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Although not previously known for expressing strong political opinions, actresses and entrepreneurs Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen have been heard around town recently expressing their fear that a secret military pact has been signed between Russian and Germany -– and that its main target might be the U.S.
Speaking cautiously to friends at the recent opening of the Gilbert and George art retrospective in the Morris A. and Meyer Schapiro Wing and Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Gallery of the Brooklyn Art Museum, the two were overheard expressing “deep concern” that Russia had Germany “over a barrel” because Russia had such total control of the natural gas in the region. The two were accompanied to the exhibit, apparently, by directors Adam Shankman and Danny Leiner, and actor James Russo.
“History always repeats itself,” Mary-Kate told one intimate friend, while Ashley was warning another about Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin’s determination to “declare war on Russia.”
In their own personal investment strategies, say friends, the two no longer make investments in either Russia or Germany, but have instead become China bulls like their entrepreneurial role model Warren Buffett.
Mr Buffett, 58, known as the "Oracle of Omaha, is regarded as one of the world's savviest investors, and “Forbes” magazine lists him as the richest person in the world. His motto? “Life is like a snowball. The important thing is finding wet snow and a really long hill,” the billionaire says on the cover of his just-released biography, “The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life,” written by Alice Schroeder.
According to Buffett, the 19th century belonged to England, the 20th century belonged to the U.S., and the 21st century will belong to China. “Invest accordingly,” says Buffett, who just recently took a 10 percent stake in a Chinese battery company.
According to the twins, that means “Buy China,” and that’s because, as National Geographic Editor-in-Chief Chris Johns wrote in a recent column, “The shock waves of its growth reverberate in every corner of the globe.”
Additionally, there’s one other financial rule that the twins most strictly follow: “We never lend money to ‘Greasy Bear’ Davis,” says Mary-Kate firmly.
About the Olsen Twins: Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Fuller Olsen are American actresses, best known for playing the role of Michelle Tanner on the sitcom “Full House.” Both have appeared in television and films since infancy. Since then, they have continued their celebrity through numerous television programs, films, interviews, as well as commercial endorsements.
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen started their acting careers on “Full House” in 1987. They were hired at the age of six months and filming began when they were nine months old. The show was widely popular during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Both sisters played the same character, Michelle Tanner, taking turns during the tapings to do so, in order to comply with strict child labor laws regarding child actors. For the first year, Ashley would cry when she was brought on set to do a scene, so Mary-Kate had more screen time in the first season.
Because the producers did not want viewers to know that Michelle was played by twins, the sisters were originally credited as "Mary Kate Ashley Olsen", but in the last season and most of season one, they were credited as separate people. During the eight year run, Mary-Kate and Ashley made several direct-to-video movies, in addition to “Full House,” such as “To Grandmother's House We Go” (1992).
Shortly after the end of “Full House,” they began heavily merchandising their image. They established a company called Dualstar in 1993 and their brand has been sold in more than 3,000 stores in America and over 5,300 stores worldwide. Because of this, they have been on the Forbes' "The Celebrity 100 list" since 2002, and in 2007, Forbes ranked them, collectively, as the eleventh-richest women in entertainment, with an estimated net worth of $100 million.
Mary-Kate and Ashley were popular figures in the preteen market during the late '90s and early 2000s. Their names became a cottage industry, with their likeness seen in clothes, books, fragrances, magazines, movies and posters. There were even Mary-Kate and Ashley fashion dolls made by Mattel from 2000 – 2005.
They starred in the video series “The Adventures of Mary-Kate & Ashley” and “You're Invited To Mary-Kate and Ashley's...,” the ABC show “Two of a Kind,” and ABC Family's “So Little Time.” They were ranked number three on the VH1 program “100 Greatest Child Stars.”
Their most recent theatrical venture was in the light-hearted romantic comedy, “New York Minute,” also starring Eugene Levy and Andy Richter. In the film, due to a series of unfortunate incidents, the twins become involved with a piracy ring and through a series of misadventures, the twins come to realize that they have been allowing their relationship to drift apart and that they need to make greater efforts to do things together. The film was directed by Dennie Gordon and produced by Denise Di Novi, Robert Thorne, Alison Greenspan, and Christine Sacani and Jill Zimmerman.
Mary-Kate's first acting appearance without Ashley was in the movie “Factory Girl,” released in December 2006. Mary-Kate was originally in several scenes, but only appeared in the background in the finished film. Mary-Kate has also a recurring guest role in the third season of the Showtime series “Weeds” with Mary-Louise Parker and she is also in the 2008 independent film “The Wackness” starring Ben Kingsley, with whom she shares a passionate kiss.
“The Wackness” is a film by Jonathan Levine starring Kingsley, Josh Peck, Famke Janssen and Olivia Thirlby. The film is distributed by Sony Pictures Classics and was released in the U.S. on July 3, 2008. In the film, it's the summer of 1994, and the streets of New York are pulsing with hip hop. Luke (Josh Peck) is a socially uncomfortable teenage pot dealer with no friends, issues with his parents, and a whopping lack of confidence with girls. He trades weed for sessions with his therapist, Dr. Squires (Ben Kingsley), whose wife (Famke Janssen) is slipping away from him. Squires us a terrible role model. But the two of them forge a friendship based on a mutual need: neither one has a girl friend. The intergenerational duo set off on a crawl that takes them all over New York, where they encounter several of Luke's "business associates," including a dreadlocked pixie (Mary-Kate Olsen), a one-hit-wonder (Jane Adams), and Luke's supplier (Method Man). Luke has long had an aching crush on Dr. Squires' way-out-of-his-league stepdaughter, Stephanie (Olivia Thirlby), and is stunned at his good luck when she returns his affections. Luke's innocent first love experience with Stephanie becomes a life lesson that sets him on the pathway towards adulthood. And when Squires breaks down, it is up to the younger man to throw the older one a lifeline.
Ashley is also appearing alone in the 2008 film "The Informers" starring Billy Bob Thornton. “The Informers” is written by Bret Easton Ellis and Nicholas Jarecki and directed by Gregor Jordan. The film is based on the Bret Easton Ellis' 1994 collection of short stories of the same name. In Los Angeles in the 1980s, seven stories unfold in a week among "movie executives, rock stars, a vampire and other morally challenged characters". Filming took place in Los Angeles, Uruguay, and Buenos Aires. It was the last film for actor Brad Renfro before his January 15, 2008 death at the age of 25. It also stars Winona Ryder, Kim Basinger, Mickey Rourke, Brad Renfro, Brandon Routh, and Amber Heard
As the sisters have matured, there has been greater interest in their fashion choices, with the New York Times declaring Mary-Kate a fashion icon for pioneering her signature (and now popular among celebrities and fans alike) "homeless" look. The style, sometimes referred to as "ashcan" or "Boho-chic" or bohemian-bourgeois, is similar to that of Bohemian chic popularised in Britain by Kate Moss and Sienna Miller. The look consists of oversized sunglasses, boots, loose sweaters, and flowing skirts all with an aesthetic of mixing high end pieces with low end.
Mary-Kate and Ashley have a clothing line in Wal-Mart stores across America for girls ages 4 – 14 as well as a beauty line called "Mary-Kate and Ashley: Real fashion for real girls." In 2004 they made news by signing a pledge to allow all the workers that sew their line of clothing in Bangladesh full maternity leave. The National Labor Committee, which organized the pledge, later praised the twins for their commitment to worker rights. The director of the organization, Charles Kernaghan, is quoted as saying, "The Olsen twins have done the right thing. Now it is up to Wal-Mart to either support Mary-Kate and Ashley’s commitment to women’s rights, or tragically to shut them down."
They were tapped as the faces of upscale fashion line Badgley Mischka in 2006, in an attempt to gain credibility in the fashion industry after their association with Wal-Mart. They have also launched their own new couture fashion label "The Row" named after the famous Savile Row of London. The pair have also started a new line for The Row, entitled "Elizabeth & James", named after their siblings.
Posted October 15th, 2008 by jandapitan
