Hillary Clinton...plastic surgery shocker! Stranger @ Press conference...

That's my gal!

(before botched surgery)

As usual, old antsy moi, was channel surfing (my attention deficit disorder was kicking in as usual this lazy afternoon) when a Press Conference -  focusing on a crisis and overseas political update - caught my eye.

OMG!

For a moment, I thought I spied a familiar mug in the slew of Officials faces on-camera - but no - that wasn't Hillary Clinton (was it?).

When the woman spoke, there were no noticeable inflections in the muscles, any spontaneous light-hearted emotions welling-up, or even a spark of  truth rippling across the dead-looking expressionless skin.

In fact, this woman almost looked of Asian decent, somehow.

An imposter, perhaps?

The visage of the well-coiffed dame was flat, smooth, and strikingly unreal (odd).

Sure enough - when a caption below singled out the name of the speaker on the podium - it turned out be the Secretary of State.

What happened to Hillary's face?

At first, under closer inspection, I thought that perhaps Clinton had changed her make-up to a thicker flatter base for effect.

What effect, God only knows!

The "look" was all wrong for the former 1st Lady - because her skin came across as lifeless, one-dimensional, and stretched ( in an unhealthy restricted way).

From what I could fathom in my armchair perch at home - although Mrs. Clinton was prettied up a tad with rouge and lipstick and eye-liner - the problem was not due to a bad touch-up job by a cheap make-up artist!

It appears that - poor Hillary - had the misfortune (like comedian Joan Rivers) to run a-muck with a plastic surgeon with unskilled of surgeon's hand - or just ended up a victim of a botched-up botox injection at the hands of an aesthetician who wasn't paying attention.

The lively spontaneous expressions that once spread across Hillary's face - rife with smidgens of mirth, consternation, delight, wonder, and candor - were no longer evident in what used to be a charismatic persona which was a joy to marvel.

Did Hillary go under the knife in a bold-faced effort to look "younger" - or simply to succumb to her vanity (and a desire to be wrinkle-free?)

I thought Hillary had more common sense (and self-confidence) than that!

Now, she looks like just another fake socialite with stretched skin that bespeaks of hideous self-loathing and tiresome common fear of aging in our youth-oriented hedonisic society.

Was it a bid to keep hubby - slick Willy - in the sack?

News at 11!

 http://www.julianayrs.com

Hillary's new face macabre!

http://www.julianayrs.com

Marcia Clark...plastic surgery?

Does this old frizzie-top look familiar?

Botox Babe emerges after racking in OJ Bucks!

Uh-huh!



As they say in Tinseltown, "she" must have had work done.

In the scenario above, the plastic surgeons must have filled in the cracks (which were forming a distinctive road map all the way to the bank) - with a heavy-duty cement mixer!



I'm referring to old frizzie top - former OJ prosecutor Marcia Clark - of course.



Where emotions once rippled freely across an honest open face, now a taut expressionless mask peers back eerily, by virtue of a pound or two of Botox.



In addition, a coiffed "do" (blow-dried to perfection) has sent her former skitzoid hairstyle - once rife with independent split ends (a-la Nichole Kidman) blowing in the wind this way 'n that at whim - packing.



Phony is, as phony does, so - the helmet will suffice!



Frankly, I thought that Clark was a little brainier than all that.



Not!



Christopher Darden's partner in botched criminal prosecution turned out to be just another bimbo babe out to sell her soul for big bucks on the night-time trash-talk-show circuit.



Check book journalism at its finest, you betcha!



Just ask Harvey Levin!

http://www.julianayrs.com

Michael Jackson...brief encounter on set of Music Video! Directed by MJ...

Years ago, a casting office rang me up out-of-the-blue, and offered me a gig on a high-budget Michael Jackson Music Video shooting on the backlot at Universal Studios.

I was particularly keen on the fact that MJ was directing!

One of the main characters in the evil plot line was a nasty villain with a gang of thugs always on the lookout for trouble.

Although, I generally steered away from night shoots, it was difficult to resist a golden opportunity to rub shoulders with the legendary Pop Icon on the fast-track to super stardom.

Michael was at the height of his creative powers, having just come off of the gargantuan success of the multi-million-dollar best-selling album, "Thriller".

Although a few unsubstantiated rumors abounded about the King of Pop's fascination with plastic surgery (and an obsession over the alleged benefits of pure oxygen) the celebrated hit-maker appeared for-all-the-world a down-to-earth musical genius.

Shortly after I strolled up to the backlot at Universal to check in with the 1st Assistant Director, the wardrobe department corralled me and a handful of actors cast to play the mean dudes, and hustled us off to get fitted for our ubiquitous costumes which consisted of warrior-style uniforms - custom-made in imposing durable black plastic - with helmets to match.

Right from the get-go it was obvious the assignment was not going to be a piece of cake.

For instance, all the actors required assistance to facilitate the task of fitting each snugly into the high-tech threads in a body-fitting fashion, from behind.

In addition to being difficult to maneuver around in, the sinister slabs of armour were also inclined to obstruct the eyesight and hinder breathing as well.

Too late to back out.

No matter; after all, I was what you called a "trooper" in those days.

The show must go on, 'ya know, and all that sentimental crap.

The production company was relentless.

The shoot often ground on for hours on end and required a lot of painstaking detail to satisfy the "man" in the chair.

Michael was a stickler for perfection, after all.

To make matters worse, the cameras didn't generally start rolling 'til around the witching hour, or wind down until the sun started to climb lazily in the East the following morning.

Maybe Michael was a Vampire - like the one he play-acted in Thriller - after all.

As to the elusive Pop Icon?

During the duration of the shoot he remained out-of-sight, directing from afar.

Yup!

One of his lowly handlers was assigned the heady task of hustling us in-and-out of our trailers, positioning us on the set, calling us into action, and what-have-you.

Not a peep from MJ the mega-Star at the helm of the million-dollar extravaganza!

On occasion when logistics slowed production down - the other dudes and I would twiddle our thumbs, chew the fat, or huddle up in the trailer to stay warm whenever a night chill chose to usher itself in unexpectedly.

The lot of us - trekked in-and-out, back and forth, this way 'n that - as directed.

But, no MJ in sight!

One fine night under a starlit sky - just as we were about to wrap - I spied the mysterious superstar nimbly stepping out of a trailer across the lot.

For one brief second he glanced in my direction - burst into a wide smile for a second or two - then departed into the good night with little ado.

A close encounter of the 3rd kind, alright!

And that, as they say, was that.

In spite of the fact the shoot was long and drawn-out and terribly boring - quite stressful, too - one thing made it all worthwhile.

Why, of course, all the pretty checks that flew into the mailbox shortly thereafter with gobs of golden time tacked on.

Time to party-hearty and raise a mug to MJ in thanks!

The King of Pop paid the rent that month, too.

http://www.julianayrs.com

Kenny Loggins...a good sport! Follows in spite of plastic surgery post...

Kenny in his Christ phase!

When I inputted my password and user ID, I spied the twitter alert right off-the-bat, and chuckled heartily.

Kenny Loggins was now following me according to a twitter tweet!

What a good sport.

You see, because of a round-about turn-of-events last week, I ended up penning a post about rumors that the handsome musician may have had a nip and a tuck here 'n there in recent days.

It all started off innocently enough.

A contact of mine at Universal Music Group e-mailed me a promo about Kenny's new CD.

The brief upbeat communication provided me with a link so that I could take a gander at the trailer released to bolster the promo.

In response, I dashed off a post, so that fans of Loggins could check it out.

A day later, when I cruised back to the link site (Amazon.com) to verify pertinent information, I spied a comment in the dialogue box below which surprised me.

A reader snidely remarked that Kenny was obviously having trouble performing his single because of "alleged" plastic surgery which was purportedly restricting his facial muscles when warbling for the camera.

Ouch!

I fired back a comment, and noted that when I first screened the video, there didn't appear to be anything particularly unusual (or slightly out-of-whack) about the image appearing on the screen.

Upon closer scrutiny, when I surfed back to the site - however - I have to admit the texture of Kenny's skin was a bit raw-looking and taut around the edges of his facial features, if you get my gist.

"Maybe he downed a couple of drinks before the shoot," I teased.

Or, went a tad overboard with a skin peel?

Well, that got the rumor mills rollin', so-to-speak.

In fact, when I checked the blog stats at the WordPress site the following morning, I was elated to discover that the post reporting the skinny on Kenny nabbed an astounding number of unique hits overnight!

Meanwhile, the comments kept coming, too.

One fan quipped that Kenny was looking a lot like that other Kenny - ah - what's his name?

Yeah, Rogers!

I laughed out loud.

My comment back?

Which Kenny Rogers?

The first one (pre-surgery) or the second one?

In spite of the unflattering quips, Kenny (Loggins) - who obviously caught wind of the post - signed up to follow me on Twitter in the wake of waves of titillating gossip that started surfing up on blog shores around the Internet.

So, tit-for-tat - and with a Chesire grin on my own (untouched) chinny chin chin - I started to follow the easy-going popular musician on the musical landscape (and elsewhere).

Suppose by next week, we'll be thick as thieves, doing duets around the country.

Who knows?

Welcome aboard, Kenny.

Victor Borge said it best:

"Laughter is the shortest distance between two people."

http://www.julianayrs.com

Kenny Loggins...plastic surgery? Fan says so...

Yesterday, when I received info from Universal Music Group for a trailer featuring Kenny Loggins' new CD, I included the link in a post I penned on the release due out this week.

Then, I proceeded to alert fans of the handsome singer.

Today, when I returned to the site to play back the trailer once again, I spied a comment posted below from someone by the name of David LaCrone.

The individual - unknown to me - was inclined to utter up an observation.

"Looks like Kenny is having a hard time singing expressively, probably because of all that horrible plastic surgery."

Gosh, I didn't pay that much attention to Kenny's face when I first viewed the video, since I was primarily focused on verifying it was broadcasting properly before I directed readers to the Amazon.com site.

You can bet your sweet bippy I replayed the trailer on the heels of LaCrone's analysis of Loggins' on-camera performance, though.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/mpd/permalink/mMRRVMZU6YYPB

Well, the skin looks a little stretched, and the overall complexion a bit ruddy in texture.

Too much face-time under a sun lamp prior to lensing?

A face peel!

If I knew he was a drunkard, I'd speculate he tossed down too many ales in the backwoods somewhere before the cameras rolled.

Kenny, enquiring minds want to know!

By the way, they say you get the face you deserve at fifty, 'ya know?

http://www.julianayrs.com

Skin care...your face at 50!

Elaine Stritch, a strong capable actress - who has been kickin' around Hollywood for a few decades in a number of memorable roles - expressed her disdain recently for celebs who have chosen to go under the knife or seek an infusion of fresh flesh by virtue of Botox injections, and the like.

"There's nothing wrong with a bit of character in the face or a few lines," she argued wholeheartedly. "What they are doing with that Botox, though, is unnatural," she noted, in that distinctive stage voice.

They say, you get the face you deserve at 50. Can't blame some for wanting to smooth out that rutted road map, can you?

Curious that Stritch would raise the issue just as I happened to notice a number of stretched and mummified skins gracing a number of celebrated faces on talk shows this past week.

One actress, who appeared in a weekly TV Sitcom opposite a legendary St. Jude's supporter, had a "macabre" quality to her face, which bordered on scary.

Another, once a supporting player on a comedy - "Three's Too Many" (or something telling like that) - sported odd perforations 'round puffy, oversized lips.

Don't these high-profile society matrons ever take a gander in the mirror before they unleash their ghostly apparitions on the public at large?

Ladies, good skin requires a healthy regimen, which starts from the inside out.

First and foremost, it is important to note, the body thirsts for at least 8 glasses of water a day. You'll need at least that much refreshing aqua to ensure there is proper hydration nourishing the skin beneath the surface.

Secondly, the skin requires quality nutrients to transform it, sustain it, heal it.

Therefore, be sure to munch on plenty of fruits, and vegetables, and foods rich in the "good stuff" that will promote good skin - like, vitamin E, C, B - not bad, for starters.

Of course, you'll have to cut the smoking and the alchoholic intake. Both are ruinous to the shell you inhabit, ya know?

Moisturizers are important, too; but, don't fall prey to those ghastly products shopkeepers at the local mall lure you into snapping up for princely sums in a sampling booth.

Oh yes, skin-care workers will make a myriad of wild claims.

The one who gushed that a secret ingredient extracted from the deep sea scrolls had magical properites, was full of hogwash, for instance.

And, the snake oil salesmen who alleged that optimum quantities of shark cartilage was sure to do the "trick", didn't know cheekbones from jaws.

Frankly, if you want to put whale sperm on your face, or your derriere, that's your business.

I say phooey!

If you pine for an exotic treatment, go ahead. But, when your skin breaks out in "humps", you have no one to blame but yourself.

I have perused reports from scientists who adamantly assert that "no" skin cream is capable of penetrating the deep epidermis of the skin.

Yes, a moisturizer will plump up the surface - offer up a little glow, even - by virtue of the fact the cream helps replenish "moisture" to the outer surface of the skin.

And, Retin A, certainly takes on the role of exfoliate, capable of sloughing off the dead skin to prevent unsightly black heads, oily pimples, and the like.

But, you know what?

A $2.00 tube of Vaseline, or Aloe Vera skin cream purchased at Rite Aid, fairs just as well just as the product you forked up for the dizzying sum of $160.00 a 6-ounce jar for.

By the way...ample rest, and proper daily cleansing with a gentle face scrub or quality glycerin soap, are a priority.

Finally, be wise, and shield yourself from the harmful rays of the mid-day sun, whenever possible.

In fact, it is best to slather the silky cream on during peak hours, for instance - between 10 in the morning and 4 in the afternoon.

Choose a sunscreen that blocks both UVA and UVB rays with an SPF of 15 or greater. If you're around reflective surfaces like water, snow, or ice, you may require a higher dosage.

Don't forget to don a hat and sport sun glasses that provide UV protection, as well.

In view of my chiding, you may want to chuck the whole idea of sunning under the blazing sun, but be careful about those tanning salons. After all, the golden toners use harmful UVA rays, which few users are aware of.

In several weeks, if you follow the advice, you'll marvel at the noticeable difference in your complexion - and - at ninety-percent less the cost of a face lift, chemical peel, or exotic product wasting away on the surface of your skin.

When you get right down to it, beauty is only skin deep.

Maybe it's time to focus on your soul for a change?

Actress Elaine Stritch