What's in a name

Carrie Bradshaw (nee Preston) is my screen-soulmate...



"You are a real girl about town. You love the city you live in and are always hanging out at the coolest joints. Most importantly you love your clothes – you dare to be different and are always sporting the latest trends before any of your friends. Although finding the right man is important, your friends always take first priority."
[Heart radio quiz result]

The number of SATC quizzes I take to discover my SATC soulmate and the answer is always Carrie!! My friends may think I rigged it because I covet Carrie's wardrobe, lifestyle and washboard stomach but honestly there are inescapable similarities...

We share the following: naturally curly hair; a career in writing (and journalism), a creativity which leads naturally on to how we express ourselves in life and in fashion; we dare to be different - I choose my clothes on the basis that I think they're gorgeous and fundamentally I want them to demonstrate my individuality to the world and the way I feel on any one day; our lifestyles - although I haven't yet acquired the 'walk-in-closet' I too live beyond my means believing truly that fashion does feed me more than food; like Carrie I too have my select group of very close friends with whom I share a sisterly bond (one of whom is distinctly like Miranda...) and I have found and married my very own Mr Big (though without the emotionally fraught preamble!!).

A final point:
Since her marriage to John James Preston, Carrie maintains her individuality and her name (Carrie Bradshaw). I have been faced with the dilemma of what to do about changing my name in the light of my recent marriage and have reached a compromise; in order to satisfy my husband's desire for me to take his name I have done this in an official capacity (passport, driving licence etc) however, as a writer I am able to retain my maiden name in all my by-lines and future works. In this way, I have achieved a happy balance between my married self and myself!!

Sparkle all the way...

Sex and the City 2



What a fantastic follow-up to movie number one!!! The fabulous foursome are back (and then some)!! Beautiful clothes, beautiful men and beautiful shoes!!!! Liza Minelli officiating a "gay wedding" [quoting Mr Big], Carrie in a tux, Samantha back to her maneating form, Charlotte having a case of the Jude Laws and Miranda looking hot hot hot...



The sequel to Sex and the City: The Movie is better than I could have dared to imagine!! It radiates with glamour and luxury, vibrant colour, brilliant comedy and of course, sparkle!! Mr Big and Carrie are stumbling their way through 'the terrible twos' trying to avoid falling into the rut of being "Mr & Mrs Married", Carrie wants the zsa zsa zu to remain at its height but there's a couch in the way... Charlotte is also feeling her way blindly through the terrible twos as the family she always dreamt of becomes rather overwhelming and she realises it's not possible to do it all - but she does have a wonderful (if bra-less) young nanny to help her out... Miranda has recaptured her relationship with hubby Steve but must recapture what she once loved about law and the fun person she used to be... and Samantha, well, she's back!! Using every herbal (and nutritional) tactic to stay young despite her 52 years, she's the same Samantha we all know and love taking her pick of the gorgeous straight men available - and in one instance even getting arrested for it!! She undoubtedly puts the 'sex' in Sex and the City 2!!!! It's just fabulous...



I love the eighties snapshots at the start of the movie also as Carrie recounts how she remembers each of her best friends when they first met...







...and of course when she herself first arrived in New York City in 1986...



I have seen it twice so far since it was released last Friday... the first time on Friday with my hubby at a special VIP screening at The Tricycle Cinema in Kilburn followed by a Q&A with Kim Cattrall (aka Samantha Jones) - see pics:



It was quite incredible to see her right there sitting just millimetres away from me (I was in the front row, of course!!)



And I asked my question - I asked how the women, particularly 'Samantha' had dealt with the middle-eastern restrictions imposed on women in Abu Dabi (actual filming location was Morocco because Abu Dabi actually wouldn't allow them to film the movie there, wanted numerous changes to the script and even wanted to remove the word 'Sex' from the title). She said she 'Kim' found it interesting to experience such a different culture and commented on the fact that so many Americans don't even have passports or travel anywhere outside of the United States.



I went again last night to a Cocktails and Cupcakes gala evening with my girlfriend Ariella... Standing outside the cinema drinking and catching up and admiring our pink iced cupcakes the two of us were approached by a guy - straight and a fan of SATC - who proceeded to direct all his conversation towards me despite my frequent mentioning of my husband. It was only when said husband showed up en route from the station that the guy instantly redirected his attention to Ariella and then made a swift departure into the cinema!!! Hilarious!! Anyway, needless to say it was equally fabulous the second time around - cannot wait for the DVD!!!!

Sparkle sparkle sparkle...