Bailey, copyright ©1965 by the Condé Nast Publications (UK)

BBC/Kudos

Compare the pair. Top Jean Shrimpton, as she appeared in Vogue shot by Bailey in 1965. Above Karen Gillan and Aneurin Barnard as Jean Shrimpton and David Bailey in a publicity shot for We’ll Take Manhattan, which aired last week on BBC4.

The visitor stats have been very clear: one of the most searched-terms at Lucire has been David Bailey and Jean Shrimpton over the last few days.
   Presumably, it’s due to BBC4’s We’ll Take Manhattan, a TV film about a ground-breaking New York shoot by David Bailey and his model and lover, Jean Shrimpton. The shoot defined, according to the programme, the 1960s.
   As previewed in Lucire, the BBC4 film starred Karen Gillan (Doctor Who) and Aneurin Barnard as the couple. While it took a little while to get going—it begins with the pair boarding a jet to head to New York, then goes into flashback—with the charged arguments between Bailey and Vogue fashion editor Lady Clare Rendlesham occupying a great deal of the action once the story gets back on track. The centre of the argument: that it’s the 1960s, that Bailey wants to catch more liveliness, and that the stuffy portraits shown in British Vogue—which had, of course, covered the Coronation the decade before with HM the Queen and aristocratic ladies-in-waiting—were a thing of the past.
   Of course it’s idealized, but it’s not too far from the truth when the film claims that Bailey and the Shrimp defined the decade.
   The forces had been coming in for a while, but perhaps not with the youthquake that the Bailey represented after national service was abolished in 1962 and there was plenty of youthful energy around Britain. Technological changes in the 1950s and the telephoto lens already meant fashion photographers were experimenting with more lively shots, and Vogue photographers such as Irving Penn, Norman Parkinson and Antony Armstrong-Jones (later Lord Snowdon) were capturing moments that the magazine’s readers would not have seen the decade before. While staged, they appeared to be casual moments, with the model seemingly living her life in the editorials.
   What Bailey did was take this into raw sexiness, tapping correctly into the Zeitgeist. Starting at British Vogue in July 1960, Bailey had in fact met Shrimpton while she was being shot for a cornflakes advertisement by Brian Duffy. And unlike the film, Bailey was actually very grateful for the gig and knew what British Vogue was: ‘When Vogue offered to pay me to photograph beautiful women all day I thought I was on a dream-boat.’
   Gillan captures the innocent country girl that Shrimpton was at that point, which makes the transformation into ’60s sex icon all the more poignant. Never mind posh locations with Bailey: the Shrimp was on the floor, legs akimbo, complete with teddy bear or another prop. Skirts got shorter, progressively so till 1966, and Jean Shrimpton and her long legs modelled plenty in the decade. It might not be inaccurate to say that Shrimpton was the 1960s supermodel, along with Twiggy—certainly they were two of the most recognized women in Britain.
   Vogue had gone from being a magazine read by the well-to-do lady to one that reached the masses—and for the first time, its pages even became pin-ups.
   Bailey has remained in the public eye with his ongoing work, though Shrimpton has opted for a quieter life, running a country hotel. Both had reportedly approved of the script, which showed them in a positive light—though given Shrimpton’s silence over the years, we’re guessing it must have had some verisimilitude for her to give it the nod.
   There were some glaring mistakes—a 2005 Chevrolet taxi zooms by in a 1962 scene in New York—and Mad Men it was not, neither in feel nor in execution. Where Kudos was once known for lavish productions—Life on Mars springs to mind—some corners felt cut, probably thanks to the recession and the difficulty of securing locations that still looked “’sixties enough” in New York. It lacked the pace of another winter BBC film around this time last year: Eric and Ernie, covering the pre-fame period of Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise.
   But, on the other hand, period Vogue covers were faithfully re-created, the wardrobe department did extremely well securing period costumes, and Frances Barber stole the show with her portrayal of Vogue editor-in-chief Diana Vreeland in the New York scenes. And it summed up the period well: while a telemovie will take liberties with history, there was no denying that Bailey and Shrimpton were influential and very deserving subjects.—Jack Yan, Publisher

The first production Aston Martin V12 Zagato will début at the Kuwait Concours d’Élégance on February 15–18, the company announced today.
   The V12 Zagato is the latest collaboration between the famed English firm and the Italian styling house. The first DB4 GT Zagato, of which 19 were made, was introduced in 1960, with subsequent limited-edition collaborations based around the V8 in the 1980s and the DB7 in the 2000s.
   The latest model is based around the Aston Martin V12 Vantage, but has a distinctive aluminium and carbonfibre body and a bespoke interior.
   Aston Martin will hand-build 150 V12 Zagatos, with the first customers taking delivery at the end of 2012. Assembly will be at Gaydon. The official price is £330,000, excluding local taxes.
   The six-litre V12 engine generates 517 PS (380 kW, 510 bhp) with a maximum torque of 570 Nm (420 lb ft).
   Dr Ulrich Bez, Aston Martin CEO, said in a release, ‘Over 50 years since the introduction of the iconic DB4 GT Zagato, Aston Martin and Zagato have collaborated to create this modern interpretation which remains true to the original focus of craftsmanship, performance and exclusivity.’
   The V12 Zagato was shown as a prototype in May 2011 at the Villa d’Este Concours on Lake Como, and won the Design Award for the concept and prototypes’ class. The two prototypes were subsequently entered into the Nürburgring 24-hour race (below).
   The Kuwait Concours d’Élégance is now in its third year, hosting vehicles from over 19 countries. A privately owned DB4 GT Zagato is expected to appear at the Concours.

How appropriate that the 2,000th entry in the ‘Insider’ section of the Lucire website would be devoted to something very important to the internet.
   On January 24, the US will vote on internet censorship, despite the opposition of the majority of American citizens, with the Protect-IP Act (PIPA) in the Senate and the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in Congress.
   It’s little wonder that many Americans hold their Congress in such low esteem—when their Representatives do nothing that their title requires of them.
   It stifles the First Amendment: everyday Americans who are engaging in free speech who aren’t infringing copyright might still find their websites taken down.
   Ever film something innocently on your cellphone that has some music in the background? You could be found guilty, too—and face up to five years in prison.

Lawmakers don’t get it: the US joins Iran, China and North Korea
Why should a publication HQed in New Zealand care? It affects non-American websites, too, because it potentially blocks us from being seen by the American public. If you publish in English, there’s a fairly good chance the largest number of your readers will be American. If you have a site e-tailing products, you could well have a lot of US buyers.
   Already, New Zealand has seen amendments to our Copyright Act that have come thanks to pressure from American lobbyists. Amendments which already saw the most ridiculous debates in Parliament where one MP equated the internet to the fictional Skynet of the Terminator films. Amendments which our Prime Minister was against before he was for. In both major parties’ quest to appease foreign groups ahead of the voter, “guilt by accusation” is now part of New Zealand law.
   While President Obama has come out against the bills—though the White House’s words have been vague—this is no time to be complacent. The copyright amendments resurfaced in New Zealand in largely the same form. The bills have not gone away. Americans need to keep the pressure on their politicians to express how they all feel.
   Right now, American lawmakers want to put the entertainment lobby ahead of their own voters, by seeking to pass legislation that puts the US on the same playing-field as Iran, China and North Korea.

We believe in a fair go
We’re not against the idea of copyright, at least not the form that existed when we first started in the publishing business. In fact, we rely on copyright as our means of protecting our and our contributors’ authorship. But we are against this bill in the US.
   Copyright disputes should happen with due process. While we find ourselves on the side of the complainant in most cases, we believe that those who infringe copyright should have an opportunity to remove affected works, or offer an explanation. We believe in the common law right that there is a presumption of innocence. We believe in a world where people have a fair and equal access to justice.
   However, this bill goes further. A mere accusation of an infringing link posted by users can block a website to Americans.
   Lawmakers have defended the bill by saying it protects copyright, but it won’t. Those who still want to share copyrighted content will do so—simply by typing the IP address of the site into their browsers.
   The laws can remove any defence an innocent web publisher might have. Governments and corporations can potentially take down any website, creating new liabilities on the internet. As this is one of the areas of growth in many countries, the US included, it has the potential to harm economies.

Act now: it’s that important
You can read more here: it’s a simple guide to the proposed laws, explained far better than I could. The SOPA Strike website also has a good summary.
   We’re urging the 38 per cent of our readers in the US to stand up for your rights. Write to your local Representative or Senator, and let them know that you do not support these bills. If you use the internet, this will affect you. If you have never involved yourself in the passing of a bill before, this is important enough to warrant your attention for the first time.—Jack Yan, Publisher

The Harry Potter Tour will open next March at Warner Bros. Studios in Leavesden, Hertfordshire, north of Watford, where the films were made. Tickets are already on sale.
   The tour will last for three hours and visitors can see sets, costumes and props from all eight films.
   Diagon Alley, Hogwarts’ Great Hall, the Gryffindor common room and Dumbledore’s ofice are among the seven sets.
   Warner Bros. UK boss Josh Berger says that visitors will not be disappointed.
   London mayor Boris Johnson likens the Tour to a ‘shrine’ for devotees, and is doubly pleased as his city hosts the 2012 Olympics.
   Leavesden was originally a wartime aerodrome owned by the Ministry of Defence, before Rolls-Royce took over the facility entirely in 1967. Peter Lamont, production designer of the James Bond movie Goldeneye, used the 1 million ft² floor space for his film, leasing the property from Rolls-Royce. The facility was then bought by a Malaysian group with the intent of creating a theme park, before the Harry Potter series began filming there in 2001. Warner announced its plan to purchase the property in 2010.

Singer-turned-director Madonna has revealed that she learned of the two Golden Globe nominations for her film, W. E., when she woke up in the morning and checked her Blackberry ‘for exciting breaking news’.
   ‘I’m really proud that my movie was recognized in any category,’ she told ITN.
   Abel Korzeniowski scored the film, earning him a Best Score nomination. ‘I’m a huge fan of Abel … I’m happy for him,’ she said.
   Madonna received one nomination for Best Original Song, ‘Masterpiece’, which plays over the film’s credits.
   The biographical film on Wallis Simpson stars Andrea Riseborough as Mrs Simpson and James d’Arcy as King Edward VIII.
   The UK première had taken place at the Empire in London’s Leicester Square in October, after showings at film festivals in Venezia and Toronto.
   Sir Elton John and Bernie Taupin were also nominated for Best Original Song (‘Hello Hello’, from Gnomeo and Juliet), along with Chris Cornell (‘The Keeper’ from Machine Gun Preacher), Brian Byrne and Glenn Close (‘Lay Your Head Down’ from I), and Mary J. Blige, Thomas Newman, Harvey Mason Jr and Damon Thomas (‘The Living Proof’ from The Help).
   Korzeniowski finds himself in competition with Trent Reznor (the remake of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), John Williams (War Horse), Howard Shore (Hugo), and Ludovic Bource (The Artist).

Karen Gillan to leave Doctor Who in 2012, says Steven Moffat—news in Lucire Men today (December 16)

BBC/Kudos

The BBC has released its first official image of Karen Gillan (Doctor Who) playing Jean Shrimpton, in the BBC Four bio-pic, We’ll Take Manhattan.
   Welsh actor Aneurin Barnard stars alongside Gillan as photographer David Bailey.
   We’ll Take Manhattan focuses on a Vogue photo shoot in New York in 1962 and how iconic 1960s model Shrimpton—known colloquially as the Shrimp—and Bailey embarked on their four-year affair.
   Shrimpton featured heavily in British Vogue in the 1960s as well as the other magazines of the day. Had the term been coined, the Shrimp would have been a supermodel by today’s standards.
   Bailey left his wife to be with Shrimpton.
   Shrimpton has been largely reclusive since her heyday, but Gillan told the Evening Standard that the couple approved of the project.
   We’ll Take Manhattan is produced by Kudos, the company behind Spooks and Life on Mars, with filming having commenced in May. John McKay (Life on Mars, Robin Hood) wrote and directed. The film airs on BBC Four in February.

Summer Rayne Oakes, who has a long association with Lucire, tells us that her short film, Extinction (eXtinction to give its official capitalization) can be viewed for a very limited time (a total less than two days from the time of this post) on Dailymotion. You can view the film at this link.
   This important work highlights what we realistically face on our planet in our lifetime, and why looking after it sustainably and sensibly is the only hope for humankind. Beautifully photographed, Extinction puts forth powerful arguments in its short running time—and we would be wise to heed its message.
   In the beauty department, Billie Goat Soap has launched a natural soap range made from goat’s milk, with a pH level close to our own skin. Goat’s milk is high in vitamin A, B6 and B12, while it naturally contains a high amount of antioxidant selenium and lactic acid. Both the plain and milk and honey soaps retail for NZ$13·50 each.
   Meanwhile, Stanley Moss has reviewed another very fashionable Parisian hotel—pop over to the main part of the site to see his story on 7Eiffel, located in the vicinity of the École Militaire and Invalides.

TF1

Top Delphine Wespiser with her first words upon being crowned as Miss France: ‘36-37’, the number for France’s Téléthon. Above Christelle Roca, Miss Prestige National 2012, crowed at Divonnes-les-Bains in Ain.

While Sunday was a record day for traffic this year at the Lucire website, thanks to the Miss France pageant, Monday remained relatively healthy thanks to the rival Miss Prestige National, founded by Geneviève de Fontenay.
   But it’s interesting to note just how much of the public interest each of the pageants has.
   It is unfair to give direct comparisons between the two. Miss France enjoys a live telecast in France and public voting from the TV audience. Miss Prestige National might make French news, but lacks the terrestrial network backing of its rival. Early photographs of both Delphine Wespiser and Christelle Roca were passable and fuzzy respectively, making it hard to give the second pageant the sort of visual prestige that its name implies in this publication.
   So it is no surprise when I say that for both the 2011 and 2012 pageants, more people read our articles about the Miss France winner.
   However, the gap was much larger this year in terms of reader numbers.
   It’s our policy not to give out exact reader numbers—plus they are constantly changing for these particular articles anyway—but the ratio between readers of the Miss France and Miss Nationale 2011 pieces is currently 2·7. It would have been roughly the same in December 2010.
   Through the past 12 months, Miss France 2011 Laury Thilleman has enjoyed more press than Miss Nationale 2011 Barbara Morel, though some media have grouped the two together in articles. Morel herself became better known for her personal relationship with basketballer Tony Parker, former husband of actress Eva Longoria, more than making up for any lost profile.
   However, the 2012 pageants have the ratio at 8·6. In other words, nearly nine times as many people were interested in Miss France as than were interested in Miss Prestige National. Other than the home page and sectional pages in Lucire’s online edition, no other web page has had as many readers in the past few years.
   One factor at play was that this year, we had the Miss France 2012 results as they came to hand through the wire services, whereas last year, there was a delay. But even halving the ratio—and that is being particularly generous to the newer pageant—we are still looking at 4·3.
   These stats might help the organizers of the newer pageant look at why they haven’t done as well for the 2012 edition.
   One logical place to lay blame is the eleventh-hour name change. Until November 2011, and despite a trade mark opposition, de Fontenay had stayed firm and refused to change the name of the pageant. It was only when the legal noises got too loud, both from Miss France owner Endemol and prior Miss Nationale trade mark registrant Michel le Parmentier, that the organizers, sans Mme de Fontenay, hurriedly retitled their pageant.
   It’s also not helped by non-Francophones searching for the wrong name. Based on searches in Duck Duck Go, Google and other search engines, Miss Prestige Nationale (with the adjective in the feminine form) outnumbered the correct Miss Prestige National here, which would have limited the number of hits we had for the search term. Granted, many of our readers would not have been French—having said that, on Sunday and Monday, we noticed that there was a nice jump from l’Héxagone.
   One big difference may be down to the absence of Geneviève de Fontenay herself, who, in order to save the pageant, stepped down. Endemol had cited a non-compete clause that prohibits la dame au chapeau from running a rival pageant until December 2013. Much of the news labelled la guerre de Miss was fuelled by interest in de Fontenay, herself an iconic figure in France thanks to her decades-long involvement in the original Miss France. The committee that runs Miss Prestige National has no high-profile head that has caught the public’s imagination.
   Even if you look at a non-French publication like Lucire, much of the coverage is tied to de Fontenay. Without the “battle of the pageants”, Miss Nationale and its successor would not have had the same level of coverage. The public enjoys a story that has a personality, and who better than a pageant director who felt so embittered with the direction of the one she sold that on principle she began another? You almost want to see the underdog win.
   It is hard to say how 2012 will pan out for the newer pageant. Given the sort of TV audiences Miss France commands—typically in the region of a 40 per cent share—the French have quite the appetite for beauty pageants. There is, in other words, plenty of room for two without there being conflict, just as Miss World and Miss Universe occupy the same space in countries as small as New Zealand. They coexist amicably most of the time.
   France can cope with two, but it seems Miss Prestige National needs a figurehead, perhaps its own Sylvie Tellier (a former Miss France now heading the senior pageant) to be its face, with the endorsement of de Fontenay.
   When the 2013 pageant rolls around again, there can be another media frenzy.—Jack Yan, Publisher