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I expected last night’s Dark Shadows premiere to be a zoo, but, at least in the media corral, it was much more civilized than other entertainment events I’ve shot. We were herded like cattle, as we always are, but more like free range grass fed cattle than the corn fed feedlot variety.

The fans, some of them hard core, were out in droves. Check out the costumes in this group of folks  trying to attract Johnny Depp’s attention:

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And, here’s Johnny…..

Michelle Pfeiffer

The lovely Bella Heathcote…

The director, Tim Burton….

Producer Jerry Bruckheimer….

And wacky Steven Tyler and Cloris Leachman…

I don’t know that I was fully prepared for the craziness surrounding the premiere of The Muppets movie on November 12. An army of photographers, videographers and assorted other media types all jockeying for position in a space large enough for about half as many as showed up. You haven’t lived until you’ve seen dozens of middle-aged photographers screaming at the top of their lungs, “Miss Piggy, Miss Piggy, over here, give us a look over your shoulder.”

Despite the chaos, it was fun and I got some good images. Next time I’ll wear Kevlar.

Premiere of The Muppets at the El Capitan Theater in Hollywood

In addition to the various Presidential candidates who appeared at the Republican Leadership Conference in New Orleans a week ago, a number of additional GOP luminaries – some of them former or soon to be candidates – also gave speeches. These included Texas Gov. Rick Perry, Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, and South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint.  And, finally, there was the controversial Barack Obama impersonator, Reggie Brown, whose tasteless and racist spiel got him yanked from the stage. Here they are:

Texas Gov. Rick Perry

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Mike Huckabee

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Senator Jim DeMint (R – SC)

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Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour

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Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal

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Barack Obama Impersonator Reggie Brown

I have just returned from several days in New Orleans where I was photographing the Republican Leadership Conference, an annual gathering of 2,000 or more of the party faithful. It was an interesting glimpse into Republican philosophy and strategy for the 2012 Presidential election and a revelation about the nature of grass roots politics. The conference felt as much like a religious revival as it did a political event. The forces of evil were embodied by Barack Obama and his liberal minions and the instrument of salvation, the messianic figure, was personified by Ronald Reagan, whose image appeared constantly on huge video screens and whose memory was invoked by nearly every noteworthy speaker over the course of the three days. The quality of the rhetoric varied greatly, from tough but thoughtful speeches by Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum to bombastic invective by a variety of lesser party lights. I was disappointed by the absence of Pawlenty, Huntsman and Romney, but the potential 2012 Presidential nominees were otherwise well represented. Here are a few images of those who have declared:

Michele Bachmann


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Newt Gingrich


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Ron Paul

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Herman Cain

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Rick Santorum

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Gary Johnson

President George W. Bush was in town last night to speak at a fundraiser for Arizona Christian University held at the Phoenix Convention Center. Photographers were only given access for three minutes (that’s 3!), so I didn’t get a chance, obviously, to hear much of the speech. He began with a couple of quips about the sense of liberation he felt when he and Laura left Washington for their ranch in Crawford, TX. Here he talks about coming into the living room and saying to Laura, “Free at last!”

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Although, again, it’s difficult to gauge the tone of a speech based on three minutes of exposure, he was genial and seemed very relaxed.

Every year, Childhelp, an Arizona-based charity founded to aid abused children, holds its principal fundraiser in conjunction with the Barrett Jackson automobile auction in Scottsdale. The event attracts a number of local celebrities and politicians and usually features a musical performance of some kind. The featured artist this year was Willie Nelson:

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Other celebrities in attendance included NFL quarterback Kurt Warner:

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Actors Cheryl Ladd and Jane Seymour:

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Arizona Governor Jan Brewer:

And controversial Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio (note the tie pin):

Yesterday was a big day for Republicans and the party was in full celebration mode last night at its Election Night Event in downtown Phoenix. The star of the evening was John McCain who beat back a Tea Party challenger in the primary and then rolled over his Democratic opponent in the general election.

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The  crowd was largely sympathetic with Sen. McCain’s point of view about Nancy Pelosi.

Jan Brewer, who replaced Janet Napolitano as Governor when Napolitano became Secretary of Homeland Security, won her first election easily, in part because of her championing of SB 1070.

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While my fellow photographers were swarming early in the evening, by the final speeches they were long gone.

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Jeff Flake was elected to his sixth term as the United States Representative from Arizona’s 6th congressional district…

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…while Ben Quayle, the son of former Vice President Dan Quayle, was elected to his first term as the U.S. Congressman from Arizona’s 3rd congressional district.

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Tiffany Quayle, Ben’s wife of six months, didn’t win anything, but she’s pretty, so she makes the cut.

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Finally, Kimberly Yee was elected to the Arizona House of Representatives in District 10, becoming the first Asian American woman ever elected to the Arizona State Legislature.

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