We Love Stephen Sprouse

Louis Vuitton pays tribute to contemporary designer Stephen Sprouse who did transform the classic monogram to a more upbeat design and style. Though the world wide launch of the LV Graffiti starts today, according to a dear friend Ronnie, LV Manager of Abu Dhabi, UAE launch will be not later than February 2009.

So if you have enlisted yourself for the new design, I suggest to wait a little more.

OSCAR STATUETTE

The Oscars - February 24th 1700H PT/ 2000H ET

It's been called "the Academy statuette," "the golden trophy" and "the statue of merit." The entertainment trade paper,Weekly Variety, even attempted to popularize "the iron man." Thankfully, the term never stuck. Born in 1928, the Academy Award of Merit — which we know as simply "the Oscar" — depicts a knight holding a crusader's sword, standing on a reel of film with five spokes, signifying the original branches of the Academy: Actors, Writers, Directors, Producers and Technicians.

Weighing 8.5 pounds and standing 13.5 inches tall, the statuette was designed by MGM's chief art director Cedric Gibbons. Frederic Hope, Gibbons' assistant, created the original Belgian black marble base; artist George Stanley sculpted the design; and the California Bronze Foundry hand cast the first statuette in bronze plated with 24-karat gold.

The Origin of the Oscar Name

A popular but unsubstantiated story has been that the moniker caught on after Academy librarian and eventual executive director Margaret Herrick said that the statuette resembled her Uncle Oscar. Its first documented mention came after the sixth Awards Presentation in 1934 when Hollywood columnist Sidney Skolsky used it in reference to Katharine Hepburn's first Best Actress win. The Academy itself didn't use the nickname officially until 1939.

Oscar has changed his look on occasion. From the 1930s through the 50's, juvenile players received miniature replicas of the statuette; ventriloquist Edgar Bergen was presented with a wooden statuette with a movable mouth; and Walt Disney was honored with one full-size and seven miniature statuettes on behalf of his animated feature SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS. In support of the World War II effort between 1942 and 1944, Oscars were made of plaster, to be traded in for golden statuettes after the war. Additionally, the base was raised and changed from marble to metal in 1945. And in 1949, Academy Award statuettes began to be numbered, starting with No. 501.

I am hooting for Slumdog Millionaire, Brad Pitt, Kate Winslet & Meryl Streep

A Great Gadget For Us Camwhores!

There is a new gadget now for us who loves taking photos of ourselves, a bit narcissist but true. So there is a new gadget for all of us, for people who loves to travel and take pictures without bugging and hassling others to say 1, 2, 3 Say Cheese!

QUICK POD a revolutionary product that is both handy and easy to use. It was featured at OPRAH's O MAGAZINE as one of her O List. 

I'm just waiting for Aramex to buzz me, please don't hold it. I will try to buy extra and hand it to some of my friends and let them try it and who knows I can have it supply to other crew.

 

Changes In The Roster? WT....

I was scheduled to have my US Visa interview on the 12th this month so I said to myself, JFK? Why not, and before that, after my BKK I'm available after then they changed to XX then SBY then 3 days OFF, then I had a message on my AIMS saying that on my OFF ( 8th JAN ) I need to go to the Senior Briefing Officer in the Airport to get the documents and follow the instructions carefully to avoid disciplinary actions? Really! They want me to go to the office on my days off? 

So my plans going home, to MNL was postponed because as they instructed me... I need to make it all right!

Almost 3 days in AUH, really boring! And just this evening, the expected alert came, 

           " You have changes in your schedule for which you have not yet been advised " 

WTH... Manila flight? I wish! Then the cancellation was there... For me I can accept it if they say the real reason or whatever but the embassy is closed that day?, I hope I'm wrong because first thing in the morning I will call the embassy to verify if they are really closed that day.

So for now, I will just sit in the flat, in my room, clean some stuff, eat and be fat? No wayyyyy!   more shopping for me this month... Please! 

Slumdog Millionaire

Another Oscar worthy foreign film I have watched recently, I first had this interest of watching the film after seeing the blog of Bryan, I missed the screening in Dubai International Film Festival, so my only way of watching it is either go to Bombay or Delhi or London, missed the showing also at Sydney so the last resort I had is Bangkok, true enough! Crew control gave me Bangkok flight yesterday and after arrival, just fixed myself and went straight to the red light district of Patpong, searched the whole stretch of  DVD and CD vendors and Viola! My own copy of SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE!

So when I came back to Abu Dhabi, without enough rest, I inserted the disc to the player  & watched it! There was laughter, tears and fear after watching the film. I love it!

Realistic, Heart-warming & Very Disturbing!

This is an inventively told movie written by Simon Beaufoy from the novel by Vikas Swarup and directed by British Danny Boyle that uses the Hindi version of “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” to show what life can be like in modern India.

Jamal Malik (Dev Patel) is orphaned with his older brother, Salim (Madhur Mittal), when a child. They hook up with another orphan, a young girl, Latika (Freida Pinto), and the way they survive is brutal. Jamal tells the story to a police detective who doesn’t believe that he can know the answers to all the questions on the show and tortures him before the final question to get him to admit he’s cheating. So he tells his story of his life and his experiences, explaining how he got to know the answers to each of the questions, and that is the basis of the film.

The plot really isn’t whether or not Jamal is going to win the money, it’s about how and why he got where he is. All three characters are played by three different actors, all at different ages.



This is a pretty interesting film, interestingly told, although I thought the first hour was ponderous and difficult to endure. It did pick up during the last hour when all the people had achieved adulthood and we weren’t dealing with small children. Jamal’s infatuation with Latika is a little hard to buy, considering the minimal contact that we are shown them having. However, he made a good pick because by the time she turns into Freida Pinto, she is beautiful.

The best part of the movie is the way it shows what life is like in India for those unfortunate enough not to have much money. What happens to Jamal, Salim, and Latika is gruesome. Many of the viewers who are not from a Third world country won't believe that the series of events in this movie happens in real life. Life is not fair!

In addition to its many accolades, "Slumdog Millionaire"also won the Best Cinematography award from the National Society of Film Critics as well as nominations for Best Film and Best Director from the Vancouver Film Critics Circle.

Noted Indian music director A.R. Rahman has won a Golden Globe nomination from Hollywood Foreign Press Association and a Satellite Award by the International Press Academy for Best Original Score for his music in the film.

The film has also earned three other nominations for Best Picture-Drama, Best Director for Boyle and Best Screenplay for Simon Beaufoy for 2008 Golden Globe Awards besides two more annual Satellite Awards for Best Picture-Drama and Best Director for Boyle.

British Indian actor Dev Patel, who plays the protagonist Jamal as a teenager, has won a nomination for Outstanding Performance by a male actor in a supporting role from the Screen Actors Guild Awards along with nominations for Outstanding Performance by a cast in a motion picture.

"Slumdog Millionaire" has also tied with "WALL.E", a computer-animated-science fiction-romance film, for the Best Picture award from the Boston Society of Film Critics, besides winning the Best Editing prize.

Earlier, "Slumdog Millionaire" won two awards from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association - Best Director for Boyle and Best Music for Rahman. It also won the runner-up prize for Best Cinematography for Anthony Dod Mantle.

Golden Globe and Oscar Awards is just around the corner, Best of luck!

Trick Of Fate

I never thought I'd find someone like youThough in my every fantasy I saw you everydayI thought there was no way - to make my dream come trueI always thought that I would be aloneAfraid to dream that anyone was ever gonna seeThe love inside of me - but how could I have knownA trick of fate would bring us togetherA trick of fate would alter our livesWe had to wait it seemed like foreverBut never say never to a trick of fateWhat were the chances I'd be here with youThat after all the lonely years of searching everywhereI'd turn and you'd be there - from clear out of the blueOur lives are in the hands of destinyAnd though we try to take controlThat's not the way it goes - a higher power knowsHow it's supposed to beA trick of fate brought us togetherA trick of fate altered our livesWe had to wait it seemed like foreverBut never say never to a trick of fateAnd now, something has begun - something very newAnd suddenly the future's looking brightSomehow when two hearts beat as one, fairy tales come trueAnd anything seems possible tonightA trick of fate brought us togetherA trick of fate altered our livesWe had to wait it seemed like foreverBut never say never to a trick of fateIt just goes to showThat you never knowWhere love's gonna grow- It's a trick of fate