Sex and the City 2: The Stories. The Fashion. The Adventure

Well as practically the whole world is bashing the Sex and the City 2 movie (read the excellent post by Katie Chutzpah hitting out at the critics) I have decided to have a go at the book. Yesterday while feeling excited about the prospect of seeing Carrie and the gals again I got happy and ordered the book from amazon. My thought process was that I would be able to labour over the book today while remicising over the film. You see I was expecting the film to be good but it wasn't and I was also expecting the book to be good too but guess what? It wasn't either. So hello to a less than pleased Ondo Lady. 

Before I go any further let me explain the concept of the S&TC books, now I am not talking about the one written by Candace Bushnell but the brilliant ones that acompany the show and films and written by Amy Sohn. These are well crafted items which are designed to lay luxuriously on your coffee table. Hardbacked and rectangle shaped they contain wonderful images of the characters, the show and people behind the scenes. For instance Sex and the City Kiss and Tell which is based on the TV series delves into the history of the show. The foreward is by Sarah Jessica Parker who tells us about how she initially turned down the role of Carrie because she did not want to go back to TV. There are also chapters on each of the four ladies which covers their personalities and how they have evolved since the first series and there is also a summary of each episode. As well as the fashion the book looks at the apartments of the four ladies and discusses their individual styles. The men of S&TC are featured as well as city the show is set in. This one of my favourite books because not only is it pretty with it's pinlk cover it provides you with every nut and bolt that you would love to know about the show.

Sex and the City: The Movie is rather similar to the first book as it kicks off with an intro from Sarah Jessica Parker who gives us a recap on the years between the end of the series and the film. Writer and director, Michael Patrick King's intro is very interesting as he gives us his ideas and aspirations on the fllm which I found really intruiging. The next few pages goes into the logistics of turning S&TC into a film. I guess I just took it for granted how it easy it would be to make the fiilm and get all the crew and props back. Well this section goes into the technicalities they faced. Like the beginning of the first film the book gives us a summary of the show season by season and on the character's lives. However, this is where the similarities between the first book ends, the next part of the book is a pictorial narration of the film. I mean if you have not seen the first film and read this you really will not need to as everything is given away. I must admit at over 120 pages long I felt a bit cheated because I was expecting a lot more features. There are a few nice touches like a piece on the Vogue shoot, why they chose the Vivienne Westwood dress and Carrie's apartment makeover. Of course you couldn't have a S&TC book without the fashion and there is a look book which documents all the clothes. Sex and the City: The Movie is not as brilliant as the first book but is is a must have for die hard S&TC fans and as I said before the pictures are beautiful.

Which brings me to Sex and the City 2: The Stories, The Fashion, The Adventure, the first thing that stands out is that thei book is not written by Amy Sohn but by someone called Eric Cyphers who I have never heard of and also the cover is more luxurious. It has a nice pouchy feel to it which I really like. However. this stops there. I hate the colour which is a light grey and a far cry from the girly pink of the first one and dynamic black of the second one. Believe me the content is not any better either: there is the usual introduction by Sarah Jessica Parker and Michael Patrick King where they talk about filming in the Middle East. There is the summary of what the characters have been up to since the first film then there is a section on filming in Morocco but is is all really lightweight as if they wanted to skimp over it. This is followed by Q&As with the four actresses which I find boring as they are not saying anything I have not heard before. The next section is on the men of S&TC and the supporting cast. Then of course we have the fashion but instead of a couple of pages of looks we have over 100 pages of the outfits featured in the film. Each outfit has two pages dedicated to it with full credits! Talk about blatant advertising and product placement. I felt disgusted and frankly ripped off. The whole book reads like a catalogue promoting designer clothes as well as a luxury holiday in Marrakesh. Talk about style and no bleedin substance. Me no likey!! My advice is if you want a fabulous S&TC book then just stick with the first one which has quality writing, fashion and fun.

The Sex and the City books are available to buy from amazon.

Retro Review: Girls Just Want to Have Fun

Janey Glenn played by Sarah Jessica Parker loves to dance and has only one dream which is to appear on Dance TV (DTV), the ultra hip channel in Chicago. On her first day at a new school she makes friends with Lynne Stone played by Helen Hunt who is also a dance enthusiast and when they hear that DTV are holding a competition for dance regulars, they vow to get in on the act. However, Janey's ever so strict ex-army father barely allows her to leave the house so she is forced to sneak out of the house. Meanwhile across town Jeff Malene played by Lee Montgomery is aiming for the same dream as well. He is spurred on by his best friend Drew played by Jonathon Silverman and little sister Maggie played by Shannon Doherty.  At the regional competition Jacey and Jeff both make the cut for the finals are paired together to compete for a coveted place on DTV. However their plans are constantly sabotaged by Natalie Sands played by Natalie Gagnier, a rich, spoilt and pampered princess who is determined to get a place on DTV  at all cost. Do they win the competition? Of course they do! Do they live happily ever after? What a dumb question. Is the film a lot of fun? Hell yeah!

Helen Hunt and Jonathon Silverman do a great job as the witty side kicks and Shannon Doherty is hilarious as the spunky Maggie, while Sarah Jessica Parker and Lee Montgomery really sparkle in this cute and sweet little film.  Girls Just Want to Have Fun is from a batch of movies that emphasised on the concept of the body beautiful which was highly prominent in the 80s. This movie is also regarded as one of the greatest of it's era and I guess it is the Step Up 2 the Streets of it's time. Interestingly, I hear that Girls Just Want to Have Fun is to be remade into a modern version starring Miley Cyrus. I can't say I am surprised as everything in the 80s seems to be turned into a rehash.  I am not sure how I feel about Miley Cyrus in the role though. 

The Broadroom and Prospect Park West

I am feeling very scared about the second Sex and the City film; I feel that they risked the values of the S&TC brand by making the first film two years ago. They only got away with it because of the increasing popularity of the series after it ended so by the time the movie came round everyone was dying to see Carrie and co back again. Hence the fact that Sex and the City: The Movie was a sensational hit. Now they want to ruin it all by making a sequel. Why? Well pure and utter greed. S&TC had it's moment in the sun so lets put it to rest and move on. One lady who has certainly not looked back since her S&TC days is Candace Bushnell, the lady who brought Carrie Bradshaw to life by writing the S&TC books. She has landed a gig writing a new female-led web series called the Broadroom which is a humorous look women in the workplace and will star Jennie Garth, Talia Balsam and Jennifer Espisoto. The Broadroom has two exciting brands associated with it. More magazine - a lifestyle magazine aimed at women who are 40 plus not the UK trashy More magazine - and Maybeline are collaborating as corporate sponsors. Bushnell recently signed up as a contributor for More magazine and will write in the September and October issues. Maybeline will be screening the show on it's website in conjunction with the launch of its new Color Sensational Lipcolor.

The Broadroom airs in September.

Another lady who has moved on since S&TC is Amy Sohn who penned the 'other' S&TC books which were fabulous guides to the show and the movie. If you don't own one of these then you really cannot call yourself a S&TC fan. Well Amy has a book out called Prospect Park West which is about the Brooklyn bourgeois. Set in the lush Park Slope we are introduced to four yummy mummies who are experiencing serious life crisis. Meet Melora Leigh, an acclaimed actress who is frustrated with her career and the pressures of raising her adopted toddler, so goes shoplifting. Rebecca Rose fills the void in her marriage by starting a dangerous flirtation with a handsome neighborhood celebrity. Lizzie O'Donnell, a former lesbian (or "hasbian"), is happily married to a sexy guy with an adorable baby so wonders why she is still drawn to women? Then there is supermon, Karen Bryan Shapiro whose main goal in life are her four-year-old son's well-being and snagging that perfect apartment. Four different women with one thing in common, none of them are satisfied with their lot. Interestingly enough Sarah Jessica Parker has bought the rights to the book and plans to turn it into a TV show.

Prospect Park West is available to buy in September

The One and Only Coco

Now we all know that there are a whole heap of fashion blogs out there which cover anything from fashion shows to the latest trends and what celebrities are wearing. However not all of them possess the passion and knowledge that you will find in Coco's Tea Party. Set up 2006, the blog looks at the parallels between fashion and celebrities and the popular hit and miss feature scrutinises the wardrobes of the rich and famous. I caught up with Coco to find out the real deal about Coco's Tea Party.

What made you start blogging?

I don't really remember why I started and to be honest I never planned to. I was just bored one day, and I get through magazines so quickly I thought it would be something constructive to do while waiting for the new issues to come out. But over time I really got into it and now it is much more than just filling time.

Describe the concept behind Coco's Tea Party.

Well my ideas change all the time. When I first started Coco's Tea Party was probably 80% celebrity fashion and it's probably more 50/50 between celebrity and designer now.

You always have an interesting image on the header, how do you go about choosing it?

Well since I came up with the 'We'd rather go naked' quote I always choose images of naked celebrities. It is slightly odd when googling to look for a new one. The first naked star I had was Chloe Sevigny and I loved that header. I changed it to Lindsay Lohan once and there was outrage, so that one only last about 24 hours - it will never be her again. At the moment it is Madonna and I don't think I'll change it for a while.

How do you think bloggers have made an impact on the media?

I think the speed you can get a story out and the fact it is free to read has probably impacted it the most. I often see stories in weekly magazines (which I won't name) where they claim to have just discovered something and it has normally been on some one's blog weeks before. I think it's nice to have the option to read both blogs and magazines - I wouldn't pick one over the other, they each have their strong points.

What do you do when you are not working on your blog?

If I'm not working on my blog I am probably doing work for my degree in Fashion Journalism. I don't think a day goes by where I don't write about fashion at some point. But outside of writing at the moment I am seriously obsessed with watching Brothers & Sisters, I could do that all day.

Describe a typical day.

The first thing I do when I wake up is go online. I don't think I have a 'typical' day as such but there will normally be blogging involved. Haha.

Name your top fashion icons.

This is hard; I love Diane Kruger, Nicole Richie, Mary-Kate Olsen, Carine Roitfeld and Chloe Sevigny. There are so many women. I love Rachel Zoe's look too, the 1970s is one of my favourite decades for fashion so I love how she references it so strongly in her style. I always go back to Ashley Olsen and Sarah Jessica Parker when I need inspiration though.

Name five blogs that you read religiously.

Fashionista, Fashionologie, Just Jared, Lainey Gossip and Discotheque Confusion as me and Stevie started blogging around the same time and I always love to see what she's doing.

How do you see Coco's Tea Party evolving over the next two years?

I don't really have a plan with Coco's Tea Party, and I never had which odd for me as I'm so OCD. It's the only thing that I've ever just let float along. I would like some magazines to give the blog a mention, which I know isn't really that important but it would be quite flattering, especially as I've been writing for almost three years now.

Magazines vrs Blogs

I never thought I would say this but I really think the magazine era is over. Last week was London Fashion Week mania with every fashion blogger in town adding their two pence about their thoughts on the shows. Then later in the week, the latest pictures from the much awaited Sex and the City (S&TC) film dropped and the whole of blogsphere went ballistic. I must have read about 50 blog entries gushing about the new pictures and seen the image of SJP in Carrie Bradshaw mode floating down NYC in her green flimsy summer dress about a zillion times. She looked great as usual and the blog to blog coverage of the taster showed a tiny glimpse as to how BIG the S&TC film will be.

Yesterday, I bought my weekly edition of Grazia magazine which had the usual editorial from Editor, Jane Bruton. Nothing unusual there except that she was raving on about the new trends from London Fashion Week and describing how excited the staff got over the new stills from the S&TC film. I thought to myself, Jesus this is a bit old hat. London Fashion Week effectively ended last Thursday and that seemed yonks ago and as for the S&TC pics all I could think was been there, done that and bought the t-shirt. My point is that Grazia is a weekly magazine and prides itself on being on the cutting edge of news, fashion and celebrity. Their USP is that they can cover stories that the monthly mags such as Marie Claire and Elle cannot do but for this week they seemed a little out of touch.

Talking of cutting edge, lifestyle portal, handbag.com has had a facelift and shed their pink branding. They have also dropped a lot of sections such as property, money and relationships and now concentrate on fashion, beauty, celebrity and entertainment. In other words they are now just like any other online female magazine. To be honest I am not too keen on the new look handbag.com at all as I think they have lost a lot of their personality. On the other hand the Marie Claire website is totally ravishing. Well designed and easy to navigate, the website covers topics such as fashion, health and food. The best bits of the site are the videos where they carry interviews with various fashion personalities. You can watch footage from fashion shows, behind the scenes with celebrities and there are also trailers from new film releases. Blogsphere leads all the way.

Check out the lovely SJP at the launch of her new perfume, Covet. Which is rather nice, I might say.