Authorities who charged an Illinois couple with murder say their 6-year-old son died last week of malnutrition because they allegedly withheld food to punish him, People confirms.
The boy weighed just 17 lbs. at the time of his death, according to documents from the Jersey County, Illinois, State’s Attorney obtained by People.
Police in Jerseyville, Illinois, said in a statement that they were called to the Jerseyville Community Hospital on Friday after the boy died.
Investigators determined that the child — who lived with three other siblings and two step-siblings — and a 7-year-old were both allegedly “deprived of food by their...
The boy weighed just 17 lbs. at the time of his death, according to documents from the Jersey County, Illinois, State’s Attorney obtained by People.
Police in Jerseyville, Illinois, said in a statement that they were called to the Jerseyville Community Hospital on Friday after the boy died.
Investigators determined that the child — who lived with three other siblings and two step-siblings — and a 7-year-old were both allegedly “deprived of food by their...
- 11/7/2017
- by Jeff Truesdell
- PEOPLE.com
Nominees for inaugural Sue Gibson award revealed.
The National Film and Television School (Nfts) has announced the launch of the Sue Gibson Bsc Cinematography Award, which will recognise an Nfts cinematography alumni who has “advanced the profession of cinematography in a significant way”.
Sue Gibson, who passed away last year, was an award-winning Nfts alumna and also the first female president of the British Society of Cinematographers (Bsc).
She was known for her work on feature films including Alien v Predator, The Holiday, Hear My Song and Mrs Dalloway as well as numerous TV series such as The Forsythe Saga, Spooks, Lewis, Poirot and Death in Paradise.
The five nominees have been voted for by Nfts cinematography alumni including Roger Deakins and Suzie Lavelle.
The winner of the award will be announced in September 2017 and the presentation will follow at an event which will include a masterclass by the winner.
The nominees...
The National Film and Television School (Nfts) has announced the launch of the Sue Gibson Bsc Cinematography Award, which will recognise an Nfts cinematography alumni who has “advanced the profession of cinematography in a significant way”.
Sue Gibson, who passed away last year, was an award-winning Nfts alumna and also the first female president of the British Society of Cinematographers (Bsc).
She was known for her work on feature films including Alien v Predator, The Holiday, Hear My Song and Mrs Dalloway as well as numerous TV series such as The Forsythe Saga, Spooks, Lewis, Poirot and Death in Paradise.
The five nominees have been voted for by Nfts cinematography alumni including Roger Deakins and Suzie Lavelle.
The winner of the award will be announced in September 2017 and the presentation will follow at an event which will include a masterclass by the winner.
The nominees...
- 8/10/2017
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
The latest variation on the “Twitch Plays” genre invites armchair investors to take on Wall Street. An Amazon engineer named Mike Roberts is behind StockStream, a live broadcast that trades stocks based on the preferences of its viewers.
StockStream, like other Twitch Plays broadcasts, is controlled through Twitch’s chat window. Viewers can write messages indicate the stocks they wish to buy or sell, and every five minutes, StockStream will execute the transaction that has been requested the most times during that interval. So far, the channel’s players have opted to buy shares of well-known companies like Google, Apple, and Tesla. They’ve also shown a preference for the video game industry, scooping up shares of Activision and Sony. This is Twitch, after all.
The choices made by StockStream’s viewers have very real implications. As noted by Business Insider, Roberts has put $50,000 of his own savings on the line,...
StockStream, like other Twitch Plays broadcasts, is controlled through Twitch’s chat window. Viewers can write messages indicate the stocks they wish to buy or sell, and every five minutes, StockStream will execute the transaction that has been requested the most times during that interval. So far, the channel’s players have opted to buy shares of well-known companies like Google, Apple, and Tesla. They’ve also shown a preference for the video game industry, scooping up shares of Activision and Sony. This is Twitch, after all.
The choices made by StockStream’s viewers have very real implications. As noted by Business Insider, Roberts has put $50,000 of his own savings on the line,...
- 5/31/2017
- by Sam Gutelle
- Tubefilter.com
Doc about footwear designer picked up by Music Box Films.
Music Box Films has acquired North American rights to the documentary Manolo: The Boy Who Made Shoes For Lizards.
Michael Roberts’ film profiles Manolo Blahnik, the influential footwear designer whose shoes have been among the most coveted fashion items for decades.
Music Box plans an autumn theatrical release. Content Media represents international rights.
Manolo: The Boy Who Made Shoes offers a behind-the-scenes look at Blahnik’s world and features interviews with the man himself as well as a panoply of notable figures from the world of fashion and arts.
Vogue editor Anna Wintour, Rihanna, Paloma Picasso, Candace Bushnell, Charlotte Olympia, Iman, Rihanna, Naomi Campbell, David Bailey, Isaac Mizrahi, Rupert Everett, Karlie Kloss are among the contributors.
Neil Zeiger, Gillian Mosely and Bronwyn Cosgrave served as producers, while the executive producers are James Cabourne, Tiggy Maconochie, Ralph Shandilya and Anne Morrison.
Music Box Films president...
Music Box Films has acquired North American rights to the documentary Manolo: The Boy Who Made Shoes For Lizards.
Michael Roberts’ film profiles Manolo Blahnik, the influential footwear designer whose shoes have been among the most coveted fashion items for decades.
Music Box plans an autumn theatrical release. Content Media represents international rights.
Manolo: The Boy Who Made Shoes offers a behind-the-scenes look at Blahnik’s world and features interviews with the man himself as well as a panoply of notable figures from the world of fashion and arts.
Vogue editor Anna Wintour, Rihanna, Paloma Picasso, Candace Bushnell, Charlotte Olympia, Iman, Rihanna, Naomi Campbell, David Bailey, Isaac Mizrahi, Rupert Everett, Karlie Kloss are among the contributors.
Neil Zeiger, Gillian Mosely and Bronwyn Cosgrave served as producers, while the executive producers are James Cabourne, Tiggy Maconochie, Ralph Shandilya and Anne Morrison.
Music Box Films president...
- 5/17/2017
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
The 148-tweet twitter saga shared by Aziah “Zola” Wells now has a film adaption. The film is set to be directed by James Franco and written by Neel and Mike Roberts. The story was tweeted on October 27 beginning, “Okay listen up. This story is long. So I met this white b-tch at Hooters…” And #TheStory, as it was called by followers everywhere […]
The post James Franco To Direct “Zola Tells All” appeared first on uInterview.
The post James Franco To Direct “Zola Tells All” appeared first on uInterview.
- 2/5/2016
- by Jenny C Lu
- Uinterview
Sometimes, it's all about the pitch, and "Zola" has a pretty good one. In his article for Rolling Stone, "Zola Tells All: The Real Story Behind the Greatest Stripper Saga Ever Tweeted," journalist David Kusher describes the tale spun by Aziah "Zola" Wells as "'Spring Breakers' meets 'Pulp Fiction,' as told by Nicki Minaj." And who wouldn't be interested in that? Certainly not James Franco. Read More: James Franco Is Everywhere: New Trailers For '11/22/63,' 'Yosemite,' And 'Every Thing Will Be Fine' The polymath has signed up to direct an adaptation of Kushner's article that will be simply titled, "Zola." It tells the wild true story, that was shared and trended on Twitter last fall, about Zola from suburban Detroit, her friend Jessica, Jessica's boyfriend, and Jessica's pimp, who all take a wild road trip to Florida that results in murder and more.
- 2/5/2016
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
Stripper Aziah "Zola" Wells' story captivated the Internet when her tale of a Florida road trip in October gone horribly wrong unfolded on Twitter. It inspired a more detailed account in David Kushner's exclusive story, "Zola Tells All: The Real Story Behind the Greatest Stripper Saga Ever Tweeted" for Rolling Stone, and now a movie based on the Rolling Stone article is in the works. According to Variety, James Franco, Andrew Neel and Killer Films are developing the film version of the account.
Zola's saga began with her first tweet,...
Zola's saga began with her first tweet,...
- 2/5/2016
- Rollingstone.com
In today's greatest troll: Remember Zola's too-good-to-be-true Twitter tale of sex work, drugs, lies, and murder that went viral last October? Well, James Franco read it, too, and he's turning it into the movie we all knew was inevitable. He's reportedly signed on to direct and star in Zola Tells All: The Real Story Behind the Greatest Stripper Saga Ever Tweeted, based on Zola's infamous "hoe trip" to Florida, but, weirdly, adapted from David Kushner's Rolling Stone feature about the 20-year-old Hooter's waitress/stripper whose real name is Aziah Wells. And while it's unclear who Franco will play in this bizarre scenario, our money's on Jarrett, the mentally unstable boyfriend of "this white bitch" Jess, the woman who, in the story, involved Zola on a wild night of prostitution and stripping, along with Jess's violent pimp, Z. Andrew Neel and Mike Roberts — who both recently worked with Franco on...
- 2/4/2016
- by Dee Lockett
- Vulture
James Franco will direct a film based on the viral tale of stripper Aziah “Zola” Wells' adventure to Florida. The movie is an adaptation of David Kushner's Rolling Stone magazine piece "Zola Tells All: The Real Story Behind the Greatest Stripper Saga Ever Tweeted." Andrew Neel and Mike Roberts will write the script. Zola caught the attention of the Twitterverse after she began her 148-tweet rant about a wild road trip to Florida with her friend Jessica, Jessica’s boyfriend and Jessica’s violent pimp "Z." The Rolling Stone article came out in November. Franco and Vince Jolivette are
read more...
read more...
- 2/4/2016
- by Rebecca Ford
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
James Franco, Andrew Neel and Killer Films are set to re-team for an adaption of Zola Tells All: The Real Story Behind The Greatest Stripper Saga Ever Tweeted, based on a Rolling Stone article by David Kushner. Franco will direct a script by Neel and Mike Roberts. The pic is based on a 148-tweet travelogue about a trip taken to Florida by Aziah “Zola” Wells, who went with her friend Jessica and her boyfriend, as well as Jessica’s violent pimp, named Z. Kushner wrote about…...
- 2/4/2016
- Deadline
Nevision Studios One Limited will produce “Manolo (The Boy Who Made Shoes for Lizards),” a feature-length documentary about fashion icon Manolo Blahnik that will be directed by Michael Roberts, the company announced Thursday. “Manolo” is an in-depth portrait of Blahnik and takes viewers behind the scenes into his world, where he is regarded as a genius by some of the most revered figures in fashion. His shoes became a cultural sensation after being prominently featured on HBO’s “Sex and the City.” The film will include a who’s who list of some of the most notable figures in the fashion and entertainment.
- 1/28/2016
- by Jeff Sneider
- The Wrap
Master shoe designer Manolo Blahnik is to be the subject of a documentary feature directed by Michael Roberts. Manolo (The Boy Who Made Shoes For Lizards) is produced by Nevision Studios One Limited. The in-depth portrait will take a behind-the-scenes look into the world of the fashion icon. Content Media has worldwide sales and will introduce the doc to buyers at the Efm next month. Blahnik was born in the Canary Islands to a Spanish mother and a Czech father; he studied…...
- 1/28/2016
- Deadline
Fashion sensation Manolo Blahnik is getting the big-screen treatment. Blahnik, whose first name became a cultural reference point, thanks to frequent shout-outs on HBO’s Sex and the City, will be the subject of a documentary titled Manolo (The boy who made shoes for lizards). Directed by Michael Roberts, the film is being dubbed an in-depth portrait of the man who is regarded as a genius by some of the most revered figures in fashion and will offer a behind-the-scenes peek into his fabulous world. Manolo will feature interviews with a who’s who of some of the
read more...
read more...
- 1/28/2016
- by Tatiana Siegel
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The production, financing and sales company will introduce buyers in Berlin next month to the film about the celebrated shoe designer.
Michael Roberts will direct Manolo (The Boy Who Made Shoes For Lizards). Nevision Studios One Limited produces and James Cabourne, Tiggy Maconochie, and Anne Morrison are on board as executive producers.
Content represents worldwide sales to the film about Blahnik, the contemporary fashion industry icon whose shoes are known simply as Manolos and were turned into a global brand by the TV series Sex And The City.
Production is underway on the film, which will feature the likes of Anna Wintour, Paloma Picasso, Iman, Rihanna, Naomi Campbell, David Bailey, and Isaac Mizrahi.
“Having known Manolo for over 30 years, I can say he is a multifaceted intellectual and romantic whose engaging mind and ingenious work is made for entertaining cinema,” said Roberts.
Content president of Film Jamie Carmichael said: “Manolo Blahnik is fashion royalty and the king...
Michael Roberts will direct Manolo (The Boy Who Made Shoes For Lizards). Nevision Studios One Limited produces and James Cabourne, Tiggy Maconochie, and Anne Morrison are on board as executive producers.
Content represents worldwide sales to the film about Blahnik, the contemporary fashion industry icon whose shoes are known simply as Manolos and were turned into a global brand by the TV series Sex And The City.
Production is underway on the film, which will feature the likes of Anna Wintour, Paloma Picasso, Iman, Rihanna, Naomi Campbell, David Bailey, and Isaac Mizrahi.
“Having known Manolo for over 30 years, I can say he is a multifaceted intellectual and romantic whose engaging mind and ingenious work is made for entertaining cinema,” said Roberts.
Content president of Film Jamie Carmichael said: “Manolo Blahnik is fashion royalty and the king...
- 1/28/2016
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
James Franco is set to produce "Goat," a film adaptation of Brad Land's acclaimed fraternity memoir for Killer Films and Rabbit Bandini Productions.
The story follows a nineteen-year-old boy who has suffered a deadly assault. Upon entering college and pledging to the same frat as his brother, he soon realises his loyalty to his sibling is about to be tested in a brutal way.
Andrew Neel is directing while David Gordon Green wrote the initial draft of the screenplay. Neel and Mike Roberts made further revisions. Franco, Christine Vachon, David Hinojosa and Vince Jolivette are producing.
Source: The Wrap...
The story follows a nineteen-year-old boy who has suffered a deadly assault. Upon entering college and pledging to the same frat as his brother, he soon realises his loyalty to his sibling is about to be tested in a brutal way.
Andrew Neel is directing while David Gordon Green wrote the initial draft of the screenplay. Neel and Mike Roberts made further revisions. Franco, Christine Vachon, David Hinojosa and Vince Jolivette are producing.
Source: The Wrap...
- 10/2/2014
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
A Utah woman accused of concealing seven pregnancies before strangling or suffocating her newborns gave birth each time in her home, authorities said Wednesday. Investigators have determined that Megan Huntsman, 39, did not go to a hospital to have the babies, Pleasant Grove Police Capt. Mike Roberts said. He didn't say if anyone helped her give birth. After her estranged husband discovered one of the infant corpses in the garage this past weekend, Huntsman acknowledged to police that she killed six of the babies, put them in plastic bags and then packed them inside boxes in the garage of her home...
- 4/16/2014
- by Associated Press
- PEOPLE.com
Prepare to be jealous. A couple of high school buddies from Dallas, Texas are beginning a year-long road trip across the U.S. where they hope to visit 365 different breweries in as many days. Brandon Wurtz and Michael Roberts have quit their jobs, broken their leases, and bought a mini van in preparation for this hop-soaked journey, according to the Plano Star Courier. The duo are calling themselves the Brews Travelers, and will begin their trip at Deep Ellum Brewing in Dallas, before traveling south to Austin and the Gulf Coast. They hope to hit at least two breweries in...
- 1/3/2014
- Pastemagazine.com
Los Angeles, home of the most ambitious and successful environmental movements, will see eight free screenings of “A Fierce Green Fire” in late September and early October
The timing couldn’t be better for seeing A Fierce Green Fire: The Battle for a Living Planet -- the first big-picture exploration of the environmental movement, fifty years of activism from conservation to climate change. From Fukushima to fracking, Keystone Xl to climate change, the world has never been more in need of a reminder that people can, and have, solved huge environmental problems.
And what better place to show this landmark film than Los Angeles, home to some of the most ambitious, innovative and successful environmental efforts in the country. From saving Mono Lake and healing Santa Monica Bay, to leading efforts to reduce smog that changed the entire automobile industry and pioneering climate legislation, no region in America has had a more distinct record of environmental success.
Directed and written by Mark Kitchell, Academy-Award nominated director of Berkeley in the Sixties, and narrated by Robert Redford, Meryl Streep, Ashley Judd, Van Jones and Isabel Allende, A Fierce Green Fire premiered at Sundance Film Festival. It chronicles the largest movement of the 20th century and one of the keys to the 21st. It brings together all the major parts of environmentalism and connects them. It focuses on activism, people fighting to save their homes, their lives, the future – and succeeding against all odds.
The film unfolds in five acts, each with a central story and character:
• David Brower and the Sierra Club’s battle to halt dams in the Grand Canyon • Lois Gibbs and the Love Canal residents’ struggle against 20,000 tons of toxic chemicals • Paul Watson and Greenpeace’s campaigns to save whales and baby harp seals • Chico Mendes and Brazilian rubber tappers’ fight to save the Amazon rainforest • Bill McKibben and the 25-year effort to address the impossible issue – climate change
Surrounding these main stories are strands like environmental justice, going back to the land, and movements of the global south such as Wangari Maathai in Kenya. Vivid archival film brings it all back and insightful interviews with activists shed light on what it all means. The film offers a deeper view of environmentalism as civilizational change, bringing our industrial society into sustainable balance with nature. It’s the battle for a living planet.
The film arrives at a moment of promise: 25 years after Dr. James Hansen first warned of global warming; 8 years after Katrina; 3 years after the Gulf oil disaster; 2 years after meltdown at Fukushima and first stopping the Keystone Pipeline; and 1 year since the wake-up call that was Hurricane Sandy, the capper to the hottest year on record. 2013 may be the year that grassroots pressure finally forces action to halt climate change. A Fierce Green Fire gives us reason to believe.
All of the Southland screenings are free and (except UCLA) open to the public. Each will be followed by a discussion featuring local environmental leaders and the filmmaker. Below is a list of screenings and participants.
The Big Four:
Wednesday, September 25, at 7 pm Santa Monica Public Library, 601 Santa Monica Blvd., Santa Monica, CA Panel discussion: Matthew King, Heal the Bay; Robert Gottlieb, renowned author of “Forcing the Spring” and professor at Occidental College
Friday, September 27, at 5:30 pm West Hollywood Public Library, 8272 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood, CA Panel Discussion: Angelo Logan, East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice; Juana Torres, Sierra Club; Michele Prichard, Liberty Hill Foundation’s Common Agenda
Thursday, October 3, 6 pm Pasadena Central Public Library Auditorium, 285 East Walnut Street Pasadena, CA Speaker: Shannon Biggs of Global Exchange on fracking coming to California
Friday, October 4, at 6 pm G2 Gallery, 1503 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice, CA Panel Discussion: Bill Gallegos, Communities for a Better Environment; Michele Prichard, Liberty Hill Foundation’s Common Agenda (opening of G2’s Green Earth Film Fest -- space is limited, so RSVP: theG2Gallery.com)
Three area colleges and an arts center in Long Beach:
Pitzer College, Robert Redford Conservancy -- Monday, September 30 in Claremont, CA UCLA Institute of Environmental Sciences -- Wednesday, October 2 (campus community only) Csu Long Beach, Multicultural Center -- Thursday, September 26, noon CALBArts, Bungalow Art Center, 729 Pine, Long Beach -- Friday, September 27th, 7pm
About The Film
Early Praise for A Fierce Green Fire:
"The material is vast and it’s an incredibly dynamic film. It’s shaping up to be the documentary of record on the environmental movement." - Cara Mertes, former director of Sundance Institute’s Documentary Film Program
"Winningly spans the broad scope of environmental history… connecting its origins with the variety of issues still challenging society today." - Justin Lowe, The Hollywood Reporter
"Rarely do environmental-themed films come with the ambitious scope of ‘A Fierce Green Fire’… which aims at nothing less than the history of environmentalism itself." - Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times
"The most ambitious environmental documentary since 'An Inconvenient Truth' tries to make the case that we just might win." - Michael Roberts, Outside Magazine
"The film left me emotionally drained and profoundly hopeful." -Bruce Barcott, On Earth Magazine
"Brilliant! Should be assigned viewing for all of us, especially those political leaders currently manning the helm of spaceship earth." - Jay Meehan, Park Record
About The Principals And People Featured In The Film
Director/Producer/Writer Mark Kitchell’s Berkeley in the Sixties – one of the defining films about the protest movements that shook America during the 1960s – received the Sundance Audience Award and was nominated for an Academy Award. Executive Producer Marc Weiss is the creator and former Executive Producer of P.O.V., the award-winning series now in its 26th season on PBS. Interviews were shot by Vicente Franco. It was edited by Ken Schneider, Veronica Selver, Jon Beckhardt and Gary Weimberg. Original music is by George Michalski and Dave Denny, Garth Stevenson, Randall Wallace and Todd Boekelheide. Narrators include: Robert Redford; Ashley Judd; activist Van Jones; author Isabel Allende; and Meryl Streep.
Featured In The Film Are:
The incomparable Lois Gibbs, leader of Love Canal; Paul “I work for whales” Watson; Bill McKibben, author and founder of 350.org; Paul Hawken and Stewart Brand, alternative ecology visionaries; Martin Litton, at 92 thundering, “If you haven’t got any hatred in your heart, what are you living on?”; Carl Pope and John Adams, longtime heads of the Sierra Club and Nrdc; and Bob Bullard, who closes the film on a universal note: “There’s no Hispanic air. There’s no African-American air. There’s air! And if you breathe air – and most people I know do breathe air – then I would consider you an environmentalist.”...
The timing couldn’t be better for seeing A Fierce Green Fire: The Battle for a Living Planet -- the first big-picture exploration of the environmental movement, fifty years of activism from conservation to climate change. From Fukushima to fracking, Keystone Xl to climate change, the world has never been more in need of a reminder that people can, and have, solved huge environmental problems.
And what better place to show this landmark film than Los Angeles, home to some of the most ambitious, innovative and successful environmental efforts in the country. From saving Mono Lake and healing Santa Monica Bay, to leading efforts to reduce smog that changed the entire automobile industry and pioneering climate legislation, no region in America has had a more distinct record of environmental success.
Directed and written by Mark Kitchell, Academy-Award nominated director of Berkeley in the Sixties, and narrated by Robert Redford, Meryl Streep, Ashley Judd, Van Jones and Isabel Allende, A Fierce Green Fire premiered at Sundance Film Festival. It chronicles the largest movement of the 20th century and one of the keys to the 21st. It brings together all the major parts of environmentalism and connects them. It focuses on activism, people fighting to save their homes, their lives, the future – and succeeding against all odds.
The film unfolds in five acts, each with a central story and character:
• David Brower and the Sierra Club’s battle to halt dams in the Grand Canyon • Lois Gibbs and the Love Canal residents’ struggle against 20,000 tons of toxic chemicals • Paul Watson and Greenpeace’s campaigns to save whales and baby harp seals • Chico Mendes and Brazilian rubber tappers’ fight to save the Amazon rainforest • Bill McKibben and the 25-year effort to address the impossible issue – climate change
Surrounding these main stories are strands like environmental justice, going back to the land, and movements of the global south such as Wangari Maathai in Kenya. Vivid archival film brings it all back and insightful interviews with activists shed light on what it all means. The film offers a deeper view of environmentalism as civilizational change, bringing our industrial society into sustainable balance with nature. It’s the battle for a living planet.
The film arrives at a moment of promise: 25 years after Dr. James Hansen first warned of global warming; 8 years after Katrina; 3 years after the Gulf oil disaster; 2 years after meltdown at Fukushima and first stopping the Keystone Pipeline; and 1 year since the wake-up call that was Hurricane Sandy, the capper to the hottest year on record. 2013 may be the year that grassroots pressure finally forces action to halt climate change. A Fierce Green Fire gives us reason to believe.
All of the Southland screenings are free and (except UCLA) open to the public. Each will be followed by a discussion featuring local environmental leaders and the filmmaker. Below is a list of screenings and participants.
The Big Four:
Wednesday, September 25, at 7 pm Santa Monica Public Library, 601 Santa Monica Blvd., Santa Monica, CA Panel discussion: Matthew King, Heal the Bay; Robert Gottlieb, renowned author of “Forcing the Spring” and professor at Occidental College
Friday, September 27, at 5:30 pm West Hollywood Public Library, 8272 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood, CA Panel Discussion: Angelo Logan, East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice; Juana Torres, Sierra Club; Michele Prichard, Liberty Hill Foundation’s Common Agenda
Thursday, October 3, 6 pm Pasadena Central Public Library Auditorium, 285 East Walnut Street Pasadena, CA Speaker: Shannon Biggs of Global Exchange on fracking coming to California
Friday, October 4, at 6 pm G2 Gallery, 1503 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice, CA Panel Discussion: Bill Gallegos, Communities for a Better Environment; Michele Prichard, Liberty Hill Foundation’s Common Agenda (opening of G2’s Green Earth Film Fest -- space is limited, so RSVP: theG2Gallery.com)
Three area colleges and an arts center in Long Beach:
Pitzer College, Robert Redford Conservancy -- Monday, September 30 in Claremont, CA UCLA Institute of Environmental Sciences -- Wednesday, October 2 (campus community only) Csu Long Beach, Multicultural Center -- Thursday, September 26, noon CALBArts, Bungalow Art Center, 729 Pine, Long Beach -- Friday, September 27th, 7pm
About The Film
Early Praise for A Fierce Green Fire:
"The material is vast and it’s an incredibly dynamic film. It’s shaping up to be the documentary of record on the environmental movement." - Cara Mertes, former director of Sundance Institute’s Documentary Film Program
"Winningly spans the broad scope of environmental history… connecting its origins with the variety of issues still challenging society today." - Justin Lowe, The Hollywood Reporter
"Rarely do environmental-themed films come with the ambitious scope of ‘A Fierce Green Fire’… which aims at nothing less than the history of environmentalism itself." - Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times
"The most ambitious environmental documentary since 'An Inconvenient Truth' tries to make the case that we just might win." - Michael Roberts, Outside Magazine
"The film left me emotionally drained and profoundly hopeful." -Bruce Barcott, On Earth Magazine
"Brilliant! Should be assigned viewing for all of us, especially those political leaders currently manning the helm of spaceship earth." - Jay Meehan, Park Record
About The Principals And People Featured In The Film
Director/Producer/Writer Mark Kitchell’s Berkeley in the Sixties – one of the defining films about the protest movements that shook America during the 1960s – received the Sundance Audience Award and was nominated for an Academy Award. Executive Producer Marc Weiss is the creator and former Executive Producer of P.O.V., the award-winning series now in its 26th season on PBS. Interviews were shot by Vicente Franco. It was edited by Ken Schneider, Veronica Selver, Jon Beckhardt and Gary Weimberg. Original music is by George Michalski and Dave Denny, Garth Stevenson, Randall Wallace and Todd Boekelheide. Narrators include: Robert Redford; Ashley Judd; activist Van Jones; author Isabel Allende; and Meryl Streep.
Featured In The Film Are:
The incomparable Lois Gibbs, leader of Love Canal; Paul “I work for whales” Watson; Bill McKibben, author and founder of 350.org; Paul Hawken and Stewart Brand, alternative ecology visionaries; Martin Litton, at 92 thundering, “If you haven’t got any hatred in your heart, what are you living on?”; Carl Pope and John Adams, longtime heads of the Sierra Club and Nrdc; and Bob Bullard, who closes the film on a universal note: “There’s no Hispanic air. There’s no African-American air. There’s air! And if you breathe air – and most people I know do breathe air – then I would consider you an environmentalist.”...
- 9/28/2013
- by Peter Belsito
- Sydney's Buzz
Superman fan and talented animator, Mike Roberts, has answered a very important question that I didn’t know has plagued me for years. He may be faster than a speeding bullet and more powerful than a locomotive, but Superman still gags like a little girl when he’s gotta clean up after his pets.
Some Fresh Step would solve your problems, big guy.
[Source] Mike Roberts...
Some Fresh Step would solve your problems, big guy.
[Source] Mike Roberts...
- 4/13/2012
- by Brandon Johnston
- ScifiMafia
A crowd has formed and waits with bated breath for what's next from a diminutive lad who can break wind on command and has already used his behind to play a trumpet.
It's not fifth grade recess nor a South Park episode. No, it's a scene from "The Fartiste," an off-Broadway musical based on the true story of Joseph Pujol who exercised supercontrol of his sphincter and developed his special skill into a noisemaking stage act that commanded top dollar during the late 19th century in the Moulin Rouge.
It might be lowbrow humor at its lowest, but it gets laughs. Why? Unfortunately the cast and crew can't say. You just have to have an open mind ... and open nostrils.
"I love fart jokes and I think that everyone should," said Charlie Schulman, who wrote the show's book. "It's one of those things in life that makes people laugh, but I don't know why.
It's not fifth grade recess nor a South Park episode. No, it's a scene from "The Fartiste," an off-Broadway musical based on the true story of Joseph Pujol who exercised supercontrol of his sphincter and developed his special skill into a noisemaking stage act that commanded top dollar during the late 19th century in the Moulin Rouge.
It might be lowbrow humor at its lowest, but it gets laughs. Why? Unfortunately the cast and crew can't say. You just have to have an open mind ... and open nostrils.
"I love fart jokes and I think that everyone should," said Charlie Schulman, who wrote the show's book. "It's one of those things in life that makes people laugh, but I don't know why.
- 11/16/2011
- by Michael McLaughlin
- Huffington Post
Twilight star Ashley Greene has signed up to play a female version of Oliver Twist.
The latest adaptation of the classic novel by Charles Dickens was announced at the Toronto Film Festival, Variety reports.
Ashley, 24, will play Olivia, a 19-year-old among a group of highly trained street urchins, in Olivia Twisted.
The group find themselves caught in a turf war between warring criminal factions after accepting a kidnapping job.
Scripted by newcomer Michael Roberts, the gender-swapping project is described as "ultramodern" but will also "combine Dickensian elements with a Gothic backdrop."
Greene plays vampire Alice Cullen, adoptive sister of Robert Pattinson's Edward Cullen, in the Twilight films, which conclude with The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 this November followed by Part 2 a year later.
The latest adaptation of the classic novel by Charles Dickens was announced at the Toronto Film Festival, Variety reports.
Ashley, 24, will play Olivia, a 19-year-old among a group of highly trained street urchins, in Olivia Twisted.
The group find themselves caught in a turf war between warring criminal factions after accepting a kidnapping job.
Scripted by newcomer Michael Roberts, the gender-swapping project is described as "ultramodern" but will also "combine Dickensian elements with a Gothic backdrop."
Greene plays vampire Alice Cullen, adoptive sister of Robert Pattinson's Edward Cullen, in the Twilight films, which conclude with The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 this November followed by Part 2 a year later.
- 9/15/2011
- by David Bentley
- The Geek Files
Now that production on the Twilight franchise has been completed, it's time for its stars to begin looking for other work. Kristen Stewart has already begun working with director Rupert Sanders on Snow White and the Huntsman, a dark take on the classic fairy tale. Now Ashley Greene has taken on her own gothic adaptation, but instead of working from the Brothers Grimm, she'll be handling some Charles Dickens. Variety is reporting out of Toronto that Greene is now attached to star in Olivia Twisted, an "ultramodern" take on Oliver Twist. The script was written by newcomer Michael Roberts, though it doesn't seem as though a director has been attached yet. In the reimagining, Greene will play the titular Olivia, who is in a group with other "highly trained street urchins." When the gang is given a kidnapping job, they suddenly find themselves embroiled in a vicious turf war. The...
- 9/14/2011
- cinemablend.com
"Twilight" star Ashley Greene will headline "Olivia Twisted", a modem take on the classic Charles Dickens novel "Oliver Twist", for Michael De Luca Prods. and Boss Media says Variety.
Michael Roberts' script follows 19-year-old Olivia and a group of highly trained street urchins.
Upon accepting a kidnapping job, they find themselves in the middle of a turf war between warring criminal factions.
The tone will mix Dickensian elements with a Gothic backdrop. Michael De Luca, Alissa Phillips, Frank Mancuso Jr. and Eric Gores will produce.
Michael Roberts' script follows 19-year-old Olivia and a group of highly trained street urchins.
Upon accepting a kidnapping job, they find themselves in the middle of a turf war between warring criminal factions.
The tone will mix Dickensian elements with a Gothic backdrop. Michael De Luca, Alissa Phillips, Frank Mancuso Jr. and Eric Gores will produce.
- 9/14/2011
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Ashley Greene is to star in 'Olivia Twisted'. The 'Twilight Saga' actress will take on the lead role in an ''ultra modern take'' of Charles Dickens' classic book 'Oliver Twist', which, according to Variety, will ''combine classic Dickensian elements with a unique gothic backdrop''. The film tells the story of 19-year-old Olivia running a crew of well-trained, orphan street urchins but they are suddenly plunged into the middle of a nasty turf war between two criminal gangs when they take on a simple kidnapping job. First-time screenwriter Michael Roberts was penned the script while 'The Social...
- 9/14/2011
- Virgin Media - Movies
If you’ve ever read “Oliver Twist” and thought “Well, it’s all right. But update it with a “Twilight” actress and it would be stellar!”, well, today is your lucky day. According to Variety, Ashley Greene is set to star in “Olivia Twisted,” an updated, gender-swapping take on Charles Dickens’ classic tale of scrappy street urchins in Victorian London. Greene will be the titular Olivia, who joins a group of highly-trained and resourceful orphans. They accept a kidnapping job, and find themselves caught in the middle of a gangland war. To sex it up further, Variety says it will combine “classic Dickensian elements with a unique Gothic backdrop.” Yes. That’s just what Charles Dickens would have wanted. Nothing speaks to the plight of the child laborer and contemporary evils like a unique Gothic backdrop. At least it doesn’t have werewolves, vampires, or other mash-up elements, but there...
- 9/14/2011
- LRMonline.com
Charles Dickens is one of those authors whose work is seemingly always getting adapted in various forms. While it’s rare to come across a version that takes the original tale – this time it's Oliver Twist – and gives it a real makeover, that’s the case with Olivia Twisted, which will find Twilight’s Ashley Greene playing the title character.First-time screenwriter Michael Roberts penned the script, which finds the 19-year-old heroine running a crew of well-trained, orphan street urchins. But when they take on what seems at face value to be a simple kidnapping job, they’re suddenly plunged into the middle of a nasty turf war between two criminal gangs.The Social Network’s co-producer Michael De Luca is spearheading the project, which doesn’t yet have a director. According to Variety, the film will “combine classic Dickensian elements with a unique gothic backdrop.” Right then…While there...
- 9/14/2011
- EmpireOnline
The fabulous Ashley Greene is all set to star in a brand new movie, titled Olivia Twisted. Ashley will be playing the lead character, which is actually a different “twist” on the classic tale of Oliver Twist. Read more below:
Ashley Greene, best known for her role as Alice Cullen in The Twilight Saga, is set to star in a modern-day retelling of Charles Dickens’ “Oliver Twist” entitled Olivia Twisted. Variety has the news, saying that Michael De Luca will produce.
Described as “ultra-modern,” Twisted arrives from screenwriter Michael Roberts and, in addition to gender-swapping and doubling the age of the lead, places Olivia in control of a band of criminal street urchins who find themselves in the middle of a gang war after a kidnapping job goes bad.
Read the full story at Coming Soon.net here.
What do you think of Ashley in a new take on Oliver Twist?...
Ashley Greene, best known for her role as Alice Cullen in The Twilight Saga, is set to star in a modern-day retelling of Charles Dickens’ “Oliver Twist” entitled Olivia Twisted. Variety has the news, saying that Michael De Luca will produce.
Described as “ultra-modern,” Twisted arrives from screenwriter Michael Roberts and, in addition to gender-swapping and doubling the age of the lead, places Olivia in control of a band of criminal street urchins who find themselves in the middle of a gang war after a kidnapping job goes bad.
Read the full story at Coming Soon.net here.
What do you think of Ashley in a new take on Oliver Twist?...
- 9/13/2011
- by Evie
- twilightersanonymous.com
Fresh off her role as sexy vamp Alice Cullen in the "Twilight" franchise, Ashley Greene is going … even darker? Kinda.
In the midst of the elbow rubbing and glass clinking that is the Toronto International Film Festival, it was announced that the starlet has signed on for the lead role in "Olivia Twisted," an ultra-modern take on the classic Charles Dickens tale (originally titled "Oliver Twist" if we remember our high school required reading correctly).
Penned by Michael Roberts, the story follows 19-year-old Olivia and a group of highly trained, orphan street urchins who accept a kidnapping job and suddenly find themselves in the middle of a turf war between warring criminal factions. That's when things get, uh, twisted. According to Variety, the powers-that-be are aiming to combine classic Dickensian elements with a unique gothic backdrop. Without vampires. We think.
Producer Michael De Luca is spearheading this flick, and his...
In the midst of the elbow rubbing and glass clinking that is the Toronto International Film Festival, it was announced that the starlet has signed on for the lead role in "Olivia Twisted," an ultra-modern take on the classic Charles Dickens tale (originally titled "Oliver Twist" if we remember our high school required reading correctly).
Penned by Michael Roberts, the story follows 19-year-old Olivia and a group of highly trained, orphan street urchins who accept a kidnapping job and suddenly find themselves in the middle of a turf war between warring criminal factions. That's when things get, uh, twisted. According to Variety, the powers-that-be are aiming to combine classic Dickensian elements with a unique gothic backdrop. Without vampires. We think.
Producer Michael De Luca is spearheading this flick, and his...
- 9/13/2011
- by Elizabeth Durand
- NextMovie
Ashley Greene is ready to start moving further away from her role as Alice Cullen in those annoying “Twilight” films and branch her acting career. According to Variety, Greene is set to star in an “ultra modern” version of the Charles Dicken’s novel “Oliver Twist” in a retelling entitled “Olivia Twisted”. Along with the classic elements, the film will also have a gothic backdrop to it. With a script set to be penned by Michael Roberts, the film follows 19 year-old Olivia and a group of highly-trained, orphaned street urchins. Upon accepting a kidnapping job they find themselves in the middle of a turf war between warring criminal factions. Michael De Luca, Alissa Phillips, Frank Mancuso Jr. and Eric Gores will produce the film. Up next for Greene is playing Alice Cullen once again in the November release of “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1″ and next year’s release of “Butter” with Jennifer Garner,...
- 9/13/2011
- by Jessica
- Beyond Hollywood
Olivia Twisted lands Twilight star Ashley Green in De Luca production Michael De Luca Productions as well as Boss Media are joining forces to produce for the Ashley Greene (Twilight) starrer. Variety reports that the "ultra-modern" take on the classic Charles Dickens story was announced today at the Toronto International Film Festival. Producing are Eric Gores, Alissa Phillips, Frank Mancuso Jr. and De Luca. Michael Roberts wrote the script for Olivia Twisted tells of a nineteen-year-old girl called Olivia and a group of highly-trained, orphaned street urchins who, after taking on a kidnapping job, end up in the middle of a turf war between criminal factions.
- 9/13/2011
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Ashley Greene, best known for her role as Alice Cullen in The Twilight Saga , is set to star in a modern-day retelling of Charles Dickens' "Oliver Twist" entitled Olivia Twisted . Variety has the news, saying that Michael De Luca will produce. Described as "ultra-modern," Twisted arrives from screenwriter Michael Roberts and, in addition to gender-swapping and doubling the age of the lead, places Olivia in control of a band of criminal street urchins who find themselves in the middle of a gang war after a kidnapping job goes bad. Dickens' text has been adapted for the screen many times over, including a recent Roman Polanski version. It was also famously adapted by David Lean in 1948, as a musical, Oliver! in 1968. Non-traditional tellings of the tale...
- 9/13/2011
- Comingsoon.net
Albert Michael/Startraks
Bree Williamson was prepared to welcome her baby boy McGreggor Edward, but she certainly wasn’t expecting all the emotions that soon followed.
“I was so shocked [about the postpartum depression],” the One Life to Live star, 31, tells ParentDish.
“When they described it to me in the hospital, they said you are either going to leave here happy or you’ll get it so bad you will need to go talk to somebody about it.”
In Williamson’s case, however, her experience included a bit of both after arriving home with McGreggor — whose moniker pays tribute to her mother’s maiden...
Bree Williamson was prepared to welcome her baby boy McGreggor Edward, but she certainly wasn’t expecting all the emotions that soon followed.
“I was so shocked [about the postpartum depression],” the One Life to Live star, 31, tells ParentDish.
“When they described it to me in the hospital, they said you are either going to leave here happy or you’ll get it so bad you will need to go talk to somebody about it.”
In Williamson’s case, however, her experience included a bit of both after arriving home with McGreggor — whose moniker pays tribute to her mother’s maiden...
- 1/29/2011
- by Anya
- People - CelebrityBabies
While travelers speak out about Tsa pat-downs and "nude-o-scope" body scanners, one group is silent-except on online forums. Thomas E. Weber trolls the boards for pilots' 10 biggest worries, from airport workers to profiling.
With millions of Americans taking to the skies ahead of Thanksgiving and facing strict new Transportation Security Administration pat-downs and body scanners, travelers are hearing horror stories daily. Some passengers are rising up to share tales of pat-downs run amok, while government officials are attempting to defend "nude-o-scope" body scanners and intimate hand searches.
Related story on The Daily Beast: Get Over the Gitmo Acquittal
Yet one group remains, for the most part, unheard: the rank-and-file pilots who pass through the checkpoints each day on the way to the "office," and who rely, along with passengers, on that security to keep them safe. When pilots do talk, the comments tend to be circumspect-with the notable exception of Michael Roberts,...
With millions of Americans taking to the skies ahead of Thanksgiving and facing strict new Transportation Security Administration pat-downs and body scanners, travelers are hearing horror stories daily. Some passengers are rising up to share tales of pat-downs run amok, while government officials are attempting to defend "nude-o-scope" body scanners and intimate hand searches.
Related story on The Daily Beast: Get Over the Gitmo Acquittal
Yet one group remains, for the most part, unheard: the rank-and-file pilots who pass through the checkpoints each day on the way to the "office," and who rely, along with passengers, on that security to keep them safe. When pilots do talk, the comments tend to be circumspect-with the notable exception of Michael Roberts,...
- 11/24/2010
- by Thomas E. Weber
- The Daily Beast
Junkgate is in full force, and things are only getting weirder. As the Tsa's procedures on how to handle airline passengers are coming under scrutiny, it seems like everybody's speaking out about their touched junks. But perhaps the most unusual anecdote belongs to pilot Michael Roberts, who told Sean Hannity last night that he's suing both the Tsa and the Department of Homeland Security. As he explained, "They wanted to see my penis."...
- 11/18/2010
- by Ray Rahman
- Mediaite - TV
London, Sep 26 – The mistress of British wife killer Michael Roberts has revealed how the sex-crazed strangler tried to throttle her too.
Shaken Kerrie Hall said he slapped and bit her and became ever-more perverted to satisfy his sick lust.
“I cannot believe how close I was to such a monster,” News of the World quoted Hall as saying.
Roberts of Runcorn has been sentenced for 17 years after he murdered his wife Vicky by tightening a bathrobe cord round her neck.
“When I found out how Mike had murdered Vicky I felt physically sick.
“He had put his hand round my throat.
Shaken Kerrie Hall said he slapped and bit her and became ever-more perverted to satisfy his sick lust.
“I cannot believe how close I was to such a monster,” News of the World quoted Hall as saying.
Roberts of Runcorn has been sentenced for 17 years after he murdered his wife Vicky by tightening a bathrobe cord round her neck.
“When I found out how Mike had murdered Vicky I felt physically sick.
“He had put his hand round my throat.
- 9/26/2010
- by News
- RealBollywood.com
George Napolitano/FilmMagic
It’s a boy for Bree Williamson!
The One Life to Live star welcomed son McGreggor Edward Roberts on Tuesday, Sept. 21, Soap Opera Digest reports.
Baby boy weighed in at 7 lbs., 4 oz.
McGreggor is the first child for the actress, 30, and husband Michael Roberts, whom she wed in 2008.
The couple announced the pregnancy in March.
– Sarah Michaud...
It’s a boy for Bree Williamson!
The One Life to Live star welcomed son McGreggor Edward Roberts on Tuesday, Sept. 21, Soap Opera Digest reports.
Baby boy weighed in at 7 lbs., 4 oz.
McGreggor is the first child for the actress, 30, and husband Michael Roberts, whom she wed in 2008.
The couple announced the pregnancy in March.
– Sarah Michaud...
- 9/23/2010
- by Sarah
- People - CelebrityBabies
Bonnie Wright, Imogen Poots, Jamie Campbell Bower, Jessica Brown Findlay, and Hannah Murray, photographed in London by Michael Roberts. After seasons of rocker-chic trends—bold shoulders, leather pieces, and zipper embellishments—gracing the runway, Marc Jacobs brought back demure femininity circa the 1950s with Louis Vuitton's fall R.T.W. collection show last spring. At a photo shoot for Vanity Fair's September issue, British starlets Bonnie Wright, Imogen Poots, Jessica Brown Findlay, and Hannah Murray wore the collection's elegant closing looks: four billowing ball gowns. The actresses looked posh, posing with fellow star-to-be Jamie Campbell Power at the site of Robin Birley's new club in London. Stylist Sebastien Richard used Bumble & Bumble products to give the ladies lush curls and sleek locks. What about their makeup? Makeup artist Mary Greenwell used Burberry's recently launched makeup line—a perfect fit for these British belles. Herewith, a rundown of the products used on set.
- 8/30/2010
- Vanity Fair
Hayley Atwell, photographed by Michael Roberts at Beckley Park, in Oxford, England. Actress Hayley Atwell is blessed with amazing genes. Part English and part American, with some Native American ancestry, she has the look of a screen siren: high cheek bones, gorgeous brown eyes, and a lovely large smile. She looks just the part playing a 12th-century English noblewoman in The Pillars of the Earth, a Starz/Encore summer mini-series based on the 1989 novel by Ken Follett. Atwell will surely gain a new set of fans for her role as Peggy Carter in the sci-fi flick Captain America: The First Avengers, due out next summer. At a recent photo shoot for the September issue of V.F., the 27-year-old looked poised and elegant in the manicured gardens of Beckley Park in Oxford. To prep her for the shoot, stylist Johnnie Sapong pulled Atwell's hair back into a chic chignon using L'Oreal Paris products,...
- 8/30/2010
- Vanity Fair
George Napolitano/FilmMagic
There is a baby-on-the-way for actress Bree Williamson!
The One Life to Live star, 30, confirmed the happy news to SoapNet on Monday and later Tweeted, “Thanks for all your well wishes!!! We are very excited!!!”
No word on a due date was given, and it is not yet known whether the pregnancy will be written into Williamson’s storyline on the long-running ABC soap.
The new arrival will also be the first child for her husband of two years, Michael Roberts.
There is a baby-on-the-way for actress Bree Williamson!
The One Life to Live star, 30, confirmed the happy news to SoapNet on Monday and later Tweeted, “Thanks for all your well wishes!!! We are very excited!!!”
No word on a due date was given, and it is not yet known whether the pregnancy will be written into Williamson’s storyline on the long-running ABC soap.
The new arrival will also be the first child for her husband of two years, Michael Roberts.
- 3/31/2010
- by Missy
- People - CelebrityBabies
The front row at Burberry’s London Fashion Week show. Photograph by Michael Roberts. The Burberry runway show brought London Fashion Week to a close in a blaze of, well, Burberry, with designer Christopher Bailey trotting out the female version of the designs he showed for men in Milan last month: military coats and flying jackets majoring in sheepskin with ruched dresses substituting for suits, and thigh-high boots with stiletto heels instead of combat boots. Bustle, bustle went the fashion crowd around the first row of actresses still hanging about after the BAFTA awards: Kate Hudson in green sequins; Mia Wasikowska (of Alice in Wonderland) and Claire Danes in beige; Mary-Kate Olsen in Anna Wintour–style sunglasses; and a bloodless-looking Kristen Stewart rebelliously jiggling her feet out of time with the music.
- 2/25/2010
- Vanity Fair
Royals at the Hardy Amies salon. Photograph by Michael Roberts. Yesterday was men’s-only day at the London collections, starting with a show of tailoring at the venerable Hardy Amies salon in Savile Row, with breakfast served on the first floor. “I’m sorry, this is reserved for the royal party,” said a flunky, waving fashionable interlopers away from a seated area surrounding a glass-topped coffee table. Enter Princess Michael of Kent and family. So there it was. The penultimate show of London Fashion Week and the only one attended by a princess, a duke, a lord, and a gaggle of snippy queens.
- 2/25/2010
- Vanity Fair
Erdem’s collage materials; Louise Goldin’s geometric pieces; and Vivienne Westwood for Tres Anglais. Photographs by Michael Roberts. The main tent at London Fashion Week contained a memorial wall for Alexander (Lee) McQueen, where every day visitors penned messages to the recently departed designer: “Long live fashion, we love McQueen” went one message. “A little bit of our souls died when you left us” went another. “I hope you’re having a cup of tea with your mum smiling down on us this week” was the wistful note from yet another of fashion’s mournful flock. It then proceeded to rain on and off for the entire event.
- 2/25/2010
- Vanity Fair
Left: Jessica Biel at the Oscar de la Renta show. Right: A look from Oscar de la Renta's new collection. From PatrickMcMullan.com The Oscar de la Renta show on Manhattan’s Upper East Side yesterday drew all of fashion’s biggest names, but the star of the always elegant affair was the lovely Jessica Biel. The actress has been a fan of the designer for years, wearing his dresses to last year’s Vanity Fair Oscar party, her Easy Virtue premiere at the Rome Film Festival, and the recent Los Angeles premiere of her new flick Valentine’s Day. Arriving about 20 minutes late—that would be, fashionably—Biel sat next to Vanity Fair’s Michael Roberts and her stylist, Estee Stanley, whose impressive client list also includes Penelope Cruz, Mandy Moore, and Amy Adams. After the show, Stanley remarked that she and Biel loved just about everything in the collection.
- 2/18/2010
- Vanity Fair
Long live Kurt Cobain. From left: Rag and Bone Men’s, Band of Outsiders, Michael Bastian. Photographs by Michael Roberts. Addams Family–inspired. Top, from left: Donna Karan, Donna Karan, Catherine Malandrino’s goat-hair chubby. Bottom: Alexander Wang, 3.1 Phillip Lim, Hervé Léger. Photographs by Michael Roberts. Lolita calling. From left: Dkny, Alexander Wang, Zac Posen. Photographs by Michael Roberts. Bride’s side or groom’s side? From left: Carolina Herrera, Diane von Furstenberg. Photographs by Michael Roberts.On the verge of a nervous breakdown. From left: Patrik Ervell, Band of Outsiders, Thom Browne, Thom Browne. Photographs by Michael Roberts.Michael Bastian for Gant.Michael Bastian for Gant. “My eyes are starving for beauty!” exclaims Vogue editor André Leon Talley in the 90 minutes of outtakes on the DVD of the fashion documentary The September Issue, available February 23. His complaint, delivered from behind dark glasses as he glumly makes the rounds of...
- 2/17/2010
- Vanity Fair
Behold: Posh's Oscar look. Photograph courtesy of Victoria Beckham. Victoria Beckham showcased many looks Sunday—as discussed by V.F.'s Michael Roberts—but one in particular stood out: her upcoming Oscar dress. According to the program's description, it is a "tan liquid silk jersey grosgrain cage embroidery drape floor-length dress." What a mouthful! Viewing the tasteful garment, as Beckham explained the labor and love that went into it, it was difficult to imagine the poised woman presenting her collection was the same midriff-bearing Brit once known to solely as Posh. "A lot of things have changed," she said of her evolved look. "I have done away with the fake tan and the big hair" she quipped, "and I am not going back there." Although I’m somewhat shocked that Beckham revealed her gown in advance of fashion's event of the year, it's clear that Beckham's charisma will take it...
- 2/16/2010
- Vanity Fair
Loincloth & Ashes's line-up. Photograph by Michael Roberts. There was much screaming as the mainly black front-row crowd, running in heels, dashed across the catwalk to air kiss each other before the Arise fashion show, proving black fashionistas can be just as annoying as white ones. Three collections were featured. (Click through for a slideshow.) The first, by Black Coffee, focused on cocoon-style coats pleated and folded in many ingenious ways. Then Loincloths and Ashes showed some pretty if not memorable things. Finally, Deola Sagoe pulled out all the stops for some ecstatically greeted raunchy showbiz dresses bound to end up in someone’s video - possibly Usher’s but probably not Justin Bieber’s.
- 2/16/2010
- Vanity Fair
Early on Sunday morning, we were off to an uptown turn-of-the-century mansion that once was part of the Woolworth estate to view Victoria Beckham’s latest collection. Apart from being footballer David’s wife, Ms. Beckham is famous for her style and for parlaying it into a line of dresses presented each season in a series of salon-style shows for which she supplies the running commentary. Here are a few sound bites: A dress in Victoria Beckham’s new line. Photographs by Michael Roberts. “This is a very versatile dress. You can wear it with or without a belt.” “This is a dress that makes a woman feel she can just throw it on.” “You can really see the creative tension between the top and the bottom of this dress.” “This is quite a covered-up dress, but it’s really quite seductive.” “You can really see the raw edges around the arms of this dress.
- 2/16/2010
- Vanity Fair
Backstage at an early Alexander McQueen show, 1993. Photograph by Michael Roberts. Isabella Blow was the first one to tell me about this “amazing new talent” Alexander McQueen. “You absolutely have to do a huge story on him,” she said out of the blue one day, wagging a finger in my face. “He is the only hope of British fashion.” After working for me in the 80s, Blow had gone on to become the grande dame of English fashion, and in her role as fashion director of The Sunday Times, she frequently rang to inform me about some mad new creative discovery who needed money. Or a job. Or both. Whenever I failed to come up with the cash, which was often, I always felt she thought I wasn’t doing my job. So when she called me in Paris in the early 90s to say that the next time I...
- 2/11/2010
- Vanity Fair
Dolce & Gabbana towing the poverty line. Or perhaps on strike. Photographs by Michael Roberts. The autumn-winter 2010-2011 men’s-wear fashion collections showed this week in Milan. Vanity Fair fashion and style director Michael Roberts reports from the front lines. War is hell, and so is other people. And there was no forgetting either sentiment during the first days of this week’s men’s-wear collections in Milan, where runway shows were determined to prove that war is not so much a dirty business as it is the stuff of a big, expensive fashion business. Khaki, epaulettes, eye-popping camouflage, combat boots, brass buttons, peacoats, parkas, battle-dress blousons, flying jackets, military greatcoats—even the long johns and skivvies traditionally worn under all of the above—were paraded up and down the catwalk as fashionable, über-masculine choices for next autumn. Dolce & Gabbana’s pleasant peasant. A Common Thread. The strong, outdoors, macho-with-a-twist aesthetic...
- 1/19/2010
- Vanity Fair
Michael Roberts. Photographs courtesy of Nick Harvey. 'Twas right before Thanksgiving when Vanity Fair fashion and style director Michael Roberts kicked off his Snowman in Africa world book tour with a signing party at the Gucci store on Fifth Avenue, in New York City. The illustrated children's book is a follow up to Roberts's Snowman in Paradise (Chronicle Books, 2004), and 100 percent of the proceeds from the book, available exclusively at Gucci stores, benefit Unicef. Gucci also comissioned Snowman in Africa accessories for the holiday season, including medium-sized Joy handbags and small leather goods. Last night, the snowman hopped the pond and landed at the Gucci store on Sloane Street, in London, where Roberts held court alongside a crew of London-based V.F.ers (AA Gill, Elizabeth Saltzman Walker, and Kate Reardon among them), along with Gucci-clad social fixtures, including Poppy Delevigne, Daisy de Villeneuve, and Caroline Seiber. Next stop on the snowman's social calendar?...
- 12/2/2009
- Vanity Fair
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