The best hangover cure

Holly Golightly didn't tread softly at all when it came to gulping down the booze.

If you, too, awake on the first day of 2008 with the mean reds, I have a foolproof plan for taming them. First, rent "Breakfast at Tiffany's" because it's fun, witty and unbearably easy on the eyes.

Then, prepare my favorite tipple: a banana milkshake. It's a proven remedy for the worst Champers O.D. aftermath. The potassium and magnesium in the bananas will restore your depleted levels and the honey will up your sugar paucity. The milk should soothe the tummy too.

The Holly Gone Too Far Banana  Milkshake: 

1 pint of cold milk
1 scoop of vanilla ice cream
1 banana
1 tablespoon of honey

Put all ingredients into a blender, cover your ears, and puree like a banshee.

Serves two. (Or one person who drank enough liquor for two.)

Favorite Holly Golightly quote:
Paul Varjak: "Holly, you're drunk."
Holly Golightly: "True."

Cheers, darling. Happy New Year!

Photo credits: Paramount

Celebrities paint the town green on New Year's Eve

Ah, remember the good old days? Warren Beatty called up Jack Nicholson and they hatched a plan to ring in the New Year with plenty of booze, broads and cigarettes. The only money that exchanged hands probably paid for cocktail onions and swizzle sticks.

Nowadays, celebrities don't get off the couch on Dec. 31 without the lure of a paycheck. Come Monday night, it's reported that Paris and Nicky Hilton will be paid $500,000 just to stand around and pout at LAX club in Las Vegas. Meanwhile, Ashlee Simpson and her beau Pete Wentz will make $150,000 to host festivities at the Shore Club in Miami. Then, there's Pam Anderson pocketing over $100,000 to show off her assets at Pure in Vegas. (Last year, Brit pulled in $350,000 for her stint as guest of honor at Pure. See, left)

I'm not sure whom I pity more: the celebs who pimp themselves out like blow-up dolls on the last night of the year. Or the people who pay upwards of $100 to be a guest at these parties and catch a glimpse of Paris' ankle.  Clearly, the lineup I mentioned bears little distinction when compared with great actors. But these days, getting paid to hawk water or speak at a charity event or wear a designer gown is common practice.  The declasse trend gives new meaning to the term, "Auld Lang Syne."

Photo credits: Beatty, Getty Images; Britney, WireImage

An unspoken boycott on gift giving

Having interviewed a style editor about gift giving, I got to thinking about my own holiday wish list. What do I really want?  God, just thinking about it reminds me of post-college conversations with my parents, lame sessions with guidance counselors and the upraised eyebrows of assorted therapists I have seen in my lifetime.

This year, my husband and I have eschewed a present swap without really discussing it much at all. We're getting our place professionally painted next week, and so our walls are getting wrapped -- in a way. Plus, we buy each other little gifts -- like an old Cat Stevens album from Amoeba or a pulp fiction detective novel -- all the time. I know that he bought me a book at Taschen the other day because he hip-checked me out of the shop in Beverly Hills.

I, on the other hand, eyed some monogrammed cuff links for him, but didn't follow through. I also contemplated a vintage camera, a membership to a comic book of the month club (I don't even know if one exists, but it should) and a cookbook for him. He recently made baked chicken with great success and I need to act on the Iron Chef-high before he reverts back to saying, "What's wrong with hot tuna and noodles?"

Not exchanging gifts is actually a great present in itself. In my past, a gift from a man I was dating -- or engaged to -- carried too much gravitas. If a man gave me slippers, I found them to be utterly unromantic and therefore, deemed our relationship "lustless." If a man bought me jewelry, it just didn't sparkle enough (or, I sheepishly admit, cost enough). Unwrapping a present, for me, was like reaching inside his chest to weigh his heart. Invariably, it was always a few ounces short.

This year, my husband and I will probably take a walk at some point on Christmas and cook dinner early and then drink some  great wine and play Guitar Hero in our underwear. The tree -- already drying up and jettisoning needles everywhere -- will stand without a bounty of wrapped loot beneath it. My husband's heart will remain unscathed.

Having said that, I do have a wish list. It's fun to think about what you want in the abstract, without the pressure of expectation. For years, I have coveted the work of local artist Kim McCarty, and her watercolor series of boys and girls has always awed me.  In their faces, seemingly both reticent and eager to please, I see myself wanting and not wanting to be bothered. I think I apply that same dichotomy of desire to gifts. Not this year, though.

Credit: Kim McCarty paintings, kimmccarty.net

Yo PETA! Over here.

I am not obsessed with PETA or the ongoing debate over the ethics of wearing fur. But I have to say that Mary J. Blige and Patti Labelle have outdone themselves in thumbing their noses at animal activists. Here's a quote from Blige, from last January, when she told PETA, in essence, to shove it:

"Those PETA people don’t want to mess with me, they don’t want to throw paint on my coat because it’s not just going to be throwing paint. It’s going to be Mary in the news the next day, you know what I mean?"

I know what she means. I suspect that Blige could maim a polar bear with her bare hands. PETA had better steer clear of her.

Photo credit: WireImage

Before they were blonde: Heidi Klum

In researching Brigitte Bardot for my cat eye post, I came across photos of her as a brunette and the power of blonde struck me.
Hence, I will post -- every now and again -- on "Before they were blonde." I begin with Klum, who was born with a cocoa-hued mane and modeled as a brunette in her native Germany for a while.

But it was "hitting the bottle" (of peroxide) that vaulted her career into supermodel orbit.
Here's her quote about what a difference some bleach makes:

"Going blonde is like buying yourself a light bulb!"

This week in the paper, I wrote about a new trend here in L.A. in which blondes get dark roots painted on to look like they haven't bothered to go to the salon. It's a rather uproarious trend.
Read it here.

Photo credits: Vogue; Bravo.com

Advice from a pro: Gift giving

When it comes to bestowing presents, New York style editor Allison Reynolds wins the blue ribbon. Her wit, imagination and bull-dogged pursuit of the most unique offerings has garnered her a reputation and countless invites to birthday parties.

In addition to freelancing as a market editor for magazines, she has put together gift guides for Harper's Bazaar, People magazine and Bravo.com. Here's her take on how to win the coveted trophy for best gift giver.

Describe your style as a gift giver: "I imagine I am a cross between
Maria Callas and Dennis the Menace, a diva with a case of hyperactivity. "Darling it’s Hermes. Open it, open it!"

What is the best present you ever received? Why?

"Keeping a theme… as of late I enjoyed tickets to the Metropolitan Opera’s showing of Anthony Minghella’s 'Madame Butterfly.' It was a mesmerizing performance and I am thrilled I saw it. Now I know the story of 'Madame Butterfly.' "

Worst gift you ever gave someone?
"Whew, being a confidently cruel and vindictive glamour puss, I don’t get to do it enough. Lately, I’d say it would be a calculator shaped like a carton of eggs. It’s called the egg-ulator. That was sort of bitchy and regift-y…"

What's the biggest mistake people make when giving gifts?
"They give things THEY want. No no no. One must look at the receiver and give them something that suits their style, soul and sassy self."

If your sister-in-law has atrocious taste, do you indulge it and buy her a sequined toilet seat cover?
"Hell no! No sequined seat covers. No Precious Moment figurines. Stop the insanity. Your job is now to imbue some good taste. Act as a taste wizard/superhero. Wear the cape and shield when you give her a cashmere throw or a coffee table book on “Style”… Do it!"

Name your top three online sources for unique

gifts:

Momastore.com

Dashwoodbooks.com

Hableconstruction.com

Better books: Taschen or Rizzoli?
"I’d say Rizzoli. I’m a little stiff. Although the Ralph Lauren book nearly did me in… egads. Now I am into a little Cali publishing house called Ammo who have a picture book on Hunter S. Thompson’s antics called 'Gonzo.' I likey."

How much should you spend on a hostess gift?
"$50 seems civilized."

Give us your top three picks for last-minute gifts that won't bludgeon your bank account.
"Amaryllis in a beautiful terra cotta potty.
A crazy expensive toothpaste like Marvis. No one’s going to buy that for themselves. A little oral decadence and you’re out $15, tops.
Or a carton of clementines.
Oh I could go on and on…."

Photo credits: Reynolds, private collection; Callas, Bruno Rosi; Menace, Hank Ketcham; eggulator, Fredflare.com; "Peter Beard," Dashwood Books; "Gonzo," Ammo.

PETA bleeds stupidity

Page Six today reports that Kim Cattrall doesn't want blood on her hands for wearing all those furs and carrying skins (thanks to designer Nancy Gonzalez) in the new "Sex and the City" movie. OK, a girl has to make a living. But wouldn't Cattrall be more effective if she refused to wear fur or carry an exotic skin bag in her role as Samantha? Even worse, the item says that Cattrall -- who is "adamantly against fur" -- will donate all the luxury merchandise back to PETA after the shoot. 

What will they do with it? PETA will mark the furs and skins with a red X and give them to homeless people. Is there anything more absurd and degrading than making indigent folks wear some sort of sucky scarlet letter? Will a lizard skin blazer really keep a guy on the street warm? How stupid, hypocritical and humiliating.

Photo credits: Cattrall, Wire Image; homeless woman, Life

Let's broadcast the Oscars from the red carpet

In today's WWD, an article takes a close look at the outcome of an aborted awards season. As you know, the writers are on strike and plan to picket outside the Golden Globes at the Beverly Hills Hilton hotel on Jan. 13. Organizers may smartly decide to eschew the red carpet and fanfare to convince actors -- leery of crossing the line -- to come out for the show.

(At left, Barbra Streisand at the Oscars in 1969, wearing Arnold Scaasi. Nice buns, Babs!)

If so, no red carpet means no fashion parade. In the WWD story, designers like Donna Karan and Stefano Gabbana are quoted on the economics of the red carpet. Yes, it befits them financially to have Scarlett Johansson or Gwyneth Paltrow sashay down the press line in one of their gowns.

But it is Roberto Cavalli's realistic take on the proceedings that I prefer. Cavalli says: "It's true that Oscars bring us a lot of work, but personally I've always taken it as pure fun. Without any doubt, getting stuff on the red carpet propels a brand in the realm of dreams. However, to be honest, it's the ego, the designer's own vanity that really gets flattered by being featured on the red carpet and that is not easy to quantify."

(Celine Dion didn't know if she was coming or going in this pant suit by John Galliano for Dior in 1999, right.)

Ah, Cavalli has nailed it. It is truly about ego. After all, women in Kansas -- or Oceanside, for that matter -- don't rush out to buy a Gucci frock just because Nicole Kidman wears Gucci to the Globes. They may buy an entry into the brand, like a pair of sunglasses or a wallet, but even that is iffy. (In all fairness, Cavalli dresses more of the Grammy crowd than the Oscar crowd, so he isn't exactly losing business if the award shows must not go on.)

(Cher wore this Bob Mackie ostrich-feather headdress (which reportedly weighed 50 pounds) to the Oscars in 1986 to protest the dress code memo that went out to nominees and members.)

So much hype has been paid to the red carpet and who's wearing whom. Of course, the fixation with fashion for the show dates back to the days when Edith Head dressed the likes of Grace Kelly for the Academy Awards. But still, would it be such a bad thing to have the show focus on talent, rather than fashion taste? Very few actresses even dress themselves these days, so their red carpet get-ups are really more of a reflection of a stylist's choices or even an endorsement contract with a designer.

Then again, the ceremonies have become so long and boring and canned that the red carpet highlights stick in my mind as the most memorable moments.

Here's a novel idea: How about we hold the Globes and the Oscars on the red carpet? That way, the writers can come too.

Photo credits: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

Hey Santa: Denzel needs a tie

At the New York premiere of "The Great Debaters," director Denzel Washington showed up sans necktie. Fine, D. You're an auteur and you don't conform to society's idea of a well-dressed man.

But, you should know that only prisoners, nerds and Mexican gangsters wear their shirts buttoned to their chins. 

Might I suggest this Robert Godley blue geometric tie ($115) from Barneys, which I know that you could pull off like no other man. The electric color is muted by the masculine design.

You don't have to tell me that you wouldn't be caught dead wearing a tie festooned with lime green whales a-spouting or laughing dachshunds. Believe me, Mr. Washington, I get it.

Photo credits: WireImage; Barneys

Is Hollywood causing a teen baby boom?

Maybe. Maybe not.

Clearly, more kids means more movie ticket sales -- somewhere, down the road. And isn't it odd that a baby has replaced the YSL Muse bag as the latest accessory in Hollywood?

Jamie Lynn Spears, 16, may be the youngest starlet to join the gestation team, but she joins a congo line of young, famous bellies.

Plus, the aggressive marketing team behind "Juno" at Fox Searchlight will stop at nothing to promote their feel-good -- even through the morning sickness -- movie about an elfin pregnant teen.

And is it just a coincidence that the CDC released a study that reported that teen pregnancy is up for the first time in 14 years? Here are the specifics: Between 2005 and 2006, the birth rate for girls 15 to 19 rose 3%, from 40.5 births per 1,000 in 2005 to 41.9 births per 1,000 in 2006.

Look, I haven't done any surveys -- or even polled girls at the mall -- but I think the pregnancy boom in Hollywood has affected middle America. It's not hard to imagine a teen girl deciding to have a baby when her heroes -- Christina Aguilera, Jessica Alba and Nicole Richie -- are all making motherhood look sexy and frankly, easy.

You may scoff, but I have interviewed teens and they look up to Nicole Richie, unbelievably enough. And when you see a picture of your idol -- though she may be years older -- and she's talking about how excited she is to have a baby in an interview, it is duly noted.

As for the effect on Hollywood, I seriously think a teen pregnancy witch hunt could hurt "Juno" when it comes time for award season. Agree?

Photo credits: Fox  Searchlight; MGM