Elsa Mora

The Cannes Film Festival and Bill

And today I am back with a little report about the Cannes Film Festival! This year Bill attended the event representing a wonderful movie called: Synecdoche. This was a hard word to pronounce at the festival and there is even a little video about it here. The director of the movie is Charlie Kaufman. I am happy to say that the Time magazine classified Synecdoche as an "Instant Cannes Classic". This is an unusual movie narrated in an unusual way, it is hard to tell you what the story is about but for sure I can say that it is great and it makes you think a lot about life. I went to a small screening here in Los Angeles and I left the place thinking and thinking about so many things. The casting is wonderful too! This movie is not out yet but it will be very soon.

In this picture you see Bill with Michelle Williams and Philip Seymour Hoffman who are part of the wonderful cast of the movie. Bill said that all the paparazzi had their eyes on Michelle Williams. I have never met her in person but Bill says that he is so impressed by how mature she is for her age, she is only 27, a single Mother and as we know she has gone through a lot. Bill said that in person she is the most normal and down-to-earth girl. On the other hand she is an amazing actress, one of my very favorite. Philip Seymour Hoffman is also an amazing person. I was lucky to meet him for the first time in Romania during the making of Cold Mountain. He was there with his partner Mimi. They have two children together and they are a wonderful couple. Mimi is the sweetest girl ever! Bill and I were so happy when Philip won his Academy Award for Capote, a very well deserved award!

Here is Bill again (the one with the camera) with friends, ready to walk on the red carpet.

In these two pictures you can see some other members of the movie. The girl with the beautiful pink dress is Samantha Morton who had a baby not so long ago (she brought her baby to Cannes). Bill thinks that she is a very special person so do I. I love her in the movie! And the girl with the long hair is Catherine Keener who I have seen in a couple of events and she always has a big smile on her face. I love the purple dress that Michelle Williams is wearing! What a great color!

Here you see a photo of the most rewarding moment: a big standing ovation after the projection of the movie. What a wonderful gift for everyone who worked so hard in the making of this film!

So, what are these two last pictures about? Well, they illustrate what a Hollywood Film Producer (Bill in particular) does when he goes to the Cannes Film Festival. He takes the train and goes away to a quiet place in Italy where he can play his flute and call his family and tell them how much he would love to be home! That's the real part behind all the red carpet thing and the lights and the photographers. Bill is a wonderful father and when he is traveling he calls home all the time to make sure that we are all fine. Then when he comes back he always brings little toys for the kids and they love it! And of course he also brings a little present for the wife :)

And now my friend I should go but I will be back tomorrow!
Have a beautiful day!
Elsita :)

Sydney Pollack Dies at 73.

Today is another sad day for Bill and I since one of the most remarkable human beings that we ever met had just passed away. Sydney Pollack died yesterday of cancer.

Sydney Pollack and Bill (photo above) were partners for over ten years and together they produced some great movies. Sydney has been Bill's most important Mentor and some kind of Father figure since his beginnings in Hollywood, that's why this loss is one of the most painful that Bill ever experienced.

I met Sydney for the first time in 2001 in Vietnam when he was producing The Quiet American with Bill. I admired Sydney Pollack since I was a teenager and I loved his movies but I never thought that I was going to meet him in person, even less could I imagine that one day I was going to fly with him and Bill from Los Angeles to New York and that Sydney was going to be the Pilot. I couldn't believe that such a unique Artist could also be a real Pilot. During the whole fly I was just wondering if Sydney was a real person or someone from another planet (above you can see the single picture that I took that day in order to remember such an extraordinary experience). Sydney was a man of many talents, he was extremely smart, articulated, but most of all he was a beautiful human being, a family man and an extraordinary person who was curious about everything. Very deep Sydney Pollack was like a little boy plus he had one of the sweetest smiles that I ever saw. I remember that he told me a whole joke about a little chicken in Spanish, the pronunciation was perfect but he didn't understand a word about what he was saying, he said that he had learned the joke many years ago because he really liked how it sounded, I never heard anything like it, he was some kind of genius.

In this photo Pollack directs Robert Redford in "The Electric Horseman" in 1979, one of seven movies the two would ultimately collaborate on. And below you can see a selection of photos of Sydney with some Actors and Directors that he worked with over the years.

Sydney also experienced some devastating traumas during his life like the death of his son in a plain accident. Imagine how painful something like this was for such a family oriented man. But Sydney always knew how to turn his pain into creative energy and I can say that personally that's one of the things that I most admire about him. When he found out about his terminal cancer some months ago he told Bill about it. Bill said that his tone of voice was not sentimental or weak at all, but firm and even positive. He said that he had nothing to complain about because he was very happy about the life that he had and that it was OK to die. Bill was extremely affected by this news then and by his death yesterday but as we look at Sydney's legacy we realize that he will always be alive through the amazing body of work that he left to the world.

Here you can see a list of some of his movies:

FILMOGRAPHY: (DIRECTOR)
The Interpreter (2005)
Random Hearts (1999)
Sabrina (1995)
The Firm (1993)
Havana (1990)
Out of Africa (1985)
Tootsie (1982)
Absence of Malice (1981)
The Electric Horseman (1979)
Bobby Deerfield (1977)
Three Days of the Condor (1975)
The Yakuza (1975)
The Way We Were (1973)
Jeremiah Johnson (1972)
They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969)
The Swimmer (1968, Co-Director)
The Scalphunters (1968)
This Property is Condemned (1966)
The Slender Thread (1965)

FILMOGRAPHY: (ACTOR)
Made of Honor (2008)
Michael Clayton (2007)
Fauteuils d'orchestre (2006)
The Interpreter (2005)
Changing Lanes (2002)
The Majestic (2001) (voice)
Random Hearts (1999)
Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
A Civil Action (1998)
Husbands and Wives (1992)
Death Becomes Her (1992)
The Player (1992)
War Hunt (1962)

Dear Sydney, we love you very much and you will always have a very special place in our hearts. We don't want to say Good-Bye to you because you are and you will always be here with us in so many ways!
Here it goes a huge hug from Bill and Elsita to you!

Oscar Report Almost Ready!

Just a line to let you know that I am working on my Oscar report for you!!!!
I will be back as soon as it's ready!!!!
Stay tuned!
Elsita ;)

Pre-Oscar Day!

Here is a picture of Bill and I from last year (my first Oscar experience). The top that I am wearing is called The Electrical Wonder. There was a cable connected from the back of it to my purse where with a simple switch I turned on the light to look as illuminated as you see me in the picture. I was a walking lamp! I AM KIDDING YOU!!! I just wanted to let you know that white is never a good choice when it comes to homemade portraits. Dark colors absorb better the light so that's a lesson that I learned last year :o :)

Another thing that I learned from the Oscar last year is that you need to bring something warm to cover yourself with. All the stars in their beautiful dresses look so amazing and comfortable but the truth is that they're dying!!! There are some heaters around but they don't really make a difference unless you are two inches close to them.

And last lesson but maybe the most important one: you better bring a nice snack in your purse because the whole event from the red carpet walk to the end of it is reeeeeally long. You don't want to faint in the middle of the show. Anyway, in the event that something like that happens not to worry, there are special nice people ready to fill up your sit while someone else takes you to the hospital. At the Oscars everything is already figured out! Whatever happens it happens but the show must go on!!!!

And today we are attending the Spirit Awards!!! That's a very special event dedicated to independent films and film makers.

I will be back tomorrow for a second before we leave to the Oscars!
Have a wonderful Saturday!
Elsita :)

A Flower in the Darkness.

Good morning my friend!
And here is my dress for the Oscars and the accessories that will go with it! I could write a lot about how I made this dress but instead I would like to point that the little floral embroidery on the belt (made with silk ribbon, thread, crystals and an antique purple cabochon) is what brings this whole piece to life, like a flower blooming in the darkness. This dress is entirely dedicated to my hubby Bill who, in my opinion, is like a rare flower blooming in the middle of the dark and difficult landscape that Hollywood is.

Bill, as I have said before, is one of the most inspiring creative people that I have ever meet in my life and through him I have learned so many amazing things. Through Bill I have learned how to appreciate artistic quality, I have learned how to enjoy movies and how to become a better person thought the lessons that they teach to me. Today from my little position in this modest blog I want to invite you to think about the film world and the Oscars in a completely different way.

Through movies we learn about other cultures and about ourselves. Movies make us think and cry and smile and laugh and experience the most amazing feelings. Films can change who we are, they are like open doors to worlds and things that we wouldn’t know about otherwise. On Sunday I invite you to enjoy what really matters behind the Oscars, which is talent, imagination and creativity. I invite you to think that behind all the illusion that glamour and gold and fame is there are lots of real people like Bill that deeply believe in creating meaningful films that have something important to say to the rest of us. Let’s celebrate movies and let’s give them the place that they deserve in our lives.

I am so excited about attending this event on Sunday.
I will be celebrating with Bill and our friends and I will be sharing everything with you afterwards!
Please join me in this adventure!!

Elsita :)

The Dress is Finished! :o :)

Good Morning! And good news! My dress for the Oscars is finished!
I will show you a photo of it tomorrow plus a little drawing of how it looks from the back. The design of this dress is simple that's why it looks better on the "model" but tomorrow you will have a general idea of how it looks like. Then I will make sure that Bill takes a picture of me on Sunday so you can see it better later. And here are a few interesting details about the the event on Sunday:

Jon Stewart will be host, I'm sure that he will be funny :).

In this picture you can have a general idea about the "anatomy" of the red carpet. First there is a line of official photographers doing their job. Next there is the red carpet which is exclusive for the nominees and the celebrities that have been invited to the event. Then, behind the red carpet there is another carpet for the rest of the people connected to the movies, members of the Academy, relatives etc. Look for Bill and I over there in that group. And then there is a stage with a number of fans asking for autographs (that's a great group because they will really be having fun, the rest of the people are mostly working, including the stars).
Two of Bill's movies got nominations this year:
The Kite Runner: Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Score. Alberto Iglesias)
Lars and the Real Girl: Original Screenplay (Nancy Oliver)
So Alberto Iglesias (Go Spain!) and Nancy Oliver will be walking on the red carpet.

Did you know that the nomination for Best Motion Picture or Best Film is the most important one and it goes to the Film Producer? It's always the last award of the night. I had no idea about this before I met Bill. You can learn more about it here.

And next we have the list of the presenters that you will see on Sunday:

Amy Adams
Jessica Alba
Cate Blanchett
Josh Brolin
Steve Carel
George Clooney
Penelope Cruz
Miley Cyrus
Patrick Dempsey
Cameron Diaz
Colin Farrell
Harrison Ford
Jennifer Garner
Tom Hanks
Anne Hathaway
Katherine Heigl
Jonah Hill
Dwayne Johnson
Nicole Kidman
James McAvoy
Queen Latifah
Seth Rogen
Martin Scorsese
Hilary Swank
John Travolta
Denzel Washington
Renee Zellweger
Alan Arkin
Jennifer Hudson
Helen Mirren
Forest Whitaker

Take a look at the nominees.

And here is the list of international broadcasters.

One of our closest friends in Hollywood and (in my opinion) one of the most remarkable Art Directors ever has been nominated (again!!) for an Oscar and I am sure that we will spend most of the time with him and his wife Francesca who I adore. When the four of us get together there is for sure lots of laughter and fun! They are both from Italy (go Italia!). Our friend's name is Dante Ferretti and he was the Art Director of Sweeney Todd. We already told him that bloody films are not our number one thing but there is no doubt that the whole visual job that he did for this movie is truly remarkable. One day I will be talking more about the important role of an Art Director in films.
This is a photo of Dante and I (Watch for him! I hope that he wins!!!!)

And now I am going back with the "kiddies"!
Have a wonderful day!
And see you tomorrow!
Elsita :)

Aretha and Stevie! :)

Today I am sooo extremely excited because I have something wooooonderful to share with you!!!!!!! Last night I meet ARETHA FRANKLIN and STEVIE WONDER in person!!!!! Doesn't that sound like I am out of my mind? Isn’t that WONDERFUL????!!!!!! If you have a minute I will tell you the whole story so here it goes:

OK, yesterday, Valentine’ Day, we had our family time, family lunch, flowers, chocolate, just beautiful and fun…then I had to run and get ready because Bill had told me before that we were going to attend some fancy event and that was going to be my Valentine’s big present (I could not imagine that this present was going to be one of the most amazing ones that I have ever gotten from Bill but let’s keep going... So I got ready and a few minutes later we arrived in the beautiful place!!!!

Ok what event was this?
Answer:
The 39th NAACP Image Award. Let me start saying that behind this award there is an organization that will celebrate its 100th aniversary next year and we are talking about NAACP (the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) which is the oldest, largest and strongest national civil rights organization in the Unites States.

Bill was involved in the making of Talk To Me a wonderful movie inspired by a true story and this was one of the movies recognized last night (the Director Kasi Lemmons won the award!!!!)

Oh my God, I don’t even know how to start telling you what I experienced last night. Let me start somewhere so I am going to ask you this: have you ever experienced listening to a particular kind of music, a song, that goes from your ears to your heart and then directly to your soul? …then somehow that music stays with you forever and when you listen to it again on the radio or a CD your whole body wakes up and makes you fly away in your imagination?… Well, that happens to me once in a while with a group of singers for whom I have a special place in my soul. One of them is Aretha Franklin. Not in a million years could I even imagine that I was going to see her in person. Well last night (and making a great effort since it is so hard for her to walk) Aretha came to the event because a great part of the night was dedicated to her legacy. And guess where she sat? Just in front of Bill and I!!!! This event was live on TV. She was wearing a huge black cape and an exuberant white dress and there we were behind her royal presence. I got to touch her cape and say I love you Aretha. She was amazing and calm and greatful for all the love given to her last night. It was beautiful, they played some clips from the past and she enjoyed seeing herself in the old times. At some point she walked up to the stage and said some beautiful words leaving us in a beautiful state of mind.

But then while the show kept going Aretha’s sit was occupied by the next star of the night: STEVE WONDER! What can I say?????! I grew up with his music, his voice is part of my system and you can find it in my blood under the form of microscopic musical signs . This man is someone so special. Here is something from the book that they printed for the event: ..."Stevie Wonder is beloved for his monumental talent, his compassion for humanity and his desire to challenge injustice. His participation in the 1985 “We Are The World” fund-raiser for hunger in Africa was a music industry milestone (remember that?) while his involvement to put an end to apartheid in south Africa is legendary".

Did you know that in 1983 Stevie Wonder spearheaded the realization of “Marthin Luther King Day” as a national holyday? Isn't this amazing?! In his speech last night he said one of the deepest words that I have heard around this election-time in America. Here you can see the video that starts with something sweet. Now, immediately after Janet Jackson appears look behind Steve Wonder and you will see Bill applauding! Janet Jackson by the way was looking stunning and I just realized that she and my daughter Natalie share the same birth date! (May 16th!)

Now to finish this post I must say this: What's the point of meeting someone like Aretha Franklin and Stevie Wonder in person? What did a learn from it? And the answer would be this: when we think about remarkable people that have done remarkable things we see huge untouchable celebrities, we see their pictures everywhere and their names become like brands so little by little we lose the perspective of how human they are because in our minds they become almost like objects or some sort of non-human version of what a real person is. Well, in my very personal experience seeing someone like Aretha Franklin and Stevie Wonder in person showed me that they are as human as we are, they breath, they move and they also have their own limitations... It is inspiring seeing that in order to do something remarkable you don't have to come from another planet, you only have to be human and follow your passions the way they did :)

See you tomorrow!
Elsita :)

Producers Guild of America!

And here you see two pictures of myself in my Anthropologie outfit wearing Megan Auman's necklace and earrings :) I told you yesterday how great the Producers Guild of America dinner was. The food was delicious as always (specially the desert) but the best part was the people who attended the event. This is basically an annual dinner celebration for honoring the most remarkable Producers of the year. Producers that work in movies but also in TV. The event takes place in a fancy and nicely illuminated huge room with many tables. You eat your dinner and then there is the show. This time in particular (among many other people) they decided to honor the two young men that you see in the picture below and they were my favorite! BUT WHO ARE THEY?

THESE TWO YOUNG MEN ARE THE CREATORS OF YouTube! On Saturday night they were honored with the Vanguard Award by the Producers Guild of America and it was one of the best moments of the night. It was great seeing them in person with their cool and relaxed personalities. Their presentation was funny and it was was made by Ashton Kutcher (who is sooo cute and sweet and tall!). Now, can you believe that YouTube is only three years old! AMAZING WHAT THESE TWO GUYS HAVE DONE!

There were many other special moments with a lot of great people. For example Harrison Ford was there looking amazing as always. He has that serious voice but then he is so funny and to complete the look he wears this tiny little earring, very charming:) Another man that was looking really handsome was Denzel Washington. When he came out I just had to take a deep breath...this man is a gift from nature to the rest of us who enjoy beauty. Someone else that it was honored last night for his movie Sicko was Michael Moore...I really enjoyed his sense of humor. I cannot believe that I still haven't seeing that movie! His work is always provoking and I learn a lot from it.

So as always the list of people is too long to mention here but before I finish this post I have to say that Natalie Cole performed for the audience. This woman looks so AMAZING. She is still young (58) but she has the body of a twenty-year-old girl and so much energy. Everybody had something nice to say about her. I enjoy her voice a lot and I adore her father's music because it reminds me of Cuba a lot. I used to listen to his old songs all the time in my studio in Havana. I specially like the ones that he sings in Spanish with his lovely and unique accent.

Now back to reality!!
I have to drive Natalie to school and then keep going to another place far away where Diego has his speech therapy. Mondays are always kind of hard but that's OK. I am going to make a doll named Monday and he will be sweet and nice so I can connect him to this day of the week and feel positive about it! Hello Monday!
Have a great week!
Elsita :)

Go Billy Go!!! :)

Oh my friends i just have to share this with you!!!!
Take a look at this piece from PASTE Magazine:

...Who are the power players in the world of quality cinema? What individuals and organizations make intelligent, well-crafted movies and have the profile, financial resources and/or critical esteem to attract discerning audiences? In short, we looked for those at the intersection of art and commerce who make independent film the viable and sustainable industry that we’ve come to enjoy...

Notice who is in the list of Producers!!!
Billy !!!! (William Horberg my hubby!!)
I am celebrating so much for him!!!!!!
GO BILLY GO!!!!
And below is the full list:

OUR FAVORITE ACTORS
********************
Viggo Mortensen
Laura Linney
Forest Whitaker
Philip Seymour Hoffman
Naomi Watts
Cate Blanchett
Evan Rachel Wood
Natalie Portman
Don Cheadle
Charlotte Gainsbourg
Juliette Binoche
Daniel Day-Lewis
Josh Brolin
Christian Bale
Cillian Murphy
Parker Posey
Jack Black
Ryan Gosling
Nicole Kidman
Javier Bardem
Jake Gyllenhaal
Johnny Depp
Ellen Page
Casey Affleck
Emile Hirsch
Paul Dano
Jason Schwartzman

OUR FAVORITE PRODUCERS
***********************
Scott Rudin
Judd Apatow
Christine Vachon
Tim Began
Ted Hope
Steven Soderbergh
Sydney Pollack
Bob and Harvey Weinstein
William Horberg
Darlene Caamano

OUR FAVORITE DOUBLE, TRIPLE & QUADRUPLE THREATS
***********************************************
George Clooney, actor, producer, writer, director
Tommy Lee Jones, actor, writer, director
Sean Penn, actor, producer, writer, director
Julie Delphy, actor, producer, writer, director
Andrew Bujalski, actor, writer, director
Joe Swanberg, actor, producer, writer, director
Mark Duplass, actor, writer, director
Jay Duplass, writer, director
Kate Winterick, actor, writer
Greta Gerwig, actor, writer
Sarah Polley, actor, writer, director

OUR FAVORITE SCREENWRITERS
***************************
Diablo Cody
Steve Knight
William Monahan
Paul Haggis

OUR FAVORITE FILM STUDIOS
*************************
Paramount Vantage
Fox Searchlight
Focus Features
Sony Pictures Classics
The Weinstein Company
THINKfilm
Warner Bros.
IFC Films
Miramax
Universal

OUR FAVORITE FILM FESTIVALS
**************************
Cannes
Sundance
Toronto
Venice
Telluride

OUR FAVORITE CINEMATOGRAPHERS
*******************************
Roger Deakins
Robert Elswit
Harris Savides
Robert Yeoman
Peter Suschitzky

OUR FAVORITE DIRECTORS
***********************
Joel & Ethan Coen
Jason Reitman
Martin Scorsese
Paul Thomas Anderson
Wes Anderson
Ken Loach
David Lynch
David Cronenberg
Noah Baumbach
Woody Allen
Tim Burton
Todd Haynes
Michael Winterbottom
Guillermo del Toro
Sidney Lumet
Stephen Frears
Michel Gondry
Werner Herzog
John Carney
Andrew Dominik
Anton Corbijn
Craig Zobel
Marc Forster

WONDERFUL NEWS!!!!!! :)

I CANNOT BELIEVE IT!!!!
I JUST GOT A VERY EXCITING NEWS FROM BILL!!!!
THIS YEAR WE WILL BE GOING TO THE OSCARS!!!!!
THAT IS SOOOO EXCITING!!!!!
SHOULD I MAKE A NEW DRESSSSSS?????????
OF COURSE YOU SHOULD!!!!!!!!!
OK THEN YOU BETTER START DESIGNING IT!!!!!
OK!!!!
SEE YOU TOMORROW!!!!

Elsita :)