Margareth Madè, who after appearing in Giuseppe Tornatore‘ s movie Baaria went on to establish her name firmly as a fine actress, was cynosure of all eyes when last night in Venice she strutted down the red carpet in a sensationally sophisticated evening dress by Dolce & Gabbana; she was really gorgeous, but after all ms Madè is one star you can always rely on to bring elegance to the red carpet!

Venice film festival: Margareth Madè in Dolce & Gabbana

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Upim stores here in Italy have gone through a major makeover and one of its representatives told reporters that although the stores will continue to be middle-class oriented, they  have in mind a few surprises for their customers. From now onwards  Upim  will in fact become more like an American mall - one of those places where people can not only find almost anything they want but also relax and enjoy themselves. This new phase in the history of the chain store  will be marked by an exhibition of pop art (September 15); customers visiting the stores in Via Buenos Aires and Piazzale Corvetto in Milan will have the unique opportunity to see 12 paintings by Andy Warhol, including the portrait of Marilyn Monroe and the famous Campbell’s soup dress! There’s no doubt that Upim is stepping into a new era!

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After France’s expulsion of Roma gypsies from its shores, things are moving in the Italian capital, Rome, where many Rome are unlikely to be received with anymore welcome than that which they experienced in France. Rome’s current mayor, Gianni Alemanno, is not particularly friendly towards the Roma (many of whom are Romanian nationals) and the climate of acceptance of these people is even colder than usual.

Italy’s minister for internal affairs, Roberto Maroni, who also comes from Italy’s hardline, right-wing Northern League party, is to meet his French counterpart in an effort to create joint strategies regarding the influx of the Roma gypsies into the two European countries. Some of the strategies may see life improve for these people, who often live in total degradation.

One of the plans is to set up situations in which the ‘rom’, as they’re called in Italy, won’t be living in illegal camps and won’t have access to land and territory in which to set up their camps. This is part of a move to secure the right sanitation and hygiene conditions and avoid incidents like the terrible fire in a camp recently, that killed a three-year-old boy.

It’s difficult to imagine just how this removal of the rom from their camps and establishment of new accommodation intended to take place in Rome and the region of Lazio will be achieved but many Italians are waiting to see just how it might be managed. So far Italy has not mentioned whether it will expel the Roma gypsies in the same way that France has done, but so far it looks like it’s moving in the direction of protection the Roma health and welfare first.

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American actress Jessica Alba arrived in Venice to present her latest movie Machete which has screened at the 2010 Venice Film Festival. The film might not be your cup of tea, but it screened to acclaim for its anarchic style. Stay tuned for more from the Lido.

Continue reading: 2010 Venice film festival: Jessica Alba arrives at the Lido

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Witty and sexy Italian actress Isabella Ragonese is the ‘diva’ presenter of the 2010 Venice Film Festival and as seen in this gallery, her lively spirit is on show. Enthusiastic about the Venice Film Festival, Isabella says: “I’ve been to both Berlin and Cannes and so I can compare them with here. Here in Venice you can breathe the atmosphere of the prestige and history of the festival. And then people come to really see the films - to talk about them. It’s quite unique.”

The 2010 Venice Film Festival opened last night and will go until September 11. So far seen at the festival has been Black Swan, by Darren Aronofsky, and Machete by Robert Rodriguez and Ethan Maniquis, with more films to come today. We’ll be bringing you some of the stars’ red carpet fashion over the next few days, so stay tuned.

Continue reading: 2010 Venice Film Festival: Italian actress Isabella Ragonese hosts

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A strong buzz is making rounds that supermodel Naomi Campbell and her Russian billionaire lover Vladimir Doronin are making preparations to get married in Sicily. There are rumours afoot that the wedding will take place on one of the Aeolian islands, just off the coast of Sicily, but nobody knows for sure if the event will actually take place there! Date and venue of the wedding ceremony are still a mystery!

Source | Gds.it

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The Rome Film festival which is in its fifth year will run from 28 October to 5 November. Many stars and movie directors are expected to take part in the event. The organisers have just announced an impressive line-up; from Nicole Kidman’s latest film, Rabbit Hole to Last Night starring Keira Knightly and Eva Mendes (opening night movie). There will also be a spotlight on the late Ugo Tognazzi whose career in the movies spanned over 40 years ( scenes from his most famous films will be shown in a special section dedicated to the actor), while Oscar winning director Giuseppe Tornatore will head up the jury deciding the Marc’Aurelio awards including for best film, actor and actress.

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News from the Vatican is that a book in interview form with Pope Benedict XVI will be published by the end of the year. The work is the fruit of conversations between the Pope and journalist Peter Seewald. The two spent a week together, from July 26 to 31 this year, and the interviews continue an acquaintance that started back when the Pope was still Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger and when the journalist had interviewed him then.

The interviews, apparently on various themes, took place in German (as Seewald is a German journalist) and the book will be available in Italian and German, with other languages possibly following. The book will be published by the Vatican’s publisher, Libreria Editrice Vaticana, as reported by Vatican communications officer Father Federico Lombardi.

Source | ANSA

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Italian fashion designers seem to have a soft spot for the Aeolian islands off the coast of Sicily; after Roberto Cavalli and Dolce & Gabbana who spent part of their summer holidays in the archipelago, it’s now the turn of Giorgio Armani to enjoy the breathtaking beauty of the islands aboard his luxurious yacht Main. The famous designer has just been spotted in Stromboli - the island with the only active volcano in the area.

Source | Tempostretto.it

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The 2010 Venice Film Festival starts tomorrow and we will be seeing a number of wonderful Italian films, Italian celebrities and hopefully a few international stars as well. Whether or not Italy’s favourite adopted celebrity George Clooney makes an appearance or not, there’s plenty to celebrate on a local front from Italian film directors as well.

One of the most highly anticipated Italian films of the festival is La Solitudine dei Numeri Primi by Saverio Costanzo. It’s based on the highly successful book by Paolo Giordano and will be shown at the festival before its cinema release date of September 10 (trailer after the jump). It joins La Pecora Nera (the black sheep) by Ascanio Celestini, Noi credevamo by Mario Martone and La passione by Carlo Mazzacurati.

Unfortunately one Italian film excluded by the commission organising the festival is Pupi Avati’s latest Una sconfinata giovinezza - see the trailer after the jump. While the Italian films appear amongst the usual array of impressive and creative European and international films, Cineblog cites this festival as a crucial moment for Italian cinema to look in the mirror and decide what its overarching national theme and relevance will be over the next few years.

Continue reading: 2010 Venice Film Festival to start with the best in Italian cinema

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