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Jun 2012 21

by Daniel Robert Epstein

“I like to try to find out what is unique about that band and why that band means something good or bad and nail that rather than design a perfume.”
– Julien Temple

Without ever being in a band Julien Temple has made a career out of music. He first came to attention in the late 1970’s when he filmed hours of the Sex Pistols. Much of that footage later went into his 2000 documentary The Filth and The Fury. In the 1980’s and ’90’s Temple directed dozens of music videos such as Tom Petty’’s “Free Fallin,” Van Halen’’s “Jump,” Culture Club’’s “Do You Really Want To Hurt Me?,” Accept’’s “Balls to the Wall,” and many more. But before that Temple directed The Great Rock ‘n’ Roll Swindle, which was about the Sex Pistols breakup told from the point of view of Malcolm McLaren.

Read our exclusive interview with Julien Temple on SuicideGirls.com.

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Jun 2012 20

by Daniel Robert Epstein

“I never got into this business thinking I’’d be a movie star. I grew up running around the Connecticut countryside pretending I was Hopalong Cassidy’s sidekick.”
– Glenn Close

Glenn Close is hands down one of the greatest actors we have. She has proven that time and time again in films like The World According to Garp, The Safety of Objects and Dangerous Liaisons. Her film, Heights, is a Merchant Ivory production that comes on the heels of her great season in FX’s The Shield.

Heights follows five characters over 24 hours on a fall day in New York City. Isabel [Elizabeth Banks], a photographer, is having second thoughts about her upcoming marriage to Jonathan [James Marsden], a lawyer. On the same day, Isabel’s mother Diana [Glenn Close] learns that her husband has a new lover, and begins to re-think her life choices and her open marriage. Diana and Isabel’s paths cross with Alec [Jesse Bradford], a young actor, and with Peter [John Light], a journalist.

As the interrelated stories proceed, the connections between the lives of the five characters begin to reveal themselves and their stories unravel so that Isabel, Jonathan, Diana, Alec, and Peter must choose what kind of lives they will lead before the sun comes up on the next day.

Read our exclusive interview with Glenn Close on SuicideGirls.com.

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Jun 2012 19

by Blogbot

“I’’m not too into getting killed.”
– Robert Kirkman

The Robert Kirkman-penned comic The Walking Dead first hit the stands in 2003. It was subsequently picked up by AMC, where the TV series based on Kirkman’s story has broken cable viewing records.

The Walking Dead is a real take on what would happen if Romero zombies walked the planet. The plot follows a small group of people including their leader Rick, his wife and son as they desperately try to find a safe haven.

As the TV series goes from strength to strength, so does the comic, which will hit a major milestone next month: It’s 100th issue. The much anticipated July 11th release will feature multiple covers, something that will no doublt please and frustrate collectors in equal measure.

For more info on the 100th Issue, visit the dedicated site at: walkingdead100.com/

You can read our exclusive interview with Robert Kirkman on SuicideGirls.com.

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Jun 2012 18

by Fred Topel

“You don’t want to be asking permission. Look how that slows you down.”
– Robert Rodriguez

Robert Rodriguez was always an independent self starter. He made his first movie, El Mariachi, for $7000 and kept doing things his own way. He started his own studio facility, Troublemaker Studios, where he’s shot Sin City, Machete, Predators and more. Now he has his own company.

Quick Draw Productions is a step above the production facility Rodriguez already has in Austin, TX. As a production Company, Quick Draw will produce sequels to Machete and Sin City, as well as remakes of Heavy Metal and Fire and Ice. This year Quick Draw partnered with computer giant AMD to use their technology for Quick Draw Animation.

Today’s movie lovers are reaping the benefits of many of Rodriguez’ innovations. He actually made Spy Kids 3-D before the current wave of 3-D films, and the green screen movie (like 300) was largely innovated on Sin City.

He was also a pioneer of shooting digitally. He gave George Clooney his first leading role in From Dusk ‘Til Dawn and he introduced stars like Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek and Danny Trejo to English speaking audiences.

During a trip to Rodriguez’ home base of Austin, I got to catch up with the busy filmmaker. This was even before he announced Sin City: A Dame to Kill For was starting production. But we had plenty to talk about with his new production company, animation studio, and even his own network. We also talked about the state of independence, since Rodriguez is now a major player in the industry.

Read our exclusive interview with Robert Rodriguez on SuicideGirls.com.

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Jun 2012 15

by Nicole Powers

“The problem is, from what I understand of Occupy, that because it’s so democratic, so many people have a say in what should go, that your messaging is just getting too beat to shit. The messaging has to be produced basically by one person or a very small group of people, no more than three or four, otherwise it just gets watered down.”
– George Parker on Occupy and marketing by committee

George Parker is a man who loves profanity almost as much as he hates the corporate fucktards and douchenozzles that stifle creativity in the advertising industry (Parker’s preferred pronominal profanities, not my own). In his popular “piss and vinegar” blog AdScam and his three books –Madscam, The Ubiquitous Persuaders, and his latest, Confessions of a Mad Man – the renowned British-born adman rails against the Big Dumb Agencies (BDAs) and the shareholder-serving corporations that consolidated, own, and suck the life out of them.

Self-described as “the last surviving Mad Man,” Parker landed at Cunard’s Pier 96 in New York to pursue his Madison Avenue dreams in an era when the cheapest way to cross the Atlantic was still by steamship. Having spent five debaucherous days of “non-stop drinking and shagging” aboard the Queen Mary, he arrived armed with a degree from the Manchester School of Art, a postgraduate scholarship from London’s Royal College of Art, a masters in bullshit from the University of Life, and a few hundred bucks. In the ensuing five decades, he rose through the ranks and has worked on countless major accounts both as a freelancer and in-house for some of the most prestigious agencies in the world including Ogilvy & Mather, Young & Rubicam, Chiat Day, and J. Walter Thompson.

As the recipient of Lions, CLIOs, EFFIES, and the David Ogilvy Award, and with a career that spans five decades and multiple continents, Parker has more perspective than most when it comes to what’s wrong in today’s ad world. He’s repelled by the kind of suits that use jargon like “resonate” instead of “appeal” and who “interface” instead of “meet.” But, according to Parker, their crimes against humanity only begin with their choice of vocabulary. He hates the way they treat the American public like it has a collective IQ somewhere south of Jessica Simpson’s and their clients with the kind of contempt that should be reserved for the likes of Dick Cheney and Karl Rove.

Talking of which, Parker also takes issue with the kind of one percenters who think it’s OK to treat themselves to Russian MiG 15 fighters (Larry Ellison of Oracle) and Boeing 767s (Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin) at their shareholders’ expense. To say Parker is moderately left wing is an understatement, since he never does anything – including Boddingtons – by halves. As such, he’s a rare beast in the advertising world, one that has lived life to the full yet has sense of decency, and a conscience.

Having been kind enough to call SuicideGirls “one of the best examples of a community based social networking site” in his excellent 2006 state-of-the-industry bible The Ubiquitous Persuaders (a book that serves as an update to Vance Packard’s 1957 classic The Hidden Persuaders), we were long overdue for a quality conversation with Parker. With the freshly minted Confessions of a Mad Man – a literary (and often times literal) romp through the industry as experienced by Parker – serving as an excuse, we called him up for a chat over drinks. In the interests of verisimilitude, ours was a glass of Sauvignon Blanc (cause we’re lightweights) and Parker’s was “a case of Pinot Noir” (because he’s not). During the course of our lengthy chinwag we discussed the decay of the American Dream, the not uncoincidental rise of political advertising, and how Occupy might best market itself and its efforts to stop the rot.

Read our exclusive interview with George Parker on SuicideGirls.com.

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Jun 2012 14

by Daniel Robert Epstein

“I’’d have to stop halfway through when the people were being lowered to the floor. Everyone was all upset about these people passing out. Then I’’d finish the story.”
– Chuck Palahniuk

Chuck Palahniuk has been a major focal point of SuicideGirls and members since the beginning. Since his debut novel, Fight Club, was turned into a movie in 1999, Palahniuk has becomes a major literary force. His new book, Haunted, is a series of short stories connected by the idea of a writer’s retreat. My favorite story is “Guts” about a horny 13 year old, a swimming pool’s intake valve, and the taste of calamari.

Read our exclusive interview with Chuck Palahniuk on SuicideGirls.com.

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Jun 2012 12

by Daniel Robert Epstein

“I did keep the Oompa-Loompa psychiatrist chair which is very appropriate and very comfortable actually.”
– Tim Burton

Tim Burton’’s film, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, is his best work since 1994’’s Ed Wood. I would say that casting Johnny Depp as the obsessive compulsive child hating Willy Wonka is an inspired choice, but since this is their fourth collaboration that point appears to be moot. Depp has totally and completely entered himself into Roald Dahl’s universe and given himself over to this wild and wooly character with chocolate running in his veins.

Read our exclusive interview with Tim Burton on SuicideGirls.com.