The Iron Lady an epic portrayal

Coming early in 2012, an epic portrayal of the Margaret Thatcher by Meryl Streep. It's been said that Streep is transformed into the Iron Lady. Here is a review from SugarBuzz: The first glimpse we had at Meryl Streep as Margaret Thatcher was very brief, but the full trailer for The Iron Lady fully introduces us to Streep as Britain's first female prime minister. The preview follows Thatcher in her career struggles, makeovers and all, and we also get to see behind the scenes of Thatcher's personal life. Jim Broadbent plays her husband Denis, who gives her as much criticism as support.

We're ready at Homefront

We are almost in December and Homefront is ready and waiting to deal with your holiday gifts. The earlier you come in, the less stressful it will be. We have the best selection ever in all prices and we can wrap them beautifully whether it is Christmas or Hannukah. Our paper and ribbons are exceptional this year. For those of you who need to do teachers or corporate gifts we hope it will be sooner rather than last minute so we can give you the time it deserves. We can also store them if you wish to deliver them later or ask us about delivery options -- Trish

School kilts: Confessions of a old girl

The recent concern about school kilts has prompted a St Clement's (private) School old girl to observe that the nerve-wracking business of just where the girls should have their hemline has been around since the time of that great Ontario educator Egerton Ryerson. She confesses without embarrassment that she and her friends all hiked up the hems purely to tantalize the boys. It was not the kilt, but the one-piece tunic, that seemed to inspire the most hussy-like behavior she reports. "You would fluff up the top of the tunic above the belt and as you did, the skirt got shorter and shorter." And she suspects that those present-day kilt wearing undergrads who say innocently "But, I like the kilt" have something similar in mind. What can you do? We suppose asking the boys to wear kilts, while not unmanly, is definitely out of the question. It seems for sure that the girls don't want to wear the trousers, except figuratively, of course.

Is this the end of Ogilvy's?

Will Selfridges Group finally kill off Ogilvy's in Montreal? It begins to look more and more like it. The British retailer owns both Holt Renfrew and Ogilvy's. It apparently plans to move HR into the present Ogilvy's premises (left). Then the fashionable Art Deco home of Holt Renfrew (seen at right in 1937) would become condos. Many shoppers say that Ogilvy's has never been able to shake off the Anglo image that made it a place to avoid for French-speaking Montrealers. The Gazette

Lady Gaga opens Barney's workshop

Lady Gaga one-ups Santa claus with her own workshop cooked up with Barneys of New York. you get te picture.

Model of the Moment is Lindsey Wilson

She is said to be the Model of the Moment. A mind-bending mix of simple teen, beautiful woman and fully-trained firearms handler. And here she is hanging out with a Telegraph reporter during Fashion Week in New York. The late night fittings, 6am starts, layers of different makeup, and three shows with three hour advance call times every day for a week usually leaves the toughest of girls overworked and exhausted. Lindsey Wixson has the added pressure of being just 17-years-old and having only been a fixture at the shows since spring 2010 - when she was on exclusive for Prada and Miu Miu - has not had much time to get used to the craziness.

Superb elegance for your holiday party

Add superb elegance to your holiday parties with this large wine and champagne cooler made of hammered stainless steel. Homefront, 371 Eglinton Ave W and 1579 Bayview Ave. 9.5 inches high by 15 inches wide at the mouth. $105.

Health Canada scrambles to review cancer drug

Canada is looking a little left out of things as Health Canada actively reviews the drug Avastin to determine whether the benefits outweigh the risks as a treatment for advanced breast cancer. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration revoked its approval for the drug for patients with metastatic breast cancer Friday because there's no proof that it extends lives or provides enough temporary benefit to outweigh dangerous side effects. Maclean's

"King of all Pregnancies" gives his advice

It's still an "alleged" pregnancy, according to the tabloid, but it's enough to get everyone going and even this doctor , who calls himself the King of all Pregnancies, is giving the Duchess of Cambridge advice on her condition. "Alleged pregnancy". Makes it sound like a crime.

Bradley Cooper People's sexiest man

Bradley Cooper, the 36-year-old star of 'The Hangover' films beat out Ryan Gosling, Liam Hemsworth and other Hollywood leading men to win the cover of People magazine's annual 'Sexiest Man Alive' issue. The issue is on sale now and at People.com. (Nov. 16)

Luxury goods boss pays $50 million for house

Don't let this one get around down at Occupy Toronto. It appears that a luxury goods billionaire has shelled out £20 million for a two-bedroom house in the heart of London. He is founder of luxury goods group PPR, Francois Pinault. The French billionaire, whose family-controlled PPR owns brands such as Gucci and Stella McCartney, has paid around €23 million (about C$50 million) for a house in the upmarket neighbourhood of Chelsea. Despite paying the huge amount, Pinault is still reportedly planning to renovate parts of the house, which was so far owned by a professor who is said to have profited handsomely from the sale. Professor Bernard Nevill reportedly bought the house for just around £80,000 in 1970. Pinault, whose son Francois-Henri Pinault currently runs the Paris-based family business, also owns two art galleries in Venice and is well-known for his vast art collection. He has a fortune of around $11.5 billion (€8.5 billion), according to Forbes. Telegraph, London

Wonder Girls new video a black and white caper

It seems unbelievable but the South Korean group known as the Wonder Girls has, according to You Tube, racked up some 7,000,000 plays of their new video. It says the vid was posted November 5, 2011. Whatever, its clear that the Wonder Girls, a sexy but somehow rather wholesome fivesome, are very hot. There are a lot of videos on the You Tube playlist. Their music is quite listenable.

Silvio Berlusconi's unbuttoned bloopers

This is a compilation made by the Telegraph of London showing the Italian Prime Minister's odd and sometimes vexing behaviour. Silivo Berlusconi can be amusing, vulgar and infuriating. Check the look German Chancellor Angela Merkel gives him when he keeps her waiting. An icy knife.

Like it or not, Toronto is Canada's brand

Flash -- Toronto is the most disliked city in Canada and, at the same time, Canada has the best brand of any country in the world. What should we make of these stories before hitting delete? All around the world people say they want to emigrate to Canada when they really mean that they want to emigrate to Toronto. For vast millions of immigrants and their relatives back home, Toronto is Canada. Out west, many people say 'they dislike Toronto. We suspect that Westerners dislike Toronto for the same reasons immigrants like it. It's a potent place of raw power. (All those banks!). Westerners --especially those who have never been here -- have always disliked the city as a dynamo of Eastern power. It's a kind of no brainer. Unlike the immigrants, Westerners (God bless them) are comfortable and resource rich just where they are. Some of them don't even pay sales taxes. And many of those who do come here find they like it. Funny how that works. As for the rest of the world, well, sorry you non-Torontonians, but it appears that Toronto is Canada's brand.

Billy Crystal returns to the Oscars

Billy Crystal has swooped in to aid the troubled awards program, announcing today that he would undertake the duties Feb. 26 for the ninth time. He replaces Eddie Murphy, who dramatically stepped down 24 hours earlier. "Am doing the Oscars so the young woman in the pharmacy will stop asking my name when I pick up my prescriptions. Looking forward to the show," Crystal tweeted. In a statement later, he took a slightly more serious tone: "Some of the best moments of my career have happened on the Oscar stage. I am thrilled to be back there."

Mackenzie-Childs Christmas trees

As Christmas approaches we're looking back to some popular holiday features. This is one. These are pictures of three examples of the celebrated MacKenzie-Childs Christmas trees last year. They are shown annually at the Giardino Gift Shop in the Botanical Rotunda of the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas. This is the shop that carries the ceramic work of Toronto artist Eva Gordon. Her personalized baby plates may be purchased at Homefront.

Madison Avenue's new luxury look

New York media are crowing about the retail rebirth on Madison Avenue, according to the New York Times. The local Business Improvement District say that at least 60 new retailers—most of them high-end and many of them luxury brands—have opened on the avenue's northern strip since January 2010. As the cognoscenti will recall, Joe Fresh, the Canadian retailer has recently opened on Madison as well. Wall Street Journal.

Manitoba to put liquor stores in supermarket

The Manitoba Government has announced that it will open a number of Liquor Mart Express shops in grocery stores. A neat idea, eh Premier Dad? Manitoba is in Canada. Check it here.

Fairfax Financial buys William Ashley

This is a repeat of an earlier story of interest. It was in the CGTA newsletter Trish:

Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited has acquired the family-owned business William Ashley China, Canada's largest prestige retailer of exclusive tableware and gifts.Since 1947, William Ashley has been recognized worldwide as a leader within the dinnerware and wedding registry industries, by providing premium quality products and services. As an innovator in the industry, William Ashley was the first company in North America to introduce a computerized wedding registry system. “We are excited to sell our company to Fairfax not only because of its significant financial strength, but also because of its access to global markets and history of decentralized, long-term support for entrepreneurial businesses," said Dean Stark on behalf of the Stark family. “We are very pleased to acquire this quality business from the Stark family, which has owned William Ashley for over 50 years,” said Prem Watsa, chairman and chief executive officer of Fairfax. We look forward to working with Jackie Chiesa, president of William Ashley, who has been with the company for over 30 years. This acquisition is consistent with our interest in acquiring businesses from entrepreneurial founders who want to find a long-term home for their business." Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited is a financial services holding company which, through its subsidiaries, is engaged in property and casualty insurance and reinsurance and investment management.

Operation "could not have gone better

The opeeration to separate Angelica and angelica "could not have gone better"according to doctors.

Zachary Kruger Bar Mitzvah in Kensington Market

The Kruger family celebrated the Bar Mitzvah of their youngest son, Zachary (centre) on Saturday in Kensington Market. That's Bonnie and Richie on the left and sister and brother Alex and Matthew on the right.

Homefront's holiday window on Eglinton

These elegant over-sized serving pieces are part of Homefront's holiday presentation. Top, our window on Eglinton. Below left, a magnificent alloy cake stand. Centre, the Homefront Fairy. Right, a hammered stainless steel Champagne bowl.

As promised, here is Homefront's Bayview shop dressed in a holiday fantasy and showing the many over-sized serving pieces available for gift-giving, or maybe just for you. See the window at 371 Eglinton West on Trish Stuebing Homefront Diary.