Short Stuff

TEA LEONI is not only once again a blonde after an extended period of returning to her roots as a brunette, but has grown her hair out to about mid-back.  Though the length is interesting (since it's the longest I can remember her having it), what's more interesting is that she dyed her hair while pregnant. Though it has been disproven that there is any link between hair dye and birth defects (want to emphasize that so I'm not accused of spreading rumors), the majority of expecting moms these days avoid the bottle (so to speak) while the bun is in the oven.  Just kind of surprised me and I bet I wasn't the only one. v  As I was strongly and correctly informed in several emails, Best Actress nominee and star of "Elizabeth"  CATE BLANCHETT  is Australian, not English.  My most sincere apologies to those Down Under that read the column (especially to Penny and brose).  And my sympathies that you do actually have 7-11s there

The Latest

To quote myself from the last column, referring to SANDRA BULLOCK's moderate haircut after shedding her extensions from "Practical Magic", "Hey, 6 inches here, 6 inches there, pretty soon we're talking about a real haircut.  But, fortunately, not yet."  Lopping off 8 inches, though, is definitely a real haircut and that's just what Sandy did.  Her latest style is between a long shag and a choppy shoulder-length bob.  Rather like an even longer Meg Ryan style than Kate Winslet is wearing with fewer layers in the sides but even heavier layering on the ends.

FLEA'S CALL:   To quote Mr. Horse from "Ren and Stimpy" (how's that for an obscure reference?), "No sir, I don't like it."  Though this more unkempt version of the shag has been showing up more and more lately, I think only very few can actually wear it well.  Meg Ryan and Jenna Elfman (think last year) can; Sandy and Kate can't.  Where as Kate's style seems sophisticated making the cut less that flattering, Sandra's is very natural having the same effect.  In both cases you'd expect a simple, yet flattering style...or at least I would.   For Sandra that would be...well...about any style she's had other than this.

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In my Oscars column, I said that "Northern Exposure"'s JANINE TURNER was supposedly one of the best dressed and coifed at the event.  Well, uh, heheh, It was actually Jeanine Turner, costume designer for "Elizabeth" and "Shakepeare in Love".  Kristin of BeautyBuzz was nice enough to correct my slip-up.  Ah, so close and yet so far.

However, that doesn't change the fact that I do have news on Janine.  After spending time down in Texas raising her daughter, she has reentered the acting scene with a new TV movie and with significantly more hair than we've seen her with in a long while.  Janine's hair is now one length to just below her shoulders.  Quite a departure from her early days of stardom when she had the short crop (shown in the first picture as a point of reference, because, in my opinion, Janine is virtually unrecognizable in the last two).
 

Then	Now

FLEA'S CALL:  Janine, at least in my humble opinion, has always looked best with her hair at a medium length.  Not as short as the first picture and not as long as the second.  Not that either looks bad, I just think a medium length fuller style is more complimentary.  Having said that, the length isn't the problem with the second style.  The problem is a lack of bangs.  Having a bit of a high forehead (not quite in the Helen Hunt range, but close), Janine has always looked better with them than without them.  Interestingly, she also looks better with short bangs (at least a half inch ABOVE her eyebrows), than with long ones.  I think cutting just a small fringe in the front (As opposed to what?  The back?) would make all the difference in the world in the style.

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NANCY O'DELL of "Access Hollywood" provides some belated and minor new hair news this time.  A month or two back, she cut the about 8 inches off of the bottom of her heavily layered, below shoulder style, resulting in a layered bob.  It's essentially the exact same style she wore before, just shorter.  Couldn't find a picture, but I did simulate it for you below.
 

Before	After

FLEA'S CALL:  The before pictures I've shown are actually kind of misleading. The second black and white picture seems to show that her hair along the bottom is rather thick and full.  That's not really the case due to the extensive layering.  The first picture is really more accurate, in that it shows that her hair appeared to be much too long for the style it was in.  I just never thought it looked quite right.  Cutting it to a bob corrects the problem somewhat, though going shorter or, as much as I hate to suggest it, cutting it into a variation of the tucked-behind-the-ears shag would probably work even better.  Or just let it grow back out without so much layering.

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Speaking of hair growth (Ok, I haven't talked about it since way back at Liv Tyler, but, technically, I WAS speaking of it), let's talk DEMI MOORE.  After getting pumped up and shearing herself for "GI Jane" (a misnomer since she was in the SEALS and "GI" is an Army nickname, but even yet again I digress), she's actively pursued regaining her sense of femininity.  Part of that is to grow her hair back out, which she has continued to do.  As you can see in the picture, it's now all the way back out to shoulder-length and all one length as well.  For it to be this long, other than maintenance trims to get it all back to one length, she can't have cut it since she was bald in December of 1996.

FLEA'S CALL:  Demi is one of those lucky women who can pretty much wear their hair any way they want.  So, except for the Kojak look (kids, ask your parents), she's managed to pull off everything from pixie to waist-length.    I've always preferred Demi with something below the chin, as the extra length softens her squarish jaw line.  It will be interesting to see where she stops her current growth cycle, though I wouldn't be surprised if she keeps it close to the length it's at now, if not just slightly longer.

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LISA NICOLE CARSON is Ally McBeal's roommate Renee on "Ally McBeal".  Right around the time of the Golden Globes, she changed her hair style from it's natural curly look to a straightened look, very reminiscent of a bad interpretation of Farrah Fawcett's wings from the 70s.  I didn't report on it then, because I thought it was a one-time style for the awards show.  I was mistaken, as it is now the style she regularly sports on the show.  You can see what it looks like in the very bad pictures below, but you have a better chance of seeing it by tuning into the show one Monday night.
 

Before	After

FLEA'S CALL:  This has to be one of the more ill-conceived style choices of late.  It doesn't recall the feathered glory that was Farrah, but rather the unsuccessful attempts of the average woman to duplicate it.  The result is a straight shoulder-length style with a feeble and incomplete sausage roll curl along each side.  Though I can understand the desire to go to a non-curly style just for a different look, this is about the worst version she could have chosen.

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The Artist Formerly Known as Ginger Spice, GERI HALLIWELL, has continued her post-Spice Girls evolution of toning down her previous flamboyant image.  First the Union Jack dress and 6 inch heels.  Next, the heavy makeup and bright red hair.  And now, the next step of abandoning red altogether.  Geri is currently wearing her simply styled, lightly long layered, below shoulder-length hair in a very attractive honey blonde shade.
 

Before	After

FLEA'S CALL:   While the Spice Girls were unfortunately a guilty pleasure (say what you will, I have no defense), I always thought Geri looked like...well...a bimbo.  Posh Spice, on the other hand...Anyway, with the new color and toned down makeup, it turns out that Geri is actually pretty cute.  What I find the most interesting is that her new look actually makes her appear younger.  And what more could you really want from a makeover?

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And finally, before we get to Short Stuff, I've got some news (though somewhat belated) for you "7th Heaven" fans out there.  For those of you who don't know, the oldest daughter is portrayed by JESSICA BIEL.  At the end of last season, Jessica had long hair, well below her shoulders.  At the beginning of this season, she suddenly had a bob, as you can see in the Before and After below.
 

Before	After

Viewers were probably surprised by this turn of events...and they weren't the only ones.  According to Jessica in a recent TVGuide Online interview...

...she says she really shook up the 7th Heaven producers when she decided to cut her own hair right before the start of the current season.  "The producers were pissed. I told them, 'Hey, it grows back.'   But they didn't see it that way."

As you may have guessed, Jessica is a bit more of a...uh...free spirit than the character she plays on the show.

FLEA'S CALL:   Jessica's style is very simple and suits her well.  Straight, a beautiful natural chestnut brown hair, and usually parted in the middle.  Though it looked good long, since her face is closer to an oval than round, the bob works for her just as well.  Plus, it gives her hair some more natural volume due to the reduction in weight.  Since her character on the show plays high school basketball, this isn't all that drastic a change.  I guess the producers should be glad it wasn't any shorter...and that it's still brown. J

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