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| Joan with Victoria Gore, Pierce Brosnan, Margot McKinney, Nicholas Hoult, Jeremy Green & Stephen Fry |
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| Joan with Pierce Brosnan |
Wednesday, January 31, 2024
EVENT UPDATE : THE PRINCES TRUST USA LUNCHEON... THE MAYBOURNE BEVERLY HILLS... LOS ANGELES.. JANUARY 30TH 2024 ..
Monday, January 29, 2024
PROMO UPDATE : THE GENTLE SEX .. RED BUS MOVIES LTD.. 2022 ..
Wednesday, January 24, 2024
PRESS UPDATE : ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER ... JANUARY 24TH 2024 ..
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| Joan with friends Juliet Mills, Jane Seymour, Donna Mills, Stefanie Powers, Alana Stewart & Jerry Hall |
When Joan Collins walked on stage at the Emmy Awards this month, she wasn’t sure at first why the star-studded audience was on its feet.
“I was quite surprised to get the standing O,” says Collins, who was there with actress Taraji P. Henson to present the Emmy for best limited series. “In fact, Taraji said, when we walked on, ‘Oh, this is for you.’
“I said, ‘No, it’s not,’” she says. “And she said, ‘Yes.’ And then I realized they were playing the ‘Dynasty’ theme. So you know I was very honored and happy. It’s been exciting.”
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| Joan & Percy at 75th Emmy Awards |
And why wouldn’t the Emmy audience cheer for Collins, whose career spans more than seven decades?
She’s a star unlike almost any other around today, and that old-school glamour – a bejeweled blue gown matched with baby blue satin gloves? Please! – and her radiant beauty had viewers gaga for Dame Joan during the ceremony and the following days.
“Did the #Emmys teleport the 80s Joan Collins because that woman has not changed at all,” one wrote on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
“Ageless. Timeless. Gorgeous,” wrote another. “Joan Collins is that pop culture icon who never grows old.”
Last fall, Collins published her 19th book, another memoir, this one titled “Behind the Shoulder Pads: Tales I Tell My Friends.” We’d reached out to chat with her even before her Emmy appearance, and this week found her at home in Los Angeles, where she and her husband Percy Gibson spend time away from London each winter.
“We usually come out here for the first three months of the year because the weather in Europe is pretty bad,” Collins says on a stormy Monday. “But it’s exactly the same as this now.”
“Behind the Shoulder Pads” is an entertaining, eye-opening, funny and at times heartwarming story of an old-fashioned star with an eternally youthful spirit. Collins says her goal is to find the joy in life each day, even when life knocks you down.
“I don’t think there’s anything I’m ashamed of,” she says, speaking of the new book in particular, but her whole life in general. “I think I make fun of myself a lot of the time. I mean, when you get swept out to sea in a Chinese junk in the middle of a storm” – as she describes in one chapter – “I think that’s quite funny.
“I have a kind of mantra, which is that every day I want to achieve something, writing or whatever it is. I want to enjoy it, whether it’s just my first cup of coffee And I want to learn something.
“I try to do that every day, and I really try to live life as fully as possible.”
In an interview edited for length and clarity, Collins talked about her life in Hollywood, both good and bad, the misogyny and sexual harassment she experienced, a personal trauma she’s seldom discussed until now, and more.
Q: If these are ‘Tales I Tell My Friends,’ why did you decide to share them with strangers now?
A: The thing is, I’m always writing. In England, I write a lot for the Spectator. And for Harper’s Bazaar and the Daily Mail. And I write diaries. The one that came before this (‘My Unapologetic Diaries”) did very well. So my agent said, ‘Why don’t you try to do another book?’
I said, ‘I’ve written so many memoirs,’ and he said, ‘Well, why don’t you do a collection of these incidents and funny things that happened to you in your lifetime? Talk about when you arrived in Hollywood.’ I said, ‘But I’ve already done that’ – this is Collins’ 19th book in more than 40 years – ‘everybody knows that.’
He said, ‘Everybody doesn’t know that. Everybody doesn’t know what it was in this 1950s paradise. Write a book.’
And to be perfectly honest with you, it was a paradise. I try to express that in the book. My Alice in Wonderland, little girl, goggly-eyed, ‘Wow, this is like the movies that I really enjoyed.’ So I started writing.
Q: That period of Hollywood in the ’50s is one of the most glamorous times, and you capture that. But there’s also a dark side to that.
A: Oh my gosh, yes. I did go into the things that young women, in all professions, not just in the acting profession, are expected to put up with. The most misogynist crap from men who just expect the girls to take it. This happened a lot to me, first, in my first film in England when I was 17.
I put this story in the book. I went to an older actress, and I told her about it. And she said something like, ‘That’s what this is like. If you don’t like it, you better get out.’ So I found ways to deal with it. Mostly laughing at men. That’s the biggest killer of a man who’s got the hots. It really is.
I would love to see this end, you know. The kind of thing that happened to a lot of women, when it all came up, when the #MeToo movement started a few years back. I certainly sympathize with them.
Q: The misogyny that you describe in the book, with some very well-known studio bosses or even some of your fellow actors, is appalling.
A: But you know, I pushed it to the back of my mind. I didn’t dwell on it. That’s one of my instincts
Q: What were the joys of being a young woman from England in sunny Hollywood in the ’50s and early ’60s?
A: You just said it. I mean, every day the sun shined it seemed like. The studio took care of everything. They found me a car. They found me a financial advisor, who actually ended up ripping me off later, something that’s happened to me many times in my life. They told me what to wear. But I didn’t mind all that because I’d come from England and my father was reasonably strict.
I was at the studio every day, which I was plunged into immediately after I arrived. I did ‘The Virgin Queen’ with Bette Davis, and I did ‘The Girl on the Red Velvet Swing’ two months later. Then I was loaned to MGM for ‘The Opposite Sex.’
And of course, there was fun. I was dating. I was in my 20s; you date, you try out different men and relationships. And you have as much fun as possible. We would go out to dinner, go to nightclubs, go dancing. Go to each other’s houses and play charades and play poker, or learn some new dance step. It was a carefree time, which is what your 20s should be, I might add.
Q: One of the most intense chapters, and one that got a lot of coverage when the book came out, is when you write about having an abortion when you were engaged to Warren Beatty. Is this the first time you’ve talked about that openly?
A: I think so. I’d think about it but I never expressed how I felt at the time. And I’m sure a lot of people will think I’m a heartless bitch. But I was only 26 then. I was so innocent and green. You know, we didn’t know, young girls. I was very protected by my parents, so I was very young for my age.
And I realized – I did confide in some of my girlfriends – and they all said, ‘This is the end of your career,’ you know, which was burgeoning. Whatever you do, it’s a stigma. It’s never a stigma on the man, of course. I mean, look what happened to Ingrid Bergman. So I just went ahead with it.
And he (Beatty) was complicit, he was fine with it. Well, we were both nervous. But we did it. And I got over it. Two days later, I pushed it to the back of my mind, which is how, one of the reasons, I think, that I survived.
Q: Was it difficult to revisit for the book?
A: No, it wasn’t difficult. It was no more difficult than (writing of) fighting off a predatory man who would take you to your hotel room and try to rape you. I’m not pulling punches here. That happened. Several times. You know, you’re making me think about it now, and well, I did when I was writing it.
But after I did, I’m not going to dwell on it. You know the world is in a very sad place today, and I want to try to enjoy it.
Q: Let’s shift to something lighter. When and how did you realize that your role as Alexis Carrington on ‘Dynasty’ was going to be more than another TV job, but in fact, perhaps the one you’re most often remembered for?
A: I think I realized it when I was driving down Sunset Boulevard and a carful of young kids stuck their heads out the windows and said, ‘Alexis! Alexis!’ I said, ‘Oh, hi, how are you? Do you like me?’ And they said, ‘No! We hate you!’ And then they all laughed and said we love you.
It was gradual, but it happened quickly. I think the Daily Mirror in England had it on the front page, with a picture saying something about ‘Sophisticated Joan about to oust JR,’ which was Larry Hagman (in ‘Dallas’). It happened in the first six months or so. It was very flattering.
Q: I saw a picture of you when you were 17 in your first film. When you think back to that how big did you dream that your life would be? And would you tell her anything today?
A: I don’t think back to that girl. She was totally different to the way I am now. And I never had dreams of anything. That’s an American thing. We did not dream.
I remember thinking that, well, at the turn of the century I’ll be an old lady in a wheelchair with a cane. This was in the ’50s, and we’d talk about what was going to happen in 50 years, you know, the millennium. And I said that I might not even be alive.
I never thought really too much about having children or anything. (Collins has three. A daughter and son with her second husband, actor-singer Anthony Newley, and a daughter with her third husband businessman Ron Kass.) Because I lived in the present. I still do.
What is it they say? Yesterday … oh my God, it’s something like, ‘Tomorrow’s a mystery, yesterday’s history, but today is a gift. That’s why they call it the present.’ Something like that. And it is.
I live in the present.
Wednesday, January 17, 2024
EVENT ALERT : BEHIND THE SHOULDER PADS BOOK SIGNING ... BOOK SOUP... SUNSET BLVD WEST HOLLYWOOD .. MARCH 1ST 2024 ...
To promote the USA edition of her latest bestseller 'Behind The Shoulder Pads', Joan will make an exclusive appearance at Book Soup in West Hollywood on March 1st from 6pm to 7:30pm to sign copies.. You can book tickets at the following link...
Tuesday, January 16, 2024
EVENT UPDATE : THE 75TH PRIMETIME EMMY'S GIVING SUITE EVENT... JANUARY 13TH 2024 ..
As a presenter at the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards, Joan was invited to the Emmy Giving Suite a couple of days before the ceremony to choose gifts of her choice...
The Television Academy Foundation announced that Backstage Creations will produce the only official Giving Suite™ for the 75th Emmy Awards.
For the first time in Emmys history, the Giving Suite will be held at the Performers Nominee Celebration on Saturday, Jan. 13, 2024, two days before the Emmys telecast.
Nominated performers, cast members from nominated shows and 2023 Emmy presenters will be invited to choose from a collection of luxury gifts in the Giving Suite and will autograph items to be auctioned by the Foundation to help support its unparalleled programs of education, inclusion and historic preservation. Participating sponsors will also make contributions to benefit the nonprofit, which provides career pathways and television-industry access for students across the country.
For the 11th year the suite will be produced by Karen Wood and Backstage Creations, specialists in award show gifts and custom backstage gift suites. Backstage Creations is the sole, authorized vendor for the official Emmy Awards Giving Suite.
The 75th Emmy Awards will telecast live from the Peacock Theater at L.A. LIVE in Los Angeles Monday, Jan. 15, 2024, (8:00-11:00 PM EST/5:00-8:00 PM PST) on FOX.
About the Television Academy Foundation
Established in 1959 as the charitable arm of the Television Academy, the Television Academy Foundation is dedicated to preserving the legacy of television while educating and inspiring those who will shape its future. Through renowned educational and outreach programs such as The Interviews: An Oral History of Television, College Television Awards and Summit, Student Internship Program, and the Media Educators Conference, the Foundation seeks to widen the circle of voices our industry represents and to create more opportunity for television to reflect all of society. For more information on the Foundation, please visit TelevisionAcademy.com/Foundation.
About Backstage Creations
Created in 2000 by Karen Wood, formerly a talent coordinator on over 50 award shows, Backstage Creations gives major corporations as well as up-and-coming designers the exclusive opportunity to personally introduce their products and services to celebrities. The company originated the gift-suite concept and has created Celebrity Retreats™ at various industry awards from the Screen Actors Guild Awards to the MTV Awards. Backstage Creations puts an emphasis on charitable donations at each of its retreats, giving celebrity attendees the opportunity to both give and receive through unique partnerships at these events. For more information, visit backstagecreations.com.
Download the press release here.
EVENT UPDATE : THE 75TH PRIMETIME EMMY AWARDS .. THE PEACOCK THEATRE .. LOS ANGELES .. JANUARY 15TH 2024 ..
The Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles..
Thursday, January 11, 2024
EVENT UPDATE : CIPRIANI BEVERLY HILLS OPENING NIGHT... BEVERLY HILLS CALIFORNIA .. JANUARY 10TH 2024 ..
After spending Christmas in London with her family, Joan is now back in Los Angeles.. To start the New Year Joan attended the opening night of Cipriani's new Beverly Hills restaurant...
Beverly Hills brings glitz, glamour and Italian-Venetian cuisine to Camden Drive..
Cipriani opened in Beverly Hills on Jan.10, bringing classic glamour, impeccable service, and Italian and Venetian recipes to Camden Drive. As the first Cipriani location in California, Cipriani Beverly Hills will continue the four-generation family tradition of “to serve is first to love.”
Designed by Florentine architect Michele Bonan, who has collaborated with Cipriani on several other locations around the world, Cipriani Beverly Hills embodies a sleek nautical aesthetic featuring polished wood interiors with steel trim, distinctive brown leather chairs, Murano chandeliers, black and white fashion photography and deep green velvet accents.
The restaurant also features a Jazz Café designed by Carlos Almada, which captures the timeless elegance and sophistication of old Hollywood with zebra fabrics, arches, palm trees, a grand piano and more, offering guests an escape to a parallel reality that emulates the enchanting world of the silver screen. The Jazz Café will be open to diners three nights per week and will also be available for rental as a private event space.
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| The class and luxury of Cipriani can now be enjoyed on Camden Drive in Beverly Hills. (photo courtesy of Cipriani) |
Come Spring, Cipriani Beverly Hills will open its beautiful patio for outdoor dining.
“We are very excited to open in the heart of Beverly Hills, in an area that sees many prestigious art and entertainment neighbors and we are looking forward to serving local and international customers alike,” said Maggio Cipriani, fourth generation of the Cipriani family and President of Cipriani USA.
Guests can expect classic Cipriani dishes including baked tagliolini with ham, calves liver alla Veneziana, carpaccio alla Cipriani and vanilla meringue cake among many other specialties.
Cipriani Beverly Hills is located at 362 N. Camden Dr. The restaurant will be open for lunch and dinner 7 days a week РSunday to Thursday: 11:30 a.m.-10:30 p.m. and Friday and Saturday: 11:30 a.m.-11:30 p.m. The Jazz Caf̩ will be open on Thursday: 5:30 p.m.-10:30 p.m. and on Friday and Saturday: 5:30 p.m.-11:30 p.m.
Cipriani has developed restaurants, landmarked event spaces, residential, luxury hotels and private membership clubs around the world including Venice, Milan, New York, Miami, Mexico City, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Hong Kong, Monte Carlo, Ibiza, Marbella, Riyadh, Las Vegas, Istanbul, Doha, Bahrain, and the upcoming Beverly Hills and Punta del Este.
For information, visit cipriani .com
Wednesday, January 10, 2024
PRESS UPDATE : WALL STREET JOURNAL .. JANUARY 9TH 2024 ..
Hollywood ‘Bad Girl’ Joan Collins Began as a Good Girl in London
The actress and memoirist on her mother’s influence and her bond with her late sister, novelist Jackie Collins
By
Joan Collins is an award-winning English actress best known for her roles in TV’s “Dynasty” and “The Royals” as well as in the films “The Opposite Sex,” “The Bitch” and “The Time of Their Lives.” Her latest book is “Behind the Shoulder Pads: Tales I Tell My Friends” (Permuted). She spoke with Marc Myers.
My parents were very protective. As soon as World War II began in 1939, they whisked Jackie, my baby sister, and me off to Bognor Regis, a town on the southern coast of England. Months later, we returned to our London flat, when my parents thought everything was safe. Then came the Blitz.
On the first night of bombings, our nanny woke me. I grabbed my Shirley Temple doll and my teddy bear, and we all descended the nearby Tube station to the platforms far below.
Bunks had been built for us, and the atmosphere was jolly. People played harmonicas and everyone sang. After, I was evacuated from London 12 times and placed in different homes. School was tough. As a new girl, I was bullied.
Our London flat was in an older, eight-story Victorian mansion block. One morning, after emerging from the Tube following a bombing, we saw that our flat had been destroyed. All our possessions were gone, including my Shirley Temple doll.
My father, Joe, was a theatrical agent. He was quite strict but very funny when he wanted to be. He was the boss at home, and what he said went. He never abused us in any way, but when he shouted, we were scared.
My mother, Elsa, was old-school. She cared only about her family and her home, and she protected us all. She had been a dancer before I was born, and my father’s mother had been a stage dancer. She encouraged my interest in performing.
Even as teenagers, we weren’t allowed to see films with violence or anything that might upset us or be a bad influence. We saw only musicals. They were enough to activate our imaginations.
Jackie and I were ambitious. I wanted to be a serious stage actress. I was star struck and kept a big scrapbook of film stars’ photos. They were all so beautiful, elegant, funny and talented. Jackie started writing fiction at about age 10 and announced she was going to be a novelist.
I first performed in an after-school dance program when I was about 3 and was in a play called “Why the Fairies Cried.” I received my first good review in a local paper: “Joan Collins makes a very believable fairy.”
Collins with her younger sister, future novelist Jackie Collins
After leaving school at 15, I attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. I also began modeling in women’s magazines and was discovered by a talent agent, who got me small roles in a few films. Those caught the eye of J. Arthur Rank, the head of the Rank Organization, Britain’s largest film studio.
In 1951, they asked me to do a series of screen tests for “I Believe in You,” an upcoming film. I played hooky from RADA, but Kenneth Barnes, the head of the school, found out.
After I was cast, I asked for two or three months off to do the film. He said, “You can either be a stage actress or a film actress. Either you finish your theater studies over the next 18 months or you have to leave.” So at 17, I left to become a film actress.
When I was 20, my Rank contract was sold to 20th Century Fox for seven years. When I arrived in Hollywood, I didn’t know a soul. The studio put me into a hotel and rented me a little Ford. They told me what to wear, where to go, where to eat and whom to date.
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| Collins at her Beverly Hills, L.A., home in 1995. PHOTO: EDDIE SANDERSON |
The mid-’50s in Los Angeles was fantastic. Everything seemed to be in vivid color compared with Britain, which was often gray and dreary. A turning point for me in terms of visibility was starring in “The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing” in 1955, with Ray Milland and Farley Granger.
As for “Dynasty,” I was born to play Alexis Carrington Colby. Being cast for the series’ second season, in 1981, was a life-changing role. I starred for 10 years. Nolan Miller designed my wardrobe, and we studied every outfit worn by Princess Diana in the fashion magazines. Then he copied them for my character, shoulder pads and all.
Today, my husband, Percy, and I divide our time between homes in London, L.A. and Provence, France.
In London, we have a cozy apartment in a modernized 18th-century building. I’m in the sitting room now, and the fire is on. Our place in France is very outdoorsy and very Provençal. In L.A., we’re in a modern three-bedroom apartment with a pool.
Jackie’s passing in 2015 was painful. We were so close. I have all the letters she wrote me while I was in Hollywood and she was in London. The letters are in her lovely handwriting, on pale blue air-mail paper. Her three daughters have my letters to Jackie.
I still remember Jackie crying after her toys were lost during the Blitz and doing my best to comfort her. We were always best friends.
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