London Fashion Week is approaching and there are hospitality packages on offer

London Fashion Week is approaching and there are hospitality packages on offer for those keen to get a close-up look at the latest trends as the autumn and winter collections emerge.

The event runs from September 16th to 20th, with the majority of the venues being located in Somerset House.

Others include the Topshop Venue in the Royal Opera House, Fashion Scout in the Freemasons' Hall on Great Queen Street and the My Beautiful City, in the Old Sorting Office on the corner of Museum Street and New Oxford Street.

The event features collections from the likes of Paul Costelloe, Christopher Raeburn, Vivienne Westwood, Holly Fulton, Michael Van Der Ham, David Koma and Topman Design.

Speaking about the week, Caroline Reader, the event manager for London Fashion Weekend - which follows later in the month - said that she hopes to get away from her desk to see the collections by Christopher Kane and Richard Nicholl.

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Fashion week photographs of Kate Moss or Agyness Deyn sashaying down the catwalk in the latest season’s designs appear in magazines and on front pages around the world.

Fashion week photographs of Kate Moss or Agyness Deyn sashaying down the catwalk in the latest season’s designs appear in magazines and on front pages around the world. Yet look more closely and it appears that few of these images are taken at London Fashion Week.

Many of the most talked-about models of the moment — some household names, some the next big thing — will appear at fashion weeks in New York, Paris and Milan, but not London. Some fly in for a day or two, others skip London completely. Industry figures say London has a lot going for it: creativity, innovation, cool. But compared with the other capitals, it doesn’t have the financial clout to attract the “hottest” models.

Is this damaging London’s fashion reputation?

“A lot of things have gone wrong with fashion weeks,” says Carole White, the founder of Premier models. “It’s causing a problem for the British fashion industry. London designers are not realistic about what they pay. Their rates have not moved on since 1983.” She says London offers models only a fraction of the fees they can command elsewhere.

White knows what she is talking about. The workaholic, outspoken star of Channel 4 TV’s fly-on-the-wall documentary The Model Agency is the woman Naomi Campbell called “mum” for years (until they had a big falling out). She has represented the likes of Claudia Schiffer and Christy Turlington as well as famously turning down Kate Moss for being “too short.”

The London “squeeze” has been debated since New York, due to start tomorrow, moved its position in the schedule. New York is traditionally seen as more powerful than London, which is how the change was pushed through two years ago. “Since New York got moved to the first slot, all the fashion weeks butt up against each other. It’s crazy.” White warns that some of the most in-demand models may struggle to make it to London, which opens on Sept. 16.

It makes more sense for them to jet straight from New York to Milan. “There is a lot of politics going on here. They seem to think it helps the buyers. But it doesn’t help the models.”

Aidan Jean-Marie, creative director of Premier and one of White’s bookers, says: “Big names like Kate Moss or Stella Tennant, they make their guest appearances elsewhere. We don’t have the money in London any more.”

Last season one of the most memorable photographs from the shows was Kate Moss swishing down the runway in a rare catwalk appearance. That was for Louis Vuitton in Paris. But this isn’t so much about household names (many of these models no longer do catwalk work anyway as advertising is so much more lucrative). It’s about the young women who suddenly become “the latest big thing” on the eve of these shows. The model bookers argue that these “hot girls” (as they call them) are what creates the noise around a collection.

“The buzz of London is the creativity,” White says. “And you want the best models to showcase that. They don’t have to be the most famous, but they have to be the coolest. If a girl is really tired and looks like she’s going to have a really good show season in Milan, the agents will say, ‘Let’s skip London.’ It tends to lessen us as a market.”

For the models, London is apparently not that appealing: “Most girls are not avaricious. They want to cover their costs and make a little profit. But in London they can leave with a debt and have to return the next season to clear it.”

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London Fashion Week Spring 2012 Preview

 

The buzz around London is that this is going to be the season of the new-established designers. Labels such as Erdem, Christopher Kane, and Peter Pilotto have garnered widespread coverage with celebrities donning their wares on the red carpet and fashion editors flocking to feature them in magazines but they still lack the widespread recognition of other established designers. This will be their year to stand out and join the big leagues.  We shouldn't expect too many big-name models as it's been revealed that LFW designers pay much less than Paris or Milan and London is simply too short to make it worth their while. Scheduled September 16 - 20, The British Fashion Council petitioned to have London Fashion Week extended earlier in the year but an extension isn't in the cards this season. The Topshop Show Space has returned to the Old Eurostar Terminal from two seasons ago and will be equipped with the always popular cafe.  Pringle of Scotland's new Design Director Alisair Carr is looking to photographer Watanabe Katsumi to inspire his debut collection.  For 2012, Mulberry's Emma Hill was inspired by the British seaside. We should expect seventies silhouettes with floral fabrics and that signature Mulberry eccentricity.  Matthew Williamson will be showing his collection in the turbine hall at The Tate Modern. Designers with the British Fashion Council's NEWGEN sponsorship are Holly Fulton, Louise Gray, and Michael Van der Ham. It has also been revealed that Van der Ham will be showing a collaboration with Christian Louboutin.  Luxury hosiery brand Bebaroque is collaborating with PPQ for customized and jewel encrusted tights and bodysuits.  The Aldo Rise collaborations with designers J.W. Anderson and Preen will be revealed.  Tom Ford will be showing his collection to a very select group of buyers and press. It is by far the most hush-hush exclusive presentation of the week.   Rumor has it that there may be a few last minute show cancelations due to budgeting but we'll have to wait and see.

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The Wine Museum (Museo del Vino), Ojen, Marbella

 

You’ll need a car to reach Ojen. It was made famous by a local liqueur and Julio Iglesias has a home here. It’s heaven for nature lovers, set in the mountains just above Marbella and is definitely worth a detour, not just for a taste of some fine Spanish wines, but for a feel for the quieter side of Marbella, where birdsong and the whizz of mopeds are the soundtrack in spring and summer. This is Malaga’s “spiritual” home, but it’s not just wines that are on display or for tasting. Resident guide Antonio will tell you it’s Ojen’s own special Eau-de-Vie (a concoction of aniseed and aromatic herbs that packs quite a punch) that originally put the Ojen on the worldwide map. In 1840 a man called Pedro Morales started distilling the special liqueur but he kept the recipe a secret. Soon, visitors were asking for a “copita de Ojen” in bars around Spain and it was exported all over the world. Picasso probbly enjoyed a swig or two – he immortalised a bottle of the anisette liqueur in his work “Bodegon Espanol”. But after being passed down from father to eldest son over four generations, one father died suddenly before he had the chance to pass the formula on, so the recipe remains a mystery. Also worth visiting: The local 16th-century church with its square minaret-style Mudejar tower; the Caves of Ojen; the Los Chorros fountain; and Juanar Palace, a very old hunting lodge (game is still shot here) that is now a hotel and restaurant, set in the hiker’s and rider’s paradise in the Sierra Blanca mountains.

 

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Billionairess Petra Eccleston's fashion line Stark is to launch at next week's New York Fashion Week.

Billionnairess: Newlywed Petra Ecclestone arrives in LA yesterday

Billionairess Petra Eccleston's fashion line Stark is to launch at next week's New York Fashion Week.

And, although the It girl has caused quite a stir in the U.S. with her recent purchase of the $85million former Spelling mansion in LA, she insists that the accessories brand will 'speak for itself.'

'It’s not about me - it’s not a Petra Ecclestone handbag, it’s a Stark handbag. There’s a huge difference.'

The younger daughter of Bernie Ecclestone, the British Formula 1 racing mogul, Ms Ecclestone is no stranger to high fashion - the self-confessed lover of bags and shoes is particularly partial to an Hermes Birkin bag - the prices of which run up to $65,000 each.

The accessories range includes handbags and purses that while not fall into the practical category certainly look like the spoils of a billionairess. Think gold, opulent leathers and uber luxury.

Speaking with WWD, the 22-year-old Londoner and owner of a $175million real estate portfolio said that she hopes the collection, to be unveiled at Gramercy Park Hotel, will not be judged upon by her status alone.

'[My background] doesn’t change that I’m trying to be a successful designer.'

'Obviously people are going to have preconceived ideas that it’s not me working, that I don’t come to the office, like I do - I don’t think you can ever change that,' she told the fashion newspaper.

Although Ms Ecclestone says the bags are 'just really kind of fun, glitzy pieces,' her designs are clearly targeted to those with whom Ms Ecclestone may usually mix.

Stark reality: The new collection, launching at next week's New York Fashion Week ranges from $495 to $4,795

Materials include ultra-luxurious python skin, alligator skin and Nappa leather with gold studs or Swarovski crystals details.

A baguette clutch fashioned from alligator leather and encased in a boxy gold frame features a panther that is not unlike that on a Jaguar car bonnet.

 

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The Venice Film Festival has started

The Venice Film Festival has started and this year will present new movies made by such directors as Cronenberg, Ferrara, McQueen, Solondz, Polanski, Lathimos, Satrapi and in addition: the latest films by Soderbergh, Madonna and the Spanish science fiction movie EVA by Kike Maíllo (born in Barcelona in 1975)

The most anticipated release of the festival is probably “CARNAGE” by Roman Polanski, who wrote the screenplay in the Swiss’ custody. The Film has been acclaimed as a potential winner of the festival.
CARNAGE features four outstanding actors: Kate Winslet, Jodie Foster, Christoph Waltza and John C. Reilly. It’s an adaptation of Yasmin Reza’s French stage play. A Brooklyn couple (Jodie Foster as a human rights advocate and John C. Reilly, a salesman) receive Kate Winslet and Christoph Waltz (an investment broker and a high-powered attorney) to discuss a fight between their sons, in which one was injured. The confrontation turns into the open conflict 
Madonna presented her new film “W. E.” outside the festival competition. The script is based on one of the most popular romances of the first half of the 20th century. The story of Wallis Simpson, for whom Edward VIII abdicated in 1936 is the starting point for the contemporary tale of a young woman with the same name, which has devoted everything to the husband and the future offspring.
Many reviews of “W. E.” concluded that film directing is not the best feature of Madonna.

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Spanish aristocrat, 85 year old Span’s Duchess of Alba is getting married with 24 years younger civil servant Alfonso Diez Carabantes

 Spanish aristocrat, 85 year old Span’s Duchess of Alba is getting married with 24 years younger civil servant Alfonso Diez Carabantes and to avoid her chlderen’s protests, gives them all her wealth.

Duchess of Alba has entered the Guinness Book of Recors for her gigantic welth worth of 3.5bn euros (£3bn) and the most nobility titles in the world (44 noble titles and 150 hereditary ones). She is a distant relative of Queen Elizabeth and Winston Churchill. Her full name is Maria del Rosario Cayetana Alfonsa Victoria Eugenia Francisca Fitz-James Stuart y de Silva.

According to her official message the wedding ceremony to be held in October will be a private event 
 The duchess’s six children have until now opposed her plans. Spanish media reports that she will get round her children by giving them their inheritance early. ”Alfonso doesn’t want anything. All he wants is me,” the duchess was quoted as saying earlier this year.

According to the Spanish televsion TVE, her eldest son Carlos will inherit the Liria Palace in Madrid and the Monterrey Palace in Salamanca. Her other palaces and thousands of hectares of land will be divided between her children and eight grandchildren, the report said. Much of the patrimony is managed by a foundation and cannot be sold.

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F1 heiress Petra Ecclestone marries businessman James Stunt while her father Bernie Ecclestone is splashing out £1.3 million for the wedding at Odescalchi Castle near Rome

F1 heiress Petra Ecclestone marries businessman James Stunt while her father Bernie Ecclestone is splashing out £1.3 million for the wedding at Odescalchi Castle near Rome, where Tom Cruise married Katie Holmes and buying properties in Los Angeles and London worth over £120 million.

Eric Clapton will play the first song as the newlyweds take to the floor for their first dance as a married couple. Then the Black Eyed Peas will perform a set for guests at the reception at a cost of more than £1million.

Renting the Italian castle costs £310,000 which includes catering, guests accommodation and £40,000 will be splashed out on a spectacular fireworks display at midnight.The couple will enjoy their new life together between London and Los Angeles lavish properties, which Petra purchased recently 
The Los Angeles property is the largest house in the city and the second most expensive sold in the country so far this year built by Aaron Spelling, producer of the iconic series “Charlie’s Angels” and “Dynasty”. The imposing building of 5,000 square meters is situated near Beverly Hills, and has more than 100 rooms. “It’s a great investment and got a good deal,” said Petra in her interview for ABC News, referring to a lower initial price 85 million dollars (58,000,000 Euro) of the property valued originally at 104 million dollars.

The London house, purchased earlier this year in London’s fashionable Chelsea was even more expensive than the U.S property at 64 million British pounds (72,000,000 Euro). It is a Grade II listed building with underground car park, swimming pool and collection of art including including works by Banksy and Tracy Emin.

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THE movie ‘Cloud Atlas’ starring Tom Hanks and Halle Berry, will be filmed in Mallorca this September

THE movie ‘Cloud Atlas’ starring Tom Hanks and Halle Berry, will be filmed in Mallorca this September, the Mallorcan Film Commission confirmed.

Other actors include Susan Sarandon, Hugo Weaving, Jim Broadbent, Hugh Grant and Ben Whishaw.

Filming is set to begin around September 15 and end around September 30, but it will not be released until October 2012.

The hope is that the movie will popularize Mallorca as a destination in the same way that The Lord of the Rings did for New Zealand.

The directors, the Wachowski brothers (The Matrix) and Tom Tykwer, have already reserved 180 rooms at a Pollença Hotel.

‘Cloud Atlas’ is based on the award winning novel by David Mitchell and follows the story of six characters living in different time eras, from the 19th Century to a post-apocalyptic future.

All but one of the main characters are the reincarnation of the same soul.

There will be four film locations on the island including Port de Soller, Sa Calobra and Formentor for the 1850 era and Puig Major for the 2300 post-apocalyptic world where the only survivors live in a kind of Stone Age but with technological equipment, offering various special effects.

The rest of the €140million movie was filmed at the famous Babelsberg studios in Berlin.

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Kadafi son had a Hollywood connection

Libyan leader Moammar Kadafi's third son, Saadi, had an independent movie production company called Natural Selection with an American partner. The company has closed its doors and the son is on the run.

Saadi Kadafi, Moammar Gaddafi's third son. (Dan Peled, Associated Press / September 2, 2011)

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Vincci opens new 5-star boutique hotel in Benalmadena

The newly opened 5-star boutique hotel occupies a beachfront location, only 15min away from Malaga Airport.

Vincci Hotels has just opened the Vincci Seleccion Aleysa, a charming 5-star boutique hotel. The newly opened property occupies a beachfront location in a quiet setting, very close to the town's marina and other localities on the Costa del Sol, such as Malaga, Torremolinos and Marbella.

This elegant ad modern property has 35 rooms with sea views, including 13 spacious doubles, two junior suites, one suite, eight duplex and one grand duplex. All the rooms are equipped with flat-screen TV, telephone, safety deposit box, individual air conditioning/heating, free Wi-Fi, pillow menu, TOUS amenities, special welcome set, mini bar and piped music.

As regards services and facilities, the hotel has an à la carte restaurant, lobby bar, terrace, gardens, outdoor swimming pool and Jacuzzi, fully equipped spa centre and several meetings rooms and outdoor venues for corporate and private events.

  

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180 guests attended the presentation of the full range of Rolls-Royce by Guarnieri Dealers at Villa Padierna Hotel’s Beach Club.

 

 180 guests attended the presentation of the full range of Rolls-Royce by Guarnieri Dealers at Villa Padierna Hotel’s Beach Club.

 

There were around 10 models including Ghost, Drophead Coupe and some limited editions of Phantom as well as a collection of classic Rolls-Royce.

The guests, who were business people, professionals, television personalities and top athletes, dressed in a ‘golden touch’ and enjoyed canapés and drinks with gold.

Rolls-Royce Group is now incorporated into Guarnieri at the San Pedro de Alcantara dealer.

Photo credit: Carlos López J

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Paris Hilton’s work ethic praised; Google exec in town

One of Asia’s leading real estate firms, Century Properties, pulled out all the stops last month as it launched one of its biggest international collaborations of the year: its collaboration with Hollywood celebrity Paris Hilton for its premiere condominium development, Azure Urban Resort Residences, dahlings.

Manila was pandemonium from the day Paris Hilton landed. She came, she saw and she definitely conquered!

“Her unparalleled style, which made her a successful businesswoman and style icon, and her zest for living the good life are the qualities that we would like to incorporate into our vacation-inspired residential property,” said Century Properties chief operating officer John Victor “Jigger” R. Antonio.

Right après her arrival, Paris went straight to shoot her Azure project video and TV commercial.

Century Properties managing director Robbie Antonio said he was able to observe the celebrity’s professionalism and work ethic closely. She did not complain at all, he said, and always worked with a smile. She had no airs.

Members of the Antonio famille, led by José E.B. Antonio and wife Hilda Reyes Antonio, later joined Paris Hilton in posing for group photos with the Santorini-inspired architecture design of the new development as background.

That afternoon, Century Properties hosted a media conference for the world-renowned businesswoman at Peninsula Manila. “I am truly very proud to be a part of the Azure. It’s my very first real-estate venture and I love it,” she said.

“With her exposure to the best beaches of the rich and famous around the world, plus her fun and sensible fashion sense, we definitely made the right choice in partnering with someone who appreciates urban resort-style living,” explained Robbie Antonio.

A private dinner in Paris’ honor followed at the Pen’s Old Manila. They then went straight to the Rigodon ballroom to be introduced to Azure investors and Manila VIP’s.

She was very accommodating. She impressed everyone with her breeding.

“Everyone can expect that the new Azure campaign as well as Century Properties’ Azure Beach Club will have Paris’ indelible touch,” said Robbie Antonio.

“It’s been great and fun working with her,” Jigger Antonio said, “and we look forward to her return to Manila when we inaugurate Azure’s Beach Club.”

Valii

Watch fanatic that I am, Valii has always been one of my favorite watches; in fact, I have a couple in my watch collections, darlings. So when the invitation came for the launch of Valii’slatest eye-popping collection at Peninsula Manila’s Rigodon Ballroom, moi accepted at once.

The new fashionable timepieces live up to Valii’s heritage of elegance, luxury and style.

The collection is the brilliant brainchild of renowned jeweler Anita Chan. The brand represents, according to the press materials, “the fruition of her vision of fusing her elegant jewelry designs and the cutting-edge of today’s technology with the classic and timeless tradition of excellent Italian watchmaking.”

Bubbling like champagne, the designs stress “the importance of a product’s unique, inimitable appeal to stand out in Manila’s flourishing luxury market,” press materials said.

With their interchangeable rings and straps, Valii watches can be mixed and matched to suit any woman or man’s mood and lifestyle.

Despite the luxury tag, Valli is “well within everyone’s reach,” Chan said.

The Valii launch also marked Chan’s partnership with two long-time pals: hip, versatile fashion designer and vivacious Michele Sison, and advertising and marketing impresario Arnold Vegafria.

In fact, the launch of the collection was accompanied by a dazzling mini-fashion show by Michele, where models breezed around the ballroom flaunting the flashy, multicolor eye-catching “Gummy Scu” watches.

Valii, said Chan, is “the Mandarin’s translation for ‘elegance.’”

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In the great company of Cinderella and Google

At Masetto Resto, I got together with the royals of Cinderella Department Stores—Malou de Venecia, Therese Coronel Santos, eligible bachelor Richie Santos and Marielle Santos Po.

I was introduced to smart and witty Christine Songco-Lau, a close friend of Therese and head of developer relations for Google Southeast Asia.

She said she had been meeting with local universities, private companies and the government “to introduce Google technology and tools that developers need to build both mobile and web apps.”

“I have had several talks with local universities about Google and current technologies that are applied in their curriculum,” she added.

We all had fun. Great conversations combined with fantastic meals, prepared by chef Tippi Tambunting.

We ended the night and all agreed, “Wow, we ate too much.” But believe me, it was worth every bite—the yummy dishes and, more so, the fantastic and very interesting company, dahlings.

 

 

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Qaddafi's lifestyle of the rich and infamous

Muammar Qaddafi's wife, daughter and two sons fled over the border to Algeria Monday. Qaddafi is still on the run.
In the last days of fighting, with defeat looming, Qaddafi's soldiers turned their guns on more than 50 civilian prisoners held in one building. Soldiers threw in grenades, then set the building on fire.

There were a lot of dead and a lot of wounded, says one witness, and even the wounded they executed in the end.

But atrocities are shared by both sides - rebels killed surrendered soldiers. It is part of the cruelty of this war. But Libyans have lived with another kind of cruelty for most of their lives, struggling in an oil rich country where a middle class family survives on $330 a month and roughly one-third live at or below the poverty line.

Qaddafi and his family lacked for nothing. Some of their fancy houses, with their jet skis, hot tubs and lavish surroundings are now in rebel hands.

One house belonging to one of Qaddafi's sons is a seaside retreat complete with a baby grand piano. Other houses stretch down the coast. The use of alcohol is forbidden in the Muslim religion, but when rebels found this place, the bar was fully stocked with expensive liquor.

But nothing says lifestyles of the rich and infamous like a $150 million private jet. The family private pilots would fly them anywhere in the world. Travelling by private jet was just the beginning of the millions the Qaddafi family would spend.

One son, according to a British newspaper, went through $2 million a month on trips to Paris or London - and haircuts that cost $7,000.

 

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Salvatore D'Avino, 39, was traced by detectives after they spotted the snaps of his heavily pregnant girlfriend Brada Hint in front of sign giving the name and location of a Spanish restaurant.

One of Italy's most-wanted Mafia mobsters has been arrested after his blundering girlfriend posted pictures of them on Facebook.

Salvatore D'Avino, 39, was traced by detectives after they spotted the snaps of his heavily pregnant girlfriend Brada Hint in front of sign giving the name and location of a Spanish restaurant.

Italian police alerted the Spanish authorities who traced the couple to their hideout in Marbella on the Costa del Sol and arrested D'Avino.


Facebooked: Mafioso Salvatore D'Avino, 39, was arrested in Spain after his girlfriend posted pictures on the social networking site


Blunder: The mobster's girlfriend posted this picture of herself on Facebook showing a sign with the name and location of a popular restaurant

D'Avino is said to be a member of the Giuliano clan of the Naples mafia which is known as the Camorra and had been on the run for almost ten years.

He was listed on the Italian police's top 100 most wanted and had several convictions for drug trafficking.


Italian police said he had also been arrested in Spain on drug charges and was said to be part of a plot to flood Marbella with more than 250,000 Ecstasy tablets.

Police said he had been hiding in Morocco for years and travelled to Spain by boat a few days ago and his Moroccan companion followed him under a false name as she was about to give birth.

Hint, 31, published several photos on Facebook of her outside upmarket Marbella nightspot Nikki Beach Club where the couple were staying and police swooped as D'Avino was filling up his car with petrol.

A picture released by Italian police showed him handcuffed and wearing a designer Versace T shirt and shorts as he was led to a waiting squad car flanked by Italian and Spanish police.

The Costa del Sol is a popular haven with gangsters from all over the world - including Britain - which has led to it being dubbed the Costa del Crime, in 2008 British mobsters were involved in a shooting at Nikki Beach Club.

The Giuliano clan is one of the most powerful clans in the historical centre of the southern city of Naples and police had issued two arrest warrants for D'Avino in 2003 and 2007 on drug trafficking and mafia charges and he faces up to 20 years in prison.


Thanks for the tip-off: Italian police contacted the Spanish authorities after spotting the pictures on line

Marshall Angelo Mazzagatti, of the Naples police who led the operation said: "He couldn't believe it when police arrived and arrested him. He thought after nearly a decade on the run he was home free.

'When he asked how we had found him and we told him he was not at all happy with his girlfriend who is heavily pregnant and about to give birth.

'When we saw the pictures on Facebook we could not believe his girlfriend had been so stupid. It was very easy to track them down as she was stood in front of a restaurant sign in Marbella.'

He added that D'Avino's Moroccan born girlfriend was not wanted by police and would probably be released after questioning.

It is not the first time that a wanted mobster has been arrested by Italian police through Facebook.

Last year on the run Pasquale Manfredi, 33, was held after police were tipped off he was a user and were given the false log in he was signing in with.

He was wanted for murder after blowing up a rival with a bazooka and they tracked him down through the Internet provider address as he surfed the web from his hideout in Isola Capo Rizzuto.

While in another incident earlier this year another mobster was caught after he posted on his Facebook site he was attending a biker's rally in France giving the exact venue and date.

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Devoted Christina Aguilera fan to fly the singer over for private concert in Spain

The multimillionaire is reported to be paying 2.4 million Euro for the performance

Christina Aguilera - EFE archive

 

A Spanish multimillionaire is reported to be paying € 2.4 million to Christina Aguilera for the US star to perform a private concert for him. She’ll be flying over to Spain for the performance, but it is not known when or exactly where it will take place.

The identity of her fan also remains a mystery.

What is known is that the concert will be a rather short one. Europa Press reports that it will only include four songs, each of them costing him more than half a million €.

The news agency cites its source as the Hollywood gossip blog Perez Hilton.

 

 

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Duquesa's marriage to Alfonso Díez will take place at the beginning of October

The Duquesa's marriage to Alfonso Díez will take place at the beginning of October

The Duchess of Alba with her future husband – EFE archive

 

The speculation that the Duchess of Alba is to wed ended on Tuesday with the announcement from the Duquesa herself that she is to marry Alfonso Díez, a civil servant who is 24 years her junior, at the beginning of October.

It’s understood that it will be a private ceremony with just the family and a few close friends.

There has been speculation of a possible marriage ever since the couple first began their relationship, but the rumours increased this July when the 85 year old Duquesa de Alba, Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart, decided to share out her inheritance between her six children before her death. It was seen as a move to overcome their objections to her marrying.

It will be the Duquesa’s third marriage. Her first husband and the father of her children, Luis Martínez de Irujo, died in 1972. She married again six years later to a former Jesuit priest, Jesús Aguirre, who became the 18th Duke of Alba.

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Richard Branson says Academy Award-winning actress Kate Winslet helped rescue his elderly mother from a fire that destroyed his Caribbean home

Richard Branson says Academy Award-winning actress Kate Winslet helped rescue his elderly mother from a fire that destroyed his Caribbean home.

The Virgin Group boss said about 20 people, including Ms. Winslet, her children, and his mother were staying in the 8-bedroom Great House on Necker, his private isle in the British Virgin Islands when it was struck by lightning during a tropical storm early Monday.



Mr. Branson said no one was hurt. He said in his blog that he wanted to offer “many thanks to Kate Winslet for helping to carry my 90 year (old) mum out of the main house to safety.” He joked that Ms. Winslet “was wondering when a director was going to shout ‘CUT!’”

Mr. Branson said he was staying in another property nearby with his wife Joan and son Sam.

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The boat was moored in Marbella and the Packers were on board along with about 15 people - just close friends, no-one famous. Shane and Liz flew in for a few days and looked so in love during their time

The Australian cricketer and British model Hurley, who are believed to have been dating since last year, reportedly got engaged while cruising around Spain on businessman James Packer's luxury yacht recently.

A source told New Idea: "The boat was moored in Marbella and the Packers were on board along with about 15 people - just close friends, no-one famous. Shane and Liz flew in for a few days and looked so in love during their time.

"He's just a puppy dog for Elizabeth. Absolutely head over heels. It was just a beautiful moment when he proposed. Really romantic. And she said yes. There was no hesitation."

A spokesperson for Warne denied the engagement rumours, but the claims have been backed up by another apparent friend of the couple, who has claimed that the sports star's new trim physique was driven by his desire to propose.

Hurley recently jumped to Warne's defence after various people claimed that he has had cosmetic surgery and likes wearing eyeliner.

Hurley wrote on Twitter: "SW does not wear eye makeup or have an 'eye liner tattoo'... his eyes were born that way. Neither does he wear lip gloss fyi hacks in gossip press; he'd prob just given me a kiss & got a bit of mine (sic)."

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Las Vegas strip clubs battle tough times with freebies, buffets

So says the Las Vegas Review-Journal, in a story about Sin City's famed take-it-off attractions.

More than ever, clubs are relying on discounts and special offers to compete against each other and lure clientele, the story says. Cheetah's offers two-for-one lap dances during the day and Treasures provides a free buffet in the early evening, according to the newspaper.

It says the Can Can Room and Crazy Horse III have halved the price of a lap dance at certain times (in Vegas, dances typically cost $20 a song).

Customers "want a deal. They want something for free," Jacko Smiley, a VIP host at Treasures, told the Review-Journal.


Summer is traditionally a slow time for strip clubs, mainly because conventioneers -- the life blood of clubs -- are less numerous. Also, the Vegas economy has been hard hit by loss of jobs (such as construction workers) and a huge number of foreclosed homes. That means clubs need to do more if they want locals in the door.


When I was in Vegas this spring, the Spearmint Rhino -- voted best strip club in Vegas by a panel of insiders selected by USA TODAY -- was offering an amazing lunch deal: $4.40 for a burger, fries and drink. (LasVegasAdvisor.com CEO Anthony Curtis just checked out that promo recently, which included a beer). Once in the door, the hope clearly is that patrons will drop some cash into the g-strings of the hundreds of strippers who work every shift.

Curtis, an expert on hitting the discount jackpot in Vegas, agrees freebies and deals are out there at the city's 30 or so strip clubs, but says the offers aren't always new and that a lot are more about getting people in "during the off-hours" than spawned by the edgy economy. Also, the scene is competitive with some clubs closing and new ones opening. LasVegasAdvisor.com just came out with the latest edition of its Topless Vegas guide ($6.95 for an e-book).

Meanwhile, Wayne Bridge, CEO of the Sin City Chamber of Commerce (that's its real name), an association of adult-oriented businesses, told the Review-Journal that strip clubs in the Vegas area generate an estimated $8 billion per year, second only to gambling. That's really hard to prove, since club revenues aren't counted systematically as are gaming revenues, but there's no argument that clubs are a big draw for Vegas visitors, especially males (though women guests increasingly are welcomed at most clubs).

Courting women clients is a strip-club trend, Curtis says. Larry Flynt's Hustler Club, one of the newer Vegas entries has a "ladies drink free" special in the "Hustler Hideaway" after midnight as well as Ladies' Nights with $2 drinks.

 

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