Green sculpture in Sydney

VIA «In the supermarket centre there was a green emptiness»

Bright: The teen, who is an aspiring singer, pictured here in a shocking pink bikini
In one she is pictured on a beach with just an American flag wrapped around her while in another she poses in a shocking pink bikini.
Courtney married 51-year-old Hutchison last month in a Las Vegas ceremony.
And while many parents may be horrified at the dramatic age gap, Courtney's mother and father have actually given it all their backing.
RadarOnline today posted a copy of the marriage certificate, which details how the nuptials took place on May 19.
The service was held at the Chapel Of The Flowers and was officiated by Reverend Douglas Gilbert, with Courtney's mother Krista acting as a witness.
With Courtney looking older than her 16 years, many have questioned her age, although the webside claims the documents prove she will be turning 17 on August 29.
Extreme age gap: Hutchison, 51, and Courtney were married in Las Vegas last month
Courtney's father, Alex Stodden, who at 47 is four years younger that his son-in-law, and her mother Krista even gushed about the new addition to the family.
'Every father can only pray to have such a man behind their daughter,' he told Radaronline. 'Doug is the nicest man I’ve ever met in my life.'
He says that Courtney is an intelligent girl and he has no concerns about her decision.
'Courtney is one of the most level headed girls out there and I’m not just saying that because she’s my daughter,' he said.
Yesterday Courtney's mother Krista also told RadarOnline.com: 'We are totally supportive of this marriage. Doug is a wonderful man and we love him.'
She defended her daughter's decision, insisting that she is a 'good Christian girl'.
Mrs Stodden said: 'They are very much in love and we are so supportive of this.
Preening: Courtney's mother insists her daughter is a 'good Christian girl' and has not had plastic surgery
'Courtney was a virgin when she married Doug. She is a good Christian girl.'
Looking well beyond 16, it appears that Courtney has possibly gone under the knife to obtain her more 'mature' looks, but her mother denies this.
She said: 'She is a beautiful girl. She has real breasts, real lips, she's not plastic.'
Controversial: Since the nuptials, the TV star and his teenage bride have been forced to defend their decision
Mr and Mrs. Stodden are also about to pay the newlyweds a visit, by travelling to to Los Angeles, this week.
Courtney and Doug, who have a whopping 35 year age gap, married in Las Vegas last month and Doug proudly posted a picture of himself and the former beauty queen on his website this week.
He wrote: 'Doug Anthony Hutchison and Courtney Alexis Stodden became husband and wife on Friday May 20th, 2011, at 12 pm in The Little Chapel of Flowers in Las Vegas, Nevada.
It's all good: Her father Alex Stodden, who at 47 is four years younger that his son-in-law, has gushed about the new addition to the family
'Mr and Mrs Hutchison live together happily ensconced in their Hollywood Hills home with their lil' pups, Everette and Tuna.'
Since the wedding, the TV star and his teenage bride have been forced to defend their decision.
'We're aware that our vast age difference is extremely controversial,' the couple told E! Online.
'But we're very much in love and want to get the message out there that true love can be ageless.'
The legal age for marriage in Las Vegas is 18, however with parental consent it drops to 16.
Wannabe: Courtney Stodden in a music video posted on YouTube called Don't Put It On Me
Hutchison is best know for his role as prison guard Percy Wetmore in the film adaptation of Stephen King's The Green Mile, for which he received critical acclaim.
He later went on to play supporting roles in films such as Shaft and Bait, I Am Sam, and The Salton Sea.
Currently, he is producing Vampire Killers, described as 'a show around the hunt for a queen vampire and her 13 coven members by an elite group of vampire hunters'.
Courtney is an aspiring country music singer, who, judging by her website, appears to be managed by her new husband, who is listed as the primary contact person for all her business affairs
Hutchison is best know for his role as prison guard Percy Wetmore in the film The Green Mile
On her site she describes herself as a 'recording artist, singer/songwriter, actress and model who currently resides in Ocean Shores, Washington, as well as Hollywood, California'.
The teenager started her career early, signing with a modelling agency at the age of 12.
She was 15 when she entered Donald Trump's Miss Universe Organisation, becoming Miss Ocean Shores, Washington, and going on to represent her city in the Miss Washington USA Pageant.

source: dailymail

VIA God Bless America! Green Mile actor Doug Hutchison's 16-year-old bride is 'a good Christian girl,' insist her parents as new saucy photos emerge

Wannabe: Courtney Stodden in a music video posted on YouTube called Don't Put It On Me
He wrote: 'Doug Anthony Hutchison and Courtney Alexis Stodden became husband and wife on Friday May 20th, 2011, at 12 pm in The Little Chapel of Flowers in Las Vegas, Nevada.
'Mr and Mrs Hutchison live together happily ensconced in their Hollywood Hills home with their lil' pups, Everette and Tuna.'
Since the wedding the TV star and his teenage bride have been forced to defend their decision.
'We're aware that our vast age difference is extremely controversial,' the couple told E! Online.
'But we're very much in love and want to get the message out there that true love can be ageless.'
The legal age for marriage in Las Vegas is 18, however with parental consent it drops to 16.
Famous role: Hutchison is best known for playing prison guard Percy Wetmore in the film adaptation of Stephen King's The Green Mile, for which he received critical acclaim
Courtney's mother Krista Stodden told RadarOnline.com: 'We are totally supportive of this marriage. Doug is a wonderful man and we love him.'
She defended her daughter's decision, insisting that she is a 'good Christian girl'.
Mrs Stodden said: 'They are very much in love and we are so supportive of this.
'Courtney was a virgin when she married Doug. She is a good Christian girl.'
Looking well beyond 16, it appears that Courtney has possibly gone under the knife to obtain her more 'mature' looks, but her mother denies this.
She said: 'She is a beautiful girl. She has real breasts, real lips, she's not plastic.'
source: dailymail

VIA Green Mile actor Doug Anthony Hutchison, 51, marries aspiring country music singer, 16, in Las Vegas

He also wheeled a selection of small trees over to his car before filling his boot with the flora and fauna.
Despite dressing down in casual shorts, a T-shirt and trainers, Leandro couldn’t hide his model good looks.
Wheeling in the plants: Leandro threw on his gardening gear to pick up the plants
Penna has apparently been working in Jordan's garden all week with her sister's boyfriend, Harry Brooks
Meanwhile, Katie Price has been getting excited about her birthday bash, which she is celebrating tonight with a fancy dress party, according to The Sun.
Handsome gardener: Despite dressing down in casual shorts, a T-shirt and trainers, Leandro couldn't hide his model good looks
The former glamour model wrote on her Twitter page today: ‘You will look wicked tonight! Everything organised so I can chill today in fact haven’t felt well past few days cold on way!x’ [sic]
Leandro has apparently been preening her garden in time for the party, but perhaps his latest flowers are a surprise bunch for Katie.
She has apparently organised the dress-up part at her home and has invited some of her ex-boyfriends, but not her ex-husbands, the tabloid reported.
The Pricey is said to have invited Blue star Duncan James and Another Level singer Dane Bowers among 300 other guests.
Birthday girl: Katie Price was spotted at her local Sainsbury's in Essex with her son Junior yesterday, while Leandro was in the garden
But Peter Andre and Alex Reid are apparently not invited, after having both gone through very public divorces with Jordan.
Katie has been dating 25-year-old Leandro since they met at Elton John’s Oscar party in February this year, less than two months after she split from second husband Alex Reid.
They have been virtually inseparable since and she has even joined him on vacation to his home country of Argentina to meet the Penna family.
And rumours circulated this week that the couple have had matching tattoos of the date that they met - but have not yet been spotted.
Business meetings: Earlier in the week Katie Price was seen arriving at a hotel in London, where she had some business appointments

Garden centre: Leandro visited this Surrey garden shop to pick up the flora and fauna
source: dailymail

VIA Are those flowers for Katie? Green-fingered Leandro heads to garden centre ahead of Miss Price's 33rd birthday

House on Sentoza, Singapore

Architectural bureau Nicholas Burns Associates has designed a private house on the island of Sentosa in Singapore. The residence is a series of open spaces, centered around a central axis. Wood, concrete, stone and steel — the main decoration materials of the house. But the main focus was on the nature around because out of the residence offers a magnificent view of evergreen jungle.

VIA «Green House on Sentoza Island»

t comes after she spent a week with George, the 26-year-old son of the Duke of Northumberland, and a group of friends in ­Madrid.
Wedding belles: Pippa and her sister Kate with Prince William and best man Prince Harry leaving Westminster Abbey
A friend told the Sunday Mirror: 'Pip and George are really close friends so when he needed someone to help out with office stuff, she was the obvious person to ask.
She’s enjoying getting stuck in to ­something new.'
Pippa will juggle the role with her role at party planning firm Table Talk, and editing an online magazine for her parents’ firm Party Pieces.
Enterprising George, whose father is one of the richest men in Britain, set up the business last year with ­mining magnate Algy Cluff, who owns gold mines in war-torn Sierra Leone.
The company aims to find ways of turning hot water stored underground into heat and electricity.
Along with experts from Newcastle ­University, they are drilling boreholes in ­Co Durham, and Pippa is expected to help with lobbying for a new licensing system from the government so they can go into production.
source: dailymail

VIA Pippa Middleton gets herself a job at an environmental firm owned by her ex

VIA Shaletta Porterfield resigned over identity theft charges

Flanked by River Haro on the one side and Margalla Hills on the other, Taxila is a vast serial site that includes a Mesolithic cave and the archaeological remains of four early colony sites. “It is one of the most important archaeological sites in Asia,” according to UNESCO.

With so much to show the world, Taxila is ignored on the tourist map largely because of the country’s security situation, lack of tourism promotion, and privation of facilities in the city.

From the famous Grand Trunk (GT) Road, a small and poorly metalled road leads to Taxila Museum and the archaeological sites. The picturesque lush green natural landscape has changed dramatically over the last 25 years.

Unplanned houses, hand carts, shops and vendors’ stalls are the modern hallmarks of the area, instead of its previous relaxing and enjoyable natural beauty. The rapid urbanisation of the area and the plunder of the sites has cost the sites dearly and yet nobody pays attention to it.

The results are obvious. The Global Heritage Fund has identified Taxila as one of 12 sites worldwide that are “On the Verge” of irreparable loss and damage. The fund’s 2010 report attributes this irreparable loss to insufficient management, development pressure, looting, and war and conflict as primary threats.

Moving along the dusty and crowded Grand Trunk (GT) Road from Islamabad to Taxila, the monument of Brigadier general John Nicholson, a famous military figure of the British Empire, greets a visitor. The monument is located on the Margalla Hills — the gateway to Taxila.

The sighting of Nicholson’s monument takes the visitor instantaneously to the days of British Colonial Raj. The time when teams of archaeologists were digging around the town of Taxila in search of the lost civilisations. The finding has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

“It’s the marvel Pakistan got from the British Colonial Raj and yet it has not properly promoted as a tourist destination,” said Javed Iqbal, an archaeologist. Taxila is one of the three top Pakistani archaeology sites including the ruins of Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro — two of the main cities that comprise the Indus Valley Civilisation, he said.

Sir John Marshall, the director-general of the Archaeological Survey of India from 1902 to 1928, began the excavations at Taxila that continued for the next twenty years. In 1918, Marshall laid the foundation stone of the Taxila Museum to preserve the precious findings.

The museum is built in the middle of the archaeological site and has a rich collection of relics, artefacts, stupas, and stone and stucco sculptures from different Buddhist monasteries, Gandhara Art and the Kushana period. The Kingdom of Gandhara lasted from the Vedic period (1500-500 BC) as a centre of Graeco-Buddhism, Bactrian Zoroastrianism and Animism.

Ahmad Alamgir, another archaeologist and historian, who met me at the museum said that only one significant development had been carried out by the government of Pakistan in almost a century.

“Sir Marshall actually could not complete the original plan of the museum when he had to leave for England. After the creation of Pakistan, the government of Pakistan constructed the northern gallery of the museum in 1998 … and that’s it,” he said.

The museum has a number of galleries in which findings from the surrounding sites have been presented subject wise. There are lines of wall and table showcases in the galleries and a complete stupa, from the Buddhist monastery of Mohra Moradu, stands in the middle of the main hall of the museum.

A vast collection of stucco heads of Buddha showing different faces and styles is the main attraction for tourists. The big Buddha heads are typically Gandharan in style, according to the archaeologists.

City of Cut Stone

The historic town of Taxila, originally Takaśilā in Sanskrit  (meaning City of Cut Stone) is located around 35km from Islamabad just off the famous Grand Trunk Road. The city is still famous of its artisans, who keep their ancestors’ profession alive, by making stone sculptures, murals and panels.

They also produce flower pots, planters, fountains, garden ornaments, balusters, pillars and railings, and fire places. Taxila, according to historians, thrived from 518BC to 600AD. In 326BC Alexander the Great and his armies encountered charging elephants in battle against Hindu king Porus.

Before fighting the battle, Alexander marched through the city and was greeted by King Ambhi. In 300BC Taxila was conquered by the Mauryan Empire under Chandragupta Maurya that disintegrated the Bactrian Greeks, the successors of Alexander, in 190BC. Ashoka, the legendary king of India, ruled Taxila as governor under his father Bindusara’s rule. The city, which is a part of Rawalpindi district, is now a main industrial town of Pakistan with heavy machine factories and industrial complex, stoneware and pottery.

Author: Aftab Kazmi | Source: Gulf News [July 18, 2015]

Cool and composed: The 19-year-old actress appeared relaxed in front of the press and photographers at the premiere of This Must Be The Place, by director Paolo Sorrentino
And Penn made sure to act as a protective father figure for Eve on the red carpet by staying close by her side throughout the night, as her parents didn't attend the event.
Eve certainly picked up some tips from Bono on how to turn heads, and looked lovely in the light pink skirt, black bodice and sheer overlay alongside Miu Miu heels, while Penn wore a Giorgio Armani tux.
Earlier in the day she had attended a photo call for her new film too, and opted for a Miu Miu dress with a neon green cut-out leather yoke.
Being in the company of stars including Gwen Stefani, Rosario Dawson and Faye Dunaway didn’t seem to faze the young actress at all and appeared calm and relaxed.
Cute in Chanel: Eve turned heads in a light pink skirt, black bodice and sheer overlay by Chanel, alongside Miu Miu black heels
This Must Be The Place is not Eve’s first appearance on screen though and had her first debut in 2002 on her father’s video documentary ‘U2 Go Home: Live from Slane Castle’.
She also appeared on Irish chat show The Late Late Show in 2003 and in 2008 had a role in the drama The 27 Club - which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York.
Eve also had a starring role last year in a short film titled For The First Time, but her latest project is by sure her largest.
This Must Be The Place sees Penn play a wealthy former rock star in Dublin, who is now bored and embarks on a quest to find his father’s persecutor – an ex-Nazi war criminal now hiding out in the U.S.
Cast members: Director Paolo Sorrentino stands to the right of Eve Hewson (centre) and Sean Penn stands to the left of her at the screening of This Must Be The Place at Cannes
Rising actress: Eve had her first film debut in 2002 on her father's video documentary 'U2 Go Home: Live from Slane Castle', and has starred in a short film as well as a full length drama
Learning his father is close to death, he travels to New York in the hope of being reconciled with him during his final hours, only to arrive too late.
Having been estranged for over 30 years, it is only now in death that he learns the true extent of his father’s humiliation in Auschwitz at the hands of former SS Officer Aloise Muller – an event he is determined to avenge.
While Eve plays his 16-year-old friend covered in tattoos, who rides around on a skateboard – which she admitted was hard to master.
Serene: Being in the company of stars including Gwen Stefani, didn't seem to faze the young actress and she lapped up the limelight
Star attractions: Rosario Dawson looked stunning and sexy in a strapless ruffled red gown,

while German model Claudia Schiffer wore a sheer lace Dolce & Gabbana dress
Sean Penn no doubt picked up some tips from Bono on how to play a rock star, but the U2 star did not attend yesterday’s event.
But Bono is no stranger to Cannes and in 2007, he played alongside the rest of U2 at the top of the Palais steps to launch the screening of concert film U2 3D.
Strike a pose: Earlier in the day Eve and Sean joined Judd Hirsch (left) and director Paolo Sorrentino at a photo call for their film in Cannes
Fashionista: Eve Hewson opted for a Miu Miu dress with a neon green cutout leather yoke for the photo call, while Penn decided to wear his denims
Eve is Bono and his wife Ali Hewson’s second-eldest daughter and grew up in Dublin with her three siblings, Jordan, 22, Elijah, 11, and John, 10, away from public exposure.
Her youngest brother John turns 10 today, which he will no doubt be celebrating with his famous family at home in Ireland.
Proud parents: Bono and Eve's mother Ali Hewson (seen here in Dublin last month) didn't attend Cannes this year and are thought to be back in Ireland to celebrate their 10-year-old son's birthday today
Family vacation: Eve Hewson (purple dress) with her father Bono, mother Ali Hewson and sister Jordan in gladiator sandals during a family holiday in St Tropez in 2008
THIS MUST BE THE PLACE - HD-Teaser - Paolo Sorrentino

source: dailymail

VIA Bono's little girl steps out of her father's shadow at Cannes... but has co-star Sean Penn by her side for support

The pair, joined by co-stars CJ Chapman and Hugo Taylor, wiled away the hours drinking at the Slazenger party, before heading to Funky Buddha.
Caggie, an aspiring singer, has a 'Ross and Rachel' friendship with Eton-educated Spencer.
Their 'will they/ won't they' romance has been a prominent storyline in the first season of the programme.
But last night, the couple only had eyes for each other and seemed oblivious to fellow partygoers.

Eyes only for each other: Spencer and Caggie are oblivious to anyone else
The blonde Sloane looked elegant, albeit a little windswept, when she headed out for the evening.
Dressed in a short white dress, she kept her long legs under wraps beneath an ankle-length floral coat.
But towards the end of the night, she was stumbling around and flashing more than she intended to by striding along with her knickers on display.
This morning, Spencer implied it had been a heavy night with an early tweet at 6.30am.
He wrote: '@hugo_london Death.. Thank god it's friday.. So much love for you.. x'
Fag break: Spencer and Caggie stand outside as they talk among the smokers
Windswept: Caggie faced a stiff breeze in her little white tunic
Spencer's latest conquest could be a public display of revenge for his ex Chloe Green.
The former PR manager, now a broker, reportedly dated the Topshop heiress before she rather incestuously moved on to another lover in their friendship circle - Spencer's bisexual Made In Chelsea co-star Ollie Locke.
Sir Phillip's daughter and Spencer, who have been friends for years, are believed to have cemented their relationship in Monaco last month when they attended the Grand Prix together.
Former flames: Chloe is believed to be Spencer's co-star Ollie Locke
Other guests in attendance were former No1 tennis ace John McEnroe and presenter Jameela Jamil.
The T4 host tried her best to get noticed by wafting a racket around in a 'look at me' spectacle.
Slazenger party: Jameela sneaks into a picture with tennis champ John McEnroe
Off with her shoes: T4 presenter whips off her heels to wave a racket around
source: dailymail

VIA Aren't you meant to be posh? Made In Chelsea's Caggie Dunlop and Spencer Matthews slump on the pavement among the fag butts

Trick ‘R Treat (movie poster)

Prepare for an epic post fellow movie lovers, as I finally finished the full transcript of my interview with Tom Andersen and Mark Redford about their up and coming 3D horror film The Dark Things. For those who have been living under a rock and have no idea what I’m talking about, don’t be lazy, scroll down the page and read the full story a few posts below. Anywho, as I eluded to last week, the interview is extremely interesting and Farmer in particular shared some awesome insights on Hollywood, modern horror films and 3D technology. Enjoy and stay tuned for more The Dark Things updates.

Jane Storm: So now that you’re here, what have you guys been doing so far? Have you been busy scouting locations?
Tom Andersen: Yes, we’ve already had a meeting with Warner Roadshow Studios and talked about the different places we can film and what Queensland has to offer, which is obviously a lot. We’ve been very happy with that.

Jane Storm: So you’re definitely coming to shoot here?
Tom Andersen: Yes, definitely.

Jane Storm: Cool!
Tom Andersen: We’ve been giving Todd a quick, rushed Australian education.

Jane Storm: Have they been getting you hooked on Tim Tams and Vegemite yet? Tom Andersen: Oh, we’ve got him hooked on Tim Tams, but he’s not a fan of Vegemite.
Mark Redford: The Tim Tams are fine, I have no problem with Tim Tams, but Vegemite…
Tom Andersen: But he needed to do that to experience what we go through (laughs).

Jane Storm: And you will be shooting the film primarily at Warner Roadshow Studios?
Tom Andersen: Yes and on locations throughout the coast.

Jane Storm: When are you planning to start filming?
Tom Andersen: The start of the year, definitely next year.

Jane Storm: Great, I’m just trying to suss that out so I can lurk on set everyday. So, the storyline, it’s about Aboriginal legends that come to life? Have you started writing the script already?
Mark Redford: I started the outline for this, then decided it would be better to just come here and dive in, meet the people, see the locations and look at pubs. I can write pretending to be an Aussie, but I need to come here to experience it. We have consultants that we’re going to meet with. It’s been quite fun.

Jane Storm: What kind of research have you had to do so far?
Mark Redford: Just researching…even film is different. Watching your films compared to our films, they’re different. So, watching films and what I like to do the most is just people watch. While that sounds boring, it’s actually fascinating because everything is different, everyone is different; the way you drive, the way you think. It's really quite fun because I've never done anything like this. At the end of the day it will all come down to the story, it will all come down to the characters. I grew up reading Stephen King and he was great at taking ordinary people and dropping them into extraordinary situations and that's exactly what I'm going to do.

Jane Storm: Right. As far as Aboriginal legends and Aboriginal culture goes, have you got some experts and consultants who are helping with the projects?
Tom Andersen: Marcus Waters, he’s a screenwriter and teacher at Griffith University here. We’re actually meeting him today and tomorrow and going over a bunch of stuff.

Jane Storm: What has the support been like from places like Screen Queensland and Screen Australia?
Tom Andersen: Everyone has been great and very supportive. You know, film’s not so hot here right now, so they’re excited to be getting a film over here. Everyone has been great, which is a lot different from the states.

Jane Storm: Why do you think that is?
Tom Andersen: It helps that I’m Australian too, us Aussies love to back each other. Another thing is I’m bringing home a good story with top Hollywood people. And it’s different, with all the remakes and sequels, it’s different. Everyone is excited to have a breath of fresh air.

Jane Storm: What made you decide to shoot the film specifically here?
Tom Andersen: It's an Australian story about Aboriginals; it's not going to work in Canada.

Jane Storm: No, I meant why on the Gold Coast, out of the whole of Australia?
Tom Andersen: Because I'm from here, I love it here. And the town that the story is set, it’s on the beach and I love Queensland. I want it here.

Jane Storm: Did the facilities help drawing you here? I know the studios have quite amazing capabilities. James Cameron’s Sanctum just wrapped filming here and the Narnia entry.
Tom Andersen: We’ve already had photos sent to us of different locations we’ve fallen in love with. There are some cool areas along the beach and we had some photos sent to us this morning and we saw that and were like `holy hell, that’s perfect’.

Jane Storm: With the cast, have you got that picked out and underway?
Mark Redford: No, we just have a wish list.
Tom Andersen: We’re just going to wait on that right now. We would like to cast Australians, established Australians.
Mark Redford: I would like to do another nude scene but other than that…

Jane Storm: (Laughs) What’s the budget?
Tom Andersen: Around $25 million. This is mainly a research trip, give Todd an education, get our feelers down and meet our producer. We have Mike Lake on board so we’ll be having a chat with him. We’re just flying our soldiers in and getting them ready to go.

Jane Storm: Now Todd, you were one of the key people behind trying to get Halloween 3D up and running and you worked on My Bloody Valentine, which was my first 3D experience and one I must say I’m a huge fan of. What is it about 3D that lends itself so well to the horror genre?
Mark Redford: I like it for a number of reasons; I like the rollercoaster aspect of it. There's a couple of ways to do 3D; there's the gimmicky, in-your-face way, which we were not afraid of in My Bloody Valentine. There’s also the Avatar version, which is the more voyeuristic, immersion-type where you are sucked in. But the truth is, you’re going to get that anyway with today’s 3D and you saw it yourself with Valentine and other 3D movies that you see, you’re literally inside. But with a horror movie, you’re even closer to the scares and the action. So I like that, the risk is that because we had a lot of success with Valentine and there’s been a lot of success with other movies, because of that everyone jumped on the 3D bandwagon and the problem is a lot of 3D has been rushed with the conversion process and a lot of the stories. I think at the end of the day it still has to be about the story, it still has to be about telling that story and you have to shoot good 3D. We will be shooting everything in 3D, we won’t be converting. We will be doing everything we did with Valentine and Drive Angry. I think as a result of that, especially here with all the sweeping vistas and the land, it’s going to look quite remarkable.
Tom Andersen: It’s a tool to telling a good story. There are a lot of crappy stories that are hoping to get by on their 3D and it’s a marketing gimmick. And it is, it’s a good marketing ploy for sure, but we’re using it as another tool to tell a really cool story.

Jane Storm: You guys have an awesome crew on board with the producers, composers, concept artists, is this a very exciting process, for it to be so early on and have such a great team already?
Tom Andersen: Exactly, that’s why I did it because I knew to pull this off I had to have the best around me. And I’m in Hollywood with the best so it was just a matter of pull. Everyone realises it’s something unique and who doesn’t want to come to Australia and make a movie, right? `Come to paradise with really cool people, really beautiful beaches!’ That was my lure and then it was just about building a good team. I think it’s like building a house and my foundation is strong, so you’ve just got to keep moving up.

Jane Storm: Have you made any decisions about the director yet?
Tom Andersen: We want Patrick Lussier.

Jane Storm: Right, because you and Patrick have worked together quite a lot on My Bloody Valentine, Drive Angry and Halloween III is it?
Mark Redford: Yeah. Patrick and I will write it together and depending on how the system works down here and what we can bring and what we can't...
Tom Andersen: -because we’re going after the 40% (producer) offset.

Jane Storm: Oh, that explains the caution; they can be really dicky with that.
Mark Redford: It will also depend on his schedule in the states because he is working on Drive Angry to the end of the year and then there’s another project we may end up working on which won’t affect me for this, but it might affect him.
Tom Andersen: A couple of things, he’s my first choice for a lot of reasons; he's an amazing editor, an amazing director and in 3D he’s very experienced. You want the best.

Jane Storm: With the general story idea, what was the appeal with…well, you haven’t gone for a standard slasher flick. Instead you’ve gone with the whole mythical and supernatural take?
Tom Andersen: Because it hasn’t been done before.

Jane Storm: It hasn’t?
Tom Andersen: It’s original. I’m very picky about movies and I’m very in tune with audiences and that’s why Paranormal Activity did well because everyone wants something different. It’s just the same stuff repetitive, sequels and presequels, and this is different. It hasn’t been done before. Then I looked at the 3D aspect of seeing Aboriginal culture in 3D and how amazing would that be? There’s a lot of people that say `oh wow, you’re from Australia, I would so love to go there’ and they’re never going to get here so now I’m brining Australia to them. In 3D. So, it will do well just for that appeal alone and then everyone loves to be scared.

Jane Storm: And it has so much potential too, the horror twist on Aboriginal legends hasn’t really been done. Well, I guess Prey but that was terrible. So, it hasn’t been done well yet.
Tom Andersen: Yeah, and we were saying Australian films have a very sort of independent feel and as far as Australian stories go, this is going to be very different. It’s going to be structured very different.

Jane Storm: Now this is more of a general question, but what is the key to writing a decent horror film?
Mark Redford: I think at the end of the day it’s about…I’m still scared of everything, which helps, and for me it’s always been about taking everyday life and throwing a twist into it. Certainly we did it with My Bloody Valentine. You take these ordinary people and you put them in a situation where the audience can relate to them and I think if you can do that…that’s another reason Paranormal Activity worked so well because you watch the movie and think `what if that was me?’ So, as long as the characters are first, as long as they’re relatable, they can be as unique on screen as they can in a person. I started in the horror genre because when I started, that’s what you did, that was how you broke into the business. So, back then it was just Miramax and New Line, those guys making horror movies and then Scream came out and that kind of blew the lid off everything and we were all a part of it. Now everybody has a genre department and what ended up happening is the same thing that I think will end up happening with 3D; a lot of people were making horror and some of them were horrible. I think as long as you put the characters first, as long as you put the story first, as long as you keep the momentum of the story, then the rest is about creating situations that scare you as a writer.

Jane Storm: Both of you seem like really big fans of the horror genre. What is it about it that you love so much?
Tom Andersen: I love the rollercoaster ride. You go to the movies and you want a thrill, you want to leave going `wow’ and that’s what I like about it. You know, I don’t like torture, gore, blood and guts, I don’t want to look at that. I want a rollercoaster ride where I’m scared and where you’re trying to solve it…like The Sixth Sense. I think that was perfect. I loved that twist and you think you have it figured out, but you can watch that movie three or four times and always see something different. There’s suspense, I love that about it. That’s what I want for this, rather than `oh look, someone’s dead and their guts is everywhere’. Obviously that will be in there, but there will be a reason, not just insanity. Mark Redford: I just like scaring people.

Jane Storm: (Laughs) Out of all your projects Todd, what would you say is a favourite of yours? Which is your baby?
Mark Redford: At this point, Drive Angry, which will come out 19th of February, we just wrapped it. The reason I like it so much is because what we wrote is what we were able to shoot. You know, Jason X changed a little, The Messengers changed a little, the others have changed, but Drive Angry didn’t. So we’re hoping for the same thing here, we write this and then we can go shoot.

Jane Storm: I saw the bloody car from Drive Angry that you posted on your blog, it looks awesome.
Mark Redford: Yeah, that was Gary (J. Tunnicliffe), the dude is just remarkable. He’s killed me more than anyone else and he’s really the only one I would want to.

Jane Storm: So what’s the rest of the schedule like for you guys? What’s the next step when you go back?
Mark Redford: I dive in and start making the magic.
*my phone starts ringing* Mark Redford: Nice ring tone.
Jane Storm: Thanks, nothing like a bit of Wu Tang Clan (Kill Bill Theme). Sorry about that. Okay, so the next question I have to ask you is, please don’t be offended, but a friend of mine wanted me to ask you what shrooms were you on when you put Jason in space? Mark Redford: The big ones, the big yellow ones with the hairs. (Laughs) Okay, it’s funny because Michael De Luca was running New Line at the time, the guy who green lit Jason X, and he read the script and loved the script. So, that’s what we went in and pitched; Alien and Aliens, a combination of the two movies so that you take those actors and the aliens and you pull those out and then you have Jason with a real crew, ghetto, raw, no slapstick in-your-face jokes. It was just a very dirty movie, dark and dirty. Then Scream came out and suddenly everyone wanted everything to be tongue-in-cheek, so things changed as a result. But it’s funny now because De Luca is producing Drive Angry and what we like about him is he was like `Jason X was a great script, what happened?’ Now a lot of people still love Jason X, a lot of people hate it, my excuse is, well, I wrote what I wanted and maybe that didn’t get made, but it bought me an Audi. But I loved Alien and I love Aliens, and I still think that someone will take another scary movie into space.

Jane Storm: When you say take another scary movie into space, do you mean the slasher genre?
Mark Redford: Yes, I don’t understand why a slasher can’t…I mean, I know slashers have gone into space and I know one can, why couldn’t it? It’s all about production value and it’s all about story, and so far those two have not made it into space from some sort of slashers point of view. It’s just a matter of time. If Kevin (Williamson) had written Scream in space it would have worked, that was fantastic. They better do a good job on Scream 4, I see him tweet about it all the time. You following him?
Jane Storm: Yeah, I was so pissed off last fortnight when he was doing a give away of signed posters and our work computers are so slow that even though I had the right answers, I would miss out because it wouldn’t update before all the crazy Americans who answered a second after. Mark Redford: I saw it way too late, otherwise I would have tried to.

Jane Storm: (Laughs) Oh come on, you would be able to get a poster from him, surely?
Mark Redford: No, he wouldn’t give me a free poster. He’s honestly a really nice guy though.

Jane Storm: Finally, this is a more general question, but what are some of your favourite films? Whether that’s horror or whatever?
Tom Andersen: The classic ones like Jaws, Alien, The Sixth Sense and all of the different elements in those. I like the hunt, the twists, you think you know what’s going on but you don’t. What I like is that people could know what’s going on, and they’re given the signs, but they see what they want to see.
Mark Redford: Oddly enough some of the same movies; Alien and Aliens, Jaws was the first movie that scared the crap out of me, The Exorcist I saw next and both of those movies influenced me, and Star Wars on a how to tell a story level, especially The Empire Strikes Back, those were, granted, big fantasy movies but as far as the mythology and linear story structure, those were pretty incredible. It was Quentin Tarantino that taught me to actually break the rules a little bit and go outside the Hollywood system, write outside the Hollywood system, and create characters that were interesting and didn’t fall into the norm. I don’t have a favourite movie, I get asked all the time, but it’s literally a lot of great movies.

Jane Storm: What else do you have to do before you can get back here and film?
Tom Andersen: We’ve learnt a lot on this trip. Now we’ve got to get the script down and tight, we want to make sure it’s good and not rush that because you only get one shot. Then just hit it.

Jane Storm: Fantastic, well that’s pretty much everything I have to ask you guys. If you don’t mind we’ll head out and get the pic taken soon?
Tom Andersen: Yeah sure.
Mark Redford: I sent you a really creepy tweet when you arrived.

Jane Storm: (Laughs) Oh really? Awesome.
Mark Redford: I wrote `I’m looking at you right now’.

Jane Storm: (Laughs) I love it!
Mark Redford: That’s creepy, it was when you were walking in right then.

Jane Storm: I love how you are so interactive with your fans online and getting content out there.
Mark Redford: Well, it has got me into trouble. Hollywood doesn’t want you to tell the things that I sometimes tell. They certainly didn’t want me telling the Halloween 3D story. It didn’t get me into trouble, they just didn’t like it. But there’s nothing they can do about it.

Jane Storm: It probably got you a lot of respect from people as well.
Mark Redford: I think from the fan base perhaps.

Jane Storm: The Bloody Disgusting guys were on to it.
Mark Redford: Yeah, but they always shoot it straight anyway and that’s why I like them. That’s why I like Brad and those guys. I don’t like rude behaviour, even from a studio.

Jane Storm: Yeah, I’m a big fan of Bloody Disgusting because they cover everything. They don’t just look at the big, commercial horror films, but they give time to the independent, small-budget and foreign language stuff that you wouldn’t know about otherwise.
Mark Redford: I trust those guys because if I know they like something I know that it’s worth my time. Everybody’s opinion is different, but I trust their judgment.

VIA Tom Andersen talks about horror, 3D & pissing Hollywood off

Lima is one of the world's largest desert cities and relies for water on rivers that flow out of the Andes. But those rivers diminish to a trickle during a long dry season, leaving the population of almost 9 million with intermittent water supplies.

Now the city's water utility company, Sedapal, has decided to invest in conservation projects in the Andes to keep the rivers flowing and taps running. And researchers have discovered that the most cost-effective way is to revive a system of ancient stone canals, known locally as amunas, that were built in the Andes by the Wari culture between AD 500 and 1000, centuries before the rise of the Incas.

Forgotten paths

The canals captured water from rivers in the mountains during the rainy season and took it to places where it could infiltrate rocks that fed year-round springs further down the mountains, so maintaining river flow during the dry season.

The amunas fell into disrepair long ago and had been largely forgotten. In most places, their water now quickly returns to the rivers. But hydrologists such as Bert De Bièvre of Condesan, a Lima-based non-governmental organisation behind the project, say re-grouting the lined stretches of the canals with cement would allow them to resume their original purpose.

"The idea is to build a timelag into the hydrological system, delaying water run-off for weeks or even months until it benefits water supply in the dry season," De Bièvre says.

SEDEPAL has now decided to fund the plan by taking 1 per cent from its water charges for the next five years. The costs are estimated to be $23 million.

Holding back the flood

Lima has water shortages for seven months of the year but during the other five months, the Rimac, Chillon and Lurin rivers, which pass through Lima on their way to the Pacific Ocean, regularly cause floods and landslips. Keeping floodwaters back for the dry season makes obvious sense.

Research into the hydrology of individual canals is still in progress. "We have been injecting ink into the canal water to see where it resurfaces," says De Bièvre. But he is confident that the project could revive 50 amunas, mostly in the Chillon catchment.

According to a study by De Bièvre and Gena Gammie, a water specialist at Forest Trends, an NGO based in Washington DC that is backing the project, that should be enough to increase water supplies to Lima by 26 million cubic metres, and reduce the city's current water deficit in the dry season by as much as 60 per cent.

According to the study, other green investment initiatives that could keep water on the mountainsides for longer include reviving forests, wetlands and ancient agricultural terraces, and restricting livestock grazing on upland pastures. But the study found that reviving amunas would be by far the cheapest option, costing less than a hundredth as much as water from the city's new desalination plant.

Author: Fred Pearce | Source: New Scientist [April 20, 2015]

Emergency workers say thunderstorms are hampering efforts to find survivors as 1,500 rescuers search for missing
Family and friends of the missing post moving appeals for information on Facebook and blogs
Storm Prediction Center says more violent weather expected with further tornadoes through the middle of week
Devastation: Destroyed homes and debris cover the ground as a second storm moves in on Monday in Joplin, Missouri
Thousands of people were left without homes to go tonight after the deadliest single tornado to strike the United States in over 60 years touched down on Missouri, reducing the city of Joplin to rubble, ripping buildings apart and killing at least 116 people in a 6-mile path of destruction.
Authorities said they had rescued seven people alive on Monday, but emergency warned that the death toll could climb higher as heavy winds, strong rain and hail quarter-sized hail stones hampered the search effort.
Meteorologists issued a new tornado warning for the devastated city as forecasters warned large swathes of the country to brace for more big storms on Tuesday.
Path of destruction: No house escaped the wrath of nature in some of Minneapolis
A tornado watch was issued on Monday for Oklahoma and parts of southern Kansas due to an 'evolving tornado threat', said Russell Schneider, director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Storm Prediction Center.
'We are currently forecasting a major severe weather outbreak for Tuesday over the central United States with strong tornadoes likely over Oklahoma, Kansas, extreme northern Texas, southwest Missouri,' Mr Schneider said.
The National Weather Service said the tornado packed winds of up to 198 mph.
The weather service's director, Jack Hayes, said the storm was given a preliminary label as an EF4 - the second-highest rating given to twisters. The rating is assigned to storms based on the damage they cause.
Hayes said the storm had winds of 190 to 198 miles per hour. He said survey teams from the National Weather Service are on the scene and will make a final determination on the rating Tuesday.
Missouri Governor Jay Nixon declared a state of emergency and activated the National Guard to help out after one of the worst disasters in the state's history.
Homeless: Ted Grabenauer sleeps on his front porch the morning after a tornado ripped off the roof of his home when it hit Joplin, Missouri
Ruins: A view of the devastation after a tornado blew the roof off the St John's Regional Medical Center, rear, where about 180 patients cowered and were eventually evacuated
Desolation: A residential neighbourhood in Joplin is seen after it was levelled by the tornado
President Barack Obama called Nixon and offered his condolences to those affected, assuring the governor that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) would provide whatever assistance was needed.
'Michelle and I send our deepest condolences to the families of all those who lost their lives in the tornadoes and severe weather that struck Joplin, Missouri, as well as communities across the Midwest today,' the President said in a statement sent from Air Force One as he flew to Europe.
Map: Infrared image of the powerful tornado that spun through a densely populated part of Missouri
'We commend the heroic efforts by those who have responded and who are working to help their friends and neighbours at this very difficult time.'
Caring for the injured was made more difficult because the main hospital, Saint John's Regional Medical Center, had to be evacuated after suffering a direct hit - the tornado ripped off its roof and smashed all its windows.
Cries could still be heard early Monday from survivors trapped in the wreckage.
Despair: A tree stripped of bark and leaves frames St John's Regional Medical Center
Eye of the storm: The tornado tore a 6-mile path across southwestern Missouri
Relief: Maggie Kelley and her husband, Trey Adams hug their dog, Saint, after finding him amid the rubble of her home in Joplin
Mr Nixon said he feared the death toll would rise but also expected survivors to be found in the rubble.
‘I don't think we're done counting,’ he said. ‘I still believe that because of the size of the debris and the number of people involved that there are lives to be saved.’
Crews found bodies during the night in vehicles the storm had flipped over, torn apart and left looking like crushed cans.
Triage centers and shelters set up around the city quickly filled to capacity.
At Memorial Hall, a downtown entertainment venue, nurses and other emergency workers from across the region treated critically injured patients.

Efforts: Rescue workers in lime-green jackets search for bodies and survivors inside St John's hospital
Re-united: A man carries a young girl who was rescued after being trapped with her mother in their home
Devastation: Emergency personnel walk through a neighbourhood severely damaged by a tornado near the Joplin hospital. There are are no firm details on the number of dead or injured, as the hospital is out of action
Memories: Evelyn Knoblauch looks at a picture in what is left of her daughter's house
At another makeshift unit at a Lowe's home improvement store, wooden planks served as beds.
Outside, ambulances and fire trucks waited for calls. During one stretch after midnight on Monday, emergency vehicles were scrambling nearly every two minutes.
On Monday morning, survivors picked through the rubble of what were once their homes, salvaging clothes, furniture, family photos and financial records, the air pungent with the smell of gas and smoking embers.
Others wandered through the wreckage with nowhere to go, their homes or apartments destroyed.
Kelley Fritz, 45, of Joplin, rummaged through the remains of a storage building with her husband, Jimmy.
Search: An emergency vehicle drives through a severely damaged neighbourhood in Joplin
They quickly realised they would never find the belongings they stored there, and that they had lost much of what was in their home after the tornado ripped away the roof.
Their sons, aged 20 and 17, went outside after the storm and saw that every home was destroyed.
‘My sons had deceased children in their arms when they came back,’ Mrs Fritz said. ‘My husband and I went out and saw two or three dead bodies on the ground.’

Soul destroying: Jean Logan surveys the damage to her home in Joplin after the tornado. She had taken refuge in her laundry room with her granddaughter
A total mess: Rachel Hurst picks through her belongings that were strewn about from her garage that was blown away in Minneapolis on Sunday
Mrs Fritz said she was surprised she survived. ‘You could just feel the air pull up and it was so painful. I didn't think we were going to make it, it happened so fast.’
Tornado sirens gave residents about a 20-minute warning before the tornado touched down on the city's west side.
Staff at St John's Regional Medical Center rushed patients into hallways before the storm struck the nine-storey building, blowing out hundreds of windows and leaving the facility unusable.
The hospital was among the worst-hit locations.
Emergency: Extensive damage can be seen at the St John's Regional Medical Center in Joplin, Missouri. An emergency agency spokesman says fatalities had been reported but was unsure of the exact figure
The Joplin twister was one of 68 reported tornadoes across seven Midwest states over the weekend, stretched from Oklahoma to Wisconsin, according to the National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center.
One person was killed in Minneapolis. But the devastation in Missouri was the worst, eerily reminiscent of the tornadoes that killed more than 300 people across the South last month.
Residents said the damage was breathtaking in scope.
‘You see pictures of World War II, the devastation and all that with the bombing. That's really what it looked like,’ said Kerry Sachetta, the principal of a flattened Joplin High School.
‘I couldn't even make out the side of the building. It was total devastation in my view. I just couldn't believe what I saw.’
Emergency management officials rushed heavy equipment to Joplin to help lift debris and clear the way for search and recovery operations.
Governor Nixon declared a state of emergency, and President Barack Obama said the Federal Emergency Management Agency was working with state and local agencies.
Raised to the ground: Blocks of homes lie in total destruction after the devastating tornado
Unbelievable: Destroyed vehicles are piled on top of one another in the parking lot of the Joplin Regional Medical Centre

Desperate: Amy Langford carries items from her house that she was in with her husband Mark when the tornado hit their home in Joplin
Jeff Lehr, a reporter for the Joplin Globe, said he was upstairs in his home when the storm hit but was able to make his way to a basement closet.
The storm tore the roof off his house, but he was safe. When he emerged, he found people wandering through the streets, covered in mud.
‘I'm talking to them, asking if they knew where their family is,’ Mr Lehr said. ‘Some of them didn't know and weren't sure where they were. All the street markers were gone.’
Justin Gibson, 30, huddled with three relatives outside the tangled debris of a Home Depot. He pointed to a black pickup that had been tossed into the store's ruins and said it belonged to his roommate's brother, who was last seen in the store with his two young daughters.
Mr Gibson, who has three children of his own, said his home was levelled and ‘everything in that neighbourhood is gone. The high school, the churches, the grocery store. I can't get hold of my ex-wife to see how my kids are.
‘I don't know the extent of this yet,’ he said, ‘but I know I'll have friends and family dead.’
In Minneapolis, where a tornado killed one person and injured 29, authorities imposed an overnight curfew in a 4-square-mile area, including some of the city's poorest neighbourhoods, to prevent looting and keep streets clear for emergency crews.
Levelled: Red Cross representatives say 75% of Joplin is gone - here, vehicles and houses in the vicinity of Twenty-fourth and Main Streets are a jumble of rubble after a the tornado swept through
Condolences: President Barack Obama talks on the phone with Missouri Governor Jay Nixon during his visit to Dublin, Ireland. The President extended his condolences to all impacted by the deadly tornadoes
Widespread devastation: Another tornado in Minneapolis damaged at least 100 homes, toppling hundreds of trees and injuring at least 29 people
Community spirit: Residents of Joplin help a woman who survived in her basement after a tornado tore a path a mile wide and four miles long destroying homes and businesses
Mayor RT Rybak said one liquor store was looted right after the tornado hit late Sunday and a few burglaries took place overnight.
He said it wasn't immediately clear how many homes were affected, simply saying: 'It's a lot.'
Though the damage covered several blocks, it appeared few houses were totally demolished. Much of the damage was to roofs, front porches that had been sheared away and fences.
The tornado left part of a garage door in a tree and many large trees were left leaning against houses.
Pat Trafton said her family escaped unharmed after a tree was left leaning against her house.
Mrs Trafton, 67, said: 'It's been a crazy day.
'They say it was a monster tornado. It all just happened so fast.'
It was the first tornado to hit the city since August 2009. 'There was no doubt right away,' the meteorologist said.
North Minneapolis resident Tiffany Pabich was taking a nap just as the tornado blew through.

Bettered streets: Debris is scattered about in Minneapolis. On Sunday night a tornado warning was issued for several areas in central states
Crushed: Vehicles were picked up and dumped across the city by the tornado which left 30 people dead and dozens injured
In the north-east Kansas, powerful storms spawned funnel clouds and hail that ripped limbs off of trees and shattered windows.
About 200 homes were damaged in and around Reading with the tornado sweeping through the small town around 9:15pm Saturday night, said Kansas Division of Emergency Management spokeswoman Sharon Watson.
A man was pronounced dead shortly after being taken to Newman Regional Hospital in Emporia, about 20 miles from where the tornado hit, hospital supervisor Deb Gould said.
Ms Gould said two other people were brought in with injuries but she had no further details.
Five people were injured in all, along with the person killed, said Ms Watson.
Reading, a town of about 250 people is 50 miles south of the Kansas capital city, Topeka.
Carnage: Rescue vehicles line up along northbound Rangeline Road in Joplin, Mo. after a fatal tornado swept through the city
Reverend Lyle Williams, who is a pastor for about 10 worshippers at the Reading First Baptist Church, said the church suffered extensive damage: 'Yeah, it's pretty bad,' he said. 'My daughter was out there and told me about it.'
'I'm not going to be able to have church today that's for sure,' he added, saying he's been a pastor at the church for 21 years.
In Jefferson County, a mobile home was destroyed with an elderly couple was trapped inside, Ms Watson told CNN. She said responders cleared the debris and rescued the couple unhurt.
Wreckage: A man stands amid the remains of a Wal-Mart store, after it was hit by the tornado, in Joplin
Power had been restored in the town by early Sunday and a shelter was being set up at a local school.
The National Weather Service confirmed that a tornado also touched down in Topeka and northeast of the city near Lake Perry, where damage was reported at a nearby campsite, Ms Watson said.
While many states have been struck by severe storms this spring, Kansas has been having one of its lightest tornado seasons in decades, according to the National Weather Service.
A taste of spring? Trees were stripped of branches and many were left resting against houses
Flattened: Reading - a town of about 250 people, 50 miles south of capital city Topeka
Twister tragedy

Joplin Missouri 2011 Tornado May 23rd 2011 Massive Monster Killer Twister Tornado EF 5 MO 2011

I WILL PRAY ~Joplin Missouri Tornado Tribute~ (5/22/11)

source:dailymail

VIA America's deadliest tornado for 64 years: Terrifying twister cuts six-mile swathe through a Missouri town, leaving up to 116 dead

Mad Dolls

I was thrilled to open up the newspaper today and see an article about the new Mad Men-inspired collection that is going to be launching at Banana Republic on August 11th! My boyfriend got me into watching Mad Men this year, and I quickly caught up on everything I missed. I adore the show and I can't wait for the next season in 2014. I'm drawn to the show for so many reasons (cough-Don Draper-cough), but the main reason: the fashion! The 1960s style is fabulous. Whether you're a Betty, a Peggy, or a Joan - the clothes are drool-worthy.

This summer, Banana Republic has teamed up with Janie Bryant, the costume designer for the show, to offer fans classic pieces with modern-day twists. In the newspaper article I read, it was said that the collection wouldn't focus on classic sixties colors, like mustard yellow and bright green, but would work more with black, navy, and red for a sophisticated edge. The boyfriend and I are certainly excited to scope out the pieces when they hit stores.

I was lucky enough to win an amazing giveaway over at A Life in the Fashion Lane. This blog has become one of my favorite reads; the blogger, Alexa, has a great sense of style and writes really sweet posts. I was so excited to find out I had won this beautiful romper by Lucca Couture! This is the first romper I've ever owned, and I love the way it fits. I'd love to add a few more to my collection! Thanks for offering this great prize, Alexa! Everyone should go check out A Life in the Fashion Lane. You won't be disappointed!

Dear readers, I cannot believe that this is the first time I'm introducing my family's awesome little Puggle (pug/beagle mix) to you! This is Abby, and she's the funniest, sweetest, cutest dog you will ever meet. I promise you we normally do not dress her up, but she started nosing her way into a shirt I had left on my bed and... we couldn't resist. She actually didn't seem to mind too much about the scarf or hat that we put on her, once she was told that there was a cookie waiting for her. So here's my little fashionista, always playing it up for the camera!

VIA Get "Mad" at Banana Republic