"We are honored to partner in this important endeavor with one of the most adored artists, humanitarians and now certainly designers of our time," said Stephen Lash, Chairman, Christie's. "This marks a fantastic continuation of our many years of working with this legend, having teamed with her in historic fund-raising auctions in support of her work through amfAR and the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation to promote the research and treatment of HIV/AIDS, as well her own purchases of great jewelry pieces. Her knowledge of jewels stems in large part from her pre-eminence and aesthetic taste as perhaps the world's greatest private collector of great jewelry."

The first exclusive and unique creations to be sold directly by Christie's will be featured in their October 11th Magnificent Jewels auction in New York.

Dame Elizabeth conveyed her personal excitement about creating special pieces for the world's leading auction house, stating, "Until the launch of House of Taylor Jewelry, many people didn't know how much I love to design pieces that I wear and for people that I love. I've never thought of the jewels in my collection as trophies. I don't believe I own any of them or the designs I create that become jewelry. Like the pieces in my personal collection I am their custodian ... here to enjoy them, give them love and to share them.

"As they go off to auction at Christie's, I hope whoever buys them gives them a really good home. My relationship with Christie's began many years ago. My love affair with Christie's came about with the launch of my book, My Love Affair With Jewelry, with a wonderful introduction by François Curiel, Christie's worldwide head of jewelry. This magnificent auction house did such a beautiful job of displaying my personal collection and celebrating my passion for beautiful jewels that they eclipsed the possibility of my ever designing for any competitor.

"Stephen Lash and the extraordinary team at Christie's have been quietly generous and greatly supportive of my work for people with HIV/AIDS. They make loving, ongoing contributions to my foundation and brought tremendous energy to the launch of my book.

Hasbro, the nation's second biggest toy maker, said it decided the dolls were "inappropriate" for the company to market and that the pop group catered to a more mature audience. The move comes amid criticism from a national advocacy group, Dads & Daughters, that had campaigned against the doll line.

The company had reached a deal with Interscope Records, the group's label, to release dolls modeled after the popular sextet - whose songs include the hit single, "Don't Cha." But it released a statement Wednesday saying it had abandoned plans for the doll line. "Interscope's current creative direction and images for the recording group are focused on a much older target than we had anticipated at the time of our original discussions, thereby making a doll line inappropriate for Hasbro," the company said. A Hasbro spokeswoman, Gail Carvelli, declined to comment beyond the statement.

Joe Kelly, president of Dads & Daughters, which organized a letter-writing campaign to get Hasbro to cancel the doll line, said he was pleased with the company's decision. "We asked Hasbro executives to imagine encouraging their own six-year-old daughters and granddaughters to engage in developmentally unhealthy behavior," Kelly said in a statement. "It appears that they did that, and then made the right decision for their families, our families, and the company."

Britney Spears, shopping with a pal at midtown Manhattan's Innovation Luggage. After browsing for less than 10 minutes, the pregnant singer opted for a $219 Boyt Solera upright wheeled suitcase and the $168 matching satchel. "She was really nice," says a store employee. "She was happy and seemed in a good mood."

A small-scale pilot trial, published in the May 15 journal Dermatologic Surgery, found that Botox injected into frown lines around the mouth or in forehead furrows of 10 women eliminated depression symptoms in nine of them and reduced symptoms in the 10th.

*****

The study results fit with a large body of psychological research that has long shown that the mere act of smiling — even the most insincere "I don't want to pose for this photograph" smile — makes people feel better. Frowns make them feel worse. Volunteers asked to smile, for example, whether they wanted to or not, while watching a cartoon found it funnier than those not asked to smile, according to a 1989 study in the Annual Review of Psychology. Frown muscle activity, on the other hand, has been found to be a predictor of depression treatment outcome, according to a 1981 study in the British Journal of Psychiatry.

The finding fits too with certain treatment theories. Alcoholics Anonymous has a slogan, "Fake it till you make it," implying that acting as if you feel good actually helps you feel better. And cognitive therapy for depression often involves teaching people to cut the hangdog look. Botox's potential to treat depression dawned on Dr. Eric Finzi, a cosmetic surgeon in Chevy Chase, Md., and lead author of the study, a few years ago, while he was studying facial expressions. Also a painter, he was working on a series of portraits based on late 19th century photographs of patients confined in the French hospital La Salpêtrière, an institution for women "of abnormal constitution." "I went back and read Charles Darwin. Back in the 1870s, he brought up that you sort of are the emotions you express on your face," Finzi says.

Maybe, he thought, the facial muscles feed information to the emotion centers of the brain, which in turn respond with chemicals that produce happy or sad feelings. The loop is complete when those feelings are sent back to the brain, reinforcing expressions on the face. It's one theory that some researchers have held, though as yet there is no proof of such a neurological underpinning. Scientists have proven, however, that facial expressions can alter heart rate, skin temperature and blood volume.

The auction, set for June 22 in New York, features his clothing, roller skates, cowboy boots, sunglasses and neckties.

One of the artist's trademark silver wigs is estimated by the auction house to sell in a range of $4,000 to $6,000. Other items include paint-splattered shoes and blue jeans.

Also up for sale are Polaroid print portraits that Warhol took of many of his friends including author Truman Capote, musician Mick Jagger, actor Sylvester Stallone, entertainer Liza Minnelli and boxer Muhammad Ali. The photo of Ali is signed by the champion and the auction house estimates it could go for $6,000 to $9,000.

Bundchen, Karolina Kurkova and Adriana Lima are using their bodies to bring cash for kids.

The auctioned wings will help children at risk. The event benefitted the charity Free Arts. Each angel designed her wings in her favorite color and added some personal touches.

The supermodels showed off their newly created wings, not at a fashion show, but at the Dream Angels perfume event in New York.

Watch eBay's charity pages this summer to see how you can own a piece of the models.

The first patented GPS location device for pets 35lbs. or more.

Lets you set fences of any sizes and continuously transmits readable updates on the wearer's exact location to your cell phone, PDA, or computer.

Snaps easily and securely onto collar or harness and weighs less then 5 ounces.

Dial F-O-U-N-D from your cell phone for your pet's location on demand.

Also produces environmental temperature and battery status monitoring.

Includes three AAA batteries, 3-cell charger, and snap guard.

4.5"L x 2.25"W x 1.25"D.

Britney Spears celebrated the astounding success of her three fragrances, Curious, Fantasy and In Control, with Elizabeth Arden, the company that manufactures and markets the scents, at a celebration today at the Hudson Hotel. Her first fragrance Curious, became the #1 launch worldwide in 2005, and the only new launch to make the top 20 list globally. In the US, Curious achieved a top 5 fragrance ranking among fragrances launched in the past decade. Over 10 million bottles of the three scents have been sold -- an astonishing number considering that her first fragrance, Curious, was just launched in 2004.

A giant cake in shape of her fragrance bottle for Fantasy commemorated the occasion, and young dancers from Broadway Dance Center, where Britney had studied in New York before becoming a top-selling recording artist, helped her celebrate. Dancers competed in a dance-off judged by Britney. Twelve-year-old Marina Micalizzi was the winner. Britney Spears fragrances are sold in over 80 countries around the world.

A modern take on vintage jazz, soul and blues from the 1920s, '30s and '40s, the album is wildly inventive with a throwback style creating a sound that's gritty and raw. "Back To Basics" reunites her with producer Linda Perry as well as creating new collaborations with producers such as DJ Premier.

The sexy upbeat first single, "Ain't No Other Man," produced by DJ Premier and Charles Roane, is set for release on June 12th. It will be world-premiered on the MTV Movie Awards on June 8th.

"This is a concept album that follows a bold, set vision," stated Aguilera. "The touchstones are Billie Holiday, Otis Redding, Etta James and Ella Fitzgerald... what I used to call my 'fun music' when I was a little girl."

"Back To Basics" utilizes an orchestra, choir, string quartet and jazz horns, as well as techniques that offer a vintage sound and sensibility. "I Got Trouble" incorporates a scratchy blues feel, while "Candy Man" recalls the tight harmonies of all-girl groups from the '30s and '40s, "Save Me From Myself" is an emotionally naked, raw-sounding song dedicated to her husband. "Thank You," dedicated to her fans, features DJ Premier splicing bits of "Genie In A Bottle" with fan voicemail messages. Also sure to appeal to Aguilera fans is the risque song "Nasty Naughty Boy" (which has a '20s burlesque feel) and the sassy club track "Still Dirrty."

The study also found that high prices at the gas pumps will not deter purchases of luxury gifts. Consumers planning to surprise mom with a trip to the spa or a massage will spend a total of $928 million, compared to last year’s $644 million. Those planning to splurge on jewelry will spend a total of $2.1 billion compared to $1.7 billion in 2005. Treating mom to a special outing such as brunch or dinner will cost consumers a total of $2.8 billion, up from $2.2 billion last year.

"On Mother’s Day, moms across the country will reap the benefits of having one of the hardest jobs in the world," said NRF President and CEO Tracy Mullin. "Regardless of age or income, most people enjoy showering mom with lavish and thoughtful gifts to show their appreciation." Other popular items include flowers (67.6%), greeting cards (85.4%), gift certificates or gift cards (31.9%), electronics or computer related accessories (6.7%) and books and CDs (25.8%).

One explanation for an increase in spending could be that people are celebrating "all the moms they know" on this special day. Shoppers will also make sure to pick up something for their wife (20.7%), daughter (9.1%), grandmother (8.5%), sister (7.0%), friend (7.0%) and other relatives (12.3%). Not surprisingly, men will spend more than women with the average man expected to drop at least $148.51 on mom, compared to women who are expected to spend $97.72.

Another spending surge can be attributed to young adults, ages 18-24, who are expected to spend an average of $142.40 per person, compared to last year’s $96.08. The 45-54 year old age group comes in second at an average of $129.29 per person, followed by the 25-34 year olds ($122.39). "Consumers certainly enjoy splurging on luxury items such as fancy meals and jewelry, but greeting cards and flowers still remain favorite tokens of their appreciation," said Phil Rist, Vice President of Strategy at BIGresearch. "No price tag is too high when it comes to showing mom the love and appreciation she deserves."

Greeting card/gift stores, jewelers, florists and electronics stores will be the favorite place to shop this year for gifts of all kinds, with 38.2 percent of consumers preferring specialty stores over other traditional places such as department stores (29.2%), discount stores (25.6%), online shopping (16.9%), specialty clothing stores (5.0%) and catalog shopping (3.4%).

Few Americans had heard of a beauty treatment called Thermage until Oprah Winfrey began championing it on her talk show. Billed as a procedure to tighten skin, Thermage uses a radio-wave emitting machine to heat and expand collagen beneath the skin's surface. In episodes with names like "How to Stop the Clock on Aging," "Look Younger! Live Longer!" and "Look 10 Years Younger in 10 Days," Ms. Winfrey introduced Thermage as one of the "latest cutting-edge treatments" and as a "lunchtime face-lift" that requires no recovery time.

When Thermage was first showcased on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" in 2003, "the show drove so much interest that our sales reps were selling machines over the phone," said Stephen J. Fanning, president and chief executive of Thermage Inc., which sells machines to doctors for about $30,000. And every time "Oprah" reruns one of its Thermage episodes, most recently last summer, traffic on the Thermage Web site (thermage.com) spikes to 30,000 hits for the day, Mr. Fanning said. Ten to 14 percent of the people who visit the site after seeing an "Oprah" episode end up visiting a doctor's office to have a facial procedure, at an average cost of $3,500, he added.

Ms. Winfrey's ability to create best-selling books with an endorsement on Oprah's Book Club is well known. Much less recognized is her Midas touch in the beauty industry. With an average of about nine million viewers daily, the "Oprah" show drives enormous traffic to cosmetics counters, spas and doctors' offices when she endorses a product or a treatment, according to beauty industry executives. "Getting on Oprah is like winning the lottery," said Marianne Diorio, senior vice president of global communications for Estée Lauder. "Because her audience really trusts her, if Oprah or her producers sincerely fall in love with some product or person, the results can be spectacular," Ms. Diorio said.

The skin-care brand Philosophy was sold only in a handful of stores when Ms. Winfrey included its Hope in a Jar moisturizer in a 1996 episode. "She took this obscure little company and gave us national name recognition," said Cristina Carlino, founder of Philosophy. The brand now sells in Nordstrom, Macy's and Sephora stores and on QVC. Last December, when Philosophy Amazing Grace Shower Gel appeared on "Oprah," the product's monthly sales increased to 18,000 bottles from 3,000 the previous December, said Ms. Carlino, who calls her manufacturing plant "the house that Oprah built."

Local search engines, especially local shopping engines will continue to be important as most people still research online and then buy offline at local retailers. As Scott explained to me, "even people who go to online shopping comparison engines still buy offline. 98% of commerce is still done locally." Yokel is set up to solve this problem. Scott continued "there seems to be a void. Yokel answers the question, where do I buy [product x] at a physical retailer near me?"

Scott admitted that we're still very early in the shopping game. Yokel does not provide real-time local inventory information, but rather looks at ever increasing specificity questions. Consumers first want to know what stores carry a particular category of items, then a particular brand, and then a particular item. Consumers don't start out knowing they want a HLR5667W (specific Maytag dishwasher). This also reflects the approach Yokel took to aggregating local information.

The Lost in Translation actress - who has a staggering £2.3 million [Note: that's $5 million U.S.] deal with the cosmetics giants - has reportedly refused to show off her famous curves for their new campaign. The blonde star - who has editorial control over her deal with L'Oreal - is said to be desperate to ditch her sex-kitten image. For her recent shoots, Scarlett - who posed naked for a recent Vanity Fair cover - has been seen arriving wearing long white dresses and no make-up.

A source told Britain's The Mail on Sunday newspaper: "Understandably L'Oreal, which spent a fortune signing Scarlett, and actresses Eva Longoria and Penelope Cruz, want her sexy screen siren glamour. "There has been a series of creative differences. She had a problem with the last ad she shot for body lotion. There were a few heated exchanges."

Nemcova who has graced the cover of renowned magazines and has been the face of a multitude of luxury brands campaigns, looked radiant in the airy yet dramatic portrait hat, which is made of nylon horsehair and spiraled silver lurex braid with pale gray chenille-dot veiling draped around the crown. The retail value for this one-of-a-kind special occasion chapeau is $1,000.00. It can be found at http://www.ebay.com/.

"I am excited to support GREY GOOSE Vodka's dedication to charity by donning this one-of-a-kind hat designed by Eric Javits. This was my first trip to the Kentucky Derby; it was a wonderful experience and I hope to be back," said Nemcova.

This is the second year running that GREY GOOSE, the "World's Best Tasting Vodka," and official sponsor of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA), has joined forces with renowned fashion designer Eric Javits to create a chic, sophisticated and unique hat which is worn only at the Kentucky Derby by a celebrity and then sold, with the proceeds going to charity. Jamie-Lynn Sigler wore the exclusive design last year.

*****

For the second year, critically acclaimed designer, Eric Javits, welcomed the opportunity to bring his brilliant designs and creative energy to the creation of a GREY GOOSE Vodka hat for a good cause. "I spiraled silver grey braid into consecutive rows representing the lanes in which the horses's race. The pouf of dotted veiling represents that moment at which the Geese take flight as well as the burst of energy when the horses leave the gate," explained Javits.

The head of the toy maker’s Star Wars division called Lucas "the greatest character in the universe."

"We took a cue from when Han Solo and Luke disguised themselves as Storm Troopers," said Derryl DePriest, marketing director and admitted lifelong Star Wars fan. "We placed George in his own universe that he created." This is the first time Lucas has been honored with an official Star Wars action figure, DePriest said, but not the first time his likeness has been used. Hasbro had previously issued a figure that looked like Lucas called George Sacul.

"That was very subtle," DePriest said. "This time we really wanted to pay tribute to the man himself." Lucas thought it was a "fun" idea, said Lucasfilm spokeswoman Lynne Hale. "He laughed because he never imagined he’d be a Storm Trooper," she said. The new toy is only available to participants in Hasbro’s "Ultimate Galactic Hunt." Fans must show proof of purchase of five vintage Star Wars action figures to get the George Lucas Storm Trooper figurine.

It had been expected to sell for upwards of $40 million, but the winning bid of $95,216,000, including commission, caught even Sotheby's officials by surprise. "I was hoping for 70-plus," said David Norman, Sotheby's co-chair of Impressionist and modern art, after the sale. "We thought it was worth more, and we were right."

Even Tobias Meyer, the usually unflappable auctioneer, admitted he was surprised when the bidding passed $65 million. "The energy in the room was incredible," he said. "There's just a very clear, strong demand for the kind of intense painting with an emotional pull that the Picasso represents; things that are made for our times," Given a less-than robust economy, Norman said he was "surprised, thrilled and grateful," at the sale's result "but I wasn't expecting a poor sale. We knew there's a tremendous pool of money out there," he said.

The auction of Impressionist and modern art brought in a total of $207,564,800, it's third highest sales figure ever, Sotheby's said. "I didn't dare hope we'd do this well," said Norman. Two works owned by disgraced Tyco head Dennis Kozlowski and being sold by court order to offset fines and restitution also achieved solid prices. Monet's "Near Monte-Carlo (Cape Martin: The point)" sold for just over $5 million, while Renoir's "Flowers and fruit" went for just over $2.8 million.

Microsoft Researchers have invented an e-mail system you use with your feet. Called StepMail, the prototype software lets you use a "Dance Dance Revolution" game dance pad to forward, delete, open and otherwise MANIPULATE E-MAIL.

We can connect to 911 without a cell phone, global positioning systems know where we are and where we want to go, cameras tell us it’s OK to back up, warning systems let us know if we can change lanes and video screens entertain us. These new levels of comfort and connectivity, which were unimaginable 10 years ago, are expected by today’s consumers. But when things break, the cost to repair them often stuns owners. Sure, your insurance company may cover the repair, but they won’t forget you made a claim.

"People who are optioning their new vehicles are so focused on the latest technologies, they never think about what it would cost to repair or replace that item," said Kim Hazelbaker, senior vice president of the Highway Loss Data Institute. "The average amount of any insurance claim today is $4,000 on top of a deductible. Replacing a rear camera, for example, is $4,000. With a $500 deductible, that raises the cost to $4,500."

According to the Highway Loss Data Institute, expensive items to replace include: Xenon headlights with washers, $1,600; adaptive cruise-control components, $1,300 to $3,700; adaptive headlights with washers, $2,000; power-heated turn-signal side mirrors, $443 to nearly $1,000; back-up cameras, $4,200; and rear-parking assists, $900.

"Technology is expensive," said Tony Molla, vice president of communications at the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence, which has a certification program for independent service professionals.

"My daughter wanted an iPod for Christmas," he said. "It cost $400. A Pentium processor microchip costs $1,200 to $1,500. The same costs apply to automotive technology. Generally these parts are made to last the life of a vehicle, unless there’s an accident."

That’s the good news. If any electronic system fails under warranty -- and they do from time to time -- they are replaced by the dealer. Warranties are getting longer, sometimes covering up to five years, and everyone has car insurance that covers most damage caused by accidents. But there may be a big deductible, and if the claim is big enough, you can be certain your rates are going to escalate.

New Orleans regains a chunk of its soul this weekend with the first post-Katrina New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. But even those of us who won't be on hand to hear Bruce Springsteen, Paul Simon, Elvis Costello et al, can still celebrate the city's musical heritage and contribute to its recovery in high style.

Enter Hermès. The Paris fashion house has reintroduced its "New Orleans" silk scarf, created in 1996 to honor the birthplace of Creole jazz. The imagery includes places and faces from the city's musical past, with a border of names from Jelly Roll Morton to Louis Armstrong.

Hermès will donate 10 percent of proceeds from the sale of each scarf to the New Orleans Carousel Gardens Restoration Project, a recipient recommended to the fashion label by the Louisiana Historical Society.