Former Vogue Editor Exposes Fashion's Dark Side

Clements and her new memoir, "The Vogue Factor." Photo courtesy of Melbourne University Press.When former Vogue Australia editor-in-chief Kirstie Clements got unexpectedly, unceremoniously fired last year, she was offered a book deal to tell her story the very next day. Now the new memoir, “The Vogue Factor,” has folks buzzing about her decision to blow the lid off all kinds of backstage fashion-mag drama—particularly the kind relating to anorexic models. But Clements insists she was simply telling the truth.

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“I’m not spilling,” she told Yahoo! Shine in an email exchange. “They are honest observations. Anyone in the industry would have heard the same things.” Things like models being barely strong enough to stand for shoots, spending more time on drips than ingesting food and eating tissues to stave off hunger.

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"Apparently they swelled in your stomach," she explained about the tissue trick to Entertainment Tonight.

Clements also wrote about editors altering photos of models in unexpected ways, such as to "get rid of bones," in an attempt to make them look less emaciated. “Most people accuse editors of [airbrushing] images for the girls to look slimmer, on occasion we had to do it the other way around,” she told ET.

One time the former editor spent a three-day gig with a model, and never saw her consume a single meal. On the third day, the woman could barely hold herself up or keep her eyes open. In another instance, she writes, a Russian model said that her "fit model" roommate (meaning extremely thin) spent frequent time on hospital drips.

“When a model who was getting good work in Australia starved herself down two sizes in order to be cast in the overseas shows ... the Vogue fashion office would say she’d become ‘Paris thin,'" she writes.

“Eating disorders exist. The problem is that they are hidden," Clements told Shine. "You can’t be sure. That’s why they are so insidious.”

“They relate to a small percentage of models, not all,” she continued. “But all the industry is complicit in varying degrees. It’s up to each person to make a judgment and call it as they see it, over the areas they have control over. Editors don’t control everything.”

As for her decision to write the book in the first place, she insisted it was not about exacting revenge. “I just wanted to capture my recollections, with honesty, and then move on,” she said.

Yahoo! Shine invited Vogue Australia to respond to the memoir, and current editor-in-chief Edwina McCann emailed the following: "I can only talk from the perspective of Vogue Australia as it is today. Almost a year ago the international editors of Vogue signed a global health initiative. I take Vogue Australia’s commitment to the initiative very seriously and we are vocal ambassadors for the message of healthy body image both in the magazine and outside. We actively encourage designers and editors to favour models who resonate best with our readers."

Clements’ ascension at Vogue began in 1985—following her phase of punked-out, pink-haired Sydney-nightclub scenester—when the magazine hired her as a receptionist. She rose quickly through the ranks, becoming an editor’s assistant, beauty editor, Paris correspondent and then editor-in-chief, a position she held for 13 years, until a “regime change,” as she calls it in her book, brought about many layoffs, including her own. She was dismissed by HR, not permitted to talk to her staff before leaving the building, and swiftly replaced by McCann, of Harpers Bazaar Australia. 

“I was shocked, a bit numb and a bit relieved,” Clements told Shine about her firing, which she details in chapter one of her memoir. “Eight CEOs is probably enough for anyone.”

Now, she added, though she doesn’t miss working at Vogue per se, “I just miss my wonderful team.”

She’ll no doubt yearn a bit for the fabulousness of her Vogue tenure—a highlight of which, “in terms of amazing,” she noted, was Ralph Lauren's 40th anniversary in Central Park, an A-list 2007 bash that featured an over-the-top runway show of his creations. Among her favorite icons to spend time with, she told Australia's Rescu, were Giorgio Armani and Karl Lagerfeld. “He’s extraordinary…and actually quite down to earth…and kind of naughty,” she said of Lagerfeld. “I met so many famous people, it just became part of the job.”

Her social life, though, shows no signs of stopping. “Modern marriage: I ran into my husband in a nightclub last night,” she tweeted in late March, referring to husband Mourat Ayat, with long career ties to the world of nightlife.

For now Clements plans to focus on consulting and writing gigs (she’s been contributing to a blog for the Australian clothing brand Sportscraft, she told the Sydney Morning Herald, adding, “No, it’s not Chanel, but I don’t have that snobbery about labels.”) She’ll also presumably have some more time for her twin sons Joe and Sam—though, at 17, they might not have much time for her.

“My sons are fashionable in a ‘I don’t know that style, clearly it’s some new cool cat hybrid I’ve been excluded from’ [kind of way],” she said. “As things should be when your children are 17.”

As far as how she balanced her demanding editor-in-chief role with raising the boys, she told Shine, “Life is all about balance and change. Sometimes you’re the best mum in the world sometimes you’re not. Don’t beat yourself up.” Also, as she she told Rescu, “I was lucky enough to have a house husband.”

Aerosmith, James Taylor to Play 'Boston Strong' Benefit Show

Carole King, J. Geils Band also confirmed

Steven Tyler of Aerosmith, James Taylor.

Douglas Mason/WireImage; Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Bostonians Aerosmith and James Taylor will lead a benefit show in their native city on May 30th at the TD Garden. Carole King and Massachusetts rockers the J. Geils Band are also set for "Boston Strong: An Evening of Support and Celebration," which will help raise money for the One Fund Boston, a charity set up by Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick and Boston mayor Thomas Menino to support those affected by the April 15th marathon bombings.
Neil Diamond Donating 'Sweet Caroline' Royalties to Boston Charity
Other artists set for "Boston Strong" include the city's own New Kids on the Block and Boston, fellow Massachusetts bands Godsmack and Extreme, Jimmy Buffett and Jason Aldean. Comedians Dane Cook and Steven Wright, who were both born in nearby Cambridge, will also perform.
Tickets will go on sale on May 6th at 10:00 a.m. EST on Ticketmaster, Live Nation and the TD Garden box office. More artists will be announced soon. For more information, visit the "Boston Strong" website and the One Fund.

Sex at work survey reveals shockingly horny workforce

Business Insider recently conducted a survey of 2,500 professionals asking about sex at work, and it turns out people think about sex at work a lot. About 85 percent think people at the same company should be able to sleep together, and 93 percent think that there's no obligation to report to HR if they're schtupping their coworkers. (Everyone hates HR!) Ninety percent reported being sexually attracted to a colleague (and, we suspect, 10 percent are lying about that), while 64 percent reported hitting on a colleague at one point, and 80 percent report being hit on. Finally, 54 percent have had sex with a coworker. Somewhere, Don Draper is smiling lustily (and also drunkenly).

Music News

© AP/ This custom-made VOX went for $408,000

Beatles guitar auctioned off to tune of $408K

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A custom-made electric guitar played by the late John Lennon and George Harrison of the Beatles sold at a New York auction on Saturday for $408,000, said officials with the company behind the event.

Find: How much did Paul McCartney's bass fetch at auction?

The semi-hollow-body guitar, manufactured by the VOX company, was sold to an unidentified U.S. buyer at the "Music Icons" event organized by Beverly Hills, California-based Julien's Auctions and held at the Hard Rock Cafe in Manhattan.
Julien's said previously it expected the guitar, which was the centerpiece of Saturday's sale, to fetch between $200,000 and $300,000.
Harrison played the instrument, distinguished by two symmetrical flared shoulders on the upper body, while practicing "I Am The Walrus," and Lennon used it in a video session for the song "Hello, Goodbye," according to a statement from Julien's Auctions.
Both songs were on the Beatles' 1967 album "Magical Mystery Tour."
The VOX guitar was a prototype instrument custom-built for Lennon in 1966, said Martin Nolan, executive director of Julien's. Lennon gave the VOX guitar as a gift in 1967 to Yanni "Magic Alex" Mardas, who was the electronics engineer for the band's Apple Records label, the auction house said.
The instrument, displayed in recent weeks at a museum in Ireland before the sale, was sold a few years ago by Christie's Auction House for a little over $100,000. Nolan said the latest buyer, who sent a representative to Saturday's auction to bid on his behalf, wished to remain anonymous.
Lennon was shot to death in New York in 1980 by a deranged fan, and Harrison died of lung cancer in Los Angeles in 2001. The surviving members of the Beatles are Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr.

Total stranger leaves waitress $1,000 tip for dream trip to Italy

Is there some kind of good-will epidemic going around? Days after a Steak & Shake waitress received a 7,000 percent tip on a $60 check, Tumblr user Casual Cynic posted her mom's story. She and her mother wait tables at the same restaurant, and the older woman had a throwaway conversation with a customer about how she'd love to have the opportunity to travel to Italy sometime. We hope she knows how to say "HOLY CRAP!" in Italian, because when she picked up the receipt, she saw that he'd tipped her $1,000, writing "Your ticket to Italy" beside the amount. "Just when I start to lose faith in humanity," Casual Cynic wrote. Everyone's faith was just topped up after that.

Study: Men find tattooed women more approachable

Lower-back ink is seen as a green light when it comes to dating.

We can't quite decide what to make of this study. But in a recent experiment, researchers sought to find a link between women's tattoos and men's dating behavior.

The results seemed to indicate that men perceive tatted-up women as more approachable —  and more promiscuous.

Nicolas Guéguen of France's Université de Bretagne-Sud led the study, with the help of 11 straight, college-aged women. All of the women had been rated as the most attractive out of a pool of 58 other women.

For the experiment, each of the 11 women went to a beach alone on 20 different occasions. Each time, she wore a red bikini and read a book. Half of those times, the woman also sported a fake, temporary lower-back tattoo. Not sure if this is relevant, but the tattoo was of a butterfly.

At any rate, researchers found that when the women were tattooed, they were much more likely to be approached by men.

Researchers also surveyed 440 men with an average age of 22.3. These were men who were at the beach at the time of the experiment. Interviewers approached men who were within 10 meters (about 33 feet) of the subject, asking them if they would answer three questions about a woman who was "somewhere on the beach." The men were simply told it was for a study on relationships.

The interviewer then pointed out the woman in the red bikini — the subject — and asked the men various questions. They were along the lines of: How attractive is she? How likely is she to have sex on the first date? How likely is she to say yes to your advances?

The results? When the woman was tattooed, men thought she was more likely to say yes to a date and also more likely to have sex on the first date. According to a Psychology Today article on this study, Guéguen interprets the results of the study using evolution as an explanation:

"Like cosmetics or clothing, women may adorn tattoos as a way to enhance their appeal to men and, in turn, to attract more males. A woman has a better chance of choosing a mate of 'higher quality' when there are more of them from which to choose. Tattoos may then serve as an effective means to capture male attention."

Or maybe you just really like butterflies. And want one on your lumbar region.

"Along similar evolutionary lines, men are driven to mate with many women in order to spread their genes," Vinita Mehta writes in the Psychology Today piece. "Logic then dictates that they will pursue women who display more sexual receptivity."

What do you think? Does this study have legs, or is it an insult to the tattooed women among us?

Woman claims she is too pretty to have a job

33-year-old says her good looks are ruining her life.

Chances are there is something about the way you look that you’d like to change — thinner thighs, fewer wrinkles, longer and more lustrous locks. But there is one woman in this universe who claims she wants to be less attractive, because apparently it’s a rough being pretty.

33-year-old Laura Fernee blames her good looks for a host of problems in her life, including her unemployment. Fernee says she was forced to quit her job after being constantly harassed by male co-workers and dealing with female co-workers who were jealous of her beauty. Now, Fernee lives in an apartment paid for by her parents  and hasn’t held a job in two years. But she is also claiming it’s simply not her fault.


“I’m not lazy, and I’m no bimbo. The truth is my good looks have caused massive problems for me when it comes to employment, so I’ve made the decision that employment just isn’t for me at the moment,” Fernee says, according to the Daily Mail. “It’s not my fault … I can’t help the way I look.”

She says she endured constant harassment in regards to her face and body, while co-workers ignored her professional achievements. “Male colleagues were only interested in me for how I looked. I wanted them to recognize my achievements and my professionalism, but all they saw was my face and body," she says. “Even when I was in a laboratory in scrubs with no make-up, they still came on to me because of my natural attractiveness. There was nothing I could do to stop it.”

Johnny Depp and Amber Heard Spend the Night Together With Keith Richards

Keith Richards, Johnny Depp, and Amber Heard in L.A. (Raffi/NPG.com)Oh to be a fly on the wall!

Johnny Depp and Amber Heard had a dinner date Wednesday in Los Angeles, but it wasn't a whispery, candle-lit, romantic meal for two. They were joined by a V.I.P.: Keith Richards.
The party of three dined at the West Hollywood restaurant Ago, in which Robert De Niro is an investor. The 69-year-old Rolling Stones guitarist (and admitted ashes snorter) was in town for his band's 50 & Counting tour, but made sure to catch up with his long-time pal Depp, 49, and actress-model Heard, 27, whom Depp has been seeing on and off since last year.

While Heard was dressed in a chic cream-and-white ensemble for the occasion — with her signature red lips — Depp and Richards competed for the title of most-accessorized male in the restaurant. "The Lone Ranger" hunk wore his favorite "Indiana Jones"-inspired hat, shades, and an array of necklaces while the British rock icon had on some aviator shades and a dark red scarf that could have doubled as a bib.
Of course, Depp famously modeled Captain Jack Sparrow after Richards, so it's likely he was mentally taking notes during dinner in preparation of the announced "Pirates of the Caribbean 5."
It was at a Rolling Stones concert in April that Depp and Heard, who co-starred together in "The Rum Diary," were officially outed as a couple. Linked since the spring of 2012, the duo was snapped holding hands backstage at the show —which took place at the Echoplex in L.A. on April 27 — and it seems they've been going strong ever since.
Meanwhile, Depp's ex Vanessa Paradis has also been in the headlines. The French singer-actress-model, who has two children with the movie star, made a big splash at the Cannes Film Festival. The 40-year-old was photographed rehearsing a number off her new album, "Love Songs" — an optimistic title that proves yet again that life goes on.

Paul McCartney Writes Letters to Russian Officials Supporting Pussy Riot

Sir Paul McCartney gave fans a taste of his new standards album, "Kisses on the Bottom," with his classy, Diana Krall-assisted performance of "My Valentine."

Last August, Paul McCartney threw his support behind Pussy Riot, the Russian all-girl punk collective convicted with hooliganism motivated by religious hatred, early on in the band's case. Now, the former Beatle has voiced his approval of the the Pussy Riot cause yet again, penning a handwritten letter to Russian authorities that calls for justice for the imprisoned members of the band.
The news comes following incarcerated band member Maria Alyokhina's announcement that she would begin a hunger strike after learning she would not be allowed to attend her own parole hearing. Alyokhina was sentenced to two years imprisonment after courts found her guilty of the hooliganism charges.
"My personal belief is that further incarceration for Maria will be harmful for her and the situation as a whole, which, of course, is being watched by people all over the world," McCartney wrote in a portion of the letter posted Wednesday (May 22) to his website. "In the great tradition of fair-mindedness which the Russian people (many of whom are my friends) are famous for, I believe that you granting this request would send a very positive message to all the people who have followed this case."
McCartney also wrote a letter to Russian officials in support of Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, the other jailed member of Pussy Riot, who was denied parole last month. "I have had a long relationship with the Russian people, and, with this in mind, I am making the following request in a spirit of friendship for my many Russian acquaintances who, like me, believe in treating people — all people, with compassion and kindness," he wrote in an excerpt of his letter regarding Tolokonnikova.
McCartney originally voiced his support for the band in a letter posted to Twitter last August. "I would like you to know that I very much hope the Russian authorities would support the principle of free speech for all their citizens and not feel that they have to punish you for your protest," he wrote. "Many people in the civilized world are allowed to voice their opinions and as long as they do not hurt anyone in doing so I believe this is the best way forward for all societies."
Alyokhina, meanwhile, forbade her lawyers from representing her during the parole hearing. She appeared via videolink for the first day of the hearing, which took place Wednesday and will continue Thursday.

Marijuana tied to better blood sugar control

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People who had used marijuana in the past month had smaller waists and lower levels of insulin resistance - a diabetes precursor - than those who never tried the drug, in a new study.

The findings, based on surveys and blood tests of about 4,700 U.S. adults, aren't enough to prove marijuana keeps users thin or wards off disease. And among current pot smokers, higher amounts of marijuana use weren't linked to any added health benefits, researchers reported in The American Journal of Medicine.

"These are preliminary findings," said Dr. Murray Mittleman, who worked on the study at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.

"It looks like there may be some favorable effects on blood sugar control, however a lot more needs to be done to have definitive answers on the risks and potential benefits of marijuana usage."

Although pot smoking is a well-known cause of "the munchies," some previous studies have found marijuana users tend to weigh less than other people, and one suggested they have a lower rate of diabetes. Trials in mice and rats hint that cannabis and cannabinoid receptors may influence metabolism.
The new study used data from a national health survey conducted in 2005-2010. Researchers asked people about drug and alcohol use, as well as other aspects of their health and lifestyle, and measured their insulin and blood sugar levels.
Just under 2,000 participants said they had used marijuana at some point, but not recently. Another 600 or so were current users - meaning they had smoked or otherwise consumed the drug in the past month.
Compared to people who had never used pot, current smokers had smaller waists: 36.9 inches versus 38.3 inches, on average. Current users also had a lower body mass index - a ratio of weight to height - than never-users.
When other health and lifestyle measures were taken into account, recent pot use was linked to 17 percent lower insulin resistance, indicating better blood sugar control, and slightly higher HDL ("good") cholesterol levels.

However, there was no difference in blood pressure or blood fats based on marijuana use, Mittleman's team found.

A CAUSAL LINK?
Mittleman said that in his mind, it's still "preliminary" to say marijuana is likely to be responsible for any diabetes-related health benefits.
"It's possible that people who choose to smoke marijuana have other characteristics that differ (from non-marijuana smokers)," and those characteristics are what ultimately affect blood sugar and waist size, he told Reuters Health.

Dr. Stephen Sidney from the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research in Oakland, California, said he wonders if cigarette smoking may partially explain the association. Marijuana users are also more likely to smoke tobacco, he told Reuters Health.

"People who use tobacco oftentimes tend to be thinner," said Sidney, who has studied marijuana use and weight but didn't participate in the new study. "So I really wonder about that."
Another limitation with this and other studies, Sidney and Mittleman agreed, is that all of the data were collected at the same time, so it's unclear whether marijuana smoking or changes in waist size and blood sugar came first.
"The question is, is the marijuana leading to the lower rate (of diabetes) or do they have something in common?" said Dr. Theodore Friedman, who has studied that issue at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science in Los Angeles.
He and his colleagues think the link is probably causal. "But it's really hard to prove that," Friedman, who also wasn't involved in the new research, told Reuters Health.
One possibility is that the anti-inflammatory properties of marijuana help ward off diabetes, he said. But he agreed that more research is needed to draw out that link.
"I want to make it clear - I'm not advocating marijuana use to prevent diabetes," Friedman said. "It's only an association."
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/10Ty3La The American Journal of Medicine, online May 16, 2013.

Butcher feeds marijuana to pigs to create true high-quality meat

There are pot brownies, pot cookies, pot muffins, pot butter. The next cannabis-laced food? Bacon. And chops, ham and, well, any part of a pig you care to eat. Pot-cured pork, anyone? William von Schneidau’s BB Ranch butcher shop, located in Seattle’s Pike Place Market, is selling meat from marijuana-fed pigs.  (Washington voters passed a pot-legalization initiative last fall). Von Schneidau has teamed with nearby Bucking Boar Farms for the pot pigs, who are given weed as part of their regular diet. Apparently, the stems and leaves from pot plants add fiber to the oinkers’ diets, which makes their meat more, ahem, savory. Diners also (we assume) reported an insatiable case of the munchies, finding second-helpings irresistible.

Being stoned and lonely is better than being just lonely, study says

You have no friends. The phone doesn’t ring. Your Facebook and Twitter are followed only by crickets. The loneliness is starting to get to you. Don’t worry, a few healthy bong hits can cure that, according to a new study that says marijuana "dampens the negative emotional consequences of social exclusion on negative emotional outcomes." Meaning, when you’re stoned, you don’t need friends. Doritos and porn maybe, but not people. The study, from website Social Psychological and Personality Science, claims that lonely dope enthusiasts had higher levels of mental health and self-worth than lonely squares who shun the chronic. So stop talking to your cat and get on a plane to Washington. 

Enormous python killed in Florida is a state record

Invasive reptile, which was dispatched with a knife, measures 18 feet, 8 inches, and weighs 128 pounds

Researchers stretch out alongside Florida-record Burmese python. Photo courtesy of the University of Florida

A Miami man briefly wrestled with and ultimately used a knife to kill a Burmese python measuring 18 feet, 8 inches.
That sets a state record for pythons captured or killed in the wild. The previous record measured 17 feet, 7 inches.
Jason Leon was not hunting pythons but, while driving late at night recently in southeast Miami-Dade County, he and a friend spotted about 3 feet of snake protruding from the brush.
Leon applied the brakes, climbed out of the car, grabbed the visible portion of the snake, and began hauling it onto the road.
The giant constrictor responded by trying to wrap its body around one of Leon’s legs, but he was able to dispatch the reptile with a knife.
Burmese pythons are native to grassy marshes of Southeast Asia and can grow to about 23 feet and weigh up to about 200 pounds.
In Florida, where they’ve been released as pets and escaped from wildlife facilities, there are thousands of them, mostly within the Everglades ecosystem.
As such a large and voracious invasive species, they’re a threat to native wildlife. The state would like to eradicate them, if that were possible.
Leon, meanwhile, is being praised.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission issued a news release, in which exotic species specialist Kristen Sommers stated:
“The FWC is grateful to him for both safety removing such a large Burmese python and for reporting its capture…With the help of people like Mr. Leon and our ongoing partnerships with other agencies, the FWC is advancing what we know about Burmese pythons in Florida.”
Leon, who said he once owned Burmese pythons and has experience handling the nonpoisonous snakes, reported the capture via a hotline used for reporting exotic species.
The python was delivered to the University of Florida’s Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center, where it was measured and a necropsy was performed.

Ray Manzarek, founding member of The Doors, dies at 74

Ray Manzarek of The Doors performs at the Sunset Strip Music Festival launch party celebrating The Doors at the House of Blues in West Hollywood, Calif., on Aug. 16, 2012. / Chris Pizzello/AP

Ray Manzarek, the keyboardist who was a founding member of The Doors, has died. He was 74.

Publicist Heidi Robinson-Fitzgerald said in a news release that Manzarek died Monday at the RoMed Clinic in Rosenheim, Germany, surrounded by his family. He had been stricken by bile duct cancer.

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The Doors drummer talks Jim Morrison's legacy

Manzarek founded The Doors after meeting then-poet Jim Morrison in California. The band went on to become one of the most successful rock 'n' roll acts to emerge from the 1960s and continues to resonate with fans decades after Morrison's death brought the band to an end. The Doors sold more than 100 million albums worldwide on hits like "Hello, I Love You," "Riders on the Storm," "Light My Fire," and "Break On Through to the Other Side."
Manzarek, a Chicago native, continued to remain active in music after Morrison's 1971 death. He briefly tried to hold the band together by serving as vocalist, but eventually the group fell apart. He played in other bands over the years, produced other acts, became an author and worked on films.

The Doors were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Manzarek is among the most notable keyboard players in rock history. His lead-instrument work with the band at a time when the guitar often dominated added a distinct end-times flavor that matched Morrison's often out there imagery and persona.
Morrison and Manzarek met at UCLA film school and ran into each other in Venice a few months after graduation, Manzarek recounted in a 1967 interview with Billboard.

Outwardly the two seemed so different. The strikingly tall, dark and handsome Morrison looked the part of rock star, while Manzarek, with glasses and comparatively close-cropped blonde hair, retained a more professorial look.

Inwardly, though, they were kindred spirits, as Manzarek discovered when Morrison read him the lyrics for a song called "Moonlight Drive."

"I'd never heard lyrics to a rock song like that before," Manzarek said. "We talked a while before we decided to get a group together and make a million dollars."

The band would make far more than that. The Doors, which also included guitarist Robby Krieger and drummer John Densmore, has sold more than 100 million albums and their music has been re-released and repackaged multiple times over the years, been featured prominently in movies and holds an oft-debated place in rock history. Manzarek and Krieger reunited to tour as The Doors in recent years.

While Morrison, with his proto-celebrity lifestyle and tragic end, forever will remain the face of The Doors, you could argue Manzarek's keyboard work was every bit as important and helped balance some of the singer's more over-the-top moments.

His creepy organ line on "Light My Fire" adds a weirdo menace to what outwardly is a rock `n' roll pick-up song. And his after-hours, lounge style on "Riders On the Storm" transforms that song into an epic unlike anything else the band ever did.

Manzarek was portrayed by Kyle McLachlan in the 1991 Oliver Stone biopic, "The Doors," and wrote a best-selling memoir about his experiences, "Light My Fire: My Life with The Doors," in 1998.


Manzarek is survived by his wife Dorothy, son Pablo, and three grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, family members ask that donations be made in Manzarek's name to Standup2Cancer.org.

Bacon and egg sandwich that costs $120 sounds like it's worth it

We already know Sydney is one of the most expensive cities in the world — so expensive that a bacon and egg sandwich sells there for $120. Luckily for locals, the pricey snack is a one-off special created for (the amazing-sounding) Bacon Week. The invention of chef Carla Jones, from inner-city restaurant 4Fourteen, the sandwich is made of "award-winning" bacon, a pan-fried duck egg, semi-dried and smoked gourmet truss tomatoes, duck foie gras, caviar, creme fraiche, shaved truffles and English cheddar. "It will be interesting to see how many we'll sell," Jones said. "I reckon some people will buy it just to see what it's like."

Sorry, prostitutes, you can't promote services on LinkedIn anymore

While Facebook is notorious for sneaky changes to its privacy policy, this time it’s LinkedIn that's made a rather interesting update. The professional networking site just casually added a new clause that states in using LinkedIn, you promise not to "create profiles or provide content that promotes escort services or prostitution." Um, what? Apparently "prostitution" is a skill on LinkedIn that you can be "endorsed" for by others, and the site's search algorithm suggests that LinkedIn members are regularly looking for "call girls" and "female escorts." Who knew prostitutes even had resumes, never mind LinkedIn profiles.

Ex-Wife Of Rolling Stones’ Rocker Ronnie Wood Reveals How The Pair Once Smuggled ‘Smack’ Into The Bahamas

Getty

It was a meeting of two rock legends — Ronnie Wood, the guitarist of The Rolling Stones, and The Beatles drummer, Ringo Starr. The year was 1978 and the pair had been invited to the Bahamas to help record an album for an aspiring Colombian musician who had another job, too. He was a drugs lord.
In her candid tell-all book, It’s Only Rock ‘N’ Roll: 30 Years Married To A Rolling Stone, Ronnie Wood’s ex-wife Jo recounted how the “sharp-suited” dealer named Victor — “one of the small army of pharmaceutical Stones hangers-on” — had them smuggle cigarettes laced with heroin into the Bahamas for their vacation.
On the flight, “Victor was acting like a mad man as he was smoking ‘dirty cigarettes’ or DCs — little roll-ups containing smack — which he was intending to take in to the Bahamas.”
Ever one to indulge, charismatic Ronnie, Jo’s fledgling boyfriend, snuck off the plane’s bathroom, Jo remembered.
“I didn’t touch them, as they had the most revolting smell — if I think about it even now I gag — but Ronnie went into the bathroom for a sneaky puff. Shortly after he stumbled back to his seat, a flight attendant came over and crouched next to me.
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“Excuse me,” she said to Ronnie, “but I think your friend has left this in the toilet.”
Said Jo: “She was holding out the bag of DCs. Ronnie must have got so stoned he’d left it in there.”
“Oh, God, I’m sorry,” he said. “Thank you ever so much. I’ll get rid of them.”
Recalled Jo, “She smiled warmly. ‘Not to worry. Would you like another drink?’ Can you imagine that happening on a flight today?”
As the plane began its descent into Nassau, Jo said Victor “dumped the bag” of drugs in her lap.
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“As he was a drugs trafficker, I assumed that Victor would already have a plan in place to smuggle his stash through Customs, but as we started our descent he suddenly dumped the bag in my lap. It turned out that I was the plan,” she wrote in the memoir, obtained by RadarOnline.com before its release on May 21.
“You are taking this in your bag,” he said.
She responded: “What? No way!”
“But Ronnie thought it would be wiser to humor our host, so in the end we got a carton of duty-free cigarettes, removed all the cigarettes from the middle packet, stuffed Victor’s stash in there, then carefully packed it up again to look like new.
“Of course, when we got to Customs they immediately zeroed in on me; I must have been giving off guilty vibes. As they went through my bag, I offered up a silent prayer of thanks that we hadn’t hidden the stash in there. Then the inspector held up the duty-free bag containing the carton of cigarettes. ‘Is this yours?’ he asked me.
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‘No, I said, pointing at Victor. ‘They’re his!’ I was damned if I was going to risk life in prison for him.
“As Victor scowled at me, the inspector took out one packet and carefully checked inside, but to everyone’s immense relief it wasn’t the doctored one and we were finally waved through.”
As for his album, Jo said she couldn’t recall it ever getting made!
“I think he just wanted the kudos of getting a Rolling Stone and a Beatle into the studio together — and soon after our holiday he was packed off to jail for many, many years, busted by his own dad who had never approved of his son’s career path,” she added.

Good news: Men get better in bed

Twenty-something dudes today have no idea how easy they have it when it comes to sex, what with their "hook-up culture" and their fancy "smartphones" that "sext." I once walked five miles in a blizzard because a girl called me up (on my house phone) and asked if I wanted to listen to the new White Zombie CD. I don't even like White Zombie, but I thought that might be code for "have sex." It turns out I was right! Then we had to get married, because that's how it worked back then. Just kidding, but we did anyway (hi, Karel!). The young fellas today probably think our decade-long monogamous sex life is pretty :( but they're oh-so-wrong. It's only gotten better. Here are three reasons an older guy outperforms some hipster who thinks an emoticon counts as seduction.

Video: The sex life of the average couple

We've seen it all, and that's a good thing
When guys are young, we're surprisingly uptight about sex: It's all about looking cool, trying to re-create the sex you've seen in movies. Nakedness is still an uncomfortably real experience. By now, I've seen everything my wife has to offer, physically: the good, the bad, the sexy, and the scary. During Karel's C-section, they let me look over the partition before everything was back to normal, so my first image of my daughter includes a nurse holding my wife's innards. For her part, Karel's had to take care of me during a severe case of stomach flu (enough said). While those trials might seem like permanent mood-killers, the reality is they've only loosened us up in the bedroom. Plus, we've reached a point where Karel is no longer a vending machine for tiny humans, and this has made me appreciate her body more than ever. I think she appreciates my appreciation.

Bing: How to talk about sex with your partner

We want to be your trophy husband
It's a rare man who can avoid the weight gain that comes with starting a family. First there is the "newlywed 15," and then there's the "new baby 50" (at least in my case). I've looked into the void: I've seen myself as a bloated, out-of-shape, middle-aged father of two. I don't like that guy. In an effort to banish him forever, I started busting my ass in the gym. Now, instead of being all about doughnuts, cheese fries, and whiskey, I'm all about crunches, plank positions, and the dreaded side-plank positions. I love fatty food, but I love athletic sex even more—and I'm not alone in finding myself at a point where I can do things that I couldn't do in my 20s. Also, I'm pretty sure the plank and side plank will eventually come in handy during intercourse. When I figure out how, I'll be even better.

Related: 10 Things Men Hate to Hear in Bed

We've finally learned that it's quality, not quantity
Say what you will about how hard it is to have a decent sex life during the baby years—at least you can plop your kid in the Superyard XT, flip on an episode of Thomas & Friends, and escape upstairs for a quickie. But there is no containing a 6-year-old to one room. You think you have the all-clear, and the next thing you know your kid is standing in the middle of the bedroom trying to show you his Lego White House. (How the hell did he get through a locked door?) On the other hand, after-school activities and dinners at friends' houses mean the kids are gone for longer periods of time. And when they're gone, you can be louder, you can use multiple locations, and you don't have to stop every two minutes because you think you hear little feet on the stairs. Most of all, you have enough time to fully appreciate intimacy. For instance, do you remember foreplay? Foreplay is back! So buckle up, because soccer practice lasts two hours.

Weirdos urge bikini-clad sunbathers to put on more clothing

Bikini babes have been sunbathing in the parks of the Stuyvesant Town development in Manhattan and not everyone enjoys the view. Some moms feel it is totes inappropes for scantily clad young women to get their tan on with children nearby. "A lot of side boob on the playground this weekend," noted one resident on a Stuy Town blog. "Think of the children!" wailed another. Last weekend, security guards moved tanners on after a complaint from a kids' soccer league. "A body's a body and people need to get over it," said one young woman who uses the space for yoga. "We pay outrageous amounts of money to live here," said another. "Let us sunbathe for a few hours."

Hef Buys Wife Crystal Harris $5 Million House … and Yes, It’s Really Nice

Redfin

When it eventually comes time for Hugh Hefner to leave us for that big Playboy Mansion in the sky, his new bride won’t have to worry about where she’ll end up.

The 87-year-old mogul has bought his wife, 27-year-old former Playboy Playmate Crystal Harris a stunning 6,000-square-foot pad off Hollywood’s Sunset Strip for nearly $5 million, according to real estate website Redfin. The two married in December.The happy couple. (Michael Buckner/WireImage)The property was purchased for exactly $4.995 million by a joint trust under the name “HMCH,CRYSTAL 2013 TRUST.” That means that, despite the fact that Harris reportedly hasn’t been put in Hef’s will, she’ll be able to live in the home after he dies, since she’s an owner.
Speaking of owners, the previous one, according to Redfin, is video game producer and Internet entrepreneur Jason Rubin, who bought the plot of land for $710,000 back in 2004 and had the house custom built. How much Rubin spent on building the house is unknown, and the listing agent did not return omg!’s call for comment.
The modern architectural house includes four bedrooms and five bathrooms, sits on more than a half acre, and has a glass wall in the living room that opens up completely to the yard. According to the listing, the home features plenty of luxurious amenities like a glass infinity pool and spa, a home theater (Hef loves his movies!) that opens to a game and entertainment area, walnut floors, and a custom kitchen by the high-end Bontempi Group out of Italy.
Not that we imagine Harris as the cooking type (or eating type, for that matter), but, hey, you never know.
Check out more pics of the gorgeous home here ...
Photo courtesy of Redfin.
Photo courtesy of Redfin.
Photo courtesy of Redfin.
Photo courtesy of Redfin.

Photo courtesy of Redfin.

 

Hooters offers Mom free food on Mother's Day

In this year's Mother's Day promotion, Hooters is attempting to bring in more women by offering free entrees for mothers who bring a kid along. (Photo: Hooters)

Story Highlights

• Hooters is giving away free entrees to mothers on Mother's Day
• The chain is trying to appeal more to women and families
• Two years ago, just one in four customers were women; now it's one in three

Hooters may have finally figured out a way to lure Mom in the door: Give her free food.
For one day, at least.
The chain famous for its waitresses in sexy uniforms has long struggled to attract female customers — particularly mothers. But this Mother's Day, it hopes to lure mothers nationwide by offering free entrees — worth up to $10 — for mothers who bring a kid along and buy any drink.
Many restaurant chains have Mother's Day come-ons — with restrictions — this year, like small cups of yogurt at TCBY; free slices of pie at O'Charley's and Shoney's; and free truffles at McCormick & Schmick's. But very few are giving away the whole meal.
For Hooters, which is desperately trying to improve its food, its look and its image, the move illustrates what a 30-year-old chain must do that has fallen so far. Although Hooters has offered free wings on special occasions like Mother's Day before, this is the chain's first freebie offer on a breadth of entrees. This also is the first year the chain has sold entree salads — which it also hopes will attract some women.
MID-LIFE CRISIS: Hooters tries surviving middle age with makeover
One restaurant industry consultant who thinks that Hooters is demeaning to women finds the promotion to be pathetic.
"It's like offering Weight Watchers customers a free meal with dessert at The Cheesecake Factory," says consultant Linda Lipsky. "There are enough calories in most of their desserts for 50% or more of your daily allowance. Giving it free doesn't make it any better."

Hottest Supermodel On Earth? Kate Upton Takes The Title, Twitter Reacts

Kate Upton has been declared the hottest supermodel on Earth by Vogue magazine. Of course, not everyone tends to agree with that assessment.
Although much has been made about Kate Upton since she skyrocketed to stardom, no one has given her such a title until now. The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition cover girl has been singled out as the most attractive supermodel on the entire planet by the publication.

Upton told Vogue that carving out a career in the competitive world of modeling hasn’t been easy. Since she is a bit curvier than most models, Kate explained that she was dubbed too fat by some of her critics.
“The things that they’re rejecting are things that I can’t change. I can’t change my bra size. They’re natural! I can work out and I can stay healthy and motivated, but I can’t change some things,” the hottest supermodel on Earth explained to Vogue.
She continued, “I love my body. It’s what God gave me! I feel confident with myself, and if that inspires other women to feel confident with their bodies, great. It’s kind of funny to think, ‘Oh, wow, the news is talking about whether I’m fat or not.’”
Although Kate Upton certainly has a very dedicated and loyal legion of fans, there are some who felt Vogue magazine’s bold declaration was completely wrong. Many of these folks quickly took to various social media sites to express their displeasure with the situation. However, these people are actually few and far between.

Angels pitcher C.J. Wilson gets engaged to supermodel Lisalla Montenegro

While the 2013 baseball season hasn't been too kind to the Los Angeles Angels, pitcher C.J. Wilson seems to be doing pretty all right lately. He's in a shampoo commercial, made that cooler-than-everything foul ball catch on Sunday and he won his first race in March. He's a big car-racing dude, you know.

Oh, and he got engaged to smokin' hot Brazilian supermodel Lisalla Montenegro on Wednesday. That's probably worth bragging about. Here she is sniffing his hair.
(Getty Images)
Yes, I know what you want. So here's Montenegro doing her model thing:
(Getty Images)
Wilson, who signed a five-year, $77.5 million contract with the Angels two years ago, looks to have come correct in the ring department. The bride-to-be tweeted: "I literally can't have imagined a more perfect proposal. So excited to marry @str8edgeracer !! #Engaged":
(@Lisalla)
Last month, Wilson told Sports Illustrated's Extra Mustard the five best and worst things about dating a supermodel. Here are a few highlights:

WORST
• Having to answer questions about how you met your supermodel girlfriend from teammates who want to have a supermodel girlfriend.
• Having to keep your personal appearance on point. You don’t want to be the guy dragging the equation down. If she’s a 10, you don’t want to look like a 4.
BEST
• When they walk in a room first, you can be completely invisible. Nobody sees you at all.
• If they ask for a table at a restaurant, they’re going to get it. We’re always seated right away.

Well, C.J., now you get to see what it's like to be married to a supermodel. Maybe you can hit up Tom Brady for some pointers.

High school teacher loses her job over sexy bikini photos

Olivia Sprauer’s side job as a bikini model has cost her her main job as a high school English teacher. The curvy 26-year-old Floridian, who models under the moniker Victoria Valentine James, said she was asked to resign from her position at Martin County High School after someone sent the principal one of her modeling photos, most of which feature her in provocative poses sporting bikinis and skimpy lingerie. But Sprauer, who planned to leave her teaching job at the end of the school year anyway, doesn’t appear to have her panties in a bunch. While she said she misses her students (and we’re sure the male students miss her), she plans to continue modeling and go to graduate school.

School board fires ex-porn star middle school teacher

It's every seventh-grade boy's testosterone-fueled dream to see their hot teacher strip down to her skivvies. It's rare, however, that those fantasies become a reality. But thanks to the World Wide Web -- and one very liberated science teacher -- those dreams came true when students reportedly spotted their Oxnard, Calif., middle school instructor in a porn movie. Seventh-grade teacher Stacie Halas was fired on Wednesday after the district decided that starring in such X-rated films as "Big Sausage Pizza" would interfere with her ability to do her current job.

Guess where most cheaters like to take their dates for dinner

Attention, cheaters. The next time you're looking to grab a bite with the mistress and decide Morton's or Ruth's Chris steakhouse, or perhaps The Cheesecake Factory, would be the perfect place, know this: You may be surrounded by other couples cheating on their spouses, just like you. According to a survey by extramarital-hookup site AshleyMadison.com, the most popular places for cheaters in major U.S. cities to dine with their lovers are large chain restaurants at least 20 miles away from home. They're "larger and less conspicuous," Ashley Madison's CEO explained. Chain steakhouses are "not only dimly lit but also commonly found in business districts, close to hotels where these type of dates typically end." Such forethought.