Tuesday, August 17, 2004

Soap Starters: Russell Crowe, Alec Baldwin, Marisa Tomei, Kevin Bacon, Viggo Mortenson, Mischa Barton… all started on soaps.

On September 6, 2004 at 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. ET/PT, SOAPnet presents the third installment of its original one-hour special, “They Started on Soaps,” featuring actors who started in daytime and then made it big in primetime and movies. Experts, including casting directors and journalists, discuss such actors as Kristin Davis, Kevin Bacon, Lori Laughlin, Kyra Sedgwick and Marisa Tomei and what makes daytime the perfect breeding ground for the hottest faces in the business.

Who’s Wearing What: Erika Christensen stepped out at last night's premiere of the new comedy Without A Paddle in a floral dress by Elsie Katz Couture. She walked carpet in a cream, pink and yellow floral chiffon dress with sweetheart neckline, rusching down the front and a full 1950's style skirt.

Elsie Katz Couture, designed by Donna Baxter, features vintage-inspired feminine and whimsical designs. Baxter named the collection after her grandmother, Elsie Katz, who believed in pink marabou boas and sparkly tiaras for everyday. The Elsie Katz Couture collection has recently been seen on Sharon Stone, Famke Janssen and Paris Hilton.

Hot for Fall: Brooches, fur, metallic shoes, gloves and tweed handbags are, according to Neiman Marcus, the must-have items for fall.

Coach Exec on Trends: Reed Krakoff, President and Executive Creative Director of Coach, discusses the new season's trends: Refined, highly sophisticated clothes with an emphasis on dramatic color combinations, exotic prints, and elegant silhouettes dominated the New York runways for fall. The looks felt more polished than in the past, and most of the season's trends are reflected in our new collections of fall bags and accessories. Here are a few of the key trends

Sport Looks
Many of the designers showed vibrantly patterned sportswear pieces that were mixed together to create a fun, active look. Clothes like these are great accented by our sporty Optic Signature Demis and Hobos in shades like Bordeaux, Black or Fatigue. These bags are subtle but modern enough to get attention.

Black & White Drama
The head-to-toe black and white looks for this season are a big story for both night and day. This trend goes great with our bold new collection of zebra print accessories or our solid black or white Soho Hobos and Soho Leather Totes.

Latest Steps
The news in shoes was all about originality. Two of our favorite styles this season are the Tabitha - an updated Mary Jane featuring our Signature fabric with brass rivets, and the Darrie - a chic sandal made of sleek, contrasting patent and metallic leathers.

Something Fishy: BERLIN (Reuters) - Environment activists piled thousands of dead fish at the foot of Berlin's biggest tourist attraction, the Br andenburg Gate, Tuesday in a demonstration against over-fishing and pollution in the North Sea.



"It's not the fish but the politics that really stink," said Bjoern Jettka, press officer for Germany's Greenpeace.

On a hot August day at peak tourist season, visitors to the famous neo-classical landmark were greeted by the smell of 11,000 rotting fish displayed on a 100 meter long table under banners bearing the slogan "Don't waste life!."

"We caught the fish in the North Sea on board the Greenpeace ship Esperanza using a standard 10 meter commercial fishing net, said Jettka. "The net has a huge pipe attached that sucks up fish indiscriminately like a giant vacuum cleaner."

The dead fish on display -- some 95 percent of the catch, including endangered species of octopus and sea urchin -- were those that commercial crews would normally throw back overboard for failing to meet traders' criteria.

"Some 700,000 tons of dead fish are thrown back into the sea each year -- this waste problem will affect future generations if no one takes action," said Greenpeace marine biologist Thomas Henningsen.

"Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder must hear our protest."

Demonstrators hoped the prominent site, flanked by luxury hotels and foreign embassies, would attract attention and urge Schroeder to pressure the European Union (news - web sites) to reduce over-fishing and pollution in the North Sea.