Behind the white picket-fenced veneer of suburbia in Wisteria Lane, all is not as it seems. A bevy of surgically enhanced wives spin a web of crime and secrets, with deceased neighbour Mary Alice Young narrating as she follows her former friends negotiating those timeless themes: life and love.
The cast includes former Lois Lane actress Teri Hatcher and glamour mag favourite Eva Longoria Parker. Show creator Marc Cherry, also responsible for producing TV smash show The Golden Girls, is said to have based the character of Bree Van Der Kamp on his mother. Ah, but which character are you?
Currently in its sixth season, Desperate Housewives has millions of viewers worldwide. And the drama continues off the set as well. In 2007, striking Hollywood writers converged on the L.A. set as part of their industrial action to disrupt filming in the Toluca Lake suburb. While in September it emerged that Kathryn Joosten, who plays feisty neighbour Mrs McCluskey, is fighting a second bout of lung cancer.
Is Wisteria Lane up your alley enough to make it into your Timeless 50?
Elizabeth Arden's creation stands the test of time
Created in 1930 and barely changed since, Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream is a ‘miracle multi-tasker’, used to soothe and moisturise everything from cracked lips to dry elbows, sore cuticles to sunburn. Celebs rave about it.
With one tube sold every two minutes in the UK alone, its popularity should not be underestimated. Katie Campbell, deputy beauty editor of Grazia, names it as one of her top five all time beauty classics. “Is it a moisturiser? A hand cream? A healing ointment? A lipgloss? Brow fixer? Frizz-tamer? Elizabeth Arden’s indispensable Eight-Hour Cream is all of the above and more.”
Born in Canada in 1878, Florence Nightingale Graham later changed her name to Elizabeth Arden – partly inspired by Tennyson’s poem, ‘Enoch Arden’’. She is credited with introducing modern eye make-up to North America.
Eight Hour Cream became an instant success, with Arden even using it to soothe her famous thoroughbred horses’ legs. The name is said to have come about after a loyal client used it to treat her child’s skinned knee and “eight hours later” the skin was all better.
Interested in retro packaging? The range’s Cream Lip Protectant is available in a box inspired by the original.
Can Betty's charms put this sitcom on the Timeless 50?
The trials and tribulations of ‘ugly’ editorial assistant Betty Suarez are captured in this comedy series about the perils of working at a top fashion magazine surrounded by beautiful people.
Hired to assist the blundering, womanising Daniel Meade, who has been thrust into the editor’s seat of Manhattan-based magazine Mode, Betty finds herself at odds with the bitchy people she has to call colleagues. But her dogged insistence that being nice is what matters wins through, making her Daniel’s go-to gal, much to the annoyance of the others.
Film star Salma Hayek is an executive producer of the show, which has run since September 2006. She adapted the series for American television after acquiring the rights from a Colombian telenovela, Betty la Fea (yep, Ugly Betty in Spanish). She also guest-starred as rival magazine editor Sofia Reyes.
Ugly Betty became a ratings hit and won a Golden Globe Award for Best Comedy Series in 2007. It has received both praise and criticism for its dealing of the position of the Latino community in US society.
The ‘B-shaped’ pearl necklace Betty wears is said to be a replica of the one worn by Anne Boleyn. So does this fashion world expose make your Timeless 50 or is it ‘off with its head’?
Balls, balloons, tornados, springs, twirls, pianos … It’s hard to imagine this cast of characters being in a kitchen together, let alone assisting in the preparation of a meal. But that’s just what you’ll need to beat an egg, mix a sauce, or blend dry ingredients. The whisk has become an indispensable item in kitchen efficiency, and has come a long way from the medieval days when a bunch of twigs were wound together to introduce air into their culinary mixture.
The first formal mention of the whisk in Europe dates back to 17th century England, but the Japanese were using bamboo versions in their tea ceremonies as far back as the fourteenth century – they’re still only produced in one place … in 120 different versions. Julia Child popularized it in America through her 1960s TV show The French Chef.
Today there are a dozen different types of whisk, each specializing in their own niche, be it emulsifying sauces, whipping up a foam, or mixing stiff doughs. Naturally, the contemporary world’s penchant for fashion has also conjured up a distinct new breed – the designer whisk.
It’s all in the timing. Enrique Iglesias – son of Julio, for those miraculously not acquainted – came along with Hero just at the moment millions of Americans were seeking a way to get through the traumatic events of 9/11.
Picked up by radio stations and used as backing to audio testimonies from police, firefighters, politicians and civilians commenting on the attacks, it became a symbol of strength and hope, topping the Billboard adult contemporary chart for fifteen weeks. And that’s despite a a steamy, violent video featuring Jennifer Love-Hewitt and a Bonnie-and-Clyde-esque storyline, ending with Iglesias apparently being shot by Mickey Rourke.
Nevertheless, one year later, Hero became the first song ever to re-enter the chart’s top ten. In the UK, it was a breakthrough song for Iglesias, staying at Number One for four weeks and securing his place as one of the nation’s best-loved crooners.
Famous for its plot twists and clever storylines, Heroes has hooked viewers across the world since it launched three years ago. According to recent research it’s been downloaded over 55 million times – that makes it the most downloaded of all TV shows.
So why the cult following? Beyond the clever scenarios and the fact that Nathan, Peter and Sylas are all pretty hot, the obsession is actually about something much more enduring. Think of the Greek God Zeus who could control lighting and transform himself into animals; or his son Hercules, Heracles like Superman, with super strength. These are character archetypes that have been repeated throughout the history of human culture.
And it’s a story that doesn’t just exist in myth and fiction either. Today, Real Life Super Heroes are on the rise (though we can’t vouch for their superhuman powers). Given the mayhem that the Heroes dish out on a weekly basis, perhaps that’s just as well for all of us.
This hard-hitting police drama ran for 12 seasons, totalling a staggering 261 episodes.
Set in the fictional 15th Precinct of Manhattan, New York, the show followed the exploits of Detective Sergeant Andy Sipowicz, played by Dennis Franz, as he policed the Lower East Side. Yet Franz’s star role took a while to shine through as the early storylines focused more on his sidekick characters played by David Caruso (now seen brooding on CSI Miami), and Jimmy Smits (later of the West Wing). NYPD Blue deliberately tested the boundaries of broadcast restrictions on nudity and swearing, but its compelling storylines and engaging style soon overtook initial condemnations.
Jason Gay of The Boston Phoenix described Sipowicz as a “drunken, racist goon with a heart of gold” who was ‘the moral core’ of NYPD Blue. Former New York police officer-turned-writer Ted Hindenlang says: ‘Dennis Franz must have hung around some of the people I knew because his attitude, his dress, everything seemed so dead-on.’ Watch a montage of Franz’s most memorable moments here:
The show was produced with the help of former New York police officer Bill Clark and broadcast on the ABC network between September 1993 and March 2005. Its legions of fans are still awaiting its return. In 1995, it won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series. But is this police drama arresting enough to make it into your Timeless 50?
You can’t walk down the makeup aisles and not get drawn towards that little pink and green tube just screaming for your attention. Yes, Maybelline’s Great Lash Mascara smacks of the 90s, but did that stop Friends being shown on constant repeat? No. And just like Ross’s love for Rachel, this little fella refuses to go away. Time and again, it appears in beauty editors’ lists of must-haves. But why?
Well, it is said to condition the lashes as you wear it, and no less than Kate Moss, Christy Turlington and Linda Evangelista have been the face of Maybelline and extolled its lash-thickening virtues. Available in waterproof, non-waterproof and washable, as well as a variety of colours (‘blackest black’, anyone?), this upstart has all the bases covered. And with a curved brush that separates each lash, and thin formula designed to be applied in layers, spiders’ legs are a thing of the past.
Maybelline may have moved on to vibrating mascara, but we’re staying right where we are. Proof that quality needn’t always cost the earth, America’s best-selling mascara brought well-defined lashes to the masses, appealing especially to the teen market.
Those teens will grow up but we’ve got a hunch their attachment to Maybelline’s mascara will be long-lasting. Vote for the Great Lash Mascara at the Timeless 50 site.
Ladies of standing were using clutch purses back in the Victorian era, but the design received a populist boost during WWII, when fabric was thin on the ground. Now seen more as an evening accessory, the clutch made a comeback after 2008’s oversized bag craze. Designed to be held, not slung, it shows off well-manicured nails and is the ultimate red carpet accessory.
But you don’t have to be a celeb to succeed with the clutch. With Jimmy Choo’s much-anticipated debut range for H&M due out on November 14, it should be possible to pick up one of his designs for a sensible price – if you’re prepared to join the scrum.
From candy pink to animal print, diamonds and studs to chain handles, there’s sure to be something that ticks your box. Which is where the clutch excels: flexibility. Just because you’re dolled up doesn’t mean you have to surrender your fighting spirit. Alexander McQueen’s Knuckle Duster Clutch, as seen on Girls Aloud’s Nicola Roberts, even doubles as a weapon.
Meanwhile, the geeks are well on their way to getting the girl with a clutch bag that thwarts paparazzi. Using an LED light, it emits a flash of its own when it detects camera bulbs going off, over-exposing the image.
For such a popular song, You’re Beautiful is pretty dark. The video ends with James Blunt killing himself, after a falsetto lament to seeing his ex-girlfriend with someone else. “It’s time to face the truth,” he cries. “I will never be with you.”
Blunt’s heartfelt delivery struck a chord with romantics everywhere, and his debut hit reached number one in 10 different countries. It’s still his biggest-selling track, but he’s not tired of it, yet. Though “if I had the radio on all the time,” he concedes, “and they kept playing that song then yes, I’d probably turn it off.”
Plenty of listeners do already. It’s one of those tunes you love or hate, and parodies appeared after it hogged the airwaves for much of 2005. According to “Weird Al” Yankovic, Blunt personally endorsed his version, called You’re Pitiful. But record label bosses intervened. Yankovic eventually gave it away for free on his website.
