Halloween is coming...

... and Rudy Nebres brings us some visions of Vampirella in keeping with the Season!

A word of caution

 Dancers are very territorial. If you come upon a dance-off for dominance, make no sudden moves, but back away slowly and in as non-graceful a fashion as possible. Also, be sure to walk without rhythm.

Checking out a Moon Girl

We've once again trained our powerful, specially constructed telescope upon the Moon... and as we watched a lounging Moon Girl, we noticed that she was watching us right back! Who can say what this development will bring?!

Claudette Colbert was born 120 years ago today

We're celebrating 120 years since the birth of the versatile star of screen and stage, Claudette Colbert with a small gallery of photos!

 

Claudette Colbert was born in France on September 13, 1903. She immigrated with her parents to the United States in 1906, and young Claudette grew up in New York City with dreams of becoming a star on Broadway. When the Great Depression hit, and all but shut down stage productions, young Claudette decided to take a shot at the evolving and increasingly popular field of movies. Her first known film appearance took place in 1927.

 

After a rocky start in the film biz--that involved unhappy experiences and a commercial failure or two--she rocketed to movie fame and immortality in the mid-1930s with "In Happened One Night" and "Cleopatra" (both released in 1934. Her popularity with the movie going audiences never waned, and they followed her to television after she traded the big screen for the small one beginning in the early 1950s.

 
 
 

Claudette Colbert appeared in some 80 films and television shows of almost every genre between her screen debut in 1927 and her retirement from acting in 1987. Over those six decades, she also attempted to fulfill her childhood dreams of Broadway stardom, but she never managed to capture the hearts of theatre-goers to the degree she did those of filmlovers. She remained a radiant and charming presence right up until she passed away following a series of strokes in 1996.

Ellen's Leg Regimen

Ellen Majewski, one of the Shades of Gray dancers, keeps her leg strength up by doing lifts with a bowling ball thirty minutes each day.

To beat the summer heat...

... the Shades of Gray Dancers are staying close to (or in) the sea!

Picture Perfect Wednesday with Snow White

If I can believe the headlines flashing across my computer screen, the casting of Rachel Zegler as Snow White in the live-action version of the classic animated Disney film (which itself was based on a fairy tale) is still controversial. Why I couldn't tell you.

Zegler likes to go on about the fact that she's Hispanic, but unless this version of Snow White is strutting around throwing gang signs while calling every one "vato" and looking for the nearest bullfighting ring or trying to cross the Rio Grande illegally, who cares? She's a pretty black-haired actress, playing a pretty black-haired character. People should save their faux outrage until they see what the writers give Zegler to do on screen.

And with that said, here are some pictures of Zegler for your viewing pleasure.

If you ask me, any outrage related to this film should be for things that have been confirmed with production stills, such as the hostility towards the differently abled that is clearly on display via the decision to get rid of the Seven Dwarves and replacing them with "normal" actors.

 The dwarves have been present in the "Snow White" story since the Brothers Grimm first recorded the folk tale several centuries ago, even if they weren't named until the 1912 stage play based on it. By erasing these characters, the film's producers, director, and the Walt Disney Company is denying work to actors with dwarfism.

Looking at Murder ala Mod

 It's some 55 years since Brian De Palma made his first feature film, "Murder ala Mod". On Friday, August 18, we're featuring it in The Screening Room over on YouTube. You'll eventually see a review of the film here, but if you have the time, we encourage you to join other film fans to talk about the picture as it debuts on our channel.

In the meantime, though, here are some stills and publicity photos from "Murder ala Mod", by way of a preview.

Wonder Woman Wednesday!

Wonder Woman is taking some time to relax this summer, so here are a few portraits of her lounging around.

 

Behold: The Sorceress of Zoom!

The Sorceress of Zoom is an enigmatic, supremely powerful woman who travels the floating city of Zoom. She is a able to bend any aspect of reality to her will... except the human heart. For all her personal power, for all her vast wealth and collection of magical artifacts, she remains alone and unable to find love (or even a man that can satisfy her lust).

No living being knows her name, nor how she came to be the all-powerful ruler of the flying city; the Sorceress of Zoom keeps her secrets and all who seek to learn them come to horrible ends. She has been featured in two books from NUELOW Games so far ("The Sorceress of Zoom" and "The Sorceress of Zoom: Down to Earth". A third volume has been planned, but since it reveals some of the Sorceress's secrets, the people at NUELOW Games may not dare publish it.

Although several artists have portrayed the Sorceress of Zoom (prime among these being Don Rico and Bradley K. McDevitt, no one has published photos of her.

Until now.

During her visit to our Reality and Earth, the Sorceress commanded a photographer to capture her true appearance and essence. It is unknown if she was happy with the results, as the photographer was never heard from again. We have recently come across some extremely rare prints that came from the photo-session of the Sorceress, and we are proud to bring them to you on this, the first Picture Perfect Wednesday of August 2024!

(In seriousness, those aren't photos of the Sorceress of Zoom. They are publicity stills featuring actress and model Joyzelle Joyner, promoting the 1930 sci-fi comedy "Just Imagine". But if the Sorceress WAS to pose for pictures, we think THAT is exactly how she's look. And we're also serious about hoping to see that third "Sorceress of Zoom" book from NUELOW Games. If you want to see it, too, leave a comment below!)

Summer is in full swing...

... and the Shades of Gray dancers are heading to the beaches!

Jane Birkin has passed away

Retired actress and singer Jane Birkin passed away on July 16, 2023. She was 76 years old. In here memory, here's a gallery of photos she posed for at her height of fame during the 1960s and 1970s.

Rumor has it that Jane Birkin didn't wear shoes until she was 27 years old. After taking a walk in the snow on her 27th birthday, she discovered the usefulness of footwear!
 

 Jane Birkin was the subject of quarterly posts here at Shades of Gray in 2021. You can enjoy those pictures by clicking on her name underneath this post.