Hip Chick Alert puts the spotlight on the documentary Women in Hollywood Produced and directed by Linda Goldstein Knowlton, Produced by Rory Kennedy.

This is an enlightening piece -it covers woman directors- women producers -woman’s leading roles in films and more.  Stories that include Jane Fonder finding her voice in Hollywood and breaking out of the typical roles that women were offered – she began using her clout to produce films that she thought were relevant and stared in the films herself- The China Syndrome and Coming Home-

Please take the time to watch it – pass it on to your daughters – and friends – you won’t regret it! Peace Perez

Makers.com Documentary: Women In Hollywood

Hip Chick alert introduces! Brittany Howard – She is an American musician, best known as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of American rock band Alabama Shakes.  Britney Howard was born in Athens, Alabama.  She began playing the guitar at age 13, and later attended East Limestone High School, where she met future Alabama Shakes bassist Zac Cockrell.

They have a new record out and its AMAZING! Sound & Color is the eagerly anticipated follow-up to the Shakes’ 2012 debut Boys & Girls, which earned the group three Grammy nominations, including a nod for Best New Artist. The gold-certified album’s breakthrough paved the way for the Shakes—Howard, guitarist Heath Fogg, bassist Zac Cockrell, drummer Steve Johnson, and touring keyboard players Ben Tanner and Paul Horton—to become one of the most celebrated live acts in the world, as they delivered unforgettable performances everywhere from Saturday Night Live to the main stages of such festivals as Bonnaroo and Glastonbury.

For more about her and this group go to:

Alabama Shakes– GO SEE THEM WHEN THEY ARE IN YOUR AREA! PEACE PEREZ

I remember as my Auntie became older I gave her the gift of time – we try to give this gift to loved ones regularly but sometimes daily life gets in the way – when my Auntie hit her 70s I made a point to going to Mount Ivy in Pomona New York on weekends and spending time with her. She loved her black and white films (as do I ) I remember curling up with a blanket on a Saturday afternoon – drinking tea or brandy and watching films – so today’s feature – Giant is a 1956 American drama film, directed by George Stevens from a screenplay adapted by Fred Guiol and Ivan Moffat from the novel by Edna Ferber. The film stars Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson and James Dean and features Dennis Hopper, Sal Mineo, Rod Taylor,like holy super stars! . Giant was the last of James Dean’s three films as a leading actor, and earned him his second and last Academy Award nomination – he was killed in a car accident before the film was released. All the acting is stellar and especially James Dean and Elizabeth Taylor -The plot focuses on themes of discrimination (race, class and gender) as it affects the social evolution of a Texas family over a quarter century from the 1920s until after World War II. These topics -discrimination (race, class and gender) are still reverent today.

Giant clip here!

In 2005, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant”. In the final scene back at the ranch, Bick Rock and Leslie Elizabeth watch their two grandchildren, one biracial (Jordy and Juana’s son), play in a crib and reflect on their life. Leslie tells Bick that she considered him to be her hero for the first time in her life after the fight in the diner, something he always tried to do with his ranching heroics. Reflecting on the Benedict family’s legacy, Bick views it as a failure because their lives didn’t turn out the way he planned, but Leslie considers their version of the family to be a success. The final shot pans to the face of each child, one white, one Hispanic, but both Texans. Dig It – if you have the time – this is a classic well worth time! Peace Perez

James Dean Documentary on YouTube here.

HIPCHICKALERT musical feature is the talented Dena DeRose.  Her latest cd We Won’t Forget You – An Homage to Shirley Horn is fresh and a great listen. I met Dena back in In 1991 – we became fast friends- when she brought the whole package to New York – singer – piano player – educator and lovely person. Dena has accumulated an impressive list of performance credits. From the legendary clubs around the world like the Blue Note, Smoke and the Jazz Standard in New York, the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., the Pitt Inn and Body and Soul in Tokyo, The Jazz Showcase in Chicago, Marian’s in Bern, The Jazz Center in Istanbul, and Alexander Platz in Rome, to major Jazz Festivals that include The Red Sea Jazz Festival in Israel, The Monterey Jazz Festival, The San Francisco Jazz Festival, The Providencia (Santiago) Jazz Festival, Ancona (Italy), Estoril (Portugal), The North Sea and The Hague Jazz Festivals (Holland), The Jazz Cruise (2005, 2007, 2008, 2011), The Kansas City Jazz and Blues Festival, Jazz Baltica Festival (Germany), VinterJazz Festival (Denmark). Dena always delivers “…vivid and often exciting demonstrations of how innovative her musical concepts are…” (Philip Elwood, San Francisco Examiner).

She has brought that vitality and innovation to performances alongside the likes of Ray Brown, Clark Terry, Marian McPartland, Benny Golson, John Scofield, Benny Green, Ray Drummond, Alex Riel, Deborah Brown, Jimmy Cobb, Ken Peplowski, Jay Leonhart, John Clayton, Jeff Hamilton, Phil Woods, David ‘Fathead’ Newman, Rufus Reid, Jay Clayton, Mark Murphy, Marvin Stamm, and many, many others.

Dena DeRose my friend, has been heading the Vocal Jazz department at the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz where she now resides, but continues to travel worldwide to perform at festivals, clubs, concert halls, jazz societies, and private concerts. In addition to her Tenure at KUG, she was recently accepted by the ‘Fulbright Specialist’ Organization of the US Embassy in her field of Jazz Education and will travel to Izmir, Turkey to teach a 5 week residency at Yasar University.  Hip Chick she is – here’s a link to buy her music!
The Music of Swinging Dena

please support this hip cat.
Peace Perez

Hip Chick Alert wants all you Women to look at this documentary and hold on to your rights – fight for equal pay- pass this in to your family members- in support of:

NYC Equal Pay Rally today, April 14, 2015 @ 10:00 am – 11:00 am

NYC Steps of City Hall today!

Women Who Make America tells the remarkable story of the most sweeping social revolution in American history, as women have asserted their rights to a full and fair share of political power, economic opportunity, and personal autonomy. It’s a revolution that has unfolded in public and private, in courts and Congress, in the boardroom and the bedroom, changing not only what the world expects from women, but what women expect from themselves.

 

 

MAKERS brings this story to life with priceless archival treasures and poignant, often funny interviews with those who led the fight, those who opposed it, and those first generations to benefit from its success. Trail-blazing women like Hillary Rodham Clinton, Ellen DeGeneres and Oprah Winfrey share their memories, as do countless women who challenged the status quo in industries from coal-mining to medicine. MAKERS captures with music, humor, and the voices of the women who lived through these turbulent times the dizzying joy, aching frustration and ultimate triumph of a movement that turned America upside-down.

Screening materials are available for educators, organizations and others interested in viewing within their communities. To request MAKERS screening materials, lesson plans, and educator toolkit, click here.

PEACE PEREZ

Here is an image of me in my junior year at High School of Art and Design.  It seems like yesterday. Getting up at 6 am going on the NYC train a 45 minute ride to school every morning I loved it because I loved school and never wanted to be at home due to my family situation.  I loved the program at High School of Art and Design – at the age of 12 you go through a 4 year program.  Applicants must take an entrance exam and present a portfolio to be accepted- I did this in the 8^th grade.  I was coming from St Barbara s Catholic elementary school in Brooklyn East New York. Brooklyn East New York was one of the poorest neighborhoods in Brooklyn.  Since the late 1950s East New York has had some of the highest crime rates in Brooklyn, and is considered the borough’s murder capital.  Many social problems associated with poverty from crime to drug addiction have been prevalent in the area for decades. I was so glad to be attending this high school as opposed to a high school in Brooklyn.  At Art and Design freshmen sample all art and design subjects before selecting a major for their sophomore, junior and senior years.  This kept my mind alert and I excelled in science, math and English at the same time.

 

 

 Students at Art and Design receive two periods of art instruction per day, choosing from among eight art majors: cartooning, animation, architecture, graphic design, illustration, fashion, photography, and film/video.  I chose photography as my major– I loved mastering the art of black and white printing – I loved mastering the 4x 5 Linhof camera- I loved the students that I met: Eugene, Tom, Lilly- Buddy-Lenny-Laura Judy and more – I worked as a hair washing girl at a salon after school so that I could buy paper to print on and saved up to by my first camera Nikon F2S- my family did not have money for things like this – so at a young age – I improvised multi tasked and found a way to get the I needed to master photography and make my way through high school.  I was the Vice President of my class senior year and received an award for excellence in photography.  It was in my senior year I obtained a part time job at a company called Expo Motion – industrial Slide Show Company developing slide film and became a forex camera operator.  I was recruited to a company called Jim Santandrea http://jimsantandreaproductions.com/ from there to become a Junior Art Director producer of slide shows.  It was at Jim Stantandreas a project that we did for CBS records that led me to LA.  You see the show was at Los Angeles Royce Hall.  Jim flew 8 of us out there- I think it was the second day that I decided that I wanted to leave NY and move to LA – and so it began a great journey for me. High School of Art and Design gave me a great stepping stone and I thank the stars above for  High Schools like this –I also applied to High School of  Music and Art- High School of Performing Arts and The Bronx High School of Science- I was accepted in all four schools at that time but I must say thankful that I chose High School of Art and Design.  Here are some other hip cats that went to HS Art and Design- Tony Bennett, singer and painter-  Calvin Klein, fashion designer ^–Roscoe Orman, actor, author, and illustrator, best known as “Gordon” on Sesame Street –Lenny White, jazz-funk drummer, member of Return to Forever – Steven Meisel, fashion photographer- Lorna Simpson, artist and photographer.

Looking forward to Saturdays High School of Art and Designs reunion at the Society of Illustrators on 63 street.

LOVE LIFE ART MUSIC CREATION FREEDOM.

PEACE PEREZ 

It will be the artist’s most ambitious (and public) project to date.  The Madison Square Park Conservancy and acclaimed artist Teresita Fernández announce Fata Morgana, a major public art installation on view now through January 10, 2016. Go go go and check this out! Its awesome !

The artist under part of her ‘Fata Morgana’ installation for Madison Square Park.

Fernández, has been exploring what she calls “landscape sculpture” for nearly two decades, creating installations that suggest pools of water, underground caverns and constellations in the night sky. Her work has been compared to that of light and space artists like Robert Irwin and James Turrell, land artists like Robert Smithson and conceptualists like Felix Gonzalez-Torres. She has shown all over the world, from the Modern Art Museum Fort Worth, in Texas, to the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo. In 2005, she won a John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation “genius” grant, and she recently completed a three-year tour of duty as a presidential appointee to the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, reviewing and offering recommendations on monuments and other public projects in Washington, D.C. But despite her many accolades, Fernández isn’t really a brand-name art star. That is not yet- not yet!

Fata Morgana will be the largest installation in the park’s history, and the Brooklyn-based artist’s largest and most ambitious undertaking to date. “We commissioned this monumental project,” says Brooke Kamin Rapaport, senior curator of Madison Square Park Conservancy, which oversees the sculpture program, “because Teresita is really an artist who is on the cusp of greatness, and I think that Fata Morgana is going to propel her to the highest rank of artists working today.”

Fernández uses modern industrial materials, like fiberglass, epoxy and cast acrylic, as well as ancient ones, like marble dust and gold, to evoke the natural world.

Fata Morgana aims for something similar. The piece will “define a glistening procession for the visitor,” says Rapaport. “As light comes through these canopies, that brightness will emanate across and through the work.” Fernández’s extensive tests of the material on site suggest that its mirage-like glow will be visible from as far as two blocks away, as well as from the encircling canyon of buildings.

Teresita quotes, “What I love about public art is that you can plan it out all you want, down to the last bolt, but the way it feels is always a complete surprise.”  If you’re in NYC- take a moment – drop by Madison Square Park- you will be inspired – Peace Perez

Today we celebrate 2 amazing comedians and this show – critically acclaimed show ”Broad City” on the Comedy Central. Its half-hour scripted series. It’s created by and stars Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer as 20-something best friends.  They are trying to navigate life in New York, despite that their adventures always seem to lead down unexpected and bizarre paths. They have very little money, but they are survivors who aren’t afraid to throw themselves into sticky situations, no matter how messy the end results may be.does that sound fimiliar– it does to me as for it brings me back to my LA days.  I have watched this series and well it is a hip chick alert!  I laughed out loud so many times – its fresh and brilliant, funny, love to see and feel again the awkwardness of 2 girls in their 20’s. Jacobson and Glazer both honed their comedy chops at New York’s Upright Citizens Brigade Theater.  Dig it Dig them!  I do.

Watch “Coat Check” on the Comedy Central website

UCB co-founder Amy Poehler (one of my favorite ladies in comedy) is an executive producer on the series and joins Fred Armisen, Rachel Dratch, Janeane Garofalo, Michelle Hurst, Jason Mantzoukas and Amy Sedaris, among others, as guest stars.  So hip cats if you want to laugh out loud check this series out on Comedy Central.

– Peace Perez

For as long as I can remember I have always loved the Aussie’s vibe- I met several of them in the UK years ago – I was and still am impressed with their countries love for the arts – you can come from any social background and get to go to an art school – the cost is not astronomical –sometimes even free -– so anyone who has a dream – can excel – whereas here in USA – if you have not gone to the correct private school your chances are less for success – but still by a slim chance possible – this story leads me to 3 amazing Aussie’s vocalist – Anita Wardell www.anitawardell.com Jane Irving www.janeirving.com and Jo Lawry www.jolawry.com  all for that fab country.  All  first educated in Music in Australia.

All three artist have all appeared  at my Sunday Duo House Concert Series in Brooklyn– we will circle around back to Anita and Jane at another time – Today Hip Chick Alert focuses on Jo Lawry – she is an amazing artist –now lives in Brooklyn-  and song writer –and great vocalist and musician. When she hits the notorious 55 bar in the heart of village in NYC she packs the place. She has been the opening act for  Suzanne Vega and had gone on several world tours with Sting and proving backing and duet vocals with him. So Jo has a new CD coming out -the countdown begins. Drum Roll Please! Four days until she drops the worldwide release of Taking Pictures, which includes a duet with her boss and hero, Sting.  This song is called “Impossible” please you can check it out in advance here:

She sang all of these tunes from this cd in my living room at my Sunday House Concert series and all of these tunes in this recording are personal – modern and puts her in the spotlight in the songwriting community.  As we say in a good way Jo is a triple hipster – Great Musician- Great Songwriter- Great Singer.

Available for pre order now on itunes.

So lovely peeps – drop some dosh – get this session – the songs are great and I can imagine some of these tunes showing up in the future on soundtracks for films.  Peace Perez

Amazing imagery- so hip cats on Friday 20th March, Professor Brian Cox, Dara O’Briain and Liz Bonnin brought us coverage of the breathtaking solar eclipse live – so if you missed it – here it is!