Louise Brooks was a very special soul - she was a liberated woman, a great actress and wild at heart. But as so often with such people her life was a tragedy.

Our media mad world consumes young female flesh in huge quantities - so it’s easy to dismiss another pretty face long gone.

But Louise influence with her skills many directors and fellow artists - something one hardly can say about today’s media & marketing sluts. Too bad we have lost many of her movies - and that she only performed in silent movies …

More? Louise Brooks Society

Photoshop and a great operator can greatly improve your career, even when you are already old and wrinkled. Hotness is no longer in the eye of the beholder, but based on the right image manipulation.

One of the greatest Stars of our time recently celebrated his 75th Birthday - Cheeta from Tarzan. He played that charming ape friend of Johnny Weismüller’s in all the Tarzan movies in the 1930s and 40s. And he even got his own Star on Sunset Boulevard. Wow!

And as chimp he is extraordinarily, because their usual  life expectancy is only about 40 years. So Cheeta, you are the real King of the Jungle!

More? Cheeta @ Wikipedia

Chinese woman wins Miss World contest in China. Anyone surprised? It’s almost as predictable as Putin’s landslide win in the Russian Election.

Miss Zilin looks nice - but there were MANY, MANY, MANY more better looking Ladies in that Miss World contest …

Wow, what an amazing portrait from 1957 - you can literally feel all the testosterone ooze out of the image. They don’t make guys like that anymore …

Who would have thought that her Botox injection was in preparation for a new role?

The movie Golden Compass looks very promising - although I am weary that the plot is going to be too predictable. 

He certainly is one of the real giants of the last century. He formulated and created a new way of looking at ourselves and exploring humanity. Many of his theories are now proven wrong - but Siegmund Freud wouldn’t mind that. He based his work on empirical evidence, not dogmas. He changed his several of his theories several times.

Too bad many people turned his theories and observations into dogmas - especially in contrast with the terrible events of world war II. Freud’s work gave many people the reason to believe that the human animal is bad, driven mostly by his deep sexual desires and needs. This is certainly a part of the human equation, but not the whole story.

Especially evolutionary biology has shown that the ‘selfish gene‘ in us is much more altrustic and pragmatic then Freud and many other prophets of doom want us to believe.

Guys: Political importance equals height.

Gals:  Hotness equals financial potency of husband.

I just feel like getting scratched … really hard …

Johnny Depp has created one of the most memorable character here: the mad pirate Captain, with a twisted sense of honor and humor. I would love to see more movies with this irresistible character.

I think he has the potential to become a long lasting modern archetype, like Spock, Darth Vader or Goucho Marx.

More? the most excellent Wikipedia on Captain Jack - highly recommended

If there is one photographer that has shaped the 80’s visual landscape it’s Herb Ritts (together with Robert Mapplethorpe and . His strong black and white portraits and composition lead to a new cool and extremely pleasing aesthetic style.

When I flip thru some of his books or online galleries it’s amazing how many pictures you will recognize, either from magazine covers, pop albums or videos: Herb Ritts at Stanly Wise or a small biography.

Too bad he already died in 2002. Another sad loss.

Images: by the groundbreaking Herb Ritts

I really really really don’t like cars. Never owned one, probably never will. So TV shows about cars hardly appeal to me … unless it’s done in style with that dry British humor …

In this episode our three heroes try to cross one African nation with the shabbiest and oldest second hand cars they could buy off the natives. A highly amusing adventure unfolds … enjoy!

So far the U2 iPod was pretty unique for some time. But now more and more Celebs discover the tech market for merchandise deals.

The J. Lo USB-Stick … sooooo coooool!

Can’t wait to see stuff like the Nokia Paris Hilton edition - silvery cell phone with gems and glitter. Sometimes celebrity endorsement is simply more then stupid.

And I hardly trust Madame J. Lo to give good support for my USB-Stick if it’s broken …

Click image for more Gable.

I love these old school portraits. They are simply amazing.

Artist: unknown - can anyone help?

Vulcan scissors always win - it’s only logical!

The pilot of the Enola Gay - who dropped the first atom bomb - has died (BBC News article). The old warriors of Warld War II are slowly vanishing from society, living memory becomes history.

Tibbet was always very public about his big mission.

More? Interview video (YouTube) and another interview (Guardian.uk)

Usually I am not into reviewing single TV episodes - but last nights Boston Legal was outstanding. It concluded a story arc about Joseph Washington - who died in this episode.

The overall theme of this story arc was conviction and forgiveness. The not so fictional character of Joseph was an African-American accused of rape and murder in different cases. His murder trial ended with not guilty.

But he was sentenced as a sex offender although the rape was never proven. That alone sent him to prison and he was obliged to register as a sex offender. This was hard enough: you had to register as such in his local community, was forbidden to use public transport and even drive a car. Most of all: all the ‘good’ people of the once again not so fictional ‘Middletown’ wanted him to leave, harassed him and tried to kick him out of their nice community.

In this episode his sex offender case was reopened and the girl that accused him of being a rapist admitted she lied. Now his sex offender status was revoked, but still the good people of Middletown wanted him to leave.

Joseph Washington was found later in that episode murdered. Sad enough. But the real heartbreaking scene was, when his lawyer spoke before the people of Middletown in Church: "Let us pray for forgiveness and acceptance."

Would Jesus kill innocent men? Would Jesus kill even acquitted rapists or murderers?

This episode of Boston Legal asked some tough questions and attacked Americas addiction to locking away people, cutting legal deals instead of looking for the truth and never reintegrating offenders back into society. This is also true for many other countries as well …

Click image for more romance.

They don’t make couples like that anymore.

Photographer: unknown - can anyone help

Madonna always knew how to reinvent herself. Her looks for the videos ‘Frozen’ and ‘Nothing Really Matters‘ were very stunning. This is a promo shot for Harper’s Bazaar 1999.

I never dream of a white Christmas, rather of a rubbery Monica Bellucci in cream.

Norma’s beauty and esprit is so very different from today’s movie stars. I wonder if many of the silent and early stars would ever make it in our modern cult of celebrity? If Paris Hilton can call herself a ‘brand’ then Norma Shearer certainly was a Goddess.

More? Wikipedia
Artist: George Hurrell - thanks Brad

A great director, a great movie and an even greater historical figure behind this story. Ah, they don’t make movies like that anymore (and don’t you dare to recommend that ‘300′ violence porn to me).

More? YouTube - Trailer, Arena Fight scene and Battle scene.

If there is a King of Pop (aka Michael Jackson) then Jeff Koons is the King of Kitsch. The official label for people like Mr Koons is conceptional artists which I find pretty strange. So far I haven’t figured out if he is just trying to provoke people with his kitsch art or he is playing the (art) system against itself or if he truly is a kitsch person.

But he certainly is a success. His art has been displayed all over the world and his books sold well. Cheap imitations of his work have sold well - because many people like kitsch (but probably wouldn’t like Mr Koons).

And shagging Ilona Staller for arts sake can’t be that bad either? Although I am sick and tired by all this shock art that tries to provocate people by displaying sexual acts, poo or simply something dead and rotten.

Great website: Jeff Koons - A Collection of Images and the Wikipedia entry.

Erwin Rommel was always considered one of the ‘good’ Germans of WWII. He was a brilliant tactician, loved by his soldiers and respected by his enemies. He was forced to commit suicide, because he was suspected to plot against Hitler.

Overall the German military establishment utterly failed to stop Hitler in it’s tracks. They are - with a very few exception - a classical bunch of non-thinking military figures. Just following orders!

Although it might weaken a military, but a modern country needs ‘thinking soldiers’, critical of their leaders, critical about war and the reasons for it. No fatherland, no motherland, no religion, no dogma is worth dying for.

You should put your life for a good reason on the line.

I’ll trade three Kate Moss and a sack of strange white powder for the original fashion stick. Shamelessly stolen from here - Tom Sutpen & Stephen Cooke

Photographer: unknown - can anyone help?