2008 Beverly Hills Film Festival Winners!

By:Veronica Viljoen Photos:Johnny Sims & Studio Viggio
"Bad Guys" Won 3 Categories


"Hole in the Paper Sky" Won 2 Categories


At the 8th Annual, Beverly Hills Film Festival (BHFF) closing Gala Awards ceremony, April 13th, the pulp crime drama “Bad Guys,” directed by Rick Jacobson captured three awards, including the Audience Choice Award for Best Feature Film, Best Producer and Best Actor. “Hole in the Paper Sky” from Bill Purple and starring Jessica Biel (also a producer), won the Audience Award for Best Short Film and Best Screenplay. The first annual Beverly Hills Film Festival Living Legends Award was also presented to legendary photojournalist and Hollywood photographer Phil Stern by producer/director Brett Ratner (“Rush Hour” franchise).
Best Actor, Sherman Augustus "Bad Guys" & Best Actress, Andrea Melton "Time"

The event, which was held on Sunday night, April 13, 2008, at the Beverly Hills Hotel (9641 Sunset Boulevard), was attended by over 200 independent filmmakers, as well as City notables and industry VIPs. The five-day festival that featured premieres, parties and panels discussions kicked-off on Wednesday, April 9th with an Opening Night red carpet event at the Clarity Theater in Beverly Hills, featuring World Premieres of “Bad Guys” and Ondamax Films’ “Thunder Man: The Don Aronow Story,” directed by Andrew Wainrib and narrated by Andy Garcia. Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman came out to support the West Coast Premiere of producer Polly Walter’s “Cat Dragged In,” directed by Nils Tim, while “Hole in the Paper Sky” also had its West Coast Premiere the same night.
(L) Bill Purple & (R) Michelle Purple - "Hole in the Paper Sky" Best Screenplay

Sponsors included GQ Magazine, Mercedes-Benz and Proximity by Axe. The 2008 BHFF recipients were awarded with custom-made crystal, marble trophies, created by Society Awards.



2008 Beverly Hills Film Festival (BHFF) Awards:Best Actress went to Andrea Melton for “Time” (World Premiere), which she co-directed with Don Lawrence.
Best Actor went to Sherman Augustus for his role in “Bad Guys,” directed by Rick Jacobson. Best Director went to Justin Lerner for “The Replacement Child.”
Best Producer went to Frederico Lapenda for “Bad Guys.”
Best Foreign Film went to the Brazlian feature, “Drained” from writer/director Heitor Dhalia.
Best Cinematography went to the short “Terres Noires,” by director Clement Gharin.
Best Editing went to “Persona” from writer/director Pac Arias.
Best Animation went to the CG short “PK-Granny” from director/producer Jo Meuris.
Best Screenplay went to writers Howard Kingkade and Bill Purple for the short film “Hole in the Paper Sky,” starring and produced by Jessica Biel.
The first annual ACE Award (Advancement of Creative Expression) was presented by Digital Evolution to the founders of MySpace.com.
The Golden Palm Award (best film in all categories) went to “Woman” (World Premiere), directed by Ziad Hamzeh. (L) Bob Love & (R) Jim White, "Butterbean" 1st runner-up, Golden Palm Screenplay Award


Filmmaker, Hector Cruz Sandoval, (L) who is creating a documentary on Stern's life called "Hollywood Big Shot", next to Phil Stern and Brett Ratner (R)


LA Councilman Tom LaBonge with Phil Stern


Bad Guys L-R: Tim Cogshell (writer), Frederico Lapenda (producer), Blaine McManus (co-producer) & Sherman Augustus (actor)


BHFF Founder, Nino Simone, (L) received proclamation from LA councilman, Tom LaBonge (M) while filmmaker Hector Cruz Sandoval (R) looks on
























Audience Choice Awards:
Best Short Film went to “Hole in the Paper Sky,” directed by Bill Purple, and starring and produced by Jessica Biel.
Best Documentary went to “Red Hot Chili Peppers: A Dutch Connection” (World Premiere), directed by Bram van Splunteren.
Best Feature Film went to “Bad Guys,” directed Rick Jacobson.

Special Jury Awards:
Best Feature Film went to “Shake Hands with the Devil” (LA Premiere), by director Roger Spottiswoode.
Best Documentary went to “Thunder Man: The Don Aronow Story” (World Premiere), from director Andrew Wainrib.
Best Short Film went to “The Replacement Child,” from writer/director Justin Lerner.

Golden Palm Screenplay Competition:
The Golden Palm Screenplay Competition Award went to Natashia Sanders for “The Spinning Wheel.” First runner-up is James Oliveros White for “Butterbean” and second runner-up is Eduardo Barraza for “Arcangel".
The Jury Jury members include Mark Amin, chairman of Lions Gate Films; Emmy Award-winning journalist, Laura Lucio; producer/director Hector Sandoval (award-winning documentary (“Kordavision”); journalist Daniela Busolini; Brazilian actress Daniela Escobar; producer Lawrence Kubik; and Steven Paul, CEO and president of Crystal Sky.
For more information on the festival, please visit http://www.beverlyhillsfilmfestival.com/
Heather Burgett HLB PR Los Angeles http://www.hlbpr.net/

(L) Heather Burgett, BHFF Publicist, wearing an Elvira Petri Designs necklace and earrings & (R) Andrea Melton, Best Actress Winner, "Time"

Funkshion - Fashion Week Miami Beach

By Veronica Viljoen


Fall/Winter Collections Runway Shows!
March 26th-29th, 2008











Argyle Culture,
Designer, Russell Simmons








FUNKSHION: Fashion Week Miami Beach now in its 10th year, celebrated a season with one of the most impressive line-ups in recent years. Justin Timberlake’s clothing line; William Rast, the debut of Russell Simmons new Argyle Culture line; as well as Puma; Parish; Caroline D' Amore and Marithé+François Girbaud were some of the designer names on their Fall 2008 Funkshion schedule.

For Funkshion: Fashion Week Miami Beach, a state of the art fashion arena was built on the sand at 11th Street and Ocean Drive in Lummus Park, Miami Beach, Florida where the venue featured three unique areas with a large court yard for sponsor activities in the center of it all. As with every season, Funkshion: Fashion Week Miami Beach supports new and emerging designers with the “Emerging Designers Award”. This year, David Sugarman, CEO of Miami based Management Company Sugartime Productions and Shultz hosted the emerging designer’s event, and along with Fashion Group International, awarded the winner with a cash prize and free representation for one year.















Another highlight to Funkshion, Fashion Week Miami Beach was the fashion line debut, Argyle Culture, by world renowned entrepreneur, Russell Simmons. The use of the argyle motif was used in a trendy, classic manner in the collection while paired with the American style of the modern man. In photo above, Simmons (R) with girlfriend, Porschia Coleman and Fabian Hernandez (M) are front row at the D'Armore by Marceau runway show during Funkshion.







Actress, Mena
Suvari (L) with boyfriend
Simone Sestito at
Funkshion


ELLE Jewerly was another line that also showed to a full house during Funkshion. It is known that behind ELLE Jewelry and Watches lies the strength and inspiration of the largest fashion publication in the world, ELLE Magazine. Their philosophy is to bridge the gap between the contemporary and the classic, in order to merge the modern with the timeless. Like the pages of ELLE Magazine, ELLE Jewelry evolves from season to season, as colors and fashion trends change. The ELLE Jewelry collection offers a distinguished look and edge that is chic, modern, and bold.
Emerging Designer, Luciana Scarabello featuring ELLE Jewelry

Closing night shows in The Tents featured Heatherette (that chose this year to show at FUNKSHION: Fashion Week Miami Beach over New York and Los Angeles Fashion Weeks) as well as the Jockstarzz Fashion Show benefiting the Kevin Everett Foundation, which brought some of the nation’s biggest National Football League (“NFL”) players together to tackle the runway for a one-night-only charity event and fashion show. During the charity show, super producers Cool and Dre mixed it up on the runway as they debuted their clothing line, Dirty Royalty. For information on Funkshion: Fashion Week Miami Beach - http://www.fashionweekmiami.com/ www.livevideo.com/fashionweekmiami

It's a wrap, V.

Photos:
Mitchell Zachs/Courtesy of 10 Cane Rum http://www.magicphotos.com/

Chipmunks DVD Release Party

By Veronica Viljoen

Hollywood Gets Munk’d by Alvin and The Chipmunks!

Thursday, March 27th, 2008:
Alvin, Simon and Theodore along with film stars Jason Lee, Jesse McCartney and many others were at the El Rey Theatre, 5515 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, California for the family-friendly DVD Release Party and charity concert event that benefited the VH1 Save The Music Foundation.

(L) Actress, Cameron Richardson & (R) Actor, Jason Lee at the "Chipmunks DVD Release Party

After the Los Angeles concert event, Alvin and the Chipmunks embarked on their Get Munk’d Tour 2008, a 12-city national concert tour where they traveled to select malls across the country until April 13th with live song and dance performances and fun interactive Chipmunk fan experience activities like video game play stations, “Munk Dance” lessons for the children and their fans. Some of the cities that they visited included Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Dallas, Atlanta, Detroit, Seattle, Minneapolis, Denver, St Louiis, Salt Lake City and San Diego.

Actor, Jason Lee signs guitar at Alvin and the Chipmunks DVD Release Party
When I attended the Red Carpet Arrival Event, “Hollywood Gets Munk’d” at the El Rey Theatre, it was a pleasure for me to interview a number of actors within Hollywood’s entertainment industry. Some of the responses to my fashion related question, “who are you wearing” were as follows:

Keke Palmer (Akeelah and the Bee): “Porridge, is the designer to my gray dress”.

Becky and Milly Rosso (Legally Blondes): “Our dresses are from Limited Two”.

Christina Perez (Christina’s Court): “I’m wearing a good pair of jeans with black top”.

Cameron Richardson (“Claire”): “I went to the home of an LA stylist and selected this green dress from her selection”.

Matthew Gray Gubler (voice of “Simon”): “I am wearing a Bill Cosby inspired t-shirt that I designed about a year ago”.

Actress, Keke Palmer















T-shirt design by Actor, Matthew Gubler















(L) Becky & (R) Molly Rosso
















The assignment was a fun, informative gig. I left with more knowledge about the endeavors of the furry trio. Alvin, Simon and Theodore (Alvin and the Chipmunks) which was started by it’s creator, Ross Bagdasarian, Sr in 1958. It’s a wrap, V.

Fashion Critic, Veronica Viljoen
For more information:
http://www.alvinandthechipmunksdvd.com/



Photos:

Bender/Helper Impact http://www.bhimpact.com/

Johnny Sims

Style File - April 2008

By Veronica Viljoen


Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, LA:
Celebrities at The Tents

For Fall 2008, March 9 – 13, Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at Smashbox Studios, Los Angeles, offered a platform for Hollywood’s celebrities to attend a fashionable event. Lauren Conrad, Paris Hilton, Kristie Alley, Lisa Rinna and P.Diddy were among some of the celebrities seen at The Tents. This season mostly lesser known designer names showed at The Tents while the more established names either showed in New York or off-venue sites around Los Angeles. Designers, Orthodox, Whitley Kros, Joseph Domingo, Nicholoi, Elmer Ave, Ashley Paige and Pussycat Dolls (photo above) by Robin Antin were some of the names on the program. Despite, the mix in fashion genre, the Fall 2008 collections in LA were stimulating and celebrity spotting to the eye.

Celebrities at The Tents:

Kathy & Rick Hilton

(L) Lauren Conrad (R) Juliette Lewis

Celebrity Stylist, Nick Chavez

In my opinion, a celebrity in her own right within the fashion industry, Fern Mallis, 7th on Sixth/IMG, has been significantly absent at the Los Angeles shows this last season. Or is it just a case of my path not crossing with hers? Till my next post, it's a wrap - V.

Photos:
Pussycat Dolls: MBFashion Week www.mbfashionweek.com

Kathy & Rick Hilton, Nick Chavez: Glenn Francis www.pacificprodigital.com

Lauren Conrad, Juliette Lewis: Veronica Viljoen

2008 Beverly Hills Film Festival

Style On The Carpet!
By Veronica Viljoen


Beverly Hills, California is known around the world for Rodeo Drive, the ritzy zip code, 90210 and home to the world’s richest A-List Celebrities. With those facts in mind, I decided to attend the 2008 Beverly Hills Film Festival (BHFF), Opening Night, Red Carpet Arrivals, World Premiere of “Thunder Man: The Don Aronow Story” featuring Andy Garcia and West Coast Premiere of “Hole In The Paper Sky” starring Jessica Biel, in review of the fashions that made it down the carpet.


Celebrities in attendance included: Danny DeVito and wife Rhea Perlman (both have cameos in BHFF official selection “Cat Dragged In”), Joe Anderson (“The Ruins,” “Across the Universe”), Phil Stern (legendary photographer & BHFF 2008 Living Legends Award Recipient), Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (UFC World Champ, BHFF official selection “Bad Guys”), Eric Roberts (BHFF official selection “The Cookie Thief”), Lyn Shaye (BHFF official selection “The Election,” “Snakes on a Plane”), U.K. socialite Kirsten Lea; actor Jake Busey, and the cast of “The Art of Travel,” including Christopher Masterson, James Duval, Danny Masterson and Johnny Messner; as well as internationally renowned DJ/Actress, Natasha Nova.


Producer/writer of "Cat Dragged In" Polly Walter with her godparents, Rhea Perlman and Danny DeVito and her father (actor) Tracey Walter. (L) Danny Masterson, (R) BHFF Founder, Nino SimoneThe fashions on the carpet were stylish, easy to the skin and elegant in style selection. Brights, pastels, solids to the traditional black and white were the run of the mill on the carpet. As a flirty option, Actress, Natasha Nova comes to mind in her free flowing, navy baby doll inspired dress she wore to the event.







(L) Stylist, Olga Banar &
(R) DJ, Natasha Nova

Viljoen: “Who are you wearing?”
Nova: “This dress is by Los Angeles, Designer, Petro Zillia that was selected for me, compliments from Kin Boutique”.
The selection by Nova’s stylist regarding the Petro Zillia design, made her sexy, young and so Hollwood for the carpet. Thumbs up!


On the other hand, Actor, Eric Braeden, best known as Victor Newman, The Young And The Restless, went for the timeless, classic feel in his style selection of a black color palette worn alongside a pair of jeans.

Viljoen: “Did you have a Stylist assist you in your outfit for this evening?”
Braeden: “Oh no, I just went to my wardrobe and then decided what I wanted to wear”.



















Eric Braeden

Viljoen: “Who are you here with this evening”

Braeden: “I came with my son, Christian and his girlfriend”.
In my opinion, Newman looked good; he was dressed for the evening, so much of it seemed as though he was still in character as Victor Newman. It was a pleasure interviewing him on the carpet.


More styles on the carpet: Danny De Vito, signature black framed eyeglasses

Kirsten Lea–romantic, pink dress with Joe Anderson

Alexandra Fulton – in vintage, nectarine dress

(L) Actor, Jake Busey, (R) Writer/Director, David Krae in classic black

Heather L Burgett, BHFF Publicist, 4th from L, casual chic in California style-jewelry by L'Petri Designs L - R: Jenna Megan Casavant; Elvira Petrikovetz/L'Petri Designs; & Amy Cheryl/Fitness Expert/creator of Flexxation http://www.flexxation.com/


The closing ceremony to the Beverly Hills Film Festival Living Legends Award will be presented to legendary photojournalist and Hollywood photographer Phil Stern by producer/director Brett Ratner (“Rush Hour” franchise) at the Awards Gala on Sunday, April 13th at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Stern walked the red carpet on Opening Night for the first time in his 88 years, accompanied by past BHFF award-winning filmmaker Hector Cruz Sandoval (“Kordavision”). The filmmakers are currently in production on a documentary about Stern’s life titled, “Hollywood Big Shot.” It’s a Wrap, V.

Photos:
StudioViggo.com http://www.studioviggo.com/

Other images:
Danny De Vito/Glenn Francis http://www.pacificprodigital.com/

……………

Links:
2008 Beverly Hills Film Festival http://www.beverlyhillsfilmfestival.com/

La Cari - April 3, 2008

Who: World Coast Management, Susan Costa

What: La Cari Red Carpet Arrivals

Where: Club 740, Downtown LA

When: April 3rd

(L) Designer,

Jazmin Whitley

(L) Designer,

Michael Benz

Review: Fashion Critic, Veronica Viljoen - "In my opinion, the Red Carpet Arrivals were fun, young and stimulating. The fashions were playful and soothing to the eye. Mostly, photographers on the line and not that many to interview via voice recordings or video. Photographers, Glenn Francis and Jennifer Hoffman posted a few images of the event on their respective "my space" pages. Their reviews on the night, gave me an additional insiders view regarding the overall creative feel to the night while Parris Harris downloaded a direct feed of the Red Carpet Arrivals to his site. In the end an interesting night on the carpet". Till my next post, Friday - April 11th, V.

Photos: Johnny Sims

Links:

PR: Susan Costa http://www.worldcoastmanagement.com/

Parris Harris www.justin.tv/parrisharris/episodes