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A recent episode of Wheel of Fortune not only stumped the contestants, but viewers were really confused as well. The episode featured construction worker Whitney Smith, Ify Unachukwu and creative writer Michael Kroll. By the end of the episode, Whitney had amassed $27,460, and winning the bonus round increased her winnings to $67,460. Michael and Ify were left with $8,600 and $1,650 on Wheel of Fortune, respectively.

An episode of Wheel of Fortune featured a Triple Stumper that also stumped several fans.

During a recent episode of Wheel of Fortune that originally aired back in February, Whitney won $67,460, which is exciting, but it didn't come without some confusion along the way. According to TV Insider, a Toss-Up round found all three contestants unable to guess the final puzzle, which was "Protecting The Plate."

The contestants weren't the only ones confused. On Reddit (in a thread started by LongjumpingThing7575), several fans didn't even know what "Protecting The Plate,...

Wheel of Fortune contestant Whitney Smith excitedly hugged host Ryan Seacrest after winning $67,000. The game came with a triple stumper and an Albert Einstein look-alike. Smith, from Bushnell, Florida, played against Ify Unachukwu, from Woodland Hills, California, and Michael Kroll, the inventor doppleganger, from Okland, California, on Wednesday, July 16. Their episode originally aired on February 19. Smith is a construction worker who likes hunting, fishing, and crocheting. She won $27,460 in cash and a trip to the Amazon. The Wheel of Fortune contestant chose “Place” for her Bonus Round category. After Wheel of Fortune gave her “R,S,T,L,N, and E,” Smith chose “H,G,D, and O,” to round out the puzzle. Her puzzle then looked like “_OGG_NG _ _TH.” Before the timer started, Smith said “Oh my God” because she knew that is was. Smith correctly guessed “Jogging Path” and jumped up and down and screamed after Ryan...

The first new cast member to be introduced in Season 10 of Southern Charm was Molly O'Connell. In Episode 1, viewers see her hanging out with Madison LeCroy and the two women seem close. Describing the newbie, Madison shared, "She's funny, and she's weird in a good way."

The season has just started, but fans are already growing attached to Molly. She seems fun, playful, and a good fit for the cast. Even her sexting Craig Conover a long time ago didn't seem to interfere with her friendship with him or his girlfriend, Paige DeSorbo.

With fans really enjoying watching Molly on their screens, they are also protective of her. She's been transparent about her body struggles, so hearing Whitney-Sudler Smith make a comment about her body saw viewers defending the model and lashing out against him.

Related Why Southern Charm Season 10 Is Madison LeCroy's "Most Emotional" Season Yet

Season 10 sees Madison...

The trailer for Southern Charm Season 10 has come out. Fans are excited to see how this will play out. There is so much drama to unfold. This is not abnormal for the show. Many original cast members will return to the show. However, there will be some new members as well. Keep reading to find out everything that will unfold.

Who Will Be On The Show?

A lot of original cast members will be returning for Season 10. Shep Rose, Craig Conover, Patricia Altschul, Whitney Smith, and many more. However, there are some who were on previous seasons but not original members who will be joining. Paige DeSorbo, Taylor Ann Green, Madison Lecroy, and Austen Kroll for example. Not only that but there will be some new cast members. Shep has a new girlfriend who will be appearing. Taylor Green’s new boyfriend will also be making an appearance. There are...

Southern Charm was a hit with viewers when it premiered in 2014, and it's time to talk about what happened to the cast of the less successful Bravo spinoff, Southern Charm Savannah. New iterations of popular shows don't always live up to their promise, but this series seemed to have a chance. Unfortunately, it was canceled after season 3.

Southern Charm Savannah premiered in May 2017. Whitney-Sudler Smith, the man behind the original Southern Charm, came back as an executive producer, in the hopes creating another hit. The Og series was meant to shed light on high society cast members, and was set within Georgia's oldest city, Charleston, which made Southern Charm's backdrop picturesque. Just like Charleston, Savannah is full of history and hierarchy. Each new cast member was trying to seal their legacy by making a mark on the world.

Related: Why Southern Charm Fans Are Questioning Kathryn's Black Eye Last...

Bravo fans will be excited to learn that Southern Charm season 9 production is well underway, along with some cast shake-ups. The Charleston crew is back for another rousing season of showing how they navigate their privileged lives. For years, followers have watched as the South Carolina natives work, date, and party all within the small Southern town.

Southern Charm consists of the upper-class society of Charleston, South Carolina, which has opened its private gates to Bravo viewers for the past few seasons as many were given a front-row seat to Kathryn Dennis' centuries-old plantation home, Craig Conover's love of sewing, and what it is like for a trust fund baby to not lift a finger like Shep Rose. Since 2013, the men and women of Charleston have welcomed viewers into their lives, which showed their inner circle drama. But as viewers now know, not everything is perfect in the south.

The fiery redhead of Southern Charm, Kathryn Dennis, has made herself an enemy or two over her time on the hit Bravo show as she has feuded with almost everyone on the cast. The mother of two joined the series when she was only 21 years old and didn't have a care in the world. After linking herself to the disgraced South Carolina politician, Thomas Ravenel, trouble started to find her.

Kathryn grew up in Berkeley, South Carolina, where she learned to be a true Southern belle. Kathryn's family came from a long line of influential politicians who owned Lewisfield Plantation, so she was used to having a silver spoon in her mouth from a young age, but eventually, Kathryn's behavior became problematic. When fans first met Kathryn on Southern Charm, she came across as sweet and naive as she dated Shep Rose and Thomas. Sadly as her relationship with Thomas started to crumble,...

All is not well in Charleston. Southern Charm's Sept. 22 episode saw longtime friends Naomie Olindo and Venita Aspen get into what might be season eight's most shocking fight yet. The source of said fight is less shocking, though: Craig Conover. He and Naomie—who dated for three years, broke up in 2017 and had a short-lived reunion in 2021—have been at odds all season long, and their latest disagreement was centered on another fight they had the night before while out to dinner with Venita, Shep Rose, Taylor Ann Green, Austen Kroll, Olivia Flowers and Whitney Sudler-Smith. The first time around, Craig drunkenly berated Naomie after she brought up...

Madison LeCroy filmed the Southern Charm reunion. Pic credit: @madison.lecroy/Instagram

Madison LeCroy is looking forward to Season 9 of Southern Charm.

She filmed the Season 8 reunion just a few days ago, and it would seem that things went well for the beautiful blonde.

There’s been plenty of drama this season, especially between Madison and Austen Kroll.

The two were together when she joined the show, and their relationship played out during Seasons 6 and 7. It got even more complicated with the addition of Olivia Flowers, who is seeing Austen.

What went down at the Southern Charm reunion wasn’t shared, but Madison was able to talk about how she felt following the ordeal.

It looks like this time, Madison has a solid path into the next season should Bravo choose to renew the popular show.

Madison LeCroy dishes reunion resolutions

Madison LeCroy caught up with Us Weekly while attending...

Madison LeCroy and Patricia Altschul are good friends. Pic credit: @madison.lecroy/Instagram

Southern Charm stars Patricia Altschul and Madison LeCroy have more than just an on-screen friendship.

The women spend a lot of time together, at least once a week, when Miss Patricia sees Madison for her hair needs.

It’s evident their relationship is unique, and they proved that a girls’ night is just what they needed.

Madison shared several snaps on her Instagram Story of the two living it up in Charleston for the night. She revealed that Whitney Sudler-Smith was out of town, so she and Miss Patricia were living their best lives.

Both women seemed to have a great time, from dancing shenanigans to a carriage ride through the city.

Miss Patricia is fond of Madison, which showed through everything they did.

Madison LeCroy sleeps over at Patricia Altschul’s house

On her Instagram Story,...

Naomie Olindo stunned in a yellow bikini. Pic credit: @naomie_olindo/Instagram

Naomie Olindo proved that a fresh-faced look is the way to go.

The Southern Charm star shared photos from a vacation she took to spend time with family and remember her father.

It’s been a tough few years for Naomie. Her father passed away, she moved away from Charleston to find out her boyfriend cheated, moved back home, and rejoined the reality TV world.

There’s been some drama surrounding her return to Southern Charm, especially after it came out that she and Craig Conover hooked up before he went exclusive with Paige DeSorbo.

Getting away and reconnecting with family likely helped the brunette beauty.

A cute bikini in a gorgeous setting is enough to take the blues away for some.

Naomie Olindo shows off fit physique in yellow bikini

On Instagram, Naomie Olindo shared a carousel...

If any Southern Charm fans are still reeling from the news of Naomie Olindo and Whitney Sudler-Smith hooking up, just know that her ex Craig Conover is, too.  In fact, he thinks he was so shocked, his reaction might've seemed lackluster on the Aug. 18 episode. "You didn't get to see it, but how I felt was just that it was absurd," Craig told E! News during an exclusive interview on Aug. 22. "I just would have never expected in my wildest dreams to hear that Whitney and Naomie were together." That's not to say he didn't hear rumblings around town, though. The Sewing Down South founder admitted that "because Charleston's a small place," there were, at one...

The cat's out of the bag in Charleston. Word of Naomie Olindo and Whitney Sudler-Smith's hookup spread throughout the Southern Charm cast on the Aug. 18 episode, and while nearly everyone was surprised, only one person was left upset. "What the f--k?" Naomie's ex, Craig Conover, responded once Austen Kroll spilled the beans. "God, that stinks. Going from me to Whitney? That's just not that fun." Craig wasn't necessarily upset with his ex, though—just Whitney. "Naomie can do whatever she wants, but I think it's shady of Whitney," he said in a confessional. "The bro-code rules are complicated at times, I understand that, but it's...

Penny Lane is to direct Mrs. America, exploring the changing role of American womanhood through the Mrs. America Beauty Pageant’s half-century history.

Anonymous Content, Fremantle and Spinning Nancy are behind the premium doc, which will move through the history of an event started by husband-and-wife team David and Elaine Marmel that focused on celebrating the role of married women in society.

The doc is one of the first to be produced by Fremeantle’s Global Head of Documentaries Mandy Chang, who used to run BBC Storyville. Other producers are Nick Shumaker, Jessica Grimshaw, Gabriel Sedgwick, Amanda Branson-Gill, Whitney Sudler-Smith, Dawn Olmstead and David Levine.

Lane, who has been behind the likes of Hail Satan? and Listening to Kenny G, is a celebrated director known for her humor and unconventional approach.

She described the show as an “incredible opportunity to learn and think deeply about womanhood, marriage and American values.

Penny Lane (“Listening to Kenny G”) will direct “Mrs. America,” a documentary which will explore the changing role of American womanhood through the Mrs. America beauty pageant’s 45-year history.

The pageant, established by husband-and-wife team David and Elaine Marmel, focused on celebrating the role of married women in society.

Nick Shumaker (“Nothing Lasts Forever”) and Jessica Grimshaw (“A Wilderness of Error”) will produce the project for Anonymous Content alongside Fremantle’s global head of documentaries, Mandy Chang and Gabriel Sedgwick (“Hail Satan?”) for Spinning Nancy. Amanda Branson-Gill and Whitney Sudler-Smith (“Southern Charm”) will also produce. Anonymous Content CEO Dawn Olmstead and Cco David Levine will executive produce the project which is co-financed by Anonymous Content and Fremantle.

Shumaker and Grimshaw said: “The Mrs. America beauty pageant has long represented a certain perspective on what it means to be a woman in the United States, which over the years has...

Shepard “Shep” Rose has enjoyed the spoils of single life, as documented on Bravo’s hit reality show Southern Charm. But after four seasons of playing the field, the 37-year-old businessman is hoping to settle down — something he was motivated to do more and more by watching costars Thomas Ravenel and Whitney Sudler-Smith.

“Thomas and Whitney are Exhibit A and B of lifelong bachelorhood,” Rose says of the Charleston, South Carolina, duo (ages 55 and 49, respectively). “I’m not saying they’re not happy, and I think the world of them both, but I don’t want to be in their...

Cameran Eubanks' co-stars showered her with love over the weekend. On Sunday, Southern Charm's Patricia Altschul and Whitney Sudler-Smith threw Cameran a '60s-inspired baby shower! "I wanted a Slim Aarons elegant return to the 60's for @camwimberly1 baby shower.... I had nothing to do with ordering this cake ....Nothing!!" Patricia wrote on Instagram along with a pic of the group dress up in the '60s clothes at the shower. So who was responsible for the cake? It sounds like Whitney was! "Thank you Whitney for commissioning this glorious cake for me," Cameran wrote on Instagram. "I love it. I won't mention the local bakery who accepted the task...

Kathryn Calhoun Dennis gets ‘ambushed’ on this week’s Southern Charm, when Cameran Eubanks turns up to lunch with a surprise guest — Whitney Sudler-Smith. The surprise comes as Cameran tries to see if Kathryn really has changed her ways after filmmaker Whitney said that Kathryn had got in touch with him in a bid to reconnect. Landon Clements said that showed Kathryn was trying to “social climb her way back” using Whitney — whose hooking up with Kathryn took center stage last season — as a means to do so. After last week’s episode Kathryn hit back at the claims in a...read more...

Nothing makes for reality TV gold like a good, old-fashioned love triangle.

Et has your exclusive first look at Monday night’s Southern Charm, where Shep Rose learns that the woman he’s been pursuing has eyes for someone else: his best friend, Austen Kroll!

Watch: Kathryn Calhoun Dennis on Returning to Southern Charm After Rehab

Shep hit it off with Cameran Eubanks’ pal, Chelsea Meissner, but when he left town for a week, Austen moved in.

“I saw her talking to Austen at Thomas [Ravenel’s] polo match,” Whitney Sudler-Smith tells Shep.

“Hold on,” Shep says, his mouth full of grilled cheese. “What do you mean they were hanging out? Was it, like, a thing?”

“He seemed to be a bit cozy there,” Whitney responds. “So, maybe you got some competition, bro.”

Watch: What the Southern Charm Cast Really Thinks of Thomas Ravenel and Landon Clements' Budding Romance

Cut to Austen’s apartment, where he’s giving...

Y'all come back now, ya hear? Bravo certainly did. First of all, the cable outlet has renewed the Southern Charm TV show for a fourth season. The renewal comes as no surprise. Earlier this month, we reported the season was in production. The big news, however, is that Bravo has also ordered a spin-off series, Southern Charm Savannah.The Charleston South Carolina-set Southern Charm stars: Landon Clements, Craig Conover, Kathryn Calhoun Dennis, Cameran Eubanks, Thomas Ravenel, Shep Rose, and Whitney Sudler-Smith. The Southern Charm Savannah cast is yet to be announced. When we learn more, we will let you know.Read More…...

Southern Charm's third season has seen its fair share of drama - from Craig Conover's ill-timed confrontation of Whitney Sudler-Smith to the dinner party that ended before the salads were even served. But one thing that was consistent? Landon Clements' and Kathryn Dennis' ongoing feud. In a sneak peek at part 1 of the reunion, tensions are just as high as when cameras left the battling beauties at the Founder's Day Ball in the finale. Clements admits that she regrets and apologizes for not inviting Dennis to Shep Rose's birthday party, but Dennis doesn't let things lie there.

Southern Charm's third season has seen its fair share of drama – from Craig Conover's ill-timed confrontation of Whitney Sudler-Smith to the dinner party that ended before the salads were even served. But one thing that was consistent? Landon Clements' and Kathryn Dennis' ongoing feud.

In a sneak peek at part 1 of the reunion, tensions are just as high as when cameras left the battling beauties at the Founder's Day Ball in the finale.

Clements admits that she regrets and apologizes for not inviting Dennis to Shep Rose's birthday party, but Dennis doesn't let things lie there.

Southern Charm's third season has seen its fair share of drama - from Craig Conover's ill-timed confrontation of Whitney Sudler-Smith to the dinner party that ended before the salads were even served. But one thing that was consistent? Landon Clements' and Kathryn Dennis' ongoing feud. In a sneak peek at part 1 of the reunion, tensions are just as high as when cameras left the battling beauties at the Founder's Day Ball in the finale. Clements admits that she regrets and apologizes for not inviting Dennis to Shep Rose's birthday party, but Dennis doesn't let things lie there.

Southern Charm's Kathryn Dennis and her off-again boyfriend Thomas Ravenel may have welcomed their second child, but Dennis says the pair's relationship is more strained than ever.

"He needs to support me because we have two children together," she told Amy Phillips on the SiriusXM radio show Reality Checked on Tuesday. "He told me we were gonna have children and I wouldn't have to worry about anything and then he totally went off the grid."

Dennis and Ravenel are parents to 2-year-old Kensington and 7-month-old St. Julien. And she told Phillips that her tumultuous relationship has hit a silent patch – on Ravenel's end.

Southern Charm's Kathryn Dennis and her off-again boyfriend Thomas Ravenel may have welcomed their second child, but Dennis says the pair's relationship is more strained than ever. "He needs to support me because we have two children together," she told Amy Phillips on the SiriusXM radio show Reality Checked on Tuesday. "He told me we were gonna have children and I wouldn't have to worry about anything and then he totally went off the grid." Dennis and Ravenel are parents to 2-year-old Kensington and 7-month-old St. Julien. And she told Phillips that her tumultuous relationship has hit a silent patch - on Ravenel's end.

The Southern Charm gang's tranquil and relaxing weekend getaway to the country is about to go south – fast.

In an exclusive sneak peek at Monday's new episode, tensions fly when the always-controversial Kathryn Dennis comes up.

Just when the debate about whether to invite Dennis seems to have been resolved (Shep Rose did extend the invite to his cabin, but she stayed home on bed rest during her second pregnancy), the firebrand's name comes up again when Craig Conover tries to get to the bottom of Whitney Sudler-Smith and Cameron Eubanks' deep dislike for Kathryn. (The two refused to go...

The Southern Charm gang's tranquil and relaxing weekend getaway to the country is about to go south - fast. In an exclusive sneak peek at Monday's new episode, tensions fly when the always-controversial Kathryn Dennis comes up. Just when the debate about whether to invite Dennis seems to have been resolved (Shep Rose did extend the invite to his cabin, but she stayed home on bed rest during her second pregnancy), the firebrand's name comes up again when Craig Conover tries to get to the bottom of Whitney Sudler-Smith and Cameron Eubanks' deep dislike for Kathryn. (The two refused to...

The Southern Charm gang's tranquil and relaxing weekend getaway to the country is about to go south - fast. In an exclusive sneak peek at Monday's new episode, tensions fly when the always-controversial Kathryn Dennis comes up. Just when the debate about whether to invite Dennis seems to have been resolved (Shep Rose did extend the invite to his cabin, but she stayed home on bed rest during her second pregnancy), the firebrand's name comes up again when Craig Conover tries to get to the bottom of Whitney Sudler-Smith and Cameron Eubanks' deep dislike for Kathryn. (The two refused to...

Babies (and baby mama drama) are on the brain as Southern Charm heads into the second half of its third season.

In an exclusive supertease, while Cameran Eubanks admits she "would be terrified" to get pregnant, feuding exes Kathryn Dennis and Thomas Ravenel welcome their second child, son St. Julien Rembert.

"Hopefully he won't make all the dumb mistakes I made," says Ravenel.

Speaking of which! Questions of the baby's paternity are raised almost immediately by J.D. Madison, who is godfather to Dennis and Ravenel's daughter Kensie. Patricia Altschul, the grand dame of Charleston (and no friend of Dennis), says crisply,...

Babies (and baby mama drama) are on the brain as Southern Charm heads into the second half of its third season. In an exclusive supertease, while Cameran Eubanks admits she "would be terrified" to get pregnant, feuding exes Kathryn Dennis and Thomas Ravenel welcome their second child, son St. Julien Rembert. "Hopefully he won't make all the dumb mistakes I made," says Ravenel. Speaking of which! Questions of the baby's paternity are raised almost immediately by J.D. Madison, who is godfather to Dennis and Ravenel's daughter Kensie. Patricia Altschul, the grand dame of Charleston (and no friend of Dennis), says crisply,...

Season three of Bravo's Southern Charm TV series premieres Monday, April 4, 2016, at 9:00pm Et/Pt. Watch a preview, below. In the third season of this "reality" series, Bravo teases that the Charleston socialites are back to prove that even with close friendships, family ties and civilized decorum, the stakes are at an all-time high amongst South Carolina’s finest.

The cast of Southern Charm includes: Landon Clements, Craig Conover, Kathryn Calhoun Dennis, Cameran Eubanks, Thomas Ravenel, Shep Rose, and Whitney Sudler-Smith. Southern Charm is produced by Haymaker Productions. Aaron Rothman, Irad Eyal, Whitney Sudler-Smith, Bryan Kestner, Jason Weinberg, and Jessica Chesler executive produce.

Read More…...

Season 3 of Southern Charm might be the craziest yet – at least that's what star Thomas Ravenel thinks.

"I don't know it can get even crazier, but it will," Ravenel, 53, says in an exclusive supertease for the Bravo reality series' latest outing.

Ravenel and on-again/off-again girlfriend Kathryn Dennis, 24, welcomed their second child, son St. Julien Rembert Ravenel, in November. However, it seems as though their relationship hasn't become that much easier.

In the clip, you can see Ravenel climbing out of a window to avoid talking to the mother of his two children and he later on rants about the state of their relationship.

Season 3 of Southern Charm might be the craziest yet - at least that's what star Thomas Ravenel thinks. "I don't know it can get even crazier, but it will," Ravenel, 53, says in an exclusive supertease for the Bravo reality series' latest outing. Ravenel and on-again/off-again girlfriend Kathryn Dennis, 24, welcomed their second child, son St. Julien Rembert Ravenel, in November. However, it seems as though their relationship hasn't become that much easier. In the clip, you can see Ravenel climbing out of a window to avoid talking to the mother of his two children and he later on rants about the state of their relationship.

Season 3 of Southern Charm might be the craziest yet - at least that's what star Thomas Ravenel thinks. "I don't know it can get even crazier, but it will," Ravenel, 53, says in an exclusive supertease for the Bravo reality series' latest outing. Ravenel and on-again/off-again girlfriend Kathryn Dennis, 24, welcomed their second child, son St. Julien Rembert Ravenel, in November. However, it seems as though their relationship hasn't become that much easier. In the clip, you can see Ravenel climbing out of a window to avoid talking to the mother of his two children and he later on rants about the state of their relationship.

While her tumultuous relationship with Thomas Ravenel has certainly seen its up and downs, Kathryn Dennis is clear there's no infidelity on her part.

After rumors surfaced that the 23-year-old reality star was unfaithful to her on-again-off-again boyfriend Thomas Ravenel, 52, during a girls' night out, Dennis says the claims simply aren't true.

"I did not cheat or do anything romantic that night," she tells People. "Cheating is against everything I stand for."

While the Southern Charm stars continue to co-parent their 1-year-old daughter Kensington together, the status of their complicated relationship is constantly changing.

"We're still taking things day by day,...

Drama, drama, drama: Bravo Media has renewed “Flipping Out,” “Married to Medicine,” and “The Real Housewives of Orange County” (pictured above). It also set the premiere date for its second original scripted series, “Odd Mom Out,” which will debut on Monday, June 8.

Additionally, the cable channel set return dates for “Shahs of Sunset” (March 2), “Newlyweds: The First Year” (March 10), “Southern Charm” (March 9), and “Million Dollar Listing New York” (April 8), it revealed Thursday at the Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour.

Finally, Bravo is developing “The One” from executive producer Charlize Theron, which was previously announced on Thursday under the terms...

Inept, amateurish and largely risible, the fashion documentary “Ultrasuede: In Search Of Halston” is generally an embarrassing effort. But not because its subject isn’t worth documenting (quite the opposite actually), but because its creator is a dilettante buffoon; a clownish self-involved figure who inexplicably positions himself as the focus of the film, and yet has no business making movies of any kind. Helmed by Whitney Sudler-Smith (who should never be described as a director or filmmaker as that insults far too many people), ‘In Search Of’ is a very apt sub-title for this ill-conceived documentary as Sudler-Smith literally stumbles around New York going from person to person in order to figure out who his subject actually is, laughably armed with only a tiny modicum of basic knowledge (more than one interviewee scolds his ignorance too; why any filmmaker choose to include that is beyond me). Ostensibly about the rise and fall of legendary.

In the New York of the 1970s, the fashion designer Halston was the epitome of a certain kind of cool. Being in his presence, whether at Studio 54, where he frequently held court, or at one of his famed parties, was proof of arrival. Director Whitney Sudler-Smith was born too late to bask in Halston’s reflected glow, but he admired him from afar, and his documentary Ultrasuede seems primarily like an attempt to close the distance between them. Growing up, Smith relates, he thought Halston—born Ray Halston Fenwick in Des Moines, Iowa—“was the coolest,” which sets the ...

While fashionistas have to wait until spring for the next NY Fashion Week, The Reelist offers some great documentary suggestions that nicely compliment Tribeca Film's release of Ultrasuede: In Search of Halston. With winter fast approaching, what better way to brighten up your dreary day than with a fashion documentary that offers a refreshingly quirky look at the rise and fall of Halston, the tour de force designer? With Ultrasuede: In Search of Halston, filmmaker Whitney Sudler-Smith takes the audience on a ride (seriously, in his vintage Trans Am) back in time to NYC in the 1970s, recreating through film clips and interviews the world of style Halston inhabited. As the undisputed king of NYC nightlife and all that was hip, Halston counted celebrities like Liza Minnelli, Andy Warhol, Anjelica Huston, and Billy Joel among his friends and confidantes, and led a splashy public life increasingly marked by excess of...

New York – Asked near the beginning of Ultrasuede: In Search of Halston what song she performed at the memorial for her close friend Roy Halston Frowick, Liza Minnelli says she didn’t: “It wasn’t about me.” Too bad writer-director-producer Whitney Sudler-Smith didn’t apply that thinking to his absorbing but irritatingly compromised documentary on the designer who revolutionized the American fashion industry and helped define the hard-partying New York glitterati of the Studio 54 era. This is a boom time for quality fashion docs. The September Issue and Valentino: The Last Emperor combined rich core subjects

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Through his unconvential documentary Ultrasuede: In Search of Halston, Director Whitney Sudler-Smith explores the exciting rise and devastating fall of America's first real celebrity designer. New York icon Halston first became well known in the United States for designing the famous pillbox hat worn by Jackie Kennedy at the Presidential inauguration. Later he dressed such stars as Elizabeth Taylor, Liza Minnelli, Bianca Jagger and Lauren Bacall. In addition to his supreme talents as a designer, his rule as the undisputed king of the NYC social scene during the Studio 54 era enhanced his considerable notoriety. Through film clips, interviews and archival footage, filmmaker Whitney Sudler-Smith takes his audience on a ride (literally, in his vintage Trans Am) back in time to the world of style that Halston personified during the 70s in NYC. While interviewing Halston's friends - Liza Minnelli, Anjelica Huston, Andre Leon Talley, and Diane Von Furstenberg - Sudler-Smith...

Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale; Film Socialisme; Outrage; 4 Days Inside Guantanamo; Ultrasuede

No sooner is Halloween (with its traditional slew of horror DVDs) out of the way than Christmas is upon us, although creepy thrills aren't entirely assuaged by increasingly premature Yuletide good cheer. Along with the obligatory reissue of It's a Wonderful Life (a film that, let us not forget, centres in large part on a man overwhelmed by suicidal despair), this year's festive stocking-fillers include Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (2010, Icon, 15), a pleasingly dark oddity that plays like a cross between The Thing and Miracle on 34th Street, with a hint of Troll Hunter thrown in for good measure.

Taking his lead from archaic Finnish folk tales, co-writer/director Jalmari Helander conjures an icy world in which Santa is not an avuncular funster but a figure of fear, altogether more naughty than nice. In remote Nordic mountains,...

Carey Mulligan's driving and cooking skills rated, more Smiley for Gary Oldman and Danny Huston tries to grow the biggest sideburns in Hollywood

And the award for best cake goes to…

Carey Mulligan didn't have a place to stay when she was asked to star in Drive opposite Ryan Gosling. The film's director, Nicolas Winding Refn, who had moved his wife and young kids to Hollywood as he worked on the movie, told Carey she could move in with them. "She more than repaid her rent," he tells me. "She became my chauffeur whenever I needed a ride because I don't know how to drive. But, you know, she also makes an excellent carrot cake. It's really very good, 10 out of 10." All those home economics classes in An Education paid off, then.

Smiley's happy people

Following its opening last weekend as Britain's number one film at the box office,...

This documentary is a glossy, messy, highly watchable biography of the handsome, charismatic American milliner, innovative fashion designer, New York celebrity and brand creator Roy Halston Frowick, who styled himself simply "Halston" and died in 1990 of an Aids-related condition in San Francisco retirement at the age of 57. It's presented as a personal journey to discover the secret of the man's life by Whitney Sudler-Smith, an aficionado of the 1970s, who changes his suits, hair colour and barbering for every interview, comes over like a Us cousin of Julian Clary and affects to know little about his subject.

The movie is a fascinating portrait of a vibrant, decadent period in Manhattan and makes a considerable case for Halston's importance: he designed Jackie Kennedy's pillbox hat for the 1961 inaugural, seems to have invented casual chic, put something authentically American into world fashion, as well as designing uniforms for the Girl Scouts,...

Warrior (12A)

(Gavin O'Connor, 2011, Us) Tom Hardy, Joel Edgerton, Nick Nolte, Jennifer Morrison. 140 mins

After a summer of CGI robots and superheroes duking it out, here's proof again that nothing beats human-on-human violence. The basic ingredients of this sports drama look very familiar, but there's novelty in the fighting style (mixed martial arts), and the fact that our opponents are two sympathetic brothers – hard-up teacher Edgerton v Afghanistan vet Hardy. For once, the outcome is uncertain.

Drive (18)

(Nicolas Winding Refn, 2011, Us) Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Christina Hendricks. 100 mins

A vintage American muscle car with an efficient European engine, this sleek crime thriller handles the genre road superbly, as cool getaway ace Gosling loses his grip over one last job.

Crazy Stupid Love (12A)

(Glenn Ficarra, John Requa, 2011, Us) Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Julianne Moore, Emma Stone. 118 mins

Male relationship woes are sympathetically mocked in this multi-stranded romcom, centring on Carell's...

An intriguing study of American fashion designer Halston, a pivotal figure and, ultimately, victim of, the excesses of 70s New York

More tales from the Studio 54 era: a look at the career and influence of 70s designer Roy Halston, to be watched, perhaps, as a double bill with the recent documentary on Vidal Sassoon. Like Sassoon, Halston translated his fashion-world kudos into multiple licensing deals; unlike Sassoon, Halston managed to lose rights to his own brand, and become a victim of the celebrity culture he was immersed in. Director/presenter Whitney Sudler-Smith, a disarmingly incompetent screen presence, meets lots of colourful former Halston acolytes – the man himself remains something of a cipher. But this is an interesting slice of pop history, nonetheless.

Rating: 3/5

DocumentaryAndrew Pulver

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A report published this week suggests films showing smoking should automatically be classified 18

The big story

This week a report published by the medical journal Thorax recommended that all films including a scene in which a character smokes should automatically be classified as 18, regardless of any other content.

The report, produced by the UK Centre for Tobacco Contol Studies, was compiled from a survey of 5,000 teenagers who were asked if they had seen 50 films randomly selected from 366 box-office hits between 2001 and 2005. When the viewing preferences of the adolescents were compared to their smoking habits it was found that those exposed to puff-heavy plotlines were 73% more likely to have tried a cigarette and nearly 50% more likely to take up smoking in the longer term.

"More than half the films shown in the UK that contain smoking are rated 15 or below, so children and young teenagers are clearly exposed," said Dr Andrea...

On Film Weekly this week: Jason Solomons meets Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn to discuss his film Drive, in which man-of-the-moment Ryan Gosling stars as a heroic stunt driver out for gruesome revenge on the streets of La.

Nicolas tells Jason about winning the directing award at this year's Cannes and getting the best out of his actors via the liberal application of carrot cake.

Next, Jason delves into 70s disco fashion with film-maker Whitney Sudler-Smith, the director of a documentary on forgotten fashion designer Halston. Sudler-Smith's film, Ultrasuede: In Search of Halston, reveals the designer's influence on the popular imagination and explores his close friendships with the glitterati of 1970's New York, including Liza Minnelli and Bianca Jagger.

Xan Brooks joins Jason to review some of this week's other big releases, including a buffed-up Tom Hardy in Warrior and a suited and booted Ryan Gosling in both Drive and romantic comedy Crazy,...

Tribeca Film will expand to commercially release 26 films over the next year, more than double the number of titles released in 2010, it was announced Monday. The distribution label for independent film also said it acquired U.S. rights to nine new titles to be released across multiple platforms. The curated selection of films includes stars including Zach Braff, Vincent Gallo and Zoe Kravitz and filmmakers such as Peter Mullan, Jerzy Skolimowski and Vincent D’Onofrio.

Titles to be released theatrically on video-on-demand and via other platforms throughout the coming year include:

“Beware the Gonzo”: From director and writer Brian Gobuloff comes a teen-angst comedy about an underground newspaper aiming to give voice to high school misfits. The film stars Zoe Kravitz, Ezra Miller, Jesse McCartney, Amy Sedaris, Campbell Scott, and James Urbaniak.

“The Bleeding House”: Written and directed by comic-book writer and first-time filmmaker Philip Gelatt, this taut...

Tribeca Film will expand to commercially release 26 films over the next year, more than double the number of titles released in 2010, it was announced Monday. The distribution label for independent film also said it acquired U.S. rights to nine new titles to be released across multiple platforms. The curated selection of films includes stars including Zach Braff, Vincent Gallo and Zoe Kravitz and filmmakers such as Peter Mullan, Jerzy Skolimowski and Vincent D’Onofrio.

Titles to be released theatrically on video-on-demand and via other platforms throughout the coming year include:

“Beware the Gonzo”: From director and writer Brian Gobuloff comes a teen-angst comedy about an underground newspaper aiming to give voice to high school misfits. The film stars Zoe Kravitz, Ezra Miller, Jesse McCartney, Amy Sedaris, Campbell Scott, and James Urbaniak.

“The Bleeding House”: Written and directed by comic-book writer and first-time filmmaker Philip Gelatt, this taut...