This morning, I wrote a post for Yahoo Movies about the Advertising Standards Agency banning this advert in the UK. It shows the fantastic young actress Hailee Steinfeld (‘True Grit’) sat on some railway tracks, looking a bit upset, but kitted out in Miu Miu clothes. Why has it been banned? Because it’s deemed irresponsible, since it shows a child in an unsafe location.

Prada – who own Miu Miu – defended themselves by saying that the advert was ”part of a serious, high-fashion campaign” aimed at adult women. So, does that mean it would have been okay to show someone over 18 on the railway tracks? Seems like it. Well then, since there’s no shortage of adult actresses in the world, why aren’t they actually using adults in adverts for clothing and accessories aimed at “adult women”?

With Dakota Fanning, Hailee Steinfeld, Chloe Moretz, and Elle Fanning – all talented young women, but all still minors in the eyes of the law – being used in high profile “aspirational” luxury brand campaigns as teens, are they just selling an extreme version of youth? And doesn’t it all just feel a bit wrong? Maybe it’s just me…

]]> http://lashesque.com/2011/11/23/teenagers-luxury-fashion-advertising-campaign-miu-miu-hailee-steinfeld/feed/ 0 bethesme miumiuhaileesteinfeld http://lashesque.com/2011/11/17/inside-the-breaking-dawn-part-1-uk-premiere/ http://lashesque.com/2011/11/17/inside-the-breaking-dawn-part-1-uk-premiere/#comments Thu, 17 Nov 2011 15:21:27 +0000 Beth http://lashesque.com/?p=163 Continue reading →]]>

I’ve been to a fair few movie premieres in my time, usually penned in on the sidelines with the rest of the online press, trying to grab the stars for quick interviews before they move on to the droves of devoted fans and sign autographs. It’s always fun, it’s always an adrenaline-rush for the hour they’re on the carpet, but there’s usually about two hours of waiting around in the cold before they show up, and then… you only rarely get a ticket inside, instead attending press screenings.

So, it was great to go to the ‘Breaking Dawn: Part I’ premiere last night in Westfield Shopping Centre, Stratford, and do all the fun bits with none of the uncomfortable waiting around, or the work(!). It was one of the biggest premieres of the year, with what felt like the longest red (and white) carpet in the world. Some fans apparently camped out for days to catch a glimpse of Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner, but they didn’t seem knackered in the slightest. In fact, I’ve never seen people so overexcited… except maybe when I covered the ‘Eclipse’ premiere last year.

We saw Kristen first, and she looked so tiny and delicate in her black sequinned gown, while Taylor stood next to her looking equally short as he signed autographs. Fans went craziest for Robert – no surprises – and once we sat down in our seats (which took a while as we walked and walked and climbed escalators… and walked…) the livestream of the carpet outside was playing in the cinema. There were several screens in the Vue playing the film for the premiere, and Rob, Kristen and Taylor apparently didn’t stay for it. Free drinks and popcorn was waiting at our seats, and “celebs” in our screening included Lauren Pope and Lauren Goodger from The Only Way Is Essex, pregnant Una Healy from The Saturdays and her rugby-playing bloke (who was the one who’s read the books out of the pair), Jamie Campbell-Bower and his mates, Ola from Strictly Come Dancing, and Danny Jones and Tom Fletcher from McFly.

The film itself will please the Twi-hards and confuse those who don’t care one way or the other about the franchise. Some bits are bizarre – partly due to the story, the idea of a werewolf “imprinting” on a baby is hard to get your head around – let alone show on screen, and there were definitely some unintentional laughs to be had, especially when the wolves start chatting. The CGI has improved ten-fold for this installment, making Bella’s weight-loss pretty disturbing, and the birth scene’s gory enough without being too much. I’m not a huge Twilight fan, but I found it entertaining enough throughout – if you’ve seen the other movies, you pretty much know what to expect.

One thing I will say is, if you do see it – don’t jump up and leave the minute the credits start, there’s more to be seen during them.

Since I watched Melancholia last week, I’ve become a bit enchanted with Kirsten Dunst and her laid-back low-key California girl look again. Here she is in REM’s just-released video for We All Go Back To Where We Belong.

Now I see why they’re always carrying coffee…

Watch the video under the cut!

PS. THIS is why I wanted your hair (I’ve never achieved it).

I first watched Whip It in a movie theatre in the East Village, shortly after a cab ride from JFK and a quick check in at our hotel. I was exhausted when I sat down in my seat – always more comfy than UK viewing conditions – but by the time I left the cinema I was totally elated and energised. When I got back to London I actually counted down the weeks until it was released and I could watch it again, and Drew Barrymore’s directorial debut remains one of my favourite DVDs to play when I’m feeling a little blue or run down.

The book / memoir by Shauna Cross – Derby Girl – is just as fun, and I’d highly recommend you read it if you loved the film, but there’s something about seeing those brutal roller derby bouts, featuring teams of individual female characters (that you really want to be friends with) on screen that enhances the story. I know at least one person who now skates in a team because of the film, and I thank everything that I didn’t give in to my temptations to try out – I’m the kind of person who manages to break her elbow in the comfort of her living room. Still, my derby dreams live on when I watch this film.

With some of my favourite actresses involved, including Drew, Alia Shawkat, Ari Graynor, Ellen Page, and Juliette Lewis, as well as a standout turn from Kristen Wiig – who I can’t wait to see in Bridesmaids - it has a superb female cast and great guys in the lineup too, including Jimmy Fallon, Andrew Wilson and Daniel Stern. Excuse me… I’m going to go watch it right now.

Check out a behind-the-scenes look at it all under the cut:

No song puts me in a better mood. Fact.

You know you want to listen to this. Keep on reading for a video of the Jackson 5 which is going to make you want to wear weather-themed clothes. I now NEED a fringed top to wear while dancing around the flat to this song.

Friends. Today. On my TV.

Friends, we’ve had our differences. No, actually that’s not true. We’ve had our indifferences. And that’s just because you’ve been part of my TV schedule for pretty much as long as I can remember.

There were the brand new episodes on a Friday night – when Ross and Rachel were in their first ‘will they, won’t they’ phase in series 1, I heard whispers of my primary school friends watching it with older siblings and parents. Then there was the one that aired during a performance of our secondary school’s version of The Sound of Music – I watched Monica and Chandler’s London rendezvous during the interval, surrounded by nazi soldiers and von Trapps, while dressed as a nun. And finally, the last ever episode – watched through tears as I sat with my boyfriend in our first flat together in Winchester. (You should know, I’m overemotional when it comes to TV and film. Hell, I cry at adverts if the music’s sad enough – the last episode of pretty much any show and I’m guaranteed to bawl.)

When it was announced that E4 were going to let the show go, and take it off air, I didn’t mind at all. It was no big deal. It’s been on forever, I’ve seen every episode at least twice or maybe three times. In fact, if it was one of the lucky four episodes on the one series 2 VHS I bought, I’ve probably seen it 20+ times. Basically, I know the episodes inside out and I was happily indifferent to the show’s imminent retirement.

But then I looked over some of the other E4 output. Hollyoaks (I still miss Jambo), One Tree Hill (neverending, and just renewed), 90210 (don’t care) and Glee (dire, but loved it at the start) for instance. Would I really be happy giving up this mostly good-quality comfort TV, and familiar faces, for those? Er, no thank you. Is this me getting older and stuck in my ways? Er, possibly.

A couple of weeks ago, I realised that Monica, Rachel, Phoebe, Chandler, Ross and Joey have become my peers. Granted they’re stuck in mid-to-late 90s fashion – which is now bizarrely on trend – and their older selves are showing their more mature looks on current shows like Mr. Sunshine (RIP), Episodes, and Cougar Town… well, the male contingent are looking older, at least. Still, I’ve caught up with their Friends-age selves.

25, 26, 27… these ages are familiar now. In my memories of  the show, the Geller siblings seemed older, I didn’t understand how one of your closest friends could have a job you couldn’t remember or work out, mates with kids or mortgages were unthinkable, and caring about paying bills over having a great time hadn’t even registered. These days I watch it in a whole new light – it’s still as fun as it ever was, but some of the jokes I never understood finally make sense. Because I’ve finally been there!

The back-to-back repeats have seen me and my own friends through some difficult hours on hungover Sundays, they’re comfort on sick days, background noise while I work from home – I know the episodes so well I don’t need to concentrate on them. I also love those moments when familiar faces show up in episodes, the ones who weren’t famous at all when they appeared in the show, to the A-listers that dropped by Central Perk.

So, I suppose what I need – in order to survive when E4 cruelly pulls this comfort away from me in the autumn – is the complete DVD boxset. Yes, anyone reading this is welcome to contribute to the Friends fund, every penny counts. I’ll even let you come round and watch it with me if you’re not a complete weirdo like Eddie. Weird like Phoebe is allowed, however, as long as you bring your guitar and perform Smelly Cat. Possibly Ross during his angry phase too, as long as you shout about your sandwich. Yes, that was very amusing.

Or, you know, I could just watch the repeats when they start airing on Comedy Central, I suppose. One of the two.

Check out the trailer for Martha… under the cut.

1. It’s The Lonely Island… so I was already pretty much sold.
2. Andy Samberg. He has one of my favourite expressive faces on TV (see also: Aziz Ansari) and everything I see him in that isn’t an SNL sketch – except music videos – makes me laugh. Whether it’s funny or just his face. I don’t think I will ever really understand the humour in most of the sketches on SNL…  but, I do often appreciate what people do afterwards – recently Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler etc.
3. It made me laugh a lot from that first chorus onwards. And question Michael’s eye makeup in that first section in the recording studio. But mostly? Laughter reigned.
4. The revelation of Michael Bolton. He’s back. Oh, how he’s back. And when he’s dressed like Forrest Gump he looks scarily like Vanilla Ice. Am I right? Anyone??
5. Oh, just watch it. I will too. Again.