Bray’s third book in the Gemma Doyle series, The Sweet Far Thing, drops December 26.
Eclipse, the highly-anticipated third book in Meyer’s Twilight series, lands August 7.
Yay!
So, Carmen Electra is pretty hot. I mean, I guess that’s kind of obvious in a certain way, since she was on Baywatch and in Playboy, and her movie roles tend to focus on her physical assets. But she’s more than just a collection of well-proportioned parts. I remember when she had her MTV show (Carmen and Dave: Til Death Do Us Part) that what I liked most was just getting to know about her: what kind of clothes she liked, how she decorated her house…that kind of stuff. She’s interesting, and funny, and charming, and I totally get why she became famous, when other equally pretty girls end up as waitresses or porn stars. She has that total package thing going.
Anyway, earlier this month I read her book How to Be Sexy. On one hand, it was not that inventive: be yourself, have confidence, wear clothes that make you feel good, etc. But, on the other hand, it’s encouraging to know that someone who is considered universally sexy is also pretty normal. She shares her favorite makeup tips (stick with the colors that work for you, but don’t be afraid to try “personas”) and hair suggestions (short hair doesn’t work for Carmen), as well as other tidbits: she’s afraid of eyelash curlers, she’s spent years learning to know what kinds of clothes look best on her body, she advocates good posture and hot lingerie. In other words, sexy is attainable for anyone, and you can be your own form of sexy, even if you don’t look like Carmen.
I also just watched disc 1 of her 5-disc cardio striptease series. I think that so many people get caught up in Carmen the Playmate that they forget she’s also a classically trained dancer. She’s in amazing shape, and is super flexible. I liked the DVD because she does a 15 minute warm-up that shows all the basic “stripper” moves in slow motion, and then she demonstrates two different routines. She breaks everything down into learnable blocks, and she teaches it both in 8-count segments and then along with the music. It’s fun, silly, sexy, and apparently a really good workout. There are also little tips that flash along the bottom of the screen that point out which moves work which muscle, i.e. pelvic thrusts engage the hard-to-reach lower abdominals. All in all, it was a fun little workout, and I’m looking forward to watching the rest of the series.
I’ve said before that I’m pretty much fascinated by all things Playboy. I don’t have a problem with nudity as art, or even nudity as erotica (in fact, I think I have more of a problem with modesty). I’m forever frustrated with the United States’ puritanical outlook about sex and the body, especially when, as a culture, we have no issue condoning violence. For instance, an action movie full of shooting, blood, maiming, exploding, etc. will almost always get an “R” rating, but anything with sex runs the risk of the death-kiss NC17. This teaches our children that killing and fighting are acceptable, but sex and nudity are shameful and bad. Grrr. Now, I’m not promoting rampant sex in public, or exposing young children to porn, but I just think there is something twisted about the way we perceive sex and the body.
ANYWAY, to that end, I have no problem with institutions like Playboy, which make money off of nude women. I’m not in favor of women being objectified, but if people want to pay to look at us naked, I’m cool with that. It’s empowering in a way, which is why I don’t mind going to strip clubs or Hooter’s (which is where my mother-in-law always take me. How funny is that? She’s great.) So, when my friend pointed out The Bunny Book: How to Walk, Talk, and Please Like a Playboy Bunny at a nearby bookstore, I just had to buy it. Written by three former playmates, it’s carried in the Sex section (sexion?), which I think is just a further example of the public perception of Playboy, since this book isn’t necessarily a sex book. Sure, it has sex info in it, but it’s primarily about how to cultivate a bunny persona: the importance of good bras, staying in shape, spa treatments, sexy shoes, butt-boosting jeans, Rogaine and more. Honestly, a lot of it is more like the stuff you read in Cosmopolitan than anything you would actually read in Playboy itself.
That said, the last three chapters are called Tease, Please, and Love, and they are a little raunchy. It’s geared toward single girls and how to attract and please a man, but it also has important information about birth control, sex positions, and how to take a good “naughty” photo. It’s actually a very entertaining little read, and I recommend it to anyone who is interested in the Playboy culture or who is curious about what it takes to be a Bunny.
So, we all know that Jessica Simpson is a pretty mediocre singer.
I assume that she’s not much better as an actress, but truth be told, I’ve never seen any of her movies.
However, she seems to be a pretty talented designer. I don’t know how much help she has, but her shoe line is cute, and this weekend she debuted some pretty adorable swimsuits:
According to People:
The models hit the runway in teeny bikinis and sweet one-pieces accessorized with floppy hats, oversized sunglasses and loose waves (remind you of anyone?) And while the swimwear may have been “all-American girl”, the attitude was totally tongue-in-cheek. As the song “Dirty Laundry” played, the models tossed into the audience mock magazine covers depicting an overweight Jessica and her actual skinny self, with the tagline “Not Okay!!! Weekly July 14, 2007, Jessica’s Dramatic Weight Loss! Drops 100lbs in 6 days.” Jessica tells PEOPLE, “I thought the flier was funny, it was really about my personality. We laugh along with them [the tabloids]. It’s funny, it’s the exaggeration that people believe, or maybe they don’t believe it but they still love to read about it.” But, she assures us, the truth is that “this time of my life is awesome!”
Well, it sounds like she is doing well, and perhaps returning to the funny, goofy/sexy Newlyweds-era Jessica that everyone loved, as opposed to the depressed, putting-on-weight, living-in-Ashlee’s-shadow, talking-about-cocks, Dear-God-she’s-dating-John-Mayer version we’ve been dealing with for the past year. I admit that I enjoyed Newlyweds (as well as pre-Federline Britney Spears) and I welcome the return of her bubbly blond ditziness.
I also really like these suits. For more pictures of the cuteness, check out Fabsugar.
