We're baaaaack . . . with news

Terribly sorry for the lack of updates recently. Due to the holidays, work has been insane (to put it one way), and it was all I could do to eat and sleep in between. I'll build up my stamina, promise. :) Anyway, there hasn't been much real Audrey news lately, so you haven't missed anything. She's still mentioned many times per day in news articles, but it's usually "she looked very Audrey Hepburn-ish" or "I felt like Audrey Hepburn," things usually totally unrelated and not worth posting.

So on to the news! What little there is. First up is a review of Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus. That film has been mentioned here before, and it's being mentioned again because the short review likens Nicole Kidman's pointless wanderings to that of Audrey's character Suzy Hendrix in Wait Until Dark. The reviewer? None other than Barry Paris! That makes me doubly surprised that he would liken Nicole to Audrey. Anyway, he doesn't give the film a very good review, mainly because it focuses (no pun intended) on her twisted psyche involving her upstairs neighbor and never really shows the art she became famous for. If you're interested, here's the full review, about halfway down the page.

The next news article comes thanks to The Audrey Hepburn Circle. Marni Nixon recently did a radio interview promoting herself and her book, and she of course talks about her career as a dubbing artist. She talks about Audrey, and I'll just quote chipmunkalvyne, who said it best: "She says Marilyn Monroe's voice went with Marilyn Monroe. Well, so did Audrey's with Audrey!" To hear the interview for yourself, simply click here.

On a side note, it's very sad to hear how Natalie Wood and Audrey were both fooled throughout filming just to get a good performance from them. Also, how did no one ever knew that Marni was present at Audrey's singing lessons! I wonder what lie they told Audrey to make her okay with someone sitting in on her lessons. Marni used to claim that she and Audrey rode in to the studio together in Audrey's limousine, and that Audrey knew full well who Marni was and what she was doing, and that Audrey was very cold to her. Funny how the story's changed . . .

Anyway, does anyone remember the old online Audrey paper doll from a few years ago? It had most of Audrey's better known costumes from her films, and you could just drag clothes on and off of her, including hats, jewelry and shoes? It seemed to have been lost forever, but it seems to have just moved! Hooray, I really used to like that paper doll. Anyway, here it is.

P.S. I personally don't care for the boots (stockings?) and handbags. Not very Audrey-ish!

The history of "Moon River"; also, what are you doing New Year's Day?

Though a lot of the more seasoned Audrey fans may already know this story, it's still nice to read about the history of "Moon River," and how Audrey singlehandedly saved it from the scrap heap. This is an article giving the background of iconic songs in film ("Moon River" is about halfway down), and while it does give good information, it's wrong about Paul's mask being Huckleberry Hound!


Holly does pick up a Huckleberry Hound mask shortly before settling on the cat, though:


So there's that, once and for all.

Next up, what are you plans for New Year's Day? If you live in San Francisco or anywhere around the Bay area, you might want to take a trip to the Castro Theatre. They're having an Audrey double feature playing Breakfast at Tiffany's and Funny Face! I was lucky enough to catch a showing of Breakfast a few months ago on the big screen, and I must say, it's a totally new feeling seeing it large. Plus, watching with a theatre full of people adds a whole new dimension to it. There were people there who obviously hadn't seen the movie before, and it was great to hear them laugh during the party scenes (and some other scenes where you might not expect laughter), and then that hush towards the end where everyone is either holding their breath or crying -- or both. So keep an eye out on any local theatres that may show older films, because it is definitely worth it to watch Audrey the way she was meant to be seen. Anyway, the information on the double feature is currently at the bottom of the December page of their calendar, if you want to learn more.

Lastly, MTV has a feature on their website about a new film coming out called Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus, and they list 10 great films about photography that should definitely be watched. Funny Face is #3! I saw the trailer for Fur when I went to see The Science of Sleep and it definitely intrigued me, so I might look into these other films they suggest as well, even if it is MTV doing the suggesting. You can see the list and more information about Fur here.