Front Page I Political & Social Analyses I Breaking News: USA, World, Europe, Middle East I Politics I Last Minute International News I Issues of the Hour I Entertainment I Cinema I World of Cinema & Entertainment this Year I Music: CDs I World of Music this Year I Arts I Television I People I People with an Attitude I Society I Lifestyle I Culture I Books I Travel I Commentaries I Articles I Gossips I Personal History I Newsmakers I Consumers I Work I Business I Family I Parenting I Health I Around the world I Woman's world I Beauty I Fashion I Style I The Grapevine I Opinions I Viewpoints I Stars. Celebrities I Spotlight I Unusual & Strange World I Studies: Islam I History. Civilization: Iraq I Societies. Social Systems I In-Depth Articles I Contact I Liens inclus I Liens de valeur I
The Globe Weekly News BEST AND WORST. Page 4 International Edition
THE BEST AND THE WORST OF THE YEAR: WINNERS, LOSERS & TURKEYS FROM A TO Z!!
BY MAXIMILLIEN de LAFAYETTE
A YEAR TO REMEMBER AND TO FORGET...ALL
DEPENDS ON WHAT WE HAVE ACCOMPLISHED AND WHAT WE STILL NEED...AND ALSO HOW
WELL AND GENUINELY SHALL WE REMEMBER THE DEPARTED BELOVED ONES...
Hollywood's golden era legends and stars, known worldwide and remembered by
few, stage giants, playwrights, TV icons, composers, moviemakers, pop
singers, heads of state, even a pope died this year. 2005 was a very bad
year to many of us: Political deceptions, markets crashes, celebrities and
beloved stars indictments, outrageous and amusing scandals and irritant
public displays, hurricanes, war, always war, and of course, the departure
of many friends, role models and beloved ones. And this makes me reflect on
the "real" meaning of our tragicomic existence on this planet , thus,
transforming this reflection into a moment to anchor myself and reconsider
priorities, to reassess my needs, reshape positive and loving thoughts, and
go back to mourn the dead. C'est la vie.
2005
IS THE YEAR OF MOURNING, REMEMBERING AND LEARNING
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
|
STARS WHO DIED THIS YEAR Several actors known mostly for their voices passed away. Len Dresslar "ho ho hoed" for the Jolly Green Giant. Henry Corden "yabba dabba dooed" for Fred Flintstone and Thurl Ravenscroft growled "they're greatttt!" for Tony the Tiger. Paul Winchell was the voice of his dummy Jerry Mahoney and Pooh's friend Tigger. Also, several silver screen legends, outstanding authors, TV stars died, including Johnny Carson, Bob Denver, James Doohan, Don Adams, Eddie Albert and Barney Martin, who played Jerry's dad on "Seinfeld.", etc. In music: Ray Peterson, singer ("Tell Laura I Love Her"), he was 69. Keith Knudsen, (drummer for the Doobie Brothers), he was 57. Jewel "Sammi" Smith, country singer (" Help Me Make It Through The Night"), he was 62. Bobby Short, pianist, for 35 years at the Carlyle Hotel in New York City, he was 80. Singer/songwriter JIMMY GRIFFIN, 61, died January 11, 2005, in Nashville. Best known for his work with 1970s soft-rock act Bread, Griffin gained acclaim as a songwriter with cuts recorded by Rudy Vallee, Ed Ames, Lesley Gore, Bobby Vee, and others. Following the breakup of Bread in 1977, Griffin formed many other groups, the most successful of which was the Remingtons, who scored a top 10 country hit. Songwriter/drummer JIM CAPALDI, 60, died January 28 in London. Capaldi was a member of British rock act Traffic from its formation in 1967 until it disbanded in 1974. Traffic was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004. Capaldi released his first solo album in 1972. He remained in demand as a musician/writer, working with such artists as Bob Marley, Carlos Santana, and Eric Clapton.
Country singer-songwriter SAMMI SMITH, 61, died February 12 in Oklahoma City. Smith took the Kris Kristofferson-penned "Help Me Make It Through the Night" to number one on the Billboard country chart. The Grammy-winning tune was one of 37 singles for Smith on the country chart between 1968 and 1986. Broadway baritone JOHN RAITT, 88, died February 20 in Los Angeles. Raitt appeared as Billy Bigelow in the original 1945 production of Rodgers & Hammerstein's "Carousel." As Sid Sorokin in "The Pajama Game," Raitt starred in the 1954 Broadway production and the 1957 film version opposite Doris Day. In 1995, Angel released John Raitt: The Broadway Legend, which included three duets with his daughter, Bonnie Raitt. Singer-songwriter CHRIS LEDOUX, 56, died March 9 in Casper, Wyoming. LeDoux became country music's standard-bearer for songs of the American West. By some estimates, he has sold 14 million albums, many of which were bought at rodeos and by mail order. His influence on a generation of young country singers became evident in 1989 when Garth Brooks name-checked LeDoux in his debut single, "Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old)"; Brooks' current hit, "Good Ride Cowboy," is a tribute to LeDoux. Crowded House drummer PAUL HESTER, 46, died March 28 near Melbourne, Australia. Hester played in several small bands before joining New Zealand group Split Enz in 1983. He and Split Enz singer Neil Finn formed Crowded House in 1985 with bassist Nick Seymour. The group became one of Australia's most successful bands in the late 1980s/early 1990s. Pianist/composer JOHNNIE JOHNSON, 80, died April 13 in St. Louis. Johnson wrote several hits with longtime collaborator Chuck Berry, including "Roll Over Beethoven" and "No Particular Place to Go," both of which reached number two on the Billboard R&B singles chart. Berry's hit "Johnny B. Goode" was a tribute to Johnson. Johnson was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001. Popular Tejano singer LAURA CANALES, 50, died April 16 in Corpus Christi, Texas. Canales made her recording debut in 1973 with Los Unicos and then joined seminal group El Conjunto Bernal for a short stint. In 1981, she formed Laura Canales & Encanto. The title track from their debut CD, "Si Vivi Contigo," was her first major hit. Jazz musician PERCY HEATH, 81, died April 28 in Southampton, New York. His gentle, swinging bass underpinned the Modern Jazz Quartet for more than 40 years. During the late '50s and early '60s, MJQ's recordings on Prestige and Atlantic were commercially successful. When the MJQ went on the first of several breaks in the 1970s, Percy and his brothers Albert (a drummer) and Jimmy (a tenor saxophonist) formed the Heath Brothers. Heath returned to the MJQ when it regrouped in 1980 and stayed in the bass chair until 1994. R&B singer-songwriter LUTHER VANDROSS, 54, died July 1 in New Jersey. Blessed with a silky voice that seduced not only millions of fans but also noted collaborators such as David Bowie and Aretha Franklin, Vandross was considered the premier soul balladeer of his generation. He had suffered a stroke shortly before the release of his final, Grammy-winning album Dance With My Father. Four Tops member RENALDO "OBIE" BENSON, 60, died July 1 in Detroit. He also cowrote the landmark Marvin Gaye tune "What's Going On?" Singer/songwriter/guitarist JOHN HERALD, 65, died July 19 in West Hurley, New York. In 1958, Herald cofounded the Greenbriar Boys, the New York-based bluegrass band that became mainstays of the Greenwich Village folk scene. Herald's tunes were recorded by Peter, Paul & Mary, Linda Ronstadt, and Maria Muldaur. British R&B singer LONG JOHN BALDRY, 64, died July 21 in Vancouver. Baldry, whose nickname was attributed to his 6-foot-7-inch height, was one of the founding fathers of British rock-and-roll in the early 1960s. He played with influential British bands Blues Incorporated and Cyril Davies' R&B All Stars. He later fronted the Hoochie Coochie Men, which included Rod Stewart. Baldry scored a number one UK hit with the ballad "Let the Heartaches Begin" in 1967. R&B singer/songwriter/Chi-Lites member EUGENE RECORD, 64, died July 22. He was best known for writing the smooth soul group's biggest R&B/pop crossover hits in the early 1970s, "Have You Seen Her" and "Oh Girl." Record's warm tenor, sweet falsetto, and penchant for breaking mid-song into spoken verse became hallmarks of the Chi-Lites' romantic sound. Jazz musician ELI "LUCKY" THOMPSON, 81, died July 30 in Seattle. Thompson played with the bop era's greats, including Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie. His composition "Blue 'n' Boogie," featured on Miles Davis' 1954 hard-bop album Walkin', became a jazz standard. Musician IBRAHIM FERRER, 78, died August 6 in Havana. Ferrer, a little-known singer who had already retired, catapulted to fame with Buena Vista Social Club, which has sold more than 6 million units worldwide since its 1997 release. His solo album Buena Vista Social Club Presents...Ibrahim Ferrer sold 1.5 million copies worldwide. In 2004, Ferrer won a Grammy Award for Buenos Hermanos, but the US government would not grant him a visa to receive the award. Mississippi bluesman "LITTLE" MILTON CAMPBELL, 70, died August 4 in Memphis. Little Milton wrote and recorded the widely covered blues anthem "The Blues Is Alright." He was 18 when he began recording with Ike Turner for Sam Phillips' Sun Records. In 1961, after an A&R stint with Bobbin Records, Little Milton moved to Chess Records, where he scored the number one R&B hit "We're Gonna Make It" on Chess subsidiary Checker in 1965. He cut four additional top 10 hits at Chess before heading to Stax Records in the 1970s. In 1984, he joined Malaco Records. Jazz bassist AL MCKIBBON, 86, died August 5 in Los Angeles. One of the last great string bass players from the bop era, McKibbon performed with such jazz giants as Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, and Thelonious Monk. He moved to New York in 1943 after bandleader Lucky Millinder hired him. There, he played with such leading jazz figures as saxophonist Coleman Hawkins. McKibbon moved to Los Angeles in 1958 and played in the staff orchestras of CBS and NBC and on albums by Frank Sinatra, Randy Newman, and Sammy Davis Jr. He is also featured on Davis' The Complete Birth of the Cool recordings. Acclaimed fiddle virtuoso VASSAR CLEMENTS, 77, died August 16 outside of Nashville. Known to some as the "Miles Davis of bluegrass," Clements began performing with Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys when he was just 14, becoming a regular member of the legendary group in 1949. Clements' work on the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's groundbreaking 1972 multi-artist album, Will the Circle Be Unbroken, was a milestone in a career that spanned more than five decades. Bluesman RL BURNSIDE, 78, died September 1 in Memphis. Burnside first recorded with Arhoolie Records in 1968. His appearance in the 1991 documentary Deep Blues and on the 1992 Atlantic soundtrack album earned him wider attention in the United States. He became a cult hero with the crossover collaboration for Matador, A Ass Pocket of Whiskey, with underground rock act Jon Spencer Blues Explosion in 1996. Singer/guitarist CLARENCE "GATEMOUTH" BROWN, 81, died September 10 in Orange, Texas. Brown's best commercial success came in the United States after he signed with Rounder Records in the 1980s. His "Alright Again!" for the label earned him a best traditional blues recording Grammy Award in 1982. He was inducted into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame in 1999. Singer/songwriter/producer WILLIE HUTCH, 59, died September 19 in Dallas. In 1970, producer Hal Davis asked Hutch to help complete the Jackson 5's "I'll Be There." It became a multiformat number one hit, as did a subsequent collaboration with the quintet, "Never Can Say Goodbye." Hutch also logged production credits on Motown albums by the Miracles, Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson, Michael Jackson, and Diana Ross, among others. His pinnacle as an artist was 1975's "Love Power," which peaked at number eight on the R&B chart. Jazz singer/pianist SHIRLEY HORN, 71, died October 20 in Cheverly, Maryland. Long critically respected, Horn became an unlikely star in her 60s with a series of albums for Verve Records in the 1990s. Accompanying herself at the piano, Horn and her trademark vocal style became a major influence on such younger jazz singer/pianists as Diana Krall and Norah Jones. Horn was nominated for nine Grammy Awards in the last decade and won for best jazz vocal performance in 1998 for her album I Remember Miles, dedicated to Miles Davis. Musician LINK WRAY, 76, died November 5 in Copenhagen. In a career that spanned six decades, Wray made his mark with a piercing guitar sound that paved the way for punk and heavy metal. Credited with inventing the power chord and pioneering distortion by punching holes in his amplifier, Wray is best known for his 1958 instrumental single "Rumble" and for "Raw-Hide," recorded with his band, the Wraymen. Singer-songwriter CHRIS WHITLEY, 45, died November 20. The Texas-reared artist, best known for the tune "Living with the Law," recorded for Columbia, ATO, and Messenger Records, which in July released his 11th album, Soft Dangerous Shores. A new release, Reiter In, will appear next year. People In Film Who Died In late 2004:
People In Film Who Died In 2005
CELEBRITIES WHO DIED IN 2005 1.Rose Mary Woods, secretary to Richard Nixon who took blame for 18 ½ minute gap in tapes, age 86. 2.Johnny Carson, comedian ("The Tonight Show"), age 79. 3.Arthur Miller, playright ("Death of a Salesman") once married to Marilyn Monroe, age 89. 4.Hunter S. Thompson, writer ("Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas"), age 67. 5.John DeLorean, auto magnate, made time-traveling vehicle for "Back to the Future" films, age 80. 6.Johnnie Cochran, star attorney, age 67. 7.Terri Schiavo, age 41. 8.Frank Perdue, the chicken guy, age 84. 9.Pope John Paul II, age 84. 10.Dale Messick, cartoonist ("Brenda Starr, Reporter") age 98. 11.Saul Bellow, author ("The Adventures of Augie March"), age 89. 12.Prince Rainier III, of Monaco, was married to Grace Kelly, age 81. 13.William J. Bell, soap opera writer & creator ("The Young and the Restless"), age 78 . 14.Peter Jennings, ABC news anchorman died of lung cancer after years of smoking, he was 74. 15.Sherman Loudermilk, host of "Cowboy Slim" TV Show, age 92. 16.Peter Rodino, House Judiciary Committee chairman who directed the impeachment investigation of Richard Nixon, age 95. 17.Howard Morris, actor/director (Ernest T. Bass on the "Andy Griffith Show", age 85. 18.Ismail Merchant, producer ("Howards End", "The Remains of the Day"), age 68. 19.George Mikan, Minneapolis Lakers basketball player, age 80. 20.Georgie Woods legendary Philadelphia radio broadcaster ("The Guy With the Goods" on WDAS and WHAT), age 78. 21.Shana Alexander, pioneering journalist ("Point-Counterpoint" segments on "60 Minutes"), age 79. 22.Paul Winchell, ventriloquist (voice of Tigger in Walt Disney's "Winnie-the-Pooh"; "The Paul Winchell and Jerry Mahoney Show"), age 82. 23.Shelby Foote, novelist and historian ( "The Civil War: A Narrative"), age 88. 24.Ernest Lehman, screenwriter ("North by Northwest," "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" and "The Sound of Music,"), age 89. 25.Hank Stram, innovative coach of the Kansas City Chiefs and Pro Football Hall of Famer, age 82. 26.L. Patrick Gray, F.B.I. Director (May 3, 1972 - April 27, 1973) known as a Nixon loyalist during the Watergate years, who totally missed the fact that his former deputy, W. Mark Felt, was Deep Throat, age 88. 27.Retired Vice Adm. James Stockdale, Medal of Honor recipient for resisting his North Vietnamese captors; Ross Perot's running mate president in 1992, age 81. 28.Ret. Gen. William Westmoreland, soldier with the dubious distinction of having been leader of the U.S. forces in Vietnam from 1964 to 1968, age 91 . 29.King Fahd, Saudi Arabian monarch since 1982, age 82 or 84. 30.John H. Johnson, publisher of "Ebony" and "Jet" magazines, age 87. 31.Judith Rossner, author ("Looking for Mr. Goodbar"), age 70. 32.William Rehnquist, Chief Justice, United States Supreme Court, age 80. 33.Simon Wiesenthal, Holocaust survivor who devoted his life to hunting Nazi war criminals, age 96. 34.Robert Wise, producer/director ("West Side Story" and "Sound of Music"), age 91. 35.M. Scott Peck, author ("The Road Less Traveled''), age 69. 36.August Wilson, playwright , Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize winner ("Fences" and "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom"), age 60. 37.Nipsey Russell, "poet laureate of television" ("Hollywood Squares," "The $50,000 Pyramid," and "Match Game"), age 80. 38.Rosa Parks, activist and "the mother of civil rights" in America, age 92. 39.Skitch Henderson, composer, conductor, bandleader ("The Tonight Show"), age 87. 40.Michael Piller, writer/producer (Star Trek TNG, DS9 and Voyager), age 57. 41.Ruth Siems, invented Stove Top Stuffing, age 74. 42.Ralph Edwards, early TV pioneer and host ("This Is Your Life"), age 92. 43.Eugene McCarthy, presidential candidate (1968) and U.S. Senator (1959-1971), age 89. 44.Jack Anderson, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, age 83.
WHAT PEOPLE LIKED AND DISLIKED MOST THIS YEAR
Photo: Kierra Nightly. Best ready-to-wear: Balenciaga and Prada. Best haute couture/fashion for women: Chanel, Balenciaga and Dior. Favorite color: Black. Worst trends: Plastic surgery, breast enhancement, Texan cowboy boots, celebrities trashy fashion, and fake Louis Vitton handbags. Best fashion/couture for men: Dior and Givenchy. Most elegant movie star: Charlize Theron. Stylish lady to miss: Nan Kempner. Best hair: Sienna Miller.
Photo: Iceland's Unnur Birna Vilhjalmsdottir, Miss World 2005. Prettiest woman on the block: Kierra Knightly. Stories/celebrities people are tired of: #1. Angelina Jolie, #2. weapons of mass destruction, #3. Paris Hilton, #4. Oprah Winfrey, #5. Donald Trump. Best bag: Fendi. Most outspoken star of the year: Susan Sarandon. Best eau de cologne for men: Drakkar noire and Fahrenheit. Most highly paid actress: Julia Roberts. (Between $20 and $27 millions, a film). Most admired actress: Meryl Streep. Classiest cards online: Jackie Lawson. World's newest most beautiful and talented woman: Iceland's Unnur Birna Vilhjalmsdottir, Miss World 2005. Most hated or yakked French food specialties by Americans: #1. Escargots (Snail), #2. Steak Tartare. Most disliked American item to be seen by French restaurateurs on dining tables: American Ketchup. Most admired woman by American middle-class and housewives: Oprah Winfrey. Most envied American woman by American women: Martha Stewart. Most repeated 2 French words by Americans: Oui, Oui. Most repeated 2 American words by Europeans: #1. OK, #2. Cool. Most watched American TV cable by foreigners: CNN. Worst idea/propaganda by The White House: The creation of Al Houra television network |
WHAT DID WE LEARN THIS YEAR? What did we learn this year, and from this year? Those who know a lot, humbly and admirably believe that they know nothing about life and there are so many things to learn about, understand, appreciate and discover. Those who know nothing still believe that they know everything. And I am quite happy with that. For, we need all kinds of people to fill this vain world of ours. And more pretentious, idiot and silly people I meet or learn about, happier in my humility, I become. For, either, selfishly, I do not need more competition, or wisely, I realize that "Plus ca change, plus ca reste la meme chose." And what did I learn this year or from this year? Many things. And among those things: Nothing equals in life, the goodness of the heart, unconditional love, unrestricted appreciation of others talents, infinite forgiveness, compassion and unlimited generosity toward everybody and especially toward those who cannot return the favor...and perhaps, just perhaps, a bright honest mind. Years ago, I wrote those lines (below) in my books "SECRET BOOK OF NATIONS", and "STORIES I NEVER TOLD", among others.... And as of today, they remain very a propos. I love to share them with you. This is what I wrote some 20 years ago:
Painting: "Leave Your Suspicions Behind The Rain", oil on canvas, 1979, by the author.
"For the STRONG, there are two kinds of truth. One for each occasion. For the weak, there are all kinds of truth and each one eliminates the other..." from "THE SECRET BOOK OF NATIONS". “If you can’t see the light in the dark, don’t expect to see it in the early morning.” from “ Stories I never Told”.
“Two kinds of people usually don’t like you
much; your boss if you are smarter than him, and your employee if they are
smarter than you.” ... "Don’t tell anybody, I know what you are thinking, if
you don’t know, and especially if you do.”
|
SOME OF THE YEAR'S MOST REVEALING NUMBERS: In 2005, American women, between the age of 21 and 52, spent 3 times more on cosmetic surgery, breast enhancement, diet programs, health food, buying shoes and bikini thongs than what all the Arab countries combined, spent on social reforms and Medicare. In 2005, American families spent 3 times more on swimming pools chemicals than what 95% of African countries spent on soil fertilizers. THE YEAR'S MOST BOUGHT ITEMS AROUND THE WORLD: WHAT PEOPLE BOUGHT MOST THIS YEAR: Americans: 1-Food. 2-Electronic gadgets. 3-Home appliances. Europeans: 1-Books/journals/newspapers. 2-Clothing. 3- Cosmetics and food. Arab Countries: 1-Food. 2-Family needs. 3-Accessories. GOVERNMENTS' ANNUAL SPENDING: HIGHEST AND PRIORITY #1: USA: 1-Arms. 2-Technology/Science. EUROPE: 1-Education. 2- Economics/Trade. ARAB COUNTRIES: 1-Armament. 2-Technology development. JAPAN: 1-Technology/Electronics. 2-Manufacturing. RUSSIA: 1-Import/Export. 2-National resources. ISRAEL: 1-National security. 2-Urban development. FORMER SOVIET BLOCK: 1-Upgrading technology. 2-Urbanization. U.A.E.: 1-Land development. 2-Free zoning. CHINA: 1-Electronics. 2-Global trade. THE YEAR'S MOST READ PUBLICATIONS IN RANK ORDER: 1-Electronic, gizmos and new products publications and catalogues. 2-Pornographic material (publications and websites). 3-The Koran. First time to make the list. 4-The Bible. Used to be, the world most widely read book for centuries. Helas! No more! 5-Sports publications. THE YEAR'S MOST BOUGHT FAKE ITEMS: 1-Louis Vitton's handbags. 2-Rollex
THE YEAR'S MOST SADDENING THINGS: 1-FOR EVERY CLICK ON ENCYCLOPEDIA BRITANNICA, PARIS HILTON GETS 654 CLICKS. 2-EVERY 15 MINUTES, 12,500 CHILDREN DIE OF HUNGER AROUND THE WORLD.
The Top 100 search terms of 2005, with last year's rank in parentheses. Lycos ranking: 1.
Paris Hilton (2) 11.
Brooke Burke (12) 21.
Jessica Simpson (50) 31.
Anna Kournikova (51) 41.
Sailor Moon (56) 51.
50 Cent (-) 61.
Chyna/Joanie Laurer (-) 71.
The Simpsons (-) 81.
Slipknot (-) 91.
Kelly Monaco (-) PEOPLE's 50 Most Beautiful People. It's an annual spring tradition... . See who made our list of the world's most gorgeous guys and gals:
• Eva Longoria BEST INTERNATIONAL ART EVENT OF THE YEAR: Florence Biennale, Italy.
Photos from L to R: #1. Dr. John T. Spike. #2. Professor Piero Celona. #3. Professor Pasquale Celona. No other art exhibit equals the quality, the originality and astonishing diversity of Florence Biennale. Unquestionably, this is the greatest art show on earth. Three geniuses were behind this major international events: The Celona brothers, Piero and Pasquale and Dr. John T. Spike, an international authority on art.
Photos from L to R: #1. Vincenzo Balsamo. #2.Joseph Matar. #3. Salwa Zeidan. BEST ARTISTS OF THE YEAR: #1.Joseph Matar. (Lebanon, France) #2. Salwa Zeidan. (Lebanon) #3. Aime Venel. (France) #4. Marina Kharma. (Lithuania, Russia) #5. Daniel Iliescu. (Romania). BEST EUROPEAN CUBIST ARTIST OF THE YEAR: The legendary, Vincenzo Balsamo. (Italy). BEST INDEPENDENT CURATOR OF THE YEAR: Jan Lynn Sokota. BEST INTERNATIONAL CURATORS OF A MAJOR ART EVENT: Dr. John Pike, Professor Piero Celona, Professor Pasquale Celona. NEW YORK BEST INSTALLATION PHOTOGRAPHY ARTIST OF THE YEAR: Renate Aller. (Germany). INTERNATIONAL ARTIST OF THE YEAR: Mona Hatoum (Palestine). WORST ART SHOWS OF THE YEAR AT: Baumgartner Gallery, New York. BEST FASHION AND ART PROMOTER OF THE YEAR: Andres Aquino. BEST FASHION DESIGNER OF THE YEAR: Jamil Khansa. THE YEAR'S BEST AND WORST TV ADS
Photo: FAY RIPLEY and the National Lottery "unicorn" that got ad bosses so worked up. The worst TV ad of the year in the UK, was for Camelot. The campaign featured Cold Feet star Fay Ripley as Lady Luck, clad in purple garb with a pink unicorn voiced by Graham Norton. The ads beat out Diet Coke, Mitsubish, Ford Focus, Burger King, Specsavers, Weetabix, Quick Step Flooring and Nobby's Nuts. LADY LUCK failed to smile on Camelot this year ... the lottery giant's sales pitch was voted worst on TV by the ad industry. The series of baffling ads featured Cold Feet star Fay Ripley as a purple-clad Lady Luck with a pink unicorn in a series of commercials. It won Grade One Turkey of the Year from the ad industry 'bible' Campaign, beating off Diet Coke's new icon, a tortoise with a can on its back. Also named and shamed were a trio of car firms, Mitsubishi, Ford Focus which was named "a true toe-curler". Ads from top name brands such as Burger King whose offering was "About as appetising as a bag of cold chips", Specsavers and Weetabix also made the top 10. An advert for Mitsubishi cars - which takes third spot in the list - shows the vehicles playing football. Campaign says: "Criminally this gets everything wrong, It uses a hackneyed idea and takes it to preposterous extremes. The top 10 worst ads included Quick Step Flooring which saw a dog doing handstands. Taking up is the ad for Nobby's Nuts where pubgoers go for Noddy Holder's nuts. It is described as "A truly wearisome piece of wordplay which only the most undemanding would find funny." The annual awards are as eagerly awaited by the industry as the familiar "best of the year" ones as so many big names are held to ridicule. Camelot ads suffered a dodgy purple patch before when Billy Connolly's purple goatee beard baffled viewers. The Lotto organiser's current set of ads includes one in which a pyjama-clad couple find themselves on the Eiffel Tower as it does a cartwheel. Campaign magazine which published the results, stated: "The definition of a Grade One turkey is a combination of a good agency, a good client and an absolute and consistent stinker of a campaign. "In Camelot's case that translates into a pink unicorn, a rather depressingly common Lady Luck and a series of completely incomprehensible scenarios." The magazine does include the best ads of the year on TV, radio, press and poster. The winner of the best TV ad was for Sony in which thousands of coloured balls are released to roll down the hills of San Francisco. It was followed by ads for Sure, VW Golf, Stella Artois and Marks & Spencer among others. Data: Evening Times.
Photos: Stella Artois Ads. The winner of the best TV ad was for Sony Bravia in which thousands of coloured balls are released to roll down the hills of San Francisco. It was followed by ads for Sure, VW Golf, Stella Artois and Marks & Spencer among others. Other great ads of the year is Stella Atroiswith their ice skating priests spot, and "Lost souls", "a labyrinthine alternative-reality game that involves hidden passwords and secret codes that enable players to respond to help a woman trace her missing brother." BEST AVANT-GARDE ART EXHIBITION OF THE YEAR: Joseph Nechvatal "Contamination" : An Art Exhibition at Château de Linardié, France. The artist Joseph Nechvatal has used the computer for twenty years to create his computer-robotic assisted acrylic paintings and electronic installations. To do so he has subjected his image compositions to custom computer virus programs. From 1991-1993 he worked as artist-in-resident at the Louis Pasteur Atelier and the Saline Royale / Ledoux Foundation's computer lab in Arbois, France on The Computer Virus Project: an experiment with computer viruses as a creative stratagem. In 2001 he extended that artistic research into the field of viral artificial life through his collaboration with the programmer Stéphane Sikora of the collective music2eye. The dominant hermaphroditic visual form seen throughout "CONTAMINATION" is created through the computational morphing of testicles, ovaries, female breasts, and the buttocks of both sexes. "CONTAMINATION" was chosen by the artist for the title of this exhibition for a very specific reason. Through the utilization of digital-robotics, the paintings on view hold in suspension aesthetic moments preserved from real-time computer viral attacks which the artist performed using the most recent version of his custom viral software. This C++ based software, developed with the programmer Stéphane Sikora, launches unpredictable progressive real-time virus operations that live off and transform its image hosts – hosts created by the artist using a blend of digital-photography, computer graphic maneuvers and externalized computer code. These real-time viral attacks fall into the category of artificial life (A-Life); that is into a synthetic system that exhibits behaviors characteristic of natural living systems. With "CONTAMINATION" artificial life viruses are modeled to be autonomous agents living in/off the hermaphroditic image. These "Contamination" attacks simulate a population of active viruses functioning as an analogy of a viral biological system. The host for the viruses are the digital files on which the computer-robotic assisted paintings in "CONTAMINATION" are based. Among the different techniques used here are models that result from embodied artificial intelligence and the paradigm of genetic programming.
Dr. Joseph Nechvatal earned his Ph.D. in the philosophy of art and new technology at The Centre for Advanced Inquiry in the Interactive Arts (CAiiA) University of Wales College, Newport, UK. Dr. Nechvatal presently teaches at the School of Visual Arts in New York City( SVA) and at Stevens Institute of Technology.
Memorable quotes from 2005 "You are jerks!" - French actress Brigitte Bardot of Prime Minister Paul Martin and Fisheries Minister Minister Geoff Regan for allowing the seal hunt. "I don't want people to think I am someone who is dangerous who will do something to their children." - Karla Homolka on her release from prison. "Being cloistered with nuns could be a very good option." - Anna Campagna, executive director of Centre Generation Emploi in Montreal, on Homolka's job prospects post-prison. "I know a lot of you are going through separation anxiety... but there's nothing I can do about getting a Tim Hortons in Kabul," - brigade commander Col. Al Howard to troops leaving for Afghanistan. "The justice system has never given Indian people a fair shot at anything." - Robert Whitehead, chief of the Yellow Quill First Nation, after a white man convicted in a gang rape escaped jail time. "Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job." - U.S. President George W. Bush to Federal Emergency Management Agency chief Michael Brown, during his first visit to the region devastated by hurricane Katrina. Brown was later blamed for the federal government's inadequate response to the hurricane. "I don't treat my dog like that. I buried my dog." - Daniel Edwards on an elderly woman who lay dead in a wheelchair at the New Orleans convention centre three days after Katrina. "Go to hell!" - former Iraqi dictator Saddam
Hussein to five judges trying him for mass murder and torture.
"The man's 63. He's going to die in jail. How much sterner could you get?" - A pleased Gino Cavallo, who lost retirement money in the WorldCom scandal, on former boss Bernard Ebberss 25-year prison term for leading the largest corporate fraud in U.S. history. "This has been one massive smear job from A to Z, and it will have a surprise ending." - Fallen print baron Conrad Black on accusation he stole more than $80 million US from Hollinger International Inc. "Always glad to be in Chicago." - Black on his arrival in the Windy City to face charges in court. "He'll keep his clothes on." - Charles Coplin, the man the NFL put in charge of the Super Bowl halftime show, on performer Paul McCartney. "They are about to go over a cliff together on a Zamboni." - Former Ontario deputy labour minister Victor Pathe on the NHL lockout. "If you want to know how I feel, I'll summarize it in one word - terrible." - Commissioner Gary Bettman on cancelling the NHL season. "Sexuality can be very difficult to get your mind wrapped around - never mind the rest of your body." - Actress Kim Cattrall on her book Sexual Intelligence.
|
|
|
Front Page I Political & Social Analyses I Breaking News: USA, World, Europe, Middle East I Politics I Last Minute International News I Issues of the Hour I Entertainment I Cinema I World of Cinema & Entertainment this Year I Music: CDs I World of Music this Year I Arts I Television I People I People with an Attitude I Society I Lifestyle I Culture I Books I Travel I Commentaries I Articles I Gossips I Personal History I Newsmakers I Consumers I Work I Business I Family I Parenting I Health I Around the world I Woman's world I Beauty I Fashion I Style I The Grapevine I Opinions I Viewpoints I Stars. Celebrities I Spotlight I Unusual & Strange World I Studies: Islam I History. Civilization: Iraq I Societies. Social Systems I Contact I Liens inclus I Liens de valeur I
STYLE,
MANNERS AND FASHION:
Photo:
Babe Ruth is completely unknown to foreigners.
