Last night’s premiere was a little less unruly than the night before, perhaps because the celeb crowd was smaller. But, Robert Downey Jr. and Rachel McAdams from the movie both attended along with a handful of other glams. The thing that struck me last night was the other-worldliness of some of these people. Rachel McAdams, for instance, looks like she’s lit from within. I particularly like the contrast in the bottom two pictures between Rachel and the folks behind her:
It’s good to mix things up. A few days of quiet, slow-paced, contemplative, peaceful landscapes, then a few days of combat in the photographers’ pen at movie premieres. There is a lot of pent-up rage in that group of people and things can get a little testy.
Because of the number of celebrities who showed up and the high profile of New Year’s Eve, last night was particularly wild. The insanity notwithstanding, I love shooting these events. It’s absorbing, like rock climbing or hang-gliding. There is a lot of standing around at the beginning, but once the action starts, time disappears. Despite the volatility of the environment, it’s an almost Zen-like experience.
Here are a few of the glamorati who were there:
Premiere of "New Year's Eve"
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:
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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:
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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.
