It's really tough to decide which is more awesome: The Indiana Jones who's been amputated at the waist? The "extremely articulated" Batman, whom one could misread as being "extremely articulate"? Sorta loving Dumbledore and his phoenix, but the best thing here is definitely the Ark of the Covenant business card holder. Thou shalt not gaze upon my fax number, or thy face wilt melt!

Surely you have a friend who hasn't let go of her My Little Pony love? Wouldn't she dig a diner? Or a pony with brushable hair and her own radio-controlled scooter?

Perhaps you have an evil little sister for whom this would be an appropriate present?

Severus Snape! Unfortunately, he looks like a nun with a bad (drug) habit.

Whether you know someone who loves Hitchcock or hates Barbie, this will be the right peck pick.

Twelve inch talking David Bowie from Labyrinth? Want! Love the part in the movie when he says, "Fear me. Love me. Do as I say… And I will be your slave."

So many choices here. Over on the left, there's Power Girl, who is "realistically proportioned." Here on the right there's the Barbie Wonder Woman. But down below, there's Amazon Warrior Wonder Woman, who comes without the cumbersome cape and bears a battle-ax and shield instead. Fierce!

Tons and tons of Beatles stuff says "Love, love me do."

Dude. Everything Lebowski-inspired except the white Russian. And stuff for Dexter fans, too!

Think you it odd, spending over $100 on a Yoda figure? Believe not in the force, you do. Understand not the awesomeness.

A fully-functioning R2D2 that guards your room and follows you around? Must-have.

It's unsettling that this figure allows you to take Heath Ledger's head off, no? Maybe this "fan" stuff goes too far. And the price is rather high.

Ah, yes. The Santa dreidel, "sure to confound and confuse both Jews and gentiles," makes everything better. And it's priced to move.

Entertainment Earth [Official Site]

Hitchcock derived a great deal of pleasure through humiliating his heroines, or, in his own words, "Nothing pleases me more than to knock the ladylikeness out of them." Tippi Hedren, the star of The Birds and the mother of Melanie Griffith, fared the worst of all Hitchcock's leading women. "The aging auteur tutored her, dressed her and even had her handwriting analyzed," according to USA Today. "But nothing topped a week spent being attacked by live versions of her winged co-stars during filming of The Birds, which sent her into clinical shock — except for when he demanded that Hedren be at his sexual beck and call during Marnie, which she refused."

Spellbound by Beauty offers some insight into Hitchcock's personal life, which could explain the cruelty he inflicted on his female stars. Apparently, he only had sex once. Hitchcock married Alma Reveille in 1926 and allegedly, their single sexual encounter produced their daughter, Patricia. The sexual frustration, argues the author of Spellbound, "resulted in Hitchcock's compensating need to harass many of his lovely leading ladies."

It's undeniable that Hitchcock produced some of the greatest cinema of the 20th century, and for me at least, this knowledge will probably not change my view of his films. As we've pondered before in terms of novelists, is it possible to separate a person's private behavior from their artistic output?

Alfred Hitchcock Bio Swoops In On Leading Ladies [USA Today]
Spellbound by Beauty: Alfred Hitchcock and His Leading Ladies [Amazon]

Earlier: Well, Is There A Scientific Link Between "Genius" And "Shithead"?

• Tara Subkoff's short films for Bebe are all set to premiere. Says the designer of her "star," Lydia Hearst: "She truly reminds me of the classic 'Hitchcock blonde' — he would have loved her and she would have been a huge star in his films if we could go back in time." Obviously, like Subkoff, Hitch would have staged lesbian makeout sessions with Aubrey O'Day in front of Bungalow 8 for his art. [WWD]
• Sometimes we wonder whether Karl Rove is behind this seemingly systematic campaign to get everyone in Fashionland behind Obama. "Designer Patricia Field has created an Obama t-shirt that reads "Elegance. Dignity. Obama. Statesman." Naturally, this is written in glitter. [Racked]
• We kind of don't understand why Jeremy Piven was the host of Conde Nast's Fashion Rocks concert last year, but according to Page Six the actor "was a 'nightmare,' insisting on a separate green room and rewriting the script up until the last minute. 'And it wasn't even funny,'said the source." [P6]

• Wait, what? Luxury brand LVMH acquires yacht company. [WWD]
• After months of speculation, minimalist label Jil Sander sold to Japan's Onward Holdings Co. [WSJ]
• Gryphon designer Amy Cho meets fashion halfway with a "Responsible Fur" initiative, which encourages the use of "recycled" vintage furs and extra-soft fakes. Methinks we love her. [Style.com]
• Baggy jeans are back. Not Katie-Holmes sloppy, either: these Bottega Veneat guys are more early-90s harem. [The Life Files]
• Buckingham Palace guardsmen may switch from real bearskin hats to Stella McCartney fauxs after animal rights activists meet with Ministry of Defense. [Daily Mail]
• Following in the footsteps of Vera Wang, various penniless freelancers, Oscar de la Renta will be a guest-blogger on Brides.com. "He'll be writing about wedding choices on dresses, jewelry and destinations. " [WWD]
• In a desperate bid to lure back-to-schoolers, mid-price retailers pull out all the stops. "Kohl's launched six lines of clothing this summer with a star-studded advertising campaign featuring celebrities from including Lenny Kravitz and Hayden Panettiere. JCPenney introduced another half-a-dozen labels, the department store's biggest crop of new brands, with looks ranging from urban rock to all-American. And Dillard's is chasing soccer moms with a line designed by Sheryl Crow that hit stores last month." Wait...Lenny Kravitz? [LAT]
• Style.com is branching out. "On Sept. 2, the site will debut Shop Now, where designer advertisers can pay to have their brands featured." Or, to have them considered: the editors will decide which of the submissions to feature. [MediaWeek]
• To celebrate its centennial, venerable makeup brand Max Factor has treated itself to Gisele Bundchen. For a campaign, I mean. [ElleUK]
• The relatively youthful British Harper's Bazaar is thriving. [Independent]
• Wait, isn't this what the internets do? The new magazine Distill "will present a digested read of the style and fashion press from all over the world, offering a shorthand guide to what and who are in fashion, and how those trends are being captured and covered." [Independent]
• Guess legendary photog Patrick Demarchelier likes his work. "I love all women. Women are sublime beings. I love all of it: their eyes, their noses, their bodies." [Telegraph]
• You know there's a problem when models are complaining that they're too thin: says Karen Elson, "Fashion is obsessed with finding young, beautiful and vulnerable girls, bringing them into the fashion world, praising them, worshipping them but suddenly dropping them like a stone when they hit puberty and grow boobs and hips. It's so dangerous and can potentially harm the girls mentally and physically." [Guardian]
• Shockingly, real designers don't want to dress Heidi Montag. "They don’t want their stuff on Heidi, even despite the fact that she is very media-friendly and is photographed a lot," the rep said. "It’s just not the caliber of celebrity most clients go for." [The Superficial]
• Sadie Frost arranges celeb auction for breast cancer. The haul? "Here are the black peep-toe size 38 Christian Louboutins which “Kate” has signed and covered with graffiti love hearts, a dress belonging to Amy Winehouse, a suit Jude Law wore on the set of Alfie, a guitar donated by Kasabian guitarist Jay Mehler, a Jake Chapman picture." [This Is London]
• Tamara Mellon's ex, Matthew, is hoping second time's the charm: "Mellon has joined forces with his new bride-to-be, designer Nicole Hanley, to introduce Hanley-Mellon, a clothing line that will launch for spring 2009. “It’s a mix of Chloé, YSL and bohemian chic,' Mellon told WWD." [WWD]