MOST of us have someone in our pasts that “had things been different” we might have connected with more fully.

Some nurse that ember of an old flame through the rest of their lives. Such a man is Bud. He and his wife are divorced and his late50s/early-60s mind is obsessed with Molly, the wife of his former boss.

We learn pretty quickly that Bud’s competition is completely out of the picture when Bud turns up at the funeral to romance the widow! The rest of Old Love moves backwards and forwards across three decades as Bud and Molly offer us different perspectives on their handful of meetings over the years as well as on their respective marriages. The play’s title works on two levels: reconnecting with old feelings for someone special, and old people experiencing or re-experiencing romance – or even passion. The first concept drives Bud forward, while the second pulls Molly back.

The theme of an old love has inspired a heap of songwriters and poets, but despite the universality of the truth he touches on, prolific Canadian playwright Norm Foster mines the material for cubic zirconia rather than gemstone. Once you figure out what is going on, nothing changes thematically. The first act is extended exposition and the more interesting second just repeats Molly’s basic tenet: old people aren’t supposed to be in love or make love, and what will people think of her if she carries on like that.

Oh, please, Mr. Foster. I hate to admit it, but I’m Bud’s age – and I felt like I was too young to invest in the paper tiger of propriety that Molly manufactures just so Bud can tilt at it. While Bud is an unusual modern-day romantic, nicely played by Vince Metcalfe, Foster’s premise for Molly just feels dated.

That North Vancouver’s Suzanne Ristic almost succeeds in creating a Molly that Bud might care about – and a contrasting and more interesting Kitty, Bud’s former wife – is a credit to her talent as an actor. But the only way I can conceive of Old Love ever ringing true would be for director Jay Brazeau to toss playwright Foster’s conceit that this is a romantic comedy out the window and play it for the tragedy that is Molly’s lost life with her former husband. I’d rather have a true story that hurts than a thoughtless laugh any night in the theatre.

I suspect, however, many people will be charmed by the very inoffensiveness that bored me and I have no doubt that Old Love will play in cottage-country dinner theatre for years. Lines like “It was so hot I saw a dog chasing a cat . . . they were both walking” probably kill in Muskoka. If it works for you, ignore my desire for stronger fare and go enjoy some inoffensive entertainment.

Brazeau’s production benefits from Pam Johnson’s simple yet striking design that evokes time passing: an oversized alarm clock with a clock face that incorporates a variety of projections and Eugene Mendelev’s excellent lighting.

mmillerchip@nsnews.com

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At least seven books about Coco Chanel have been published in the past 18 months alone. Forty years after her death, interest in the French designer is high and, naturally, the books’ authors are vying for the best reviews. Yet no one expected a catfight to break out between the Chanel authors, or for their passion for fashion to be so heated.

Lisa Chaney, the author of Coco Chanel: An Intimate Life, a new biography, recently took a potshot at another recent Chanel book, Hal Vaughan’s Sleeping With the Enemy: Coco Chanel’s Secret War. Vaughan’s biography, which posits that Chanel was a Nazi agent during World War II, “is written in a highly inflammatory style”, Chaney has declared. She went on: “From the first few pages, it’s insinuation and leaping to conclusions. It’s pretty underhanded, what I think he’s done.”

In the row, which has been reported in the New York Times, Vaughan retaliated claiming he thought it was Chaney who was leaping to conclusions: “I’m surprised that Chaney would say such a thing. I find it quite shocking.”

catfight

Vaughan, an American who lives in Paris, got a further jeer in by saying he had not yet read Chaney’s book; he was waiting for Amazon to deliver it.

However, he had questions about a third new biography, Coco Chanel: The Legend and the Life, by Justine Picardie. British writer Picardie claims to have spent the past decade attempting to peel away the romance and lies surrounding the style legend. Yet Vaughan maintains her book reads as if it were written to please the late designer’s namesake company.

“I don’t know whether it was subsidised, but it’s clearly a Chanel book,” he said.

Picardie, meanwhile, has reportedly taken her own potshots at her competitors, apparently saying: “I presume it was Lisa Chaney who said that my book is authorised by Chanel.” As for Vaughan’s book? “The title is an instant sound bite.”

So what do the biographers of the world’s most famous fashion designer agree on? None of them disputes that Gabrielle Chanel, known as Coco, was an intriguing character, equal parts diva, femme fatale and genius. Born into poverty and abandoned to an orphanage, she rose through the social ranks through hard work, talent and a series of love affairs with wealthy, well-placed men. They also agree on the fact that in Nazi-occupied France during World War II, Chanel was a collaborator. However, it’s the extent of Chanel’s collaboration with the Germans which is debated.

Vaughan’s book details Chanel’s long love affair with Baron Hans Gunther von Dincklage, a Nazi spy, and he believes that Chanel embarked on a mission to deliver a message to her friend Winston Churchill, the British Prime Minister, that said some high-ranking German officers wanted to end hostilities with Britain. Vaughan writes that Chanel expected — and got — favours in return. These allegedly included the release of her nephew from a German prisoner-of-war camp, and an apartment in the luxurious Ritz hotel in Paris. He writes: “Chanel was the consummate opportunist who was going to get what she wanted.”

affair

Chaney and Picardie also write about the designer’s affair with Dincklage, but they interpret Chanel’s behaviour differently.

“There’s no question she was a collaborator of sorts, in that she had a lover who was a German, and he had an association with Nazis,” Chaney has said.

The question to her is how much Chanel knew, or chose to know, about Dincklage’s doings. Chaney has suggested that the designer may have been blinded by love. At the start of their relationship, in 1940, Dincklage was 44 and Chanel 57.

“She was very conscious that this was a late affair,” the author has argued.

For her part, Picardie claims that Chanel “was involved in a German plot — but the German plot was to try and bring an early conclusion to the Second World War”.

Meanwhile, the Chanel company is said to be vague about its founder’s wartime activities.

A spokeswoman for the design house, Iana dos Reis Nunes, has reportedly referred to Dincklage not as a Nazi but as “a German aristocrat”.

- Anna Coogan

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Hollywood is teeming with famous same-sex couples – some more open than others. From public declarations of love to dates out of the limelight, check out the stars who have found romance with that special someone.After 11 years together, Broadway star Cheyenne Jackson finally got to say ‘I do’ with his longtime partner, Monte Lapka, on Sept. 3.’Married the best man I’ve ever known,’ Jackson tweeted, along with a picture of the newlyweds wearing white and standing on a beach.Their beloved dog, Zora, was also in attendance.In October 2010, Jackson, 36, who has also had TV roles on ‘Glee,’ ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ and ’30 Rock,’ told NBC New York about what he envisioned for his nuptials with Lapka, a physicist.’Something small. My dream wedding involves just close friends and good music,’ he said at the time, adding, ‘Our dog would be there. Our dog, our daughter, Zora. … Pretty boring, but something just nice and on the beach.’

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There was an ominous silence in the air that sunny late afternoon as we walked along the Hudson River. When we paused, he whispered, “I have been H.I.V. positive for several years.” We had had unprotected sex back in London.

That unforgettable confession, and the summer of English passion, revisited me recently as a public debate raged here about whether knowingly exposing someone to H.I.V. should be considered a criminal offense. Helen Zille, the leader of South Africa’s biggest opposition party (the Democratic Alliance), has been arguing yes. Drawing on the work of the H.I.V. and AIDS expert Helen Epstein, Zille contends that “the entrenched culture of multiple concurrent sexual partners” explains why South Africa faces a general epidemic. (Almost one in eight South Africans are infected with H.I.V.) And she argues that everyone should “accept responsibility for preventing risk to others.” If it were up to her, the American filmmaker would be declared a criminal and perhaps thrown in jail.

I felt instant shock and fear when he broke the news to me. But shock and fear are instinctual responses that have no regard for clinical truths. And criminalizing knowingly exposing someone to H.I.V. is a bad idea. For one thing, it would thwart important public health programs: it would undermine both the policies designed to eliminate the stigma associated with H.I.V. and AIDS and the efforts that encourage people to regularly get tested for the virus. (If you don’t test, and don’t know if you have H.I.V., no legal liability follows.) Having H.I.V. is no longer a death sentence; it has become a manageable chronic condition. Criminalization would only perpetuate that medical myth.

It would also discourage infected persons and the affected ones around them from living openly and without shame. In Grahamstown, the small town of the Eastern Cape where I was born and raised, AIDS is still a word that dare not be spoken; it’s called “the big flu.” Zille’s proposed policy would only perpetuate such prejudices and irrational views.

Maybe that’s the point. People like Zille are outraged, one might generously say, on behalf of one Eusebius McKaiser who was innocently exposed to possible H.I.V. infection by an irresponsible lover. Her proposal betrays a moral agenda: lurking beneath the condemnation of concurrent relationships is a disdain for the assumed sexual preferences of many African men.

The problem is that moralizing on the basis of hackneyed cultural positions gets in the way of evidence-based public-health policies. In North America and Europe, where there is no AIDS epidemic, stigmatization is less of a concern: Perhaps the American filmmaker should be prosecuted in the United States because criminalizing knowing exposure to H.I.V. is unlikely to set back the fight against the virus’s reach among, say, gay men in New York. But in South Africa, the sheer scale of the epidemic, and entrenched myths and stigmas, call for a different policy. Criminalization would have disastrous effects on public health in the region, the world’s most affected by the virus.

And it would reinforce the dubious notion that we are all hapless sexual victims. Why should the American filmmaker be responsible for my decision to have unprotected sex? He probably had an ethical obligation to not place me at risk by insisting that we use condoms. But it’s less clear that he had a duty to disclose his status to me.

Eusebius McKaiser is a political analyst at Wits University in Johannesburg, South Africa. 

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It
doesn’t have to be this way.
It’s not your fault.

If
you’re worried because you’ve made a few mistakes
and you’re up to your eyeballs in debt and you have no idea
how you’ll get out…

Or
you’re overweight and tried every diet under the
sun…

Your
relationships are in desperate need of a makeover…

You’re
apprehensive about the dawning of a new day only to trudge to a job you
desperately want to leave…

Its
not your fault your life is a mess.

Here’s
why…

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A follow-up of sorts to last year’s “Valentine’s Day” —
which was nothing to shout about in the first place — “Eve” shoehorns as many
stars and starlets as possible into a bunch of thinly conceived playlets about
that old devil called love. For all the talk about romance and hooking up,
however, passion is conspicuously absent. As much as “Eve” celebrates desire
and devotion, Katherine Fugate’s screenplay doesn’t present a single believable
coupling (although it does include enough uses of the phrase “ball drop” to
make you wonder if you’re in close proximity to a junior high boys’ locker
room).

Even such seasoned pros as Michelle Pfeiffer, Robert DeNiro
and Sarah Jessica Parker can’t give the movie a lift. Poor Hilary Swank proves
once again that you can win two Oscars and still be utterly incapable of
playing comedy. As for Ashton Kutcher, Katherine Heigl, Jon Bon Jovi, Lea Michele
and Zac Efron, they romp around making silly faces and reading their lines as
if they were performing in a dinner theater that catered to the
hearing-impaired.

It’s perfect entertainment for those who do all their
seasonal shopping at the dollar store and wrap their presents in old grocery
bags.

The half-baked stories range from the old
strangers-stuck-in-an-elevator (Kutcher and Michele) to the even more
moth-bitten new-sparks-ignite-between-old-flames (Heigl and Bon Jovi). Parker’s
vignette about a divorced mom who dotes too much on her teenage daughter
(Abigail Breslin, slathered with so much makeup that at first it appears the story might be about high school call girls) goes off the rails around the time that Breslin abruptly
lifts her shirt in the middle of a busy subway station and crows, “This is not
a training bra!” DeNiro’s plays a dying man determined to persuade nurse Halle
Berry to grant his last wish in an episode that’s turgid instead of touching,
and Pfeiffer’s segment, in which an unappreciated executive secretary finally
decides to have some fun, never really clicks. (In a striking example of art imitating life, Pfeiffer enters the movie by tumbling into a pile of garbage.)

And let’s not even talk about
the heated competition between two expectant couples (Jessica Biel and Seth Meyers; Til Schweiger and Sarah Paulson) to see which will deliver
the official first baby of the new year; what could be less welcome than another
delivery room freak-out scene with a profanity-spitting mom-to-be and a hapless
husband?

Further undermining the film is Marshall’s reliance on
broad, sometimes offensive stereotypes, such as a voluptuous spitfire (Sofia
Vergara) who can’t stop mangling the English language or throwing herself at
rocker Bon Jovi — tee hee hee, it’s funny when Spanish people are slutty! — or
hand-flapping, hip-swinging gay characters who exist only to drop a few naughty
words and a couple of sassy expressions into conversations.

No wonder “New Year’s Eve” leaves you feeling like 300
champagne corks have just been popped — directly in your face.

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Sharon Page, prolific author of sensual historical romance and erotic paranormal romance, loves creating “sexy, wicked men” (and we love reading them!). She’s also one of those blessed authors who got “The Call” from Kensington only a week after an agent took her on. And it wasn’t just The Call for one book. It was for three. Followed by a second deal just a few weeks later. Now that’s some impressive karma! Sharon joins us today to share her publishing experiences, what’s coming from her (which includes a lot of “blood” and “sin”) and how good workshops can help aspiring writers.

Joyce: Welcome, Sharon! You’ve written for three different publishers and in at least three different genres (historical, historical paranormal and erotic romance). How do you keep all that straight?

Sharon: I wish I could keep everything straight. Now that my kids are bigger and have more things on the go, I find it hard to keep things in my head. Ordering the wrong school photo of my son is the sad proof. : ) I’m good at sitting in the chair (or on an exercise ball) and writing, not so good at doing the administrative work of the biz, such as keeping story bibles of important details.

Currently, I write sensual historical romance — think Jo Beverley or Mary Balogh — and erotic paranormal romance.

Regency historicals drew me to romance, so it is a thrill to be writing them myself. Erotic romance got my foot in the publishing door, and I’ve been writing for Kensington’s Aphrodisia line for five years. My erotic paranormals are in the Blood series, including Blood Red, my first vampire romance and a National Readers’ Choice award winner. I wanted to write very sensual fantasy stories, so Blood Red has a vampire-slaying Regency miss heroine and two vampire heroes: the commanding earl of Brookshire and the wild Sebastian De Wynter.

Since then, the series has expanded to include a succubus heroine (Blood Wicked) and a dragon-shifter heroine (Blood Secret, coming in 2012). Blood Secret features a vampire hero who is also a dragon slayer. Bringing in new myths and characters keeps the stories fresh and fun to write.

Joyce: You must be wickedly organized to produce as many books as you do a year, but as all writers know, there are times when you hit a wall. What do you do to get re-inspired? Are there certain books, movies or TV shows that get the creative juices flowing again?

Sharon: Not so much organized, as I panic well. More organization will be my New Year’s resolution.

Not having enough plot worked out or recognizing I need to go deeper with character are reasons I hit the wall. What always saves my bacon is using techniques I’ve learned from workshops given by authors. I develop my story ideas based on what I learned about conflict from Madeline Hunter and Jo Beverley and Sabrina Jeffries. I’ve learned a lot from Michael Hauge’s workshops on story. For aspiring authors, I highly recommend going to good workshops, and I think every author gets something different out of each one.

I do turn to books on writing as well. One of my favorites is Save the Cat by Blake Snyder. He made complex concepts really accessible and visual (probably because it is written for screenwriters). I use his brilliant Pope in the Pool analogy while dealing with back story. And when I have plot problems, I always ask, “How can I deliver the promise of the premise?”

One great tip I learned was: write the dreck first. Don’t expect perfection the first time, and be OK with that. This lets me feel free to write. In the manuscript, I simply type things like “Fix,” “Blech” or “Insert brilliant scene here.”

Joyce: You say on your website that you sold five novels and one novella within one month. That must sound unbelievable to aspiring writers out there. How did that come about?

Sharon: Partly, it was good timing, but I’d learned that when I saw an opportunity, I had to move on it. When I made those sales, New York publishers were starting erotic romance lines, and author Kate Douglas had just announced her sale to Kensington and was encouraging other authors to submit. I literally pounced, contacting her agent and sending my material the next day. Her agent took me on and I sold a three-book deal to Kensington within the next week.

I also had a completed erotic vampire novel and a novella, so my agent sent those a couple of weeks later, and we had a second deal. I admit I did things a bit backwards: I sold the proposal first, and then told my agent about the completed books.

Joyce: You just released a self-published novella called Sinful. Is it connected to any of your other books? Have you self-pubbed other e-books?

Sharon: Sinful is a stand-alone story. I’ve always wanted to write a story with a Bow Street Runner hero, since I’m addicted to detective shows like Columbo (used to watch it with my mom), The Mentalist and Castle. Runners were the “police force” of Regency England. Sinful was my chance to write about a sexy detective-style hero.

Lyan, my former Runner hero, is hired privately to find a missing debutante. Suspecting she eloped, he hunts down a celebrated London dressmaker who helps young ladies escape before they are forced into loveless, duty marriages. Lyan discovers the modiste, Estelle, is the woman he intended to marry years ago. But after their one night of passion (before the wedding), Estelle ran out on him and disappeared.

Sinful is my first self-pubbed book, but I started in publishing when I sold an e-book to Ellora’s Cave, so I have been a part of the e-book industry. I’m planning to do more novellas and full-length novels in the future.

Joyce: Why would you, a USA TODAY best-selling author, self-publish books?

Sharon: Here are my top four reasons:

Taking Chances: I feel that publishers right now can’t take chances on a riskier story idea. With the tough economy, publishers have to look at books they think will hit a huge market. Self-publishing allows an author to take a chance on an idea that is too risky for mainstream. And self-publishing is a great way to get books to a niche audience.

Fun Projects: There may also be a project an author wants to do, but can’t find a place for it. For example, I might love to write a Christmas Regency, but a publisher’s schedule may not allow it. With self-publishing, I can say, “I want a Christmas book.” Then I can write it, get a cover, and have it edited in time to put it up for Xmas.

Promotion: Rather than putting together a booklet of excerpts, I can get a novella out and price it attractively to give readers the chance to try me. And I’m now “management,” so I can make the executive decisions. For example, I’m giving away my e-novella Sinful free for a limited time. It’s an early Christmas present for readers. Check out my website for details.

Marketing: This is a huge bonus about self-publishing. It is like “Marketing 101.” I’m in charge of how I tempt the reader to buy the book. What’s the “high concept” that’s going to snag reader attention? How can I write smokin’ back-cover copy? What’s the best excerpt to put up? Learning about marketing helps me when I craft a proposal for an editor. I see how the story doesn’t have to just “work”; it has to be capable of knocking it out of the park.

Personally, I don’t see this as an “either/or” situation. Publishing with traditional publishers is still a huge opportunity. Self-publishing helps to diversify an author’s career. I’m used to multiple projects: When I worked in the structural engineering field, I would work on several hundred projects in a year, for dozens of clients.

Joyce: Please tells us about Silent Night, Sinful Night, Engaged in Sin and what else you have coming up.

Sharon: Silent Night, Sinful Night is the first anthology I’m heading up as a USA TODAY best seller, which is very thrilling. It was my chance to write a vampire Christmas story! My story is Wicked for Christmas, set in Regency England. It’s erotic romance, and my hero presents the heroine with spicy versions of the gifts from the Twelve Days of Christmas. It was fun to invent naughty gifts ideas for “five gold rings,” “seven swans a-swimming,” etc.

Engaged in Sin is my second Dell historical romance and features one of my most “tortured heroes,” Devon Audley, the duke of March. Wounded in battle at Waterloo, Devon was left blinded and is tormented by memories of war. I love stories where the heroine heals the hero; where the hero is brave and noble, but is being crushed by the weight of guilt, loss, or painful memories. I’m pleased to say Engaged in Sin is a RT Book Reviews Reviewers’ Choice Award nominee for Best Sensual Historical.

Coming in late March of 2012, I have Blood Secret from Kensington, the erotic romance with a dragon-shifter heroine and a vampire/dragon-slaying hero.

Thank you so much for having me as your guest, Joyce!

Joyce: Thank you, Sharon! To find out more about Sharon and her books, you can visit her website.

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It’s rare to encounter an on-screen couple that exudes the same vibrant passion audiences may expect from a real couple in love, yet the actors in Drake Doremus’ “Like Crazy” depict a modern story that feels as real as a documentary.

Expert acting and intuitive cinematography create a moving story focused on the constant strain in long-distance relationships.

Anna (Felicity Jones), a British student in Los Angeles, falls in love with Jacob (Anton Yelchin), an American, after taking a class with him. Their romance is beautiful and delicate until she foolishly decides to overstay her visa after they graduate, thus plummeting the couple into a long-distance, on-and-off relationship that spans several years.

Charming and attractive, Jones and Yelchin are impressively natural in roles unlike any they have played before. The two radiate youthful innocence and certainty throughout the film. There is nothing extraordinary about the way they fall in love — the film’s focus is instead on the beauty in the quiet moments they share. Many of the scenes have no dialogue. In one, the two stare at each other in amazement and write notes back and forth in a notebook rather than speaking. Their movements seem instinctive, adeptly revealing their addiction to each other and the constant ache and anxiety they feel when they are thrust apart.

The handheld camera style contributes to the natural feel of the movie, helping the film feel well-paced despite its compression of several years. Shortly after they meet, Doremus offers a breezy montage where the lovers wander Los Angeles, clinging to each other and laughing in the most convincing, heartbreaking way. The camera mimics their swaying movements, and the occasional jump cut allows the audience to focus on key moments and facial expressions. When they are in different countries, the scenes are set in more contrasting open, public spaces where Anna and Jacob often appear uncomfortable — their deflated voices in their phone tag voicemails serving cleverly as audio.

Though viewers aren’t provided with a great deal of backstory for either character, the intense “here and now” of Anna and Jacob’s lives during the course of their relationship is enough to make audiences ache for them. “Like Crazy” beautifully captures the tension in wanting deeply, yet not knowing how to fully attain that love.

“Like Crazy” was directed by Drake Doremus, and written by Doremus and Ben York Jones.

4 out of 4 stars.

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Phoenix, AZ (PRWEB) December 09, 2011

This holiday season, let Yandy.com, online retailer of sexy lingerie and holiday costumes, help with some Christmas gift ideas for the girlfriend that has everything. With thousands of products in stock, finding that perfect gift will be easier than ever when shopping at Yandy this holiday season.

For men, coming up with the perfect Christmas gift idea for a girlfriend can be difficult and, often times, fruitless task. This Christmas, give that special someone a little romance. Yandy carries a wide variety of lingerie for every type of woman. From babydolls and chemises to lingerie teddies and bodystockings, Yandy has something for every type of recipient this Christmas.

In addition, Yandy offers same-day shipping, so customers can rest assured that even when shopping at the last minute, orders arrive in a timely manner, as well as free flat rate shipping on all orders over $70.

About Yandy.com

E-commerce is on the rise and Yandy.com is one of the largest online retailers of lingerie, sexy Halloween costumes, swimwear and clothing on the web. Founded in 2003, Yandy boasts more than 6,500 products always in stock at easily affordable prices. Yandy ensures that every costumer will receive a safe, secure and private online shopping experience and is backed by COMODO online security and Google Checkout. Yandy is dedicated to customer service and only sells what is in stock which allows for quick, same day shipping. Offering the highest quality products at the most affordable prices in the market, Yandy has become a leader in ecommerce. Yandy works closely with all of the manufacturers they distribute for and hand select all of the items on the Web site to ensure customers have the largest and most diverse collection to choose from. In addition, the customer service team at Yandy is unrivaled. With attentive and helpful operators, should a question or problem arise, the customer service team at Yandy is always willing and able to assist. At Yandy, every customer can Be Sexy.

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