By Adrienne Papp

“It could be a great example in our crazy world for politicians and countries to use a little creativity along with leadership.” Clint Eastwood

“ Il buono, Il brutto, Il cattivo” alias The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, was a big hit movie in 1966 that started Clint Eastwood’s career as an instant International star, but it wasn’t the only role that found him second fiddle to Richard Burton in those days. A tough-guy action hero with an offbeat humor, an exceptional talent, and later on, a brilliant director, Clint Eastwood has made his mark in the World as a living legend and a never-before icon who has set a standard in Hollywood that is truly unmatched by anyone else.

Nominated for an Oscar, six wins and six nominations, The Bridges of Madison County, which he not only directed but also starred in opposite Meryl Streep, was the most successful romantic drama of our generation.

This kind of love happens once in a lifetime if one is lucky, but expressing this on the big screen with seemingly little or no action to go on makes Eastwood the ultimate director of all times. Playing away from typecast, he proves himself diverse yet again with only one of the exact same ingredience as before: Excellence.

Charting onto tougher life-lessons, Eastwood then acted and directed arguably the best picture of his life, Million Dollar Baby, expressing the everlasting sorrow produced by a painful estrangement from love by blood, – which then translates into a lost, but “tough” soul that has been seeking forgiveness for the past 25 years, despite the façade of a “Hell, do I care…” attitude. A critical and commercial triumph, the movie won the Academy Award for Best Picture, as well as earning Eastwood a nomination for Best Actor and a win for Best Director.

Both these movies linger with the soul for a lifetime. And, in one word, that is the trademark of Clint Eastwood.

The fact that he directed 9 different actors in Oscar-nominated performances just speaks about the magnetism and charisma he has on or off screen. Not a huge surprise then, that Clint Eastwood has again directed a new film that is vastly different from any other previous work.

This time the main character is Nelson Mandela in a breathtaking true story given life by such exquisite actors as Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon in Invictus where the story is wrapped around rugby, a very popular sport in South Africa.

“This project wasn’t approached because of rugby, like Million Dollar Baby was not approached because of female boxing either. It is the story of the use of the game, – that’s what attracted me to the project and rugby. I like the game. The point however is that I try to tell about rugby as accurately as possible, but at the same token, the story is about the use of the game for reconciliation in a country that was on the verge of civil war when Mandela took office.”

As obvious as history shows us, there must have been traps and possible held backs  with such a task, which must have posed a need for a delicate balance for him as a director.

“Mandela knew that the white population still controlled the army, the economy and the police, – so he made the statement ‘We need every brick to build the country, regardless of what color it is.’ – and he did do. Yet, he did not strip a lot of the government offices, which is what politicians usually do, in which he is obviously a superior person, despite that he was in prison for 27 years.  The normal human emotion would have been to come in and be vengeful, – I think,” he says.  “Come in and strip everything down, – like we do it in this country, – but Mandela sort of looked at the bigger picture of everything. That is what attracted me to the story, and in fact it was almost one of the biggest obstacles to not make him too Christ-like, – but he is,” Clint concludes with a laugh-like smile. That famous one that supports what he means, yet charms you to your core, topping it with a voice that resonates with just the right decibel of authority and kind, unimposing intelligence. In other words, the qualities that make someone powerfully charismatic, yet deeply humble.

There is an understanding in Clint Eastwood that bubbles to the surface, but is hidden enough for the audience to discover layer after layer about the message unfolding in his films, unexpectedly reaching the deepest level of emotions in viewers. It’s a little bit like he seems in real life: starting a sentence, but then giving it up because there is just too much to say all at once and it is almost better to drop it and start anew scattering it all at once until one big painting becomes a Picasso. That is where genius is born.

When discussing the success of Mandela we touch on various points as to whether or not he was the ultimate success. “He wasn’t successful in his marriage,” Clint says, “in his relationship with his daughter, and other children he had. And, I think he has, I am told, a lot of regrets about that, but he also came in and said, he was going to serve one term and that is it. And, I know how that feels.”

While religion and culture separates people, this famous ’95 rugby event really did bring people together in a way that sport seldom does. They were dancing in the streets together and everybody was having a great time. You had not seen blacks playing rugby before 1995, but now you do in the fields everywhere, although not always in uniforms.  It is something people continue do to this day, thanks to the events of 1995.

Whether or not it is more difficult to portray a real story on screen than fiction depends on how well written the script is and whom one works with. On this film all of Clint’s actors were professional rugby players with just a few exceptions.

To the question as to whether or not he will play another role in one of his upcoming movies, which there is yet another one in the making right now, the answer is, “ Oh, I do not know. I never know what the last one is going to be, but I am at the age where they do not write a lot of great roles for people and I am happy in the back of the camera where I do not have to wear a tie and nobody is coming in saying ‘this won’t match,’ so there is a lot of advantages.”

What would he want the audience to capture from this latest movie?

“I would like the audience to understand this very unique kind of mentality that Nelson Mandela had… and think about it in terms of the whole world, – if we could solve a lot of problems in a non-military way, this would be a great example.”

Clint Eastwood, a five-time Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, and People’s Choice Award winner, continues to fascinate through his movies, always conveying a message that touches us deeply with lingering thoughts that only an artist with the deepest understanding can create. He is someone who continues to write entertainment history with every role he plays and every film he directs.

About the Writer: Adrienne Papp is a recognized journalist who has written for many publications including Savoir, Beverly Hills 90210, Malibu Beach, Santa Monica Sun, The Beverly Hills Times, Brentwood News, Bel-Air View, Celebrity Society, Celeb Staff, It Magazine, Chic Today, LA2DAY, among many others. She is the President and CEO of Los Angeles/New York-based publicity companies, Atlantic Publicity andAtlantic Publisher. Adrienne writes about world trends, Quantum Physics, entertainment and interviews celebrities and world leaders. She also owns Spotlight News Magazine.

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By Adrienne Papp

Knighting on October 10, 2009, California

Knighthood is not something that belongs only to old times as portrayed in the legendary movie, the First Knight in which Richard Gere plays Lancelot and is costarred by Sean Connery and Julia Ormond. A tale of war-weary King Arthur, his soon to be wife, Guinevere and love stricken Sir Lancelot in a love triangle and their fights and lives by the Sword.

Knighthood in fact exists today. The Orders of Constantine the Great and of Saint Helen are Orders of Knighthood, founded in 312 A.D., whose members are dedicated to the Chivalric Principles of Personal Honor, Courage, Integrity, Duty, Charity and Service. The Orders create a forum for worldwide community by recognizing worthy men and women of exceptional accomplishment with an invitation to membership without regard to race, religion or nationality. The Orders promote the expansion of Chivalric Principles through fellowship with each other and with other Knightly Orders thus providing a model of leadership and strength of spirit, which advances Civilization. It is an honor indeed for anyone worthy to be Knighted by His Grace, Michael Schmickrath, The Duke of Gardham in an official and very traditional ceremony that started only 300 years after Christ and conserved its principals to this day, which is no small task by any means.

“ Duty is the most sublime word in our language.  Do your duty in all things. You cannot do more. You should never wish to do less,” said General Robert E. Lee, based on which principals the Order nurtures the innovators of tomorrow by applying the noble principals of yesterday.

There is much confusion about the nature of Chivalric Orders. Many of the original Chivalric Orders arouse in response to the Crusades. Others originated due to the need for valiant Knights to serve and protect their Sovereign Lords. As we think of Knighthood, we always think of the Knights of old during the European wars and feudal times, but we neglect to mention the valiant Samurai of Japan, or the brave Zulu warriors of South Africa just to mention a few.

Then there is the modern Knight. Many of the Orders continued well after the crusades as their original purpose had ended. The modern Knight and Lady evolved into bodies dedicated to charity, educating the public, helping the poor and the sick, and other good works while acknowledging those who performs similar acts of kindness and generosity. According to traditions and by virtue of the ancient charter, the Grand Masters have the power to confer a Knighthood in their respective orders. The Orders use the honorific prefix of Chevalier or Dame.

In 312 AD, an outnumbered band of soldiers on the eve of the battle swore loyalty to the ideals of honor, courage and service. They swore and Constantine accepted their oath and led these knights to victory.

Today, these extraordinary orders of knighthood is known as the Imperial Orders of Constantine the Great and of Saint Helen, dynastic Orders under the Patronage of the ancestors that ruled the Byzantine Empire from 1057 to 1458, and again from the fifteenth to the sixteenth centuries. Though the Orders were founded by a Christian, today members of the Orders come from all Judea-Christian religions and nationalities and, while members of these Orders no longer need to go to battle or use their lances and armor in good repair, they still strive to provide leadership which enhances civilization, following the powerful concepts which inspired those first knights to victory.

One such Knight is Chevalier Robert Simone, author, lecturer, Executive Director of Universal Sound and Light Productions; featured writer for FATE Magazine since 2005, and Host/Producer of 104.4 FM London, England; news producer and on-air commentator in 2001 for HBC 94 FM, Himalayan Broadcasting Corporation. He traveled the world before he became a Knight and is a great advocate of subjects such as Quantum Physics and how this underestimated science relates to our every day life.

“A Knight must fight for what is Right and to do his duty with the utmost of his ability,” says Robert with great determination and commitment.

Perhaps we should all follow a road that maybe less traveled by, but in the end is well worth the effort, integrity, but mostly our dignity.

Source: Mission Statement of the Orders

About the Writer: Adrienne Papp is a recognized journalist who has written for many publications including Savoir, Beverly Hills 90210, Malibu Beach, Santa Monica Sun, The Beverly Hills Times, Brentwood News, Bel-Air View, Celebrity Society, Celeb Staff, It Magazine, Chic Today, LA2DAY, among many others. She is the President and CEO of Los Angeles/New York-based publicity companies, Atlantic Publicity andAtlantic Publisher. Adrienne writes about world trends, Quantum Physics, entertainment and interviews celebrities and world leaders. She also owns Spotlight News Magazine.

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“Getting Older is Better than Being Dead” – George Clooney

By Adrienne Papp

Academy Award winner George Clooney, quit his job as a broadcast journalist at the age of 21 and slept in a friend’s closet in his first year in Hollywood before he broke into television, and later into films. He is notorious for having a witty, wry sense of humor, which comes out at every turn in this interview. Clooney’s playfulness is obvious on screen and off as he shares one of his tricks he pulled on a friend, Matt Damon. Once Damon, while vacationing in Clooney’s villa at Lake Como in Italy, and desperately wanting to lose 30 pounds after a movie role, was exercising twice a day and only ate salad. To get a good laugh, Clooney hired a woman who took in an inch or so almost daily from Damon’s pants without him knowing. He kept on wondering how it was possible in God’s name that he seemed to be gaining weight as his pants were getting tighter and tighter while he was eating next to nothing and exercising vigorously. Having no children Clooney certainly seems to have found a way to entertain himself with his friends just the same.

Right around the corner he has three movies coming out almost simultaneously:  The Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Men Who Stare at Goats, and Up in the Air. He is now filming The American.

“That is pure coincidence,” he says referring to the current trio, “because they’ve been made over the past two years. However, there’s no doubt that some people will be thinking ‘That Clooney fella –– does he NEVER stop?’ But I can assure them that I do, and that I am pretty pernickety about projects these days.”

Contemplating his graying hair the 48-year-old actor says with a laugh: “It’s an interesting thing to watch yourself grow older on screen. I was watching Up in the Air and I thought, ‘Jesus, who’s the old gray- haired guy?’ And it was me. I never wear make-up for movies and it’s starting to show.”

“But I’m kind of comfortable with getting older because it’s better than the other option, which is being dead. ”

Up in the Air, is a romantic comedy drama, and The Men Who Stare at Goats, is a black comedy.

In the Up In The Air, Clooney portrays a businessman, Ryan Bingham, who leads an empty life out of a suitcase with a job that has him traveling around the country firing people. Just as he is on the cusp of reaching ten million frequent flyer miles and just after he’s met the frequent-traveler woman of his dreams, his company does the unexpected: ground him. This story about a man who is ready to make a connection is arriving this December to theaters. “It’s a bit close to my own persona so I knew I’d have to take that baggage on, and it would be okay” he says.

In The Men Who Stare at Goats, a war-comedy in which Clooney portrays Lyn Cassady, a guy who claims to be a former member of the U.S. Army’s First Earth Battalion, a unit that employs paranormal powers in their missions.  A reporter in Iraq might just have the story of a lifetime when he meets Cassady, as he is trying to lose himself in the romance of war after his marriage fails, and certainly gets more than he bargains for from Cassady as he reveals the existence of a secret, psychic military unit whose goal is to end the war as we know it.

The film is based on a book by Jon Ronson, a British journalist, which tells true insights of various psychic phenomena. The film, which will be released in November costars Ewan McGregor, Jeff Bridges and Kevin Spacey and was co-produced by Clooney.

“The script had been around England and Hollywood for a while and it wasn’t going to get made because things started working against it,” he says. “We worked our magic to get it independently financed. From the very beginning it was one of those projects where I had to go to Ewan and Kevin and Jeff and everybody and say, ‘Let’s all just jump in and do this and have some fun.’ We made up stuff in the script that we thought was funny, but the weirdest stuff in the film is the true stuff.”

Both Up In The Air and The Men Who Stare At Goats received great critiques at the Toronto Film Festival last month and Oscar talk is already building around Clooney, who previously won and Oscar for his role in Syriana.

The Fantastic Mr. Fox is an adventure animation about angry farmers, tired of sharing their chickens with a sly fox, and look to get rid of their opponent and his family.

Clooney, seems to have fallen in love with the concept right away.

“How could you not? I’ve been a huge fan of Roland Dahl for as many years as I can remember, and I love working with Wes Anderson.  Wes told me that it was the first book that he ever really appreciated as a kid, and when you hear something like that, you have to find out what all the fuss is about.  I wasn’t disappointed.  And then it was also Wes’ first foray into stop-motion animation, so I was a sucker for it from the beginning, as soon as I was asked to voice Mr. Fox.”

Clooney has a villa on Lake Como where he rides his Piaggio motorbikes and races his speedboat.  He loves to entertain and is an enthusiastic host to his friends.

“Tons of people have stayed and everybody shows up for dinner,” he says. “I’ve had some of the most fun dinners ever there. We have wild, fun evenings of interesting people telling interesting stories. I relate to nothing but joy and happiness there and getting the villa has been the greatest thing I’ve ever done for myself.”

Clooney was briefly married to Talia Balsam in 1989, and remained determinedly single ever since. He has been recently linked with Elisabetta Canalis, a presenter on Italian television, but his focus remained his own production company.  He produced and starred in a string of films, including the Oceans 11 series, and received a best actor nomination for Michael Clayton.

“I’ve been lucky enough to do a few films that will last longer than an opening weekend and those films are the ones I’m proud of. But I have to be honest and admit that I’m much more successful now than I ever dreamed that I’d be. It’s all icing on the cake from here on in, but you know that I still don’t feel that where I am now is a success? …, but, I’m very comfortable with what I’m doing ” he says.

George Clooney and I share the same motto: When someone says ‘‘Trust me’’, in this industry, it’s probably wise to get it in writing!

About the Writer: Adrienne Papp is a recognized journalist who has written for many publications including Savoir, Beverly Hills 90210, Malibu Beach, Santa Monica Sun, The Beverly Hills Times, Brentwood News, Bel-Air View, Celebrity Society, Celeb Staff, It Magazine, Chic Today, LA2DAY, among many others. She is the President and CEO of Los Angeles/New York-based publicity companies, Atlantic Publicity andAtlantic Publisher. Adrienne writes about world trends, Quantum Physics, entertainment and interviews celebrities and world leaders. She also owns Spotlight News Magazine.

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By Adrienne Papp

The number of pollutants out there is not hard to imagine in our fast paced, electronically induced lives today. We are not only destroying the environment, but also our own health with a wide spectrum of modern age diseases, from cancer to countless others. Some curable, some not. Sometimes, the cure is yet to be discovered. Thankfully, the evolution of technology is as rapid as our tendency to carelessness in almost all aspects of our lives, – the chaotic result of which is globally evident.

When I was a kid the sun was not only good for you, but made you healthy. Today the sun gives you cancer unless you shield yourself, despite the very fact that a healthy and age-fighting level of Vitamin D can only be obtained in the body by sun exposure. If you have lower levels of Vitamin D due to sun avoidance you are looking at a spectrum of age related illnesses. But, the glow that I was aiming for as a young teenager – and I am not that old – today should only be obtained by sunless tanning spray, unless you want to risk the harmful rays of the sun.

The irony about technology is that it can equally be as destructive as it is constructive – just like we humans are. While we have lots of New Age solutions to avoid the harm that some technology causes, we develop these new technologies to overcome the negative aspects of harmful influences caused by the same.

Dr. James H. Sternberg, an anti-aging expert with practices in Westwood and Malibu, is board certified in dermatology and dermatopathology , and is an Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine/Dermatology at The UCLA Medical School. While discussing the various ways to achieve beautiful skin Dr. Sternberg points out a high-tech CO2 laser treatment that is the new gold standard and state-of-the-art technology in skin rejuvenation. This procedure can dramatically improve your appearance and take off as much as ten years with just one treatment.

Laser treatments working with light seek to destroy the skin in order to generate new cells. So laser treatments, in fact, create intentional damage for the body to do its work of regeneration.

With Fractional Photothermolysis, unlike with other selective photothermolysis, where the whole of the selected target area is damaged, damage to only certain zones within the selected target area is created by producing tiny dots, or pixel-like treated areas on the skin. This technology leaves the other zones within the treated surface perfectly intact, causing only fractional damage through the heat of the light source. This is why it is called fractional laser therapy. This allows the skin to heal much faster than if the whole area was treated, as the ‘healthy’ untreated tissue surrounding the treated zones helps to fill in the damaged area with new cells. The recovery time is therefore much, much faster while the result is almost unbelievable. This process can be compared to the precise alteration of digital photographs that we are able to do today: pixel by pixel. Optimal improvement after fractional treatment is usually visible in about 2 – 3 months as collagen remodeling and skin tightening continues. The longevity of results is comparable to ablative laser resurfacing and as always is dependent on future ageing, the effects of gravity and sun exposure.

Certainly we need high technology to overcome the destruction of high technology.

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By Adrienne Papp

Fulfilling the potential of his Matrix character title, Keanu Reeves proved that he is also The One when it comes to auto racing. He took the checkered flag in the competitive celebrity field at the 2009 Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race as part of the 35th Annual Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, California.

The star of blockbuster films like The Matrix, The Day The Earth Stood Still, and Speed, Reeves finished first among celebrities in a mixed field that included racing pros Al Unser Jr. who won the Pro division with just five seconds ahead of Keanu. Other participating celebrities included Oscar winner Adrien Brody, Jeopardy host Alex Trebek, comedian Carlos Mencia, 24 star Mary Lynn Rajskub and From G’s To Gents host Fonzworth Bentley.

The event is a popular tradition during the festivities of the Grand Prix weekend, and had the crowd cheering on their favorite celebs throughout the entire race. Both celebrities and professional racers were very success driven as they attempted to win some funds for charities, driving Scion tCs that had been performance modified for the event especially. Not that it made car racing any safer.

With proper training and practice, competing celebrities learned the driving skills needed to navigate the 1.97-mile racetrack through the streets of downtown Long Beach. And although their competitive natures came out during practice, the drivers also enjoyed the camaraderie of experience, which is what the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race is really all about.

World champion pro skateboarder Danny Way led the celeb race for the most part, but got tangled up with Fonzworth Bentley on the ninth lap and ended up hitting the track wall in a head on collision. Reeves then gained the speed necessary and seized the opportunity to cross the finish line first, just seconds in front of E! Entertainment Television’s Executive News Editor, Ken Baker, and comedian Carlos Mencia. Carlos was a funnyman off track and on.

Keanu seemed almost surprised by his triumph even though his chance to win was obvious to me from the beginning. He was not only intensely focused, which is key factor according to Jeff Bodnar who trained Keanu, but also showed continuous commitment.  “It is such a great feeling,” Reeves said after the event. “Bentley and I had been going at it for most of the race, but when I got to the last lap and came around the fountain turn I almost couldn’t believe it. I figured, ‘I’m just gonna go get it.’”

Now the popular multitalented actor (also bassist for rock band Dogstar, and a fan of the heart warming documentary, Anvil! The Story of Anvil!) can add car racing to his resume. It’s probably too early to tell if he has the same bug that got into the blood of actors like Paul Newman, Steve McQueen and James Dean, but Reeves looked like a natural in his red and white Toyota racing suit, and took the checkered flag with great enthusiasm for a great cause. He is an active supporter of many charities, including Angelwear, City of Hope, Coach Art, PETA, Stand Up To Cancer and Wildlife Way Station.

Reeves’ acceptance of the trophy was followed by contributions to various charities, which made everyone’s participation all that more worthy. Toyota donated $5,000 to “Racing for Kids” in the name of each celebrity racer, and another $5,000 to the winning racer’s charity of choice. Racing for Kids is a national non-profit program benefiting children’s hospitals in Long Beach and Orange County, California.

Another $15,000 donation was made in conjunction with the annual “PEOPLE Pole Award.” Sponsored by PEOPLE magazine, the award was given to Danny Way who was the pole-position winner of the qualifying session. Way selected the Action Sports Environmental Coalition (ASEC) as his charity.  Keanu Reeves’ big win will also benefit the charities of his choice, and adds to the list of his contributions on so many levels, not just to film, but also many other causes.

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By Adrienne Papp

Dr. Loraine Stern has every reason to be proud of her medical career, which includes work as a Woman’s Day columnist for over 20 years, regular contributions to Proctor and Gamble’s website, and half a dozen books on children’s health, including the popular Off to a Great Start. But one career was not quite enough for Dr. Stern, who also chose to explore her artistic side by portraying the female body in sensual drawings, featuring gold and metallic effects in wonderfully evocative black and white, or colored renderings. She harmonizes artistic instincts and the love of science and excels in each without compromising either, a rare balance in today’s world. The end-result is brilliant, her work is exquisite, and is admired by fellow artists and art enthusiasts equally.

“The initial inspiration came from my visits to the Art Institute of Chicago when I was a child,” she recalls. “I was struck by a female torso that was part of their collection. It was just mesmerizing.”

Whether captured in a radiantly youthful figure sketch or in maturity with shapes of rumpled, infirm fleshiness, by looking at these images we are looking at a reflection of our own nature, a vision of ourselves revealed in the captured image of another. It’s the same vision that has inspired hundreds of well-known works, like many of Rembrandt’s female nudes, Ruben’s ‘Venus at a Mirror’, Manet’s ‘Olympia’, and Titian’s ‘Venus of Urbino’ all portraying voluptuous bodies, the Mother of all with its immeasurable grace and sensuality.

What began as an exploration of Loraine’s underlying passion and obvious talent quickly grew into a large portfolio and she began receiving recognition, and a complementary nickname, befitting her lively personality – “Legsley.”

“When I started drawing, my husband asked me what I would like to do with my art. I said that I want to be distinctive so people would recognize that I did it, like Aubrey Beardsley.” He replied, ‘You have nice legs, so we will just call you Legsley.’”

The affectionate moniker stuck, and now “Legsley” is how she signs her work.

“The human figure is the most complex and most intriguing of subjects to me,” she says. “There is beauty in the lumpy, the fat or thin, the sad, the pensive, the energetic or whatever a model is conveying. I often juxtapose silver or gold with the figure because one has an intrinsic value just by virtue of being human and the other has value imposed by society.” That philosophy is another example of Dr. Stern’s unified synthesis of seemingly opposing values.

“I think a good life has to have balance,” she says. “With my art, I enjoy the ability of just getting it out there and seeing the response of people who appreciate it. That makes me happy.”

An extraordinary artist, a recognized doctor, Legsley’s next project will entail a synthesis of words and figures, another form of balance from an artist whose work expresses warmth and natural beauty in a presentation that is devoid of rigidity but rather compassionate and loving. The beauty of the female body presented in a masterpiece form of art is like nothing else in the world.

To view Legsley’s work, please visit www.lorainesternartist.com

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By Adrienne Papp

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By Adrienne Papp

“Everyone wants to look good,” says world-renowned, restorative and reconstructive celebrity dentist,Dr. Eric Fugier. “It’s all about natural beauty, excellence in dentistry, and artistry. Designing a smile is like designing  clothes. You have to look at the face and the whole person.” And he really does treat the “whole person,” having received honors in Energy Medicine as a Dr. of Naturopathic Healing, and awarded “The Best Dentist in America” by his fellow dentists.

First practiced in Monte Carlo, then post graduated in the States, Fugier
also worked with Dr. Charlie Pincus, celebrity dentist for Judy Garland, Shirley Temple, and Elizabeth Taylor. Not to brag about Fugier’s achievements, but he did learn from the Galileo of teeth – as Pincus is also the inventor of the Porcelain Veneer. Fugier’s own clientele includes movie and music icons and dignitaries from around the world. The demand for elective dental work has grown considerably in recent years.

However, with the over-commercialized cosmetic dentistry, some dentists are offering services they don’t know how to perform properly. “There are so many botched jobs. People do not understand that good dentistry requires the
right technique along with experience and artistic ability.” Dr. Fugier frequently receives cases where another dentist changed the spacing or height of the teeth, creating pain and problems that hadn’t existed before, such as TMJ. “The general public is being sold cosmetic dentistry as if it were some easy, fun procedure. If it is not done right, you will  have permanent damage. It’s important for people to find someone really qualified, so they don’t have to go through a  nightmare.” One patient who found Dr. Fugier after suffering through horrible pain, waking up with teeth she never wanted, looking and feeling horrified, says: “You must work with someone knowledgeable. I found in Fugier a doctor who is esthetically fantastic, structurally and physically meticulous.” Although we are ready to “suffer for beauty” – as the saying goes, – doing some home work before invasive undertakings is a must in order to avoid a traumatic
beautification.

For answers go to www.drericfugier.com or call Dr. Fugier at +1 310-859-1575 in his Hollywood office.

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By Adrienne Papp

In the very competitive world of couture design, it’s rare to find a fresh talent with a unique take on the ever-changing world of fashion.

Once in a generation someone outstanding comes along with an exciting new line that blends tradition and creativity in a unique way. A new rarity, a limited edition of 99 extraordinary bags in three different models, is the creation of Alessandra Gucci, a flamboyant talent and vivacious entrepreneur who is taking accessories in a brilliant new direction with her first collection of purses.

Alessandra is boldly taking a never before direction while maintaining the tradition of one of the strongest names in the history of couture.

Yes, Alessandra is directly related to the famous Gucci family and the House of the Gucci fashion empire. She’s quick to add though that her business is completely separate and not related to the iconic Italian company, even though her grandfather and father served as inspirations for two of her three models that are part of the AG Limited Editions collection, called ‘The First.’

‘I loved to follow my grandfather and father in the shop or the production department,’ Alessandra says. ‘I learned by watching them create bags, mixing high quality, beauty and tradition all together.’

Alessandra’s new company, AG Limited Editions, is the result of her desire to connect to her family tradition and also produce innovative designs inspired by her own creativity. With her inherited artistic sensibility and passion, and a university degree in Business Economics, Alessandra decided it was time to make her own statement in the fashion world and create something that would establish her identity as a creative designer. ‘I also wanted to let the world know that “Made in Italy” is back and something to be proud of,’ she says.

The inspiration for her first line was a book on botany that depicted floral designs in unique and vibrant ways, portraying an effect that was ‘chromatically stimulated.’ She began to experiment and invented a new procedure of manual dyeing, which is used for every piece of her new collection. As she worked with alligator leather, she found it reacted to the process very uniquely. It is the irregularity of the colors, and unique shading and nuances produced in her process that makes each AG design a one-of-a-kind. Through this process, each purse becomes an individual work of art, with Alessandra participating directly in every phase of the creation. The models that make up her first line are interpreted with the colors ‘Pink’, ‘Jungle’ and ‘Blue’ produced by the innovative dyeing process.

Each AG bag is made by hand, the leather treated and shaped using Alessandra’s unique dyeing process and old world artisanal methods. ‘I am working with artisans who have 100 years of experience,’ she says. ‘They were friends of my family and now I am working very closely with them.’ The final result is a line of luxury leather goods combining tradition, quality and innovation.

The three models reflect her family’s traditional roots, her father, and her own contemporary personal vision. ‘Each of the bags is unique and numbered. I wanted to keep the first collection very special, very small,’ Alessandra says.

Dedicated to her grandfather, ‘Rodolfo’ is the model that interprets the roots of her family. It reflects classic beauty and Old World artisanal craftsmanship. Alessandra’s ‘Maurizio’ designs are named after her father, and are a tribute to the evolution of tradition, a passage from one generation to another. Alessandra uses her name on the third design, taking a whimsical barrel shape and reinventing it through the exotic alligator leather. The result contrasts fun with handcrafted luxury in a contemporary design reflecting Alessandra’s personality. For every model there are only 11 pieces available, each one unique and completely constructed and crafted by hand.

Alessandra’s AG designs essentially redefine the alligator bag, remaking it into something that can be worn with jeans or a black suit or evening dress, and each model is accented with colorful handmade Swarovski crystals.

And this first line of exotic alligator bags is just the starting point for Alessandra. ‘Shops who handle my first line of bags will also be the ones who get my second line. I would like to develop a relationship with my dealers internationally, and continue to grow with them.’

Based in St Moritz, Switzerland, her collection is currently available at high-end locations in Milan, St. Moritz, Lugano, Paris and Moscow, and she is in talks with an expanding network of dealers in key cities throughout the world. With any luck, they will be coming to exclusive boutiques in New York and Los Angeles soon.

‘I want to keep improving and find my specialty niche. My next collection may again special handbags, but different from ‘The First’ collection, then future creations maybe leather gloves, or shoes,’ Alessandra adds. ‘It is time for me to develop my ideas and share them. I am taking everything one step at a time, making sure that everything is of the highest quality. Anyone who buys my bags can be proud that they are the owner of one hundred years of Italian artisan experience.’

Image courtesy of Guido Harari

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By Adrienne Papp
Posted on 23 Jan 2009 at 11:00am

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