Following what you saw in this morning's Style Forecast, below you'll find my Eight Predictions for '08. Some are calculated guesses, others merely wishful thinking:

1. The celebrity gossip blogosphere will implode upon itself when the public realizes that there's more important shit we should be paying attention to. You know, like the presidential election.
2. Speaking of the election, my heart says Kucinich, but my mind says Obama, and that's just fine by me.
3. Daniel Day Lewis will win the Best Actor Oscar. No Country for Old Men will, much to my chagrin, obstruct There Will Be Blood's chances at any of the other big awards (e.g., Director, Picture).
4. Jovovich-Hawk for Target will be the most awesome GO! International collection yet.
5. A-line blunt bobs will be the new side-swept bangs hair craze.
6. Ethical eating will slowly emerge as the latest green "trend".
7. Britney Spears' 2008 comeback will arrive in the form of a ghost-written tell-all autobiography titled, A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Slipups.
8. Continuing to ride his 2007 wave of success, studios will use the following line to sell any film Judd Apatow even sneezes near: "From the man behind Knocked Up and Superbad..." A critical backlash will follow.

Splendora girls don't wish for Red Ryder B.B. guns; we lust after red-soled and studded Louboutins, yet we temper such extravagant wants by enjoying life's little pleasures, too.That said, after a morning spent ravaging wrapping paper enjoying sinful French Toast, there is no better way to spend Christmas than watching a marathon of yuletide-themed movies. A quick office poll yielded the following Top Ten list, where you'll notice the exclusion of certain classics. If you haven't seen It's A Wonderful Life or A Christmas Story by now, another mention probably won't entice you to Netflix them. Though not all of our picks conjure up a case of the warm fuzzies, we sure enjoy them and hope you do, too.

1. Love Actually (2003)
Why: Because hearing darling Joanna (Olivia Olson) belt out "All I Want for Christmas (Is You)" - quite possibly the best holiday song of all time - melts our hearts.

2. Scrooged (1988)
Why: Because Bill Murray's deadpan one-liners are sheer brilliance.

3. Bad Santa (2003)
Why: Because Billy Bob has never been (intentionally) funnier.

4. One Magic Christmas (1985)
Why: Because sometimes you need a sappy good cry, and Mary Steenburgen will get you there.

5. Edward Scissorhands (1990)
Why: Because it makes us want to spin around in a fake flurry of snow wearing a blond wig, Ryder-style.

6. About A Boy (2002)
Why: Because Hugh Grant does a mean version of "Killing Me Softly."

7. Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
Why: Because you're feuding with your significant other and are secretly lusting after a naval officer.

8. Home Alone (1990)
Why: Because there was a time when Macaulay Culkin was tolerable and cute.

9. Love Affair (1939 and 1994)
Why: Because the romantic final scene is enough to make any cynic believe in true love.

10. Gremlins (1984)
Why: Because it's the ultimate cautionary tale for errant pet owners.

And while you're at it, why not rent some of our other favorite recent DVD releases:

The Namesake, Superbad, Once, Waitress, Rescue Dawn, Ratatouille, Sicko, Paris, Je T'Aime, Zodiac

My birthday is swiftly approaching, and there's nothing I'd like more than to enjoy The Best Meal of My Entire Life at one of Northern California's finest restaurants. I've already had the Chez Panisse experience, which was every bit as wonderful as I'd imagined it to be, and though I'm contemplating a return I'd also like to try something new. What do you think? Is a trip to Gary Danko or Bouchon in my near future? Cyrus or Aqua? I suppose part of the debate is whether to venture to wine country or stay in San Francisco. Also, I'm not big on cuisine that's too heavy - in the exaggerated, cream and butter-laden French style, for instance.

What would you suggest, fellow foodies?

The simplicity of finding joy in friends, family, and noticing beauty in every earthly movement was a philosophy that site member Paula Owen lived her life by. In many ways, it was a tragedy that she left us on Thanksgiving Day, in others, an appropriate coda to a life lived with grace and humanity; Paula was a powerful female force that we at Splendora were blessed and thankful to call a friend.

From the inception of the site's "BFF Lounge", Paula quickly became one of the site's most active participants. If there was an individual who exemplified everything that we strive to do here on a daily basis - connect women, share what we love with others, talk effusively about fashion and beauty - Paula was this person. She made an effort to reach out to her Splendora BFFs in keeping with her want to "help women realize their personal beauty potential and nurture themselves." As a celebrated makeup artist who worked with everyone from Duran Duran to British Vogue, Paula was sophisticated, well-traveled, and supremely talented, but more than all of this, a grounded, shining presence in the lives of those who knew and loved her. She and husband Dario recently celebrated 17 years of marriage, a milestone that she was proud to write about in her online Diary. The two remained a cohesive unit through the years, most recently finding strength in one another while Dario recovered from a motorcycle accident. Together they were the loving parents of two luminous teenage boys.

Paula lived her life based on the tenets of Buddhism: peace, happiness, respect, compassion, and creativity. This was such an integral part of who she was as a human being, something she strove to share with others in order to help them learn a little bit more about her and about themselves. She made a conscious decision to live as a "'Supreme Optimist' [with] no FEAR of the future", and it was evident in the selfless, brave way she seized each precious moment of every day. Those who communicated with Paula, whether in person, over the phone, or even via e-mail, know that she had a tenderness about her. There was a nurturing softness to her voice, a comfort and truth to her words, that made others feel immediately at ease. She knew the value of friendship, the strength that comes from connecting with others, and she lived her life accordingly. That Paula is no longer physically with us is saddening, but her presence is still deeply felt. For many of us here at Splendora, going back over her Diary entries has provided solace during this difficult time. The topics range from her recent New York trip, where she was the makeup artist for celebrated flamenco dancer Maria Pagés and had the chance to meet fellow Splendora member Ladyshark, to memories from her high school prom night, to her inspiring idea about forming an empowering "Makeup Club" to teach young girls about finding beauty in themselves.

What we found in Paula was a friend, a sister, a mother-figure, one of the most phenomenal life energies we have ever had the pleasure of being close to, if only through the website for some of us. She believed that "the soul is always beautiful"; hers was dazzling. It's impossible to convey how much she meant to us, so we leave you with Paula's own words, which say volumes about who she was - is - as a person:

"My work as a makeup artist is dedicated to all the women I will help feel better about themselves: young, old, famous, anonymous, rich and poor, for all the men that will gaze upon their wives, sisters and friends and sense their beauty too."

Paula gave us a genuine sense of her beauty, and we're richer because of it.

Besos, Paula.

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo. 

The five albums you'll currently find rotating on my iTunes playlist:

1. Radiohead, In Rainbows

2. Broken Social Scene Presents: Kevin Drew, Spirit If...

3. Digitalism, Idealism

4. Lata Mangeshkar, Bhajanamrit

5. Sufjan Stevens, Illinoise

Celebrity makeup artist Yvette Beebe leads a life that by any standards embodies the glamour one would expect. Her job entails jetsetting, traveling alongside rock stars, attending awards ceremonies, and enhancing the beauty of clients worldwide. In spite of, or perhaps because of, her worldly and fast-paced lifestyle, Beebe maintains a modest and genuine sensibility. She doesn't brag about being Pink's (Alecia, to her) personal makeup artist or hobnobbing with Justin Timberlake backstage, though others in such a privileged position wouldn't hesitate to. Loyal to her family and the women who come to her seeking to be beautified, it's Beebe's inspiring message about self-confidence that Splendora gravitates toward. (Gina Pell has worked with Beebe personally.) We sat down with the talented makeup maven to talk about touring with Pink, fall trends, her product line, and her newly launched website.

Splendora: Tell us a little bit about your experience [touring with Pink].

Yvette Beebe: It was so amazing, a dream come true to be around someone who is self-empowering and who knows who she is, is still growing and learning and finding out things.

S: Did you keep [her personality] in mind when you were creating different makeup looks for her?

YB: I wanted to keep her clean and show who she was, because she's very interactive with her audience. Alecia - Pink - is very connected to her audience and stands for everything that she's saying. She's already strong, so she doesn't need that to come across in her look.

She's a very glamorous woman. She's very into style and fashion and looks really beautiful as a glamour girl, too, wearing very clean makeup. I call her the "Romantic Rebel."

S: Do you have any crazy backstage stories you can share?

YB: None that I can tell!

S: When you were overseas, did you notice anything different about the way women approach makeup?

YB: They're much bolder. Australia is cleaner, a clean line. Europe is, "anything goes." They play with makeup.

S: Is there a standout trend right now in makeup you've been seeing?

YB: Well, the trend right now is eyeliner. Amy Winehouse brought that out with liquid eyeliner. I'm so against [liquid eyeliner] because it's such a hard look. I think if you're going out in the evening, wear stronger eyeliner, a stronger lip, but keep the eye clean, the cheeks clean. If you're seeing only eyeliner, that's all I see on you instead of seeing you. That's my philosophy on makeup: you want to see the inner [beauty] come out [rather than] seeing something covered up.

S: How can women can update their makeup look this season?

YB: What I find a lot of people get stuck in is matte eyeshadow. I think, put a glow to it! I have a color called Bronze Jovi. Something that's got a little bit of a glow and shimmer to it. I have a shimmer dust; put it on the cheekbones, but not [in] streaks.

S: How do you feel about red lips?

YB: Not into matte, ever. I feel like lips should be kissable, dewy, moist. For a photo shoot or certain look, I might do that, but for everyday, you don't want to see dry, crinkled lips. Just put a little dot of gloss on the bottom lip and "mush." It's healthy and hydrated. I like the red lip.

Click to read Part Two of Splendora ConFabulous: Yvette Beebe

S: If you had to name a couple core essentials every woman should have in her makeup bag, what would they be?

YB: I would say, waterproof eyeliner that's soft, not the kind you have to sharpen. The reason being that, once you know how to put on eyeliner, which is in between the lashes, not on top of the lashes, it looks like you're wearing mascara. It puts the emphasis on your eyes. A lipgloss, definitely. A foundation stick to cover up only where you need it. Underneath the eyes, a little blemish, that's all. Those three things [and] you're out the door.

S: How do you feel about Botox and Restylane?

YB: I'm not against it...[but] less is more. We need to relax with ourselves and empower [ourselves] and work on the inner [self], because that's going to show through. The best beauty advice: smile. When you perfect so much, you start looking like a mannequin, and we're not born to be perfect. When we're born, one side's a little higher than the other, one eye is rounder, and that's what makes us human.

S: Who's "Looking Extra Foxy" to you, in the celebrity realm?

YB: Well, I think Pink's beautiful. Catherine Zeta Jones; Gwen Stefani in her new ads - really playful and sexy, not that hard look.

S: Who do you think is doing their makeup right?

YB: Michelle Pfeiffer, Courteney Cox, Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Alba, Halle Berry - [actresses] who really know who they are.

S: When you're doing women's makeup, you must come across blatant beauty mistakes.

YB: A lot of it is eyeliner; a lot of it is liquid eyeliner. No eyebrows at all, not filling in [the] eyebrows. I still find women wearing dark lip liner. If you have a small upper lip, I always say "round in." Use a color that matches your lips and work inward instead of going down. If you're rounding in, you can get a fuller pout. If you use a darker [lipstick] color [with a darker liner], blend it so it fades [in]to the center, then apply the color on top.

S: What secret beauty tips can you share?

YB: I have a trick of the trade. When you have mascara or anything on your eyes - something where you don't want it - on a Q-Tip, take your foundation, just a very tiny amount, and mark that spot and you'll never notice that it was there. Another one has to do with blush. You put it on the apples of your cheeks on the highest point where someone would naturally kiss you, where you would naturally flush. Smile, put it on the apple, and blend back.

S: What's next for you?

Well, I'm developing a new product. What's next for me is going out there and empowering and enhancing women.

Contemporary Latin American cinema has had a pronounced presence in the international scene this year, with directors such as Guillermo del Toro, Alfonso Cuaron, and Alejandro González Iñárritu attracting attention to cinematic voices outside of the Hollywood paradigm. Add another name to this creative vanguard: Diego Luna, the 27-year-old actor-turned-director heretofore best known for his role in Cuaron's Y Tu Mama Tambien. Young and ambitious, Luna isn't content with staying on one side of the camera, having taken the directorial reigns with Chávez, a documentary about Mexico's most celebrated boxer. Luna's legion of fawning devotees are quick to describe him as passionate, and that he is, but in a way that transcends his obvious good looks. Luna arrived in San Francisco last week to premiere Chávez at the Latino International Film Festival, where he screened the film and spoke about crafting his first feature.

Chávez is less a strictly objective documentary than an endearing portrait of one of Luna's childhood heroes, a man who shot to international acclaim only to be, as Luna describes, suddenly abandoned by the public at the close of his career. "I thought it was important to be able to see where he is right now because he's alive and he deserves to be celebrated today," he said. "I was thinking of how to make this man become a human being [in the public's eyes]."

In striving to humanize Chavez on screen, Luna discovered facets to his own creativity and subtleties in his directorial perspective that informed the work as a whole. It was the medium of documentary film - as opposed to fiction - that allowed such realizations to occur.

"I think [that] documentaries are a great way to find your own voice as a director. The story happens outside, and you are there with your camera and you have to be ready and aware and open," said Luna. "I was finding my story [along] the way."

The project was deeply personal to Luna; he articulated how the dynamic that plays out between Chávez and his son (J.C. Chávez Jr.) parallels his own relationship with his father, to whom the film was dedicated. Chávez Jr. is a rakish a 21-year-old poised to inherit his father's legacy and duplicate his athletic acclaim. However, with that illustrious lineage comes questions regarding identity, autonomy, and what it means to grapple with one's sense of 'manhood'. If Luna, too, was considering these issues, it was certainly apparent in the way he framed the portrayal of Chávez.

"The whole film is about the relation between a father and a son, the relation in between fame and power, and the biggest battle that anyone has. It doesn't matter if you're a boxer or not, it's the battle with yourself. And that's the one that you have to win."

With that succinct, yet very telling statement, Luna was soon afterward swept away from San Francisco's historic Castro theater, but not without crazed fanfare following him. He celebrated the West Coast debut of his documentary later that evening with a small reception at Harlot, where admirers continued to swarm him and heap praise upon Chávez, enthralled to be in the presence of the charismatic star. Up next for Luna is the Harmony Korine-helmed Mr. Lonely, in which he plays a Michael Jackson impersonator. For the meantime, however, he appears to be reveling in his current role: a director proud to have finally brought his "baby" to the public.

Photo courtesy of ChristianProducciones.com.

Olivier Theyskens may be diminuitive and soft spoken, but his humble demeanor belies unbounded creativity, a mind rife with visions that are authoring the future of fashion. At only 30, Theyskens has quickly become a fashion power player as the artistic director of Nina Ricci. His biggest red carpet moment took place at the 2007 Golden Globes, when a ravishing and newly single Reese Witherspoon proudly sashayed into the ceremony wearing a strapless, bright yellow Theyskens creation. Editors were immediately abuzz, but he chose to duck away from the hype and concentrate on producing work with fine attention to draping, cascading silhouettes, and cuts that fall beautifully on women's bodies. He talked about his latest collection during our confab last week at Neiman Marcus in San Francisco.

First of all, we love the collection. The use of gradiation seemed to be an ongoing theme; where did you draw inspiration for that?

All the colors were very important because the collection was about girls coming from a ball, but like a festival or some rave-party in nature, so I went with old Woodstock themes - pop psychedelia. There [were] a lot of fading colors, so that's why I was using the colors [in this way].

There was almost an Amazonian feel to the collection.

A little bit, yeah, because it was...a feeling of a tribe. It was like a group of girls - they're all individuals, but they're part of the same group [during] the same time.

In terms of the suiting and the separates, there was structure, but there was an ease to it as well.

Yeah, like an '80s cut in the sleeves, but totally loose in taking the pleating. I wanted to mix all these cuts in the collection - '30s cuts and '80s cuts and '60s - you can find many cuts that remind you of different decades of fashion.

Click here to read Part Two of "Splendora ConFabulous: Olivier Theyskens Exclusive"

*Photo courtesy of Drew Altizer.

You've had a big year, in general. Is there a "Proudest Fashion Moment"?

[Laughing] Well, you know, I do my thing; I do [the collections]...I have a good time.

You've had the chance to travel a lot, too.

I try to travel as much as I can, because I like to be on the move. I don't like to stay in the same spot for too long. I fulfill my mind [with travel].

Any favorite destinations?

My favorite destination is the opposite of the last I had. So if I'm here [in San Francisco] now I will want to go to Japan...I was just in Morocco for a show. I spent a little time resting. I went to Fez; it's a beautiful city.

What are you reading right now?

I try to find time to read. I read almost no magazines. Some Architectural Digest or some science magazines, but I'm not into [many] fashion magazines, actually, because they're [always] there in the office.

Did you draw from any particular music [as inspiration for the collection]?

Lyric music, which has nothing to do with the collection, but that's what I was hearing. I had in mind more rave-y songs from festivals.

Could you suggest a particular piece for every woman to have this season?

It's so much about the right clothes, the right person, the right moment. My favorite piece [exists] when it's right for a person. I think it's so important that people find the right piece for them, more than to take something like a rule. I want everybody to be free.

Photo courtesy of Drew Altizer.