Favorite Pic of the Day for September 20th

Above:
Back by Patrick R.
-Check out more of Patrick's work below-

No birthday post today but you can check out my previous birthday posts for today for Brian Joubert, Gary Cole, André Bankoff, Feliciano Lopez & More!

Have You....

Above: Vince Azzopardi by Dylan Rosser

Have you checked out the current issure of tMf???

As features editor for the online mag would love to get your feedback.

Dylan Rosser, Vince Azzopardi, Ev Dylan, Wilfried Knight, Thomas Synnamon, David Arnot, Marcus Mok, Ricardo Muniz, Howard Roffman and much more! You can check out the tMf site for a free preview.

The seX Factor

With all my pre EMMY posts you would have thought I would be front and centre last night in front of the tube. Best laid plans... Life got in the way and I did not get home until about hour before the end of the show. Cue DVR (one of our better inventions). I watched about half last night and the rest of it and a few minutes of the pre show this morning.



I usually don't watch any of the pre-show but something (one) caught my eye. No it was not the sea of red, not it was not Paltrow's see through costume. What caught my eye was Steven Jones who was doing some of the interviews for Fox. Who is Steve Jones? Like Clay Aiken, Paula Abdul's career resurgence and William Hung, we have Simon Cowell to thank. Jones is following Cowell's The X Factor from London to American as the host of the version premiering on Fox this Wednesday. Like most, I have had my fill of tv singing comps but with addition of Steve Jones it might be worth checking out!





Many of you have seen the video and caps (Thanks Casperfan!) But Steve truly has one amazing backside!

Steve Jones on T4
Uploaded by Lordadrian

A Little Lynch...

Above: The hostess with the mostess Jane Lynch

Let me start by saying like most of you I LOVE LOVE LOVE Jane Lynch. I loved her long before Glee hit the airwaves. Although not a star, Lynch has been working steadily on television and movies for years. There is a reason however that up until Glee Lynch has been the go to girl to come into a scene, hit it out of the park then quickly disappear. A little Lynch goes a long way. Even as Sue Sylvester the producers chose thankfully have the odd 'Sueless' episode. Lynch, and Sue have the type of comedy that hits hard, fast and funny. But...overtime can become tiring. When it was first announced (seems like years ago) that Lynch was hosting this year I was excited. But...by the time September 18th came around, Lynch had hit almost every talk show, entertainment show hawking her autobiography (which I suspect for many reasons she will regret in the future), not to mention her endless stream of television commercials for every product under the sun. Over exposure is but one more 'Two And A Half Men' guest appearances away....


Above: Martha Plimpton

Lynch was good last night, a few of her one liners were brilliant, but over all she suffered from horrid writing. Some of the presenters looked pained to have to read from the teleprompter. (didn't Julianna Margulies suffer enough in her dress without having to read those lines...) I have been surprised to read the show got generally positive reviews. I felt it was one of the worst EMMY's in years. I thought Jimmy Fallon blew it out of the park last year (cannot even compare his opening musical number, which Lynch was apart of, to this years).

Speaking of writing, why did the best comedy, Modern Family come off so badly... Julie Bowen and Ty Burrell deserve their nods for sure, but Bowen (whose dress looked like something even Snookie might pass on) and Burrell had speeches that totally took away from their win. Burrell's in particular, with the recurring theme of his father's disapproval to his wearing make-up for work, was forced and not remotely funny. Even the writers of the best comedy showed they are better at writing for their characters then themselves.


Above: Peter Dinklage

What did I like then, well there were a few moments throughout the three hours where realness shown through. My comments above about the writing prove that what really makes an award show are real emotion, not scripted tugs at it. Melissa McCarthy won everyone over, more for her real reaction more than whether she deserved the award. I did wonder how Lauren Graham might be reacting... McCarthy's Gilmore Girls co-star was robbed year after year for her work.

Amy Poehler should have gotten paid for coming up with the best written moment of the night. Her idea was so great because it took a few seconds to even realize it was so well planned out. I also LOVED seeing Martha Plimpton. I have not seen her sit-com but am a huge fan of her film work and whenever I see her cannot get The Goonies theme song out of my head.

My predictions were about 50/50 and loved Kyle Chandlers win.


Above: TV's women of comedy, situation comedy that is.

Feathers & Flesh: The Photography of Patrick R.

Birds sing after a storm; why shouldn't people feel as free to delight in whatever remains to them? ~Rose F. Kennedy


2 shots above: Self portraits by artist Patrick R

I remember as a kid often having to walk over dead animals of one kind or another as I entered and exited my house. Our cat brought home her prey for us to admire. I love all animals but eventually felt nothing but annoyance by the daily array of prizes, usually mice, moles and chipmunks. When it was a bird however, no matter how often, there remained a tinge of sadness.




There is a beauty and magic with birds which sets them apart from other wildlife. Both delicate and strong, graceful and vulnerable. The ability to fly is something we humans have never mastered quite as elegantly. With flight comes freedom which is why a caged bird is pretty much a dead bird.



Patrick's passion has always been tied to feathers and flight. Patrick says that his relationship with birds was formed as a young boy and is indelibly dyed into the fabric of who he has become. Birds, feathers, wings and Angels have always been passions of Patrick's and now have become sources of inspiration for his work as a photographer. When Patrick sent me shots for this piece, the shot above was initially one of my least favorites. After spending more time with his images, it has become one of my favorites. An incredible blending of the human form and the feathered variety, and, of Patrick's passions.

'The “Feathered Cod-piece” was sort of an experiment to see if I could make it look as if feathers were growing out of human skin – another idea I haven’t explored fully – and do so without having it look silly or tacky. Initially, like you, I wasn’t overly fond of it but when I switched it to B&W it suddenly worked.'



In his work with non feathered subjects, Patrick likes the painted, period-look with the beauty of the male form mixed with a little mystery.



'One of my favorites is the male form lying on his back on the red fabric . . . I was very purposeful about making awkward angles with arms that still flowed and a very emotionless face – almost as if he’d fallen into that pose or been laid down after being carried. A soldier killed in battle? A heart-broken lover? I wanted the viewer to be captivated by the models beauty, but also wonder what the story is.'



Patrick is aware that not every image is going to have that kind of depth. He continues to strive for it though and hopes his images go a little deeper than just the surface of things.

'A photo should SAY something, or have a reason for being taken at least – even if it’s as shallow as carnality.'



'The honest truth is that I play at this . . . there are far, far better photographers out there than me.'

There may be better photographers, but Patrick is the first I have featured who weaves the delicate beauty, the freedom and expression of those who sore through the air, within images of the male form. Birds, like many things of beauty, are above and around us all of the time. They are always there. It is often that beauty, the beauty we see every day, that gets overlooked and lost.



See more of Patrick's work on ModelMayem HERE: