CThru.com Presents Tony Ward

Marketing Widgets-Michael Jackson Movie Release

…..Ed Simmons for a long time now has been the point man for Tony Ward Studio when shooting in Los Angeles. Assistant to TW on the set in LA, accomplished photographer in his own right and blogger, writes about the pending opening of LA LIVE and Michael Jackson’s last rehearsal tapes. Photographs of Ed courtesy, Stephanievovas.com ……..

Ed Simmons Lights Up

There has never been anything like this. The only thing I can think of that come’s close is six big screens, at the Sidewalk Cafe in Venice, all tuned together, to the Andy Griffith Show. It’s a coin toss as to which has more social content. Wait a minute, its not even close; Andy Griffith gets it hands down.?p?
Well, there is still hope for the world. I saw a Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer Truck out making deliveries. There are still clubs like the Troubadour. These theaters, at LA LIVE will open in a big way. When have you heard of a movie theater complex with a grand opening covered by World Media? People are flying in from over seas, standing in line for days, to buy movie tickets. Has to be a first!

I am, and always will be, a fan of talent. As I see it, (doubtful that I will), the movie “THIS IS IT”, is about a whole lotta nothing. Videotapes of rehearsals for a concert tour, that never was. As the foundation for a documentary, about a successful Michael Jackson tour with such a demanding schedule is an important part to laying down the story. But there is no story here. This is about wringing out one more pound of flesh.

I had spent no time at LA LIVE prior to going to work in construction at the theaters. It had always been no mans land around there. Any media coverage of the area, up until now, had always been of civil unrest issues or a Laker championship victory celebration. Lot’s of coworkers in construction parked down there, while working on the towers of LA back in the eighties.

I went down looking for work once a couple years back, after returning to Los Angeles from Philly. I ran into my old boss, Jose, from the Cathedral project in Central Los Angeles. He couldn’t put me on; he had just thinned out his crew. After wrapping up work on the theaters, I thought I’d spend a little time around lunch, to see what kind of traffic moved through.

This is a sports and entertainment complex on a grand scale. Dozens of eateries line the open courtyards. I guess they got a no competition clause in their lease. The only coffee to be had is Starbucks. I was getting a little sugar and cream in my coffee during my break, when this sweet young thing came up beside me, to fix her tea. I gave her a little more room, excused my self for spreading out so much at the small counter. I’m at about that age, when young women, see me as someone sweet, fatherly, somewhat harmless. I really have fun with it.
I don’t kid myself, I’m still breathing! She said I was fine, I thanked her; I told her she was fine as well!!!

There are a lot of condominiums surrounding this complex. Not enough people making real money though to fill them up. I thought I’d find lots of people out and about at lunch, after all, about 72 degrees, clear, crisp, autumn air, any other city, this would have drawn them out for sure. I’ve heard this place has been coined the “Times Square of the Left Coast.”

I don’t think I counted more than twenty people at any given time, moving through the courtyards. That must be all wishful thinking. Maybe when the Ritz Carlton wraps up construction, all the pieces will be in place. Now here’s a crazy thought; how about an Organic Pharmacy Super Store, complete with an Old School Soda Fountain, that would sure draw some people in?

Seriously, the problem here is there is no money! More people need good jobs for something on this scale to work and trickle down doesn’t work anymore. It was only a couple of days after Michael Jackson died that work began when promoters developed their new widget. Across the news, word of rehearsal video surfaced. Suddenly, a movie that would be ready for a late October release became the latest MJ headline.

Some big deals had to be cut, timing was paramount. These folks were in court before the poor man was even in the ground! The date for the movie release wasn’t just pulled out of a hat. I worked in construction on the theaters at LA LIVE in the beginning of September. In a little more than a week on the job, I had it all figured out. There is nothing personal in business. I guess this is what makes it all OK. At the end of September it was announced, the Michael Jackson movie, a compilation of rehearsal videos that was posthumously titled, “THIS IS IT” would premiere in all fourteen new theaters, being built at LA LIVE. It is clear to me that the promoters were all over this financial opportunity. The spin was well crafted.

The public was told the rehearsals were video taped. How the world lost a tremendous talent and that the comeback of Michael Jackson would have been triumphant. We all now would have the chance to see the concert that was never to be.

Ed Blogs Yeeha.Org/Art

Street Musician, Philadelphia, 1994

……Every time I think about the life and work of Harvey Finkle, he reminds me of the good fortune he has had in his life. A beautiful life partner, close knit family and a passion for something that each day brings him great joy. That passion, to our benefit are his photographs. Following a long tradition of documentary photography, Harvey Finkle is the Mother Theresa of passionate photography. He began to excel at his lifes work in his early years, receiving a Social Work degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1961. From there, his education lead him to picture making which helped him define his social causes.

On Thursday, October 15th, 2009 The Constitution Center of Philadelphia will recognize his legacy. A press release has just arrived at the studio from Bread & Roses Community Fund of Philadelphia. Tickets are available at the door. You don’t want to miss this event!

Tent City, Philadelphia 1995

Tribute

The Bread & Roses Community Fund will be honoring social documentarian, Harvey Finkle, at its annual event on 10-15-09 at the National Constitution Center. Harvey is a still photographer, whose interests are social, political and cultural. His career has centered on photographing marginalized and disenfranchised people, including low income and homeless families, refugees and immigrants, the disabled and the Deaf, as well as groups working for economic justice, peace and human rights. The tribute will exhibit 75 photos reflecting the groups and people that he has photographed. His work can be seen on his website, harveyfinkle.com

www.HarveyFinkle.com

……I’m sure everyone has heard by now, a legend of Photography, Irving Penn passed away yesterday peacefully in his home in New York at the age of 92. Another legend of photographic history is gone and hundred’s of thousands of Penn fans around the world will reflect on his life’s work and how it impacted the developing visions of those that aspired to be as great as he was. I tried to find a picture in the files that represented his influence on my photography. An image came to mind that I produced in 1993, simply entitled “Hailey”.

That picture represents what I felt most about Penn’s approach to picture making. The image must possess three intangibles; taste, class and style. Only Penn’s lighting could be taught if you had the patience to truly observe what light does for a picture. He possessed the intangibles in spades and that is what I loved most about his work. It was just a few months ago that yours truly was invited to participate in a group show at Galerie Hiltawsky in Berlin to pay homage to the legendary gatekeeper of fashion at Vogue. He will be sorely missed. It’s good for the world that he left all those great pictures…….

Issac Mizrahi

…Isaac Mizrahi started to make his own clothes in the late 80’s and began to show his wears at trunk shows at the famed Bergdorf Goodman department store in New York City. The native new yorker born in Brooklyn, exploded on to the international fashion scene in the mid-nineties when fashion house Chanel bought a stake in his company.

When I met him to take this candid portrait, he was on a roll, as he was making a personal appearance at Neiman Marcus. Enormously creative, Isaac embarked on a number of different projects since, including a successful run when he designed a collection for Target beginning in 2002 to 2008, making his name commonplace in the American fashion culture. It will be exciting to see what Mr. Mizrahi produces next for Liz Claiborne where he is currently creating……

Vibe Founder Quincy Jones

…..In 1993 music mogul Quincy Jones launched the magazine VIBE with great fanfare in New York City. Q realized the importance of Hip- Hop music in the American cultural landscape and created a magazine that soon after it’s initial launch, became it’s predominant voice. Quincy attracted an emoromously creative publication team that included, Diddo Ramm, George Pitts, Alan Light, Kevin Stewart and Mimi Valdez, all of whom your’s truly had the pleasure of working with during those early days. This core group of creative’s attracted legions of photographers from around the country who clamored to be published on the pages of the new avant garde publication.

In June of this year, VIBE ceased publishing, one of the fatalities of weak advertising sales, a declining readership and a recessionary economy. The closing stirred memories of a fun period of producing images for the esteemed publication.

Keith Murray

My first assignment was to photograph Keith Murray, a rapper widely considered to be one of the greatest MC’s of all time. Murray had just released his first album, The Most Beautifullest Thing In This World on Jive Records. I loved the title track and was thrilled that I was headed to New York to photograph the young rap prodigy.

Thandie Newton

Several more assignments came in to the studio during VIBE’s glory days. My favorite was this shoot with Thandie Newton, the English born bombshell that starred in numerous films including Jonathan Demme’s Beloved and the female lead Nyah Hall in the film Mission Impossible Two. There is no greater creative exhilaration than directing a movie star for a still shoot.

Vibe Fashion

Quincy has vowed recently to keep VIBE alive on the internet. The studio will be checking…..

IMAGES FOR VIBE

Guest Blogger Mikel Elam added; “I met Quincy Jones in 1989 in California. Quincy and Miles were good friends. Miles asked me to go to Quincy”s house in Bel Air to deliver a painting by Miles to him. Q purchased the painting directly from Miles for his home. I recall the painting was very large and we had some difficulty getting it into one of Mile’s cars, an SUV. Part of the painting stuck out of the back of the vehicle.

Quincy was very nice. I met him again in New York at Miles apartment and a third time in Montreux, Switzerland for the annual jazz festival in 1991. This was a special occasion because Miles played with the Gil Evans Jr. Orchestra. As you know, Gill Evans Sr. was a close friend of Miles and collaborator on many albums, among them “Sketches of Spain”, a masterpiece.”

The Death Of Miles

…..After the death of his friend Miles Davis, guest blogger Mikel Elam returned to Philadelphia to continue on with his painting. It was around that time that I was introduced to Mikel by a mutual friend. I was interested in meeting anyone that knew anything about Miles. So when my friend told me that Miles former assistant was back in town, I immediately wanted to meet him. In many way’s I idolized the jazz legend. I was introduced to his music at a very early age. Jazz music was a focal point of life growing in the Ward household.

My father, Milton Ward adored Miles Davis and so did many of his peers. His groundbreaking album “Kind of Blue”, became an auditory mantra in our home, as well as the many collaborations that Miles produced with other noted performer’s including Gil Evans. Mikel Elam became an encyclopedia of information about Miles, intimate knowledge that any fan would love to learn about. Mikel and I have shared many evening’s reflecting about the life and time’s of the man that was ” Miles Ahead” and here for the first time at Tony Ward Studio, in his own word’s talks about the legends last days….

Solo Works By Mikel Elam

“Near the end of his life Miles commissioned me to create five new painting’s for his Central Park Apartment. One of the last thing’s he said to me in the hospital before his death was, how much he appreciated my artwork and growth as a person. Miles will never know how inspirational he was to me.

There are two things which we can be certain. After birth there will be death. Yet when it happens we are always shocked. It seems like Miles worked almost to the last day of his life, excluding the three weeks in a coma before his passing. The last show was at The Hollywood Bowl. There were the usual legions of celebrities waiting to get a glance, or a few words with the great maestro. I saw Marlon Brando standing outside the entrance of our dressing room. It was a beautiful night.

After the show, Miles rode back to his Malibu home without me. He told me to order some art supplies as he was taking a few week’s off to paint. “Have them delivered”, he said in his raspy voice.

I now lived in Los Angeles full time and Miles was happy I had created a new life for myself out there. He encouraged the move even though he often quoted he was a die hard New Yorker. I began to get concerned when I did not hear from him for several day’s as we usually spoke by phone daily sometimes just to bounce some thought’s around. I called but there was no answer.

One of our mutual friends, Marie Christine called to tell me he was in the hospital. I called him at St. John’s and Miles told me he was only going to be there for one to two day’s, just to check his lung’s. He was prone to pneumonia and was diabetic, so extra precaution’s were taken by hospital staff. He asked me to bring him some friend chicken from a place near where I lived in Hollywood.

I arrived at the hospital and found him sitting in a chair in his room. He was very happy to see me. He was watching television. We talked about everything. He was full of compliment’s for me. I was surprised, as he was always supportive, yet in a less sentimental way. This time it was different, like a father talking to his son.

The next day Miles went into a coma brought on by a stroke. He laid in his hospital bed for about three week’s with his family and closest friend’s around, all hoping he would pull through.

Family had to investigate so many issues. Miles was very close to his brother Vernon and his sister Dorothy. Unfortunately they didn’t have a clue about how to handle his affair’s. I tried to help them with what I knew, yet I only had a small knowledge of his vast empire.

I didn’t expect him to die. Miles was incredibly resilient even though I realized he had a great number of maladies. Somehow he always managed to keep moving, like a phoenix rising out of the ashes.

Many of his friend’s in the inner circle were in a state of shock. Some said thing’s like, “I just talked to him yesterday, he sounded great”. There was a fall tour planned. We all thought we would continue on that splendid journey that everyone knew so well. Now the journey is in my head, even though it has been eighteen year’s since his passing. I still think about Europe in the fall, Japan in the summer, South America in winter and North America in between.”

www.MikelElam.com