ROYALS Royal Wedding

Today the engagement of Prince William to Kate Middleton was announced, ending years of speculation.

The two became engaged while on holiday in Kenya.

In a touching gesture, Kate's engagement ring is a sapphire and diamond ring once owned by William's mother, the late Diana, Princess of Wales. It was "my way of making sure my mother didn't miss out on today and the excitement", said William.

The wedding will take place in in London in either spring or summer. Will it be the event that the wedding Prince William's parents, Charles and Diana's was? Probably not, but I'm sure the world will be captivated anyway. For Britain it will be a celebration like they haven't seen in years, probably not since the wedding of Charles and Diana, and I suspect the wave of euphoria will last all the way through the Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee and the 2012 Olympics in London. But most of all it will give the monarchy some much needed rejuvenation.

MISC Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! I'd like to start off this blog by apologizing to my faithful readers (all two of you!) for being so neglectful lately.

Truth be told, life has been extremely busy for me lately. I know everyone's is, but I'm at a real crossroads in my life. In two months I will have completed my undergrad in English Rhetoric and Lit. I'm moving to Toronto for at ten month interim before I (hopefully) move to London, England to do my MA in Life Writing at King's College. I've got three weeks left at a job I have spent nearly eight years working at, which works out to be nearly one third of my life! I'm also getting ready to say goodbye to favourite profs, my hairdresser and trainer. They really have become family, and I'll miss them terribly. I'm not so upset about being hours away from friends. I know I'll see them. But it's the other people in my life, the ones that you promise to keep in touch with, and try as you might, it just doesn't happen. At least there's Facebook, right?

All of that sounds like I don't do well with change. That's not true. I love change and I think it's essential for growth. I'm excited about apartment hunting and cultivating a spot that is just my own. I'm excited about finding a job, meeting new friends and reconnecting with old ones, and living in an incredibly vibrant city where there is always something going on. I've already got tickets for my first event as a Toronto resident: "An Evening with Stephen Sondheim" at the Princess of Wales Theatre. Sounds fun, right?

I've had two incredible Thanksgiving dinners this weekend, and a third tonight. This afternoon I plan on curling up with some of my favourite Christmas movies. I'll be in Europe over Christmas this year, and won't get a chance to watch my favourites. Or maybe with all these changes I do need some tradition in my life...

-Andrew Jon-

OLD HOLLYWOOD Olivia de Havilland Awarded France's Legion of Honour

Yesterday Hollywood legend--and one of my all-time favourites--Olivia de Havilland, 94, was made a Knight of the Legion of Honour at an investiture by French President Nicolas Sarkozy at the Elysee Palace in Paris.


"[Y]ou honour France for having chosen us," Sarkozy told de Havilland, who was born in Japan to British parents but has long made Paris her home.

He also acknowledged de Havilland's hand in changing the studio system when in the 1940s she fought against roles that she felt were beneath her talents as an actress.


"You are a rebel because you are the only one who dared file a suit against the studios to defend the liberty of actors," Sarkozy said. "You won. It's exceptional."


British born actress Jacqueline Bisset was also awarded the Legion of Honour at yesterday's ceremony.

CELEBS Gaga Does Japanese Men's Vogue

At this point I don't know whether to applaud Gaga for still getting us talking about her outrageous fashion choices, or be annoyed with her for still getting us talking about her outrageous fashion choices...

Well, she's at it again, this time on the cover of the Japanese edition of Men's Vogue wearing what has been described as a meat bikini. Not surprisingly, Peta is already up in arms over the whole thing. (They're about as predictable as the predictability of Gaga's unpredictable attire.) I don't doubt Gaga's authenticity. She truly seems to live through her art, whether it's her music or her costumes. However, how much longer can she continue topping herself? There's something to be said for allowing her talent to shine through and be centre stage... For every epic video like 'Thriller' that Michael Jackson made, there was also a 'Man in the Mirror'. He was a showman, but he also understood simplicity.

At this point you know what I think would be really shocking? Seeing Gaga in jeans and a T-shirt...

MUSIC 'Miss Me' by Drake f. Lil Wayne

This is easily my favourite song of the moment. Drake has been enjoying great success with his debut album, Thank Me Later, released back in June. It's been great watching his meteoric rise to fame as we're both the same age and good Canadian boys. I look forward to evolving and growing in my craft as he does in his...

THEATRE "The Tempest" starring Christopher Plummer

This past weekend I was fortunate enough to attend The Tempest starring Christopher Plummer at the Festival Theatre in Stratford, Ontario. As its run is quickly drawing to a close (the last performance is this Sunday), it has already been long reviewed by such distinguished critics in such venerable publications as Charles Isherwood in the New York Times. I would, however, like to reiterate that this production, by Des McAnuff, is a complete feast for all of the senses. Rarely have I seen such a beautifully articulated production. From the costumes, to the interpretation of these familiar characters, The Tempest serves as a reminder of why Stratford has gained its world renowned reputation.


The Tempest, Shakespeare's great play about the usurped duke of Milan, has often been a swan song for many great actors of the stage. However, Christopher Plummer, never one to adhere to what others have done, has vowed that his Prospero on stage will not be his last; he has no intentions of retiring from the profession he loves. Indeed he will reprise his Tony award winning performance from 1997, the title role in Barrymore, the two man play about another great Shakespearean actor, John Barrymore, at the Elgin Theatre in Toronto for thirty performances. I can't wait.

MUSIC 'Crossfire' by Brandon Flowers

I'm absolutely in love with 'Crossfire,' the first single from The Killers' frontman Brandon Flowers' debut album, Flamingo, due out this month. He doesn't break any new ground here, but it's great nonetheless.

BOOKS Fall Biography Picks

Life writing has always been my favourite literary genre which is probably why I aspire to go to grad school in London for that very subject. The whole process intrigues me and equally as interesting is how some biographies can be wholly captivating that bring to life their subjects while some can be absolute disasters. Four out of five of these books are biographies while the fifth is an autobiography. All four biographies are of often chronicled subjects (well, perhaps with the exception of Hedy Lamarr), and all four are by authors of good repute. The lone autobiography is by Dame Judi Dench. She requires not an introduction nor an endorsement by me. She's just plain amazing. After all, there's nothing like a dame!

1. Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff

Ever since I saw Elizabeth Taylor's Cleopatra when I was a mere nine years old I have been enamoured by the story of the Ancient Egyptian queen, the last ruler of the powerful Ptolemaic dynasty. As it turns out, Cleopatra VII wasn't the seductress her detractors painted her as. (So much of what we know about her has been filtered through the biased lens of her Roman enemies.)

Now, from Pulitzer Prize winning biographer Stacy Schiff comes Cleopatra: A Life. So far reviewers through Amazon's Vine Program have been mediocre. Not surprisingly they have taken issue with the fact that this book offers no substantial new information. Is this really surprising? As I alluded to, there is so little information known about Cleopatra's life, and it's almost entirely from Plutarch's books on Caesar and Antony from his famous Lives biographical series.

I'm interested to see how it stacks up to the Cleopatra books by Joyce Tyldesley and Duane W. Roller. I bought both of them for a paper I wrote on Cleopatra for my Shakespeare class. I found the former insanely readable while the second I put down after a few pages. In my--and the author's--defense, I really got all I needed from the Tyldesley book. Perhaps that will also be the case with the Schiff book. Little, Brown and Company. November 1.

2. Frank: The Voice by James Kaplan

While I've never been much of a fan of Frank Sinatra, I do love a good biography and Old Blue Eyes did live quite the life. While The Voice doesn't cover his entire life, its 800 pages does appear to be an exhaustive look at the years from 1915-1954. (The second volume, which looks at his last 44 years will be released later.)

Sinatra has been chronicled by countless biographers from Kitty Kelley to J. Randy Taraborrelli. This book details Sinatra's meteoric rise to fame, his ebbs and tides in popularity and his comeback with the 1954 classic film, From Here to Eternity, which garnered him an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. Doubleday. November 2.

3. Beautiful: The Life of Hedy Lamarr by Stephen Michael Shearer

This summer one of the books I read was Hedy Lamarr: The Most Beautiful Woman in Film by Ruth Barton. I found her critiques on Lamarr's films to be definitive, but Hedy Lamarr herself remained elusive. Barton acknowledged that the Hollywood legend is shrouded in myth, primarily due to the somewhat fictitious story weaved by the ghostwriters and presented as truth in her notorious 1960s autobiography, Ecstasy and Me.

Now it's Stephen Michael Shearer's turn with Beautiful: The Life of Hedy Lamarr to see if he can't do any better. His book is substantially longer (480 pages to Barton's 312). Time will tell if Shearer is able to achieve what Barton was largely unable to. Thomas Dunne. September 28.

4. Possessed: The Life of Joan Crawford by Donald Spoto

Donald Spoto's biographies have ranged from excellent (Rebel: The Life and Legend of James Dean and Marilyn Monroe: The Biography are considered by some to be definitive accounts of their respective subjects) to the disappointing (High Society: The Life of Grace Kelley). Spoto next turns his attention to another oft written about Hollywood superstar: Joan Crawford.

For years Crawford's legend has been damaged by her daughter Christina Crawford's notorious memoir, Mommie Dearest--and perhaps even more so by the film it spawned of the same name starring Faye Dunaway--which Spoto hopes to rescue her from in Possessed: The Life of Joan Crawford. Harper Collins. November 2.

5. And Furthermore by Judi Dench
Dame Judi Dench is one of the world's preeminent actors of both stage and screen. Seen most recently on screen in the musical Nine (2009) and onstage in A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Rose Theatre, Kingston (2010) she alternates between both. And Furthermore, "however, [is] much more than a career record. Her marriage (Michael Williams died in 2001), their daughter, and her impish sense of humour contribute vividly to her account of more than half a century as Britain's best-loved actress." Weidenfeld & Nicolson. October 14.

MUSIC 'Teenage Dream' by Katy Perry

Katy Perry may have had the distinction of 'California Gurls,' the first single off her sophmore album Teenage Dream being unofficially heralded as the song of the summer. But now that we're all long sick of that one, she has released the album's second single, also called 'Teenage Dream.' I love it and its equally charming video. It's perfect as we say goodbye to summer.

MOVIES That Time Of The Year Again: TIFF!

Here in Canada you never know what the last few weeks of summer will bring. In this past week alone has been both incredibly hot and bone chillingly cold. But no matter the weather, I know my September will kick off the same way: With frustration at the Toronto International Film Festival's inferior ticketing system.

The web site invariably crashes every year with the incredible demand of the public onsale. Last year it took me three hours to get my ticket to the gala premiere of Precious at the Roy Thomson Hall. To be honest, the frustration is starting to become part of the charm of the whole thing. Almost.

This year, after four hours of refreshing, I finally got tickets to my two desired screenings: the French film Potiche starring Catherine Deneuve, and Brighton Rock starring Helen Mirren.



I haven't been able to locate a trailer for Brighton Rock, the second film adaptation of Graham Greene's 1938 novel of the same name. (The original was released in 1947 and starred Richard Attenborough.)

More so than the actual films themselves I am looking forward to catching glimpses of Catherine Deneuve and Helen Mirren. I almost hate to admit it, but I always choose the galas I go to based on the stars who will be attending rather than the film themselves. Both of these events are the same night, meaning I am going to have to dash over to the Elgin Theatre from the Roy Thomson Hall, missing the ending of Potiche in order to catch a glimpse of Mirren. As frantic as it all sounds, this year's megawatt star power means I am guaranteed not to be disappointed.

MUSIC 'Fuck You' by Cee-Lo

This song is infectious and will be huge, I promise you that.

OLD HOLLYWOOD 'Raintree County' (1957)

Last night, as part of their Summer Under the Stars festival, Turner Classic Movies aired the 1957 MGM epic, Raintree County, starring Montgomery Clift, Elizabeth Taylor, and Eva Marie Saint. The film was planned as sort of a successor to Gone with the Wind, which brought about its downfall.

In trying to mimic Gone with the Wind's sweep and grandeur, especially in regards to its running time, Raintree County collapses under its own self-importance; the first hour of the film, mainly devoted to John Shawnessey, drags by languidly. Even Clift, who is almost always excellent, couldn't save this portion of the film after nearly dying in a car accident while descending the hairpin turns after a dinner party at Taylor's home. (Like many films, the backstage story of Raintree County is as, if not more, interesting than anything appearing on the screen. Taylor was on the phone almost every night during filming talking with Mike Todd, the man who would become her third husband.) There is a subplot surrounding Clift's professor whose plans to run away with a married woman which I imagine attempts to serve as a moral compass for Clift's character--when he marries Susanna after believing he has impregnated her--fails. This subplot and the entire character of the professor should have been excised from the script completely.

The film picks up during the second third of the film when Taylor's character is given more focus. Elizabeth Taylor's portrayal of the tormented Susanna Drake won the actress her first of five Academy Award nominations. (She would win two competitively: First for BUtterfield 8 in 1960, and then Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? in 1966. She was also awarded the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award for her pioneering AIDS work in 1993.) Many have derided Taylor's performance as too over the top, but I find her quite good and at sometimes even haunting as a Southern belle who is tormented at the thought of having "Negro blood" running through her.

Eva Marie Saint gives what is largely a flat performance as Clift's former love, although this could be just in comparison to Elizabeth-Susanna's histrionics. Agnes Moorehead was cast in the minor role of Clift's mother, and the talents of this great actress are completely wasted; her part adds almost nothing to the film.

Its attempt to outdo Gone with the Wind ruined what could have been quite a good film. Had the focus of the story been more on the relationship between John and Susanna, it could have been something other than a pale comparison of that great American classic.

MUSIC New 'Dog Days Are Over' by Florence + The Machine video

Perhaps to capitalize on its inclusion in the advertising and soundtrack of the new hit film Eat, Pray, Love starring Julia Roberts (review forthcoming), Florence + The Machine have shot a new music video for their song, 'Dog Days Are Over.' Its starkness lends to a more austere feeling (well, in terms of the plain white background) compared to the original. As expected, the fashions are every bit as outlandish and unique as its predecessor. Thankfully they didn't touch the song itself, which is one of my very favourite discoveries of this past year.

New 2010 version


Original version

SOCIAL My Sunday with Queen Elizabeth II

Earlier this summer I was fortunate enough to spend the afternoon with Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at the prestigious Queen’s Plate Race in Toronto.

The Queen, and her husband the Duke of Edinburgh, arrived after the seventh race and the singing of ‘O Canada’ (by the Canadian Tenors) in a motorcade on the track, with the excitement in the crowd palpable as they transferred into a horse drawn carriage escorted by Mounties and made their way along the track, stopping at the foot of the red carpet. The Queen stepped out of her carriage and was met by thunderous applause. She accepted a bouquet of flowers from a beautiful little girl and made her way to the royal box before the singing of ‘God Save the Queen.’

From where I was seated I had a bird’s eye view of Her Majesty’s head (or hat, I should say!) and it was great fun watching her watch the races. She presented Eurico Da Silva, who rode the horse Big Red Mike to glory, with his prize. But for him it seemed the prize was seeing the Queen. “I’m going to see the Queen!” Da Silva announced jubilantly.

Although the Her Majesty has long returned to Buckingham Palace, the memories of her trip linger. It was truly an afternoon I won’t soon forget, nor will I have to. The CBC will be airing a new documentary, Queen Elizabeth in 3-D this fall and highlights from her visit will be included. Yes, you read that correctly, 3-D! And who says the Queen isn't relevant?

BOOKS Audrey Hepburn, Not Tawdry Hepburn

When Paramount was gearing up to release Breakfast at Tiffany’s, a film that would go on to usher in an entirely new and more authentic depiction of women on screen (even if it had still had a long way to go), they had to be careful. Audrey Hepburn, the darling of such films as Roman Holiday (which won her an Oscar) and Sabrina, was very conscious of her public image. Unlike other stars who carefully constructed their images, Audrey was essentially the kind woman she was perceived by the public to be. Hepburn, who could sometimes be found knitting on set, didn’t want that reputation tarnished. So, unsurprisingly, Hepburn nearly turned the role of the free spirited good time girl Holly Golightly, the film she is most remembered for today.

And therein lies the crux of Sam Wasson’s masterful book called Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M.: Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and the Dawn of the Modern Woman, on the making Breakfast at Tiffany’s and its cultural significance. At this time in film history it wasn’t okay to play this type of character. On screen good girls were good and bad girls were bad. There was no gray area. But Tiffany’s would change all that, and show the world that not only did this gray area indeed exist, but it was a hell of a lot of fun to be single and sexually liberated woman—even if you were just playing one.

Golightly, as it turns out, was an amalgam of so many of the society ladies that Truman Capote (the author of the original novella on which the film is based on) knew and socialized with, but it was Babe Paley and Capote’s own mother, Nina, who most pervaded the character of Holly.

This slim volume (coming in at just over 200 pages) is also a history of Hollywood during the mid 1950s and through the filming of Tiffany’s. Not having read Capote’s original novel, I was unaware that the Paul Varjak character in the film was actually Holly’s gay friend in the novel. The social mores of the day dictated that the character be turned into a love interest.

I think Sam Wasson’s book is clever and unique and witty in its telling of the story behind the story of how Breakfast at Tiffany’s paved the way for a new brand of filmmaking and depiction of women on screen. Often irreverent, always engaging, Wasson’s book does not disappoint.

[Sam Wasson, author of Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M. kindly sent me a note of thanks regarding my review: "Andrew, this is the sort of review an author dreams about! I was just surfing the internet (okay, I admit it, I googled my name), scanning through some old (embarrassing stuff) when I found this. Thanks for getting the book – and for being so generous." Thank YOU for your wonderful book, Mr. Wasson!]

WEARING Men's Fall Must Haves

While many lament the changing of summer into autumn, I've always loved it. I could go on and on depleting my admittedly small reserve of autumnal clichés, but I'll cut right to the chase: I love the clothes. I love dressing in layers, and autumn offers the perfect opportunity to do that. Here are my top picks for fall. If you can't afford these designer items, head to less expensive stores and buy similar pieces to get the style for much less. Good style is attainable on any budget, whether its moderate or the sky's the limit (although I think most of us fall into the former category rather than the latter). You'll notice that my picks are rife with sweaters. I love them, and look forward to adding a few to my collection every time fall roles around. You'll also notice that my list is absent of jeans. Wear what you've got. I think it's more important to buy a great new sweater or jacket than a $150+ pair of jeans that no one will notice. Instead a jacket or a sweater will make a statement, especially paired with great chunky boots.

CELEBS Kim Kardashian Channels Elizabeth Taylor

Media darling Kim Kardashian was made-up to look like Elizabeth Taylor from one of her most iconic film roles--and one of my favourite films--Giant (1956) for the September cover story of Allure magazine.

"I'm honored to be transformed into Elizabeth Taylor, she is one of my idols," Kardashian told the magazine. "Clearly, Elizabeth Taylor is the perfect definition of what a bombshell is."

Kardashian inspires much derision (what incredibly beautiful woman doesn't?), but I admire her. Who knows how long her shelf-life will be, but you've got to give her credit for taking what she has and milking it for all it's worth. She's not the first celebrity to do this and certainly won't be the last, but she's done it better than most.

MUSIC '11th Dimension' by Julian Casablancas

This song I heard on an episode of The City (or was it The Hills?) last season. Anyway, it's a great track from Julian Casablancas, who many of you may know as a member of the band The Strokes.