Well Angelina Jolie, Charlize Theron, Jessica Biel, Scarlett Johansen and now, this year it is a 42 year old who had a baby about six months back; it is Halle Berry, according to Esquire, the men’s magazine. Esquire makes it their business to pronounce one woman every year as being the sexiest of them all. This year, Halle Berry being picked was a departure from the norm and the sexiest woman herself was also surprised, that it was now in her forties and just having had a baby that she is being awarded this title, and said that, “Sexy is not about wearing sexy clothes or shaking your booty …. Sexiness is a state of mind — a comfortable state of being. It’s about loving yourself even in your most unlovable moments.” and that spaghetti is sexy, when served off the tips of a man’s fingers, after all maturity can be sexy!
In the year 2004, it was Angelina Jolie who was named the sexiest woman alive when Halle Berry came a close second; it took some years for people to realize her special allure. Perhaps it was her wild or bad or weird or crazy image that fetched her the votes or because she is sexy and then some:“The tattoos, the blood, cutting myself — it’s all very much who I am”
23 year old Jessica Biel was named sexiest woman alive in 2005, perhaps not as well known as some others named so by Esquire, is nevertheless an actress of some note, if not great renown.
Scarlett Johansen, has received many honors such as having the most kissable lips, the best breasts, having the best butt etc. and then the sum of all the parts was taken by Esquire and names the sexiest woman alive in 2006! “What about my brain?” she asked though, “What about my heart? What about my kidneys and my gallbladder?” Valid questions methinks.
International star Chalize Theron was named sexiest woman alive on 2007 not only for her more obvious assets but also for her acting prowess; after all she did win an Oscar!
The latest recipient, Halle Berry is certainly not the usual winner and when you read her acceptance speech you realize that she is not just a pretty face, she is a more interesting and mature concept of what is sexy.
In case you haven’t heard, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have become proud parents of twins, a boy and a girl. Knox Leon and Vivienne Marcheline are their names and they weighed 5.1 and 5 pounds respectively. Apparently the mother (who was conscious with an epidural during the C-section delivery) the father (who was present, did not faint and cut the umbilical cord) as well as the children are all fine. That takes the number of total Brangelina children (Maddox, 6; Pax, 4; Zahara, 3; and Shiloh, 2 are the others) up to 6 I believe.
As regular readers may well be aware, I am not particularly enamored of celebrities and their proclivities and activities what does interest me in the ceaseless interest the paparazzi have in all and I mean all of their doings. The reason the Brangelina twins story interested me is reports of the estimated value of the photos of their new born children. Estimates put the value of the photos at between $11 and 20 million! Is that crazy or what! I mean newly born children look like newly born children; a little wrinkly looking, a little wizened looking, a little simian looking… 11 to 20 million dollars? What? Why? Who?
Now the other new parents of twins, Jennifer Lopez and Mark Anthony, were the cynosure of all eyes not too long ago. Reportedly the pictures of their twins sold for some 6 million dollars! Global recession? My eye! And I can post this picture of mother and one of her twins here on my blog at no charge, so how is it worth all the millions that publications pay for them? Well as I already said, CRAZY!
Then the other photos that were really hot property were the photos of J Lo in a bikini after the birth of her twins because she was carrying some extra weight. A new mother carrying extra weight? How outrageous! How dare she!
Among the others, Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban had a baby girl Sunday Rose Kidman Urban for whose photos an astronomical sum was undoubtedly paid, and when Matthew McConaughey and Jessica Alba became parents, those baby pix also reportedly fetched seven figures. So what price will upcoming celeb baby pictures fetch? Well, your guess is as good as mine.
This youtube video featuring Angelina Jolie alerted me to the fact that, 20 June was World Refugee day. Listen to that super U2 track in the background, very apt and with beautiful lyrics!
(Just in case you are an Angelina Jolie fan there are lots more videos about World Refugee Day featuring her over here.
World Refugee day started out as Africa Refugee Day. Africa has the highest numbers of refugees in the world perhaps resulting from a higher level or civic unrest, human displacement and tragedy. So what is the relevance of this day today? Well the fact is that there are some 40 million refugees world wide today; people who are forced to flee their homes; uprooted by violence and persecution, they are forced to flee their homelands.
Imagine for a minute if you will, if in your neighborhood or community or city, circumstances became so inhospitable, life became so imperiled that you had to pack only those few valuables that you could carry on your person (leaving behind all that is not considered imperative) and simply leave! Then imagine that you are given ‘sanctuary’ in some place where you are given permission to stay temporarily, where you are merely tolerated and not welcomed. Imagine further if you will, makeshift, temporary perhaps unsanitary and crowded accommodation, food and clothes being doled out like so much largesse.
Now you have an idea of what it is to be a refugee. When I try to picture myself or my loved ones in such circumstances, I am no less than appalled! So if I sound a little impassioned here, bear with me please.
The UN Refugee Agency makes use of this day to focus attention on its efforts to address the distress of refugees worldwide. Firstly they try to provide safety, shelter and basic health care to the displaced people with the focus on the most helpless among them. Next the agencies try to provide means for self reliance. Lastly they try to draw attention to the plight of refugees thru awareness programs and/or fund raisers. Thru this they try to make people like you and me aware that the refugee problem is something that affects all of us and that all of us should act in a responsible manner so as to make a difference. So if the opportunity presents itself to you, to make a difference, take it, and make a difference!
evawhite on October 24th, 2008
In case you haven’t heard, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have become proud parents of twins, a boy and a girl. Knox Leon and Vivienne Marcheline are their names and they weighed 5.1 and 5 pounds respectively. Apparently the mother (who was conscious with an epidural during the C-section delivery) the father (who was present, did not faint and cut the umbilical cord) as well as the children are all fine. That takes the number of total Brangelina children (Maddox, 6; Pax, 4; Zahara, 3; and Shiloh, 2 are the others) up to 6 I believe.
Now the other new parents of twins, Jennifer Lopez and Mark Anthony, were the cynosure of all eyes not too long ago. Reportedly the pictures of their twins sold for some 6 million dollars! 
