ASHES OF LAST TITANIC SURVIVOR SCATTERED AT SEA

THE ASHES OF THE LAST SURVIVOR OF THE TITANIC WERE SCATTERED RECENTLY IN THE WATERS WHERE THE ILL-FATED SHIP SET SAIL. MILLVINA DEAN, WHO WAS NINE WEEKS OLD WHEN THE LINER SANK AFTER HITTING AN ICEBERG, DIED ON 31.MAY OF THIS YEAR. THE DISASTER IN THE EARLY MORNING HOURS OF 15.APRIL.1912, RESULTED IN THE DEATHS OF 1,517 PEOPLE IN THE NORTH ATLANTIC, LARGELY DUE TO A LACK OF LIFEBOATS. "WE HAD HER FOR 97 YEARS AND WE FEEL LUCKY FOR THAT. WE WOULD HAVE HAD HER FOR ANOTHER 97 YEARS, IF WE COULD HAVE. IT WAS A VERY MOVING CEREMONY AND THE SUN SHONE ON HER RIGHT AT THE END", A FAMILY FRIEND WAS QUOTED AS AFTER THE SERVICE. "SHE WAS A LOVELY LADY AND ANYONE WHO MET HER WOULD SAY EXACTLY THE SAME." THE SIMPLE CEREMONY FOLLOWED A MEMORIAL SERVICE AT ST MARY'S CHURCH, COPYTHORNE, HAMPSHIRE, WHERE DEAN WAS CHRISTENED AND WHERE HER FUNERAL WAS HELD EARLIER THIS YEAR. AROUND 150 PEOPLE, INCLUDING MEMBERS OF THE BRITISH TITANIC SOCIETY AND FRIENDS OF DEAN, GATHERED THERE TO PAY THEIR LAST RESPECTS. DEAN, THE LATE PRESIDENT OF THE BRITISH TITANIC SOCIETY, WAS GIVEN A QUIET FAMILY ONLY FUNERAL IN JUNE. ELIZABETH GLADYS DEAN, KNOWN TO FRIENDS AS MILLVINA, WAS BORN ON 2.FEBRUARY.1912 AND BOARDED THE DOOMED SHIP WITH HER PARENTS BERTRAM FRANK AND GEORGETTE EVA AND HER ELDER BROTHER BERTRAM. THE FAMILY, WHO WERE THIRD-CLASS PASSENGERS, WERE EMIGRATING TO WICHITA, KANSAS, WHERE HER FATHER HAD HOPED TO OPEN A TOBACCONIST SHOP. WHEN THE ACCIDENT HAPPENED, HER FATHER FELT THE SHIP SHUDDER AND QUICKLY TOLD HIS FAMILY TO GO ON DECK. DEAN, HER MOTHER AND BROTHER WERE AMONG THE FIRST STEERAGE PASSENGERS TO ESCAPE THE SINKING LINER BUT HER FATHER WAS UNABLE TO GET ON A LIFEBOAT AND PERISHED IN THE DISASTER. THE FAMILY RETURNED TO SOUTHAMPTON, WHERE DEAN WENT ON TO SPEND MOST OF HER LIFE.

LAMBORGHINI INSPIRED CHRISTMAS 2009 GIFT COLLECTION

LAMBORGHINI HAS RECENTLY UNVEILED ITS LIMITED CHRISTMAS GIFTS 2009 COLLECTION THAT IS SURE TO PLEASE EVERY LAMBORGHINI FAN. THE STUNNING GIFT-BOX CANDLES AND CERAMIC BAUBLES HAVE BEEN INSPIRED BY LAMBORGHINI'S GALLARDO LP 550-2 VALENTINO BALNONI. THE COLOUR SCHEME OF THIS UNIQUE COLLECTION HAS ALSO BEEN INSPIRED BY THE LIMITED EDITION GALLARDO, BLUE CAELUM AND WHITE MONOCERUS (WHICH ARE TWO OF THE EIGHT COLOURS THAT THIS BEAUTY IS AVAILABLE IN). BESIDES BEAUTIFUL CANDLES AND CERAMIC BAUBLES, THIS GALLARDO INSPIRED COLLECTION ALSO INCLUDES 2010 WALL AND DESK CALENDERS, WINTER CLOTHING AND T-SHIRTS. A COLLECTION FOR EVERY CAR ENTHUSIAST AND LAMBORGHINI LOVER, IT IS AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY FROM ALL LAMBORGHINI DEALERSHIPS WORLDWIDE AS WELL AS ONLINE AT Lamborghini.com.

MINT MUSEUM OF ART PRESENTS THE ART OF AFFLUENCE: HAUTE COUTURE AND LUXURY FASHIONS 1947-2007

IMPRESSIVE WORKS OF WEARABLE ART WILL BE ON DISPLAY IN THE SPECIAL EXHIBITION 'THE ART OF AFFLUENCE: HAUTE COUTURE AND LUXURY FASHIONS 1947-2007', ON VIEW AT THE MINT MUSEUM OF ART, CHARLOTTE, NC. THIS EXHIBITION PRESENTS SELECTIONS FROM THE MUSEUM'S EXTENSIVE HOLDINGS OF HAUTE COUTURE AND LUXURY GARMENTS THAT REFLECT 60 YEARS OF CREATIVITY BY TOP EUROPEAN AND AMERICAN FASHION DESIGNERS. THE ART OF AFFLUENCE WILL RUN THROUGH 2010. THE ART OF AFFLUENCE FEATURES GARMENTS AND ACCESSORIES BY RENOWNED DESIGNERS INCLUDING CHANEL, DE LA RENTA, DIOR, GIVENCHY, SAINT LAURENT, VALENTINO AND VERSACE, AMONG OTHERS. HAUTE COUTURE REFERS TO ONE OF A KIND, CUSTOM-MADE GARMENTS AND IS USED BY FASHION FIRMS AROUND THE WORLD TO DESCRIBE THEIR HIGH-END LINES. DUE TO THEIR EXCLUSIVITY AND EXPERT ATTENTION TO DETAIL, THESE GARMENTS CAN COST UPWARDS OF $30,000 PER ITEM AND ARE CHARACTERIZED BY FLAIR, TASTE, FINE MATERIALS AND DISTINCTIVE QUALITY. ADDITIONALLY, MOST OF EVERY HAUTE COUTURE HOUSE CREATES A LUXURY PRET-A-PORTER, OR READY TO WEAR COLLECTION, WHICH IS CLASSIFIED AS LUXURY CLOTHING.
FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT www.mintmuseum.org.

DANIEL RADCLIFFE BUYS £3.76 MILLION NEW YORK TOWNHOUSE

HARRY POTTER STAR DANIEL RADCLIFFE HAS EXTENDED HIS PROPERTY PORTFOLIO AFTER BUYING A STUNNING HISTORIC TOWNHOUSE IN NEW YORK WORTH NEARLY £4 MILLION. THE 20 YEAR OLD ACTOR HAS SPENT £3.76 MILLION ON A BUILDING ON WEST 12th STREET THAT WAS BUILT BY A SEA CAPTAIN FOR ONE OF HIS BELOVED DAUGHTERS IN 1847. IT MEANS HE NOW OWNS A £10 MILLION PROPERTY EMPIRE IN THE BIG APPLE AS WELL AS A FLAT IN FULHAM, WEST LONDON. WITH FIVE BEDROOMS, RADCLIFFE'S NEW TOWNHOUSE MEASURES 3,000 SQUARE FEET AND INCLUDES AN AMAZING 39 FOOT LONG GARDEN. A SOTHEBY'S BROCHURE SAID: "THE PROPERTY IS ON ONE OF NEW YORK'S MOST PICTURESQUE TREE-LINED LANDMARK COBBLESTONE BLOCKS." RADCLIFFE'S FIRST NEW YORK PURCHASE WAS TWO YEARS AGO, A £3.2 MILLION FIFTH-FLOOR APARTMENT IN THE SOHO DISTRICT OF THE CITY. A FEW MONTHS LATER, HE PAID JUST OVER £3 MILLION FOR A THREE-BEDROOM APARTMENT WITH VIEWS ACROSS THE HUDSON RIVER. RADCLIFFE, WHO IS ABOUT TO OPEN IN A ROLE ON BROADWAY IN 'HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING', IS SHREWD WHEN IT COMES TO MONEY. RUMORED TO HAVE A FORTUNE OF AROUND £20 MILLION, RADCLIFFE ONCE SAID: "THE THINGS I LIKE BUYING ARE THINGS THAT COST ABOUT £7." TOGETHER WITH HIS HARRY POTTER CO-STARS RUPERT GRINT AND EMMA WATSON, HE RECEIVED PERSONAL TUTORING FROM COUTTS BANK WHEN HE TURNED 18 ON HOW BEST TO INVEST HIS EARNINGS.

MINNEAPOLIS INSTITUTE OF ARTS PRESENTS THE LOUVRE AND THE MASTERPIECE

THIS OCTOBER THE MINNEAPOLIS INSTITUTE OF ARTS (MIA) PRESENTS 'THE LOUVRE AND THE MASTERPIECE' WHICH WILL EXPLORE HOW THE DEFINITION OF A 'MASTERPIECE', AS WELL AS TASTE AND CONNOISSEURSHIP, HAVE CHANGED OVER TIME. THE EXHIBITION, PRESENTED BY U.S. BANK, WILL FEATURE 62 WORKS OF ART DRAWN FROM ALL EIGHT OF THE MUSEE DU LOUVRE'S COLLECTION AREA, SPANNING 4,000 YEARS. PAINTINGS, SCULPTURES, DECORATIVE ARTS AND DRAWINGS WILL REFLECT THREE MAJOR THEMES: THE CHANGING HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL DEFINITIONS OF A MASTERPIECE; AUTHENTICITY AND CONNOISSEURSHIP; AND THE EVOLUTION OF TASTE AND SCHOLARSHIP. 'THE LOUVRE AND THE MASTERPIECE' WILL BE ON VIEW IN MINNEAPOLIS FROM 18.OCTOBER.2009 THROUGH 10.JANUARY.2010. "WE ARE THRILLED TO PRESENT SUCH A MAGNIFICENT GROUP OF WORKS FROM THE LOUVRE'S COLLECTIONS TO MINNESOTA FOR THE FIRST TIME, AND IT IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO EXPLORE WHAT MAKES A WORK OF ART A MASTERPIECE", SAID KAYWIN FELDMAN, DIRECTOR AND PRESIDENT OF THE MINNEAPOLIS INSTITUTE OF ARTS.
FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT www.artsmia.org/

CHRISTIE'S SELL 32.01 ANNENBERG DIAMOND FOR $7.7 MILLION

A SQUARE, 32.01 CARAT EMERALD-CUT DIAMOND THAT BILLIONAIRE PHILANTHROPIST LEONORE ANNENBERG BOUGHT FOR HER 90th BIRTHDAY HAS BEEN SOLD FOR $7.7 MILLION AT A NEW YORK CITY AUCTION. ABOUT THE SIZE OF A WALNUT, THE FLAWLESS DIAMOND SITS ON A RING, FLANKED ON BOTH SIDES BY SMALLER PEAR-SHAPED DIAMONDS. IT WAS DESIGNED BY MANHATTAN JEWELER DAVID WEBB. CHRISTIE'S HAD ESTIMATED IT WOULD SELL FOR $3 TI $5 MILLION. THE AUCTION HOUSE SAID THE PREVIOUS RECORD FOR A 30 CARAT SQUARE CUT DIAMOND WAS $3.1 MILLION. THE BUYER OF THE STUNNING DIAMOND WAS NOT IMMEDIATELY IDENTIFIED. ANNENBERG DIED IN MARCH AT THE AGE OF 91. SHE WAS THE US CHIEF OF PROTOCOL IN THE REAGAN ADMINISTRATION, HER HUSBAND WAS BILLIONAIRE PUBLISHER WALTER ANNENBERG WHO DIED IN 2002.

DUCHESS OF CORNWALL DANCES WITH STRICTLY COME DANCING JUDGE

CRAIG REVEL HARWOOD, THE 'STRICTLY COME DANCING' JUDGE, HAD THE DUCHESS OF CORNWALL MOVING LIKE A BALLROOM DIVA WHEN HER GAVE HER AN IMPROMPTU CHA CHA CHA LESSON. THE MULTI-TALENTED CHOREOGRAPHER ENCOURAGED THE DUCHESS TO WIGGLE HER HIPS AND MOVE HER FEET TO A LATIN DANCE TRACK WHEN THE PAIR VISITED A LONDON SCHOOL ON WORLD OSTEOPOROSIS DAY. THE DUCHESS AND THE CELEBRITY DANCE INSTRUCTOR HELD HANDS AND SHIMMIED IN THE HALL OF ST CLEMENT DANES PRIMARY SCHOOL WHICH IS TAKING PART IN THE NATIONAL OSTEOPOROSIS SOCIETY (NOS) PROJECT. THE SCHOOL IS ONE OF SIX ACROSS THE COUNTRY THAT IS RECEIVING A VISIT FROM REVEL NORWOOD AFTER WINNING A COMPETITION WHERE THEY HAD TO PROVE THEIR 'BONE HEALTH' CREDENTIALS. THE DUCHESS, WHO IS THE NOS's PRESIDENT, WATCHED THE CELEBRITY JUDGE PUT A GROUP OF AROUND 20 NINE YEAR OLDS THROUGH THEIR PACES. THE YOUNGSTERS ARE BEING ENCOURAGED TO DANCE TO HELP STRENGTHEN THEIR BONES AND KEEP THEM ACTIVE. THE 44 YEAR OLD CHOREOGRAPHER LIVED UP TO HIS STRAIGHT TALKING REPUTATION WHEN HE TOLD THE SCHOOL CHILDREN 'TIMING IS ESSENTIAL, YOU'RE ALL AHEAD OF THE BEAT', BUT ENDED BY PRAISING THEM AS 'FANTASTIC'. HE THEN TURNED TO THE DUCHESS AND TOOK HER HANDS AS SCHOOL GOVERNORS AND SENIOR NOS STAFF WATCHED LAUGHING. AS THE PAIR MOVED BACKWARDS AND FORWARDS THE CHOREOGRAPHER TOLD THE DUCHESS, 'NOW A LITTLE BIT OF HIP ACTION' AS SHE BEGAN TO SWAY HE GAVE HER SOME ENCOURAGEMENT SAYING, 'THAT'S FANTASTIC'. LATER THE STRICTLY COME DANCING JUDGE, WHO IS AN NOS PATRON, SAID: "I'D GIVE HER 10. SHE KEPT RHYTHM, HER TIMING WAS EXCELLENT, HER FOOTWORK WAS EXCELLENT. SHE HAS THE PERSONALITY FOR IT."