Published on Feb 7, 2012

The Muppets, depending on where you live, are about to return or have returned to the big screen, with that wonderful new blockbuster paradigm of a movie that is both a reboot and sequel (or prequel) at the same time.

Simply titled the Muppets, the movie stars and is co-written by Judd Apatow regular, Jason Segel. the original songs are written by one half of Flight of the Conchords, Brett McKenzie. the traditional Muppet movie roster of celebrity cameos includes the likes of Sarah Silverman, Zach Galifianakis and Neil Patrick Harris.

So: are the Muppets getting a little edgier this time around? If you look at the history of the Muppets, not really.

Right from the start, the Muppets (much like Bugs Bunny, Popeye and even Mickey Mouse) have been aiming their unique brand of one-liners and slapstick humour primarily at an adult audience.

The story of the Muppets is filled with many pushes and pulls between entertainment aimed at kids, adults, or both.

According to Brian Henson, the son of Muppet mastermind Jim Henson, “The years with the Muppets, it was really all targeted to adults. It was in a time when everything had to be safe for the whole family. but he was targeting adults.”

Jim Henson first introduced the Muppets (albeit under a different name) in 1955. He created a puppet show called Sam and Friends that aired live, twice daily in five minute segments that ran only in the Washington DC area. the show featured an early progenitor of a puppet that later would become a Muppet known as Kermit the Frog. the early shows generally consisted of the Henson’s puppets lip-syncing to popular hit songs of the day.

Some of the lip-syncing was to songs that included such decidedly adult fare as I’ve Got You under my Skin and that old Black Magic. the show also contained a regular running parody of the then-current news program the Huntley Brinkley Report and of the popular Western TV series Gunsmoke. Not exactly parody tailormade for six-year-olds.

Sam and Friends ran until 1961. Not long after, Henson and his new creation now known as the Muppets, moved on to an even bigger audience: the Ed Sullivan Show.

The Ed Sullivan Show was one of the highest-rated TV shows of its time. It was a classic early TV variety format. Hosted by Sullivan, a nationally renowned American newspaper entertainment columnist, it aired at a time when there were only something like four channels on TV (in most areas). Needless to say, there weren’t a hundred different cable channels that each catered to a specific niche audience in those days. Instead, they had one show that featured something for everyone. A typical edition of the Ed Sullivan Show would feature jugglers, opera singers, numbers from current Broadway musicals, stand-up comedians, impersonators, Jazz trios, rock n’ roll bands and, sometimes, the Muppets.

Jim Henson’s Muppets (or “Jim Newsom’s puppets” as Ed once introduced them) appeared on Sullivan’s show 25 times between 1966 and 1971. while often categorized as a children’s act on the show, many of the sketches involved various Muppets getting eaten by or eating other Muppets, cross-dressing, psychological torment and, in one of Henson’s favorite comedic forms, lip-synching to popular songs (even one of the Beatles’ more druggy tunes, come Together).

During this time, Henson and his Muppets were also quite busy in the field of advertising and industrial films. one of his clients, interestingly, was IBM.

Circa 1967, the Muppets appeared in a number of different IBM training and sales films. IBM was launching the first electric typewriters, word processors and computers. These newfangled gadgets, in order to be sold properly, had to be explained to the general public and, perhaps more importantly, to IBM’s own sales staff.

Some of the films featured the Muppets working as IBM sales reps. was that supposed to appeal to kids? what kid in 1967 would have been on the IBM sales staff? I mean, today, sure, but never in ’67.

In 1969, Henson and the Muppets got the break of their career when they landed a gig on the innovative children’s educational TV series, Sesame Street. the show made the Muppets, especially Kermit the Frog, a household name.

For Henson, Sesame Street was both a blessing a curse. It brought fame to his creation but it also cemented an impression in the minds of the general public and TV executives that the Muppets were strictly children’s entertainers.

Henson, eager to break the kids TV typecasting the Muppets had fallen into, made a deal with an all new and different non-prime time TV series that had just made its debut. the series was called Saturday Night Live. It made sense. Saturday Night Live was, at the time, groundbreaking late night TV. It was one of the first shows do jokes about drugs, sexually liberated lifestyles, rock music and generally address a growing post-hippie youth subculture that had been largely ignored by mainstream TV.

The result was the Land of Gorch, a series of ‘adult’ Muppet sketches – pretty much the polar opposite of Sesame Street, in other words. the Gorch sketches followed the story of some rather nasty looking mythical creatures on a far away planet. the design of the SNL Muppets was more raw and intense than anything Henson had created up to that point. Typical sketches dealt with issues like alcoholism, sex, and death. All in all: a pretty big departure for the Muppets.

Unfortunately, the Land of Gorch sketches were something of a disaster. the sketches were written by SNL and not Muppet writers – Gorch was doled out as a punishment or as an initiation for new SNL scribes. Audiences didn’t really know what to make of the sketches either. here are Muppets in a kind of childlike fantasy setting, they have the same voices as many of the Sesame Street Muppets, yet they’re making the archetypal 70s SNL “I am so stoned” kinda jokes. they were too confused to laugh most of the time.

Henson himself probably put the experience into perspective best when he said years later:

“I saw what he (Lorne Michaels) was going for and I really liked it and wanted to be a part of it, but somehow what we were trying to do and what his writers could write for it never jelled. … When they were writing for us, I had the feeling they were writing normal sitcom stuff, which is really boring and bland… Yeah, it just never jelled with the particular writers we were working with, but at no time did I ever lose my respect for the show. I always liked what they were doing.”

Fortunately for Henson and the Muppets’ career, it was around this time that Henson landed the deal for the now legendary Muppet Show. Still unable to convince any of the US networks that the Muppets were not just for kids, Henson finally sold the idea of a Muppets TV show to the British broadcaster, ITV. the shows would be produced in Great Britain and syndicated internationally.

The ensuing 1976-81 series was, of course, a massive hit. It firmly cemented the Muppets’ fame outside of the Sesame Street realm. It also became a cherished childhood icon for an entire generation. the show featured guest stars like Elton John, Sylvester Stallone, Liza Minnelli and John Cleese, to name a very few. there were many clever and, for the Muppets at the time, risque lines. Yet there at the same time were talking animals and lots of physical comedy. so, essentially, the Muppet Show became the classic case of a crossover show attracting both young and old audiences alike.

Major hit motion pictures followed: the Muppet Movie (1979), the Great Muppet Caper (1981) and the Muppets take Manhattan (1984). the pattern continued – they were movies with a major family friendly crossover appeal, featuring adult oriented celebrity cameos and the occasional line that could have you thinking, “Whoa! I can’t believe the Muppets just said that!”. Generally, though, the the Muppet films appealed more to younger rather than older audiences.

In 1982, Henson again attempted to break the mould with the dark Crystal. the film was a serious, dark fantasy adventure film featuring new puppets and innovative creatures that were not unlike something that might have appeared in the Land of Gorch. the dark Crystal met with mixed critical and financial success, but later would garner a cult following on home video.

In 1986, Henson made Labyrinth, a more family friendly fantasy musical adventure starring (in what was a major departure for him at the time) David Bowie. like the dark Crystal, the film met with mixed critical success but better box office success than the dark Crystal. It too would achieve a cult following on home video in the years to come.

On TV, Henson attempted to continue the darker material with a series called the Storyteller. later, in the Jim Henson Hour, he attempted to mix classic Muppet humour with more edgy material. the Jim Henson Hour only lasted 13 episodes. He fared much with shows like Muppet Babies and Fraggle Rock, which were aimed exclusively at children.

Sadly, Jim Henson died of pneumonia in the spring of 1990.

Henson’s son Brian carried the Muppet torch after that. He produced a series that the senior Henson had been developing before his death, called Dinosaurs. the 1991-94 series featured live action anthropomorphic Dinosaurs (all creations of the relatively new Henson Creature Shop) in a sitcom setting. Dinosaurs owed a great deal to both the Flintstones and the Simpsons. despite attempts to humorously deal with more serious issues like drug abuse, pre-marital sex and media censorship, Dinosaurs still tended to appeal to a younger audience.

Brian attempted to bring the franchise back to slightly more adult territory with Muppets Tonight. the show aired on the ABC network in the US during the 1995-96 season. later, the Disney Channel picked up the series and ran nine more new episodes in the 1997-8 season. Similar to the original Muppet Show, Muppets Tonight featured the backstage antics of the Muppets attempting to produce a show. this time around it was a TV show as opposed to a live theatrical show, as was the case in the original Muppet Show.

Muppets Tonight was hosted by a new Muppet, Clifford, the “homey made of foamy”. that by itself creates a pretty clear impression of where the younger Henson was trying to go with the show. the series featured guest stars like Prince (known as the Artist Formerly known as Prince at that time), Coolio, Jason Alexander and Cindy Crawford. much of the humour attempted to attract older viewers, but sadly, the series only lasted 13 episodes on US network TV.

Muppet motion pictures also continued throughout the 90s with the Muppet Christmas Carol (1992), Muppet Treasure Island (1996) and what would be the last theatrical feature film for Henson’s creations for 12 years to come, Muppets From Space (1999).

In 2004, the rights to the Muppets characters were sold to the Walt Disney Company. It was, in fact, the conclusion of a deal that Jim Henson himself had begun negotiating not long before his death. the Disney deal would certainly mean the end of any more adult or riskier material, right?

Um…maybe not.

In a surprisingly hip move, Disney did a deal with Jason Segel to star in and write the Muppets. they were reportedly swayed by his the puppet Dracula musical featured in Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Bret Mackenzie was brought on board to write the original songs. James Bobin, who directed all 22 episodes of the Conchords series, was hired to direct. Presumably, all the interesting cameos fell into place after that.

So the question remains: is the new Muppets film merely kids stuff? Subversive adult humour? the answer, as ever, is definitely both.

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Users Comments I know they’ve been getting a lot of flack for the “anti oil” accusation, but when I saw it I thought the Occupy crowd were going to use the scene where Gonzo blows up his factory to get press, putting about 100 people out of work! that was back in November at the height of the Occupy thing and it was seriously the first thing that went through my mind. Not to be pedantic, but Im sure Michael Gondry directed an episode of FofC. so i guess really i AM being pedantic. Fine article, nicely researched. two questions: what exactly is Gonzo? is the chap in the check shirt a young Henson or a young Leslie Crowther?:o) I grew up watching the Muppet Show and even then I read between the lines. maybe because I actually thought about things as opposed to taking things at face value like soe many mental defects do. Everyone knows Muppets had a lot of adult and subversive humor in it . It was why adults watched it as much as kids. but one of the funniest things ever was the youtube clip where they took criticism from a FOX news pundit about them having a liberal agenda. and Kermit’s and Piggy’s response were right on the money. why don’t we do some research into all of the conservative agenda in programming with everyone with guns and shooting people left and right that kids watch a lot more of. I don’t see conservatives bitch about that so much. but as soon as anything is perceived to be “anti corporate” they must be liberal commies out to get rid of “job creators” even though corporations never create jobs, they move them to China and India. but I digress. Fact is everyone knows the Muppets are subversive. That’s always been their way. It works and its watchable. All interesting stuff, but once again your article has almost nothing to do with the headline given. All this is is a history of the Muppets, with no real discussion of the childrens’/adults’ debate apart from in the last paragraph. I thought it was a great article that followed the line of thought very clearly through. the chronology was a really interesting format to use and the picture research is excellent. also loving the Fozzy Bear clip. Grrilla. By the way, A1nostalgia,the question of Gonzo’s origin is addressed in the movie, Muppets From Space” Post a Comment

NEW YORK (AP) — Fashion designers, retailers, editors and stylists settled into their routines Thursday for eight days of previews at New York Fashion Week with barely a blink at all the photographers’ flashes: a sign of business-as-usual stability.

PHOTOS: N.Y. Fashion Week runways: BCBG, Shoji, Chai

The luxury market that most of the runway shows speak to has, over the past year, steadily recovered at the retail level despite the volatile economy. The clothes to hit the catwalk in the early going showed a continued confidence in the colorblocking, tailoring and easy, elongated shapes that have been trickling into stores and will arrive in force come spring.

The brands BCBG Max Azria and Richard Chai Love kept colors basic and used hardly any embellishment, turning out straightforward, wearable clothes. Surely there are more flamboyant moments to come, but fashion is, after all, the marriage of art and commerce. Of course, there’s the celebrity element, too, and Tadashi Shoji took care of red carpet looks with his Shanghai-visits-Hollywood gowns.

Dozens of shows are planned at the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week tents that serve as the hub, with another 12, including Skaist-Taylor and Tory Burch, presenting their shows elsewhere on the Lincoln Center campus.

“We look at every space. The question for me is, ‘How do you break open the red velvet ropes?’” said Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, director of fashion at Lincoln Center.

Burch’s show, for example, while an invitation-only event, is held in an all-windowed spot so Winston Wolkoff expects passers-by to get a peek.

However, big names such as Marc Jacobs, Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein, who all show later in the week, will draw the crowd to off-site places and likely enforce the strict guest list.

BCBG offers soothing start to Fashion Week

The bright sunny morning that started New York Fashion Week on Thursday didn’t keep an evening shade from falling on the runway at BCBG Max Azria, the first major collection to give a glimpse of how fall style is shaping up.

There was a continuation of the colorblocking trend that’s already making its way to red carpets and magazine covers for the spring season, but neon pink became a muted coral here, and purple a mellow merlot.

Embellishment was sparse in the collection designed by Max Azria and his wife Lubov, with the emphasis on geometric shapes, intricate pleats and unexpected mixes of fabrics, including several pieces with patchwork-style pieces of recycled-but-real fur.

In the notes prepared for the retailers, editors and stylists who descended upon Lincoln Center’s Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week tents for the first of eight days of previews, the Azrias said they were using the palette and textures “to add character.”

It seems a continuation of the effort the designers have made in the last few seasons to elevate the brand to a more sophisticated, restrained — and more expensive? — level.

Aiming for “an artful proposition,” they used an elongated silhouette in the spirit of the Bauhaus, an influential German school in the 1920s that taught a design style integrating crafts and fine arts.

This worked well for the everyday pieces, including colorblocked trenchcoats and a simple T-shirt style shift. Adding airy sheer panels to an otherwise slim-cut and shorter dress was a nice twist. BCBG often puts jumpsuits on the runway, too, and they look great in photographs, making the models look even longer and leaner, but it’s still not an item you see much of on real people — not even in these fashion-forward front rows.

Colorblocked garments have geometric chunks of bright colors and have been fashion staples since Yves Saint Laurent’s 1965 collection inspired by Dutch painter Piet Mondrian.

Model Erin Wasson sat on the other side of the catwalk at BCBG, saying she had “come full circle” sitting there. still, she was working — with a 5:45 a.m. wake-up so she could have hair and makeup done before slews of backstage interviews.

Love brand designer Richard Chai: Menswear for women

Richard Chai opened up the closet doors and switched everything around for the fall collection he presented Thursday at New York Fashion Week.

He pulled out top coats, tweed jackets and pinstripe pants for the women wearing his Love brand, and retooled trousers in his men’s clothes to be slimmer and shorter than most guys are used to.

Some of the best pieces were stadium and duffel coats, appealing to all sorts of customers.

The women looked powerful and put together in their mostly gray-and-black blazers and button-down shirts. There were flashes of femininity as Chai also offered some sheer layers and some pieces in pretty red floral print, a contrast to all the tailoring. A few of the dressier looks featured less-structured wide-leg pleated pants that played well into the overall mix. The more casual versions of a similar pant, however, were a little too slouchy.

Still, the boyfriend look on women is something that looks good to the collective eye. It might be harder to adjust to the idea of men heading down a path that could lead to leggings.

Tadashi Shoji shows glam gowns in N.Y.

NEW YORK (AP) — People want pretty eveningwear, whether they are watching the Oscars or attending a charity gala or black-tie party. Tadashi Shoji gave them just that in the parade of gowns he sent down the catwalk at New York Fashion Week on Thursday.

His fall collection isn’t overly complicated or particularly edgy, but it gets the job done: It has glamour and a hint of sexiness.

His inspiration came from the “Golden Age of Shanghai,” he explained in his notes for the retailers, stylists and editors gathered at Lincoln Center for Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. It was a time “of modernity, transformation and prosperity that preluded a darker time.”

A flame-red washed velvet gown had a dramatic cowl back filled with black beading, and ballgown with a gold-and-black beaded lace bodice had the full Cinderella treatment for its skirt. The green blouson-top gown with mermaid hemline that opened the show was tailor-made for a bombshell.

For more of a delicate look, there was a green lace tiered dress with a handkerchief hem, while the trick of putting sheer black lace over gold fitted linings had a more sultry effect.

Shoji also put in his note a quote from Marlene Dietrich: “I dress for the image. not for myself, not for the public, not for fashion, not for men.”

Best funny Man Mustache Award: Eddie Murphy

While Tower Heist won’t win the Oscar for Best Picture, Murphy’s finely trimmed chevron mustache deserves an award for the way its angular shape balances out his oval face.

Best Hair Ball Award: Questlove

if you’re going to sport a voluminous afro, follow Questlove’s (of The Roots) lead and grow a full beard to help balance out the look and avoid looking like you’re wearing a hair helmet. his beard emphasizes his strong jawline, anchoring his incredible hairstyle and bringing the entire look together.

Best Eyebrows on a Solo Artist Award: Drake

There’s nothing worse than a man with over-plucked, barely-there eyebrows. Drake’s thick but tidy brows properly frame his eyes, without looking overdone or overgrown. Gentlemen, don’t forget: There should be two.

Best Mustache on a Muppet Award: Swedish Chef

You might not understand what the Swedish Chef has to say, but his mustache is perfectly clear. the Chef’s ‘stache strikes a delicate balance between his bulbous nose, gaping mouth and wild eyebrows. if you have large features, dainty facial hair will only serve to make things look larger.

Best Breakup Beard: Russell Brand

Breaking up is hard to do, but funnyman Russell Brand does it in style. his recent split from pop star Katy Perry has left him with a dastardly, pirate-worthy beard that gives him a brooding look — an appropriate style for a recent divorce, if you ask us.

Best Performance by a Goatee and Mustache Duo: Kanye West

Kanye West keeps his mustache short, expertly trimmed and narrow to avoid adding weight between his nose and lip. instead, he turns the focus to his goatee, which emphasizes his strong chin and jawline.

Best Rock ‘n’ Roll Beard Award: Lenny Kravitz

When you’re a rock ‘n’ roll icon, you can pull off any look, but Kravitz keeps his beard short, trimmed and only slightly wild. the beard slims down his round face and balances out the roundness of his hairstyle, while highlighting his mouth and lips (not a bad thing when you’re a singing front man).

Best Smooth(ish) Stubble Award: John Legend

When you’re a smooth soul singer, you need facial hair that will complement your gentlemanly style while upping your game. John Legend’s perfect short stubble adds a dash of roughness to his boyish face — but not enough to scare off the ladies.

And our awards for most dubious facial hair styles go to …

The Trying-too-hard Stubble Award: Adam Levine

Maroon 5 front man Adam Levine has perfected the art of the stubble — and that’s the problem. It’s almost too perfect. Stubble is meant to look accidental, to sport an air of, “I woke up looking this good.” Levine’s stubble is so evenly trimmed and shaped that it appears overworked. He could use a lesson from Lenny Kravitz.

Celebrity wedding planners are the perfect people to organize your very special day. Compared to regular wedding planner, they know better how to handle everything in your wedding – financial planning, finding the perfect location, caterer, reception, you name it this is because they have been trained to manage certain events like weddings. They have also been in the business for quite a long time, making them eligible for celebrities to hire. Thus, they are very experienced in handling weddings. For sure, you will not regret hiring one

Celebrity wedding planners have lots of ideas in mind but they go for unique and extreme style for weddings. Hence, you have to elaborate what you want to have in your wedding so that both of you will agree on what are the specifics. Just make sure that you have a big budget because they’ll really go for lavish celebrations. But of course, no need to worry, because your budget will be used at a very reasonable price.

They are well-oriented about the different elements of a wedding, and they can totally manage everything without panicking at all. They know all the ins and outs in the business. They have the perfect ideas of the venue of your wedding, the reception, caterers, the choices of food and beverages and they can bargain it out with the vendors for a cheaper price as well. You’ll also have a timeframe for that day. Hence, everything is planned accordingly

Instead of stressing yourself to determine where’s the venue of the wedding, the reception, organizing everything into place, you can just sit back and relax and trust your celebrity wedding planner to do all of these for you. Rest assured that your wedding will be a day to remember not only for you and your fianc/fiance but to your guests as well.

The only problem in hiring celebrity wedding planners is that they are quite expensive. however, if you really want to have a grand wedding and you don’t have any problem with money, they are the perfect choice, your key to a very successful and grand wedding. Bear in mind that they are very busy and it is best if you contact them way ahead. you can search for them through online or you can ask your friends if they know any. or, you’ll never know, they might be just featured in the television, and they’re just waiting for your call.

Airbrush Makeup is most famously used by celebrities to make them look stunning when they walk down the red carpet at a premiere. What many people might not know, however, is that it can also be a real help to people who have blemishes or discolorations on their face which they need to cover up. in many ways Airbrush Makeup truly is the best concealer.

Airbrush Makeup is basically a liquid makeup which is applied using an airbrush similar to those used to paint cars. Having said this, it is not powerful and applies very easily. It has gained in popularity over the last few years. Invented in the 1980s, it was an expensive option and generally used only in photo shoots until recently. in the last decade, it has seen a renaissance and the prices of kits have dropped right down.

If you have something that you want to cover up, then there is really no better concealer than this. By applying a thin layer across the skin it is almost like a paint which means that you won’t see the shadow of the blemish underneath. the makeup also lasts 12 hours, much longer than normal makeup and is more resistant to heat and light. This means that it can really be used for the whole day and you can feel confident about your skin all day long.

Sadly, Airbrush Makeup is a little more difficult to learn than normal makeup but when you get used to it it might even be faster to apply in the mornings. It’s also quite expensive to start with, but once you get past the initial start up cost the makeup itself is quite reasonable. It is very important that you choose a good quality airbrush makeup kit or you won’t get the results that you might expect.

Jessica Simpsons Engagement Ring : Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey began dating when Simpson toured with his band, 98 degrees. she played Nick’s love interest in the music video for the band’s hit song, My Everything. the couple began dating although took a break after two years. They reconnected after 9/11, when Jessica called Nick to make sure he was safe…he was supposed to be flying out of NYC with the band, on that fateful day.

Jessica reportedly dreamed of her wedding day ever since she was a little girl. Nick Lachey proposed with a four carat pear shaped diamond highlighted by two side stones, set in platinum. the picture-perfect proposal took place on a yacht off the coast of Hawai. He sealed the deal on their wedding day, presenting her with an eternity band encrusted with large diamonds.

Jessica’s wedding dreams came to light on her 22nd birthday. in October of 2002, Jessica and Nick walked down the aisle and said I do at the Smith Chapel as part of the Riverbend Baptist Church in Austin, Texas. Jessica’s friend presided over the ceremony where 350 guests were in attendance. Jessica wore a strapless, beaded Vera Wang dress with a sweeping train while Nick wore a Hugo Boss tux. her blond locks were styled by celebrity hair stylist, Ken Paves. the reception was held at Austin’s Barton Creek Resort, a popular golf and tennis retreat. at the reception, the couples also exchanged songs: Nick sang My Everything, a song specially written for Jessica. Jessica had a friend sing a song she’d written for Nick titled My Love. Sparks must have been flying between the pair later that evening as Jessica was very vocal about remaining a virgin up until their wedding night.

Jessica was so in love with her wedding and the wedding planning process that she released a book, I do: Achieving Your Dream Wedding. soon thereafter, the MTV show Newlyweds highlighted the couple’s first few years together as a married couple and made the couple a household name.

Four years into their marriage, in December of 2005, the couple called it quits. Both released albums alluding to the difficulties of the breakup of their marriage. Jessica’s album, A Public Affair, had a pop flair to it versus Nick’s more melancholy album, What’s Left of Me. Both Jessica and Nick managed to find love in the aftermath of their divorce. Jessica was romantically linked to John Mayer for awhile and Nick is still going strong with Vanessa Minnillo.

ABC News’ Mary Pflum reports:

New York City’s famed 5th Avenue has long been home to big name designers and high-end fashion.

So when a new “kid” joined the top fashion block in November, it was not just any kid but Gucci Kids, a first-of-its-kind children’s boutique sporting high end items – like a $2,900 fur coat, a $1500 sleeveless dress, and a $3800 biker jacket- all targeted for fashionistas ages 12 and under.

Fashion insiders say the new Gucci collection, which joins Burberry, Versace, Fendi, Dior and Lanvin in offering a kids’ line, is just one part of an ambitious retail initiative aimed at an ever-younger audience.

“these clothes are not for the playground, but for special occasions,” Jane Keltner de Valle  of Teen Vogue told “Good Morning America.”  “I can see more people splurging on a dress or a piece from these collections.”

There may be a recession going on, but you would not know it by looking at the sales of kids’ fashions.

Last year, sales of children’s clothing in the U.S. exceeded $32 billion, according to  NPD Group Inc. Consumer Tracking Service

And $800 million of that was spent on designer labels alone.

Leslie Venokur, co-founder of the national mom organization Big City Moms, says the recent success of kids’ lines for high-end fashion names may be a case of parents trying to lavish on their kids what they cannot afford for themselves.

“Parents really want to give their kids the best,” she said.

“If it means not going out to dinner or not getting the latest handbag, that’s okay, because my child means everything to me.  I’d rather give everything to her,” she said, describing the mindset of some parents.

Others attribute the current fashion phenomenon to celebrity offspring like Suri Cruise, the only child of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes who has been sporting couture since she was in diapers.

“Celebrity offspring have become much more visible. They’re paparazzi stars in their own right,” Teen Vogue’s Keltner de Valle told “GMA.”  “that has put children and what they wear more in the spotlight.”

Photos of five-year-old Suri sporting high-end fashions like custom-made Lanvin shoes have captured the attention of scores of mommy bloggers in the process too.

And now, this winter, Lanvin is not just for Suri anymore.  Lanvin Petite is available now to the little girl masses.

The Parisian collection hit Lanvin stores this winter.  among the items up for grabs:  a $1,600 trench coat and an $1,100 sundress.

The Lanvin Petite collection, believed to be the most expensive line of children’s clothing to date, comes a few months after Versace opened its first all-kids store in Milan, Italy.

In September, fashion icon Ralph Lauren held his first full runway show for his girls’ collection during New York’s Fashion Week.  The show was treated with all the seriousness of any grown-up Fashion Week collection, complete with paparazzi and front-row fashion.

“GMA” assembled a group of mothers and daughters to weigh in on the new “kiddie couture” collections.

The girls, ages five to 12, said that while they may be small, fashion, for them, is already big.

“A lot of my friends like Steve Madden,” said one of the girls, while another said her closet already includes clothes by designer Marc Jacobs, a favorite of Hollywood celebrities.

The girls’ mothers, meanwhile, expressed concern that the new high-end collections are another sign of the growing pressure on both moms and the girls to look a certain way.

“When I was growing up , the kids wore kids stuff and moms wore mom stuff and now it kind of blurs,” Mindy Mervis, mother of a 12-year-old girl, told “GMA.”

The moms said they also worry the collections make it harder than ever to teach girls values, like beauty not being determined by a fancy label or a pricey garment.

“There’s definitely pressure on what the girls want and what other girls are wearing,” said one mom.

While the moms say that they want their girls to look good, they draw the line at the notion of costly fur coats like the one featured in the new Gucci collection.

“Not for $3,000!,” a mom responded when asked by “GMA” if she would buy her daughter such a coat.

There is so much to be said about Hollywood gossip. From rumors going around, the truth being exaggerated, paparazzi, to just plain out lies. I like to call Hollywood gossip the he said, she said, they said, we said, part of the world. and its true you can start one sentence about a celebrity and by the time it gets back to you its an entire paragraph of nothing but a tall tale. no truth to it whatsoever. and yet, there are times when the truth is told but once its told then it turns to gossip as soon as the truth comes out.

There are so many celebrities in Hollywood its no wonder there is so much Hollywood celebrity gossip because its so easy to get rumors started, or if you tell someone the truth and ask that it not be repeated; you are essentially wasting your breath. The reason is because its so easy to do and Hollywood gossip goes a long way too. there are magazines and tabloids that get a hold of a so called story truth or lie and they turn it into something juicy that people would want to read.

Ultimately, I would hate to be a celebrity unless I did not have to live in or near Hollywood because that is the gossip center of everything. If you are an actor or actress, musician, singer, or anything that has celebrity added to it you are then a target. you make it on the Hollywood gossip list. and believe me at one point or another you will be on that list. not to mention your family is a target too; it goes on and on and the list is continuously getting longer as time goes on. Hollywood gossip circulates fast and by the time you can get the rumor or lie stopped your reputation could be already affected by it.

And amazingly when you are a celebrity and that Hollywood gossip is going around about you, then you are privileged of being on the front page of a paper or cover of a tabloid magazine. Gossip moves faster in Hollywood than anywhere else I believe. its worse if paparazzi has photos of you. for example you could be a woman celebrity walking out of the airport with your brother and the photo is taken in the morning, I guarantee by noon your brother will either be your boyfriend or lover in which you are having an affair on your husband, or a lover that you do not want anyone to know about. when the truth is he is just your brother. Yes, that is how Hollywood gossip works and there is no way around it either. Hollywood gossip is that powerful especially if you are a celebrity.

Rincon Puerto Rico is a small town on the Northwest corner of Puerto Rico which provides a laid back atmosphere and casual ambiance that has made it the choice for many celebrities who choose to vacation on the island. Rincon provides a beautiful Caribbean backdrop away from the prying eyes of paparazzi and adoring fans. Rincon Vacations provides travel services and a complete travel directory for Rincon Puerto Rico online at rinconvacations.com. (OPENPRESS) January 19, 2012 — Rincon Puerto Rico is home to some of the best options for luxury lodging on the Caribbean island, offering guests a variety of choices for booking private, tropical retreats. When bid name celebrities like Shania Twain and Kate Moss look to vacation in the Caribbean, they turn to luxury vacation rentals in Rincon Puerto Rico for a private, five-star experience. find pictures of these celebrity vacation rentals in Puerto Rico online at RinconVacations.com or visit the website to get more information about how you can book a luxury vacation in Puerto Rico for your family. With the help of a full-service vacation planning company like Rincon Vacations, you can ensure that you get the most for your money. On New Year’s Eve 2010, country star Shania Twain wed at the famous Rincon Ocean Villa. formerly known as the “Casa Hines”, the Rincon Ocean Villa is a 14,000 foot Spanish mansion located beachfront in Rincon PR. Since it was built in 1997, the Casa Hines has been rumored to be everything from Ricky Martin’s private estate to the vacation home of the Hienz Ketchup fortune (neither is true). however, once look and you can tell that this majestic beachfront property is not for just anyone. With ten spacious bedrooms, a private Spanish courtyard inside the mansion, and a tower offering 360 degree panoramic views of the ocean and mountains, Rincon Ocean Villa is one of the most exquisite and luxurious lodging accommodations available in Rincon Puerto Rico. Situated on 3

The American socialite Paris Hilton is a celebutante, heiress, model, media personality, singer and actress and is never out of the headlines for her ever-evolving feuds with other Hollywood party pack stars, ever-changing taste in pets and men, endless string of mishaps and most importantly clothes, shoes, hairstyle and her ostentatious diamond jewellery. Paris Hilton sets new standards for fashion and accessories and also for socialites every time she wakes up in the morning. you may chose to love her or hate her, but you just don’t have the option to ignore Paris Hilton. She’s always in the spotlight wherever she goes.

The style icon
The ultimate fashion icon, Paris Hilton’s style is mostly impeccable, although there have been several occasions where she has been arrested by the fashion police for committing fashion faux pas of the highest order. This is mainly because the glamorous heiress takes her fashion quite seriously and loves to be outrageously sexy and daring in her choice of clothes, which as we all know, can go wrong.

Her famous craze for the colour pink has often been discussed in fashion magazines and over coffee tables. the celebutante, who has even gone to the extent of getting her car painted pink to suit her fancies, loves to dress up in everything pink. she pairs all her favorite pink piece of fashion with perfectly matching bright pink accessories, like a hot pink quilted bag for example. Her hair accessories, her jewelery, handbags and most famously her stiletto high heel shoes and everything else are prettified by the countless tones of pink. Speaking of her move to paint her Bentley Continental GT cherry blossom pink, the billionaire heiress nonchalantly says, ‘I love it, it’s so pretty. I’ve just always wanted a pink car.

Accessories and more accessories
The famous quote on fashion of Paris Hilton is the only rule is don’t be boring. Dress cute wherever you go. This hotel chain heiress pays a lot of attention to detail when it comes to her accessories. they are always in matching or in sync with her daring designer outfits. recently, the ‘Hottie and the Nottie’ star was spotted in a blue and white sundress, blue cardigan, blue heels and blue handbag. and to top off the look she drove her customized blue Bentley.

Apart from her much talked about handbags, designer shoes and over-sized sunglasses that she always wears, the favorite, or rather the number one accessory of the ‘Simple Life’ star, is her Chihuahua. Paris has reportedly four Chihuahuas named Harajuku, Tokyo, Bambi, and Tinkerbell. she is even credited with popularizing the toy dog trend of carrying a small dog in one’s oversize purse, which she’s done with both Tinkerbell and her other Chihuahua, Bambi. the author of Confessions of an Heiress: a Tongue-in-Chic Peek Behind the Pose, Paris wears her attitude on her sleeves. she was recently seen in a white tee with a statement, ‘I love shoes, bags and boys’.

The party hearty actress is also said to be a huge fan of diamond jewelery. I love fashion, and I love diamonds proclaims Hilton who endorses Italian jewelery designer Damiani. Paris lately generated a lot of publicity by ordering $282k worth of diamonds for her Bentley’s dashboard. Nicknamed ‘Star’ and ‘Princess’, Paris also owns an ever growing personal collection of diamond necklaces, earrings, and bracelets that she wears to special events.

She is mad about shoes
Paris is a celebrated shoe lover. she is known to possess thousands of pairs of designer shoes. There were even talk of donating some of them to an orphanage but it is difficult to find somebody of her shoes size. the ‘Stars are Blind’ party professional wears size 11 shoes, so she has all her shoes custom-designed to fit her large feet.

Apart from the large size, distinct features of Hilton’s shoes are high heels and sling backs. Her favorite shoe styles being pointed stilettos, shiny pumps, mid-calf boots, high heel knee-high boots, sexy open-toe pumps, platforms with high heels, wedges of varying colours, and sports shoes. Paris Hilton’s flat shoes, flip flops and sandals are also far from the ordinary. On special occasions you could see Paris wearing footwear by Jimmy Choo, Christian Louboutin, Christian Dior, Stuart Weitzman, Tylie Malibu, Louis Vuitton, Michael Kors, Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci, Miu Miu and Yves Saint Laurent. Her love for animals is also prominently displayed in the choice of fabrics for her shoes that quite often sport leopard and zebra prints. the billionaire socialite also loves shoes with gold heels and those embellished with gems of different stones like rubies, amethysts, diamonds and emeralds.

According to stylists, Paris Hilton chooses an ideal pair of shoes for her outfits. like her dress, they’re fun and carefree, without being sloppy. Alongside her popular sportswear and fragrance lines, Paris also runs a footwear line. I have always loved shoes and after working on my recently launched sportswear and fragrance lines this seemed like a natural next step, commented the radical shoe princess on her much hyped Paris Hilton Footwear range.