bettie page blog

Beyoncé -Why Don’t You Love Me(OFFICIAL FULL MUSIC VIDEO)

Great video, but would it exist without Bettie Page?

Bettie Page in 3-D...



...and the 2-D inspiration...



First AVATAR, then ALICE IN WONDERLAND... and now BETTIE PAGE... everyone's going 3-D!

Best of all, to see Bettie in 3-D, you don't have to shell out for a movie ticket, wear smudgy glasses or struggle to find a seat. Popcorn is also optional. That's because Bettie's conversion to 3-D can be found coming soon at your local comic book shop in August of 2010.

Conventioneers at the Toy Fair got a sneak preview of the new 3-D Bettie Page... in the form of a statue, sculpted by fan-favorite Kent Melton, inspired by an iconic pin-up by the late, great Dave Stevens and produced by DARK HORSE.

For the uninitiated, Dave Stevens was a highly celebrated comic book and pin-up artist who became obsessed with drawing Bettie Page, a woman who he felt represented the paragon of bewitching feminine beauty. He even held "Bettie Parties" in the lunchroom at Hanna Barbera early in his career, screening any "loops" of Bettie he could find. When he was given the opportunity to create his own comic character, to star in a back-up feature of Mike Grell's STARSLAYER, published by FIRST COMICS in 1982, he created a melange of his personal obsessions... ROCKETEER. The pulp-infused adventure also featured, as the female lead, a "character" named Bettie. Bettie's "appearance" in the comic introduced a younger generation to the queen of pin-ups and helped lead to Bettie's real-life re-emergence. More fascinating, still, when Dave learned Bettie was alive and well... and in his Southern California backyard, he not only led the charge to ensure that all Bettie Page merchandise was authorized and financially benefited Bettie, he also helped her personally, taking her to appointments, the grocery store and the like. For more on Dave Stevens, read our tribute to him on the occasion of his passing, here.

Now, one of those beautifully rendered images is being brought to life in the form of a LIMITED EDITION STATUE OF BETTIE PAGE, AS ENVISIONED BY DAVE STEVENS by the trusted team at DARK HORSE, who have already offered over 150 other officially licensed, high-quality Bettie Page products and were one of the original publishers of Dave Stevens ROCKETEER comic. Sadly, neither Bettie Page or Dave Stevens are here to participate, but those who knew both are doing their best to uphold their desire for quality.

“Dave was a tough critic, especially when it came to his own work. We knew we had to satisfy him, so we were meticulous in every detail. I think we might have succeeded,” said friend-of-the-blog, David Scroggy, DARK HORSE’s vice president of product development. He went on to explain that DARK HORSE approached Kent Melton not only because of his skill, but also because he was a close friend and previous collaborator of Dave Stevens. “We have enormous respect for both Dave and Bettie, and we felt an obligation to make this piece a home run.”

Melton studied all of Dave's key portrayals of Bettie to pick his favorite and ensure an overall fidelity to Dave Stevens' interpretation of Bettie. Kent Melton observed, “Dave and I talked frequently about how female anatomy should work in sculpture. When I started to sculpt, it felt almost as if Dave were there guiding me. The piece came together quickly, almost as if we’d rehearsed it over the years.”

The thirteen-inch "Bettie Page by way of Dave Stevens" statue (including the base) will come in "deluxe packaging" and include a "certificate of authenticity" in the form of a large print of Dave Stevens pin-up artwork that inspired Melton's sculpture. DARK HORSE is still in the process of determining how many statues will be made. Fans can start saving now, so they can pay the $150 for one of these limited edition beauties when they hit comic book store shelves this August.

Mark Mori and Bettie Page Babes On the Red Carpet! I don't know if he's looking to promote his sure-to-be-fabulous upcoming authorized documentary about everyone's favorite pin-up, BETTIE PAGE REVEALS ALL, or if he's just trying to make all the boys jealous. In any event, here's director Mark Mori, flanked by two "Bettie Babes", Reina Terror and Vintage Vandalizm:

"Bettie Page Reveals All" Director Mark Mori, Reina Terror and Vintage Vandalism attend the Brand In Entertainment Integration Auction at Christie's, on January 20, 2010 in New York City.

Reina Terror, a popular New York based burlesque performer, is wearing a Bettie Page inspired leopard print bathing suit, and Vintage Vandalism, a New York based model and designer, is wearing a Bettie Page inspired lingerie ensemble.

Agent Lover''s photostream on flikr

Agent Lover''s blog and vlog

Agent Lover''s interview with Lenora Claire

=spaceduck=''s photostream on flikr

Lenora Claire''s photostream on flikr

Tiffany!''s photostream on flikr

Pepper!''s photostream on flikr (she was one of the "Bettie Nurses" who manned the spanking machine)

Motor City Blog

Deep Glamour

boing boing interview with Lenora Claire

LAist interview with Lenora Claire

Dita tweeted the event

ilikedginger tweeted the event

dedredhed (responsible for the Bettie Nurse costumes) has a great recap of the night (she tweets, too)

LA WEEKLY slideshow and article

WORLD OF WONDER coverage:

• MORE Bettie Page Heaven Bound pics (Tuesday, May 05, 2009 05:51 PM)

• JAMES ST. JAMES INTERVIEWS DITA VON TEESE AT ''BETTIE PAGE: HEAVEN BOUND'' PARTY (Tuesday, May 05, 2009 12:17 PM)


• ''BETTIE PAGE: HEAVEN BOUND'' OPENING RECEPTION (Monday, May 04, 2009 01:04 PM)
  Here''s a glimpse of the excitement, beauty, and glamour at the World of Wonder Storefront Gallery''s opening reception for the "Bettie Page: Heaven Bound" show this past Saturday. Burlesque icon Dita Von Teese, featured artist Olivia, guest curator Lenora Claire, screen legends Julie Newmar and Mamie Van Doren, Cassandra Peterson aka Elvira, Warhol superstar Joe Dallesandro, Perez Hilton, fashion designer and RuPaul''s Drag Race judge and wowlebrity Santino Rice, Bobby Trendy, wowlebrity Calpernia Addams, wowlebrity artists Mathu Anderson and Austin Young, fashion designer Jared Gold, Ryan Heffington and his Dance Attack dancers, and burlesque beauties Selene Luna and Satanica were but a few of the luminaries who graced the party.


• Bettie Page: Heaven Bound - Opening Night (Saturday, May 02, 2009 07:49 PM)


• World of Wonder Gallery Peep of the Day (Friday, May 01, 2009 06:14 PM)


• LAist on Bettie Page tribute (Thursday, April 30, 2009 01:24 PM)


• Bunny and Our Honey (Wednesday, April 29, 2009 04:35 PM)


• Boing Boing Girls Gone Wild (Wednesday, April 29, 2009 09:48 AM)


• Hanging Bettie Page: Heaven Bound (Tuesday, April 28, 2009 05:11 PM)


• Bettie Page: Heaven Bound arrives! (Tuesday, April 28, 2009 04:00 PM)


• Another Subtle Reminder (Monday, April 27, 2009 03:28 PM)


• Lenora (and Lenora) on Lenora (Monday, April 27, 2009 10:43 AM)


• World of Wonder TV


• World of Wonder twitter

www.LenoraClaire.com
www.Myspace.com/LenoraClaire
http://www.facebook.com/people/Lenora-Claire/731212083
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lenora_Claire
http://twitter.com/lenoraclaire
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lenoraclaire/

Bernie Dexter was kind enough to personally furnish us with the following photos of the new Olivia-designed T-shirts that she will be modeling at the San Diego Comic Con TODAY (Friday, July 24th, 2009) and TOMORROW (Saturday, July 25th, 2009) from 12:00-4:00 (although if she's having fun, she admits she will probably come earlier and stay later!)

She and Olivia De Berardinis will be appearing at Olivia's booth, #5358. Olivia will be at the booth for the entire run of the convention (through the end of the day, Sunday, July 26th, 2009).

Bernie will be modeling the awesome t-shirts seen below...









If you can't get to the Con, you can buy these incredible shirts at BETTIE PAGE HOLLYWOOD or BETTIE PAGE LAS VEGAS.

Subtle reminder that "Bettie Page: Heaven Bound" is opening tomorrow at the World of Wonder Storefront Gallery. The above is a painting of Lenora Claire, the show's curator, by the amazing Olivia De Berardinis, the featured artist in the show.

READ OUR EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH LENORA CLAIRE for complete details!

Check out this cool tattoo from Massachusetts mama, Elizabeth.

This is a fresh poster for the "Bettie Page: Heaven Bound", featuring the art of Olivia De Berardinis.

The show, curated by Lenora Claire, opens with a party on Saturday, May 2nd, 8:00 PM - 12:00 AM. There will be a $5 admission for the opening, but the gallery is free to peruse after that.

If you are in the Los Angeles area, you are in for a treat... the Bettie Page event of the year! World of Wonder (the good people who lived, then wrote, then made a documentary about, then made a feature about PARTY MONSTER, and lately brought you both a show about lumberjacks and RU PAUL'S DRAG RACE) has a "Storefront Gallery" located at 6650 Hollywood Blvd., in Hollywood -- that's two blocks east of Hollywood and Highland.

World of Wonder Storefront Gallery is super-excited to welcome Lenora Claire as guest curator for the month of May, as she presents her massive Bettie Page tribute, featuring the iconic paintings of the artist Olivia (as well as some extra special guests!) It's time to dust off those old corsets and fuck-me pumps, and start Vaseline-ing the patent leather, because it's going to be a spanking good time!

One of the main draws is the participation of the always amazing Olivia De Berardinis -- who remains not only the unparalleled modern master (mistress? oddly appropriate) of the pin-up, but also an incredibly wonderful person.

Other treats include contributions from Bunny Yeager, photography from Austin Young -- who's Perez Hilton-as-Bettie Page photo may prove that it DOES take more than black bangs to pull off Bettie's look! Luckily, his work with the ever-cool Margaret Cho helps crowd out Perez's visage... clearing the way to appreciate the mind-bending treat of seeing the show's curator, as herself, spank herself, as Bettie Page! Jim Silke has always found artistic inspiration in Bettie Page, and his contributions are sure to be stunning. The show will no doubt have a sense of humor and fun that would've tickled Bettie.

The show opens with a party on Saturday, May 2nd, 8:00 PM - 12:00 AM. There will be a $5 admission for the opening, but the gallery is free to peruse after that.

If you don't make it, the party is being filmed by Academy Award-nominated/Emmy winning documentarian Mark Mori for inclusion in his incredible theatrical documentary, BETTIE PAGE REVEALS ALL -- so, you can live vicariously through him!


World of Wonder
More from World of Wonder
Olivia De Berardinis
Margaret Cho
shoutout to like-minded Motor City Blog
The feature documentary BETTIE PAGE REVEALS ALL

Paula Diamond is a tattoo artist, body piercer and manager of The Dragon's Breath, in
Bedford, Texas. Check out her work at her MySpace page.

This piece is adapted from an illustration by the late, sorely missed Dave Stevens:


HE adapted the above illustration from this photo, below. Dave Stevens also color tinted the photo, and, as a result of his amazing work, it has become of of the truly iconic photos of Bettie Page:

Caught up with fetish and burlesque star Natalie Minx, who was kind enough to remark on Bettie Page's influence as Bettie's birthday nears...

Bettie is a HUGE influence, but more on the fetish side than the pin-up side. She is the first REAL fetish model and because of her, women like myself are able to share our love for kink in a much more accepted fashion.

We couldn't agree more! Yes, Bettie's look has become "cute"... and many of the girls today who adopt it pull it off with aplomb... but the US Government didn't find her use of ball gags, leather, whips or rope "cute"... they threatened to throw folks like Irving Klaw and Paula Kramer (who took many of those pictures) in jail for the rest of their lives! Irving, in Bettie's opinion, died from the constant harassment.

Well, the government got their wish. Depictions of bondage don't have to go through the sacrosanct US MAIL anymore... you can see Bettie Page's legacy in bondage modeling right now by clicking over to...

www.minxinmayhem.com. A word to the wise... although not hardcore, this is GRAPHIC MATERIAL, not suitable for anyone under 18.

More Natalie Minx can be found at...
www.natalieminx.com ...although this site is not being updated anymore.

Aly Fell, a 3D animator, modeller and concept artist for Eurocom Entertainment Software in Derby, UK, is responsible for the above beautiful, classic pin-up, featuring Bettie as an alluring "Miss Muffet". Aly Fell explains what motivated his cool drawing:

A recent "Character of the Week" on Concept Art was Bettie Page, after she passed away. This was my entry portraying her as Little Miss Muffet. It... was very much a Gil Elvgrenisation of her. Hope it works a bit!

Most of my stuff is purely character work, and I enjoy drawing women, in traditional pin-up styles -- cheesy pics of girls in unlikely situations a la Gil Elvgren -- and in a more complex way.

For fun I like to visit places like Egypt with my girlfriend and hang around with people who wear too much black clothing and eyeliner. And I like to drive my hearse, when it's going...

Check out Aly's ONLINE GALLERY and his blog, PORT OUT, STARBOARD HOME. He's a regular at CG SOCIETY (which also features a gallery), CONCEPT ART and is a regular contributor to IMAGINE FX. Hopefully, he'll grace the Bettie Page Blog again in the future, as well!

Glamorous alt model Bettie Butcher not only walks in Bettie Page's shoes... she walks with Bettie inked on her entire outer left thigh! This tat is no joke... but it is a sexy image fit for this vampy Aussie.

"She is from a comic book i found in my brother wardrobe - Steve Worons' "Betty Page the 50s Rage", issue #1a.

Got her in about 2004... the tattoo artist was Josh Charelton from Rudys Tattoo in Sandgate, Brisbane, Australia."

This "fun loving, friendly 25 year old gal from Brisbane" is an enthusiast of vintage fashion, corsetry, role playing, vehicle mechanics, reading, and is devoted to her cats.

Although she doesn't want to be locked into alt-modeling or pin-ups, she is serious about her body mods:

"I have streched ears, as well as a septum piercing" ...and at least ten major tattoos, which, in addition to Bettie Page, includes a cool red angel wings back piece, a panther on her upper arm, a geisha, a wicked chest piece and LIVE and LOVE on her knuckles.

See more of Bettie Butcher (and her Bettie Page tattoo) on MYSPACE and MODEL MAYHEM.

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Have a Bettie Page tattoo you want to share with the world? Email us! Tattoosdays are always better when we have a great tattoo to feature!

i09 is a crazy popular blog, part of the blogging empire that includes Jezebel, Jalopnik, Gizmodo and other actually successful, well read blogs that, like, get comments and stuff. Anyway, Jesus Diaz, an employee of this bloggantuan group of sites, worked this up. So... enjoy, if that's your bag.

(by the way, I pulled this from their comments section, as no credit was given for the "ahem" inspiration for the work - no mention of Bunny Yeager and they called Bettie Page "Bette" -- TWICE, so it wasn't a typo! GRRRR. I saw this a while ago but these facts prevented me from posting it then... but I did bookmark it and I'm going through my bookmarks and, well, y'know...)

#
10:05 AM on Fri Mar 27 2009
Plague

A lot?
Sorry, that's a Betty [sic] Page Bunny Yeager photo badly photoshopped.

Betty [sic] should not be defiled.

Fan site PLANET BETTIE has a whole gallery of Bettie tattoos -- here's a few, go HERE to see the rest:

Bettie Page, the Queen of Pin-Ups passed away late last year, leaving millions of fans to mourn the loss of one of the world’s greatest beauties. In life, Bettie was the epitome of what this gallery represents. She pushed boundaries in a conservative society and was at the front lines of controversy. Censorship, sexuality…she broke ground in these areas and inspired generations with her strength, courage and pride.

Nowhere has this loss been felt so heavily as in the Art World. From Dave Stevens to Olivia and countless other fine, outsider, and lowbrow artists, her image has touched men and women alike. Her face alone invokes mystery and duality…a purity and naughtiness that beckons us all. Bettie Page is permanently ingrained in our pop culture and in our hearts. This tribute show is a celebration of her legacy and her continued inspiration.

Dienzo's piece caught our eye for the dark whimsy in his work. We weren't shocked to learn he has spent time in the commercial world, working at CARTOON NETWORK, as his pieces have a very clean, bold sense of design. His work, true to the Pop Art aesthetic that informs it, conjures a host of feelings but, on inspection, isn't derivitive of any other artist. Sure, the goth-kawaii noodling of Tim Burton spring to mind, as does Burton's inspirations, Gahan Wilson, Edward Gorey and Charles Addams. However, just as strongly felt is the detrus of a 70's childhood... FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND covers, snap-together model kits and other pieces of nightmarish painted commerce. Like animation, paintings like Dienzo's can seem "simple", but few things are conceptually more challenging than designing and executing such graphicially concise characters with and abundance of what the Disney masters used to call "appeal".

When asked by the Bettie Page Blog to illuminate us as to his thought process, Dienzo explained his facination with the duality between light and dark, good and evil, tying it into the core of Bettie Page's appeal:

"I've deliberately chosen to juxtapose the dark and light aspects of each character throughout my work. Be it literally in the form of childlike zombies and vampires, or by thematic tones of darkness saved by innocence - like cute female assassins.

Bettie Page has served to inspire me not only from a surface level of aesthetic beauty, but also from that same endearing quality of being an "innocent-provocateur." Her iconic presence permeates so many sub-genres of art, music and culture that being influenced by her is almost entirely unavoidable.

I created three Bettie inspired pieces to capture different aspects of the woman we've come to admire.

"Bettie Whipping" is indicative of her risque, bondage era photography. It shows her as powerful woman in control with the sharp contrast of black and yellow reinforcing the impactful nature of that style. "Bettie Purring" is meant to show her as the quintessential vixen. An object of desire with the leopard print and warm tones evoking primal instincts of attraction. And finally, "Bettie Dreaming" is meant to capture her underlying innocence and naivete. Throughout her life she struggled with reconciling her own morality against public perception and that inner goodness is part of what made her so appealing as a "girl next door." I also thought it fitting to immortalize her with eyes closed and forever dreaming, given her recent passing.

I hope these pieces serve to honor her and inspire others to keep her legacy alive."

Rick "DIENZO" Blanco's work can next be seen publicly at Fangoria's Weekend of Horrors.

ANDRÉS SARDÁ CIBELES MADRID FASHION WEEK 2009

And a DEAR ABBY reader wants everyone to wear panties like Bettie Page... just like his sisters used to... um, ew!

In the new book, SECRET IDENTITY: THE FETISH ART OF SUPERMAN'S CO-CREATOR JOE SHUSTER, the characters in these twisted drawings, tied up, spanked and worse, look almost exactly like Lois, Superman, Jimmy Olsen and Luthor. They're not, of course (something else Yoe points out -- probably for legal reasons), but NIGHTS OF HORROR gives an unnerving (and fascinating) glimpse at what comic books might look like if the Code insisted on out-of-bounds behavior instead of forbidding it.

READ MORE about this book at comic book writer Will Pfeifer's blog, X-Ray Spex

...Talking about Women’s History Month over the last 10 days, I asked people who their female role models in history are, and I got a wide array of answers — from Joan of Arc to Susan B. Anthony to Bettie Page. While mothers and grandmothers took the No. 1 place of role models in general, people listed off activists, scholars, authors, doctors, leaders, athletes and queens.

Article in the University of Idaho's Argonaut