Siblings to the Stars

It would suck to be the sibling of a mega-celebrity.

Well, I'm sure there are a ton of perks though. Exotic vacations. Extravagant gifts. Movie premiere invites.

But, would you really want to be stuck in the suffocating shadow of your brother or sister your entire life? Your identity, everything about you, would be stripped away forever. You would never escape it. The world would only know you as a footnote.

Well, here are five siblings who have decided to step outside of that shadow.

Enjoy!

Alex Watson

Holy. Fucking. Gorgeous.

This is Emma Watson's younger brother, Alex. I know she's 23 so I'm really hoping he's legal. Otherwise my thoughts aren't.

When his sister played Hermoine in the Harry Potter movies, he played an extra.

And now he's a high-fashion model.

Unfortunately, there isn't much useful information about Alex online. The only "biography" I could find was super creepy fan fiction claiming Alex had been sexually abused by his uncle and forced to consume nothing but rain water for 30 hours as a child. It's a delightfully disturbing tale, if you want to read it here.

But I don't mind not knowing much about Alex. Photos tell a thousand words. And his photos are telling me things I can't print here.


Solange

Her sister, Beyonce, is a diva. But Solange is an artist.

A musician in her own right, Solange has a more indie-like vibe that can be felt through her music and videos. While Beyonce is simply an untouchable Hollywood icon, her little sister is definitely like the cool girl at the party you really, really want to hang out with instead.

I kind of have a crush on her.

I'm obsessed with her hair.

And her style is ridiculous. She's kind of like the Edie Sedgwick of our generation. Quirky. Playful. Chic. But still approachable.

The 26-year-old has a nine-year-old son from a teenage marriage. And while she doesn't support teenage pregnancy, the devoted mom said she wouldn't trade her experience for anything in the world.

Now that's class.


Doug Pitt

You can't get any more famous than Brad Pitt. Which is why I find his brother, Doug, so fascinating.

Instead of sulking in his older brother's gorgeous shadow, the all-American Doug has made his family extremely proud in a different way.

The father-of-three is one of the most prominent businessmen in the Midwest and he is also one of the most influential philanthropists in the world.

His Springfield, Missouri based computer company just celebrated 22 years of service. He's earned every local business award the city could possibly bestow. And when he's not busy boosting Springfield's economy, he's giving back to the community.

He donates a TON of his time towards helping the homeless and disadvantaged children in the Springfield area.

In 2010, he was named the Goodwill Ambassador for the United Republic of Tanzania. The changes he has made there are astronomical and honestly, I can't even list them all here.

Oh, and did I mention that a couple years ago, Doug became the first American to descend Mount Kilimanjaro on a mountain bike? And that his good-natured humor earned him a viral video earlier this year?

The guy is a legitimate bad ass.


Lizzy Pattinson

While her younger brother, Robert, has been captivating the hearts of teenage girls around the world, 30-year-old Lizzy has been pursuing a music career.

Who needs vampires when you have vocal chops?

The gorgeous blonde has performed with the UK band Aurora and the German duo Milk & Sugar.

Her vocals can also be heard on various Twilight soundtracks.

She's garnered a devoted fan base in Europe, thanks to her famous brother. Many of his female fans attend her events, not only because she's super cool, but because he often attends to watch her perform.

I'm sure being a stunner has helped her career as well, famous brother or not.


Dave Franco

He's a stone cold hunk. No question about it. And, he's an actor. Basically, Dave is a cooler and younger version of his older brother, James.

I can live with that.

Surprisingly, it took a while for Dave to catch his break in Hollywood. Only a handful of his films have made waves, such as Superbad, 21 Jump Street, and Warm Bodies.

Riding on the coattails of his big brother in the movie industry couldn't have been easy. After all, even though James Franco is 35, he looks 28. And that's the age Dave is going to be in June. They're probably going after the same types of roles.

Fortunately, it looks like Dave's luck in Hollywood is improving.

His next movie, Now You See Me, is a bank heist thriller set to be released next month. It also stars Morgan Freeman and Woody Harrelson.

Not bad, Dave, not bad.


So what do you think of these superstar siblings? Which one is your favorite?

Which Disney Princess are YOU?

This is the last Disney post, I swear. (For now).

But it just occurred to me that you absolutely need to know which Disney Princess you would be.

This is vital. I made this quiz. Please take it.



So, which Disney Princess are you?

The Man Who Saved Disney

His name was Howard Ashman.

He had a glowing Broadway career before fate intervened.

He worked his way up the showbiz ladder during the mid-1970s and a decade later, he had not only created award-winning musicals, but had found a perfect professional partnership with composer Alan Menkin. Together, with Alan writing the music and Howard creating deliciously witty lyrics, they won awards and dazzled Broadway audiences with spectacular musicals, such as Little Shop of Horrors and Smile.

While the two 30-somethings were enjoying their theatrical success in New York City, there was drama brewing across the country.

Disney executives in Hollywood were panicking. The company seemed to be a sinking ship, with one box office disappointment after another. Ever since Walt Disney's death, the company had been struggling to maintain its magic. In the 1980s, especially, they watched in dismay as their animated movies, like The Great Mouse Detective, were overshadowed by films like An American Tail and Land Before Time,  both which were created by a former Disney employee.

Fast action was required. Disney executives turned their attention to a project, which had been tossed around since the 1930s. It was called The Little Mermaid. They wanted catchy Broadway-like songs to be the focus.

So, Howard and Alan were brought on board to liven things up.

 

It couldn't have been a more perfect fit.

The two immediately got to work, creating songs that mesmerized studio execs. They even brought in one of their former Broadway stars, Jodi Benson, to voice Ariel.

(Below is iconic footage of Howard guiding Jodi during the recording of "Part of Your World.")

At the time, they were just having fun. The two men had absolutely no idea they were creating Hollywood history.

But when The Little Mermaid was released, they finally realized their lives had changed forever.

Not only was the film a humongous box office smash and insane commercial success, it put Disney back on top. It won Howard and Alan two Academy Awards for best score and best song ("Under the Sea").

But the happiness was short-lived.

Three days after the ceremony, the two men were sitting in Howard's cottage, which he shared with his lover, an architect. Howard revealed to Alan that he was HIV positive. He had been diagnosed during the making of the Little Mermaid. Alan was devastated for his friend.

They also knew they needed to beat the clock to finish their latest project, Beauty and the Beast. Disney flew out their animators to New York to work with Howard. At first, the animators were annoyed because they thought Howard was just being a big shot, having them fly out to him. But when they arrived, it quickly became clear that Howard was seriously ill.

When his eyesight failed, Disney hired somebody to read for him. Within months, they had a speakerphone hooked up next to his bed. Despite his difficulties, Howard never stopped working.

When Disney executives held the first screening of Beauty and the Beast, they were stunned. The film completely blew them away. They visited Howard in the hospital, to tell him the great news, and were saddened to see he didn't have much time left. He was down to 80 pounds, had lost all his sight, and could barely speak. But he smiled when he heard the movie was going to be a huge success.

He died of AIDS at the age of 40, several months before Beauty and the Beast was released in theaters.

His second Academy Award was accepted by his grieving lover.

Before his death, Howard had written a few songs for his next project Aladdin. Those songs, "Arabian Nights," "Friend Like Me," and "Prince Ali" were all used in the film.

Years after his death, Disney would go on to have even more phenomenal success with Aladdin, The Lion King, Pocahontas, and Mulan.

Alan has also continued to have enviable success. He would go on to compose even more Disney films (most recently, Tangled) and win a record eight Academy Awards. Most recently, he was nominated for a Tony for his production of Sister Act The Musical. He is considered one of the most powerful and iconic figures in musical theater history.

Needless to say, his old friend Howard would be proud.

Although he has been dead for more than two decades, Howard's legacy has never been stronger.

His sister keeps a twitter, tumblr, and blog in his honor. And fans all over the world have fan sites and Facebook pages dedicated to him.

After all, your star doesn't just fade away after you become part of the world's childhood.

The Real Snow White

Growing up, Adriana Caselotti didn't know a life without music.

The enchanted little girl and her big sister were educated in an Italian convent, while her famous mother performed opera. When the family moved to Los Angeles years later, her father established himself as a very prominent voice teacher.

One day, in 1934, Adriana's father received a call from a Disney casting director, who was looking for a little girl's singing voice for a "small project."

 

Although she was already 18, Adriana begged her father to let her audition. She thought it would be fun. Plus, the talented young singer dreamed of a life in showbiz. Living in Hollywood, fame was all around her, all the time, enveloping her with excitement.

Reluctantly, her father allowed her to audition.

When Adriana arrived at the Disney studio, she coyly lied to the casting director, telling him she was much younger. Nobody questioned the bright-eyed brunette. And when she opened her mouth to sing, she wasn't nervous one bit.

But her nerves might have been rattled if she knew that Walt Disney was sitting in his office, listening to the auditions. He wanted to hear the singers, rather than see them. When Adriana's highly trained, high-pitched trills filled the speaker system, he immediately sought out his producers. "That's our Snow White," he told them.

 

When Adriana was told she received the role, she was absolutely thrilled. When she questioned what the project was about, producers were dismissive. "It's going to be longer than our usual seven-minute long cartoons," they told the attractive girl. She accepted the answer for what it was worth and went skipping home to share the good news with her family.

She had absolutely no idea that she was going to be part of history.

You see, Walt Disney was creating the very first full-length animated feature film cartoon. And not just that, but also the very first Disney Princess.

Adriana went on to spend long, exhausting days in the studio, recording numerous songs and dialogue. She thought it was a little silly they wanted this much audio for a small cartoon, but as a polite, respectful employee, she never questioned them.

In the end, she received $970 (today, around $15,000) for her hard work. She was ecstatic.

When the film was finished and being publicized around the world, Adriana felt a little hurt she had been kept in the dark. She wasn't even invited to the film's premiere! Harry Stockwell, who played the voice of the prince, suggested they sneak into the premiere. So, they did. Hiding up in a balcony, Adriana couldn't believe her eyes when she saw all her favorite movie stars, such as Marlene Dietrich and Judy Garland, give her animated persona a standing ovation.

Several months later, when Adriana's identity was exposed, media around the world wanted to feature the beautiful songstress. But, Walt Disney forbid it. He said he didn't want the illusion of Snow White to be spoiled.

Since she was under a Disney contract, Walt went even further to prohibit Adriana from appearing in any films or plays. He essentially destroyed her career, before it could even blossom. All to protect his princess.

Although she was devastated, Adriana did nothing but smile. She was naturally optimistic and could never remain sad for very long. She was always happy, all the time. Just like Snow White.

Eventually, many years later, Walt relented and allowed Adriana to do promotions for Disney. As an adult, she dressed up as Snow White all over the world, performing at radio stations, children's hospitals, and schools. She adored every minute of it.

Even as an elderly woman, whenever Adriana would see someone sad or depressed, she would start singing, "I'm Wishing" and immediately cheer them up.

Unfortunately, in 1997, Adriana died of lung cancer. She left behind no children and several broken marriages.

But her legacy lives on forever, captured in a magical fairytale that always promises a happy ending, even when the real world is falling apart.

Technicolor Couture

I'm not a huge fan of musicals, but one of my guilty pleasures is Bye Bye Birdie.

The 1963 teen movie parodies the real-life drafting of Elvis into the United States Army.

It's cute, bubbly, adorable, and a technicolor dream come true.

But the main reason for watching it is because of its delightfully adorable star, Ann Margret.

The Swedish-born beauty is as sweet and innocent as American apple pie in this musical.

And it established the 20-year-old as a legimate fashion icon.

Ann Margret was the Britney Spears of the 1960s, starting out as an all-American girl-next-door to quickly transforming into a mischevious sex kitten.

Girls wanted to be her. Guys wanted to bang her.

In the early 1960s, she had a steamy affair with Elvis, that rocked headlines all over the world. Despite having a nasty break-up, the two remains close friends until his death, which made his wife absolutely livid.

In 1967, she married the love of her life, an actor named Roger. The two are still married today.

In 1972, while performing at Lake Tahoe, she fell 22 feet from an elevated platform onto the stage and nearly broke every single bone in her face. She had reconstructive facial surgery and spent months recovering.

In the 1980s, she used to drive around Beverly Hills in a pink Cadillac, like a bad-ass.

She has always been a huge motorcycle fan, a passion that started in the 1960s. She still rides her Harley today.

In 2000, she was thrown off her motorcycle while throwing caution to the wind in rural Minnesota. She suffered three broken ribs and a fractured shoulder. She's fine now.

Her latest work, an episode of Law & Order: SVU in 2010 earned her an Emmy award, which drew a standing ovation at the ceremony. Not bad, eh?

What do you think of Ann Margret? Do you like her 1960s style?

Blood in the Chalet

One of my favorite movies is The Party.

It's a 1968 hilarious showcase of Hollywood glamour and wacky shenanigans.

The film revolves around a bumbling, yet lovable, struggling Indian actor who is accidentally invited to a ritzy movie studio honcho's sophisticated party.

The love interest in the film always takes my breath away every time I watch it. Her name is Claudine Longet.

The daintily beautiful French pop star plays an up-and-coming actress in the comedy. She's divine.

But her life has been anything but.

This is her story.

When she was 18-years-old, the Paris-born Claudine was a sexy, but soft-spoken, showgirl struggling to make ends meet in Las Vegas. One day, her car had broken down on the side of the road, and she stood there helplessly, unsure about what to do. A fancy car pulled over, and out stepped Andy Williams, one of the biggest pop stars in the world. The 32-year-old heartthrob was so enamoured with the exquisite French beauty, he asked her out on the spot. They married a year later.

For the next decade, their life was a dazzling Hollywood fairytale. They jet-setted around the world, drinking champagne at extravagant parties with their closest friends, such as Barbra Streisand and the Kennedys.

They lounged by their crystal blue pool at their Palm Beach home.

They rocked the red carpet at movie premieres.

Claudine's career was skyrocketing, with television appearances, hit singles, and film offers.

Andy's career was also at an all-time high, with a new televised variety show, top billing at Cesar's Palace in Las Vegas, and radio hits.

During the 1960s, they had three children who they absolutely adored.

But by the late 1960s, their perfect world started to unravel.

Their best friend, Robert Kennedy, was assassinated on the very day they were supposed to spend the evening with him.

Soon, the tabloids started blasting rumors that the handsome Andy was having a sizzling affair with Robert's widow, Ethel Kennedy.

Along with their tragic loss and facing such a humiliating scandal, the couple realized, after 14 years of marriage, they were no longer in love. Andy no longer felt fireworks every time he looked in his beautiful wife's eyes. Claudine admitted she couldn't stand the sight of him. They divorced so amicably, they decided to use the same lawyer.

After the divorce, Claudine met and fell in love with an Olympic medalist and skier, "Spider" Vladimir Peter Sabich Jr. She and her three children quickly moved into his Aspen home, which was a jolt of reality for the swinging ladies' man.

His friends noticed that he was becoming increasingly unhappy with the relationship. They noticed Claudine was clingy and jealous. Spider told them he wanted to break up with Claudine, but she refused to let it happen.

On a fateful afternoon in 1976, Claudine was sitting in their spacious chalet, waiting for her kids to come home from school. But Spider came home first. He decided to shower and get ready for a party the two were attending that night.

Claudine walked into the bathroom, as he was disrobing, and with a pistol, shot him. His blood drowned the bathroom floor. He died in her arms on the way to the emergency room.

Andy rushed to Aspen to comfort his ex-wife, and it turned out, she needed it. Desperately. Although she told police that the shooting was a complete accident (Spider had been teaching her how to use the gun, she claimed) the city of Aspen had a different opinion.

People in the ritzy Colorado town practically spit on her in the streets and deemed her a murderess.

She was charged with reckless manslaughter.

Her murder trial became one of the most sensationalized events of the 1970s. It was the first crime to make the cover of People magazine. The Rolling Stones even recorded a song about Claudine.

And although the world delighted in branding the European glamourpuss "guilty" she had the staunch support of her ex-husband Andy, who fervently believed she was telling the truth. He even said so on stand, much to the astonishment of the courtroom.

In Claudine's favor, the trial ended up being botched. Dim-witted policemen mishandled evidence, making the most damning clues inadmissible in court. Among the mishandled evidence included a blood test proving Claudine had been under the influence of cocaine during the shooting and her diary, which documented her troubled relationship with the famous athlete.

With those two pieces of circumstantiial evidence thrown out, the prosecuting attorney didn't stand a chance of hanging her for murder. Claudine was merely found guilty of criminally negligent homicide and issued to spend 30 days in county jail. Spider's family was disgusted with the verdict.

As if that wasn't enough, Claudine shocked the world even further by jumping into a steamy affair with her married defense attorney, Ron Austin. The two wed in 1985 and still reside in Aspen today.

Despite her tarnished reputation, Claudine is considered a musical legend. Her catchy pop songs and heart wrenching ballads are still popular today. More and more young people are buying her albums.

And then there are people who continue to fall in love with Claudine the minute she smiles on film with shy uncertainty, gazing up with her big doe eyes, and it's easy to understand why Andy Williams came to a screeching halt that sunny afternoon on the Las Vegas strip.

What do you think of Claudine?