Model Catherine McNeil Finds Comfort in Chicken Burgers

Earlier this year Times fashion writer Guy Trebay declared 17-year-old Catherine McNeil to be “fashion’s latest crush,” citing her photo shoots for Mario Testino, her campaigns for Hugo Boss and Dolce & Gabbana, and her sudden status as the sought-after runway model. McNeil has lived on the Lower East Side since moving from Australia in February and can often be found at expat hangout Ruby’s wolfing chicken burgers like her mom used to make. “It’s chicken breast, and you can put lettuce and sweet chili sauce and stuff on it,” she explains. Not that she did much eating out this week between shoots for Another magazine and Versace. We caught her on the way to the airport (she was flying to Paris for a Gaultier shoot) and asked her what she noshed on.

Monday, November 5
We were doing Versace. I had some banana bread for breakfast. I went out to lunch at Barolo with my booker because I was working in the morning. I had sea bass with Brussels sprouts and mashed potatoes. I had cheesecake for dessert.

Defiant Holly Willoughby insists: 'I love my curves - and I'll keep showing them off'

From her infamous plunging cream frock to her latest daring low-slung backless gown, Holly Willoughby's wardrobe has continued to raise eyebrows in recent months.

But the Dancing On Ice presenter has revealed she has no intention of covering up her car-crash curves any time soon.

In a new interview, the 27-year-old says: “I'm not going to change my entire wardrobe just because of what people have said. I love the dresses I wear, I think they are beautiful and until I think differently, I'll carry on.

“I'm womanly, I have boobs and hips and I dress to accommodate them - that's not going to change. Why should it?”

“People say: 'You're a real curvy woman, you look great – go for it!' and everyone on the show thinks it's hilarious”

“I'm proud of my curves and I've always worn low necklines.”

Holly says that the focus on her décolletage doesn't concern her, describing the press coverage as mostly “positive”.

The star also revealed she wasn't always so buxom, telling the Daily Mirror: “It's ironic that I became a bra model. When I was at school I was known as the flat-chested girl. I blossomed late.”

She adds that her TV producer husband Dan Baldwin copes well with the amount of attention she receives.

She says: “He's as surprised as I am but he's cool about it. I suppose he's always seen me in low-cut tops so it's nothing new. He loves my body… he loves what I wear.

Not all Dancing On Ice viewers share his opinion. On Sunday night, Holly's backless - and almost bottomless - dress revealed far more flesh than the most daring of necklines.

source:(dailymail.co.uk)

Walken dons bra for theatre award

Actor Christopher Walken wore a copper-coloured bra and a brown wig to collect an award from the oldest undergraduate drama troupe in the US.

The 64-year-old received the man of the year prize from Hasty Pudding Theatricals at Harvard University.

Each year the company stages a show in drag, hailing celebrities who have made a "lasting and impressive contribution to the world of entertainment".

Last week Charlize Theron won the Hasty Pudding award for woman of the year.

Walken sang a tune from the musical Hairspray during the performance and took part in a sketch involving cow-bells, which parodied an earlier appearance of his on the US TV show Saturday Night Live.

He said he was "amazed and thrilled" to receive his prize, although he joked: "I hope nobody's watching."

The Oscar-winning star of films such as The Deer Hunter and Last Man Standing also recalled how he had acted on the same stage in Cambridge, Massachusetts "in a play about 20 years ago".

Fan forks out for Shakira's bra

The costume was worn on the singer's 2007 world tour

A fan has paid $3,000 (£1,500) to own one of Shakira's bras in an auction for the pop star's children's charity.

The singer, who noted that her "breasts are small and humble" in her hit single Whenever, Wherever, is clearing out her wardrobe for the Bare Feet Foundation.

More than $60,000 (£30,700) has been raised so far, with one fan paying $14,100 (£7,200) to meet Shakira.

The charity is currently building a school for poor children in the singer's home country, Colombia.

Shakira's hits include Hips Don't Lie and Objection Tango

The jewelled bra, which Shakira wore on her Oral Fixation world tour in 2007, was designed by Roberto Cavalli.

Other items in the auction included a purple wig and Gibson guitar used in the video for Las De La Intuicion, which sold for $3,301 (£1,700).

Another popular item was a shiny lavender skirt with turquoise and coral beading that Shakira wore while singing Hips Don't Lie on tour, which fetched more than $1,076 (£550).

However, a Garden of Eden-style figleaf costume worn on the cover of her Oral Fixation 2 album failed to attract a starting bid of $10,000 (£5,000).

Still up for grabs until Sunday are an electric Fender guitar and an acoustic Taylor guitar, both bearing Shakira's autograph.

source:bbc.com

Worlds Best News: Scarlett Johansson and Penelope Cruz Film Lesbian Sex Scene

(Our happy hour fact to amaze your drinking buddies with.)

Start booking your tickets now: Scarlett Johansson and Penelope Cruz have filmed a lesbian scene for Woody Allen's upcoming movie.

According to a source quoted by Penelope and Scarlett "go at it in a red-tinted photography room" and later share a threesome with Javier Bardem, who plays Cruz's husband.

The movie, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona," has completed filming but won't be released until later in the year -- so you've got some time before you need to start lining up outside the theater. But if you're lucky, you might get a sneak preview tonight in your dreams.

(We know that the happy hour hero is usually a place for weird science and tech news. But we thought you'd want to tell your friends about this. It's the best thing we've heard all day. Maybe all year)

Source:asylum.com

America's Most Smartest Model: "Controversy" in Britain

When a reality television season comes to a conclusion here in the States, it usually means it starts its second life out in the rest of the world. So while the premise and outcome of VH1's reality competition series America's Most Smartest Model has been known for weeks in the US, the UK is just started to get its first taste of Andre Birleanu, Jeff Pickel, and Mandy Lynn late last month.

And, it turns out, some folks don't like that flavor at all. In fact some models were so insulted by the premise of the show they actually staged a protest. It turns out, though, that “staged” is the operative word.

And, it turns out, some folks don't like that flavor at all. In fact some models were so insulted by the premise of the show they actually staged a protest. It turns out, though, that “staged” is the operative word.
Some British models took to the streets on January 23rd to “protest” the show, with one pin-up model, 22-year-old Kayleigh Pearson stating, “MTV [who is airing the show in the UK] have launched a show to find America's smartest model and we are outraged that they think all models are dumb.”

Some of the protesting models sported bikinis, because nothing says “I want to be taken seriously” like wearing a two-piece bathing suit in England in January. They also carried suspiciously professionally-printed signs saying “MTV is making beautiful people look stupid.” Another model pointed out how well she'd done on tests and in school.

But, it turns out, it was all a scheme to boost the publicity for the UK showing of America's Most Smartest Model.

While the models weren't actually protesting the show, they might feel differently as the season progresses. Two stars of America's Most Smartest Model have spoken out about feeling misled through the process, and that they otherwise would not have signed on to such a demeaning program. Possibly these faux protesters will find themselves with a real quibble with MTV as the season progresses in the UK.

Source:buddytv

Zhang Ziyi accused of lip-synching at annual CCTV gala

Chinese Hollywood actress Zhang Ziyi was accused of lip-synching during the annual Spring Festival evening gala broadcast live on Wednesday night.

Zhang, 29, an internationally recognized Chinese actress, lit up the stage with a pink outfit that drew envious gasps from ordinary girls.

She sang "Fairy Scattering Flowers," which was specially composed for her by leading musician Ji Zhongping. Zhang was alone on stage during the performance.

Comments at Sina.com, a major Chinese news portal, were not too kind. Posters said that her performance was just ordinary and she had no real singing skill; it was just her fame that got her audience attention. The complaints about the program started to appear almost as soon as the show signed off at about 1:00 a.m.

An article in the Modern Express, a newspaper based in Nanjing, capital of eastern Jiangsu Province, said that lip-synching was common during the annual CCTV gala due to "hardware problems".

"Lip-synching at the gala is a tradition," it said, adding Zhang came in for public criticism because "she was an amateur singer who was not well-prepared and even forgot words". The article attributed her poor performance to "a lack of experience".

But Zhang thought she did well. "Fairy Scattering Flowers symbolizes happiness and auspiciousness. 2008 is especially important for Beijing and China and each of us. I wish spring would come earlier so that the snow in disaster areas would melt soon," she told reporters.

Zhang made her name with the martial arts blockbuster "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and with "Memoirs of a Geisha", among others. She was once director Zhang Yimou's favored actress. They collaborated on "The Road Home", "Hero" and "House of Flying Daggers".

Every year, CCTV holds a special on Lunar New Year's Eve, featuring dances, songs and short comedies. This year, the gala had another theme: unity and the courage of the people to cope with the snow disaster.

A survey on Sina.com showed that among the performances at this year's gala, "Blue and White Porcelain" by Taiwan singer Jay Chou ranked top among the viewers, with the second and third places taken by girl pop group S.H.E. and Fei Yu-ching, both from Taiwan.

source:news.xinhuanet.com

Britney Quietly Released From La Hospital

The pop star was released from the hospital after spending seven days in the psych ward of the UCLA Medical Center and being diagnosed by the physicians that she no longer posed a legal danger to herself or others.

Britney had reportedly been ordered to spend two weeks in the hospital under evaluation.

The move came just one day after Britney's mother Lynne Spears made public some court papers containing accusations to the star's manager, Sam Lutfi, that he had drugged her in a bid to take control of her life.

Spears' father, Jamie Spears, and attorney Andrew Wallete have been granted temporary control of her assets, including her house, pending further legal proceedings.

A Los Angeles judge issued a restraining order against Lutfi and put on hold the bitter custody battle between the Grammy-winning pop star and her ex-husband Kevin Federline.

(Agencies)

Paris Hilton's Tear-Drenched Super Bowl Defeat

Unexpectedly moved by the of how Paris Hilton was reduced to tears by 50 Cent's demand that she immediately cease her unauthorized booty-shaking activities and "get the fuck off the stage" at her own Super Bowl party, we pass along the tale in the only way that made sense to us: in comic book form. After the jump, Paris's pain, splayed across six action-packed panels:

Furry critters abound in Super Bowl Ads

NEW YORK - It was an epic battle of the creatures in the Super Bowl ads, ranging from the cute to the menacing to the inexplicably rhythmic. A band of lizard-like reptiles cutting the rug to Michael Jackson's "Thriller"? Hey, it's the Super Bowl.

Much is riding on the ads, which are the most closely scrutinized of the whole year, as well as the most watched and the most expensive. This year's 30-second spots on News Corp.'s Fox network broadcast were fetching as much as $2.7 million. The price edges higher nearly every year.

Last year the game drew 93 million viewers, a level that many believe could be surpassed this year given the strong matchup between the New York Giants and the New England Patriots, as well as the Patriots' chance to go for a record unbeaten season.

Using critters is hardly a new trick in the ads for the big game, but this year saw some novel and clever uses of animals durinmg Sunday night's broadcast.

FedEx Corp.'s ad took a decidedly Hitchcockian turn when a corporate underling entrusts shipping operations to a huge squadron of carrier pigeons — eerily reminiscent of "The Birds."(source:news.yahoo)

Alesha Dixon stages comeback with dazzling new video

BEIJING, Feb. 1 -- Alesha Dixon danced her way back into the spotlight last year after winning Strictly Come Dancing, now she's preparing to relaunch her singing career.

The star has just shot a glamorous film clip for a remix version of her single "4 U I Will," as part of a new campaign for the latest Ford Focus.

She appeared right at home on the Essex set, where she showed off a series of dramatic sparkling gowns.

It is, after all, familiar territory for the 29-year-old, who had her first taste of musical fame as part of the garage/R&B girl band Mis-Teeq.

They released two successful albums - Lickin' On Both Sides in 2001 and Eye Candy in 2003 - and had several hit singles, including Scandalous and Can't Get It Back.

The band broke up in March 2005 and Dixon married Harvey three months later but filed for divorce this year after he admitted an affair with Javine Hylton - his co-star in the West End musical Daddy Cool.

(Source: chinadaily.com.cn/Agencies)

Pamela Anderson to perform at nude revue

PARIS (Reuters) - Former "Baywatch" star and Playboy model Pamela Anderson takes to the stage in one of France's most famous nude revues this month, when she performs for two nights at the Crazy Horse in Paris.

Anderson, who has recently been performing in a magic show in Las Vegas, follows Arielle Dombasle, an actress and wife of one of France's leading intellectuals, in appearing at the Crazy Horse, a fixture in Paris night life for half a century.

"A special number will be created for Pamela Anderson, a striptease on a Harley Davidson," the Crazy Horse said.

Anderson will perform four shows on February 13-14.

(source @ reuters.com)

Carnival marks 42nd plastic surgery for Brazilian model

BEIJING, Jan. 28 (Xinhuanet) -- To get ready for dancing nearly nude at the head of a 300-person drum corps during Rio de Janeiro's five-day Carnival blowout in February, Brazilian model Angela Bismarchi is having her 42nd cosmetic surgery — closing in on the Guinness World Record of 47 surgical procedures held by 52-year-old American Cindy Jackson.

"I always was vain,” Bismarchi, 36, acknowledges at the medical clinic near Rio where her plastic surgeon husband has operated on her 10 times. "And for carnival, you have to feel especially pretty. I consider myself quite timid. I'm just a little girl grown big."

Just days before Brazil's Feb. 2 to 6 carnival begins, Bismarchi will have nylon wires implanted in her eyes to give them an Asian slant, in line with this year's theme of her samba group, Porto da Pedra: the centennial of Japanese immigration to Brazil.

Bismarchi's passion for plastic surgery has made her a celebrity in this image-mad country, where even the poor get surgical enhancements on the installment plan. Brazilians see no shame in touching up their bodies, which are routinely exposed at carnival and flaunted on the beach in thong bikinis so tiny they're called "dental floss."

Born poor in Rio, Bismarchi had her first cosmetic surgery in 1992 after her daughter was born. She was just 21, but said she was depressed after nursing caused her breasts to sag. So she had them lifted, adored the results, and became so fascinated with cosmetic surgery that her next two husbands were plastic surgeons.

"I put in a prosthesis and loved it. I was beautiful and sensual again," Bismarchi said, a striking figure at 6 feet — taller in white high heels — with long blond hair flowing over her white minidress.

She first made headlines in 2000, when police tried to arrest her after she paraded partly nude with the Brazilian flag painted on her body.

A wardrobe malfunction at last year's carnival put Bismarchi back in the news — when her G-string broke and dangled from her waist, Porto da Pedra was threatened with a penalty for total nudity, forbidden under parade rules. But the resourceful Bismarchi hid from the judges behind the drum section, changed her tiny "sex cover" and finished the parade.

Today, Bismarchi promotes an exclusive line of sexy lingerie, gives beauty tips and responds to the 500 to 700 letters and e-mails she receives each day. To care for her famous figure, she does two and a half hours of exercise daily, takes dance lessons and spends hours tanning on the beach.

(Agencies)

Christina Ricci takes gamble on Kick Gurry

HE relationship between American actress Christina Ricci and Aussie leading man Kick Gurry sounds like it's an odds-on favourite to succeed, with the pair now sharing a love of gambling.

The Penelope star has confessed she is "obsessed" with all forms of betting, including having a punt on the gee-gees and the footy - a habit she picked up during her trip Down Under this summer.

"I've learned to love gambling. I was in Australia for a few months and gambling is like a national pastime there. Now I even put on a few football bets and I'm kind of obsessed and into it. Gambling is pretty good," she said.

Not quite the celebrity endorsement Gamblers Anonymous was looking for, but sounds like she's almost a true blue Aussie.

source:news.com.au