W articles from December 2007

W archives from December 2007

Heir looms.(The Month in Fashion)(appointment of Lars Nilsson as creative director at IT Holding SpA)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] After recovering from the shock of Gianfranco Ferre's death in June, fashion insiders commenced chattering about the subject of a successor. Where would the IT Holding SpA--owned label ever find someone worthy of...

Have Som.(The Month in Fashion)
December 1, 2007... Peter Som has had plenty to toast this year. After being named creative director for women's wear at Bill Blass in July, the New York-based designer sold a majority stake in his namesake label to Lord & Taylor parent company NRDC Equity...

Preschool posh.(The Month in Fashion)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Would you let a man known for populating his runway with transvestites and outfitting his models in clothes inspired by homeless people dress your child? John Galliano hopes that fashion-obsessed parents will answer...

Talking back.(The Month in Fashion)(Metropolitan Museum of Art. Costume Institute held an exhibition of fashion clothes)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] With its newest exhibit, "Blog.Mode: Addressing Fashion," the Costume Institute at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art is turning the tables, putting museumgoers--or at least their opinions--on display. The...

Second serving.(The Month in Fashion)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The contemporary market--home to Theory, Juicy Couture and 3.1 Phillip Lim, among others--is red-hot, and everyone who's anyone in fashion seems to want a piece of it, even the most esoteric and intellectual of...

Three-ring circus.(The Month in Fashion)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The must-have accessory for Milanese fashion designers? Personally branded mobile phones. Over the past two years, Prada collaborated with LG Electronics to produce a sleek cell, Dolce & Gabbana unveiled its MotoRazr...

Old is new.(The Month in Fashion)(Todd Oldham plans to relaunch his designed clothes)(Old Navy Clothing Co.)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... In the mid-Nineties designer Todd Oldham sat comfortably atop the fashion food chain. His quirky, colorful clothes were a hit with everyone from the critics to Fran Drescher (who regularly wore them on The Nanny), and every supermodel worth her...

Good carbs.(The Month in Fashion)(Fendi launched new skinny purse on occasion of 100th anniversary)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In 1997 Fendi ushered in the era of the It bag with its beloved Baguette, a longish, skinny purse meant to be tucked under one's arm in the manner of a French loaf. Now Fendi is celebrating the design's 10th...

Portrait of a lady.(Flashback)(biography of Sao Schlumberger)(Biography)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] With outre style and a reputation for speaking her mind, Sao Schlumberger was not a great believer in restraint. The Portuguese wife of French-American oil tycoon Pierre Schlumberger, she was a patron of fashion and...

World on a string.(Fast Forward)
December 1, 2007... Classical music insiders have called Alisa Weilerstein many things: "immensely gifted," "a force of nature," "brilliant." Yo-Yo Ma says she is "one of the most talented cellists of her generation." But there is one accolade the 25-year-old...

Both sides now.(Letter From the Editors)(Editorial)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Like the most memorable characters in novels or movies, the best magazine subjects--at least in W's view--tend to be compellingly complex. The purely inspirational or frighteningly demonic seldom get much play on...

Hip, hip, hooray.(Readers React)(Letter to the editor)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The November Art Issue was spectacular, and I would love to see W continue this venture--more art, music, dance, theater and literature, please. Your cutting-edge fashion shoots inspire artists like myself. The...

A crown for Cate.(Readers React)(Letter to the editor)
December 1, 2007... Cate Blanchett is the queen of acting ("Queen Cate," October). Period. No one in the business has even a bit of talent in comparison. If anyone was ever born to personify the most fabulous, powerful woman in history, Elizabeth I, it is Cate....

Too close for comfort.(Readers React)(Letter to the editor)
December 1, 2007... Please show a little kindness and respect to our former first lady Nancy Reagan, profiled in your October issue ("Nancy's Closet"). Perhaps you are still holding a grudge against her for "borrowing" clothing and jewelry, even though she gave...

One man's art ...(Readers React)(Letter to the editor)
December 1, 2007... Since when is a man vomiting considered appropriate for a fashion magazine--or, for that matter, any magazine? I am appalled and disgusted by the photograph of Matthew Barney in W's November issue ("Matthew Barney"). What is next: urination and...

Hollywood's open arms.(Readers React)(Letter to the editor)
December 1, 2007... I enjoyed reading Kevin West's well-written, informative article in the October issue about accomplished Hollywood women who happen to be gay ("Out and About"). I grew up on Hollywood movies of the Forties and Fifties, in which half of the...

Tri, tri again.(Readers React)(Letter to the editor)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] My junior year of high school, I quit field hockey midseason. My senior year I quit lacrosse midseason. Last year, as a freshman in college, I stopped rowing for the Division I novice squad two thirds through the...

Gimme Gemma.(Readers React)(Letter to the editor)
December 1, 2007... I'm writing in regard to model Gemma Ward. I'm an avid reader and fan of Wand other fashion magazines, and I particularly love W's photography. In addition to the great Kate Moss, Gemma Ward was a model I often picked up the magazine to see....

A little respect.(Readers React)(Letter to the editor)
December 1, 2007... I don't see how you can blow off Celine Dion like you did in October's issue ("Dion Will Go On"). What a snotty little article. It is appalling that you refer to her award-winning songs as if they are nothing but ditties and state that "she's...

The best form of flattery.(Readers React)(Letter to the editor)
December 1, 2007... I was flipping through the October issue of W, which I love, and I came across the Lady GaGa article ("Going GaGa"). I was shocked to see that Lady GaGa said, "I can't pay my rent, but I'm f---ing gorgeous," without acknowledging she was...

Ebay to the rescue.(Uncensored)
December 1, 2007... The J. Paul Getty Museum has been busy preparing for CALIFORNIA VIDEO, a 40-year retrospective that opens in March. Among the works is The Eternal Frame, a notorious piece from Bay Area collectives Ant Farm and T.R. Uthco re-enacting the...

Tres Sheikh.(Uncensored)(Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... Dropping $111 million on a Paris pied-a-terre may seem excessive to some, but not to Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani. The Emir of Qatar has purchased one of France's most mythic private homes, the Hotel Lambert. Designed by Louis Le Vau in...

Beastly gifts.(Uncensored)
December 1, 2007... This year luxury holiday catalogs, known for hawking $10,000 train sets and limited-edition cars, have a new competitor--one that appeals to conservationist, not consumerist, instincts. The World Wildlife Fund is debuting its Extraordinary...

'Net losses.(Uncensored)(Financial report)
December 1, 2007... For the past three years, producers Michael Shamberg and Stacey Sher, who were behind The Big Chill and Reality Bites, have been struggling to make a coming-of-age flick about young adults who use Internet sites to find love. In 2004 the...

Bjork town.(Uncensored)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] An Icelandic metropolis is inverting protocol by building its public art first and the actual city second. French graphic design duo Mathias Augustyniak and Michael Amzalag, known as M/M (Paris), have cast a...

Trend: floral code: fashion's flower fixation is anything but garden-variety.(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Everything's coming up roses--not to mention daisies, daffodils, lilacs and peonies. During the spring collections, designers proved themselves to be an optimistic bunch, blanketing the runways in all sorts of floral...

Spring awakening: some designers went off on wild flights of fancy for the European spring shows, while others offered the alternative of serene, clean-cut looks for real women.(Fashion Flash)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] THE ART WORLD PROVED A MAJOR INFLUENCE. OFTEN THE MOTIF SHOWED UP IN VAGUE REFERENCES WITH MAJOR VISUAL IMPACT, MORE SPECIFIC, HOWEVER, WERE THE REMARKABLE COLLECTIONS FROM LOUIS VUITTON HERE MARC JACOBS'S DARING...

Giorgio does Dallas: it was Armani mania, Lone Star style, when Giorgio Armani came to town for a fashion show. Here, the designer shares his diary.(Fashion Flash)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5 I arrive in Dallas after a 10-hour flight. I slept for about five hours--luckily I can sleep without sleeping pills--and I feel okay. The last time I came here was 25 years ago, to launch...

Radio days: Radio City Music Hall and the Rockettes are marking their 75th anniversary with some new outfits and plenty of good old-fashioned glitz.(Fashion Flash)
December 1, 2007... Lights, cameras, spangles! After three quarters of a century, the Rockettes are still kicking. Such a shameless pun is nothing short of irresistible as New York's leggy dance troupe of skyscraping precision kicks and New York holiday fame...

Chinese takeaway: a Fendi extravaganza on the Great Wall of China puts the spotlight on an emerging superpower.(Fashion Flash)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Karl Lagerfeld, looking very 1940s Berlin in his toggle-front, contrast-collar Kris Van Assche jacket, is on the Great Wall of China, curled up on a suede club chair. Spread over his lap is an expanse of knitted...

Mysterious ways: rich deep-toned jewels in intriguingly elaborate settings are right for the most dramatic of revels.(Accessories Flash)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] From left: Hemmerle's 18k white gold, tsavorite and aquamarine ring, price available upon request, at Hemmerle, Munich, Germany; Cinta by John Hardy's 18k pink gold, pink and red spinel, amethyst and orange and red...

Hidden gems: bold and fresh, these designers are poised to break out.(Accessories Flash)
December 1, 2007... 1 | ARMAN Arman Sarkisyan was destined to be a jewelry designer. A native of Armenia, he practically grew up in his father's studio, where he started dabbling in goldsmithing at age 12. Now based in Los Angeles, Sarkisyan designs ornate...

Ice, ice, baby: spur envy with these ravishing rocks.(Accessories Flash)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... Let's face it: Diamonds will always be a girl's best friend. But just because Marilyn draped herself in baubles doesn't mean that jewelry is the only option. Rather, designers offer plenty of other objets that lure with an irresistible sparkle....

Sparkle and flow: elegant designs take holiday earrings to new lengths.(Accessories Flash)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Dazzling shoulder-grazing earrings evoke the height of Edwardian opulence. Working in linear designs, Stephen Russell punctuates finely strung diamonds with a big, watery tourmaline, while Taffin and Tiffany opt for...

In full bloom: delicate enamel brings a refined touch to floral motifs.(Accessories Flash)
December 1, 2007... Recalling the botanical looks seen on the runways at Prada and Dolce & Gabbana, these floral designs exude elegant romance sans excess sweetness. Van Cleef & Arpels s watch achieves high drama through contrast, playing a thick brown band and...

Royal face-off: the exceptional pearls of Marie Antoinette and the Duchess of Windsor are up for grabs at auction.(Accessories Flash)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] I'm nothing to look at, so the only thing I can do is dress better than anyone else." These were the characteristically dry words of Wallis Simpson--the whippet-thin Duchess of Windsor and one half of perhaps the...

Down the rabbit hole: Marc Jacobs's new accessories have an Alice in Wonderland-style whimsy.(Accessories Flash)
December 1, 2007... Marc Jacobs is no stranger to playful ideas, and now a bounty of fanciful trappings from his spring collection captures fashion at its most irreverent and carefree. Hyper-adventurous? You might picture a pair of pave brass mice running...

Rock star: Cartier's Inde Mysterieuse line features fabulous diamonds and other gems.(Accessories Flash)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Of all the earth's fiches, diamonds are some of the most captivating, especially when worked into a stunning piece such as this elaborate bib, modeled after the Patiala necklace, which once belonged to a maharaja. It...

Partners in time: Doo.Ri and Piaget collaborate on limited-edition watch designs.(Accessories Flash)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] With her fashion career on fire, designer Doo-Ri Chung has recently undertaken a new challenge, designing four watchbands to pair with classic Miss Protocole timepieces by Piaget. The partnership takes the notion of...

The mod squad: jewelers show their modern love.(Accessories Flash)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Even back in 1947, Movado knew how to keep it simple. That's when Nathan George Horwitt, with inspiration from his close collaborator, Albert Einstein, created an iconic round watch dial marked with a single dot at...

White out: when the temperatures plummet, it's time for winter white.(Accessories Flash)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... There is something exhilarating about bright white in the dead of winter--especially when it involves diamonds. Longines takes a cue from vintage watches of the Roaring Twenties for its delicate new timepiece in 18-karat white gold, produced in...

Featherweight champ: Francis Mertens, jewelry's titan of titanium, brings his delicate designs to Bergdorf Goodman.(Accessories Flash)
December 1, 2007... With trucking and titanium making up the bulk of his resume, Francis Mertens seems more likely to be working on Bergdorf Goodman's loading dock than its fine jewelry floor. Yet that's precisely where the Belgian designer was when his...

Full bead ahead.(Add It Up)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A bathroom, of all places, was the inspiration behind Muriel Brandolini's new accessories collection. An interior designer by day, Brandolini was so pleased with a beaded wall treatment she devised for a client's...

Eye for art.(Add It Up)
December 1, 2007... The days when New York's SoHo district was known for its pioneering galleries may be long gone, but Ilori is bringing a little of that artistic edge back to the neighborhood. The new luxe eyewear boutique was designed from a curator's point of...

Miss manor.(Add It Up)(Edon Manor)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] While she made sure to stock her favorite brands like Vivienne Westwood, Givenchy and Azzedine Alaia, Davinia Wang also had another set of names in mind for Edon Manor, her jewel box of a shop in New York's TriBeCa....

Cool front.(Add It Up)(Gryson is launching a collection of shoes )(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... After teasing devotees with a limited selection of boots this fall, Gryson is launching a collection of shoes for spring to complement its modern urban bags, which launched last year. The range of Italian-made ballerina and strappy flats and...

In the present: consider offbeat gifts--whether diaries, dominoes or scrumptious sweets--this holiday season.(Shopping)
December 1, 2007... Tod's Crocodile bag, $15,000, at Tod's, 800.457.TODS [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Prada Leather wallet, $215, at select Prada stores, 888.977.1900 [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Giuliana Teso Fox fur shawl with silk satin ribbon, $1,025,...

Oil spill: one writer confronts her fear of facial oils.(Beauty Flash)
December 1, 2007... I now know what it feels like to be an olive. I'm lying on my stomach at Pratima Ayurvedic Skin Care Clinic and Spa, in New York's SoHo, having what feels like a tanker of oil slathered onto every square inch of my body. There is warm,...

Uptown girls: Sally Hershberger is teaming up with an old pal, colorist Sharon Dorram, for a new salon.(Beauty Flash)
December 1, 2007... The exterior of 17 East 71st Street looks like something out of Paris's Left Bank: a delicate six-story building built in 1910, French doors behind Juliet balconies and a sloping roof that rests above dormer windows. Inside, the fifth and sixth...

Best in show: standout beauty looks from the spring '08 runway.(Beauty Flash)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] Eyes At Narciso Rodriguez, Dick Page smudged Shiseido The Makeup Hydro-Powder Eye Shadow in Violet Visions and Accentuating Cream Eyeliner in Black (1) around eyes for an edgy, messy look he described as "faded,...

Me, myself and I: the latest addiction sweeping young Hollywood? Companionship.(Beauty Flash)
December 1, 2007... Judging by the paparazzi photos in weekly celebrity rags, today's young stars have something against solitude. Paris, Britney, Jessica et al seem to spend every moment surrounded by an always evolving gaggle of friends and employees--whether...

Gilt complex: a trove of festive beauty booty.(Beauty Flash)
December 1, 2007... 1 So Subtle Shu Uemura Rouge Unlimited Lip Color in Gold Beige offers a pale matte antidote to the usual sparkly holiday shades. $23; at Neiman Marcus. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 2 New Legend Yves Saint Laurent Opium Legendes de...

Darling, you shouldn't have: boob jobs, botox and bikini waxes, oh my! Some gifts send the wrong message.(Beauty Flash)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Alex Reznik thought he would be the perfect gift. The well-muscled, New York based personal trainer has sculpted the physiques of everyone from Saudi princesses to Wall Street titans. But when a Connecticut financier...

Milan to the max: the ultraposh, ultra-intimate Town House Galleria hotel ups the ante on luxury.(Travel Flash)
December 1, 2007... The entrance to Milan's Town House Galleria hotel is so understated you could miss it. A half dozen potted palm trees stand as the only markers to a doorway. Inside, a glass elevator whisks guests up to the luxurious boutique retreat, housed in...

Scottish reel: James McAvoy has played toffs, a rent boy and Idi Amin's doctor. Now, in Atonement, he plays the lead.(EYE)(Occupation overview)
December 1, 2007... When James McAvoy began to study acting at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama at age 18, he also undertook a second, more practical course of study--as a baker. "Yeah, a confectioner," explains the 28-year-old, who's best known...

Midnight oil.(EYE)(Paris Fashion Week)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... Fashion followers hoping to squeeze in a little shut-eye during Paris Fashion Week were sorely disappointed this season; virtually every designer hosted a late-night, star-studded postshow event. At the Louis Vuitton dinner at Prunier, Richard...

Princess Grace: still glamorous--and imposing--at 88, the Rajmata of Jaipur is one of India's living legends.(EYE)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Jaipur's faded splendor lures tourists to the pink-walled city, where they thrill to exotic chaos in the markets and marvel at the romantic decay of old forts and palaces. But for Her Royal Highness the Rajmata of...

Galliano A-go-go.(EYE)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Every woman should be so lucky as to celebrate her 60th birthday the way that Dior did in Paris this past September--with acres of roses, scoops of caviar and a guest list spanning the worlds of politics, fashion and...

FreshPage: actress Ellen Page is young, talented and unimpressed by Hollywood hoopla.(EYE)
December 1, 2007... Ellen Page is 20, but the actress--a tomboy pixie dressed in jeans and a hoodie--looks like the kind of 16-year-old you'd see smoking outside a 7-Eleven. And like a lot of smart, bored kids, Page likes to give the impression that everything is...

Heir conditioning: rehab stints and legal troubles behind him, Matthew Mellon is getting back in business.(EYE)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] This past spring in London's Southwark Crown Court, as Matthew Mellon sat in the glass dock reserved for criminal defendants in British courtrooms, he reflected on his life's journey so far. The 43-year-old American...

Main attraction.(EYE)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] In New York nothing heralds the arrival of fall like the avalanche of Oscar hopefuls premiering all around town. At the Paris Theatre Amy Sedaris and Tara Subkoff took in Craig Gillespie's Lars and the Real...

The Rembrandt connection: Old Master specialist Jan Six XI shakes up Sotheby's sleepy Amsterdam office and shares his family's own Rembrandt with the world.(EYE)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Jan Six XI had a small errand to run recently. He and his father, Jan Six X, collected a portrait of Jan Six I, their direct ancestor, from the Dutch royal residence in The Hague and delivered it to the nearby...

Child's play.(EYE)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] If there was any question about Hollywood's obsession with youth, it was answered this season with a slew of young-at-heart fetes on the West Coast. When organic baby food brand Tastybaby held an afternoon soiree at...

Moment in the sun: meet the new queen of Miami's art scene.(EYE)(Ella Fontanals-Cisneros)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The schedule of social events surrounding last year's Art Basel Miami Beach read like a who's who of art-world power players: the Rubell family's barbecue, David Zwirner's dinner at Casa Casuarina, Yvonne Force...

Song birds.(EYE)
December 1, 2007... This year's Metropolitan Opera opening gala seemed more like a SAG conference, with stars such as Jane Fonda, David Schwimmer and Mary-Louise Parker in attendance. The unexpected operaphiles happily sat through a three-and-a-half-hour...

Nouveaux pauvres: London's new prosperity has once posh types feeling poor.(EYE)
December 1, 2007... One recent autumn morning, the harsh realities of life in today's London hit one wellborn gentleman over the head. It was damp and chilly outside, the skies were a mottled gray, and the man, who works in the art world, was on his way to a...

W.12: elements of surprise.(Fashion)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... Fashion is taking a roller-coaster ride this season, as seen in TOPSY-TURVY, which features a wide variety of pieces that have in common imagination and a cavalier attitude toward ornamentation. The result is such unexpected looks as a dress...

Topsy-turvy: upside down, inside out: fashion was every which way--including loose--for fall, in a variety of unexpected, often innovative, looks.(Fashion)
December 1, 2007... JUNYA WATANABE COMME DES GARCONS' LINEN DRESS, AT COMME DES GARCONS, NEW YORK; BARNEYS NEW YORK, NEW YORK; SUSAN, SAN FRANCISCO. ANTHONY PETO HAT; MARC JACOBS BRACELET; JUNYA WATANABE COMME DES GARCONS SHOES. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ...

G & R: after a decade of friendship--and endless romance rumors--George Clooney and Renee Zellweger are costars at last.(Cover story)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] FOR A FEW MINUTES ON A MONDAY AFTERNOON IN EARLY autumn, on the roof deck of a Manhattan photo studio, the impromptu banter of a celebrity interview suddenly sounds as though it's been scripted by Preston Sturges....

Lady bountiful: from her palatial Gloucestershire estate, Lady Bountiful Bamford, wife of one of England's richest industrialists, is building the world's poshest organic empire.(Profile)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] THERE ARE PERFECTIONISTS, AND THEN--ALMOST IN A CATEGORY OF HER OWN--THERE IS LADY CAROLE BAMFORD. Such becomes apparent shortly past dawn on a dewy June morning at Daylesford, her magnificent 1,700-acre estate...

Singin' in the rain.(EDITOR'S LETTER)(Personal account)
December 1, 2007... Let's say, for argument's sake, that George W. Bush is right about just one thing: this is the End of Days. Some afternoon next year, the president will stand on a sulfurous White House lawn (littered with dead woodland creatures) beneath...

A big hunk O'love: notoriously publicity-shy, Bill Murray threw himself into his Elvis impersonation, swaggering up to a New York City rooftop with photographer Mark Seliger, editor Mitch Glazer, and an increasingly giggly crew.(Cover story)
December 1, 2007... It was a little less conversation and a whole lot of foolin' around on the set of Bill Murray's cover shoot at photographer Mark Seliger's Manhattan studio, where the star of Ghostbusters, Lost in Translation, and next year's City of Ember...

The sound of movies: the high-powered pair in charge of producing the Movies Rock concert--set to air December 7 on CBS--are using their talent, experience, and A-list connections to create an unforgettable evening.(TUNE IN)
December 1, 2007... On December 2, Los Angeles's Kodak Theatre will host the Movies Rock concert, an all-star celebration of celluloid and song that will be televised by CBS on December 7. The Conde Nast Media Group, the Entertainment Industry Foundation, and the...

Cause celebs: the Entertainment Industry Foundation specializes in aligning A-list stars with worthy causes, from cancer research to arts-and-music education. Now it's co-producing the televised Movies Rock concert, featuring Elton John, Mary J. Blige, and Jennifer Lopez.(THE CHARITY)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Being a celebrity today means many things: walking the red carpet, dodging the paparazzi, creating a namesake fragrance. It also means using your attention-getting powers to better the world. And when, say, Hilary...

Underground girl: Lavender Diamond singer Becky Stark finds good vibes in Hollywood as a resident of Tom Hanks's submerged City of Ember.(SCREEN BEAT)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Becky Stark can't believe her cinematic luck. "It's perfectly in line with my ideals, and it's a Hollywood movie!" she says of City, of Ember, produced by Tom Hanks and directed by her friend Gil Kenan--"who I last...

VHS or meta? Michel Gondry's follow-up to The Science of Sleep stars Jack Black and Mos Def as a pair of small-town cineastes who set out to reshoot the classics.(SCREEN BEAT)
December 1, 2007... Whenever a director makes a movie about making movies, he gives us a peek at his attitude about the industry. In most cases (Billy Wilder's Sunset Boulevard, Robert Altman's The Player), it's the negative that shines through, the desperation,...

Kiwis of comedy: flight of the Conchords, the hottest thing to come out of New Zealand since whatever came after The Lord of the Rings, prepares its first U.S. album.(SCREEN BEAT)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Crafting a Flight of the Conchords song wasn't always easy for Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement. "Some songs, people just think we're weird," McKenzie says. Case in point: the tender ballad "What's That Strange...

Puttin' on the hits: in the post-radio, post-CD era, there's no surer way to promote a song than to get Alexandra Patsavas to play it on TV.(SCREEN BEAT)
December 1, 2007... With CD sales falling and radio formats calcifying, bands are popping up in the most unexpected places-selling iPods in commercials, playing gigs at advertising agencies, and scoring prime-time TV. If closing-credits sequences are the new...

House party: the Living Room Series is bringing rock back to Laurel Canyon.(SCREEN BEAT)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Tourists hoping to experience the fabled Laurel Canyon of rock 'n' roll lore can count on being disappointed-unless their visit happens to coincide with one of Brian Loucks's Living Room Series concerts. A...

A very tuneful 2007: charting the year's most musical movies.(SCREEN BEAT)
December 1, 2007... A Very Tuneful 2007 Charting the years most musical movies Movie What Happens Oscar Hope ONCE Busker meets girl, Best song. makes record. ...

Rock 'n' reel: Hollywood is pumping out music-themed movies--from a slew of biopics (about Otis Redding, Joan Jett, and Iggy Pop, among others) to Julie Taymor's Across the Universe, featuring a mustachioed Bono--while a number of singers are headed for their close-ups.(PROJECTIONS)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Musicians, and the lives that late they led, are coming to a multiplex near you. Upcoming biopics now include one about soul great Otis Redding, who died in a plane crash on December 10, 1967, and whose family is...

L.A. Rock City: Drew Barrymore in the balcony for Coldplay? Orlando Bloom catching OK Go? Scarlett Johansson rocking out to Rib Kiley? L.A.'s music scene has stars on both sides of the stage.(DESTINATIONS)
December 1, 2007... Safari Sam's 5214 West Sunset Boulevard HEARD: Jamie Lidell, Cut Chemist, the Kooks, Har Mar Superstar, Justice, OK Go SEEN: Orlando Bloom, Ashlee Simpson, Minnie Driver SCENE: Punk? Rock? Cabaret? Anything goes, thanks to...

Strange bedfellows: everybody knows that all musicians want to be movie stars, and all movie stars want to be musicians. But what happens when they just want each other?(CONNECTIONS)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] FRANK SINATRA and MIA FARROW In Brief Chairman of the Board weds flower child. Vital Stats Married 1966; divorced 1968. Telling Quote Sinatra: "I still don't know what that was all about." ...

Movies rock: Hollywood report.(CONNECTIONS)
December 1, 2007... Movies Rock Hollywood Report STUDIO MUSIC MOVIE CHIEF MOGUL STAR Icon Peter Chernin Jimmy Iovine Brangelina...