C'est Magnifique!

Take a peek at a great interview with Christina Hendricks in this weekend's L.A. Times Magazine. She also stars in the new Broken Bells video for 'The Ghost Inside,' playing an android instead of an office diva. Different setting same sass - you better believe it.

Why Don't You Do Right?

Is that really you Christina? You look hot as hell but not quite like yourself. I think the fellas over at Esquire may have done some tweaking, because you're looking suspiciously like a curly haired Jessica Rabbit. Not that I'm complaining. I've been reenacting the following scene since I first saw Who Framed Roger Rabbit when I was little. I even had Ms. Rabbit stickers, and an awesome WFRR poster on my bedroom wall. Those redheads get me every time.

Sugar & Spice

During my early teen years I decided that being girly wasn't for me. With that decision in mind, I started playing with edgier fashion, and I pretended that I wasn't still sleeping in a pink canopy bed surrounded by pink rose wallpaper. Suffice to say when I was a youngster I was mighty girly. I loved my pink bedroom with matching pink accessories, and I couldn't be separated from my pink Betty Boop sweatshirt that was fully equipped with a battery pack to power perfectly placed tiny red bulbs amidst her slinky dress. But more than all of those things I loved my Barbies - and boy did I have plenty. I had a plastic milk crate full of them, and I spent many of my summers making them tiny custom outfits with extra scraps of fabric my mom would give me. So of course upon reading today's New York Times article about the release of Mad Men-styled barbies, the little girl inside of me automatically thought: I want! Ok, maybe not just the little girl inside of me. You have to admit that these dolls are really amazing! With the approval of Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner and costume designer Janie Bryant, the dolls will hit shelves in July, an arrival that's perfectly timed with the beginning of season four. I'm hoping come July I can get my hands on Joanie, and she can take her rightful place in my apartment - I think she'll feel right at home.

A Woman's Scorn...

New York Times mega-fail!

Guy Walks Into An Advertising Agency

For all the haters out there who claim that Mad Men isn't the best show on television, I present one of the best moments of the season thus far. This should change your mind. So many great things going on here: 1) office hijinks, 2) Joan saves the day, 3) Peggy thanks Joan for all her advice, 4) blood. 'Nuff said. My love for Mad Men grows with each passing day, and the writing never ceases to amaze me. The name of this episode alone (re: title of this blog entry) is pure genius. If you aren't watching it already, I suggest you start from the beginning to fully appreciate everything Sterling Cooper has to offer.

Full & Fabulous

Plus size model Crystal Renn is gorgeous at any size, but her story differs from most models in the fashion industry. It wasn't her jutting collar bones, or her gaunt stature that garnered attention, but rather the reemergence of her natural size. After battling an eating disorder, and reclaiming her curvacious body, fame came calling. She recounts that arduous journey in her new book Hunger, released yesterday by Simon & Schuster. The Mississippi native was told to shed 70 pounds in order to reach her model potential, and she did just that by starving herself. Even after the dramatic weight loss, Renn was told she was still not thin enough. Faced with that horrible realization, Renn decided enough was enough. She underwent a complete mind/body makeover, and emerged as the fierce full figured vixen shown above. Featured on the covers of French, Italian and American Vogue, Renn feels like she's finally made it, and she did it all with the body God gave her. It's inspiring to see such a healthy figure being praised by the likes of Jean Paul Gaultier, a longstanding member of the fashion elite. Fashion has seen many trends come and go, but it has rarely embraced reality with such fervor. Momentum seems to be growing with Glamour magazine's latest nude icon, Christina Hendricks' bodacious curves, and now the gorgeous Crystal Renn showing us all that reality can be a beautiful thing. Amen to that.

Red Revolution

As a recent redhead convert, I've become increasingly more aware of the beautiful redheads that surround me on a daily basis. I've really started to wonder: do I notice more redheads now because I am one? Or are there more of us out there now (both fake and real)? According to some friends of mine, red is the hottest hair color right now, as its popularity has seen a resurgence in the past few years. There have been countless pop culture references to redheads, from the infamous South Park episode, to this year's British photography exhibition showcasing the rare genetic trait.

I've always been entranced and drawn to red hair, and I think I've found the seed of my obsession: The Little Mermaid! How could I have not put it together sooner? I wanted to be Ariel so badly when I was little - I used to recreate scenes from the movie at the local swimming pool, and I didn't care who watched. [Image at left: The fabulous Julianne Moore as Ariel, photographed by Annie Leibovitz].

Next up on my list of influential copperheads is the beautiful Lauren Ambrose. I first saw her in one of my favorite teen party tales, Can't Hardly Wait. Of course that film also starred another awesome redhead, Seth Green, but it was Ambrose who stole the show. When she later starred in Alan Ball's Six Feet Under as Claire Fisher, she became an idol of sorts for me. As Claire she was sarcastic, funny, and sassy - everything I hoped I was. When I saw her in 2009's Hallmark Hall of Fame Movie Loving Leah, in which she plays a Hasidic Jew who falls in love with her brother-in-law after her husband dies, I loved her even more.

Last up is the queen of curvy sirens, the unbelievably sexy Christina Hendricks. With her breakout role in AMC's Mad Men she has made almost every man I know rethink the appeal of an hourglass figure - and thank god for that! As Joan Holloway she embodies the role of a headstrong, intelligent woman in a man's world, with all the strength and sex appeal of a modern day feminist. She's a fake redhead just like me, so I like to think of her as my partner in crime. Masquerading as a redhead really has made me more confident and outgoing, but maybe that's because I look to these ladies for inspiration. And what fiery inspiration they are!