Curio: Michelle Pfeiffer Turns 56

Alexa here. Like Nathaniel I adore Michelle Pfeiffer and can't pass up the chance to mention that she is turning 56 today. Oh if only she were as ubiquitous a presence during awards season as Meryl Streep, with all the plum non-ingenue roles going her way!  Whether it be a lack of willingness or opportunity, the sightings are far too infrequent.

Here are some curios to wax nostalgic over her heyday; if only we could conjure her a brilliant third act.

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Curio: Bootleg Posters from Ghana

Alexa here to share some arts and crafts for your Tuesday. I recently came upon a story about the strange world of bootleg movie posters from Ghana and I've become a little obsessed. In the 80s and early 90s, when VHS tapes from Hong Kong, Bollywood and Hollywood started making their way to Ghana, mobile cinemas were set up to screen films on the fly.  Promotional posters were needed quickly to get people into the theaters but there was a catch: the artists knew little about the films before making the posters. Armed with titles and their own imaginations, the poster artists created versions of these films stuffed with more violence and pulpy thrills than the films themselves.

More false advertising after the jump

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Curio: The Storied Career of Alec Guinness

Alexa here to wish a Happy Centennial to Alec Guinness. Born 100 years ago today to a single mother in London, Guinness' theatre career began in his 20s. It wasn't until after he served in the Royal Navy in World War II that his film career began in earnest, and soon he was playing eight roles in one movie (Kind Hearts and Coronets).  One of his six famously tempestuous collaborations with David Lean, The Bridge on the River Kwai, got him his Oscar for Best Actor, although he was nominated four other times (even for Best Screenplay) and he received an honorary Oscar in 1980. The geeks know him as Obi-Wan, but for me he will forever be Professor Marcus from The Ladykillers (a little obsession of mine).

Here are some vintage curios to celebrate his career in film

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Curio: David Lynch at Spoke Art

Alexa here.  I couldn't let the week pass without posting about a show that runs through this week at Spoke Art Gallery in San Fransicso: In Dreams, an art show tribute to David Lynch.  Following past tribute shows to Wes Andserson and Martin Scorsese, Spoke is now featuring the works of more than 50 artist fans of the coffee-loving cult icon. Reckoning with Lynch's work must have caused a collective plumbing of subconscious depths because the show features some of the most hypnotic tribute art I've seen in awhile. All works are available for viewing, and purchase, here.  

What follows are a few of my favorites...

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Curio: Rob, Always and Forever

Alexa here. Before the Oscar ceremony this year I flashed back to Rob Lowe's low of 1989, dancing with Snow White, and I wished the ceremony would still include that tastelessness of yore.  Alas, while times have changed since then, and a different form of tackiness prevails, Rob has remained as doable, er, durable as ever. I wanted to join Nathaniel in celebrating his half century on this planet with some fan curios, vintage and handmade, that showcase his early years, especially my favorite teen dream film, The Outsiders.

On to the raging hormones... 

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