The Latest

If you don't know already, GWYNETH PALTROW has gone back to being a blonde.  After keeping her hair a particularly unflattering shade of dark brown (at least on her) for an inexplicably long time, she has once again adopted a lighter hue.  It isn't, however, quite the same blonde that you are used to seeing on Gwyneth.  Rather than the familiar sun streaked, light honey blonde she used to wear, the new color is best described as dirty blonde.  Think I'm being insulting here in the more objective section?  Ok, then what color would YOU say it is?

Before	After

FLEA'S CALL:   Ok, maybe I was being a tiny bit insulting in the more objective part, since I don't think I've never heard "dirty blonde" used as a complimentary description.  And it's not in this case either.  I mean, heck, hasn't she ever seen a photo of herself?  I would think she would have stumbled across one that pictured a more complimentary shade than this.  Anyway, I'm assuming this is for a movie role, since I can't imagine that Gwyenth would have chosen this shade to gain readmission to the Tribe of Yellow Hairs (and, yes, I think I've officially run out of ways to say "blonde" now). 

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On the opposite end of the spectrum, we have EMILY ERWIN ROBISON, better know as "the Dixie Chick with the long hair".  Well, that description can now be expanded to "the Dixie Chick with the long, dark hair".  As you probably saw at the Grammies, Emily has returned to her natural brunette color and adopted the more trendy center-parted (ok, slightly to the side), stick straight style.  Hey, at least she's not wearing extensions.  

Before	After

FLEA'S CALL:   After getting over the intial shock of the color change, I have to say that I think it looks terrific.  And I'm pretty sure my affinity for brunettes isn't influencing that opinion because I thought she was a very attractive blonde as well.  My only complaint would be that the color is just a little flat, but I'll overlook that for now.  I just think it says a lot for Emily that she can wear blonde and brunette equally well, since it's not that easy to do (right, Gwyneth?).

On a side note, did you notice that NATALIE MAINES, the lead singer, has grown out the super short crop she adopted during this past summer's Lilith Fair?  As usual, it's amazing what a positive difference just a little change in length can make.

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As long as we are talking about recovering from bad Lilith Fair haircuts, let's check in on my girl, SHERYL CROW.  Sheryl had pretty much dropped from sight since her big Central Park gig last Fall, so I, like many of you, had been wondering (and hoping) that she had seen the error in her ways and was growing those fabulous curls back.  Well, it appears that she has heard the pleas from her fans (uh huh, sure) and has, indeed, been letting her hair grow.  When she accepted her latest Grammy this year (I think she's won at least one every year she's been nominated, which is pretty darn impressive), she was wearing her brown locks in a very layered shoulder-length style.  Not curly, but the length shows that she has only barely trimmed it, if she's cut it at all, since last Fall.  

Then	Now

FLEA'S CALL:  And there was much rejoicing.  As loyal readers know, I had been chronicling Sheryl's ever shortening locks in a slowly growing depression which peaked with her "Miss Hathaway of 'The Beverly Hillbillies'" crop at Lilith Fair.  So, you can imagine the great joy and excitement I felt when I first saw her new, longer 'do.  Sure the style leaves a lot to be desired, but it's multiple times more attractive than the previous semi-pixie and definitely moving in the right direction.  Thus, Sheryl gets cut a great deal of slack for now...unless she cuts it again.

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This isn't exactly cutting edge news, but as long as I'm talking about people growing their hair out after unfortunate short cuts, I should give you an update on MILLA JOVOVICH.  If you remember (and as I reported), Milla had cut her hair extremely short to portray Joan of Arc in this past Summer's "The Messenger".  Since then, she has been letting it grow, though she has also been keeping it cut into a style rather than allowing to go unchecked.  Currently, it is in a medium-layered, chin-length style that's not quite a bob and not quite a shag (though it's closer to the latter than the former).   

Then	Now

FLEA'S CALL:  Though I prefer Milla with bangs, this look is still rather complimentary.  It really has the feel of a transition style, though I'm not sure what her end goal is.  If you are wondering what I mean by "transition", picture when you paint a room and before the paint dries you're thinking that you hope it doesn't dry THAT color and it then turns out to match your ottoman after all and looks great.  In other words, it may not look exactly right now, but it's much better in the end. Anyway, I doubt it's a return to her super long days of old, but I wouldn't be surprised if she let it get below her shoulders.  Personally, I think she looks best with her hair from about neck to chin length in about any style, and since Milla seems willing to do about anything to her hair for a role, I wouldn't be surprised if it end up back there soon.

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Another lovely actress who is growing her hair is NIA LONG.  Nia has been in several movies recently, though is probably best known for her role in the recent "The Best Man".  She has also been very recognizable for the head-hugging crop she has worn for the past couple of years.  Well, it appears she has been growing it out recently as you can see from the pictures below.  Last fall, it was long enough to be styled into a flippy (yes, flippy), layered bob and has since grown out to shag length.  

Then	Growing...	Now

FLEA'S CALL:  Nia is one those women in the Halle Berry category that looks terrific in short hair, but can really wear her hair at any length she wants and still look great.  You know, the kind of woman most other women hate.  Anyway, though it's an old refrain that you should be able to sing along with me, it's applicable yet again: Since Nia has a round to oval face, the length below the chin that the shag provides helps to de-emphasize the roundness, making it the more flattering choice.  But, like I said, since it's more of a wide oval than truly round, short also works for her.  Wishy-washy?  Who's being wishy-washy?

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In the new movie "Mission To Mars", you probably won't recognize CONNIE NEILSEN, even though odds are very good that you've seen her before.  You most likely remember her with long, below the shoulder hair in some shade of red in either "The Devil's Advocate" or "Soldier".  In the former, she was Keanu Reeves' temptress with the dark red curly hair and if you were one of the three people who saw the latter, she was Kurt Russell's pseudo love interest with the strawberry blond waves.  But, as I said, none of that would help you identify her these days, since she now sports a short, choppy, brunette 'do.

"The Devil's Advocate"	"Soldier"	Now

FLEA'S CALL:  Actually, I'm not sure I can give a fair evaluation here because, prior to the "Mission To Mars" premiere, I had only seen her in movies.  But, hey, when has that stopped me before?  Though her titian curls were beautiful in "The Devil's Advocate", I didn't think they looked that good on her, even bordering on appearing wig-like.  Looking at her hair in "Soldier" isn't exactly fair, since she's a refugee on a desolate planet, but it did at least demonstrate that long hair looks good on her.  Fortunately for Connie, she has the face to be able to wear short hair as well, though, while cute, this isn't the best style for her.  I think the most surprising part is how much better she looks as a brunette.  And, no, I don't think that's my bias showing through.
 

Gwyneth Paltrow pictures courtesy Reuters; Natalie Maines, Sheryl Crow, Milla Jovovich, and Nia Long pictures courtesy Reuters; Connie Neilsen pictures courtesy IMDb and Reuters