Tag Archives: Catherine Balavage

Prose & Cons: A Melancholic Comedy

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After the success of Bridesmaids, a new wave of films with strong female characters are hitting cinema screens. Prose & Cons is a black, melancholic comedy set in the world of artistic frustration and writers block.

Sarah [Played by Catherine Balavage] is one of the new waves of poets. Her book sold millions of copies, but now she hasn’t written anything for over 160 days, and her publisher is getting restless. After an ultimatum from her publisher, and a horrendous poetry reading that went viral on twitter and YouTube, Sarah becomes increasingly desperate for new material. Her actions have far-reaching consequences that will change the lives of all of those around her.

Directed by Richard Wright and produced and written by Richard and Catherine; Prose & Cons is a film about writer’s block, consequences, friends and the resilience of typewriters.

Follow the film on Twitter here: @undersadtears

Here is the directors production diary: http://undersadtears.wordpress.com/

You can keep up to date on Prose & Cons IMDB Page

And more info on Catherine here: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2952107/

Released 28th November 2011.

This Month's Magazines; Jennifer Lopez Believes in Love, 9/11 Anniversary.

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Note: Magazines come out a month in advance. September’s magazines are Augusts.

The September issue of Vogue is out and the advertisers have made the issue heavy enough to use as a dumbbell. No complaints from me.

It is the International Collections special and there are lots of clothes to fawn over, Labels and trends to be urban cool, and accessories that make a difference in Vogue’s Big Fashion Issue.

There is a brilliant article on the history of Gucci, Paloma Picasso revisits Venice and talks about her journey to becoming a jewellery designer, Dries Van Noten gives a guide to his Antwerp, up-coming actress, producer and writer Brit Marling is interviewed (Frost loves her), Rifat Ozbek is doing Robin Birley’s new club, Ruperts; Good two page article.

Olivia Wilde talks Haiti and Childhood, there are a lot of autumn clothes that all look too hot, it’s 30c in London at the moment!, Miss V has her excellent social diary, there is a 9 page spread on the turbulent life of John Galliano, Tom Ford on his new cosmetic line and an article on the new David Bailey film. I noticed afterward that in the shops you get a free fashion DVD. However, I did not get this as a subscriber. Bad form.

Emily Mortimer is on the cover of this month’s Tatler and there is an interview inside.

There is a free gift but not for subscribers, grr.

There is a moving tribute to Tatler senior editor John Graham, Princess Tatiana of Greece and Denmark, A guide to nightclubs, An article on what it is like to stay on Abramovich’s yacht and the Royal Family residences, who sits where at White’s, Secret Cinema, Kate Middleton joins Competitive Princessing, Sir Michael Sorrell, What to wear: looking posh on less dosh, Legendary Lotharios, Rich Kids, a good 6 page spread on Tina Brown.

Guy Pelly, Astrid Harbord and Jake Warren have a new club, 37 year old Sam Leith goes back to school, Diana Von Furstenberg tells all about what she loves.

There is also lots of Travel and the Bystander (the social diary). Kate Middleton makes an appearance at the Derby with William, as does Elton John’s annual White Tie & Tiara Ball.

Frost has been complain that Marie Claire has not been giving its subscribers free gifts because of ‘cost’, and this month’s issue came with a free gift. It would seem someone listened but, alas, no. In the shops you get a free nail polish and a conditioner. I just got a conditioner.

Anne Hathaway is on the cover and interviewed inside. There is a good article on what to wear to fashion week (which I will be listening to!), an interview with Mulberry bag designer Emma Hill, an interview with Katie Holmes, how to get French style, what the New York fashion pack wear, China’s fashion, what men won’t tell you until the third date, Should you move abroad?, 9/11 Anniversary, A good three page article on Stella McCartney, The X Factor, Beyonce, Oh Land, a One Day Special; article on the book and interviews with cast and lots & lots of fashion and beauty.

Vanity Fair has Jennifer Lopez on the cover and her first interview since her divorce inside. She says she is “an eternal optimist about love…it’s still my biggest dream.”

L’Wren Scott gives us the low-down on her stuff, in Fairground there is a lot of lovely picture of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in Hollywood attending the BAFTA party.

Also articles on Michael Buble, Private Eye’s 50th anniversary, Agnes B, how the US failed to stop 9/11, Hackers, The 2011 Best Dressed List; Tilda Swinton, The Duchess of Cambridge, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, Andrea Dellal, Johnny Depp, Vanessa Paradis and Arpad Busson all feature, There is a celebrity portraits of Angelina Jolie amongst others, Michael Lewis investigates German attitudes towards money, the actors who play the Duke and Duchess of Windsor are photographed and interviewed for Madonna’s new film W.E, Designers and their muse, John Currin.

Glamour has Mila Kunis on the cover and she is interviewed inside.

How to be a Cavalli Girl, Feminism, Fall in love with your job again, How to eat well if you have £15 until pay day, 9/11 Anniversary article, Career rules rewritten, What sex feels like, Jim Sturgess interview, Are you Destroying your own love life?, Comedian Jack Whitehall, Why do women want to be WAGs?, Fashion’s Hot 100, How to have a great hair month, How to get more energy.

Phew!

Red has Laura Bailey on the cover and has a free bodywash. Laura is interviewed inside. There is a good article on no kids and no regrets, the original supermodels and what they are doing now, an article on people’s on/off duty wardrobes,

My City, My shopping guide, The looks that sum up a city. Anjum Anand show Red around her life, 8 Lessons in love and loss, four women reveal the moment they found their dream property, Dominic Cooper, Adele, Tom Ellis, Will Young, Colin Farrell, Fiona Neill, Jo Whiley’s Festival Guide, 4 ways to update your face, How to get radiance, there are a lot of good recipes, cooking with in season vegetables , paella, home made curry, global shopping guide, find your health/life balance, what is causing your breast pain and Audrey Tautou tells all about the best things in life.

[This page will get updates as more magazines come out. Thank you.]

Campaign for Abolishment of Prescription Charges in England.

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Frost is campaigning to abolish prescription charges in England, the last place in the ‘United’ Kingdom to have to pay. Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland all pay nothing. Scotland was the last country to do so this year.

When I went to visit my parents in Scotland I had a prescription I forgot to get, despite the fact they didn’t know how to put it through the till, I had to pay £7.40 as I live in London. It is unfair and undemocratic for England to have to pay. Please join our campaign to make the United Kingdom more united.

You can add your signature and support here

Thank you

Catherine Balavage [Editor]

Beatlemania Heads To The West End

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The Fab 5 live on as Backbeat, the stage version of the award winning 1994 film about the early years of The Beatles, will have its West End premiere in the autumn. The play was written by Iain Softley, the film’s creator, and is directed by David Leveaux. It will open on 10 October 2011 (Previews will be in September) at London’s Duke of York Theatre, it will run until 24 March 2012. Tickets are already on sale.

The film starred Stephen Dorff as Stuart Sutcliffe, Ian Hart and Sheryl Lee. The film was co-written and directed by Softley. The stage play has its world premiere at the Glasgow Citizens Theatre in February 2010. It is set during the ‘Hamburg Tears’ in the early 1960s before the band become, as Lennon put it, ‘more famous than God’. It focuses on the relationship between Stuart Sutcliffe, who left the Beatles just before the became famous, after falling in love with Astrid Kirchherr, a German photographer, Sutcliffe handed his guitar over to Paul McCartney and died of a brain hemorrhage in Hamburg aged just 22. His portrait features on the album cover for Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.

Casting got the West End show has yet to be announced.

Backbeat will includ some Beatle songs including ‘Twist & Shout’, ‘Rock & Roll Music’, ‘Long Tall Sally’ ‘Please Mr Postman’ and ‘Money’.

Producer Karl Sydow commented today: “Backbeat at the Duke of York’s Theatre will allow people the experience of being at the birth of the Beatles. It tells a story that many music fans may not know, set to a musical backdrop that absolutely defined the early Sixties. Next year will mark 50 years since the Beatles released their first single, and I am proud to be bringing their early days to life in the West End.”

Philanthropist author Philip Smith to headline at Canada's premier international event on microfinance

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Philanthropist author Philip Smith to headline at Canada’s premier international event on microfinance and financial inclusion (Sept 16 & 17)

Toronto International Microfinance Summit announced today that Philip Smith, successful American entrepreneur and co-author of A Billion Bootstraps: Microcredit, Barefoot Banking, and the Business Solution for Ending Poverty will speak at its Friday Gala and set the tone for the 2-day Toronto event. In its third year, the Summit brings together microfinance practitioners, business, international development agencies, NGOs and students to learn, interact and get involved. This year’s theme – From Microcredit to Financial Inclusion: Making a Difference in our World – is the focus of the signature events:

Gala – September 16 (Arcadian Court, 401 Bay Street) to raise funds for international and domestic microfinance projects and a scholarship. Reception: 6:00 pm, Dinner & Program: 7:30 pm. Silent & live auctions, entertainment.

Conference – September 17 (Allstream Centre, Exhibition Place,105 Princes’ Blvd.) features experts who address the effectiveness of microfinance as a poverty alleviation tool and provide frontline insights from around the world. A NEW MicroMarketplace will showcase products of micro-entrepreneurs. Registration: 7:30 -9:00 am, Program & Lunch: 9:00 am-5:00 pm.

“Microfinance is an effective way to deal with poverty,” says Dr. Carol Golench, President of Toronto International Microfinance Summit. “When you consider that, worldwide, in 2009 over 92 million borrowers from nearly 2,000 microfinance institutions had an average loan balance of $527USD, you realize microfinance is addressing poverty in a significant way and transforming people’s lives.”

“Microcredit enables people to become givers, not takers,” adds Philip Smith. “Microcredit should not be seen as charity but rather as the opportunity poor people need to build a decent life. Through microcredit, donors can shed the old hand-out mentality and become true partners in progress with the people of the developing world.”

Over 30 event speakers include: Bob Annibale – Citi, Joyce Lehman – Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Michael Bowles – Aga Khan Foundation, Kadita (A.T.) Tshibaka – Opportunity International USA, Stéphanie Émond – FINCA Canada, Dr. Tanjina Mirza, PLAN Canada, Jeff Rayman – UEnd: Poverty Foundation, Deborah Lindholm – Foundation for Women and Gordon Crann – Rotarian Action Group for Microcredit.

Once again, The MasterCard Foundation is providing financial assistance for the first 100 students to register for the conference.

EARLYBIRD DEADLINE for conference tickets is SEPTEMBER 2 . Follow us on Facebook, Twitter & LinkedIn. Watch the Microwalk on YouTube. Watch for our new mobile app.

For tickets, a full list of speakers and more information, visit www.microfinanceconference.ca.

Toronto International Microfinance Summit is Canada’s premier event focusing on domestic and international microfinance. Founded in 2009, this non-profit organization was inspired by Rotarian Action Group for Microcredit (RAGM) and Rotary District 7070 Microfinance Committee. The Summit’s signature Conference and Gala are run entirely by volunteers of diverse backgrounds and ages. Our vision is a world without poverty through microfinance. Our mission is to educate people on microfinance – a formidable poverty reduction tool, create a forum for dialogue and raise funds for domestic and international microfinance projects and educational scholarships. Formerly the Summit was known as Toronto Microfinance Conference & Gala.

NHS 'Letting Patients Die to Save Cash' Says Official Report

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A report by the Co-operation and Competition Panel (CCP), an independent watchdog that advises the NHS, claims that NHS managers are deliberately delaying operations, hoping that patients will die or go private in a ‘callous’ attempt to cut their budgets.

The report says that health service trusts will be ‘likely to impose greater pain and inconvenience’ by making those in need of care wait longer than necessary for surgery, the official report found.

By making patients wait for as long as four months, it is hoped they will remove themselves form the list ‘either by dying or by paying for their own treatment’.

NHS bosses are having to make £20billion of savings by 2014. The panel’s report claims unfair practices are ‘endemic’ in areas of England.

CCP chairman Lord Carter of Coles said: ‘Commissioners have a difficult job in the current financial climate, but patients’ rights are often being restricted without a valid and visible reason.’ 

Katherine Murphy, of independent charity the Patients Association, said: ‘It is outrageous that some primary care trusts are imposing minimum waiting times.

‘The suggestion that it could save money because patients will remove themselves from the list by going private or dying is a callous and cynical manipulation of people’s lives and should not be tolerated.’ 

The Health Secretary, Andrew Lansely has spoken out and accused NHS managers of risking lives by making patients wait longer for treatment in a ‘cynical’ bid to save money. Lansley said the report showed why the NHS needed to be reformed.

‘This is exactly why we need to put patients’ interests first,’ he said. ‘Too many primary care trusts have been operating in a cynical environment where they can game the system – and in which political targets, particularly the maximum 18-week waiting time target, are used to actually delay treatment.

Care services minister Paul Burstow said: ‘This report illustrates exactly why we need to modernise the NHS and increase choice for patients.’

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt To Quit Acting: “We Had a Good Run”

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Angelina Jolie has revealed that she “doesn’t love” acting as much as she used to.

Jolie was in tears when she was honoured for her controversial war movie, The Land Of Blood And Honey, at the Sarajevo Film Festival. She was praised for her directing debut, which is about a Muslim woman and a Serbian man during the Bosnian war in the 1990s. However, Jolie also said that she and Brad plan to quit acting soon.

“As Brad and I get older, we’re going to do fewer films,” she said. “I’ve been working for a long time, he’s been working for a long time. We’ve had a nice run and don’t want to be doing this our whole lives.”

Jolie added: “I’ve never not been grateful to be an actor. But I think when I was younger, I needed [acting] more. I was trying to question things in life, so you find these characters that help you find things and grow. I’m older and I know who I am, and I’m less interested in the character helping me answer something than in being able to answer it for myself, as a woman, as an adult, with my family.”

Jolie was Forbes highest paid actress in 2009 and 2011, and she and boyfriend Brad Pitt are parents to six children, Maddox, 9, Pax, 7, Zahara, 6, Shiloh, 5 and twins Vivienne and Knox, 3.

She said: “Home is wherever we are. I’m very bad at staying in one place. I’m also bad at sitting still. There’s so much to explore in the world, so I love travel. If you can travel I think it’s the best way to raise kids.”

Amy Winehouse Was 'Physical Wreck' – Death Leaves A Trail Of Grief And Denials

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Amy Winehouse’s grieving mother has said that the singer was “a physical wreck” the day before she died and that her minders had to help her down the stairs. Janis, who suffers from MS, added that Amy was “completely out of it.”

The singer was apparently having weekly health check-ups and her doctor visited her 24 hours before her death but had ‘no concerns.” Her bodyguard, Andrew Morris, also checked on her in the morning, but when he returned in the afternoon, she had died.

After her funeral on Tuesday, Winehouse’s father gave fans her clothes, leaving one fan wearing a vest the singer owned. It also emerged that she was in the process of adopting a poor, 10-year-old, St Lucian girl.

Since the singer’s death, tributes have flooded in, and her family released a statement saying: “Our family has been left bereft by the loss of Amy, a wonderful daughter, sister, niece. She leaves a gaping hole in our lives. We are coming together to remember her and we would appreciate some privacy and space at this terrible time.”

Amy’s phone was apparently “routinely” hacked by members of the press, as were Winehouse’s parents, brother Alex and ex-husband Blake Fielder-Civil, according to investigative journalist Charles Lavery.

Talking about the troubled Londoner’s attendance at rehabilitation centres, a source told Lavery: “The press knew where she would be, who would be there, what time, at any given time.

“They were able to be there too, to befriend her and actively encourage her, as if they had arrived by chance. That made better copy and, more importantly, better photos for the snappers both inside and waiting outside.

Ex-husband Blake Fielder-Civil said that losing Winehouse has left him “inconsolable”, while Fielder-Civil’s mother hit out at critics who said he was responsible for the singer’s untimely, saying he had nothing to do with it.

Amy joins the ’27 Club’ – a list of famous rock stars who died at the same age  – which also includes Kurt Cobain, Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Brian Jones.