Scarlett Johansson for The One Ah, perfume commercials. The beautiful women, the graceful music, the complete lack of logic . . . what's not to love? As the rest of the advertising industry moves forward, scent-inspired ads have stubbornly remained the same. Whether they show an anorexic model writhing around on concrete for Calvin Klein or a French ingénue floating about in a black dress for Chanel, they've all been done before, and they always seem to border on complete parody. Dolce & Gabbana's new, grandly self-indulgent "film" for The One certainly does. "Oh, I love Italy," our "eternal diva" tells her unseen interviewer, cameras flashing in her face. "I had an Italian boyfriend once. His mother broke up with me. . . . How ... Continue reading →
New York, NY - As Venezuela's presidential election looms, the international stakes could not be higher for Hugo Chavez and his movement. If the firebrand Venezuelan leader should falter, the South American nation's carefully crafted system of regional alliances could fall by the wayside. Take, for example, the Caribbean theatre, where Chavez has pursued unprecedented ties with the Castro brothers in Cuba. Under the Mision Barrio Adentro programme, which was initiated in 2003, Cuban doctors have been deployed to poor Venezuelan neighbourhoods. In exchange, Chavez provides much needed discounted oil to the Communist island nation. Recently, Chavez declared that some 30,000 Cubans labour within the Venezuelan medical sector. "It's a lie that the bourgeoisie will continue the missions if they win... they will destroy them. ... Continue reading →