Rest In Peace, Etta James.

Today an icon has passed away, five days before her 74th birthday. Jamesetta Hawkins was born on January 25, 1938 to a fourteen year old mother and an unknown father. She joined a girlgroup called The Creolettes at the age of fourteen. The group got signed, but big success never came. During this time, The Creolettes became The Peaches and Jamesetta Hawkins became Etta James. The Peaches were short-lived, but James went on to become one of the greatest singers in the history of music.

She became best known for transcending multiple genres, such as blues, rhythm and blues, rock and roll, soul, gospel and jazz. Her discography includes 28 studio albums, 58 singles and numerous compilation albums. Her first single "The Wallflower (Roll With Me, Henry)" reached #1 on the American R&B chart when it was released in 1955. The song earned her a Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 2008. Her first album was released in 1961.

In her career, she released many influential singles, such as "Good Rockin' Daddy", "Tough Lover", "At Last", "Something's Hold A Hold On Me", "Stop The Wedding" and many more. Although she was very succesful during the fifties, sixties and seventies, it wasn't until the early nineties that she began to get recognition for her work in terms of awards - she won several lifetime achievement awards, despite having barely won any awards during the earlier decades. Her songs have been covered by many artists and in 2008, she was portrayed by Beyoncé in the movie Cadillac Records.

During the seventies, health issues have prevented James from performing and her popularity declined. In January 2011, James was diagnosed with leukemia and underwent treatment. A few months ago, she was declared terminally ill and today, on January 20, 2012, five days before her seventy-fourth birthday, she succumbed to leukemia.

Let's all take a moment to listen to and enjoy the music of one of music's greatest and most influential people. RIP, Ms. Etta James!

Walt Disney

Today, it's been 45 years since Walter Elias "Walt" Disney passed away. He was born on December 1, 1901 and re-shaped the world of animation. I don't think anyone has ever not seen a Disney movie - there are so much!

Though he had already worked in animation for quite a while, 1928 was the year that changed his life. That was the year he created one of the most recognizable cartoon characters ever in the world, Mickey Mouse. The little mouse earned him attention, fame and Academy Awards - including a Honorary Award in 1932 for the creation of Mickey. But Mickey was merely a stepping stone for Walt in the animation genre, a genre he would take to an as-of-then-unknown level in 1937.

When Walt Disney started making plans in 1934 to release the first animated full-length feature film ever, the film industry claimed it might destroy the Disney Company. No other film had yet needed a budget that large, a production that long and a crew that enormous. But Walt fought hard for his adaptation of the Snow White fairy tale. And in 1937, the long struggle (including a near bankrupcy for Walt Disney Productions) paid off. Snow White and the Seven Dwarves became the highest-grossing film at that time, although it lost that status in 1941 to Gone with the Wind. Snow White is still considered to be one of the most influential and among the best movies of all time.

Walt died of acute circulatory collapse, caused by lung cancer, on December 15, 1966. At that time, The Jungle Book, the nineteenth of the Disney Animated Classics series, was in production. For his work in animation, television and film, Walt had 59 Oscar nominations, of which he won 22 - he still holds the records for most nominations and wins. He also received four Honorary Awards. One of those - which he got in 1939 for Snow White, pictured above - was designed as a regular Oscar award with seven smaller Oscars attached to it. The award was given to him by a young Shirley Temple.

The influence Walt Disney has had on today's animation and film is undeniable. The brand he created remains strong even after so many decades. Let's all watch some Disney movies in remembrance of this legendary man.

xo, Jelle.

Christmas is coming closer...

In two weeks' time, it will be Christmas Eve! Most of us will celebrate it by spending time with family, watching movies, having a Christmas dinner, giving and getting presents, listening to music etc. etc. We at F.A.T. have listed some links to sites that will surely help you get inspired for the upcoming month! And if you dread Christmas, they'll help you get through to the end of the year ;-)

A lot a houses already have their Christmas trees up, lights on, with decorations everywhere! If you still have to start decorating, or need more inspiration, Southern Living's 86 Fresh Christmas Decorating Ideas could be a helpful place to start!

For those who get freaked out by the chaos that comes with having to spend time with their family, we link to LifeStyle Australia's Stress-Free Christmas Tips. Because Christmas should not and need not be a stressful time!

One of the biggest Christmas issues is clothing. If you want to glam up your wardrobe for the holidays, we recommend Harper's Bazaar's New Holiday Style Rules - traditional with a twist!

You may also you want to stay in and watch movies. A lot of television networks broadcast some good movies during the holiday season. If you don't find your cup of tea on the television, we have The 30 Best Christmas Movies Ever from Empire for you.

And of course there's the Christmas music. In record stores, there's usually an abbundance of Christmas albums around this time of the year. A playlist of eight of our favorite Christmas songs is featured on the right top corner of the site. If you'd like to look for more music to play at parties or for yourself, check out ASCAP's Top 25 Holiday Songs - a list of the 25 most popular non-traditional Christmas songs, including the performer of their best-known versions.

Don't let this Christmas pass you by, use these five sites to make the most of it!

And if you'd like, you can show us some holiday love by following us on Twitter and/or liking us on Facebook! ;-)

xo, Jelle.

What the heck is going on in America's Next Top Model?

It's been quite a season on America's Next Top Model. The already seventeenth cycle was an "all-star" edition, featuring girls from past cycles who didn't make it to the top. I thought it was quite an exciting season with fun challenges (music videos! frangrances!) and amazing photo shoots (Coco Rocha! Greek salad!). But the last few days, some controversy cast a shadow over what should've been a crazy-ass finale!

In the season finale itself, one of the girls (for those of you who still have to watch the episode: I won't say who, so don't worry!) got disqualified for reasons that are not mentioned in the episode. A little internet research showed me that appearantly one of them spilled the beans about being in the top three - something she obviously wasn't allowed to do. So she got disqualified and the last judging included only two girls, of whom one was crowned the winner (and congratulations to her!).

The other controversy concerning the show is about the choice of the winner. According to Janice Dickinson, who was a judge on ANTM from cycles one to four, the "other" judges don't have any say in who is crowned the winner. And neither does Tyra Banks. Appearantly CoverGirl, who has been one of the main sponsors since cycle three and since then has given a $100,000 contract to the winner, runs the show. This may sound like a bitter statement, but it would make sense. In a lot of the cycles, it isn't who I think the judges prefer that gets chosen, so CoverGirl being behind all that makes perfect sense! Check out the interview with Janice Dickinson, who also revealed that the CoverGirl issue is the real reason she left the show (throwing rumors about a fall-out with Tyra out the window), after the jump break!

Puss In Boots

¡Holy frijoles! It's Puss in Boots!

Yesterday, Joyce and I went to see the newly-released Puss In Boots. Yes, in the US it's been out for over a month, but it only came out yesterday in Belgium, so don't blame us. But all in all, it definitely was worth the wait!

Puss In Boots, directed by Chris Miller, was released as a spin-off to the Shrek franchise. I'm glad they finally released it, because Puss had been in development since 2004! It was to be a direct-to-video release or series in 2008, but due to the character's popularity plans were changed and decisions were made to make it a full theatrical release.

The movie is set way before Puss meets Shrek and Donkey, and its plotline (as did all Shrek movies) draws inspiration from old folktales and nursery rhymes (as Dora the Explorer would say: "let's count them together!"). Puss (one!, voiced by Antonio Banderas) tries to get his hands on magic beans (two!) that are currently owned by an evil couple called Jack and Jill (three!, voiced by Billy Bob Thornton and Amy Sedaris). But Puss's mission fails as he gets joined by an unknown cat who also tries to steal them. Later on, that cat is revealed to be a woman ("ooohhh!") who goes by the name of Kitty Softpaws (voiced by Salma Hayek). Kitty works together with Humpty Alexander Dumpty (four!, voiced by Zach Galifianakis), a long-estranged childhood friend of Puss's. The trio teams up to get the magic beans so they can get to the castle of the giant and his Golden Goose (five!).

To see if they succeed and if Puss and Humpty will be able to rekindle their long-lost friendship, you'll have to go see the movie yourself - and we recommend you to do so!

The digital graphics are amazingly detailed, the storyline is exciting, the humor is tongue-in-cheek and the chemistry between the main characters is ever-present. And the music! Composed by Henry Jackman and inspired by the late Manuel de Falla, the soundtrack features traditional folk instruments to create a passionate Latin vibe. Two songs were composed by the Mexican duo Rodrigo y Gabriela, who also worked on the Pirates of the Carribean: On Stranger Tides soundtrack.

Puss In Boots is definitely worth a visit to the movies!

Me-ow!

xo, Jelle

"Don't Let Them Call You SKINNY!"

Nowadays, some models look (or want and aim to look) like this. You might think it's beautiful, but seeing a skeleton with skin (and those enormous-looking hands) scares the crap out of some people - including me. Thankfully, the fashion industry is slowly changing and most big designers have stopped working with way too skinny models. But back in the late 50's, early 60's, being skinny was considered a sin!

This ad for an "amazing new scientific discovery [that] helps fill out skinny figures without pads, exercise or overeating" proves how society thought about beauty back in the day. Spokesperson for Wate-On (weight-on, get it?) was actress Eva Six, born in Hungary and a child star over there. She moved to Hollywood in 1956, has appeared in three movies in 1963 and then kind of vanished into thin air. In her short-spanned career, the Hungarian-born was known for looking similar to Marilyn Monroe (who had just died in August 1962) and sounding similar to Zsa Zsa Gabor (sharing a Hungarian heritage).

With all the fuss about being skinny and looking like a skeleton, some people seem to forget that curves are perfectly normal. With a curvy beauty ideal in the sixties and a skinny ideal right now, one day curvy might make a comeback as beauty ideal. Me and my slighty-bigger-than-average butt are certainly looking forward to that day! ;-)

See more vintage anti-skinny ads after the jump!

xo, Jelle.

Last day to vote for the People's Choice Awards!

There's only one day left to cast your vote for the 38th People's Choice Awards, which will be held on January 12. The PCA's were founded in 1975 and recognize the people and the work of popular culture in movies, tv series and music. This year, frontrunners are Harry Potter 7.2, Katy Perry and Glee - with nine, eight and seven nominations each. Katy Perry is one of the few people to ever be nominated in each big part of the PCA's (aside from her music, she played Smurfette and guest starred on How I Met Your Mother)

Check out the nominees for each category (be warned, it's a huge list) below, including our choices for the winners, and cast your vote on peopleschoice.com/pca/vote

xo, Jelle

Happy 30th Birthday, Britney!

"It's a part of life. It's a beautiful part of life and that's how I accept it. I think the older you get, the wiser you get. I can't wait."

- Britney on getting older in the October 2011 issue of Glamour UK

She's thirty, y'all!

Exactly 30 years ago, on December 2 in 1981, a little baby girl named Britney Jean Spears was born. And that's just the beginning of the extraordinary road of life the now 30-year old has had. Thirteen years of chart hits, two beautiful baby boys, two marriages and a hell of a breakdown and comeback later, she's still at the top of the pack in music.

It still feels like yesterday when I was dancing along to her ...Baby One More Time, Oops!... and Slave videos. Well, for most of her videos it might have been yesterday! I loved Britney since day #1, a became a huuge fan since her third album (which is still my favorite).

The drama of whether she's a good singer and dancer aside (I could discuss those for days - Britneystan4life!), no one will ever be able to deny how big Britney's influence was (and still is) on today's music. Without her, stars like Rihanna, Selena Gomez and Lady GaGa would probably have never been. The legendary school girl look, the red catsuit, the yellow phyton, the kiss with Madonna, the nude-with-diamonds look - all of these should recall an image to everyone!

In the current music industry, where Britney is "old news", she still manages to constantly be compared to singers that are so much younger than her. If that isn't called "being relevant", I don't know what could be. By the way, did y'all know Femme Fatale is her first album with three top 10 singles? Maybe one day, it will be "okay" to like her again and some of you can freely come out of your Britney-closet.

This year has been a great year for Britney; a critically aclaimed album, four great singles with amazing videos, a succesful tour, a remix album and most recently a live dvd. I can't wait to see what's up next!

Here's to your 30th birthday, Britney! I hope you have an amazing one!

xo, Jelle

ps: y'all may have noticed that we've changed our domain name to EffAyTee.blogspot.com - so update your bookmarks! ;-)

Talk That Talk by Rihanna, a review

Exactly one week ago, Rihanna's sixth studio album "Talk That Talk" hit the stores in most parts of the world. Its first two singles "We Found Love" and "You Da One" have already hit charts worldwide and a lot more singles will probably follow in the months to come.

When listening to the album, there's one thing that makes it hard for me to write this review: to me there are no standout tracks nor lowlights! The album is a solid effort throughout, offering a range of musical styles such as the thumping dance-y sound that's so popular right now, sexy r&b, carribean influences, etc. And yet, the album is missing something. It might be the fact that it still has to grow on me a little more. After all, it's only been a year since "Loud" and most average radio-listeners are still only digesting "Man Down" while there are already three more recent singles.

Notable is the change of themes on this album when comparing it to Riri's two previous ones. "Rated R" featured a darkness we didn't expect from her at that time, and "Loud" found a balance between the lightness and darkness. With "Talk That Talk", Rihanna moves to a different place - with four song titles containing the word 'love', it won't be hard to guess where. Without a certain darkness that I came to love about her, the overall feeling of this album almost seems a bit shallow.

But all in all, the album is a great listen and definitely doesn't sound rushed at all. The only track I really, and I mean REALLY, have a problem with is "Birthday Cake". It seems to end while the second verse starts, which sounds just wrong to me. A full version is rumored to come out soon, so that one will certainly replace the short version in my iTunes library!

my favourite tracks: Where Have You Been, Birthday Cake, Farewell and Red Lipstick

tracks I think might be upcoming singles: Where Have You Been, Talk That Talk, We All Want Love and Roc Me Out

xo- Jelle.

For a scarf-tastic winter

Some time ago, I had this video thrown onto my Facebook wall. Or a link that linked to this video, I don't completely remember. What I do remember is spending a few hours the next day watching this video and trying out a lot of different to wear my scarves!

In just under five minutes, fashion blogger Wendy from Wendy's Lookbook shows 25 ways to wear a scarf - an effective remedy to boredom during winter or any other season! The ways range from quite easy (such as the classic drape, if you have trouble with that one you're in serious need of help or a new scarf), ones you've definitely already used (the European loop in my case) to a little less easy, but all of them are managable. At the end of the video, you can click on each of the 25 images to watch a tutorial of a scarf.

So pull out a scarf, try a different way of wearing it and beat the boring winter weather! ;-)

xo, Jelle

Do you have even more ways to wear a scarf, and/or is there one in the video you looove to use? Tell us by leaving a comment!