“May I say, well done in the Americas. 
You were superb, absolutely superb…
put that little ratbag in his place.” 
– Rod Stewart to King Charles. 
Is it wrong to be cheering on the Brits?

It brings me enormous pleasure that our first story is about cheering the efforts of the indomitable Dame Joan Collins.  Sure, she’s a legendary beauty, a capable actress, and a survivor.  But she’s also a savvy businesswoman.  Do you know how she got The Stud made?  She convinced sister Jackie to give her the rights, commissioned a script, and schlepped it all over the 1977 Cannes Film Festival talking to every fat-cat with a checkbook.  She finally convinced producer Brent Walker to take a chance, and the rest is history.

Joan has similarly shepherded her project about the Duchess of Windsor.  Her obsession with Wallis dates back to 1985, when she was photographed as the Duchess for Life magazine.  She visited the Windsors’ Paris home in the early 1990s when it was owned by Dodi Fayed.  She commissioned a script about Wallis in the early 2020s, and convinced theater producer John Gore to branch into films with it.  Now the film is done.  So it was off to Cannes… again.  Almost 50 years after clinching The Stud deal, Joan is trying to land a distributor for My Duchess.  In preparation, the 92-year-old Collins took dance lessons.  Why?  She wanted to be able to maneuver the endless red carpet with ease and elegance.  “I thought I want to just be able to get on the red carpet and not be a lump.”  She managed that – and then some.  Headlines singled her out in a scene-stealing sculptural white gown, long black opera gloves, and her hair elegantly pulled back.  The jewels?  Diamonds, naturally.  “I wore my own jewelry last night because I didn’t want a security guard following me around.”  Was a deal brokered?  Too soon to say.  As to the film, people whisper it’s Collins’ best work.  Photos from the set and the carpet are on BillyMasters.com.

Another Brit, another carpet, another continent.  Luke Evans turned heads at the Met Gala in his Tom of Finland nod to fashion.  Because, like Collins, he understood the assignment.  Before doffing his cap, he had to take some photos wearing it – shirtless, naturally.  “Had to try the hat on one last time a week since I wore it on the met gala stone carpet, before it went into the archives.  Loved it!!!”