13.3.10

JULIAN'S AUCTIONS TO SELL FURNITURE COMMISSIONED BY MICHAEL JACKSON




JULIAN'S AUCTIONS, LOS ANGELES, WILL PRESENT 'MUSIC ICONS' SUMMER AUCTION TAKING PLACE AT PLANET HOLLYWOOD RESORT AND CASINO, LAS VEGAS, ON 25.JUNE. LEADING THE MAGNIFICENT OFFERINGS AND UNPRECEDENTED EVENT IS A DAZZLING SELECTION OF 22 EXQUISITE FURNITURE LOTS COMMISSIONED BY MICHAEL JACKSON FOR HIS PLANNED RESIDENCE IN KENT, ENGLAND, DURING THE 'THIS IS IT' CONCERT SERIES IN LONDON. COLOMBSTILE ARTISANS HAVE SUPPLIED LUXURIOUS HANDMADE ITALIAN FURNISHINGS TO COUNTLESS EMBASSIES, PALACES, HISTORICAL HOMES AND LUXURY HOTELS IN EVERY CONTINENT. JULIAN'S AUCTIONS WILL EXECUTE THE RECREATION OF JACKSON'S KENT HOME FOR THE PUBLIC VIEWING FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER AT NEWBRIDGE SILVERWARE'S MUSEUM OF STYLE ICONS IN IRELAND FROM 16.MARCH THROUGH 30.MARCH AND AT PLANET HOLLYWOOD FROM 14.JUNE THROUGH 25.JUNE. JACKSON'S FANS AND THE PUBLIC WILL EXPERIENCE HOW THE ENTERTAINER'S HOME WOULD HAVE LOOKED LIKE WITH HIS CUSTOM DESIGNED COLOMBOSTILE FURNITURE ORDERED BY THE ICON HIMSELF. AS A TRIBUTE TO THE LATE KING OF POP, COLOMBOSTILE WILL BE DONATING A GENEROUS PORTION OF THE PROCEEDS FROM THE SALE OF THE ITEMS TO BENEFIT MUSICARES AND JOSHUA'S HEART. IN ADDITION TO THE COLOMBOSTILE COLLECTION, THE AUCTION WILL ALSO INCLUDE MORE THAN 200 ITEMS FROM HIS LIFE AND CAREER AS WELL AS OTHER MUSIC ICONS.

IRELAND'S NATIONAL LEPRECHAUN MUSEUM OPENS IN DUBLIN


BASED IN THE HEART OF THE CITY, THE NATIONAL LEPRECHAUN MUSEUM, DUBLIN, IS A NATIONAL CULTURAL ENTERTAINMENT CENTER THAT TAKES VISITORS DEEPER INTO IRISH AND CELTIC CULTURE TO DISCOVER WHAT REALLY LIES BEHIND THE WELL-KNOWN TALES OF IRISH CULTURAL ICONOGRAPHY; LEPRECHAUNS, RAINBOWS AND POTS OF GOLD. THE NATIONAL LEPRECHAUN MUSEUM IS THE FIRST EVER VISITOR ATTRACTION DEDICATED TO IRISH MYTHOLOGY AND PROMISES TO OPEN UP A FUN AND MAGICAL WORLD FULL OF FASCINATING FOLKLORE AND ENCHANTING STORIES. THE ONE-STORY, 16,000sqft MUSEUM IS STRUCTURED LIKE A FAIRYTALE STORY, WITH 12 INDIVIDUAL CHAPTERS EACH TRANSFORMING VISITORS TO THE HEART OF IRISH CULTURAL IDENTITY AND IMAGINATION. EACH CHAPTER REPRESENTS EITHER A PART OF IRISH MYTHOLOGICAL HISTORY OR RECREATES AN EXPERIENCE TYPICALLY ASSOCIATED WITH LEPRECHAUNS. THE RESULT IS A SERIES OF CAPTIVATING, INTERACTIVE EXPERIENCES, FROM THE FIRST EVER SIGHTING BACK IN THE 8th CENTURY, THROUGH TO MODERN DAY REPRESENTATIONS OF THE LEPRECHAUN IN FILM AND POPULAR CULTURE. AUDIENCES ARE ABLE TO FEEL WHAT IT'S LIKE TO JOURNEY DEEP BENEATH THE ROCKS OF THE GIANT'S CAUSEWAY, OPEN UP THEIR MINDS TO THE SIGHTS AND STORIES OF IRELAND'S MYTHICAL OTHERWORLD ON A TRIP TO FAIRY HILL, EXPERIENCE WHAT IT'S LIKE TO LIVE IN A LEPRECHAUN-SIZED WORLD AND JOURNEY TO THE END OF THE RAINBOW TO SEE IF THE ELUSIVE CROCK OF GOLD REALLY EXISTS.
FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT www.leprechaunmuseum.ie

12.3.10

ROYAL COUPLE VISIT BARNSTAPLE SEA CADETS


THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH TOOK A FEMALE CADET BY SURPRISE RECENTLY WHEN HE ASKED HER IF SHE WORKED FOR A STRIP CLUB. PRINCE PHILIP PUT THE UNUSUAL QUESTION TO ELIZABETH RENDLE AS HE AND THE QUEEN MET CADETS AT WYVERN BARRACKS IN EXETER, DEVON. HE ASKED WHAT SHE DID FOR A LIVING AND SHE TOLD HIM THAT SHE WORKED IN A NIGHTCLUB TO WHICH THE DUKE RESPONDED: 'IS IT A STRIP CLUB?' OBSERVING HER SHOCK AND SURPRISE HE DISMISSED THE SUGGESTION SAYING THAT IT WAS 'PROBABLY TOO COLD FOR THAT ANYWAY'. RENDLE, OF BARNSTAPLE IN DEVON, WORKS AS A BARMAID IN A NIGHTCLUB AND IS AN ADULT MEMBER OF THE BARNSTAPLE SEA CADETS. SHE SAID: 'I WAS QUITE SURPRISED BUT I THINK HE WAS JUST TRYING TO LIGHTEN THE MOOD. OBVIOUSLY I TOLD HIM I DIDN'T WORK IN A STRIP CLUB. IT WAS A JOKE AND WE WERE ALL LAUGHING WHICH DREW EVERYONE ELSE'S ATTENTION TO US. I DON'T THINK HE PUT HIS FOOT IN IT, IT WAS A JOKE AND I DIDN'T TAKE ANY OFFENSE. I THINK HE WAS JUST PUTTING PEOPLE AT THEIR EASE.' THE ROYAL COUPLE'S VISIT TO WYVERN BARRACKS WAS PART OF CELEBRATIONS OF THE 150 YEARS OF THE CADET MOVEMENT. THE QUEEN, WEARING A BRIGHT PURPLE DRESS COAT AND HAT, CHECKED OVER EQUIPMENT AND WATCHED FENCING AND CLUB DISPLAYS AS THE CADET BAND PLAYED. STAFF SERGEANT RYAN BRAUNTON-TURNER, 16, SAID THE QUEEN ASKED ABOUT THE COMMUNITY SPORTS LEADERSHIP AWARD. 'SHE THOUGHT IT WAS GOOD THAT WE TOOK CONTROL AND SHARE LEADERSHIP', HE SAID. 'IT WAS QUITE AM EXPERIENCE MEETING HER, ONCE IN A LIFETIME.'

MILWAUKEE ART MUSEUM TO PRESENT RAPHAEL'S 'THE WOMAN WITH THE VEIL'


RARELY LENT FROM THE PITTI PALACE IN FLORENCE, ITALY, RAPHAEL SANZIO'S PAINTING 'THE WOMAN WITH THE VEIL' IS MAKING ITS LAST AMERICAN APPEARANCE AT THE MILWAUKEE ART MUSEUM. RESPONDING TO LEONARDO DA VINCI'S 'MONA LISA', RAPHAEL DEVELOPED HIS OWN IDEA OF BEAUTY IN THE PORTRAIT, WHICH WAS COMPLETED AROUND 1516. THE WOMAN APPEARS IN MANY OF HIS IMPORTANT WORKS AND SOME BELIEVE SHE WAS RAPHAEL'S LOVER, EVEN THOUGH HER VEIL IN THE PAINTING INDICATES THAT SHE IS MARRIED. IT WAS ONCE CONSIDERED THE MOST FAMOUS PAINTING IN THE WORLD.'LA DONNA VELATA', THE ITALIAN TRANSLATION, WILL BE ON VIEW FROM 27.MARCH THROUGH 6.JUNE. THE PORTLAND ART MUSEUM AND THE NEVADA MUSEUM OF ART WERE THE ONLY OTHER AMERICAN MUSEUMS TO EXHIBIT THE PAINTING ON THIS HISTORIC TOUR.

NEW YORK CITY TO RETAIN RIGHTS TO 'TAVERN ON THE GREEN' NAME


THE RESTAURANT HAS BEEN CLOSED, THE FURNISHINGS, ARTWORKS AND MEMORABILIA HAVE BEEN SOLD OFF BUT THE TAVERN ON THE GREEN STILL LIVES ON IN THE HEARTS AND MINDS OF MANY DINERS WORLDWIDE. NOW A JUDGE HAS DECIDED THAT THE CITY CAN KEEP THE 'TAVERN ON THE GREEN' NAME. THE AP RECENTLY REPORTED THAT US DISTRICT JUDGE MIRIAM GOLDMAN CEDERBAUM RULED THAT THE CITY AND NOT THE DEBT HOLDERS OF THE BANKRUPT RESTAURANT HAS THE RIGHTS TO THE NAME. THE NAME ITSELF HAS BEEN VALUED AT AN ESTIMATED $19 MILLION. A THREE-DAY SALE BY GUERNSEY'S AUCTION HOUSE IN JANUARY OFFERED MORE THAN 25,000 ITEMS WITH THE VALUES FROM $100 TO $1.2 MILLION, THE PROCEEDS OF WHICH WENT TO ERASING THE PRIOR OWNER'S $8 MILLION DEBT. THE JUDGE SAID THAT BECAUSE THE CITY HAD LICENSED THE FACILITY AND HAD A HAND IN HOW THE RESTAURANT WAS RUN, INCLUDING REGULATING THE HOURS AND MANNERS OF OPERATION, IT WAS THE OWNER OF THE NAME. LAST SUMMER THE CITY AWARDED THE LICENSE TO RESTAURATEUR DEAN POLL WHO PLANS TO OPEN A NEW RESTAURANT IN THE SPRING AFTER SPENDING $25 MILLION OF REFURBISHMENTS. LAST YEAR, RESTAURANTS AND INSTITUTIONS PLACED TAVERN ON THE GREEN SECOND IN THEIR LIST OF THE 100 HIGHEST GROSSING INDEPENDENT RESTAURANTS IN THE US WITH 2008 SALES OF OVER $34 MILLION.

11.3.10

PRINCE OF WALES CELEBRATES BIRMINGHAM ROYAL BALLET'S 20th ANNIVERSARY


THE PRINCE OF WALES AND LADY SARAH CHATTO RECENTLY CELEBRATED THE 20th ANNIVERSARY OF THE BIRMINGHAM ROYAL BALLET AT A STUNNING GALA. THE DUCHESS OF CORNWALL WAS UNABLE TO ATTEND THE ROYAL PERFORMANCE DUE TO THE ILLNESS OF A BAD BACK. THE PRINCE, WHO IS PRESIDENT OF THE BIRMINGHAM ROYAL BALLET (BRB), ENJOYED EXCERPTS FROM THE NUTCRACKER, ROMEO AND JULIET, CARMINA BURANA, AND BALLET CHANGED MY LIFE: BALLET HOO! AT THE BIRMINGHAM HIPPODROME. HE WAS TREATED TO PERFORMANCES FROM STUDENTS OF ELMHURST SCHOOL FOR DANCE, THE BIRMINGHAM-BASED VOCATIONAL SCHOOL IN ASSOCIATION WITH BRB, OF WHICH THE DUCHESS OF CORNWALL IS PATRON. DANCERS FROM THE ROYAL BALLET SCHOOL ALSO TOOK TO THE STAGE DURING THE TWO AND HALF HOUR PRODUCTION. DURING THE INTERVAL, THE PRINCE UNVEILED A PLAQUE AT THE THEATER TO MARK THE OPENING OF A NEW EXHIBITION OF ARTWORK COMMEMORATING TWO DECADES OF THE BRB. IN A FORWARD TO THE PROGRAM FOR THE PRODUCTION HE WROTE: 'NEVER AFRAID OF TAKING A CREATIVE RISK, THIS IS A COMPANY WHICH CREATES AND PRESENTS WORKS THAT IS EXCITING AND TECHNICALLY EXCELLENT AND ULTIMATELY AIMS TO INSPIRE AND DELIGHT AUDIENCES, MAKING ACCESS TO DANCE EASY, AFFORDABLE AND ENTERTAINING.' 2010 MARKS BRB'S 20th YEAR IN THE CITY SINCE THE COMPANY, PREVIOUSLY SADLER'S WELLS ROYAL BALLET, MOVED FROM LONDON IN 1990, A MOVE DESCRIBED AT THE TIME 'THE ARTS COUP OF THE DECADE'. THE PRINCE DESCRIBED THE MOVE AS 'A WISE DECISION'.

AGO TO PRESENT 'DRAMA AND DESIRE: ARTISTS AND THE THEATER'


LUST. PASSION. MURDER. MANY OF THE GREATEST ARTISTS OF THE 19th CENTURY SHARED A PROFOUND FASCINATION WITH THE THEATER AND ITS THEMES OF TRIUMPH AND DESTRUCTION, LOVE AND DESPAIR. THIS SUMMER, THE ART GALLERY OF ONTARIO (AGO), TORONTO, GIVES CENTER STAGE TO KEY ARTWORKS BY SUCH ARTISTS AS EUGENE DELACROIX, JACQUES-LOUIS DAVID, JEAN AUGUSTE DOMINIQUE INGRES, WILLIAM BLAKE AMONG OTHERS IN A MAJOR INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION TITLED 'DRAMA AND DESIRE: ARTISTS AND THE THEATER', OPENING 19.JUNE AND CONTINUING THROUGH 26.SEPTEMBER. CONCEIVED BY GUY COGEVAL, PRESIDENT OF THE MUSEE D'ORSAY IN PARIS, THE EXHIBITION INCLUDES OVER 100 PAINTINGS, DRAWINGS AND THEATRICAL MAQUETTES FROM THE COLLECTIONS OF SOME OF THE WORLD'S GREATEST MUSEUMS, INCLUDING THE LOUVRE, THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART, THE MUSEE D'ORSAY, THE BRITISH MUSEUM AND THE VICTORIA AND ALBERT MUSEUM. THE AGO HAS COMMISSIONED GERARD GAUCI, SET DESIGNER FOR TORONTO'S OPERA ATELIER, TO MAKE DRAMA AND DESIRE AN EXPERIENCE LIKE NO OTHER. VISITORS WILL ENTER THE EXHIBITION BY WALKING 'ONSTAGE' THROUGH A LIFE-SIZE 18th CENTURY SET; THE WORKS WILL BE DISPLAYED USING ENHANCED LIGHTING, SOUND AND VIDEO COMPONENTS AS WELL AS INNOVATIVE THEATRICAL DEVICES; AND A FULL-SCALE RE-CREATION OF AN EARLY 20th CENTURY THEATER MARQUETTE WILL MARK THE FINALE OF THE EXHIBITION. 'WE WANT OUR VISITORS TO FEEL AS IF THEY ARE ONSTAGE ALONGSIDE THE SUBJECTS OF THESE EXTRAORDINARY WORKS', SAID A SPOKESPERSON FOR THE AGO. 'THESE WORKS RARELY LEAVE THEIR HOME INSTITUTIONS, SO WE ARE ESPECIALLY HONORED TO BE THE SOLE NORTH AMERICAN VENUE FOR DRAMA AND DESIRE.'
FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT www.ago.net

NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY PRESENTS LARGEST KNOWN MOGHUL PORTRAIT IN NEW EXHIBITION


CURATORS OF THE NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY'S NEW EXHIBITION 'THE INDIAN PORTRAIT 1560-1860' WILL REVEAL A SIX-FOOT, 17th CENTURY LIFE-SIZE PORTRAIT OF THE EMPEROR JAHANGIR WHICH THEY CLAIM IS THE LARGEST PAINTING TO COME FROM THE MOGHUL EMPIRE. JAHANGIR HOLDING A GLOBE, DATING FROM 1617, IS OPULENTLY PAINTED IN GOLD AND WATERCOLOUR ON COTTON AND INCLUDES RELIEF JEWELRY. APART FROM ITS APPEARANCE IN AN AUCTION HOUSE CATALOG IN 1995, THE EPIC PORTRAIT HAS NEVER BEEN PREVIOUSLY BEEN SEEN. IT SHOWS THE EMPEROR SEATED ON A EUROPEAN-STYLE CHAIR, HIS HEAD SURROUNDED BY A RADIATING NIMBUS OF LIGHT, BALANCING A GLOBE IN HIS RIGHT HAND. THESE ALLUDE TO HIS HONORIFIC NAME, NUR AL-DIN (LIGHT OF THE FAITH) AND TO THE NAME THAT HE TOOK ON HIS ACCESSION TO THE THRONE, JAHANGIR, MEANING 'WORLD-SEIZER'. HE IS DRESSES IN COURT GARMENTS, INCLUDING A PATTERNED SLEEVELESS JACKET AND TWO PATKAS (SASHES) AROUND HIS WAIST. A LENGTHY PERSIAN INSCRIPTION WRITTEN IN A FINE HAND AROUND THE EDGE OF THE PAINTING RECORDS THAT THE PORTRAIT WAS PAINTED IN THE TWELFTH YEAR OF JAHANGIR'S REIGN. IT PRAISES THE EMPEROR AND EXTOLS HIS VICTORIES, INCLUDING HIS CONQUEST OF THE DECCAN IN THAT YEAR. THE PORTRAIT IS ONE OF THE STAR EXHIBITS IN THE NATIONAL GALLERY'S NEW EXHIBITION, THE FIRST TO BE DEDICATED TO INDIAN PORTRAITS WHICH BRINGS TOGETHER 60 WORKS SPANNING THREE CENTURIES FROM INTERNATIONAL PUBLIC AND PRIVATE COLLECTIONS. IMPORTANT LOANS INCLUDE: TWO PORTRAITS FROM THE PRIVATE COLLECTION OF ARTIST SIR HOWARD HODGKINS AND TWO PAGES FROM THE PADSHAHNAMA MADE FOR SHAH JAHAN, NOW IN THE ROYAL COLLECTION.

10.3.10

LOST BOYS ACTOR COREY HAIM DIES AT 38


COREY HAIM, THE HOLLYWOOD TEEN STAR OF THE 1980s WHO BECAME FAMOUS FOR HIS STRUGGLES WITH SUBSTANCE ABUSE AS HIS ACTING, HAS DIED IN LOS ANGELES OF AN APPARENT DRUG OVERDOSE, AFTER BEING FOUND UNRESPONSIVE AT HIS APARTMENT IN THE OAKWOOD AREA OF LOS ANGELES, HIS MOTHER IS THOUGHT TO HAVE CALLED THE EMERGENCY SERVICES. HE WAS 38. HAIM, WHO ROSE TO FAME ALONGSIDE FELLOW 'COREY' TEEN STAR COREY FELDMAN AND BECAME KNOWN FOR HIS HARD PARTYING WAYS, WAS TAKEN BY AMBULANCE TO ST JOSEPH'S HOSPITAL IN BURBANK, WHERE HE WAS PRONOUNCED DEAD AT 2:15am. WHILE THE LA CORONER'S OFFICE HAS YET TO CARRY OUT A POST-MORTUM, THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF FOUL PLAY. HAIM HAD FLU-LIKE SYMPTOMS BEFORE HE DIED AND WAS GETTING OVER-THE-COUNTER AND PRESCRIPTION MEDICATIONS, SGT WILLIAM MANN OF THE LAPD SAID. 'HE COULD HAVE SUCCUMBED TO WHATEVER ILLNESS HE HAD OR IT COULD HAVE BEEN DRUGS. HE HAS HAD A DRUG PROBLEM IN THE PAST.' IN THE 1980s, THE CANADIAN-BORN ACTOR HAIM FIRST CAME TO INTERNATIONAL PROMINENCE IN THE 1986 FILM 'LUCAS', ALONGSIDE CHARLIE SHEEN AND WINONA RYDER, FOLLOWED BY HIS BIGGEST HIT, CULT-CLASSIC 'THE LOST BOYS', WITH KIEFFER SUTHERLAND, JASON PATRIC AND COREY FELDMAN, AS WELL AS 'LICENSE TO DRIVE', ALSO WITH FELDMAN. BUT IN THE 90s, HE SLIPPED INTO OBSCURITY AFTER SEVERAL FILMS WENT STRAIGHT TO VIDEO WITHOUT CINEMATIC RELEASE, AND SPENT MOST OF THAT TIME PERIOD IN AND OUT OF REHAB RECEIVING TREATMENT FOR PRESCRIPTION DRUG ABUSE. HE BECAME KNOWN FOR HIS ON-SCREEN PARTNERSHIP AND OFF-SCREEN FRIENDSHIP WITH FELDMAN, WHO ALSO STRUGGLED WITH SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND THEY OFTEN WERE REFERRED TO AS 'THE TWO COREYS'. THE PAIR STARED IN A REALITY TV SERIES OF THE SAME NAME ON AMERICAN CABLE TELEVISION IN 2006, BUT IT WAS CANCELED BEFORE FINISHING THE SECOND SEASON. IN A 2007 INTERVIEW ON CNN'S 'LARRY KING LIVE', HAIM CALLED HIMSELF 'A CHRONIC RELAPSER FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE'.

ANNIE LEIBOVITZ AGREES TO LOAN DEAL WITH COLONY CAPITAL


CELEBRITY PHOTOGRAPHER ANNIE LEIBOVITZ HAS ARRANGED A DEAL WITH A PRIVATE EQUITY FIRM TO SORT OUT HER DEBTS, THE FINANCIAL TIMES REPORTED IN ITS RECENT EDITION. THE PAPER SAID LEIBOVITZ, WHO HAS PHOTOGRAPHED EVERYONE FROM MICHELLE OBAMA TO BRITAIN'S QUEEN ELIZABETH II, HAS LINED UP REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT FIRM COLONY CAPITAL AS SOLE CREDITOR TO HELP MANAGE HER FINANCES AND MARKET HER WORK. 'WE WILL BE PARTNERS IN MANAGING HER ASSETS AND HER BUSINESS SO THAT ANNIE CAN SPEND HER TIME AND FOCUS IN PURSUING HER PASSION AS ONLY SHE CAN', TOM BARRACK, FOUNDER OF LOS ANGELES BASED COLONY WAS CITED AS SAYING IN THE FT. THE FIRM WILL ALLOW LEIBOVITZ TO HOLS ONTO THE RIGHTS OF MORE THAN 100,000 PHOTOGRAPHS AND IS CONSIDERING PLANS TO HOLD TRAVELING PHOTOGRAPHIC EXHIBITIONS, THE FT SAID. 'WE WILL BE WORKING ON NEW PROJECTS AND I WILL HAVE THE SUPPORT AND FREEDOM NECESSARY FOR NURTURING MY WORK AND PRESERVING MY ARCHIVE', LEIBOVITZ WAS CITED AS SAYING. LEIBOVITZ GOT INTO FINANCIAL DIFFICULTIES LAST YEAR WHEN ART CAPITAL GROUP THREATENED TO SUE HER AND SEIZE CONTROL OF HER ENTIRE COLLECTION AND TWO PROPERTIES FOR VIOLATING THE TERMS OF A $24 MILLION LOAN. THE TWO PARTIES REACHED A DEAL LAST SEPTEMBER ALLOWING THE PHOTOGRAPHER TO BUY BACK CONTROL OF HER WORK THAT HAD BEEN PUT UP AS COLLATERAL.

PRINCE CHARLES VISITS WESTMINSTER KINGSWAY COLLEGE'S SCHOOL OF HOSPITALITY




MOST OF THE WORLD'S GREAT CHEFS ARE SAID TO BE MEN BUT WHEN IT COMES TO PREPARING PASTRY 'A WOMAN'S TOUCH IS BEST', ACCORDING TO THE PRINCE OF WALES. THE ROYAL PRAISED FEMALE PRODUCERS OF BREADS, DESSERTS AND PASTRIES WHEN HE MET STUDENTS FROM A LONDON COLLEGE'S CULINARY ARTS DEPARTMENT RECENTLY. PRINCE CHARLES WAS GIVEN A KITCHEN TOUR AT WESTMINSTER KINGSWAY COLLEGE'S SCHOOL OF HOSPITALITY, WHICH HAS TRAINED CHEFS FOR THE CAPITAL'S LEADING HOTELS FOR THE PAST 100 YEARS. IN THE LARDER OF ONE OF THE SCHOOL'S 14 KITCHENS, KATE SIMS, FROM EPSOM, SURREY, WAS DELICATELY MAKING CANAPES OF VENISON CARPACCIO, WITH CHOCOLATE JELLY AND A RED CURRENT, WHEN THE PRINCE STOPPED TO CHAT. THE THIRD YEAR STUDENT SAID AFTER MEETING THE ROYAL: 'HE THINKS WOMEN ARE NATURALLY GOOD AT PASTRY BECAUSE OF THEIR LIGHTNESS OF TOUCH. HE ASKED ME WHY I HAPPEN TO COOK AND WHEN I SAID MY GRANDMOTHER WAS A VERY GOOD PASTRY CHEF HE SAID WOMEN ARE GOOD AT PASTRY BECAUSE OF THEIR LIGHTNESS OF TOUCH.' SENIOR CULINARY LECTURERS TOOK THE ROYAL THROUGH ALL THE STAGES OF A LUNCH BEING PREPARED BY THE STUDENTS FOR GUESTS INVITED TO A RECEPTION TO MEET PRINCE CHARLES. ON THE MENU WAS A LINE-CAUGHT MACKEREL SMOKED AT THE SCHOOL, A LOIN OF WELSH LAMB, MUTTON SHEPHERD'S PIE AND GINGER PARKIN CAKE FOR DESSERT. THE PRINCE HAS A LONG-STANDING INTEREST IN LOCALLY SOURCED, SUSTAINABLE FOOD AND RUNS HIS FARM ON HIS GLOUCCESTERSHIRE ESTATE ORGANICALLY. CHARLES, WHO IS SAID NOT TO EAT LUNCH, JOINED A CLASS OF STUDENTS DRESSED IN APRONS AND CHEF HATS WHO WERE BEING TAUGHT THE PROCESS OF BUTCHERING A VENISON. IN A SPEECH AT THE RECEPTION, HELD AT THE SCHOOL IN VICTORIA, PRINCE CHARLES SAID: 'IT IS HUGELY ENCOURAGING THAT IT HAS BEEN POSSIBLE TO PUT TOGETHER A PROGRAM BETWEEN WESTMINSTER KINGSWAY COLLEGE AND MY TRUST. IT WILL MAKE AN ENORMOUS DIFFERENCE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE TO HAVE THE CHANCE TO EXPERIENCE CATERING AND COOKING AND IT WILL GIVE YOUNG PEOPLE A 'TASTER' COURSE TO SEE IF IT SUITS THEM. I JUST WANTED TO USE THIS OPPORTUNITY NOT ONLY TO CONGRATULATE THE COLLEGE ON ITS CENTENARY AND ITS ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF REAL EXCELLENCE IN HOSPITALITY TRAINING, BUT ALSO TO SAY HOW PROUD I AM TO BE A PATRON OF THE ACADEMY OF CULINARY ARTS AND TO MEET PEOPLE IN THIS WONDERFUL FIELD'

CENTRE POMPIDOU TO PRESENT EXHIBITION ON LUCIAN FREUD


THE CENTRE POMPIDOU, PARIS, IS TO PAY TRIBUTE TO LUCIAN FREUD, ONE OF THE GREATEST OF CONTEMPORARY PAINTERS, NOW 88 YEARS OLD, HE IS ONE OF THE WORLD'S MOST IMPORTANT LIVING ARTISTS. HE HAS NOT SHOWN IN FRANCE SINCE THE CENTRE'S LAST MAJOR RETROSPECTIVE OF HIS WORK NEARLY A QUARTER OF A CENTURY AGO, IN 1987, THOUGH HIS FAME HAS SINCE THEN ONLY GROWN AND HIS PLACE IN THE HISTORY OF ART BECOME EVER MORE ASSURED. THE EXHIBITION WILL PRESENT AN OUTSTANDING SELECTION OF FREUD'S WORK, CONSISTING OF SOME FIFTY LARGE FORMAT PAINTINGS, MOSTLY FROM PRIVATE COLLECTIONS, TOGETHER WITH A NUMBER OF PRINTS AND DRAWINGS, AS WELL AS PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE ARTIST'S LONDON STUDIO. THE EXHIBITION IS ORGANIZED AROUND THE THEME OF THE STUDIO, THE ENCLOSED SPACE SO ESSENTIAL TO FREUD'S PAINTINGS AND TO HIS PRACTICE AS A PAINTER. OCCUPYING MORE THAN 900 SQUARE METERS, IT WILL BRING TOGETHER MOST OF THE PAINTER'S LARGE INTERIORS, HIS VARIATIONS ON THE OLD MASTERS, HIS SELF-PORTRAITS, AND MORE RECENT VERY LARGE PORTRAITS OF LEIGH BOWERY AND BIG SUE. THE AMAZING DISTINCTIVENESS OF LUCIAN FREUD'S WORK RESIDES TO A GREAT EXTENT IN THE MINUTE, ALMOST OBSESSIONAL TREATMENT OF THE PORTRAITS AND NUDES, BASED ON AN ABSOLUTE COMMITMENT TO THE CRAFT OF PAINTING: 'I WANT PAINT TO WORK AS FLESH'. THE MODEL IS OBSERVED WITHIN THE ENCLOSED WORLD OF THE STUDIO, THE PAINTER'S LABORATORY. FREUD PAINTS ONLY WHAT TAKES PLACE IN THIS SPACE, SETTING HIS MODELS WITHIN A PRECISE SCENOGRAPHY THAT DRAWS ON THE FURNITURE AND OTHER STUDIO FURNISHINGS, WHICH BECOME RECURRENT AND RECOGNIZABLE ELEMENTS OF HIS COMPOSITIONS: THE POT PLANT, THE SAGGING SOFA, THE OLD ARM CHAIR, THE IRON BEDSTEAD, THE HAND-BASIN AND THE PAINT SPATTERED WALLS.
FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT www.centrepompidou.fr

9.3.10

1925 LOUIS VUITTON CIGAR TRUNK


IN 1925 LUXURY TRUNK MAKER LOUIS VUITTON CREATED A SPECIAL ONE OF A KIND TRUNK IN ITS ICONIC MONOGRAM CANVAS TO HOUSE A PORTABLE SET OF 'ENCYCLOPAEDIA BRITTANICA' FOR A TRAVELING STUDENT. A LATER OWNER OF THE UNIQUE CASE ADAPTED IT TO A MORE PRACTICAL PURPOSE AND TURNED IT INTO A PORTABLE HUMIDOR. THE TRUNK WAS REFITTED BY THE ARTISANS AT LOUIS VUITTON TO HOUSE 500 CIGARS IN REMOVABLE BOXES LINED WITH SEASONED SPANISH CEDAR ALONG WITH REMOVABLE HUMIDOR IN BURLED AMERICAN WALNUT. THE LID OF THE TRUNK HAS BEEN LINED IN SPANISH CEDAR AS WELL AND INSET WITH A DECORATIVE BURLED WALNUT PANELS. LONDON'S PULLMAN GALLERY IN OFFERING THE STUNNING ONE OF A KIND PIECES FOR $27,800.

LESLIE HINDMAN AUCTIONEERS TO OFFER ITEMS FROM THE SISTO ESTATE


LESLIE HINDMAN AUCTIONEERS, CHICAGO, RECENTLY ANNOUNCED AN UPCOMING AUCTION FEATURING OVER 75 LOTS OF EARLY ITALIAN AND LATIN LITERATURE FROM THE ANTIQUARIAN BOOK LIBRARY OF JOHN SISTO OF BERWYN, ILLINOIS. THE BOOKS, MAPS AND ENGRAVINGS COMPRISE WHAT REMAINS OF THE OVER 3,500 ITEMS SEIZED BY THE CHICAGO DIVISION OF THE FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION IN 2007, OF WHICH 1,600 ITEMS WERE REPATRIATED TO ITALY AFTER BEING DEEMED UNLAWFULLY IMPORTED. THE COLLECTION HAD BEEN BROUGHT TO THE ATTENTION OF THE FBI BY SISTO'S HEIRS, FOLLOWING HIS DEATH IN 2007. AFTER AN EXTENSIVE REVIEW OF THE MATERIALS BY THE FBI ART CRIME TEAM, THE ITALIAN COMMAND FOR THE PROTECTION OF CULTURAL HERITAGE, AND THE ITALIAN MINISTRY FOR CULTURAL ASSETS AND ARCHIVES, WHO IDENTIFIED THE ITEMS AS HAVING COME FROM THE BARI REGION OF ITALY, APPROXIMATELY 1,600 ITEMS WERE RETURNED TO CONFERRING INSTITUTIONS AND PRIVATE COLLECTIONS IN THEIR COUNTRY OF ORIGIN. THE ORIGIN AND OWNERSHIP OF THE REMAINING 2,000 RECOVERED ITEMS COULD NOT BE DETERMINED AND, AS SUCH, THEY WERE RETURNED TO THE ESTATE OF JOHN SISTO. THE MAJORITY OF THE ITEMS, WHICH INCLUDE RARE 18th CENTURY SCIENTIFIC AND THEOLOGICAL BOOKS, DICTIONARIES AND MAPS, WILL BE OFFERED IN A FEATURE SESSION OF THE 16.MARCH FINE BOOKS AND MANUSCRIPTS AUCTION.

THE MATISSE MUSEUM PRESENTS 'ROBERT DE NIRO SR, PAINTINGS AND DRAWINGS'


THE MATISSE MUSEUM, NICE, HAS CHOSEN TO DISPLAY THE WORKS OF THE AMERICAN PAINTER ROBERT DE NIRO, SR (1922-1993), TO ANSWER ITS VOCATION OF MAKING KNOWN THE WORKS OF MATISSE, MASTER OF THE 20th CENTURY, THROUGH DIFFERENT ANGLES AND, ON THIS OCCASION, AS A SOURCE OF INSPIRATION. THE PAINTINGS AND DRAWINGS OF ROBERT DE NIRO, SR SHOW A RELATIONSHIP TO THE WORKS OF MATISSE THROUGH THE CREATION OF CERTAIN COMPOSITIONS, GRAPHIC ASSERTION OF CERTAIN DRAWINGS, USE OF THE SAME TECHNIQUES, LIKE STUMPING, AND THE SEARCH FOR HARMONIES OF COLOURS. INFLUENCED BY THE GREAT EUROPEAN ARTISTS, ROBERT DE NIRO, SR FOCUSED HIS WORK ON THE FIGURATIVE, A MORE SENSITIVE REPRESENTATION OF THE WORLD. HOWEVER, HE PRESERVED HIS OWN MODE OF EXPRESSION, TIED TO THE ABSTRACT, WHICH CAME FROM HIS TRAINING UNDER SUCH GREAT AMERICAN MASTERS LIKE JOSEPH ALBERS, FOUNDER OF OPTICAL ART, AND HANS HOFMANN, A FOLLOWER OF BAUHAUS, WHOSE SCIENTIFIC APPROACH TO THE TREATMENT OF COLOUR AND SPACE REPRESENTS AMERICAN ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONISM, PARTICULARLY THE NEW YORK SCHOOL. THE STUNNING AND UNIQUE EXHIBITION BEGINS WITH THE PRESENTATION OF PHOTOGRAPHS OF ROBERT DE NIRO, SR IN HIS NEW YORK STUDIO. FIGURATIVE PAINTINGS ARE ORGANIZED ACCORDING TO THEMATIC CHARACTERISTICS OF THE ART OF MATISSE, SUCH AS FEMALE MODELS, INTERIORS, STILL LIFES, LANDSCAPES, ENDING WITH A SERIES OF BLACK AND WHITE DRAWINGS WITH STUMPING.
FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT www.musee-matisse-nice.org

JACQUELINE KENNEDY CONDOLENCE LETTERS TO BE PUBLISHED IN NEW BOOK


IT WAS REVEALED RECENTLY THAT JACQUELINE KENNEDY RECEIVED OVER 1.5 MILLION CONDOLENCE LETTERS SENT BY ORDINARY AMERICANS AFTER THE ASSASSINATION OF HER HUSBAND PRESIDENT JOHN F KENNEDY. THE EXTRA ORDINARY MOUNTAIN OF MAIL SENT TO THE FIRST LADY INCLUDED TEAR-STAINED LETTERS, PERSONAL WORDS OF COMFORT AND GRIEF AND EMOTIONAL SYMPATHY. A SELECTION OF THE CORRESPONDENCE WILL BE PUBLISHED FOR THE FIRST TIME. ALMOST HALF OF THE LETTERS WERE SENT TO THE WHITE HOUSE IN THE FIRST FEW WEEKS AFTER KENNEDY'S DEATH, WITH 45,000 ARRIVING ON ONE DAY ALONE. THEY INCLUDE MESSAGES FROM A CHURCH ORGANIST WHO CRIED SO MUCH THAT HER TEARS SOAKED THE KEYS, ANOTHER WHO COMPARED THE TRAGIC DEATH TO THE CRUCIFIXION AND AN 11 YEAR OLD WHO WROTE A LETTER EVERY WEEK FOR A MONTH. THE LETTERS AND INTENSE EMOTIONS THEY CONTAIN ILLUSTRATE THE IMPORTANCE ATTACHED TO THE PRESIDENT'S DEATH IN DALLAS IN 1963, WIDELY CONSIDERED ONE OF THE DEFINING MOMENTS IN MODERN AMERICAN HISTORY. MRS KENNEDY ACKNOWLEDGED THE POIGNANT LETTERS A MONTH AFTER HIS DEATH BUT MOST WERE DESTROYED. AT LEAST 200,000 PAGES WERE SAVED AND SENT TO THE JOHN F KENNEDY PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY IN BOSTON WHERE THEY HAVE BEEN FINALLY CATALOGED BY ELLEN FITZPATRICK, A HISTORIAN. FITZPATRICK NEEDED TO GET PERMISSION FROM EACH WRITER BUT WAS ABLE TO INCLUDE 220 OF HER FAVORITES, ONLY FIVE PEOPLE SHE TRACKED DOWN DECLINED. 'I'VE BEEN TEACHING AMERICAN HISTORY FOR 30, AND I'M NOT SURE I'VE EVER SEEN A COLLECTION AS POWERFUL AND THAT REPRESENTED SO MANY ORDINARY PEOPLE SPEAKING FROM THE HEART ABOUT THEIR VIEWS ABOUT AMERICAN SOCIETY AND POLITICS, AND THE PRESIDENT', SAID FITZPATRICK, OF THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE.

8.3.10

KATE MIDDLETON'S SPANIEL EATS A SPECIAL GIFT FROM PRINCE WILLIAM


KATE MIDDLETON'S SPANIEL FACED BEING IN THE DOGHOUSE AFTER EATING A SPECIAL BIRTHDAY GIFT FROM PRINCE WILLIAM. PRINCE WILLIAM HAD RECENTLY CHOSEN THE FINEST AND MOST EXPENSIVE PEARL EARRINGS FOR MIDDLETON'S 28th BIRTHDAY. SHE WAS ABSOLUTELY DELIGHTED WITH THE STUNNING GIFT, BUT HER JOY WAS SHORT LIVED BECAUSE, DAYS LATER, THE ANTIQUE EARRINGS THAT PRINCE WILLIAM PUT SO MUCH THOUGHT IN WERE EATEN BY HER PET DOG. OTTO, A COCKER SPANIEL, HAD CHEWED THE JEWELRY SO MUCH THAT THEY WERE UNWEARABLE. MIDDLETON SAID THAT SHE 'ADORED' THE CULTURED PEARL AND DIAMOND STUD EARRINGS AND STARTED WEARING THEM AS SOON AS THE PRINCE GAVE THEM TO HER. BUT DAYS LATER THE EARRINGS WENT MISSING FROM THE ORNAMENTAL DISH ON HER BEDSIDE TABLE WHERE SHE KEPT THEM. A FRIEND SAID: 'KATE FLEW INTO A PANIC. SHE NOTICED THAT A COUPLE OF THINGS ON HER BEDSIDE TABLE HAD BEEN MOVED AND A TUBE OF HAND CREAM HAD TOOTH MARKS ON IT. IT SEEMS THAT OTTO HAD GOT INTO HER ROOM AND EATEN THE EARRINGS. HE WAS SITTING ON THE END OF THE BED LOOKING PLEASED WITH HIMSELF AND LICKING HIS PAWS. KATE WAS REALLY UPSET AND EMBARRASSED. BUT WHEN SHE TOLD WILLIAM HE BURST OUT LAUGHING AND SAID HE WOULD FOR THEM TO COME OUT THE OTHER END.' MIDDLETON, WHOSE BIRTHDAY WAS ON 9.JANUARY, WAS WALKING THE DOG, PAYING CAREFUL ATTENTION, WHEN THE INEVITABLE HAPPENED AND THEY FINALLY EMERGED, BUT TOO BADLY CHEWED TO BE WEARABLE, THE FRIEND SAID. 'WILLIAM TOLD HER NOT TO WORRY AND SAID HE WOULD BUY HER ANOTHER PAIR', THE FRIEND ADDED.

ISRAEL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES PRESENTS RARE COMPLETE EINSTEIN MANUSCRIPT


THE ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT OF ALBERT EINSTEIN'S GROUNDBREAKING THEORY OF RELATIVITY, WHICH HELPS EXPLAIN EVERYTHING FROM BLACK HOLES TO THE BIG BANG, WENT ON DISPLAY RECENTLY IN ITS ENTIRETY FOR THE FIRST TIME. EINSTEIN'S 46 PAGE HANDWRITTEN EXPLANATION OF HIS GENERAL THEORY OF RELATIVITY, IN WHICH HE DEMONSTRATES AN EXPANDING UNIVERSE AND SHOWS HOW GRAVITY CAN BEND SPACE AND TIME, IS BEING SHOWN AT THE ISRAEL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES, UNTIL 25.MARCH, IN JERUSALEM AS PART OF THE SCHOLARLY ASSOCIATION'S 50th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION. 'WE WANTED SOMETHING UNIQUE THAT WOULD HAVE GLOBAL SIGNIFICANCE, AND FORTUNATELY WE COULD HAVE ACCESS TO A MANUSCRIPT THAT HAS NEVER BEEN SEEN IN ITS ENTIRETY BEFORE', SAID THE ACADEMY'S PRESIDENT. EINSTEIN WAS ONE OF THE FOUNDERS OF THE HEBREW UNIVERSITY IN JERUSALEM. HE CONTRIBUTED THE HISTORIC MANUSCRIPT TO THE UNIVERSITY WHEN IT WAS FOUNDED IN 1925, FOUR YEARS AFTER HE WAS AWARDED THE NOBEL PRIZE IN PHYSICS. HIS WILL BEQUEATHED THE REST OF HIS PAPERS TO THE UNIVERSITY UPON HIS DEATH IN 1955. THE UNIVERSITY IS LENDING THE MANUSCRIPT, WHICH WAS FIRST PUBLISHED IN 1916 AND REMAINS A PIVOTAL BREAKTHROUGH IN MODERN PHYSICS, TO THE ACADEMY FOR THE ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION. DESPITE ITS CENTRAL PLACE IN THE CANON OF EINSTEIN'S WORK, THE ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT HAS NEVER ATTRACTED AS MUCH ATTENTION AS THE MAN HIMSELF. ACCORDING TO A MUSEUM SPOKESPERSON, MUSEUMS AROUND THE WORLD HAVE BEEN CONTENT TO DISPLAY ONLY FEW PAGES OF THE MANUSCRIPT AT A TIME. IT TOOK EINSTEIN EIGHT YEARS AFTER PUBLISHING HIS THEORY OF OF SPECIAL RELATIVITY, IN WHICH HE CAME UP WITH THE FAMED EQUATION EMC2 (SQUARED), TO EXPAND THAT INTO HIS THEORY OF GENERAL RELATIVITY, IN WHICH HE SHOWED THAT GRAVITY CAN AFFECT SPACE AND TIME, A KEY TO UNDERSTANDING BASIC FORCES OF PHYSICS AND NATURAL PHENOMENA, INCLUDING THE ORIGIN OF THE UNIVERSE. EXHIBIT ORGANIZERS SAY THE SIGNIFICANCE OF EINSTEIN'S PAGES OF CAREFUL SCRIPT, DIAGRAMS AND PERFECTIONIST'S SCRATCHES WILL NOT BE LOST ON CASUAL VIEWERS. THEY SAY THE DISPLAY WILL PRESENT THE MANUSCRIPT IN THE CONTEXT OF THE THEORY'S LEGACY.

7.3.10

OFFICIAL STATE VISIT GIFTS TO QUEEN ELIZABETH II


AS SOUTH AFRICAN PRESIDENT JACOB ZUMA RECENTLY DISCOVERED ON HIS STATE VISIT TO LONDON, FINDING THE RIGHT GIFT FOR HER MAJESTY IS AN ART IN ITSELF. IT IS ONE OF THOSE SOCIAL FAUX-PAS THAT ALL GUESTS DREAD, BEING INVITED FOR A FUNCTION AND SEEKING TO IMPRESS YOUR HOST, YOU SPEND HOURS SEARCHING FOR THE RIGHT GIFT ONLY TO DISCOVER, WHEN YOU ARRIVE, THAT SOMEONE ELSE HAS BROUGHT ALMOST EXACTLY THE SAME THING. WHEN PRESIDENT ZUMA MET THE QUEEN AT BUCKINGHAM PALACE ON THE FIRST DAY OF HIS OFFICIAL STATE VISIT, HE BEAMED WITH OBVIOUS PRIDE AS HE PRESENTED A SPECIALLY-CRAFTED ONE OF A KIND CHESS SET FEATURING ZULU AND XHOSA WARRIORS MADE OF GLASS AND PEWTER. 'THE PERFECT GIFT', HE MUST HAVE THOUGHT. 'DECORATIVE, SYMBOLIC OF MY CULTURE AND HERITAGE AND HIGHLY UNIQUE. SHE CAN'T HAVE ANYTHING LIKE THIS BEFORE. . . ' BUT SHE HAD, BARLEY 20 MINUTES LATER, ON THE TOUR OF THE PALACE'S PICTURE GALLERY, HER MAJESTY AND PRESIDENT ZUMA STOPPED TO ADMIRE A PRESENT GIVEN TO THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH BY THE VISITOR'S PREDECESSOR, NELSON MANDELA, IN 1996. IT BECAME A SLIGHTLY AWKWARD MOMENT WHEN IT WAS REALIZED THAT THE CHESS SET WAS AN ALMOST IDENTICAL SET WHICH, JUST LIKE PRESIDENT ZUMA'S, FEATURED PIECES CARVED INTO THE SHAPE OF ZULU TRIBESMEN. 'OH, ANOTHER SET', SAID PRESIDENT ZUMA, CLEARLY LESS EBULLIENT THAN HE WAS EARLIER IN THE DAY.


TO BE HONEST, IT WOULD BE EXTRAORDINARY IF SUCH A MIX-UP HADN'T HAPPENED BEFORE. DURING HER HISTORIC 58 YEARS ON THE THRONE, THE QUEEN HAS HOSTED NUMEROUS PRESIDENTS, PRIME MINISTERS, MONARCHS AND OTHER POTENTATES AT BUCKINGHAM PALACE AND, ON EACH OCCASION, HAS BEEN GIVEN A GIFT, OR GIFTS, WITH WHICH THE VISITING VIP HAS HOPED TO IMPRESS HER. AND THE SAME THING HAPPENS WHEN SHE VISITS THEM; AND EXCHANGE OF OFFICIAL PRESENTS, USUALLY ON THE FIRST DAY, AS A GESTURE OF GOODWILL BETWEEN VISITING AND HOST NATIONS. AS A RESULT THE QUEEN NOW HAS SOMEWHERE IN THE REGION OF OVER 1,600 OFFICIAL GIFTS, MANY OF THEM DISPLAYED AT BUCKINGHAM PALACE, WINDSOR CASTLE, HOLYROODHOUSE, SANDRINGHAM OR BALMORAL. WORKS OF ART ARE A POPULAR CHOICE, AS ARE COFFEE TABLE BOOKS, HIGHLIGHTING SOME ASPECT OF THE VISITOR'S HOME COUNTRY, AND JEWELRY. MEMBERS OF THE SAUDI ROYAL-FAMILY, IN PARTICULAR, HAVE LAVISHED THE QUEEN WITH SOME STUNNING AND AMAZING NECKLACES. BUT THE QUEN HAS ALSO RECEIVED SOME RATHER MORE UNIQUELY UNUSUAL GIFTS, MANY OF WHICH WERE PUT ON DISPLAY IN A SPECIAL EXHIBITION AT BUCKINGHAM PALACE IN 2002 TO CELEBRATE HER GOLDEN JUBILEE. THE PIECE DE RESISTANCE OF THE EXHIBITION WAS A 6 FOOT LONG WINE COOLER IN THE SHAPE OF A GRASSHOPPER GIVEN TO THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH BY GEORGES POMPIDOUS, DURING THE QUEEN'S STATE VISIT TO FRANCE IN 1972. THE HUGE CREATURE'S HEAD AND WING CASES WERE MADE OF SEVRES BISCUIT PORCELAIN, WHILE THE LEGS WERE NICKEL-PLATED STEEL AND THE WINGS AND INTERIOR POLISHED BRASS. MOST BRILLIANT OF ALL, WHEN THE WINGS WERE ROTATED, IT BECAME A LOW LEVEL WINE TABLE. SADLY, THE PALACE ADMITTED, THE DUKE HAD BEEN UNABLE TO FIND A USE FOR IT IN THE 30 TEARS SINCE IT HAD BEEN GIVEN TO HIM, AND THE LARGE BUG HAS LAIN INSIDE THE STATE ENTRANCE TO WINDSOR CASTLE, COLLECTING DUST. THE QUEEN NEVER COMMENTS ON ANY OF THE GIFTS SHE RECEIVES, ALTHOUGH HER EXPRESSION SOMETIMES GIVES HER AWAY, BUT THE PALACE HAS LET IT BE KNOWN THAT SHE PREFERS SOMETHING 'COMMEMORATIVE' AND NOTHING 'TOO EXPENSIVE'. AND THE QUEEN HERSELF? WHAT DOES SHE GIVE? THE STANDARD GIFT ON STATE VISITS IS A SIGNED PHOTOGRAPH OF HERSELF AND HER HUSBAND IN A SILVER FRAME.

OSCAR'S $91,000 CONSOLATION GIFT BASKET


AS THE COUNTDOWN BEGINS FOR TOMORROWS 82nd OSCARS CEREMONY, IT'S BECOME APPARENT THAT THIS YEAR'S ACADEMY AWARDS ARE ALMOST WORTH LOSING AS ALL THE NON-WINNING NOMINEES IN THE MAIN CATEGORIES WILL RECEIVE AN AMAZING CONSOLATION GIFT BASKET PRESENTATION DELIVERED STRAIGHT TO THEIR DOORS ON MONDAY MORNING, $91,000 WORTH OF COMPLEMENTARY ITEMS. THE STUNNING DESIGNER GIFT BASKET INCLUDES A SLEW OF TRAVEL OPPORTUNITIES, INCLUDING A PRIVATE SOUTH AFRICAN SAFARI FOR EIGHT ADULTS AND EIGHTS KIDS WORTH A STAGGERING $45,000. A $14,500 TRIP TO MONACO IS ALSO INCLUDED IN THE GIFT PRESENTATION, WITH A FOUR-NIGHT STAY IN THE HISTORIC PRINCIPALITY, AND SO IS A EXCURSION TO THE TURKS & CAICOS, WITH A PRIVATE ISLAND HOLIDAY. THERE IS A SPECIAL LEATHER SUITCASE WORTH $4,000 CREATED BY SWISS ARMY, WHICH THERE ARE ONLY 175 OF THEM AVAILABLE WORLDWIDE AND A $4,850 ONE WEEK BOOT CAMP, SLIMWARE PORTION-CONTROL PLATES AND 10 PERSONAL TRAINING SESSIONS. THE GIFT BASKET DOESN'T FORGET THE PAMPERED PETS OF THE CELEBRITIES, THERE IS A TIFFANY CRYSTAL-STUDDED COLLAR AND A FLIPCAM FOR CAT LOVERS AND FOR DOG OWNER'S, THERE'S A VOUCHER FOR A PROFESSIONAL DOG PHOTO STUDIO. FOR THE CELEBRITIES WHO REFUSE TO RECEIVE THE FREE GOODIES THEY CAN BE DONATED TO CHARITY.