Famed Photographer Joe Oppedisano Takes Fans on a New Uncensored Male Journey Leading Gay Publisher Releases Continuation of Best-Selling Male Photography Book in Time for Holidays FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Los Angeles, California, July 21st, 2008 - If you’ve ever wanted to take a raw, upfront and hypersexual tour of the male form, world-renowned photographer Joe Oppedisano is your guide. On Nov. 11, 2008, premier gay publishing house, PROVOCATEUR, will officially debut its first-ever published book, Uncensored, a continuation of Oppedisano’s best-selling 2006 photobook, Testosterone. The 192-page, full-color, hardcover (8.6” x 11”) photobook will be available through such major retail outlets as 10percent.com, Amazon.com and in local community retailers around the world. Uncensored is a bold, masculine and completely uncensored journey of men and their deepest desires. From straightforward pin-up portraits of uninhibited men and their raw sensuality to elaborate fantasies of bondage, sex and ecstasy, Uncensored delivers the quality that Oppedisano enthusiasts have come to expect and amplifies it ten-fold. In our current world of oversaturated censorship at every level, Oppedisano daringly pushes the envelope, whether through his tantalizing displays of human flesh captured in poses by some of today’s hottest male porn stars, such as Colton Ford, Steve Cruz, and Erik Rhodes; in his photos that artistically question the very notions we all have of masculinity, sexuality, glam and sardonic humor; or in his captivating presentations of rugged men openly engaging in bondage on urban sidewalks, and muscular, hunky athletes surrounded by lush landscapes. Through his lens, Oppedisano shoves open a new door with Uncensored and proudly challenges audiences, both new and old, with another level of artistic vision only previously imagined. “We are tremendously excited to be given the opportunity to release Uncensored as our first published book through the PROVOCATEUR brand,” said Ron Miller, President of Village Lighthouse, Inc., PROVOCATEUR’s parent company. “Joe Oppedisano continues to not only provide his fans with the highest quality of work, but also strives and succeeds at surprising them at each and every turn by constantly pushing the boundaries.” “Creating Uncensored was an extremely personal, intimate, mind-expanding and learning experience for me,” Oppedisano said. “Testosterone was great, because it got people from places around the world to see the kind of work I did. Uncensored takes everything from Testosterone and amps it up 150%. It's personal work, not editorial, so I did whatever I wanted and had no one directing me. I want the reader to open up the first page as if he's getting on a roller coaster for a ride. When the roller coaster goes up, your stomach starts to get into knots. When you see the top of that first hill you’re about to drop down on, it's all over...you're hooked. I am extremely proud of this book. It's like Disney on crack, so get ready.” Major publications and corporations around the world have long sought out Oppedisano as their photographer of choice for high-end fashion spreads, cover shoots and advertising campaigns. In addition to Testosterone, and multiple wall calendars that reflect his raw hyper-masculine style, his first film Knockout! was released in May by Greenwood/Cooper, a division of Village Lighthouse, Inc., to document one of his best-selling calendar photo shoots. Oppedisano’s latest claim to fame includes a Broadway poster image he shot for the inimitable drag cabaret duo, Kiki & Herb, as well as a piece in New York Magazine about a controversial poster he shot for Artfuckers, an Off-Broadway play. Some of his other recent achievements include the 25th anniversary Calvin Klein spread published in Italian magazine Collezioni Uomo, and album covers for Ari Gold, Colton Ford, Daphne Rubin Vega, Raven O and IO in addition to Colton Ford’s new music video for “That’s Me,” of which he directed. Oppedisano also won an award last year from the Fashion Institute of Technology for his outstanding contribution to the fashion/art world. Oppedisano was also a featured star at Italy’s 2008 Torino Film Festival, where his film Knockout! had its world premiere showing. Additionally, he served as a film competition judge, and had a gallery showing and his own party thrown by the festival, including a special performance from Ford. Oppedisano is one of the leading photographers on Internet blog sites like Towleroad.com, OhLaLaMag.com, Beautifulmag.eu, and Connex247.com, due in part to his shots of some of today’s hottest male models, including Jeremy Mulkey and Joseph Sayers, one of the most memorable Abercrombie & Fitch models and of whose photo spread in last year’s Blue Magazine was one of Oppedisano’s most well known. Furthermore, he is known for his featured photography in such esteemed publications as Esquire, New York Times Magazine, Men’s Health, Time Out, Pref, refresh, MR., Instinct, DNA and Gay Times, and his advertisements for Pepe Jeans and red carpet favorite Carmen Marc Valvo. Never afraid of starting or fueling controversy, Oppedisano also shot the infamous Black Party poster, featuring female-to-male transsexual Buck Angel, and of which has become a high-selling collector’s item. For more information on Joe Oppedisano’s Uncensored or other products put out by PROVOCATEUR, please visit www.villagelighthouse.com or contact Julian Hobson via email at jhobson@villagelighthouse.com or via telephone at 323-460-4661, x125. ABOUT PROVOCATEUR PROVOCATEUR began as a world-renowned art magazine specializing in sensual male imagery. The magazine ceased publication in 1997 after printing eight issues. The magazines that were produced were of the highest quality in regards to their content as well as their production, printing and commentaries. The few issues that were printed and sold have become highly collectible and valuable. In 2004, the PROVOCATEUR brand was revived as a line of collectable wall calendars that feature the sensual, fine art photography and illustration that the magazine was known for. Over the recent years, the PROVOCATEUR calendars have showcased the works of both upcoming talent and famous artists such as best-selling author and film director Clive Barker, the legendary gay photographer Tom Bianchi, and internationally acclaimed photographers Renée Jacobs and Fred Goudon. ABOUT VILLAGE LIGHTHOUSE Village Lighthouse, Inc. is a leading manufacturer, distributor and retailer of gay- and lesbian-oriented merchandise. Its wholesale divisions, including 10%, Alluvial Filmworks, PROVOCATEUR, BIG Daddy, N10Z and Greenwood/Cooper distribute greeting cards, calendars, photobooks, posters, postcards, movies, magnets and other paper products internationally to over 500 accounts. Village Lighthouse’s retail divisions include 10percent.com, the leading online shopping destination for the gay community, and OutGreetings (outgreetings.com), an e-card and event planning service that caters to the gay and lesbian community. For more information about Village Lighthouse and its divisions, visit its corporate web site at VillageLighthouse.com. Joe Oppedisano Q&A About Uncensored Q.) Coming from Testosterone to your new book, Uncensored, what do you feel are the similarities and differences? Do you see Uncensored as a continuation of Testosterone or a totally separate entity altogether? A.) Testosterone was a compilation of editorials I had shot over a seven year period for magazines like Esquire, DNA, Genre, Gay Times, etc. Uncensored is almost all work that has never been seen before. It was a journey coming out of the success of Testosterone. I went through some really tough times mentally. I was put into a box as a photographer who could only shoot dark S/M photos. The truth is, I have been a fashion photographer for years, shooting women and men for institutions such as New York Times Magazine, Vibe, WWD, Esquire, Uomo Collezioni — all work that was not dark or extremely sexual. To break out of the box, I wanted people to see that I work in many different ways. I also wanted to bring the hyped up sexuality out of the dark and in locations that were upscale, and in that way, a little more twisted. Q.) Obviously, there is a lot of raw male sexuality in Uncensored, and in your portfolio of work. But you seem to describe it as ''sensuality.'' What do you feel is the difference between the two, and how do you, as an artist and photographer, differentiate them through photography? A.) I just think that the ''way'' I shoot makes it a glamorized version of porn, especially in Uncensored. Firstly, I have almost every major porn star out now in it, in extremely compromising positions, but it does not appear cheap because the lighting is excellent. They gave me 110%, were excited to be there, and have become friends. Erik Rhodes, Steve Cruz, Jake Deckard, Ricky Sinz, (and of course, Colton Ford) are the inspiration for this, because they live their lives on their terms, and I find great beauty, more than anything, from this. I wanted these photos to blow away everyone's idea of what I do. I push it further, but also I let the sensuality take control and expose raw sexuality, no holds barred. Q.) If you were to approach the female form in the same way, with respect to Uncensored, how different do you think the book would turn out? Is there a major difference in both sexes, or are they basically the same when put in front of a camera? A.) I LOVE shooting women. I just did a lingerie campaign for Carmen Marc Valvo that is one of my favorite shoots ever. It's an incredibly gorgeous Brazilian model in a huge French pied e terre, in $15,000 pieces of couture lingerie, completely dominating Erik Rhodes (such a good sport that guy... love him) I did a men's suit story for reFresh magazine a few months ago and got an incredible red-headed actress I shot for the Broadway poster of ARTFUCKERS, in couture, hog tying, gagging, and about to kill him with a butch knife. But there is always a playfulness that takes the dark part away and just makes you smile. Women are great because they already have that sense of fantasy that I try to bring to the male form in my photos. With women, they can be made up, put in incredible clothes, can do anything, and no one blinks an eye. My goal in shooting men is to make them look like they are shots pulled out of a L'Uomo Vogue shoot that maybe went a little far. I am planning on releasing a women's book soon. Men like it, because the fantasy of an in-charge woman in killer clothes and heels is the epitome of POWER. Q.) You have a pretty exciting career thus far and have worked with some major stars and magazines! Do you have any interesting stories? Who has been a favorite to work with that most of us would know of? A.) Well, my neighbor of 14 years, Amy Sedaris, asked me to shoot her twice, once for OUT magazine, and once for an L.A. based magazine when the movie version of Strangers with Candy came out. Firstly, she's even more hysterical in real life. She's my friend, so we felt comfortable bouncing off ideas, and ended up not only having amazing shoots, but also an incredible time. My favorite shot was her made up and dressed up like we were shooting her for the cover of Harpers Bazaar. Wearing John Galliano, three hours of hair and make-up, she walked on set looking spectacular. But when I showed her the Polaroid, she thought it needed something. So, she went back to the make-up chair, rummaged through some props, and came out 10 minutes later with her hair puffed up on one side like she had just scratched lice out of her head, and about 15 black rubber flies glued to her face, like she was infested. Well, she won. How do you possibly top that? Q.) What was your main inspiration for Uncensored and where do you see your next work going, in terms of structure, form and theme? Is there a common thread that runs through all your work, or does each work introduce a totally new theme to your audience? A.) I like to take the viewer on a trip. I work in storyboard form, so usually I am trying to create a visual story that gets more and more out of control. I have the opportunity to work with some of the hottest, sweetest men from every studio including Falcon, Raging Stallion, Chi Chi LaRue (love her), Butch Bear and Colt. They were all really generous and sweet, and gave me control to create photos of their stars that I really love. As for structure and form, I studied Art History in Florence, so I'm a renaissance man. I love symmetry, the twists and turns muscles create when they are in motion (Look up the sculpture “Rape of the Sabine Women.” It's all about form, muscle, perfection in mind, body and spirit.). Those things will never leave me. BUT, I have been directing videos (my directorial debut of Colton Ford's “That’s Me” was just announced as being one of Logo TV's top five requested videos of all time, beating out Madonna). That’s kinda fierce... Q.) What do you want people to take away from your portfolio of work, whether in the past and currently? Many years from now, how do you want your art to be remembered? And you as an artist, in particular? A.) I think I've already done it. People always say to me, ''I saw this picture and knew it had to be yours.'' I'm happy I create images that are recognizable to people even though the picture may not even be a half naked man. I like to have a sense of humor and also recreate gay history. I don't think that anyone has been a connection to the gay experience we share since Jim French created Colt. Gay youth needs to have something to look forward to when they are 40. The guys I shoot aren't all young bucks, but a lot of them are 40 year old men, and they look pretty fuckin' hot. Q.) Give me one word to describe your particular approach to photography. A.) thought-out ### Press Contact: Julian Hobson jhobson@villagelighthouse.com (888) 910-7372 or (323) 460-4661 Extension 125 Sales Contact: Dave Temple wholesale@villagelighthouse.com (888) 910-7372 or (323) 460-4661 Extension 223    Related Images    Press Contact    Press Contact:    Julian Hobson    jhobson@villagelighthouse.com    (888) 910-7372 or (323) 460-4661    Extension 125    Sales Contact:    Dave Temple    wholesale@villagelighthouse.com    (888) 910-7372 or (323) 460-4661    Extension 223    Past Releases Monday, November 2nd, 2009 Because a Man Should Smell Like a Man: N10Z (Intense) Releases New Male Pheromone Fragrance: Masculinity Thursday, September 24th, 2009 10% and PROVOCATEUR Announce Award Entries, Seek New Submissions Friday, September 4th, 2009 Winner Chosen in 10percent.com’s Priape Wear Model Contest: Washington, D.C.’s Jerrad V. Swodeck Wins $1,500 in Prizes and a... 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