Who or what inspires your style? Many of us use celebrities (like Sarah Silverman

Emma Watson isn’t just that charming Brit that plays that one chick in that Harry Potter flick.  She’s grown before our eyes from the awkward 11-year-old Hermione to the classy, well-mannered face of Burberry with a personal style that, thankfully, doesn’t resemble anything you’d see in the halls of Hogwarts.

Emma didn’t always have that prep-school drop-out look she’s known for now.  In some older pictures during the early 2000′s, she dressed like any average 11-year-old – a little but awkward and unsure, but still a little experimental.  But as time went on, she experimented more and more, discovering what worked and what she liked and what expressed her (not Hermione’s) personality best.

And, like magic, she succeeded and has become a force to be reckoned with, both while walking the red carpet and walking to class.  Emma Watson’s style is classy and refined, with the occasional edgy rocker moments thrown in.

I love Emma’s style because it evolved.  She tried out trends, pushed the envelope and made some mistakes. It took some time but, as we have all seen, it most definitely paid off. Today designers are courting her, photographers are hounding her and college girls from the Midwest are trying to pull together outfits to look just like her.

Socks, Bag, Boots, Shorts, Corset

Chiggity-check out this outfit because I’m officially in love.  A printed corset top with some mid-length cuffed shorts are perfect for summer and, with a simple swap of accessories, can be worn for practically any occasion. (Flats for a Saturday afternoon, strappy pumps for a Saturday night…) But the best part about this outfit are on her legs peeking out from over the top of those boots.

“Socks and rubber boots in the summer?” you ask.  Yeah, I thought that was a joke, too.  But for some reason I think I’d still sacrifice, even if there’s the  potential for major sweatiness, because it looks pretty cool (well, not LITERALLY). I don’t know how or why, but the shorts and boots combo just works. And then the studded bag with the fringe adds a little unexpected edge, which keeps this from looking too “Summer sweet” and is Emma’s fashion signature.

Flaunt this style like Emma and pretty soon you’ll have people everywhere casting some spells on their own wardrobe, too! Sorry, I had to do it.

In all honesty, there has been only one date marked (with a big red-Sharpie’d heart) on my calendar this summer: July 15, the release of the next Harry Potter movie. Yes, I read all the books. Yes, I realize I’m more excited for a movie about wizards than beachside cocktails. But in addition to the guaranteed magical experience of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, I’m amped for the magical hotness of its star, Daniel Radcliffe.

Back in the days of the first HP movies, little Danny was, well, little. He assumed the staring role at 9 years old (at that age, I was still wearing butterfly clips and black shoes with white socks, ew).  But at some point, the British hunk blossomed into a ripped, well-groomed wizard of womanizing.

Last year, he starred in the Broadway play “Equus,” which is most famous for showcasing D.Rad in the buff, live and in person. Thank you, Broadway producers, for allowing me to look at this fine man totally nude in a perfectly cultured manner.

While I doubt “The Half-Blood Prince” will be displaying any kind of nudity, I am totally looking forward to fanning myself in the audience, dreaming of another of Daniel’s magic wands.

Ladies, do you like a good nibble during a makeout sesh? Do you get off on the idea of escaping from the perils of public life into seclusion with your hunk? Do you get hot for precariously messy coifs? If you said ‘yes!’ to all of these questions, and can stand the sight of blood without fainting, Robert Pattinson may be the boy-toy for you.

At 23, Pattinson has set the world ablaze with his vacant, erotic stare that communicates the only emotion I ever need to know: ‘I want to eff the sh*t out of you.’ The hottie shot to fame last fall  for his film role as bloodsucking, sexy vampire Eddie Cullen in the Twilight series. Ever since, ladies aged 8 to 88 have been fainting in the streets at the mere sight of the British hunk, who has been known to instigate spontaneous orgasm with a single scowl.

Most recently, Robert has been making headlines in New York for the legions of girls who’ve come out to stalk him catch a glimpse as he films his new movie, Remember Me, in the Big Apple. Just last week, the effable villain was clipped by a New York taxi cab as he tried to escape the hordes of tween girls throwing themselves upon him in lust. But breathe easy ladies, he’s fine (or shall I say, he’s foyne!).

So, RP, I confess: your devilish grin has inspired me to return to my TigerBeat roots and pin up your photos all over my walls. And refrigerator. And, well, the inside of my medicine cabinet. No facade in my home has been spared from your infinitely effable visage. When you’ve decided you’ve had enough of the tween fandom and want a real woman, come scowl in my direction.

I could not be more excited for today’s release of spy-thriller Duplicity, not only because it marks the return of my girl crush Julia Roberts , but for the always-delicious Clive Owen. Yum, yum, yum!

First of all, our boy has two automatically-effable traits: green eyes and a British accent. Green-eyed men are so hard to come by, and that polished Queen’s English he speaks could enchant me even if he was talking about lint filters. Stick the man in a suit, like the one he wears in the Duplicity trailer, and he is outrageously delectable. Some even say he’s the next Cary Grant.

Furthermore, Clive is a versatile actor whose every role appeals to a different type of effability. His rugged portrayal of Dwight in Sin City showcased Clive as a brutal, aggressive gangster. In Children of Men, he is the heroic everyman entrusted with saving the life of the last pregnant woman on earth in the midst of a sociological apocalypse. In Closer (my personal favorite), he plays the animalistic dermatologist Larry, whose pornographic imagination gets him into all sorts of trouble. I can’t even watch Closer with my friends, because Clive’s lust-driven character is too hot to handle.

When he’s not a Golden Globe-winning actor, Clive is a huge soccer fan and passionate supporter of Liverpool F.C. (and allegedly skipped his own premeire to catch a game on television!) He is a family man who likes to spend his time with his wife, Sarah Jane, and their two daughters. While some might say Clive’s attractiveness wanes in light of the fact that he’s off the market, I believe it makes him all the more effable. After all those hours spent portraying sexually-charged supervillains and superheroes, it’s nice to know he can still come home at night and be a normal father and husband. Effing perfection, is he not?

“Sure!” (Insert a little drooling)

And then the worrying begins.

I know, I know, grabbing coffee is totally innocent. Yada yada. But, years of motherly concern, “What time are you going to be back?”, “Be careful when you drink”, have been totally ingrained into my thinking. I mean, I’ve been on the streets at two at night. Alone. In some of the roughest parts of London (yes, I’m a Brit), but those worries don’t stop flying around my head. No matter what.

Okay, so being alone at 2 AM, not exactly the wisest decision, but hey, it had to happen at some point. In big cities like London, being street smart is a must. And I, blessed with other things (none of which I can think of right now) was not given street smarts. Luckily, the guy I met for coffee didn’t turn out to be an axe murderer. Or a serial rapist. Or even a weirdo (believe me; I know a lot of them). He was actually a really nice guy. A nice, hot, French guy. Yum (No, I didn’t get his number, and yes, I am still kicking myself).

So I didn’t meet my demise that night. BUT, and here’s the big question…was my initial paranoia valid? With all the news reports of muggings, attacks and knife crimes etc. on the rise, can you ever be too careful?

Probably not. Hot guys can be murderers too, you know (actually, it helps if they’re hot…What?! It’s true!). So, here’s a tip, right off the streets of Bangalore (possibly the least safe city for woman in the world, according to The Times of India) pepper spray. And a big bag.

So, tell me what you think. When does worrying become an unfounded paranoia? And what are your tips for staying safe?

The women’s responses were varied: some said they are more romantic, better looking, the obligatory “hot” accent and a few other examples. It got me thinking though; how different can they really be? I personally have never dated someone from a different country, being born and raised in the Tri-State area myself, but listening to these women go on and on about men they dated, fell in love with, married…made me wonder if there really was a substantial difference.

Most females in any country would agree that David Beckham – shirt or no shirt (preferably no shirt, am I right?) – has a sort of lust that seems to pour out of him with every move, breath or goal he kicks. I’ve also read countless interviews with Vicky Beckham stating her man – due to his British heritage – is well equipped in that area. Are British men known to be packin’ more than our American men?

Personally, Jude Law has always been a favorite of mine, but I never thought of how a non-celebrity Brit would be as a partner. Would they really be more romantic? Or are females just so tired of American men letting them down, they expect the Brit boys to be different? I’d never thought I’d say this, but Elvis Duran and the Z-morning show got my brain cranking way before it should’ve been this morning.

I’ve visited the streets that would be crowded with these so called “better catches”. Like SJP always said about squirrels in Sex and the City: “they’re just rats with a better outfit,” I think a Brit is just an American man with a better accent. I may be biased, but I’d take my American boyfriend, sexy and wonderful, sans that accent any day.

Do we romanticize them because we’ve never had them or because they truly are a better breed?

[Photo of Mr Hottie from www.david-beckham.ws] 

Bonjour!

Here’s your daily dose of news with Kandy Korrespondent:

Presidential hopeful Barack Obama beat Hilary Clinton by SEVEN votes in the Guam Democratic presidential caucuses on Saturday. Each of the eight delegates from Guam gets ½ a vote at the convention. US citizens in Guam do not have the right to vote during the actual presidential election in November.

In related news, if Congressional democrats are any indicator Barack-Hilary fight won’t be over any time soon. According to Reuters, a total of 97 Democrats have endorsed Senator Obama while 98 have endorsed Senator Clinton. Eighty-six remain undecided. All members of Congress have super delegate status and as such will play a major role in the potentially painfully narrow delegate count during the DNC convention in August.

In Other News:

A pipe bomb exploded outside of a downtown federal courthouse in San Diego, California. The blast occurred just before 1:40am on Sunday morning. There are no reported injuries and so far no arrests have been made.

Tropical cyclone Nargis has killed at least 351 people in Myanmar. The government reports that about 20,000 homes were destroyed leaving 90,000 homeless.

[Update: The BBC now reports that the death toll is at least 10,000]

The British Labor party saw it’s worse local election results in 40 years this past weekend suffering a net loss of 331 seats mainly to the Conservative party. The labor party, formerly led by Tony Blair, has born the brunt of British discontent with their country’s continued involvement in the Iraq War.

And Now for Something Completely Different…

German politics are awesome. Kurt Beck, head of the German Social Democrats, said in a panel that he is thinking about auctioning his beard off to charity. Beck, who has ambitions to be Germany’s next leader, says that he has “hair like a guinea pig”. If the auction occurs, he believes that it would raise 1 million euros ($1.5 million).

That’s the News! See you tomorrow!