Miripolsky, the Tournament of Roses Parade, and . . . Clogs

The story of Andre and the clogs:

The MOC-Floyd Valley High School Marching Band of Orange City, Iowa, (pop. 6,004) was thrilled to be one of only twenty-one talented marching bands selected to be in the 2013 Tournament of Roses Parade on New Year’s Day. The school takes its band seriously: of the 420 enrolled students, 170 are band members!

Naturally, they were excited when they found themselves in Hollywood on the 31st of December, on one of the special bus tours set up by Red Line Tours exclusively for the visiting high school bands marching in the parade and their chaperones. Their tour also had a special guide: artist Andre Miripolsky. (Andre enjoyed leading three of these exclusive tours on Red Line Tours’ busiest weekend of the year.)

Andre quickly learned that the “Pride of the Dutchmen Band’s” signature is Dutch costumes and wooden shoes, and the group was delighted when he volunteered to decorate some clogs for them.

After the band’s successful performance in the parade, they returned home and immediately sent Andre three pair of wooden shoes: one standard pair and one pair with the roses logo from the Tournament of Roses Parade for him to decorate, and one pair for him to keep.

Here’s the result! They’ll be sent off next week. Andre looks forward to hearing from the band when they receive their unique, Miripolsky-style clogs.

Launched! Chaplin, Hitchcock, Eastwood, and Coppola Star on Miripolsky's 2013 Red Line Tours Tickets

What a great event yesterday at the historic landmark Grauman's Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood! Red Line Tours gathered press representatives, fans, and friends at a private party to showcase the new 2013 tour tickets designed by Andre. The “Directors Series” tickets celebrate four iconic film directors selected by the Directors Guild of America -- Charlie Chaplin, Alfred Hitchcock, Clint Eastwood and Sophia Coppola, representing the Silent, Golden, Modern, and Contemporary eras of film -- and are a memento for tour patrons of their visit to Hollywood. We'll post more pictures on Andre's Facebook Page as they become available!

Andre was in fine form as he spoke to the crowd. His jacket
was embroidered, the same technique used on the costume he
designed for Elton John's famous "Concert in Central Park."

 

Andre paid special respect to Sid Grauman, the American theatrical impresario
who co-developed the Egyptian Theare in 1922, then in 1927 created one of Southern
California's most recognizable and visited landmarks, Grauman's Chinese Theater.

 

Andre chats with Tippi Hedren, star of "The Birds." A special
50th anniversary screening of the 1963 film directed by Alfred
Hitchcock took place at Grauman's Chinese Theatre Thursday evening.

 

Andre with Academy Award winning actor George Chakiris.
 

Andre with John Semper Jr., writer/story-editor/producer
of "Spider-Man: The Animated Series."
 

 

Celebrities surround Andre for group shots.



Oh, and did you want to see the tickets? Here they are! All that's missing is the terrific effect when you see the silver foil detail in person. They capture the essence of Hollywood, don't you think?

 

 

 

 

Photo credits: Greg Firlotte [top photo], John Semper Jr., Cynthia Friedlob, and Red Line Tours.

Red Line Tickets Will Launch on the 17th

 

The invitations have gone out for the press ceremony that will launch the new Red Line Tours tickets designed by Andre! Here's what selected members of the press received via e-mail -- in an animated envelope that opened to reveal it:

 

 

That's Sophia Coppola featured on one of the tickets specially designed for the popular Hollywood Behind-the-Scenes tour. We'll post photos of the event here and on Facebook, so be sure to check back to see them.

Coming Soon: New 2013 Tickets Designed by Andre for Red Line Tours

On January 17th, Red Line Tour’s 2013 collector’s edition tickets designed by Andre will be unveiled. The tickets highlight the work of Charlie Chaplin, Alfred Hitchcock, Clint Eastwood and Sofia Coppola. Click here to read a previous blog post about the festivities that are scheduled, including the 50th anniversary celebration of Alfred Hitchcock's classic feature, "The Birds."

And here are just a few photos of Andre and several of the guests from last year's ticket launch party. Some of Andre's 2012 ticket art featuring the Chinese Theatre, Hollywood Bowl, and Capitol Records building is in the background:

With Rip Taylor and Ruta Lee

With Judy Norton, Dee Wallace, Kate Linder, Erin Murphy, Romy Dames



With Tony Hoover (Red Line Tours), Hugh O'Brian, George Chakiris

With Don Most, Tony Hoover, Rose Marie

With Barry Livingston, Stan Livingston