Friday, June 11, 2004

Candidate Kerry’s Daughter and Other Fashion Focus Notes: Alexandra Kerry, filmmaker and daughter of U.S. Presidential candidate John Kerry, strolled the red carpet at last night's AFI Life Achievement Award, A Tribute to Meryl Streep in a cocktail dress by Monique Lhuillier. She selected a nude and black beaded cocktail dress with black satin halter neckline that criss-crossed at the base of the neck. The overlay was gorgeous…

as was Kate Beckinsale who went all-out glam, strapless, lightly printed empire waist dress, silver strappy sandals, just beautiful. Melanie Griffith chose very safe all black (hose, shoes, dress, purse, chiffon shawl). Charlize Theron never looks bad, she’s an always winning look – she chose a taupe top and skirt evening ensemble that was simple and elegant.

Goldie Hawn could’ve stopped traffic in the screaming orange lace front tank top and chiffon printed coordinating spring skirt.

Streep herself, chose a full skirted black dress with a white capelet knotted at the front. Very pretty and suitable.

Claire Danes, who the Star caught smooching with beau Bill Crudup in the park, wore a mermaid themed knee-length gown in shimmery blue-green-red shades, unique and lovely.

Arielle Kebbel, who stars in the much anticipated Be Cool with John Travolta, will wear a 1940's inspired dress by Elsie Katz Couture to tonight's premiere of "De-Lovely," starring Ashley Judd and Kevin Kline. She'll wear a cocoa floral silk-chiffon dress with ruched bodice and fishtail hem.


Prince Charles is parading his Camilla Parker-Bowles around. She was at the The Royal Gala Charity Performance of "Mamma Mia!" wearing a printed blue, yellow and turquoise pastel gown, with a triple strand pearl color and massive stone at the center, smiling happily.

New mommy Gwyneth Paltrow looked so pretty, with her long free-flowing curls and non-matching black skirt and top at the Taryn Simon: The Innocents at the Gagosian Gallery in London. She even had the bondage-y ankle wrapped black sandals, to complete her hot look.

Funeral March: Did you watch it today? It was inescapable – on nearly every network and cable news station. I marveled that Nancy Reagan is a (pardon the pun) dead ringer for a white version of my Filipina mother. One thing that was interesting (in addition to the many historical figures in attendance – and the security that must have been around the National Cathedral), was how all the women attendees, with the exception of Barbara Bush was pretty much wearing the same outfit, a black suitdress.

Death Watch: Speaking of death, our friend Melinda Marquez sent us this website http://www.deathclock.com/index.cfm, it predicts your death. Mine is January 19, 2051.

Dan Band: If you’re in NYC, you really must check out this truly funny show starring Dan Finnerty – a good time will be had by all, guaranteed. the dan band is coming to NEW YORK CITY

tell your friends.
or if you'll be in new york city, tell yourself.

4 fridays in a row @ THE KNITTING FACTORY ....

FRIDAY JUNE 18th
FRIDAY JUNE 25th
FRIDAY JULY 2nd
FRIDAY JULY 9th

THE KNITTING FACTORY NYC:
74 Leonard Street in TriBeCa
10:30 doors/ 11:00 show

BUY TICKETS .....
www.knittingfactory.com
or
www.ticketweb.com

Lifetime for Women: Even though there are those at BeansTalk who want to change the channel, there’s something so addictive about Lifetime. Here’s their latest made-for-TV film:
BABY FOR SALE (Lifetime Original Movie Premiere)
• Airs Monday, July 12, 9-11 PM ET/PT; Thursday, July 15, 9-11 PM ET/PT; Sunday, July 18, 7-9 PM ET/PT; Saturday, July 24, 12-2 PM ET/PT
• “Baby for Sale” is inspired by a true story of an innocent couple who goes undercover in a dangerous sting operation to bust a baby-selling ring. Nathalie Johnson (Dana Delany) and her husband, Steve (Hart Bochner), are finalizing the adoption of a baby girl when they discover the child is being auctioned off to the highest bidder. The Johnsons go undercover to help police even though there is no guarantee that they will be given the baby girl they have grown to love.

Rah Rah Hip-Hop diva Rah Digga will be featured on the Dennis Miller Live Show tonight on CNBC, 9 p.m. ET, as part of a panel discussing the FCC crackdown, media consolidation, censorship, and the state of the music industry. She will join David Fagin of the indie band The Rosenbergs and Art Alexakis of the rock band Everclear in the discussion with Dennis Miller, bringing to the table her unique perspective of being a hip-hop artist whose songs feature adult content and also a mother who wants to protect her child from adult content.

Next week, Rah Digga will join Chuck D, Nas, Wyclef Jean, MC Lyte, and more at the National Hip-Hop Political Conference. She will be a featured performer on June 19, 2004, in Newark, NJ.

Rah Digga’s latest album, Everything Is a Story, is due out later this year. She was recently nominated for a BET Award for Best Female Hip-Hop Artist. She currently splits her time between New York and Los Angeles, where is working to further her acting career. She is available for interviews and appearances to discuss trends in the industry, censorship, balancing being a mother and a rapper, the difficulty of being a female hip-hop artist in a male-dominated industry, her upcoming projects, and more.
One Man: One of my former boss’ bosses has a one-man show in Los Angeles (!), 18 Arrests and No Convictions. Check it out at : http://www.18arrestsnoconvictions.com/

Top Hats : Kangol set up a temporary flagship store in SoHo and have really cool and different themes going on each week. The launch party was on June 3rd was a huge success. The closing party will be celebrity-driven and celebs are customizing hats that will be auctioned off the evening of the event, June 30, 2004, and all proceeds will go to the official charity of the entire event, AFI (American Film Institute). Celebs designing hats are LL Cool J, Mandy Moore, Sean Astin, Portia de Rossi and many more. The premises are located at 101 Crosby St in SoHo and open Wednesdays to Sundays. Based firmly around Kangol’s heritage years of 1938, the birth year; 1983, its adoption into the Hip Hop community; and 04, now; the venue will convey the labels values and handwriting bringing it kicking and screaming to life. Designed and dressed by UK Art Director Shona Heath and produced by NYC based The Apartment, the creative store will act as a backdrop to an electric mix of events, fashion, music and art collaborations and retail of limited and iconic Kangol product. Check out the event program weekly on www.kangol.com.

Potter’s Prisoner If you haven’t seen it yet, check out the latest Harry Potter film! All of us at BeansTalk highly recommend it. Here's our review:

Although it strays from the book, the basic premise and plot remain in the latest “Harry Potter” installment, “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.” Director Alfonso Cuaron takes a decidedly different approach. Where Chris Columbus (director of the first two films, producer of this one), was fairly faithful to the original source material, Cuaron not only veers somewhat, he also gives the film a completely different look than Columbus’ versions did. Cuaron’s Potter is much darker – the colors in the films are burgundies and grays, there’s a much more obvious sense of what’s lurking. The irony in all of this is that, without giving too much away, He Who Must Not Be Named doesn’t make an appearance in this film, and yet it is considerably more ominous and grim and Harry’s fate is more compelling than ever.

The acting in this is nearly perfect, from the three primary actors –Daniel Radcliff as Harry, Rupert Grint as Ron and Emma Watson as Hermoine – to the latest additions (David Thewlis as Professor Lupin, Emma Thompson as Professor Sybil Trelawney). Although in this film, Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy) is just the slightest bit over the top – more attention may be called to this, partly because the rest of the cast stays so steadfastly true to the character.

Also spectacular are the special effects -- the Hippogriff is almost exactly as Rowling describes it in the book (although there’s only one in the film and several in the book). Too bad that some of the other creatures new professor Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane) brings to class don’t show up in the film. You see less of Professor Minerva McGonagall (Maggie Smith), nothing of Madame Pomfrey (Gemma Jones – whose character is key in the novel), or Madame Hooch (Zoë Wanamaker, who also figures prominently in the book). Even though he hasn’t yet returned (in the novels), I did long a little bit for my favorite character of the series, Dobby. I missed Fang, too.

Rowling brilliantly reveals more about Harry’s background and family, alludes to more, and always remains faithful to her characters, and “Prisoner” continues to tell the tale well.

For fans of the book and film, this film offers genuine surprises, is cleverly executed and wholly entertaining. It’s suitable save for the squeamish or those who might be frightened by even the soundtrack (as it lurkingly leads audiences around).