QUEEN FINDS FIVE YEAR OLD'S BALLOON WHILE WALKING HER CORGIS

A FIVE YEAR OLD RECEIVED A PERSONAL MESSAGE FROM BUCKINGHAM PALACE AFTER THE QUEEN FOUND HIS BALLOON WHILE OUT WALKING HER BELOVED CORGIS. CHARLIE CASTLE WAS ONE OF AROUND 50 SCHOOLCHILDREN WHO RELEASED BALLOONS DURING AN END OF TERM FAREWELL AT LITTLE MARLOW INFANT SCHOOL IN BUCKINGHAMSHIRE IN JULY. WHEN THE YOUNGSTER RETURNED TO CLASSES THIS TERM, HE WAS DELIGHTED TO RECEIVE A LETTER FROM THE QUEEN, WHO CAME ACROSS HIS GREEN BALLOON ABOUT 14 MILES AWAY, IN THE GROUNDS OF WINDSOR CASTLE. THE QUEEN SPOTTED THE NUMBERED TICKET, NAMING THE LITTLE CHURCH OF ENGLAND SCHOOL, AND TOOK THE BALLOON BACK TO THE CASTLE. HER PERSONAL ASSISTANT, ANGELA KELLY, WAS ENTRUSTED WITH RETURNING IT TO CHARLIE, FROM HIGH WYCOMBE, BUCKS, ALONG WITH A NOTE. ANNE HARDING, HEAD OF THE LITTLE MARLOW SCHOOL SAID: "THERE WAS A MESSAGE LEFT ON THE SCHOOL ANSWER MACHINE FROM SOMEONE WHO SAID THEY WERE CALLING FROM BUCKINGHAM PALACE. I THOUGHT IT COULD BE A WIND-UP BUT I MADE CONTACT, I WAS TOLD THAT THE QUEEN WOULD LIKE TO SEND A LETTER." HARDING SAID THE SCHOOL KEPT QUIET ABOUT WHAT HAD HAPPENED UNTIL THE LETTER ARRIVED LAST MONTH, DELIGHTING ITS RECIPIENT WHO HAD JUST CELEBRATED HIS FIFTH BIRTHDAY. WHEN THE ENVELOPE WAS OPENED, THE LITTLE BOY ALSO FOUND HIS GREEN BALLOON TUCKED INSIDE. THE HEADTEACHER SAID CHARLIE, WHO HAD VISITED BUCKINGHAM PALACE DURING THE SCHOOL HOLIDAYS, WAS THRILLED BY THE MONARCH'S RESPONSE. IN THE LETTER TO CHARLIE THE QUEEN SAID SHE WAS VERY SURPRISED TO SEE HOW FAR THE BALLOON HAD TRAVELED AND SHE ALSO WISHED HIM A 'LOVELY' BIRTHDAY. FIFTEEN OF THE BALLOONS RELEASED WERE RETURNED TO THE SCHOOL, THE FURTHEST FROM BORDEAUX IN SOUTH OF FRANCE.

JAMIESON'S RASPBERRY ALE 'HO WHITE' ANGERS DISNEY

A BEER ADVERTISEMENT FEATURING SNOW WHITE BLOWING SMOKE RINGS WHILE LYING IN BED WITH SEVEN SEMI-NUDE DWARVES HAS REPORTEDLY LEFT DISNEY FUMING. THE RAUNCHY JAMIESON'S RASPBERRY ALE AD RENAMED THE FAIRYTALE CARTOON HEROINE 'HO WHITE'. LOVABLE DISNEY DWARVES, LIKE SLEEPY, HAPPY AND DOC, WERE REPLACED WITH FILTHY, SMARMY AND RANDY TO PORTRAY THE TYPES OF DRINKERS. CAMPAIGN CREATORS THE FOUNDRY CLAIMED THE IDEA WAS TO CONVINCE AUSTRALIAN DRINKERS THAT THE FRUIT-FLAVORED BEER WAS 'ANYTHING BUT SWEET'. BUT THE AD HAS COME TO THE ATTENTION OF THE ENTERTAINMENT GIANT WHICH LICENSES SNOW WHITE, ACCORDING TO AUSTRALIA'S DAILY TELEGRAPH. THE FOUNDRY SAYS IT HAS HAD 'A LITTLE BIT OF CONTACT' WITH DISNEY OVER THE ISSUE, THE PAPER SAID. THE CAMPAIGN'S OFFICIAL WEBSITE, anythingbutsweet.com, COULD NOT BE ACCESSED. THE FOUNDRY'S SITE HAD FEATURED NUMEROUS PICTURES OF HO WHITE BUT LINKS TO THE CAMPAIGN HAVE ALSO BEEN DISABLED. AUSTRALIA'S FOOD WEEK WEBSITE SPECULATED THAT THIS MAY BE DUE TO A COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT. DISNEY, WHICH RELEASED THE FAMOUS ANIMATED SNOW WHITE FEATURE IN 1937, WAS NOT IMMEDIATELY AVAILABLE FOR COMMENT. HOWEVER, IT IS UNLIKELY THAT THE COMPANY, WHICH RUNS THE COSTLY FAMILY-FRIENDLY DISNEY THEME PARKS AND IS KNOWN FOR ITS CARTOON FEATURE FILMS AIMED AT CHILDREN, WOULD EVER AGREE TO SNOW WHITE'S IMAGE BEING USED TO SELL BEER.

BACCARAT UNVEILS CRISTAL DECANTER FOR L'ESSENCE DE COURVOISIER

THE PERSONAL SIGNET RINGS OF NAPOLEON WERE GIVEN TO ARMY COMMANDERS WHO RISKED THEIR LIVES FOR THE NATION OF FRANCE. INSPIRED BY THESE UNIQUE AND EXCLUSIVE NOBLE RINGS, LADING LUXURY FRENCH CRISTAL DESIGN HOUSE, BACCARAT HAS CREATED A STUNNING CRISTAL DECANTER FOR 'L'ESSENCE DE COURVOISIER', ONE OF THE FINEST AND MOST EXPENSIVE COGNACS IN THE WORLD. MORE THAN 100 RARE 'EAUX DE VIE' ARE BROUGHT TOGETHER TO MAKE UP THIS RARE COGNAC, SOME EVEN FROM THE EARLY 20th CENTURY. THE RESULT OFFERS A RICH ARRAY OF COMPLEX, ENTICING AND WELL-MATURED FLAVORS THAT IGNITE THE SENSES WITH CENTURIES OF ORIGINALITY. EXQUISITE AROMAS OF SANDALWOOD AND CIGAR LEAVES ARE FOLLOWED BY TOFFEE, MARZIPAN AND HONEY, FINISHED WITH THE DELICATE PERFUME OF MAY BLOSSOM. THE PALATE IS FULL-BODIED AND RICH WITH NOTES OF LICORICE, DRIED PLUM AND APRICOT, BUILDING TO A SMOLDERING INTENSITY GUARANTEED TO LINGER. THE AMAZING CREATION IS AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY AT HARRODS FOR AN ESTIMATED £1,800

SEATTLE ART MUSEUM PRESENTS MICHELANGELO PUBLIC AND PRIVATE: DRAWINGS FOR THE SISTINE CHAPEL AND OTHER TREASURES

MICHELANGELO'S TOWERING REPUTATION AS THE QUINTESSENTIAL RENAISSANCE MAN -- ARCHITECT, PAINTER, SCULPTOR, POET AND ENGINEER -- INTIMIDATED BOTH HIS CONTEMPORARIES AND LATER HISTORIANS TO THE POINT THAT THE ADJECTIVE 'DIVINE' BECAME A FIXTURE ATTACHED TO HIS NAME. 'MICHELANGELO PUBLIC AND PRIVATE: DRAWINGS FOR THE SISTINE CHAPEL AND OTHER TREASURES FROM THE CASA BUONARROTI', WHICH IS ON VIEW FROM 15.OCTOBER.2009 THROUGH 31.JANUARY.201, IS A STUNNING NEW EXHIBITION THAT BRINGS TOGETHER ONE OF ART HISTORY'S GREATEST FIGURES TO SEATTLE FOR THE FIRST TIME. DRAWN EXCLUSIVELY FROM THE COLLECTION OF THE CASA BUONARROTI IN FLORENCE, THE SHOW EXPLORES MICHELANGELO'S COMPLEX PERSONALITY AND DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF HIS LIFE AND CAREER. CENTERED AROUND TWELVE ORIGINAL DRAWINGS BY MICHELANGELO, THE EXHIBITION ALSO FEATURES PORTRAITS OF THE ARTIST, PERSONAL DOCUMENTS AND DECORATIVE ARTS FROM THE CASA BUONARROTI. THE PRIMARY FOCUS OF TE EXHIBITION IS MICHELANGELO'S PRELIMINARY WORK FOR THE SISTINE CHAPEL AND THE LAST JUDGMENT. TOGETHER, THESE OBJECTS GIVE MODERN VIEWERS INSIGHT INTO THE ARTIST'S WORKING PROCESS, FROM SKETCHES TO FINISHED STUDIES. THIS EXPOSURE WOULD HAVE APPALLED MICHELANGELO, WHO BURNED MANY OF HIS DRAWINGS HOPING TO SUSTAIN THE IDEA THAT DIVINE INSPIRATION, NOT HUMAN LABOR, WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR HIS CELEBRATED MASTERPIECES.
FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT www.seattleartmuseum.org

HIGH MUSEUM OF ART PRESENTS THE PORTRAIT UNBOUND: PHOTOGRAPHS BY ROBERT WEINGARTEN

THE HIGH MUSEUM OF ART, ATLANTA, WILL PREMIERE AN EXHIBITION OF NEW WORK BY CALIFORNIA BASED PHOTOGRAPHER ROBERT WEINGARTEN IN JANUARY 2010. WEINGARTEN'S PROJECT CONSISTS OF 20 LARGE-SCALE DIGITALLY-CREATED PORTRAITS OF AMERICAN ICONS, AND REPRESENTS A BOLD DEPARTURE FROM TRADITIONAL CAMERA PORTRAITURE. FOR 'THE PORTRAIT UNBOUND', WEINGARTEN CREATED SOPHISTICATED DIGITAL COMPOSITIONS OF IMAGERY ALLUDING TO SPECIFIC ACHIEVEMENTS OR MOMENTS WITHIN THE SUBJECT'S LIFE. THE RESULT IS A UNIQUE AND COMPELLING COLLAGE OF IMAGES THAT DESCRIBES THE SUBJECT THROUGH BIOGRAPHICAL RATHER THAN PHYSICAL INFORMATION. THE DIGITAL PORTRAITS IN THE EXHIBITION INCLUDE EMINENT AMERICANS FROM THE WORLDS OF ART, SCIENCE, SPORTS, POLITICS, AND CULTURE, AMONG THEM CHUCK CLOSE, SANDRA DAY O'CONNOR, FRANK GEHRY, HANK AARON, DENNIS HOPPER TO NAME A FEW. A SHORT FILM DETAILING WEINGARTENE'S ARTISTIC BACKGROUND AND INVENTIVE METHODS WILL ACCOMPANY THE EXHIBITION. ORGANIZED BY THE HIGH MUSEUM, 'THE PORTRAIT UNBOUND: PHOTOGRAPHS BY ROBERT WEINGARTEN' WILL BE ON VIEW FROM 23.JANUARY THROUGH 4.APRIL.2010.

£10 JUMBLE SALE COAT DISCOVERED TO ONCE BELONG TO QUEEN ELIZABETH II

GAYNOR ANDREWS, HAS RECENTLY DISCOVERED THAT HER FAVORITE SECOND-HAND COAT, WHICH WAS BOUGHT FOR £10 FROM A LOCAL JUMBLE SALE NEARLY FIFTY YEARS AGO, WAS ONCE PREVIOUSLY WORN BY QUEEN ELIZABETH II. THE 57 YEAR OLD, FROM CHELTENHAM, GLOUCESTERSHIRE, WAS SURPRISED WHEN SHE SAW THE DISTINCTIVE SILK CAR-COAT, INHERITED FROM HER 82 YEAR OLD MOTHER MARGARET, IN A PHOTOGRAPH OF THE MONARCH DATING FROM 1953. SHE SAID THE FAMILY HAD ALWAYS KNOWN THE COAT BELONGED TO SOMEONE IMPORTANT, BUT HAD NO IDEA IT HAD BEEN WORN BY A YOUNG ELIZABETH SHORTLY BEFORE SHE SET OFF ON HER HISTORIC TOUR OF THE COMMONWEALTH. SHE SAID: "MY MOTHER BOUGHT THE COAT FROM A GENTLEMAN WHO WAS ARRANGING A JUMBLE SALE FOR THE SEA CADETS IN EPSOM, SURREY. HE TOLD HER IT HAD COME FROM A HIGH-UP PLACE BUT WOULDN'T SAY ANY MORE. MUM PAID BETWEEN £5 AND £10 FOR IT IN 1961, WHICH WAS QUITE A LOT OF MONEY IN THOSE DAY, AND THOUGHT NOTHING MORE OF IT." SHE ADDED: "IT WAS ONLY WHEN I WAS LOOKING AT THE TELEVISION GUIDE A FEW WEEKS AGO WHEN I SAW AN OLD PICTURE OF THE QUEEN. I THOUGHT 'THAT COAT LOOKS FAMILIAR' AND WHEN I LOOKED CLOSER I REALIZED IT WAS THE EXACT SAME ITEM. THE PHOTO WAS OF HER DURING HER 1953 TOUR AROUND BRITAIN. IT'S A VERY DISTINCTIVE COAT SO I WAS SHOCKED TO SEE IT ON HER. I'VE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE IT ANYWHERE ELSE." A SPOKESWOMAN FOR BUCKINGHAM PALACE WOULD NOT COMMENT ON THE COAT BUT CONFIRMED SOME OF THE QUEEN'S OLD CLOTHES END UP IN PUBLIC HANDS AFTER BEING SOLD ON.

LOUIS VUITTON L'AME DU VOYAGE JEWELRY COLLECTION: SEVILLE SET

THE NEW L'AME DU VOYAGE COLLECTION FROM LOUIS VUITTON WHICH IS BASED ON THE THEME OF TRAVEL BOASTS SOME OF THE MOST EXQUISITE AND UNIQUE PIECES OF JEWELRY TO BE CREATED BY THE LUXURY DESIGNER. THE SEVILLE SET FROM THE COLLECTION IS ONE OF THE STUNNING HIGHLIGHTS. NAMED AFTER THE CITY IN SOUTHERN SPAIN, THE SEVILLE SET FEATURES RED/PINK COLOURED PRECIOUS STONES, INCLUDING SPINELS AND PINK SAPPHIRES, AND BRILLIANT CUT DIAMONDS SET IN WHITE AND RED 18 CARAT GOLD. DESIGNER LORENZ BAUMER TOOK HIS INSPIRATION FROM THE RUFFLES AND POLKA DOTS AND ALL THE FEELINGS IN BETWEEN AND THOSE SURROUNDING THE IDEA OF FLUIDITY AND GRACE TO CREATE THIS AMAZING SET. BESIDES AN INCREDIBLY GRAND NECKLACE THE SEVILLE SET INCLUDES AN EQUALLY STUNNING AND MATCHING BROOCH, A PAIR OF EARRINGS AND 2 RINGS. THIS IS THE PERFECT SET TO WIN THE HEART OF YOUR TRUE LOVE, IT IS SIMPLY FANTASTIC.