CThru.com Presents Tony Ward

Artwork Courtesy TKP Creative Group

……The posthumous documentary “This Is It” debut at the movie theaters in the past week raked in over $100,000, 000.00 in revenue. To bad that Michael Jackson is no longer with us to witness yet another one of his creative and financial achievements. We asked guest blogger, Racquel Ward to write about her impressions of the film. Art work for this post courtesy of TKP Creative Group. To learn more about TKP log on to www.tkpcreativegroup.com.

MJ By Artist Rah Crawford

Racquel Ward; “In light of his death, which was illuminated around the world, it was no surprise to me when I first heard of a Michael Jackson movie that was to be released in theaters everywhere, especially since I’ve studied culture and media at the New School University in New York. It is “my job” as a trend conscious viewer of pop culture events to predict social cultural clichés.

The movie title “This Is It” both subtly and overtly hinted at the sudden end of MJ’s existence on Earth, suggested that the movie would present that “one last moment” we all wanted to see. I was once again disheartened by the commodification of a tragedy in our media driven, sensationalist society. However, the MJ fan in me was extremely excited to see him on the big screen again, AND in concert, which I had been too young to do when he was actively performing while he was alive.

While pondering whether or not to see the movie, I quickly remembered that in order to find happiness and solitude in this possible exploitation of a great legend, I must put my criticisms aside and enjoy the silver lining. With that said, ‘This Is It’ was fabulous and satisfying! I got to see what I always knew was there; it was Michael’s spirit, energy and unprecedented talented which was captured beautifully in the documentary style movie.

Seeing Michael interact with his dancers, musicians and creative direction was a once in a lifetime, never expected dream come true. Still, we must ask ‘Is This It?” Will there be another film or album capitalizing off of Michael’s death. Sure, but who cares. Although I still have my doubts about the intention of the film and the borderline creepy social implications its production reflects, I’m glad it was made and will be added to the invaluable access we as a world have into MICHAEL.”

Is Race An Issue?

…..As a follow up to our story about Lexington Steele recently, the studio received a number of email comments in reference to the post. One of them prompted a response. The reader of the blog commented, “I’m sure no one has had occasion to find fault with any of the intriguing photos you post on Facebook, including those that violate the Facebook policy of No Nudity. When my wife and I look at our Facebook pages at home, our daughter is often nearby, I had a bit of trouble explaining to a 5 year old why there was a picture of a dark man with no clothes on. When it comes to full frontal shots, please dial it back a bit.”

We asked guest bloggers, Mikel Elam, Yoko Grosshans and Atomic Bombshell to read the email and offer comments in response…….
Mikel Elam; “The reaction is probably especially reflective of the thoughts of at least 70% of Americans. It’s not my view point on nudity and sex. This is why we are a country full of rapist’s, murderers and depravity. People are repressed because of religion and false ideals about the self. This person would have probably reacted differently if it was a white woman in the nude. He could explain that better to his wife and daughter and justify it in his own mind.

I think it’s the Black genitalia which is threatening in so many ways. He doesn’t want his daughter to see it for several reasons. He is upset because your subject probably scares him. After all his wife could be attracted to him or compare him to Lexington Steele. It could be many reasons.

Actually, his daughter is the one who could view it with the least outward opinion. Children have less prejudices to sexuality, color and alternative lifestyles at a young age.”

I hate to believe that in 2009 the Mandingo Syndrome is still underlying so many issues and because it is so entrenched in our culture, people don’t even understand why they have those selective reactions. A man of color with a large penis is very threatening. He might as well have a gun. It inspires the same kind of fear.”

Yoko Grosshans; “The comment that was expressed to the studio to “dial it back a bit” was not only offensive, but hypocritical. More dubious is the concept that a 5 year old child would even be allowed to be exposed to a site which is known by viewers to contain material that may be deemed inappropriate. I also question why a nude woman is more acceptable and well received than a “big dark man with no clothes on”.

Atomic Bombshell; “He’s obviously offended in some way. Even so, he could have SIMPLY said FYI, you are breaking Facebook rules.”

…….The studio welcomes your participation, suggestions and comments………………..

Reuben Harley

…..The man who brought in huge sales as marketing director for Philadelphia’s Mitchell and Ness Sporting Goods store by introducing throwback jerseys to numerous celebrities including P. Diddy, Alan Iverson and various other stars, will be collaborating with the studio on a series of fashion shoot’s for this blog in the near future. Big Reub as he is referred to by friends, is also busy consulting with leaders in the fashion industry in his search to establish the next big fashion trend. Recently, Reuben met with representatives of Wolford, the Austrian marketer and manufacturer of fine hosiery and lingerie for women at their New York offices to discuss a campaign to increase awareness of the brand in the U.S. market.

He has set aside a $500.00 pair of Zac Posen/Wolford hosiery for the first shoot. We have been looking forward to collaborating with Mr. Harley for some time. The time has arrived……stay tuned……!

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

All The Right Stuff

……Whenever I am traveling to LA to produce new work, I always call my friend Miles Long to see who’s in town that needs a new set of pictures. Miles works almost exclusively in the adult film industry and knows all the key players in Hollywood. He checked around and got back to me with a recommendation to photograph Ashlynn Brooke, a rising star in the adult entertainment business. Miles and I have worked together on various projects over the years, so I trusted his recommendation to set some time aside to work with the promising young talent.

Ashlynn arrived at my suite at the Sunset Marquis in West Hollywood along with her makeup artist, a Mexican born beauty by the name of Rosalinda Macias. I highly recommend the Sunset Marquis. The rooms are large, with a view of an indoor court yard and a pool. The service is excellent and just a stones throw from Sunset Strip. Not a bad place to hang out after the shoot.

Ashlynn was a joy to work with. She had a comfort with her body that made photographing her automatic. Originally from a small town in Oklahoma, Ashlynn adapted quite quickly to her new vocation and lifestyle and has developed a reputation for her ability to take care of business on the set……

The Art Of Caring

…..The first time I saw Jimmy Binns, he was driving around town in a beautiful Jag. His distinguished features and white head of hair against the backdrop of a deep blue perfectly clean auto immediately got my attention. After a while I started seeing Jimmy all over town. It appeared as though we lived in the same neighborhood. The other thing that I noticed, is that the car always appeared to be clean, even in the most inclimant weather. People who know Jimmy are not surprised. Fastidious, organized, a clear mind…..all the signs of a powerful attorney.

One day, I was a block away from the studio having coffee at my favorite breakfast place when Jimmy walked in. Tall, dressed to the nine’s, a commanding presence as he proceeded to sit down just across from me. It was very clear, that Mr. Binn’s was a man who enjoyed the finer thing’s in life, along with the custom made suits, a fertile glimse at the beautiful twentysomething year old who was serving us breakfast. It seemed as though Jimmy and I shared a similar aesthetic for beautiful women. We both new where to have coffee in the morning.

About a year later, a call came in to the studio for me to produce a portrait of Jimmy to accompany an article to be published about his career and philanthropy. Jimmy and I spoke over the phone to get acquainted before the sitting. I was flattered to learn that he was familiar with my work, especially the erotic work of the 90’s. He had a copy of one of my books on his coffee table at home, small world. We set up a date for the shoot shortly after the call and I decided to photograph him at his home, just around the corner from the studio, where I could pick and choose from an array of 4 digit suits. Jimmy was enormously accommodating and a bit of a ham before the camera. He even played himself in one of the Rocky movies, so I knew I was working with a man who knew how to control his visual image.

During the shoot we talked about a wide variety of subjects. The thing that stuck with me the most was his ability to care deeply about causes that he believed in.

I was most taken by his Hero Cop Program, whereby plaques are placed at locations where police officers died in the line of duty. Philadelphia has had its share of mourning the loss of fallen police officers. Four come’s to mind in recent memory. I was touched deeply one morning of the perils of police work when I stopped by a Dunkin Donuts on North Broad Street. The police tape was just taken down and the makeshift memorial was burgeoning with flowers and personal notes. I thought of Jimmy Binns immediately……

……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……

Tony Ward Interview

S.M. Where does your work start?

T.W. With a good cup of coffee at 7:00 AM with friends at a cafe near the studio. First, I stay current with the news by reading the paper front to back. We cajole about current events and after a while I head back to the studio to ponder who I will photograph or write about next for the daily blog which was launched in August of this year.

S.M. What most inspires you?

T.W. Well, over a 30 year career I’ve been fortunate enough to have been inspired by many things and or event’s in my life. Early in my career, I was inspired by the great documentary photographers that produced pictures for the big glossies. Life and Look are a couple that come to mind that included the photograph’s of legends, W. Eugene Smith and Gordon Parks. When I studied photography in college, especially during my two year enrollment in the Master of Fine Arts program at the Rochester Institute of Technology, I became more interested in commercial, particularly fashion photography and it’s impact on our visual culture. At that time, the late 70’s, I was inspired by the work of Avedon, Newton, Hiro and Bourdon. In the early 80’s, I found inspiration in corporate culture by being employed by one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies, Smithkline Corporation. After a four year stint at Smithkline, I opened a full service photography studio that produced imagery for many fortune 500 companies. The 90’s inspired me to explore the world of erotica, to travel and photograph women, preferably in the nude at various locations in Amsterdam, Hamburg, London, Paris, New York, Miami, Los Angeles and of course Philadelphia, my home. This decade is still being defined.

Interview

S.M. What do you like most about your work?

T.W. The freedom to express myself and most recently to put my thought’s in to words via the blogosphere.

S.M. What are the worst bits of your career so far?

T.W. The worst has been, at times when I was raising my family, I produced many pictures purely out of the motivation to make money, a means to an end. At that point in my career, although I was making a good living, the freedom that I had always sought in my work, particularly the subject matter was lost. I like many folk’s was ruled by the almighty dollar and was seduced by America’s capitalist culture. The best is when I work with a new subject, like a piece of raw clay….alway’s fascinated to see how I can mold it and to see what evolves from the encounter.

TW Interview

S.M. What are your plans for the future?

T.W. My immediate plans are a full time commitment to the daily blog. There are two new book projects ready to go to press and the development of a new fragrance.

S.M. How do you incorporate the variety of influences in your work?

T.W. The best thing I have found recently is the blog. It allows me to publish a variety of my interests and influences under one communications platform.

S.M. Where are you from, born, living?

T.W. When I am asked this question, which is fairly often, I refer to our current president Barack Obama. I also come from mixed parentage. My father’s root’s were African, although he was born in the south, Savannah, Georgia. He and his mother and younger brother, like many other people of color during that period of American history, migrated north for better opportunity. For a time, they lived in Harlem, then moved to Philadelphia where he met my mother Jean, a white woman of Italian descent. She was born and raised in South Philadelphia. They had three children. I was the last and have been living in Philly ever since. The city of brotherly love.

S.M. What’s your favorite thing right now?

T.W. Publishing the new books, the blog and as always pursuing the next subject!

TONY WARD INTERVIEW