Love Heroes: Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward

The weather around Los Angeles has become unreliable and more increasingly cold with each passing week. Now is the time for cuddling up by the fireplace with your favorite holiday music (I actually highly suggest NOW That's What I Call Christmas)--or more realistically--hiding under a pile of blankets with your face smooshed towards the television. Either way, the winter season always makes me a little bit drunk with the idea of undying and adorable love. It might be the idea of another warm body keeping you warm purely for survival, or having someone to wear Christmas sweaters with you until March, I love it all.

No famous couple embodies the idea of ever-lasting love mixed with fun and mutual admiration as well as Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward. The two met on the set of The Long Hot Summer (1957) and were married by February of 1958. While it would seem that a quick courting of two Hollywood stars followed by a marriage in Las Vegas would end as quickly as it began, the 50 year commitment between Newman and Woodward would only be severed by Newman's death from cancer in 2008.

What makes the Newmans stand out for me as a perfect snapshot of love is the fact that they had fun together. They made each other laugh, joked around, and of course it would never get old. Would you ever get old of waking up to see Paul Newman next to you?





Beyond being completely infatuated with each other, Newman and Woodward raised three adorable daughters and loved to help others through their "Hole in the Wall Gang Camp" for terminally ill children to play outdoors, and all of the
Newman's Own products that we've grown to love and forget features ole blue eyes on the front.

Long Live Camden

The distressing news of England's series of riots, looting, and fires has torn apart a country and left some of it's greatest areas in rubble. After speaking with one of my dearest friends from the UK, she informed me that one of our favorite (or favourite) places to shop and hang out was in complete shambles: Camden High Street. Resembling a mix between the creepiness of the Venice boardwalk, and the quaint loveliness of London itself, Camden was a place to find cheap jewelry and fantastic vintage finds. Another merit of the area was that it was the only place a Southern Californian could go to get relatively good mexican food in the entire country. What follows are some snapshots of my times in Camden, and we can only hope after the destruction is finally over it will return to its former glory.

















Finally for your enjoyment, a club shot from our favorite Camden nights out!

BEEP BEEP (Future Talk) Pomp and Circumstance

This past Saturday marks the moment where I left my longest job as a student, and moved over into the world of not students. After around 18 years of my life being determined by teachers and professors, syllabi's and book lists, essays and exams, you'd think that I'd explode with excitement or die of sorrow, but neither was the case. I just feel like I need a break; maybe later I will start to feel weird, but not now.

The ceremonial changing of my definition in life came and went through 3 student speakers give their shout outs, and around 300 kids--excuse me, freshly made adults--walk across the stage of the Greek Theatre and pick up a fake diploma. While I was incredibly excited to hear my name and make my family proud for the second weekend in a row, I was more excited about stepping on the stage where I saw Arcade Fire and Wilco. Even Mario Savio got tackled and arrested on this stage! I began to wonder why this was more interesting to me, and why I couldn't fully appreciate walking across the stage to shake the hand of a very important English lady in a house of the highest public education in the country.

What was wrong with me? Was it because my family didn't bring an obnoxious air horn?

Only after the last flash bulb had blinded me in a less than flattering photo by GradImages, I realized that my lack of enthusiasm for the academic graduating was the most comforting thing in my life at this moment. I was excited about music. Getting giddy about past performances at the Greek Theatre not only jump starts my passion for music, but it also pushes me to continue to strive for my goal as a music journalist. Recently I have been doubting my dream job because of set backs and intimidation, but as I walked across that stage to grab my fake legal document I knew that I had the power of an English degree and it could help me come back to this "Athens of the West" to see more shows like Van Morrison or Daft Punk and remember that I do have a voice worth speaking.

Now for your enjoyment here are some photos of the ceremony. All photography credit goes to Julia Pennick.













(oh yeah it was also the day of the Rapture)

Strawberry Field (Gates) Forever

After 100 years of use and over 40 years of admiration, the Liverpool branch of the Salvation Army has taken down the iconic gates of their orphanage Strawberry Fields. The Woolton suburb has been a pilgrimage for Beatles fans wanting to gaze upon the gorgeous wrought iron gates that inspired John Lennon to write the 1967 hit. While the charity has tried to reassure music lovers that they would be getting exact replica gates, sadly the timeless magic of the ruby red gates went into storage with the originals.


Following in the steps of every music mecca monument, 40 years of graffiti covers the mossy brick walls around the Victorian gates bringing an added element of ultimate community to the abandoned site. There is something incredibly special of seeing such brilliant red handiwork in the midst of the northern England climate and general color palette. It stood out as a beacon of hope for wayward children, and stands out as a burst of light in the dreary streets of working class Liverpool.


The Salvation Army made a statement that the gates were "worn-out" and were being taken to a "secret storage facility", but when I visited last February the gates in question seemed to be in pretty good shape for being over 100 years old. They were beautiful and sturdy as I ran my hands over the flowers and decorative swirls. It was iconic, original, and free to see.

What was incredibly emotional about actually being present at the Strawberry Fields gates was how silent and calm the scene was. Being alone with the silence of the misty overgrown facility grounds covered in beautiful shades of green was a moment that I will never forget. While I was surprised at how small the gates actually were compaired to the monstrous mental image I had, they were beautiful and unlike anything I had ever seen, or will ever see again.





It's sad to see the gates leave their original home for the dusty basement of some storage facility, but the legacy and memories will continue to live on through the photos and whimsy of the music.


(the music video was shot nowhere near the real Strawberry Fields, but it is still fun)

All of the images are my own from my trip to Northern England in 2010. Special thanks to Emma Walker for helping me find the gates!

My McCartney

It has just come to my attention that Sir Paul McCartney--and my favorite Beatle--has just been engaged to his long time girlfriend Nancy Shevell. Who really cares what her name is though, right? While it is true that I actually don't want to marry a man so close to the age of 70 (to be fair he does look great for 68), the idea of marrying Paul the Beatle, Paul the Wings member, even Paul the Ram or McCartney was always in my the back of my dreams from when I was a little girl watching A Hard Day's Night every other day when I came home after preschool. He was absolutely perfect!

Adorable haircut


Precious smile


Great Dresser


Clean face (and public persona)


British accent


Wonderful voice


I was such a fan of him and Linda that I didn't even mind he was off the market. I also really appreciated the fact that she was American, giving all of us girls a chance at our respective British crushes. She was also a fantastic photographer.

Whoever this new lady is, she is definitely no Linda, but at least she'll be better than Heather Mills...and hopefully not a gold digger...also hopefully with two legs. What ever happened to that baby they had also?

No more heartache for Paul please!

Snapshots of Massachusetts

In late March I travelled to the east coast to spend my spring break with my family in a place that had no idea it was even spring yet. With coats bundled up and the occasional snow flurry I wandered around the towns of Andover, Marblehead, Lowell, and Salem, complete with a day trip to the big brick city of Boston itself. While it was grey and chilly outside, the historical beauty of Massachusetts shined bright.

Salem










Andover






Lowell








Boston






The photos were all shot on 35mm without any sort of flash and while it does seem rather sad because all the photos are kind of dark I believe that there is something beautiful in the muted images.