PRESS UPDATE : HEALTHY LIVING ... JANUARY 2024 ..

            To start the New Year Joan features in the latest issue of Woman's Weekly's special edition of their Healthy Living issues.. There is a two page feature inside.. Available now! 

 

PRESS UPDATE : PITTSBURG POST GAZETTE : DECEMBER 22ND 2023 ..

Courtesy of Joan Collins“Modeling my first fan card.” Joan Collins, circa 1953.

 

“Modeling my first fan card.” Joan Collins, circa 1953.

The last of her kind: An interview with Joan Collins..

• Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
• 22 Dec 2023
• Adriana E. Ramírez Adriana E. Ramírez, author of “Dead Boys,” is a columnist and InReview editor for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: aramirez@post-gazette.com.
• • 
    
    
    

Joan Collins is an international treasure — and no one is more aware of that than Joan Collins. Which is perfect: This is what we want and expect from someone who is the physical embodiment of a certain kind of glamor.

She’s also deft at navigating an interview, and all the accompanying faux pas on my part. After a series of miscommunications about the timing with her various agents, I finally connected with Dame Collins, who insisted I call her Joan.

“Why are you late?” Her voice was kind and refined, posh and grandmotherly at the same time. I was being admonished, and I was thrilled (also slightly terrified). I knew how devastating her reprimands could be, as I had been streaming television episodes and films featuring Ms. Collins for at least a week.

I apologized immediately, despite the fact that I’d spent the better part of the previous hour thinking she had stood me up. (I was okay with this, as “I was stood up by Joan Collins” is still a story worth telling.) Her rebuke over, Ms. Collins quickly reassured me I was fine, forever perfect in her manners and a consummate hostess.

And even at the age of 90, there’s no indication Joan Collins plans to slow down. She could only give me a few minutes, as she had guests coming over — “a small party” on a Monday evening.

Hollywood secrets

The occasion of our interview was her newest memoir, “Behind the Shoulder Pads” (Permuted Press, $30). I say “newest” because it’s also her eighth memoir, depending on how you categorize her many books (she’s written almost twenty of them!).

There’s a lot of information already available on Ms. Collins, including eight official biographies by other writers. So one might wonder why an eighth memoir is

necessary, especially only two years after the U.S. publication of “My Unapologetic Diaries.”

“Behind the Shoulder Pads” is not a traditional memoir, though. It’s organized thematically, touching on various anecdotes and small moments (and, she says, secrets) in Ms. Collins’s life. Here, she tries to fill in everything her biographies and other memoirs left out.

The secrets are fun. They range from titillating Hollywood gossip (her sister, famous writer Jackie Collins, going upstairs at a party with a famous celebrity when they were young) to the inconveniences of the glamorous life (haggling with flood insurance agents). Certain narrative through-lines emerge — nostalgia and sadness for her many peers who have passed away, and the love story between her and

her fifth-and-current husband Percy Gibson, whom she adores.

Joan and Percy

In one chapter, detailing their meet cute, Ms. Collins brings Mr. Gibson to the page directly. This is an unusual move in a memoir, allowing two different writers to take on the same topic. But the result is interesting, the kind of thing I might teach to nonfiction writing students. In presenting both sides of their romance, certain inconsistencies emerge by allowing Mr. Gibson’s voice to interject into the story.

“It was the publisher’s idea,” she told me. But she found it delightful, and she was right. The juxtaposition creates a charming portrait of them as a couple. It’s clear they cherish one another.

Mr. Gibson writes about being in awe of Ms. Collins from the moment they met. But he particularly admires her work ethic. I’m a big fan of memoirs that discuss the work — being glamorous and talented might seem easy, but it’s the work that pays off. And Ms. Collins works hard.

She is a professional, of course. Even now, she’s passionately working on a biopic of Wallis Simpson, who is much maligned in Ms. Collins’s opinion. And Ms. Collins cares about what she puts out into the world. Someone who cared less would not be interested in writing eight memoirs.

Friend-dropping

“Did you like the book?” I was caught off guard when she asked me that. Of course Ms. Collins was curious how people perceive her writing, but I’d assumed that someone as famous and sophisticated as she is would care very little about my ordinary opinion.

“I did, and as I told a friend, even the name-dropping is—” I was going to say “an important history of Hollywood,” but I never got the chance.

“Now, it’s unfair to call it name-dropping. It’s not namedropping! That’s not right to say. I was friends with all those people. They aren’t just names.”

She went on to discuss how well she knew Elizabeth Taylor, Marlon Brando and Dodi Fayed. To her, they were not celebrities. “They were my friends.”

 She’s seen the evolution of fame (“Fred Astaire used to be able to just walk down the street!”) and how children are treated (“far from my Edwardian childhood!”). She has no patience for someone like me calling her a name-dropper.

She was right, of course. And thankfully, she could not throw a glass of champagne at me through Zoom.

Article Name:The last of her kind: An interview with Joan Collins

Publication:Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Author:Adriana E. Ramírez Adriana E. Ramírez, author of “Dead Boys,” is a columnist and InReview editor for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: aramirez@post-gazette.com.

Start Page:A-17

End Page:A-17

HAPPY CHRISTMAS FROM THE JOAN COLLINS ARCHIVE...

 Just to wish everyone a most wonderful Christmas and a most enjoyable Holidays... All the very best for 2024! 

EVENT UPDATE : PETER PAN .. THE LONDON PALLADIUM ... LONDON ... DECEMBER 13TH 2023 ..

 Lots of glitz and glamour earlier this evening at The London Palladium as London's biggest panto had it's press night.. Starring Julian Clary with Jennifer Saunders, this years show is Peter Pan.. Joan was among the invited guests who also included Don Black, Claire Sweeney, Harriet Thorpe and Gloria Hunniford.. 

EVENT ROUNDUP : TISS THE SEASON TO BE BUSY! ...

 Every year the festive season is a busy one for Joan with a multitude of events and invites.. Here are a selection of photos from Joan's recent events.. Kicking of the holiday season by switching on the lights in Shepherd's Bush Market November 30th.. I last attended the event with Joan just before the pandemic.. Joan was invited to No 10 Downing Street to attend a reception on Nov 26th to celebrate the work of the Great Britain & Northern Ireland Campaign.. Earlier this week her good friend Louise Fennell held a girlfriends Christmas lunch where Joan was delighted to catch up with friends including Ruby Wax, Kathy Lette and Ronnie Ancona.. On Thursday 7th Dec, Joan manned the phones at ICAP Headquarters in London for their Annual Charity day. Later in the day Joan hosted a book signing at Hatchards Picadilly, where she signed copies of her new bestseller 'Behind The Shoulder Pads'..

Joan attended press night of Sleeping Beauty Takes A Prick at Charing Cross Theatre

EVENT UPDATE : ICAP CHARITY DAY .. ICAP HEADQUARTERS BROADGATE CIRCLE LONDON .. DECEMBER 7TH 2023 ..

Joan manned the phones for ICAP Charity Day 2023

We are Charity Day

The idea behind ICAP Charity day is simple, and enduring. Use the core skills of financial professionals, and ICAP’s position at the heart of  global markets, to help people and causes in need.

Born in 1993, ICAP Charity Day is a pioneering fundraising initiative where everyone contributes. ICAP as a company, together with our brokers, give 100% of one day’s revenue. Our charity partners' celebrity ambassadors generate the interest, and our clients respond.

The result is significant and lasting positive impact. Over the past 30 years, ICAP Charity Day has raised more than £160 million, donated to more than 2,900 charitable causes around the world, directly supporting more than 7.7 million people

EVENT UPDATE : BEHIND THE SHOULDER PADS BOOK SIGNING .. HATCHARDS PICCADILLY .. DECEMBER 7TH 2023 ..

A Book Signing with Joan Collins at Hatchards Piccadilly

Just in time for Christmas, Joan will be at Hatchards in Piccadilly on Thursday Dec 7th to sign copies of her latest bestseller 'Behind The Shoulder Pads' from 5pm till 6pm.. Access to the event is by ticket only! Click link below to book your spot and purchase a copy or two of the book! 

DAME JOAN COLLINS BOOK EVENT HATCHARDS PICADILLY.. 

EVENT UPDATE : CLARIDGE'S CHRISTMAS TREE UNVEILING .. CLARIDGE'S LONDON .. NOVEMBER 23RD 2023 ..

 Joan attended the launch of Claridge's 2023 Christmas Tree unveiling, this years tree is in conjunction with Louis Vuitton..

The Claridge’s Christmas Tree 2023 by Louis Vuitton brings together two illustrious names who have long celebrated the Art of Travel, and crossed paths throughout their respective histories after both being founded in 1854.

This magnificent sculptural creation is immersed within two large open, emblematic wardrobe trunks towering on top of each other at the height of 5.2 metres. Each signature trunk is adorned with Claridge’s travel stickers of yesteryear and an oversized Louis Vuitton luggage tag. 

Exuding a festive charm, the tree is composed of 15 vertically placed chrome trunks of varying heights that tower to create the silhouette of a traditional Christmas tree. Scattered atop the silver trunks and amidst the snowy landscape of the tree are 21 Louis Vuitton Vivienne mascots, all found within the hotel’s distinguished black and white marbled lobby.

The hotel’s Louis Vuitton trunk envelopes the magical Claridge’s Christmas Tree, just as the Maison’s iconic Malle Vestiaire or ‘Wardrobe Trunk’, a hard-sided case created in 1875, was dedicated to transporting one’s most personal and precious effects.

 

What an honour it is to welcome such a legendary house as Louis Vuitton to design our Claridge’s Christmas Tree this year. Christmas is the most magical time of year for us here at the hotel and we look forward to welcoming guests and seeing visitors immerse themselves in Louis Vuitton’s world.

Claridge's General Manager Paul Jackson

PRESS UPDATE : CHARITY TODAY ... NOVEMBER 16TH 2023 ..

 

A host of stars joined 350 guests on Friday 10 November, to show their support for The Shooting Star Ball, in aid of Shooting Star Children’s Hospices. The children’s hospice charity supports babies, children and young people with life-limiting conditions, and their families, across Surrey, south-west London and north-west London.

Now in its 19th year, the annual event, took place at The Royal Lancaster Hotel, hosted by Jackie and Laurence Llewellyn-Bowen, who celebrate their 20th year as Patrons. Guests were entertained by a surprise performance from Britain’s Got Talent 2023 winner Viggo Venn; with Rob Lamberti performing as George Michael in tribute to the late singer’s 60th birthday. The highlight of the night came from Rick Astley, performing with his band, with an amazing performance of his hit songs.

Vice-President’s Dame Joan Collins DBE and Tony Hadley MBE, also celebrating their 20th year with the charity, spoke on stage on how much the charity means to them and both donated fantastic gifts for the live auction. Although unable to be there due to filming commitments, Vice-President Simon Cowell and Patron Lauren Silverman joined the evening via video link from LA to talk about their commitment to the charity. Also in attendance on the night were Julian Clary, Dutch sensation Rene Froger and Julie Forsyth, whose father Sir Bruce Forsyth was the first person to host an event for the charity 20 years ago.

Guests included Julian Clary with Sue Vanner and Lizzie Cundy

Guests enjoyed a three-course ‘winter warmer’ dinner, before taking part in a money-can’t-buy auction hosted by auctioneer Charlie Ross. Auction prizes included a special ‘Mamma Mia’ prize and flying on a private jet to Paris to join Dame Joan Collins for lunch.

Karen Sugarman MBE, Executive Vice-President of Shooting Star Children’s Hospices said:

“The Shooting Star Ball is always a very special evening where we are able to come together to raise vital funds for the families who need our support. We are so thrilled and overwhelmed with the generosity of every single guest. Without whom, we simply would not be able to provide the vital care to children and families facing unimaginable circumstances.”

Paul Farthing, Chief Executive of Shooting Star Children’s Hospices said:

“It’s been a phenomenal evening and I’d like to extend my thanks to everyone involved in making such an extraordinary event possible. It’s great to be able to come together and highlight how vitally important their continued support is, in order for us to be there for children with life-limiting conditions and their families, now and long into the future.

PRESS UPDATE : EVENING STANDARD .. FRIDAY NOVEMBER 10TH 2023 ..

 

DAME JOAN COLLINS - 10 SHOPPING COMMANDMENTS! -                                          From St Tropez Markets to Zara..

Broderie anglaise from Zara, Sensodyne toothpaste from Elizabeth Street and bras from Marks & Spencer. Dame Joan Collins tells Joe Bromley everything she knows about shopping..

Buy a status symbol handbag at your peril 

‘You know what — I have grown to really hate handbags and mascara. I just can’t be bothered. I just try to have a little clutch. I understand it’s difficult to have a little clutch when you go out shopping during the day, but I’m not really interested in the status symbol of handbags. I must have quite a few Chanel ones, but they’re terribly heavy. Anna Wintour never carries a handbag, so I’ve heard.’

Thou shalt not fear the supermarket (or Harrods) 

‘I’ve shopped at Marks & Spencer since I was a little girl with my mother. I’ve always liked it. I particularly like the food — the coronation chicken and the spaghetti bolognese. And I have always shopped there for underwear; bras, tights, stockings, nightgowns and dressing gowns. They’re also very good for T-shirts and jeans. In fact, I was there just yesterday, and I saw some of what they call joggers. They’re like jeans and joggers in this distressed denim. Now, I don’t like wearing jeans, but I think I’m probably going to get them. Jeans, particularly if they’re soft and easy to pull on, are easy to wear. I also like Fortnums, Waitrose and Harrods, I guess. It’s very expensive at Harrods, though.’

Stay woke 

‘The first item I ever saved up for was pretty non-woke, if you know what I mean. It was many years ago in California, and I wanted a particular kind of a fur coat. I saved up my housekeeping money because I wasn’t acting then — I was a little housewife married to Anthony Newley with two children — and I bought the coat. I’m not going to tell you [the variety of fur] because I’d get hate mail. I don’t get hate mail, and I will keep it like that. One of the most exciting things I’ve ever bought was in the Saint-Tropez market about eight years ago; a black gilet trimmed with fake fur that I absolutely adore and have practically lived in ever since.’

Buy yourself an iPhone 

‘Obviously everybody has to have an iPhone. But we also have a landline. It’s essential to have a landline as well in case everything goes wrong, which it can do. I mean, look at what happened when all the airline systems went out. There’s just no question. I have flashlights and torches and candles in the house, too, in case all the electricity goes. Be prepared — that’s my motto.’

Embrace the urge to splurge and abide by Roger Moore’s advice 

‘My most extravagant purchase ever was a Rolls-Royce, during the height of Dynasty. I was driving a nice BMW and Roger Moore said, “Oh, you can’t drive a BMW.” He had a Bentley and I said I don’t like Bentleys, I prefer a Rolls. So I have this Rolls and called her Beryl, because I really love her. I still have her, she lives in LA.’

Never allow oneself to get distracted among the rails 

‘Sometimes people ask me for pictures, but I usually say — look, I’m not doing pictures, I’m sorry. When one is shopping, you want to concentrate. If you do a picture with one person, normally a couple of others will come up and ask, so I try to be as inconspicuous as possible. How? With a baseball cap and sunglasses.’ 

Joan with Viviane Ventura in 1980 at Liberty London for her beauty book signing.

Do not buy an outfit last-minute 

‘I’m much too old for last-minute outfits. If there’s anything important happening I’m usually planned a month — or at the very least a few days — in advance. I meet with my dresser Chrissie for my outfits. Lastminute crisis, though? I don’t know. I usually manage to solve it one way or another.'

Stay local — Belgravia is best 

‘I just bought some soap yesterday from the Walden pharmacy on Elizabeth Street. Also Sensodyne toothpaste, which is very good. There’s another shop right around the corner which sells light bulbs and hammers and all of those kinds of things, which I get my husband to do. We have the wonderful Mayhew Newsagents, which I’ve been going to for 20 years. They deliver the newspapers and the magazines to me, and I get the magazines sent to me if I’m in America. They also have every single possible greetings card you could want, and all kinds of sweets and chocolates. There’s also a fabulous shop on Walton Street called Percy Bass — Percy, like my husband’s first name. They sell every gift: embroidered cushions, waste baskets, Kleenex boxes, pictures, everything.'

Buy your broderie anglaise in Zara 

‘I love Zara. The last items I bought there were from the Zara next door to Harrods, where we had just been buying some cheese. I purchased several really nice, white broderie anglaise shirts for the South of France. I usually go to the Zara on the Duke of York Square though, because it’s much closer.’ 

Never throw away a great purchase 

‘I collect clothes. If I buy something that has some value to it, like a Versace jacket or a Valentino skirt, I’ll keep it and have it for years. Years! I wore a black Yves Saint Laurent leather jacket in a picture that I posted on Instagram, and it practically went viral. Just a simple picture, but it was a great jacket.’

EVENT UPDATE : SHOOTING STAR CHILDRENS HOSPICE BALL ... ROYAL LANCASTER HOTEL.. LONDON.. NOVEMBER 10TH 2023 ..

 

One of Joan's favourite events is the annual Shooting Star Children's Hospices Ball and earlier Joan was guest of honour at London's Royal Lancaster Hotel.  Other guests this evening included Tony Hadley, Rick Astley, Lizzie Cundy and Julian Clary..

TV ALERT : LOUIS THEROUX INTERVIEWS... BBC 2 ... NOVEMBER 21ST.. 9PM ..

Tune into BBC2 on Tuesday November 21st st 9pm as Louis Theroux pays a visit to St Tropez to spend time with Joan...

Louis Theroux travels to the glamorous French Riviera to spend time with actress, author, and one of the last surviving icons of Hollywood’s golden age, Dame Joan Collins.

Welcomed into her secluded villa near St Tropez, Louis and Dame Joan discuss the ups and downs of her multi-decade career, which has so far spanned over 70 years. From her beginnings as a drama student at RADA in the 1940s to the silver screens of Hollywood in the 1950s, the horror movies of the 1970s and the world-wide success of Dynasty in the 1980s, Dame Joan candidly reflects on her triumphs, setbacks and her experiences of the predatory nature of an often toxic entertainment industry.

PRESS UPDATE : PLATINUM CHRISTMAS EDITION ... DECEMBER 2023 ..

 Check out the Christmas edition of Platinum Magazine with a super shot of Joan on the cover to start the party season.. You can read the interview featured in the magazine below....

PRESS UP DATE : BEHIND THE SHOULDER PADS TOUR REVIEW .. THEATRE ROYAL BRIGHTON ..

 

Review : Joan Collins ‘Behind The Shoulder Pads’ at Theatre Royal

by Kairen Kemp

To coincide with the release of her much-anticipated memoir ‘Behind the Shoulder Pads’, global superstar Dame Joan Collins has embarked on a brand new tour for 2023 and Saturday 21^st October she ‘landed’ in Brighton for the penultimate show.
Featuring seldom told tales, enchanting anecdotes, and rare and fascinating footage from her seven decades in show business, the evening will be full of the usual wit, candour, and of course glamour that we have come to expect from this British born Hollywood legend. As an award-winning actress, author, producer, humanitarian and entrepreneur, Dame Joan Collins’ career places her in the unrivalled ranks of an international icon.

 The stage was set with two high back white armchairs with a small table between and three screens at the rear of the stage showed stills, professional and home movie clip from Dame Jones’ remarkable life.

I can honestly say that I’ve not been at a theatre show where at the star’s entry, resplendent in a long golden dress, on the arm of her husband Percy Gibson, the whole audience exploded in to cheering and applause.  It nearly lifted that roof off the Theatre Royal which, bearing in mind the frail state of the building, was slightly concerning!

Her husband, Percy Gibson, was by her side, interviewing her which was a very nice touch and he held his own well with immense humour, candour and charm.  It was also touching the way that he ensured that she was comfortable at all times.

We were regaled with stories from across her life, family and career including the birth of her sister Jackie, about which she was distinctly non-plussed at the time.

We whipped through RADA, her father not being impressed with his daughter being an actor, work in UK theatre and film before Hollywood came knocking and stole ‘our Joanie’ away for decades.

Her stories from her life as a starlet were, for me, the highlight of the first act as we hung on every charming, humorous and sometimes heart tugging word. This was where she grew, through experience, into the strong independent woman who took on the film, TV and publishing establishment and won.

After the interval with our star , in black, silver and sequins, the tables were turned and it was, us, the audience who asked the questions. Too many subjects to cover here but we found out why Tony Curtis was nicknamed Toxic, what Laurence Harvey was like in ‘real life’ and a myriad of others. The night ended with the answer to which decade she’d like to go back – the 80s “as long as I could take Percy with me”.

Although on The Graham Norton Show the night previously where she mentioned how tiring touring was it seems as though she does enjoy it and Brighton certainly did.