Thanks to colored contact lenses, anyone can have violet-colored eyes these days. Taylor didn’t come by her purple peepers that way; the first tinted contact lenses weren’t commercially available until 1983. Taylor’s eye color was the real deal.

The appearance of the iris — the colored ring that’s around the eye’s black pupil — depends on how much of the natural pigment melanin it contains. The more melanin in your iris, the darker your eyes will look (melanin levels are determined by your genes). For example, the irises of a person with dark brown eyes have more melanin than the eyes of a green-eyed person. Taylor’s eyes had a very specific, and rare, amount of melanin, but it was roughly the same as a person with blue eyes.

“There are various shades of blues and grays, with many in-between. Violet may have been her typical pigmentation,” Norman Saffra, chairman of the ophthalmology department at the Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., told Life’s Little Mysteries. “It’s possible to have that eye color — it all depends on the amount of melanin.”

Eye color can also appear to change based on the eye’s light absorption, Saffra said. For example, wearing a white shirt will reflect light off of the iris and make its color look slightly lighter.

Makeup can also “bring out” certain colors in the eyes. Taylor was often photographed wearing blue or purple eye shadow to compliment her eyes’ naturally violet hue, or dark brown eye shadow and black eyeliner to contrast against and play up their unique color.

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So not only is Wintour as famous as some of her famous friends, but she is also pretty intimidating to other famous people, Currid-Halkett said. It helps that the editor made her home in New York City, the professor added, because appearances in the Big Apple are associated with enhanced prestige and star power.

In the world of celebrity, Anna Wintour is literally in vogue.

“Lesbian rumors!” Oprah said in her trademark exaggerated voice.

Shortly after 8 p.m., Ms. Love burst into the room with the Marchesa dress slung on one arm and the noted German Neo-Expressionist artist Anselm Kiefer on the other. She was entirely naked and leaning on Mr. Kiefer for support. She made one lap around the room, walking in front of a photographer, an assistant, a hairstylist and me. She pulled over her head a transparent lace dress that covered up nothing, and demanded my assistance — “Not you,” she said to Mr. Kiefer, who was bent over trying to help her — to stuff her feet into a pair of black Givenchy heels that were zipped up the back and tied with delicate laces in the front. Then she applied a slash of red lipstick in the vicinity of her mouth.

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While in Vancouver, Colbert will be recording tons of material for when “The Colbert Report” returns to the air later this month. He’ll also be joining Bob Costas to do commentary at the Games. According to Colbert, his mission for his trip to Vancouver is to find out “What is Canada? Or more importantly, why is Canada?” Good questions.

After a major speedskating sponsor went bankrupt, Colbert and his legion of fans stepped in to save the team. That paved the way for Colbert’s association with Team USA, but it hasn’t all been jokes and bobsleds. In December, speedskater Shani Davis seemed to take offense at Colbert’s ribbing of Canadians, even calling Colbert “a jerk.” Canadians have been upset by being repeatedly referred to as “syrup-suckers” and “Saskatche-whiners.” Ironically, that’s exactly the kind of thing Colbert is talking about.

However, Colbert says he’s not there to cause any problems. According to the comedian, “I’m there to celebrate Canada at this point.” Whatever the reasons, we’re just glad he’ll be there.

Angie Harmon is not afraid to come out and say she doesn’t like how President Obama is handling the job — but she’s sick of having to defend herself from being deemed a racist.

“Here’s my problem with this, I’m just going to come out and say it. If I have anything to say against Obama it’s not because I’m a racist, it’s because I don’t like what he’s doing as President and anybody should be able to feel that way, but what I find now is that if you say anything against him you’re called a racist,” Harmon told Tarts at Thursday’s Los Angeles launch of the new eyelash-growing formula, Latisse. “But it has nothing to do with it, I don’t care what color he is. I’m just not crazy about what he’s doing and I heard all about this, and he’s gonna do that and change and change, so okay … I’m still dressing for a recession over here buddy and we’ve got unemployment at an all-time high and that was his number one thing and that’s the thing I really don’t appreciate. If I’m going to disagree with my President, that doesn’t make me a racist. If I was to disagree with W, that doesn’t make me racist. It has nothing to do with it, it is ridiculous.”

Speaking of dislikes, the starlet has also had enough of the double-standards in the media.

“I do think McCain would have done a better job, only because I think he has more experience. I also think if W or John McCain or Reagan would have gone and done a talk show, the backlash would have been so huge and in his face, and ‘What is our president doing? How unclassy!’ But Obama does it and no one says anything,” Harmon said.

And in spite of the scornful opinions most of her Tinseltown counterparts have shared on Gov. Sarah Palin, Harmon remains a true fan.

“I admire any kind of woman like her. My whole motto is to know what I stand for and know what I don’t stand for and have the courage to live my life accordingly and she does exactly that. The fact that this woman has made the decisions she’s made and literally lived her life according to that and takes heat for it is absolutely disgusting to me,” she added. “People cannot look at this woman. I really think they’re afraid of her and her morals, ethics and values and the fact that she hangs on them. Is she the most experienced person in the world? But she was running to be the Vice President, so we then put the most inexperienced person as the President. That didn’t make any sense to me.”

However Harmon is definitely in the Hollywood minority when it comes to her criticism of Obama as other lasses at the Latisse party were quick to advocate their unequivocal support.

“The sort of criticism over the last couple of weeks is a bit unfounded, he’s been in office for barely any time and I think he inherited a lot on his plate and he’s doing a pretty remarkable job,” quipped Mandy Moore. “I think it’s cool that he went on Leno and I watched the “60 minutes” interview as well last week. The guy is just so articulate and he is so well versed in something that is so new to him and I think he has a good team around him. It sounds cliché, but he makes me feel proud to be an American.”

Debra Messing also told Tarts that our new President is not only meeting her expectations, but going far beyond.

“He is thoughtful and considerate and he gets all the information before he speaks which I think is a wonderful quality for the ruler of the free world to have,” she explained.

The ladies of “Entourage” certainly showed their Obama-loyalty too.

“It’s not an over night process. It’s going to get worse before it gets better; we’re all kind of in the same boat now. Everybody’s broke and everybody’s struggling and he makes me feel like I know him and that I know Michelle and that they’re like us and they’re out to try to save the USA. It’s just an amazing period to watch him take on these challenges and everyday in the news to hear about AIG or possibly global currency changing, it’s incredible. He’s facing big challenges and he’s got a lot of support and I’m just praying things get better,” Debi Mazar said, while co-star Perrey Reeves added that Obama is a “wonderful leader” and she’s looking forward to his future endeavors.

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A U.S. government official confirmed that an adoption bid by Madonna , an American, was under way. They all spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the subject. Madonna spokeswoman Liz Rosenberg in New York would not comment. Years ago, the singer was accused of using her celebrity status to circumvent Malawian adoptions laws when she adopted her son David — allegations she denies. That adoption became final in 2008. Now there are concerns that rules again will be broken for the newly divorced Madonna as Malawi also does not approve adoptions for single or divorced parents.

However, the Malawi welfare official said each case is considered on its merit. Malawian law is fuzzy on foreign adoptions. Regulations stipulate only that prospective parents undergo an 18- to 24-month assessment period in Malawi, a rule already bent when Madonna was allowed to take David to London. Madonna met David in October 2006 at a Malawian orphanage. His mother had died and his father was unable to care for him. She and her then-husband, British filmmaker Guy Ritchie , took David to their London home but it took two years for the adoption to become official.

The adoption was a trying process for the singer, who said the criticism hurt. Some children’s advocacy groups accused her of breaking up a family. They claimed the child, who is now 3, should have remained in Malawi and the star should have instead offered to support his father.

Rumors that Madonna wanted to adopt a girl from Malawi have been circulating for some time. But the first official hint came from the star herself last week.

In an interview in Malawi’s leading daily The Nation, the singer said she was considering another adoption but would only do it if she had “the support of the Malawian people and government.”

Before David’s adoption was finalized in May last year, a Malawi welfare official paid the family two home visits and wrote in a report that Madonna was a “perfect mum.”

If the adoption goes through, the 50-year-old singer would become a single mother of four. She also has an 8-year-old son, Rocco, with Ritchie and a 12-year-old daughter, Lourdes, from a previous relationship.
Madonna first traveled to Malawi in 2006 while doing charity work and filming a documentary on the devastating poverty and AIDS crisis there. Besides releasing her documentary “I Am Because We Are,” she is also establishing a school for girls there.

Malawi is among the poorest countries in the world. Just over 14 percent of the country’s 12 million people are infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, and an estimated 1 million children have been orphaned.

In an interview last year, Madonna said she planned to visit Malawi this month with all of her children, but it is unclear whether Madonna ‘s children will accompany her on this trip.

She last visited Malawi a year ago, when she brought David and Lourdes with her. The star and her entourage spent their time visiting projects for street children and orphanages, and opening a new day care center funded by her charity.

Since giving birth, Berry’s career has taken a backseat to motherhood, but she couldn’t be happier. On February 23, Halle attended Essence magazine’s Black Women in Hollywood luncheon. Although she was honored for her acting, producing, and philanthropic efforts, the 42-year-old noted in her acceptance speech that nothing beats being a mom.

“As a woman, I thought it was all about work and accomplishments,” she admitted. “Then this little baby comes along and says that it’s not about that. I’m complete. I have more to offer my craft because [my daughter] makes me indelibly better every day.”

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