Friday, April 9, 2010

Barbie by Christian Louboutin, part deux


It was hard to not hear about the fabulous collaboration between Barbie, and her god-father, Monsieur Louboutin. The first doll, the Cat Burglar, launched in November, and sold out with rave reviews. Now, everyone’s favorite trend-setter has received her second head to toe makeover by the uber designer, for a look that is fresh for spring, and totally Parisian chic.

Dressed in a khaki, safari-inspired dress and over the knee, hot pink fringed boots, Barbie looks fashion forward, chic and well, damn, those boots are amazing! This look is completely different from the Cat Burglar, and represents a different facet of the Christian Louboutin woman. And the added bonus, this doll comes with a wardrobe of three alternate pairs of shoes, complete with mini Christian Louboutin boxes and bags. I don’t know what is more fun, carrying your own Louboutin box, or being able to dress your Barbie doll in different shoes each day. I must say, the safari look has never looked so glam.

The ultimate collectible item, Safari Barbie by Christian Louboutin, will be available starting tomorrow, March 3, for $150 at Net-A-Porter and BarbieCollector.com, but you better hurry. This fashionable lady has many admirers; there’s already a wait list! And hopefully, I am at the top of it. And remember, this is only the second of the line of Barbie by Christian Louboutin, there will be a third released in May, so stay tuned.

Friday, April 2, 2010

Erykah Badu to be charge over nude video

Erykah Badu will be charged with disorderly conduct over her nude video shoot that took place in the middle of Dallas ... law enforcement sources tell TMZ.




Our sources say the announcement will be made at a news conference held by the Dallas Police Department momentarily.



Erykah took her clothes off in the middle of Dealey Plaza -- the place where JFK was assassinated in 1963 -- for a music video shoot.



A Texas woman filed an indecency complaint with the PD.

Source:

Eugene Allen, White House butler for 8 presidents, dies at 90


Eugene Allen, who endured a harsh and segregated upbringing in his native Virginia and went on to work for eight presidents as a White House butler, died March 31 of renal failure at Washington Adventist Hospital in Takoma Park. He was 90.

Mr. Allen and his wife, Helene, were profiled in a Washington Post story in 2008 that explored the history of blacks in the White House. The couple were excited about the possibility of Barack Obama's historic election and their opportunity to vote for him. Helene, however, died on the eve of the election, and Mr. Allen went to vote alone. The couple had been married for 65 years.




Afterward, Mr. Allen, who had been living quietly in a simple house off Georgia Avenue NW in the District, experienced a fame that he had only witnessed beforehand. He received a VIP invitation to Obama's swearing-in, where a Marine guard escorted him to his seat. Eyes watering, he watched the first black man take the oath of office of the presidency.


Mr. Allen was besieged with invitations to appear on national TV shows. There were book offers and dozens of speaking requests, all of which he declined. He also received hundreds of letters, some from as far away as Switzerland, from people amazed at the arc of his life and imploring him to hold on while thanking him for his service to the nation. People in his neighborhood would stop him and explain to their children the outlines of his life.





"He liked to think of himself as just a humble butler," his only child, Charles, said Thursday. Aside from his son, Mr. Allen is survived by five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.



Mr. Allen was born July 14, 1919, in Scottsville, Va. He worked as a waiter at the Homestead resort in Hot Springs, Va., and later at a country club in Washington. In 1952, he heard of a job opening at the White House and was hired as a "pantry man," washing dishes, stocking cabinets and shining silverware for $2,400 a year.



He became maitre d', the most prestigious position among White House butlers, under Ronald Reagan. During Mr. Allen's 34 years at the White House, some of the decisions that presidents made within earshot of him came to have a direct bearing on his life -- and that of black America.



Mr. Allen was in the White House when Dwight D. Eisenhower dealt with the Little Rock desegregation crisis. Eisenhower once asked him about the cancellation of Nat "King" Cole's TV show, which the president enjoyed. Mr. Allen told him that the show had difficulty attracting advertisers, who were worried about white Southern audiences boycotting their products.



When John F. Kennedy was assassinated, Mr. Allen was invited to the funeral. He declined for the most generous of reasons: "Somebody had to be at the White House to serve everyone after they came from the funeral," he told The Post. When first lady Jackie Kennedy returned to the White House afterward, she gave him one of the president's ties. Mr. Allen had it framed.



Mr. Allen served entertainers including Sammy Davis Jr., Duke Ellington, Pearl Bailey and Elvis Presley. He flew aboard Air Force One. He sipped root beer at Camp David with Jimmy Carter and visited Eisenhower in Gettysburg after he left the White House. There were always Christmas and birthday cards from the families of the presidents he had served.



He looked up one evening in the White House kitchen to see a lone figure standing in the doorway: It was Martin Luther King Jr., who had insisted on meeting the butlers and maids. Mr. Allen smiled when King complimented him on the cut of his tuxedo.



Mr. Allen served cups and cups of milk and Scotch to help Lyndon B. Johnson settle his stomach when protesters were yelling outside the White House gates during the Vietnam War. He longed to say something to Johnson about his son, who was serving in Vietnam at the time but dared not -- save for acknowledging that his son was alive when Johnson asked about him.
It pained Mr. Allen to hear vulgar words, sometimes racially charged, flowing from Johnson's mouth; and it delighted him when Johnson signed the historic civil rights bills of 1964 and 1965
Sometimes Mr. Allen's own life seemed to stop beneath the chandeliered light. First lady Nancy Reagan came looking for him one afternoon, and Mr. Allen wondered whether he or a member of his staff had done something wrong. She assured him that he had not but also told him that his services would not be needed at the upcoming state dinner for German Chancellor Helmut Kohl. Mr. Allen tensed, wondering why.




"She said, 'You and Helene are coming to the state dinner as guests of President Reagan and myself,' " he recounted in the Post interview. Mr. Allen thought he was the first butler to receive an invitation to a state dinner. He and Helene -- she was a beautiful dresser -- looked resplendent that night. The butlers on duty seemed to pay special attention to the couple as they poured champagne for guests -- champagne that Mr. Allen himself had stacked in the kitchen.



Mr. Allen was mindful that with the flowering of the black power movement, many young people questioned why he would keep working as a butler, with its connotations of subservience. But the job gave him great pride, and he endured the slights with a dignified posture.



"He was such a professional in everything he did," said Wilson Jerman, 81, whom Mr. Allen hired to work at the White House in the early 1960s. "When my wife, Gladys, died in 1966, he told me not to worry about a thing. I didn't think I could get through that period, and he just took me by the hand. I'll never forget it."





Mr. Allen retired in 1986, after having been promoted to maitre d' five years earlier. He possessed a dazzling array of framed photographs with all of the presidents he had served, in addition to gifts and mementos from each of them.



The last item to be framed and placed on Eugene Allen's basement wall was a condolence letter from George W. and Laura Bush. It arrived from the White House just after the death of Helene.

FaceBook Drama: Poor Jaani Get slam by Rob

Look out Nicki Minaj here comes Barbie with the same look and new bags


If you’re looking to get in touch with your inner child – or inner princess – we’ve got good news for you from Tokyo. This week saw the release of a new collection of bags featuring everyone’s favorite perfect plastic princess – Barbie.




The Barbie bags have been created in collaboration with the popular American bag company LeSportsac. Each Barbie x LeSportsac bag features an all-over pink and black print with cute girly designs – and, of course, the Barbie logo. The new collection appears to be exclusive the Japanese market, at least for now. There is a window display promoting the bags at LaForet in Harajuku. It features a huge image of Barbie’s head surrounded by the new LeSportsac bags.

There are a total of nine bags in the Barbie x LeSportsac collection. Prices range from about US$20 for the small zip wallets to around US$100 for the purse and all the way up above US$100 for the large tote. Barbie is really popular in Japan – she even has her own adult fashion brand and many dedicated shops – so we expect these bags will sell out quickly. There are pictures of most of the bags below, so check them out for yourself and see what you think. If you’re feeling pink, this might be your lucky day!