Franco Zeffirelli says pope needs makeover
Franco Zeffirelli would like to make over what he called Pope Benedict XVI's “cold” image and his “showy” clothes, an Italian newspaper reported Saturday, saying the film, stage and opera director offered his services in an interview.
Coming after the media-savvy Pope John Paul II, “Benedict XVI still has a cold way of communicating, little suited to what is happening around him,” Zeffirelli was quoted as telling the Turin daily La Stampa.
“Even his wardrobe needs to be revised,” the 84-year-old Zeffirelli was quoted as saying. “These are not times of high-tailored church wear.” Instead, his vestments should reflect “sobriety,” the director said. “The papal vestments have been done over to be too sumptuous and showy.”
John Paul II, often spontaneous and sometimes outdoorsy, had little use for fancy papal attire. But Benedict has taken to wearing some eye-stopping outfits in his public appearances, including a red velvet cape trimmed with ermine, a fur-trimmed stocking cap that some first mistook for a Santa Claus hat, and bright red Prada loafers.
Zeffirelli, who has directed ceremonies at the Vatican, sounded eager in the interview to be an image consultant for Benedict.
“If they give me an official supervisory role, I would dedicate myself to it full time,” Zeffirelli was quoted by La Stampa as saying. “There is a great need for it.”
“I know (Joseph) Ratzinger personally,” the director said, using the German-born pope's name before he became pontiff.
‘Lost' returns in Jan., but may be cut short
“Lost” will return next month after an absence of eight months, but fans of the TV drama may still feel deprived because of the Hollywood writers strike.
The series, like other dramas and comedies, faces the possibility of a season cut short by the strike, now in its sixth week. Eight episodes of “Lost” have been completed for the series' return Jan. 31 - half the number originally planned, ABC said Friday.
The network announced this year that the series would end in 2010 after three more years of 16 episodes each.
Most series air 22 episodes a season. ABC decided that fewer episodes of “Lost,” aired without reruns interrupting the serial story, would please fans of the show about air crash survivors on a dangerous island.
Whether the entire 16-episode order for 2008 can be filled depends on the duration of the contract dispute between studios and the Writers Guild of America. The strike has sidelined production on dozens of scripted shows, and networks are running out of new episodes.
“Lost” viewers can expect at least a mini-cliffhanger ending, no matter how long the season, the network said.
MTV's Tila Tequila
dating show a smash hit
One man and one woman still have “A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila” - and viewers are very interested.
The zany reality show starring bisexual Internet celebrity Tila Tequila is among the top 15 cable shows and has become MTV's second most popular series, just behind Lauren Conrad and company on “The Hills,” according to numbers from Nielsen Media Research.
“Who would have ever thought I'd be the girl who does that for MTV?” Tequila wonders.
Good question.
In case you're one of the few people who hasn't seen or read a blog about “A Shot at Love,” the gist of the dating show is this: a 26-year-old MySpace pinup searches for love “Bachelor”-style among 16 men and 16 women, who compete for alone time with her in over-the-top challenges . The finale air Dec. 18 at 10 p.m. EST.
-From wire reports
Coming after the media-savvy Pope John Paul II, “Benedict XVI still has a cold way of communicating, little suited to what is happening around him,” Zeffirelli was quoted as telling the Turin daily La Stampa.
“Even his wardrobe needs to be revised,” the 84-year-old Zeffirelli was quoted as saying. “These are not times of high-tailored church wear.” Instead, his vestments should reflect “sobriety,” the director said. “The papal vestments have been done over to be too sumptuous and showy.”
John Paul II, often spontaneous and sometimes outdoorsy, had little use for fancy papal attire. But Benedict has taken to wearing some eye-stopping outfits in his public appearances, including a red velvet cape trimmed with ermine, a fur-trimmed stocking cap that some first mistook for a Santa Claus hat, and bright red Prada loafers.
Zeffirelli, who has directed ceremonies at the Vatican, sounded eager in the interview to be an image consultant for Benedict.
“If they give me an official supervisory role, I would dedicate myself to it full time,” Zeffirelli was quoted by La Stampa as saying. “There is a great need for it.”
“I know (Joseph) Ratzinger personally,” the director said, using the German-born pope's name before he became pontiff.
‘Lost' returns in Jan., but may be cut short
“Lost” will return next month after an absence of eight months, but fans of the TV drama may still feel deprived because of the Hollywood writers strike.
The series, like other dramas and comedies, faces the possibility of a season cut short by the strike, now in its sixth week. Eight episodes of “Lost” have been completed for the series' return Jan. 31 - half the number originally planned, ABC said Friday.
The network announced this year that the series would end in 2010 after three more years of 16 episodes each.
Most series air 22 episodes a season. ABC decided that fewer episodes of “Lost,” aired without reruns interrupting the serial story, would please fans of the show about air crash survivors on a dangerous island.
Whether the entire 16-episode order for 2008 can be filled depends on the duration of the contract dispute between studios and the Writers Guild of America. The strike has sidelined production on dozens of scripted shows, and networks are running out of new episodes.
“Lost” viewers can expect at least a mini-cliffhanger ending, no matter how long the season, the network said.
MTV's Tila Tequila
dating show a smash hit
One man and one woman still have “A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila” - and viewers are very interested.
The zany reality show starring bisexual Internet celebrity Tila Tequila is among the top 15 cable shows and has become MTV's second most popular series, just behind Lauren Conrad and company on “The Hills,” according to numbers from Nielsen Media Research.
“Who would have ever thought I'd be the girl who does that for MTV?” Tequila wonders.
Good question.
In case you're one of the few people who hasn't seen or read a blog about “A Shot at Love,” the gist of the dating show is this: a 26-year-old MySpace pinup searches for love “Bachelor”-style among 16 men and 16 women, who compete for alone time with her in over-the-top challenges . The finale air Dec. 18 at 10 p.m. EST.
-From wire reports
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