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.

Capri pants are many things all at once: chic, sexy, fashionable and comfortable. The basic Capri style, attributed to Sonja de Lennart has not changed much, but how and where we wear our Capris has, thanks to Audrey Hepburn, Mary Tyler Moore, Stockard Channing and Uma Thurman.

European fashion designer Sonja de Lennart debuted her Capri Collection in 1945, and it included skirts, pants and blouses. Three years later she modified the Capri pants to make them tighter, and in turn sexier. She shortened the pants to the familiar three-quarter length, just below the knee that is common today. The original version even had the small slit up the outside of the material.

Fashion and film icon Audrey Hepburn breezed around in a pair of Capri pants with ballet flats in the 1954 movie Sabrina. More than five decades later, Capris paired with ballerina flats still work. The style was popular as resort wear in the 1950s, although the pants continued to evoke sex appeal on screen.

American women traded in their skirts for Capris in the mid-1960s thanks in no small part to Mary Tyler Moore. As Laura Petrie on The Dick Van Dyke Show, Moore was given credit by Time Magazine for having made Capri pants "the biggest trend in U.S. casual attire," while at the same time the sponsors of the TV show reported that American women were not thrilled by the site of Mary Tyler Moore in the skin-tight pants.

Capris were the pants of choice for top Pink Lady Rizzo in 1978's Grease starring Olivia Newton John and John Travolta. Stockard Channing's signature look included her Pink Ladies coat with black Capri pants.

The Capri pants also caused a sensation when Uma Thurman wore them in the dark Quentin Tarantino film, Pulp Fiction, in 1994.

Today's Capri pants can be worn in the office, on holiday or for exercise. This style of pants is ideal for showing off the latest sandals, flats or wedged shoes of your collection.

Sources

Cotton, Inc., http://www.cottoninc.com
Sonja de Lennart, http://www.sonjadelennart.com/gallery.html
Laura Petrie's Capri Pants, http://www.tvacres.com/clothing_pants_laurapetrie.htm

Paris Bennett's pregnancy, Paris Hilton's new album, Ruben Studdard ties the knot and Uma Thurman's engagement.

A former American Idol contestant has a baby on the way and it's not Clay Aiken! Paris Bennett, the petite-sized contestant who blew the American Idol judges away with her big voice and stage presence has a bun in the oven. Her lips are sealed as to who the baby's daddy is, but sources say that her mom is thrilled that Paris waited as long as she did before getting pregnant (she gave birth to Paris when she was just a teenager as well).

The other Paris - Hilton that is - has a project in the works too. Paris is said to be working with boyfriend, Benji Madden, on a follow-up to the debut album she released a couple years ago. Not only that, but she is also writing the theme song to her new reality show and will perform it herself.

Ruben Studdard may have been dumped by his record label, but that doesn't mean this American Idol winner is unhappy. The Velvet Teddy Bear, as he's affectionately known, tied the knot last week with his girlfriend, Surata Zuri McCants. The two met at an Atlanta Wal-Mart back in 2006 and have been together ever since. Ruben wasn't the only one to make it down the aisle last week though - funny man Chris Kattan also married his model girlfriend, Sunshine Tutt. Chris and Sunshine have been dating since 2005.

In more wedding news, will the third time be a charm for Uma Thurman ? Let's hope so. The actress recently announced her engagement to boyfriend Arpad "Arki" Busson. Arpad presented Uma with a stunning eight-plus carat ring when he asked her to marry him. Arpad and Uma - that ought to look interesting stenciled on the side of their mailbox.

And there are new details surfacing as to why George Clooney broke things off so quickly with his ex-girlfriend, Sarah Larson. It seems that after Sarah moved in with George she began to consider herself the lady of the house. Sources say she may have gone as far as cutting back on the tips that the servants received. When George finally caught wind of what was going on, he gave Sarah the boot.

Sources:
Star Tribune - http://startribune.com
People Magazine - http://people.com
E! - http://eonline.com
Celebitchy - http://celebitchy.com

Hollywood party girl Tara Reid is finally catching a break! After years of hard partying, botched plastic surgery and unemployment, Tara is back in the game. Well, sort of. Her new gig will be starring on the hit show, Dancing with the Stars. The catch? It's the Australian version, not the American one. Hey, at least she's working...

Have you heard of Ryan Shawhughes? Yeah, neither had I... until now. Ryan is the former nanny of the now-divorced celebrity couple, Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke. She's also engaged and pregnant. I know, I know, big deal. But guess who the father of the baby is? Ethan Hawke! Mm-hmm, sounds like the storyline to one of those bad Lifetime movies older women like to watch, but it's soooo much better because it's actually true. Of course, it has been a while since Ethan and Uma split, but still the fact that he's soon going to be married to the woman who used to watch his kids, well, you don't see that everyday.

Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez love to talk about the fact that they're raising their twin babies on their own. You know, as in without the help of any nannies as is the custom among celebrity couples. But they left out one tiny detail. Jennifer Lopez's mom has actually moved in with the couple and is helping out with the care of the twins. Someone might want to tell Marc Anthony that just because she's not on the payroll, doesn't mean she isn't helping out. Wonder what Mama Lopez thinks about what her son-in-law is blabbing about to everyone.

*Beyonce*'s little sister, Solange, had some bad luck during a recent performance. A piece of metal fell on Solange's foot which resulted in a painful break. But even a broken foot didn't stop this diva-in-training from going on with the show. She finished her performance before allowing anyone to rush her off to the hospital. What a trooper!

Who's the latest celeb on baby bump watch? Paris Hilton! And it's not just talk this time. Paris was recently photographed walking alongside boyfriend, Benji Madden in LA. But in these particular pics, Paris Hilton is sporting what appears to be the beginning of a baby bump. Now since we're talking about Paris the bump could be one of three things: 1)an actual baby bump which means that the heiress really is pregnant, 2)a PR stunt much like the recent appearance she made on Pop Fiction or 3)a really big lunch. Hmmm...

And finally here's some gossip about a real blast from the past. Lynda Carter, known for her portrayal as Wonder Woman, made headlines again recently and it had nothing to do with her acting skills. The former TV star was out on the Potomac River when she spotted something out of the ordinary - a dead body floating face down. While she didn't pull any superhero stunts, she did call 911. Too bad she wasn't wearing her old Wonder Woman costume at the time - that would've been a hell of a story.

Sources: TMZ - http://tmz.com, Dlisted - http:dlisted.com, Celebitchy - http://celebitchy.com