“I’m having a vocal rest.” Mariah Carey texts her friends when she won’t take their calls (take a very long one please)
“I have girlfriends too, but for the most part, I’m friends with guys, because girls are kind of backstabbing.” Paris Hilton on why her video is so popular (Give her a vocal rest)
“She’s beautiful and amazing and I want to marry her, I know I’ve met the woman I want to be with for the rest of my life” Pete Doherty on Kate Moss after being expelled from his band after failing to give up his addictions to heroine and crack cocaine. ( a vocal rest) .
“He’s just too wild. I can’t take any more of it.” Kate Moss on breaking up with Pete Doherty ( she sent him a text)
“She has this bizarre body make-up: endless legs and not very much in the way of breasts, What she shows to the world is not her. Her perfection is an illusion: she knows it and couldn’t give a damn.” Karl Lagerfeld on Nicole Kidman (Not giving a damn which is why is very fat and daggy).
“Blonde is my trademark so I said no. Now I could kick myself as the show is simply great. I am hoping to persuade them to give me a guest star role.” Pamela Anderson on Desperate Housewives ( Blonde)
“I want a whole new character, very loyal, very strong with a bit of courage. Always to be original is good” Fergie on wanting a part on ‘Desperate Housewives’ ( Desperate Blonde is her trademark too and she is a red head).
‘A night of pure Bush” headline on Time.com ( oops ) on Dubya ( blonde is his trademark)
‘Porn. You won’t find it here. Explicit coverage of fashion.’” The advertising slogan Men.style.com. Now go to http://men.style.com and see the slideshow “ GOLDEN GLOBES: A visual tribute to those unsung supporting players of cinema, a great pair of breasts’ ( yes, explicit coverage on fashion indeed)
“I think they should have been cast in bronze at some point because there’s been so much hysteria surrounding them.” Teri Hatcher from Desperate Housewives on her ‘Golden Globes’
“ A dumb bag on a cool girl is a cool bag” Marc Jacobs on why he is cool and brainy
“ It’s horrible. I only get balding men with giant guts, Young men can feel free to seduce me.” Scarlet Johannsen on not being a desperate housewife and winning the golden Globes.
“A lot of fashion people forget to buy things they will actually wear.” Cameron Silva (so forgetful)
“PUFF DOES COKE WITH CINDY” Headline on UK Vogue.com on Puff Diddy apparently planning to star in the new Diet Pepsi ads with Cindy Crawford.

You’ve spent the week dripping with sweat, cursing the humidity and tossing and turning every night wondering if you should spend $250 on the fabulous Top3 By Design Propello fan (see last week) or buy half a pair of Marc Jacobs new mouse shoes instead. Please have a good night’s sleep and buy this weeks chic but cheap winner: the Blueway mini tower fan. Look no visible blades! Look it’s tall and slim like a stereo speaker! Look it’s in simple silver and only 187 cm tall! Look it has timer so it will turn itself off when you are asleep. Look It’s quiet! Look its $39! Look out Belinda here I come for those shoes.

$39 Blueway Mini Tower Fan from Bing Lee (negotiate!)

There is nothing worse than buying lots of herbs and then one evening opening the fridge to find them stinky, sad, rotten, limp and looking just like you feel after a hard hot day’s shopping. Hate that. So here’s the trick and the item du jour for hot summer cooking: Invest in the fabulous plastic herb keeper jar, you fill it with a couple of centimetres of water, cut the stalks of the herbs or asparagus and pop on the air tight lid and Voila! Fresh perky herbs ready for cooking.
$14.95 from Plenty (02) 9369 4520 or David Jones

Is your golden, healthy glow from your holiday now fading fast? Or maybe you’ve never had one. Whichever way you look at it, let’s face it you know your face needs help. Now before you do anything too expensive go to here to remind yourself it’s not worth it, then buy the quite fabulous and very hard working Clinique City Block Bronze Shimmer. Why hard working? It’s actually a sunscreen with UVA/UVB and SPF 15 as well as giving you a sexy, ultra sheer glowing sheen (a bit like the Revlon Skinlights). It’s subtle, you can wear it under your makeup and it’s just the thing to protect you from the shopping tan.

$34 Clinique City Block Sheer Shimmer Daily Face Protector from major department stores.

Check out the new restaurant, The Modern, at the newly renovated Museum of Modern Art in New York .
The Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in Manhattan is having a one-night-only exhibit called “White Magic.”Seventeen designers and firms — including Henry Dunay, David Yurman, Casa Vhernier, Stephen Webster and Tiffany & Co. — have contributed pieces made with white South Sea pearls from Paspaley Pearls. The event honors Paspaley’s 50th anniversary of the opening of their first pearl farm at Kuri Bay in Northern Australia and the 10th anniversary of the South Sea Pearl Consortium. “White Magic” will move on to London, Milan, Moscow, Dubai, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Sydney.WWD
In New York from February 2 to 8, the Gallery at the Carlyle hotel presents Prêt-à-Portea, with the pastry chef from London’s Berkeley hotel whipping up fashion-inspired delicacies (think petit fours in the shape of an Oscar de la Renta bag or a Zac Posen frilly éclair…).WWD
Melanie Ward, Harper’s Bazaar’s senior fashion editor and longtime Helmut Lang consultant, may launch her own fashion collection. Rumors are ripe that Ward is toying with the idea of becoming a designer now that Helmut Lang has left his namesake house.
Diane von Furstenberg “ is one of the executive producers of “Forty Shades of Blue,” the winner of the jurors’ prize for drama at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. She also provided many of the costumes for the lead role of Laura, played by Dina Korzun. The movie centers on a modern Oedipal complex. Laura is a Russian woman who has an affair with the estranged son of her considerably older husband, a music producer. Meanwhile, the festival’s Audience Award went to hip-hop film Hustle & Flow which earlier in the week became the most successful film in Sundance history when it was sold to bosses at Paramount Pictures and MTV for $9 million. The other Sundance winners were directors Henry Alex Rubin and Adam Shapiro s Murderball ,a film about disabled athletes, which claimed the Audience Documentary Award.
Vogue creative director Grace Coddington has collaborated with Magnum Photos, selecting 100 images from the agency’s archive to run all this week in a continuous slide show on the billboard above New York’s Port Authority building on 42nd Street and Eighth Avenue in New York The images, by photographers such as Henri Cartier-Bresson, Elliott Erwitt, Martine Franck, Philippe Halsman, Bruno Barbey and Eve Arnold, will change every six seconds.
Alejandro Amenabar’s movie “Mar Adentro,” known in English as “The Sea Inside,” bagged a record 14 Goyas , (Spanish Oscars) — including best director, best film, best actor (doe-eyed Javier Bardem) and best actress (Lola Dueñas).
Tom Ford’s boyfriend Richard Buckley, editor in chief of Vogue Hommes International since 1999, has resigned from the magazine he made synonymous with smart, themed issues and controversial fashion shoots depicting men in lipstick, cavorting with prostitutes or locked behind bars.Buckley said he plans to move to Los Angeles and start a small publishing house. ( with Tom?)
New York Fall Fashion Week has started Feb 4 and goes to Feb 11th
There’s little time for dinner in the Fashion Week schedule, but that’s never stopped show-goers from sampling the city’s hot new restaurants. Little Giant serves fun American fare with names like Duck, Duck Goose and Baby’s Got Bass, cooked by two Uggs-loving chef-owners, and seems poised to overtake Freeman’s as the Lower East Side’s hot spot. Over in Chelsea, those willing to slip out of their Louboutins can dine under the covers at New York’s just-opened incarnation of Miami’s popular club Bed, and real VIPs will be flocking to Salon, a former 1970’s S&M club.WWD

http://www.luxuryculture.com
This is from the French publisher Assouline who are known for publishing lots of fabulous Art/fashion books and it is billed as “the ultimate forum for luxury window-shopping, with the look of a glossy magazine with links to commerce-equipped sites such as http://www.vivre.com Check out the city guide and you’ll find Paris, New York and Hong Kong and all the best places to go to. Scroll to either restaurants, arts, culture shopping and hotels. Click on Luxury traveler and the map of the world and you’ll see that Tasmania doesn’t seem to be connected to Australia, and there is only one hotel, Moog hotel in Sydney.

http://www.celebrity-babies.com/
It has finally happened: a website or blog devoted to celebrity babies. But don’t despair! It’s not just pictures of unrecognizable children, but a clever new way to spy celebrities, this time with their newest accessory: a baby.

Pete Doherty Kate Moss’ new ex boyfriend, was arrested in North London after a fight with the photographer who owns the recently-published photographs of him taking drugs at home.
Doherty, who is apparently intending to go into rehab on Monday in an attempt to conquer his well-documented heroin addiction, says that he and Moss are soul mates and has even claimed that she proposed to him on the phone. She ended their affair by text message over a week ago.UK Vogue ( Kate thank god you listened to Sadie)
Jude Law is fueling rumors that he has secretly married his fiancée, the glorious Sienna Miller, by wearing a wedding band on his left hand, at least on his day off. The gold ring is definitely not part of his role in “All the King’s Men,” which he is filming right now in New Orleans with Kate Winslet, Patricia Clarkson, Sean Penn and Anthony Hopkins.
Lara Flynn Boyle gave a rousing performance on a recent British Airways flight, flashing her breasts to the crew and trying to crawl into bed with a complete stranger. [Scoop)
·Orlando Bloom and Kate Bosworth have ended their 2-year romance. We’re sure Angelina Jolie had a hand in this. Gawker
Martha Stewart has a new job saying, “You’re fired!” She’s the new host of an “Apprentice” spin-off.Contestants will compete for a one-year job with Stewart that pays $250,000.
The cousin of author J.K. Rowling has set up a lie detector test on U.S. TV to prove he was the inspiration for Harry Potter . The 37-year-old (very immature) signed on to have his claims tested on a new reality TV show, Lie Detector, “Once more I put fingers to keyboard to state wearily that Harry is a completely imaginary character,” JK Rowling told fans on her Web site.
Jen and Brad enjoyed a romantic dinner date last week, their publicist has confirmed. (Glad they enjoyed it what did they eat?) He also revealed that Brad and Jennifer are still living together in their Beverly Hills home, insisting the Friends star “never stayed with her hair stylist Chris McMillan after the separation announcement” ( bad hair day)
Victoria Beckham will give birth to her third child in a Madrid hospital on February 25, ( no labpur for her) and has hired an entire floor of the Spanish capital’s Clinica Ruber Internacional. Big baby.
Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke are finalizing their divorce.
Portia De Rossi has given lover Ellen DeGeneres a Tiffany wedding band as a symbol of her devotion to the comedienne - and bought herself a matching ring
Madonna has turned down an offer from British comic Ricky Gervais to appear in his new TV comedy Extras. Gervais, Each big name actor will be cast as themselves in their own episode of the new BBC comedy series, about film extras chasing their big break. However, the Material Girl refuses to play herself and will only agree to appear in the show if a character is developed for her.
‘Leona Helmsley’s dog Trouble is a fluffy Maltese small enough to fit into her purse. But when Trouble barks, Leona listens. That’s because the 84-year-old hotel queen is said to believe that her late husband, real-estate tycoon Harry Helmsley, communicates to her through the pooch and sees Trouble as a psychic transmitter “She didn’t use the term ‘channeling,but she gave me the clear impression that Harry was speaking through the dog.” ( Trouble) NYDN ( they both need prozac)
Paris Hilton will not be charged over the alleged shoplifting of her sex video. (Blonde)

Put on Your Pearls Girls by LULU GUINNESS, MARTIN WELCH (Illustrator)
A chic, little old fashioned book by English Handbag designer Lulu Guinness, it is full of witticisms and lovely illustrations ( as seen in the UK Vogue Feb issue), and whimsical style tips and edicts that only the eccentric English can do so well. “ ‘Put on Your Pearls Girls’ is one of Lulu’s own favorite expressions - and sums up her philosophy for when a blue mood hits - and captures the spirit of this book perfectly. Drawing her inspiration from Louise Brooks, Coco Chanel, and other style icons, Lulu offers delightful and inspiring advice, and takes the reader through day and evening, floating along on a sea of beauty, humor, and flair.” And isn’t that what we all want?
$18 www.amazon.com Publisher: Rizzoli (April 5, 2005)

The Christmas List:
Music: Dolce & Gabbana by Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana
Here is another big fat glamorous book full of big, thin glamorous movie stars in big, fab glamorous dresses by big fabulous designers Dolce & Gabbana “A scrapbook of the designers’ creative lives, these pages offer an intimate glimpse of music celebrities’ personal and public interpretations of Dolce & Gabbana’s art. Featuring photographs by some of the hottest fashion photographers and notes from celebrities, this book captures the unique, cutting-edge style that is Dolce & Gabbana.’ “I love Kylie, I love Lenny Kravitz, I love Sting, I love them all,” coos Gabbana “Every one of them is an icon. I love Pavarotti. We’ve dressed Pavarotti, many times.” (So there). “ As if to prove the designers’ clout among rock royalty, three generations of Presley women - Priscilla, Lisa Marie and Riley Keough, a model and the image of her grandfather Elvis - arrived en masse for the book’s recent launch in Italy” Magnifico!
Publisher: Editions Assouline (February 15, 2005)

Economy:
The Frock Exchange: worth popping in to check it all out as they are always getting new things in….there are some fab Marni teal leather heels $400 in the window. ..
Witchery; Have some cool navy T bar heels $139, some good jeans for $89 ( very soft and baggy), a khaki shrunken canvas jacket $129, good crop cargos $79 ( wear with the Chanel jacket) and a good white L/S T $39. And if you feel very Starsky and Hutch you can wear the big pastel knit cardigan with a diamante belt ( not so sure on this one) with a grey trim $129.
FCUK: Not a lot happening still on sale but check out the jeans and T shirts
Veronika Maine: have some very handy (but not boring) for work knit tops and a good black 50’s skirt, also in grey. Cue; Have a cute cotton shirt waister dress with a plaited belt $235 and a nice grey tweed man style pants $225 with a cuff and thin pinstripe and matching fitted jacket $299, and a chic little grey cotton 50’s skirt with a grosgrain ribbon trim on hem and a knit waist $159. Palm Beach shoes: have the cheapest ballet shoes in every colour ( elastisized) for $39 there is metallic black red pink green animal skin etc. Are they leather? Mais non! Dotti: Have some cool fine cord shrunken jackets $45 if you don’t already have one , a bit distressed looking but what do you want for $45? She’s Beck: In Oxford St ( next to Zimmerman) is having a closing down sale. Andrea Rembeck is retiring to have a baby and it’s all on sale with racks from $15 ,worth having a scrounge around for some bargains.David Lawrence: Have a few very classic, basic pieces in such as black cami , a white L/S T $45, black jeans with a good narrow leg $130, and a belted trench but not sure about the clear buttons $329, and the Missoni esque zig zag scarf is an excellent rip off at $59, and I like the DL round neck rib sweaters and the hoodies in green, awfully handy for those weekends away.$80?ish

Business.
Sonya Hopkins: is having a huge clearance sale on the weekend before she moves to William St, Paddington so get in there for all her fabulous knits from $15 ..outrageous! Lisa Ho: A few new season pices have arrived: there is a black satin zip bomber $292, the cream A line skirt with black serious sequins scattered $300?, a steel grey cami in satin with a drawstring waist $?, the green/black patterned chiffon dress $450, and Ho 50’s winter tweed press stud coat $450. Also still on sale with about 50% off are beaded caftan tops now $250 and some fab chinos with a beaded waistband ( sound bling but are great) also lots of other good pieces and please check out the fabulous Sunglasses too. Orson & Blake Salon: Also still on sale so check out the few DVF dresses still there (a pink chiffon and back one is gorgeous) and waiting for new season to arrive. Check out the fab crystal candle sticks $55 and the fab jewellery. Scanlan & Theodore: Yes, still on sale with 30% off and looks like it’s been picked through. There are still some groovy vintage Cutler & Gross sunglasses $120, some cool faded grey halter top $80, some cute paisley 50’s skirts $180, the leaf print grey tops $100, in pink and yellow, and a beautiful chiffon halter top now $400. There are also multi coloured tie front dress $280 and pink and red halter chiffon top now $180 and some tanks for about $50,and a fab bronze taffeta pleat skirt $250.
Sass & Bide in David Jones: there is a cute leaf print poncho top $250 and lots of gladiator bling velvet tops and ‘Electric Honey’ white singlet tops $89.
David Jones: The denim department is full of designer jeans: Mavi, Blue cult paperclothdenim ( or is it paperdenim cloth?) seven, A/X , CK etc.
Morrissey: New in is a lovely satin halter neck 50’s dress with a little self belt $399. Country Road: Yes, still on sale too but there are a few new fab pieces in and it’s all about layering darling: I like the beautiful winter long grey knit scoop neck sweater $129, the green maille knit V neck cardigan $159 and the green sweet 50’s cotton dress, and heaps of winter scarves $139.There is a black pleated chiffon skirt which is quite fab if you want to do the 50’s pretty ladylike thing without looking like a Mosman Mum/Sloane ranger , $199. Orson & Blake: Homewares are still on sale and there is a lot to buy; Check out the ittalla red and pink stripe plates and cups 50% off, and the wine glasses too.

First Class.
The Corner Shop: Lots of fabulous Balenciaga in here and yes, most of it is black. I feel a minimalist/black/Goth moment lurking ( they are all wearing black on the movie star cover of Vanity Fair March with no bling in sight). Best pieces are the black drape skirt, the fake fur black belted coat $2155, the drapey bubble dress $2295, the classic black dress with drape front, black classic pants $835, and the grey wrap knit top $845 , the T shirt $475, and the grey pants $1165. And you want the fabulous Balenciage bags in hot pink metallic and bronze $$. Also check out the Eley Kishimoto belted coat $1065 , the fabulous DVF black dress with silver inserts $1115, and the strapless velvet one $865.There is the Eley Kishimoto brocade coat $2045, the VF Vandervost silver velvet flocked buster is amazing $. Also check out the one off vintage black and gold brocade 50’s skirt for $150 faaaabulous, and the leather shoulder slouch bags with a suede trim around $650 from Paris in teal and green and brown. Belinda William st : lots of new accessories in here….check out the fabulous marc Jacobs bags, looks like only one left in dark Burgundy,$2000? the marc by marc Jacobs mouse shoes are baaack and THE must have of the season again, you want it in red $595, also in light blue patent $675 or as a slingback with a kitten heel $675. You want the marc round toe flats $475 and the fabulous Sigerson Morrison patent bags and shoes: the Flat black patent buckle shoes $625, the green patent Mary Janes $745, the black patent buckle bags also in green $900.Check out the bags by Orciano which are around $600, a brown gathered one is $640, a fab camel suede structured one with bras trim $640 and the big green gathered leather one $675 also in other colours. Check out the groovy Olivia Morris red grosgrain 40’s heels $635 and the fabulous Helmut Lang snakeskin heels $665, the fab Costume National choc brown 40’s heels $495. Also check out the divine serious knitted wool winter scarves in amazing colours and prints by Nicaro Noguchi $250. Como: Not a lot new in here but there are expecting Narciso Rodriguez ( can’t wait) in about a month and also Vivienne Westwood Red label, Gold shoes label and Anglomania collection in about a week, plus the Anna Molinari collection at some stage soon. In the mean time there are still gorgeous pieces to buy: the Pollini , some Alessandro Del’ Aqua and of course the must have Petit Bateau T shirts. Check out the Pollini leather drawstring bags $870 and the Pollini flat shoes $730 with buckles Collette Dinnigan: the new summer collection has just arrived ( European seasons) and there are, of course, gorgeous chiffon dresses in green and lime $800 but check out the very classic 100% silk knits : a tank $250 and a cardigan $450. Poepke: still on sale so check out the Dries Van Noten for 50% off and a couple of new season pieces have arrived in too.

Lamb with ginger and Lemon grass crust
This is a fabulously easy little recipe for the barbeque or you can roast it and just slice it up and have it cold for a picnic… Summer, Autumn, Winter, Spring this little gem goes from day into evening, you can dress it up or down…

You need:

1 shoulder of lamb
1 egg white
4 stems of lemongrass finely sliced
A knob of ginger shredded
1 or 2 red chillis or more if you like it hot)
Salt and pepper
Chilli oil or garlic oil to serve later on a picnic if you are feeling frisky

·Preheat the oven to about 180
· Whisk the egg white in a large bowl
·Why a large bowl?
·Because now after it’s whisked you art going to roll the lamb in it and coat it all over. This makes it nice and sticky so the lemon grass and ginger stick to it.
·Now pour a drink, pull out your sharpest knife and start chopping up the lemon grass, the chilli, and ginger, roughly is fine.( they like it like that)
·Chuck them nonchalantly together in another bowl
·Throw in some salt and pepper with it and mix it up
·Add garlic if you can’t live without it.
·Now it’s time to get your hands dirty ( or you can delegate so you don’t wreck the nails)
·Grab the lamb in the egg white and then roll it in the lemongrass, chilli mix
·Yes, using your hands to actually really pat it all on, so it’s covered well
·Plonk it on a nicely moisterised and oiled baking tray and pop in the oven for about 40 mins to 1 hour depending if you like pink or not.
·Pour another drink and think about what you’d like to serve it with.
·I’m thinking couscous. Perhaps a Salad or just lovely Boiled potatoes. Or go for the Asian flavours with bok choy or snow peas.
·Now when it is looking fabulous and smelling great ( such as your good self) pull it out of the oven.
·Now for god’s sake, remember to let it rest before you eat it, it’s been working hard and it really does make it so much more tender.
·For a picnic, let it cool and then slice it up and drizzle it with some chilli oil
·Sumptuous, (and as quick as Hollywood marriage (or divorce) and just as juicy).

Million Dollar Baby directed, produced and acted by Clint Eastwood
This will win the Oscar for sure. Clint is getting old, Hilary makes herself look ugly (so brave) and fatter (but she’s lost it all now, even more reason to give her an Oscar) and there is a black guy who is the wacky sidekick (as usual). It’s the classic, underdog, rags to riches all American movie but there is a twist: it is all about boxing (huge yawn) and the ending is not the usual Hollywood one ( and I can’t give it way). It’s a low key, un flashy, almost old fashioned movie with a look that seems very 40’s, about a down and out but feisty girl (Hilary) who wants to be a famous boxer and her relationship with her lonely, old, bitter trainer ( Clint) . The New York Times (and millions of others) gives this rave reviews: “Million Dollar Baby” is the best movie released by a major Hollywood studio this year, ( Hello, it is February !!) and not because it is the grandest, the most ambitious or even the most original. On the contrary: it is a quiet, intimately scaled three-person drama directed in a patient, easygoing style, without any of the displays of allusive cleverness or formal gimmickry that so often masquerade as important filmmaking these day” Sorry, I found all the boxing soooo boring ( Girls: lots of blood and punching a bit like a Manolo Blahnik sale and you know what that’s like) and though it is ultimately about love, I have to say it’s a blokes movie. In fact it is sooo depressing I was desperate to rush home and watch Intolerable Cruelty for the tenth time. Perhaps this movie is Intolerable Cruelty (in more ways than one). What is even more depressing is that Clint will win an Oscar because he didn’t make a blockbuster. It’s blockbuster backlash! So I have to agree with Las Vegas Weekly “It’s strange that so many have mistaken its dull sincerity for something profound and moving” .I didn’t say I enjoyed it I said it would win the Oscar. Million Dollar Profit.