This is where Dan comes in. He emailed me recently and has taken it upon himself to start up a petition to get Mayerling released! It’s not just someone collecting signatures on the internet, either; he has spoken to people associated with the company holding the rights and the main reason why the film has never been released was because they honestly think there isn’t enough interest in this piece. I know quite a few people who beg to disagree! I’m sure quite a lot of you do too, and this is where you can actively help. Dan has a petition to sign here, as well as a campaign on Facebook. Sign it, like the page, pass the links on, and get the word out! Let’s show the people in charge that there is interest in Mayerling, get it dusted off and properly released for all to enjoy. Dan has posted a message with more details on the Audrey 1 forum, and if you’ve never even heard of Mayerling before, he’s also been kind enough to post a clip on YouTube:

Long Tail has the video, called “Audrey Hepburn: In Her Own Words” on DVD for the first time, and I’m so happy. The DVD is very affordable at $19.95 and also comes with a special episode of Views on World Poverty. I shall be getting a copy of this soon and will post a full review for you once I’ve seen it again, but trust me when I say that what little I remember was very, very good. I told people at the time that everyone should see this video, and now you finally have that chance. Here’s a trailer for you to watch:

And you can find more information through Long Tail’s website here.

I love Audrey’s passion over her work for UNICEF, but I love even more that this video is finally available to the public for anyone and everyone to see. This side of her needs to be shown more so we don’t forget that she was a humanitarian, and a good one at that.

Very special thanks to David, for everything he’s done.

Well, it’s been a while, hasn’t it? I apologize again and again, it’s all my fault and my lack of a good regular Internet connection. Did everyone have a fun Halloween? Did you flood the streets with Holly Golightlys? It seems the

Speaking of being easy to recognize in costume, I found myself without a costume the morning of Halloween, due to a fabric malfunction the night before. On short notice I ran out and got a black turtleneck and borrowed some loafers, and hit Hollywood as Jo Stockton (Funny Face). There were loads of people there, but through the whole night I only heard 10 people (not counting my two companions) realize it was an Audrey costume! I guess I should have tried that outfit the year that Gap commercial came out. Anyway, at a party later on in the night Holly Golightly, Eliza Doolittle and Jo met up:

It sounds like the setup to a joke, but no punchline comes to mind. (By the way, Eliza is played by Kendal, well known on our forums as well as the audrey1 forums.) Anyway, did anyone else dress up as Audrey and meet a twin?

Moving on, I’ve got some odds and ends to share. First, I’ve been slowly catching up with the site’s email, and had a request that’s really stumped me. Hopefully, someone out there can help! Tracey wrote in after seeing a gorgeous poster in a Flor catalogue, and the customer service people had no idea as to where it came from. I’ve never seen it before, but would sure like a copy! Here’s the picture:

You can click on the picture for the full-sized version. Unfortunately, the chandelier obscures all the text, but I’m fairly sure that’s French. Does anyone have any ideas as to where this came from? It may be a reprint of a vintage poster, though one I’ve never seen before. Any and all help would be greatly appreciated!

Next up, this year is the 50th anniversary of Breakfast at Tiffany’s. The book, that is. The movie’s birthday won’t come up for another three years. The book is due to be released soon, with the vague publication date of November 2008, though I can’t seem to find it on Amazon yet. Since B@T is short, a novella really, it’s matched up with three other short stories under this stylish cover:

And lastly, speaking of reissues, curse Paramount Studios! Just as I’m starting to catch up on my Audrey DVDs, they have to go and re-release nearly all their Audrey films. *sigh* The worst part is that you know I’ll buy them all. You probably will, too! Well, if you’re trying to save on space and don’t see the point of owning multiple versions of one film, you can always go the Audrey route and donate or give away your older versions. I like senior centers, myself, since they’re always in need of entertainment and would definitely appreciate some Audrey Hepburn in their lives. Coming November 11th, just in time for the holidays, is Roman Holiday and Sabrina. Marketed under the Centennial Collection, both films feature all of the extras from previous DVD releases, plus some new featurettes and goodies that will hopefully make it worth your while. Just after the holidays, due out January 13th, comes Funny Face and Breakfast At Tiffany’s — yes, again. Both just celebrated anniversaries and had special editions come out, but now it comes in more dramatic packaging, also under the Centennial Collection. There’s no additional information on these, so I don’t know if there’s anything new, but there’d darn well better be. People are starting to think I’m crazy, with three copies of every movie on my shelves!

I’ve been catching up on my Entertainment Weekly issues (I still don’t know how or why I’m getting them in the first place), and I noticed that they actually reviewed the 50th anniversary edition of Funny Face. What’s more: they’re actually huge fans of Kay Thompson! I’ve scanned it to share with you:

And in the issue after that one (I’m way behind), there’s a pretty random mention of Audrey in a sidebar article:

I guess I just never think of Audrey being cranky, morning or any other time of day.

, which has new featurettes, including a retrospective on Audrey and Givenchy’s lifelong friendship and partnership. It looks to be at least as good as the special anniversary edition of Breakfast at Tiffany’s, so either order your copy today or be sure to put it on your wish list! The holidays are coming before you know it, and there are plenty of new goods coming out to make sure you have an excellent holiday.

The Audrey Hepburn 5-pack is also out today. This is a great gift for the new Audrey fan who maybe hasn’t seen a lot of her films or doesn’t own any yet. With pretty much all of her classics (Roman Holiday, Sabrina, Funny Face, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Paris When It Sizzles) in one pretty box, this is easily the best gift ever. It’s quite affordable, too, so it’s a great idea to keep in mind when you’re doing your holiday shopping or November/December birthday shopping.

This is in addition to the already much hyped Audrey Hepburn: A Life in Pictures book that I reviewed earlier, and a re-release of the wonderful Audrey Hepburn’s Enchanted Tales, an audio CD where Audrey reads classic fairy tales. The book and CD both come out November 1st in the US. You can either start saving your pennies now, or start putting together that wishlist and conveniently leaving it out in front of all your friends and family.

Speaking of Givenchy, I came across this story recently. Apparently, the fashion guru is of the personal belief that fashion in and of itself is dead. People seem to only be fixating on popular accessories and following mindless fads, rather than spending the time (and money) to actually find what works on you as an individual and look good. It’s a great read, though fairly short, and I agree with him on all accounts. If I could afford it, he could dress me every day of the week.

, we’ll work out some other prize you don’t have.

Speaking of “Gardens of the World,” I received my own copy for Christmas, and I’ve already watched half of it! I can’t express to you how wonderful it is. The first disc starts off with roses, and really captivates you from the first. They couldn’t have picked a more addicting first segment, honestly. If you’re a horticulture fan like myself, then you’ll absolutely swoon over these fantastic gardens and beautiful flowers. Audrey herself looks radiant and genuinely happy, so even if you’re not a gardening nut, you’ll be happy with the view of Audrey. I’ll write up a real review later, when I’ve finished all 3 discs, but I can already tell you this is going to get 5 stars. Absolutely fantastic and very addicting. And I’m making myself wait on this one, but the third disc with the special features has footage from the Audrey Hepburn tulip ceremony! Now I can finally see what it looks like.

Now that things have settled down, there’s more time for updates on the website, too. Three new people have joined the Audrey Hepburn community this month, so stop by and check them out. If you’re looking for a fellow Audrey fan to chat with, this should be the first place to look! Alas, a couple of people recently have been forgetting to leave their email addresses, so no one can write to them! So if you do have a profile on the community, please check it and make sure you’ve left an address. If you’ve forgotten, just write to us and we’ll fix it.

The quotes page has also been updated! More and more quotes coming in all the time, both quotes by Audrey and quotes about Audrey from her costars, directors, family and friends. Also, if you have a favourite quote that’s not on the page, feel free to drop us a line and let us know!

And if you haven’t noticed, this page has had some fixing as well. I’m still working on trying to get the heading picture back up (“upgrade” my foot, Blogger!), but we now have a picture of the week and a way to subscribe! If you have a customizable homepage, like AOL, Yahoo or Google where you can add news feeds, you can now get your Audrey news on the same page. Just click the link on the right and it’ll take you to the subscription page. From there, all you have to do is choose the button with your homepage brand, and the Audrey news is added! Easy as pie. And more updates are coming, too.

Well, that’s all for now. Remember, if you entered the contest, check your email! After about a week, unclaimed prizes will be redrawn and given to people who want their goodies.

Note: The Taschen Icons book on Audrey has been pushed back yet again in the US! The last known release date was December 22, but as of yesterday Amazon still doesn’t have books to ship and no local bookstore of mine has any copies. So Americans will either have to order from Canada or keep waiting …

The next article is also about the dress, this time from a woman who made sure to see the dress in person at Christie’s shortly before it was sold. It’s a very good article about the thrill of seeing this piece of history in person, and she also gives a good history of the Little Black Dress, along with quotes from modern designers who help women decide on what makes a good LBD. You can read the whole article here.

The last article is yet another piece on Audrey’s lasting power (along with a mini biography), but what made it stand out to me is the fact that it claims that Paramount is coming out with a new Audrey boxed set just in time for the holidays. This one is supposed to be a 5-disc DVD set called The Elegance Collection, yet I can’t seem to find any information on it. It’s possible the author was confused and was thinking about The Audrey Hepburn Collection, but that’s a 3-disc set. Either way, the article provides a quick rundown on all of the new Audrey merchandise to come out lately, so if you weren’t sure what to get the Audrey fan in your life, that might be worth looking into.