Calvin Klein Banned Ads

VINTAGE CK AD BANNED IN THE 9()"S

They are at it again. There is a new Calvin Klein ad that "is not fit for television viewing..." American television viewing that is. It will air freely in Europe...those dirty bastards.

When Denny needs to do an ad he is going to make it inappropriate for viewing in America and Europe! This way it will be banned all over the world...assuring it to be viewed by everyone!

Denny has viewed the new ad directed by the great Steven Meisel. We were bored. So bored we decided not to post it. But instead we have posted one of the great banned Calvin Klein commercials Steven directed in the 90's. But in case you feel you need to see the "orgy ad" you can view it at: http://www.wwd.com/video/?vid=9357449001

STIMULATE THIS!

Okay we all know the economy is in the shit can. A friend of Denny’s emailed him today and said she feared what was upon us may be of “unprecedented proportions.” Denny says we need to start thinking positively. Are we heading for mass hysteria? If you are currently not strapped for money or in fear of losing your job it is time for you to do your part as an American. Denny says go out and treat yourself to a fine dinner, or go buy that new dress you saw in Vogue last week, Or if you’re doing really well treat yourself to a new car…I hear some places are offering buy one get one free.

In the meantime lets talk about the Stimulus package Obama has in store for us. The most recent Number for his proposed plan is nearly $900 Billion.

“Fiscal stimulus aims to boost economic activity during periods of economic weakness by increasing short-term aggregate demand." The theory is that if more goods and services are being bought, whether cement for a new highway or groceries paid for with a tax rebate, there is less chance that falling demand will lead companies to lay off workers, resulting in greater falls in demand and a deeper downturn.” (New York Times)

The Senate has approved the proposal and the House is currently proposing a few changes: “Some senators say they want to focus on easing the housing crisis, increasing infrastructure spending and cutting taxes on corporations.”

Let’s not lose sight of the economic meltdown to begin with…Banks, Mortgages, and Foreclosures. The banks have been given significant amounts of money to stay afloat. They should now be doing the same for homeowners. Banks have now tightened their belts… as they should have years ago. But unfortunately those people who are not in fixed rates are still in danger of losing their homes and most do not qualify for refinancing.

“The House bill also includes $30 billion for roads and bridges and $10 billion for transit and intercity rail.”
Denny would be happier to drive on a slightly bumpy road for a year or two and see that money put someplace more universally useful right now. “It also includes $50 billion intended to make the country more energy-efficient by updating the electric grid to make it easier to accommodate solar and wind power, and by providing for weatherizing government buildings and low-income housing. In addition, there are tax credits to encourage the growth of renewable energy.”

“The plan also calls for $275 billion in tax cuts and about $300 billion in aid for laid-off workers and cash-strapped states. That money would be used to expand unemployment benefits, provide health-care coverage to laid-off workers, help states facing ballooning Medicaid costs and extend large sums to states to pay for education programs and school renovations.” (The Washington Post)

Denny says Hurry Up!!

Mercury in Retrograde

The last few weeks have been a struggle for many people. Is it the failing economy? Is it the transition of presidents? Is it the winter blues? Or is it the fact that Mercury has been in Retrograde? What exactly does it mean for you when Mercury is in Retrograde? We decided to do a bit of research.

Mercury retrograde in Aquarius [Jan 11 – Feb 1, 2009]

At 16:45 (Universal Time), on Sunday, January 11th, 2009, Mercury turned retrograde in Aquarius. Since that was the day of the potent Full Moon in Cancer, people's emotions may have been on high alert! In general, Mercury rules thinking and perception, processing and disseminating information and all means of communication, commerce, education and transportation.

The word retrograde applies, in astrology, to the apparent backward motion thru the zodiac of a planet.

All the planets, except Sun and Moon, have these retrograde periods, but Mercury is most famous for them, probably because Mercury represents our very essential communication abilities.

The good things to do when Mercury is Retrograde: meditate, contemplate, edit the book/poem/song/essay you've been writing, clean house, talk to your pet, listen to music, paint, catch up on sleep!

So if you have been feeling blue the past few weeks, worry not Obama is hard at work to fix our economy, The winter only has two more months to go and as of today Mercury is out of Retrograde...Phew!

Nicole Fiscella

Nicole Fiscella is one of our favorite Gossip Girls. She is know by many as Isabel Coates, a friend of Blair Waldorf on the CW’s hit series Gossip Girl. We have had the pleasure of spending time with Nicole on several occasions. She lights up a room with her vibrant eyes and devilish sense of humor. She conveys confidence, style, and intelligence when speaking and looks even more beautiful in person.

In between filming the current season of Gossip Girl Nicole took some time from her day to answer some questions for Denny.

Denny: What are you reading right now?

Nicole: A book called Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi. My boyfriend gave it to me b/c Keith is an old boss of his that was inspirational to him. It is about the importance of being open to meeting the right people so you can help each other get ahead. It is great so far!

D ) Where is the last place you had dinner and with who?

N ) The last dinner I had was in Montauk with some of my closest friends. We cooked and played Taboo!

D) We know you are currently studying for your Masters in Nutrition.
What is your favorite dish?

N ) I am huge on breakfast food so since I don't eat dairy, I make a killer scrambled tofu!

D ) We have read you have an appreciation of Woopie Goldbergh. What is it about her you most admire?

N ) I think that Whoopi has an amazing persona and a ton of energy. She is very kind and so funny... I strive to be like her!

D ) What path took you from a BA in Anthropology to Modeling?

N ) Honestly, I have no idea! I loved studying anthropology at Tufts because I had some wonderful professors and I found it so interesting. Modeling kind of came to be when I moved to NYC after school. I had always wanted to model and did a few little things here and there while I was in Boston. Being in NYC made that dream come true!

D ) How did Gossip Girl come about and tell us about your initial casting call?

N ) I have had a commercial agent for years that has been pushing me to do more TV work because I have "personality" (so she said!). She wanted me to try out for this acting part in some new show so I went along not expecting anything since I had no experience. After my first audition, the next day I found out that I got a callback. The callback went well and then I had 2 more. It was 3 weeks of anxiety until I found out, but lo and behold... I got the part! What a whirlwind!

D ) How has being on Gossip Girl changed your life?

N ) Where can I begin? So much has changed! Well, first of all, it has focused me on acting a lot more. I have been taking intense classes to really hone my skills. I have a whole set of new friends that are all very fun and interesting and even meeting their friends has been great! And obviously, there are the perks of being on a hit show! Free stuff!

D ) How do you spend you time between your scenes on the set of the show?

N ) Sometimes I am really focused and I lock myself in my room and do schoolwork. Other times, there is a lot of goofing around between scenes! We laugh a lot!

D ) Of all your cast mates who makes you laugh the most?

N ) Definitely Leighton! Her and I have the same humor so we always have each other in stitches!

D ) We know you are currently filming for the upcoming season of the show. Can you give us a hint at any surprises we can expect?

N ) Oh boy... Everything on the show is so crazy so expect lots of twists and turns and lots and lots on SCANDAL!

THE STORY OF THE RAINBOW

Once upon a time in a land far, far away lived a village of blue people. They had blue clothes, blue skin, blue eyes…even their hair was blue. Then one day a little boy wondered into the village after being lost in the woods for days. But he was different than everyone else in the town because he was pink! He had pink eyes, pink skin, pink clothes, pink lips, even his teeth were pink. The town folk had never seen anyone like him before. He was so different…and that frightened them. They immediately hid their children and locked their doors.

The little pink boy sat in the middle of town alone and frightend... shivering of cold and hunger. Then a little blue girl seeing him cry came out from her home and gave the boy a blanket and some food. The town people watched in horror fearing the little girl was now going to turn pink as well. To everyone's suprise nothing happend. She did not turn pink and begin to stink, she did not turn green and become a bean, no she did not. But what she did become was….a friend.

They sat in the park and heard the dogs bark. They climbed trees and watched the bees. They swung on the swings and listened to the birds sing. Soon the entire town was no longer afraid, they all became his friend. They helped him find his way back home and soon became friends with their neighbors in the pink town where he was from. The two towns soon got together and created a purple town, then a red, yellow and even an orange town.

Today when you look up in the sky and see a rainbow, they say it’s the reflection of all the town folk dancing together in celebration as one big happy family!

The end

BELIEVE

“Do you still believe in Santa Clause?” he asked in a tone of disbelief. I was five years old – of coarse I still believed! When I confronted my mother about it she decided to be straight with me. That was the day some of the magic I believed to be life faded away.

I received a Christmas card last year from a dear friend. Inscribed inside read, “I hope your holiday is filled with magic and all your fairytales come true.” It made me think back to those days as a tyke when I believed anything was possible. Reindeer fly, animals speak and a fat old man in a red suit will deliver presents to the good girls and boys.

That year I began to change the way I thought. I began to believe again. I became more optimistic and thought of the possibilities life has to offer as opposed to the barriers. Sure there is no man coming down my chimney bearing gifts or a land know as Oz over the rainbow. But there are dreams, magic, fairy tales… whatever you chose to call it. This year we managed to elect our first black president, Michael Phelps won eight gold Medals and Denny wrote his first book!

So maybe dreams do come true and there is magic in life. Denny says dream big and acknowledge the magic when it comes your way. Next time someone tells you fairy tales aren’t real. Tell them about the reindeer you saw running in your back yard, the British girl Jessica Knight who woke from a coma after being stabbed 30 times and left for dead, the man or woman you fell madly in love with this year or simply the stranger who held the door open for you today…or you can tell them about the witch at work who makes your life hell.

John Currin Inspires

We all need a bit of inspiring every now and then. What inspires you? Inspiration can come from almost anything if you open your mind to it. One of Denny’s sources of inspiration are the works of American artist John Currin.

John studied at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh where he obtained a BFA in 1984. Then went on to receive his MFA from Yale in 86. He has been featured in more than 20 solo exhibitions from the Serpentine Gallery of London to the Gagosian in N.Y. He currently works and lives with his family in New York.

Currin has stated his inspiration comes from sources as diverse as Bea Arthur, old Danish porn, and fashion magazines to his own family, contemporary politics, and Renaissance oil paintings.

A Letter to the Editor

As we know there has been false speculation flying around the past few months concerning the departure of Anna Wintour from American Vogue. Which is absolutely ridiculous as Anna is Vogue. Just as Liz Tilberis was Harper’s Bazaar in the 90’s… until she passed away in 1999… as did Bazaar in many ways. But I digress.
We feel Vogue needs a slight facelift to deal with this miserable economy. It’s time to think outside the box. So we decided to write Anna a letter.

Dear Anna,

There once was a time when models graced the covers of fashion magazines and celebrities were seen inside as feature stories. For the past decade it has been the same celebrities that rule the coveted placement. It’s time for you to bring back the supermodel and put fantasy back into fashion! Now more than ever we all need to escape our own lives and spend a few hours each month to dream. Let us revel in your world of fantasy and yet still feel enlightened about our view of the world.

Start using some fresh voices. Don’t get me wrong. I am not suggesting doing away with your current team of style icons. Tonne Goodman, Grace Coddington, Elisa Santisi are fashion! They know the history of the world and manage to evolve with the times to constantly show stimulating perspectives. Your writers such as Sarah Mower and photographers such as Steven Meisel are irreplaceable. But it’s time to bring a few fresh views into the mix. I propose that once a month you take a chance on some new voices. Consider dedicating four to six pages every issue using the undiscovered visionaries in the world. Team up Tonne Goodman with an untapped photographer, or have Arthur Elgort work with an upcoming new stylist. Feature unheard of designers, models, hair and makeup people…you can call it your “Fresh” pages. The stories may not always succeed, but people like change and will respond favorably either way due to the breath of fresh air it will bring.

Show your readers who the new American is through more documentary coverage. Fly a photographer such as Philip-Lorca diCorcia, Bruce Davidson, or Rebecca Greenfield around the US to document what America has become. Open America’s mind to the world we are living in. What were once booming towns of commerce are now rapidly becoming ghost towns. The American home is now over-filled with extended families due to job loss or grandparents raising their grandkids as a result of teen pregnancy. Of coarse we still want to see Plum Sykes standing outside her gorgeous home in the Hamptons or Denise Rich on her yacht…but we need to see more perspectives.

One final note I need to bring to your attention. In this struggling economy it only makes sense that budget cuts have been made. But instead of cutting out working lunches, late night taxis, overtime or expense accounts from your staff… consider not renewing one of your photographer’s million-dollar contracts. The junior staff should not have to bore the burden of penny pinching. And I assure you if you heed my advice. The photographer chosen would be just fine financially and professionally.

With Love and Respect,
Denny

Where do Scientologists come from?

With the recent loss of John Travolta and Kelly Preston’s son, Scientologie is once again being looked at. I realized I know of Scientology all so well… but feel I am still uncertain about what it is exactly. Usually when it’s brought up in conversation people feel uneasy with the subject. It’s as if they believe a lawyer is going to jump into the room and scream, “Gotcha! We’re going to sue your ass now.” Or worse! Someone in a hooded robe will cart you away… never to been seen again!

I decided to do some fact checking about the basics. First I went directly to the church itself to see what they have to say. www.scientology.org. They state the following:

1) Scientology is a religion which recognizes that man is basically good and offers tools anyone can use to become happier and more able as a person and to improve conditions in life for himself and others, and to gain a profound understanding of the Supreme Being and his relationship to the Divine. Developed by L. Ron Hubbard, Scientology technology provides exact principles and a practical technology for improving spiritual awareness, self-confidence, intelligence and ability.

The word Scientology comes from the Latin word scio, meaning “know” and the Greek word logos, meaning “the word or outward form by which the inward thought is expressed and made known. ” Thus, Scientology means knowing about knowing.

Scientology comprises a body of knowledge which extends from certain fundamental truths. Prime among these:

Man is an immortal spiritual being.

His experience extends well beyond a single lifetime.

His capabilities are unlimited, even if not presently realized.

Scientology further holds man to be basically good, and that his spiritual salvation depends upon himself and his fellows and his attainment of brotherhood with the universe.

The ultimate goal of Scientology is true spiritual enlightenment and freedom for the individual.


2) Next I looked into what ABC news had to say (Abcnews.go.com), The most interesting fact as relating to Travolta’s son would be this first portion:
“Scientologists are opposed to mind-altering drugs, psychiatry and psychiatric drugs. Narconon is Scientology's drug rehab program. Treatment includes an intensive program of running, massive doses of vitamins and very long sauna sessions designed to "run out" drugs and radiation from the body.” Some of the other facts the sight lists are:

“A definition of Scientology is hard to pin down. Basically, it's a system of beliefs, teachings and rituals originally established as a secular philosophy by L. Ron Hubbard. His 1950 book Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health, provided the core principles of what would later become Scientology.

A central belief of Scientology is that a person is a mortal, spiritual being (called a "thetan"), basically good, and has lived through many past lives. The Church believe that an intergalactic overlord called Xenu, who presided over 78 planets, over 78 million years ago, and brought the overpopulated masses from the other planets to”The Prison Planet” Earth (called TeeGeeAk) where he bombed them with Hydrogen bombs.

The ultimate goal of Scientology is "true spiritual enlightenment and freedom for the individual." Stored memories of Thetans' past lives can cause problems in the present.

Scientologists believe that the "reactive mind" (the portion that works on a totally stimulus-response basis, not under the control of the individual) commands one's awareness, purposes, thoughts, body and action. Through counseling called "auditing," Scientologists believe they can reduce and ultimately erase the power of the reactive mind, a source of irrationality, fears and nightmares. Before a person is audited they are considered "Pre-Clear."

Those that reach the higher teachings called OT (Operating Thetan) III, a state of being beyond the initial "Clear" state, within the Church of Scientology are said to learn about Xenu, the intergalactic ruler who implanted thetans, or alien spirits, in Earth's volcanoes 75 million years ago. But details of teachings at these higher levels are sketchy.”

3) The last place I had a look was from a not so favorable opinion at: The hypernation.wordpress.com

“The Church of Scientology is a vicious and dangerous cult that masquerades as a religion. Its purpose is to make money. It practices a variety of mind-control techniques on people lured into its midst to gain control over their money and their lives. Its aim is to take from them every penny that they have and can ever borrow and to also enslave them to further its wicked ends.

It was started in the 1950s by a science fiction writer named L. Ron Hubbard in fulfilment to his declared aim to start a religion to make money. It is an offshoot to a method of psychotherapy he concocted from various sources which he named "Dianetics". Dianetics is a form of regression therapy. It was then further expanded to appear more like a religion in order to enjoy tax benefits. He called it "Scientology".

Scientology is a confused concoction of crackpot, dangerously applied psychotherapy, oversimplified, idiotic and inapplicable rules and ideas and science-fiction drivel that is presented to its members (at the "advanced" levels) as profound spiritual truth.”

I am still confused☹

PREDICTIONS

Here we are in 2009! So I thought it only appropriate to look back on some of Sylvia Brown’s predictions for 2008:
She predicted the housing market would get stronger. The auto industry will rebound with the help of more hybrid vehicles. The job market will get better and we should invest in medical stocks. Okay…so she was wrong on all accounts.

Let's have a look at what she has to say for 2009:

"I predict a great rise in skin cancer in children until 2010.”

“I predict the President elected sometime between 2008 and 2020 will die in office from a heart attack. The Vice President who will finish their term will have an unpopular and mistaken intention to declare war on North Korea. By that time, North Korea will have weapons of mass destruction. In the middle of efforts to declare war, I predict the Vice President will be assassinated. There will be a worldwide investigation into the Vice President's death with both pleasant and unpleasant surprises. A lot of attention will be paid to one of the investigative congressional committees and serious accusations will be made regarding missing funds. Finally, it will be revealed that their accusations are part of a conspiracy to damage the American people's faith in their government, with the media manipulated to "fan the flames," and the committee will be vindicated in the end.”

“I predict we can truly say "goodbye" to the common cold in 2009 or 2010. The solution to the common cold involves heat.”

“I predict that a small cubicle will become available in doctor's offices sometime in 2009 and it will be heated to a very precise temperature. There may be a special vapor placed into the cubicle. Patients will stand in the cubicle for approximately five minutes and the rhinitis germ will be destroyed. Another wonderful bit of good news on the health front with this discovery - since this cubicle can easily take on the rhinitis germ, many people that have breathing problems with allergies and asthma complications will find some breakthroughs as well. We will see this cubicle discovery used for healing for those with breathing disorders. The cubicle will become available in 2009 or 2010.”

“I predict hypnotic past-life regression will become available through a group of trained psychologists on both the east and west coasts of the U.S.A. in 2009. It will prove to be quite a success and will be widely practiced by 2011."

She must have learned from her mistakes, this year she allowed more time for her predictions to come true.

Here are some of Denny’s predictions for 2009:
1) Bristol Palin and the father of her baby…Wranger (or is it Levi…I get the jeans mixed up) will separate
2) Oprah will lose weight…and gain weight…and lose weight.
3) RuPaul’s Drag race on Logo will be a huge hit. (It premieres Feb 2)
4) The Hills will be cancelled…PLEASE!!
5) Britney Spears will be married and have another kid.
6) Anderson Cooper will come out of the closet.
7) Sandra Bernhardt will get her own TV show again.(She should!)
8) Paula Abdul will embarrass herself on American Idol.
9) Obama will begin to pull us out of the recession.
10) Denny will get a book deal ☺