VIDEO: High Noon auctions Pancho Villa saddle for $718K

MESA, Ariz. — On Saturday evening, Jan. 28, 2012, the much-anticipated High Noon Western Americana Auction was held in Mesa, Ariz., before a standing-room only crowd inside the ballroom of the Marriott Mesa Hotel. Internet live bidding was available through LiveAuctioneers.com.

The key offering of the sale, which received worldwide media attention, was the rare, historic, silver-embroidered saddle that belonged to the infamous Mexican renegade and revolutionary hero Pancho Villa. The saddle was offered without reserve.

The magnificent saddle was created for Villa by renowned Mexican artisans prior to his assassination in 1923. It would be last saddle he owned.

Smothered in silver-wrapped threads over leather stump work with boldly domed silver conchos, the saddle bears the marks of the craftsmen who made it. Each silver stirrup is carved with the styled initials of Francisco Villa (Villa’s given name).

The saddle's consignors were present in the audience as the historic relic of the Old West was announced. With a presale estimate of $150,000 to $250,000, auctioneer Troy Black opened the bidding at $125,000. Bids quickly escalated before boiling down to a two-bidder war at the $500,000 level. The competition continued till the hammer dropped on the winning bid of $718,000 (inclusive of 15% buyer's premium) -- a new world record for a saddle at auction.

Applause and cheers filled the ballroom in honor of the new owner, a passionate South Texas-based collector who plans to display the saddle in a museum yet to be named.

Overall, the Annual High Noon Western Americana auction realized nearly $2 million on just 300 lots of Western and Native Americana, fine art, artifacts, historic property and Hollywood memorabilia.

Click here to view the fully illustrated catalog for this sale, complete with prices realized.

Click below to view a video of the actual proceedings as the Pancho Villa saddle was auctioned:

VIDEO: Views and commentary from the Winter Antiques Show

Click below to view a video report from AFP:

VIDEO: Enter the dragon, symbol of Chinese New Year 4710

HONG KONG - The Chinese Lunar New Year 4710, which begins today, ushers in the Year of the Dragon. The only mythical character in the Chinese zodiac, the dragon is considered the most powerful creature of all represented in the calendar.

In Chinese culture, dragon years are widely believed to be good for marriage, birth and achieving great success, but they also have their dark side -- the mythical creature holds potent powers over water and rain, bringing good harvests but also floods and other natural disasters.

Click below to view a voiced AFPTV report:

VIDEO: Britain remembers Scott of the Antarctic

CAMBRIDGE, England - Laying bare their dejection and determination, the story of Robert Scott's bid to become the first to reach the South Pole is being told by the men themselves, 100 years on from the ill-fated expedition.

Letters, diaries and photographs from the Terra Nova expedition are on show in Britain to mark the centenary of Captain Scott's doomed attempt, many being seen for the first time.

Click below to view an AFP video report about this fascinating exhibition, with commentary from naturalist Sir David Attenborough:

VIDEO: Christie's takes Elizabeth Taylor's jewels on world tour

HONG KONG (AP) - A sampling of Elizabeth Taylor's jewels has been touring the world so people can see them up close before they're sold at auction in a few weeks.

That was something Taylor wanted.

An executive with Christie's auction house said Christie's and Taylor had been "planning this sale for a very long time," adding that "[Taylor] wanted to share the jewelry with everybody else."

The jewels spent Thanksgiving weekend in Hong Kong. Now they'll be taken to New York where they'll be on display starting Saturday.

The auction is Dec.13-16 and includes not only her jewels, but also art, designer clothing and other things Taylor owned. Some of the money will go to her AIDS foundation.

Elizabeth Taylor died in March.

Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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VIDEO:

The legendary jewelry and fashion collections of Elizabeth Taylor, the so-called "Crown Jewels of Hollywood," went on glittering display Thursday in New York before a hotly anticipated auction. Click below to view mages and hear soundbites from the press preview at Christie's New York gallery. Video copyright AFP:

VIDEO: Report from NY Comic Con, pop culture haven

NEW YORK (ACNI) - The New York Comic Con took place this past weekend- October 13th to October 16th, 2011 - at the Javits Center. ‪As stated on Comic Con's website, NYCC is the ‬East Coast's biggest popular culture convention, bringing together fans with interests in comics, graphic novels, anime, manga, video games, toys, movies and television.

At this year's mega event there were panels and autograph sessions, plus sneak peeks at films and television shows. It is a place for fans to feel at home in an environment where they are surrounded by their fellow fanboys and girls, and the superstar artists and creators of visual pop culture.

We arrived at the Javits Center on West 34th Street on Friday, October 14th, to a huge crowd of people, lined up and waiting to enter. Our first stop upon arrival was the Marvel booth, where we met with Matthew Senreich, the co-creator and executive producer of Robot Chicken. Robot Chicken, for those who may not be familiar with it, is an American stop-motion animated TV series that airs on Cartoon Network. As he walked through Comic Con, Senreich was very unassuming, giving fans a wave and a smile when they shouted out his name.

After finding a less-crowded area off the main floor, we sat down to chat with Matt about the upcoming season and what surprises fans can expect to see in the future. We asked him about previous guest stars and learned about an upcoming 100th episode special involving a collaboration with DC Comics. He spoke about how he and Seth Green, along with co-head writers Douglas Goldstein and Tom Root, continue to keep the show fresh and funny after five seasons. He explained, "We're just a bunch of friends hanging out in the writer's room making each other laugh. And if we're able to do that, we hope the rest of the world is laughing with us." After saying our goodbyes and thanking Matt for his time, we all proceeded downstairs to enjoy the rest of Comic Con.

We made our way to the North Pavilion to visit the Propworx team, including CEO Alec Peters, Curtis Short, Dean Newbury and Damaris Degen. Propworx Inc. serves the movie and television industry by selling the assets of movie and TV productions in high-end auctions created specifically for that property.

Propworx's upcoming sale, "Iron Man 2 & The Incredible Hulk Auction," will take place on October 22nd, with Internet live bidding through LiveAuctioneers.com. The Propworx team had had many of the items from the auction on display at their booth, and we were able to see Tony Stark's suitcase used in the Iron Man film, as well as various costumes and props.

Back on the show floor, we visited numerous booths and took a look around before getting to meet with Daniel Simmons Jr., an abstract expressionist painter. He is the older brother of hip-hop impresario Russell Simmons and rapper/Run DMC legend Joseph Simmons (a k a "Rev. Run"). Daniel Simmons is also the co-founder and chairman of Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation (since 1995), which provides disadvantaged urban youth with arts access and education. On top of that, he is a comic book fan. Mr. Simmons was kind enough to take some time to speak withLiveAuctioneers CEO Julian R. Ellison regarding his love of comics and his experience at the convention. He said he often purchases his comics at Metropolis Comics and Collectibles here in New York City but loves to come to New York Comic Con for "impulse buys."

Mr. Simmons noted that Metropolis had recently sold a comic book for $1.5 million and observed that as the economy goes down, comics often increase in value.

Julian Ellison agreed with Mr. Simmons and added his own perspective: "I'm thinking about what's going on in the world with the economy," he said, "but at this particular event you would never think there was anything wrong with the world at all. This is just incredible."

Our visit to Comic Con was great fun. Creative costumes were abundant, and the crowds were out in full force. Regardless of what might have been happening downtown on Wall Street, the mood at the Javits Center was nothing but optimistic, which points to only a positive future for pop culture.

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Copyright 2011 Auction Central News International. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

VIDEO: Photographer captures 9/11 memories on film

NEW YORK - For the past 10 years, photographer Jonathan Hyman has captured shots of frescos, altars, and other folklore memorials commemorating the September 11 attacks. His New York exhibit illustrates how people across the US grieved through art.

Click below to view a voiced report. Copyright AFP.

VIDEO: 'Google Doodles' marks 13th birthday with Freddie Mercury

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. - This year marks the Google Doodles' 13th birthday, and what a year it's been. The doodlers, tasked with animating the Google logo, have taken the feature to new heights, adding interactive video and social networking capabilities. Google's latest Doodle celebrates another birthday, that of music legend Freddie Mercury.

Click below for a voiced AFPTV report:

VIDEO: Fringe artists create unique lighthouse relay project

FOLKESTONE, England (ACNI) – The International Lighthouse Relay is a project involving 14 lighthouses around the world and more than 45 artists who’ve collaborated under the auspices of the Folkestone Fringe, which runs through Sept. 25, 2011. From points as farflung as Ireland and New Zealand, Korea and Argentina, the artists have merged their talents and creativity to celebrate lighthouse structures through inspiring artworks.

Award-winning British artist Jonathan Wright explained the concept behind the Relay: “At each location, a sound recording is made. The sound is then passed on to the next artist, who adds, distorts or morphs the sound with his or her own input. Eventually, the relay comes full circle, and the first artist receives a sound work that is the culmination of 14 interventions – a kind of ‘sound cloud.’”

Wright said works have included the insertion of Morse Code, foghorns, ringing bells and even people drumming on the walls of the lighthouse to create music. Wright’s contribution was produced in response to The Old Lighthouse at Dungeness, in the English county of Kent.

“This particular lighthouse is situated close to where Guglielmo Marconi first transmitted radio signals across the English Channel and also to where John Logie Baird developed the first television,” Wright said. “The work contains a tiny copy of Baird's first mechanical ‘televisor.’ The image it shows is a film of the Dungeness Lighthouse, thereby linking the two forms of communication. These early televisions used sound to create an image, an irony that allows me to produce both sound and image in the work.”

The Lighthouse Relay project aims to highlight the continued importance of the world’s remarkable lighthouse structures, which have been used since ancient times, e.g., the Pharos at Alexandria, one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

Wright said the primitive form of communication lighthouses represent still has a place in modern society and describes lighthouses as “romantic and isolated, while at the same time inherently heroic, withstanding weather and the extremes of nature to protect us.”

“The sighting of the lighthouse represents a moment of safety, a place of sanctuary. They are an irresistible metaphor for artistic endeavor,” Wright said.

Click below to view a BBC Television report on The International Lighthouse Relay, featuring an interview with artist Jonathan Wright:

http://www.folkestonefringe.com/2011/lighthouse_relay/BBC_coverage.html?utm_source=folkestonefringe+List&utm_campaign=5eabdce317-Special_Fringe_news_announcement8_19_2011&utm_medium=email

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Online:

The other artists involved in the project are listed with their particular lighthouses at:

http://www.folkestonefringe.com/2011/lighthouserelay.html

Visit Jonathan Wright's website at:

http://www.jonathanhwright.com/

Copyright 2011 Auction Central News International. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

VIDEO: Germany celebrates 125 years of the automobile

STUTTGART, Germany - This year Germany is celebrating the birth of the automobile, which dates back to a motorized tricycle patent applied for by Carl Benz 125 years ago in Mannheim, western Germany. For the anniversary, the exhibition "Art & Stars & Cars" of the Daimler art collection is on show at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart for the first time.

Click below to view a natural-sound report from the exhibition at the Mercedes-Benz Museum.

Video copyright AFP.