ARTist's Park Grand Re-Opening

I'm not really an artsy type. Honest. Apart from Ovid, Dante, Milton, Coleridge, Tennyson, and Keats - no, not a law firm from LA - I usually find poetry uninteresting. In fact, my article for the Second Life Herald, Slouching Toward Bethlehem, pretty much sets out my stall. With paintings, I wallow too much in the 19th century with the Romantics and Neoclassicists.

So my recent forays into the world of Second Life visual arts have been an education. I actually bought two amazing photos by Seikatsu Koba and Gina Glimmer, both of whom I met via my working on the staff of SLentrepreneur magazine. At their Visions of Japan exhibition I bought a picture from each of them and added them to my new art wall. On top of the house. I intend to use the roof for more modern art, leaving my precious 19th century stuff downstairs in the main room.

Then last weekend I went to the ARTist's Park Grand Re-Opening in the Mystary sim. Wilder PR did a great write up of the event, made all the more entertaining by the fact I get a mention! Thank you, Annette, you are too kind! And it was there that I realized I am riding the wrong art train. One painting there was on sale for $10,000 linden. That's ten thousand in words. I have to write about 10 articles to get that. I'm sure the artist spent a considerable amount of time on the piece, but I was suffering from sticker shock.

All the more reason for me to continue my one-man stand to make sure that I get paid for writing. My blogs are free, my letters are free, but once you get past 200 words I need lindens. Some blogs and papers in the SL world are happy to print your stuff but see it as an "opportunity" for the writer to get "exposure." That means "we don't pay." Hey, that's OK because I don't write!!

Wilder's Angels

OK, so a journalist is supposed to be nobody's friend and he, or she, should be objective, independent, and incorruptible, standing apart from the world and simply reporting the facts. Well, I guess that's one definition :)

So with my "friend" hat on, I really have to share the latest pic sent to me by the PR queens at Wilder PR. With the core team now consisting of Annette Wilder, Bibe Mayo, and Mahala Bing, I found it real hard not to refer to them as "Wilder's Angels," and this most recent photo (courtesy of Ludwig Prinz) only serves to reinforce that cultural meme.


And for those curious about my objectivity - and I am happy to have a long discussion as to why I think being anyone who claims to be "objective" is, at best, being disingenuous - the only thing I get from my mentioning of Wilder PR are press releases, news tips, and friendship. I'm not on payroll and just think they do good work. OK?

EXXESS and Avenue Models Fashion Show

The Wilder girls have just sent me a pack of sexy pics from the EXXESS fashion show that took place just over a week ago. I thought I'd post them because they are so cool and you can even see me... sort of. In the picture below, the red line points at my little blond head!


Ooooh!


Ahhhh!!


Wow!!


Grrrr!


Awesome!!


Wardrobe malfunction?


And finally, the head of Avenue Models herself, Rusch Raymaker!


Check out the Avenue Models blog for more information on this talented team of Second Life sophisticates, and the Wilder PR site for some more pics.

Slurl for EXXESS: http://slurl.com/secondlife/FOOKERS/177/229/23

EXXESS Designs and Avenue Models: Some Show!

So what's not to like about hot models, hot clothes, and hot music? Layja Vidor had an exciting array of designs on show for the New World Order event that took place yesterday. Rusch Raymaker, owner of Avenue Models, provided the talent for the spectacle, and Zasa Rossini of La Belle Vie furniture designed the runway.

In keeping with the theme of "hot," the runway entrance was a large, fiery Egyptian-styled portal through which the models would appear -a trick that only Second Life can allow for without inflicting third-degree burns to the models and terrible damage to the clothes. And what caught my eye? Legs. Or should I say the leg-wear. There were a variety of straps, thongs, chains, and other modes of wrapping all drawing attention to the legs and thighs. Maybe it's just me but it seemed that Layja has spent as much time working on the outfits below the thighs as above!


The show was fast-paced and flowed seamlessly - or if there were glitches I didn't notice. Kudos to Rusch for making that happen: There is nothing worse than being at a fashion show waiting for something to happen and having to endure long gaps while the organizers get organized. The downside of this is that when you have such a vivid and crowded environment, taking pictures requires a lot of preparation and skill; two things I lack in abundance. My suggestion to my good friends at Wilder PR is to get a hold of some pre-show model shots and have them sent to the press immediately after the show.

Having said that, Shenandoah Saintlouis managed to get some pre-show pics and has them posted on her blog: ShenS Blog. Take a look at the outfits there, and note the leg work!

If the Shoe Fits...

My Treasure of the Metaverse, Mony Markova, is famous for being shoeless. It is her trademark. She needs no shoes to walk this strange land, she tells us all. But she will wear shoes if... and only if... she really, really likes them.

So kudos for the folks at Maitreya for creating some of the best damn footwear in Second Life. I saw a pair of the Slinky Stilletos some weeks back at a PR event promoted by my good friends Annette Wilder and Bibe Mayo of Wilder PR. Bibe was wearing a pair of the stilettos with purple. Awesome, I thought.

However, when I eventually visited the store and checked out the range, I fell in love with the red and black pair. The lining and the soles are in red, with gold tips on the heels. You also have the option of having the shoes "click" as you walk.

Stop by and explore - lots of goodies to buy!

Slurl: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Glam%20World%202/206/151/26

Maitreya Blog: http://sl-maitreya.blogspot.com/