Inocente Izucar’s dream of becoming an artist is alive and flourishing today, and the documentary in her name, produced by Fine Films, recently won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Film.
But under the vibrant and whimsically painted face is the painful story of a girl and her journey through a deeply unsettled childhood. Inocente Izucar’s story brings to light the dynamics of poverty and the impact of circumstances faced by many of the 1.8 million undocumented immigrant children.
Inocente Izucar at the Oscars (second from Left)
Izucar was brought to the US as a young child by her parents who entered the country without legal documents. Her father was deported shortly after their arrival, for domestic abuse. With no legal status, Izucar’s mother couldn’t work, and with no income the family soon found themselves homeless and destitute. In the 9 years that followed, Izucar and her three younger siblings moved from shelter to shelter more than 30 times.
Despite the unstable conditions she relentlessly held on to a dream: To be an artist. Art allowed her a brief escape from the severe realities of being a homeless child. A Distinctive Style recently had the honor of interviewing Inocente to learn about her journey from homeless to Hollywood.
Seed is not just the source of life. It is the very foundation of our being. ~Vandana Shiva
Seed is the self urge of life to express itself, in her diverse expression, her abundance, her permanent renewal and rejuvenation. Altering the genetics of a seeds to create GMOs means disrupting the most natural expression of life itself.
A new documentary film that will investigate the dramatic story of seeds, the basis of life on earth. For 12,000 years man has been nurturing and cultivating seeds to form the backbone of civilization. Now, 94% of our seed varieties have been lost and many more are nearing extinction.
Vandana Shiva
SEED unveils a David and Goliath battle for the future of our seeds by examining how five chemical corporations have taken control of seeds through patents, copyrights and genetic modification. These companies are placing ownership on the seeds, literally stealing the genetic material from our ancestors who nurtured these seeds for thousands of years. As Vandana Shiva says “the threat to seed freedom impacts the very fabric of human life and life on the planet.”
SEED will reveal the awe, wonder and hidden beauty of seeds. It will ignite the imagination of audiences, inspiring them to be part of a new movement to help sustain seed diversity. We will unearth the resilience and power that all seeds have to sustain, enliven and enrich our humanity.
Corporations like Monsanto have created a seed emergency, a seed emergency through patents on seeds, seed monopolies, biopiracy genetic engineering and creation of non renewable sterile seeds. Seed monopolies have pushed 250,000 farmers to commit suicide in India. After contaminating farmer’s seeds and crops, Monsanto sues farmers “for stealing their gene”, putting the polluter pays principle on its head, and making it the polluter gets paid principle.
The multidimensional emergency created by patents on seeds and GMOs needs a global collective response. Join the Global campaign on Seed Freedom to stop the corporate hijack of seed and with it, the hijack of our freedom and our future.
Academy Award-nominated actress Cicely Tyson is back on Broadway
The Academy Award-nominated actress Cicely Tyson will return to Broadway for the first time in 30 years to star in a revival of Horton Foote’s 1953 drama “The Trip to Bountiful,” directed by Michael Wilson.
Cicley Tyson, 78, will play Carrie Watts, an elderly woman who dreams of returning to her hometown of Bountiful, Tex., before she dies. First produced as a teleplay on NBC in 1953, starring Lillian Gish as Carrie Watts, “The Trip to Bountiful” had its Broadway premiere later that year with the same cast. Mr. Foote adapted the play into a 1985 film starring Geraldine Page, who won an Academy Award. In 2005 Lois Smith starred in an acclaimed Off-Broadway revival at the Signature Theater. Mr. Foote, a winner of the Pulitzer Prize and two Academy Awards, died in 2009.
The Oscar winner CUBA GOODING JR., and the Tony nominees Vanessa Williams and Condola Rashad will join Cicely Tyson in “The Trip To Bountiful.”
Mr. Gooding, who won the best supporting actor Oscar for “Jerry Maguire,” will play Ludie, Carrie’s son, who thinks she’s too frail to travel. Ms. Williams (“Into the Woods”) will play his bossy wife, who thinks the trip is too expensive; Ms. Rashad (a Tony nominee for “Stick Fly” last year) will play a young woman whom Carrie befriends on the bus.
VANESSA WILLIAMS has appeared on Broadway in Into the Woods (Tony nomination), Kiss of the Spider-Woman (Theatre World Award), and Sondheim on Sondheim, and Off-Broadway in St. Louis Woman in the City Center’s acclaimedEncores! Series. As a recording artist, she has been nominated for 11 Grammy awards.
Searching for Sugar Man Wins Best Documentary at the 85th Annual Academy Awards
Searching for Sugar Man was honored with more than 30 awards in the last year, won the big one Sunday when it was named best documentary at the 85th annual Academy Awards.
A fascinating documentary about the quest for a vanished ’70s rock legend. Back in 1968, two record producers discovered a charismatic, soulful Mexican-American singer-songwriter named Rodriguez in a Detroit bar.
Convinced they’d found the Chicano Bob Dylan, they signed him up and put out a critically acclaimed album, ‘Cold Fact,’ which promptly flopped. Rodriguez disappeared, and it was even rumoured that he’s committed suicide. A few years later, on a different continent, a bootleg copy of ‘Cold Fact’ became the soundtrack to a revolution.
Rodriquez (Searching for Sugar Man)
In Apartheid South Africa, Rodriguez’s anti-establishment lyrics had struck a chord with a generation of disaffected Afrikaners. The album eventually went Platinum. But what really happened to Rodriguez? In the mid-’90s, South African fans Craig Bartholemew and Stephen ‘Sugar’ Segerman embarked on a quest to find out. Filmmaker Malik Bendjelloul charts a journey that proved stranger – and more exhilarating – than anyone anticipated.
“Rodriguez wanted to stay home in Detroit” and watch the Oscars on TV, producer Simon Chinn said backstage. “He genuinely doesn’t want to take credit; he regards it as Malik’s film.”
“Searching for Sugar Man” is the first music-oriented film to win the documentary award since 1986′s “Artie Shaw: Time is All You’ve Got.” “From Mao to Mozart: Isaac Stern in China,” “Woodstock” and “Arthur Rubenstein – The Love of Life” are the other music films that have won the documentary Oscar.
An artist’s journey from homelessness to the Academy Awards
Forced to make life decisions that a child should not have to face.
INOCENTE is an intensely personal and vibrant coming of age documentary about a young artist’s fierce determination to never surrender to the bleakness of her surroundings.
Inocente www.inocentedoc.com
At 15, Inocente refuses to let her dream of becoming an artist be caged by her life as an undocumented immigrant forced to live homeless for the last nine years. Color is her personal revolution and its extraordinary sweep on her canvases creates a world that looks nothing like her own dark past — a past punctuated by a father deported for domestic abuse, an alcoholic and defeated mother of four who once took her daughter by the hand to jump off a bridge together, an endless shuffle year after year through the city’s overcrowded homeless shelters and the constant threat of deportation.
Despite this history, Inocente’s eyes envision a world transformed…where buildings drip in yellow and orange, where pink and turquoise planets twinkle with rescued dreams, and one-eyed childlike creatures play amongst loved babies and purple clouds. Inocente’s family history is slowly revealed through her paintings.
Inocente’s story proves that the hand she has been dealt does not define her, her dreams do.
Told entirely in her own words, we come to Inocente’s story as she realizes her life is at a turning point, and for the first time, she decides to take control of her own destiny. Irreverent, flawed and funny, she’s now channeling her irrepressible personality into a future she controls. Her talent has finally been noticed, and if she can create a body of work in time, she has an opportunity to put on her first art show. Meanwhile, her family life is at a tense impasse—if she legally emancipates herself from her mother to strike out on her own, she’ll risk placing her brothers in foster care, but to stay is unbearable.
Art by Inocente www.inocentedoc.com
INOCENTE is both a timeless story about the transformative power of art and a timely snapshot of the new face of homelessness in America, children. Neither sentimental nor sensational, INOCENTE will immerse you in the very real, day-to-day existence of a young girl who is battling a war that we rarely see. The challenges are staggering, but the hope in Inocente’s story proves that the hand she has been dealt does not define her, her dreams do.
Since working on the documentary, Izucar, now 19, moved into her own apartment — which she shares with her two adopted pet bunnies — and she had a successful art show in New York City .
Since the economic crash of 2008, the homeless population is exploding and families are its fastest growing segment. The INOCENTE documentary gives you a rare glimpse inside the struggle of how one of the 1.5 million homeless children in the U.S. is living today – the largest and fastest growing group of them being the undocumented.
Children are the new face of homelessness in our country and yet they remain faceless. For most of these children, it is a shameful secret— which is why, despite their incredible numbers, you see so few homeless children on the street and you so rarely hear their stories.
Homeless kids are twice as likely to experience anxiety and depression than non-homeless children and 1 in 6 will develop emotional problems. Twenty-five percent witness violence in their homes. To compound the crisis, the social services that serve the homeless are being cut. It’s the perfect storm of desperation and chaos for the kids caught in the spiral.
Oscar buzz is in the air! In A Distinctive Style magazine, readers will find interviews with this year’s most watched Academy Award Nominees, all vying for a coveted gold Oscar statue.
A Distinctive Style magazine starts with the amiable Hollywood heartthrob, actor, and philanthropist, Brad Pitt who is featured in an exclusive interview about his creative pursuits, and life with Angelina Jolie and their six children. Read his interview on page 42 (CLICK TO SEE INTERVIEW)
Click to see Video
Honest Abe Lincoln leads the nominations with 12 accolades, including a Best Actor Nomination forDaniel Day-Lewis, who portrays the 16th President of the United States. This is Lewis’s fifth academy award nomination; he previously won Best Actor Oscars for his leading roles in the films My Left Foot and “There Will Be Blood.” Read more about Day-Lewis—who recently won the 2013 Golden Globe for his role as President Lincoln— on page 58. (CLICK TO SEE INTERVIEW)
Check out our chat with Oscar nominee Bradley Cooper, up for Best Actor for his leading role in Silver Lining Playbook, in which he plays a former high school teacher battling mental health issues.This is Cooper’s first academy award nomination; his interview is on page 36. (CLICK TO SEE INTERVIEW)
Tony-award winning actor Hugh Jackman won the 2013 Golden Globe award for his portrayal as accused convict turned heroic mayor Jean Veljean in the musical-movie adaptation of the “Les Misérables.” He’s nominated for an Academy Award for the same role. An interview with the multi-talented Jackman can be found on page 52. (CLICK TO SEE INTERVIEW)
Anne Hathaway also received a Golden Globe award for her portrayal of Fantine in the “Les Misérables.” Proving she is more than just a pretty face, the actress can add “singer” to her resume now. The spunky brunette, who remains close to her childhood friends despite her success, once co-hosted the 83rd annual Academy Awards and wed actor/designer Adam Shulman last year in Big Sur. Hathaway’s interview in this issue can be found on page 62. (CLICK TO SEE INTERVIEW)
A Distinctive Style continues to bring readers informative, interactive videos, and this issue is no exception. The documentary “Chasing Ice,” featured on page 26, (CLICK TO SEE INTERVIEW) explores the rapidly melting ice caps that affect our precious planet.
Founded in 2007 by Dallas resident Denise Marie, A Distinctive Style—a magazine with heart—is a pioneer in the digital online experience, Their stimulating presentation using hd videos, breathtaking imagery and arousing music, is designed to appeal to the senses, while featuring diverse and prominent topics, in a fresh new way.
What an unbelievably unique take on housing and architecture! Dan Philips creates houses that are made from 70-80% recycled materials. The creativity he puts to use is as impressive as the tons of materials he saves from the landfill. You will see decorative details made from eggshells and bottle caps. You will see rooftops made of license plates! You will see water faucets for the bathtub made of a Budweiser beer tap!
His philosophy is that our collective mindset of perfection is what creates all the waste. From the builders to the homebuyers to the marketers- everyone demands adherence to sterile, conventional norms. If a 2x 4 isn’t perfect, it goes in the dump. Dan Philips instead incorporates these blemishes and organic processes.
See all the materials he saves that were headed for the landfill- even vintage stoves! Hear his astute, original and truly amusing take on why we have come to tolerate this level of waste.
In 1998, he and his wife, Marsha, started The Phoenix Commotion, in Huntsville, Texas — a construction company that builds affordable houses from reclaimed and recycled materials. Their mission is to divert landfill waste while creating sustainable housing for single mothers, artists, and families with low incomes. The houses are energy-efficient, cheap and satisfying to build — and wildly, effervescently creative.
In the design process, we have to consider how design linked our social life and people’s perspectives.
There is consideration of his work:
Architecture related to human being and natural life. What human need and consideration of nature in our life. So, Dan Phillips design his architecture be a naturalism and not waste of materials. He was inspired organic texture and humanism.
Industrials revolution started, consumers wasting mass production and materials and also materials price was becoming expensive.
Power of mass media and consumption in our society
A Distinctive Style’s Winter issue features human interest, social awareness, sustainable and organic fashion and this years Academy Award nominees.
A Distinctive Style magazine kicked off the New Year with Brad Pitt. The amiable Hollywood heartthrob, actor, and philanthropist, graces the Winter 2013 cover and is featured in an exclusive interview.
“There is so much passion in this issue, from celebrities, to motivational women who run a horse ranch in Colorado,” says Denise Marie, publisher of A Distinctive Style. “The Winter 2013 issue is full of amazing humanitarians who pay-it-forward—just like Pitt does—by giving back to those less fortunate; individuals who possess a sincere love of family, or go through great lengths to save our environment. Everyone featured brings important social issues to the forefront. It may be tricky for people to see the reasons I have for each story I place, but there is always something humbling behind each editorial.”
A Distinctive Style Winter Cover
Pitt’s latest action movie, Killing Them Softly, directed by Andre Dominik, is currently available on DVD, and you can read more about his creative pursuits, and life with Angelina Jolie and their six children, on page 42.
Also in this issue, we learn about Trashed, a documentary that examines environmental pollution, executive produced by actor Jeremy Irons. The documentary—highlighted in an interactive, introductory video on page 18—is a political “wake-up call” about the ways food is affected by air, sea, and land pollution. We also provide readers with a list of 10 breakfast cereals that most likely contain GMO’s corn—which has been linked to tumors. Bringing readers health-oriented news remains a priority in our publication.
On a lighter side, we chat with Los Angeles-based fashion designer Deborah Lindquist, who up-cycles all sorts of eco-friendly fabrics to create one-of-a-kind clothes and accessories for women around the world. Story on page 64.
Oscar buzz is in the air—the 2013 nominees have been announced! In this issue, readers will find interviews with this year’s most watched Academy Award nominees, all vying for a coveted gold Oscar statue.
Daniel Day-Lewis as Lincoln
Honest Abe Lincoln leads the nominations with 12 accolades, including a Best Actor nomination for Daniel Day-Lewis, who portrays the 16th President of the United States. This is Lewis’s fifth academy award nomination; he previously won Best Actor Oscars for his leading roles in the films My Left Foot and There Will Be Blood. Read more about Day-Lewis—who recently won the 2013 Golden Globe for his role as President Lincoln— on page 58.
Also, in this issue, check out our chat with Oscar nominee Bradley Cooper, up for Best Actor for his leading role in Silver Lining Playbook, in which he plays a former high school teacher battling mental health issues.
“We do many editorials on individuals with all kinds of challenges, and this film brings up a very important topic—mental illness—and how it’s perceived,” says Publisher, Denise Marie. This is Cooper’s first academy award nomination; his interview is on page 36.
Hugh Jackman
Tony-award winning actor Hugh Jackman won the 2013 Golden Globe award for his portrayal as accused convict turned heroic mayor Jean Veljean in the musical-movie adaptation of the Les Misérables. He’s nominated for an Academy Award for the same role. An interview with the multi-talented Jackman can be found on page 52. “Hugh Jackman is a sincere person that truly loves his family over anything else,” says Marie. ‘I think that’s noble.
Les Misérables co-star Anne Hathaway also received a Golden Globe award for her portrayal of Fantine in the Les Misérables. Proving she is more than just a pretty face, the actress can add “singer” to her resume now. The spunky brunette, who remains close to her childhood friends despite her success, once co-hosted the 83rd annual Academy Awards and wed actor/designer Adam Shulman last year in Big Sur. Hathaway’s interview in this issue can be found on page 62.
A Distinctive Style continues to bring readers informative, interactive videos, and this issue is no exception. The documentary Chasing Ice, featured on page 26, explores the rapidly melting ice caps that affect our precious planet.
Founded in 2007 by Dallas resident Denise Marie, A Distinctive Style—a magazine with heart—is a pioneer in the digital online experience, proving that utilizing this medium is not only a green practice, but can actually enhance the reading experience. The online magazine can access a variety of media not available in a traditional print format, and incorporates music as well as video and audio interviews.
With all the madness in the world there is still magic in nature
RARE WISCONSIN/MICHIGAN SIGHTING
The odds of seeing an albino moose are astronomical
And to see this in the upper peninsula of Michigan,
Near Wisconsin, is even greater than astronomical.
To see two of them together is nearly impossible.
We wanted to share these photos with as many people as possible
Because you will probably never have a chance to see this rare sight again.
This is a really special treat, so enjoy these shots of a lifetime.
Bradley Cooper was recently nominated for “Best Actor” in “Silver Linings Playbook,” opposite Jennifer Lawrence and Robert De Niro, who were also nominated for “Best Actress” and “Best Supporting Actor.” In his recent interview with A Distinctive Style, Cooper talks about the stigma against mental illness.
Q: What was it like working with Jennifer Lawrence, you’ve done it twice now?
Bradley Cooper: Yeah, back to back. Very lucky, I feel like I latched onto a secret before everybody knew about it. She’s incredible. She’s just an incredible actress and such a professional. It’s easy. I would do every movie with her.
Q: How did you prepare for a role like this in Silver Linings?
Bradley Cooper in “Silver Linings Playbook”
Bradley Cooper: The guy you play obviously has some mental issues. Did you visit a hospital? There wasn’t much time, but David (O. Russell) sent me some material and a bunch of videos. I went online and I remember there was one thing; I saw a documentary of a guy who had recorded his own depression and mental illness for years. And I remember thinking that I could relate to it, the way it was written. It’s set in Philadelphia, and the relationship with the father and the mother, I know that world. So you make connections.
Q: Do you think love is the answer to cure illnesses?
Bradley Cooper: This guy meets a girl and then all is fine? Well I don’t think he’s cured. I don’t think the message is that he’s cured, I mean as life goes on, he’s made improvements. Did you get the feeling that he was cured?
Q: No, but he looked different in the end.
Bradley Cooper: Clearly. You see a guy who’s gotten his shit together, for sure. He doesn’t believe an illusion like he does at the beginning of the movie.
Newlywed Anne Hathaway Dishes on her Recent Wedding, Motherhood and Career
From the awkward young woman in “The Princess Diaries,” to the college graduate searching for a job at a fashion magazine in “The Devil Wears Prada,” to the seemingly evil (yet actually noble) cat-woman in “The Dark Knight Rises,” actress Anne Hathaway has flourished on the big screen. Also named one of the world’s “50 most beautiful people” in 2006, it wouldn’t come as a surprise that this combination of talent and beauty has made it big.
In her most recent venture, Anne Hathaway takes on the challenging role of “Fantine” in “Les Misérables.” “The first time I really remember connecting with Les Mis was when I went to see my mother perform the role of Fantine. After that I wanted to be involved in the film because my mother had been,” Hathaway shared. The group of actors really bonded during the filming of Les Mis, especially at Russell Crowe’s famous Friday night sing-a-longs. “He would have us over, make everyone a steak and then make fun of me for being vegan,” she chuckled. “But he did make me a very nice carrot salad.”
Acting can be challenging, especially when you go from one role to another. However, finding the similarities between Fantine and cat-woman enabled Hathaway to use the transition to her advantage. “They are both warriors. They are both incredibly strong and all the physical training I did to play Selena Kyle translated into the current role and made me stronger mentally. I became more disciplined and a much harder worker,” she admitted, adding, “I needed all of that to play Fantine.”
Having to cut their hair for the role may have been a point of contention for some actresses, but not Hathaway. “There was a time when my hair was about an inch long – it was this kind of sweet Mia Farrow thing that I really liked.” Just watch the movie and you’ll know what she’s talking about!
“I don’t know if I ever knew that playing Lincoln was the right choice.”
No stranger to tackling difficult material, Daniel Day-Lewis, 55, plays America’s most revered president, Abraham Lincoln.
The award-winning actor, often described as a recluse, doesn’t talk about his personal life, but graciously granted this interview to talk about his transformation into the 16th President of the United States.
ADS: What did you see as your greatest challenge in bringing this iconic character to life?
Apart from everything you mean? (laughs) I think really the most obvious thing was trying to approach a man’s life that has been mythologized to such an extent that in a way you can’t get close enough to being able to properly represent it. I just wasn’t sure that I would be able to do that. Beyond that, I felt that probably I shouldn’t do it (laughs) and somebody else would do that instead.
Q: Obviously when you are creating a character out of a real human being with a tremendous amount of biographical data but also in this case, historical, political information as well, what did you learn about Mr. Lincoln that you did not know previously? What were you surprised by?
Well that was easy for me because I knew nothing about him, so I had everything to learn and apart from a few images, a statue, a cartoon, a few lines from the first inaugural, a few from the Gettysburg Address, that would be my entire knowledge of that man’s life. I think probably the most delicious surprise for me was the humor. To begin to discover that was an important aspect of his character. Q: Would it be fair to say that it was tactical humor? At times it could be, but not necessarily I don’t think, no. I don’t think it was really, I think it was tactical in the political sense, and I think at times it was undoubtedly used in a conscious sense for some purpose to make some point. It’s not about what you are asking but there are accounts of people who came to ask him a question, which to them was of great importance, and found themselves in his presence, got a handshake, a story, and were out of the room before they even realized (laughs) and that’s good politics. (laughs) But no, I think it was innately part of him, I think there was a very joyful element to him actually, yes.
Hugh Jackman on Les Misérables, Life, Friends and Family
Starring in “Les Misérables,” opposite a stellar cast including Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried, Russell Crowe, Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter, Hugh Jackman is a frontrunner for an Oscar for his role as Jean Valjean.
You probably know Hugh Jackman for his leading role as “Wolverine” in the “X-Men” film series. You may also recognize him for his role in “Real Steel.” Or perhaps, you’ll recall how he was dubbed the “sexiest man alive” by People Magazine in 2008. And now, in “Les Misérables,” the word around town is that his performance in the role of “Jean Valjean” has made him the shoe-in for an Oscar!
Jackman underwent an incredible transformation for his role. The change was so dramatic that his wife, Deborra-Lee Furness, gasped when she first saw the him in character.
Equally striking is the contrast between his on-screen rivalry with Russell Crowe and their off-screen reality. In real life, they’re really good friends. “Russell and I have been friends for a long time. I owe a lot to Russell in many ways,” Jackman explained, pointing to Russell Crowe’s decision to turn down the role of Wolverine. In fact, he even recommend Jackman to the director. Jackman shared, “I have asked his advice on several occasions and he’s always been generous to me and a good friend. This is the first time I got to work with him though.”
In fact, Jackman has plenty to say on Russell’s legendary cast parties. “If you ever get invited, take a song with you because you are singing. Everybody sings. He brings out his guitar and he loves it. The hardest thing is leaving because when you are at Russell’s parties, it’s always great fun,” Jackman said.
While he’s generous with his compliments, Jackman isn’t afraid to admit his faults and past mistakes. “As Russell just reminded me, I’m very bad at saying ‘no’ to my wife. I am a double booker. I am indecisive. I am a terrible handyman. And I can be incredibly vague,” he joked, adding, “I’m an actor, don’t trust an actor.” Perhaps this is a reference to a sticky-fingers incident from his childhood. “I would have gone to jail for nineteen years! It was a pack of Chickadees. I was very hungry and I certainly wasn’t starving like in this movie, but I was very hungry and I said, ‘Oh, I want something to eat!’ And my brother said, ‘Well let’s go to the shop’ and I said, ‘I don’t have any money.’ And he goes, ‘You don’t need money.’ He was a bad influence. I was led astray,” he admitted. Like most child thieves, he was caught. “Busted and belted. That’s how it was back then, but I wasn’t punished for nineteen years,” he laughs, making a reference to the Les Mis storyline.
Matt Damon and John Krasinski co-wrote and co-star in the eco-drama about the controversial drilling practice known as fracking.
Promised Land is a new contemporary drama directed by Gus Van Sant (Good Will Hunting, Milk). Matt Damon plays Steve Butler, an ace corporate salesman who is sent along with his partner, Sue Thomason (Frances McDormand), to close a key rural town in his company’s expansion plans. With the town having been hit hard by the economic decline of recent years, the two outsiders see the local citizens as likely to accept their company’s offer, for drilling rights to their properties, as much-needed relief.
What seems like an easy job for the duo becomes complicated by the objection of a respected schoolteacher (Hal Holbrook) with support from a grassroots campaign led by another man (John Krasinski), as well as the interest of a local woman (Rosemarie DeWitt). Promised Land explores America at the crossroads where big business and the strength of small-town community converge.
Fracking has become a major issue for celebrity activists; Sean Lennon and his mother, Yoko Ono, recently formed a coalition of stars to fight against the practice’s spread to New York State. Damon, for his part, has become an activist for clean water access, co-founding the charity Water.org.
Brad Pitt Balances Marriage, a Large Family and a New Film
The nuptials between Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie serve as the ultimate realization of Pitt’s lifelong dream of fathering a large family – even if shuttling six children between homes in London, Los Angeles, New York, and southern France can, at times, resemble a covert military operation. Pitt, however, has no qualms about logistics. He lives for his kids.
A Distinctive Style Magazine Cover with Brad Pitt
When asked what life as a movie star father was like, he responded, “I still have to get up at 6 a.m. and make breakfast for six kids. I don’t see my daily life as being that remarkable, except for the fact that I’ve struck the lottery when it comes to my work and the opportunities it’s given me.” “Being a parent of several children is exhausting – no matter what,” Pitt continued. “I’m lucky that Angie has so much energy and [she] never gets down or complains.The only time I’ve ever seen her really tired was after the twins were born. That proved very demanding and made it difficult for her to spend as much time with the other children as she did before. But now that the twins are older, it’s becoming a lot easier for all of us. I mean, when you have a big family, you learn to develop good logistical training and then it’s just like a machine that keeps moving forward,” he laughed.
“I carry on a running conversation with myself about how I’m raising our children, the kind of education I’m giving them and how they seem to be evolving. I want to help them grow up to be independent and aware individuals. The kids are a huge part of my world and I love being an active and engaged father and family man,” Pitt stated.
Larry Hagman, who emerged in the 1960s as the slightly befuddled astronaut in “I Dream of Jeannie,” then became a major star in the 1980s primetime soap “Dallas,” playing evil oil baron J.R. Ewing, has died. He was 81.
Hagman’s cause of death was due to complications related to his battle with cancer according to his family.
Linda Gray, who played Hagman’s on-screen wife on “Dallas” was at the actor’s bedside when he died.
He truly loved portraying this globally recognized character, and he leaves a legacy of entertainment, generosity and grace.
“He brought joy to everyone he knew. He was creative, generous, funny, loving and talented, and I will miss him enormously. He was an original and lived life to the fullest,” Gray said in a statement released through her publicist.
Warner Bros.”Dallas” executive producers Cynthia Cidre and Michael M. Robin, and the show’s cast and crew released the following statement today: “Larry Hagman was a giant, a larger-than-life personality whose iconic performance as J.R. Ewing will endure as one of the most indelible in entertainment history. He truly loved portraying this globally recognized character, and he leaves a legacy of entertainment, generosity and grace. Everyone at Warner Bros. and in the “Dallas” family is deeply saddened by Larry’s passing, and our thoughts are with his family and dear friends during this difficult time.”
Hagman inherited the acting gene from his mother, Broadway musical legend Mary Martin. He’d had roles in television programs 20 years prior to “Dallas,” including “I Dream of Jeannie” from 1965-70.
“Dallas,” which debuted in 1978 on CBS and had an astonishing 13-year run, centered on the Ewings, a family of Texas oil barons who had money, cattle, and more scandals and power struggles than the Kardashians.
The original strategy behind “Dallas” was to focus on the newly-married Bobby and Pam Ewing. But Hagman made his role more than the producers had intended, and he quickly became the focus of the program.
When TNT revived the program earlier this year, he was the undisputed power villain.
“All of us at TNT are deeply saddened at the news of Larry Hagman’s passing. He was a wonderful human being and an extremely gifted actor,” TNT officials said in a statement. “We will be forever thankful that a whole new generation of people got to know and appreciate Larry through his performance as J.R. Ewing. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family at this very difficult time.
American actor, director and producer, Larry Hagman, best known for his role as “J.R. Ewing” in the TV series “Dallas,” at a Red Carpet Event for the opening of the new “Dallas” series. Photo by YONY KIM for A Distinctive Style Magazine.
But though he may be best known as a villain, Hagman used his fame to try to give back.
In addition to actively supporting charities like the National Kidney Foundation and, in what might seem an irony, efforts to develop solar power, Hagman just last month announced the formation The Larry Hagman Foundation, to fund education programs promoting the fine arts and creative learning opportunities for economically disadvantaged children in Dallas.
American actor, director and producer, Larry Hagman, best known for his role as “J.R. Ewing” in the TV series “Dallas,” at the Red Carpet Premier for the opening of the new “Dallas” series. Photo by YONY KIM, for A Distinctive Style Magazine
Hagman began his acting career in the late 1950s, but it wasn’t until “I Dream of Jeannie” premiered in 1965 that he found himself a star. He played Anthony Nelson, an astronaut who during a mission finds an unusual bottle, and when he opens it, out pops a genie named Jeannie — Barbara Eden.
Through the series’ five-year run, Jeannie found new ways to make Hagman’s life difficult, as she tried to serve her “master.”
Though Hagman continued to work regularly after “I Dream of Jeannie” ended in 1970, it wasn’t until “Dallas” hit the air in 1978, that he again struck a chord with audiences.
The show was originally only supposed to be a five-episode miniseries, but the show caught on so quickly, that it was extended and eventually became a series that would become the highest rated TV show of all time.
Unlike many TV stars, who find themselves playing variations on the same character over and over, the Hagman viewers saw in J.R. Ewing was worlds away from Major Nelson.
While the astronaut was always at wits end, trying to keep Jeannie a secret and trying to prove to the base psychiatrist that he was sane, Ewing was a man who seemed completely in control of his world, wheeling and dealing, backstabbing and cheating on his wife.
Photographer James Balog Captures Earth’s Changing Climate
In the spring of 2005, acclaimed environmental photographer James Balog headed to the Arctic on a tricky assignment for National Geographic: to capture images to help tell the story of the Earth’s changing climate. Even with a scientific upbringing, Balog had been a skeptic about climate change. But that first trip north opened his eyes to the biggest story in human history and sparked a challenge within him that would put his career and his very well-being at risk.
http://www.chasingice.com
Chasing Iceis the story of one man’s mission to change the tide of history by gathering undeniable evidence of our changing planet. Within months of that first trip to Iceland, the photographer conceived the boldest expedition of his life: The Extreme Ice Survey. With a band of young adventurers in tow, Balog began deploying revolutionary time-lapse cameras across the brutal Arctic to capture a multi-year record of the world’s changing glaciers.
As the debate polarizes America and the intensity of natural disasters ramps up globally, Balog finds himself at the end of his tether. Battling untested technology in subzero conditions, he comes face to face with his own mortality. It takes years for Balog to see the fruits of his labor. His hauntingly beautiful videos compress years into seconds and capture ancient mountains of ice in motion as they disappear at a breathtaking rate. Chasing Ice depicts a photographer trying to deliver evidence and hope to our carbon-powered planet.
Scarlett Johansson lends her voice to documentary “Chasing Ice”
Original end title song “Before My Time” is up for an Oscar for “Best Original Music” was written and produced by J. RALPH. Performed by Scarlett Johansson & Joshua for the Sundance award winning documentary “Chasing Ice” opened November 9th 2012. Directed by Jeff Orlowski.
Chasing Ice is the story of one man’s mission to change the tide of history by gathering undeniable evidence of our changing planet. Within months of that first trip to Iceland, the photographer conceived the boldest expedition of his life: The Extreme Ice Survey. With a band of young adventurers in tow, Balog began deploying revolutionary time-lapse cameras across the brutal Arctic to capture a multi-year record of the world’s changing glaciers.
As the debate polarizes America and the intensity of natural disasters ramps up globally, Balog finds himself at the end of his tether. Battling untested technology in subzero conditions, he comes face to face with his own mortality. It takes years for Balog to see the fruits of his labor. His hauntingly beautiful videos compress years into seconds and capture ancient mountains of ice in motion as they disappear at a breathtaking rate. Chasing Ice depicts a photographer trying to deliver evidence and hope to our carbon-powered planet.
Ⓒ Ⓟ 2012 Rumor Mill Records
SOUNDTRACK AVAILABLE NOW ON ITUNES
See the Film Chasing Ice and Bring the Reality of Climate Change to Light (VIDEO) http://bit.ly/QOYIq8
A Disney fantastical adventure. Oz The Great and Powerful, origins of L. Frank Baum’s beloved character, the Wizard of Oz.
From the Director of The Spider-Man Trilogy and The Producer of Alice in Wonderland comes “Oz the Great and Powerful.”
Oz The Great and Powerful
When Oscar Diggs (James Franco), a small-time circus magician with dubious ethics, is hurled away from dusty Kansas to the vibrant Land of Oz, a spectacular world filled with colourful characters, and dream-like settings, he thinks he’s hit the jackpot — fame and fortune are his for the taking. That is until he meets three beautiful and mysterious witches; Theodora (Mila Kunis), Evanora (Rachel Weisz) and Glinda (Michelle Williams), who are not convinced he is the great wizard everyone’s been expecting.
Reluctantly drawn into the epic problems facing the Land of Oz and its inhabitants, Oscar must find out who is good and who is evil before it is too late. Putting his magical arts to use through illusion, ingenuity—and even a bit of wizardry—Oscar transforms himself not only into Oz the Great and Powerful wizard, but into a better man as well.
Starring James Franco, Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz, Michelle Williams, and Zach Braff and directed by Sam Raimi (Spider-Man). “Oz The Great and Powerful” arrives in UK cinemas March 2013.
In a recent photo shoot, Deborah Lindquist captures country living with her eco-couture apparel.
Designer Deborah Lindquist works with sustainable, organic, and recycled fabrics to create bespoke eco-couture apparel and home decorative accessories.
Deborah Lindquist showcases her fall line in a photo shoot at the country home of Brit girl, Erin Saltman. Surrounded by her loving and attentive animals which include chickens, horses, dogs, and pot belly pigs, she looks just as much at home in her flower gardens and country surroundings as she does in her usual urban setting. She’s a bit eccentric in her wardrobe and her fashion sense is a blend of edgy/femininity with a bit of punkish influence. She wears a combination of eco couture sweaters, bustiers, and evening wear for fall 2012. She certainly has a nice life…..
Erin Saltman
by Deborah Lindquist
Photographed by Kay Greenwood, model Erin Saltman has been one of my favorite models to work with. I’ve known her and her family since she was 8, (Kay, her mom is the excellent photographer who’s work you see here) and she’s been photographed in my clothing and walked the catwalk for me since then. But its been a while. She moved to London so we don’t see each other so often. I was so fortunate to collaborate with the 2 of them twice in September. (Erin is also the shapeshifter in “Into the Wild, a Love Story”) and she willingly put on her toe shoes for the finale! (she’s a 6’2″ ballerina).
Thanks to Monica Garcia for the makeup and hair, Bare Sole for the shoes and Bill Stankay for composing the soundtrack for the video. What a great team!
See the amazing photos in the Fall 2012 Lookbook by clicking on the magazine below. Listen to the soundtrack by Bill Stankay along with photos by clicking the video below:
Agustin, the subject of “Everything is Incredible,” has devoted 50 years to building a helicopter from scratch in his home in Siguatepeque, Honduras. “Building this has served me in many ways,” he said, “because it has made me happy, even though you see how I live, in a house full of water, and at times having gone hungry.” Photos courtesy of Tyler Bastian
The subject of Tyler Bastian’s short documentary film “Everything is Incredible” is Agustin: a 60-something man in Siguatepeque, Honduras, who has devoted the past 50 years to building a helicopter from scratch. Constrained in life by poverty and polio, Agustin has never seen a functioning helicopter up close; the inspiration for his project came from a magazine photo of a helicopter that captured his imagination as a teenager.
After a half-century of effort, Agustin has achieved what he considers his final design, “although you can see it looks like a caricature of a helicopter,” he tells us. At the opening of the film, he acknowledges: “Strictly speaking for everyone it’s been a cause for mockery because the whole world thinks it is impossible. That I’m just crazy.”
There are many ways to view “Everything is Incredible,” and one of them is with sincere respect for Agustin’s technological achievement. His helicopter does, in fact, resemble a caricature of a Hiller or Bell 47, and it does not appear to be in danger of becoming airborne anytime soon. But it also incorporates working mechanisms — such as a rotating universal joint — that are genuinely impressive when one realizes they were fabricated from parts scavenged at trash dumps, by a disabled shoemaker with little formal education and no reference to actual helicopter designs.
Yet few people are likely to view “Everything is Incredible” as a technological documentary. Since the film went viral on Vimeo.com, it has been praised, instead, as a complex meditation on the things that inspire us and give our lives meaning — which is closer to what the filmmaker intended.
When photographer Paul Mobley set out to capture the soul of our country’s farm communities, he encountered an enduring rural culture that remains rooted in the principles of tradition, family, integrity and hard work. Traveling across the country from Tennessee to Montana, Mobley and his camera were welcomed time and again into the homes of over two hundred farm families, who graciously shared their personal histories and private thoughts, along with the fruits of their labor. Visit after visit, Mobley came to know the independent farmer’s spirit from both behind the lens and across the dinner table.
Photo by Paul Mobley
The result is the first portrait collection of modern American farmers ever published to reach so deeply and gracefully into its subject. Images are accompanied by short and revealing first person narratives, told in the farmers’ own words, that offer an intimate look inside the hardships and joys of a quickly disappearing way of life—one that once defined our national identity and now struggles to remain vital. From Walter Jackson, a 104-year-old Florida citrus farmer; to Patsy Fribley, a stockyard dealer from Montana; to Aaron Bell, a young 9th generation organic dairy farmer in Maine, Mobley’s exquisite photography reveals the true face of American farming and remind us what it means to live with simplicity, contentment, and decency in a world that so often forgets.
Photo by Paul Mobley
States included: Alaska, Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, Wyoming.
London designer Ron Arad has created a range of sunglasses and spectacle frames that can be adjusted to fit any face by sliding the lenses along an A-shaped wire over the nose. The same wire forms a hinge mechanism that automatically closes the arms when the glasses are taken off. Each design in the collection is named after a different London Underground station. These are the first in a series of frames by Arad for new eyewear brand pq.
With frames designed by the artist, architect, thinker, designer and teacher Ron Arad, pq is here to bring something new to the world of glasses. New ideas are important. Most trousers look like trousers, most sweaters look like sweaters, most glasses look like glasses, but there is room for something new as well. That’s what pq is here to bring. Individuality is a big part of pq. Not only frames that are a little bit different but frames that can make you a little bit different too.
Quality is another big part. It’s one thing to make prototypes that are enjoyable for days and another thing to make real frames that are reliable for years. pq is about being a little playful too. pq has some serious frames and is serious about its frames but is not a fully signed-up member of the serious club. It plays a little on the outside.
Take the name for example. The brand is called pq because p and q are very good friends, nestled next to each other in the middle of a hostile alphabet, the mirror of each other, meaning nothing, and importantly meaning nothing in Japanese. pq stands for nothing but the shape of a pair glasses. Afraid of “boredom, fundamentalists and philistines,” Arad has spent a career creating studio pieces and buildings that are innovative and uncompromised. He sees pq as an opportunity to develop a product that, for the first time, will take his unique approach to design and “rest it on the ears and noses of a great many people.”
A-Frame:
In pursuit of coming up with a pair of frames to fit any face, we created the A-Frame. It’s a simple name for new kind of glasses idea that puts an A-shaped wire structure into the middle of the frame. The A in the bridge can be easily adjusted, to move the two lenses and frames closer or further apart. To explain the nuts and bolts of the A-Frame; quite simply there aren’t any… The wire that forms the A also forms the invisible sprung hinges. The magic really happens when you take the glasses off; they close effortlessly.
The A-Frame is constructed from the following materials: titanium, known for its durable, corrosion resistant and hypoallergenic properties; aluminium which is both light weight and corrosion resistant; acetate for colour fastness and comfort; corrosion resistant steel and the alloy, Monel.
My love affair with clay began in the early 1970’s as an undergraduate art student at a small Midwest liberal arts college. Counterculture influences and my farm boy background combined to make a career in pottery an appealing synthesis of practicality, art, and craft husbandry. Beth Kirchhoff, my wife is a musician (pianist, accompanist, chorus master).
We enjoy comparing the similarities of our chosen careers. The respect, understanding and interpretation of traditional forms (pottery or music) are clear priorities for each of us.
Porcelain pottery for functional use on the table or aesthetic use on the wall
The beginnings of pottery go hand in hand with the beginnings of humankind. Of contemporary crafts, only basket making is as fundamental. The shapes of pottery are the shapes of the human body, and are named such: lip, foot, shoulder. They are shapes we know very well on a level beneath our consciousness.
My forms are extensions of traditional pottery with contemporary variations. They are strong, sleek and sculptural with a bold painterly surface and rich glaze treatment. The pieces have a dynamic impact when viewed from a distance as well as an intensity of detail up close. Form and Function drew me to pottery, but painting has been an increasingly important part of my work. My best pots resolve the difficulty of painting in three dimensions, while maintaining the integrity of the form.
My intent is to produce works of art for everyday living. It functions practically, as tableware for company and everyday use, or aesthetically, hung on the wall or as a stand-alone art piece.
“I had been running to keep up with a world which I could not catch for so long, trying to find somewhere to belong.” ~Alison Sudol
PINES, Alison Sudol’s third full-length Album as A Fine Frenzy, is a fable about a pining tree who is given the unheard-of chance (for a conifer) to make a life of her own choosing. Drawing inspiration from the redwood forests and dramatic landscapes of Northern California and Washington’s Cascade Mountains, the thirteen new original songs survey a sonic landscape as vast and deep as the woods, their namesake.
Alison Sudol
Sudol crafted PINES in response to our accelerating pace of life in the 21st century. “Sometimes I feel like the world has been strapped onto the back of a giant rocket and it’s hurtling us into the unknown at a pace we’re not entirely equipped to deal with. All kinds of things are falling off, good and bad. It’s a crazy, exciting, terrifying time- so much is changing, and fast. Yet some of the most wonderful things in the world are slow- rivers and seasons and turning leaves and growing older with the ones you love. I wanted to create an environment where a person could retreat to, somewhere vivid and real where their minds and hearts could wander freely. I wanted it to be a place you could go to feel, like a quiet spot in a forest or the sea on a cloudy day.”
The adventure of PINES is further realized in a companion book and short film. The animated film PINES, (produced by TakePart, the digital division and Social Action network of Participant Media, whose mission is to create entertainment that inspires and compels social change) integrates hand-cut sets, puppets, stop motion, physical effects, and layered glass to augment the depth and texture of the film. The book is a collaboration with illustrator Jen Lobo, whose aesthetic Sudol chose for her blend of “scientific precision and whimsical beauty.”
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