Our Family Wedding

Ugly Betty may have been given the chop but it looks like America Ferrera�s career is set to run and run. She is starring in a new film called Our Family Wedding which demonstrates how planning a wedding can be a traumatic as well as a joyful occasion. America plays Lucia Ramirez who is getting hitched to Marcus Boyd played by Lance Gross who is her college sweetheart. The two are madly in love and cannot wait to spend the rest of their lives together and moreover they are really looking forward introducing their families to each other. The problem is that their fathers, Brad Boyd played by Forest Whitaker and Miguel Ramirez played by Carlos Mencia have met before during an altercation over a parking incident which left both men very pissed off. So needless to say the introduction dinner goes down like a leaded balloon. From then on the lead up to the wedding is very stormy with both fathers bickering all the way through the plans of the wedding. The Ramirez want a Mexican style wedding while the Boyds are determined to place an African American slant on things. The arguments, mishaps and drama all plays its hand in a very charming and funny film and I cannot wait to see it. The film is directed by Rick Famuyiwa who brought us the delightful film called The Wood which was also a wedding based drama starring Taye Diggs, Omar Epps and Richard T. Jones. However his most famous work is Brown Sugar which starred Sanaa Lathan and Taye Diggs. What can I say, the man has that magical gift of shooting a film that makes it look like magic which very few directors have. Nora Ephron has it as well as Steven Spielberg and now Rick Famuyiwa does.

Our Family Wedding hits the UK on 14th May.

The Intern

Breaking into magazines is not at all easy and before you can even think about clinching a cushy career as an editor many many hours as an intern must be put in. Ah the intern, a lowly underpaid and over worked wannabe journalist who has recently become the source of fascination for reality shows such as Running in Heels and The Fashionista Diaries. While I was feng shuing my home and organising my film collection a few months back I came across a film that was made back in 2000 that featured the shallow world of glossy magazines. The Intern is the story of Jocelyn Bennett played by Dominique Swain who is fresh out of college and lands a role as an intern at uber cool fashion magazine, Skirt which is based in New York. She finds herself surrounded by the most self centred, crazy and egotist people on earth and performing the most minor of duties. However there is a jewel in the crown in the shape of art director, Paul Rochester played by Ben Pullen. When a spy begins to hand over Skirt's fashion spreads and story ideas to rival Vogue, Jocelyn sets out to nail them.

The Intern is a total send up of the fashion magazine world with fantastic sub zero one liners and bitchy antics. Screenwriters Carolyn Doyle and Jill Kopelman, both former magazine interns themselves display their knowledge of the intricacies of magazine life. More excitingly, The Intern features cameos by a whole range of top notch fashionistas such as Diane von Furstenberg, Tommy Hilfiger, Elizabeth Saltzman, Kenneth Cole, Andre Leon Talley, Kevyn Aucoin and Gwyneth Paltrow. I think this film is a total undiscovered gem and I get the impression that this is what Ugly Betty would have been like if it had been released a few years earlier. The Intern and Ugly Betty both share the same humour and campiness plus neither of them take themselves too seriously. If you are fascinated by the workings of magazines then you will find this film a lot of fun to watch.

Picture taken from dominiqueswain.org.

Made in NYC

One of the charms of the film Wall Street was the way it featured the heartbeat of Manhattan and how exciting life is in the Big Apple. I admit I am a sucker for films and shows based on NYC. Carrie Bradshaw told Miranda in our beloved Sex and the City that she was having a love affair with the city. Who can blame the gal; with it's funky boutiques, wonderful galleries, great restaurants and superb nightlife along with it's vibrant and diverse neighbourhoods - New York may be small but it certainly packs a punch. It also looks great on the eye so it is no surprise that the most famous city in the world has been featured in thousands of films and TV shows. The Mayor�s Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting was founded in 1966 and this kicked off an explosion of productions made in NYC. There are classic films such as the ones made by Woody Allen and Martin Scorcese and TV shows like Seinfeld and Spin City and I have listed the ones that have made an impact on me.

Films

Sex and the City: The Movie
Last year everyone went agog over the much aniticipated release of the S&TC film. Scenes wee shot at Bryant Park when the quartet attend Fashion Week, Park Avenue where Charlotte resides with Harry and Lilly, Fifth Avenue at Carrie and Big's swish new penthouse, Deklab Avenue in Brooklyn where Miranda lived with Steve, Lower East Side where she moved to after their break up and of course Central Park.

The Devil Wears Prada
This film was one of the most glamorous of recent times and showed the drama of working on one of the glossiest magazines around. It featured areas such as the Lower East Side where our protagonist, Andrea Sachs lived, the Tribeca where she hanged out with her fella and pals and the Upper East Side where boss from hell, Miranda Priestly lived.

Working Girl
Melanie Griffiths stars as Tess McGill in a rags to riches story based in the boardroom. The film is shot in locations such as Staten Island where she lived and Bowling Green where she worked.

You've Got Mail
Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan reunite to play two star crossed lovers who communicate by email in the Big Apple. This film showed a really romantic look of the city with a 40s vibe that is very care free. Scenes took place primarily on the Upper West Side where both characters lived and also where their rival bookstores were based.

An Affair to Remember
Deborah Kerr and Cary Grant play star crossed lover in this classic film. It will always be synonymous with the Empire State Building where the two lovers were supposed to meet till tragedy hit. An Affair to Remember also inspired the hit film, Sleepless in Seattle.

Breakfast at Tiffany's
One of my favourite movies of all the time. Never mind the dialogue, I just loved watching the scenery and the fashion. This is the film that put the ever so glamorous store Tiffany's on the map. Interesting to find out that while most of the outside shots were filmed in Manhattan, a lot of the inside ones were filmed in Hollywood.

Other films that made an impression are Spike Lee's films such Do The Right Thing, Mo Better Blues and Crooklyn that gave a great insight into Brooklyn. Also Ghost, Desperately Seeking Susan, Confessions of a Shopaholic, It Could Happen to You, 10 Ways to Lose a Guy, Cruel Intentions, Cruel Intentions, What Women Want and As Good As it Gets focused on certain areas in Manhattan.

TV Shows

Gossip Girl
As well as the frolics from the upper classes, Gossip Girl shows off the lushness of the Upper East Side, Fifth Avenue and Central Park where Serena, Blair and co inhabit. However, it gives us an insight into the funkiness of Williamsburg in Brooklyn where all the hipsters such as Vanessa, Dan and Jenny live.

Sex and the City
S&TC creator, Darren Star often said that New York was the fifth character in the show and I don't think he could have put it better. The four women have NYC as their playground and the show concentrates on areas such as the Meatpacking District where Samantha's retro pad is and Upper West Side where Miranda's single ladies apartment is. The Upper East Side is important to the show as that is not only where Charlotte and Carrie have their apartments but it is alsowhere Jimmy Choo, Manola Blahnik and lavish department store, Barneys are based.

Ugly Betty
Often dubbed the TV version of The Devil Wears Prada but Ugly Betty is much more than that. Since it burst onto our scenes two years sgo, Ugly Betty has become a global success and won many prestigious awards. It is hard to believe but the first two seasons of this popular series were filmed in LA. Only the pilot was made in NYC.

Lipstick Jungle
Three women take on NYC juggling high powered careers, families while wearing stilettos. Scenes are filmed in 501 Broadway, Rockland Lake State Park and Nyack Beach State Park.

Friends
Ok I admit it, I am cheating a bit here as Friends was filmed on sets in LA and NYC was only used for outside shots of the apartment block that Monica, Rachel, Chandler and Joey lived in. However Paramount really do a fantastic replica of Manhattan with the fabulous apartments and the cool coffee shop set in Greenwich Village.

Will and Grace
I was not a huge fan of this show and I could not stand Grace but I loved the apartment she shared with Will. It really represented a true Manhattan loft because it was so wide and spacious. Like Friends this was filmed in LA but the exterior shots were all NYC.

Other TV shows that come to mind are Cashmere Mafia, Law and Order and Spin City.

If you are interested in the production of films and TV in the Big Apple then you will love Made in NY which is a series of podcasts that hold walking tours of film and TV locations in NYC. So if you are in NYC and fancy checking out famous shooting scenes then all you need to do is download it onto your iPod and off you go. Whatever you do, don't forget the S&TC tour where you can see the locations from the series. Check out a fantastic review from Vex in the City.

So what are your favourite films and TV shows set in NYC and why?

It's a 'magazines' life

Working on a magazine is glamorous. Sorry, let me correct that; the idea of working on a magazine can appear to be glamorous. However throw in the low pay, job insecurity, tight deadlines and long hours not to mention being amongst volatile characters and the industry starts to lose it's appeal. The perks can be high though such as free entry to practically any event in the land and abroad as well free goodies landing on your desk each day. So it is no wonder that people are so fascinated by mag land which has culminated to the huge success of The Devil Wears Prada and Ugly Betty. The concept went one stage further with the introduction of a reality show called, The Paper where a bunch of college kids put together a student publication. Now we have Stylista, upon us where we join Elle's Fashion News Director, Anne Slowey on her search for an assistant.

Today saw the airing of Peaches: Disappear Here on MTV One, a documentary that followed Peaches Geldof while she edits a glossy magazine called, Disappear Here. The publication is supposed to reflect Ms Geldof herself in that it is edgy, arty, trendy and covers arts and pop culture. As well as a mentor in magazine supremo, James Brown who founded lads mag, Loaded, Peaches was granted with a team of six writers, designers and advertising execs. The comments leading up to the programme about Madame le Geldof have not been good. To be blunt she has been described as a monster and beastly by media aficionados. and there have been complaints about her arrogant manner to her team. For those who don't know, Peaches Geldof is the second daughter of Sir Bob Geldof (a rock artist but more famous for being the founder of Band Aid and Live Aid) and the late TV presenter Paula Yates. After the tragic death of her mother, the Geldof daughters have kept a very low profile till a few years back when Peaches began to be papped out and about at glittery events. She was granted a column in Elle Girl (read editor, Claire Irvin's hilarious article on Peaches here) and NYLON TV and became known for her outspoken views. So it was no surprise to anyone when she expressed a desire to be a journalist and pretty soon she was approached to present a variety of TV documentaries. However, along the way Peaches has managed to rub people up the wrong way and make a few enemies. There is also a notion that she has only been given these wonderful opportunities due to her name rather than her talent.

Therefore you would be right in saying that this documentary would be a perfect way for her to dispel all these theories and show what a talented journo she is if not a fantastic person. Sadly, Peaches fails on both counts. She is rude and disparaging to her staff directly and during her voice overs. I almost winch when I hear her comments when she is describing their abilities. Her professionalism leaves a lot to be desired as she decides to leave midway through production to go to the States for a festival. Her argument being that she is covering the event for another magazine. Right! Well in the magazine game timing is everything so it might have been a good idea to inform her editor about the impending documentary so he or she could ask someone else to cover it. It is all rather bizarre considering that the programme is produced by her Dad's production company. Peaches: Disappear Here is very entertaining and extremely well made and shows a knowledgeable and passionate magazine team who are keen to learn and I loved watching it. The show would just be so much better without Peaches in it.

The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants is the story of Carmen (America Ferrera), Bridget (Blake Lively), Lena (Alexis Bledel) and Tibby (Amber Tamblyn); four friends who have been together all their lives. Their mothers met at an ante-natal class when they were expecting them and the rest was history. Now at the age of 16 the girls are about to be separated for the first time in their lives and embark on their individual adventure. While shopping one day they buy a pair of jeans that magically fits the different shapes of all of them. The four girls make a pact that they will stay in touch all summer by sending the pants to each other with a note. For the athletic and zestful, Bridget this means soccer camp in Mexico where a cute coach catches her eye. Lena, heads off to Greek to spend time with her grandparents, a talented artist she learns how to open herself up to love as well as her talent. Carmen flies to North Carolina to visit her estranged Father only to get more than she bargained for and rebellious Tibby fuels her boredom of being stuck at home by filming a documentary where she meets a person who will change her forever. The film follows these feisty four girls in the different locations and watches their rites of passage as they experience a summer they will never forget. The film is based on the very popular novel by Ann Brashares and excels where a lot of girly chummy films fails. It does not matter what age you are, you will love it. The lead actresses are all delightful and have amazing chemistry together.

The Author
Ann Brashares spent several years working as an Editor for a publisher where she describes her role as pulling books apart. This experience taught her a lot about what made a great book and she used this valuable information to craft her first novel. The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants was published in 2001 and became an international bestseller. Since then she has written three other titles, The Second Summer of the Sisterhood, Girl in Pants: The Third Summer of the Sisterhood and Forever in Blue: The Fourth Summer of the Sisterhood. The fourth one is planned for release January next year and Ann is also thinking about writing a fifth title which will be the last in the series.

The Screenplay Writer
Delia Ephron is the sister of the great Nora Ephron who produced iconic rom coms such as When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle, You�ve Got Mail and Bewitched. Delia is no slouch herself and actually wrote the scripts for Sleepless in Seattle, You�ve Got Mail and Bewitched. Together the Ephron sisters have made a massive mark in Hollywood particularly where the romantic comedy market is concerned which is due to their style that is warm and endearing and uplifting. Delia provides her own light and wispy touch to this film which is so reminiscent of movies in the 40s.

The Actresses
These actresses have gone on to make huge names for themselves on the small screen. America Ferrera, we all know simply as Ugly Betty and there is Blake Lively who is now starring as Serena van der Woodsen in the ultra glossy, Gossip Girl. Amber Tambyln appeared in The Grudge 2 but is best know for her role in Joan of Arcadia and Alexis Bledel is currently in the Gilmore Girls. I am really looking forward to seeing the sequel when it is released next year.

Watch out for director, Ken Kwapis whose next film is He�s Just Not Into You, which is based on the popular book.

The Fashionista Diaries

I have just finished watching the first episode of what I reckon will be the show of the year; The Fashionista Diaries. This fly on the show reality series is a combo of The Apprentice and Ugly Betty. Set in the Big Apple, The Fashionista Diaries follows six twentysomethings trying to make their mark in the ultra competitive world of fashion. Each one of them is placed as a lowly assistant at a prestigious company where they try to land a job. There is Andrew and Rachel who are placed at Jane magazine, a plucky publication for real women. Rachel, 22 from New York is a complete mag hag and knows Jane from back to front and has lots of enthusiasm and initiative. Her colleague Andrew, 24 from Philadelphia is a pretty boy who relishes being the only male in the group of females but unfortunately his confidence does not match his talents. Andrew seems to lack the savviness that it takes to make it in the magazine world; in their meeting with Editor-in-Chief, Brandon Holley both Rachel and Andrew are asked for their opinions on Jane. While Rachel wows Brandon with her knowledge on the brand, Andrew not only admits his ignorance about the publication but commits a faux pau by saying that his favourite mag is GQ. Not good!!

Across the city in the ditzy world of fashion PR, Nicole and Bridget have been placed at Seventh House PR a prestigious company that represents celebrities and fashion designers. Seventh House PR is also the land of the pretty as Nicole finds out very quickly when she is subjected to a public dressing down from director, Mandie Erickson for committing the crime of wearing flip flops to work. Now I would never wear flip flops to work but I really wish that Mandie had taken Nicole to one side and spoken to her about her attire instead of humiliating her like that. Now lets talk about Nicole, at 27 she is the eldest of the pack but to me she acts a lot younger. She just seems to lack so much confidence, unlike all the others she does not have a background in fashion as she was on her way to becoming a psychologist. Nothing wrong with that at all and actually very commendable, except that she keeps going on and on about it and lamenting about her lack of experience. That and the fact that she is from Queens. Sometimes you wish she'd just get over it. Her colleague, Bridget, 25 from Pittsburgh is as different from her as you can imagine, she oozes confidence bordering on arrogance. Bridget is full of catty remarks and put downs and seems to be on her way to becoming the villain of the show. Well that is unless Mandie beats her to it. Frankly, Mandie's unprofessionalism astonishes me, it was clearly not enough for her to humiliate Nicole on her first day but she also decided to badmouth her to Bridget when Nicole did a no show at the end of the programme. Shamesless!

However there are some endearing characters like Kathleen Pierce, the Vice President of Global Communications who own Flirt Cosmetics. She is talented, tough when she needs to be but very tactful when she deals with people. Kathleen's assistants are the no-nonsense Janjay and the outspoken Tina who are poles apart in personality and appearances. Janjay, 22 from Brooklyn is the quiet unassuming grafter whose determined confidence earns her the respect of her peers while Tina is a giggly 24 year old from Long Island who says it like it is. Interesting combo but one that is heading for a showdown very soon. This show is fantastic and totally compulsive viewing. I watched it online on Sunday and I already need another fix. If you are a fan of Project Runway or Project Catwalk then you will love this.

The Fashionista Diaries airs on Wednesday on Soapnet at 9pm, you can watch it online or download it from iTunes. By the way the breaking news is that Jane magazine has folded so Rachel and Andrew will be moved over to CosmoGirl and the magazine's demise will be documented. It should make very interesting viewing and as they say, 'The revolution will be accessorized.'

Thin Is In

I think it is safe to say that Ugly Betty will be one of the most hyped TV shows of the year. As well as TV adverts, reviews in newspapers and magazines, we were treated to images of the adorable Betty on the cover (front and back) on the Friday issue of The London Paper.'Well I am pleased to say that the show lived up to the hype and 'Ugly Betty' is now the new 'must-see' show. Who needs Desperate Housewives when we have a protagonist who is smart, sharp and sweet. This show is the TV version of The Devil Wears Prada but without the makeover. Set in the image and size obsessed offices of Mode magazine, the bible of the fashion industry, Betty sticks out like a sore thumb with her thick glasses (I can identify with those massive frames), braces, chubby frame and unfashionable clothes. However, our Betty has her sights set on working for Meade Publishing and she shows a lot of verve when she goes for an interview at the company. Despite being fobbed off by the jerk from HR she is undetered and sets out to prove her worth. Lucky for her, Bradford Meade, founder of the company spots her and she is offered the role as assistant to the Editor. As nepotism has it the Editor of Mode magazine is in fact Daniel Meade, son of Bradford who is a total womaniser but completly hapless when it comes to magazines or any kind of work. I don't think it takes a genius to work out that Betty is far from ugly and as soon as she whips off those glasses and braces you will see how totally gorgeous she is. Still the show is compelling to watch and America Ferrera is amazing as Betty. I saw her in a film she made a few years ago called, Real Women Have Curves and she was real class. Vanessa Williams is scarily convincing as the evil, Whilhelmina Slater and it is wonderful to see former 'Neighbours' and 'The OC' star, Alan Dale playing Bradford. If you were a fan of the film, 'The Devil Wears Prada' (not the book as that was lousy) then you will totally love 'Ugly Betty.'

On the subject of looks last night I was watching a programme on Living TV about skinny celebrities and the trend to be ultra thin. Since the whole size Zero thing blew up last autumn during London Fashion Week, skinny celebrities have seldom been out of the news. I am a size 10 and when I look at myself in the mirror I think I look great but could do with a bit of padding out, so someone who is a size eight must be tiny so what does that say about ladies who are a size six or below? You have to be very ill to even be anywhere near a size Zero which in the UK translation is a size FOUR!! How can anyone in their right mind think that looks good? I think Nicole Ritchie and Victoria Beckham look awful. Now we have this scary trend of these websites that are set up to celebrate being super skinny (I won't name them for obvious reasons) but they act as a community for young women whose aim is to be thin as hell and endorse methods such as anorexia and bulmina. This issue was featured on the BBC last Friday and as not eating is a secretive thing anyway, these websites make these women feel like they are part of an exclusive club. It is frightening and if I had a daughter or a little sister I would be petrified. The only thing we can do is to encourage women to love themselves and have a healthy body image.Picture from Ugly Betty website. The fact is that a majority of the successful fashion designers are male and they design for young boys not women and god forbid women with curves. So take this scenario you are a 17 year old model who is a size 10 and you put on a dress that you cannot get over your hips, tell me that is not going to give you a complex. So what do you do? You try and lose weight. Then there are the women's magazines whose main aim is to make you feel bad about yourself so you can buy into the products they advertise. What makes me sick and is that all of the women's magazines in the UK are edited by women yet they enforce this myth about being skinny by featuring thin and gauntless models.