Photo News Aggregate 02/26/10
02/26/10 Dramatic photos taken from NYPD helicopters on 09/11 of the Twin Towers’ destruction were released in response to a Freedom Of Information request by ABC News . . . Bankrupt Polaroid is liquidating it’s vast photo collection – images taken by some of the world’s greatest photographers . . . Vote here if you like New York Magazine’s cover photo of Christina Hendricks in a corset . . . Magnum photo agency has moved it’s entire collection from NY to the University of Texas, Austin. The price of the sale was undisclosed but estimated at $30 million . . . Don McCullin slideshow “Shaped by War” . . . Reuters photographer released . . .Slideshow from the ‘Snowpocalypse‘ which hit Washington, DC in mid-February . . . Uproar over Haiti photo workshops in the wake of the devastating earthquake . . . Interactive portfolio about the civil rights era from The New Yorker . . . In case you were wondering: “Why The Swimsuit Issue Matters” . . . Another story on the “re-birth” of photo-j . . . And finally, actor Drew Carey has joined the Board of Directors of the National Press Photographer’s Association which caused some grumbling by members of a “publicity stunt” but was greeted with enthusiasm by many others.
[Drew Carey at the '03 White House Correspondent's Dinner]
Otoko Naki
02/24/10 An emotional Akio Toyoda, president and CEO of Toyota Motors, thanked Toyota employees for their support at an event held at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. following a day of grueling congressional testimony.
Dealers
02/24/10 Tamara Darvish of DARCARS in Silver Spring, MD rallied with Toyota dealers from across the country at the U.S. Capitol to tell Congress that (among other things) the recall record of the Japanese automaker is much better than that of its Detroit rivals.
She Of The Truth-Telling Hips
02/22/10 Music superstar Shakira unveils Hard Rock’s Shakira Artist Spotlight t-shirt and bracelet benefiting her Pies Descalzos Foundation Monday night at Hard Rock Cafe’s DC location.
Year Of The Tiger (With No Apologies!)
02/21/10 Chinese New Year’s in DC’s Chinatown celebrating The Year Of The Tiger on H Street, NW.
Saturday’s Open Studio Re-cap
02/21/10 Yesterday’s Open Studio went well and I want to thank everyone who came out. It was a fun shoot which included photographing an author who is writing a children’s book about a super hero she is portraying. She had a custom made costume which included a cape! We took a lot of pix of her running, punching and jumping.
It will take me a while to photo edit all the images but here’s one of Roxy. She’s one of my favorite models . . .
Model: Roxy
Makeup: LaT
Hello Dalai!
02/18/10 The Dalai Lama was in town today to meet with his fellow Nobel Prize recipient President Obama at the White House.
[After the meeting, a crowd gathered outside the Park Hyatt Hotel attempting to catch a glimpse of the Tibetan holy man.]
[The Dalai Lama came out to greet the crowd outside his hotel.]
[Shouting "Long live Dalai Lama!"]
[This man seemed overcome with emotion after seeing the Dalai Lama.]
Fall 2010 Preview @ DC Fashion Week
02/18/10 DC Fashion Week is upon us in case you were unaware and in Washington, Fashion Week revolves around the embassies. Last night I checked out “Planete Chic Presents Fall 2010 Collections” at the Mexican Cultural Institute. There were three designers in the show; Mexican designer Artemiza Cruz was showing her LAVILL F/W 2010 collection; Serbia-based Tatjana Tatalovic was showing her TATA F/W 2010 collection and Argentina-based Ruben Gonzales was showing his haute couture F/W 2010.
[Kate Michael wearing Ruben Gonzales.]
[LAVILL collection.]
[TATA Collection]
[TATA Collection]
[Samba demonstration between designers.]
[TATA Collection]
[Miss DC Jen Corey was in a bridal gown by Argentina-based designer Ruben Gonzales for the finale of the show.]
Olympic Mitten Frenzy
02/17/10 Turns out I picked up one of the “must have” items from the Vancouver Olympics without even leaving town. USA Today reports on the huge popularity of the $10 pair of red mittens with the Olympic logo on one side and the maple leaf emblem of Canada on the palm. Demand has completely exceeded supply. The original run of 1 million pairs has been changed to a projected 3.4 million pairs. USA Today: “But they’re hard to get. They’re currently out of stock on the Vancouver 2010 site. Hudson’s Bay has them in stock in stores, but isn’t licensed to ship them outside Canada. Some folks are turning to eBay and paying twice the price, or more.”
Here’s a similar story from Yahoo Sports.
I got mine the easy way by attending the the opening night ceremony watch party at the Embassy of Canada last Friday night. All of the guests coming into the party got a pair.
[Bro Tim shows off the mittens at the Embassy of Canada's opening ceremony watch party.]
USA Today Red Mitten Slide Show here.
Speaking of the games and photos, Foreign Policy magazine has a cool slide show called “Olympic Outliers: Forget the Jamaican bobseld team. This year, there’s a pack of Olympic underdogs from countries that aren’t well known for cold-weather sports.”
And here’s a story from Yahoo Sports on the “semi provocative pose” by skier Lindsey Vonn on the cover of Sports Illustrated’s Winter Olympic preview issue.
General Odierno
02/16/10 General Raymond T. Odierno, commander of Multi-national Forces-Iraq, offers his insights into the future of Iraq at an event hosted by the Institute for the Study of War Tuesday morning at the Army and Navy Club in Washington, DC. He is noted for being one of few Army generals in history to command a division, corps and entire theater in the same conflict.
General Odierno will brief President Obama and Vice President Biden on the situation in Iraq Wednesday at the White House.
Washington-scape: Jefferson Place
[02/15/10 8pm Jefferson Pl. NW DC]
District Dish: Year 1 In The Bag (Also Rats)
02/16/10 Last night, at Public Bar, hosts Kate Michael, Ebong Eka and Sonya Gavankar celebrated 1 year of The District Dish with a taping before a packed house of well wishers. This fun, DC centric show is the brainchild of Kate who is also the show’s booker. She manages to get some interesting guests to stop by (last night’s included Keith Center, frontman for band, The Dreamscapes Project and Sophie Pyle from Blonde Charity Mafia) and the show is unique in that it tapes not in studio but at a different local dining establishment for each episode.
[The hosts chat with Matt Paxton of Clutter Cleaners, as seen on A & E's "Hoarders." In response to a question about the worst thing he'd ever had to clean up from a house filled to the brim with junk; he told a story of one person who'd kept a bag of 20 or so dead rats. ]
[Kate retelling the rat story.]
UPDATE 02/24/10 I stand corrected. It was 100 rats.
Bye Bayh
***********************************************************
UPDATE: Quotes from the Senator’s 2pm press conference . . .
“To put it in words most people can understand: I love working for the people of Indiana, I love helping our citizens make the most of their lives, but I do not love Congress.”
“My decision was not motivated by political concern. Even in the current challenging environment, I am confident in my prospects for re-election.”
“I am constantly reminded that if Washington, D.C., could be more like Indiana, Washington would be a better place.”
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02/15/10 Hot on the heels of the Scott Brown victory in Massachusetts, Democratic control of the Senate now seems much more up for grabs with today’s surprise announcement by Indiana Senator Evan Bayh that he will not run for a third term. The Indianapolis Star reports Bayh cites partisanship as his reason for leaving the US Senate but he faced a campaign challenge from Republican (and former Senator) Dan Coats.
The Senator holds a press conference at 2pm today to discuss his decision.
[Here's a photo I took of Senator Bayh at the Democratic Leadership Council's "2002 National Conversation" in NYC. The DLC was created as a home for the more center/conservative wing of the Democratic party. Note Senator Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) in the background who herself is in a tough spot politically. Recent polling has her trailing to multiple GOP contenders by double digits. Lincoln's job approval rating has sunk to 27%. ]
DC Cupid’s Undie Run
CLICK HERE: CUPID’S UNDIE RUN VIDEO!
02/13/10 It was only a month ago when I photographed the No Pants Metro Day so it felt like it was just about time for another display of public near nudity. In this case, there was a charity involved. Cupid’s Undie Run raises money for The Children’s Tumor Foundation and was organized by my friend Katherine Kennedy.
[Runners ran 1.75 miles in Valentine-themed underwear starting at the Capitol Hill watering hole The Pour House and making a loop around the US Capitol before ending up at the start point..]
[There was a lot of standing around and talking of how incredibly cold it was before the runners took off.]
[Event organizer Katherine Kennedy heading out.]
[I don't know why she is smiling. I was wearing a sweater and heavy coat and I was cold.]
[Looping around the Capitol.]
[It's so sunny here that it looks like it could be in the 80s and not the low 30s.]
[Moral support on the homestretch.]
UrbanDaddy DC Launch Party
02/13/10 By the time I got to the UrbanDaddy launch party on the roof of the W Hotel last night the joint was rocking. My “Uber-Hip Counter” started getting readings off the scale so I had to turn it off for the remainder of the evening. Unanswered went the question: is your Daddy is urban or rural?
[UrbanDaddy DC main man Jeff Dufour with bro Tim]
[She was a great DJ]
[Vicky!]
[Anyone for Dessert?]
[For some reason, there were a few guys dressed in knickers and carrying walking sticks.]
[KK burning up the dance floor.]
[Hotness.]
[Blondies]
O Canada! Winter Olympics Bash
[Snowboard trampoline demo.]
02/13/10 Great shindig at the Canadian Embassy last night! The gravy fries and Molson were flowing freely as close to 1000 people came out to watch the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics from Vancouver on a huge jumbotron.
[Ice sculpting.]
[Winter games on the Wii stations inside the embassy.]
[I take credit for getting Cheyenne and her posse to make it to the party. Note the cool bright red Olympic mittens which were handed out as party favors.]
[Pauline and her son Liam - whom I haven't seen since he was a wee little fella. That's the Canadian version of M&M rapping on the jumbotron. He raps mainly about back bacon and Tim Horton's.]
[Bro Tim models insanely hip mittens while holding Super Sized Molson.]
[Ski demo. I could do that. I just don't feel like it is all.]
[The Ambassador poses for pix.]
Musical Chairs
02/12/10 AP reports that Connecticut businessman Ned Lamont will announce his intention to run for Governor of that state next week in Hartford.
Eight term Rhode Island Congressman Patrick Kennedy released a video last night indicating he will not run for office again when his term ends. That point will mark the first time in 60 years a member of Kennedy family has not held public office in Washington.
[Candidate Ned Lamont stumping for votes at the Orange, CT Fire Department's carnival in the summer of 2006. He went on to win the Democratic nomination for Senator (spending $16 million of his own money) but wound up losing in the general election to the man he beat in the primary - Senator Joe Lieberman (I-CT).]
[05/05/06 Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) leaves the U.S. Capitol where moments before he announced his intention to enter the Mayo Clinic to seek treatment for drug dependency. The congressman crashed into a police barricade at 2:45 a.m. on 05/04/06 "staggered" out of his car, and told officers in "slurred" speech that he was on his way to a vote in the House.]
Grease Is The Word
02/12/10 Last night, I caught a press preview of the musical “Grease” at the National Theater starring American Idol’s Taylor Hicks.
I guess I’m the only person in America to have never seen American Idol because I had to be told that the male lead Ace Young was also a contestant on the show. [CORRECTION: I posted earlier that Young was a winner on the show. That seems to have upset some fans of Hicks. Whoops. Like I said people, I've gone out of my way to avoid watching that program and I hope to die never having seen it. My bad.] The kids in the audience clearly knew. It was a very polished high energy production and it was good to break the snow bound cabin fever with some light entertainment.
The funny thing about the musical is that they would never write one like it today. The moral of the story seems to be “succumb to peer pressure!” If you think about it – the happy ending the play provides is that “good girl” Sandy D. embraces her inner hottie so she can roll with the gangs at her new high school. Hah!
Taylor Hicks signed copies of his CD post show. He also did a solo encore after the final curtain.
Lauren Ashley Zakrin, who plays Sandy D in the show, signs autographs for fans outside the stage door. That’s Laura D’Andre, who plays Rizzo, signing autographs in the background. After the play there was a cast party at the Hard Rock Café a couple blocks away.
Washington Portrait: Sharon Stone
[ 06/20/01 Actress Sharon Stone attends the Women in Film & Video awards at the Ritz Carlton.]
Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow
UPDATE 5:15 pm 02/09/10 WTOP radio is reporting that as much as 25 percent of the District’s snow plow fleet is down and they’re having trouble getting replacement parts. They also report that DC is now rationing their salt supply.
02/09/10 DC Mayor Adrian M. Fenty, speaking from the “DDOT Snow Command/Salt Dome,” provides an update on snow removal and readiness efforts in preparation for a second anticipated winter storm in less than a week. Meteorologists predict 10 to 20 inches of snow to start falling this afternoon and end on Wednesday evening.
[Mayor Fenty chats with snowplow operator T. Greene.]
NOLA Images
02/08/10 In honor of The Saints winning the Super Bowl last night and with Madri Gras fast approaching (on February 16th) I thought I’d run some my photos of New Orleans. These were taken on my last visit to the Crescent City for Jazz Fest in April 2007.
[Leaning tree by the Lafayette Cemetery in the Garden District.]
[04/26/07 Marvin "Word" Day works the counter at the Camillia Grill. This photo was taken the day after it re-opened after being closed for almost 2 years since Katrina.]
[Fais Do Do at 37th annual New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. The guy's shirt reads "It Ain't Easy Being Sleazy"]
[Crawdads and Abita beer at Frankie & Johnny's.]
[Ruined house in Lower 9th Ward almost 2 years after Katrina.]
[Sarah in the French Quarter.]
[Café DuMonde]
[Children practicing musical scales outside the 37th annual New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.]
[Crawdaddyman gets a surprise hug outside Jazz Fest]
[Amy in the French Quarter.]
Rep. Jack Murtha Passes Away
[Rep. Murtha press conference in the House Press Gallery in 2006.]
02/08/10 Pennsylvania Democrat Jack Murtha, 77, died at 1:18 p.m. at the Virginia Hospital Center today in Arlington, Va.
The first Vietnam combat veteran to become a Member of Congress, a king of pork-barrel politics, a survivor of the ABSCAM scandal and a vocal critic of the war in Iraq, Murtha was a close ally of Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and was her pick to fill the position of House Majority Leader she vacated after her elevation to Speaker of the House. Murtha wound up losing that race to Rep. Steney Hoyer (D-MD).
On Saturday February 6th, Murtha had officially become Pennsylvania’s longest serving Member of Congress.
UPDATE: 02/09/10 According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Rep. John P. Murtha’s (D-PA) death has been attributed to mistakes made by the surgeon during Murtha’s gallbladder surgery. According to a source close to the Murtha family, doctors inadvertently cut Mr. Murtha’s intestine during the laparoscopic surgery which caused an infection.
