By now, a good number of you regular theater goers probably checked out Nicolas Winding Refn's Drive, which sped into theaters last weekend. One of the elements of the film that cannot be ignored is Ryan Gosling's white quilted sateen racing jacket, emblazoned with a giant scorpion patch on the back (more on the careful choosing of and inspiration behind Gosling's character's jacket in my recent interview with Refn).
Having always been a fan of both film and fashion, I thought it fitting to take a look back at the coolest jackets in cinematic history. Whether the clothes make the man or the man makes the clothes, the jacket is the essential piece of cool for any iconic character.
Try them on after the jump.
Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) and his brown leather adventurer jacket from Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
This is the cinematic jacket. It is the Holy Grail when it comes to film fashion. If ever a character was known by his iconic pieces of clothing, it's Indiana Jones. The fedora. The boots. The bag. The shirt. And of course the jacket.
Other than just being eternally cool with its brown leather bomber style, Indy's jacket serves as an external, visual reminder of just what the teacher by day/adventure-seeking archaeologist by any other day has been through on his quest to find the secret treasures of the Earth. Rough and weathered. Beaten, bruised and worn in. Nicked, scratched and scarred just as Indy, a man's man, is. But the jacket, also like Indy, is always ready to keep on absorbing the abuse, looking cooler and cooler as time and wear conditions it. But, most importantly, it never looks as if it belongs in a museum.
Kind of crazy when you think about the fact that not only did Harrison Ford play not one but three iconic fanboy characters (Indiana Jones, Han Solo, and Rick Deckard) and that each character had their own iconic jacket.
Peter Botwright, Wested's original tailor of the Indy jacket commissioned by Spielberg for Raiders, is still producing authentic replicas of the jacket in standard sizes and even made-to-order custom tailored ones, which come complete with a Certificate of Authenticity. Botwright even offers the rest of Indy's outfit, including the trousers, the shirt and the belt. Punching sound effects not included.
Where to get a good reproduction: There are number of places that make their own version of the Indy jacket though screen accuracy is always a big determining factor that separates the costumes from the clothing so to speak. If you don't want to pay the equivalent of a few golden idols, then Todd's Costumes is your best bet.
The Rocketeer (Billy Campbell) and his tan leather aviator jacket from The Rocketeer
Another leather jacket inspired by fashion from the aviation days of the '30s and '40s in another film inspired by serials of the same period (Disney actually planned The Rocketeer as a trilogy hoping it would take off after the success of Raiders but unfortunately it ran out of gas at the box office). Flyboy Cliff Secord already had the aviator ensemble ... all he needed was a retro-futuristic jet pack created by Howard Hughes and a helmet that resembled a hood ornament to bring out the hero in him. Yet, he wouldn't have looked as cool jetting around saving the world from Nazis without that camel-colored jacket!
Original maker: Unknown
Where to get a good reproduction: Only a few companies offer reproductions of The Rocketeer's jacket, ranging in price all the way up to $700, but the cheapest is coincidentally Wested Leather Co. - maker of the original Raiders jacket. Their jacket is made using original patterns from the actual film jacket and will run you about $352.
Johnny Strabler (Marlon Brando) and his black leather motorcycle jacket from The Wild One
If we're talking leather jackets and film, it doesn't get any more eternally cool than Johnny Strabler's black leather motorcycle jacket from The Wild One. You see this style of jacket on bikers, ruffians, punks and rebels everywhere but it was Brando who first made it iconic. The Wild One jacket (officially known as the "Perfecto") has been seen on the likes of James Dean, Bruce Springsteen and just about every other icon of Americana cool.
Original maker:Schott, NYC., the first company to put zippers on jackets!
Where to get a good reproduction: Don't settle for a reproduction! Get the real deal from Schott, who offers the jacket for $540 bucks (along with plenty of other cool leather moto jackets like the red, white and blue racing striped Easy Rider jacket). If you don't want to drop that much, you can probably find a close enough style at any respectable vintage shop or motorcycle outfitter. Just remember, no amount of money can buy cool. You've got to wear it!
Jim Stark (James Dean) and his red Baracuta-style jacket from Rebel Without A Cause
Speaking of Jimmy Dean, the rebel without a cause made a jacket of his own iconic in the second of only three films he starred before suddenly and tragically dying in an automobile accident. Dean's on-screen presence as Jim Stark was as fiery and eye-catching as his signature red wind breaker, which instantly became as recognizable as Dean himself.
Original maker: The original maker of the Rebel jacket is still unknown, despite many enthusiasts efforts to discover its origin. Many believe it was not made by Baracuta but was in fact a McGregor Anti-freeze style, popular in the '50s, custom made by the film's costume designer, Moss Mabry. However, director Nicholas Ray claimed he took it off a Red Cross worker and another account claims that it was simply bought at a department store. So, it seems the famous red Rebel jacket is as mysterious as the man who made it famous.
Where to get a good reproduction: Being that the jacket is so recognizable (come on, even people who have never even seen Rebel Without A Cause are familiar with that jacket), you can find various versions all over the place, both screen accurate replicas with all the buttons, flaps, and zippers in the right place or off-the-rack jackets inspired by Dean's. This American Apparel nylon taffeta wind breaker is a good start. A Google search for red Baracuta jacket will get you going in the right direction if you're looking for something a little more authentic. There are even times when you can even find original vintage McGregor Anti-freeze jacket on eBay but they are rarely in red and are typically more expensive.
The Joker (Heath Ledger) and his purple long coat from The Dark Knight
Like James Dean, Heath Ledger was an actor taken well before his time. Fortunately, he left us with an eclectic filmography filled with memorable performances. No performance of Ledger's, however, is more memorable than his last: Batman's arch nemesis The Joker in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight.
What made The Joker's clothing, specifically his signature purple long coat, so memorable is the true style it had. So opposing yet so complimentary to his personality. A character that represented total anarchy in its truest and purest form, that cared about nothing more than watching the world burn just to see what happened, was actually quite the snappy dresser! Not exactly what you'd expect from this guy, right? Exactly. The Joker's custom clothing (that was made referenced more than a few times in the film) only added to the dynamic contrasts of the character.
Original maker: The Joker's clothing was in fact custom made by the film's costume designer, Lindy Hemming. Man, was she ever born for that profession with that last name. [Editor's note: Rimshot! He's here every week! Try the lamb!] Where to get a good reproduction: Don't settle for the lousy Halloween costume version on this one! Magnoli Clothiers -- the leading tailors in film costume reproduction -- offers the entire Joker ensemble, including his violet-colored long coat.
Lloyd Dobler (John Cusack) and his '80s tan trench coat from Say Anything
Another cool long coat worn on screen, yet this time it was by a Mr. Nice Guy. Lloyd Dobler had a thing for Diane Court to the point that, when he gave her his heart and she gave him a pen, he stood outside her window blaring "In Your Eyes." Eat your heart out, Romeo! But aside from Peter Gabriel's ballad blaring for a boom box held high, what makes this titular '80s scene so totally rad is, yep you guessed it, Lloyd's trenchcoat.
Original maker: Who knows? Say Anything isn't exactly up there on the list of cinematic jackets so not too much detective work has been done on this one ... outside of my own that is for when I went as Lloyd for Halloween one year. Talk about commitment; your arms get tired holding that boom box all night! Where to get a good reproduction: Your local Goodwill. Actually, that's probably where Lloyd would get his anyway.
Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) and his reddish-orange puffy down vest and denim jacket from Back to the Future
Speaking of quintessential '80s movies, no list about jackets or '80s flicks in general would be complete without Back to the Future and Marty McFly's bitchin' threads. Sure, his vest may have not had arms -- which is generally what qualifies something as a jacket -- but, as a subject of multiple classic jokes in the film (For one, "Hey kid, what'd you do, jump ship?") and an iconic piece of film clothing in general, it deserves its spot on this list! Not to mention the fact that the denim jacket McFly sports underneath his vest is a sought after piece of cinematic clothing in itself.
Made by Guess by Marciano, the denim jacket was actually a rare run almost impossible to find nowadays that many BTTF enthusiasts have begged and pleaded the fashion label to rerelease. Hey, Nike did it with the Air Mags and we saw the media frenzy that caused.
Original maker: Of the vest, no one knows. The two-tone gray and blue denim jacket was made by Guess by Marciano.
Where to get a good reproduction: For the vest, you should be able to find a good red puffy down vest at just about any department or sporting goods store as the temperatures get colder. But if you want one that is the right shade of redish-orange and has buttons instead of a zipper like McFly's, then eBay is probably you're best best. For the denim jacket, well, as we said it's extremely rare. But Magnoli Clothiers -- we told you they were the leading tailors in film costume reproduction -- make the most accurate reproduction out there, complete with the jacket's unique lining.
Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) and his red blazer/red leather racing jacket from Fight Club
Red. A color that keeps reappearing on this list. Jim Stark's red wind breaker. Marty McFly's red down vest. And of course, Tyler Durden's not one but two insanely cool red leather jackets. It takes a lot for a man to wear a red leather jacket, but if ever an actor or a character could pull it off, it was Brad Pitt's Tyler Durden. Then again, he wasn't real so he could wear whatever he wanted to ... and, well, as you'll recall, he did. But somehow, even though it all looked so thrown together and effortless, it still had such a well-dressed vibe. In this case, the man definitely made the clothes.
Original maker: Unknown. But Durden's red leather blazer was likely vintage as a lot of his clothing was. As for his red leather racing jacket, that was probably made by a more high end designer. Where to get a good reproduction: Both styles are all over the Internet. From expensive reproductions (like this one or this one) to cheaper pleather ones, they are not too hard to come by. Nowadays, being able to wear one and look and feel like Brad Pitt while you do it is a little more difficult to achieve.
So what about Drive's sateen scorpion-emblazoned racing jacket that inspired this whole thing...
Well, with the film being so fresh, no one has announced a reproduction yet. Refn himself told me that he has three hanging in his closet and, in a recent interview all about the jacket, the film's costume designer, Erin Benach said that 13 total were made. After all, The Driver's jacket does get a little dirty and blood-soaked as the film plays on...
According to Benach, the character's jacket was inspired by 1950s Korean souvenir jackets that Gosling himself actually wears (you know, the kind that were kind of baseball-style jackets and had patches of tigers and dragons all over them -- before Ed Hardy made that forever uncool).
The good news for all of us cinematic jacket enthusiasts out there is that Benach also hinted that the jacket may soon be available for purchase online. (For the rest of Gosling's get-up, check out these two recent articles on GQ & Dappered.com).
Where there is a famous film jacket, there is a group of people out there (myself included) who want to get their hands on it. For proof, look no further than filmjackets.com, a website wholly devoted to this quest.
I hope this list helps you to stay cool while you stay warm this fall, sporting one of your cinematic hero's outerwear.
Five competitors pile on a surfboard during Sunday's Surf Dog Surf-A-Thon in Del Mar, Calif. The event welcomed 4,000 spectators, 80 pooches, and raised more than $100,000 for orphaned animals. Canine surf competitions have recently grown in popularity, and a number are held in Southern California each year. Click through for a look at more pups hanging ten.
PHOTO: REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson
The perfect pitch
Since dogs like this California competitor don't have the ability to paddle into the oncoming wave like human surfers can, dog surfers need to be "pitched." That's when the dog's human helper pushes the board — with the dog sitting or standing on top — so it's moving at the same speed as the wave. The human then lets go and the dog is set free to ride its wave.
PHOTO: REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson
Wipeout
A pug is thrown off its board on Sunday. Depending on the timing of the pitch or the size of the wave, dogs may wipe out just like human surfers — which is why all dogs wear life jackets and are assisted by human lifeguards.
PHOTO: REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson
The old pro
Buddy, a 14-year-old Jack Russell Terrier, took home the honor of "top dog" Sunday, his fifth win in the competition's six years. Buddy is also the first member of the Surf Dog Hall of Fame. While Buddy is likely to retire after this competition, his owner said there was no doubt those last waves were "probably the best of Buddy's life."
PHOTO: Facebook/Helen Woodward Animal Center
Cannonball
A surfing bulldog tumbles off its board during Sunday's competition. The 80 dogs competing were divided among four weight classes.
PHOTO: REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson
One with the wave
One of Sunday's competitors sits behind a spray of water during his ride. A dog's low center of gravity and relatively low weight often give him stability in rough waves.
PHOTO: REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson
Helping hand
A labrador participates in a different Southern California surf competition last year. Humans are an important part of dog surfing. Getting the board out past the break point can be the most difficult part, because handlers have to keep the dog on the board through an onslaught of crashing waves.
PHOTO: CC BY: Port of San Diego
Big air
A small dog competing in the 2008 Surf Dog Surf-A-Thon wipes out while riding a wave. While humans attach themselves to their boards with a leash to the ankle, dogs are attached by their life vests. Surfboard companies now make softboards for dogs, which are preferable to fiberglass or wood because they prevent injury during canine wipeouts.
PHOTO: Mike Blake/CORBIS
Shake it, baby
A dog shakes off some sea water during the 2008 Surf Dog Surf-A-Thon. Not all dogs are natural swimmers, and some have to practice holding their breath. While beginners can't exactly tell their owners they don't want to surf, canines do have other ways of expressing their disinterest in the sport.
PHOTO: Mike Blake/CORBIS
The best reward
Australian Kelpie Abbie G gives her owner a little lick during a calm moment on the water. Abbie G is a longtime surfer who this year became the first Guinness World Record holder for the longest surf ride by a dog. The record-setting distance of 65 yards was measured using a GPS system duct-taped to the top of her wetsuit.
The latest infoporn from Hunch.com delves into the site's proprietary user data system to uncover the characteristics of people who can drive cars with a stick shift vs. those who can't.
The graphic, designed by Column Five Media, shows people who visit Hunch.com apparently know how to drive a stick shift more than the average American driver. Or at least they say they're able to drive a stick.
Either way, here's some of the results from the data about people who claim to be able to handle a stick:
• 69% more likely to have a graduate degree.
• 39% more likely to be married or in a long-term relationship.
• 19% more likely to be extroverts.
• 75% have changed a flat tire.
• 14% more likely to be optimists.
• 27% more likely to consider themselves close to nature.
• 22% more likely to hike, bike, or run at the park.
• They watch the Newshour with Jim Lehrer.
• They watch Face the Nation.
• They watch History Channel.
• They like George Carlin
• They read 1984.
• They read National Geographic.
• They like Trivial Pursuit.
So, if more people knew how to drive a stick, the world would be a better place. The numbers don't lie. Even if the respondents probably did.
See the rest of the data by clicking on the infoporn below:
From: http://clutch.mtv.com/
The world has a bit of a love/hate relationship with Germany, with most of the love occurring during Oktoberfest. For those not familiar, it's a festival that celebrates beer and cleavage, at least that's what we've gathered from the not-so-extensive research we've done. It's a time of year when everyone can find a reason to drink way too much beer, eat half their body weight in cured meats and wear lederhosen without fear of judgment. Find yourself a beer tent and clear your schedule for the next week or so, because you're going to spend it welcoming the fall by throwing up and falling in love.
Even this guy can make it happen during Oktoberfest.
Not sure how that Daisy Duke shirt fits the dress code, but whatever.
Hello, German warrior princess. Tara Reid may have lost her swagger in the States, but she may be pulling a Hasselhoff in Germany.
1993's Miss Germany, Verona Pooth, has a love affair with soft pretzels.
If you're not holding a mug full of beer at Oktoberfest, you have no reason to smile.
“There’s nothing to worry about,” a mental health professional explains in the latest trailer for The Human Centipede II as he attempts to comfort the mother of Martin, Tom Six’s latest deranged medical mastermind. Of course, there is always something to worry about when your protagonist is a squat sexual deviant who fantasizes about stitching 12 people together in the most nauseating fashion imaginable, and even more so when you know that audience members at last week’s premiere were so disgusted by the vile images before them that some vomited in the theater while others just passed out. So yes, you should worry, and if your stomach is strong enough, you should cautiously click through to watch the grossest movie trailer of all time.
It’s not exactly nauseating because of what is shown but because of what is implied via the images inside this 120 second Centipede sequel sneak peak. Blunt knives. An overweight loner (Laurence R. Harvey) who is bizarrely obsessed with Six’s first film The Human Centipede and determined to build his own 12-pede.
(The fact that he wears a lab coat while working as a parking garage attendant and lovingly fingers stills from the original film will not help his case in court.) A third party describing centipedes as phallic symbols. Dull knives, cleavers and a funnel. Bound and gagged future ‘pede members writhing in terror. Incision marks drawn in Sharpie. Screams.
Verdict: If you can barely make it through this two-minute promo without gagging (like me), you probably won’t be running to theaters on October 7 to see The Human Centipede II (Full Sequence) on opening day.
[via Yahoo!]
Monitor the baby, or make a celebrity-style sex tape. You decide. Photo credit Stem Innovation
Izon is a “remote room monitor” which beams video across the Internet and onto the screen of your iPad, iPhone or iPod. It might also be described by a more cynical person than myself as a kind of lifestyle spy camera.
The Izon is a white plastic stick which swivels on its dome-shaped magnetic base to be easily pointed at whatever you want to spy on. Then, when away from home or office, you can dial in via a companion app and enjoy a live stream of whatever is going on. You could check in on your baby whilst away on a trip, for example, or watch impotently from afar as burglars empty your house and smear their feces across its walls before they finally steal the Izon too, and its high-quality video stream blinks out.
Once connected to your home Wi-Fi network, the Izon’s stream can be viewed over Edge, 3G or Wi-Fi, and you can also tell it to keep an eye on a specific part of its field of view using a motion sensor. It can also listen for noises, and will send a push alert to your device when anything is detected.
Only you know whether you want or need such a thing, but if you do, then its nice to know there’s such a user-friendly option out there, and one which costs a reasonable $130. Just one thing: if you do buy one, be careful when you and your lady or gentleman get frisky in the same room: The Izon has a function which will automatically upload video to YouTube.
This story is so ridiculous and awesome I can't handle it. First off you have Brain Alexik, aka the Jason Bourne of Pot, casually escaping down a fire escape with large duffle bags just as the Feds bust down his door. His superhuman speed and agility left the cops dumbfounded, and when they search his house they find his stash of super badass weapons and stacks of counterfeit cash he's been throwing around for months. He doesn't get apprehended until 2 months later, and thats where the story should end. But this guy steps in the courtroom acting as HIS OWN LAWYER, gets all the charges thrown out and gets 5 years probation without breaking a sweat. Just a normal day for a super goverment engineered rouge stoner spy prototype. Next time someone try's to argue that pot users are dumb and lazy, send them Brain Alexik's luxurious penthouse loft to get thier ass kicked.
PS- I want to be this guy so fucking bad.
Brian Alexik, who acted as his own lawyer, entered his plea to two counts of possession for sale of a controlled substance and one count each of possession of concentrated cannabis, forgery and possession for sale of a controlled substance while armed, prosecutors said.The case began unfolding April 19, 2010, when Alexik's neighbors called firefighters after smelling fumes emanating from his penthouse in the 400 block of West Olympic Boulevard. Police broke down the door of the penthouse just as the man inside was escaping through a back window and down a fire escape carrying duffel bags.
The $3,400-a-month loft, which Alexik had leased by paying in cash a year in advance, contained sophisticated counterfeiting equipment as well as a cache of weapons, including an AK-47. Investigators also found stacks of counterfeit $100 bills totaling $15,000, a camera tripod, the formula for a Molotov cocktail written on a wall and a mosaic of the Central Intelligence Agency seal on the floor. Counterfeiting equipment and freshly printed $100 bills were found in his penthouse unit, which overlooked the U.S. Federal Reserve building on Grand Avenue, according to police.
There's a lot that the world can learn from the Muppets. I've always loved Jim Henson (evidence) and his muppet friends, since I was a child watching Muppet Babies and Muppet Show reruns. But the "messages" of the Muppets was never as clear to me then as it's been since moving to Los Angeles, home of The Jim Henson Company.
This weekend marked what would have been Jim Henson's 75th Birthday. To honor that I present:
WHAT YOUR FAVORITE MUPPET SAYS ABOUT YOU!*
Now obviously there are hundreds of Muppets out there. I'm going to focus on what I consider to be the key elements of the show's success. Specifically Muppets from the ORIGINAL TV series. My apologies if yours aren't represented and please make a case for them in the comments below. Now let's get started:
FOZZIE BEAR
I have a theory that even if he's not your favorite Muppet, everyone is a little bit Fozzie. Let's look at who Fozzie is as a Muppet. He's a stand-up comedian. But he's also not a very good comedian. Fozzie takes his criticism to heart, but it never stops him from going back on stage and doing it all over again. I've heard it frequently said by comedians that stand up is nothing more than trying to get strangers to like you. This is the world of Fozzie Bear. Fozzie just wants to be liked. Fozzie is a loyal friend, but at the end of the day he can always use more friends. Like I said, I think deep down, we're all a little bit like Fozzie Bear. However, if Fozzie Bear is YOUR favorite Muppet, it means you have a great heart, you're compassionate about your friendships and you just want to be loved.
THE GREAT GONZO
The Great Gonzo, much like Fozzie, is a performer who typically fails more than he succeeds. Gonzo is the definition of the misunderstood artist. While none of us will understand the art of "eating a tire" per say, every artist out there understands Gonzo. Fozzie Bear wants to reach the masses and be understood while Gonzo just needs to get his "art" out of him and then be understood. Gonzo is the hipster, the real hipster, not the one that's developed such a social back-lash over the past few years. In the Muppet Movie, Gonzo sings the song "I'm Going To Go Back There Someday". The song has become a favorite among the art crowd for its interesting look at life, belonging and friendships. With bizarre lyrics like "There's not a word yet, for old friends who just met" it's easy to see why it's so beloved. Who among us hasn't had a friendship like that, where meeting someone new feels like you've known each other your entire lives. If your favorite Muppet is Gonzo, you are probably an artist in the truest sense. You most likely adore the avant garde and want to be taken seriously for what you do regardless of how outrageous it may seem.
ROWLF THE DOG
Almost everyone I've ever met who loves Rowlf is a musician. So why Rowlf the Dog over say Dr. Teeth or Floyd Pepper? Well, the fact is that Rowlf is the original cool Muppet. Pre-dating most of the Muppets, Rowlf was a celebrity in the early 60's as the Jazzy pianist pooch. Musicians, while they enjoy the insane "let's crank it up to 11" attitude of Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem, relate to Rowlf the Dog's more laid back style. It's talent, but confident and not in your face talent. People who like Rowlf also tend to be relatively humble people. If Rowlf is your favorite muppet then you are a talented musician, but humble and laid back regardless. You just want to play music, and don't care if it's in a seedy bar or a packed arena, just so long as the songs have got bite.
ANIMAL
On the other side of the musical spectrum is Animal. Rowlf was a laidback humble musician with talent. Animal is a tornado of sounds. He rocks out and doesn't care if there are a million people listening or one... just as long as it's loud. If the most famous member of Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem is your favorite Muppet then you might be a punk rocker. You definitely don't care about how the world sees you, you just care that it does.
SAM THE EAGLE
Every single friend I've had who loves Sam the Eagle have all been Republicans. It's easy to take that statement as me politically bashing someone, but I'm not. If anything it's a compliment. I think Republicans tend to have a decent sense of humor about themselves (although it's the ones that don't who get the most attention). Most people find humor in how over the top Sam the Eagle is. As far as conservative political parody, Sam was the original Stephen Colbert. We all want a general level of "decency" and a "return to morals" but Sam the Eagle is legitimately disgusted by almost anything, declaring it "wrong", "un-American" and referring to others as simply "weirdos". Sam the Eagle is that bit of us who aspire to hold ourselves to a higher ideal than the rest, even when it's plain to everyone that we're usually falling a bit short.
STATLER AND WALDORF
Statler and Waldorf are probably the most beloved Muppet show characters. Sometimes simply referred to as "the old men in the balcony", they are the ultimate representation of the hecklers and critics in the world. They claim to hate everything about the Muppets but yet show up episode after episode. They are a statement on most of critical culture. I myself find myself bitching about horror movie remakes, yet I see every single one that comes out. If you watch the Muppet Show strictly for Staler and Waldorf's commentary then you need to stop reading this article and go get a job as a critic. But chances are you'd rather just sit on youtube, reddit or any other forum and throw insults at anyone that opens their mouth for even a second. There's a good chance Jonathan London's favorite Muppets are these two.
MISS PIGGY
Miss Piggy is the Diva of the Muppets. She's Elizabeth Taylor, Divine, Madonna and Lady Gaga all rolled in one. Every element of her life is based around Glamor or at least portraying the idea of glamor. I tend to find a lot of Actresses love Miss Piggy. This makes sense. While Piggy loves the spotlight, she's also a driven person. She has her goals in mind, whether it's being the star of the show or simply married to her Kermie. If anything gets in her way she transforms into a ball of karate chopping rage. While Piggy always needs to make an entrance, she also needs to find her Kermie. If you adore Piggy over all other muppets then you are a driven person, but you're still a bit of a Diva. You get what you want by any means necessary and when you enter a room, everybody knows it. Specifically if the room you're entering is the kitchen.
SCOOTER
If you're a fan of Scooter, there's a good chance you were in stage crew in high school. Perhaps now you work as a PA or a camera man and love it. Scooter is a behind the scenes guy and loves every second. Scooter doesn't want to be in the spotlight but he does like being involved. Scooter's like being part of the group, but never the leader. If Scooter is the muppet for you, then you dig being behind the scenes. You want to be part of the production, but definitely not the star of the show. You also may have a sister that you haven't heard from in decades.
KERMIT THE FROG
And here he is, the most recognized character of all the Muppets: Kermit T Frog, the host of the Muppet Show and the leader of this whole crazy gang. Kermit represents the most sane person in an insane world. He's never "completely" sane, but he's still got it together enough to manage the group. People who love Kermit typically are the "event planners". They're the writers and directors. They tend to be the glue that holds groups of friends together.
The Final Curtain
Every circle of friends I think tends to have all of these characteristics. The comedian, the artist, the moral one, the diva, the relaxed person, the critic and the leaders, it's even possible for one person to be multiple. Depending on who I'm hanging out with, I can be Kermit or Fozzie or Gonzo or even Statler and Waldorf.
Anyone who's read my blog for the last month knows that while I'm having fun living in Los Angeles, I want to eventually move back to Pennsylvania.
My laptop's wallpaper is a slideshow of photographs of my friends and I back in PA. It was while staring at my wallpaper that I got the inspiration to write this entry. People are always shocked and confused about my desire to return to a small town in PA instead of staying in Tinsel Town. They're equally confused by my lack of a desire to be a celebrity or even more than moderately famous. I wish I could explain it; but whenever I try to I can only quote Kermit the Frog near the end of The Muppet Movie:
I've got a dream too. But it's about singing and dancing and making people happy. That's the kind of dream that gets better the more people you share it with. And, well, I've found a whole bunch of friends who have the same dream. And, well, it kind of makes us like a family.
Back home, I have a family waiting for me. They're waiting to sing and dance and make people happy together. I can't wait to sing and dance with them again. It's not success that's important, it's who you've got to share it with.
So who is my favorite Muppet? I do want to be loved like Fozzie, but aren't we all a little bit of Fozzie? There are times where I feel misunderstood like Gonzo, but again, who doesn't? For me, I don't think it's shocking that my favorite Muppet is Kermit. And although it's not always easy being green, at least I've got a cast of characters I can call my own.
* - This blog entry, while I stand behind what it says about your favorite Muppet please remember it’s also written by a comedian (to use the term VERY loosely). Please don’t leave comments about how I was wrong with your favorite Muppet. It’s comedy, for god’s sake.
The clubhouse pool at Kukui`ula, a real-estate development on Kauai.
SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) — Ambling into the warm embrace of Kukui’ula’s clubhouse on Kauai’s pristine south shore is to catch a fleeting glimpse into how the other half lives. Or, more accurately, the other 0.1%.
But with the global economy in turmoil and real-estate wounds still festering across the country, there’s trouble in paradise.
“We broke ground on the club in 2008 and a month later, Lehman Brothers went down,” said Brent Herrington, Kukui’ula president.
“There was a moment there where it felt like the world was going to end,” he said. “But we came together as a partnership and decided to push ahead.”
Without a doubt, the expansive 1,000-acre development cutting a vast swath of land across Poipu is mesmerizing.
A golf course with sweeping ocean views, a world-class spa, a cascade of pools, a stunning $100-million clubhouse. The ice cubes even match the drink order. What the customer wants, the customer gets.
kukuiula.com
The clubhouse at Kukui’ula, an ocean-view golf course and residential real-estate development on Kauai, Hawaii.
The draw was compelling enough to attract New Orleans Saints quarterback and Super Bowl MVP Drew Brees to the club’s early membership ranks. His locker is prominently displayed inside the men’s locker room. The staff quips, “Would you like to use Mr. Brees’s bench?”
Then why does the resort feel like a vacant city-scape scene out of a zombie flick? While every corner of the property is equipped for a good time, there’s hardly anyone there to enjoy it. At least for now.
One sale in a year-and-a-half
“I’m still a big believer in the property, and the people that bought for their own use are very happy,” said Becky Supon, Pacific Ocean Properties real-estate agent and former saleswoman at Kukui’ula. “The ones looking to flip for profit, of course, aren’t happy.”
Supon said she currently has eight listings from clients trying to unload their property. One customer who bought during the initial sales phase for $1 million just sold his piece of land for about $550,000.
“It’s one of the most unique and beautiful developments in all of Hawaii,” Supon added. “But it’s just tough to market it right now and banks aren’t really loaning on second homes.”
It’s not that Alexander & Baldwin (NYSE:ALEX) , who first began zoning the project some 25 years ago, and partner DMB Associates, a renowned golf-community developer from Arizona, aren’t offering up a stellar product. They are. But the market for these kinds of things has been treacherous. All the palm trees and Lomi Lomi massages in the archipelago can’t change that.
“The most recent down cycle was one of the worst we’ve seen in Hawaii,” said Honolulu-based real-estate analyst Ricky Cassiday. “Sales have since recovered somewhat, and we are two years out from the bottom, but it is still anemic by historical standards.”
Recognizing the futility in pushing sales during times as ugly as the past few years, the developers behind Kukui’ula decided to circle the wagons and stop spending on marketing. Of course, while it appears to have been the right move, it also kept a lid on demand.
Only one piece of land has sold in the past year-and-a-half after 80 “founder” lots were sold in 2006 for a total of $110 million.
Eventually, the project plans to offer a series of price points. On the low end, condos will be available for under $1 million. On the high end, Herrington said he sees custom homes upwards of $20 million.
Cassiday points out that some of Kukui’ula’s best lots have yet to be marketed, which will come in handy when things pick up.
“They can pull the ace from the hole any time they want. And at this point, everyone else is dying off,” he said, referring to several other projects in the Islands that have stalled or been halted altogether.
“Kukui’ula has enough invested to be the last one standing, and that’s a good thing,” Cassiday said. “A&B and DMB have spent a ton of money here, but the value won’t go away — entitled land in a great place with high barriers to entry is good, especially long-term.”
Riding out the cycles
Currently, cottages are being rolled out in the $2-million-plus range along with home sites costing between $1 million to $3 million. Then there’s the monthly club dues of $1,000, a required part of any purchase.
With almost 90,000 acres, Alexander & Baldwin is one of Hawaii’s biggest landowners, and has been for more than a century. From its legacy sugar-cane business to its Matson Navigation shipping subsidiary, there’s much more to the company than real-estate development.
But that doesn’t minimize the importance of Kukui’ula in the grand scheme of things at A&B. The company has already laid out $225 million in cash for its part of the joint venture. To put that in perspective, A&B posted total revenue of $488.2 million in the most recent quarter, while profit dipped from a year ago to $18.7 million.
“Kukui’ula is a significant investment for A&B ... one that we believe will generate tremendous long-term value,” said Chris Benjamin, president of A&B Properties. “The market is recovering, and we have an irreplaceable asset that will perform extremely well in the years ahead as there is no comparable new project in Hawaii, and we do not believe there will a comparable project in the foreseeable future.”
Benjamin described Kukui’ula as a “long-life-cycle project,” comparing it to the company’s highly -successful Wailea resort in Maui, which was developed in the 1970s and 1980s.
“What’s important is being able to ride through the cycles,” he added. “The project has no debt, and A&B has the ability to sustain the project and benefit greatly in the up cycles.”
Herrington, an employee from the DMB side of the venture, has helped turn some of company’s other high-profile projects into winners, and is quick to point out the overall reception during a recent marketing push has been positive. Yet buyers haven’t responded with open checkbooks.
Why? The reasons are clear: It’s a hefty luxury expense during a relentless global downturn that has shown few signs of abating.
Not budging on pricing
Larry Leight, who sold his high-end Oliver Peoples sunglasses business to Luxottica Group’s (NYSE:LUX) Oakley subsidiary in 2006, owns a vacation home just down the road from Kukui’ula and has been wooed as a potential member. Watch video on Oliver Peoples.
Impressed as he is, Leight is having a difficult time justifying that kind of financial commitment right now.
“You just can’t find luxury at this level anywhere else, especially in a setting like this. Still, I don’t think we’ve seen the bottom in the market yet,” Leight said.
“The current economic condition makes it difficult to purchase such a luxury today, though interest rates and pricing are getting better,” he added. “It might take a while, but I think the project will be a big success.”
kukuiula.com
Kukui’ula real-estate development and community on Kauai, Hawaii.
Pricing, however, is one thing on which Herrington and the top brass plan to stand firm.
“We believe the market recovery is still two or three years out, and it could be even longer than that. Nobody anticipated a downturn as deep and sustained as this one, but we’re prepared to be here,” Herrington said. “We are not going to have a fire sale. This is the last grand-scale luxury development in Hawaii in our lifetime. Maybe forever.”
He preaches patience. And that seems to be just fine with those whose fortunes are linked to the project’s long-term success.
Mick McGuire, a former analyst at hedge fund giant Pershing Square, is a believer. He now runs the Marcato Capital Management fund, which holds 551,881 shares of A&B while Pershing owns some 3.5 million shares, according to a recent SEC filing.
It doesn’t hurt that Alexander & Baldwin’s stock has rallied 13% in the past year to outpace a volatile stock market. It’s easier to be patient when shareholders are complacent and believe in the project.
“It’s a wonderful property in one of the best and last remaining locations on one of the most beautiful Hawaiian islands and those unique characteristics translate into significant value,” McGuire said, adding that he sees “enormous development potential.”
For now, much is riding on that potential because the reality is still brutal.
From its first broadcast in 1976 to its 1981 finale, The Muppet Show was groundbreaking television. A syndicated variety show starring a troupe of puppets, it became more popular than anyone but its creator, Jim Henson, could have imagined. During its five seasons of inspired insanity, it was broadcast in more than 100 countries.
The wonderful children's show Sesame Street, also starring Henson's Muppets, had been broadcast since late 1969. For Henson, its success was a mixed blessing, as network executives began to see the Muppets strictly as children's entertainment.
The Muppet Show proved Henson's innovative puppets could appeal equally to children and adults. Its setting, Muppet Theater, allowed on-stage sketches and songs as well as backstage antics. Except for Kermit the Frog, a Sesame Street favorite, The Muppet Show featured an entirely new cast of Muppets: Fozzie Bear, the lovably inept comic and Kermit's second banana; Miss Piggy, a glamorous, Rubenesque starlet and Kermit's would-be love interest; Gonzo the Great, a buzzard-like creature with a chicken fetish; Rowlf, the imperturbable piano-playing dog; Statler and Waldorf, two geriatric hecklers; The Electric Mayhem, the ultra- cool house band; and Scooter, hired as Kermit's gofer because his uncle owned the theater. The show also featured countless other Muppets, from a 12-inch rat named Rizzo to a seven-foot monster named Sweetums.
But Kermit was undeniably the glue that held these lunatics together. As producer/host of Muppet Theater, Kermit had the considerable task of keeping guests and Muppets happy, fending off Miss Piggy's advances, bolstering Fozzie's confidence after another joke falls flat, and tolerating Gonzo's bizarre stunts. As performed by Henson Kermit is the lone sane creature in the asylum, the viewers' bridge to world of The Muppet Show, a small, green Everyman (Everyfrog) just trying to do his job in the midst of gleeful craziness.
The partnership between Henson and Frank Oz produced such puppet pairs as Miss Piggy and Kermit, Sesame Street's Ernie and Bert, and Kermit and Fozzie Bear. The two also teamed up for the Swedish Chef, a Muppet with Henson's voice and Oz's hands, with hilarious results. Oz's nasal boom was a perfect counterpoint to Henson's gentle voice, and the two performers complemented each other well. Other Muppet Show puppeteers include Richard Hunt (Sweetums, Scooter, Statler, Beaker), Dave Goelz (Gonzo, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew), Jerry Nelson (Floyd Pepper, Lew Zealand) and Steve Whitmire (Rizzo the Rat).
Both backstage and on-stage, lunacy ruled at Muppet Theater. Memorable sketches included pig Vikings pillaging towns while singing the Village People's In the Navy; one creature devouring another while singing I've Got You Under My Skin; and the great ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev in a pas de deux with a human-sized lady pig.
Often, the guest stars were the perfect catalyst for Muppet nuttiness. The frequently star-struck Miss Piggy swoons at guest Christopher Reeve's every move; in another episode, she locks Kermit in a trunk because guest Linda Ronstadt showed too much interest in the little green host. Guest Gene Kelly thought he had been invited just to watch the show; he stays backstage chatting with the rats until Kermit finally convinces him to do Singing in the Rain on a near-perfect replica of the film's street set. Victor Borge and Rowlf the Dog play a piano duet. Diva Beverly Sills gives Gonzo a lesson in the fine art of balancing a spoon on one's nose.
During the first season, writes Christopher Finch in his book Jim Henson: The Works, guest stars were mostly personal friends of Henson or his manager, Bernie Brillstein. But by the third season, popular performers were practically lining up to appear with the beloved puppets. The Muppet Show's guest roster reads like a "Who's Who" of late-1970s performers, most notably Roger Moore, John Cleese, Harry Belafonte, Dizzy Gillespie, Lynn Redgrave, Diana Ross, Alice Cooper, Julie Andrews, George Burns, Joel Grey, Steve Martin, Ruth Buzzi, both Candice and Edgar Bergen.
The Muppets' TV history starts long before Sesame Street. From 1955 to 1961, Henson's Sam and Friends, a five-minute live show, aired twice nightly on WRC-TV, Washington, D.C. Sam and Friends afforded Kermit's debut; it also featured several Muppets that didn't make the cut for The Muppet Show. In 1961 the Muppets began making regular guest appearances on NBC's Today. The following year, Rowlf made his debut in a Purina dog food commercial; in 1963, the affable canine began regular appearances on The Jimmy Dean Show. The Muppets also made regular appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show from 1966 to 1971. In 1975, the year Henson formed an agreement with Lord Lew Grade to produce 24 episodes of The Muppet Show, he also created an entirely new set of Muppets who were featured on Saturday Night Live in its first season.
During The Muppet Show's heyday in 1979, The Muppet Movie was released in the United States, beginning the Muppets' transition from TV to film. Three more movies featured The Muppet Show cast: The Great Muppet Caper, The Muppets Take Manhattan and The Muppets' Christmas Carol. A fourth, The Muppets' Treasure Island, was released in February, 1996. Henson also produced several other TV shows featuring the Muppets after The Muppet Show ended: Fraggle Rock, focusing on an underground community of fun-loving Fraggles, hardworking Doozers and odious Gorgs; The Storyteller, which aired only in England; Muppet Babies, a children's cartoon featuring baby versions of The Muppet Show's cast; and several other short- lived productions.
On 16 May 1990, Jim Henson died suddenly after a short illness. He was 54. Jim Henson Productions is a family business, however, and son Brian Henson was named president soon afterward. He directed The Muppets' Christmas Carol, the first Muppet film made after Henson's death, with Whitmire performing Kermit. In the fall of 1995, 14 years after Henson ended The Muppet Show to move into films, Brian Henson's The New Muppet Show will begin airing on ABC. With thirteen episodes ordered, the show will be set in a fictitious TV station and will feature the same mix of guest stars, music and backstage silliness. Kermit, Gonzo, Animal and other favorites will be included; but Oz's characters, including Miss Piggy and Fozzie, were expected to have reduced roles, as Oz has established a career as a film director.
-Julie Prince
PUPPETEERS
Jim Henson
Frank Oz
Richard Hunt
Dave Goelz
Jerry Nelson
Erin Ozker (1976-1977)
Louise Gold (1979-1981)
Kathryn Muller (1980-1981)
Steve Whitmire (1980-1981)
THE MUPPET CHARACTERS
Kermit the Frog (Henson)
Miss Piggy (Oz)
Zoot (Goelz)
Fozzie Bear (Oz)
Gonzo (Goelz)
Sweetums (Hunt)
Sam the Eagle (Oz)
The Swedish Chef (Henson & Oz)
Dr. Teeth (Henson) & the Electric MayhEm
Floyd (Nelson)
Animal (Oz)
Capt. Link Heartthrob (Henson)
Dr. Strangepork (Nelson)
Wayne & Wanda (1976-1977)
Rowlf (Henson)
Dr. Bunsen Honeydew (Goelz)
Statler & Waldorf (Hunt & Henson)
Scooter (Hunt)
Beauregard (Goelz) (1980-1981)
Pops (Nelson) (1980-1981)
Lew Zealand (Nelson) (1980-1981)
Janice (Hunt)
Rizzo the Rat (Whitmire) (1980-1981)
MUSICAL DIRECTOR
Jack Parnell
PRODUCERS Jim Henson, Jon Stone, Jack Burns
FURTHER READING
Culhane, John. "Unforgettable Jim Henson." Reader's Digest (Pleasantville, New York), November 1990.
Finch, Christopher. Of Muppets & Men: The Making of The Muppet Show. New York: Alfred A. Knopf: 1981.
_______________. Jim Henson: The Works: The Art, the Magic, the Imagination. New York: Random House, 1993.
Henson, Jim. The Sesame Street Dictionary: Featuring Jim Henson's Sesame Street Muppets. New York: Random House, 1980.
"Jim Henson: Miss Piggy Went to Market and $150 Million Came Home (interview)." American Film (Washington, D.C.), November 1989.
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All you art collectors out there. Here is a chance to get a Giclee copy of some of Ian M Sherwin work. Ian is planning on doing a whole series of Marblehead, Massachusetts paintings. His work is amazing.
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