The seven young models never used to have this much time for the beach. They’d hop from cellphones to cabs to casting calls, posing and pouting for the catalogs during the height of Miami’s modeling season.
Times being what they are, they now soak in the sorrow of an industry while lounging on beach towels in bikinis and board shorts, or tossing a volleyball. This game is informal, for not one but two of the annual local beach volleyball tournaments have been spiked.
”Oh, the economy!” lamented 19-year-old Dani Dwyer, a wispy blonde with a flat stomach in a black bikini.
This week’s news that the Irene Marie Models agency was shutting its doors in South Beach only served to reaffirm that the nation’s economic ugliness had tainted the world of glamour.
The owner of a top modeling agency in South Beach that closed its doors last week due to a downturn in advertising was in her office on Thursday.
Irene Marie, whose agency bears her name, arrived Thursday morning to hand out portfolios and other promotional materials to models.
”When you are sitting in the middle of February, which is one of the biggest months of the year, in a seasonable business, and there is not much hope left, I was forced into a very difficult decision,” Marie said on Wednesday.
The sign posted outside the agency’s Ocean Drive studio had a clear message: The recession hit the company hard, and models were given instructions on times to pick up their portfolios over the next several days.
Hundreds of models are expected to drop by the studio on Thursday, Friday and Monday afternoon.
The economic downturn has led advertisers to cut back drastically, slicing revenue for newspapers and magazines, and in turn, the agencies that book the models who pose for the photos.
Spending on photo shoots plunged 36 percent in 2008, down to $23 million, according to Miami-Dade figures. That’s an accelerated drop from a broader decline this decade. In 1999, Miami-Dade recorded $46 million in spending on photo shoots.
Great call on Bourdain. He is a perfect representation of everything twisted & jaded with folks in the food world today. Also the perfect American dream story, drank too much and did a ton of dope in the 70’s, 80’s & 90’s. Now has one of the top culinary entertainment career’s in the world and a multimedia superstar. Not to mention he is one of the only true lyrical assassin. Tony has thrown stones at everyone from Alan Richman, Rocco, The Food Network, and most recently her majesty Alice Waters. Dude just isn’t afraid to go toe to toe with anyone.
Now on to something I picked up while hunting in Madrid when I was a young cook. First thing you want to focus on is landing the Jamon Iberico Aka “pata negra”. Iberico pigs from Spain that feed only on black acorns. The marbling on this stuff is out of control. At $150 per lb. in the down economy I know is tight, but it will be well worth it. Just at all cost stay away from the “Boars Head” shit.
Cubed fresh braised Pork Belly should be your next move. I take my pork very serious, Duck is the only other protein that I have the same passion for. well talk about that another time. A nice organic fried egg is a great touch. On to the cheese, Keep it in Spain and lay on the aged manchego. When trying to land fly model chicks, stay away from the stinky cheese. This might be the most important touch of all. I’ve seen some closed deals drown because of the cheese. Drizzle with a nice Extra Virgin olive oil and a crunchy baguette.
Open up a Unico, Vega Sicilia – 1998, Ribera del Duero
Tempranillo, which comprises between 65% and 80% of “Unico” has a structure that seems to defy oxidation. Blended with a small portion of Cabernet, this Tempranillo gives intense black fruit and leather aromas. The texture is legendarily supple due to extensive oak aging. (10-25 years!)
White Wine with pork isn’t an advisable move, especially with the cheese. If you don’t get down with the reds. Grab something barrel fermented from the WC of the US.
It might seem like there is no down side to the Down Economy. But there is: Girl Backlog.
It is so easy to swoop fly girls these days (primarily from lack of competition and rivals falling by the wayside) and “lead generation” and Number Crunching nights are so effective, that it simply is impossible to swoop all the girls you meet in a seven day week. (And lets face it, not to be cocky but I will state the obvious with pockets thick: My style is so mean and my swagger is vicious on girls delicious.)
I still haven’t launched calls to girls I met back at The Del Mar Racetrack back in mid July.
But this is, as they say, a good problem to have, Oh my Brothers.
Maybe we can get Obama install a 10 day week.
He is a smoker isn’t he?
He should understand.
Might help the Down Economy too. Somehow.
Even though I love it.
The Rest is Up to You…
Michael Porfirio Mason
AKA The Peoples Champ
AKA GFK
The Guide to Getting More Out of Life
http://www.thegmanifesto.com
