Jason Alexander, Scott Bakula

This years Honorary Celebrity Committee includes: Julie Bowen, Nancy Dussault, Dann Florek, Elliott Gould, Steve Guttenberg, Garry Marshall, Chita Rivera, Susan Sarandon, Holland Taylor and Zachary Quinto.

This years Sponsors include: Corner Bakery, DirecTV, Sextant Wines, Staging Techniques, Meggie Hale/Slimmer Silhouette, Tony Hoover/Red Line Tours, Sunset Marquis Hotel – Restaurant – Spa and United Airlines.

Sunday, June 10th, 2012 3:00pm — Cocktails and Silent Auction begins 5:00pm to 8:00p.m.

Dinner, live telecast and 8:00pm — Presentation

Skirball Center (2701 North Sepulveda Blvd, LA, 90049)

TICKETS:   Individuals $250 and tables of ten at $2,750 by calling at  323.933.9266  ext. 458 or visit this LINK.

Previous recipients of the Julie Harris Award have included Julie Harris, Gwen Verdon, Charles Durning, Rita Moreno, James Earl Jones, Tyne Daly, Lauren Bacall, Stockard Channing, Carol Channing, Liza Minnelli, Jerry Herman, Tommy Tune, Chita Rivera, Brian Stokes Mitchell and Hal Holbrook.

The festivities kicked off on Wednesday, May 23rd, as The Actors Fund officially began the celebrations in anticipation for Tony Awards by inviting Elliott Gould, George Chakiris, Mitzi Gaynor and more Tony Awards VIPs to Bloomingdales for a private reception.

At Bloomingdales, from left to right- Ilene Graff, Warren Berlinger, Brenda Dickson, Donna Mills, James Karen, Stanley Livingston, Channing Chase, Judy Norton, Kate Linder, Elliott Gould, Mitzi Gaynor, Nancy Dussault, George Chakiris, Erin Murphy, Barbara Van Orden

"Elliott Gould" & "George Chakiris"

As official sponsors for gala, Bloomingdales in Culver City served appetizers and spirits while VIPs gave praise to this year’s Tony Awards. As a special note to all who contributed to the success, a bonus 10% of purchases made by supporters that day were donated to The Fund as participants showed their receipts.

Tony Awards VIPs in attendance at this reception were special guests; Elliott Gould, George Chakiris, Erin Murphy, Channing Chase, Ilene Graff, Carole Cook, Tom Troupe, James Karen, Joan Van Ark, Kate Linder, Judy Norton, Rip Taylor, Stan Livingston, Donna Mills, Michael Learned and Barbara Van Orden. Michelle Patterson, Meggie Hale and Tony Hoover received specially reserved seating as Tony Awards’ tables host and auction sponsors for the evenings.

Keith McNutt, The Actors Fund’s West Region Director, welcomed guests as an introduction for the evening greeting all in attendance. Keith passed the microphone to Fund board member, James Karen, who then introduced the legendary Mitzi Gaynor as hostess for the evening. Ms. Gaynor talked to the crowd and explained the need for an organization like The Actors Fund because of its many outreaches to actors, dancers as well as many other entertainment industry members. Helping both those in front with their faces on the camera and behind the scenes. She personally expressed the Funds gratitude by adding, “Thank you all for being such fantastic ambassadors for The Actors Fund!”

The Actors Fund is a national human services organization that helps everyone- performers and those behind the scenes-who works in performing arts and entertainment, helping more than 12,800 people directly each year, and hundreds of thousands online. Serving professionals in film, theatre, television, music, opera, radio and dance, The Fund’s programs include social services and emergency assistance, health care and insurance, housing, and employment and training services. With offices in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, The Actors Fund has – for 130 years – been a safety net for those in need, crisis or transition. Visit www.actorsfund.org

www.TonyAwards.com - Official Tony Awards Website

Set amidst the razzle-dazzle decadence of the 1920s, CHICAGO is the story of Roxie Hart, a housewife and nightclub dancer who murders her on-the-side lover after he threatens to walk out on her. Desperate to avoid conviction, she dupes the public, the media and her rival cellmate, Velma Kelly, by hiring Chicago’s slickest criminal lawyer to transform her malicious crime into a barrage of sensational headlines, the likes of which might just as easily be ripped from today’s tabloids.

Now in its 16th year on Broadway, the record-breaking smash hit musical CHICAGO is now the fourth longest-running production in Broadway history.  With a legendary book by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse, music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb, CHICAGO is the winner of six 1997 Tony Awards including Best Musical Revival and the Grammy Award for Best Musical Cast Recording.

LA’s The Place Marc Chamberlain covered the Los Angeles premiere and chatted briefly with Christie Brinkley before the show.

Click here to view the embedded video.

I caught up with Christie Brinkley on the red carpet before her opening performance, who looked absolutely stunning at a young 58 years old.  I remember Christie as a young supermodel starring in Billy Joel’s hit video “Uptown Girl” and who has graced the cover of over 500 magazines.  I asked Christie how she stays you young and said one of her secrets is doing lots of yoga.  Christie has been very busy, having launched the “Christie Brinkley Beauty” a line of all-natural skin care products, all while raising 3 children.  I would never have thought I would see her transform herself into an actress.  Christie told me, “I never knew how to act, sing or dance” before being casted in CHICAGO and was a little nervous at first.”  You wouldn’t know it as she put on an amazing performance as Roxie Hart.  It goes to show you, you can do whatever you put your mind to.  She truly brought her character to life, her voice was amazing, and her dancing was superb.  Says Christie, “I am so happy to be back in LA, I am looking forward to my kids coming out to see me, and taking them to Disneyland”.  Disneyland happens to one of her favorite places to visit with her kids.

All together the rest of cast did an amazing job as well.  I personally wasn’t really a fan of musical theatre before this, but this performance of CHICAGO has truly made me a fan and has given me a new outlook on theatre.  If you ever wanted to see a Broadway play and cannot make it to New York, now is your chance to see one of the most successful musicals of our time. I highly recommend going to see CHICAGO, and Christie Brinkley as Roxie at the Pantages Theatre.  The show runs from May 15- May 27.  Seeing a live show at the Pantages is truly something you have to check off your to-do list!

PERFORMANCE INFORMATION:  Tickets are available at www.BroadwayLA.org or www.Ticketmaster.com or by calling

1-800-982-2787, as well as at the Pantages Box Office (6233 Hollywood Blvd) and all Ticketmaster Outlets.  Performances are Tue-Fri at 8pm,

Saturdays at 2pm & 8pm and Sundays at 1pm & 6:30pm.  Recommended for Ages 13 and up (Everyone must have a ticket; children under 5 will not be admitted to the theatre) Running Time: 2 hours and 30 minutes including intermission.  Tickets start at $25 in the orchestra

Kiki Melendez’ Hot Tamales Live! 3 & 4 hosted by Kiki Melendez and Fried Bananas Live! hosted by Joey Vega on Saturday, May 12th. Prime location was reserved for the premiere of 3 witty 60 minute comedy specials at the historic Ricardo Montalban Theater in heart of Hollywood on Vine Street. Latin Hollywood Films worked in association with Ann Lopez’ Moving Target Productions and Jessie Terrero’s YouTube Ch 123 Unodostres. Echos of laughter was captured at this multicultural themed event that featured a variety of comedians from New York to LA.

If laughter brings joy, then this was an exceptionally joyful occasion for all in attendance. This event was a fundraiser for the Joy Foundation so proceeds for the night went to help underprivileged children with special needs. Also in recognition on this exclusive event was all the mothers in the crowd in anticipation of Mother’s Day. Mothers were graciously greeted upon arrival, then complimented at the box office to relax and enjoy a night full of joyous entertainment.

Hot Tamales Live! 3 and 4 showcased some of the funniest finest and comedians, sketch artists and dancers all hosted by the hilarious Kiki Melendez. Kiki is recognized as an “American Latino Pioneer” and only female comedian nominated for the first annual American Latino Awards. She is the writer, producer, host and creator of Kiki Melendez’ Hot Tamales Live! which debuted on May 5th, 2009 on Showtime Television, America’s leading premium cable network. Since the first Hot Tamales Live! comedy show aired on Showtime it went on to be one of the most popular comedy shows they carried.

On Facebook, go to Kiki Melendez and on Twitter @kikimelendez – she will always give away tickets through her Twitter and Facebook.

Check Out the Impressive Line Up:

Kiki Melendez

Kiki’s comedy and creativity confidently stands up on stage and speeches volumes to the crowd. Fans; followed her voice from the radio, watched her acting on TV & film, tuned-in to her TV productions, got tickets to films she wrote and as always filling up seats for her comedy specials. www.kikikiss.com

Hot Tamales Live! 3 featured comedians Vanessa Hollingshead, Retha Jones, Helen Hong, Sharon Houston, Carla Collins and The Lucy & Ricky Salsa Show.

Vanessa Hollingshead

Vanessa has performed for The Jim Breuer Show, Live at Jongleurs, VH1’s Lords of the Revolution and has her own Comedy Central Presents. She is in her second DVD at Gotham, “American Anglomaniac” and also known for her DVD series, “Drunk” at Stand Up New York.  She was also in the film Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai.

www.VanessaHollingshead.com

Retha Jones

Retha has many TV appearances on BET’s Comic View, Comedy Central’s Premium Blend, HBO’s Def Comedy Jam and she reached the semi finals in Last Comic Standing. She was also crowned winner of the 2007 California’s Funniest Female Contest and winner of the 1st annual 2007 California Comedy Festival.

www.RethaJones.com

Helen Hong

Helen is a comedian, TV host, dating coach, and star of Logo Channel’s reality dating series “Setup Squad”. She was a semi-finalist in the 2011, 2008 and 2007 NY’s Funniest Stand-Up Competition and was a semi-finalist in the 2006 California’s Funniest Female Contest.

www.HelenHong.com

Sharon Houston

Sharon is a stand up comic, actress, producer, and writer and has stand up TV credits include MTV, Comedy Central, VH1 and SiTV. In 2011, she was chosen to showcase at the Women In Comedy Festival in Boston, the Ladies Are Funny Fest in Austin and the Bridgetown Comedy Festival in Portland.

www.IamSharonHouston.com

Carla Collins

Carla is a comedian, actress, TV Host and writer who has been called “Canada’s Tina Fey” and performs all over the US and Canada. She has her own reality TV series Carlawood on TVtropolis and she is the subject of a documentary film entitled “Who the Hell is Carla Collins?” which is currently shooting in LA.

www.CarlaCollins.com

Hot Tamales Live! 4 featured comedians Carlie & Doni, Ludo Vika, Kate Rigg, Sexy Marlo and Vicki Barbolak.

Carlie and Doni

Carlie & Doni are a whimsical musical comedy act that received high praise as feature comedians in Los Angeles Magazine’s “The Best of LA” 2011 edition. This duo are regulars at the Santa Monica Playhouse and have played at the Laugh Factory, Edge Theater and more.  They are also recognized for being on the cover of Tiger Beat’s January 2011 edition and featured comedians in the magazine.

www.CarlieAndDoni.com

Ludo Vika

Ludo won the title of “America’s First Bilingual Comic“ at the Utah Laugh Off Festival and she opened for some of the biggest comedy performers of our time; George Lopez, Sam Kinison and Paul Rodriguez. She has TV appearances on Comedy Central’s Make Me Laugh, FOX’s In Living Color, Galavision’s Que Locos, Showtime’s Latino Laugh Festival, HBO’s Loco Slam and more.

www.LudoVika.com

Kate Rigg

Kate was the executive producer of “Dance Your Ass Off” on Oxygen TV, which was the highest rated show on the network. She also worked on several episodes of the Dr. Phil Show episodes including specials on “Race“, “The Rudeness Epidemic” and “How to Spot A Liar”.

www.KateRigg.com

Sexy Marlo

Marlo “Sexy” Williams is a stand-up comedian straight our of Compton with explicit and raw material. She has performed at the Laugh Factory, The Comedy Store and The Improv just to name a few. She has be seen on BET’s Comic View, Monique’s Big Black Comedy Show, Who’s Got Jokes, Starz’ 1st Amendment presented by Martin Lawrence and on the big screen in the movie Jada.

www.MySpace.com/SexyMarloComedy

Vicki Barbolak

Vicki is best known for winning Nick@Nite’s Funniest Mom in America 3 and being a member of Jay Leno’s Laugh Squad. John Griess created a special role for her in his new Independent Comedy Film, “Pickin and Grinnin“. Her legendary performance of “Stand up at a Funeral” at The Comedy Store was featured in Mark Schiff’s book, “I Killed, Road Stories From America’s Top Comedians“.

www.VickiBarbolak.com

Fried Bananas Live! is the male version of Hot Tamales Live! and is hosted by Melendez’ long time friend Joey Vega. The guys kept the crowd rolling to the end with comedians KT Tatara, Ahmed Ahmed, Ruperto Vanderpool, Ron G, Lil Dougie Williams III and Allen Stephen.

Joey Vega

Joey is a NY native with a reputation as one of New York’s finest comedian after crushing at a packed Madison Square Garden. He hosted his own FOX series called The Latin Connection and appears on many major comedy shows including Comedy on the Road, Comic Strip Live and more. He is memorable for his film roles in Rounders and Punchline.

Comedians.Jokes.com/Joey-Vega

KT Tatara

KT was featured as one of the top “New Faces of Comedy” at the 2006 Just for Laughs Festival. He has TV comedy appearances on Comedy Central’s Live at Gotham, Showtime’s Live Nude Comedy and Comics Unleashed. He also has recurring roles on ABC Family’s Greek and Showtime’s Californication.

www.KTTatara.com

Ahmed Ahmed

Ahmed is a regular at The Comedy Store in Hollywood and the Comedy Cellar in New York City. He has performed on TV specials including The Axis of Evil Comedy Tour and Vince Vaughn’s Wild West Comedy Show, as well as appearances on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Comedy Central’s Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn and MTV’s PUNK’D.

www.Ahmed-Ahmed.com

Ruperto Vanderpool

Ruperto is best known for his pantomiming humor and his endless variety of facial expressions. He is currently featured in Lions Gate Films’ The Cookout produced by Queen Latifah’s Flavor Unit Films. He has TV appearances on; CBS’s Urban Latino TV, BET’s Comic View, Galavison’s Que Locos! as well as special guest on It’s Showtime at the Apollo, Ricki Lake and NBC’s Law & Order: SVU.

www.RupertoVanderpool.com

Ron G

Ron gained mass recognition after winning 1st place at the 2005 Sierra Mist Late Night Laff Off. He was awarded the title “ACPA College Comic of the Year” in 2010 and is also the national spokesperson for Checker’s & Rally’s Restaurants. He was a finalist on Bill Bellamy’s Who’s Got Jokes and again a recent finalist on NBC’s Last Comic Standing #6.

www.GoRonG.com

Lil Dougie Williams III

Lil Dougie is introduced as the “World’s Youngest Comedian” and he already has experience with top comics from a previous Hot Tamales Live! comedy special. Starting at 2 years-old, Dougie warmed up the crowd for his father, comedian Doug Williams Jr., at the Starz’ taping of Martin Lawrence’s The 1st Amendment Standup. He has also performed at The Union and LA Improv.

Allen Stephen

Allen Stephen will be a featured comedian at the next LOL Laugh Out Loud Comedy Festival at the California Theater Of The Performing Arts in San Bernardino. Stephan is scheduled to perform on August 28th and will be performing with Rita Rudner & 4 Potential Ex-Husbands, David Gee, John Fox, Otto & George, Monique Marvez and Bill Bellamy’s Ladies Night Out.

For more information about Kiki Melendez check out her official website at:

www.KikiKiss.com

The 2012 Los Angeles Film Festival, presented by Film Independent in conjunction with Los Angeles Times will be hosted at L.A. Live in downtown LA from Thursday, June 14th to Sunday, June 24th. The LA Film Fest (LAFF) has now grown up into it’s 18th year of celebrating the best in new American and international cinema. The LAFF is recognized as a world-class event and this will be the 3rd year it will hosted by L.A. Live and located in the heart of LA.

This LAFF will be screening a diverse ticket of nearly 200 feature films, short films, and music videos, representing more than 30 countries from around the world. The event will feature their signature programs like the Filmmaker Retreat, Coffee Talks, Poolside Chats, music events and more. Opening night will feature Woody Allen’s To Rome With Love in addition Ava DuVernay’s Middle of Nowhere, Benh Zeitlin’s Beasts of the Southern Wild, and Lorene Scafaria’s Seeking a Friend for the End of the World were also selected to screen throughout the festival.

To Rome With Love

“There is nothing more satisfying than shining a spotlight on so many unique films from both seasoned and emerging filmmakers. Come experience the wonder of Beasts of the Southern Wild, let Call Me Kuchu break your heart and call you to action, or simply be entertained by Channing Tatum and Matthew McConaughey in Magic Mike,” said Festival Director Stephanie Allain. “These are just a few of the diverse stories that bring us into new worlds or put a fresh twist on familiar ones. ‘Exclusively for Everyone’ isn’t just a tag line. It’s an invitation to experience both the specific and the universal, and hopefully come away entertained and enlightened. Enjoy!”

Magic Mike

Closing night will feature the World Premiere of director Steven Soderbergh’s Magic Mike created by Warner Bros. Pictures and written by Reid Carolin. Stars in the cast include Channing Tatum, Matthew McConaughey, Alex Pettyfer, Matt Bomer, Riley Keough, Cody Horn, Olivia Munn, Kevin Nash, Adam Rodriguez, Joe Manganiello and Gabriel Iglesias. This movie is set in the world of male strippers. The dramatic comedy follows Mike (Tatum) as he takes a young dancer called The Kid (Pettyfer) under his wing and schools him in the fine arts of partying, picking up women and making easy money. Warner Bros. Pictures will release the film nationwide in theaters on Friday, June 29th, 2012.

People Like Us

Another anticipated World Premiere amongst the Summer Showcase screenings is director Alex Kurtzman’s People Like Us created by Dreamworks Pictures and written by Kurtzman, Roberto Orci and Jody Lambert. Starring in this film is Chris Pine, Elizabeth Banks, Olivia Wilde, Philip Baker Hall, Michael Hall D’Addario, Mark Duplass and Michelle Pfeiffer. A story inspired by true events, Sam (Pine), a twenty-something, fast-talking salesman, is tasked with fulfilling his estranged father’s last wishes, which is delivering an inheritance to a sister he never knew he had. Dreamworks Pictures will release the film in theaters on Friday, June 29th, 2012.

Woody Allen on To Rome With Love

“We’ve got a marvelous mix this year that reflects the incredible diversity of world cinema and of Los Angeles itself. I’m excited to have such giants as Woody Allen, Steven Soderbergh and André Téchiné alongside some amazing first-time filmmakers whose names you’ll be hearing a lot in the future. We want to offer festival-goers stories and visions they haven’t seen before and a chance to meet the most creative minds working in movies. It’s going to be a fun and mind-expanding ten days,” said Festival Artistic Director David Ansen.

Dirty Dancing 25th Anniversary

The LAFF will also feature free outdoor programming for fans to crowd around. In celebration of the 25th anniversary of the film Dirty Dancing there will be a Dance-A-Long at the California Plaza on June 22nd at 7:00 pm. This production is a cooperation with Dance Camera West and Grand Performances. Attendees may take a free salsa lesson by Contra-Tiempo. There will also be an interactive screening of the film with special guests and a shadow cast consisting of performers from local dance companies to dance on stage below the screening corresponding to key scenes.

The LAFF received 5,283 submissions from filmmakers around the world this year, compared to 5,025 submissions last year. From all these submissions the final selections represent 30 countries from around the world, North American and US premieres, which includes premiere status for films previously announced. There will be 19 premieres that are in the Narrative and Documentary Competition sections.

Make arrangements to attend this 10 day event. There are passes available for sale to Film Independent members and to the general public. The Festival passes give you access to screenings, events, a series of networking receptions and entry to the Filmmaker Lounge. This gives Festival pass holders opportunity to interact with Festival filmmakers and professionals in the film community at the Filmmaker Lounge.

LA Film Festival Information:

Beginning Tuesday, May 29th, general admission tickets to individual films go on sale. Contact the Ticket Office for passes, tickets and event information by calling (866) FILM-FEST, (866) 345-6337, or visit the official website at LAFilmFest.com.

This will be the seventh year the Los Angeles Times will be serving as the LAFF Presenting Media Sponsor. The LA Times will produce the Official Film Guide which is a comprehensive source for all movie information, screenings, locations and related special events. The Film Guide will be on top of their paper on Sunday, June 10th, in Los Angeles and Orange County, and will be made available throughout downtown Los Angeles during the 10 day event.

Films to be Featured at LAFF:

OPENING NIGHT:

To Rome With Love – (DIRECTOR/WRITER Woody Allen PRODUCERS Letty Aronson, Stephen Tenenbaum CAST Woody Allen, Alec Baldwin, Roberto Benigni, Penélope Cruz, Judy Davis, Jesse Eisenberg, Greta Gerwig, Ellen Page) – Written and directed by Woody Allen, To Rome With Love is a story about a number of people in Italy — some American, some Italian, some residents, some visitors — and the romances and adventures and predicaments they get into. North American Premiere

CLOSING NIGHT:

Magic Mike – (DIRECTOR Steven Soderbergh PRODUCERS Reid Carolin, Gregory Jacobs, Channing Tatum, Nick Wechsler WRITER Reid Carolin CAST Channing Tatum, Alex Pettyfer, Matthew McConaughey, Cody Horn, Olivia Munn, Matt Bomer, Riley Keough, Joe Manganiello, Kevin Nash, Adam Rodriguez, Gabriel Iglesias) – Set in the world of male strippers, the dramatic joefollows Mike (Tatum) as he takes a young dancer called The Kid (Pettyfer) under his wing and schools him in the fine arts of partying, picking up women, and making easy money. World Premiere

GALA SCREENINGS:

Beasts of the Southern Wild – (DIRECTOR Benh Zeitlin WRITERS Lucy Alibar, Benh Zeitlin PRODUCERS Michael Gottwald, Dan Janvey, Josh Penn CAST Quvenzhané Wallis, Dwight Henry) – This stunningly imaginative, boldly original film follows six-year-old Hushpuppy as she fights to protect her father and their unique way of life in a remote, dreamlike area of the Delta threatened by apocalyptic floods.

Middle of Nowhere – (DIRECTOR/WRITER Ava DuVernay PRODUCERS Howard Barish, Ava DuVernay, Paul Garnes CAST Emayatzy Corinealdi, David Oyelowo, Omari Hardwick, Lorraine Toussaint, Edwina Findley, Sharon Lawrence) – How do you maintain a marriage — and your own identity — when your husband has been sentenced to eight years in prison? Writer/director Ava DuVernay’s elegant and powerful portrait of a strong woman contending with conflicting feelings of love, guilt and desire marks the arrival of a bold new voice in independent cinema.

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World – (DIRECTOR/WRITER Lorene Scafaria PRODUCERS Steve Golin, Joy Gorman, Steven M. Rales, Mark Roybal CAST Steve Carell, Keira Knightley, Connie Britton, Rob Corddry, Gillian Jacobs, Derek Luke, Melanie Lynskey, T.J. Miller, Mark Moses, Patton Oswalt, William Petersen) – Taking audiences on a humorous, moving and intimate journey against an epic backdrop of Earth’s final days, the film is Lorene’s feature directorial debut (she previously adapted Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist). Set in a too-near future where time at once stands still and is slipping away forever, the film explores what people will do and how they will feel when humanity’s end is near. World Premiere

Narrative Competition (10): The Narrative Competition is comprised of films made by talented emerging filmmakers that compete for the Filmmaker Award. The winner is determined by a panel of jurors, and films in this section are also eligible for the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature or Best International Feature.

All Is Well, Pocas Pascoal – Portugal – NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

Breakfast with Curtis, Laura Colella – WORLD PREMIERE

The Compass is Carried by the Dead Man, Arturo Pons – Mexico – NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

Crazy and Thief, Cory McAbee – NORTH PREMIERE

Dead Man’s Burden, Jared Moshé – WORLD PREMIERE

Four, Joshua Sanchez – WORLD PREMIERE

A Night Too Young, Olmo Omerzu – Czech Republic – NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

Pincus, David Fenster – WORLD PREMIERE

Red Flag, Alex Karpovsky – WORLD PREMIERE

Thursday till Sunday, Dominga Sotomayor – Chile – NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

Documentary Competition (9): The Documentary Competition is comprised of films made by talented emerging filmmakers that compete for the Documentary Award. The winner is determined by a panel of jurors, and films in this section are also eligible for the Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature or Best International Feature.

25 to Life, Mike Brown – WORLD PREMIERE

A Band Called Death, Jeff Howlett, Mark Covino – WORLD PREMIERE

Birth Story: Ina May Gaskin and the Farm Midwives, Sara Lamm, Mary Wigmore – WORLD PREMIERE

Call Me Kuchu, Katherine Fairfax Wright, Malika Zouhali-Worrall – US PREMIERE

Drought, Everado González – Mexico – US PREMIERE

The Iran Job, Till Schauder – USA/Germany/Iran – WORLD PREMIERE

Sun Kissed, Maya Stark, Adi Lavy – WORLD PREMIERE

Vampira and Me, R. H. Greene – WORLD PREMIERE

Words of Witness, Mai Iskander – Egypt/USA – US PREMIERE

International Showcase (15): The International Showcase highlights innovative independent narrative and documentary features from outside of the United States. Films in this section are eligible for Audience Awards for Best International Feature, Best Narrative Feature, or Best Documentary Feature.

Bestiaire, Denis Côté – Canada

Bunohan: Return to Murder, Dain Said – Malaysia (Oscilloscope Pictures)

Canícula, José Álvarez – Mexico

The First Man, Gianni Amelio – France – US PREMIERE

The Last Elvis, Armando Bo – Argentina

Neighboring Sounds, Kleber Mendonça Filho – Brazil (The Cinema Guild)

On the Edge, Leila Kilani – France/Morocco/Germany

P-047, Kongdej Jaturanrasamee – Thailand

Return to Burma, Midi Z. – Taiwan/Myanmar

Sister, Ursula Meier – Switzerland (Adopt Films) – NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

The Strawberry Tree, Simone Rapisarda Casanova – Canada/Cuba/Italy

Summer Games, Rolando Colla – Switzerland

Teddy Bear, Mads Matthiesen – Denmark (Film Movement)

Unforgivable, André Téchiné – France (Strand Releasing)

Without Gorky, Cosima Spender – UK

Summer Showcase (16): The Summer Showcase section offers an advance look at this summer’s most talked about independent film releases from the festival circuit. Films in this section are eligible for Audience Awards for Best International Feature, Best Narrative Feature, or Best Documentary Feature.

About Face, Timothy Greenfield-Sanders (HBO Films)

Beauty Is Embarrassing, Neil Berkeley

Big Easy Express, Emmett Malloy

Celeste and Jesse Forever, Lee Toland Krieger (Sony Pictures Classics)

Gayby, Jonathan Lisecki (Wolfe Releasing)

Gimme the Loot, Adam Leon (IFC Films)

The House I Live In, Eugene Jarecki

It’s a Disaster, Todd Berger – WORLD PREMIERE

La Camioneta: The Journey of One American School Bus, Mark Kendall – USA/Guatemala

Neil Young Journeys, Jonathan Demme (Sony Pictures Classics)

An Oversimplification of her Beauty, Terence Nance – USA/France

People Like Us, Alex Kurtzman (Dreamworks Pictures) – WORLD PREMIERE

The Queen of Versailles, Lauren Greenfield (Magnolia Pictures)

Reportero, Bernardo Ruiz

Robot and Frank, Jake Schreier (Samuel Goldwyn Films)

Searching for Sugar Man, Malik Bendjelloul (Sony Pictures Classics)

Community Screenings (6): These films will be presented free to the public. New films in this section are eligible for Audience Awards for Best Narrative Feature or Best Documentary Feature.

Dirty Dancing (1987), Emile Ardolino – Grand Performances Screening

E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982), Steven Spielberg – FIGat7th Screening

G-Dog, Freida Mock – WORLD PREMIERE

The Invisible War, Kirby Dick (Cinedigm)

LUV, Sheldon Candis – Project Involve Screening (Indomina)

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982), Nicholas Meyer – FIGat7th Screening

The Beyond (3): The Beyond offers films that dare to be different. Films in this section are eligible for Audience Awards for Best International Feature or Best Narrative Feature.

The History of Future Folk, J. Anderson Mitchell, Jeremy Kipp Walker – WORLD PREMIERE

Juan of the Dead, Alejandro Brugués – Cuba

Saturday Morning Massacre, Spencer Parsons – WORLD PREMIERE

Retro (3):

Ballads, Blues and Bluegrass (1961), Alan Lomax – WORLD PREMIERE

Banishment (2007), Andrey Zvyagintsev – Russia – LAFCA’s The Film That Got Away

The Breaking Point (1950), Michael Curtiz – Film Foundation Screening

Short Films (48): Shorts are shown before features and as part of four short film programs. With their diverse and complex content, these films shine brilliantly. Most short films, domestic and international, will compete for prizes in Narrative, Documentary, and Animation/Experimental categories. The winner is determined by a panel of jurors. An Audience Award for Best Short Film is also presented.

Shorts Program 1-4

Future Filmmakers Showcase: High School Shorts (31): These two programs of shorts are made by high school students from around the country, featuring work by the next generation of filmmakers.

Programs 1-2

Music Videos (40): The Music Video Showcase consists of two programs. Eclectic Mix is a visual mix tape of this year’s best independent music videos with a few innovative major label artists thrown in for good measure. As a Special Focus, DANIELS and Walter Robot go head to head in an event peppered with music videos, shorts, production secrets, feats of strength, audience challenges and possible mime. Music videos will compete for an Audience Award.

Eclectic Mix 1

Thunderdome: DANIELS vs Walter Robot

For more information visit the official website at LAFilmFest.com.

Throughout her 30-plus years as a producer, writer and director, Suzanne DeLaurentiis has been involved with over one hundred feature films and has been honored for her work with numerous prestigious awards and her dedication and support for veterans. The first thing you see when you walk into Suzanne’s office, is not her film awards, but her accommodation medal from the Oregon National Guard.  “I make movies, and the men and women of our military make it possible for me to do what I do for a living.  In the grand scheme of things, I think it’s obvious which one of us has the most harder job.”

Recently, Suzanne returned to Oregon to show her continued support for the Oregon National Guard and The Reintegration Team.  Suzanne was presented for the second time with the Oregon Commendation Plaque, a true honor, and one that she doesn’t take lightly. Her mission is to make sure the Vets know how much they are appreciated for protecting our country and make sure they all are able to find jobs upon their return home.

On Saturday March 10, Suzanne went out in less than stellar weather conditions to the tarmac to see Captain Tyler Eikenberry, commander of 7-158 Aviation, off as he left to go on his mission to Afghanistan. Watching him board the Blackhawk Helicopter was a particularly moving event for Ms. DeLaurentiis. “I can never quite comprehend the selflessness of our soldiers. It’s something you never get used to.”

“What most people don’t realize is that our Veteran’s return from horrors that most of us don’t even want to imagine and are then put in a position where they have to put their lives back together.  These are men and women who put their lives on the line every day that they are in the service, and when they come home, they can’t even get a job.”

Suzanne DeLaurentiis and Veterans

When Suzanne first heard about the Oregon National Guard and the Reintegration Team, spearheaded by Master Sgt. Vinnie Jaques, she knew that she had to get involved, and she has been ever since.  She’s hosted numerous charity events for the Organization, adds messages promoting the Military at the end of every film, and is constantly reaching out to her Hollywood colleagues both for donations and to spread the word about the lives our Veterans are coming back to.

LA’s The Place sat down with Suzanne DeLaurentiis and asked her about her dedicated involvement with veterans and how she is making a difference in their lives, even putting them to work in her film projects!

More about Suzanne DeLaurentiis: www.suzannedelaurentiisproductions.com.

In the upcoming epic-scale action adventure movie BATTLESHIP, which consulted with two leading SETI scientists, Seth Shostak and Geoff Clayton, the unthinkable happens, in which Stephen Hawking warns that humanity should not be too eager to send its home address out in to space to an advanced alien civilization. The film opens in the U.S on May 18 but has captured the imaginations of the science community and international audiences, where it has opened overseas to record box office.

Peter Berg, (Hancock, The Kingdom, Friday Night Lights) the film’s director, shared why he wanted to craft a story around military heroes. Being the son of a Marine and Naval historian, Berg acknowledges that the real heroes are not the actors but the flesh-and-blood service men and women who make sacrifices for their country every day.

Being the father of a 12 year old boy, he wanted to make a movie for the inner 12 year old in all of us, in this movie is adapted and inspired by the Hasbro naval combat classic board game, and opens May 18th.

http://www.battleshipmovie.com

A little over two years ago, a very determined and adventurous family of five moved across the country to L.A. from Florida, leaving almost everything behind, including family. The goal: to conquer Hollywood — or at least leave their mark indelibly upon it. This wasn’t an easy decision, and plenty of tears were shed as the family left a comfortable and spacious lakeside home to move to a cramped two-bedroom apartment in the Valley.

The Peñas consist of parents Willie and Diana along with their three children who were very active as actors and models in the Orlando market for several years. The family knew that in order to really make it big, they would have to take the plunge and leave that small market to pursue opportunities in Hollywood. After moving and experiencing an encouraging year of steady auditions and bookings for the kids — including a Criminal Minds episode, a Disney educational DVD series, and a few commercials — the family hatched a plan to take things one step further: they would make their own movie.

“We knew how talented our kids are and we didn’t want to wait for some Hollywood bigwig to notice them in order for them to star in something. So, we just got busy and created a project that would showcase a lot of new Hollywood talent, not just our kids,” said Diana, who produced the 30-minute movie. “I was also determined to make the project as legitimate as possible, so I insisted we do it under a SAG New Media contract rather than go non-union. That enabled us to cast more professional actors.”

Made with a budget of under $10,000, the film deals with the struggles the resident class nerd encounters when he is suddenly faced with a much smarter boy from India. The boys compete first academically, then physically via a game of dodgeball and an after school playground climax.

The father, entrepreneur and writer Willie Peña, wrote the script intending to appeal to younger kids and teens, but not in the formulaic way that a company like Disney might. “Unlike a typical bully vs. nerd movie, in our film the nerds pretty much start all the problems. They are not innocent little victims, so it’s funnier,” says Willie.

Oldest son Michael helped develop the story and also stars in the short film, along with his younger brother, Nathaniel. Their little sister Keira has a supporting role as well. All three children are gifted students, with the two boys having started college at ages 12 and 10. Rounding out the cast are Alfonso Freeman (Academy Award winner Morgan Freeman’s son), Lia Marie Johnson, a YouTube celebrity, and Danika Yarosh from “A Christmas Wedding.”

This project is just a small demonstration of what aspiring filmmakers can accomplish if they are determined and have a passion for the arts. In addition to writing, shooting, directing and producing the movie entirely on their own, the family did all the post-production work and is self-distributing through Dynamo Player and Amazon Instant Video. The film has been supported by good reviews in the media and word-of-mouth, and has been accepted into the “Lessons in the Dark” school sessions in Mumbai and Delhi, India.

For more information on the inspiration behind “Nerd Wars!” or to rent it, visit www.penatalent.com/nerdwars

Reviews:
“Overall, Nerd Wars! is funny and entertaining and certainly well made…” (Anthony’s film review: http://www.anthonysfilmreview.com/Other/Nerd_Wars.htm)

“A-, as an adult I found myself laughing out loud various times, more so than in most full length movies. (…)For a short film that was produced with a very small budget it was very entertaining and fun to watch. (Frank: http://www.nospoilers.net/movietitle/n/nerdwars2011.htm)

“I’m positive they [kids] will find this [movie] funny and educational.” (Cool Awesome Movies: http://coolawesomemovies.com/2012/01/nerd-wars/)

Videos:
Music video (end credit song) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuxG5-Kx7M4
Premiere at the Screen Actors Guild http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNMz-077MHk&feature=related

The party was fully stocked with delicious appetizers from the hotel, signature cocktails from the open bar, professional photographers galore, and music bumping by DJ Cassanova and DJ Kitty Smile. Party attendants received complimentary make-up by Julie and bottles of Cotton Candy Liqueur.

Some of the clients in attendance included Tatyana Ali from “Love That Girl”, Lester Speight from “Transformers 3”, and Jamie Hector from “The Wire”. In addition to the festivity many colleagues and friends of TCA Jed Root extended their congratulations and best wishes.

Jamie Hector said, “The party was everything I expected. It was amazing! Even more exciting was the joy I saw in Tracy and Jed, which was infectious. Eagles in flight!”

Bradley Glenn of the Kaplan Stahler Agency said,“The party was as epic as the agent is. The signature cocktail summed it all up: strong yet sweet, with a kick. I dig that Tracy Christian.”

Charles Cook, television producer, said, “I love Tracy! She’s a talented woman and hard working agent – definitely a force of nature and she’s only beginning to make her mark on this town. It was an incredible launch for an incredible woman.”

Jubba Seyyid, Sr. Director of Programming and Production at TV One said, “Tracy and Jed give the Hollywood agent a good name.”

Tracy Christian explains, “Our philosophy at TCA Jed Root is simple: pick up the phone – don’t wait for it to ring. Concentrate on shaping careers, instead of just moving clients from job to job. Lastly, it’s important to have fun! We only take on clients we’re passionate about. Both Jed and I love what we do.”

Jed Root is a respected entrepreneur with offices in New York, London, Paris, Tokyo, and now Los Angeles. Jed provides crucial knowledge and expertise with photographers, make-up artists, manicurists, fashion stylists, hair stylists,  illustrators, and props & set designers. Tracy Christian has been working with some of the most prolific Oscar winners and nominees throughout her career. Tracy has worked with Mo’Nique, Melissa Leo and Octavia Spencer to name a few. Tracy is experienced with nearly 20 years in the entertainment industry and is a veteran of both Don Buchwald & Associates and Peter Strain & Associates. Christian and Root first came together as agent and client. After founding they spoke the same language and shared a similar aesthetic they decided to launched TCA Jed Root.

TCA Jed Root television projects include; “Love and Hip Hop” on VH1 and “Kandi Factory” on Bravo. The company’s clients include personalities on “Housewives of Atlanta” on Bravo, “What Not to Wear” on TLC, “Jerseylicious” on Style, “Basketball Wives” on VH1. The company also represents actors such as Busta Rhymes, Jamie Hector, Tatyana Ali, and many more.

The TCA Jed Root launch party was the ideal way to send this full service talent agency into an exciting year. Tracy Christian and Jed Root the two well renowned and celebrated agents have been in partnership since January 2012. Their unique approach to the industry supplying all of the access of a large agency without that bureaucracy provides respectable representation.

From entertainment to beauty industries they both bring rich talent together from each of their respective fields for more than 40 years combined experience. TCA Jed Root is a highly selective boutique talent agency that services television shows, producers, actors, make-up artists and photographers. The agency is also notable for specializing in developing beauty and lifestyle brands.

To contact TCA Jed Root visit their website at www.TCAJedRoot.com

Or call (310) 432-2929

Located at:
9220 West Sunset Blvd., Suite 315
West Hollywood, CA 90069

In order to prepare for the parts, Roxy conducted her own research contacting friends and acquaintances to help her better understand the complexity of each role. Contrary to popular belief, playing these roles did not always come so easily for Roxy.

Southland's Regina King, Roxy Brusso, and Tom Everett Scott

Roxy’s career path was rather a rocky road before fate took charge. Born in Peru, and later moving to North Hollywood at the age of 4, Roxy grew up searching for herself. While Roxy’s academic endeavors proved dissatisfying, she remained open to opportunity on her quest to find her true passion.

While she was attending San Diego State University, Roxy’s father experienced a severe car accident, which led her to move home to Los Angeles to care for him and attend community college. Some time after her father’s incident, Roxy decided it was necessary to regroup; she halted her studies at a local college and began waiting tables and caring for her father.

Upon starting her waitressing job in Hollywood, Roxy was surrounded by aspiring actors who discussed their exciting audition experiences. It wasn’t until she met one waitress that Roxy decided to venture into the world of show business. A shy, but ever-curious young adult, Roxy took a leap of faith and linked up with a talent agent referred to her by her coworker. From there, she began taking acting classes and found that the once unidentifiable void had finally been replaced.

Roxy landed her first role in an ampm minimart advertisement which led to a theatrical role in Melrose Place. With unrelenting dedication, Roxy began guest starring on shows like Beverly Hills 90210. Her unique, raspy voice was perfect for many of the authoritative roles, and Roxy found she was casted for these characters more and more often.

Roxy’s strong, confident voice brought equally authoritative roles, regardless of her contrasting mild demeanor. As a child, Roxy was fairly sheltered, and her life experiences limited, which she felt hindered her confidence. In her everyday life, Roxy struggled to show anger or rage, but acting soon brought her out of her shell, and the self-assured woman she portrayed on screen began to transcend her personality as she grew into her voice.

Roxy initially found inspiration in such film actors as Meryl Streep.  Although for now, the small screen is her home, she is keeping all doors open to whatever opportunities come her way. Despite her late discovery of passion, Roxy has grown to embrace every aspect of her acting career while developing her identity along the way. She now embodies an additional character—the talented, poised and successful Roxy Brusso.

Paul Fisher created The Network 2 ½  years ago, with two altruistic goals:

To bring together hundreds of small agencies around the world and using his expertise to manage them and make them a force to be reckoned with. Up until now, the local agencies find the stars and then the NYC agencies snap them up, and the local agencies lose out completely. With The Network, Fisher aims to fix this and in the process create the largest agency in the world.

His other goal is to empower models to take control of their careers and lead healthier lives.

On “Remodeled”, cameras follow him during the course of his business as he visits struggling Network companies across the U.S. and turns them around and makes them part of a bigger, more powerful entity.

On “Remodeled” we also see Fisher discovering new talent, and lauching their careers as he lands them huge modeling jobs, all the while setting them on the right path and educating them so they have a happy, healthy career as a model and learn to give back to the world.

Most recently “Remodeled” visited South Bay’s own Blaze Modelz modeling agency as an episode on the show, as Paul Fisher took it on as his only LA agency in The Network. Watch for our upcoming article and interview featuring Stephanie Blasé.

Paul Fisher is also leading the charge, and getting fashion writers, celebrities, and public health advocates worldwide, to speak out against the destructive ideal of models extremely thin bodies that has dominated the beauty industry for decades. Fisher notes that this is giving young girls the wrong example that they are not the “ideal”, and therefore are becoming anorexic and adapting unhealthy eating habits and more.

The Network promotes this blossoming new ideal of using “the average-size woman” as models. Until now, there has been no collective, industry-wide effort to transform how the modeling business identifies and promotes top talent. There has been no one vehicle for unifying the major players so that their concerns – and more importantly, their solutions – can be heard and implemented, that is, until Paul Fisher stepped up.

Star of "Remodeled" Paul Fisher

Paul Fisher

Paul Fisher has created more stars than any other agent in the history of the modeling industry.  Paul started an agency in his studio apartment with a $10,000 investment from his grandfather and built one of the most powerful modeling agencies in the world who’s client list was a who’s-who in the fashion industry.  Paul has represented such clients as Naomi Campbell, Carole Alt, Carre Otis, Stephanie Seymour, Kimora Lee Simmons, Brooke Burke, Nicky Hilton, Eva Horizigova and hundreds of other famous names. Over the past quarter-century, Fisher’s world-renowned clients have graced thousands of magazine covers, headlined shows for every major fashion house in the world, been nominated for an Academy Award and currently serve as the First Lady of a European country.

For more info and video clips on the CW’s “Remodeled” please visit www.cwtv.com/shows/remodeled.

The Network” website offers many helpful tools, resources and information. Go to www.TheNetworkTalent.com for more information.

Watch our video interview with both Paul Fisher and Stefanie Blase here…

Click here to view the embedded video.

Kendra Wilkinson and Hank Baskett offer their views and thoughts with “THE DOCTORS” to dispel some of the most common sex myths. In this clip, Hank reveals whether sex is allowed in his pre-game ritual. Tune-in for tomorrow’s episode of the Emmy Award-winning syndicated talk show THE DOCTORS.Kendra shares her “Love Candy” romance kit with the co-hosts of “The Doctors.” Watch to also find out which gender needs more foreplay as THE DOCTORS hook a couple up to brain sensors to monitor who gets aroused the quickest! Watch this sneak peak from tomorrow’s show.

Photos and clips are Courtesy of CBS Television Distribution / Stage 29 Productions LLC

(From L to R) Dr. Andrew Ordon, Kendra Wilkinson, Hank Baskett, Dr. Lisa Masterson, Dr. Travis Stork on set of “The Doctors”

(From L to R) Kendra Wilkinson, Hank Baskett, Dr. Lisa Masterson on set of “The Doctors”

 Dr. Andrew Ordon is part of the RoxSpa Aesthetics Plastic Surgury practice in Beverly Hills, with Dr. Jay Calvert.

Once again it’s Academy Award time. The sparkling Kodak Theatre will again play host to Hollywood’s most influential, talented, and glamorous people. We look forward to seeing the lovely ladies in their designer gowns, and we depend on Angelina Jolie to wear the bes
and least. This year’s event, the 84^th, is particularly fraught with ghosts, most sadly that of Whitney Houston, but in a lighter vein that of Marilyn Monroe, played by nominee Michelle Williams in My Week With Marilyn. Viola Davis in The Help reminds us of the Civil Rights struggles of the sixties, and Meryl Streep re-enacts the reign of Margaret Thatcher in the UK during the eighties. Perhaps the most notable ghost is the Eastman Kodak company, the now-bankrupt sponsor of the Kodak Theatre.

Watching the Sunday evening show on TV we’ll see daring gowns, plenty of skin, sexiness, and talent on display, and the golden glow of those little statues as they are doled out to the winners. We’ll hear Billy Crystal crack jokes and Tina Fey present, so there will be plenty of laughs on Hollywood’s biggest night. But for now, let’s step back in time to the original star, to the magic symbiosis of sex and danger that makes for major movies, and to the first power couple’s marriage followed by the almost inevitable front-page scandal. Let’s look at the ghosts of fallen stars.

Broadway–the Great White Way–and later Hollywood–began in Albany, New York on June 3, 1861. That night the audience at the Green Street theater gasped as Adah Isaacs Menken catapulted to the theatrical heavens on the back of a wild steed. Mazeppa, a drama in which she played a freedom fighting prince, brought Adah instant super-stardom. On opening night, savvy impresario John Smith placed his money on the curvy, violet-eyed beauty whose scandalous personal life kept the popular, two-penny newspapers in copy. Born into poverty in New Orleans in 1835, part-Black, Jewish, and Irish, Adah in her mid-twenties had gone through three husbands, with two more to go. Her latest marriage to boxing champ John Heenan, America’s first great sports hero, proved a disaster. The glamorous couple divorced, a highly public spectacle that dominated the media of its day: the tabloids, the telegraph (Twitter equivalent), and newly invented photography.

In court, Heenan called his ex-wife “the most dangerous woman in the world,” from which we borrowed the title of our biography, A Dangerous Woman. Adah Menken was on her way to becoming the most desired woman in the world. In her cross-dressing, or rather undressing, role in Mazeppa, she appeared stark naked to the audience, though she wore a sheer, pink bodystocking. Captured by the enemy, Adah was tied to a horse and sent up the ramps of a four-story stage mountain to perish in the wilds. The nudity was an illusion–similarly, a model was painted nude in a 2012 Superbowl ad–but the danger of death from an accident was real. Fort Sumter had fallen to the Confederacy, the Civil War was on, and troops North and South pinned photos of Adah, the more bare the better, to their tent poles or knapsacks. Adah, The Naked lady, was admired across the lines. The Love Goddess in time of war was born, a role later played by Betty Grable during WW II and Marilyn Monroe during the Cold War.

Adah Isaacs Menken

Adah’s audacity caused the puritanical Horace Greeley, publisher of the influential Tribune and presidential hopeful, to fume. His paper refused to carry advertisements for contraceptives and virility aids, and now Greeley blasted Menken for daring to bare her body in public. He was equally outraged that she usurped the role of a male warrior, and in the battle scenes soundly whipped her opponents. Sounds like certain presidential candidates today, who are against birth control and women in combat. American prudery dies hard.

Predictably, there was no such thing as bad publicity. In the midst of the war, Adah toured the country by train and steamship, packing theaters from Broadway to Gold Rush California and cities in-between, sometimes to the sound of canon fire from the front. Adah’s manager Ed James, editor on The Clipper, the Variety of its time, called the first known theatrical press conference. His fellow journalists gaped at the beauty whose star quality struck them like a bolt of lightning. That she bobbed her hair, smoked cigarillos, and wore pants in public made for great copy. In San Francisco, cub reporter Sam Clemens (later Mark Twain) compared Adah’s effect on the populace to a constellation of stars flaming out of the heavens, which he dubbed “the Great Bare.” Thanks, Sam, for the name of our website: TheGreatBare.com

From “the frenzy of ‘Frisco,” Adah steamed across two oceans to become the darling of Victorian London and the toast of Imperial Paris. Mazeppa packed the theaters, and afterwards Adah’s soirees were attended by her friends and lovers, including aristocrats, artists and actors successful and hungry, Dickens, Tennyson, Swinburne, George Sand, Alexandre Dumas pere, and defeated Confederate generals and spies. The French Emperor Napoleon III tried but failed to seduce Adah, but her affair with Dumas caused an international scandal when intimate photos of the pair were widely distributed. In Paris La Menken lived high and performed higher, and at one performance the inevitable happened: horse and rider fell from grace.

In August 1868 Adah, thirty-three, lay dying in a modest Left Bank hotel. She had literally thrown away her money to the poor in the streets. A crowd at a nearby theatre demanded to see the latest Naked Lady show. At Adah’s bedside Henry Longfellow wrote her a last love poem. A Jewish rabbi attended her, and Adah, barely conscious, was able to follow the Hebrew prayers. Dumas, the old Musketeer, on hearing that Adah had passed away, remarked, “Poor girl, why was she not her own friend?”

We may ask the same question about Adah’s spiritual descendants, such as Jean Harlow, Marilyn Monroe, Princess Diana, and Whitney Houston. Beautiful women, talented superstars, each was her own worst enemy. They performed brilliantly, the world worshipped them, they lived on Cloud Celebrity until, too soon, they came crashing to earth. Harlow, witty and curvy like Adah, is a classic case of the Falling Star. Her successful movie career–in contrast to an unhappy personal life—ended at twenty-six. Adah’s parallels with Marilyn Monroe are uncanny, especially the orphaned quality, a hidden past, self-education and serious dramatic ambition succumbing to typecasting and the making of money for others. At Fox under Darryl Zanuck, Marilyn was supposed to play Adah in one of the “pink tights” movies. It never came off (pun intended).

Adah Menken lives on in many ways. Her roles and poses and spirit were captured in incandescent images by Napoleon Sarony, the first star photographer in the infancy of the craft. Here we find Adah at her most dramatic, or in a bodystocking, most provocative. The Naked Lady anticipated the “less is more” of models and celebrities on today’s magazine covers. And there have been stars playing Menken in the movies: Sophia Loren played a character based closely on Adah in Heller In Pink Tights, George Cukor’s only Western. Adah’s many admirers included Arthur Conan Doyle, and the character of Irene Adler in the recent Sherlock Holmes is another Adah Menken knock-off. “To Holmes,” says Dr. Watson, “she was always the woman.”

To the Falling Stars, we paraphrase Whitney Houston’s iconic line: We will always love you.

Authors Michael and Barbara Foster

About Michael & Barbara Foster
Michael Foster is a historian, novelist and biographer, acclaimed by the New York Times. He earned his Master of Fine Arts from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. A Dangerous Woman is his fifth book. Barbara Foster is an associate professor of women’s studies at City University of New York. www.thegreatbare.com

LA’s The Place was invited to the OWN offices in Los Angeles to join a discussion with Suze Orman, where she discussed many aspects of the financial climate we are facing today and tips to survive it. Suze Orman has had a show on the Oprah Winfrey Network called “America’s Money Class with Suze Orman”.

Stay tuned for Part two…

Jenny McCarthy and Carmen Electra talk about their show biz careers, ex’s and future plans at the Svedka Vodka Anti-Valentine’s Day Party. Jeremy Piven, Adrian Curry and others joined them at Agency in Hollywood iso their future ex’s.

To drink to your “Future Ex”

1 oz. SVEDKA Clementine
1oz. Elderflower Liqueur
1/2oz. Cranberry Juice
1.5oz. Sparkling Wine or Champagne

Preparation:
Mix all ingredients except Sparkling Wine in a pint glass and shake. Double strain. Add Sparkling Wine.

Glassware
Martini Glass or ice filled Rocks Glass or ice filled Collins Glass

LA’s the Place

His skill and passion for real estate led Altman to own and run his own mortgage company, eventually becoming one of the top earning real estate agents with the famous luxury firm Hilton & Hyland Real Estate. He shares the secrets of his success with LA’s The Place.

LA’s The Place:  Good morning and thanks for speaking with me and LA’s the Place Magazine.

Josh Altman:  Absolutely, thanks for having me on.

LATP:  First of all, congratulations on becoming one of the stars of last season’s Million Dollar Listing, which has turned into an enormous hit on Bravo. For those who haven’t seen Million Dollar Listing, how would you describe what you do?

JA:  So, they follow around three high-end realtors and kind of follow the high-end real estate market as well as, obviously, our personal lives in Los Angeles. There’s one realtor in Malibu and there’s two of us in the Beverly Hills area. It’s just giving the audience the day to day of what it takes to get these deals done

Even on our show there’s only so much that you see; a deal is never easy, especially these days with the economy the way that it is you really have to think outside the box when it comes to selling homes. You’ve got to be creative, you’ve got to be 24/7, you’ve got to hustle. It’s not what it used to be, as far as selling homes. So they really get into our lives and see the day to day of what goes into closing these enormous deals. Everyone around the world loves looking at nice houses because everybody likes to dream, and that’s something you get to do through our show. You get access to homes that, you know, most people just won’t get access to and wouldn’t ever walk through. I mean, I wouldn’t either if I wasn’t a real estate agent, so it’s nice for people to be able to see all that.

LATP:  Speaking of the difficulties in working in this market, I hear that you’re projecting a 100 million for 2012 and have already gotten almost a quarter of the way there, including the biggest sale of a condo in Santa Monica, ever, at 10.5 million dollars. That’s amazing at a time when so many others don’t seem to know what to do with this housing market; what are you doing that they aren’t?

JA:  So obviously, living in Beverly Hills and dealing with this type of money is going to put me in a different category from somebody selling homes in, say, Alabama. At the same time, everything is exactly the same except for prices, which are obviously different. As far as personal goals, we sold over 60 million last year, 100 is our goal this year. That (Santa Monica) sale was an incredible sale, it was one of the most beautiful apartments I’ve ever seen. It was about 8,000 square feet with an 8,000 square foot rooftop deck, which is unheard of, a 360 degree view of not just the mountains but also the Hollywood hills. It was really just spectacular. As far as what I’m doing… I love what I do, so for me it’s not work. This is all fun for me and I have a great time doing it, I love real estate and being a part of fulfilling people’s dreams. Owning a home is part of the American Dream and I get to be part of that ultimate experience with them. I work hard, I love what I do, I’m 24/7 and I’m very hard on myself in order to be an extremely hard worker. All of that comes into play.

I specialize in dealing with overseas money from Saudi Arabia, China, Russia, which in this economy right now, those are the people coming in and dropping some major cash on the housing market. So that’s something we’ve specialized our business into when dealing with high-end houses. The company that I work for is affiliated with Christie’s Great Estates; typically when you market a house you want to market it locally, but for these high end, 10, 20, even 50 million dollar houses, you have to market globally. Chances are that the person coming in to spend 40 million dollars on a house is either one of 20 people in the this country or overseas money. That’s kind of become our niche in this market, but there are always deals out there.

For me, the way I look at is that America is on sale. Some people have to sell and if you’re in a buyer’s position, it’s an amazing time buy. There’s a lot of great properties for great prices, and if you can hold on to it for five years you’re going to make a profit on it. It’s just a matter of whether you can hold onto it or not. It’s another option besides the stock market, and I think a lot of people right now prefer the housing market to the stock market as a place to park your money.

LATP:  Speaking to what you just said, you definitely do have a reputation for being someone who’s, as you said, constantly going, 24/7 and is always available to clients and new business. To me, that speaks of someone who really enjoys what he does. Is that accurate? What’s your favorite aspect of being a real estate agent?

JA: Easily, my single favorite thing is selling a home or representing a buyer and seeing the smile on their face when people get the home of their dreams. That’s priceless, that’s the payoff every time. Commission checks are great and all, but at the end of the day not only do you get to be part of the experience, but because you’re a part of it you become friends for life with these people. You know, I’m completely hooked up in the Los Angeles area, my connections are second to none. The reason is that the most important people in your phone are your family members and your real estate agent. It’s really funny how that works, but just being a part of that whole process you get to meet people you would never normally meet and you get to become lifelong friends with them. That’s the most rewarding part of real estate for me.

LATP:  I can see why. On a slightly different note; I read that you graduated from Syracuse and were a kicker on the football team there. How does the world of competitive sports compare to the world of high-end real estate?

JA: Actually, that’s a great question which I’ve never gotten before, so good for you for asking it! I was a place kicker which can be the king of the hill in one second or you can be the dope. It’s a tough position and because of that you learn to have ice water in your veins. You can’t get nervous, you can’t break down in situations. The way that it applies to real estate is that you know there’s going be a lot of situations where you’re negotiating and you can’t back down and you gotta be strong. There’s going to be high pressure situations and we’re not talking about a couple of bucks here, we’re talking about people’s biggest investments in their lives. Millions and millions of dollars. You’ve got to be confident, got to know what you’re doing, you got to stand strong for what you believe the house is worth. And be ready to walk away if you’re not getting the price. That’s how I use it. It’s always about the pressure as a kicker, which I’m sure you saw this weekend in the football game.

LATP:  Yeah, that’s for sure. So as well as being a real estate agent, you also do speaking engagements on everything from finance to interior design. That last one catches my attention, I understand you learned interior designing from your mother. I’m curious, what would you describe as your interior design aesthetic?

Josh:  The speaking engagements are something that I do for fun to give back. I get a ton of emails from the TV show asking how I got to where I am, how do you become successful in real estate, how do you break into the high end market… All the aspects that I talk about come into play, which is everything from finance to interior design. A lot of times when I sell a house it’ll be an empty house that people may not live in anymore and it’s super important, which a lot of agents don’t realize, to make sure that house looks like a home when people walk through. The majority of people walking through a house are not able to see what the house looks like with furniture in it unless they have some kind of a design background or are used to seeing houses like that.

When it comes to staging a house, which is extremely important in helping to sell the house, you’ve got to do it the correct way to get those people who are interested and then turn that into sales. You know the whole design aspect, the whole flipping homes aspect which I absolutely love, I do that as a hobby. I was the guy at Home Depot who used to like playing with the tools just for the fun of it. I get a kick out of that. Even before I was in the business, I’d get a kick out of just driving around looking at homes. I love going to swap meets and finding different furniture, unique stuff. So all that has to come into play with how I do my business. I do love lecturing and I do that all around the country. If more people knew that and called me or checked out my website, I’d be more than happy to come to their company or speak at their conferences or anything like that.

LATP:  I read that you’re involved in a couple of charities; would you mind telling me a little about them?

JA:  Sure. We’re actually doing an event Saturday night for Habitat for Humanity, which helps build homes for people who need help and can’t afford houses. So that’s something that’s obviously close to me because I see it every day; I’m dealing with these larger homes, and by the way I do sell other homes as well, it doesn’t have to be a 10 million dollar house. I just closed an 800,000 dollar condo yesterday so I also deal with that. But it’s nice to give back and help out as much as I personally can. We’re doing a charity event at one of our listings where we’re going to try to raise as much money as possible to give to Habitat for Humanity, so that’s an important one. Along with other charities that I do deal with, that’s the one that has to do with real estate.

LATP:  Fantastic. Well, I think that just about wraps it up as far as my questions. Is there anything you’d like to address or anything you’d like to say to your fans who might be reading this article?

JA: I guess if they want to check out my website, www.thealtmanbrothers.com. Or follow me on Twitter at #TheJoshAltman.

LATP:  Well, thank you very much for your time.

JA:  Thanks so much, it was a pleasure talking to you.

By Ryan Castle

We know what you might be thinking. What exactly do all these individuals have in common?  They all share a passion for the preservation of Hollywood History.

A few of the artists on hand for the event took the 75-minute guide-led journey of Hollywood Behind-the-Scenes, revealing the story of Hollywood from its Golden Age to present day.  The tour is the only walking tour in Los Angeles and the only tour that uses a live state of the art adjustable audio system (by Williams Sound) that allows all patrons to hear the guide up to 300 feet, regardless of the surrounding noise.

“I was amazed at the clarity.  Despite the street noises, not to mention a rather boisterous group of demonstrators, I could hear every word the guide said on the tour,” remarked Romi Dames of “Hanna Montana.”

George Chakiris of West Side Story and Tony Hoover

While visiting Grauman’s Chinese Theatre the group took a slight side trip took to visit the nearby star of Ms. Kate Linder of “The Young & the Restless,” who had joined the tour. Practically born into the industry as Tabitha Stevens on “Bewitched” Erin Murphy commented, “I think that older patrons of the tour will find themselves either reliving great memories while the younger ones will be learning about an industry that has defined the last century. Those of us who are connected to the industry, walk away with a sense of pride in being part of it.”

The 2012-edition 3 ticket series of Red Line Tours entitled “The Icons of Hollywood” highlights three historically important structures representing music, stage and the silver screen – the Capitol Records building, Grauman’s Chinese Theatre and the Hollywood Bowl.  The tickets are good for admission to Hollywood Behind-the-Scenes and are anticipated to be a high quality collectible memento.

Stan Livingston, Barbara Van Orden, Dee Wallace, Sherrye Woodley, Rip Taylor, Barry Livingston, Judy Norton, Andre Miripolsky, Rose Marie, Mary McDonough, Michael Learned, Romi Dames, George Chakiris, Ruta Lee, Kate Linder, Don Most, Erin Murphy, Ilene Graff and Tony Hoover.

Special guests that attended the event included: George Chakiris, Romi Dames, Ilene Graff, Tippi Hedren, Kate Linder, Barry Livingston, Stan Livingston, Michael Learned, Ruta Lee, Rose Marie, Mary McDonough, Don Most, Erin Murphy, Judy Norton, Hugh O’Brian, Rip Taylor, Dee Wallace and Barbara Van Orden among others.

Red Line Tours Hollywood Behind the Scenes is undisputedly one of Hollywood’s most popular and enduring attractions and has become part of Hollywood’s modern history. Actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt used Red Line Tours Downtown LA tour to help prepare for his role in “500 Days of Summer,” and Clare Danes toured with founder Tony Hoover as part of a piece on her early days in theatre.

The Red Line Tour guides dispel myths and often reveal unknown behind the scenes stories, classic movie palaces, history of the Hollywood Sign, Walk of Fame lore… and Hollywood’s hidden hideaways of the Stars, while taking patrons inside venues generally restricted to the public. Even many native Angelinos may learn new tidbits about their own city such as:

Red line Tour Collectible Tickets

*  At which Theatre for which film was the first gala movie premiere?
-Robin Hood, 1922 at the Egyptian Theatre

*  Which Star on the walk of fame is the most sought after by tourists?
-Marilyn Monroe

*  Who saved the Hollywood Sign from destruction?
-Alice Cooper and Hugh M. Hefner

*  Who was the first female actress to demand $1 million for a film?
-Elizabeth Taylor for “Cleopatra” (An offer she made, and expecting to be declined, for a film she hadn’t wished to do at the time.)

*  Where was the first Academy Awards Held?
-The Roosevelt Hotel and they lasted 20 minutes.

Red Line Tours Founder, Tony Hoover, received a BFA from Ball State University and worked for the industry famous trade, The Hollywood Reporter, before putting his degree in and a passion for architecture to use in creating the Red Line Tours.

The Waltons meet My Three Sons: Judy Norton, Barry Livingston, Michael Learned, Stan Livingston and Mary McDonough

The artwork used for the collectible tickets are creations of Andre Miripolsky, who was on hand to sign the first editions on Thursday. His keen understanding of pop imagery and energy has resulted in collaborations with Elton John, Bette Midler, Quincy Jones, Rolling Stones, Gato Barbieri, Robin Williams, Beastie Boys, Cheap Trick, MTV and “The Tonight Show” with Jay Leno. An “Absolut Artist of the ’90s,” Miripolsky created his inaugural Absolut Vodka ad in 1991 and Mattel asked Miripolsky if he would lend his unique approach in creating a one-of-a-kind soon to be released “Art Barbie.” His commitment and participation in timely social and political causes is reflected in his artistic vision. He has collaborated with the United Nations Artist and Performers Against Apartheid Symposium, was commissioned by the Director’s Guild of America to create a new look for “The Artist’s Rights Foundation” (founded by Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, and Martin Scorsese), and he designed a limited-edition poster to raise funds for inner city youth of Chicago. Along the same lines, he has been working for several years with Pro-Peace, AIDS Project Los Angeles, and Artists for Disarmament.

Dee Wallace, Kate Linder, Andre Miripolsky, Erin Murphy and Romi Dames

Currently, negotiations are underway with the top theatre representatives in New York for a similar walking tour of Broadway’s most famous theatres.

For information about the tickets and tours, go to Red Line Tours.

Photos by Bill Dow

GBK dazzled the 69th Annual Golden Globe nominees and presenters once again before the big night with their always-luxurious Gift Lounge for the Golden Globes, held at the beautiful L’Ermatage Hotel in Beverly Hills. GBK, the recipient of multiple BizBash Awards for “Best Gift Bag,” presented to its private list of invited celebrities, VIPs, and media the opportunity to enjoy an elite environment with gifts, beauty services and hors’ d’oeuvres while tending to its charitable causes.

Janina Gavankar “True Blood,” Joe Mantegna “Criminal Minds”, Lauren Bowles “True Blood” Mayim Bialik “The Big Bang Theory”

GBK’s 2012 Golden Globes Lounge celebrity guests included nominees, presenters and guests such as  Callie Thorne “Necessary Roughness” (Best performance by an Actress in a TV series – Drama) Damian Lewis “Homeland” (Best performance by an Actor in a TV series – Drama). Ben Schwartz “Parks and Recreation” Betsy Brandt “Breaking Bad”, Janina Gavankar “True Blood,” Joe Mantegna “Criminal Minds”, Lauren Bowles “True Blood” Mayim Bialik “The Big Bang Theory” and many more…

Callie Thorne “Necessary Roughness” (Best performance by an Actress in a TV series - Drama) Damian Lewis “Homeland” (Best performance by an Actor in a TV series - Drama). Ben Schwartz “Parks and Recreation” Betsy Brandt “Breaking Bad”

“This season’s GBK Gift Lounge is filled with premium sponsors, supporting celebrities and a wealth of media which will once again support “good will“ while enjoying a true Hollywood experience. “GBK will be making a donation to Clinton Global Initiative for this event and a local education fund in FIJI,” says Gavin Keilly, CEO of GBK Productions.

Click here to view the embedded video.

GBK’s sponsors include a wide range of creative, luxurious and select companies who will share their products and accomplishments with industry taste makers and celebrities while giving back to a greater causes such as poverty and education.
Sponsors include:

Air Pacific  gifted a round trip ticket for two for all Nominees and Presenters to FIJI. They will be staying at one of the exclusive 5 Star Island Resorts, including: Yasawa Island Resort and Spa, Vomo Fiji Island Resort, or Tadrai Fiji Island Resort.

5Star Responder, by greatcall  is a first-of-its-kind wireless, portable device that is an easy, convenient, and affordable way to better protect yourself or those closest to you, at home or on the go. By simply pressing the button on the Responder, users are immediately connected to highly-trained Certified Response Agents who will identify them and their location, conference in family or friends, dispatch 9-1-1 emergency services, access a nurse, or provide any additional assistance, if needed.

The Artisan Group is an exclusive close-knit community of talented artisans, who showcase a broad spectrum of specialties, including handcrafted jewelry; spa and bath products; designer stationery and paper goods; crocheted apparel; children’s tutus, apparel and toys; ceramics; purses and totes; hand-poured candles; book binding and journals; illustrations and paintings; hand-dyed scarves; fine art photography; hair accessories; pet apparel and toys; and woodworking products. They collectively provide lovely samplings of their beautifully handcrafted products to celebrities and members of the press at major award show luxury Gift Lounges leading up to The Academy Awards*, The Golden Globes*, and The Primetime Emmys* All handcrafted jewelry, stationery, photography, art and other products. These are true artists that use their talent to bring magic to your everyday.

The Fresh Diet  Created by a Le Cordon Bleu Institute-trained chef, The Fresh Diet is fresh, gourmet meals and snacks delivered to you daily! They make watching your weight or losing weight effortless. Anl the time and money you save shopping and cooking is worth it. Try it yourself. No cooking, no prep, no dishes! That, is priceless in and of itself. The Fresh Diet gifted celebrities  free trials of premium healthy at-home meal delivery service, and they are all thrilled to try it.

GBK's Gavin Keilly and "Modern Family's Eric Stonestreet

Glymed Plus® Advanced Aesthetics gifted The GlyMed Plus FOR MEN Essentials Travel Kit & DNA Reset Face & Neck Cream, among others of her amazing line. For over 20 years, GlyMed Plus® has been a renowned leader in the skin care industry. Christine Heathman, Master Aesthetician, CEO and Founder of GlyMed Plus and the GlyMed Plus Institute of Skin Science™ has been practicing clinical esthetics for over 25 years and offers a complete range of Professional Only products, combining technologically advanced ingredients with certified organic botanicals to produce amazing results.

RevitaLash ADVANCED Newly formulated RevitaLash ADVANCED; eyelash conditioner that lengthens and thickens eyelashes. Introducing a new hair product; Hair by RevitaLash a conditioner that gives you thicker and fuller hair. Also RevitaLash Mascara and Perfect Primer that helps mascara adhere better to eyelashes and enhances eye color. RevitaLash works!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Centerville Pie Co.  A Centerville Pie Company signature Chicken Pie made with over a pound of chicken meat, covered in savory gravy & wrapped in a hand-rolled flaky crust. Centerville Pie Co. is a charitable organization that supplies jobs to women who are disabled.

Crizal® See Better, Look Better, Feel Better: Crizal No-Glare lenses are the market leader of No-Glare (Anti-Reflective) ophthalmic lenses. Celebrities received No-Glare Lenses Designer Sunglasses with Crizal SunShield™ No-Glare Lenses. Brands include Fendi, Prada, and Burberry.

Q Handmade   Custom gold and silver jewelry specializing in hand-stamped necklaces from jewelry designer and singer/songwriter Christine McCrudden. Click here to see her video  from the gift lounge.

Bread Basket Cake Company  served celebrities Chocolate fudge and French vanilla cream-filled dessert topped with a raspberry. The Bread Basket uses only the finest culinary products available, including fresh berries from local farms, pure Belgian chocolate, authentic French whipped cream, and top-shelf liquors. The created the beautiful Golden Globes-inspired cake which was on display in the center of the suite.

Gavin Keilly with Shallene Woodley

Ajinomoto North America, Inc. Glysom™  is a safe, effective, scientifically-proven and physician-distributed dietary supplement for deeper, sounder and more satisfying sleep without morning drowsiness that leaves you fully refreshed for the day ahead.

Cocopotamus Chocolate  Handmade Cocopotamus dark chocolate fudge truffles in different delicious flavors.

DNA Imprints   – A canvas print transformed from a celebrities DNA and married to stunning colors. Anyone can go to their website and find out how they can submit their DNA to turn it into art!

G Wear  Eclectic, hand-sewn, one of a kind woman’s tee shirts and scarves with design appliqués made from recycled tee shirt materials. Great fabrics, comfort and great designs!

Voskos Greek Yogurt – Award winning Greek yogurt presenting YoGreek which is a mix of delicious Voskos Greek yogurt & crunch!

TC Intimates upidintimates.com   Today’s shape wear for today’s activities, work, play or an evening out. Shaping that leaves you looking sleek, smooth and comfortable. Great brand.

Haan Therapeutics Latest innovation in Anti-Aging skin care: Romi Beauty gifted their new digital makeup product, and the results you get from this is simply incredibly flawless looking skin. With their Digital Foundation, an electronic foundation application system that mimics the stippling technique used by makeup artists to blend makeup into the skin but at a rate of 5,000 times per minute, it applies the foundation ampoule contains a primer, concealer, foundation and powder. Brilliant!

Glysom This year’s Golden Globes received the gift of sleep quality. Glysom™, the latest breakthrough in amino acid and sleep research and the first Japanese nutraceutical product to be showcased at the GBK Luxury Gift Lounge, in Beverly Hills, CA this past weekend. Allowing Hollywood’s dream makers to take full advantage of their precious hours of rest each night, Glysom™ attracted nominees and presenters such as Elizabeth McGovern (Downton Abbey), Dot-Marie Jones (Glee), Chris McDonald (Harry’s Law), Shanola Hampton (Shameless) and Kristi Lauren (I Hate My Teenage Daughter).

Actress Morena Baccarin and Gavin Keilly

The Comphy Co.  The chosen favorite for micro-fiber bedding; by leading resorts, spas and celebrities nationwide. Especially important is that their sheets and pillow cases are dust-mite resistant!

Exclusive Sedan Service   Gifted a gift certificate worth $100 for chauffeured luxury ground transportation which can be used anywhere in the LA metro area.

Bota Box are premium, award winning wines in 3L box and 500ml tetra pack, convenient, portable and environmentally friendly packages.

Robert Graham  Presenting X Collection by Robert Graham, the newest men’s sportswear line by Robert Graham.

Macadamia Natural Oil   Stylish canteen shoulder bag containing Healing Oil Treatment, Deep Repair Masque, Rejuvenating Shampoo and Oil infused comb, all you need to quench your hair needs. You’ll find you get beautiful results, almost as if with this product, you’ve found the missing link!

Mojo Boost International Gentech Pharmaceutical  Mojo Boost & Mojo Chill – Gives you the energy you need to sustain, and the relaxation you need when it’s time to unwind. PhenTabz were gifted as well -  highly effective weight loss pills without the prescription =  fast, effective, safe weight loss.

NVEY ECO  A collection of high performance, long lasting pure organic makeup from Australia, formulated without the use of chemical ingredients such as petrochemicals or synthetic fragrances.

Hayari Parfums   First French Fragrance Floral Oriental for women by Hayari. The Hayari Couture collections of evening wear and wedding apparel created by designer Nabil Hayari are direct from Paris seen at the GBK Gifting Lounge for the 69th annual Golden Globes for the first time.  The gowns, each a “one-of-a-kind” piece handmade in the Paris Atelier were shown to guests like Callie Thorn, Elizabeth McGovern, Mirelle Enos, Cheryl Burke, Candace Cameron Bure, Cynthia, Lana Parnilla (who loved the black display gown) Sasha Piertse, Karina Smirnoff, Addai-Robinson, Erica Durance, Janine Gavankar and Jennifer Love-Hewitt, just to name a few.

Sandra Brooks Collection  Handcrafted one-of-a-kind gemstone and pearl jewelry for men and women, creating juxtapositions of organic elements and glitz, modern and traditional, casual and formal elegance.

Sparkling ICE  Naturally flavored sparkling mountain spring water, zero calories with essential vitamins and antioxidants.

Earths Berries   An environmentally friendly, organic cleaner that helps keep your whole home clean and safe.

eos Products  Highly moisturizing, delightfully packaged skin care products, including lip balms, hand lotions, body lotions, and shaving cream.

Tweezerman  Preview of the new Fashion Color Slant Tweezer – in Geranium (launching in May) and their beloved ProCurl Curler.

VIE® Magazine sets itself apart as a high-gloss publication focusing on human interest stories and celebrating the “people and places.”

Beyond The Rack is North America’s premier online shopping club, offering men and women top designer brand clothing, accessories, beauty, home décor and consumer electronics up to 70% off retail. Gifting clothing for men and women by some of Beyond the Rack’s great brands including Dex, Coupe, Triple 5 Soul, and My Tribe.

Adult Chocolate Milk is a premium, pour-and-serve vodka-based cocktail with a unique taste and retro-chic appeal that was launched in 2009 by busy moms and lifelong friends Tracy Reinhardt and Nikki Halbur.

AquaHydrate Purified and refreshing, AquaHydrate is uniquely fortified and engineered to replenish the body differently than traditional bottled water. Raised to an alkaline pH of 9+, and then fortified with electrolytes and minerals it is the water for people who know and can appreciate the difference. Gifted gift certificates for 1 year supply of their water.

GBK, formerly GBK Productions, is a luxury lifestyle gifting and special events company, specializing in entertainment marketing integration. Formed in 2000 by Gavin Keilly, the company’s Founder and CEO, GBK consists of five divisions: GBK Celebrity Gifting, GBK Special Events, GBK Weddings, GBK Charitable Consulting and GBK Marketing/Public Relations. Widely known in the entertainment industry for bringing that little extra something into the Gifting Lounge environment, GBK offers its clients a full range of marketing services.

Click here to view the embedded video.

For more information on Gavin B. Keilly (CEO), Carla Domen (VP) or GBK, please go to: www.GBKProductions.com.

Celebrities who attended the GBK gift lounge included:

    •    Ali Fedotowski “The Bachelorette,” “The Bachelor"

    •    Alicia Witt  "Friday Night Lights"

    •    Amanda Righetti  “The Mentalist” (Grace Van Pelt) 

    •    Angus T. Jones  “Two and a Half Men”

    •    Anthony Anderson  “Scream 4” (Dept. Perkins)

    •    Bailee Madison  “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark” (Sally), “Just Go with It”

    •    Barrett Foa  “NCIS: Los Angeles” (Eric Beal)

    •    Beau Willimon  “The Ides of March” (Best Screenplay - Motion Picture)

    •    Ben Schwartz   “Parks and Recreation” (Jean-Ralphio)

    •    Beth Riesgraf  “Leverage” (Parker)

    •    Betsy Brandt   “Breaking Bad” (Marie Schrader)

    •    BooBoo Stewart  “Twilight” movie series (Seth)

    •    Callie Thorne   “Necessary Roughness” (Best performance by an Actress in a TV series - Drama)

    •    Camille Grammar   "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills"

    •    Candace Cameron Bure   “Make It or Break It” (Summer Van Horne)

    •    Carly Craig   “Hall Pass” “Role Models” (Connie)

    •    Cheryl Burke   “Dancing with the Stars” (professional dancer)

    •    Chris McDonald   “Harry’s Law” (Tommy Jefferson)

    •    Chris Noth   "Sex and the City" "The Good Wife"

    •    Christopher Heyerdahl   “Twilight” movie series

    •    Connor Paolo   "Revenge" (Declan Porter)

    •    Cynthia Addai Robinson   “Spartacus: Vengeance” (Naevia), “Colombiana”

    •    Damian Lewis  “Homeland” (Best performance by an Actor in a TV series - Drama)

    •    Damian McGinty   “Glee” (show nominated for Best TV series - Comedy or Musical)

    •    David Banner   “Stomp the Yard 2: Homecoming”

    •    Dot-Marie Jones   “Glee” (show nominated for Best TV series - Comedy or Musical) 

    •    Eden Sher   “The Middle” (Sue Heck)

    •    Elizabeth McGovern  “Downton Abbey” (Best performance by anActress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV)

    •    Eric Stonestreet   “Modern Family” (Best performance by an Actor in a supporting role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture made for TV)

    •    Erica Durance   “Smallville” (Lois Lane)

    •    Gabriel Mann   "Revenge" (Nolan)

    •    Garrett Backstrom   “The Motel Life” (Jerry Lee)

    •    Helen McCrory   “Hugo” (Film nominated for Best Motion Picture-Drama)

    •    Hill Harper   “CSI: NY” (Dr. Sheldon Hawkes)

    •    India De Beaufort   “Jane by Design” (India)

    •    Iqbal Theba   “Glee” (show nominated for Best TV series - Comedy or Musical) (Principal Figgins)

    •    Janina Gavankar  “True Blood,” (Luna Garza)

    •    Jason Isaacs   “Abduction,” (Kevin), “Harry Potter” movie series

    •    Jason Olive   Tyler Perry’s “For Better Or Worse (Joseph)

    •    Jennifer Love Hewitt   “The Client List,” "Ghost Whisperer"

    •    Jennifer Carpenter   "Dexter"

    •    Jeremy Irons   “The Borgias” (Best performance by An Actor in a TV series - Drama)

    •    Jessica Parker Kennedy   “The Secret Circle” (Melissa Glaser)

    •    Jim Rash   “The Descendants” (Best Screenplay - Motion Picture)

    •    Joe Mantegna   “Criminal Minds” (David Rossi)

    •    Josh Sussman   “Glee” (show nominated for Best TV series - Comedy or Musical) (Jacob Ben Israel)

    •    Julie Benz   “A Gifted Man” (Christina), "No Ordinary Family”

    •    Karina Smirnoff  “Dancing with the Stars” (professional dancer)

    •    Kathryn Joosten   “Desperate Housewives”

    •    Katie Leclerc   ABC’s “Switched at Birth” (Daphne Vasquez)

    •    Kristi Lauren   “I Hate My Teenage Daughter” (Sophie)

    •    Lana Parrilla   “Once Upon a Time” (Evil Queen)

    •    Lauren Bowles   “True Blood” (Holly)

    •    Leslie David Baker   "The Office"

    •    Mark Feuerstein   "Royal Pains"

    •    Mayim Bialik   “The Big Bang Theory” (Amy Farrah Fowler)

    •    Melissa Rauch   “The Big Bang Theory”  (Bernadette)

    •    Mireille Enos   “The Killing” (Best performance by an Actress in a TV series - Drama)

    •    Morena Baccarin  “Homeland” (show nominated for Best TV series - Drama)

    •    Nat Faxon   “The Descendants” (Best Screenplay - Motion Picture)

    •    Natasha Henstridge  "The Secret Circle"

    •    Nick Wechsler  “Revenge” (Jack Porter)

    •    Pat O’Brien  “Fox Sports Radio” (host)

    •    Rachael Crow  "X-Factor"

    •    Raphael Sbarge  “Once Upon a Time” (Jiminy Cricket)

    •    Reno Wilson  “Mike and Molly” (Officer Carl McMillan)

    •     Reshma Shetty   “Royal Pains” (Divya Katdare)

    •    Rex Lee   “Suburgatory” (Mr. Wolfe), “Entourage” (Lloyd Lee)

    •    Rico Rodriguez    “Modern Family” (show nominated for Best TV series - Comedy or Musical) (Manny Delgado)

    •    RJ Mitte   “Breaking Bad” (Walter White Jr.)

    •    Samantha Harris   “Entertainment Tonight” (correspondent)

    •    Sarah Drew   “Grey’s Anatomy” (Dr. April Kepner)

    •    Sasha Pieterse   “Pretty Little Liars” (Alison)

    •    Shailene Woodley   “The Descendants” Best performance by an Actress in a motion picture)

    •    Shanola Hampton   “Shameless” (Veronica Fisher)

    •    Steven Yeun   “The Walking Dead” (Glenn)

    •    Thomas Gibson   “Criminal Minds” (Aaron Hotchner), “Dharma & Greg” (Greg)

    •    Thomas Jane   “Hung” (Best performance by an Actor in a TV series-Comedy or Musical)

    •    Tinsel Korey   “Twilight” movie series (Emily)

    •    Tony Denison   “The Closer” (Lt. Andy Flynn)

    •    Zach Woods   “The Office” (Gabe Lewis)

The Secret Room uses it’s celebrity influence to help charities and this event benefited this years charity of choice -  To Write Love On Her Arms . To Write Love on Her Arms is a non-profit movement dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury and suicide. TWLOHA exists to encourage, inform, inspire, and also to invest directly into treatment and recovery.

Many exciting brands were onhand and celebs delighted in the tradition of Secret Room to pamper them with great products and brands such as: (Click on the name to go to their website)

Spa De Soleil offers a wide range of organic skincare products, including Olive Essence, O2CH, Dermatouch Natural Skin Care, Hydra Mar, Pure Minerals Ant-Aging, Mineral from the Dead Sea, and more.  They provide products that are natural and paraben-free.

Sonas San Francisco demonstrated their signature reclaimed denim, high-end jeans made from rolls of fabric too small for major corporations to profit from buying.  Their unique patched jeans are handmade in their San Francisco and Los Angeles locations and embraces a green ideal of recycling and reusing, even donating 10% of their profits toward ending animal exploitation.  Sonas means “happiness” in Irish, and their business practice seems designed to reflect that philosophy.

The Raven Spa in Santa Monica features traditional Thai massage, bodywork and Healing Center. It is a part of El Leon Spa and features acupuncture, facials and more. Available for special events.

Dermaesthetics gifted a selection of their clinically proven skincare lines.  Using advanced scientific formulas and extensive testing, Dermaesthetics has some of the most effective toners, cleansers and skin treatments available.

Kelly Teegarden Organics This organic chemical-free line of skin care was created by a cancer survivor, Kelly Teegarden, so that there is a choice for people who don’t want to expose themselves to the cancer-causing chemicals in some commercial products.

Caribbean Living Magazine gifted celebrities a week in the Bahamas at one of their stunning properties!

Fullbar allowed sampling of their delicious product and also gifted several boxes.  The specially formulated snacks are designed to curb hunger and simulate a feeling of fullness after just one bar.  The all-natural Slendestra in them causes the release of  cholecystokinin in your digestive tract, making you fuller for longer.

Izzy and Ali Handbags – Vegan and animal cruelty free. The stars love these gorgeous, vibrant with stunning colors and quality hardware. No one could not tell they were vegan and not leather!

Collagen M.D. Advanced Connectibe Tissue Formula – Pharmaceutical Hydrolyzed Collagen enhanced with Hyaluronic Acid and Vitamins; Connectibve Tissue Anti-Aging Formula

Stephen James Luxury Organics presented their whole food bars, featuring an interesting combination of pre-sprouted and dehydrated flax, hazelnuts, dates and pecans.  A healthy, vegan alternative to candy bars, Luxury Organics also rate very low on the glycemic index.  Most important of all for a snack, they taste great as well.

Pet Head products are luxurious grooming products, trendy apparel and must-have accessories for hip hounds and pampered pooches.

Lotty Dotty showcased a truly one of a kind product with their take on apparel.  Lotty Dotty has developed an interactive T-shirt that allows one to change the look of the shirt by using 3D detachable pieces.  The idea sprang from developers’ Maya and Shevanne’s fond memories of playing with paper dolls as children.  Lotty Dotty T-shirts and handbags feature a paper-doll figure on the front of the product with a sewn-on Velcro bathing suit on which numerous Velcro-backed “outfits” can be attached and detached at will.  These mini-outfits are designed by clothing designers from all over the world.

Baby Hawk, otherwise known as the Cure for the Common Baby Carrier, provides customization unheard of in its competitors.  The soft structured baby carrier features triple padded straps, foam bottom strap and that rarest of qualities in a carrier, style. Baby Hawk was created by a mom and designed this baby carrier adopted from the  Mei Tai’s (Asian Baby Carriers) design, a Chinese-inspired idea that makes holding your little one on your front, back or hip as safe, as it is comfortable.

Bratt Decor had a beautiful display of upscale baby ‘house’ furniture designed for adults.

The Chia Co gifted a sample of its product, which they describe as nature’s superfood.  Chia is very high in the nutrients essential for a healthy diet including Omega 3, dietary fibre and protein as well as vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.  Grown and imported from Australia, chia seeds, bran and oil are gluten free wholegrains recommended by dieticians for everything from weight loss to managing diabetes.

Molar Muncher is a baby teether that helps the entire gum line.  Formed out of a single piece of FDA inspected silicone, the uniquely designed teether is intended to sooth teething at all stages while preventing nipple confusion and tooth displacement.  Made in the USA, the Molar Muncher is dishwasher safe and crafted without any crevices for germs to hide in.

Sprout made an appearance, as did Chica, the muppet star of the Sunny Side Up Show.  Offering toys, games and educational materials, Sprout interacted with celebrities and guests with a sincere enthusiasm that does credit to PBS and children’s programming.

NV – Hollywood’s Diet Pill! NV’s core formula is backed by two clinical studies that demonstrate its weight loss power. Their new weight-loss complex helps reshape your body and lose pounds and inches in just two weeks.

Mobile Photo Booth had set up what looked to be a permanent photo booth of the sort seen at malls and fairs, only to reveal that their booths are easily transported and available for rent.  An ideal way of adding a sense of nostalgic fun while capturing new memories on film, the booth was made available to attendees to enjoy.
www.mobilephotobooth.com

Mantra Ayurveda demonstrated their Ayurvedic solutions, which strive to source the purity and potency of nature’s offerings and enrich them with 5000 years old traditions. Mantra Ayurvedic Beauty Recipes are a range of Herbal products created from the purest herbs to cleanse and beautify. As opposed to other cosmetics, their products will not alter the structure and function of the skin. These herbal products are processed in combinations to form a range of world class beauty care products.

Vitamints Vitamin suppliment made easy. The mint-flavored chewable vitamins will guarantee you get your daily requirements and have fresh breath at the same time.

Hard Luck Candy Vodka staffed an entire bar for the enjoyment of celebrities and attendees, serving cocktails with their delicious new flavors of vodka.  There are many companies that make flavored vodkas, but very few that make them well.  Hard Luck Candy vodka is as true as its advertising; when they say it’s rootbeer vodka, it tastes like rootbeer.  Their 70 proof candy flavored vodka are available in four honestly delicious flavors: Red Fish, Root Beer Barrel, Orange Dream, and Lemon Drop.

Pure Pedi offers and exclusive foot treatment that combines exfoliating Alpha Hydroxy Acids with Lactic, Salicylic and Glycolic acids.  These compounds serve to remove dry and cracked heels, hard cracks and foot corns and calluses by acting as a foot peel.
The alpha hydroxy acid foot treatment, contains natural extracts of Aloe, Chamomile and Ginkgo Biloba, allows dry, cracked feet to naturally peel completely, eliminating hard and cracked heels and dry skin while helping to maintain the moisture levels of the skin in the long term.
www.purepedi.com

Nava Natural provided a demonstration and gift of some of their all natural skincare products.  Nava Natural Cosmetics has created a line with all natural ingredients from the Dead Sea, with no parabens or artificial colors.  Their exfoliating treatments help clean, repair and renew the skin while relieving stress and improving your general well-being.

SOY JOY gifted packs of 4 different delicious flavors. Combining soy with fruit, their pineapple, blueberry, strawberry and banana bars we enjoyed by everyone.

ShopNBC gifted their TYCOON for Brilliante® Platinum Embraced Eternity Band. Tycoon cut stones include 33 facets and reflect 30% more light than other cuts. Who needs diamonds when you have Brilliante®? Gorgeous!

Pink Lining – “Pink Lining is the international family lifestyle brand, famous for its signature ‘Yummy Mummy’ changing bag that aims to put the smile and design into practicality”

Cell Premium luxury skincare by Med Swiss Beauty, is the first, medical-cosmetic luxury Anti-Aging-skincare line from Switzerland. It‘s based on the Advanced Anti-Aging Complex by Dr. Harad Gerny, with active plant stem cells and hence a groundbreaking innovation that protects and regenerates stem cells of epidemics; with noticeable and visual results of rejuvenation of the skin.

Dolphin Organics – Natural and organic baby products that are vegan, hypoallergenic and free of parabens, sodium benzoate and all harsh chemicals.

Chick Boss Jewelry -  Made in Guatemala, every purchase from Chick Boss helps bridge the economic gap between young Guatemalans and their unskilled and illiterate parents.

Suave Professionals – Salon-quality hair care products

Elyon - The most Haute Esthetiques

Ogio – Golf accessories, backpacks, luggage – Ogio has it all.

Kemin - Inspired Molecular Solutions

Gro-Via is a organic cloth diaper baby system. Use organic fabrics for your precious baby.

Other sponsors included:

Colourburst original art, Cross the Road™, Home Spa Collection, Dr. Philip Bronner, My Face Cosmetics, Marie Todd, Inc, Nectave, Coca-cola, Spi-design, Mind to Body, Chef Stef Candy,  Poochkis, The Show 2009 cabernet, Emperia handbags, Wellnx, Paper cup design, Cliff bar, Kemin, Make Love Not Trash, Justin’s nut butter, Babo botanicals, Rosebud perfume, Hint water, The sugar diva, Aveyou beauty, Kind snacks, Pretzel chips
Toicastefan, Sydney candle, Norah marler, Cherry Blooms Australia, Dulcenea Lingerie, Travis Mathew, Baby Diego, Clos Du Bbois chardonnay, Guylian Belgian Chocolate truffles, Superberries, Kai fragrance, Aromanaturals.com, Beanitos, Phillips Brush, Opi, Specific Beauty, Nozin, Babo Botanicals, Chocolatines by Sweet Endeavours, Cheecha Puffs, Vivant skin care, Little Dudes Only, Toica Stefan, Bamboobies, Boobooloon Pet recovery collar, Lauren Nicole Gifts, Norah Marler, Luster premiun white, Wedge Works llc, Enchanting Quotes, Regalia Jewels, Superberries, Phillips Brush corporation, Skinnypop popcorn, Lulu, Kai, Naturally Lindy skin care, Nailiques, iSatori.

The 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards took place this past week in Hollywood, bringing together the worlds of TV and Film. Known worldwide for its glittering Golden Globe Awards ceremony held every January and its multi-million dollar donations to charity, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association had humble origins that stemmed solely from a group of journalists’ desire to efficiently and accurately cover all aspects of the world of entertainment.

Click here to see all the nominations and winners!

All eyes were on Hollywood for the 69th Golden Globe Awards and with those eyes come opportunities for many businesses.  HBO’s 10th annual Luxury Lounge at the Four Seasons Los Angeles in Beverly Hills was a perfect example of the blending of celebrity and branding with many of style’s leading names represented, such as sponsor L’Oréal Paris Beauty Suite and New Era Cap. Gifting suites allow businesses to garner much-needed exposure and endorsements from celebrities and media, while offering samples of their products to better acquaint consumers to their brand.

HBO’s Luxury Lounge was attended by Golden Globe-nominated television and film stars, who, along with media attendees enjoyed presentations from the following sponsors:

L’Oréal Paris was present with a grand fifteen foot-wide display station which celebrities signed for charity, and lived up to their grandiosity by gifting a selection of some of their newest beauty products, including Men’s Expert Vita Lift moisturizer and sunscreen.  They also offered numerous conditioners, anti-aging skin creams and Volumizing Fiber mascara.  Celebrities and nominees of the Golden Globes were pampered with manicures, hair and makeup in celebration of 40 years of L’Oréal’s “Because You’re Worth It” campaign. www.LorealParisUSA.com

New Era offered a choice of their many caps and jerseys at their gifting station.  Far more than just sports caps, New Era featured fedoras, hoodies, belts and shirts in a variety of sizes and styles, both for men and women. Celebs loved all the choices and delighted in their new gear. www.NewEraCap.com

Michael Antonio footwear ranged from highly functional to highly fantastical and it was all available for perusal, with an entire closet of sizes and styles on hand for gifting.  From wedges to platforms, whether boots or pumps, Michael Antonio’s staff showcased their fall, holiday and spring collections. www.MichaelAntonio.com

Boiron homeopathic medicines gifted a wide assortment of products, including safe and natural treatments for colds, sore throat, itchy eyes, coughs, burns, sleeplessness and much more.  The generous bag of medications included one of Boiron’s signature products, Oscillococcinum.  This homeopathic medicine has been shown to reduce the duration and intensity of the flu, is non-drowsy and has no side effects or drug interactions.  www.BoironUSA.com

Magaschoni gifted a multipurpose sweetheart cashmere scarf that could serve as a scarf, shawl or even sarong.  The representatives from Magaschoni demonstrated their high-quality clothing line and their philosophy that all women are beautiful and want the ability to comfortably exhibit their own unique style. www.Magaschoni.com

Andie McDowell and daughter Rainey Qualley, Miss Golden Globes 2012

Brahmin displayed their gorgeous line of luxury handbags and wallets, gifting many of their incredibly soft and well-crafted designs.  They offered a variety of colors and styles, including their new Vault Collection. www.Brahmin.com

Nautica demonstrated their most recent lines of swimsuits for men and women, including their new reversible bikini set.  The company representative explained the high standards that Nautica judges its apparel and accessories by, gifting a polo shirt, towel and reversible bathing suit to celebrities and media. www.Nautica.com

Basil Hayden was presented with flair and class; a bartender mixed various bourbon cocktails with Golden Globe-themed titles.  The gift of a 750ML bottle of Basil Hayden’s Super-Premium Bourbon was greatly appreciated after tasting the smooth, richly flavored liquor.  Presentation and performance went hand in hand at this fine bourbon’s station. www.facebook.com/BasilHaydens

Purity Vodka displayed their ultra-premium vodka in a beveled bottle almost as enticing as the liquid within.  Purity Vodka has won nine awards for its clear, smooth flavor and is currently the most celebrated in its category.  Distilled 34 times in a copper and gold still, master blender Thomas Kuutanen prides himself on using deionized water, natural mineral water and organic wheat products in distilling his high-end vodka.  Purity gifted 750ML bottles of its 2011 Vodka of the Year to attendees.

Gendarme Fragrance offered 2 ounce bottles of its crisp, fresh scented fragrance and lotion.  Made from lemon and lime, bergamot, lavender, and a hint of jasmine and lilac, there is nothing quite like it on the market. www.gendarme.com

Gamefly had a small but highly entertaining station, complete with video-game console and demos.  After explaining the benefits of renting games for the duration of your interest as opposed to buying them, the representative from Gamefly gifted a one-year, two-game subscription for their service, whereby two video-games could be rented at any given time for any duration desired within one year. www.GameFly.com

Mountain Gate Country Club is a private golf club located in the mountains above Santa Monica, recognized as one of the finest resort clubs in Southern California.  The club offered attendees golf and tennis memberships.

Many nominated stars that indulged included:

The Help’s Viola Davis (Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture-Drama), The Help’s Octavia Spencer (Best Performance by an Actress In A Supporting Role in a Motion Picture), 30 Rock’s Tina Fey (Best Performance by an Actress In A Television Series – Comedy Or Musical), The Guard’s Brendan Gleeson (Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Comedy Or Musical), Albert Nobbs Janet McTeer (Best Performance by an Actress In A Supporting Role in a Motion Picture), New Girl’s Hannah Simone (Best Television Series – Comedy Or Musical), Bridesmaids’ Wendy McLendon-Covey (Best Motion Picture – Comedy Or Musical), Glee’s Damian McGinty (Best Television Series – Comedy Or Musical), Games of Thrones’ Emilia Clarke and Lena Headey, (Best Television Series- Drama), Midnight in Paris’ Alison Pill and Corey Stoll (Best Motion Picture – Comedy Or Musical), The Help’s Brunson Green (Best Motion Picture- Drama), Enlightened’s Amy Hill (Best Television Series – Comedy or Musical), Cinema Verite’s Shari Springer Berman (Best Mini-Series Or Motion Picture Made For Television), Downtown Abbey’s Hugh Bonneville (Best Mini-Series Or Motion Picture Made for Television), Mildred Pierce’s Pamela Koffler, Christine Vachon and Ilene Landress (Best Mini-Series Or Motion Picture Made for Television), The Descendants’  Amara Miller and Nick Krause (Best Motion Picture-Drama), Moneyball’s Stan Chervin (Best Motion Picture-Drama), Boardwalk Empire’s Christopher McDonald and Tim Van Patten (Best Television Series- Drama), Modern Family’s Ariel Winter, Nolan Gould and Aubrey Anderson-Emmons (Best Television Series – Comedy Or Musical) The Artist’s Penelope Ann Miller (Best Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical), Cars 2’s Denise Ream and John Lasseter (Best Animated Feature Film), My Week With Marilyn Simon Curtis (Best Motion Picture – Comedy Or Musical).

Other celebrities attending the suite included: Jennifer Love Hewitt, Neil Patrick Harris, Andie MacDowell, Melissa RyCroft, Joe Manganiello, Janina Gavankar, Rutina Wesley, Todd Lowe, Chris Bauer, Adina Porter, Lauren Bowles and Lindsey Pulsipher, Katerina Graham, Michael Steger, Phoebe Tonkin, Anne Heche, Gregg Henry and Lennie James, Perry Reeves, Gilles Marini, Stana Katic, Kate Flannery, BooBoo Stewart, Sara Rue, Amanda Righetti, Melissa Rauch, Nina Garcia, Cassi Thompson, Evan Handler, Natalie Morales and Al Roker, Kevin Rahm, Shameless’ Shanola Hampton, Shar Jackson, Michael Cudlitz, Missi Pyle, Jim O’Heir, Austin Basis, Chuy Bravo,  Rainey MacDowell, Callie Thorne, James Tupper, Jason Isaacs, Joelle Carter, Louie C.K., Steve Yeun, Tom Payne,  Jeff Garlin and Kristen Quintrall.

The HBO® LUXURY LOUNGE®  is produced by Media Placement. www.mediaplacement.net

Music by J.D. Shultz

Watch for our videos from all these vendors very shortly!

Madonna, the original Material Girl, sits down to air her opinions about Lady Gaga, dating, marriage, and her illustrious career with Cynthia McFadden on ABC’s ’20/20′. When ABC News asked viewers to contribute questions for Cynthia McFadden’s interview with Madonna, the most popular request by far was that McFadden find out how the singer feels about Gaga.

Madonna Talks About Past Scandals

Madonna walks down memory lane, commenting on past photos, Madonna Slideshow.

Pop Icon Says She’s Just Like Everybody Else

She wears sweatpants and asks her boyfriend to rub her feet.

Madonna Defends Wallis Simpson

Talking about US born Wallis Simpson, the wife of Duke of Windsor, Madonna said the real Simpson was “deeply misunderstood.”

When McFadden pressed Madonna about her own experience with love, a central theme to the pop icon’s upcoming film, “W.E.,” which explores the relationship between commoner Wallis Simpson and Britain’s King Edward VIII, she revealed she wants a partner in life.

She also commented that were “certain things” she missed about being married, such as “being a part of a family unit” and “not having to make all the decisions on my own.”

“I don’t want to live my life on my own,” she said. “I love being a mother. My children fill me up in many ways, and inspire me in many ways, but I need a partner in my life and I think most people feel that way. I’ve never really lived a conventional life, so I think it’s quite foolish for me or anyone else to start thinking that I am going to start making conventional choices.”

Putting family first, one of the most important things Madonna said she looks for in a partner is someone whom her two biological children, Lourdes, 15, and Rocco, 11, and her two adopted children, David Banda and Mercy James, both 6, will respect.

“Someone who feels a connection with my children and respects the idea that they have to be a role model as well,” Madonna said. “It’s a lot to live up to.”

Madonna Politely Disses Lady Gaga Song

Lady Gaga’s song, “Born This Way” has an eerie resemblance to Madonna’s “Express Yourself” so of course, inquiring minds want to know how Madonna feels about it.

To Cynthia McFadden’s question, “Do you feel Lady Gaga is “copying” you?”, Madonna gave praise at first. She even called Gaga “a very talented artist” and said she admired her songwriting. But then she did acknowledge the similarities.

“I certainly think she references me a lot in her work. And sometimes I think it’s amusing and flattering and well done,” Madonna said.

To find out what Madonna thinks about the song, “Born this Way”, watch this clip:

Madonna on New Movie, Men and Super Bowl

Madonna’s current beau is 24-year-old French dancer Brahim Zaibat. To McFadden’s question of why she dates younger men, Madonna says, “I didn’t choose to, you know, I didn’t, like, write down on a piece of paper I’m now going to have a relationship with a younger man. That’s just what happened. You see, that’s the romantic in me. I just met someone that I cared for, and this happened to be his age.”

Madonna: Many Hats, One Star

Find out how Madonna balances it all from being a filmmaker, to a going on new tour, to raising four children. Madonna talks about her creative process being her upcoming Super Bowl performance. She also affirms Lourdes as her fashion consultant.

These excerpts and video clips are from ABC News’ exclusive interview with Madonna which aired Friday, January 13, 2012 on the ABC Television Network on “Nightline” (Thursday, 11:35 pm ET) and “Good Morning America” (Friday, 7:00 – 9:00 am ET) and “20/20” (Friday, 10:00 – 11:00 pm ET) on the ABC Television Network.

Snooki has recently been on the talk show circuit as a guest on Jay Leno, Ellen, Conan O’Brien and Wendy Williams, discussing her second book, Confessions of a Guidette and to promote her new app, Snookify Me!.

Snooki shared with LA’s The Place her thoughts on the shows success, her book, new app and some tidbits about what’s in store for the upcoming season.

The Season 5 premiere of Jersey Shore airs Thursday, January 5 on MTV.

LA’s The Place:    Hi Nicole, thank you for speaking with us here at LA’s the Place today.  Congratulations on the ongoing success of Jersey Shore. Your 5th season, premiering this Thursday, January 5^th,  is coming off a hugely successful 4^th season.  I understand the premiere was MTV’s most watched premiere ever, with 10.5 million viewers and 118 million viewers overall, smashing all TV records as the most watched show in TV history!

Snooki:    We’re definitely very, very excited about the success of the show.  The first season of the show, we didn’t really know where we were going to go.  The fact that we’re doing season after season, and it’s great ratings for MTV and for us.  We’re very, very happy and our fans are great, so we’re excited for the new season.

LATP:    I also understand it’s ranked as TV’s number one series among viewers 12-34.

Snooki:   Oh wow, that’s awesome!  I didn’t even know that.

LATP:    Yeah, that’s monumental.  I want to ask you, Nicole, what has been the best part of all of this for you?

Snooki:    I would probably say the opportunities.  Because I’ve always wanted to have, you know, my own products and my own line, for the fact that I have books out already, my tanning lotion, my Snookify Me! app, my slippers and just everything coming out.  I mean, that’s probably the most rewarding, and obviously when you have so many fans that support you, that’s just awesome.  It’s a great feeling.

LATP:  That’s wonderful, and it’s obviously due to your fun and vivacious personality.  I understand that you’re excited about this app, Snookify Me!  It looks so fun… can you tell us a little about it?

Snooki:   Well, the Snookify Me! app is kind of a way for everybody to look like me and it’s fun.  So you take a picture on your phone and then you can put my poof on you, make yourself more tanner like me, put my outfits on you, my accessories and then you can upload it to Twitter or Facebook.  A lot of my fans tweet it to me and put it on my fan page, so I get to see everybody’s that’s been Snookified.  It’s guys, girls, dogs, cats, it’s babies and grandpas and grandmas.  So anybody can pretty much Snookify themselves.  It’s just a really fun app.  To Snookify people you wouldn’t normally see looking like me, it’s so funny.

LATP:    I saw you on Conan O’Brien and Wendy Williams talking about it… it was hilarious seeing them get Snookify’d!.  I understand that if people download your app they’re going to be entered into a contest to attend one of your VIP parties?

Snooki:    Exactly.  Yes, I definitely like to do contests where I can meet my fans because I like to have that experience hanging out.  If I were a fan and I got to meet one of my big people, I would go crazy, so the fact that I get to do that for my fans, it’s really great and I love meeting them.  You know,  just to do that and also have them get to know my products and love them.  You know, not to be more like me, but I guess using the stuff that I use and the fact that it’s my own product is pretty cool.

LATP:    Ok, great.  So, Nicole, we look forward to seeing the continuing adventures of Jersey Shore.  Are there any tidbits you’d like to share about what what’s in store this coming season?

Snooki:    Well, pretty much just leaving Italy, going back to where it all started, at the Jersey Shore.  So you’re going to see us very excited to be back home and obviously there’s going to be a lot of drama, like always, but also a lot of laughs and a lot of fun.  We’re just very excited to have another season going on.

LATP:    Absolutely.  Can you tell us a little bit about what your second book is about?

Snooki:    My second book is out right now, called Confessions of a Guidette.  It’s kind of like a guideline, how to be like me, but also my favorite things that I like to do in my spare time.  There’s 25 Things You Don’t Know About Me, there’s a lot of pictures of me meeting celebrities, a lot of pictures of my personal friends, my family and my pets.  It’s kind of a book about the life that some people don’t normally get to see.

LATP:    It sounds like a lot of fun.  Well, Nicole, I personally want to thank you for entertaining us for all these years. I wish you a very Happy New Year!

Snooki:    Thank you so much, you too.

App can be found at www.snookiapps.com and is available in both Apple ITunes Store and Google Android Marketplace.

Snookify’d people and pets (and statue!):

More:

What inspired you to create “Snookify Me!”?

“I love being able to provide my fans with products that both they and I love.  About a year ago, I realized that I needed a “Snooki” App.  After lots of hard with Apps Genius, we created the best app ever, “Snookify Me!”  It’s so much fun to see all my fans posting Snookifications of themselves everywhere.  I love the fact that I can share my “poof” with everyone and they can call look like me.”

How involved were you in the designing of “Snookify Me!”

“My one concern when having an app that bears my name was that I actually got to have a large part in the design of it.  I don’t slap my name on products that I don’t think are the best.  I worked really hard with the geeks (I mean developers) at Apps Genius’ office and I am so happy with the app, “Snookify Me!” I even came up with the name.

My app has the best animal print clothing items ever…

“Snookify Me!” has become part of my daily life.  I just Snookified Gianni the other day, but I can’t show anyone that one because the dress did not cover everything, but he did look great in my boobs.

Snookify Me!” is a great way for hardcore Jersey Shore fans to interact with each other and express their love for the show…I Snookify Deena all the time…I think she needs to poof and boob it up more often.

We just launched a weekly contest.  To enter the contest, download the app at Snookiapps.com for either your iPhone or Android…if you don’t have one of those phones, its time to upgrade, this is 2012 – c’mon people!! And Snookify anything you want.  I even Snookified our Xmas tree this year.  Once you create it, click on the “Upload to Gallery” button.  I look at these every day, and it really makes me so happy that my fans are loving my app.  Every week I will choose a winner and send the winner a little “thank you” gift.”

Future Apps:

“I had so much fun creating “Snookify Me!” that I already started designing my next app with Apps Genius.  I can’t give you major details now, but I cantell you that I have listened to my fans over the years and they are going to love this so much.”

As founder of the Katalyst Career Group, Doulton is known for her no-nonsense style and impressive list of Fortune 500 clients. And with over 15 years of industry experience, including in-house positions at Yahoo Media Group, DreamWorks, Doulton has been an executive recruitment resource for a wide range of industries including digital media, entertainment, fashion and music.

She knows how the career game is played and her sharp tongue makes it clear that she isn’t shy about voicing her opinion – whether critiquing a resume or trying to place the next great CEO, Wendy Doulton follows her gut when it comes to satisfying her clients. Her keen eye for talent has led to associations with some of America’s best known brands including The Gap, Sony, Amazon, Old Navy and Hulu. And although some may describe Dalton’s tactics as unique, her results are unquestionably successful.

“The Headhuntress” is executive produced by Roy Bank, Ron Ward and Tracey Trench for Merv Griffin Entertainment.

Bravo is a program service of NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment, a division of NBCUniversal, one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Bravo has been an NBCUniversal cable network since December 2002 and was the first television service dedicated to film and the performing arts when it launched in December 1980.

For more information, visit www.BravoTV.com. Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/BravoPR.

Jamie Harris, who was recently seen in the role of Pop Eye in “The Green Hornet“,  and can be seen currently in “Return To The Planet of The Apes” sat down with LA’s The Place host Brittany Reimann to talk about his upcoming projects, his inspiration behind his acting, and what life is like growing up the son of world-renowned actor, Richard Harris.

The British actor made his debut in the United States at the esteemed Manhattan Theatre club, when he played the leading role in Patrick Marber‘s stage play “Dealer’s Choice” in 1997. Jamie won a Drama Logue award for his performance in “Dealer’s Choice”, as well as the hearts of many stateside fans.

Since then, Harris has continued to work with prestigious theatre companies, and made the smooth transition to film with his first role opposite Daniel Day Lewis, in “The Name of the Father“, directed by Jim Sheridan.

After “The Name of the Father“, he has continued his success in film, and worked with may of the top directors and actors in Hollywood, including Jim Carrey and Meryl Streep (“Lemony Snicket’s: A Series of Unfortunate Events“), Collin Ferrel (“The New World“),  Danny Houston (“The Kreutzer Sonata“), Seth Rogen, Cameron Diaz, and Christophe Waltz (“The Green Hornet“).

Audiences will next see Harris playing Roy, in “Caesar: Rise of the Apes“, directed by Rupert Wyatt for FOX Studios. The film will be debuting in theaters August 5th, with James Franco and Frieda Pinto.

Harris continues  his busy schedule  in 2011 playing a leading role in “Mr.Nice“, directed by Bernard Rose, with Ryan Ifans, Chloe Sevigny, and David Thewlis, and just finished filming his third film with Bernard Rose, “Two Jacks“, with Sienna Miller, Danny Houston, Jack Houston, and Jacqueline Bisset.

Along with theatre and film projects, he has completed writing his first screen play, titled “Down Dog”, which will be directed by Ash Baron-Cohen.