Babelogue is back after a holiday in Rome feeling rested but a couple of pounds heavier due to the ingestion of large quantities of pasta and ice cream. Still it's all in the good cause. Happy to see people haven't become any saner in my absence. This little snippet is a gem. Health authorities in Nebraska have had to revoke the licence of a mental health practitioner after he shot several times at a memo that upset him. We know how you feel, Robert.
Babelogue is a huge fan of Madonna, but the Material Girl is pushing it with the revelation that she has changed her name to Esther in the name of Kabbalah. Rumours of the name change started swirling last summer, and she categorically denied them at the time. It seems she has had a change of heart. Esther, Veronica Louise, whatever. We just hope she doesn't start peddling Kabbalah water at her concerts.
Who'd have thunk? Jamie Bell (of "Billy Elliot" fame) has been tapped as the new face of urban cool by Miu Miu, the sister label of Italy's fashion powerhouse Prada. Our lad has come a long way since prancing around in that white singlet and repulsive shorts.
Trends are being pronounced dead before they have a chance to take root. It used to be that a fad -- say, cowboy hats -- had a shelf life of 18 months between the moment a stylist launched the idea to the day it was picked up by Madonna and the subsequent tidal wave of copies hitting high street stores. The same was true of music. A band could simmer in the background for a year and get good airplay for another 12 months before being caught in a VH1 loop. Now that The Strokes are providing the soundtrack for electricty company ads, it has become borderline uncool to listen to their records. At least they had a couple of good years as the hipster's band of choice. Our fellow bloggers at Gawker are close to announcing the demise of Franz Ferdinand, barely months after the Scottish band registered in the public consciousness. Is the future made of only one-hit wonders? We welcome any suggestions on who you would like to see in the dustbin of pop history...
Good news if you have champagne taste but a lemonade purse. Chanel supremo Karl Lagerfeld will design a collection for high street retailer H&M next season. Will we see ladies in their Chanel tweeds rummaging in the discount bin? Meanwhile, France's La Redoute catalogue is offering an imitation Chanel jacket in its autumn-winter catalogue for less than 50 euros. What goes around comes around...
Further to yesterday's post, Larry King clarifies that he does not wear adult diapers. "I've never heard of Depends. I wouldn't know what a Depends looks like," the venerable CNN talk show host said.
Why does CNN's Larry King have adult diapers in his trash? French photographers Pascal Rostain and Bruno Mouron, who take pictures of the rubbish bins of stars including Tom Hanks and Madonna, have removed the offending snap to prevent any embarrassment.
Now you too can smell like Britney (preferably not after a two-hour workout on stage). The Britters plans to launch her scent "Curious" in the autumn. The bottle will be "azure with super-cute heart-shaped charms". I can definitely see how that fits in with Britney's attempt to appeal to a more grown-up audience...
Thom Filicia may want to think twice before heading to South Africa to offer "Queer Eye" advice. Jose da Silva, a man from Johannesburg, has hacked to death his interior designer because she criticised his decor. He then ridiculed police for taking six weeks to catch him. There is no pleasing some people.
Supermodel Carmen Kass has failed in her bid to get elected to the European Parliament. What next? Eva Herzigova for President?
Distressing news from UFO watchers -- sightings of flying saucers are dramatically down. Ghosts have stopped haunting creaking mansions and even Nessie has come over all shy and retiring. Experts blame the decline in paranormal activity on our obsession with terrorists, who have replaced aliens as our favourite bogeymen. "These days journalists have wars and atrocities to cover, so they aren't going to be chasing some old poltergeist down the road," says a spokesman for the Fortean Times, Britain's leading magazine on weird phenomena. It's a sad day for journalism when we can't even be bothered to cover ghost sightings any more. I say down with the shoebombers! Bring on the headless horsemen!
Carrie's prom night was a walk in the park compared to this. A hint: pig's blood is involved.
Electroclash is so 2003. Whip on your lederhosen and chill out to the sound of the alperidoo. Britain's The Guardian spotlights the Swiss duo Stimmhorn, whose singer Christian Zehnder is described as a Mr Bean lookalike who plays a sawn-off accordion strapped to this thighs. "Sometimes he makes a noise like the filter sweep on an old analogue synthesiser, or a badly tuned radio." And that's just the singing! Check it out here
Welcome to Babelogue! This blog aims to bring you a collection of entertaining, quirky and downright gross snippets from the web in addition to "helpful insights" from my fellow news junkies. Despite the pompous quote about truth, we are not trying to be deep. Hopefully you will find something in here that will make you laugh out loud at work or choke on your doughnut. If you're the kind of person who loves urban myths, odd news items and outrageous celebrity gossip, read on!
"Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities. Truth isn't."
A fashion correspondent in Paris, I'm a style junkie with a passion for shopping. From haute to high street, I love combing shops for that perfect sweater, lipstick or pair of shoes. Covering the fashion shows means that I get to see the full range of every designer's vision. With those powerful images in mind, I can help you achieve the key looks of the season or get a headstart on next season's trends. Style is timeless, and I love nothing more than helping people find theirs. So whether your role model is Audrey Hepburn or Gwen Stefani, Boutique will serve you a little slice of shopping heaven! Email me!
