The glamourous world of Cinema

From the fine folks at BANG!, our beloved British gossip feed

Sienna Miller had her private parts digitally enhanced for her new movie.
The 26-year-old actress had to have pubic hair added by computer wizard for some scenes in her new film ‘Hippie Hippie Shake’. In the movie, Sienna plays Louise, the girlfriend of publisher Richard Neville, who was heavily involved in London’s party scene during the 60s.
A studio source told Britain’s Daily Mirror newspaper: “The film is set in the swinging 60s when fashion was wild and body hair even wilder. Unfortunately, Brazilian waxes weren’t common in the 60s and Sienna’s part involved one or two nude scenes – meaning that her grooming habits were on display. A merkin [pubic wig] simply wouldn’t have done the trick, but luckily computer wizardry came to the rescue. Sienna’s private parts were enhanced, giving her a rather unruly bush. All the cast had a good giggle about it and stoical Sienna happily played along.”

Imagine having that job in digital FX. And they told you Hollywood would be glamorous and exciting!

Also known as Frozen Lobster Bisque

Whenever I visit my Sacramento friends, Ben and I make ice cream. On the 2001 or 2002 visit, I started playing with the idea of lobster ice cream, which Ben politely vetoed. Understandably so -- it's fair if he didn't want his ice cream maker to have a lingering scent of the sea. Also, who wants lobster in Sacramento?

On a later trip to visit friends on the Cape (who also have an ice cream maker), my suggestion was once again shot down. At least this time I had the geography right!

The proposal to Häagen-Dazs didn't make it, but Steph made an excellent point about the "psychology of flavour." So I recently got my *own* ice cream maker, have some lobster stock waiting in the freezer, and am planning to make "frozen lobster bisque" for my next dinner party.

Or, apparently, I could just order in from Maine...

Daily horocscope confusion

Scorpio (10/23-11/21)

You might not realize it, but you make a very good role model! The younger people in your life could learn a lot from your ideas and attitudes, so why not be more open with them today? Despite what you might think about the younger generation, they are genuinely interested in what you have to say -- they just might be a little too shy to ask you. Open up the lines of communication and start a conversation that you know they want to have. You will find the experience quite fulfilling.

See, this is why I almost never read horoscopes anymore (though I still have the blog tag, apparently).

1. I am a horrible role model. Seriously, I have no ambition, terrible time management skills, worse knifing skills, and an aversion to commitment.
   
2. All the kids I know have perfectly fine ideas and attitudes, thankyouverymuch. If anything I could learn from them.
   
3. Open communication? .... okay.... well, actually, there is this conversation I've been avoiding (like I do). Maybe I just needed this kick in the pants.

Or maybe I should just visit my nieces and teach them to crochet....

Dodge trucks ARE Ram-tough!

snopes.com: Truck Destroys Drive-Through Bank Canopy.



I guess the marketing is true!

Welcome to the Monkey House!

Create your own family sticker graphic at pYzam.com

Thanks much, Killer Mango!

I guess she really was fucking Matt Damon?

Sarah Silverman and Jimmy Kimmel have broken up, their publicists confirmed July 14.

Tom Champion has a voice that carries - The Boston Globe

Tom Champion rocks.

There's a little bit of drama going on in our fair city right now, as Tom seems to have gotten into a kerfuffle on LJ about street parking. So now seems as good a time as any to tip the hat to Tom's mellifluous voice.

Cupcake Crime

Last night around 2 am, we were distracted from our epic Somerville Showdown thumb war by the sound of breaking glass. When the noise stopped after a couple of crashes, we figured someone had thrown a beer bottle or two, and so returned to the business at hand (or thumb).

Tinkling and shattering sounds resumed less than a minute later, and we worried that someone might be trying to break into Ann's car, parked on the street below. Ann dashed downstairs just in time to see someone running away from Kickass Cupcakes, carrying their cash register. She described a white man of average build, wearing a white cap, light-colored clothing and long shorts. Somerville's Finest were on the scene within seconds. One pursued the robber down Highland Avenue in the direction Ann indicated, the other contacted Kickass's owners.

Who could be so cruel to cupcakes? Stores rarely keep any significant money in a register overnight, so the haul was hardly worth the effort of lugging the cash register away.

By 2:30 the repair crew was already at work, clearing away the broken glass and patching the hole with plywood. Pumped up from all the drama, we escalated our tourney to full-on arm-wrestling.

Justify My Love

I am embracing my tendency for younger men; everyone best Step Off:

Male Fertility, Appeal Crashes In Late 30s And Early 40s

After all, I've got babies to make, and no time to waste with old, bad, stale sperm.

Nice to know that it's not only women who have a clock ticking. A bit disappointed about the Clooney though, must admit.

Her eyes were bigger than her stomach, maybe?

Florent didn't really close.

New York is so annoying, tugging at my heart strings like this.

For those of you who don't know, Florent was this old restaurant in the Meatpacking District. I loved it. Cheap French bistro food in a crappy diner space, in this cool old neighborhood. It was one of the first restaurants I went to when I got to New York, and I had no idea where I was going. I only knew the numbered streets on the midtown grid, so when an Italian friend, in her heavy accent, told me to meet her at "Flohr-aaahnt on the Gahn-tse-voorhte", I could only hope that the cab driver would know what the hell I was talking about.

My old clubbing haunt, Mother, was only a block or so away from Florent, so we used to go there fairly often in the wee hours. Where else could we get escargot, veggie burgers, a charcuterie plate and a grilled cheese sandwich, to please all our varied palates?

In 1999, Keith McNally opened Pastis, a French bistro. Then, around 2000, that neighborhood became HUGE trendy. Mother closed, a Scoop boutique went in, and we headed further downtown for our clubbing thrills, to Kitsch Inn and Rubber Monkey Revenge.

The MD, in the meantime, teetered on the verge of trendy for about five more minutes, then crashed deeply into bridge and tunnel territory. It went from the cheap and dirty home of tranny hookers and S&M dance clubs, to eurotrash bling with $600 haircuts (and worse!) and Stella McCartney boutiques, like overnight. As Jay McInerney said, and he of all people should know, "'Pastis was, of course, the beginning of the transformation,' the instant when the neighborhood suddenly appeared on the collective GPS of the Black Card set, after which, goes the argument, there was no stopping the carnival of excess that followed."

Anyway...
Florent's lease was up. The rent went up from something like 6K to over 50K a month. Florent could not afford, so they decided to close at end of June. Lots of tributes, lots of tears.

But today I see: Florent diner to re-open with new name.

Was Lucas too greedy? Did she have a bout of family tradition and sentimentality? Or is she just stealing Florent's winning idea out from under him? It does, after all, sound a bit like the epic Ball Square feud, does it not?

I just wish New York would stop toying with my emotions like this. I think it's why I had to leave in the first place.

I have the worst knife skills ever

And my boyfriend handles a knife beautifully. SO here's what I'm wondering, is this resource targeted to amateurs, or to men specifically. Because we all know that men and women learn new skills differently.

Or do we?

Fishy Google ads

Where is the best chowder in Boston? Boston.com wants to help you find it, and wants your suggestions.

But Google Ads thinks you might actually be looking for something else...


Oh, those wags in Mountain View. Who knew their content matching was so sensitive to subtleties?

Those Brits sure know their bait and tackle, don't they, Becks?

From BANG!, our British gossip feed

David Beckham was left with red hot genitals because of a faulty car heater.

The English soccer star ran into trouble when the heated seats of his 4x4 car malfunctioned in Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Galaxy player was driving when the setting jammed on heat, forcing him to pull over and find something to cushion his scorched manhood.

An onlooker told Britain’s Daily Star newspaper: “One minute he was tearing across Los Angeles, the next, he was rolling down his windows, panting and staring down at his crotch in horror. There were lots of fans and paparazzi following him, making it even more difficult for him to sort out his boiling bits. He was gutted to be caught cushioning his seat from the hot leather.”

David recently showed the world his seemingly impressive tackle in a series of new adverts for Emporio Armani. The 33-year-old sports superstar models the fashion house’s autumn and winter 2009 underwear collection.

Meanwhile, Will Smith revealed at the premiere of his latest film ‘Hancock’ last night (18.06.08) that David is going to give him soccer lessons. Smith said: “David Beckham is one of the best soccer players in the world. I begged him to teach me how to play and he promises he will. I can't wait.”

Sorry, I just could not resist

Not so retro, after all

This has been bouncing around for a few weeks, but now it's been made into a handy intarweb-style quiz with auto-scoring.

31 As a 1930s wife, I am Poor Take the test!

B of course scored 99 = Very Superior. Mind you, when we tested on paper, I was a 23 and he was an 81. I was still totally undeserving of his goodness, but there seems to be a bit of grade inflation going on with the online edition.

I quizzed my parents on Father's Day. Oh how fun when we got to the "marital congress" questions, let me tell you.

How did you (and your sweeties) do?

Get on that treadmill!

My roommate has joined my gym, and has also joined Weight Watchers online. He's promised to try to drag me to the gym with him, and it will be easier than ever to eat healthy with someone to share the joy and pain.

Then, this morning my inbox contained the best motivation ever to drop some serious poundage (better even than my upcoming high school reunion):
Will airlines charge by weight? - SmarterTravel.com

Time to hit the gym!

Runaway Grain

Make something healthy and tasty for dinner tonight. I haven't tried this recipe yet myself, but it sure is popular. People are raving about it on Chowhound and in the letters section of the Globe Magazine, and someone just wrote me asking for the recipe (PS: there's a search box at the top of Boston.com, if you're ever looking for a back article).

Looks tasty to me! If you try it, please tell me how you like it.

My husband the free man

So Clooney is single again because "Sarah Said Too Much"? George, dear, let's review the facts:

• You are private, and shield yourself from the intrusions of fame behind a wall of humor
  
• I shield myself behind a fake blog identity
  
• You don't want your girlfriend using you to advance her career
  
• I have my own career, thanks.
  
• You have a house in Italy
  
• I have a house in Italy. Also, I speak Italian.

Darling, I wouldn't even want to walk the red carpet. You can go to those events on your own.

The Great Boston Lobster Bake

Forget about the Boston Tea Party -- there are tons of steamed lobsters right outside my office at this very moment. Where are the vats of drawn butter?

The most excellent Hook family owners vow to rebuild after blaze destroys landmark seafood business. And I believe they will, and quickly. Better, stronger than before even. Behold, the next-generation bionic lobster company!

What particularly saddens me at the moment is that something "devoured 60,000 pounds of lobster...", and it wasn't me.

I'm guessing arson. That lobster pound sat smack in the middle of some prime waterfront real estate, in the hottest development area in town. And the Hooks have fought to stay there before.

There's another possibility, though, one too terrible to believe. Could it be my fault? Could this be another one of my mystical powers?

You see, I recently gave up lobster. (Yes, I know that report says I can have it as often as three times a month, but considering the massive quantities I've eaten in my lifetime, I figure I'm probably already way over my personal quota. I mean, it's not like the mercury ever leaves your system.)

So, I give up lobster, and then my fave lobster place burns to the ground. This would be merely a coincidence, if it weren't for the Raven bar in New York. I used to celebrate my birthday at the Raven every year, and there were many other messy celebrations. But right after I accepted the job in Boston and prepared to move, the Raven burned down and was shuttered.

Honestly, what kind of superpower is this? Nothing I love can live on after I leave it? (wait, don't ask any of my ex-boyfriends about that one...)

Well if the Raven has hopes to rebuild, then maybe we can still hold out hope that the Hook family will persevere. In the meantime, any intrepid souls with scuba gear in the mood for some smoky lobster bisque?

Ko-thario Picks Food Blogger Over ...me!

For all who are breathlessly awaiting the final chapter in my sudden foodie sort-of-fame:
Ko-thario Picks Food Blogger Over Atheist Carnivore

I had a hysterically fun time with this whole adventure. And what a bonus -- I now have two tags of my very own on Grub Street!

For the record, despite B's encouragement, I wouldn't have responded to the ad at all if I hadn't found the Ko-thario's writing witty, charming and funny. I'm in no race to go to Ko; I'll dine there eventually. If anything, it was the pork fat that was extraneous in this equation, not him.

Ko-thario, Dominique -- I hope you have a lovely time.

Happy Memorial Day weekend, everyone! Eat well!

Farmer Dave -- Somerville CSA

Woo Hoo! I'm Supporting Community Agriculture!

I am about to sign up for a local CSA, so I'll be getting a steady supply of fresh, locally grown fruits and veg all summer and fall.

The minimum share has food for two people. I'm going to ask my new roommate if he's into sharing it, but if not, I might be looking for someone to share. Let me know if you'd be interested!