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	Sunday, December 24, 2006 Musical Version of "Desperately Seeking Susan" Heading for London's West End Producer Mark Rubenstein has confirmed to Playbill.com that a musical version of the film "Desperately Seeking Susan" is planned for a West End mounting in autumn 2007. The show, adapted by the writer, director and actor Peter Michael Marino, will feature the music of the post-punk band Blondie. Angus Jackson will direct. Casting for the show, which was workshopped in London earlier this month and in New York a year ago, has not been confirmed. "But we are delighted with the cast we had with the workshop, with Emma Williams (A Model Girl) playing Susan and Kelly Price (Guys and Dolls) playing Roberta," said Rubenstein. The story centers on Roberta, played by Rosanna Arquette in the 1985 movie, a bored suburban housewife who finds adventure through the personal ads and her friendship with Susan, a New York City drifter played by Madonna. The show features such Blondie hits as "Hanging on the Telephone," "Heart of Glass," "Call Me" and "Rapture." For the production Blondie's Debby Harry has written another song called "Moment of Truth." "Debbie has been very supportive of the show," said Rubenstein, who is co-producing with Susan Gallin, Ron Kastner and Old Vic Productions....Source: Playbill posted by Niko @ 7:49 AM 0 comments Permalink NYC Trashy Fashion...Dept of Sanitation When New York City officials decided to sell merchandise featuring insignias of municipal agencies, they had no doubt there would be a strong demand for items emblazoned with the logos of the Police and Fire Departments. But the Department of Sanitation? Several months after the line went on the market, the best-selling item is a distressed brown cap with a frayed bill and light-blue DSNY patch - a fact that startled Sanitation Commissioner John J. Doherty, who didn't initially think much of the design. "I thought, 'Why are we using this beat-up hat?' When I go out, I put on a decent baseball hat," he said. "But everybody said, 'That's what they love out there.'" The cap - available in city souvenir stores and carried nationally by Target since July - exemplifies how New York has sought to harness the power of its brand through a canny marriage of promotion and fashion. Sales from the line, which can be bought at http://officialnycshop.com, are expected to top $20 million annually. Royalty fees will go to city departments. Up next: a photo campaign featuring city workers modeling the apparel....Source: The Philadelphia Inquirer posted by Niko @ 7:38 AM 0 comments Permalink Saturday, December 23, 2006 Diddy's Doghouse Macy's has pulled from its shelves and its Web site two styles of hooded jackets from Sean John, company. The jackets were originally advertised as featuring faux fur, but an investigation by the nation's largest animal protection organization concluded that the garments were actually made from a certain species of canine called "raccoon dog". Raccoon dogs - which are not domestic animals - are indigenous to Asia, including eastern Siberia and Japan, and have been raised in large numbers because their fur closely resembles raccoon, said Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States. In a statement by Combs, released by his publicist Hampton Carney, the designer said: "I was completely unaware of the nature of this material, but as soon as we were alerted, the garments were pulled off the Macy's floor and Web site. I have instructed our outerwear licensee to cease the production of any garments using this material immediately."...Source: Press Telegram posted by Niko @ 8:00 AM 0 comments Permalink Friday, December 22, 2006 PINK angers Australians Pink has angered Australian ministers and farmers over her boycott of Australian wool. She recently called for people to refuse to buy the wool over the controversial issue of mulesing, where sections of skin are carved away to prevent flystrike.At her concert in Paris, the Stupid Girls singer announced: "I am calling on consumers to check labels on sweaters before buying them and if they're merino wool or made in Australia, to leave them on the racks." But government ministers and the farming industry have sent a message to Pink, telling her to stick to her music and leave farming to the experts. Australia's treasurer Peter Costello commented: "Pink is entitled to her views but at the end of the day would Australia's farmers take advice from Pink?" Australia's farmers are doing it tough. They are good people. I just don't think Pink understands sheep to the extent that farmers do," he added. Pink is due to start a tour of Australia in April....Source: In the News posted by Niko @ 7:13 AM 0 comments Permalink Thursday, December 21, 2006 Trump, O'Donnell face off Rosie O'Donnell had some fiery words for Donald Trump on "The View" yesterday morning, calling him a "snake-oil salesman" after he announced he would not fire Miss USA Tara Conner. Trump fired back to People.com , calling her "a woman out of control" and saying he planned to sue O'Donnell over her statements questioning his financial well-being. "You can't make false statements," he said. "Rosie will rue the words she said. I'll most likely sue her for making those false statements -- and it'll be fun. Rosie's a loser. A real loser. I look forward to taking lots of money from my nice fat little Rosie." The battle began on yesterday's show, when a peeved O'Donnell said: "(He) left the first wife -- had an affair. (He) had kids both times, but he's the moral compass for 20-year-olds in America. Donald, sit and spin, my friend."...Source: Boston Globe posted by Niko @ 7:01 AM 0 comments Permalink Wednesday, December 20, 2006 Cojo is handing out his first-ever Golden Stiletto awards From BRITNEY's "panty gate" scandal to KATIE HOLMES' gorgeous ARMANI wedding gown, it's been an eye-popping year for fashion and no one knows that better than our own fashion critic, STEVEN COJOCARU. Tonight, Cojo's reviewing the most glamorous starlets of the year and presenting his very own, never-before-seen, Golden Stiletto awards. "Welcome, everybody, to the first annual Cojo Awards!" he says from the world-famous GIORGIO ARMANI boutique in Beverly Hills. "I'm so proud of this inaugural moment, this milestone. I'm hyperventilating a little bit because this might be my legacy. There's a lot of buzz that this might become the next Nobel Prize. Fifty years from now, I might be presenting this to ASHLEY OLSEN!" ... Source: The Insider posted by Niko @ 7:19 AM 0 comments Permalink Diddy Using Dog Fur??? New York, NY (AHN) - R&B artists have a fondness for wearing fur but rapper and sometime designer P. Diddy is under fire for allegedly misleading style setters into thinking a jacket from his winter collection is animal friendly, when in fact it isn't. The item in question, being sold at Macys, is advertised as having an "imitation rabbit fur collar" and is "nylon/faux fur/goose down". The reality, apparently, is that the coat is made out of genuine fur. The Humane Society Of The United States (HSUS) purchased the item believing it to follow their ethics regarding animals as fashion, only to find that the fur in question once belonged to a raccoon. The society is now doing DNA testing on the fur to establish whether it is from a raccoon dog, a Chinese breed of dog whose coat resembles that of a raccoon. If it is made certain that the design does involve an animal, Macys has agreed to take the offending item off its shelves...Source: All Headline News posted by Niko @ 7:11 AM 0 comments Permalink Tuesday, December 19, 2006 Posh to be Cruise's Alien Bride EX-Spice Girl Victoria Beckham is reportedly set to star in Tom Cruise's new Scientology film as an alien bride.Britain's Daily Star newspaper reports that the wife of football star David Beckham has apparently been lined up to play the alien bride in The Thetan - based on the religion, which believes in alien life forms. The Daily Star reported that Victoria - who Cruise has described as a "comic genus" is said to be "thrilled" about getting her big Hollywood break. A source told the Daily Star: "Victoria is really hoping to make a go of it in Hollywood. "This could be the perfect start for her, with good pal Tom Cruise in charge." The 32-year-old, who made her first attempt at acting in the 1997 Spice Girls movie Spice World, will play the bride of an alien leader called a thetan, which Scientologists claim is an immortal spiritual being, present in all humans. Cruise - who is bankrolling the project himself after it was rejected by all the major film studios - is said to have picked Victoria for the role after being impressed by her "comic genius"....Source: The Daily Telegraph posted by Niko @ 8:06 AM 0 comments Permalink Italian Fashion Designers Ban Size Zero & Uber-Young Models from the Catwalks Italian fashion designers have become the first in the world to ban size zero models from the catwalks. Stylists have signed a joint declaration with the Italian government that in future shows all models will have a body mass index of 18. It comes a month after the death of a Brazilian model and after this season's shows were thrown in the spotlight by wafer thin anorexic models. In September Madrid's annual show banned models with a body mass index of less than 18 and there were calls for similar restrictions at the London Fashion Show, but they went unheeded. Under the new self regulation code drawn up in Italy by the government and designers all models in future shows will be "full bodied, healthy and radiant Mediterranean types." ... Source: Daily Mail posted by Niko @ 7:50 AM 0 comments Permalink Thursday, December 14, 2006 HOLLYWOOD FOREIGN PRESS ASSOCIATION ANNOUNCED THE NOMINATIONS FOR THE 64TH GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS BEST MOTION PICTURE - DRAMA BABEL BOBBY THE DEPARTED LITTLE CHILDREN THE QUEEN BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE - DRAMA PENELOPE CRUZ: Volver JUDI DENCH: Notes on a Scandal MAGGIE GYLLENHAAL: Sherrybaby HELEN MIRREN: The Queen KATE WINSLET: Little Children BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE - DRAMA LEONARDO DICAPRIO: Blood Diamond LEONARDO DICAPRIO: The Departed PETER O'TOOLE: Venus WILL SMITH: The Pursuit of Happyness FOREST WHITAKER: The Last King of Scotland More Nominations: Hollywood Foreign Press posted by Niko @ 10:50 AM 0 comments Permalink Steven Spielberg Develops Fashion Series With Christy Turlington, Ed Burns Steven Spielberg is turning his attention to high fashion and developing a TV series with supermodel Christy Turlington and her husband, actor Ed Burns. The couple is attached to write a drama series set in the fashion world and based on an idea from Spielberg, who came up with the concept after attending New York's fashion week. The storyline will focus on five twentysomethings with fashion jobs such as photographer, designer, makeup artist and model. Spielberg specifically sought out Burns, who starred in his film Saving Private Ryan and Turlington, who are close friends of his, to handle the project...Source: StarPulse posted by Niko @ 7:21 AM 0 comments Permalink Wednesday, December 13, 2006 Kate Winslet 'bans' Fashion Magazines Kate Winslet has banned fashion magazines which depict pictures of ultra thin models & celebrities from her house. The actress revealed that she is scared that they may influence her six year old daughter Mia. She told the metro: "It is unbelievably disturbing what's going on at the moment. Young girls are impressionable. They're trying to figure out who they are and they want to be loved. What I resent is there is an image of perfection that is getting thinner and thinner. It's truly upsetting to me."...Source: FemaleFirst posted by Niko @ 8:02 AM 0 comments Permalink Congratulations...Stella McCartney gives birth to baby girl Fashion designer Stella McCartney has given birth to her second child, a girl, McCartney's spokesman said Tuesday. Stephane Jaspar said Bailey Linda Olwyn Willis was born Dec. 8 in London, weighing 7 pounds, 14 ounces (3.6 kilograms). McCartney, 35, and her husband Alasdhair Willis, 36, have a 22-month-old son, Miller. McCartney, who heads a rapidly expanding fashion label, is the daughter of former Beatle Paul McCartney. Her mother, Linda McCartney, died of breast cancer in 1998...Source: International Herald Tribune posted by Niko @ 7:58 AM 0 comments Permalink Tuesday, December 12, 2006 Barney's & Bottega Veneta to Dress Up Scottsdale For window shoppers and wealthy shoppers alike, the Valley is becoming a high-fashion hub that few other cities in the country can match.On Monday, the announcement that two more upscale retailers, department store Barneys New York and handbag shop Bottega Veneta, will open their first stores in Arizona at Scottsdale Fashion Square bolstered the Valley's reputation as an elite shopping destination. A majority of residents and tourists to the Valley might never be able buy things like a $2,500 cocktail dress at Barneys or a $5,600 tote from Bottega...Source: The Arizona Republic posted by Niko @ 7:58 AM 0 comments Permalink Victoria Beckham To Reportedly Sue Fashion House Rock + Republic There is speculation in the media that former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham has reportedly threatened sue fashion house Rock + Republic alleging that the jeans she designed for the label garnered more profit than the deal had estimated. In September 2004, Posh Spice Victoria signed a deal with Michael Ball's company Rock + Republic, under which she was entitled to get a share of the profits made from her own-brand jeans. According to ANI news, she was reportedly paid $980,000 so far by the company. However, Victoria parted ways with the Rock + Republic in October and designed her own brand of jeans DVB. According to Contactmusic.com, Victoria's legal spokesman told Sunday Mirror, "Victoria Beckham's lawyers and accountants believe the range have been far more successful than anyone imagined - and that Victoria is owed tens of millions of pounds." However, Rock + Republic's head Ball has ruled out any such rumor, saying: "We have heard nothing about any legal action." The jeans designed by Victoria are a huge hit with celebrities, such as Katie Holmes. Victoria is set to launch her own Brand Beckham range early next year...Source: All Headline News posted by Niko @ 7:54 AM 0 comments Permalink Monday, December 11, 2006 MOSS HIRES FRIEND TO DESIGN HER FASHION COLLECTION Supermodel KATE MOSS has allegedly hired her friend KATY ENGLAND to design her new collection for British fashion chain Topshop.Moss has been paid a reported $5.9 million (£3 million) for the fashion range, but England, the creative director of the Alexander McQueen fashion label, will reportedly create the collection on her behalf.An insider tells British newspaper The Mail On Sunday, "Katy is highly regarded in the fashion industry as she's well established and works on some very prestigious projects. She's known for being industrious and committed. "Unlike some of Kate Moss' clique, she tries to stay out of the limelight and is happy working behind the scenes." Moss read out a poem at England's wedding to PRIMAL SCREAM rocker BOBBY GILLESPIE in July (06), and spent $39,000 (£20,000) to fly the couple to a ROLLING STONES gig as her wedding gift....Source: World Entertainment News Network posted by Niko @ 7:34 AM 0 comments Permalink H&M to open first store in Japan Europe's largest fashion retailer, Hennes & Mauritz, on Monday announced plans to move into the Japanese market, saying its first Tokyo store will likely open in 2008. H&M said it has signed a contract to build a store in the Harajuku shopping district, and is looking for more store locations elsewhere in Tokyo. "Japan is an exciting market for H&M with fashion-conscious consumers with great spending power," said H&M Chief Executive Rolf Eriksen. "With a population of 128 million of which almost 13 million in Tokyo, we see great opportunities for expansion in this part of the world." H&M has about 1,300 stores in 24 countries, mainly in Europe and North America....Source: International Herald Tribune posted by Niko @ 7:32 AM 0 comments Permalink Friday, December 08, 2006 Jewelers sweat a 'Blood Diamond' holiday Industry fears controversial film, which showcases illicit gem trade in Africa, could lead to major PR crisis ahead of the critical holiday period. "It's a tough movie ... it will raise a lot of questions," Tiffany (Charts) CEO Michael Kowalski told analysts last week at the Goldman Sachs retail conference in New York. The movie from Warner Bros., which stars Leonardo DiCaprio as a South African mercenary who's jailed for smuggling, highlights the illegal "conflict diamond" trade during civil wars in Sierra Leone and Angola in the late 1990s...Source: CNN posted by Niko @ 8:31 AM 0 comments Permalink Q and A about Conflict Diamonds and the "Clean Diamonds Act" Why are human rights activists concerned about diamonds?Diamonds in Sierra Leone, Angola, and the Democratic Republic of Congo have fueled and funded civil war and gross abuses against the civilian population...view a list of Q&A for more info...Source: PHRusa.com posted by Niko @ 8:27 AM 0 comments Permalink Thursday, December 07, 2006 Audrey Hepburn's Little Black Dress Sells for a Fortune The iconic little black dress famously worn by Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast At Tiffany's has gone under the hammer for a record £410,000. Christie's auction house in London sold the dress to an anonymous telephone buyer for almost six times the original estimate placed on it...Source: Hello!Magazine posted by Niko @ 7:08 AM 0 comments Permalink H&M to launch 2nd fashion collection with Madonna STOCKHOLM, Sweden: Europe's largest fashion retailer Hennes & Mauritz has once again sealed a deal to create a fashion line with Madonna, the company said Thursday. Madonna will team up with H&M's head of design Margareta van den Bosch to create the "M by Madonna" women's wear collection scheduled to be launched globally in March. This is the second time the world-famous singer collaborates with the Swedish clothing chain. H&M supplied Madonna and her entire entourage with a complete offstage wardrobe for the Confessions World Tour that began on May 21. "I've made no secret of my love for fashion and trends," Madonna said in a statement. "Working with Margareta and H&M was an exciting and new creative challenge for me. I'm really happy with the results and look forward to wearing 'M by Madonna' along with the rest of the world." H&M said the new collection will "reflect Madonna's timelessness, unique and always glamorous style."...Source: International Herald Tribune posted by Niko @ 6:46 AM 0 comments Permalink Tuesday, December 05, 2006 Mary J. Blige Wins Big At Billboard Music Awards Earning a whopping nine awards, R&B veteran Mary J. Blige dominated the field at the 2006 Billboard Music Awards, held last night (Dec. 5) at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas . The 35-year-old singer nabbed a number of R&B/hip-hop honors, including album ("The Breakthrough") and song ("Be Without You") of the year, as well as Hot 100 airplay song of the year."I've never received this many awards at any time in my career, ever," Blige said backstage. "I remember a time when all my fans were crying and sad and going through hell. Now, we're trying to uplift each other and accept ourselves for who we are, even if nobody else does."...more winners...Source: Billboard posted by Niko @ 7:46 AM 0 comments Permalink Monday, December 04, 2006 Billboard Music Awards Tonight 8pm EST from the Las Vegas MGM Grand BillboardMusicAwards posted by Niko @ 7:52 AM 0 comments Permalink The Newest Fashion Week is Announced - Vegas? Las Vegas is to have its own fashion week starting next year.The inaugural Vegas Style ? Fashion Week has been set a preliminary date of March 30th to April 1st 2007 and is expected to be a prominent show.TMG Entertainment is to produce the fashion event and has previously styled many prestigious shows for designers such as Diane von Furstenberg, Christian Dior and Oscar de la Renta.The same production company has also attracted mega watt stars to their shows and it is hoped the likes of Jamie Foxx, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Kevin Costner will attend the Las Vegas event.Britney Spears has recently been spotted partying in the city's infamous casinos and it is also the setting for tonight's Billboard Music Awards which Paris Hilton it set to present.Kazakhstan has just seen its fashion week come to a close as designers from its ten surrounding countries displayed their summer 2007 collections. ...Source: mpdClick posted by Niko @ 7:41 AM 0 comments Permalink Sexy? CBS' Victoria's Secret Fashion Show defies description Here are a few of the items you will see models prancing about in during Tuesday night's Victoria's Secret Fashion Show on CBS (per the company's own descriptions): "Chrome-plated metal waist cincher with bolt detail." "Angels Secret Embrace push-up with Chantal Thomass playing card cushion appliquÈ." "Hearts on Fire Diamond Fantasy Bra built on the Very Sexy Infinity Edge balconet." "Hand-beaded mylar palette body suit with matching gauntlets." "Grograin and tulle popcorn bustier with popcorn and Swarovski Crystal detail." "Angel Air flotation shrug." Yeah, I don't know what most of that means, either, and I saw the stuff when they taped the show last month at the Kodak Theatre. Suffice it to say that the items the models were wearing were generally not large enough to fit their printed descriptions upon them. And the "flotation shrug"? That was a mini version of the flotation device under your seat on an airplane, which one wagers that few people have ever associated with erotic lingerie. Another model wore what appeared to be a silver child's inflatable wading pool around her head. Ah, but that's the sort of thing you expect when dealing with cutting-edge fashion. The Victoria's Secret models — all dubbed Advertisement GetAd('tile','box','/entertainment_article','','www.dailynews.com','','null','null'); "Angels" — strode up and down the catwalk bearing any number and myriad designs of giant flowing wings during the taping (one even took flight over the audience), including a pair of wings so abstract it looked like the "before" photo of the little sprout Charlie Brown rescued from the Christmas-tree lot. The day of the CBS taping was quite the circus. In the morning at the nearby Renaissance Hotel, a backstage hair-and-makeup photo-op found the models, in silk fuchsia robes, being gang-primped and plucked by beauty-industry professionals before mirrors that read VERY SEXY. Light bulbs spelled out VERY SEXY in words 15 feet high in one corner of the ballroom. (It was bested by the 50-foot-tall light bank in the theater reading SEXY. Tickets for the event featured the word SEXY on them more than 70 times. And yet, I'm having a hard time coming up with a way to describe the event) Backstage, photographers and video camera operators jostled for position. Maria Menounos of "Access Hollywood" was trying, without much luck, to cajole one of the models into eating a cupcake. "Eat it! Eat it! Eat it!" Menounos barked. "Entertainment Tonight's" Kevin Frazier said to one model, "I've got to ask you a very serious question real quick;" alas, the push of the masses thrust me out of earshot for what no doubt was a think-tank-level dissertation on Darfur. Fun fact: Across the hall from the Victoria's Secret cattle call of lechery was a display set up by the National Association of Episcopal Schools. The fashion show was attended, inevitably, by Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie. Justin Timberlake opened the event, performing his single "SexyBack" as the models hit the catwalk. Six different collections were presented, going by names of "Come Fly With Me" (for people really into flight attendants), "Highland Romance" (an odd Celtic-themed collection featuring lots of plaid), the winter-themed "Glacial Goddess" and the rhymingly titled "Coquettish Fetish." There was a fairly creepy collection going by the moniker of "Pink," in which the models appeared in outfits that made them look even younger than they already were; it's apparel appealing to those that "Dateline NBC" tracks down in its "To Catch a Predator" sequences. To make amends, the show — which barely lasted 40 minutes; it took longer to traverse the security gauntlet than it did to sit through the program — ended with a choir warbling that "we'll live in harmony" before, of course, shaking itself of such idealism and returning to Timberlake's less-spiritual beseeching: "Put your sexy on." VICTORIA'S SECRET FASHION SHOW What: Supermodels cascade across the catwalk in underwear and giant wings.Where: CBS (Channel 2).When: 10 p.m. Tuesday...Source: LA Daily News.com posted by Niko @ 7:37 AM 0 comments Permalink Friday, December 01, 2006 Bono, Armani, Motorola and more Support World Aids Day • Giorgio Armani is turning his global network of 124 stores in 33 countries RED for World AIDS Day to celebrate the arrival of the EMPORIO ARMANI (PRODUCT) RED collection.In cities across the world, including Milan, Rome, Munich, Paris, London, New York, Los Angeles, Sydney, Tokyo, and Dubai, Emporio Armani stores will highlight World AIDS Day with window installations showcasing the EMPORIO ARMANI (PRODUCT) RED collection and a variety of special events including live radio broadcasts, celebrity appearances, DJ performances and parties. Read below to find out all the great things other ProductRed partners are doing to raise awareness and help stop the 5,500 lives lost daily and unnecessarily to AIDS in Africa....Source: JoinRed posted by Niko @ 8:03 AM 0 comments Permalink Eva Longoria and Tony Parker Engaged Eva Longoria has got engaged to basketball star Tony Parker. The 31-year-old actress has agreed to marry the 24-year-old San Antonio Spurs player and can't wait to tie the knot. Eva's representative, Liza Anderson, said: "Eva and Tony are officially engaged. The couple have never been happier." French-born Tony flew to Los Angeles on Wednesday (29.11.06) and surprised Eva at her home by getting down on one knee and proposing. Anderson revealed: "The proposal was romantic and perfect." 'Desperate Housewives' star Eva and Tony, who briefly split in September but rekindled their romance during a trip to Paris, plan to marry in France next summer. ...Source: Monsters & Critics posted by Niko @ 7:52 AM 0 comments Permalink