Sunday 28 February 2016

THE LAYING OF A STAR, BOXING GLOVES AND PARTIES, the week before the OSCARS.

I am back in Los Angeles with beautiful weather, this is why I love it here so much. There is perfect light in the garden which makes me want to exercise and stay fit, despite everybody being obsessed with fame and youth, I find it alluring. Tonight is the night though and the Oscar's  preparations have already started.

The most special moment this week was watching Ennio Morricone lay his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. So touching. Beautifully arranged by Pascal Vicedomini from Ischia and Capri's International Film and Music Festival. I have luckily also celebrated the laying of  Roy Orbison's and Belinda Carlisle star, which were both incredibly moving.

People were waiting behind blockades to see the Maestro speak along with Quinton Tarantino and Harvey Weinstein.   The fans held up record sleeves, memorabilia, notepads cameras just to get their dreams fulfilled, they just want signatures and two seconds, a smile is enough. Ennio is famous for so many scores for film, my favourite was The Mission.  Tonight he is up for an Oscar for his score for Hateful8.  He better win or Harvey and Quinton will get their boxing gloves on.



Pascal Vicedomini Marina Cicogna




Hair by Le Salon LA, Angie Kalinowski
PHOTOGRAPH OF THE WEEK, no better line-up

We are all having to get dressed up for the Oscars. With so many parties I am lucky to have been invited to both Elton John's and Vanity Fair. I have no idea what I will wear, it will be a scramble as I get ready, but my favourite is a Stella McCartney dress and a tube dress by Rick Owens.
It depends on what I eat today, of course.
There are several areas of film I enjoy, the script, then the costumes, the timeline and then the music. I am rarely impressed by stars, without a good script and team behind them, they are what they are, dare I say puppets? Anyway, there are always a lot of unsung heroes in film, the forgotten runner, the girl with an iPhone, the girlfriend who stays hidden.
As for equality and diversity, there is none in Los Angeles, I shall carry on forging my way, and creating what I wish to create.  You need star quality and there are a million people who want work in Hollywood. You need excellence. I believe in it, I will fight for it in my own way. Indeed, the Oscar Voters are old and whilst I like old age, they are falling asleep in the films. I saw it with my own eyes.
One film director who will remain nameless who took me to films never watched them, I used to laugh. His attitude is why I made and wrote my first film, The gun the cake and the butterfly. It needs vitality, youth and diversity.

This year I wanted the following films to be in the lineup, The Danish Girl, Carol, Hateful8 so far not too bad.
Tom Hooper director of the Danish Girl with Eduardo and Amanda Eliasch

The parties are all beautifully arranged, from Ennio's lunch in the hills, in a house belonging to Helen Mirren, to the intimate picnic on the lawn of  Mr and Mrs Barry Diller's full of friends and personalities of this year's line-up of films and television.  I stopped by to tell Tom Hooper that I loved The Danish Girl, it upset me for 3 weeks.
The British Consul celebrated Britains finest talent at the Fig and Olive with a personal invitation from Eddie Redmayne the finale was Jamie Cullum dancing on the piano.  There is a lot going on.

Unless you are a recluse or your face is falling apart, or perhaps you are too famous, you want to go out, it is about the only time of year here when anything is going on at all,

Harvey reigns as King, with his charismatic ways. Even when rude, he is amusing and talented. Oh yes, people easily forget the talent of a Producer. Without a producer, nothing gets made. As I am on my way to making The Cardinal and the Nun written by Lyall Watson,  about his love of Wally Neuzil, I am more appreciative than ever.


One good thing this week is that Quinton Tarantino liked my glasses so who cares what happens tonight and thank goodness for Andy Wang. Another thing is, luckily for me I have good friends like  Producer Marina Cicogna and Kay Saatchi who have been such fun company.





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