Heights

In her day, The Mother Kitty loved climbing the tree outside of our garage. Climbing down never concerned her...until she was already up there. Don't worry, Dad always came to her rescue.

(Illustration Friday: April 20, 2012)

Simon (199? - April 16, 2012)

"Blessed are they who go around in circles, for they shall be called wheels."

Ode to Old Fuzzy Face

There once was a magic cat.

He came into our lives, and that was that.

His leg was crooked. His eyes were crossed.

It was clear that he was lost.

We took him home, where he went round.

"I was lost," he said. "But now I'm found.

Just like the song, shall I sing it to you?

Or, can I just go in circles? I make u-turns too."

We voted for the latter, for which he was most fond

After bounding out of the woods or rolling by the pond.

He'd start every day with a whiff of fresh air

Then circle the house to make sure it's all there.

He'd always offer Dad a paw

To draft a project or work with the saw.

With Mom, he'd be first to cut the cards.

And help her with gardening in the yard.

He'd come circling, whirling all over the map

Purring and kneading right into my lap.

Scratching his head never got old.

Stop and he'd look, wondering why I'm on hold.

Curled up like a powder puff, napping so sweet.

This furball kept me planted for hours in my seat.

This cool cat was one of the best.

But, now, he has been laid to rest.

"It's okay," I thought. "I can still find him on TV

As The Celtics point guard for all to see."

Making circles and u-turns with the ball

Sometimes, the other players don't see him at all.

That's right: He can also beam himself, over here or over there.

Don't be sad: Like Jedi Master Obi-Wan, he is everywhere.

Simon is our magic cat.

Always will be, that is that.

Puzzled

The Kitties have been puzzled!

(Illustration Friday: April 13, 2012)

Vocal

On April 2, I attended a charity concert in Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center benefiting Paul Newman's Association of Hole in the Wall Camps. Renamed the SeriousFun Children's Network, it now provides 28 summer camps around the world for seriously ill children, giving them and their parents a break from hospitals and doctor appointments. Free of charge, these camps let the kids be kids.

I've read about these concerts--which offer music, celebrity appearances, and participation by the campers themselves--but this was my first time attending. While I was excited to see some of the celebrity guests, I was most eager to see how the kids would be involved. I'd seen photos and video clips of Paul Newman on stage in costume playing and singing songs with the campers--Everything was accompanied by smiles and laughter.

Billed as "A Celebration of Paul Newman's Dream," this year's concert was a bittersweet reminder of why we were all there--the children with their unflappable spirit and the great man who gave them this gift of freedom, normalcy, and fun. Fourteen campers represented their camps that night. Some of them traveled from foreign countries, such as Italy and Hungary. I was moved and entertained at the same time: One moment, a teenager told us about his best friend, someone he met at his summer camp who never failed to make him laugh but eventually lost his battle with cancer. The next, a younger boy told us the best thing about his camp: two trees that together have grown to form the letter 'H.' "I was told to write an essay about what I love about the camp," he said, "But that would just ruin it."

This year's celebrity guests included Jimmy Fallon, Tina Fey, Paul Simon, Trisha Yearwood, Josh Groban, and Jake Gyllenhaal. One of my favorite moments came during Elvis Costello's three-song set. The concert was backed by a 14-piece house band, but Elvis only enlisted four members of the string section. He commented on the beautiful theater's fantastic acoustics. Then, during his second song, "A Slow Drag with Josephine," he proved it. Playing alone on his acoustic guitar, he stepped away from the microphone but kept singing while roaming the stage. Avery Fisher Hall is elegantly simple in shades of beige, but Elvis was right: The acoustics rock!

Here, Comet volunteered to take center-stage because he loves Elvis Costello! While Gordon, B.J., Lily, and Ashes are in the band, the other kitties wouldn't dare miss this event. They've snagged front-row seats.

(Illustration Friday: April 6, 2012)

At the benefit, Elvis Costello introduced "A Slow Drag for Josephine," saying that he was about to play some rock 'n' roll. Our cheers transformed to giggles when he clarified, "At least, it's rock 'n' roll as I imagine it in 1921." You may not know this song, so I thought I'd include it here for your listening pleasure. While not quite as cool as the version I heard, here he is singing it on Jools Holland's show, "Later Live," in 2010. Enjoy!

Video © BBC

Return

In early April, I spent three days in New York. I attended a couple of fantastic charity concerts, toured the American Museum of Natural History, and saw The Best Man on Broadway.

While I had a wonderful time, Lily was waiting for my return, and by the third day, I was eager to return to her too. I haven't figured out how she knows it's me, but I heard her calling me from down the hall of my apartment.

I told her all about my trip, and she told all about the sounds and shadows she tracked each day while I was gone. Now, everything's back to normal.

(Illustration Friday: March 30, 2012)

Johnny Kitties: Celebrating Johnny Depp Film #19--Sleepy Hollow (1999)

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


Beware Sleepy Hollow.

At the turn of the 18th century, New York City Constable Ichabod Crane (Johnny Depp) is just beginning to introduce his colleagues to the scientific approach to criminal investigation using homemade primitive tools and potions. Laughed out of town, he is sent upper state to Sleepy Hollow, where he will use his "experiments" to solve the mystery behind a series of random beheadings. Upon arrival to this quiet village, Ichabod meets an odd cast of characters who tell him the legend of the headless horseman (Christopher Walken), an evil Hessian who rises from the dead to collect the heads. A squeamish man of science, Ichabod must forget reason and face his fears to solve this case.

Do it with style!

Tim sets up a shot at The Tree of the Dead.

Sleepy Hollow marks Johnny's third collaboration with Tim Burton. As with the previous two (Edward Scissorhands and Ed Wood), they shared a common interest and vision for it. "It's the type of movie that I used to like to watch all the time and actually made me want to make movies," Tim said. "It has a good healthy mix of excitement and [being] slightly scary but funny all at the same time. That is always interesting, trying to mix all those things together." Johnny agreed: "I used to watch all sorts of horror films as a kid. I loved them. I was obsessed with them and wanted to recreate that classic style of horror film acting." (Think of Vincent Price and Peter Cushing.) Sleepy Hollow turned into an admirable salute to Hammer Horror Films, which both Tim and Johnny grew up watching.

Drakula!

The film's fantastic supporting cast includes Christina Ricci, Miranda Richardson, Christopher Walken, and a bunch of memorable character actors--all of whom, reviewers noted, have great silent-movie-era faces. Because of their great faces, Tim began treating the film like a silent movie, despite all the dialogue, letting the actors convey things without saying them. Christopher Walken actually modeled the headless horseman after Lon Chaney's "Wolfman" character. "My figure is a little like me: After a day of chopping heads, he just goes home and has dinner," he joked. "My forte seems to be psychotic, twisted people. He's very like that." (I love that he does nothing but growl.) And, Tim even got Christopher Lee ("Drakula" of the Hammer Horror Films) to give a cameo. "That was a real honor to have him play this part and sort of set the tone for the film," he said. "It's amazing to watch this person work, this person who's inspired you. He has such a power to him."

Ichabod Crane was originally written as an unattractive fellow, and Johnny was all for using a prosthetic nose and big ears. Thankfully, his director talked him out of it. "Tim was very smart in thinking that we didn't need it, that there were other ways," Johnny explained. "I think, ultimately, he was right to show an Ichabod Crane who--on the surface--is kind of stoic and likes to think of of himself as a sort of manly man. But, in fact, he's very fragile, sensitive, and flawed." For his inspiration, Johnny gave Ichabod Angela Lansbury's "Murder She Wrote" super-sleuthing talents mixed in with the squeamish fears of a little girl.

"Johnny is so kind and such an amazing actor," Christina Ricci, who also worked with him in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, said. "He takes risks and does things that other actors wouldn't do because of their vanity. He's willing to make a complete fool out of himself for the performance." Tim explained, "Johnny was excellent at pretending you know what you're talking about when you haven't a clue. He's also a very good physical actor. He understood--when you look at people like Peter Cushing--these actors in these kinds of movies, where there's a kind of style. It's almost like animation poses, where movement is very much a part of the character. He's very good at that." Johnny is really funny in this movie.

Based on Washington Irving's "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," this is a story that everyone involved remembered as a kid, either from the classic book or the Disney cartoon. Tim stayed true to the story and its fairytale feel. But, built from scratch in the English countryside (or in studio), everything from the village homes to the haunted Western Woods are unmistakably Tim Burton's vision. Everything is a little off, twisted, eerie--and fantastic. "I think Tim, first and foremost, is an artist. He has an artist's approach to every facet of the film," Johnny said. "Everything within the frame is of great importance to him--the composition of the shot, the colors, the movement." When I first saw photographs of the set during filming, I immediately started bouncing off the walls to see the finished product. "Tim is so incredibly visual," Christina Ricci said, "His movies are just really beautiful but strange, and for this kind of movie, that's exactly what it needs." Miranda Richardson agreed, "When you walk on to a set that Tim's made, it's extremely magical. It's like another world. It's very exciting to see his beautiful drawings realized in full." Simply put, Johnny said of Tim's Sleepy Hollow, "I want to live there."
 
Sleepy Hollow was nominated for a bunch of awards. It won an Oscar for best art direction/set decoration, and Johnny won a Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actor of the Year (Horror).

Nothing brings the family together like a Johnny Movie.
Released on Thanksgiving, my entire family was around to be dragged to the theater during Sleepy Hollow's opening weekend. Everyone liked this one, lopped off heads and all.
 
The Kitties revisit Sleepy Hollow.
As many of you may know, I participate in IllustrationFriday.com, which gives a word for artistic inspiration each week. One week, Illustration Friday's word was "hollow," and I couldn't think of anything else but this movie. (I really can't help it.) Here's the drawing I came up with for it back then:

(Illustration Friday: July 10, 2009)

After watching the film for Johnny Kitties, I'm still in love with Tim Burton's Tree of the Dead, but more Kitties wanted to be involved in the illustration. Here, Ichabod, Katrina (Mini) and Young Masbath (Marc Pickering/Simon) look on as the horseman reclaims his head and sets toward his resting place with some company, Katrina's stepmother (Miranda Richardson/The Mother Kitty). Tim considers this a happy ending for all.

Johnny kept busy in the '90s.
If you haven't noticed already, Johnny's a pretty prolific guy with interests all over the place. Since I missed mentioning some of his side projects and extra-curricular activities at the time, here are some highlights from the 1990s.

1994: 

-- Introduced Neil Young singing his Oscar-nominated song "Philadelphia" at the 66th Annual Academy Awards.

1995: 
-- Participated in The Help Album, a charity recording benefiting The War Child Project targeting such war-stricken areas as Bosnia and Herzegovina. Johnny plays guitar on a song called, "Fade Away," with Oasis and friends.
-- Formed a band called P with Gibby Hanes, Bill Carter, and Sal Jenco. They record and release an album on Capitol Records.

1998: 

-- Met French model/singer/actress/soul mate Vanessa Paradis: "It was love at first sight," Johnny said. "Vanessa, to me, has been a kind of miracle."

1999: 

-- Portrayed one of his literary heroes, Jack Kerouac, in an American Masters documentary called The Source: The Story of The Beats and The Beat Generation. 

-- Received an honorary Cesar--the French equivalent to an Oscar--for his body of work. 

-- Was honored with a star on The Walk of Fame.

-- Became a father to daughter Lily-Rose, born in May, who magically, instantly, and noticeably made Johnny a calmer, happier person: "My daughter, the birth of my daughter, gave me life. I'm sure I smiled before, laughed before, but now I can really feel it."  

Bring on the 2000s!

Next month, Johnny fills up on Chocolat.

(Sleepy Hollow images © Paramount; P cover art © Capitol Records; The Source cover art © Fox Lorber; photos of Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis at Sleepy Hollow premiere and Johnny Depp's Walk of Fame star © unknown.)

Swamp

The Kitties and I have never seen Swamp Thing or read the comic book, but somehow it was the first and only thing that came to mind. And, you know how the Pixar cartoons show bloopers during the ending credits? That really happens! Don't worry, Norman and Mini finally got it together.

(Illustration Friday: March 23, 2012)

Shades

Happy Spring, everyone! 

B.J. was first to venture out to enjoy the warm weather. He blended right in with the shades of sunshine.

(Illustration Friday: March 16, 2012)

Yield

The Mother Kitty always has the right of way. 

(Illustration Friday: March 9, 2012)

Johnny Kitties: Celebrating Johnny Depp Film #18. The Ninth Gate (1999)

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


A Date with the Devil

Mr. Balkan offers a special job.

In The Ninth Gate, Johnny Depp plays Dean Corso, a scrupulous rare book dealer contacted by Boris Balkan (Frank Langella), who owns an original copy of The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows. Mr. Balkan enlists Dean to find the two other first editions because, together, the books unlock the gateway to Hell. Based on a novel by Arturo Perez-Reverte called El Club Dumas and directed by Roman Polanski, this film is an old-fashioned detective story with a supernatural twist.

But do I have to see this one?

As I mentioned before, I no longer have any tolerance for scary movies. I think I watched one too many as a kid, so now the corniest, most predictable thrills make me jump out of my seat. I was afraid The Ninth Gate would scare me because Roman Polanski's classic Rosemary's Baby scared me, and – since both stories involve the devil – everyone was comparing The Ninth Gate to Rosemary's Baby. I didn't like The Ninth Gate when I first saw it, and I remember my dad making a stinky face as we left the theater. (He, too, was expecting Rosemary's Baby, which is one of his favorite movies.) Seeing this again for Johnny Kitties, though, it turns out that The Ninth Gate is a great movie! From when I first saw it, I only remembered the crazy ending and the PG-13 creepy bits that freaked me out at the time.

This time, I really enjoyed the mystery and the humor incorporated into it. Unlike Rosemary's Baby, this is a light-hearted story about the devil. It doesn't take itself too seriously and reminds me, in a way, of an old-fashioned Hitchcock film. I loved the atmosphere and pace set from the beginning: Even the 3D-style opening credits start you off sweeping through the nine gates. "I think, within the first 3 minutes of a Polanski film, you feel some kind of uneasiness, some kind of eeriness, a sense of instability in the center of your body," Johnny said.

I still don't like the ending – which must have been my lasting impression – but neither does Roman Polanski: "We had great problems with the ending, and I don't even know that I'm satisfied with the way we decided to go, but that was the best of all alternatives, I think." For me, the last 15 minutes of the movie just get too weird. Starting with a cultish ceremony, everything becomes over the top and some scenes seemed unnecessary. But I never read the book, so I don't know how I'd end it either.

An American in Paris

Johnny jumped at the chance to work with Roman Polanski. (He probably likes Rosemary's Baby too.) Johnny was Roman Polanski's first choice to star in The Ninth Gate, which was filmed in France. The director enjoyed the experience: "Working with actors is so different from case to case: They're different people, different personalities, different approaches, different characters. And, each time you work with a new actor, you have to find a way of collaborating with him," he explained. "With Johnny, it was very easy because he's got a knack for it, for saying lines in such a way that they always sound right. There's never a false note. It's quite simple. There's not much talk or motivation. Other actors keep asking questions; Johnny hardly ever asks anything."

Dean Corso, Book Detective!

Dean Corso isn't the nicest guy, which you find out pretty quickly, but apparently that's what attracted Johnny to him: "I like the idea of hating a character initially, but then growing to like him. In the beginning when you really dislike him, he's bad. But when you grow to like him at the end, he's in fact worse!"Johnny played Dean Corso straight and flat, which isn't how Roman Polanski imagined it: "After a couple of days, I thought it gave the film some different aspect that I wasn't anticipating when I was working on the script," he said. "I think it's an interesting contrast with all those strange and funny secondary characters around him."

I didn't know Lily could fly!
As he searches for these books, Dean Corso has a little help from a mysterious woman (Emmanuel Signer/Lily), who always seems to appear at opportune moments. While fighting off a bad guy (Tony Amoni/Simon) who is trying to steal Mr. Balkan's book (in the bag), Dean doesn't notice the woman literally flying down the stairs to his rescue. Yeah, there's something weird about her....



What's next?
Johnny caps off the '90s investigating murder most foul in Sleepy Hollow with Tim Burton.


(Except for my drawing, all images © Artisan Entertainment.) 

Intention

I skipped yoga class today, but The Kitties didn't: We start most yoga classes in a comfortable seated position. Once centered, we bring our palms together to seal the intention or dedication of our practice, sometimes with a single chant of "om." 

(Illustration Friday: March 2, 2012)

Capable

Of all The Kitties, Mini is the only one capable of revealing Norman's playful side--
and getting him some exercise.

(Illustration Friday: February 24, 2012)

Fluid

I haven't been able to stop thinking about fabric since the mention of this week's Illustration Friday word. I waited a few days for something else to pop into my head, but Kate Moss has taken over.

Last summer, I traveled to New York to see the Alexander McQueen exhibit, Savage Beauty, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. (I remembered seeing some of his fashion shows on TV when I was younger. His show was always considered a major event during London Fashion Week.) I figured the exhibit would be interesting....I didn't imagine that the line to get in would wind through all other exhibits leading up to it. But, it was worth the trip and the wait: I never expected to be so moved by seeing a bunch of clothing. And, apparently, it's still all in my head.

That's how my "Kate Moss (Mother) Kitty" showed up this week. (In her day, The Mother Kitty was the fairest of them all.) One of my favorite parts of the Savage Beauty exhibit was peering through a waist-high slot of a black wooden installation and discovering a hologram of Kate Moss floating in billowing fabric. Rather than strips of cloth, her dress looked like frothy clouds, trickling waterfalls, or fluid watercolors.... Here's our salute to however he created that fantastic work of art.

(Illustration Friday: February 17, 2012)

You can find on YouTube a version of the hologram against a plain black background, as it was at showcased at The Met. It's restricted from playing on my blog. So, instead, here's the real thing: The finale of Alexander McQueen's 2006 Fall/Winter collection. This is better, right? I mean, don't you wish you were there, marveling in person?

Enjoy!

© Alexander McQueen

Finding The Artist's Way...

Hi everyone,

It's been years since I bought The Complete Artist's Way a compilation of Julia Cameron's creativity-inspiring books, The Artist's Way, Walking in This World, and Finding Water. I felt ambitious that day, thinking I'd run home and read them all immediately. Instead, the massive volume landed on my bookshelf after I read the introduction.

This year, I'm getting it done! Well, the first one, at least.

I joined a 7-week creativity circle workshop at Tranquil Space--my D.C. retreat/yoga studio. During the workshop, I--along with about 10 other ladies--will be reading The Artist's Way: Creativity as a Spiritual Practice. This international bestseller is a guide to finding and living a more creative life. Two supplementary books will complement our work: 12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women by Gail McMeekin and Hip Tranquil Chick by Tranquil Space founder/workshop leader Kimberly Wilson. Like The Artist's Way, Gail McMeekin's book helps readers find their creative path in life. It offers input and lessons learned from fellow creative women artists. Hip Tranquil Chick is a guide to yogic living on and off the mat. Who can't use more of that in life?  These book offers tips and exercises at the end of each chapter, reinforcing key chapter highlights and helping readers practice what they've learned.

We'll be meeting every 2 week until May 9th, and I'll keep you posted periodically on my progress working through these books.

I hope you enjoy this journey with me! Let's see what happens.

Best,

Popularity

For Christmas, I got my sister Julie's kitties a carrot full of catnip. For a while, it was the most popular toy in the house, and the black-and-white kitties battled it out.

(Illustration Friday: February 10, 2012)

There was one clear winner in this fight.

(Don't worry, Ashes shared eventually--even if she still complains about it.)

Johnny Kitties: Celebrating Johnny Depp Film #17--The Astronaut's Wife (1999)

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


"Johnny's an alien!"

That's what my mom said as we left the theater after seeing The Astronaut's Wife. Here's the story: When Spencer Armacost: (Johnny Depp) and fellow astronaut Alex Streck (Nick Cassavetes) abort a shuttle mission after a 2-minute "incident" in space, their wives notice some peculiar changes in their personalities. Soon after their return, Spencer's wife Jillian (Charlize Theron) learns she's pregnant, which sparks her suspicions about her husband's motives, what really happened up there, and the future of their unborn twins.

"Huh. I wonder why Johnny made that movie."
That's what my dad said as we left the theater after seeing The Astronaut's Wife. I don't know all of Johnny's reasons, but he was fascinated with the idea of the all-American hero not being who he seemed to be. Never in a million years did I imagine Johnny playing an astronaut--Let alone one named Commander Spencer Armacost! A manmade boy with scissorhands didn't phase me, but an astronaut?

I admit, when people have asked me if there's any Johnny Movie that I don't like, this is the one that comes to mind. First, I was already annoyed before I saw the movie because critics everywhere were comparing it to Roman Polanski's classic creepy movie, Rosemary's Baby, just because Charlize Theron had a pixie haircut and became pregnant with babies not of this world. Critics also said that Johnny was unbelievable as a menacing bad guy. I do not agree with that. But, aside from having no stomach for scary movies anymore--no matter how predictable they may be--my main problem with this one was that I never liked Spencer Armacost, even before he became an alien trapped in a human body.

Usually, Johnny somehow finds ways to get you to like his bad-guy characters, so you're practically rooting for them by the end of the movie. And, he'll always interject funny moments that lighten the mood. This movie doesn't seem to have that, and this cocky Southerner never appealed to me. "It was fun to play a redneck, an all-American hero gone wrong," Johnny said. "What interested me was not the idea of some kind of 'being' possibly inhabiting his body. Whatever happened in space just allowed him to reveal who he really is. He's got this image of being an all-American guy, with bleached white teeth and sun-kissed hair, but he's an awful person." Okay, I don't feel so bad now.

This is the photo!

I've never forgotten Johnny's description of his hair--"sun-kissed." (Why, why do I remember these things?) I had a photo of Spencer Armacost on my wall for a while. He is a good-looking alien, at least.

Watching it recently for Johnny Kitties, I discovered that The Astronaut's Wife is actually not that bad. The acting is solid, and I really like director Rand Ravich's stylized shots with sharp graphic shapes and cool lighting. There's a good sense of atmosphere and the sets are all pretty visually interesting.

The Kitty From Another Planet
Aside from Johnny playing an astronaut with awesome hair, the other most exciting thing about this movie--to me--was Johnny's costar, Joe Morton. He's the brother from another planet! I don't remember much about The Brother From Another Planet from when I first saw it in the '80s but, ever since, my family has pointed Joe Morton out whenever they find him in his other movies, exclaiming, "Oh! It's the brother from another planet!" So, now, I can apply that to a Johnny Movie. It's the simple pleasures, right?

So, here's a scene featuring Joe Morton (B.J.) as Sherman Reese, a NASA representative who first uncovers the alien invasion and tries to warn Jillian (Lily) of his discovery. Here, she's on her way up from the New York subway to meet Mr. Reese to discuss it. But she's stopped abruptly when her husband shows up out of the blue. Mr. Reese leaves his bag on the stair railing for her to take, as he heads off to have coffee with the commander. Too bad Spencer snatches it up before she can grab it!(Yeah, this is the G-rated level of suspense I can typically take.)



What's next?
Johnny stays in suspense and takes it to France to work with Roman Polanski in The Ninth Gate.

(Image credits: Astronaut's Wife stills © New Line Cinema; Johnny Depp portrait courtesy of JohnnyDeppFan.com, © unknown; Illustration: © Melissa Connolly) 

Suspense!

(Illustration Friday: February 3, 2012)

Phew!

Forward

It's Kitty Yoga time!

Stand with feet parallel, hip-width apart. Hinge from the hip with a flat back and line up fingers and toes.

Chin to shin, hang like a rag doll. Sway side to side and hold on to opposite elbows, if that feels good. For a shoulder opener, interlace fingers behind your back, making a fist with your paws, and reach toward the front of the room.

Uttanasana: Forward Fold.

(Illustration Friday: January 24, 2012)

Twirl

Gordon can always get The Kitties twirling with a little Django. Can you hear it?

(Illustration Friday: January 20, 2012)

Prepare

And...Mini's ready to nap.

(Illustration Friday: January 13, 2011)