Mariah Carey time travels to the sixties and performs on Laugh-In

The fine people at CBS and NARAS decided that they needed to kick up their Grammy Nomination presentation and turn it into a live tv event. So Wednesday it was back to the Nokia Theater for the second TV show in a week. Arrivals were slated for two hours and everyone showed during the last thirty minutes. The show was an hour long and included performances from Mariah, Christina, Taylor Swift, the Foo Fighters and John Mayer with BB King.

John Mayer is speechless as BB King grabs Lucille by the neck

Each performer had to come up with a song from the Grammy Hall of Fame to perform. The Foos did ‘You’re So Vain’ which was probably the most original take of the night. After performing, Dave Grohl had to announce who was nominated for Best Pop Collaboration and Best Country Performance while reading from a teleprompter.

Dave Grohl flicking his hair on the downbeat

Christina Aguilera did not lip sync Gershwin’s, ‘Loves You Porgy’, Celine underwhelmed with Janis Ian’s ‘At 17′, Mariah went retro with ‘Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)’ and John Mayer rocked ‘Let the Good Times Roll’ with BB King to close the show. Big winners were Coldplay with seven nominations, followed by Jay-Z, Ne-Yo and Kanye with six and pulling up the rear with five nominations, John Mayer, Radiohead and Allison Krause with Robert Plant.

Watch out, Christina Aquilera is trying to hypnotize you

Taylor Swift and LL Cool J were the hosts and you have to hand it to Taylor, she can be in the same room as Joe Jonas and still be professional. But it does seem like everything she sings is a message to him and her performance of Brenda Lee’s ‘I’m Sorry’ was a prime example. Don’t worry Taylor, there’s plenty of fish in the sea.

Taylor Swift rocking the air guitar

Britney Spears torturing us all as an S&M Ringmaster

When Britney Spears did her first video in the little school girl outfit and pigtails, she cast a spell with her innocence gone wrong. She knew exactly how to push the buttons and hit us where it hurt. So, of course, we want to watch the evolution, or de-evolution, from teen sensation to adult superstar. To see if an artist can still remain relevant after marriage, childbirth, divorce, rehabs and having way too much money…at 27. So it was incredible to watch Britney lip sync her way around the world as part of her new cd release. At the AMA’s this year, almost every act performed live, a rarity on any award show, and Britney didn’t even sing for Simon Cowell. How Milli Vanilli circa 1988.

Diane Sawyer lip synced Happy Birthday to You for Britney Spears

Happy Birthday Britney Spears…for your birthday present, the world is giving you a chance. Don’t blow it by lip syncing your whole tour and maybe we won’t feel so guilty about giving you another shot. Or, just maybe, we are more than happy to support the circus by buying tickets, no matter the quality of the acts. After all, who doesn’t love the circus, especially the freak show. Pass the popcorn.

Britney’s back bitch!!

Photos by Michael Loccisano/FilmMagic.com

Medieval Village number 134 Bussana Vecchia

Cobblestone Alley in Bussana Vecchia

PCH Italian style coastal route reflections

Don’t shoot and drive

Santa Margarita’s fort at the port

Santa Margarita’s direct uplink to the lord

Italian living

Thanksgiving is a great time to run that awards show speech in your head. You know, the one you would give if you were up there on the podium thanking everyone on TV. I’ve seen my fair share of acceptance speeches, so mine would get right to it and not leave anyone out, and all in 90 seconds or less.

That’s me, very thankful, in the black t-shirt, front row, with camera at Phish in Hampton, VA 2003

I’m thankful for the opportunity that we have in America to do and be anything we set our minds to. I’m thankful for a great support network that my family here in LA and in New Jersey have given me. Their unconditional love and unbridled support has given me the freedom to think big and act bigger. Thanks also to all the friends I have made in the industry from publicists and producers to actors, musicians, photo editors, promoters, talent managers, lighting directors and photographers, it wouldn’t be possible without you.

This reporter is not thankful I ruined her shot of Roger Daltrey

And, finally, thanks to you, my friends and readers, for taking the time to read the blog and offer your feedback. I put my blood, sweat and tears into my work and I’m thankful I have a place to share it.  I am the luckiest guy in the world to be surrounded by you all and to have such an amazing, tailor fit of a job that keeps me focused and happy to be here now. Thanks for laughing with me at this incredibly insane world we live in. Happy Thanksgiving!

Not really thankful for old photos that show how skinny you were

The Jonas Brothers attacked by lasers

Sunday night brought the last awards show of the fall season, the American Music Awards, to the Nokia in LA’s exploding downtown. It is great to be in a nice new venue, with amazing sight lines and sound, instead of the old Shrine. I like history, but with all the technology you need to do these shows, it doesn’t always work in the old movie houses.

Christina Aguilera has a nervous tic we don’t talk about

Arrivals started two and a half hours before the show. So there isn’t much to do while waiting around than having a laugh with your neighbor, who is so close to you, you’re rubbing up against each other the whole time. As the ‘talent’ walks by, you track them with your camera, waiting for your shot. Sometimes people are having fun, or sometimes they’re like Chris Brown…am I done here? Yes, Chris, you are done.

Chris Brown dares you to make him smile

Big winners were Taylor Swift, Alicia Keys, Chris Brown and Kanye West. Kanye gave his second trophy to Little Wayne and compared himself to Elvis. Jimmy Kimmel reminded Kanye that Elvis died on the toilet eating a jelly donut. Might want to rethink that one.

Taylor Swift amazed that Joe Jonas waved to her

The performances were all good, it does come off as an American Idol episode at times. I kept waiting for the judges to come up at the end of the performance and score the celebs. I can just see Simon having a go at Kanye, Paula on Neyo or Randy on the Jonas Brothers.

Neyo is split on the gentleman act

Three hour award shows are just too long. The audience gets a little loopy by the two hour mark and it’s harder to concentrate as the show drags on. This one moved pretty good, but I was ready for it to end after 90 minutes.

Rihanna working the eye patch and chain mail

Beyonce’s new song about single ladies putting a ring on it…it’s a catchy tune and I can’t stop doing the dance around the house. Especially after the Saturday Night Live performance with Justin Timberlake. Speaking of JT, he was there and gave an award to Annie Lennox.

Russell Brand had a go at doing Beyonce’s hair

I can’t remember the last time Alabama was not at this show and winning at least one award. The AMA’s are turning over a new leaf and you could see it in all the new acts they broke out. Aerosmith presented Chris Brown with Artist of the year to end the show and along with Motley Crue, they were the only two classic acts there.

Steven Tyler and his date, showing off her tail

In Pisa, I fixed the nasty lean in their tower

I was in more churches in 5 days than in my entire life…here’s Pisa’s

Cinque Terra is a UNESCO World Heritage site and the Italians pretty much live the way they did a long time ago. The five villages that make up this amazing bit of Ligurian Coastline are an amazing sea side hike apart. The good part about visiting in Novemeber is there aren’t many tourists, the bad part is the weather.

Looking down on Monterossa, the western most village of Cinque Terra

Dogs and cars in sparkly clean Riomaggiore

Lover’s Walk with the famous Tunnel of Love

Locks in the Tunnel of Love are a sign of chastity

Inside the Tunnel of Love

Manarola Village from the church

High noon is pesto time in Manarola!!!

Monterossa’s ocean front Train Station

Every 12 houses gets a free church

Portofino’s beautiful colors saturated with rain

Going to church in Santa Margarita keeps you fit

Bathroom Italian Style…hope you have good knees

Edison invented the lightbulb and that was epic

Coachella veterans Lucent Dossier take over the Edison in Downtown LA on Wednesday nights turning it into a freak show extrodinaire. I’m always interested in pushing the limits of my camera, my skills and my patience and I knew this would make for some cool photos. It was really dark in there and I needed a flash to light the former power plant.

Working the chain gang

All the original powerhouse gear is in the space and the performance take place all over the club at no particular time. All of a sudden performers form a circle or start heading to one end of the venue. Once there you don’t know what you’re going to get. It seems orchestrated and at the same time, who could come up with something as crazy as this.

Hanging out in the Edison

The whole place is like a throw back to the 40’s with guys in fedora’s and ties, the ladies in dresses with the line up the back of their stockings….yes, stockings. Some of the crowd is dressed like the Lucent Dossier performers and as it gets later, it’s hard to tell who’s who. It’s always Halloween at the Edison.

You can walk on them like a human carpet…kinky

The performers are drinking and interacting with the audience, talking, dancing and corralling us to the performances. It is Cirque du Soleil meets Berlin Burlesque for the new millenia, Forty Deuce gone new age German.

Eating the forbidden fruit

Overall, it’s an eclectic night out, maybe not for your republican, yes on prop 8 friends…unless you really want to see how kinky they are. And you are sure to get more attention the more you dress up, so go for it and watch out for the Absinthe fairy.

Hot foot

Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart with her pearly white neck

Twilight is a phenomenon that I didn’t get, but it sure didn’t miss my 12-year-old daughter Katrina’s attention. She locked on to those books like a hungry vampire and became enchanted with the stories of Stephenie Meyers’ dream inspired romance of a vampire and a mortal. She REALLY needed to see the premiere and we went to Westwood Monday night to see if anyone had a miracle ticket.

Twilight creator Stephenie Meyers is gonna need a bigger purse

It wasn’t easy getting in, tickets were on ebay for over a grand, the line was around the block and the scene in Westwood was unlike anything I had ever seen at a premiere. People had been there all day to get a good spot and when the film’s star Robert Pattinson walked in, it was like the Beatles at Shea. Ok, maybe not like the Beatles, but still, the guy was in Harry Potter and the crowds went nuts. Twilight is so hyped by the lovers of the book that it’s going to make a bucketload of cash for everyone involved.

All the ladies are loving being Fanpires and feeding the empire

Katrina liked the movie, thought it was a good representation of the book and enjoyed the way scenes played out on the screen. I thought it was ‘High School Musical’ meets ‘Interview With a Vampire’ with some good fight scenes and a really silly story at it’s core. Vampires in sunlight? With shiny skin? I’m a purist, vampires must die in sunlight. I’m going out on a limb here and predicting that besides Twilight sequels 2,3,4 and 5 there will be Twilight, the Musical, the Happy Meal and the TV Series…anyone see my checkbook?

Katrina Kravitz and her dad after the preshow cheesesteak

Thanks to Chris Polk for the photos

Surreal photography by Jean-Francois Rauzier, check out his crazy work

Flying home over the LA Basin, the sunlight had the orange glow of sunset, only it was 2:30pm. One side of the sky was dark as we boarded the bus to customs and everyone was on the phone dealing with closed freeways and collateral damage. Fire season made a vicious comeback this week and it was like coming home to the twilight zone. There is ash on the cars, your throat gets scrathy and it smells like a bonfire…and the fires are MILES from here where I live.

Lori Weintraub pointing out suitable holiday gifts to hubby Miguel Ferrer

I hit the ground running and got two shoots in on Saturday night, a jewlery store opening in Brentwood and a book reading for Andrew Porter’s new book ‘The Theory of Light and Matter’. The Laura M jewelry store in Brentwod doubles as an art gallery and the photo of Mussel Beach above is an amazing photo by Jean-Francois Rauzier,  the Dali of the photo world who uses a thousand images to make one of his masterpieces.

Rainn Wilson working the F chord

At the Andrew Porter book reading in the Knitting Factory, Rainn Wilson’s lovely wife Holiday Reinhorn assembled an eclectic group to read excerpts from the anthology of short stories. The readings by Rainn, Matthew Armstrong, Nathan Fillion, Eric Stoltz and Justine Bateman were entertaining and had the crowd’s attention. My attention was slipping as I caught up with the time difference, but I made the photos and hit the hay…only to wake to more fires, devestation and a case of the stomach flu. Welcome home!

Justine Bateman is from Malta and actor Nathan Fillion told her that maltese was one of his favorite breeds

Beyonce Knowles almost pulling a Janet Jackson

Monte Carlo is a fantasy land. There’s the magic castle, complete with a fairy tale of a princess who meets an untimely end while winning the hearts of the villagers, the port, loaded with hundreds of millions of dollars in yachts and the casino, with millions of dollars in cars parked out front and millions more inside. It is a scene that is only in Monaco, just like Sunday nights annual World Music Awards.

Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon Monacoed and ready to go

Once the black tied crowd has a nice dinner of foie gras and filet mignon, the show started with a wide range of music from Irish rockers to French DJs and Nigerian rappers to Persian singers. Host Jesse Metcalf with Michelle Williams, Alicia Keys, Kid Rock, Chace Crawford, Beyonce, Solange and Mariah Carey represented team Obama. Mariah brought hubby Nick Cannon to help her carry her two awards and she didn’t performed.

Russian singer Phillip Kirkov doing the sexy tango and scaring the kids

Phillip Kirkov’s style is a cross between Liberace and Barry Manilow, and his new song is a tribute to the tango in English. It was like seeing Gogol Bordello if they went Vegas. Kate Ryan from Belgium looked really good for her performance and Ringo Star picked up the Diamond award for selling the most records ever…as a Beatle. You don’t really need to get an award to go to Monaco, just go and bring lotsa cash.

Barbara Bach and Ringo Starr classic beauty and the beat tale

Bonus photo of the week is a little eye candy for the ladies…

Chace Crawford wearing Monte Carlo cougar repellent