Hollywood loves combo deals.  A recent favorite is the probing exposé of a relationship mixed with comedy.  ”Couples Retreat” follows this recipe, but there is only a fair amount of laughter added to offset watching long sessions of couples therapy.  Surprisingly, the script (written by stars Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau) captures a wide scope of realistic relationships, perhaps some of the best in comedy of this type.  However, the writing is also the film’s weakness as it plays like a rerun due to its devotion to the typical “relationship movie” formula.  You come to expect some master plan behind all the exercises that pull the couples apart (while subtly bringing them together), but the movie amounts to little more than just a string of events.

The married-with-kids couple whose relationship has become like a job (Vince Vaughn and Malin Akerman).  The high-school couple who has been together way too long (Jon Favreau and Kristin Davis).  The anal couple who is frustrated because everything doesn’t go according to their perfect plan (Jason Bateman and Kristen Bell).  The older man-younger woman couple that always manages to raise some eyebrows (Faizon Love and Kali Hawk).  Chances are, you know at least one of these couples.  ”Couples Retreat” dwells largely on the familiarity of its characters to propel the more serious side of the movie.  At the same time, it allows the strengths of the actors to provide some comic relief.  Vince Vaughn does a few trademark trite spiels; Jon Favreau gets plenty of moments to be curmudgeonly; Jason Bateman plays average Joe with a tinge of neurosis.

“Couples Retreat” doesn’t really succeed as a comedy, but it does manage to portray some very realistic relationships with very real problems.  As the directorial debut of Peter Billingsley (Ralphie from “A Christmas Story” – you know, the one they play all Christmas on TBS), it’s not such a bad place to start, but it definitely leaves something to be desired.  We’ve seen all the stars in this movie do better, and it isn’t too far out of line to request more.  But for what it’s worth, this will provide you some amusement yet fail to deliver the belly-laughs we have come to expect from actors like Vaughn, Favreau, and Bateman.  B- /

FRom: http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2009/11/gamble-on-american-idol-sex-and-the-city-slot-machines.html

If you’re over 21, you can now play slot machines based on two of your favorite shows, “American Idol” and “Sex and the City.”

Both slots were new releases at the 2009 Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas. In “American Idol,” slot players can trigger a bonus round that lets them become one of three judges — Simon Cowell, Kara DioGuardi or Randy Jackson — and then plays video clips of past contestants, good AND bad.

According to Sphere.com, Paula Abdul was the lone holdout participant even BEFORE she announced she was leaving the show. Innnteresting.

Meanwhile, the “Sex and the City” slot machines are subtitled “Change of a Dress.” Clever, no? They feature bonus rounds that include video clips of all four women plus Mr. Big.

International Game Technology spokeswoman Julie Brown told Sphere, “There’s shoes and purses and lots of bling and big bonuses and the music track, and it’s a very interactive game.”

Speaking of Mr. Big, Chris Noth helped unveil the “Sex and the City” slot machine in Las Vegas. Video below.

KATHY GRIFFIN D-LISTED CONTEST

Facebook: Kathy Griffin DlistedNyc

GET d-listed!!

If you LOVE Kathy Griffin and love “Sex and the City” this one is for you! NealBinNYC (www.nealbinnyc.wordpress.com) and On Location Tours (www.screentours.com) are looking to see who the BIGGEST KATHY GRIFFIN FAN is out there! We are looking to see who can upload the MOST CREATIVE KATHY GRIFFIN FAN VIDEO.  Yes, it can be outrageous, -but it has to be FACEBOOK appropriate!

One grand prize WINNER will live life on the D-LIST!  The winner will receive TWO FREE TICKETS for the Official Sex and the City Hotspot Tour (http://www.screentours.com/tour.php/satc/) and have their video appear on a DVD we are sending to Kathy G. and her people!  The tour of Sex and the City Hotspots includes more than 40 locations from the hit TV show and movie!  See where Carrie and Co. live, shop, drink and dine.  Locations include Magnolia Bakery, Charlotte’s art gallery, and the bar owned by Aidan and Steve in the show.

To enter you must be in the New York City area and also have Facebook to be eligible.

Contest directions:

NealBinNYC (www.nealbinnyc.wordpress.com) and On Location Tours (www.screentours.com) are looking to see who the BIGGEST KATHY GRIFFIN FAN is out there!

We are looking to see who can create the MOST CREATIVE KATHY GRIFFIN FAN VIDEO.  Yes, it can be outrageous, -but it has to be FACEBOOK appropriate!

On your Facebook page, please upload any original videos (you can enter as many as you like) explaining why you’re the ultimate Kathy Griffin Fan and why she belongs back on the D-list in New York City!  Tag “Kathy Griffin DlistedNyc” in your videos.   The winner will be judged on who has the most creative video.   The judges will be staff members from On Location Tours as well as Neal B.

The contest will ends MONDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2009 at 8:00 pm EST.  The winner will be contacted that night no later than 9:00 pm via their Facebook e-mail and also the winner will be announced on the Kathy Griffin DlistedNyc  Facebook page.

D-LIST IT UP!

From www.viewonfashion.com:

11/24/09 - While filming the long-awaited film Sex and the City 2, actress Kim Cattrall and SATC designer/stylist Patricia Field found the time to collaborate on the new edition of Bailey´s Red Bow…

SEX AND THE…
Red Bow

While filming the long-awaited film Sex and the City 2, actress Kim Cattrall and SATC designer/stylist Patricia Field found the time to collaborate on the new edition of Bailey´s Red Bow…

El fenómeno Sex and the City a lo largo de sus seis temporadas obtuvo 50 nominaciones a  los Premios Emmy ,de las cuáles sólo ganó siete de ellos. Pero esto sólo fue el comienzo. En la celebración de los Premios del Gremio de Actores consiguió dos premios en la categoría a “Mejor Elenco en una serie de comedia”, fue nominada a 24 Premios Globo de Oro, de los cuales ganó ocho estatuillas, entre las que se encontraban “Mejor Serie de Televisión”, “Mejor serie de Comedia” o musical, entre otras.

El paso de las protagonistas por la serie ha supuesto el afianzamiento de sus carreras profesionales y el reconocimiento de sus trayectorias. Comenzamos por Sara Jessica Parker. La actriz ha sabido ganarse a la audiencia y prueba de ellos son los innumerables premios que ha recibido, los cuales le han hecho figurar en todo un icono del mundo del cine y de la televisión, así como en el mundo de la moda. Una actriz que sigue cosechando éxitos, tanto en el mundo de la interpretación como en el de los negocios. En los Globo de Oro ha conseguido alzarse con la estatuilla a “Mejor Actriz”  durante cuatro años ( 2000/20001/20002/2004), así como un Premio del Gremio de Actores de Cine en 2001.

A Cynthia Nixon el papel de Miranda le ha supuesto  un paso más en su recorrido profesional. Siempre ha sido considerada como una gran actriz y prueba de ello son las aclamadas críticas que la actriz recibe en cada una de sus intervenciones. Ganadora de un Premio Emmy(2004)  a  “Mejor Actriz Secundaria” en una serie de comedia y un Premio Tony, consiguen que la  guapa estadounidense se afianse en su carrera. Ha sido nominada nuevamente en dos ocasiones a los Emmy y en cuatro ocasiones consecutivas a los Globos de Oro.En 2001 y 2004 le galardonaron con el Premio del Gremio de Artistas de Cine en la categoria de mejor grupo de actores en una serie de comedia.

La sensual Kim Cattrall es la que más recorrido en el mundo del cine y de la televisión tiene respecto a sus compañeras. Su personaje de Samantha ha sido uno de los motivos principales del éxito de la serie. Rompedora y ansiosa de poder, Kim ha conseguido hacerse una vez más un hueco entre las grandes. Ha sido ganadora de un Premio a los Globo de Oro, dos estatuillas del Gremio de Actores de Cine, además de las 4 nominaciones a los Emmy,5 nominaciones añadidas a los Globos de Oro y por último 3 nominaciones adicionales al Premio del Gremio de Actores de Cine. Tras su reconocimiento cinematográdico, la actriz quiere emprender nuevos caminos y prueba de ello es la productora que ha fundado bajo el nombre de Fertile Ground Productions, con la que ya ha realizado su primer proyecto, llamado Sexual Intellingence, un documental que la propia Kim ha co-producido.

La modosita y siempre educada Charlotte ha supuesto un auge en la carrera de Kristin Davis siendo este personaje un claro reflejo de la mujer tradicional y refinada de la Gran Manzana.Este papel ha dado lugar a que la actriz haya sido imagen de grandes firmas cósmeticas, además de lanzarse en la creación de una linea de ropa y complementos. Por su participación en la serie Sex and the City, fue nominada a un Premio Emmy y a un Globo de Oro en la categoría a Mejor Actriz secundaria en una serie de comedia. Junto a sus tres compañeras de reparto, fueron galadonadas en dos ocasiones por una nominación  en conjunto de un Premio del Gremio de Cine.

El director Michael Patrick King ha recibido diferentes reconocimientos por su labor como escritor, director y productor ejecutivo . Sex and the City  recibió el Premio del Gremio de Escritores,del Gremio de Directores, del Gremio de Productores, de la Academia de Televisión y de la Asociación de Prensa Extranjera de Hollywood, además de otros tres Premios Globo de Oro en la categoría de Mejor Serie de Comedia y dos Premios Emmy: uno en la categoría de Mejor Serie de Comedia, y otro en la categoría de Mejor Director.

La chica del zapato rosa

La chica del zapato rosa

Carrie Bradshaw es una famosa columnista que escribe sobre sexo para el diario de "New York Observer". Sarah Jessica Parker protagoniza a este personaje y tras el éxito cosechado, decide formar parte del grupo de producción de la serie.

Charlotte York, inteligente, refinada y sin duda la más tradicional del grupo. Kristin Davis es quien da vida a este personaje con el que admite tener muchas cosas en común. Tras su paso por la serie, han sido muchas las campañas de publicidad que la actriz ha realizado.

Samantha Jones es sin duda la más alocada de todas. Una madurita Relaciones Públicas que sabe cómo conquistar a los hombres. A pesar de su edad, siempre va la moda. Kim Cattrall es quien encarna a la divertida Samantha, una interpretación que llegó a rechazar en dos ocasiones.

Miranda Hobbes, una abogada de prestigio que ve cómo su vida cambia al enterarse de que está embarazada de su antiguo novio. Cynthia Nixon es quien da vida a Miranda, una repercusión que ha dado lugar a que hayan sido aireadas muchas informaciones de la vida personal de la actriz.

Mr.Big es el amor de Carrie, que tras varios años de relaciones esporádicas y compromisos que parecian no tener futuro, finalmente, la escritora consigue llevarlo al altar. Chris Noth ha participado en otra serie de éxito llamada: Law&Order.

Steve es el antiguo novio de Miranda y padre de su hijo. Mantiene con ella una relación formal por el bien del niño hasta que finalmente retoman su historia y se mudan a Brookling. David Eigenberg ha participado en series de renombre como: "CSI" o "Sin Rastro".

Jerry Smith es un atractivo camarero que cae ante los encantos de Samantha. Ella utiliza sus contactos para lanzarle en su carrera como modelo. A pesar de la diferencia de edad, él está enamorado de la RRPP. Jason Lewis ha colaborado en la mítica serie "Beverly Hills 90210".

Harry es el segundo marido de Charlotte. Él era el abogado de su divorcio con su primer marido, Trey MacDougal. Evan Hadler, actor,escritor, guionista y periodista, cuenta con una larga trayectoria en el mundo de la televisión. Entre sus actuaciones más conocidas se encuentran: "24", "Friends" o "Law&Order".

Stanford Blatch es el mejor amigo de Carrie junto a las chicas. Es un agente homosexual que tiene un sentido de la moda sólo aplicable a Carrie. Wilie Garson cuenta con una trayectoria imparable. Ha participado en series y películas de gran éxito como:"Algo pasa con Mary", "La roca", "Friends", "CSI"y "Melrose Place", entre otras.

Anthony Marentino es un especialista en organización de eventos. Es un amigo homosexual de Charlotte y el encargado de planificar la primera boda de ésta. Mario Cantone es un reconocido actor de teatro que posee una larga trayectoria con innumerables éxitos. Su participación en el mundo del cine y la televisión ha sido bastante reciente.

Aidan Shaw es otro de los grandes hombres en la vida de Carrie. Es un noble y dulce diseñador de muebles con un gran sentido del humor, un factor clave para que Carrie cayera a sus pies. John Corbett obtuvo su primer papel importante en "Aquellos maravillosos años",dando comienzo a una larga trayectoria en series de televisión.

Trey MacDougal es el primer marido de Charlotte. Un reconocido cirujano perteneciente a una acomodada familia que encaja perfectamente en el prototipo de Charlotte. Su matrimonio acabó tras una luna de miel sin sexo debido a su impotencia. Kyle MacLachlan debutó en el cine de la mano del director y amigo Lynch; y gracias a él, consiguio un Globo de oro por su participación en "Twin Peaks".

]]> http://dalynmillerpr.wordpress.com/2009/11/12/manhattan-madam-on-the-joy-behar-show/ Thu, 12 Nov 2009 23:18:29 +0000 Dalyn Miller http://dalynmillerpr.wordpress.com/2009/11/12/manhattan-madam-on-the-joy-behar-show/

Some clients continue to make news week after week, year after year.  Luckily our spiciest client yet, Kristin Davis, the Manhattan Madam, is just one of those clients.  As for us, we’re happy to take a break from the cookbook and lifestyle PR for a bit and dip back into the scandal PR.  If we haven’t said it before:  our jobs are never boring!

Watch Kristin Davis tonight on The Joy Behar Show on CNN Headline News at 9pm ET & again at 12am ET.  She’ll be talking about HER favorite past client Elliott Spitzer and his upcoming lecture at Harvard University’s Ethics Center.

Charlotte York es sin duda “la señorita”. Una chica coqueta, elegante y muy refinada son algunas de las características que definen a esta neoyorquina. Trabaja en una galería de arte en donde aconseja y vende cuadros a la gente adinerada de Manhattan. Es una romántica empedernida que sueña con encontrar a su príncipe, casarse y formar una familia. Cree en el amor a primera vista y rehúye de los líos nocturnos que únicamente buscan pasar un rato. Junto a Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) son las que más dinero ganan en sus trabajos y por tanto, sus caprichos son algo más costosos. Una chica preocupada siempre por los buenos modales que contrasta con la desinhibida y promiscua Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall).Son varios los hombres que pasan por la vida de la dulce Charlotte, pero tras un matrimonio fallido con Trey MacDougal, llega su particular príncipe azul, Harry Goldenblatt, con el que hace una segundas nupcias y realiza su sueño: ser madre. La inocente Charlotte es el contrapunto al cinismo de Miranda, a la frivolidad de Samantha y del pesimismo de Carrie. Es sin duda la más infantil de todas y en ocasiones, da respuestas sin haberlas razonado acompañadas de una actitud caprichosa. A pesar de esto, es la más solidaria de las chicas, lo que la hace más humana a  la vez que evita las discusiones y la maldad.

Kristin Davis de 44 años, tiene sus orígenes en Colorado (EEUU). Tras graduarse en Rutgers University logra instalarse en Nueva York donde comenzaron sus estudios de teatro. Su carrera como actriz se irá formando poco a poco, con papeles que cada vez va teniendo más importancia, alternándolos en el cine y el teatro. Kristin tenía papeles recurrentes en las series dramáticas, como por ejemplo ” Another World” y “General Hospital”, entre otras. Una de sus interpretaciones más conocidas fue en la exitosa serie Melrose Place en 1995. Esta no es la única serie de renombre en la que ha participado; ha realizado cameos en Friends o Emergencias,  pero sin duda su gran papel ha sido el de Charlotte York en “Sexo en Nueva York”. La popularidad alcanzada por las  cuatro actrices tras su paso por esta serie les ha permitido enfocar sus carreras en distintos ámbitos. En el caso de Kristin, firmó un contrato para la empresa Maybeline como imagen de su nueva campaña, pero este no ha sido su único reto: sigue los pasos de su amiga Sarah Jessica Parker y junto al diseñador dominicano Sully Bonnelly y los almacenes Belk han lanzado una línea de ropa en la que tendrán cabida zapatos, bolsos, vestidos, joyería y lencería; todo enfocado en el personaje Charlotte York que Kristin Davis protagonizó en la serie.

La chica del zapato rosa

Charlotte York es sin duda “la señorita”. Una chica coqueta, elegante y muy refinada son algunas de las características que definen a esta neoyorquina. Trabaja en una galería de arte en donde aconseja y vende cuadros a la gente adinerada de Manhattan. Es una romántica empedernida que sueña con encontrar a su príncipe, casarse y formar una familia. Cree en el amor a primera vista y rehúye de los líos nocturnos que únicamente buscan pasar un rato. Junto a Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) son las que más dinero ganan en sus trabajos y por tanto, sus caprichos son algo más costosos. Una chica preocupada siempre por los buenos modales que contrasta con la desinhibida y promiscua Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall).Son varios los hombres que pasan por la vida de la dulce Charlotte, pero tras un matrimonio fallido con Trey MacDougal, llega su particular príncipe azul, Harry Goldenblatt, con el que hace una segundas nupcias y realiza su sueño: ser madre. La inocente Charlotte es el contrapunto al cinismo de Miranda, a la frivolidad de Samantha y del pesimismo de Carrie. Es sin duda la más infantil de todas y en ocasiones, da respuestas sin haberlas razonado acompañadas de una actitud caprichosa. A pesar de esto, es la más solidaria de las chicas, lo que la hace más humana a  la vez que evita las discusiones y la maldad.

Kristin Davis de 44 años, tiene sus orígenes en Colorado (EEUU). Tras graduarse en Rutgers University logra instalarse en Nueva York donde comenzaron sus estudios de teatro. Su carrera como actriz se irá formando poco a poco, con papeles que cada vez va teniendo más importancia, alternándolos en el cine y el teatro. Kristin tenía papeles recurrentes en las series dramáticas, como por ejemplo ” Another World” y “General Hospital”, entre otras. Una de sus interpretaciones más conocidas fue en la exitosa serie Melrose Place en 1995. Esta no es la única serie de renombre en la que ha participado; ha realizado cameos en Friends o Emergencias, pero sin duda su gran papel ha sido el de Charlotte York en “Sexo en Nueva York”. La popularidad alcanzada por las  cuatro actrices tras su paso por esta serie les ha permitido enfocar sus carreras en distintos ámbitos. En el caso de Kristin, firmó un contrato para la empresa Maybeline como imagen de su nueva campaña, pero este no ha sido su único reto: sigue los pasos de su amiga Sarah Jessica Parker y junto al diseñador dominicano Sully Bonnelly y los almacenes Belk han lanzado una línea de ropa en la que tendrán cabida zapatos, bolsos, vestidos, joyería y lencería; todo enfocado en el personaje Charlotte York que Kristin Davis protagonizó en la serie.

Dal set di Sex and the City 2 continuano ad arrivare foto delle protagoniste in splendidi outfit. Quindi ho deciso di darvi un first look su ciò che ci aspetterà nel film..dal punto di vista dell’abbigliamento.

Partiamo dalla protagonista, ovvero Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker). Nella prima foto indossa un abito Halston Heritage abbinato ad una clutch Chanel e delle decoltè Chirstian Louboutin d’orate. Nella seconda foto indossa sempre un abito Halston Heritage e delle decoltè Christian Louboutin. Gli occhiali tondi ed un pò stile retrò sono Jee Vice.

Miranda Hobbes (Cynthia Nixon) indossa invece un abito color senape abbinato a delle Trib Two YSL color carne. Bisogna dire che queste scarpe sono sempre più amate da star (vedi Victoria Beckham) e dalle attrici, che le indossano sui set. Charlotte York (Kristin Davis) sceglie invece un total look di Christian Dior, il tutto rigorosamente rosa.

http://img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix//2008/04_01/1SATC_468x466.jpg

Für alle, die genauso auf die ersten Bilder des neuen SATC Film’s gespannt sind,  gibt es hier eine qualitativ gute Kostprobe.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_7zP-yvGBs&feature=related

Man darf gespannt sein, welche Trends dieses Movie wieder setzen wird. Weitere News folgen!

Sex and the City è un film del 2008 diretto da Michael Patrick King.
Il film, uscito il 30 maggio 2008, porta sul grande schermo le quattro protagoniste dell’omonima serie tv della HBO. La trama riprende personaggi e temi della serie tv ed è ambientato quattro anni dopo il finale della serie, del 2004.

Leggi altre notizie su: | Commedia | Michael Patrick King | Sarah Jessica Parker | Kim Cattrall | Kristin Davis | Cynthia Nixon

Like every other girl on the planet… I can’t wait for the next installment of SATC!!! First off, I’d like 2 say Kudos to the genius behind all the fabulous outfits, Patricia Fields. Everything from the clothes, to the hair, to the makeup takes us on a remarkable fashion journey, a good blend between extremely wild eccentric pieces yet quintessentially relevant.

The first movie was all about the “Studded belt”, who would have thought you could wear them and look cute and stylish. Fascinating how a simple piece can truly transform a look.  And of course the gorgeous wedding dresses. *sigh*

.

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So that was a quick recap of the first movie.I cant wait to see what next the next installment has in store for us. However here is a preview….

Carrie Bradshaw

Samantha Jones

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Charlotte York

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Omg I can’t wait!!!!

Lurve you…. Lurve me….

♥

I learned this proverb (?) / phrase from Elsa, my once-upon-a-time YW leader. Or was she our general youth leader? Not sure. She was cool though. Is cool, I think. I remember having this written down on a tiny piece of paper, her handwriting as I recall, and though I didn’t quite understand it I was thrilled to learn from it new English words, and slightly worried that it meant that I was beautiful. Or that it meant I was only beautiful to Elsa. Ambivalent abt both possibilities. A clear sign of Early Childhood Over Analysis Syndrome. It hasn’t cleared up much!

In regards to Elsa, I will never forget my disappointment when showing up at her house for a youth night and being served Chinese ground beef pancakes!! I entered her cool near-city-centre flat (which I promised myself I’d rent from her when I was old enough, though this never panned out) to the sweet smell of crepés in the making. She rushed to the door to let me in, then straight back into the kitchen to finish the batch. I went with her and saw a bowl of ground beef. Mmmm exciting, thought I. Then I went into the living room for some chit chat with the other youth. Or probably not, I was shy. There was a boy there who, rumour had it, fancied me and this was devastating to me. Not bc he wasn’t great. It had more to do with the Jante law, haha, see previous post. The thought of others thinking that perhaps I thought that I was something special, someone worth fancying, horrified me. Anyway, Elsa let us into her kitchen and to my horror she’d rolled up what I’d thought to me the main course inside what I’d thought to be dessert! Elsa þó, what were you thinking? I never was particularly scared of trying new foods, but I recall eating this dish reluctantly. I’ve changed since, and I hope Elsa didn’t notice my reaction at the time. It was juvenile. I will now send her the link to this post

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I just got back from Couples’ Retreat, the movie. Not bad; predictable, good fun. Spoilers up ahead. Only the yoga scene was unexpected, as were the characters’ reactions to their yoga instructor. Boom boom. He was built like a Greek god, spoke with an eSpanish accent, kept saying “regard me” when he wanted them to watch him and do as he did haha, and his voice sounded like that of Kiefer Sutherland. A great combo of characteristics. My intuition-based intel reveals that this actor, Carlos Ponce, smiled more in his 15 mins on-screen than Kiefer has in all of his big and small screen work combined!

I don’t think the ‘values’ and pearls of wisdom left behind by this film are far off, though most importantly I learned to do my research and do it well when it comes to choosing a place to go for a couple’s retreat. Also: why anyone would fly to Bora Bora for a stumpy little week’s worth of holiday is beyond me, and bordering on insanity, if not self-torture & punishment. ‘Curtailed of its fair proportion’ is the lengthy phrase that springs to mind, just like that! After finding it on dictionary.com.

I am almost certain that none of the women touched, or have ever touched, any of the carbs on that table. The men however - well, no one cares what they look like, right? There are more pics out there of these peeps half-naked, but I leave it to you to search for them. This will show how interested you are in what I wrote ha!

All the ladies in the film, whether they had speaking parts or not, but I refer mainly to Malin Akerman, Kristen Bell, Kristin Davis, Kali Hawk and Tasha Smith, had super hot bodies. Did I just type ’super hot’? I blush. Super duper hot is what I meant to write.

Will this expectation – to look perfect – ever be lifted off women? The men don’t need to look anything nearly as good as the women. Vince Vaughn looks good, but he ain’t ‘built’, as it were. He’s got a good build, but were he a woman he’d never have gotten a part in this film, despite his obvious comedic talent, and despite the fact that the womens’ roles weren’t abt their bodies. Jason Bateman was more in line with the women so I won’t spend much time on him. The other men, Faizon Love and Jon Favreau, are just not in shape, short and simple. Also, both are short … The above yoga teacher is built like nobody’s business, but then he’s meant to be, the role depends on it, so it doesn’t quite count.

In the film there are supporting actors, of course, whose physiques are of no consequence. In the case of the males, they are allowed to look all sorts. There are the single party guys and gay masseues, all really fit, and then there’s the therapists, the ‘couple whisperer’ guy, and some hosts and random others, who can only be described as having freely-shaped and random looking bodies. One guy spoke like Chewbacca. That was funny.

I dare say all of the women in the film who didn’t have speaking parts were very fit – this being bc un-fit girls don’t go to beach resorts to enjoy themselves and perhaps hook up! They don’t hook up in general at all, right? I know this comedy isn’t a factual documentary, but though fun and innocent it does manage to maintain harmful stereotypes. The only unfit woman in the film, and she wasn’t fat by any description, was a therapist. So, she’s well educated and smart; she’s allowed to be normal. The furthest the script writers could go to make a funny scene with the the non-essential but beautiful and fit masseuse lady, was to give her a horrid (Dutch) name, bc the (sex starved) chubby, short and so-so looking male she was massaging couldn’t be seen getting aroused by some normal woman with a normal name, let alone an ugly fat one. Not even if she were called Savannah Eve, or something heavenly like that. Hmm my logic kinda ran aground there, but you know what I mean, right?

I should probably pause and say again that I did enjoy the film:) Analysing is just fun, and sometimes essential.

Faizon Love’s very very heavy-set physique is of consequence, as it’s made fun of in the film – by him only come to think of it -, and then we are to giggle at the fact that his 20 yr old girlfriend wants him at all, and that his wife is coming back to him. Cruel, and such jokes are seldom if ever made about women.

Do I want fat women in movies and jokes made abt them? Not necessarily, though I am rather non-bothered, but really not really on the latter point, to be honest.

Normal people in films would be nice, which would facilitate a greater focus on the subject matter and make any reference to and jokes about body times irrelevant, unnecessary, pointless. That’s what I’ll say when answering that beauty queen question abt one wish, to which most respond: ‘world peace’.

So, men can be fat, unfit, and unattractive, and we can make fun of it. This is a no-no with women.
Women must have perfect bodies, and this may or may not be of importances to the plot. It may or may not be mentioned.
Basta. No other rules apply, and no variations allowed!

Where is this going? I am not the only one who finds the pressure on actresses to have a perfect body ridiculously unfair on them, and very dangerous for impressionable girls. And likely boys, too, what do I know. The men get away with whatevah look they want, but the women, though no one mentioned this in the film, have ridiculously fit bodies, especially for busy working mothers and busy successful carreer women. I think! I am none of these – not fit, not a mother, not successful, not a business woman, not that busy, so … I do however read stuff and hear things, so I know weight dilemmas are out there. Body image dilemmas rather. I have a body, and my feelings abt it cause dilemmas. So I know.

Like when this Lizzi Miller photo was published back in September. It was in Glamour magazine and Lizzi’s plus-size figure caused such a crazy stir. She is what’s called a plus-size model, which is why I used that term above. As Glamour’s editor put it, Lizzi is

” … “plus-size” one by modeling industry standards, though hello, at size 12 she’s actually “normal size” … As Genevieve Field writes in our November issue, most “plus-size” models actually aren’t plus-size humans. It’s one of the perversities of the modeling industry that women are moved into “plus” divisions once they’re anything larger than a six. (They actually have to wear cutlets and padding to model plus-size clothing.) Strange but true.

At sizes 12-14 is how I feel the best about my body, so after the necessary facial cosmetic surgery haha I will be a plus size one model. With my bone structure and at 1,71 cm, I cannot be any thinner and expect to live healthily. I let you be the judge when it comes to this Lizzi deal, but after all I’ve said above I think you know where I stand. I am overweight and hate it, but judging someone else for their fat … no way! Not for anything.

Obesity is dangerous and many actually believe they are helping obese people by shocking them into reality with rude remarks, or polite ones, whatever they sound like. Not really effective, folks. We might do well to stay out of others’ business and just love ‘em, not judge ‘em. O where has the love gone? The tolerance? The ‘live and let live’? Let’s get it back!

I dare say that Lubna in Baghdad speaks for us all … at least for me and for those of you whom I care to know!:

Oh my God, in some parts of the world a photo of a female super-model with a small roll of fat around her stomach is causing a huge fuss, while in other parts of the world people would argue about for e.g. “Why don’t we have ‘national’ electricity in our neighbourhood for almost a week now?!”

Read this comment in its entirety (in one of the above links) and you’ll see that this sweetheart from Bagdhad couldn’t resist mentioning Lizzi’s weight in the end. I forgive her; she’s an overworked, idealistic med. student. I think Lizzi is probably aware of any probs obesity causes, but though not a med student, I’m almost certain that Lizzi is not actually obese. What do you think?

The articles I’ve linked above are not bad; read them, you’ll find something useful for you and your children abt body image. The below interview is awright, too:

In regards to others’ comments about one’s weight, I had an odd experience the other day. My first fat attack and hopefully the last. I was walking out from a shop on my way to volunteering. I had a bottle of fizzy berry water in my hand, and nothing else. The sweets were hidden in my bag:) As I was near to turning a corner I heard a woman I’d just passed say:

Miss, shouldn’t you be thinking of going on a diet?

What? What? WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!!!!

I assumed I’d heard wrong, for not only am I not that fat that people are worried abt me on a daily basis, but also this: strangers don’t talk like that to one another. Do they? Not in Iceland, they don’t. We also don’t use the word miss (fröken), unless it’s meant as a (hilarious! ) joke, or you are older than 97, so I really thought I’d misheard her – or no, not misheard her, just heard wrong; the words seemed to come from the voices in my head. I was going to look back to see if she was really there. I didn’t have to, as she quickly repeated herself, saying:

Huh? Shouldn’t you be thinking about that?

Though I am not normally a violent person, I knew I’d punch her cold were I to turn around and face her. So I just walked on. Thankfully there was that corner up ahead, and I turned it, knowing I was escaping her. But not before glancing back quickly. What I saw was this old looking bag lady type person; she looked certifiable, and yes I am judging, but she started it!

I am working up the courage to lose the weight I must lose to feel good. But I don’t need to people to tell me I’m fat. I am well aware of it. It astounds me that people honestly think they must correct others’ behaviour, appearance … It’s different if it’s a loved one who is clueless abt the dangers of obesity, or dunno they are rude by nature, or whatever. Then we, as their close friends or relatives or loved ones, tell them, nicely. Yeah?

I almost wanna get obese (I am still under the ‘required’ weight to be obese:) ) and then go on the circuit to teach people to shut it and work out their own salvation, with fear and trembling, etc etc. Sheez.

————————————————————————————————————

I actually started out just wanting to write: Facebook status updates and Twits are show-offy, voyeuristic, and pointless. I agree with this, and I am reading this and hearing all over the place.

But there are exceptions. People like reading updates, Tweets, and blog entries from those they love. And in the case of Twitter,  people love reading Tweets in regards to info on something or other, which they follow on there.

No random stranger really enjoys all my kitten posts (though I’ve received a few emails saying the opposite:) ); Ninjai and Nala are just cats, and not that unique, though I think they are. But the people who love me love my entries abt them.

I like to read what friends and family are up to via updates or blog entries. I am friends on Fb with a bunch of girls from school whose updates are always like this: “Finished cleaning, now going to have risotto and a red with my ridiculously rumscious hubby (I made that up!)”, or “Body Pump at 6am, then baking for bake sale, drove kids to school, got the cats neutered, picked up the cat sitter, visited my nan in the old folks’ home to arrange her 95th birthday and my pop’s funeral, knitted some socks for relax-time, bought the urn, finished big project at work, all before noon. Go superwoman me!”.

These bore me to tears. I’ve hidden them from view. I must say though that the latter example of a status update often comes with a “Wonder how long I can keep this up?” or “Hope I have the energy to do this tomorrow, too” , which has been useful to me in realising that though I cannot always do everything I am not a lazy sloth at all, like I’ve often felt, and been made to feel. Thanks insufferable women on Fb. Now go hide.

We do find beauty … okay not beauty but interest, right?, in blogs and updates that concern us.

The beauty and the value of a blog entry and status update is in the eye of the reader. St.Pie

You may quote me.

servizio di LUCA SVIZZERETTO e GIANLUCA MEOLA

(tratto da Nuovo Oggi di giovedì 29 ottobre 2009) – Vince Vaughn e Malin Akerman sono arrivati a Roma per presentare ‘L’isola delle coppie’, la pellicola diretta dal produttore Peter Billingsley (alla sua prima regia), e scritta dallo stesso Vaughn con Jon Favreau e Dana Fox.
Il film, girato a Tahiti e precisamente a Bora Bora, racconta le vicende di quattro coppie del Midwest che partono insieme per una piacevole vacanza allo scopo di salvare il matrimonio di una di esse. L’isola, infatti è nota per un particolare tipo di terapia di coppia che, però, si scopre solo dopo, essere obbligatoria per tutti. Le coppie scoprono presto che nulla è come sembra, specialmente nei loro rapporti.
Una commedia frizzante che fa dei paesaggi da favola il suo punto di forza. Negli States questa produzione ha sbancato i botteghini già alla sua prima settimana nella sale e promette di ottenere discreto successo anche in Italia, dove amore e sole sono sempre in mix molto apprezzato dal pubblico, specialmente da quello più giovane.
“Erano 30 anni che un film non veniva girato a Tahiti”, racconta il regista alla conferenza stampa, (iniziata con una performance di ballerini polinesiani). Da single impenitente Vince Vaughn dice “con ‘L’isola delle coppie’ ho voluto fare un film che parlasse delle cose positive della famiglia e dei genitori”. “Forse non si possono risolvere tutti i problemi, ma bisogna divertirsi finchè c’è tempo. – sostiene l’attore e produttore americano – Io sono stato single per tantissimo tempo, ma a un certo punto le cose cambiano, le priorità diventano altre: famiglia e figli”. Poi però parla anche della sua carriera: “io mi sono basato sul lavoro. Il lavoro è importantissimo, perchè attraverso esso si può crescere. Certo le cose possono non andare sempre bene. Anch’io all’inizio della mia carriera ho avuto delle difficoltà, ma quando le cose vanno male si impara tantissimo, più che quando vanno bene perchè si capisce anche quale è il proprio potenziale. Questa è la cosa bella della vita”.
Nel film Vaughn interpreta un marito che di professione produce videogiochi e, a proposito del ruolo dei videogame nella società, dice “sono un’ottima cosa ma non bisogna farsi alienare, lasciare da parte famiglia e amici per vincere alla fine un trofeo virtuale”.
“Faccio sempre dei film che possano relazionarsi bene con l’uomo comune” – continua Vaughn – “In effetti in questa storia io impersono le problematiche che tutti noi abbiamo: famiglia, figli e via dicendo”.
quando gli chiediamo del suo doppio ruolo di produttore e attore la sua risposta è chiara: “In realtà, come ricorderete,ho iniziato scrivendo perchè scrivere aiuta a recitare”.
Tornando invece al suo personaggio e alle problematiche quotidiane che affronta nella pellicola: “La vita è sempre molto complessa proprio per questo motivo dobbiamo tenerci strette le cose a cui teniamo maggiormente”.
Durante le riprese Vince si è trovato anche a nuotare in mare aperto, circondato da squali, un’esperienza difficile da dimenticare: “sono cresciuto in una città senza mare e quindi all’inizio ho dovuto necessariamente abituarmi ma è stata un’avventura molto interessante”.
Malin Akerman si limita a poche parole nella consueta conferenza stampa. Spiega come sia intenzionate a fare presto un figlio anhce nella vita reale e quindi come recitare questa parte sia stato per lei una specie di esperimento per prepararsi. Tanti sorrisi per tutti dipinti un uno volto splendido che farà senza dubbio la fortuna di questa attrice emergente che abbiamo già avuto modo di apprezzare in ‘Watchman’, ‘Lo spaccacuori’, ‘Ricatto d’amore’ e ‘27 volte in bianco’.
‘L’isola delle coppie’ arriverà nelle sale italiane il prossimo 4 dicembre distribuito dalla Universal.

From www.aceshowbiz.com:

While the 2008’s “Sex and the City” took about 145 minutes to watch, it has been revealed that its sequel won’t be that long. In a recent interview with MTV, one of theromantic comedy stars, Kristin Davis, gave clues on the runtime of “Sex and the City 2” in addition to some other details.

Asked whether the second movieadaptation of the popular HBO series will be as “big” as the first movie in term of length, the Charlotte York depicter said, “Oh no. This one is not going to be that long. It’s like condensed soup.” When MTV reporter Josh Horowitz questioned if “every minute will be meaty”, she responded, “Yes! And different, and adventure and rich, and like, there’s music involved.”

All in the title.

Desperate to save their marriage, one couple convinces three other couples to go in on a group rate price for an island retreat designed for troubled unions. But the “mandatory therapy” brews up nothing but trouble for everyone. Vince Vaughn, Jon Favreau, Jason Bateman, Kristen Bell, Kristin Davis and Faizon Love star in this comedy penned by Favreau.

The movie tries to work really hard as being a date movie like Forgetting Sarah Marshall or Sleepless in Seattle, but it doesn’t give any answers to how these couples can react to their problems they face as a couple.

The script is written by Swingers stars Faverau and Vaughn, and you can actually see some really good interplay between them two really does shine through on this script. This movie has it’s moments, and some parts that don’t seem funny actually end up being funnier than you expected.

Though the script was good it did feel a little lazy and the jokes really got repetitive and annoying. There were countless amounts of dirty sex jokes that we’re not only meaningless to the plot at hand but overall just not funny and stupid. The jokes also really do start out as really funny, but then they really over due and just have the jokes go on and on, till where it just becomes tiring and you want a new scene. The perverted muscle dude scene got out of hand and although I laughed for awhile I felt like they were just finding any sex position to role play with.

I liked the good cast with some great stars, but most of them didn’t create laughs for me like I thought they would. It was funny seeing Vince Vaughn as being the responsible father figure, but he does actually give some really comedy even though he doesn’t play himself. Along with Faverau who once again is acting like a fool. Though I was confused of why Jason Bateman was used so wrong. He’s one of the more funnier men in Hollywood, but he just doesn’t have any funny material to work with here and comes off as very misused.

Consensus: Though with it’s moments, Couple Retreat seems very lazy, and not very funny nor very providing on relationships and couples.

4/10=SomeOleBullShiittt!!!

Man I wish I had time to update more!

I’m lucky if I pull off once a week. Vanguard 3 days a week, Apple 4.

I did squeeze in some time with the girlfriend to catch a double feature (it’s where you pay for one movie, see two. only way to go when you’re chocking up 10+ bucks for a single admission!) last night.

Saw Where The Wild Things Are and Couples Retreat.

I thought Wild Things was beautifully done. Definitely not child’s play. The animatronic and CG wild things (monsters?) looked great and were very entertaining to watch. Max was great. Cute kid. Reminds me of myself when I was little…playing for hours upon hours with legos and action figures and making forts. Don’t think I had a animal suit that cool though.

Everyone has been saying the same things — it’s too dark for kids. I’ll agree on that one…if I had a child who wanted to see the film though, I wouldn’t hesitate to bring them along…with the warning that there’s some scary scenes where they should shut their eyes or hold daddy’s (eh, maybe mommy’s) hand.

But what a true adaptation. I grew up on that book, and remember the bitter feelings of loneliness Max carries. Can’t blame a little boy for wanting attention. And while he’s a little troubled, I’m on his side. He’s just acting out because no one cares about what he does. Which is, of course, why he goes and finds himself a mystery island full of scary-friendly creatures who want him to be their king.

The tormented themes within the culture of the wild things is also very mature and all too real for plenty of adults. But other than a shred of fantasy violence and some scary moments with Max in danger, it’s a PG movie with a PG-13 feel at times.

And now to the BAD stuff. The really, really bad stuff.

Couples Retreat.

We’ve got Kristin Davis, Malin Akerman, Kristen Bell on top. Jason Bateman, Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau, on top. Not to mention Faizon Love (the big black dude) and cameos by the funny gay guy and the hilarious little Asian man from Community, The Goods and The Hangover.

All in one movie! With a ripe premise, too. And they still couldn’t pull it of?!

I mean, I was disappointed by Extract too, Batemen (and Mike Judge). Batemen’s great, and I loved him in Arrested Development. But these projects need some better directors, writers, producers, something!

It’s almost comedic that Hollywood still makes shitty movies this bad. Couples Retreat could’ve been saved with better editing — it was 2 hours, a half hour too long. Plenty of unnecessary scenes like the gay sauna comments and Guitar Hero nonsense. And I could’ve gone with a little less of the sexy Fabio-like yoga instructor flaunting his bod…and his pod (package?).

It’s easy to see that a bunch of studio execs thought this would be a good idea:

Great star power (even though that matters less these days)

Funny concept

Bikini-clad island girls

Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau at the helm, writing and producing

…but what they didn’t tell us in the previews was how there was going to be a good 4-minute Guitar Hero advertisement right about two thirds into the movie. LITERALLY. A 30-second joke? I’ll get over it, full-well knowing it’s a paid joke, assuming the plot moves on.

Instead, it decides to dwell. For a really pointless, bland and unfunny scene where Vaughn has a Guitar Hero-off with the douchey resort dude. How original. Let South Park make fun of it, because they make it funny. You, Couples Retreat, despite the ridiculous nature of grown men using three-foot miniature, plastic guitars; utilize a cheesy, fluorescent split-screen, overlaid videogame graphics, and pointless, predictable banter.

Frankly I’m offended. I wish I could find out how many millions Activision spent for that blatant screen time.

Despite the usual abundance of product placement and script integration — we’ve got Applebee’s, Apple, Microsoft, GMC, Volkswagen, Starbucks and about 10-15 more I can’t remember (no joke, I nearly counted to 20). It’s a fun little game I play when I see movies: see how many times different products are shameless plugged. If you count up the amount of screen time and number of mentions you can easily tally up a good chunk of how that movie was probably paid for.

Now I’m just talking out of my mouth because I don’t feel like Googling a bunch of links right now, but this “subliminal” advertising has been growing and getting out of control. It’s been going on forever in Hollywood, and the secrets been out of the bag for a while — even Marty McFly in 1985’s “Back To The Future” (me, this Halloween) was sporting some classic Nikes as he filmed Doc send the dog back in time outside a JC Penny in Pomona, California.

[Yes, that's right, Pomona. I bought the DVD and watched Michael J. Fox talk about filming in a mall parking lot in Pomona late at night. Also, Current TV's Embedded featured some great shots of downtown Pomona and The Glasshouse in last week's episode on the Silversun Pickups.]

Jana Marimpietri promoted to Coordinator at Mosaic Media. Will manage clients and work in the TV division as well (Mosaic has a first look deal with HBO) .

Looking to fill old position ASAP assisting Dave Fleming (manages Kristin Davis, Kathryn Morris, Amanda Righetti, etc).

Couples Retreat looked like it might be an entertaining movie judging by the trailer. Unfortunately, it was one of those movies where they were able to put all of the funniest parts in the trailer.

Couples Retreat has a large cast that stars Vince Vaughn, Jason Bateman, Kristen Bell, Kristin Davis and more. In short, it’s a movie about relationship problems set in a gorgeous tropical locale.

The story is about four couples with four different problems. The couples are all friends who go to a tropical resort. Three of the couples think they are going for fun while one of the couples is actually going to take a marriage counseling program. Upon arrival at the resort, they are told that all the couple must take the program or they can’t stay.

The story centers around how each couple deals with the counseling portion of the program as their relationships continue to deteriorate. You have a childless couple where the husband is too structured to be spontaneous. You have a couple in a rut where the husband is too busy to enjoy life. You have a couple who got married right out of high school and both partners are cheating on each other and you have a divorced man who has taken up with a much younger woman.

Since the movie dealt with the deterioration of these relationships, I didn’t find much to laugh about. Then as the relationships begin to improve, it just wasn’t convincing in most cases. I went to the movie because I wanted to laugh, but I did very little of that.

Four couples find themselves in some of the most awkward situations imaginable.  Even though these situations are awkward and uncomfortable, they are also very easy to identify with.  There is one couple struggling to conceive, one couple whose romance has been put on the back burner, one couple who were high school sweethearts, and the last couple were just two weeks into their relationship.

The couple that instigates the trip to “Eden West” is Jason and Cynthia (Jason Bateman and Kristen Bell).  They are having problems getting pregnant and it begins to take a toll on their marriage.  The two are so organized that everything is treated like work to them.  At one point in the film, the couple try to entice everyone into watching a PowerPoint presentation.  Everyone else rebels, mentioning that they don’t want to watch another PowerPoint about testicular cancer.  It is during one of their PowerPoint presentations that they introduce the idea of going to the couples’ island. 

Putting their romantic notions on the back burner for work and kids are Dave and his wife Ronnie (Vince Vaughan and Malin Akerman).  They don’t think they have any marital problems.  Their time with the counselors and their interaction with each other makes them think otherwise.  Vaughan is the  fast-talking, self-centered character that he has become so famous for.

High school sweethearts Joey and Lucy (Jon Favreau and Kristin Davis) have grown to loathe each other.  Having gotten Lucy pregnant in high school, they are both showing the signs of blaming each other for lost youth.

Brand new to their relationship are Shane and giflriend Trudy (Faizon Love and Kali Hawk).  Shane is a middle-aged man who is having problems keeping up with his 20-year old girlfriend, both sexually and in the island activities.

Once on the island, the couples find out that they are practically held hostage by the program they have unintentionally signed up for.  They are not afforded much downtime, but instead are forced to attend counseling, “couples skill building” exercises, and yoga with an over-comfortable yoga instructor.

This film was even funnier than I had expected.  While viewers may expect Vince Vaughan to play his typical character and Jason Bateman to play his typical uptight character, what is most unexpected are the performances of the women in the film.  They really hold the entire film together.  Bell, Davis and Akerman are fabulous.  They are worth the price of admission…along with seeing Love’s bare butt.  Pretty funny stuff.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.

From Playbill.com:

23 Oct 2009

Kim Cattrall
photo by Aubrey Reuben

“Sex and the City” star Kim Cattrall and Matthew Macfadyen, who played Mr. Darcy in the 2005 film version of “Pride and Prejudice,” are to star in the West End in a new production of Noel Coward’s 1930 comedy Private Lives.

It will begin performances Feb. 24, 2010, prior to an official opening March 3, for a run that is booking through May 1. Prior to the West End, it will preview at the out-of-town Theatre Royal in Bath, beginning performances Feb. 10 for a run to Feb. 20.

The production will be directed by Richard Eyre, and produced by Duncan C. Weldon, Theatre Royal Bath Productions and Sonia Friedman Productions.

In the play, which was last seen on Broadway in 2002 in the transfer of a West End production that starred Lindsay Duncan and Alan Rickman, Amanda and Elyot have been divorced from each other for five years. Now both are honeymooning with their new spouses in the South of France. When by chance they meet again across adjoining hotel balconies, their insatiable feelings for each other are immediately rekindled. Without a care for scandal, new partners or memories of what drove them apart in the first place, they hurl themselves headlong into love and lust.

The British-born Cattrall has previously appeared in the West End in productions of Whose Life Is It, Anyway? at the Comedy Theatre in 2005 and David Mamet’s The Cryptogram at the Donmar Warehouse in 2006. She is best known for playing Samantha Jones in the HBO TV series “Sex and the City” (for which she won a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award and five Emmy nominations) and the subsequent 2008 film version. She is currently filming “Sex and the City 2.” Other film roles include appearances in the forthcoming Roman Polanski political thriller “The Ghost” and “Meeting Monica Valour”, as well as “Porky’s,” “Police Academy,” “Bonfire of the Vanities,” “Star Trek VI,” John Carpenter’s cult classic “Big Trouble in Little China,” “Mannequin” and “The Tiger’s Tail.” She was also seen in the TV movie “My Boy Jack,” opposite Daniel Radcliffe. She has also written several books, including “Sexual Intelligence” which was a best seller, “Being a Girl: Navigating the Ups and Downs of Teenage Life,” and “Satisfaction: The Art of the Female Orgasm,” a New York Times best seller.

acfadyen last appeared on stage in The Pain and the Itch at the Royal Court in 2007, and previously played Prince Hal in the National Theatre’s production ofHenry IV in 2005. He is also known for his role as Tom Quinn in the BBC TV series “Spooks,” and is soon to appear as the Sheriff of Nottingham in Russell Crowe’s forthcoming film “Robin Hood.”

Richard Eyre was previously director of the National Theatre from 1988 to 1997. He is currently represented on Broadway by his co-direction of Mary Poppins, and he next directs Bizet’s Carmen at New York’s Metropolitan Opera House, beginning performances Dec. 31. He has won five Olivier Awards, four Evening Standard Awards, three Critics’ Circle Awards and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Directors Guild. His has also directed the films “The Ploughman’s Lunch,” “Iris,” “Stage Beauty” and “Notes on a Scandal.”