Last night’s ep of Project Runway pitted the final four designers in a challenge that had the potential to allow them to show off their natural talents. With the competition coming down to the wire, the challenge tried to inspire a new level of creativity in the designers … whether or not they were successful is left in the eye of the viewer:

The designers were taken on a field trip to the New York Botanical Garden in order to find inspiration in the natural beauty they found there. After the jump, find out who was in, who was out and who was able to design a winning evening gown inspired by the organic beauty in the ep titled Nature Calls …

READ THE REST OF THIS POST »

Jessica Alba shocked the world a few weeks ago by appearing in a controversial new ad campaign for the Declare Yourself organization. Declare Yourself is a nonpartisan, nonprofit campaign aiming to empower every eligible American, 18-to-29 years old, to register to vote in the 2008 presidential election. They enlist celebrity spokespeople to help raise awareness in order to get young voters registered to vote. Jessica’s first ad campaign for the organization, released a few weeks ago, featured her wrapped in black electrical tape that particularly was placed over her mouth:

From the accompanying press release: Declare Yourself, the national nonpartisan, nonprofit youth voter initiative is launching a powerful print and viral campaign aimed at energizing young adults to register and vote in the 2008 election. The campaign, entitled, “Only You Can Silence Yourself,” features Jessica Alba (The Fantastic Four, Sin City) in a series of images by renowned photographer Marc Liddell. The striking photographs feature Alba quite literally silenced—with gags and masks stifling her voice as a citizen. The photos are available for download at www.DeclareYourself.com, and can be circulated virally; they will also be featured in national publications this fall. “I really don’t see the point in not registering to vote,” said Alba. “We sign up for MySpace pages and Facebook pages, and download music off the internet. The least people can do is register to vote online, actually making a difference in their world, not just making their lives a little bit cooler. It makes more sense to spend your time making a change in society—and it actually doesn’t take that much time! It takes more time to make a music playlist than it does to register to vote.” “Young adults are inundated with messages,” said Marc Morgenstern, Declare Yourself Executive Director. “This campaign is designed to break through and inspire young people to seize their role in the future of our country by registering and voting. We are deeply grateful to Jessica for lending her voice to this important movement.”

I have to say that I wholly support this organizations work towards educating young people of the importance of registering to vote. Voting is such an important right that so many Americans take for granted … and it is imperative that eligible folks GET REGISTERED to vote so that they have have a say in the governance of our country. Even if you aren’t sure who to vote for yet, you MUST GET REGISTERED IN TIME otherwise you will not be allowed to vote once you do make up your mind as the election nears. The deadlines to register in many states are very close at hand (this week, in some states) so it’s IMPERATIVE for folks to get registered. If images like these catch the attention and urge people to register than I am all for it. Declare Yourself released a second, possibly more, controversial ad featuring Jessica Alba last night. After the jump, check it out for yourself …

READ THE REST OF THIS POST »

Back in August we were alerted to the fact that UK artist Marc Quinn was working on an upgraded version of the Kate Moss statue, called Sphynx, that he created back in 2006. When news came out that Quinn would be casting his Kate Moss statue in 18 carat gold we were not allowed to see the finished product (but we were shown a glimpse). At last, the final product can be revealed … behold, Marc Quinn’s latest “masterpiece” Siren:

She has graced countless magazine covers and inspired numerous artists to copy her image. But now Kate Moss has received the ultimate accolade after being immortalised in gold and displayed at the British Museum. And with daily share price drama as well as collapsing house prices this gold sculpture would provide as safe a haven as any for canny, and extremely wealthy, investors. Dubbed a ‘modern day Aphrodite’ the supermodel’s statue, unveiled on Wednesday, cost more than £1.5million to make – of which £1million was the price of the 18 carat gold. Artist Marc Quinn, who named the work ‘Siren’, said he expected to sell it for more than £10million. The piece is hollow and at 50kg is understood to weigh the same as the diminutive Miss Moss herself. It will be displayed from Saturday until January as part of the Statuephilia exhibition in the Nereid Gallery among statues of classical Greek goddesses including Aphrodite. Miss Moss’ pose is a little less conventional however. Mr Quinn elected to immortalise her in provocative yoga pose with her legs behind her head wearing only skimpy underwear. He said: “When I showed Kate the statue she told me she loved it. She really liked the idea and she modelled for me for a day or so.” But he added: “She didn’t pose for me like that. For Kate, she thinks it lifts her into a mythic level. I think she very much loved it because she understands the difference between her image and her self. The sculpture is really about whether we make images or they make us. It’s about trying to live up to impossible dreams and immortality.” The artist claimed that his piece questioned the notion of value in society in the light of the credit crunch. “With the financial crash at the minute. It is a really interesting time to do this. Why should gold be worth lots and steel not?” he said. “It’s because we have agreed it represents something special in our society.” The work is the largest gold statue made by man since ancient Egyptian times. Mr Quinn, who once made a bust of himself using eight pints of his own blood – has created statues of Kate before: Sphynx, a white painted bronze figure of Kate in another yoga pose, and an early version of Siren, also in white. Mr Quinn said of using Moss as a subject: “I thought the next thing to do would be to make a sculpture of the person who’s the ideal beauty of the moment. But even Kate Moss doesn’t live up to the image.”

Uhhh, yeah. I didn’t really understand the point of this piece back in 2006 and I really don’t get it now … but hey, it’s art, right? I’m actually very surprised to learn that this golden statue of Kate Moss is “the largest gold statue made by man since ancient Egyptian times”. I’m not entirely sure that I believe it but … again, who knows. In the end, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and while I may not necessarily be beholding a lot of beauty in this garish art piece myself that doesn’t mean that others can’t behold the beauty for themselves. What do y’all think … do we like?

[Source]

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, with their kiddies in tow, have returned to the US en masse for the first time since the twins Vivienne Marcheline and Knox Léon were born back on July 12 (ahem, which is my birthday as well ;). Angelina is planning to walk the red carpet at the New York Film Festival this weekend so she decided to pack up all the kids and temporarily relocate the fam to New York. Here are pics of Brad, Ange, Zahara Marley, Shiloh Nouvel and either Vivienne or Knox (presumably Maddox and Pax were with them as well) sneakily making their way into their Manhattan hotel last night:

The Jolie-Pitt bunch is back in the U.S.A. For the first time since the birth of twins Vivienne and Knox, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are in New York City with their kids. Jolie plans to walk the red carpet at the New York Film Festival on Oct. 4 for the premiere of her movie The Changeling, a 1920s-set thriller directed by Clint Eastwood. The couple and their six children set up house last month in a lakeside villa in Berlin, where they are living while Pitt films Quentin Tarantino’s World War II thriller Inglorious Bastards. Pitt, 44, missed the German premiere of his movie Burn After Reading on Oct. 1 to accompany Jolie, 33, back to the States.

It’s unclear how long the Jolie-Pitts plan to stay in the US but I would guess they’re here for some time. I don’t know that Angelina would bring the entire family to NYC if she wasn’t planning on sticking around for a while (after all, she could’ve flown in for the film festival all by herself). While I’m sure the Brangelina brood have been enjoying their time in France, I think it’s great that they’ve returned home to the US, even if for a short time. Welcome home, y’all.

[Photo credit: INFdaily; Source]

Mario Lopez, People magazine’s Hottest Bachelor of 2008 and new host of Extra!, famously told People that his days of shirtless photoshoots were over … but, by the look of these new photos of Mario at the beach this week filming new scenes for the FX series Nip/Tuck, that declaration does not hold true in all instances. Fortunately for us, Mario has not enacted a shirtless ban on all of his television projects:

My shirtless photo-shoot days are behind me,” Mario Lopez tells PEOPLE in a bitter blow to beefcake. Not that the buff new Extra host has anything to hide. “Obviously, being healthy and staying fit are important to me,” says the 34-year-old, who in the past seemed like the only serious rival to Matthew McConaughey in the bare-chest sweepstakes … “My TV projects are my main priority,” he says. “And no, you will never see me host Extra without a shirt.” Still, to every rule there’s an exception – in this case, Nip/Tuck. Lopez says he is “thrilled” to be reprising the role of Dr. Mike Hamoui on the cable series, with Dr. Mike moving to Los Angeles – where he can once again gain the attention of the ab-admiring Dr. Christian Troy (Julian McMahon) in the locker room. “A small spoiler,” says Lopez. “Dr. Mike might not be taking anymore showers at the gym with Christian, but he will lose his shirt.”

Yes, indeed … he does lose his shirt. After the jump, check out a few more pics of Mario along with his Nip/Tuck co-stars Julian McMahon and Dylan Walsh on the beachy set of of the show in Long Beach, CA yesterday afternoon …

READ THE REST OF THIS POST »

Lindsay Lohan and Samantha Ronson, who have been spending a bit of downtime maxin’ and relaxin’ together in Mexico over the past few days, have reached the end of their holiday getaway and have already made their way back home to SoCal. BUT, before the ladies packed up their bags and made the trek back home they spent one more lazy afternoon together at the beach. After their raucous game of Scrabble earlier in the week, you know they had to step up their game and amp up the excitement a notch — folks, they were caught hand-holdin’ … behold:

She’s been busy mopping floors and serving chips in her latest role. But actress Lindsay Lohan looked a world away from any hard work as she continued enjoying a romantic break with her girlfriend, DJ Samantha Ronson. The loved-up couple held hands and splashed about in the waves while on a romantic vacation together in Los Cabos, Mexico. Lohan, 22, has been dating 30-year-old Sam – sister of music producer Mark Ronson – for several months and rumours are circulating that the pair are engaged. At one point on their holiday, the couple tried to get hotel staff to use a large beach towel so photographers could not see them. But they look far from camera shy in these pictures. Lohan’s day in the sun, frolicking around in a bikini, must be a welcome break after her day of filming Ugly Betty. The actress was forced to wear a dowdy red cap and blue and red uniform as she filmed a guest appearance as a fast food worker. In the latest series, Lohan reprises her role as Betty Suarez’s high school nemesis, Kimmie. Cheerleader Kimmie made Betty’s high school years hell – but now Betty is the one with the enviable job.

GASP! Hand-holding?! In public? Scandalous!!! I’m actually relieved that L. Ron had to cut short their vacay cuz I can’t even imagine the next extreme they might’ve resorted to … high-fiving? Hugging? Alas … all good things, as they say, must come to an end … L. Ron were snapped upon arrival at LAX Airport last night so the ladies are back home in SoCal right now:

It really looks like they had a great vacay together … glad to have you home, ladies ;)

[Photo credit: Bauer-Griffin, Splash News; Source]

Yesterday was a very bizzy day for Britney Spears as she spent much of her day in NYC doing good deeds for kids in need. We saw pics of Britney’s visit to John Philip Sousa Junior High School #142 yesterday (which, I’ve come to learn, was so that she could deliver a hefty donation to the school’s year-old music program) and pretty much marveled at how amazing she looked in the process. This morning, we get to see a few pics from Britney’s NYC activities from last night … first it was dinner at SoHo House in the Meat Packing District and then it was a nice relaxing visit to The Box for a show afterward:

A New York middle school got a surprise visitor: Britney Spears. The pop star dropped by John Philip Sousa M. S. 142 in The Bronx on Wednesday to present a $10,000 check to be used as an endowment for the school’s year-old music program. As she entered the school (which was not in session due to the Jewish holiday), she was treated to a performance by the Sousatones, the school’s eight-piece band, led by director Sal Mazzola. “When you’re ready to take us on the road for an opening act, we’re ready,” he told Spears. Spears, who plans to tour in 2009, replied: “You’ll be the first people I call.” Mazzola told the students in advance they would be playing for a “high-profile” guest, but they only learned it would be Spears earlier that morning. (Some kids guessed it would be P. Diddy or Barack Obama.) Spears was also serenaded by a chorus of seven girls, including soloist Rachel Lewis, 14, who sang “I Am Woman.” The donation came from Elizabeth Arden, which is behind Spears’s fragrances, Believe, Fantasy and Curious. “I really enjoyed the time I spent at the John Philip Sousa Middle School,” Spears tells PEOPLE. “I’ve been working with the people at Elizabeth Arden for the last five years, and I know how passionate everyone is about the school. I loved hearing the school orchestra and the children sang so beautifully. The fact that Elizabeth Arden made such a large donation for the school music studio in my name was so generous.”

Awww, I love it! After our dear Britney was finished making the kids’ day at John Philip Sousa Junior High School #142, she braved the rain and dined at SoHo House (which is an excellent place to enjoy a meal, David and I had dinner with some friends of his at SoHo House right before we left for Iceland) before making her way to The Box in the Lower East Side of NYC for a little entertainment. I, for one, am glad to hear that Britney took some time to unwind last night. Things have been going so well for her lately, I’m just so happy about everything she does these days. I never dreamed a year ago that she would be in this place … happy, healthy and seemingly back to normal. It’s a great sight to see, wouldn’t you agree?

[Photo credit: INFdaily, Splash News; Source]