Mr.StrictlyIntimate
the Life, the Love and the Sex of Vienna.Archive for Movies
Gossip Girl Revealed!
“And who am I? That’s a secret I’ll never tell… You know you love me. XOXO, Gossip Girl.”
Hello, my Upper East Siders! Mr.StrictlyIntimate here.
I guess you have all seen, or heard it? How do you feel now that the best kept secret of television history is out? Are you shocked? Dazzled? Confused? Or simply speechless by the turn of events and this tremendous revelation? Let me tell you I was just angry with myself that I did not get it the first minute because I was totally hoping Lily (played by Kelly Rutherford, a mundane, elegant and gracious woman!) would turn out to be the Tell-All-Bitch helping her daughter Serena (played by sparkling Blake Lively) to stay in public to never being able turning her back on being a van der Woodsen but hey, sometimes even Mr.StrictlyIntimate can get things wrong. Hard to believe, isn’t it?
“What’s the difference between gossip and scandal? So glad you asked. Anyone can commit a minor indiscretion and generate a day’s worth of buzz, but in order for gossip to birth a true scandal it requires the right person to be in the wrong place. Take one ‘it’ girl on a pedestal, add a crowd eager to see her fall, and give them the means to knock her down.”
(Season 1)
It’s out there, now. Dan Humphrey, or as we all love to call him (as well as he himself obviously did) Lonely Boy, is Gossip Girl. Who would have thought? After 5 Years, 6 Seasons and 121 Episodes Kristen Bell got kicked to the curve by being offered a guest appearance while her voice has been the cornerstone of our personal Gossip Girls ups and downs, just to make some space for Penn Badgley alias Lonely Boy to take the spotlight away from her. Poor K — they say, ‘There are no small parts, just small actors.”
“And some masks we wear because we hope to stay hidden. But that’s the problem with wearing masks. They can be ripped off at any moment.”
(Season 5)
After seeing Monday’s final episode of my most beloved series I was feeling bittersweet. Not particularly sad because, you know “sad” is just not what I do. I have not outfit that goes with “sad” and “pitiful.” But still, I felt a little heartbroken that I can never again be in pure amazement about Blair Waldorf’s (played by amazingly wonderful Leighton Meester) hilarious wit, cruel intentions and fabulous fashion! At least, in the end Blair got to marry of her life Mister Chuck Bass (played by handsomely sexy Ed Westwick) in one of the most beautiful gowns by Elie Saab, a designer I cherish for his classic and elegant approach on the fashion of a modern woman who is aware and conscious of her body and wants to feel beautiful at any given point of time.
Blair Waldorf’s Wedding Gown by Elie Saab
Other happenings in Questions:
Wasn’t it hilarious how Ivy for the first time realized that good old William was playing her to get to Lily?
Isn’t Blair’s and Chuck’s son simply adorable?
Doesn’t Georgina Sparks look as striking and evil as never before?
Doesn’t Dan Humphrey somehow look like he should seriously consider taking on showering again?
Wouldn’t it have been awesome if Lily van der Woodsen was Gossip Girl?
Wouldn’t it have been awesome if charmingly funny Dorota was Gossip Girl?
Didn’t we all think “well, that was kind of predictable” as Serena and Dan were about to get married at the end of the episode?
Wasn’t it pretty nice and neat how they managed to include every once important cast member in the story’s arch for this final bashing 40 minutes?
“In Manhattan, some parties are VIP only. Others are strictly private. But some parties are political, and those lines are drawn by the most established of the establishment. And once those lines are drawn, they can never be crossed.”
(Season 3)
Don’t we all now feel like, “Damn, it’s really over, isn’t it?”
Well, my dear Upper East Siders, it really is. It was such a wonderful time watching those characters grow and develop, some more, some less, some almost not at all. Still, my Gossip Girl years were, besides Sex and the City and now Pretty Little Liars (the only thing I can still keep on holding on to) and Revenge, one of the best of my few hours spent in front of the television. This is all gone now, but hey, I got all the season on DVD and I can’t wait to get the sixth as well. This is a bittersweet farewell so I thought to ease the heartache here are some of Gossip Girl’s (or Dan’s) best quotes:
“Sometimes you need to step outside, clear your head and remind yourself of who you are. And where you wanna be. And sometimes you have to venture outside your world in order to find yourself.”
(Season 1)
“But the worst thing the truth can do? Is when you finally tell it, it doesn’t set you free… but locks you away, forever.”
(Season 1)
“In life, as in art, some endings are bittersweet. Especially when it comes to love. Sometimes fate throws two lovers together only to rip them apart. Sometimes the hero finally makes the right choice but the timing is all wrong. And, as they say, timing is everything.”
(Season 2)
“One thing about being on the top of the world.. it gives you a long, long way to fall.”
(Season 2)
“We make our own fortunes, and call them fate. And what better excuse to choose a path than to insist it’s our destiny? But at the end of the day, we all have to live with our choices … no matter who’s looking over our shoulder.”
(Season 3)
“When you do finally get what you want, the problem is there’s always someone that’s trying to take it away. And all that wanting makes us blind to the fact that things aren’t exactly what we think they are. Maybe it’s better sometimes to just get what you need.”
(Season 4)
“Sticks and stones may just break bones, but the wounds from words never heal. Especially when they’re words we hoped we’d never read.”
(Season 5)
“They say every road comes to an end, but sometimes the end feels just like the beginning. Even when you think you’ve come a long way, you can suddenly find yourself right back where you started. Because every journey is fraught with twists and turns.”
(Season 5)
What a ride those 5 years, 6 seasons and 121 episode were. Joyful. Tearful. Wonderful. Playful. Full of incredible fashion moments.
They say, “everything must come to an end” and they are quite right. This is the end of an era. This was the final episode, THE END, of Gossip Girl. This is Good-Bye to the most fashionable gang in television history.
Now it is all about guessing who the hell A is because Gossip Girl was revealed.
XOXO
One Step Closer to Reflecting Myself [Part IV]
Autumn is slowly coming and gently asking us to enter our hearts and closets and homes. Though being gentle in announcing oneself it rather intrudes us in a way we actually don’t want it to for we crave summer, sun and heat. But still, autumn is coming and so I think, ‘Embrace change. Embrace the chance to get yourself all dressed up in a new wardrobe, a new mood, a new interpretation of who you are. AND, embrace the wake up call to finally get your apartment done and ready for a colder season to follow, winter.’
Elle Decoration UK – October 2012 Cover
So after three phases and a short break I finally arrived in number IV: One Step Closer to Reflecting Myself
Phase I: On the Hunt (for the Perfect Apartment) [Part I]
Phase II: Designing a Happy Home [Part II]
Phase III: Bit by Bit [Part III]
To me, a home is where the heart is! Ergo: where my heart is there am I. Further ergo: Where I am there should be the real me; my own reflection; my own interpretation of who I am and who I want to be. Not just to myself but to anybody who comes into my private walls as a guest. Therefore, my personal space should be an addition to what I represent. When I enter the room I should feel as if it underlines my personality rather than projecting something that isn’t there, or presenting myself in a light that doesn’t fit the part. It would feel like someone trying to fit into an Alexander McQueen Couture gown though one knows one is completely Atelier Versace; meaning less feathers more sparkle. (Don’t get me wrong here: Alexander McQueen IS a part of my religious belief. Trust me, I worship him and now Sarah Burton for what they’ve created!)
Alexander McQueen Spring/Summer 2013
Alexander McQueen Spring/Summer 2013 Detail
Decorating and furnishing come together to be a process – a long lasting one. Not just a rush of emotions and motions that overwhelm your senses to tell you to simply get it done as soon as you can to get it over with. NO, if you want your apartment to reflect your innermost, your character, your ambitions, your motivations, your style, your fashion, your love and your passion for life; it takes some time to evolve.
That is what I did – I gave myself time to evolve within my new environment. For three months I have my own place now and it feels more like a home to me than anything has ever done. Every single day it comes closer to where I can say my heart is… but it isn’t perfect yet. To be honest, I don’t think it can ever be but at least it can be close to what I want it to be – a place where I can relax once I have entered the double doors; a place I can call home; a place where I can be myself without compromising, without having to apologize, without the necessity of defending flaws. Here I am perfect, if I want to be. If I feel like it.
Autumn calls for action – it calls for inspiration! And so I took my best friend ELLE Decoration out for some last walks in the sun trying to get inspired by what is around me; colors, shapes, shades, street signs, maps, people. I felt like a child in a candy store being surrounded by all those fabulous colors, spirits and voices. With a little help of VOGUE and GQ I always feel perfectly safe when it comes to my fashion choices but with my apartment I still feel like I do not have the grip on what is my style yet. At least not completely. BUT, every time I open ELLE Decoration I feel like I have IT, the one thing that makes me visualize fabrics and shapes, color schemes and patterns in a way I have never imagined before. Fashion isn’t just who or what you wear; it is how you live, how you furnish and how you decorate too!
So, for my bedroom I always felt white, completely – a white bed, a white big open closet, a white standing mirror and a white dresser. I always added color with just my clothes, the bedding and my big purple Prada box. But now I feel like those white walls finally need something new – I feel shapes, well, more like pattern. A mathematical pattern of triangles on two walls in an L-shaped constellation to surround my bed and my door while on the opposite wall only the closet with my beautiful clothes sets the tone. This, to me, sounds like a perfect equilibrium of fast moving, ever changing fashion versus unwinding, calming body and mind.
For the bedroom my eyes is on this triangle patterned wallpaper in Charcoal Grey/Off White called ‘Goldsmith’ by Custhom, £170 per 4m roll, Green and Fay:
ELLE Decoration UK Pattern Book S/S 2012
(picture: ELLE Decoration iPad APP)
For the bedroom as well as my living room I still have to find the perfect fabrics to decorate the windows but I am sure that these ideas will come up in no matter of time since I find myself to be in a very creative mood and a very inspired place right now. So, stay tuned for more and get yourself a little bit inspired by the last summer days until autumn conquers our hearts, wardrobes and homes.
XOXO
P.S.: Inspirational Song of the Day
JEM – Amazing
(as featured on the Motion Picture ‘Sex and the City: the Movie)
NEWS FLASH: Pretty Little Liars
Here it is – the Season 3 Promo trailer of ABC Family’s hit drama show ‘Pretty Little Liars’. The one thing all the fans have been waiting for except for the actual start on June 5, 2012. New characters, new secrets, deaths and secret black swans, – ‘The Web is more tAngled than they ever imagined. It’s only just begun!’
Season 3 will be taking place exactly six months after the events of the Season 2 finale, with Mona having been a patient in Radley Sanatorium in that time. Spencer will still be ring leader and in a relationship with Toby (though I hope she will get Wren in the end). Hannah and Caleb’s relationship will suffer from a secret Caleb has been keeping (Thank God – I hope she upgrades herself to someone more elaborate than that criminal). Aria and Ezra will be celebrating something and no it is not an accidental pregnancy (We’d Wish!) but their first year anniversary and Emily will be dealing with Maya’s possible (and maybe faux) death.
So far the titles of the first five episodes have been announced with the promo trailer:
S03E01: It Happened “ThAt Night” (June 5, 2012)
S03E02: Blood Is the New BlAck (June 12, 2012)
S03E03: Kingdom of the Blind (June 19, 2012)
S03E04: Birds of A Feather (June 26, 2012)
S03E05: ThAt Girl Is Poison (July 3, 2012)
Cast of Season 3:
Main Cast:
Troian Bellisario as Spencer Hastings
Ashley Benson as Hanna Marin
Shay Mitchell as Emily Fields
Lucy Hale as Aria Montgomery
Series Regulars:
Janel Parrish as Mona Vanderwall
Sasha Pieterse as Alison DiLaurentis
Keegan Allen as Toby Cavanaugh
Ian Harding as Ezra Fitz
Tyler Blackburn as Caleb Rivers
Holly Marie Combs as Ella Montgomery
Laura Leighton as Ashley Marin
Chad Lowe as Byron Montgomery
Bianca Lawson as Maya St. Germain
Recurring Roles:
Tammin Sursok as Jenna Marshall
Torrey DeVitto as Melissa Hastings
Yani Gellman as Officer Garrett Reynolds
Nia Peeples as Pam Fields
Cody Christian as Mike Montgomery
Drew Van Acker as Jason DiLaurentis
Lesley Fera as Veronica Hastings
Nolan North as Peter Hastings
Julian Morris as Wren Kingston
Bryce Johnson as Darren Wilden
Roark Critchlow as Tom Marin
Lindsey Shaw as Paige McCullers
Natalie Hall as Kate Randall
Heather Mazur as Isabel Randall-Marin
Are you as excited as I am? I am already counting down the days, hours, minutes and seconds (also to receiving my pre-order of the second season) and I almost can’t wait for the Pretty Little Liars to get themselves dirty and fighting again. But until June 5th I will have to keep myself stuck on watching the first season on DVD – Just started with episode one and this is going to be a long night. Have a great one!
XOXO
I’m still here Bitches! And I know everything. -A
P.S.: If you want to update yourself on everything going on inside the Pretty Little Liars circle you might be convinced by my recommendation of reading the Pretty Little Liars books by Sara Shepard.
Book #1: Pretty Little Liars (published October 1, 2006)
Book #2: Flawless (published March 26, 2007)
Book #3: Perfect (published September 1, 2007)
Book #4: Unbelievable (published June 1, 2008)
Book #5: Wicked (published November 25, 2008)
Book #6: Killer (published June 30, 2009)
Book #7: Heartless (published January 1, 2010)
Book #8: Wanted (published June 8, 2010)
Book #9: Twisted (published July 5, 2011)
Book #10: Ruthless (published December 6, 2011)
Book #11: Stunning (being published June 5, 2012)
Book #12: Burned (being published December 4, 2012)
Companion Novel: Pretty Little Secrets (published January 3, 2012)
the Hunger Games.
I just stepped out of my hot bathtub where I recalled what I was allowed to see tonight – the Austrian “the Hunger Games” Premiere I attended with my dear K. It was simply amazing. You know, there are always movies basing on books that make you feel like you’ve just wasted one and a half to two hours of your lives but these two hours and twelve minutes have been just dazzling, exciting and sincerely leaving me wanting to see more!
The whole day I was counting hours and minutes and seconds just to finally be caught in the moment when the cinema hall lights turn off, everyone turns silent and just opens up to being moved fundamentally deep by something amazing. And amazing it was. Amazingly great put together, amazingly great transferred into a movie and above all, amazingly great acting by beautiful Jennifer Lawrence (stunning before in ‘Winter’s Bone’ for which she shouldn’t have just received the nomination for the Academy Award but the Award itself) and handsome Josh Hutcherson (critically acclaimed for his part in the movie ‘The Kinds Are All Right’).
Jennifer Lawrence at "The Hunger Games" Premiere New York in Prabal Gurung
Josh Hutcherson at The Hunger Games Premiere New York in Z Zegna
Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen and Josh Hutcherson as Peeta Mellark were just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to amazing actors in a movie that will buzz all the Twitter Accounts of the World when the premiere will take place in the rest of the world come tomorrow! Liam Hemsworth as Gale Hawthorne, Elizabeth Banks as Effie Trinket (dashingly great and funny in amazing couture!), Lenny Kravitz as Cinna, Stanley Tucci as Caesar Flickerman, Woody Harrelson as Haymitch Abernathy, (amazingly hot and to die for) Wes Bentley as Gamekeeper Seneca Crane (Why the hell did such a beautiful man have to die!?), Amandla Stenberg as Rue (who wasn’t just fabulously funny but magically cute… her death scene was definitely the saddest) and all the other great members of the cast made this movie a spectacular piece of entertainment. All the hard work and training and effort they put in were definitely worth it and I can’t wait for the second and third and fourth movie (yeah, there’s gotta be a trend in splitting up the last part!).
the (officially existing) 12 Districts of Panem
Of course, the movies had a few flaws like leaving out the part of dearly touching Madge Undersee, the mayor’s daughter who actually gave the golden Mockingjay pin to Katniss; or, the fact that Katniss was younger when she got the bread from Peeta, which did not come out as clear in the movie; or, leaving out the fate of Avox girl Lavinia; or, not including the (for my part very important and beautiful) sending of the bread from District 11 to Katniss; or, shortening the part of Katniss’ styling crew who would have added an amazingly hilarious part to the whole scenery of blood and fight and killing. But, all in all I have to point out – no book adaption can be fulfilling to one hundred percent and I guess the parts that have been left out are exactly those that had to be deleted in order to keep an eye on the main message and tone of the story by Suzanne Collins. For me, the movie was great – more than that. It was almost close to perfect for it couldn’t have been done any better. So I take a bow and may speak out proudly, ‘Kudos to the cast, the crew and all the people working so hard to make this movie what it is – a heartbreaking, exciting and partly very funny movie about children (because that is what they actually are when you think about it precisely) who fight for their lives in order to have a life they actually deserved. With enough hot water to bath, enough food to survive and enough love to feel comfortable in their own skins!’
XOXO
Mr.StrictlyIntimate
P.S.: Follow ‘The Hunger Games’ on Twitter – @TheHungerGames take a look at the Soundtrack available via iTunes and, take a very close look at the beautiful cast of the Tributes.
The Hunger Games - The (beautiful and not at all that bloodthirsty) Tributes.
the End. For Now.
Well, well, well. Yesterday was THE grand finale of the month. Pretty Little Liars season two (Episode 25 – unmAsked) ended and it was not with a fizzle but with a bang! A big bang. If you haven’t seen the last episode by now you should definitely not read on because I am playing A’s part now – I am the tell-it-all bitch that sets off spoiler alert!
It was epic and I was thrilled with every single second of it. Spencer looked as stunning as ever and was amazingly tough – even better than ever before. One was able to see flames in her eyes when she looked at her sister Melissa (whom everyone believed to be A) from the backdoor stating, ‘Hide and seek was my favorite game with Melissa. You want to know why? I always won.’ And I believed her while hell froze and her stunning face gave me the creeps. Mona (played by stunningly beautiful Janel Parrish) is A. A is Mona. Well, not just in the books but also in the ABC Family TV-Show. Though being declared mentally ill, one can see that Mona should win an Academy Award for acting all loony while the A-Team gets ready for a big bitch slap in season 3 in which her part will never be at stakes! I actually have to bow for the cast and crew to play the Mona part so witty and not letting her die in the end (like in the books) but getting a bashing reprise in the following seasons.
Message from A right after she hit Hanna with her car. At least she was polite enough to apologize.
Other shocking details: Melissa definitely will get her big part in season three while Jenna has a surprise up her sleeves for the four liars – pretending she can’t see but actually having her sight back could get the girls a lot of more trouble. Spencer and Toby back together but hey, did everybody forget about the most beautiful of all guys? Hello – what about Wren!? Will there be a male bitch fight over Spencer?
The saddest tale of all Emily had to tell. At the end of her day all there was left was a dead body waiting for her to be discovered. Her girlfriend Maya was found dead. No murderer, no murderer weapon, no reason – so far. I bet there is going to be more on that once the Pretty Little Liars are finally back on screen. What I really liked about the fact of the girls finding Maya dead was the reminiscing musical moment because those who have watched from episode one might remember that the same tune was playing when Ali’s body was being found. Orelia Has Orchestra – Suggestions.
At the end of every day life is a lesson but what did the Pretty Little Liars learn? And what did those threatening the girls learn? Not just, ‘Never trust a pretty girl with an ugly secret’ but also “Never underestimate a pretty girl fighting for her right to have a normal life.’ Bitch A might be back but Aria, Emily, Hanna and Spencer can be bitches of their own.
XOXO
Mr.StrictlyIntimate
P.S.: Dear Producers – I so hope (for your own good and safety) that season two will be on DVD soon. I can’t wait.
