When Botox Strikes

Since Botox came into mainstream Hollywood, there have been numerous jokes about celebrities who get Botox injections to keep their youthful looks. But the jokes aren't so much about their vanity to stay young-looking as much as they are about the fact that after an injection, their face kind of freezes. And it seems like the more Botox you get, the more stretched out the face looks.

One of the biggest victims of Botox chatter is Nicole Kidman. Her recent cover on 'W' magazine (with one of my boyfriends, ahem) showed a flawless face with a smooth as fondant forehead and some tightening around the eyes. She almost looked like a wax figure. Of course there could've been some airbrushing but this went beyond airbrushing. Nicole has not come out and admitted to using Botox - but the speculation runs very high. Maybe she IS blessed with flawless skin that seems to get younger as she gets older - you never know.

But here are a couple of people that just can't deny they are Botox users or have had work done. Hunter Tylo and Kenny Rogers. I don't know if either have come out to confirm or deny but something happened and it didn't turn out great.

Back in college, I watched 'The Bold and the Beautiful.' I used to think Hunter Tylo was one of the most beautiful women - she had long chestnut hair and beautiful blue eyes. After not watching the show for about 10 years (been working), I managed to catch some of it on Wednesday, while I was working from home. And oh my goodness, did she not age well. I thought perhaps it had to do with the recent death of her son. But this was beyond grieving - this was cosmetic surgery. She went from real to plastic.

The other, Kenny Rogers - I happened to catch a picture of him in Parade magazine and what I saw was not pretty. Kenny, Kenny, Kenny - take your own advice - you have to know when to hold them, know when to fold them and most importantly, know when to walk away. What happened to you? You forgot to walk away.

Bonnie Tyler, beloved Welsh singer of the awesome 'Total Eclipse of the Heart' has come out as a long-time user of Botox. But she doesn't over do it - and she admits that it's strictly for vanity and she sees nothing wrong with it. Good for her - at least she doesn't look totally unnatural. More like a cross between a Precious Moments doll and Brooke Hogan (daughter of the Hulkster) .

Things I Don't Need - A Study in Clutter

Surprise Surprise - it's another post from Amanda! I have crawled out of the hole I like to call my office to tell you a little bit about things I don't need. This might sound like a rant on my pet peeves, but it isn't. This is what I found when I did a little house cleaning, first to prepare my place for new carpet installation and then to stage it to put on the market. I think you might know what I'm talking about - that stuff that hangs around and gets moved from one drawer or one box to another. That stuff that you didn't even know you had but just can't seem to throw away. The thought of a burglary seems pretty awful, but wouldn't it be kind of nice if someone broke in and just stole all of that annoying stuff?

Here's my list:

• Glasses case from about four prescriptions ago, sans glasses. Really. Why on earth do I need to hang onto this? When am I ever going to need it? I don't have any idea what happened to those glasses, but on the off chance I found them and decided to give them to charity, surely someone could donate a measly little case for them.
• Plastic cap thingy that was probably on the edge of a dish drainer or something. Again, when am I going to need this? That dish drainer or whatever other thing it was probably was pitched ages ago. And even if it wasn't, what are the odds I'd take the time out of my day to go searching for a plastic cap thingy? Not good.
• Elastic cord from a pair of workout shorts. This cord has been sitting in an old end table for quite some time now. Here's the deal: the fact that elastic cord has escaped from the workout shorts is a pretty good sign that the shorts were on their last legs anyway (no pun intended). I have no idea what shorts this thing belongs to, and I certainly wouldn't make an effort to reinsert the elastic cord even if I did.
• Assorted movie and theater stubs. Some people like to keep this stuff for their scrapbook. And I think that's great. These people are probably uber organized and have a dedicated memento box or put these in the scrapbook immediately (or at least at regular intervals). I, however, am not one of these people. I'm the jackass that has a ticket stub for "Cast Away" moving from one pile to the next, making its way in and out of jewelry boxes and collections of hair ties. I don't even have a special affinity for "Cast Away." Simply put, there is zero reason for me to keep this stuff.
• Buttons and thread. When was the last time you repaired a sweater with that little piece of twine they give you on a piece of cardboard? Exactly. Don't need it. Also, if I get to the point when I am replacing buttons on a shirt, please help me look for a new job. I don't mean to be wasteful or anything. But come on. I bet 90% of the extra buttons I have stashed around my house go to shirts and pants that have long since found other homes via Goodwill.

Just Goes to Show....

I'll keep this brief as I'm getting ready to leave for a business trip this afternoon....

With the recent and surprising death of Heath Ledger, I guess it just goes to show that you never really know what's going on with anyone. On the surface, he was a great actor, seemed to be a very doting father and his star just kept rising. He wasn't in the gossip rags very much - and if he was, it was usually with his daughter, on set, or just hanging out in the city running errands. It's sad to see that he died - and of a supposed sleeping pill overdose.

On the flip side, you have paparazzi that won't leave Britney Spears alone, she seems to be going crazy and completely under the influence of something but when she does have to submit for a drug test, she's completely clean.

So people actually think they know these celebrities via what they read on the internet and through gossip rags (except for the case of Amy Winehouse - I think it's safe to say that she's a drug addict and she's got massive issues - although she is extremely talented)- but in fact, we'll never know these celebrities or what goes on inside their head. Apparently, they have their own problems just like you and me - so why not just leave them alone?

Lovin' the Masterpiece

I have recently occupied myself on Sunday nights with a little Masterpiece...Masterpiece Theatre, that is.

They have revamped the old Masterpiece Theatre to a new and updated look and got a new person to introduce the movies - Gillian Anderson of 'X-Files' fame. I'm not completely sold on her opening dialogue - I really think that whomever wrote it got it off Wikipedia. But that's neither here nor there. The reason why I've been so engaged in Masterpiece for the past two weeks and for the upcoming seven weeks is because they're showing 'The Complete Jane Austen.' This includes newly filmed 1.5 hour movie adaptations of three of her books: 'Persuasion,' 'Northanger Abbey' and 'Mansfield Park.' They will be showing, for the first time, the six hour version of 'Pride and Prejudice' over three Sundays - this is the one with Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy. And they're also going to show an older version of 'Emma' - not the one with Gwyneth Paltrow - but one with a lesser known Kate Beckinsale, at the time of filming.

These movies are so endearing and the acting is wonderful. It's almost like a movie version of Cliff's Notes for Jane Austen books. The visual scenery and the costuming are very well done. You really feel transported back to the early 19th Century. In both 'Persuasion' and 'Northanger Abbey,' they have scenes that take place in Bath and I get all giddy since I was just there in May 2007 and recognize the 'Pump Room' and the Assembly Rooms - where MANY British period pieces seem to film their party scenes from that era.

It also doesn't hurt that the Austen heroes are good looking. My favorite, so far in the Jane Austen series, is Rupert Penry-Jones in Persuasion. In a 'Behind the Scenes' interview, the director called Rupert Penry-Jones 'Sex on Legs.' That's a very apt description and I would have to agree with him there - hubba hubba. And although the hero in 'Northanger Abbey' isn't what you might call "HOT," he has that something about him that definitely makes him attractive - the same way I feel about Mr. Darcy in the most recent version of 'Pride and Prejudice' with Keira Knightley.

I remember my Dad trying to get my sister and I to watch Masterpiece Theatre when we were younger and all I remember is that I was having none of that. I can't recollect a single movie that we watched - or even if I made it through a complete showing. I guess I wasn't ready for it at the time - and viewed Masterpiece Theatre for old fuddy-duddies. Well - here I am, 25 years later and a complete fuddy-duddy.

There are still plenty of Jane Austen movies to be played - and all the movies are available on DVD on the PBS website. I remember being in Bath last year and actually trying to purchase 'Persuasion' on DVD but they didn't have the ones that played with US-DVD players. I was bummed. But now that PBS is showing this series, I plan on buying all of the DVDs in a whole package - I can't wait!

Check your local listings for show-times!