Motivated by curiosity and a thirst for adventure I am always searching for innovation. Professionally, I'm a multimedia creator, photographer, style editor, and founder of this digital enterprise. I wear many hats, but they all lead me back to my love for fashion, art and design culture. www.reggiecasagrande.com www.reggieworld.com

Maybe the telltale moment came when, last month, MTV's reliably entertaining reality contest America's Best Dance Crew trotted out a crew that had failed to make the show in all four of the previous seasons. Or maybe it was back in 2007, during American Idol Season Six, when the grating Blake Lewis nearly beat-boxed his way to the championship. (Come to think of it, no one's too blown away by this season's Idols.) But at some point in recent reality-TV history, a dark and troubling question arose: Is America running out of talent?
The concept of "peak oil" posits that once the rate of petroleum extraction exceeds the rate of discovery, global oil production will decline, precipitating disaster. I hereby propose the parallel concept of "peak talent." Given the reasonable premise that there's a finite number of people who can sing, dance, cook, design clothes, or do whatever it is they do on America's Got Talent (yodeling?)--we must recognize that we've been extracting, or "discovering," these people at an unsustainable rate. And we may be running out.
Consider America's Best Dance Crew. This season, not only did we see the crew of former also-rans, but another crew featured members who'd been bounced in Season One, while yet another has been imported from--gasp--Canada. Meanwhile, on American Idol, the producers already rejiggered the rules to deal with depleted talent reserves. First they loosened the age restrictions. Then, after a dismal 2007 season--which featured not only the Bon Jovi-slaughtering Lewis but Sanjaya--they opened the field to singer-songwriters. Having nearly exhausted our nation's store of precious pop belters, Idol is now burning through all the halfway-decent guitar strummers. But then what? Auto-Tune Idol?
On top of that, you've got Top Chef trawling for top chefs, Project Runway and Launch My Line jostling for (hopefully lunatic) designers, and So You Think You Can Dance rummaging for people who both (a) think they can dance and (b) are correct. No wonder reality talent shows have splintered into ever-more-specialized slivers, bringing us the best hair stylists (Shear Genius), singing duos (Can You Duet?), drag queens (RuPaul's Drag Race), or pastry chefs (Ace of Cakes).
Ironically, the reality genre was supposed to be the ultimate talent-buster. No more pesky, temperamental actors; all you needed was a dozen eager idiots willing to live on an island or eat a horse's rectum on TV. But then we decided we'd rather watch people who are actually good at something than people who will simply do anything. Initially we feared that reality TV would flourish by feeding our basest appetites. Instead, for once, we may be victims of our own good taste.
That's because, as we run out of talent, we're forced to turn back to a more abundant resource: the jackass. Witness the popularity of Jersey Shore. So consider this a wake-up call to our spotlight-hungry youth: Get off the tanning bed and back to practicing your karaoke, your balsamic reductions, or your sequin-stitching. We need your talent, and you need our attention. But better an audience that's applauding your ability than one that's just laughing at you.
1/5/10, 4:11 pm EST
Photo: Shearer/WireImage
The stage musical version of Green Day's American Idiot will begin its run at Broadway's St. James Theatre starting with preview performances on March 24th, the producers of the musical announced today. As Rolling Stone previously reported, American Idiot -- directed by Spring Awakening's Michael Mayer and featuring songs culled from Green Day's Idiot and 21st Century Breakdown -- enjoyed eight sold-out weeks at the Berkeley Rep in California before announcing plans to cross coasts to Broadway in 2010. The show's official New York opening night is April 20th.
Exhibition on view: Saturday, March 6 - Saturday, April 10, 2010
Location
Affirmation Arts
523 W. 37th Street
New York, NY 10018
(212) 925.0092
affirmationarts.com
Gallery hours: Tues - Fri, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. and Sat 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Directions: A/C/E to 34th Street and 8th Avenue
January 18, 2010 - In March 2010, in honor of Women's History Month, Humble Arts Foundation in association with Affirmation Arts will present its second edition of 31 Women in Art Photography, a five-week exhibition celebrating 31 of the most innovative women in new art photography. The exhibition, curated by Charlotte Cotton and Jon Feinstein, will present an eclectic mix of new talent, culled from open submissions. 31 opens at Affirmation Arts in New York City on Saturday, March 6 during The Armory Show 2010.
The exhibition includes photographs by Erica Allen, Amelia Bauer, Claire Beckett, Gilda Davidian, Jessica Eaton, Naomi Harris, Carmen von Kende, Anna Krachey, Yvonne Lacet, Erika Larsen, Jessica Mallios, Alison Malone, S. Billie Mandle, Paula McCartney, Rachelle Mozman, Yamini Nayar, Sarah Palmer, Kristine Potter, Heather Rasmussen, Justine Reyes, Lisa Robinson, Irina Rozovsky, Sasha Rudensky, Victoria Sambunaris, Robin Schwartz, Emily Shur, Brea Souders, Rachel Sussman, Kirsten Kay Thoen, Carson Fisk-Vittori, and Ann Woo.
The Curators
British curator Charlotte Cotton recently became the creative director
for the National Media Museum in Bradford, England and will be heading
up the planned expansion of the museum in London. Previously Cotton was
the curator and head of the Wallis Annenberg Department of photography
at the Los Angeles Country Museum of Art, head of programming at the
Photographer's Gallery, London photography curator for the Victoria
& Albert Museum in London for several years and is the founding
editor of Words Without Pictures.
Jon Feinstein is the co-founder and curatorial director of Humble Arts
Foundation; he has organized numerous exhibitions throughout New York
including the recent exhibition "Trying Them On" at Hendershot Gallery.
Founded in 2005 by amani olu and Jon Feinstein, Humble Arts Foundation is committed to promoting the work of new photo-based artists. The New York-based nonprofit serves the international art community by way of exhibition and publishing opportunities, limited-edition print sales, twice-annual artists grants, and various special projects.
The Affirmation Arts supports professionalism in the arts through exhibitions, programming and education.
Press Contact
For more information and images contact Kate Greenberg at (917) 375-4333 or kate{at}hafny.org.






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