Celeb entrepreneurship, new brands, new fashion, different styles and ways to earn fantastic sums

Celebrity October fashion: scarves

nobody@vox.com(North) — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 21:59:01 -0700

Keira Knightley took grey scarf at new movie Last Night with Guillaume Canet in Soho, New York on October 20.

She was quite cute as a button when she grins and laughs.

Keira-knightley-grey-scarf

Last Night opens in theaters in 2009.

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Sophie Monk: Taking Care of Business

nobody@vox.com(North) — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 21:45:19 -0700

She may be one of the hottest up-and-coming ladies in Hollywood, but Sophie Monk is more than just another pretty face.

Sophie-monk-show-time

And she was spotted showing off her business-minded side as she exited the New Wave Entertainment building in Burbank, California October 2

The awesome Aussie actress looked super-sexy as she made her way through the parking lot, posing for pictures and signing autographs in a grey scoopneck long torso tee, denim cutoff shorts and tan platform heels.

According to a report, Sophie is the latest actress to try her hand at the world of reality television. Her developing show “Bigger Than Paris” is said to be a real look into her quirky life.

celebrity-gossip.net

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Derek Hatton, the militant capitalist

nobody@vox.com(North) — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 21:37:27 -0700

Derek Hatton, 60, is best remembered as a radical socialist when he was deputy leader of Liverpool City Council in the 1980s, and Neil Kinnock expelled him from the Labour party for being a member of Militant.
Now he runs a property company selling villas and apartments in Cyprus

Derek Hatton

How did your childhood experience influence your attitude to money?

I was a post-war baby and I grew up in a council house with two bedrooms. I was an only child and I learned later one of the reasons was that mum didn't work and my dad, who was a fireman, was concerned about how much it would cost to have another baby.

The post-war period was a time of austerity and my mum was particularly careful. She used to go berserk if ever I left food on my plate. I always say that kind of an upbringing will affect you in one of two ways: either you become frugal yourself or you react and go the other way. My attitude has always been that you don't know how long you've got in this world, so spend what you have while it's there.

What has your change in financial circumstances meant to you?

I now have the freedom to do things my parents could never do. I run my own business and, although there are some strains and stresses associated with that, if I need something I always find a way of getting the money. My parents had a fixed wage and had to stay within it, but I haven't had to live like that for the last 25 years.

Does talking about money embarrass you?

Not at all and I don't mind telling people how much I earn. It is public knowledge that my son and I sold our website business for a lot of money and I'm now involved in property in Cyprus, but it's hard to put an exact figure on my annual income because it goes up and down. It's certainly in the comfortable six figure bracket though.

Would you say you're good with money or irresponsible with it?

I don't think I'm irresponsible, but I'm definitely not good at saving. If I look at my bank accounts and see money in there I tend to think it's not doing much and I want to get it out and invest it in a business or in property. I want it earning money for me and not other people.

Isn't money earning for you when it's in a high interest account?

Not enough – if I get 6 per cent interest I have to pay 40 per cent tax on it through my tax return, so in reality it's only 3.6 per cent. At that rate I'm just about equal with inflation at, say, 3.5 per cent, so in future my pound will be worth a pound. What's the point of that?

Have you ever invested in shares?

Yes, I owned shares in a variety of companies in the 1980s. I invested a few thousand here and there, but I found it frustrating because unless you were monitoring it constantly you couldn't make the decision to sell at the right time. All of a sudden I'd look and see my investment going down. I remember I put £1,000 into Millwall football club in the 1980s because I heard from an influential friend that Chris Evans and Danny Baker were thinking of buying it and I passed the tip on to a couple of friends who've never forgiven me.

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Russell Crowe wants each American to get $1 million

nobody@vox.com(North) — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 22:28:31 -0700

During a recent appearance on The Tonight Show, Australian actor Russell Crowe offered up his solution to the economy crisis in the United States.

Russell-crowe

“I was thinking if they want to stimulate the economy, get people spending,” Crowe told host Jay Leno.

“I think you take the first 300 million Americans, if that’s the population at this point in time, give everyone a million bucks,” as $300 billion would be a fraction of the $700 billion financial bailout package rejected by Washington politicians. Leno responded with,

“Oh yeah, that’ll work.” Um, the cost of doing that would be $300 trillion, much more than $300 billion. Oh well. Not sure if Crowe was serious about that anyway, because he also claimed to be growing his hair and putting on weight for the dual role of Maid Marion/Friar Tuck in his upcoming movie, Nottingham (He’s actually playing the dual role of Robin Hood/the Sheriff), which begins shooting next March.

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Katherine Jenkins as she signs $5.8m U.S. record deal

nobody@vox.com(North) — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 22:21:34 -0700

There's good news for British fans of buxom singer Katherine Jenkins.

Katherine Jenkins

The Welsh-born mezzo-soprano, who has just signed a record $5.8million deal with American label Warner Music, says that - contrary to reports - she will not be moving to Los Angeles.

'I'm not going to live there permanently, like everyone has been saying. I'll only be there for a few months while I promote my album,' says Katherine, 28, at the Harrods launch of her record Sacred Arias.

'I'm keeping my house here and I wouldn't want to make a big change like that at the moment.'

The Forces sweetheart, who is dating former Blue Peter presenter Gethin Jones, also revealed her plans eventually to retire from performing.

'When I get older I would like to go back to teaching,' she says.

'I used to be a singing teacher and I loved it, so I see myself teaching master classes and that kind of thing.'

dailymail.co.uk

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Celebrity Clothing Lines.

nobody@vox.com(North) — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 22:17:11 -0700

Gwen Stefani

Gwen-stefani-red-lips

With baby number two in tow, the musician is onto the next project — designing uniforms for Rande Gerber’s Living Rooms at the W hotels. Her Harajuku Lovers young contemporary apparel and accessories are also going strong, according to retailers, as is her new Harajuku Lovers fragrance.

The L.A.M.B. fragrance has an estimated $30 million in annual sales and Harajuku Lovers has already tripled that.

Pete Wentz

Pete_wentz

In his hometown of Chicago, his first store, Clandestine Industries, is reeling in customers eager to copy his onstage looks. Wentz has DKNY Jeans to thank for jump-starting his fashion career.

Nordstrom has the exclusive this fall for the label’s wholesale.

Lauren Conrad

Lauren_conrad

She may be a big star on “The Hills,” but Conrad is even more serious about fashion, claiming she’ll always be a designer even once the reality show ends. The year-old line is already a $4 million business.

“The sell-throughs have been fantastic,” said Frank Doroff, vice chairman at Bloomingdale’s.

“We got it in and sold out immediately. We can’t get the merchandise on the floor fast enough. It is, by far, the best-selling celebrity line we have. It’s so much better than I thought it would be.”

Sienna Miller

Sienna_miller

Besides selling in Saks Fifth Avenue, Intermix and Henri Bendel, the Twenty8Twelve by S.Miller label has its own store in the sister's native London.

“We’re constantly learning, not only aesthetically, but from the point of view of being a new business,” Savannah Miller said.
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Matthew McConaughey Launches j.k. livin E-Commerce Store

nobody@vox.com(North) — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 05:43:45 -0700

Matthew McConaughey has plenty on his plate between his acting career, modeling for Dolce & Gabbana and being a new dad, but he just launched a brand-new online store for his clothing line j.k. livin.

Matthew_mcconaughey

The name takes its inspiration from McConaughey’s 1993 film Dazed and Confused, while his father is the man stenciled into the line’s logo. So what can you expect from the online arm of such a personal project?

Jklivinstore.com has apparel for men and women, including sweatshirts and T-shirts, as well as accessories, infant onesies and even frisbees and wristbands! In the next few weeks, expect to see more T-shirt designs and sweatbands with music downloads, gift cards, foundation donations and more to roll out in the future. Check out the brand’s inspirational message and organic items at jklivinstore.com.

@people.com

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Mel B works up a sweat in new fitness DVD

nobody@vox.com(North) — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 03:13:59 -0700

After unveiling her amazing post-baby figure in Ultimo lingerie advertisements, it's no surprise Mel B was bombarded with letters asking how she did it.

The former Spice Girl has decided to reveal the secret behind her honed and toned bodies in a fitness DVD.

The 33-year-old singer is releasing Totally Fit: Mel B, a three-disc workout, which includes a 23-day plan to slim down, in December.

After piling on the pounds during her pregnancy with second child Angel Iris, Mel B signed up to appear on Dancing With The Stars - the U.S. version of Strictly Come Dancing.

After beginning to slim down on Dancing, Mel carried on her active new lifestyle with regular workouts at the gym and a healthy eating plan.

Mel B

People were so impressed with her new body, she was offered a contract as a lingerie model for Scottish underwear firm Ultimo.

In Totally Fit: Mel, the former Scary Spice demonstrates the 'very simple and easy' plan, which includes a 60 minute do-at-home fitness class and four 10 minute workouts.

Mel also divulges a nutritional plan to follow in tandem with the workouts.

She promised:

For anyone with jubbily bits, I'm going to tighten you up, make you laugh and enjoy your workout no matter what level of fitness you are.'

Dressed in a flattering ensemble of black leggings and fitness tops, Mel works up a sweat as she performs her routine against a stunning backdrop of the Pacific Ocean.

Mel is having a busy year, balancing her numerous career paths with bringing up her daughter Phoenix Chi, nine; and 18-month-old daughter Angel Iris - whose father is Hollywood star Eddie Murphy.

Mel B sport

As well as becoming a fitness guru, Mel also has a fashion range Catty Couture, is working on a solo album and has several TV projects in the works, including The Singing Office and an upcoming fashion reality show.

The Leeds-born star was unveiled as the new face of Ultimo in April, replacing Girls Aloud singer Sarah Harding.

Totally Fit: Mel B will be released in the U.K. on Boxing Day.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk

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Leona Lewis turns down £1m to open the Harrods sale in anti-fur protest

nobody@vox.com(North) — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 04:12:42 -0700

The X Factor winner turned chart-topping recording artist Leona Lewis rejected a £1m offer from Harrods boss Mohammed Fayed to open this year's summer sale because the department store sells fur.

Leona-lewis

A staunch vegetarian since the age of 12, the Bleeding Love singer stuck to her principles and turned the lucrative offer down, the job going instead to 52-year-old Sex And The City star Kim Cattrall.

Lewis, who was this year voted animal rights campaign Peta's World's Sexiest Vegetarian Celebrity, said:

I'm totally against animal cruelty.

I don't have clothes, shoes or bags made from any animal products.'

Harrods, which declined to comment, is the only department store in the UK that continues to sell fur, and is regularly targeted by animal cruelty campaigners.

Its sales are traditionally opened by an A-list female celebrity.

Most of those invited have jumped at the opportunity to parade around Knightsbridge in a horse and carriage before being given a private tour of the discounted goods by Mr Fayed himself.

Last summer, Hollywood actress Sarah Michelle Geller, 31, was given the honour, while singer Lily Allen, 23, opened the winter sale last December.

Other leading ladies who have cut the ribbon include Victoria Beckham, 34, Eva Longoria, 33, Christina Aguilera, 27, and Lucy Liu, 39.

Meanwhile, Lewis is reportedly in talks with Bhs boss Sir Philip Green about creating a range of nonleather bags and shoes for Topshop.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk

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JK Rowling is the world’s best paid author

nobody@vox.com(North) — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 04:01:46 -0700

It all started for JK Rowling when she decided to write a book for her little daughter. It was many years ago and back than they were poor and never had the idea that Harry Potter will be the boy whom everyone from little to old knows.

Rowling-holding-harry-potter

JK Rowling’s story of success is the epitome of ‘rags to riches’ tale, as she was a single mother on welfare when she started writing about boy wizard Harry Potter, and a multi-millionaire five years later.

Author rakes in £3 million a week which is £5 each minute.

Even when asleep.

Forbes Magazine listed author JK Rowling as the world’s best paid author – revealing what she rakes! Last year, the author penned the first installment Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in 1997.

Since then, Ms. Rowling’s personal fortune is estimated to be around in £560 million. This is a combination of her earnings from the sales of the Harry Potter books, the film franchise and everything in between.

J.K. Rowling is the No. 1 earner, by a wide margin: This year she made $300 million, whereas runner-up James Patterson (center) only brought in one-sixth of that — $50 million. He begins a close run — Stephen King (right) is No. 3 with $45 million.

These are the bestselling 6 authors who made it to the Forbes list this year:

1. JK Rowling - $300M

2. James Patterson - $50

3. Stephen King - $45 M

4. Tom Clancy - $35 M

5. Danielle Steel - $30 M

6. John Grisham tied with Dean Koontz - $25 M

Source >>

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