Monday 29 February 2016
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.
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| Pascal Vicedomini Marina Cicogna |
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| Hair by Le Salon LA, Angie Kalinowski |
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| 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.
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.
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| 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.
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.
Friday 26 February 2016
Thursday 25 February 2016
Ten good things about Los Angeles, Ten bad
10 good things about Los Angeles
1. Teeth fixed
2. Botox brilliantly done
3. Hair extensions and colour for blondes unbeatable
4. Diet clinics
5. Film crew to follow you
6. Weather and the outside, the ocean
7. Self help books, how to be nice, without anybody noticing its fake.
8. The desire to exercise
9. Fake stardom
10. You can purchase a billboard
10 bad things about Los Angeles
1. Leaf blowers
2. Conmen
3. The garbage uncollected
4. Property tax
5. Anybody over 30 is in the waste disposal
6. white shoes
7. Too tight bando dresses over huge fake bottoms
8. White stick on nails
9. Reality shows to get fame, making the human race educationally subnormal.
10.. Trash anybody except yourself at the table, you are of course in therapy.
Sunday 21 February 2016
Tuesday 16 February 2016
NEW TALENT NEW BEGINNINGS
My goodness aren't we all bored of the same lineup of stars?. The BAFTA's come and go, and we already know the answers for the Oscars come and go, and we already know the answers for the Oscars?. The same group of super humans get the accolades whilst the rest struggle to get a play off the ground or get heard in a concert. The play can be perfectly good, but if you have not got that magical moment "a star" in the cast, you can forget any press, any good press, any audience. It is a struggle that every professional actor/actress/musician/director goes through.Then there is the talk of "Racial Equality". Perhaps at the roots, at the drama schools, the film schools, a student is not given a chance?. Standards are so very high at the beginning, my son Charles had Grade 8 in piano and singing by the age of 17, that you don't really need to go to music school at all? He is now at The Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, having already sung at Carnegie Hall. and attended Mannes School of Music in New York, I told him to make his own way because nobody is likely to help him. It is the way it is. Opportunity and education at a young age are fundamental to creativity and mental health, why do schools assume we need Maths over Art?. Education in my books is more important than the NHS?
A small select committee chooses in whatever profession a small selection of prospective talent, too often listening to their friends. The choosers take a risk, and people continually have to take a risk until you have made it, even then it is a risk. I would and have always wanted to be out on a limb, to be out of the box. I do not want to be in any mould but I love all award ceremonies, but they could be less predictable, I would like to win? It so often becomes about who looks good in a dress, the dress itself often more important than the hard work or the film itself.
This is the problem with mixing up fashion, the arts and film. At the end of the evening Dame Maggie Smith again wins, she runs against the same ten women. It becomes dull, it is dull. Not because of her tremendous acting which we all love, but because however excellent she is, casting and the money men behind it, are all too opinionated, powerful and safe. Millions are at stake, and as the saying goes, millions do not grow on trees. The Cesars, Berlin and Venice Film Festival are the real places to find talent, unusual actors and directors. It is about the dress there too, but you have to be talented. I was delighted last week to be invited to The Evening Standard Awards, thank goodness The Falling was recognised, an imaginative Indie Film, by Carol Morley which I totally loved. There is hope.
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| Amanda Nevill, Amanda Eliasch and Monika Bacardi a quiet opening at BAFTA |
With this in mind when a friend of mine does well, 'out on a limb' I am so happy for them. This week, an exciting event was seeing Arthur Yates open at Liberty's. His green and yellow pots freshly painted against his matching shirts. The boyfriend of Phoebe Saatchi, should automatically have propelled this talented man into the spotlight, but he quietly goes his own way, and by his own admission he is a "Pot and shirt type of man" Here there is nothing dull, because he is working alone creating beautiful shirts for both men and women, in bright colours, cheering up the basement of Liberty's, a shop with a huge reputation. His young good looking friends supported him as he painted a wall with ease. He is yet to be a big label but I am sure in the future he will be. Bruta is a name to watch in the future. Something different.
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| Amanda Eliasch and Arthur Yates at Liberty's |
The problem with fashion is that if you are not a big label it is tricky to get the right quality and even start your career making clothes, I shall probably wear Stella McCartney at The Oscars next week endorsing the established I know. My chapeau is off to anybody who is innovative.
Another new film that did surprise me, which made me genuinely happy, no awards as yet, but a breath of fresh air, encouraged and produced by Monika Bacardi was "Beautiful Fantastic" directed by Simon Aboud, husband of Mary Mccartney, had a high profile screening at BAFTA last week, this is surely the way to go? No big names, no fame, but genuinely good and worth making, with no sex and violence. It is also why I support the BFI who help filmmakers create and who keep alive the past. Even so, without the help of fame behind the scenes the turn out on a Sunday night could have been different and the finances too.
Hollywood is the land of fruit and nuts, we know youth and beauty comes before talent, despite my love of vanity let us open a new chapter and I dare producers to make films with nobody famous in them.
I am thinking whether to use huge stars for my film on Egon Schiele or go with my true feelings, which is to give work to talented people, who are not necessarily famous, would this attitude get me the bucks, that I will have to wait and see?
Thursday 11 February 2016
SHARE THE LUCK STAY YOUNG and KEEP BUSY
I have this friend that just cannot resist from telling me on an hourly basis that I am a woman of uncertain age. Yesterday I told her that I was giving my clothes to my cousins who are 15-20, she said "Why on earth would they want "Old bag" clothes? Well, except for her, everybody loves my dressing up rooms of clothes. They loved my wardrobe when I was young and now when I am of uncertain age, they rummage happily through the neat railings of hats, gloves, black dresses, jackets lipstick and pearls.
I always have love clothes, since the age of two years old, nothing will make me give it up.
Because of my friends nagging I am always either fighting the flab or addressing age.
I decided to look for some non invention ways for staying young. I love Botox, a facelift, eating healthily, keeping my brain fit, but now I want to try the newish magic on the scene. Yesterday at my ex boyfriend's office in Wimpole Street, Dr Jean Louis Sebagh showed me a machine that literally in minutes can refresh your face and body, breaking down the layers beneath your skin, it continues to work for many days afterwards. Of course you must stay the correct weight for your body and eat healthily. It is called Ultraformer 111. Despite being a sissy with pain, I held my friends hand. Within minutes my pal was saying "Take the pain, you have no idea how good you are looking" I clenched my fists, and dreamt I was on a beach sunning myself.
I arrived home a little shattered, but as I looked in the mirror I realised my cheeks had indeed gone a little higher. "Fuck the planet" it worked, I immediately forgot the pain and booked in for another session.
I always think of myself as fifteen and now with the empty nest syndrome and my sons leaving, I would like to be considered for fostering a child. I rang around to find out about it today, the girls answering the telephones were helpful and I was told it is about a 4-6 month process. Whether or not I get accepted is another question, but I feel we should all give back where we can. I have a wonderful life and would like to share the luck.
With so many children in need of a chance in life I thought I would see if I get accepted. At least I will keep busy.
On a completely different note but this time about beautiful photography. Douglas Slocombe director of photographer is 103 today. Famous for filming L Shaped Room and the Servant. So after a little beauty treatment I shall put my feet up and watch them once more.
I always have love clothes, since the age of two years old, nothing will make me give it up.
Because of my friends nagging I am always either fighting the flab or addressing age.
I decided to look for some non invention ways for staying young. I love Botox, a facelift, eating healthily, keeping my brain fit, but now I want to try the newish magic on the scene. Yesterday at my ex boyfriend's office in Wimpole Street, Dr Jean Louis Sebagh showed me a machine that literally in minutes can refresh your face and body, breaking down the layers beneath your skin, it continues to work for many days afterwards. Of course you must stay the correct weight for your body and eat healthily. It is called Ultraformer 111. Despite being a sissy with pain, I held my friends hand. Within minutes my pal was saying "Take the pain, you have no idea how good you are looking" I clenched my fists, and dreamt I was on a beach sunning myself.
I arrived home a little shattered, but as I looked in the mirror I realised my cheeks had indeed gone a little higher. "Fuck the planet" it worked, I immediately forgot the pain and booked in for another session.
I always think of myself as fifteen and now with the empty nest syndrome and my sons leaving, I would like to be considered for fostering a child. I rang around to find out about it today, the girls answering the telephones were helpful and I was told it is about a 4-6 month process. Whether or not I get accepted is another question, but I feel we should all give back where we can. I have a wonderful life and would like to share the luck.
With so many children in need of a chance in life I thought I would see if I get accepted. At least I will keep busy.
On a completely different note but this time about beautiful photography. Douglas Slocombe director of photographer is 103 today. Famous for filming L Shaped Room and the Servant. So after a little beauty treatment I shall put my feet up and watch them once more.
Thursday 4 February 2016
TINDERELLA NOT CINDERELLA
I decided to go back down memory lane and visit Paris, for many reasons, one to see a producer regarding the film I am doing about Egon Schiele and his world, The Cardinal and the Nun with writer Lyall Watson and to jog my broken brain cells awake, I am all for healing these days.
Visiting places I love but sadly did not see the people, I hold close to my heart, Paris is depressed, Body Guards stand at every door and like any large City people come and go. I visited Chantal Thomass's atelier on Rue Saint Honore, trying on lingerie, remembering seducing whilst wearing her well cut corsets. I walked to the beautiful Rodin Museum to relive the romance of Camille Claudel and Rodin, whose magnificent sculptures in Saint Germain are one of my greatest pleasures to see. I bought tissue wrapped lilac and pink roses for an 80 year old friend from 64 Rue de Longchamp, all florists are wonderful in Paris but here I bought flowers from my apartment. I stayed in Hotel Costes where the smell of the bedrooms, took me back to romances I had from 1995 up until three or four years ago, when I shut the door of my beloved studio at Rue Mechain, the atelier of artist,Tamara de Lempicka. I want to go back and live again the thoughts I had, but they are far away and in my memory bank, with only a few good emails and a tea set with some rings to prove they existed at all.
Instead I visited the men on Tinder and discovered that Tinderella lives in a big computer with a wicked step Mother who looks like Caitlin Jenner. My "in box" inundated with mice who were in fact bigs rats, but just a bit further away. There was no Prince, as Caitlin turned the tomcat into the handsome Prince 25 years ago. The tomcat turned round to her and the first question he asked was, as he kissed her beautiful collagen lips, "Don't you wish you hadn't doctored me twenty years ago?" Despite pressing 'enter' it is not going to make any difference. This is how I feel about Tinder this week. Real life romances cannot be found on these average sites, they are found on trains, cinemas, and living unexpected moments.
I just clicked on three different profiles, two men and woman because I like to feel up with the times, only to reveal that when I went to meet them all, they were and looked like the same person. I knew I liked the same type but this seemed absurd? I was assured that it/her/him only liked to be called Wendy at week ends. I was confused because although I live most of the time in an Ivory tower, I enjoy my days in a dungeon where people look happiest.
In the dark corners I hear "Don't be mean darling, please hit me again, after all it's my turn this week"
The profiles I get sent look like ugly "Russian" girl sites where the men and women lie in bed with fish heads all over themselves, trying to play the part of 'Siren' out of Greek mythology, as they lure the ships to crash onto rocks, they comb and cover their hair and beautiful bodies. with shells, turning their bodies into waves.
Can't wait for tomorrow and remember I am the witch with the bucket of water.
I am all modern now, I now know what LGBT's are, drinking my GT with a BLT, so its sealed with SWALK, TULIP, and BURMA.
I was lucky enough to get tickets for the Automobile show on the Eurostar falling in love with cars belonging to Edith Piaf and lusting after a Ferrari with a price of thirty five million. There are real men there who tinker with their parts, not strip down an entire car leaving bits all over the drawing room rather than a sociopath who takes the bits out of a woman's head, and there are always a couple of screws left, a couple of nuts in the room and the brain left altered forever. I was a Bugatti and now I am just an Aston Martin, although in perfect condition, with almost one careful owner. Its not what is wrong with you, it is who is wrong with you.
On the subject of dating whether it is meeting at the bus stop, grinder tinder etc. Some details should not be told.
There are some straight men left, there is a popular belief that on the sliding scale is some kind of shade of grey not black and white. I celebrate all my gay friends, the clothes, the hairstyles etc, but as a hot blooded female I would like to find a hot blooded male. There is not problem with any genetic structure, I would like to meet my handsome Prince, actually a duke at the very least. Just a word of advice boys, You can tell the boys about the girls, but don't tell the girls about the boys as we do not want to hear it.
I was able to forget the passion I had in the long Summers when the wives leave their husbands during their vacations and the husband's relive a fantasy or two, the girls, well they get by with a gift or two, except for me, an English girl who was naive enough to have some feelings left. Smelling the oil and leather of the historical cars was comparable to the signature smell at Costes Hotel, only new and ready to be explored.
Visiting places I love but sadly did not see the people, I hold close to my heart, Paris is depressed, Body Guards stand at every door and like any large City people come and go. I visited Chantal Thomass's atelier on Rue Saint Honore, trying on lingerie, remembering seducing whilst wearing her well cut corsets. I walked to the beautiful Rodin Museum to relive the romance of Camille Claudel and Rodin, whose magnificent sculptures in Saint Germain are one of my greatest pleasures to see. I bought tissue wrapped lilac and pink roses for an 80 year old friend from 64 Rue de Longchamp, all florists are wonderful in Paris but here I bought flowers from my apartment. I stayed in Hotel Costes where the smell of the bedrooms, took me back to romances I had from 1995 up until three or four years ago, when I shut the door of my beloved studio at Rue Mechain, the atelier of artist,Tamara de Lempicka. I want to go back and live again the thoughts I had, but they are far away and in my memory bank, with only a few good emails and a tea set with some rings to prove they existed at all.
Instead I visited the men on Tinder and discovered that Tinderella lives in a big computer with a wicked step Mother who looks like Caitlin Jenner. My "in box" inundated with mice who were in fact bigs rats, but just a bit further away. There was no Prince, as Caitlin turned the tomcat into the handsome Prince 25 years ago. The tomcat turned round to her and the first question he asked was, as he kissed her beautiful collagen lips, "Don't you wish you hadn't doctored me twenty years ago?" Despite pressing 'enter' it is not going to make any difference. This is how I feel about Tinder this week. Real life romances cannot be found on these average sites, they are found on trains, cinemas, and living unexpected moments.
I just clicked on three different profiles, two men and woman because I like to feel up with the times, only to reveal that when I went to meet them all, they were and looked like the same person. I knew I liked the same type but this seemed absurd? I was assured that it/her/him only liked to be called Wendy at week ends. I was confused because although I live most of the time in an Ivory tower, I enjoy my days in a dungeon where people look happiest.
In the dark corners I hear "Don't be mean darling, please hit me again, after all it's my turn this week"
The profiles I get sent look like ugly "Russian" girl sites where the men and women lie in bed with fish heads all over themselves, trying to play the part of 'Siren' out of Greek mythology, as they lure the ships to crash onto rocks, they comb and cover their hair and beautiful bodies. with shells, turning their bodies into waves.
Can't wait for tomorrow and remember I am the witch with the bucket of water.
I am all modern now, I now know what LGBT's are, drinking my GT with a BLT, so its sealed with SWALK, TULIP, and BURMA.
I was lucky enough to get tickets for the Automobile show on the Eurostar falling in love with cars belonging to Edith Piaf and lusting after a Ferrari with a price of thirty five million. There are real men there who tinker with their parts, not strip down an entire car leaving bits all over the drawing room rather than a sociopath who takes the bits out of a woman's head, and there are always a couple of screws left, a couple of nuts in the room and the brain left altered forever. I was a Bugatti and now I am just an Aston Martin, although in perfect condition, with almost one careful owner. Its not what is wrong with you, it is who is wrong with you.
On the subject of dating whether it is meeting at the bus stop, grinder tinder etc. Some details should not be told.
There are some straight men left, there is a popular belief that on the sliding scale is some kind of shade of grey not black and white. I celebrate all my gay friends, the clothes, the hairstyles etc, but as a hot blooded female I would like to find a hot blooded male. There is not problem with any genetic structure, I would like to meet my handsome Prince, actually a duke at the very least. Just a word of advice boys, You can tell the boys about the girls, but don't tell the girls about the boys as we do not want to hear it.
I was able to forget the passion I had in the long Summers when the wives leave their husbands during their vacations and the husband's relive a fantasy or two, the girls, well they get by with a gift or two, except for me, an English girl who was naive enough to have some feelings left. Smelling the oil and leather of the historical cars was comparable to the signature smell at Costes Hotel, only new and ready to be explored.
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