Cocktails with Yvonna

Bleeker Street Films hosted a screening of “Trumbo” on Tuesday, November 3rd at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. Dalton  Trumbo was a top Hollywood screenwriter until he was blacklisted by Hollywood after refusing to name names to the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC). Despite being jailed and ostracized for his political beliefs and principals,  he went on to write two Oscar winning screenplays under various aliases. The triumph film recounts Trumbo’s wit and grit used  to expose the absurdity and injustice under the blacklist, which entangled everyone from gossip columnist Hedda Hopper  to John Wayne, Kirk Douglas and Otto Preminger. The all star cast Bryan Cranston, DianeLiane, Helen Mirren, Louis CK, Elle Fanning, Michael Stuhlbarg,screenwriter John McNamara and director Jay Roach   attended the screening and after party.  Producers  Michael London, Monica Levinson, Shivani Rawat, Kevin Kelly Brown reveled with guests  Tim Daly, Robert Wuhl, Juli

I have been busy writing a television spec script. I am basing it on the Freddy Grey case in Baltimore with an interesting plot twist. The script is based on  " Blue Bloods ". My good friend Ben Scott,  a retired detective in Philadelphia provided a perspective from years of arrest and convictions. When  I attended the  Urbanworld Film Festival I learned about the   Writers Initiative at Fox. I wrote a Huffington Post about the Producers Guild of America conference, Produced By : NY . I have written two screenplays, "The Billionairess" and " Minister of Self Defense" over a leisurely three years. This is very creative and challenging especially because I can't spell or type!

Viola Davis made history this week as the first African American Actress to win an Emmy Award for Best Actress. Her emotion acceptance speech was so gracious, uplifting and empowered. I am so proud of the actresses of color in Primetime television shows. Viola mentioned Harriet Tubman in her speech and here is one of her best quotes.  Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.  Harriet Tubman        

Several months  ago I caught up with Orpheus Group at The Lenora for a wrap party for "Exposed" the next Keanu Reeves film. The ladies Maria Nelson and Ellyn Long Marshall are on the move. Seriously to new offices. The casting directors are the go to team for independent film. Very selective of their projects they have the best eye for talent in show business. Still from "Exposed" starring Keanu Reeves

Manhattan Flower District  I hate flower arraignments. I think they are pretentious and stiff and better suited to a restaurant or hotel. When people send them I say thank you and give them away. If you know me at all I love flowers from a corner store or flower cart. Just bring by a bouquet in paper( if your invited) of roses, sunflowers, gladiolus and yes even carnations.  One of my favorite books is " The Botany of Desire". I have beautiful heavy crystal vases I have collected over the years. My favorite is an Hermes bud vase perfect for one rose or orchid and the simplicity is elegant. So don't send me flowers, send a vase. Waterford Crystal Vase

Last week I met a lovely lady Anna from Charlotte who moved to Manhattan. As we chatted about shopping she was so happy  I turned her on to   Soiffer Haskin .  This is every New York fashionista's secret weapon. Get on the mailing list for the best deals ( up to 90% Off Original Retail ) for the best designers. You'll find deals on Ralph Lauren, Hermes, Escada, Dennis Basso, Bally, Tourneau, Carolina Herrera, Yves Saint Larent, Calvin Klein, TSE, Ippolita and more. Not only steals on women's fashion but also men's clothing, jewelry and home furnishings. You"ll see the hottest stylist, best dressed perennials and stars there but keep your eyes on the prize and get the best deals. I almost missed out on the last Bvlgari satchel. The staff is lovely and professional.  Bring your plastic money (Amex, MasterCard, Visa etc) they don't take cash.  I'm a good fashion diva and need all the good karma I can get. Things are tig

Shakespeare waxed poetic in " A Midsummer  Night's Dream " thus, "The course of true love never did run smooth ". Enter the Kang sisters and their app Coffee Meets Bagel. The beautiful  Arum, Dawoon and Soo were pursuing high powered careers  in finance, marketing and graphic design when they saw the challenges other  New York City singles met connecting with  compatible quality mates.  The team adds, "The three of us lived in New York City in our late 20s and saw that more and more of our very eligible friends were having difficulty meeting new, interesting people. I think this is a reflection of the changing lifestyle of today’s generation. In our fast paced lives, we just don’t have enough time to spend on meeting new people. When we tried online dating, we were surprised at how seedy and borderline-insulting the online dating experience was for most women. You can only take so many unwanted, “Hey baby.” messages from random men. So, we wanted to

Academy Award wining actor Russell Crowe makes his directorial debut in the magnificent sweeping epic, “The Water Diviner”. As rugged  Australian farmer John Connor. (Russell Crowe) his transformative journey begins as he leaves his  farm  to find his three presumed dead sons after the bloody Battle of Gallipoli seem in vivid flashbacks. Connor travels to Istanbul and encounters military resistance in his search for the remains of his sons. He is aided by the beautiful widow and hostel owner Ayshe (Olga Kurylenko)and Major Hassan  (Yilmaz Erdodan),a Turkish officer who fought in opposition to the English occupation ( who won a well deserved Australian Best Actor award)  in his trek across the  battled scarred Turkey. Olga has her own challenges as a single mother of the adorable Orhan( Dylan Georgiades )The scenes between Connor and Ayshe  are passionate and romantic beyond words. Director Crowe and the screenplay evenly  handles the Turkish point of view. The cinematography is brea

Lately I have been devouring the novels of    Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie . I love her work. An award winning novelist (shortlisted for the Orange Prize for Fiction,  Commonwealth Writers' Prize) her novels ( Purple Hibiscus, "Half of a Yellow Sun", " The Thing Around Your Neck", "We Should All Be Feminists", " Americanah") crafts stories around the issues of feminism, race, culture, war,  immigration, colonialism and assimilation. Her charming lyrical style transports readers  easily between two worlds Nigeria and America.  Her TED talk 2009  "The Danger of a Single Story" had 8 million views. She followed up with a TED series on " We Should All Be Feminist" based on her book of the same name.  Beautiful and fashionable  Chimamanda is profiled and styled in a photo layout in next month's   April British Vogue . She divides her time between her home in Lagos and Columbia DC  with her husband  Dr Ivara Esege.   Her n

Magid Louboutin Old Navy I am looking forward to summer so much I've started my summer wardrobe. The winter is expensive with wool coats, status bag, Uber, boots and good red wine. Summer is easy it's all swimming, salads, reading, biking and white wine. I've been picking up mix and match bikini separates from H&M for a song. I love colorful flip flops at Old Navy. H&M Anya Hindmarch Straw  bags and cloth bags replace heavy leather bags to carry fruit, water, books and my  ipad. Pretty cotton dresses at Forever 21 and Anthroplogie are my daily uniform. My big splurge is sandals. I was in Barney's New York yesterday checking out the Manolos and Louboutins . The sandals are so sexy and exquisite how can I choose. I need a moment. 

Marilyn Monroe,  Raquel Welch , Pam Grier,  Brigette Bardot, Farrah Fawcett and Sophia Loren. Those gorgeous goddesses who are beautiful, talented and curvaceous of course. The women who inspire dreams, lived our fantasies, redefine fashion, reinvent sexy and start a rebellion on screen.  Where are the Sex Symbols?  

My favorite red carpet diva is Jennifer Lopez. She always has the perfect look. Divalicious!

This year The Anna Wintour Costume Center of The Metropolitan Museum of Art will produce an exhibition,  China Through the Looking Glas s  a hybrid of fashion, film and art influenced by Chinese culture. In celebration the Costume Institute Benefit on May 4th will use the inspiration of Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" to mirror the reflection of East on West culture. The exhibit will feature designs by John Galliano, Tom Ford and Yvette Saint Laurent to name a few. Breathtaking beauty!

Academy Award nominee and Golden  Globe winner for "Still Alice"   Julianne Moore was feted by the Museum of the Moving Image for Lifetime Achievement. Luminaries from theater, television and film Candice Bergen , Ellen Barkin, Rebecca Miller and husband director Bart Freudlich paid homage to her career at a gala in New York City last night. Moore has starred in films by such esteemed directors as Todd Haynes (Far From Heaven, Safe, I’m Not There), the Coen Brothers (The Big Lebowski), Paul Thomas Anderson (Boogie Nights, Magnolia), Neil Jordan (The End of an Affair), Lisa Cholodenko (The Kids Are Alright), Alfonso Cuaron (Children of Men), Steven Spielberg (The Lost World: Jurassic Park), Ridley Scott (Hannibal), and Robert Altman (Cookie’s Fortune, Short Cuts).  She is a five-time Academy Award nominee and is the ninth person in Academy history to receive two acting Oscar nominations in the same year for her performances in Far From Heaven (Best Actress nomination) a