“ He needs someone to be like, ‘Okay, let’s buck you up, let’s give you a moustache, let’s rough you up, let’s go to a bar, let’s get drunk and be a man. Either way, he needs to get in a fight.” Britney Spears advice to Michael Jackson (A moustache? Go on take it like a man Michael! )
“In the future, I will refrain from discussing my private life in interviews. It will be expressed solely through art.” Britney Spears ( art?? What art? )
“ It’s just an opportunity to see celebrities without their clothes.” Teri Hatcher from Desperate Housewives turning down an offer to pose for Playboy (a magazine about celebrities without clothes (Not art )
“Having seen the pictures of my jugs out, I can now say I’m delighted to have had the surgery,” Jade Goody from UK Big Brother announcing a new career as a topless model ( in Playboy?)
“My boyfriend was like, ‘It was the hottest thing ever! Sweet!’ He obviously is not new to my breasts.” Bijou Phillips’ on her exposure at the PlayStation Portable fashion show
“Of course, it was all over in a nano-second - it still is! Why waste time?” Bob Geldof has confessed he lost his virginity to a 36-year-old woman when he was just 13.
“ You’re in less of a hurry. You know a few more tricks,”just the simple fact that at 50 you can still do it. That’s a nice little bonus by itself.” Bruce Willis talk to Bob Geldof please)
“People say I was the love of his life.” Rachel Hunter on Rod Stewart
“ I’ve never been happier or more in love than I am today.” Rod Stewart on getting engaged to Penny Lancaster at the top of the Eiffel Tower with a $30,000 diamond ring
“I left it this long because I wanted to get it right this time,” (Rod you will never get it right)
“I used to think marriage was so beautiful, but right now, it’s just one big ugly contract. It is all about money, what people can get, and it has very little to do with church and vows. That is not me being angry, because I had a great marriage. I respect Rod. I was with him for a long time so I’m not going to be mean about him” (Damn) Rachel Hunter being mean about Rod
“ Yes, it’s true, I have asked her to marry me – and she’s agreed. She assured me she doesn’t trust me an inch – and I’m a bit paranoid and insecure, We haven’t set a date yet, but if things aren’t going well in court we may have to marry before the case ends” Pete Doherty on marrying Kate Moss before he goes to Jail for drugs. (Kate talk to Rachel Hiunter!)
“It was a miserable marriage. I don’t recall having a single conversation in four years of marriage.” Sean Penn on marriage to Madonna ( who talks in a marriage?)
“She’s very happy - she didn’t put much on anyway, to be honest, she only had this little cute bump. She’s losing the weight quickly, which is pleasing for her.” David Beckham on Posh’s post childbirth figure (not so pleasing for the baby) and her third caesarian ( clever girl)
“Enjoy food, but enjoy it in moderations. Have a balanced diet and don’t embark on faddy crash diets. Drink lots of water. Don’t drink excess amounts of alcohol and definitely don’t smoke. Practice yoga or pilates to stay supple and fit. Don’t over cleanse your skin and don’t over moisturise. CINDY CRAWFORD on how to look that good at 40: ( yes Cindy we know that but how do we DO it?)
“I’m the man who brought you the mullet.” Bono at the launch of socially-conscious label, Edun, he has created with his wife Ali and designer Rogan.

You have a house full of Diptiques candles but don’t you look at them sometimes and think hold on! I could have bought 2 pairs of divine shoes instead of all these snazzy candles. Oh, they do smell gorgeous (the candles not the shoes) but if you just want candles that look good, and don’t smell not much of anything (nothing worse than a cheap fragrance) then dash into Freedom Furniture for the chic but oh-so-cheap red candles in fabulous red glass pots. They look great, and are in the most perfect red, and who cares if you never burn them for $6.95?

Red Candles from Freedom $6.95

Easter is coming next week and if there is an item du jour it would have to be some groovy scales to weigh yourself after gorging on easter eggs and home made hot cross buns. That’s right home made hot cross buns. You can make them yourself and impress everyone. Just rush into the charming cook ware store ‘Plenty’ to buy the very clever Easter Muffin tray with 6 cute little bunny molds and shapes. The kid will love it and so will you when you throw away the calorie counter and just enjoy the feast. And if you can’t be bothered with hot cross mixture just make chocolate muffins instead.
$34 Easter Muffin Tray from Plenty

Some mornings can be quite a shock when you look in the mirror and start to wonder why Frida Khalo and that unibrow is staring back at you. Oh dear. Not a good look even if she did have fabulous clothes and shoes. But keeping the eyebrows from running amok is easy, just grab the very clever and hardworking Estee Lauder eyebrow tool, it has everything you need for doing your eyebrows anywhere! “This portable kit holds everything you need, all cleverly packaged in a modern little take-it-with-you tool. Includes eye and brow pencils, mini tweezers, even a tube of brow gel for expert styling.” And it folds up so you can chuck into the Birkin and go!

$46 Estee Lauder Eyebrow Tool only from David Jones.

The FiFi Report predicted it (it wasn’t hard) but the bling backlash is official. Style.com says about next winter ” Call it fashion rehab: Designers have sworn off glitz and embellishment to embrace a newfound sobriety. The silhouette was sculpted and spare, save for the odd voluminous flourish; the palette was dark and moody (claret, indigo, navy); and the thematic touchstones—Victoriana, Chekhov, minimalism—were ideally suited to the season’s buzzwords: rigor and restraint. And WWD says” Black is back for fall, and so are sober, even somber, styles that would have delighted Morticia Addams.
In the inaugural Travel & Leisure annual design and architecture awards the winners were: Best museum;The new MOMA, Best restaurant; Yauatcha designed by Christian Liagre in London ( see FiFi #43), Best retail space; a London store called ‘globetrotter/Macintosh’, Best hotel small: hotel OMM in Barcelona http://www.hotelomm.es/ . Best luggage: valextra http://www.valextra.it , Best large hotel : Q! in Berlin http://www.q-berlin.de And honorable mention of best restaurant goes to the Claudio Silvestrin Panificio Princi in Milan. http://www.princi.it
EXTRA, EXTRA: Victoire de Castellane, Dior’s fine jewelry designer, is joining her cousin, designer Gilles Dufour, on the set of Sofia Coppola’s upcoming film about Marie Antoinette, which also features Kirsten Dunst and Marianne Faithfull. Castellane, who met Coppola when the director was interning at Chanel, will appear as an extra alongside her sister, Mathilde Agostinelli, who is Prada’s Paris public relations person.WWD
Here’s a brilliant idea: need a chic place to stay in London but can’t afford anything with the outrageous exchange rate? Then try this cool idea found on Travel & Leisure: bed and breakfast in private homes “ attractive and comfortable accommodation in elegant private homes in the very best parts of Central London —Kensington, Chelsea, Knightsbridge, Belgravia and the West End, http://www.uptownreservations.com/ ( daggy website ,cool idea)
In London check out the first BECCA makeup concept store next to Chanel.
These days, one could easily confuse the Marc Jacobs store on Mercer Street New York with a bookstore. A huge display in the window heralds the release of Francine Prose’s new book, “A Changed Man,” a satire about fund-raising, liberals and the extreme right. WWD
“It’s like the opening of Studio 54,” a bemused young magazine editor said at the opening of Damien Hirst’s show, “The Elusive Truth,” at the Larry Gagosian Gallery in West Chelsea in New York. “I was stuck on line with Lou Reed and Julian Schnabel and it snaked halfway down the block, four deep!”

http://www.elephantfamily.org/cms/iopen24/Please be fashionable and save the elephants too! Buy (for US $35) the coolest T shirt inspired by Bruce Weber’s elephant in W magazine , with 10 sketches by all the hip fashion designers: ( first names will do) Helmut, Karl, Manolo, marc , Dolce and Balenciaga.. it’s so cute! I want one.. just don’t get a fright when you click on the website …

http://www.abc.net.au/atthemovies/
So you are out every night of the week eating, shopping and seeing movies, who has time to sit at home and watch Margaret and David chatting about all the movies you should see ( and who can stay up late enough to watch it?). Now just go to the website , click on the movie and read the transcripts from the show and their little chatnchew, plus all about the movie…Margaret how many stars?

” Demi Moore’s reps invoke the classic denial, plus the “I only know what she tells me” line when questioned about her rumored pregnancy. We’ve said it a hundred times, but we’ll say it again: no means yes! There’s a distinct possibility that Demi Moore may be carrying Ashton Kutcher’s cackleberry and, if there’s one thing we love, it’s celebrity babies. They’re so tiny and cute and rich! On the bright side: This is, you realize, a miracle of modern science. If Moore is actually pregnant, it means her womb survived contact with Bruce Willis’ septic seed, and, just as impressively, she has now managed to create life with a man made completely out of Play-Doh” ( from Gawker)
Cameron Diaz was reportedly rushed to the hospital after falling off a chest of drawers in her Hollywood hills home and was treated for a back strain and received 19 stitches to her head.
Ellen Barkin is breathing easier after choking on a piece of shrimp. Billionaire hubby Ron Perelman had just left the table where the couple was dining and a would-be rescuer tried the Heimlich maneuver, but Barkin expelled only a few bits of the shellfish. A doctor was called and did the maneuver successfully. Unwinding afterward, Barkin puffed on a cigarette and bought the doctor a drink! ( from NYDN) (choking on a fag?)
Penélope Cruz and Matthew McConaughey — rumored to tie the knot in Madrid in July, will make their next movie near Matthew’s home in Texas as they have signed to star in “The Loop,” a love story about a Texas highway patrol officer, a rebellious loner who falls for the town librarian.
Veteran screen goddess Jane Fonda’s late husband Roger Vadim bullied her into seducing women to join them in orgies. The 67-year-old says that Vadim, who directed her in Barbarella forced her to phone escort companies and chat up girls in bars so they could take part in his “cruel and misogynistic” sex sessions. She says in her autobiography My Life So Far, due out in April.
Jane Fonda is waiting to undergo a hip-replacement operation ( so far not so good) .
HEIDI KLUM is rumoured to be pregnant again to Seal
Grammy-winning rapper Lil’ Kim was convicted of conspiracy and perjury for lying to a grand jury investigating a shootout outside a Manhattan radio station
Sharon Stone celebrated her 47th birthday with new male admirers after an explosive bust-up with boyfriend Eason Jordan.in Tahiti ( explosive).
Billy Joel has returned to a rehabilitation clinic.
KATE MOSS was banned from her local pub, The Swan, after booking a table for 35 but then failing to turn up. The supermodel is now allowed back in having dropped in a cheque for £1,750 to make up for it.
This is a funny story from Gawker Stalker “ My friend was waiting in line at the Angelika to buy movie tickets on Saturday night with a friend. Apparently his friend moved from where she had been standing and, not paying attention, my friend leaned up against this other woman and started singing some song the two of them had been talking about earlier. The woman turns around and my friend, shocked, says, “you’re not Emily….You’re ANNA WINTOUR!” And it was. He said she was very gracious about the mistake and impromptu concert”
“I feel my life is now complete. Quintessential New Yorker who has yet to spot an Olsen twin, I walking home from work yesterday in Chelsea spotted a big black Suburban or some other vehicular monstrosity, and out comes this ADORABLE little big-eyed beauty. A white, French bulldog puppy, wrapped in a blanket, and who’s holding it but a big-eyed homeless woman…no, wait! It was Mary Kate Olsen (definitely brunette) and a publicist looking type and of course, a bodyguard EASILY 5 times MKs size.” Gawker Stalker

Tea on the Blue Sofa by Natasha Illumberg
I read about this in W magazine and it sounds like a great story, set in modern day Africa and full of love, murder and intrigue and all true…” This slim little novel has already become a bestseller in Denmark, it is a “ the story of a woman in Africa who meets and falls in love with a married man. Meeting him changes her life forever. Her childhood and family, her journey to Africa and her other lovers seem to belong to a different person. And then a terrible event turns her life around yet again.” Oh dear…juicy.
$29.95 (Fourth Estate) from major book stores

The Christmas List:
Craig McDean Lifescapes
Another cool photography book from the cool photographer “ “ Craig McDean is accustomed to shooting pop idols en grande forme–a playful Madonna, for example, on the cover of Vanity Fair or in a worldwide campaign for Yves Saint Laurent. Lifescapes shows that he is also adept at challenging our perceptions of the big picture. McDean calls this collection Lifescapes rather than landscapes because the images represent his private views–vignettes from his own travels, his road trips across the world.
$135 Steidl Publishing (November 15, 2004) from Major Booksellers

How did the mid winter season sales start everywhere and it is still summer? There are so many racks of clothes through David Jones that even Uber shoppers such as myself look on in dismay. How do mere mortals attempt it? Keep reading…
Economy.
David Jones: are having a sale on coats and if you are on a budget go up to the 4th floor and check out their own label tweed, single breasted, princess coat now 30% off $249. Also check out the trenches too. Sportsgirl: very scary in here with all the cheap fake vintage everything, not a lot here that makes your hear beat faster. Damn, they used to do great rip offs of Helmut Lang and Mui Mui. Better to buy real vintage or the Marc Jacobs. Check out the sale pieces for summer hippy dresses $89 Esprit: have a cheap but chic choc brown suede shoulder bag $99,a choc brown polo neck $59, a nice graphic print silk scarves $19, and there is good suiting here for good prices. Best piece is the trench and of course the cord shrunken jacket .Witchery: Not a lot new in this week but check out from last week the cord camel trench, the choc suede trench and another version of the Balenciaga bag with brass studs $289 in blue, looks cool Events: have a cool tan leather zip bomber jacket $445, also in black . Seduce: have a watermelon trench which is quite good.
Cue: have a few good pieces: check out the black velvet jacket $299, the tweed shorts $195, the wrap black pleated skirt, a good version of the 50’s full skirt but good for every day $185, the velvet ribbon Prada esque jeweled belts are chic $125 and there are really nice green knit T’s, very chic and simple $85.
On the Homewares front: Freedom Furniture: also have gone very mid century with a kind of Eames rip off chairs and tables. But I love the titanium planter boxes: half price very suare and very chic silver boxes, 40 cm was $99 now $49 and the 90 cm was $129 now $69. Spence & Lyda have a sale on Missoni towels now from $70 to $170 and bathrobes and fabrics with 20 or 30% off. It’s all divine; You want the carpet and the fabric. Also the Eames red chairs now 20% off $1575 and the absolutely divine wooden Eames stools are 15% off $1425. RJ Madden : have cute little T shirts for new born babies that say : ‘babies are the new black’ $35.

Business:
Nicola Finetti: Has some cool winter pieces: a T shirt with a hook an eye bra under it $135, gorgeous black beaded tank $242, and he has done some fab leather jackets: a cracked leather silver cropped jacket $570, a leather peacoat $1132, a red leather bomber $1107, a cracked leather pencil skirt $616 and a white leather peacoat jacket $1430, a little cropped bomber $1181 in red is cool, and so is the red crop bolero style jacket $1430. Check out the beautiful white T shirts with white chiffon sleeves beaded $315, the white T with chiffon sleeves $176 and the gorgeous grey tweed cropped bolero jacket $526. kikki-K : has Mandarina Duck bags in a gorgeous red $600 and Arte Flowers has Lulu Guinness ‘Love’ bags (plastic). Orson & Blake: I love all the Hugo By Hugo Boss, the satin dress ( in all the ads) is here with the gathered neckline ( copy of Prada) $909, there is cool, little, black velvet jacket $495, a kate Sylvestre tweed jacket $450, and black tweed pants $$, and the Et Vous grey sleevless top with beads $430 is cool. So is the Mui Mui esque Moroccan tile print Hugo Boss blouse $455, the Leonie trench $600, the kenzo fab circle print tops $$.Scanlon & Theodore sale shop: lots of thing here for about 40% off. Please pop in for a rummage, for shoes and bags. Best pieces are: the chiffon pink top $200, $ cream crop cotton bomber with brass zip $595, the small and cute bags $300, a gorgeous fitted grey jacket $250, a print chiffon patchwork tops $400 and a red chiffon sundress now $500. David Jones: Yes there is 30% off the Marc by Marc Jacobs ( funny about that) but it’s worth having a look, a satin swirly print top is now $389 and there are quite a few jeans. Saba: Has a cool Paul Smith style candy stripe L/S top with a plunging neck $235, and purple wrap dress with flowers $245.Orson & Blake Salon in Queen st: Love the Lacroix paisley chiffon dresses in the window so pretty, $1200, the Bullfighter print skirt $718, the paisley floral multi print T $400, and the tweed multi colour coat $1873. Check out the pink and brown tweed jacket $1279 and the black A line skirt with a back pleats $575. The Eccletica canvas open top tote bags with gorgeous orange lining and over stitching are divine and a must buy $299, (big, chic, handy and great for every day in black or camel or other colours). There is a chic Helen Muriel black velvet flocked coat $695 and cool black jersey drape top by Motel for $63 ( buy 3) and also a cool red and blue leaf print $60. Also the jewellery here is very good. Tim O’connor: has his winter collection in and the best buys are the Fake Fur chubby $330,the fab snakeskin bronze round toe heels $195, the black fitted short peacoat $243, and some perfect little crop jackets $$.Coach: has the Prads esque eyelet bags with the big strap over the front, now in a bronze leather $600 and also some very nice slouch/boho bags in black or tan with white sitching about $700, and a green suede version too.

First Class:
Como: Has a lot of divine new ( summer) clothes in: a lot of the Narciso has sold out but more I sbeing unpacked, the costume National is there , the Martine Sitbon, the Pollini and the Allesandro Del”Aqua .Too much to write it all but best buys are the Costume Nationale blue and brown print dress $1515, the green chiffon halter top $765, the green and red stripe boob tube $575 and their cool T shirts. The Allesandro mint frayed chiffon top $775, the Pollini LBD $1950, the Anna Molinari blue satin cami $940 and the Costume Natiponale trench $1875.Get in here it is all gorgeous.( Princess Mary did)
Bally: (city store) has a few pieces of their clothing line including a leather jacket blazer and drawstring divine bags on sale $600. Louis Vuitton: has divine new summer collection in store: you want the red and cream spot chiffon blouse with a ribbon tie $2200 and the denim skirt $850, the chinos narrow cut beautiful $800, the stone fitted jacket $2140 ,the pink tweed jacket $$$ and the stone ,the silver leather jacket with pink trim and the orange water melon bag is gorgeous too. Buy the red sling backs in fabric $825, the ballet flats $800 and the snakeskin spot print dress. The cherry bags are here too (not my favourite) David Jones; there is 60% off the imports such as Paul Smith and Moschino and Escada.Robbie Ingham is having a big clearance with lots of Comme on sale: floral tank top $100, the gold tanks and L/S T shirts $209 , crop stripe sweater $200 and also the new season Paul smith is in but I think it has been in David Jones for a while. Longchamps: has a lot of the Tracey Emmin bag collection but I am not so keen on it, even if she is a famous artist ( so is Britney!) but I do like the classic leather bags in here: check out the gorgeous tan or black square bags with stud details $800 and the new Pliage collection in heaps of amazing summer colours, plus there is a cool red slouch boho bag $895 and clear plastic totes too.
Ferragamo: has some new summer bags and shoes in which are quite divine and the bag featured in US Vogue is there in the most divine soft camel colour $2200.

Baked Plum (or peach) and marscapone tart
This is a fab fruit tart, just what we all need to whip up for a long leisurely Sunday lunch. Originally from Stephanie Alexander’s Tuscan Cookbook, I have used frozen pastry instead of making my own. Outrageous but true. All you do is bake the plums , cook up a pastry shell, fill it with marscapone and dollop the fruit and juices on top. Sensational

For 8
You need:
3 frozen pastry sheets to make the case
about 25 plums
Castor sugar
60 g unsalted butter
2 cups of marscapone
2 teasp brandy or any liquor (optional)

·First bake the pastry case
·So grease and moisterise a flan tin with unsalted butter and line it with the pastry to make a tart, prick it , and weigh it down with beans or rice ( if you like) and
·Bake in 180 F oven for about 15 min or till golden like a gorgeous Helmut Lang camel cashmere coat
·Let it cool and have a little rest while you whip up the plums
·Set the oven to hot about 200F and
·Halve and stone the plums.
·Then arrange beautifully on a baking tray, dot it with lots of dollops of unsalted butter and a sprinkling of sugar
·Then whack into the oven to bake for about 20 mins so that they are cooked but still holding their shape (a bit like desperate housewives!)
·Let them cool down and pour the juices (now melted in with the butter and sugar) into a jug for drizzling later.
·Now leave it to the last minute to stick it all together, so just before you serve it
·Pour the mascapone in the pastry tart case, maybe mixing it with some brandy or alcohol to thin it ( if only that worked on humans : brandy = thin)
·Top with all the plums, either sitting bottoms up or down what ever you think looks pretty
·Drizzle with the gorgeous juices (you can reduce it if you feel like it)
·Serve immediately and take a bow to the applause of all your fans who gasp with wonder and sheer joy at your sumptuous and delicious creation…

My House in Umbria with Maggie Smith
David and Margaret, I am sorry but I have to disagree with you on this one. This movie was worth more than just 2 measly stars. In fact it was actually quite an enjoyable movie and quite a lot darker than just a romp in the Tuscan countryside. But let’s face it, is there anything better after a hard day’s shopping than to sit back, relax and watch a frolic in the Italian countryside? To watch a big old beautiful villa in Umbria with lots of staff whipping up handmade pasta and ironing gorgeous linen sheets in the sunshine? But beware it is quite a sad, poignant story, not a ten hanky sob like ‘Finding Neverland’ where you swim out of the cinema from all the tears, more like a little sniffle. It’s about the very English and very proper Mrs Delahunty, an eccentric writer of romantic novels, “ whose idyllic life in the Italian countryside is shattered by a train accident, a bomb on the train to Rome. She then invites three survivors to recover in her villa set in the tranquil and serene Umbrian landscape” Yes, there is a bomb on the train but there is not much blood and guts and the movie quickly heads out to the gorgeous rolling Umbrian hills filled with poppies and the huge villa full of attending staff. Thank god. Maggie Smith as Mrs Delahunty is very entertaining but then the flash backs tell us about her sad past: No wonder she finds herself in a fabulous villa with a pretty garden glinting in the sunlight and in a schmaltzy movie with a happy ending. But I do have to agree with Margaret about the voiceover – “ I hate voiceovers that tell you what you’re seeing. I mean, that’s what film’s meant to be about. It’s meant to show you rather than tell you. If you’re gonna be told, why not read me a story?” Yes, then I might just read the book.

W March:
with the lovely Miss fashion herself, Kate Moss on the cover. Wow, what a great issue. Kooky fashion , but great articles. Read about the hysteria at sample sales ( women hitting each other with hangers), be amazed by the 66th floor apartment In New York of the art world heavies ( black and white stripe carpet and psychadelic walls) and drool over the garden in Guanock House in Lincolnshire and the horticulture star Arne Maynard. Read interviews on London literary mogul Naim Atalah who has been accused on having along time ghost writer.
Travel & Leisure march:
If you are interested in design then you must buy this issue, it’s full of great tips on stylishly designed anything around the world with a feature article on their inaugural annual design and architecture awards ( smart move! Watch others copy that) covering hotels, restaurants, luggage and museums. See Globetrotter for winners! Then if that isn’t enough read about traveling around Europe on a Eurail at 35 (first class!) and a fab read on affordable special: 5 cities on $250 a day (what happened to Europe on $10 a day?) but good ideas on Florence, London, San Fran and Bangkok . A must buy
Met Home march :
Not so good an issue, must be because it has gone monthly. But please check out the groovy Mies de Rohe apartment in Chicago, and if you are interested it is a kitchen and bathroom special. Then check out the food pages…