The Celebrity Hotelier

While they may not be booking a room upgrade or comping you a round of free drinks, there is a certainly a growing trend of high profile celebrities as hotel owners. Since A-listers are well accustomed to the comforts of a top notch concierge and five-star luxury, it makes for a natural marriage as well as a smart business investment and let's face it, celebrity sells.

From a beachside cottage to a rainforest retreat, here are a few destinations of interest:

Ariel Sands
Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones

Situated on 14 acres on the south shore of Bermuda, Ariel Sands offers beachside cottages with ocean views and infinity plunge pools. The original Ariel Sands Beach Club closed in 2008  and currently under redevelopment as a five-star condo-hotel resort. Douglas is no stranger to Bermuda as he and wife Catherine have an island home there and the property has been in his family since 1954 (his mother Diana Dill Douglas was born there). For more on the Douglas retreat, see Architectural Digest.

The Bedford Post Inn
Richard Gere and Carey Lowell

The quaint eight room luxury inn set in the heart of Bedford, New York is a real find -- and just forty five minutes from Manhattan. Owned by actor Richard Gere and wife Carey Lowell, the historic Bedford Post Inn dates back to the 1860s with all the charm of the past and modern designs of the present. Locals and guests alike love the informal dining at both the Farmhouse and the Barn and classes at the Yoga Loft are the perfect place to de-stress. You can also read more on Gere as hotelier in my piece for Celebrated Living.

Gere and Lowell

Coppola Resorts
Francis Ford Coppola

Director, screenwriter, producer, restauranteur and winemaker are just a few of the many accomplishments of Francis Ford Coppola so it stands to reason that his lifestyle brand would be next. Francis Ford Coppola Presents includes four luxury retreats that include the Blancaneux Lodge and Turtle Inn  in Belize, La Lancha in Guatemala, Jardin Escondido in Buenos Aires and my personal favorite (and fit for a consigliere), the Palazzo Margherita in Bernalda, Italy. Each resort has its own theme and personality, one more magical than the next. Located in the Maya mountains, the twenty room Blancaneux was once the Coppola family retreat while the Italian country style rooms of the Palazzo Margherita is an antique lovers delight. For more on Coppola's properties, see the website here.

The garden suites of Palazzo Margherita above and below

Secrets Aura Cozumel
Rafa Nadal

International tennis superstar and 11 time Grand Slam champion Rafael "Rafa" Nadal calls Cozumel his second home, falling in love with the Mexican beach resort and diving town after a visit several years ago. He is now part owner of Secrets Aura Cozumel (he recently entered a partnership with AMResorts) and its sister neighboring resort Sunscape Sabor Cozumel. Located just twelve miles off the Yucatan Peninsula, guests can literally swim up to the contemporary designed luxury suites and yes, there are tennis courts. (I spent several days last month covering the tennis star for an upcoming feature and the all-inclusive resort is wonderful).

Nadal at recent press conference for the resort

Cypress Inn
Doris Day

What better place to take a vacay with your four-legged friends than the Cypress Inn. Actress, animal activist and longtime resident of Carmel owns the 44 room boutique inn filled with dog and cat friendly extras. Built in 1929, the inn is filled with Old World charm and Day's film posters line the walls. Don't miss the Yappy Hour at the Inn's Terry Lounge (named after Day's son Terry Melcher) and sip vintage drinks named after Kirk Douglas, Ronald Reagan and Cary Grant. And it's just walking distance to the beach.

Sadie at the Cypress Inn

Doris Day

Greenwich Hotel
Robert De Niro

Oscar winning actor Robert De Niro opened the boutique Greenwich Hotel in 2008, a haven for celebrities far from the lens of the paparazzi in his neighborhood Tribeca. You can book one of the 88 rooms and pretty much be assured of a Hudson River view or if you are really well-heeled, opt for the two-bedroom penthouse with its floor to ceiling windows. Or just book a treatment at the Japanese spa in the basement, constructed by craftsman with nary a nail. Just don't expect to run into "Bobby" in the lobby.

Photo Credits: AMResorts, Cypress Inn, Ariel Sands, Coppola Resorts, Bedford Post Inn, Greenwich Hotel.

Cinema BackStory: The Casting Call

The date was December 10, 1938 and a massive two-year search was underway for the role of Scarlett O’Hara in the best selling novel turned film Gone with the Wind. The setting was Hollywood’s 40 Acres backlot where a party was taking place to watch the filming of the burning of Atlanta. 

The burning of Atlanta on the 40 Acres lot

Everyone from studio bigwigs and celebrities to secretaries and firemen watched the sets from King Kong go up in flames while dining on spaghetti, baked potatoes and turkey-a-la-king. Partygoer and talent agent Myron Selznick (and brother of the film’s producer David O.) showed up late – and quite inebriated – for the evening’s festivities with his client, celebrated British actor Laurence Olivier. 

Olivier and Leigh

On the arm of the very married Shakespearean actor was his lover, the dark haired green-eyed beauty Vivien Leigh who was also a Selznick client and dying to play the part of Scarlett. Ever the opportunist and dressed to kill in a mink coat and full stage makeup, David Selznick spots Leigh amid the burning embers as brother Myron remarks, “Hey genius, here’s your Scarlett O’Hara.” Two screen tests and three weeks later, Leigh beats out thirty-two actresses along with thousands of unknowns for the coveted role and the rest was cinematic history.

One of the main contenders was Paulette Goddard who possibly lost the part as Selznick wanted to avoid a scandal revolving around her questionable marital status with Charlie Chaplin. (The situation was ripe with irony as Leigh and Olivier -- both married to other people --  were living together at the time as well). Lana Turner, Tallulah Bankhead, Joan Bennett, Lucille Ball and Katherine Hepburn were also considered.

Paulette Goddard

David Selznick on the set of GWTW 

Many of our favorite films could have taken a different turn due to casting choices. Both Candice Bergen and Robert Redford screen tested for the roles of Elaine Robinson and Benjamin Braddock in The Graduate and were turned down. Redford was told by director Mike Nichols that "he could never play a loser in a million years." The iconic "loser" role launched the career of Dustin Hoffman.

America's quintessential screen virgin Doris Day was considered for the predatory Mrs. Robinson  who remarked, "I cannot see myself rolling around in the sheets with a young man half my age that I'd seduced." Fortunately Anne Bancroft could and received an Academy Award for her effort not to mention a great set of highlights.

The part of Thomas Crown was originally written for Sean Connery by screenwriter Alan Trustman who worried Steve McQueen would not effectively be able to deliver the dialogue. The part was later rewritten with "The King of Cool" in mind who said it was one of his all-time favorite roles.

Hugh Grant was said to be "kicking himself" over the Academy Award winning role in The King's Speech -- a career move that is certainly a head scratcher.

Hugh Grant

Academy Award winning actor Colin Firth

Jeff Bridges was up for the part of Oliver in Love Story (he was also up for Big, Officer and a Gentleman, Taxi Driver, Shawshank Redemption and Indiana Jones) which solidified Ryan O'Neal's place in film. (And speaking of Officer and A Gentleman, John Denver turned down the lead in Officer, imagine him alongside Debra Winger).

a very young Jeff Bridges

Ryan O'Neal and Ali MacGraw. Fresh off of Peyton Place,
co-star Barbara Parkins  auditioned for the role  of Jenny

I love a good backstory and it's always interesting to think what might have been. Tupac turned down Bubba in Forrest Gump?  Christopher Walken as Jesus Christ in The Temptation of Christ? (I can see Saturday Night Live now). And OJ as the lead in The Terminator? Producers feared the former NFL great turned felon would not be taken seriously as a killer  -- and  I promise I did not make that up:).

Photo Credits: Paramount, MGM, Weinstein Company, Embassy Pictures, MGM

Happy Birthday Doris Mary Ann Kappelhoff

You know her as a beloved actress, animal rights supporter and if you've ever visited Carmel, perhaps you have stopped by her hotel, The Cypress Inn. And you know her as Doris Day a.k.a. Doris Mary Ann Kappelhoff, America's sweetheart and one of the most stylish women of sixties cinema.

This week marks Day's 88th birthday. Her career began as a big band singer (she first recorded the hit Sentimental Journey) and she has starred in 39 films that have ranged from melodrama (Young at Heart with Frank Sinatra) to suspense (Hitchcock's The Man Who Knew Too Much which gave birth to her hit Que Sera Sera). But it was her romantic comedies that teamed her with handsome leading men that really put her on the map.

Doris on set of Pillow Talk

Giving new meaning to the film term "romp," Doris starred in several films with Rock Hudson (a lifelong friend) such as Send Me No Flowers (1964), Pillow Talk (1959), and Lover Come Back (1961). She also starred in two of my personal favorites, Move Over Darling (1963) and The Thrill of it All (1964) with James Garner. Move Over Darling was originally supposed to be "Something's Got to Give" with Marilyn Monroe and Dean Martin (eventually that title was used for a very popular 2003 film:) )

Pillow Talk above and center

The Thrill of It All  and its classic sixties master bedroom with twin beds

Her films were filled with iconic sixties costume and interior designs. Audiences loved her as the quintessential (and virginal) Manhattan career woman (and one of the first interior decorators on film) Jan Morrow in Pillow Talk, a competitive Madison Avenue ad woman in Lover Come Back and the housewife turned commercial pitch woman in The Thrill of It All. She was nominated for an Oscar in 1960 for Best Actress on Pillow Talk. (Note - look for a set design piece soon on Move Over Darling).

Perhaps a sign of the times, she was the ultimate role model on screen and women everywhere wanted to be like her and dress like her. Dubbed as the world's oldest virgin in her movie roles, she turned down the part of Mrs. Robinson in The Graduate. Imagine how different that film would have been!

Chic in Pink

Doris could have been a sixties Tory Burch

America's sweetheart was not without her tragedies. She was married four times and sadly her third husband Martin Melcher bankrupted her and after he passed away, she learned he had committed her to a television series, The Doris Day Show. The show was a huge success and lasted five seasons. Her son Terry Melcher had the ultimate near death experience as police believe he was possibly targeted in an unsuccessful murder plot by Charles Manson and his "family." Manson approached him at his home (which he shared with actress Candice Bergen)  in Los Angeles for a record deal (through an introduction from Beach Boy Dennis Wilson). Melcher turned him down and legend has it he returned with revenge on his mind and found renters Sharon Tate and friends instead, and of course, the rest is history.  He passed away at the age of 62 after a long battle with melanoma.

Doris at home

A tireless animal rights activist, Doris founded Actors and Others for Animals in 1971 with fellow colleagues Mary Tyler Moore and Angie Dickinson. This eventually led to the Doris Day Animal League in 1994 which focuses on pet overpopulation in the United States (note - the group merged with the Humane Society in 2006). DDAL also founded Spay Day in 1995 and the group also has been at the forefront of legislation on animal testing, puppy mills and horse protection. Apparently she saw animals being mistreated during the filming of The Man Who Knew Too Much and the cause against animal cruelty became a lifelong passion.

If you are ever in Carmel, be sure to stop by or stay at the Cypress Inn. Animals are welcome and it's truly a delightful place. 

She lives a very quiet and reclusive life on an ll acre estate in California and still works on behalf of our four legged friends. Happy Birthday Doris! Movie lovers  and animals thank you!

For more on the life and times of Doris Day, check out these books:

Doris Day: The Untold Story of the Girl Next Door by David Kaufman (Virgin Books, 2009)

Considering Doris Day by Tom Santopietro (Thomas Dunne, 2007)

Michael Freedland's bio Doris Day Illustrated (Andre Deutsch, 2009)

Photo Credits: Leo Fuchs, Ross Hunter/Universal Pictures.

Hitchcock Style

While it's often hard to equate the legendary rotund British director-auteur-master of suspense Alfred Hitchcock with the word style, his films certainly gave us some great moments in fashion, glamour and interiors.

His penchant for sophisticated blondes is the stuff of legends -- from the tortured Tippi Hedren in The Birds (1958) and Marnie (1961) , Kim Novak in Vertigo (1958) and The Wrong Man (1956) and Doris Day in The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956) to Grace Kelly in Rear Window (1954) , Dial M for Murder (1954)  and To Catch a Thief (1955), Janet Leigh in Psycho (1960) and Eva Marie Saint in North by Northwest (1959) -- icy, cold, unattainable, chic and often heroines turned victims, he never met a blonde he didn't like. (One can look at  Suzanne Pleshette's fate in The Birds to see how brunettes fared).

Sean Connery and Tippi Hedren on the set of Marnie

Kim Novak in Vertigo who Hitch wanted to turn into "the new Grace Kelly"

Cary Grant and Grace Kelly in Edith Head's designs  for the film To Catch a Thief

Que Sera Sera: Jimmy Stewart and Doris Day in The Man Who Knew too Much

Grace Kelly on set

Whether hero or cad or a combination thereof, Hitch liked his male characters handsome, dapper, and above all, well dressed.

Sean Connery takes a break in between Bond films to star in Marnie

Nothing says south of France like an Ascot in the fifties

Cary Grant in To Catch a Thief

The woman responsible for it all was Academy Award winning costume designer Edith Head who designed everything from Tippi's shredded suit in The Birds to Grace Kelly's memorable black and white cocktail dress in Rear Window. More on Ms. Head's contributions in a future post.

From Jimmy Stewart's studio apartment  in Rear Window, Norman Bates house to Rebecca's Manderlay, a Hitch set is designed for suspense, anxiety, action and danger.

The Psycho House on the Universal backlot

His set for the film Rope (1948) was ultra modern and would fit in with today's standards. With its panoramic windows, the Manhattan penthouse apartment was completely designed for city viewing  and the leather sofa  is custom made to fit the entire length of the windows. In a classic Hitch move, look for his profile on one of the illuminated signs.

Hitch with the cast of Rope

James Mason as Phillip Vandamm  in a Long Island for North by Northwest

Even Hitch's symbolism is stylish. The film Vertigo is of course, based on images of a swirl design. We see it in the various motifs... Jimmy Stewart/Scott McKittreck's office,         

the famous bell tower...

Movie Poster for Vertigo

and even Kim Novak's classic french twist has a swirl...

Hitch on set with a sense of humor

For the DEFINITIVE book on the subject, read French film critic Jean-Pierre Dufreigne's book Hitchcock Style by Assouline, 2004. A must have for any Hitchcock fanatic.

Photo Credits: Hitchcock Style, Assouline, 2004.