GeekSugar

Natalie Portman's Life To Go Online?

GeekSugar — Wed, 09 May 2007 06:06:25 -0700

Just when I thought Natalie Portman was one of the few A-listers who strives to maintain a low-key profile in Hollywood, she heads straight to Silicon Valley in search of funds for a new online project. According to the tech gossip blog Valleywag, Natalie is "proposing a continuous video feed of her work and personal life," which means she is basically signing up for "lifecasting" like Justin Kan of Justin.tv.
I wonder what fueled all this? Maybe a means for her to promote all the organizations she's apart of? To possibly educate? Raise awareness? Whatever her reasoning, I must admit that I'd be one of the first subscribers to watch "a day in the life of Natalie Portman."

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Sexy Amidala Reminds Me Halloween Is Around the Corner

GeekSugar — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 10:30:13 -0700

I don't really remember the Star Wars installment where queen Amidala was quite this sexy. Beautiful, tough Natalie Portman yes, white go-go boots, no.

Still, I know some people will be into this Amidala costume.

It wouldn't quite be Halloween if every girl's costume wasn't as tarted-up as it could possibly be, but in the spirit of not being a spoil-sport and getting the "why do girls want to dress like sluts on Halloween" arguments started a month early, I say, OK geek girls. Be sexy if you want.

Just remember, Princess Leia in the gold bikini is the way to go.

Will You Join The Justin TV Network?

GeekSugar — Wed, 23 May 2007 09:00:32 -0700

The media's favorite livecasting experiment Justin TV - a project where a 23-year-old San Francisco man Justin wears a video camera strapped to his head 24 hrs a day, seven days a week - has announced some new features on the Justin TV site.

The most exciting is the option for site users to create their own channel and share their life with whoever has enough time to watch. The media has been buzzing about Justin and his copycat lifecasters for some time now and rumor has it that Natalie Portman has even considered a continuous video feed of her work and personal life.

I know many of you agree with me when I say the idea of having a camera follow your world 24/7 is somewhat unsettling, but there is also a certain thrill about the idea. Sadly I fear a prominent lifecast by a woman would quickly turn into a sexualized "hot or not" debate, but I am still interested to see if the Justin TV network idea really takes off.

Would you: Lifecast?

GeekSugar — Mon, 14 May 2007 09:00:59 -0700

Last week, I learned Natalie Portman is reportedly considering taking a lesson from Justin of Justin.tv and "lifecasting" - as in letting a camera follow her every move and making a continuous video feed of her work and personal life online. As Catstarr so aptly noted, it sounds like a combination of MTV's Diary Show (you know the one were celebrities say "You think you know, but you have no idea" over and over and over again?) with the Justin.tv show.

The lifecasting phenomenon has been going strong for years, but it hasn't gained this much attention before. It's the stuff reality TV is made of: Constant, in your face raw footage of the lifecaster going about his or her daily life. Justin.tv has obviously become a geek god through his show, but there hasn't been a hit female lifecast star as of late. (I'm not counting ladies that drop their clothes for webcams - that is something else entirely.) Do you think you could attach a camera to your hat and go about your business, or would you be completely camera shy?

Geeky Girl We Love: 14 of Gallery of the Absurd

GeekSugar — Tue, 08 May 2007 09:00:56 -0700

There are hundreds of bloggers I admire for their tenacity, drive, humor and innovative ideas, but very few who embody the combination of artistry, sarcasm and wit that 14, the founder of Gallery of the Absurd does.

14, who is an artist first and a blogger second, has wowed the web with what the New York Post called "Portraits of Shame" - as in satirical paintings and drawings of tabloid favorites like Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie, Tom Cruise and Alec Baldwin. While gossip blogs talked about the Hollywood Skeleton Girls, 14 painted them - as skeletons. When Star Jones got canned from The View following her shameless quest for wedding freebies and the denial and controversy surrounding her dramatic weight loss, 14 painted her as a fish about to sink her teeth into a giant and shiny bite of "free" bait. No matter what the scandal, 14's hauntingly hilarious images seem to begin where tabloids end and her collection, which is archived on Gallery of the Absurd is an addiction in its own right. I recently found out she resides in San Francisco and that she's a major geek. She was gracious enough to let me pick at her brain. For the full interview, read more

Geeksugar: You've said you love the celebrities you paint because they bring you so much joy and laughter. How do you decide when a celebrity moment or trend needs to be immortalized in a painting?
14: The frequency of the celeb's appearance in the blogs and tabloids plus the ridiculousness of the celeb's actions equals my interest in painting them.

Geeksugar: Which celebrities inspire you the most?
14: Celebrities with huge notions of entitlement are my favorites: Tom Cruise and Paris Hilton. I also love painting the public train wrecks: Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan and Tara Reid. Anyone who causes me laughter is ripe for my pen.

Geeksugar: Is there anyone you wouldn't paint?
14: I focus my attention on tabloid celebrities rather than serious actors/actresses. I've avoided actresses such as Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johanssen because they conduct their private lives with dignity. However, if they became involved in a Paris Hilton-style scandal, they would quickly become candidates for Gallery of the Absurd. Also, I'm scared to draw Oprah...I dunno, just am.

Geeksugar: Tell me a little about the artistic process. I read you use ink, acrylic, pastels and oils on paper or canvas, as well as digital enhancement.
14: First, I make a pencil sketch by turning the reference photo upside down and drawing it that way. Then I dance around in my studio for a bit and then go back to sketching. I'll do several sketches and to save time, I'll often scan the sketch in Illustrator and convert to a vector and then color and layout in Photoshop. Other times I take several days to paint an oil or acrylic. I'm still teaching myself to draw and paint, so I experiment a lot with different mediums and styles. Now I'm teaching myself Flash and am working with some animators on a Gallery of the Absurd cartoon.

Geeksugar: How many hours do you pour into most works?
14: The average time spent on a finished illustration is about 8 hours each. Sketches with digital color take less time and paintings can take up to a week.

Geeksugar: Do you use a PC or Mac?
14: MAC only. A PC would never enter my studio.

Geeksugar: What non-celebrity websites do you read everyday?
14: I visit art blogs such as Drawn!, I read "alternative" news sites such as a Rense.com and Alternet.org, a few political blogs and...I redden as I type this...I read UFO blogs and paranormal news sites. Blush.

Geeksugar: What are your guilty pleasure TV shows?
14: I really hate TV and can't keep my attention focused on it for very long, but shows such as The Office, Entourage and Wife Swap snagged me in their net and I'm a little pissed about it.

Geeksugar: What do you snack on while working?
14: Raw almonds, strawberries, and olives...but not all at the same time.

Geeksugar: I define about 60 percent of your "interests" as geeky (that's a plus in my book). Do you consider yourself a geek?
14: I am a major geek and I wear it as a badge of honor. I devour a wide range of non-fiction books weekly and enjoy taking things apart and fixing them without the use of directions. I find enjoyment in both a hardware store as well as Sephora.

Geeksugar: I read you have a huge crush on Stephen Colbert. Who do you think is the sexiest geek ever?
14: When I watched Stephen Colbert speak to Bush at the White House Correspondents Dinner, I immediately fell in love. Geeky men with balls and razor wit turn me into mush and make my heart go a'flutter. I'm sure there's other sexxay geeks out there, but I can't think of one now.

Geeksugar: What are some of your other hobbies when you're not painting and creating art?
14: Hiking, people watching, gardening, ufo investigation, yoga, rabble rousing.

Geeksugar: Are you going to buy an iPhone?
14: No, but maybe someone will buy one for me.

Geeksugar: Do you listen to music while you paint, and if so, who are you listening to these days?
14: All the time! Lately I've been listening to The Residents, The The, Amon Tobin, Manu Chau, Sufi music, Mozart and some weird crystal bowl healing stuff that is supposed to "raise your vibrations," but so far I've not noticed anything different.

Geeksugar: Tell us more about your background, how you got started as a blogger and what you've learned from it.
14: My background is in high-tech marketing and public relations, but I quit 7 years ago because I was having more fun drawing my bizarro co-workers than writing marketing plans. After that, I became a free-lance art curator and artist and created several multimedia art shows and events. A sudden move from Seattle to Los Angeles turned my life upside down, so I started Gallery of the Absurd to cope with not knowing anyone in a new town. Now it's my job and I looooove blogging. Who cares if I don't make as much money as when I had to market software? I'm far happier and free now.

Geeksugar: Any celebrity you are dying to meet?
14: I'd love to meet George Lucas. I have so much admiration for him and they way he brought his imagination to life. I'm not so much a Star Wars fan, but I am a fan of Lucas himself. Most of the tabloid celebs I draw don't really fascinate me that much and I'd likely not take notice of them unless they were acting like clowns. I'd love to be invisible and follow Tom Cruise around for 24 hours just to see the full spectrum of whackiness he'd reveal. Maybe it would be fun to have a drink with Courtney Love too.

Geeksugar: What are some of your favorite places in the San Francisco?
14: One of my favorite hobbies is people watching and this city has the BEST! I put on dark glasses and trek miles all around this fine city and am entertained for hours. I also spend lots of time at the SF Botanical Garden, Land's End, and Sutro Park. I love the lychee cocktails at Cafe Claude and the dark chocolate salted caramels from Recchiuti.

14's prints are available for sale on Gallery of the Absurd. Check out more interviews with Geeky Girls We Love.

Geek of the Week: Gael Garcia Bernal

GeekSugar — Fri, 15 Dec 2006 10:02:32 -0800

Babel and Y Tu Mamá También star Gael García Bernal is my pick for Geek of the Week, simply because he showed up to the The Second Annual Dinner and Concert to Benefit WITNESS last week looking utterly dashing...and donning his geeky glasses.

I suppose his film role choices and the fact that he dated Harvard-grad Natalie Portman also qualify him for the geeky category. Regardless, he's a geek worth watching.

Got some geek photos or videos of your own? Add your own photos to the geeksugar Geek of the Week group or nominate your favorite celebrity.