the fashion report: 2011 MET ball

well, this has been quite the weekend!

first, we have the wedding of all weddings – prince william & princess kate tied the knot this past friday. now we’ve got this year’s MET ball hosted at the metropolitan museum of art’s annual gala. the costume institute gala benefit celebrates the opening of the “alexander mcqueen: savage beauty” exhibition, featuring the late designer’s iconic work.

this red carpet is unlike any other… this is where the best & the brightest come out to celebrate fashion. and celebrate they did! let’s start off with my best picks of the night.

when it’s right, it’s right, and these ladies did it perfectly. first up, my absolute favorite of the night, diane kruger in jason wu. this chic gown accents her old hollywood appeal, right down to the slitted skirt. absolute perfection! next up is young’un evan rachel wood in a maroon gucci premiere ensemble. we don’t see too much of this color anymore, and she’s workin’ it. love the detailing around the bust.

the fashion-forward isabel lucas chose this stunning louis vuitton number – i just can’t get over the color! while i’m not a huge fan of the headpiece, it’s still an inspired look. and then there’s ginnfer goodwin in topshop. are you kidding me? the jewelry, the makeup, the shoes! oh, the shoes! i’m loving everything about this look.

blake lively got it right in chanel this time around. her recently-dyed flowing locks fall gracefully on top of a beautiful detailed bodice. well done, karl lagerfeld! and rounding out the top 6 is model brooklyn decker in michael kors. so simple, yet absolutely out of this world.

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a big theme at this year’s MET ball? it was all about beige, starting with benefit organizer salma hayek in alexander mcqueen. expectant mommy kate hudson seemed to have blossomed overnight! stella mccartney really knows how to dress the preggos, lookin’ good kate.

in comes victoria’s secret model lily aldridge in ralph lauren collection – yea, she’s gorgeous. not many people can pull off the draped silk. that’s impressive! and then there’s another preggo on the red carpet… jessica alba in ralph lauren collection. i would KILL for her upper body – and skin tone, for that matter!

9 times out of 10 renee zellweger is on my “worst” list. but i think she got it right in carolina herrera. featuring quite the plunging backline, renee certainly knows how to draw attention to her rockin’ bod! last up, wearing valentio, is ms. dakota fanning! very age-appropriate and dainty! love it.

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and then there was the worst. there’s always some atrocious picks, and this year was no different. first up to the plate? the usually spot-on christina hendricks in carolina herrera. i mean, did she even look in the mirror? this does NOTHING for her figure and the colors? just plain ugly. i just have to say, what in the world, christina ricci?! we already picture you as your addams family character, why act it out in real life? yuck.

i’ll be the first to admit the olsen’s are quite the fashion-forward pair. but, why must they always wear things 40 times too big? i hate ill-fitting clothes, and mary kate‘s givenchy haute couture choice is no different. argh! modern family actress sofia vergara‘s carolina herrera gown, i’m sorry to say, looks like something i could’ve bought at jc penney on the clearance prom rack. whoops.

a total miss by alicia keys in her givenchy gown. it’s not that bad – take the jacket off and we’ll talk! and one of  these days, kristen stewart may just get it right, but this not one of those times. her proenza schouler number is repetitive, ill-fitting and just plain blah. sorry k-stew!

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this selection is all about… interesting black gowns. creative, i know. first up is model chrissy teigen in chris march. sometimes, chrissy, daring is not always a good idea. this is one of those moments. we see more cut-out fun in leighton meester‘s dress by louis vuitton. i’m like 80/20 on this one… 80% good, 20% not good.

then there’s brunette beauty penelope cruz. choosing the always-glamorous oscar de la renta, penelope looks exquisite. although i would’ve loved it even more if it were strapless! rhianna steps out in a less-than-stellar stella mccartney gown. i’m just not feelin’ the asymmetrical shoulder cut and corresponding hemline.

here comes lucy liu in vionnet. do i even have to say anything? waist-up, i could’ve dealt with. but come on, the see through slit and ostrich-y skirt? yikes! and last on the list we have ashley olsen in christian dior haute couture. ya know, i actually really like this. a form-fitting gown with puffy cream sleeves is a perfect pairing!

 

 

memory of a liftetime: the Royal Wedding


the wedding of prince william & kate middleton was a memory of a lifetime. a fairy-tale event like no other, steeped in rich tradition and overflowing with romance.

i’ll never forget waking up at 2:45am to stare in awe at the events unfolding… the Duchess of Cambridge (kate’s new moniker) was a VISION in her sarah burton-designed alexander mcqueen. prince william, you are one lucky man! 

to prince william whispering “you look beautiful” to kate as she arrived at the altar and his precious stolen glances at her during the “serious” parts of the ceremony, i just couldn’t get enough! i think we all turned to jelly while watching the two of them, so obviously in love, become man & wife.

all the best to the newlyweds… and as the priest conducting the ceremony said, “what God has brought together, let no man put asunder.” AMEN.

honestly, i had about 80 favorite pictures and simply could not narrow them down. what whimsy! what fashion! what romance! so, enjoy a small sampling of my faves (below).

and now… let the countdown to the Royal Baby begin!

 

 

the Royal Wedding is upon us!


someone asked me yesterday why i was so excited for the Royal Wedding. i can’t really put my finger on an exact reason. maybe because girls my age grew up with prince willy… remember when he looked like this? so dashing.

but regardless, i’m excited like SNL’s sue at surprise parties. the wedding of prince william & kate middleton is upon us, and oh my gosh it will be AMAZING. whether you plan on staying up or getting up early to watch, it’s going to be one spectacular event.

just in case the sleepies get the best of me, i’m DVR’ing NBC, ABC and TLC’s live coverage. oh yes, this is serious business. see below for a rundown of Royal Wedding events… and let’s get this show on the road!

 

* 8:15am (3:15am ET/12:15am PT):  the general congregation arrives at Westminster Abbey.

* 9:50am (4:50am ET/1:50am PT): foreign leaders, dignitaries, and distinguished guests arrive at Westminster Abbey.

* 10:10am (5:10am ET/2:10am PT): prince william and his brother prince harry leave Clarence House for Westminster Abbey.

* 10:20am (5:20am ET/2:20am PT): members of foreign royal families arrive at Westminster Abbey.

* 10:20am (5:20am ET/2:20am PT): kate middleton’s mother and brother leave the Goring Hotel for Westminster Abbey.

* 10:25am (5:25am ET/2:25am PT): members of the extended Royal Family leave Buckingham palace for Westminster Abbey.

* 10:35am (5:35am ET/2:35am PT): members of the direct Royal Family leave Buckingham palace for Westminster Abbey.

* 10:38am (5:38am ET/2:38am PT): the Prince of Wales (prince charles) and the Duchess of Cornwall (camilla) leave Clarence House for the short trip to Westminster Abbey.

* 10:40am (5:40am ET/2:40am PT): the queen and the Duke of Edinburgh (prince phillip) leave Buckingham Palace for Westminster Abbey.

* 10:48am (5:48am ET/2:48am PT): the bridesmaids and pages leave the Goring Hotel for Westminster Abbey.

* 10:51am (5:51am ET/2:51am PT): kate middleton and her father leave the Goring Hotel for Westminster Abbey.

* 11:00am (6:00am ET/3:00a.m. PT): the marriage service begins at Westminster Abbey

* 12:15pm (7:15am ET/4:15am PT): the newlyweds carriage procession departs Westminster Abbey for Buckingham Palace, followed by the queen’s.

* 12:40pm (7:40am ET/4:40am PT): the Royal Family and guests arrive at Buckingham Palace for the reception.

* 1:25pm (8:25am ET/5:25am PT): the Queen and the newlyweds appear on the balcony with their familes. this is when the highly anticipated kiss will take place.

* 1:30pm (8:30am ET/5:30am PT): fly past by the Royal Air Force.

betty white is ‘off her rocker!’

move over, ashton kutcher!

there’s a new queen of prank shows and it’s none other than ms. betty white. NBC has just picked up the 88-year-old’s reality TV series, off their rockers!

ms. white will host and executive produce off their rockers, a hidden-camera show that will follow a band of senior citizens as they play pranks on unsuspecting young people. oh. my. gosh…. this sounds HILARIOUS!

“people have been telling me that i’m ‘off my rocker’ for years – now i can prove it,” says white.

can’t wait to see what they come up with! i mean, ANYone could fall victim to some sweet little old man or woman. you’d have a heart of stone if ya didn’t!

‘the voice’ to overthrow ‘american idol’?

ask anyone – they’ll tell you i’ve been a fan of american idol for years.

it was only about a week ago that i realized i’m OVER IT. i mean, sure new judges jennifer lopez and steven tyler are cool but the show has lost its edge. every single performance is dubbed “amazing” and “ground-breaking” and just all-around perfect. where’s the fun in that? without simon cowell, there’s no spark, no discord and certainly no real opinions given.

so… with that being said, i’m now even more interested to see the 2 new singing competitions hitting the market this year: NBC’s the voice and FOX’s the x factor. the voice premieres april 26th and features a fresh new set of music judges – maroon 5′s adam levine, cee lo green, country star blake shelton and christina aguilera.

judging from the first 12 minutes of the show (check it out above), i can say the voice has some real promise. the judges sure have a great camaraderie and you can tell they’re having a blast. plus, the format is WAY different than anything we’ve ever seen which will definitely attract viewers.

cue, the x factor. very similar to american idol, but they’ve got mr. cowell. and he’s priceless! this one we’re gonna have to wait awhile on… it’s not hittin’ TV until september. so far the only confirmed judges are simon himself and music mogul l.a. reid, but we’ve heard rumors of jessica simpson, katy perry, and even mariah carey joining the judges panel too.

so, which one has more promise? it’s tough to tell. we’ll just have to wait and see!

the Royal refrigerator!

behold, the royal refrigerator!

now YOU can own this hilarious and unnecessary piece of royal wedding memorabilia – GE distributor GDHA has just put this on the market!

i’m laughing at this AND secretly wanting one all at the same time…

the prince william & kate middleton deluxe side-by-side 2011 wedding edition fridge is perfect for one thing: crushing on the royal couple. so, next time you grab the milk or crush some ice, you can “ooo” and “ahh” until you’ve had your fill.

david garden, commercial director for GE at GDHA, happily announced the limited edition item with a statement, saying:

“as expected, the royal wedding has really captured the U.K.’s imagination and it was no surprise that a william and kate commemorative fridge was a popular choice. it certainly wipes the floor with your usual commemorative tea towels and mugs and is most definitely one of the most novel royal wedding products we have seen.”

pre-order yours today! just leave one for me. thanks.

trashy or classy: mariah’s preggo shoots

yikes, mariah carey! i never thought pregnancy could look so… (excuse me for saying this)… TRASHY!

when her life & style cover came out last week, i thought, okay that’s a little iffy. the lighting and the pose scream YUCK, but she’s preggers so let her have some fun. then i saw her OK! cover and i about died.

marrrrr-iah. what were you thinking letting hubby nick cannon grab your breasts on the cover of a magazine! pregnancy shots usually focus on the impending baby not how sexy you are!

this is just all kinds of weird. well, to each their own i suppose. mariah’s twins (one boy & one girl) are due late april. if you can stomach it, click here to see more awkward shots of preggo mariah & nick!

 

 

trailer: everything must go

anchorman. talladega nights. step brothers. old school.  just a few of the amazing comedies that the beloved will ferrell has headlined. but his latest certainly doesn’t fall in line with these slapstick credits!

watch the trailer (above) of will’s new movie everything must go in which he plays a man who lives on his front lawn and sells all his belongings after losing his wife & job. thoughts?

it’s obvious this has a comedic element, but there’s definitely some underlying drama goin’ on. it’ll be interesting to see if he’ll be able to pull viewers away from ron burgundy and into nick halsey, his character in this new flick.

everything must go has been getting good reviews for the most part: “it is a sweet — and often very honest — look at life, and another example of how criminally underused will ferrell’s talents are” (via moviefone). but there’s definitely one thing critics universally agree about – that this will not be a big money-maker at the box office. with a budget of only $8 million, the studio at least won’t be losing money. i’ll be interested to see the numbers though! catch it in theaters may 13th.

 

 

reality TV stars, UNITE!

what a lovely idea! select the most genius and accomplished minds of our time, and throw them in the kitchen.

well, the most genius and accomplished minds of our time weren’t available, so they got some reality show rejects. the hillsheidi montag, the bachelor‘s jake pavelka and real housewivesdanielle staub were recently photographed together, and their respective tweets confirm they’re shooting a reality show!

while the details are still under wraps, its been reported that the montag & crew will be “revamping a restaurant from the ground up.” right, since they have SO much business experience!

where’s it airing? on vh1, of course! yikes. just another example of quality TV programming.

the “best” and the “brightest”

well, this title may be a bit misleading! cuz based on the trailer, this ain’t looking like the “best” or brightest” film at all.

starring neil patrick harris and bonnie somerville, the best and the brightest boasts a seemingly comedic yet poorly executed plot:

set in the world of new york city’s elite private kindergartens, the comedy centers on a fresh-faced young couple, samantha (somerville) and jeff (harris), who have only recently moved into town. they soon realize the lengths they must go to in order to get their 5-year-old daughter into school.

watch the trailer above. it seems to be… falling short. like it could be funny, but it’s just not making you laugh. i mean, i didn’t even crack a smile let alone a laugh during those 2.5 minutes! these days, it’s almost impossible to make a movie look bad, what with the magic of movie trailers. yet, this one looks like yuck.

the best and the brightest hits theaters sometime this summer, and i’d be bettin’ it’s going to flop like no other. sorry neil patrick!