Desperate Housewives

I still haven’t been able to find a good clip of Felicity’s Oprah appearance, but I did find a good one from the interview she did on Jimmy Kimmel Live last week. She went on to discuss her new “Practical Guide” book, of course. Highlights included the debating of whether or not riding a motorcycle was sexy (she: yes. he: I’ll die.) and Jimmy’s mispronouncing of the word “menstruate”. I was hopelessly distracted by Felicity’s plunging neckline on her leopard print dress. Her chest looked unfortunately skeletal and I kept wanting to go cover her up. But it’s a cute interview and I suggest you give it a watch. Including today there are 4 days until the next new “Desperate Housewives” episode. Woot!

So, once again, we had no new “Desperate Housewives” last night. We had The Super Bowl, though. And the promise of a new “Desperate Housewives” next week. The promos for the episode look good and I’d post one here if I could find one somewhere. So far, not so much luck with that. So today I’m going to talk about Felicity’s new book. It’s being mentioned in articles across the country as a good Valentine’s Day present for the single man or woman in your life. Or heck, even the attached could find some useful nuggets in this book. The book, of course, is A Practical Handbook for the Boyfriend: For Every Guy Who Wants to Be One/For Every Girl Who Wants to Build One. The Amazon.com review says:

At some point, every guy–player, geek, mamas boy, “regular Joe”–meets a woman who makes him want to be a boyfriend. A good boyfriend. Problem is, unless hes had some first-rate training (by a previous girlfriend, a sister, a mom), he probably doesn’t even know what that means. Felicity Huffman and Patricia Wolff come to the rescue with a rollicking–and whip-smart–handbook to navigating the minefield of male-female relationships. Directed at men (though of course its women who’ll buy it, then leave it at their boyfriends place–accidentally on purpose), A Practical Handbook for the Boyfriend lays out the many steps involved in becoming a good boyfriend, while still maintaining guy-dignity. It covers issues like: - Who decides when you become a boyfriend (answer: She does.) - How to look like you’re listening, even when you’re not (If you’re busted, just say “You’re so pretty, I’m distracted.”) - Ten things never to say on the first date (#4: “I just did that to freak you out.”) - Finding the middle ground between too cool (think third grade) and too eager (think surprise visits) - Why becoming a good boyfriend is a lot like training for the A team Filled with humor, ribaldry, common sense, and assorted outdoor skills, A Practical Handbook for the Boyfriend is the next dating guide to dominate the bestseller lists.

I have to admit, it sounds like a lot of fun and I might have to thumb through it at one point. Even though, you know, I am pretty much a relationship expert. Aren’t we all?

Our girls didn’t bring home any awards last night, but it didn’t prevent them from looking (mostly) fabulous in the process. Take Teri Hatcher for example. She looked absolutely stunning in her dress. Following the “white trend” from the Golden Globes, she went big-time glam and Old Hollywood and looked fantastic doing it.
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Felicity Huffman, on the other hand, didn’t look as fabulous as I know she can. She almost looked, dare I say it, a little frumpy in her knee-length black dress. I just don’t think it was that great a style on her.
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Eva Longoria, also, didn’t look that great in her dark grey gown. A very pretty dress, it might have looked better on someone a little taller as the folds of fabric just seemed to envelope poor Eva and make her look even shorter.
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Brenda Strong was there and she looked really great in the same color. I did find there was something distracting about the neckline on her dress. It didn’t seem to match too well with the rest of the dress. But she’s a tall lady and was able to pull off the “pillar” look very well, overall.
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Nicollette Sheridan was also there and looked about as you’d expect her to: Amazing. Michael Bolton must be a proud man. She also chose a lighter color, like Teri, but hers was more neutral in color. The neckline almost reminded me of something you’d find in the lingerie department. Combined with her sultry hairstyle, she looked very sexy.
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Lastly, we have Andrea Bowen, who plays Teri Hatcher’s daughter Julie on the show. Wow, she’s growing up, isn’t she? She chose a coppery gown that complimented her skin and hair so nicely. She looked pretty fantastic as well, I thought. I almost didn’t recognize her when I first saw her.
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Fashion “don’t’s” aside, all the ladies looked far better than I ever do even on my best of days. I’m sorry they didn’t win (and Felicity was ROBBED! Sorry, America Ferrera.), but I enjoyed watching the glamor. I just love awards season.
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Desperate Housewives, 2007 SAG Awards, Screen Actor’s Guild Awards, Teri Hatcher, Felicity Huffman, Eva Longoria, Brenda Strong, Nicollette Sheridan, Andrea Bowen, SAG Fashion, Red Carpet Fashion

If you watch Oprah, and you were watching yesterday’s show, then you caught a great piece with Felicity Huffman. She was promoting her new book; A Practical Handbook for the Boyfriend, which she co-wrote with her friend Patricia Wolff. First, we saw a very amusing segment where she interviewed her male co-stars on “Desperate Housewives” about women and what women want. Some of the highlights:

Felicity: So are all women crazy?
James Denton: Oh, sure. Absolutely.

Felicity: So you grew up in a house full of women, right?
Ricardo Chavira: Yeah, a family full of women.
Felicity: So do you feel like you know women?
Ricardo: I know enough about women to know that I don’t want to know any more.

Felicity: What does it take to make a man happy?
Doug Savant: Sex, pretty much.
Felicity: And what does it take to make women happy?
Doug: God only knows.

Her interview with Doug was the cutest, I think, since they play a married couple and he seemed pretty clueless but in an adorable way. If a video for this ever pops up on YouTube, I’ll post it here so you can see it.

In another segment, Felicity and Eva Longoria went to Universal Studios in Hollywood to ask men what they think women want and women what they wish men knew. It was very cute. Basically? Men don’t know a lot and women want men to better grasp the romantic side of things. Something I think we all knew already, right?

Felicity Huffman, Eva Longoria, Ricardo Chavira, James Denton, Doug Savant, Oprah Winfrey, Oprah, Patricia Wolff, A Practical Handbook for the Boyfriend, Desperate Housewives

Our show didn’t win at last night’s Golden Globe awards. And I was truly dissappointed, especially with the winner for Best Actress in a Television Comedy. Maybe I just don’t get the whole “Ugly Betty” thing, but I didn’t feel America Ferrera should have beat out Marcia Cross and Felicity Huffman for the win. I wasn’t sure “Desperate Housewives” would win for Best Television Comedy either, but if it didn’t I expected “The Office” to take the award. But no. It wasn’t to be. And, while it was nice to see the “Ugly Betty” people so excited and happy, I was still disappointed.

The good news is our girls looked FANTASTIC last night. Felicity gets my personal “Best Dressed” award as she looked absolutely stunning from her gorgeous hairstyle and makeup down to the train on her jewel-toned gown. Nicolette Sheridan and Eva Longoria were also in attendance, wearing subtle white and black respectively. Marcia was unable to make it, of course, due to the bed rest her doctor has put her on for the duration of her pregnancy. That’s a pity, because I would have loved to see what Mr. Blackwell’s “Fabulous Fashion Independent” would have worn to the show.

What did you think of The Globes last night? Disappointed? Satisfied? Who had the best dress? Who had the worst?

The Golden Globes Awards, Felicity Huffman, Nicolette Sheridan, Eva Longoria, Marcia Cross, Desperate Housewives, Ugly Betty, Mr. Blackwell, The Office

Felicity Huffman attended the People’s Choice Awards on Tuesday with her pal and co-star Eva Longoria (who went on to win Best Female Star on Television that night) and the two cut it up on the red-carpet together. Felicity had a great time teasing Eva about her low, low cut back on her glitzy dress. But Us Weekly’s Katrina Szis (contributing editor) sized up the fashion hits and misses on the red carpet and labeled Felicity as a “miss”.

NOT SO HOT: FELICITY HUFFMAN

She wears really plunging necklines that, Szish feels, aren’t flattering on her chest. The skirt should have been just to the knee, or full-length. It made her look matronly and unfashionable. She can be so sleek and sophisticated, but this dress was too girly for her.

However, about Eva she said:

BEST DRESSED: EVA LONGORIA

In the past, she has had too many extensions or too much going on with the dress for Szish’s taste. This dress was simple in front and simple in back; her hair looked shiny. She was simple elegance, and finally got it right. She is always sexy but tends to overuse her accessories. She looked like a star, as opposed to a rising star.

Felicity has also been in the news, lamenting her character on “Desperate Housewives”. She says she misses the days when Lynette was a frumpy housewife and frazzled mom. She has been quoted as saying, “I wanted an example of motherhood that addressed the madness, depression, rage, loss, wonder and love. I do regret we’ve moved on from that because it’s so true - and there aren’t many examples of it on TV.” I definitely agree here. I always connected with the show and with Lynette because of her struggles and now it seems I have very little indeed in common with the women on Wisteria Lane.

Felicity Huffman, Eva Longoria, red carpet, Peoples Choice Awards, Us Weekly, Katrina Szis, fashion

This must be Felicity’s year! Not only has she been nominated for a Golden Globe but she’s now also nominated for Best Actress in a Comedy Series at the 13th Annual Screen Actor’s Guild Awards, which will be airing January 28th. Notable is the lack of a nomination for Marcia Cross (who was also nominated for a Golden Globe this year), as well as the other ladies. The rest of the ‘wives need not fret, however, because the cast has been nominated for Best Comedy Series Cast as well, an honor the show won at last years awards show. They’re up against some stiff competition from “Ugly Betty” and “The Office”, among others. Check out the full listing of nominees over at Yahoo! News. This year seems like a great year, competition wise. There are so many wonderful shows and movies out right now that make for some truly deserving winners. I couldn’t begin to pick the best!

I’d like to first off wish you all a belated Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. I was absent from the blog for a week, due to one of my children being uber-sick and also being out of town for the holidays. I’m back home now, and my child is on the mend, so back to reporting the “Desperate Housewives” news it is! There’s quite a few tasty bits to report, so sit down and get comfy while I get you all caught up.

• As I reported previously, Eva Longoria opened the Harrods Winter Sale in London on December 28th. She got first dibs on the deals, and reportedly spent a whopping #35,000 in a mere 90 minutes. She picked out designer handbags, shoes and coats, among other goodies. Lucky for her, she didn’t have to battle the crowds which had been lining up outside since 5am. Now that’s the way to shop!
• Eva also made news when rumors floated around about series creator Marc Cherry mentioning that Heather Mills (the soon-to-be ex-wife of Paul McCartney) would be an interesting addition to the next season of “Desperate Housewives”. Longoria, however, has different ideas. She thinks “it would be completely crazy” and would be offended if she was offered a part. Ouch!
• In Golden Globes news, Felicity Huffman will be one of the many presenters, having won a Globe herself last year. Look for her (and also see if she wins again for Best Actress in a Comedy Series) on the awards show airing Monday, January 15.

Enjoy your daily dose of “Desperate” news and thanks for being patient with me for the last week!

It’s that time of year again, when the year comes to a close and we turn our thoughts inward to reflect on the year past. This is the time when we start to see “best of” lists show up on tv, in newspapers and magazines. We start to consider ourselves, what was the best of the past year? What was the worst? “Desperate Housewives” has managed to make it onto a couple of lists already, in one form or another. Journalist Kevin Thompson made Gabrielle’s knock-down, drag-out fight with Sister Mary his Best Catfight of the year in his best TV moments of 2006 list. And, honestly, who didn’t love that scene? I get the giggles just thinking about it. The fact that it took place in a church only makes it better.

Felicity Huffman also made a “best of” list, this time it was The Nateflix’s Guide to the Year’s Best. While her honors had little to do with “Desperate Housewives”, I felt they were due a mention here. He gave her a “Free to be You and Me” Award, and said, “Felicity Huffman gave the performance of her career as a transgendered man becoming a woman in ‘Transamerica.’” Wow! You go, Felicity!

So what do you think? What do you think the best (and worst) moments of “Desperate Housewives” were this year? I think the best moment in my opinion was the hold-up at the supermarket. Again, Felicity turned in an amazing performance and the entire episode had my jaw on the floor. Worst? The horribly failed Applewhite storyline. Didn’t it feel like at least a couple balls were dropped on that one? Such potential wasted! Ah well, it can’t all be fantastic, I suppose.

This picture of Felicity is just gorgeous, I simply had to feature it. It was taken December 4, 2006 at the “Tisch On Broadway”, New York University’s Tisch School of the Art’s 2006 Gala Benefit, hosted by Billy Crystal.

Felicity Huffman’s birthday was December 9th (sorry for being a couple days late there!). Can you believe the actress is 44 years old? She certainly doesn’t look it. I hope that she and husband, actor William H. Macy, had a great celebration. Lynette is probably my most favorite of the Housewives, her character seems so genuine to me. Which is very much a credit to Felicity. Here’s to many, many more years.