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Mugshot - Lindsay Lohan - Photo Credit: Los Angeles Sheriff's Department

In an endless string of legal troubles, Lindsay Lohan is now embroiled in a lawsuit by Hollywood Church Boutique, a trendy Los Angeles shop, who claims she stole $17,000 worth of designer clothing and accessories from their store. She promised to return to pay for the goods, but never did, according to RTT News.

This week on Twitter, we are tied for the two funniest, most unusual or most fun trending topics of the week.  If you are a frequent poster, you most likely noticed the trending topic #IfPreciousHadATwitter.  While there were several thousand tweets that trended this topic, the number one tweeter was offended by it, and obviously associates the character “Precious” with the actress, Gabourey Sidibe.

His response was, “Why is #ifprecioushadatwitter a TT…SMH; Big Jokes huh..So is her money, Bigger than ya’lls..Salty much!!” which was retreated well over 100 times both times he posted it, so obviously he is not alone.  This is common with celebrities that play strong characters such as Precious.  It is sometimes easy to forget that Precious is a fictional character and is clearly not in any way related to the intelligent and poised Ms. Sidibe except for the fact that she brought her to life on the big screen for millions to see, garnering her an Academy Award Nomination on her first role.  There is no argument as to whether or not Ms. Sidibe has “bigger money” than most of the posters of the trending topic in question.

However, Precious was quite poor and certainly didn’t have “bigger money” or even a computer.  In fact, there wasn’t even an AOL when that story was set (late 80s).  While we appreciate that you took up for her, it’s easy to guess that Ms. Sidibe isn’t affected by the tweet in any way.

On the other hand, countless others posted funny anecdotes about the topic and the second highest post in response was by actor, Gary Busey.  He said, “#IfPreciousHadATwitter her user name would be @The_Last_Chairbender.”  His response was closer to the overall feel of the evening of 6/29, when the trend made the list of top hash tags.

The second one that got a lot of action was straight comedy.  It was #GetOutTheRelationship. There is an endless list of reasons to bail on a not-so-hot squeeze and there were many of them covered.  On 6/29, tweeters were chirping about relationship woes that would have been sad, had they not been so damn funny.

The top tweet was by comedian Katt Williams. In his own witty style, he tweeted, “if she is unwilling to learn how to roll a blunt#getouttherelationship” said as only Katt Williams could.  It was retweeted over 100 times. Next in line was by a tweeter member who apparently aspires to be a pimp (hey, it was his username, don’t look at us).  His tweet was surprisingly sensible. “#GetOutTheRelationship if ur still checking up on ur ex. Ur not over ur last relationship so don’t jump into a new one.”  There’s a lot of truth to that one, despite the fact this his career goal is to prostitute women and take their money.

Want to know what we tweet about?  Happy Tweeting.

In some cases, it is not TO-MA-TO / TO-MAH-TO.  It’s just plain mispronunciation.  The first thought when you hear these mistakes is that the person placing this order is someone who probably shouldn’t be eating it. Hello?  If you don’t know how to say it, you’ve shouldn’t be eating it.

The same goes for shoes.  A recent article in the Seattle Times offered this handy pronunciation guide of the hottest shoes on the planet.  Be honest.  How many times have you been sitting with a group of girls coveting a fabulous pair of shoes and they unknowingly pronounced it wrong.  You chuckle silently to yourself, but deep down you’re thinking, “Yeah right.  You’ll never get them honey if you can’t even say them.”  If one more person says CHRISTIAN LOUIS VUITTONS you will no doubt scream. It’s almost better to refer to them as “the ones with the red on the bottom.”

As a service to our readers, here is a  handy guide to help you “talk the walk” and at least sound like you should own a $500 pair of pumps.

It wouldn’t hurt to practice these with your friends before  attempting in public.  This has been a public service announcement from The ToiBox Times.  Happy shoe shopping.

31 percent of Americans were in foreclosure as of March 2010.

This is a story of  a woman we will call Michelle, a single mother who fought hard to buy a home–her piece of the American dream. Despite the struggles of home ownership and single motherhood, she beat the odds stacked against her. For eight years, she never missed a payment.

In the middle of the economic crisis, Michelle’s health began to fail her and she was forced to go on an extended medical leave. Due to the time it took her to recover, not only did she lose her job, but over half her income.

The children, now young adults, were ready to move into the next phases of their lives and Michelle’s property was being foreclosed. Desperate for solutions, she sought a workout package and unfortunately, it failed.

Now with a quickly sinking credit score and few options, her health once again began to deteriorate and going back to work was yet another option unavailable to her.

Now, Michelle lives in the inner city in a small one-bedroom apartment and is has learned to cope with what she lost. She is now excited about living alone and having quiet evenings at home. She now loves drinking straight from the juice carton and dancing naked to her old school iPod tunes.

The end of home ownership and the beginning of her life as a single mature woman is restoring both her health, and her faith in the power of a “do over.” What once seemed a bleak curse, is now her greatest blessing.

The end of one does not have to be the end of all.

Kat Von D High Voltage Eye Primer in Smoky: exclusively at Sephora.com. (PRNewsFoto/Sephora)

Arguably the most coveted–but hardest to create–look in makeup, the smoky eye just got easier.  Thanks to Sephora, who teamed up with celebrity tattoo artist Kat Von D to create a primer  that makes smoky eyes a breeze.

It is a uniquely formulated cream with a specially formulated tint made to work with darker shadows.  According to Sephora, using the primer as a base allows darker shadows to cling to the eye, eliminating gaps and skipping.  As a result, it is gentler to the eye area and ultimately helps preserve your sexy that much longer.

“An eye primer is essential in creating the smoky eye because of all the layering and blending you need to do with dark, rich pigment shadows,” says Jose Rivera, Principal Artist for Sephora’s PRO Beauty Team. “This primer not only helps shadows stay put, but the darker color blends seamlessly and enhances the smoky effect.”

Jose created  the look on video with explicit instructions and offered these tips.

Jose’s smoky eye tips:

– Blend High Voltage Eye Primer in Smoky on the lid and under the eye

– Dust the brush with shadow, invert it at an angle and press it into the lash line

– Press and feather out color as you move the brush upwards and outwards using smooth strokes

– Smudge the shadow under the eye along the lash line

– Finish the eye look with a strong lash by curling and applying several coats of rich black mascara

Kat Von D Smoky Eye Primer and a host of other new products will be available exclusively at Sephora stores nationwide beginning in July 2010.

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Britney Spears has designed her first ever collection of apparel and accessories for Candie

To kick off back-to-school season, Britney Spears has designed her first ever collection of apparel and accessories for its Candie’s® brand, entitled “Britney for Candies”, available exclusively at Kohl’s department stores beginning in July.

The collection will include apparel and accessories and is geared to the back-to-school crowd.  A large marketing campaign including TV commercials, print ads, outdoor advertising as well as both online and other Kohl’s back-to-school initiatives.  The looks were inspired by Spears’ favorite music and movies,  from the LBD (Little Black Dress) to the hottest jeans, and each contain a hand-written note from Spears with cute phrases such as, “You’ll love these jeans!” or “Love this skirt for dancing…fun & flirty.”

The campaign tagline reads “Designed by me for you!”  The collection of apparel, handbags and jewelry has a comfortable price point of $14 to $78.

When asked about her thoughts on designing her first fashion label in conjunction with Iconix Brand Group, Spears said, “I was so excited when Candie’s asked me to design my very own clothing collection. Designing was a really fun, new way for me to express my creativity and I really wanted to create something by me for my fans. I hope you guys love it.”

The party?  Well, apparently we weren’t invited, but Spears hosted a fashion showcase  in Los Angeles for “friends and family” (that leaves us out) celebrating the collection’s launch.

Her biggest fans were selected as models in the runway portion of the show.  You can watch a special video presentation exclusively (there’s that word again) on www.candies.com and www.kohls.com.

Fashion photographer, Cliff Watts, shot the campaign, which was created by in-house Iconix marketing representatives.  Famed music video director, Chris Applebaum (Rihanna – Umbrella, Hilary Duff – Fly) produced the TV commercial, shot in Hollywood.

Is it selfish to care for yourself?

Think of others first.  Always put others’ needs before your own.  These are the lessons women learn early, and for many, a thought process which continues into adulthood.  Countless relationships have suffered and ended due to selfishness–or lack thereof.

Being selfish can actually be smart. When we are in a relationship, oft-times we tend to go all out for the other person’s feelings–which isn’t necessarily bad. However, when you begin to neglect yourself in the process, you could be damaging the relationship more than helping it.

The mounting resentment of their partners, due to their own choices, in addition to expectations they have led others to believe are normal,  have led many women to spiritual and mental destruction.  This can occur without you even knowing what or why.

You may put off college to help your husband or partner build his own business, or perhaps you’ve got your own advanced degree and instead of using it, you’re an unpaid secretary who cooks and cleans at home and at the office–just to support someone else’s dreams, while unselfishly neglecting your own.

Make wise decisions when it comes to selfishness. Remember, it is never selfish to take care of home. It is only selfish to neglect your own desires.  After all, you cannot file for a separation or divorce from yourself.  It really is until death do you part.

You will notice that each section of this ezine has been divided for your convenience, allowing you to go directly to the posts that interests you most.  More will be added frequently the  new format allows for a more streamlined posting schedule.

We value your opinion.  Please tell us how you like our new look and format and feel free to fill out the poll for fun. Be nice.  Creative types are sensitive.  Lastly, if you do actually like and appreciate the new format, don’t leave the comments on facebook or twitter.  We love those comments too, but in order for this ezine to gain popularity and back links, we need comments here.

On that note, the best way to show your appreciation is to link your site to us.  We appreciate the love.   We are headed toward a small magazine feel with articles and updates you can use.

Have an idea for an amazing topic that is unrelated to bashing or gossip? Just send 2 writing samples to asktoitroutman at gmail dot com with TOI BOX CONTRIBUTOR in the subject line.View This Poll

The carpet had bronzer overload and the starlets all appeared to have spent a week in St. Tropez. That must be what’s in all the makeup artists’ new trick bags. Not everyone needs it. Lighten up. Literally.

Kanye West (sans Taylor Swift and Amber Rose) showed up to open the show. Moving on. Prince was the man of the night and donned a fabulous tunic with a picture of what appeared to be PRINCE himself; wearing the same fabulous tunic of Prince … you get the gist. Yet another one of those looks only works on Prince.

The standout Diva of the night, though Queen Latifah was the host, was the obviously pregnant Alicia Keys. She began the night accepting her first award in an amazing white Goddess gown. Can we say flawless? By the time she came out to perform, her dress had turned from white and floor sweeping to hot pink and barely mini—complete with six-inch stilettos. Impressive. She looked and sounded absolutely incredible—baby bump or no baby bump.

Back to Queen Latifah. She began the show in a convertible one-sleeved off-the-shoulder sparkly number that somehow was pulled off by a group of dancers to reveal a pair of leggings and another long shirt. Convertibles are not so hot at awards shows…especially while on stage.

Interesting carpet highlights included adorable Rozanda Chili Thomas (TLC) who showed up sporting light brown locks, in honor of summer, and a clingy jersey knit palazzo jumpsuit. There was obviously nothing underneath and she was showing a few woman parts that would do better being concealed by at least a pasty bra.

Speaking of onesies, the beautiful Jada Pinkett Smith hit the scene wearing an interesting black and white striped romper topped with a satin-trimmed tuxedo jacket. She completed the look with a corn rowed faux hawk (her daughter had matching hair) and opted not to change clothes before her stage presentation. Maybe that was not such a good idea. In any case, her legs and figure is amazing so if anyone could pull it off, it would be Ms. Smith.

There seemed to be an excessive amount of lace on the carpet at the BET Awards. There were lace dresses—see through with lining mostly—and lace leggings. Thank God, there were no fingerless lace gloves circa 1982. Some of them probably thought about it. Anyway, Ciara’s long-sleeved lace dress (with some nutty out-of-place fringes) was of the gladiator variety–complete with gold studded accents and a very wide belt in the center. She added a pair of booties and yes, you guessed it—the dress was about five inches above the knee. It worked though—if you’re going for that warrior princess look.

The mode of the day was: Everyone over 35 wears something well above the knee. Not sure what that was about. Vivica Foxx, Nia Long, Laila Ali, Holly Robinson Peete and Taraji P. Henson, to name a few, all showed up sans formal gowns and rocking lots of leg. The formal gowns were worn by the younger set i.e. Ashanti (sans extensions), Tatiana Ali, etc.

There were no amazing looks here (sadly), but someone looked very hot on the carpet. John Legend arrived wearing a velvet blazer with corduroy slacks. It was June 27 in Los Angeles. Smoking. However, if you want to beat the heat, you can always opt for the look that Pharrell Williams sported: Denim cut offs, an unbuckled belt, a blue bandana, a medallion, a pair of sunglasses and a green camo long-sleeved tee. He finished the look with a pair of blue deck shoes. Maybe he had somewhere to go afterward.