HOLLYWOOD—All I am saying is “Give Peace a Chance.” —-John Lennon

He was bigger than life itself, John Lennon was like a best friend. He truly influenced the world which became shattered on December 8, 1980. I remember seeing John, when he sang a duet with Elton John decades ago. My mouth just opened as he walked on stage at Madison Square Garden, it was quite the surprise.  Over the decades (while amassing the most impressive statistics for record, associated literature with all that) the Fab Four, as they became known changed. Into their fame years, Paul McCartney married Linda Eastman, and millions of fans especially young girls became very upset. This was the same attitude that occurred when Elvis Presley married Priscilla Beaulieu. Lennon however, went the opposite way. He divorced Cynthia Powell Lennon and then took up with artist Yoko Ono. This shook up the world.

It was a horrible night on December 8,1980, everyone froze in disbelief, in horror. Reality took a while to set in because everyone thought it was a misunderstanding-a simple error in news reporting. Back in the day, there wasn’t instant news on the internet. Everyone felt outraged, cheated, deprived. We couldn’t imagine the effect on his sons Sean and Julian or the rest of his family. For some senseless reason, we feel the pain of his loss every year on 12/8. Moods change from happily normal to dark, somber and depressing. John Lennon was more than the image portrayed in the media, he loved cats. He once owned six at a time. He just wanted to make a difference in the world and he did by his music. He will live on forever. One of Lennon’s Christmas classic is “So This is Christmas,” which you will hear during this holiday season at parties.

The holiday party season is officially here, which means most of us are probably stressing about how to look our best. Hitting the gym, getting our hair trimmed. In the next few weeks, we will be attending festive Christmas parties and company parties. So what are we wearing? Glamour is definitely back again. The elegant, silver screen goddess look is back. You can find it in dresses from Versace, Michael Kors and Dior. Anything that shines and shimmers is back, think “Glamorous” look. Red and Black are always in, but if you’re in the holiday spirit, try red.

Lace is always in. A-list celebrities always know what to wear from Dolce & Gabbana, Rafael Lopez, Erdem and Valentino. Celebrities love to bring some soft romantic looks to their holiday wardrobe. As an entertainment journalist, I do get invited to several parties. It just comes with the terrority. So I usually get to observe the haute couture and know Louboutins, Manolos and Jimmy Choos when I see them.

Needless to say, I simply don’t mention to my friends or mere acquaintances every time I’m invited to a party. The reason for my madness is that I don’t want them to realize how really dull their lives are. So while clothes and shoes are taking a claim to the season’s mega hits-velvet, lace, black, red and white dresses-you certainly can’t forget jewelry. With holiday parties, comes unwanted weight gain. A majority of Americans will gain an average of seven to 10 pounds between Thanksgiving and the New Year. Unless you have your own personal trainer and a gym, it’s not easy to burn off the bulge after you’ve gained it.
The holiday weight gain comes from having foods that we normally wouldn’t indulge in at Christmas, copious holiday parties and the big New Year’s blowout. Cocktail parties are something to be aware of because we’re often drinking and without even thinking we’re surrounded by delicious appetizers; so we pick, and pick. The deal is to remain mindful of what you’re eating.

Rose’s Scoop: Here is something for an incentive, while average people were stuffing their faces, Jada Pinkett Smith was rocking a bikini in Hawaii. On a sad note, everyone mourns the death of Paul Walker and his friend  Roger Rodas, who both died on November 30, in a car accident in Los Angeles. The quick joy ride ended in tragedy.