Above:
Nick by Richard Rothstein & Heezy Yang
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Monday, April 30, 2018
Just Because: 9JKL
9JKL wasn't a great show, it may not have even been a very good show, but I enjoyed it. There aren't many sit-coms on network TV that appeal to me these days, but 9JKL was comforting. I have loved Mark Feuerstein since his flash of ass crack on Once & Again (HERE:) a love that was cemented when he ran down the street towards Sandra Bullock in Practical Magic. My crush on 9JKL co-star David Walton will of course, continue, and hope he lands another show (one that sticks!) very soon.
CBC quietly cancelled the show recently, quietly, as they didn't so much announce it as slip in with several cancellations. It was great seeing Linda Lavin back on TV and there was room for an old fashioned sit-com on CBS. The network that kept on muli-seasons of the horrendously bad Two Broke Girls and Two And A Half Men, could have found room for a comedy with a bit more heart, and far fewer jr. high penis jokes. R.I.P 9JKL.
Prime Time Supporters: François Arnaud
Last week I posted about my current TV passion, Schitt's Creek. The CBC/Pop show has brought me much joy the past few months and as of last week, after watching the season 4 finale, I am totally caught up. Although a Christmas episode will air later in the year, I am already looking forward to season 5 next year. In addition to the hot vet and the farm boy, both of whom I featured, there was a guest star in season 3 that deserved a little attention.
In the episode, Sebastien Raine, New York based photographer Sebastien Raine breezes into town to shoot Moira, and to catch up with his ex David. The mysterious and ultra hot French artist was played by the beautiful François Arnaud, and actor I recognized, minus the long hair, from his turn on The Borgias. Much like David, who calls Sebastien, 'really sexy, like in a homelessly way' I was also more than a bit intrigued by Sebastien, and not just because of his sweaters.
Schitt's Creek (2013)
Sebastien was played by François Arnaud, an actor who stole focus and attention the moment he appeared on screen. In addition to The Borgia's, many of you might recognize the French-Canadian actor from his roles on Blindspot and Midnight Texas. Although Sebastien and David rekindled their relationship, (the physical piece at least) it was brief and Sebastien didn't lose his homelessly sexy wardrobe. But... a quick search uncovered his nude scene in last years Permission.
The Borgias (2011-2013)
Permission (2017)
In 2017's Permission, Arnaud plays Dane, one of the men Anna (Rebecca Hall) test drives after being proposed to by Will. (Dan Stevens)
DJINN: Nick by Richard Rothstein & Heezy Yang
'Nick was not much of a talker, not sure if it was because he is usually not a talkative person, or because I was painting his face (and his entire body), but he surely talked a lot with those deep, beautiful eyes.'
I have been enjoying those deep, beautiful eyes since first seeing Richard Rothstein's work with Nick last fall. As undeniably hot his body is, especially when in motion, it's definitely Nick's eyes that demand the viewers attention. Sultry, knowing and intense, sometimes seeming almost disinterested while at the same... laser focused, staring straight back, meeting, even challenging the the many sets of eyes devouring what's in front of them.
FH readers are well aware of how much I love to explore process. Whenever I am drawn to an image or art piece, I am always curious about it's creation and how all the pieces came together to create the final visual I am enjoying. For some, process is unimportant, the final creation is all that matters. For me however, the final image is more like the last chapter of book, a book I want to explore from the beginning.
Seeing the final artistry of color on Nick's incredible canvas is magnificent. Through his images however, Richard gives us an inside look, a voyeuristic view of the artist at work, and the stages of the body painting process. The artist at work is Heezy Yang, an extraordinary makeup artist, illustrator and photographer from Seoul Korea. Heezy is also one Korea’s most famous drag queens (Hurricane Kimchi) and equal rights
and queer activists and founder of LGBTQIA+ And Allies In Korea.
Richard and Heezy have been collaborating on art projects for about seven years, and when given Heezy as just in New York for a visit, they decided it was time to collaborate on Nick! Richard says this was a new exploration for both of them, and adds that Nick was wonderful, and made the perfect canvas. Heezy began by pouring paint onto Nick's shoulders and allowing it to slide down over Nick's naked body. Heezy then used his brushes to fill in design and detail, finishing with up by completing Nick's face.
The inspiration for design was DJINN, an invisible spirit from Muslim mythology mentioned in the Koran and believed by Muslims to inhabit the earth and influence mankind by appearing in the form of humans or animals. For those in the Western work, DJINN would be close to our devils and demons, evil beings of the spirit world. The term has also made it into Pop Culture, most notably, as part of the series Supernatural.
'Djinn are humanoid creatures with tattooed skin that prefer to live in large ruins with a lot of places to hide. They feed on human blood and can poison their victims with a touch. Their poison causes reality-altering hallucinations and can be used either to kill their victims quickly, or to leave victims in a coma-like state while the Djinn feeds on their blood over a long period of time. Djinn are best classified as genies and are able to read a person's mind to learn their deepest desires.'
When Djinn access their powers, either their eyes glow blue or their tattoos move extend down their arms. Clearly Nick's eyes are glowing blue, and appears to be reading our minds, quickly uncovering our desires. Speaking of glowing blue, you may remember the last time I featured Richard's work with Nick I mentioned there would be a messy ending to shiny satin sheet... Body paint usually washed off skin well, so hopefully Richard will be able to save the sheet! If you want to check out more shots of Richard's and Heezy's artistry with Nick, head on over to THE OVER-FLOW HERE:
Saturday, April 28, 2018
Viktor, Put on your Clothes!
Take Off Your Clothes!
In Red Sparrow, Dominika Egorova (Jennifer Lawrence) is recruited to 'Sparrow School,' a Russian intelligence service where she is forced to use her body as a weapon. As part of her training, Dominika must sit through a warped sex ed class with Matron (Charlotte Rampling) the teacher from hell.
In front the entire class, Matron demands Dominika and fellow classmate Viktor (David Zoltán Miller) to take off their clothes. Dominika refuses, but Viktor obey's the matron, removing his clothing, standing totally naked in front of the class. Although appreciated by the audience, Matron then tells him to put his clothes back on. The 21 Budapest born actor has several credits under his belt, but Red Sparrow certainly marks his biggest main stream exposure.
Viktor, Put on your clothes!
Candidly Cameraed: Julian by Naked Ambition
'Julian was a great model, totally comfortable in his own skin and excited about the shoot as you can see from some of the photos.'
Whenever an artist sets up a shoot with a model there is a degree of planning. A location must be set, degree of nudity agreed to and the goals for the shoot discussed. After that, the process for reaching those goals can occur in many different ways. Most photo shoots, especially in studio, involved fixed poses and positions with more defined boundaries for movement. The main reason for this is light, and ensuring every area used is properly lit.
When shooting outside however, there more room for spontaneity, especially with movement. On a sunny day, models are able to walk, run and climb though out the shooting area. I love this way of shooting, especially for images of the male form. FH readers know I love process, and with the freedom of movement, artists can shoot throughout, capturing moments not possible if time had to be used for set up and lighting. Although the model knows they are being shot, there is a candid element with an erotic feel, different than a heavily staged image or pose.
In this series, Julian seems so free, wandering and exploring is location with George following all, more documenting than directing. This candid way of shooting also seems broaden focus, featuring the entire male form and more of his surroundings. In this case, Julian's surroundings match the visual beauty of the body enjoying them. George had previously shot at the Albany California location, known locally as The Bulb, with a female model and was very familiar with the location and the visual beauty it had to offer.
The Bulb is a former landfill, that over time became quickly heavily vegetated. The space became a haven for homeless Albany residents, hikers, dog walkers as well as teenagers looking to party and environmentalists looking to study the plant life. The area also drew various local artist who beautified the former landfill with murals, stenciling, graffiti, sculpture, and installation art. The area peaked in about 2006, but since then, although some art remains it has deteriorated and no where as vibrant as it was over a decade ago.
Still, there is a unique beauty in faded in art and color. Like a yearbook, it can hold both visual and emotional nods to the past. George didn't know much about Julian when they headed out to The Bulb. They had connected on Model Mayhem only a short while before Julian headed over from SF on the morning of the shoot.
George and Julian shot in two different location at the site, a wooded ridge and amongst the art graffiti covered slabs of broken concrete. I especially love the shots of Julian on the painted rocks, in on and within the uniquely curved tree branches. George reports the shoot went extremely well, except for the odd hiccup or two. George is always looking for models, so if you're interested in a shoot, you can get in touch with him by e-mail, clovisphotographer@gmail.com
'When we got to the location in Albany I realized that my Nikon was still back in my hotel room. I had been charging it and forgot to put it in my camera bag. So we backtracked to my hotel in Berkeley to retrieve it. It wasn’t that far thankfully but the round trip ended up costing us 30 minutes of shooting time. Our misadventures continued when Julian removed the sport watch he was wearing at some point during the shoot. It wasn’t until we had finished shooting that he realized he had failed to pick it up as we moved from one spot to another. A cursory search produced nothing so he gave it up for lost. Fortunately it wasn’t an expensive Rolex 😊.'
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