THE YEAR IN BEAUTY.(2004)

Food for Thought

It was a disarmingly simple experiment: Morgan Spurlock would eat nothing but McDonald's meals for a month and film the results. His girlfriend, a vegan chef, was appalled. His doctors were apprehensive, but a little curious. Spurlock's documentary, Super Size Me, traces that morbidly fascinating journey, as he gains 25 pounds, his blood pressure and cholesterol spike, his liver turns to "p,te," his moods become erratic, and his doctors express increasing alarm. Saying there was no connection to the film, McDonald's began decreasing its "Super Size" promotions and increasing the healthier choices on its menu. Good news -- and yet, is the company responsible for Americans' near-pathological lack of self-control? Sure, fast food in great quantities is unhealthy, but so is organic goat cheese. Besides, ever try to find a decent salad in a food court or a sweet, juicy peach in a suburban grocery store? It's nearly impossible. Perhaps those smug advocates of organic food should be taken to task for not providing fresh fruits and vegetables at low prices along the interstate.

Paris Trance

Late last year, excerpts of a sex tape starring Paris Hilton and then-boyfriend Rick Solomon, reportedly shot when she was 19 and he ...