GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS
17 JANUARY 2012
 I seem to be hitting technical problems lately! Regrettably the website www.newchillingtales.com has hit a few issues, which has put us back somewhat. However it should definitely be ready in about two to three weeks (we hope). Last night I wrote a beautiful Blog for us all and then did not save it! Lots of gnashing of teeth and hair tearing. I found a few file retrieval services, but I guess there is a difference from finding deleted files and finding those you never saved in the first place! Snow is expected here, great joy among the ski resorts who have been losing a fortune and the my large picture window is looking out on a bleak and freezing day in Idaho.
Today is Tuesday and on Sunday evening I watched the Golden Globe awards. It was a good evening and included well deserved and popular wins, including THE ARTIST, best Director for HUGO- magical film and George Clooney, Best Actor and the film he won for THE DESCENDANTS won best Film Drama award. George Clooney is a man to be admired and one who really loves his industry and works hard for it; he is talented, not to mention good looking, (sometimes a real handicap) and, one hears on the grapevine, a really nice man.
I attended the Golden Globes twice, once when I was nominated as Best Actress in a Supporting role and again when I was invited by old pal Anthony Hopkins, when he was nominated for THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, as Best Actor. Neither of us won on those occasions, but Tony at least had the satisfaction of winning the Best Actor Academy Award, for the same performance. I was very disappointed not to win, but at the same time  mightily relieved. I had no speech prepared and may well have been struck dumb, had I had to go up and collect the Award. Idiot that I am, I had never heard of the Golden Globes, when I was first nominated and had no idea of their importance. Many of us English actresses were not experienced in the ways of Hollywood at the time and the importance of awards. We just shrugged it all off....it was only the work that mattered. How naive. Doesn’t matter how great you are in something if nobody sees it. But if they DO see it, admire it and publicly acknowledge it you better be very aware and very grateful, because my friends, in this tough business it doesn’t happen much.
Fortunately, another old friend Leslie Bricusse of music and lyrics writing fame had enough of these awards to paper a room and he kindly escorted me on my night. He steered me through the evening and he couldn’t been more helpful and kind. It helped too that everyone knew him, where I was unknown and could have stood, wallflower like in a corner had he not been there, tormenting myself with my lack of preparedness. I swore black and blue that if I was nominated for an Oscar, as I was told by our publicist for the film, was likely, I would have written and learned the most dazzling acceptance speech. Sadly it was not to be, but it was a lesson well learned.
On Tony’s night, it was all different for me, I was along for a very glamorous ride, as Tony’s wife couldn’t attend and we all agreed that I would make a suitable substitute. This time Tony’s publicist, the wonderful and professional Bob Palmer, had the event well in hand and guide us though like the Pro that he is. It’s on occasions like these that you understand why all the major stars give away about 50% of their salaries on their support team, agents, managers, accountants, lawyers, publicists, the presentation of that star’s public persona, is done so incredibly well. The Hollywood machine is a well oiled one and gives work and opportunities to many. So good luck to them all I say!
We are about to embark on the online marketing of the website newchillingtales.com and I had a meeting about it this morning. It is another interesting and different world. I have been through it before, when we built the online recruitment website, which brought about the successful sale of my family business. The major change is the addition of Social Networking to the mix. That is a huge benefit, at least for now. Facebook is getting so big, it is getting rather out of hand in many ways and the same with Twitter. Hope they both survive. Something else will come along and Google is already nibbling close on their heels with its own social network.
Well dear readers, thank you for reading. More later.
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