Greed, the new Steve Coogan comedy directed by Michael Winterbottom (The Trip), is a satirical tale about a thinly disguised version of Sir Philip Green, the head of Arcadia Group, who stood accused by various British government committees of plundering British Home Stores while it was under his company’s control. The phrase levelled at Sir Philip, ‘the unacceptable face of capitalism’, once dealt to Tiny Rowland, is used here at Coogan’s Sir Richard ‘Greedy’ McCreadie, just in case you weren’t sure whom they were parodying.
   Lucire attended one viewing at a packed cinema, where moviegoers were turned away as it proved to be far more popular than anticipated.
   Given the cast—Coogan, Isla Fisher, and David Mitchell—it would be wrong to expect much more than a comedy, and on this count, it delivers, with more topical panache than most films of the genre.
   Up for criticism by the film are fast fashion—McCreadie spends his adult life pushing suppliers in Sri Lanka (the Indian locations are unconvincing) into a race to the bottom—as well as the shallow “unreality” of reality TV, or, as the trade calls it, unscripted drama. Included in the mix are the corrupt practices of modern business and their legal loopholes, and tax havens such as Monaco, where McCreadie’s ex-wife, Samantha, played by Fisher, is resident. Through all of this is the device of the officious bystander, Sir Richard’s biographer, Nick, played by Mitchell, who gets to interview certain parties, which Winterbottom shoots in documentary style.
   Sir Richard’s 60th birthday bash on Mykonos obviously references Sir Philip’s £5 million 50th on Crete in 2002, right down to the togas, and this is where things take a turn that not even Sir Philip’s enemies would wish on the milliardaire. Asa Butterfield, as the McCreadys’ younger son, and Dinita Gohil, as Amanda, a Sri Lankan-born Brit working for McCready, give the film more depth at the points where it’s needed, showing that the farce in which the ultra-rich live have real victims, inside and outside of the immediate family. Whovians will spot Pearl Mackie as Cathy, the director of the reality show in which daughter Lily McCready, played by Sophie Cookson, stars, trying the Method whilst playing herself.
   There’s a sense from earlier reviews—inevitable that we would have seen them given New Zealand’s later release—that the film doesn’t know what genre it is, whether it’s comedy, drama or documentary, an assessment with which we disagree. While the film puts a new spin on the term ‘eat the rich’, the last act wraps up the entirety of the film neatly: namely that for all the lessons that we might have learned, the fictional McGready family ticks on, with little changed. No, the outcome isn’t funny, but it is a call to action—it’s Winterbottom exercising pathos. Showing statistics about fast fashion, the income gap, and the single-digit earnings of Asian garment workers takes that one step further. Are we choosing to fund these lifestyles and the fast-fashion machine, or should we opt for the sort of designers often championed by this magazine, who work with Fair Trade, eschew seasons, and emphasize quality?
   And sometimes it takes a film that is largely entertainment to make us realize just what has been going on. The message could well be lost if this were an out-and-out documentary, which would have had a limited audience; better to have us question our consumerist habits—you know, the ones we still observed as we lavished Amazon with US$11,000 per second as the COVID-19 pandemic panic began—in the form of entertainment, ensuring a wider reach. It’s not the first to do this, and it won’t be the last—it’s a long tradition that includes The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour and South Park on television and, more recently, the oddly slow-moving Brexit with Benedict Cumberbatch, and the German feature Curveball. There’s nothing more appealing in the grey depths of winter, with overseas travel not available to us, than sunny, colourful Greek locales. And when you can travel again, pack those labels with a more ethical background.—Jack Yan, Publisher

Above: Cara Bloom (Violett Beane) and Miles Finer (Brandon Micheal Hall) in God Friended Me.

What a pity that CBS’s God Friended Me has ended its run after two seasons. As fans will have read elsewhere, the producers received word that the series would not be renewed as they were making the last episode, during a time when New York was heading into lockdown. Luckily, there was some unused footage shot for the pilot that was always intended to be where the lead character, Miles Finer (Brandon Micheal Hall) would wind up, and they brought that forward, used some narration, clips and VFX, and added it to the core story that they already had in the can.
   I became a fan not because I saw any promotion of it here in New Zealand, but in a real round-about way. Violett Beane, who plays Cara Bloom on the show, was pitched to me by her agent many years ago, when she was in The Flash. But it was always tricky to shoot a North American celebrity outside of New York, where a lot of photographers, make-up artists, hairstylists and stylists are based. Some years later, I reached out and was told I was in luck: Violett was now based in New York and everything came together from there.
   Of course, I had to watch the show in order to know what to ask her, and that came in handy later when I interviewed Javicia Leslie, the actress who plays Ali Finer—out of sheer coincidence the two found themselves in consecutive issues of Lucire in New Zealand, though they were over half a dozen issues apart in Lucire KSA. And I must say I was hooked, and also pleasantly surprised that it was renewed for a second season, one that started with location filming in Paris.
   I had high hopes. Obviously the ratings were good enough for a second season, and the producers had enough faith to do some foreign location filming (though I spotted one ‘Paris’ exterior filmed in NYC). Here was a US show with a decent core message—a young man and his friends helping others in need—without a single gun or violent moment, and some compelling storylines.
   The fact an American show I watched was renewed for a second season was a surprise to me, since most that get my attention are cancelled after one. I imagine it’s because my tastes, and the tastes of the fans these shows earn, don’t reflect the majority. Yet go back a few decades, to the 1970s and 1980s, and I was hooked on those series that wound up being massive hits.
   I know US networks watch ratings like hawks these days, and with all the monitoring technology around, they know which shows are doing well out of sheer numbers. And oftentimes, they don’t get a chance when the numbers slip. Overseas sales count for nothing—even if these shows make their money back and even turn a profit, the fact that we foreigners like them doesn’t count for a thing.
   That seems to be the case for God Friended Me: decent enough ratings on telly but an insufficient gain in DVR playback. Viewers in the 18–49 demographic were down 26 per cent and overall the show was down 20 per cent—enough for the axe to swing.
   Sadly, too, it’s cheaper to do unscripted drama, which is what the TV is full of these days. Whenever I channel-surf, there are precious few scripted series—the old saying that there are more channels now with nothing to watch couldn’t be truer. It then becomes all too tempting to put in a DVD from US television’s heyday—Mission: Impossible is my current go-to—and forget terrestrial television altogether.
   Over the years it’s British television that has caught my attention, and I’m happy to watch those dramas. They also have a natural conclusion, either because few episodes were commissioned to begin with, or they are given a chance to wrap up the storylines.
   Of the American shows this side of the millennium, I think of Daybreak with Taye Diggs and Moon Bloodgood; Journeyman with Kevin McKidd and Gretchen Egolf; Flash Forward with Joseph Fiennes; even the US remake of Life on Mars with Jason O’Mara and Harvey Keitel (never mind the ending, I was a fan of the original and wanted more). None of these managed to get past a single season and I keep wondering if they are too high-concept for viewers now accustomed to the fast-food equivalent of television: reality shows.
   The ones I give up on—Lost, for instance, and Manifest, which started around the same time as God Friended Me—seem to go on for a while.
   I didn’t want to see any more Lost when I found out at the beginning of season 2 what was down the hatch. That was the only mystery I wanted solved. And I could see that Manifest wasn’t going to tie up its loose ends any time soon, so at the end of the 16th episode, I bid it adieu. Yet these are high concept, so something must hook viewers with different tastes to me.
   The only 21st-century US series you could say hooked me, at least for a few years, and that has managed to last 10 seasons is the reboot, reimagining, remake or sequel of Hawai‘i Five-O. Officially, the producers say it’s a reimagining but from the first episode that wasn’t very clear. Steve McGarrett Jr (Alex O’Loughlin) has inherited a car from his father, Steve McGarrett Sr, that looks exactly like the one Jack Lord (the original McGarrett) drove in the original series. When Ed Asner guest-starred, there are clips from the original series, and he tells the star that it was his father, McGarrett Sr, who put him away back in the 1970s. So it’s a sequel. But if it was, then how come the younger McGarrett coincidentally has a partner with the same name (‘Danno’) and is joined by another cop with the same name as someone on the force a generation ago (Chin Ho Kelly). I can deal with Kono being played by a woman. Once I couldn’t work it all out, I gave up.
   That aside, Hawai‘i Five-O is the usual cop fare that happens to have incredible locations, and since a lot of US shows are dark (something I just don’t understand—is no one paying the lighting bills?), Hawai‘ian sunshine is a wonderful relief. And it’s not terribly high-concept, either: some minor story arcs here and there but nothing that gets in the way of the crime of the week.
   With hindsight, perhaps God Friended Me strayed from this slightly. There was still the friend suggestion of the week for Miles to help, sure, but season two saw the characters become accustomed to it (‘You know how the God account works’). If the characters themselves recognize the formula in their universe, what’s in it for us? You can have a formula show, yes, but don’t let the characters be aware of the formula themselves. Secondly, for me, the cancer storyline that Javicia’s character faces might cut things too close to home for those of us who have been through a family fight against the condition. For a show that offered some escape, that was a real downer. And when Miles loses interest in discovering who or what is behind the God account, then inevitably we would, too—his progress there was what kept things interesting for me.
   I wish I wasn’t dissecting the second season like this and, instead, looked forward to the show returning after the break. It is, however, disappointing news, and it could again be years until I hear about another US show that I could be interested in. The fact they keep pulling the plug on them makes you want to avoid getting invested. So, anyone know what new series Bharat Nalluri has got his hooks into? I might have to see that.—Jack Yan, Publisher

At the TMG and Smile Direct Club 16th annual pre-Oscar lounge, celebrities, media and influencers joined in the pre-Oscar beauty treatments such as Smile Direct Club’s Teeth Whitening Lounge, ab-toning and cellulite-reduction treatments by Emsculpt and Emtone, make-up consultations and beauty makeovers by Senegence International, red-carpet express facials by Celebrity Spa Oskin Med Spa, lash extensions and brow services by celebrity make-up artist Shareen Adair of Icandy Salon, massages by celebrity masseuse Cinthia Dahl, blow=outs and styling by Aquage Haircare and manicures by OPI and My Beauty Spot. Above, from top: Anne Winters (13 Reasons Why) gets her smile ready. Drew Seeley and Amy Paffrath enjoy a family outing with daughter Ember Seeley.

Before we get started on our annual post-Oscar pre-show wrap-up, we wanted to extend our congratulations to Taika David Waititi, the first Māori to win an Oscar for best adapted screenplay on a history-making night that also included the multi-Oscar-winning South Korean film Parasite crowned best picture.
   Not everybody will agree on whether the line-up of nominees or winners reflected what made 2019 one of the best years in recent movie history—especially when it comes to gender or diversity. However, one thing we all share is necessity of presenting our most winning selves, regardless of who’s voting and what’s being voted on. The sentiment seemed to prevail at a few of the pre-show extravaganzas leading up to the red carpet.
   The TMG Pre-Oscar Luxury Suite certainly had that idea down, with their annual chill fest at the Beverly Hilton. It was built around achieving that winning smile with their lead sponsor, the Smile Direct Club. Every guest was treated to that “glow from within” right off the bat, via the opportunity to try out their revolutionary teeth whitening kit, and get sent home with their own compact cosmetic dentistry office. The goods needed to stay bright for a full six months included a whitening device and solution small enough to fit into one’s computer bag or purse, along with a daily whitening toothpaste and sleek electric toothbrush. The whitening device plugs into a smartphone and should be used about 10 minutes twice a day for a week.

At the TMG and Smile Direct Club 16th annual pre-Oscar lounge: Carly Hughes (ABC’s American Housewife) after her teeth-whitening treatment. Sheryl Lee Ralph (Showtime’s Ray Donovan). Peyton Elizabeth Lee (Disney’s Andi Mack) in the Senegence Beauty Lounge. UFC and Celebrity Big Brother’s Chuck Liddell experiences the Emsculpt ab-toning treatment. Vincent Rodriguez (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend on CW, Insatiable on Netflix). Dania Ramirez gets brow and lash services from Shareen Adair of Icandy Salon. Fivel Stewart (Atypical on Netflix). Actor Craig DiFrancia (Greenbook, The Irishman) with Aquage Haircare. Lauren Tom gets an Aquage treatment. Grey’s Anatomy’s James Pickens with Olivia Quido-Co shows off his glowing red carpet facial from Oskin Med Spa. Edy Ganem.

   Christine King and Ruben Diaz also picked the perfect cosmetics line, SeneGence, to keep up the smiles with what may be one of the best “kiss-proof” lip colour we’ve tried. There was a process involved with putting it on, demoed by skilled make-up artists on the spot. By following the instructions, one gets all-day colour maintained with a moisturizing top coat–gloss. While the line is not yet a household name, it delivers the goods we want in long-wearing make-up—something that performs at the office or on the red carpet with the wearer leaving the mark instead of the lipstick. This makes us all the more eager to try out the rest of our starter kits, including a neck-lift moisturizer and mascara, and purchase a few more shades of lip colour and eyeliner.
   Getting a little more skin deep, we also indulged in collagen facials from the Olivia Quido skin care collection that administered the beneficial creams and serums with a delicious cold press method that brings real refreshment into professional facials.
   Like best supporting actor winner Brad Pitt, old favourites were a welcoming presence and hardly showed their age, thanks to new colours, packaging and performance. With an assist from a local manicure salon, OPI nail care took us to México City while moisturizing hair care line Aquage offered new dos and products in festive updated packaging to get that blow-dry bar look every day.

   Across town, dynamic event duo Matt and Mark Harris were back on the built-in red carpet lining the halls of (the aptly selected) W Hollywood Hotel for their WOW Oscar Suite. This go-round, the event once again offered some interesting new K- and J-Beauty products (including the posh-but-affordable Vitabrid line, quality wines from the American west coast and Bordeaux, plant-based snacks from Nirvana Bars and some flashy athletic wear from Florida-based Mperial. Donna Leah Designs provided requisite glamour with sequinned accessories reflecting her contemporary eveningwear collection.
   That said, the majority of guest vendors were in the business of making the lives of busy people stress-free and more convenient. Instead of finding reps from a luxury hotel or island retreat on hand, Carefree Boat Club promoted their unique offering of yacht and sport boat rentals for executive DIY vacations and functions. Christine Pacheco, founder of Concierge RN noted she was in the process of providing house (and office) calls for post-operative services and other health concerns, while Spring Rayne explained to prospective clients how as she could help them instil healthier sleeping and eating habits as a ‘health coach intuitive’, with an approach mixing her experience as a professional chef, reiki master and herbalist.
   As many celebrities and their assistants can always improve organization, Hilton Society (not a Paris Hilton fan club, but a provider of financial advice and budgeting) explained their expertise, while Tix Lover showed them how their company could help them source tickets to the hottest sports events, concerts and theatre productions. With home and office entertaining being an essential part of doing business, Cask Cartel provided a nifty sampler as well as information on their online retail endeavour, which they described as a sort of Amazon for high-end wine and spirits.
   The next generation of entrepreneurs was represented by 15 year-old James Cruickshank, founder of TreetingCards.com. With a bit of a writing assist from younger brother, Jack, the concept combines clever greeting cards with attached mini-boxes of candy to convey a very sweet sentiment as well as fundraising for his SOS (Save Our Sharks) initiative to protect the ocean animals from environmental perils of the day.

   Earlier in the week, French brand La Roche-Posay was thinking beyond the Oscars and into “rest of your life” territory with the rollout of its Anti-Aging Serum line. The new power trio of retinol B3 pure retinol serum, 10 per cent pure vitamin C serum and hyalu B5 serum, available separately or as a set, can be used in a variety of combinations based on the user’s unique skin care needs. Teamed with the Anthelios SFP 100 sunscreen, any user can mitigate past sun exposure sins while preventing new ones.—Elyse Glickman, US West Coast Editor

Emma McIntyre; Kevin Mazur; Kevork Djansezian

The 26th Screen Actors’ Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles honoured both television and film achievements.
   The best cast award in film went, unexpectedly, to the South Korean thriller 기생충 (Parasite), directed by Bong Joon-ho. It is the first non-Anglophone film to take the prize. The film is also up for six Academy Awards.
   Best actor went to Joaquin Phoenix, for Joker. In his address, Phoenix paid tribute to the late Heath Ledger, who had played the title role before him in 2008’s The Dark Knight, and who won a posthumous Oscar for it. He also gave shout-outs to his fellow nominees, Leonardo Dicaprio, Christian Bale, Taron Egerton and Adam Driver.
   Rénée Zellweger won best actress for her Judy Garland biopic, Judy. Zellweger gave a tribute to Garland (‘one of our own and most beloved’) in her acceptance, as well as Tom Cruise, her co-star in the 1996 film Jerry Maguire, for his professionalism and generosity.
   Brad Pitt won for best supporting actor in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, and the telecast cut to his ex-wife Jennifer Aniston to gauge her reaction after he made a reference to his role. In a humorous acceptance, he joked that director Quentin Tarantino had separated more women from their shoes than the TSA.
   Laura Dern won her first SAG award for her role in Netflix’s Marriage Story, beating out Scarlett Johansson, Jennifer López, Margot Robbie, and Nicole Kidman. Dern had already won a Golden Globe for the role and has an Oscar nomination. She hugged her father, Bruce Dern, as she went up to accept the award.
   Robert de Niro was honoured with the SAG Life Achievement Award, its 56th recipient, accepting his award from Dicaprio, who appeared with him in This Boy’s Life in 1993. He adds this to his two Oscars, one Golden Globe, the Cecil B. de Mille Award, a Silver Berlin Bear, a Kennedy Center honour, a US Presidential Medal of Freedom, among others.
 
Film winners
Best cast: Parasite
Best actress: Rénée Zellweger, Judy
Best actor: Joaquin Phoenix, Joker
Best supporting actress: Laura Dern, Marriage Story
Best supporting actor: Brad Pitt, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Best stunt ensemble: Avengers: Endgame

TV winners
Best cast in a comedy series: The Marvelous Mrs Maisel
Best actress in a comedy series: Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Fleabag
Best actor in a comedy series: Tony Shalhoub, The Marvelous Mrs Maisel
Best cast in a drama series: The Crown
Best actress in a drama series: Jennifer Aniston, The Morning Show
Best actor in a drama series: Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones
Best actress in a TV movie or limited series: Michelle Williams, Fosse/Verdon
Best actor in a TV movie or drama series: Sam Rockwell, Fosse/Verdon
Best stunt ensemble in a series: Game of Thrones

Hollywood has long been inspired by the sports industry and vice versa, but rarely do these two worlds have the chance to mix and mingle. Los Angeles welcomed many of the world’s greatest athletes to celebrate during one of the year’s most golden weekends.
   The seventh anniversary Gold Meets Golden event, on Saturday, January 4, also saw Hollywood wish good luck to the athletes of the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020, who will begin competing six months later. Gold Meets Golden benefited Angel City Sports, a Los Angeles organization that fosters young athletes with disabilities with the resources, coaching and equipment they need to train as future adaptive Paralympic hopefuls. Gold Meets Golden 2020 was presented by the Coca-Cola Company, the longest continuous corporate partner of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
   A moving rendition of John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’ was performed by Academy Award award-nominated Cynthia Erivo (Harriet, The Color Purple). A second special performance introduced by Coldplay’s Chris Martin featured The X Factor Australia’s Emmanuel Kelly, who honoured the Paralympic community with his new song ‘Never Alone’. (Kelly’s brother is a record-holder Paralympic swimmer for Australia). Wheelchair dance troupe, the Rollettes, joined Emmanuel with an inspiring choreographed routine.
   Highlights of the 2020 event included a Coca-Cola Summer Tokyo-style Bodega featuring sports and Hollywood memorabilia, cherry blossom trees, a ‘Good Luck Team USA’ wall, and the new Dasani Purefill water dispenser which kept guests refreshed on a warmer-than-usual LA winter day. Premier auto dealership BMW Beverly Hills created a winter-themed lounge showcasing a golden-dipped M8 series car, and teamed up with award-winning Rocketman actor Taron Egerton and actress Sistine Stallone to present the BMW-sponsored Team USA Sochi 2014 Olympic Bobsled team with upgraded silver medals, a recent result of the Russian team’s doping disqualification.

BMW Beverly Hills

   Actor and Olympic enthusiast Matt Bomer joined event founders Charley Cullen Walters and Scott Orlin on stage to surprise legend diver Greg Louganis with a gold medal cake and round of ‘Happy Birthday’ for his 60th birthday.
   Popular global shopping market-place Fashwire championed a début fashion show at the event, helping Hollywood celebrity, athlete and adaptive athlete attendees alike to look and feel their best throughout the awards’ weekend. Locks were styled by Paul Mitchell, and skin care enhanced by Ghost Democracy, a leading new provider of clean products with transparent ingredients.
   On the athletic front, Tonal Fitness showed off their strength-training system powered by electromagnetism resistance technology and machine learning. USTA and tennis provider Babolat held a special tennis clinic at the Virginia Robinson courts, where attendees could face off with Paralympic tennis legend David Wagner and Angel City Sports para-athletes, and experience the sport of wheelchair tennis themselves. Attendees participated in a virtual live ‘Brunch of Champions’ box moment provided by Wheaties, and several athlete attendees posed with the original commemorative cereal boxes.
   Tequila Herradura, the world’s most gold-medal-awarded tequila, poured custom libations for guests, including a signature Golden Guava margarita with edible gold flakes, along with some custom lawn games to invoke the spirit of healthy competition. Le Grand Courtage handled wine and displayed an artistic golden bottle tower. Celebrating the new natural garden venue, a plethora of custom golden rose arrangements adorned various locations throughout the party, designed by renowned celebrity floral company J’adore Les Fleurs (JLF).
   A special display of Olympic torches and mascots from the past Los Angeles, Japan and France games greeted guests upon entry, provided by the LA84 Foundation. Food for the event was mastered by celebrity caterer Lucian Tudor from 1212 Restaurant, who have locations in both Santa Monica and Tokyo, and delighted guests with a healthy Japanese-themed menu of delectables.
   Upon exit, lucky attendees of Gold Meets Golden 2020 left with a jam-packed gold-medal rolling gift bag from the Mr Morris Foundation valued at over US$10,000. Items included a Sanchaya Indonesian Resort plush robe and five-night resort stay, Coca-Cola commemorative Tokyo 2020 smartphone wallet, BMW Beverly Hills mini-golf kit, Herradura Tequila (herradura.com) Ultra Anejo Bottle with commemorative Gold Meets Golden medal, Ghost Democracy full clean skin care kit, Tonal Fitness US$500 coupon, Blender bottle, and a JLF Everlasting Golden Flower Arrangement.
   Celebrities also received a Uniqlo golden ultra-lightweight down jacket, CBDfx hydrating CBD mask and muscle balm, Rosetta Stone 24-month access card for learning a new language, Paul Mitchell Sugar Cream, Sugar Day Cleanse and Sugar Spray collection, Wheaties commemorative USA women’s soccer champions’ box, UR+H CBD Fire and Ice roll-on and peppermint lotion, Golden Door full luxury body skin care kit and gift card to a five-night stay at their resort spa, Cann Deux Full Spectrum CBD serum, Le Grand Courtage brut rosé wine bottle, Beats by Dré Golden Edition headphones, the Giving Keys rose gold mini-key pendant necklace and official limited merchandise for the upcoming Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games.—Susan L. Hornik, Guest Contributor

Susan L. Hornik’s work also appears in the Los Angeles Times, Shondaland, LA Weekly, MensHealth.com, AARP.org, Nexttribe.com, The Daily Meal, Boca Raton Observer and Discover Hollywood.

Above, from top: Brian Cox, nominated for Succession. Mike Moh, nominated for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. London Brown (Ballers). Craig DiFrancia, nominated for Martin Scorsese’s Green Book.

Before the ink dried on our list of New Year’s resolutions, we made our way to the Secret Room Red Carpet Style Lounge in honour of the 2020 Golden Globes at the Inter-continental Century City Hotel to check out what was poised to be the “it” primping and entertaining must-haves for this year’s awards’ season. Word around the ballroom was that the Golden Globes dinner would be a vegan affair, giving everybody a head start on better eating habits in the coming year. This is above and beyond the services offered to VIP, running the gamut from massages, eyelashes, teeth whitening, Botox, fillers and manicures. Beverly Hills Tennis Academy jump-started the fitness part of the equation for some via free tennis gift certificates.
   Thankfully for the VIP guests, including Mike Moh (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood), Craig DiFrancia (Green Book), Francesco Bauco (Ford v. Ferrari), Esai Morales, Brian Cox (Succession), Gilles Marini, Chad Johnson (The Bachelor), London Brown (Ballers), VIPs and other attendees, the Secret Room team outdid themselves with a fleet of new products from around the globe to up everybody’s nutrition and skin care game. However, before feasting our eyes on the new round-up of goods, we approached the most adorable greeters who made their Hollywood red carpet début courtesy of DoVE (Dogs of Violence Exposed).
   These dogs, rescued from the most horrible circumstances in Asia, where DoVE Project works with established animal rescuers on the ground in South Korea, are now headed to starring roles in their forever homes. However, more needs to be done, and the organization is continuing to spread word about their international work rescuing dogs from meat farms, providing financial support of their care, veterinary needs, training and socialization, transportation to the US, and having them placed in US homes with additional support assist through various advocacy groups such as Best Friends.
   It was also heartwarming to observe that many of the new vendors participating this year—and there were a lot of new faces—were family-owned enterprises. With a laser focus on personal care products and supplements, we also noticed that most of the new lines were either certified vegan, gluten-free, organic, cruelty-free or a combination of several.
   The most interesting product line was from Nurse Hatty, and yes, she was an actual person explaining her one-stop-shopping concept for women’s health. Everything on the table and in the VIP L. L. Bean and Earthsaver gift bags could be described as everything you never knew you needed. Rather than anti-ageing, her approach was tackling head-on with such solutions as the Kegel Script Exercise System, Nip ’n’ Lift, all kinds of things to make one’s keto diet more effective, and Wrinkle Script, a line of reusable masks designed to alleviate wrinkles, stretch marks, and scars on face, neck and décolleté.
   CBD products were also everywhere and in every kind of conceivable form, from vitamins to potable tinctures to topical creams. There were goods from straightforward companies like We the People Hemp, Hempland and more luxury-oriented goods from Serene CBD, offering lip balm, Dead Sea bath salts, and pet CBD with salmon oil. Theories from different producers argue that these products, when taken internally, improve brain functions, have anti-inflammatory and anti-microbal properties, and benefit the immune system, digestive system and so on. Topical products, meanwhile, may relieve pain, improve skin tone and have other healing properties. While the FDA disclaimers were in place, it was certainly fun to experiment and hear the back stories behind these potential health breakthroughs. There were also traditional vitamin supplements available, including Percepta natural plant-based memory support, improving brain function with the cat’s claw herb and tea, and Doctor’s Best, which has new packaging and improved formulas.
   As many VIPs had their kids in tow, the folks from Child Life Nutrition were prepared with a variety of products, and an industrious pre-teen was on hand to share goodies from her Organic Candy Factory, that also happened to be kosher, vegan and enriched with vitamins C, A and E. Pure Trim returned with more of their delicious teas and nutrition bars, and some topical products as well. To help the youngest celebrity kids get a head start on 2020, furniture line Évolur exhibited examples of children’s furnishings, strollers, rugs, and more.
   There were also numerous skin care lines vying for our attention. Family-owned Immaculate Minerals got it with its assortment of lipsticks, brushes and primers in positively regal packaging. Another entrepreneur introduced us to her RevealU Gel gel body moisturizers, packed with delicate fragrances and a touch of gold sparkle. Louisville, Ky.-based Shalia Botanicals offered CBD skin care with a different sort of kick, ageing in Four Roses Bourbon barrels making for a literal skin care “cocktail” of good things. The Hanalei Company offered celebrities a vacation in a box, with lip scrub, balm, and body and face lotions made with sugar, kukui nuts and other nice things from the islands.
   French heritage beauty brand Sothys Paris, not surprisingly, attracted a lot of attention with a fresh line of products. Dermatologist-grade Exuviance (sold at Dermstore.com and Skinstore.com and a limited number of official retailers) rolled out their jawline- and neck-firming moisturizer in glamorous new packaging. Across the aisle, Washington, DC-based dermatologist Tina Alster introduced celebrities and other constituents to the A Method products.
   Dionis Goat Milk Skincare, covering the rest of the body, showcased their Honeysuckle Coconut and Lavender Blossom hand and body lotions. Other showcased brands included Medispa Naturals from Canada and premium drugstore line Lumene Finland Nordic–C.
   Splenda provided stevia-based sweeteners, Canada-based Ten Degrees offered stackable and mixable stainless steel rings in cute packaging. And as winter is the season for cuddling up, some deliciously soft home items from Alicia Adams Alpaca and luxury linens from the always-wonderful Crown Goose provided solutions for staying warm and cozy between the Globes and the Oscars. Those who got the VIP bag could add an extra layer of cocooning luxe with Spirit Work Creator essential oil spray or a hit of Jimmy’s Milan Salad Dressing from Philadelphia institution Milan 39 to amp up any edibles for their home entertaining functions.
   Taking the notion of “self care” to the furthest extent, Los Angeles-based, women-operated company Jimmy Jane offered attendees the ultimate in adult toys with its Fantasy for Her. As we are in polite company, it could be described as one size fits all, even if this particular accessory may not be for everyone. However, the pitch definitely does fit into the definition of can-do female empowerment.—Elyse Glickman, US West Coast Editor

Above, from top: Chad Johnson (The Bachelor). Gilles Marini. Esai Morales (DC Universe’s Titans). Rita Branch and her son Noah. Francesco Bauco (Ford v. Ferrari).