People puts a single picture on their cover this week. Miss Elizabeth Taylor, 1932-2011

Publication: People
Date: 4 April 2011

Fresh trash on Thursdays! Today's stories are all about Miss Elizabeth Taylor, and this one at least actually does not deserve to be called trash. People, as can be expected, put only one photo on the cover, a color corrected version of the picture seen here. Here are their headlines.

• Farewell to a Legend
• Her life
• Her Loves
• Her legacy in pictures
  
  

Besides People, only the Wicked Step Sisters thought it was worth giving the great star a send-off, which just proves that besides being the classiest of the gossip rags, People is the only one with an institutional memory of how important Miss Taylor was in American culture.

Best wishes to the family and friends of Miss Elizabeth Taylor, from a fan.

Kick a FRESH corpse, why don'tcha?: Elizabeth Taylor didn't have to die!

Publication: National Enquirer
Date: 11 April 2011

You can't really expect the truth from the supermarket rags. You can't even expect internal consistency.

Case in point: Last month, it was the Enquirer who had Elizabeth Taylor THE END on the cover of their magazine when the great movie star entered the hospital. It looked like they expected her to be dead before the magazine hit the stands. Now, they say she could have been saved except for a medical mistake, and they promise to tell who is to blame.

They also say they have the deathbed love letter of Miss Taylor to her former husband Larry Fortensky. Their source for this story is Fortensky's sister.

Best wishes to the family and friends of Miss Elizabeth Taylor, America's last true movie star, from a fan.

Kick a FRESH corpse, why don'tcha? Miss Elizabeth Taylor's secret diaries.

Publication: Globe
Date: 11 April 2011

Fresh trash on Thursdays! Today is reserved for the cover stories in the supermarket rags about Miss Elizabeth Taylor, who died a week ago Wednesday. The Globe says they have their hands on Miss Taylor's secret diaries. They promise 20 pages of coverage inside, and put these teaser headlines on the cover.

• Marilyn Monroe seduced her
• two husbands beat her
• her steamy tryst with JFK
• Deathbed scene, last photo, final words
  

Best wishes to the family and friends of Miss Elizabeth Taylor, from a fan.

Lady Gaga to Become Fashion Columnist

It appears from what I've read in the news this morning, Lady Gaga is going to become a 'Fashion Columnist' for V Magazine!  The magazine was launched in September of 99' and was a spin off of the limited-edition quarterly mag 'Visionaire'.  Visionaire was more of a couture fashion mag whereas V is all about what's 'ready to wear'.  The mag also focuses on art, music, film & pretty much all things creative...

She will begin her new gig as columnist writing about 'fashion & art' and her first article will hit the news stands this Summer around mid-May.  Gaga may have very well found a new niche' to add to her long diverse resume, as the 25 year old Grammy winner is best known for her eclectic Fashion choices and outrageous ensembles!  She even has her own fashion design creative team called the Haus of Gaga...  

It seems cliche' to keep saying 'what's next' for Lady Gaga because I don't think she's ever going to run out of ideas!...

pics: appworld.com , jivid.com

Lady Gaga to Become Fashion Columnist

It appears from what I've read in the news this morning, Lady Gaga is going to become a 'Fashion Columnist' for V Magazine!  The magazine was launched in September of 99' and was a spin off of the limited-edition quarterly mag 'Visionaire'.  Visionaire was more of a couture fashion mag whereas V is all about what's 'ready to wear'.  The mag also focuses on art, music, film & pretty much all things creative...

She will begin her new gig as columnist writing about 'fashion & art' and her first article will hit the news stands this Summer around mid-May.  Gaga may have very well found a new niche' to add to her long diverse resume, as the 25 year old Grammy winner is best known for her eclectic Fashion choices and outrageous ensembles!  She even has her own fashion design creative team called the Haus of Gaga...  

It seems cliche' to keep saying 'what's next' for Lady Gaga because I don't think she's ever going to run out of ideas!...

pics: appworld.com , jivid.com

Hey Old Timer Gossip: The Globe has a "Where are they now?" fit.

Publication: Globe
Date: 4 April 2011

Fresh trash tomorrow! Last trash of the week... right now!

The Globe mentions a whole lotta people, most of them who were famous before I graduated high school, and does not directly predict that any of them is one step away from the grave, so this is about as positive as they get. Almost all of them are best known from work on old TV shows, with the exception of Margaret O'Brien and Esther Williams. Here is the full list of people on the cover.

June Lockhart, Esther Williams, Adam West, Burt Ward, Loni Anderson, Rose Marie, Gavin MacLeod, Jaleel White, Margaret O'Brien, Johnny Whitaker

Of this list, only Loni Anderson and Jaleel White (Urkel) had their major claim to fame after I left Alameda High School back in the early 1970's.

Annoying label bookkeeping #6

This is a link to the post above made necessary by Blogger's limits on labels.

Weekly World News alert: Is that an alien with Michelle Obama?

Publication: Weekly World News
Date: 4 April 2011

The Weekly World News alien has been around for a long time, meeting with various political leaders in Washington for at least two decades. This cover from the mid 1990's had him meeting with Newt Gingrich, but being an up to date alien, this week he meets with the First Lady.

We Are Enfant Terrible - Filthy Love (The Shoes Remix)

Paris, France. Oh, god! I like the cat. And I like this gorgeous track "Filthy Love". We Are Enfant Terrible are Thomas Fourney, Clo Floret, and Cyril Debarge. A French trio from the town of love, Paris. After couple of EPs (Thanks For The Fish, Wild Child, and Wild Fish) they gonna release their debut album in April. "Filthy Love" is the first single of it. The Shoes, another French band, remixed the new single of WAET. Enjoy it! Download it!

 

Thomas Tantrum - Sleep (RAC Remix)

Southampton, England. Thomas Tantrum consists of Megan Thomas, Dave Wade Brown, David Miatt, and Jim Shivers. They released their debut album in 2008. In December TT has given away the Birdsong EP for free. You can get it on their myspace page. And this year they release their second album "Mad By Moonlight". "Sleep" is the first single out of the new album. Our lovely brilliant RAC created a great remix of it. Just click play and enjoy. And if you like, download it.

Also, you should check out the original version.

Gwen Stefani ~ 'Love Angel Music Baby'

Since 2004, pop rock chic Gwen Stefani has been designing clothes to suit herself and not the general public under the designer name label 'L.A.M.B.' which stands for 'Love Angel Music Baby'.  She fashions her pieces after her own unique look and personality and has no regard for what the general population thinks about them as she has been quoted for sayings..."Fashion is not something you should take as super deep, it should just be an expression of yourself, it's  just clothes, it's just fun"...  

She started her band 'No Doubt' when she was 17 and shortly thereafter had a desire to create her own styles because after all, music and fashion usually go hand in hand.  She didn't know how to sew but used a glue gun and velcro in an attempt to make things work.

She admits she has no technical qualifications to design clothes and has no problem confessing that she will never be Vivienne Westwood.  Her desire to design simply comes from having a knack or a vibe for what seems right at the time she's creating and her lack of a 'theme' for her Fall designs seen here at Fashion Week 2011 makes that statement more than obvious.

  

In an interview with CNN Entertainment, Gwen did say that the honest reason behind her starting her L.A.M.B. fashion line, close to a decade ago was due in part to the realization that she didn't know if her music career would survive in terms of longevity and she knew she wanted to continue pursuing her creativity in one way or another...

  
pics: blogs.laweekly.com, osochic.com, insiderpassport.com, people.com 

Gwen Stefani ~ 'Love Angel Music Baby'

Since 2004, pop rock chic Gwen Stefani has been designing clothes to suit herself and not the general public under the designer name label 'L.A.M.B.' which stands for 'Love Angel Music Baby'.  She fashions her pieces after her own unique look and personality and has no regard for what the general population thinks about them as she has been quoted for sayings..."Fashion is not something you should take as super deep, it should just be an expression of yourself, it's  just clothes, it's just fun"...  

She started her band 'No Doubt' when she was 17 and shortly thereafter had a desire to create her own styles because after all, music and fashion usually go hand in hand.  She didn't know how to sew but used a glue gun and velcro in an attempt to make things work.

She admits she has no technical qualifications to design clothes and has no problem confessing that she will never be Vivienne Westwood.  Her desire to design simply comes from having a knack or a vibe for what seems right at the time she's creating and her lack of a 'theme' for her Fall designs seen here at Fashion Week 2011 makes that statement more than obvious.

  

In an interview with CNN Entertainment, Gwen did say that the honest reason behind her starting her L.A.M.B. fashion line, close to a decade ago was due in part to the realization that she didn't know if her music career would survive in terms of longevity and she knew she wanted to continue pursuing her creativity in one way or another...

  
pics: blogs.laweekly.com, osochic.com, insiderpassport.com, people.com 

Damn You Fat Alert™: O.J. Simpson heart attack shocker

Publication: National Enquirer
Date: 4 April 2011

According to The Flagship, O.J. Simpson is depressed in prison and packing on the pounds, up from 225 pounds when he went in to 275 pounds now. As often happens, the Enquirer will embellish a story like this with a phrase like "heart attack" or "dying". There is no evidence that the assumed double murderer and convicted thief has suffered a heart attack as of this writing.

Nostradamus and the new 9/11 in 2011.

Publication: Sun
Date: 4 April 2011

The Sun is back to being useful as far as this blog is concerned, which means they are giving predictions with dates on the cover. It's not the End of the World this time, so no Skeeter Davis Alert™, just the next massive terror attack, but it does come from everyone's favorite vague French 16th Century poet and prophet, Michel de Nostradamus. Among the visuals are a crashing plane, a mushroom cloud and pictures of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il and Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Of course, as bad as a nuclear terror attack would be, let's recall we are less than two months away from The End of the World according to Dr. Harold Camping, so it might be a good idea not to sweat the small stuff.

It's MOD Monday Baby!

It's MOD Monday here again at Retro Threadz and this week we're discussing the origin of the 'baby doll dress' since it was a fashion staple of the 60's.  The baby doll style started out as a sometimes sleeveless, comfortable, usually nylon fabric, short, loose fitting night gown that shortly thereafter migrated into a dress.

The name given for the garment style 'baby doll' was popularized by the movie of the same name in the late 50's which portrayed the title female character as a young and sexy nymphet and the whole idea of that set off the garments popularity amongst young women.

Both Twiggy and Goldie Hawn were most associated with the baby doll style of the 60's...

The style faded a bit through the late 70's and 80's but made a resurgence in the 90's when grunge goddess Courtney Love gave it a new spin and the birth of the punk rock style called 'kinderwhore' was born!  Basically it's a baby doll dress that has been torn, ripped up or cut low in the front paired with platform Mary Jane's.

     
The trend had died down again a bit but popped up in the 'here and now' as  designer Julien MacDonald fashioned up quite a variety of baby doll dresses circa 2011 as he showed his collection at the Spring Fashion week.  

If you notice, there hasn't been too much evolution regarding the shape of the style with the baby doll dress, just a lot more variety where color and textures are concerned.


pics: eliakazanmovies.blogspot.com, corbisimages.com, hubpages.com, fashiontheory.umwblogs.org, threndsandtreats.wordpress.com

It's MOD Monday Baby!

It's MOD Monday here again at Retro Threadz and this week we're discussing the origin of the 'baby doll dress' since it was a fashion staple of the 60's.  The baby doll style started out as a sometimes sleeveless, comfortable, usually nylon fabric, short, loose fitting night gown that shortly thereafter migrated into a dress.

The name given for the garment style 'baby doll' was popularized by the movie of the same name in the late 50's which portrayed the title female character as a young and sexy nymphet and the whole idea of that set off the garments popularity amongst young women.

Both Twiggy and Goldie Hawn were most associated with the baby doll style of the 60's...

The style faded a bit through the late 70's and 80's but made a resurgence in the 90's when grunge goddess Courtney Love gave it a new spin and the birth of the punk rock style called 'kinderwhore' was born!  Basically it's a baby doll dress that has been torn, ripped up or cut low in the front paired with platform Mary Jane's.

     
The trend had died down again a bit but popped up in the 'here and now' as  designer Julien MacDonald fashioned up quite a variety of baby doll dresses circa 2011 as he showed his collection at the Spring Fashion week.  

If you notice, there hasn't been too much evolution regarding the shape of the style with the baby doll dress, just a lot more variety where color and textures are concerned.


pics: eliakazanmovies.blogspot.com, corbisimages.com, hubpages.com, fashiontheory.umwblogs.org, threndsandtreats.wordpress.com

Kick a corpse, why don'tcha?: Sirhan Sirhan claims CIA brainwashed him into killing RFK.

Publication: National Examiner
Date: 4 April 2011

I have recently commended the low rent Examiner on a new kinder and gentler editorial policy. To be clear, they haven't gone all sweetness and light, but they are not going to finish this review period in a virtual tie for meanest tabloid, as they are falling behind their richer Wicked Step Sisters, the Globe and the Enquirer.

For example, there is nothing nice about this story that Sirhan Sirhan is now claiming it was the CIA that brainwashed him into killing Robert F. Kennedy back in 1968.

And more than that, there's probably nothing true about it either, other than being Sirhan's current claim communicated through his lawyer earlier this month.

Annoying label bookkeeping #5

This post is a link to the post below, made necessary by too many labels.

Bad Help Alert:Hollywood stylists get serious about the dish!

Publication: Star magazine
Date: 4 April 2011

I am ambivalent about bad help alerts.

Nannies blabbing to the gossip rags about kids? I disapprove.

Stylists blabbing about hair, make-up and wardrobe? Oh, somebody make some popcorn, this is going to be fun!

Star devotes a huge amount of their cover to dirt about celebrity beauty secrets, some questions given as "Guess who?", which means you will have to buy the magazine yourself to find out because I refuse to open these things unless under serious duress, and several stories where they name names. Here are all the headlines.

• Hollywood stylists tell all the flaws, the fakes, the fights
• Who has a closet just for Spanx?
• Who duct tapes her boobs?
• Who waxes her freaky toes?
• Who has to be sewn into her dresses?
• Who steals from her stylist?
• LeeAnn (Rimes): Starving for attention
• Rihanna: Seeing red
• Jen (Aniston): Finger fungus
• J. LO: Squeeze play (She is the boob duct taper.)
• Camille (Grammer): Closet confidential
• Bethenny (Frankel): Zit fit
  

I only know the boob duct tape story because Star put it on the front page of their website. As much as I might want to know who waxes her freaky toes and who steals from her stylist, I do have rules, and I obey them slavishly except under the most extreme situations.

Surprisingly nice headline of the week: Pray for Annette Funicello!

Publication: National Examiner
Date: 4 April 2011

The low rent Examiner is experimenting with a new concept, the idea of being sympathetic to the people it plasters all over its cover stories. The Globe had her on the cover last week saying she narrowly escaped death in a fire. This week, the low rent Examiner covers the same story, but instead goes for a more believable pathos, saying the fire was a terrible financial hardship.

Both stories may be a little overblown. Getting rescued from a fire is not always a dramatic movie scene, and there is such a thing as homeowner's insurance. Still, when I count the positive and negative headlines in the quarterly review, I'd put the Globe story on the negative side and the low rent Examiner story on the positive side.

Nice work guys! Baby steps.

Love Bird Alert: Jessica's revenge romance

Publication: Us Weekly
Date: 4 April 2011

Last week, the supermarket rags were all over Justin Timberlake-Jessica Biel split, mainly focusing on man slut Justin. This week, only one story and it concerns Ms. Biel's romantic future. (I will call her Ms. Biel because there are way too many Jessicas in the gossip universe. It's like the distaff version of Ryan.)

Welcome back to gossip hell, Gerard Butler! He was one of 2010's most popular man sluts early in the year, romantically linked to both Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon, but it's been nearly a year since he has been mentioned.

There are two major categories of man sluts in the supermarket rags, though they do not mention it directly. There are the honest to God male breeders who can't keep it in their pants, like Justin Timberlake and John Mayer. Then there are the guys who I'm not so sure about, who might be getting these "links" to some serious honeyage to disguise the fact that they play for the other team. Until I see strong evidence to the contrary, Gerard Butler is in Category II.

I mean, really. 300 and Phantom of the Opera? That's a whole lotta gay for a straight guy to be in. The question cannot be ignored.

Hanni El Khatib - Build. Destroy. Rebuild

San Francisco, CA, USA. Hanni El Khatib is a one-man band. He grew up in San Francisco, after the son of Palestinian and Filipino immigrants to the US. Influenced by pioneers of early Rock and R&B in 1950s and 1960s, he is mixing a a unique sound of ‘50/’60s blues, soul, garage rock & doo whop. Or in Hanni’s words “these songs were written for anyone who’s ever been shot or hit by a train. Knife fight music.”

Bun In The Oven Alert™: Mariah and Kate baby panic!

Publication: OK!
Date: 4 April 2011

OK! likes to go with short and vague headlines, and this one certainly qualifies. "Mariah and Kate baby panic!" is accompanied by pictures of the two women, both of whom are confirmed pregnant. If you want to know what the panic is, you'll just have to read it yourself while standing in the supermarket line.

If I were a suspicious person, I might think the mini-flurry of interest in Kate Hudson is hoping to get people who aren't paying close attention to buy the magazine hoping to get a story about Kate Middleton or maybe even Kate Gosselin. Both stories this week just use the first name "Kate", but they do include an identifying picture.

As I said, this might fool people who aren't paying close attention. As a math teacher, I know these people exist.

In numbers too big to ignore.

Bun In The Oven Alert™ and On The Rocks Alert: Kate Hudson's man is cheating on her.

Publication: In Touch
Date: 4 April 2011

Kate Hudson's pregnancy garnered a few cover stories in the supermarket rags back in late January and early February, but since then nothing. Now, In Touch says the unnamed baby daddy, rocker Matt Bellamy, is cheating on her.

Bun In The Oven Alert™: Kelly Preston is pregnant again.

Publication: National Enquirer
Date: 4 April 2011

If we are to believe the Flagship, and this is always a questionable decision, John Travolta's wife Kelly Preston is pregnant once again at age 49. This story is such a scoop, there is neither confirmation or denial online.

Sylvester Stallone...Action Hero Fashion Designer

Action Hero & movie star extraordinaire Sylvester Stallone was in the news this weekend because he's decided to launch a new men's clothing line inspired by his hit flicks Rocky and Rambo.  Since Rocky wore hoodies and sweat pants and Rambo went shirtless in camouflage, that ought to be interesting!  His designs are said to be in production and will be making their debut in 2012 at mid range stores such as Macy's making it affordable for the 25 to 40 year old age bracket he's targeting.

The 64 year old Stallone said he became truly interested in style after filming Rambo II at which time he had shed 25 pounds and none of his old clothing fit him anymore.  He ended up turning to custom tailored pieces and when collaborating with tailors in Italy he got a feel for fabrics, textures and patterns. He definitely has the bucks to invest his efforts in this endeavor so if it flops it's definitely not going to hurt his bank roll, however I personally don't see him ranking up their with Hilfiger anytime in the near future...   




mail.carbase.com

Sylvester Stallone...Action Hero Fashion Designer

Action Hero & movie star extraordinaire Sylvester Stallone was in the news this weekend because he's decided to launch a new men's clothing line inspired by his hit flicks Rocky and Rambo.  Since Rocky wore hoodies and sweat pants and Rambo went shirtless in camouflage, that ought to be interesting!  His designs are said to be in production and will be making their debut in 2012 at mid range stores such as Macy's making it affordable for the 25 to 40 year old age bracket he's targeting.

The 64 year old Stallone said he became truly interested in style after filming Rambo II at which time he had shed 25 pounds and none of his old clothing fit him anymore.  He ended up turning to custom tailored pieces and when collaborating with tailors in Italy he got a feel for fabrics, textures and patterns. He definitely has the bucks to invest his efforts in this endeavor so if it flops it's definitely not going to hurt his bank roll, however I personally don't see him ranking up their with Hilfiger anytime in the near future...   




mail.carbase.com

Obligatory Bachelor post.

Publications: OK!, Weekly Life & Style
Date: 4 April 2011

This season of The Bachelor was over a few weeks back, but the stories go on and on. The supermarket rags had a rash of stories at season's end about how wonderful everything was for Bachelor Brad and Bachelorette Emily, and the week after that a new rash of stories broke out that all said it was in the dumpster where it belongs. The story is losing steam, since five magazines had the bad news for the couple on the covers last week, while only two are telling us about it this week. Here are the headlines.

• OK!: It's over
  They're still smiling for the cameras, but Emily has now dumped Brad for good
  Plus: Chantal's better off without Brad, too
  'I have a new sexier man'
• Weekly Life & Style: Bachelor Brad confirms it's over

I will be so happy when the day finally comes and any mention of "Brad" is the supermarket rags will only mean what it should mean, Brad Pitt.

Obligatory Teen Mom post for 4 April 2011.

Publications: OK!, Us Weekly
Date: 4 April 2011

Two different stories on two covers about two Teen Moms this week, but I'm only going to give one post about it.

• OK!: Teen Mom Maci and Gary hook up
• Us Weekly: Leah and Corey's wedding
  The couple opens up about their fear of marrying too young and how they know they will make it.

This blog has a pro-love policy, but for this show, I'm willing to make an exception. I have no stake or interest in the happiness of these people at all.

Dancing With the Stars is rigged this season. Again.

Publication: National Enquirer
Date: 4 April 2011

Last season, the low rent Examiner printed a story about everyone's favorite open secret. They said Dancing With The Stars was fixed just because some fat 20 year old girl kept coming back every week when better dancers were sent home.

This season, it's The Flagship that's starting with the rumors early, saying that the winner will either be Kirstie Alley or Kendra Wilkinson.

I don't have a TV and have no intention of watching online, but I will point out that Kirstie and Kendra are the only stars on the show this season who have been mentioned in the tabloids at all in the past year.

Bells Aren't Ringing Alert™: Scott calls off the wedding.

Publication: In Touch
Date: 4 April 2011

There was talk in the tabloids about a wedding for Kourtney Kardashian and Scott Disick earlier this year, but people in the know denied it was true. Now we have Scott calling off the wedding that was never going to happen in the first place. Here are the lying details.

• BATTLE FOR THE BABY
• Kourtney explodes after shameless Scott demands custody of Mason. How greed and jealousy tore them apart.

Least interesting cover story of the week: Donald Trump doubts Obama was born in the U.S.A.

Publication: Globe
Date: 4 April 2011

Thick fingered vulgarian Donald Trump shows that he's serious about the Republican nomination for the presidency by hopping aboard the high speed rail to Crazy Town and showing himself to be a birther. This is yet another Globe headline without any picture and so it gets no picture from me and the label Least Interesting Story of the Week.

Actually, any story about Donald Trump that doesn't include a picture is a blessing, isn't it?

Damn You Skinny Alert™: Kourtney's flat abs secret.

Publication: Us Weekly
Date: 4 April 2011

It's been nearly a month since Kourtney Kardashian got a mention on the cover of a supermarket rag, but she gets two different ones this week for her two main points of interest, her hotness and her messed up love life. Us Weekly wants you to know her flat ab secret, but when you don't really have a job and have plenty of time to exercise and excellent incentive - like, if you're fat you'll lose your reality show - it's hard to call her success a secret.

Fashion In Film Friday

In addition to our Mod Mondays, we're going to be doing Fashion In Film Friday's here at Retro Threadz.  Each week we'll be picking one movie that inspired the world of fashion.  Fashions of every era have always been motivated by movie costumes since way before there was even color or sound in films.  For example the German stage and silent film actress Marlene Dietrich was a fashion icon of the 20's and was considered a scandalous rebel in her time due to her love of masculine attire.  She wore a top hat and tuxedo in the 1928 vintage film Morocco which raised eyebrows and more than likely began the dawn of sexual ambiguity in clothing styles.   

In regards to her style she was quoted as saying...
"I dress for the image, not for myself, not for the public and definitely not for men"...

pics: zerode.wordpress.com, mythicalmonkey.blogspot.com