The first days of music videos offered a radical change in the scenery in the popular imagination. The power of the image became rather obvious and relative unknowns in the music industry began to reach superstar status, based on how the film captured their movements. Not anyone could become an icon, but those who had a sense for how their look might translate to video could work wonders.

 

The power of the image is something that every art form revolving around image gets to learn. In this case, the music gave a force to the icon, and these icons usually took the form of young human beings with a lot of makeup and big hair. But it was a group that was interesting to look at, but utterly past help with any makeup and lighting effects, who learned that audiences might find the same fascination by looking at custom wheels than at pop star faces. ZZ Top was never anyone’s first choice for the world’s best hair band, but they have spent time at a top of many lists for talent. Their videos from the 80s still rank among the most memorable, despite any movie star faces for the band members. However, it didn’t hurt that there were three supermodels also in the mix. Jeana Keogh, Kym Herrin, and Daniele Arnaud were an unusually compelling trinity, filling out the videos with a sense of gorgeous mystery.

 

There is still a good deal of mystery around the trinity, and although all of the actors have gone on to extend their careers in film and art, the early videos were the mark of a singular time. The time was marked by an unusual energy in the power of a newly-developing form, one where it was possible to make teenagers as interested in Michelin tires as they were in any new heartthrob. But there is equal mystery around the car itself. The stories of the Eliminator car are fascinating, and echo the same things that revolve around any hot rod. There’s a lot to this vehicle, being made up of composite parts that all have their own histories. The majority of the car, however, is a known element, having been bought from an elderly woman in Tucson, Arizona. Perhaps no one could have suspected it would eventually go on to become a symbol for youthful rebellion in the 80s, with the exception of band member Billy Gibbons, who seemed to have a good idea where this ride was going.

 

 

Marrakech is an exotic land that should really be experienced if you can make the trip and don’t mind the heat. This desert oasis is perfect whether the vacation you seek is one of relaxation, exploration, or excitement and adventure. Depending on how much time one has have they can squeeze all three into their trip. Having a day of off-roading in the desert followed by the rest of the week exploring the city and a spa visit to top it all off before going home sounds like the perfect trip for a variety of tastes.

For the action packed portion of the trip you can explore the desert outside this marvelous city by going on a desert tour on a quad bike or ATV, you can even try traditional Moroccan dishes and drinks in the outlying towns as you get a look at the local culture. These trips and tours often take most of the day so be sure to pack the sun screen. Dunes and Deserts offers both of these as well as camel ridden tours.

After that a day wandering the city and exploring it’s markets, bazaars, and oasis like gardens may not sound as adrenaline packed but it’d be a shame to travel all this way and miss on the beauty and mystique of Marrakech. With all this activity and walking you should definitely investigate one of the spas near any of the many Marrakech hotels you have the option of staying at.

The Cirque du Soleil’s new production Banana Shpeel will open on Broadway next month and is scheduled to play through May 30th of this year at the Beacon Theatre. Previews for this sure to be spectacular production will begin on March 17th. This new production from the well known and almost universally loved and respected company borrows performance styles from vaudeville and combines some of the traditional Cirque du Soleil performance style with elements of hip hop, comedy, tap, slapstick and more. This is certain to be a sell out production and theatre package information is available here and at information centers throughout the city and online.

The Cirque du Soleil is a Canadian company that is based in Montreal, Quebec. The company is self described as being a blend of theatrical circus acts and street performance. It was originally founded in Baie-Saint-Paul in 1984 by Daniel Gauthier and Guy Laliberte, who themselves had been street performers. The company has grown and expanded and is now known and loved throughout the world. Each of their shows blends their circus style based performance technique with a unique story line. They also borrow and incorporate circus performance styles from around the world and use them in a particular theme or story.

They are a permanent fixture in Las Vegas and many people visit that gambling center for the sole purpose of seeing a Cirque du Soleil show. They have also won numerous awards and honors. Some of these include two Drama Desk Awards, four Primetime Emmy Awards and a Bambi Award among many others. Some of their standard permanent residency shows include Love, Zed, Mystere and Zumanity among many others. This upcoming New York production will be a succession of hilarious encounters woven into a continuous though wacky storyline.

We start at the New York Center for the Strange, the group of psychics whose annual predictions are collected and distributer for the benefit of the public.  It’s an easy enough organization to remember, but extremely hard to find.  I knocked on every door that had any trace of strange connected to it, and did not meet the psychics, but did meet some very interesting people.  My partner decided to stay in the hotel we booked, the link’s right here, and enjoy all the amenities, because she had a headache and was tired.  I envied her, but she did not meet the people I did.

When I got back to the hotel after my tour of the strange, she asked me some questions about the leather contraptions that I was wearing, there were gifts from my new friends, and then we decided to stay in for the rest of the evening.  I love New York.  Even when the original plan doesn’t work out, you can always find something even better, or sometimes you just find a distraction that keeps you busy until you realize that it’s either just as good, or that the original search no longer matters.  It was important to us, though, to keep trying, so we planned to get in touch with the local Voodoo Master.

Again, his presence was more apparent online that in person, and we thought about enrolling in the course that would teach us secrets that had not been revealed for a couple thousand years.  She felt a little funny about it, so she called her Madrina, a daughter of Oshun, to ask for advice.  Her Madrina knew she would be calling, so had an answer before they even finished with the small talk.  She felt that it was her duty to remind her that we only live for a short time in this world, and to find sweetness where you are.  Obba missed so many blessings when she was pining for Shango, she reminded us.  I don’t remember what we were looking for originally, and it really doesn’t matter right now, at least from where I stand.

The Philadelphia Museum of Art was established in 1876 and today it exists as one of the largest art museums in the country. It was established along with the Centennial Exposition, which occurred the same year and is known locally simply as the art museum. It is one of the city’s major landmarks and is extremely popular not only with residents but tourists who are staying in a hotel Philadelphia. The museum is located in Fairmount Park toward the west end of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.

The prestigious Greek revival building is difficult or impossible to miss for eager tourists wishing to visit this major landmark and city icon. With this acknowledged it can be understood why the building is commonly referred to as the Parthenon of the Parkway. The museum itself was originally established in 1876 though its current colossal building was constructed in 1919. Thomas B. Smith, the mayor at the time laid the first cornerstone of the building during a Masonic ceremony and the first section was completed almost ten years later in 1928. The Greek themed design includes statues of gods and goddesses as well as a collection of griffins, which became a symbol for the museum in the 1970s.

As one of the largest museums in the country, it supports the title with a collection that includes over 225,000 items. The various galleries of the museum include objects from periods and locations spanning 2,000 years. There are over 200 galleries though interestingly there are no exhibits devoted to Roman, Egyptian or Pre-Columbian art. This is due to a partnership that had been established early in the museum’s existence with the University of Pennsylvania. These collections went to the university, which in turn loaned the museum a collection of Chinese Porcelain. The Rodin Museum and other historic sites are included in the possession of this world class institution.