Saturday, May 30, 2009

Julie Christie turned 67 This Past April. How the HELL Did This Happen!

the ravishing julie christie





Julie Christie is simply amazing - and she always has been. From her early roles in 'Billy Liar', 'Darling',' Doctor Zhivago', 'Fahrenheit 451' and 'McCabe & Mrs. Miller' to her most recent performance in 'Away from Her', she captivates her audience and so clearly relays the truth of her characters.

She won her Best Actress Oscar for 'Darling' and has been nominated for an Oscar 4 times.

And it just doesn't get any better than Al Pacino calling you “the most poetic of all actresses.”

some career highlights:























Friday, May 29, 2009

'Nine': The Musical Film

The big screen adaptation of 'NINE' The Musical starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Penelope Cruz, Judi Dench and Marion Cotillard is set to hit cinemas November 25, 2009.





My Favorite musical 'Nine' has been filmed.
I've been pretty skeptical about how it would translate to the screen. The preview, below, has made me less so. We can only hope!
But it is based on the Fellini masterpiece '8 1/2' which was originally a film. So the cinematic potential was built in. If only they had filmed it on location in Venice on The Grand Canal. So much for dreaming.

My main concern was the casting. My fears seem to be abating here a bit. With the exception of Nicole Kidman as Claudia Nardi. On stage the role was played by the erotic, exotic, sensual and beautiful Shelley Burch. Four qualities I never think of when Kidman's name is mentioned.

Marion Cotillard as Luisa seems a brilliant stroke.

Sophia Loren as Momma seemed a given.

Judi Dench as Liliane La Fleur? Hey Judi Dench in any role is a gift. She will be brilliant. I can't wait for her 'Follies Bergere'.

Penelope Cruz as Carla. Yes Yes Yes!

Stacy Ferguson, Fergie, is just someone I know nothing of. The trailer below tells me she will be remarkable as Saraghina the town prostitute.


Now about the only male role in 'Nine':
Daniel Day Lewis as Guido portraying a director, an italian, going through mid-life crisis? He is an amazing actor so maybe he can 'be italian'.
He does possess a certain needed sexuality.

I now have semi-high hopes. I really do want this to be brilliant and amazing. We'll see!!! In fact it seems to have 'Oscar' written all over it. Done correctly it could win them as the play did with the Tony Awards on Broadway. It may just mean that every supporting actress nominee next year could be from this film.



OH YES INDEED!!! Mothers, lovers, wives, frustrated producers, frustrated husband, ex-lovers and whores. A true mid-life crisis comes to a cinema near you on Nov. 25th, 2009.










The Cast:

Daniel Day-Lewis ... Guido Contini
Marion Cotillard ... Luisa Contini
Penélope Cruz ... Carla Albanese
Judi Dench ... Liliane La Fleur
Nicole Kidman ... Claudia Nardi
Kate Hudson ... Stephanie Necrophuros
Sophia Loren ... Mamma
Stacy Ferguson ... Saraghina



Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Audrey Hepburn stamp fetches $93,800 in Germany









German auctioneer Elisabeth Schlegel shows a poster of a rare Audrey Hepburn stamp back on March 27. The stamp was auctioned Tuesday for $93,800.



BERLIN (AP) — A rare stamp portraying movie star Audrey Hepburn smoking sold for euro67,000 ($93,800) at an auction in Germany on Tuesday.
The Schlegel auction house declined to identify the buyer, who was represented by an agent.

A minimum bid of euro30,000 was set for the stamp, of which only five copies are known to exist.

Auctioneer Elisabeth Schlegel announced that the stamp — which escaped being incinerated by the German government — had sold for euro53,500. After adding commission and sales tax, the total came to euro67,000.

The government in 2001 printed 14 million Audrey Hepburn stamps as part of a series featuring movie stars including Charlie Chaplin, Marilyn Monroe and Greta Garbo.


The print run was destroyed after Hepburn's son, Sean Ferrer, objected to the cigarette holder dangling from the actress' mouth and refused to grant copyright.

However, the Finance Ministry had already delivered advance copies of the Hepburn stamps to Deutsche Post for approval. Thirty of those proof copies escaped destruction when an unknown employee pocketed them and used them to send letters postmarked from Berlin.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Melanie C: 'I Turn to You'

i just like this song













Italian version not by melanie c but her picture???
anyway i like the version.

Friday, May 22, 2009

Special Comment: Keith on the WAR CRIMINAL, fascist, impotent bitter old man and dickWAD Supreme!

Lara Fabian: The Voice!!!

'I've Cried Enough': Two versions and it deserves as many versions as may exist.




Starting Today I Am Going to Share DVD Recommendations along with in theater recommendations


Some will be movies I missed.
Some will be movies I choose to wait for DVD release.
A number of films will movies I did not know existed because the studios did not trust them enough and gave them limited runs if any run at all.
One of the few reasons I miss New York. Everything opens there even if for a short time.

Recommend DVD: 'What Happens in Vegas'


Never saw an Ashton Kutchner movie. Never saw his TV show. Could have cared less.
But I do enjoy Cameron Diaz. She's a welcome throw back to the brilliant screwball comedy parts of the late great Carole Lombard.

So for Cameron alone I rented this movie. As always she was a sheer delight.

Ashton, however, was a revelation to me. He was wonderful. This man has a real Cary Grant quality about him. You go Ashton. You have a new fan in me.







DVD Rating: B+

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Julie and Julia


Is Meryl Streep beomcing the 'Queen' of the summer movies?

In 2008 she had a summer smash with 'Mamma Mia' following 2006's summer smash 'The Devil Wears Prada'.
If 'Julie and Julia' is another summer smash the question is answered and the title assured.
That Meryl, of the deep, often dark, good lord 'she has another accent film' would become this is astonishing.
First of all she is at that supposedly 'unbankable' age group for women in ANY film.
Secondly she was a premier actress of the fall/winter worthy of Oscar 'consideration' films.

To be honest I like this Meryl better. Enough with the accents already. After her damn Australian accent that let us know "a dingo ate my baby...it was not an object it was a baby" movie I was done. Done I tell you. But then came 'Prada' and 'Mamma Mia' and she sucked me in again. She almost lost me with the too slick click-click performance in 'Doubt' where she was once again telling us "Look what a great actress I am. You can't deny I'm brilliant". No Meryl not quite. The critics have fostered that on you and us. Yet, when you play a 'real' woman like Donna in 'Mamma Mia' they kill you. Accents do not make great actresses they make great and mostly grating accents. When the audience is listening for the 'next accent she can do' the performance is lost. She has lost me a lot!

I thank god for 1984's 'Falling in Love' . No bloody accent!

Point in case: one of Meryl's greatest performances was in the tv film 'Holocaust' playing a German woman amidst the horrors of the nazi regime. Guess what? No German accent. Guess what? She was believable and almost brilliant.

Well enough. 'Julie and Julia' a sneak peak. And trust me THIS is not an accent but it is a brilliant impression/interpretation of a real life 'self made character'.
I do want this to be wonderful.

















Breaking News!!!

'Falling in Love'

Since I brought it up here's a bit of 'Falling in Love'.

trailer:



opening: i kind of like the music.


Wednesday, May 20, 2009