Matthew McConaughey finally proposed to Camila Alves. We’re glad — and not just because they already have two children. No, we here at All the Rage like starting the new year with the prospect of more weddings and all the attendant frippery. On Christmas Day, McConaughey’s longtime love – and mother of his two children, Levi, 3, and Vida, who turns 2 in January – became his fiancé. “just asked camila to marry me,” the actor, 42, wrote on his WhoSay account. “merry Christmas.” The Lincoln Lawyer star also posted a picture of the happy couple sharing a romantic kiss in front of their Christmas tree on his WhoSay account.

The couple have two children, son Levi Alves McConaughey – who was born in 2008 – and daughter Vida Alves McConaughey – who was born in 2010 – together. The pair live between Austin in Matthew’s home state and Malibu, though McConaughey lived for years in an RV nearby – professing a love for the simple life. The proposal may have come as a surprise to Camila, who recently revealed that she and her Matthew were in no rush walk down the aisle in the near future.

“We’ve got no plans right now,” she told OK magazine. “We’re good as we are right now. We’re happy and good as we are. So far, so good!”

Matthew McConaughey recently starred in Killer Joe with Emile Hirsch. The movie also stars Juno Temple, Thomas Haden Church, Gina Gershon, and is directed by Exorcist maestro William Friedkin.

It tells the story of 22-year-old drug dealer Chris (Hirsch) who has to come up with six thousand dollars quick or he’s dead after his mother steals his stash. Desperate, he turns to Killer Joe, played by McConaughey, when he finds out that his mother’s life insurance policy is worth $50,000.

As far as modeling goes, Camila Alves hasn’t received that much exposure. She’s appeared in a few music videos as well as commercials (we particularly liked the ad she did for Triumph lingerie). However, given her public exposure as “the woman who broke down Hollywood’s playboy,” we think she might get the chance to follow in the footsteps of other Brazilian beauties like Adriana Lima and Gisele Bundchen.

Camila Alves was born on January 28, 1982, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. After high school, she moved to New York to pursue acting and modeling, and earned a certificate from the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute.

Shortly thereafter, Camila Alves began receiving offers. She became one of the sexy coveted lingerie models for Triumph (Matthew, when you’re girlfriend appears shirtless, it’s a totally different story than when you do it). In 2002, she had an uncredited bit part in the Walt Disney movie Snow Dogs, starring Cuba Gooding, Jr. but that’s not exactly something you write home about, or mention… ever.

Camila Alves’ incredibly hot body attracted hip-hop artists Chingy and Ne-Yo next. She worked on Chingy’s “Pulling Me Back” (2006) and Neyo’s “Because Of You” (2007) music videos.

Abigail Breslin, the teenage movie star of “Little Miss Sunshine” fame was seen in the premier of her new film “New Year’s Eve” at the Ziegfeld Theater in New York City on December 7. “New Year’s Eve” is a film by director Garry Marshall, who is known for making films with a huge star cast. This film boasts of eighteen (18) heavyweight stars including some famous names like Gugino, Katherine Heigl, Jessica Biel, Lea Michele, Robert De Niro, Ryan Seacrest, Jon Bon Jovi Michelle Pfeiffer, Ashton Kutcher, Hilary Swank, Alyssa Milano, Zac Efron, Sarah Jessica Parker, Carla John Lithgow, Josh Duhamel, John Stamos, Ludacris, and of course, Abigail Breslin.

In this film, Abigail plays the role of a teenage girl, who wants to spend New Year’s Eve at the historic Times Square. Her mother, played by Sarah Jessica Parker, is overprotective in nature and refuses her to do so. The film revolves around the lives of many such New Yorkers and how they live and celebrate their life in the city.

Abigail already has an Oscar nomination to her credit for portraying the role of Olive, a headstrong beauty pageant contestant in the film “Little Miss Sunshine”. “New Year’s Eve” is her third (3rd) project with director Garry Marshall, for which she has reportedly earned $ 275,000 for a week’s work. Her previous two (2) projects with director Marshall include “Raising Helen” and “Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement”.

“New Year’s Eve” is going to be special for all her fans because the teenage actress will be seen locking lips with her co-star Jake T. Austin. She described the experience as very professional with lots of mints.

In an interview, Abigail said that she loves to work with director Garry Marshall, who is like an old grandpa for her. It is always fun working with him. She also shared her experience of working with Sarah Jessica Parker, who played the role of her onscreen mother.

The movie has been released in the United States on December 9th, and only time will prove whether Abigail has managed to weave her sunshine magic on the silver screen once again.

Culkin was born in Manhattan, New York City, and raised in Yorkville. He is the son of Patricia Brentrup and Kit Culkin, a former stage actor known for his productions on Broadway. Culkin was raised Roman Catholic; he attended a Catholic school (St. Joseph’s School of Yorkville) for 5 years before moving on to Professional Children’s School. Culkin also studied ballet at the School of American Ballet. Culkin was the third of seven children, five boys and two girls: Shane (born 1976), Dakota (1978–2008), Kieran (born 1982), Quinn (born 1984), Christian (born 1987), and Rory (born 1989). Culkin is the nephew of actress Bonnie Bedelia, his father’s sister. During Culkin’s early childhood, the family lived in a small apartment; his mother was a telephone operator and his father worked as a sacristan at a local Catholic church.

Culkin began acting at the age of four. Early roles saw him appearing in a stage production of Bach Babies at the New York Philharmonic. He continued appearing in roles on stage, television, and in films throughout the 1980s. Notable parts in this period included an episode of the popular action series The Equalizer in which he played the victim of a kidnapping, and also in the TV movie The Midnight Hour. In 1989 he starred in Uncle Buck with John Candy.

Culkin rose to international fame with his lead role as Kevin McCallister in the blockbuster film Home Alone (1990), where he was reunited with Uncle Buck writer and director John Hughes and Uncle Buck co-star John Candy. He reprised the role of Kevin in the 1992 sequel Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.

Culkin also starred in a Saturday morning cartoon entitled Wish Kid, and hosted Saturday Night Live in late 1991.

By then, Culkin was in high demand and was paid a reported $750,000 by the World Wrestling Federation to serve as the ring bearer in Macho Man Randy Savage’s wedding to Miss Elizabeth at SummerSlam in 1991.

Despite the huge success of Uncle Buck, Home Alone, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, and My Girl, other films Culkin acted in, such as The Good Son, only did reasonably well (although he was nominated for MTV Movie Award in the category for Best Villain for his performance in the film). Getting Even with Dad, Richie Rich, and The Pagemaster, all released in 1994, were only mildly successful at the box office. He also appeared in a filmed version of The Nutcracker as the title role in 1993, which was staged from the 1954 George Balanchine New York City Ballet version of the ballet. He appeared in the 1998 music video for the song “Sunday” by the rock band Sonic Youth.

After several years of inactivity, Culkin returned to acting in 2000 with a role in the play Madame Melville, which was staged in London’s West End. In the spring of 2003, he made a guest appearance on the NBC sitcom Will & Grace. His role as Karen Walker’s deceptively immature divorce lawyer won him favorable reviews. Culkin headed back into motion pictures in 2003 with Party Monster, in which he played a role very different from those he was known for, that of party promoter Michael Alig, a drug user and murderer. He quickly followed that with a supporting part in Saved!, as a cynical wheelchair-bound, non-Christian student in a conservative Christian high school. Though Saved! only had modest success at the box office, Culkin received positive reviews for his role in the film and its implications for a career as an adult actor.

Culkin began doing voice-over work, with his appearances on Seth Green’s Robot Chicken. In 2006, he published an experimental, semi-autobiographical novel, Junior, which featured details into Culkin’s stardom and his shaky relationship with his father. Culkin starred in Sex and Breakfast, a dark comedy written and directed by Miles Brandman. Alexis Dziena, Kuno Becker and Eliza Dushku also star in this story of a couple whose therapist recommends group sex to them. Shooting for the film, Culkin’s first since Saved!, took place in September 2006. The film opened in Los Angeles on November 30, 2007, and was released on DVD on January 22, 2008 by First Look Pictures. Culkin’s next project was a role in the thirteen-episode NBC television series Kings as Andrew Cross.

In 2009, Culkin appeared in a UK-based commercial for Aviva Insurance (formerly Norwich Union) to help promote their company’s rebranding. Culkin stared into the camera citing the phrase “Remember me.”

On August 17, 2009, Culkin made a brief cameo appearance on WWE Raw at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri, following a “falls count anywhere” match between Hornswoggle and Chavo Guerrero, in which Guerrero was defeated by the classic Home Alone gag of rigging a swinging paint can to hit him upon opening a door. Culkin appeared in the doorway and said, “That’s not funny.”

In February 2010 Culkin appeared in an episode of Poppy de Villeneuve’s online series for the New York Times The Park.

On March 7 of the same year, he appeared alongside actors Matthew Broderick, Molly Ringwald, Judd Nelson, Ally Sheedy, Anthony Michael Hall and Jon Cryer in a tribute to the late John Hughes.

In April 2011, Culkin featured in musician Adam Green’s experimental film The Wrong Ferarri which was entirely shot on iPhone. In the same month he also appeared in the music video for Stamp Your Name On It performed by Green’s former bandmate Jack Dishel/Only Son.

Culkin stated in an May 27, 2004 interview on Larry King Live, he tends to refrain from disclosing aspects of his personal life, though he discussed his life as a child actor, the conflict in his family life (including his estrangement from his father), and how he retired from child acting at 14. Culkin married actress Rachel Miner in 1998, but the couple later separated in 2000 and divorced in 2002. Culkin began dating actress Mila Kunis in May 2002. The couple postponed a possible engagement in 2006 with Culkin residing in New York, and Kunis residing in Los Angeles. On January 3, 2011, Kunis’ publicist confirmed reports that Culkin and Kunis had ended their relationship several months previously, saying “The split was amicable, and they remain close friends”.

On September 17, 2004, Culkin was arrested in Oklahoma City for the possession of 17.3g of marijuana and two controlled substances, 16.5 mg of Alprazolam and 32 mg of Clonazepam, for which Culkin was briefly jailed but soon released on a $4,000 bond. After being arraigned in court for misdemeanor drug offenses, he pleaded not guilty at the trial (October 15, 2004 to June 9, 2005), then later reversed the plea to guilty. His lawyers reached a plea bargain with the state of Oklahoma and Culkin received three one-year suspended prison terms, forced enrollment into a probationary drug treatment program and a $540 fine.

Around the time of the first Home Alone movie, Culkin became close friends with pop singer Michael Jackson, making an appearance in Jackson’s “Black or White” music video.

During the trial against Jackson, Culkin reported he had slept in Jackson’s bed on countless occasions, but that Jackson never sexually molested him or touched him in improper ways, and referred to the allegations as “absolutely ridiculous.” Culkin attended Jackson’s funeral in 2009.

Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt have teamed up for a special music video. Their video for the classic song “What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?” features “adorkable” Zooey donning a tiara and strumming on a ukulele while Joseph plays an acoustic guitar. The way-too-cute couple certainly managed to make a lot of people smile with their song, and it probably has a lot of fans wondering if Zooey and JGL will share a sweet New Year’s Eve kiss soon.

The lives of the 500 Days of Summer costars seem to be somewhat similar to those of their characters in the movie, except they’ve remained close friends and it doesn’t seem like JGL ever pined for Zooey the same way he did for her character Summer.

However, like their characters, they did bond in a very hipster-y way. Here’s what Zooey wrote about their friendship on her website HelloGiggles: “I have known Joe Gordon-Levitt for going on 12 years. We first met in the summer of 2000 while doing a tiny movie called Manic, where we bonded over a mutual appreciation for Harry Nilsson and Nina Simone and I have been lucky enough to call him one of my dearest friends ever since.”

She goes on to say that they had “loads of fun” working on 500 Days of Summer together dancing to Marvin Gaye in their hair and makeup trailer. So since they seem to enjoy each other’s company so much, why aren’t Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt dating?

It’s fun to imagine that they’re a secret couple – after all, a whimsical gal like Zooey probably would find secretly dating someone exciting and fun. Or maybe she and JGL have a thing for each other and aren’t acting on their feelings. Zooey might not want anything serious right now because she and Death Cab for Cutie crooner Ben Gibbard decided to end their marriage just two months ago. Joseph was most recently linked to actress Scarlett Johansson, but that didn’t seem to go anywhere.

At the very least, Zooey Deschanel needs to ask Joseph Gordon-Levitt to make a guest appearance on her show New Girl. He might be busy becoming a big star in movies like The Dark Knight Rises, Lincoln, and Django Unchained, but surely he could find a little time to temporarily transform back into the heartsick hipster hottie from 500 Days of Summer for a few episodes (then again, no one would want him to leave).

So what do you think – would Zooey and JGL make the cutest couple ever? Check out their video for “What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?” below.

If you take a look at his body you’ll notice that he seems to have just the perfect amount of muscle – not too big, not too small. Along with that perfect amount of muscle, he also has great muscle definition. Matthew McConaughey’s workout keeps his body fat level incredibly low in order for him to achieve that look. So here is the Matthew McConaughey workout. He keeps himself very active and uses a lot of his own body weight training and some good intense cardio. He’s been seen doing push-ups on the beach and pull-ups on trees.

He’s also been seen working out with large rocks, hiking, jogging, and cycling. That‘s pretty much it. Hard work and consistency. A body like his can only be attained by having a good consistent workout routine that is used 5 to 6 days a week. Now you’re probably asking yourself, can the average guy build physique like his? The answer is yes, but it’s going to take some work.

In order for you to start getting that lean and ripped look that Hollywood loves so much, you’re going to have to find yourself a good intense workout plan. It should include some good old-fashioned weight training and some high-intensity cardio. Once you find the right type of workout routine that includes both of these, you’re going to have to commit and stick to it for quite some time to start seeing some results.

Now, the next step is just as important. Many of you went online to look for the Matthew McConaghey workout, but how many of you went out and looked for the Matthew McConaghey diet? To get that lean and ripped look, you’re also going to have to change the way you eat. The greatest workout routine on the planet will be completely useless without a good diet to go along with it.

So to get his Hollywood look, you could keep looking for that great Matthew McConaughey workout. Or you can just save your time and go out and start looking for a great weight training and cardio workout. Discipline yourself to follow through on it. Change your diet and eating habits to go along with your new workout.

Follow that formula for a few months and before you know it, you’re going to have a difficult time keeping your shirt on, just like our good friend Matthew McConaughey does.

The tragic, young death of actress Brittany Murphy brings with it the speculations which are commonplace for those who live in the public eye. The assistant coroner said it looks like natural causes and her husband Simon Monjack had requested that there would be no autopsy but the authorities have insisted. Her father, Angelo Bertolotti, has described her in these words: “She was just an absolute doll since she was born… Her personality was always outward. Everybody loved her – people that made movies with her, people on a cruise – they all loved her. She was just a regular gall.”

Known for films such as Clueless with Alicia Silverstone, 8 Mile, Girl Interrupted, Sin City, Riding in Cars with Boys and Happy Feet the media see Brittany as different to some other Hollywood starlets. They describe her as unique with plenty of charisma who shined with her own special looks and personality. She grew in front of her public from an awkward teenager to a confident young woman and seemed to only get better as she matured and gained recognition as an actress.

Brittany demonstrated great versatility in her movies. She said that she did not draw distinction between the characters that she played but her characters were “all using my tears and snot and sweat and bruises, just in different contexts… There are probably 800 people living inside of here, so they all pop out in different ways. It’s like me, myself and I.”

Born on 10th November 1977 (deceased 20th December 2009) Brittany was born in Georgia, Atlanta but moved with her mother Sharon to Edison, New Jersey, following her parents’ divorce. Aged five Brittany was a member of a school of dance and theatre. Quite young she started to try to persuade her mother to relocate to Hollywood for her career and when she began to get advertising jobs from her New York auditions her mother realised it was a good idea to relocate.

By the age of 14 she became a regular on the sitcom Drexell’s Class which was about a white collar criminal who makes a new start as a teacher. This was followed by more advertising and TV work until she was cast in Clueless as Tai. The film was a surprise box office success which launched her career as well as those of Alicia Silverstone, Donald Faison and Paul Rudd.

Her film career did not kick up immediately after Clueless instead she did some theatre work and television. It was in 1999 that she began a run of high profile movies. In Girl Interrupted she held her own well in a 1960s psychiatric institution amongst the likes of Winona Ryder and Angelina Jolie, as a suicidal incest victim.

By 2001 she had reinvented herself by dying her hair blonde and losing a lot of weight, she was in Riding in Cars with Boys with Drew Barrymore, Steve Zahn and James Wood. She also returned to the psychiatric ward that year in Don’t Say a Word, where she stole the show a bit from Michael Douglas.

In 2002 she starred in 8 Mile which may have been a vehicle for Eminem but she still won herself acclaim as his love interest. Curtis Hanson the director of 9 Mile said of her that “She was a very special and vulnerable person. The honesty of her emotions made is so that her lines didn’t feel like scripted dialogue.”

Apart from her well known movies, those mentioned as well as Just Married (2003), indie movie Sin City there were others which opened on a small amount of screens and some which were more successful outside America. These were Phoenix, Trixie, The Audition, Cherry Falls and Love and Other Disasters. There are 14 of her 34 films released to date which were not shown on American cinema screens.

She also voiced many animated characters, including Luanne Platter on Fox’s “King of the Hill” and Gloria the penguin in the 2006 feature “Happy Feet.”

The last few years of her career were considered to be less successful and there have been various rumours about her marriage and a possible cocaine habit. Whether there is any truth or not in the rumours is immaterial in the sense that many people in the media attract plenty of rumours untrue and true. What she deserves to be remembered for was the joy and entertainment she brought to other people, millions who never met her and those who personally knew her.

Hollywood’s PR Machine is cranked at full force to promote Actress Anna Chlumsky for the DVD release of 1991′s My Girl, hailed as Chlumsky’s breakout child star roll. In the movie she plays “Vada Sultenfuss” who’s what has been described as the “most adorable hypochondriac ever.” My Girl’s about the coming of age of a little girl and stars Dan Aykroyd, Jamie Lee Curtis, Macaulay Culkin, in addition to an 11-year-old Anna Chlumsky. Here’s a scene from My Girl where Culkin is kissed by Clumsky in a way that can only be called adorable.

Now, Anna Chlumsky’s 30 years old and while she’s getting massive publicity over the 2010 re-release of My Girl, what’s lost is her great role in the British political satire and 2009 Seattle Film Festival Opening Gala Movie In The Loop. Here Anna Chlumsky, now back into acting after working as a fact checker for Zagat and other jobs because she thought her calling was elsewhere, plays an assistant Liza Weld, for which Anna got a lot of critical acclaim.

Chlumsky never intended acting to be her lifelong career. As a child she considered working with horses or in paleontology. Once she reached adulthood, roles became scarce and she began to move away from acting. She attended the University of Chicago, majoring in International Studies, and graduated with a BA in 2002. During this time she ceased paying dues to the Screen Actors Guild. After graduation she worked as a fact-checker for the Zagat Survey and served as an editorial assistant for a HarperCollins science fiction-fantasy imprint. She came to find this work unsatisfying and decided she wanted to return to acting. She went to the Atlantic Acting School in Manhattan to receive more formal training (in her youth she deemed herself “a natural”, so had not had as much formal training) and now intends to remain an actor.

Chlumsky appeared on the March 8, 2007, episode of 30 Rock, called “The Fighting Irish”, as Liz Lemler. She appeared as Mary Calvin in an episode of the NBC drama series Law & Order (Season 17, Episode 12) first airing on January 12, 2007, and as Lisa Klein in an episode (Season 20, Episode 16) first airing March 15, 2010. She was in three episodes of the ABC dramedy Cupid.

Chlumsky starred in the Off Broadway production of Unconditional by Brett C. Leonard at The Public Theater. It was produced by Philip Seymour Hoffman’s theater group, LAByrinth Theater Company, which opened on February 2008. She also starred in Lanford Wilson’s Balm in Gilead in November 2005 at the American Theatre of Actors in New York City.

She appeared in the BBC Films political satire In The Loop, costarring with James Gandolfini. She plays Liza, a State Department assistant in the movie, directed by Armando Iannucci.

On December 3, 2010, it was announced that Chlumsky would play the chief of staff of Julia Louis-Dreyfus’s vice president in Veep.

Chlumsky graduated from Walther Lutheran High School, and in 2002 from the University of Chicago. In October 2007, she announced her engagement to Shaun So. They were married on March 8, 2008. “Shaun’s family is Chinese, and my family is Catholic. So we’re going to do a fusion of the two cultural traditions,” Chlumsky said at the Condé Nast Traveler Readers Choice Awards.

She has a younger brother, Frank Chlumsky, who goes to Saint Ignatius College Prep in Chicago.

After nearly four years of dating, Jason finally popped the question to Brit on Thursday (his 40th birthday). While we are so excited that Brit and Jason are going to tie the knot, we can’t help but think about her two previous marriages. Who is Jason Trawick? He is 40 years-old, a talent manager and the former agent of Britney Spears. Britney Spears is engaged to marryher boyfriend Jason Trawick. According to Us Weekly’s sources, Trawick proposed to the pop star last night on his 40.

By Radar Staff Britney Spears and Jason Trawick partied into the early morning hours as they celebrated his 40th birthday and their engagement in Las Vegas. Whether walking through Sugar Factory’s retail shop, sitting side-by-side over dinner with. Originally planning to party for Trawick’s birthday, the couple also celebrated their surprise Thursday engagement.

On Britney Spears’ 30th birthday Friday, she and boyfriend Jason Trawick took a break from her South American tour for some fun at an ice skating rink in Houston. The couple helped each other keep balanced, holding on to each others hands. Britney Spears and Jason Trawick partied into the early morning hours as they celebrated his 40th birthday and their engagement in Las Vegas. Whether walking through Sugar Factory’s retail shop, sitting side-by-side over.

Over the last month, Lane and Trawick clocked phone and email minutes as they collaborated while Trawick was traveling with Spears on her global tour. “Texts came from all over the world, from Abu Dhabi, Mexico and I don’t know where else!” says Lane.

But when Trawick stopped into Lane’s Los Angeles store to pick up the ring — less than one week before the proposal! — they both knew the hard work and scheming had paid off. “Oh my god, he loved it,” Lane shares, adding that he could tell Trawick had pre-proposal jitters. “The guy was so excited and nervous. At the end of the day, even with all the fame, he’s still a normal guy who was about to propose to the woman he loves.”

That said, Lane believes this couple is in it for the long haul. “He’s deeply in love with her. Britney is his princess and he is her knight in shining armor,” he says. “Jason’s protective of her. He adores her. Every good fairytale needs a princess, and now Britney has a ring fit for a princess!”

Not to mention, features a stunning red Murano glass chandelier in the entry way as well as a full dining room, living room and jacuzzi tub.

Spears, donning a short, nude Herve Leger dress, stepped out a few hours later and revealed her highly-anticipated Neil Lane sparkler during a congratulatory welcome on the hotel’s mezzanine. Planet Hollywood Chairman Robert Earl presented Trawick with an oversized birthday cake in a quick ceremony.

Following the celebration, the duo stopped in at Sugar Factory’s Chocolate Lounge where they shared a turkey burger and a club sandwich in a room closed off to the public to give the couple privacy. A line of waiters where later seen bringing a tray of cupcakes and a large sundae of ice cream covered in sprinkles.

And what better place to end the night than Paris’s Chateau Nightclub. Surrounded by friends, Spears, 30, and Trawick, 40, hung out in their own private VIP table overlooking the club’s dance floor.

“Britney seemed happy, holding Jason’s hand,” an onlooker said. They retreated to a private area after 1 a.m., but Spears was “dancing up a storm” until nearly 4.

Fun was definitely had, as her Facebook page reflected a new note early Saturday: “Tonight was one of the most magical nights of my life. Such an amazing time with my new fiancé and our closest friends and family.”

Academy Award winning English-born American Actress, Elizabeth Taylor took her final leave yesterday, March 23, 2011. Reportedly a result of congestive heart failure, Taylor passed while surrounded by her four children at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Following the tragic loss of his legendary Mother, Taylor’s Son Michael Wilding released the statement, “My Mother was an extraordinary woman who lived life to the fullest, with great passion, humor, and love. Her legacy will never fade, her spirit will always be with us, and her love will live forever in our hearts.”

Elizabeth Rosemond “Liz” Taylor will be fondly remembered by her children, close friends (Elton John was among the most publically distraught over the loss of his great friend.) and in the hearts of fans world-wide for her extraordinary grace and generosity, humanitarian work and AIDS activism.

With bright violet eyes and an on-screen presence that captured the hearts of film audiences, critics and eventually, eight different husbands, Liz Taylor embodied the strength, beauty and selflessness of a true icon.

We will celebrate the gift of Elizabeth Taylor‘s life in a glamorous remembrance. While the sensational actress was expressively fond of extraordinary jewelry, diamonds and sapphires, she somehow managed to escape such claims of materialism or superficiality. As far as Hollywood is concerned, this may be the last time such a success is made. Perhaps it was her qualities of ultimate grace and sincerity that she was not made to endure the media ridicule we see today among celebrities sporting ellaborate jewels.

Behind her famously worn 33.19 carat Krupp Diamond ring and the 69.42 carat Taylor-Burton Diamond, cut by Harry Winston and adorned in a diamond-adorned Cartier necklace, lies one of the greatest love stories of the 20th century.

Twice-married husband and lover of over 20 years, Richard Burton had purchased both for his love, Miss Elizabeth Taylor. In reference to the Taylor-Burton diamond, regarded as the world’s first million-dollar diamond and often coined ‘the Taj-Mahal,’ Richard Burton said, “I would have liked to buy her the Taj-Mahal.”

There was a genuine once-in-a-lifetime love between Burton and Taylor. Their 20-years and two marriages together were full of great challenges, turbulance, passion, jealousy and infatuation. Last year Elizabeth Taylor spoke of her relationship with Richard Burton in an interview with Vanity Fair.

Among revealing a selection of love letters she’d received from him through the years, Miss Taylor offered a glimpse into their love affair, “Richard was magnificent in every sense of the word. From those first moments in Rome [on the set of Cleopatra] we were always madly and powerfully in love.” She continued to wear the Kruppdiamond ring he had given her in 1968, sporting the spectacular stone in her 2003 interview with Larry King.

In 1978, Elizabeth Taylor had the Taylor-Burton diamond auctioned for $5,000,000, using the proceeds to build a state-of-the-art hospital in Botswana, Southern Africa. Recognized for her advocacy in Aids research, Elizabeth Taylor was awarded theJean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 1993.

The American Foundation for AIDS Research, for which Taylor was a longtime advocate, made the following statement in response to the news of her death, “She leaves a monumental legacy that has improved and extended millions of lives and will enrich countless more for generations to come.”

In honorable memory, dedicate an hour or two to celebrate the iconic beauty of Miss Elizabeth Taylor. Her violet eyes are accented with Bvlgari jewelry in the 1973 film, “Ash Wednesday,” where you can catch a glimpse of her 50 carat sapphire ‘sautoir’ (necklace and pendant) and the sugarloaf sapphire ring by one of her favorite jewelry designers. Taylor wears a pair of classic natural pearl earrings in the film, also by Bvlgari. The Academy-Award winning Actress notably enjoyed wearing her own jewels in movies, and did so more than any other actress. Read about the backlash one Director received when he tried to hault such indepence in personal appearance in Liz Taylor’s book, “My Love Affair With Jewelry.”

Born April 4th 1965, Robert John Downey Jr. is without a doubt one of the most popular actors right now. Very few have had comebacks as spectacular as his and even fewer were offered the chance to call themselves Charlie Chaplin, Tony Stark, a dude playing a dude disguised as another dude, or Sherlock Holmes. Actually scratch that, no other actors can claim such a feat. With the release of Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, Robert Downey Jr. comes back to the big screen so I figured why not take a look at his past movies in order of their box office popularity in North America over the years. Me and myself pondered a good 2-3 minutes whether I should use unadjusted or adjusted for inflation numbers. The former won so here are the top 10 Robert Downey Jr. movies of all time, adjusted for inflation.

10. The Shaggy Dog (2006) $74.2 million ($61.1 million unadjusted) – I really tried to get this film out of the top 10 but there was no way to do so. You know how even the best actors have that movie they try not to associate themselves with? Well Robert Downey Jr. has a few of those and this is one. As I look back The Shaggy Dog might not be as bad as some other children movies today but that’s not saying much. If you have an 8-year-old that loves dogs, they should like this movie.

9. Gothika (2003) $78.7 million ($59.7M) – A forgettable supernatural horror that stars Halle Berry and Penelope Cruz alongside Robert Downey Jr.. It’s not a bad movie but unless you’re a fan of the actors, director (Mathieu Kassovitz), or genre, I can’t recommend Gothika.

8. Natural Born Killers (1994) $95.7 million ($50.2M) – In this Oliver Stone thriller Robert Downey Jr. plays a selfish TV journalist with absolutely no morals. Woody Harrelson and Juliette Lewis lead as husband and wife serial killers Mickey Knox and Mallory Knox. Natural Born Killers is a brutal film that deserves your attention.

7. U.S. Marshals (1998) $97 million ($57.1M) – I don’t think I ever saw this one so I should probably add it to my queue (not Netflix). Anyway, besides Robert Downey Jr. this film also stars Tommy Lee Jones and Wesley Snipes. Ok, now I definitely have to see it.

6. Due Date (2010) $99.9 million ($100.5M) – What happens when you take The Hangover director Todd Phillips and make a road trip comedy with Robert Downey Jr. and Zack Galifianakis? Well, it was supposed to be one of the funniest movies of the year. What we got instead was an R-rated version of Planes, Trains and Automobiles, a funnier and better movie with a lot more heart. So I say watch that movie and then catch Due Date sometime later when you’re really bored.

5. Tropic Thunder (2008) $122.5 million ($110.5M) – This movie is definitely not for everyone but for those that can appreciate its share stupidity, Tropic Thunder is an instant classic that makes fun of Hollywood like few flicks dare. Arguably one of the most quotable comedies of the last decade, Tropic Thunder features an impressive cast lead by director/actor Ben Stiller. Robert Downey Jr. plays Australian method actor Kirk Lazarus playing a black sergeant named Lincoln Osiris. This part actually got Downey Jr. his second Oscar nomination (first was for Chaplin). Also extremely memorable in his smaller role is an almost unrecognizable Tom Cruise.

4. Back to School (1986) $195.7 million ($91.2M) – I vaguely remember this movie mostly thanks to the late Rodney Dangerfield. Like many before, this is your typical 80′s comedy and if I’m not mistaking, Robert Downey Jr. plays a college student here. If you happen to catch this, look forward to that.

3. Sherlock Holmes (2009) $213.8 million ($209M) – Besides the accent, there’s really nothing to complain about Robert Downey Jr.’s take on the popular Arthur Conan Doyle character. British director Guy Ritchie creates a decent adaptation here with his unique style making for a fun if flawed movie. Jude Law plays an equally great Dr. Watson to Downey’s Sherlock Holmes. Actually the bromance between the two characters is the best part of this film.

2. Iron Man 2 (2010) $312.8 million ($312.4M) – The sequel to the extremely satisfying 2008 original, Iron Man 2 builds on that movie but not necessarily in better ways. A lot of the charm is lost here and what we get instead is a good sequel to a spectacular movie that follows below.

1. Iron Man (2008) $352.9 million ($318.4M) – This is the role Robert Downey Jr. was born to play and director Jon Favreau knows it, using that to the fullest extent. Iron Man is the perfect summer blockbuster and one of the best superhero movies of all time. In a year when The Dark Knight got the most accolades, Iron Man offered the most entertainment, at least that’s my opinion.

At the end I have to mention a very special movie that didn’t make this top 10, Chaplin, the 1992 biopic. Based on the troubled and controversial life of actor Charlie Chaplin, this film deserves your time if only to see Robert Downey Jr. in probably his best role yet. Before playing Iron Man or Sherlock Holmes, Robert Downey Jr. was the man that became Charlie Chaplin for a movie 19 years ago.