Leaderboard ad

Passionfruit ads

Sunday 31 October 2010

Diva - goes back to the 'pretty' 1980s

























1980s-inspired florals, pearls, soft pastel pinks, even hints of chambray... it's all here in the Diva 'Floral Fantasy' collection, instore at Diva right now.

To find your nearest store, or for more info, go to:

http://www.diva.net.au/

Samantha Wills purchase - my new summer essential. Lovely.


So I was generously given a voucher to buy up on Samantha Wills pieces, and after much deliberation, this is what I chose.

Nice, eh?

Want a set, too?

Just go here:

http://www.samanthawills.com.au/detail/aquarius-bangle-set-turquoise

It's a wristful of gorgeousness, with both brass bangles and turquoise coloured enamel bangles.

I will be wearing it this summer with a white singlet, or just the brass ones with my nude colured tops. Love.

Communication Shutdown - a global social network shutdown day. Starts at midnight.

So, maybe you've read my piece published on The Punch website on Friday, on why I am supporting the Communication Shutdown day starting in less than an hour.

Here is my piece, below.

I love my kids - as we all do - more than life itself. My decision to be open about what's been happening in our lives was not made without much thought over many weeks.

To take a line from the extraordinary movie about an extraordinary woman, Temple Grandin, my son is "different, not less."

Communication shutdown to promote understanding. (As published on The Punch, Friday 29 October, 2010).

I have always been a great communicator. Sometimes excessively so. My first report card – in kindy - said “Josie talks too much.” I am known to like a good chat. I even studied ‘Communications’ at uni and my job demands constant interaction with people. Social networking sites were made for me: Facebook and Twitter are my daily friends. So when I heard about a ‘Communication Shutdown’ day on November 1 – a chance for silence online for 24 hours – I was intrigued. I read about the cause and then – well, I was completely in. You see, the special day is designed to raise awareness for autism. And as my son was recently diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, I knew it was not only a chance to support a cause I believe in, it was the opportunity for me to tell the world what’s happening with my son – it would only benefit us both by demystifying what autism is and widening my support network.

My son Rafael is a twin. He and his sister Estella will celebrate their third birthday this December. But I knew something was up before he turned two. He said ‘mamma’ plenty before he was one, and then, he just stopped talking. His sister was doing all the usual chatty stuff, but Rafael - not interested. When I got the diagnosis for Rafael, I cried. My tears were all about the fear of the unknown and the thoughts I had surrounding his future – would he go to a ‘normal’ school, would he be bullied – and overwhelmingly, the sadness tapped into my intense guilt. This was mother guilt, amplified by ten. Ever since the twins were just newborns, I have always worked from home, timing my work around naptimes. In awake times, we play, paint, Plasticine, read, run, try to break stuff (them, not me) and yes, sometimes I will answer emails, finish a story, and whack on a Brainy Baby DVD or Hi-5 to help calm and entertain the rambunctious twosome. As soon as I got the diagnosis, I wasted no time in blaming myself. Perhaps I hadn’t spent enough time with him, I thought. This self reproach consumed me, in the midst of my daily work and marriage and life. Deep in my heart, I knew this was untrue: we have structured playtimes and outdoor play and random, spontaneous play. We’ve been going to playgroups since before they were two and my husband has always been heavily involved in parenting and fun interaction.

I didn’t cry for long; it was off to a special, weekly playgroup held by the amazingly dedicated people at Learning Links, weekly speech therapy, a dedicated teacher at daycare, local council ‘speechie’ fortnightly sessions, and continuing the reading and playtime in earnest. Rafael was – and is – making incredible progress. Me, not so much.

To continue reading, go here:

http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/communication-shutdown-to-promote-understanding/

And to support the Communication Shutdown, go here: https://communicationshutdown.org/

It's really easy. Simply donate as little as $5 (which goes towards helping kids with autism in your country) by going here: https://communicationshutdown.org/?view=donate-form

Once you're up (takes one minute to do), your Facebook and Twitter pages will automatically give status updates about the special day. It's actually really fun to relinquish control for 24 hours. Don't worry - if you feel you can't quite live without your social networking pages for one day, you can still 'cheat' and sneak a peek, and no-one will know. The important thing is to show support. With one child being diagnosed with autism globally every 15 seconds (I know, astounding), someone you know may well be affected by autism.

Zumba - the non-workout workout. I'm a fan



I've been Zumba-ing for a few months now and am having a great ol' time. The kilos have seriously melted off - that may also have something to do with the fact I am too stressed and too tired to eat (oops) - but this new fitness regime completely rocks. It's toning without trying.

If you're a mum with kids hanging off you most of the time, pulling out a yoga mat and downward dog-ing is simply not an option.

So, after watching the Zumba infomercials one too many times, I decided to succumb.

I am glad I did. What I love the very most is that I put it on and my two year old twins join in. They both roll around laughing watching mummy have fun and are partial to being held and twirled and try out the moves. What's not to love about bonding time - with an added benefit - with the kiddlywinks?!

You can buy the 'Deluxe' set of DVDs and accessories or the 'Basic' set. Each has a range of workouts, the Zumba toning sticks, and a heart rate watch.

It takes you through your paces with sexy dance steps, pulsating Latin rhythms and easy-to-follow routines, featuring the exotic rhythms of salsa, cumbia, samba, merengue and more. Hooked.

RRP $149.85

Zoe Kravitz - Lenny Kravitz and Lisa Bonet's girl is one to watch

























The daughter of rocker Lenny Kravitz and actress Lisa Bonet is demanding we take notice.

Zoe Kravitz, the stunning 21 year old with impressive DNA is a fully fledged actress and model - I love that she is 1.57m and killing it in ad campaigns for Vera Wang fragrances.

And after her acting turns in No Reservations and The Brave One, she has huge roles coming up, most notably for the 2012 release of Mad Max: Fury Road (currently in pre-production), X-Men: First Class (now filming and to be released in 2011), and Yelling to the Sky (now in post-production and set for a 2011 release).

One of my absolute fave interview highlights so far was my 2002 interview with Lenny Kravitz for Cream magazine. During our chat, he got a phone call and excused himself to take it. I heard a far different side to to the tough, pierced dude - he chatted with his then 12 year old daughter Zoe, and when he resumed the interview with me, he explained that Zoe would ring everytime she heard his song on the radio. She was out with friends, heard his song in the car, and that's just what she did. It was a heartening, very cute moment. Kravitz was an uber-softie after all.

You can read that interview here:

It will be exciting to see just how far this stunning young woman goes - to great heights, no doubt.

Saturday 30 October 2010

Young Me, Now Me: recreating your childhood







I came across this site the other day, profiled by Andrew McClelland, the comedian with a weekly segment on Network Ten's The Circle.

I am all for nostalgia and find this site hilarious.

The concept is to recreate photos from your childhood - the more naff, the better - into today. The sibling ones are the most fun.

You can even submit your own kiddie photo and the one you've recreated to the site for a book the site creators are compiling.

All photos here are reproduced from the site.

Here are more truly funny pics:




Would you recreate your childhood pics? Or those of your kids? Looks like some hilarious results.

Friday 29 October 2010

The View Mark II - new US talk show The Talk


Sara Gilbert - one of the daughters from TV show Roseanne - is now a co-host and executive producer of The Talk, a US talk show which premiered October 18, 2010. Along with Gilbert, Julie Chen, Sharon Osbourne, Holly Robinson Peete, Leah Remini and Marissa Jaret Winokur will be other co-hosts. The show has been drawing obvious comparisons to hugely successful TV show The View.

Interestingly, some early talk in the US about the show has centred on Sara's personal life.

Sara came out as a lesbian earlier this year - she has been in a relationship with Allison Adler since 2002, with Adler giving birth to the couple's son, in October 2004 and Gilbert giving birth to a daughter, in August 2007.

One critic asked why early press materials for the program discussed all the heterosexual panelists' husbands but omitted Sara's partner, TV producer/writer Allison Adler.

"The first place I wanted to (talk about my partner) was not a CBS press release," said Gilbert .

"I really don't feel like I'm a poster child for anything," she said, after the show's press session concluded. "We'll be inclusive and it's not going to be an issue. "

Gilbert has assembled Leah Remini (that firecracker from TV show King of Queens - sooo many people say I remind them of her), Marissa Jaret Winokur (Hairspray), Julie Chen (The Early Show), Sharon Osbourne (America's Got Talent) and Holly Robinson Peete (Celebrity Apprentice) for her cast, focusing the show on mums discussing issues.

At a press session for the show, Remini admitted "sometimes I'm very unlikeable as a person," and insisted her views as a member of the Church of Scientology won't surface in all the show's discussions. "That other thing (Scientology), is not even part of my discussion."

Osbourne (I am not a fan of her, but I know plenty are) cracked up the press room by saying her husband, legendarily rocker Ozzy Osbourne "doesn't even know I'm doing the show. He thinks I've gone to America's Got Talent."

Can't wait until it gets picked up here in Oz! Stay tooned...

Thursday 28 October 2010

That Facebook movie guy on the cover of Nylon Guys magazine


The Social Network‘s Jesse Eisenberg is the November 2010 Nylon Guys magazine cover star.

In the issue, Jesse talks about portraying Facebook founder Marc Zuckerberg in the critically acclaimed flick, The Social Network:

“The really notable thing about the character is that even though he’s seen in that kind of dark light… [The Social Network] creates no doubt in your mind, regardless of how you feel about Zuckerberg, that he was the only one who could have created the website.”

Here are some outtakes from his interview.

On his 40-year-old best friend in Junior High:

"He played my father in a play. We're still good friends."

On his recent travels around the world:

"I like it... I mean I don't really like it while I'm there, but I like having gone. I feel I should be seeing the world, not just reading about it."

Jesses's new film The Social Network is now screening and his next film Zombieland 2 is in development.

Shakira - GQ Spain November 2010 covergirl



Shakira on the cover of GQ Spain November 2010 issue. In a leather bodysuit. And black gloves and heels. And big hair.

That is all.


The Knot - now on-sale


Independent Digital Media (IDM) have launched The Knot magazine, an extension of its popular wedding website TheKnot.com.au and it's on the newsstands now.

The first issue of The Knot magazine features 284 pages bursting with unique ideas and smart advice for brides planning their weddings. The Knot magazine will have a print run of 60,000 and will be distributed nationally via newsagents and online at TheKnot.com.au.

I've had a good read of the mag and I love it, especially the colour-themed bridesmaid fashion ideas and the gorgeous beauty pages - and I'm not even getting married!

The Knot magazine and TheKnot.com.au are both edited by Alicia Richardson, former Editor of Westfield’s whatswhat.com.au, who also brings editorial experience from Elle Magazine (US and Australia) and Bloomingdale’s B Magazine.

“The Knot magazine builds on the successful launch of TheKnot.com.au, and is an exciting step for the brand to reach and assist even more brides,” says Richardson.

“Our brides on TheKnot.com.au are insatiable for wedding information, so between The Knot website and The Knot magazine, we can now connect with brides both online and offline,” says Richardson.

Marina Go, Publisher for IDM says, “We have produced different content specifically for The Knot magazine and TheKnot.com.au, addressing the needs of brides who are researching their weddings across multiple media platforms.”

“The Knot has developed a highly engaged online audience, and now brides can connect with The Knot via www.TheKnot.com.au, The Knot iPhone app, The Knot Shop, and The Knot Magazine,” says Go.

The Knot magazine Summer 2010/11 issue features:

275+ GORGEOUS GOWNS
Styles for every bride and budget

BEST REAL WEDDINGS
Real weddings, real advice, real inspiration

SMART WAYS TO SAVE
(No one will notice!)

MAKE YOUR WEDDING UNIQUE WITH COLOUR
Invites, flowers, décor, cakes

It's $14.95 and on-sale now - the best part is you can easily pop it in your handbag. An essential companion for bridal planning.

Wednesday 27 October 2010

If you're easily offended, don't read this...











Modern Toss: for years I've enjoyed the antics of this mad British duo - I'd read one of their animated, filthy language-filled books during magazine deadline with my work buddy Hannah Hempenstall in such hysterics, we actually had to be 'separated' and told to get back to work.

And recently I got the chance to interview the nutty twosome behind the witty, crude antics for awesome digital mag WordyMofo.

You can read this here. If swearing offends you, don't go there... but I encourage you to. Editor of WordyMofo Michael Adams interviews my comedic hero Joel McHale (from E!'s The Soup) and the entire issue is pretty damn impressive.

See the Modern Toss piece here:

And the whole freakin' amazing issue here:

I am a real fan of obscene humour and Modern Toss fits the bill. For more, see:

And on this post are some fine examples of Modern Toss's razor sharp wit - the cleaner ones, but no less hilarious.

Tuesday 26 October 2010

What's your Flash Forward moment? Here's mine.








This post is sponsored by Nuffnang, www.nuffnang.com.au

Remember when ‘Flash Forward’ hit our TV screens not so long ago? Did you get into the series? I did, and as I watched I found myself likening my life to a series of Flash Forward moments.

My pregnancy was one huge flash forward moment for me; more specifically, when I found out I was having twins. Quite literally, my whole [future] life flashed before me.

What would rearing twins be like? How would I cope? Why had I been ‘chosen’ to be the mother of multiples? Would I ever sleep again? What about time to enjoy a proper meal? It was all a bit of a blur, but I came-to the moment one twin, then the other (18 minutes later) was placed on my chest. There was no more time to contemplate. It was all systems go in twinnie world!

Fast forward almost three years later and my flash forward-style musings have all been put to rest. There is not a moment at all to live in any kind of fantasy world. In the beginning, I must admit it was difficult to reconcile my old life and my brand new (sleep-deprived) one. But I am grateful for plenty, daily: two kids who fill my life with immeasurable joy and the occasional headache.

When Flash Forward hit our small screens, it was heralded as a show like no other. The plot goes something like this: out of nowhere, a mysterious flash causes nearly everyone in the world to lose consciousness and gain a glimpse of his or her life six months into the future. As one elite FBI unit attempts to solve the mystery, the rest of the world’s population soon discovers that, when it comes to destiny, nothing is set in stone.

And now, you can now relive every suspenseful moment of Flash Forward on DVD; the entire series can now be purchased.

The DVD release delves even deeper into the mind-bending story with compelling special features, including an in-depth look at the entire series from pilot to final episode and inside stories from the cast and crew. Like any TV-to-DVD series, you can relive every brilliant moment - uninterrupted. Get comfy on the couch: it’s a six-disc collection. Weekend lockdown!

And readers of Josie’s Juice can win a copy of the Flash Forward DVD set! Simply click ‘follow’ on the blog, tell us about your Flash Forward-style experience, and you will go in the running to win a copy of series 1 of Flash Forward on DVD. Just write your reply in the comments section below, or send your answer to: josiegags@optusnet.com.au

Don’t forget to leave a return email address if replying on the blog, and your full name. Competition is open to Australian residents only.

For more information about Flash Forward and other TV shows on DVD, go to the TV4ME website: www.tv4meondvd.com.au

Flash Foward is available now at all good DVD retailers Get yours now.




Monday 25 October 2010

The evolution of Supre - new store opens this Thursday at Westfield Pitt St Sydney






Supre and I - we go way back.

When I was in my first year of uni in - cough - 1990, it was THE destination for basics, trackie dacks, and cotton separates. I often wore cute stripey Supre tops with my so-in Levis 501s and Doc Martens. Sometimes I wore entire Supre get-ups like my white and black tracksuit. It was tres chic. Or more accurately, the real beginnings of cheap chic.

My uni mate Rochelle and I then discovered the huge Supre factory outlet at Marrickville. And did we stock up. "Five bucks!" we'd exclaim, amidst the circular racks. "Three for ten bucks!" Cool, we'll grab six!

I have only just seen there is a new Supre factory outlet right near my place now. Of course, I am so going. I will have to wait until Rochelle gives birth to her third child tomorrow (seriously) and I can get time away from my rambunctious almost-three twins. Times have changed from those carefree, not a care in the world days.

They've changed for the brand, too.

Going from a tad-daggy to ahead of the high street, they now offer catwalk interpretations super-quick.

Their new collection shows their strength in designer-style pieces; I really want those cool-shade-of-brown drawstring slouchy pants.

When they opened their Sydney flagship store in the iconic old Gowings site - on the corner of George Street and Market Street - a few years ago, I was pretty chuffed.

And now, whoa! Their newest, monster project is the Supre store at the brand-spanking new Westfield Sydney complex, which opens this Thursday October 28.

Insiders tell me it is decked out in an 'urban landscape' theme. Think skate ramp, playhouse, climbing frame and floor-lit stepping stones! Add giant media columns, flashing the latest looks to be inspired by, and it'll soon be a fashion-savvy / thrifty girl's numero uno shopping destination.

Constantly replenished stock means those wanting a consistent fashion fix will be satisfied.

Let me at it! Supre: in the words of me-back-at-uni-as-an-18-year-old... you're the best.

See: www.supre.com.au