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The United States by hand, my man...

I remember when I was a little boy I had to memorize the capitals to all 50 states for a test in 4th grade. I was a pretty good student in school but I could procrastinate like the best of them. I remember telling my Mom about my little test that was coming up...oooooh....the next morning! I hadn't studied as I was told and my Mom was not one to let her lil' man fail and certainly not over something as simple as a few measly capitals! She and I created a song to help me remember all 50 of them. I don't remember how the song goes now but it was a lengthy little ditty that had us up until the weeee hours of the morning. Well, despite the lack of sleep, the song helped me pass that test with flying colors. (Thanks again Ma! You were a musical genius!) Anywhooooo, the following video reminded me of that experience and it's pretty darn fun. Senator Al Franken shows off his US knowledge in a slightly different manner by drawing the entire United States by memory at the Minnesota State Fair recently. The video is fun and worth the watch. Check it!

Diamonds are a guys best friend...

I've never really been a fan of Josh Hartnett but after viewing his commercial for Armani's new fragrance, Diamonds, I could change my tune. The whole commercial seems very old Hollywood style but set in today's paparazzi hungry world. Josh all cleaned up and shirtless is a Josh I could get used to. Enjoy. xox.

Tyra.

I'm not completely sure what she is even talking about but Tyra has a ton to say. At the kick off of the clip, she demonstrates seven basic smiles that she has mastered. She thankfully spared us the other hundreds that she has in her arsenal. As she says in the clip, what she is bringin' is just the "beginner's course".  According to Tyra there are 275 smiles that she knows. Mmmmm k? She goes on to compare herself to Martha Stewart which seems just...well...silly. I'm not one to knock a girl who is trying but ummmm I need to see a lot more than America's Next Top Model and her boring talk show to get on my feet and cheer. I want to love her but so far all I'm getting is a lot of talk and not a whole lot of action. Bring it - on the runway or off. Check out the New York Times featurette below to see what I'm blabbing all about.
 You can also read the FULL NEW YORK TIMES ARTICLE HERE. xx. 

Dan - I would LOVE to get your take on Ms. Thang. xox.

DANG!

I'm as gay as they come but jesus...Mrs. Angelina looks fabulous in her Vanity Fair Cover Story. Wow. Call it photoshop or genetics, it's still amazing. Yum. xox.

Demi on Letterman.

Demi Moore was on David Letterman the other evening looking as amazing as ever. She spoke about her new movie Flawless as well a little treatment that she gets while away in Austria - it involves some cute lil' leeches. Yes - leeches. Check it out.

Part 1

Part 2

Late Day Linkage.

Sex and the City - The Trilogy? Word from the UK's Daily Mail is that the ladies are in talks to do not one but TWO more Sex and the City movies. They are convinced that the first film, due May 2008, will be such a hit that they already have scripts in the works. I'm keeping my fingers crossed but I will not be making any bets on the success. I'll love it but will most middle Americans? We shall see.
Madonna will be inducted in to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in March 2008. Madonna will be inducted along with John Mellencamp, The Ventures, Leonard Cohen and The Dave Clark Five. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation President and CEO Joel Peresman said the following in a recent statement - "The 2008 inductees are trailblazers — all unique and influential in their genres. From poetry to pop, these five acts demonstrate the rich diversity of rock and roll itself."
New York Magazine has released what it is calling the The 2007 Culture Awards. The magazine surveyed critics and cultural types to get their "Best Of" votes. They touched on Architecture, Art, Books, Movies, music and a ton more. The results are a fun read.
The Merriam-Webster word of the year for 2007 is "w00t". "The word is defined as an interjection expressing joy. It could be after a triumph, or for no reason at all, similar in use to the word Yay." I'm a constant user of the word so I'm glad to see it's been recognized! The rest of this year's top ten:2. facebook
3. conundrum
4. quixotic
5. blamestorm
6. sardoodledom
7.apathetic
8. Pecksniffian
9. hypocrite
10. charlatanWOOT!

WORLD AIDS DAY.

Visit UNTIL.ORG to learn more about HIV and AIDS. Learn what you can do to help in the fight for a cure. UNTIL.ORG is just one of many organizations that are trying to make a difference. This disease is no longer one that we can ignore. The people living with this disease could be someone you know. It's time.

"Until There's A Cure is dedicated to eradicating HIV/AIDS by raising awareness and funds to combat this pandemic."

~ Vital Statistics ~

Worldwide:

Over 22 million people have died from AIDS.

Over 42 million people are living with HIV/AIDS, and 74 percent of these infected people live in sub-Saharan Africa.

Over 19 million women are living with HIV/AIDS.

By the year 2010, five countries (Ethiopia, Nigeria, China, India, and Russia) with 40 percent of the world's population will add 50 to 75 million infected people to the worldwide pool of HIV disease.

There are 14,000 new infections every day (95 percent in developing countries). HIV/AIDS is a "disease of young people" with half of the 5 million new infections each year occurring among people ages 15 to 24.

The UN estimates that, currently, there are 14 million AIDS orphans and that by 2010 there will be 25 million.

United States:

An estimated one million people are currently living with HIV in the United States, with approximately 40,000 new infections occurring each year.

70 percent of these new infections occur in men and 30 percent occur in women.

By race, 54 percent of the new infections in the United States occur among African Americans, and

64 percent of the new infections in women occur in African American women.

75 percent of the new infections in women are heterosexually transmitted. Half of all new infections in the United States occur in people 25 years of age or younger

See who else is lending their voice to make a difference!

Looks can be deceiving...

Hey Y'all - while perusing one of my favorite sites, Dlisted.com, I read about a site that does the retouching of photos for famous folks that appear in magazines, trade publications and other big media releases. The site, iWanex Studio, gives a glimpse at the before photo and the very touched up after photo. The results are quite stellar. While I do think it's totally fine to do some touching up here and there to even out skin tones and remove shadows, I think it's pretty nuts to see them skim 10 pounds off Kelly Clarkson's frame. I hope they are just showing what they can accomplish and not necessarily what they have published. I would think someone like Kelly Clarkson who publicly defends her weight wouldn't allow herself to go on a "photographic diet" for the sake of good shot. Anywho - whatever - see for yourself. Regardless of the uses of these photos, the skill behind the digital enhancers is amazing. Some of my fave before and after shots are below. xox.

Rude Thoughtless Little Pig!

So at this point most folks are familiar with Alec Baldwin's little huge blow up at his daughter Ireland that was released to the media. If you aren't familiar, Alec couldn't get a hold of his daughter on the phone and decided, since he was SOOOO inconvenienced, to leave her a few choice words on her voice mail. Thanks to internet, that message spread like wild fire across the globe. He threatens to come "straighten her ass out" - he calls her a "rude, thoughtless little pig" - it's Parenting 101 from hell. Well, the fabulous and ALWAYS funny folks at World Of Wonder have made quite a mash up. They took the trailer of what looks to be a B rated thriller and added in the scary ramblings of a very very frustrated man. Even though the actual story is quite sad and upsetting, the WOW TV creation is quite funny. Check it out. Happy Tuesday, friends. xoxox.

See more great videos at World of Wonder TV.

Blog on a Scandal

Yikes - Helen Mirren, my front runner for best actress at this years Oscar's, has her work cut out for her. Me and my boyfriend ventured out on a gray January Sunday afternoon to see Notes on a Scandal and LOVED it. Judi Dench gives one of the most riveting performances that I have seen on screen. It's absolutely no wonder why she was nominated for Best Actress. She is SO good. She, along with Cate Blanchett, play highly intense and complicated women. Both women find themselves in lives that are far from what they would have expected. They both long for love, a feeling of completion, elation, joy, a life that is more what they dreamed and less what they actually live. It is their own realization and internal struggle that leads to a highly explosive pair after their subsequent meeting. Both women need each other for very different reasons which takes their friendship in frighteningly different paths. The result is what makes this film so truly and emotionally beautiful and complex - much like real life - which is what we hope movies capture. Obviously that isn't always the case. Hollywood has a way of glamorizing "real life" instead of putting a mirror up to it. Aesthetically, "beautiful” is not what you would call this film. It's raw and dirty and exposed. Dame Judi Dench has not an ounce of make up on in this film. She is shot in unflattering light and every wrinkle is there for the eye to see. I will not delve any deeper in to the plot than I already have. I'd hate to ruin it for anyone reading this that is planning on seeing this film. It's worth every penny - 1100 hundred pennies if you are in NYC. This is another reason to see the Oscar awards live February 25th @ 8pm Eastern on ABC. This will be quite the race. Be sure to check out all the movie stills at the Notes on A scandal photo page found on Flickr. oh and did i mention? SEE THE FILM! It's BRILLIANT! 

The backlash has begun?

Ok so I wasn’t completely crazy. When I saw the video of Angelina and Brad being interviewed by Ryan Seacrest and Angelina being less than gracious with his questions, I thought maybe I was just reading her actions wrong. I thought maybe she was just playing aloof or unaffected. Turns out, even the New York Times has found reason to comment on Ms. Jolie’s recent behavior. The New York Times has seen how the public support that Angelina briefly witnessed was beginning to sway. It’s what many are calling the ‘Angelina Backlash’. The article focuses on her recent interview where she called her biological daughter "a blob" continuing on to say she had less personality than her two adopted kids. The article delves in to how Angelina was said to be "a nightmare" during the recent Vogue photo shoot with Annie Leibovitz and on to comments made about Madonna and the adoption of her son David. Anyway you cut it, people are beginning to look beyond her role as World Humanitarian and more at how Ms. Jolie asks on a day to day basis. The article states “That shattered image, a lesson in the limits of spin, is the product of a lethal combination: a public that never bought into the reformed persona and a star who may have bought into it too much.” Of course, to be fair, and as the article states, much of what Angelina says is taken out of context in a certain sense. Due to media spin, we are only able to focus on the catchy sounds bites and not always the larger picture of what was said. However, obvious snide behavior seen on national television can not be denied. The girl has got something brewing. I guess we’ll have to wait and see how it all plays out. Check out the article for a side of the story you may not have heard just yet.

Ummm...what?

OK OK so granted Ryan Seacrest asks annoying questions but could Angelina be LESS interested in speaking with him during the Golden Globes pre-show?? She's got Brad doing all the talking. Watching that entire interview I really wanted her to make some sort of effort. It never happened. She does look fierce though.

Brokeback to Dreamgirls?

In case you missed it, Jake Gyllenhaal hosted SNL last night. For all the fans of 'Brokeback' hoping for a reprise, I think you'll only be slightly disappointed. Mr. Gyllenhaal did his best Dreamgirls instead. (and he did it quite well in fact.)

Miu Miu Who?

Taking a page from Kate Moss' diary - you don't have to stop doing lots of drugs, partying all night (sans your appendix) or being completely self-destructive in order to land a highly profitable ad campaign for a fashion label. Not sure who the young model above is? Click Here. 

Oh Paula...

In preparation for the newest season of American Idol, which premieres this week, Paula Abdul has been making the rounds promoting the show. Paula is a mess. Just a MESS. A mess who is so so so fun to watch. Paula's publicist has issued the following statement about her less than composed behavior on a Seattle morning talk show - He said the station had "technical problems with the satellite and her sound was dropped not once but twice. Paula was in a small room by herself with only a cameraman. Paula was distracted and confused by the station dropping the sound. She did not know what was going on." So was she confused by the station dropping the sound or off her rocker on some really good drugs?? Watch the video and you decide. This season's American Idol is going to be good just for Paula Abdul alone. That is unless she ends up in rehab first!

D&G + 007

  There are two new reasons to pick up the new W magazine. First off, Nicole Kidman! eeerrr...OK OK..Daniel Craig is on the cover and featured within its pages. If you haven't seen him in the new 007, GO NOW!

Additionally, the incredibly talented photographer Steven Klein has refocused his lens on another fashion icon(s). Tom Ford was the focus of a past campaign and now Dolce and Gabbana are his two stars. Dolce and Gabanna have been known for their racy ads in the past. Just check out their newest here. Each campaign always tends to court controversy. Whether it be their ad campaigns or the spread that the two designers are featured in inside W Magazine, the feathers that have been ruffled previously may get ruffled again. The duo who were once romantic partners (Domenico Dolce and Steffano Gabbana) have moved on in that respect but have kept a very industrious and successful business moving ahead stronger than ever. Honestly, I didn't realize how good looking the duo was. Or is it all Steven Klein's magic? Style.com has compiled a slide show of the duo shot by Mr. Klein. Below you will see more of the shots from the campaign. Click away! Some shots within the slide show, while not too risqué, are not necessarily safe for the office. The ones below are totally safe. xo.

Three Feet From An Icon

So on Wednesday night I read online that Madonna would be coming state side to do some appearances on Thursday to promote her new animated movie, Arthur (The full name of the film is Arthur and The Invisibles) VIEW THE ARTHUR TRAILER HERE. The film is by French director Luc Besson. Luc Besson is most famous for his movie The Fifth Element. Madonna was to appear on The Today Show in the morning - stop off at Regis and Kelly after that and then make an appearance on the David Letterman show this evening. I had to work today so I thought I might as well try and make it to one of them, if I could. In the article it said that Madonna would appear between the 8:30 to 9:00. I could still make it to the taping and in to work by 9:30. The crowd was not too crazy. I was able to get right up close to the barricade in front of the window where Meredith would be interviewing her. Madonna arriving late to the studio was whisked in to the studio through a side door and to her interview chair. It was quite insane to see the swarm of hair and make up people around her. Spritzing, teasing, touching up..more spritzing. She looks pretty close to flawless. She also had her manager Angela Becker and publicist Liz Rosenberg by her side. Also, watching from the side of the stage was co-founder of Miramax Films and producer of the new film, Harvey Weinstein. Quite the entourage. The interview can be seen here. She discussed the movie, her newly adopted son David, the Rosie/Trump debate, Britney and the possibility of moving back to New York some day. After the interview concluded, Meredith brought Madonna outside to meet the crowd. It was quite cool because as the crowd shifted to see Madonna I was able to get quite close. My camera, which was quickly losing power, kept taking breaks between snaps of her to recharge. Not now, not now..she is right there! - I kept thinking! One thing that wasn't captured during the taping was Madonna interacting with the crowd outside. She was very very sweet to everyone. She signed multiple autographs, took photos with fans and even grabbed some guys hat and posed for a few shots with it on. I was able to capture a few good shots of her which I'm so pleased with. She was no more then a few feet away. It was such a very cool experience. I'm SO glad I went this morning. I'm a HUGE Madonna fan and it was just a surreal moment. If anything can get me outta bed on a cold January morning, it's Madonna. Whoooo hoooo!

I hope you enjoy the photos below. I'm only sharing a few because these were the best that came out. I captured much more but I felt they were just a bit too blurry or just to grainy. I liked these the best. I also included a screen capture with me in the background. See if you can spot me. :-)

Screen shot above from one of my fave sites, Madonnalicious

And in this corner...

I totally was not going to post about the Rosie Vs. Trump battle that has been taking place recently. I really thought the entire thing was SO SO stupid. But this $#@& is getting good! Rosie blasted Trump initially because he gave the boozing Miss America a second shot so girlfriend wouldn't lose her crown. Trump owns the pageant BTW. Cut to Donald saying "Rosie's a loser. A real loser. I look forward to taking lots of money from my nice fat little Rosie." and other choice sound bites - yada yada yada - you get the point. Well cutting to the good stuff, Rosie has been vocal about the lack of support she has received from Barbara Walters, creator of The View, during this entire battle. Barbara insists she supports Rosie however Trump says that support was not on her mind when he and Barbara spoke. So what was once just a battle from two big mouth egotists has become a he said - she said battle of epic celebrity proportions. Ok Ok so anyway the reason I'm writing about all this is in regards to a letter that Trump recently sent to Rosie (and the entire news media!)

The letter read:

"Dear Rosie,

I hope you had a wonderful vacation with your wife -- you needed the rest. An article in today's New York Post, indicates that you blew up at Barbara Walter for being a 'liar.' Actually, I don't blame you, but in fact she lied to both of us! After your maniacal and foolish rant against me two weeks ago, Barbara called me from her vacation (I did not call her) in order to apologize for your behavior. She had heard that I was going to retaliate against you and tried to talk me out of it. She very much wanted me to go on the show as soon as she got back so that she could 'patch things up' (I said no). To be exact, she said that 'working with her is like living in hell' and, more pointedly, 'Donald never get into the mud with pigs' and, 'don't worry, she won't be here for long.' Barbara knows exactly what she told me over the phone and she has to live with it. Perhaps that's why her initial statement was so mild!

In another incident, when I saw her eating at Le Cirque about two months ago and asked how 'Rosie was doing,' 'she sarcastically rolled her eyes and said 'Donald, do you have to ruin my meal.' In any event, you have a good reason to be angry. Please give my warmest regards to Kelly!

Sincerely,

Donald J. Trump

P.S. I was surprised that you let your spat with Barbara get into the newspapers, but, as I have always said and as you proved with Rosie, the magazine, you are very self destructive. You must work on this for your own good!"

Yikes! If this is true, you can bet the next few days on The View will be quite interesting. You can bet your ass I'm going to be taping this. However, It's likely that Barbara will just play dumb and claim Trump is the liar. Oh the drama! LOVE IT! Rosie has made it a point to post much of this on her blog. I hope all of this ends soon but until then it looks like we are in for quite the cat fight. Meow Meow.

The item below is a painting that Rosie did of Mr. Trump which she posted on her blog. eeeek. If you haven't read her blog before, it's worth a look. I used to not be fond of the way she wrote and structured her posts but now I get it. It has a very stream of consciousness type feel to it. Check out it out at rosie.com

UPDATE: First episode of THE VIEW after the "letter" was pretty uneventful. No chairs were thrown, punches laid or hair pulling! How disappointing!! The ladies resorted to name calling. (and not at each other!) Barbara called Trump a "...poor pathetic man". Read more here at TMZ!