BuzzSugar

Say What? Director Mira Nair on Amelia Earhart

TresSugar — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 06:00:00 PDT

"[S]o much about Amelia is so undeniably modern. If she were to walk into a room today in her jodhpurs and her aviation jackets, [with] her ideas about marriage or men and women, she would still be considered an iconoclast."

- Director Mira Nair on the subject of her upcoming biopic Amelia starring Hilary Swank, about the pioneering aviator's life. Nair, who directed Salaam, Bombay!, Monsoon Wedding, and the recent I Love You, New York was taken with Amelia's plainspoken directness when she studied archival footage of her. Earhart was the first aviatrix (I love that word!) to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. She insisted on keeping her name when she married and called marriage a "partnership" with "dual control."

A Fabby Halloween: Amelia Airhart

FabSugar — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 09:00:22 PDT

Call me kooky, but I always thought her name was Amelia Airhart - "Air" because she pioneered the friendly skies. Her actual name was Amelia Earhart, and I obviously have some learning to do. Good thing a biopic, starring Hilary Swank, is coming out this Fall. I'm a sucker for shearling, plaid, and fun eyegear, and aviator style is super cute. And easy to assemble - but flight goggles are key. You may recall flight of the aviator was a favorite New York Fashion Week Fall trend. Heads up! On-trend sky style heading your way.

Faux-Leather Bomber Jacket ($98)	Industrial Flight Pilot Goggles ($7)
Women's AE Plaid Ruffle Tunic ($40)	Fur-Trim Nylon Aviator Hat ($58)
Urban Outfitters Alex and Ani Initial Ring ($16)	Free People Joust Over The Knee Boot ($108)
Jones New York Neutral Stripe Silk Scarf ($28)	G by GUESS Logan Shearling Vest ($70)	Urban Outfitters Kimchi Blue Flapover Saddle Bag ($38)

Get ready for lots more Halloween ideas as my Fabby Halloween series takes off. Join my A Fabby Halloween group where we can share ideas, photos, and revel in Halloween happiness.

I Love Your ShopStyle: Amelia Earhart

FabSugar — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 05:00:08 PDT

I have a lot of female role models in my life. Of course, there's my mom, Carine Roitfeld, Michelle Obama, etc. Like tres tres chic, I also look up to famous aviator Amelia Earhart. Her tribute to the aviatrix includes a mix of sporty yet luxe vintage-inspired flight gear. I love all of the fur embellishments - pilots need to keep warm – and leather. I'm sure Amelia would appreciate that sumptuous Phillip Lim flight jacket, I sure do.

Movie Preview: Amelia

BuzzSugar — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 16:30:37 PDT

From the time it was first announced last year, everything about Amelia, the Amelia Earhart biopic, has sounded good to me: the subject matter, Mira Nair as the director, Hilary Swank in the title role. Today, the first trailer for the film is out, and it's only increasing my excitement.

Like all of director Nair's previous work (The Namesake, Monsoon Wedding), Amelia looks gorgeous and incredibly well-styled, from the sweeping landscapes to the kicky aviator goggles and scarves. It's been reported that the movie will focus on Earhart's early career, and maybe that's still the case, but this trailer looks largely at Earhart's plans to fly solo around the world and the famous, fateful outcome of the flight.

Swank plays Earhart with an appealing mix of determination and sass - exactly how I always imagined the pilot would be. We'll get to see the whole movie on Oct. 23, but to check out the trailer right now, just

Buzz News Roundup, 5/28

BuzzSugar — Wed, 28 May 2008 12:45:59 PDT

James Gandolfini is selling his Sopranos costumes to benefit a nonprofit organization that helps severely wounded soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, the AP reports.
Speaking of charity, ABC, CBS and NBC will set aside an hour on September 5 to simulcast a fundraiser for cancer research, according to the AP.
ComingSoon has the news that Ewan McGregor will be joining Hilary Swank and Richard Gere in the Amelia Earhart biopic.
According to Billboard, the original members of Simple Minds will hit the recording studio next month for the first time in 27 years.
Zap2It reports that ABC's comedy pilot Roman's Empire (produced by Ashton Kutcher) found a lead: Kelsey Grammer.
Brandon Routh, Sophia Bush, Jesse Bradford and several others have been cast in the comedic movie Table for Three, writes Variety.
Paul McCartney was awarded an honorary Doctor of Music degree from Yale over the weekend, Billboard reports.

Source

Buzz News Roundup, 4/23

BuzzSugar — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 13:30:45 PDT

Showtime's The Tudors has been renewed for a third season, USA Today reports.
Variety has news that Ang Lee's next directorial project will be Taking Woodstock, the autobiography of Elliot Tiber, a Catskills motel worker who played a pivotal role in making the Woodstock concert happen.
Naomi Campbell will guest-star on the season finale of Ugly Betty, the Associated Press reports.
Virginia Madsen has joined the cast of the Amelia Earhart biopic, which already included Hilary Swank and Richard Gere, writes ComingSoon.
Mariah Carey had her best album debut ever this week, easily landing at the top of the charts, Billboard reports.
TV Land will be airing a modeling competition focusing solely on women 35 and older; details are at The Futon Critic.
Tom Cruise's 13-year-old son Connor will have a minor, nonspeaking part as the younger version of Will Smith's character in the drama Seven Pounds, the AP reports.
Contestants from the VH1 game shows with "love" in the name (Flavor of Love, etc.) will compete in a new show called For Love or Money to win cash prizes, TV Guide reports.
Variety has the just-announced lineup for this year's Cannes Film Festival, which will include Clint Eastwood's 1920s thriller The Changeling starring Angelina Jolie, Woody Allen's Vicky Cristina Barcelona . . . and Kung Fu Panda.

Photo courtesy of Showtime

Buzz News Roundup, 4/16

BuzzSugar — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 13:32:48 PDT

According to the AP, the upcoming X-Files movie has an official title! It's now called The X-Files: I Want to Believe, and will still open July 25.
Richard Gere is joining two movie projects, writes Variety. He'll costar alongside Hilary Swank in the Amelia Earhart biopic, and he'll star in the cop drama Brooklyn's Finest.
Iron & Wine, Flight of the Conchords, and Wolf Parade are among the bands scheduled for Sub Pop Records' 20th anniversary party this Summer, Billboard reports.
ComingSoon reports that Danielle Panabaker will play the female lead in the remake of Friday the 13th.
Get ready for more "green" storylines: NBC is bringing back Green is Universal for Earth Day, and The Futon Critic has the details. Meanwhile, the Hollywood Reporter writes that Fox has started an eco campaign of its own.
The writer responsible for adapting Bringing Down the House into 21 is at it again, writing the screenplay version of a lottery scam memoir, Money for Nothing, writes Hollywood Reporter.
Hollywood Reporter writes that Stan Lee will launch yet another superhero franchise, titled Legion of 5.
The New York Times has a very sweet piece on the classic Disney animator Ollie Johnston who died on Monday.
According to ComingSoon, Demi Moore has landed roles in two indie movies: Happy Tears, in which she'll star alongside Parker Posey, and Bunraku, starring Woody Harrelson.

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Hilary Swank to Play Amelia Earhart

BuzzSugar — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 13:00:00 PST

Good news in three parts: Amelia Earhart, Hilary Swank and Mira Nair
It's been rumored for a long time but now we finally have confirmation that an Amelia Earhart biopic will move forward, with Mira Nair named as director and Hilary Swank playing the famous courageous aviator.

The story itself.
Interestingly, the film will focus on the formative years in Earhart's career, rather than her mysterious disappearance. Variety writes, "George Putnam, a publisher and publicist, was engaged by society denizen Amy Guest to set up a daring nonstop flight across the Atlantic Ocean. When Guest was talked out of trying to become the first woman to make the trip, she dispatched Putnam to find a female pilot, and to turn the flight into a media event."

I can't wait.
Amelia Earhart's life is completely fascinating to me, and while I know Swank has fallen out of favor in recent years, I think she's wise to return to meatier stuff than, say, P.S. I Love You. And Mira Nair is a beautiful director, from Monsoon Wedding to Vanity Fair to last year's gorgeous film The Namesake she has consistently produced visually stunning work.

Do you think the Nair-Swank duo will do Earhart's story justice?

Source and source

Bella Donna: Amelia Earhart

BellaSugar — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 14:59:48 PDT

This week's Bella Donna is one of the most famous women of the 20th century, Amelia Earhart. Born in Kansas in 1897, she was a confident and plucky child who grew up to become the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. Seventy years ago, she disappeared during an attempt to fly around the world-but her influence is still felt.

Earhart started flying at the age of 23, but it wasn't until she was 35 that she made her historic solo journey from Canada to Northern Ireland. By that time, she was famous around the world. Her lean features and tousled hair resulted in frequent comparisons to fellow flyer Charles Lindbergh, along with the nickname "Lady Lindy." What's not as well-known about her is that she was considered a style icon of the 1930s: She helped design her own lines of wrinkle-proof clothing and sturdy luggage, and her short hairstyle inspired many women to buck tradition and cut their locks. Her personal style lives on to this day-just check out this Nars look and you'll definitely see Amelia!

View 5 Photos ›

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Interview With Brad Meltzer Author of Heroes For My Son

LilSugar — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 13:31:26 PDT

Most parents make a baby book for their kid, but if you're author Brad Meltzer's son, yours is bound to be a bestseller. Well known for having all six of his fiction novels hit the New York Times best-selling list, Meltzer's latest tome, Heroes For My Son ($12) is both his entry into nonfiction and a gift to his firstborn. From concept to creation, the father (of now three children) was involved in nearly every step of the process from the look and layout of the pages to selecting photographs of the 52 heroes - from Dr. Seuss to Albert Einstein and Paul Newman to Pele - in the book. The dedication reads, "For Theo and Jonas, my sons, my heroes." And, that's the point of the book, that anybody can be a hero. It just takes an act of greatness. I recently had the chance to chat with Meltzer about his labor of love, here's what he had to say.

LilSugar: You write that you thought up the idea for the book while waiting at a stoplight on the day your son was born, where were you going?
Brad Meltzer: I was coming home from the hospital. It my first true moment alone as a father. And it was in that moment that I couldn't help but think, "What kind of man did I want my son to be?" That moment is a beautiful one because it's filled with so much hope and idealism and all the things we quickly forget about as life takes over. But it was in that moment that I said, I'm going to write a book that lasts my son's entire life. And in that moment, Heroes For My Son was born.

LS: If you realized that you “have little to say in the matter” when it comes to what type of people your children will become, then what purpose will this book serve?
BM: I think we have little say when it comes to telling our children what they'll be. But we have a great deal of say in showing them the potential that exists within them. And that's what I wanted to capture, by showing him the greatest single moments in the lives of Jim Henson, Rosa Parks, Mr. Rogers, Abraham Lincoln, and the Wright Brothers, who used to bring extra materials to every test flight, since they knew they'd fail. That preparation is exactly why they took off. This book isn't about fame or money or even success. It's about what we're all capable of on our very best days.

To see who Meltzer's personal hero is and how his son reacted when he was read the book,

read more. LS: It’s taken eight years to put this book together and I imagine your son has plenty of his own opinions by now. Did he influence you to include any heroes in the book - a favorite athlete, family member, or someone he learned about in school? BM: My son loves sports, so I certainly included a few more athletes -- from Muhammad Ali to Lou Gehrig -- for that reason. But for me, my favorite hero in there is my Mom, who died from breast cancer two years ago. On the day my publisher was shutting down, and no one was there to take over my contract, I thought I was watching my career deteriorate. So I called my Mom and told her how scared I was. She told me, "I'd love you if you were a garbage man." It wasn't anything she practiced. Just her honest feelings in that moment. And to this day, every day I sit down to write, I say those words to myself, soaking in the purity of my Mom's love. That's my hero. LS: You say that Mr. Rogers and Jim Henson are heroes that resonate with you, which heroes in the story resonate with your children? BM: A few weeks back, I finally gave a copy of Heroes For My Son to my son. This was the moment I'd waited nearly a decade for. And of course, he didn't care about Rosa Parks or Eleanor Roosevelt. He went right for the athletes, flipping to the story of Roberto Clemente, the baseball player who went down in an airplane crash while trying to take food and medicine to earthquake victims in Nicaragua. And as we're reading it, I'm thinking, "Don't take your shoes off, son -- you're gonna be so inspired, we may go out and start changing the world tonight." But as he read the story, he started shrinking in my arms. And he turned back at me and whispered, "Dad, this is sad." Right there, I realized I'd broken his heart for the first time. So the next night, I leave the book aside. And my son bounds into the rooms, grabs the book, hops up on the bed and says, "Who we reading tonight, Dad!?" He tells me he loved that story of Clemente -- and I ask him why, and he says, "Because he gave his life to save those people." And I knew right there, you can't teach about a hero unless you teach why you need that hero. You can't show them the high without showing them the low. And like my best moments as a dad, they're always the result of complete and perfect accident. I was so anxious to protect my son, but the strength was already inside him. LS: You wrote that your daughter wants to know where her book is - will Heroes For My Daughter be an extension of this title or something completely different? BM: Every single hero in Heroes For My Son is also a hero for my daughter. Every one. Rosa Parks, Amelia Earhart, Lucille Ball, Mother Teresa... Those are heroes for all of us. LS: You are best known for writing fiction, did you find the process and end result of writing nonfiction more or less rewarding? BM: In my thrillers, I can make up whatever I want. Here, these were the stories of Gandhi and Thomas Jefferson and the woman who actually found Anne Frank's diary. I need to get it right. I felt like the guy who carries the Olympic torch for one block. It's not mine. But for this one block, I'm the caretaker. That mattered to me. And it's why the emotional rewards from this book have been so overwhelming. My son actually cares about George Washington. Photos courtesy of Cori Meltzer