if you haven't seen the compelling documentary 20 feet from stardom yet, please do.

the film focuses on the music industry's unsung heroes -- the back up singers. these remarkable singers possess voices which drive some of the most iconic songs in history. the documentary gives credit where credit is due by putting these phenomenal artists front and center where they deserve to be.

in addition to the singers' remarkable vocals and stories, the film also exposes the complex and oftentime infuriating politics within the music industry, which keeps these artists on the sidelines despite their occasional desire to take center stage.

i PROMISE you will never listen to the rolling stone's "gimme shelter" the same again. hail, merry clayton!

and how about these opening credits?

i love the john baldessari inspired dots which cover the faces of the lead singer.

20 feet from stardom is available on netflix and is an oscar nominee for best documentary. go see it!

director: morgan neville.

starring: darlene love, merry clayton, lisa fischer, judith hill, and the waters -- and many more.

kittens, i'm back. i swear. i am really back!

after a super long hiatus of 3 whole weeks, i have wiped the cold cream off of my face and lifted the cucumbers from my eyes. i am refreshed and ready to shimmy. pour yourself a cocktail and have a seat. your hair has never looked more fantastic.

over my holiday break, i saw about 10,000 films. and my favorite movie hands down was HER by spike jonze.

HER opens in wide release on january 10th. therefore, polish up you cha cha heels and boogie on down to your nearest movie house. you'll be glad you did.

as some of you may remember, i am totally gay for production designers. they are the visual masters of the screen. they create the cinematic world in which we romp. they set the tone and picturesque palette for our thirsty eyes.

they craft colorful kaleidoscope cubicles and high waisted pants. for example:

we have production designer k.k. barrett to thank for HER. barrett worked with jonze on his previous films, and also designed delicious worlds for sofia coppola (lost in translation, marie antoinette), michel gondry (human nature), and david o. russell (i heart huckabees).

in other words, kk barrett is a god. bow down, darlings.

in HER, barrett conjured a near-future los angeles. the streets are clean and the design is minimal yet warm. instead of "sci-fi" blues and greens, this futuristic world is swathed in hues of yellow, golds, orange, and reds.

there is nothing dystopian in spike jonze's and kk barrett's version of the future!

in HER, technology isn't cold and creepy. instead, it is familiar, steam lined, and inviting. that's not to say it isn't isolating. in fact, isolation is part of the societal norm. in the near future, technology cocoons people in a way that makes them feel safe, yet connected just enough. after all, friends, family, colleagues, and intriguing strangers are just a click away. not really too different from present day, correct?

the set design and costumes in HER have mid-century (and even turn of the century) elements. but, there are subtle differences.

notice the lack of collars, lapels, belts, and ties. also, most of the decor serves a function -- very stream lined, stylish, yet practical.

kk barrett drew visual inspiration from the city of shanghai. the chinese city's green spaces and business parks also served as shooting locations for the film.

i do not want to give away of the plot, so i'll just end with saying how happy i was to see los angeles portrayed as a beautiful city, san cars (yep, that's right), with a sweeping skyline, and a subway to the beach!

that is all. now go see it and tell me what you think!

and HAPPY NEW YEAR, darlings! xoxo

above: anthony perkins frolics with the ladies on the set of psycho (1960).

above: jodie foster on the set of taxi driver with her body double (and real life sister) connie (1976).

above: sean connery and shirley eaton  share a moment - goldfinger (1964).

above: taking a break on the set of 2001: a space odyssey (1968).

above: dr. frankenfurter's hair looks fabulous on the set of rock horror picture show (1975).

via buzzfeed.

strut and prance for the red, white, and blue.

little edie would want you to!

happy independence day, darlings.

xoxo

over the weekend, i boogied on down to the los angeles county museum of art with steve and our friend denise to experience the closing weekend of LACMA's stanley kubrick exhibition.

i confess, i have been obsessed with kubrick since childhood. sure, his dark, controversial, and sexually charged films are not, um, appropriate elementary and jr. high viewing, but i simply could not get enough of the groovy '60s space costumes and decor in 2001: a space odyssey. i was also fascinated by malcolm mcdowell's false eyelash in a clockwork orange.

the true complexity and subversiveness of kubrick's films didn't kick in until i was much older. i studied his films in college and collected his screenplays when i landed a job in development at a film production company.

kubrick's characters are simply iconic. they make an impact emotionally and visually. they are the darkest of antiheroes and even manage to make us laugh (uncomfortably) when they do very, very, very bad things. it's impossible to go to a halloween party and not see at least one kubrick-inspired costume -- from alex's jaunty white jumpsuit and codpiece, to the grady twins' blue baby doll dresses and black mary janes. 

{above: kubrick's many, many, many camera lenses.}

{above: "dr. strangelove" props; the war room sketch by production designer ken adam; the war room miniature model on display.}

{above: steve peeks through kubrick's camera for barry lyndon. NASA zeiss lenses were used to capture the candlelit film.}

{above: props and costumes from "the shining."}

{above: on the set of "the shining."}

{above: saul bass's letter to kubrick regarding five sketches he submitted for the shining's poster; kubrick's handwritten note states that bass's eye maze is "too abstract." by the way, how much do we love saul bass's signature?}

{above: "a clockwork orange." alex's infamous white jumpsuit and codpiece; porn statue from the korova milk bar.}

{above: "2001: a space odyssey" hot pink lounge furniture; arne jacobsen's cutlery featured in the film.}

{above: "2001: a space odyssey" costume sketches and design by hardy amies.}

{above: 2001: a space odyssey's giant baby.}

{all exhibition photography by me. hope you enjoyed it!}

kittens, i've been waiting FOR-EV-ER for the premiere of behind the candelabra.

my former boss, howard cummings, is the uber-talented production designer behind this glittery spectacle and i guarantee that your mind will be blown to rhinestone bits. a handful of my friends also worked on this film (from set designers to coordinators) and i couldn't be more happy for them. 

to top it off, behind the candelabra is an incredible screenplay about a complex man and his complicated and closeted relationship.

sex, drugs, music, sparkles, plastic surgery, feathers, and love - who can ask for anything more?

liberace...that's who!

for a special behind-the-scenes peek with howard, set decorator barbara munch, and costume designer ellen mirojnick click here. 

polish your ivories and diamonds this sunday, darlings! and i'll meet you poolside.

{behind the candelabra directed by steven soderbergh. screenplay by richard lagravenese based on a book by scott thorson. starring michael douglas as liberace and matt damon as scott thorson. production design by howard cummings.} {images via hbo.}

famed 75-year-old illustrator, brian sanders, is the master craftsman behind mad men's lusciously textured season six key art. 

hailing from the golden era of magazine illustration, sanders was commissioned by mad men's creator, matthew weiner, to conjure the look and feel of 1960s spy novels, TWA flight menus, and swinging lifestyle ads. the drawing style is called "bubble & streak" and with a name like bubble & streak, it's got to be good.

{above: brian sanders illustration for woman's mirror, circa 1965.}

but, wait...there's more!

in 1966, director stanley kubrick  granted sanders rare access to the set and filming of 2001: a space odyssey. sanders documented the behind-the-scenes making of the film via paintings and sketches (photography was not allowed on the set). unfortunately, the controlling kubrick did not allow publication of the drawings. it wasn't until 2001 (two years after kubrick's death) that sanders space odyssey work was published (see examples below).

{above: behind-the-scences of space odessey: 2001 as seen through the eyes of illustrator brian sanders.}

{above: the camera was rigged to move with the centrifuge as the set rotated.}

{above: kubrick predicted that airline uniforms would not change drastically throughout the eras.}

{above: sanders captures actors smoking and playing pokers between takes.}

{read more about brian sander's collaboration with mad men at the new york times.} {peruse and learn more about sander's amazing work at the art of brian sanders.}

oh, jon hamm -- trending on twitter yesterday due to your manly obstacle.

i, on the other hand, admire you for your art (of course).

hence, the jon hamm coloring book.

{available at team art's etsy shoppe.}

stay for the sideburns.

{2 hour premiere on april 7th, kittens! mark your calendars.} {via tom and lorenzo...of course!}

darlings, if you find yourselves clock-watching the minutes today, filing your nails, prepping your bouffant, photoshopping your dreams, conjuring your cat, and cruising the cubes, just remember, elijah wood feels your monday pain.

and he feels it in alexander mcqueen. 

{elijah wood for mr. porter. shop the story here.}