Click here to read the original article that appeared in the February Issue of Fashion Mannuscript.
Photo Contributions by Patrick McMullan
Nicole Kidman in The Undoing
Nicole Kidman stars as a therapist whose husband, played by Hugh Grant, is accused of murdering his mistress in the binge-able HBO drama The Undoing. The story follows Kidman — who looks terrific as a redhead — as her life unravels on the front-pages in New York City. The iconic movie star said, “You’re not anyone in America unless you’re on TV.”
Disney’s Mulan
This highly-anticipated, exotic, and lavishly filmed live-action Disney movie has lived up to its expectations. Mulan is streaming on Disney+, which is unfortunate, as the film would have been perfect for a family movie theater trip! Mulan is played by Chinese actress Liu Yifei, who is called “Fairy Sister” in her native land due to her rapid rise to stardom.
Who is Alex Trebek?
Buttoned-down “Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek had a wry sense of humor behind the scenes and used to joke to pals that he had a “classic body” beneath his conventional attire. Alan Hamel — the Canadian entertainer and producer who’s been married to Suzanne Somers since 1977 — knew Trebek for 60 years and gave the future game show star his first big break. They used to spend time shvitzing together in a rough-and-tumble Russian steam bath on Sundays. Hamel confided, “I did a pilot for an ‘American Bandstand’-type dance show in Canada called ‘Music Hop’ in 1963. The network didn’t pick it up, so I moved on and started doing a late-night show.” But when Music Hop eventually did make it to the air, and Hamel was unavailable, he told the producers, “There’s this kid in Ottawa, you should talk to him.”
Trebek got the gig and hosted the show for a year, launching his career. After they both made it big and moved to the States, Trebek and his wife Jean often double-dated with Hamel and Somers in Malibu. Hamel told us of Trebek’s passing, “If you wanted a friend for life, Alex was it … he was always there for you, very loyal, wry, and sardonic.” Somers added “The last time we doubled dated with them was a year ago, and then a week later he announced he had stage 4 pancreatic cancer … my heart dropped to my feet.” The star and wellness author remembered fondly, “Alex was the same guy in person that he was on the show … there were not two Alexes.”
Isabelle Bscher
Glamorous gallerist Isabelle Bscher of Galerie Gmurzynska opened a new exhibition: Joan Miró — La Peinture Au Défi, in herZurich gallery designed by Zaha Hadid. Bscher presents works of the painter, spanning each decade of his career from the 1940s until his death in 1983. As a precursor to the show, Isabelle and Prince Albert of Monaco hosted a Miró exhibit in Monaco. Johnny Depp, Rebel Wilson, Jacob Busch, designer Hedi Slimane, and Miró’s grandson Joan Punyet Miró all attended. The gallery’s shows, including Robert Indiana, Botero, and František Kupka in NYC, are also available online. gmurzynska.com
Paul Taylor Dance Company Gala
Alec Baldwin, Padma Lakshmi, Jerry Mitchell, Bernadette Peters, William Ivey Long, Jean Shafiroff, Billy Porter, Mo Rocca and “House of Cards” star Michael Kelly all appeared at the Paul Taylor Dance Company’s (PTDC) virtual gala Modern Is Now: Stories of Our Future, which was hosted by Michael Novak, Taylor artistic director, and dancer Alicia Graf Mack, Dean of Julliard’s Dance Division. Like most performing arts organizations, the company was forced to cancel their annual Season at Lincoln Center and the Joyce Theater. Production company Broadway Unlocked worked with Novak to create the exciting virtual theater space complete with a Promenade, main stage, a bar featuring a mixologist from the Union Square Café, “donor suite” breakout rooms and a dance after-party for guests to join in. More than 2,300 people from 17 different countries tuned in live to the hour-long program. Yours truly greeted the guests and asked them to strike a pose for Patrick McMullan in a virtual photoshoot dubbed the “Modern Is Now: Portrait Lab.” The night’s chairs included John Heimann, Emad and Marina Bibawi, Deirdre Dunn and Walter Weil, Christine Covey, Adam McLean, Hal Rubenstein, and David Nickle. The program featured Taylor’s classic pieces “I Guess the Lord Must Be In New York City” from A Field of Grass, and the euphoric final section of Esplanade. The night honored the choreographer’s longtime muse Bettie de Jong, who is celebrating her six-decade commitment of mentoring dancers and preserving Mr. Taylor’s choreography. Company dancers Joey Fernandez, Meloney Moore, Marin Rose Correa, and Sam Shulman answered telephones “telethon” style to speak with fans. Dance world luminaries who made appearances included Misty Copeland, Kyle Abraham, Carolyn Adams, Peter Chu, Margie Gillis, Larry Keigwin, Lauren Lovette, Michelle Manzanales, Pam Tanowitz, and Lila York. The gala was made possible by Jody and John Arnhold and raised over $1 million to help ensure the future of the Paul Taylor Dance Company. You can watch the gala on the company’s website. ptamd.org
Miami Art Week
Art collector Libbie Mugrabi launched her new brand “Libbie Love” during art week at the Faena Hotel. She said, “I’m starting a brand where it’s all about healing. It’s about art, the art of fashion, and the art of beauty.” Mugrabi also showed works by her favorite artists, including Basquiat and emerging artist Linjie Deng at her event at the Faena. Deng’s Yin-Yang calligraphy piece consists of one set of mutually opposing and coexisting words: Freedom & Hope. Deng said, “The canvas is the New York Times from the 2020 COVID and the election news cycles. I chose the word pairing because this duo evokes some diametric approaches to today’s relevant issues.” Libbie said of the piece, titled Freedom & Hope, “That’s exactly what I need in my life right now.” linjiedeng.com
Box of Lives
David Datuna, the Smithsonian-recognized New York-based artist who made headlines last year for eating Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan’s $120k banana at Art Basel, is displaying his latest collection, Box of Lives, virtually in NYC. The new show is inspired by the hopefulness of the COVID-19 vaccine after so many months of global suffering, exploring the range of human emotions associated with the pandemic and the recent distribution of the vaccine. The work is sculpted from multi-colored syringes; the pieces focus on the convergence of art and social consciousness. “Just a bit over a year ago, during my Hungry Artist performance, I said that art is all about the fun it brings to our lives. As 2020 drew to a close, I wanted to focus on the other aspect of art: it’s all about hope, and hope is the key tool for survival in these challenging times. We fear syringes, but we also fear death — and now the syringe is the ultimate expression of hope.” This is not the first time Datuna used his art to bring attention to the work of the pharmaceutical industry. In 2016, Datuna presented Gilead Sciences Inc. with a Life Award in recognition of the pharma giant’s work in fighting Hepatitis C in Georgia. https://www.daviddatuna.com