THE QUEEN ELIZABETH GATE IS EXPECTED TO BECOME 'PROTECTED STATUS'

THE QUEEN ELIZABETH GATE, THE CONTROVERSIAL LONDON LANDMARK, IS EXPECTED TO WIN PROTECTED STATUS SOON. IT'S BEEN DERIDED BY MANY AS A PANTOMIME SET AND COMPARED TO A DEVELOPMENT ON THE COSTA DEL SOL, BUT THE ICONIC QUEEN ELIZABETH GATE IS TO BECOME A PERMANENT FEATURE OF THE LONDON LANDSCAPE. RICHARD BRIGGS, WHO WAS THE CHAIRMAN OF THE QUEEN ELIZABETH GATE APPEAL, RECENTLY SAID IN AN INTERVIEW THAT HE WAS APPLYING TO HAVE THE TRIBUTE TO THE LATE QUEEN MOTHER LISTED BY ENGLISH HERITAGE. 'THE PEOPLE WHO WORKED ON IT WON'T BE AROUND FOR EVER, SO WE NEED TO ENSURE THAT WE SAFEGUARD IT FOR THE FUTURE', HE SAID AT A RECEPTION TO LAUNCH THE ELEPHANT PARADE, A CAMPAIGN TO SAVE THE ENDANGERED ASIAN ELEPHANT, IN CONVENT GARDEN. PRINCE MICHAEL OF KENT CONCEIVED THE IDEA OF CONSTRUCTING THE £1.5 MILLION GATE AS A TRIBUTE TO HER AUNT ON HER 90th BIRTHDAY AND IT WAS UNVEILED IN 1993. LORD ROGER, THE ARCHITECT, DESCRIBED THE DESIGN BY THE SCULPTOR DAVID WYNNE AS 'ROMANTIC CANDYFLOSS' AND COMPARED IT TO ONE OD QUEEN ELIZABETH'S HATS. EVEN HER GRANDSON LORD LINLEY SAID HE 'ABSOLUTELY LOATHED' IT. HOWEVER, BRIGGS, WHO WAS AWARDED OBE FOR HIS EFFORT, SAID THE GATE HAD BECOME A POPULAR TOURIST ATTRACTION AND HELPED TO AVOID COUNTLESS ROAD ACCIDENTS BY CALMING THE TRAFFIC IN THAT CORNER OF THE ROYAL PARK. HE ADDED, 'I THINK THE DESIGN HAS GROWN ON PEOPLE.'

QUEEN CONGRATULATES COUNTDOWN ON 5,000th EPISODE

THE QUEEN HAS SENT A MESSAGE OF CONGRATULATIONS TO TV QUIZ SHOW COUNTDOWN TO MARK ITS 5,000th EPISODE. HER PRIVATE SECRETARY WROTE TO THE CHANNEL 4 PROGRAM TO EXTEND THE QUEEN'S CONGRATULATIONS ON THE 'SIGNIFICANT ACHIEVEMENT'. THE AFTERNOON QUIZ SHOW, IN WHICH CONTESTANTS' SPELLING AND ARITHMETIC SKILLS ARE PUT TO TEST, IS PRESENTED BY JEFF STELLING AND MATHS BOFFIN RACHEL RILEY. MORE THAN 50 SERIES HAVE BEEN BROADCAST SINCE THE COUNTDOWN'S DEBUT ON 2.NOVEMBER.1982, WHEN IT WAS HOSTED BY CAROL VORDERMAN AND THE LATE RICHARD WHITELEY. IN HER LETTER, THE QUEEN'S SECRETARY WROTE: 'HER MAJESTY HAS ASKED ME TO SAY THAT SHE WAS INTERESTED TO LEARN OF THE EVENT AND SENDS HER GOOD WISHES TO YOU AND TO EVERYONE INVOLVED WITH THE SHOW. CONGRATULATIONS ON THIS SIGNIFICANT ACHIEVEMENT'. THE PROGRAM, WHICH ALSO FEATURES SUSIE DENT IN 'DICTIONARY CORNER', WILL WELCOME BACK FORMER HOST DES LYNAM AS A SPECIAL GUEST FOR THE ANNIVERSARY PROGRAM.

DENMARK'S LITTLE MERMAID STARTS HER JOURNEY TO THE WORLD EXPO

DENMARK'S FAMED LITTLE MERMAID STATUE LEFT HER PERCH IN THE COPENHAGEN HARBOR THURSDAY AND STARTED A JOURNEY TO THE WORLD EXPO IN SHANGHAI, THE FIRST TRIP ABROAD IN HER 96 YEAR HISTORY. THE 5ft LANDMARK. WHICH HONORS THE MEMORY OF DANISH FAIRY TALE WRITER HANS CRISTIAN ANDERSEN, WAS LIFTED BY A CRANE AND LOWERED ONTO THE BACK OF A TRUCK AT A CEREMONY IN THE DANISH CAPITAL. THE EXACT TRAVEL ITINERARY IS BEING KEPT A SECRET FOR SECURITY REASONS, BUT THE STATUE IS SCHEDULED TO BE PLACED AS THE CENTERPIECE OF THE DANISH PAVILION ABOUT A WEEK BEFORE THE WORLD EXPO OPENS 1.MAY. THE TEMPORARY MOVE IS CONTROVERSIAL IN DENMARK, WHERE SOME CONSIDERED IT DISGRACEFUL TO SHIP TREASURE HALFWAY ACROSS THE GLOBE AS A PR TOOL. CRITICS SUGGESTED THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD HAVE SENT A COPY TO CHINA, AN IDEA DISMISSED BY CHRISTOPHER BO BRAMSEN, DANISH COMMISSIONER-GENERAL FOR EXPO 2010. 'WHY SEND A COPY WHEN YOU CAN SEND THE REAL THING?' HE TOLD THE ASSOCIATED PRESS IN A RECENT INTERVIEW. BRAMSEN JOINED COPENHAGEN MAYOR FRANK JENSEN AND OFFICIALS FROM THE DANISH GOVERNMENT AND THE CHINESE EMBASSY AT THE CEREMONY, WHICH FEATURED MUSIC AND DANCE PERFORMANCES BY DANISH AND CHINESE ARTISTS. A VIDEO INSTALLATION BY CHINESE ARTIST AI WEIWEI WILL REPLACE THE LITTLE MERMAID UNTIL THE STATUE RETURNS IN NOVEMBER. THE MULTIMEDIA ARTWORK WILL INCLUDE A LIVE BROADCAST OF THE STATUE IN SHANGHAI. CREATED BY DANISH SCULPTOR EDVARD ERIKSEN, THE FINISHED BRONZE IS DENMARK'S MOST POPULAR TOURIST ATTRACTION. SHE WAS UNVEILED IN THE COPENHAGEN HARBOR IN AUGUST 1913 AND HAS NOT BEEN MOVED SINCE, EXCEPT TO UNDERGO REPAIRS AFTER A SERIES OF ATTACKS BY VANDALS. HER NATIONAL FAME GREW AFTER SHE WAS BEHEADED IN 1964. NO ARRESTS WERE EVER MADE. HOWEVER, A DANISH ARTISTS CLAIMED HE CUT OFF THE HEAD AND THREW IT INTO A COPENHAGEN LAKE. IT WAS NEVER FOUND AND A NEW ONE WAS CAST FROM THE ORIGINAL MOLD. IN ANDERSEN'S TALE, THE MERMAID IS A SEA KING'S DAUGHTER WHO FALLS IN LOVE WITH A PRINCE AND MUST WAIT 300 YEARS TO BECOME HUMAN.

JOHN F KENNEDY LIBRARY TO DISPLAY SALINGER LETTER TO HEMINGWAY

A LETTER SENT BY A YOUNG JD SALINGER TO ERNEST HEMINGWAY IN 1946 WILL BE PUT ON DISPLAY FOR THE FIRST TIME AT THE JOHN F KENNEDY LIBRARY IN BOSTON. SALINGER MET HEMINGWAY IN EUROPE DURING WORLD WAR II, AND CLOSES THE LETTER BY TELLING HEMINGWAY THAT THE TALKS THEY HAD WERE THE ONLY 'HOPEFUL MINUTES' OF HIS WAR EXPERIENCE. THE LETTER, AVAILABLE TO SCHOLARS FOR YEARS, IS PART OF THE ERNEST HEMINGWAY COLLECTION THAT HAS BEEN KEPT AT THE JFK LIBRARY FOR 30 YEARS. IT WILL BE DISPLAYED SUNDAY DURING THE PRESENTATION OF THE PEN/HEMINGWAY AWARD, GIVEN ANNUALLY TO A FIRST-TIME WRITER OF FICTION. LIBRARY DIRECTOR THOMAS PUTNAM SAYS SALINGER'S RECENT DEATH SPARKED NEW INTEREST IN THE LETTER, IN WHICH THE FUTURE 'CATCHER IN THE RYE' AUTHOR DISCUSSES HIS OWN EFFORTS AT A LITERARY CAREER.

THE CARTIER COLUMN BY ALESSANDRO MENDINI

'THE CARTIER COLUMN' TAKES A KING'S RANSOM OF JEWELS AND MIXES IT WITH ARCHITECTURAL ELEMENTS BRINGING FORTH A NEW MEANING FOR ARTISTIC MASTERPIECE. THE STUNNING CREATION IS THE BRAINCHILD OF ITALIAN ARCHITECT AND DESIGNER ALESSANDRO MENDINI AND WAS CREATED FOR THE OCCASION OF THE SALONE INTERNAZIONALE DEL MOBILE IN MILANO. PRESENTED BY THE CARTIER FOUNDATION FOR CONTEMPORARY ART AND CARTIER, THE UNIQUE STRUCTURE HAS BEEN MADE ENTIRELY FROM PRECIOUS STONES AND GEMS. THE STONES USED IN THE STRUCTURE ARE A VARIETY OF PEARLS, EMERALDS, SAPPHIRES, MANDARIN GARNETS, MOONSTONES, DIAMOND PAVING, CHALCEDONIES AND RUBIES THAT CAN NO LONGER BE USED IN A CLASSICAL MANNER AS THEY HAVE BEEN PIERCED, DISMOUNTED AND ENGRAVED. THE DEVELOPMENT AND PRODUCTION OF THE 'PRECIOUS COLUMN' CONCEIVED BY MENDINI HAVE BEEN ENTRUSTED TO CARTIER JOAILLERIE. THE GEMS WERE CLASSIFIED BY CATEGORIES BEFORE BEING ENCAPSULATED BY RESIN INTO CRYSTAL CYLINDERS SUBSEQUENTLY INCORPORATED VERTICALLY WITHIN PINK-GOLD FLUTES. THE ENTIRE COLUMN MEASURING 2.3 METERS HIGH AND TOOK 18 MONTHS OF WORK, FROM THE INITIAL SKETCHES TO THE FINAL PROJECT.

ALLUS FASHIONS FEATURES 3D PHOTOGRAPHY FOR SPRING/SUMMER CAMPAIGN

BRAZILIAN FASHION BRAND ELLUS BRINGS US A STUNNING 3D VINTAGE LOOK FOR THEIR NEW SPRING/SUMMER 2010 CAMPAIGN. THEY'VE MASTERFULLY CREATED AN AMAZING 3D EFFECT, SO IT'S TIME TO DUST OFF THOSE 3D GLASSES AND PREPARE FOR A UNIQUE MULTI-DIMENSIONAL EXPERIENCE. THE CAMPAIGN WAS SHOT BY PHOTOGRAPHER JACQUES DEQUEKER AND STARS CINTIA DICKER AND MADONNA'S FAVORITE PIECE OF EYE CANDY JESUS LUZ, IN A SERIES OF PROVOCATIVE IMAGES. ELLUS IS THE ALTER EGO OF NELSON ALVARENGA, A VISIONARY BRAZILIAN BUSINESSMAN WHO CREATED THE WORLD-FAMOUS BRAND IN 1972.

THE HIGH MUSEUM TO PRESENT 'SALVADOR DALI: THE LATE WORK'

THE FIRST MAJOR EXHIBITION TO REEVALUATE THE LAST HALF OF SALVADOR DALI'S CAREER WILL BE PRESENTED EXCLUSIVELY AT THE HIGH MUSEUM, ATLANTA, THIS AUGUST. BEGINNING IN THE LATE 1930s, DALI WENT THROUGH A RADICAL CHANGE IN WHICH HE EMBRACED CATHOLICISM, DEVELOPED THE CONCEPT OF NUCLEAR MYSTICISM AND, IN EFFECT, REINVENTED HIMSELF AS AN ARTIST. COMPRISING MORE THAN 40 PAINTINGS AND A RELATED GROUP OF DRAWINGS, PRINTS AND OTHER DALI EPHEMERA, 'SALVADOR DALI: THE LATE WORK' WILL ALSO EXPLORE THE ARTIST'S ENDURING FASCINATION WITH SCIENCE, OPTICAL EFFECTS AND ILLUSIONISM AS WELL AS HIS CONNECTIONS TO SUCH ARTISTS OF THE LATE 1960s AND 1970s AS ANDY WARHOL, ROY LICHTENSTEIN AND WILLEM DE KOONING. AMONG THE HIGHLIGHTS OF THE EXHIBITION WILL BE SEVERAL WORKS THAT HAVE NOT BEEN SEEN IN THE US IN 50 YEARS, INCLUDING THE MONUMENTAL 'CHRIST OF ST JOHN OF THE CROSS' WHICH WAS VOTED SCOTLAND'S FAVORITE PAINTING IN 2007, AND 'SANTIAGO EL GRANDE', WHICH HAS NOT LEFT NEW BRUNSWICK, CANADA, SINCE 1959. DESIGNED AS AN ALTARPIECE, THE PAINTING INCLUDES DALI'S VISION OF THE CRUCIFIXION, AN HOMAGE TO SAINT JAMES (PATRON SAINT OF SPAIN) AND AN ATOMIC EXPLOSION. THE EXHIBITION WILL ALSO FEATURE 'ASSUMPTA CORPUSCALARIA LAPISLAZULINA', FROM A PRIVATE COLLECTION IN SPAIN, WHICH HAS NOT BEEN SEEN PUBLICLY SINCE 1959. THE HIGH WILL BE THE SOLE VENUE FOR THE EXHIBITION, WHERE IT WILL BE ON VIEW FROM 7.AUGUST.2010 THROUGH 9.JANUARY.2011.
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