Earlier this month, Corby and I attended the 30th Annual Big Time, a midsummer festival of the Coast Miwok and Pomo people of California. The College of Marin, in partnership with the Miwok Archaeological Preserve of Marin (MAPOM) and the Point Reyes National Seashore, offered a special event in conjunction with Big Time.

The first speaker, Betty Goerke, author of Chief Marin: Leader, Reble, and Legend, a biography of the Native (1781-1839) for whom the county was named -- his name was Huicmuse, he was christened at Mission Dolores as Marino, shortened to Marin -- gave a brief history of the Marin's indigenous Coast Miwok people who were living here when English ship captain Francis Drake (prior to being knighted) and his crew, sailing on the Golden Hind, landed at what is now called Drake's Beach in 1579. They were the first Europeans to encounter Coast Miwoks.

She showed the former coastline of what is now California, which extended maybe another 20 miles into the Pacific; this was before the formation of San Francisco Bay. She claims there is evidence of Miwok villages under the sea where the coastline had been, dating back 20,000 years.

She also showed illustrations of Coast Miwoks, in their tule boats, paddling to meet European ships entering the Bay.

Ralph Shanks, an authority on basketry, told us that many of the most exquisite examples of regional basketry are in the collections of European museums -- in Germany, in London, and at the Hermitage in Russia. Russian traders settled along the Russian River and the towns of Fort Ross and Sebastopol in Sonoma County (one county north of Marin) around 1812. Evidently those traders recognized the value and uniqueness of this indigenous art form. Dr. Shanks and his wife, Lisa Woo Shanks, have written books about California Indian basketry.

He showed photos of many kinds of baskets, some of which were decorated with shells and feathers. The red feathers on the heads of the acorn woodpecker were highly prized, both for basketry and for personal adornment.

In addition to their everyday uses, for cooking, gathering and other domestic applications, baskets had ceremonial uses. They held water, but were not suspended over fire or they'd burn. Instead, hot rocks were placed into the acorn mush or whatever they were cooking in the basket, and that cooked the contents as well as any other cooking method could.

Because the coastal hills of California and the sea and waterways contain abundant and diverse edible vegetation, the Coast Miwok had no need to develop agriculture. They did hunt. Due to the mild climate and their semi-itinerant lifestyles living in small villages, they had no reason to erect large structures or to develop sophisticated architecture. Nature provided all they needed for a healthy life of comfort. So their artistry went into basketry. California Indian basketry is known worldwide for its beauty and complexity.

I possess two beautiful baskets that belonged to my former mother-in-law, Eulalie Braden Wolfer, that I think are Pomo. Now that I'm acquainted with Dr. Shanks, I plan to show them to him and get his advice as to their origin, value, and the best ways to preserve them. One is a very tightly woven bowl shape, with triangular designs; I'm sure it can hold water. The other is larger, also bowl-shaped, but of a coarser grass with the design created by the weaving and texture rather than with colors. I hold them as family heirlooms to be passed to my daughter, from her paternal grandmother, at the proper time.

Gene Buvelot, who is on the Board of the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria, gave a fascinating update on how several local tribes, not all Coast Miwok, organized and petitioned the federal government in 1970 to recognize them as Native people and restore their tribal status. This was necessary because the government had been informed (by whom I don't know) that there were no more Coast Miwok or other local Indians.

Since 1983, thirty of the thirty-eight California tribes that were terminated under the policy have been restored to federal recognition through litigation and legislation. In 2000, following a lengthy process, the Tribe became the most recent of these tribes to have its federally recognized status restored through enactment of the Graton Rancheria Restoration Act (“Restoration Act”).

Interesting lessons in current federal bureaucracy.*

Following the talks, we ate box lunches of broiled salmon with blackberry ketchup, grains of the Americas (red, white and black quinoa, amaranth, and wild rice), citrus seaweed salad tossed with field greens with agave nectar vinagrette, acorn brownies, and mint tea sweetened with maple syrup, prepared by Chef John Farais of Indigenous Edibles .

After lunch we went to Kule Loklo (bear valley), a native village on the grounds of the Bear Valley Visitor Center, Point Reyes National Park, where we watched Native dancers. We also wandered the village, entering the roundhouse, kotchas (family dwellings), and other structures, and viewing Native crafts and jewelry. Others, mostly children, drilled shells to make beads (like those used to decorate baskets), flaked flint arrowheads, and spun bull-roarers.

Even though it was a very hot, sunny day, the dancers performed around a small fire pit. Several of the dancers were related -- father, son, grandson, nieces, cousins -- as well as being from different local tribes and blends of different tribes. Accompanied by two drummers and a singer, the dancers did group dances, dances for women and girls, dances for men and boys. The men's costumes consisted of feather skirts that they sometimes flounced up in the rear. Of course, these dancers, performing as it were before a mixed general audience, wore shorts, jeans, sometimes T-shirts, under their costumes, when I'm sure that originally these dances were performed wearing only the feather and leather costumes, with no Western clothing underneath. (The Coast Miwok who greeted Drake wore no clothes most of the year because our weather here is temperate.)

I found it interesting that the males dressed in native ritual garb, mostly made of what appeared to be either hawk or turkey feathers -- there are lots of turkeys roaming the hills hereabout -- and shell beads, while the women's clothing, which was also no doubt traditional among these peoples, being made of cotton cloth, showed the clear influence of European fashion -- and modesty.

The men's dancing consisted mostly of a double tap with each foot, sometimes crouching and seeming to imitate animals, and often flouncing the tail feathers. The women, on the other hand, carried pieces of cloth draped between their two hands, and they rocked these cloths up and down from side to side as they danced. At certain points in the singing, all the dancers twirled around. The ribbons streaming from the women's dresses and their long glossy hair lifted spread out beautifully as they spun.

I learned from this experience something of how I imagine my European ancestors might have expressed their Pagan lifestyles: Accepting the gifts of the land, sky and sea; celebrating together; making art; expressing their joy in living. This, to me, is the best contemporary Paganism has to reawaken.


* I spoke with Gene after his talk because I want to invite local spiritual leaders to the upcoming Third Annual People of the Earth gathering at the Interfaith Center of the Presidio.

All photos, except that of the basket, by Aline O'Brien (Macha). Basket photo from the collection of The Bruce Museum, Greenwich, CT.

Filed under: Style, Celebrity, The Noble Prize

Congratulations to reader Callisto E. winner of today's weekly giveaway of the official Asylum T-shirt, courtesy of Busted Tees. The tee features Betty White, friend of animals, fire of our loins and light of our life. And what exactly did ... Read more

 

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DiCaprio could sniff that terrible smell, says so long to film with Mel - I Need My Fix Funky bunch trailing, Mark Wahlberg brings family to Hollywood star unveiling - Popeater My heart goes thump for Ali Larter rocking her baby bump - Amy Grindhouse Oh no. LiLo has no pillow - Celebrity Dirty Laundry Cheer up sailor, Chris Hemsworth in leaked Thor trailer - Tabloid Prodigy Something is crashing and it's golfer Ian Poulter's fashion - Betty Confidential So funny you might cry, Colbert and Cohen reenacting RHNY - Busy Bee Do the Vogue dance! Madonna rocks white pants in the south of France - Dipped in Cream What's this link about? Well Sarah Gilbert has officially come out - Allie is Wired Through all kinds of weather Pratt and Montag are still together - Earsucker So that's where he went, Chris Klein extends rehab stint - Oh The Scandal Big Apple pretty with street-fashion from New York City - The Fashion Spot Everybody wins when Megan Fox and dolphins swim - Celeb Hot Sauce Well what do you know, American Idol to land J. Lo - Radar Forget the gay rumors yall, find out the real dirt on Jake Gyllenhaal - dlisted Talking about a brand new groom, Miranda Kerr's baby Bloom - Evil Beet Gossip Hillary Duff and her pre-wedding plastic stuff - The FAB Life

Joe Manganiello on The Wendy Williams Show
True Blood’s werewolf, Alcide, Joe Manganiello will be a guest on The Wendy Williams Show on Monday August 2, 2010! http://www.wendyshow.com/

Joe Manganiello LIVE AP Interview Monday, Aug 2The Associated Press will be interviewing True Blood’s werewolf, Alcide, Joe Manganiello on Monday August 2, 3pm eastern time. Listen to the live stream here: AP Live Stream

Sam Trammell on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno – Aug. 3True Blood’s Sam Trammell will be appearing on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on Tuesday, August 3rd! The Tonight Show airs at 11:35 EDT on NBC On the show with Sam will be Betty White and The Black Crowes source: NBC.com

Celebrity Pictures - Betty White - Puppy Sweater

Written by Elaine Truong

Posing with naked men wasn’t the last surprise Betty White pulled out of her bag for charity lately. In a collaboration with California-based brand Jerry Leigh Apparel, the “Hot in Cleveland” star is launching a line of T-shirts and hoodies, with part of the proceeds going to the Morris Animal Foundation.

The line is definitely not shy about having Betty White as its representative; White’s face and name are plastered on the apparel in artsy, colorful variations filled with wit, such as the Long Live the Queen Hoodie, with White as the queen, of course.

The hoodies, priced at $48 with tees at $28, even have built-in earbuds disguised as drawstrings, which are completely washable. Designer Jerry Leigh’s signature earbuds-in-hoodies originated when working with HB3 Technology, creating the label InSound.

“With Betty White’s star continuing to be on the rise, she was a natural fit for Jerry Leigh Apparel, as we pride ourselves on offering the most cutting edge developments in the apparel industry,” Leigh tells AOL.

White is a longtime advocate of the Morris Animal Foundation and has supported the organization for over 30 years, receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award in February of this year.

Hoodies and T-shirts can be purchased here.

Related past articles

• Betty White Is Still A Golden Girl For Animals
• Meet King Kong In 3D For Charity
• Celebrity Guests Celebrate Oscars At Charity Parties
• Betty White Is A Charity Golden Girl

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Today, my sister (who is 8) yelled at the people on snicker's comercial for tackling Betty White, she said "No one hits Betty White!!". I've taught her well.MLIA

Previously on BLOG, I had explained the reasons I decided to take a month out of my life to watch and rewatch The Blues Brothers, and to give it the liveblogging snark treatment here. If you missed Part I while traveling home from ComicCon or holding vigil outside of Lindsay Lohan's prison cell, check it out here.

If you've already read Part I, then sit back, relax, and enjoy Part II:


At last, the Blues Brothers are ready for their first gig -- even if there's no gig ready for them. So they go wandering aimlessly through rural Indiana looking for some out-of-the-way shithole whose booked entertainment is running four hours behind. As luck would have it, they stumble upon the set of Urban Cowboy, and Jake and Elwood go inside to check what kind of music they have there. "Both kinds," the bar lady chirps, "country and western!" Relieved that they don't play any of the same shit they do at the Holiday Inn Armada Room, the band sets up on the spot where the mechanical bull is to be set up next Wednesday, surrounded by magic chicken wire. The boys do three songs, drink $300 worth of beer, and suffer zero cuts from flying glass splinters.

Despite playing a great gig to a packed house of happy alcoholics who would have walked out if not for the live entertainment, the brothers manage not only to piss off Bob, the proprietor, but also earn the enmity of the unreliable fucks who rolled into the parking lot at closing time thinking they still had a job. When Jake and Elwood skip out on their bar tab, they take off after them, shotguns blazing. Luckily for the brothers, Officer X of the Illinois State Police is manning the speed trap outside Kokomo, Indiana -- apparently having been sent into exile for the shopping mall incident, and blaming it on the black oil. The Bluesmobile tears by, and Officer X starts in pursuit... only to hit Bob's camper trailer, ripping through it like a food court Taco Bell. Bob, the Good Ole Boys, and Officer X all turn to look down the road to Chicago, shake their fists in the air, and shout, "Hooooo-gan!!"

The next day, Jake and Elwood meet with their old booking agent, Maury Sline, who was given this surname as a gift to the writers at MAD Magazine. He's hesitant to do anything with an R&B; act, since this is 1980 and disco has pretty well established itself as the musical genre that will never die (despite the recent accidental loss of the transmission tower at WZAZ). But Jake gets the upper hand when he threatens to tell Mrs. Sline that Maury was hanging around bathhouse steamrooms with ten naked men at a time. Maury relents, and offers the band the 5000-seat Palace Hotel Ballroom up north on Lake Wazapamani, though he doesn't think they'll make any profit.

What he doesn't know, though, is that the brother's have a secret advantage: free child labor!! Curtis sends the current crop of future Joliet inmates out to plaster fliers all over South Chicago, as well as scrawling ads in scummy public men's rooms, at adult eye level. (I hope the kid who wrote that bit of graffiti changed his socks afterwards... eewww....) The Good Old Boys, apparently looking for an excuse to miss their next gig as well, spot this ad and decide to go get their revenge for... whatever.

Likewise, when a flyer crosses Johnny LaRue's desk, he calls up Officer X and asks if he and his partner would like to make it a date. "But, we just got fifty calls about an old police car with a stolen air-raid speaker tied to the roof driving on the beach at 10 mph," Officer X tells him. "We could easily go and grab them right now." Johnny pouts. "Oh. I thought we had fun last time, but if you don't want to go after parole violators with me anymore..." Officer X sighs and agrees to meet Johnny at the Palace... but just for a quick arrest, nothing else.

After covering three counties with their loudspeaker promotion, Jake and Elwood decide to actually get to the show. Irony of Alannis Morrisette ironies, it is at that moment the car runs out of gas. Unfortunately, Elwood can't put the moves on his own brother after pulling the out-of-gas thing, so he saves it for the gorgeous blonde who pulls into the same gas station, and mistakes his black suit, fedora and sunglasses for an attendant's uniform.

(Kids, ask your grandparents what a "gas station attendant" was.)

After several minutes chatting up the supermodel in the convertible, Elwood suggests that he ditch his family and meet her at the pool at a nearby motel. She tells Elwood she'll think about it, and drives off, whispering to herself, "This is crazy, this is crazy,..."

Meanwhile, the standing-room-only crowd at the Palace are getting rowdy, and the band starts to consider putting up chicken wire. But Curtis stops them, saying he knows just how to appease a crowd of 1980s music lovers come to hear classic 50s and 60s blues -- with a 1930s big band production number!! Cab Calloway does a version of "Minnie the Moocher" very much like the one he did for the classic Betty Boop short half a century earlier, which brings the crowd to its feet.

Well, it worked in one cartoon; why shouldn't it work in this one?

As the band distracts the crowd, Jake and Elwood sneak onto the Palace Hotel grounds, past 100 parked police cars, but pause to sabotage the Good Ole Boys' Winnebago. "That'll teach the fuckers to be late to one of their own gigs!" Elwood says as Curtis finishes his song, and the crowd starts growing impatient again.

Officer X then arrives, eager to start making arrests and exposing aliens. But Johnny LaRue asks, "What's the rush? Let's the three of us sit, enjoy the music for a bit." X scowls, then agrees to listen to one song, two tops... but then they start arresting. "Sure, sure," LaRue says. "Buy you boys some drinks? Orange whip?" he suggests, while fingering the bottle of roofies in his jacket pocket.

Finally, everything is in place. Jake and Elwood make their grand, long-anticipated entrance, and the crowd goes absolutely mild, staring in stone silence. "Crap, the handcuffed briefcase bit always killed on SNL," Elwood mutters. But thirty seconds into "Everybody Needs Somebody," the crowd is clapping, cheering, jumping to their feet and displaying the kind of mood swings usually only generated by taking both valium and cocaine simultaneously. "Huh... I wonder what other recreational drugs you could mix," Jake wonders to himself.

What, too soon?

The band goes into their second number, and Jake and Elwood go running for the back door, where the head of a major east coast record label just happens to be hanging out with $10,000 in his pocket. He offers to give it to the guys, to which Jake replies, "Bullshit! You're going to give us ten Gs after hearing one and a half songs?"

"Why the fuck not?" the man answers. "We've already made millions ripping off colored blues artists over the past fifty years; what's a couple thousand for a couple of white clowns if they can revive the genre's popularity? Besides, it's not as if the recording industry is going to start losing money hand over fist and then die out in the next 25 years, right?"

So, with all their other debts covered, and the show box office in hand, the guys sneak out of the theater through an access tunnel. They're almost home free... but then Princess Leia jumps out from around a corner, brandishing a machine gun. The guys hit the ground as she opens fire, but at a range of less than twenty feet, she's easily able to OH YOU HAVE GOT TO BE SHITTING ME!! Even the fucking ricochets are missing them!! Good Christ, not even a half-blind epileptic Stormtrooper could have aim that shitty!

"Why is this woman so uptight?" Elwood wonders aloud.

Leia stops firing, and announces, "I remained celibate for you, Jake."

"Okay, that would explain it," Elwood says.

Turns out her entire family was humiliated after Jake left Leia standing at the altar, though before they all blew up on Alderaan. Jake listens to her vent her anger, and then, comfortably certain she won't be able to shoot him even at point-blank range, approaches her, and then falls to his knees. He grovels, he begs, he proclaims his eternal love, and then he pulls off his sunglasses to flash a pair of big, brown, puppy-dog eyes capable of melting a heart encased in carbonite.

Leia drops both the gun's muzzle and her panties, and gives herself to Jake for a passionate kiss. And having received forgiveness from this woman he had hurt so badly three years earlier, who he once loved and, perhaps in some way, still does... Jake drops her in the mud. Ha-ha, psych, Princess Lame-a!! Jake really pulled one over on you!! She does get up and try to shoot them both as they flee, but that works out just as well as suspected. Leia drops her gun in defeat, and resolves to forget Jake forever... along with most of the rest of the 70s and 80s, as she'll reveal in her books decades later

Back in the Bluesmobile, Elwood notes, in addition to other facts, that it's 106 miles to Chicago. The time is around midnight, as Twiggy Brinkley is seen waiting at the motel for Elwood. That means, even at a leisurely 35 miles an hour, they'd reach Chicago around 3 am. Yet, as they approach the city limits, it is clearly well past dawn. I mention this only to show that, for all of Landis' excesses, at least we can all say a prayer of thanks for being spared what would have been six more hours of goddamned car chasing.

So, morning comes, and just outside Chicago, Elwood does some fancy swerving that results in leaving a smoking pile of ruined cop shocks, cop fenders, cop bones, etc. Johnny LaRue and Officer X end their night together with a soaring jump, penetrating the side of a tractor trailer full of cigars, which Johnny announces over police band with a joyous, satisfied laugh.

Then... more car chase. Here's a fun drinking game: every time a cop car is destroyed, drink a shot. The winner is the player who just mimes drinking, and watches his idiot competitors give themselves alcohol poisoning.

After losing the entire Chicago PD, the pursuit is then picked up by the Illinois Nazis. These guys actually come closest to killing the Blues Brothers, and by using only six men and two station wagons, demonstrate their remarkable German efficiency in doing so. The chase leads to Chicago's then-incomplete Trans-Skyline Expressway, planned to carry traffic over the Sears Tower and other skyscrapers on the way to Gary, Indiana. The Bluesmobile, even crippled by a thrown rod, avoids a tragic plummet when Elwood employs its cop-reverse-flip-turbo-boosters. Instead, it's the two top Nazis who go flying off the edge of the ramp, and as the ground and certain death rise up to meet them, the younger Nazi turns to his superior and admits a shameful secret:

"I never thought Laugh-In was really all that funny."

Finally, Jake and Elwood reach Daley Plaza, and the film pauses briefly for the sole truly emotional moment in the film -- the death of the Bluesmobile.

(bows head)

Once Jake and Elwood rush into the building, we get what feels like twenty minutes of watching the siege of Daley Plaza as the government center and surrounding area are soon full of cops, firemen, soldiers, Marines, sailors, National Guardsmen, the Girl Scouts, Webelos, and to top it off, a platoon of plumbers brandishing kitchen sinks. The Unnecessary Force (that would be a pretty cool name for a superhero comic, come to think of it) barrels into the building, runs up to the guard desk and ask, "Uh, which way did they go, George? Which way did they go?" George points to the elevator, and wonders if perhaps, as a security guard, he really should let so many armed men storm in without making them sign in.

Jake and Elwood reach the county assessor's office to find the clerk is on his break, hiding in the back office lamenting the fact that he'll never do another SF film to top Close Encounters. After ten minutes he dries his eyes he goes to unlock the doors. "Hey!" the brothers shout, "it's the asshole who put us in 1941!" The clerk tries to quickly relock the doors, but he gets picked up by his sweater vest and shoved against the reception counter. Elwood hands him the $5000 from the Palace box office which, despite being collected at $2 per person, is in a single tidy bundle.

"Okay," the clerk says, "as soon as I finish my bologna sandwich, I'll write your receipt."

"Actually, we're kinda in a rush," Elwood says, as the entire building begins to shake. "Could you write that receipt now?"

The clerks gives both brothers a mercenary look. "Will you do another movie for me?"

"Oh, fuck no," Jake says.

"Please?" the clerk begs. "Just a cameo?"

"An uncredited cameo," Elwood counters.

"Fine," Jake relents. "I'll do one in the film after the one where he does his."

A deal reached, the clerk stamps their receipt, just as the Illinois Law Enforcement Community chop their way through the last door, shout, "Heeeere's Johnny!" and slap on the handcuffs.

Then one more number, then the credits. The end.

... Well, whaddaya want for nothin'? A rubber biscuit?

Summary: It's real easy to make fun of The Blues Brothers and to point out the sillier bits and the lapses in logic. It's also easy to point out all the excesses in the script and the direction. But that's all beside the point. This is meant as a fun movie, and thirty years later, it's still fun. And a big part of the fun is all the excess -- yeah, you could chop the chase scenes down, or you could take out the Nazi subplot, but this would be a case where less is less, rather than less is more.

Adding to the fun is the great numbers by some great artists who, as the documentary features on the DVD say, were experiencing careers slumps at the time the film was being made. You would never know it to listen to them, though. The Ray Charles bit in particular was a tough one for me to write, because I would lose focus and start enjoying the performance.

But, to call this film "a Catholic classic"? I'm sorry, but even for an institution that has embraced a lot of illogical ideas over the centuries, this is ridiculous. One of the other non-religious films to make the Vatican list was It's a Wonderful Life, the story of a good, selfless man who spends his whole life sacrificing his dreams to help others. Jake and Elwood? You're no George Bailey.

And that about wraps it up. Push the button, Frank.

Find how excited he is after the jump along with Brian Posehn's real-life Harry Potter experience and Mindy Kaling's premise for a “Salt” comic. I'm @brianwarmoth, and I didn't make the following posts up in Twitter-Wood for July 29, ...

What do second-lien term loans and Betty White have in common? They’ve both been having a comeback this year. While second-lien term loans may not get the same kind of warm enthusiasm as...

Twitter-Wood had work tweets galore today, with Betty White showing up to the "Community" set, Milla Jovovich coming into contact with a prisoner and Tyrese Gibson hanging out with his crew for "Fast and the Furious 5." Meanwhile, "Eclipse" actress Tinsel Korey may not actually be working with Eminem yet, but she would like to [...]

'Mad Men' Betty DraperThe AMC show Mad Men takes place in the '60s, of course, when pretty much everyone and anyone smoked.

It was a social norm. Even though the habit's ill effects were becoming more prevalent, no one paid attention to risks like lung cancer, heart disease, or stroke. Lighting up was akin to putting on your pants in the morning.

What a difference 50 years makes. Smoking is as bad for you as obesity and new laws are in the works trying to get people to quit. Imagine if this law were proposed in the '60s. Don Draper would be standing in front of the White House with a picket sign ... and in a strange symbolic way, maybe that's exactly what he's doing right now in 2010.

Mad Men has thrust smoking back into the spotlight ... in a sexy way.

Despite all the hacking coughs and smoke screens, you still have to wonder if all the incessant smoking by these uber-hot stars on the show are helping to improve smoking's bad image, if even just a tad. Take a look at this video of every cigarette smoked on Mad Men.

See this video on The Stir by CafeMom.

You have to admit, they look really good doing it. If anyone can make a cancer stick sexy, it's Jon Hamm, aka Don Draper.

Part of the show's success lies in its authenticity; producers are simply reflecting the cultural norms of the time period. A show about the '60s without smoking is like making a show about the early '80s without mullets.

But for smokers who are fans of the show and are infatuated with the style, sophistication, and seductiveness of the '60s, seeing these smoking hot (couldn't resist) actors lighting up every five minutes could make it that much harder for them to kick the habit.

Of course, anyone emulating a TV show, especially one set in a different time period, has a whole other set of issues. But still, lots of people justify their actions by what they see on the screen, at least a little bit. It's impossible not to, regardless of the fact that the actors smoke fake cigs (thank goodness). I highly doubt that this show would persuade non-smokers to start up, but watching these sexy, successful characters on TV puffing away probably doesn't help a smoker's cause if they're looking to quit.

You can ponder this heavy sociological question, or you can just be amused by this funny video and get pumped for this Sunday's episode!

Do you think all of the smoking on Mad Men affects real people trying to stop?

 

Image via AMC

Filed under: Hair Care, Cuts & Style, Hair, Hair Color

From the infectious joy of Paula Deen to the statuesque beauty of Helen Mirren, one thing's for sure: gray hair has never been more fabulous.

Recently, factors like a rough economy have made frequent trips to the salon seem too indulgent for many. Combine that with the perpetual frustration of having to keep up such a high maintenance hair regime plus a bevy of popular celebs who are sporting silver strands, and you have the latest trend: more women are tossing aside bottles of eye and expensive salon bills in favor of going gray naturally.

And they're loving it.

"I stopped dying my hair two years before a class reunion. And not only that, I let it grow past my shoulders -- two things that older women seldom do because the so-called experts tell us not to do that. I knew I had done the right thing when men started to compliment me. Never too old to get a compliment...especially from younger men. My favorite compliment was being told 'you've aged beautifully,'" says StyleList reader Suzanne.

Many experts today have modernized their opinion on gray hair, saying that the shade can look effortlessly chic and stylish if you take good care of it.

Certain women should even welcome gray strands with open arms, says Mike Van Den Abbeel, owner of Mosaic Hair Studio in Florida.

"There are several professions for women that we recommend not get 100% gray coverage. Any woman working in law or dealing with money shouldn't try to cover up all her gray hair. In these cases, a little gray will help give a sense of experience of authority," says Van Den Abbeel.

GRAY HAIR CAN MAKE YOU LOOK YOUNGER!
For women who are nervous about taking the gray plunge, the most common reason is the fear of looking older. For what seems like forever, the traditional thinking is that gray instantly adds ten years to your look. Yet StyleList reader Marcia Ramsey has had a very different experience.

"I quit dyeing my hair when I was in my late 40's, and I had people ask me if I had a face lift," says Ramsey.

Some women actually do find that too-deep color can look harsh against mature features, and the levity of well cared-for gray can actually brighten and enliven the face.

We asked a handful of stylists whether gray hair can ever make a woman look younger, and the answers were completely mixed, from "Absolutely never!" to "You bet!" However, there was one thing everyone did agree on: a beautiful head of gray hair coupled with a quality hair cut and chic styling can look positively striking, no matter how old you are.

It can even be your trademark, much like a favorite fragrance or distinctive feature.

"I'm one of the first wave of baby boomers, so you can do the math on the age. I've never colored my hair and like it gray. I think it makes my face look younger because it's soft. I wear it very short in a pixie style, and since I'm petite, everyone says it flatters me. It's my signature look - everyone remembers me by it," says Miriam Silverberg, who owns a boutique publicity firm in New York.

THE BEST CUT FOR GRAY HAIR
"Gray hair can be gorgeous! The cut makes a huge difference. Don't give in to 'old lady hair.' Do something fresh and maybe even a little trendy. A graduated bob is always in, and is complementary to any woman," says Houston, Texas stylist Lauren Zabaneh.

Color Director Frank Friscioni at New York's Oscar Blandi salon agrees.

"Keeping your hair chin length or shorter is key. Putting yourself together, keeping cognizant of skin tone, complexion and chic-factor is vital to making gray hair gorgeous."


TEXTURE CHANGES IN GRAY HAIR
Many women complain that gray strands are prickly and unmanageable, and that attempting to tame them is akin to doing battle in front of the mirror everyday. There are scientific reasons behind the change.

"Texture changes when hair turns gray because the outer cuticle layer can become more coarse, giving gray its wiry look and feel. As the follicle of the hair shuts down its color production, it uses those amino acids to build more cuticle. This can lead to difficulty in coloring or a rough texture," explains Van Den Abbeel.

Funny enough, the latest Brazilian keratin straightening craze has been shown to smooth coarse gray hair through the experiences of women who were curious about trying the service, without the original intention of treating their gray hair.

"We've had brilliant results with the keratin straightening system on coarse, porous gray hair. It makes the hair smooth as silk and as straight as baguettes," says stylist Vikkie Foxe at Lefore's Spa in Washington.

Another instant texture changer? Highlights.

"I recommend a woman try highlights, since they'll have an instant new look for themselves, plus the added benefit of good texture again. I usually introduce white highlights into the hair to 'match' the gray. It may sound counter-intuitive, but this actually makes the hair look more vibrant and bright, as well as increasing body and texture," says Friscioni.

There's one group of women who can actually benefit from the texture change in gray hair: those with fine hair. The rougher cuticle and denser feel of strands produces a thickening volume that thin-haired types most likely ached for in their youth. With an application of shine serum, you'll be able to enjoy your now thicker mane in all its gray glory.

GRAY HAIR GROWTH PATTERNS
As for how the gray strands come in, everyone's experiences can differ -- from a salt and pepper-like spread all the way to skunky streaks. Front hairlines are often the first to go, with white hair working its way back to the nape. Yet women tend to be "blessed" with more white growth where you can see it first, and, if they decide to keep it, where it frames the face beautifully.

"Most women tend to have more concentration on the top of the hairline, where as men tend to have more concentration on the sides," says Dimitrios Tsioumas, creative color director for New York's Mizu salon.

If you're not super gray yet, you can check out mom's roots for a preview of what's to come. According to Friscioni, your personal graying pattern is hereditary. Thank your parents.

HOW TO PREVENT BRASSINESS
For women who embrace gray, one of the most common fears is the threat of brassiness -- that embarrassing yellow tinge that can make your gorgeous silver strands look drab. Experts say the biggest culprits of the staining are all environmental.

"Smoking or sitting in a smoke-filled environment can lead to a yellowish cast, which is very hard to remove. Iron-laden water is another source, as is pollution. Some hair is just more porous and will absorb or stain more easily," says Melissa Koebler, stylist at Secrets of Hair Design Spa, just outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Fortunately, there's a slew of shampoos that can help treat and prevent brassiness, and stylists who work with products day in and day out know what really works.

"A clarifying shampoo can be used to remove any mineral deposits from the hair. A blue-based shampoo such as Clairol's Shimmer Lights can be used to eliminate the yellow hue," advises Van Den Abbeel. For best results, thoroughly cleanse with a treatment shampoo at least once a week.

Another option is to try a glaze, which you can purchase at a beauty supply store to try at home, or you can ask to have done at a salon.

"The best way to tackle brassiness is to get a glaze. This adds shine while toning the hair to keep the brassiness away from the gray color," says Nicholas Penna, Jr, owner of SalonCapri in Massachusetts.

HOW TO HANDLE GRAY BROWS
So say you've decided to grow in an all-gray mane. How should you handle the eyebrows?

We asked another handful of experts if you should keep gray in the brows or color, and responses interestingly varied by region.

Experts from hot city spots like New York and Los Angeles overwhelmingly recommended color brows for added definition to the face, whereas other non-metropolitan area experts from the midwest and south voted for full embracement of gray with matching gray brows.

Our advice? Figure out whether you personally want the natural look of gray brows, or the glossier look of color-enhanced brows.

Then put down those tweezers.

Eyebrow hairs evolve into a state of gray much slower than the head. People have a tendency to tweeze grays in an attempt to tame brows or preserve color, but it's a big mistake that could destroy the hair follicle that supports hair growth.

While it may not be your desired hair color, gray brow hairs still provide a bridge in the continuity of the brow line, says Renee Gilanshah, brow specialist and owner of Virginia's Salon Amir.

If you want colored brows, choose a shade in the lighter side of your natural color palette for the most attractive results.

"The most common error that I see is that women choose a brow color that is too reddish brown. The warmth from red tones is too great of a contrast with the coolness of gray, silver and platinum hair colors," says Gilanshah.

"Pencils will work best on shading sparse growth and powders are good for bulking up fine hairs, but neither product will adhere to the texture that gray hair develops. Opt for a tinted brow product such as a gel, cream or wax instead," advises Gilanshah.

BEST MAKEUP FOR GRAY HAIR
As for the rest of your face, makeup choices should also change to enhance gray hair -- or else you risk washing out your complexion, says beauty expert Bobbi Brown.

"It's important to pick brighter shades of makeup to give your face a lift. Sweeping a soft pink or coral blush on the apples of the cheeks will help to instantly brighten the face, as will brushing a pretty rose, pink or coral lip gloss on the lips. Define your brows with a color-correct powder eye shadow or pencil, and apply a dark brown or black liner to open up your eyes and polish off your look," suggests Brown.

For a photographic example, check out our coverage of Brown's Pretty Powerful campaign, which includes a makeover of a gray-haired beauty.

BEST CLOTHING FOR GRAY HAIR
And did you know that wearing certain clothing colors could take years off your look by making your gray strands pop?

"Stick to black, navy, pure white -- never ivory -- and all the jewel tones like sapphire, royal blue, ruby, fuchsia, magenta, purple and violet," says image consultant Sandy Dumont, who has wardrobe-advised individuals and corporations for over 30 years.

You'll also want to stay away from certain shades. Avoid going matchy-matchy with gray clothing, as it can age you. Greens can also be tricky, as they can actually make your hair look green when you're standing in the sunlight, says Dumont.

Convinced gray is for you? Use StyleList's tips to pull the hue off fabulously -- and have a blast saving or spending all that extra cash you'd otherwise spend fighting your hair color.

Gray Hair How To: Secrets to Being a Silver Fox originally appeared on StyleList on Thu, 29 Jul 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Hair, Celebrity, News, Hair Color, Celebrity Hair, Celebrity Style

Once upon a time, finding a gray hair meant spending the rest of the day armed with a pair of tweezers, in between rushing to the salon and contemplating hari-kari.

Now, embracing those silver strands -- whether premature or not -- is a sign of confidence, dignity, and, as the runways have shown us, even trendiness.

With that in mind, we're saluting the celebs who have resisted the urge to hit up the Clairol and have flaunted their gray hair with pride. Talk about silver linings!

Browse our gallery of silver foxes over the years.




Meanwhile, read about options for gray hair.

Gray-Haired Celebrities - Silver Foxes Through the Years originally appeared on StyleList on Thu, 29 Jul 2010 14:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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My son turned 8 last week, and in our family when it's your birthday you get to pick the type of cake and the birthday dinner. He chose crab legs and artichokes for dinner, which basically translates to things he can dip into butter, and Snickerdoodle for his cake flavor.

Never having heard of Snickerdoodle Cake, I scoured the internet for recipes, finally settling on one that used a cake mix (thank you, Betty Crocker!) and called for cinnamon in both the cake batter and the frosting.

I substituted applesauce for half the butter in the cake, and sprinkled cinnamon sugar on top once it was frosted. And it was delicious, if I do say so myself! We were all amazed at how much it really tasted like a Snickerdoodle cookie, and how enjoyable that flavor sensation is in a moist cake with buttery topping. Ah, there's that butter theme again. He's obviously wise beyond his eight years...

Download the Recipe PDF | Subscribe in iTunes Right click to save the PDF to your desktop. Directions on downloading PDFs.

Snickerdoodle Cake with Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting
[adapted from Henrie's recipe]

Cake Ingredients

• 1 pkg. yellow or white cake mix
• 
  
• 1 cup milk
• 
  
• 1/2 stick butter, melted
• 
  
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 
  
• 3 large eggs
• 
  
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 
  
• 2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Frosting Ingredients

• 1 stick of butter, room temperature
• 
  
• 3-3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 
  
• 3 T milk (or a bit more to thin the frosting)
• 
  
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 
  
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon

Fancy sugar sprinkles and more ground cinnamon on top for the finishing flourish.

Note to Readers: There was no double-dipping in this shot. He did NOT touch the cake with the spatula again, I swear.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease and flour two 9" round cake pans.
   
2. Place cake mix, milk, melted butter, applesauce, eggs, vanilla, and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl. Mix for 3 minutes until well blended.
   
3. Divide batter between the pans and place them in the oven side by side. Bake until they are golden brown, about 27-29 minutes.
   
4. Remove cakes from oven and cool for 10 minutes, then invert them on a rack and cool completely.
   
5. While the cakes cool, prepare the frosting (directions below).
   
6. Frost the cake and put it in the fridge until the frosting sets if needed, probably for about 20 minutes.
   
7. Sprinkle fancy sugar and a pinch of cinnamon on the top if you like, or make a simple cinnamon sugar mixture and sprinkle liberally.
   
8. If you have leftovers (after breakfast the next morning we had nothing left), keep refrigerated.

Make the Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting

1. Place butter in large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low until fluffy, about 30 seconds.
   
2. Add powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla. Blend on low until sugar is incorporated, about 1 minute.
   
3. Add the cinnamon, and Increase the speed to medium. Beat until light and fluffy, about 1 minute more.
   
4. Blend in up to 1 tablespoon milk if the frosting seems too stiff.

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Is Wisteria Lane about to get kissed by the golden touch of the hottest actress in Hollywood? Desperate Housewives creator Marc Cherry certainly hopes so.

Cherry, who used to be a writer on Golden Girls, has his fingers crossed that Betty White, 88, will join the ABC show, at least for a little while. "I adore Betty," Cherry said at the Television Critics Association panel on Tuesday. "Betty got me a seat at Saturday Night Live, so I was there when she hosted. She’s so astounding. I would love to have her do the show. She works harder than any of us. She is constantly employed. I’m trying to just see if I can get her for dinner. It’s so hard to book her!"

Cherry has fond memories of his time with all the GG ladies, and recalled reconnecting with White and the dearly-departed Rue McClanahan and Bea Arthur at a Golden Girls DVD party a few years ago.

"They all gave me a big hug. We hadn’t seen each other in about a decade and they were so happy for my success and they were just so lovely," Cherry said. "I remember thinking, ‘I have to get them on the show.’ Of course, time does what it does and now only Betty is left. If there’s any way to do it, I would love to have Betty on the show. She’s a saucy, sexy gal and she’s a blast. It’s something that would make my heart very happy."

Cherry may have to take a number to get a meeting with White, who is currently starring on TV Land's Hot in Cleveland with Valerie Bertinelli and is on everyone's wish list, but how great would it be to see the actress go head-to-head with Bree (Marcia Cross) and co.?

Who should Betty White play on Desperate Housewives? Chime in below!

Like This? Read These:
- Betty White Strikes While the Iron's Hot
- Betty White Says Goodbye to Rue McClanahan
- Marcia Cross Is No Domestic Diva Like Bree Van De Kamp

Filed under: News, Profiles, Politics

Fellow Democrats may begin calling for Charlie Rangel's resignation if he can't reach a plea deal that would prevent a public trial on ethics charges.

Up until now, only Republicans have called for Rangel's resignation. If Democrats begin making the call it will surely be a slap in the face to the 40-year Democrat and former chair of the Ways and Means Committee.

Today is likely the last day to make a deal. Although the charges Rangel could face have been widely speculated about, a formal reading of the charges is set for 1 p.m. EST today.

Rangel is being investigated for his use of four rent-controlled apartments in Harlem, using Congressional letterhead to raise money for a New York City College center for public service bearing his name, not reporting income and assets and preserving a tax loophole for a group that donated to the City College center. If a trial were to take place and he were to be found guilty of ethics violations, Rangel could face everything from a written reprimand, censure or expulsion.

An ethics trial is rare and could be embarrassing.

Democrats have been pushing for Rangel to settle the charges in light of the upcoming mid-term elections. The fear is that the ethics charges against one of the longest-serving and most powerful Democrats will be used against other Democrats as they fight for re-election and fight to maintain control of the House.
Members of the Congressional Black Caucus have called for fellow Democrats and the public to not rush to judgment.

However, other Democrats have made much tougher comments.

The AP writes:

Rep. Betty Sutton of Ohio, a second-term lawmakers who received 65 percent of the vote two years ago, said Rangel "needs to resign" to preserve the public's trust in Congress. Rep. Walt Minnick of Idaho, a freshman who got 51 percent of the vote last time, couched his resignation call on the charges being proven.

Rangel, himself, is facing a primary challenge but many residents of his Harlem district have said they will stand by him. It's very likely that Rangel will be reelected.

 

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"I would love to have her do the show but she's constantly employed. I'm just trying to see if I can get her for dinner." DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES executive producer MARC CHERRY, who also worked on Golden Girls, wants red-hot comedic veteran BETTY WHITE to make a cameo on the hit TV drama.

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Las actrices españolas Concha Velasco, Lola Herrera, Carmen Maura y Alicia Hermida se convertirán en 'Las chicas de oro'. La adaptación española de la mítica serie de televisión de los 80 saltará pronto a La 1 con un reparto de lujo que dará vida a Bea Arthur, Betty White, Rue McClanahan y Estelle Getty.

On this day in 1988, the world of competitive sports lost an innovator who forever changed one of the most celebrated of winter sports.

Anyone who has ever sat in an arena in the wintertime, bored out of your mind between periods of a hockey game, owes a grand debt to this man for his brilliant piece of machinery. With that in mind, the Wrap gives a posthumous tip of the hat to none other than Frank Zamboni. Good on you, Frank.

With that, it's back to the world of politics, where the Wrap is filled to capacity. The headlines are fast and furious on this Tuesday: internal polls abound, Willie Herenton is still an ass (but his schtick ain't working), and Tom Emmer is still not very smart.

All that (and more!) in the Tuesday edition of the Wrap....

THE U.S. SENATE

CO-Sen: Romanoff goes all-in, while Norton tweaks Buck
Two headlines out of Colorado today: one of them was utterly predictable, while the other one is a pretty big shocker. The shocker is the all-in level of commitment were are seeing from Democratic challenger Andrew Romanoff, who has sold his house to finance the final month of his primary challenge to appointed incumbent Michael Bennet. The sale netted the challenger $325K, which he directed to his campaign. On the more predictable campaign tactical front, Jane Norton has decided to exploit the opening led by Ken Buck with his recorded smackdown of the "dumbasses" in the Tea Party. Even in defending the teabaggers, though, Norton probably crapped the bed with those folks. While she defended the teabaggers' right to their birtherism, she also said that she did not share it, saying that Hawaii has settled the issue, and that she thinks Obama is a citizen.

That trampling sound you hear is the teabagger set running back to Ken Buck.

IL-Sen: Special election decree could shake up Senate race
It's not a lock just yet, but it is now exceedingly likely that a federal judge will order a special election in Illinois to coincide with the regularly scheduled federal election this November. While it is unlikely to change the cast of characters (the parties will almost certainly get to appoint the special election nominees, and just as certainly will give the nominations to their already-elected nominees), it does have two key impacts to consider. For one, it would appear that will give whomever emerges from the race a leg up on seniority. For another, it could have a real fundraising impact, as both Alexi Giannoulias and Mark Kirk could then go back to their maxed-out donors, since there are now two elections instead of one.

KY-Sen: Conway leaps on opportunity, dings Paul on ADA anniversary
In a pretty clever campaign gambit, Democratic contender Jack Conway managed to tie together Rand Paul's generic batshit craziness with the high-profile big-bucks fundraiser that Paul is having with former Florida Governor Jeb Bush. In a speech celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, Conway noted that the landmark bill was signed by George H.W. Bush. He noted that sad irony that Bush's son would assist a candidate (Paul) who was on the record opposing certain aspects of the A.D.A. The Conway campaign also released late last week internal polling which showed the Democrat dead-even with the GOP standard bearer, and leading him easily among those folks who know both candidates.

NC-Sen: Civitas poll gives Burr narrow lead over Marshall
When a nominally GOP pollster puts the GOP incumbent well under 50%, and only up by six points, that has to be seen as a fairly optimistic sign for the challenger. The Civitas poll released today gives incumbent Republican Richard Burr a lead of 44-38 over Democrat Elaine Marshall, with Libertarian Michael Beitler down at 3% of the vote. Two items to note: among those who are certain of their preference, the margin gets cut down to four points (32-28). Furthermore, Marshall also seems to have some upside, with half of the voters still unsure of whether or not they have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of her. Marshall's campaign released an internal poll last week showing her up on Burr by a 37-35 margin.

OK-Sen: Primary day in the Sooner State
Oklahomans wrapped up a pair of primaries tonight to determine their U.S. Senate candidates for the Fall. Neither primary received a lot of attention, if for no other reason than the strong supposition that the Senate race will be totally uncompetitive in the Fall. There were a pair of GOP challengers challenging incumbent Tom Coburn (who nevertheless won with 90% of the vote), while the Democratic primary voters chose retiree Jim Rogers over attorney Mark Myles. Rogers, a perennial candidate, is not considered to be a serious contender for November.

THE U.S. HOUSE

ID-01: Minnick second Democrat to call for Rangel ouster
Less than three days after Ohio Congresswoman Betty Sutton became the first Democrat to call for embattled New York veteran Rep. Charlie Rangel to step down, another high-profile Democrat has followed suit. Walt Minnick, the freshman Democrat who represents one of the reddest districts in the nation, has called for Rangel to step down. Saying he originally was willing to let the voters of the New York 15th district make the decision, Minnick now says the proponderance of the evidence makes it "clear" that Rangel should go. Given Minnick's location of most target lists, it is fair to wonder if his call will start a dam break of vulnerable Democrats.

IL-17: GOP contender claims double-digit lead in an internal poll
You might recall a couple of months ago when some GOPers openly talked about gains in the 100 seat range. It seemed absurd at the time, but if internal polls like this one are legit (an open question, of course), those lofty projections might just be legit. A poll by Magellan for little-known GOP contender Bobby Schilling claims that he has a thirteen-point edge (45-32) over sophomore incumbent Democrat Phil Hare.

MN-03: GOP freshman leads by 22...in Democratic internal poll
Add this to the list of curious releases of internal polling data. A new poll for Democratic challenger Jim Meffert shows incumbent Erik Paulsen staked to an early 44-22 lead over the challenger. The Independence Party candidate snagged 7% of the vote. I suppose that the goal there was to show Paulsen under 50%, but that impact is muted somewhat by showing Meffert under 25%, one would think.

OK-01/OK-02/OK-05: Voters pick House nominees
Three of the Sooner State's five Congressional districts headed to the polls today to pick their nominees for the Fall. In OK-01, incumbent John Sullivan was forced to battle with five Republican challengers. Sullivan won with a less-than-impressive 63% of the vote. He is secure for November, however, as only a Libertarian challenger awaits in the Fall. In OK-02, Democratic state legislator Jim Wilson made a late decision to primary ConservaDem Dan Boren. Perhaps as a result of his late start, he came up well short against Boren, who drew 76% of the vote. Meanwhile, we will have to wait four weeks for Boren's Republican challenger, as the multi-candidate GOP field resulted in a runoff election. A runoff is also in order in OK-05, where Mary Fallin left to run for Governor.

TN-09: Herenton plays race card (again), but CBC doesn't bite
It would have been very difficult to run a more repugnant campaign than the one Nikki Tinker threw at Steve Cohen two years ago. But, quite clearly, former Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton is doing his damnedest. Herenton is invoking race repeatedly in his battle with Cohen, one of a small handful of white Congressmen representing majority-black districts. He referred to voters needing to "come off of that Cohen plantation." He also repeated, for about the tenth time, the necessity for Tennessee to have "just one" black member of Congress. One prominent group that isn't buying Herenton's schtick is the Congressional Black Caucus. The group endorsed Cohen yesterday. This is a departure for the caucus, which offered financial assistance to Tinker in her bid against Cohen in 2008.

WI-03: GOP internal poll keeps Dem Kind in lead, but modestly
Unlike the eye-popping Illinois internal poll, an internal poll out of Wisconsin gives the Republican challenger respectable numbers, but keeps a longtime Democratic incumbent out in front of the field. The poll shows seventh-term Democratic incumbent Ron Kind leading with 44% of the vote, ahead of Republican Dan Kapanke (38%) and Libertarian Michaek Krsiean (6%). Interesting dichotomy from the poll--the poll has Barack Obama at a middling 48% approval rating, but has a nine-point generic lead for a GOP candidate.

RACE FOR THE HOUSE: The DCCC ad blitz (wave #1) is revealed
The guys over at Swing State Project has the complete list of 41 districts that the DCCC have reserved air time for this Fall. SSP has helpfully put the districts in a sortable table, with designations of the margin of victory in the House in 2008, as well as Barack Obama's percentages in each district. Two caveats--this is the first wave, and not an exhaustive list. I'd expect the Democrats to also play some offense, and I'd expect to see some other districts get some attention. Furthermore, reserving time doesn't mean said time will be used. If Raul Labrador continues to lag behind Walt Minnick, for example, that cash in ID-01 can be redirected elsewhere.

THE GUBERNATORIAL RACES

FL-Gov: McCollum down six...in his own internal polling
Just like with Arkansas Democratic Sen. Blanche Lincoln last week, let's use the latest poll release by Florida gubernatorial candidate Bill McCollum to review a simple rule--it is rarely a good thing for a candidate to release an internal poll that shows said candidate getting beat. Yet that is exactly what McCollum has done--he released a poll by McLaughlin and Associates showing him trailing bazillionaire Rick Scott by a 37-31 margin. Apparently, McCollum felt the need to sell two memes: 1) there are a ton of undecideds left in the race and 2) he is not down by as much as some folks might fear.

MD-Gov: Public poll gives Dem incumbent slight lead in rematch
In Maryland, the rematch of the 2006 battle between current Democratic Governor Martin O'Malley and former Republican Governor Robert Ehrlich is pretty damned close to a coin flip, according to a local pollster. The poll, by Gonzales Research, has the Democrat O'Malley up three points (45-42) over Ehrlich. President Obama's approval ratings have slid even in blue Maryland--the Gonzales poll had the President at a 51% approval rating.

MI-Gov: Is Bouchard the sleeper candidate on the GOP side?
Virtually all of the attention in Michigan is on the triumvirate of Mike Cox, Peter Hoekstra, and Rick Snyder, but Hotline On Call's Dan Roem is betting on a longshot in that primary. He is betting on Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard. Roem's rationales are solid: not only does Bouchard have more cash to blow in the final week of the campaign than anyone else in the field, he has been courting the uber-activist (some might say "batshit crazy") vote, with the endorsements of luminaries such as Ted Nugent, Joe Arpaio, and Samuel Joe the Plumber.

In other Michigan gov news, Attorney General Mike Cox is fending off a new allegation, and a salacious one, at that. An eyewitness, who claimed he worked security at a long-rumored wild party thrown by Kwame Kilpatrick in 2002 in Manoogian Mansion, is now alleging that not only was Mike Cox a guest at the party, he was the recipient of a lap dance from one of the cadre of exotic dancers hired to work to the party. Cox, for his part, vehemently denies the allegation, and it is worth noting that the accuser in question does have three criminal convictions on his record over the past 14 years.

MN-Gov: Tom Emmer is evidently not a smart man
This has to be one of the clubhouse leaders in the contest for most absurd campaign statements of the 2010 cycle. Trying to appeal to a crowd of veterans at a campaign stop, GOP nominee Tom Emmer called for a Minnesota GI Bill which would provide higher education assistance to the families of fallen soldiers. Strike one: he was calling for a piece of legislation that has already been law for three years. Strike two: Emmer voted against it in the state legislature. Emmer memorably attributed the flub to "bad staff work".

OK-Gov: It's Fallin vs. ????? in November
As polls prior to today's primary essentially predicted, Congresswoman Mary Fallin cruised to a reasonably easy victory on the GOP side. Fallin easily outpaced state legislator Randy Brogdon (57-37). The real drama, however, is on the Democratic side, where state Lt. Governor Jari Askins is leading narrowly in an upset over Attorney General Drew Edmondson. With nearly 90% of the vote tabulated, Askins is up by a pair of points (51-49) over Edmondson, but roughly half of the precincts in Edmondson's stronghold of Tulsa County are still outstanding.

TX-Gov: Perry hemmorhaging support from border sheriffs
Interesting catch this morning from the Houston Chronicle, which noted that Democrat Bill White has snagged a number of county sheriffs from along the Texas-Mexican border. In 2006, Perry swept the endorsements of the border sheriffs. This time around, White looks to have claimed support from the majority of sheriffs. The only dispute, at this point, appears to be whether it is eight or nine of the 15 sheriffs along the border. At issue, as would be expected, appears to be law enforcement funding.

THE RAS-A-POLL-OOZA

Pretty quiet day for the House of Ras. They look at the all-important U.S. Senate race in Alabama (while holding onto the one result, the gubernatorial race, that we might actually care about). They also look at the Democratic U.S. Senate primary in Arizona, and they give the GOP continued high marks in Colorado at the Senate level (which strains belief a bit, given their recent troubles).

AL-Sen: Sen. Richard Shelby (R) 59%, William Barnes (D) 29%
AZ-Sen (D): Rodney Glassman 15%, Cathy Eden 11%, Randy Parraz 10%, John Dougherty 7%
CO-Sen: Jane Norton (R) 48%, Sen. Michael Bennet (D) 39%
CO-Sen: Jane Norton (R) 44%, Andrew Romanoff (D) 40%
CO-Sen: Ken Buck (R) 48%, Sen. Michael Bennet (D) 42%
CO-Sen: Ken Buck (R) 48%, Andrew Romanoff (D) 42%
OR-Gov: Chris Dudley (R) 47%, John Kitzhaber (D) 44%

Comedian, writer, actor, director, producer and all-around provocateur Chris Rock was born Christopher Julius Rock III in Andrews, South Carolina. But before long, his family went north to New York City. They first made their home in Crown Heights, Brooklyn before settling in the working class Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn. It was growing up in Bed-Stuy that fueled Rock’s comedy and later inspired his hit television show Everybody Hates Chris.

Rock is the son of Rose Rock, who worked as a teacher and a social worker, and the late Julius Rock, who supported his family as a truck driver. His mother wanted him to get a good education, so Rock was bussed to primarily white schools. Sadly, Rock had to deal with racism and bullying, and he ended up dropping out of high school, later receiving a GED, which he has joked stands for “Good Enough Diploma.”

Rock tried supporting himself working crappy McJobs in fast food joints, but the comedy stage beckoned. Rock got his stand up comic start at the legendary Catch a Rising Star that also saw the likes of comic legends like Billy Crystal, Jerry Seinfeld and Denis Leary. Soon, Rock was discovered by Eddie Murphy, who acted as a mentor to the young comic.

In 1990, Rock got a part on the iconic Saturday Night Live where he performed with David Spade, Adam Sandler and the late Chris Farley. However, Rock felt underutilized at Saturday Night Live, and joined the cast of In Living Color in 1993. But unfortunately, the show was soon canceled.

Before long Rock focused his career on making movies. His first roles were in the comedies Beverly Hills Cop II and I’m Gonna Git You Sucka. However, it was his dramatic turn as a crack addict in New Jack City that garnered Rock some of the best critical reviews of his career.

It was in the 1990s when Rock decided go behind the camera, and he wrote and starred in the mock documentary CB4. Sadly, the film was a failure. Perhaps America wasn’t quite ready for a hip-hop This is Spinal Tap.

Rock returned to doing stand up. In 1994, Rock performed in his first HBO special, Big Ass Jokes. However, it was 1996’s Bring the Pain that brought Rock major success. Bring the Pain focused on race in America, and though controversial, it proved Rock to be a true comic talent. Bring the Pain won Rock two Emmys.

Rock has also never shied away from commenting on politics in his stand-up so it was only fitting that he join the show Politically Incorrect during the 1996 Presidential election. His work as a special commentator earned him another Emmy nomination.

Rock’s following HBO comedy specials have also been commercial and critical hits. Bigger & Blacker was released in 1999 and Never Scared was released in 2004. His 2008 comedy special Kill the Messenger focused a great deal on the historical Presidential election.

Rock also hosted his own talk show The Chris Rock Show, which won an Emmy for writing. Rock, himself, gained respect for his intriguing interviews with both celebrities and politicians, not to mention his edgy comedic style.

It was his edgy comedic style that got him the prime role of Oscar host in 2005. However, older audiences didn’t exactly respond warmly to Rock’s performance, and the Oscar telecast wasn’t a huge rating success. Once again, perhaps Rock was before his time.

Rock has also worked on the big screen. Among his movies include Dogma, Beverly Hills Ninja, Lethal Weapon 4, Nurse Betty, The Longest Yard and Bad Company. Rock had a starring role in the film down-to-earth, and he wrote and starred in Head of State. Recently Rock starred in I Think I Love My Wife and Death at a Funeral.

Bill Sperry of Cedar Crest in Pompton Plains, N.J. Really Living since 2003. Have you seen the television commercial for Snickers candy bars? A group of young men in their 20s are playing football with none other than 88-year-old actress Betty White.

Move over, ladies of Wisteria Lane — there could be a new gal in town soon! Desperate Housewives creator Marc Cherry told reporters at a press conference today, “I would love to have Betty [White] on the show.” “She’s a saucy, sexy gal and she’s a blast, and it’s something that would make my heart [...]

This morning, following the impeccable Viacom-hawking work of Betty White, the cast of MTV's The Jersey Shore rang the New York Stock Exchange's opening bell. The bad news is that they were only allowed to stand and smile, but not allowed to say anything to the exchange.

But the good news is that the appearance of Snooki, The Situation and all their pals inspired those gloriously astute market masterminds at the Village Voice to craft...

La adaptación española de la mítica serie de televisión de los 80 saltará pronto a La 1 con un reparto de lujo que dará vida a Bea Arthur, Betty White, Rue McClanahan y Estelle Getty.  Humor perspicaz, inocencia, glamour...

El papel de la matriarca de este grupo, interpretado originalmente por Getty, recaerá en Alicia Hermida, que será Sofía, la deslenguada madre de Dorothy, interpretada por Concha Velasco. La más inocente del grupo, Rosa, será Carmen Maura, que hereda así el papel de Betty White, mientras que la coqueta Blanca (Rue McClanahan) tendrá la cara y el glamour de Lola Herrera. Según informa la web vertele.com, las cuatro actrices comenzaron el pasado mayo los ensayos de esta nueva ficción que produce Alba Adriática (Escenas de matrimonio, La que se avecina), la compañía de José Luis Moreno. «Las Chic...

The new sitcom "Hot in Cleveland", starring Betty White, expertly uses social media to create a community of fans. In addition to mainstream media pushes, this show has done an outstanding job of leveraging social media to build buzz around the show, a...

Madrid.- Ya no necesitan, a estas alturas, demostrar nada profesionalmente, así que han decidido simplemente pasarlo "pipa": cuatro damas de la escena como Concha Velasco, Carmen Maura, Lola Herrera y Alicia Hermida resucitan a las "Chicas de Oro", la popular serie estadounidense de la década de los 80.

Televisión Española, con José Luis Moreno como productor ejecutivo, emitirá a partir de otoño la versión española y actualizada de esta comedia de situación en la que tres amigas maduritas y la anciana y cáustica madre de una de ellas comparten casa, preocupaciones, risas, desengaños y, en definitiva, amistad.

También se han españolizado los nombres de las protagonistas, de forma que la seductora Blanche (Rue MacClanahan), la sensata Dorothy (Bea Arthur), la cándida Rose (Betty White) y la deslenguada Sophie (Estelle Getty) pasan a ser Blanca (Lola Herrera), Doroti (Concha Velasco), Rosa (Carmen Maura) y Sofía (Alicia Hermida).

No ha sido fácil contar con un cartel de auténticas damas de la escena como el que finalmente se ha logrado, según ha confesado hoy José Luis Moreno, quien ha explicado a los periodistas que según les fue hablando de la serie a cada una de las cuatro actrices, todas formularon la misma recurrente pregunta: "¿Quiénes van a ser las otras?".

Y ha sido precisamente saber quiénes serían sus compañeras de serie lo que ha decidido a todas a meterse en la piel de "Las chicas de oro", a pesar de las complicaciones que conllevaba, pues las cuatro tenían otros compromisos profesionales que cumplir, como Concha Velasco en el teatro o Alicia Hermida en la serie "Cuéntame cómo pasó".

"Para mí es un sueño, soy inmensamente feliz, he rejuvenecido", ha asegurado Velasco, fascinada con el personaje de Doroti, la más responsable de las amigas, mientras Carmen Maura ha destacado lo bien que se lo está pasando en las grabaciones ("pipa", en concreto), ya que en el cine no tiene tanta libertad.

Maura, además, llevaba tiempo sin trabajar en España y quiere volver a ponerse "en contacto con la gente de la calle"

Las chicas de oro españolas han querido dejar claro que van a presentar personajes propios y no una simple adaptación de los roles que aparecían en la serie original: "Le estoy dando mi alma a Rosa. No sé cómo lo hacía la otra, paso total", ha espetado Maura, quien en cualquier caso nunca vio la comedia estadounidense.

Herrera, Velasco y Hermida sí la siguieron -unas más y otras algún capítulo esporádico-, aunque como ha dicho esta última, lo principal es "trabajar desde la verdad y no caer en clichés, tópicos, estereotipos o en intentar ser graciosas por serlo".

Para estas cuatro incombustibles actrices, asuntos como la artrosis o la jubilación permanecen en un futuro lejano, ya que el trabajo les recarga las pilas, de forma que cuanta más actividad desarrollan, más energía tienen.

En la serie hablarán de amor, de sexo, de hombres, de la muerte, pero todo desde la óptica de la "comedia blanca, dulce", ha incidido José Luis Moreno, para quien en estos momentos de crisis los espectadores merecen ser "acariciados con imágenes" y con un "canto al optimismo, al entusiasmo y a seguir viviendo a cualquier edad".

El responsable de Ficción de TVE, Fernando López Puig, ha comentado que la cadena pública ha querido con esta serie "lanzarse al formato de la comedia de situación, que había dejado un poco de lado" y ha añadido que cuentan con "el mejor reparto que se podía haber pensado".

"Las Chicas de Oro", producida por la cadena estadounidense NBC y dirigida por Susan Harris, se convirtió en una de las series más populares de todos los tiempos gracias a sus guiones frescos, que abordaban sin cortapisas todo tipo de temas desde la perspectiva de estas cuatro mujeres adentrándose en el otoño de sus vidas.

Once premios Emmy y cuatro Globos de Oro reconocieron el trabajo de los creadores y las protagonistas de una serie que se mantuvo entre las diez más vistas de EEUU durante sus siete años en antena.

After being in the spotlight for more than six decades, you’d think Betty White would take a break from showbiz and enjoy her twilight years relaxing and reminiscing about the golden days.  However at age 88, White is doing anything but sitting back and watching the world go by.  With an Emmy nomination under her [...]

You may not think you want to see Betty White surrounded by tanned, shirtless, oiled men every day for an entire year. But what if we told you that the proceeds of this 2011 calendar will benefit the Morris Animal Foundation? The calendar, which features this iconic 88-year-old Golden Girl, ... MorePost from: BlissTreeBetty White for Animal Rights: Daily Do-Gooder
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BinkyBlogs:: The best baby / infant and early child raising blog posts from around the web
The best baby / infant and early child raising blog posts from around the web

You may not think you want to see Betty White surrounded by tanned, shirtless, oiled men every day for an entire year. But what if we told you that the proceeds of this 2011 calendar will benefit the Morris Animal Foundation? The calendar, which features this iconic 88-year-old Golden Girl, ... More

Post from: BlissTree

Betty White for Animal Rights: Daily Do-Gooder

Unfortunately I seem to have lost the picture I took of this transaction (or lined everything up and forgot to take one!) Sorry! Let's just blame it on the fact that it's Monday, okay? :)1 - 3.5 lb bag of Stop & Shop brand cat food = $3.49 6 - Boxes of Betty Crocker Suddenly Salad (@ $1.00 ea) used three $1/2 mfcs = $3.00 ($.50 ea)6 - Boxes of Stop & Shop Brand Mac & Cheese (@ $.59 ea) = $3.541 - Bag of Goldfish (@ $2.00) used $.50/1 IP (no longer available) = $1.001 - Jar of Dole Mandarin Oranges (@ $2.80) used $.75/1 doubled = $1.303 - 1 lb bags of Carolina Long Grain White Rices (@ $1.25 ea) = $.75 ($.25 ea)2 - Cans of s&s brand cannelini beans (@ $.50 ea) = $1.004 - Cans of s&s brand black beans (@ $.50 ea) = $1.002 - Webers Packets (@ $1.00 ea) used two $.50/1 mfcs doubled = FREE1 - Betty Crocker Warm Delights Two-pack (raspberry clearanced @ $1.67) used $1/1 = $.672 - Jars of Campbell's pork & beans (@ $1.00 ea) = $2.002 - Cans of s&s brand garbanzo beans (@ $.50 ea) = ...

It's so nice to have Don Draper back again. I've missed him - along with the rest of the Mad Men gang. Almost a year has passed in the AMC series, which began its fourth season last night. It's now Thanksgiving 1964 - and the ad agency of Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce has moved into its snazzy new office space. There have been some other interesting changes since we last saw everyone, which I will comment on in my review of "Public Relations", the 40th episode of the drama:

Favorite character: Since it was a good Don episode, I have to go with the brooding, evasive hunk who lost an important client because he didn't mention them - or much of anything - in his "Who is Don Draper?" interview with the magazine, Advertising Age. However, after allowing his hot temper to flare up over another client, our Mr. Draper got his mojo back as he then chatted up the Wall Street Journal with a big smile and a drink.

Gayest character: Since Sal is no longer around (I miss him!), I'm naming the Jantzen swimwear client Bob as this week's closeted homosexual. I definitely got a gay vibe from this guy, whose prudish company frowned upon bikinis.

Kinkiest character: It's a tie between Don and his ex-wife's new husband, Henry Francis. Don likes to get slapped around in bed by a prostitute to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday, while Betty's hubby prefers to make out in the car like a couple of horny teenagers instead of their bed.



Blandest new character: Jane's friend Bethany has to be the most boring gal that Don's ever been involved with. Hopefully this relationship doesn't continue beyond their first date. I found Sally's teacher Suzanne from last season - and even Don's Thanksgiving hooker - far more interesting.

Best new character: Peggy's adorable new assistant, Joey Baird (played by Matt Long, who previously appeared on TV's Jack & Bobby and The Deep End).

Cutest couple: Peggy and Joey, who quoted to each other from John and Marsha, a 1951 recording/soap opera parody by advertising creative director Stan Freberg (listen to it below).



Character I'd like to see more of: Henry's handsome son-in-law Jamie.

Future fight I'm most looking forward to: Betty and her disapproving new mother-in-law, Pauline, are destined to clash since the latter doesn't like her son "living in [Don's] dirt". She also thinks Betty is a bad mother - and she's right.

Future fight runner-up: Betty and her daughter, Sally, are on a long and rocky journey that will only get worse once the girl becomes a teenager.

Missing in action: I was disappointed that we only got a glimpse of my favorite office manager, the fabulous Joan. And what about Ken Cosgrove? Will we ever see him again?

Best fashion statement: Peggy's cute red hat.

Ugliest apartment: Don's very brown and masculine digs. It didn't do much for me.

Best lamp: My partner remarked that the show is all about lamps since they appear everywhere. He especially liked the little red lamp in Don's bedroom.



Most obscure pop culture reference: Besides the John and Marsha recording, I doubt that many folks remember actress Virginia Mayo, who appeared in 1946's The Best Years of Our Lives and 1949's White Heat.

Grooviest song: "Tobacco Road", a 1964 hit by The Nashville Teens that played over the closing credits.

Least favorite scene: The over-the-top diner fight between the two actresses whom Peggy and Pete hired for a publicity stunt. It just didn't fit with the rest of the episode.

Best scene runner-up: Don's confrontation with Henry and Betty over the house, which the newly married couple are still living in - and she is using the kids as her excuse for not looking for a new place.

Best scene: Peggy telling Don, "All we want to do is please you." I like how she's become much more confident over the years and freely speaks her mind to him.

Best line runner-up: "It just came out" - Peggy's boyfriend Mark trying to explain to her after he incorrectly informed Don that he was her fiancé.

Best line: "You know that one of them is leaving New York with VD" - Roger about the Jantzen swimwear clients.

That's my Mad Men review for this week. Until next time, keep the cocktails flowing.

Unfortunately I seem to have lost the picture I took of this transaction (or lined everything up and forgot to take one!) Sorry! Let's just blame it on the fact that it's Monday, okay? :)

• 1 - 3.5 lb bag of Stop & Shop brand cat food = $3.49
• 6 - Boxes of Betty Crocker Suddenly Salad (@ $1.00 ea) used three $1/2 mfcs = $3.00 ($.50 ea)
• 6 - Boxes of Stop & Shop Brand Mac & Cheese (@ $.59 ea) = $3.54
• 1 - Bag of Goldfish (@ $2.00) used $.50/1 IP (no longer available) = $1.00
• 1 - Jar of Dole Mandarin Oranges (@ $2.80) used $.75/1 doubled = $1.30
• 3 - 1 lb bags of Carolina Long Grain White Rices (@ $1.25 ea) = $.75 ($.25 ea)
• 2 - Cans of s&s brand cannelini beans (@ $.50 ea) = $1.00
• 4 - Cans of s&s brand black beans (@ $.50 ea) = $1.00
• 2 - Webers Packets (@ $1.00 ea) used two $.50/1 mfcs doubled = FREE
• 1 - Betty Crocker Warm Delights Two-pack (raspberry clearanced @ $1.67) used $1/1 = $.67
• 2 - Jars of Campbell's pork & beans (@ $1.00 ea) = $2.00
• 2 - Cans of s&s brand garbanzo beans (@ $.50 ea) = $1.00
• - $.05 x 5 for reusable bags = -$.25
• + $.20 tax

Total: $19.70

Total remaining in July 2010 budget: $71.02

Filed under: Celebrity, News, Celebrity Style

It was the moment "Mad Men" fanatics had been waiting for with baited breath: Season 4 finally kicked off and, predictably, with plenty of style.

In the first 10 minutes, as viewers got a glimpse at the new offices of Sterling Cooper (now Sterling, Cooper, Draper, Price), we also got a preview of what the wardrobes of our favorite office dwellers, Peggy and Joan, might look like this season.

A sign of the show moving deeper into the '60s (the first episode is set circa Thanksgiving 1964), the palette for both women, along with Don, has become more muted, with Peggy opening the show in a chocolate-brown pencil skirt and a mustard-colored blouse with a bowed Peter Pan collar, while Joan spiced things up in one of her signature curve-hugging hourglass dresses, also in brown. (She later wears the same silhouette in both red and navy).

In addition to her new office, Peggy also showed off an upgraded hairdo consisting of side-swept bangs and a new under-the-ear bob with more volume at the root than we'd seen in previous seasons. The new style serves as a little nod to the revolutionary bob cut that Vidal Sassoon introduced just a year before.

Betty also followed suit with increased volume, mixing up her formal 'do by adding lots of height up top and ditching her signature side part during a Thanksgiving dinner with her new beau, then later on in the episode taming it down into her usual flipped-at-the-ends coif.

As for her clothing, the disgruntled housewife played with color a little more than the other female leads, donning a bright red dress at the Thanksgiving dinner, as well as a pale blue blazer, blouse, and skirt for a date night. Both outfits came with bows affixed to the neckline, a big trend in episode 1 and most likely looking forward.

The runaway sartorial winner of the night was hands-down Joan's navy secretary dress featuring stiff ruffles with white piping decorating the neck and bustline. We. Want. Now.

In related news, find out what else the uber-stylish "Mad Men" cast will be wearing this season straight from the show's award-winning costume designer Janie Bryant herself.

'Mad Men' Season 4 Premiere - Peggy Debuts Bob, Joan Flaunts Her Curves, Betty Gets Tied Up originally appeared on StyleList on Mon, 26 Jul 2010 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Though she embodies a glamorous 1960s housewife ideal on Mad Men, in real-life January Jones leans as far away from Betty Draper as she can. At last night's premiere of the fourth season, she chose a body-con white Versace. In the past her friend and sometimes-stylist Mark Townsend has said, “I work with January a lot and I’m always conscious of not making her look like Betty or doing anything too ’60s-inspired. Because whether it’s...

Filed under: Celebrity Interviews

Many people believe they're witnessing Betty White's "Renaissance," or her rebirth into the world of television and movies. The truth of the matter is she's been around all along - with a showbiz career spanning 60 years, White has a knowledge of the industry that alleged insiders can only dream about.

The 88-year-old star is currently filming the first season of hit show 'Hot in Cleveland,' which was recently picked up for a second season after only three episodes had aired. The show also broke records over at TV Land (it was the highest-rated show in the channel's history). But don't give all the kudos to White - she'll deny it, and instead give credit to her co-stars Valerie Bertinelli, Jane Leeves, and Wendie Malick.

Incredibly modest and beautifully sweet, it's hard to believe that someone like White emerged from the plastic falsity of Hollywood. TV Squad had a chance to talk with White about 'Hot in Cleveland,' what she thinks of the past year, and if she ever gets tired of playing grannies.

 

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Filed under: Celebrity, News, Celebrity Style

If anyone deserves a happy birthday this year, it's Sandra Bullock, who turns 46 today.

Oh sure, the gal won an Oscar and adopted a ridiculously adorable baby boy this year, but after that whole Jesse James scandal we say she's earned more than a piece of cake and a Hallmark card.

And should any trustworthy, faithful single men be reading, here are a few gift ideas for the birthday girl.

• Louis Vuitton's Antheia Hobo GM. The actress told Oprah Winfrey that she needed a Louis Vuitton bag for her Oscar statue. We think this embroidered monogram tote suits her non-flashy style best.
• A romantic, candlelit dinner with Old Spice Guy. On a boat.
• An all-expenses-paid girls' getaway with "The Proposal" co-star Betty White. We'll babysit Louis.
• A Marchesa gown -- because she looked so damn good on Oscar night.
• A charitable donation -- the star has recently raised funds for Haiti relief and victims of the Nashville floods.
• A divorce knuckleduster from jewelry designer Gisele Ganne. Fashionable and functional.
• A second opinion of "All About Steve" -- the flop that earned Bullock a Razzie earlier this year.
• A fragrance deal. "Eau de Comeback" has a nice ring to it, don't you think?

Helen Mirren also celebrates her birthday today -- check out her style evolution.

Sandra Bullock Turns 46 - Our Birthday Gift Picks originally appeared on StyleList on Mon, 26 Jul 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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