“(The film features) almost non-stop rough, crude and profane language, full frontal nudity, sexual imagery, obscene gestures, scatological humor, casual portrayal and descriptions of deviant sexual practices, a glorification of freewheeling sex and some sacrilegious imagery.” The Catholic News Service review on John Waters latest film ‘A Dirty Shame’.
“I don’t know if I can get a better review than that.” John Waters !
“I’ve lost weight during filming. My boobs have gone; they’re just clinging on for dear life. I think it’s the adrenaline and stress. I don’t normally look like a twig, and I do eat like a pig, I want tits and an arse!” Sienna Miller (I just want Jude Law)
“We just returned from Madison Square Garden where we witnessed hundreds of journalists sitting around and doing… nothing. But wait! President Bush enters for a soundcheck! People are politely applauding: he made it to the podium without tripping” Gawker
“Do I have to agree with everything George Bush says? No. I don’t agree with everything my husband says.” Angie Harmon at the Republican convention (lost my vote: Shame)
“ Bush is a Tush” placard seen in New York
“Business was OK until it started. We’re having a 25 percent off ‘We Hate Bush Sale,” Store owner during the anti Bush Demonstration
“I don’t always want the glamorous, jet-set life. Let’s face it: I’ve done it” Paris Hilton( Let’s face it, you have)
“Our patron skank Paris Hilton has decided to sell her wares on Amazon, this time without the help of Rick Salomon.” Gawker on Paris selling a line of jewels (skanky)
“I thought my fans would want to have part of me, “ Paris Hilton on said jewellery on Amazon. (think they already have it on video; Call John Waters)
“ This is all stuff you can wear to pick up your kids at school, while still looking appropriate,” Pamela Anderson on her line of jewellery ( and you’ve always been appropriate Pammy)
“I’m doing okay. I’m doing well, as a matter of fact. It’s so stupid, but I even enjoyed the martyrdom. I’m program girl now. I went to this rehab place. I had a really rough time. I had done that once, after (Frances’) dad died, and I did it again. I did it because you know what? It’s not worth it to be on any pills. As long as I take nothing, nothing bad can happen to me. And I wasn’t doing it for everyone else (although) there’s a lot of people here swimming in my stroke. I never did drugs when I was working, I held the writing part of me above the drugs. But the thing is I was never scared before. That’s the new thing.” Huh? Courtney Love is on drug. A dirty Shame.

Everyone, except Paris Hilton, would agree that you can only take so much pink and bling (They sound like the names of her pet dogs). Sometimes we need some basics, a bit of neutral or, dare I say, black to be a little more polished. So I was thrilled to find in the lingerie department of David Jones (next to the hot pink sequin bras) some of David Jones own label shell tops, camis and tanks. In wool, or silk and cotton they are perfect basics, great quality, made in Italy. I think I would call them handy. The camis have a subtle lace trim and they come in a cream or black. At around $39 to $59 I call that value for money and you don’t need sunglasses to look at them.

David Jones Shell Tops $39

So there is a man in your life who is always there for you; paying the bills, handing out credit cards and just being a great all round daddy. And with Fathers day around the corner it’s time to spoil your daddy (sugar or not). You want to Nick into Hermes, Tiffany’s or Henry Bucks but what he really wants is something from Australian Geographic! Like the wind up mobile phone charger to take camping. How clever, he’ll love it. Or buy him the Signal mirror, you can use it for makeup but he can use it when lost in the bush or more importantly to find you in Centrepoint and the Pitt St Mall.
Wind up Mobile phone recharger $19.95 Australian Geographic

There is a part of the body you may forget when doing your makeup. No, I’m not talking about anywhere near the landing strip or Brazil. Talk to the face! It’s above your eyes and below the botox site. It’s called eyebrows. They need looking after, which is why you need the Becca Brow Powder. It is harder than regular eye shadow powders and comes with a mini brush made from racoon. But you won’t have raccoon eyes but the “extremely high quality, natural hair picks up the powder beautifully and has the right flexibility and firmness (with it’s angled design) to allow perfect little brow hairs to be re-created.” And I love it because it looks so totally natural, comes with a little mirror in the compact and, sshhh, you can use it as eye shadow too.

$56 Becca Brow Powder from Becca Cosmetics.

A Manolo Blahnik shoehorn? A Deepak Chopra yoga mat? A director’s chair by Ewan McGregor? Habitat, the London home furnishings store, will unveil those objects next month to mark its 40th anniversary. There are 30 items that include a hanging hammock chair by Carla Bruni, a folding guitar stool by Gilberto Gil, a book caddy by Louis de Bernieres and a velvet-covered safe by Solange Azagury-Partridge. They’ll be sold in 87 Habitat stores in the U.K. and Europe for a year, and will be available to order from the ing’s Road store in London. Although the objects are not limited editions, they will have special packaging and be featured in the store windows. wwd.
The Venice Film Festival is on and Tom Hanks and Stephen Spielberg were there to promote The Terminal, the first screening of this year’s event.
There’s alot of buzz surrounding Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter’s new book, What We’ve Lost, about George Dubya.
Bruce Weber has launched his own clothing line, called Weberbilt, which will be sold, exclusively, at the Tomas Maier boutique, in Miami (opening October 2004), and the Comme des Garcons store, on Dover Street, in London.
Tim Robbins has staunchly defended his critically-mauled satirical Iraq war play Embedded. Robbins, an outspoken critic of the US-led war against Iraq, wrote the play to examine the policy of “embedding” news journalists with coalition troops during the war. It’s on at The Riverside Studio in London, IMDb.com.
Friendster, the Internet social networking service in New York has launched a magazine. The New York-based quarterly hitting newsstands next month is called Me. Co-editors in chief Angel Chang and Claudia Wu, who met while working at Visionaire, created the magazine. wwd
Comme des Garçons is opening a new “guerrilla” store in Warsaw. Guerrilla stores exist for one year in emerging neighborhoods with local partners selling a mix of Kawakubo’s lines. The Warsaw unit is slated to open Sept. 24, headed by a Polish professor of demography. Other guerrilla locations bowing this month include Ljubljana, Slovenia; Stockholm, and Helsinki, Finland, the latter located in an old pharmacy — with all its nifty Fifties wooden cabinetry intact. WWD
Guests at “God Save New York” party to benefit the New York Civil Liberties Union, got a surprise when their emcee, performance artist Karen Finley, brought a George W. Bush look-alike onstage, then pulled off his drawers and shaved him, declaring, “Get rid of Bush” WWD
Indian director Mira Nair has been approached to do the fifth Harry Potter film in 2007.

http://www.apple.com/trailers
This is movie heaven. If you don’t have time to get to every film,then log on here and watch the trailers. Even better, if you are scardey cat and can’t bring yourself to see the whole movie, click on ‘Open Water’ and scream in the privacy of your own office. And then check out the movie called I ♥ Huckabees ; an existential comedy with Jude Law, Mark Wahlberg and Naomi Watts, it looks fantastic.

http://www.concierge.com/
This is the website of Conde Nast which pulls all the features and articles from Gourmet, Conde Nast Traveler, Allure, Brides combined with Fodor,s the travel guide. It is absolutely full of fantastic travel information. Click on the world map, choose Paris for example and you’ll find Hotels, Dining and all the articles written about Paris in Conde Nast Traveller or in Fodors. Easy.

David Schwimmer has his first directing role, an independent film called ‘Run, Fat Boy, Run” about an overweight New Yorker, who tries to win back an old flame by competing in the city’s marathon.
Lizzie Jagger was told by Lancome that she would have to put on weight or risk losing her contract.( Eat fat girl eat).
Rapper Foxy Brown pulls a Naomi Campbell, allegedly hitting a manicurist in the face with her cell phone during a dispute over a $35 payment. This from a woman who’s dripping in diamonds to the point that she pees bling. Gawker.
Jennifer Lopez and Vogue’s Anna Wintour had a scuffle over who’s to do J.Lo’s makeup for the January cover. Anna won.
Hundreds of Marc Jacobs sleeping bags were sold, for $20-a-time, in the run up to the Republican Convention in New York. The 250,000 protestors on their way to the city to protest are determinedly fashionable. wwd
Manolo Blahnik criticized Madonna’s acting ability in a TV interview and then had to send her a letter apologising for his comments. He received a stern reply telling him, in no uncertain terms, that it wasn’t good enough. She hasn’t visited his shop since. ( So stern. Kabbahlah preaches kindness)
Spike Jonze , Sophia Coppola’s ex and Yeah Yeah Yeahs frontwoman Karen O are a couple.( yeah)
Posh and Becks are expecting another baby (It’s true)
Hugh Jackman is the latest convert to Kabbalah and will accompany Madonna on a pilgrimage to Israel next month. (Stern)
Gwyneth has an organic cookbook in the works.
Kim Cattrall was reportedly so pleased with the cabbie who found her missing laptop that she rewarded him $10,000.( A Dirty Shame)
Colin Farrell almost faced the wrath of movie maker Oliver Stone after breaking his ankle and his wrist with three days of Alexander still to film after he fell down a stairway and passed out after a party with Val Kilmer.
King Abdullah II of Jordan and his wife, Queen Rania are having a another baby.
Andrea Casiraghi, Princess Caroline’s son, the heir to the throne has been dating Colombian Tatiana Santo Domingo for months from a family that’s been nicknamed “the Kennedys of Colombia.”
Laura Branigan who sang “Gloria” died from a brain aneurism at 47. Bless

Apricots on the Nile : A Memoir with Recipes by Colette Rossant
If you want a short, light but very enjoyable book with a foodie slant, this is a lovely read “In 1937 at the age of five, Colette Rossant leaves Paris to live with her grandparents in Egypt, soon settling into their luxuriant, food-centred lifestyle. She returns to Paris at 15, only revisiting Egypt 30 years later. Food dominates her memories; from afternoons spent in the spice-filled kitchen of her cook, Ahmet, to shopping expeditions in the crowded bazaar. With dozens of original recipes and family photographs, Colette’s coming-of-age memoir is a splendid exploration of old Cairo in all its flavor, variety, and wide-eyed wonder Six decades on, and now living in New York, food remains an important part of her life.” So good, I am now onto her next one called ‘Return to Paris’.
$19.95 at major booksellers

The Christmas List:
Tom Ford : Ten Years by Bridget Foley
This is definitely on the Christmas list because it’s not out till November but here at FiFi HQ we like to be the first with everthing and you need to know about this fabulous book. Yes, we pray on the alter of Tom Ford and so does Brigit Foley, the fashion writer for W who wrote it ( no doubt with Tom hovering over her shoulder) The cover is so cool with just TOM FORD in white on a plain black background and it is being described as “ a comprehensive overview of the designer’s work for Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent, divided into 10 one-year sections. It features more than 300 published and previously unpublished images by photographers such as Richard Avedon, Helmut Newton, Mario Testino, Steven Meisel, Annie Leibovitz and others.” But be the first to get this fabulous book and order it on Amazon US $125. Yes please Santa!

Economy:
Esprit: have done a good dark denim blazer but surely you have one by now? $129, a cool,just over the knee, cuffed, dark denim jeans $129, and a dark denim skirt; knee length with pleats at the front $79. All very handy pieces to have. And the shorts or are they trousers? Black, side pocket knee length pants $79. There is a very simple black wool cami with satin trim on sale $29. EDC have done a cool stripe grey and black dress with stripes going all sorts of ways $69 and a Cacherel rip off cotton canvas tote with swirls pattern over it $69 and a stripe tote too $49 in pinks or blues. And ditch all those plastic bags at the supermarket and pop all your shopping in the net nylon bags from Esprit $19 in pink blue or black. General Pants: Have lots of T shirts with all sorts of thing all over them $69, there is some cool tight V neck T in lots of colours by agent 99 $29 and some cool sunglasses too. JeremyVille in Oxford St next to Ariel, have the very groovy ‘Teenage Millionaire’ T shirts with all sorts of slogans on the front $55 and ‘Jesus is my Home boy’ T shirts too. Sunglasses Hut has cool Mui Mui sunglasses as well as Prada and Gucci. Sportsgirl: have done cute little toe thongs with 3 buttons $68 in, um, yes pink and white, a great Prada esque tie dye green and white skirt, you need it $89. Don’t forget the cool plaited wide belts to wear over your dress $49 and pink paisley drawstring top $59, and there are some sale things like the ‘Chanel’ tweed frayed pinkish coat now $129, the car cats in pink or green now $99 too. FCUK: have got great, cotton, retro print skirts $140, a FCUK spelt backwards on T shirts $49 and pretty marimekko style floral skirts $140 in pinks and red and matching halter print sundress $120. There are dark denim shorts or knee length trousers $99 and good cropped black cuffed trousers under the knee ( Gwyneth wore some to the MTV awards so they must be cool) and a peacoat in white $140. Cue: have a cool retro print skirt in oranges and reds $148 and a green linen one too with a big floral print. Sportscraft have good basic T-shirts with a great neckline $34 and a cool green and grey maille stripe T ‘s $39. Witchery:have done a groovy woven clutch bags $69 and a fab 40’s heel sling back with a woven side $139.Nine West: love their T- bar heel in punched leather, think they are a great Prada or YSL – whatever - rip off in orange, dark brown or black, you have to get them $139. Midas have animal print 40’s print heels $228 and amazing gold slingbacks kitten heels $228.

Business Class
Lisa Ho; Has lots of gorgeous things in for summer. You will love her long caftans with ribbon trim on the front $242 in white pink brown or yellow, there are pretty sundresses with hearts $279, white top caftan ish top with buttons all over it $242, a stripe sundress Missoni style, a bit patchwork print $269, and a cool belted trench $369. There is a caftan embroidered with shells and beads $425 in salmon, a beautiful black shoe string dress with silver sequins scattered over it $716, a fab white heavy, draped jersey, sexy mama dress $439 and a top in the same fabric with a beaded cami under it $347 and lots of beaded draped T shirts $244, a vintage floral print dress $520 and ‘Pucci’ print caftans $275 by Ho. Scanlan & Theodore: I am speechless for once. This is the best collection yet and it’s ALL gorgeous. No tacky eighties crap and my god, not too much pink that’s everywhere else and driving me crazy. You’ll find prints that are wearable but not too pretty pretty and so many beautiful things you will fall in love with. You want the beautiful white goddess dress with frayed edges $550, the blue print frayed edged dress and a wide belt $1500, the must have white stretchy singlet $75, the soft brown chiffon pleat skirt $450,the feather collars are divine in lots of colours $800. There is a gorgeous vintage style dress called Helena and you can see why, $600 and a fab print chiffon shell for $180 in purples browns and golds, a beautiful sheer net beaded tank $650 and a lace fifties skirts $600, and the divine rabbit fur cropped jackets $850.And More. NB: S&T are bringing in a one off, vintage collection of Cutler and Gross sunglasses that are look fantastic in about a month plus fab shoes from London by Georgina Goodman and Martine Sitbon bags. Bring it on!. Helen Muriel has opened a shop in Oxford St opposite Verona. She’s the one whose vintage print dresses I liked in Orson & Blake. Myer: have a huge range of seven for all Mankind jeans around $349, there is some new CK jeans, and Tommy Hilfiger sundress for $189 but I must say nothing is grabbing me, all too casual except a DKNY jeans ruffle cotton shirt with frayed edges $269. So go to the Cacherel section where there are still fab print chiffon skirts $629 and lots of pieces such as the black leather trimed shell top $599 and a blue cotton trench $949 and more.

First Class
DFS Duty Free in the rocks. It’s not as good here now that Gap and Banana Republic have left the building and all those Dior scarves are gone too. Damn. But remember you can buy most of the things here at retail like the gorgeous Celine bags $1600, the divine Loewe bags in choc brown suede with pink grosgrain trim $1500. There is a complete little boutique of Burberry inside and a whole Burberry store outside. There are some plain bags in leather, a nice shopper $1000 also a shoulder bag in aqua and red $800 with a horn buckle. There is the Le Sportsac LAMB collection by Gwen Stefani if you like that sort of thing (the Japnese tourists do).There is lots of Ralph Lauren kids wear and it’s very nice and some Jil Stuart. The Ralph by Ralph Lauren bags are here and good prices around $250. And the Etro paisley scarves are very chic for $200. You will find here some great Samsonite wheelie carry on bags very chic for $100 The Dior store has been renovated here and is twice the size. A lot of the things are over the top logo style but the shoes are good like the loafers $630 and the mules. There is some cool jewellery like Perspex rings and ‘CD’ diamante earrings and the funky watches and lots of sunglasses. Fendi has just opened in here yesterday and I love the limited edition ostrich bags for $$$2000! and I am devastated because Prada has closed down here and is being replaced by Ralph Lauren. Gucci is still here though with some new things in. You want the bags with the huge metal G and the signature red and green stripe $1400, the green or camel leather Jackie O bags with a logo trim $1200. Some of the snake collection is here but oh la la it’s so over the top, think it’s designed for Lil Kim and Missey Ellliot. But you can afford the Gucci key rings with a big G and the belts for about $300 and the sunglasses are fabulous too. Fusion next to Gucci in the rocks is on sale still. There are the Mui Mui shoes half price, little brown sling backs with a tie front $250, dark purple Mui Mui sling backs and a Mui Mui structured handbag with buckles now about $550. Check out the $160 rack of a mish mash There a 60% off Akira and a few Dolce & Gabbana pieces like a ‘pucci” pint shirt was $995 and leopard print shirt was $995.

So Fathers’ Day is here and what better way to make your daddy (sugar or otherwise) happy than to serve the superb Food Of the Gods Cake. Terribly sweet , it’s made without any flour but lots of dates and walnuts, just right for a lovely family afternoon tea. Did I mention it’s ridiculously easy?

You need:
5 egg whites
1 cup sugar
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup of chopped dates
4 tablespoons of fine, dry bread crumbs
1 teasp of baking powder
pinch salt

·Preheat the oven to 180
·Moisterize a cake tin with lashings of unsalted butter and even line it with baking paper
·Get out the knife (ready for a day with the family?) to chop up the dates and walnuts making them as chunky or small as you so desire
·Separate the eggs so you have the whites all alone ready for a beating
·Get out the beaters and give it to them. Those naughty whites need alot of whipping
Slowly add the sugar while you are beating them ( they love it!) and keep going till they look like ‘hair on end’ and stiff with fright
·Fold in but very gently, the dates, walnuts.,breadcrumbs and pinch of salt
·Pour into the cake tin
·Bake it at 180 for about 30 mins
·It should be cracked and gooey when it’s cooked
·The top might even sink when you’ve got it out of the oven but that’s Ok. Your dad will understand the power of gravity.
·When it’s cooled, you can serve it with whipped cream spread over the top. or with a chic gratings of chocolate and walnuts
·Food of the Gods!
I am praying for more…

The Life and Death of Peter Sellers
Oh, I just want to look like Britt Ekland or at least Charlize Theron playing her in the sixties when she meets and marries Peter Sellers. All that long blonde hair, eyeliner and short dresses. And watching this movie, you can see why she ran off later with Rod Stewart. Yep, Peter Sellers would make you want to marry Rod Stewart. For a funny guy he was really quite tortured and sad. This is not an amusing Pink Panther style movie though there are some classic hilarious Inspector Clouseau moments. In fact, it is almost uncomfortable watching Peter Sellers being a rotten father and a mean as spiders husband as he became more rich and successful. Geoffrey Rush is fantastic as he goes in and out of hundreds of characters and he looks so much like him, it’s spooky. The movie weaves in and out of reality and all the kooky fantasies in Seller’s head, and follows his life from the 50’s to the 80’s; all the time changing the photography and the sets and fashion of the times. Oh, it’s worth seeing this movie just for all the Pink Panther style graphics at the beginning and the 60’s and 70’s furniture. The underlying message of the story is that he was an empty vessel who disappeared into his characters because he didn’t know who he was. As the review in Urbancinefile says “In a brilliant portrayal by Geoffrey Rush, we are given a glimpse of the absurd, extravagant, surreal, lonely, tragic life of a comic genius.”