Posts Tagged ‘still’

True Grit: Coens are still calling the shots

True Grit: Coens are still calling the shots
It’s early February, but the Coen brothers are acting like it’s a lazy summer afternoon. Never mind that the Berlin Film Festival, which began this week with their new film, True Grit, as the curtain-raiser, is just around the corner. Or that it opens in the UK on Friday. Or that the Baftas and Oscars (the film has eight and ten nominations, respectively) are almost upon us. Perhaps it’s the …

Read more on Independent

There’s still room for the avant-garde at TIFF

There’s still room for the avant-garde at TIFF
Film festival’s Wavelengths series celebrates 10 years of groundbreaking works.

Read more on Toronto Star

Camarillo outlets still luring international visitors

Camarillo outlets still luring international visitors
French national Florence Sanfilippo arrived at the Camarillo Premium Outlets with a mission: to find Converse Chuck Taylors with the American flag design. After three hours of shopping, Sanfilippo could not find the shoes but walked away with three bags of clothes from Ralph Lauren and Guess.

Read more on Ventura County Star

‘Eclipse’ still has bite at No. 1 overseas

‘Eclipse’ still has bite at No. 1 overseas
“The Twilight Saga: Eclipse” ruled the foreign theatrical circuit for the second straight session, grossing $81.1 million over five days.

Read more on The Hollywood Reporter

Breaking a leg still “Good Luck” in Hollywood?

The Short Film “Paging David Cronenberg” stars Veronica Grey and Paul Bubbo. It is 7:23 minutes long, in honor of one of their Hero’s birthday – Martin Gore of Depeche Mode, who is born on July 23 or 7/23.

The project was born from several ideas, linked to Martin Scorsese’s “Departed” and Peter Jackson’s “Lord of the Rings.”

Veronica, who has been paying her dues as an actress in Hollywood since her teens in 1996, was in 2006 mentored by a couple named Marc and Elaine Zicree.

In September 2006, The Zicrees suggested that Veronica follow the example set by Elijah Wood, star of megablockbuster trilogy “The Lord of the Rings.”

The Zicrees told Veronica that when Elijah heard that Peter Jackson was going to shoot “Lord of the Rings,” Elijah (who was relatively unknown at the time) got his friend Sean Astin (supposedly washed-up child actor) and they shot a short film of one of the scenes from the book by J.R.R. Tolkien.

They got the short film to Mr. Jackson.

Long story short, Mr. Jackson, who had intended to originally cast only UK based actors, was so impressed with their efforts that he flew to Los Angeles to meet Elijah and Sean, and the rest is film history.

This story is legendary among actor wannabes in Hollywood, as acting teachers tell this inspiring story in their classes to encourage their students.

Apparently Vera Farmiga did the same thing as Elijah Wood and that is how she got her part in “The Departed” by Martin Scorsese.

Doesn’t anyone ever wonder how a relative unknown gets to do love scenes opposite both Leonardo DiCaprio AND Matt Damon?

So the Zicrees encouraged Veronica to pick her favorite director, and get SOMETHING to him, rather than continue “throwing a bunch of work out there randomly hoping something sticks.”

Well that was a no-brainer.

Easy.

David Cronenberg. He was born on 3/15, and Veronica on 3/14.

Plus some of her top favorite movies of all time were directed by him:

“eXistenZ,” “Scanners,” and “Naked Lunch,” to name a Few.

And she had had the opportunity to meet him twice in person already.

The first time was in September 2005, at the Getty Center, when Cronenberg hosted a screening of Fellini’s “La Dolce Vita” at the Skirball Center in Los Angeles.

Veronica found the film “too long” and left to go wander around in the middle of Skirball.

Who should she bump into in the hallway, where they would be left alone to have a meaningful exchange?

You got it. Mr. Cronenberg. His first words to her were “scolding” her for walking out of the film.

She met him again in January 2006, just a few months later, in Palm Springs, when Mr. Cronenberg was presented with the Visionary Award at the Palm Springs International Film Festival.

So Veronica felt positive that if she created a piece of film, she could get at Least “get it” to him. She kept an eye on Mr. Cronenberg’s IMDB page to see what his upcoming projects would be.

“London Fields” by Martin Amis was set to go into production by Muse Productions. Turns out Veronica actually has acquaintances at Muse, since they released “Spun” which was written by her friend Will De Los Santos and scored by her associate Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins.

Veronica was extra excited because Muse Productions is located literally steps from her own townhouse in Venice, California.

And so a short film was born on October 2006, only one month after the Zicrees suggested it. They took some pages from “London Fields” and added a few homages that only Mr. Cronenberg, or his fans, would “get.”

It was never shot with ANY commercial purpose. Simply a labor of love to get to Mr. Cronenberg while allowing divine will to take its course.

Co-stars in the film include Paul Bubbo and Chris DeWolf. It was edited by Roberto Jimenez and Produced by Michael L. Lynch.

On the day of shooting which began at 5am, it was so dark, that Veronica could not see the bottom step and twisted her ankle badly.

She considered it a great omen for “breaking a leg.”

So if you watch the film, notice her limping along if you look closely.

Music by Brian Hyland, Billy Corgan, and Madonna are in the short film.

Meanwhile, according to IMDB, “London Fields” is no longer on Mr. Cronenberg’s plate, as is the nature of the industry; however, “Paging David Cronenberg” indeed premiered at the Cannes Film Festival 2008 and has brought interesting attention to Veronica Grey.

In the 2007 #1 Album “Zeitgeist” by Smashing Pumpkins, Billy Corgan references this short film in the song “Neverlost” when he sings, “I’ve seen the film. I know the place.” Venice, California happens to be the Place. Not quite Hollywood, but still a good location to break a leg!

MIDEM 2009: Venture & music Are there investors still ready to invest in the music space?

In a time where funding is becoming ever more crucial, not only for digital music services, but also in developing an artists career, learn from an international panel of venture capitalists and investors what it really means to invest in music today, what are the potential opportunities & challenges for both the investors and their music or digital partners, as well as the expected return on investments on both sides. Speakers: Jean Bourcereau, General Partner, Ventech (France) Tom Bywater, CEO, Power Amp Music (UK) Dave Goldberg, Entrepreneur in Residence, Benchmark Capital (USA) Nenad Marovac, Managing Partner, DN Capital (UK)

Affordable French Property – Can you Still Buy French Property on a Budget?

Whether you think you can still find affordable French property is going to depend to a large extent on a couple of factors. Where in France you want to live and how much work you want to do. If you’re prepared to live away from the coasts and mountain ski resorts you’ll find some very good value houses in France. French property gets even more affordable if you’re prepared to get your hands dirty.

There are a lot of misconceptions about the French property market. Many people seem to think you can buy yourself a French house for next to nothing. Sure, if you live in the south east of England you’ll find a similar place in France for about 25 – 30% of the price, but you gone are the days when you could buy a six bedroom farmhouse with a few acres of land for 50,000. The market has matured and, unfortunately for us, the French are much more aware of what they’ve got and what they can get for it.

Similarly people think that you can buy a wreck and renovate for peanuts. It’s just not the case. French building workers, electricians, plumbers, etc., are usually highly skilled and in great demand, which of course means they’re not cheap! If you have the skills to do it yourself you’ll find materials at a good price but can you do building work and electrics and plumbing? Can you do them to the increasingly stringent French standards? If you can’t, you might find your home insurance is invalidated.

But I don’t want to give the impression that it’s all doom and gloom and bargains can’t be had. For many of us France is still a country with lots of very desirable and very affordable property.

There genuine bargains are for older properties that are very popular with foreign buyers but not with the French. The majority of the French would rather live in a new house than renovate. Indeed it’s a much cheaper choice for them. In addition to this, it’s difficult for the French to get a mortgage on a house that requires renovation. Finally there’s the lack of employment in many rural areas that leaves many young French people with no option but to move to the towns and cities.

If you want to live by the coast, you’re probably going to struggle to find something. As a general rule these areas have been well developed over the last ten to fifteen years and the barns that could be converted have been done, the houses in need of renovation have been renovated. The north coast is still not expensive by many people’s standards, but prices drop quickly when you come inland.

As you move down the west coast prices increase until the south where they’re just plain expensive by anyone’s standards. Nice and Cannes is millionaire territory and the alps aren’t cheap. Fine if you want a fortnight skiing but not the place to look for bargain homes!

No, it’s the rural heart of France that offers the real bargains even now. The Limousin has become more popular recently with an influx of Dutch, German and English buyers in part due to improved air links. It’s the Centre that offers the best house values in France at the moment though. If you’re looking for truly affordable French property, that’s the place to go.

World War II Names Still In Our Vocabulary -Part Two -The Bikini

Winter is almost over. The warm weather is here. The beaches are calling. And heeding the call is that fabled teeny tiny piece of female attire known as the bikini. From the time of its inception in the 1950s to the present day, the bikini is the most singular word spoken in every language on the globe.

The history of the bikini began long before the official introduction of the swimsuit in the summer of 1946. It would have to wait until that momentous year of 1946 before it would bear the name “bikini”. Some historians believe that the two piece swimsuit may have been one of the first public swimming costumes in existence. Drawing evidence from 300 A.D. Roman mosaics, historians point to this as the swimsuit of choice for ancient Roman women.

Where did the name “bikini” come from? It all started with (you guessed it) the aftermath of World War II.

Bikini Atoll is located in the central Pacific. It is one of the 29 atolls and 5 single islands that form the Republic of the Marshall Islands. Bikini is perhaps best known for its role in a series of nuclear tests conducted by the United States in the 1940s and 1950s.

Just prior to World War II, Bikini suddenly became strategic. The Bikini islanders’ peaceful life of harmony drew to an abrupt close when the Japanese decided to fortify Bikini Atoll to guard against an American invasion of the Marshalls. Throughout the conflict the Bikini station served as an outpost for the Japanese military headquarters in the Marshall Islands,

However, Bikini became a quiet Japanese stronghold whose garrison spent the war gathering flowers. American naval strategy used submarines and aircraft carriers to leapfrog over such islands and carry the war to Japan.

World War II came to a formal end in September 1945 with the detonation of nuclear weapons at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It would now be Bikini’s turn to face the aftermath of World War II. The developers of the two piece bathing suit had still not given it a name. Soon they would have an outstanding name for their creation.

Because of its location away from regular air and sea routes, Bikini Atoll was chosen to be the new nuclear proving ground for the United States Government.

While the 167 Bikinians were getting ready for their exodus, preparations for the U.S. nuclear testing program advanced rapidly. Few people would think the Bikinians were terribly interested in the development of the nuclear bomb or the two piece bathing suit in 1946. Their interests were simply that of survival. They were faced with finding food, raising families and maintaining their culture. They could barely understand the progression of events set in motion by the Cold War. Events that happened in Washington and Moscow were for the most part out of their control. The residents of Bikini Atoll were not about to model swimwear, either.

The nuclear legacy of the Bikinians thus began in March of 1946 when they were first removed from their islands in preparation for Operation Crossroads. The history of the Bikinian people from that day forward has been a story of their struggle to exist in the midst of Cold War issues.

Operation Crossroads was an atmospheric nuclear weapon test series conducted in July 1946. The series consisted of two detonations, each with a yield of 23 kilotons. The two atomic bomb blasts of Operation Crossroads were both about the size of the nuclear bomb dropped on Nagasaki, Japan. These were the first nuclear tests held in the Marshall Islands.

In preparation for Operation Crossroads, the Bikinians were sent 125 miles eastward to Rongerik Atoll. Within two months after their arrival on Rongerik, they began to beg U.S. officials to move them back to Bikini.

Meanwhile, the official history of the bikini swimwear also began in the summer of 1946. Almost immediately after Operation Crossroads, Jacques Heim, a fashion designer and beach shop owner in the French resort town of Cannes, introduced his swimsuit creation, the “Atome,” The swimsuit was named after the two atomic bombs that were set off in Bikini lagoon.

Heim intended to sell his swimsuit in his beach shop. To drum up business and increase awareness of the new swimsuit, Heim sent skywriters high above the Cannes sky, proclaiming the new Atome to be “the world’s smallest bathing suit.” It soon got its better name, which was the bikini.

Just three weeks after Heim began marketing his swimsuit, Louis Reard, a mechanical engineer who had decided to dabble in swimsuit design, He also sent out skywriters over the French Riviera. The message these skywriters carried was simple but powerful marketing: “Bikini-smaller than the smallest bathing suit in the world.”

Perhaps due to Reard’s obvious marketing skills or a simple turn of fate, the name “bikini” became the official tag for the two-piece swimsuit. The thunderous impact of the two nuclear explosions certainly had more to say about the new bathing suit. Life on Bikini Atoll would never be the same again. Life on every beach and resort around the world would never be the same, either.

While sales of the bikini swim suit soared to astronomical heights around the world, the native Bikinians were living a miserable existence. They were sickened by irradiation from Operation Crossroads, no matter where they were resettled in the Marshalls. It was now time for yet another chapter in the Bikini Atoll tragedy. This was Operation Castle.

Operation Castle was a series of tests that would include the first air-deliverable, and the most powerful hydrogen bomb ever detonated by the United States.

Early in the morning on March 1, 1954, the hydrogen bomb, code named Bravo, was detonated on the surface of the reef in the northwestern corner of Bikini Atoll. The area was illuminated by a huge and expanding flash of blinding light. A raging fireball of intense heat that measured into the millions of degrees shot skyward at a rate of 300 miles an hour. Within minutes the monstrous cloud, filled with nuclear debris, shot up more than 20 miles and generated winds hundreds of miles per hour. These fiery gusts blasted the surrounding islands and stripped the branches and coconuts from the trees.

Millions of tons of sand, coral, plant and sea life from Bikini’s reef, from three islands [Bokonijien, Aerokojlol, Nam] and the surrounding lagoon waters were sent high into the air by the blast. Three to four hours after the blast, white, snow-like ash began to fall from the sky virtually everywhere.

Bravo was a thousand times more powerful than the Fat Man and Little Boy atomic bombs that were dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima during the end of World War II. Its “success” was beyond the wildest dreams of the American scientists who were involved in the detonation–they thought that the blast would only carry a payload of approximately 3 megatons.

Not understanding what was happening, the Rongelapese watched as two suns rose that morning. They observed with amazement as the radioactive dust soon formed a layer on their island two inches deep. The fallout turned everything into a state of terrified panic.

The people had received no explanations or warnings whatsoever from the United States Government. Two days after the test the people of Rongelap were finally taken to Kwajalein for medical treatment.

On Bikini Atoll the radiation levels increased dramatically. In late March following the Bravo test, the off-limit zones were expanded to include the inhabited atolls of Rongerik, Utirik, Ujelang and Likiep. It is startling to note that none of these islanders were evacuated prior to this blast or even before the subsequent nuclear weapons tests. In the spring of 1954, Bikar, Ailinginae, Rongelap, Rongerik, were all contaminated by the Yankee and Union weapons tests which were detonated on Bikini Atoll.

Between 1957 and 2007, the problems subsided but the memories and the long range effects of radiation did not go away. There was no further nuclear testing except for a test conducted in New Caledonia by the French in the late 1980s. The Soviet Union faded into history and the Russian Federation did not resume nuclear testing of any type. With countries such as India, Pakistan, and North Korea still on the loose, nuclear weaponry continues to be a threat.

The name “bikini” will never pass from our vocabulary. It is now 50 years since Bravo was tested. It is very doubtful that those living today will remember the horrifying message left in Bikini Lagoon with the Bravo test. It is well that only the name of the bathing suit “bikini” remains.