Boy George: A real life chameleon

At the height of his fame in the 1980s Boy George was described as one of the world's most recognisable faces, but how many people recognised the picture painted of him in court over the past fortnight?

In the dock George O'Dowd came across as a lonely, paranoid man struggling to find his place in the world. His 1980s heyday is a long way behind him, after all.

He was described as an artist by his counsel, but instead the court was given a picture of a life spent trawling the Gaydar social networking site to find men willing to be photographed nude in all night "fashion shoots".

And for someone who won his place in the nation's affections by being an arch performer, it was odd that he chose not to give evidence in his own defence.

Perhaps it was because his sharp wit has landed him in trouble so many times in the past, earning him a media reputation as a bitch for public spats with Elton John, among others.

His lawyer, Adrian Waterman QC, put a different spin on it: "This is not about performance, it's about his life, it's about being charged with a criminal offence."

A criminal offence of which he has now been convicted.

Of course, it was not his first brush with the law. In 2006 he was found guilty of wasting police time by falsely reporting a burglary at his New York apartment.

Cocaine was found in the flat and he was arrested, but the drug charge was dropped and he pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of wasting police time. He was ordered to spend five days sweeping the streets of New York as a punishment.

Drugs have been a consistent theme with Boy George.

Snaresbrook Crown Court heard how he took cocaine with Audun Carlsen, the man he was found guilty of imprisoning, although press interviews he gave in late summer and autumn - prior to the trial - suggested he was clean.

At the height of his success with Culture Club he began using heroin, and indeed, the band's keyboard player Michael Rudetski, died of an overdose in George's home.

In 1995 he told of his substance addictions in his autobiography Take It Like A Man. It seems that ever since he has been on and off the wagon.

Earlier this year he told Q Magazine: "I've been strung out on drugs for the past five years. But this time I'm clean for good. I don't want to die."

Boy George also said: "Getting clean at the end of 2007 was a very big thing."

He credited his return to sobriety to visits to Narcotics Anonymous.

Yet, bizarrely it seems that during a large part of his addiction he has been on a strict macrobiotic diet of the type followed by Madonna and Gwyneth Paltrow.

And he famously told late chat show host Russell Harty he would rather have a cup of tea than sex, which was strangely at odds with our impressions both of him and what it means to be a pop star.

Just two more contradictions in the life of the man who sang: "I'm a man without conviction, I'm a man who doesn't know how to sell a contradiction."

There are many labels that could be applied to Boy George these days - DJ/singer/fashion designer/photographer/impresario/author/food guru/addict - and now we can add convict.

Yet none of them really fairly reflects just how successful he was with Culture Club, who notched up seven British and nine American Top 10 hits such as Karma Chameleon and sold more than 50 million records.

Without the mask of make-up on his face during the hearing, there was no glamour about Boy George and the evidence in the case certainly didn't give any sense of there being much glamour left in his life.

It was all so different when he burst on to the scene as an exquisitely made-up, fresh-faced teenager exuding youth, energy and boasting a trim figure. In court he looked fat and exhausted.

Even his lawyer said he had gained so much weight since his heyday that he would not have stood a chance in a fight against Mr Carlsen.

Now that the verdict is in, Boy George faces up to 15 years in prison and the comeback he has been working on will hit the skids. He released a new single in October called Yes We Can.

He was also due to go back on the road next year as a singer, as opposed to as a DJ, where he has managed to carve out a successful niche for himself.

It is perhaps ironic that Culture Club's first massive hit was Do You Really Want to Hurt Me? In this case, it appears he did.

Indian model is new face Maybelline

Indian model Diana Penty has replaced Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone as the new face of international cosmetics brand Maybelline New York.

With this, she joins the ranks of international supermodels like Adriana Lima and Christy Turlington.

"I feel great to get this opportunity to endorse a brand that is so vibrant and truly multi-ethnic. For me it is not only about whom I am replacing but it's about being on the same platform as international models and get international exposure," Penty said in a statement released here Monday.

Penty is a student of the Elite Model Management and its CEO Sushma Puri was all praise for the young model.

"Diana has a face that is very versatile and appeals to both Indian and international markets and she is also young, beautiful and confident. This makes her the ideal choice for any international brand," Puri said.

Deepika Padukone was named the brand ambassador of Maybelline in June 2007.

Why celeb workout DVDs may be dangerous

Experts say that beneath their glamorous veneer, such unsupervised videos can trigger off several physical ailments
Cindy Crawford did it, and so did the sensual Carmen Electra. And how could Bollywood be far behind? Following in the footsteps of scores of actresses and supermodels around the world, Shilpa Shetty too has a fitness video to her credit.
But Daily Mail, UK, reported last week that almost 14,000 exercisers are treated at hospitals each year due to injuries arising out of working out at home.
Health and exercise experts believe that celebrities become catalysts in driving women into becoming obsessed with exercising and overlook personalised needs to suit respective fitness levels.
Celebrity fitness expert, Leena Mogra says, “Women are psychologically tuned to copying sexy bodies, and naturally inclined towards following in the footsteps of popular actresses. These are generic exercises that definitely do not meet personal requirements.”
Prameet Kotak, certified body guru who trains actors like Kunal Kapoor and Purab Kohli, says that though it is important for them to promote fitness, actors often “lie” on their exercise videos. He explains, “Unsolicited advice from actors must stop. There are Bollywood actors who say they swear by power yoga to maintain their size zero frame. They are lying outright.” Is Kareena listening?
Sophie Choudry says it is better to hire a personal trainer than buying a celebrity workout DVD. “A trainer makes sure that your personal needs are met. Celebrity workout videos are generic and can backfire on your health.”
Kotak explains, “People are desperate to look good. But they do not realise that the actresses who are promoting their yoga videos have had cosmetic surgery to get into the body shape they are endorsing.”
Actor Shruti Seth, an avid yoga follower, says that yoga may not be the best exercise to be performed on tape. “If done incorrectly it can trigger negative effects.”
Fitness experts warn that viewers risked injury including pulling muscles, dizzy spells. Kotak says, “Blindly copying workout videos can take a toll on your shoulder joints; lead to spondilytis and imbalance of core muscles.”

Matthew Williamson designs for H&M

Matthew Williamson is set to design a capsule collection for high-street store H&M.
Following on from the hugely successful collaboration with Comme des Garcons, H&M are clearly hoping Williamson will bring similar success to the high-street favourite.
“It is an incredible opportunity to be working with H&M, creating a ‘Matthew Williamson for H&M’ capsule collection. I love the fact that H&M have created a new phenomenon in fashion through the pioneering concept of collaborating with high-end designers to create one-off limited edition capsule collections.
"I am thrilled that my creations for H&M will be accessible to and hopefully enjoyed by so many people around the world.” commented Williamson.
H&M’s creative advisor Margareta van den Bosch, explains, “Matthew has such a good eye and a way for working with prints that he mixes up in a new way. When he combines these things, you get a very contemporary London look. He is fantastic with piling on colour. It’s a very stylish collaboration for H&M and very much in line with the way we’re thinking about fashion for spring/summer.”
The collection is set to hit selected stores from April 23, and this will not be the only high-street store to house Williamson’s designs next year. Debenhams will collaborate with the designer and showcase some of his new creations after a two year absence from the store.

Peaches Geldof launches PPQ Collection

Multitalented Peaches Geldof has designed a range for top fashion label PPQ. She has created a 10-piece capsule collection that is thought to be heavily influenced by this season’s gothic trend.
Peaches is already known as an ‘it’ girl about town, as the 19-year-old has a magazine column, a TV show for MTV and DJ’s in her spare time.
Oh and she’s also married too. However, her foray into fashion is a first, despite modelling for PPQ in the past. It’s thought her collection features plenty of lace, chiffon and rich velvet tones; perfect for the oncoming winter chill.
She said, “I’ve always been interested in fashion ever since I was a little girl playing dress-up. The whole collection has a vintage feel to it, as I’m a big vintage buyer.” Peaches has also hinted that she expects the project to span for a few seasons to come, and her spring line is thought to already be in production.

Victoria Beckham set to model underwear for Giorgio Armani

Victoria Beckham, who once said “I look really awful naked”, has been chosen as the new star of Giorgio Armani’s Emporio Armani women’s underwear collection, following in the footsteps of her husband, David Beckham, whose impressive six-pack has enhanced the Italian designer’s range of underpants for the past two seasons.

The former Posh Spice and mother of three will make her undercover debut on posters, billboards and in glossy magazines early next year.
“Who better than Victoria Beckham to launch our new global Emporio Armani underwear campaign? Victoria is a style icon, a dynamic lady whose influence and recognition will add great excitement to the continued international growth of our underwear business,” Mr Armani said earlier today.
Although Emporio Armani underwear for women was originally launched more than twenty years ago, this is the first time an international celebrity has been chosen as its ‘face’. Previously, it has only been photographed on anonymous models.
The photographs of Victoria Beckham modelling the new spring/summer collection of bras and knickers will be shot by the avant-garde team of Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott, renowned for their portraits of powerful, sophisticated women, including Madonna, Bjork, Jennifer Lopez, Scarlett Johansson and Charlotte Rampling.