Yesterday was my first day out on the boulevard in a while, and my first time out sans Catwoman since Christmas. I had planned on toughing it out and staying for quite a bit, until business died or my nose turned blue from the cold, whichever came first. But my sister needed help with the kids and I wanted to see my brother-in-law for his birthday, so what follows is just what happened in two short hours:
Sat 14 Mar 2009
A most entertaining two hours
Posted by Batgirl Amidala under Boulevard Life
[2] Comments
Fri 13 Mar 2009
Superhero, model, photographer
Posted by Batgirl Amidala under Boulevard Life, Photoshoots, Uncategorized
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Yesterday Catwoman and I had yet another photoshoot, and we should have our pictures shortly. I think they’ll be really good. 🙂 I only got to see a couple on the camera’s playback screen when we were trying to perfect some tricky shots (and now my shins hurt!), but they looked good so far and I’ll be picking up the picture disc in a day or two.
Today I’ll probably be hitting the boulevard by myself and working with Super Guy, so maybe I can get some interesting stories to put up here. Tomorrow we may have another photoshoot, so it’s been busy lately!
Anyway, today I also received word that one of my photographs from the early boulevard days has been chosen as the official Hollywood & Vine representation on Schmap!! It’s a downloadable guide to Los Angeles with lots of text information and snapshots of all the cool areas, and mine represents one of the most famous intersections. Heh heh, I feel so cool right now. Anyway, if you’d like to see it, here it is. If you’re surfing on an iPhone you get a special link here, and I even get a cool little blog widget if I’d like. Hooray! I’m a published photographer now! Of sorts. 🙂
represent!
Wed 11 Mar 2009
Zannel
Posted by catwomanbyday under Uncategorized
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Just a quick note this morning, because I can’t remember if we’ve given you the links to our Zannel profiles or not. I just want to let you know that if you follow us through Zannel, you’ll get more updates (we take pictures with our phones and post them throughout the day) from us. The blog is hooked up to Zannel as well, so whenever there is a new entry, it will pop up in our updates. Go check us out:
http://www.zannel.com/Megami
http://www.zannel.com/Sidewalksuperheroes
Mon 9 Mar 2009
STFU?
Posted by Batgirl Amidala under Costume Building, Shut Up
[3] Comments
It’s quite possible that maybe I’m just cranky, or sensitive, or something else, but right now I’m getting a wee bit tired of people continually hammering me about my Batgirl cowl. Of all things! First it was “ehhh, she needs a cowl! Ehhh!” because I was either going without or using a domino mask. Then I modified a Catwoman mask to be a serviceable Batgirl cowl, because honestly folks, they don’t exist. I can’t just run out to a costume shop or Halloween box store and buy one, and you can’t buy them online. They’re either part of a packaged costume and all wrong, or else people make the domino paste on masks which isn’t the Batgirl I’m doing. So I’m making the most of the materials I have on a shoestring budget, and really? It’s still miles better than any other hobby costume you’re going to find.
See, what we’re doing here is just a hobby. We spend our own money, a lot of it, putting together these costumes and Catwoman and I are both nitpickers by nature. If you’re going to do it, do it right. We aren’t making much money, if any, on the boulevard, so we’re not even getting our investments back. There are no day jobs to speak of because we were both let go from our last jobs and we have the bad luck to live in California, part of the US’s crumbling economy and the state’s own huge mess (the worst in the country). We keep looking and trying, but there are no jobs right now. So really, we’re breaking our backs trying to get this off of the ground, do some business, make some money and have some fun. We could just be the lazy costume-in-a-bag characters that you see everywhere else, but that’s not us.
This is also why it irritates me when people drop little snarks about our costumes. It’s one thing to say, “I know that’s not quite accurate to the comic, but how can you really recreate that?” or “Oh yeah, getting a slave Leia costume custom made costs around $300, I don’t blame you for using your money to pay rent and buy some food,” or even “Nice work in progress! It can only get better.” Even, “If you’re interested, I know where to find/who to call for a more accurate ________.” We do get that, and thank you to the people who are kind enough to give us that feedback, or even better, tell us where/how to get even better pieces. That is greatly appreciated. But to just say, “That’s not right at all. I hate it,” or “Why don’t you get something better?” without offering anything constructive is not, in fact, constructive criticism. It’s just complaining to complain, and only asses do that. So if you come around, either to here, YouTube, Flickr, or anywhere else we may be just to grouse, kindly STFU. If you’re dumb enough to do it to my face, I’ll gladly give you the uncensored, full-length version of STFU because really, someone needs to tell you that. The world has too many nasty people who just say rude things because they can, and I’ve taken it upon myself to not have any of that in my little corner. Life’s too short to let yourself get knocked down by people who can only feel better by pulling others down.
the current cowl
Anyway . . . if you have such a big problem with that damned cowl of mine, why don’t you put in a donation towards a better one? Materials and my time as a seamstress cost money, and if you want me to do things for you, then you’re going to have to do something for me, too. Hell, if you want, donate enough and I’ll build whatever costume you want to see me in. You can even get a private set of pro pictures in return, for your eyes only, if you’re into that sort of thing. Just don’t whinge and be negative without any sort of options. It’s rude and your mother would be embarrassed.
How appropriate: Bob Dylan’s “Idiot Wind” just came on the iPod.
Sun 8 Mar 2009
Another sunny day
Posted by Batgirl Amidala under Photoshoots
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This afternoon Catwoman and I had a photoshoot in Santa Monica — actually, on, around and under the Santa Monica Pier. It was a really fun day today, and it didn’t feel like working at all. Except we didn’t make any money*, and we were sweating in a most unladylike way under all our latex, vinyl and PVC.
Between poses, or when only one of us was being snapped, the other was videotaping, so I was able to make two — count ’em, two! — videos out of our footage. The first is a straightforward “this is what we did” short:
While the second is a music video. Yay, music video! I’m sort of obsessed with making these right now, and Catwoman asked for one, so this is a sort of Best Of Sidewalk Superheroes (so far) compilation, with some new footage cut in, along with plenty of pictures from today. I don’t want to give away a whole lot, because these pictures are being taken for a reason, but consider this a tasty sample of what’s to come:
*Actually, we did get a tip. It just went to ice cream. We were asked for a lot of pictures and just posed, not expecting anything, and I’m glad we didn’t because there were cops patrolling that seemed a little wary of us until I made sure to mention we were just doing a photoshoot (covering our arses). Then the cop was okay and talked about Watchmen, heh. But we did get some good information while out there, and some great ideas, so expect even more cool new things from us in the near future . . .
Sat 7 Mar 2009
Times are tough for superheroes
Posted by Batgirl Amidala under Boulevard Life
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You know, I was all set to launch a long diatribe on how hard times are, how living hand to mouth sucks so hard and how honest people who want to work can’t, but then I saw this and decided to leave it at that:
seriously
That perfectly sums up yesterday.
It was a Friday afternoon, and it had been sunny all day, though some threatening clouds were blowing in from the east:
there's gonna be a storm
Last Friday had been pretty good, so we had high hopes for yesterday. I mean, the weather was warming up, we were just coming out of a good, drenching rain, and people are going to be on Spring Break pretty soon. It would be good, right?
Eh, no. In the two hours we stuck around, we were only asked for three pictures. I stress “asked” because there were snipers galore, of course. The boulevard was crowded and everyone was armed with cameras, but everyone just wanted to stand there and snap away and expected us to just sit there like pieces of paper. One of us would say, “Please ask for a picture,” or “We pose for tips,” only to get laughed at. I’m sorry, I didn’t realize that was the punchline to a joke I don’t know. I was starting to get so mad I actually wanted to hit someone. After one woman laughed at Catwoman for saying “We do pose for tips, you know,” the lady snapped her picture of us turning away, shooting dirty looks (yeah, great picture! Be sure to get it framed, you daft bint) and I yelled as she walked away, “I’m not a cardboard cut-out!” Then I muttered about being objectified and tried not to do something that would get me arrested, because the cops were out.
What’s worse, we had to stand around and watch all the beggars get business. Wonder Wig, now letting her hair down under her cat mask (even though no modern Catwoman wears her hair down, only the 60s Catwoman that no one but me seems to like) with her same hobbled together costume, was doing great.
“Maybe we shouldn’t try so hard,” Catwoman mused.
“Shit, maybe,” I said. “Apparently quality costumes and staying in character translates to ‘I don’t need money!'”
“Seriously.”
“Maybe I’ll just start coming out with store bought costumes and talk to myself. Look homeless and pathetic, then I’ll do good.”
No one was interested in us. Skintight PVC costumes, pretty faces, nice hair, and yet you go for the 40somethings in six year old outfits who look like they sleep in their costumes (like Homeless Jack). I really don’t get you people.
Super Guy was out when we appeared and said that Superman had been out earlier harassing him. Bat M was hovering about, out of costume, and I don’t know for sure, but I think he’s also trying to start shit. He’s old friends with Superman (they love smoking around all of Superman’s collectibles), but would egg Super Guy on to say something against Superman. The most he would say, though, is that he’s standing his ground and if Superman tries to get violent or gets someone else to do the dirty work, he’s going to fight back.
Some guy also came up to us when we were talking and dodging snipers and mentioned the rapper-character violence that had been on the news.
“Oh, that’s all Bat A’s fault,” Bat M said yet again.
“Swear to god, I’m going to hit you,” I said, and turned away. I already have enough enemies out there because I stumbled into something I knew nothing about (Davy, Sexy Cop, and all their friends), so I’d rather not make any more, but damn. I’m suddenly very tired of all this.
So yeah, crap all around. I’m still looking for a “real” job, but if you pay attention to the world around you, then you know it’s pretty much pissing up a rope at this point. But all I can do is try.
I also keep forgetting two pieces of news I got from a drunk Denim on our night out, so here they are:
1. The ringleader rapper and one other rapper went to jail for two days! They were already out again by the time we got the news, and now I’m afraid they’re madder than ever. Yesterday there was a whole slew of new rappers slinging their shit, and these guys are a lot more vocal. I predict a lot more problems, honestly. One guy wasn’t so bad, he just demanded I smile every time I walked past him, but another guy kept asking for Catwoman’s number and seemed really pushy, to the point that he’d start something at any moment. I’m kind of glad Bat A’s still away, because I know these new guys would give him problems and he’d ask the guys to leave the ladies alone. He doesn’t need more problems right now.
2. Elmo and Big Bird got served by Disney! Apparently they were served with papers a little while ago and can’t do their characters for at least a month, if Denim’s info is correct. I think Big Bird is out as Snoopy right now. But anyway, I guess Disney is doing something with Sesame Street, or is going to, and they didn’t want any SS characters out there during that time. I don’t know the details, I’m just sharing what I know.
And, for good measure, a video I made on the way home:
Funny, I just uploaded that video, and when I went to get the embed code, this video showed up on the sidebar:
It was made a year ago, way before us, but all the old familiar faces are there.
Last video, I swear: How Superheroes Spend Their Day Off
Sat 7 Mar 2009
Yay, I made $5!
Posted by catwomanbyday under Uncategorized
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Can you tell how slow it was yesterday? It was so slow, I actually got the video together on the same day. Yesterday was weird. Nobody wanted to pay for a picture. We even had a whole tour group pass by and completely ignore us saying “We do pose for tips!” and just hold their cameras up and take photos of us as they walked by. It’s like we were statues, or maybe we were invisible and they just wanted a picture of the Hooters restaurant across the street. No acknowledgment at all that we were living, breathing, human beings. What’s with people?
It’s strange. I know we haven’t been out in a while, but we were out twice this week, and once last week, and there have been several characters we just have not seen since coming back. Bat M showed up out of costume today (with a noticeable Batman-mask-tan-line) to chat us up. I saw the older Marilyn leaving as I arrived in my car, counting her cash. We haven’t seen Sexy Cop or Tinkerbell in a long while. It’s mostly the guys out there, except for the girl in a mask that we’ve never talked to. The other day we DID meet a new Harley Quin. She seemed nice, but she was hanging out with King Kong and he’s not really speaking to us anymore for some odd reason.
You’re probably going to think we’re all super-wimps, but it gets cold out there! And fast! Most of the characters were following the sun as it sped across the sidewalk until we were all in one area in front of the Chinese theatre. None of our costumes seem to be very insulating. I even had 3 layers under mine (thin! You couldn’t really tell), plus ski socks, and sometimes glove liners too. I hope it warms up soon.
Wed 4 Mar 2009
Video Update
Posted by catwomanbyday under Uncategorized
[2] Comments
I’m too lazy to think of a clever title this morning. 😛 But here ya go, new video!
Mon 2 Mar 2009
A Sparrow returns to his nest
Posted by Batgirl Amidala under Boulevard Life, Costume Building
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Well hey, it’s about time I showed up again. I’ve been busy trying to figure out how to pull of the Mystery Costume perfectly, so that means a lot of time researching on the Internet, looking up patterns and figuring out how to take from them and modify to make my own patterns (because I never got a degree in Fashion & Design, just took the courses), and shopping around for bulk PVC. I think I have a source.
Anyway, after the worst month ever, February, it feels good to be getting back into the swing of things. Last Thursday and Friday Catwoman and I went out to the boulevard to work, and a lot happened in the relatively short time we were there.
(more…)
Sat 28 Feb 2009
New Kid on the Block
Posted by catwomanbyday under Boulevard Life
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Well, we’ve finally made it back out to the boulevard, now that the rain and Oscar-craziness is over. I still want to hear Batgirl’s version of this week’s adventures, but I figured since I just don’t write much, I’d say a little something.
I got word on Wednesday that Captain Jack Sparrow was back in town. so I bounced up and down a little, and then I told him we’d be there the next day. Not because he was there, we had already planned to be there. But we caught up with Jack a bit, admired his new hand-made hat (if you want a Jack Sparrow hat, let me know, I’ll hook you up. He can also get you some gold teeth to complete your look, if you’re serious about it).
That day, we EACH got a $20 tip froma generous tourist. Woohoo! It’s nice to be appreciated. And then later in the evening, the three of us went to enjoy drinks with the Zannel.com crowd. It was interesting to meet some of these people in person. We got some of the cookie guy’s cookies, and the Captain enjoyed a lot of rum.
Fast forward to Friday, Batgirl and I decided to try the evening shift. We met on the boulevard, but I arrived first. The first thing to catch my eye was – a really buff Superman! Immediately I knew this wasn’t Chris. So after walking up and down the boulevard to see if the Captain or Batgirl were around yet, I came back and introduced myself. Turns out he’s a really, really, super-nice guy. (Get it? Super?) We hung out with him, and earned a decent amount for the what, hour and a half we stayed? lol. It gets cold in PVC! And spandex. Superman left before us, but he’d been out for a while. Gosh. We need to think of a nickname for him now… Before he left, we did take some photos with him. He also got a group photo with us and the Jokers, and promised to email it at some point. I look forward to seeing him again. 😀
