Category: LG of the Jury

LG of the Jury – Gaga vs. Perry

It’s time for court again y’all.

This time we’re taking it to the stage. We got Miss Katy Perry and Lady Gaga. Both are performers who appreciate a costume. From Gaga’s Kermit dress and elephant headpiece, to Perry’s banana boats and strawberry bustiers.

Gaga was quoted in saying:

“A girl’s got to use what she’s given, and I’m not going to make a guy drool the way a Britney video does,” Gaga (in London) has said of her outlook on style. “I take it to extremes… It’s meant to make guys think: ‘I don’t know if this is sexy or just weird.'” (source)

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Lady Gaga


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Katy Perry

Photo Credit: Gaga Credit: Dave Hogan/Getty Image Perry Credit: Jeff Kravitz/Film Magic & UsMagazine

So my dear Ladies and Gents of the Jury the question I’m asking is this – whose wacky style is set for stage and whose is set for the loony bin? Do you like both? Do you think they’re both guilty and Sonny & Cher remain king and queen?

What’s your verdict?


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LG of the Jury: To Retouch or Not to Retouch?

Did y’all hear about the drama going on with Self Magazine and Kelly Clarkson’s September issue? A lot of people are abuzz about how much she was photoshopped for the cover, especially for an article that was to promote staying true to yourself.

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Photo credit: SELF Magazine

The editor of the magazine found the backlash to be significant enough to issue a response. This is what she said:

Last Friday, the Internet was abuzz with the fact that I answered the question, did you Photoshop the September issue cover photo of Kelly Clarkson? with the answer: Yes. Of course we do retouching (though it’s technically not Photoshop, but that is semantics). We correct color and other aspects of the digital pictures we take and then publish the best version we can.

Check out the rest of her response here.

Now I know this is a practice by many magazines. It is hard to not remove some pimples here and there, and other imperfections that really – separate it from a photo shoot and a paparazzi/candid shot. But there’s a much bigger difference when the person is so seriously altered that they practically look like a different person.

Currently, Olay came under much scrutiny for their photo shoot with model Twiggy, where her real life photographs versus her photo shoot posed some serious differences. So much that the British government is considering banning photoshopping (though appropriate for MOJ!).

In the past, Kate Winslet argued being photoshopped to an unrealistic image in Vanity Fair. Jessica Alba was photographed for a Campari ad, where they even digitally moved the positioning of her knee. And of course, Kim Kardashian had some retouching done for her Complex magazine photo shoot. In this case Kim supported the photoshopping and justified it to be the same as removing redeye from family photos.

Here’s the Self video from the shoot (though they conveniently don’t have any clear footage of her below the belt)…

I am a flip-flopper on this issue. I know it gets done, but I like it done to a minimum. I’ll agree to a “perfect skin tone” touch up, but not to a “half the body misconstrued.” I also think being that the issue had a “staying true to yourself” theme, they should’ve kept it to a serious minimum and used minimizers like Spanx and ruching, and crafty posing… ya know?

What about you Ladies & Gents of the Jury? What’s your verdict on photoshopping in general, and/or on this case alone?


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Ladies & Gents of the Jury – Dereon Fall 09

I love me some Beyonce y’all.

Now I know we don’t live in a perfect world, but something that people have heard me tsk tsk at a lot lately is the negativity and hate. I always wonder why it gives people so much joy to put other people down. Most often out of speculation and of their own low confidence. What we need to be doing is motivating and pushing each other to succeed!

I think Beyonce gets a lot of that hate, but if there are others like me out there, the good sure outweighs the bad. I always look at her and say what great things she has done for herself and how well she carries herself as a name, a woman, a business, and a brand. I also always shake my head in amazement and say I have got to commend her marketing team because they are on it. I have come to realize more and more recently that it runs in the family as I’ve started to pay much closer attention to her sister Solange. But that’s a story for another day.

The case out for the jury is this – the Fall 2009 Dereon advertisement.

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Let me put in my two cents and say that I was reading GIANT magazine to support Celia from SickaThanAverage.com for her Maxwell interview, and came across this ad. It was on two pages and I damn near ripped the magazine in half flattening it out so I could see the whole thing. I was giggling and showed everyone in the house how hot this ad looked. I’m clearly loving it.

And you Ladies & Gents of the Jury? What’s your verdict?

While you’re at it- feel free to check out the Dereon items on their site:

Dereon (eFashion Solutions)

Magazine Katy

Order in the Court!

I bring you Ladies and Gents of the Jury here today because we have a repeat offender. Katy Perry has graced (in the past year) at least 17 magazine covers. The range goes from Cosmopolitan, Seventeen, Missbehave, Flare, Nylon, Complex, Glamour, FHM, the list is endless!

Katy Perry Cosmopolitan Magazine Cover August 2009Katy Perry Nylon Magazine Cover August 2009Katy Perry Glamour Magazine Cover July 2009
Katy Perry Seventeen Magazine Cover July 2009Katy Perry Joepie Magazine Cover April 2009Katy Perry Cosmopolitan Magazine Cover August 2009
Katy PerryKaty Perry Complex Magazine Cover July 2009Katy Perry FHM Magazine Cover January 2009

But let me be not my own hypocrite, but My Own Judge 🙂 I am a fan of Miss Perry, and despite being happy for her succeeding to snag so many covers in the span of one year (She’s on three August covers alone)- I would like more variety in the magazine selections.

What’s your verdict Ladies and Gents of the Jury?

Is it a genius’ manipulation, or over saturation?

LiLo gets to workin’

Does anyone remember this – when Lindsay Lohan was featured in an ad for Fornarina… an Italian company that is very much like the American Wet Seal…. if not – take a quick peek at the video

Now, Lilo has continued her contract with them for another campaign.

Lindsay Lohan’s Fornarina Campaign Is Out

Photo credit: Fornarina & NYMag

Ladies & Gents of the Jury – let me hear it all!

21 Reasons to Judge

Back with another courtroom puzzle.

Forever 21 originally started as an inexpensive clothing store that offered deals on the current trends. The store has grown equally in the past years as a bran as it has with the number of the locations they possess.

Now, to add to the men’s line, as well as sections of F21 such as Heritage 1981, Twelve by Twelve, etc. comes the new collection “Forever 21 Twist – the Cirque Collection“

Here are some images for the new line.

Click on the images to check out the rest of the lookbook and to shop the website!

But most importantly, my dear Ladies and Gents of the Jury –

What is your verdict for Cirque 21?

Ready to Judge

Not Ready to Wear. Super Couture. So Couture, it’s Couture for Fall. Because you’ll fall for it!!

Cornball moment done.

But the truth has come out- if you’re not ready to wear, you’ve got to be ready to judge.

Photo Credits: NYMag.com & the respective designers/photographers

All pictures and names are linked, click to see the rest!

So Ladies & Gents of the Jury – tell me who rocked your socks!

Man! What a Jury!

Ladies & Gents of the Jury!

Step up to plate for the Menswear Spring 2010 John Galliano snippets.

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Manly models

And the genius himself.

I am always and forever in love with Galliano’s imagination and theatrics. And yet, what is your verdict my pretties?

Follow up ??: Did y’all understand the inspiration and themes?

Photo Credit: Men.Style.com & John Galliano/Marcio Madeira



Judge this!

Not too long ago, I was reading Life & Style magazine and the cover was all about the “drama” of Megan Fox vs. Angelina Jolie. The claims are that as Angelina gets older, Megan is deliberately stealing her spotlight and possible roles. This was highlighted by a statement from the Lara Croft crew – saying that they wanted Megan to do the next sequel b/c she is younger. Around the same time, Miss Fox had an interview with Entertainment Weekly in which she showed no amusement with the comparison. You can also check it out here from UsWeekly.

So I don’t know if y’all know this about me – but as much as I may read tabloids, it pretty much just slides off my shoulders once I’m done. A lot of it is good and quick entertainment on a subway ride, or in the bathroom (yeah I said it!). Ultimately, the media always makes something big out of nothing, and generally all the time us being outsiders to situations of the rich and ludicrous :)~ just means that we only know what we see.

But let’s be superficial.

I’m going to show you the cover of the mag. Then, I’m going to show you Angie at the Cannes Film Festival, followed by Megan Fox at the Transformers premiere in Germany (red) and Tokyo (purple). Your job, Ladies & Gents of the Jury is to decide if this is a case of the copycat or the leggy sexmachines.

Ready?

Photo Credit: Life & Style & HotCelebsHome.Com

Your verdict?

LG: Crazy Boys

Welcome back to another serving of Ladies and Gents of the Jury. Last week, we extended our judgement to the men, and this week we might just let them stay longer.

I couldn’t decide if I wanted to make two posts out of this or one, but alas – I consolidated into one.

This week Miss Yaya (man I love talking about myself in third person lol) is perplexed with men and their nutty photo shoots. There’s Bruce Willis with his new wife Emma for W who appears to be channeling his Live Free or Die Hard empire (with the emphasis on hard??) and Sacha Baron Cohen aka Brüno for GQ (a la Maxim/Playboy?).

While one photo shoot is meant to be edgy and dramatic (fyi- some pictures not safe for work), the other appeals to our funny bone. But did either of them hit the spot?

Click here for the: article, Bruce & Emma on the shoot.

Clip from behind the scenes:

“W’s fashion assistants attest that the actor, … requested dumbbells for some last minute tune-ups. “It was challenging because we had literally just come from this great honeymoon period of eating great food all the time!” says Bruce…

Adds Emma, “We’d been going to dinner every day, drinking, enjoying not having to work out or think about the job or taking off our clothes on camera.”

“Vanity dies hard,” says Bruce with his trademark smirk. ‘It really does.’ “


an excerpt from the GQ interview with Brüno on Style.com:

“Dear Brüno, if forced to choose: Dolce or Gabbana?
Gabbana. Dolce is bald, so zere’s no hair to grab hold of.

Dear Brüno, can men wear heels? When and why?
Of course. Some guys look great in heels—ze singer Pink, for example. Alzo, mein last boyfreund, Diesel, vas a genuine Pygmy only three eight, so ich made him vear heels so he could give me plow jops mitout me having to bend mein knees.

Dear Brüno, I am shocked by the cost of jeans these days. I saw one pair that retailed for $700—how is that possible?
Zat’s ze great thing abaus ze recession—stores are cutting zeir prices.“

Click around for more photos from the W shoot & the GQ shoot.

Photo Credits: Steven Klein for W a la WMagazine.com & Mark Seliger for GQ a la Style.com

I have to say I warmed up to the W photo shoot the more I read the article, though I still am not a fan of it, while the GQ article amused me and the photos hit more of a flat note…

Your verdict?