February 2010 Archives

Apparently the teen pop phenomenon Justin Bieber has decided to collaborate on a song with Lil Wayne. But he has to wait until the rapper is.... out of jail. Good luck with that, guys! 

Sound the alarms: Robert Pattinson may have admitted to dating Kristen Stewart. He apparently told (apparently our favorite publication) The Sun "It is extremely difficult but we are together, yes." And then: "We can't arrive at the same time because of the fans. It goes crazy. This was supposed to be a public appearance as a couple but it's impossible. We are here together and it's a public event but it's not easy. We have to do all this stuff to avoid attention."

 

Whoa! Nuts. EXCEPT. The source is The Sun. Which is notoriously tabloidy. But they did get the Lohan tell-all? And everyone knows that the equally-tabloidy National Enquirer has had some of the best scoops of the year. (Think: Rielle Hunter.)

 

So. Time will tell. I must say though, the quote is a little bit bland for such a juicy-seeming confession.

In an interview published in the UK's The Sun yesterday, 23-year-old actress-turned-wild child Lindsay Lohan came clean about her troubled lifestyle - admitting openly, for the first time, to her battles with cocaine, alcohol, and other substance abuse. She credits her messed-up family - which, ugh, is so sad - with some of the origins of these problems. And I would imagine rightfully so. Who knows - maybe this means Lohan is really serious about changing her life this time? Let's all hope so.

This  is crazy! Apparently, a prom planner from Concord, California has stolen prom. Well, in a manner of speaking. Cassandra Grill, a woman hired as an event planner to plan Ygnacio Valley High School's prom, has disappeared -- with nearly seven thousand dollars in cash that was meant for the event.  And what an event it was going to be: Some seniors had been working for four years in order to raise the money with which to host an elaborate gala at San Francisco's Exploratorium this May. There are a few interesting things about this story (in addition to the amazing foresight of the students who started saving for their senior prom freshman year). First of all, the school had worked with this particular event planner in the past, and -- as far as anyone has acknowledged -- never tried to make off with enormous quantities of cash. Additionally, the school has yet to file any sort of report in regards to the missing seven grand. Huh.

Regardless, best wishes to the kids of Ygnacio Valley High, who have restarted their fund-raising efforts to ensure that they get some sort of prom, even if they don't make it to the Exploratorium. And, keep an eye out for Cassandra Grill! This woman might try to ruin your prom!

Spring is in the air. The dreary days of January are safely behind us; the weather is warming up (a little); and the school year is not so far from over. Which can only mean one thing: Prom season is upon us. Of course, with that comes the inevitable onslaught of prom-related anxieties. There are matters of dates, and limos, and friend coordination, and dinner reservations, and after parties, and hair and makeup and shoes and nails - to name just a few. But most importantly (at least, as we see it), there is the matter of ... the dress. We of all people at Tiza Prom Dresses know that for this particular school function (perhaps, um, the most important one of the year?), dress selection is a veeeery tricky and important process. We know that it can be stressful. We understand that when your mom says, "Oh, it's not a big deal - it's just a prom dress," she obviously has no idea what she's talking about. Luckily, we are experts on prom dresses, and we are ... (you got it!) here to help. Starting now, the Tiza Prom Dress blog will be embarking upon a super thorough and intensive series on all things related to prom preparation - from the dress search to the hair styling to the date-figuring-out. We may even include a few personal testimonials from friends. So listen up: If there is anything in particular that you, our trusty readers, want addressed, please let us know in the comments field - and we promise to do our best to get to the bottom of the issue. In the meantime, feel free to start your prom dress search right over at Tiza.com! Happy hunting.

As you all know, this week is fashion week in New York. Dozens of designers have shown their Spring 2010 collections at the tents in NYC's Bryant Park, and dozens more have found outside venues at which to display their latest work. Keeping track of it all can be downright overwhelming. (See for evidence: Style.com.) Luckily, New York Mag has made it easy for us all to narrow down the best looks of the season so far. They selected their top 100 looks -- and from that already narrowed-down pool, we've chosen our own top 10. (Although, I admit that we added a few a few extras that weren't on their list. (Note to reader: as of this posting Proenza Schouler is not yet online -- the show took place only hours ago -- so we might just have to devote an entire post to those boys alone.) 

It's the moment you've all been waiting for: A new Taylor Swift video has finally arrived! The video for Fearless appeared on the internet today, it is filled with both requisite marching band nerd references, and plenty of back-stage and touring footage. Swifty was quick to explain, however, that she was inspired to write it alone on the road, and that it's about "the best first date I haven't had yet." Aw! Here's a link. 

This week, as you may know, is Fashion Week in New York. The tents at Bryant Park are teeming with designers, fashion editors, socialites, fashionistas, and celebrities, and (as per every fashion week) there is a significant rise in crazy-looking people walking the streets as a result. (See evidence here.) Needless to say, fashion week in general is fairly exciting. But perhaps the best thing that I have seen so far is not an actual fashion show (though you can check out all of the collections at style.com-- it's recommended that you check out Marc Jacobs and Rodarte, at the very least) but this amazing video of style icon (and Vogue editor) Grace Coddington's signature hair, in motion. Here's the link!

Recently, those Jonas brothers have been making all sorts of crazy headlines. The oldest Jonas got married! (At the tender age of 22.) The youngest Jonas started his own band, Nick Jonas & the Administration, which is apparently not even that bad! But where has that severely-straight-haired middle Jonas been all of this time? Is it possible he has been keeping a low profile to let his bros revel in their respective glories? Err.. doubtful. Actually, Middle Jonas has been recording with 19-year-old Pixie Lott, the British pop phenom of the moment, who churns out hits with alarming speed. Apparently, they not only wrote and are recording a song together, but they also do cute things like go out to dinner. Hm! Anyway, does this signal a solo turn for Joe Jonas? Only time will tell. We will continue to comment, however, as further developments are unveiled.   

Leading up to the recent Sundance Film Festival, there was a lot of talk surrounding the potential of the upcoming film The Runaways, a rock'n'roll biopic starring Twilight's Kristen Stewart as Joan Jett, and teen superstar Dakota Fanning (who, btw, was also in Twilight for like a second) as Cherie Currie. It was a film that got a ton of attention not just because it starred some Twilight teens, but because it starred them doing something with punk-rock, anti-OMGRPattttz cred: Stewart and Fanning's characters -- whose actions in the film are grounded in the decisions that real, still-living people made decades ago -- are hard-partying, sexed up, badass wild-girls, which means that they are doing complete 180s from everything they've done in the past. The film (which comes out on March 19) has so far gotten somewhat mixed reviews -- but it's worth listening to the girls discuss the process of making it. Check out an interview with Fanning and Stewart here. 

Attention music fans and budding feminists: Your new favorite book has arrived. It's Marisa Meltzer's Girl Power, and it's a thoughtful, smart, and satisfyingly information-packed analysis of riot grrrl bands of the 90s, and their influence on girl culture and the path that they paved for women in music today. It's a quick and fun read, and it will make you want to throw on some flannel and get out a sharpie. (You have to read it to know what I mean.) I could go on and on, but I think Tavi already said it so well (so did a few other people!) so I am going to simply encourage you to read her review, buy the book, and petition your teacher to start your own feminist club at school. And that's all!

In news of unsurprising collaboration partners, Lady Gaga has teamed up with Cyndi Lauper to support the MAC AIDS fund. Hey, at least when the Lady is not prancing around pantsless (see a full roundup of her Grammy costume changes at New York mag), she is using her bewitching powers to do  some good things for people!  Also, don't she and Cyndi Lauper just seem like such a fun team?!

Grace Coddington -- creative director at Vogue and runaway star of last fall's The September Issue, a documentary that chronicled the making of the fashion magazine's weighty fall fashion issue, is apparently in the works to work on another project with R.J. Cutler, the director of The September Issue. As is evidenced by that film, Grace Coddington is many things: A visionary, a fashion-world icon, a take-no-prisoners variety of tough-customer, and perhaps the kind of woman you wish was your zany aunt with the awesome wardrobe.  She is also, incidentally, a really intense cat lady. Incidentally, Cutler's new film is reported to be an animated version of Coddington's book, Catwalk Cats, which is basically a super weird but awesome sketchbook of cat pictures that she drew over the years. And you know what? I am excited about this movie. 

Carrie Prejean -- the mischief-making former Miss California USA and ubiquitous presence on the pageant gossip circuit -- apparently got engaged to Kyle Boller, quarterback for the St. Louis Rams, last Saturday. The couple met last July, when Prejean was embroiled in all sorts of scandal at the time (highlights include: sex tape, vocal opposition to same-sex marriage, revelation of pageant-sponsored breast implants, racy photos, and Michael Phelps), so it's safe to say that this guy is willing to weather some storms with her. Maybe once they get married, the happy couple will settle down and start a nice, old-fashioned, fame-free life of leisure. (Ha ha.) Only time will tell! 

Dear John may have taken Avatar's number one spot at the box-office this weekend, but the N'avis' influence is hardly on the decline. Apparently, Burberry will livestream its fall 2010 runway show in 3-D from London on February 23. Of course, it is Burberry, so it will only be broadcast in 3-D at select, invite-only viewing parties around the world. The regular version will be broadcast online at the brand's website.  

Everyone is talking about the latest fashion-oriented reality show, Kell on Earth, which premiered on Bravo last night. The show, starring Kelly Cutrone -- who owns the fashion PR company People's Revolution -- is a hilarious and insane inside look at the fashion industry, and Cutrone is ... AMAZING. Check out a roundup of the best moments over at Jezebel, or, even better! Watch the whole episode right here. 

Vanity Fair is out with its most recent Young Hollywood issue, and there are no real surprises there. Maybe Rebecca Hall and Abbie Cornish? Rebecca Hall is a great actress (see: Vicky Cristina Barcelona) and Abbie Cornish was in a good movie this year (Bright Star) but both, I think, significantly older than almost all of the other girls...? (Also, I'm sorry but I can't lose the Ryan Phillippe/Reese Witherspoon assocation when it comes to Cornish.) But I would say the other selections were mostly pretty safe. And now let me just brag about my recent proclamation re: saddle shoes for a minute. (See: Amanda Seyfried, shoes.)

The Grammys are the singular awards show of the season where one can count on basically everyone wearing something really ugly. (Take a look at some of the Grammy history's worst fashion moments over at Jezebel.) This year was no exception. There were a rare few who graced the ceremony's red carpet in something mildly short of tragic. We've documented them below for your convenience. Just FYI, it is a pretty short list.