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Today is Cary Grant's 122nd birthday. Known for his distinctive mid-Atlantic accent, debonair demeanour, light-hearted approach to acting, and impeccable comic timing, he was one of the most iconic leading men of Hollywood's Golden Age. Renowned for his performances in romantic screwball comedies such as The Awful Truth (1937), Bringing Up Baby (1938), His Girl Friday (1940) and The Philadelphia (1940), he also received acclaim for serious roles in films like Penny Serenade (1941) and None But the Lonely Heart (1944), and his collaborations with Alfred Hitchcock, which included Suspicious (1941), Notorious (1946), To Catch a Thief (1955) and North by Northwest (1959). He was nominated for two Academy Awards, five Golden Globes and a BAFTA, received a Star on the Walk of Fame in 1960, and remained a top box-office attraction for almost 30 years. To celebrate the man, the myth, the legend, this is his life in pictures.

In the two years after the Japanese attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, over 60,000 American servicemen had died in combat overseas. The country was right in the middle of a costly war and thousands of families were mourning the loss of their loved ones. Taking advantage of this scenario, MGM became interested in making a film that would somehow console grieving families by fueling «hope in a connection between at risk or deceased loved ones and the folks they leave behind.» (from left to right) Photograph taken from a Japanese plane during the attack on Pearl Harbor; the entrance to the MGM studios in Culver City (1947).   Looking to match the success of the afterlife comedy Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941), MGM chief Louis B. Mayer commissioned that film's producer, Everett Riskin, to find a story with a similar premise. He came up with «Fliers Never Die», in which a couple of brothers tutored their youngest sibling from the great beyond. The studio, however, was not impr...

Ginger Rogers sunbathing in 1936 (Side note: I LOVE her shoes!) Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart with their son, Steven (early 1950s) Ava Gardner in Phillip Island, Australia during the making of On the Beach (1959) Rita Hayworth and Robert Mitchum in Trinidad and Tobago during the filming of Fire Down Below (1957) Natalie Wood and Steve Rowland at the Thalians Beach Ball in Malibu (July 1956) Henry Fonda at the Atlantic Beach Club (1936) Joan Crawford and Douglas Fairbanks at Catalina Beach in 1929 Diane Ellis and Carole Lombard at the beach in 1929 Rock Hudson at the pool (1950s) Audrey Hepburn in Monaco during the making of Monte Carlo Baby (1951) Jane Wyman and Ronald Reagan in their pool (1940) Randolph Scott and Cary Grant poolside at their Santa Monica beach house (1935) I hope you are having an amazing summer! 

As part of my series of Oscar-related articles, today I bring you my top 10 favorite gowns worn by Best Actress winners from 1929 up until 2017. Be prepared to see a lot of white/nude dresses. 10. Sally Field (1980) | Dress by Bob Mackie Won the Oscar for playing Norma Rae Webster in Norma Rae (1979) This dress is kind of the «odd-one-out» of all the gowns on this list. It is definitely not as fancy or embellished as all the others, but I genuinely love it. The floral tulle blouse/bolero adds a beautiful finishing touch. And since it was the 1980s, she had glorious big hair to go with it. 9. Olivia de Havilland (1950) | Dress by Unknown Won the Oscar for playing Catherine Sloper in The Heiress (1949) This dress is so pretty! I love the floral black and white appliqués and the lace detailing on the sleeves. I'm not too keen on the gloves, but it was the 50s so of course there had to be gloves. 8. Julianne Moore (2015) | Dress by Chanel Won the Oscar for playing Alice Daly Howl...

Throughout this month, I've decided to do a series of Oscar-related articles in anticipation to tonight's 89th Academy Awards ceremony, which I am going to see live on television. Yesterday, I presented you my top 15 favourite Best Actor-winning performances , so today I thought I would do the same, but for Best Actress winners instead. As I have said before, please bear in mind that this is my own personal opinion, which of course is limited to the films I have seen so far.     15. Joan Crawford in Mildred Pierce (1945)   Mildred Pierce (Joan Crawford): I was always in the kitchen. I felt as though I'd been born in a kitchen and lived there all my life, except for the few hours it took to get married.     14. Joan Fontaine in Suspicion (1941) Lina McLaidlaw Aysgarth (Joan Fontaine): I must go now or I'll be late to luncheon. Anyway, if my father saw me come in both late and beautiful, he might have a stroke.   13. Elizabeth Taylor in Who's Afraid of...