Chevrolet Joins Oprah’s “No Phone Zone” Campaign to Combat Distracted Driving

Today, Chevrolet joined the “No Phone Zone” campaign, created by Oprah Winfrey and Harpo Studios, to combat distracted driving. General Motors Chairman and CEO Ed Whitacre, along with UAW employees from GM’s Lansing Delta Township assembly plant, announced Chevrolet’s support of the campaign in a taped segment during “The Oprah Winfrey Show” dedicated to the first national “No Phone Zone” Day.  

 

The campaign is dedicated to honoring the lives lost due to distracted driving, educating the public about the dangers of distracted driving and activating people to make a difference in their communities.  As part of the campaign, drivers are encouraged to take the “No Phone Zone” pledge. The pledge, available at www.oprah.com, asks motorists to commit to:

• Not text while driving
• Not text while driving, and use only hands-free calling
• Not text or use the phone while driving, and pull over to a secure location if they need to make a call

In addition to Whitacre’s appearance on “The Oprah Winfrey Show”, Chevrolet will lead an internal campaign to encourage the more than 77,000 General Motors employees in the U.S. to take the “No Phone Zone” pledge. Chevrolet will also sponsor more than 400 public service announcement (PSA) broadcasts for the “No Phone Zone” campaign. Once the PSA is finalized, it will also be available online at www.youtube.com/chevrolet.

“We are proud to help Oprah raise awareness of the risks of distracted driving,” said Jim Campbell, U.S. Vice President Chevrolet Marketing. “The ‘No Phone Zone’ campaign fits our own mission to keep Chevrolet drivers, and their loved ones, as safe as possible while on the road. That’s why every Chevrolet is designed to offer peace-of-mind, with technologies to help drivers avoid crashes, and features to protect occupants in the event of a crash.” 

Chevrolet’s use of technology to help drivers avoid crashes is exemplified by the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze, which will arrive at U.S. dealerships in the third quarter.

The Cruze will be available with a number of features to help drivers avoid distractions, including: duplicate stereo controls on the steering wheel, allowing drivers to adjust audio settings without taking their hands off the wheel; Bluetooth connectivity, allowing drivers to make hands-free calls using a Bluetooth-equipped mobile device; and OnStar Turn-by-Turn Navigation, allowing drivers to program the vehicle’s navigation system with one push of the OnStar blue button. 

If an emergency maneuver is necessary, the Cruze also features active safety technologies to help drivers maintain control, including StabiliTrak electronic stability control with rollover sensing, traction control, and anti-lock brakes as standard equipment. 

Chevrolet’s use of safety features to protect occupants during a crash is supported by crash-test results from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Chevrolet vehicles are designed to offer a comprehensive safety package, including high-strength-steel safety cages, advanced air bags, load-sensing safety belts, and OnStar Automatic Crash Response technology. For 2010 models, the approach earned five Chevrolet vehicles the highest possible five-star front- and side-impact ratings from NHTSA, including the Equinox, HHR, Malibu, Tahoe Hybrid, and Traverse. 

“The test results for 2010 Chevrolet models show that we are continually improving the safety of our vehicles,” said Campbell. “We also look for ways to encourage responsible driving habits, such as using safety belts and proper child restraints on every trip.  That’s why I would like to encourage all drivers to join me in taking Oprah’s ‘No Phone Zone’ Pledge.”  

About Chevrolet

Chevrolet is one of America’s best-known and best-selling automotive brands, and one of the fastest growing brands in the world. With fuel solutions that range from “gas-friendly to gas-free,” Chevrolet has nine models that offer an EPA-estimated 30 miles per gallon or more on the highway, and offers two hybrid models. More than 2.5 million Chevrolets that run on E85 biofuel have been sold. Chevrolet delivers expressive design, spirited performance and strives to provide the best value in every segment in which it competes. More information can be found at www.chevrolet.com. For more information on the Volt, visit http://media.gm.com/volt.

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By Robin Preiss Glasser, illustrator of FANCY NANCY

"Huzzah for Peachy and Whom You Know!  As my favorite little fancy girl would say, 'Peachy is fancy for keeping everyone connected to the best of Manhattan.'  Ooh La La!"

-Robin Preiss Glasser, illustrator of FANCY NANCY

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THE WAY WE WERE AT BONHAMS PHOTOGRAPHS OF WOMEN’S PUB OUTINGS IN 1950S LONDON OFFER A SNAPSHOT OF CHURCHILLIAN POST-WAR SPIRIT

Fascinating photographs of London Women’s Pub Outings in Battersea and Clapham taken by Scottish photographer Grace Robertson in the 1950s are being sold at Bonhams, New Bond Street, as part of its sale of Photographs on 20 May 2010.

The four images follow a group of women on a series of pub outings laughing, dancing, forming a conga line and going on a theme park ride. Robertson commented on the experience of photographing these women: “I can’t recall ever having been present at a more high-spirited gathering of like-minded people who, for a few hours, gave themselves utterly to the enjoyment of the moment.”

The photographs, which were printed in the British photojournalism publication Picture Post, are expected to fetch £500 – 800 each.

The sale features 18 important examples of mid-20^th century photojournalism in total, including works by Thurston Hopkins such as La Dolce Vita, Knightsbridge, 1950 (estimate £1,000 – 1,500) and Tango In The East End, London, 1954 (£700 – 900). Two pictures from Wolfgang Suschitzky’s famous Charing Cross series, Charing Cross Road, London, 1937 and Charing Cross Road from No. 84, London, 1937 are expected to fetch £600 – 800 and £700 – 900 respectively.

Other key photojournalists of this generation to feature in the sale include Bert Hardy, John Humphrey Spender and Bill Brandt.

www.bonhams.com/photography 

Bonhams, founded in 1793, is one of the world's oldest and largest auctioneers of fine art and antiques. The present company was formed by the merger in November 2001 of Bonhams & Brooks and Phillips Son and Neale UK. In August 2002, the company acquired Butterfields, the principal firm of auctioneers on the West Coast of America. Today, Bonhams offers more sales than any of its rivals, through two major salerooms in London: New Bond Street, and Knightsbridge, and a further five throughout the UK. Sales are also held in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Carmel, New York and Boston in the USA; Toronto, Canada; and France, Monaco, Hong Kong and Dubai. Bonhams has a worldwide network of offices and regional representatives in 25 countries offering sales advice and valuation services in 57 specialist areas. By the end of 2009, Bonhams had become UK market leaders in ten key specialist collecting areas. For a full listing of upcoming sales, plus details of Bonhams specialist departments, go to www.bonhams.com

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MOVERS AND SHAKERS: Jackie Primrose Monahan, Comedienne

Jackie Primrose Monahan’s presence on stage captivates her audiences; she is one of those comics some might call a bit dark. And given her perpetually happy look, that's a bit unexpected. Watching Jackie perform is like being an observer at a party where you are not sure what's going to happen next. You just sit back, watch, and are either endlessly entertained, or completely shocked. This is a good thing in comedy. Shocking is a word often used to describe some of the stuff that flies out of Jackie's mouth. "Wait did she just say what I thought she said?" is not an uncommon reaction.  But by then, she's charmed and disarmed her audience so they just sit back and enjoy the ride. 

Her comedy is incomparable but if you had to say who her biggest influences were they would be Steve Martin , Lucille Ball, and Sarah Silverman. She grew up In Rhode Island, where she was part of a comedy Troupe called The Pork Chop Lounge. She quickly became somewhat of a local celebrity. Next she moved to Philadelphia where she was part of yet another popular comedy troupe. It wasn’t until she moved to the Big Apple in 2005 that she decided to try her hand at stand up comedy. 

Jackie Monahan quickly took the NYC comedy scene by storm. She become a local favorite at Gotham Comedy Club, Caroline's on Broadway, and The Laugh Factory. She is also  a favorite in the local downtown scene. After only two years performing picked up by a manager of a comedy tour known as the LOL tour which stands for The Lesbians of Laughter. She was the greenest  by far of all the comics, but with in three shows she was moved by the tour manager from the opener to the headliner. She soon started getting booked as a solo act.

Naming her show  “Delightfully Inappropriate” she once again was on the road and headlines at Clubs and Colleges all over the country. When she is not on tour or performing for Olivia Cruises she is busy around Manhattan doing spots on Maxim's Sirius radio and VH1 shows. This trained actor and Upright Citizen’s Brigade improviser is unstoppable. Look out for Jackie as you are sure to see her on your television in her “One Night Stand Up” special for LOGO. 

Jackie has a hit podcast "Girls on Girls" for the HERE! Network which has broadened an already impressive fan base. Catch it on itunes. Jackie is the winner of Time Out New York’s Joke of the year in 2008 and was also nominated for ECNY’s Best Female Stand Up comedian. Look for Jackie this summer as Zylar, one of the main characters in a hysterical new movie by Madeline Olnek called “Co-Dependent Lesbian Space Alien Seeks Same”. 

Her humor is fresh, fearless, and original; she will shock you and make you think. There is nothing out of bounds when it comes to Jackie's hilarious stand up. She's been known to give her audiences an unforgettable ab workout that will leave you sore for days, hence the nickname, Jackie the Ab Ripper! So skip your crunches and don't miss the opportunity to see this comedian on the rise!  We have previously recommended her:

http://www.whomyouknow.com/2010/04/nightlight-irish-arts-center-hosts.html

and are pleased to present her as our latest Mover and Shaker!

Peachy Deegan interviewed Jackie Monahan for Whom You Know.

Peachy Deegan: How old were you when you realized you were funny?

Jackie Monahan: 3

How did you realize you were funny?

I would make my Mom and her friends cry from laughing. One of them said: "She Is A Little Comedian"

What are your favorite jokes now and what were they as a kid?

I am assuming you mean street jokes. When I was a kid I loved dirty jokes. Now I enjoy political jokes.

How did you come up with your Katharine Hepburn singing Guns and Roses act?  

Joking around with my best friend and funniest person in the world Tom Van Wie

What inspires you to be funny?  

People taking life too seriously wanting to laugh myself 

What is the difference between those that are really funny and those that think they are? 

Those who can make anyone laugh and those who can only make their friends laugh.

What or who has had the most influence on your pursuit of excellence? 

Ted Bundy and Eleanor Roosevelt not in that order.

What are you proudest of and why?

I used to do a Podcast called Girls on Girls with another woman Anne Neczypor. We dealt with tons of issues while laughing and joking. I have received so many emails from young woman around the world on how our podcast changed their lives. One particular letter from a woman in Iraq brought tears to my eyes. The fact that pursuing my comedy career has changed peoples lives is the greatest award I think I could ever receive.

What would you like to do professionally that you have not yet had the opportunity to do? Host a late night talk show!

What honors and awards have you received in your profession?  

Time out New Yorks Joke of the Year,  nominated for ECNY's funniest woman Stand up, and Go magazines 80 woman we love

What is your favorite place to be in Manhattan? 

A secret garden near my apartment can't tell you where because it is a secret!

What is your favorite shop in Manhattan? 

Alice in Wonderland Tea shop

What is your favorite drink?

Champagne

What is your favorite restaurant in Manhattan? 

Joseph Leonard's

What is your favorite Manhattan book?  

Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote: it is different from the movie but both are fantastic.  Eloise at the Plaza written by Kay Thompson.  I love this book because my great grandfather was the treasurer of the Plaza and my grandmother was nicknamed Eloise. She was always running around the Plaza and everyone joked that she was the inspiration for the book.

If you could have anything in Manhattan named after you what would it be and why?  

The rooftop deck of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I love going through the Museum and then having Champagne and looking out over Central Park.

What has been your best Manhattan athletic experience? 

hahaha Falling down the stairs in my first NYC apartment and hurting my back. Before that however, it was jogging in Central Park around the reservoir

What is your favorite thing to do in Manhattan that you can do nowhere else? 

drink and not drive baby!!!!! Just kidding! It would be being able to walk everywhere. I hate parking and having to get in the car. Manhattan is another world and it is magnificent!

What has been your best Manhattan art or music experience?  

Walking in central park and happening on the Philharmonic. Also seeing Meryl Streep in Mother Courage in the park under the stars.

What do you think is most underrated and overrated here? 

Underrated would be Central Park. When I moved to NYC my Mom was terrified that I was going in the park. She claimed people were always getting murdered.  She kept seeing it on TV. I asked on the news? She said no, Law and Order.

Other than Movers and Shakers of course, what is your favorite Whom You Know column and what do you like about it?  

I love the column Champagne Wishes it is a true delight!

What else should Whom You Know readers know about you?  

I am in LA right now and answering these questions. It is making me wish I were in Manhattan. Also my Mom has IBS.

How would you like to be contacted by Whom You Know readers?

Facebook and check out my website JackieMonahan.com

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Contemporary Art at Sotheby’s

On 12 May 2010 Sotheby’s Contemporary Art sale will offer works by some of the most important artists of the 20^th and 21^st centuries, including Mark Rothko, Andy Warhol, Jackson Pollock, Roy Lichtenstein and Brice Marden, among many others. The sale presents an interesting survey of the key artistic schools of the period including Abstract Expressionism, Pop Art, Minimalism and more recent contemporary art. The auction presents collectors with an opportunity to acquire works that, in many cases, have not been offered for decades. The overall estimate for the sale is $114/162 million.  

Abstract Expressionism

One of the major highlights of the sale is Mark Rothko’s 1961 painting Untitled, a radiantly beautiful and monumental masterpiece in the artist’s oeuvre (est. $18/25 million). Rothko’s genius is amply demonstrated as he reduces colors to their essence, transforming them into form, space, and light. Rothko almost seems to breathe color onto the canvas, alternating the surface between softly ethereal background and decadent saturation of subsequent rich layers, in this case in tones of red. As with many of his paintings of the late 1950s and early 1960s, Rothko adopts a monumental scale (93 x 80 in.) for his compositions to achieve a powerful sense of harmony and order. Red was a color that fascinated Rothko from his earliest works and was the focus of his greatest and most monumental paintings of the late 1950s and early 1960s. Red is one of the most potent colors optically, and was used to great effect by Rothko either in juxtaposition with other colors or in a monochromatic range of red as in the case of the present work.

Jackson Pollock is one of the most influential masters of the 20th

century, and his rare and exuberant Number 12A, 1948: Yellow,

Gray, Black dates from the time of his most creative and transformative period (est. $4/6 million). From 1948 until her death in 1982, this painting was in the collection of his second New York dealer, Betty Parsons, and was extensively exhibited beginning at Parsons’ own gallery in 1949. Number 12A, 1948 was also one of three works illustrated in the infamous August 8, 1949 Life magazine

article titled “Jackson Pollock – Is he the greatest living painter in the United States?” that proclaimed Pollock’s early and eternal role as a leading figure in American art.

Sagamore, a 1955 work on paper by Willem de Kooning comes from a time in the artist’s career when he was moving away from painting women and toward abstract ‘urban landscapes’ such as the present work (est. $3.5/4.5 million). De Kooning was the most important artist of the Abstract Expressionist movement, receiving a huge number of accolades for a large and varied body of work. Sagamore is made up of autonomous bold brushstrokes each enlivened with vibrant colors; like many of the artist’s most important urban landscapes the painting captures the vitality and vibrancy of the city in all its brash disorder. The profound attention to light which, coupled with a lighter palette that tends towards yellows and pinks, would go on to consume his later paintings after he moved to Long Island. From the height of this long career, Sagamore shows de Kooning at his most liberated. 

A further highlight of the Abstract Expressionist woks in the sale is Vera Cruz by Joan Mitchell (est. $3.5/4.5 million). The work was painted whilst Mitchell was living and working in Vétheuil, the tiny village known for Giverny, Monet’s famous estate and garden. Like many Monet works, Vera Cruz changes dramatically as the viewer walks towards it, with ever increasingly nuanced hues. The canvas encompasses all of the painterly techniques for which Mitchell is famous – quick brushstrokes, languid drips, calligraphic lines, dense impasto and the thin base coat. The vivid colors - lush green, dusky reds and copper earthiness - create a harmony akin to the very process of nature itself. Although her approach is anything but ordinary, Mitchell considered herself a traditional painter. Her works are rooted in the landscape and captures the emotions and memories that could be inspired by nature.  

Pop Art

Among the highlights of Pop Art in the sale is an iconic and rare  Self Portrait by Andy Warhol, executed in 1986 just prior to his unexpected death the following year (est. $10/15 million). The painting is from Warhol’s final series of Self Portraits - widely acknowledged as the most important of his career. The monumental canvas, measuring 108 x 108 in., is one of only a handful executed by the artist and one of only two that are known to be privately held. This superb Self Portrait is an important example of a major theme in the artist’s oeuvre: the complicated dichotomy between the public and private persona (separate release available).
 

A further Warhol work in the sale is Flowers from 1964 from the series which was the subject of the artist’s first Leo Castelli Gallery exhibition in November that year (est. $5/7 million). It quickly became synonymous with the Pop Art movement which was rapidly gaining popularity and momentum. The flowers in the picture are based on a photograph of seven hibiscus blossoms from a 1964 photography magazine. The outline of the plants was stenciled onto a printed canvas before the green acrylic of the surrounding grass was added and finally the screenprint image applied over the dried impressions of plants. Flowers follows the ‘Death and Disaster’ series and whilst the bright subject matter may seem distant from the images of electric chairs, suicides and car crashes a flower can also be seen as a metaphor for the frailty of life - whilst exuberant now, they are soon to perish.  

Lichtenstein’s Expressionist Head comes from a period when he was moving away from comic and advertising inspired paintings and starting to look at the great artists and movements of the 20^th century (est. $3.5/5.5 million). The painting combines the Pop aesthetic with the techniques of the past, by drawing on both a subject – portraiture, and style - German Expressionism, of the past to create an extraordinarily powerful composition. Other influences abound too – the head is shown in both profile and full-face echoing Cubism whilst the strong lines are typical of wood-block carving. However, the influence of these older movements was limited to their aesthetic qualities rather than any deeper investigation of their underlying beliefs. Expressionist Head is a great statement of Lichtenstein’s ability to translate motifs of modern art into his own style.  

Minimalism

Agnes Martin’s The Desert expands in front of the viewer like sands of a desert landscape dissolving into a hazy horizon (est. $4/6 million). The painting dates from 1965, Martin’s first decade of classic painting where she used traditional geometric shapes of squares and rectangles to create an impersonal detachment with an intellectual artistic format. The Desert comes just two years before the artist’s move to New Mexico and despite being painted in New York it is clearly evocative of the natural landscape.  

Corner Prop by Richard Serra is a classic example of the Prop series from the beginning of his long career of sculptural innovation (est. $2/3 million). On the occasion of his 2007 MOMA retrospective Serra recalled in an interview with Kynaston McShine composing a list of verbs; “to splash, to tear, to roll, to cut and so on” which he enacted in his studio with rubber and lead. Corner Prop embodies a combination of this oft quoted verb list with the rod recalling, “to roll,” in addition to many other verbs on the list. The sculpture pushed a modernist approach to sculpture which used industrial materials to produce works without any trace of the artist’s hand. The elements that make up Corner Prop achieve stability from the exertion and tension of the weight of each toward the other, and toward the wall to engage and define the space around the work and the viewer.

Recent Contemporary Artists

Maurizio Cattelan has spent his career arguing against the institutionalization of art and this Untitled work from 2001 is one of the penultimate statements of his role as an art world outlaw or outsider (est. $3/4 million). In Cattelan’s view, we should be free to engage directly with art rather than rely on the preconceived notions imposed by critics, curators, collectors and, at times, even artists. This work perfectly sums up these ideas; the thief personifying the idea that art should be purloined out of the static realm of the museum and back into the world. As a self-taught artist with a humble background, Cattelan uses wit and humor to force us to reconsider the accepted ‘canonization’ of art. Like many Cattelan works, the current Untitled piece deals with the authority of law; the artist is portrayed as a burglar tunneling into the museum, taking the viewer with him on the quest to liberate art from the confines of the institution. As the figure emerges into the grand gallery with a quizzical expression, Cattelan challenges and subverts the usual process of enshrining art.  

Cold Mountain I (Path) is the most important work by Brice Marden ever to appear at auction (est. $10/15 million). Executed in 1988-89, the masterwork was the first in the artist’s acclaimed series of six monumental (108 x 144 in.) canvases named for Han Shan, known as Cold Mountain, a legendary 8^th or 9^th century Chinese poet. The series marked the culmination of Marden’s journey toward a new style of painting leading away from his monochromatic, multi-panel, beeswax paintings of the 1960s and 1970s. It is the only painting from the series of six that has ever appeared at auction (separate release available). 

Jim Bean – JB Turner Engine by Jeff Koons comes from the ‘Luxury and Degardation’ series (est. $2/3 million). The series included a full length train and also individual cars all of which were inspired by a Jim Bean promotional campaign Koons saw in a liquor store. The work stands as a trophy to both the power of advertising and excessive drinking, with a bottle of bourbon inside the piece. Just as there is an irony in the advertisements taking the seductive power of this symbol of US pride to sell ultimately destructive liquor, Koons creates a work that, whilst shining like platinum or silver is made from the famously common material of stainless steel.  

An Untitled collaboration between Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat from 1984 which is consigned by the Basquiat estate (est. $2/3 million) is a rare and balanced union of these two great artists of different generations. Brilliantly combining signature elements from both artists, the work uses the materials for which they are best known – silkscreen for Warhol and paint stick for Basquiat. Whilst at very different stages of their careers, both artists were outsiders to a degree – Warhol as a wounded celebrity and Basquiat as a rising star without any formal training. Warhol made his contributions first laying down the hats, baseball gloves, tennis rackets, sneakers, numbers and the Zenith electronics logo. Basquiat then filled in other parts of the canvas with his signature swathes of color, childlike scrawl and totemic heads. These two elements combine to create a synthesis so complete it almost appears to have been painted by a third party; the painting is nothing if not shared, nothing if not one. 

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Notes 

*Estimates do not include buyers premium  

The Contemporary Art Sale takes place on 12 May and will be on view from Saturday 8 May to Tuesday 11 May from

10am to 5pm and on Wednesday 12 May from 10am to noon. Highlights will also be on view during the Impressionist

and Modern Art exhibition the preceding week.

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MOJO 6 LIVES UP TO HYPE; TELECAST MAY 1/ 2 ON CBS TV World's Fastest Man, Usain Bolt, on-hand for debut of new, fast-paced format

The dust has settled, the results are in . . . but the real story is how the unique, new Raceway Golf™ format – which tests the limits of the world's best athletes through a faster, shorter, more cutthroat type of competition – will change the game. The hotly debated new format, debuted at the inaugural Mojo 6 (www.themojo6.com), proved to be everything it set out to be, and more, as 16 elite players battled for their share of the $1 million purse. And Jamaica's own, Usain Bolt, the world's fastest man, was on-hand to help kick off arguably the fastest, most intense format of golf, trading in his track spikes for a pair of golf spikes and teeing up with the help of Mojo 6 players, Christina Kim and Paula Creamer.

 

And Usain's golf lesson was just the first of many incredible, memorable moments. Eagles, birdies and long-shot chips highlighted what is sure to be "don't miss TV" on CBS May 1 & 2, at 2:00 p.m. EDT. "I love this format, it's really challenging, fun and you just never know what's coming," said Christina Kim, who made it to the second day. "I think this is the best entertainment women's golf has seen in a while. The format changes everything, the buzz among players and fans alike is high, and the head-to-head competition is even higher. "

Unlike the dry play of most tournament golf, the innovative Raceway Golf pitted 16 of the top players against each other in a series of six-hole matches. And the head-to-head match-ups proved successful as friendships were laid to rest and the intense competitors took the gloves off to call out their opponents, an unusual spin, that added extra heat to the tournament.

"Sitting on the sidelines injured and commentating was frustrating, as I wanted to be in the mix. But it did, however, give me the unique perspective to watch Raceway Golf from the fan's viewpoint. I've played in a lot of tournaments and The Mojo 6 was suspenseful, intense and really captivating for the fans," noted LPGA star and Mojo 6 and CBS commentator, Paula Creamer. "The action was non-stop. If player and fan endorsements are any indicator, Raceway Golf is here to stay. I am already looking forward to the next one."

"The Mojo 6 is golf like you've never imagined it," noted Ed Moses, Olympic champion and co-founder of Mojo. "Normally players can put their blinders on and try to beat the course, but in Raceway Golf, it's survival of the fittest. It's not about your score; it's about beating the person standing in front of you."

The event kicked off with "The Red Carpet Match-Up Party" at the Iberostar Hotel in Montego Bay, where the girls smiled for the cameras at the same time they were preparing to turn friends into enemies in picking who they wanted to take on. Day One of the two-day tournament was highlighted by LPGA-ranked veterans trying to prey on rookies and amateurs in the hopes of racking up points to secure their spot in the final group of eight that advanced to round two, Championship Day. Sixteen- year-old teen golf phenom and amateur, Mariah Stackhouse, and LPGA rookie, Beatriz Recari, whom fans voted into the tournament as the 16th and final spot in the field, were targeted by more established, veteran players who picked them first or second each time.

Suzann Pettersen, who is number three in the Rolex World Rankings, the highest ranked player in the field and fresh off a close, second-place finish at the Nabisco Championship, not surprisingly picked the unknown, fresh-faced Stackhouse. When asked about it, Pettersen made no effort to hide her strategy, saying quite honestly, "We're not running a charity here."

While some of the more notable matches appeared lop-sided on paper, as the day progressed and more strategy came into play, rookies and younger, less battle-tested players proved they were up to the challenge. "I'm not scared of anyone, I want to play the best, so I can beat the best," said 22-year-old LPGA rookie, Beatriz Recari, who played well enough to advance to the single elimination second day.

After an intense Day One, replete with plenty of playoff hole drama, the final eight girls left standing in the field on Day Two came ready for battle. In single elimination, bracket-style play, there were no second chances, and no shortage of playoffs, water balls and lipped putts. And in the end it came down to the final hole, as All-American rookie Amanda Blumenherst faced off against former major LPGA champion, Anna Nordqvist, who bested the rookie 1-up over the final, tension-filled six holes.

For more information about the event, being telecast on CBS May 1 & 2, 2 p.m. EDT, or to view a roundtable discussion featuring Paula Creamer, Christina Kim and Suzann Pettersen, please visit www.themojo6.com.

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The Metropolitan Museum of Art: An Italian Journey: Drawings from the Tobey Collection, Correggio to Tiepolo May 12–August 15, 2010

An Italian Journey: Drawings from the Tobey Collection, Correggio to Tiepolo will present 70 extraordinary works by masters of the 16th through 18th centuries, from one of the preeminent collections of Italian Old Master drawings in private hands. Impressive in its variety, the collection includes figure studies, historical and mythological narratives, landscapes, botanicals, motifs copied after the antique, and designs for painted compositions. All the principal centers of Italian art —Florence, Rome, Naples, Bologna, Parma, Venice, Genoa, Milan—are represented.

Among the many treasures of the collection on view to the public for the first time are a recently discovered, magnificent red chalk drawing of the head of Julius Caesar by Andrea del Sarto, the leading Florentine painter of the first decades of the 16th century; a luminous study by Correggio for the figure of Eve in his great masterpiece, the painted dome of the cathedral of Parma; a sprightly pen drawing by his younger contemporary Parmigianino—hailed in his day as the spirit of the divine Raphael reborn—for one of his most important painted portraits; brilliantly rendered colored studies by the Florentine artist Jacopo Ligozzi, one depicting, with poetry and scientific precision, a plant, and another an exotic Oriental theme; a powerful study of a recumbent nude man by the towering genius of Baroque Rome, Gianlorenzo Bernini, and of a fanciful ship by his contemporary, the sculptor Alessandro Algardi, made for the pope; a rich concentration of drawings by some of the leading Bolognese painters of the 17th century, notably Guercino, who is represented by three masterful studies; fine examples by the great Venetian draftsmen of the 18th century, among them Canaletto, Guardi, Piranesi, and the greatest artistic luminary genius of the age, Giambattista Tiepolo.

An Italian Journey: Drawings from the Tobey Collection, Correggio to Tiepolo is organized by Linda Wolk-Simon, Curator, George R. Goldner, Drue Heinz Chairman, and Carmen C. Bambach, Curator, all of the Metropolitan Museum's Department of Drawings and Prints.

The exhibition will be accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue that will be available for sale in the Museum's bookshops.

Among the educational programs that will accompany the exhibition are: a Sunday at the Met program; gallery talks; film screenings; a workshop for teachers; and family programs in English and Spanish.

The exhibition and its related programs will be featured on the Museum's website at www.metmuseum.org.

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SHOJA AZARI: ICONS Leila Taghinia-Milani Heller (LTMH) Gallery May 4 – 27, 2010

Video work by artist and filmmaker Shoja Azari will be on view at Leila Taghinia-Milani Heller (LTMH) Gallery from May 4 though 27, 2010.  SHOJA AZARI: ICONS, the artist’s first solo exhibition in New York City, will feature six new video works, which examine the role of saints and heroes in modern society.  A fully illustrated catalogue with essays by Sam Bardaouil, Dr. Hamid Dabashi, and Benjamin Genocchio will accompany the exhibition.   

In the early 20^th century, coffee house-style painting flourished in Iran.  Based on Persian mythology, the large paintings depicted the heat of battle, the afterlife and martyrdom, truth and justice, and the apocalypse.  The paintings expressed respect for religious and traditional beliefs and served as a backdrop for entertainment in the coffee houses of Iran as storytellers would act out the epic scenes depicted in the paintings.  Azari has appropriated coffee house painter Modabber’s, The Day of the Last Judgment, a painting dense with imagery and symbolism, and transformed it into a video work projected onto a black canvas, Coffee House Painting, 2009, infused with images of today’s saints and sinners.  

In his catalogue essay, Hamid Dabashi, Professor of Iranian Studies and Comparative Literature, Columbia University, writes, “Shoja Azari’s invitation is initially innocuous, familiar, and homely.  Then things begin to happen.  Pictures begin to move, images start morphing and altering into and out of each other.  Wars and mayhems begin to change time, space, history, sides.  We are on a move—towards the unfamiliar that is (alas) only too familiar, unhomely that is homely.” 

The Icons series, 2010, is comprised of five video works and five photographs on light boxes that appropriate popular posters of saints in Iran.  Inspired by how Renaissance painters humanized religious figures, Azari seeks to make icons resonate in a new way.

Dabashi goes on to write, “The raped, burned, and murdered body of Abeer Qasim Hamza al-Janabi, the 14-year-old Iraqi who was gang-raped on 12 March 2006 by the US soldiers from the 502nd Infantry Regiment, was the site of a violation infinitely more sacred than a picture of a saint or an Imam.  What is happening to these icons in Shoja Azari’s work is in fact entirely in the opposite direction—a cry of defiance, the iconography of a revolt against the obscenity of violence done in the name of or against those who hold these picture sacred.  He does not so much de-iconicize them, as he in fact re-signifies them for a new generation of aesthetic, emotive, and political registers.” 

Sam Bardaouil, an independent curator, notes in his catalogue essay:  “Shoja continues on his own odyssey to create work that elates one’s perception of the incomprehensible and infinite through the most simple and mundane, and at the end of the day offers us a glimpse into an iconic world where love, not justice, prevails.” 

Iranian-born Shoja Azari has lived in New York City since 1983.  His films and video installations have been screened and exhibited widely around the world.  Most recently, his video work has been seen in solo gallery exhibitions in London; Turin, Italy; and Köln, Germany, and at art fairs including Art Basel, Switzerland, and ARCO, Madrid. 

Since 1997, he has collaborated with Shirin Neshat on film and video installations including Women Without Men, which won the Silver Lion for best director at the 2009 Venice Film Festival.  He has also collaborated with Shahram Karimi on video paintings, which project video on painted surfaces. 

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Whom You Know's Honor Roll of Personal Care Products to Celebrate our 600th Product Alert!

Since inception, Whom You Know has written 600 posts in Product Alert, and we only write about the very best.  Here are a list of brands we have recommended!

A Good night kiss

Acqua Di Parma

Aftelier

Ageless Perfume

Alcon Labs

Alford and Hoff

American Crew

Aramis

Aubrey Organics

Badgley Mischka Couture Perfume

Bare Escentuals

Barex Italiana and Aeto Botanica

Bath and Body Works

Beautorium

Beauty Addicts

Bliss Spa

Bobbi Brown

Bond No. 9

Borghese

BVLGARI

Calvin Klein

Cascading Curls

China Glaze

Clarins

Clarsskin

Clean Perfume

Clinique

Cosmedix

Court n Kai

Cover FX

Crabtree & Evelyn

Creed

Crème de la Mer

Cures by Avance

Cutler Salon Products

CVS

Demeter Fragrance Library

DKNY Fragrance

Donna Karan Fragrances

Dr. Hauschka skin care

Dr. Michelle Copeland

Ecru New York

EOS

Frederick Fekkai

G2 Organics

Happy Company

Inspire by Dionis

J.F. Lazartigue

Jacques Fath Fragrances France

Jo Malone

John Allan

Josie Maran

Juicy Couture Fragrances

Kaia House Organics

Kenneth Cole Fragrances

Kerastase

Krigler

Kusco-Murphy

La Dolce

La Fresh Wipes

La Mer

La Roche Posay Anthelios

Lacoste Fragrances

Lavera

Lip Fusion

Lipstick Queen

Living Proof

Lothantique

Maybelline

Michael Kors Fragrances

Miss Oops

Murad

Nanette Lepore

Napa Soap Company

Nature’s Nail Inc.

Neil George

Neostrata

Nexxus

NIA 24

Nouveau Paris

Ole Henriksen

Origins

Orly

Oscar Blandi

Patricia Wexler MD Dermatology

Paul Mitchell

Penhaligon's

Porter Novelli Life Sciences

Prescriptives

Prive

Pureology

Purist Naturals

Redken

Save Your World

Scenterprise

Sephora

Shankara

Sidewalk Skincare

Skin Authority

SkinMedica

Smashbox

Sniffapalooza

Sponge

Tarte

Temptu

The Body Shop

Thymes

Usher Fragrances

Wella Hair

Whish

Whiter Image

Yves Rocher Amérique du Nord

Yves Saint Laurent

Zia

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CLEAN LAUNCHES OUTDOOR SHOWER FRESH New Fragrance Blends Fresh Notes of Nature with Shower Clean Sensation - A Perfect Gift for Mother's Day and Recommended by Whom You Know

CLEAN. Fresh. Green. Dewy. Exhilarating. Inspired by the crisp, fresh scent of nature’s subtle aroma and the feel-good freedom of al fresco showering.  CLEAN’s new Outdoor Shower Fresh scent captures the invigorating sensation of showering outside, secluded by nature with airy meadow scents and delicate woodsy notes. It is a wonderful choice for Mother's Day and a fragrant burst of cheer for the spring for you and the ones you love! 

 

CLEAN Outdoor Shower Fresh opens with a floral note courtesy of aquatic accord, bergamot and violet leaves. The core of the fragrance offers delicate notes of muguet, water lily and tropical rain accord for a pure, clean scent while musk and sandalwood add a light earthy touch to the perfume.  It is a daytime type of fragrance that lasts into the night. 

 

CLEAN’s Outdoor Shower Fresh is packaged in a lightly tinted green bottle reminiscent of an open lush meadow complimenting the nature-inspired fragrance. 

 

CLEAN Outdoor Shower Fresh Eau de Parfum ($69 / 2.14oz or $38 / 1oz) will launch nationally at Sephora and Ulta in April 2010.  Whom You Know Recommends it!

 

About CLEAN:

CLEAN™ Original perfume launched in 2003 and quickly became the #1 top selling independent scent nationwide.  Since then, CLEAN™ has grown into a renowned lifestyle brand with a line of inspired scents and products that include CLEAN™ Eau De Toilette, CLEAN™ Ultimate, CLEAN™ Shower Fresh, CLEAN™ Warm Cotton, CLEAN™ Fresh Laundry, CLEAN™ Lather, CLEAN™ Provence, CLEAN™ Outdoor Shower Fresh, Wellness by CLEAN™, CLEAN™ Men, CLEAN™ Bath & Body, and CLEAN™ Linen Spray. All products come with the guarantee that they are CLEAN™ Credo compliant meaning products are never made with harsh chemicals including sulfates, parabens, propylene glycol, silicones, mineral oil, preservatives and synthetic alcohol. www.cleanperfume.com 

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Introducing Alford & Hoff Eau de Toilette for Men, Highly Recommended by Whom You Know

This exciting multi-faceted new fragrance is an extension of the wildly successful luxury skin care line for men, Alford & Hoff, which premiered at Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman.

Created by world-class Perfumer, Rodrigo Flores-Roux of Givaudan, Alford & Hoff EDT is for the new generation man: a juxtaposition of light and dark, clarity and richness, texture and polish.  Alford & Hoff EDT is a modern scent, containing only the finest ingredients.   It is perfect this spring for men of Manhattan, and everywhere!

• Topnote: The first impression draws you in with the aromatic power of fresh citrus and intoxicating herbs, immediately setting it apart.  ORPUR, the highest quality absolute exclusive to Givaudan, is included in the topnote fragrances.

 

• Midnote: The scent deepens as a drop of sweet rum leads into the core of rare oils and absolutes.  A modern new masculinity unfolds into warm, addictive vanilla and tonka beans from the world’s most exotic regions.

 

• Drydown: The long lasting background of golden molten amber poured over weathered leather and soft suede provides a nuzzle factor that only intensifies with time and warmth of skin.

 The unique combination of notes and accords creates a visceral response when you’re close to someone wearing it. 
 

 

 

Our gentlemen's panel tested this fabulous new find, and here is what they had to say:

 

After purchasing my wife a bottle of her favorite perfume for Mother's Day at our favorite Neiman Marcus, I decided to see what new fragrances were available for men.  I told the clerk that I was looking for something current and exciting and needed a change from my current cologne.  She showed me several new items, but the one that caught my eye was the Alford & Hoff Eau de Toilette.  The packaging was unique in that it has two release buttons securely holding the bottle inside, great for traveling.  The distinctive glass bottle is topped by a cover made of real wood, imagine going "green" in the fragrance industry.

 

The color of the Alford & Huff reminds me of my favorite dark rum libation, and once I sprayed some on, I detected a hint of rum, or was that just wishful thinking.  I found out that well know Perfumer, Rodrigo Flores-Roux, created this vibrant scent.  A mixture of citrus, Orpur, rare oils, vanilla and other fragrances are blended together to produce this masculine scent.  A single push on the dispenser was all that was needed to release the aroma that would last for hours, but not be overpowering.

 

Anyone looking for an Eau de Toilette for men that is modern and distinctive should consider purchasing Alford & Hoff, and remember ladies, Father's Day is quickly approaching. 

I must admit I have never heard of Alford & Hoff or their line of men’s skin care and fragrances.   I am snob when it comes to my cologne.  I am not going to lie to you and tell you that I can break down all the different notes in cologne but I can tell you I know if it is a winner or a loser.  My first impression of Alford & Hoff Eau de Toilette was the packaging, very sharp,  and certainly looking the part of being a high end fragrance.  Now it was time for my cologne test - two sprays in the air and a walk through the mist – sometimes repeated if necessary.  It has a pleasant smell – not too strong, not too weak.  I would say it has a fresh scent at first, but then settles into a more masculine, deep, sweet scent.  This scent is great for the work day and also great for a night out with the ladies.  I’ve received several compliments  in my experiences with the latter recently, which, lets face it, is all that matters.  Alford & Hoff will be my go-to scent, whether I am trying to put my best foot forward in a business meeting or if I am trying to impress a woman.  

Loved the Alford & Hoff fragrance!  It comes in a sleek rectangular box and the bottle itself shows very well.  I wore it all weekend and had a very strong response to the smell.  It has a spicy hint to it, but not too much.  The aroma has a lasting presence, great range and people notice.  I was stopped separate times and was asked what I was wearing, which is very rare for me or any guy I have found, I definitely recommend the product to any males looking to make a presence with their scent.

I can't believe how many compliments I have received after using Alford & Hoff's cologne! I have literally been asked almost everywhere I go "what are you wearing?"!  Personally, I find that this cologne is one of the best ones I have ever had! It has the most rich, warm, light, natural spice smelling aroma that I love! This cologne has the ultimate masculine scent! I find that the fancy packaging that it comes in is so cleverly put together - - along with the shape of the bottle. I think one of the best parts of this cologne is that only 2 sprays goes a long way so it lasts forever! So if you're looking for an amazing smelling cologne then this is the one you should pick hands down! Trust me you won't regret it! 

Alford & Hoff EDT (100 mL) is highly recommended by Whom You Know and is available for $125 at www.alfordandhoff.com, Bergdorf Goodman, and Neiman Marcus. 

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