Audrey Hepburn's My Fair Lady Ascot dress sold - again

It was nearly 10 years ago that I went to a nondescript building in Beverly Hills and got to see Audrey Hepburn's iconic black and white Ascot races dress from My Fair Lady before it was sold at auction for $100,000. (The hat was included as well.) I even got to take a picture with it! Back then, it was sold to a man who had grand ideas to open up his own memorabilia museum.

Fast forward to this weekend, where the dress was once again up for auction in Beverly Hills. But this time the person selling it was none other than legendary actress Debbie Reynolds! At some point she had bought the dress and had a costume museum of her own, but things changed and she had to sell a good amount of her amazing collection to pay off the debts. Marilyn Monroe's white dress from The Seven Year Itch - you know, that dress - sold for a whopping $4.6 million. The Ascot dress? It did alright, selling for $3.7 million. That's quite a raise in value in just ten years!

No word yet on who the new owner is, or if the costume will be put on display anywhere.

No comment on Emma Thompson's ignorance

I found this late last night and wanted to sleep on my anger before sharing with you. As I've discussed with you before, Emma Thompson has penned the screenplay for the new adaptation of My Fair Lady, which has been in pre-production for a couple of years now. Nothing is moving forward, and while out promoting her new Nanny McPhee film I suppose Emma wanted to remind everyone that she has a film waiting to be made, and the best way to get attention would be to slag on Audrey. Yes, Emma Thompson trash talks Audrey Hepburn.

The Daily Mail has the story, though really, I think the title tells you more than you want to know: 'Audrey Hepburn was twee, mumsy and really couldn't act': Emma Thompson's scathing appraisal of My Fair Lady star. The link will take you to the article, and that's all I'm going to say on this for now. I did actually write quite a fact-filled rant schooling Emma Thompson on how wrong she is on all this, but I'll spare you - unless you'd really like me to share.

Updates on the My Fair Lady remake

To be totally honest with you, the news is that there isn't really any news. I mean, the gossip world is still abuzz about remaking My Fair Lady - I guess they really want it to happen - and places from wee celebrity gossip sites to The Guardian are feeding the flames with their "inside news," but after doing some digging, I can only tell you what's not happening.

Keira Knightley is not playing Eliza Doolittle. I know some of you will breathe a huge sigh of relief over this (myself included). Perhaps at one time she was attached to the project, or at least hoped she would be cast, as director Joe Wright, who has worked with Keira on both Atonement and Pride and Prejudice, was once on board to direct Lady. But he is off now, and so is any thought of Keira as Eliza.

Carey Mulligan is not playing Eliza either. Though she is linked to the project on IMDb, and screenwriter Emma Thompson herself said that Carey had been definitively cast via The Guardian, poor befuddled Carey herself shoots down that pesky rumor in an interview on Collider.

Daniel Day-Lewis isn't playing Henry Higgins, and neither is Hugh Grant. Just to clarify.

In short, no one has signed on yet, as far as anyone can tell, and the only thing that is for certain is that there is a screenplay, and Emma Thompson wrote it. Beyond that, just gossip. Also, remember that this remake has been in the works for ages now, much like the infamous Why Can't I Be Audrey Hepburn?

My Fair Lady on the big screen

This past Friday I was lucky enough to finally see My Fair Lady on the big screen. The Academy (you know, the ones who hand out the Oscars) was holding a special 70mm screening of the restored original print, and apparently the 70mm version hasn't been screened since the film was first released 45 years ago. After seeing it for myself, I have to say it's downright tragic. The colours were fantastic, especially the flower segments during the opening credits, and I could just see so much more than I ever have before. You could actually read the elocution cards tacked all over Eliza's bedroom walls, and the more subtle facial expressions were just divine. The mix of emotions that came over Rex Harrison's face in that final scene was incredible. It actually brought tears to my eyes.

I've said it before when I've caught other Audrey films being screened, but if you can ever catch any of her movies on the big screen, GO. Not only is it a totally different experience than watching at home, but the audience reaction and interaction is fabulous. The small theatre was packed, and many of the people there had never seen My Fair Lady before. Shocking, no? But it was great. They laughed hysterically at Henry's colourful insults and Eliza's childish antics, and groaned when Henry wondered why women couldn't be more like his perfect self. It was fantastic.

There was also a small costume and design sketch exhibit in the lobby:


Forgive the darkness and the glare, but the costumes were protected by thick glass and absolutely no flash photography was allowed.




And please forgive my raccoon eyes, but I'd come straight from an unusual photoshoot and my makeup wouldn't come off! I kept my Wayfarers on as long as possible. :)

Lastly, but most importantly, I'd like to give a very huge thank you to Ellen, who performed nothing short of magic to get us tickets to this sold out event. Whatever she wants I will gladly give her as a thank you for this great night!

update on the My Fair Lady remake

While I still haven't heard anything set in stone and announced officially, it seems to be a widely assumed fact that Keira Knightley is signed to play Eliza Doolittle in the upcoming film remake of My Fair Lady. Information is still scarce, and no other cast has been announced (though wildly speculated on), but now IMDb has a development page up for the film, with a release date of 2010. You have to have a Pro account to see any details, and I don't really feel like paying to get one piece of information, but Keira's page also has one developing project on it, which I'm betting is MFL.

While doing some wandering on the Internet, I found that Wikipedia has collected some more information. Supposedly, actress Emma Thompson will be writing the screenplay (longhand, with a fountain pen), and it's to be a somewhat updated version of the classic film and play. Even more startling is the persistent rumor that Brad Pitt and George Clooney were looking to produce the movie together, as they have worked together many times before, but had a huge falling out over the fact that they both wanted the plum Henry Higgins role. What's more, some are saying that Brad wanted partner Angelina Jolie as Eliza! I'd say to take all these rumors with a grain of salt or two, but it still makes for interesting news, no?

Hopefully we'll get some more concrete news before too long, and can then focus on the long wait 'til production photos, trailers, and the film itself. Has this new information made anyone feel better -- or worse -- about the remake? Also, what are your views on redoing this role so famously? Audrey herself wasn't immune to criticism when she was cast, despite the fact that Warner Bros. thought Julie Andrews was too unknown to star in the last great film musical, so how will Keira and her career hold up after trying to fill the shoes of two such memorable women and their versions of Eliza Doolittle?

My Fair Lady remake is a reality

Bad news for those of you who feel that My Fair Lady was perfect the first time 'round on film: it is definitely being remade, and Keira Knightley is definitely going to play Eliza Doolittle. According to The Telegraph, Keira is officially signed to the movie and has already begun singing lessons (though it's yet to show up on IMDb). Also, it seems that Daniel Day-Lewis will fill Rex Harrison's rather large slippers as Professor Henry Higgins -- at least, if the producers get their wish. He's at the top of their short list of actors for the role, though there's no word on whether he's signed yet.

Now that it's official, what do you think as Audrey fans? There have been whispers that remaking an Audrey Hepburn film is a sort of curse to an actress's career, since Audrey is held in such high regard by the public and filmmakers. Will this hurt Keira's career, or push her closer to the top of the heap?

You can read more about the casting and possible directors here, if you're curious.

Keira Knightley still shadowing Audrey Hepburn?

There have been rumors swirling for years that Keira Knightley was in talks to do a big-screen biopic of Audrey Hepburn, and while nothing has ever come of those, a different rumor seems to have taken root. There were whispers that Keira might also star in a West End revival of My Fair Lady, and while those talks fell through, it looks as though a film remake of the musical will come to pass -- with Keira as Eliza Doolittle. The film is currently being looked at by Columbia Pictures, and will be "updated" by mixing the original George Bernard Shaw play script and Lerner & Loewe's adaptation that became the film we know and love. This remake also promises to improve on the 1964 film by filming on location in Coventry Garden and other spots around London.

While this still may be just an idle rumor, this is definitely the most I've heard on the remake to date, which makes me think it's picking up speed and may actually happen. Should My Fair Lady be remade for film? Also, does any one know if Keira can sing? It'd be a bit silly to claim a remake as superior when Eliza's still dubbed. Either way, you can read more about the rumored production through Variety.

Vote for Audrey!

I received an email today from the UK InStyle magazine, and they've just started a fun new survey about the most stylish costume on film. Our dear Audrey is mentioned not once, but twice! You can vote for Holly Golightly's immortal little black dress from the opening scenes of Breakfast at Tiffany's, or the equally iconic black and white dress from the Ascot races in My Fair Lady. Simply go here, to InStyle's website, and vote for your favourite. They've asked for our help, Audrey fans, now let's give it to 'em!

This survey is in conjunction with Sky Movies' Fabulous Film Costume Season, which starts on January first with The English Patient and ends on January 13th with Marie Antoinette. You can read more about Sky's costume season and the films they'll be airing during those two weeks here, if you're interested. You can also vote for Audrey again through their website, though don't tell them I told you that. ;)

yet another Audrey Hepburn auction

Are you in the market for a small piece of Audrey Hepburn memorabilia, maybe one that isn't instantly recognizable? Then I may have the auction for you! Bonhams & Butterfields is having an auction in Los Angeles on December 9th full of film and animation memorabilia. One of their lots, which they are making quite a big deal about, is the inkwell from Professor Henry Higgins's desk in My Fair Lady. What's odd is that they're marketing this as Audrey Hepburn memorabilia, as opposed to tying it in with Rex Harrison, and as far as I know Audrey never even touched the thing. It's lovely, though, being Victorian-style cut glass. The press release even charmingly points out two scenes in the film where the inkwell is clearly visible. If I had ever gotten around to doing screengrabs of My Fair Lady, I could possibly find it for you, but I haven't (I'm waiting to get the two-disc special edition to screengrab).

Anyway, it's an entertaining read altogether. You can read the full press release here, and read more about the auction as a whole through the Bonhams website here. No lot information is up yet, but there are viewing times scheduled, so for any L.A. fans out there, it might be worth it to stop in and take some pictures. Oh, and the inkwell is expected to sell for $1,000-1,500.

an oil paint obsession with Audrey Hepburn

I've just found an excellent story that I'm sure everyone will love! From the North Devon Gazette comes the story of John Pollitt, an 84 year old retired metalworker who hasn't painted in more than 50 years. A while ago he was in a video store and came across Breakfast at Tiffany's and My Fair Lady. Intrigued, he bought the films and watched them at home and wanted to know more about leading lady Audrey Hepburn. He then bought a book biography on her and started watching biography programs on her when they were on TV, and finally dusted off his paint supplies and started painting her. So far there are 16 portraits of Audrey, from Audrey as Holly Golightly to Audrey in her final role as Goodwill Ambassador to UNICEF, holding a small child. You can read the full, wonderful story here, which I highly recommend.

I just love reading stories like this, don't you?

you could be the next Eliza Doolittle

Have you ever dreamed of succeeding Audrey Hepburn in the coveted role of Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady? That just might be in your future soon. According to The Sun, a British tabloid, the 50 year old musical might possibly be the next in a line of recent successful reality casting shows where average Joes and Janes like you and me compete to be the lead in a big Broadway musical. (You may be familiar with "How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?" which was a casting show for The Sound of Music revival.) Nothing is set in stone yet, but BBC executives are also looking at Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber to appear on the show. So if you're in the UK and have absolutely no stage fright whatsoever at the thought of singing on TV in front of millions for the chance to be the next Audrey Hepburn, start warming up those vocal cords now! Read more here.

A close second

Clothing site Miss Butterfly recently held an Internet poll to determine which film dress is the most iconic. Unfortunately, Audrey came in second place with the record-breaking black column dress from Breakfast at Tiffany's, being beat out by Marilyn Monroe's equally iconic white dress from The Seven Year Itch. If it's any consolation, at least Audrey made it a close second without showing her knickers. :) You can read more about the poll and its winners here.

And here's a little bonus: Audrey being interviewed at a production dinner for My Fair Lady in 1963. Thanks to spidergirl007 for uploading this!

another Audrey Hepburn double feature in San Francisco

The Castro Theatre in San Francisco started 2007 out right with an Audrey Hepburn double feature, and it's continuing what it started by having yet another back-to-back Audrey double feature in July. This time they're screening Funny Face and My Fair Lady (along with The Wizard of Oz) as part of a triple feature called "Classic Musical Fashion." All three films will be preceded by special guest hosts, and audience members are encouraged to dress up!

Funny Face will be introduced by Jim Van Buskirk, who is labeled as a Hepburn Expert on the Castro's website and most definitely a film expert.

My Fair Lady will be co-hosted by Jan Wahl and Donna Sachet, and there will be a Night of the Fabulous Hat competition. So dust off your flying saucer hat and glue some false flowers on and enter yourself in the competition! Stay for the film while you're at it. ;)

Magically enough, admission to all three of these films is just $12.50 for adults, $8 for children. If you're planning on being in the Bay area around July 29, definitely book yourself some tickets! And if you haven't any plans, maybe you should consider a little trip to San Francisco. The fun starts at 1pm with Wizard of Oz, then a quick break before Funny Face starts at 4, and My Fair Lady kicks in at 7. It sounds like it will be loads of fun and a great way to introduce some friends to the magic that is Audrey Hepburn films.

P.S. Again, apologies for the sporadic updates. An ongoing computer problem has been fixed, and hopefully that will mean business as usual for all of us.

more Audrey Hepburn videos

I've uploaded some more Audrey Hepburn clips to You Tube, though you can just watch them here if you'd like:


Audrey Hepburn at premieres was originally compiled by MrNatashaRostov, and is made of various newsreel clips. It shows Audrey at film premieres for The Nun's Story, My Fair Lady, and War and Peace, to name a few. If you like it, let him know!


A newsreel about the 26th annual Academy Awards, 1954. This was the year Audrey won the Oscar for Best Actress for Roman Holiday, and the clip also plays her entire thank you speech. If you have never seen that footage before, please do! It's absolutely charming.


This clip and the next are both mute, but don't let that fact keep you from watching these. Both clips are raw footage taken at the UK premiere of My Fair Lady, and while it may be a little strange or dull at first, keep watching. The behind the scenes bits later on are really worth it, and it's like seeing another side of Audrey. Definitely worth the wait.



Enjoy!

for your viewing pleasure

Someone has posted some Audrey Hepburn goodies to You Tube! That someone would be me. :) Better late than never, here are some of the birthday presents I have for you:



Audrey Hepburn in Paris, the all French interview she and husband Mel Ferrer conducted at Orly airport in France. I had posted this video before, but sadly PrinceCharmingxoxo's account at You Tube was suspended and all of his videos were taken down. Thankfully, he either sent me his videos or told me where to go to get my own copies, so they can now be shared again! Hopefully he'll be back soon with a new account, so you can thank him when he returns.



A solid gold sculpture of Audrey Hepburn, done by renowned artist Renato Signorini.



A fashion show, presumably using the costumes from Sauce Piquante, done by the cast. Audrey isn't actually credited or called by name in the film, but you can definitely spot her and her elfin ears if you look. I hope she got a pay bonus for wearing that ridiculous dress, too.



Audrey and Mel Ferrer visit Utrecht, Holland, to attend the premiere of Mel's film El Greco. Audrey receives a hero's welcome, of course!



Last for tonight, the UK premiere of My Fair Lady receives a royal welcome with the attendance of no less than a princess!

There will be more videos coming soon, and all of the videos on You Tube will also be up on the multimedia page of the website as well.

Edit: PrinceCharmingxoxo is alive and well as the new MrNatashaRostov! So please, drop him a line thanking him for finding a lot of these wonderful videos, and encourage him to keep looking.

free Audrey Hepburn films this summer!

Free films in a park are nothing new, and I'm sure that they've screened Audrey Hepburn films before, but it seems that this summer a lot of her films are being screened. We've discussed TCM's free screenings already, and now the Huntsville Museum in Alabama is joining in on the fun with "Classic Movies in the Park." From June through August, the museum will screen free films to the public outside on a wall of the museum, and guests are encouraged to make a full picnic of it with lawn chairs, blankets, and picnic baskets. My Fair Lady will be screened on Friday, July 13. For a more complete schedule, go here. And if you're thinking of going to any of these screenings across the country, can you think of a friend or two that hasn't seen an Audrey film? This might be the perfect opportunity to make a friend into a fan. :)

Audrey Hepburn cancer awareness

A couple of days ago, I received a letter from a doctor in India about Audrey. An introduction isn't really necessary, so here is the letter in full:

Hello,

There is something common in our interest..like Audrey Hepburn. I am always the Fan of Lady Audrey Hepburn. Great charity is done by Hepburn team.

I stumbled on your site while I was surfing the net. .

It is a meticulously prepared site.Congratulations.

Audrey died of advanced colon cancer. It made me think a lot. Colon cancer is one of the cancers which has best prognosis if treated early. Still many patients reach the expert medical aid at little later stage. I felt this is happening because of less awareness.

It is always admirable if intelligent proactive persons from community get organised for noble cause. Nothing is more precious than life. Every saved life is an achievement. We can educate masses regarding early diagnosis of cancer. Info should make people aware of the apparent low profile presentation of the disease. If the rational decisions are taken quickly, the results are quite good.
Knowledge Helps. .
Let us join hands to fight cancer.

We must thank film industry and Audrey Hepburn for providing us beautiful moments with so many films like Roman Holiday, Sabrina and many others.

Regards

Dr. Shriniwas Deshpande

Surgeon, Samarth Gastroenterology

Pune

India

The letter is deeply touching and, I feel, very important. Most types of cancer can be easily treated and possibly cured completely if caught early enough, and all it takes is a little extra awareness. We lost a beautiful person to this affliction, but maybe with a little effort we can keep others from succumbing to this disease.

Interestingly enough, another Audrey Hepburn tie-in with cancer awareness came to me today. The Smoking Gun has recently added a film clip archive section to their site and there are a couple of Audrey clips worth noting. The first is a public service announcement she and Mel Ferrer did backstage during the run of Ondine, and is for cancer research. You can view the whole film here. I'm not sure if the full announcement has ever been widely available before -- I've only ever seen the first 30 seconds or so myself.

The other clip worth mentioning is a film reel about the 1965 Oscar ceremonies, when Audrey presented My Fair Lady co-star Rex Harrison with the Best Actor statue, which you can see here.


Last for today, there's a new shoe shop in Ireland that is very Audrey inspired. Called The Shoe Gallery, its walls are covered in pictures of Audrey Hepburn and even the merchandise itself is inspired by her taste in clothing, according to The Athlone Advertiser. It sounds like it would be great fun to shop there!

Audrey Hepburn film reels

PrinceCharmingxoxo from You Tube was charming enough to upload a fantastic array of British newsreel clips featuring our one and only Audrey! The clip runs at 10 minutes, and is mostly footage we haven't seen before: Audrey at the premieres of My Fair Lady, War and Peace, and the Nun's Story, along with footage from the Academy Awards and a very early (uncredited) appearance that you won't believe! So watch the clip, and then drop PrinceCharming a note saying thanks for the goodies.

MTV highly suggests a remake of Breakfast at Tiffany's

MTV.com has brought up some interesting articles on Audrey Hepburn lately, but this one irritates much more than it amuses. In "'Deliverance' To 'Breakfast at Tiffany's': Movies We'd Like to See Remade," the author suggests a few classic movies that, in his opinion, could actually benefit from a remake. Some would do well with the better quality special effects that we have available now, and others would be just plain fun to see with today's stars (to him). The reasoning behind his idea to remake Breakfast at Tiffany's takes the cake, though:

Oh, we can hear some of you crying foul. Yes, Audrey Hepburn's Holly Golightly in the 1961 Blake Edwards original is one of the most iconic performances in film history. Yes, the movie is beloved and acclaimed and blah, blah, blah. It's also, honestly, not that great, and it bears very little resemblance to Truman Capote's 1958 book, a far more complex and melancholy tale for which Hollywood just wasn't ready. Sure, movies and books are different media and shouldn't be compared with each other, but in this case we'll make an exception. Why not take a stab at a more faithful adaptation with a less gazelle-like Holly (how about Elisha Cuthbert or Lauren Ambrose?), a less-straight Fred (played by Topher Grace? Owen Wilson?), no happy ending and, most of all, no Mr. Yunioshi. Hey, Sofia Coppola: Whattya think? Good follow-up to "Marie Antoinette"?

[Links to the actors mentioned in the article added by me.] For those of you who have read Capote's original novella, don't you think there's a reason why the film wasn't a faithful adaptation? I think it was lightened for the same reasons film adaptations of Les Miserables and The Hunchback of Notre Dame will never be true to their classic novel counterparts, and that is because they are too dark for the average movie audience. Perhaps today's audience is more sophisticated than the audiences of the 50s and early 60s, if only because we can handle a lot more sex and violence. But deep down, everyone still wants to see a happy ending. Films are screened and remade because test audiences still demand a happily ever after, even in our cynical age. Besides, practically everyone knows by now that Breakfast at Tiffany's isn't very true to the book, and I've met very few people, if any, that actually prefer the book over the film. Most of all, no actress could ever recreate Holly Golightly after Audrey Hepburn has donned her little black dress, and it has actually been detrimental to the few actresses who have dared to remold Audrey's classic characters (see Julia Ormond and Jennifer Love Hewitt). My opinions aside, please read the article for yourself and come to your own conclusions.

In other, better news, it's fashion week in India! More importantly, designer Shantanu Goenka has designed his fall 2007 collection on My Fair Lady, both the Audrey film and George Bernard Shaw's original Pygmalion play that My Fair Lady is based on. The soundtrack to the film played throughout the showing of the collection, and the models themselves went through a flowergirl-to-lady transformation. You can read more about Shantanu's show here.

Lastly, the shy translator who was good enough to transcribe the French interview clip from Sunday has come forward! So if you haven't seen the translation yet, click the link directly above to see the clip, click on the comments link to read the transcript, and leave a little thank you for Manuel Martinez for being so good as to copy out the entire conversation and then translate it for us. That's no mean feat! Merci beaucoup pour votre aide!

Audrey Hepburn is still hip

In the midst of Paris Fashion Week and all the new collections coming out for fall 2007, it's nice to hear that Audrey Hepburn is still alive and well on the catwalks. In spite (or because?) of Gap's usage of her last year, women everywhere still aspire to her cigarette trousers, little black dresses, large glasses, and all around aura of sophistication and class. Bend Weekly has an article discussing Audrey's lasting power in the world of fashion and even provide a checklist to make sure you have all the Audrey essentials in your closet. Remember, Holly Golightly had a small, bare closet in her flat, but she still managed to always look smashing. If she can do it, you can do it.

Also of interest is the fact that Marni Nixon, the singer who dubbed about 95% of Audrey's vocals in My Fair Lady, is onstage in New York in a new revival of the show as Mrs. Higgins. She doesn't sing in this show, but most reviewers have been noting that it's refreshing to see her onstage for once, as opposed to always being stashed in the wings. You can read more about the new show here.