Blog Posts: May 2010
Letters of Note
Shaun Usher opens his blog, appropriately, with a letter:
Welcome.
Letters of Note is to become, hopefully, a blog-based archive of fascinating correspondence. Scans or photos of the originals will feature where possible.
I already have an enormous amount to get through, but your input is always welcome. Get in touch via .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). If you wish to send images, send high quality versions where possible, don’t attempt to compress them to the point of illegibility and don’t crop them to death. If you happen to have an original you wish to post to me using regular mail, let me know via email. If you already know it’s fake, don’t send it.
Unless my fingers crumble away, there will be at least one new post every weekday.
Yours,
Shaun Usher
Some of my favorites (click on the link to read the transcripts):
-For the sake of humanity: Mahatma Gandhi urges Adolf Hitler not to go to war.
-This is the Zodiac speaking: One of the still-unidentified Zodiac killer’s letter’s to the San Francisco Police Department.
-I wrote a book called THE GODFATHER: Author Mario Puzo asks Marlon Brando to play the role of Don Vito Corleone.
Behind the Scenes: Solenn Heussaff
I’ve been “accused” of over singing praises about our cover girls in this blog or “starting a new religion” as one blog puts it. After our second shoot with Solenn Heussaff, I can truly and honestly say I’m guilty as charged. Lock me in jail and throw away the key, because this shoot folks is my favorite ever and the model the most divine creature to ever walk the island of Bellarocca. Let her slap me around and kick me to the ground. I mean, come on, she brings cupcakes to the Rogue office for crying out loud! Solenn can do no wrong.
Okay, back down to earth for a minute.
For 2009’s edition of the Style & Design Issue, we needed a model who could carry the message of bold and austere chic. Someone who could make the strongest with even the most subtle (and minimal clothing) gestures.
It was an easy decision among the editors to put Solenn back on the cover of Rogue. For one, this half-Filipina, half-French gal epitomizes the kind of woman Rogue falls head over heels for. She’s stunning, confident, intelligent, passionate and driven, and down to earth. On the other hand, we felt that this girl had something new to say. When we first featured her, Solenn was off to Europe to begin a new chapter of her life and was out of the country even before our maiden issue was released. Now settled back in Manila and with a flourishing career as both a top model, bourgeoning fashion designer, painter, and skilled make-up artist (not to mention a permanent fixture in Manila’s exciting and eclectic stable of stylistas), we felt the need to document and capture the rising of a new and stronger Solenn.
Rogue lensman Mark Nicdao and our cover girl walk the plank. Sleek speed boats take Bellarocca from the Marinduque shore to the fantastical and pristine island resort.
Solenn, Rogue’s Miguel Lugtu, and make-up artist Jigs Mayuga get “lei-d” and receive a warm welcome.
Spot check. The Rogue staff does a quick ocular of the resort grounds for the perfect locations for the shoot.
It’s all Greek to Me! The breathtaking view from the Presidential Villa at the very top of Bellarocca also known as Elephante Island. It’s really quite the sight, the entire island is dotted with quaint white villas and structures, stark yet blending seamlessly with the lush greens and the tantalizing blues of the sea and sky.
Jigs tends to Solenn’s tresses. We could’ve already started shooting her right then and there!
Solenn explores the grounds of the Presidential Villa.
Jigs oils up our model and we’re ready for our cover shot. That mailot by Charina Sarte almost stole the show!
We absolutely loved the sharp angles, robust design, and architectural details of this particular villa. A pleasant “modern” take on the Santorini inspired property.
We’re reaching the tail end of a long sweltering hot day but Solenn’s still in high spirits.
Jigs administers an impromptu baptism.
Keeping Solenn afloat. There are worse jobs.
Working with Miss Heussaff, whether behind the scenes as our make-up artist or as our glorious live mannequin never ever seems like work. She gets what Rogue is about and believes in the vision and goals of the magazine as much as we do, which is why she is often referred to as our “muse” among the editorial staff.
So yes, right now, I’m a little bit obsessed with this woman. Anyone else want to join me in this new Solenn-centric religion?
So it is my most absolute pleasure to have Solenn back on our cover for our September 2009 issue and to share our sun-drenched (her name means the “sun” in Brittany) , mesmerizing pictorial of her with you, our devoted readers.
Grab a copy of Rogue’s 2009 Style & Design Issue for more on Solenn and the rest of our style soaked content.
Mad Men Footnotes
It took me a few episodes to get into Mad Men, but towards the second half of the first season, I was hooked.
There are thousands of fan sites, but this is by far the coolest: The Footnotes of Mad Men
It is what the title suggests, a great resource into the world of the hit television show. If you’re not watching the show, then the site is just a bunch of dated discussions on advertising and vintage 1960’s imagery which you probably could care less about. But if you’re a fan and up-to-date (currently in it’s third season), then light up a Lucky Strike, help yourself to glass of Stoli and read on.
If you’re still not convinced to start watching the show, here are some other great reads to entice you:
-Bruce Handy on Mad Men (via Vanity Fair)
-Mad Men: Pitch Perfect (via Design Observer)
In Memory of Alexis Tioseco
Our Editor in Chief, Jose Mari Ugarte reacts to the tragic news of a Rogue contributor, Alexis Tioseco:
Some incredibly shocking news hit me in the face like a bucket of burning acid this morning: We lost one of our most valuable contributors, a film critic by the name of Alexis Tioseco, and his girlfriend Nika, who he loved deeply and expressed that love in a letter he wrote to her, which we had published in the July 2008 issue of Rogue as an article called “The Letter I Would Love to Read to You in Person.”
Alexis was bar-none the country’s most knowledgeable film critic, managing the popular Website Criticine and called upon regularly to appear in television talk shows. He loved the Philippines deeply and genuinely believed in the talents of our filmmakers, aggressively promoting them in any venue he could find. When it came to cinema, it was his voice everyone listened to.
I met Alexis back in early 2007. My partners and I were still putting together the origial prototype of Rogue, then known as Manifesto, and Alexis was the first person I called to write about film. I had been a fan of his Website and his writing, and was determined to seek him out, meet him face-to-face, and convince him to write for Rogue. I still remember the day I met him, at the Old Spaghetti House inside Robinson’s on Pioneer Street, and I remember being impressed not only by his deep knowledge and understanding of cinema, particularly Asian cinema, but also by his manner: soft-spoken, gentle, kind, humorous, and extremely passionate about film.
These are words you’d expect to hear in any eulogy but in this case they never rang truer—and the legions of friends that Alexis had accumulated over the years will attest to that. I hardly knew him better than most of his close friends, but from the short time that I got to spend with him, I knew I was getting to know a real friend. I’m only sorry we never got to extend that friendship. I’ll miss you, Alexis. And so will your country.
- Jose Mari Ugarte
