Early Jewelry Fashion Winners at MTV Movie Awards

Just got through some early pics of the MTV Movie Awards red carpet. Noticing lots of blue gems, including a cool sapphrie snake ring on Ashley Tisdale and a smokin' cocktail ring on Malin Ackerman. But love her or hate her, I gotta hand it to Spencer-sib and Hills pseudo star, Stephanie Pratt. Her diamond swirl statement necklace is working for me. Right?

More to come. Including Miley Cyrus in a dress even Angelina Jolie would yawn at, and old schoolers, Cameron Diaz and Sandra Bullock showing the youngsters how it's done!

Opinions Are Like Cardiovascular Systems, Everybody Has One

I'm minding my own damn business reading the Sunday San Francisco Chronicle when I get to the entertainment section. I was delighted to come across an article about Jorma Taccone, who along with work partners Andy Samberg and Akiva Scahffer I posted about recently. However, the author of the piece, Ruthe Stein, said the three lads met at Berkeley High School when they in fact became friends at Willard Middle School where they all suffered from having me as a history teacher. I've since written Ms. Stein to straighten her out.

Then I came to the "Ask the Critic" section where readers can send in questions to film critic Mick LaSalle (friend of this blog). One local yokel submitted the following:

Dear Mick: Your reviews are usually on target, but you missed "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" by a country mile. I loved it, and so did the vast majority of your peers. You must have felt embarrassed at panning a movie that got a zillion Oscar nominations and won in three categories. Are you so steadfast in your opinions that you never admit blowing it?

Larry Snyder

Berkeley

(You can look at LaSalle's response by clicking on this sentence, but let me hurl my two cents in.)

Seriously Larry, you're going to use the Oscars as a measuring stick for a movie? Have you no recollection of the travesties they've visited upon film fans in the past? You need a calculator to tally the Oscars won by such drivel as Titanic and Gone with the Wind. Meanwhile you need nothing, nada, zero to count the competitive Oscars won by Alfred Hithcock, Howard Hawks, Charlie Chaplin, King Vidor, Stanley Kubrick, William Wellman, Arthur Penn, Ridley Scott, Stanley Kramer, Sidney Lumet, Ernst Lubitsch, Robert Altman, Orson Wells and Alan J. Pakula combined. Were you not aware that the Academy of Motion Pictures Sciences awarded best picture awards to How Green Was My Valley (1941) over Citizen Kane (1941) and Ordinary People (1980) over Raging Bull (1980)? I could go on and indeed I did in a post last Summer linked to this sentence. So don't ever try to convince someone of the worth or worthlessness of a film based on the Oscars.

But more to the point, you think a critic is going to change her or his mind about a film because of other people's opinion? "Gee, I hated it but a lot of people like it, I must be wrong!"

Finally I ask you this: why do you care if you and Mick disagree on a movie? Let it go, pal. I disagree with him and every other critic all the time. You know why? Because we all bring our own world view, tastes and feelings into our perception of a film or any other work of art. There is nothing that is universally loved because people are all different. How sad would the world be if we all liked the same exact things. Vive la difference. When it comes to political issues like torture or gay marriage, go ahead and get your panties in a bunch and try to prove the validity of your views to others. But movies? A losing proposition.

I next returned to front of the entertainment section where there are "Letters to the Pink" (referring to the section's color on Sundays). There I read this gem:

Mick LaSalle is a brilliant critic and analytical writer. But with his personal opinions, you have to realize that they are just his opinions and some of them are subject to question.

Last year he made the claim that Helen Forrest (who?), an obscure singer from the 1930s, was as great a singer as Frank Sinatra. I kid you not.
Now LaSalle has given us his top 15 movies of the 2000 decade. But he doesn't include "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" (11 Academy Awards) or "No Country for Old Men," the best pictures of the past nine years and maybe the past 20 years. "The Return of the King" is the best action-adventure motion picture of all time, and "No Country" has to be the most complex and riveting murder mystery ever filmed.
Then we have LaSalle's pick for the most beautiful actress ever: Hedy Lamarr. I agree that Lamarr was stunning, but he doesn't even mention the most beautiful of all time: Elizabeth Taylor. Watching "Raintree County" or "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," one is hypnotized by her perfect features, black hair and purple eyes. No one in the history of film compares with this woman's jaw-dropping beauty.
So, Mick, thank you for your unparalleled insights and analysis of motion pictures, but your opinions are strictly your own.
Nicholas Duka
Lafayette

So let me see if I got this straight. You're saying that we need to realize that Mr. LaSalle's opinions are "are just his opinions and some of them are subject to question." Wow, are there really people who aren't aware of the fact that people's opinions are opinions and not the Oracle of Delphi? And aren't opinions by definition "subject to question"?

Now here's some of my opinions which are by the way "just my opinions" and are subject to question. If you don't know who Helen Forest is you're missing out. While I may not put her in Sinatra's league (I wouldn't rank anyone in his league) she was a helluva songstress.  Next you take LaSalle to task for not including Return of the King (2003) and No Country for Old Men in his preliminary list of top films of the decade. I can tell you with great certainty that No Country for Old Men (2007) will rank high on my list (look for the list in early January 2010) but one of those bloated Peter Jackson Lord of the Ring films? Gimme a break. See how people have such a wide variety of opinions?

Next he disparages LaSalle for calling Heddy Lamarr as the most beautiful actress ever. I gotta agree with you, the lovely Ms. Lamarr wouldn't even crack my top ten. But I've gotta ask the same question again: what the hell do you care? If someone named Moms Mabley (pictured above) the most beautiful entertainer of all time I can't see what it has to do with me. But the last line of the letter is the best: "your opinions are strictly your own." Evidently so are yours. And everyone else's. Here are the first two definitions of opinion from something called the dictionary: 1) A belief or judgment that rests on grounds insufficient to produce complete certainty. 2) A personal view, attitude or appraisal.

Congratulations, Nick old boy, you nailed it.

So anytime that someone tries to tell you that a film critic's or historian's or carpenter's opinion is empirically verifiable fact, you just remind them what Nick said.
Anyway, that's my opinion.

Fashion Students Face Tough Times--Great CNN Article and video!

Advice to Fashion Students:Instructor Nick: Nick Verreos during one of his Workshops/Classes

CNN just published a very informative article about Fashion Students, the fabulous and very respected Savannah College of Art and Design, and the tough times that may be ahead for fashion design students--current or recently graduated ones. It is a "must read" for all Fashion Design students. Designer Isabel Toledo was at the illustrious school to receive the Andre Leon Talley Lifetime Achievement Award from the school and spoke about dressing First Lady, Michelle Obama, as well as gave out very important advice to the students at SCAD /Savannah College of Art and Design. PETA Would Not Likey: Andre Leon Talley giving you Fur!

Editor at Large for American Vogue, the "larger-than-life" Andre Leon Talley, holds an Honorary Doctorate from SCAD and is on the Board of Trustees, and therefore had this Award named after him.
Click HERE for the entire CNN article.
Husband and Wife Design Act: Designer Isabel Toledo and Illustrator/Artists Ruben Toledo

There is also a great accompanying video with wonderful advice from Andre Leon Talley, designer Isabel Toledo and her talented husband, illustrator and renown artist, Ruben Toledo. Here is the video:

Faces and Voices and a Dancing Lady

Joan Crawford's long nose divides her face in half. The two halves are mirror images of one another, sleek, and flawless. You also notice those huge white eyes with little pupils that seem like small dots, lost amid all that space.

I just watched her in Dancing Lady (1933). Aside from that wonderful, powerful face there is nothing all that interesting about her visually. She shows off her gams in Dancing Lady and they're plenty nice enough but nothing to stop a train. But hell when you've got a face like that the body just has to reach the floor and have all the important parts.

Crawford could act, too, that's for sure. From ingenue to matriarch with career gal in between, her performances ranged from solid to super. But faces make stars. Look at her leading man in Dancing Lady, Clark Gable. He's indeed a pleasure to look at even for straight men. Sure he's got big ears, what of it? The rest of his head looks like its been sculpted by an artist who had good looks in mind. Then there's that voice. He don't sound like your neighbor. His voice is masculine but interesting. Come to think of it, Crawford 's voice is distinctive too. Feminine but self assured and clear as bell. Ever since talkies caught on an actor's voice has mattered. A lot. If what comes out of your mouth is unique you may have yourself a career. What, you never noticed Cary Grant's voice? Clipped, and pretty and wonderfully lucid. How's about Lauren Bacall? Husky, sexy. You could pour it on your waffles. I could listen to Edward G. Robinson read the phone book and Jean Harlow count to a million. Us regular types have regular voices. Ho hum.

Marlin Brando and Montgomery Clift and their type helped elevate the art of acting. Guys like Dustin Hoffman and Sean Penn have carried that tradition on. You've got an actor losing him or herself in a character. Becoming that person. That's great stuff. Brando and them became stars because they could emote. Their interesting mugs and voices were more part of the act than a presence. But there's a helluva lot to be said for the star system. Sure half or more of the time Bogey was playing the same persona, but it was a character type you loved and couldn't get enough of.

Stars can act, sure, but what you really get is a face and a voice. When there's two stars playing opposite each other who've both going for them... it's hard for a movie to go wrong.

So Dancing Lady had two such stars, that's your picture right there. But the film positively poured it on with talent. Franchot Tone for starters. He played a "Park Avenue" type. That means someone lousy with dough, just as in Midnight Mary (1933) and Reckless (1935) to give just two examples. Tone was always a bridesmaid (male version) and a very good one, thank you very much. He may not have gotten the dame but he always took it good naturedly. Being in the bucks musta helped. Coming as he did from a wealthy family, probably made it natural for him to play society types. It was nice in Bombshell (1933) to see him playing a guy who was merely playing the part of an upper class sort. Tone was always likable. Even in Dancing Lady where he's a rat, he's not a wharf rat so much as a one of those white and pink ones people keep as pets.

So Tone was there to be the nice rich guy. What else you got? How's about Robert Benchley? Not for the first time he's a reporter. Benchley was almost always a lush, a layabout or both. He always cracked wise in that seen-it-all educated way of his. Benchley specialized in worldly, cynical but lovable sorts. Any film he was in was improved by his sotted presence. *Hic.*

Speaking of stereotypes, how many times was Grant Mitchell a harried father? If you're going to count, start with Dancing Lady. And say, this film also provides the film debut of Fred Astaire. You wanna talk about typecasting! Right off the bat they've got him playing a dancer...(Is he kidding? Course I am.) Astaire was to become a star but of a different type from the likes of Gable in that he was a hoofer by trade. Still, he had the distinctive voice (sometimes used for singing) and that long angular face. Stars don't come out of central casting even if they can two step.

Dancing Lady had romance, dance numbers, rags to riches, show biz, and burlesque. Ultimately the whole didn't quite equal the sum of its parts. Now don't start with me, I like the film just fine. I just don't love it, see?

I love Crawford. I don't find her sexy like Barbara Stanwyck, or cuddly like Priscilla Lane or gorgeous like Ann Sheridan, or sultry like Myrna Loy or cute like Jean Arthur. There is, in fact, a coldness to her. But it's something I quite like. A man doesn't have to want to boink every actress on film, nor even half of them. Crawford is damn interesting to watch. She makes you more interested in the story than you might otherwise be because you take her seriously. Gable, meanwhile is more of the type of guy you want to root and holler for, someone you wish you coulda paled around with. That my friends is star quality and there's no teaching it.

So Dancing Lady is a treat even if the story gets distracted now and again (did we really need the Three Stooges slapping each other around in the middle of the story? No!). The story is just good enough and the stars are...well, like stars are, bright and shiny and cool to look at.

black & white

I've had this picture saved on my harddrive for quite a while now and I still find it as inspiring as when I first saw it...and I still haven't been able to re-create the look for myself. I guess it's just not a very good look for a girl with curves >.< It makes me look fat haha. But I'm just so in love with the shape of this outfit and the clear seperation of black and white...<3

I know I only just got back from Dublin but I am already leaving again for my next little short-trip. My 3 sisters and I are heading to Budapest for the long weekend. Have fun lovelies and enjoy yourselfs!

just arrived: Danny Roberts shirt

Today I got my Borders&Frontiers tee by Danny Roberts from Igor & André in the post! It's really pretty, I cannot wait to wear it.

accessoires bought in Dublin

Earring Statements Shine at Fifi Awards

Golden chandeliers, diamond danglers, emerald drops and classic hoops all made a red carpet appearance on celebs attending the Fifi Awards in New York last night.

As if we didn’t have enough award shows.

The Fifi is the fragrance world’s equivalent of the Oscar, where important categories like: Best Celebrity Fragrance and Best Media Campaign share the stage with Best Packaging.

When we start giving out awards for boxes, folks, it’s time to take a good, hard look.

Celebs like Paris Hilton, Tim McGraw and Sean Combs brought home Fifis for their fragrances; and designer, Marc Jacobs, was honored with an induction to the all-important Fragrance Foundation’s Hall of Fame. For smelling so good all these years, I presume.

The red carpet featured a myriad of metallics, including Queen Latifah in Georges Chakra and diamond flower earrings, Paris Hilton in a bejeweled magenta Chakra and model, Hilary Roda, in gold with stunning chandelier drops.

The big miss here was Kate Walsh, whose shiny pink Hugo Boss number did nothing to accentuate the positive, despite a lovely earring statement. Word on the street is her divorce is getting uglier than the dress choice, so I’ll go easy.

I’m happy to report that hoops are still making a big splash in celebrity circles, with Dancing With the Stars, Samantha Harris, rocking a big yellow gold pair to add shine to her cute little tangerine number.

And while there were several solid looks that honored the Fifi like the important awards show that it is, the red carpet winner for me had to be Mary J. Blige in Roberto Cavali and emeralds.

By a nose.

Hey Grandpa! The Adorable Charley Grapewin

(Drawing courtesy of Kate Gabrielle proprietor of the wonderful blog, Silents and Talkies.)

He was a coot, he was codger, he was a geezer, he was a curmudgeon, he was an old fogy, he was a lovable ole grandpa. He was Charley Grapewin, who delighted film audiences for an all too brief 22 years, 1929-1951.

Check out some of the films his craggy old face graced: Heroes for Sale, Midnight Mary, and Wild Boys of the Road from 1933. Alice Adams in 1935. Petrified Forest, Small Town Girl and Libeled Lady in 1936. The Good Earth and Captain Courageous in 1937. The Wizard of Oz and Sabotage in 1939. The Grapes of Wrath in 1940.

Grapewin was already 60 years old when he made his screen debut so playing the resident old timer came naturally to him. Despite all appearances, he was not born old. In fact his early show business career was as a trapeze artist and aerialist. He then trod the boards as a thespian (stage actor to you, bub). And popped into a few very early films at the turn of the century.

In his first few roles of note, Grapewin was a kindly figure, particularly in Heroes for Sale where he was an innkeeper and later ran a soup kitchen. In Midnight Mary he was the court clerk who listened to Loretta Young's story in flashback as she awaited a verdict on charges of murder.

One of Grapewin's better roles was as Bette Davis' grandpa in Petrified Forest. Outwardly a cheerleader for outlaws and the supposed survivor of an encounter with Billy the Kid, Leslie Howard takes him to task for being a selfish old skinflint. There is indeed a darkness to his Gramp Maple.

The Wizard of Oz , in which he was Uncle Henry, certainly brought Grapewin his greatest notoriety. But in fact it was somewhat limited role in which he played a very distant second fiddle to Auntie Em. But besides Petrified Forest it may have been The Grapes of Wrath that was his best role. He was just plain old Grandpa. Stubborn, lovable, the ultimate aging grandparent. He was man the rest of the Joads had to get soused before they could pack him on the truck with the rest of the clan on the journey west.

Did Charley Grapwein have great range as an actor? Really that's kind of a silly question. If your career starts in the seventh decade of your life you're not going to get to play the romantic lead, and probably not any kind of lead, for that matter. Grapewin was not so much stuck in the role of the grandfather as he came to embody it. The man was good at what he did. Sometimes he was a grump, other times a jolly ole cuss. Sometimes a quiet contemplative soul, other times a chuckling , silly old gaffer, but Grapewin enhanced everything he was in. He had the huge advantage many actors do: a distinctive voice and an interesting face. And he never tried to do too much, Charley Grapewin was never a buffoon, just colorful.

What a character!

(Thanks again, Kate. Great pic.)

Nick Verreos and Tim Gunn at the Project Runway Season 7 Casting!

Nick Reunites with Tim Gunn--and Zoe Glassner!Judges Get Your Pad and Pencil! Nick Verreos, Zoe Glassner and Tim Gunn at the LA Project Runway Season 7 Castings, W Hotel Los Angeles

This past Monday--yes, on Memorial Day--was the one and only Los Angeles Casting for next season's Project Runway. I know, we haven't even seen Season 6 and we are casting Season 7? Yep, that's how TV works kids! I was privileged enough to have been asked to join Fashion Mentor GOD, Mr. Tim Gunn, as well as the stylish and infectiously friendly Marie Claire shopping editor, Zoe Glassner for another run at finding America's Next Great Designer!The castings took place at the chic W Los Angeles Hotel in Westwood. Soon after I arrived at 9:30 AM, I made the mistake of grabbing my coffee and walking out into the gorgeous W Hotel pool area. It was a mistake because, of course, all I could think of was "Oh wait, I can't use the pool, I've got to work!" Not for Nick: The W Hotel Pool

It certainly was "all work and no play" as Tim, Zoe and I proceeded to see a day's full of aspiring Project Runway contestants, who came as far as Hawaii and Oregon (as well as LA, Palm Springs and the SF Bay Area) for "a chance of a lifetime" at this final LA Castings. Kicking Under The Table: Nick Verreos, Tim Gunn and Zoe Glassner prepare to see the aspiring designers

We saw many talented designers, assistant designers, store owners as well as fresh-out-of- fashion school students--some even from my alma mater, the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising/FIDM. There was DRAMA, snippy verbal fights and amusing adulations. I hope they caught it all on film--oh wait, I think there was a camera!! Could there be another "Road To The Runway: Season 7"? If there is, I hope it didn't catch Tim and I kicking each other under the table. Now, speaking of that W Hotel pool, I never got to use it, but Tim, Zoe and I did end our day with some yummy cocktails and spicy nuts at the adjacent W Hotel Whiskey Blue Bar. It was a perfect ending to a productive Memorial Day of Project Runway Season 7 castings.

Marriage Equality March in West Hollywood

A Fashionable Protest: Nick, Brook Lee and actress Amy Hill in West Hollywood
Our Best "We're Angry" Smile: Former Miss Universe, Brook Lee and Nick Verreos march in West Hollywood

Last night, David and I trekked it ALL THE WAY from our "bat cave" in Downtown LA to West Hollywood to join my Hawaiian sister, the gorgeous former Miss Universe, Brook Lee at the Marriage Equality March. What a Couple: NIKOLAKI designers David Paul and Nick Verreos

In case you were in your own cave and didn't hear, the California Supreme Court decided to uphold the ban on same sex marriage and within hours a protest march was organized. I was invited to join in by the NO H8 Campaign founders, photographer Adam Bouska and his partner Jeff Parshley who sent out a "mass email" to come and march. Can We Have an Interview? Brook Lee and Nick Verreos get interviewed by the local media

We arrived into West Hollywood and met up with Brook at our "meeting point", the Santa Monica Blvd. restaurant and bar, Fiesta Cantina. I spotted actress Drew Barrymore, and said "hello". Before I could even finish my hugs and kisses, the No H8 Campaign "march organizers" were just walking out of the bar/restaurant, along with former Miss USA (and No H8 supporter) Shanna Moakler, Miss California USA pageant director Keith Lewis, and celeb blogger Perez Hilton. That's Drew: A partial view of the lovely Drew Barrymore getting interviewed by the media

The only reason we knew is because we immediately saw the photographers go crazy and realized A) It's either Britney coming out of Fiesta Cantina (Nope) or B) The Miss California/Miss USA brigade must be making their exit (Yes).Actress and Comedian, Amy Hill and her daughter Penelope

Along with Brook, I was happy to see the ever-so-fabulous Amy Hill, actress from "All American Girl", "That's So Raven" and so much more. She's Brook's very good friend and was there to march--along with her daughter Penelope. The five of us made our way to the "Starting Gate" of the March and listened to LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, "Star Trek" actor George Takei as well as other notables give wonderful "Go Get 'Em!" speeches. I Do! Scene from the March in West Hollywood

All of sudden, from behind us came a shuffle and a push, and before we could slap someone for being rude, out from the crowd came comedian Kathy Griffin pushing her mom Maggie on her wheelchair--as well as her assistant, photographers and cameramen in tow. Miss Kathy never misses a good "press op", especially when it involves supporting "her gays"!
Thanks Brook, Amy and Penelope for the serene and funny company and for adding to what became a powerful night!
Click HERE for "Access Hollywood's" take on the "celeb factor" of the March and the night.
And below is the latest PSA/Public Service Announcement from the No H8 Campaign, which incidentally features Amy Hill and her daughter Penelope, as well as Brook Lee and her son Fynnegan:

Vote for your Favorite Film Festival Jewel. Yes, You Cannes!

Hello, jewelry hounds. I'm trying a new feature on the blog: Polls, polls and more polls.

I love getting your feedback, and let's face it - there's no better sport than arm-chair fashion critic, right? I'd love for you to get in on the act by voting in my weekly poll that will be lovingly posted every Wednesday at the right. Check back daily for the results and your chance to weigh in!

The kickoff poll is for your favorite Cannes jewelry look - and there were many to choose from. Here are the pics of my top 5 selects. Who do you think wore it best? Weigh in by clicking the bubble of your choice at the right!

Happy polling!

Angelina Jolie:



















Paris Hilton:



















Mariah Carey:



















Asia Argento:



















Eugenia Silva:

Amy Winehouse Gets Crackin' on New Jewelry Line

She may have said ‘no’ to rehab, but troubled chanteuse, Amy Winehouse, is saying ‘yes’ to a new jewelry and fashion line. Apparently Ms. Winehouse put down the crack pipe long enough to finalize talks with the London-based fashion label, PPQ, for a new line of high-end statement pieces that are inspired by the Amy Winehouse ‘look’.

Black lung chic, anyone?

Winehouse does admittedly have a signature look to draw on – from her beehive 'do’ to her retro mini-dress style. PPQ designer, Amy Molyneaux, told Grazia that they are in the first stages of the project and look forward to designing a range of Amy-inspired pieces – from cut-off denim shorts, check shirts and bodycon minidresses to bold jewelry styles.

And while Winehouse may seem like an odd pick for a fashion muse, PPQ has been known to woo the ‘bad girl’ starlet - the company paired with Peaches Geldof as their first celebrity pick.

PPQ also confirmed that Winehouse won’t actually be designing the line, but will only be involved in the creative process - something the singer should really get back to in the recording studio, if you ask me. Apparently, she is trying to record her third album in St. Lucia in between three (and counting) visits to the hospital for "chest pains" and "dehydration."

Maybe PPQ can get her to participate in the 'creative process' after her morning drinking binge and before her next cutting episode? Just a thought.

So what do you guys think of an Amy-Winehouse inspired fashion line? Does she deserve to rake in the dough for being nothing more than a train wreck with a voice these past years? Or is this perhaps a way for her to get back on her feet again?

You Know You Really Like A Director If...(Part Two)

You know you really like a director if you can make a top ten list of your favorites from among his films. In the second in an occasional series of looks at my favorite directors I present my ten favorite Alfred Hitchcock movies. In part one I offered my ten favorite Woody Allen films.

Hitchcock is known as the master of suspense and it is an appropriate moniker. Yet it’s also limiting. He did ever so much more. His films had action, adventure, comedy, drama and romance as well as suspense. He directed classic horror stories, dark comedies and spy stories. Most of all he was an unmatched storyteller. His career began in England during the silent era and ended in Hollywood during the 1970’s.

I defy anyone to come up with a better list of stars than the ones Hitch worked with over the years. Just for starters: Jimmy Stewart, Cary Grant, Henry Fonda, Gregory Peck, Joel McCrea, Robert Montgomery, Ray Milland, Sean Connery, Paul Newman, Robert Donat, Laurence Olivier, Michael Redgrave, Montgomery Clift, Charles Laughton, Ingrid Bergman, Janet Leigh, Joan Fontaine, Grace Kelly, Vera Miles, Eva Marie Saint, Kim Novak, Carole Lombard and Shirley MacLaine. Impressed yet?

Hitch was an innovative director. His use of the camera to tell the story, particularly evident in films like Vertigo and Notorious, was at once stunning and unobtrusive. Set pieces in particular highlighted his storytelling prowess. But his choices were all about moving the story forward rather than drawing attention away from it. Hitch the director was like athletes who make the spectacular seem routine.

He made everyone else around him seem better at their jobs. Actors gave better performances. Cinemaphotographers were more artistic and screenwriters more clever by half. (Or was it him?). And just to prove beyond any doubt what a crock the Academy Awards are, Hitchcock never -- no, not even once -- won a best director Oscar.

Here’s my top ten.

1.Vertigo (1958). It’s in many critical top ten greatest films lists including my own. It’s a story of one man’s obsession with one stunning blond. The city of San Francisco is the other beauty in the story. Stewart and Novak star, as does the city by the bay. Technicolor at its best.

2.Notorious (1946). Like a lot of Hitch films it gets better with each viewing. In my humble opinion Grant gives his best ever performance. See my post from last month for more.

3.Foreign Correspondent (1940). I esteem this film more than most people do. I believe it his most underrated. More stunning camera shots in this film than most directors manage in a career. The then timely story of a reporter covering what turns out to be the outbreak of World War II. Joel McCrea’s only Hitch film and I wish like hell he’d been in a few more.

4.Mr. and Mrs. Smith (1941). Hold on a second, a screwball comedy? Hitch directing one of the great screwball comedies of all time (and it is) is like Picasso writing a terrific novel or Willie Mays throwing a touchdown pass. No fair! Final proof that Hitch could do it all. Montgomery and Lombard starred.

5.Shadow of a Doubt (1943). Reportedly his favorite film. Joseph Cotton is a killer on the lam who hangs out with his unknowing extended family in Santa Rosa, California which plays the role of Anytown U.S.A. Teresa Wright is the adoring niece who slowly comes to see Uncle (Cotton) for what he really is. The sneak.

6.Psycho (1960). I assume you know the story of the young man who own has a strange relationship with his deceased mom. He operates a motel and Janet Leigh drops in takes a shower. Oh the humanity! It was ground breaking then and still a wonder today.

7.I Confess (1953). Another underrated film. Monty Clift is the priest suspected of murder. See my post from last Summer for more.

8.Strangers on a Train (1951). Hey fella, let’s swap murders! That’s the premise and my God with Robert Walker’s uber creepy performance it sure as shinola works. Rife with symbolism.

9.Rebecca(1940). A great romance, the world’s eeriest housekeeper a big house, icky George Sanders. For more see my recent post on this, the only Hitchcock film to win the Best Picture Oscar. Fontaine is fab.

10.The Trouble With Harry(1955). New England in the fall never looked lovelier. A dark (but not too dark) comedy with an interesting cast including Maclaine, John Forstyhe, Edmund Gwenn and Jerry Mathers but not as the beaver. There's also a dead fella named Harry that brings everyone together. Fun stuff.

And you know you really, really, really like the director if after the top ten list you can offer a half dozen honorable mentions, like so:

The 39 Steps (1935); The Lady Vanishes (1938); Lifeboat (1944); Dial "M" For Murder (1954); Rear Window (1954); and North By Northwest (1959).

The Journey of a Diamond

On this last day of our long Memorial Day weekend, it's time to put down the 'Jon and Kate' ranting and 'Will Adam Lambert sing with Queen?' wondering, and sit quietly to reflect on what's important in life. When you're done with that, I offer you a little learning on one of our favorite subjects: diamonds. Ever wonder where they come from? Here's everything you need to know, thanks to my all-knowing friends at Jewelry.com.

Enjoy and Happy Memorial Day!

Journey of a Diamond (From Mine to Retail)

Everyone knows that diamonds are among the most treasured items on earth. But not everyone realizes the long, arduous journey a stone must take to become one of the beautiful faceted gems you see in the jewelry store. So here is a brief recount of a diamond's incredible trip from the mine to the market.

A diamond's story begins deep in the earth - 100-200 miles below the surface. These stones were formed up to 3.3 billion years ago as a result of unimaginable heat and pressure placed on carbon crystals.

Powerful volcanic activity formed what are known as "pipes" - openings in the earth - and forced the diamonds up through the pipes to the surface, along with other minerals such as kimberlite. Some of these diamonds made their way into streams, rivers and seas; however, these are only considered secondary deposits. Most of the diamonds forced up through the earth settled back into the kimberlite pipes - and it is these primary sources that have been the basis for the world's diamond mines. Only one in 200 kimberlite pipes will contain diamonds in economically viable quantities.

Once diamonds are found, they can be very difficult to mine. It is estimated that it takes more than 250 tons of ore to produce just one carat of rough diamond. This ore goes through many stages of blasting, crushing and processing, including advanced x-ray techniques, to release the diamonds. Over 120 million carats are mined each year - only about a quarter of which will be considered gem quality.

Although diamonds are found in numerous exotic locations around the globe, Australia, Botswana, Canada, Namibia, South Africa and Russia account for some 80% of the world's diamond supply.

Once the diamonds have been mined and processed, the next step is to sort, classify and value them according to their size, shape, quality and color. The DTC, the marketing and selling arm of De Beers, sorts some two-thirds of the world's diamond production, by value. DTC sorts rough diamonds into more than 16,000 categories. These diamonds are then sold 10 times per year at regular, invitation-only sales called "sights" to the world's leading diamond cutters, polishers and manufacturers. Sightholders may choose to cut the rough they buy themselves, or they many sell some of it to smaller manufacturers or wholesalers.

The next step for the rough diamond is cutting and polishing. This is a great skill, with meticulous techniques that have been practiced for generations. The main diamond cutting and trading centers are based in Antwerp, Belgium; Mumbai, India; Tel Aviv, Israel; New York; and Johannesburg, South Africa. China and Thailand have most recently developed their own centers.

Although some of the polishing process is computerized, most of the work is still performed by hand. First, the cutter uses cleaving, sawing or laser cutting to separate the original rough into smaller, more workable pieces. Then, the girdler uses a process called bruting that grinds away the stone's edges and provides its outline shape. Faceting follows, usually in two steps. The first 18 facets (table, culet, bezel and pavilion of a stone) are cut and polished by the blocker. The brillianteer cuts and polishes the final 40 facets, including the star, upper girdle and lower girdle. Finally, the cut gem is boiled in acids to remove dust and oil. Once polished, most diamonds are sold and traded in the 24 registered diamond bourses around the world.

At this point, the polished gems are ready to be set into finished pieces of jewelry, which is the manufacturer's job. They are then either sold to a wholesaler, who works as a middleman to sell the manufacturer's goods to the retailer, or sold directly to the retailer by the manufacturer.

I'm back

Ireland was wonderful! I had such a great time and took tons of pictures of the beautiful landscape there. I don't really have anything fashion wise to post from the past week as I mostly walked around in jeans, t-shirt and a rain coat due to the weather there =P I did sqeeze in a little shopping at the end of my trip but didn't really have time to visit too many stores and ended up buying a simple pair of black leather flats.



The nature in Ireland really is breathtaking..if you ever get the chance to visit, do it! ;)

A Dozen More Great World War II Films and Two From Television

Last summer I wrote a post that I called A Mere 25 Great World War II Films. Given that I called the inclusion of 25 films "mere" the question is, can I add to it? The answer is, of course.

Here are 12 more films centered around the second world war and two contributions from television, one a mini series and the other a British telly program. It's not the least surprising that a world war would generate so much powerful cinema. From a war comes action, adventure, drama, tragedy and deeply human stories about how people respond to the very very unusual. For more thoughts on this see my preceding post.

These are offered in no particular order.

The Best Years of Our Lives (1946). Okay that's weird, we're starting with a movie set after the war. But it certainly qualifies for this list in my book as it details the effect of war on three vets returning home and to a lesser extent on those they return to. It won a passel of awards at the Oscars including best picture and deserved every last one of them. Dana Andrews, Harold Russell and Fredric March were all brilliant as the three vets.

The Dirty Dozen (1967). Is this a rollicking good war fantasy about a rag tag group of army cons who go on a suicide mission? In a way. But it's also a powerful anti establishment film. It's got a dream cast led by Lee Marvin and including Donald Sutherland, Charles Bronson, Jim Brown and a creepy John Cassavetes. Works on many levels, particularly at action and at sticking it to the man.

Battleground (1949). Wrote about this yesterday. Love this William Wellman directed film about the Battle of the Bulge. Van Johnson on stars. Black and white realism.

Two Women (1960). Yes, women got caught up in war. And how! Sophia Loren stars as one of the women and her character's daughter is the other. What they go throw...oy vey. Vittoria De Sicca directed this story set in war ravaged Italy.

Hell is For Heroes (1962). A recent and long overdue discovery for me that I blogged about recently. How can you resist a movie with Steve McQueen, Fess Parker, Bobby Darrin and Bob Newhart? An eclectic cast and strong film about a platoon that must hold that line until re-enforcements come.

In Which We Serve (1942). It's about a British ship and the men who serve on it. I posted about it last Fall after seeing it for the first time. Noel Coward of all people stars and he co-directed with David lean. The story is told in flashbacks as the ship sinks. Surprisingly realistic.

The Winter War (1989). The war my father bravely fought in for Finland as they held off the Russian bear for longer than anyone would have thought possible. This is a great study of men at war. Coming out of Finland it's not been seen by enough people. Available on DVD.

Destination Tokyo (1943). Yet another film I've already blogged about. Cary Grant as a sub commander on a mission from San Francisco into Tokyo Bay. Can't go wrong. Like many war movies its an excellent buddy film. Made during the war and I'm sure it helped rally folks to the cause -- as if they needed it.

The Americanization of Emily (1964). What have we here? Another film I've blogged about, wow. This is a decidedly different film bearing as it does a powerful anti war message. Seems like a Seventies film but no, some how this came out in 1964. An all time favorite of mine. Great screenplay by the legendary Paddy Chayefsky. James Garner, and Julie Andrews star and yes there's a love story mixed in as well.

Stalingrad (1993). Oh my. This film is not exactly a pick-me-up. Then again you can't exactly make a film about the Battle of Stalingrad that'll leave em laughing. A German made film and those people knew a thing or two about how bleak and murderous that battle was.

A Walk in the Sun (1945). Another vehicle for Dana Andrews who had a worldly all American quality suited to the WWII genre. This time he's in the thick of it in Italy. Long marches, lot of talking among the men, with occasional interruptions by enemy fire.

Heaven Knows Mrs. Allison (1957). How's this, Robert Mitchum and Deborah Kerr star and John Huston directed? Can't go wrong. Our stars are a nun and a marine (guess which is which) stranded on a Pacific Island during the war. For company there areenemy soldiers around. Will they find illicit love? Will they survive? It's worth watching this thoroughly entertaining film to find out.

And from TV:

Band of Brothers (2001). The seminal mini series from Steven Spielberg that HBO featured over several months follows the fortunes of the 101st airborne. We follow from them basic training through D-Day, the bBattle of the Bulge and the liberation of Germany. Realistic, character driven, everything a war film should be, entertaining and illuminating. Good history.

Foyle's War (2002-2008). If you like detective shows and you're interested in world War II have I got a show for you. In star Michale Kitchen you've got the ideal lead. He plays Foyle, a cop in wartime England solving murders, most related one way or the other to the war. Many story lines were based on actual events or conditions. Riveting, entertaining. Highly, highly recommended.