∎ T-post®

T-post®

∎ GEORGE LOIS: "A Punch In the Mouth."

"When MoMA opened its current exhibition of George Lois' Esquire covers lasy spring, the legendary ad man ('I want my MTV', anyone?) enjoyed a second wave of fame and acclaim..."
By Johanna Lenander

∎ "BARACK OBAMA CAMPAIGN CLAIMS TWO TOP PRIZES AT CANNES LION AD AWARDS"

"Barack Obama election work hailed for mix of new media, community and tv advertising at Cannes Lions Awards"
By Mark Sweney


CANNES LIONS INTERNATIONAL ADVERTISING AWARDS FESTIVAL
BARACK OBAMA

∎ BAL D'AFRIQUE: The Unisex Scent

BYREDO
The New York Times: Sunday Styles

∎ "THE WALL ISN'T FALLING": Newsweek's Fareed Zacharia on the current state of Iran

"Whenever we see the kinds of images that have been coming out of Iran over the past two weeks, we tend to think back to 1989 and Eastern Europe..."

∎ 'TOP OF THE POPS'—once again

In light of the sudden and we would be remiss not to admit, tragic passing of the prodigious and enigmatic singer, songwriter and performer Michael Jackson (1958-2009), music charts and retail stores are undergoing a sudden coup from the posthumous "King of Pop". According to an article from Reuters, Jackson has taken over not only the No.1 spot, but also the No.2, 3, 4 and so on down the list of multiple record sale charts. With a plethora of album releases (from his early years with The Jackson 5 to his skyrocketing solo career into the stratosphere), singles and multiple boxed sets of his greatest hits, stores are running out of his merchandise and digital files cannot be downloaded any faster. Everywhere one turns—whether on television, listening to the radio, or surfing the Internet—Jackson's image, voice and words have completely enveloped the 24/7 media and news cycles; hard to do these days and especially so, with the past couple few weeks having been dominated by the recent Iranian election results and fallout with accusations of electoral fraud; subsequently leading to opposition protests and severe crackdowns which have permeated, to say the least, all major news outlets, including heavy traffic to social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter.

As of 28 June 2009, iTunes shows Jackson holding rank in nine of the top ten album sales (including No.1 with 'The Essential Michael Jackson', a greatest hits compilation), having eight of the top ten most popular songs ('Man in The Mirror' being at the top of that list), as well as seizing over 50% of the top 100 most popular music videos in one form or another and even garnering some of the top ringtones (which are usually inhabited by the newest and hottest artists/groups).

There has not been a death tantamount to this level of fame and notoriety, some may argue, since the passing of the original 'King', Elvis Presley back in 1977 at the age of 42 (his level of stardom and untimely demise is being said to parallel to that of Jackson's today). But Jackson's popularity may exceed that of Presley's inasmuch as Jackson became a global and cultural phenomenon, more so than Presley. Yes, they both spanned the gamut and ultimately surpassed the provincial mindset of how race, gender and age should listen, react and view a particular style or genre of music, but Jackson, having a larger than life persona, at times famous and others infamous, he was, paraphrasing the Rev. Al Sharpton, "the first African-American superstar". He built bridges across nations (albeit without a political agenda) and pushed boundaries in all directions, from music to advertising and from world culture to pop culture.

So why is it, with such prowess and the power to change, influence and ultimately get viewers up out of their seats and dancing, does it take the death of Michael Jackson for the general public to accept him (in a strange way), show our deference and give reverence to him for his achievements and contributions? (This is strictly in reference to his musical career, although it may be debated as to if his professional life can be separated from that of his personal one, especially his) What most whets my curiosity however, is the astronomical rise in music sales and rejuvenation overall of his music and his life. His songs are being played in a continuous loop day and night on myriads of radio stations across the country. I am in no way arguing or complaining about people worldwide celebrating and rejoicing his legacy, but why in fact is his music being purchased at record amounts? If they had been fans and devotees of Jackson in the past, would not their collections already contain his great opuses? Or is it that his music had yet to catch up with the digital age and the public now finds it apropos to retrofit their libraries? It is a given, however, with each new generation comes a different and younger fan base, yet to explore his music? For now, the only legitimate reason I have gathered is because he has died.

Although it can be said that this occurs with practically every other recording artist, actor, or public/social magnate when they pass away. For example, when a famous artist (or even obscure artist) dies, suddenly their work increases in worth and in value, sometimes almost tenfold. But the difference here is that their pieces become harder to attain and therefore the price of their work goes up, especially when they are put up for sale—at auction houses in particular (although market value began falling in 2007 and have now hit 25 year lows here in 2009, but I digress)—the desire to not only behold but to own these so-called priceless works, increases their value exponentially. But like art, these points can become abstract and distorted. I am just raising these questions to see where you and others stand and how you and they observe and interpret how things work, or even, appear to work. ☕

∎ PUBLIC 'OUTING'

In reference to a recent discussion about CNBC television host Suze Orman being open about her sexual orientation and the fact that it was not widely known amoung a small group: why in some cases is finding out/knowing about celebrities/public figures sexual preference(s) sometimes the most imperative factoid and with other celebrities it does not seem to matter? Does it have to due with the amount of popularity a person has accrued? Is the gender, age or race of the person held in regard?

For example, Adam Lambert of American Idol admitted he was gay in an article of Rolling Stone after the conclusion of the series' eighth season. Some dismissed the notion that he need not make a public statement on the matter, seeing as everyone already knew. So why wait until after the season finale? Why release an official statement at all? Was this based on personal choice or were there outside pressures to either officially declare himself (as if he was going through customs) or to postpone until a more 'convenient' time?

There are indeed many facets of this question to opine on (and subsequently to argue about), but what is it in general about the celebrity, the media and the layman that take these personal matters and sometimes outright exploits and in some cases tarnishes a person's image and conversely for others, simply accepting the fact and being almost apathetic toward the person?

*In a related topic, this may have some parallels to the Don't ask, don't tell policy which "prohibits anyone who 'demonstrate(s) a propensity or intent to engage in homosexual acts' from serving in the armed forces of the United States, because 'it would create an unacceptable risk to the high standards of morale, good order and discipline, and unit cohesion that are the essence of military capability.'" What makes these things so taboo in the eyes of the public, government and/or any higher power? ☕

∎ CONNECT YOURSELF: Visually speaking

AdRANTs
Aesthetic Apparatus
Art Observed
Beast Pieces-Design & Letterpress Blog of Studio On Fire
blurbomat
BrandFreak
Crew Design
Dan-Ah Kim
Design For Good
Flair to remember
FromDesigner.com
grain edittypography
Groove Effect
Grupwerk
Harmen Liemburg
How to Turn an Ordinary Photo Into an Extraordinary Photo
Labour
Lamosca
Mike Perry Studio
NOTCOT.org
Nothing Is Forever
The New York Public Library Digital Gallery
ReBrand
The Romeo Report
Studio On Fire
sublimedesign
Through The Lens
Typophile
UnderConsideration LLC
Toxel.com

FILM
Otaku-House

∎ WHERE THERE'S SMOKE...

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∎ THE RUH OF BROWN FOLKS

"The Ruh of Brown Folks is a collaborative effort between three friends who have grown up in the United States but maintain intimate connections to their homelands. Each of our posts are written individually and do not necessarily reflect the views of the others."

THE RUH OF BROWN FOLKS