Fabcon: Tina Turner

FabSugar — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 09:30:22 PDT

That hair, those flashy dresses, those moves - those legs. There's a reason Tina Turner is "The Queen of Rock n' Roll." She does indeed rock it like no other. Upon my quest for interesting tidbits about the Queen to share with you I discovered that she has the same birthday as my dad, November 26, cute huh?

She's come a long way since she was born Anna Mae Bullock in Tennessee. I didn't fully realize her personal struggle until I saw the movie What's Love Got to do With It where Angela Bassett brilliantly plays her in one difficult role. In this film we learn of the spousal abuse and drug problems Tina endured. If you haven't seen the movie I totally recommend it - it's really touching, and rockin.'

Once Tina broke free from Ike, whom she started her entertainment career with, she was on her own, with plenty to say, or rather, sing. From her first solo album Private Dancer to her role in Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome the star was rising without an end in sight. With friends and fans across all industries and continents, we can all admire this Fabcon, and not just for her hair, dresses, moves and legs.

To see Tina through the ages and a special Halloween-y video bonus,

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Water For Elephants' Donna Scott on Kissing Robert Pattinson's "Luscious Lips," Reese's Circus Skills, and Big Top Burlesque!

Lindsay Miller — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 13:15:00 PDT

Donna Scott has a role millions of women would kill for in Water For Elephants. As bawdy burlesque dancer Barbara, she initiates Robert Pattinson's character into the circus - sexually! We chatted with the mother of two and wife of director Tony Scott this weekend, just before she headed out to the theater to see the movie for the first time. She talked about shooting under the big top with Robert and Reese Witherspoon, how Rob's family helps him handle his unprecedented fame, and filming her slightly awkward sexy scene with him! She also told us about training with a tassel-twirling expert for her risqué role, and what happened when a trio of zebras got loose on set and sent her, Reese, Rob, and Christoph Waltz ducking for cover.

Tell us a little bit about your character, Barbara.
She's a sideshow coochie dancer, a burlesque dancer, definitely targeted to the male audience going to the circus in the 1930s. There was one part [of the circus] that was for the family, and the other was the sideshow.

Was Rob nervous for your kissing scene?
Just a little bit. It’s really funny, because Rob is so...Rob. And even though he’s a huge heartthrob movie star, he’s so genuine. I figured since he was a megastar that he’d be like, 'Yeah, ok,' and I saw that because I’m older and lived a lot more life, I was comfortable being way more forward than he was. So, I definitely was aware that it was genuine, and that when I would move in to kiss him, he’d be like 'Whoa!' He was genuinely shy and it was all fantastic. How we prepared was just stepping into it and doing it. [He played] naïve and deflowered!

How does Rob rate as a leading man and kisser?
Rob, on a scale of one to ten, is a ten. He’s got luscious lips, and he’s so sweet, and he’s a tender person.

Reese told a story about Rob running scared from the zebras on set. Is that true?
After Reese had injured her ankle and when Rosie ran off, we were shooting this scene where it was just Reese, myself, Christoph, and Rob, and there were three zebras staked right near us. They’re very high strung, and they were going crazy and pulling up the stakes. Rob went running away and Reese grabbed Christoph and put him in front of her as a human body shield, and she was like; 'Oh my god, I don’t know what I just did!' And I was behind one of the support poles, and it happened so fast, it was really funny. But Rob was running away because he was supposed to be leaving to do something in the scene, so I think he didn’t want to break character. He felt so bad. He was like, 'Everyone is going to think I ran away because I was scared!'

To read more from Barbara on Reese's circus skills, how Rob's family keeps him grounded, and the way she prepared for her sexy role, just

Did you get to watch Reese perform with the elephant?
Yes. It was amazing, when she was in the center ring we were all there watching, and I got to watch her as she went on top of Tai. What an amazing experience.

Rob actually has to cross-dress for a particularly funny scene in the movie. How did he handle that?
I think he was genuinely really shy about coming out of that trunk. It was pretty funny for him to come crawling out with all of us eating our breakfast. And no one had seen him in his outfit, because his double was in there the whole time they were setting up. So when he came out of the trunk all the response to him was genuine. I think his response was genuine, too. He was really embarrassed!

Was there a lot of fandemonium near the set for Rob?
Every day. It was insane to me, because where we were shooting was so remote. We were an hour and a half outside of LA in these huge orange groves, and we’d be shooting nights, and when I’d leave work 4:00, 5:00, 6:00 in the morning there would be unbelievable amount of women in a ditch across the shooting area waiting for Rob. They didn’t leave. I was blown away. I’ve never seen that level commitment from fans until I saw all that.

How does he deal with that remarkable level of attention?
It’s remarkable how he deals with it. He deals with it immensely well, and I also think he can’t believe what’s going on. I think he stays really grounded, and I think he views it from a point of view of, 'Is this really happening in my life?' And all of the craziness around him and Kristen, I think they navigate it immensely well in how he handles situations. He’s so close to his family and they’re so grounded, his mom and his dad and his sisters, so I think that helps him. And the maturity. He's very well educated and very well read, but it’s lovely that he can be that mature.

How did you prepare for the role?
I’m a level four pole dancer at Sheila Kelley’s S Factor, and then I took burlesque classes. The choreographer, Tracy Phillips, is a dancer, and I had a private tassel-twirling instructor that came to my house to give me tassel-twirling lessons. I took it very seriously!"

Did you get to keep your burlesque gear and tassels from the set?
No, I didn’t, and it didn’t even dawn on me to keep them! The thing is, Penny Star Jr., when she taught me to twirl the tassels, she said there’s a trick to how they need to be built so they swing properly with centrifugal force. Penny Star built two pairs for me and sent them to the costume designer. It's still a secret.

What's next for you now that you're getting back into acting?
It was so fun to do a movie like this, completely removed and on my own. My desire is to really get back into my career because I’ve been raising my children for 11 years. We have twin boys. It was the first time I’ve gone and done a red carpet when it was not affiliated with Tony and it was a different ball of wax.

Newlyweds Princess Charlene and Prince Albert Host a Dinner in Durban

Lindsay Miller — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 14:48:42 PDT

Princess Charlene joined her husband, Prince Albert, to host a private dinner party at the luxe hotel Oyster Box in Durban, South Africa, this evening. The newlyweds shared a sweet kiss as they greeted their guests on the red carpet outside the soiree, which featured a performance by Zulu dancers, as well as a dish specially created by the hotel for the event called Oysters Charlene. Prince Albert married Charlene Wittstock on Saturday in the courtyard outside the Prince's Palace. Princess Charlene wore an Armani wedding gown for the festivities, and the newlyweds capped off the day with a fireworks show and concert at Port Hercule. With Prince Albert and Princess Charlene spend some time on the continent of Africa, Prince William and Kate Middleton continue their tour of North America. They've been spending time in Canada for the past week, and on Friday, Will and Kate will touch down in the states as they get ready to spend a long weekend in California.