Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Favorite Pic of the Day for May 23rd

Above:
Gano by JGH Photography
-See More Below

Happy Birthday today May 23rd

Above: Image from Bruce Weber.


I am sure most of you remember the classic image of birthday boy Eric Niew from the book Bear Pond above. Eric turns 42 today! Check out more of Eric HERE: My features on birthday boy Allan Kayser HERE: & more of today's birthday boys HERE:

Kudos to Stefon's Wedding!


Last week's swan song to one of Bill Hader's most successful characters Stefon was a well researched and hilarious final curtain.


In front a group of guests (including the Jewish Cupids below) all incarnations of the party goers Stefon has talked about in his New York hot spots segment, Stefon found himself torn between his groom to be Anderson Cooper, and long time flirtmance partner Seth Myers. So much fun, it was required re-watching to pick out so many of the characters Stefon has mentioned the last few years.



Jason Danieley: Over & Over


'The most exquisite tenor on Broadway'
The New York Times

Above: Jason as Enoch along with Jessie Mueller as Carrie in Carousel (2013)

Having spent more than few years in musical theatre myself, I know the sweat, work and rehearsal time required to get a show ready for an audience. When done right, the results have audiences wanting to repeat the experience over and over. Although I was not really that familiar with the music or story from Carousel. given it came from Rodgers & Hammerstein, I decided to DVR the Lincoln Center production that aired on PBS last month.


Watching the show did not have me love it. I am quite confident I will, but I think it is a show, a score, that requires multiple viewings, and listening, to truly appreciate. What I did fall in love with instantly, was actor and singer Jason Danieley who portrays Enoch Snow in the production. Jason had my attention from the second he swaggered on stage with that body, that hair and a twinkle in his eye. I was hooked, once he started to sing, it was done. Although I have not watched the show again, I have watched, and listened to Jason singing, When the Children Are Asleep over and over and over. Listening to Jason's sweet tenor voice is like having a soothing musical massage, it drains my stress almost instantly and takes me to a safe and beautiful place. Although it doesn't always last, I can go back anytime to get my fix.


Jason has been a fixture on stages, off and on Broadway for over two decades. After studying classical voice training at the University of Missouri and Southern Illinois University, Danieley left without graduating and at the age of 25 and made his Broadway debut in the Harold Prince-directed revival of Candide. Roles on and off Broadway followed and after researching Danieley's career is is hard to find a musical of note he was not apart of on stage or in concert. Married to actress Marin Mazzie, husband and wife appeared as husband and wife together on Broadway in 2010 in one of my favorite shows. (and soundtracks) Next To Normal.

Below:
Jason honored with a caricature at Sardi's, November 5, 2010

I had thought after watching Carousel that I was being introduced to Jason for the first time. In doing my research however, one of the links actually took me to my own blog. One of Jason's early Broadway roles was in the original cast of The Full Monty and back in 2008, I did a small piece on Patrick Wilson which featured images of Patrick, and Jason from the show. Although since this is FH, I included some below, but you can also check out the 2008 post HERE: which also includes the video for the shows Tony Performance.

Jason Danieley and The Frontier Heroes is an eclectic Back-porch Americana band based in New York City.

New York City? Sure, and what’s more eclectic than seven musicians of various backgrounds playing a musical Jambalaya that encompasses Blues, Country, Folk, Jazz, Standards, Old Time and even some Broadway.

Curtains (Mar 22, 2007 - Jun 29, 2008)


110 In The Shade (Pasadena Playhouse Production, 2004)



Next To Normal (Apr 15, 2009 - Jan 16, 2011)

The Full Monty
(Original Cast: Oct 26, 2000 - Sep 01, 2002)




Able Bodied: Gano by JGH Photography


Make-up, costumes, accessories and gimmicks. Color, props and backdrops. A little magic, camera tricks, editing and photoshop. All of these options are available to photographers today and are often Incorporated into their work to create memorable imagery.


Sometimes it seems the actual human body being photographed, is so covered with distractions it can be hard to actually see. Every once in awhile though, you see a shot or an image that reminds you of the original purpose of shooting the male form. What reason is there really to capture a male body except to admire, appreciate, and most of all enjoy every inch of it within the final capture? John, from JGH Photography and his work with Gano, reminded me of that.


With a minimal set, props, lighting and shadow, John captures every inch, every curve of Gano's naked body. Beginning with his incredible eyes and face, down his neck, shoulders and back. His chest, nipples, stomach, and the sides of his torso. The curves of his round buttocks, his legs, feet and toes.


In John's images, each body part is equal, all beautifully deserving of attention. When I first profiled John's work last year, he shared that he had always been fascinated by the nude figure for as long as he could remember. 'I’ve always loved drawings more than paintings and as a kid I used to trace DaVinci’s and Michelangelo’s sketches with my finger in a big art book my parents had.'


John's fascination has turned into a passion to honor the nude figure within his work. In this series with Gano, and I found myself thinking how the curves of Gano's body are so skillfully photographed, so clean and well defined that they could, much like DaVinci and Michelangelo's work, act as inspiration for young artists to trace and emulate.


'Gano is younger than most of the models I shoot. His modeling experience has mainly been in fashion, and I was pleased that he was interested in posing nude. I love working with models who have little to no experience in figure work. It allows me to focus on what makes them unique, and I try to bring that out during the session. With Gano it was his gaze. It's confident and innocent at the same time.'


'I typically ask models NOT to look at the camera; to do so implies a relationship between the viewer and the model that I usually want to avoid. With Gano it was the opposite. I wanted to capture that gaze, that confidence, and of course that beautiful body.'
John from JGH Photography

JGH Photography