Showing posts with label Hollywood. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hollywood. Show all posts

Friday, March 25, 2011

Hollywood Costumes Can Let You Become A Star For Only A Day

So you want to become a Hollywood celebrity? Oh, simply temporarily? Well, that can be accomplished. If you have never been to Hollywood, you have to get a knowledge on exactly what a real Hollywood costume entails.

Marilyn Monroe embodied the classic description of a Hollywood superstar, stunning, curvy and elegant. Along with Greta Garbo, Lauren Bacall and Rita Hayworth, Marilyn Monroe typified the glamor woman. All of these ladies belonged to a bygone period, and you'll not find the likes of them at present. That Hollywood is gone permanently. So what is left?

Simply, it is based on on which side of Hollywood we're referring to. East is wealthy and lucky turf, and any edition of the Enquirer will reveal enough examples of movie star glitz. West is the true home of the Hollywood costume. West hosts the performers, musicians and more avant-garde contingent of fame. One of the most creative minds call West home. That's where you will discover the "genuine" Hollywood costume.

West is actually the underground of the Hollywood mystique. West Hollywood is the brand new Fillmore, of San Francisco 60's fame. It is Berkeley rammed brimming with shimmer, shine as well as originality. The "true" outfit is absolutely nothing if not original, and not very easily copied. This specific costume is usually crazy and the normal everyday clothing to the native artist inhabitants.

H.G. Geiger, an icon of the 1960's San Francisco art movement, at present resides in the West. Gidget Gein, an ex Marilyn Manson band member, is a popular West artist, with a number of books and Compact discs to his credit, who also finds time to paint in the Pop Art genre with great success. These people are the "true" Hollywood.

For everyone knowledgeable, the Hollywood costume is really a refined combination of classic Hollywood along with a healthy amount of creativity and crazy individuality.

West or East, the community holds the corset for women's wear. A tiny waist is essential to get a successful costume. When you're properly cinched, the Hollywood costume needs certain undergarments, which includes stockings held up by old-fashioned garters as well as an appealing garter belt. Criss-cross and cone-shaped bras help to imitate the classic Marilyn Monroe bombshell appearance.

Vintage clothes provides the backbone of the costume. Stiff fabrics and fallen waistlines emphasize the attractive voloptuous body. Gentle, flowing dresses and 1940's vamp dresses bring about the appreciation for the past, the quintessential costume.

Wigs are the outfit lifesaver. Wigs are available in every style and color imaginable. Hair appointments being what they are, all women within a ten mile distance is lined up for several weeks. Obtain a wig, or two or three. These fashion merchandise are simply plain pleasure, and you don't even have to color or style your hair. Your own hair doesn't have to be perfect for you to effect the Hollywood costume look.

In order to be a star, if only for one day, get real by having a true Hollywood costume.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Tips For Visiting the Hollywood Walk of Fame

Lauren Bacall, Ingrid Bergman, Humphrey Bogart, Charlie Chaplin, Kevin Costner, Johnny Depp, Colin Firth, Clark Gable, Audrey Hepburn, Elton John, Gene Kelly, Queen Latifah, Marilyn Monroe, Paul Newman, Mary Pickford, Sidney Poitier, Patrick Swayze, Rudolph Valentino. Yes, you can see them all---just like I did--on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Amazingly enough, there are over 2400 stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. There are five categories that each star can be included in: Motion Pictures, Television, Radio, Recording, and Live Theatre/Performance. Some stars are in more than one of these categories. This internationally known landmark goes for 2.4 miles--eighteen blocks along both sides of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks along Vine Street. Over ten million people visit the Hollywood Walk of Fame every year. The first stars were received on February 8, 1960 by Francis X. Bushman, Charles Coburn, Linda Darnell, and Gigi Perreau. The most recent stars received were by Stan Lee (January 4, 2011), Colin Firth (January 13, 2011), Donald Sutherland (January 26, 2011), and Adam Sandler (February 1, 2011-the 2431th star).

There are many other attractions on these blocks besides the stars. If you go on a sightseeing tour to Hollywood and the surrounding area, you may find like I did on my first two trips there, that the allotted thirty minutes was not adequate to allow me to do everything that I wanted. The other area attractions include: The Kodak Theatre, Grauman's Chinese Theatre, Hollywood Museum, Hollywood Wax Museum, and Roosevelt Hotel. One can see the famous Hollywood sign in the background. I would also like to mention the Larry Edmunds Bookshop that has been in business for over seventy years. One can find anything Hollywood-related that the heart would desire as they have 500,000 movie photographs, 6,000+ original movie posters, and 20,000+ motion picture and theater books.

On my third trip to the Hollywood Walk of Fame in January 2011, I had a nostalgic time. I had a very poignant visit to the star of my favorite Hollywood actor, Patrick Swayze. I left a red rose on the star. Of course, when I returned to the star about fifteen minutes later, the rose was gone, but that was okay because I had done my thing. Did you know that Patrick Swayze received his star on his 45th birthday on August 18, 1997?

So if you are planning a trip to the Hollywood Walk of Fame, check out these two websites to find the star(s) that you would like to see, information on the attractions and tours, and anything else that you would like to know.

Official Hollywood Walk of Fame: http://www.hollywoodchamber.net
The Los Angeles Times' Hollywood Star Walk: http://projects.latimes.com/hollywood/star-walk/about/

Here are two last tips. There are many, many souvenir shops with great prices and you might be successful in bargaining to get an even better price. The Official Hollywood Walk of Fame site mentions that you might even be lucky enough to attend a ceremony in which the person is receiving his/her star. In summary, do a little prep work, allow yourself enough time to see what you would like, and have a blast at the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Sue Tabashnik is the author of: THE FANS' LOVE STORY: How The Movie 'DIRTY DANCING' Captured The Hearts Of Millions! You can enjoy a celebration of this classic Hollywood hit movie from the fans' point of view. The book focuses on the positive impact the movie has had on so many lives and why it has been so popular for over twenty years. Please see author webpage: http://outskirtspress.com/SueTabashnik

A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the book is being donated to the Patrick Swayze Pancreas Cancer Research Fund at Stanford Cancer Center.

Sue Tabashnik has been a master's level social worker for over thirty-two years and has written numerous articles for the Official Patrick Swayze International Fan Club.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sue_Tabashnik

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Perception of Jewish Films in Hollywood

It is important to understand what Jewish films stand for. Are they about Jewish people? Do they portray Jesus and discuss the Bible? Are Jewish films primarily concentrated in and around Israel, Palestine, the Second World War and Holocaust?

The answer is quite simple. It is about all of these issues, subjects, events and more. In fact the large number of Jewish individuals associated with film making all over the world makes it impossible for films to not be influenced by Judaism and the people following this faith.

Anti Semitism

Studies regarding the influence of Judaism in films show that anti Semitism is merely touched upon in films that have been made based on this subject. Included in this list are movies such as Gentleman's Agreement in 1947 and School Ties in 1992. In fact the former succeeded in digging deeper into the issue compared to the latter.

Hollywood made countless Israeli movies during the 60's and 70's that dealt with aspects of bravado and moral uprightness of people from Israel. However, the issue between Israel and Palestine having created enough controversy in world politics is blamed to be the main reason for filmmakers to stay away from this issue in their films.

? Holocaust

The ultimate conclusion that can be drawn about films made in Hollywood at least is that the matter of the Holocaust was not dealt with appropriately. Although noted films like Schindler's List (1993), The Diary of Anne Frank (1959) and Judgment at Nirenberg (1960) were all popular films which were dominated by this subject, on the whole, the matter has not been exploited enough. Moreover, the whole subject of Holocaust films raise many questions as to the ethics regarding the process of transferring this tragedy into a Hollywood film.

? Hasidism

Films such as The Chosen (1981) and A Stranger Among Us (1992) are examples of the fact that Hollywood has given due importance to this subject and has reflected positively on it through them.

Although it is still a debate as to whether Hollywood makes Jewish cinema that sends out he right message in the appropriate manner to the world or not, there is no debate on the fact that Judaism influences a significant portion of the filmmakers in this industry.

here is no doubt about the fact that Jewish movies are prevalent in Hollywood. This refers to the large number of films that are directed, produced, and acted in by the people belonging to the faith. However, a considerable number of films also deal with Judaism and the history associated with it.

Friday, February 25, 2011

Hollywood Loves Men In Uniforms

For as long as movies have been made, many of the greatest stories that have been told have revolved around a character in uniform. Perhaps because like a costume, it stands out from a crowd, but a uniform can also evoke emotions, good and bad, by what it represents.

Of course there is also the fact that many of our great heroes have worn uniforms, and Hollywood loves a great hero. There were hundreds of movies after World War Two that revolved around characters from the army, navy and air force. These movies are still extremely popular and some of Hollywood's favorite stars over the past sixty years have worn them from John Wayne to Gene Kelly to Clint Eastwood to Tom Hanks to Ben Affleck, and this list really could go on forever.

If you mention some movie titles like Top Gun, An Officer and a Gentleman or A Few Good Men, it is difficult to imagine the lead characters in anything but their uniforms. Tom Cruise was of course in two of those movies, and it is fair to say he has had to wear one on the screen in quite a lot of films. Apart from Top Gun and A Few Good Men, he has also had to wear one since the early days in Taps as a military cadet, in the Last Samurai as a Civil War officer and as a German Second World War officer in Valkyrie.

Some uniforms elicit an immediate reaction. In a movie like the creepy Apt Pupil, based on the Stephen King novella, a young boy discovers that his neighbor is a Nazi war criminal and blackmails him to dress up in the full attire and kill. This outfit has scared millions of people around the world in so many movies, from Ralph Fiennes in Schindler's List to the bad guys in Raiders of The Lost Ark.

Steven Spielberg has definitely enjoyed dressing his characters in a good uniform. In his first six directed movies, there were uniformed characters everywhere - Ben Johnson in The Sugarland Express, Roy Schneider in Jaws, countless characters in Close Encounters of the Third Kind, John Belushi in 1941, Raiders of the Lost Ark's Nazis, and of course, all those chasing E. T. The Extra Terrestrial.

It is not just military uniforms that Hollywood seems to love, and the movies have paid tribute to other uniformed heroes and villains. In a movie like Copland with Sylvester Stallone, Harvey Keitel, Robert De Niro and Ray Liotta, a full array of police uniforms are seen on screen.

Firemen have been up on screen in a number of films, the most memorable possibly being Ron Howard's Backdraft. Since the 9/11 tragedy, there have also been many films like The Guys that have paid tribute to the heroic firemen who lost their lives in New York.

In many ways these different movies pay homage to the man in uniform. The actors may never quite live up to the real heroics we hear of daily, but it is great to know that storytellers of the silver screen recognize real heroes and know that people want to see their stories.