Deborah Swain posted an article on
Vintage Action Figures
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Feb 8, 2012, 2:01 pm
George Lucas just can't stop meddling with those Star Wars movies! Star Wars: Episode One - The Phantom Menace will be hitting cinema screens all over the world AGAIN this weekend - only this time in 3D. The 2D version was already bad enough, so I think I'll pass on that one...Instead, let's take a Comment - Like
Deborah Swain posted an article on
Living in Rome
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Feb 8, 2012, 9:55 am
Russian-born classical pianist Evgeny Kissin returned to enthral audiences in Rome at the weekend for a series of three concerts in the Santa Cecilia concert hall at the Auditorium Parco della Musica performing Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg's perennially popular Piano Concerto. British... Comment - Like
Deborah Swain posted an article on
Living in Rome
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Feb 4, 2012, 12:15 pm
When a light dusting of snow fell on the city of Rome almost two years ago in February 2010, I was amazed and delighted to have witnessed such a rare event.
Incredibly, it has snowed again this year - Friday night saw heavy snowfalls and Romans awoke this morning to find the... Comment - Like
Deborah Swain posted an article on
Vintage Postcard Gallery
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Feb 3, 2012, 1:40 pm
Beth over at the Best Hearts are Crunchy has been posting some gorgeous Valentine's Day cards for a few weeks now – with February 14th only ten days away, I was inspired to dig out a vintage romantic postcard from my own collection to share on Postcard Friendship Friday today.
&... Comment - Like
Deborah Swain posted an article on
Living in Rome
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Jan 31, 2012, 12:26 pm
Phe-Tyr, 2004–11
Whilst Damien Hirst may have achieved worldwide fame, and some notoriety, with his sliced and diced animals pickled in formaldehyde, the British artist's current show at the Gagosian Gallery in Rome is a decidedly less gruesome affair. The Complete Spot Paintings are exactly ... Comment - Like
Deborah Swain posted an article on
Vintage Action Figures
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Jan 30, 2012, 7:22 am
The 1980s were a wonderful time for the comedy horror movie, and two of my absolute favourites from that decade were released on the very same day on June 8, 1984 – Ivan Reitman's Ghostbusters and Joe Dante's Gremlins. Those pre-CGI times were something of a heyday for animatronics and puppetry wo... Comment - Like
Deborah Swain posted an article on
Vintage Action Figures
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Jan 20, 2012, 6:41 am
Gentlemen, we can rebuild him... We HAVE the technology! That was the promise made, week after week, during the opening titles of the hit 1970s television show The Six Million Dollar Man. It made total sense, therefore, when Kenner and General Mills acquired the toy license to manufacture the action... Comment - Like
Deborah Swain posted an article on
Vintage Action Figures
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Jan 14, 2012, 12:03 pm
Hot on the heels of Captain Jack Harkness last week, I thought I'd follow that post with a look at another great Character Options action figure from their 5 inch Doctor Who line - none other than the Doctor himself, as played by David Tennant in the tenth incarnation of the BBC TV show's protagonis... Comment - Like
Deborah Swain posted an article on
Vintage Action Figures
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Jan 9, 2012, 6:40 am
When John Barrowman first appeared in the BBC's relaunched Doctor Who sci-fi television show in 2005 in the role of Captain Jack Harkness he was disguised as a Royal Air Force pilot and this is just how he is presented in this wonderful 5 inch action figure by Character Options. Teaming up with the ... Comment - Like
Deborah Swain posted an article on
Vintage Action Figures
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Jan 1, 2012, 2:21 pm
To kick off the New Year I thought I'd look at a vintage golden oldie from the hugely popular 1980s Kenner action figure line The Real Ghostbusters. First launched in 1986 as a tie-in product for the animated cartoon TV series of the same name, the series ran until 1991 when the Teenage Mutant Ninja Comment - Like
Deborah Swain posted an article on
Living in Rome
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Dec 24, 2011, 10:21 am
If you are visiting Rome over the holiday period take a stroll along Via del Corso and admire the red, white and green Christmas lights. Representing the Italian flag on the 150th Anniversary of the Unification of Italy, the decorations stretch the entire length of the main shoppi... Comment - Like
Deborah Swain posted an article on
Vintage Action Figures
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Dec 21, 2011, 9:08 am
'Tis the season to be jolly, so here's a look back at Hasbro's Holiday Edition Darth Vader action figure that was a StarWarsShop.com exclusive back in 2005. Essentially the same figure with eight points of articulation which had been issued as part of the Original Trilogy Collection in 2004 and earl... Comment - Like
Deborah Swain posted an article on
Vintage Action Figures
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Dec 13, 2011, 1:13 pm
Italian toy manufacturers Giochi Preziosi may not be the first name that comes to mind when one thinks of Dragon Ball merchandising, but Japanese animation TV series are hugely popular in Italy so it isn't actually that surprising to discover Anime action figures appearing here. And what a great j... Comment - Like
Deborah Swain posted an article on
Vintage Action Figures
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Dec 4, 2011, 6:39 am
Andy over at Action Figure Blues wrote a great review of two recent DC Direct Brightest Day figures - Mera and Firestorm. This has inspired me to take a look back at another classic Firestorm figure from one of my own absolute favourite vintage action figure lines – the Kenner Super Powers. Kenner... Comment - Like
Deborah Swain posted an article on
Living in Rome
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Dec 2, 2011, 11:10 am
The Irrepressibles on stage in Rome
The 2011 edition of the RomaEuropa Festival closed on Wednesday evening at the Auditorium Conciliazione with an utterly captivating performance by The Irrepressibles, the genre-smashing British band lead by charismatic singer and composer Jamie McDermott. Aft... Comment - Like
Deborah Swain posted an article on
Living in Rome
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Nov 25, 2011, 1:38 pm
The 2011 edition of the RomaEuropa Festival, which embraces not only the visual arts, but also dance, film, theatre, music and performance art, is entitled “Try the impossible”. Peter Brook, the British theatre director renowned for thinking outside the box, would certainly seem to ... Comment - Like
Deborah Swain posted an article on
Vintage Action Figures
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Nov 24, 2011, 11:38 am
By the time everybody's favourite reptiles had appeared on the big screen for the third time in 1993 in the unimaginatively entitled movie Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III, TMNT fever was maybe waning a little since its frenzied heyday of the late eighties. Certainly, this live-action movie suffered... Comment - Like
Deborah Swain posted an article on
Vintage Action Figures
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Nov 15, 2011, 11:28 am
I confess that when I found this ugly-looking bruiser in a flea market recently I didn't immediately recognise him and needed to do some sleuthing on the Internet to put a name to his gnarled face – Neo Lord, one of the Neosapien Warriors from the 1995 Playmates Exosquad action figure series. Ori... Comment - Like
Deborah Swain posted an article on
Vintage Action Figures
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Nov 6, 2011, 11:41 am
When Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, the first film in a series of patchy prequels to the original Star Wars trilogy, hit movie theatres in 1999, a global wave of disappointment was felt resulting in a huge backlash against director George Lucas amongst die-hard fans. One character, however... Comment - Like
Deborah Swain posted an article on
Living in Rome
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Nov 5, 2011, 1:46 pm
Richard Gere introduces 'Days of Heaven' in Rome
No stranger to the International Rome Film Festival having attended two earlier editions of the fledgling kermesse, Richard Gere was back at the Auditorium Parco della Musica on Thursday to attend a special screening of the newly restored print o... Comment - Like
Deborah Swain posted an article on
Living in Rome
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Nov 3, 2011, 12:28 pm
Zhang Ziyi and Gu Changwei at Rome Film Festival
The undisputed queen of the sixth edition of the International Rome Film Festival yesterday evening was Chinese superstar Zhang Ziyi who shared the red carpet with director Gu Changwei and screenwriter Yang Weiwei at the presentation of the in-co... Comment - Like
Deborah Swain posted an article on
Living in Rome
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Nov 2, 2011, 9:45 am
Bill Nighy on the red carpet at Rome Film FestivalThis year's edition of the International Rome Film Festival has dedicated its Focus section to British cinema showing a series of new-release British productions such as David Hare's Page Eight, as well as classics selected by British actors, screenw... Comment - Like
Deborah Swain posted an article on
Living in Rome
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Nov 1, 2011, 8:22 am
Pål Sletaune, Noomi Rapace and Kristoffer Joner in Rome
Swedish actress Noomi Rapace, best known internationally for the Swedish/Danish film adaptations of Stieg Larsson's Millennium trilogy novels - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Ho... Comment - Like
Deborah Swain posted an article on
Living in Rome
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Oct 31, 2011, 8:39 am
... complimentary hues of the tungsten lighting in Russell Crowe's hotel room.
In the 1980s Michael Mann was the producer of the enormously successful TV show Miami Vice and after bringing that series to cinema screens in the 2006 movie of the same name, his latest project sees him return to ... Comment - Like
Deborah Swain posted an article on
Vintage Action Figures
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Oct 30, 2011, 12:08 pm
Halloween is almost here so what better way to mark the occasion than with an absolute classic horror film action figure from what has to be one of my favourite vintage lines - the Remco Mini Monsters. This version of the most famous vampire of them all, Count Dracula as played by Bela Lugosi in Comment - Like
Deborah Swain posted an article on
Living in Rome
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Oct 29, 2011, 10:10 am
Maggie Gyllenhaal, Tanya
Wexler
and Rupert Everett Rupert Everett and Maggie Gyllenhaal, together with director Tanya Wexler, were at the International Rome Film Festival yesterday evening for the presentation of the in-competition movie Hysteria.
The actors were joined on the red c... Comment - Like
Deborah Swain posted an article on
Living in Rome
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Oct 29, 2011, 8:55 am
For fans of film director Nichloas Ray who attended the showing of Francesco Zippel's documentary Hollywood Bruciata: Ritratto di Nicholas Ray on Day 2 of the Rome Film Festival yesterday evening were most likely expecting an evening of respectful homage to a Hollywood legend. Whilst Zip... Comment - Like
Deborah Swain posted an article on
Living in Rome
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Oct 28, 2011, 7:17 am
Michelle Yeoh at Rome Film festival
The sixth edition of the International Rome Film Festival opened yesterday evening and saw the dazzlingly beautiful Michelle Yeoh grace the red carpet at the Auditorium Parco della Musica for the first Out of Competition movie of the Official Selection, The L... Comment - Like
Deborah Swain posted an article on
Vintage Action Figures
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Oct 17, 2011, 1:39 pm
Deborah Swain posted a photo:
Vintage Joker action figure from Kenner's Super Powers Collection from 1984 Comment - Like
Deborah Swain posted an article on
Vintage Postcard Gallery
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Oct 7, 2011, 1:20 pm
I came across this uncirculated 1920s French postcard of Le Port Saint-Nicolas in Paris (translated as St. Nicolas Harbour on the back of the card) on a market stall at Rome's most famous flea market at Porta Portese. It reminded me instantly of the postcard of the Pool of London ... Comment - Like
Deborah Swain posted an article on
Living in Rome
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Sep 26, 2011, 9:29 am
RomaFictionFest programme signed by Jim Belushi
The fifth edition of the Roma Fiction Fest, which over the last four years has brought some of the biggest names in TV drama to the city, finally opened yesterday in a dramatically diminished format at its new home at the Auditorium Parco della Mu... Comment - Like
Deborah Swain posted an article on
Living in Rome
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Sep 9, 2011, 2:06 pm
La Grattachecca di Sora Maria on Via
Trionfale, one of the city's most famous “grattachecca ” kiosks,
has been serving its delicious shaved ice desserts laced with syrup
flavours and pieces of fruit since the 1930s. In fact, it is
considered so much of an institution in Rome ... Comment - Like
Deborah Swain posted an article on
Living in Rome
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Sep 5, 2011, 1:09 pm
A broody portrait photograph of his bearded face – the Guerrillero Heroico by Alberto Korda – is quite possibly one of the most famous photographs ever taken, ensuring that Ernesto "Che" Guevara is still instantly recognisable as a symbol of revolution over 40 years since his executi... Comment - Like
Deborah Swain posted an article on
Vintage Postcard Gallery
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Sep 2, 2011, 12:47 pm
Every time I visit London I'm struck by the amount of architectural changes that happen in the city - old buildings come down, new buildings go up – it's a city that is always in flux! No trip to London for me is complete without a walk across Hungerford Bridge over the Thames t... Comment - Like
Deborah Swain posted an article on
Vintage Postcard Gallery
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Aug 26, 2011, 1:35 pm
I have recently returned from my summer holidays in the UK
visiting family and friends and as usual, I came home to Rome
with a new clutch of British vintage postcards in my suitcase! I'll
share my new finds over the coming months on this blog, but before
the s... Comment - Like
Deborah Swain posted an article on
Living in Rome
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Aug 21, 2011, 11:47 am
Monumental Greenhouse - Orto Botanico di Rome
After living in Rome for the best part of the last ten years I recently visited what is perhaps one of its lesser known sites for the first time and fell instantly in love with the place and knew I had to include it here in the Discover Rome section... Comment - Like
Deborah Swain posted an article on
Living in Rome
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Jul 29, 2011, 1:04 pm
Orquesta Buena Vista Social Club and Omara Portuondo in Rome
After dazzling audiences at the Auditorium Parco della Music when she shared the Sala Santa Cecilia stage with jazz pianist Chucho Valdés in May this year, Cuban diva Omara Portuondo was back in Rome again yesterday evening, th... Comment - Like
Deborah Swain posted an article on
Vintage Postcard Gallery
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Jul 23, 2011, 11:46 am
The Space Shuttle Atlantis landed at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the last time on Thursday 21 July bringing the Space Shuttle Program officially to a close and marking the end of an era. The Hubble Space Telescope, that extraordinary instrument, which has brought the u... Comment - Like
Deborah Swain posted an article on
Living in Rome
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Jul 18, 2011, 1:45 pm
Andy Warhol Vesuvius, 1985
2011 marks the 150th anniversary of the Unification of Italy and to mark the occasion the Gagosian Gallery in Rome is currently presenting an exquisitely curated show called Made in Italy. Whilst the Grand Tour may have been all the rage in the 18th and ... Comment - Like
I am a British-born freelance Web consultant and translator. After studying Fine Art at Reading University I moved from England to the foothills of the Sibillini Mountains in the Le Marche region of Italy in 1994. I now live in Rome, the Eternal City.
I love blogging, poetry, Squidoo, Elvis, live music, HK movies, MotoGP, photography, and collecting signed books, stamps, postcards and action figures.
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