[FashionRatty] tag: remain

Estranged relative arrested in Hudson killings

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 21:50:13 +0000

Police arrested the estranged brother-in-law of Jennifer Hudson on Monday in the deaths of the entertainer’s mother, brother and young nephew, taking him from a prison where he had been held on a suspected parole violation.

William Balfour was arrested at Stateville Correctional Center and released to detectives as he awaited formal charges in the shooting deaths of the singer and Oscar-winning actress’ relatives, said Chicago police spokeswoman Monique Bond.

Until Monday, police had identified Balfour, 27, only as a “person of interest” in the investigation. He had not been charged by late Monday afternoon, said Andy Conklin, a spokesman for the Cook County state’s attorney’s office.

The bodies of Jennifer Hudson’s mother, Darnell Hudson Donerson, and brother, Jason Hudson, were discovered Oct. 24 at the family’s home on the South Side of Chicago. The body of 7-year-old Julian King was found three days later in a sport utility vehicle on the West Side. All three had been shot.

Police took Balfour into custody the same day the bodies of Donerson and Hudson were discovered. After 48 hours — the longest Chicago police can hold a person without charges — Balfour was taken by the Illinois Department of Corrections on the suspected parole violation.

Balfour — Julian’s stepfather and the estranged husband of Jennifer Hudson’s older sister, Julia Hudson — served seven years for a 1999 attempted murder and vehicular hijacking conviction.

His mother, Michelle Balfour of Chicago, has denied that her son had anything to do with the deaths. Telephone numbers for Balfour’s mother and sister were disconnected Monday.

Balfour had refused to take a lie-detector test and stopped cooperating with detectives in the case, a police official, who was not authorized to discuss the case publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, has said.

Police have confirmed they found the gun used in the killings. The .45-caliber gun was discovered Oct. 29 in a vacant lot in the West Side neighborhood where the King’s body was found a few days earlier.

Bond declined to discuss any evidence Monday. But after a hearing at the prison, the chairman of the Illinois Prisoner Review Board said a woman had told authorities that a gun used in the slayings was “identical” to the gun that was recovered.

At the time, board Chairman Jorge Montes said the evidence was key to a decision finding probable cause that Balfour violated his parole and should remain locked up pending a Dec. 3 hearing before a review board panel.

Balfour did not have an attorney at the November hearing, and the Cook County public defender’s office said at the time that nobody from the office had been assigned because he was not formally charged with a crime.

No one in the public defender’s office was assigned to Balfour’s case late Monday, and it’ was not clear whether he had other representation.

Britney Spears' UK shame

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 10:35:00 +0000

Britney Spears hid her face as she left the UK yesterday (30.11.08), after fans blasted her "disastrous" performance on British television on Saturday (29.11.08).

The 26-year-old singer donned a trilby, sunglasses and a hooded duffle coat in a bid to remain invisible as she returned to America after causing outrage by appearing to mime during her rendition of hit track 'Womanizer' on TV talent show 'The X Factor'.

Angry fans branded the appearance - which marked her first performance on British TV in five years - "an absolute disaster". Britney also reportedly angered show chief Simon Cowell by refusing to watch the contestants perform her songs on the programme, and banned show judges - Simon, Dannii Minogue, Louis Walsh and Cheryl Cole - from coming into her room to meet her.

A source said: "When the judges went to meet her, her security wouldn't let anyone past. You have never seen so many security guards. Even around the judges' dressing rooms was sealed off by Britney's security people."

Britney then further infuriated her British fans when she appeared at the G-A-Y nightclub in London to celebrate her 27th birthday but refused to take to the stage after being presented with a cake.

However, Britney's spokesperson Shoshanna Stone insists the singer had never agreed to perform at the club, adding: "Contrary to reports, Britney was never booked to perform or even appear at G-A-Y. She was invited to the evening but was never asked to perform.

"Following her incredible performance on 'The X Factor', Britney took up the invite and relaxed among friends."

The singer is expected to celebrate her birthday and the release of her new album 'Circus' with a performance on US TV show 'Good Morning America' tomorrow (02.12.08).

Source

Joan Bennett

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 09:28:12 +0000

Joan Bennett never had any desire to become an actress, she wished only to be a wife and mother. Joan married Jack Fox at the age of 16, became a mother at 17 and was divorced by the time she was 18 years old. In order to support herself and her baby, Joan decided to try acting until something better came along.

Joan went through two phases in her film career. During the thirties, resembling a golden-haired porcelain doll, Joan usually played the innocent ingénue. The most memorable of these roles was her portrayal of Amy in Little Women (1933).

The second phase of her career began with the film Trade Winds (1938) where a new raven-haired Joan appeared. "After that film everyone liked me in dark hair," explained Joan, "so I turned my hair dark and have received much better parts ever since." Many people noted a resemblance between Joan and Hedy Lamarr who would later marry Joan's second husband screenwriter Gene Markey. Joan said, "There must have been something to it because after Trade Winds was released, I was greeted as Miss Lamarr in dimly lit restaurants. Personally, I liked the idea of escaping from all that bland, blonde innocence and thought the whole thing was very funny, but I don't think Hedy found the comparisons very amusing."

Because of her glamorous, new brunette look as well as her exceptional talent, Joan was very seriously considered for the role of Scarlett O'Hara in Gone With The Wind, Joan claimed the part would have been hers had Vivien Leigh stayed in England.

The 1940s and 1950s were the "film noir" decades. It was during the forties that Joan Bennett, alluring and husky voiced, found her niche as a film noir femme fatale. Fritz Lang directed the films which were among the highpoints of her career beginning with Man Hunt (1941) where Joan gave perhaps her most poignant performance as a Cockney prostitute with a heart of gold. The next two Lang films both co-starred Edward G. Robinson and Dan Duryea, The Woman In The Window (1944) and Scarlet Street (1946) where Joan played "Lazy Legs", a character who was obviously lackadaisical and careless to the point of sloppiness in her surroundings but managed to be unquestionably glamorous at the same time. In The Woman In The Window, Edward G. Robinson becomes captivated by a painting of a beautiful woman and once he meets her, she sends him on the road to destruction.

Joan continued this film noir trend in Jean Renoir'sThe Woman on the Beach (1947) where she was a faithless wife deceiving a blind husband. She teamed with Fritz Lang once again in Secret Beyond The Door (1948) a film somewhat reminiscent of Alfred Hitchcock's Rebecca where Joan played a bride terrified of her husband, and like Rebecca the central character of the film is the female star. Joan Bennett carries the film all the way through.

Two of her best films were Ernest Hemingway's The Macomber Affair (1947) again as a devious wife and she gave a multi-faceted portrayal of a blackmail victim of James Mason in The Reckless Moment (1949).

Just one year after giving birth to her daughter Shelley, Joan Bennett became a grandmother at the age of 39 when her eldest daughter Diana became a mother. Marlene Dietrich, consistently referred to as "The World's Most Glamorous Grandmother" sent Joan a telegram saying "Thanks for taking the heat off."

Almost directly from film noir, Joan segued into playing Spencer Tracy's wife and Elizabeth Taylor's mother in the thoroughly charming family comedies Father of the Bride and Father's Little Dividend. It was during this time, that Joan Bennett became involved in a scandal that she once said "destroyed my career in the motion picture industry".

Joan's husband producer Walter Wanger in a blinded, jealous rage shot and wounded her agent Jennings Lang in a parking lot. Wanger went to prison for four months. Lang fortunately recovered and the Wangers eventually divorced in 1965. Joan once said "I might as well have pulled the trigger myself" because after the shooting incident she was virtually blacklisted. Joan made only five films in the decade that followed. Like her sister Constance, Joan turned successfully to the stage.

In addition to the stage, Joan Bennett also found success in television. For five years Joan had a role on the gothic soap opera Dark Shadows which brought a whole new following of fans who remain loyal to this day.

In 1978 Joan married movie critic David Wilde who remained her husband until the end of her life. In December 1990, Joan Bennett passed away at the age of 80. Joan was survived by four daughters, Diana Anderson, Melinda Bena, Stephanie Guest and Shelley Wanger and 13 grandchildren. In her beautifully written book The Bennett Playbill, Joan wrote: "I'm aware of the priceless privilege of having been born into the theater. Although it was a career I rejected at first, the profession has given me an incredibly varied life and more than my fair share of success, failure, love, laughter and despair. I've not a single regret for any of it."

source: classichollywoodbios.com

Designer alert: Antje Ceczy

Sun, 30 Nov 2008 19:41:50 +0000

Jewellery designer Antje Ceczy’s c.v reads like a who’s who of fashion, with Christian Lacroix, Chanel, Nina Ricci and Karl Lagerfeld amongst her impressive list of clients and colleagues. Now, Antje has launched her own label and her debut collection is stunning.

Unique necklaces, brooches, rings and earrings are created in abstract shapes made from decadent gold and silver dripping with the more unusual of precious stones such as South-Sea pearls. These luxurious stones are used as the central feature of the designs, embedded within the delicately shaped and fluid linear lines of the precious metals. The ‘last drop’ cuff and the ‘doodle’ brooch are indicative of Ceczy’s innovative and distinctive designs which remain elegant with a modern edge. View the collection at www.antjegeczy.com and we’re sure we’ll spot pieces from the line on the red carpet in the very near future.

My favourite fashion puzzle: Jigsaw

Sun, 30 Nov 2008 18:36:41 +0000

Jigsaw, the fashion store with the kooky windows and magnificent changing rooms. It’s one of those stores you probably often walk past, have a quick peek through the windows but rarely go in. It is though a fantastic fashion retailer and now it’s online!

Whether it’s cute dresses, soft knitwear or stunning leather goods, Jigsaw is the place. It has a real country feel, an approachable elegance. It’s certainly the place if you’re feeling an Edge of Love style homage or to keep on trend with Gucci’s folkloric inspired looks.

Now with its’ online store, there is no reason not to fall in love with Jigsaw, check out the muted mustards and teals for an on trend look. I am loving the black chiffon French knot dress and the tweed mini skirt. Sadly the footwear is not available online, because Jigsaw shoes are incredible. But they have a great range of super soft leather bags. The knee-high socks are a real nod to Prada and they would make a fab stocking filler or a treat for yourself.

If you prefer to get more mileage out of your wardrobe then definitely head to Jigsaw, it’s great quality and will remain on trend for years to come thanks to it’s classic styling.

Hillary Clinton Secretary of State - Its Official!

Sun, 30 Nov 2008 18:24:55 +0000

Hillary Rodham Clinton will join President-elect Barack Obama’s national security team as Secretary of State.

Democratic officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said Obama will name the New York senator as his Secretary of State at a press conference in Chicago on Monday.

Obama also plans to announce that Defense Secretary Robert Gates will remain in his job for a year or more and that retired Marine General James M. Jones will serve as national security adviser.

Bill Clinton cleared the way for his wife to take the job by agreeing to disclose the names of every contributor to his foundation since its inception in 1997. He’ll also refuse donations from foreign governments to the Clinton Global Initiative, his annual charitable conference, and will cease holding CGI meetings overseas.

Former President Clinton’s business deals and global charitable endeavors were expected to create problems for Hillary’s nomination. But in negotiations with the Obama transition team, the former president agreed to several measures designed to bring transparency to his post-presidential work.

Here is the full text of the internal guidance about the agreement.

Critics have pointed out that the President-elect’s team doesn’t represent the change he promised on the campaign trail, with all of his top choices having served in either the Clinton or Bush administration.

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She's A Mad One

Sun, 30 Nov 2008 18:18:00 +0000

This post has been a long time in the coming since I know Nasha tends to be more popular than I, but to be honest I just do not have space in my purse most days for (suffer no illusions) a rather vain Labbit. Nasha however, can only be ignored for so long before she gets downright bellicose (it must be the rabbit in her, for surely the lamb half should be more pacifistic).
So, out she has been trotted where she demanded to walk on clothes line, to explore local parks, and to try to squeeze in a few places that her rotund figure would not quite fit (she has been indulging in far too much baklava here in Greece). Occasionally, she must be rescued from a tight squeeze or convinced to not get onto that stranger's moped at 5 am (!), but one cannot remain bitter with her--she woos everyone with the questions like "in fifty years will you look back and regret not doing it?" There really is no appropriate response to that other than to commit the act you know you surely shouldn't.
It is no surprise that her favorite quote by Jack Kerouac (and one she often given to declaring in sing-song) is, "because the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the sky..."

Adidas Stan Winter Mid

Sun, 30 Nov 2008 04:48:14 +0000

An essential winter boot, heavily inspired by the oft-imitated, but never bettered Stan Smith silhouette, this boot design, given a welcome waterproof treatment, is constructed from a warm and comfy sheepskin upper, while a rubber outsole offers extra traction on those slippery mornings. The classic perforated stripes remain.

find these and more at ShoeDeals4u.com!

Thanksgiving with Madonna and ex-wife is gravy for Alex Rodriguez

Sat, 29 Nov 2008 10:13:19 +0000

Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez pulled double-duty in Miami Thursday, visiting his soon-to-be ex-wife and kids for Thanksgiving dinner and then rushing to be with gal pal Madonna at her house nearby.

Rodriguez began his day with brunch with Madge’s manager, Guy Oseary, before moving on to wife Cynthia’s house, where he spent some quality daddy time with daughters, Natasha, 4, and 7-month-old Ella.

The third baseman hopped into his black Porsche around 4p.m. and sped off to Star Island - where Madonna has a home.

Sources say he is staying there while he’s in town, and witnesses saw his car parked there overnight.

On Wednesday night, Rodriguez was front and center at Madonna’s concert at Dolphin Stadium, the Daily News reported Thursday.

Later, the kabbalah cronies celebrated at the estate of Jeff Soffer, the bachelor billionaire who reportedly has come between Gwyneth Paltrow and rocker hubby Chris Martin.

Feeding speculation that Paltrow and Martin are ready to split, Paltrow has been staying at Soffer’s Indian Creek Island mansion and spent Thanksgiving with him, sources said.

Martin’s band, Coldplay, wrapped its U.S. tour Wednesday night and friends expected Paltrow, who’d been at their London home with their children earlier this week, would remain there to welcome Martin back after weeks on the road.

Instead, sources said, she returned to Miami, where she and Soffer sparked gossip two weeks ago when she showed up at at the opening of his Fontainebleau Hotel.

“Gwyneth has confided to friends she and Chris are taking a break,” a source claimed. “Jeff is crazy about her.”

Reps for Paltrow, Martin, and Soffer did not respond to e-mails Thursday.

On Monday, her spokesman, Stephen Huvane, called revived rumors of marriage trouble “rubbish … stemming from the fact that she will not make any public appearances with her husband.”

“We’re just friends,” Soffer told The News earlier this week. “Ms. Paltrow has a very sound marriage to Chris Martin.”

(source)

Celebrity Gossip, Celebrity News, Celebrity Photos, Madonna

Paris Hilton: "Benji Will Always be Special to me"

Sat, 29 Nov 2008 06:16:27 +0000

Paris Hilton insists she will remain friends with ex-boyfriend Benji Madden.

The hotel heiress and the Good Charlotte rocker split in November after dating for several months.

But Paris is adamant the pair will remain close - as Benji is the only person she trusts.

Paris says, "We are still so close that will never change.

"I think right now we are better off as friends. I have never been treated so well or felt like this about anyone. Benji will always be special to me no matter what happens."