STARS
AND CELEBRITIES OF THE YEAR. FROM THE MOST BORING TO THE
MOST TALENTED AND LUCKIEST CELEBRITIES. By Maximillien de Lafayette.
THEY ARE FAMOUS, BUT,
THEY ARE NOT BETTER THAN YOU!
There are 4 kinds of stars-entertainers in the world: 1-The talented;
2-The talented and the lucky; 3- The lucky; 4- The lucky and the boring.
All, except the "unlucky" make money. Big time money. Millions and
millions. Sometimes, the most boring ones are the luckiest and among the
wealthiest. And this tragic reality has nothing to do with talent or
lack of it. Many extremely talented artists will never see their names
in light. They don't lack creativity or talent. They lack luck, a good
agent, an effective publicist, a shrewd manager, good contacts, business
and promotion strategy, and above all, they desperately need an
"OPPORTUNITY", or a break...Read
full article and see photos
CABARET
AND ENTERTAINMENT
FROM A TO Z. By Maximillien
de Lafayette. A
MEGA 135 PAGE IN-DEPTH ARTICLE OF THE HISTORY OF ENTERTAINMENT AND
CABARET IN EUROPE AND THE UNITED STATES FROM THE 18th CENTURY TO
PRESENT WITH HUNDREDS OF VINTAGE AND RARE PHOTOS. By Maximillien
de Lafayette
CLICK
HERE
TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE
HISTORY
OF AMERICAN MUSIC AND GOSPEL SPIRITUALS
BY MAXIMILLIEN de LAFAYETTE: THE HISTORY OF
AMERICAN ENTERTAINMENT, MUSIC, SOUL, JAZZ, FOLK AND GOSPEL SPIRITUALS
FROM THE 17th CENTURY TO PRESENT. INCLUDING:
History and Early Origin of American Music, American Song, American
Composers and American Singers from the Colonial Era to the 21st
century.
..Read
full article
(A 70 page condensed edition)
ALL TIME GREATEST
ENTERTAINERS AND SINGERS.
WHO’S WHO OF
THE BEST AMERICAN FEMALE SINGERS-ENTERTAINERS.
By Maximillien
de Lafayette. THE
BEST AMERICAN FEMALE SINGERS ENTERTAINERS FROM THE COTTON FIELDS ERA
TO
PRESENT.
Read the full article
Long
time ago, in my first year at the law graduate school, a haunting passion with
insatiable appetite devoured my thoughts and feelings. And because of that
haunting passion, quite often, I asked myself if studying law instead of cinema
was really what I wanted it to do. You guessed it. My "first love" was the
silver screen. Not, because I was fascinated by the stars but, because I was
taken by the mesmerizing talents of cinematographers, the genius of the
directors of photography, the light engineers, the set designers, the visions of
films directors, the depth of challenging and engaging dialogues, and of
course, the musical scores composers. I did not care much for actors and
actresses whom I consider -with a very few exception of remarkable human beings
like Audrey Hepburn, June Allyson, Edward J. Robinson, Peter Ustinov, Ernest Borgnine, etc.,) to be vain, very show-off, extremely lucky with few merits,
pretentious and greedy.
My passion for cinema was fueled by my
curiosity to know what was happening behind the curtains, the scene, the screen,
the untold story of a film, the character and persona of the players, the events
that surrounded the creation of the film, the relationship between the movies
makers, the artists and the leading players. In other words, the human aspect of
cinema with all its neglected or hidden stories fascinated me. And for years, I
searched the humanistic history of the movies making. Back then, it was so
difficult to harvest those stories. Few studios existed in Paris, headlines
rotated around world premieres, vedettes scandals, new releases, events actors
and actresses attended, gossips, affairs ad infinitum, and this left me
with few material, events and inside stories surrounding the making
of a film. Sure, from time to time, a mini documentary on shooting this or that
film appeared in movie theaters, but it wasn't enough, especially when the
documentary appeared more like a trailer than a story behind the story. It took
me years to find my grail. And finally, I found it in Mr. Robert Osborne.
Nowadays, an avalanche of film historians
and critics rolls over and over on out TV sets. But only one cinema historian
and story-teller extraordinaire captured my full attention: TCM's Robert
Osborne. Many other film "introducers and historians" are nothing more than a
scenarioed projection of pompous, pretentious and irritating talkers. Mr.
Osborne distinguished himself by his warmth, graceful humility, friendly
persona, abundance of behind the scene touching and captivating description of
what happened back then, on stage, off stage, on location, in the studio and
beyond. This very fine gentleman and cinema expert knows what and where are the
buried or unknown, unusual and informative movies cosmos stories and how
to bring them to his audience. Stories that add more character, meaning,
substance, the "un je ne sais quoi", mystique, revelations and cache
to the film he is showing. Without Osborne's intros, the films remain simply an
enjoyable entertainment, but Helas! without the soul, spirit and
multidimensional chronicles that created or metamorphosed through the production
stages of the film and brought to us by Mr. Osborne, the magical opened can is
simply a cinema empirical projection. In many instances, I found Mr. Osborne's
intros and brief narrative historical back-flashes more fascinating and
entertaining than the film itself. This remarkable raconteur, historian and
cinema story teller recreates the whole universe and the genesis of movies. He
does it with effectiveness, charming style, authoritative, yet warm mannerism,
and above all, with style and confidence. Mr. Osborne is the gentle encyclopedia
of cinema and its human dimension.
A
weekly European news edition published by the
International News Agency in Paris, London and New
York.
CLICK HERE
WHO
IS ROBERT OSBORNE?
Photo: Cover of the book
"70 YEARS OF THE OSCAR" by Mr. Robert Osborne. Read the review in the Books
Section.
His biography as posted on the website of
Turner Classic Movies tells us that
Osborne was born in Colfax, Washington (population: 2700) and graduated
from the University of Washington's School of Journalism, appearing in
local plays in his non-study hours. He soon went to Hollywood as an actor
under contract to Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. But Lucy encouraged him to
pursue writing, which he considers among the best advice he's ever been
given. She remained a friend and mentor to him until her death.
Osborne joined the staff of The Hollywood Reporter in 1977 and six
years later began writing the paper's influential "Rambling Reporter"
column, which covers all aspects of the movie and television business. He
also attends the Cannes Film Festival to review films for the paper and is
The Hollywood Reporter's chief Broadway critic, covering New York plays
and first nights.
Osborne began as the on-air entertainment reporter for the nightly news on
Los Angeles, KTTV in 1982. In 1987, he was signed by CBS to make daily
appearances on the CBS Morning Program. From 1986-1993, he was also a
regular host of The Movie Channel cable network.
From 1981-83, he served as president of the Los Angeles Film Critics
Association (LAFCA).
Photo:
Man of the Year, Mr. Robert Osborne.
He is a frequent guest on Entertainment Tonight, Good
Morning America and other network shows; won a Golden Mike for excellence
(for a TV special he wrote, produced and hosted titled Lana Turner Today);
has twice been a CableAce nominee for his "Osborne Report" segments for
The Movie Channel; and was nominated for an Emmy Award as Best Host
Moderator. Osborne is also the winner of the 1984 Press Award from the
Publicists Guild of America.
In addition to his hosting duties for TCM, Osborne has also done several
specials for the network, including hour-long interviews, including the
last on-camera interview done by Robert Mitchum, Jane Russell, June
Allyson, Ann Miller, Mickey Rooney, Charlton Heston, Jack Lemmon,Walter
Matthau and Tony Curtis. The biography also reveals that
Osborne is also a columnist-critic for The Hollywood Reporter, the daily
show business trade paper. He is known as the official biographer of
Oscar, thanks to a series of books he's written on the subject of
Hollywood's annual Academy Awards. His latest book, the updated 70 Years
Of the Oscar, was written at the special request of the Academy of Motion
Picture Arts and Sciences, and has been called "the most comprehensive and
definitive book ever done on the subject."
An expert
insider wrote about Mr. Robert Osborne: "Never volunteer to play Trivial Pursuit with
Robert Osborne: He's going to nail every entertainment question. The host of
Turner Classic Movies and columnist for the Hollywood Reporter has not only
covered Hollywood, he was also a close friend to Hollywood elite such as Bette
Davis and Lucille Ball. Osborne loves his field of expertise. And it shows...In a way, Osborne built his prestigious career
out of luck. He says he landed in Hollywood at the right time. "Bette Davis and
the other stars were at the end of their careers. They wouldn't have had time
for me in their heyday. So I got the benefit of spending time with them and
hearing their stories." Another movies savvy wrote: "Osborne worked
at the Rose Theater as a teen-ager, and broke both his arms while putting
Elizabeth Taylor's name up on a marquee. "She was bad for me, too," Osborne
jokes...Osborne ended up in Hollywood by chance. He had set
out for New York but landed in California by way of an actress friend of his.
There he met Lucille Ball and became a contract player for Desilu. He said Ball
was the first to encourage him to become a writer. The stars took a liking to Osborne because he
had studied them and knew their history. "They didn't have to tell me what they had done in the past. I already knew." He was comfortable
around them and was invited to dinners and parties. Osborne often escorted Davis to dinner. "She
was a very proper New England lady and wouldn't go to a restaurant alone or with
another woman." So he was her dinner date...Osborne also accompanied Davis to the Academy
Awards in 1977. "Bette wanted to sit in the back so that she could sneak out and
smoke. She would go out to the press tent. All of these stars of the time,
Travolta and others, would hover, wanting to meet her but were so awed by her.
They were afraid to approach her, she was such a star. Here she was, she
couldn't get a job and these stars were afraid to talk to her. And she didn't
know who the hell they were." At one point Davis leaned over to him and,
referring to the man sitting next to them, said, "My God, he sure is attractive.
Who is he?" "That's Jack Nicholson," Osborne told her. "
RALPH
LAUREN
OSBORNE ON THE OSCARS AND TODAY'S MOVIES AND
STARS
Photo:
Mr. Robert Osborne with the legendary June Allyson.
What does he think of the today's Oscars?
Mr. Osborne longs for the days when people, directors, studio executives and
stars had more class, style and integrity. He told one reporter: "We've lost class. There's been this declassing of humans.
People used to have honor. They never wrote about Spencer Tracy and Hepburn
having an affair. You just didn't do that." Anything new or unusual about
today's OSCARS? Mr. Osborne commented: "In the past, people used to know the
results ahead of time. They simply knew, so they had all the reasons in the
world to relax. In the golden days, one could enjoy lavish and splendid
banquets. It was a great time and fun for everybody. Today, you just sit there
and you don't move. Too many awards are given and more categories are created,
like awards for costumes, songs, etc...and of course, today, the OSCARS welcome
European and foreign films, a real novelty..." And how about today's movies and
stars? Mr. Osborne explains: " Today's films are lacking. "I realize that
everyone likes 'Titanic', but if they give (the Oscar) to 'Titanic' I think I'll
stop writing books about the Oscars. For $200 million you think that they would
have made 'Dr. Zhivago' on board a ship or 'Lawrence of Arabia' on the high
seas.
Photo:
Mr. Robert Osborne with the delightful Celeste Holms and actress Rita Gam.
Instead, they wrote this sappy little
story...There are a few bonafide movie stars around. Emma Thompson. She's got it. She's wonderful in
everything that she does." Another top star, he says, is Matt Damon. "He's a
great actor." Is Mr. Osborne satisfied with the awards process, procedures
and standards? "Even though, today's films are not as good as they used to be,
quality-wise, the Academy Awards still point to some gems out there. And the
awards are extremely important because "A film really has to stand out to get a
nomination, even if it's just a special effects picture with a big box-office draw.
The Academy members take their votes very
seriously. "They see their vote as a very respected thing. They take their time
and scrutinize the tapes (of the films.)" In an interview he gave, a few
years ago, Mr. Osborne mentioned this: "Olivia de Havilland watched Judi Dench's performance in "Mrs. Brown" and had a few notes for the Oscar nominee.
"She said that (Dench) needed to work on her eyebrows and the way she carried
herself for that period."
Mr. Osborne's most cherished and
remembered OSCARS moments are when Charlie Chaplin's in 1972, returned to the
United States to accept an Oscar for the title song in his film "Limelight." Mr.
Osborne said: "He was this little, frail man that people had
labeled a child molester and a communist. And as he stood there looking at the
people standing up in ovation, you remembered all of the magic that he had
brought to the screen. It was very moving to see this little old man just
standing there on the stage." Another favorite moment is Louis
Fletcher's acceptance speech for Best Supporting Actress for "One Flew Over the
Cuckoo's Nest." Mr. Osborne recalls: "This sweet, innocent little girl came up to
accept and no one knew who she was," he said. Fletcher had played the bitter and
twisted Nurse Ratchett. "Her parents were deaf mutes so she signed her
acceptance speech. It was really something to see.."
ROBERT OSBORNE: MAN OF THE YEAR
On a regular basis, I watch TCM
for three reasons: 1-My passion for classical movies. 2-The lyrical beauty and nostalgia
those black and white films awake in me. 3-Mr. Osborne's intros to films. What a
delight and inspirational moment I enjoy and feel upon watching those
magnificent moving treasures. Consequently, I developed a great admiration and a
deep respect for Mr. Osborne. And this resulted in writing this piece on him.
But little, did I know, and delighted I became, when members of our
editorial board told me that the board chose Mr. Osborne as THE MAN OF THE YEAR
in recognition to his enormous contributions to the world of cinema. Ironically
enough, one day later, Ms. Ruth Sielberg, Editor-in-Chief of the International
Herald Daily news
http://www.internationalheraldfailynews.org (London, Paris) called me to ask
me if I would be interested in writing an article about Robert Osborne, for the
Herald decided to select Mr. Osborn as their Man of the Year! I do not believe
in coincidence. Coincidence exists solely in the abyss of uncreative minds. To
be selected by another news agency as MAN OF THE YEAR for the same year is NOT a
coincidence but, a global and a wide-spread recognition of unusual
contributions and outstanding accomplishments in any given field. And most
certainly, Mr. Robert Osborne deserves our gratitude and a universal
recognition. The man is a national treasure and a great asset to world cinema.
La crème de la crème.
Prima
Donna: Minnie Driver in Hope Springs: A romantic comedy; a
classic adaptation and a Scottish road movie - three new British
films all have their charms, even the one featuring Minnie
Driver's trademark Prima Donna routine...Read
full article
Mystic River:
Self-doubt,
ethical compromise and moral ambiguity are on the cards when
three childhood friends are reunited following the murder of
one's daughter
Clint Eastwood's latest movie
as a director is a stolid, masculine thriller bearing the
lineaments of tragedy - something classical or even biblical.
It's a film where work, good and bad, is done by men...Read
full article
She's
a Renegade with no Deadline.
“Veronica Guerin” Starring: Cate Blanchett. RATING: 2 Stars.
Movies have always confused journalists with
cops, and maybe the comparison isn't far off: Both jobs appear
to be about unraveling mysteries, but both are really about
paperwork. The difference, however, is that cops get shot more
often. Not to belittle those journalists who put their lives on
the line daily, but their movie brethren are a Hollywood fantasy
of tough-talking...Read
full article
Intolerable
Cruelty.
Directed by: Joel Coen. Starring: George Clooney;
Catherine Zeta-Jones. It
is traditional, when considering the films of the Coen brothers,
to remark on their versatility, and their ability to pastiche
and corrupt genres, while also remaining true to their chosen
form. There is some truth in this notion, but, as a means of
understanding their output, it is increasingly unhelpful...
Read full
article
She
did it all with class, beauty, intelligence, style, talent, unique
creativity, guts and warmth. And she excelled in everything she
accomplished. Grande Dame Loring is a published author, a national speaker,
a world-class actress, an international celebrity, a star of the American
cinema and television, a leading figure of the American theater and concert
halls, a singer, a composer, a lyricist, a songwriter, a producer, a
certified yoga teacher, a member of Who's Who in America and The World Who's
Who of Women and a humanitarian. This woman is almost 99.99% perfect. This
is the kind of people who create and shape the greatness of a nation. This
is the vintage of noble souls, warm hearts and bright minds who make the
sun rise and shine over the hills, the prairies and the faces of people we
love...And this is the kind of human beings who at every dawn, make the
wild roses bloom in the valley and on the landscape of the human psyche.
CINEMA: MORE TOPICS, HOLLYWOOD, DIVAS, STORIES YOU NEVER
HEARD BEFORE, GOSSIPS AND NEWS
BY MAXIMILLIEN de LAFAYETTE
WHY
MOVIES STARS, CELEBRITIES AND ORDINARY WOMEN POSE NAKED?
By Maximillien
de Lafayette.
Brigitte Bardot: "Animals walk around naked and they have more loyalty than
men. I have never been betrayed by my pets. But I have been cheated so many
times by men and women who were fully clothed..."Josephine Baker: " I will
strip by the name of God, if I have to feed those orphans...". WHY SOME
WOMEN STRIP IN PUBLIC AND WHY STARS POSE NAKED? For one million
reasons. And it has nothing to do with money, as many ingenious minds and
rednecks believe or imagine. Kate Moss does not need to pose naked to make
money. She appeared in full armored clothes on major glossy magazines
covers. And she earns zillions, just by holding a product or looking at the
camera. She does it because it is part of the fabric of the business. Almost
88% of stars and celebrities, including university professors, anchorwomen,
women-wrestlers, top executives and moms posed in the nude at one time in
their lives and careers for pragmatic, incomprehensible reasons, fantasy,
celebrity quest, notoriety exposure...
Read full article and see photos
CINEMA: LATEST FILMS REVIEWS. The bad movies of the week: "JUST FRIENDS",
"THE ICE HARVEST", "YOURS, MINE AND OURS".
Outrageous
gossips & insults by and about movies stars and celebrities
:
Bette Davis, Barbra Streisand, Judy Garland, Madonna, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Katherine Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor, Marilyn
Monroe, Lauren Bacall, Marlene Dietrich, Ingrid Bergman, Joan Crawford,
Joan Collins, Bo Derek, Mia Farrow, Frank Sinatra, Phyllis Diller, Ernest Borgnine, Montgomery Clift,
Gary Cooper, Ava Gardner, Robert Redford, Steve McQueen, Clark Gable,
Steve Martin, Mickey Rooney, Walter Matthau, Cole Porter, Warren Beatty,
Elvis Presley, Robert Mitchum, Clint Eastwood, Marlon Brando, Liberace, Sarah Bernhardt,
etc.,
Read full article
FEMMES
FATALES AND DIVAS OF THE FILM NOIRE By Maximillien de Lafayette
The
femme fatale, is an irresistible dramatic and dangerously attractive
woman. She is "la Femme" who directs men toward the abyss of
danger. Ironically, the literature of the sacred and the damned does
not include hommes fatales. Even, Charles Boyer, Jean Gabin and Tyron
Power do not fit the description of a fatal persona. La femme
fatale dates back to classic myth and ancient folklore. Astarte (Ashtaroot
in Aramaic and Phoenician) was one. Circe, is another half woman half
divine femme fatale who turned Odysseus' men into swine in Book X of The
Odyssey and the Sirens, whose beauty and alluring song attracted his
sailors and high seas adventurers...Read
the full article
REVISITING
SUPERSTARS AND LEGENDS: ANN MILLER. Once upon a time, she was number 1.
The
star of forty motion pictures and Broadway shows, national tours and
innumerable television appearances, Ann Miller has been tap dancing since her
earliest childhood days. Ann began her Hollywood career at age eleven, and
with her vibrant personality, great legs and her tap dancing, won a seven year
contract with R.K.O. at the age of thirteen (claiming to be eighteen). She was
so remarkable that by age fourteen, she played Ginger Roger's dancing partner
in "Stage Door", which started a Motion Picture Career that spanned 20 years.
During that period, Ann appeared in more than 40 films. At fifteen, Ann was
"borrowed" by Columbia to appear with James Stewart and Jean Arthur in "You
Can't Take It With You" which won the Academy Award for Best Picture of 1938.
That same year, back at R.K.O., she appeared with the Marx Brothers in "Room
Service". She left R.K.O. and starred on Broadway in the George White Scandals
of 1939 and 1940. Following her initial contract with R.K.O., Ann came back to
appear in the Rogers and Hart musical...Read
full article
THE
HOLLYWOOD FILE: THE MOST REMEMBERED
CINEMA DIVAS, ICONS AND LEGENDS.
Icon' -- like 'diva,' 'legend' and 'genius' -- has become a
bastardized term, a cliché applied by hack publicists to everyone from faded disco
queens to Suzanne Somers. In a cultural sense, what does 'icon' really mean?
Consider the differences between Marilyn Monroe and Meryl Streep, Elvis
Presley and Elton John. An icon is not just a star but the blueprint for
scores of imitators. Icons touch, dazzle and mystify each new generation, very
often for tragic reasons. How compelling it is to watch people dance closer to the flame
than most of us would ever dare; to take what we covet -- fame, beauty, riches
-- and disdain it or destroy it...Read
full article
THE MASTERPIECES OF GODARD:
One of Godard’s masterpieces, in which Marianne Renoir (Karina, who was
divorcing the director at the time), accompanies Belmondo’s Pierrot, who has
abandoned his wife and children in Paris, on a doomed escape to the
Mediterranean. The movie is important for its themes of alienation and
brooding narcissism, especially revealed in a party where mannequin-like
capitalists spout American TV ad copy instead of conversation...Read
full article
THE
MEGA DOLLAR WOMEN. THE MOST EXPENSIVE STARS IN HOLLYWOOD.
What so special about these women? Are they
the most intelligent and captivating human beings in the world? NO! Have they
contributed the most essential and the most needed help, knowledge and wisdom to
the society and world of excellence, humanities and human science? NO! So why
are they so expensive? Why they are making so much money, millions and millions
of Dollars, when so many talented artists, creative singers and entertainers,
devoted teachers, academicians and much more intelligent, fascinating and
brilliant minds and bodies are barely surviving? Find out!
Read full article
Actress
Kim Novak leads rustic life.
"What would I be doing if I still lived
here?" Kim Novak mused. She supplied her own answer: "I'd be spending my
afternoons shopping on Rodeo Drive." Instead, she has chosen to live in a
wooded paradise near Ashland, Ore. Called Windsong, it's a place she and her
husband, Bob Malloy, share with golden eagles, geese, deer, elk and a host of
other wild fauna, not to mention a barnyard full of farm animals. "We have two
or three hundred acres (80 to 120 hectares), including two large islands," she
reported. "The main channel of the (Rogue) river runs past
the islands. A smaller tributary passes in
front of our house...Read
full article
SPINNING
INTO BUTTER.
Spinning into Butter
is currently filming on Governors
Island in New York City. Sarah Jessica Parker will be joined by Beau
Bridges (The Ballad of Jack and Rose, The Fabulous Baker Boys), Miranda
Richardson (The Hours, The film version of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of
the Opera) and Mykelti Williamson...
CINEMA:
MOVIES REVIEWS:
Two For the Money: Dramatic tension never quite fulfilled.
Wall Street meets Las Vegas -- the
middle of Vancouver -- in Two for the Money, a slick and stylish
reel that attempts to recreate Al Pacino as the modern Gordon Gekko,
with a post-millennial lump of pathos. Pacino plays Walter, a
reformed gambling addict who's turned his destructive habit into a
profitable advisory service for other players. Give Walter money,
and he'll give you his expert picks on what's a lock for the
weekend. Walter isn't allowed to gamble anymore, but when he brings
in a young buck named Brandon Lang (Matthew McConaughey)...
Read the
full article
In Her Shoes: Strong acting lifts it above
standard chick-flick.
There's a scene in In Her Shoes in
which Cameron Diaz and Shirley MacLaine sit around a TV set with
some neighbours at a Florida retirement community, watching Sex and
the City and sipping that show's signature cocktail, the
cosmopolitan. In Her Shoes seems to be striving for that series'
same mix of witty insights into female relationships and romance
with weighty tearjerker moments. Everything about the film cries out
to the same core audience: the source material (Susannah Grant's
script is...Read
the full article
At Edmond J.
Safra Hall at the Museum of Jewish Heritage - A Living Memorial to
the Holocaust. 36 Battery Place, New York, NY 10280. Sunday, October
16 at 2:30 p.m. Sister Rose Thering To Discuss Her Life Spent Fighting
Anti-Semitism ...Read
the full article
Moviefone®
DVD Rentals has over 30,000 titles to choose from including new
releases, classics and comedies. As a member you'll be able to
rent them all! Check out some of the newest additions in our
catalogue.
This film is one
of many highlights for the documentary festival. In 1974 the Ramones
rattled the music scene in New York City with their unique raw sound -
this film documents one of the most influential groups in the history
of rock music. The documentary's strength is leaving most of
the talking to the complex and contradictory personalities in the
band. Joey the bright lanky misfit growing up with Obsessive
Compulsive Disorder....Read
the full article
STARS
AND CELEBRITIES OF THE YEAR. FROM THE MOST BORING TO THE
MOST TALENTED AND LUCKIEST CELEBRITIES. By Maximillien de Lafayette.
THEY ARE FAMOUS, BUT,
THEY ARE NOT BETTER THAN YOU!
There are 4 kinds of stars-entertainers in the world: 1-The talented;
2-The talented and the lucky; 3- The lucky; 4- The lucky and the boring.
All, except the "unlucky" make money. Big time money. Millions and
millions. Sometimes, the most boring ones are the luckiest and among the
wealthiest. And this tragic reality has nothing to do with talent or
lack of it. Many extremely talented artists will never see their names
in light. They don't lack creativity or talent. They lack luck, a good
agent, an effective publicist, a shrewd manager, good contacts, business
and promotion strategy, and above all, they desperately need an
"OPPORTUNITY", or a break...
CABARET
AND ENTERTAINMENT
FROM A TO Z. By Maximillien
de Lafayette. A
MEGA 135 PAGE IN-DEPTH ARTICLE OF THE HISTORY OF ENTERTAINMENT AND
CABARET IN EUROPE AND THE UNITED STATES FROM THE 18th CENTURY TO
PRESENT WITH HUNDREDS OF VINTAGE AND RARE PHOTOS. By Maximillien
de Lafayette
Long
time ago, in my first year at the law graduate school, a haunting passion with
insatiable appetite devoured my thoughts and feelings. And because of that
haunting passion, quite often, I asked myself if studying law instead of cinema
was really what I wanted it to do. You guessed it. My "first love" was the
silver screen. Not, because I was fascinated by the stars but, because I was
taken by the mesmerizing talents of cinematographers, the genius of the
directors of photography, the light engineers, the set designers, the visions of
films directors, the depth of challenging and engaging dialogues, and of
course, the musical scores composers. I did not care much for actors and
actresses whom I consider -with a very few exception of remarkable human beings
like Audrey Hepburn, June Allyson, Edward J. Robinson, Peter Ustinov, Ernest Borgnine, etc.,) to be vain, very show-off, extremely lucky with few merits,
pretentious and greedy. 
EURO
GLOBEThe
European Journal
WHO
IS ROBERT OSBORNE?
Photo:
Man of the Year, Mr. Robert Osborne.
An expert
insider wrote about Mr. Robert Osborne: "Never volunteer to play Trivial Pursuit with
Robert Osborne: He's going to nail every entertainment question. The host of
Turner Classic Movies and columnist for the Hollywood Reporter has not only
covered Hollywood, he was also a close friend to Hollywood elite such as Bette
Davis and Lucille Ball. Osborne loves his field of expertise. And it shows...In a way, Osborne built his prestigious career
out of luck. He says he landed in Hollywood at the right time. "Bette Davis and
the other stars were at the end of their careers. They wouldn't have had time
for me in their heyday. So I got the benefit of spending time with them and
hearing their stories." Another movies savvy wrote: "Osborne worked
at the Rose Theater as a teen-ager, and broke both his arms while putting
Elizabeth Taylor's name up on a marquee. "She was bad for me, too," Osborne
jokes...Osborne ended up in Hollywood by chance. He had set
out for New York but landed in California by way of an actress friend of his.
Photo:
Mr. Robert Osborne with the legendary June Allyson.
Photo:
Mr. Robert Osborne with the delightful Celeste Holms and actress Rita Gam.
Mr. Osborne's most cherished and
remembered OSCARS moments are when Charlie Chaplin's in 1972, returned to the
United States to accept an Oscar for the title song in his film "Limelight." Mr.
Osborne said: "He was this little, frail man that people had
labeled a child molester and a communist. And as he stood there looking at the
people standing up in ovation, you remembered all of the magic that he had
brought to the screen. It was very moving to see this little old man just
standing there on the stage." Another favorite moment is Louis
Fletcher's acceptance speech for Best Supporting Actress for "One Flew Over the
Cuckoo's Nest." Mr. Osborne recalls: "This sweet, innocent little girl came up to
accept and no one knew who she was," he said. Fletcher had played the bitter and
twisted Nurse Ratchett. "Her parents were deaf mutes so she signed her
acceptance speech. It was really something to see.."
On a regular basis, I watch TCM
for three reasons: 1-My passion for classical movies. 2-The lyrical beauty and nostalgia
those black and white films awake in me. 3-Mr. Osborne's intros to films. What a
delight and inspirational moment I enjoy and feel upon watching those
magnificent moving treasures. Consequently, I developed a great admiration and a
deep respect for Mr. Osborne. And this resulted in writing this piece on him.
But little, did I know, and delighted I became, when members of our
editorial board told me that the board chose Mr. Osborne as THE MAN OF THE YEAR
in recognition to his enormous contributions to the world of cinema. Ironically
enough, one day later, Ms. Ruth Sielberg, Editor-in-Chief of the International
Herald Daily news 
Prima
Donna: Minnie Driver in Hope Springs: A romantic comedy; a
classic adaptation and a Scottish road movie - three new British
films all have their charms, even the one featuring Minnie
Driver's trademark Prima Donna routine...
She's
a Renegade with no Deadline.
“Veronica Guerin” Starring: Cate Blanchett. RATING: 2 Stars.
Intolerable
Cruelty. 
She
did it all with class, beauty, intelligence, style, talent, unique
creativity, guts and warmth. And she excelled in everything she
accomplished. Grande Dame Loring is a published author, a national speaker,
a world-class actress, an international celebrity, a star of the American
cinema and television, a leading figure of the American theater and concert
halls, a singer, a composer, a lyricist, a songwriter, a producer, a
certified yoga teacher, a member of Who's Who in America and The World Who's
Who of Women and a humanitarian. This woman is almost 99.99% perfect. This
is the kind of people who create and shape the greatness of a nation. This
is the vintage of noble souls, warm hearts and bright minds who make the
sun rise and shine over the hills, the prairies and the faces of people we
love...And this is the kind of human beings who at every dawn, make the
wild roses bloom in the valley and on the landscape of the human psyche.
WHY
MOVIES STARS, CELEBRITIES AND ORDINARY WOMEN POSE NAKED?
By Maximillien
de Lafayette.
Brigitte Bardot: "Animals walk around naked and they have more loyalty than
men. I have never been betrayed by my pets. But I have been cheated so many
times by men and women who were fully clothed..."Josephine Baker: " I will
strip by the name of God, if I have to feed those orphans...". WHY SOME
WOMEN STRIP IN PUBLIC AND WHY STARS POSE NAKED? For one million
reasons. And it has nothing to do with money, as many ingenious minds and
rednecks believe or imagine. Kate Moss does not need to pose naked to make
money. She appeared in full armored clothes on major glossy magazines
covers. And she earns zillions, just by holding a product or looking at the
camera. She does it because it is part of the fabric of the business. Almost
88% of stars and celebrities, including university professors, anchorwomen,
women-wrestlers, top executives and moms posed in the nude at one time in
their lives and careers for pragmatic, incomprehensible reasons, fantasy,
celebrity quest, notoriety exposure...
The
femme fatale, is an irresistible dramatic and dangerously attractive
woman. She is "la Femme" who directs men toward the abyss of
danger. Ironically, the literature of the sacred and the damned does
not include hommes fatales. Even, Charles Boyer, Jean Gabin and Tyron
Power do not fit the description of a fatal persona. La femme
fatale dates back to classic myth and ancient folklore. Astarte (Ashtaroot
in Aramaic and Phoenician) was one. Circe, is another half woman half
divine femme fatale who turned Odysseus' men into swine in Book X of The
Odyssey and the Sirens, whose beauty and alluring song attracted his
sailors and high seas adventurers...
The
star of forty motion pictures and Broadway shows, national tours and
innumerable television appearances, Ann Miller has been tap dancing since her
earliest childhood days. Ann began her Hollywood career at age eleven, and
with her vibrant personality, great legs and her tap dancing, won a seven year
contract with R.K.O. at the age of thirteen (claiming to be eighteen). She was
so remarkable that by age fourteen, she played Ginger Roger's dancing partner
in "Stage Door", which started a Motion Picture Career that spanned 20 years.
During that period, Ann appeared in more than 40 films. At fifteen, Ann was
"borrowed" by Columbia to appear with James Stewart and Jean Arthur in "You
Can't Take It With You" which won the Academy Award for Best Picture of 1938.
That same year, back at R.K.O., she appeared with the Marx Brothers in "Room
Service". She left R.K.O. and starred on Broadway in the George White Scandals
of 1939 and 1940. Following her initial contract with R.K.O., Ann came back to
appear in the Rogers and Hart musical...
![[The lovely Kim Novak]](kimporcel.jpg)
In Her Shoes: Strong acting lifts it above
standard chick-flick.
There's a scene in In Her Shoes in
which Cameron Diaz and Shirley MacLaine sit around a TV set with
some neighbours at a Florida retirement community, watching Sex and
the City and sipping that show's signature cocktail, the
cosmopolitan. In Her Shoes seems to be striving for that series'
same mix of witty insights into female relationships and romance
with weighty tearjerker moments. Everything about the film cries out
to the same core audience: the source material (Susannah Grant's
script is...
