Kim Kardashian's engagement ring 'wins' in family's battle of the bling

It's the battle of the bling among the Kardashian Klan.

Newly engaged Kim Kardashian now leads the pack of diamond-wearing women in her family, now that she's rocking a 20.5-carat engagement ring from New Jersey Nets player Kris Humphries.

Though sister Khloé's 12.5-carat engagement bling from Lakers star Lamar Odom was once the envy of her siblings, Kim's new accessory takes the cake.

"Kim wins! Kim's is the largest!" sister Kourtney told People.

Humphries' extravagant gift wasn't just a surprise to Kim – the massive sparkler equally shocked the reality star's family.

"We had no idea [about the engagement]," Kourtney added. "We were both surprised at the dinner when Kim came out with her big rock and she started waving it in the air!"

The ring, which features a 16.5-carat emerald-cut center stone flanked by two 2-carat trapezoids, likely weighs about 4 ounces and possibly more if the ring is set in heavy platinum, Jennifer Gandia, co-owner of NYC's Greenwich Jewelers, told the Daily News.

In terms of weight: imagine strapping a deck and a half of cards on your finger.

"A ring that heavy would become uncomfortable for most women," Gandia said.

But alas, if there's one thing we've learned, it's that Kim Kardashian is not like most women.

BY CRISTINA EVERETT

Amber Rose Lashes Out At Vibe For ‘Negative’ Cover Story: “F–k Vibe Magazine!”

In Vibe magazine’s ‘Sexy Issue,’ model Amber Rose not only graces the cover, but she gave a candid interview where she dished on her past relationship with ex-boyfriend Kanye West and her brief rebound relationship with Reggie Bush. Apparently, she wasn’t happy about what was written, because she took to twitter to voice her distaste with the magazine and their reporting.

“Just read “my” interview in @VibeMagazine half of the story was untrue & ridiculous! F##K that Cover F##K @VibeMagazine yall wrote a bunch of negative bullshit that I never said or did. Yall don’t give a f*ck that I have a Mom & Family thats gonna read that fake ass shit I gave yall a truthful interview & Yall f##ked me. I’m so sick of keeping my mouth shut I didn’t ask for this life it was handed to me. I was nothing but nice to everyone I spoke to @ Vibe”

She didn’t get into any details about what part of the interview or feature was false, but earlier this week, the magazine published the following excerpts from her interview:

On Life Post-KanyeWhat am I supposed to do? Crawl up in a corner and die ‘cause I’m not with Kanye anymore? Am I supposed to go back to the strip club and not take these opportunities that I have?
On her relationship with Reggie BushMe and Reggie [Bush] dated very briefly after Kanye…We were both each other’s rebound and we both knew that and were cool with that.
On why her story is relatableI don’t have rich parents and it’s a struggle. I can’t just call my dad and be like, ‘Dad, my money is a little messed up. Can you buy me a car or a house? It’s not like that for me. I feel like more people will relate to my story than the Kardashians or the Hiltons.
On being iconicKanye would always tell be how beautiful I was and that I was going to be iconic. He always said that, ‘Baby, you are iconic. You don’t understand what you have. I didn’t. I didn’t understand it.

It will be interesting to see how this unfolds as her publicly lashing out can have fans questioning the magazine’s credibility, however, every single interview that is published in magazines are recorded which means it can easily be proven.

*via NecoleBitchie.com

‘The Hangover 2′ Probably Still Coming Out Despite Lawuit Over Tyson Face Tattoo

By Alex Moore 

Believe it or not, another man owns a copyright to Mike Tyson’s face.

There are many strange components to the lawsuit threatening to stop the release of “The Hangover 2″ this weekend.

First, it’s over a face tattoo. Mike Tyson, who appeared in the first “Hangover,” doesn’t appear in in the sequel—but his face tattoo shows up on Ed Helms as pictured below.

Second, the lawsuit isn’t from Tyson, but from the tattoo artist who inked it on Tyson’s face. Artist S. Victor Whitmill claims to hold a copyright on the ink on Tyson’s face, and has sued Warner Brothers with a requested injunction to stop the film’s release.

Third—and certainly strangest—he actually seems to have a credible claim on Tyson’s face.

The Hollywood Reporter uncovered a copy of Whitmill’s complaint. Not only does he have a credible trademark registration on Tyson’s face tattoo, but he has a signed released from Tyson granting Whitmill the rights to the design on his face. From THR: “Whitmill attaches to the lawsuit his copyright registration for the ‘Original Tattoo,’ as well as Tyson’s signed release granting rights in the work.”

Sure, the design ornamenting Tyson’s visage is distinct, but this is Iron Mike we’re talking about, here. Why would he volunteer the rights to his own facial appearance to someone else? As we’ve all seen in the “Tyson” documentary, the man has a (seriously creepy) soft side. Maybe he was feeling generous.

At any rate, Pop Eater today gets a legal opinion from a Hollywood attorney, who assures us that “The Hangover 2″ will come out on schedule. “Using the tattoo in the movie is simply part of the joke. It is also transformative in that it makes use of the tattoo in a scene where it adds value to the meaning of the original design,” the attorney says, concluding “no court will order an injunction.”

So let that be a warning: Next time, before you try to convince a heavyweight champion to assign you the rights to part of his face, remember it might not actually hold up in court.

"H8R" Premiering Next Fall on CW

By Matt Kiebus 

Next fall the CW will be premiering a show called “H8R,” during which celebrities like Kardashian and Snooki will unexpectedly confront people that have talked sh*t about them. The show will be hosted by ab workout fanatic Mario Lopez. Each episode will feature different celebrities, but the first episode appears to be a doozie with Kardashian and Snooki defending their heritage and their asses—quite literally.

The purpose of the show is for the haters to have a change of heart after meeting their celebrity face-to-face. Quite honestly it seems to be a show for cry baby celebs who don’t realize that their fame and bank accounts should significantly outweigh their critics opinion and their own hurt feelings. The show is sure to be full of “you don’t know me’s” and “who do you think you are’s.”

I always find it hilarious when reality-television stars volunteer their lives to be documented on TV and once any backlash begins they ask their audience to not judge them based on what they see during the show. They’re totally different in “real life”—trust them! In other words they want the money and prestige of actors without the accountability of the reality tag.

Meaning that “H8R” promises to be a show by questionable celebs and for questionable celebs, meaning millions of us will probably watch it and say “I can’t believe how real and totally down to earth Snooki and Kim Kardashian are!”

Disclaimer: I will not be watching this show

Beyonce's Billboard Music Awards Show Strikingly Similar To Year-Old Performance From Italian Singer

written by Billy Johnson Jr.

Many were impressed when Beyoncé thanked fired Destiny's Child members LeToya Luckett and LaTavia Roberson in her Billboard Music Awards acceptance speech Sunday night when she received the Millennium Award. But her acknowledgments included a major omission: Italian singer, dancer, actress, and television host Lorella Cuccarini, who appears to have inspired Beyoncé's show-stealing performance of her new song "Run The World (Girls)."

In February 2010, Lorella took the stage at the 60^th Sanremo Music Festival in Italy and delivered a show before a white screen and digital accompaniments that has drawn undeniable comparisons to Beyoncé's Billboard Music Awards performance.

As Lorella danced, the backdrop was filled with computerized birds, a bouncing ball, a red staff, a set of wings, a series of drums, and an army of choreographed clones, all of which also appeared in Beyoncé's set.

The variations between the scenes in common are minimal. When watching the performances side-by-side, it feels as though Beyoncé's team used Lorella's show as a template and personalized it by merely changing out some of the details. Not only does Beyoncé use some of the same scenes Lorealla used, but they fall in the same sequence.

Beyoncé's set opens with the roaring head of a tiger. Then like Lorealla's, an entry way appears. Next, both ladies receive a set of flapping wings. Beyoncé dances in front of an array of random, abstract images before a sea of birds descend from the top of the frame. As she continues to dance, she is eventually joined by background dancers made in her likeness. She catches a set of virtual drumsticks and plays the snares that materialize onto the projection in the same spiral fashion as in Lorealla's video.

Kenzo Digital, who spent a month creating Beyoncé's interactive video, said Lorealla concert footage is only part of the inspiration for Beyoncé's show. "[The Cuccarini artists] are awesome and do incredible work as well, but there are a lot of different inspirations for where our piece came from," he told our Amplifier blog.

While it is clear that Beyoncé used the same visual concept as Lorella, Kenzo makes a valid point: both performances contain numerous unique qualities.

Lorella's four-minute routine was a tribute of sorts to American pop music that included pieces of Gwen Stefani's "Holla Back Girl," Michael Jackson's "The Way You Make Me Feel," Aerosmith's "Walk This Way," and Peggy Lee's "Fever."

Beyoncé also brought two live male background dancers on stage with her, and followed the electronic set with 100+ live female dancers.

Reaction online has been mixed. "This is why I will always value her as a great performer, but never as an artist," rocknox wrote on YouTube. "Why are you going to perform a sampled song, and sample a performance too?"

But ShortStuff528 came to Beyoncés defense. "Has Beyoncé claimed this performance as her idea? Who's to say it was Beyoncé who sought out the people responsible for the original? Maybe they wanted to work with her. Every artist constantly copies. Michael Jackson copied James Brown, Jackie Wilson, breakdancers, Marcel Marcequ, and many magicians that he witnessed. ... Beyoncé gave credit to Fosse even before 'Single Ladies.'"

Still, Beyoncé owed Lorella a mention during her speech. For Beyoncé's "Run The World (Girls)" video, she pays respect to theTofo Tofo dancers from Mozambique who inspired the opening dance sequence by featuring two of the members in the clip.

A representative for Beyoncé had not responded to Yahoo! Music's request for a quote at press time. A spokesperson for the Billboard Awards offered no comment.

Reaching 10k hits

I'm coming up from 8470 hits to hopefully hit 10,000 on the blog next week. 
I thank everyone once again for the support. 
It's overwhelming to have been so new at blogging and have some many people all over the world reading the post each day. 

Please email me your address if you are the 10,000 hit here and I will send you a box of "Bee Chocolates" from Gilt Taste as a gift to you. 

billijodesigns@yahoo.com

Top 10 Picks: Best gowns from Cannes Film Festival 2011

Roberto Cavalli was representing in Cannes! I love his designs and he is one of my favorite designers that I look up to. 

1. Ana Beatriz Barros in Roberto Cavalli

2. Karolina Kurkova in Chanel Couture

3. Georgina Chapman in Marchesa

4. Karolina Kurkova in Roberto Cavalli

5. Claudia Schiffer in Chanel

6. Bar Rafaeli wearing a Roberto Cavalli dress and Salvatore Ferragamo shoes

7. Kirsten Dunst in Chanel

8. Laetitia Casta in Roberto Cavalli

9. Moran Attias in Roberto Cavalli

10. Bianca Balti wearing a Roberto Cavalli dress and a Salvatore Ferragamo clutch

*via Boheme Noir Blogspot

DIY: Door Knocker Belt

I had to repost this DIY! I love this idea and it's such an easy one to make yourself

After discovering lion drawer pulls at the hardware store a few weeks ago, we were immediately reminded of this vintage Moschino jacket spotted on Jane of Sea of Shoes. They were obviously too amazing to pass up and we knew we had to incorporate the mini door knockers into a DIY. Luckily, we were able to track down the same lion head drawer pulls online so now you can join in on the fun!

You’ll need:

• a belt
• 4 lion drawer pulls
• 4 #8-32 x 3/8″ flat head screws
• a hole punch or leather punch
• a screwdriver
• a ruler & pen

Start by placing the drawer pulls along the backside of the belt and place them to your liking. Mark the placements with 4 evenly spaced cross sections with a pen and ruler. With the hole punch, carefully punch out the holes.

Push the screws through the holes and twist on the drawer pulls, tightening each one with a screwdriver.

Your Moschino-inspired belt is finito!

Roarrrrr!

(top image via Atlantis Home, rest of images by Honestly…WTF)

Amber Rose Responds To Kanye West Diss: “I Could Write A Book But I Choose To Take The High Road”

*Via NecoleBitchie

Lovebirds Wiz Khalifa and Amber Rose took their romance to Amsterdam and Paris this past weekend as they were spotted smooching in Paris Nightclub Sens. Meanwhile, Amber Rose tells King Magazine in her upcoming cover story that she’s chosen to take the high road when it comes to her ex Kanye West. Especially when it comes to his Coachella diss (“I did everything for that blonde dyke, and she’ll do anything if the time’s right).

“It’s just unfortunate that he said that in the song ’cause that’s not the lyrics. I can say whatever I want about him. I can write a book or do whatever, but I choose to take the high road. It’s just unfortunate he has to constantly say sh**.”
When I was with my [Kanye West], I didn’t have a voice. I was there and I was new to the fame. I didn’t understand everything. Now I get everything. With me and Wiz, we show our love to the world. We don’t try to hide it; we’re not quiet about it. We’re just in love and we’re just happy and we want people to follow in our footsteps and not be afraid to be in a committed relationship.”

Check out a few more flicks of Amber Rose and Wiz Khalifa’s Parisian love

How do you guys like the shades Amber is wearing???