Melissa Seymour

(photo: ap, source: uk telegraph)

I just love that headline. Love it. Of course, it is referring to the fact that Bill Clinton thought he was poorly portrayed throughout Obama's battle in the primary's when several of his comments were interpreted as racist and he is still holding that grudge. All that aside and look at it from inside Bill and Hillary's marriage. Imagine you are them. You go to work for your new boss - Obama - and your husband has the shits with him big time. Kind of awkward don't you think? 

(source: New York Times)

I was out walking this morning and walked passed what seemed to be a 'mothers group' sitting around at the beach. I'm always curious about these group gatherings as I've never been a part of one, despite having had two children. My reasoning is that I abhor mindless small talk, which is usually what most people engage in when they don't really know each other. It makes me uncomfortable and so I don't put myself in these situations to avoid that feeling. So I was excited to read about this fathers group in the NY Times today.....

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/29/fashion/29dads.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

These guys have it going on and I wish I was a part of it. They're all hands on fathers who are accomplished in their respective professions - which obviously have flexible working conditions (like me at the moment) - screenwriter, journalist, novelist, photographer etc... - and they meet up regularly over breakfast after school drop off to talk about really interesting things. So interesting in fact that these group meetings have inspired a novel and a play.  Says the film producer and professor "(it's) a way to honor fatherhood in the moment that we're all engaged in our kids starting out in life together, and to blow off some steam doing it."

Now if only I could find a 'mothers group' like that. They've got to be out there, right?

Why Nelson Mandela dis-invited Naomi Campbell to his 90th birthday bash because of her recent brush with the law but allowed human train wreck Any Winehouse to perform? Don't you think that screams of double standard? It would have been a great opportunity for someone so respected to speak out about what is a huge tragedy playing out right before our eyes. Even if the rejection of Naomi Campbell was gossip and not true (I did read it on a gossip site after all), I still think Mandela made a significant error in judgement by supporting Winehouse. She is so very very sad. Will it only be when she actually dies of her drug abuse that we will turn around with all of these great ideas about how she could have been saved? 

Not supporting her would be supporting her. Mandela had a great opportunity to do this and speak about it. Shame.

(source: Hom/AP)

The latest 'thing' going around NY is the number of flatmate advertisements on craigslist that offer rent subsidies in return for sexual favors.

Like this ad: "Bubbly hassle-free roommate wanted" reads one ad where for $580 per month (cheap kids), a lucky person (assume female wanted) can share an upper West Side studio with a 'fun, easygoing young male professional' who is willing to reduce the rent if you have 'special skills' like massage. 

Kids, meet Bruce Hulse. He is a former Calvin Klein and Gillette model and is an a complete dirt bag. Clearly in need of some attention - poor pet, it's not much fun being a washed up model that no one cares about - he has penned a book called "Sex, Love and Fashion: A Memoir of a Male Model."

In it, he tells of his sexual escapades with some of the most famous glamazons in the world: Elle McPherson, Andie MacDowell, Naomi Campbell and Paulina Porizkova. 

Of Porizkova he says that she required a candlelight dinner in Paris before giving what he claims was the ride of his life. "It was like a professional wrestling match, I'd never had such energetic, wild sex with anyone before." I bet Porizkova is thrilled to hear that you've written that. 

Of McPherson, he says that he found her to be rather boyish in her manner and extremely open - a real guy's girl. He wasn't interested and gave her the old "It's not you, it's me" line. Yeah, sure dude.

Some people have no shame. 

(source: bacroft media)

Meet Keiko Wakabayshi - aka "Samurai Granny" - a 5 ft, 77 year old martial arts master (her disciplines include jujitsu, jojitso, kenjitso, judo, kendo and karate).

Wakabayshi is making headlines for being hired by the Italian Military to train their recruits in hand to hand combat and has been wiping the floor with them with, many of them over 6 ft tall.

What does she say about all this? "look at me, nothing is impossible."

I hope you're inspired.

Vivienne Westwood - who is heavily (!) promoted and feted in the Sex In The City movie - has come out and said that she thought the fashion was 'dull' and walked out of the premiere after 10 minutes. Either she is seeking publicity or has lost her mind (which would be sad). The styling in that movie had my pulse racing, my heart beating quickly and I could hardly stifle my oohs and ahhs.

What an ungrateful bitch.

I have always been an avid follower of astrology. I used to love reading Jonathan Cainer's forecasts, but not anymore. Why?. It all has to do with the tag line on each forecast in the Daily Telegraph. This is what mine ended with today- "just a few minutes on the phone to me today could change your life." Do you think he is there, in person, on the end of the line? I think not. Do you think a recorded message on a 1900 number that will set you back $20 (or more) can change your life? I think not.

Bad taste. Ugly.

So I'd like to share with you, in the event you like astrology too, an astrologer who is eerily accurate and who gives the most comprehensive and in-depth forecasts on the net. Susan Miller's astrology zone. And guess what? It's free and doesn't come with any in-your-face hard sell.

www.astrologyzone.com 

I must fess up though to having one complaint with it - the month ahead forecast is updated on the 1st day of the month in USA East Coast time, which means we don't get it until the 2nd or 3rd of the month. I love it that much that this really pisses me off. mmmmm

There I was, on the day of my book launch party, sitting in my car on Coogee Bay Road, waiting for my mother in-law who had popped into a chemist to pick up some nail polish. I had just had my hair done and was thinking about the issues we had with press coverage for the event but was anxious about having stopped in a 'no standing' zone while I waited. Then this guy walks out of a nearby cafe, stands right in front of my car and starts taking pictures of me. It was the most freakiest experience and for a minute there, I thought I might have been papped. Then it hit me - I'm not famous!

In all seriousness though, I read on the weekend that some councils have employed private detectives to catch illegal parkers. Then it clicked, this must have been what happened to me. The experience left me quite shaken - can you imagine how creepy it is for a woman on her own to have a stranger standing in front of her, violating her privacy without any explanation? I guess this would be similar to how celebrities feel, but at least they know that they're famous and this is why they're being photographed. What about everyday people like me who have absolutely no expectation that anyone would want to take our photograph - all you can imagine is that the person has a perverse agenda. Had Brad have been there, he would have confronted the guy and who knows what could have happened as a result (his nickname at the Swans was 'snappa' afterall).

How sneaky, underhanded and ill-considered is this campaign? It has to stop. 

These prestigious universities are incredibly privileged. First I brought you the Harvard graduates address by J.K. Rowling and now check out Oprah's speech to graduates at Stanford. My favorite is J.K. Rowling's - maybe because we don't get to hear many personal details about her in the mainstream media whereas Oprah - heard it all before. It's a great story but nothing new there.

http://news-service.stanford.edu/news/2008/june18/como-061808.html

What I would like to know is if the under privileged schools get these heavy weight addresses.....