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Sunday, July 31, 2016

Guillermo del Toro Debuts "At Home with Monsters" Aug.1 at LACMA


By Karen Ostlund
Photos by Josh White

Guillermo del Toro: "At Home with Monsters" opens Aug.1st thru November 27, 2016 at LACMA, Art of the Americas Building, Plaza Level, 5905 Wilshire, Los Angeles

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is pleased to present Guillermo del Toro: At Home with Monsters (August 1–November 27, 2016), the filmmaker’s first museum retrospective. 
Guillermo del Toro with his sculpture Sammael from the movie Hellboy
Guillermo del Toro is born October 9, 1964 in Guadalajara Jalisco, Mexico, and is one of the most inventive filmmakers of his generation



                                    Beginning with Cronos (1993) and continuing through The Devil’s Backbone (2001), Hellboy (2004), Pan’s Labyrinth (2006), Pacific Rim (2013), and Crimson Peak (2015). Among many other films, television, and book projects, del Toro has reinvented the genres of horror, fantasy, and science fiction.
Today, del Toro’s home base is a cherished residence in suburban Los Angeles that he calls Bleak House. Carefully curated and maintained by the filmmaker, the house contains several thematic “libraries” of objects he has accumulated over many years: paintings, drawings, maquettes, artifacts, and concept film art. 
Del Toro collected books from a young age, everything from literary classics to medical encyclopedias to horror comics, and began making short films at eight years old. 
He has always collected voraciously, arranging his prized possessions in environments that nourish and motivate him. Bleak House embodies these lifelong fascinations; it is, as del Toro puts it, “the world as I understand it; as it exists in my soul.
Bleak House statues

The exhibition explores del Toro’s creative process by bringing together elements from his films, objects from his vast personal collections, drawings from his notebooks, and approximately 60 objects from LACMA’s permanent collection. The diverse range of mediaincluding sculpture, paintings, prints, photography, costumes, ancient artifacts, books, maquettes, and filmtotals approximately 500 objects and reflects the broad scope of del Toro’s inspirations. Del Toro said:
“To find beauty in the profane. To elevate the banal. To be moved by genre. These things are vital for my storytelling,”  “This exhibition presents a small fraction of the things that have moved me, inspired me, and consoled me as I transit through life. It’s a devotional sampling of the enormous love that is required to create, maintain, and love monsters in our lives.”

“By bringing del Toro’s notebooks, collections, and film art into museum galleries, we acknowledge the curatorial aspects of his approach to filmmaking,” said Britt Salvesen, curator and department head of the Wallis Annenberg Photography Department and the Prints and Drawings department at LACMA. “On one level, he carefully constructs and stages his films in the manner of an exhibition. On another level, he fills their plots with commentaries about the social, psychological, and spiritual power of objects. In this retrospective, as in his extraordinary filmography, del Toro demonstrates the energizing effects of cross-pollination.”
Notebook 2, Guillermo del Toro
Michael Govan, LACMA’s CEO and Wallis Annenberg Director, said, “This retrospective is a wonderful example of Art+Film at LACMA. Del Toro encourages us to ignore our traditional art-historical narratives and hierarchies of high and low culture, just as he blends and reinvents conventional genres in his films. With his ability to collapse time and space, history and fiction, nature and fantasy, he taps the latent potential at the core of our institutional mission.”
Following its exhibit at LACMA, Guillermo del Toro will travel to its co-organizing institutions: the Minneapolis Institute of Art (February 26–May 21, 2017) and the Art Gallery of Ontario (September 30, 2017–January 7, 2018).
Guillermo del Toro with his favorite monster Frankenstein
Guillermo del Toro is organized into 8 thematic sections: 
The exhibition begins with Childhood and Innocence, exploring the central role children play in many of del Toro’s films. Often, these children can perceive alternate realities and give expression to unfiltered emotions in ways that adults cannot. Del Toro does not insulate his young protagonists from fear, abandonment, harm, or even death. At some level, del Toro’s films endlessly revisit his own childhood, which he felt was marred by a strict Catholic upbringing and bullying classmates but redeemed by books, movies, and horror comics. He began drawing at a very young age. To this day, del Toro maintains his early habit of keeping a notebook at hand to record ideas, phrases, lists, and images. Resources for his films, these journals are also essential to his evolution as an artist.
Victoriana, the next gallery, references the Romantic, Victorian, and Edwardian ages, as well as latter-day interpretations of the Victorian era. Charles Dickens, the quintessential Victorian writer, inspired the name of del Toro’s personal residence, Bleak House, a curated space from which many objects in the exhibition are borrowed. Dickens’s blend of realism and fantasy, fascination with the city, sense of humor, and predilection for taxonomy, multifarious character types, and intricate plot twists resonate in del Toro’s films. 
This gallery also demonstrates del Toro’s interest in the Victorian relationship to science, in which humans attempted to exert dominion over nature through meticulous categorization. As suggested by his extensive collection of insect specimens, images, and trinkets, del Toro has inherited a fascination with such creatures, although the insects in his films tend to break free of human control in spectacular ways.
Guillermo del Toro with monsters at LACMA
Visitors will subsequently experience a version of Del Toro’s Rain Room (not that Rain Room), a favorite spot in Bleak House in which del Toro has installed a false window and special effects to simulate a perpetual thunderstorm.

The next section explores del Toro’s interest in Magic, Alchemy, and the Occult, where his films are full of puzzles, talismanic devices, secret keys, and quests for forbidden knowledge. Many of del Toro’s characters are scientists, contemporary successors to the monks and alchemists who explored the boundaries between the holy and unholy. He cites the influence of H.P. Lovecraft, the idiosyncratic American writer whose work is considered foundational for the genres of horror and science fiction. Lovecraft’s vivid evocations of madness, transformation, and monstrosity continue to be a major source of inspiration; for the last decade, del Toro has been attempting to adapt Lovecraft’s novella At the Mountains of Madness (1936) for the screen.
Movies, Comics, Pop Culture search deeply into del Toro’s obsession with cinema, from B movies and horror films to directors Alfred Hitchcock and Luis Buñuel. Del Toro’s voracious appetite for film is matched by his enthusiasm for comic books and his admiration for a wide range of illustrators such as Moebius (Jean Giraud), Frank Frazetta, and Richard Corben. He has directed several comic-book adaptions, working closely with Mike Mignola on two films based on his Hellboy series. Always, del Toro refuses to abide by the traditional hierarchies between high and low culture.
Frankenstein and Horror reveals del Toro’s lifelong love affair with the tale of Dr. Frankenstein and his monster. He first absorbed the story as a child, via James Whale’s 1931 film, impressive in its Expressionist-inspired visual beauty. As a teenager, he read Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley’s novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus (1818), which emphasizes the monster’s essential fragility and vulnerability. The story became a touchstone for the young del Toro, who identified powerfully with the creature’s outsider status. The filmmaker now finds in Frankenstein an analogy to his directorial approach. Like the monster, his films are amalgams of used, discarded, and diverse source materials, given new life and purpose.
Del Toro’s fascination with monsters of all types is showcased in Freaks and Monsters
He sees some monsters as tragic: beautiful and heroic in their vulnerability and individuality, they mirror the hypocrisies of society and bring to light corrosive standards of perfection. Though he identifies with the tragic type of monster, del Toro is also adept at creating truly terrifying ones. He begins by thinking of a monster as a character, not simply an assembly of parts. It must be visually convincing from all angles, both in motion and at rest. In his notebooks, he constantly records ideas for distinguishing physical features that may come to fruition only years later. In addition to drawing the initial concepts, he is closely involved in fabricationhe entered the movie industry in Mexico as a special-effects artistand has often expressed his preference for practical effects as opposed to computer-generated imagery.
The final section is Death and the Afterlife. Growing up in Guadalajara, Mexico, in the late 1960s and 1970s, del Toro had a number of disturbing confrontations with death, seeing corpses in the street, in a morgue, and in the catacombs beneath the church. His strict Catholic grandmother instilled in him the notion of original sin and even submitted him to exorcisms in a futile attempt to eradicate his love of monsters and fantasy. The pursuit of immortality—promised in Catholic doctrine as the reward for following the church’s teachings—is often seen in his work as a misguided, arrogant desire, destined to bring about the downfall of those caught up in it. Del Toro’s films often include characters acting entirely out of self-interest alongside others who are forced to make sacrifices. His flawed or damaged characters frequently find purpose in community: they take responsibility for their own survival and that of the individuals and environments around them.

Guillermo del Toro is accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue published by Insight Editions. The 144-page volume is edited by Britt Salvesen, Jim Shedden, and Matthew Welch with contributions by Guillermo del Toro, Keith McDonald, Roger Clark, and Paul Koudounaris. The hardcover catalogue is $29.95 and is available at the LACMA Store and Art Catalogues. www.lacma.org

TALKS & MOVIES AT LACMA ABOUT GUILLERMO DEL TORO:

TALKS
Artist Walkthrough of Guillermo del Toro: At Home with Monsters with Dr. Paul Koudounaris
A contributing author to the publication accompanying the exhibition Guillermo del Toro: At Home with Monsters, scholar and photographer Dr. Paul Koudounaris will lead a tour focusing on the cultural history and significance of monsters and the monstrous.

Thursday, August 11 | 7:30 pm
LACMA | Art of the Americas Building
Free; reservations required
NOTE: Reservations for this event are no longer available in advance. A standby line will form at 6:30 pm outside of the Art of the Americas Building on the night of this event. Guests in the standby line will be accommodated on a first-come, first-served basis, though unfortunately there is no guarantee of space being made available to guests in this line.

Artist Walkthrough of Guillermo del Toro: At Home with Monsters with Thomas Kuntz
Join contemporary artist Thomas Kuntz on a tour of the exhibition Guillermo del Toro: At Home with Monsters. Kuntz will speak about his experiences working with Guillermo del Toro on the film Crimson Peak (2015), and he will discuss his own process with reference to sketchbooks and prototypes. Thomas Kuntz’s work draws on arcane traditions and modern technology to create precisely engineered, haunting automata (mechanized sculptures that emulate human activity). The exhibition includes several of his works from del Toro's collection.
Thursday, August 25 | 7:30 pm
LACMA | Art of the Americas Building
Free; reservations required
NOTE: Reservations for this event are no longer available in advance. A standby line will form at 6:30 pm outside of the Art of the Americas Building on the night of this event. Guests in the standby line will be accommodated on a first-come, first-served 
basis, though unfortunately there is no guarantee of space being made available to guests in this line.

FILMS
*all films will be screened in LACMA’s Bing Theater
Films by Gillermo del Toro
The Devil’s Backbone (El espinazo del diablo)
Friday, July 29 | 7:30 PM
Cronos
Friday, October 21 | 7:30 PM
Pan’s Labyrinth (El laberinto del fauno)
Friday, October 28 | 7:30 PM
Hellboy
Friday, November 4 | 7:30 PM
Hellboy II: The Golden Army
Saturday, November 5 | 7:30 PM
Pacific Rim
Saturday, November 12 | 7:30 PM
Crimson Peak
Friday, November 18 | 7:30 PM
Fuel for Nightmares

In addition to screening films directed by Guillermo del Toro, LACMA is hosting a series inspired by the filmmaker’s inspirations, influences and favorite films:
Jane Eyre
Tuesday, August 2 | 1:00 PM
Beauty and the Beast (La belle et la bête)
Tuesday, August 9 | 1:00 PM
The Young and the Damned (Los olvidados)
Tuesday, September 6 | 1:00 PM
The Spirit of the Beehive (El espíritu de la colmena)
Tuesday, September 13 | 1:00 PM
Fanny and Alexander (Fanny och Alexander)
Tuesday, September 20 | 1:00 PM
Kwaidan
Tuesday, September 27 | 1:00 PM
Shadow of a Doubt
Tuesday, October 4 | 1:00 PM
Eyes Without a Face (Les yeux sans visage)
Tuesday, October 11 | 1:00 PM
The Innocents
Tuesday, October 18 | 1:00 PM
The Night of the Hunter
Tuesday, October 25 | 1:00 PM
The Bride of Frankenstein
Monday, October 31 | 8:00 PM 

Monday, July 18, 2016

'Celebrity Connected' Celebrated ESPYS w/Foot-Inventions - Swim - Health & Skincare

By Karen Ostlund
Tsingtaobeer.com was served

(July 12 2016) The Celebrity Connected Espy Gifting Lounge 2016 was located at The Taglyan Complex, one day prior to the Espys 2016 (Nokia Theatre, July 13) - The Lounge focused on companies with new ideas in sports-health, vitamins, treatments and skincare and apparel.

 The day before the awards show, invited celebrities visit the lounge. They are each provided with their own personal guide to escort them from booth to booth.  As each celebrity comes by, they are given gifts to try, and clients can take photos/videos with them for endorsement of a new product
Media also attends these events to provide more exposure.

Stinkboss.com is the new shoe appliance, which both disinfects and dry cleanse your shoes with help of the ozone technology:

Dries the shoes: Inside the appliance, there are two vents on pillars and two floor vents, which circulate mild heat (70o F) and ozone. The mild heat wicks away any moisture in the gear. Stinkboss can also be used with any sweaty, stinky gear that fits loosely over the air vents can be used , like knee pads, boxing gloves, bike helmet, shin guards, batting gloves, hiking boots, etc.
StinkBoss team with pro-surfer Keala Connelly (right)
Disinfects: The ozone technology works as a disinfectant. Ozone is a naturally occurring gas consisting of 3 oxygen molecules (O3). It is the most powerful disinfectant found in nature, killing the bacteria, viruses and germs it comes into contact with.

Deodorizes: Sweat alone doesn’t stink. It’s the duo of sweat and bacteria that cause odor. Our unique technology combining ozone and heat, eliminates odor, rather than just masking it. It takes 90 min.
Stinkbox, a new idea to
disinfect shoes
How stinky is your stuff? The settings start at 30 minutes without heat and 1 hours with heat. You can increase the time in 1hour increments up to 6 hours. "We recommend starting out low and working up to 6 hours if needed. Of course, if you’ve got a super stench going on, by all means start off on the max level! It could even take a couple of max cycles to kill all the funk".
How often should I use StinkBOSS to keep shoes from smelling? In general, a full six hour cycle the first time a pair of shoes is deodorized and then shorter cycles as 30-90 min. thereafter as needed. Once or twice per week should be sufficient after that to keep shoes and gear fresh.The StinkBOSS can accomodate any shoe up to size 14. The StinkBOSS generates a low level of heat (around the mid-70° range), which is just enough to dry up the sweat from your shoes and gear, but not enough to shrink or damage your shoes.


foot bath sanitation tablet with 99.99% effective against harmful bacteria and athlete’s foot fungus. Use a Worry Free Pedi tablet in the foot bathevery time you go into a spa or salon for your pedicures and foot massages. Just drop one Worry Free Pedi tablet into the foot bath water AND Within 1 minute, the water you'll soak your feet in will be treated, protecting you from bacteria & fungus.Worry Free Pedi is the only EPA registered spa sanitizing tablet on the market today.





AJ McLean from Backstreet Boys is inside 3 min
glacecryotherapy
Glacecryotherapy.com
Creators Skyler Scarlett and sister Brittney Scarlett-Torres opened the first retail Whole Body Cryotherapy spa in Central California history, when they opened the doors to GLACÉ in Carmel, CA on October 15, 2014. "Removing your clothing is required to begin your Cryotherapy session. Cool dry air will circulate around your body for just 2-3 minutes and your skin surface temperature will drop significantly".
During vasoconstriction, toxins are flushed from muscle and skin surface tissue. Red blood cells are enriched with oxygen, nutrients and enzymes.Upon exiting the Cryo sauna when the session is over, the body vasodilates and the enriched blood is released back to the skin surface tissues, muscle tissues, and joint spaces that have been flushed of toxins.Doing a series of sessions are recommended.

"After your Cryotherapy session many experience as described as the “Cryo Rush”, a warm tingling sensation throughout the body, elevated alertness and overall sense of well being similar to a runners high".

Laboratories Esthederm.com and Bioderma.us
Bioderma Sensibio H2O dermatological wipes 
cleanse sensitive skin.It contains a micellar solution to soothe and soften skin.
         
Mixnature.com New company from Latvia
 in Europe. Select a category from Face, Body, Hair- 
then choose a base and add 6 natural ingredients of choice.

Matebros.com contains 8% juice, Water, Sugar, Lemon Juice from Concentrate, Yerba Mate Leaf Extract, Stevia Leaf Extract, Natural Flavors.Contains 104 mg of natural caffeine per serving.
Co-founder Olympic gymnast Sam Mikulak "We source the finest, wild-harvested, yerba maté leaves from South America to engage a 6-step brewing process which infuses lemon  juice concentrate, sugar-cane and natural flavors to produce a light, refreshing taste - it's a power-tea".
Additional tastings were provided by TByDaniel.com and and OwnAritas.com








8greens.com one tablet of 8G has: 

Zinc as contained in 10 cups of asparagus, vitamin C as contained in 5 oranges, vitamin B5 as contained in 20 cups of broccoli, Vitamin B3 as contained in 18 cups of carrots, Vitamin B6 as contained in 7 cups of lima beans and Vitamin B12 as contained in 9 cups of milk.



  • LetItBeeNatural.com Natural Beewax products
    MotherDirt.com has developed a live probiotic, AO+Mist, which contains the good bacteria, AOB. This soil bacteria is the best probiotic for your skin, as AOBs act as peacekeepers for the bacterial ecosystem of your microbiome, helping the other bacteria live in harmony with each other. Using the AO+ Mist can help rebalance skin, the benefits of which can vary widely since every microbiome is unique. MotherDirt shampoo and cleanser do not contain AOB, but have been specially formulated to benefit the skin biome.
    SerinaAndCo.com Aromatherapy silicon bracelets
    Floral swim-wear designed and made by hand. The fabrics are hand picked in a local fabric store in MontrealMennillo.ca 
    MilkBabyBikini.com  is based in Las Vegas. "Design and create a custom bikini in the style, size and fabric of your choice".Best known for their bikinis from Sports Illustrated 2016.

    Crazyloopz.com decoration
    for shoes
    Energy Blast Power Gum, Hero Fuel Nut-brownie and 
    Thunderbolts gummies

                 
    MyOdii.com  pick-up tool invention.  It illuminates dark spaces with LED light and picks up screw drivers, nails, nuts, bolts & rings with a super-strong magnetic arm.


    MYRA & RALPH  ToWhomItMayChocolates.com
    Bonbons and truffles are hand-produced and packaged by The Art of Edibles Cannabis Collective , (registered and licensed California 501(c)(3) 
    PiesByDomonic.com gluten-free and vegan, little sugar
                                                                                                                                                         
    HealthyHempPet.com Biscuits for dogs. Ingredients: ground peas, ground chickpeas, sweet potato, green lipped mussel, tapioca, salmon oil, ascorbic acid, garlic and CBD rich-hemp oil—to help ease your dogs aches, pain, swelling and anxiety
    Nickelodeon TV Dog

Friday, July 15, 2016

19th Annual Labyrinth of Jared Masquerade Returns to LA - Aug.5 & 6th

By Karen Ostlund