Top Returning home for Swan Lake, Australian Ballet principal artist Ty King-Wall. Above Australian Ballet principal artist Amber Scott.
The Royal New Zealand Ballet has released details of four of its international guest artists for the Vodafone season of Swan Lake, which begins in Wellington on July 18.
Previewed in Lucire last year, Swan Lake has had considerable buzz among followers of the company, which celebrates its 60th anniversary this year.
Guest artists include Ty King-Wall, a New Zealander newly appointed as a principal artist with the Australian Ballet. The Royal New Zealand Ballet notes that he found his calling in its 1996 production of Swan Lake.
King-Wall will dance the lead male role of Prince Siegfried, partnering with Amber Scott, also a principal artist at the Australian Ballet, in the role of Odette/Odile.
‘One of the first ballets I ever saw was the Royal New Zealand Ballet performing this very production of Swan Lake, when I was seven years old,’ says King-Wall. ‘Ou Lu was dancing the role of Prince Siegfried and I can remember thinking, “When I grow up I want to be up on stage doing that!” To be coming home and dancing Prince Siegfried in the same ballet, where it all began, will be very special for me.’
Joining King-Wall and Scott are two more famed international performers, Carla Körbes and Karel Cruz from the Pacific Northwest Ballet. They have both stated that they are looking forward to visiting New Zealand and working with the RNZB’s artistic director, Ethan Stiefel.
Körbes and Cruz had previously been paired as Odette/Odile and Siegfried.
The première of the Vodafone season of Swan Lake is at the St James Theatre on July 18, and tours to seven other centres, including Dunedin, Christchurch, Invercargill, Takapuna, Auckland, Palmerston North and Napier.
Miss Connecticut USA, Erin Brady, has been crowned Miss USA 2013, in a telecast from the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.
First runner-up was Miss Alabama, Mary Margaret McCord, with second-runner up, Miss Illinois, Stacie Juris.
Following Juris were Marissa Powell (Miss Utah), Ali Nugent (Miss Texas), Megan Pinckney (Miss South Carolina), Kristin Smith (Miss Ohio), Kristen Girault (Miss Louisiana), Ashley Love-Mills (Miss North Carolina), Chelsea Caswell (Miss Nevada), Jessica Billings (Miss Pennsylvania), Sarah Kid (Miss Massachusetts), Mabelynn Capeluj (Miss California), Chelsea Welch (Miss West Virginia), and Kasey Staniszewski (Miss Maryland).
Brady is 25, based in East Hampton, Conn., and works for Prudential Retirement in Hartford as a financial accountant. She holds a finance degree with a minor in criminal justice.
The judges were Bob Harper (The Biggest Loser), designer Betsey Johnson, NeNe Leakes (Glee), Wendie Malick (Hot in Cleveland), Jessica Robertson (Duck Dynasty), American footballer Larry Fitzgerald, Nikki Bella (Total Divas), Mo Rocca (Sunday Morning), and singer Christina Milian.
The Jonas Brothers and DJ Pauly D DelVecchio performed. Fans were able to vote for their favourite contestant using Twitter, and chose Miss Texas USA, Ali Nugent, with the voting provided by Optx Rhode Island.
Organizers believe the total viewing audience was over 250 million.
Other prize-winners were Marissa Powell (Miss Utah), Miss Photogenic; Gabrielle Neilan (Miss Oregon), and Miss Congenality.
The after-party was sponsored by High 5 Games with cocktails by Russian Standard Vodka.
Her prizes included, according to the press release, ‘a custom diamond tiara and jewellery designed by Diamond Nexus; a one-year scholarship (including housing) from the New York Film Academy; a year’s worth of hair-care products and tools from Farouk Systems; an assortment of high fashion bracelets made in Rwanda by women of the Same Sky Trade Initiative; an eveningwear wardrobe by Sherri Hill; a swimwear wardrobe by ViX Paula Hermanny; a shoe wardrobe from Chinese Laundry; a year’s supply of make-up from Rain Cosmetics; a year’s worth of products from Image Skin Care; a year’s supply of nail care products from OPI Products, Inc.; luxury accommodations in a New York City apartment for the duration of her reign, including living expenses; a year-long salary as Miss USA; personal services including membership to Gravity Fitness and hair services from John Barrett Salon; modelling portfolio by leading fashion photographer Fadil Berisha; dermatology and skin care services provided by Dr Cheryl Thellman-Karcher; professional health and nutrition consultation by Tanya Zuckerbrot, MS, RD and dental services by Dr Jan Linhart, DDS; casting opportunities and professional representation by the Miss Universe Organization; extensive travel opportunities representing sponsors and charitable partners; access to various New York City events including movie premières and screenings, Broadway shows and launch parties; year-long consultation with Miss Universe Organization’s Official Fashion Consultant, Alisha Crutchfield and access to a personal appearance wardrobe; professional media–public relations training and representation by Rubenstein Public Relations in New York City and the opportunity to represent the USA at the 2013 Miss Universe pageant at Crocus City Hall in Moscow, Russia.’
Last year’s winner, Olivia Culpo, went on to become Miss Universe.
Piaget celebrated its first Rose Day on Thursday, June 13, with a private concert featuring Melody Gardot and Irwin Hall in l’Orangerie Ephémère at the Jardin des Tuileries in Paris.
Gardot sang ‘La vie en rose’ in a new arrangement, especially for the event.
Piaget CEO Philippe Leopold-Metzger and his wife Catherine hosted Rose Day, with guests Bar Refaeli (in Dolce & Gabbana), Raul Ramos and Kira Miro, Vanille Clerc, Olivier Perruchot, Catherine Salvador, Laurence Ferrari, Renaud Capucon, Sarah Stern, Annabelle Belmondo, Muriel Coulin, Flore Bonaventura, Axel Ganz, Béatrice Rosen, Julie de Bona, Marie Le Cam, Axelle Laffont, Ariel Wizman and Osnath Assayag, Hélèna Soubeyrand, Gwendoline Hamon, Frédéric Diefenthal and Florence Darel, Bertrand and Francisca Matteoli, Denise Fabre and Francis Vandenhende, Anat Tal, Audrey Dana, Anne Parillaud, Alexandra Roth and Misha Capnist, and Yves Piaget himself.
The day before, at her concert in Genève, Gardot had sampled the Piaget Rose pendant and ring in yellow gold with opal and diamonds.
Both Gardot and Refaeli are ambassadors for the brand.
Piaget says that roses have always marked the life of Yves Piaget, one of the descendants of the founders, who even has a rose named in his honour.
In the 1960s, the pink pattern of the rose informed his watch and jewellery collections at the family firm. In 1976, Yves Piaget became a member of the jury of the Roses Nouvelles de Genève, an international competition.
In Lucire readership terms, this won’t net us as much attention as when Gemma Arterton went to Harrods to open its 2011 summer sale, but, for those in London for the 2013 edition’s opening, they were in for a real treat.
The 2013 sale saw 100 dancers take to a space outside the Kensington store for what Harrods calls a ‘Green Man Flash Dance’, paying tribute to its iconic green men. Flashdance probably has a different meaning since we first saw the term in the early 1980s—what Harrods meant is, of course, a flash-mob presentation, although those there might not have been too surprised that something was about to happen given that the dance area had barriers erected. And the first green man looked suspiciously fitter than the ones usually at the doors at Harrods.
However, it turned out that the security personnel, the paparazzi and even some of the customers were part of the performance, as they launched the sale with ‘twirls, leaps and chasses,’ says Harrods.
Fifty of the dancers wore replica green-man outfits. The dance ended with confetti raining down on the crowd as the sale opened at 9 a.m.
The sale began on June 15 and runs till July 7. Brands available include Gucci, Jimmy Choo, Givenchy, DKNY, and Alexander McQueen.
Highlights include: Salvatore Ferragamo blue snakeskin flat shoes (was £365, now £259); McQ razor-blade scarf (was £135, now £79·95); Victoria printed organza layered dress (was £975, now £499); Balmain leather biker jacket, exclusive to Harrods (was £3,575, now £1,750); Sony 42-inch Smart 3D LED TV (was £1,249, now £949); and a Bollinger 1999 magnum of champagne (was £340, now £255).
The honeymoon destination for HRH Princess Madeleine and her new husband, Anglo-American financier Chris O’Neill, remains a mystery.
The royal couple, who were married in Stockholm on Saturday in a very public, televised ceremony, held a reception that went into the small hours of Sunday, according to sources.
HM King Carl XVI Gustaf, HRH Crown Princess Victoria, HRH Prince Carl Philip, and the groom gave speeches during the reception.
Reports indicate the reception continued till 5 a.m. and that the couple left in secrecy from Drottningholm for the airport.
It is believed that the first stop was the UK, but no one knows where they have gone since. The Royal Court has refused to comment, but one royal-watcher believes they have gone to the Caribbean for their honeymoon.
Both Princess Madeleine and Mr O’Neill are well connected, and could have been lent a home for their use.
Updated with Henry Cavill interview on June 14, 2013, at 2.57 p.m. GMT
The Man of Steel promotion has moved on to a rainy London, where the Superman reboot had its première yesterday at the Empire Leicester Square, in the home country of lead actor Henry Cavill.
Amy Adams, wearing a strapless Valentino gown, says she agrees with ITN’s sentiment that Cavill is ‘the hottest man on the planet’ and that has some qualities in common with Lois Lane, namely that she is ‘very determined, very sassy, I don’t take no for an answer.’ However, she says that she could not be a reporter, because, ‘I’m not good at pushing past a barrier. If some body sets a boundary for me, I want to respect it.’
Cavill says he has similarities to Kal-El: ‘He’s always trying to do the right thing. He doesn’t always get it right, but his intentions are always honest and good.’ If he had a second identity, Cavill says he would consider joining the armed forces, but was less sure about how he would change the world if given the wish.
Director–producer couple, Zack and Deborah Snyder, meanwhile, have an umbrella malfunction in the videos below. Director Zack Snyder revealed that Cavill was the only actor screen-tested, though producer Deborah Snyder points out that there was a considerably lengthy search process prior to that. ‘We scoured the ends of the earth to find him,’ she reveals, but notes that he has ‘charisma’.
The director found Cavill ‘earnest’ and easy to work with. He adds, ‘It’s a big immigration story. It’s also a story where if you feel like you’re different or if you don’t fit in, you yourself are important, and that’s what Henry brings to it.’
Filmmakers are having another crack at DC Comics’ Superman, as Man of Steel has its world première, with the first non-American to play the cinematic lead, Henry Cavill.
The film had its première in New York on Monday night, with the presence of Cavill, Kevin Costner (as Jonathan Kent), Amy Adams (as Lois Lane), Russell Crowe (Jor-El), and Laurence Fishburne.
In an interview, Jersey-born Cavill says there was a great deal of affection for the character, and he sensed that when donning the Superman costume.
He also notes that it did not take long for him to win the role, with a ‘remarkably short audition process. I did one audition, one screen test, Christmas was in between, which sort of lengthened it, and I had the movie within a month and a half, and that’s unheard of as far as my experience goes … This time round, I just got lucky.’
The reboot has taken a darker, more serious tone to adapting the comic book’s origin story. The Dark Knight’s David S. Goyer and Christopher Nolan were behind the latest version’s story, with Zack Snyder (Watchmen, 300) directing.
Early reviews have leaned toward the positive, with some appreciating the new movie’s darker and more dramatic tone, while some have bemoaned its humourlessness. Man of Steel opens June 14 in the US.
Ewa-Marie Rundquist/Kungl. Hovstaterna/the Royal Court
Official photographs (above and below) from the Royal Wedding have been posted by the Swedish Royal Court. Lucire followed yesterday’s nuptials between HRH Princess Madeleine and Chris O’Neill with photos and videos as they happened, along with details of the bride’s Valentino gown.
The Swedish state broadcaster, SVT, now has the entire five-hour programme available (linked below), though if you prefer quick clips, yesterday’s article has a series, from the arrival of the guests at the Royal Chapel, to the final arrival of the couple after their post-wedding cruise around Stockholm.
Princess Madeleine wore a Valentino off-the-shoulder lace-detailed gown. The dress was designed by Valentino Garavani, with a long train. It is made of pleated silk organza, with ivory Chantilly lace. The train, connected to her tiara, is 4 m long. The tiara has sprigs of orange flowers.
The Palace has also released images of Hedvig Elisabeth Charlotta’s crown from 1778, which stood to the left of the altar during the wedding ceremony, and the Nordstjärneorden, the Order of the Polar Star, of which Mr O’Neill has been made a commander by HM King Carl XVI Gustaf on June 6.
The wedding also saw a magnificent rainbow appear over Stockholm—an extra-romantic touch—after the couple returned from their cruise around the harbour to Drottningholm, for the royal banquet.
The honeymoon destination remains a secret, but the couple will return to New York, where Princess Madeleine works for a non-profit, the World Childhood Foundation, and Mr O’Neill has his own business.
The full video
Ewa-Marie Rundquist/Kungl. Hovstaterna/the Royal Court
Miss Connecticut USA, Erin Brady, has been crowned Miss USA 2013, in a telecast from the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.
![[Valid RSS]](http://lucire.com/images/valid-rss.png "Validate my RSS feed")
