Luhrmann on the set

With the help of Booking.com

By Valerie Milano

Los Angeles, CA (Hollywood Today) 5/8/13 – F. Scott Fitzgerald’s literary classic The Great Gatsby is being brought to the big screen through the eyes of director Baz Luhrmann (Moulin Rouge, Romeo + Juliet).  The story takes place in the early 1920’s—a time of unprecedented prosperity, jazz music, flappers, and bootlegging.  The feature film, coming to theatres May 10^th, is sure to take audiences back in time to this colorful and exciting era.  Another way to experience the Roaring Twenties is to visit these Art Deco and Gatsby-inspired hotels; a list compiled by Booking.com, the world’s largest hotel accommodation website. [Read more →]

Courtesy of Rahoul Ghose/PBS
During PBS’ CONSTITUTION USA with Peter Sagal session at the Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour in Pasadena, Calif. on Monday, January 14, 2013, executive producer Catherine Allan, director Stephen Ives, featured scholar Dr. Richard Beeman and series host Peter Sagal discuss where the U.S. Constitution lives, how it works.

– An enlightening road trip to knowledge

By Valerie Milano

Pasadena, CA (Hollywood Today) 5/8/13 – “On the matter of the Constitution, Americans have always vaguely revered the Constitution, but never in my life have I seen Americans so passionately interested in the Constitution, and, of course, also passionately divided over what the Constitution means. That’s the good news. The bad news is that Americans continue to be amazingly ignorant of the Constitution”, stated Dr. Richard Beeman, history professor at the University of Pennsylvania and a featured scholar in many episodes of the new show Constitution USA, during a recent interview with Hollywood Today and other reporters.

Most history lessons can be incredible boring, but what if the topic is imperative to our general governmental knowledge? What if what most people believe about our nations owner’s manual isn’t accurate? How does a filmmaker get people’s attention in order to teach them the information in an entertaining way? He does what any creative filmmaker does, he thinks outside of the box. In Constitution USA, Peter Segal (Wait, Wait … Don’t Tell Me) takes us on a cross-country constitutional journey to learn the rights and the wrongs of our nation’s most misinterpreted document.

To get idea of why Constitution USA came into existence Dr. Beeman explains, “in a recent poll, 50 percent of Americans cannot name the three branches of government. A poll done 10 years earlier, I don’t know whether this would be the case among [today’s] teenagers, was that about 70 percent of teenagers could name more of The Three Stooges than they could of the three branches of government. So I think we really are in a situation where Americans are passionately interested in the Constitution but really need to know more about how it works.” [Read more →]

Adam Carolla and wife Lynette Celebrate Launch of MANGRIA  Cinco de Mayo celebration benefit for  Children’s Hospital

Adam Carrolla

By Cheri Fox

Los Angeles, CA(Hollywood Today)5/7/13/–In celebration of Spring and Cinco de Mayo Adam Carolla and wife Lynette celebrate the debut of Mangria a new refreshing magic sangria  white peach and pear drink in a bottle, it  was featured in a variety of specialty presentations along the  trendy tastes from the areas hottest food trucks. Guests were feasting on delicious fare from Ragin Cajun, Me So Hungry, and The Wein.  Blues Traveler’s John Popper and Chan Kinchla along with Fitz and the Tantrums were performing during the day’s festivities. All proceeds from the event  benefit Children’s hospital  Los Angeles charities [Read more →]

By Fredwill Hernandez

Pop sensation 5 senti 2

Los Angeles, Ca)Hollywood Today)5/7/13/– – A traditional celebration with mariachis, folklorico dancers, piñatas, live performances, and other activities for the kids took place May 4-5, 2013, at El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historic Site on Olvera Street in Downtown Los Angeles. The event which was a collaborative effort between The City Of Los Angeles and Univision Radio, including many event sponsors, such as State Farm, had live performances by the likes of Duo Voces Del Rancho, pop sensation 5 senti 2, and La Arrolladora Banda El Limón De René Camacho, among many others. [Read more →]

Santa Monica CA (Hollywood Today) 04/07/2013

Photos & story by Karen Ostlund

Designer Sue Wong dressed in black gown with actor John Savage (right of her) with friends.

                                                                          Britweek celebrated British Drama TV Series “Downton Abbey” with a 1920’s vintage party, to honor executive producer Gareth Neame and actress Laura Carmichael & cast.

Last Friday May 3rd - an exclusive Downton Abbey Vintage Party was dedicated to executive producer, Gareth Neame and cast members. It was held at The Fairmont Miramar Hotel in Santa Monica.

 Downton Abbey is a British period drama television series created by Julian Fellowes and co-produced by Carnival Films and Masterpiece.

The series first aired on ITV in the United Kingdom on 26 September 2010 and on PBS in the United States on 9 January 2011 as part of the Masterpiece Classic anthology.

The series, set in the Yorkshire country estate of Downton Abbey, tells the story of the lives of the aristocratic  Crawley family and their servants in the post-Edwardian era— with great events in the history having an effect on their lives, and on the British social hierarchy.

Such events include news of the sinking of the RMS Titanic in the first series; the outbreak of World War I, the Spanish influenza pandemic, and the Marconi scandal in the second series; and the Interwar period and the formation of the Irish Free State in the third series.

FIG restaurant; vodka,pink peppercorn gelee, creme fraiche with Amur Cavier

 Guests were encouraged to dress in their best vintage attire to celebrate Downton Abbey and Britweek 2013, while they were listening to 1920s music from Richard Halpern & his band and live tap dance performances.

orchestra, Richard Halpern band

                Pre-prohibition cocktails were served using No.3 London Dry Gin, The Glenrothes Single Malt Scotch, The King’s Ginger Liqueur and Fever Tree.

The Glenrothes whisky tasting

Wine was provided by Fotinos Brothers Winery and food by FIG Restaurant from Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows.

Jaguar 1936 model and Jaguar 2014 F Type

Two special vintage photo booths were on display to capture the evening, one from Boots, and one with the vintage car, Jaguar 1936 and next year’s Jaguar F-Type 2014.

Vivien Sheriff vintage design for the Silver Screen

Three vignettes installations with models from Artist International welcomed guests freeze posing to create effect as they showcased the Vivien Sheriff pieces and beautifully capture the essence and elegance of the Downton Abbey era and set an Art Deco mood to the festivities.

Vivien Sheriff, milliner to Royalty & the stars, is also representing the best of British vintage-inspired headwear of timeless glamour of the days of the Silver Screen.

Tap dance performances to Richard Halpern band

Proceeds from the “Britweek Celebrates Downton Abbeys” were benefiting Big Brothers Big Sisters.

They are the nation’s largest donor and volunteer supported mentoring network.  Big Brothers Big Sisters makes meaningful, monitored matches between adult volunteers (“Bigs”) and children (“Littles”), ages 6 through 18, in communities across the country.

Executive producer Gareth Neame & actress Laura Carmichael who played Lady Edith.

Downton Abbey has won numerous awards, including a Golden Globe Award for Best Miniseries or Television Film and a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Miniseries.

Highclere Castle in Hampshire was used for exterior shots of Downton Abbey and most of the interior filming. The kitchen and servants’ quarters and working areas and several “upstairs” bedrooms were constructed and filmed at Ealing Studios.