Brett Ratner, director of the Rush Hour trilogy, X-Men: The Last Stand and the new New York, I Love You, was the guest editor of this month's issue of Heeb magazine. Mr. Ratner decided to take his buddy Roman Polanski to the site of his mother's murder over half a century ago: Auschwitz. Mr. Polanski was guest photographer for other articles in the Heeb issue, but for this feature, Mr. Ratner got behind the camera. The pictures are here.

In a recent interview with The Onion's A.V. Club, Mr. Ratner explains his friendship with Mr. Polanski, who called him after he saw Rush Hour to praise the young director:

Roman became my friend.  read more »

]]> http://www.observer.com/2008/arts-culture/brett-ratner-and-roman-polanski-visit-auschwitz#comments Arts & Culture Movies Brett Ratner Roman Polanski Mon, 21 Jul 2008 16:36:35 -0400 Gillian Reagan 72145 at http://www.observer.com http://www.observer.com/2008/brett-ratner-our-brand-copy

Brett Ratner, perhaps the most maligned filmmaker this side of Uwe Boll, is getting into branding. According to Variety's Marc Graser, Mr. Ratner is "launching Brett Ratner Brands as a consultancy to infuse a dose of pop culture into clients' marketing campaigns."  read more »

]]> http://www.observer.com/2008/brett-ratner-our-brand-copy#comments Activision American Idol Brett Ratner Guitar Hero Fri, 23 May 2008 17:55:29 -0400 Matt Haber 69643 at http://www.observer.com http://www.observer.com/2008/morning-memo-5-5-08

Brett Ratner is not allowed to use the trees in New York City parks to dangle 80-pound starlet Olivia Thirlby from for a sex scene. [NY Daily News]

Sarah Jessica Parker is down on the New York she helped create. [NY Mag]  read more »

]]> http://www.observer.com/2008/morning-memo-5-5-08#comments Style Brett Ratner Diana Ross Norman Mailer Sarah Jessica Parker Mon, 05 May 2008 08:00:52 -0400 Irina Aleksander 68708 at http://www.observer.com