Art Attack!: Dadadreams UPDATE

I just wanted to share with all of you this nice token of Michelle Lanter's (aka Dadadreams) appreciation that I recently received. She sent it as a "Thank you" for an earlier post I did exclusively featuring her and several examples of her unique body of collage artwork.

I'm pretty sure the collage piece is simply titled, 'Elephant Girl'. I totally adore her, and she's a great addition to the growing circus family around here!

What do you think? Pretty cute, huh?!

Thanks, again, Michelle! You're a cut ('n' paste) above the rest!

Coming Attraction: NEW Annie Lennox album, 'A Christmas Cornucopia'

This November 22nd, 2010, Annie Lennox will be releasing her first Christmas album titled, 'A Christmas Cornucopia'. The album features Ms. Lennox's unique and personal interpretations of some of her favorite Christmas carols as well as a completely new, original composition entitled, 'Universal Child'.


Here's what Ms. Lennox had to say, regarding the album:

“I’m absolutely delighted to be working with Island Records on my upcoming recording,” stated Ms. Lennox. “This album is something I’ve wanted to do for many years. It’s a true labour of love, and I feel very fortunate to be in partnership with such a cutting edge team, especially when I’m at a stage in my creativity when I want to diversify, and pursue my passion in my own individual way. I’ve never been part of a “mold,” and Island are really supportive and appreciative of where I’m coming from. I want to make timeless music that people will love in many years to come...and I’d like to think that 'A Christmas Cornucopia' is going to be of those recordings.”

I don't know about you, but this is very exciting to me! After all, this takes both Annie and Christmastime, two of my favorite things, and rolls them into one! What's not to love about that?? I've long imagined the awesome possibilities for such a winning combination. Now, I'll finally get to see and hear it come true! This is very good news. Very good news, indeed!


~ Image and info via official Annie Lennox facebook page ~

Freak Show Friday: Fashion Faux Pas (EXTRA) SPECIAL!

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls... It's BACK by popular demand... I give you the ONE and ONLY original Freak Show Friday: Fashion Faux Pas SPECIAL! But, of course, this time it's a whole NEW mix of freaky-deaky fashion don'ts for you to enjoy... Have fun!







Megan Fox

This 2-dimensional, 1-trick
pony is gettin' old, people.
You can only rock the whore
act and look for so long before
it starts rotting.
Oh, her outfit? Yuck.







James Lipton

For the famous host of 'Inside
The Actors Studio' to walk a
Hollywood carpet event dressed
for an African safari really is
quite surprising!







Ke$ha

Look! Here's our pungent li'l
darling of the air waves, again!
But just WHAT is that she's
got stuck in her teeth? Is it a
bit of broccoli, or a bean skin?
The poor dear... Someone
ought to tell her. And while
they're at it, they should let
Ke$h know that $he left her
$hopping cart double-parked
in a 'No Parking Zone'!







Michael Jordan

Does he have a starring role in
the upcoming 'Smurfs' movie
that no one told me about?
Brotha Smurf, perhaps?







Paris Hilton

Eww!
Just... Eww!







Alicia "Lecy" Goranson

Hey, look! It's Becky Conner
from the 'Roseanne' show,
everybody! And, boy, did she
go all out for this, or what?
I think what must've really
happened was Alicia literally
rolled out of bed and just
kept on rolling down the road
to this event!




There you have it, folks. Just another short & sweet parade of bad celebrity fashions and the criminals who keep getting away with wearing them! Hope you enjoyed it.

Have an awesome weekend, everyone! F.Y.I.: Somebody we all know and love is having a significant birthday party on Sunday... I promise a post w/pics and details is sure to follow, soon!


~ All photos via Google Images ~

The Worst Album Covers Ever!: Rope Jumping for Boys and Men

Artist ~ Charles Roy Schroeder, Ph.D.

Title ~ Rope Jumping for Boys and Men

In 1970s United States there was an entire

industry of 'gym class' records to be played

during the school exercise period. Most of

them seemed aimed more towards keeping

a class full of restless kids busy for an hour

than at promoting healthy exercise.

This is just odd. I can't help wondering what could've made this rope jumping record so special and exclusive to boys and men only? And what must occur when, say, a girl or woman happens to overhear a bit of the recording by accident? Does her head explode, or something?

~Image and info taken from the book, 'The Worst Album Covers Ever!' by Nick DiFonzo. Published by Barnes & Noble, Inc.~

Freak Show Friday: Fashion Faux Pas SPECIAL!

Come one, come all, ladies and gentlemen! The time is nigh, once again, for freaky fun. Only, this time we have filthy displays of freakishly shameful fashion on offer for your ridicule and amusement! Shall we begin?






Johnny Weir(d)

Okay, what is with that hair?!
It looks like a tiny friend of
Johnny's might just pop out
of it, as if it were one of those
BIG, cheesy birthday cakes...
"Thurpriiithe!"

Lady outfit + lady shoes = Go home.







Snooki

I don't even know where to begin
with this troll! Did I just type that
outloud? Oops. But, seriously, look
at what is happening all over this
bloppy excuse for a reality "star".
And WHO, I wonder, told our darling
Snooks that her sausage legs looked
good squeezed into those atrocious,
mismatched* knee-highs?

*I know that it's "a look", but on her, I'd
rather not!







Ke$ha

"Woo-hoo! I'm so fun and fancy
free! I do whatever I want, wear
whatever I want... I don't even
take a shower unless I'm feelin'
it, y'know?"

Um, yeah, we know. We can smell
you from here.







A.J. McLean

Help me out, here...
Is that really the aging former
Backstreet Boy, or is it just
Strawberry Shortcake on a
REALLY BAD day? The adorable
stockings are throwing me off.







Rihanna

Now, she MUST have been
auditioning for the clown act,
here, at Pop Circus, right?
All she would've needed was
a little bit of face paint and a
big red nose!




That's all for now, folks. "Short and sweet, in and out... Leave em' wantin' more!" Somebody said that at some point, somewhere. Don't ask me who, though. See, that's how I leave you wanting more. Good, eh?

Have a terrific weekend, everyone! I'm sure you all deserve it!


~ All photos via Google Images ~

Introducing, Esther... Our NEW circus dog extraordinaire!

Meet Esther, everyone!

She's a 2-year-old Chihuahua mix that Tommy and I recently rescued from the county animal shelter, and the latest addition to our circus family. Since we lost our beloved 14-year-old Mr. Scoots back in February of this year (R.I.P.), we're VERY happy to, once again, have a little animal friend roaming around the house (and fairgrounds).

Aren't those BIG ears great?! Maybe we'll find out she can fly, just like Dumbo! Or, maybe, we'll soon discover that all she can really do is receive satellite radio with those dishes. Even if Esther has no special talents to speak of, we'll love her regardless. Besides, we already do... BIG TIME!

Art Attack!: Acclaimed artist/writer, genius... Graham Rawle

Graham Rawle is such a neat guy... I know, because I've met him! And right before I got to meet him and request to have a quick snapshot taken (about which he was very gracious, btw), I attended a presentation Graham gave discussing his latest work, 'The Wizard of Oz'. The text of the book is actually L. Frank Baum's original story, but all of the imagery is 100% classic Rawle.

Here, take a gander...






This beautiful book cover only hints at
the visual delights that await you, inside!







It looks like Toto is about to be a bite-sized
snack for the Cowardly Lion, here. But we
all know that's not the case, not with his
BFF, Dorothy, around. Besides, even if
Dorothy wasn't nearby, that little dog could
"Toto"-lly kick Lion's ass all by himself!







Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily...
Oz is but a dream.

(Or, IS it?)







Here, we see a scene with a completely
different take, Rawle's take, on the
Wicked Witch o' the West's flying monkeys.

(I really dig Graham's sense of humor!)







And speak of the devil, here's
the WWoW, now! Weird as
she looks (and despite how we
expect her to appear because of
the MGM classic movie), my
understanding is that this is
actually much truer to how
she's described in Baum's
original book.





That was but a Whitman's Sampler, if you will. The rest of it is just as yummy for your eyes! So if I've piqued your interest, go ahead and pick up a copy of 'The Wizard of Oz', illustrated by Graham Rawle. You won't be disappointed.

Another creation of his, that I absolutely dig with a passion, is his book, 'Woman's World'. He both wrote and illustrated it, however, most of the "illustration" inside of the book is actually all cut 'n' pasted text and embellishments from old women's magazines of the 1940s. If you can believe it, Graham spent 5 years working on this book, and most of that time was spent cutting, collecting, organizing, pasting and basically assembling every word of the story... one by one. Hearing Graham talk about the process in his presentation was absolutely fascinating. I mean, the organizational system, alone, which he devised for the project was so impressive (if not a bit confusing) you could tell that this guy isn't just arty; he's also a smarty. I guess one could say he's an "arty-smarty"! Well, I will anyway...

Check out some of the stuff I'm talking about, below...







This is the cover for the
hardback edition.

(The one that I have.)







And this, here, is the wonderful
paperback/graphic novel edition.

(I want it, too! That cover appeals
to all of my kitsch-y sensibilities!)







This is just a glimpse into the madness...
Graham spent an average of 17 hours a
day, 7 days a week for 5 years sitting here
clipping 'n' pasting. Altogether, a total
of 40,000 fragments of text from vintage
women's magazines was assembled to
tell this unique and strangely charming
tale.









And, here, you can see the fruits of
his obsessive, slave-type labor.
You might suspect that it would be
hard to read, but it isn't! In fact,
Graham worked at figuring out just
the right formula, or words-to-page
ratio, that would be easiest for a
reader to tolerate. And it works!





As for the story to this intricately composed novel, let me share with you what the dust jacket says. It gives away just enough to set the scene and pull you in...


"Norma Fontaine lives in a world of handy tips and sensible advice. Whether it's choosing the right girdle or honing her feminine allure, she measures life by the standards set in women's magazines. But Norma discovers that the real world is less delightful-and more sinister-than the one portrayed in the glossies. When dark secrets threaten her brother's blossoming romance, Norma must decide whether to sacrifice life in a woman's world for the sake of her brother's happiness. As her decision is slowly revealed, readers realize that, like life in the magazines, Norma isn't quite what she seems."


Intrigued? Good.
Now, go find a copy and read it!
I think you'll be glad you did.







Look! It's Graham with
little ol' me! Like we're
"buds", or something.

(Yeah, right... I was lucky
he agreed to stand next
to me for the photo.)





I don't want to go on FOREVER (and believe me, I could), so I'll cut this one kinda short. I didn't even get to talk about Rawle's 'Diary of an Amateur Photographer' (one of my top faves), or his long-running 'Lost Consonants' series. Oh, well. I guess I'll cover those in a follow-up edition... Really, this man's work is quite prolific, plus everything he does is smart, clever, and funny! I just can't seem to say enough good things about the guy.

I know, how's this sound?
Graham Rawle... ARTISTIC GENIUS!

Yep, that about covers it.



~All pics via Google Images, except last personal photo of Anthony w/Graham, courtesy of Tommy Kovac.~