Tell Them Anything You Want, the brilliant short documentary on Maurice Sendak filmed by Spike Jonze and Lance Bangs during the making of Jonze’s adaptation of Where the Wild Things Are, will be playing theatrically one night only at New York’s IFC Center. This exclusive screening also concludes with a special Q&A session with directors Spike Jonze and Lance Bangs.
And Speaking of Spike, here’s a clever and surprisingly fitting video mash of James Gandolfini’s iconic Tony Soprano voicing Carol from Jonze’s adaptation of Where the Wild Things Are.
I’m sure most will be enjoying eggnog and holiday parties galore this weekend thus the lack of art openings and events to speak of. Thankfully we have singing ladies, cool clothing and big blue aliens to keep us busy.
Take My TreasuresSaturday, December 19th, 4-7pmSpace 15 Twenty
1520 N. Cahuenga Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90028
Homie PM Tenore’sRVCA clothing company doesn’t just make awesome clothes, they’re steadfast supporters of the arts (Artist Network Program), publishers of ANP Quarterly and now provider of fashion to Angelinos with the opening of their Fairfax based store. Grandly opening this Sunday, RVCA’s new location adds to their flagship Haight & Ashbury store in San Francisco. (thanks to the omnipresent Meghan Edwards for the reminder!)
Oh yeah, and there’s this small 3D film by littleJimmy Cameron coming out too…
Dancing, fighting, opening, auctioning, speaking, signing, arting. Many a great things happening this weekend, but for me and my Friday the 13th birthday weekend, the best present I can receive would be an exciting Manny Pacquiao victory. Hope you have a fun filled Filipino weekend!
The weekend begins with a Friday the 13th full of Wonder as New York’s DJ Spinna and Bobbito bring their traveling Stevie Wonder tribute to Hollywood with Wonder-Full LA4 at The Vanguard.
Wonder-Full LA4
Friday, November 13th, 10pm
The Vanguard
6021 Hollywood Blvd Hollywood, CA 90028
tix are $20 at the door
Giant Robot boldly follows Deth P. Sun’s lead as his melancholy cat-like characters come to LA in his new solo show Please Be Brave at GR2 on Sawtelle.
Deth P. SunPlease Be Brave
Opening reception: Saturday, November 14th, 6:30-10pm GR2
2062 Sawtelle Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90025
Show runs from November 14 through December 2, 2009
Juxtapoz celebrates their 15th year of existence by throwing The Big Payback, a group art show and charity auction held in conjunction with Upper Playground and Power House Project of Detroit at the Factory Place Arts Complex in downtown LA. Proceeds from the auction will support the goal of purchasing five homes and employing local Detroit contractors, electricians, plumbers, and carpenters to perform the renovations. See the pieces by some of the urban art world’s best being auctioned off on Juxtapoz.com and bid on them at Charitybuzz.com.
The Big PaybackJuxtapoz 15th Anniversary Art Auction
Opening reception: Saturday, November 14th, 7-10pm
Factory Place Arts Complex
1330 Factory Place Bldg A., Los Angeles, CA 90013
Online auction continues through November 20, 2009
The main event of the weekend for fight fans and Filipinos everywhere: Manny Pacquiao fights Miguel Cotto for the Welterweight championship and a record setting seventh title. Nike Sportswear graciously hosts the fight at the Montalbán Theater in Hollywood. RSVP required.
Spend Sunday with Family, the extraordinarily eclectic bookstore on Fairfax that is, as they host a very special speaking and signing engagement with Spike Jonze to celebrate the release of Heads On & We Shoot a “unique collaboration behind Where the Wild Things Are-the combined work of Maurice Sendak, Spike Jonze, Dave Eggers, and all the cast and crew.”
Spike Jonze-book signing and Q&A
Heads On & We Shoot
Sunday, November 15, 5pm
Family
436 N. Fairfax ave. Los Angeles, CA 90036
free!
And finally a weeks worth of free admission to the MOCA and the Geffen Contemporary as they both open their doors to bring their acclaimed collection of postwar art to the community with complimentary admission during the opening week of Collection: MOCA’s First Thirty Years.
The Spike Jonze directed short film We Were Once a Fairytale premieres today following the release of his other film over the weekend (congratulations to the #1 film in the country!) The 11 minute short is an exercise in life imitating art as the story follows a drunken night out with Kanye West being Kanye West: obnoxious and egotistical, sincere and heartfelt, and always misunderstood and misrepresented, for better or worse.
Over the course of the past five years, Spike Jonze has brought together his (un)usual crew of frequent collaborators, friends old and new, and a kid named Sonny in bringing the Wild Things to life. Meet some of them here from VBS.tv’s Art Talk series:
Production designer and Spike’s right hand man, K.K. Barrett (Being John Malkovich, Adaptation, Lost in Translation).
In his designs for “Wild Thing” creatures such as Carol, above, Sonny Gerasimonwicz was told to show personalities rather than copy Maurice Sendak’s style. (via the LA Times)
Music video veteran and one of my editing heroes, film editor Eric Zumbrunnen (Being John Malkovich, Adaptation). Click photo below to view Eric’s segment on VBS.tv.
And finally costume designer Casey Storm (Being John Malkovich, Adaptation, Zodiac). Click photo below to view Casey’s segment on VBS.tv.
Where the Wild Things Are related to more content:
From the Home Box Office cable entertainment channel:
“Filmmakers Lance Bangs and Spike Jonze present an intimate look at the life of noted children’s book writer and illustrator, Maurice Sendak, a seminal talent at times conflicted with his success and whose lifelong obsession with death has subtly influenced his work. Now 81 and living in Connecticut, Sendak is best known for his first (and most famous) book, Where the Wild Things Are, which he wrote after being a book illustrator for over 10 years. Though it was originally panned, Wild Things would eventually become one of the most beloved and critically lauded children’s books of all time and, to Sendak’s chagrin, came to define his career. Through his words, old pictures and illustrations, Tell Them Anything You Want offers a deeply personal look at an otherwise private and somewhat isolated man.”
Where the Wild Things Are have been everywhere, from free iPhone apps to fort contests, shirts to skateboards, from Newsweek to New York. And as the highly anticipated film of Maurice Sendak’s classic book finally premieres this Friday, October the 16th, expect the non-stop coverage to continue including on this here site of chumpchampions.
Now here’s Vice magazine’s contribution to all things Wild: artwork-a-day from 24 different contributing artists inspired by the Wild Things; and their interview with director Spike Jonze as he reveals how Sendak asked him several times to make the film, how the Wild Things are actually “wild emotions”, and how he thinks the purple lights on Virgin airlines are “the most unflattering, ugly, color-draining light” and need to be changed.
Read the complete interview by Vice founder Shane Smith with photos by Terry Richardson by clicking here or on Spike’s smiling face below.
Hey did you hear there’s a movie coming out based on Maurice Sendak’s book Where the Wild Things Are? Yeah, I had no idea either. Luckily The Cinefamily on Fairfax, along with documentarian Lance Bangs, will be bringing us up to date with a tribute to Maurice Sendak featuring “original animated adaptations (on 16mm!) of Where the Wild Things Are and In the Night Kitchen, along with new short films made by Lance Bangs and Spike Jonze while the new live action adaptation of Wild Things was in production.”
“Jonze had been friends with Maurice Sendak for more than five years before he began working on his feature film, and these new short films capture a sometimes melancholy but always wickedly funny Sendak as he reflects on his Depression-era childhood in the Brooklyn shtetl, a joyous day at the World’s Fair, the kidnapping of the Lindbergh baby, his books “In The Night Kitchen” and “Higgledy Piggledy Pop!”, his two beloved Hermans (Melville, and his German shepherd namesake), and a long-buried secret.”
Where the Wild Things Are related to more content:
![[Post to Twitter]](http://chumpchampion.com/wp-content/plugins/tweet-this/icons/tt-twitter.png){kind=icon}
