Author Archives: Frostie

Mick Jagger’s Poignant Tribute To L’Wren

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After the death of his girlfriend of 13 years Mike Jagger has released a loving tribute to her on his Facebook page. L’Wren died yesterday at the young age of 49. She will be much missed in the fashion community and beyond.

L'Wren Scott

 

I am still struggling to understand how my lover and best friend could end her life in this tragic way.

We spent many wonderful years together and had made a great life for ourselves.

She had great presence and her talent was much admired, not least by me.

I have been touched by the tributes that people have paid to her, and also the personal messages of support that I have received.

I will never forget her,
Mick

 

Post by Mick Jagger.

The Financial Times Guide to Management Book Review

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For those in business, or hoping to be, management is very important. Or to be more precise, being good at management and doing it properly is important. This guide to management comes from The Financial Times and is written by Ann Francke, CEO of the Chartered Management Institute. So far so impressive.

Ann Franckle book The Financial Times Guide to Management

Also impressive is that it has an entire chapter on managing yourself. I think this is a genius idea that not many books would think of. Getting yourself sorted out first obviously makes perfect sense: lead by example. Each chapter starts with what you will learn in that chapter and then ends with top tips, pitfalls and takeaways.

For all of the wealth of information in this book it is surprisingly easy to read. Add in the graphs, anecdotes and exercises then you have one hell of a book on management. Part 7 even has view from the front line: top tips, pitfalls and takeaways from top managers, along with views from the FT’s Finest.

FT Guide to Management: How to be a Manager Who Makes a Difference and Gets Results is an essential business book for managers. Don’t be without it.

What they say:

“Ann Francke, CEO of the Chartered Management Institute, writes a much needed straight talking guide to management.


According to a 2012 survey by CMI and Penna*, 43% of individuals rated their managers as ineffective or highly ineffective. This statistic will be no surprise to most – many surveys and research papers have revealed similarly gloomy results in recent years.

 

So why do we struggle to ‘get management right’? Probably because so many people have become ‘accidental managers’; they have been promoted into management positions due to specialist skills. Many are given little or no training when they are promoted and are left to work it out for themselves.  The mind boggling array of management books on the market does little to simplify the ‘management message’ as approaches are many and varied.

 

In response, Ann Francke, CEO of the CMI, has written The Financial Times Guide to Management. Backed by the wealth of CMI research, her extensive global management experience, and advice from over 40 frontline managers, Ann has created a straight talking and balanced guide to management.

 

It covers the full spectrum of management skills, including managing others, managing change, managing stakeholders, managing budgets and resources, creating business strategy and executing plans.  A chapter offering Views from the Front Line, grounds the book in practical advice, with over 40 senior executives sharing their top tips, pitfalls and takeaways. Contributors include Paul Polman (CEO, Unilever), Steve Marshall (Chairman, Balfour Beatty) and Cilla Snowball (Chairman and CEO, AMV BBDO).  In a similarly neat framework, a 20 page Guide to the Gurus takes readers through a pithy summary of the bestselling and most admired management gurus.

 

From motivating a team and developing star talent to controlling budgets and fostering innovation, The Financial Times Guide to Management is the authoritative guide to becoming an effective manager.”

 

The Financial Times Guide to Management, is published by Pearson.

 

 

Villa Maria Private Bin Sauvignon Blanc 2013 Review

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Villa Maria Private Bin Sauvignon Blanc 2013 is a sophisticated wine. Probably why they served it at the BAFTAs. Don’t let that stop you enjoying it regularly. This wine is perfect for every occasion. This wine is a brilliant, easy-to-drink sauvignon blanc. Perfect for every occasion. It is vibrant and has nuances of gooseberry, passion-fruit, fresh lime and melon.

Villa Maria Private Bin Sauvignon Blanc 2013 wine review

This wine is polished and pure with a good, long finish and with no horrible aftertaste. A good way to describe this wine is yummy. A good fail-safe for dinner parties too.

Enjoy with fish/shellfish, salads & picnics, mild creamy cheeses and grilled seasonal vegetables and seafood

Drink from now up to two years. ABV: 13%

Available from Tesco and Sainsbury’s

 

Split Second – Quick Divorces

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Split second – quick divorces

image credit: apdk

image credit: apdk

As the old saying goes, you marry in haste and repent at leisure. It is a piece of old wisdom, though, that many celebrities, in particular, appear to ignore. TIME magazine has even compiled a Top 10 list of short-lived celebrity marriages, with the clever intro: Forget “till death do us part” – these celebrities couldn’t even make it a year. Their headline heartbreak story is Kim Kardashian and NBA-player husband Kris Humphries, who headed for the divorce courts after just 72 days of nuptial nightmare.

Given that celebrities are constantly in the public eye – for good and bad reasons, it is inevitable that any romantic shortcomings are going to be highlighted more than your average Joe and Josephine. How else would gossip magazines survive without having any high-profile splits to fill their column inches?

But that’s not to say lightning-quick divorces don’t happen in the real world, too. In the UK you can get a divorce if you have been married at least a year and your relationship has permanently broken down. Once a petition for divorce has been filed the process can take only a matters of weeks or drag on for over a year, depending on the complexities of each case. If custody of children is a consideration or if financial settlements or the reason for the divorce in the first place is being disputed, then the process will obviously not be over in a split second. Routinely, the timescale will be affected by how crowded the Court’s calendar is as well as how cooperative both parties are.

Having a pre-nuptial agreement may also help smooth things long quite considerably. A recent divorce lawyers’ article on “quickie divorces” reported that these arrangements, often glibly referenced in conversations about the rich and famous, may soon become legally binding documents for all.  You can read more here: http://www.blasermills.co.uk/news-and-articles/news/a-quickie-divorce/

As things stand, it is still a widely held belief that should either party require the reassurance of a pre-nuptial agreement then there are clearly trust issues that need to be addressed before either party walks down the aisle.

But, without a shadow of doubt, they are becoming more popular. Clearly, you don’t have to have a Bentley or a luxurious retreat in the Maldives nowadays to warrant one. As the average age of first-time marriages continues to increase, couples tend to have more personal assets of their own which they are becoming increasingly keen to protect against if there are any hitches upon getting hitched. According to a new survey of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML), 63 percent of divorce attorneys say they’ve seen an increase in prenuptial agreements during the past three years.

Clearly, there are obvious pros and cons and arguments for and against pre-nuptials, but it really does come down to the needs of the individuals involved, and whether you’re a couple where the heart rules the head or vice-versa.

Welcome To The Cinema of Childhood | Film News

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Filmhouse, Edinburgh has announced a UK-wide film season, Cinema of Childhood, curated by filmmaker Mark Cousins and inspired by his latest feature documentary, A STORY OF CHILDREN AND FILM, released in cinemas April 4th (Dogwoof).

boot

The Cinema Of Childhood season will launch April 11th at Filmhouse, BFI Southbank, and other key venues across the UK. The season, which will tour the UK for a year, includes 17 brilliant films from 12 countries, spanning 7 decades. Most have rarely been seen in the UK – some are totally new to UK audiences.

“These are some of the best films you’ve never had a chance to see,” Cousins says. “Films about childhood take us on fantastic voyages. E.T.: THE EXTRA TERRESTRIAL was a magical bike ride across the moon. THE JUNGLE BOOK showed us the bare necessities.  A boy in THE RED BALLOON stole our hearts.  But beyond these mainstream and arthouse classics, there’s a world of great cinema about kids which is hardly known, but just as brilliant.  Welcome to that world.  Jump into it.”

“Fly to the moon on gossamer wings with the little boy in Astrid Henning-Jensen’s PALLE ALONE IN THE WORLD from 1949.  Get close to the flame of life with Renko, in Shinji Somai’s 1993 masterpiece, MOVING.  Body-swerve the bullies in Karel Kachyna’s Czech cinematic wonder, LONG LIVE THE REPUBLIC, from 1965. See LITTLE FUGITIVE, the American film from 1953 which helped inspire the French New Wave. Discover the work of one of the world’s greatest movie-makers,
Mohammad-Ali Talebi from Iran with three of his best films – THE BOOT, BAG OF RICE, and his poetic masterpiece WILLOW AND WIND.” Mohammad-Ali Talebi will visit the UK for the first time in April, as a guest of the British Council to launch the season with Mark Cousins at BFI Southbank, Filmhouse and other venues to be announced.

Most of the titles in the season are featured in Mark’s documentary A STORY OF CHILDREN AND FILM, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival last year to 5-star reviews, and has since been acclaimed at many other major festivals worldwide, including Edinburgh, Karlovy Vary, Telluride, Toronto, Stockholm and Dubai.

The season opens up a world of wonder for audiences of all ages who are keen to explore beyond Hollywood’s idea of childhood. The films are both specific to their own time and culture, but also universal in their depiction of childhood emotions, hopes and fears. Children everywhere have so much in common – only the worlds they inhabit are different.

Emotionally engaging with audiences from 8 to 80, Cinema of Childhood invites filmgoers to go on a global adventure with Mark, to discover previously unknown movie masterpieces and to see the world anew through young eyes. Uplifting and exhilarating, these are films to brighten your day.

 

The season is managed by Filmhouse, which has licensed the films for a year, and is creating new digital materials where necessary to make the films available to the widest possible range of cinema venues.   Filmhouse has also licensed the VoD rights for many of the titles, enabling audiences to watch these titles at their own convenience from home or on the move via Filmhouse Player.

The project is backed by the BFI’s Programming Development Fund, awarding funds from the National Lottery. The producer of the season is Adam Dawtrey, who also produced (with Mary Bell) A STORY OF CHILDREN AND FILM.
Filmhouse (Edinburgh) and BFI Southbank (London) will programme the entire season from April to June. Other venues already confirmed to host Cinema of Childhood include Queen’s Theatre (Belfast), Chapter Arts Centre (Cardiff), Broadway (Nottingham), Dundee Contemporary Arts, Glasgow Film Theatre, Eden Court Theatre (Inverness), the Roses Theatre (Tewkesbury), Duke of York’s (Brighton), Watershed (Bristol), Cornerhouse (Manchester) and Showroom (Sheffield),along with selected Picturehouse and Curzon cinemas nationwide. Films from the season will also screen at special festival events, including the Glasgow Youth Film Festival screening ofThe White Balloon on 9th February, Zoom International Youth Film Festival and WoW Festival in March, and the Brighton Festival in May.
Further venues will be announced in due course.

In addition there are plans to screen films from Cinema of Childhood in partnership with several organisations concerned with child welfare. These screenings, which will be targeted at a mixed audience of childcare experts and the general public, will explore representations of childhood from a professional perspective, looking at issues from different cultural and global viewpoints.

 

The full list of titles screening in the Cinema of Childhood season are:
• “Willow and Wind” (Bid-o Baad). Iran, Japan, 1999. D. Mohammad-Ali Talebi. 77 mins. A boy breaks a school window, and must mend it himself before he’s allowed back in class.

• “Bag of Rice” (Kiseye Berendje). Iran, Japan, 1998. D. Mohammad-Ali Talebi. 80 mins. A little girl and an old blind lady decide to carry a sack of rice across Tehran.

• “The Boot” (Chakmeh). Iran 1993. D. Mohammad-Ali Talebi. 60 mins. A little girl craves a new pair of red wellies – but then loses one.

• “The Little Girl Who Sold the Sun” (La petite vendeuse de soleil). Senegal, Switzerland, France, Germany 1999. D. Djibril Diop Mambety. 45 min. A feisty crippled girl tries to improve her life by selling newspapers on the streets of Dakar.

• “Hugo and Josephine” (Hugo och Josefin). Sweden, 1967. D. Kjell Grede. 82 mins. The lonely daughter of a rural pastor makes friends with a wild boy who lives in the woods.

• “The King of Masks” (Bian Lian) China, Hong Kong, 1997. D. Wu Tian-Ming. 91 mins. An old illusionist buys a young boy to become his apprentice – but the boy isn’t quite what he seems.

• “The White Balloon” (Badkonake sefid) Iran 1995. D. Jafar Panahi. 85 mins. A stubborn little girl wants a new goldfish, and won’t let anything get in her way.

• “Tomka and his Friends” (Tomka dhe shokët e tij) Albania, 1977. D. Xhanfise Keko. 78 mins. A gang of Albanian boys in WW2 become secret agents for the Resistance when German troops occupy their village.

• “Palle Alone in the World” (Palle alene i verden). Denmark 1949. D. Astrid Henning-Jensen. 25 min. A boy wakes up to find Copenhagen deserted, and it becomes his giant playground.

• “Ten Minutes Older”. (Par desmit minutem vecaks). Latvia 1978. D. Herz Frank. 10 mins. One close-up, 10 minutes long, of a small boy’s face as he watches a thrilling puppet show.

• “Long Live the Republic” (At’ zije republika) Czechoslovakia, 1965. D. Karel Kachyna, 134 mins. A bullied boy tries to survive in a Czech village as the Germans retreat and the Russians advance.

•  “Moving” (Ohikkoshi) Japan, 1993. D. Shinji Sômai. 124 mins. A girl struggles to come to terms with her parents’ divorce.

• “Forbidden Games” (Jeux interdits). France, 1952. D. René Clément. 86 mins. A boy and a girl retreat into a fantasy world to escape the horrors of WW2.

• “Crows” (Wrony). Poland, 1994. D. Dorota KÄdzierzawska. 63 mins. A neglected girl steals a younger girl to become her surrogate mother.

• “Little Fugitive”. USA 1953. Dir Morris Engel, Ray Ashley, Ruth Orkin. 80 mins. A 7-year-old boy runs away to Coney Island when he thinks he’s killed his older brother.

• “Children in the Wind” (Kaze no naka no kodomo) Japan, 1937. D. Hiroshi Shimizu. 88 mins. The idyllic village life of a Japanese boy falls apart when his father is falsely imprisoned.

• “The Unseen” (NespatÅené). Czech Republic, 1997. D. Miroslav Janek. 53 mins. Documentary about Czech blind kids with remarkable talents, including taking photos.

 

Russell Brand To Release New Book On Politics

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russellbrandComedian, actor and political activist (or non-politics activist, whichever you prefer) Russell Brand is to bring out another book. Ben Dunn, Publishing Director of Century has acquired UK and Commonwealth rights to the new book.

The book will tackle Russell’s views on ecology, inequality, rioting, financial meltdown, and the total mistrust of politicians. Told with humour and passion, the book will act as a provocation; urging its readers to discard apathy and challenge the status quo.

Russell Brand said ‘People keep asking me how The Revolution will work? “We all want to bring down the government and establish a personal and global utopia but how?” They ask. Well in this book, I’m going to explain it. Having accrued the greatest wisdom known to man (by conducting interviews, watching DVDs, reading books, thinking and looking at the sky) I am now able to put in a simple, accessible book(y wook) the solution to internal and external turmoil. And about time too.’

Ben Dunn said ‘Like the rest of the world, I have been avidly following Russell’s writing and stand up and have been inspired by his passionate call to arms. This book will be a massive extension of that and I can’t wait to publish his brilliant words later this year.’

Century will publish in hardback in October 2014 with an Arrow paperback the following year.

Russell Brand is an acclaimed, comedian, presenter, author and actor. Beginning his career as a stand-up comedian, Brand rose to fame in 2003 for his appearances on MTV and on Big Brother spin-off, Big Brother’s Big Mouth. His career really took off with his first nationwide stand-up tour, Shame, in 2006; which was released on DVD as Russell Brand: Live. Brand launched his second nationwide tour in 2007, Russell Brand: Only Joking ; released on DVD as Russell Brand: Doin’ Life and in 2009 he brought his stand-up comedy tour to the United States with Russell Brand: Scandalous. At this time, Brand also hosted countless award shows including the 2006 NME Awards, 2007 Brit Awards and he has hosted the MTV Video Music Awards three times in 2008, 2009 and 2012. After his phenomenal success as a stand-up Brand turned his attentions to Hollywood where in 2008 he was seen as rocker ‘Aldous Snow’ in the Judd Apatow-produced box office hit comedy Forgetting Sarah Marshall.

Since then Brand has starred in several films including Rock Of Ages, Arthur, Hop, Get Him To The Greek, Bedtime Stories, The Tempest, Paradise and the voice of ‘Dr. Nefario’ in the hugely successful Despicable Me series. Brand is also an acclaimed author, and has written two books, My Booky Wook: A Memoir of Sex, Drugs and Stand-Up, and the follow up, Booky Wook 2: This Time It’s Personal. Currently Brand is touring his new stand-up show Messiah Complex around the globe, a DVD of which was released in December 2013.

 

Feel Good: How To Change Your Mood And Cope With Whatever Comes Your Way

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feel good

By Dr Shane Pascoe & Dr Graham Law

Published by Capstone, February 2014

Paperback, £10.99

 

 

If you are feeling down, overwhelmed, stressed or depressed then this book takes two of the ‘it’ therapies of the moment- Mindfulness and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy- and combines them to get you back on your feet and keep you there.

It is easy to read and apply thanks to its invaluable post-it technique and lay out. It also has an entire chapter on relaxing and the stuff on confirmation bias is very interesting. The book is like you are being talked to and supported by a friendly, intelligent and concise friend.

The book is actually fun and enjoyable to read, surprising considering its subject matter. It has a unique combination of science and psychology which really works. It also has exercises and is practical and accessible.

A very good and helpful book.

Feel Good: How to Change Your Mood and Cope with Whatever Comes Your Way

Mood can affect every aspect of life, from performance at work to personal relationships. Being able to take control of moods, rather than have moods control them, is something all the most successful people have in common.

In their new book, authors Dr Shane Pascoe and Dr Graham Law combine techniques from two powerful, complementary therapeutic approaches – Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Mindfulness – to help readers keep their spirits and confidence high and instil a more upbeat, positive, can-do attitude, come what may.

Packed with practical information on how to start feeling happier and more positive about life, and optimise how you deal with people and situations in life and at work, this expert guide to beating stress and anxiety is designed for quick reference, letting readers access practical information relevant to how they are feeling at that moment.

Individual chapters cover areas including anger, self-efficacy, distress, unhappiness, well-being and happiness, self-esteem, leading a balanced lifestyle and relaxation techniques. The book finishes by discussing “Where to go from here?”.

 

For those that are feeling overwhelmed, overstressed, or just plain down about life, Feel Good is a practical, inspirational guide to help manage moods, improve outlook and beat stress and anxiety.

 

Feel Good: How to Change Your Mood and Cope with Whatever Comes Your Way

Fab Four To Appear In Croydon: Rare Beatles Memorabilia Included In Auction

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beatlesmemorabliaThe Beatles have been fascinating us for over five decades, but it was in 1964, exactly 50 years ago, that they took the world by storm. They appeared on US TV and performed in front of a 73 million audience. Beatles merchandise started to become big business.

Catherine Southon is pleased to announce that she will have not just one, but three rare Beatles memorabilia included in her next sale at The Chateau in the Shirley Hills, near Croydon, on Wednesday, 26th March 2014 at 11.30 am.

By far the most sought after is the 1964 NEMS record player, which is one of the earliest Beatles merchandise – only 5,000 were ever made and they rarely come up for sale. This one is not in mint condition, but will still make a fan’s heart beat faster. The iconic record player has got a print of the Fab Four playing their instruments and facsimile autographs. It is estimated to fetch between £1,000-2,000.

Also from around 1964, is the boxed set of car mascot Bobb’n Head Beatles dolls, which is expected to sell for £300-400. The set is in its original, slightly damaged box and each Beatle plays his instrument. The dolls are about 8” tall and are very popular with collectors.

For fashion conscious ladies, who want to fully embrace Beatlemania, the third Beatles’ lot will be of particular interest. A 1964 Dutch Polka Dot mini dress in beige and white with the faces of John, Paul, George & Ringo printed in black vertically next to a guitar with their facsimile signatures. It’s in excellent condition and a size 10/12 and comes with an estimate of £150-250.

Catherine Southon, well-known through various BBC Antiques programmes, says: “I was really excited to be shown the Beatles memorabilia at a recent valuation day. Although they did not belong to anyone famous, the fact that they have survived for this long in such good condition is quite remarkable. The Beatles are still seen as the greatest and most influential rock band and I know that their fans are always keen to add rare merchandise to their collections.”

Other lots with famous signatures included in the auction is a handbag signed by Neil Armstrong in the mid 1980s. He signed the beaded bag for its owner at a charity event shortly before he stopped giving autographs (estimate £1,000-2,000).

A catalogue will be available from the end of February and the sale can be viewed on 25th & 26th March at The Chateau, Coombe Lane, Shirley, Surrey CR0 5RE.

For more details, please visit www.catherinesouthon.co.uk or call 07808 737 694.