Venus Williams’s underwear choice has stirred up controversy at the Australian Open.
The usually conservative Williams wore a pair of flesh-coloured boy shorts that drew comments she had pushed the envelope and gone “commando”.
Williams, 29, who is at the Melbourne tournament with her sister Serena, took to Twitter to say,
“I am wearing undershorts the same color as my skin, so it gives the slits in my dress the full effect!”
Some fans had been outraged by the choice. One wrote on Venus’s website: “Please put on some decent panties. I do not watch tennis to see your exposed buttocks!”
Another took the opposite view, writing: “I just love her dress – it has flare (sic) and it has imagination.”
Venus and Serena rightfully see themselves as fashion-setters in women’s tennis, taking great care with each and every outfit.
For Venus, it was all about the slits. She tweeted: “My dress for the Austrailian Open (sic) has been one of my best designs ever! Its all about the slits and V-Neck.”
Hollywood actress Katherine Heigl has reportedly ‘mellowed out’ since becoming a mum.
The 31-year-old star adopted a baby girl called Naleigh from South Korea last year with hubby Josh Kelley.
Her co-stars claim the actress often brings the baby to set when she is filming Grey’s Anatomy and has chilled out since adopting the little girl.
A source told BettyConfidential: “She’s mellowed out since bringing home Naleigh. She’s a doting mom. She doesn’t like to be apart from her baby, so she brings her to the set as often as she can.
“Katherine loves showing off Naleigh. And her co-stars get a kick out of her. She’s such a good baby. She’s always smiling and hardly ever cries.”
Shakira too will be joining in the fight to help the nation recover from its recent tragedies, but unlike all of the others recording singles for charity and organizing fundraiser shows, Shakira is going to be doing something solid, something concrete: she will build a new school in Haiti through her “Barefoot” foundation. This is what Shakira said about her intentions: “There is a great need for immediate aid in Haiti, but also for longer-term reconstruction. For that reason, we are doing our small part to help Haiti rebuild and give the children affected by this disaster the chance to learn and thrive. I hope we can use some of what we’ve learned working in Colombia to help Haiti’s children recover. When we educate children we empower societies, and right now Haiti needs all of our help.” Finally someone who’s actually stepping up to do something real! Hopefully more will take this opportunity to learn.
Dennis Quaid and Julianne Moore will play former President Bill Clinton and former First Lady Hillary Clinton in an HBO television movie.
Quaid and Moore are preparing to star in The Special Relationship, a title which reflects the movie’s theme: the relationship shared by Clinton and former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Michael Sheen is set to play Blair – again. He has played him in The Queen and The Deal. Blair and Clinton in their youth and idealism were seen as shining new lights in the progressive 90s.
HBO spokeswoman Tobe Becker said the deal on the movie was near completed and indicated a co-production deal was in the works with the BBC.
Moore, who takes a stance on humane issues in real life, seems an ideal choice to play the scholarly yet urbane Clinton, who hails from a conservative background.
Veteran actress Jane Fonda was not impressed with host Ricky Gervais drinking beer while hosting the recent Golden Globes.
The 72-year-old recently attended the Golden Globes ceremony in LA and said Mo’Nique’s acceptance speech was one of her highlights but she didn’t like some of Gervais’ actions as host.
She said on her blog: “I really enjoyed the how (sic) last night especially Mo’Nique’s acceptance speech.
“I wept when she said: ‘So, to any girl who has been touched, break the silence. Tell.’ Those weren’t her exact words (hers were better) but it was an important, profound, from the heart moment.
“I adored Meryl’s acceptance speech and ‘I wish I could be renamed T-Bone… T-Bone Streep’ was the funniest line of the evening. Drew, too. So from the heart and deserved.
“Didn’t like Ricky’s drinking beer and taking off his tie to expose a bare chest. Hey, in these times, let’s try to get as much class from our hosts for these community celebrations.”
Model Claudia Schiffer showed off her growing baby bump as she did the school run.
The 39-year-old recently announced that she is five-and-a-half-months pregnant with her third child and gave a glimpse of her baby bump while taking her children to school in London.
Schiffer and husband Matthew Vaughn have two children already – Caspar, six, and Clementine, five.
Talking about the pregnancy, the couple recently said in a statement: “We are delighted with the news and can’t wait to add to our family.”
Nicky Hilton has directed Twitter followers to the memorial fund set up for Casey Johnson on the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation’s website.
Hilton tweeted five hours ago: “Donate to the Casey Johnson Memorial at the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. http://tinyurl.com/ya5gyot.”
The Johnson&Johnson heiress has been laid to rest at a family property in New Brunswick, New Jersey, according to press reports.
She had juvenile-onset diabetes and was insulin-dependent. Her body was discovered last Monday after she died alone at the guest house of her Hollywood home, aged 30. Hilton and Johnson were childhood friends.
The foundation stated: “[The] Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation family mourns the passing of Casey Johnson. The Johnsons have always been an integral part of JDRF, and our deepest sympathy is extended to the entire family. You can make a donation to JDRF in memory of Casey Johnson, which will fund research to find a cure for type 1 diabetes and its complications.”
While autopsy results are pending for Johnson, the 911 call made by a maid who discovered her reveals her medication often got “screwed up”.
The story of American surfer Bethany Hamilton, who survived a horrifying shark attack, will be told on the big screen – with the help of some famously named stars.
Hamilton will be played by AnnaSophia Robb, while her best friend, Alana Blanchard, will be played by Jack Nicholson’s daughter, Lorraine. Sean Brosnan, son of Pierce, will play Hamilton’s brother, Noah.
Hamilton, 19, was just 13 when a shark tore off her left arm just below her shoulder. She was with Blanchard when the accident occurred, on October 21, 2003.
Hamilton, who was in Sydney for a tournament, said of Robb: “She’s super-cool. A great girl. We’ve met in Hawaii and hung out.”
Hamilton said she would be doing most of the surfing in the film, which is scheduled to start production at the end of the month.
When scenes requiring a one-armed stunt woman were required, Hamilton offered to step in. She explained: “They wanted a one-armed person doing it and that’s not easy to find.”
Hamilton was competing in the Billabong world junior surfing championships at a Sydney northern beach. She added: “I am excited about the role. But it will be intense seeing people playing my family and me.”
I’m scared.”
