Category: celebrities

RIP Brittany Murphy

Cold Cream 'n' Roses

I  very rarely blog about celebrities, although I’m continually fed fashion & beauty stories about celebrities.  It’s just that I can’t in good conscience blog about celebrities whose work I don’t know.   Our DirectTV service is out, I haven’t joined Netflix, and I seldom go to the movies.  That explains why I don’t know the work of many celebrities, or else they are merely famous for being famous.

Today I was saddened to learn about the death of Brittany Murphy at age 32.  Her breakthrough role was as Tai, the new kid whom Cher and Dionne make over in Clueless.  One of her unsung roles was that of Luann Platter, Hank and Peggy Hill’s bird-brained live-in niece, on the long-running animated TV series King of the Hill.  Luann was hilarious, whether bawling “UNCLE HANK!!”  or providing the voices for the Manger Babies puppets during her born-again phase.

Lady Bird, Bobby Hill, Hank Hill, Peggy Hill, and Luann Platter from King of the Hill

Brittany Murphy will be missed.

Brittany Murphy, 1977-2009

Donna Karan black and white Color Block tights

Cold Cream 'n' Roses1 Comment

Patterned and/or textured tights are big this winter. This pair of black and white color blocked tights from Donna Karan takes the cake:


Donna Karan Color Block Tights

Who remembers the black and white unitard that Freddie Mercury of Queen wore back in the 1970s? These tights remind me of Freddie’s unitard!

Worst recent magazine covers

Cold Cream 'n' Roses4 Comments

Fashion magazine covers. You can’t avoid them. You see them at the supermarket and drugstore checkouts: the placement is called “point of purchase.”

Here are my selections as the worst magazine covers of recent months:


Victoria Beckham on the cover of the October 2009 issue of Elle.
From Red Carpet Fashion Awards.

Victoria Beckham in Hussein Chalayan for the October 2009 issue of Elle. It looks like she has Mickey Mouse ears on her boobs!

Elle didn’t post this picture on its cover shoot story: wonder why?


Scarlett Johannson on the cover of the November 2009 issue of Glamour

Scarlett Johannson is beautiful, and her new red hair suits her. I like her red hair better than the platinum blonde that she wears in the ads for Dolce & Gabbana Cosmetics.

So what’s wrong with this cover? It’s more suitable for the cover of Playboy, as Scarlett looks like she’s pulling down her tee to cover her nether regions (for all I know, she might be wearing a thong underneath). Playboy covers are often hidden from view, but anyone can see the Glamour cover as they go through checkout!

Better days

Cold Cream 'n' Roses


Farrah Fawcett (February 2, 1947 – June 25, 2009) on her top-selling pin-up (1976)

http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docid=888079235932183632&hl=en&fs=true
“I want you back”
The Jackson Five featuring Michael Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) on The Ed Sullivan Show (1970)

“Pushin’ Too Hard”
Casey Kasem introduces Sky Saxon (d. June 25, 2009) and The Seeds (1967)

Natasha Richardson

Cold Cream 'n' Roses1 Comment

The news that actress Natasha Richardson died, after sustaining head injuries in a skiing accident, was devastating.

Natasha Richardson is survived by her husband, actor Liam Neeson. She is also Vanessa Redgrave’s daughter, but unlike her mother, she remained apolitical.

I know Natasha Richardson’s work in her roles in the 1993 TV adaptation of Tennessee Williams’s drama Suddenly, Last Summer and the 1998 remake of The Parent Trap.


L to R: Natasha Richardson, Dame Maggie Smith, and Rob Lowe in Suddenly, Last Summer

In Suddenly, Last Summer, she played Catherine Holly, who is administered truth serum (sodium pentathlate) to uncover the lurid nature of her cousin’s death. Rob Lowe played the doctor: this was part of his “rehabilitation” as an actor, after the sex video scandal. The great Dame Maggie Smith, as she’s now known, played Catherine’s aunt, who is crippled after a stroke. This TV adaptation is superior to the 1959 film starring Elizabeth Taylor, Montgomery Clift, and Katharine Hepburn.


Top: Lindsay Lohan as twins Hallie and Annie;
Bottom: Natasha Richardson and Dennis Quaid in The Parent Trap (1998)

I like the 1998 remake of The Parent Trap better than the 1961 version, and Natasha Richardson is a major reason why I like the remake. She plays the mother of twins Hallie and Annie, who were separated after their parents’ divorce. In this role, she sparkled and demonstrated a light comedic touch.

That Natasha Richardson was brilliant as two very different characters in two different genres is testimony to her gifts as an actress.

May Liam Neeson, their two sons, and extended family have forbearance to get through during this painful time. My thoughts and prayers are with them.

Your Golden Moment

Cold Cream 'n' Roses

I love it when L’Oreal comes out with a limited edition collection. Invariably, the limited edition collection features a beautiful eye shadow palette.

Beyoncé and Eva Longoria Parker are featured in the advertising campaign for L’Oreal’s latest limited edition collection Your Golden Moment. Your Golden Moment features two beautiful eye shadow collections: A Little Bit of Glitz and A Little Bit of Glam.

As with many limited edition collections from mass-market brands, the availability of Your Golden Moment collection is erratic. You might have to visit several stores before you find it. The search is worth it.

Funny … but not surprising

Cold Cream 'n' Roses1 Comment

Here’s this intriguing snippet from WWD: Droll Dame Edna Creates Mac Color Collection:

There’s a new dame in MAC Cosmetics’ arsenal: the irrepressible Dame Edna Everage, who has created an eponymous limited edition color collection for the company.

“I’m doing this out of love — I’m a giver,” said Dame Edna, the lavender-haired alter ego of Australian comedian Barry Humphries. “The audience’s applause was a little louder when I was wearing MAC on stage, so I was a convert. They didn’t have to coerce me.”

To compose the line, Edna holed up in a conference room with James Gager, senior vice president and creative director of MAC Worldwide, and Jennifer Balbier, senior vice president of product…


Dame Edna (Barry Humphries) channels Christine Keeler

Revlon seeks to re-energize itself

Cold Cream 'n' Roses

Revlon no longer creates excitement among consumers like myself who prowl the aisles of drugstores and big box retailers for reasonably priced cosmetics. L’Oreal is the clear winner among mass market brands – I love its True Match makeup and the limited edition eyeshadow palettes that are part of L’Oreal’s frequent collections. I am also fond of L’Oreal HIP lip color – in the traditional wand packaging, squeeze tubes, and pots – and its unique flavor, which I characterize as something like creme brulee.

Now Revlon is trying to re-create excitement for the brand. As other beauty bloggers have noted, Gucci Westman, formerly of Lancome, has joined Revlon as its Artistic Director. Revlon has signed Elle McPherson and Oscar winner (Best Supporting Actress, A Beautiful Mind, 2001) Jennifer Connelly as new spokesmodels. It has already rolled out ads featuring Jessica Alba.


Elle McPherson

Elle McPherson might have a killer bod (a tad too masculine for my liking), but I don’t think that she has a particularly beautiful face – too angular and mannish. Admittedly, her new bangs soften her look.


Jennifer Connelly – retro done right

As for Jennifer Connelly, she is a great choice. Can you imagine how great she might look in the red lipsticks for which Revlon is famous? Or in eye shadows that make her intense blue eyes pop?

Time will tell if these new developments will re-energize Revlon as a brand. Revlon should also develop a new visual image for its displays and get away from the soft focus look that has characterize its displays.