Rachel McAdams bucked the solid color trend for the Oscars and instead wore an
Elie Saab Haute Couture strapless gown which featured a hand pleated bodice with multiple buttons up the back. The full skirt featured flowing panels of organza and mousseline in a spring print of pastel blues, greens and pinks. The dress looked lovely in up close photos, but it really did not play terribly well on television. The subtle colors of the dress looked muddy, which is one reason most women avoid wearing prints to these kind of events.
Rachel accessorized her look with natural, multi-color diamond earrings and a diamond ring, both by Lorraine Schwartz. Rachel carried a lilac satin clutch from Ferragamo and wore shoes by Sergio Rossi. She wore her hair in the most popular hairdo of the evening, a textured updo. No doubt the high humidity and the rain was behind the proliferation of buns at the Oscars this year. Those actresses who wore their hair down (with the exception of Sandra Bullock and Kate Winslet whose hair looked perfect all evening) were looking a bit bedraggled.
Zoe Saldana took a fashion risk for her walk down the red carpet at the Oscars which unfortunately did not pay off. The gown was made by Riccardo Tisci of Givenchy Haute Couture, who should have known better. The dress features a stunning crystal beaded strapless bodice which would have been lovely with a cream colored satin skirt. Instead, the skirt was made of violet satin which then inexplicably explodes into rows of violet, amethyst, navy blue and black ruffles. The skirt also features slit up the front.
The ruffles put us in mind of a can-can dancer. Zoe is a beautiful woman and this dress did not do her justice. Some restraint -- such as making the skirt into a sleek column and dispensing with the ruffles -- could have turned this into a showstopper. Zoe accessorized the look with a fabulous amethyst and diamond ring and earrings by Lorraine Schwartz.
China's new bullet trains are replacing its slow steam powered trains. CNN reports that China is home to the world's fastest train is so fast it reduces airplane ticket sales. The train can 250 miles per hour. President Obama wants to have the fastest trains here in the U.S. Take a look:
Elle UK Editor-in-Chief Talks Size Zero Model Issue
Elle UK Editor-in-chief Lorraine Candy talked about the size zero issue with ITN News. When asked if the fashion industry has a dangerous influence on young girls, Lorraine Candy said no. She said, "I don't think so at all. I think you've got to be really careful about anorexia and the size zero debate. Anorexia is a mental illness. It's not something that's provoked by fashion magazines. It's something that's very personal and individual to the person. I think that it's difficult to blur that line between saying all skinny models are going to make these women anorexic. That's wrong and that's not factually correct."
Lorraine Candy also said there have always been curvy models on the runway. She gave Cindy Crawford as an example of a curvy model. She also said, "There's always been curvy models on the catwalk. There's always been girls from Cindy Crawford onwards who've been curvy and busty. But the focus has always been on the one or two who are naturally very thin."
Lorraine Candy is being quite disingenuous here. She knows full well how fashion models stay thin. Now that many models are coming forward to tell stories of how they were told to starve themselves if they wanted to work, it's a ludicrous point of view. As for the idea that emaciated models and unreasonable depictions of women in media don't help contribute to anorexia, we suggest she talk to any psychologist who treats eating disorders. Take a look:
Elmo stopped by the Wendy Show to promote his new DVD, Elmo's Rainbow and Other Springtime Stories. Elmo also performed a song he wrote just for Wendy. Elmo also had some help from Auto-Tune. Wendy teared up after Elmo's performance. Take a look:
Study Finds Naps Refresh the Brain and Help With Learning
LiveScience.com reports that a very small study of 39 people found that naps can refresh your brain and help you learn. In the study the people taking naps did better on a learning test than those who did not.
"Sleep not only rights the wrong of prolonged wakefulness but, at a neurocognitive level, it moves you beyond where you were before you took a nap," said study author Matthew Walker, a psychology professor at the University of California, Berkeley.
The study involved 39 healthy young adults who were placed into either a nap or no-nap group. At noon, all the participants performed a learning task intended to exercise the hippocampus, a region of the brain that helps store fact-based memories. Both groups performed at comparable levels on this test.
Then at 2 p.m., the nap group took a 90-minute siesta while the no-nap group stayed awake. Later that day, at 6 p.m., participants performed a new round of learning exercises. Those who remained awake throughout the day became worse at learning. In contrast, those who napped did markedly better and actually improved in their capacity to learn.
This is not the first study to suggest that naps can be beneficial. Catching up on sleep can be difficult but a short nap can certainly help. Unfortunately, finding time for a nap is an easy thing to do for most people. That's why there are people working on ideas like the Sleep Box to offer ways for people to catch up on sleep.
A new toy line for DreamWorks Animation's How to Train Your Dragon was announced at this year's Toy Fair. The toy line, created by Spin Master, will be available at Walmart stores on March 1, 2010. It and will feature a collection of action figures and dragons, Viking play sets, and role play toys based on the new animated film.
"We believe kids will identify with the adventure-filled world and the interesting characters of How to Train Your Dragon, which has now been captured in this engaging new toy line-up from Spin Master and Walmart," said Kerry Phelan, head of Worldwide Consumer Products for DreamWorks Animation. "Walmart's commitment to encouraging kids to relive the movie and create their own dragon and Viking adventures is unparalleled."
The How to Train Your Dragon toys will range from $5 to $30 and will include:
Viking and Dragon Character Packs
Feature-Based Action Dragons
Battle and Collapse Play sets
Hiccup's "Dragon Battling Sword"
Viking Battle Pack Role Play Pieces
Flying Dragon Toys
Roaring Plush Dragons
Dragon Eggs and "Active Volcano" Play sets
The How to Train Your Dragonmovie arrives in theatres on March 26th.
Fisher-Price Launching New Thomas and Friends Toys at Toy Fair 2010
Fisher-Price, Inc. will unveil a new collection of Thomas & Friends tracksets, playsets, talking engines and preschool items at this year's Toy Fair. The first of the new Fisher-Price products is a collection of Take-n-Play portable playsets featuring a track that unfolds out of the playset. Talking die-cast engines are also on track for this spring. Each features fun train sounds and phrases straight from the Island of Sodor.
Fisher-Price will unveil three new items that will launch this fall. A new launch in the Trackmaster line will be the Trackmaster line the Zip, Zoom and Logging Adventure Playset (pictured above) which will retail for $59.99. In the Take-n-Play category is the new Rescue from Misty Island playset. For the younger Thomas fan, Fisher-Price is introducing a collection of preschool items highlighted by Follow Me Thomas, a chunky Thomas engine and easy-to-use lantern.
Rockport and Cassie Campbell-Pascall Launch Lorraine Rain Boot
The Rockport Company has partnered with Olympic and World Champion gold medalist and former Canadian Women's Hockey captain Cassie Campbell-Pascall as a brand ambassador. In connection with Cassie's ambassadorship, Rockport is launch a limited edition women's Lorraine rain boot that will be available at retail in Canada and online in the United States. Rockport will be producing over 2,000 pairs of the all-white Lorraine rain boot with Canadian maple leaf detailing, 1,500 pairs of which will be numbered. The limited edition Lorraine rain boot contains adidas adiPrene technology and an Agion anti-microbial fabric lining.
DreamWorks Short Animated Films to Air During NBC's Olympics Coverage
DreamWorks Animation SKG and NBC have joined forces in a promotional partnership that debuts today, on Tuesday, February 9th, three days before the commencement of NBC's broadcast of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games. DreamWorks Animation has produced a series of seven winter sports-themed custom, CG animated vignettes tied to the film, How to Train Your Dragon, which opens nationwide on March 26th. The series is narrated by late-night talk show host Craig Ferguson and directed by Tim Johnson, Executive Producer of How to Train Your Dragon. The short vignettes feature the characters from the film as they compete in humorous variations of the "Dragon/Viking" sports from the mythical Viking Games of 1010.
Scientists Use MRI to Communicate With Vegetative Patient
Scientists say they were able to communication with a patient with a vegetative brain injury using a scanning technique called functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). CNN reports that this particular patient had been in car accident before slipping into a coma for five years.
Dr. Adrian Owen, co-author of the research from the Medical Research Council, said: "We were astonished when we saw the results of the patient's scan and that he was able to correctly answer the questions that were asked by simply changing his thoughts.
"Not only did these scans tell us that the patient was not in a vegetative state but, more importantly, for the first time in five years, it provided the patient with a way of communicating his thoughts to the outside world."
Colleague Dr. Steven Laureys, from the University of Liege, said the scans had given the patient his only means of communication since the accident.
The scientists were also able to communicate with four other vegetative but were unable to "talk" to several others. Take a look:
Mattel and the the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) are auctioning off Barbie dolls wearing little black dresses that have been designed by top fashion designers. The designers include Issac Mizrahi, Betsey Johnson, Rachel Roy, Justin Giunta, Lorraine Schwartz, Alex Bittar, Monica Botkier, Deborah Lloyd of Kate Spade, Tory Burch, Albertus Swanepoei, Philip Crangi and Devi Kroell. Proceeds from the auction will benefit the CFDA Foundation, Inc., a separate, not-for-profit company which was organized to raise funds for charitable initiatives and campaigns on behalf of the American fashion industry's designers.
The doll with the highest bid so far is the Lorraine Schwartz Barbie (pictured below), which has a high bid of $4,100. The Lorraine Schwartz Barbie contains real diamonds valued at $25,000. You can find all the designer Barbies here. The auction runs until February 7th.
Which Golden Globes Actress Got Stuck With a $10,000 Bill for a Ruined Dress?
Rob Shuter at Pop Eater says that the rain at the Golden Globes is costing at least one actress quite a bit of money. The celebs have to sign contracts making them responsible for their gowns and jewelry if something happens to them. Well, many of those couture gowns were absolutely ruined because of the pouring rain, and lack of tenting over the red carpet (that was an epic logistics fail, by the way).
Let me tell you a little secret. All those gorgeous dresses that you see your favorite stars wearing on the red carpet at all the awards show are borrowed. Yes, they are on loan, which means they need to be returned in the same condition in which they were received. After Sunday's washout, most of the clothes were damp and soiled rags.
"These designer dresser are not made to go outside. They are fragile works of art, many of which are stored in climate-controlled vaults. Now they are destroyed and the stars are responsible for the cost of replacing them," an A-list stylist (whose client has been left with a bill for $10,000!) told me.
So who is the A-list stylist and the actress who got stuck with the bill? Rachel Zoe dressed four women at the Globes: Jennifer Garner, Kate Hudson, Paula Patton and Cameron Diaz (who all looked fabulous, by the way). Cameron and Kate were very carefully holding their gowns off the carpet during interviews. It's not Jennifer Aniston: she skipped the red carpet to avoid the ruinous rain. And it's not Julia Roberts: she wisely wore a short, vintage YSL dress. If anything got ruined, it was her shoes.
Nicole Chavez usually dresses Rachel Bilson and Kristen Bell and Tara Swennen has styled Kristen Stewart and Angie Harmon in the past, but we don't think either of them are the tipster. Jennifer Rade was doing commentary at the Globes, so we don't think it was one of her clients. Angelina Jolie wasn't even at the Globes.
Could it be Chloe Sevigny? If it is, she needs to forward the bill to NBC because it was an NBC employee who tore her Valentino gown.
Chuggington, Animated Kids Train Show, Coming to Disney Channel
Chuggington is coming to Playhouse Disney, Disney Channel's preschool-focused programming block, on January 18, 2010 at 10:30 a.m. ET/PT. The series follows the adventures of Wilson, Brewster and Koko, trainee diesel engines, each with their own unique personality and learning style. The series is set in a world much like our own with cities, villages and diverse cultures and geography.
Chuggington is already a ratings success in the U.K., France, Australia, Germany, Japan and Canada. Chuggington'swebsite features games, interactive adventures, stories and original content.
The Biggest Loser's Jillian Michaels covers the February, 2010 issue of Ladies Home Journal. The 35-year-old trainer has a very fit figure but this wasn't always the case. In the interview, she talks about being an overweight teen as well as about The Biggest Loser and her career.
Jillian Michaels talked about concern over the safety of the overweight participants:
"You're the fifth person to say that to me this week. And you're not wrong. The contestants keep getting bigger and bigger...As the trainers we have no say over the challenges. We worry about them too."
Jillian Michaels also talked about being a directionless, overweight and angry teenage. She even once stole a car.
"I lived on junk food. I had no direction. Once I punched a hole in our wall. Another time I stole a car….[My father and I] sort of bonded over food. When he was alone with me and we had nothing to say to each other, it would be like, 'Let's eat a pizza!'"
Jillian also talked about relationships saying it is awesome whether she falls in love with a man or a woman. Jillian says, "Let's just say I believe in healthy love. If I fall in love with a woman, that's awesome. If I fall in love with a man, that's awesome."
The interview says Jillian is filming a new NBC show called Losing It with Jillian. She is a life coach in the show who "moves into people's houses and fixes their various problems."
