text:
Australia's Next Top Model, Cycle 7 – the full Monty?
I stopped recapping Australia's Next Top Model when I hit Season 7; after re-watching it recently, I remembered why – it was boring.
Yes, the show had its most successful winner ever in the shape of the stunning Montana "Monty" Cox – who has since walked for the likes of Chanel, Dior, Givenchy and Tom Ford at London, Paris and Milan Fashion Weeks (*waves happily at awful Season 4 winner Demelza Reveley, last spotted advertising Ferrero Rocher*). That's her up above managing to rock having no eyebrows in a Dubai desert by the way. And her managing to rock a ridiculous beehive and sweltering winter clothes in summer down below. Goddess.
But a cast of beautiful girls does not necessarily great television make, and given the fact that Season 7 didn't include:
• Girl forced to repeat the phrase "I am a power pussy" down the phone to her mum
• Model shagging member of the crew, who had to be escorted off-set
• Batshit-crazy constestant having meltdown over someone speaking too loudly in a taxi
• Massive bullying scandal and the host not turning up for the finale
• Punching of walls, swearing on catwalks and stealing of lines in a commercial
• The wrong winner being announced
It was substantially less good than any of the seasons of AusNTM that preceded it. Hell, there weren't even any proper meltdowns at makeover. Is that not the main reason for makeovers?
Tagged Alex Perry, AusNTM, AusNTM Cycle 7, Australia's Next Top Model, Australia's Next Top Model Cycle 7, Caroline Austin, Charlotte Dawson, couture shoot, Dubai shoot, fashion photography, funny quotes, Georges Antoni, Izzy Vesey, Jez Smith, Liz Braithwaite, Montana Cox, Neo Yakuac, Nick Leary, Paris couture shoot, photography, photoshoot, Pretty Things, Sarah Murdoch, Simone Holtznagel, swimwear shoot, tribal shoot
The Beauty of Lillian Bassman
I hadn't previously heard of a fashion photographer called Lillian Bassman, yet when I came across some of her images in a Saturday Times Magazine a few months back, I wondered – why the hell not?! (Shown above: Anne Saint-Marie, Chanel advert, 1958)
Her work is simply exquisite. When I think of the golden age of fashion photography, I think of names like Richard Avedon, Cecil Beaton and Lord Snowdon. Now I'll also think of Lillian Bassman.
More Fashion Mileage Per Dress, Barbara Vaughn, 1956
Her photographs manage to feel both of their period, yet timelessly classic, yet also startlingly modern; it's almost impossible to distinguish some of her earliest work from some of her latest. Working mostly in black and white, some have a noir-ish feel to them, others feel like they could be stills from an old movie or as if you're intruding on an (immaculately-attired) personal moment.
It's A Cinch, Carmen, 1951
The underwear series is breathtakingly erotic, and you can barely even see the models' faces; there's something unbelievably wraith-like, ethereal and sensual about how the lines have been softened and blurred. And all this without distracting from the stunning beauty of the couture outfits photographed in her work, especially from the 50s (cue obligatory Mad Men reference), which are simply stunning.
Barbara Mullen, 1950
Bassman achieved many of the effects in her photographs by post-procesing manipulation in the dark room, blurring, burning and bleaching them, adding some details by hand later on (as in the photo above, hand-painting all the polka dots back in!). The use of shade and light is just phenomenal – after all, it has to be to get noticed and raved about by an art novice like me!
'There are things that I think are marvellous and there are also pictures where I look at a particular crop and think "How awful. I couldn't have done that. It's mediocre". But are you ever completely happy? No, thank goodness, or you'd stop. I think I'll go on for ever'.
Incredibly, Bassman trashed many of her negatives in bin bags in the 1970s; they re-surfaced in the 90s, along with a greater appreciation of Bassman's art. Even now, in her 90s, she continues to work, using digital technology and Photoshop to manipulate and make something new out of her old photographs.
Fantasy On The Dance Floor, Barbara Mullen, 1949
I love how she combines art with fashion – 'For me, it was about the gesture, the neck, the throat, the arch of the back'. Here are just a few of my favourites (remember to click for enlargements) and hopefully now a few more of you will discover the beauty of Lillian Bassman!
Lingerie, 1951
The Line Lengthens, 1955
Wonders of Water, 1959
Paris: Dinner At Nine, Barbara Mullen, 1949
Barbara Mullen wearing Jean Patou, 1949
Across The Restaurant, Barbara Mullen wearing Jacques Fath, 1949
Barbara Mullen Blowing A Kiss, c.1950
The V-Back Evenings, Suzy Parker, 1955
Black And White, Mary Jane Russell, 1950
Golden Fox, Blue Fox, Marilyn Ambrose, 1954
Eve L Tripp Las Vegas, 1948
Dovima, 1954
Night Bloom, Annaliese Seubert, top gown Givenchy by Galliano, bottom by Christian Dior, 1996 (can't believe these are so new, they'd fit right in with the rest, right?)
Silk Organdie, Embroidered And Printed, Barbara Mullen, gown by Irene, 1955
Untitled, Model in Gloves and Pearl Earrings, 1950
Betty Threat, 1957
Mary Jane Russell, 1950
Outtake, Harper's Bazaar, November 1948
Polka Dots On The Run, 1960 (love the expression in the model's eyes)
Back, Barbara Mullen, 1950
Touch Of Dew, Lisa Fonssagrives, 1961
Chanel advert, 1963 (despite the manipulation, there's no mistaking that jacket!)
And ending with one of my favourites… just captures a mood and movement so perfectly… Untitled, Model with Raincoat and Umbrella, 1950
For more of Bassman's work, check out: http://f56.net/kuenstler/lillian-bassman/lillian-bassman/, http://blog.daum.net/sooy0098/7706383 (which makes my Antivirus have a fit but doesn't seem to do any harm), this Lillian Bassman Flickr album and this Lillian Bassman Facebook fan page, from where many of these photos were taken from.
Quotes taken from Saturday Times Magazine, 17 May 2011.
Posted in Pretty Things
Tagged 1950s, Annaliese Seubert, art, art photography, artwork, Barbara Mullen, Barbara Vaughn, Beauty, Chanel advert, Dovima, erotic, Eve L Tripp, fashion photography, golden age of couture, haute couture, Lillian Bassman, Lisa Fonssagrives, Mary Jane Russell, photographs, photography, Pretty Things, Suzy Parker
Sweet Valley High just got sweeter!
What's this – photographs not taken during a season of Next Top Model making the pages of my Pretty Things section?! Yes, you read right, but this summer ad campaign for American brand Wildfox is too delish not to drool over.
It's based on 90s teen book and tv series Sweet Valley High – I know, awesome already, right?! It's all sleepovers, crushes, sunshine and secrets, basically an all-American summer encapsulated in one photoshoot by Henrik Purienne. Rather than delivering the typical 'buying these clothes might make me as pretty as the models' aspirational campaigns that many brands go for (cough Abercrombie & Fitch cough), there's a sense of ease and fun to these images that means the models look like genuine BFFs.
I particularly love the sun-bleached look these photos have – you can practically feel the heat radiating off them! – and it all adds to a slightly vintage feel (check out that retro Pepsi can!) that makes you feel like you're flicking through an old family album. Admittedly, one in which the girls seem particularly ill-disposed to wearing anything over their underpants (it's a shoot for tees, who can blame them?!).
My favourite photos are the ones with the phone (above), which instantly make me think of racking up my parents' phone bill on late night calls to my bessies It also reminds me of this amazing 90s board game called Dream Phone where you had a giant pink phone that played voice recordings of boys, so you could work out who had a crush on you ('You're right! I really like you!) – very apt, given the slogan on the tee!
I also love the pizza ones above, which call back to all those sleepovers where you all end up in hysterical laughter about nothing in particular, and the models perfectly capture that conspiratorial sense of fun in a way that just looks effortless.
So grab your sunnies, shorts and SPF – summer is here! [Wildfox tee optional]
Photos from Wildfox's blog via Rock N Rose HK blog
Tagged advert, advertisement, art, clothes, editorial, Henrik Purienne, photo-shoot, photography, photos, Pretty Things, summer, Sweet Valley High, Wildfox
Australia's Next Top Model, Cycle 6: Wrong winner, right everything else
Posted on December 21, 2010 | 13 comments
By now, you probably all know about Australia's Next Top Model, Cycle 6 – for all the wrong reasons! This was the season that made international headlines after host Sarah Murdoch announced the wrong winner, a huge shame for someone like me, who had been quietly and avidly following the show for weeks only to find massive unavoidable spoilers all over the Internet before I had even set eyes on the finale! It was also a huge shame for the show, which had enjoyed its strongest year yet and undoubtedly, it's slickest live finale (lest we forget the car crash telly of Jodhi Meares' face-palming Season 3). And yes, the cock-up of all cock-ups was even more cringeworthy when you watched the final in its entirety, where runner-up Kelsey Martinovich was allowed to celebrate winning for a good minute and a half whilst Murdoch's face slowly turned a shade of green her Botox never thought it could manage.
ANYWAY. The downside of it being the best year contestant-wise was that, drama-wise, it was actually a little dull. The funniest moment was when the obligatory crew-cut at makeover, Sophie Van Der Akker (skin possibly entirely composed of foundation, below) attempted to re-attach her ratty hair extensions back at the house. So they cut her hair even shorter instead! Kudos also to the evil genius who decided to send the girls to Japan for their overseas trip, where they made bemused appearances on a 'Super Kawaii!!!' show, where they had to hop like bunnies and dress as schoolgirls and Lolitas, whilst their midget stylists burst into tears of happiness/sadness/randomness at every opportunity.
Drama came courtesy of the most beloved of all AusNTM tropes – the bogan (see Eboni Season 2, Leiden Season 4, Cassi Season 5). This year, it was Gold Coast Meter Maid (think Hooters girl, but in charge of parking fees) Kimberly Thrupp (above). Alternating between giving '110%' and not being arsed, she objected to a shoot concept as, at the grand old age of 20, she 'didn't believe in true love', swore during a presenting challenge and, despite saying her 'butt' was 'grabbable' at a jeans promo, took issue with having to model swimwear and flounced off to pack her bags (needless to say, she didn't leave and instead continued to give '110%' whilst admitting she wasn't trying her hardest). Alex Perry called her 'so annoying I want to stab myself so it can all be over'.
When she was finally given the boot for her attitude, renowned photographer (and AusNTM Nigel Barker-lite) Jez Smith tried to offer some encouragement about carrying on. Instead, dear Kimberly stuck her chin out, told everyone she wasn't going to carry on modelling and was going to 'do something with my life'. Renowned supermodel Sarah Murdoch told her she had 'the goods to make it', to which Kimberly maturely replied, 'Don't want to. Learnt enough… need to find something else to entertain myself with now'. Hear that sound, Murdoch? It's a 20 year-old Gold Coast Meter Maid pissing all over your entire life's work and career! Sadly, the cameraman had gone to sleep, too busy segueing to the moving elimination soundtrack, and was too late to capture the reactions of the panel (can you imagine how Alex Perry looked?!), allowing us to merely hear their ruminations about how they should have kept the previously-eliminated girls instead. Kimberly then refused to hug anyone ('Is the car out back?') and made her exit. Kimberly was last seen fishing around for a model agency.
Fortunately for the lack of drama in-house (the final two, Kelsey and Amanda, were both so sickeningly nice and beautiful that they make Elle Macpherson look like a troll) was that the judges were on top form. Despite a personnel change from the catty Jonathan Pease in the Mr Jay role, to former Banana In Pyjama, the superfluous Josh Flinn (main contribution: report cards that Sarah Murdoch made a big fuss of at panel before chucking away without a second glance, occasional bursts of tap dancing, alas not in banana/pyjama costume), there were plenty of great quotes like:
I would raise my eyebrow… if I could.
(On a photo) She's competing with the couch… and I keep thinking to myself that's quite a fabulous sofa.
(In reply to someone saying a photo had 'a Dynasty look about it') More like dysentery!
Hmmm… perhaps you had to be there, but Alex Perry and Charlotte Dawson took time out of their Facebook slanging matches to continue to be the best thing about the show. Alas, they had very little reason to get bitchy, as the photos were almost universally ridiculously strong. The majority of them looked like professional editorial or ad campaigns, especially in contrast to NZNTM's amateurish second season (more of which later).
So onto the pretty things… and too many good 'uns to pick from! As you may have worked out, my love for all things 50s inspired meant I was a sucker for the first week's Mad Men-inspired photo-shoot, shot by Jez Smith. Gorgeous styling, beautiful make-up and a great atmosphere, albeit more Hitchcock heroine than Joan Holloway (cue girls wondering if Grace Kelly was a man * sigh *). I love how Jez Smith actually captures some emotion from the girls' eyes (many shoots this series, although pretty, are simply that… just pretty), often a quiet pain or sadness that's at odds with the flawless imagery. I've liberally scattered this post with my favourite photos, which are (top to bottom): Sophie, Kimberly, Joanna Broomfield (wistfully romantic – love this shot), Kelsey, Chantal Crocolo (Keira Knightley's Egyptian half-sister), Alison Ware and Sally Geach (who both didn't even make it through the first round!). Kathryn Lyons, meanwhile, looks simply beautiful, as she continued to do throughout.
Kathryn (above) was probably the most photogenic model I've seen yet on NTM. In VTs, she was an unassuming scrap of a thing, bony, bad skin, mousy; in photos, she somehow transformed into a gamine graceful goddess, a divine creature blessed with flawless skin and a beautiful bone structure, with a touch of the Audrey Hepburn about her. My favourite photo of her was from the swimwear shoot, which literally took my breath away. It's just stellar – stunning, sensual with a gorgeous natural ease to it. Needless to say, it's the banner picture.
Week 2 was a denim campaign, think glossier 80s Bananarama record sleeve (above)! Jessica Moloney's could be published tomorrow (Jessica Stam and Lily Cole's love child, given an emo makeover). I also love the use of body shapes and lighting in Amanda's photo, and the steel tubes and industrial setting work well with the double-denim styling to give an edgy, cool feel.
Week 3 was beauty shot time, in the presence of Harper's Bazaar editor Claudia Navonne. With an accent pitched somewhere between one of Roald Dahl's witches and an East European madam, Claudia's description of 'POUFF! Magic happens!' never fails to entertain. Kelsey's tigress shot (above) is stunning – that fierce mane of hair, the sense of movement in a static image and eyes that connect and are saying very naughty things!
I love the whimsical feel of Week 6's accessories shoot for Cosmo (above), with one very important accessory – a live animal! The real thought that had gone into matching the animal with the accessories is superb and works in different ways; whilst Amanda's strong editorial look contrasts spectacularly with the cute little pig she's holding, Jessica really captures the fun side of the shoot, interacting naturally with her Dalmatian and producing a really infectiously lovely photo.
Week 7 (are you bored yet?) and the usual NTM sadistic streak reared its head, getting models to sport lingerie in sub-zero temperatures (above). I love the vintage, Dr Zhivago-esque styling, whilst the scenery provides a stunning backdrop. The iciness really brings out the ethereal blue in Jessica's eyes and I was banging on about how wonderful Kathryn's photo was several days later. (Can you BELIEVE she got sent home that week?!?!).
Finally, deep breath (are you worn out yet), a few moments for eventual winner Amanda Ware. A deserving winner in my eyes, who I'm proud to say I picked out right from the off, as she was about the only one in the opening credits who didn't look either awful or unable to walk without looking drunk. Her best photo, for which Alex Perry ran out of synonyms and intensifiers for 'expensive', was shooting luxury brands on a luxury yacht. She looks long, lean, entirely above it all… and yes, ridiculously expensive (although as ever, Kathryn gave her a run for her money). In contrast, Tyra Banks much-mooted 'High Fashion' Cycle 15 of ANTM saw contestants defying belief and actually dressing up, often in drag, as famous fashion designers. Is there any question as to which series has more class, style and intrinsic understanding of how fashion should work?!
However, my favourite thing about the whole season was the promo. Are there many greater pleasures in life than seeing Charlotte Dawson waving wads of cash at the camera as a bookie (!), 16 pretty girls pretending to be racehorses/greyhounds (!!) wearing evening gowns and going face-first into the dirt (!!!) and Dame Alex Perry, complete with sunglasses and fur, lowering his binoculars to declare 'Expensive'!!!! The answer (for NTM devotees anyway): no. Enjoy!
Incidentally, this post means I have now reviewed every season of Australia's Next Top Model so far! That can only mean one thing – ranking time! So if you're wondering where to start with AusNTM, here's my take:
BEST TV: Cycle 5 > Cycle 2 > Cycle 1 > Cycle 4 > Cycle 3 > Cycle 6
BEST PHOTOS/MODELS: Cycle 6 > Cycle 5 > Cycle 2 > Cycle 3 (Alas, one Burdeu does not make up for a cast of shorties) > Cycle 1 > Cycle 4
The word cycle looks strange now. My work here is done.
Tagged Alex Perry, Amanda Ware, AusNTM, AusNTM Cycle 6, Australia's Next Top Model, Australia's Next Top Model Cycle 6, beauty shoot, Cycle 6, funny quotes, Jessica Moloney, Jez Smith, Kathryn Lyons, Kelsey Martinovich, Kimberly Thrupp, lingerie shoot, Mad Men shoot, Next Top Model, photo-shoot, photography, photos, pictures, promo, review, Sophie Van Der Akker, swimwear shoot, wrong winner
Britain's Next Top Model, Cycle 6: Susan Loughnane Interview
Since I reviewed Britain's Next Top Model, Season 6 EXTENSIVELY for Teentoday (sadly, now lost to some Internet dark hole), rather than talking about the whole cycle, I thought I'd just bring you my favourite contestant from the series instead – flame-haired Oirish actress Susan Loughnane.
Given that she lasted all of two weeks, she's a bit of a strange choice for favourite, right? What I liked about Susan was that, apart from being exceptionally pretty, she proved you didn't have to be some raging drama queen to make for good viewing on a Next Top Model show. She came across as funny and likeable – a fact proved even more by an amazing interview she gave me a long time after her exit. Honestly, I just wanted to sit down over a cuppa tea and have an off-the-record natter with her!
Some self-portraits about the comfort of tea. The lighting, the mood, the expression – so evocative. Love it!
As usual with BNTM, most of the photos were a bit rubbish. Every year I have high hopes they'll up their game and every year they disappoint, with cheap-looking shoots, crappy sponsorship deals and dull concepts. So Susan can feel smug about the fact that, although she doesn't even want to model anymore, she already has a body of work from her pre-show days that is actually quite stunning – the 'pretty things' that are scattered around this post (some taken by herself, multi-talented girl!). Red hair just looks so amazing, doesn't it?!
Susan's interview is a must-read for any Next Top Model fans; it blows the lid on the whole series! Since Teentoday has been scrobbed from the Internet (and with it, about five years of my life and work *sad face*), I've reproduced it here in its entirety – enjoy!
So… the big question… who are you rooting for in the final?
Do you know what, I'm rooting for Tiff. She is the real underdog here because she's not 100% British. I can empathise with that. She won't get the same level of support the other girls will get. I think all the girls deserve it though, I would be over the moon for Alisha or Joy to win. I would have loved to see Amelia win as well : (
You're going to be at the final with the rest of the girls… do you have any idea what's gonna happen during the show? Will you be wearing one of your impressive jumpers?
Yes I can't wait!! I have no idea what's going to happen! All I know is that they have booked for me to get my hair done at Daniel Galvin before the show and all the girls will be staying in a hotel together! I'm super excited. I don't think it will be an appropriate time for me to whip out one of my amazing jumpers unfortunately, however I do have a lovely dress which will have to suffice.
You're also going to be at BNTM Live along with the other girls. Any idea what you'll be doing there? Excited?
Actually I don't think I'll be doing BNTM Live. The models aren't being paid. The show will undoubtedly make a huge amount of money. I don't do unpaid work anymore. I'm not demanding a lot but if I don't value myself, who will?
I guess it must seem a long time ago since you left the competition; did you keep up with watching the show? Were you OMGing at stuff along with the rest of us?
I don't actually have a telly here! I do watch all my favourite shows online though, god bless 4OD! However I've had to wait to watch BNTM on youtube. But mostly I knew how things went, because we all found each other on facebook and got the gossip there. It's funny to watch how it's all edited though!
You may have gathered by now that I'm a sucker for 50s styling. The colours here are so vibrant and Susan looks like Rita Hayworth. Hot!
I wanna talk a bit about your time on the show… as you know I was a big fan and really sad to see you leave so early : ( Were you upset/shocked about how you were eliminated?
Aw that's nice, I love hearing that. Honestly, I couldn't believe I'd even gotten onto the show. I don't really see myself as a model and have trouble understanding how anyone else sees it. I think I made it on there mostly as a result of my personality! I really clicked with all the producers and I think they really liked me. I think they wanted me there more than Elle and the judges. I thought the way I was eliminated was great, very dramatic, just how I like it! I loved how fans were outraged and really got behind me! That was brilliant, I was so unbelievably grateful for that. It could have been far worse. Delita got a very hard time from the fans for being in it as long as she was. And the photographers on the show didn't seem to like her either. I think that would be much harder to deal with. I felt quite sorry for her. I was lucky that the photographers on the show really liked me, I came across well and a lot of people were disgusted when I left. You couldn't ask for a better exit than an unfair one! I'm quite 'glass half full' about the whole thing.
It seemed strange as you hadn't received as much criticism as some of the other girls for either your walk or your photos. Do you think if you'd been given more constructive criticism, you could have improved and stayed longer?
They want the girls to have a character arc. It is the same with acting. There has to be a story. You have to start somewhere, preferably a fairly rocky start, or where they show your potential but how you might falter, and then there has to be hurdles, breakdowns, obstacles, triumphs… Me, I was always quite stable and happy. This was my flaw. I think I was too grown-up for the tantrums and the breakdowns, and I knew enough that I wasn't starting from a disadvantage, so the story wasn't there in the long run. So they got rid of me. It was never about how I performed as a model. Am I ruining it for you?? Sorry.
The people at the go-sees didn't seem encouraging at all and looked like they were sucking lemons when they saw you! Did you already get the vibe that they weren't interested? Were you angry (I was and I wasn't even there!)?
I know that they were told to criticize me, because it was my time to go, but man they were total assholes! They weren't nice people, they had no scruples, no shame, no empathy, nothing. The majority of the horrible things they said were actually edited out because it was just too mean and completely unjustified. It took all my strength not to tear them to pieces for being horrible human beings. But karma will get them, they will come back in the next life as a warthog and a stinky hyena. [Guess they won't be getting a Christmas card this year…!]
I read in one interview that you wanted to deck them! Models 1 will also be at the BNTM Live event… have you been working on your right hook?!
Haha I have better things to do than take them out. But in fact I have been working out a lot lately. I do want to be able to throw a good punch in case the need ever arises. It's actually quite empowering as a woman to work on your physical strength.
Were you upset that you didn't get a proper goodbye – seeing Elle, writing a farewell letter etc? What were the other girls' reactions to your departure?
Oh no, as I said I was very happy with how I went. I didn't have to go through another elimination, those are the most horrible nerve-wrecking things! And all the girls were there to help me pack and make me feel better. They even tried to bake a potato for me to bring with me, they knew how much I loved my spuds, and Tiffany gave me her last energy bar, which meant a lot in a house where food was scarce and you couldn't just pop out to the shop and buy more. And they were just so lovely and supportive. They were really a great group of girls! Afterwards, Tiff and Amelia went into the diary room and said some really sweet things about how much they were going to miss me. I cried watching that.
Did it frustrate you that, whilst some judges complained that your acting detracted from your modelling, loads of stuff after you'd gone revolved around acting? You'd probably have rocked the bullying campaign, the horror shoot and the Hollyoaks challenge!
Yeah, well I couldn't have stayed on really, could I? That would have been my chance to shine. So they had to find some way to get rid of me. So they found two callous assholes with no scruples who would be quite happy to shamelessly put me down and bully me. And that was followed by an anti bullying campaign…
Do you think you had a different experience to the rest of the girls as, with your acting, you're more savvy to being in front of the cameras and dealing with criticism? What do you prefer – reality tv or having a script?
I honestly prefer having a script, however I am quite comfortable just being myself. But I was completely sure of who I was and what I would and wouldn't do. I think that comes with age. At my age, I know who I am and cannot be pushed around by producers and convinced to do something I would be ashamed of later. The younger girls were more malleable which makes for better TV.
Give us the inside scoop on filming a reality tv show – were the cameras really on you 24/7? Did you feel pressured to come up with good soundbites? Do you feel the producers deliberately amped up the drama for better tv? Did you feel the judges were being honest at panel or just trying to be controversial?
The cameras weren't there 24/7, there was a lot that the cameras did not see! We weren't allowed to play music in the house because it would interfere with filming and they might not be able to hear what we were saying. But one night, Kirsty found a stereo system in the bedroom and after they had all gone to bed we used to put it on and have a bit of a boogie. They found us at it one night and decided to film it because it would show us bonding or some shit like that. But there was a lot that they didn't see. They did deliberately amp up the drama, but I wasn't really involved in that kind of thing, I tried to mostly stay away from drama. I wasn't a very good contestant really was I? I would never make it onto Big Brother!! I'm a bit too chilled.
None of the judges were honest really, except maybe Charley. Grace was quite honest at times but always exaggerated what she really thought to make it sound more extreme, because she wanted to be the Simon Cowell one. Julian was always just being controversial, he didn't seem to have a filter in his brain to sieve out the ridiculous comments. It was like he had Tourettes. The producers obviously loved that.
It sounded like you entered BNTM on a bit of a whim (especially as, you admit, you're not even technically British!). Were you happy you just got as far as you did? What was the feeling like when Elle called your name last at Model Academy? (Only for her to kick you out without a goodbye a few weeks on – bloody cheek etc!)
I couldn't believe I actually made it in. It was mad. I went over on a whim. If it hadn't been for a Ryanair sale and £10 flights, I wouldn't have gone because I really thought they were highly likely to turn me away the minute they saw my Irish passport. So I just thought, well it would be nice to see Glasgow and it will be a funny experience either way, and sure the flights were practically free. I actually laughed when I was told I had a call back. I did always have to pinch myself when I was on the show and I never felt I would make it to the next week at any stage, so I was shocked to even get as far as I did, and I was really honoured to be there. So I was fine about leaving. I felt a bit abused by their manner of doing it, but I didn't expect to stay, and I knew there was an elimination that day, it was completely pre-planned in advance, so I was not shocked. It was not a shock elimination like they made out. It was totally scripted. That's a Fact.
A few unkind people have suggested you only entered to get exposure for your acting – what's your response to them?
It's the truth; I have no real interest in being a model. I completely used BNTM for my profile and it worked. So there.
Susan's gorgeous 2012 Irish Tatler cover; photo by Barry McCall Photographer
What have you been up to since you left?
Thankfully, I've been doing quite a lot of acting. I shot an Irish TV series called Single-Handed down in beautiful Galway. I'm told it will be on ITV over here in the New Year. I've just been cast in a play here, I have a fantastic new London agent and he is getting me lots of auditions here so things are great. I love living in London. [NOTE: Since BNTM, Susan has actually become a quite well-known actress, with roles in acclaimed Irish drama Love/Hate and Channel 4's Hollyoaks, plus has also written her first book!]
You can model, act and have a nifty taste in jumpers. Let's assess your true triple-threat potential! Any other talents hiding under there?
Haha, that's really sweet. I do love my jumpers all right. Actually I am also an artist and dabble in photography. I've been a professional portrait artist since I was about 17, and still take the odd commission to supplement my income. I find painting a very relaxing and therapeutic thing to do; however, I have taken a break from it since coming to London because I couldn't bring over all my easels and oil paints and canvases, and it would be a big investment to buy new stuff. Also I am focusing solely on acting for the time being, I think to be truly successful at something you have to be single-minded, and now I am totally focused. I do still carry around my SLR from time to time and snap casual pictures of friends and London life in general.
I just noticed on your CV that you trained for a year at the Lee Strasberg Institute in New York (most famous student: Marilyn Monroe!) – how was that experience?
I loved New York. It felt like home straight away and whenever I think about it my heart actually aches a little. I think it is homesickness. I do feel the same way about Ireland though. The Lee Strasberg Institute was an incredible experience. Not only did I get fantastic training but I met truly brilliant people. It was like the UN, I now have friends from literally all over the world and all walks of life! It was a true all-round life experience.
My boyfriend thinks you look like Amy Adams – have you had that before?
All the time, I used to get called Nicole Kidman too, but I think my personality is closer to Amy Adams… now if I could only have her career…!
How do you think being part of BNTM has changed you?
It has made me very determined. And I have a lot more belief in myself. The fans were very supportive I've gotten some wonderfully positive fan mail. It is fantastic and invaluable to have the support of your family and friends, but when complete strangers have a strong faith in you it has an interesting effect. I throw away every negative comment, they are irrelevant to me unless they are constructive. But the really positive ones are like little badges I sew onto my sleeve, like when I was in a kid in girl guides, and they add to my confidence and sense of purpose and self-belief. I really am grateful for that.
And finally, what's your top style/beauty tip for Teentoday readers?
I believe in rewards. When I have worked really hard I like to reward myself with something I don't need but really want. Like that jumper I wore on the show, for example. I was shooting a TV series up in Belfast last November, and one day I had two big emotional scenes that were very hard work and emotionally exhausting, but I got a few hours off after so I went shopping in Belfast and bought myself that jumper. I returned to set that day with a huge smile on my face. And now I have a jumper that always makes me happy and reminds me of the great work I did that day. Love yourself, take care of yourself and reward yourself when you deserve it.
All photos from Susan's website and Flickr. As ever, click on the photos for enlargements.
Tagged BINTM, BNTM, Britain's Next Top Model, Britain's Next Top Model Cycle 6, Britain's Next Top Model Season 6, candid, Elle Macpherson, exclusive, interview, Love/Hate, photography, photos, pictures, Susan Loughnane, Susan Loughnane interview
Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens: Green there, done that
It's a nice day, you're unemployed and at a loose end. What to do that's cheap, interesting and actually involves leaving the house? How about a trip to Hong Kong's Zoological and Botanical Gardens?
Admittedly, now probably isn't the best time of year to visit as most of the 1000 plus species of plants are no longer flowering. Yet given it was an absolutely beautiful summer's day and I wasn't sure if we'd be having any more of those this year, my boyfriend and I decided to make the trip to Central and have a calm and gentle stroll around.
Trek not helped by The Stairs To Nowhere. HK Planning Department Fail.
Of course, we forgot that beautiful summer's day = getting hot and sweaty. Especially as it's a bit of a trek to get there, much of it uphill, and one problem of an open-air park is that there isn't a blast of cool air-conditioning to welcome you there! (I still think the LCSD is missing a trick by not making its museums and parks have proper restaurants and cafes. It's something many places in England have done, making them destinations in their own right. But most places I've visited in HK make do with an amateur-run eaterie, akin to the school cafeteria, with plastic chairs, dishing up instant noodles – and that's on a good day! HKZBG was no exception, sporting a few fast food kiosks. Given the number of young families and yummy mummies visiting, I think a beautiful café could make a killing here). However, it's still a lovely place, especially since this spot of lush verdant greenery is nestled right in the heart of Central's towering skyscrapers.
The Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens is one of the oldest of its kind around the world, with construction starting in 1860, opening to the public in 1864. The pagoda inside is the oldest structure in the garden and there are a few other historical statues, like a bronze one of King George erected to commemorate the 100th anniversary of British colonial rule in HK and a memorial arch as you walk in dedicated to British and Chinese soldiers who died in the war. I was also surprised by how many animals there were, an eclectic bunch of simians, reptiles and around 400 exotically-plumaged birds.
But I was here because I missed green stuff. I missed plants. I missed grass. I missed trees and shrubs and my garden. I missed walking around in green spaces, breathing in fresh air and being a bit removed from the rumble of pollution and the smog of concrete. So most of my pictures are of that. Enjoy. (As ever, click to enlarge). And yes, I will be going back in Spring.
This plant was called mother-in-law's tongue! *Insert mother-in-law joke here*
Some form of Heliconia, also known as 'false bird-of-paradise'. You can see why! Birds-of-paradise were always my favourite house plant in Sims!
Another hibiscus – not HK's national flower, but it might as well be.
I want to call these catkins. They might not be but whatever, it still reminded me of my Flower Fairies books.
The Education and Exhibition Centre currently houses a display of orchids. Most were fairly standard (or as standard as orchids ever can be!), like those at CWB's Flower Market but these were unusually beautiful.
I thought these tree roots were amazing – like a labyrinth or a witch's hand! Better than any modern art sculpture!
Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens, Albany Road, Central, 2530 0154. Free admission. Fountain Terrace Garden (the fountain was closed when I visited!), open 6am to 10pm. Green House and Exhibition Centre, 6am-4pm. All other areas, 6am-7pm.
Get a bus or get the MTR to Pacific Place, Admiralty. Go up the escalators at the side by Grappas and Lane Crawford to Hong Kong Park and follow the signs to the HK Zoological and Botanical Gardens.
Posted in Hong Kong, Pretty Things
Tagged flowers, gardens, HK, Hong Kong, Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens, LCSD, parks, photography, photos, pictures, places of interest, places to go, plants, shrubs, trees, Zoological Gardens
Canada's Next Top Model, Cycle 3: Ticket to nowhere?
Been feeling out of sorts lately but unable to work out why? Well, I might just have the answer! It's been over a fortnight since I did a Top Model post!
Cycle 3 of Canada's Next Top Model was the best Canada had seen yet. Given that Season 1 was fronted by Long John Silver's wooden stump (I've heard she goes by the name of Tricia Helfer), populated with a cast of ugmos and won by an anorexic who gave up modelling before she'd even begun, you can see this isn't exactly the most glowing of endorsements. Thankfully, Tyra freed Mister Jay in time for Season 2 and by Season 3, he had rounded up a vaguely attractive cast, half-decent panel and enough budget to ensure that shoots no longer looked like they had been done by that dodgy bloke who hangs round your mall.
Although it was the most recent cycle of CNTM, the series still felt like it was occurring in the medieval ages of Top Model-dom – a too-short run, a dated look and a distinct lack of drama. But it was good to see an unshackled Jay Manuel declaring he hated the word 'fierce' – take that, Tyra!
What drama there was started off pretty low-key. One girl walked before anyone had even learnt her name. Another girl didn't really fit in. There was the obligatory meltdown at makeover – 'I look like a muffin!' – and the most un-dramatic outing of a lesbian I think I've ever seen on reality television. And then there was Maryam.
Maryam was originally from Iran, meaning she was the one who would make incessant references to her culture every time she had to reveal so much as an ankle on tv. So far, so standard. But as the girls screamed, whooped and jumped up and down on discovering they'd be Bahamas-bound for a bridal-themed photoshoot, it transpired Maryam didn't have a passport. Poor girl probably thought she wouldn't need it, given CNTM had thus far been so low-rent that the furthest the girls got from Canada was probably being made to flick through American Vogue. Everyone thought Maryam was a goner and Barbadian-born Ebonie thought she had her best shoot yet but the show stumped up a special shoot for Maryam, using better green-screen effects than Clash of the Titans, and girlfriend absolutely rocked it.
Come panel and Ebonie's photo (above) was truly horrible and looked like she was having the worst period OF ALL TIME (judge Yasmin Warsame: 'I'd buy that, I'm sold!' *on seeing close-up* 'Oh dear, I change my mind!'). Ebonie still thought she'd done brilliantly and was promptly sent packing, still protesting her brilliance. Surely I'm not the only one who gleefully cackles when stuff like that happens?!
I absolutely loved this shoot because I'm a sucker for bridal. A childhood spent collecting Barbie stickers and swooning over Disney movies has meant that seeing a bridal gown triggers some primal urge that sets me off squealing and clapping my hands like a seal. Contrast tropical setting and pretty dress with looks of intense pain and sorrow and I adore it even more, regardless if it's an idea as old as (certain parts of) Janice Dickinson. My favourite photo of the entire cycle was Heather's (the banner photo), the perfect balance between serene beauty and utter wretchedness. I also love how true Rebeccah's feels – a quiet moment of sadness captured on film. [Her story about how she achieved it, by thinking about when her dog died, would have made even the most Botoxed-up fashionitas shed a tear… if their ducts hadn't been frozen solid, of course.] And as for Maryam? Can you tell her signature look was 'fierce'? She was the only girl to show some attitude and look pissed and I think it pays off. [Below, left to right: Rebeccah, Maryam]
Just when you thought the passport dramz was over, cue more screaming, whooping and jumping up and down because the girls were headed to New York! And guess what? Maryam still didn't have a passport!
Having blown the budget on two international trips and green-screen technology, there was no special treatment for Maryam this time. So whilst the rest of the girls did some fancy shoot portraying two different characters in one photo, Maryam called upon a photographer mate (quite likely that dodgy bloke who hangs round your mall) to make her own picture. As she was shown posing in what appeared to be someone's cloakroom, rattling on in her thick Iranian-accent about being pictured with a gecko, this was hide behind your pillow viewing. Clutching her brown envelope at panel, containing what you imagined was some amateur snapshot of her gallivanting with a lizard she probably found in the streets (very common in HK), I could barely watch for fear of this sweet little Iranian flower being brutally stamped out by the judges. And yet, it somehow turned out awesome, better than the stupid New York shoot and she even escaped the bottom two! Only to be given the boot a week later…
Overall, I was pretty impressed with the standard of the shoots, although after a bit of digging on forums, it appears that's because most of the ideas were nicked from other (better!) fashion editorials anyway! Photographed in Week 1 by Nigel Barker (*groan*), I initially thought the concept of being shot at random with a wild animal was a bit of a stunt. But, combined with glam 80s styling, big hair and a liberal dose of fierce eyes, it worked (in fact, something pretty similar was done this current season of AusNTM). [Below: Maryam, Nikita, Rebeccah, Heather]
Meanwhile, I simply loved the styling in Week 2. It looked, as good old Alex Perry would say, 'expensive'. These lushly opulent designer frocks are works of art and were shot and styled accordingly. I could do without the random flashes of bright light but Nikita (the 'muffin' makeover girl, who was a great contestant – quick, witty, bitchy but still likeable) looks regal and exquisitely untouchable – bow down! I also really liked Rebeccah doing something a bit different and channelling Twiggy, which really works with her outfit and haircut. [Below: Rebeccah, Tara – purely because I love her outfit, Nikita, Heather]
Finally, beauty shots avec duct-taped mouths. It's such a great concept for a beauty shot that I refuse to believe it hasn't been used before, but the CNTM girls do it justice. It would be easy to fall into an oppressed woman trap so I love how defiantly Nikita eyes the camera, but still in an aloof sexy way. And those are some quality cheekbones (and nails)! Heather's ethereal, almost resigned look heavenwards manages to transcend both the duct-tape and the huge hair whilst Rebeccah channels Twiggy… again! And I'm still going to love her for it… again! Her make-up is more cutesy than the other girls, so the big eyes look great with it and the composition of the shot, with her peeking out from one side of the photo just like she's peeking out from one side of her hair, is kookily clever. [Below: Nikita, Rebeccah, Heather]
So, a solid season with solid photos, a solid cast and enough drama to keep things ticking along for eight episodes that can be wrapped up in a weekend. Basically, just enough reason to forgive and forget for a few weeks that Canada is responsible for both Justin Bieber and Avril Lavigne. Oh, ok, nothing can make up for that!
Tagged beauty shoot, bridal, Canada's Next Top Model, Canada's Next Top Model Cycle 3, CNTM Cycle 3, Ebonie Finley, Jay Manuel, Maryam Massoumi, Next Top Model, Nikita Kiceluk, photo-shoot, photography, photos, pictures, Rebeccah Wyse, review, Season 3
Mid-Autumn Festival Hong Kong 2010, The Rhapsody of Hong Kong Memories: Lights, camera, lanterns!
Posted on October 6, 2010 | 4 comments
The lanterns didn't stop there. Over in Tsim Sha Tsui, there was an absolutely amazing lantern display entitled The Rhapsody of Hong Kong Memories. These cute and quirky lanterns, depicting nostalgic scenes from 1960s Hong Kong, were designed by Leo Tang and I thought they were just lovely. Perfectly capturing the spirit of Hong Kong with a fond heart and light touch, it's the sort of ephemera that's unlikely to go down in the history books but provokes all sorts of loving rose-tinted memories. Now I'll let the photos do the talking; as ever, click for enlargements.
These show scenes from 1960s city life, including many traditional businesses that have since died out, like shoe-shiners, calligraphers and rickshaw drivers.
A policeman in his pagoda directing traffic in the days before traffic lights. (Vintage photos from HK Police Force website and HK Man's Flickr).
A tai-tai at the tailor's – check out that retro hair-do!
I loved the attention to detail. Here the little boy at the barber is reading a comic-book to keep him entertained – and you can actually look inside the box and see what comics are on offer (hello Astro Boy!).
This little fellow is Lap Sap Chung, a monster created in a campaign to stop HKer's from littering. He's being chased by Miss Super Clean, remembered by lots of pre-pubescent teenage boys for her mini-skirts and go-go boots! Mischievous Lap Sap Chung proved so popular that he soon found himself being recreated as merchandise and inflatable toys! His memory was so enduring – a survey found that over 90% of respondents had heard of Lap Sap Chung! – that he was revived for a recent Keep Hong Kong Clean campaign. He even has a Facebook Group in his honour! (Posters from Chan.police's Flickr and Gwulo.com)
Also note the red, white and blue striped lanterns in the background. These are based on the infamous plastic 'amah bags' that you see at wet markets or lugged around by Filipinos, burst to breaking point. I even saw one woman trying to post a full one! (Photo from Red, White, Blue, Here, There, Everywhere Flickr)
What would HK be without its food?! Here's someone enjoying a meal at a dai pai dong (food stall in the street) – love how you can see the pak choi in the owner's wok!
A spinning cup of milk tea (ngai cha), so beloved of HKers, being serenaded by a teddy boy.
A street hawker, carrying wicker baskets full of vegetables suspended on a bamboo pole on his shoulder. I love how the lady buying from him even has a shopping list in her hand!
An 'airplane olives' (fei gei larm) hawker with his distinctive brown paper bag. If you saw him in the streets, you would call down and he would throw the olives up to you several stories high! You would then drop down your money – only paying for what you caught, mind!
Not sure what this guy's offering us. Hotpot? Congee? An ashtray? (OK, the last one seems unlikely). Answers on a postcard please.
Starfruit-shaped lantern!
This one confused me – was there some strange game in the 1960s where kids had to run to and from a tap?! My auntie had a look and thinks it refers to the days when children would have to go to the village tap to collect buckets of water for the whole family back home. (Those slippers are so Hong Kong as well!)
In the old days, apartments were very small and people slept in simple metal or wood bunk beds to save as much space as possible. Here, the little girl is making plastic flowers by hand, a part-time job many people had in the 1960s to generate a little extra income.
The mum, carrying her baby in the typical Chinese papoose-sling on her back, seems to have rollers in her hair. No GHDs in those days!
The little girl is holding a traditional rabbit lantern for Mid-Autumn Festival; these stem from the rabbit's presence in the myth behind the Moon Festival and are still sold nowadays.
Traditional paper lanterns for Mid-Autumn Festival – none of that inflatable singing and dancing tat in those days!
Do I need to tell you this is a retro thermos flask?!
Play & Playground
You might notice that some of these happy children are running about in what appear to be the old-school colourful wooden building blocks that children from yesteryear used to play with.
The circle-shaped counters with different coloured airplanes on, seen floating in the background or decorating the giant lanterns, are from a popular Chinese board game, Flying Chess (飛行棋). I say board game, it's actually played on a fold-up piece of paper and works similarly to Ludo or Frustration. I only noticed this when I was looking back on my photos afterwards and it's the little touches like this that Tang totally nails; I actually remember playing this when I was little and seeing that detail really made me smile, which is exactly the sort of response I think he hoped for. (飛行棋 photo from DChome forum – I swear I have the exact same game at home!)
The centrepiece to the whole display was a giant rabbit lantern, stuffed with old-school lamps, shop signs and birdcages. The amount of work that must have gone into it! Almost seems a shame that it will all have to be taken down : (
Cute, charming and quintessentially Hong Kong. What's not to love?
The Rhapsody of Hong Kong Memories, Hong Kong Cultural Centre Piazza (near Star Ferry), Tsim Sha Tsui. 10 September until 17 October 2010, 6.30-11.30pm.
Tagged 1960s Hong Kong, Cultural Centre, HK, Hong Kong, lanterns, Leo Tang, light installation, Mid-Autumn Festival, Moon Festival, nostalgia, photography, photos, pictures, Pretty Things, quirky stuff, retro, The Rhapsody of Hong Kong Memories, Tsim Sha Tsui, TST
Mid-Autumn Festival Hong Kong: It's a marvellous night for a mooncake
Mid-Autumn Festival may just be one of my favourite festivals in Hong Kong because just about everywhere makes the effort to look pretty. Admittedly, all it takes is a few paper lanterns scattered about, but at night time especially, it looks charming and uniquely Chinese.
Also know as Moon Festival, it's held on the 15th day of the 8th month (of the lunar calendar, so roughly late September) when the moon is supposed to be at its brightest. There are many variants of the legend behind the festival, but I'll tell you (in the best Chinese tradition!) the one that my mum told me.
A long long time ago, there used to be ten suns in the sky, which burnt away terribly at the Earth. The emperor commanded the most skilled archer in all the land, Hou Yi, to shoot down all but one of the suns – which he did, leaving us with the one sun we have today. As a reward, he was given a magic potion that would grant him eternal life and he hid it away at home. According to my mum's version, Hou Yi became a tyrant, corrupted by power and ambition; on seeing this, his beautiful wife, Seung Orr, decided to eat the pill herself to prevent him from living forever (other versions have the wife finding and eating the pill accidentally). Upon eating the pill, she found herself becoming lighter and lighter and she began to float. Eventually, she floated out of the window, up into the sky and onto the moon where she lives today. She also has her rabbit with her, who you can sometimes see outlined on the moon.
If you're a virgin to Moon Festival, there are only two things you need to know – lanterns and mooncake! Seung Orr adorns many a mooncake box and the traditional cakes are made with a yellow duck egg inside, representing the moon. Nowadays, there are all kinds of modern takes on the mooncake, including chocolate, mango, green tea or even 'snowy' ice-cream ones. We bought one that was shaped like a pig! It came in a miniature version of the traditional basket that real pigs used to be carried to market in the olden days and I love how he even has a little curly tail. Alas, he had to be decapitated and eaten – the filling was green bean paste – and my auntie said he looked a lot nicer than he tasted!
Lanterns are lit to accentuate the brightness of the moon and on the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival itself, paper ones are lit and floated off to the moon. This year, one managed to land on an MTR train, sparking a small fire, panic, evacuations, delays and talk of regulating lanterns more closely next year. As with mooncakes, lanterns have evolved with the times and you can get them in practically any shape, size or colour you desire, with inflatable musical cartoon character versions proving particularly popular with youngsters (so if it's late September and you're hearing a tinny tune in the dim and distant, it's probably a toddler holding a blow-up Doaremon).
We went to the special market in Tsing Yi's Maritime Square Mall, which is basically your one-stop Mid-Autumn shop. As you can see, the lantern stall was a riot of colour! We bought two ($35 each) – a pretty lotus flower and a gorgeous goldfish. You can see them in action in our flat below!
However, these are mere small fry compared to the lanterns that the government has built to mark the occasion. For all of Mid-Autumn weekend, Victoria Park in Causeway Bay is transformed into a luminous lantern extravaganza. It costs a small fortune but hey, who cares when it looks this spectacular?!
Check out my posts on more beautiful Mid-Autumn lanterns in Tsim Sha Tsui in Hong Kong here and here
Posted in Culture, Exhibitions, Hong Kong, Pretty Things
Tagged Causeway Bay, celebration, Food, HK, Hong Kong, lanterns, legend, lights, Maritime Square, market, Mid-Autumn Festival, Moon Festival, mooncake, night, photography, photos, pictures, Pretty Things, Tsing Yi, Victoria Park
Australia's Next Top Model, Cycle 2: Bogan is best?
If you thought Season 1 of Australia's Next Top Model hit the ground running, Season 2 proved you ain't seen nothing yet.
Before the finalists even got within sniffing distance of the model house, they were subjected to a gruelling army assault course followed by their first sweaty mud-encrusted photo-shoot followed by their first elimination! Alas, poor bug-eyed Sasha's trek to Sydney was all in vain – possibly a ruse to cover up the fact that ugmo Sasha had clearly been mistakenly invited in the first place. This was all within the first twelve minutes.
The real twelfth finalist, spunky Madeleine Rose, allowed to escape the indignities of the assault course, was already clad in a slinky evening dress, sipping champagne and awaiting the rest of the befuddled girls at the model house, who thought she was their hostess. No such niceties, Madeleine had already bagged a bed. Meanwhile, it transpired another girl was related to Olivia Newton-John (I'm now hoping that everyone in Australia is at least her first cousin). We're only fifteen minutes in.
23 minutes saw "Princess" Hiranthi lock the rest of the girls in the apartment by pissing off to the gym with the only key-card but without telling anyone. 25 minutes was the first catwalk challenge, somehow won by Eboni who'd strutted down with only one shoe on. 33 minutes in saw the first big house argument, over Princess' hour-long sessions in the bathroom whilst 43 minutes saw the first big house piss-up, complete with lesbian snogging and Lara shaving off a sleeping Hiranthi's eyebrow.
Remember how last season built up to a final nude photo-shoot? Well, this season, it started with one! Princess Hiranthi ummed and ahhhed over whether to participate, one girl gashed her knee with a razor and there were more tits flying about than at a nut-stuffed bird feeder but actually, the photos turned out rather nicely. Lara's, below, was my favourite – I love how soft and sensual she looks here – whilst the most action-packed of action-packed first episodes culminated in an unexpected double elimination. Bloody hell.
Frankly, this would be enough drama for a whole season of most other Next Top Model shows. But Cycle 2 continued to progress like a soap-writer's wet dream. Olivia Newton John's third cousin once removed quit. Lara flashed her bum in a shop window. Alex Perry debuted his 'expensive' line. One girl planted horse manure on another's pillow. Man-eater Madeleine got laid at one challenge win and had a fling with a grungy-looking member of the crew ('We just chatted' she claimed, as infra-red footage showed her moaning and squirming around her sleeping bag in ecstasy). Then another girl claimed the same hair stylist had come onto her too, cue him yelling 'If you think your little fucking presence can fuck with my existence, you've got another thing coming!' Next scene: him being driven away (rumour has it he only left because she threatened legal action). Runner-up Jess slowly began to unravel in a series of panic attacks and death glares. Then there was the saga of Eboni.
Cycle 2's bogan, Tasmanian Eboni's platypus bill of a mouth seemed unable to open properly, meaning every uncouth utterance came out as an obscenity-laden manly drawl that practically needed subtitles. On a punishing trek round the bush, she began suffering back pains and was carted off to hospital. She returned briefly but on being unable to feel her arms in a swimming session, was ferried back to hospital again. They uncovered a problem with her artery that could potentially cause a stroke so she announced that she was pulling out and her photo disappeared from the end of episode group shot. But then, lo and behold, she was back! Effectively given a bye for the week, Madeleine and Jess were rightly angry yet bizarrely edited to look like villains whilst Eboni launched into one of her usual foul-mouthed tirades and mimed strangling Jess behind her back. Eboni's injury meant she was unable to pose properly, but outrageous favouritism from the panel saw her all the way to the final, by which time the abnormal artery had been talked up as Eboni having actually had a stroke, become a paraplegic and waiting at death's door. (Contrast this special treatment with how Gemma's depression, also a serious illness, was near trivialised in Season 1.)
If last cycle was the Season of the Bogan, this was the Season of the Blonde. We started off with about fifty indistinguishable pretty blondes and an all-round decent cast but despite this, we ended up with a final two of brunette fugs. At least Jess started photographing amazingly at the end, with a touch of the Erin O' Connor about her, but I just wasn't a fan of her look. Meanwhile, Eboni had a brace of early strong shots (just not in close-up, thank you very much) but her attitude, lack of versatility, and most obviously, health problems should clearly have sent her packing.
The drama didn't end there. Post-win, Eboni ended up confined to hospital for six months, unable to attend the reunion show never mind do any actual modelling, and declared that she wasn't even sure if she wanted to pursue the career anyway. Well, her dreams came true as she was last spotted waiting tables. That's in-between being charged with obstructing police after jumping on the back of an officer and being removed from a club kicking and screaming after punching someone (antics that make Cycle 5's Cassi look like a mere amateur). Meanwhile, Jess sent Eboni abusive text messages during the series' broadcast, stormed out of a signing session with fellow finalists and punched someone in the gob after snogging a girl at a Gay Bash (literally – ho ho ho) party.
Amidst all this, they still found time for the photos to be amazing, with a five-episode stretch of seriously gorgeous shoots. Following the beautiful nude shots, episode two had a circus-themed lingerie shoot could have easily descended into ANTM absurdity. Instead, it managed to look gritty, powerful and arresting; I particularly enjoyed how cute-as-a-button Lara was contrasted with a circus freak's rolls of flab. I also love the sexy nonchalance of Madeleine's pose – the cross of the legs, the cock of the head, the challenging look at the camera. Eboni and Louise's poses, though practically identical, conjure up entirely different moods, with Eboni's all long-limbed strength whilst Louise has a sadness and loneliness in her eyes. [Top to bottom: Lara, Madeleine, Louise, Eboni]
Episode 3's black-and-white 50s starlet emotion shoot, shot by judge Georges Antoni, reminded me of NZNTM Season 1 – except the latter are just good photos whereas Antoni's are more like art. Simone, playing seductive (as if I need to tell you), is just sinuously sexual here. The curve of the body, the parted lips, the languid eyes… she looks like Anita Ekberg or something, captured in a private moment of just being intensely sexy. Caroline (sadness) epitomises the whole beauty-pain thing that I'm sure is another Tyra-ism and I love how Antoni catches the movement of her wiping away the tear. Meanwhile, Madeleine's photo (screaming anger) just feels so alive. It looks exactly how I imagine a starlet having a mid-scene temper tantrum, plonking herself down on-set and screaming at some unfortunate minion would look. The glare of light across her eyes is an evocative touch too. [Top to bottom: Caroline, Madeleine, Simone]
Episode 4 marked the returned of Nick Leary and, what with hair stylist Carl stealing his pervy thunder, he just got on with taking stunning photos – even more commendable given how grotty the girls were after a night in the bush. It was all about the styling – a sort of romantic colonial prairie-house look, all big messy hair, big flouncy skirts, white lace gloves, rumpled haystacks and wild animals. Simone's close-up is flawless but I adore the shape her skirt makes and the lazy way her hands drop down in the full-length version too. The rest (and Lara's pouty mouth, full stop, which gets the honour of being the banner photo) are just pure sex distilled into a farmyard. [Top to bottom: Simone, Eboni, Louise, Madeleine]
Episode 5's swimwear shoot marked the first sighting of Jodhi Meares as the client for her Tigerlily line, showing more spark than she did in two seasons as host! I think these photos, by Simon Upton are simple yet stunning. They could be campaigns for Ralph Lauren or Abercrombie & Fitch as they have a wholesome, fresh, natural beauty about them. I absolutely love the guarded look Simone is shooting to camera, which makes you feel like you're totally intruding in her moment. [Top to bottom: Simone, Madeleine, Louise]
Overall, Season 2 offered almost the perfect balance between pretty things, great telly and the mind-boggling conundrum that has confounded all AusNTM fans for the past 6 years: how the hell did Eboni win?!
Tagged AusNTM, AusNTM Cycle 2, Australia's Next Top Model, Australia's Next Top Model Cycle 2, controversy, Eboni Stocks, Georges Antoni, Lara Cameron, lingerie, Louise Van Brussel, Madeleine Rose, Next Top Model, Nick Leary, nude, photo-shoot, photography, photos, pictures, reality tv, review, Simon Upton, Simone Viljoen, swimwear


When Pierer Industrie AG purchased Husqvarna from BMW in January, it was obvious some major changes were on their way. Pierer Industries AG is owned by Stefan Pierer, who happens to be chief executive officer of KTM, which also happens to be the parent company of Husaberg. That's three European motorcycle manufacturers with strong off-road lineages in the same family. Something was bound to happen.
Well the other shoe has finally dropped, with the announcement of Husqvarna and Husaberg reuniting to forming a new company to be called Husqvarna Sportmotorcycle GmbH, with . The move reunites the two Swedish marques after years under the ownership of other companies in Italy, Austria and Germany.
Husqvarna and Husaberg have a shared history. Husaberg originated as a splinter group of Husqvarna engineers that started its own company in 1988 after Husqvarna was acquired by Cagiva. From that point on, the two Swedish brands went their separate paths.
Husaberg remained in Sweden, adopting the country's blue and yellow as its brand colors. Husaberg built a competitive racing program, winning a couple of Enduro World Championships, but could not match that success in sales. That led to the company's acquisition by KTM. Husaberg's racing department remained in Sweden but its manufacturing and product development moved to KTM's factory in Austria. Under its new owners, Husaberg won the FIM 500cc Motocross World Championship in 1995, 1997 and 1998. Husaberg's "Ready to Race" mantra was also adopted by its new parent company.
Meanwhile, Husqvarna's operations were moved to Italy with Cagiva and its parent company MV Agusta. Husqvarna also had some racing success, winning several Enduro and Supermoto titles. In 2007, the company was sold to BMW but kept its manufacturing in Italy, making it a German-owned, made-in-Italy Swedish motorcycle brand.
At first, Husqvarna was essentially BMW's off-road motorcycle sub-brand, though in the last few years, Husqvarna started making forays into building on-road motorcycles in the Nuda 900 and the TR650 Terra and Strada models.
In recent weeks, Pierer Industries has shut down Husqvarna's factory in Varese, Italy, laying off about 211 workers. The company will now be based in Husaberg's base in Mattighofen, Austria alongside KTM.
Reunited by Pierer Industries, the new Husqvarna will return to its roots and focus on producing off-road models, though the company will also develop new street-legal supermotos as well.
Husqvarna will present its new off-road lineup in October in its ancestral home of Sweden before being re-introduced to a wider audience in early November at the 2013 EICMA Show in Milan, Italy.


Need to do some updates around the home but assume you do not have the funds for any kind of rewarding residence renovation projects? Trying to choose which home renovation project to tackle following, and also very excited recognizing I have some budget-friendly choices. Cheap residence design and also residence improvement suggestions that are sure to fiut your budget plan, there is currently no justification for not having the house of your desires.
Are you considering upgrading your kitchen, namely your kitchen cupboards? Repainting them is very easy, yet only if you recognize what you are doing. Correct surface prep is essential if you desire this residence enhancement project to turn out. Learn just how with this detailed tutorial.
An additional easy home renovation project concept that you can make without spending a lots of money or time, this synthetic shiplap backsplash tutorial utilizes adhesive flooring to create a simple backsplash. No severe woodworking or woodworking abilities required as well as naturally, no ceramic tile cutter needed. If you like the look of an appealing floor tile backsplash, yet can not specifically ordinary floor tile on your own or afford it, try this cool tutorial.
Of all the DIY residence improvement suggestions we've seen recently, this is genuinely a standout. If you are opting for a high effect makeover in the restroom, one that is inexpensive to do however worth your time and also loan, take a look at this step by step tutorial for a bathroom cabinet makeover. Make old cabinets look brand-new with this awesome technique.
Prior to you go assuming the very same point for any type of longer, go examine out this simple step by step tutorial that should prove to you that mounting a home window framework on your own is totally workable. House improvement DIY does not get any much better than this, conserve cash and get something that looks great.
Include a DIY concrete countertop to the shower room vanity and also remodeling that horrible old counter you are so sick of looking at. With this simple detailed tutorial, you can learn just how to make a concrete counter top the simple way.


text:
Ronit Zilkha
Entertainment near Ronit Zilkha
Ronit Zilkha, 34 Brook Street, Mayfair, London W1K 5DN
All The Best Arts and Drama Arts Centres Bars Cinemas Classical Music Comedy Clubs Jazz Clubs Live Music Pubs Spectator Sport Theatres Venue Hire
London > Entertainment > Classical Music
36 Wigmore Street, Marylebone, London W1U | 5 minutes walk from Ronit Zilkha
Built by the Bechstein piano company in 1901, this grandiose concert hall is regarded by many as London's best venue for chamber and solo performances.... More
Regent Street Cinema
London > Entertainment > Cinemas
309 Regent Street, Marylebone, London W1B | 6 minutes walk from Ronit Zilkha
The historic Regent Street Cinema is where the first ever performance of moving images took place. Created by the Lumière brothers, the film was shown... More
8 Argyll Street, Soho, London W1F | 6 minutes walk from Ronit Zilkha
For those who owned televisions in the 1950s and 1960s, the London Palladium is quite simply the most famous variety theatre in the world. Stars... More
Marble Arch Theatre
Marble Arch, W1C | 10 minutes walk from Ronit Zilkha
Underbelly Productions, in association with Cameron Mackintosh, presents a pop-up theatre in Marble Arch, specifically... More
Boulevard Theatre
Walker's Court, W1F | 11 minutes walk from Ronit Zilkha
Fawn James, granddaughter of entertainment impresario Paul Raymond, who opened the original Boulevard Theatre as the Revuebar in ... More
Criterion Theatre
218-223 Piccadilly, Piccadilly Circus, Soho, London W1V | 11 minutes walk from Ronit Zilkha
The tiny entrance of the Criterion Theatre is almost invisible among the massive advertisements, traffic and crowds of Piccadilly Circus. To ignore it, however, is... More
Shaftesbury Avenue, Soho, London W1D | 12 minutes walk from Ronit Zilkha
From the outside, the Gielgud Theatre is an impressive sight, towering four storeys over Shaftesbury Avenue, its height further emphasized by the turret on top.... More
Sondheim Theatre
51 Shaftesbury Avenue, Soho, London W1D | 12 minutes walk from Ronit Zilkha
With a new name and following a major renovation, Queen's Theatre became the Sondheim Theatre in December 2019, reopening with Cameron Mackintosh's new version of... More
London > Entertainment
1 Soho Square, Soho, London W1D | 12 minutes walk from Ronit Zilkha
Popular lunchtime spot in the heart of London's media industry, Soho Square is located at the centre of Soho and provides... More
The Crystal Maze LIVE Experience West End
22-32 Shaftesbury Avenue, Trocadero, W1D | 12 minutes walk from Ronit Zilkha
From spring 2019 the Crystal Maze LIVE Experience comes to the West End. After three successful years in Angel, Islington (open until... More
Soho Theatre
21 Dean Street, Soho, London W1D | 12 minutes walk from Ronit Zilkha
The Soho Theatre Company was formed in 1969 by Verity Bargate and Fred Proud, but it didn't have a permanent home until 2000, when its... More
Picturehouse Central
7-14 Coventry Street, Soho, London W1D | 12 minutes walk from Ronit Zilkha
A vast and much needed improvement on the old Cineworld cinema in the Trocodero, Picturehouse Central opened in June 2015 and was treated to a... More
The Wheatsheaf
London > Entertainment > Comedy Clubs
25 Rathbone Place, Fitzrovia, London W1T | 12 minutes walk from Ronit Zilkha
Stop at The Wheatsheaf on Rathbone Place and you'll be having a pint where people like George Orwell, Anthony Burgess and Dylan Thomas have stopped... More
London > Entertainment > Jazz Clubs
47 Frith Street, Soho, London W1D | 13 minutes walk from Ronit Zilkha
The legendary Ronnie Scott's has been a Mecca for the international jazz community since 1959. Created by music-lovers for music-lovers, it has played host to... More
The Screen on Baker Street
96-98 Baker Street, Marylebone, London W1U | 13 minutes walk from Ronit Zilkha
Two intimate screening rooms, plush seating and high-tech facilities make The Screen on Baker Street a good choice for film lovers in the area. Tucked... More
1a Oxendon Street, Soho, London SW1Y | 13 minutes walk from Ronit Zilkha
The Comedy Store is the spiritual home of stand-up in the UK. Despite being the best large comedy venue in the country, the Store still... More
Coventry Street, Soho, London W1D | 13 minutes walk from Ronit Zilkha
Theatres have stood on this spot since 1884, perfectly placed to draw the attention of the great crowds moving between Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square.... More
Empire Cinema Haymarket
63-65 Haymarket, St James's, London SW1Y | 13 minutes walk from Ronit Zilkha
The independently-owned Empire owns cinemas at 14 locations across the UK including this one, the three screen Empire Cinema on Haymarket in... More
Old Compton Street, Soho, London W1D | 13 minutes walk from Ronit Zilkha
The Prince Edward Theatre was designed by Edward Stone and opened in 1930 with a performance of the musical 'Rio Rita'. Just a few years... More
Curzon Soho
93-107 Shaftesbury Avenue, Soho, London W1D | 14 minutes walk from Ronit Zilkha
This cracking, refurbished Soho cinema shows a broad-range of art-house films. The three screens feature Dolby THX sound and ample leg-room. The regular Sunday... More
Cineworld Leicester Square
5-6 Leicester Square, WC2H | 14 minutes walk from Ronit Zilkha
Cineworld on the north side of Leicester Square is a state-of-the-art nine screen cinema in the centre of London which... More
7 Leicester Place, Soho, London WC2H | 14 minutes walk from Ronit Zilkha
Having achieved almost cult status, this reasonably-priced, independent cinema in the heart of Leicester Square is not quite the true hidden gem it once... More
Ray's Jazz At Foyles
113-119 Charing Cross Road, Soho, London WC2H | 14 minutes walk from Ronit Zilkha
Jazz up your afternoon coffee break with a trip to Ray's shop and café on the first floor of Foyles' bookshop on Charing Cross Road.... More
18 Suffolk Street, Haymarket, SW1Y | 14 minutes walk from Ronit Zilkha
The Haymarket Theatre was built by John Potter on the site of the King's Head Inn and the Gun Smith shop in 1702. It has... More
Found111
111 Charing Cross Road, WC2H | 14 minutes walk from Ronit Zilkha
Found111 is a temporary theatre space housed at 111 Charing Cross Road, the original site of the Central St Martins School of Art. Having... More
Shaftesbury Avenue, Soho, London W1A | 15 minutes walk from Ronit Zilkha
The towering Palace Theatre dominates Cambridge Circus. Five storeys of dark-red brick with octagonal towers on the top give it a looming aspect better suited... More
Phoenix Theatre
Charing Cross Road, Soho, London WC2H | 15 minutes walk from Ronit Zilkha
Built in 1930, the Phoenix Theatre is a curious mix of classical theatre architecture and the Art Deco style. The columns and arches of the... More
Vue West End
3 Cranbourn Street, Leicester Square, Soho, London WC2H | 15 minutes walk from Ronit Zilkha
Vue's flagship West End cinema in Leicester Square, which first opened in October 1938, underwent a £6.6m refurbishment in 2017, upgrading its seating and sound... More
Odeon Leicester Square
24-26 Leicester Square, Soho, London WC2H | 15 minutes walk from Ronit Zilkha
One of London's biggest cinemas, the Odeon Leicester Square regularly plays host to premieres and awards ceremonies as well as screening the biggest of the... More
Storm Nightclub, 28a Leicester Square, Soho, London WC2H | 15 minutes walk from Ronit Zilkha
Playing across multiple venues across London seven days a week and 52 weeks a year - do they really put on shows on Christmas Day?... More
Near Ronit Zilkha	 All London hotels
Near Ronit Zilkha
Alex Israel: Always On My Mind
Exhibitions | Until 14th March 2020
Gagosian Gallery Grosvenor Hill 2 minutes walk from Ronit Zilkha
The Los Angeles-born artist's first solo exhibition in London comprises a series of photorealistic paintings, which incorporate scenes of everyday ...More
Live In Your Head: Richard Artschwager's Cabinet Of Curiosities
Gagosian Gallery Davies Street 3 minutes walk from Ronit Zilkha
An installation of works spanning the five decades of the artist's career, arranged like objects in a box which are ...More
Dan Flavin: For Prudence
Bastian Gallery 3 minutes walk from Ronit Zilkha
Exhibitions & Art, Design....More
Concerts | Until 1st December 2020
Wigmore Hall 5 minutes walk from Ronit Zilkha
December 2020 marks the 250th anniversary of Beethoven's birth and to celebrate the occasion Wigmore Hall presents its special season, ...More
La Nuova Musica
David Bates conducts Purcell's Arise, My Muse, I Was Glad When They Said Unto Me and My Beloved Spake, Pelham ...More
Duggie Fields, Derek Jarman, Andrew Logan, Luciana Martinez De La Rosa, Kevin Whitney: THEM
Redfern Gallery 6 minutes walk from Ronit Zilkha
Exhibitions & Art, Painting....More
Shot in Soho
Exhibitions | Until 9th February 2020
Photographers' Gallery 7 minutes walk from Ronit Zilkha
Soho, the gritty, colourful cousin to Mayfair, its well heeled neighbour, is continually captured on camera. The Photographers' Gallery celebrates ...More
Feast For The Eyes - The Story Of Food In Photography
This exhibition looks at the development of food photography, encompassing fine art and vernacular photography, with works by Nobuyoshi Araki, ...More
Pentti Sammallahti: When Winter Reigns
Exhibitions | Until 2nd February 2020
This selection of images from award-winning Finnish photographer reflects his fascination with cold-climate landscapes, isolation, nature and visual storytelling....More
Lucian Freud: The Self-Portraits
Exhibitions | Until 26th January 2020
Royal Academy of Arts 8 minutes walk from Ronit Zilkha
He's famous for his fleshy, unflinching portraits but in this Royal Academy of Arts exhibition Lucian Freud's subject is himself. ...More
From cheap budget places to stay to luxury 5 star hotels see our discounts for Ronit Zilkha hotels, including Holiday Inn Express London Greenwich from 54% off.
Shops near Ronit Zilkha
http://LondonTown.com/S/d_vC5o6

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Actually, that's a factually dubious claim given that the 1980s and 1990s saw wide gains for the middle class and even those at the bottom of the income pyramid. Middle income families saw a more than 30% inflation-adjusted rise in income in those years. From 1982-1997 those who started out as poor actually saw faster income gains than those who started out as rich, according the U.S. Treasury Department study on income mobility. Upward mobility defined that era of broad-based prosperity.
Ms. Yellen also failed to note that the income gap is widening today because this has been the slowest recovery from a recession since the 1930s. Compared the other economic recoveries since 1960, Our national output is about $1.6 trillion (in inflation-adjusted dollars) behind; and compared to the Reagan recovery in the 1980s, we're now $2.2 trillion behind, according to the Joint Economic Committee of Congress.
Ms. Yellen never mentions that Obamanomics has made inequality much worse. Almost all of the income gains under Barrack Obama have gone to the top 5% in income.
Her silence on this point shouldn't be too surprising because she has supported most of Obama's economic policies. She has also been a cheerleader of the Fed's easy money policies which have benefited those at the top and almost no one else. She never spoke out against the nearly $8 trillion in debt spending since the end of 2008, the big tax increase on investment in 2013, the expansion of welfare benefits, and other policies that have backfired. One could argue the best way to reduce inequality is to repeal everything that President Obama has done since he entered office.
The real estate bust also exacerbated inequality, she concludes. "Since housing accounts for a larger share of wealth for those in the bottom half of the wealth distribution, their overall wealth is affected more by changes in home prices," she says. "Homeowners in the bottom half of households by wealth reported 61 percent less home equity in 2013 than in 2007. The next 45 percent reported a 29 percent loss of housing wealth, and the top 5 lost 20 percent." Again, this is because of federal housing policies at FHA, Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac that encouraged mortgages to people who couldn't afford them.
Ms. Yellen conveniently failed to mention the role the Federal Reserve that she runs played in allowing unqualified borrowers easy access to mortgage loans to purchase homes at prices inflated by the Federal Reserve's monetary policies.
According to Ms. Yellen, "Public funding of education is another way that governments can help offset the advantages some households have in resources available for children." But if money were the answer the problem, districts in Washington, D.C., Chicago, Los Angeles, and NYC would be leading the way in performance. After all, these districts spend more than the national average. Why do they have some of the worst schools with the highest dropout rates?
Yellen is correct to point out the failures of our public education system. Young adults from economically challenged backgrounds are certainly being deprived of opportunities which could propel them forward. School choice programs to allow the poor and minorities better education options are working and should be expanded, but Ms. Yellen dared not take on the teacher unions.
It wasn't all bad. At one point she noted: "it appears that it has become harder to start and build businesses." That's for sure. The United States has steadily dropped in the rankings of economic freedom, as our colleagues at the Heritage Foundation has documented.
But Ms. Yellen ignored most of the ideas that truly will ignite growth and raise incomes for the poor. Marriage, the dignity of work, income tax cuts to promote investment here, cutting our corporate tax, replacing welfare with work, preparing our workers with the skills they need to fill millions of unfilled jobs. These are the "values rooted in our nation's history," to borrow a phrase from the Fed chief, that could allow the poor to rise up.
This might have been an occasion for Ms. Yellen to use her new perch as Fed chief to boldly challenge the whole litany of tired liberal talking points on inequality. She could have warned that when we focus on economic fairness and not growth, we get neither – as the Obama years have demonstrated.
That's so disappointing because we've tried all of these ideas for five years, and we still have record income inequality. The nation's Fed chief ought to be a loud and clear voice for growth – not class envy.


Saturday night at 7 PM the Kaslo Jazz Etc. audience is in for an incredible, blues-drenched treat, to be delivered by the man considered the greatest living British blues guitarist — Matt Schofield.
Schofield was rated among the top ten British blues guitarists of all time by Guitar & Bass Magazine, alongside such icons as Eric Clapton and Peter Green. He has traded blues licks on stage with iconic guitarists like Buddy Guy and Robben Ford, and is currently one of only two living British artists to gain a maximum-four star rating in the Penguin Book of Blues Recordings. He has been awarded Guitarist of the Year 2010, 2011 & 2012 by British Blues Awards (making him the first guitarist in the British Blues Awards Hall of Fame), Album of the Year 2010 by British Blues Awards, and Blues Album of the Year 2011 by Mojo Magazine.
If you dig the blues; if you love guitar; if the idea of grooving on the beach while a great musician plays a few feet from your dancing feet, then you're not going to want to miss Matt Schofield this Saturday evening, down in Kaslo Bay Park!


text:
require 'test_helper'

module Abid
  class Engine
    class ExecutorTest < AbidTest
      def test_execute_ok
        process = find_process('test_ok')
        executor = Executor.new(process, empty_args)
        assert executor.prepare
        assert executor.start
        process.wait
        assert process.successed?
        assert_includes AbidTest.history, ['test_ok']
      end

      def test_execute_ng
        process = find_process('test_ng')
        executor = Executor.new(process, empty_args)
        assert executor.prepare
        assert executor.start
        process.wait
        assert process.failed?
        assert_equal 'ng', process.error.message
        assert_includes AbidTest.history, ['test_ng']
      end

      def test_start_before_prepare
        process = find_process('test_ok')
        executor = Executor.new(process, empty_args)
        refute executor.start
        assert executor.prepare
        assert executor.start
        process.wait
      end

      def test_cancel_in_prepare
        process = find_process('test_ok')
        mock_fail_state('test_ok')
        executor = Executor.new(process, empty_args)

        refute executor.prepare
        assert process.cancelled?

        refute executor.start
      end

      def test_skip_in_prepare
        process = find_process('test_ok')
        process.state_service.assume
        executor = Executor.new(process, empty_args)

        refute executor.prepare
        assert process.skipped?

        refute executor.start
      end

      def test_cancel_after_prerequsites
        process = find_process('test_p2', i: 0)
        process.prerequisites.each do |preq|
          preq.quit(RuntimeError.new('test'))
        end

        executor = Executor.new(process, empty_args)
        assert executor.prepare
        refute executor.start
        assert process.cancelled?
      end

      def test_prepare_after_running
        process = find_process('test_ok')
        executor = Executor.new(process, empty_args)
        process.prepare
        process.start
        refute executor.prepare
      end

      def test_start_twice
        process = find_process('test_ok')
        executor = Executor.new(process, empty_args)
        assert executor.prepare
        assert executor.start
        process.wait
        assert process.successed?

        executor2 = Executor.new(find_process('test_ok'), empty_args)
        refute executor2.prepare
        refute executor2.start
      end

      def test_execute_running
        process = find_process('test_ok')
        executor = Executor.new(process, empty_args)

        process.state_service.start
        executor.prepare
        executor.start
        process.wait
        assert process.failed?
        assert_kind_of AlreadyRunningError, process.error
      end

      def test_force_mode
        find_process('test_p3').state_service.assume
        mock_fail_state('test_p2', i: 0)

        in_options(force: true) do
          process = invoke('test_p3')

          assert process.state_service.find.successed?
          assert process.successed?

          assert_includes AbidTest.history, ['test_p3']
          refute_includes AbidTest.history, ['test_p2', i: 0]
          refute_includes AbidTest.history, ['test_p2', i: 1]
        end
      end
    end
  end
end

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


We are always available to talk with you and address your concerns. Please feel free to contact us during work hours through our office phone number, e-mail address or use the form below to send us your feedback/comments. After hours, if you are in you significant pain that cannot wait until our next office hours, please call 817-294-5021. The recording will prompt you on how to reach us.


text:
Borders Railway
Launch mobile navigation
Be a Borders Railway Champion
The Route and its Construction
More Connected To
Growth Sectors
A Work/Life Balance
Scotland & Beyond…
Space for Growth
Place to Live
Spotlight on Galashiels
On completion of the project, Galashiels will benefit from a new railway station giving residents the opportunity to travel by train to Midlothian or all the way through to Edinburgh. Furthermore, adjacent to the new station on Stirling Street, there will be a Transport Interchange linking the new railway to a new bus station. The three-storey interchange will also include retail outlets, a café and toilets as well as a car park.
The interchange is part of a wider plan to remove through-traffic from the town centre to make life better for businesses, shoppers and residents. It will also give residents and visitors access to rail and bus service links to the Scottish Borders and further afield in one place.
Galashiels will see some major changes in the coming months and years ahead of the opening of the Borders Railway. Changes to road layouts, as part of the construction of the railway, will include several new road bridges in the town as well as closing Plumtreehall Brae to through traffic, with a pedestrian link retained. Diversions and changes to the Black Path will also come into force as construction gets underway. Replacement sections of path will be provided at several locations.
Understandably it may take some time for residents to adjust to the new routes and road layouts as well as any temporary diversions but we hope that, through regular and detailed communication, residents will be able to overcome these initial difficulties more easily and look forward to the long-term benefits the project will bring.
Back to news Next article
All rights reserved, Copyright © 2020 Transport Scotland


Word and image play an important role in perception. Under the landslide of innovation in the domain of communication and representation in the last half-century, the visual turn of culture enhanced by the postmodern digital turn has fundamentally changed traditional means of understanding culture and the expression of literature, image, film, and photography. Various philosophers and theoreticians, such as James Heffernan, Wendy Steiner, Barbara Stafford, W.J.T. Mitchell, have analyzed the "pictorial turn" of our present, claiming that the long dominance of the written book is giving way to the visual image —cinema, video, photography, and other forms of pictorial and digital representation.
The mutual exchange of literature and visual arts has a longstanding history that goes back to classical debates on sister arts or the paragone. Postmodern paradigmatic changes in media culture may well rival the modernist avant-garde revolution when Virginia Woolf announced that "on or about December 1910" human nature changed radically. Modernism brought about a moment of aesthetic and media transformation based on visuality and initiated a historical moment of media transition across the spectrum of the arts. If in the nineteenth century all arts strove towards a condition of music, in Walter Pater's words, we could safely rephrase his dictum, saying that with the modernist avant-garde all arts strove towards the condition of the visual and the plastic arts. With modernism the exchange between literature and visual arts entered an unprecedented interaction, generating a new ekphrastic paradigm of creativity, in which boundaries between arts blurred. Postmodernism has only intensified the gravitation towards inter-disciplinarity, in which aspects of knowledge take on dynamic properties, creating social networks, webs, blogs, and fields whose inner boundaries widen in the amalgamation of different genres.
Our 21st century stands under the aegis of the image, a culture dominated by pictures, visual simulations, illusions, copies, and reproductions to the point that visual paradigms vie with and even threaten, as W.T. Mitchell contends, discursive practices. New technological achievements of the digital era have led to groundbreaking changes in the modes of communication and representation, especially in cinema, which opened new connections between literature and visual arts. Furthermore, a computerized media have penetrated all fields of aesthetics and material culture raising philosophical and aesthetic concerns as to the distinction between art and nature, the status of the original and its imitation, as well as the artistic and the artifact.
SAAS conferences attempt to be wide-ranging interdisciplinary events and we are particularly keen to see this reflected in the variety of topics discussed in relation to US culture. For the 2019 meeting at the University of Salamanca, we welcome panels that address issues of inter-disciplinarity, inter-mediality and interrelationships that lie at the foundation of literary, cultural, digital and visual representations from multiple theoretical frameworks.
Non-members of SAAS/ASA/APEAA/HELAAS (of all nationalities) are welcome to participate in the conference, but will be required to pay membership dues for one year (40€), as well as the conference registration fee (120€). Members of SAAS/ASA/APEAA/HELAAS need only pay the conference registration fee. Panelists MUST become members BEFORE the final program is published, otherwise their participation will be cancelled.
—if they are not SAAS/ASA/APEAA/HELAAS members already.
Please submit all paper proposals directly to the Panel Chair using this form no later than October 15, 2018.
Panel Chairs will notify panelists of their acceptance/rejection no later than November 15, 2018.
Doctoral students who wish to participate in the Seminar must send their name, proof of registration in the doctoral program and title of their PhD dissertation using this form before October 15, 2018, to Eulalia Piñero (eulalia.pinero@uam.es) and Viorica Patea (vioricap@usal.es).
PreviousCfP: Convergence, Special issue "Rethinking the distinction between old and new media". Deadline: May 31, 2018.
NextCall for chapters: Indiana Jones and the Edited Collection of Critical Essays. Deadline: Sept 1, 2018.
CfP: PGR conference "Moving Media, Memory, and History". June 13, 2019 @ Loughborough University, London campus (UK) Deadline: April 1, 2019.
CfP: Cine Excess XI – Fear and the Unfamiliar: Wrong Time, Wrong Place, Wrong Crowd. @Birmingham City University, Nov 9-11, 2017. Deadline: Sept 8, 2017.


Ethan Zuckerman confronts the "narrative of civics in crisis," and poses thoughtful questions on how we can strive for civics education that is both effective and engaging.
If civics is in crisis, it's a long crisis, not a sudden development…If we conclude that civics is in crisis, there's a hard question to answer: what would we do to help students prepare to become more effective citizens?
If we measure civic engagement in terms of voting, participation in political conversations and performance on standardized tests, it's likely that we're failing to measure a great deal of activity many of us would define as civic participation. The same young person who doesn't vote may be engaged in passionate conversations, online and offline, about libertarianism or about the Occupy movement.
Read Ethan's full post at http://bit.ly/13ahxZM. You can also chat with him about this topic today from 9-10am PT at http://bit.ly/cltvlive.