The 9:14 On Sunday Morning Post.

I hate bugs. Coughing and being blocked up all the time... fortunately I'm almost better now. Trouble is, I hate being asked what I want for Christmas. Such a pain. What's wrong with just being surprised, like when we were kids? Answer me that. (I'll just ask for one thing and let the chips fall where they may - that way either Christmas Day or my birthday five days later will be a real surprise.)

What does that have to do with Laetitia Casta's new movie? Nothing. But who needs an excuse?

I do know what I'm going to get Sharon, and possibly Zeta, and Anna at work. But I have no idea what I want. Apart from being happy.

The Cindy Working It Post.

For some reason, pictures of Cindy in skimpy clothing always seem to pop up in double-quick time over the interweb... more of her fabulous self in Hawaii here.

For her, for Hayden's GQ pics, for Sharon's cold medicine, and for Anna's honey-and-lemon (unsolicited, yet!) at work, thanks all round.

The 10:29 On Sunday Morning Post.

By the computer clock. When I started.

Right... so I considered giving this week's guest spot to Sophie Anderton, but given that it was germinated thanks to a story in the News of the World about how Sophie is a drug-taking £10,000-a-night hooker, with video and photographic evidence, it doesn't seem right. Arousing, but not right. (Especially since it is Sunday after all.) Kind of sad as well. Hope it ain't true.

On a brighter note, from the Edmonton Sun:

She’s more than a mere superstar model. Cindy Crawford’s also a role model for girls turned off by the drunken antics of the likes of Britney, Lindsay or Paris.

Thirteen-year-old Chailyn Kinney joined hundreds of other fans for a chance to meet Crawford, who was at the South Edmonton Common Brick store to promote her new line of home furnishings.

Kinney said she looks up to Crawford, 41, instead of the current crop of pop tarts, who are known as much for the drunk driving convictions and aborted rehab stints as they are for their (sometimes dubious) artistic achievements.

“I don’t think that’s the right way to get noticed,” said Kinney. “I like style and stuff, I just don’t like showing off things.”

Magdalena Luczak, 29, was also in line to get an autograph of Crawford, whom she considers a positive role model.

“In terms of what she has done for the modelling industry and promoting a healthy image, and a family woman/business woman image instead of anorexic, cheap drug addicts in jail,” said Luczak.

Thirty-two year old Jackie Lalonde said she would rather see her daughter, Kiera, 2, emulate Crawford than other celebrities but added it’s also about how the parents bring up their kids.
“We liked Madonna as kids but we didn’t do everything Madonna did. You have to know right from wrong.”

Her friend, Anita Chakrabarti, 32, said if a celebrity like Britney Spears was promoting a line of furniture she might boycott it.

“I can understand why the little girls would look up to her,” said Chakrabarti. “She’s pretty and she’s so successful but they don’t see what comes after the fact. There’s a responsibility that comes with it and she’s not being responsible.”

Brent Noble was in line with his wife, Jamie, and four-month-old daughter Emily. Crawford is the type of celebrity he would like to see Emily idolizing when she gets older.

“She (Crawford) was always more quiet. Back then a lot of the young celebrities were doing what they do now, which is go out and party, but Cindy was always a stay-at-home person which was nice to see, and a good role model.”

Hundreds showed up at the Brick for their chance to meet Crawford today. So many people showed up that Crawford added an extra half-hour to her scheduled one-hour meet-and-greet to try to get to as many people in the line as possible.

It’s just thrilling to be able to meet someone like Crawford, said 34-year-old Daniel Olson.

“It’s not that often you get someone as famous as her up here,” he said.

“She’s still hot. She was hot when I was 21 and she’s still hot.”

Assuming the site hasn't taken it down now, gallery pics here.

The TGIF Post.

Problem: In order to tell you my story, I have to tell you theirs...

Hmmm - I haven't shrunk, turned white, lengthened my hair, grown massive breasts and changed sex, and am therefore not Jennifer Love Hewitt. So let's try again.

Problem: In order to remove the implications of working on my Hilary Duff/Lindsay Lohan/Jewel and Cindy Crawford/Hayden Panettiere/Jessica Alba/Hilary Duff (again)/Rihanna/Katharine McPhee/Kellie Pickler stories at work, I decided to just not do them there. But now they've been gestating longer than the film versions of Dick Tracy and The Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and the implications of that aside I really HAVE to get cracking. Gah. (All right, I'll post them here with NSFW warnings.)

Not that this week's been all that great anyway - wintry bug's affecting a lot of folks including me, and I've been feeling an ache in my right shoulder all week. Endless stress at work ain't helping, but finding out that I'm not the only person who won't be going on the Christmas do next month is (encouragingly, the only other holdout is also the only other person at work who I know for a fact watches this blog's favourite non-animated show still in production, Heroes).

And now that I'm a member of Fanderson at long last, I can... do not much I couldn't do before, really. But at least it ain't bad news.

And finally, for Butch:

"Twas the day before Christmas, and all through the den

Two creatures were stirring - one Kingston, one Gwen..."

The Gratuitous Picture Of Monica Bellucci Promoting Her New Movie Post.

It's called Le Deuxieme Souffle, and Monica is blonde in it. She's currently doing a movie with Sophie Marceau. And I really have to write another story about her. Monica, I mean.

The The Last Legion Post.

I should not have gone to see The Last Legion on Friday night after work. Not only because the movie was a ridiculous mishmash - blending Roman invading forces, Romulus Caesar as a boy and the legend of King Arthur in a fashion that Xena: Warrior Princess would have handled a lot better, and so disjointed that if I didn't know better I would have sworn it was one of those "cut down from a miniseries"-type films (not to mention run through with weird casting like "Sir" Ben Kingsley's wise old bugger and Aishwarya Rai's warrior) - but also because it was at Enfield Cineworld. Which meant hours of travelling there and home again. And I am not a late night person.



And so tired was I when I finally got home that I wasn't up to going through my inbox and thus had to spend the next morning going through loads of emails (and images of Kyla Cole and Erica Campbell, illustrated above and below respectively).

Life, eh? Still, I must admit Aish did make me feel a bit.... warm. Not warm enough to put her on the staff, but it's a start.

The Pinch And A Punch Post.

November. Fireworks. Noise. Charming.

I wonder if we'll get any snow next month?

Anyway, this weekend should see the start of Ch.. Chr... man, I hate the thought of the C-word when it's not even December. But when your parents live overseas the sooner you ship your gifts the better, right?

And if Erica Campbell Googles her name and finds this blog, bless you for being the Best Dorothy Ever.