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Happy Birthday, Julie Andrews!

Happy Birthday, Julie Andrews!

Dame Julie turns 81 today. Two months ago, one of the first things I did after landing in LA, meeting my friend JJ, getting a chip for my phone, bussing to our hotel and buying flip-flops (to make up for having two left-footed sandals) was to walk to Grauman’s Chinese Theatre … … to see where Julie…

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1

Oct

Triple-fried duck fat in Watergate

Triple-fried duck fat in Watergate

The Watergate Hotel’s website homepage wisely doesn’t have exterior photos. Otherwise, it might contain these: But the inside is imaginative and luxurious. My Antarctic friend Spencer and I had a late lunch there in August, and were sucked into the allure of the cubic fries, though I was less excited when I heard they were…

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28

Sep

A Shakespearean lip balm set and more…

A Shakespearean lip balm set and more…

Shakespeare’s statue in Buenos Aires shows  his influence on the world … … but the North Americans take it several levels higher. I’ve previously posted about how they market Shakespearean insults … … and ‘To Be, or Not to Be’. Here are more items for sale at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC:               

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24

Sep

Katharine the Greatest

Katharine the Greatest

The National Portrait Gallery in Washington DC doesn’t just have portraits. It also houses Katharine Hepburn’s four Oscars. When I saw them in August, she and Henry Fonda were also part of an exhibition called Hollywood and Time: Celebrity Covers. Hollywood has never been known for its kindness to ageing actresses. Bob Hope, Bing Crosby…

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17

Sep

Michael from Perth

(Michael Bowyer)