Snarky NPR and a Top 5 List

*Image from www.enjoyfashion.com

Happy Monday everyone!  I have a beef to share.  Yesterday I was on the sofa cocooned in a blanket most of the day with a sore throat, so I decided to catch up on my NPR on my iPhone.  There was an interview from last week on All Things Considered with Matt Tyrnauer, the director of Valentino: The Last Emperor.  I've been  dying to see the movie about my favorite fashion visionary, but apparently will have to travel a bit because it's nationwide showing apparently does not include Columbia, SC.

What irked me was the interviewer's tone throughout the interview.  I generally enjoy All Things Considered interviews because the reporters' tones generally range from perfectly unbiased to sarcastically amused.  But this is Valentino we are talking about here.  The man is a true artist.  An aesthetic genius.  The most beautiful flowers bow to his idea of beauty.  He is on my list of top five people I would like to have over for a dinner party.  Seriously.

So, while I understand that the movie is supposed to show the human side of Valentino... his flaws, his actual personality.  I'm fascinated to see it this.  But the reporter sounded a bit... how shall I say it... incredulous doesn't quite cut it.  Neither does chip-on-the-shoulder.  Her snarky laughter after a comparison to Napoleon didn't elicit quite the same reaction from the director, and cast her as plenty biased on the subject.  Of course his personality is larger than life.  Of course Valentino can be arrogant.  Of course he lives his life with over-the-top extravagance.  It's part of his image, and in this case well-deserved after building a multi-billion dollar empire from rags and dirt.  It was the first time in a while that an NPR interview rubbed me the wrong way. 

In case you were wondering about the rest of my top five, here's the list:

Top 5 People I Would Like To Have For a Dinner Party (living):

in no particular order

Valentino- Because he's a genius and I want him to fill my closet with clothes

Barack and Michelle Obama (I know, this is two, but they are a couple so I count it as one!) - Because they are true visionaries for what our country needs right now

Salman Rushdie- Because he has lived such an interesting life and writes fascinating prose

Oprah Winfrey- Need I say more?

Christiane Amanpour- I can only imagine the stories she can tell, and she has such a great personal style and seems so self-assured.

Who's on your top 5 list? I'd love to hear!