| November 11, 2009 | "Wild" About David Lynch |
 Today I achieved one of my lifelong dreams of appearing in a scene from a David Lynch film. (Thanks to Yoostar!) I put myself into a scene from "Wild at Heart" alongside Nic Cage, and I improv'd some advice for Nic. Check it out, and let me know what you think.This particular scene is an excellent example of how seamlessly Yoostar works. Side-by-side two-shots are some of the best kinds of scenes, because you appear as if you're actually sitting side-by-side with the actor (in this case Nic Cage). Also, when you view the video, you can see that the beer bottles in the foreground that are sitting on the bar in the actual movie scene appearing in front of me. This adds to the realism of the video.  One of the most frequent searches we're seeing people type in on Google is "How does Yoostar work?" Yoostar is a greenscreen video product. This means that in the box, you get a 6-foot-by-6-foot greenscreen and stand and video webcam with audio echo cancellation. You set up the greenscreen in your house, plug the Yoostar camera into your PC via USB connection, open the application on your PC, and choose a scene from a famous movie or TV show. Then you sit or stand in front of the greenscreen and position yourself for acting in the scene. The dialogue goes across your PC screen karaoke-style, and you can say the real dialogue or make up your own (as I frequently do). Two other recent Yoostar performances where I improv'd some dialogue are Something wrong with feather boas? ("Witness" clip opposite my first movie star crush, Harrison Ford) and my mash-up of What if Scarlett O'Hara met Lou Costello?Labels: celebrities, davidlynch, video, yoostar posted by Jess Barron @ 7:36 AM 
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| June 2, 2009 | Opening Party David Lynch's Photo Exhibit |
Michael Kohn Gallery threw an opening party on May 29 for David Lynch's photo exhibit "Dark Night of the Soul." The line went way down Beverly Blvd. I heard more than one  person in line (and walking by) comment, "When was the last time you saw such a long line at an art opening!?" But it was worth the wait. (We have all witnessed how gaga I get for David Lynch.)Many of Lynch's photos on display in the Kohn Gallery (through July 11) elicit for me the same moods and feelings evoked in my favorite of his films. A weird disturbed nostalgia and the creepiness of dreams. That's how I felt about this shadowy BBQ by a too-perfect to be true Pacific Ocean. And this photo of woman giving the finger from the backseat of car reminded me of the teens who cause the fatal car accident in "Mulholland Drive." This hazy couple on the street at night reminded me of the cast of characters Laura Dern encounters on Hollywood Blvd in "Inland Empire." The photo which most perfectly fits the theme "Dark Night of the Soul" is this photo of a dingy lamp and bedside table with a corner filled with an overflowing pile of prescription pill bottles. That to me, truly communicates the modern American's long, lonely, troubled, sleepless night -- trying to medicate to escape from the pain of old and new terrors. It all reminds me of the quote from the final episode of Mad Men's first season "The Wheel," when Don Draper (in a mid-day meeting preceding his own "dark night of the soul") pitches his advertising colleagues and the client on a concept to sell Polaroid's "wheel" slide projector: Nostalgia - it's delicate, but potent. Teddy told me that in Greek, "nostalgia" literally means "the pain from an old wound." It's a twinge in your heart far more powerful than memory alone. This device isn't a spaceship, it's a time machine. It goes backwards, and forwards... it takes us to a place where we ache to go again. It's not called the wheel, it's called the carousel. It let's us travel the way a child travels - around and around, and back home again, to a place where we know are loved. I used to write a column for my college newspaper called "Nostalgia for the Present," and this quote has really stuck with me, and I think it also reminds me of what I like about David Lynch's movies, photos, and art. Labels: art, davidlynch, la, madmen, nostalgia, photos, quotes posted by Jess Barron @ 11:26 AM
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| August 14, 2007 | I Was Ecstatic About Meeting David Lynch |
It's definitely not as awesome as Bethany's photo with David Lynch, but I must say I was bowled over just by shaking hands with this guy. We were at an "Inland Empire" DVD signing at a bookstore here in LA, and I carried all my David Lynch stuff:  and I dropped the whole pile onto the table for him to sign. I officially had the biggest pile of David Lynch items at the signing, so I guess that made me David Lynch's "Biggest Fan." (I hope that didn't scare him too much.) David Lynch is my favorite celebrity-person in Los Angeles and the director/artist/writer I most admire. I couldn't say even one intelligent thing when I shook his hand. I just said, "Hello David Lynch." And then I stood there for at least a minute not saying anything until Chris pulled me away. Chris actually conversed with him. Neither of us got to ask where he got his inspiration for the bunny people in "Inland Empire." Shoot. I hope I get another chance to meet him. Labels: celebrities, davidlynch, losangeles posted by Jess Barron @ 10:49 PM
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| November 10, 2005 | Why Are All These Famous People Stalking Us? |
Neil from the Yahoo! News team invited bunch of us to attend the  International Women's Media Foundation (IWMF) Courage in Journalism Awards at the Regent Beverly Wilshire last Wednesday evening after work, and Laura and I met Maria Shriver and CNN's Judy Woodruff.Then yesterday Allyson met Bono at (of all places) the Yahoo! campus in Sunnyvale. She risked being fired to capture this photo, all for our enjoyment. And, don't let me forget -- Bethany met David Lynch this week at his talk on transcendental meditation. Honestly, this one makes me truly jealous. We all know how obsessed I am and have been with David Lynch. Labels: celebrities, davidlynch, famous, photos, yahoo posted by Jess Barron @ 1:26 PM
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| January 28, 2004 | Just Like Laura Palmer... |
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theta444: i watched fire walk with me for the first time last night popvulture: what did you think? theta444: SO GOOD theta444: i never understood how Laura Palmer was able to have 3 or 4 boyfriends, do tons of coke, work as a ho' in a Canadian brothel, win the Miss Twin Peaks pageant, volunteer with Meals on Wheels and everything else, 'till I saw her in action. she reminded me of you a bit ;) I suppose that's just Esther's unique way of pointing out that I always "seem to have a lot going on." Perhaps I should consider writing a book entitled, "Everything I Needed to Know I Learned from Twin Peaks." Speaking of which, here are some photos from my decadent 30th birthday party, where there were kisses (and more kisses!), spankings (and more spankings!), and so much champagne (and a serious lack of glasswear in our apartment which prompted ever-innovative Allyson to imbibe the bubbly out of a Pyrex measuring cup). You can also ogle my two hot, hot housemates (we're like "Three's Company" in reverse) and my gorgeous lady friends. Ooooh, I'm such a lucky girl. Labels: davidlynch, esther, laurapalmer, photos, twinpeaks posted by Jess Barron @ 3:53 PM
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