GOP Campaign Strategy Now Directed by MTV Reality Producers

It’s Like the “Bachelorette”, But With a Pregnant Chick!

This news is so big we’re about ready to start dropping our g’s. In the latest “McInsane Theatre of the Absurd” news, the Times of London quotes campaign sources who say that a wedding between Sarah Palin’s pregnant daughter, Bristol, and baby daddy Levi “Hockey Puck” Johnston next month would be the perfect wag-the-dog to boost the candidate’s flagging poll numbers.

According to the article:

In an election campaign notable for its surprises, Sarah Palin, the Republican vice- presidential candidate, may be about to spring a new one - the wedding of her pregnant teenage daughter to her ice-hockey-playing fiancé before the November 4 election.

Inside John McCain’s campaign the expectation is growing that there will be a popularity boosting pre-election wedding in Alaska between Bristol Palin, 17, and Levi Johnston, 18, her schoolmate and father of her baby. “It would be fantastic,” said a McCain insider. “You would have every TV camera there. The entire country would be watching. It would shut down the race for a week.”

Maybe Ryan Seacrest can officiate.  “On this super-special American Idol episode, America Votes:  Should Bristol Wear White?  Where Should the Couple Honeymoon?” And former contestant Sanjaya Malakar can sing the song for the newlywed’s first dance.

It goes on:

McCain is expected to have a front-row seat at Bristol’s wedding and to benefit from the outpouring of goodwill that it could bring. “What’s the downside?” a source inside the McCain campaign said. “It would be wonderful. I don’t know that there has ever been a pre-election wedding before.”

The ice-hockey player wrote on his MySpace page he was a “f****** redneck” and stated, “I don’t want kids.” But a McCain insider predicted he would marry Bristol whenever his future mother-in-law wanted. “It’s a shotgun wedding. She kills things,” the source joked.

If the rumors of a “sacred institution between two unwilling teenagers” in a shotgun wedding are true, Election 2008 will officially have jumped the shark in the year America got Punk’d. So for the sake of democracy, we say, “Run, Levi, Run!” Winner of the Runner’s World Best Debut Award, the Salomon XT Wings running shoe is lighter so that he’ll run farther and faster with unparalleled speed. And remember to run in a zigzag pattern; he’ll be harder to hit when Palin tracks you from her moose copter.

Check out both women’s and men’s styles by clicking the link above.

A 22-year-old University of Alaska student named Richard Millay got his enterprising hands on a videotape that’s eluded the media since John McCain asked Sarah Palin to be his running-mate - original footage of her 1984 Miss Alaska Pageant.

And can we just say. OMG. The Bad 80s Lighting. The Drunken Trumpeteer. Sarah’s Pamela Ewing-style Red Swimsuit. The White Pumps. As the future vice-presidential candidate parades on stage, an off-screen announcer reads her early biography: “Contestant #8, Sarah Heath. Sarah says that she wants to prepare for a career in television broadcasting by majoring in Telecommunications and Political Science…” See what happens when a girl wants Diane Sawyer’s job and can’t cut it?

A radiant Angelina Jolie, accompanied by Brad Pitt, made her first red carpet appearance since welcoming twins Knox and Vivienne, at Saturday’s Changeling premiere at the Ziegfeld Theatre in New York City.

Jolie looked amazing, and well rested, wearing an Atelier Versace dress, Sergio Rossi open toe pumps, Mikimoto pearl earrings and ring.

The secret to looking so good just five-months after giving birth?

“A good dress!” a Versace-clad Jolie told Usmagazine.com.

“I just run around with my kids, and I’m breastfeeding. I think that does something,” she told Us.

Shock and awe, folks. Shock and awe. Her waist looks pinched and perfect as a Vassar co-ed’s. Her breasts look even more ripe and lovely than before. How is this possible?

And from the body language of this red carpet premiere, we thinks the break-up rumors are ridiculous.

To celebrate Angelina’s return to the red carpet, we offer you our favorite Sergio Rossi shoe of recent memory. We picked this shoe in tribute to Angelina’s “Sexy Back”. We here at ShoeMinx can’t resist a well-designed back-zip! So get your sexy on girls, these sensuous heels from Sergio Rossi in the luscious color “Lagoon” are so hot! Made of patent and elastic with zipper running up the length of the heel to the top of the ankle, they are simply irresistible. Get these darlings by Tuesday from Zappos!

ShoeMinx is STILL suffering surreal noctural dreams over Sarah Palin’s crazed wink the other night. What was up with that? Is that her “Come Hither America” strategy?

As we originally posted on the eve of the Vice Presidential Debate, Sarah Palin stuck to the style script by way of her trademark red shoes. Famous for inspiring a buying frenzy of the Naughty Monkey heels she wore when first introduced as the GOP VP nominee, Palin’s footwear last night veered in a more classic direction. We were orignially thinking the shoes were Sergio Rossi or Cole Haan.

Not only does Sergio Rossi deny that Sarah Palin is wearing their shoes—Giuseppe Zanotti, Vicini, Te Casan, Manolo Blahnik, Christian Dior, Christian Louboutin, Stuart Weitzman, Ferragamo, Oscar de la Renta, Cole Haan, Giorgio Armani, and Yves Saint Laurent also won’t take credit for outfitting Sarah on her big night. One source offered up the ”Lance Flex Point Patent Pump” from Payless in-house brand “Fioni.” We’re not convinced. But at $19.99, it’s the perfect populist Soccer Mom shoe to kick the hides of the “Big Spenders in Big Goverment”.

Is Kat Dennings yet another actress to make a fine living out of looking bored and pouty? Someone needs to take up the slack from Kirsten Dunst and eye-roll expert Alexis Bledel.

Michael Cera. We Love. How this pencil-neck geek became the romantic leading man of his generation is a total coup for both Cera and the entire Paradigm Talent Agency. We wanted him with Maybe. We wanted him with Juno. We wanted him with Nora. We just plain wanted him.

For all you Ryan Gosling/Rachel McAdams wannabes… get an 80s boom box and sit on the door step of Paradigm Talent Agency until they trip on you, notice you have operational legs, then send you out on a Starbucks run. And then call the LAPD on you. 360 North Crescent Dr.,North Building, Beverly Hills, CA 90210. For all you aspiring Michael Cera wannabes: Rozon Mercer Management, 345 North Maple Dr., Suite 376, Beverly Hills, CA 90210.

And do we even like Kat Denning’s shoes? Are they completely boring with this dress or do we just have Red Carpet Attention-Deficit-Disorder?

Could Sarah Palin possibly be the Vice President of the United States if she is “frumpy”? She is quoted in Vogue as saying: “A reporter once asked me about it [her appearance] during the campaign, and I assured him I was trying to be as frumpy as I could by wearing my hair on top of my head and these schoolmarm glasses.” She definitely has a penchant for the up do.

Her Everyman style has drawn comparisons to Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush, and 70% of voters surveyed in the latest Pew poll said Palin was “down-to-earth.” In an interview Tuesday with talk show host Hugh Hewitt, Palin described herself as “a normal Joe Six-Pack American.”

Skill Testing Question:

Can anyone out there offer ShoeMinx a positive ID on the Palin debate shoe?

Leading shoe retailer Browns set a shining philanthropic example of which all other corporate bodies should take note. In presenting “Shine in the Shadow” last week, the company put foward an exclusive dance and fashion spectacle taking celebrity guests and VIPs through the Fall-Winter 08 trends in shoes, boots, handbags and accessories. The show took place at Hazelton Lanes’ Rotunda, lower level, in front of Browns’ boutique. All proceeds from the event, hosted by Canada AM’s Beverly Thomson, benefit SickKids Foundation, specifically The Philip Witchel Endowment Fund providing research into paediatric cardiology.

Browns buyer Kim Watt said, “The professional dancers are dressed in heels… wearing all our latest fall items—the wilder more fashion kind of stuff—and the dances are all choreographed so the audience gets to really see the shoes…it’s really quite unique.”

Progressively, relationships and cliques blossomed in the performance, initiating primal urges into a circle of connection and liberation. This piece suggests that the world at large could sure use such a sharing of positive energy through primal dance and movement. The dancers become entranced in a dreamlike meditative flow which transitions into a film installation, where dancers have been pre-recorded. The footage is projected as their body becomes multiplied and shown from multiple angles. In this cool, gritty, sensual exploration of sacrifice and indulgence, we see a visually and rhythmically exciting montage.

“We are so thrilled to combine the best of Browns’ fashions with a mosaic of innovative dance styles,” says Michael Brownstein, President of Browns. Browns heir, Jessica Brownstein, cheered the performance from the front row with her fiancee, Canadian Idol host Ben Mulroney.

The state-of-the-art dance show presented a series of different dance scenes. Our favorites were the funky and fresh look with pumps and booties, a 70’s look complete with tan boots and finally, a Tango scene flavoured with striking reds and blacks.

Sponsors for the event are FASHION Magazine, AXI Studio, Lacoste, Durbanville Hills Wine, Urban Source Creative Catering, The Grand Hotel, Porter Airlines and Nars.

Browns Shoes, a family-owned business established in Montreal in 1940, is synonymous with top international designer collections, luxurious leather goods, and exclusive street savvy fashion for ladies, men and children. A third generation now leads the business, and the company has expanded with each successive generation’s strengths.

Buy yourself a pair of these provocatively styled Browns ID Boots by clicking the link to the Browns website. Featured in the dance show, this shoe looks absolutely killer with a short white shift dress.

The concept of Chie Mihara’s work is design, comfort and quality. She likes to create things that have something to communicate, a feeling or a state of mind. That’s what she wants to do… give a little happiness with her creations. Click the link to Browns site for the best selection of Chie Mihara.

If you want the boy of your dreams to stare adoringly into your eyes as you cross your legs at the library, check out a pair of these Mimosa Lace Up Shoes.

Browns offers designer merchandise ranging from Prada and Manolo Blahnik as well as popular brands such as Miss Sixty and Adidas, and ten exclusive collections for ladies, men and children. One of ShoeMinx’s favorite fall boots is by Casadei, available at Browns. Click here on the link to see this boot in other colour choices.

And of course, where would the stylish set be without Bravo Browns? This is our “go to” line when it comes to chic footwear fashion.

“I Kissed a Girl” singer Katy Perry is being immortalized in plastic - she’ll soon be hitting stores as a 12-inch doll. The limited-edition collectible comes decked out in a wardrobe modeled after the pop sensation’s “I Kissed a Girl” clip: belted gold mini dress with accordion-pleated skirt, black stockings and very on trend “Pretty in Pink” heels.  Eagle-eyed fans will recognize the mini Katy P doll from its cameo in the “Ur So Gay” video.  Made by Integrity Toys in collaboration with fashion designer Jason Wu, only 500 dolls are being produced and will retail for $49.99; according to the website, initial pre-orders are already sold out.  So if the Barbie Dream House is rockin’, don’t come a knockin’.

After a coy flirtation with Nicholas Kirkwood (”just wanna try you on”), Perry is singing “I Kissed a Shoe and I Liked It” to Steve Madden, signing to star in ads for the shoe line. Browse the collection and play dress up in heels like these vintage-inspired ‘Lavender’ slingbacks in pucker-up pink.

In a scene reminiscent of the Beatles arriving in America, the Beckhams caused a frenzy at the launch of their signature fragrances at Macy’s. Hundreds of fans waiting for a glimpse of the celebrity-branded British duo brought NY streets to a standstill.  And they weren’t disappointed. Becks dressed to impress, but Victoria stole the limelight with her usual over-the-top “I AM fashion” statement. Victoria pouted and posed in head-to-toe Antonio Berardi, the gent who designed the couple’s purple wedding party outfits in 1999.

Dressing to complement her angular new ‘do, the former Spice Girl edged up her chic gray mini dress in thigh-high PVC-chic boots with gravity defying 5-and-a-half inch platforms - with no heels. Heel-less shoes are an “11″ on the fashion style meter and so fashion forward they confound the laws of physics!

Berardi said he was inspired by Latin American music and 1980s post-modernism, adding: “When you walk, it is almost on tiptoe. You look really dainty.”  Berardi went on to say the radical design will not cause the wearer any pain, “They are perfectly balanced.  When the girls come for fittings, they look a bit daunted, but by the end they say it’s just like wearing a regular shoe. They are graceful and there is a ballerina nature about them. Having a heel is really just psychological.” Riiight. We’re all for breaking the passé rules of fashion - go ahead, wear white shoes after Labor Day - but we’re kind of partial to the “form follows function” principle, which translates to heels being a must for mobility.

Victoria spent the appearance clutching hunky hubby David, who looked every inch the gent in his pinstripe suit. And no wonder, she probably needed him to prop her up. A spokesman for the Paris-based fashion house said: “The shoe has a bigger platform sole which stretches back further than normal and gives support under the arch of the foot. When walking though, you have to put your toe rather than your heel down first and you cannot wear them for very long. They are not dangerous because you would have to lean quite far back before you fell over.”

Recession, what recession?  Totally impractical and not even particularly pretty, the wearer gets to totter around with all her weight balanced on a thickened platform sole for the bargain price of $5,889.  So far, 60 die-hard slaves to fashion have plunked down their exclusive black credit cards for the pricey fetishistic boots.

Blame Marc Jacobs for the burgeoning “look ma, no heels!” trend. It started with his spring/summer ‘08 surreal heels, where the heels were backwards.  Then Berardi and Stella McCartney one-upped him, showing heel-less shoes and boots in their collections. Stars including Gwyneth Paltrow and Uma Thurman invested in a black pair of Berardi’s heel-less shoe shortly after they were unveiled in his spring/summer collection in Paris last year. After the kvetching over towering heel heights to no heels at all . . . dear lord, we fear what the mad hatters of fashion will come up with next.  Strips of leather tied to your feet with string?

No Olympic gold medal in balance beam? No worries. These Georgina Goodman ‘Marci’ platform boots give your outfit the perfect style pitch, without the threat of pitching over.  Those we wouldn’t blame you for a feigned wobble or two to get a good-looking hunk to lend you his arm.

“If God had wanted us to wear flat shoes, he wouldn’t have invented Manolo Blahnik”

Sarah Jessica Parker and her TV alter Carrie Bradshaw helped put famed footwear designer Manolo Blahnik on the style map.  Now the latitude and longitude for sophisticated shoes point to the intersection of Rodeo Drive and Dayton Way.  For his lifetime body of work which spans more than 30 years, Manolo was honored with the Walk of Style Award on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, California.

“It’s a great honor for me to have a place in Hollywood - for people here to see what I do,” Blahnik says. “I’ve supplied shoes for millions of movies, but I have designed specifically for only two or three.”

Blahnik collaborated on Sofia Coppola’s 2006 film Marie Antoinette, creating a confectionary scene of delectable shoe eye candy.

But more memorable, of course, is the one-of-a-kind “Something Blue” heels - those famous blue satin pumps with the glitzy pilgrim buckles - that the shoe king designed for the cinematic stroll through the designer-label closet that is the Sex and the City movie. Says event co-chair Peri Ellen Berne:

“Manolo was a natural, really. His designs have been all over the place - on celebrities and the people who covet them. He has an amazing balance between sexy and elegance that make his shoes very distinctive.”

His award predecessors are an impressive group of fashion maestros, including: Giorgio Armani, Tom Ford, Donatella and Gianni Versace, and Salvatore Ferragamo.

In addition to Dirty Sexy Money star Lucy Liu, who presented Blahnik with his award, 400 guests were on hand to view an exhibition of his classic shoes from Marie Antoinette, the Brit TV show “Absolutely Fabulous,” “Sex and the City,” and sketches of his shoes, including collaborations with designers like John Galliano.

With all the fabulously Manolo-heeled fashionistas in attendance, guests could also see his designs just by glancing down while nibbling on hors d’oeuvres. Bright heels might be the current trend but basic black was the day’s color of choice.

Liu’s Manolos were elegant with a touch of avant-garde - embellished with jewel detail on the side. “Dignity” pop star Hilary Duff rocked a slingback bootie, accessorized with a bright red pedicure that gave her somewhat conservative outfit a vamp-y vibe, while heiress Nicky Hilton was long and leggy in a studded Rocca ankle cuff sandal, very reminiscent of Madonna’s glam rock boots in Desperately Seeking Susan.

Manolo’s Walk of Style Award merely affirms what millions of devotees already know:  he is a high heel god for the sexy and sophisticated glamour gal.

We likey these Anne Klein “Ccianna” heels.  Very ab fab to wear to a SACTM viewing party - but only if there are cosmos, naturally.