Producer: Jen O’Brien
Editor: Mark McKay
My Sister’s Keeper footage courtesy of Warner Bros Pictures

Josh is definitely the expert to ask – he’s coiffed the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow, Cameron Diaz and Reese Witherspoon and was named one of Vogue’s top 10 stylists in 2008. Plus, he’s got great hair himself and I was more than a little jealous.

Josh gave me some valuable tips for taming my mane this season. 

Summer Tricks

 ”It’s all about improving what you have,” says Josh, and the summer obviously increases frizz like crazy.

Curly Hair- For those with curly hair, embrace it. It’s getting far too hot out to spend time struggling with your blowdryer (and sweating while trying to get pretty is not conducive to makeup application) so don’t bother, says Josh. Don’t even diffuse. First, When you get out of the shower, try not to rub your hair in your towel. This will cause frizz immediately. Gently wrap hair in a turban. Take your Frizz-Ease product of choice, divide hair into 4 sections and put a pea-sized amount of product from root to tip and then comb it out so it equally distributes product. Then run out the door and let it air dry for smooth curls.

• Try Dream Curls Curl perfecter, $11

Wavy Hair- Only blow dry your T-Zone… What does that even mean? Just do the front sections of your hair – that’s all people really see. Take a round brush, blow dry the top of your head- the front, left and right sides and the wrap your hair up in a bun. Apply some product to keep it all in check. Let it dry a bit, shake it out and bam, sexy waves and the textures will blend together nicely. You won’t cook yourself with your dryer, but you’ll still get a sexy chic look from the front with waves all around.

The second Josh told me this, I’ve stopped doing the full blow dry. My morning routine? Much faster. Thank you Harry.

• Seal your style with Moisture Barrier Firm-Hold hairspray, $11.

Accessorize – Hair jewels, headbands, braids to the side. When it’s hot out you don’t want your hair puffing up all over the place. Style and then use a hair comb or a pretty barrette and pin it up at the front. People will notice the statement piece and not any out-of-control flyaways. Josh loves Jennifer Behr’s products and I kind of want them all… 

Stay tuned for more summer tips as the weather heats up.

–Kate Daley

I checked into gorgeous Casa Del Mar on the beach in Santa Monica (where the junket was being held) and headed to the screening. Most of the other attendees were television reporters from the States who attend these sorts of things together almost every weekend.

Before the movie we all grabbed popcorn and most of the ladies flocked around the napkin dispenser to stock up for what we had all heard was going to be a major tearjerker. I rarely break down in the movie theatre so I decided to forgo the napkin-stashing…that was a mistake.

This was definitely a weeper…but it’s not your typical Hollywood sob story. There’s a gritty honesty in this film – especially where Sofia Vassilieva’s character Kate’s illness is concerned. The disease is definitely not romanticized. I think that’s what I liked about this movie, but it’s also what made it hard to watch at times especially as a survivor of childhood leukemia.

I told the girls as much when I met with them the next morning. Cameron’s response was “We’re glad you’re still here.” Yeah, me too.

After we talked about the film (watch for my video interview later this week) I tried to get some beauty tips out of Cameron. When I got back from L.A. the first things my girlfriends wanted to know were (A) What was she wearing? And (B) What does she look like in person? To answer the first question I’ve attached a photo below. And I’ve got to say, Cammie D looks amazing in person. However, her beauty tips leave something to be desired. When I asked for tips she said “Love life and gratitude, those are beauty tips. Just have gratitude.” Interesting…

Anyways, here’s my tip: Get the girls together, grab a box of Kleenex and go see this movie on June 26th. I’m pretty sure you’ll love it. Within My Sister’s Keeper there’s humour, romance and pain. But I think the one thing that will resonate is its truthfulness. It shows us that no matter how hard life gets, fate will ultimately run its course and we just have to find a way to cope.

– Jen O’Brien

I’m off to L.A. tomorrow morning to attend a press junket for My Sister’s Keeper, Cameron Diaz’s new film. The movie is based on Jodi Picoult’s bestselling book of the same name about two parents whose lives are forever altered when they find out their two-year-old daughter Kate has leukemia. They decide to conceive another child, specifically intended to save her life – Anna (played by Abigail Breslin…remember her from Little Miss Sunshine?). The sisters endure various medical procedures and hospital stays…until at age 11 Anna decides she’s had enough. She decides to hire a lawyer (Alec Baldwin…possibly my favourite person on TV) and seek medical emancipation.

As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, I’m a survivor of childhood leukemia so I’m especially interested to see how this plays out.

But forget leukemia, I get to meet Cameron Diaz on Saturday! Amazing! Cammie D, most well-known for her goofy sexpot roles, is playing a mom in this movie, which look like it’s going to be a real weeper.

Watch the trailer here and let me know what you think.

Below is the poster for the film. It’s been getting some flack in the blogosophere for the laugh riot Abigail and Cammie are having in the face of cancer…but, hey, maybe this one has a happy ending.

I’ll report back when I return from L.A. next week and give you the dish on what I thought of the movie and its stars. And watch for my full interview in the coming weeks.

 – Jen O’Brien