Blog Posts by Jennifer Romolini, Shine editor in chief

Michael Jackson, singer, performer, eccentric, and American icon died in his Los Angeles home on Thursday after reportedly suffering from cardiac arrest. He was just 50 years old. In recent years, many of us had a complicated relationship with Jackson, but none could deny his massive talent or the impact he had on the entertainment community, worldwide. He was a musical visionary, creative in every aspect of his life--including his clothes. His outlandish, unique sequined style has influenced decades of designers, including many of the retro-'80s fashions we see on runways today. Despite the scandals of recent years, we honestly can't imagine our childhoods without him. Above, a style tribute to the King of Pop.

RELATED:

Shine's favorite Michael Jackson moments

Michael Jackson: A life full of health and emotional issues

Because the Jen/Brad/Angelina saga will never die, there was a story up on MSNBC today called "Brad Pitt's mom prefers Aniston to Jolie." In it, a "source" reveals, "Jane [Pitt's mom] has seen, first hand, how difficult Angelina is. She never comes to visit the family in Missouri and is always prickly on the rare occasions they have got together. Jennifer was the total opposite - charming, friendly and the perfect daughter-in-law. She always made time to be an active part of the family, whereas Angie just turns her nose up."

Whether or not this is actually true, we'll never know. Though it does seem plausible, if only because Jennifer Aniston seems like the kind of girl who wants a person's mom to like her, and Angelina seems, well, not like that kind of girl.

That's not to say either type is bad. It's just that the mother-in-law/daughter-in-law relationship is tricky and can be difficult to navigate, and the burden of keeping this connection peaceful and happy (sadly or

Despite her appearance on one of the most popular cheesecake posters of all time, Farrah Fawcett went on to become more than your average pinup queen. She helped define the style of an entire decade--the healthy, tanned, toothsome, blonde, all-American '70s girl who seemed somehow sporty, bouncy, and happy. Though her early success was largely based on her looks, Fawcett desired and struggled to be taken seriously as an actress. There were times she succeeded. Her role as a battered wife in 1984's The Burning Bed, was widely acclaimed and became a watershed moment for understanding domestic abuse and its victims. Fawcett was active in the arts, generous to charities, and, in the last year--through her courageous documentary Farrah's Story--brought awareness to her own disease, a little-known-about form of cancer that she bravely fought for three years. She was an icon and a beauty and woman with a seemingly kind and enormous heart. Godspeed.

Yahoo! News

Actress Farrah Fawcett, best known for her role in the '70s detective show Charlie's Angels, lost her long battle with cancer this morning at St. John's Heath Center in Santa Monica, CA. She was 62.
We will miss her.

[People]

You may have heard that, yesterday, Chris Brown pleaded guilty to a felony assault involving his ex-girlfriend Rihanna and that he was sentenced (some consider too lightly) to five years probation and six months of community service. You may have also heard that Rihanna was present for the hearing. But what you probably didn't know anything about was precisely what the 21-year-old domestic abuse survivor was wearing to this courtroom appearance, how much it cost, and exactly where you could get it.

In one of those bits of news that actually make one hate the world, Gawker is reporting that, shortly after the hearing, Los Angeles-based PR firm Michele Marie PR (they do not represent Rihanna) sent out the following press release:

"FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Rihanna's Court Style

LOS ANGELES - June 22, 2009 - While attending the Chris Brown preliminary hearing, Rihanna wore a vintage [redacted] yellow gold and diamond bracelet watch (Retail price, $8,500) and vintage [redacted] 18 karat

Dear Drew,

Hey! How's it going? We hope all is well. Wait, is all well?! Because, honestly, we've been seeing you out lately and, girl, don't take this wrong way, but you've been looking--how to say this?--BATSH*T CRAZY. We don't know if the ghost of Little Edie Beale is eating your brain, or if that Starbucks Tazo Berry Infusion is laced with peyote, but something has clearly gone wrong.

What's happening with this outfit? Is that really tie-dyed leggings, purple Chucks, a deconstructed Marlins uniform, face paint, and a SHARK HAT? We know, things have been rough for a while now, what with the Golden Globes hair debacle and the "I believe I'm a tween" festival appearances, but...a SHARK HAT? I don't care if you live for this particular Floridian team (which, California lady, I'm doubting you do), no one over the age of 10 should ever wear a plastic animal on his or her head, unless, maybe, maybe, it's Halloween.

Seriously, Drew, has Justin Long taken you hostage and this is your cry

When you're a writer who covers fashion, you feel a certain responsibility to test drive new trends, no matter how stupid they are. Sometimes, this makes you look both ridiculous and like a hypocrite.
This is one such occasion.

My jumpsuit from The Urban Collection (if you haven't checked out this online vintage haven, you really should-it's awesome) arrived on Saturday. Though it combined two trends I've been mocking for months-the grownup romper and harem pants-I felt confident I could not only make this piece work, but that I'd pull it off in a way that was alluring and sexy, like some mysterious gypsy girl from the '70s.

Well...not so much. This garment was a failure in almost every way a garment can fail. As a public service, I'll relive the pain:

1. It's unflattering. The voluminous, genie-ish "pants," while extremely comfortable, collect air and billow when you walk in a way that is completely unflattering and blimp-esque. This is not even getting into the special,

The other night, I was walking to meet a friend for dinner when I passed a Brooklyn bar with three normal-looking 30-something men standing outside. As I crossed in front of them, I heard one say, "Man, she looks like a b*tch ." And then they all laughed.

I stopped and turned around. I had to acknowledge that really, truly, a stranger had just called me a b*tch and that his buddies had laughed in agreement.

"Yeah, you, you look like a b*tch !" (More laughter.)

At that moment, my instinct was to head butt that man in the face Kill Bill-style and make him bleed, but instead I made my way to the restaurant, annoyed and sulking. Why did this happen?

It's true, there's a certain amount of abuse in every catcall, and dudes say mean things just to get a reaction--kind of the adult version of pigtail pulling. But I don't think that was the case here. I felt absolutely no sexual or "hitting on me" vibe from these gentlemen, I honestly believe they thought I looked unpleasant, enough to make