Jgimesky

In a New York Times' Op-Ed entitled "A Senate in the Gun Lobby’s Grip", Gabby Giffords' joins Obama in unleashing hell on the Republicans (and four Democrats) who filibustered the bipartisan gun background-check proposal earlier today: "Senators say they fear the N.R.A. and the gun lobby. But I think that fear must be nothing compared to the fear the first graders in Sandy Hook Elementary School felt as their lives ended in a hail of bullets."

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If you ever wanted to cover your fingers in wishes, dreams, magic, and cheapo gemstones, look no further than this Disney Princesses ring collection.

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Steve Buscemi meets Vampire Weekend for the first time, and it's hilarious and adorable.

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Part of this is a bit with Conan, but I totally believe that Russell Brand said the things to Tom Cruise that he says he says while the pair filmed Rock Of Ages. The comedian says they he would drop hints to Tom like, "My life is confusing. Any ideas?" He also said that if a cult won't take him, he really wants to know why.

I never got around to seeing Andrew Garfield in The Amazing Spider-Man, although I heard good things about this current franchise reboot, and the first film made money. It made so much money that they’re currently working on a sequel, of course. Jamie Foxx plays Spider-Man’s new nemesis, Max Dillon/Electro. These are some photos of Foxx in character as Electro, taken in Times Square late Monday night.

I barely followed the casting controversy for this role – I guess in the comic books, Electro was originally a white dude and now they’ve cast Jamie Foxx in the role. As it turns out, people don’t care that much, maybe because Jamie’s skin is glowing blue and no one feels like being racist against blue people. According to the Spider-Man mythology, Maxwell Dillon was an engineer fixing a power line when he was struck by lightning. The lightning gave him a super-power: the ability to control electricity. In the 21st century, shouldn’t we have an evil villain who can control… dun dun dun… nano-technology?!?!

In all seriousness, I think this is an interesting career move for Foxx, whose career kind of stumbled a bit after his Oscar-winning turn in Ray. Jamie has done interesting work over the past decade, but he’s not the most consistent actor, and before now he’s never seemed to show any interest in the comic book stuff. Anyway, enjoy these photos while you can. You won’t actually get to see Blue Jamie in the theater until summer 2014.

Photos courtesy of PacificCoastNews.com and WENN.com.

Against all odds, I find myself looking forward to Man of Steel. Superman is such a weird character for an actor, and Christopher Reeve’s take on the superhero must loom large in the Superman canon (not just for Reeve’s career-defining performance as Superman, also because Reeve’s legacy as a human being and his reputation as a wonderful person). That being said, I think Henry Cavill is going to do a good job with whatever material he was given. I think this version of Superman is definitely going to be angsty and emo, which may be an attempt to give Clark/Superman some kind of defining character arc for what producers hope will be “the origin story” of a new franchise. At the end of the day, though… maybe ladies will just go see this movie because Henry Cavill is shirtless, and because they correctly cast Lois Lane (Amy Adams) and because Michael Shannon is a really good choice for General Zod.

Anyway, here’s the new trailer for Man of Steel:

One, ZOD IS EVERYTHING. Two, Amy Adams and Henry Cavill have chemistry, right? I want to see more of that. Three, Russell Crowe’s English accent is super-wonky. Four, OMG WE GET IT, this is a Christ allegory. They’re really overemphasizing that one, right?

Here’s the teaser featuring Michael Shannon’s creepy General Zod voice. I get the feeling that Zod is truly going to terrify me. I do love Michael Shannon though – he always plays the freaky characters, but I get the impression that he’s a really normal guy in real life. I love this teaser, by the way. They should promote the movie like this!!!

Photos courtesy of Total Film, Empire, Warner Bros./Man of Steel.

Victoria Roman, a trash collecter in NYC, was doing her job last week when she noticed a garbage bag move. Seeing as that was very weird, Roman opened the bag to find month old delivery food that had come to life. JK, it was way worse, a tiny Shih Tzu in very bad condition — her eyes were matted-shut and her toenails were so overgrown that she could barely stand.

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SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS.

I’m really sorry about all of Benedict Cumberbatch posts lately. I feel like I might be contributing the eventual Cumberbacklash. But for now, I’m happy to ride the Cumberwave because A) Cumby is a dreamboat, an alien-ferret-looking dreamboat with an excellent voice and B) because we keep getting photos from the London set of Sherlock! These are even more photos from the weekend – I covered the re-shoots/re-filming of Sherlock’s “Reichenbach Fall” on Sunday.

So, we’ve already seen Cumby shoot various angles of his “fall”. We’ve already heard that Mark Gatiss was on the set, wearing what seemed like his character’s (Mycroft’s) costume, so perhaps Mycroft was somehow involved in how Sherlock faked his own death. We’re already assuming that Molly Hooper had something to do with how Sherlock faked his death, how he survived “The Fall”. But here’s the question I have after going through these additional photos…
……………
……………
….Did James Moriarty survive?!!?!?! No! How could he?! Moriarty shot himself!! IN THE FACE. There’s no way he could have survived, right? But then how do you explain these photos of Andrew Scott, filming scenes with Benedict and Mark Gatiss? WTF?!!?!?!!?! CB thinks it’s possible that they’re just re-filming what happened before “the fall”. But it could be different… it could be that Moriarty is still alive too…?

Photos courtesy of WENN.

This is what the internet was made for? I think? Or maybe this is what destroys the internet. Who knows.

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This A list mostly movie actress missed a very big thing in the past week because she just could not stop using long enough to make it to the event. It was her first time with the substance and apparently it hooked her really well.

SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER!!!!!!!

This post contains some SPOILERS for Season 2 of Sherlock and perhaps some SPOILERS for Season 3, which is currently filming. SPOILER. BEWARE. Do not say I didn’t warn you.

Yes, these are photos of Benedict Cumberbatch filming Sherlock in London yesterday (Saturday). For all of us who watched Season 2, Episode 3 (“The Reichenbach Fall”), we know exactly what we are looking at. We are looking at Benedict – as Sherlock – filming his jump/fall off of hospital roof. Or, re-filming it to explain exactly what happened and how he fooled everyone. They seem to be shooting this scene in a variety of ways – at one point, Benedict is jumping from a short distance without any harness or wires, onto a fluffy, air-filled something or other. In other photos, Benedict is wearing a helmet with a camera, which I suppose will be used to show Sherlock’s perspective as he falls. In others, Benedict is wearing a harness and wires and I would imagine that’s where he’s jumping from the full height of the building.

There were some other photos which I’m not including. There were some of Sherlock’s stunt double, who looks nothing like him and honestly the guy could have just been Benedict’s stunt coordinator. Mark Gatiss, who plays Sherlock’s brother Mycroft (and Gatiss is a writer/producer of the show too), was wandering around the set in what seemed like his character’s clothing. So, was Mycroft in on it? Maybe. I did not see any photos of Molly Hooper (Louise Brealey), and I’m sure Molly was in on it.

I’m saying this is a spoiler because I think these photos eliminate the possibility (the slim possibility) that Sherlock was not the jumper, that he chucked some look-alike off the roof or whatever. Clearly, Sherlock DID FALL. So how did he survive the fall? By the way, am I the only one in love with the photos of Benedict in mid-air? I want to imagine him jumping into bed (on top of me) that way. I especially love the one with the umbrella.

Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet and WENN.

Boy, YA novel covers from the late '80s and '90s are a lot more subtext-y than expected. (Although I remember thinking: Enid Rollins from Sweet Valley High maybe?)

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There's a new-ish sub-genre of romance novels written by and for ladies who love to get dirty — both literally and figuratively. Deemed "Rural Romance", the novels are most popular in Australia, where publishers are furiously adding collections of agricultural sexiness to their rosters.

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Much unlike many a magazine editor who recommends you buy all sorts of crap that they most likely got for free, your Jezebel staff doesn't get jack shit (other than books, unsolicited). And that's how it should be. But on our own time, in our personal lives, we still buy stuff. So this is Worth It, our recommendation of random things that we've actually spent our own money on. These are the things we buy regularly or really like, things we'd actually tell our friends about. And now we're telling you.

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A new app from China Glaze promises to match one of its nail polishes to anything you take a photo of with your phone and OH MAN does it deliver.

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There are just under two months left until Arrested Development comes Segwaying back into our lives on May 26. In the meantime, Netflix has released a series of character-based promo posters, cashing in on the fact that all it takes to whip AD fans into a frenzy is an image of denim cut-offs. More »

Taco Bell has a new goal: food that won't kill you, or at least not as quickly. On Wednesday, the fast food restaurant announced its plan to have 20% of its combo meals contain just one-third of the federal government's recommended dietary guidelines. Or roughly 700 calories and 500 mg of sodium. But why one third? Because they want it to be one of three meals you (healthily) consume each day, which goes against the whole "fourth meal" concept but whatever. And when can we expect the relatively healthy-ish combos to take up one fifth of the Taco Bell's combo menu? In 2020, just seven short years away. More »

Here are some photos of MY (mineminemine) lover Benedict Cumberbatch in London yesterday.

SHERLOCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*dies*

Yes, he was filming Season 3 of Sherlock. With Martin Freeman (Dr. Watson), and I’m including some cute photos of Freeman too, in case Watson floats your boat (no judgment – CB adores Dr. Watson!). What scene do you think they’re filming? They look pretty happy, so I guess Watson has already found out that his BFF Sherlock is still alive and they’ve probably already explained what happened. I actually published some photos of Cumby as Sherlock last weekend, but these pics are WAY more flattering for my Cumby. He’s so pale and tall. So delicious!!

Apparently, the UK is officially Sherlock-crazy, because whenever Freeman and Cumby show up to some London location, they’re swarmed by fans and any information discovered is posted online. Quite honestly, I want to know what happens next with these characters, but I’m not going to cyber-stalk the set or anything. I’m perfectly happy just seeing photos of Cumby… let’s say, once a week. That will suit me just fine, if he gets pap’d as Sherlock once a week. Good compromise? Sherlock’s producer Sue Vertue actually had to release a statement trying to get the Sherloonies to calm the f—k down – go here to read about that.

PS… DEERSTALKER. Or as Sherlock would say, “It’s an ear-flap hat!”

PPS… Does anyone else enjoy how much Ben and Martin seem to like each other? There’s no boy-drama from what I can see. They genuinely like each other.

Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet.

I don’t like my legs. I walked on my toes as a child and teen (and still as an adult when I am low on sleep) and that made for muscles in strange places. Large shins, large calves, thick ankles, and even strange lumps in my knees. Add to the fact that I am petite, naturally large boned and overweight… well my legs aren’t the most conventionally attractive part of my body.

My stomach was never my best asset. Even when I was starving myself into a size 2 and doing crunches every commercial break during Must See TV, I still had a pooch. Now with extra pounds and having a child, it’s even softer and saggier.

I have always had broad shoulders and full arms. My swim coach told me I had shoulders made for butterfly, and that was the first time I saw them as a benefit (and I must say, butterfly was my best stroke!). A high school boyfriend told me I was built like a body builder – something that a teen male would like, but not a teen female already self-conscious about her figure. With broad shoulders comes full arms, which do tone quickly with weights but never thin down, no matter what diet I try.

I have weird feet. Very short and fat toes (so short my pinky toenail grows upwards not out), short but wide feet that are also puffy/thick meaning I can’t easily find strappy sandals or ankle and T-strap shoes that fit. guess it’s from all that toe-walking. I have been known to joke that shoeboxes fit my feet far better than the shoes inside them.

I can spend every morning pinching my flesh and cursing my reflection. I could shop just for clothing that hides my flaws and draws attentions to my assets. I could dress in shapeless black clothing so one can’t tell if that curve is my belly or my sweater. Maybe wear really flashy necklaces and colorful glasses and get a flamboyant hair color to draw all attention from my body, hoping the world doesn’t realize the rest of me exists.

Or I can accept the figure I have now. Embrace it. Celebrate it. Love it and nurture it and be grateful that I have it and be proud of all the amazing things it can do.

No matter what, your hips will be there. You’ll still have that jawline, those thick ankles, that full belly, that scar. It will be there no matter what you wear, and the person who will notice it more than anyone else is yourself. You have the choice on how much of an impact it will have on your life.

You can dress to hide your flaws. I obviously do that by not wearing fitted dresses or many ankle strap shoes. Sometimes it’s easy to do (not buy fitted dresses), and sometimes it’s not (hiding full upper arms in August). What you need to decide is how much you’re going to let your so-called flaws rule your life.

No one notices these things about you as much as you do.
Seriously.
No, really. They don’t notice it like you do.
You’re a moving target. You’re laughing, you’re commiserating, you’re providing a shoulder to cry on. You sing and dance and gesture with your hands. You’re not a statue that people surround and analyze. You are so much more than your “figure flaws.” When you obsess over your flaws, others then notice those flaws. When you accept your figure, others accept it too.

I used to make self-deprecating comments about my “mama pooch” after Emerson was born. I was extremely self-conscious about my belly, and swore that every reader saw it, thought it gross, so if I called it out first, I wouldn’t look like some clueless idiot putting my gut out on display. And a reader called me out, but called me out for the self-deprecating comments. It was such a wonderful lesson learned; we decide what people will focus on.

That reader put me in my place and I am forever grateful to her. I stopped mentioning my “mama pooch” and with that, embraced my midsection. So it doesn’t look like it did 15, or even 5 years ago and it never will. So what. SO WHAT. Do I let my belly rule my life? Do I let it keep me from beach weekends and cocktail dresses and being naked in front of my husband in broad daylight?

So I wear booties that cut off my ankle and make my legs look thicker. I wear short skirts with bare legs. I’ll rock a halter or racerback top and go sans-Spanx if I feel like it. It’s MY body, not society’s. Accepting and embracing this body as-is has made it easier to care for it, to dress it, and to feel more confident on a daily basis.

I don’t expect women to read this, look in the mirror and scream, “I LOVE ME!” and run around town in a bandage dress, but to take baby steps. My ankle-based baby steps took place in 2010 when I bought my first pair of ankle booties. I never would have done it myself, but a person I trusted (my sister) said they looked good. And then a stranger (salesperson not on commission) agreed. I took the plunge. At first, I only wore them with black opaque tights to not cut the line of the leg, but with wearing I gained confidence. And now, I’m on my third pair of those same exact booties and rock them all the time, even though almost each time I do I get a comment that they aren’t as flattering as classic pumps.

I know classic pumps are more flattering and own quite a few of them for that reason, but embracing my body means dressing it the way I want, and sometimes I just want a pair of damn ankle booties.
We all deserve ankle booties! We deserve to have fun with fashion without feeling embarrassed!
I encourage you to take a baby step. Try a different cut of shoe, a skinny belt, a new neckline, an unexpected color, a bright lipstick. Go small, low-budget. Don’t give up after one wearing, give it at least two attempts. If you feel dreadful, then give it up, give yourself a chance to bounce back, and try something else. Dip your foot into the pool before hopping off the high dive. Some of us just like to wade in the shallow end, some like to swim laps in the 4’ section, and some love to do cannonballs off the high dive. No one is better, each started with that first step.

Much love to Nicki, Andrea, and Claudette for inspiring me.

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Wardrobe Oxygen by Alison Gary is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http://www.wardrobeoxygen.com/p/contact.html.

I have a complicated relationship with muffins.

I remember when I was in high school, a study came out by the Center for Science in the Public Interest that alerted consumers to the finding that bakery muffins were as unhealthy for you as donuts.

I was stoked.

This meant that when my friends and I ended up at Dunkin’ Donuts during open lunch, I shouldn’t order the bran muffin.  I should order the chocolate cream-filled powdered donut.

Actually, two.

 

And then there’s that whole “Muffin” nickname of mine as a kid.  Abbreviated versions to be shouted during high school and college sporting events by my well-intentioned mother.

Bless her heart.

 

As a home cook, my more recent conflict has been the question, “What’s the difference between a muffin and a cupcake?”

The answer for me was simply, “Frosting.” (Which not-so-coincidentally happens to be the best part of a cupcake.)

That is, frosting was the difference until now.

 

Because I’ve discovered that with a true muffin, a muffin that I would feel good about giving my kids for breakfast, about packing in a lunch box or baking up for an afterschool snack, the difference between a muffin and a cupcake should be in the type of flour used and perhaps even more importantly, in sugar.

(Yup, I said the S-word again.)

But the real question is, is there such a muffin?  One that is whole grain and low in sugar?

And the question that inevitably follows, is it even edible?

 

Yes.

 

And yes.

These muffins have been just that: breakfast, lunchbox treats, afterschool gap fillers and soon-to-be road trip snacks.

Because with all those sugar savings, when we’re finishing up our book tour in Seattle this weekend, we’ll have room for a celebratory treat.

Perhaps a chocolate cream-filled powdered donut.

Actually, two.

Blueberry Orange Muffins

Adapted from this recipe

Makes 1 dozen muffins

Print this recipe!

****View Nutrition Facts**** <—again, seriously impressive!

• 3/4 c. oat flour (gluten-free, if necessary)
• 3/4 c. whole wheat pastry flour*
• 1 T. baking powder
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1/2 t. cinnamon
• 1/4 t. allspice
• 2 organic eggs OR 1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce
• 2 T. honey or maple syrup
• 1 t. vanilla extract
• 1/4 c. organic butter or coconut oil, melted
• 3/4 c. orange juice
• 1 T. orange zest
• 1 c. blueberries, frozen or fresh

*To make these muffins gluten-free, substitute 3/4 c. all purpose gluten free flour OR and additional 3/4 c. oat flour.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line a muffin tin with paper liners or spray with nonstick cooking spray.

In a bowl, mix together the flours, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and allspice. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, combine eggs or applesauce, honey or maple syrup, vanilla, butter or oil, and orange juice.

Gently pour wet ingredients into flour mixture and stir until just combined.  Fold in orange zest.

Fill the cups in your prepared muffin pan 2/3 to 3/4 full.  Top each muffin with 1/12 of the berries, pressing them down into the batter.

Bake for 13-17 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Eat immediately and store leftover muffins in a air-tight container in the fridge.  These also freeze beautifully!

 

 

LL Cool J makes it:

"Martin Luther King says that darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can," LL Cool J said. "Hate can't drive out hate, only love can. So what we're talking about is compassion...."

"I'm not advising anyone to truly forget slavery, but what I'm saying is forget the slavery mentality," LL Cool J said. "Forget the bitterness. Don't get bitter, get better."

Brad Paisley backs him up:

"Let's not be victims of things that happened so long ago," Paisley said.

One of the problems with the idea that America needs a "Conversation On Race" is that it presumes that "America" has something intelligent to say about race. All you need do is look at how American history is taught in this country to realize that that is basically impossible. 

I have had conversations with very well-educated people who, with a straight face, have told me that there are Black Confederates. If you ask a very well educated person how the GI Bill exacerbated the wealth gap, or how New Deal housing policy helped create the ghetto they very likely will not know. And they do not know, not because they are ignorant, stupid, or immoral, they do not know because they are part of country that has decided that "not knowing" is in its interest. There's no room for any sort of serious conversation when the basic facts of history are not accessible. It would be like me demanding a conversation on Vichy France--en Français.

So we retreat to mushy, moist talk about who "feelings," "intentions," "good people" and "loving fathers." The great Jay Smooth once said that we need to move from a "what you are" conversation ("you are a racist") to a "what you are doing" conversation. Unfortunately this presumes a groundwork of honesty and good faith. No such good faith exists because we are ignorant, and deep down inside, we know it and are ashamed of it.

We all knew it was coming — the day kittens would rise from their gutter homes, overthrow a corrupt puppy dictatorship, and the sun would finally rise on a new day — Feb. 2, 2014. Independence Day Kitten Bowl.

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Floral button down: Clothing Swap - similar
Bootcut Jeans: Old Navy
Belt: Clothing Swap - similar
Nude Wedges: Old Navy - similar

Kaley Cuoco went quite edgy at last night’s ACM awards, and heads must have turned in surprise at this black BCBG gown with flesh-toned overlays. The halter top shows off Kaley’s toned arms, and the shirt shimmies down into just the right amount of flare. Kaley looks really great, and she knows it. Her red carpet style is often hit and miss, but she’s bringing it here. Her smoky eyes are perfectly matched to the mood of the dress, and her hair was styled perfectly to cap off the dramatic vibe.

Now for that hair … yes, Kaley is rocking a pompadour! It’s certainly a fun hairstyle for her, and it is worlds better than last year’s red-carpet clip-on bangs that she later regretted. I’m loving the matching clutch and earrings too. Kaley wins the night even if this ensemble might have been better suited for the Grammys than wasted at the ACMs.

Sheryl Crow, who performed as part of Blake Shelton’s group rendition of “Boys ‘Round Here,” decided to ditch the dresses and went with a cornflower blue pantsuit with bustier. The outfit itself isn’t bad, and Sheryl certainly possesses the figure to pull it off, but the styling leaves little to be desired. The yellow statement necklace is a bit tacky, and Sheryl is so tanned, highlighted, and plucked that it makes me feel uncomfortable. She’s so gorgeous when she goes for the “laid-back” vibe, but here, Sheryl is trying too hard.

Hillary Scott brought her baby bump to the party and dressed up in a blue jersey dress that was both sensible and slightly sexy with a low-cut bust detail. She looks quite pretty, but the dress is a bit overwhelming with so much drapey material, so I think she would have looked even better with a simple updo.

Photos courtesy of PR Photos and WENN

While perusing Target yesterday I found this super-cute lace top by Merona for just $19.99.  I'm showing it here in sunny Yellow, but it also comes in Red, Navy, Periwinkle Blue, as well as crisp White.  I bought one in go-with-everything white, but I'll  probably go back and get a couple more colors. This top looks a LOT more expensive than it is, and reminds me of something you'd find at  J. Crew or Kate Spade.  It's also lined (except for the cap sleeves) which is great because you don't need to wear a cami underneath it like many lace tops I've seen at other retailers.