Thursday Thirteen - 199 - 13 Ways to Admire Lenny Kravitz

1 ...Lenny...

There's no better way to celebrate African Heritage Month than with the HAWTness known as Lenny Kravitz.

Let's open with one of my favorite songs evah.

CLICK HERE to watch the video for Are You Gonna Go My Way?

























2 - Currently promoting his upcoming album Black and White America.

5' 8"

Eyes - Black

Hair - Black

Type - Athletic / Mid 40's

He works as a singer / musician / composer / music producer / actor / interior designer / clothing designer
















3 - Rock god Lenny Kravitz grew up in the heart of New York City, then switched coasts at age ten when his mother starred on The Jeffersons. His father was film and television news producer Sy Kravitz. His mother was TV news reporter and actress Roxie Roker.
















4 - Lenny's musical leanings began early. He learned to play the drums first, but soon moved on to acquire guitar, bass and keyboard.















5 - He's written and produced songs for other artists, including Michael Jackson, Mick Jagger, Aerosmith's Steven Tyler, Madonna and French singer-actress Vanessa Paradis.



Next photo is straying into Not Safe For Work territory...
























6 - Keeping in tip-top shape carries a price.

On one trip to the gym, Lenny was stopped by Miami police and held as a robbery suspect. This event occurred after his sixth album release and after he'd won four Grammys.

"They told me the assailant's description fit mine," Lenny said. "Green pants, white T-shirt, five o'clock shadow and an afro. I was cuffed and thrown against the car. They wouldn't let me go until the bank teller came and identified me.

And all the time they're f---ing with me, the guy who did it is getting away. Made off with $1,500. That's not to say I wouldn't rob a bank. And let me tell you, I would have gotten a lot more than $1,500 - believe me!" - 6stringheaven













7 - Lenny currently holds the record for most consecutive Grammy wins in a single category - which for him was Best Male Rock Vocal Performance, four years in a row (1999-2002.)














8 - Lenny runs Kravitz Design, which has a number of interiors to its credit, including private residences and commercial spaces.

"I had the regular kid room your mother makes for you with the nice shelves and everything is nice and matchy," Lenny said. "Then I got into putting lighting behind things. In my environments, lighting is always very important. It's either going to bring out what you've done, or it's going to ruin it.

I'll bump into women on the Upper East Side who might not know me for my music. But they know me for my style." - New York Times
















9 - Lenny is an acknowledged style icon. Aside from his interior design work, Lenny is active in the fashion world, and had a twenty-outfit collaboration with Gucci designer Frida Giannini and his 2008 world tour. Lenny wore her designs for the duration of the tour, cross promoting music and fashion.















10 - Lenny has taken part in a few acting projects, most notably with his role as a male nurse in Precious.

CLICK HERE to watch the clip of Precious
















11 - Lenny has a slight reputation as a bit of a ladies' man.

His daughter Zoe Kravitz is currently the only woman in his life - she currently has a role on Californication.
















12 - The Lenny we know and love is the culmination of a rich mix of cultural heritages, including Russian Jewish ancestry, Bahamian descent and the Cherokee nation.












13 - You can catch Lenny this summer as the opening act for U2's west coast dates in June:

Seattle - June 4th
Oakland - June 7th
Anaheim - June 17th and 18th

Thursday Thirteen - 197 - 13 Ways to Admire Djimon Hounsou

1 - Actor Djimon Hounsou not only portrays heroes on the big screen, but works for social and ecological justice off screen.
















2 - Djimon most recently appeared as Caliban in Julie Taymor's film version of The Tempest.

6' 3"

Eyes - Brown

Hair - Black

Type - Athletic / Mid 40's

He works as an actor / Social issues activist / Eco-warrior

Works in television / Film
















3 - Djimon grew up in Cotonou, in Benin, West Africa where French is commonly spoken. At 13 he was sent to live with his older brother in Lyons, France in order to attend school.

Was discovered by fashion designer Thierry Muglar and worked steadily as a model (1980s)

Appeared in music videos for:

Madonna (Express Yourself)
Steve Winwood (Roll With It)
Paula Abdul (Straight Up)
Janet Jackson (Love Will Never Do Without You) - (late 1980s/early 1990s)

Moved into acting roles, including a recurring role on ER and in films like Stargate (1994)


Next photo is straying into Not Safe For Work territory...

























4 - Djimon keeps in tiptop shape, at first for his modelling career, then for the stunt work required of roles in action dramas like Blood Diamond.


























5 - No matter how delicious Mr. Hounsou may be, he's strictly eye candy, ladies - he belongs to his partner of four years, Missouri-born-and-bred former model and fashion executive Kimora Lee Simmons.















6 - Djimon first appeared on my radar when he played Juba in Ridley Scott's Gladiator. I love how he's literally got Russell Crowe's back in this sequence.












7 - But Djimon can give the gray characters a spin every now and then, like Midnite in Constantine.

The proprietor of a nightclub which serves the figures of Heaven and Hell, Midnite has a foot in both.

Somehow, Djimon can make pimp suits much cooler than they ought to be.
















8 - Remember my soft spot for a man in chains?

...well...

Amistad provides a rather intense version.


















9 - For the most part, Djimon plays seriously shiny heroes.

When it comes to his personal heroic figures, he looks to Nelson Mandela for inspiration (Kam Williams interview.)














10 - Two-time Academy Award nominee Djimon has worked with many top directors during his film career, including the brilliant Julie Taymor for The Tempest.

"Taymor saves the absolute best for last: Prospera’s leave-taking of Caliban (Djimon Hounsou), a static and silent moment, is a brilliant cinematic equivalent for aporia [a seemingly insoluable impasse,] a real and painful doubt about the possibility of a resolution to the conflict between them, and the underlying issues of race and culture, that the play sets up." - Richard Brody, The New Yorker







11 - Of course, Djimon is an awesome crier.


CLICK HERE to watch a clip from Blood Diamond


















12 - When he's not on set waiting for the director to call 'Action!' Djimon doesn't hesitate to act on behalf of others.

In 2008 he appeared on Capital Hill in Washington, D.C. to lobby for the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act, which provides funding to local organizations addressing the needs of America's homeless youth.

"Due to the lack of systems and support [for homeless youth in Paris,] or not knowing how to find people, only made matters worse [for Djimon who lived on the streets for a time during his teen years.] He spent nights in juvenile services as a means to survive.

'I understand that some of the things you go through, it's not just about you,' Djimon said to 9 News Now. 'Some of the pain that is inflicted upon you, mostly does not have to do with you.'

The actor says that today he is most grateful for the experience. 'All the experiences I've gone through, good or bad, they are all a great stepping stone for you to discover yourself.' " - Lauren Vance, WUSA9




















13 - But why stop at Capital Hill if one has something to say about a passionate cause?

Djimon spoke at the United Nations in 2009 on behalf of climate change.