2012 was apparently the year the world was supposed to end but here we are on August.5 alive and kicking with a week left to savor in the 2012 Summer Olympics taking place across the pond in London. A few months ago I decided to keep a running log of all the the important historical events that the year 2012 is commemorating. There's a few in addition to my dad turning 60 years old. Some notable milestones of 2012 are :
>> The Queen Of England has been on the throne for 60 years
>> The 24 hours of LeMans endurance race ran it's 80th year earlier in June.
>> Jimi Hendrix would have been 69 years old if he were alive today!
>> Famed American car builder ( and chicken farmer! ) Carroll Shelby passed away at the ripe old age of 89 and the reason I mention this here ( in addition to my admiration of his guts ) is because he was the longest living heart transplant patient in the world!
>> Great Canadian racing car driver Gilles Villenueve passed away 30 years ago.
>> The BMW M division has been around 40 years. The iconic M division's contribution to the automotive world cannot be underestimated after all they are the ones who gave us the BMW M3!
>> From my previous article, the readers of this blog would know that the year 2012 was the year famed Ferrari designer Sergio Pininfarina passed away.
>> Neil Armstrong , the first man on the moon passed away at the age of 82. Neil was described as the "loner's loner" by one of his friends because of his aversion to publicity but he famously gave the world one of the most quotable quotes : "One small step for man, a giant leap for mankind". It's perhaps about Neil that Neil Young sang "The Loner" from Young's 1968 self-titled solo debut album!
>> It was 25 years ago that Andy Warhol who pioneered the famous pop art movement in the 1960's passed away. Mr Warhol was unrivalled by his peers and it was a young Japanese artist by the name of Yayoi Kusama who gave him any run for his money especially around fighting for the attention of the NYC papparazzi...
>> Roger Federer became the tennis player to have won the most Grand Slam titles when he beat local favorite Andy Murray at Wimbledon 2012.
>> Michael Phelps became the greatest Olympian in history with a sweep of 22 medals in 12 years of competing at the games! USA!USA!USA!
>> 2012 sees the 30th running of the summer olympics in London.
>> Formula 1 has the longest calendar in it's storied history. 2012 sees the United States Grand Prix being reinstated thanks to the circuit of the Americas being built in Austin, TX.
>> Jamaica celebrates it's 50th year of independence which was made sweeter by Usain Bolt's magnificent gold in the men's 100m dash in the London Olympics a night before Independence day!
>> The penultimate on my list before I jump to the heart of this commemorative post on Marilyn Monroe is that it was 100 years ago in 1912 that the Titanic sank! The April 2012 iPad edition of the Natgeo had a "Retina Optimized" edition and the cover had a picture of the crash site on the Atlantic floor promising the reader that the centennial documentary would be "As you've never seen it before".
The iPad has revolutionized photojournalism like never before. The marketing line on the cover lived upto expectation because for the first time the readers had a 3D interactive experience with highly detailed imagery of the Titanic they could explore with the swiping, pinching and zooming we have all gotten accustomed to with the these post-PC devices. Here is a great B&W shot below of the Titanic setting sail from the iPad Natgeo article.
Last on my list of 2012 commemorations ( as of now ) dawned on me at the doorstep of my hotel room as I picked up the July 31 edition of the USA Today. The entertainment section had a beautiful picture of Marilyn Monroe and I wondered what it was about. On reading the fine print of this article titled "Mythical, magical Marilyn" I soon realized that on August the fifth it would have been exactly 50 years since Marilyn died at 36 years of age - 36 years of living life like a Candle In The Wind as Elton John serenaded 11 years after she died.
One huge reason I love the new iPad's camera is that it's fantastic to document a big spread like a newspaper thanks to the wider angle of view the camera offers than the iPhone's camera. It's just another way I believe the new iPad has opened up some doors for "light-weight photojournalism". I immediately picked up the iPad and snapped up the cover story of the entertainment section and here it is in all it's 5 Megapixel glory.....
Marilyn Monroe shares one thing in common with the Titanic and that is summed up by the lines "50 years after her death, the icon is still a mystery and a lure". See the parallel ?! Marilyn Monroe like the Titanic had people revisiting everything that has been documented about her through all kinds of content be it photographs, tapes, funny quotes, movies and other media. I wouldnt' worry about those FBI files on her which has been lost quite conveniently ever since.....
The Marilyn Magnetism still lingers 50 years after death which has historians, movie buffs and even conspiracy theorists still talking about Marilyn. She is etched in the memory of everyone around the world as an American icon who defined her version of the American dream. The backspread of the USA Today story goes into a little more detail on the "Timeless" star who inspired books, movies, TV and even lipstick!
Hadn't it been for Marilyn Monroe I would have never known what the 7 Year Itch was in in the first place. The 7 Year Itch is my favorite Monroe movie in which she co-starred with Tom Ewell. It's also the movie which gave us a picture which comes to mind every time I walked across a subway grating in NYC...
If you are a serious Monroe fan you are better off ordering the 10 movie collection which has all her best works. Marilyn was a fashion icon of her time and mind you she had some pretty stiff competition thanks to Jackie Kennedy who had an equally keen fashion sense! Of course, both women had a very obvious object of interest in common - JFK!
Hollywood gave audiences another microscopic peek into the charming life of Marilyn very recently. Michelle Williams famously played Marilyn Monroe in the 2011 release "My Week with Marilyn".....
My Week with Marilyn was directed by Simon Curtis and written by Adrian Hodges. It stars Michelle Williams, Kenneth Branagh, Eddie Redmayne, Dominic Cooper, Julia Ormond, Emma Watson and Judi Dench. Based on two books by Colin Clark, it depicts the making of the 1957 film The Prince and the Showgirl, which starred Marilyn Monroe (Williams) and Laurence Olivier (Branagh). The film focuses on the week in which Monroe spent time being escorted around London by Clark (Redmayne), after her husband, Arthur Miller (Dougray Scott), had left the country.
Marilyn's fashion statements have been vividly recorded in a book that's also available for sale on Amazon titled "Marilyn In Fashion : The Enduring Influence of Marilyn Monroe" which I plan on ordering here pretty soon. Here is a screenprint ( shot below ) from the amazing Amazon iPad app which makes buying a breeze ( also translated as "a really easy way to spend money" - BTW did you know the time it takes to spend a dollar on the internet ? Less than 10 seconds from an iTunes song purchase thanks to One-Click purchasing! ). There is a small product description of the book that you can easily read upon clicking the screenprint in the shot below...
I wanted to keep this post short and pay my respects to a screen legend from the good old days. Marilyn would have been 86 years old if she were alive today and it would have been one heckuva journey if she had continued to live. As I was trying to wrap up this post the name Marilyn Manson suddenly popped in my head and what I discovered blew me away. Here is an excerpt from Wikipedia :
"Brian Hugh Warner, better known by his stage name Marilyn Manson, born January 5, 1969, is an American musician, artist and former music journalist known for his controversial stage persona and image as the lead singer of theeponymous band Marilyn Manson. His stage name was formed from juxtaposing the names of two 1960s American cultural icons, namely actress Marilyn Monroe and multiple murder convict[3] Charles Manson as a critical and, simultaneously, laudatory appraisal of America and its peculiar culture.[4][5] The seemingly outrageous visual and vocal styles which he utilizes, his unique interpretations of familiar songs and the controversy surrounding his lyrics and imagery are part of his public appeal."
Coincidence or what ??
Steve Jobs trademarked "one more thing" which he used extensively to create excitement during a product launch especially toward the end of a presentation. The one more thing in this post that I would like to point out about the year 2012 is that it's also a year when we get to elect a new president or re-elect the President currently eligible for that re-election. So go out and vote!
Adios....
>> The Queen Of England has been on the throne for 60 years
>> The 24 hours of LeMans endurance race ran it's 80th year earlier in June.
>> Jimi Hendrix would have been 69 years old if he were alive today!
>> Famed American car builder ( and chicken farmer! ) Carroll Shelby passed away at the ripe old age of 89 and the reason I mention this here ( in addition to my admiration of his guts ) is because he was the longest living heart transplant patient in the world!
>> Great Canadian racing car driver Gilles Villenueve passed away 30 years ago.
>> The BMW M division has been around 40 years. The iconic M division's contribution to the automotive world cannot be underestimated after all they are the ones who gave us the BMW M3!
>> From my previous article, the readers of this blog would know that the year 2012 was the year famed Ferrari designer Sergio Pininfarina passed away.
>> Neil Armstrong , the first man on the moon passed away at the age of 82. Neil was described as the "loner's loner" by one of his friends because of his aversion to publicity but he famously gave the world one of the most quotable quotes : "One small step for man, a giant leap for mankind". It's perhaps about Neil that Neil Young sang "The Loner" from Young's 1968 self-titled solo debut album!
>> It was 25 years ago that Andy Warhol who pioneered the famous pop art movement in the 1960's passed away. Mr Warhol was unrivalled by his peers and it was a young Japanese artist by the name of Yayoi Kusama who gave him any run for his money especially around fighting for the attention of the NYC papparazzi...
>> Roger Federer became the tennis player to have won the most Grand Slam titles when he beat local favorite Andy Murray at Wimbledon 2012.
>> Michael Phelps became the greatest Olympian in history with a sweep of 22 medals in 12 years of competing at the games! USA!USA!USA!
>> 2012 sees the 30th running of the summer olympics in London.
>> Formula 1 has the longest calendar in it's storied history. 2012 sees the United States Grand Prix being reinstated thanks to the circuit of the Americas being built in Austin, TX.
>> Jamaica celebrates it's 50th year of independence which was made sweeter by Usain Bolt's magnificent gold in the men's 100m dash in the London Olympics a night before Independence day!
>> The penultimate on my list before I jump to the heart of this commemorative post on Marilyn Monroe is that it was 100 years ago in 1912 that the Titanic sank! The April 2012 iPad edition of the Natgeo had a "Retina Optimized" edition and the cover had a picture of the crash site on the Atlantic floor promising the reader that the centennial documentary would be "As you've never seen it before".
 |
| CLICK TO ENLARGE |
 |
| CLICK TO ENLARGE |
One huge reason I love the new iPad's camera is that it's fantastic to document a big spread like a newspaper thanks to the wider angle of view the camera offers than the iPhone's camera. It's just another way I believe the new iPad has opened up some doors for "light-weight photojournalism". I immediately picked up the iPad and snapped up the cover story of the entertainment section and here it is in all it's 5 Megapixel glory.....
 |
| CLICK TO ENLARGE |
The Marilyn Magnetism still lingers 50 years after death which has historians, movie buffs and even conspiracy theorists still talking about Marilyn. She is etched in the memory of everyone around the world as an American icon who defined her version of the American dream. The backspread of the USA Today story goes into a little more detail on the "Timeless" star who inspired books, movies, TV and even lipstick!
 |
| CLICK TO ENLARGE |
Hollywood gave audiences another microscopic peek into the charming life of Marilyn very recently. Michelle Williams famously played Marilyn Monroe in the 2011 release "My Week with Marilyn".....
My Week with Marilyn was directed by Simon Curtis and written by Adrian Hodges. It stars Michelle Williams, Kenneth Branagh, Eddie Redmayne, Dominic Cooper, Julia Ormond, Emma Watson and Judi Dench. Based on two books by Colin Clark, it depicts the making of the 1957 film The Prince and the Showgirl, which starred Marilyn Monroe (Williams) and Laurence Olivier (Branagh). The film focuses on the week in which Monroe spent time being escorted around London by Clark (Redmayne), after her husband, Arthur Miller (Dougray Scott), had left the country.
Marilyn's fashion statements have been vividly recorded in a book that's also available for sale on Amazon titled "Marilyn In Fashion : The Enduring Influence of Marilyn Monroe" which I plan on ordering here pretty soon. Here is a screenprint ( shot below ) from the amazing Amazon iPad app which makes buying a breeze ( also translated as "a really easy way to spend money" - BTW did you know the time it takes to spend a dollar on the internet ? Less than 10 seconds from an iTunes song purchase thanks to One-Click purchasing! ). There is a small product description of the book that you can easily read upon clicking the screenprint in the shot below...
 |
| CLICK TO ENLARGE |
"Brian Hugh Warner, better known by his stage name Marilyn Manson, born January 5, 1969, is an American musician, artist and former music journalist known for his controversial stage persona and image as the lead singer of theeponymous band Marilyn Manson. His stage name was formed from juxtaposing the names of two 1960s American cultural icons, namely actress Marilyn Monroe and multiple murder convict[3] Charles Manson as a critical and, simultaneously, laudatory appraisal of America and its peculiar culture.[4][5] The seemingly outrageous visual and vocal styles which he utilizes, his unique interpretations of familiar songs and the controversy surrounding his lyrics and imagery are part of his public appeal."
Coincidence or what ??
Steve Jobs trademarked "one more thing" which he used extensively to create excitement during a product launch especially toward the end of a presentation. The one more thing in this post that I would like to point out about the year 2012 is that it's also a year when we get to elect a new president or re-elect the President currently eligible for that re-election. So go out and vote!
Adios....
