GAYOT's Blog

Allure of the Seas, Royal Caribbean’s largest cruise ship, is featured in two new films

by Patricia Mack

Royal Caribbean International’s biggest cruise ship, Allure of the Seas, is the star of two new films in a marketing experiment using social media to reach out to potential customers. With the star power of Jenny McCarthy and James Brolin — the directors and leads of the movies — Royal Caribbean has invented a new marketing form that might best be described as reverse product placement.

The stories are secondary to the location — and the location, of course, is a gorgeous cruise ship. In McCarthy’s winning little romantic tale, “The Allure of Love” two friends hatch a plan to bring a couple — Annie (McCarthy) and Bradley (Scott Elrod) back together after a nasty breakup. The onboard romance is set against dazzling sunsets, island retreats and ship nightlife — all very appealing to a certain demographic highly desirable to the cruise line. Brolin’s tale, “Royal Reunion” is a multi-generational family film centered on a 40th Anniversary celebration.

Continue reading “Royal Caribbean has gone Hollywood” »

by Sophie Gayot

Last night was the opening of the 2011 COLCOA Festival, A Week of French Film Premieres in Hollywood. Quite a few prestigious and renowned French actors and directors made the trip from France, arriving just in time for the City of Lights, City of Angels event, including writer-director Bertrand Blier. Watch my exclusive video interview with the Oscar winner (“Get Out Your Handkerchiefs”) as he talks about his career.

Every year, COLCOA Director François Truffart invites an actress who represents French cinema and glamour. This year, I had the pleasure to mingle with two-time César-winning actress Nathalie Baye (“Day for Night,” “La Balance”). Baye will be presenting her latest movie, “De Vrais Mensonges” (Beautiful Lies”) this Saturday at 8:30 p.m.

Continue reading “Que La Fête Commence!” »

by Sophie Gayot

Last night was the coup d’envoi (kick-off) of the 15th edition of COL•COA, City of Lights City of Angels film festival. The festival has now grown to be the largest French film showcase outside of France. Over sixty films will be shown at the DGA movie theaters on Sunset Boulevard from April 12 to April 18, including two world premieres.

Continue reading “2011 COLCOA – A Week of French Film Premieres in Hollywood” »

by Sophie Gayot

Bubbles of Perrier-Jouët Champagne were floating in glasses during the 4th Annual Women in Film pre-Oscar reception hosted by Academy Award® Winners Halle Berry and Cathy Schulman. The star-studded event was held at the Soho House’s garden rooftop in West Hollywood on Friday, February 25th.

The few men who attended the party, including Halle’s new flame Olivier Martinez, were happy to mingle with Amy Adams, Kate Walsh, Gillian Jacobs, Melissa Leo, Jodi Lyn O’Keefe, Jennifer Morrison, Hailee Steinfeld and Malika Sherawat, among others.

WIF President Cathy Schulman reiterated the night’s theme when she said, “This organization is about women supporting women.” Halle also briefly greeted the crowd, speaking about how, as women, it is important to support each other and lift each other up.

Continue reading “Women in Film & Champagne” »

by Jeff Hoyt

While you’re still working your way through Thanksgiving leftovers, we’re hard at work making the next set of holidays easier for you. Shopping? Check out our Top 10 Holiday Gifts, including a new book for foodies: Avec Eric: A Culinary Journey with Eric Ripert. Need a break from shopping? Unwind with one of our Top 10 Holiday Movies: some will steal your heart, while others depict stealing groundhogs. Going to a holiday party? Pick up one of our Top 10 Holiday Wines, which covers white, red, dessert, and sparkling. But for the best in sparkling wines, consult our Top 10 Prestige Cuvées, our selections of the top Champagnes available.

All of these lists and more can be found in our latest The Food Paper newsletter, published today. It’s easy to subscribe to our free newsletters, including our recently published Hotel Issue and our Annual Restaurant Issue coming out in January. Keep coming back to GAYOT.com for reviews of the newest restaurants and hotels.

by Jeff Hoyt

For some special dates, soft lights, a good bottle of wine and a romantic movie can help further the relationship. But other times call for a different kind of cinema: a sexy movie. Movies that titillate us have been around ever since man learned to capture images on film. In today’s more liberated times, men and women can openly enjoy and discuss a film that was designed for adults only.

We’ve compiled our choices for the Top 10 Sexy Movies (as well as a few extra), and we’d like you to weigh in on them. What have we missed? What do you think is a sexy movie worth sharing with others? We appreciate your feedback in our Community Forum.

To make the experience complete, check out our Top 10 Sexy Restaurants (in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York, Orange County, San Francisco and Washington, DC ) and our Top 10 Sexy Hotel lists. And before you turn the lights down, feel free to serve one of our Top 10 Aphrodisiacs!

 by Sophie Gayot

Due to the volcanic activity in Iceland, some key figures could not make it, but French Consul General David Martinon welcomed the packed house watching the North American premiere of Heartbreaker (L’Arnacoeur), a romantic comedy starring Vanessa Paradis (Johnny Depp’s life partner) and Romain Duris, and directed by Pascal Chaumeil.

Continue reading “French Romance in Hollywood” »

By Alain Gayot

 

How about a cute movie which is certainly going to deliver good laughs if not a bunch of chuckles sans the Hollywood special effects craze? Should you be a foodie or other type of gourmand head to see Julie & Julia, a movie based on the book by fellow blogger Julie Powell, who you can read more about at Eatizen Jane. In celebration of the film, some restaurants, like Chef Mavro in Honolulu, are offering movie-themed dinner menus, and the executive chef of The Ocean Bistro at the Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach in Florida, will be recreating his favorite Julia Child recipes. To learn more about the movie check out the review by clicking on the link at the bottom of this blog.

 

In this day and age when people are educated about food and wine, mastering the art of French cooking might not be your first priority, but what Julia Child started doing in the 1940s was monumental for food in America. Some of us might prefer Japanese food or, why not Mexican cuisine, but all of us owe thanks to a few key masters like Jacques Pepin and of course Julia Child with their TV shows.

 

 

Continue reading “Julie & Julia Brings the Culinary Greats to Mind” »

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