Celebrity Skin Care – Enjoy Beautiful Skin Like Your Favorite Celebrities

30-06-2010 by admin



Have you ever wondered how some of Hollywood’s most famous actors, celebrities, and super models maintain young, smooth, and beautiful skin? Many Hollywood stars elect to have expensive surgeries or purchase exotic products that cost a fortune in order to obtain and maintain beautiful skin. Fortunately, attaining beautiful skin is not as complicated or expensive as you might think. In fact, today there are many high profile celebrities using natural remedies as part of their skin care regimens. These natural and organic skin care remedies are great for regular people living on a tight budget.

It Starts With Prevention

Celebrity skin care begins with prevention and protection from the sun. Many celebrities, like Nicole Kidman, who have fair skin, are reducing their sun exposure. Over exposure to the sun’s damaging UV rays can cause major damage to your skin. Most notably, wrinkles, redness, fine lines and premature aging. To offset these conditions, choose skin care products with SPF protection. Today, many sunscreen products contain natural and organic ingredients along with antioxidants to provide anti-aging benefits. Skin care products that provide good SPF protection are produced as creams, sprays, or fluids to make application easier. Also, if you are involved in various outdoor activities, look for waterproof or sweat-proof properties in your sunscreen.
If you spent a day in the sun without any protection, there is still hope for your skin. Use after-sun skin care products to protect your skin from the damages caused by the sun. Many of these products are designed to re-hydrate and moisturize sun damaged skin. Damages like premature aging, wrinkles, brown spots, and sagging. Like the Hollywood stars, you need to adjust your lifestyle from one that’s sun worshipping, to one that avoids lengthy sun exposure.

Thyme For Beautiful Skin

When looking for a natural and inexpensive way to give your face a fresh look, try the herb thyme. It is an effective way to keep your skin healthy. It has potent antioxidant properties, and helps tone your skin. Holly Robinson Peete steams her face with thyme once a month for its cleansing and relaxing effects on her skin. After boiling a few sprigs of thyme in water, Holly pours the steaming water into a bowl, tenting a towel over her head, allowing the steam to cleanse her face for a few minutes. As smooth and clear as Holly’s skin is, it is easy to see why she has this in her skin care regimen. Thyme works by widening clogged pores and softening your skin in order to cleanse the makeup, impurities and dead skin cells off of your face. Once a week, boil a pan of water with the herb, and steam your face for ten to fifteen minutes. The result will be clear and fresh complexion.

Exfoliate To Renew

After a good thyme steam cleansing, follow it up with a gentle exfoliation. Exfoliation removes dead skin cells that cause the face to appear dull. The build up of dead skin cells can also contribute to the blockage of pores, causing acne to develop. Facial scrubs remove the dead skin, in turn, cleansing the skin. When exfoliating, choose a mild exfoliant that suits your particular skin type, and do circular movements avoiding your eyes. Generally, you should exfoliate for only two or three minutes only. However, too much exfoliation will irritate your skin. Exfoliation is a key reason why Natalie Portman has such a youthful and radiant glow. In your quest for beautiful skin, exfoliation must be a priority in your skin care treatments.

Moisturize For Softness

Always use a light moisturizer after cleansing your face. Skin that is well moisturized is soft and supple. Your skin will also age more slowly and radiate a healthy glow when properly moisturized. Be sure to apply extra moisturizer to dry spots. However, remember that too much moisturizer can lead to clogged pores and blackheads. Stephanie Seymour keeps her complexion clear using a moisturizer with a SPF-15. It gives her skin a silky appearance, and won’t clog her pores. Remember, moisturizing is an important function of your daily skin care regimen in your pursuit of beautiful skin.

Beautiful Skin Awaits You

Having beautiful skin is not limited to the rich and famous. There are skin care methods used by A-list celebrities that won’t blow your budget out of the water. As with anything, consistency is the key. Follow these simple skin care remedies, and you will be on your way to having beautiful skin. Perhaps like your favorite celebrity.

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Gossip Boy Chace Crawford Goes Shirtless

by admin



As one of the leading male stars on the set of Gossip Girl, Chace takes on the part of Nate Archibald and as expected, perfectly portrays the character’s complex role in the elite Manhattan Upper East Side. His charisma and strong presence on screen is irrefutable and fans all over the globe are raving about his every appearance in each episode. Shirtless of fully clothed, for fans, Chace Crawford is still worth the chase.

The 23-year-actor is not entirely new to exposing his body on screen. Having been a model himself, Chace has been experienced in taking his shirt off for shoots and being plunged into hunkdom also entails for him to go bare-chested most of the time. This is especially true for his role in the very racy and risqu

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Actors – How To Get A Talent Agent

17-06-2010 by admin



Many aspiring actors imagine the first step in building their showbiz careers is to “be discovered” by a talent agent. While a talent agent will eventually be important to your career, there are several very important steps you must take before an agent will even consider working with you. In this article, I’ll examine the very first step: training.

While it may seem like an obvious first step, many aspiring actors fail to consider training. I suppose they think they’ll develop their acting skills once they’ve been “discovered” and are on the set of their favorite Disney channel show. Unfortunately, that’s not how it works. You must first learn to act before anyone will hire you.

Think about it this way: You would never expect to play basketball for the Los Angeles Lakers if you had never picked up a basketball, would you? The steps to playing professional ball are exactly the same steps to becoming a professional actor.

First, you learn the game. You work with coaches. You develop the fundamental skills by practicing every day, day after day, for years. Nobody would expect to be hired by the Lakers with no experience and then learn to play basketball “on the job”, would they? That sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it?

And yet that’s exactly what many aspiring actors expect. They dream of being discovered by a high powered agent and skyrocketing to fame before they’ve even learned how to act.

Step One: Learn to Act

Acting is just like everything else we do in life… it takes practice to do it well. Talent and desire are important, but without training, an actor will never survive in cities like Los Angeles and New York, where competition is fierce. Every day you’re competing against the very best of the best. You think your desire for acting success is greater than everyone else’s? Well, your competition in the big cities not only has the desire, they’ve also spent years training.

They’ve studied acting for years, they’ve done countless workshops, they’ve worked with acting coaches, they’ve appeared in numerous unpaid “independent” films, they’ve done hundreds or even thousands of performances. If it sounds intimidating, well… don’t dismay. Even the biggest stars in Hollywood were beginners once. The most important thing is to take action. Sign up for an acting class. Join a workshop. Volunteer at a local theater. It’s good to dream about a successful showbiz career, but don’t let it end there. You must take action.

The most successful actors continue to work with acting coaches well after they’ve begun making their living at it. Even the actors on Seinfeld worked with “dialogue coach”, Judy Kerr. When you realize that even the actors on one of the most successful shows of all time are working to improve their skills every day, you’ll begin to understand the importance of training.

Before you worry about signing with a “big shot” talent agent and becoming a star, first begin training. Work every day to improve your skills. Practice every chance you get. Work with teachers and coaches and directors. You absolutely must develop strong acting skills to succeed in showbiz.

Imagine a young Shaquille O’Neil saying, “I want to play in the NBA one day, so the first step is to get an agent!”

If he’d said that instead of going out and practicing his skills, he would never have made it.

First, learn to play the game.

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Musicals Thriving in London’s West End

08-06-2010 by admin



There have been several high profile musical productions debuting in the West End recently to varying degrees of critical acclaim. But, regardless of whether the autumn openings continue their runs into 2008, musicals look set to dominate the West End box office over the next few years.

Prominent amongst the successful new shows unveiled recently include ‘Hairspray’. The musical opened in late October in London’s West End to rave reviews and has recently extended its run by seven months as a result. First opened on Broadway in August 2002 at the Simons Theatre where it is still playing to packed audiences this American import is now booking until 25th October 2008 at the Shaftesbury Theatre. West End veteran warbler Michael Ball stars as cross-dresser Edna Turnblad with comedian-turned-actor Mel Smith supporting as “her husband” Wilbur and newcomer Leanne Jones plays Tracy, their daughter. Following its success on Broadway, Hairspray has been made into a Hollywood feature film starring John Travolta.

Indeed, productions based on films, or vice-versa, appear to be all the rage in the West End. Dirty Dancing, another recent addition to the West End theatres, has also extended its booking period until April 2009, after a successful opening in late October. Writer of the film’s screenplay Eleanor Bergstein used her own childhood experiences of holidaying with her family in the Catskills in the USA as the basis of the story and has successfully adapted it for this stage production. Josef Brown, who played the lead in the Australian production of 2004, stars as Johnny joined by Sarah Manton as Baby.

Another former film now gracing the West End stage ‘Desperately seeking Susan’, which originally starred Madonna and Rosanna Arquette in the celluloid version, is not doing quite so well in the stage adaptation that features the music of Blondie. The production recently premiered at the Novello Theatre and is currently booking until mid-April 2008, although judging by the unfavourable reviews it may ultimately record a shorter run that that.

Conversely, Grease is taking the West End by storm. Originally a 70’s film musical starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John, this production has made a successful transition to the West End stage and looks set to enjoy a long run until the end of the decade.

As well as modern musicals, classics such as Andrew Lloyd-Webber’s Joseph have undergone a successful revival thanks to the BBC talent show ‘Any dream will do’ which has given 26-year-old winner Lee Mead the starring role in his West End debut. That must be one of the best theatre breaks for a young actor since the last BBC talent winner Connie Fisher captured the lead role of Maria in the Sound of Music!

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What’s in a Name? Giving Birth to your Characters

02-06-2010 by admin



So you’ve got your plot outlined, a title lined up and the research is done. You’re ready to start writing your novel. But wait. Now comes the fun part: creating names for your characters. One of the best things about being a writer–besides the innate ability to create imaginary worlds–is giving birth to a character and then bestowing a name upon him or her. True, you didn’t carry the character in your womb for nine months (especially if you’re male). But he or she could’ve been in your head for nine months…or nine years. So choosing a name for your characters seems almost as important as the one you would give your own child.

The name you decide on will dictate the reader’s perception of that character, so select wisely. If your character is an agoraphobic scientist, he or she should not be named Brittany or Rick. Does this bunch of hoo-hah sound familiar to you? Raise your hand now, don’t be shy. I thought so. Now let me remove the rose-colored sunglasses so you all can see the harsh light of reality. The reality being that having a common name conjures up a stereotypical image. What picture forms in your head when you hear the name Tiffany? Pretty, popular, blonde-haired cheerleader? What about the name Melvin? Skinny guy with glasses and a pocket protector? Now what comes to mind when you hear something unique like Lyric? Or Dax?

We as writers have been blessed with a wonderful gift. We are a rare species unto ourselves in such a way that we can build alternate realities for the public to enter. We are storytellers that pull ideas out of our bu-that is-minds, invent our own language even, and the only names we can come up with for our characters are Johns, Susans, Kathleens, and Sams? Unacceptable. These are perfectly good names, don’t get me wrong, but they’re safe names. I used to be in an online critique group and someone said that if your main character has an unusual name, the secondary characters should have more common names; that way, it won’t be so confusing to the reader. My initial response wasn’t printable, but I can tell you that it sort of went a little like this: “Who died and made you Ruler of the Writing World? Heaven forbid we throw our readers a curve ball every once in a while.”

It’s called variety, folks. In the Dictionary, this word is defined as “the quality or condition of being various or varied; diversity.” If you don’t step outside your comfort zone and offer your readers some different flavors, you’re not going to sell any books. I decided from the get-go that all the characters in my books were going to have unique names. I wanted to stand out from the pack and dance my own little jig. So here are some suggestions on finding primo names for your characters:

1) Books, Magazines, and Newspapers – These are wonderful sources. In magazines and newspapers, a story, a self-help column or even a product ad could house a name that would be worth writing down. People use baby books to choose names for their children, so why not do the same for your characters? These books can be very in-depth, stating the meaning of the name as well as its origin. I’ve used The Writer’s Digest Character Naming Sourcebook (1994, Sherrilyn Kenyon with Hal Blythe and Charlie Sweet). It features more than 20,000 first and last names and their meanings from around the world: Norse, Slavic, Teutonic, Arthurian Legend Names, and more.

I’ve also discovered the hidden cache of names in other people’s books. I’m severely addicted to the adult romance books that come out every month: Harlequin Blaze and Temptation, and Silhouette Desire. And my favorite authors are Janelle Denison, Kristine Grayson, Carly Phillips, and Julie Kenner. Every once in a while, I’ll find a name in their books that I can add to my continually growing list. Science fiction, time travel and fantasy books are good for names as well.

2) Walk of Fame – Hollywood actors and actresses may have been born with common names like Julia and Brad, but that doesn’t mean their offspring have to suffer the same fate. Will and Jada Smith’s children: Willow and Jaden; Demi Moore’s girls: Scout LaRue, Rumer Glen and Tallulah Belle; Gwenyth Paltrow’s daughter: Apple Blythe; John Travolta and Kelly Preston’s son: Jett; Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke’s son: Ronin. Singer Brandi’s daughter: Sy’rai; Thomas Jane (The Punisher) and Rosanna Arquette’s daughter: Harlow.

Even some famous faces were lucky enough to have been born with one-of-a-kind names: Keanu Reeves, Jude Law, Jada Pinkett-Smith, Macaulay Culkin, Kiefer Sutherland, Oprah Winfrey.

3) Movies and Television Shows – This avenue isn’t as unorthodox as you might think. I guarantee someone out there could come forward and claim, “I was named after some character on a soap opera.” Ridge and Thorne Forrester, The Bold and The Beautiful; Topanga Morris, Boy Meets World; Teal’c, Stargate SG-1; Leelou, The Fifth Element (my favorite movie of all time); Blade, Ellora Danan, Willow; Teela, He-Man cartoons. Need I say more?

4) Daily Life – For almost two years, I worked the night shift, keying medical claims. Due to that job, I now have a nice long two-paged list of boys and girls names. You would not believe how many wonderfully unusual names I came across every time I flipped a page: Princess, Precious, Treasure, Oreo, Malachi, Ashanti, Treyvon, Diabolique (for real!), Natividad…the list goes on and on. Just think. You could be sitting at your desk, standing in line at the grocery store/coffee shop/fast food joint, listening to a song on the radio, eavesdropping on a conversation, or talking to your neighbor and the next thing you know, you’re bombarded with names for your characters. Being a writer, one can only hope that you’re aware of your surroundings at all times and can see a potential story in everything that goes on around you.

5) Character Naming Contest/Vote – I did this for my third book, which will be Book One in a teen series I’m creating. I had about four different combinations of a name I was trying to come up with for my main character. I sent an email out to my co-workers, close friends and family, asking them to vote on the name they liked best. The name that got the most votes became the name for my character. In return, I’ll be including a special thank-you on the Dedication Page of the book. Although there are too many names to print, if they buy the book, they’ll know they had a hand in choosing the name of the character. If you go the contest route, offer the winner a free copy of the book, a special gift, etc. If anything, you’ll get plenty of names for future books.

I attended a book festival in Prescott, AZ last year. A mother and daughter came up to my table, read the back covers of both books, then walked away. A half hour later, they came back and purchased my first book (Secrets and Kisses) because the female character’s name was Skylar. For whatever reason, the name meant something to that young girl. It could’ve been her name, the name of her friend, a relative…who knows? The point is, your readers are going to appreciate an “anomalous, exceptional, extraordinary, far out, incomparable, inimitable, special, standout, strange, uncommon” name. Now, you are ready to begin writing your novel. Your character has been born, breathing passages cleared (nice set of lungs there), weighed, measured…and awaiting a name. Get creative, step outside the box and remember… a rose by any other name should be something besides Tom, Dick, Harry and Jane.

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