When I watched Big and Carrie decide to rekindle their dysfunctional relationship on the last episode of Sex and the City in 2004, I wiped the tears from my face and came to terms with the fact that I would no longer know what was going on in the lives of Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte.

That did not turn out to be the case.

It seems the Sex and the City phenomenon isn’t going anywhere — especially after the recent news that Sex scribe Candace Bushnell will write a young adult series about Carrie’s teen years, aptly titled The Carrie Diaries.

The closest we’ve come to Carrie’s high school years on the show was the return of her first boyfriend (played by an institutionalized David Duchovny) and her disturbing, yet realistic reference to losing her virginity (“Eleventh grade. Seth Bateman. His smelly rec room. Half a joint, three thrusts, finito.”)

Bushnell’s deal with publisher HarperCollins includes two young adult novels (so far) that will take readers through Carrie’s teenage years, some of which will be spent in a yet-to-be-determined suburb and some, of course, in Manhattan. … continue reading

Ah, breasts. Eva Mendes was happy to show you hers on behalf of Calvin Klein. Jennifer Beals and Sarah Jessica Parker will never show you theirs with the no-nudity clauses in their contracts. Somewhere, someone even thought breasts might make you buy French Fries.

The comments on Gina Vivenetto's recent Eva Mendes blog post range from, "Lighten up with the nudity laws, Americans!" to "Right on, FCC! People need to keep their clothes on!" Turns out not everyone agrees about when and where bared breasts are acceptable.

Pondering the nude folks that will be dancing in Central Park during tonight's revival of Hair, New York Magazine asked a few celebrities how they felt about getting naked.

Elle model and author of The Bikini Book Kelly Killoren Bensimon said: "Wooo! Nudity! Well, I've never been photographed nude before, ever. I'm like the only model that hasn't. So, I actually love being in my bikini, I'd love to be in my bikini more than anything else. But the one thing I don't like about summer is that people are literally taking off their clothes. And the thing about winter is that people really make an effort to be dressed. That's what I like." … continue reading

Among the fashionistas like Ivanka Trump and Carla Bruni-Sarzoky (the cover model), Vanity Fair has chosen a couple of worthy women for this year's "International Best-Dressed List." I'm not talking about the obvious choices like Sarah Jessica Parker and Angelia Jolie; I mean the androgynous ones who dare to wear pants, suits, and otherwise male-identified clothing and look better than both sexes at events and in the limelight.

Actress Tilda Swinton may have been chosen "because she's a great Scot," but I can think of more specific reasons to include her as a fabulous dresser. She stands out not only because of her striking eyes, cheekbones and bright red head of hair, but her style remains classic simple to compliment her natural features. She's not afraid to wear a gown, but she always looks dapper in a button-up blouse or blazer.

Writer Fran Lebowitz made the list for the second year in a row, this year as a "2008 Hall of Fame Inductee." Before I cover her fashion, I'd like to give her a virtual round of applause for not taking this list seriously at all. Each person chosen answered a survey of their favorite places to shop, etc. and Fran's answers are, well, not really answers such as "Residence: Yes. Age: Absolutely." My favorite, however, is her answer to "Favorite Vintage Store" in which she answers "The Strand bookstore," a well-known staple of New York City where they, indeed, sell only books. … continue reading

When readers of Maxim see next month's issue, they might be tricked into thinking the tacky men's magazine has made nice with Sarah Jessica Parker, the actress it infamously voted the World's Unsexiest Woman last year. Parker topped a list of so-called ugly women that included Amy Winehouse, Sandra Oh, Madonna and Britney Spears.

Maxim was roundly criticized for the list and the 43-year-old Sex And The City star was candid with the press about how much the dubious honor hurt her, telling one interviewer, the list was "brutal, in a way. It's so filled with rage and anger."

Next month, Maxim does a 180 on its earlier judgment, naming Parker its "Unexpected Crush," but insiders say the "honor" still contains an insult-laden joke.

Is this what the power of the press has been reduced to? Have we all reverted back to the 8th grade? Remember passing terribly catty notes about classmates we were jealous of or threatened by? Sometimes we made fun of them, sometimes, unfortunately, we picked on their physical attributes because it was, again, the 8th grade, what else did we have going on? It's not like we could be snarky about each other's jobs or spouses or whom we voted for.

It's not just mens' mags like Maxim. Famed film critic Rex Reed wrote a review of Sex And The City for the New York Observer in which he spent an entire paragraph crudely insulting Parker's appearance and specifically, the cute mole on her face. (Parker recently had the mole removed. Coincidence?). … continue reading

We're halfway through summer movie season, and it is time once again to employ Lesbian Scientistics to determine which summer blockbuster star is the most kissable, and what exactly goes into lip appeal. (CAUTION: The findings below are fraught with SPOILERS.)

Step 1) Ask a question. Does a woman's bad-assness effect her kissability?

Step 2) Observe. I will profile each woman to garner an accurate portrait of her bad-assness, paying special attention to whose ass she kicks, what she kicks ass with, and what she wears to hand out said ass kickin'.

Anna Popplewell/Susan Pevensie, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

Enemies: Telemarines, the misogyny of C.S. Lewis.

Allies: 2 Sons of Adam, 1 Daughter of Eve.

Uniform: Chainmail, leather corset.

Weapons: See pie chart.

Sarah Jessica Parker/Carrie Bradshaw, The Sex and the City Movie

Enemies: Big, Mr.

Allies: Samantha, Miranda, Charlotte.

Uniform: Fraggle-fur shawl.

Weapons: See pie chart. … continue reading

Barkeep, a round of (virtual) cosmos on me. The summer’s ultimate chick flick Sex and the City came, saw and trampled the competition with its six-inch Manolos this weekend. With an estimated $55 million weekend take, the film trounced expectations to become the biggest opening romantic comedy in box office history. But the question remains: Was the Sex any good?

Yes … and, no, but, mostly, yes. At two hours and 25 minutes, the film is arguably about 45 minutes too long. Still, I actually had the proverbial “I laughed, I cried” reaction. (I did laugh, and I did cry.) And, for the most part, I had a pretty good time. It was like slipping on a really nice, really expensive, really familiar pair of shoes. The film played out like the show’s seventh season simultaneously down and blown up.

Everything is bigger and more fabulous in the film: the clothes, the shoes, the purses, the apartments, the locations. Money has become, truly, no obstacle. And while the eye candy is impressive, it has never been why I watched the series. I have never —not once —lusted after a designer handbag.

[WARNING: Plot spoilers below. If you haven’t seen the movie yet, best to skedaddle. If you have, pour yourself another cocktail and let’s talk.]

So, what worked? The friendships. Ten years after we first met them Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda and Samantha are still the reason Sex and the City works. The chemistry between the women still feels organic. So when they’re together, there is a shorthand and ease there that makes you believe you’re eavesdropping on a group of longtime friends.

What else worked? The interplay of humor and heart. The bon mots were, as always, wonderfully clever. Sometimes I wish I could hire the SATC writers to pen a week’s worth of witticisms for me, so I too could go around dropping hilarity gems. But at its heart the film is about the women’s relationships, both with each other and the men in their lives. … continue reading

I was pretty much of a square peg in high school. I wasn't cool enough to be in the popular clique, but I didn't really fit in with the geeks, either. So, I was a die-hard fan of Square Pegs before the first opening credits were over.

The show was a gem, even though it lasted only one season. But if you missed it, take heart. On May 20 — finally — Square Pegs will be released on DVD.

The show had a simple enough premise. Two freshmen girls, Lauren and Patty, wanted to be popular. Desperately.

Oh, did I mention that Sarah Jessica Parker played Patty? That's why Sony is releasing Square Pegs now — to coincide with Sex and the City: the Movie. This is one case in which crass commercialism makes the world a better place. … continue reading

As Sarah noted in Best. Lesbian. Week. Ever. today, NewNowNext blogger John Polly recently interviewed the Sex and the City cast. For Cynthia Nixon's comments, see BLWE — here are some other highlights.

NNN: Any thoughts about Cashmere Mafia or Lipstick Jungle?
Kim Cattrall: I haven’t seen them. I’m very flattered because they sound shockingly like a show that was near and dear to my heart. [Laughs.] But it’s not like somebody in the middle of nowhere came up with them. Darren Star put this whole fantasy together, and so did Candace Bushnell — from the inception — so I have no opinion about them going off and trying to tell more stories about women.

NNN: What about the clothes?
Kristin Davis: Did the shoes hurt? Oh, we got used to that. But in the middle of the night, it was as if we’d be thinking, “This is how we earn our check — wearing these shoes.”

NNN: On lesbian costumer Patricia Field:
Kim Cattrall: You go into Pat’s playroom — as I call it — and it stinks like cigarettes, and there’s pizza, take-out food, stuff everywhere. And she’s got a little bit of everything in there. She has designer stuff and, like, a rag-picker's assortment of jewelry from the ’30s and ’40s. It’s so much fun, because you really feel like it’s dress-up time.

Patricia Field

Sarah Jessica Parker: Really, this idea that I’m some kind of fashion icon is, in large part, due to Pat. She’s a remarkable person. And don’t be fooled by the red hair; she’s no Hostess Twinkie. She’s a really smart woman. … continue reading

UPDATED POST: This post was first published on Friday. But there's new news. Read on!

Last week, the rumor mill had Sarah Jessica Parker starring as one of the fiancées in the madcap comedy Boeing-Boeing — she was to play the Italian air hostess. Given that she has some solid Broadway history and even more interesting Off-Broadway history, that could have been fun casting. However, it seems the rumor mill was not correct this time. Alas. The latest casting news is not exactly depressing, though — Gina Gershon will be the Italian assistente di bordo.

You may know her better as Corky.

Gershon doesn't have a lot of Broadway history — just a stint as Sally Bowles in Cabaret. But apparently she was good. I almost wish Boeing-Boeing was a musical so I could see her sing live. (Although I suspect it would be different than this Prey for Rock 'n' Roll excerpt.)

The other actress recently cast in Boeing-Boeing is Mary McCormack (West Wing, K Street), as the German flight attendant. … continue reading

Last Friday, the full-length Sex and the City movie trailer was leaked online.

I’ll admit it: I’m excited about this movie. And I say that as someone who took quite a long time to become a fan of the show. When it first premiered in 1998, the glossy-looking previews got me to tune in, expecting a New York–based comedy along the lines of Friends. What I got seemed a lot more along the lines of soft porn to me — plus a seemingly endless run of terrible puns and vacuous-sounding questions from sex columnist Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) — and I just as quickly tuned out. When friends talked about the show to me, I told them in no uncertain terms that I couldn’t stand it.

Yet somehow, around the time of the fifth or sixth season, I found myself taking another look. And whether it was just because I had gotten older, or because the show had gotten a lot better, I unexpectedly found myself being drawn into it. Carrie seemed less brittle, self-obsessed and neurotic to me, and I found myself noticing what a good friend she was. Prissy Charlotte (Kristin Davis) had met her perfect match in the short, bald, fat Harry (Evan Handler) and had loosened up a bit. Slutty Samantha (Kim Cattrall) was no longer shagging everything that moved, but seemed on the verge of settling into an actually rather touching relationship with Smith (Jason Lewis) — plus I admired the tough, steely way she was handling breast cancer.

And then there was Miranda. … continue reading

They’re baaaack! Yes, the fabulous foursome of Sex and the City is back. The first teaser trailer for the SATC movie came out yesterday. I’ll admit it; I got a little sentimental when I heard the theme again. I half expected to see Carrie in that pink tutu dress getting splashed by that bus. And as much as I want to toast the movie and the gals, I can’t help wondering: Will it work?

I watched all six seasons of the hit HBO series. I even hosted a premiere party or two, complete with appletinis. And when it ended in 2004, I thought it went out on a pretty darn-near-perfect note in terms of wish fulfillment. So now, almost four years later, what exactly is left to tell? Well, the trailer doesn’t let too much slip, unless a woman trying on fancy white dresses means something to you. [To see the trailer in hi-def, click here.] … continue reading

Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, Jessica Simpson and Paula Abdul … do you really want to smell like these people? Me, not so much, since I can honestly say I’ve never wanted to smell like a nervous breakdown, jail, desperation or crazy. But, apparently, a lot of people do want to dab on a little eau de paparazzi princess, since new star scents keep popping up everywhere.

Now, I’m not really a perfume fan, period. The first thing I do when I open one of those big, glossy magazines is rip out all the smelly samples. And of course, using celebrities to hawk fancy fragrances is nothing new either. I’ve always admired those elegant Trésor ads featuring Isabella Rosellini and now Kate Winslet. But having stars sell their own signature scents, well that’s a horse of a different color. … continue reading

Last weekend, Italian designer Valentino marked the 45th anniversary of his brand with a couture show in Rome, followed by a post-show gala dinner and ball at the Parco dei Daini at the Villa Borghese on July 7. Yeah, my budget (OK, and an invitation) precluded me from going, but that doesn't mean we can't sorta virtually be there through the magic of photography! Here are some of our favorite ladies at the gala:

Elle MacPherson (who played bi opposite Kate Capshaw in A Girl Thing)

… continue reading

Ladies, raise your cosmopolitans and click your Manolos. The Sex and the City movie is definitely, maybe going to happen.

Series star Sarah Jessica Parker told Entertainment Tonight yesterday that, "As far as I know people creatively are on board. I'm not being cagey for once in saying it might happen. "

… continue reading

OK, fine, that wasn't the emphatic "It's on!" I was hoping for from SJP.