PUMA G1FT-BOT-2007 mockup

Also, need some new tracks? Go to Puma Holiday, click on PUMA G1FT-BOT's boombox and grab some music via RCRD LBL's Puma Widget. Party people will grab D.A.N.C.E. from Justice and Mos Def, and my recent rock 'n' roll fav, Cold War Kids.

Happy Weekend!

Puma G1FT-BOT ads just hit!

LNW/Andrew Zuckerman hired me to work on the creation of the PUMA G1FT-BOT-2007. I only did the initial sketches for the design and about 20+ concept mock-ups before it went to a digital artist who did the final version.

Looking at many robot images, our goal was to have the 'bot be humanistic in its expressions, without being too "tech" looking or overly sexy. My early Puma G1FT-BOT concept sketches were pretty whimsical and mid-century modern, but we had some issues and interesting conversation over the political direction of how robots interact with humans in a lifestyle setting.

Old-timey story-timey!

Chris marvelously acts out voices from a script, which John's recording on to ye ol' computer, to use in an upcoming animation project.

Boy Designer

Incredibly accomplished and super-talented designer/art director Chad Beckerman dropped by this morning. Impeccably dressed, with charming tie and conversation, and a check and contract in hand. Dare I say that this morning is starting out beautifully?

Anyway, we worked together this past summer on the cover and title page art for Something to Blog About!

Something to Blog About by Shana Norris

Boys, bullies, and blogs come together in a book that brings the popular online diary format to print.

For fans of Lauren Myracle's ttyl, ttfn, and l8r, g8r, this fun, fast-paced book introduces an unforgettable and relatable heroine and features chapter openers designed to look like the pages of an online blog. An innovative debut, Something to Blog About is filled with the memorable missteps and heartfelt emotions of growing up.

Libby Fawcett decides to start a secret blog so that she can have an outlet to vent her feelings and frustrations. When Seth Jacobs (her crush since eighth grade) witnesses her tragic (and comic) run-in with a Bunsen burner in chemistry class, or when she finds out that her mother is dating the father of her arch-nemesis, Angel Rivera, she's able to keep a level head and make it through school each day with each blog posting. But when her entries get posted all over for the whole world to see, will Libby be able to walk the halls--or face Seth--ever again?

Coming Spring 2008 from Amulet Books.

A Very Long Engagement (2004)

Jean-Pierre Jeunet is a miracle worker, a filmmaker whose soaring visuals and passionate intensity are artfully blended in this stunning film of Sebastian Japrisot's World War I-era novel. Jeunet reunites with his Amelie star, Audrey Tautou, in a film as harsh as Amelie was ethereal. Tautou, an actress of magical gifts, is deeply affecting as Mathilde, a Frenchwoman who refuses to believe her sweet, slender fiancee, Manech (Gaspard Ulliel), is one of five soldiers killed in the trenches after being convicted of self-mutilation to avoid duty. She spends the war trying to track him down. It's unfair to reduce a dense plot, loaded with characters and incidents, to a quick summation, but the film is best met head-on. Just sit back and behold as Jeunet the visionary and Tautou the force of nature take you to hell and back with this epic love story. It's an emotional powerhouse.

--Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

How amazing this beautiful film is... so perfect in its execution of weaving a gorgeously complex set of actions with narrative under such brilliantly charming and despicable characters! I love movies that leave you with a sense of wonderment and light, in spite of the harshness of life. Oh, Jean-Pierre Jeunet! Le sigh!

Watching it, I was reminded of two of my favorite places, The Imperial War Museum in London and Vosges here in SoHo. And other things, romantic notions, that are impossible to link to...

London's Calling!

On Monday, I turned in a 13-frame sequence and the director emailed back asking for two additional frames. Had to be quick because he was in Dublin about to fly back to NYC to bring this storyboard to production on Tuesday. Battling a nasty cold and lack of sleep, I don't think I even pencilled this first... we just do the job, we do the job.

----------------
Now playing: The Clash - The Magnificent Seven
via FoxyTunes

Ring! Ring! It's 7:00 A.M.!
Move y'self to go again
Cold water in the face
Brings you back to this awful place
Knuckle merchants and you bankers, too
Must get up an' learn those rules
Weather man and the crazy chief
One says sun and one says sleet
A.M., the F.M. the P.M. too
Churning out that boogaloo
Gets you up and gets you out
But how long can you keep it up?
Gimme Honda, Gimme Sony
So cheap and real phony
Hong Kong dollars and Indian cents
English pounds and Eskimo pence

You lot! What?
Don't stop! Give it all you got!
You lot! What?
Don't stop! Yeah!

The Misfits (1961)

Perce Howland (Montgomery Clift)
8 x 5 sketch, watercolor on moleskine watercolor paper

"With John Huston directing a cast of Hollywood icons, including Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe, in a haunting screenplay by Arthur Miller, THE MISFITS was one of the most anticipated films of 1961. But difficult shooting locations, an unruly director, a crumbling marriage, an aging leading man, and an unstable leading lady made the behind-the-scenes story of the film's production anything but ideal."

From PBS' Great Performances: The Making of THE MISFITS

Roslyn Taber (Marilyn Monroe)
5.5 x 5 sketch, grey marker and watercolor on sketchpaper

To say that I am obsessed with this movie is putting it mildly. Ever since I saw the Magnum Photos, learned the history of the film alongside the tragic players, well, it's beauty and sadness has just grabbed my heart and hasn't let go.

Secret Identity

Secret Identity: Asian Americans in Comics, originally uploaded by nyaafilmfest.

My alter ego has been compromised! It's true, despite all my recent posts of film and fashion sketches, I am at heart a comic book illustrator.

It's been almost a year since BREAKING UP was released, and I've only done a couple short comics-type things since then, but I do have quite a few things lined up for 2008. Unfortunately, I cannot release any specific information on these projects yet, but what I have on deck: two interesting anthology shorts, a one-shot super-hero thing, and a big surprise. Of my own. Of which I am writing as well as illustrating.

In the meantime, I will post as ever, my "matinee" sketches, random doodling, and the growing pile of mugshots of me. Including these from the 30th Anniversary Asian American Film Festival: SECRET IDENTITIES, comic book panel moderated by the charming Greg Pak, where we discussed the Asian American impact in comics and film.

(L-R) Jeff Yang, Pornsak Pichetshote, Christine Norrie, Larry Hama, Jennifer Lee, and Greg Pak

Illustrious co-panelists.

Talking about seven years as a comics professional!

Jenny turns a blind eye as I contemplate biting Elim Mak's noggin.

The Librarian Inside

Okay, I'm not a librarian, but I do love the books. This is a portion of a 13-foot long shelving system that I sketched out on paper and had installed onto my living room wall. It's done from lovely brackets I purchased from Anthropologie and three very long pieces of oak that I also stained. My inspiration came from the Beatles film Help!, specifically John Lennon's sunken bed w/ the four walls of book shelves. Oh, what a man, what vision. SIGH.

Anyway, because of my recent addiction to that damnable Facebook, I've gotten acquainted with the app Goodreads. So cute, but I absolutely despise how error-ridden it is. I swear, I added nearly half my book collection, thoughts, ratings, and guess what? It only showed ONE book in my "good reads". I'll figure it out one day... but for those who care, here I am:

Paper Moon (1973)

Addie Loggins (Tatum O'Neal)
sketch, sumi brushpen and grey marker

The year is 1936. Orphaned Addie Loggins (Tatum O'Neal, in her film debut) is left in the care of unethical travelling Bible salesman Moses Pray (Ryan O'Neal, Tatum's dad), who may or may not be her father. En route to Addie's relatives, Moses learns that the 9-year-old is quite a handful: she smokes, cusses, and is almost as devious and manipulative as he is.

--From the NY Times Movies Overview, which includes more film info and a link to a 1973 poor review.

Addie Loggins (Tatum O'Neal) and Moses Pray (Ryan O'Neal)
sketch, sumi brushpen and grey marker

This might be one of the nicest, most perfect movies I've seen in a long time. It came as a recommendation from a friend and by the title and somber pictures I'd seen of it before, I expected my Sunday night to require a box of kleenex to sop up a great heartache. I was told to not worry, that it's a comedy and that I'd love it.

And, it does start out in a sorrowful way, a very young girl attending the lonely funeral of her mother. But, something about the leading man picking his way across the cemetery, stooping to swipe some flowers off another headstone, then standing stiffly at the grave site... was just peculiarly funny. The road didn't end there, it continues on and on with amazing laughs and hilarity at the situations the two oddball characters find themselves in. Often with even odder folk.

Trixie Delight (Madeline Khan), pencil and sumi brushpen sketch
Addie Loggins (Tatum O'Neal) sumi brushpen and grey marker sketch

Moses: I got scruples too, you know. You know what that is? Scruples?

Addie Loggins: No, I don't know what it is, but if you got 'em, it's a sure bet they belong to somebody else!

Addie Loggins (Tatum O'Neal) sumi brushpen and grey marker sketch

But, my friend lied to me. I did cry... there are moments where you feel so much for Addie. So capable, but still a little girl. So, I maybe ended up using only a quarter box of kleenex...

fashion mockup

This week I was a busy fashion designer for FETISH on their Spring 2008 line. It was rather exciting working high above the hustle-bustle of 34th street in a space full of glass, flowers, and fabric. Equally interesting was being dropped into the office environment. Sweet receptionist, back-stabbing designers, flirty IT guys, and of course, the office ho. I listened to gossip while getting coffee in the kitchenette, I goofed off on Facebook, I went to a benefit party on Wednesday.

The job has ended and I'm happy back at Office 54. All in all, I learned a lot of new skills, but it's nice to come in and see my own mates and chat about 50s music, ODB, Joey Ramone, slow-paced films, and uninformed comics illustrators who drop the prices of their pages and lower the overall value of the market rates... and other such things.

THE ADRIENNE SHELLY FOUNDATION

The Adrienne Shelly Foundation supports the artistic achievements of female actors, writers and directors through a series of scholarships and grants, providing recipients with financial support and consultative access to the Foundation's advisory board of actors, directors, producers, composers, law, publicity, academic and trade professionals. Reflecting Adrienne's spirit, generosity, courage and whimsy, our goal is to recognize the tremendous passion and commitment of women artists in creating their own work, and provide them with support and guidance particularly during periods of transition and struggle.

http://www.adrienneshellyfoundation.org

THE ADRIENNE SHELLY FOUNDATION INAUGURAL FUNDRAISING GALA

Monday, November 12, 2007

Special Live Performance by Alanis Morissette
& Staged Reading of The Morgan Stories
Screenplay by Adrienne Shelly

Directed by Fisher Stevens
with:

Nathan Dean
Matt Dillon
Edie Falco
Gina Gershon
Jake Hoffman
Anne Meara
Alanis Morissette
Mary-Louise Parker
Ally Sheedy
Leelee Sobieski
Maria Tucci

(more names to be announced...)

Skirball Center for the Performing Arts
566 La Guardia Place
(at Washington Square South)
Manhattan

Doors Open at 6pm | Show Starts at 6:30pm

VIP Reception at 9:30pm
Bella's (at Bar Martignetti)
406 Broome Street
(btwn Lafayette and Center Streets)

Sponsors:
Bella’s @ Bar Martignetti • Belvedere Vodka • Blow Styling Salon •
Don Buchwald & Associates,Inc. • Delta Airlines • The Empire Hotel •
Fox Rothschild, LLP • Gaffel Kolsch

Festive | Cocktail Attire



FOUNDATION AWARDS
As part of the Adrienne Shelly Foundation’s mission to aid in the advancement of talented women filmmakers, we have committed funds to the establishment of the following:

American Film Institute's Directing Workshop for Women
The Adrienne Shelly Foundation Production Grant will be given each Spring to a participant at the Los Angeles-based AFI's Directing Workshop for Women. The foundation will also underwrite the Adrienne Shelly Master Class in Directing as part of this prestigious program.

Columbia University School of the Arts Film Division
The Adrienne Shelly Award for Best Female Director will be granted each Spring to a promising filmmaker.

IFP
The Adrienne Shelly Director’s Grant will be awarded to a promising filmmaker annually, beginning summer/fall 2007.

Nantucket Film Festival
The Adrienne Shelley Excellence in Filmmaking Award will be presented at the Festival each Spring to a female writer/director who shows outstanding achievement in the art of filmmaking.

New York Women in Film & Television
The Adrienne Shelly Foundation Finishing Funds Grant will be awarded each Spring to a promising filmmaker.

New York University Tisch School of the Arts,
Maurice Kanbar Institute of Film and Television
The Adrienne Shelly Foundation Scholarship will be awarded annually to an incoming sophomore student, beginning with the fall semester of 2007.

The Sundance Institute
The Adrienne Shelly Foundation Women Filmmakers Grant will be awarded each July to a filmmaker coming out of the Feature Film Program's June Director's Lab.

Immodesty Blaize

Immodesty Blaize, originally uploaded by christinenorrie.

My sister's hired me for some freelance work... I was given some pretty great photos to work with and painted up this sketch Saturday night.

Chinatown (1974)

For those who have not seen this incredible film, I leave you with a synopsis from Channel 4:

In 1930s Los Angeles, cop-turned-private eye JJ Gittes (Nicholson) makes a living from sleazy divorce cases, and is called upon to investigate the private life of Hollis Mulwray, the head of the Department of Water and Power. It seems like straightforward adultery - but Gittes is in way over his head before he's even started.

Mulwray is murdered. After Gittes encounters Mulwray's beautiful wife Evelyn (Faye Dunaway) and her domineering father Noah Cross (John Huston), he thinks he knows what's going on - except with each new piece of 'evidence' his theories are disproved. In Polanski's L.A, nothing is what it seems, everyone lies, and corruption infects every aspect of public and private life.