Life Imitating Art?

Does life imitate art or art imitate life? I must say that Rihanna's new song "Emergency Room" is, if nothing else, eerily prophetic. The song is basically about a girl who finds out that her man is cheating and tells him that he will end up in the ER. This is supposed to be a metaphor of how he will not be able to live without his "heartbeat." Lines from the song include "You gon' be in the Emergency Room", "I'm so tempted to pull out your IV", "I can't hurt you even though you've hurt me", and "Flatline on the EKG."

It would seem this would not be the most appropriate song to put out right now with all of the trouble between Rihanna and Chris Brown, but this song was no doubt recorded well before the incident. Well, it's actually marketing genius if you ask me. What better way to make light of a serious, potentially career-ending situation than to make people sing about it?We should note that originally this song was written by Mario, and the demo recorded to only have Rihanna as a guest. Apparently, another young lady's vocals were used on this demo. Now, however, there is a new version that is getting radio play with Rihanna as the main singer and Akon the feature. I must admit...I really like it!

Check out the version with Rihanna and Akon that has been playing on the Radio: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQFKd1LaIck

Now here is the demo version that Mario made featuring "Rihanna":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9HJz4izAYM

Which do you like best?...

Oscar Fashionable...and not so much.

So basically, I'll keep it simple.

Marissa Tomei, Natalie Portman, Taraji P. Henson, and Eva Longoria, stunning!
Miley Cyrus, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Beyonce...what the hell?

Ok, I do have to elaborate just a bit.
Marissa's Versace dress, with the very-popular-for-the-season geometric design, was just a fabulous, flowy miracle. Natalie's bright pink Rodarte gown was perfection. The color, the fit, everything was RIGHT. Eva gets my applause simply for taking a risk and pulling it off so beautifully. The tux was androgynous and still unbelievably sexy...and speaking of sexy in a tux...can we say 'Zac Efron'?

Everyone made a big fuss over Angelina, but it just seemed unfounded to me. Yes, the earrings were awesome...but that was about it. I found the dress and hair left me as bored as she looked.
Now the ugly part...Miley apparently wore her grandmother's dress, Sarah Jessica wins for Worst Hair, and Beyonce leaves me speechless. Now I am a HUGE Bey fan, but the pattern, the train, it was all too much, why?? I believe if she just cut the dress off at right about the knee and made it a cocktail dress, it would have passed beautifully. But this nightmare looked like a mermaid clothed in a drapery.
I would be glad to help these ladies with their selections for the next awards shows...call me girls!

Style Crush - Leighton Meester

Leighton Meester has undeniable poise and style. This is, no doubt, why she is the muse of so many designers right now. She's been seen being wooed by the likes of Diane von Furstenberg, Jason Wu, and Proenza Schouler, among others. I actually love her personal style even more than her character's (Blair) on Gossip Girl. Her style is always classy, yet maintains a distinct sexiness as well. This can be seen in any of her appearances like the above photos of her during Spring 2009 and Fall 2009 Fashion Weeks, respectively.

ZARA

If I were to win a $5000 shopping spree and could only spend it in one store in one day, my current choice would have to be ZARA. I love this store to death! I first discovered it in 2003 on König Strasse in Stuttgart, Germany while visiting family. The pretty affordable prices of the chic and trendy store seemed too good to be true. When I came back to the US, I started my search and soon discovered that there were actually Zara stores here as well. None were close to my location in Richmond, VA, however, and New York seemed to be the closest that I could find.
Then one day not too long ago, I was walking through Georgetown in D.C. and saw a lady walk by with a Zara shopping bag on her arm. I stopped her immediately and asked if there was a Zara store near there. She pointed the way for me around the corner and *cue the angels singing and harps playing* there it was! I was thrilled!


The best thing about this brand is that no two Zara stores have the exact same merchandise. Each one is a slightly different experience. No, Zara isn't exactly couture, but for a diva on a budget like myself, it's pure heaven. Now all I need is to actually get that $5000 shopping spree and you can officially call me the Zara spokesperson!

Photos courtesy of wikipedia.org

Louis Vuitton Spring 2009 Ready-to-Wear Collection

Well folks, I am simply enamored with LV's Spring 2009 Ready-to-Wear Collection. The animal prints, the do-dads, feathers, ropes, bold colors, and short hemlines make this collection fun, wild, and outrageously sexy! The bags are, as always, phenomenal and unique while still maintaining elements of the classic LV style. I certainly plan to use much of this style inspiration in my personal wardrobe this Spring...now if I could only scrape up enough pennies to have a piece of my own!

Photos courtesy of Style.com. See more photos at the link below.

http://www.style.com/fashionshows/review/S2009RTW-LVUITTON

Candy-Coated Redundance

I wrote this a while ago, but it recently came up again when I was given some Valentine's Day candy at work.

Seriously, for anyone who eats M&M's I really have to wonder what the point is of having the brown ones? I mean, it's not as if the other ones have a particularly distinct flavor other than chocolate either. Yet, it just seems so pointless to have a piece of chocolate with a candy coating that is also, in-fact, "chocolate-colored"...am i the only one that sees the redundance of this?

Best News I've Heard All Day!

I sure hope this works!

Senate Passes $819 Billion Economic Stimulus Bill
Washingtonpost.com

The Senate today passed an economic stimulus bill that President Obama and congressional Democrats called crucial to pull the U.S. economy out of its downward spiral but that drew scant support from Republicans...Obama, speaking a day after a similar appearance in Elkhart, Ind., said the stimulus plan "will save or create up to 4 million jobs over the next two years, ignite spending by business and consumers alike and make the investments necessary for lasting economic growth and prosperity."
He said the package "includes $1,000 of badly needed tax relief for middle-class workers and families," as well as "a partially refundable $2,500-per-student tax credit" to help families send their children to college.
"Most importantly," Obama said, "this plan will put people to work right now by making direct investments in areas like health care, energy, education and infrastructure -- investments that save jobs, create new jobs and new businesses and help our economy grow again."
_______________
See the full article:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/10/AR2009021001397.html?hpid%3Dtopnews&sub=AR

Slumdog Millionaire

The other day I saw one of the best movies I have seen in quite a while. Slumdog Millionaire is an intricate tale of a young boy growing up in extreme poverty in India. He winds up on India's version of the television show "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" and miraculously knows all of the answers. Yet, the show's producer and authorities become suspicious that someone with his background would know all of these answers. The movie details how his own life showed him the answers to all of these questions before he ever knew they would be asked. The story is so different and gripping, that I couldn't stop watching!

Funny note: The host of the show is funny to me for some reason, especially when he doesn't mean to be.

Final word: Phenomenal!