| Great masters of Austrian art
Gustav Klimt�s �Head of a Girl with Eyes Closed� (left, pencil on paper, 54.2x36.1 cm) from 1913. On the right: �Dead Mother� (pencil and oil on wood) painted by Egon Schiele in 1910. Both works come from Vienna�s Leopold Museum. By Alexandra Koroxenidis - Kathimerini English Edition It was during the last decades of the Habsburg monarchy that the Austrian metropolis experienced a cultural life whose modern, progressive and cosmopolitan character breathed fresh air into a conservative Viennese society. In art, the founding, in 1897, of the Secession, a movement that was first born in Germany, expressed the break with conventional academic painting and expressed a dynamic will for change. Its aim was to encourage the work of avant-garde Austrian artists but to also organize exhibitions that introduced the Viennese public to the latest, modern developments in the art of Europe�s major artistic centers.
Madeleine is in Morocco, say helpline callers
Many sightings of Madeleine McCann have been reported in Morocco by holidaymakers after an appeal by private investigators searching for the missing girl and the release of a description of her alleged abductor. The investigators are reported to be particularly interested in three calls that gave details of a girl matching Madeleine’s description with a middle-class Moroccan woman aged about 60. Gerry McCann has said for the first time that he is convinced that a friend saw the abductor taking his daughter from their holiday apartment in Praia da Luz on May 3. A sketch of a man allegedly seen walking away from the Ocean Club resort was released by the private investigators last week. Mr McCann wrote on his internet blog at the weekend: "We believe this child was Madeleine .
Wednesday's Celebs
Paris Hilton may not be ready for her planned charity work in Rwanda, but she was up for judging a beauty contest in Tokyo on Tuesday. Hilton and her younger sister, Nicky, each chose one finalist for the Miss Universe Japan contest. A dozen or so more will be selected next month. "I love Tokyo," Hilton said. "The shopping is great." Hilton has promised to try to improve her bad-girl image since she finished a jail term this June for violating probation in an alcohol-related reckless driving case. She had announced plans to do charity work in Rwanda this month for the Playing for Good Foundation, but later decided to postpone the trip. Her appearance at a Tokyo fashion boutique to judge the contest packed the room with photographers and TV cameras.
Jay Quinn
Jay Quinn's new book, Back Where He Started, charts the emotional re-education of Chris Thayer as he discovers that starting life over at 48 is just as complicated, frustrating, and thrilling as the first time around. After breaking up with his partner of 22 years, he suddenly finds himself the object of a new man's affections: the sexy local handyman who in turn sweeps Chris off his feet. We spoke to the lovely author to find out more about family, faith, gay marriage, his North Carolina roots and why America is ready for its first ‘grown up' gay novel, Back Where He Started. Back Where He Started, on the surface feels familiar, almost traditional. Then you realize you are reading about the breakup of a gay marriage, a gay family.
My earliest notions of this book came about as the nation was hearing its first news of the coming realities of gay marriage, I'd say more than two years ago.
After stopping Colts are Pats unbeatable?
Perfection. In the real world, it's hard to define. Like beauty, it's in the eyes of the beholder. Bo Derek may have been a "10" in the movies, but the proliferation of plastic surgery in Hollywood has the same effect as beer-goggles in a nightclub -- that 2 at 10 p.m. can easily become a 10 at 2 a.m. (Besides, I'll take Michelle Pfeiffer in a Catwoman costume over Bo Derek any day of the week. Now that's Purr-fect!) In the professional sports world, perfection is much easier to define, though much more difficult to find. Nadia Comaneci scored the first ever "10" in Olympic gymnastics, but was she really perfect? How do we know for sure if one of her toes didn't bend during a landing? Nope, sorry to all you gymnasts .
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