» Arts/Culture

Eartha Kitt dies at 81

Wanda Acosta — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 03:59:54 +0000

Eartha Kitt, who purred and pounced her way across Broadway stages, recording studios and movie and television screens in a show-business career that lasted more than six decades, died on Thursday. She was 81 and lived in Connecticut.

The cause was colon cancer, said her longtime publicist, Andrew E. Freedman. Full article

Miriam Makeba Singer/Activist Dies After Performance

Wanda Acosta — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 00:00:36 +0000

Miriam Makeba, a South African singer whose voice stirred hopes of freedom among millions in her own country though her music was formally banned by the apartheid authorities she struggled against, died overnight after performing at a concert in Italy on Sunday. She was 76.

Ms. Makeba collapsed as she was leaving the stage, the South African authorities said. She had been singing at a concert in support of Roberto Saviano, an author who has received death threats after writing about organized crime.

Although Ms. Makeba had been weakened by osteoarthritis, her death stunned many in South Africa, where she stood as an enduring emblem of the travails of black people under the apartheid system of racial segregation that ended with the release from prison of Nelson Mandela in 1990 and the country’s first fully democratic elections in 1994. [via NYT]

Catherine Opie: American Photographer

Wanda Acosta — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 00:06:16 +0000

“American Photographer,” the subtitle of Catherine Opie’s midcareer survey at the Guggenheim, is both a statement of fact and a critical provocation. From her now-iconic queer portraits like Self-Portrait/Cutting, 1993, to the restrainedly elegant series “Freeway,” 1994–95, the quietly polemic “Domestic,” 1998, and, more recently, her lustrous photographs of surfers, Opie’s work has focused on subjects ranging from the far periphery to the dead center of Americana, often expanding and modifying conventional understandings of both. Presenting more than 180 photographs, this vast exhibition should further complicate our take on these images and the social groups they portray, asking how Opie’s subjectivity—as it is declared or presumed—shapes interpretation, and how meaning is made and remade through consecutive bodies of work. A catalogue, which includes and essay by author and lesbian activist Dorothy Allison, accompanies the show. [Artforum]

Visit the exhibition at:

SOLOMON R. GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM

Through January 7 2009

Women To Watch

Wanda Acosta — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 12:40:24 +0000

Two new films to see. Written by Shamim Sarif and produced by Hanan Kattan and Enlightenment Productions.

The World Unseen

In 1950′s South Africa, apartheid is just becoming institutionalized. Free-spirited Amina has broken all the rules of her own conventional Indian community, and the new apartheid-led government, by running a café with Jacob her “colored” business partner. When she meets Miriam, a young traditional wife and mother, their unexpected attraction pushes Miriam to question the rules that bind her. When Amina helps Miriam’s sister-in-law to hide from the police, a chain of events is set in motion that changes both women forever. The World Unseen is a captivating human drama, based on the highly acclaimed, multi award-winning novel by Shamim Sarif. Opens November 7th at the Quad Theatre in NYC

I Can’t Think Straight

In the upper echelons of traditional Jordanian society, Reema and Omar, wealthy Christian Palestinians, prepare for the marriage of their eldest daughter Tala.

But back at work in London, Tala encounters Leyla, a young British Indian woman who is dating Tala’s best friend Ali. The women have an instant effect on each other.

Tala sees something unique in the artless, clumsy, sensitive Leyla who secretly works to become a fiction writer. And Tala’s forthright challenges to Leyla’s cultural foundations begins a journey of self-awareness for Leyla.

As the women fall in love, Tala’s own sense of duty cause her to pull away from Leyla and fly back to Jordan where the preparations for an ostentatious wedding are well under way. As family members descend and the wedding day approaches, the pressure mounts.

When Ali and Leyla’s feisty sister Zara help throw Tala and Leyla together again, Tala finds that her own preconceptions of what love can be is the final hurdle she must jump to win Leyla back.

Screening November 7th @ 9:00 pm at the Museum of Arts and Design and November 9th @ 12:00 noon at the Tribeca Theater, NYC.

It’s All About The Shoe

Wanda Acosta — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 15:04:04 +0000

Bill Cunningham, has been capturing the New York Fashion scene for the New York Times, for as long as I can remember. Traversing the city streets on his bike, he photographs street style like no other. Here is his latest observation.

Watch Video

New Music From “Little Jackie”

Wanda Acosta — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 16:38:10 +0000

Blend the old-school R&B sound with a quirky hybrid of hip-hop and pop and you get Little Jackie, the creation of genre-defying singer-songwriter Imani Coppola and programmer Adam Pallin.

With a nod to the soulful Motown rhythms of the past and a sneer to many of the social and cultural issues that consume the public today, Coppola has crafted an album of musical sugar and spice, filled with sweet, saccharine-tinged melodies and spicy, bold commentaries.

The debut music video from Little Jackie, “The World Should Revolve Around Me” From the album “The Stoop” out NOW in the US on S-Curve Records! Click below to buy!
The Stoop

More Hilarity From Our Friend Mitty Moo

Wanda Acosta — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 15:22:39 +0000

Written by John Roberts/Clay Weiner. Starring John Roberts.
Directed by Clay Weiner. Edited by Jesse Reisner. DP Drew DeNicola.
Exclusive Premiere/HBO Comedy Festival.
2007

Lesbian Themed Virtual World Coming Soon

Wanda Acosta — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 16:00:09 +0000

Showtime’s “The L Word” is teaming up with multimedia developer Electric Sheep to create its own interactive experience. The service will begin testing next month with plans to fully launch in early 2009 — when the show’s new series begins — according to the Hollywood Reporter.

“The L Word” virtual world will be the first major usage of Webflock, (Webflock is Flash-based, thereby requiring no end-user downloads or setup prior to use.) The company has previously built services such as Virtual Laguna Beach, Virtual CSI: NY, and Second Life’s version of “The L Word,” which accompanied the show’s last season.

The Second Life version has a virtual Planet where avatars can hang out and chat about the show, life or whatever strikes your fancy. You can dance at the club or watch screenings of The L word at the amphitheater. Starlette hosted a dance event last year on Second life!

The Triumphant Warped Return of Grace Jones

Wanda Acosta — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 15:04:32 +0000

What can I say, she is fierce! Grace Jones, 60-year-old actress/model has just released a new video for “Corporate Cannibal” the first single off her forthcoming album, Hurricane (which features collaboration with Tricky, Brian Eno and others). The video is creepy and fantastic. The lyrics, well…here is a sample:

Employer of the year
Grandmaster of fear
My blood flows satanical
Mechanical, masonical
And chemical… habitual

Always avant-garde, she IS Grace motherf*cking Jones!!

New Music from Three Fierce Ladies

Wanda Acosta — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 14:48:55 +0000

At just 23, Delta Goodrem is already one of Australia’s most successful and highest-selling female artists. Now she’s ready to take on the world. Her first international album Delta is set for release in June 2008 on Decca. The first single “In This Life,” became a No.1 hit in Australia, effortlessly seducing radio with its life-affirming chorus and wall-to-wall melodic rush. Check it out!

Delta Goodrem – In This Life
Uploaded by wdhliv

Armed with a voice that weaves seamlessly between being fierce and vulnerable, L.P. can captivate an audience with a single note, and turn a crowd of strangers into rabid fans with just one song. With alternately howling and forlorn rough-edged vocals delivering bracingly open lyrics, L.P. has invited comparisons to, Janis Joplin, Joan Jett, Gwen Stefani, Chrissie Hynde, and Amy Lee of Evanescence and worked with go-to rocker Linda Perry and Cracker’s David Lowery. On her third and forthcoming album, L.P. prepares to expand that fan base hardcore.
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Beyonce’s lesser-known little sister, 21-year-old Solange Knowles, has a new album out, SolAngel and The Hadley St. Dreams. Solange described her CD as Motown soul updated with bits of electronica. Listen up!