EL SQUARED

Let's be honest, folks. It goes beyond wanting to hate her. Lindsay Lohan is hot. Mistakes, sure. Jail- you bet...even her film career...a series of well crafted train-wrecks- will draw you in. I'm yet to encounter a person who doesn't find Tina Fey's Mean Girls,- amusing- if not to the the level of full-on quoting. CNN.com is featuring a video this afternoon discussing Lohan's cover and photo series in New York Magazine mimicking the photo shoot of Marilyn Monroe, just six weeks before her death: offically referenced as "The Last Sitting." Cries from a multitude of directions claiming that it's controversial, dangerous- a simple cry for media attention- or that she has no right...Others say they are gorgeous photos- some critics believe that Lohan should shape her own identity- rather than borrowing, or ( whisper: stealing) from media or pop-culture icons.

I would like to read on further- as to why Lohan was selected to do this particular photo shoot- it clearly must go beyond her apparent fascination with Monroe- who isn't a little curious? Clearly the individuals in the feature chose her for specific reasons. My educated analysis based on the online article was affirmed after reading this particular excerpt:

Forty-six years later, Stern has revisited his classic shots with Lindsay Lohan, another actress whose prodigious fame is not quite commensurate with her professional achievements. Stern, who shot the photos on film rather than digitally, told me he was interested in Lohan because he suspected “she had a lot more depth to her” than one might assume from “those teenage movies.” Indeed, many in the film industry believe that Lohan has yet to pursue projects equal to her gifts. Without putting too fine a point on it, you might say Lohan has, like Monroe, a knack for courting the tabloids and tripping up her career.

(www.nymag.com)

I will certainly be picking up a copy of the recent issue of New York Magazine on my way to the subway- and putting Murakami's Wind Up Bird Chronicle on hold for this commute home.