Louis Vuitton ad shoots for goal with soccer greats Pele, Maradona and Zidane facing off in foosball

Over here at All The Rage we're consistently in awe of Louis Vuitton's ability to land a mind-numbing assortment of stars from the global constellation of celebrity for its ad campaigns. Some of the more memorable ones featured Mikhail Gorbachev, Keith Richards and Catherine Deneuve (not in the same ad, mind you) and astronauts Buzz Aldrin, Jim Lovell and Sally Ride (very much in the same ad, and gazing up at the nighttime sky).

The newest print ad, which will appear in June issues of various international glossies, is another group effort -- and this time the luxury brand has managed to wrangle three of the greatest soccer (that's "football" to the rest of the world) players of all time for its Core Values campaign: Pelé of Brazil, Diego Maradona of Argentina and France's Zinedine Zidane -- just in time to capitalize on the mania surrounding the month-long 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa, scheduled to kick off on June 11.

Shot by Annie Leibovitz in a Madrid bar called Café Maravillas, the shot captures the holy trinity of soccer engaged in a spirited game of foosball, while Zidane's double Z-emblazoned LV luggage lounges near the bar.

Apparently we'll have to wait a week or so to find out who's the better athlete when it comes to table soccer, the accompanying website teases that footage of an epic match between Pelé and Zidane will be posted on May 10 (though a viewer survey at the site currently favors Pelé over Zidane 54% to 46%).

We're thinking that the ad will probably generate more interest overseas where soccer has a larger following than it does in the U.S., but we like it for a couple of reasons.

First is the sharp-looking Louis Vuitton Pégase cabin case personalized by the company with Zidane's double Z initials. It's part of Vuitton's relatively recent Mon Monogram program through which the company will add your initials and a couple of signature stripes of your color choosing (we've been told the most popular color combinations have been "fuchsia," "rouge," and "moutarde" paired with "blanc" or "ivoire") to a Pégase, a Keepall or a Speedy bag.

We say "relatively recent" because, while the service has been available in the U.S. since October 2008, the pieces could only be ordered directly through a Louis Vuitton boutique -- until the whole process went online just three months ago.

And the other reason we're excited? There's finally a luxury fashion ad featuring a soccer player that's not David Beckham.

"Gooooaaaallll!"

Adam Tschorn


Photo: From left, Argentina's Diego Maradona, Brazil's Pelé and France's Zinedine Zidane play a spirited game of table football while Zidane's monogrammed luggage leans against the bar in the newest Annie Leibovitz-lensed ad campaign for Louis Vuitton. Credit: Annie Leibovitz.

Meet SKYE SwaGGirl Photographer & Model

At only twenty-years-old Skye Kalosza has patented her name through photography and grasped a success that many photographers will never touch. “I’m so thankful for my job and for everything I have… so many people are caught working a nine to five, I can pay my bills with a camera.” With a Nikon D300 in her hand she is able to capture eye-catching images that range from glam to morbid.

At eighteen-years-old Skye was contacted by Warpig who took notice of her pictures on MySpace. She did her first modelling shoot with Ozzy Osborne’s Warpig Custom Chopper and it wasn’t long until a flurry of other photographers began to contact her. Robert Gaudette from Revolve Studios was one photographer that had a lasting effect on Skye’s career; “without him I wouldn’t be where I am today.”

“Looking at pictures of myself got me really interested in what it would be like to be on the other side of the camera.” After doing several photo shoots with Robert Gaudette he had decided to upgrade his camera and sell his current one; an Olympus E410. Skye bought the camera but became very discouraged and stopped shooting for a couple of months because her images weren’t turning out as she had imagined, “they didn’t look like the ones in magazines… at least not yet.” During this time Skye was working at a call center as a telemarketer, “Obviously it wasn’t my dream job so I ending up quitting, when I didn’t have any money I picked up the camera again.” She began by shooting her friends to build a portfolio so potential clients could see her ability. She then researched tutorials online to get to know her camera better and began shooting couples for forty dollars, which included about twenty edited pictures.

Aside from Skye’s talent in photography, her Photoshop skills have also matured to become very notable. She started playing around with Photoshop programs as a pre-teen, and now uses Photoshop CS3 to edit her pictures. “You think you know a lot about Photoshop but it’s an ongoing thing… it’s such a vast program you can’t expect to know it all in one lifetime.”

As Skye’s skills continued to develop, she began to get a lot of praise for her work and realized she had finally found her niche. Skye began to get multiple Facebook messages and friend requests every day because of her photography. Her Fan Page reached 1500 fans in one week while her Facebook insights tallied at 2500 views a week. “I began to understand I could make this more than a hobby that made me a couple of bucks, instead it could be my career… Now I can make upwards to $1500 in one day.” Alongside her Facebook group and Fan Page, Skye also launched her first website, created a Model Mayhem portfolio, and started shooting reputable models for free to help make her name more recognizable. “As my portfolio grew I started getting tonnes of models and non-models that were willing to pay good money for quality photos.” Skye’s rates went from forty dollars for twenty edited pictures to two-hundred-and-twenty-five dollars for twelve edited pictures.

Skye’s decision to get into lingerie, bikini and glam photography has been a very beneficial experience as a female photographer. “Ninety percent of photographers are male and the few female photographers that there are, shoot family portrait and weddings.” While Skye worked with male photographers during her modelling, she began to notice that what a male would view as attractive, many women would not. “A guy will put a hot girl in front of a camera wearing lingerie, and every single photo will be hot to them, where as a girl will point out every flaw. I understand the female sickness… girls are comfortable letting their sexy out in front of me.” Being a former model also aids in making Skye’s models more comfortable, “because I’ve modelled before, I know how to pose. It’s good for people getting into the industry that are nervous because I can direct them during the shoot.”

Skye’s ability in photography has grown beyond lingerie, bikini and glam. Deep down she always had an interest in sick and twisted morbid pictures, “I can find perfection in imperfection.” Skye’s first morbid picture was inspired by one of her models. Skye had shot her before and noticed that something was wrong, “I found out her boyfriend had just cheated on her. She showed me a love letter he had written for her only a couple weeks before pleading for his forgiveness. We wanted to incorporate the love letter into a photo, so we burned it into the picture.” From crying makeup is running down the models face but it became one of the most dramatic yet beautiful pictures Skye had ever created.

From there, Skye went on to create her 11:59 brand; “one minute before midnight.” 11:59 is a group of photos that are not your typical pretty picture, “if you like perfect you won’t like these photos, but they’re extremely eye catching.” Her morbid fascination will continue this Halloween when she launches her creepy yet sexy calendar.

Although Skye’s success as a twenty-year-old photographer is impeccable she still acknowledges the room to grow and hopes to continue to challenge herself. “Everything starts to get boring when you shoot five times a week, so shooting new things will be a challenge.” Next on her list is musicians and high fashion. Looking up to such great photographers as Andrzej Dragan, Dave Hill, Jeffrey Scott and Vincent Peters, Skye Kalosza has raised the bar and is doing it as a young female in the industry.

www.skyekalosza.com

www.twitter.com/skyekaolsza

www.facebook.com/skyekalosza

www.modelmayhem.com/skyekaloszaphotography


Story by: Bailey Jeffries

Manny Pacquiao May Participate With Mayweather's Drug Testing Demands

After Floyd Mayweather picked apart an older Shane Mosley on Saturday (May 1), talk immediately switched to the future. A Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao showdown anyone?

The two fighters were set to face off this year, but when Mayweather requested that Pac-Man endure Olympic-style USADA drug testing during his training camp, negotiations ceased and the mega-fight was called off.

Ever since, Floyd has insuated that Pacquiao is using performance-enhancing drugs despite having no proof, prompting the Filipino fighter to file a defamation lawsuit, which is currently pending.

After the fight hit a wall, Pacquiao went on to defeat Joshua Clottey on March 13th, while Mayweather won a unanimous decision against Mosley over the weekend.

Now, however, Pac-Man seems to be softening his stance on drug testing procedures. Two days after Mayweather's victory, Pacquiao said he's willing to compromise.

"I am willing to help the sport for the future of the sport. I do not want to see anyone cheat or cheat this sport," Pacquiao said in a statement on his official website. "For that reason I am willing to consider taking blood [tests] as close as 14 days prior to the fight, as long as my opponent does the same, and it is not a lot of blood, just enough to test."

Swagg.tv Exclusive: Jim Jones - "Hit Em Up" [Official Music Video]

Check out this video on YouTube: By Swagg's very own Martin Verigen aka Footage!

Me & CC

CC is named one of the hottest up-and-coming models in entertainment by Askmen.com. Spike TV named her top 5 in America giving her the "boys best friend" role. She has appeared on numerous covers claiming their issue with the Venezuelan & Sicilian Vixen, CC Fontana, is their hottest ever, and taking the role as "baby Janice" on The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency TV show because of her striking resemblance to the World's First Supermodel. CC is definitely not one to sit back on. The Venezuelan beauty has represented latina females on JDMA with the first ever latin division, and in her cover issues of Open Your Eyes Magazine, Lowrider Magazine, and Girls by Lowrider magazine (just to name a few). Her issue of 944 Magazine was on fire, and covering her athletic background in MMA Sports magazine really got the world intrigued. When this girl sleeps is a mystery because CC really knows how to party it up with her appearances around the world (yes the world) that keep her busier (and more entertained) a little more than your average 22 year old.

Swagg-A-Lo OF THE DAY: Kobe Bryant Is “All White Everything” For LA Times!

Ummmm, where do I begin? Ok, this shoot for LA Magazine is wrong in so many ways. I see where they were tryna go, but they should of taken a different route. Kobe looks crazy. Period.

I guess this was supposed to be editorial and modelesque but, in my eyes… this is Model-MESS! Waist down!

AUTHOR
misscoffee

So Lady Gaga’s “Telephone” Was Originally Written For Britney Spears?

Log onto www.swaggnews.com to hear Britney Spears’ demo for “Telephone” which she passed on and Lady Gaga made it a big hit.

Damon Dash Resurrects Roc-A-Fella Records Without Jay-Z

When Damon Dash pulled a Roc-A-Fella chain out of his vault several months ago and presented it to Curren$y, it was just a celebration of their friendship. Now, the chain means much more. Dash is resurrecting Roc-A-Fella Records and plans to make Curren$y's Pilot Talk the label's first new release on June 15.
"I think we just having fun, really," said Dash, sitting in his office at DD172 next to Curren$y. "[Curren$y] inspired me to dust off the chains. We brought 'em out for kicks, just 'cause we could. Then we was like, 'F--- it, let's put it out through Roc-A-Fella.' It was really more something he wanted to do. Basically, 'cause we havin' such a good time, and the opportunity's there, we was like, 'Why not?' "

"What that means, what that shows me, is that dude thinks as highly of me as I do him," Curren$y said about releasing an LP on the label Dash co-founded with Jay-Z and Kareem "Biggs" Burke in the mid-1990s. "I know what's behind that. We all know and the fans know what that represented at the height of it. The aesthetic of it."

Dash said he hadn't been having "fun" in music since he, Jay and Biggs dissolved their partnership several years ago. But meeting and working with artists such as Curren$y and Jay Electronica who come through his DD172 facility brought the old feelings back.

"The funny thing is, people don't know that Roc-A-Fella wasn't meant to sell records," Dame said. "It was meant to show the respect and the honor amongst each other as friends. It was a friendship thing. That's what people liked. It's what made Roc-A-Fella appealing. It's odd, because I f--- with [Curren$y]. I kinda like him. When I met him, I wasn't as familiar with his music. My nephews and Sean O'Connell put me up on him. I liked him as a friend. Then I start seeing he's super nice with the rhymes, then I started seeing his influence. It's similar to the way we felt back in those days. It's working out."

The last album to come out on Roc-A-Fella was Jadakiss' The Last Kiss in April 2009. The label had been under Jay-Z's sole custody since the breakup of Hov, Biggs and Dash.

"Def Jam or Universal bought the brand. I think the 'beef' [with us and Jay-Z] was that Jay made it clear he didn't want me or Biggs to be a part of it. That's really where it was at. Now that he doesn't work for Def Jam anymore, he doesn't have the right to use the name. So there's no reason for us not to use it. It's there, and it's a brand that's not being used. So I was like, 'I'll take it.' It always meant something to me."

Dash said he and Curren$y are pushing a positive message about friendship and evolution.

"It's a way more positive movement," he added about the label's new incarnation. "It's what I wanted Roc-A-Fella, what I thought it should be 10 years after I started it."

Dash said he secured the new deal through L.A. Reid and Def Jam, which will serve as a distributor for his records.

After Curren$y's album, the next project coming off Roc-A-Fella will be Ski Beatz's 24 Hour Karate School mixtape.

Reps for Jay-Z were not reached for comment by press time.

Vote for Lloyd Banks f/Juelz Santana "Beamer,Benz, or Bentley" on 106 & Park

click HERE to Vote for "Beamer,Benz, or Bentley" on 106 & Park

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