Read All About ‘Dear Christine’ in ART NORTH
18 Tuesday Jun 2019
Posted in Art and Photography, Profumo Affair, Wicked Baby
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1960s, Amadeo Modigliani, Art North, Charlotte Rampling, Christine Keeler, Dear Christine, Denning Report, Fionn Wilson, Flamingo Club, Ian McKay, Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, Julie Burchill, Julie Christie, Newcastle, Profumo Affair, Sexual Revolution, Stephen Ward, Swinging London, The Boy Looked At Christine, Vane Gallery, Wicked Baby, William Hogarth
‘Christine Reads the Denning Report’ by Fionn Wilson (2017)
Dear Christine: A Tribute to Christine Keeler, on display at Newcastle’s Vane Gallery until June 29 (and then touring), is featured on the ART NORTH website today, with an article by Julie Burchill (as quoted below) and ‘The Boy Looked At Christine,’ a review by Ian McKay. So if you’re in Newcastle this month, don’t miss this stunning (and free) exhibit – and you can check out the associated events here. Continue reading
‘Madame X’ is a Birthday Girl
14 Friday Jun 2019
Posted in Books, Madonna, Marilyn Monroe, Music, Updates
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In my 35+ years of fandom, this is the first time a Madonna album has dropped on my birthday – and it’s a masterpiece! As well as the delectable Madame X, I also got a copy of Marilyn Monroe In Spain, a wonderful book by the artist, author and museum owner, Frederic Cabanas … “Saludos a todos mis amigos!”
Soledad 2: Twin Peaks, Joe D’Amato and More
13 Thursday Jun 2019
Posted in Film, Magazines, Television, Updates, Writing
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1989, Colette, David Lynch, Emily Jane Bryant, Heather Drain, Jeremy Richey, Joe D'Amato, John David Levy, Johnny Handsome, Les Bohem, Like A Prayer, Madonna, Marcelline Block, Michael A. Gonzales, Mickey Rourke, Peggy Lipton, Poetry, Robert Monell, Rory DeMaio, Soledad, Twin Peaks
The Italian actress Cinzia Monreale lies in her coffin on the cover of SOLEDAD Arts Journal‘s second volume, available now on Amazon for just $6 in the US, or £4.73 in the UK. It’s a still from Buio Omega (Beyond the Darkness), a 1979 horror flick, accompanied by a splendidly bizarre quote: “Darkness is not dark … time is not time … boys become dogs … girls become frogs …” Continue reading
‘Dear Christine’ Opens in Newcastle
04 Tuesday Jun 2019
Posted in Art and Photography, Magazines, Profumo Affair, Wicked Baby
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Cathy Lomax, Christine Keeler, Claudia Clare, Dear Christine, Helen Billinghurst, International Times, Jan Woolf, Mike Kelly, Morning Star, Newcastle, Profumo Affair, Sadie Hennessy, The Journal, Vane Gallery, Women of Tyneside
Dear Christine: A Tribute to Christine Keeler has opened at the Vane Gallery in Newcastle, with free admission until June 29. During this first stop in a 3-city tour (more details here), there will also be a series of lectures and workshops by artists featured in the show. These events are also free, but it’s advisable to pre-book at info@vane.org.uk or 0191 261 8281. Continue reading
‘Dear Christine’ Draws Back the Curtains
24 Friday May 2019
Posted in Art and Photography, Books, Profumo Affair, Updates, Wicked Baby, Writing
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Caroline Coon, Cathy Lomax, Christine Keeler, Claudia Clare, Dear Christine, Fionn Wilson, Helen Billinghurst, Newcastle, Sadie Hennessy, Tara Hanks, Vane Gallery
Dear Christine: A Tribute to Christine Keeler, a new exhibition curated by Fionn Wilson, will open at the Vane Gallery in Newcastle on June 1st (open from 12-5 pm on Wednesdays to Saturdays.) During its four week-stay, there will also be a series of lectures and workshops hosted by artists Caroline Coon, Claudia Clare, Sadie Hennessy, Helen Billinghurst and Cathy Lomax. Whether you see Christine Keeler as a Sixties icon or political figure, the women behind Dear Christine are, at long last, bringing her humanity into public view. Continue reading
Sunshine Blondes: Marilyn and Doris Day
14 Tuesday May 2019
Posted in Film, Marilyn Monroe
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Clark Gable, Doris Day, Ella Fitzgerald, Howard Keel, Jack Lemmon, Marilyn Monroe, Move Over Darling, Pillow Talk, Rock Hudson, Something's Got To Give, That Touch Of Mink, The Graduate, The Prince And The Showgirl, Thelma Ritter
“You take the grey skies out of my way
You make the sun shine brighter than Doris Day…”
– Wham!, ‘Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go’ (1984) Continue reading
Marilyn’s Monsters
30 Tuesday Apr 2019
Posted in Art and Photography, Books, Fiction, Film, Marilyn Monroe
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Betty Boop, Bus Stop, Comic Book, Fairy Tale, Fantasy, Gothic Horror, Graphic Novel, Humanoids, Life Drawn, Love Happy, Marilyn Monroe, Marilyn's Monsters, Sugar Kane, The Seven Year Itch, Tommy Redolfi
Marilyn Monroe has long been an inspiration to artists and writers. Among the many books devoted to her life and image are a number of comics and graphic novels. Kathryn Hyatt’s Marilyn: The Story of a Woman (1996) and Dana Gachman’s recent contribution to the Tribute series both opt for fairly conventional, if sympathetic narratives. It is from outside the USA that more imaginative retellings have emerged, such as Sergio Toppi’s 16-page comic, plus two full-length books: Jean-Francois Charles’ Shooting Star (2006) and Jose Correa’s Dreams of a Butterfly (2012.)
Tommy Redolfi’s Holy Wood was first published in France in 2016, and is now available in English as Marilyn’s Monsters, published by Life Drawn, a literary imprint from comic book publisher Humanoids. The French-born Redolfi now lives in Los Angeles, and has made several films as well as other graphic novels, including a 2007 tome about one of Marilyn’s idols, Mae West. Marilyn’s Monsters comes with an endorsement from cult filmmaker David Cronenberg: “A brilliant, hallucinatory meditation on the phenomenon of Marilyn Monroe. It will alter your understanding of both Hollywood and Marilyn.” Continue reading
Dear Christine: A Tribute to Christine Keeler
12 Friday Apr 2019
Posted in Art and Photography, Profumo Affair, Television, Wicked Baby
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Amanda Coe, Arthouse1, Caroline Coon, Cathy Lomax, Christine Keeler, Dear Christine, Ellie Bamber, Elysium Gallery, Fionn Wilson, Julie Burchill, Newcastle, Profumo Affair, Sadie Lee, Seymour Platt, Shani Rhys James, Sophie Cookson, Stella Vine, Swansea, Tanya Gold, The Trial Of Christine Keeler, Vane Gallery, Wales, Wicked Baby
I can’t remember a time when I didn’t know Christine Keeler. She’s almost a mythical character, like folklore …
Dear Christine: A Tribute to Christine Keeler, a new multi-media exhibition of women’s art curated by artist Fionn Wilson, will open in Newcastle next month before moving on to Swansea in October, and London next February. Among the talented contributors are Caroline Coon, Cathy Lomax and Stella Vine. I have contributed some writing alongside Julie Burchill, Amanda Coe, Tanya Gold and Christine’s son, Seymour Platt, which will be published in an exhibition catalogue. Artists Shani Rhys James and Sadie Lee have talked about Keeler’s impact in this trailer, presented by Fionn and released today. Continue reading
‘Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not’
09 Saturday Feb 2019
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Albert Finney, Anouk Aimee, Audrey Hepburn, Billie Whitelaw, British Cinema, Charlie Bubbles, Erin Brockovich, Gabriel Hershman, Gumshoe, John Osborne, Karel Reisz, Kitchen Sink Drama, Liza Minnelli, Miller's Crossing, New Wave, Orphans, Salford, Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, Scrooge, Shelagh Delaney, Sir Laurence Olivier, Stephen Frears, The Dresser, The Gathering Storm, Tom Jones, Tony Richardson, Two For The Road, Winston Churchill, Woodfall Films
Albert Finney was born in Salford in 1936. His father, Albert Sr., was a bookmaker. He attended Salford Grammar School and won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA). After graduating in 1956, he worked in the theatre, and was an understudy to Sir Laurence Olivier. Continue reading
Artists in Love: Marilyn and Arthur Miller
04 Monday Feb 2019
Posted in Marilyn Monroe, Television
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Arthur Miller, Artists in Love, Documentaries, Documentary, Marilyn Monroe, Samantha Morton, Sky Arts
This article was first published at Immortal Marilyn in October 2017
Artists in Love is a ten-part documentary series, produced in Italy for the satellite channel Sky Arts, and first broadcast in 2016. Among the famous couples profiled are the Mexican artists, Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera; opera singer Maria Callas’s tortured relationship with shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis; plus singers Johnny Cash and June Carter, and filmmaker Federico Fellini and his actress wife, Giulietta Masina. Continue reading
