• In an exclusive interview, Blake Fielder-Civil says: "I dragged Amy into it and without me there is no doubt that she would never have gone down that road. I ruined something beautiful." He admits he got Amy Winehouse hooked on heroin, crack cocaine and self-harm. "The first time Amy took crack she asked me, 'Can I try a bit of that.' When I see pictures of Amy and the state she’s in it tears my heart out. I just want to pick her up and help her. But I can’t — because I’m the man who caused it all. It scares me to death that I can’t fix Amy." He also talks about watching her have seizures and why they both cut themselves. [News Of The World]
• Britney Spears was supposed to perform at a club in London, but wouldn't go on stage. Brits are pissed at Brit! [Perez Hilton]
• Britney's on the cover of Glamour, by the by. [Perez Hilton]
• Britney is the number one most-searched-for subject on Yahoo in the UK, bumping Barack Obama to 7th. [Guardian]

• Did you watch Britney's "documentary"? Produced by her manager? Here's the deal: A source says the piece was "a pre-emptive strike" — "Everyone agrees that (father and current financial manager) Jamie's been good for Britney, but there's always the possibility that his best efforts won't work when it comes to letting her have the career she wants, and that shouldn't be pinned on Britney," the source says. "She can't make any decisions. If she fails, she doesn't want it to look like it was her fault." [MSNBC]
• Guy Ritchie wants to buy a pub in NYC so he can spend more time with his kids? Does the Kabbalah in them drive him to drink? [Mirror]
• On the subject of Guy, they're saying his movie, Sherlock Holmes, is "cursed." Robert Downey Jr. was knocked out by an extra — he was out cold and drooling blood — plus, a gas tanked blew up and production was shut down for a few hours. The Mystery of the Ill-Fated Flick! [Perez Hilton]
• Alex Rodriguez had a double-trouble turkey day, visiting his soon-to-be ex-wife and kids for Thanksgiving and then "rushing" to be with Madonna later. [NY Daily News]
• As for Madonna, she's got a lot to be thankful for: Her Sticky & Sweet tour has grossed about $91.5 million in North America. When you add up Europe, she's earned about $207.5 million in ticket sales and could hit $282 million after touring Mexico and South America, making Sticky & Sweet the top-grossing tour ever by a female artist or solo artist. Music: Makes the people come together. [Reuters]
• Madonna has packed up all the presents Guy gave her, taken down pictures of him and erased their joint answering machine message. Moving on! [Mirror]
• And! Now Madonna and A-Rod are in Mexico. [NY Post]
• Travis Barker and DJ Am will perform together for the first time since surviving a fiery plane crash: They'll headline New Year's Nation's Los Angeles New Year's Eve Party at The Lot in West Hollywood, California, and it will be streamed on the Internet. [AP]
• Beyoncé in rehab? Well, she did visit a New York substance abuse charity when preparing for her role in Cadillac Records; she met six African-American women whose lives had been wrecked by heroin. They taught her the "junkie stagger" and "addled rage." Beyoncé says: "I never tried drugs in my life so I didn’t know about it all. It was hard to go to the rehab. I learned a lot about life and myself." [Daily Mail]
• Tina Fey, who never talks about her scar, is on the January cover of Vanity Fair, in which her husband explains that she was slashed when she was 5: "She was in, like, the front yard of her house, and somebody just came up, and she just thought somebody marked her with a pen." Fey doesn't talk about it because "It's impossible to talk about it without somehow seemingly exploiting it," she says. [NY Post]
• Elton John is going to team up with Mark Ronson! [Fox 411]
• Elton's partner David Furnish wears a lock of Elton's baby hair around his neck: "It’s a talisman that makes me feel protected, like I’ve got him with me all the time." [The Sun]
• Rosie Live is dead. [People]
• Hugh Jackman says his dad feels weird about his son being called "The Sexiest Man Alive." "(My dad) said to me, 'I can't really talk to you about being sexy. It's a little weird.' Mind you, I'm still waiting for the birds and the bees pitch from him. That hasn't happened either!" [Daily Express]
• Victoria Beckham is "bonding" with Gordon Ramsay's wife, Tana, amid allegations that Gordon had a "professional mistress." Apparently Posh has advice for Tana — remember when David Beckham was accused of having an affair with his assistant, Rebecca Loos? [Telegraph]
• The Beckhams and the Cruises went on horse-drawn carriage rides through central park! [Page Six]
• Nicole Kidman doesn't have Keith Urban on her iPod. [News.com.au]
• Milla Jovovich, 32, plans to marry for the third time. The groom is Brit director Paul WS Anderson; she previously married actor Shawn Andrews when she was 16 and director Luc Besson when she was 21. This time around, she will not get hitched in Vegas, so as not to "jinx" it. [Daily Express]
• Is Gwyneth Paltrow taking a break from her husband and staying with billionaire Jeff Soffer? [UPI]
• Will Smith on Tom Cruise: "I was so used to competition between other artists that I just didn't get him at first. And then Tom just broke it down to me and said, Will, we are not competing, so don't think that way. That blew my mind because that is not how this business works at all." [Newsweek]
• Tom Cruise has 16 motorcycles, a 1958 Corvette, five airplanes and a new movie, Valkyrie. He says: "You have to take chances, challenge yourself. You can't take movies because you think they're going to be huge hits." [USA Today]
• There's an anti-Scientology book which Amazon stopped selling — is Tom Cruise to blame? [Rush & Molloy]
• Courtney Love is on the cover of the January issue of UK Elle, in which she states: "Baby, if I could get a gastric band I would! I’ve heard it’s a lot of vomiting and a pain in the ass, but it’s still easier than a diet. I did go to see a Hollywood doctor about it. I wasn’t desperate, I just knew I had to do something. He said no. I might have been fat, but I wasn’t that fat. I tried lipo on my stomach after that. It was horrible and it didn’t work." [Daily Mail]
• James Franco says the love scene in Milk was Sean Penn's idea. [Page Six]
• Peaches Geldof and Max Drummey had a fight in a bar, with Max shouting "I'm bored of all this." [The Sun]
• Although… Max and Peaches' dad Bob Geldof "get on well." [Mirror]
• Oooh, fancy: Scout comes out! Scout LaRue Willis and her parents, Bruce Willis and Demi Moore, attended the 18th Paris Haute Couture Bal des Debutants. [Telegraph]
• Andrew Lloyd Webber may be dragged into court over a £6.6million 19th century painting his foundation bought with £1 million of taxpayers' cash. [Telegraph]
• Got $9 million? Leonardo DiCaprio is selling his Malibu house. The bluff-top property is "paparazzi-proof." [People]
• Orlando Bloom and Miranda Kerr: Not engaged, despite what the Australian media is printing. [People]
• A reporter describes Benicio Del Toro as "the world's sexiest hobo." And Del Toro talks about Che Guevara: "I thought, 'Dammit, this guy is cool-looking!' I thought he looked like a cousin of mine… There was a book of letters he wrote to his family, a collection, and when I started reading that thing, it was like the first time I read Jack Kerouac, you know? It was like this guy, he's my age, in his 20s, and he's writing like a poet. He was writing these great letters - funny, articulate, sarcastic, socially concerned." [Guardian]
• Someone planted a tracking device on Simon Cowell's car. He's bugging out! [Mirror]
• Kate Winslet is nekkid in a flick called The Reader and art critic Charlie Finch thinks the movie trivializes the Holocaust: "What is especially repellent is the use of Kate Winslet's nubile body to create sympathy for a repellent character, whose triumph over illiteracy somehow mitigates unspeakable crimes which are never actually depicted on-screen." [Page Six]
• LOL at Geri Halliwell's dress! [The.Life Files]
• Terry and Harry Gilliam reflect on the problems of being, and having, a famous parent. [Times of London]
• Did you know Steve McQueen was a pilot? [LA Times]
• "I don't know how to be. I mean, I know how to be a lot of things, but I don't know how to be a movie star. I'm trying to learn over time." — Meryl Streep. [LA Times]
• "I never did feel that we were mean to her. We stuck to a lot of things that she herself had said, and I think there is a very strange double standard because it's a woman portraying another woman. The jokes we used to do about George W. Bush were that he was an idiot. The jokes were aggressive. No one would ever stop and say, 'Oh, that seems kind of mean.'" — Tina Fey on playing Sarah Palin, to Barbara Walters. [Page Six]
• "Some people just want to hear a lot of rap lyrics. I'm just trying to make the best music possible. I'll use the advantage of being a rapper to give an urban flavour to pop hits, which is an incredible combination. That chorus to 'Heartbreak' could be a Broadway chorus, it's so classic. In the night, I hear 'em talk, the coldest story ever told, somewhere far along this road he lost his soul, to a woman so heartless - the message is classic. The heartbreak. The Shakespearian tragedy. That's what this is - it's a modern-day tragedy. Devastation. Multiple losses in my life." — Kanye West. [Guardian]
• "I can’t believe I was a fat person for most of my life. I didn’t have surgery and I worked hard. There's no secret. I’m active. I watch what I eat. According to Hollywood standards, I'm not a thin girl. I’m a normal girl. I don’t want to perpetuate that obsession but yet I am also guilty of wanting ... to lose weight." — Ricki Lake. [People]
• "I've heard so many people say, so many times: 'You're this year's It Girl!' And I'm like, 'You said that to me in 2001 and 2004.'" — Zooey Deschanel in Complex. [Page Six]
• "I've shown my ass in other movies. That scene in particular felt a little weird. It's one thing if everybody is naked. It's another thing if everyone is in suits and you're the naked guy." — James Franco on being nude in Milk. [Newsweek]
• "Well, that's good. I'm sure there are red-headed websites that are claiming me, and people above a certain height. It's all fine. I'm friend not foe. One man's polyamory - is that the word? - is another man's being really, really good friends with the co-parent of one's children while we're both in other relationships. I don't think that's so strange. But maybe it is - and that would be really sad." — Tilda Swinton, on the news that she's named on polyamory websites, as an inspiring example for the multi-partner lifestyle. [Independent]
• "I think kids do best when they only have a couple of things that they really enjoy. I try and stay away from the gluttony of things. They don't appreciate it as much. When they only get one or two things they really like it." — Reese Witherspoon, who "sets limits" on what her kids get for Christmas. [People]
• "I was a brunette before I met Manson. She’s the last person I would want to be like." — Evan Rachel Wood, on the gossip that she's been copying Marilyn Manson's ex, Dita Von Teese. [Times of London]

• Amy Winehouse and Blake Formerly Incarcerated: Dunzo. He's left her for a German model; she's admitted that it was never going to last and that they were "only together for sex." Keep in mind that this report comes from a terribly disreputable paper. [News Of The World, Page Six]
• By the by, Blake Fielder-Civil's jail sentence appeal was refused by two judges. [The Sun]
• "Impeccable" sources say Guy Ritchie is banking $70 million of Madonna's money as part of the divorce settlement. That kind of cash will buy a lot of rounds at the pub! [Perez Hilton]
• Oy, Alex Rodriguez is a "Kabbalah school dropout." Madonna will not be happy about this. [MSNBC]
• That was quick: Michael Jackson has settled his court case in which be was being sued by a sheikh. [BBC News]
• Bloody hell. The Twilight sequel has been greenlit. [UPI]

• Brad and Angelina's family is just as cute and perfect in real life as they claim to be. [Page Six]
• OMG Barbara and Jenna Bush helped take Sasha and Malia Obama on a tour of the White House and all of the girls totally jumped on the beds! Says Laura Bush: "They're really tall beds; you need to get a running start." [People]
• Will Leona Lewis team up with Beyoncé and Jay-Z for Barack Obama's inauguration concert? [The Sun]
• Larry Rudolph, Britney Spears' longtime manager, discusses her documentary: "There just came a moment where she decided to get up, brush herself off and move forward. She had hit a low point in her life. She realized that and everybody else realized that. She wanted to get to a better place." Plus, there's A clip! [LA Times]
• Britney made an unexpected appearance in court Friday for a hearing on her ongoing conservatorship. [Yahoo News]
• Jessica Alba ate Nutella crepes at a downtown Manhattan restaurant, where the staff said the meal was "on the house," so she left a $200 tip. Classy. [Page Six]
• In this in-depth piece about Nicole Kidman, we learn that while Keith Urban is on tour and Nic rides around in the tour bus, "She likes to sneak away and go to people's garage sales. 'All I need is a hat, and I go,' she says. She bought little ceramic candle holders at one sale, she says, and embroidered Christmas stockings at another, 'when it wasn't anywhere near Christmastime. I love it.'" [Washington Post]
• Johnny Depp's movie took over a highway in Wisconsin; the detour traffic made a road collapse. Whoops! [AP]
• Ooh: Today is the day that Boy George is due to stand trial; he's accused of assaulting and falsely imprisoning a male escort. [The Star]
• How do people in the Bronx feel about the name Ashlee and Pete Wentz chose for their baby boy? Not impressed. [NY Times]
• "Bronx is beyond precious. I'm over the moon with joy," says Jessica Simpson. "Life is a beautiful miracle. Ashlee and Pete are healthy, happy and enjoying every moment." Cool, cool. Do people really say "over the moon"??? [UPI]
• Nicolette Sheridan, who ended her engagement to Michael Bolton about three months ago, was seen making out with "Hollywood Lothario" David Spade Friday night. Just let that image settle in. [Star]
• Even though Michael Phelps has professed his love for McDonald's, he has a deal promoting Subway. How did the sandwich chain land the deal? [AdAge]
• Illeana Douglas has a (laminated) message for the paparazzi, you should click and see. [DListed]
• Pleasure principle: Janet Jackson is going to take a break from music to focus on having a baby with her boyfriend Jermane Dupri. [Daily Express]
• The economy takes no prisoners: The Tyra Banks Show is moving to the CW's afternoon block after being in syndication for four seasons. Stations have been making budget cuts, so Tyra's production schedule will be cut to 26 weeks from 34. [Reuters]
• Natasha McElhone says her mission now, besides acting and providing for her family, is to complete some of the work her late husband, a doctor, began: "to finish his life, to finish his unfinished business." [LA Times]
• In this interview with Stephen Colbert, he discusses meeting Eleanor Holmes Norton (the District's delegate in Congress): "I felt so dirty. I felt like a piece of meat. I find being a piece of meat very exciting. In my last life, I think I was a veal cutlet." [Washington Post]
• Paris Hilton has been "constantly texting" Benji Madden and trying to show up at clubs where he is supposed to be. [Mirror]
• You can buy a silk couch owned by Jenna Jameson on eBay if you have $9,500 to spare. It's pearl gray. [DListed]
• Even though the economy is in the crapper, there's stuff celebrities won't give up: Mad Men's Elisabeth Moss needs her coffee; Jessica Biel must travel first class; Hilary Swank gets facials; supermodel/ANTM judge Twiggy must have pink Champagne, and much more [WWD]
• Dora The Explorer is getting a new voice: Will kids notice? [Page Six]
• Blind items: 1. Which ex-couple — an actor and a model — still share some aspects of their sex life? Both are known to sleep with a famous Lower East Side topless dancer who has a reputation of never going home alone. 2. Which TV host has such good rapport with his fetching female co-host that his wife has correctly guessed they're having an affair? [Page Six]
• No Doubt: On tour, summer 2009. [People]
• Ben Stiller and Chris Rock: "Israel is better than Hollywood." [AP]
• Dita Von Teese is suing Macmillan Publishers, which printed Patti O'Shea's In Twilight's Shadow, a paranormal romance novel about demon hunting. For some reason, Dita's face is on the cover. She certainly did not give permission. [Yahoo News via E!]
• Now that the Daily Mail has apologized to David Duchovny for printing a story about him having an affair with his tennis instructor, Duchovny's dropped his $1 million lawsuit. [E!]
• Travis Barker is suing the owner and makers of the "defective" Learject that crashed September 19, killing four and leaving him and DJ AM with severe burns. [Yahoo News via E!]
• So you know how Michael Lohan — Lindsay's dad — was going to box for charity? The parole board has stepped in, saying the boxing match can't happen because he spent 20 months in prison for attempted assault. Whoops! [Yahoo News]
• Will the Golden Globes not happen again this year? Last year is was a writers' strike; this year a Screen Actors Guild strike could cancel the event. [Fox News]
• Hollywood veterans and experts from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are spending $25 million on a lab called The Centre for Future Storytelling. Matt Damon is involved. [Times Of London]
• Lily Allen sought therapy after her miscarriage: "I was in a very, very dark place after the whole thing happened. That was the toughest thing I've had to go through in my life. [Therapy] is really, really helping me. I feel it's getting better and everything's going to be OK." [Mirror]
• Crazy stuff in this Q&A with Quincy Jones: His dad worked as a carpenter for the black mob, and in 1974 Q had two brain aneurysms. Oh, and Q talks about Frank Sinatra: "[He] was one of those guys where he liked you or he didn't. I got to know the Frank that nobody wrote about, the guy who visited Billie Holiday in the hospital to make sure her bills were paid and who took care of Amos and Andy when they were down on their luck. He was a stand-up guy who didn't see color, and that was rare back then." [Newsweek]
• Padma Lakshmi went to see the Foo Fighters and Dave Grohl dragged her on stage; she ended up playing tambourine with the band and getting hit on by Taylor Hawkins. [Page Six]
• Meg Ryan's Bel-Air house is for sale, if you have $19.5 million to spare. You get 6,877 square feet, a pool, spa, and guest house. [TMZ]
• Cedric the Entertainer may not be the obvious first choice for a Broadway drama, but he's getting good buzz for being in the David Mamet play American Buffalo. [NY Times]
• Cops are looking for a "Casanova conman" who claims links to Heath Ledger, Robert De Niro and Keith Urban and has left broken hearts and empty wallets across Australia. [News.com.au]
• Wow. A Keith Richards easy listening album. With a jazz version of "Over The Rainbow. Wow. [Telegraph]
• A doozy of a headline: "Camilla Admits To 'Letting Herself Go' Since She Married Charles... And Vows To Take Up Tai Chi As A New Year's Resolution." Lulz. [Daily Mail]
  
• Warren Beatty is suing over the rights to comic strip detective Dick Tracy. Apparently he's working on a Dick Tracy TV special? Who knew? [Reuters]
• Paul Newman's will was made public and he left his personal property, including real estate, to his wife, Joanne Woodward. His Oscars and other awards went to the Newman's Own Foundation; his airplane and race cars will be sold, with proceeds going to his estate. [AP]
• A Smashing Pumpkins show has been postponed; Billy Corgan's sick! [UPI]
• Billy Zane's parents closed down the Chicago med school they owned, leaving some students in the lurch. [UPI]
• Enya: Might tour for the first time ever. [Reuters]
• Oh, good (oh God?): The Vatican's newspaper has finally forgiven John Lennon for declaring that the Beatles were more famous than Jesus Christ. Plus, The paper says the Beatles made music that is better than "standardized, stereotypical" songs being produced today. [Reuters, AP]
• Speaking of the Beatles, Paul McCartney says his conflict with John Lennon was over before the singer was shot. [UPI]
• investigators say Olivia Newton-John's missing boyfriend probably drowned while on a fishing trip. [News.com.au]
• A man who waved Samurai swords at a Hollywood Scientology building had a "previous relationship" to the church; he was shot and killed by a security guard. [AP]
• Rocker Bryan Ferry is dating his son's ex-girlfriend. The Roxy Music star is 63; the lady in question is 27 and his son is 22. A "pal" says the lady had fling with the son about 5 years ago. Yuck. [The Sun]
• Jodie Sweetin has filed for legal separation from her husband but is "trying to stay positive for Zoie," their 7-month-old daughter. [People]
• Why is a letter Princess Diana wrote to her royal footman on her honeymoon up for sale? And how sad is it that she mentions how "terribly lonely" she is? [Daily Mail]
• Rod Stewart and Penny Lancaster are trying for a baby. Yeah, he's 63, so what? [Mirror]
• "Ever since her Oscar nomination, Sophie Okonedo has been offered plenty of 'mini-skirted girlfriend' parts. But she'd much rather stay home and do nothing." [Telegraph]
• Blackadder: a Christmas comeback. [The Star]
• A New York rabbi paid $2500 at an auction to go out with ice skating queen Oksana Baiul. He says: "Well, I'm single, it's for charity, and she seems like a nice Jewish girl. I guess I'm the luckiest guy in my congregation." [Page Six]
• "My son would have been at that rally in Chicago when the first African- American president was elected, and I'm sure he would have gone up onstage and grabbed the microphone as only he could." — Ol' Dirty Bastard's mom. [Page Six]
• "I got drunk and lied to him. I said 'I've lost my keys and I can't wake my mum. Can I stay on your sofa?' He went to brush his teeth. I took my clothes off and jumped in his bed. It's the only way I can ever get together with people." — Lily Allen on her seduction technique. [Mirror]
• "I laugh when people say we don't get on. Of course we row. But we are best friends as well as partners. I don't think we'd know what to do without each other." — Kate "Jordan" Price on her relationship with her husband, Peter Andre. [The Sun]
• "Axl's a friend, and I don't want to compromise that. But as for 'fun' crazy: He wrote his (half) brother, Stuart, a $25,000 check every day to throw these lavish theme parties. It was like, we're in Indianapolis, so there were Formula One cars everywhere, with all the girls dressed up in pit-crew uniforms. It was decadence at the highest level I'd ever seen, a Caligula kind of outlandishness. There were orgies, sure. Was I involved? Yes. Well, I was in the same room — we'll leave it at that." — Lars Ulrich on being on tour with Axl Rose and Guns N Roses back in the day. [Perez Hilton]
• "Something else comes out of you when you become a parent and, as you get older, you start to see more character in your face. Now, when I look at myself, I just see somebody at peace, and I see a mom, and I see my own relatives in my face – and that’s a kind of beauty that exists for everybody and doesn’t disappear." — Angelina Jolie. [Daily Mail]

[West Hollywood, October 20. Image via Splash.]

The Good:
Okay, so here's what I mean. Helene de Fougerolles's doing the whole uber-structured top-to-tail LV, but I think this is just restrained enough to be wearable.


Despite being a newly-minted designer for LV, Sofia Coppola is Z press-shy as a woodland creature, so it's hard to get a good look at her getup. However it appears cute, no?





The Bad:
Okay, so here's what I mean. Obviously Kerry Washington wanted this straight-off-the-runway look. And, you know, the colors are pretty. But it looks totally bizarre!]


Princess Siriwanwaree Nareerat of Thailand's shoes would be plenty. But the jacket and dress aren't helping.


The animal who died for Brooklyn Sudano's stole deserved more dignity than this Kool-Aid dye job.


Eva "Susan Sarandon's Daughter" Amurri is perhaps the best illustration of the runway-literal that defined this GBU. I mean, the shoes, folks.


In case you're having trouble deciding what to make of this, here's another view. It's hard, because I totes get it...and yet!

[Images via Getty]

The Good:
There's a reason Carine Roitfeld is editor of French Vogue.


There's also a reason YSL liked Naomi Campbell to wear his stuff.


Normally, I might have an issue with the stripper shoes, but...oh, that's right.


The proportion of Audrey Marnay's getup is a touch tricky, which is what makes its success so chic!


I'll admit to loving Emily Mortimer, largely because she speaks fluent Russian and her father wrote Rumpole.


Initially I wasn't sold on Camilla Al Fayed 's lace overdress, but by the third go-round she'd worn me down. Now I think it's really pretty.




The Bad:
Look, obviously Claudia Schiffer would look good in a garbage bag. But I am so sick of garish animal prints!


There is a pernicious rumor afoot in some circles that the 80s-revival parachute trouser could be one of the first casualties of the recession. For Betty Catroux's sake, I hope so.


Yes she's only 18, but this is YSL, Emma!


Digging the Cinderella pose, but Natalia Vodianova's caterer costume's not hacking it.





The Ugly:
Stephanie Seymour: is there an excuse for this time-warp monstrosity? Miss Seymour, I'm waiting! (That was Judge Judy ftw.)

Images via Getty

[Milan, September 25. Image via Splash.]

But when you're a luxury brand, you're special. You don't want to seem low-rent, like a dishwashing detergent. So you're can't just make a commercial. You've got to make a film, and it's got to be for the interwebs. Marcus Black, the editor of Specialten, a bimonthly magazine on DVD, explains: "Magazines are losing out to computers. What people are sitting in front of is where advertisers want to be."

But here's the question: Does it work? Do people who wouldn't otherwise be interested in Prada see the trippy Trembled Blossoms and buy a Prada bag? How about that existential crisis LV ad? (I was in a movie theater when the Louis Vuitton commercial appeared on screen and people in the audience actually hissed.)

As for Dita, at least her "film" is straightforward: No mythical beasts or sense of ennui. Just a great-looking gal in well-fitting bra. Wouldn't you buy that?

Fashion Film Gets A Life Of Its Own [International Herald Tribune]
Earlier: The New Prada Movie Stars Very Shady Characters
Let's All Take Acid And Watch The New Prada Movie
Another Luxury Brand, Another Existential Film

[London, September 23. Image via Splash.]

[London, September 18. Image via Splash.]

[London, September 18. Image via Splash.]

• Naomi Campbell's started her latest round of amends, this time a stint in a soup kitchen for assaulting a cop. Apparently she was ten minutes late. [The Mirror]
• No one will either confirm or deny that Ellen is a new Cover Girl. [AdAge]
• Nastia Liukin thrown in with the sharks. "Ms. Liukin was excited—giddy, almost—but perhaps also a tad intimidated. Dressed in a marbled, off-white bubble dress, Ms. Liukin had attended her first Fashion Week show, Peter Som’s spring 2009 collection, just that morning." [Observer]

• The "Ocampo" is the hot item in Sudanese fashion right now, There's been such a run on the tob, a traditional sari-like garment, that it's become impossible to find. "The real lure is the brand name—after Luis Moreno-Ocampo, the International Criminal Court prosecutor who has charged Sudan's president Omar al-Bashir with war crimes." [Deep Glamour]
• Alice Dellal is in the midst of a coke scandal. But more to the point, she's rocking punk chic! [Elle]
• As previously noted, Ed Norton's gonna be the face — wrist? — of Breil for the next two years. Here are the ads! [Oh No They Didn't]
• The charmed life: Carlos de Souza's It boy career. [Observer]
• Leah Buechley breaks the glass ceilng of the high-tech materials world. "In the several years since she first sewed a circuit board to a T-shirt, the 31-year-old University of Colorado computer-science researcher has done a lot to bring gender equality to the world of do-it-yourself." [Forbes]
• Wondering what the hell inspired the trippy Rodarte show? "Skeletons, Donnie Darko, and Space Opera." [Elle]
• This woman knows how to make an exit: Romeo Gigli's designer quits just in time for the Milan shows. [Reuters]
• The much-anticipated Louis Vuitton-Comme des Garcons bag, sported by sullen Japanese teens. [The Life Files]
• Victoria Beckham: close, but no cigar? "Beckham's dresses appear both curiously wearable and really rather fetching. Primly foxy, kitted out with all manner of tailoring trompe-l'oeil, they will be available in sizes 6-14. Victoria apparently had in mind Nigella Lawson and Dame Helen Mirren by way of muses. The adjectives being bandied between air kisses were "beautiful", "classy" and "desirable". Be that as it may, the consensus regarding Brand Beckham remains a hearty "Thanks, but no thanks"." [Telegraph]
• Looks like chasing Harry Winston's worthwhile; the company's way, way up. [WSJ]
• Faux-fur Converse chucks. 'Nuff said. [The Life Files]
• Obviously a terrible idea: "With no catwalk in sight, nine sharply dressed models climbed up a ladder and plunged into a large tank of water in Australia's first public underwater fashion shoot, delighting tourists and passers-by in Sydney's picturesque Circular Quay." [Reuters]
• Dita Von Teese for Wonderbra: "I took all the best bits of the most beautiful vintage lingerie I have collected over the years to make this...But I made sure it was all really comfortable too, which vintage lingerie can't really claim to be." [Telegraph]

• Keeping alive the fashion industry's carefully-cultivated reputation for bitchy pettiness, current Yves Saint Laurent creative director has his former boss Tom Ford in the Times mag: "Tom is talented but not gifted. That's the way he managed the business. Tom would say: 'We can't do this silhouette because she looks fat.' Or, 'Oh, no — women don't like this fabric; we can't use it.' That mentality was something to learn but was so far from my way of thinking." In sum, Ford "didn't challenge women." [WWD]
• How many times does she have to say it? Dita Von Teese is committed to glamor! "People always think I just hang around in jeans or a tracksuit, and I’m like, Well, no. I’m sitting here right now, having just rolled out of bed, wearing a vintage slip. I don’t have any makeup on, my hair is probably a disaster, but that doesn’t mean I’ll put on jeans and a T-shirt because no one’s looking." [BlackBook]
• In one of the oddest collaborations we've run across this week, model Erin Featherston is teaming up with LU Biscuits, described by Fashionista as "the little crackers with chocolate boys on them." We're "collaborating" with a chocolate-chip muffin right now. [Fashionista]

• If you can't see Helmut Lang's mixed-media sculpture, "Alles Gleich Schwer,"in Germany, you can catch it on the web. We're guessing as conceptual, un-cuddly as his clothes. [Men.Style]
• Don't worry about the environment: fashion is on it! "The Be EcoChic campaign, which raises awareness of environmental issues, is raising its fashion profile on Sept. 4, when it kicks off its global launch with a group runway show at the Museum of Natural History in Manhattan. Designers including Donna Karan, Ralph Rucci, Carmen Marc Valvo, Christian Cota and Vena Cava have contributed looks that feature sustainable, low-impact or recycled fabrics, while women with environmentalist cred — including Mary Richardson, the wife of Riverkeeper’s Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Laura Turner Seydel, daughter of Ted Turner — will walk in the show." [WWD]
• Normally recession-proof L'Oreal challeneged by the "flare-up in the price of raw materials and energy." [WSJ]
• Apparently being in Japan Fashion Week is really hard. [WWD]
• How hard is it to don silk pajamas? Playboy has launched an online style guide for men. "As it is a patriotic year with the Olympics and an election, I wanted to focus
  the playboy.com fall style guide on an Americana theme," said fashion director Joseph DeAcetis." [WWD]
• If you're wondering why the Project Runway models are always flaking, maybe it's because the gig sucks. Daniel's auf'd model dishes on the unpaid, ten-hour ordeal that is a day in the life. [NY Mag]
• A Canadian retailer has pulled its catalogues after customers complained about the unhealthfully thin models. "Simons department store has pulled its back-to-school catalogue from seven stores in Quebec after complaints the models in the book were too thin. The family owned company, which dates back to the 1840s, received more than 200 complaints from consumers denouncing the rail-thin models wearing the Simons Twik brand." Now if only fashion would take notice... [WWD]
• It seems like these stats are always changing, but as of today, luxury brands scoff at the recession, do brilliantly. [The Guardian]
• Ferragamo did the shoes for Baz Luhrmann's latest spectacle, Australia. Wedges and riding boots play a supporting role in the (possibly ludicrous) epic. '"My grandfather, Salvatore Ferragamo, began his career working in costume design for the American Film Company, a precursor to Twentieth Century Fox, so it is only fitting that we carry on his name and our company's heritage by collaborating once again on a film from Fox," said James Ferragamo. [FabSugar]
• As we know, the solution to all the world's problems lies in celeb-designed T-shirts. Accordingly, Julia Roberts has done one for Armani. '"Julia has helped to create beautiful and unique designs for both women and men, which will be a visible reminder of the part that we can all play in fighting AIDS in Africa,” Armani said.' [WWD]
• Kate Hahn's book Forgotten Fashion will certainly be sold at Anthropologie. "It's deadpan social satire in a tone Hahn describes as 'glamorous dark humor...inspired by things like Edward Gorey and the Limony Snicket series.' In each of the supposedly historic episodes, everything goes wonderfully until some sort of 'regrettable incident or unlucky moment' ends the fun."[Deep Glamour]
• Sports bra sales are up; we suspect this has approximately 0% to do with the Olympics. [The Sun]
• Moschino does some "witty" ballet flats for Repetto. Spoiler: they look like wood grain and have random springs of flowers springing out of them. [VogueUK]
• Ooh! The Daily News brings us "The Top 50 of The NYC Fashion Hierarchy" just in time for Fashion Week! We love to know who's insulting us! [Daily News via Sassybella]

• In weird/amazing news: Christian Siriano is doing a maternity line. "Siriano teamed up with his two friends Marta Abrams and Elise Rosemarin, founders of Moody Mamas maternity clothes, to create a collection called Fierce for Moody Mamas by Christian Siriano." Apparently he liked the idea of a gay man doing maternity - and a 22-year-old, less! [NY Mag]
• Isn't it nice when celebrity lines actually make sense, like Dita Von Teese for Wonderbra? [The Life Files]
• What will Stella say? Gwyneth Paltrow wears fur, creates ruckus. "The actress, who along with her husband, Chris Martin, supports a raft of ethical causes, is pictured draped in fox fur and wearing fur-lined boots for the Italian luxury goods company Tod’s." And this after PETA wrote her "many times" and "sent her videos showing how animals suffer for fur." [First Post]

• Does anyone else find this description of the costumes from Madonna's upcoming "Sweet and Sticky" tour really, really depressing? "Costume designer Arianne Phillips took inspiration from the Material Girl's early years in the city to create "nostalgic and fun" looks that "take Madonna back to her roots." Designer Jeremy Scott contributed '80s-inspired pieces with prints from the late artist Keith Haring, who was a close friend of Madonna's and would also have turned 50 this year. Madonna – who will celebrate her 50th birthday on Aug. 16 – is even getting custom sneakers with Haring's art on them." [People]
• "Christian Dior has unveiled its new Luxury Mobile Phone, My Dior, specifically for the China and Russia marketplace." It has crystals on its face and for no very clear reason comes with an additional, miniature phone. It's also five grand. [Inventor Spot]
• After a decade and despite a fanatical fashionista following, Jane Mayle closes her boutique, line. [WWD]
• Miu Miu's jockey-inspired line: "To drive the athletic message home, for the show, each model had her initials embossed in leather on her jacket – how cute is that? – and, for good measure, also wore a close-fitting interpretation of a riding hat." Um, sort of cute, we guess. [Independent]
• Kiehl's, Brad Pitt team up for green charity. [WWD]
• Ospop canvas sneakers take inspiration from Chinese workers. "Specifically, Ospop sneakers are based on a design widely worn by such laborers, but with higher-quality materials and structural improvements meant to appeal to a Western audience — one that is, not incidentally, willing to pay $75 for a pair of sneakers. Since forming last October, Ospop has sold more than 7,500 pairs." By the way, they're very cool - like a streamlined, old-school Ked. [NYT]
• Slate's rundown of fashion books and sites; few surprises, good refresher - although we feel Genevieve Antoine Dariaux should really head any such compendium. [Slate]
• Daphne Guinness on street style: "Celebrities almost never look good unless they are 'out' at something or other, while real fashion animals always look a little interesting, even if they are only going to Starbucks. Individuality will always exist," she asserts. "It's more that it has become very underground and doesn't infiltrate the mainstream as much as it should, so you have to search it out, which is getting more difficult, but also more rewarding." Well, if "more difficult" means a hundred "Satrorialist/Bill Cunningham/street-peeper"-style hipster street fashion blogs, then yes. [VogueUK]
• In "stuff you probably weren't wondering": what did Madonna wear to her 50th bash at London's Volstead nightclub? "The material girl donned Givenchy's catwalk layered gold chains and crusifixes, defying her half-century to look younger than ever. She teamed the necklaces...with a micro mini playsuit, sheer, puff sleeved overcoat and thigh high Stella McCartney boots - and a clutch bag baring her name in diamonds and studs." [ElleUK]
• Belgian Peter Philips takes over as global creative director of Chanel make-up: "A softly-spoken Belgian with dark blond hair and a calm demeanour...Philips has inherited a legacy of luxurious packaging and technical innovation." His first move: gold nail polish. [Independent]
• The Guardian runs down the tactics of the most successful retailers: keeping it in the family, "shock tactics" and, you know, good business. [Guardian]
• Saks way down. So at least the recession's democratic... [WSJ]
• The Duh Files: Sunglasses are no substitute for prescription specs. Why can't people just wear prescription shades like we do? Then, apparently, they wouldn't be getting in car accidents. [Daily Mail]
• Forever21 bulldozes L.A. garden, draws protests, makes shlocky clothes. [LA Times]
• John Varvatos used Gwen Stefani sorta-step-daughter and self-described "dirty fairy" Daisy Lowe in his latest campaign because she's "cute, sexy but not overly beautiful...the kids in the ads look pretty real, we were not looking for glamour." [WWD]
• Venerable label Pringle of Scotland collaborate for their latest window with artist Deborah Bowness, who created a book-print wallpaper for the display using the Autumn collection's color scheme. "The wallpaper was then mounted on large leather-bound books to create the background for the collection. To finish, I used smaller versions of the books embossed with "Pringle of Scotland: The Collection". Each window is arranged differently, bringing style and humour." [VogueUK]
• We're on record in our belief that jean-buying and the internets don't mix, but couturecloset.us does sound pretty cool: "Basically, it's a denim haven, built to bring all the coolest jeans to your fingertips. From the left hand side, choose the denim brand you prefer, and it'll provide links of online retailers that sell its jeans. Also, scroll down and you'll find a bunch of eBay denim auctions." [FabSugar]
• The "candycast": in which a cartoon lady lectures you on fashion. And it's not even Smurfette! [Style.com]

The Good:
It took me a sec, too. It's Natalie Imbruglia!
Dita Von Teese probably knows what works for her better than anyone in the world, and this peach number is proof-positive of it. None of which explains what the hell she's doing here.


The Bad:
I must admit, there's something kind of jolly-looking about Kelly Brook's outfit, even though in combination — gloves, skirt length etc. — it's completely absurd. Who is she? Why, an "English model, actress, and occasional swimwear designer and television presenter."
Lady Victoria Hervey is one of your British pseudo-celebs. And is wearing a sort of metallic sack-jumper.


The Frumpy
Stefanie Powers' jacket: the last touch.
Former model Marie Helvin looks miserable. Must be because she's achieved the rare combination of cheesy and frumpy in one garment.
Well, "violin techno-acoustic fusion" musician Vanessa-Mae looks very modest, if it's any consolation.
I don't know what it is about tiered dresses like 'weather girl' Lara Lewington's — I mean, extend those layers and you've got a rad ra-ra dress — but they occupy their own circle in the dowdiness pantheon.

[Images via Getty]

• Shia LaBeouf: Arrested on suspicion of drunk driving Sunday. He was trying to make a left turn at a West Hollywood intersection at 3 am when his pickup truck smashed into another vehicle and rolled over. Shia was taken to Cedars-Sinai for injuries to his left hand and a knee, as well as a minor head injury. Don't drink and drive, people. [AP]
• Shia was booked at the hospital. He's recovering from "extensive hand surgery" and will return to the set of Transformers 2 in about a month. [Yahoo News]
• This picture of Shia's truck shows a "mangled mess." [TMZ]
• Mary-Kate Olsen has confirmed that she was Heath Ledger's "secret lover" when he died in January. If you believe Grazia magazine. She says: "I'm just completely shattered about Heath. I loved him so much. We had this amazing connection and now he's gone. I just can't get over him." Plus! She's convinced that Heath's family, friends and fans hate her... She may be right. [ONTD]

• "In all this glorious (and quite deserved) rediscussion of Heath Ledger’s passing now that The Dark Knight is out, no one seems to be mentioning what the ef killed the Aussie star, i.e., drugs… Way too many of them. I mean, when Di got smashed up a decade ago in Paris, the world was out to kill the press corps, blaming our kind for destroying the princess, when in fact, it was a drunken driver who killed the poor gal. And now, nothing at all’s being blamed. It’s just being labeled “tragic” and “too soon” that Heath passed. Look, idiots, it’s called drugging yourself to death. Wake up. I exclaim this entirely respectfully, too, mind you—no one misses his über talents more than I. Superdamn shame." — Ted Casablanca. [E!]
• Was Lindsay Lohan hit by a motorcycle in New York Friday night? Did she go to the hospital? Her dad says: "She's not hurt." [UPI]
• Some reports claim that Lindsay Lohan was "flattened" by a motorcycle late Friday night. Her spokesperson says "Nothing happened." [Yahoo News]
• Bono will be the godfather of the Jolie-Pitt twins! [ONTD]
• Angelina and Brad plan on having more biological kids. A source says, "A dozen kids would be their dream." And my nightmare! [MSNBC]
• Halle Berry is pissed at the paparazzi. A photographer trespassed on private property to get a shot of Halle and her infant daughter Nahla. Halle says: "I have long since come to terms with the fact that choosing a career as an actress has made me a public figure, but my baby has made no such choice, and unless and until she does, I will do everything I can…to keep her out of the public eye." She wants everyone to know that the pix were taken illegally. (They were published by In Touch and Life & Style.) [AP]
• Lord Of The Rings star Sean Bean was arrested over the weekend over allegations he assaulted his fourth wife. Boromir would never do such a thing! [Perez Hilton]
• Guy Ritchie speaks! "My marriage is fine as far as I'm aware of," he says. Ha! Poor thing. [Yahoo News]
• But wait! Madonna and Guy plan to renew their vows, at a special Shabbat party in August. Shabbat Nachamu, M and Guy will make speeches in front of the rabbis, letting everyone know they still love each other. [The Sun]
• Madge will unveil her new documentary, I Am Because We Are, at a film festival in Traverse City, Michigan. [UPI]
• Dita Von Teese has a not-so-secret admirer: David Beckham. Dita is friends with David's wife Victoria but David thinks Dita is "very talented." And sent her a text recently. [Daily Mail]
• Jimmy Choo founder Tamara Mellon is moving in with her boyfriend Christian Slater. Good luck, kids! [Daily Mail]
• Ryan Seacrest, Heidi Klum, Tom Bergeron, Howie Mandel and Jeff Probst will host the Emmy Awards on September 21. Heidi could probably do a great job all by herself, no? [People]
• Christian Bale's former assistant, Harrison Cheung, sheds light on Bale's personality. He says: "From the moment [Christian] got the part in Empire Of The Sun, everything changed. Christian became the family’s main breadwinner.We would talk about his parents’ unhappy marriage and how his was the ultimate dysfunctional family. He found it hard to trust people because he’d been so hurt as a child. We would talk about his parents’ unhappy marriage and how his was the ultimate dysfunctional family. Christian [was] deeply insecure about who he could trust." [Daily Mail]
• Amy Winehouse punched a wall yesterday and burst into tears. There's a picture of her bloody fist with a broken thumbnail. Her dad says, "She's fine." [The Sun]
• Blake Incarcerated is "begging" Amy to leave London before something terrible happens. Dude, problems follow you, dontchaknow? [Mirror]
• Rachael Ray has launched a charity-driven line of dog foods based on recipes she has created for her pit bull, Isaboo. Sorta cute, sorta nauseating. [AP]
• Rosie O'Donnell is potentially getting a show on NBC. It could be live, with skits and all kinds of acts from comedy to drama to music. Would you watch? [Fox News]
• Even though Britney and Kevin's child-custody settlement has been finalized, it could change down the line. This story explains: "As the boys grow older, and Spears and Federline's lives evolve, so too might their custody arrangements." Brit has improved. A lot. [AP]
• K-Fed gets $20,000 a month in child support. That's 10 grand per kid, though surely you could take care of 20 kids for that kind of dough. [Yahoo News]
• Will Eva Longoria — sorry, Eva Parker — open a new location of her L.A. restaurant, Beso, in Las Vegas? [E!]
• Keira Knightley has refused to let her publicity stills for The Duchess be Photoshopped. Apparently she's sick of studios giving her drawn-on boobs. [Daily Mail]
• Miley Cyrus made fun of teen queens Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato in a YouTube video, but she's sorta sorry. "We were, like, just having fun," she says. [MSNBC]
• Charlie Sheen wants to get full custody of his daughter after his ex-wife Denise Richards accused him of molesting them. Ugh, when will this crap be over? [The Sun]
• Sam Ronson is pissed that Page Six claimed she won't play Ali Lohan's single when she DJs. Sam says "Where do they come up with this shit? I wouldn't be responding to this one — but I'm afraid that people might actually believe that and that's not fair to Ali. She's 14 years old — high school is bad enough — do tabloids really need to torture teenagers as well?" [Perez Hilton]
• Susie Feldman, wife of Corey, is in Playboy. The mag asks the oh-so important question: Have you ever had a threesome with the two Coreys? Susie sez: "No — absolutely not. Would never even consider it. I'm sure there are girls out there who might've had that fantasy at one point in their life. I don't find Corey Haim attractive; he's not really my type." [Playboy]
• People don't make money off of YouTube, but Avril Lavigne's manager thinks the site owes her about $2 million. Which she would not get anytime soon. [Silicon Alley Insider]
• A clip of Paris Hilton, acting and singing in that movie musical Repo! The Genetic Opera. If you care. [Perez Hilton]
• Paris tells People: "I think my whole life I was kind of living as a teenager and not really taking responsibility." You don't say! "Now I realize that I'm an adult and I'm running a huge company and I'm in love. I'm in a great relationship. I have my family. I'm just excited for life." [People]
• Sienna Miller loves a house in London — too bad it's five doors down from Jude Law's place. Not worth it! [Mirror]
• This report says that Sienna has "fled" to New York to escape the Balthazar backlash. Her dad lives here. [Daily Mail]
• Balthazar Getty: Begging wife's forgiveness after being pictured frolicking on a yacht with topless Sienna Miller? Word is he wants a second chance with the wife. [Mirror]
• Balthazar's been sending wife Rosetta e-mails that read, "I love you." [TMZ]
• George Clooney's ex Sarah Larson says "I'm staying single." Yawn. [People]
• None of the living Golden Girls went to Estelle Getty's funeral. They each had really good excuses, though. Except Betty White. [Perez Hilton]
• In this cast photo from the Broadway play All My Sons, Katie Holmes looks just like Katie Holmes. [ONTD]
• Priscilla Presley's 21 year old son — half-brother of Lisa Marie — is a "hippie" and a "pot dealer" who lives in a run down house in California growing marijuana under lights in the basement. Possibly because he's escaping Scientology, in which case, it makes sense. [Janet Charlton's Hollywood]
• Apparently when there was a fatwa out on Salman Rushdie, he expected the cops protecting him to pay for their rooms in the safe house. WTF. [Times Of India]
• OMG Andrew Ridgeley might join George Michael on stage at the end of GM's tour next month. Wham! fan here. I am never going to dance again. Guilty feet have got no rhythm. [The Sun]
• Do you want Johnny Depp's sausage in your mouth? [BoingBoing]
• Connie Francis is in the hospital with dangerously high blood pressure. Be well! [UPI]
• What the world needs now: A Jackson 5 museum. [Mirror]

[London, July 23. Image via INFDaily]

[Malibu, June 29. Image via INFDaily.]

[Paris, June 26. Image via INFDaily.]

[London, June 11. Images via INFDaily.]

[Cannes, May 21. Image via Bauer-Griffin]

The Good
Gabriella Wright looks just lovely. This dress is different but she's not trying too hard. I love the color, although I wish she had done something more interesting with her hair.
There's nothing wrong with Kristin Scott Thomas in this blue number. She looks classic and appropriate.
Maria Menounos is wearing my favorite dress of the evening. It's long and drapey but also form fitting. I love this so much. Gimme.
Not my favorite dress in the world, but Tang Wei looks great and she's kind of like, "What? I'm pretty. What's the problem?."
I don't know who Vahina Giocante is, obviously her dress does. What? I don't know. But I like it.


The Bad
Why does Christina Ricci always look weird? [Um, what about her awesome dress at the Costume Institute gala? -Ed.] This dress looks like a caterpillar that's eating her body. I mean, it's a nice dress, but it's boring and I think a woman needs to be pretty tall to pull of that kind of length.
Dita Von Teese is great and everything (I guess) but her whole retro schtick is starting to wear thin. She looks matronly here. Pancake makeup and sheer stockings are for grandmas, drag queens, and the entire female cast of Radio Days. What does this woman do anyway? She strips for rich people? Can I have that job?
I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that Eva Herzigova looks too perfect. Not a hair out of place, nothing. It's too beauty pagent. That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.
Please don't tell me that I'm the only one in the world who doesn't think Gwyneth Paltrow is the cat's pj's? This dress looks like the new 500 thread count Ralph Lauren sheets I just bought (on sale).
Salma Hayek, one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen, is wearing a baggy green dress with a necklace from Urban Outfitters. Ouch.


The Ugly
Yoinks! I understand why Lola Ponce would want to show off her body, but this is just weird. It sort of looks like whatever she has on underneath is Budweiser-related. More specifically, it looks like she's going to the Girls Gone Wild prom.
This is what I wanted to look like when I was eight years old. I also wanted to change my name to "Cookie" and drive a pink convertible Porsche.

[Cannes, France; May 18. Image via Bauer-Griffin]

The Ugly:
Melania Trump's dress is as bad and as tacky as her husband's comb-over.
Mary-Kate: Time to take a page from sister Ashley.
Kimora Lee Simmons induces yet another bout with vergito.

This is not Dita's finest hour. Lady looks better with her clothes off than this hideous piece of garbage.
Janet Jackson's tasteful white sheath is all but ruined by the twin accessories of Donatella and Allegra Versace.
Is Naomi Watts headed to a costume party? Dressed as Marilyn Monroe?
Wow. Anna Wintour. Wow.

Earlier: At Costume Institute Gala Bad Tries To Triumph Over Good; Fails
At Costume Institute Gala The Good Superheroes Took A Fashion Flight Of Fancy

• Nicole Kidman was at the U.N. yesterday to urge governments to end violence against women around the globe. Such a worthy cause! (But is her face capable of emoting?) [E!]
  
• By the by, Nicole is looking waaay more pregnant. [Sydney Morning Herald]
  
• It's official: Beyoncé and Jay-Z filed their signed marriage license in Scarsdale, NY. The wedding date? April 4, duh. [People]
  
• "Amy Winehouse visits two pubs in London, tries to buy a kebab and is pissed because the shop is closed, smokes in a non-smoking store, steals a newspaper, arrives to her house at 4:00 AM, befriends 16 year-old girl, locks herself out and breaks in via the garage." [ONTD]
  
• Amy was smoking a "spliff" in a pub before all that started. Is a spliff in the UK the same thing it is in the US? [The Sun]
  
• Penguin publishing has offered Amy and Blake Incarcerated £1 million for a book about their stormy marriage. Raise your hand if you would read that. [The Sun]

• Hugh Jackman has given Ryan Reynolds and Scarlett Johansson his blessing. Not that they asked. But he is friends with X-Men costar Ryan. [People]
• Dita von Teese is the face — ambassador — of Cointreau. "I knew with [my] martini-glass act, I could eventually collaborate with a spirit brand but the opportunities that had come before just didn't seem like the right fit," she says. "And [Cointreau] is so historic and sophisticated and French." [W]
• Kathy Najimy? Seen dancing on a table at Butter? Kind of awesome. [Page Six]
• Dancing With The Stars' Cheryl Burke and Gerard Butler are not dating, but they are neighbors. "He actually lives in my apartment building, and we've been friends for a few months," she claims. Hmm, is that a regular denial or a protest-too-much denial? It's so hard to tell. [People]
• Singer John Legend might be dating ET host Maria Menounos. She annoys me. [Page Six]
• Is Barbra Streisand avoiding the 60th anniversary celebration in Israel (where she was scheduled to appear) because President Bush is going to be there? [Page Six]
• "We were shooting in Harlem, a scene where I smash the windshield of the car belonging to Tina's ex-boyfriend, who just dissed her in the club. It was 2 a.m., and everyone got their lawn chairs out and were cheering me on. They were screaming, 'You can do it! C'mon, Amy, smash that windshield!' " — Amy Poehler on filming Baby Mama. [Gatecrasher]
• Blind item! "Which A-list actor with a long-suffering wife is not only a serial philanderer (we knew that) but a major cokehead (that's news!)? He makes bathroom trips every five minutes at his favorite L.A. club and likes to have a young woman seated on his lap." [Gatecrasher]
• Richie Sambora plea bargained his DUI case. The charge was dismissed and the prosecutors did not file child endangerment charges, even though Sambora's 10-year-old daughter was in the car when he was stopped. Sambora will pay a fine and be on three years probation. [TMZ]
• Yankee Alex Rodriguez and his wife welcomed a second child Monday night in Miami. [People]
• Hot hottie Gary Dourdan of CSI and CSI: Miami's Khandi Alexander will both be leaving their shows. [Concrete Loop]
• Daniel "Harry Potter" Radcliffe told an interviewer he was smitten with a woman he met at a party, though he didn't manage to get her name or number. Two Australian women have come forward, claiming to be the beautiful stranger in question. But! Radcliffe's rep says there was no girl, it was a joke. The rep should keep his mouth shut and let Dan go on a date. [Reuters]
• Kelly Brook and Billy Zane have broken up, not that you care. [Mirror]
• The bad buzz around Tom Cruise's Nazi movie, Valkyrie, continues. And, uh, the trailer — with its mix of British and American accents — and Tom, smiling with