Fashion may be trying to play a joke on us. The punch line is the jumpsuit. The jumpsuit induces visceral reactions, and nobody is without an opinion. For some, it's a sexy outfit for assertive women like Pam Grier, for others it's too utilitarian. One reason for our ambiguous feelings towards the jumpsuit can be traced back to 1970s movies and TV shows and its many depictions of science fiction.

Sexy or Utilitarian?
Jaclyn Smith made jumpsuits sexy by being one of the original characters in Charlie's Angels in the 1970s. The 1970s also brought us Pinky Tuskadero on Happy Days, who was sultry in her silver jumpsuit, which she wore to ride her motorcycle.

The jumpsuit took on a more menacing force when it was worn by Uma Thurman in Kill Bill. The masculine jumpsuit was reminiscent of Top Gun flight suits and bright orange prison suits. Previously the jumpsuit had comedic appeal, when it worn as part of the Ghostbusters uniform in 1984.

The jumpsuit has oft been cast as a futuristic outfit, and can also be seen in This Island Earth (1955), Buck Rogers In The Twenty-Fifth Century (1979-1981), Fantastic Voyage (1966), Star Trek: The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine and Aeon Flux (2005).

The future may be here already, since jumpsuits have found their way back to TV. The Dharma jumpsuits on Lost have become nearly iconic for millions of fans, and any Lost party or Halloween party would be incomplete without the tan work jumpsuit and Dharma logo.

At the same time the jumpsuit is working on Lost, it's being worn on MTV's The Hills, including the Helmut Lang twill jumpsuit worn by one Audrina. These two current examples show our ambiguous relationship with the jumpsuit: is it sexy or utilitarian, and can it ever fall somewhere in between?

Casual and Sexy
The casual and sexy jumpsuit, with bandeau or tube top and no straps is today's answer to the jumpsuit.

Sad news. Actress Lucy Gordon has taken her own life in her apartment in Paris, France on Wednesday, May 20. The British star, who appeared in the movies Spider-Man 3, Frost and Serendipity, and had just finished playing Jane Birkin in the biopic Serge Gainsboug, was found dead just two days before her 29th birthday. Those close to the actress believe she was devastated after the recent loss of a close friend in the U.K.

Gordon was found at her apartment at la Rue des Petites Ecuries after a male friend alerted a nearby shopkeeper. An unnamed detective tells the Daily Telegraph Online, "There were no suspicious circumstances. It appears that the young woman took her own life." However, an investigation was opened and police questioned the male friend who reportedly found her and alerted the shopkeeper.

In movie news, "Ghostbusters" is coming close to having a third movie made, and it's rumored that Dan Akroyd wants Alyssa Milano or Eliza Dushku cast as a female Ghostbuster. Aykroyd told the LA Times that he'd love to see Dushku or Milano as a female Ghostbuster, called both actresses "amazing," and said with a female Ghostbuster, it would be "a passing-of-the-torch movie ... to a new generation." Akroyd also revealed the third movie would have a five-member crew, and that while they'll certainly feature the original characters, it will also focus on the new set.

We'll end this blog with happy news - It's a girl for Chad Lowe and girlfriend *Kim Painter*! The couple welcomed a daughter, Mabel Painter Lowe, last Saturday, May 16th in Los Angeles. Lowe, 41, and Painter announced they were expecting in late January. The couple began dating in January 2007, after Lowe finalized his divorce to Oscar-winning actress Hilary Swank.