Gaga Gala For MOCA NEW 30th Items Go Up For Auction

As the foremost benefit event of The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (MOCA), the MOCA NEW 30th Anniversary Gala which took place on November 14, 2009, featured Ballets Russes Italian Style (The Shortest Musical You Will Never See Again), a commissioned work by international artist Francesco Vezzoli starring Lady Gaga and dancers from the Bolshoí Ballet.






above: Vezzoli and Lady Gaga

Artist Francesco Vezzoli invited renowned contemporary artists and creators Miuccia Prada, Damien Hirst, Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin, and Frank Gehry to engage in his MOCA NEW Gala performance showcasing the world premiere of Lady Gaga’s new release, Speechless.




Each contributed unique elements made especially for the one-night-only production, including the Steinway Grand piano customized by artist Damien Hirst:



The dress donned by Lady Gaga was designed by Prada along with Vezzoli:


Architect Frank Gehry created a hat for Lady Gaga in his signature angular style:



Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin designed ballet costumes and masks for the event.




And of course, the requisite art-loving celebs were there like Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie (aka Brangelina):


Pharrell Williams and artist Takeshi Murakami, Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale:

and lots more.

a little clip from Access Hollywood of the event for you:


If you missed the event, which of course most of us did, you can bid on some of the artist and designer contributed costumes and props from the Gala.

Here's all the images and details for you, including opening bids.

MOCA NEW 30th Anniversary Gala Benefit Auction November 14- December 20, 2009
MOCA is proud to offer these extraordinary MOCA NEW objects, in addition to the exquisite masks and costumes worn by the Bolshoi Ballet dancers, in this special MOCA online auction. All proceeds will support the museum’s exhibition and education programming.


Auction Items:

Lady Gaga Costume
As the renowned headline performer at the MOCA NEW Gala, pop icon Lady Gaga was styled in an exquisite couture dress by Miuccia Prada and Francesco Vezzoli. A lyrical expression of the avant-garde, this singular design is an evocative reflection of the intermingling of theatrics and musicality that distinguishes the career of this eccentric songstress and a priceless remembrance of her one-night-only MOCA performance.


Costume Details:
•Dress made of printed doubled satin. Black and white photographic print.
•Chandelier overskirt.
•Plex boots with black satin bordersand and black satin small buttons, chandelier heels. (Size 37)

Category: Lady Gaga Costume
Value: $30,000
Minimum Bid: $20,000
Donor(s): Miuccia Prada and Francesco Vezzoli

Hat by Frank Gehry
A remarkable architectonic accessory, the sculptural hat adorning Lady Gaga at the MOCA NEW Gala is a special creation by Frank Gehry, known worldwide for his extraordinary ability to confound fixed notions of space and form. As the first art piece of its kind at MOCA, this distinctive headpiece is a unique artwork that combines the excitement of Vezzoli’s baroque discothèque with Gehry’s visionary approach to architectural innovation.



Category: Lady Gaga Hat
Value: $30,000
Minimum Bid: $10,000
Donor(s):Frank Gehry

Costumes for the Dancers from the Bolshoi Ballet, by Miuccia Prada and Francesco Vezzoli
Miuccia Prada and Francesco Vezzoli contemporized the classical Bolshoi Ballet dancers for Vezzoli's MOCA New Gala performance with impeccable costumes that thoughtfully accentuated each movement, heightening the drama of the sensually refined yet subtly melancholic tale that unfolds on stage. Showing the designers’ theatrical side, these flawless fashions—limited in this auction to one male and one female garment—are stunning constructions made and worn exclusively for the MOCA NEW Gala.



Category: Bolshoi Ballet Costumes (Male and female costumes are auctioned separately)
Value of each: $15,000
Minimum Bid for each: $10,000
Donor(s): Miuccia Prada and Francesco Vezzoli


Female and Male Mask by Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin
Woven prominently into the dramatic narrative of Vezzoli’s Ballets Russes Italian Style, the magnificent facial masks guard the true identity of key characters while showcasing the creative sensibility of collaborating artists Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin. The signature pair of masks in MOCA’s auction—male and female—reflects the unconventional mode of performative contemporary works that capture the gala’s unexpected climactic moment.

Female mask:

Male mask:

Category: Masks
Value of each: $5,000
Minimum Bid for each: $1,500
Donor(s): Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin

Condition of Online Sales:
Bids must start at the minimum amount stated on the individual artwork page.
All bids are binding.
Online bidding will close on Monday, November 30, 2009, at 11:59pm.
The highest online bids will be confirmed by MOCA. All property is sold “as is”.

Payment and Shipping Information:
Artworks should be paid for and Shipping arrangements must be made by Thursday, January 8th 2009.
Buyers are responsible for shipping and insurance charges.
Purchases are subject to California state sales tax.

For more information please contact Veridiana Pontes-Ring
at 213/621-1778 or vpontesring@moca.org.

The New Yorker has a great article about the event here.
Online bidding closes Sunday, December 20th at 11:59pm go here to register for bidding.

If you never saw the fabulous GREED project and exhibit by Francesco Vezzoli, check it out:

GREED: All About The Faux Fragrance Bottle, Posters, & Video

Metallica, Queen, AC/DC, Coldplay Turned Into Lullabyes For The Hip Baby

My generation must be thrilled with these ingenious "lullabyed" takes on the rock music we grew up with, now re-recorded as melodic instrumental versions for their little bundles of joy.

AC/DC, Queen, Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, Pink Floyd, Queen, The Cure, The Beach Boys, The Beatles, The Eagles, U2, Bob Marley, The Rolling Stones, the Ramones.. even Metallica turned into lullabyes for mini hipsters-in-diapers.

Even the album covers are a hoot, taking the album art and transforming it into teddy bear and cartoon juvenile versions of the originals:








No, it's not just 'old folks' music you stinkin' young 20 and 30-somethings, they've also got your grunge: Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, your chick singers/bands like Bjork and No Doubt. Popular "alt" rock like Green Day, the Pixies, Coldplay, Tool and Radiohead. And of course your metal and rock such as Nine Inch Nails and Guns n' Roses.







Rockabye Baby! transforms timeless rock songs into beautiful instrumental lullabies. Guitars and drums are traded for soothing mellotrons, vibraphones and bells, and the volume is turned down from an eleven to a two.

They charge just under $17.00 a CD in their own online store, but all of the 29 Rockabye baby! titles are just $13.99 here at Amazon. They make great gifts for new parents or the holidays.


About Rockabye Baby!

Rockabye Baby! is staffed by music lovers from all corners of the world. Headquartered in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Silver Lake, the label was born of the need to make children's music cool--not only for babies but for their parents too. We turned to our record collections for inspiration: punk, metal, classic rock. The resulting albums are revolutionary yet reverential. In other words, the perfect gift for a newborn, new parents, or yourself.

Part of the CMH Label Group, a thirty-year-old independent bluegrass and roots-music stronghold that houses a variety of musical styles under its umbrella, including metal, rap, punk, and string quartet tributes, Rockabye Baby! is the latest addition to a diverse musical family. Says label Vice President Lisa Roth, "First and foremost, we're fans, so we take care to make every album musically interesting enough to satisfy adult listeners. Believe me, making an album that's gentle enough for sleeping babies but won't bore Mom and Dad is trickier than it sounds." Producer/arrangers would agree! The job's not easy, but it's immensely gratifying to hear from pleased parents that Rockabye Baby! is now a treasured piece of their family history.

Beer That's Out Of This World. Sapporo's Space Barley.

Now, I don't know how it tastes, but Sapporo has released a brew whose barleycorn was cultivated during a five month space mission. That's right, a beer brewed in zero gravity. Sapporo intends to sell limited quantities of the space brew with proceeds going to a charitable science program for Japanese children. CNET says there will be a lottery in which 250 winners will be able to purchase the brew, the price of which will be $115.00 a six-pack. Why they did this as well as how is explained in detail further on in this post.

      
Product specs:
Name: SAPPORO Space Barley  
Material: Malt, hops  
Content features: 100% use of the the seedlings of barleycorn that traveled the space for five months  
Alcoholic content: 5.5%    
Volume/Number per package: 330ml in a one-way bottle    
Design: A chic design with Navy blue graduation representing the space set with stars, featuring the product name like a shooting star. Barley is an English word.
Manufacturing plant: Nasu Breweries, Sapporo Breweries The information below is from The Sapporo Bioresources Research & Development Department: SAPPORO Space Barley
 
In collaboration with Dr. Sugimoto, Associate Professor, (Speciality" Cytomolecular Biochemistry) of the Research Institute for Bioresources, Okayama University (Kurashiki City, "Okayama University) and the Institute of Biomedical Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences", Sapporo Breweries, Ltd. (Head office: Tokyo; President: Masaru Fukunaga) test brewed the first-in-the world beer brewed from the seedlings of barleycorn that traveled the space, "SAPPORO Space Barley."




Most of the only 100 litters of brewed beer will be used for experiments, but Sapporo would like to offer part of the beer for tasting events to be held at six breweries in Japan (Hokkaido, Sendai, Nasu, Chiba, Shizuoka and Shinkyushu,) and is inviting 60 persons (30 pairs) of customers.

The beer was brewed as part of the joint research with Okayama University conducted to exploit possibilities of barleycorn for beer in space, "Studies of Impact of Extreme Environmental Stresses on Barley" and uses 100% of the "seedlings of barleycorn that traveled the space."

Regarding the malt used for the beer, seeds of "Haruna Nijo," beer barley developed by Sapporo Breweries that stayed in space for five months in the Russian Research Modules of the International Space Station were brought back to earth, cultivated at their experimental field of Bioresearch and Development Department at our Gunma Plant and successfully harvested in this past May.
 
The company plans to offer opportunities for the invited guests to taste "Space Barley," and be awarded the chance to taste the brew and tour the breweries. Next year, in addition to this series of events, they also plan to hold a "space class" and an event to "roast and taste barley tea" for local children at these breweries by taking advantage of the "seedlings of barleycorn that traveled the space" still under cultivation. Sapporo Breweries hopes to contribute to awareness-raising about the space as well as the advancement of space science and children's education and continue to pursue possibilities of food and drink in space.

      

History of "space barley"
April 2006 Haruna Nijo malting barley developed by Sapporo Breweries through collaborative research with Okayama University and the Russian Academy of Sciences was kept aboard the Zvezda Service Module, a component of the International Space Station (ISS), for five months (first-generation "space barley").

April 2007 Seeded the first-generation "space barley".

November 2007 Harvested the second-generation "space barley"; seeded the second-generation "space barley".

May 2008 Harvested the third-generation "space barley".

October 2008 Trial brewing of the world's first beer made from the third-generation "space barley".

November 2008 Seeded the third-generation "space barley".

January 2009 Tasting events held at breweries nationwide for beer made from the third-generation "space barley".

May 2009 Harvested the fourth-generation "space barley".

August 2009 Hop seeds from Furano, Hokkaido launched into space.

September 2009 Tasting events held at five breweries nationwide for barley tea made from "space barley".

November 2009 Seeded the fourth-generation "space barley".

December 2009 Applications accepted to buy SAPPORO Space Barley-the beer brewed from the fourth-generation "space barley".

Sapporo Breweries Limited (PINK:SOOBF) was established in 1949 and is the foremost brewing company in Japan with a 120-year brewing history.  

All information and images courtesy of Sapporo Breweries Ltd., Public Relations Section

TIME Magazine's First Moving Cover: The Decade From Hell

The Decade From Hell: Moving Cover

The moving image of the TIME cover shot was shot by photographer Finlay MacKay (the photographer who shot the stunning 2008 Lavazza Calendar), using a Red One® digital camera.

Two videos of the moving cover for you:



Although press releases and news claim that the current issue of TIME magazine is the first moving cover shot with the RED ONE® digital camera, that's not really accurate. Esquire magazine did the same last April with a moving cover of Megan Fox shot by Greg Williams.


above: three stills from the moving Megan Fox Esquire cover

Using the RED ONE, a video camera that captures images at four times the resolution of high-definition, photographer-director Greg Williams recorded ten minutes of loosely scripted footage with Fox for the April 2009 issue of Esquire magazine.

Apparently they also did a cover with Kate Beckinsdale using the RED ONE Camera.

And this "living" October cover for Outside Magazine was also shot with a RED ONE camera.



What the heck is a RED ONE® digital camera?

The RED ONE™ body – designed for flexibility and functionality. Weighing in at 10 lbs, this is a streamlined package specifically designed to maximize your shooting options. Matched with a 35mm PL lens mount, it allows you to take advantage of the world’s finest optics. Modular and upgradeable, the RED ONE™ camera is a future-proof acquisition system you can build upon. RED ONE™’s modular design means you can upgrade with us as we add new features and accessories, as well as benefitting from performance improvements with each new free firmware upgrade.




You can actually purchase your own RED ONE® camera now for $17,500.00 here.