Monday, May 31, 2010

Trivial Pursuit...

Including the original Divine Ms. M...

Marilyn Monroe
"In Hollywood a girl's virtue is much less important than her hairdo. You're judged by how you look, not by what you are. Hollywood's a place where they'll pay you a thousand dollars for kiss, and fifty cents for your soul. I know, because I turned down the first offer often enough and held out for the fifty."

Marilyn Monroe (born Norma Jeane Mortenson) started using this name in 1946, but did not legally change it until 1956.

The first time she signed an autograph as Marilyn Monroe, she had to ask how to spell it, as she didn't know where to put the "i" in "Marilyn".

Monroe's ex-husband baseball player Joe DiMaggio put fresh roses at her memorial site for years after her death.

She died with the phone in her hand.

Fearing blemishes, Monroe washed her face fifteen times a day.

She was originally set to play Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961), but Audrey Hepburn played the role instead.

Monroe tried 9 different shades of blond hair color before settling on platinum.

At 168, her IQ was significantly higher than John F. Kennedy's 129 (a score of 100 is considered average and 150 to be highly gifted).


Ava Gardner
"I haven't taken an overdose of sleeping pills and called my agent. I haven't been in jail, and I don't go running to the psychiatrist every two minutes. That's something of an accomplishment these days."

Filming My Forbidden Past (1951), Ava Gardner was attracted to co-star Robert Michum, who was under contract to Howard Hughes. Mitchum called up his boss and asked, "Do you mind if I go to bed with Ava?" "If you don't," Hughes replied, "they'll think you're a pansy."

Years of sexual dissipation and heavy boozing caused Gardner to lose her legendary beauty. Her housekeeper reported that she'd often stare at her face in the mirror and say to her image, "Too many bullfighters, baby. Too many dicks. Too many George C. Scotts. Too many Artie Shaws. Too many Roberts." [referring to Robert Walker, Robert Taylor and Robert Evans]

She never forgot seeing Bette Davis at the Hilton Hotel in Madrid. Gardner went up to her and said, "Miss Davis, I'm Ava Gardner and I'm a great fan of yours." "Of course you are, my dear," Bette replied. "Of course you are." And she swept on.

George Cukor once said of her, "Ava is a gentleman." She claimed it was the nicest thing that's ever been said about her.

Gardner rolled her first cigarette when she was five years old.

Married Mickey Rooney, Artie Shaw and Frank Sinatra - all three of them had nineteen wives between them; Rooney with eight, Shaw with seven and Sinatra with four.

None of her ex-husbands attended her funeral.

When Gardner heard Sinatra had married Mia Farrow, she exclaimed, "Hah! I always knew Frank would wind up in bed with a boy."


Paul Newman
"The embarrassing thing is that my salad dressing is out-grossing my films."

Paul Newman was among the celebrities on the famous "Enemies List" kept by President Richard Nixon during the Watergate scandal.

Newman was training to be a pilot while in the Navy, but was discovered to be color-blind, ending his flying aspirations.

Early in his acting career, he was often mistaken for Marlon Brando. He claims to have signed around 500 autographs reading, "Best wishes, Marlon Brando."

Newman has donated between $150 million-$175 million to charity since the 1980s.

He is godfather to Jake Gyllenhaal.

Prior to filming The Hustler (1961) , Newman lacked talent at playing pool. But after brushing up on it for the role, he felt very confident in his ability. So he bet co-star Jackie Gleason $50 on a game of pool. Being the excellent pool player he was, Gleason beat Newman. Instead of paying him in dollar bills, Newman dumped $50 worth of pennies on the table for Gleason to take.

Known as an inveterate prankster, he and Robert Redford, in particular, played numerous pranks on each other. One time, Redford, who was also into car racing, had a beaten-up Porsche shell delivered to Newman's porch for Newman's 50th birthday. Newman never said anything, but not long after, Redford found a crate of the (now) molten metal delivered to the living room of a house Redford rented, which dented the floor. Not to be outdone, Redford then had the metal turned into an incredibly ugly sculpture and dropped into Newman's garden.

When Newman failed to receive an Oscar nomination for his performance in Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956), producer Charles Schnee and director Robert Wise gave him what they called a Noscar. The engraving says, "The Schnee-Wise Noscar award to Paul Newman for best portraying a terrible no-good, for turning him into a charming and lovable sprite, and for thereby doing what Lincoln said should never be done, i.e. fooling all of the people all of the time".

The Curve


Christina Hendricks

photographed by James White for Esquire Russia, June 2010

"During the first season [of Mad Men], a woman came up to me at dinner and said, 'I just want to thank you -- watching you has made me proud of my body.' I thought, what an amazing thing for someone to say! To make anyone feel good about themselves makes me feel good."
Some of you may already know about my...ahem...appreciation for Mad Men's Christina Hendricks, but for those who are unfamiliar, suffices to say I'm rather obsessed with this hourglass beauty and what she's brought to Hollywood. She's positively divine.

Romany

[photo courtesy of benjyie.tumblr.com]

Friday, May 28, 2010

The week that was...

I know I normally post this on a Friday (though for some of you it still is Friday, in which case I'm off-the hook), but I was out yesterday and simply didn't have time (as you can imagine, this is my most time-consuming post of the week). But I figure better late than never. It is still shocking me how fast time is passing. Has another week already gone by? Gosh. Who knew complete and utter boredom could make time pass so quickly. I really must think about getting another job (yep, that will make 3 jobs in total - 2 alone is still not enough financial support, if you can believe it), as recently the discussion of moving out of home with friends has been thrown around. What an exciting and terrifying prospect! Any tips on making the Big Move, my lovelies?
But for now, let us take a closer look at the week that has just come to a close...

Quote
"If we're so busy trying to change ourselves, especially aesthetically, we're going to miss out on more important things. I used to live, eat and sleep by an exercise schedule, and I couldn't enjoy myself if I didn't exercise. And then I realised, What a waste of time! My soft parts are probably never going away. People may seem perfect, but that's because they spend thousands on trainers and diets and surgeries. That's what we're made to feel like we're supposed to look like but if you put it in perspective, there's nothing realistic about it!
Stop looking in the mirror and realise that you're living for yourself, not other people."
~Amanda Seyfried, on healthy body image.
It seems that Amanda always has something to say about this particular topic these days. But at least she's not obsessive anymore...



Wardrobe Envy
Nicole Richie on German TV show Wetten Dass...?
It's difficult to tell from these low quality pictures, but rest assured Nicole is dressed stunningly for this particular television appearance. I'm definitely preferring this hippier style of hers to the "harsh glamour" she was sporting a few years ago (which went perfectly with her waifer-thin physique).


Music
Australian three-piece band, Tame Impala's debut album Innerspeaker dropped on the 21st to rave reviews. With founding member Kevin Parker describing their music as "steady flowing psychedelic-groove rock . . . that emphasises dream-like melody", it's no wonder praise like "the songs are spacey but energised, riding an insistent groove with enough altered state to feel like the lava lamp is on high, the strobe light higher and your core temperature a little off the scale" is already being thrown around. Listen to: Alter Ego.


News
1. Audrey Hepburn in Givenchy, Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961).

A US website, influenced by a recent UK online poll (with different results - thus the basis of the 'competition'), has named Audrey Hepburn's black Givenchy dress made famous in Hepburn's role in Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961) the most iconic dress of the last 50 years. Marilyn Monroe's presidential serenade dress came in second, with Madonna's MTV wedding dress, J.Lo's Versace Grammy dress and Diane Von Furstenburg's iconic wrap dress rounding out the top five.

2. Marilyn Monroe in Jean Louis (1962).

3. Madonna's wedding dress at the MTV Video Music Awards ((1984).

In other news...

Vogue Italia, May 2010 issue
photographed by Steven Meisel
It has been announced that the winner of reality show America's Next Top Model, instead of Seventeen magazine, will now grace the cover of Italian Vogue (could this have something to do with Andre Leon Talley's recent involvement with the show?). "It's so major and makes the pressure huge," photo shoot director, Jay Manuel says. "When we announced it to the girls, we couldn't stop them from screaming. It's so incredible that we've grown the show to a point where the fashion industry takes us seriously. Cycle one was this little show that could - Tyra wanted to give people this back door glimpse and cycle fifteen feels like a rebirth." Jay added.
Wow. That is a big and credible change....

Vintage Beauty
Veruschka
photographed by Richard Avedon, 1967.
Recently, I haven't been a huge fan of 'in flight' fashion photography (thank you, US Vogue for over-using this technique, and completely ruining something wonderful), but I can't help but feel this is slightly more lovely than something that may have been produced in modern times. I guess I'm just biased towards all things retro.


Currently...
...listening to: Tame Impala
...watching: Jonathan Creek - love me some British murder mystery!
...reading: still on Story of O - as I've mentioned before, I'm a slow reader.



Tell me all about your week!



Have a beautiful weekend!



Romany

[photos courtesy of popsugar.com.au, iheartnicole.us, smh.com.au, blog.modelmanagement.com, thisismarilyn.com, elle.com, vogue.it and musie.wordpress.com]

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Editorial Watch

Sex sells, after all...

9 1/2 Minutes
Tori Praver
and Tyson Ballou
photographed by
Sharif Hamza for Vogue Russia
styling
Simon Robins






Sexy stuff.
But what do you all think? Pleasantly sexy or too far?
What are your thoughts on the increasing influence of sex in the fashion industry? Obviously it's always been a major factor to commercial success, but lately it seems to have risen to a whole new level, especially with regard to nudity. I have no problem with nudity whatsoever, in fact sometimes it can be what turns something ordinary into something extraordinary - but sometimes it seems as if nipples are being thrown in here and there simply for the hell of it. It's the gratuitous nudity that I guess I have an issue with (and that goes for film and television, also). It's just downright...tacky.


Romany

[photographs courtesy of fashiongonerogue.com]

Monday, May 24, 2010

Trivial Pursuit...

I hope you're ready for more...

Katharine Hepburn
"I have many regrets, and I'm sure everyone does. The stupid things you do, you regret... if you have any sense, and if you don't regret them, maybe you're stupid. "

Katharine Hepburn walked around the studio in her underwear in the early 1930s when the costume department stole her slacks from her dressing room. She refused to put anything else on until they were returned.

She was nearly decapitated by an aeroplane propeller when she was rushing about an airport, avoiding the press.

Hepburn did all her own stunts because the stunt woman never stood up straight enough.

Suffered from pyrophobia (fear of fire).

In terms of acting talent, she particularly disliked Meryl Streep, claiming she could recognise Streep's constant search for tactics during a performance. Hepburn also thought Glenn Close was talented, but said openly Close's feet were too big for audiences to take her seriously as an actress.


Greta Garbo
"I wish I were supernaturally strong so I could put right everything that is wrong."

Greta Garbo disliked Clark Gable, a feeling that was mutual. She thought his acting was wooden while he considered her a snob.

Before making it big, she worked as a soap-latherer in a barber's shop back in Sweden.

During filming, whenever there was something going on that wasn't to her liking, Garbo would simply say "I think I'll go back to Sweden!" which frightened the studio heads so much that they gave in to her every whim.

Except at the very beginning of her career, she granted no interviews, signed no autographs, attended no premieres, and answered no fan mail.

Greta Garbo was Adolf Hitler's favorite actress.


Joan Crawford
"Send me flowers while I'm alive. They won't do me a damn bit of good after I'm dead."

In 1933, Joan Crawford appeared in a Coca-Cola print advertisement. Some years later, in 1955, she married Pepsi-Cola board chairman Alfred N. Steele.

Crawford's costar Bette Davis had been nominated for Best Actress in their film What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962). If Davis had won, it would have set a record number of wins for an actress. According to the book Bette & Joan - The Divine Feud by Shaun Considine, the two had a life-long mutual hatred, and a jealous Crawford actively campaigned against Davis for winning Best Actress, and even told Anne Bancroft, nominated the same year, that if Anne won and was unable to accept the Award, Crawford would be happy to accept it on her behalf. According to the book, on Oscar night, Bette Davis was standing in the wings of the theatre waiting to hear the name of the winner. When it was announced that Anne Bancroft had won Best Actress for The Miracle Worker (1962), Davis felt an icy hand on her shoulder as Joan Crawford said "Excuse me, I have an Oscar to accept".

After her husband died, she still continued to set a place for him at the dinner table.

Her popularity grew so quickly after her name was changed to Joan Crawford that two films in which she was still billed as Lucille Le Sueur, Old Clothes (1925) and The Only Thing (1925) were recalled, and the billings were altered.

Her final words before dying were quoted as being "damn it...don't you dare ask God to help me." which was said to her housekeeper, who had begun to pray aloud.


Gregory Peck
"[on his opinion of stars being paid $30 million per film] I was born too soon!"

Stating he was worried about the 600,000 jobs hanging on the survival of the Chrysler Corporation, Gregory Peck volunteered to become an unpaid TV pitchman for the company in 1980.

Formed a solid friendship with Mary Badham, who played his daughter "Scout" in To Kill a Mockingbird (1962). They remained in contact until his passing. According to Badham, she always called him "Atticus" and he always called her "Scout".

During the Vietnam War, Peck was a vocal supporter of teenagers who dodged the draft, calling them "patriots" and "heroes" and saying that burning their draft cards was part of their civic duty. He produced an anti-war film, The Trial of the Catonsville Nine (1972) using his own money in order to provoke more opposition to the conflict.

In 1997, as a presenter at the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) awards ceremony, he said, "It just seems silly to me that something so right and simple has to be fought for at all."

He took in former co-star Ava Gardner's housekeeper and dog after her death in 1990.





Many, many more to come.
Until next time...


Romany

[photos courtesy of selectsmart.com, dannymiller.typepad.com, sodahead.com and persephonereads.wordpress.com]

Sunday, May 23, 2010

The Curve


Kelly Brook
in Mauritius
April 2010



I really don't know that there's anything else that needs to be said except for 'wow'.
Kelly Brook (British model, actress and TV presenter) is perfection.


Romany

[photos courtesy of bigleaguescrew.com]

Friday, May 21, 2010

The week that was...

Is it just me or is this year flying by? It's like I blinked after celebrating the New Year and it's already the end of May! My 19th birthday is coming up, the 4th of June, and I have to start planning a celebration of some sort. My house isn't fit to host any sort of party, so I figure I'll just gather some friends and we can club/bar hop the night away. We may even treat ourselves to Sex and the City 2 earlier in the night, considering it's released to cinemas just the day before. I must admit, I've always been a fan of the show, but this new movie just looks...disappointing. Completely over the top and with a plot that they threw together just for the sake of it. Don't get me wrong, I'm excited but needless to say I'm not exactly expecting quality. There is always the chance that I will be proven wrong, though...
Anyway, let us take a closer look at the week that has just come to a close...

Quote
"I do think sexuality is intriguing. I mean, I have my own hang-ups and embarrassments and I didn't want to go in a brothel at all. But once I was in there, it kind of appealed to me because it's a very female world, a very female-centric world, not a male-centric world. You think the men are the kings - but not at all. The men are all shy and awkward and drunk. And the women are all-powerful. It's fascinating to spend some time with people whose business it is. [Prostitutes] don't have any of those problems. They don't have any of those conflicts. They accept it. They accept it absolutely for what it is: it is a need, it is a desire, it is a passion and it is a ritual."
~Helen Mirren on her experience visiting a brothel to prepare for her new movie Love Ranch.
Oh, I love how Helen Mirren always has something interesting to say. I must admit, I obviously wouldn't have a proper clue, but I would not have expected this kind of power reversal at a brothel. I wonder if this is universal or just the brothel Ms. Mirren happened to be visiting...?


Wardrobe Envy
Marion Cotillard in Cannes.
While I'm well aware I could never pull of this look, I can't help but be desperately envious of Marion's coloured Ray Ban sunglasses this week! So quirky, so French...if only.



MusicJuly Flame, singer-songwriter Laura Veirs' seventh studio album, has been described as sending 'us on hikes through dreamy landscapes evoked by her uniquely tangy voice, casting minimal instrumentation in glistening arrangements to captivate the melancholy imagination.' Listen to: title track July Flame.


News
Forbes magazine has released their annual list of top-earning models. Gisele Bundchen once again holds the top spot -- which she's had for at least six years now -- with $25 million in estimated earnings from June 2009 to June 2010. In fact, there hasn't been a lot of movement in the list in the past year -- for 2010, the top ten is exactly the same for the second year in a row, with the exception of Natalia Vodianova moving up from seventh position to tie Alessandra Ambrosio in sixth place.
The full list (with comparison to 2009 position and earnings)...
  1. Gisele Bundchen $25m (1 — $25m)
  2. Heidi Klum $16m (2 — $16m)
  3. Kate Moss $9m (3 — $8.5m)
  4. Adriana Lima $7.5m (4 — $8m)
  5. Doutzen Kroes $6m (5 — $6m)
  6. Alessandra Ambrosio $5.5m (6 — $6m) and Natalia Vodianova $5.5m (7 — $5.5m)
  7. (none, due to tied 6th)
  8. Daria Werbowy $4.5m (8 — $4.5m)
  9. Miranda Kerr $4m (9 — $3)
  10. Carolyn Murphy $3.5m (10 — $3m)


In other news...
The 12-minute film
David Lynch produced for Dior featuring Marion Cotillard, Lady Blue Shanghai, the third segment in the Lady Dior series -- made its debut before a crowd of 500 gathered in Shanghai for Dior's Cruise 2011 show. According to Lynch, the only direction he had from Dior was, "They called me up and said, ‘Would you like to make a short film for the internet? You can do anything you want, you just need to show the handbag, the Pearl Tower and some old Shanghai.’” The outcome is everything you'd expect: an enigmatic, Lynchian take on a love story.


Vintage Beauty
Rita Hayworth
Oh, Rita, Rita, Rita...I can't look at Ms. Hayworth without thinking of the movie the Shawshank Redemption (beautiful movie - see it if you haven't already), and I'm sure I'm not the only one. I can't wait to share Ms. Hayworth's trivia segment with you all in the coming weeks!



Currently...
...listening to: Baptism, by Crystal Castles.
...watching: Sex and the City to get myself in the mood for the new movie.
...reading: Story of O, by Pauline Reage - really liking it so far!
...eating: what did I put this section here for? Who wants to hear about what I'm eating, anyway?



Tell me all about your week!



Have a beautiful weekend!



Romany

[photos courtesy of marioncotillardfan.net, exclaim.ca, skinnyvscurvy.com, stylefrizz.com and cinematicpassions.wordpress.com]

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Your Say...

Another new feature, inspired by my wanting to get know you all better. I'm always desperately curious to gather all sorts of different opinions on certain topics, and I figure a blog is a pretty simple medium through which to satisfy such a curiosity. A new question each week, starting with something nice and easy (but which I am none-the-less very interested in hearing the answer to)...

Which do you prefer?



cities...



...or the country?


Is there a reason behind your preference?

Personally, I'm a city girl. But a nice little trip to the country is always a welcome holiday. It's just not something I could commit to full-time, I don't think. I need technology. I need street lights. I need people...But that's just me.

ALSO feel free to ask me any questions and I will incorporate my answer to one (or more) in tomorrow's recap post.


Romany

[photos courtesy of mighty2save.tumblr.com and flickr.com]

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Editorial Watch

This new weekly feature will allow us to indulge in the most beautiful and interesting editorial[s] of the week...

Magdalena
photographed by Cathrin Jo Ann Wind for Diva
styling Yoan Gonfond
make-up Diana Galante c/o Top Agence


Photographer Cathrin Jo Ann Wind produced an unusual fashion editorial for Diva magazine, Austria. American painter Edward Hopper, who in the 1950s captured the solitude of the contemporary individual in sensitive pictures, inspired her shoot.

To capture the feel of the paintings, Cathrin commissioned miniature models, which she then photographed using meticulous lighting. Designs by J. P. Gaultier Maille, Salvatore Ferragamo, Burberry Prorsum, Stella McCartney, Missoni and Maurizio Pecoraro were added later.

An incredibly elaborate post-production completed the look: resulting in an editorial filled with light and shadow play, between reality and dream.







A very interesting concept, executed beautifully.

Romany

[photos courtesy of gosee.us]

Monday, May 17, 2010

Trivial Pursuit...

I recently stumbled upon a goldmine of Old (and New) Hollywood trivia, and figured there would be no better audience to share it with than my lovely readers! Like I said, these new features are nothing too fancy, but none-the-less have me rather excited. Enjoy!

Sophia Loren
"The two big advantages I had at birth were to have been born wise and to have been in poverty."

Sophia Loren may have been a voluptuous sex goddess as an adult, but until the age of 14, she was a skinny child and considered an ugly duckling, nicknamed 'The Stick'.

She served 18 days in prison in Italy in 1982 for tax evasion.

Sophia didn't get along with Marlon Brando during the shooting of A Countess from Hong Kong (1967) - especially after filming a love scene when Brando commented, "did you know you have hairs up your nostrils?".

At times, male actors have been hesitant to appear with her, due to the fact that she stands at nearly 5 foot 9 inches, wearing towering heels and tall hair that can make her look over 6 feet tall.

Carole Lombard
"God knows I love Clark [Gable], but he’s the worst lay in the town."

In 1926, Carole Lombard was in an auto accident that badly cut her face. Advanced plastic surgery and clever use of make-up covered the scars. However, at the time the belief was that use of anesthetic during the operation would leave worse scars, so she endured the reconstructive surgery without an anesthetic.

The decision to take the plane which eventually killed Carole and her mother was decided literally by the flip of a coin, with Carole winning the toss. The plane they took was a military convoy which made many stops in order to pick up troops. After the first stop, an officer requested Carole, her mother and publicist to get off the plane to make room for more troops. Carole reportedly argued with him, stating the fact she had raised more than half a million dollars in war bonds and had the right to stay on. The officer finally conceded, and shortly after, the plane crashed.

Her film To Be or Not to Be (1942) was in post-production when Carole died, and the producers decided to leave out a part that had her character ironically saying, "What can happen in a plane?"

Shirley MacLaine

"It is useless to hold a person to anything he says when he's in love, drunk or running for office."

Shirley MacLaine took ballet as a child and always played the boy's role due to being the tallest in her class.

Her childhood dinner for many years consisted of Tabasco sauce and saltine crackers (which apparently often resulted in bad dreams, and her missing the bus to ballet class).

Right before a performance of Cinderella with the Washington School of Ballet (dancing the role of the Fairy Godmother), Shirley was warming up backstage when she broke her ankle. Instead of bowing out, she simply tied the ribbon on her toe shoes tighter and danced the role through. After the show was over, she called for an ambulance.

Named after Shirley Temple.

Marlon Brando
"The only thing an actor owes his public is not to bore them."

Marlon Brando worked as a department store elevator operator before he became famous. He quit after four days due to his embarrassment in having to call out the lingerie floor.

In 1995, as a guest on Larry King Live (1985), Brando kissed Larry King on the mouth.

He used cue cards in many of his movies as he refused to memorise his lines. In Superman (1978), hi lines were written on the nappy of baby Kal-El.

Brando was expelled from high school for riding a motorcycle through the halls.

Was fluent in French.

His signature was considered so valuable to collectors, that many personal cheques he wrote were never cashed because his signature was usually worth more than the amount on the cheque.

During an acting class, when the students were told to act out "a chicken hearing an air-raid siren," most of the students clucked and flapped their arms in a panic, while Brando stood stock-still, staring up at the ceiling. When asked to explain himself, Brando replied, "I'm a chicken - I don't know what an air-raid siren is."

Contrary to popular belief, he was not an atheist. At his son's trial, where he supposedly revealed his atheism and refused to swear upon a Bible, his actual words were, "While I do believe in God, I do not believe in the same way as others, so I would prefer not to swear on the Bible".

In his biography The Only Contender (1976) by Gary Carey, Brando was quoted as saying, "Like a large number of men, I, too, have had homosexual experiences, and I am not ashamed."

He was an avid user of the Internet in his final years, often going into chat rooms to start arguments.

Brando was related to four presidents of the United States: James Madison, John Tyler, Zachary Taylor and Jimmy Carter.



Surely I cannot be the only one who thinks Marlon Brando is absolutely yummy?
Many, many more to come!


Romany

[photos courtesy of stardustandsequins.wordpress.com, freemooviesonline.com, sodahead.com and media.photobucket.com]

Sunday, May 16, 2010

The Curve


Ursula

photographed by Jan Rickers for Brigitte


Photographer Jan Rickers realised photos on the subject of cellulite for Brigitte magazine, and in keeping with the new Brigitte concept, only non-models were used.

Maria

Lu

Lola

Kathrin

Christina



Reality is diversity.


Romany

[photos courtesy of gosee.us]

Thursday, May 13, 2010

The week that was...

Hello world, I am back!
This is very exciting for me, my break is over and I've got a few new features lined up for the robins. Nothing too fancy, but enough to inspire excitement in yours truly. I haven't got a lot of time before I have to skip out for the day, but I wanted to at least publish an 'end of hiatus' post, and what better way to do that than by recapping the week that was?

Quote
"You can be less than mediocre and be a fucking movie star. I have respect for very few actors and actresses. Some of them get a lot of acclaim but just because their movie made $200 million at the box office; they still suck. I got no respect for them and I used to let them know it. It was important for me to put that aside and go, 'You know what? This is a business. If you kiss the right ass and you get lucky on a movie or two, you could last 10 years.' So, now, I just keep my mouth shut and pet my chihuahuas."
~ Mickey Rourke, on Hollywood, to Parade.
I have to admit, as weird as it sounds, I have a bit of thing for ol' Mickey. I found him (gasp) quite sexy in Iron Man 2. He's somehow managed to transform himself from 80s heartthrob to modern-day cool guy. With an Oscar nomination to boot.



Wardrobe Envy
Michelle Williams and friend, in Tribeca, New York City.
As cute as Michelle looks in this very warm-weather-appropriate ensemble (unfamiliar territory for me - it's unseasonably cold here in Melbourne), and with an adorable new cropped 'do, it's really her stripes-clad friend that I'm envying. The stripes, the wide white shorts, the chunky dark turquoise necklace - very French riviera.



Music
Crystal Castles II, has been described as an 'improvement on [Crystal Castles'] debut in nearly every way', with Pitchfork crediting them with '(by staying true to themselves) creating a more focused, propulsive, and satisfying follow-up'. Listen to: Baptism.


News
After last year, 18 “plus-sized” girls walked the runway at Rosemount Australian Fashion Week - this year, the size 12+ girls were excluded from the fashion event...
Negotiating curves has proved too hazardous for the designers of Rosemount Australian Fashion Week, as plus-sized models claim they have been shut out by the local industry.
Big Gal Models agent Darrianne Donnelly said the industry had gone backwards after showcasing 18 plus-size models at Australian Fashion Week last year. That positive initiative by RAFW owner IMG was hailed a success but has not one was invited to participate this year. “The public wants to see themselves, in all shapes and sizes, not just size 6,” Ms Donnelly said.
A group of plus-size models wearing T-Shirts with slogans such as “I love my curves” and “We love real women” staged a protest outside an Australian Fashion Week event yesterday.
Designer Alex Perry was defiant about his right to choose. “Nobody is going to tell me how to pick models,” he said.
What do you all think? Is including "plus size" models the way of the future or a fleeting gimmick?


Vintage Beauty
Grace Kelly
photographed by Howell Conant, 1955
Ah, Grace Kelly...is there a more graceful and elegant style and beauty icon in the history of cinema?


Currently...
...listening to: Cosmic Love, by Florence + the Machine.
...watching: Sex and the City for the umpteenth time, I swear to god I'm unhealthily addicted.
...reading: about to start on the Agatha Raisin series, I'm a sucker for a murder mystery.
...eating: not enough! Stress usually has me reaching for the junk food, but these days I'm wasting away!


Tell me all about your week!



Have a beautiful weekend!



Romany

[photos courtesy of imnotobsessed.com, en.wikipedia.org, skinnyvscurvy.com and gosee.us]

Monday, May 3, 2010

Love actually is all around...

...and what better way to spread that love than with an award?
Unfortunately, the break is still not over. But I'm getting closer and closer to ironing out all of the issues (one of them being figuring out how to print screen on this new-fangled piece of technology that is my brand new laptop), and should be up and running soon. A quick update though: I got a job! It's only a few days a week, but hey it's better than nothing, eh? So that will only slightly eat into my designated blogging time when I'm back to routine. But for now, it's time to spread that aforementioned L.O.V.E...

Some time ago, I received an award from the lovely LyddieGal over at Chic on the Cheap.
The rules...
1. Link to the person that gave you the award.
2. Pass the award on to however many bloggers who you have recently discovered and who you think are fantastic.
3. Contact the blogs and let them know they have won.
4. State seven things about yourself.

Gosh I don't even know that I could state 7 things, I'm really not that interesting.
1. I am listening to Playground Love, by Air (my favourite band) right now.
2. I'm obsessive about brushing my teeth before leaving the house and before going to bed.
3. My mother was studying naturopathy some years ago, and since then our entire stash of hair and beauty (as well as cleaning) products has been over-turned and we're pretty much all-natural in every area now. As annoying as it was, I think we've really benefited from the change, health-wise.
4. I have acting aspirations, and my ultimate director to work with would undoubtedly be David Lynch. If only I could have somehow been involved with his previous works, already...
5. I have been going to my orthodontist since I was a little baby. I don't know anyone who has had more dental work than I have (though I'm sure, somewhere in the world, there would be someone).
6. I'm not big on epic concerts, but I was devastated when the Spice Girls never made it to Australia for their reunion.
7. Almost everything in my possession at the moment is broken or destroyed in some way, including my shoes, my bag, several t-shirts and pairs of pants, my lamp, both bedroom cupboards, my gumboots, my favourite necklace and much more.

And recently I also received an award from the gorgeous Little Bear Stories.

And so I have decided to pass these awards (take your pick of which one you'd prefer, or accept both) onto...


And of course, thank you to everyone who comments, follows or even visits the robins you have no idea how much I appreciate your support. And I shall see you all soon when I have fully returned from my break.

Hugh Grant and Martine McCutcheon
Love Actually, 2003


Goodbye, for now!

Romany

[photo courtesy of whatsontv.co.uk]