Cate blanches Indy

 

The versatile Cate Blanchett has played the Virgin Queen, Bob Dylan, and now, for the first time, a ruthless, “out-and-out baddie” in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of The Crystal Skull.  As the chilling Irina Spalko, leader of the Soviet Army’s quest for the Crystal Skull, Blanchett admits to having gleeful fun while making us think that someone will finally put Indy in his place.

“Spalko has an almost impenetrable steel-like quality to her – you know, not a hair out of place, no matter what she’s doing, never anything on her boots no matter what mud she’s walking through,” she says.  “There’s a remarkable precision about her.  She’s penetrating and therefore, potentially lethal.”

 

Executive Producer, George Lucas, who took 19 years just to find the right script for the latest installment, thinks audiences will have a fantastic feeling when watching the Oscar and BAFTA-winning actress in her first villainous role.  “Movie stars don’t get a chance to play villains very often, so it’s a fun, juicy, exciting thing,” he says.  “Spalko is somebody who will stop at nothing to get what she wants, and that’s what makes a good villain.  As the audience, you have to believe it, you have to be afraid of it, and the way Cate plays this you’re definitely afraid of her.”

 

While on set, Blanchett says, “You’ve got to be ready for anything, because Steven (Spielberg) often changes things in the moment.”  Blanchett learned to fence for an intense sword fighting scene that took place in the jungle – on top of moving vehicles.  And if that wasn’t enough, the director decided to throw one more thing in the mix.  “We were doing a chase sequence through the jungle in Hawaii and all of a sudden he wanted to introduce a karate-chop sequence,” Blanchett recalls, “so we had to get that together very quickly.  It’s a great way to work actually, because it means that everything you do is really fueled and focused by adrenaline.”

 

As seriously as Blanchett took the task of playing a formidable villain, she says part of her was always giddy about being in an Indiana Jones movie.  “Everyone at my primary school wanted to kiss Harrison Ford, but I actually wanted to be Harrison Ford.  I wanted to be Indiana Jones!”

 

Blanchett, only the fifth performer in the Academy’s 80-year history to be nominated in both acting categories in the same year (Elizabeth: The Golden Age and I’m Not There) made her own directorial debut with the play “A Kind of Alaska” at the Sydney Theatre Company, which she followed with a production of “The Year of Magical Thinking.”  She and her husband, Andrew Upton, were recently named co-directors of the Sydney Theatre Company and their debut season begins in 2009.
 

 

 

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ABU DHABI The Royal Treatment
 

Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, is the richest city in the world.  With a $100 billion to spend on seducing foreigners, it has become a world class destination.  Besides the breathtaking palaces, lush gardens, and the renovated waterfront area known as “The Corniche”, soon it will also have two renowned museums - the Louvre and Guggenheim.

 

STAY
The Emirates Palace Hotel with its extensive use of gold, silver and silk, took three years to build at a cost of $3 billion, making it the world’s most expensive hotel. Its 114 architectural domes, a thousand crystal chandeliers, 12 restaurants, 302 grand rooms and 92 suites, and helicopter pads make the Emirates Palace a royal residence. Arabian decor meets state-of-the-art technology in the rooms, which are equipped with several 50-inch plasma screens, laptops and interactive handheld control panels. With the opulence of Rolls Royce airport pick-ups, private pools, terraces, personal butlers and the tradition of high tea, the hotel is designed for the royal in you – provided you can afford the approximately $800 a night.
http://www.emiratespalace.com.

 

SEE
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque which opened in 2008 and accommodates 30,000 worshippers is the only one of its kind according to the Turkish Research Center for Islamic History and Culture. The world’s largest carpet from Iran and the planet’s biggest chandelier made from one million Swarovski crystals grace its interior.  Clad in 28 types of marble and accented with 24-karat gold, this mosque with its 82 domes is a heavenly sight, especially at night. What makes it unique is that non-Muslims will be allowed to visit, fostering a better understanding of Islam.
Located between Mussafah and Maqta bridges.

 

ENJOY
Camel Racing is an ancient and traditional sport in the Middle East.  Races are held on some mornings at the Al Maqam or the Al Ain camel racetracks. Falconry, known as the sport of the sheikhs, is still practiced at the Heritage Village in Abu Dhabi. Speed and precision are fundamental to this sport, and visitors can try their luck with these regal birds of prey.  For the weak-hearted, camel rides and retail therapy at a “souk” can be enjoyable. The desert safari is highly touted by locals and “dune bashing” in off-road vehicles is popular, followed by belly dancing and dinner in the desert. 

Cruising the Corniche on a “dhow” (traditional wooden boat) gives a different perspective of the city’s modern waterfront, with its golden beaches, changing skyline and palm-tree backdrop. Golfers looking for a novel challenge should try Sand Golfingat the Al Ghazal Golf Club which has an 18-hole sand course so you can putt on 'browns' instead of the greens.

 

Anjali Mansukhani

 

 

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Jeffrey Sanker with Taylor Dayne	Manny Lehman

 

WHITE PARTY Jeffrey Sanker's White Party Spring Break 2008 in Palm Springs drew tens of thousands of men from around the world for an action packed weekend of music, live performances, dancing and celebration.  The annual, sun-filled, desert oasis getaway, now in its 19th year, featured hotties and special guest appearances by Taylor Dayne, RuPaul, Soshanna Bean, Candis Cayne, Frenchie Davis, Jeanie Tracy and more.  Super DJs like Tony Moran, Manny Lehmann and Rosabel unleashed their music on insatiable crowds at the main event and ever-popular Tea-Dance.