Beauty/Booty

~ She's turning 50 in August and her new album "Hard Candy" is due out at the end of April.

Here's the 1st new magazine cover Madonna is gracing as part of the publicity for the new album. Looking good.


(Picture courtesy of Perez Hilton).

~ Vanessa Williams received her Human Rights Campaign Award last week.



Beautiful inside and out. Classy.

~ And here's some random Brazilian man-booty for your Friday viewing pleasure.



Be nice this weekend.

Kenneth Rules!

It's cliche galore but Mariah's new video for "Touch My Body" features 30 Rock's page Kenneth Parcell (played by Jack McBrayer), who makes a star turn in his music video debut.



Enjoy the video before it gets yanked off the net.

Fxxking Funny

Comedienne/actress Sarah Silverman and her boyfriend, talk-show host Jimmy Kimmel have come up with 2 of the funniest videos making the rounds on the internet.

It started with this:



And this is his comeback:



So dysfunctionally funny, I love it!

Standouts at the Oscars

The Oscars were, as usual, a long-drawn affair, but yesterday's round of celebration of the year's best offered 2 beautiful moments on television.

The first was Marion Cotillard winning Best Actress. I loved her in La Vie En Rose and her complete transformation into the complicated Edith Piaf was at once brutally honest and artistically complex.

When her name was announced, Marion was overwhelmed, she was beautiful, humbled, and oh-so French when she said "Thank you life, thank you love...". And that mermaid dress by Jean-Paul Gaultier was simply gorgeous.


The 2nd proved to be truly charming when Best Song ("Falling Slowly" from the indie movie Once) co-winner, 19 year-old Czech musician Marketa Irglova was given a 2nd chance to give her acceptance speech.

Her co-writer and duet partner, Glen Hansard had given an effusive thank you speech, ending with a rousing call to "Make art, make art!" When Marketa walked up to the mic, the orchestra started to play so all she could say was a muted "Thank you".

In a first, Marketa was invited her back on stage after the commercial break and got to give her thank you speech. It was brief, eloquent and reminded you of the magic of art and creativity.


"The fact that we're standing here tonight, the fact that we're able to hold this, it's just proof that no matter how far out your dreams are, it's possible," Irglova said during take two. "And, you know, fair play to those who dare to dream, and don't give up. This song was written from the perspective of hope, and hope, at the end of the day, connects us all, no matter how different we are."

Gives you hope, doesn't it?

Woah!

What a week. My belly's still churning from what I think must be stress.

Is there enough pepto-bismol in the world that can coat this twisting discomfort into submission?

Lots to do, lots on my mind but hey, it never hurts to have Anderson Cooper on the tube.



Have a good, no-stomach-cramps weekend.

12 Happy Men

So besides overdosing on the American political process (thanks to CNN & the Huffington Post), and Imodium for my lovely d-affliction, I've been avidly following this season's American Idol competition as well. The final 24 have been announced and here's a sampling of the 12 fellas.

The singers, or what they've shown us on TV, have been much stronger than previous years' competition and I'm glad they've sorta simplified the early elimination rounds - contestants who are too nervous or choked up get a 2nd chance. And there's also none of the ridiculous grouping/pairing exercise that just adds unnecessary pressure, and honestly, do we care about hearing group melodies when this is a competition for soloists?

I'm rooting for David Archuleta, all of 16 (or is that 17?) and super likable.



There's also the Aussie-born Michael (Lee?) Johns who has a nice mix of soul and balls.



I've yet to hear Luke Menard, who promises to deliver on the eye candy stakes.


Get more on the fellas here. Happy Friday for now, fellators.

Junkie XL

Yup, that would be me, bent over double, shivering under my duvet, loaded on Imodium and waiting for all the purging to end.

Food poisoning is a bitch. It's a bigger bitch when you live alone and still have to take care of your 3 cats and check emails and...you get the picture.

After 48 hours of getting to know the confines of my toilet way too well, I've rejoined the living. And just in time for Valentine's Day. Not that I have big plans for it or anything fancy. But normal bowel movements can be the best gift in the world, people.

In totally unrelated news, will Ferras, who's song "Hollywood's Not America" has been chosen by the good people at American Idol, go the way of Daughtry (yay) or Daniel 'Bad Day' Powter (remember him?)



More on Ferras here.

Happy Valentine's Day, lovers, haters, sinners & bitches! Love to all!

Doink!

~ What's more surprising than Kirsten Dunst entering rehab? How about Cher & Tom Cruise being a couple back in the day?!

I was genuinely surprised to hear that Cher revealed this smidgen of a giant factoid in an interview with Entertainment Tonight last week.

Wow, indeed.

~ And congrats to Amy Winehouse for winning 5 Grammys and for putting on a strong and lucid performance, singing live via satellite from London at 4 in the morning.

More on the Grammys here.

I'm so not feeling it today. Are you?

Boundaries, Drama

How soon is too soon? How close is too close? Over this past week or so, I've had to think hard about where the boundaries are, invisible and unspoken as they might be.

It's hard when emotions rule, and as verbose and eloquent as I think I am, the diplomat in me finds it painstakingly challenging to say what I actually think and feel. Am i some sort of pity party planner, or just a sucker for drama?

Rejection - or rather, the fear of rejection, is a bitch, bar none. I can only work at being as honest as I can be where it really matters. I hope the Rat will be good to me. And you.

And how fab does Madonna (with daughter Lourdes in tow) look at the Gucci fund-raising show she hosted earlier this week? (Click for larger image)



Being Forbes' richest woman in music (US$70mil last year) sure can go a long way in making 50 look effortless.

His Body Is A Wonderland...

It's Super Tuesday. I'm CNN-oholic which means that I know too much about this uniquely American political process. What can I say, it's colourful.

Not as colourful as John Mayer in this Borat-style onesy, though.



I know I will not miss my flight today. What are you doing for Chinese New Year?

Dance Like There's No Tomorrow

As far as performing 'live' goes, Paula Abdul is the new Britney Spears.



'Live' my ass.

I have to stop missing flights and meeting you here. For the first time in 12 years, I'm gonna miss my Chinese New Year reunion dinner. You enjoy yours.

Getting Political

I'm glad Oprah decided to take a stand in the American elections and throw her full support behind Barack Obama.

She's electrifying to watch.



And speaking of getting political, how interesting is it that the wife of a Republican governor is supporting a Democratic candidate for president? See how Maria Shriver (wife to Arnold Schwarzenegger & niece to John F Kennedy) made a surprise visit and endorsement at the rally for Barack Obama in UCLA.

1 JT and 2 Kylies

~ Justin Timberlake's new ad for Pepsi has hit the airwaves.

First MacDonalds (I'm Lovin' It) and not Pepsi...not that I'm complaining, mind you.

~ In a case for creative efficiency, Kylie's 2 videos that were shot in LA a couple of weeks ago are complete and ready for your poptastic viewing pleasure.





It's way too cold in HK, by the way. 9 degrees. Brr, indeed.

Baggage, Part Duh

I checked into my hotel at around 1:15 in the morning, slightly drained from the stress of 1) almost missing my flight and 2) luggage-free, possibly because my bag didn't make it to the flight because of Reason #1.

And there, in the corner of the front office lobby was my bag. The airlines had obviously located it and had sent it to the hotel about an hour after I had left the airport.

There is no greater joy than a man reunited with his baggage. Truly. Even the 9-degree weather didn't dampen my mood.