Fine art and art so fine

Yesterday, I got up a little later than usual, but after that Talking Saul live taping the night before, I didn't get back to the hotel until 10:00 pm. But, there wasn't any reason to get up early since my destination for the day didn't open till 11:00 am. I visited the Los Angeles County Museum of Art five years ago. But, art museums always have special exhibits, and this one was no exception. I was interested in seeing the exhibit on the famous...and often times controversial...artist Robert Mapplethorpe. I admit not knowing a lot about him, but I was surprised by the depth of his talent. Not only was he a competent photographer, he also did sketches and paintings and even physical art pieces. Here are examples of his works, starting with a self portrait and a photo of musical artist Deborah Harry, plus abstract drawings and paintings of flowers.

There was also a limited exhibit entitled Reigning Men: Fashion in Menswear, 1715-2015. It's not unusual to see displays of women's fashions over the years, but men...not so common. There was a lot of traditional stuff, and then there was the outrageous. Here's an example of the latter.

One of the reasons I love this museum is the extensive collection of modern art by many of the artists that I'm familiar with. Of course, there were Picassos, but also works by Andy Warhol, Jackson Pollack and Winslow Homer.

They also had a couple of paintings by one of my favorite modern artists, René Magritte.  Probably his most famous is the one of a pipe entitled The Treachery of Images (This is not a pipe/Ceci n'est pas une pipe). In all, it's such a great feeling to see such original works of art.

As I did the previous evening, I attended another live show taping last night. This would be the final one during my stay in Los Angeles, and it was different from the previous ones. First, I did Conan O'Brien's late night talk show, then Craig Ferguson's game show, Celebrity Name Game, and a couple nights ago, Talking Saul, which was truly an actual live broadcast. Last night, it was a pilot for a new sitcom called The Great Indoors. It stars Joel McHale, along with the always wonderful British actor Stephen Fry. When the opportunity to see this show presented itself, I jumped on it. I thought it would be so exciting to see both great actors perform together on a soundstage.

I arrived at the CBS Studios in Studio City early...they have more than one filming studios for live shows...because I didn't want to chance getting caught in any traffic jams. As I was waiting to be taken to the soundstage, I started chatting with a guy also there alone. Apparently, he flew all the way from Dallas, TX just to see Stephen Fry! His name was David, and he was a big fan of the actor.  David even brought a photo of Mr. Fry, hoping to get it signed. When we got to the soundstage, I suggested we sit in the front row to get close enough to maybe get Mr. Fry's attention. There was a stand-up comedian named Roger there to keep the audience entertained in between filming.  He happened to be at Talking Saul the previous night, and was very funny. David decided to ask Roger if there was anyway to get his photo signed. In turn, Roger asked a guy who was attached to the show in some way.  He said there were no guarantees, but he would try to see what he could do.

The filming process is always fascinating to watch, and this show was no exception. It was terrific watching all the actors perform, and the writers coming up with new lines to make a great show even better. After about 2 1/2 hours, they fed us a sandwich, water and candy to keep our energy up. Intially, we were told it would take four hours to film the roughly 20 minute show.  Well, it turned out to be FIVE HOURS, but I didn't mind. After awhile, I didn't even notice how long we were there. And, toward the end of the taping, the TV show guy came back and David's photo was signed! But, that wasn't all. When they called it a wrap, all the actors came forward to chat with people, and David got a photo taken with his idol! I was so happy for him! Now, we were given a paper program that had the show info when we arrived. I decided to try getting Joel to sign it. When I saw an opening, I grabbed it. I handed Joel the program and a Sharpie pen...I always carry one with me...and told him I was from Bellingham, WA. I knew beforehand Joel was raised in Seattle and would know where that was. He replied, "Bellingham!" and when I continued with a Go Seahawks, he exclaimed, "Alright!" Joel is a huge Seahawks fan. I also knew he attended the University of Washington, and since I went to Washington State University...their rival school...I said, "Go Cougs!" To that, Joel replied, "Nooooo!" That made me laugh, and I knew I would get that reaction from him! So, in all, it was an awesome night, and I didn't get back to my hotel till 11:00 pm. But, who cares? I'm on vacation! Oh, and here's my signed program. GO COUGS!