If you didn't end up watching the Oscars last night, Audrey Hepburn herself was featured! During a segment on writers in cinema, a clip from Paris When It Sizzles was shown. For those of you who aren't familiar with the film, Audrey plays a typist named Gabrielle Simpson who is hired to type a non-existent script for slacker screenwriter Richard Benson, played by William Holden. There was also an Audrey-inspired commercial that aired during the ceremonies.
What's also interesting to note is the fact that her sinister co-star from Wait Until Dark, Alan Arkin, won Best Supporting Actor last night! How To Steal A Million co-star Peter O'Toole did not win his Best Actor nomination, unfortunately.
It seemed to me that Anne Hathaway's Oscar dress seemed to be a bit Audrey-inspired -- inspired by Eliza Doolittle, in fact. Did anyone else notice this resemblance?
Last for today, I've put together a gallery of Audrey Hepburn at the Oscars through the years. Though most of the 44 pictures currently in the gallery are from her 1954 win for Roman Holiday, there are some appearances from the 60s and 80s thrown in and I hope to find even more to share. In the meantime, enjoy what's there!
If you've noticed that news updates here have been a little spotty lately, now you know why. I've been working hard to try and get these stinking things done! So, for the 100th post, I give you 570 screengrabs from How to Steal a Million.And, if you haven't heard already, Audrey's co-star in the film, Peter O'Toole, was just nominated for a Best Actor Academy Award. His eighth nomination, mind you. Congratulations to Peter!In other Audrey news, yesterday was the big Swann Galleries auction of celebrity documents and contracts. Three contracts signed by Audrey were up for grabs. While all of the buyers are kept anonymous, it seems that the Audrey documents did fetch far more than expected. Lot 150, which was a contract for Audrey to appear in, funny enough, How to Steal a Million, sold for $5,400, far over the expected range of $1,000-1,500. Lot 151 was a contract allowing Audrey to borrow a print of How to Steal a Million, and while it was expected to sell for between $600-800, it sold for $900. The last of the Audrey Hepburn lots, lot 152, was a contract allowing her to borrow a print of Two For the Road. This was expected to sell around $600-900 and ended up selling for $1,000. You can read more about the auction in general here, and you can view the selling prices of all items here.
Thanks to quissuer711 at the Audrey Hepburn Circle, there's a fantastic "new" story about spending the weekend with Audrey. Apparently way back in 1951, before anyone really knew the name Audrey Hepburn, a scientist was asked to entertain a friend's house guest, the guest being none other than Audrey. The two became chummy and kept in touch over the years, and I won't ruin any more for you. Read the whole story here and judge for yourself how you like this story.
This next bit is a tenuous stretch at best, but since it keeps finding its way into my inbox, I might as well share it. Apparently there's a new CGI movie out in the vein of Shrek, this one called Happy N'Ever After. The main character, Ella, is supposed to bear a strong resemblance to Audrey, and might have been modeled after her (she's voiced by Sarah Michelle Gellar). To me the resemblance is minimal at best, but again, I'll let you decide. Ella is the one on the right, with the shorter hair.
Photographer Douglas Kirkland has been photographing celebrities for quite a long time, and has taken some great, classic shots over the years simply by sticking with his subject and snapping constantly. One of the celebrities he's tailed was Audrey, during filming of How to Steal a Million, and at a new exhibit at the Hallmark Museum of Contemporary Photography you can see his work and some Audrey shots. The exhibit runs from January 11 through March 18, and he will be at the museum on Saturday, January 13, and you can learn a little more about him here.
A little while ago I posted about a new upcoming Audrey auction, but couldn't find much information on it. Now Swann Auction Galleries, the auction house that will be selling this batch of contracts, has released more information on their website. It turns out that three Audrey documents, not one, will be sold on January 25. Lot 150 is Audrey's contract to appear in How to Steal a Million. This is expected to go for $1,000-1,500 (US):
Lot 151 is a letter signed by Audrey that would allow her to borrow a print of How to Steal a Million, and is expected to fetch between $600-800 (US):
And lot 152 is another signed letter, this time asking to borrow a print of Two For the Road. It's expected to get between $600-900 (US), though I can't see why this would be more valuable than the other letter:
And lastly, onepoll.com recently did a poll on the Top 50 Greatest Gay Icons, and Audrey came in at #8! Surprisingly, she came in above Liza Minnelli and Barbra Streisand. But I guess you can't keep a good gal down, no matter how long she's been gone. To see the whole list, click here.
Plus, yet another fun summer outing involving Audrey Hepburn! This time it's a screening of How to Steal a Million at the Paramount Theatre in Austin, Texas on July 26 and 27. I've glanced over their full summer lineup and it is amazing, to say the least. I'm very jealous.
