Tura Satana

Tura Satana

Tura Satana:Bitch Slap was a huge hit when it premiered at TIFF09 during the Midnight Madness programme earlier this week. And the three stars – Julia Voth, America Olivo and Erin Cummings – are quickly becoming cult icons the same way Lori Williams, Haji and Tura Satana became after the 1965 Russ Meyer film Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (which Bitch Slap has been compared to). The multi-talented stars (Julia is releasing a book of poetry, America has a song on the charts and Erin will be appearing on Nip/Tuck soon as well as the new Sam Raimi-produced show Spartacus: Blood and Sand next year) chatted with me about the vibe on set, shooting guns and who inspires them. A boom in websites encouraging women towards dangerous weight loss has sparked health concerns.

A group of top psychiatrists have warned against the pro-anorexia sites that are soaring in popularity through blogs and social networking groups. Online members compete with others to lose weight, share tips on disguising anorexia or bulimia from family and doctors, reveal crash dieting techniques and recipes and upload images of dramatic weight loss. “When I was really desperate I’d go on all the time, looking for tips on the latest diet and wondering what to do next,” Sky News quoted recovering anorexic Emma Columbine as saying. “And seeing photos of skinny celebrities - I just aspired to be like them,” the 20-year-old added. The Royal College of Psychiatrists’ Eating Disorders Section warned against its effect on young people, saying greater awareness was required to deal with the dangers of such groups. Susan Ringwood, from eating disorder charity BEAT, also said: “We want to increase awareness about these websites and make sure people know the dangers.