BITS AND PIECES 10/05 PART 3
PUSSSYKATT
--Tout le Monaco, including the late Princess Grace's son, Prince Albert,
gathered at the Grimaldi Forum on Tuesday to celebrate two new monumental
mosaics created by the acclaimed American artist Nall. The permanent
installation of Nall's enormous floral mosaics, titled "Sunset Pensee' and
"Sunrise Pensee,' was unveiled by the privileged principality's future ruler to
thunderous applause echoing through the marble Salle des Princes. The prince
and his party-goers marveled at the mosaics with Byzantine-style frames that
took one year to design and make, weigh literally a ton and consist of 100,000
pieces of hand-cut colored and 24-carat gold L'Opio created in Opio, a tiny
village near Cannes. Soon Nall and Opio will be ready to go Hollywood. The
L'Opio showroom just opened in L.A. at 864 S. Robertson Blvd., ready to
embellish Hollywood's hautest beds, baths and beyonds. "With L'Opio tiles, I
found the dream material that allows me to express myself beyond pointillism
and impressionism,' says Nall, who has also painted the prince's portrait. "My
obsession is to capture light, and the light playing off their colored tiles
gives my work a tri-dimensional existence.' Also on display: Nall's recently
finished commission for Ringo Starr and Barbara Bach's London estate, titled
"Rydinghurst Trilogy,' a series of mosaics named for their home; three
variations of pansy in decadent yellow, passionate red and spiritual mauve.
Michel Pastor, a Monaco mega-magnate, president of the Grimaldi Forum and pal
of Prince Rainier, asked Nall to do a huge L'Opio mosaic after seeing one he
did for Christian Dior for Color Addict on exhibit in Paris. Pastor is such a
big fan of the Alabama artist that he has hired him to design mosaics for the
three-story glass elevator shaft and swimming pool on his family estate in the
nearby hills. If you're not a Hollywood star, a former Beatle or a Monaco
magnate, you can still nab a Nall. The artist has created two porcelain china
patterns (Tuscia's Roses and Mediterranean Gold) for R. Haviland and C. Parlon
of Limoges, available in stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman-Marcus and
Bergdorf Goodman. For more Nall news, check out www.nall.org
--Paparazzi skulking around Crustacean, the famed French-Vietnamese restaurant
in Beverly Hills, went berserk last weekend when they spotted Tomb Raider
Angelina Jolie pushing her young son in a stroller shopping for baby items at
the Rite-Aid drugstore across the street. The flashbulb frenzy got so intensely
intrusive that Jolie was unable to check out. The store cashiers tried to shoo
the pesky photogs away from the frazzled mom and her terrified child.
Frightened shoppers in line behind Jolie ran for safety, with one muttering "My
God, that must be how Princess Di felt.'
--"The West Wing's' Marlee Matlin had a little time to kill last week before
her lunch with David E. Kelley at the Raleigh Studios (where "Ally McBeal' was
shot) in Manhattan Beach. So the mommy-to-be made a stop to shop the Babystyle
boutique in the Manhattan Village Shopping Center on Sepulveda where the
Oscar-winning actress found eight maternity outfits, including one for her
"Hollywood Squares' appearance on Nov. 10. Matlin ogled the little girls'
clothing racks, saying "I would love to have another girl because the clothes
are so cute. But one girl is enough for me.' She's not kidding. The actress
already has quite a few kids to dress: daughter Sarah, age 7, and her two sons,
Brandon, 3, and Tyler, 1. On Matlin's Mommy Mode list of must-haves: a
Hollywood Hoodie (velour zip-front hoodie and drawstring pants worn in the
photo) an Under the Belly fit and flare blue jeans, two Contrast Henley shirts
(one in pink, another in black) with white collar, placket and cuffs, and a
long jacquard sweater coat. Can't make it to Manhattan Beach? Don't cry. Check
out www.babystyle.com.
--Hollywood gave up its shallow exterior on Tuesday night in Westwood, when
literacy and intellectualism descended on the W Hotel at the launch party for
the W's newest venture, "W Shorts. The beatnik spirit was strong as black-clad
celebs read excerpts from that slim volume of short stories and excerpts from
longer works, after a sedate cocktail party suitably lubricated the crowd into
respectful listening with the help of Bombay Sapphire gin and delectable hors
d'oeuvres highlighted by tuna tartare on crunchy cucumber slices. Jane Seymour,
looking fantastic as usual in form-fitting black top and slacks, stepped in and
launched the readings with a reminiscence of her own son's struggle with
dyslexia and an inability to read. The International Dyslexia Association was
one of the sponsors of the program along with Movieline's Hollywood Life
magazine. Then Lauren Graham (she got the wear-black memo, too) of "The Gilmore
Girls' wowed the crowd. Next up was Aisha Tyler (black leather for her), then
"Threat Matrix' star Melora Walters took on John Updike. The stars had their
own little striped cabanas where they perched on high chairs; as Aussie hunk
and "Nip/Tuck' lead Julian McMahon (who read Steve Martin to loud guffaws,
especially when he stumbled over the word "gabardine') commented, "I feel like
I'm in an Indian tepee!' It seemed that way to us, too. Other Hollywood types
out for culture that evening included Sharon Lawrence and Walters' "Threat
Matrix' co-star Shoshannah Stern. And everyone tottered home clutching their
personal copies of "W Shorts,' proving that literacy is alive and well in
Hollywood, despite strong rumors to the contrary.
--It started 21 years ago as a little fashion show in the Men's Department at
Macy's with the hope of making a little money to help fight the spread of
HIV/AIDS. Humble beginnings for the Macy's Passport Gala, now a huge yearly
event held in both San Francisco and Los Angeles. It's gotten so big that here
in SoCal on Thursday night in a huge white tent at Santa Monica's Barker Hangar
there was even an ultra-VIP room tucked inside the VIP room (the regular folks
who donated $75 each partied out in the parking lot). Everyone seemed happy
with the flowing Bacardi CoCo rum drinks served by shirtless hunks with the
CoCo logo stenciled across their pecs, and the various delicacies served in the
VIP room (donated by restaurants including Crustacean, Cafe del Rey and Maple
Drive) disappeared at an astounding rate, especially the delectable seared ahi
tuna from Chaya Venice. David Hasselhoff, Daisy Fuentes and Pauly Shore slipped
into the ultra-VIP room and then joined the massive audience crammed onto
incredibly uncomfortable bleacher seats inside Barker Hangar, but since the
night was for a good cause, few complained. Elizabeth Taylor was expected, but
fellow AIDS activist Sharon Stone stepped in for her and led a raucous live
auction highlighted by the $20,000 winning bid for one night at a Laker's game
in a VIP suite, won by 11-year-old Miles, the son of Eddie and Nicole Murphy,
that is. Lance Bass, Tippi Hedren, "Girlfriends' stars Tracee Ellis Ross,
Golden Brooks and Jill Jones, and hunk-of-the-month Eduardo Verastegui also
made the runway scene, along with countless models sporting Kenneth Cole, Roc
University and, the audience's clear favorite, Vanity Fair Intimates. Gorgeous
male and female models in their skivvies -- what's not to like? Liza Minnelli
loved that part the most, making a grand finale entrance clutching a
muscle-bound model. Her rendition of "Cabaret' was appropriately showy, and as
the show ended, a great cheer and huge sigh of relief went up from the crowd,
happy to have raised thousands more to fight AIDS -- but even happier to get up
off those nasty bleacher seats.
ASSOCIATED PRESS....
--The drunken driving trial of singer Diana Ross has been postponed again. The
trial, originally set for Sept. 9 and then Dec. 9, has now been moved to
January 14. The December date was a court calendar mistake, since the Tucson
city court isn't holding trials that week. Ross, 59, was arrested last December
after a woman reported seeing a car driving on the wrong side of the road. Ross
has pleaded innocent to three drunken driving-related charges. If convicted,
she could receive jail time and a fine. Police said Ross had a blood alcohol
concentration of 0.20 percent, more than twice Arizona's limit of 0.08 percent.
According to a police report, officers at the scene said the singer was unable
to walk a straight line and fell while trying to stand on one leg and count to
10.
www.zap2it.com....
--In a surefire way to make a certain segment of the movie-going audience feel
old, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is bring the cast together
of "The Big Chill" for its 20th anniversary. The film was nominated for three
Oscars, including best picture, in 1983. So far, stars Mary Kay Place and
Jobeth Williams are confirmed to participate in the event, as are
writer/director Lawrence Kasdan and writer Barbara Benedek, who were nominated
for the film's original screenplay; producer Michael Shamberg; cinematographer
John Bailey and first assistant director Michael Grillo. Others who may show up
include cast members Jeff Goldblum, Kevin Kline, William Hurt, Tom Berenger,
Meg Tilly and Glenn Close who was nominated for best supporting actress for
this film. The film is about a group of friends in their 30s who reunite when a
former classmate kills himself. By the way, that cameo appearance of the
classmate (who's part was cut to only the opening credits and shown from the
neck down), was played by Kevin Costner. The newly-restored print was furnished
by Sony Pictures and the screening will have a panel discussion as part of the
Academy Standards series. The nostalgic reunion film has a soundtrack featuring
Marvin Gaye, The Temptations, The Rascals, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles,
Three Dog Night, Aretha Franklin, Procol Harum and The Exciters. The academy
screening is Oct. 10 at 8 p.m., $5 for the general public and held at 8949
Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills. Sony plans a limited release of the film
in theaters in various parts of the country.
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