.5 inches

 was born in Phoenix, Arizona in 1985. His current occupation is artist. Here is a few of his works I found on his website. I hope you enjoy if you would like to check out more click here. 

Landon 

Metz

Grand (V), 2011, Enamel on canvas, 32 x 25 inches

MIAMI, FL (Feb 14th 2012)  - The Michael Margulies Artist Agency announced expressionist painter, Kiki Valdes, as the newest addition to its roster of artists. Margulies considers Valdes as a step in an exciting new direction that will provide an additional level of diversity amongst the agency’s artists. Kiki is the first expressionist painter to be represented by the agency. 

“Kiki is going to appeal to a new genre of clients attracted to expressionist painting - a style that is more about the moment and intentions rather than the execution,” says Michael Margulies. “It’s a different way of looking at art that a lot of people can identify with. Kiki is very talented and we are happy to be a part of his career.”

“I've always been uncomfortable when art is talked about more than just looking at it. Laughter, tears or in awe is paintings best language.”

- Kiki Valdes 

Based in New York, Valdes is a Cuban-American who's work explores the multidimensional complexities of people, religion, American-life, sex, and superstition. His canvases tend to overlap on top of various unresolved paintings and capture a sense of association, rhythm and conflict. The work can best be described as a marriage between abstract expressionism, cartoons and Caribbean folklore. 

Based in Miami, the Michael Margulies Artist Agency specializes in the representation and marketing of contemporary artists, as well as Artist estates. The agency collaborates with galleries, art fairs, museums, and other art institutions to present the utmost awareness of its art catalog while operating with an unconventional business model. For more information, visit www.marguliesagency.com or email [email protected]. 

KIKI VALDES JOINS 

THE MICHAEL MARGULIES

 ARTIST AGENCY

Via: Michael Margulies Artist Agency 

• Talk with them. Not all snobs intentionally engage in such behavior; explaining to them that they do can sometimes get them to rethink their views and actions. Or, if they're purposefully being a snob, question some of their more egregious comments in an attempt to understand the snob's point of view. Counter with your own viewpoint to create an ongoing dialogue.

   

• Ignore them. Snobs can make really asinine comments sometimes, but you can simply choose not to respond if they are infrequent. Dismiss the snobby comment by meeting it with silence, a disapproving sigh or a roll of the eyes. You can also walk away, thereby reducing the words' power or impact.

   

   

• Confront the snob during a conversation by changing the subject and announcing how much you dislike snobbery and why. Speak clearly, calmly and articulately about how ugly and obnoxious snobbery can be, and how those who engage in such behavior tend to be insecure. This approach may cause snobs some embarrassment and could cause a few uncomfortable moments, particularly if others are also involved in the conversation or are listening in.

SOME TIPS ON HOW TO DEAL WITH 

SNOBS 

Keep reading this article...

- Marilyn vos Savant, in Parade

Image: Sarah Cabrera Hernandez Studio 

Model: Lourdes Dodds 

BoscoClick

CONVOCATORIA

El Proyecto de Tecnología e Informática Educativa (TIED) y el Centro de Promoción y Expresión de la Juventud (CENPREX) del Colegio Salesiano Don Bosco de Sucre, convocan a la 1ª Edición del Concurso de Fotografía Digital ‘BoscoClick”, que se realizará con el objetivo de fomentar la creatividad y el gusto por el arte de la fotografía así como la utilización provechosa de equipos y recursos digitales, involucrando a alumnos y alumnas en las actividades extraescolares propuestas por el Colegio.

1. Participantes:

La participación es libre, voluntaria e individual, previa inscripción, de acuerdo a las siguientes categorías y grupos:

CATEGORÍA A - Alumn@s de 5º de Primaria a 2º de Secundaria

CATEGORÍA B - Alumn@s de 3º a 6º de Secundaria

2. Temas:

Grupo 5º de Primaria:              Contaminación Ambiental

Grupo 6º de Primaria:              Hábitos No Saludables

Grupo 1º de Secundaria:          Amistad / Solidaridad

Grupo 2º de Secundaria:          Derechos Humanos

Grupo 3º de Secundaria:          Expresiones Artísticas

Grupo 4º de Secundaria:          Medios de Comunicación

Grupo 5º de Secundaria:          Emprendimiento Juvenil

Grupo 6º de Secundaria:          Avances Tecnológicos

3. Trabajos:

3.1. Las fotografías deben de ser originales e inéditas (no publicadas), pudiendo ser retocadas o sometidas a otro tipo de manipulaciones digitales (fotomontaje, solarización, etc.).

3.2. Se admitirán un máximo de dos fotografías por participante (sólo podrá ser premiada una)

3.3. Podrán ser tomadas en colores, sepia o blanco y negro, con cualquier clase de equipo fotográfico (celulares, cámaras web o cámaras de fotografía o video digitales)

3.4. Deberán ser entregadas en un sobre manila, que contendrá una impresión en tamaño carta y un CD con el archivo digital de la o las fotografías concursantes.

3.5. En el sobre manila se anotarán los siguientes datos: Curso, Nivel y Turno del autor, Nombre y Apellido(s), Edad, Teléfono de contacto y E-mail, Nombre del Trabajo y el Tipo de Cámara utilizada.

3.6. Se acepta y alienta el apoyo de los padres y madres de familia a los concursantes, tanto en la elección de la idea como en la toma fotográfica, pero se recomienda evitar hacer el trabajo de sus hij@s o mandarlos a realizar por terceros.

4. Plazos:

Inscripción: En cualquier Unidad del Proyecto TIED hasta el día viernes 18 de mayo, a horas 18.30 - Cancelar Bs. 5.-

Entrega: Los sobres conteniendo el o los trabajos deberán ser entregados en la Dirección del Proyecto TIED desde el día lunes 21 hasta el jueves 31 de mayo.

Publicación: Los trabajos fotográficos concursantes serán publicados, por estricto orden de llegada, en el Sitio Web del Concurso: boscoclick.blogspot.com - Los visitantes podrán comentar y votar por sus fotos favoritas.

Premiación: 6 de junio de 2012, a horas 19.00 en el Salón CENPREX del Colegio.

5. Selección:

De las obras recibidas en plazo, el Comité Organizador seleccionará las fotografías finalistas que se expondrán en la pantalla del Hall del Colegio (Calle Loa) así como en el Sitio Web mencionado, a partir del 1º de junio del presente año.

6. Jurado Calificador:

El Jurado Calificador del Concurso, cuyos fallos serán inapelables, elegirá las fotografías ganadoras considerando su ajuste a los criterios educativos del concurso y valorando la calidad técnica, artística y originalidad. Tomará en cuenta, también, los votos registrados en el Blog del Concurso. Estará formado por los siguientes miembros: un Representante del Director General, un Representante del Proyecto TIED / CENPREX y un Representante de la Asociación de Ex-alumnos.

7. Premios:

1 Gran Premio para la Categoría A:  1 Cámara Digital

1 Gran Premio para la Categoría B:  1 Cámara Digital

1 Premio Único por Curso:  8 Accesorios Fotográficos

Los premios podrán declararse desiertos. Por otra parte, se respetará la propiedad intelectual de las fotos ganadoras, las cuales podrán ser utilizadas por el Colegio en las publicaciones que viera conveniente.

Sucre, 11 de mayo de 2012 

P. Reinaldo          Don Pepe

Aprende,

participa

y gana

una cámara digital!

DEATH OF STREET ART?

A new mural in Hamtramck claims street art has gone mainstream, and it's causing enough controversy to show public opinion on graffiti remains divided.

The maker of the provocative piece is SEVER, an Atlanta-based graffiti artist who has a day job as a professional muralist. He's one of a cadre "writers" participating in the Detroit Beautification Project, which brought in graffiti artists from around the world to paint murals all over town. 

But while SEVER's loaded, tongue-in-cheek "Death of Street Art" piece at Joseph Campau and Goodson St. -- featuring a coffin labeled "Street Art" carried by cartoon-like characters riffing on notable artists -- received accolades from graffiti fans, it rubbed several local residents the wrong way.

Keep reading this article....

inspiratus connects...

inpiratus loving care held and an event with the expat women at destination maternity. 

There was a great turnout of women. inspiratus had a consultant midwife on site to answer any questions women had about pregnancy, birth, and breastfeeding. 

Be on the look out, we are launching our antenatal, birthing, and breastfeeding courses! See you there!!