Happy Halloweek!!!

The countdown has started, and I am oh-so-excited! In just seven more days, its my favortie holiday!!! So I'm taking over and turning this into a weeklong celebration!!! (Joey had his fashion week, now its my turn.) You aren't going to want to miss a minute of this.

ok, and for those of you who aren't so in the spirit yet, I've made you a playlist-


Happy Haunting!!!
~Meg Read more!

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

I'll be the first to admit it;I'm a sucker for fast fashion. Quality concerns be damned--H&M is almost godsent in a vast mob of tasteless mall stores. So I'm always happy to see a chain store expand its horizons. After Gap became the new old place to shop this season, it looks like there's another one hot on its heels. American Eagle, best known for providing khaki shorts and polo shirts to clean cut teens, gave a presentation of its forthcoming "spring break" collection recently. And I have to say, I'm reasonably impressed! They're not quite replacing H&M and Gap, but as they say Rome wasn't built in a day. Naturally I'm more impressed by the womenswear. It comes across as sort of a more attainable version of Topshop's Bananarama-inspired show. But the menswear still looks pretty reminiscent of the old American Eagle. If they really want to woo me, they'll step it up on that level. Here's to the next season! To see some pictures, click








pictures from fromthedeskofphyllis.blogspot.com
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November Magazine Covers

Ah yes. The leaves are on the ground, there's an election coming up, and pretty soon the fabulous will be layering away. You'll do anything for fashion until you're in 30 degree weather. It must be part of our survival instinct or something. Anyway, it's almost November, in case you missed the point. And that means it's time for magazine covers!

Harper's Bazaar

Drew Barrymore

To see the rest, click

Vogue

Reese Witherspoon

Interview

Josh Brolin

Men's Vogue

Daniel Craig

Nylon

Paris Hilton

i-D

Lara Stone

Teen Vogue

Rachel Bilson

Marie Claire

Courteney Cox

Glamour

Keira Knightley

Cosmopolitan

Lauren Conrad

Dazed & Confused

Grace Jones

Vogue Paris

Vanessa Paradis

Muse

Hilary Rhoda

W

Angelina Jolie



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We Rock

I've only furtively expressed my love and obsession with both Tina Fey and 30 Rock, but the time has come for me to yodel my profession on the top of a mountain. When I watched the first episode of 30 Rock, I foolishly decided it wasn't for me (yet continued to watch Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.) But as I kept hearing great things about it, I bought the first season on DVD and caught up with season two. And behold, an intense but justifiable fixation was born. Unfortunately, last season saw the coming and passing of the writer's strike that paralyzed TV for months, and the second season was cut short. So, I was forced to wait anxiously for this third season to come. When it finally came time for the shows to come back, I discovered a terrible thing. 30 Rock was not coming back until October 30th. It was hard to be strong, but I've held on so far. Luckily, Oprah will grace the show with her almighty presence on the second episode back. Until then, us junkies will have to get our fix from either Tina Fey's Sarah Palin on SNL or the newly released second season DVD.

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808s & Heartbreak

For someone who could easily be described as overhyped, with him dispersing most of it, Kanye West is having a moment. It's not that I've never liked his music before, it's just that I never really got it. But as he's become an unlikely fashion show attendee and used Sessilee Lopez in one of his videos, I've been paying more attention to him.So when I heard his new single Love Lockdown at the VMA's, I knew it was something I could get behind. His new album 808s & Heartbreak is done entirely with auto-tune, the recording tool best known for making fellow rap star T-Pain a star. With all of the songs revealed so far being related to broken hearts and star-crossed lovers, it's clear he's really going for it. I commend his artistry and ability to define a look. Last time around it was his shutter sunglasses that have quickly become a disgusting frat party staple. This time, he's sticking to his heart motif with flashing heart pins and various other unexpected touches. I'm looking forward to hearing the album on November 25th, but for those of you who can't wait that long: to hear a little preview, click

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Project Runway Finale:The Good and The Bad

This season of Project Runway, as I've said before, was seriously lacking in talent. There were a few good ones in there, and luckily the final three were just right. I already gave short reviews of the final collections during fashion week, but I'll expound after seeing them again last night.
First of all, Kenley's wasn't what it should have been. If you're going to make the 50's your signature, you've really got to go for it. I didn't think she pulled it off. While the judges cried Balenciaga, my complaint about the painted dresses is just that they were ugly. Sure, she went for an interesting technique, but her paintings just looked random and ruined what could have been some successes. As for Korto, I think I gave way too harsh a review during fashion week. There were a few really stunning pieces, particularly the one with the voluminous sleeves. I could see her being extremely successful, because she fits the bill for the pack of ubiquitous designers tearing it up in sales. She makes clothes that women would want to wear, and that takes serious skill, so I commend her. Now, Leanne's was really just sensational. I was very proud of my favorite for doing so well. It was all so perfect and floaty, sort of what Erin Fetherston tried and failed to do this season. Now to discuss the results! To avoid spoilers, click
Ahh. We're in the safe spoiler zone now! So basically it went like this: first, Kenley was booted off. I hate her personality, obviously, but her designs were solid. The final collection failed to encompass her ability. Next was Korto. She was a true talent, and if anyone was gonna take it from Leanne, I would be okay-ish with her. Now, obviously, Leanne won. I hate to say I told you so (I LOVE to say I told you so) but, Leanne was one of my picks for the win after the first episode. Along with Wesley. He was prematurely voted off, but I was good with Leanne, right? Now, with an unclear future for the show, I was happy to see Tim Gunn guest judging. Heaven forbid this was the last season ever, it was a fitting tribute to the man that makes the show so iconic. No show has been able to showcase design as well as Project Runway, so needless to say I hope the legal drama is worked out soon.
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Is It Time For a Change At 'SNL'?

This week's Entertainment Weekly included an article about the current state of Saturday Night Live, in which Ken Tucker argued that Tina Fey's ever popular impression of Sarah Palin is hurting more than helping the show. As the rest of the show becomes increasingly unfunny, Tucker concludes that "now more than ever, [SNL] needs more hit bits that can be sliced and posted everywhere, instantly, to maintain cultural significance." What's interesting is that an election year is supposed to be prime for the show. With all of the characters that have come out of this election, they have done an excellent job so far. But the problem doesn't rest there. The majority of the show after the political sketch of the week is starting to feel increasingly sour. People tend to find faults with the show itself, claiming that it is failing to match the glory days when each sketch was a national treasure in itself. However, in my opinion, our culture has adapted itself to the point that we can no longer get our kicks out of sheer...goofiness. We've come to expect a brand of smart, wry humor that doesn't seem to fit with the format of Saturday Night Live anymore. One of the rare exceptions to this is the Weekend Update segment. While the anchors seem to be constantly changing (Amy Poehler, one of the current anchors, will leave for good once she goes on maternity leave), it always seems to find it's way back to cultural relevance. In other words, to answer Ken Tucker's original question, that's where the funny is after 11:45. This past Thursday, the first in a series of three Weekend Update Thursdays premiered on NBC. It encompassed all of the good parts of the current SNL while condensing down to a more consumable format and remaining evenly funny throughout. This begs the question: is SNL ready to change their format after all these years? Or should they keep the old one intact, but try to skim down the inane, irrelevant sketches?
picture from telegraph.co.uk Read more!