Laverne Cox Archives - Award-Winning Writer and Graphic Designer

2015 – A Year in Review

dorriolds — Sat, 19 Dec 2015 11:45:44 +0000

We all need a little brag time now and then so here is a smattering of my 2015 accomplishments. I feel giddy and grateful that I published way too many articles this year to list them all. I have selected just a few that I’m most proud of:

The Forward

Say No to the ‘C’
Interview with author Jennifer Margulis about the risks of Caesarean sections.

A Tour of Jewish China
Interview with Israeli entrepreneur Yael Farjun who runs a travel company in China.

A Journey of Recovery From Eating Disorders
Interview with comedian-actress Stacey Prussman who does outreach at campuses to help those suffering with eating disorders.

The Fix

Directing Sarah Silverman as an Addict
Interview with Adam Salky about the comedian-turned-dramatic-actress Sarah Silverman and his movie “I Smile Back” based on the novel by Amy Koppelman.

Sarah Silverman

Rape, Trauma, PTSD and Bill Cosby
A personal essay about my own experience with rape and why women are terrified to tell.

Bob Zappa on Frank, Smokes and Addiction
An interview with Frank Zappa’s younger brother about Frank’s addiction to cigarettes, which led to designing the cover and copyediting his memoir “Frankie and Bobby: Growing Up Zappa.” and becoming dear friends with Bob and his wife Diane.

Bob Zappa with a poster of his book cover

Meet the Remarkable Woman Who Is Saving Afghanistan’s Heroin Addicts
Since the fall of the Taliban, the production of opium has skyrocketed. Afghanistan produces 90 percent of the world’s supply and 11 percent of the population there are addicts. Laila Haidari, a former child bride, runs two addiction treatment centers and offers hope and healing to addicts in Kabul.

More 2015 Olds News

My New York Times Essay “Defriending My Rapist” became required reading for a course on Victimology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY

ASJA

I spoke on two panels at the 2015 American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA) annual writing conference. The sessions included “Secrets of Interviewing Famous People” and “Use Social Media to Land Writing Gigs and Make Money.” And I have been asked back for 2016! So excited. My panel will be on Sat., May 21, 2016 2-3:30 pm at the Roosevelt Hotel. For more info visit the website: ASJA.org.

Book Expo

Spoke for Susannah Greenberg on a UPublishU panel a BEA about writers promoting themselves on social media.

Some stars I’ve chatted with. Dorri Olds

Celebrity Interviews and Photo Ops

And, of course, I interviewed a ton of celebrities, attended press events, and screened a gazillion movies during 2015. Some of the standouts were Robert de Niro, Julianne Moore, Glenn Close, Lily Tomlin, Laverne Cox, Kristen Stewart, Ben Kingsley, Sam Waterston, Lorraine Bracco, Kim Basinger, Patricia Clarkson, Alex Gibney, Edward James Olmos, Nancy Spielberg, Alicia Vikander, Oscar Isaac, Peter Sarsgaard, Amy Koppelman, Tim Blake Nelson, Shia LaBeouf, Nat Wolff, Paul Sorvino, Debi Mazar.

Websites

Created a bunch of new websites. Here are my faves:

Holly Rizzuto Palker
Juliana Neiman
Cheryl Morrison’s Docuclear

DOGS, DOGS, DOGS!
And let’s not forget the fantastic doggie fundraising events I photographed this year!!

Enjoy!!

And write to me on Facebook and tell me about your high points this year.

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Orange is the New Black Series 4 Confirmed

dorriolds — Thu, 25 Jun 2015 08:51:18 +0000

Orange is the New Black Series 4 Confirmed
The hotly anticipated return of everybody’s favorite Netflix series has been getting mixed reactions. “Orange is the New Black” was created by Jenji Kohan based on the memoirs of real-life inmate Piper Kerman about her own experiences in prison. The series has received critical acclaim, 12 Primetime Emmy Award nominations and accumulated rabid fans that claim to subscribe to Netflix just so they can watch the show. The third season premiered on June 11, 2015 but some are questioning if the magic is still there.
Storylines Continue
OITNB Season 3 opened with a special Mother’s Day event for the inmates as Joe Caputo debuted his more relaxed attitude toward running the prison. As Bennett faces up to Daya’s extended family he begins to realize the arduous road ahead. Through the backstories of Big Boo we watch her struggle with family expectations. It’s all about pressure to be more feminine, learning about Chang, and discovering there’s an Amish inmate in the midst.
Steadfast Fan Base
The show’s huge following has created a hungry demand for OITNB merchandise like the recently developed app made by Sankeerna Wali that quizzes fans on their trivia knowledge of the show to a Crazy Eyes keychain. It’ll be interesting to see how many ways the fans will root for the drama. We can only guess if we’ll see theme parks pop up or slot machines, like the Terminator 2 slot and a whole host of companies cashing in with new games. Gambling in the prison is strictly forbidden, of course, but that doesn’t mean the fans won’t go crazy getting greedy for more and more and more.
2016 Season 4 Confirmed
Fans were ecstatic to hear that the show has been renewed for a fourth season, which will debut in 2016. No doubt there will be countless questions left unanswered by this series finale. In the meantime, the actresses who have enjoyed success on the show are developing their own projects for fans to enjoy in the interim. Laverne Cox stars with Lily Tomlin in “Grandma,” opening Aug. 21, she played Sheena on “The Mindy Project, ” and she’s now filming the movie, “Doubt.” And Taylor Schilling’s movie, “The Overnight,” just hit theaters on June 19.

Laverne Cox. Photo © Dorri Olds.

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Laverne Cox on the Red Carpet for the Movie ‘Grandma’

dorriolds — Sun, 17 May 2015 16:04:33 +0000

Photos by Dorri Olds
Laverne Cox (“Orange is the New Black”) was radiant in red as she worked her way down the red carpet in New York City. Click on the accompanying slideshow to view some never-before-seen photos of Cox. These photos are just being made available now and show Cox on the carpet in lower Manhattan on April 20, 2015 at the Tribeca Film Festival movie premiere of “Grandma,” by writer director Paul Weitz (“American Pie,” “About a Boy”). “Grandma” stars Lily Tomlin, Julia Garner and Nat Wolff.

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Yay for a Female-Driven, Pro-LGBT, Pro-Choice Comedy Drama That Delivers and Stars Icon Lily Tomlin

dorriolds — Sun, 17 May 2015 15:55:56 +0000

Photos by Dorri Olds
“Grandma” is Lily Tomlin’s movie. She is in top form in a role created just for her. Writer director Paul Weitz (“American Pie,” “About a Boy”) confirmed that he had written the part for Tomlin after the two had worked together on 2013’s “Admission.”
Yay for a female-driven, pro-LGBT, pro-choice comedy drama that delivers. “Grandma” is Lily Tomlin’s movie. She is in top form in a role created just for her. Writer director Paul Weitz (“American Pie,” “About a Boy”) confirmed that he had written the part for Tomlin after the two had worked together on 2013’s “Admission.”

On the red carpet at the film’s Tribeca Film Festival premiere last month, Weitz smiled as he referred to Tomlin as “so punk rock” and added that she was great as Tina Fey’s mom in “Admission.”
“She was so hardcore, funny and smart that I wanted to do a whole movie with her as the lead.” said Weitz. Before “Admission,” he hadn’t known Tomlin well, “But her intelligence rang like a clear bell,” he said. “It made me think of a character and how much that character would have to offer a young woman under duress.”
Tomlin’s smile lit up the red carpet — corny-sounding, I know, but it did — and she exuded a natural air of hippitude. As I stood next to her on the carpet, she seemed tickled by the grin plastered on my face. I’ve adored her since “One ringy-dingy” and loved her decades later on FX’s “Damages.”

Julia Garner costars with Lily Tomlin in ‘Grandma’

Watch a hilarious clip from the “Grandma” here:
Watch one of my YouTube channel’s most popular videos with Nat Wolff:

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