Merry Christmas!

I'm sitting by my tree, enjoying a warm fire and some holiday cheer. I hope your holidays are filled with friends and family. Happy holidays everyone!

Celebrity accessory of 2008

Was it:

1. A baby? (JLo, Halle Berry, Jessica Alba, Jamie Lynn Spears and many, many more)
2. A rehab coach (Lindsay, Britney, Amy Winehouse, wait no not her)
3. A lawyer (Britney, Lindsay, Nicole)
4. A jail jumpsuit (again Lindsay, Nicole and Paris)
5. A spread in OK magazine? (Lindsay, Jamie Lynn)

Nina Garcia - Renaissance woman

Not only is she Fashion Editor for Elle magazine, she is also a judge on Project Runway, and now a published author with The Little Black Book of Style. If you haven't heard Nina's name mentioned recently you're hiking in the Himalayas or hiding under a rock. She's currently on tour in the blogsphere. You can catch her latest interview here.

Dumb quote of the day

from Good Charlotte front man and baby daddy Joel Madden on why he's adding baby stuff to his clothing line...

"I think it would be really awesome for me and the baby to dress alike."

All I want for Christmas

is a big ol' box of Sprinkles mini cupcakes. Red velvet of course. So chic!

What?!

Jessica Alba is pregnant?! I'm sorry, you'll have to excuse me, my head just exploded.

There are so many people I don't want to smell like this Christmas

10. Carlos Santana (patchuli?)
9. Kimora Lee Simmons (urbane, hipster Mom, hmmm? Smells like money?)
8. Juicy Couture (I imagine sweet tarts steeped in cosmopolitans)
7. Hilary Swank (though to be fair it's Guerlain, Insolence? She can't back that up)
6. Gwen Stefani (70's disco Mom? No thanks)
5. Hillary Duff ('nuf said)
4. David Beckham (though I imagine it's girlie)
3. JLo (Glow, Still, Still Glowing...etc., etc.)
2. Britney Spears (Curious or Fantasy - either way, ugh!)
1. Paris Hilton!

Laiola

Laiola (2301 Chestnut St. @ Fillmore) is the new sister restaurant of Frisson. It opened in June, and the Fashion Guy and I have been meaning to check it out. Billed as "a great neighborhood hang out", it is from my perspective a wine and tapas bar. While some plates approach entree size (the paella for instance), most are small enough to qualify as a tapa.

My impressions were mixed. I like the space which is rectangular with a large bar running down one side. You can eat and drink at one end and the other allows you to see into their open kitchen (a great feature, I picked some of my tapas that way). The tables however are in the back of the restaurant, near the kitchen, so they are in the traffic pattern. They are also unusually tall and situated close together like in a French restaurant. Don't talk about anything you don't want your dining neighbors to hear is all I can say. There was a lot of "what did you order?" going on during our dinner. Do stop on your way out to admire the golden stars on the tin ceiling in the front of the restaurant though.

The wine pours seem very overpriced until they arrive at the table and you realize that they've brought you 2 glasses of wine for $12. The food is good and bad. I had a grilled quail that was excellent and the Fashion Guy absolutely raved about the dungeness crab paella. We also loved the chickpea croquettas which came to the table stacked like Jenga pieces and with a side of delicious mushroom and garlic dipping sauce. I wasn't thrilled with my salad which wasn't the lettuces I'd ordered (gems and endive), but regular leaf lettuce and endive. The Fashion Guy was disappointed that the menu item he'd selected off their website had entirely disappeared from their menu. Oh, and their specialty cocktail menu is being "reinvented" due to a new bartender, so keep your orders basic.

The place was jumping for a Sunday night. Lots of young couples entertaining their parents and singles dining at the bar. I don't think I'd send anyone here for date night, but I would recommend it for a breather after a hard day of shopping. The wines are good and the food is light, the perfect refresher after exercising your credit card on Chestnut Street.

The Golden Compass has lost it's way

I went to see The Golden Compass last night with a group of friends and I can only describe the experience as disappointing. I waited 6 months for this movie to come out. Watched all the trailers. I mean, it's a fantasy story with lots of great special effects, Daniel Craig and Nicole Kidman (who looks amazing!) in the leads...how could you go wrong, right? I'll tell you how, don't spend any money on the writing or the plot. That is exactly what happened here. I guess those great special effects (especially the armoured polar bears) were meant to stun me to the point where I didn't notice the entire lack of plot and numerous instances of things just happening. I get the feeling they are distilling the book down to the point where they've fractured it. True, I've never read the Golden Compass, but I thought that might be a plus. It was with the Harry Potter movies. I wasn't distracted by what I thought things should look like, so I was able to enjoy the movies on their own merits. I'm sad to say that if the studio really does have 2 sequels in the works for The Golden Compass, I won't be seeing them.

My very first FUG!

(at least I think it is) Did you all see Kiera Knightley's dress for the L.A. premiere of Atonement? Is it just me or does it look like she borrowed that thing from Bjork?!

p.s. Where the hell is James McAvoy's gorgeous wife in all these red carpet pix? No wonder he looks eternally pissed.

For the hostess with the mostess...

If you invite the Fashion Girl to your party this year, this is what you'll receive in thanks...

I am mad, mad, mad for anything Pucci this year and with Veuve Cliquot you can never go wrong. Order yours online at CalWine.com and Happy Holidays! The celebrations start now!

Best LBD collection

Satine Boutique has a great online collection of little black dresses that are just perfect for that Holiday office party this season. Fashion Girl favorites are the Katy Rodriguez black crepe jumper, the Alexander Wang racerback and the Sue Stemp black strapless. All are party appropo, but will leave an unforgettable impression on your coworkers!

Okay, so I'm not the only one

who has noticed lately that Thievery Corporation's Lebanese Blonde is playing in every restaurant that I eat in. The New York Magazine this week takes on the playlist at Smith's and guess what...Lebanese Blonde features prominently. The Fashion Guy and I are huge fans of the band and always argue over Lebanese Blonde being his favorite song. I put it on his birthday CD a few years ago only to learn to my horror that really it's Indra. And before you tell me it's just a West Coast thing, let me point out that I've heard it at NOPA and Scott Howard (San Francisco), as well as in 2900 (Dallas). It must be the most popular dining soundtrack of all time. I just hope that Thievery Corporation is making a killing off the royalties!

More things that are wrong - worldwide web

So Decorno has been doing these great posts titled, "Things that are wrong". I love the idea and have decided to post my own edition (Decorno, I hope you approve!). I'm having issues with the content, or lack thereof on the web these days. I mean, seriously how am I supposed to maintain a blog and comment daily with so little to work with?

Here's my list of things that are wrong with the web:

- Two words: Britney Spears. How long do we have to watch this train wreck? Someone please help her!

- Paparazzi this is for you - No more coochie shots, nipple slips or other stalker bikini photos, it's creepy

- Lindsay Lohan is broke. Who cares?!

- Paris Hilton wants a baby? This has got to be the worst idea ever. E*V*E*R

- I seriously couldn't care less who is dating: Lance Armstrong, Tony Romo or Shia LeBouf

- Katie Holmes - too weird for words. Her shopaholic/Stepford wife thing is freaking me out.

All I'm asking for is a little help here.