There are so may areas where celebrities and pop culture influence our lives, with style being one of the areas where we see the most impact. There’s nothing like a red carpet event to drive talk and trends around dresses and accessories. The Oscars in particular generate so much buzz, and one dress can have a major impact on style trends.

Of course that applies to things like jewelry and engagement rings as well. Quite a bit of ink (and virtual ink) is spilled on the love lives of stars like Jennifer Aniston and Angelina Jolie. You have photographers zeroing in on Jennifer’s giant rose-cut diamond given to her by Justin Theroux, and then naturally comparing this to what she got from Brad Pitt. You can just imagine the countless woman who searched on diamond and jewelry sites looking for a similar ring and dreaming about getting their own proposal. Just click here and you can search for yourself. Guys usually ignore all this stuff, but it’s wise to pay at least a little bit of attention if you ever plan on doing your own ring shopping. Frankly, these celebrity stories of engagement rings give guys an opportunity to gauge the reaction of their girlfriends, and the smart ones use that info so that they get the right reaction when and if they decide to buy a ring.

Of course, you also have the celebrity trainwrecks like Kim Kardashian, though in some ways we should all thank her. By going so over-the-top with her own wedding plans, and then following that up with a marriage that lasted shorter than some one-night stands, Kim showed the world how absurd some of this stuff can be. Ring trends and fashion are nice things, but people shouldn’t lose focus on the bigger picture. Girls love the weeding fantasy, but the life that comes later is so much more important.

Fashion magazines and websites usually compile their lists of the best dressed celebrities for the year from award shows. Since the major award season is almost over, we already have a good idea on who dresses the best.

The red carpet is where real style is born. Everything in a red carpet outfit has to match and balance out beautifully. There are the shoes, tie, suit, dress, jewelry, hair style and lastly the bag to consider. Also body shape because not all dresses suit an hourglass figure. As for color, if it complements your skin tone, then you should be all set to dazzle the paparazzi.

Celebrities such as Katy Perry at this year Grammy’s worked the classic Hollywood look well. Her mint colored gown from Gucci really suited her body shape because it accentuated her waist and balanced out her long sleeves with a nice trail. Long and flowing, Katy Perry looked willowy but elegant because her long and curly hair suited the flow of the dress.

As for accessories, she did not go overboard and instead continued to hone her balancing act towards the dress. If wearing something light shaded, always go for a darker shade in the same color.

As for dressing up like this famous singer, you can find mint colored dresses all over because the color is becoming extremely popular. If you have a tight hugging waist like Katy Perry, invest in a large necklace to complement the look, you can find many matching necklaces at a clearance sale online. As for earrings, studs always go well with large necklaces.

Speaking of blue tinted colors, sapphire blue is also very popular on the red carpet at the moment. At the BAFTA awards, up and coming actress, Jessica Chastain from the film Zero Dark Thirty looked smashing in her strapless sapphire blue gown by designer Roland Mouret. This nominated actress for an academy award also sported other bold colors at the Golden Globes with sea foam and the Screen Actors Guild Awards with show stopping red.

Bold colors suit Jessica’s pearl like complexion and definitely makes her stand out from the crowd. But since she has chosen bold colors, she cannot over accessorize too much. If the color is striking, you are better going for a much softer and asymmetrical look. For instance, this sapphire blue gown looks more stylish when paired up with matching studs in comparison to a matching choker.

If Jessica wore a necklace, her outfit would look too busy and then she would have to style her hair up. And since the dress is designed with more layers at the neck line, little accessory is needed. With long and flowing gowns, hair styles do have to match the dress more instead of the shoes because you cannot see them.

So next time you are wearing a nice and long dress, pick a hair style that suits its fit and texture. Curls always go well with soft textiles and figure hugging dresses. Straight hair, however suits a tougher texture and layered dress.

Laugh, Meryl Streep. Laugh!

When all the dust had cleared, all that was left were fake smiles of the losers and P.R. people promoting why you should see nominated films yet again. Nevertheless, there were awards that should’ve been handed out for only the best of reasons.

1. Best actress in a bout with gravity – Jennifer Lawrence. She could beat out a dozen teens trying to kill her for food in the “Hunger Games,” but she couldn’t walk in a dress without eating Oscar stairs. She got the last laugh taking home Best Actress for “Silver Linings Playbook,” but I guess being hot and coordinated was too much to ask.

2. Best Actress who left her headlights on – Anne Hathaway. Anne made an impression that only Mr. Skin could truly love. The only thing perkier than her upper chest region was the 9 year-old in the audience who probably asked her parents “Was she good enough to be the main actress likes me?

3. Best Host who was damned no matter what – Seth MacFarlane. Word is the senior members in the audience thought he was crude and unfunny. Of course, he got to be clowned by the 81 year-old William Shatner and made out with 66 year-old Sally Field. You’d think he’d get free AARP membership just for that alone. Check out the reaction shots from his “We saw your boobs” song and you’ll see why he needed an escort to his car.

4. Actor who will be referred to as “Mr. Meryl Streep” – Daniel Day Lewis. Winning an Oscar is great. Winning twice is exceptional, but winning three is just showing off. The uber-method actor is the Phil Jackson of acting right now. He’s one superhero role away from making people hating him for just being that good.

5. And the Who can get fired on Oscar night goes to…. – The Onion employee who tweeted a highly offensive comment about Quvenzhane Wallis. Quvenzhane is 9, cute and was nominated for Best Actress. The twittersphere unleashed their fury at the Onion and they rightfully suspended/reprimanded the employee in question. He or she is anonymous now, but people are already calling for their identity to get an additional pound of flesh (with dipping sauce and a biscuit).

God bless you, Hollywood.

Guess who's got his hands full.

1. Seth MacFarlane – Finally, there’s a reason for straight guys to care. Sure, it’s nice to see the comedic stylings of 102 year-old Billy Crystal show us how you can tap dance while being attached to an iron lung, but it’s time to move on. If you haven’t laughed at MacFarlane during Family Guy, Ted or a comedy roast, then you probably flat-lined years ago.

2. It could get you laid – Nothing says “honey, I love you” more than sitting through something she knows you hate. Women enjoy the little things like kindness, consideration, chocolate and diamonds. Just don’t let on that you like it or you won’t be able to cash in later.

3. It’s not the Grammys – A sign you’re old is when you don’t recognize half of the songs nominated at the Grammys. It’s a fact and I’ve got the 8-track to prove it. Everyone has heard of most of the movies at the Oscars and it’s acceptable to lie about the rest. As a matter of fact, lying about the movies makes you an official Academy voter.

4. It’s not real life – Between the Sequester, natural disasters, commercials convincing you that you’re far more sick than you realize and Facebook reminding you how everyone is having more fun than you are, it can be a welcome relief to know that even for one night, millionaires can be called “losers”.

5. A 3rd Grader could be the story of the night – That’s right. Nominated for best actress is Quvenzhane Wallis for “Beasts of the Southern Wild”. I don’t even think hockey announcers can pronounce her name. It’s her first role and I can’t wait to see the shock on people’s faces when they find out next week that she traded in the Oscar for Jay-Z tickets and a Playstation 4.

Every year is an exciting one within the Entertainment world. Figuring out who you should be watching and keeping track of can be difficult. Here are some of the most exciting celebrities to keep your eye on in 2013.

Jennifer Aniston

Even if you’re “Team Jolie” Anniston is someone to keep an eye on. There are few actresses who can pull of smart, edgy and be the charming girl next door type all at the same time. Anniston is one of them. Over the last few years she’s gone from supporting actress to lead actress and has since added the titles of Director and Producer to her resume. She was given a star on the Walk of Fame in 2012 and has a number of projects in the queue for 2013. Maybe this year she’ll find her “Blind Side.”

Ed Sheeran

He may only be 22, but Ed Sheeran is definitely making a name for himself in the music scene. He started out as an independent musician playing gigs almost every day until his indie album caught the attention Asylum/Atlantic Records. Now he’s signed with the label and was named The British Breakthrough Artist of the Year in 2012. He’s a great inspiration for people in the indie scene who have dreams of going mainstream.

Kim Kardashian

Yes, we know that she’s Kanye’s Baby Mama but we’re hoping that beyond watching her adjust to new motherhood 2013 will be the year we finally figure out why, exactly, she’s famous.

Louis CK

His sitcom has been wildly successful for several seasons; he’s won Emmys and has one of the most successful comedy specials of all time (thanks to his selling it independently). With his sitcom, Louie, on hiatus this season nobody is quite sure what he has up his sleeve for 2013 but we’re willing to bet that it is going to be phenomenal.

Katie Holmes

She’s finally free of Tom Cruise and hopefully that means she can start taking on film and television projects again. We’re hoping that her career really takes off now that the two have split. It happened for Nicole Kidman, Penelope Cruz and Mimi Rogers (all former or near-former Mrs. Cruises), there’s no reason to believe it won’t happen for the most memorable cast member of Dawson’s Creek. We can’t wait to see what projects she takes on this year!

Justin Timberlake

The mega pop-star took his turn in a Clint Eastwood vehicle in 2012 and has more in store for 2013. In addition to the traditional entertainment projects, Timberlake is also spearheading the MySpace revival effort. The site is due to reopen hopefully soon and if Timberlake can bring it back to life he’ll be able to add “Internet Mogul” to his resume which will make him a…quadruple threat? We’ve lost track of how many threats he is.

Justin Bieber

Isn’t every year a year to keep an eye on Justin Bieber?

2013 is certainly going to be an interesting year—not just for these celebrities but for those of us who are keeping track of them!

It is easy to get swept up in the trappings of Hollywood glamour. We see celebrities and think, ‘if only I could be them.’ The reality is that being famous isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, and the Hollywood life can be much harder to navigate then people think. As far back as Hollywood has been around so hasn’t celebrities who have addiction problems. Often these addictions are attempts to self-medicate and escape from a complex world mixed with excess and privilege, along with isolation and extreme pressures.

Matthew Perry

Matthew Perry recently went to rehab in an attempt to be proactive in his struggle with addiction to alcohol and prescription medication. It was noted that Perry relapsed after having been to rehab twice before. The first time was while he was a regular cast member on the show Friends in 1997.

Gerard Butler

The 300 star, Gerard Butler checked himself in the Betty Ford clinic and told US magazine in an interview that he “has a pretty addictive personality” and was becoming addicted to prescription drugs. He had the medication because of injuries he sustained from 3 of his films. But when he realized it was getting out of control he went to get help and become “a mental warrior”.

Kirsten Dunst

In an interview with British Elle Kirsten Dunst talks about her time in rehab at the Cirque Lodge. She said her time there was to deal with depression issues she had been struggling with. Ironically Dunst was able to use these personal experiences for a role in Melancholia which made her “the center of attention at the Cannes Film Festival”.

How Celebrities Stay Sober

Actor Martin Sheen told AARP Magazine that he works the AA program and credits his faith in Catholicism to staying sober for so many years. At one time Robert Downy Jr. could have been the poster child for celebrity addiction but it seems he has finally kicked the habit and he credits plenty of yoga, Kung Fu, and the support of his wife for keeping him straight. The types of methods that celebrities will encounter in these treatment facilities include the 12 step programs, care from medical professionals, private counseling and behavior modification, and other treatment that targets the brain imbalance of the addict.

Information about Addiction

According to Intercept Interventions although the US is only about 5% of the world’s population, two-thirds of illegal drugs are consumed here. Between 1995-2005 treatment admissions for addictions to pain killers went up more than 300%. Within the US, 1 in 4 children under 18 are exposed addiction in the family. If you or someone you know is struggling at all with addiction, you can go on sites like DrugRehab.org to find the right place to seek treatment.

With the US alone citing more than 100,000 deaths a year due to drug or alcohol dependence, it is clear that addiction is not something to mess with. Fortunately today there isn’t the stigma that used to be associated with rehabilitation. Now you can take the time to get the help you need with more support and understanding.

The lovely woman above is Michelle Van Schaik, a Dutch model who makes her movie debut in “Death Race 3: Inferno.” The Death Race franchise is based in large part on action, violence and explosions. With the third installment, there’s more room for beautiful actresses, and this should help drive success for this film being released directly to Blu-ray/DVD. Van Schaik has a great look and as you can see from this video interview she has a great presence about her as well. It will be interesting to see if she gets opportunities outside of South Africa.

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Will Harris has an awesome interview with Ivana Milicevic on Bullz-Eye.com in connection with the premiere of her new Cinemax series, “Banshee.”

One of the more interesting parts of the interview has Ivana discussing her experience working on episodes of “Seinfeld” and “Friends.”

Well, as I say, “Seinfeld” was my first job, which is a really good first job to have, because…that was, I want to say, the second-to-last season of that show, and they were a tight-running ship. But they weren’t a tight-running ship like they were phoning it in. They were still, even at that point, constantly trying to keep the jokes fresh, even kicking them up a notch on the night you were shooting. They never got lazy. They never relaxed. Their work ethic was incredible, and it was really good to be a part of that, to see that. So all the shows I worked on after that, I was, like, “Oh, well, this show isn’t like ‘Seinfeld,’ so that’s why it isn’t as tight…or as good.’” [Laughs.]

The second runner up, though, would be “Friends.” They were also super-tight. Nothing like “Seinfeld,” but that’s because “Seinfeld” was its own crazy thing. So “Friends” was different, but it was still a really close second as far as how tight they were…and, y’know, look at the success of that show, too! You could be, “Ah, it’s comedy, it’s just a sitcom,” but you have no idea how hard people work on these things…and, believe me, I saw the difference between shows where they do work hard and shows where they don’t. So that was good. And, of course, it’s just amazing to have been on those iconic shows. I still make money from them…which is beautiful, because you know Mama needs a new pair of shoes.

Check out the entire interview linked above.

“Homeland” has won the award for Best Drama Series two years in a row, while Claire Danes and Damian Lewis won for best actress and best actor. It’s a pretty incredible show, even with the elevated craziness of Season 2. And while I don’t think it’s quite as good as “Breaking Bad” it’s hard to argue with these choices.

It is often assumed that prominent individuals in business or celebrities in the public eye fail to lead normal lives like the rest of us. This dehumanization almost makes it easier for the public to lay judgement upon famous people because they are perceived differently than the more average members of society. The reality is that fame does not mean that fun cannot be had, and by recognizing what these people do in their free time, they become more relatable and human.

Some famous people and their hobbies include:

• Mark Zuckerberg: the creator and CEO of Facebook, who is one of the world’s entrepreneur’s that the media is most intrigued by due to his low-key lifestyle, appears to enjoy traveling, and spending time with his dog and family at home.
• Reed Cagle: Skiing on Vail Mountain is the preferred activity of the Founder, CEO, and President of HEI Resources. As a Colorado resident, the mountains are in Reed Cagle’s backyard and it is a great way for the busy oil and gas industry entrepreneur to unwind.
• Justin Timberlake: the busy celebrity and entrepreneur is a musician and actor, a restaurant owner, fashion designer, and is involved with various other businesses. In his spare time he likes to golf, snowboard, and engage in other fitness-related activities, in addition to simply spending time at home with wife Jessica Biel.
• Quentin Tarantino: the movie mogul may be behind a wide variety of R-rated action flicks, but his favorite hobby is much more family-friendly. Tarantino enjoys collecting board games; specifically those that have a TV show theme.
• David Arquette: the actor may have given himself a “bad boy” image but his favorite hobby is certainly anything but. The actor, once married to Courtney Cox, likes to knit in his spare time.

The hobbies of famous people prove that while they may have made a big name for themselves in whatever business they’ve endeavored to be a part of, that they have the same basic interests and enjoy the types of things that everyone does. Take this into consideration next time you hear a news story about one of these celebrities, or anyone else that has found themselves in the limelight!