Jolie-Pitt twins!!!

The first photos of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's twins have hit the web. I think these photos were supposedly taken by the same photographer, but oddly, the People cover is much more "clean and soft" in terms of colors compared the Hello! cover, which is grainy and dark.

The babies are too young to look like offspring of mega-stars, but I can't wait to rifle through the pages of these mags, if only 'cause I just have an inexplicable fascination with Brad and Angie, as does the rest of the world. Something about the way they can live their lives so freely, jetting here and there, having a gazillion children but still looking like a young, loving couple, spreading humanity and grace around the world - there is a charm to that that is so attractive, and in some ways, enviable. They seem untouched by the worries that we every day folks have.

Anyhow, the only thing I'm jealous about is that they were able to have twins! If I ever have children, that was what I wanted, a boy and girl, at the same time. They are just so lucky...sigh...

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Zhang Ziyi vs. Lucy Liu

With the Beijing Olympics upon us in a matter of weeks, there was bound to be additional coverage, as was the case for the August issues of Vogue and Harper's Bazaar.

In terms of coverage, who wins? On this side of the ring, Zhang Ziyi 章子怡 had a glowing article about her rise to stardom, starting with her humble beginnings to her now international fame and new engagement to international tycoon and venture capitalist Aviv "Vivi" Nevo. Her photo shoot wasn't too bad, although the styles they paired her with were rather harsh, mostly in terms of the make-up and hair (feels like they were trying to claim the '80s?). I don't have scans of the pics, but you can see her video below as she talks about the photo shoot. And of course, she was featured in Vogue, the mother of all fashion mags. However, other than the fact that she is Beijing-born, nothing in the article or photos link her at all to the Olympics (ok, she was one of the Olympic torchbearers, but that was hardly emphasized).



On the other side of the ring, Lucy Liu had a more Olympic-inspired photo shoot, which was fairly creative, and her pictorial spread was much larger. However, there was not a word about her, not even a blurb on anything she was potentially promoting, so it looked like they borrowed her to model for the mere fact that she is Chinese-American (and thus, she's really Team USA). Her photos were in Harper's Bazaar, which as of late has been more inspiring for me to pick through than Vogue has been, so it's not THE best, but pretty up there in my mind.


So who wins? I say.....NEITHER! Assuming that the fashion world is embracing all things from China, and the Beijing Olympics being such a platform (note that a lot of design houses even created special, limited-edition pieces for the Asian market BECAUSE of the Olympics), I find it terribly defeating that neither could make the covers.

For Vogue, Kate Moss was on the cover, which makes sense seeing that she is 1) a supermodel, and 2) promoting her fashion empire, but her photos weren't even that great (see article and photos here). They could've put her on the cover of the September issue, since that's when the new Topshop will debut in the US (she being one of the coveted lines in the brand, it would have made sense in that case). Zhang Ziyi could easily have been on the cover, and no one would have thought it strange. She's been seen on the red carpet very frequently, wearing all the new designers, so she is already known for embracing fashion. I would have loved to see a beautiful spread of her in China, w/ maybe the Olympic stadiums or ye ole' temples or modern skyscrapers in the backdrop. How lush would it have been to see her in gorgeous gowns and showing the beauty of Beijing behind her? I don't particularly think that Ziyi is a great actress either, but she is def. on the A-list, and Americans do recognize that she is a "star," so why not the cover?

For Harper's Bazaar, there was a boring article about Jessica Biel (who has never done anything great except a GQ cover and dating Justin Timberlake, IMHO), and some lame photos of her "dancing" with designers like Vera Wang and Zac Posen. The photo qualities were mediocre, and if you were to compare her to Lucy Liu, she didn't have anything in particular to promote either, so how'd she make the cover? Lucy had some cool photos, and while they weren't shot in Beijing, they were cute in trying to blend fashion with athleticism. I don't know if Lucy is still big enough to land a cover, but isn't it a little sad if she was only able to land the photo shoot 'cause she was Chinese-American, and for no other reason? Like, some editor in some glossy magazine cubicle sat there and said, "Beijing Olympics are coming up, we need to put a Chinese person in this shoot, quick, how many well-known Chinese actresses are there that we can land for this? They don't even need to be promoting anything, or talk, 'cause we're not going to bother interviewing them. Just make sure they're Chinese."

Anyhow, maybe I should be happy any Asians get their own coverage, but it pains me that no Asian one can land the cover yet. One would have thought that this time, this would have been a great opportunity to do more than just the norms. Do you have any thoughts?

Jessica's mini-me

OK! mag scored the cover story of Jessica Alba and her new baby girl, Honor Marie Warren. As far as I'm concerned, all babies look alike until they turn 6 months, but at first glance, this baby doesn't look much like Jessica; she probably looks more like the dad.

Many celebs have had babies recently, but very few are actually interesting to me. Like, I could care less that Tori Spelling, Matthew McConaughey, heck, even Jamie Lynn Spears had babies, but since Jessica is renowned for her beauty, I was def. curious about what her baby would look like, esp. since she gave birth to a girl.

She is def. a cutie, but wait til the Jolie-Pitt twins take center stage! Those are like, the epitome of celeb babydom. :p

Doesn't it kill you that all of these celebs, upon giving birth, have to put on the natural make-up and matronly hair to look "maternal?" Just so weird...

the ugly side of Louis

WWD Japan revealed on their cover a sneak peek of the exclusive collaboration between Louis Vuitton and Comme des Garcons. Starting in September, there will be a pop-up store selling six exclusive bags, all designed by Rei Kawakubo, featuring the classic monogram canvas and leather, albeit with some, ahem, whimsical twists, like extra handles, or two handles morphed into one. The store will only be around for 3 months, and will only be in Tokyo.


I took a gander. I paused. And the first thought in my mind... What is this HIDEOUS eight-armed atrocity? It's absolutely ridiculous. I can't even label this an artistic piece. It seems very trivial and silly. This is supposed to celebrate the two esteemed brands?!?

There is just something so plainly revolting and convoluted about these designer collabs that I feel speechless. Where is the DEE-ZIGN?!?!? I don't see it here. I'm not even talking about the practicality factor, which this bag obviously does not have, but pure aesthetics, that makes one proud to carry a bag, any bag. This is not one of them. It took my breath away because it is such a sorry looking piece of crap.

I have been a devoted LV fan for years, back when the pieces were classic (Vernis is my fave line, all the way), and it was such a luxury item that one doted on and took care of, and wore with some level of pride and fancy. Nowadays, the brand has devoted itself to so many hit-and-run, sometimes successful, sometimes tacky projects that it has lost a lot of appeal for me. These new "limited" pieces don't excite me at all. If anything, I'm dumbfounded that anyone, fan or critic, would think that these are cool at all.

Am I just being too conservative? I hope not, as I always prided myself on having a clean, appreciative eye for the finer things in life. These creations really look shoddy and uninventive to me. I don't understand the hype, if only to allow ppl to hate it, much like I do, and spew venom about it on blogs. Haha...but I digress...really, this is is JUST - SO - UGLY!!!

I took a quick look at Comme des Garcons' designs, and there are some really cool, edgy stuff in there. Their color thematics fall into the blacks and whites, the lines are very post-modern and not frilly at all. I would have LOVED to see them re-invent the LV brand into something that was in line w/ their usual perspective. That to me would be a true collab. Taking stock LV canvas and changing (or in this case, adding) stupidly useless handles does not equate a genuine collab for me. It's an insult to a true LV lover and anyone who has the moneybags to afford this useless crap. It is a sad day in the world of LV.

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Lucky Leighton

Leighton Meester graces the August 2008 issue of Lucky magazine. I like this pic of her 'cause she looks very beautiful even with the more natural make-up. Also, she's not too stylized like some of her other pictorials, so it's refreshing to see.

I haven't picked up a copy of Lucky in ages 'cause it's a dangerous mag; it has so many goodies inside I start to covet, so the less I see, the less I'm tempted. However, on the inside of the mag, you can see some of Leighton's personal fashion picks.


See a quickie interview during her photo shoot below. I think she's kinda funny in interviews, 'cause she comes off talking like a tomboy, not very girly at all, which is how she's portrayed on "Gossip Girls."



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Totes for a Cause #5

If you love Marc Jacobs or Andy Warhol, and want to declare it to the world, Marc has put his Interview magazine cover (where he posed as Warhol) on a limited canvas bag, sold only in his stores, where 100% of the proceeds benefit the Andy Warhol Museum of Pittsburgh.


While the bag does nothing for me (I actually find the imagery a tad on the creepy side), as this bag is cheap for MJ, is for a good cause, and a trendier alternative than some other "go green" bags, I find no faults with this bag, which will certainly make a great stocking stuffer (shop now for Christmas!). :P

Marc Jacobs Special Interview Magazine Tote - $15 - only at Marc Jacobs Stores

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The Chinese Go Green

Chinese actress Zhou Xun 周迅 is featured on the cover of Elle HK for their July issue. (Not loving that weird 'fro on her head, but she's still very pretty.) It's very interesting to me that they are doing a "Green Issue," as both Hong Kong and China are notorious for their smog issues, but at least there is awareness now to counter those issues, among other eco-friendly prerogatives.

Here Zhou Xun talks about the issue below. I actually enjoyed this clip a lot. For those not in the know, she is a huge star in China (although she hasn't made the leap to international stardom just yet), so for her to lead this initiative is akin to a Cameron Diaz or Charlize Theron showing you how cool it is to live green. I like how they talk about not owning too much clothing (this ties in a lot to that long blurb I wrote last week), or too much of anything, so that with less consumerism, comes less harm to the environment. I also like her story about Jackie Chan traveling to 5 different countries, and although he's mega rich, he carried one bar of soap with him so that he isn't wasteful. That's dedication!



You can also click here to see some behind-the-scenes footage from Elle HK.

The same issue also features actor Takeshi Kaneshiro 金城武; he's so yummy!


Incidentally, both he and Zhou Xun starred in a musical called "Perhaps Love," which I haven't seen yet, but have been dying to. You can see a romantic singing sequence between the two of them here. So cute together!



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Scarlett trying to fulfill her dream (aren't we all?)

Scarlett Johansson is the current cover girl of Nylon mag, and despite the fact that this is a MUSIC issue, and that I think her singing is horrendous, her photos are, of course, gorgeous.


She talks candidly about loving music, and while I don't doubt her passion for the art, I think she has to either choose some better songs, or really polish up on the vocals. (Stage fright should be the least of her concerns...) She is just lucky that she is famous enough for someone to want to indulge her on her passion; many really great performers would die for this opportunity that she has.



Also, in case you were curious about what's on her iPod, you can hear snippets of it below.



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more exquisite shots of the V&R exhibit

In a follow-up to my post on "The House of Viktor & Rolf" exhibit in London, Elle UK has a nice video piece on the opening night.

Also, Dazed Digital has more photos from the exhibit. The more I see of the exquisite porcelain dolls and gowns, the more I wish I could be in London right now to partake in the collection! See the new images here.

"It" girls can be normal, too

Sienna Miller is in the July 2008 issue of Elle UK, promoting "The Edge of Love," a new film co-starring Keira Knightley.

The only film that I've ever actually seen Sienna in was "Casanova," co-starring the brilliant Heath Ledger. That was actually a delightful romp, and considering how Sienna's real-life reputation as a party girl preceded her as an actor, I was pleasantly surprised by her performance.

Anyhow, she has a nice, edgy pictorial in the magazine.


The interview centered a lot on her private life, including her love for her boyfriend, who she's reportedly dumped since this went to publication. :P

My favorite part of the interview has to be the tidbits about her hanging out with Keira doing normal stuff. Who knew they both had such an obsession with food?

Her performance as the dark, sex-obsessed, hard-drinking depressive Caitlin is remarkable, particularly bearing in mind she was drafted in two weeks before filming started, when Lindsay Lohan dropped out.

‘I freaked out,’ she says. ‘I had absolutely no time to do all the research I wanted, so a lot of the acting was instinctive. I loved the idea of Caitlin and I loved the idea of working with Keira. I was actually pretty nervous about acting alongside her because my part required me to put on weight. I just stuffed my face for the months that we were in production. It wasn’t hard for me. We were staying in this incredibly eccentric Welsh manor house. I had huge fry-up breakfasts, pasties for lunch and lots of toasties.

‘Then I had to face seeing myself alongside Keira, who is the most beautiful woman in the world. Luckily she is also one of the nicest. We totally bonded on the movie and it was so amazing to find a girl friend in this business. We are actually quite similar.

‘She has said I’m the confident one because at parties she’s very shy and I’m loud. But we just have different ways of dealing with nerves. She goes quiet and I go all effervescent.’ She shakes her head. ‘In Hollywood they don’t know what to make of us because we both drink and smoke and eat. Keira completely shares my obsession with food and cooking. We’re actually on for a cook-off at some point. The competition is pretty tough.'

Since the movie finished, Sienna has been round to Keira’s for ‘one of her infamous Sunday lunch parties’. ‘Keira has this amazing wooden table that everyone just carves anything they like into, from their names to pictures,’ she says. ‘It’s totally vandalised and completely amazing. She’s also a great cook. I did annoy her last time, though, by going home fairly early. Out came all the guitars and I stood up to leave. She was like, “But Sienna, you’re the party girl. You can’t leave.” It’s true. I’m usually the one forcing everyone else to stay up and do mad things like run naked on the beach or wait for the sun to rise, but I also need sleep. When I’m working, I turn into OhmyGodIhavetogotobed woman.’

Click below to see Sienna's behind-the-scenes of her cover shoot.



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candid Angie

Is it me or does Angelina Jolie look very waxy here? I don't know if it's the photoshopping or maybe she got some major microdermabrasion, but she looks really fake, which is such a different look from her Vanity Fair photos, which ranged from wild siren to angelic nurturer, but at least she looked real there.


Anyhow, Angie gave a rather candid interview to Entertainment Weekly. She talks a lot about Brad, how they're raising their children, her role as an activist in real life vs. assassin on-screen; lots of nice tidbits for Angie fans.

The weirdest thing in this article is that machine gun pendant that you can see her wear above. Apparently, for Mother's Day, her son Maddox drew a machine gun (he's 6, so that's understandable), and Brad made it into a necklace for her, which I agree is very sweet (he seems to be ever attentive, huh?), but the fact that it's a machine gun makes it sort of ironic. At least it fits in with the theme of her new film "Wanted," right?

BTW, here's a short but high-quality trailer for the film she's been promoting. The effects look awesome, but I wonder how well James McAvoy will pull off the action hero star, since he's always comes off as a softie in films like "Atonement" and "Becoming Jane."



For the EW interview, read it here.

star wattage

Vanity Fair has an amazing pictorial of Angelina Jolie in its July 2008 issue. This woman just continues to astound me in terms of her beauty and grace.


You can also read the article here, which is a nice read, but a tad too analytical in terms of trying to tie in Angelina the movie star to Angelina the wild child, mother, wife. Sometimes, when I read these interviews, I wish you can just HEAR the interview, or even just read her responses, instead of the writer's projections. But, it's a very complimentary story nonetheless.