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Issue Date: December 25, 2005
OUR YEAR IN PHOTOS
We photographed scores of top personalities in 2005 -- always winding up with more great images than we had space for. So we've made room here. It's our year-end gift to you.
LINDSAY LOHAN. A self-proclaimed shopaholic, Lohan was enamored of the five racks of designer duds picked for her USA WEEKEND photo shoot. "She really knew clothes," photographer George Lange says. "We had really, really amazing pieces. There was a lot of Prada and high-end stuff, and she knew every piece."
Cover photograph by George Lange for USA WEEKEND
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NAOMI WATTS. She's so stylish that no imported wardrobe was needed. Watts wore her own clothes during her cover shoot. "We used what she wore in the door," photographer George Lange says. "She's very pretty."
Cover photograph by George Lange for USA WEEKEND
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RICKY MARTIN. Before shooting the superstar singer, photographer Gio Alma was nervous. "In the Latin market, he's, like, the biggest ever, so we didn't know what to expect," Alma says. Martin lived up to his good-guy reputation. "He was asking everybody where they were from, even the catering girl," Alma says. "He really wanted to know about every single person. And he has been everywhere, so he would repeat 'I've been there' every single time. He would say, 'I love that place.' "
Cover photograph by Gio Alma for USA WEEKEND
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ASHTON KUTCHER. "I've done the cast shots for That '70s Show, so I knew Ashton," photographer Robert Sebree says. "I built that green wall because I wanted to kind of corner him; he's a hard guy to contain. He fell into that chair, not caring that the green paint behind him was still wet. His mouth is open because he doesn't stop talking."
Cover photograph by Robert Sebree for USA WEEKEND
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STEVEN SPIELBERG. He is used to being behind the camera, so it's no wonder the iconic filmmaker was interested in the equipment photographer Brad Trent used during the photo session. "We were shooting digitally, with a monitor behind me," Trent says. "Every time I would shoot, he could see how he looked. He was fascinated by it."
Cover photograph by Brad Trent for USA WEEKEND
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LUDACRIS AND TOBY KEITH. Photographer George Lange remembers the moment the mismatched stars arrived for their cover shoot. "They could not have been more different," Lange says. "Toby is just real in-your-face. He has this big handshake and puts his hands on his hips and says, 'I'm back from Iraq.' Ludacris is a lot shorter and more shy." But the rapper wasn't too shy to order pancakes for a snack before shooting began. "We had all this food, and he wanted pancakes," Lange says. "It was a strange combination of being a picky eater, yet ordering something so normal."
Cover photograph by George Lange for USA WEEKEND
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KIRSTEN DUNST. She didn't mind getting a little messy for our photo shoot. "She was sick of being 'the girl next door,' so she said no to holding a flower," says photographer Melanie Dunea. "She said she loves sweets, and it just so happened we were at a photo studio in the West Village, right around the corner from the famous Magnolia Bakery. I said, 'Stop the shoot,' and somebody ran out and got a bunch of cupcakes. Kirsten was psyched ... The cupcake was more grown-up and sexy -- especially in that dress."
Cover photograph by Melanie Dunea/CPi for USA WEEKEND
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JON BON JOVI. He was a great sport, practically opening up his entire 19,000-square-foot home -- during a landscaping project, no less -- and serenading the crew on the shoot with an acoustic version of "Livin' on a Prayer." Photographer Brad Trent felt obliged to return the favor. "He's a bit of a wine geek," says Trent, an avid collector himself. "So at the end of the shoot I sent him a bottle of 1982 Bordeaux, which is about as good as it gets."
Cover photograph by Brad Trent for USA WEEKEND
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JAKE GYLLENHAAL. Photographer George Lange has an impressive music collection, an interest that created an immediate bond with the hip young actor. "We talked a lot about music," Lange says of the cover shoot. "Jake's dad is really into [Bruce] Springsteen. And Jake and I were listening to Citizen Cope. After the shoot, he hung out. We just listened to music and played different things for each other that we liked." Jake's pick of the day? Soul Coughing's "Janine."
Cover photograph by George Lange for USA WEEKEND
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ZIYI ZHANG. Photographer Theo Westenberger was most impressed with Zhang's poise before the camera. "I already knew that she moved well, because of 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,'" Westenberger says. "But she's very sure of herself, and she knows how to do it. She especially liked doing the action with the orange dress. We had the fan on, and she got into it."
Cover photograph by Theo Westenberger for USA WEEKEND
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