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‘House of Gucci’ Previews the Designer’s Downfall and Assassination

By Matthew Denis Nov 5, 2021 9:35 AM

Lady Gaga as Patrizia Reggiani and Adam Driver as Maurizio Gucci in 'House of Gucci.' — Lady Gaga as Patrizia Reggiani and Adam Driver as Maurizio Gucci in ‘House of Gucci.’ Image used with permission by copyright holder

“Gucci. It was a name that sounded so sweet,” Lady Gaga as Patrizia Reggiani intones in the new preview for House of Gucci.

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The scene that follows, Reggiani’s introduction to the family, is a yard filled with tussling, well-dressed men. Contradiction follows contradiction in the too-ludicrous-to-be-fictional tale that centers on fashion mogul Maurizio Gucci (played by Adam Driver) and his fairy tale marriage to Reggiani — who would eventually be responsible for his death. Ridley Scott directs the biopic that follows Gucci’s rise to global prominence and eventual assassination at the hands of killers hired by his wife.

“They had it all: Wealth, style, power. Who wouldn’t kill for that?” Gaga as Reggiani asks.

Why would you kill for that if you already had it in your hands? It’s the paradox that makes this tale irresistible — along with the ostentatious wealth, the glamour, the fashion, the shiny rocks and that name, Gucci, above all.

Adapted from Sara Gay Forden’s 2001 book, The House of Gucci: A Sensational Story of Murder, Madness, Glamour, and Greed, Scott’s film features an ensemble supporting cast that includes Jared Leto and Al Pacino as Maurizio’s cousins Paolo and Aldo Gucci, respectively, and Jeremy Irons as patriarch Rodolfo Gucci. The film also stars Salma Hayek as Giuseppina “Pina” Auriemma, Reggiani’s friend and confidant who assists her in the plot to slay Gucci.

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The trailer delves into the opulence and menace that accompanied the Gucci family: a high fashion world set off by rustic Italian villages, sweet wedding scenes that delve into wild disco sequences, powerful men wielding might against a bumbling Paolo, and a beautiful, stylish Gaga who plots her husband’s deadly conclusion in cheap leather.

“I don’t consider myself a particularly ethical person, but I am fair,” she says. “I subscribe to unconventional punishments.”

In 1998, Reggiani would be sentenced to 29 years in prison for hiring the hitman who killed Maurizio Gucci in 1995. She was released from prison early in 2016.

House of Gucci will hit theaters on Thanksgiving (Thursday, Nov. 24).

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Who does James Bond work for? And is MI6 real?

James Bond Specter double breasted

We have some news on the movement of the next James Bond. According to reports, we are looking at the final four (we know of three). Jack Lowden (Slow Horses, Dunkirk), Callum Turner (Eternity, One Night Only), and Josh O’Connor (The Crown, Challengers) are all in the final running to portray the next 007. We also, allegedly, have a fourth, unannounced actor in the running. But of course we do. And since we have news and movement on the James Bond front, I started thinking about what the next movie will be about. That took me down a rabbit hole, and I landed on a question. What is MI6? James Bond’s employer is a shadowy government agency, like Jason Bourne’s Treadstone or Ethan Hunt’s Impossible Mission Force (IMF). But there is one major difference between them and the organization that signs 007’s paychecks.

His is real.

A toast to excellence: Don’t overthink lighting a cigar…but don’t underthink it either

Face, Head, Person

When I first decided I was ready to try cigars for the first time, I was ready to jump right in and sit back to enjoy the experience. Then, something crazy happened. I couldn’t light it. It seemed so simple. Flame, meet cigar. It really couldn’t be that complicated. But I ran into a slew of problems. The wrong kind of flame, canoeing, an uneven burn, and the damn thing kept going out, causing me to restart the embarrassing process. So I reached out to my friends over at La Aurora to find out what I was doing wrong.

That is when I found out from their own John Gaglio that these issues are very common and there is no reason to be embarrassed. Instead, don’t overthink lighting your cigar. And don’t underthink it. Instead, try to use the following tips and enjoy the experience without shame.

Topgolf brings back John Daly to continue to “disrupt” the game

john daly

To the uninitiated, golf can feel like a stuffy game. There is a dress code, there is an etiquette, and you even have to be quiet. At a sporting event. For those of us who love golf (don’t get me wrong, I am a huge fan but believe it is called golf because the other four-letter words are taken), we recognize golf isn’t stuffy as much as it is steeped in tradition. But there has always been one man who shirked the shackles of the tradition and disrupted the game of golf with one of the most immaculate vibes in the sport, John Daly. With his drinking, smoking, wild pants, wilder mouth, and general who-gives-a-sh*t nature, he was everything golf wanted to keep out. Now, the game embraces him and his vibe, and Topgolf brought him in to continue the disruption.

I love the vibe at Topgolf. It’s a place where you can smash a golf ball, listen to music, have a drink, and enjoy yourself with friends and family. That’s my kind of golf. – John Daly