forever in my heart. forever 21.

did u know that forever 21 started testing a mens line? there is one in the beverly center that I was shocked to stumble upon. they have hip, graphic tees for $12.50 (watta bargain!), cute cargos and great oversized hoodies that I'll be sure to buy david as a gift then once its home, claim it as my own. stay away from the dressier items coz in pure forever fashion, they look reeeeally cheap.

buck you

our computer has been giving me sass as of late so I havent been able to post as often as I'd like. please forgive the belated response -- did you see bucky on the american idol finale?! I don't know what happened between his vote off the island and the last night's performance, but he has gone and done stolen my heart. his voice sounded great and he moved with the swagger of a rock superstar. I remember the night jon corn and I sat and watched the first show of the season screaming out that we loved the wackiness and unfamiliarity of the silver cloud. who knew that several weeks later he would take the whole thing and be considered a fox. there are kids in america DYING THEIR HAIR GRAY!?! perhaps SJP can do a garnier commerical for their color du jour, tin foil taylor.

the great bean debate

there was an entertainment news story a couple of months ago that involved britney spears having her private jet fly to la. back from her set in random usa. to bring her a vanilla ice blended from the coffee bean. now those that are not geographically located in the west aren't privvy to such sweet indulgences but if you've ever tasted the coffee at coffee bean you'd know why brit spent essentially $50,000 a day on a cuppa joe. it's THAT worth it. I drink a $3.45 regular, iced mocha latte, no sugar added every morning. that means I've hit up ALOT of coffee beans. I just moved into the hollywood neighborhood that is hancock park adj. and I have found a new coffee bean jem tucked away on beverly. I think its family run and it is kosher or orthodox or whatever so its closed on friday nights and most of saturday for sabbath but maaaan, when it is open, everyone is sooo friendly and the rabbi-blessed coffee just tastes better. just like kabbalah water! even the morning muffins and r/f (that's reduced fat for those not down with the CB lingo) orange chocolate scone that I will occassionally get, melts in the mouth. they have papers for you to read and you can catch ms. leeza gibbons getting her morning fixxx if you're lucky (her studios are across the street). if I were to break down the la. bean, I would have to say my fave is the one at fairfax and sunset. ask for rachel. she makes a great latte and it is soo fun to sit out on sunset and watch for the celebs who pop in daily. coming in at a close second is the bean on laurel canyon and ventura. their lattes aren't the best but the atmosphere is fun and I have a soft spot in my heart for the 'hood. the one in century city on santa monica is fun too if you're on the west side and the bean mid-wilshire on your way out or in to bev hills is a nice respite after a meeting, but fuggedabout the one on melrose by martel. it's awful! they have no selection, aren't friendly and the feng shui of the place is wack. now that I think about it, the coffee bean express in the beverly center is pretty wack too. ya know whats even more wack? using the word WACK, mcjack. as you can see, my morning hit has got me jumping coz thats alotta jive for some jamoke but thats how much a morning coffee can mean at the bean. where's your favorite joint for joe?

modern girls guide to l.a. eateries

last night me and the other modern gals went out for a night on the town. we decided on dinner and drinks at the new social club, social hollywood which has taken over the hollywood athletic club space. the place is huge! the decor is phenomenal. the staff is very friendly but pretentiously long-winded which is distracting when you want to have a good cocktail and chat. the food is expensive and sub-par. I had the lamb shanks and lemme tell you, for forty bux I expected more than a stick of fat. I did enjoy my two bellinis and the creamy polenta I had was yummy. afterwards, our host leslie took us on a tour of the members-only area upstairs. its nice. I dont know if they'll be able to pull off the exclusivity and social bullseye that is the soho house, but lawdy knows they are trying. we tried to bribe leslie into thinking we were ultra-cool and that they had to sign us on as members. he knew miss eva la rue b/c ironically enough, he plays the finger print guy on csi:miami. hollywood is hollyweird. get in now while it is still under the radar or worse yet, passed its prime.

what you should be listening to now:
ghostface killah
gnarls barkley
the raconteurs
babyshambles

what you should be watching now:
modern girls guide to life on style
wonder showzen on mtv2

what you should be wearing now:
norma kamali
alexandchloe
paige jeans: hollywood hills cut

if u want to date michael jackson, u have to B-14!

Claudia and I hosted Bingo at Hamburger Mary's in WeHo last night with Belle Aire and Jeffrey. It was alot of fun!! We followed in the footsteps of some other great Friends of Dorothy who have called their legendary bingo including Janice Dickinson and Paris Hilton. David came and we had Hamburgers. I even made a shirt at Neighborhoodies that read BING-HO. To date, they have raised over one million dollars for charity. You go girls. After Bingo, David and I went over to Pinkberry where the line was once again out the door. I made nice with the actress who plays Artie Bucco's wife on The Sopranos. She is from Harlem and was very interested in franchising a Pinkberry for Chelsea in NYC. I know a stupid amount of useless information about Pinkberry's that proved to be useful in this instance. David drove around the block because their was no place to park and by the time he circled the block 342 times, he swore off Pinkberry forever. We'll see how long that lasts. The dont call if Crackberry for nuthin.

say goodbye to no. hollywood

yes, its true. I "borrowed" the post title from david's digital couch. at least I am giving credit where credit is due. and yes, that's true too. we are leaving north hollywood this weekend and moving into our lovely new hancock park adj. apartment. wowie zowie! this week was a flurry of activity. I started off the week shooting 'how do I look?' with finola and a very cute 18 yr. old fashion victim, celeste. tomorrow is reveal day. fingers crossed that she picks my collection. this time I take full responsibility for my super deluxe teen fashion picks (yes, steviebadazz, full responsibility). next stop was the modern girls guide to motherhood party at the gm suite at the reg bev wilsh for jane's new book of the same name. it was faaab. brooke shields, melissa joan hart, shar jackson and more hot hollywood mama's made the rounds. I am so proud of jane. by far the best book release party I've ever been to! I continued shooting for the week and packing for the big move this weekend. today I picked up my new car!!!! I've been driving around my beat-up old mercedes benzie since I moved out here three years ago and it was time to upgrade. I drove away with a fab 97' beamer. black on black. I was proud of myself for stashing away the cash to get the sweet ride. and did anyone hear mine, david and claudia's appearance on the adam carolla show last week? next stop: new apartment!!!!!

NEW TO MY BLOG: ANONYMOUS POSTINGS!!!!

Remember when you tried to post a comment on my board and it would ask you to spend 38 minutes registering? NO MORE! Now anybody can leave a comment and I hope you all do - I promise to always respond and it'll make this board fun! I want to know what you want to know! Love always, JZ.

jess zaino world tour 2006

Life has been crazy with a capital K this past week. I flew in to Chicago last Friday for a Nordstrom gig on Saturday. The Michigan Ave. store is brill! Big, beautiful and tons of trendy merch to choose from... annnd, they carry Scott Barnes' Body Bling. Head to accessories and pick up the new crochet Isabella Fiore bag. I also got to meet some kick butt chi-town, my town ladies. If you are in the neighborhood, make sure to stop by Exhibit on Lincoln Ave. and grab som grub and bins of wine at Bin 36. Then it was to New York to host KMS California's I AM KMS CALFORNIA CASTING CALL at the Nokia Theatre on 44th St. I wore a dress by ECHO provided by my good friends at Tracy Paul & Co. and accessories by H&M. Hung with The Gastineau Girls and learned that KMS Calfornia SilkSheen is the best for my frizzy New York 'do and that Joyce Leslie on University Place has THE BEST cheap-o, trendy shoes. NNNew York girls are still rocking the knee-high rain rubbers, so keep that trend coming. On a side note, my bag was lost and I was involuntarily pulled from a plane only to sit in a Chicago airport Hilton for a day and a half. Where was Paris when I needed her? As a result, I am waging a personal boycott against American Airlines and I suggest you do to. Oh! yesterday on JFK to LAX, I had Nigel Barker from ANTM and Jessica Simpson's dad, Joe on board!!

We're back, baby!

Make sure to save the date or set your Tivos because Modern Girls Guide to Life is back for its second season premiering tonight, Friday April 21 at 9pm on E!'s Style Network . Watch the normally tame Jane Buckingham get buck nekkid or Claudia Jordan (recently from Deal or No Deal) eat bugs. I didn't think models ate, let alone insects. Ewww. Plus we've got more of the tips and tricks needed for living a fabulously fabulous modern life. Think Sex in the City meets Queer Eye (sans the queer but all of the homoerotic undertones).

Super Deluxe Style Tip for the Ladies: Start rocking the watch. During the day and also with event evening wear. The bigger the better. "Borrow" one from your beau if need be. While you're at it, grab one of his white button-down Oxfords and throw on a cinch belt at the waist. Super Sexy.

Super Deluxe Style Tip for the Lads: Ditch your Nike Dunks and chuck those Chuck Taylors - its time to take it back to the old school of Spicoli and rock the black and white check slip-on sneak. Rite-Aid is currently carrying an awesome pair for $9.99. They're the most poorly put together shoe but I think that's what makes 'em super California cool. Look for the original Vans if blisters aren't your thang.

I'm still having an amazing time on my national Nordstrom tour speaking about the newest and chicest in Spring 2006 accessories and cosmetics. Think white for shirts, shorts and shoes and the oversized Bestey Johnson Buckle Bag. All the rage. This weekend I'm off to Chicago then its New York City on Tuesday to host the KMS California "Express Yourself" Event with those gorgeous Gastineau Girls.

best week ever

last week was a great week. that's been happening to me alot lately. I've been saying "today is the best day ever!" more often than I ever have in my life. pretty groovy. last week brough the wrap up of the second season of modern girls. we banged out a season in less than a month and I hear its looking great! it premieres this friday, april 21 at 9pm on style. watch it!! then david and I secured our new place and its a dream apartment. I'm psyched to move in and start to decorate. I signed with babette perry at entertainment powerhouse ICM annnnd to top it off I got see alot of friends I hadnt seen in a minute becuase of the hectic shooting schedule. great week. and I look forward to this one as well as I am getting a new car this week and flying out to chicago and then new york at the end of the week. I only hope that for all these amazing things and experiences that are bestowed upon me, I give back to the world with as much kindness, compassion and honesty. feck yeah!

bada bing

I went to joisey this past weekend for the nordstrom gig at the garden state plaza mall. it was one of the proudest days of my life. my parents came out from long island and got to see me "do my thang". I work really hard and have all my life so for my parents to see me work and applaud it is really special and important to me. everyone was super duper nice (big up meredith) and it was great to be with my east coast peeps. kristine even flew out from the seattle location to reprise her role as #1 accessory maven. she rocks. so does the betsey johnson hobo bag I so generously recieved from my friends at nordstrom. forget the dior goucho, I think this is the "it" bag for the season. especially in white!!

need a gift?

I have found that the best place on the net for gift giving is at redenvelope.com. it is a great site with classy gifts and an easy order process. you can find something nice for anyone and any occassion. yesterday was my co-host claudia jordan's b-day and I wanted to send her something that wouldnt die like a flower bouquet if she wasnt home to recieve it or would ruin her valient attempts at a no-sugar diet, so I found this great money tree. she loves plants and money, so I thought it was perfect! it's a real deal...or no deal (ha. claudia is on that show).

studio city hotspots

for the last couple of months I have been kickin it in the valley living in a purgatory awaiting my move to the heaven that is hollywood. in pure PR fashion, my fab publicist scored me a featured spot in a studio city publication as a studio city resident who is down on all the hotspots. it comes out next month. by that time I will be living la vida lacienega...
For some uber fashion and the latest fun trendy hot spots, forget Hollywood and Vine! Pedal over the hill and find out that Laurel and Ventura is where it is at!
The Valley boasts a lot of history, a lighter traffic flow then Hollywood, and the parking Nazis here are just a tad nicer. While the other side of the hill might be a bit less exciting then the big city, the pace is slower, and after shooting an episode of my show and working 14 hour days with the hot lights baking me like a stuffed potato, it’s nice to come home to a more sedate atmosphere.
For the Valley Virgins, here are just a few of my favorite Studio City haunts:

Yes, the Valley has it’s very own Coffee Bean which I’m at for an Iced Mocha Latte with No Sugar Added every morning (ADDRESS?) -

A five minute ride takes you to a beautiful morning hike in the canyon of Fryman

Trader Joe’s for dried pineapples and other yummy groceries, not to mention 2 buck chuck!

Sunday morning Farmers Market for fresh flowers, vegetables, and authentic tamales.

The 24 hour Ventura newsstand for the New York Times Sunday Edition (Style Section and Wedding Announcements) and yes, Studio City boasts the same selection of magazines that you can find at Borders! (Which we have, too!)

NEWS FLASH ALERT! PINKBERRY YOGURT is coming soon to the Studio City Plaza!!?!

For those of you who don’t know Pinkberry, get to know it.

La Perla has its merits, but IMHO, hands down, Faire Frou Frou is THE SPOT for fancy pants lingerie and undergarment type goodies.

Everybody who is anybody, gets down at Guy’s North. I especially like their Sunday Sopranos viewing party… and their martinis ain’t too shabby, either. Make sure to ask for Lisa Anne. She’s the best darn rum-slinger in the SC.

I’m a big fan of Lisa Rinna’s place Belle Gray on Ventura. I saw Kelly Ripa there once

For cool jazz on a hot Friday night, hit up The Baked Potato on Cahuenga. Not only do you get cool jazz, you get a baked potato!

Get the tastiest exotic teas and the out-of-this-world vegan green casserole at the classy Hugo’s on Coldwater and Riverside.

stylish in seattle

I am currently invloved with a fab event hosted by nordstrom called 'make it mine'. I get to travel to locations around the country giving modern girl fashion tips to a group of fashion savvy ladies (and curious lookieloos). I then do an hour of personal styling consults with customers. yesterday was my first gig up in seattle and it rocked. everyone was super nice and seattle is really cool. a couple of years back, I stayed up there for a month rehearsing for the nasa tour, so I was eager to see the pacific northwest again. I got my makeup done up in mac dejarose by kari from the san diggy location and wore an ultra fab frock by moschino that I picked up at the store. my favorite part was that they made up water bottles with my face on them!?! drink up! my second favorite part was the buckle-up large betsey johson hobo bag which was modeled. me likey. next week I head to paramus, new joisey.

who knew?

I'm in seattle on my nordstrom tour. home of starbucks. when I got in today ben the driver took me to a starbucks and I had the best chai tea latte of my entire freekin life. ben then went into a story about how his whole family were baristas for starphux before they took over the world. seriously, the best chai tea latte ever! l.a. starbucks sucks. Imma pull a britney and send the private jet up here to get my tea in the morning from now on.

sue wong

checked out the sue wong show yesterday. every season, ms. wong has the only show that rivals a new york production. this was no exception. her lines were inspired by the 1920's and each look came from a city: berlin, london, hew york, hollywood, cairo, shangai and all in the 1920's. It was exquisite. the beading alone was breathtaking. the collection is for fall 2006 and showed alot of burgundy, silvers and royal blues. I got to sit in the front row which is where all the real action is. the first row gets the best gift bag and I walked away with a fab sue wong wrap, clutch and an electric pink make-up bag full of mac products. 'delicious' as david says. after the show, I went to the valet and waited for my benzie for soooo long that ms. wong actually came out and was waiting for her car too. she looked too chic in an all black ensemble with a black 1920's bob, beret and bright red lips. life is a cabaret.

if you're ever in hollyweird

juli b.

awww dumb 2006

l.a. fashion week for fall 2006 is in town. luckily, jane and I got to do a segment for modern girls on hip and cheap styling tips from the freshest fashion man around, davis factor. grandson of max factor, davis (and his brother dean) own smashbox studios (where fashion week is heald) and the smashbox makeup brand. we had our makeup touch-ups backstage at the elsie katz couture show, ran into janice dickinson taping her own reality show for oxygen and then went to work. did you know baby wipes take out those pesky deodorant stains on shirts? now you do. afterwards we scooted out of there b/c things can get pretty hectic. I came home to make the yummiest sausage and peppers for dinner and to watch there and back (I love that ashley angel!) on the couch with david. faaaabulous.

modern girls guide to fashion week

started shooting last week. it was sooo fun. I got hair extensions at naimies in the valley and went for a suddenly slimmer treatment in bev hills and lost 16.2 inches in an hour?!!? you'll have to check out the show starting april 13 to view the results of both. tre exciting! tomorrow l.a. fashion week kicks off and I will be attending some of the shows and working some others. I am going backstage tomorrow with janey b. for a modern girls segment and then the rest of the week, I will be writing for beautynewsLA. the suites start on wednesday at hd buttercup but they are make it abundently clear that there will be no samples, so whats that all about, alfie?

the digital couch

wow. whoever wrote up these reviews is someone I wish I was on the digital couch with. oh yeah, I am. funny, insightful and endearingly opinionated, if you're into the teevee, this is a site you won't want to miss.