David Hartnell's Hollywood Gossip - Win Prizes
No-one is recognised as knowing more about Hollywood and celebrities than David Hartnell MNZM. He's not only spent a lifetime reporting on Hollywood's trivia, gossip and scandals, but he counts many celebrities among his personal friends. Every Monday morning David will give you an exclusive weekly update on the gossip, scandals and trivia of Hollywood's elite. David is an award winning broadcaster and columnist he’s also the patron of The Variety Artists Club of New Zealand Inc. Her Majesty The Queen, awarded David the Insignia of a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the Queen's birthday Honours list 2011.
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by David Hartnell
Call 0800 688 726 or Order Online here
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Read David Hartnell's Best & Worst Dressed List for 2011!
Courtesy of New Zealand Women's Weekly
David Hartnell Memoirs Interview on Good Morning
(2nd May 2011)
See David's Interview on The Beat Goes On on the 17th February 2011
Watch David's Interview on the Good Morning Show here (6 December 2010)
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Read David's interview with New Zealand Woman's Weekly about his new book!
Monday 27th June 2011
I'm not one to gossip but......THE BIOGRAPHY OF ARTS ICON QUENTIN CRISP
Newcastle Man Nigel Kelly exclusively tells the East Down Advertiser how he has come to write one of the most definitive biographies of art icon Quentin Crisp.
I first became aware of Quentin Crisp in the 1970s watching his autobiography The Naked Civil Servant. Few films have had such an impact on my life. Here was a man of such intellect, humanity and courage. A true-life hero. He became one of the greatest inspirations in my life. I followed his life after this and read about his unique philosophy which has become known as Crisperanto. In early life he had been rejected and despised by society, in old-age he became a world-wide celebrity, best-selling author, acclaimed actor and died a millionaire aged ninety.
Quentin himself said “In an expanding universe, time is on the side of the outcast. Those who once inhabited the suburbs of human contempt find that without changing their address they eventually live in the metropolis.”
After his death in 1999 I started a website www.quentincrisp.info to keep his memory alive.
In 2007, recuperating from a road accident, I jotted down some ideas about Quentin. Over the next three years I reread his books, watched his films and documentaries and made contact with many people who had known and worked with him, who willingly contributed to the book. Wonderful people such as Guy Kettelhack who was Quentin’s literary editor and one of his closest friends, also wrote the Foreword. Phillip Ward, Quentin’s close friend and executor has also proof-read and contributed. Penny Arcade did stage shows with him. Others include actors, directors, producers, writers, journalists and artists and his immediate family.
To quote John Hurt, who played him in both films The Naked Civil Servant and the 2010 sequel An Englishman In New York - ‘There are few people more fascinating than Quentin.’
Nigel Kelly is a triple graduate and member of British MENA. He lives in Newcastle and work for Belfast City Council as a Senior Analyst in their Internet Team. Since 2000 he has ran a website dedicated to the memory of Quentin Crisp. www.quentincrisp.info.
He has also created a Facebook page www.facebook.com/QuentinCrispBio
‘Quentin Crisp: The Profession of Being’ is published in October by McFarland of the USA with world-wide distribution. Available on Amazon. I have known Nigel (by email) for several years and have contributed to his up coming book, I’m so looking forward to reading it because I know, with Nigel’s excellent researching this book will be the ultimate Quentin Crisp book.
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I have a soft spot for magic shows and admire magicians for mystifying us time and time again. One of my good friends is master magician Mick Peck, who not only is one of this countries best magician’s, but has taken entertaining children to the next level.
Using magic, comedy and audience participation Mick is able to visually demonstrate key points about reading and the library. Students discover that it's important to read every single day, that they can learn new hobbies and interests by using the library, the importance of reading for future careers, and that they each possess the ability to grow up to be anything they want to be.
Mick says the reason his show has been so well-received is because
students are learning in a interactive way. “The children learn positive messages while they're having fun. This makes them really receptive to the positive information in the show.”
“Later on when the children remember the magic and all the fun they had, they also remember the positive messages about reading and use of the library.”
Mick Peck is a full-time professional magician and entertainer who performs at family and corporate events throughout Auckland. He is also the President of the Shore City Magicians Club. Last year Mick organised the 30th New Zealand International Magicians Convention, the largest gathering of magicians ever held in this country which I had the pleasure of hosting. I can thoroughly recommend Mick he is a master of his craft of magic, I’ve seen him preform for both a grown up and children’s audience and he is superb. Check out his website www.MickPeckMagic.com
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Scott Brown, the handsome hunk of the U.S. Senate and former nude centrefold, has always been a great fan of Mick Jagger, collecting all the albums of the Rolling Stones. He’s currently in the spotlight after the publication of his memoirs in which he claimed he was molested as a child—by a man, that is.
Brown is a sort of Republican, who replaced the late Teddy Kennedy in the Senate. Yes, the people of Massachusetts voted for a Republican, but only after they saw Brown’s assets in that centrefold spread. He made off with a thousand dollars years ago when he posed in the buff.
At a gym in the BevHills Four Seasons Hotel, he spotted Mick Jagger working out. He came over to “The Mick” and introduced himself. Jagger didn’t know who he was, and seemed to dismiss him like an annoying groupie. When Brown told him that he’d replaced Kennedy in the Senate, the former Rolling Stone said, “You’ve got big shoes to fill. Now leave me alone. I’m working out.” He turned down Brown’s request for an autograph.
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Mrs Obama, her daughters Sasha and Malia and her mother Marian Robinson, were granted a rare audience with 92-year-old former president Nelson Mandela at his Johannesburg home last week.
Mr Mandela doesn’t entertain many guests these days so this was indeed a rare meeting and this was Mrs Obama's first meeting with him.
During the meeting Mrs Obama was presented with a copy of the newly published book Nelson Mandela By Himself: The Authorised Book of Quotations, which went on sale in New Zealand this week.
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DINAH LEE – Breathing Life Into An Old Rock'n'Roll Chestnut
The 1960s... tumultuous times of change, new beginnings in fashion, music, films, social awareness . . . In New Zealand, a handful of artists led the charge and foremost amongst them was Dinah Lee – the boots, the mini-skirts, that hairstyle.
Dinah was NZ's Queen of the Mods and the Queen of Pop. In truth, she was much more, favourably compared to Britain's Dusty Springfield and, like Dusty, performing and recording credible interpretations of black American artists. Dinah’s biggest hits were culled from the repertoires of Dee Dee Sharp, Jackie Wilson, the Exciters, Ray Charles... her third single, “Do The Bluebeat”, helped introduce Australia and NZ to a new genre – the Jamaican music Ska, precursor to reggae.
Between 1964 and 1966, Dinah released over a dozen singles and three albums, topping charts on both sides of the Tasman, while earning a reputation as one of the hardest working entertainers around, performing on numerous package tours and television shows, twice entertaining Anzacs in Vietnam, appearing on British and USA TV (even dueting with Glen Campbell on Shindig!), touring England with a young David Bowie, and flatting with Millie Small in London. In September 1965 Dinah Lee collected the inaugural NEBOA Entertainer Of The Year Award and shortly after shifted base to Sydney.
But after three furious years as a superstar, Dinah's career seemingly dried up. Oh, the records still came out but with lower chart placings and as the onus shifted from pop and soul to hard rock and psychedelic, she battled to regain a foothold. That said, Dinah Lee has never been short of a gig and, it can be argued, her greatest vocal achievements have been in the years since. A consummate singer and performer, Dinah Lee has few equals as an exponent of Blue Eyed Soul.
And now Dinah has released her first single in two years – a cover of that old Chuck Berry chestnut, “Johnny B Goode Tonight” but you haven't heard a version like this before! Arranged by Dinah and her manager, Doug Jansen, this version still rocks but with a shuffling reggae beat. Available only online from i-Tunes and other download sites.
From Sydney, Dinah said, “Releasing my new single 'Johnny B Goode Tonight' keeps me putting new product into the market place, being true to what I am known as – 'The Queen Of The Mods' – allowing me to live up to my name and stay current. I have been asked to record in New Zealand later in the year so let’s see what develops.”
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The Art of The Adventures of Tintin
with forewords by Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson
The Art of The Adventures of Tintin is the beautifully presented book that will accompany the new film from Paramount Pictures and Columbia Pictures, The Adventures of Tintin, due for release in late 2011. This 3D performance-capture film, based on the universally popular series of books The Adventures of Tintin by Hergé, is directed by Steven Spielberg, and produced by Sir Peter Jackson and Kathleen Kennedy.
The animation, visual effects and conceptual design for the movie are being created by Weta, the multi-Academy Award-winning company based in New Zealand that helped create global blockbusters such as The Lord of the Rings, King Kong and Avatar. The Art of The Adventures of Tintin was created by the actual Weta artists who brought Hergé’s wonderful Tintin characters to the big screen.
From early concept illustrations to final shots from the film and everything in between, this book gives fans a rare glimpse of the creativity that goes into making a film like this a reality. The book even includes special pieces of artwork produced exclusively for this book.
The Art of The Adventures of Tintin features forewords from Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson. Oscar winners Joe Letteri and Richard Taylor also share their insights into the film-making experience in their introductions for this outstanding book.
Moulinsart, the official organisation that looks after the world of Tintin, has contributed an introductory chapter on the comic’s creator Georges Remi, aka Hergé, and has kindly provided examples of his inspirational artwork for reproduction in the book.
Chris Guise, the author of The Art of The Adventures of Tintin, provides a unique perspective on the film, both as a lifelong Tintin fan and as the lead conceptual designer on the film. Guise interviewed many of his colleagues about the production of the movie and lets them tell their stories and inspiration behind their work in their own words.
The Art of The Adventures of Tintin will be published by HarperCollins Publishers in the US, UK, Australia and New Zealand simultaneously on 13 October in two exciting formats: a visually dynamic 200-page hardcover book and a ground-breaking digital e-book. The e-book will include wonderful additional imagery, special audio commentary from the film makers, character animations and extra content.
Personally I can’t wait to see the book!
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Hedda Hopper’s Hollywood Celebrity Gossip and American Conservatism by Jennifer Frost
Before Liz Smith and Perez Hilton became household names in the world of celebrity gossip, before Rush Limbaugh became the voice of conservatism, there was Hedda Hopper. In 1938, this 52-year-old struggling actress rose to fame and influence writing an incendiary gossip column, Hedda Hopper's Hollywood, that appeared in the Los Angeles Times and other newspapers throughout Hollywood's golden age. Often eviscerating moviemakers and stars, her column earned her a nasty reputation in the film industry while winning a legion of some 32 million fans, whose avid support established her as the voice of small-town America. Yet Hopper sought not only to build her career as a gossip columnist but also to push her agenda of staunch moral and political conservatism, using her column to argue against U.S. entry into World War II, uphold traditional views of sex and marriage, defend racist roles for African Americans, and enthusiastically support the Hollywood blacklist.
While usually dismissed as an eccentric crank, Jennifer Frost argues that Hopper has had a profound and lasting influence on popular and political culture and should be viewed as a pivotal popularizer of conservatism. The first book to explore Hopper's gossip career and the public's response to both her column and her politics, Hedda Hopper's Hollywood illustrates how the conservative gossip maven contributed mightily to the public understanding of film, while providing a platform for women to voice political views within a traditionally masculine public realm. Jennifer Frost builds the case that, as practiced by Hopper and her readers, Hollywood gossip shaped key developments in American movies and movie culture, newspaper journalism and conservative politics, along with the culture of gossip itself, all of which continue to play out today.
As a Gossip Columnist this subject was very dear to my heart. I thought I knew all there was to know about Hedda Hopper and Louella Parsons the Gossip columnist’s of yester year, that was until I read this book. Hedda Hopper’s Hollywood is fascinating to say the least, it was written by Jennifer Frost who is a senior lecturer in history at the Auckland University.
The only thing that really disappointed me about this book, was after I’d turn page 223 there was no more.
The book is published by the New York University Press and can be bought through Footprint Books www.footprintbooks.com.au check out other titles they have.
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What do Justin Timberlake, Conan O’Brien, and the rapper “50 Cent” have in common? All of them, even Mickey Rourke, wear the same undies.
An upscale men’s underwear brand, 2(x)list, has been around for two decades, but suddenly it’s all the rage. Its latest design for male undies pinches the waist of its clientele, and, oh, yes, raises the profile of the male package. For those men who don’t get a lift enough with this underwear, there is a niche line—appropriately called the “Maximize”—that hoists a man’s genitalia even more out front.
The underwear was a big seller on Father’s Day. Hopefully, it wasn’t the sons and daughters purchasing such bulging underwear for dear old dad.
Shapewear sales in the past few months have more than tripled. Amazingly, when those underwear shots of Congressman Anthony Weiner were released, sales shot up again. American men, sharing something in common with Weiner, seem to want to show off the big bulge, even if it’s not so much. The underwear line should be called “Enhancement.”
The underwear’s six-inch waistband also minimizes spare tires. “Our signature contour pouch will handle the job up front for men who want to show off their best assets,” said a company honcho.
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Susan Boyle’s life story is to be turned into a stage musical in a new show starring Elaine C Smith.
I Dreamed a Dream will tour internationally in the UK from 2012 and will chart the singer’s “meteoric rise from obscurity to international stardom”.
The show will open at Newcastle’s Theatre Royal on Friday March 23, 2012 before going on tour of the UK.
Boyle added: “I am happy that the musical is being produced. I never thought my life story would end up on the stage but a lot has happened in two years and it is a very exciting prospect. I hope everyone enjoys the show and I promise there will be a few surprises along the way.”
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Actress Brigitte Nielsen now 47, once had her 15 minutes of fame. She married Sly Stallone and became the darling of the tabloids. Now she’s back in the headlines, claiming that she had a torrid affair with Arnold Schwarzenegger at the time he was dating Maria Shriver in 1985.
According to her, this lusty romp took place on the set of Red Sonja, that sword-wielding fantasy flick shot in Italy. “I felt I was the only one at the time,” Brigitte said. “He never spoke about Maria. I had no idea they were going to get married. I felt cheated and betrayed when the news reached me. I was only 22 at the time. He was 38.”
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"I only read newspapers when my name's in them" - David Hasselhoff.
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GREAT DVD’s TO WATCH OUT FOR
Downton Abbey: Season 1 (Includes exclusive to ANZ bonus disc)
Sumptuous costume drama Downton Abbey, written and created by Academy Award™ winner Julian Fellowes (Gosford Park, The Young Victoria) boasts an all-star cast featuring Hugh Bonneville, Maggie Smith, Elizabeth McGovern, Michelle Dockery, Dan Stevens, Penelope Wilton, Jim Carter, Phyllis Logan, Siobhan Finneran, Joanne Froggatt, Rob James- Collier and Brendan Coyle. This prestigious ensemble brings the world of Downton to life with splendour and passion. Set in England in the years leading up to the First World War, Downton Abbey tells the story of a complicated community.The house has been home to the Crawley family for many generations, but it is also where their servants live, and plan, and dream, and they are as fiercely jealous of their rank as anyone. Some of them are loyal to the family and committed to Downton as a way of life, others are moving through, on the look out for betterment or love or just adventure. The difference is that they know so many of the secrets of the family, while the family know so few of theirs. But for all the passions that rage beneath the surface, this is a secure world, serene and ordered, and, at first glance, it seems it will last forever. Little do they know, family or staff, that the clouds of the conflict that will change everything are already gathering over their heads.
Bonus Content:
- Commentaries
- Deleted Scenes
- House in History - Downton Abbey
- The Making of Downton Abbey
**BEHIND-THE-SCENES BONUS DISC (Exclusive to Australia & New Zealand)
- The Time of Downton Abbey
- A Day in Service
- The Geography of Downton Abbey: Downstairs & Upstairs
- Daisy's Tour of the Base
- Cast interviews
Cast:
Hugh Bonneville, Maggie Smith, Elizabeth McGovern, Michelle Dockery, Dan Stevens, Penelope Wilton, Jim Carter, Phyllis Logan, Siobhan Finneran, Joanne Froggatt, Rob James-Collier and Brendan Coyle.
DO NOT MISS THIS DVD OF THE FIRST SEASON – it the best bit of TV produced in many a year!
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HOLLYWOOD TRIVIA TO GO!
In 1973 singer Stevie Wonder was in a bad car smash. He suffered a contusion of the brain and the doctors thought he was a goner.
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In June 1998, Sir Elton John gave his full support to the Northern Ireland peace process by playing a concert in the grounds of Belfast’s Stormont Castle. It was the very first time that a rock concert had ever been played at the venue. Over 15,000 fans, comprising both Catholics and Protestants whom all enjoyed the event.
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In June 1998 Rock star Liam Gallagher was given a lifetime ban by the Hong Kong airline Cathay Pacific. The ban was also extended to other members of the Oasis group; this was all because of their unruly behaviour on a flight to Australia in February 1998. The captain even left the cockpit to intervene, at one point threatening to handcuff Liam to his seat and divert the plane to throw him and his entourage off.
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Barbra Streisand and Neil Diamond both went to the Erasmus High School in Brooklyn, New York. They even sang as kids in the same school choir......but my lips are sealed!
Also - if you'd like to read about David Hartnell's house in the NZ Woman's weekly, please scroll down.
Copyright David Hartnell 2011
WIN...
Just Wright
Roadshow
In this game every shot counts...
Leslie Wright is a straight-shooting physical therapist who gets the gig of a lifetime working with NBA All-Star Scott McKnight. All is going well until Leslie finds herself falling for Scott, forcing her to choose between the gig and the tug-of-war inside her heart.
Oblivious to her romantic overtures, McKnight is instead drawn to the affections of Leslie's childhood friend Morgan, who has her sights set on being an NBA trophy wife. Is Leslie destined to play the role of best friend forever or will Scott finally see that what he always wanted is right in front of him.
This week's question: Who claim that she had an affair with Arnold Schwarzenegger and has married Sly Stallone?
Please send your answer, along with your name and address details to us here.
[Please also note that you must be a GrownUps member to enter the draw - please register Free here if you are not currently a member]
Click here for recent winners.
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David Hartnell awarded MNZM in The Queen’s Birthday Honours List - June 2011
Her Majesty The Queen, has awarded David H. W. Hartnell the Insignia of a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the Queen's birthday Honours list 2011.
David was awarded MNZOM in recognition for his services to the national and international entertainment industry, most notably as a celebrity journalist on TV, radio and in print. In 1976 he became New Zealand’s first full-time freelance gossip columnist in all media’s; he was the chairman of the Miss Zealand judging panel from 1982 -87. During the 1980’s he designed makeup for New Zealand stage productions of ‘Joseph and his Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat’, ‘Annie’ and ‘Half a Sixpence’ plus a number of television shows. In 1996 he was one of the original presenters of ‘The Express Report’, New Zealand’s first alternative gay lifestyle television shows. In 1998 he was awarded the Variety Artist Club of New Zealand’s ‘Scroll of Honour’ for his contribution to New Zealand entertainment. In 2009 he was made patron of the Variety Artist Club of New Zealand. In May 2011 Penguin published his life story ‘David Hartnell’s Memoirs of a Gossip Columnist’, in Feb 2011 his star was placed on the Boulevard of Dream’s walk of fame.
David regularly participates in fund-raising events for charitable trusts all over New Zealand. He was the first person in New Zealand to use multi-media messaging of his Hollywood gossip column which went straight to mobile phones. His columns are syndicated in newspapers and magazine around the world, he lectures at universities and other educational institutions on vintage and modern day television shows and celebrities. He is the author of seven books, David has spent a lifetime reporting on Hollywood’s trivia, gossip and scandals about the rich and famous. His saying "I’m Not One To Gossip But" and "My Lips Are Sealed" have now become part of New Zealand popular culture.
David Hartnell Interview on Close Up
Honours Interview on TV3 News
Monday 13th June 2011
I'm not one to gossip but......My darling friend Glenda Law who is the secretary of the Variety Artists Club of New Zealand did this great poem when I received my Queen’s Birthday Honour. It was so good I thought I’d share it with you all, it’s set to the song their changing the guard at Bucking Palace.
Buckingham Palace
With apologies to A. A. Milne, The Queen and Alice Worsley
“They’re dropping their guard at Buckingham Palace”
David Hartnell was chatting with Alice.
Alice Worsley is David’s close friend
“You know that the Queen is changing the trend.” says Alice.
“They’re changing the trend at Buckingham Palace.
It’s OK to gossip but never with malice.
It really is one right out of the box!
When David found out it knocked off his sox!” says Alice.
They’re dropping their guard at Buckingham Palace.
David’s gossip can sometimes be callous!
He worships the Queen though, and thanks her so much
For bestowing on him the right royal touch. “Hmmm” says Alice.
They’re changing the trend at Buckingham Palace.
David and Somboon were asked not to tell us!
They’re having a tea party inside the grounds,
“You might see Sir Elton doing the rounds” says Alice.
They’re dropping their guard at Buckingham Palace.
David explained his award to Alice.
The Queen and Prince Philip discussed what it meant
Giving MNZM to a gossipy gent. Huh! Says Alice.
They’re changing their trends at Buckingham Palace.
David hopes his close friend won’t be jealous!
“Do you think the Queen will give one to me?”
“Of course not My Dear! It’s all about me! Not Alice!!”
Caption: Alice Worsley and I when my Star was unveiled on the Boulevard of Dreams Walk of Fame.
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I came across this beautiful little book on the history of Christchurch published by Penguin, what a great gift it would make for friends in Christchurch. A donation from every book sold will be going to the earthquake relief fund.
Christchurch's pre-earthquake elegance and charm is captured forever by artist Gwenda Turner in a tribute book celebrating the Garden City as it was.
In September 2010 and in February 2011, Christchurch was struck by earthquakes of such force that the landmarks and landscape of the city and its surrounds were forever altered. As a celebration and a tribute to the Garden City we have brought back Gwenda Turner’s much-loved and best-selling book, Christchurch.
The essence of Christchurch, its elegance and charm, are captured evermore by the artist through a blend of old photographs, mementos and original paintings. The history and famous landmarks of Christchurch have been recreated through wonderful panoramas: journey along the tram route to rediscover and remember the delights of the city as it was. Christchurch is sensitively illustrated, is full of memories and is interactive with flaps, stencils, pull out and collaged pages, making this a nostalgic book to treasure.
About the Author
Born in Australia, Gwenda Turner (1947-2001) came to New Zealand at the age of 19 and studied graphic design, becoming an award-winning artist and writer of more than 30 adult and children's books. Her wonderfully detailed, colourful drawings captured the New Zealand child’s world in an immediately recognisable and endearing style. She won the Russell Clark award for illustration in 1984 and the Australian Children's Book of the Year Award for best picture book in 1985. Gwenda Turner made Christchurch her home in 1974 and many of her books feature scenes of the city she loved most of all.
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Marilyn Monroe's Seven Year Itch dress sells for $4.6million (US)
The white dress worn by Marilyn Monroe in the 1955 film The Seven Year Itch has sold for $4.6milliosn (US) at an auction in Los Angeles.
The dress was part of a collection of film memorabilia collected by actress Debbie Reynolds over four decades.
She had hoped to house them in a museum but the project never came to fruition.
Other lots included Elizabeth Taylor's Cleopatra headdress, a Charlie Chaplin bowler hat and the guitar played by Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music.
Reynolds, 79, was in tears as the auction on the iconic Seven Year Itch dress closed, Auction house Profiles in History had expected it to reach around $2m.
It was bought by an unidentified buyer bidding by telephone.
A red sequined dress and feathered headdress worn for Monroe's role in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes reached $1.47millon (US) and a saloon girl costume from River of No Return for $510,000.(US)
Joe Maddalena, who runs the auction house, Profiles in History, told me it reflected badly on Hollywood: "Why there isn't a movie hall of fame, a cultural institute to share this around the world is an atrocity. I don't think anybody cares enough about their heritage to do something about it."
Many of the items had been given to Reynolds by her close friend Dame Elizabeth Taylor, who died earlier this year. The horse racing outfit worn by Taylor as a child in National Velvet sold for $73,800(US)
The trademark bowler hat worn by Charlie Chaplin in several films, including The Little Tramp, reached $135,300 (US) while a dress and pair of ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in the filming of The Wizard of Oz sold for $1.75m illion (US) despite not having appeared in the film.
Keya Morgan, a collector of memorabilia and author of a book on Monroe, said the auction was "totally crazy, especially in this recession".
She told CNN Monroe would have been amazed to see her old outfits sell for so much.
Reynolds began collecting props and costumes in 1970 and had amassed some 3,500 items.
Speaking before the auction, she said the cost of maintaining them had become too high and that by selling them "I won't have quite so much responsibility and I can rest a little more".
You can downloadable auction catalogue for Debbie Reynold's Hollywood Auction, it's well worth a look even thought the auction is over. www.profilesinhistory.com
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Disney star Selena Gomez is eighteen years old and is virtually “child molesting” her boy-toy, Justin Bieber, the singing supernova who is a tender 17.
Those sizzling pictures emerging from a vacation in Maui have put the lie to the statement that "we’re just friends". Bieber, with his sunken chest, may look like a 90-pound weakling. When news reached the “Beliebers,” and steamy pictures made it to the Internet, America’s 14-year-old girls launched vicious, even violent, attacks on Facebook and Twitter.
Gomez, among other charges, was called “a paedophile.” Calls went out for her arrest and conviction. She received hundreds of death threats. “I’m gonna kill ya, you dirty little bitch c****,” wrote one Bieber fan. “Burn in hell,” wrote another. Yet another fan weighed in. “I hate you, bitch. I want to see you dead even if I have to do it myself.”
“Go flush yourself down the toilet, you ugly, vicious little twat, you slimy whore, you stinking slut.”
Another fan, in puppy love with Bieber herself, wrote: “I wish you a slow, painful death.”
Gomez is not new to snaring teen heartthrobs. Take her romance with Nick Jonas of the Jonas Brothers. She made a lot of enemies dating a member of one of the world’s biggest boy bands—and got a lot of hate mail. But nothing like what she’s getting since she got turned on by Bieber’s pale, puny physique.
Darwin Porter NYC.
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Blood Moon Productions proudly announces the FOURTH and MOST FUN Literary Award granted, to date, upon a HOTBOOK it released in time for BEACH READING, 2011.
On June 10, 2011, in a grand and glamorous ceremony at New York City’s Algonguin Hotel, DAMN YOU, SCARLETT O’HARA The shocking new biography of the 20th century’s most famous actors VIVIEN (“Scarlett O’Hara”) LEIGH and LAURENCE (“Heathcliff”) OLIVIER was awarded the GRAND PRIZE from the world renowned 2011 Beach Book Festival
As orchestrated by the prestigious JM Northern Media Group, a savvy group of literary critics who knows what goes well with sun, fun, and exposed flesh at the beach.
Those who know how to stuff a wild bikini like to take a sizzling hot read to the beach. If the sun doesn’t give you a tan, this shocking exposé will turn you lobster red. It’s all here: indiscretions, bisexuality, love (lots of it!), betrayals, greatness, infidelities, and even espionage (YES! The Olivier's functioned during WWII as spies, smuggling politically sensitive messages under their bodices and codpieces to key British agents)
Beach lovers, movie devotees, and fans of the theater will love this tale of how one of the 20th Century’s greatest actors (Larry Olivier) had a hard time saying “NO,” and how Vivien Leigh—either in or out of character as Scarlett—lowered her petticoats for more of her beaux than just the Tarleton twins and some of the other menfolk at Twelve Oaks. HERE IT IS—HOT AMERICAN SUMMER ENTERTAINMENT! Unvarnished, meticulously researched, and available NOW from writers who really and truly understand that a bit of outrage is always more fun at the Beach.
Blood Moon Productions proudly announces that a titleitre leased in February of 2011 has been honoured with its fourth literary award.
According to company president Danforth Prince, “Damn You, Scarlett O’Hara provides sometimes lurid insights into one of the most famous and gossiped-about marriages of the 20th century, the celebrated union of Vivien Leigh, famous for her interpretation of Scarlett O’Hara in the largest grossing film of all time, and Lord Laurence Olivier, who was arguably the finest actor ever to emerge onto the stage. We’re proud of our authors, Darwin Porter and Roy Moseley, whose collaboration from opposite sides of the Atlantic produced the most vivid, unvarnished, and unapologetic overview of the brilliantly tragic lives of the Romeo and Juliet of the 20th century.”
“The literary critics at the San Francisco, Paris, and New York Book Festivals have already recognized the merits of this title,” Prince said, “and for that, the authors and I are profoundly grateful. But with the recognition of this title’s merit by the awards committee at the BEACH BOOK FESTIVAL, the dramatic sagas of Lord and Lady Olivier will become more widely recognized to a larger, less formal, and less academic audience. From this experience, several generations of younger readers will discover the appeal and fascination of these brilliant actors from another era. ‘Larry and Viv’ would have devilishly loved the revival of their scandalous lives for millions of fans on both sides of the Atlantic. But no doubt, they would probably have asked the authors, ‘Did you have to tell everything?’”
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Last week Boy George celebrate his 50th birthday. Did you know he was the first (and only!) male Cosmo Girl back in 1984, and here’s the cover to prove it.
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Steven Spielberg, director of the first two parts of the movie Jurassic Park and also an executive producer of the third one may soon be surprising the audience with a fourth edition in the dinosaur franchise.
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Barbara Windsor is to pay homage to some of the best-loved British and American comediennes - including Hattie Jacques and Lucille Ball - in a six-part series for the BBC.
The programmes on BBC Radio 2 will be split into two sections. The first, entitled Barbara Windsor’s Funny Girls, pays tribute to three UK comic including Jacques, Hylda Baker and Beryl Reid.
The second focuses on US comediennes and is called Barbara Windsor’s Funny Gals. As well as a programme looking at Ball, it will include episodes on Betty Hutton and Phyllis Diller - the only performer out of the six still alive.
Robert Gallacher, Radio 2 commissioning editor, said: “Over the past couple of years Radio 2 has put a spotlight on the stories of some iconic British male comics, such as Dick Emery, Dave Allen and Stanley Baxter. Now it’s the turn for the ladies, and we’ve decided to not only cover three legendary British comediennes, but also three greats from across the pond. And who better to present the shows than national treasure Barbara Windsor?”
Three production companies - Made in Manchester, Just Radio and Ping Productions - are behind the series, with each making two episodes. The shows will feature contributions from people who have worked with the performers, with the first - on Baker - featuring Victoria Wood, Matthew Kelly and her biographer, Jean Ferguson. It will be broadcast on July 5 in the UK.
GREAT DVD’s TO WATCH OUT FOR
Glee: EncoreRoadshow & Twentieth Century Fox
Put on your dancing shoes and get ready to Gleek Out! This full-length DVD features a set list of Season One’s most sensational musical numbers – back to back so the party never has to end! All your favourites are here, including Queen’s “Somebody To Love, Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing” and Madonna’s “Express Yourself!”
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Human Instinct
Roadshow & BBC
Human Instinct is the story of how instincts have helped make humans into the uniquely successful species that we are – without us even knowing it. Along the way, presenter Robert Winston has his own instincts tested, telling the story of these urges within every one of us.
Can science explain the overwhelming drives within us, like love at first sight, road rage and why we find it so hard to resist another bag of crisps?
Our instincts are long out of date – shaped for a lost, primitive world. Which is why each of us can be driven to do extraordinary things, without knowing why. Only now can science begin to explain the power of these hidden forces and why they might have evolved.
Science is only just beginning to understand the amazing story of our instincts. This series brings the viewers these cutting edge findings.
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The Inbetweeners: Series 1
Roadshow & Hopscotch
Screened locally on UKTV, The Inbetweeneers is the painfully funny smash hit comedy about four teenagers growing up in suburbia.Will McKenzie (Simon Bird) is on a bad run. His parents have just divorced and, to make matters worse, his mum has moved him from a posh private school and into the sixth form at the local comprehensive. Despite the twin handicaps of being the new kid and carrying ‘an actual briefcase', Will quickly makes new friends - Simon (Joe Thomas), Neil (Blake Harrison) and Jay (James Buckley).
Unfortunately, they are far from the coolest kids at school. Together they attempt to navigate the perils of sixth form life while trying to make girls, like the gorgeous Carli D'Amato (Emily Head) ‘notice them for who they really are'.
Which is a bad move, because they are idiots. Over the course of their first term alone, the boy's roll call of dishonour includes; accidentally hitting a disabled girl in the face with a Frisbee, drunkenly puking on a seven year old child, gate crashing a funeral cortege in Simon's tiny, bright yellow car, and calling Neil's dad a ‘bumder'.
The Inbetweeners will gross you out, have you laughing inappropriately and remind you that school really was fun while it lasted!
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The Royal Wedding: William and Catherine
Roadshow & BBC
The stage is set for one of the most eagerly anticipated events in recent history – the Royal Wedding of HRH Prince William and Catherine Middleton. To capture this momentous occasion, Roadshow Entertainment is publishing The Royal Wedding: William and Catherine on BBC DVD.
Tipped to be one the biggest events in TV broadcasting history, Roadshow Entertainment will publish BBC One’s coverage of the Royal Wedding including commentary from acclaimed BBC newscaster Huw Edwards. BBC Worldwide will donate all proceeds of the distribution rights (after deduction of its own acquisition and distribution costs) from TV, DVD and download-to-own sales of The Royal Wedding to The Foundation of Prince William and Prince Harry (charity registration number 1132048). This is expected to be in the region of £150,000.
The Royal Wedding: William and Catherine will be available to own on DVD on 25th May in New Zealand, priced $19.99.
The Royal Wedding: William and Catherine is a fantastic keepsake that allows you to relive the magic of the special day again and again. The programme features two hours of BBC One’s coverage, beginning with Catherine’s arrival at Westminster Abbey. It includes the procession back to Buckingham Palace and the traditional balcony appearance and fly past, all with commentary from Huw Edwards who will lead the BBC’s team of presenters. In recent years Edwards has been the BBC's anchor for major state occasions such as 2004's D-Day 60th anniversary, the Pope's visit, Trooping the Colour, the State Opening of Parliament, Festival of Remembrance and the opening and closing ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics and Commonwealth Games.
Since their engagement last November, the Royal Wedding has captured the hearts and minds of the nation. Follow their magical story in the 50 minute special feature William and Kate - A Royal Engagement, as Sophie Raworth narrates the love story of the couple who are set to become one of the most famous married couples in the world in this insightful documentary.
Extras: William and Kate – A Royal Engagement (50 mins)Top Gear - 2
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Two Ronnies: Series 8
Roadshow & BBC
Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett were an unlikely comedy team but their talents complemented each other perfectly in a series that ran for 16 years and become part of British television history.
Series eight created even more laughs when it was broadcast between November and December in 1980, each episode seen by around 18 million viewers.
From their introduction, “And in a packed program tonight...” to the “Goodnight from him”, viewers would savour the familiar features – the news items, party and doctor sketches, Ronnie Barker’s word-play speeches and the rambling monologues from Ronnie Corbett.
Containing the customary mix of sketches, including the celebrated Mastermind skit, the Handwritten Shopping List sketch, and another classic Ronnie Barker Pismonunciation Appeal.
Series eight also features the serial, The Worm That Turned – set in a nightmare future society where men do the housework, and women, led by Diana Dors, rule with a rod of iron. Musical numbers included a Bavarian Oompah Band, a Star Wars tribute and the Campanologists and singers Elkie Brooks and Barbara Dickson were the series’ regular guests.
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HOLLYWOOD TRIVIA TO GO!
In 1980 Larry Hagman became the highest-paid star on any prime-time soap. The Lorimar production company gave in to Larry's financial demands and agreed to pay him a whopping $75,000 per episode.
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CBS paid $15 million for the TV rights to the movie Star Wars, which is still the highest price ever paid for a movie by a television network.
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A set of the late Judy Garland's false eyelashes sold at auction for $125, in 1979.
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Elizabeth Taylor was the first movie star to demand one million dollars, for her role in Cleopatra (1963).
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Errol Flynn believed that anyone who died with more than $10,000 in his or her pocket was a failure. After his death a safety box belonging to him in Switzerland was opened, which was to contain $500,000 along with other person items, it was empty. No body every found out what happened to it’s contents......but my lips are sealed!
Copyright David Hartnell 2011
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An exclusive look at David Hartnell's Home. (From NZ Woman's Weekly)
Celebrity gossip guru David Hartnell has lunched with film director Alfred Hitchcock along with some of the most glamorous movie legend's of all time like Rock Hudson, Elizabeth Taylor, Dame Edna Everage, Princess Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn, Mr. T and Joan Collins to name drop but a few. He's busier these days than he's ever been, recently shedding 21 kilograms in last eight months, front's his own weekly celebrity TV show, writes a gossip column for NZ Truth, presents a daily Hollywood gossip spots on NewsTalkZB, Style Consultant to Citizen Watch's in New Zealand, his own web page on www.grownups.co.nz and still causes a stir with his kiwi Best and Worst Dressed lists which he's been doing for the past 26 years.
He's a celebrity in his own right, but when he relaxes in his lounge, drinking from fine English bone china, he knows, only his long-term partner Somboon could love living in their eclectic Auckland house.
"The house doesn't have a theme but a Thai flavour," David says, glancing around. "People say our house is like a dramatic museum. We don't think so because we live in it."
David and his Thai partner met 16 years ago a year after David bought the inner-Auckland city house.
"I knew the chap who owned the house and said if he was ever going to sell to let me know," David remembers. "About six months later he said he was selling and I responded, 'I'll buy it'. I didn't need to do any renovating except put a new roof on." The house had a very grand opening by David's cousin The Earl of Mt. Edgcumbe, with a guest list of the who's who.
From the first day they moved in, David and Somboon felt a strong connection to their inner-city sanctuary.
"I've been here for 15 years and have great memories," David says. "We have good neighbours and have watched the families grow up and get married. We all do our own thing but we're very supportive for security reasons."
Their favourite room in the house is the deck they made into an enclosed terrace.
"We have had some wonderful dinner parties out there," David says. "Somboon is an excellent cook and I'm an excellent washer. I don't mind how many pots and pans I have to clean because the meals are always magnificent."
Nearly every room in the house is decorated with photographs of famous friends, which David could never bring himself to throw out.
"The pictures in the lounge are special ones of people we love and like," David says. "Everyone likes them but they are dust catchers. We recently moved a lot of the signed Hollywood pictures, memorabilia and my awards into the toilet because there were so many of them. We decided everyone stands or sits in there and now has something to read. It's become quite a talking point," David laughs.
The house is character filled with Buddha statues and mementos of the couple's world travels hanging from its walls.
David and Somboon, who owns an organic rice cracker business, work from their Westmere home office. But while many couples would feel pressured both living and working together, the duo have devised out a winning formula.
"We have one golden rule that no work comes out of that office," Somboon says, "We don’t seem to get on each others nerves.”
The most dramatic thing the couple bought recently is a beautiful poster embellished with a huge golden frame. David believes the stories behind how furnishings came to be are some times more interesting than the objects themselves.
“We have a house in Thailand we visit a few times a year,” David explains. “Earlier this year we went to stay and ended up at a Chinese restaurant. Magnificent posters lined the wall, which I loved so much I photographed. I thought nothing of it until I bought a poster from a Chinese emporium in Auckland about six months later. I felt like I’d see the poster before, so got my camera out – I’d bought exactly the same poster I’d loved in Thailand. Funnily enough, the poster cost next to nothing but the frame cost a bomb.”
The entertainment reporter is as flamboyant in character as he is in his décor taste. Pictures of Somboon and himself have been transformed onto canvas using an Andy Warhol pop art theme.
“Everything has to be over the top, otherwise feature pieces just look like a pea on a drum,” he says.
One of David’s most prized possessions is an oil painting by his comedian friend of 40 years Phyllis Diller. The couple were gifted the original piece of art to hang proudly on their wall. To this day, David visits Phyllis, 91, in America and reminds her his beloved painting is hanging pride of place.
The pair also values a special Buddha statue in their pretty back garden among their special treasures.
“This Buddha was erected in memory of Somboon’s mother who passed away,” David says. “Her photograph is also on a beautiful hand-carved Thai table with our collection of other Buddha’s. An interesting fact is Buddha’s have to be higher than people’s heads, which is why they are all placed high in our house.”
David admits their house isn’t for everybody but neither Somboon or he care. Just like fashion and interior trends come and go there a firm believer one has to be happy and confident in their surroundings.
“I absolutely adore our home,” David gushes. “I couldn’t imagine living any where else. It’s a perfect haven for Somboon, me and our dog Miss Cele.”
Story and pictures courtsey of NZ Woman’s Weekly.
Steal David and Somboon’s style
David and Somboon’s five favourite things:
Their house in Thailand which the built from scratch 40 minutes out of Chang Mai in Northern Thailand.
David was stoked to find this oriental poster at a Chinese emporium in Auckland.
Not everyone can be a firm friend with famous comedian Phyllis Diller. David and Somboon love their dear friend’s oil painting.
Somboon’s Thailand-based sister Sudarat spends hours rolling, folding and linking the pages from the New Zealand Woman’s Weekly into beautiful origami-like swans.
David loves this Freda Stark doll made by Hamilton doll marker Marshal Watt. Freda picked the fabric for the doll from one of her dressers.
David was gifted this Baker Light Mickey Mouse antique toy. When the string is pulled Walt Disney does Mickey’s voice. “I love this toy because Mickey Mouse never turned into a rat ,like so many Hollywood actors,” David says. “He is a Hollywood survivor.”
The Buddha statue was in memory of Somboon’s mother.