Below are 2010 photos of the Lincoln Memorial licensed Creative Commons 3.0:

Lincoln Memorial stock photograph

Wide angle Abe Lincoln

Winter Lincoln Memorial with sun spots.

My winter study of the Washington Monument, with the remnants of the 2010 blizzards, licensed Creative Commons 3.0:

Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial with the Monument.

Washington Monument with snow.

Washington Monument from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial with the frozen reflecting pool in the foreground.

Me with my sisters with the Monument burned into the sky.

Gore Vidal was at the Union Square Barnes & Noble to be interviewed by Leonard Lopate to discuss his life and his photographic memoir, Gore Vidal: Snapshots in History’s Glare.  He was spectacular, although he did not raise the headlines that he did at the 92nd Street Y.  From New York magazine:

Accused anti-Semite Gore Vidal is scheduled to speak at the 92nd Street Y, and former mayor Ed Koch is convinced that “those who invited him are, as Jews, either most forgiving, or schmucks.”

In attendance was Susan Sarandon, whom I photographed at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival, and Dick Cavett.  I also had shot Eva Amurri, Sarandon’s daughter.  After the event was over I introduced myself to Ms. Sarandon, and told her that the photograph at the top of her Wikipedia article is mine, and that it was a pleasure to have the opportunity to meet her.  The atmosphere at the book store was very relaxed.  There was a huge crowd and people were milling about to get out.  She looked at me and after a moment or two said, “I’m sorry, but I don’t know what ‘my Wikipedia article‘ is.  I don’t know what is Wikipedia.  But it’s a pleasure to meet you nonetheless.”  Then she returned to her friends.

Usually Wikipedia makes for a good ice-breaker, as it did with the aforementioned Ed Koch.  Not this time.

Then because of the way the crowd moved, Susan Sarandon was right behind me on all four escalators down.  Thankfully I was standing next to a pudgy Chatty Cathy of a man who had to talk about all the other times he had seen Gore Vidal. The moment I glanced at this guy in line he launched into Vidal lecture stories. I didn’t want Susan Sarandon behind me on the escalator to think, ‘Oh, shit, now I’ve got to talk to this Wiki whatever person four floors down.‘  I acted so into the conversation that I must have made the man’s night, but I don’t remember a thing he said except, “Gore looks on his last legs. I’ve seen him look better…”

At one point I glanced back and made eye contact and then quickly turned back around, just so she didn’t have to worry that maybe I hadn’t seen her; the introduction was pleasant and rewarding enough.

Nobody else noticed Susan, and where there was a pile-up beginning at the bottom of the escalator to the second floor because people wouldn’t move, it was Sarandon who called out, “Come on people, we have to move, this is dangerous.”  That’s a New Yorker, although I imagine the headline “Susan Sarandon Crushed in Tragic Bookstore Escalator Pile-Up” wasn’t an appealing thought to her, either.

Gore Vidal makes few public appearances now; below are Creative Commons photographs I released under the 3.0 attribution license that are now found on Wikipedia and my Flickr Creative Commons stream.

RZA, the co-founder of the Wu Tang Clan, was at Barnes & Noble Union Square to promote what is destined to be a must-read for any hip-hop aficionado, The Tao of Wu.  The Wu Tang is cited by MTV as the fifth greatest Hip-hop group of all time.

Something that stuck out was RZA talking about his troubled history.  He told the audience that even though his music seems to glorify violence and drugs, in reality he is embarrassed by some of the things he has done.  Hurting people, he said, is not something he is proud about.  The words were infused with a sense that, looking back, he probably made the choices he thought would most help his game even though he wishes he had had other options available to him.  It was a touching moment of honesty.  From Wikipedia:

Robert Fitzgerald Diggs, better known by his stage name RZA (pronounced ‘Rizza’; born July 5, 1969), is an American Grammy winning music producer, author, rapper, and occasional actor, director, and screenwriter. A prominent figure in hip hop music, he is the de facto leader of the Wu-Tang Clan. He has produced almost all of Wu-Tang Clan’s albums as well as many Wu-Tang solo and affiliate projects. He subsequently gained attention for his work scoring and acting in films.

Fox News reported that in mid-2007 RZA attended one of Hillary Clinton’s parties and donated money to her 2008 campaign. Fox News criticized the fact that Clinton took money from The RZA, claiming it was contradictory due to RZA’s felony record, FBI investigation, ties to the Gambino family and his music lyrics.  RZA referred to the investigation in one of his lyrics, “Plus, feds had one ad saying I gun traff’ / I sold 20 million records bitch, some laugh.”

Fox News is such a joke.

Below are Creative Commons photographs I released under the 3.0 attribution license that I took of RZA. They are now available on Wikipedia and my Flickr Creative Commons stream.

Below are Creative Commons photographs I released under the 3.0 attribution license that I took of Bernadette Peters at the premiere of Don McKay at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival. They are now available on Wikipedia and my Flickr Creative Commons stream.