A first for everything.

No one has ever written a press release with my name in it. Check it out: The Pussycat Dolls Go Bollywood Tonight at Fashion Rocks 2008 with Help From Desi Hits!   NEW YORK, N.Y., September 5, 2008 – Through the help of Desi Hits! (www.desihits.com) the Pussycat Dolls are highlighting the growing Desi phenomenon tonight at Fashion Rocks 2008 by strutting on the red carpet in traditional Indian sarees designed by Rocky S, a fashion designer who has carved a niche in the Indian fashion industry.  Desi Hits! has enlisted the help of fashion and retail expert Hitha Prabhakar to style the Pussycat Dolls.   "Fashion Week in New York is the perfect place to showcase Desi culture," says Rocky S. "By wearing traditional Indian dresses, the Pussycat Dolls are supporting Desi culture in front of all the bright lights at Fashion Rocks and reiterating once again that Hollywood is going Bollywood."    "Desi pop culture is quickly becoming an international phenomenon. Through our site Desi Hits! we are delivering key information about how Eastern music, fashion and entertainment are fusing with Western audiences," states Anjula Acharia-Bath, CEO of Desi Hits!, who along with her husband, Ranj Bath, have made this all possible.   Rocky S has made quite a name for himself in fashion in India. His ingeniously created designs were not only creatively applauded, but also changed the trend in the industry. He brought an age of revival and this time, the revival was making Desi clothing fashionable and a "must-have". After making a niche in the industry as well as a successful venture into the retailing forum, he launched his brand 'Rocky S'.    Fashion Rocks, the annual New York Fashion Week concert at Radio City Music Hall, will be hosted by Denis Leary this year and includes performances from the Pussycat Dolls, Beyonce, Chris Brown, Mariah Carey, Chris Cornell, Duffy, Fergie, Kid Rock, Lil Wayne, One Republic, the Black Eyed Peas, Rihanna, Timbaland, Justin Timberlake, Keith Urban and Solange.

I'm so saree.

Yeah, I know I've been a little MIA but it's all for a good reason. My good friends at Desi Hits! asked me to style the Pussy Cat Dolls for Fashion Rocks. We put them in sarees done by the amazing (and now a good friend of mine) designer Rocky S. The event was tonight and I am completely beat street- but SO happy. Tonight reminded me why I should never, ever complain about my job. Here is what they looked like on the red carpet:

Transitioning.

(Photo by my friend and uber talented Scott Schuman)

I woke up this morning freezing and realized it was 62 degrees outside. 62 degrees???  It's totally the end of summer.

 I know last fall it was about pairing black tights with any dress but this fall I have been seeing a lot of rich colors instead of neutrals. Wine, deep turquoise, chartreuse! I can just picture my empire-waisted black dress and a pair of ankle boots with a pop of color on my legs. If you want to try out the lavish colored, festive tights, I suggest shopping at Anthropologie for vintage-y feel. Would you peeps wear colored hosiery? Emma would!

Delicious.

Wow. It's one of those rare Monday nights where I am not zooming around town, I'm not on a conference call or in in some low lit room writing a piece. Instead, I'm at home, on my couch and watching Gossip Girl. This show is unbelieveably indulgent. I feel like I am eating a really great dessert that's so bad for me AND loving it!!!

Only in NYC.

[redacted] (11:19:40 AM): oh my god
[redacted](11:19:51 AM): there is a hipster guy outside my place
[redacted] (11:19:58 AM): smoking body
[redacted] (11:20:01 AM): with just pants on
[redacted](11:20:04 AM): screaming
[redacted] (11:20:15 AM): yelling at his girlfriend
 (11:20:19 AM): on something
Hitha(11:20:33 AM): what??
Hitha (11:20:34 AM): omg
Hitha (11:20:39 AM): what was he saying? was he freaking out?
[redacted] (11:20:57 AM): yeah
[redacted](11:21:03 AM): i was about to call the police
[redacted] (11:21:06 AM): but he is attractive

 

Yay.

I love this picture. This was taken a couple weekends ago when my best friend Nicole (in the middle) the world famous and uber talented fashion photographer Abbey Drucker and I went out and then to  EN Japanese Brasserie for a little late night din-din.  Nicole is one of my best friends from college and like family. Because she lives in LA, it's hard for me to see her often, but lately we've seen a lot of each other and I am so thankful for that. I love spending time with Drucker too- she is beyond awesome.

Clarification.

OK, ok ok. I got several e-mails (some of them civil and others not so nice) about the virtues of living in Williamsburg. Here's the thing peeps- I wasn't saying EVERYONE who lives in Williamsburg is a) an obnoxious hipster or b) is experiencing "revenge of the nerds" syndrome. I was just pointing out how dumb pageants are especially ones that make cute little emo guys parade around! A friend was just telling me how cool it is to live there (since I've only been there three times in the 10 years I've lived in Manhattan) and he is the BEST.  I'm no hater... well, unless we are talking about annoying things like pageants in NYC/BK/BX 'hoods!

Designing on the cheap.

I asked Emma the other day to do some market research on high end-ish designers creating cheaper collections. This is what she said about BCBGGeneration: "I’m getting mixed feelings. I THOUGHT I would love it ... after analyzing their ads in my magazines and also being a fan of Max Azria’s empire... but looking up close at the collection – to me, it just looks like a more basic version of the high end line and doesn’t look nicely crafted, especially for the price they are asking for…Hmm… "

 so I took a look at the collection and I have to say I agree with her. The collection is crap. Max Azria, designer, chairman and CEO of BCBG Max Azria Group told WWD, "I look forward to offering an underserved consumer, regardless of age, superior fashion at competitive prices."  I have the highest amount of respect for Azria, but I do think this collection missed the mark a bit.

It's that time of the month...

...when I get ready to analyze monthly retail sales numbers on Fox Business!! If you are near a TV, tune in between 1- 2pm. I really don't expect the consumer to have spent very much of anything in July, but I am hoping to be pleasantly surprised by the numbers tomorrow.

Revenge of the Nerds.

Pageants are stupid, but when I read there was going to be a "Mr. and Miss Williamsburg Pageant" on September 5th, I kinda wanted to go. Something about obnoxious hipsters engaging in a totally obnoxious practice of pageantry is enough motivation for me to wait for the L train, take it to N. 8th Street and watch these goof balls judge each other on what they think is the ultimate level of hipster-ness. It's really just the nerdy kids in high school getting their sweet revenge. Funny when you think about it that way, no?  Let's hope peeps don't take themselves too seriously...

 

 

Dunning-Kruger effect.

 Have you all heard about the Dunning-Kruger effect? My ex-boyfriend and I were discussing this the other day. The definition (according to Wikipedia) is "the phenomenon wherein people who have little knowledge (or skill) tend to think they know more (or have more skill) than they do, while others who have much more knowledge tend to think that they know less."  It seems there are so many people, in the media especially who are just starting out that seem to be plagued by this. Meanwhile, the greatest, smartest, most prolific journalists in the world (and in NYC) are the first people to say how they want to/need to/constantly have to learn more. Strange how a little publicity can totally alter the perception of yourself if you let it. It's really so so sad.

Scoop

FOR BREAKING CELEBRITY NEWS EVERY DAY People.COM Shia LaBeouf

OUT OF CONTROL

Shia LaBeouf, 22, is an invincible action hero onscreen, but the Indiana Jones star was anything but when his Ford pickup hit another vehicle and flipped over at 2:30 a.m. on July 27, after a night of partying in Los Angeles. "One car was smoking, and the other was upside down," says an eyewitness. After the actor was booked for a misdemeanor DUI, LaBeouf--who last year said, "I feel like my childhood was kind of lost," due to a drug-addict dad--was taken to a hospital for hand surgery. (His passenger was Transformers sequel costar Isabel Lucas, 23, who is fine.) The accident is his second highly publicized alcohol-related episode in a year and sidelines him from Transformers for up to a month. How will this affect LaBeouf's rising star? "There may be a big role he's up for that they'll think twice about," says a Hollywood insider. "But as far as the end of his career goes, he's a long way from that."

Lindsay & Sam

FIRST FIGHT

While friends of Lindsay Lohan, 22, credit Samantha Ronson, 31, for being a calming influence, all was not calm between them on July 25 at New York City's Beatrice Inn, where the couple engaged in a screaming match, says an eyewitness. "Lindsay [then] sat alone at the bar crying," says the clubgoer, adding "Sam stormed upstairs" after the fight. A friend of Lohan's downplays the spat: "They brawled, but it's in the past." As for reports that Lohan was hospitalized after being sideswiped by a motorcycle later that same evening, her rep says "she was not at the hospital." The next day the couple appeared to have made up: Ronson was overheard at the Bowery Hotel debating with Lohan if she should visit her mother or stick around. Ronson responded, "I'd rather hang out with you."

ROSETTA'S 'STAYING STRONG'

While Sienna Miller, 26, and Balthazar Getty, 33 (left), took their PDA-fest to N.Y.C. (she sat on his lap at Beatrice Inn), his wife, Rosetta, 38, was back in L.A. "staying strong for her family," says a pal. "She's extremely hurt, but doing the best she can."

RUMOR PATROL

IS MICHELLE WILLIAMS DATING SPIKE JONZE?

Heath Ledger's ex, 27, has been spotted with Jonze, 38 (who produced her next film, Synecdoche, New York), at a Brooklyn deli, where "he had his arm around her and kissed her on the cheeks, then on the lips," says a source. Jonze, the ex-husband of Sofia Coppola, was also spotted with Williams near his Manhattan loft. Reps had no comment.

SENATOR LANCE?

Lance Armstrong is hinting he's eyeing a run at political office. "There might come a time when you feel like you've reached a wall and you need to step into public office and try to make change through that channel or those ends," Armstrong, 36, told reporters at July 24's Livestrong Summit in Ohio. The cyclist's girlfriend, Kate Hudson, didn't appear at the event, but Sen. John McCain was there. Still, Armstrong remained coy about which presidential candidate would make the best exercise partner. "Probably best just to do a little triathlon," said Armstrong. "You know, we could hike one day with Senator McCain, play basketball one day with Senator Obama. And then the other day they have to go ride with me, and then we'll figure it out."

Jen Aniston & John Mayer

'MADLY IN LOVE'

Jennifer Aniston, 39, and John Mayer, 30, are easing into their courtship with double dates and widespread approval of the union from friends. "John and Jen are madly in love," says a Mayer pal. "They're only getting closer. John's never been like this with a woman before." On July 24 the pair hosted Aniston's costar from The Break-Up Jason Bateman and his wife, Amanda Anka, at L.A.'s Sunset Tower Hotel for a double date. "Everyone loves Jen and loves the two of them together," says the friend. "They complement each other."

CAM'S STILL WITH JEN'S EX!

Cameron Diaz, 35, and British model--a.k.a. Aniston's ex--Paul Sculfor, 37, may be flying under the radar, but the couple remain an item. They had a late night with pals including Benicio Del Toro at L.A.'s Four Seasons Hotel July 23. "Cameron looked great," says an eyewitness.

Insider

HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL

Ashley Tisdale's

B-DAY BASH

Wonder if the "Happy Birthday" sung to Ashley Tisdale at her party will make the High School Musical 3 soundtrack? The majority of her cast members were there to sing it to her! Zac Efron (who provided "cha-cha-chas" during the song), Vanessa Hudgens, KayCee Stroh and Olesya Rulin joined Tisdale (who turned 23) and boyfriend Jared Murillo at Malibu's DKNY Jeans Beach House. "This is the party I've always wanted!" she gushed to guests, who ate chocolate cupcakes with pink frosting before changing into swimsuits to ride the waterslide. "She's one of the nicest girls I've ever met," Efron gushed back. "She's sweeter than this cupcake."

FAST TAKES

7/21, N.Y.C.: Patrick Dempsey raved about his 18-month-old twin boys at Avon's Unscripted fragrance launch: "They make me laugh all the time." * 7/24, San Diego: RocknRolla costars Guy Ritchie and Ludacris chilled in the Hard Rock Hotel's Comic-Con Green Room. * 7/25, San Diego: Newly single Justin Long stuck close to pals at Maxim's Pineapple Express party. * 7/25, L.A.: Kate Beckinsale turned 35 with Moët & Chandon and the Beckhams at her BondSt bash. * 7/26, San Diego: Matthew Fox and Masi Oka got chummy at the Entertainment Weekly/Sci-Fi Comic-Con party at Hotel Solamar.

KRISTIN CHENOWETH TURNS 29?

Despite the 2-9 on her olive-shaped birthday cake (she plays Olive on Pushing Daisies), Chenoweth actually turned the big 4-0 at a private home in Los Angeles. Famous pals--including Winona Ryder, John Stamos (left), Molly Shannon and writer/producer/ex-boyfriend Aaron Sorkin--toasted the choked-up actress, lauding all her accomplishments at such a young age.

WILL FERRELL

The Step Brothers star talks about the joys and perils of brotherhood, fatherhood and never acting your age

Q&A

In Step Brothers, you and your onscreen step-sibling John C. Reilly get into some pretty violent fights. Were they difficult to choreograph?

Not at all. It was just "I'll land on you, then you land on me, and let's try not to break each other's ribs!" We were so beat up, we couldn't wait for scenes with dialogue.

Did you fight that viciously with your own brother Patrick?

Our fights were typically one or two punches and then someone cries and it's over. I remember once we were playing catch, wearing plastic batting helmets that you get at the ballpark. I got really mad because he kept dropping the ball. I hawked it at him as hard as I could, and the helmet just exploded. I could have killed him!

Now you're the father of brothers: Magnus, 4, and Mattias, 18 months. Are they keeping up the family tradition?

Well, the sharing thing is the big hurdle for us right now. The little one will start playing with a toy that the big one hadn't touched in like a year, and the big one will just wrench it out of his hands.

Like your character, did you live at home longer than you should have?

After college I lived at home for three years. It was about not having a job and having a very cool mom.

In the film, you sport a pair of prosthetic testicles. Did you keep them?

I have them. They were my wrap gift from the movie. They cost about $25,000, so they were probably the most expensive testicles ever on film. We had a dinner party for my wife's birthday in April, and I brought them out to show everyone. They became a big topic of discussion.

My favorite fashion documentary.

I love having the TV on while doing work- I'm usually not watching it- I just like having on for background. So you can imagine how happy I was when Sundance was broadcasting my favorite fashion documentary Marc Jacobs & Louis Vuitton. If you haven't seen it here is a clip. It's a little long but sooo fascinating...