Monthly Archives: May 2009

Scott Caan book launch party: “Scott Caan: Photographs Vol. 1″ at Otero Plassart gallery in L.A.

Scott Caan and his father at Scott’s first book party last night in L.A.

Last night I went to L.A. native, actor and photographer Scott Caan’s book party at Otero Plassart gallery on Fairfax. I know Scott from growing up in L.A. and the thing about him I relate to most is that we both have a deep passion towards our town and our childhoods here – and we both, in our own ways, seek to document them.

I first met Scott at Century City (not Westfield, Century City) where I use to hang out with my Westlake friends and other various groups of friends from other schools. Beverly (not West Beverly, Beverly) was right around the corner from CC, and there was always a bunch of cool guys who would come by. Oddly most of them are famous now – besides Scott, they included the likes of infamous beat artist Alan Maman better known as ”The Alchemist”, Neil Maman, Alan’s brother and a rather heavy-hitting manager, Seth Binzer or “Shifty” from Crazytown, Kairi Scott, who owns and designs for Kingsbury on 3rd street, and so on … It wasn’t just Beverly though – kids would come from all over town … actor Balthazar Getty, singer Jenny Lewis, actresses Mila Jovevich, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jessica Capshaw, celebrity publicist Kari Feinstein & Ashlee Margolis, designer Desanka Fasiska, filmmaker Liz Goldwyn, reggae front-man for The Wailers Elan Atias , and so on … They were as infamous in our small circles then as they are in these big circles now. Something was definitely a buzz in 1976 when our parents were having babies.

Scott’s book thanks his father twice, once at the beginning and once at the end – the man who gave him his first camera, AND an additional camera each year. His father, much like my mom who bought my brother a drum set and a Harley Davidson when he expressed interest, is receptive to Scott’s passions – whatever they may be – and supports his son unconditionally, with a passion all his own.

Scott also loves his friends, acting, making movies, growing up in L.A., and taking photos. You don’t have to know him to know that – all you have to do is look at his work. You will also finds tons of women, children, celebrities, foreign lands both better and worse than here … and lots of cigarettes, skaters and L.A. figures you’d see around if you, too, lived here.

The book’s product description says it best when they describe Scott as “passionate and gutsy”. Who else can push through deals to sell scripts at 23, take on the task of being a Hollywood renaissance man with multiple talents and pursuits and still make it to Cannes to stand on the red carpet with his heavy-weight cast of Ocean’s 11 and manage to shine just as bright.

 
The invitation to Scott’s party featuring one of his famous photos from Cannes.
  

See all these photos on Scott’s website

Women:




Celebrities:

Lindsay Lohan at Jared Leto’s

Dennis Hopper

The cast of Ocean’s 11 at the Cannes Film Festival


Brad Pitt

L.A. Friends:

Seth Binzer (“Shifty Shellshock”) from Crazytown

Alan Maman (“The Alchemist”)

Marcos Ferraez boosts Jay Diola in the air at Oakstone. Scott Oster, Med Abrous, Steve Olson, Alex Olson, Marc Rose, Cliff Cantor, and Keith Kandell seen in the background.



 Book party pictures from last night

Brett Ratner (publisher) with Howard Nourmand (book editor/designer)
Scott Caan with his friend and actress Erika Christensen

Jeremy Piven 
Kate Mara and Kevin Connelly

Scott Patterson and Me

Howard Nourmand is a friend of Scott’s who said to me last night … “Anything can be something” but followed it up quickly saying “but it’s all about the execution!” Howard runs a graphic design company called Grand Jeté in Los Angeles and designed & edited Scott’s book. The book’s cover is good-looking and handsome in that same elegant way a man should be. He also wrote the foreword for the book in which he likened Scott to the Robert Frost quote: “Freedom lies in being bold.” Howard add then adds: “Scott Caan embodies that Robert Frost quote more than anyone I have ever met.”

About Grand Jeté: Grand Jeté is a production company specializing in motion, graphics and live-action design. It is led by executive creative director Howard Nourmand, and its portfolio includes projects for the worlds top ad agencies, brands, recording artists, and filmmakers. www.grand-jete.com

 

About Rat Press: Rat Press is everything that film is not. It’s the biographies written by directors. It’s the interviews with actors and producers. It’s the novels and scripts and photographs and artworks that come from the most prolific individuals in film, but which you never have the opportunity to see in a theater. Our series aims to make this part of film history available to everyone. http://www.ratpress.com/

 
 
 
 
 
About Otero Plassart Gallery:
820 N Fairfax Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90046
t. 323 951 1068 f. 323 951 9222 / gallery@oteroplassart.com
gallery hours: Tuesday thru Saturday – 10:30 AM to 5:30 PM and by appointment http://www.oteroplassart.com/

About the book: This book exposes the raw photojournalism of actor/writer/director/photographer Scott Caan, chronicling his work thus far. This series of unapologetic photos is directed at art connoiseurs, young Hollywood voyeurs, fashionistas, and street-obsessed youth. Scott’s passionate, and gutsy, attitude has distinguished him as a photographer and allowed him to compose intimate images that are without question inaccessible to the masses.

 
 
 

Crocodile-diving


In case you are bored with your designer drugs and jumping out of planes – here is a whole new way to end your life. Suspended in a 1m x 2m steel cage at an endangered species breeding facility at Oudtshoorn, South Africa, you can tempt death and feel like “you’ve really lived.” For some of us, just waking up in the morning is a good thing so more crocks to the rest of y’all! Read more.

OMG



Just when I was about to say “T.I.A.” (Leo from Blood Diamond), turns out you can do this anywhere – Costa Rica, even the US. The latter photos are from Australia – but you can find out where to go yourself by Googling Croc-cage diving.

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URL: http://dailytruffle.blogspot.com/2007/08/fear.html

Cigarette Vaporizers: No tar, no tobacco – just nicotine


Photo from New York Times
Here’s how to get yours:
1. Ruyan e-Cigarettes: $200 battery-powered e-cigarette smokes like the real thing, but delivers nicotine as a vapor. Buy here.

2. Gamucci Micro Electronic Cigarettes. Buy here.

3. Smoking Everywhere e-Cigs (come in colors). Buy here.

**For all brands: Starter kits are all about $150. 5 refill cartridges are about $10; you replace cartridges when the vapour released decreases, usually it’s about the equivalent to 20 traditional cigarettes. You also will need to recharge the battery if necessary.

***Please note: e-Cigarettes are not healthy, they still contain nicotine known to cause heart & health problems. These e-Cigarettes should be used only to ween of smoking and NEVER be used by pregnant women and those that are sensitive to nicotine.

The Cobra Snake: The Man, The Van, The Stickers, and now Vintage!


The vehicle belongs to Mark Hunter’s father, Steve Hunter. Mark had the van wrapped with enlarged images from his new sticker collection available at www.thecobrasnake.com


Back of the Van – an enlarged sticker image of Mark’s face embedded in the football team Raiders logo.

Santa Monica High grad and former apprentice to
L.A.-based guerrilla artist Shepard Fairey, Mark Hunter aka The Cobra Snake is now selling stickers and vintage on his eponymous website, www.thecobrasnake.com, which notoriously post Polaroid -looking photos (now they look like diner tabs since Poloroid foolishly put a cease and desist on his theme years ago) from inside the world’s best parties with taglines you would never understand unless you were there.

I saw Mark’s dad driving in Beverly Hills today in his van, with with CobraSnake wrapping, and I took some photos. I know Mark through Steve Aoki and through the party scene. I see him at every party with his gym shorts, sweatbands, cute girlfriends, and giant Nikon cameras.

Mark Hunter changed the game in 2003 when his site became a more popular resource for celebutantes and the inner sanctums than Wireimage or Page Six. He is hired along side major media outlets to photograph events around the world. The next day, we can all remember the fun times by going to his website to check out the pics we were too lazy, shy, or absorbed to take ourselves. Mark is a memory-maker and a beloved Hollywood icon.

Mark’s dad gave me some samples of the fun stickers you can now buy on the website.

Mark has started up his own vintage section of his website called Shop: The Cobra Snake. You can buy rompers, sweaters, Disney paraphernalia and new CobraSnake T-shirts. The models are all cute girls or Steve Aoki. No cameos from Devon Aoki yet but the two sibling heirs to the Benihana empire often roll in twos, despite their different circles (Steve DJ’s Coachella parties, Devon wears couture in Cannes).






Mark had yet another Adidas house party called “Her Name Was Rio” last night in Brazil, to celebrated the company’s 60th anniversary. Half pipes for skateboarding, a giant balloon-filled pool and, as usual, partial nudity.



Covered in over 300 magazines, Mark travels the world as invited press or as a hired photographer for major brands like Paramount, Glamour, Adidas and more. He also hosts and throws parties in order to bring that added flavor to the party. Mark’s photos are way more “insider” and close to the action and give a sense of being there more than the usual photo outlets. Here are Cobrasnake photos from the 2007 Chanel resort show that show his up close and personal style:




See all photos at The Cobrasnake.

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URL:
http://dailytruffle.blogspot.com/2009/05/mark-cobra-snake-van-stickers-and-marcs.html

Casting Call: Bravo’s Real Housewives hits Beverly Hillssssss!!

I got a call yesterday from the casting director to make some recommendations for this fabulous new show about my town, Beverly Hills. If I can help just one viewer see chauffeured Bentleys do pick-ups and drop-offs at John Thomas Dye, the world will be better place, and I will have done my part. The casting call is out, and realty TV is coming to Beverly Hills (again).

Valet line up at Spago - a big lunch spot for Beverly Hills "ladies who lunch"

William Trubridge breaks Freediving world record; 288ft in 3 and a half minutes


The Vertical Blue Invitational Freediving Competition held at Dean’s Blue Hole in the Bahamas is the sport’s premier event. On the final day, Will Trubridge, who has joint British and New Zealand citizenship, broke his own constant weight no fins (CNF) category record with an 288ft dive, adding six and a half feet onto his previous mark.
Link directly to this post. URL: http://dailytruffle.blogspot.com/2009/05/william-trubridge-breaks-freediving.html



Some keycomments and answers from Trubridge reposted via YouTube:

Comment: William, how many movements do you do on the way up (leg kick+arm kick)?
Reply from williamtrubridge (1 day ago): for this depth it is about 28-30 movements. During the descent I normally take 6.

Comment: Why is he sinking just by himself from 1:20 on?
Reply from williamtrubridge (6 days ago): From a depth of about 20m I become negatively buoyant due to loss of lung volume, and can freefall the rest of the descent.This obviously works against you in the ascent, as you feel heavy after the turn at the bottom and have to swim all the way back to the surface.

Comment: Where on long island was that blue hole?
Reply from williamtrubridge (3 weeks ago): It’s on the Atlantic side of the island, in a lagoon between Clarence Town and Deadman’s Caye (about halfway down the island).

Comment: cool, now can you take your crap out of the blue hole?
Reply from williamtrubridge (3 weeks ago): Tavistd, in the last 3 years my team and I would have removed several TONNES of sea-born plastic from the Blue Hole beach, as well as about a tonne of man-made detritus (matresses, rope etc) underwater in the blue hole itself. We are the only group who are involved in keeping it tidy. So yes, we have set the world record there also :)

Read more comments on YouTube.

Jean Paul Gaultier couture piece hits Cannes


Dita von Teese fashioned the couture frock at the weekend’s amfAR benefit held at my favorite hotel, Hotel du Cap in Cap d’Antibes; moose cakes, chocolate treats, and gourmet lollipops were served. Read more about it at Fashion Week Daily.

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URL: http://dailytruffle.blogspot.com/2009/05/jean-paul-gaultier-couture-piece-hits.html

Stefano Gabanna had friends aboard his yacht “Regina d’Italia” in Cannes yesterday


Guests board the “Regina d’Italia” in Cannes yesterday


Stefano Gabanna / Claudia Schiffer


Eva Herzigova, Claudia Schiffer, Stefano Gabanna

Rear, “Regina d’Italia” in Cannes harbor

Stefano Gabanna yacht is called “Regina d’Italia”. According to RduJour.com, the yacht is named for both Gabbana’s grandmother and his native country, and features five bedrooms (each of the guest bedrooms is named after animals- elephant, rhinoceros, crocodile and giraffe), gold veined marble floors, gold bathroom taps encrusted with sapphires and rubies, and a gym. In Domenico Dolce’s cabin there is also a painting by Marco Perego hanging over the bed. And although there is no hot tub or pool on board, there is a large table on the upper deck which allows up to 12 people to dine alfresco.
Photos from WireImage and Photo Agency, via http://rdujour.com/

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URL: http://dailytruffle.blogspot.com/2009/05/cannes-09-dolce-gabbana-cannes-yacht.html