Cannes is not lacking for glamor this year, even in the documentary lineup.
Among the films premiering at the festival is Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes, an HBO feature documentary directed by Nanette Burstein and produced by J.J. Abrams, Glen Zipper, Sean M. Stuart, and Bill Gerber. The documentary draws on conversations with the star recorded decades ago for an autobiography.
“Entirely through the efforts of the [Taylor] estate, they were able to track those tapes down and reclaim them,” Zipper explained in an interview just before he flew to Cannes. “I remember getting an email from one of the trustees of the estate of a picture of the tapes in a box on a private jet on their way back to Los Angeles, strapped in with a seatbelt.”
Director Nanette Burstein
Zipper tells Deadline his production company, Zipper Bros Films, brought Burstein onto the project, a filmmaker known for Hulu’s 2020 docuseries about Hillary Clinton,...
Among the films premiering at the festival is Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes, an HBO feature documentary directed by Nanette Burstein and produced by J.J. Abrams, Glen Zipper, Sean M. Stuart, and Bill Gerber. The documentary draws on conversations with the star recorded decades ago for an autobiography.
“Entirely through the efforts of the [Taylor] estate, they were able to track those tapes down and reclaim them,” Zipper explained in an interview just before he flew to Cannes. “I remember getting an email from one of the trustees of the estate of a picture of the tapes in a box on a private jet on their way back to Los Angeles, strapped in with a seatbelt.”
Director Nanette Burstein
Zipper tells Deadline his production company, Zipper Bros Films, brought Burstein onto the project, a filmmaker known for Hulu’s 2020 docuseries about Hillary Clinton,...
- 5/15/2024
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Kooky kid sister, romantic lead, comic turn, cantankerous old dame … we pick out her greatest roles
An early Shirley in this epic Technicolor comedy-adventure based on Jules Verne, overstuffed with superstar cameos and produced by the impresario Mike Todd. David Niven sauntered through the role of the globe-circling gent Phileas Fogg and 22-year-old MacLaine was cast in the way Hollywood sometimes saw her in those days … as someone whose feline, gamine looks had something exotic and Asiatic about them. She was the Indian Princess Aouda, widowed after a loveless arranged marriage but rescued from the funeral pyre by the bold Fogg, whom she then joins on his travels for a while. A sweet and likable comic turn.
An early Shirley in this epic Technicolor comedy-adventure based on Jules Verne, overstuffed with superstar cameos and produced by the impresario Mike Todd. David Niven sauntered through the role of the globe-circling gent Phileas Fogg and 22-year-old MacLaine was cast in the way Hollywood sometimes saw her in those days … as someone whose feline, gamine looks had something exotic and Asiatic about them. She was the Indian Princess Aouda, widowed after a loveless arranged marriage but rescued from the funeral pyre by the bold Fogg, whom she then joins on his travels for a while. A sweet and likable comic turn.
- 4/18/2024
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
To win a Best Picture Oscar, a film has to have something about it.
Only 94 films in history have been given this award. They’re not voted on by the eccentric members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, who pick the Golden Globes, or by specialist groups of critics, but by the roughly 10,000 members of the Academy. That is to say, the choice is made by distinguished figures from within the industry.
Sometimes, though, they do still make some baffling choices.
By the time the Oscars roll around at the end of the awards process, a herd mentality tends to have set in.
When everybody has already voted at all the other awards shows for, say, The King’s Speech or The Shape of Water, the Academy members follow suit. It’s rare for a Best Picture winner ever to be a complete surprise.
Nonetheless, a few questionable films have stolen glory that rightfully belonged elsewhere.
Only 94 films in history have been given this award. They’re not voted on by the eccentric members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, who pick the Golden Globes, or by specialist groups of critics, but by the roughly 10,000 members of the Academy. That is to say, the choice is made by distinguished figures from within the industry.
Sometimes, though, they do still make some baffling choices.
By the time the Oscars roll around at the end of the awards process, a herd mentality tends to have set in.
When everybody has already voted at all the other awards shows for, say, The King’s Speech or The Shape of Water, the Academy members follow suit. It’s rare for a Best Picture winner ever to be a complete surprise.
Nonetheless, a few questionable films have stolen glory that rightfully belonged elsewhere.
- 3/8/2023
- by Geoffrey Macnab
- The Independent - Film
To win a Best Picture Oscar, a film has to have something about it.
Only 94 films in history have been given this award. They’re not voted on by the eccentric members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, who pick the Golden Globes, or by specialist groups of critics, but by the roughly 10,000 members of the Academy. That is to say, the choice is made by distinguished figures from within the industry.
Sometimes, though, they do still make some baffling choices.
By the time the Oscars roll around at the end of the awards process, a herd mentality tends to have set in.
When everybody has already voted at all the other awards shows for, say, The King’s Speech or The Shape of Water, the Academy members follow suit. It’s rare for a Best Picture winner ever to be a complete surprise.
Nonetheless, a few questionable films have stolen glory that rightfully belonged elsewhere.
Only 94 films in history have been given this award. They’re not voted on by the eccentric members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, who pick the Golden Globes, or by specialist groups of critics, but by the roughly 10,000 members of the Academy. That is to say, the choice is made by distinguished figures from within the industry.
Sometimes, though, they do still make some baffling choices.
By the time the Oscars roll around at the end of the awards process, a herd mentality tends to have set in.
When everybody has already voted at all the other awards shows for, say, The King’s Speech or The Shape of Water, the Academy members follow suit. It’s rare for a Best Picture winner ever to be a complete surprise.
Nonetheless, a few questionable films have stolen glory that rightfully belonged elsewhere.
- 3/8/2023
- by Geoffrey Macnab
- The Independent - Film
Actors Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor are considered to be one of Hollywood’s most timeless love stories. The iconic celebrity couple made multiple movies together and were married twice; they divorced for good in 1976. After Burton died in 1984, he did not leave any money to Taylor.
Richard Burton | Evening Standard/Getty Images Richard Burton left most of his money to his fourth wife
Throughout his lifetime, Burton was married four times. He was married to actor Sybil Christopher from 1949 until 1963.
Burton married Taylor for the first time in 1964 and divorced in 1974. The two married for a second time in 1975 until they divorced again in 1976.
In 1976, Burton married Suzy Miller. They divorced in 1982. He married his fourth wife Sally Hay in 1983, and they were married until Burton’s death in 1984.
According to the Associated Press, Burton “left the bulk of his 2.7 million estate to his fourth wife and nothing to Elizabeth Taylor.
Richard Burton | Evening Standard/Getty Images Richard Burton left most of his money to his fourth wife
Throughout his lifetime, Burton was married four times. He was married to actor Sybil Christopher from 1949 until 1963.
Burton married Taylor for the first time in 1964 and divorced in 1974. The two married for a second time in 1975 until they divorced again in 1976.
In 1976, Burton married Suzy Miller. They divorced in 1982. He married his fourth wife Sally Hay in 1983, and they were married until Burton’s death in 1984.
According to the Associated Press, Burton “left the bulk of his 2.7 million estate to his fourth wife and nothing to Elizabeth Taylor.
- 2/13/2023
- by Eryn Murphy
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
To win a Best Picture Oscar, a film has to have something about it.
Only 90 films in history have been given this award. They’re not voted on by the eccentric members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, who pick the Golden Globes, or by specialist groups of critics, but by the 6,000 members of the Academy. That is to say, the choice is made by distinguished figures from within the industry.
Sometimes, though, they do still make some baffling choices.
By the time the Oscars roll around at the end of the awards process, a herd mentality tends to have set in.
When everybody has already voted at all the other awards shows for, say, The King’s Speech or The Shape of Water, the Academy members follow suit. It’s rare for a Best Picture winner ever to be a complete surprise.
Nonetheless, a few questionable films have stolen glory that rightfully belonged elsewhere.
Only 90 films in history have been given this award. They’re not voted on by the eccentric members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, who pick the Golden Globes, or by specialist groups of critics, but by the 6,000 members of the Academy. That is to say, the choice is made by distinguished figures from within the industry.
Sometimes, though, they do still make some baffling choices.
By the time the Oscars roll around at the end of the awards process, a herd mentality tends to have set in.
When everybody has already voted at all the other awards shows for, say, The King’s Speech or The Shape of Water, the Academy members follow suit. It’s rare for a Best Picture winner ever to be a complete surprise.
Nonetheless, a few questionable films have stolen glory that rightfully belonged elsewhere.
- 1/24/2023
- by Geoffrey Macnab
- The Independent - Film
To win a Best Picture Oscar, a film has to have something about it.
Only 90 films in history have been given this award. They’re not voted on by the eccentric members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, who pick the Golden Globes, or by specialist groups of critics, but by the 6,000 members of the Academy. That is to say, the choice is made by distinguished figures from within the industry.
Sometimes, though, they do still make some baffling choices.
By the time the Oscars roll around at the end of the awards process, a herd mentality tends to have set in.
When everybody has already voted at all the other awards shows for, say, The King’s Speech or The Shape of Water, the Academy members follow suit. It’s rare for a Best Picture winner ever to be a complete surprise.
Nonetheless, a few questionable films have stolen glory that rightfully belonged elsewhere.
Only 90 films in history have been given this award. They’re not voted on by the eccentric members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, who pick the Golden Globes, or by specialist groups of critics, but by the 6,000 members of the Academy. That is to say, the choice is made by distinguished figures from within the industry.
Sometimes, though, they do still make some baffling choices.
By the time the Oscars roll around at the end of the awards process, a herd mentality tends to have set in.
When everybody has already voted at all the other awards shows for, say, The King’s Speech or The Shape of Water, the Academy members follow suit. It’s rare for a Best Picture winner ever to be a complete surprise.
Nonetheless, a few questionable films have stolen glory that rightfully belonged elsewhere.
- 1/24/2023
- by Geoffrey Macnab
- The Independent - Film
Elizabeth Taylor, who would have turned 89 on Feb. 27, lived multiple lives. She was a movie mega-star, a tabloid mega-celebrity (which are not always the same thing), an innovator in creating herself as a brand — and a tireless and effective philanthropist and activist.
She was adored, admired, denounced, scandal-ridden and unpredictable, and the public couldn’t get enough of her.
On screen, she was at her most breathtakingly beautiful in such 1950s and ‘60s films as “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” “Suddenly, Last Summer,” “Cleopatra” and “The Taming of the Shrew.” And in the 1966 “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf,” at age 34, she frumped herself up and gave a great performance, winning the second of two Oscars (after the 1960 “Butterfield 8”).
She also excelled in a wide array of films, like “Giant” (1956), “Raintree Country” (1958), “X, Y and Z” (1972), “Ash Wednesday”, and “The Mirror Crack’d” (1980), her last leading role on the big screen.
She was adored, admired, denounced, scandal-ridden and unpredictable, and the public couldn’t get enough of her.
On screen, she was at her most breathtakingly beautiful in such 1950s and ‘60s films as “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” “Suddenly, Last Summer,” “Cleopatra” and “The Taming of the Shrew.” And in the 1966 “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf,” at age 34, she frumped herself up and gave a great performance, winning the second of two Oscars (after the 1960 “Butterfield 8”).
She also excelled in a wide array of films, like “Giant” (1956), “Raintree Country” (1958), “X, Y and Z” (1972), “Ash Wednesday”, and “The Mirror Crack’d” (1980), her last leading role on the big screen.
- 2/27/2021
- by Tim Gray
- Variety Film + TV
In Apple TV Plus’ new drama “Cherry,” Tom Holland’s life is spiraling out of control. Holland plays Cherry, a war veteran who suffers from Ptsd and descends into an opioid addiction. He also falls in love with Emily, played by Ciara Bravo.
Cinematographer Newton Thomas Sigel, who also shot “Da 5 Bloods,” explains the film “has very distinct chapters. Each one of those chapters has its vocabulary,” and Sigel relied on different lenses to create that look.
From magic realism, when Cherry sees Emily and falls in love, to documentary homages, Sigel discusses two scenes from the film and how he captured Cherry at different moments in his downward spiral.
Robbing the Bank/Emily
Early in the film, we have a teaser of what we will later learn is Cherry’s last robbery. In that robbery, he goes into a bank and as he approaches the teller and pulls a gun out.
Cinematographer Newton Thomas Sigel, who also shot “Da 5 Bloods,” explains the film “has very distinct chapters. Each one of those chapters has its vocabulary,” and Sigel relied on different lenses to create that look.
From magic realism, when Cherry sees Emily and falls in love, to documentary homages, Sigel discusses two scenes from the film and how he captured Cherry at different moments in his downward spiral.
Robbing the Bank/Emily
Early in the film, we have a teaser of what we will later learn is Cherry’s last robbery. In that robbery, he goes into a bank and as he approaches the teller and pulls a gun out.
- 2/26/2021
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
As Disney quietly disappears huge swathes of film history into its vaults, I'm going to spend 2020 celebrating Twentieth Century Fox and the Fox Film Corporation's films, what one might call their output if only someone were putting it out.***Twentieth Century Fox didn't weather the 60s terribly well, but what American studio did? At least they hit the 70s running with M*A*S*H, which was more or less through luck (they execs were too busy having heart failure over the cost of Patton (1970) and Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970) to bother Robert Altman, who then became a semi-regular director for them during the next decade).George Axelrod's The Secret Life of an American Wife (1968) pops out as an endearing oddity in an output mostly divided between the last gasps of formerly reliable or even inspired filmmakers (try Frank Tashlin's Doris Day spy caper Caprice [1967]), weird experiments and cheap...
- 11/24/2020
- MUBI
“The Bachelor Presents: Listen to Your Heart,” the latest “Bachelor” spin-off, premiered Monday, featuring aspiring musicians looking for their true love, at least the one they can sing with. Inspired by “A Star is Born” — or more specifically, Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper‘s Oscar performance of “Shallow” — the show is filled with music, hookups, harmony, and of course, disharmony.
Hosted by Chris Harrison, the series premiere introduced 12 bachelors and eight bachelorettes, with the ladies handing out roses to eight men at the first rose ceremony, sending four dudes home: Jack, Josh, Russell and Michael Todd, the latter of whom looks at women like he is sporting see-through glasses. But like “Bachelor in Paradise,” new pretty people will be added to the mix in the coming weeks to amp up the drama and couples won’t, theoretically, remain static (at least in the beginning).
So who made the best (and worst) first impression?...
Hosted by Chris Harrison, the series premiere introduced 12 bachelors and eight bachelorettes, with the ladies handing out roses to eight men at the first rose ceremony, sending four dudes home: Jack, Josh, Russell and Michael Todd, the latter of whom looks at women like he is sporting see-through glasses. But like “Bachelor in Paradise,” new pretty people will be added to the mix in the coming weeks to amp up the drama and couples won’t, theoretically, remain static (at least in the beginning).
So who made the best (and worst) first impression?...
- 4/18/2020
- by Lisa DiGiovine and Joyce Eng
- Gold Derby
The Cinerama wonder movies were all but extinct fifteen years ago, un-preserved, un-projectable in their original 3-panel splendor, and largely forgotten. Countless hours of labor and research have now brought them all back to life on Blu-ray in the wraparound simulation ‘Smilebox’ format. These latest (and last?) discs properly restore two early releases, the show that started it all and the competing ‘Cinemiracle’ production that eventually became part of the Cinerama fanfold of travelogue gems.
This Is Cinerama
&
Windjammer: The Voyage of the Christian Radich
Separate Blu-ray Releases
2017 Authorized Restorations
Flicker Alley
1952 & 1958
Color
Smilebox widescreen
Street Date May 15, 2018
38.60 each
Back about ten years ago, the preservation team headed by the dauntless David Strohmaier had to rush their first two Cinerama releases onto the market, before the money could be found to properly refurbish them. The other seven productions would get the benefit of a new restoration process that involved scanning...
This Is Cinerama
&
Windjammer: The Voyage of the Christian Radich
Separate Blu-ray Releases
2017 Authorized Restorations
Flicker Alley
1952 & 1958
Color
Smilebox widescreen
Street Date May 15, 2018
38.60 each
Back about ten years ago, the preservation team headed by the dauntless David Strohmaier had to rush their first two Cinerama releases onto the market, before the money could be found to properly refurbish them. The other seven productions would get the benefit of a new restoration process that involved scanning...
- 5/8/2018
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Michael Anderson, the British director who was nominated for an Academy Award for his direction on “Around the World in 80 Days,” died in Vancouver Wednesday. He was 98.
Anderson’s career began in the ’40s as an assistant director before he joined the Royal Signal Corps during the war. After Anderson was discharged, he signed a contract with Associated British Picture Corporation, for whom he directed five films.
The third film, 1955’s “The Dam Busters,” starring Richard Todd, which was the biggest film of the year for Britain at the box office. The film will be presented at the Royal Albert Hall in London and simulcast into 400 theatres throughout the UK on May 17 to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Royal Air Force’s most daring operation of World War II.
Anderson was asked to direct “Around the World in 80 Days” after the original director John Farrow had a falling out with producer Mike Todd.
Anderson’s career began in the ’40s as an assistant director before he joined the Royal Signal Corps during the war. After Anderson was discharged, he signed a contract with Associated British Picture Corporation, for whom he directed five films.
The third film, 1955’s “The Dam Busters,” starring Richard Todd, which was the biggest film of the year for Britain at the box office. The film will be presented at the Royal Albert Hall in London and simulcast into 400 theatres throughout the UK on May 17 to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Royal Air Force’s most daring operation of World War II.
Anderson was asked to direct “Around the World in 80 Days” after the original director John Farrow had a falling out with producer Mike Todd.
- 4/28/2018
- by Erin Nyren
- Variety Film + TV
All hail the Queen of Egypt a.k.a. the classic epic "Cleopatra," which was released 50 years ago today (on June 12, 1963). The controversial film is known not only for setting fire to the scandalous affair between Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, but also for its monstrous budget, initial box office flop, and unending conflicts.
Last month the film's 50th anniversary was celebrated at the Cannes Film Festival with a special screening of the recently released Blu-ray restoration. To honor the classic, we're opening up the tomb of facts to reveal the juicy bits you may not have known about the film. From budget nightmares to comas and contracts, read on to find out why the Academy Award-winning "Cleopatra" was an epic of truly epic proportions.
1. "Cleopatra" is infamous for marking the beginning of the heated love affair between Burton and Taylor, which lasted until his death in 1984. However, Liz and Dick...
Last month the film's 50th anniversary was celebrated at the Cannes Film Festival with a special screening of the recently released Blu-ray restoration. To honor the classic, we're opening up the tomb of facts to reveal the juicy bits you may not have known about the film. From budget nightmares to comas and contracts, read on to find out why the Academy Award-winning "Cleopatra" was an epic of truly epic proportions.
1. "Cleopatra" is infamous for marking the beginning of the heated love affair between Burton and Taylor, which lasted until his death in 1984. However, Liz and Dick...
- 6/12/2013
- by Erin Whitney
- Moviefone
Lindsay Lohan / Elizabeth Taylor Lindsay Lohan as Elizabeth Taylor in the Lifetime movie Liz & Dick. Lohan, 26 next July 2, plays Elizabeth Taylor (apparently) at about the time she met Richard Burton in the early ’60s. (Though the Lohan/Taylor picture above looks like something out Richard Brooks’ Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, with Lohan as Maggie the Panther.) Grant Bowler, best known for True Blood and the box-office and critical cataclysm Atlas Shrugged: Part I, plays Richard Burton. The makeup job looks quite impressive, helping to transform Lohan into Taylor. We’ll see — or rather, hear — if Lohan is able to reproduce Taylor’s tones as well. A tabloid queen in her heyday, Elizabeth Taylor won two Best Actress Academy Awards: Daniel Mann’s Butterfield 8, 1960; Mike Nichols’ Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, 1966. Taylor was nominated three other times: Edward Dmytryk’s Raintree County, 1957; Brooks’ Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,...
- 6/6/2012
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Lindsay Lohan Elizabeth Taylor movie Liz & Dick (Grant Bowler as Richard Burton) Lindsay Lohan‘s Elizabeth Taylor movie Liz & Dick, to be shown on Lifetime, has its first official photo. Lohan does look like Taylor; whether or not Atlas Shrugged: Part I‘s Grant Bowler passes for Richard Burton is unclear, as he seems to be playing Christopher Lee in the above pic. Much has been said about how absurd it was to cast Lindsay Lohan, of rehab and courtroom notoriety, to play one of the most glamorous stars Hollywood has ever produced. What those people seem to forget — or be ignorant about — is that Elizabeth Taylor, long before she became a Dame of the (now-moribund) British Empire, long before her AIDS Foundation, and not that long before her two Oscar wins, was considered by many to be a selfish, reckless "whore." True, Taylor received four back-to-back Oscar nominations in...
- 6/5/2012
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Ted Donaldson, Joan Blondell, Peggy Ann Garner, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn Joan Blondell Q&A Pt.2: Joan Blondell-Dick Powell-June Allyson Triangle, Lost Raunchy Pre-Coder Convention City My favorite Joan Blondell performance is her Aunt Sissy in Elia Kazan's 20th Century-Fox drama A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945). How did she get that role? What was it like for her to work with Kazan, Peggy Ann Garner, Dorothy McGuire, James Dunn? What did the film do for her career? And how in the world could she not have received an Academy Award nomination? (Especially considering that James Dunn won in the supporting category.) Did Fox push Dunn while ignoring Blondell? A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is a beautiful movie, and certainly Aunt Sissy is one of Joan's best performances. According to the sources I use in the book, a Fox contract was delivered to her...
- 8/25/2011
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Joan Blondell. Those who have heard the name will most likely picture either a blowsy, older woman playing the worldwise but warm-hearted saloon owner in the late 1960s television series Here Come the Brides, or a lively, fast-talking, no-nonsense, and unconventionally sexy gold digger in numerous Pre-Code Warner Bros. comedies and musicals of the early 1930s. Matthew Kennedy's Joan Blondell: A Life Between Takes (University Press of Mississippi, 2007) seeks to rectify that cultural memory lapse. Not that Blondell doesn't deserve to be remembered for Here Come the Brides or, say, Gold Diggers of 1933, Footlight Parade, Havana Widows, and Broadway Bad. It's just that her other work — from her immensely touching performance as a sexually liberated woman in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn to her invariably welcome (if brief) appearances in films as varied as The Blue Veil, Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?, and Grease — should be remembered as well.
- 8/25/2011
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Joan Blondell, Dick Powell, Dames Joan Blondell has always been a favorite of mine, much like fellow wisecracking 1930s Warner Bros. players Aline MacMahon and Glenda Farrell. The fact that Blondell never became a top star says more about audiences — who preferred, say, Shirley Temple and Mickey Rooney — than about Blondell's screen presence and acting abilities. As part of its "Summer Under the Stars" film series, Turner Classic Movies is currently showing no less than 16 Joan Blondell movies today, including the TCM premiere of the 1968 crime drama Kona Coast. Directed by Lamont Johnson, Kona Coast stars Richard Boone and the capable Vera Miles. Blondell has a supporting role — one of two dozen from 1950 (For Heaven's Sake) to 1981 (The Woman Inside, released two years after Blondell's death from leukemia). [Joan Blondell Movie Schedule.] Unfortunately, TCM isn't showing the super-rare (apparently due to rights issues) The Blue Veil, Curtis Bernhardt's 1951 melodrama that earned Blondell her...
- 8/24/2011
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
This week we'll be treated to a big advertising campaign for "Spy Kids: All the Time in the World in 4D." I have not seen the film, but I have experienced the process.
Yes, the Scratch-n-Sniff card is back, this time advertised as Aromascope. We have come a long way since Odorama and Smell-o-Vision. Well, maybe not that long a way.
It was May 1981 in Cannes. I had just left Le Petit Carlton, the legendary bistro on a back street behind the old Palais. Rainer Werner Fassbinder and his posse were gathered inside, looking as discontented as usual. I planned to walk down the Rue d'Antibes to the Hotel Splendid. After a block or two I found myself accosted by a press agent. He asked me if I was coming to the midnight screening of "Polyester."
"Polly who?" I asked. In France you never realize they're speaking English.
"The new John Waters film!
Yes, the Scratch-n-Sniff card is back, this time advertised as Aromascope. We have come a long way since Odorama and Smell-o-Vision. Well, maybe not that long a way.
It was May 1981 in Cannes. I had just left Le Petit Carlton, the legendary bistro on a back street behind the old Palais. Rainer Werner Fassbinder and his posse were gathered inside, looking as discontented as usual. I planned to walk down the Rue d'Antibes to the Hotel Splendid. After a block or two I found myself accosted by a press agent. He asked me if I was coming to the midnight screening of "Polyester."
"Polly who?" I asked. In France you never realize they're speaking English.
"The new John Waters film!
- 8/11/2011
- by Roger Ebert
- blogs.suntimes.com/ebert
A nude photo widely believed to be of a young Dame Elizabeth Taylor is at the centre of an identity mystery after its veracity was called into question.
Fans were stunned after the shot emerged days after the movie veteran died last month. It features a naked young woman, who bears a striking resemblance to Taylor, kneeling and leaning forward on a white fur rug.
Reports claimed the Cleopatra star was just 24 when she agreed to pose for the snap, which she then gave to her third husband Michael Todd as an engagement present.
But bosses at U.S. photo agency Bauer Griffin have now stopped distributing the image after learning the woman in the picture is most likely Hollywood dancer and model Lee Evans.
The shot appears in photographer Peter Gowland's 2001 book Classic Nude Photography, Techniques and Images, which tells how he shot the picture in 1940 - when Taylor would have been just eight years old.
In the book, Gowland says of Evans, "She had never done any nude modelling before and since I was looking for a pretty model to expand my photography, I asked her to pose. She was shy, but appreciated art and so agreed."
Bauer Griffin co-owner Frank Griffin insists the firm is no longer associated with the picture "now we have learnt there is a possible challenge to the veracity".
Fans were stunned after the shot emerged days after the movie veteran died last month. It features a naked young woman, who bears a striking resemblance to Taylor, kneeling and leaning forward on a white fur rug.
Reports claimed the Cleopatra star was just 24 when she agreed to pose for the snap, which she then gave to her third husband Michael Todd as an engagement present.
But bosses at U.S. photo agency Bauer Griffin have now stopped distributing the image after learning the woman in the picture is most likely Hollywood dancer and model Lee Evans.
The shot appears in photographer Peter Gowland's 2001 book Classic Nude Photography, Techniques and Images, which tells how he shot the picture in 1940 - when Taylor would have been just eight years old.
In the book, Gowland says of Evans, "She had never done any nude modelling before and since I was looking for a pretty model to expand my photography, I asked her to pose. She was shy, but appreciated art and so agreed."
Bauer Griffin co-owner Frank Griffin insists the firm is no longer associated with the picture "now we have learnt there is a possible challenge to the veracity".
- 4/10/2011
- WENN
A supposedly naked photograph of Elizabeth Taylor published in the media earlier this month has been revealed as a fake. The nude image, seemingly of the movie icon who died last month at the age of 79, was printed in several newspapers. According to the Daily Mail, the picture was taken by actor and photographer Roddy McDowall, a friend of Taylor who promised her that the shot would be tasteful. Taylor was said to have given the photograph to her third husband Michael Todd soon after he proposed in 1956. However, readers commenting on the Mail article noted that the image is a doctored version of a photograph by Peter Gowland of dancer Lee Evans, which features in Classic Nude Photography: Techniques and Images. (more)...
- 4/6/2011
- by By Mayer Nissim
- Digital Spy
London, Apr 2 – Elizabeth Taylor’s only known nude photo, taken at the age of 24 for her then fiancé Michael Todd, has been released by a private collector.
It was an engagement gift from Taylor to producer Todd, who was her third husband.
The picture was taken by one of her closest friends, actor and photographer Roddy McDowall. He persuaded her to pose naked.
It was an engagement gift from Taylor to producer Todd, who was her third husband.
The picture was taken by one of her closest friends, actor and photographer Roddy McDowall. He persuaded her to pose naked.
- 4/2/2011
- by News
- RealBollywood.com
Elizabeth Taylor’s only known nude photo, taken at the age of 24 for her then fiancé Michael Todd, has been released by a private collector.It was an engagement gift from Taylor to producer Todd, who was her third husband.The picture was taken by one of her closest friends, actor and photographer Roddy McDowall. He persuaded her to pose naked by promising her it would be done tastefully.She then gave it to Todd as a present after he proposed in 1956 – the pair married a few months later but the relationship was tragically short-lived.Todd was killed 13 months after their ...
- 4/2/2011
- Hindustan Times - Celebrity
Elizabeth Taylor’s only known nude photo, taken at the age of 24 for her then fiancé Michael Todd, has been released by a private collector.It was an engagement gift from Taylor to producer Todd, who was her third husband.The picture was taken by one of her closest friends, actor and photographer Roddy McDowall. He persuaded her to pose naked by promising her it would be done tastefully.She then gave it to Todd as a present after he proposed in 1956 – the pair married a few months later but the relationship was tragically short-lived.Todd was killed 13 months after their ...
- 4/2/2011
- Hindustan Times - Celebrity
Elizabeth Taylor’s only known nude photo, taken at the age of 24 for her then fiancé Michael Todd, has been released by a private collector.It was an engagement gift from Taylor to producer Todd, who was her third husband.The picture was taken by one of her closest friends, actor and photographer Roddy McDowall. He persuaded her to pose naked by promising her it would be done tastefully.She then gave it to Todd as a present after he proposed in 1956 – the pair married a few months later but the relationship was tragically short-lived.Todd was killed 13 months after their ...
- 4/2/2011
- Hindustan Times - Celebrity
Elizabeth Taylor’s only known nude photo, taken at the age of 24 for her then fiancé Michael Todd, has been released by a private collector.It was an engagement gift from Taylor to producer Todd, who was her third husband.The picture was taken by one of her closest friends, actor and photographer Roddy McDowall. He persuaded her to pose naked by promising her it would be done tastefully.She then gave it to Todd as a present after he proposed in 1956 – the pair married a few months later but the relationship was tragically short-lived.Todd was killed 13 months after their ...
- 4/2/2011
- Hindustan Times - Celebrity
Elizabeth Taylor’s only known nude photo, taken at the age of 24 for her then fiancé Michael Todd, has been released by a private collector.It was an engagement gift from Taylor to producer Todd, who was her third husband.The picture was taken by one of her closest friends, actor and photographer Roddy McDowall. He persuaded her to pose naked by promising her it would be done tastefully.She then gave it to Todd as a present after he proposed in 1956 – the pair married a few months later but the relationship was tragically short-lived.Todd was killed 13 months after their ...
- 4/2/2011
- Hindustan Times - Celebrity
Elizabeth Taylor’s only known nude photo, taken at the age of 24 for her then fiancé Michael Todd, has been released by a private collector.It was an engagement gift from Taylor to producer Todd, who was her third husband.The picture was taken by one of her closest friends, actor and photographer Roddy McDowall. He persuaded her to pose naked by promising her it would be done tastefully.She then gave it to Todd as a present after he proposed in 1956 – the pair married a few months later but the relationship was tragically short-lived.Todd was killed 13 months after their ...
- 4/2/2011
- Hindustan Times - Celebrity
Elizabeth Taylor’s only known nude photo, taken at the age of 24 for her then fiancé Michael Todd, has been released by a private collector.It was an engagement gift from Taylor to producer Todd, who was her third husband.The picture was taken by one of her closest friends, actor and photographer Roddy McDowall. He persuaded her to pose naked by promising her it would be done tastefully.She then gave it to Todd as a present after he proposed in 1956 – the pair married a few months later but the relationship was tragically short-lived.Todd was killed 13 months after their ...
- 4/2/2011
- Hindustan Times - Celebrity
Elizabeth Taylor’s only known nude photo, taken at the age of 24 for her then fiancé Michael Todd, has been released by a private collector.It was an engagement gift from Taylor to producer Todd, who was her third husband.The picture was taken by one of her closest friends, actor and photographer Roddy McDowall. He persuaded her to pose naked by promising her it would be done tastefully.She then gave it to Todd as a present after he proposed in 1956 – the pair married a few months later but the relationship was tragically short-lived.Todd was killed 13 months after their ...
- 4/2/2011
- Hindustan Times - Celebrity
Elizabeth Taylor’s only known nude photo, taken at the age of 24 for her then fiancé Michael Todd, has been released by a private collector.It was an engagement gift from Taylor to producer Todd, who was her third husband.The picture was taken by one of her closest friends, actor and photographer Roddy McDowall. He persuaded her to pose naked by promising her it would be done tastefully.She then gave it to Todd as a present after he proposed in 1956 – the pair married a few months later but the relationship was tragically short-lived.Todd was killed 13 months after their ...
- 4/2/2011
- Hindustan Times - Celebrity
Elizabeth Taylor’s only known nude photo, taken at the age of 24 for her then fiancé Michael Todd, has been released by a private collector.It was an engagement gift from Taylor to producer Todd, who was her third husband.The picture was taken by one of her closest friends, actor and photographer Roddy McDowall. He persuaded her to pose naked by promising her it would be done tastefully.She then gave it to Todd as a present after he proposed in 1956 – the pair married a few months later but the relationship was tragically short-lived.Todd was killed 13 months after their ...
- 4/2/2011
- Hindustan Times - Celebrity
Elizabeth Taylor’s only known nude photo, taken at the age of 24 for her then fiancé Michael Todd, has been released by a private collector.It was an engagement gift from Taylor to producer Todd, who was her third husband.The picture was taken by one of her closest friends, actor and photographer Roddy McDowall. He persuaded her to pose naked by promising her it would be done tastefully.She then gave it to Todd as a present after he proposed in 1956 – the pair married a few months later but the relationship was tragically short-lived.Todd was killed 13 months after their ...
- 4/2/2011
- Hindustan Times - Celebrity
Elizabeth Taylor’s only known nude photo, taken at the age of 24 for her then fiancé Michael Todd, has been released by a private collector.It was an engagement gift from Taylor to producer Todd, who was her third husband.The picture was taken by one of her closest friends, actor and photographer Roddy McDowall. He persuaded her to pose naked by promising her it would be done tastefully.She then gave it to Todd as a present after he proposed in 1956 – the pair married a few months later but the relationship was tragically short-lived.Todd was killed 13 months after their ...
- 4/2/2011
- Hindustan Times - Celebrity
Elizabeth Taylor’s only known nude photo, taken at the age of 24 for her then fiancé Michael Todd, has been released by a private collector.It was an engagement gift from Taylor to producer Todd, who was her third husband.The picture was taken by one of her closest friends, actor and photographer Roddy McDowall. He persuaded her to pose naked by promising her it would be done tastefully.She then gave it to Todd as a present after he proposed in 1956 – the pair married a few months later but the relationship was tragically short-lived.Todd was killed 13 months after their ...
- 4/2/2011
- Hindustan Times - Celebrity
Elizabeth Taylor’s only known nude photo, taken at the age of 24 for her then fiancé Michael Todd, has been released by a private collector.It was an engagement gift from Taylor to producer Todd, who was her third husband.The picture was taken by one of her closest friends, actor and photographer Roddy McDowall. He persuaded her to pose naked by promising her it would be done tastefully.She then gave it to Todd as a present after he proposed in 1956 – the pair married a few months later but the relationship was tragically short-lived.Todd was killed 13 months after their ...
- 4/2/2011
- Hindustan Times - Celebrity
Elizabeth Taylor’s only known nude photo, taken at the age of 24 for her then fiancé Michael Todd, has been released by a private collector.It was an engagement gift from Taylor to producer Todd, who was her third husband.The picture was taken by one of her closest friends, actor and photographer Roddy McDowall. He persuaded her to pose naked by promising her it would be done tastefully.She then gave it to Todd as a present after he proposed in 1956 – the pair married a few months later but the relationship was tragically short-lived.Todd was killed 13 months after their ...
- 4/2/2011
- Hindustan Times - Celebrity
Elizabeth Taylor’s only known nude photo, taken at the age of 24 for her then fiancé Michael Todd, has been released by a private collector.It was an engagement gift from Taylor to producer Todd, who was her third husband.The picture was taken by one of her closest friends, actor and photographer Roddy McDowall. He persuaded her to pose naked by promising her it would be done tastefully.She then gave it to Todd as a present after he proposed in 1956 – the pair married a few months later but the relationship was tragically short-lived.Todd was killed 13 months after their ...
- 4/2/2011
- Hindustan Times - Celebrity
Elizabeth Taylor’s only known nude photo, taken at the age of 24 for her then fiancé Michael Todd, has been released by a private collector.It was an engagement gift from Taylor to producer Todd, who was her third husband.The picture was taken by one of her closest friends, actor and photographer Roddy McDowall. He persuaded her to pose naked by promising her it would be done tastefully.She then gave it to Todd as a present after he proposed in 1956 – the pair married a few months later but the relationship was tragically short-lived.Todd was killed 13 months after their ...
- 4/2/2011
- Hindustan Times - Celebrity
Elizabeth Taylor’s only known nude photo, taken at the age of 24 for her then fiancé Michael Todd, has been released by a private collector.It was an engagement gift from Taylor to producer Todd, who was her third husband.The picture was taken by one of her closest friends, actor and photographer Roddy McDowall. He persuaded her to pose naked by promising her it would be done tastefully.She then gave it to Todd as a present after he proposed in 1956 – the pair married a few months later but the relationship was tragically short-lived.Todd was killed 13 months after their ...
- 4/2/2011
- Hindustan Times - Celebrity
Elizabeth Taylor’s only known nude photo, taken at the age of 24 for her then fiancé Michael Todd, has been released by a private collector.It was an engagement gift from Taylor to producer Todd, who was her third husband.The picture was taken by one of her closest friends, actor and photographer Roddy McDowall. He persuaded her to pose naked by promising her it would be done tastefully.She then gave it to Todd as a present after he proposed in 1956 – the pair married a few months later but the relationship was tragically short-lived.Todd was killed 13 months after their ...
- 4/2/2011
- Hindustan Times - Celebrity
Elizabeth Taylor’s only known nude photo, taken at the age of 24 for her then fiancé Michael Todd, has been released by a private collector.It was an engagement gift from Taylor to producer Todd, who was her third husband.The picture was taken by one of her closest friends, actor and photographer Roddy McDowall. He persuaded her to pose naked by promising her it would be done tastefully.She then gave it to Todd as a present after he proposed in 1956 – the pair married a few months later but the relationship was tragically short-lived.Todd was killed 13 months after their ...
- 4/2/2011
- Hindustan Times - Celebrity
Elizabeth Taylor’s only known nude photo, taken at the age of 24 for her then fiancé Michael Todd, has been released by a private collector.It was an engagement gift from Taylor to producer Todd, who was her third husband.The picture was taken by one of her closest friends, actor and photographer Roddy McDowall. He persuaded her to pose naked by promising her it would be done tastefully.She then gave it to Todd as a present after he proposed in 1956 – the pair married a few months later but the relationship was tragically short-lived.Todd was killed 13 months after their ...
- 4/2/2011
- Hindustan Times - Celebrity
The sad news of Elizabeth Taylor’s death last week marked the end of Hollywood’s Golden Era for me, the last remaining superstar finally expired. As a fan of Taylor’s since childhood – I’ll never forget seeing Cleopatra (1963) for the first time at 11 years old and literally being transfixed with the actress’s beauty for the entire 4 hour run time! – I’ve decided to abandon my usual Top 10 format and offer you her 20 greatest roles…because 10 is simply not a big enough number for the biggest diva of the screen!
Beginning in the industry at the tender age of 9, Taylor quickly rose to stardom on the MGM lot and become the most iconic actress of the 20th century. With an impressive 70 acting credits to her name, her life was plagued with illness but never prevented her from succeeding. Transcending her inimitable beauty, she proved that she was a...
Beginning in the industry at the tender age of 9, Taylor quickly rose to stardom on the MGM lot and become the most iconic actress of the 20th century. With an impressive 70 acting credits to her name, her life was plagued with illness but never prevented her from succeeding. Transcending her inimitable beauty, she proved that she was a...
- 3/31/2011
- by Stuart Cummins
- Obsessed with Film
Screen icon Elizabeth Taylor, who died last week at age 79, was famously known for the great loves of her life, including Richard Burton and Mike Todd -- but she also had a close bond with her seventh and final husband, construction worker Larry Fortensky, according to his sister.
Linda Untiet told the Daily Mail that her former sister-in-law loved her brother until the end. "Elizabeth wrote Larry a love letter at the end of last year.
Linda Untiet told the Daily Mail that her former sister-in-law loved her brother until the end. "Elizabeth wrote Larry a love letter at the end of last year.
- 3/28/2011
- Extra
Elizabeth Taylor was married eight times to seven husbands. When asked why she married so often, she answered, "I don't know, honey. It sure beats the hell out of me."
The Great Loves of Elizabeth TaylorConrad "Nicky" Hilton
On May 6, 1950, 22-year-old Elizabeth Taylor married hotel heir Conrad "Nicky" Hilton. The couple divorced 9 months later.
Michael Wilding
February 21, 1952 Taylor married British actor Michael Wilding, who was 20 years her senior. Wilding is the father of Taylor's first two children,...
The Great Loves of Elizabeth TaylorConrad "Nicky" Hilton
On May 6, 1950, 22-year-old Elizabeth Taylor married hotel heir Conrad "Nicky" Hilton. The couple divorced 9 months later.
Michael Wilding
February 21, 1952 Taylor married British actor Michael Wilding, who was 20 years her senior. Wilding is the father of Taylor's first two children,...
- 3/24/2011
- Extra
Elizabeth Taylor, who converted to Judaism for her marriages to Mike Todd and Eddie Fisher, is following the rules of the religion by being buried soon after her death Wednesday. The funeral for the star, who succumbed to congestive heart failure at age 79, is taking place at Forest Lawn, Glendale, on Thursday, say reports. It will be strictly for family members, including her 10 grandchildren. The cemetery is also where Taylor's friend, Michael Jackson, is buried. It is expected that a public memorial for Taylor will take place at a later date. Taylor had four children: Michael and Christopher Wilding...
- 3/24/2011
- by Stephen M. Silverman
- PEOPLE.com
Elizabeth Taylor found getting old "really s**t". The actress, who died of congestive heart failure on Wednesday, March 23 at the age of 79, was in a lot of pain towards the end of her life, but did her best to "hang in there", says her friend Debbie Reynolds.
Recalling their final conversation a few weeks ago, Debbie, whose husband George Fisher left her for Elizabeth in 1957, told Access Hollywood, "I said, 'Getting old is really s**t. And she said, 'It certainly is. It certainly is, Debbie. This is really tough.' I said, 'Well, you just hang in there now, Elizabeth.' And she said, 'I'm really trying.' "
Though Debbie, 78, is sad her friend, who she has known since they were both 17, has passed away, she thinks her death was a "blessing in disguise" because she was in so much pain. She said, "God bless her, she's on to a better place.
Recalling their final conversation a few weeks ago, Debbie, whose husband George Fisher left her for Elizabeth in 1957, told Access Hollywood, "I said, 'Getting old is really s**t. And she said, 'It certainly is. It certainly is, Debbie. This is really tough.' I said, 'Well, you just hang in there now, Elizabeth.' And she said, 'I'm really trying.' "
Though Debbie, 78, is sad her friend, who she has known since they were both 17, has passed away, she thinks her death was a "blessing in disguise" because she was in so much pain. She said, "God bless her, she's on to a better place.
- 3/24/2011
- by celebrity-mania.com
- Celebrity Mania
Eddie Fisher, Conrad Hilton, Richard Burton and more: The Elizabeth Taylor ex-husband power rankings
Elizabeth Taylor, who died Mar. 23, was an iconic actress, a great philanthropist, successful perfume pitch-woman and the center of the 20th century pop culture universe.
She also really liked dudes.
In her 79 years of life, she had eight marriages with seven different men. Her mates included hotel heirs, construction workers, politicians and fellow actors. But they weren't created equal.
So instead of revisiting Elizabeth Taylor's many men in chronological order, we've ranked them by awesomeness and how their respective unions have stood the test of time. Let's begin...
7. Michael Todd (1957-1958)
Poor Michael. Having fathered one of Liz's four children should spare him from being in last place, but, alas, he's the only husband of Taylor's who exited the marriage by dying. Little more than a year after their 1957 wedding, his unfortunately-titled plane, "Lucky Liz," crashed in New Mexico, killing him and three other passengers.
6. Michael Wilding (1952-1957)
A...
She also really liked dudes.
In her 79 years of life, she had eight marriages with seven different men. Her mates included hotel heirs, construction workers, politicians and fellow actors. But they weren't created equal.
So instead of revisiting Elizabeth Taylor's many men in chronological order, we've ranked them by awesomeness and how their respective unions have stood the test of time. Let's begin...
7. Michael Todd (1957-1958)
Poor Michael. Having fathered one of Liz's four children should spare him from being in last place, but, alas, he's the only husband of Taylor's who exited the marriage by dying. Little more than a year after their 1957 wedding, his unfortunately-titled plane, "Lucky Liz," crashed in New Mexico, killing him and three other passengers.
6. Michael Wilding (1952-1957)
A...
- 3/24/2011
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Pop2it
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