PHOTO OF THE DAY : DONNIE'S GOT A FRIEND IN JOAN!

Joan enjoyed dinner at The Beverly Hills Hotel last night with friend songwriter and music producer Donnie Demers..

TV ALERT : QUEEN'S OF DRAMA .. TV GUIDE/ POP TV ... 2015!

Joan will make a special guest appearance on 'Queen's of Drama' on TV Guide's rebranded channel, POP in 2015!

EXCLUSIVE SHOT FROM THE SHOW JOAN WITH DONNA MILLS. THANKS TO 'THE WRAP' ..

 

“Queens of Drama” is a docu-series featuring daytime and primetime soaps stars as they attempt to produce a new primetime serial drama to star in. The cast will need to work in front of and behind the cameras as they develop, pitch, and produce this new steamy series hoping to land a pilot deal by the end of the season.

The all-star cast includes Lindsay Hartley (“All My Children,” “Days of Our Lives”), Crystal Hunt (“Guiding Light,” “One Life to Live”), Vanessa Marcil (“Beverly Hills, 90210,” “General Hospital”) and Chrystee Pharris (“Passions,” “General Hospital”) and Hunter Tylo (“The Bold and The Beautiful”).'' Also make special appearances is 'Knot's Landing' star Donna Mills...

The show is produced by Thinkfactory Media, with Adam Reed, Adam Freeman, Aaron Fishman, Tim Laurie, and Leslie Greif, serving as executive producers.
Along with Pop's other new series, “Queens of Drama” will premiere when TV Guide Network rebrands to its new name and programming lineup in early 2015

TV ALERT : TIMELESS BEAUTY ON QVC UK .. THURSDAY NOVEMBER 6TH / FRIDAY NOVEMBER 7TH 2014 ..

Joan will be back on QVC UK in November on the following dates.
November 6th : 11:00am to 12:00 ..
                          4:00pm to 5:00pm
November 7th : 2:00pm to 3:00pm ..

TV FLASHBACK : GIBBSVILLE .. ANDREA .. 1976 .. COLUMBIA PICTURES TELEVISION...

COLUMBIA PICTURES TELEVISION
Presents

JOAN as ANDREA COOPER

GIBBSVILLE 

Starring 
GIG YOUNG as Ray Whitehead 
JOHN SAVAGE as Jim Malloy 
PEGGY MCCAY as Mrs Malloy 

JOAN as Andrea with GIG YOUNG as Ray

BIFF MCGUIRE as DR Michael Malloy 
BERT REMSEN as Pell 
KENNETH TOBEY as Chief Edmundson 
JACK ARANSON as Banigan 
FRANK CAMPANELLA as Giordano 

ANDREA 
Guests..
JOAN COLLINS as Andrea Cooper
DAN O'HERILHY as Walter Culligan
DIANA SCARWID as Kathleen
RUSSELL ARMS as Senator Styler

Judge Walter Culligan has a fight on his hands as his latest case sees his witnesses being bribed by the mining company to lie to the safety commission.. In personal matters his fiancee has started seeing an old flame, news reporter Ray Whitehead.. Lies and betrayal surround Andrea!

DAN O'HERLIHY

JOAN & GIG ON SET

BIFF MCGUIRE

PEGGY MCCAY

JOHN SAVAGE

This short lived series ran for 13 episodes and starred Oscar winning actor Gig Young as an alcoholic news reporter, who was once a big shot reporter for the foreign press. But now due to his drink problem has resorted to working for his local small town paper, "Gibbsville Gazette". Ironically Young was also an alcoholic in his own personal life and his Hollywood career hit the skids, "Gibbsville" his last major role, apart from small roles in the TV movie "Spectre" and the martial arts film "Game of Death". On this film he met his final wife, who he shot along with himself a few weeks after the wedding. Ruled as suicide, they were both found dead in his Manhattan apartment. The series "Gibbsville" focused on Jim Malloy, who was a reporter on the "Gibbsville Gazette" and was set in a small Pennsylvania mining town called of course "Gibbsville!" in the 40's.. I don't have much background details on the series, apart from the rare photos included in this post..

PHOTO OF THE DAY : JOAN'S A FAN OF THE WILD WEST!

For those who asked about the 1982 tv movie, 'The Wild Women Of Chastity Gulch', here is a Fantastic promotional photo of Joan as brothel madam Annie McCulloch..

FLASHBACK : JOAN & JACKIE LIGHT UP VEGAS!

As Joan prepares for her Las Vegas appearance over Thanksgiving weekend, here is a flashback to a 2010 visit with Jackie. You can catch Joan at The South Point Casino from Nov 28th to 30th..

Joan with Robin on 'Lifestyles'

Judy Bryer

 Joan & Jackie paid a visit to fabulous Las Vegas and met up with long time friend and Lifestyles legend Robin Leach. As well as hitting the casino floor at Planet Hollywood they had dinner at the resorts restaurant "KOI". These candid photo's taken by Joan's longtime friend Judy Bryer show a relaxed Joan spending quality time with sister Jackie. Robin Leach will forever be associated with the hit 80's TV show "Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous", where he wished us all "Champagne Wishes & Caviar Dreams". Not sure how much of both were consumed that evening but the cuisine is excellent at this Japanese eatery! While in Vegas Joan & Jackie also took in the fabulous Cher show at Caesars Palace, a stunning show full of glamour courtesy of Bob Mackie. Joan is no stranger to Cher as they both live in the same building in Hollywood! Joan & Jackie plan to pop over to Vegas sometime soon, to light up the strip as only they can!!

PHOTO OF THE DAY : RITZY JOAN HAS A NOVEL IDEA!

Joan looks super chic in this pic taken at The Ritz in Paris in 1991 whilst she was promoting her second novel.. 'Love. Desire & Hate'

PRESS UPDATE : THE GUARDIAN .. OCTOBER 23RD 2014..

Working it: why the women who wear the clothes give fashion its power

Fashion exhibitions tend to focus on designers. But a subversive new show is turning the spotlight back to where it belongs – from Joan of Arc to Joan Collins

• 
  

• 
• • Jess Cartner-Morley
  • The Guardian, Thursday 23 October 2014

Dynasty star Linda Evans .Diahann Carroll & Joan Collins .. 

Donna Loveday, co-curator of Women Fashion Power, wants to get one thing clear from the start, when we meet at her office in the Design Museum: this is not, repeat not, an exhibition about power dressing. “I have deliberately avoided using that term. I don’t feel it represents either the way women think, or the way they dress” she says.

Power dressing it may not be, but this is undoubtedly a timely show. The discourse around how women in positions of power and influence dress has never been more fractious. In July, coverage of the appointment of new female cabinet ministers that labelled it the Downing Street Catwalkwhipped up a media firestorm. But – as befits a show dominated by such figures as Margaret Thatcher, Angela Merkel and Joan of Arc – this is no passive taking-of-minutes on the contemporary argument. Instead, it is an exhibition with a strong agenda.

That agenda is to frame women as the protagonists in the story of what they wear, rather than the victims of fashion. Loveday talks a lot about “how women use clothes”, a format that places women in a dynamic role in their relationship with fashion, rather than seeing them as bound and enslaved by it. And there is another, deeper subversion. Fashion has become a popular subject for museum exhibitions, which tend naturally to place the designer in the spotlight, as artist and hero and creator. In this show, “the women are the heroes, not the designers”, says Loveday. How do designers – traditionally portrayed as the originators of new ideas in fashion – fit into this new picture? “Designers are looking at women. Women are the muses of fashion, and designers are responding to what they want and need, and particularly to changes in those wants and needs.”

Joan Collins: defined power dressing as the scheming Alexis in 1980s TV series Dynasty. Photograph: ABC via Getty Images

Loveday wants the exhibition to be “the start of a conversation”, one which will nudge the discussion around women, power and fashion into a more positive light. After all, the phrase power dressing is inextricably linked to a specific look – the huge-shouldered, Dynasty boardroom suit – which represents a moment in history when women were breaking into traditionally male roles at a rate never seen before. It seems to link these suits to dressing-up-box costumes: there is a whisper lurking somewhere in this expression that power dressing is suspect, that women are dressed for roles they cannot or should not do.

By talking about women, clothes and society rather than about power dressing, Loveday wants to leave behind some of that negativity along with the words. As she says, “fashion is a language, after all”. The concept for the exhibition “came from a team meeting – I can’t take credit for it”, says Loveday. Her co-curator is the fashion writer and historian Colin McDowell, and the exhibition is designed by Zaha Hadid. The show will be officially unveiled by Anne Hidalgo, the first ever female mayor of Paris.

At the time of our meeting the show was yet to be installed, but it will open, says Loveday, with a section devoted to “identifying power through dress”, with images ranging from Boudicca and Elizabeth I to Hillary Clinton. This will be followed by a timeline, which is “not a history of fashion” but highlights key moments of political and social change from 1850 to today, as seen through the prism of what women wear. The choice of starting point is deliberate, at the height of the craze for tiny-waisted corsets: a corset with an 18-inch waist is the starting point for the story of dress reform, and how incremental societal shifts, rather than seasonal trends, drove changes toward a loosened-up silhouette.

The designers who star in this timeline are those who are catalysts for change and are, for the most part, women. Coco Chanel pioneered trousers in the early 20th century; Diane Von Furstenberg the laid-back, sexually liberated wrap dress in the 1970s; Vivienne Westwood punk and the challenging of conventional femininity; Donna Karan the Seven Easy Pieces for time-pressed working women in the 1980s.

Coco Chanel, French pioneer of liberating women’s fashion, c.1936. Photograph: Lipnitzki/Roger Viollet/Getty Images

The third and final room will be a series of 28 fashion portraits of contemporary women, from the fields of politics, business, culture and fashion. Each was asked to select an outfit that represented empowerment to them, and each has answered a Q&A about how clothes fit into their working lives. This, says Loveday, was the most nerve-racking part of putting on the exhibition. Women in politics and business, in particular, are often terrified that declaring an interest in fashion will have them pigeonholed as frivolous. “But one of the first women who came on board was Miriam González Durántez, lawyer and the partner of deputy prime minister Nick Clegg. She chose a Zara dress she wore to the Lib Dem party conference last year.” (In her Q&A, she describes her relationship with clothes as “uncomplicated” and in answer to the question of what percentage of her income goes on clothes, says: “I do not know. Much more since Nick is in politics.”)

Broadcaster and author Kirsty Wark was another early supporter of the exhibition. “She was one of the first women I spoke to, and her reaction was: what a great subject, why has no one done this before?” says Loveday.

The contemporary portraits are encouraging, says Loveday, in what they tell us about the way we dress now. “What came across really strongly was that it’s not about trying to play by someone else’s rules, any more. Clothes are about projecting personality, not about conforming.”

Wark says: “I do not have an outfit that would empower me. But I do have a beautiful Prada dress that I always feel great in.”

Morwenna Wilson, chartered engineer leading King’s Cross construction projects and, at 31, the youngest woman featured, says: “Clothes give you the opportunity to blend into the crowd or stand out from the crowd … My aim, generally, is to stand out from the black, navy and grey-suited crowd. A bright pop of colour makes people notice and remember you, and when you have their visual attention they can be more open to listening.”

There is also a more prosaic message, about practicality as a driver for changing fashion. “A lot of women talk about throwing clothes in a suitcase; women are very practical and conscious of clothes which will save them time. Akris, who make clothes for Princess Charlene of Monaco, told us that she has a lot of input into what they create. She even drives fabric development: they have devised a new fabric in order to make a cocktail dress that comes out of a suitcase crease-free,” says Loveday.

The exhibition spotlights how the shape of women in the public eye has shifted back and forth between ultra-feminine and quasi-masculine silhouettes. Boudicca and Joan of Arc appropriated masculine sartorial language with their battle dress. The suffragettes “chose to embrace femininity in their dress, because they were monstered for being unnatural and mannish, and to counterbalance that they had a deliberate tactic of dressing in a conventional, ladylike way. There’s a sense of power coming from embodying your gender, not denying it.”

The 1980s power suit itself is represented by vintage Mugler and Versace, while images from Dynasty and Dallas are used to show how the image of the power suit, borrowed from menswear, was disseminated through popular culture “at a moment when women suddenly had more power and visibility in the workplace”. A Kazakhstan businesswoman featured among the contemporary figures, who frequently networks at evening events, has chosen a lavish Dolce evening gown as the outfit that represents empowerment to her.

Is the exhibition, which focuses on very successful prominent women, elitist? “It might seem that way, but I think it’s pertinent to all women who work,” says Loveday. “I have found it has made me think about what I wear in a different way. I’ve always loved fashion, but it has prompted me to think more about clothes in terms of what I love, and what works for me, rather than automatically buying what I perceive as fashion. That seems like progress, to me.”

• Women Fashion Power is at the Design Museum, London, from 29 October to 26 April 2015

PHOTO OF THE DAY : BATHING BEAUTY JOAN IS A LEGENDARY POSER!

Joan looks fetching in this 50's modelling shot..

PHOTO OF THE DAY : JOAN IS ALL WRAPPED UP FOR AN UN FURGETTABLE NIGHT!

Joan is about to leave for a night out in Paris in this stylish 60' shot.

PRESS UPDATE : GET SURREY .. MONDAY 20TH OCTOBER 2014..

Global stars such as X Factor judge Simon Cowell, actress Joan Collins and singer Ella Henderson helped raise more than £200,000 at a glitzy charity ball for Shooting Star Chase.
Celebrating 10 years of the Shooting Star Chase Ball, the children's hospice charity held a glamorous event at The Dorchester in London on October 4 which was attended by a host of stars.

Cowell, joined at the event by his partner Lauren Silverman, spent £20,000 on a first-class trip to New York and donated prizes such as X Factor final tickets and a behind-the-scenes experience at Little Mix's next video shoot.
The record-breaking auction also saw generous guests bid for use of the Gloriana, the lead vessel of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Pageant, and afternoon tea with Joan Collins and Julian Clary.
Spandau Ballet's Tony Hadley and chart-topper Ella Henderson treated guests including Chris Tarrant, Keeley Hawes, Matthew Macfadyen, Luisa Zissman and David Jensen to special performances.
Speaking on stage at the event, Cowell said: "I remember the first time I was invited down to a hospice and I’ve got to be honest, I was dreading it.
"I pictured just greyness in my mind before I got there, then I walked in to this place, which should be so sad but in a strange way it wasn’t, it was just a beautiful place to be."
Shooting Star Chase provides care and support to children with life-limiting conditions and their families, including respite breaks at its hospices in Hampton and Guildford.
The charity's director of fundraising, Karen Sugarman, said: “As always, I have been overwhelmed by the generosity and support from every one of our guests.
"The Shooting Star Chase Ball is always such a fabulous night and we are thrilled that we raised an incredible £205,000.
"This will make a significant difference to families whose lives are turned upside down and need the vital care and support of our hospice service."

PHOTO OF THE DAY : IT'S A SISTERLY SUNDAY FOR THE LADIES WHO LUNCH!

Joan enjoyed a lovely Sunday lunch with Jackie and her daughter Tiffany... Here is a super shot, with thanks to Jackie C!

PHOTO OF THE DAY: JOAN'S A JEWEL THAT SPARKLES!

A while ago I featured some rare shots of Joan taken by Gary Bernstein for various promotional purposes and they proved very popular.. Here is another one taken to promote Joan's late 1989 range of jewellery...

PRESS UPDATE : THE EXPRESS.. FRIDAY OCTOBER 17TH 2014...

PEOPLEMarvellous in monochrome: Joan Collins wows in figure-hugging dress and jacket

The British actress was the epitome of Hollywood glamour as she exited her chauffer-driven Rolls Royce to dine at the famous Craig's restaurant with her husband of 12 years, Percy Gibson.

Joan looked stunning in a sophisticated white shift dress which featured a stylish asymmetric panel at the top-section of the design.

She teamed the monochrome ensemble with a matching blazer draped over her shoulders and a pair of court shoes, which showed off her still-impressive set of pins.

Her dark hair was worn down in its usual voluminous style, which she topped off with a berry-coloured lipstick from her new beauty range for QVC, lashings of mascara and smokey eye shadow.

Meanwhile, the former Dynasty star's other half looked suave in a grey jacket and a waistcoat over a pair of black trousers and shoes.

Earlier this month, it was revealed that Joan had followed in the footsteps of Victoria Beckham, Sarah Jessica Parker and Gwen Stefani by donating some of her own glamorous possessions.

Joan parted ways with one of her diamond rings and a bracelet to the Shooting Star Chase charity, a children's hospice charity based in Guildford, of which she is patron.

During the auction at the annual ball Joan's Jewellery fetched a staggering £40K for the worthy cause.

The actress, who stars in the Snickers advert, recently unveiled her own beauty range in collaboration with shopping channel,QVC. See WWW.JOANCOLLINSBEAUTY.COM

A pleased customer wrote on Twitter: "Loving @joancollinsobe Helene lipstick from QVC. Its a sensational colour, lovely rich texture and it lasts all day. Bravo Miss Collins!"

PHOTO OF THE DAY : ROD FINDS SOME LEGENDARY BACK UP!

Joan met up with many friends at The Carousel of Hope Ball the other night, one of which is legendary rocker Rod Stewart, who drops by to say hello to Joan & Jackie...

PHOTO OF THE DAY : JOAN FINDS THE WHITE TIME TO PARTY!

Joan enjoyed dinner at Craig's restaurant in LA last night to celebrate Percy's birthday... Jackie also joined in the festivities..

PHOTO OF THE DAY : IT'S ALWAYS A CELEBRATION AT CRAIG'S!

Joan had a lovely dinner at Craig's with Jackie earlier to celebrate Percy's birthday.. Happy Birthday Percy!

DVD ALERT : SAVING SANTA .. OCTOBER 27TH 2014... REGION 2 ..

Joan's character Vera Baddington

Just to mention that you buy the animated feature 'Saving Santa' on Region 2 dvd from October 27th when it gets a release in time for Christmas.. Joan voiced the character of Vera Baddinton in the seasonal tale which also features the vocal talents of Martin Freeman & Tim Curry.. Pre-order your copy here....
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Saving-Santa-DVD-Martin-Freeman/dp/B00I5PO8B4

EVENT UPDATE : QVC UK BREAST CANCER CARE FUNDRAISER .. OCTOBER 13TH 2014 ..



Joan with a signed t-shirt also up for auction.

QVC UK held an on air show earlier tonight to raise funds for Breast Cancer Care which included an auction of some fabulous lots. One of which donated by Joan included a pampering day at Urban Retreat at Harrods using products from Joan's highly successful 'Timeless Beauty' range. If that wasn't enough, the lucky winner always will have cocktails at Claridge's with Joan. This sensational lot went for £2,000 and bid on by a woman who wanted to give it to a friend for their 40th birthday... Lucky her!

PRESS UPDATE: THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER .. OCTOBER 12TH 2014 ..

STYLE NEWS

JAY LENO HOSTS, JENNIFER HUDSON SINGS AT CAROUSEL OF HOPE FUNDRAISER

Magic Johnson was honored at the star-studded event to raise money to fight children's diabetes

Jay Leno and Josh Groban at the 2014 Carousel of Hope Ball

PHOTO BY CHRIS PIZZELLO/INVISION/AP

OCTOBER 12, 2014byBILL HIGGINS 

Before the Oct. 11 Carousel of Hope Ball began at the Beverly Hilton, Magic Johnsonsaid the reason he agreed to be honored at the event’s 27^th go-round was “diabetes is rampant in my community. It’s the work and Barbara Davis.”

The Ball is definitely Davis’ baby. She’s the driving force that’s made the children’s diabetes fundraiser succeed 27 times and raise over $100 million since 1978.  “It’s a good cause, but there’re a lot of good causes,” said Motown founder Berry Gordy. “Barbara is so committed, it’s hard to say no.”

The evening began with emcee Jay Leno trying to perform over the black-tie crowd’s chatter, and his first line was: “Welcome, rich people who are eating – every comedian’s nightmare.” A bit later, when he returned after a 9 year-old girl with diabetes said a brief prayer, Leno quipped: “I could have used that when I went on.”

Among those in the crowd for the George Schlatter-produced show were Clive Davis, George Hamilton, Diane Keaton, Mimi Rogers, Barry Manilow, Sidney Poitier, both Jackie and Joan Collins,Raquel Welch, Rod Stewart, Kathy Griffin, Johnny Mathis, Derek Theler, Anjelica Huston, Quincy Jones and musical director David Foster.

Before dinner, Davis spoke of the 30 million people in the United States who have diabetes, that one-in-three infants will develop it in their lifetime and how it’s “a devastating disease that’s nearly doubled in the last two decades.”

After dinner (which featured a dessert of ice cream covered in meringue with chocolate sauce that any diabetics attending probably should have avoided) were performances by Josh Groban,Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds on acoustic guitar and a set by a Jennifer Hudson with the high-point coming on Leonard Cohen’s "Hallelujah."

Former Laker Kareem Abdul Jabbar presented Johnson with his award, and the honoree in turn reminded the crowd of Jabbar’s five championship seasons and his being the all-time NBA point scorer. Johnson said his living for 25 years with HIV constantly reminds him that “what you do for people is so important … God has kept his hands on me and let me do the things that I do.