The Real Anna Nicole Show

Anna Nicole update: After Friday's autopsy of Anna Nicole Smith failed to turn up a clear cause of death, investigators in Florida now say it may take up to five weeks to determine what killed the former model/stripper/reality TV star. Over the weekend, Rita Cosby on MSNBC reported that Smith had had two different breast surgeries since giving birth five months ago and was taking at least 10 prescription drugs when she died. Also, a picture of Smith's fridge in her home in the Bahamas showed bottles of methadone stacked up next to SlimFast and TrimSpa containers. And narrowly topping Friday's bizarre news that Prince Frederick von Anhalt -- Zsa Zsa Gabor's husband -- claims he's the father of Smith's baby, Dannielynn, is the allegation from her half-sister, Donna Hogan, that Smith used the frozen sperm of her ex-husband, J. Howard Marshall, to get pregnant. And finally, CNN anchor Jack Cafferty's on-air comment last week about Smith was picked up on all the video sites over the weekend -- watch as he asks Wolf Blitzer, "Is Anna Nicole Smith still dead?" (Courtesy of Salon.com's The Fix)

Baa

I don't actually believe that there should be just one day to celebrate love. (In fact, at our house, every day is Valentine's Day, it seems. Heh heh).

Whether or not you partake in the shenanigans, here are some facts and follies about Valentine's Day that are sure to warm the cockles of your heart (and then some!).

The History of Valentine's Day

Legend has it that Valentine was a priest in Rome, under the reign of Emperor Claudius II . Claudius ordered young, single Roman soldiers not to become engaged or get married. He believed that wives and families served as distractions to his soldiers and would not fight as well as unmarried men. Valentine defied the decree and secretly performed marriage rituals for young couples. Valentine was eventually arrested, imprisoned and ordered to be put to death.

While in prison in Rome, legend has it that Valentine wrote a letter to his sweetheart, which he signed "From your Valentine," an expression still in use today. Valentine was beheaded on February 14th .

The actual holiday of Valentine's Day derives its origins from the ancient Roman feast of Lupercalia -- a spring fertility festival celebrated on February 15. On the eve of the festival, the names of the young Roman girls were written on slips of paper and placed into jars. Each young unmarried man drew a slip with a name on it. This girl was chosen was to be his sweetheart for the year. Many of the young couples were later married.

This festival was later outlawed because the annual pairings were considered "un-Christian." It is believed that the Christian church decided to celebrate Valentine's Day on February 14th in an attempt to disassociate with the pagan Lupercalia festival.

Self-love and Sexual Healing

In Bahrain, a male doctor may legally examine a woman's genitals, but is forbidden from looking directly at them during the examination. He may only see their reflection in a mirror.

The penalty for masturbation in Indonesia is decapitation.

Popular this season are anti-Valentine's Day events, including a "Love Bites the Hand that Feeds It" cabaret show by the Lesbian/Gay Chorus of San Francisco.

There are men in Guam whose full-time job is to travel the countryside and deflower young virgins, who pay them for the privilege of having sex for the first time. Reason: under Guam law, it is expressly forbidden for virgins to marry.

In Maryland, it is illegal to sell condoms from vending machines with one exception: prophylactics may be dispensed from a vending machine only "in places where alcoholic beverages are sold for on the premises."

Most Middle Eastern countries recognize the following Islamic law: "After having sexual relations with a lamb, it is a mortal sin to eat its flesh."

(Baaaaa)

Let's Hear It For the Boy

In honor of Valentine's Day Eve, I thought it was fitting to pay homage to my first love - Chris Phillips (I pray to God he's not reading this).

When I was fourteen, my family spent part of the summer in California. As a huge follower of the Sweet Dreams book series, I fantasized about meeting some cute California boy and falling head-over-heels in love (as in Summer Dreams by Barbara Conklin, Sweet Dreams Romance Books #60, Bantam Books).

Chris happened to live next door to my aunt and uncle. He was a blonde surfer type, two years older and a bit on the goofy side. He wore nothing but three-quarter length sleeved tops and jammer shorts with his nuts often hanging out of the side. It disgusted and scared me, but didn't prevent our little love affair from flourishing.

Our summer romance continued into the fall with phonecalls and Stetson-infused letters. My grade nine sistas loved to read the correspondence, even though his chicken scratches were barely legible and they took turns sniffing the pages.

I think my best memories were calling him from the home ec. office telephone when the teacher left the room.

I'm not really sure how it all ended... (Something about getting caught smoking weed and having to move to his Mom's house). Wherever you are, CP, this one's for you. Giddyup.

Many moons ago...

How can one not be curious about yoga with this kind of beautiful imagery?  (Okay, okay...  So, it actually turned me off a bit but anyway...)

Lastnight, I decided that it was time to turn over a new leaf and git movin' - once and for all.  I hate to admit this but it has been years since I actually committed to any kind of fitness routine.  It's hard to believe that there was a time that I biked on the streets of Vancouver to make my way to salsa classes at Fitness World or when I would wake up at 5 am to be the first one at the gym in Winnipeg (oh, I do miss you...  my buns of steel.  Okay, so they were more like buns of crinkly aluminum foil) but(t) I'm ready.

So, to prepare myself for my impending physical activities, I took two small steps today:

1. I walked over to a yoga studio close to my work that had a class for beginners.  The owner seemed very nice but they were in the midst of filming something when I arrived so I'll have to visit them again (soon).

and

2. I headed to the definitive source for fitness gear...  that's right, folks, Winners.  (No, I did say Winners).

Don't laugh, my friends, I went home with some very practical goodies such as a lime green yoga mat (for $15, no less), two Stott Pilates DVDs and a 5lb. hand weight.  All for under $45, if you can believe. I'm excited and hopeful... and can't wait to get started!

 

I'm still blushing

Yeah, that's it...  Put on a disguise so noone will know who you are when you're out in public...

I thought a good night's sleep would remedy the embarrassment I felt for Jon Boy when I saw him "spittin'" on episode 5 of the White Rapper Show (more specifically, the behind-the-scenes take of him) BUT...  I still feel ashamed.  I thought rappers were all cool and slick, not "White and Nerdy" as a wise man once lamented.  [Brrr...  I just shivered thinking about it!]
 
If you haven't already had the chance to listen to him do his thing, check it out, and feel the heat rise to your cheeks.

Anna Nicole

Is it strange to be feeling the way I do about Anna Nicole's death? I'm both incredibly shocked and yet, morbidly fascinated by the whole thing...

Not knowing much about her (other than her scandalous marriage and her whole claim to fame), I now feel compelled to find out as much as I can about her... She seemed like such a sad soul... Lost, misguided but yet, methodical in her choices.

And the latest development in all of this... Zsa Zsa Gabor's husband... the FATHER of her child?! WTF?! I found out this juicy morsel from:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/anna_nicole_smith_prince

What's up with that? And more importantly, Zsa Zsa... My, my, my...

[More thoughts to follow...]

You're the One That I Want (Biotch)

Oh boy, it's been five whole days since I last posted and so much has happened...

1) I'm a year older
Sad but true...  Okay, not really sad since I look much younger than my age (or so the carnie at Wonderland guessed).  Seriously, there are days that I honestly think I'm in my twenties..  You know, the good ol' days when it was totally permissible to be "finding" yourself and dabbling in every whimsy that crossed your mind.  (Oh yeah, and when your jeans were a little tighter because it was cool and not because gravity suddenly came to a halt).

2) The temperatures in Toronto now resemble winter on Mars
I know it may sound totally ironic coming from an ex-Winnipeger and all but I never said that I ever got used to those wicked temperatures up in Hollywood North.  (Okay, so I'm a wimp).  It is cold, though, folks...  I think it even got down to -26 the other night!!!  Brrrr!  (And yet, somehow, after talking to my folks tonight and hearing that it was -48 with the windchill the other day in the 'Peg, I still don't feel a tad bit guilty for saying this!).

3) I'm no longer on the Hauschka train
I stepped off... and pretty quickly as soon as I saw the deteriorating state of my skin.  Okay, so it may be a bit of an exaggeration but my skin did seem to change since I started using the products.  All the natural ingredients and positive accolades (from super-models and those "in the know") in the world could not replenish the moisture in this aging visage.  The whole cleansing routine seemed to leave my skin feeling zapped of moisture with a very flat and matte appearance.  It was not a pretty sight, as you can imagine...  However, despite all of this, I do still encourage everyone to give Dr. Hauschka's products a try.  The company's philosophy is admirable and who knows...  it may be the fountain of yewt you're looking for!

4) "Grease" is the word, Sistas!
Wow...  I didn't think it was possible to become addicted to such a cheezy show!  First of all, I'm not a huge fan of musicals (unless R. Kelly's Trapped in the Closet qualifies as one!).  I always thought there was way too much singing and hokey theatrics but now, after seeing the rigorous auditions the actors go through, I have gained a new found respect for them.  These performers are absolutely amazing and oh so, talented.  They have to know how to sing and dance, in addition to acting...  (I'm so jealous).

Please check out the preview:

This is how I feel today...

Tammy Faye Baker Re-incarnate

I wonder how often this happens to makeup instructors... The discovery that one of their students absolutely bites the big, hairy burrito. Folks, I'm happy to report that it's not me (gosh, at least, I hope it's not) but a fellow classmate (oh, don't you hate the cut-throat world of makeup?). There was one little thing that I wasn't too happy to report about... It was the way that this woman, this so-called aspiring (ass-spiring?) artist, managed to make me look like Tammy Faye's re-incarnate... her South East Asian sista, if you will!

Call it intuition (or just a healthy dose of competition) but I suspected that the whole interaction would be disastrous - right from the start. Things only got worse when she began dipping into the dark brown creme foundation and the orange color corrector (around my eyes no less). I was scared (frightened, really) as she nervously giggled and spooned out obscene amounts of concealer. She was kind enough to ask if I wanted day or evening makeup. "Day", I responded (in what I perceived to be a little more desperate than it should). I'm not sure what her interpretation of "day" was and perhaps, I was to blame for not asking if she was a nocturnal being (in which case, her day would be most people's nights). In any case, it was then that I realized how truly powerful makeup was... It was all sort of humbling... this horrible application of makeup... my face transformed... Lookin' like a crack ho' and all... Humbling, indeed.

So, in keeping with the theme of this entry, I think it fitting to pay my respects by getting my hands on her story, The Eyes of Tammy Faye (makes me kinda shiver just writing it). Here is a description from IMDB of the film honoring that vixen, your makeup guru and mine, Tammy Faye Baker:

"A documentary look, mostly through the eyes of Tammy Faye Bakker Messner, at her rise and fall as a popular televangelist with husband Jim Bakker. Traces their rise: her teen marriage to Jim; their children's TV show (she was a puppeteer and singer), success founding the 700 Club, co-founding the Trinity Broadcast Network, and starting PTL Network; her nondenominational version of Christianity reaching out to all; and, their building of Heritage USA, a theme park. Things fall apart as money woes mount for Heritage and for Jim, as Tammy takes pills, and as Jerry Falwell takes PTL. Jim goes to prison; she remarries, finds herself alone again, yet remains unsinkable."


Amen.

Did Marvin the Martian have a voice coach?

Today, I'm obsessed with taking voice lessons, particularly, voice-over lessons.  I've always thought it was something I would enjoy and possibly, have a secret talent for.  I do a dead-ringer of Marv, which I'm very proud of.  I remember entering a contest in Winnipeg where the winner would get to announce a WWF wrestling match that was going to be in town.  I DON'T EVEN LIKE wrestling, but thought it would be fun to be able to introduce the show using Marvin the Martian's voice.  So, I entered the contest, leaving an entire phone message in Marvin's voice, but with wrestling-style-announcer intonations.  (Does that make sense?)  I never won, but I realized that if given the opportunity, people will do anything for a little notoriety.

Anyway, back to voice-overs and lessons...  I found a few workshops that looked pretty interesting.  Wouldn't that be fun?  Providing the voice of various animated characters or hearing your voice in a commercial? (Actually, I don't like my real voice...)

Here are some helpful tips from James Arnold Taylor, Professional Voice Over Talent who has created created over 8000 bits that were heard on radio stations worldwide (http://www.jamesarnoldtaylor.com/bio.html):

Hone your craft – If you’re really serious about voice-over, study, practice, and take care of your voice on a daily basis. It seems most people believe voice-over acting is simply talking into a microphone and doing funny voices. Nothing can be farther from the truth. In voice-over all you have to convey every type of emotion is your voice. Making faces or using your hands and body to express yourself is great, but nobody gets to see that in voice-over. Acting is the most crucial skill and there is a large divide between acting and mimicking. Just because you can imitate others doesn’t mean you can just go out and do what they do. You must know how to make what you’re reading in a script sound as though it is free flowing from you. You also have to be able to read things “cold” meaning having never seen them before. Most voice acting is done with a script you’ve received a few minutes before the recording session begins. You have to be extremely flexible with your emotions and your attitude. It is a very demanding profession yet very rewarding if you’re dedicated to it.

Vocal taboos – Some of the most damaging things you can do to your voice are: shouting, speaking in a tone that is out of your normal range, speaking from your throat rather than your diaphragm, constant clearing of the throat, and not properly warming up your voice.

Keep hydrated – Water is a necessity in keeping your vocal chords/voice properly moisturized. Without it, your voice dries out, which can lead to loss of voice; this is very damaging to your vocal chords and can hamper your vocal range. Also, if you lose your voice, you can’t work. There are throat sprays to help keep your throat moisturized. I use one often throughout each day.

Practice, practice, practice – As I mentioned earlier, you always have to be ready to perform. I personally started out reading anything and everything I could out loud to get used to hearing my own voice and properly speaking. I liked comic books especially because they cover a wide variety of emotions and characters. Even if you feel silly at first, keep practicing and reading, it’s the most crucial part of the audition process.

Study – Get your hands on everything you can about acting, vocal health, and voice-over. You can start by simply going on-line and doing searches for these topics. The Internet is filled with tons of info and I highly recommend finding out as much as you can.

Step off...

Okay, okay...  It's not so much my Obsession of the Week, as it is something to share with everyone out there.  Have you heard about it?  The White Rapper Show on VH1.  It's so much fun and completely insane.  You feel embarrassed at times, frustrated at others and (if you're anything like me), constantly asking questions like, "Who?  Wha?"  Is that a real person?  (I hate to admit these things but I do!).

The show is hosted by MC Serch (Michael Berrin and formerly of the 80's group, 3rd Bass) and legendary hip hop star, Prince Paul).  "Ten eager (white) rappers from across the country arrive in the South Bronx with nothing except their skills, heart, and dreams of winning $100,000. As they meet their new neighbors, will they be accused of infiltrating a 'hood that has been doing just fine without them? Meanwhile, back at Tha White House, the show's funky headquarters, John Brown finds himself in a heated encounter with Sullee, Persia... and Persia's dildo. After the dust settles (and, trust us, it's dusty in that crazy-ass crib), Serch enlightens one rapper by teaching a very heavy lesson" (VH1 website).

Check it out.

I wish I could tell you all about the horrible day I had at work today but I don't want to incriminate myself in any way, besides, the description of it would be a diatribe - negative and full of many expletives. Suffice it to say, I was ready to pack it all in but instead, began counting down the days to our European vacation, which will mark the end of my life as an administrative cog. (Details to follow!)

ANYWAY... to cheer myself up, I'm going to tear into one of my favorite obsessions of the day. MANY DAYS, in fact. It's your friend and mine, that little cutie from Tofutti. MCC. Yup, that's right - Mint Chocolate Chip.

If you're not familiar with these tasty little treasures, they are absolutely delicious, dairy-free (vegan-friendly) and come in THIRTEEN varieties! Check them out at http://www.tofutti.com/cuties.0.asp. ENJOY!

What the...?!

I just saw THE craziest thing and had to share it with you!  I do believe this qualifies for "Obsession of the Week" but no so much mine.  In fact, not at all mine...  Having said that, there is obviously a market out there and maybe, somehow, this little video will reach you and you'll say, "OMG - JUST what I was looking for!"

Enjoy!

New "stage" in my life

I know, I know... What a cheesy title, but oh, so true! I would call it my latest "obsession" but it's much more than that. I've recently started an evening course which runs two nights a week and will be volunteering on an upcoming drama production at the U of T. This Saturday, I'm meeting with a director from another production company to see if I can either shadow the makeup artist on their next production (in March) or assist them! It's all very exciting - this next "stage" in my life...

Currently, I'm working in (yet, another!) office administration position and have grown extremely tired of being chained to a desk, office politics & bureacracy, the mundane tasks & crazy/boring office mates, and just the whole fact that I need to do something more with myself; something creative; with a pulse and an opportunity to interact with interesting & artistic people.

(Phew!)

I'm looking forward to the meeting... Until then, I'll dabble in my makeup kit and read up on stage makeup techniques!

Hauschka update: I'm happy to report that the first round of the daily skin care regime has been a success! My skin felt absolutely luxurious and as the clerk from Noah's predicted, I DID fall in love with the Rose Day Cream! Everything not only felt great on the skin, but it also smelled very beautiful.

Hooked on Hauschka

Well, the trip to Noah's at lunch proved to be more confirmation about the Dr. Hauschka line!

I spotted the products immediately. They were housed in the glass case behind the counter. I asked the woman behind the counter if it might be possible to look at some of the products and continued with, "Oh, I've heard so much about them! Can you tell me what you think?" She was excited and not the kind of excitement a retail store clerk might have at the thought of a commissioned sale but a genuine sense of energy. She was enthusiastic to promote the product and commented on how her mother and her boss love Dr. Hauschka's line. She made some suggestions and took time to pour over the different items and encouraged me to try out the testers. Her enthusiasm was contagious and brought another curious newbie with it who commented on how nice the foundation was. In the course of ohhing and ahhing over the products, a man purchased two items for which he received another two (smaller) items - COMPLIMENTARY! It turns out that for every $50, one receives the choice of a smaller/purse-sized item! (Excellent!)

Time eventually ran out and I left the store feeling completely convinced. The clerk told me I'd be back... (She ALSO told me that they were having a product information session tonight and that they would get to sample more of the products and even get fed! How do I sign up?!).

I'm curious about the Quince Day Cream. Here's a description of it from their website:

Quince Day CreamFor normal, dry or sensitive skin A light, versatile cream with a refreshing scent. Hydrates and protects the skin while maintaining balance.
Quince seed extract hydrates and encourages skin's moisture balance
Protects from environmental impurities
Witch hazel supports and maintains youthful, balanced skin
Keeps skin fresh and healthy throughout the day

Doesn't it sound delicious?!

Dr. Hauschka

Ever since I read about Dr. Hauschka Skin Care on the British Vogue site and from fellow bloggers alike, I have been obsessing about the product!

The company website can be found at www.drhauschka.com.

Their philosophy and company approach is very refreshing, as they 'foster beauty and well-being in others'. They also 'help transform disadvantage into self-reliance and economic sustainability'.

I love the way they describe themselves:

'Dr.Hauschka Skin Care is a different kind of company. Inspired by our vision of a culture of care, we've created a company not driven by greed but powered by compassion. All we do is in the interest of fostering well-being in the world, from our ecologically sound methods of growing and sourcing ingredients to our one-of-a-kind manufacturing processes and international fair trade initiatives'.

It's such a humanitarian approach to business and the fact that they strive to foster such a healthy and positive approach to beauty makes me want to endorse the company even more!

Please visit their website for more information about this fantastic company. (I plan to take a short trip to Noah's during my lunch break...).

Toronto caters to the addictive personality

I love Toronto for all of its special little hidden treasures (that I seem to find every day). It's really a perfect place for those with addictive personalities (like yours truly) and those who are curious about the world outside. I seem to find something to obsess about (each and every day). I'm starting this blog to share these findings with everyone and to celebrate the joys of a brand new city!

As a recently transplanted Winnipeger, every corner can be full of wonderful discoveries! This week, I'm obsessed with Noah’s Natural Foods : 322 Bloor Street West (416) 968-7930.

I love this place... It has everything from delicious samosas and empanadas (under $2 each) to sundried tomato pesto, sweet smelling lotions and bath goodies J/A/S/O/N Natural Care Products (the Gingerbread Spice is good enough to eat!) to bulk bins of carob-covered raisins, a takeout counter with superb dishes, reading materials, dry goods and everything in between!

(My apologies - my description isn't truly capturing the wonder and splendor of this store! Trust my word, it's an amazing place... Our family eats mostly vegan meals and we find many fantastic items to use here!).

FYI: There are more locations in the GTA but this is my favorite!