glamour's tribute to female icons

On MSN.com, Glamour magazine looks to past female style icons in a photographic tribute to women in history. They write: "You can do anything! That’s the message of the seven decades of female risk takers, rule breakers and style makers here. We celebrate them with the help of some very-2009 young talents."


Alexis Bledel as Rosie the Riveter
In 1942 the U.S. government commissioned the “We Can Do It!” poster, which featured an image of a character who became known as Rosie the Riveter. Her biceps-revealing shirtsleeves and determined look were meant to motivate American women to step out of the kitchen and into the factory to replace the men who had been pressed into service during World War II. And millions did just that, paving the way for us to pull down paychecks more than 60 years later.

“She’s a symbol of women getting things done. It shows that strength is beautiful.” — Alexis Bledel, 27


Paula Patton as Billie Holiday
As an aspiring singer, Holiday suffered sexual abuse, struggled with a drug habit and encountered racism everywhere. But the late Lady Day—one of the first African American women to sing with an all-white orchestra—translated all of that pain into some of the most achingly personal songs ever recorded. (Download “Strange Fruit,” which she sang at her 1948 Carnegie Hall concert, and listen for yourself.)

“You can imagine that women at home hearing her songs on the radio felt her vocalizing their emotions and their struggles.” — Paula Patton, 33


Emma Roberts as Audrey Hepburn
OK, she was born in Belgium, but Hepburn became one of the most beloved American movie stars. Her sharp, sensitive turn as Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany’s made the film a must-see for women of all ages, while the late actress’s elegant style continues to inspire women to this day.

“She was so simply beautiful. And she loved charity work, something even more beautiful about her.”—Emma Roberts, 18


Alicia Keys as First Lady Michelle Obama
Not only is Obama the first African American filling the position, but she’s already making best-dressed headlines for a style that ranges from couture to J.Crew. Raised in Chicago, Obama, 45, powered on to Princeton and Harvard Law School before beginning a career during which she met, mentored and married our current President. Hail to our newest smart, opinionated, chic First Lady!

“She has worked hard for everything she’s accomplished, and done so with grace and humility. So many women and girls can identify with her story.”—Alicia Keys, 28

exciting casting news: michael cera, michel gondry, alan tudyk, and andy richter

I don't which of the following makes me happiest, but I am ecstatic to announce all of them.

• Michael Cera has finally signed on for an Arrested Development movie!!! I think I just blue myself! Arrested is my second favorite television show (right after BSG, right before Mad Men), and I am oh-so curious to see what new ideas Gob will come up with (will any ever match "Fuck Mountain"??) or what other phobias Tobias has (because you know the Never-Nude is not the only one). Eek!

• Michel Gondry is in talks to direct The Green Hornet. Yes, the one with Seth Rogen. Yes, the film that will no doubt be the most random amalgamation of awesomeness ever. How can this get any weirder? I know. Cast Meryl Streep as Rogen's love interest... and then everyone BUT Streep is nominated for an Oscar.

• This news is somewhat hidden in the spoiler chat (so don't click on the link if you don't like spoilers!), but according to Kristin at E!, Alan Tudyk will star as Alpha on Joss Whedon's Dollhouse. Be still my beating, bursting heart. Tudyk played Wash on Firefly (it really is true that Whedon keeps the paychecks coming for his merry band of men), and Wash is a favorite character in the Whedonverse. He was everything Xander on Buffy the Vampire Slayer tried to be but couldn't be. I'm surprised this news hasn't broken out elsewhere -- which makes me question the validity of the announcement -- but Tudyk would certainly heat things up on the show. And, oh, he's pretty damn easy on the eyes.

• And lastly, what may be the nicest surprise ever, NBC has announced that Andy Richter will be reteaming with Conan O'Brien on The Tonight Show. They were such a good team back in the day, and they have such great chemistry together. (If you missed O'Brien's last appearance on Late Night, watch it over at Hulu, and definitely pay attention at the 5:58 mark for O'Brien's early reporting on a team of people who played "old-timed baseball." Doesn't get much better than that.) In addition to joining O'Brien in some sketches (O'Brien has reassured us that his humor will not be "growing up" when it moves to an earlier timeslot, yay!), Richter will also be the announcer -- which means we will get some Richter-O'Brien lovin' every night.

best/worst of oscars fashion

Best Dressed of the evening, Kate Winslet and Penélope Cruz
I have to admit, I usually hate dresses that are dyed, one-shouldered, or just overall asymmetrical, but I loved, loved, loved Winslet's dress. It was my favorite of the night, and she looked absolutely stunning. Her hair was reminiscent of Grace Kelly, but the dress was all her own. And Cruz also looked fabulous (no one can pull off bangs like this woman can), though her dress was a little fairy-tale wedding-ish for it to be the best dress of the whole evening. But I cannot find a flaw with either of these designs.



Other Best Dressed, Taraji P. Henson and Evan Rachel Wood


ACK! SHIELD YOUR EYES! Tilda Swinton and Reese Witherspoon

paul rudd on conan o'brien

I heart Paul Rudd like whoa. Here, he's promoting his film Role Models... except he doesn't show a clip from that movie...

nostalgia for 1963

Forever ago (post-Mr. and Mrs. Smith days), photographer Steven Klein collaborated with Brad Pitt to create a portfolio of 1960s-era photos for W Magazine. They certainly have a Cindy Sherman quality to them, although these photos actually have a masculine presence, but they are some of the most beautiful photographs. I usually don't like photos of celebrities because I can't disassociate the actor from the image of the actor -- I blame the paparazzi -- but I am mesmerized by the mise-en-scene of the images. There are 32 photographs in all, and you can view the others here. I've posted my favorites below (the last one is my absolute fave).

a reminder about what really matters in life

While the world mourned Heath Ledger's death, news broke out that his father, Kim Ledger, was the executor of Heath's will and that some were concerned about his past financial mismanagement. But now there is some good news, not only for Heath's daughter Matilda but for humanity at large. The three actors who took on Heath's role in Terry Gilliam's upcoming Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus — Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell — have given their salaries to little Matilda.

Gilliam said, “They didn’t take money — it goes to Heath’s daughter. That’s extraordinary! And wonderful . . . and when you’re part of that, you think, ‘Ah, this is maybe why I went into the movies in the beginning. I thought it would be full of wonderful people.' And we’ve got a movie full of wonderful people who did extraordinary things to help.”

There is no way to spin this negatively. This is a truly beautiful thing.

i'm paris hilton and I approve this message

See more funny videos at Funny or Die

Since John McCain used Paris Hilton negatively in a campaign ad, Paris has humorously decided to fight back. Her parents were big contributors to the McCain campaign, so this was really a smart move on their part. The fake ad notes that Paris is not as old as the celebrity who is old enough to remember when dancing was a sin, but it doesn't matter because she's totally hot. Also, cleverly enough, Paris offers an energy plan!

the story of sunday rose

MSN.com has revealed why the couple chose Sunday Rose for a name, and it just makes me happy.

Nicole's dad, Dr. Antony Kidman, tells Australia's Daily Telegraph the appellation was inspired by the muse of famed Down Under artist Sidney Nolan.

"There was a lady named Sunday Reed who was a prominent patron of the arts in Victoria," explains Dr. Kidman. "I have read a bit about Sunday Reed and her husband John -- she was a key mover and shaker in the arts around the beginning of the century. The name Sunday struck me as being a nice name for a woman, so my wife and I mentioned it."

In early January, just before the Oscar winner confirmed she was expecting, she and Urban were snapped exiting a retrospective of Nolan's work at the Art Gallery of New South Wales.

According to the paper, Nicole was quite taken with a Nolan quote written across a wall of the exhibit, which Keith wrote down: "When you are young you are given a good view of life, because of your closeness to birth."

And the name Rose comes from Urban's late grandmother. Sunday Rose is a personal name, specific to this couple, and there's a history behind picking it. And most interestingly, it references the arts. With these three aspects covered, I think Sunday Rose is a beautiful name.