Fans dressed as Alice, the Mad Hatter, and the White Rabbit, topiary animals, and a red carpet dyed green set the scene for the Royal Premiere of Tim Burton’s 3D film Alice in Wonderland. The world premiere was held last night, Thursday, February 25, at the Leicester SquareOdeon Theatre in the West End of London.
Braving the rain, the film’s stars came out in good spirits. Anne Hathaway, who plays the White Queen, exclaimed to devoted – and drenched- fans, “I love London, I love the rain!” The film’s other star, Johnny Depp, who plays the Mad Hatter, was the highlight of the night for the teenage girls who flocked to the premiere to catch a glimpse of the heartthrob. He did not disappoint, as he signed autographs and posed for pictures for nearly an hour ignoring the rain. Depp has also stared in Director Burton’s other unconventional films including Sweeny Todd in 2007 and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in 2005.
British Designer, Vivienne Westwood, was a behind the scenes star of the evening – as Anne Hathaway, Camilla Duchess of Cornwall, and Helena Bonham Carter adorned her designs for the event.
Burton’s Alice in Wonderland is a twist on the classic children’s book by Lewis Carroll.The film takes place ten years after Alice’s original adventures in the children’s book. Burton explains, “We didn’t try to follow the stories. The versions I’ve always seen are a little girl who seems like a brat, wandering around with a bunch of weirdoes. With each of those characters, they’re all mad, but we tried to give them their own particular madness…So the idea was to take that material, set it in a different story making her a little bit older and exploring the idea of someone’s internal life.”
The film will be release in the UK on Wednesday, March 5.
Model Natalia Vodianova and Harper’s Bazaarco-hostedthe first London Love Ball. The event took place last night, Tuesday, February 23, at The Roundhouse in Camden. Celebrities, fashion designers and models attended the art auction, held to raise money for Vodianova’s charity, The Naked Heart Foundation. The Charity works to provide assistance to underprivileged children in Russia. Among the famous faces at the event were Kate Moss, Leona Lewis, and Stella McCartney.
The Forbidden London Magazine, a guide to London, launches in June 2010
The guide to London, due to be published in June 2010, will be distributed by leading airlines, hotels and businesses in Central London providing readers with the opportunity to discover new places to visit and things to do or see when in the capital.
The magazine is the inspiration of Forbidden London CEO James WJ Wilson who realised that London was missing a specialist free guide to help high net worth individuals enjoy the most from their time out in London.
“London is one of the top destinations in the world for visitors but there are currently no free printed guides that really highlight the high-end activities, products and services our clients seek.”
“By producing the Forbidden London Magazine we are looking at helping tourists and residents get the most out of the best London has to offer whether they have a passion for fashion, nightlife or more cultural pursuits.”
The magazine, to be published twice annually, will feature sections focused on Dining, Health & Beauty, Nightlife, Shopping, Sightseeing and Places to Stay.
Businesses in the Covent Garden, Mayfair, Soho and St James’s currently have the opportunity to apply for a listing in the forthcoming magazine by contacting Forbidden London.
Albemarle Street is a street in the heart of Mayfair in Central London, off Piccadilly, just five minutes away from Green Park underground station. It was the first one way street in London, aimed at getting traffic flowing better and has historic associations with Lord Byron. Best known for its art galleries, it is a host to such well known galleries like the Albemarle Gallery, which represents contemporary paintings and sculptures from around the world, and has a tradition of supporting controversial artists and create superbly presented exhibitions. The Belgravia Gallery is here too, along with the Marleborough Fine Art Gallery.
Albermarle Street London
One of the best museums in London, The Royal Institution of Great Britain, is on Albemarle Street which runs a variety of exhibitions throughout the year. Club wise, one of the best karaoke bars in London is here: Cousin Jills, which offers an upmarket Mayfair setting to host events for corporate clients and celebrities.
Lovers of shopping will be pleased to find Guinot and London fashion designer Paul Smith’s stores are here, and along with the oldest jeweller in the world – Garrard & Co. Sort out your grooming dilemmas at Guinot, while the don of British fashion Paul Smith can sort out your sartorial ones at number 9.
There are some top London restaurants here too. Chor Bizarre serves top-class Indian cuisine, or go Italian at Ristorante Mosaico. There’s Japanese and Korean food here too from Sumosan and the Korean Kaya restaurants.
If you’re looking for somewhere to stay as well as food, Browns Hotel is here with its in-house restaurant, The Grill. It is London’s oldest operating five-star hotel, opened in 1837 (the year Victoria ascended the throne) by the enterprising James Brown, who was once Lord Byron’s valet.
The former Pulp star played a live soundtrack to gyrating students at the first day of a three-day art exhibition he was hosting in East London.
Cocker and his band played for hours, backing anything from graffiti sessions to pole dancing classes. He also mixed with the common people as he invited passers-by to jam with him at Shoreditch’s Village Underground. The event echoed a similar stunt which he set up in Paris earlier this year, playing for hours on end for free to anyone in the area.
As the hours ticked by, the musician and recently appointed BBC 6 Music radio presenter tackled a variety of instruments to create his ambient backing tracks.
This week he will be also be accompanying a yoga session, a hula hoop workshop and burlesque dancing lessons…
Visit London’s National Gallery, home of some of the best works of art in London, for a chance to see its first contemporary installation, by recreating a street scene from Amsterdam’s famous Red Light district.
“The Hoerengracht” – which is Dutch for Whore’s Canal – was made in the 1980s by the American artists Ed and Nancy Kienholz.
Made in their Berlin studio, ‘The Hoerengracht’ was one of the last major pieces made by the Kienholzes before Ed died in 1994. Their work remains a major reference point for contemporary artists such as Mike Kelly, Paul McCarthy, Mike Nelson and Damien Hirst.
The National Gallery is situated close to Mayfair and Soho at the top of Trafalgar Square in central London, entry is free making the gallery an excellent place to visit when on trips to London.
Vivienne Westwood's Active Resistance to Propaganda
Directed by Andrew Steggall of The Motion Group, the production brings together a cast of actors and celebrities fresh from box office smash hits, to enact Vivienne’s call for a more cultured society, delivered by 25 characters from literature, art and history including Pinocchio, Aristotle and Alice from Wonderland.
Prior to the performance you are invited to view a special exhibition of unforgettable art inspired by the manifesto, curated by highly acclaimed underground artist Sanja Sakic. Immediately after the performance there will be a short Q&A session with Vivienne Westwood, followed by a champagne reception and an exquisite three course dinner accompanied by live music.
Climate change futurologist James Lovelock, author of The Vanishing Face of Gaia, will also be attending to share his thoughts on what the future holds for the human race – a concern very close to Vivienne’s heart. Guests will have the opportunity to show their support for positive change by learning more about the Prince’s Rainforest Project and the COP 15 conference on climate change.
The evening will conclude with a star-studded VIP afterparty at the HEYJOCLUB in Mayfair, where Vivienne, the star of the night, will be joining us.
A once in a lifetime evening not to be missed.
VENUE: The Bloomsbury Ballroom, Bloomsbury Square, London,
WC1B 4DA
DRESS CODE: BLACK TIE / SPIFFY CASUAL
TICKET PRICE: £250 + VAT PER PERSON; TABLES £2,050 + VAT (10 PEOPLE)INCLUDES ART EXHIBITION, PERFORMANCE, CHAMPAGNE RECEPTION, THREE COURSE DINNER AND FINE WINESPRIVATE TABLES AVAILABLE FOR PARTIES OF EIGHT OR MORE
Active Resistance Art Exhibition Tickets – £10 + VAT PER PERSON
Active Resistance Art Exhibition and Performance Tickets – £60 + VAT PER PERSON
Active Resistance VIP After-party Tickets – £30 + VAT PER PERSON
A life-sized throne, a crown and a rocket ship are amongst the collection of personal effects belonging to the late King of Pop Michael Jackson currently making their world premiere at an exhibition held at top London venue the O2 which started last Wednesday.
The exhibition also includes an oil painting of the star dressed as a king and a triptych of canvases of the celebrity singer showing him being crowned, knighted and holding a magical sword.
Beneath it stands Jackson’s car, a classic 1967 Rolls-Royce Phantom, which was used by the singer and his close friend Dame Elizabeth Taylor to go for spins around Los Angeles during his life.
If you are a Jackson fan – and let’s face it who isn’t – take a break from London nightlife and check out how one of the richest entertainers the world has ever seen spent his cash.
‘Michael Jackson, The Official Exhibition’ opened to the public on Wednesday at the O2 Bubble in Peninsula Square for a limited run – just yards from where the singer announced his ill-fated comeback ‘This Is It’ concerts earlier in 2009.
Claudia Schiffer Appears in Works Featured at an Art Exhibition in Mayfair
The photos were taken for luxury lifestyle magazine Harpers Bazarre. Artists with pieces featured at the event in London include the Chapman Brothers, Gillian Wearing and Marc Quinn.
To celebrate Youth Music’s 10th Birthday this November, an exhibition named ‘Destroy Rankin’ will feature 70 of the world’s greatest musicians and visual artists, as part of a groundbreaking body of collaborative artwork based on Rankin’s iconic portraits of musicians.
As part of National Youth Music Week 2009, Youth Music will take over Phillips De Pury London – based near Victoria – for a festival of art and live music featuring performances from Destroy artists.
Original works by celebrities Damien Hirst, Douglas Gordon, Debbie Harry, Michael Stipe, U2, Mat Collishaw, Marianne Faithfull and many others will be auctioned to support the UK’s biggest music charity for young people.
The Exhibition will be open from Monday 9th to Saturday 21st November 2009 at Phillips de Pury, 9 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1BB
