Double

I may not be as artistic as Liam, but here's my attempt at this week's Illustration Friday topic.



(Illustration Friday: July 23, 2010)


The first time Lily saw herself in the mirror, she didn't quite realize who she was looking at.

I'm back from a long relaxing weekend at home with family for a joint birthday celebration. As usual, Dad baked Mom and me a delicious birthday cake with whipped cream topping, and it was expertly decorated in kitty fashion by my 6-year-old nephew, Liam. While he may have had a little assistance from his mom, I think we can see who the real artiste is in this family. Yum yum!

Breakfast

(Illustration Friday: July 16, 2010)


Norman is ready to conquer the day.

Diary

(Illustration Friday: July 9, 2010) 


Simon is always writing in his journal in his quest to understand life. No one has read his chronicles, not even The Mother Kitty, but we're all sure that they'll end up in the Library of Congress someday.


I'm a bit behind in posting for Illustration Friday because of a quick trip to New York to catch Sting on his Symphonicities Tour. Yay! I highly recommend catching it while you can! I'll be getting back to a regular schedule once my delirium settles. 

Johnny Kitties: Celebrating Johnny Depp Film #2--Private Resort (1985)

[What is Johnny Kitties? See Johnny Kitties: Celebrating Johnny Depp for all the details!]

©Columbia/
Tristar Studios

Johnny Depp actually survived A Nightmare on Elm Street and next signed up for a teen sex comedy called Private Resort. (Hard to believe, I know.) I feel as though every actor in the United States was in one of these movies back in the ‘80s, and I’m sure they are all a bit haunted by them.

I had hope for this one, though.  Not just because of Johnny's involvement, but his costars included Rob Morrow of "Northern Exposure" fame and—more impressive--Hector Elizondo, who’s in hundreds of good movies and TV shows. On the other hand, Andrew “Dice” Clay is also in it.

Johnny as Jack
©Columbia/
Tristar Studios 

You can probably guess from the title that this movie is about teenage boys on the prowl in a sunny vacation spot. In this case, it’s Miami. Johnny plays Jack, who spends all his time checking out the ladies in skimpy bikinis. Ben (Rob Morrow), his shy best friend, meets a sweet waitress, with whom love blossom. In the meantime, The Maestro--a jewel thief played by Hector Elizondo--is after a diamond necklace worn by of wealthy old lady, who has hidden kung fu talents. As you can imagine, chaos ensues.

Private Resort isn’t a shining moment in Johnny’s career, but it was a job that helped him pay the rent. Back then, his heart was all about music.  As he put it, “At the time, they could have said, ‘Listen, we’re gonna strap Dom Deluise to your back and you’re gonna climb this building,’ and I said, ‘Fine.’”

For me, there are too many boobs and bums in this movie, but it’s not the worst I’ve seen. This is a batty comedy, but it actually has some good slapstick moments. And there's Johnny--so young and so pretty....There are worse ways to spend 82 minutes.

All the Kitties wanted to be in this tribute because it meant a fun day in the sun. We decided to highlight the ensemble cast of crazy characters, lounging by the pool. We had to add some "extras" because there are too many of them, but The Kitties had first dibs on who they wanted to be. 

Here, Jack spots his latest conquest lounging on a float, and Ben (Comet) notices the cute waitress (Ashes, of course). Norman was the only one willing to play The Maestro because no one wanted to shave their shiny coats. (In the movie, Ben gives him an unfortunate haircut.) The Mother Kitty had the seniority to demand the part of the diamond-wearing socialite, but really she just wanted an excuse to do some kung fu fighting. Everyone agreed that Simon was perfect to play the 8-year-old kid on the loose in the resort, but they were all envious of B.J. who scored the role of the punk. (They may not have wanted to cut their hair, but they like the spikes!) 

And, yes, there is a girl who wears a turban throughout this movie, and she's very attached to that flowerpot. I said this movie was batty, right?  

Stay tuned for next month's Slow Burn! 

Giant!

(Illustration Friday: July 2, 2010)


As I have been doing several times in the last few weeks, due to the unbearable heat wave hitting DC, The Mother Kitty fell asleep during a movie and had a curious dream: Attack of the 50-Foot Kitty!


Happy July, everyone! I finished Kelly Rae Roberts's creative business e-course, "Flying Lessons," this weekend--Yay! I highly recommend it, even though I've already started procrastinating building my own creative business. I figure I can rest up while making a To Do List in my head for now.


I've also been working on Johnny Kitties: The Johnny Depp Project. (I think I have Season 1 of 21 Jump Street pretty well memorized at this point.) My next installment, Private Resort will be in a few days. 


Talking about side projects, remember that, for a small charitable donation, some of The Kitties' "Ripple" illustrations are still available. While Simon's and Comet's drawings are taken, you can see the remaining Kitties here. All proceeds help the animals affected by the Gulf Coast oil spill. (See The Ripple Blog for more details.) Please help--They will thank you!