CINDERELLA Movie Review
How can you not love a film when you see it in a theater packed with little girls in pretty princess dresses, holding hands with their mothers wearing tiaras? I can almost assure you that will be the case when you go see it too, and that you’ll enjoy it just as much as I did. Cinderella is…
The Glory of Sue Wong Fashion Show “Mythos & Goddesses”
No one ever claimed that the Los Angeles version of Fashion Week rivals New York’s, but you’d never know that from inside Hollywood’s Taglyan complex on a recent balmy night, when internationally renowned designer Sue Wong kicked off Art Hearts Fashion Week with a hypnotic and sensual Goth Opera fashion show entitled “Mythos & Goddesses,” to introduce…
A Music Professional's Take on the Blurred Lines Verdict
Editor’s Note: From time to time I give my husband, James Mandell, the podium, especially when he has particularly relevant or passionate insight. As a talented musician/composer who was educated at the New England Conservatory, has had several record deals with major labels and is busily composing today, I believe his thoughts on the Blurred…
How to Wear Green on St. Patrick’s Day
Out here in Hollywood, even the least Irish among us wear green on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17. Even though there aren’t as many descendants of the Emerald Isle on the West Coast as there are on the East Coast, pinching anyone who isn’t wearing the designated color is a big thing here–we’re a…
RUN ALL NIGHT Review
Life is too short to sit through this type of grim, violent, ugly film. If you’re expecting another Liam Neeson “I WILL find you!” the twist being that this time he’s searching for his son, rather than his daughter, you’ll be not only disappointed, but perhaps discomfited that you wasted good money and a good night on a…
THE SECOND BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL Review
Warm, fuzzy, colorful and comfortable, The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is much like your favorite pashmina–the one that makes you feel happy every time you wear it. On this return visit, all your favorite characters are still staying at the original inn, and it’s so successful that the loquacious Sonny, played by Dev Patel, is attempting to attract…
CHAPPIE Review
Some people will go see Chappie because it’s directed by Neill Blomkamp, the formerly fresh but gritty South African genius behind the wildly original sci-fi thriller District 9. Some people will go see Chappie because it stars favorites Hugh Jackman, Sigourney Weaver, Dev Patel and Sharlto Copley. Some people will be disappointed because no one in the film gets…
Focus Movie Review
Slick, smooth, stylish and steamy. Is Focus a great work of cinematic art? No — of course not. This is February, for heaven’s sake, and very little of any artistic merit is released this time of year. But is Focus a hot diversion on a cold winter’s night? Absolutely! The stars, Will Smith, looking attractively scruffy and a bit…
Oscar Swag Standouts
So here I am, right before the Oscars, in GBK’s fabulous gifting suite and surrounded by hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of amazing Oscar swag as well as top Hollywood glitterati, and all I can focus on is actress Naomi Grossman, who played the pinhead Pepper on American Horror Story: Freak Show. Having shaved her head of all but a…
Fabulous Finds at the Oscar Secret Room Luxury Lounge
Have you ever wondered how stars (and non-stars like myself) can schlep home hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of swag from events like the Secret Room Events Beauty Bar and Luxury Lounge? Do we back up a U-Haul to the W Hotel and crate it out on a dolly? Perhaps line up an Uber fleet…
