People Magazine's 100 Most Beautiful: Kate Hudson??

It all started going down hill when Matt Damon was chosen Sexiest Man Alive in 2007. Now People Magazine - the epitome of common sense & good taste (not!) - chooses Kate Hudson to grace the cover of their annual "100 Most Beautiful" issue. C'mon, Kate Hudson? She is alright looking but in no way worthy of the such privilege - and being on People's cover surely ain't one. Besides being a so-so actress, that if wasn't for her lineage would NEVER have gotten the foot in the door, she is just very...average. That's it, she is average. She is not a drop-dead gorgeous stunner like let's say Adriana Lima or an exotic beauty like Mila Kunis. She is just Goldie Hawn's daughter - plain and simple - and the only reason why she made the cover. Am I wrong?

My suggestions? Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson, Katherine Heigl, Kristen Bell, Salma Hayek, Hillary Swank, Angelina Jolie, Kristin Davis, Gabrielle Union, Cate Blanchett, Rihanna and the list goes on...

Natalie Portman @ Elle Magazine April 2008 Issue

Remember when American fashion magazines would feature actual models on their covers? That seems long gone as unless you are a celebrity promoting a movie or Giselle Bundchen, who already transcended being simply a model.

Elle magazine April 2008 cover girl is the gorgeous Natalie Portman, that can be featured in as many covers as editors seem fit in my opinion, as she is just a joy to stare at. I still haven't made it to "The Other Boleyn Girl" but it's on the list.

Via Egotastic / Elle

Celeb Mural Art

These are a few more images of my adventures here in South Florida. I am always on the look-out for cool stuff for the blog and nothing like some celebrity homages to adorn the pages of Little-Pumpkins. I am very drawn to illustration, cartoons, advertising and visual images in general. I love cute icons, mascots, murals and specially when these images try to portray recognizable pop figures. I grouped a few images that caught my eye starting with a (still) pretty looking Britney Spears, followed by a very bad Tom Selleck portrait at an amusement park. Do they really think that the kids that ride those crappy rides will even know who Magnun PI is? Then a Barbarella-looking hybrid of Jane Fonda and once again Britney. Following that is a really good rendition of Pink and Robbie Williams (whom I am a HUGE fan). I am not too sure if the skinny figure in the back is meant to be Michael Jackson or not ( I hope not). At last, a photo of some guy trying to fool us to think that he is the real Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow. Yeah, right...

Natalie Portman @ Marie Claire UK

Natalie Portman has got to be one of the most beautiful women in the world. She is simply flawless and a great actress to top it off. It's hard not to compare her to one of old Hollywood's most classic style icons - Audrey Hepburn - as she oozes the same kind of sophisticated allure and timeless beauty. Natalie Portman shown here as UK's Marie Claire April 2008 cover star. I still haven't gotten to go watch "The Other Boleyn Girl" but it's on my to-do list for the weekend as the previews look great.

Via HCH

Kirsten Dunst For Miu Miu

Gorgeous Kirsten Dunst posing for the new Miu Miu Spring/Summer 2008 advertising campaign. The images were shot last November in Los Angeles by photographer duo Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott. Miu Miu has had a long list of indie "ingenues" posing for their campaigns in the past, with the likes of Chloe Sevigny, Selma Blair and Maggie Gyllenhaal adorning the pages of the fashion glossies dressed in Miuccia Prada's second line.

Nicole Kidman @ Bazaar

Nicole Kidman in the new issue of Australian Harper's Bazaar, looking quite beautiful I may say. I haven't been a huge fan of Nicole Kidman lately as the last few movies I watched with her in the cast were total bombs in my opinion. I did love her in "Moulin Rouge" as the exhuberant temptress Satine and also by playing the dead house mistress in "The Others". I just hated her on that "oh-sooo-boring" movie "The Hours", with that big fake nose and in those unwatchable turkeys "Stepford Wives" and "Bewitched".

Via Egostatic

Scarlett Johansson & Natalie Portman @ W Magazine

Screen sirens Scarlett Johansson and Natalie Portman are the cover girls of W's February 2008 issue. They are also featured inside in a very sexy fetish-inspired layout and both look gorgeous. Their new movie "The Other Boleyn Girl" debuts on February 29 here in the US and I can't wait to see it. I watched the preview the other week and it looks just amazing, with great sets and wardrobe. Both Portman and Johansson glow in the screen with their flawless beauty and great acting chops. I just love Natalie Portman and she was just so amazing in "Paris, Je T'Aime" that made me all teary eyed.

Via W Magazine

Fergie For MAC's VIVA GLAM

Fergie is the newest face of MAC’s Viva Glam campaign, which began in 1994 and has raised more than $100 million for HIV/AIDS.

“I’ve been a fan of the campaign since the early days, and I remembered when RuPaul and Mary J. Blige did it,” Fergie says. “They pick controversial people who aren’t afraid to speak their mind, and that’s definitely me. I’m very proud to be a part of it.”

Fergie, 32, wants to educate her fan base, which largely consists of teens and young adults.

“[MAC is] going toward one demographic, and I think I can be very helpful with that,” Fergie added. “I know certain people who are very proud of having unprotected sex and the fact that they haven’t caught anything yet.”

One must not forget that Goddess Dita Von Teese has also graced MAC's VIVA GLAM's campaign in the past.

Sweeney Bloody Todd

This past Sunday I went to see "Sweeney Todd - The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" at a local multiplex. I am a huge fan of Tim Burton's movies and a total sucker of his visual aesthetics and artistic direction. His trademark look of dark Gothic touches, gloomy lighting and muted color palette is easily recognizable in many of his great movies and "Sweeney Todd" is no exception and will please the true Tim Burton aficionado, like me. At times the movie will bring to mind Burton's past works like "Edward Scissorhands" and "Sleepy Hollow", vehicles that the title-lead Johnny Depp also starred in. Depp is fantastic as the torment Todd, returning to London after a 15-year forced exile in Australia, unfairly condemned of a crime. He has revenge on his mind for those who did him wrong and will stop at nothing to achieve his objectives.

Todd's devoted ally in his mission is Mrs. Lovett, played by the wonderful Helena Bonham Carter, that also happens to be Tim Burton's current wife, though nothing that detracts from her amazing talent. Mrs. Lovetts is the proprietor a bake shop that makes the "worst meat pies in London" to her own account. The pie shop - a roach infested dump - is located below Todd's new barber shop on Fleet Street and Mrs. Lovetts is the devoted landlady who secretly longs for his love.

Along the way they cross path with Signor Adolfo Pirelli, a faux-Italian snake oil salesman & rival barber, who plans on black-mailing Todd once he discovers his "secret" - but I will leave it at that not to spoil the movie's plot. Pirelli is played by the scene-stealing Sacha Baron Cohen, or Borat/Ali G for those in the know. His character is so full of panache that I wish he had had more screen time just to hear his delightfully thick Italian accent and right-on mannerisms. I did read somewhere that he purposely stuffed his britches to add more volume to his crotch, that is in very in-your-face in the movie.

"Sweeney Todd" is a musical by the way, and the movie was based on the Broadway play of the same name. At times it was tough for me to capture all the words they were singing, specially Mrs. Lovetts thick British accent, but that is no demerit to the movie. But what did bother me was the excessive amount of blood splashed across the screen. When I mean "excessive", I mean a blood bath! He is a razor-toting vengeful barber, so you get the drift. "The closest shave you will ever get" is one of Todd's great lines in the movie but I wish that the said scenes were less gory and explicit. I am not one for violence and carnage - I have to confess - but the all the repetitive images of open arteries gushing blood at you made me cover my face several times. OK, call me a wuss. I would edit-out a few of those unnecessary imagery to my taste and I assume that many will feel the same way. The movie was great (putting aside the bloody mess) and I do recommend it as a must-see for those who enjoy superb acting, great visuals and have a taste for hemoglobin! :-)